Placencia, Belize is an old fishing village that boast of having the world's tinest road. It is the width of a small sidewalk and, sure enough, it runs from one end of the mostly residential village. Built to accomodate fishermen bringing in their hawls in baskets on wheels, the road is now a reminder of the past. A proper two lane road is near by lined with restaurants, Dive-shops and grocery stores. They are more Americanized than the quaint alternatives on the tiny street.
Sarah and I made our way down one and up the other. After an excellent lunch at Barefoot's we met a woman who'd arrived eighteen years ago for a two-week vacation.
"I fell in love and never left," she explained.
The art studio she runs is the front room of her house. The house was once on stilts but a hurrican knocked it off of them. So they propped it back up and have lived happiily ever after.
As we made our way, it was hard not to notice the number of people who have expatriated to this tiny place. They are easy to spot, giving us chipper "Hello's" and "Good Morning's."
I've always liked the idea of expatriating ... escaping fom the sometimes harst realities of my life to ... someplace else ... something else ... to become someone else!
I never did though. There were all of those responsibilities of family and work. So as time went on and I reached a place where I could, I took longer and more exotic vacations ... temporatily escaping from my life.
It recently dawned us though that for years we figured out emergency escapes from the relaities of our lives. Staying at work late because we didn't want to go home or calling in sick to stay at home because we cannot bear our work ... nightly runs to Wall-Mart or the grocery store means that we can get away from the spouse we're scared of leaving ... constant church meetings accomplish the same goal.
I'm struck that I have now accomplished the goals of expatriating without having never really done it. I am someplace else, doing something else, and have become someone else.
Today I am celebrating these things with Sarah in Belize.
Next week we will be doing it at home.
