island time

"Island time" refers to the slow paced flexible lifestyle of tropical peoples. Americans are obsessed with time. We are diligent about being on time, planning leisure time, and scheduling work time. We wear watches, carry PDA's, set reminders in Outlook. Islanders say they will meet you "in the morning," and they literally mean sometime in the future. Mexicans say "manana," which means sometime in the future, maybe tomorrow, maybe not. They are surprised when we press them for an exact time, or even an exact day to expect our order or pick up our mail. Cruisers have to learn about "island time." In the last year I have learned to live without a watch, without a calendar and without the expectation to accomplish more than one thing per day. Island time can be very liberating, it can also be very frustrating.

We had planned, with a number of other boats, to leave Moorea and head for Huahine last weekend. Has the weekend already come and gone? We're still here and so are they. There are kids to play with, fish to see, beaches to lie on and no wind. Why should we move? Living in a vehicle offers certain advantages. If you like the view out your window, if you like your neighbors, if the activities are superb, you stay. If the social scene is flat, bothersome noise comes from shore, the beach isn't pristine, you move on. You can't do that at home. You make reservations, you request time off, you go rain or shine on your vacation. You don't stay home an extra day because the neighbors invite you for dinner. You don't leave a day early because it's windy. No, you schedule, you plan, you follow through.

It takes months to learn this new outlook on time. I obsessed about our plans in the beginning. It drove me mad that there were no real guidelines, no efficiency. Pete loves it, he's never been a slave to time, so he fits in great. I wonder how we will ever go back to work, back to a scheduled life. Do we really have to be places at a certain time? Do we really have to know what day it is? I suppose we'll remember how, but maybe it will take just as long to readjust. I guess I'll have to buy new batteries for my watch.

So, we are still anchored off of Moorea. It's fabulous. Everyday we have a new adventure in the most beautiful place we've ever been. We'll leave when it gets windy, or when we get bored, or when our friends leave too. Huahine is the next island about 80 miles away. I'm sure we'll have fun there too and look forward to it, manana.

-Kellie