A Kind of Paradise

 I think we have found some kind of paradise here on the island. Our long walks through miles of shallow water has been doing its work on the Nepal dirt caked in the cracks of our skin, while the sight of crabs, fish, and snails refreshes our childlike sense of adventure. We spend our mornings on the porch of our bungalow, many times listening to the rain, frogs, geckos or birds while fitting in our own words about how traveling and seeing different ways of life has already prodded us to re-think our own.

We both grew up in loving, well off, American homes. Many people in our communities did the best they knew how when it came to sustainability efforts however, we have become increasingly aware of the general unsustainable consumption modeled by these communities.

We have fallen in love with a life where we bike to the places we want to go, get our fruits and vegetables from the stand 50m from our house and participate in free or inexpensive community events that are about connection and acceptance. This is not to say that everything in this model is without flaw. We do see the positive and negative affects that tourism has on the communities we visited so far. We wonder about the cost that travelers are putting on these places versus the risk of not traveling and gaining new perspectives firsthand.

For me, it feels like a huge breath of the fresh air knowing I am amongst people who embrace our humanness through dance, writing, music, and celebrating cycles of the seasons (more on this soon)

For now, you can find us sipping coconuts on the beach!👣