5 Things that Make Me Happy to Be Home On Ambergris Caye

Saturday morning at 3:45am, my alarm went off.  I threw off my big down comforter (it was in the 60s at night!) – time to head back home after 9 days in Barrington Rhode Island visiting my family.

6am Delta flight from tiny Providence airport to Atlanta (where everyone is SO important – in such a rush!) and then back to Belize.  My original plan was to take the water taxi back to Ambergris Caye.  I’d done it on my way to the states and it was totally easy.  And way cheaper than the flight from Belize City to San Pedro.  But it adds at least 2.5 hours to my journey and MAN…I just wanted to be home.

So that leads me to my first reason that I am happy to be back home on North Ambergris Caye.

 1.  There is almost always room on a Tropic Air flight

After that EARLY wake up, 2 middle seats on my two flights and a 4 hour layover in Atlanta, I was READY to  get home.  I made the last minute decision to just jump on a Tropic Air flight home – from International Airport to San Pedro.  I went up to the desk, was greeted with a “Welcome Home” and booked on a flight 30 minutes later.

2.  My Yard Cantaloupe and my Turtle Inn Cuttings are all doing great

It’s crazy what will grow in sand.  Hurricane Earl flooded our yard last August and planted a whole bunch of mystery seeds.  A few happened to be canteloupe – and the fruit flourishes with zero care, zero water and zero real soil.

I got home just in time to get my first July melon.

I also ordered some seeds while I was gone – and will be growing vinca (also called periwinkle) and moss roses of all different colors as well as little succulents like hen & chicks.  (And, if you’ve missed the Instagram and Pinterest trend – succulents are HUGE right now.)

Time to jump on that bandwagon!

Pretty plants growing in sand.  Who knew?  I’ll let you know.

3.  The Food

I gorged on cherries, pizza, bagels, snack foods, sushi, Diet Pepsi and more cherries in Rhode Island.   AND, for the first time EVER, I really missed the ubiquitous dish of Belize, my rice and beans.  Especially when it’s mixed with cole slaw. Yesterday’s trip to Briana’s Deli on Back Street – for a plate of stew pork with rice & beans tasted SO good.  Especially since the owner threw in an extra piece of pig tail for me.

Yum.

4.  The Weather

Rhode Island, a state that usually experiences a hot muggy summer, was July PERFECTION during my trip.  Sunny, warm but not hot and relatively dry, the weather was nothing short of gorgeous.

But I kinda missed the weather around here.  Apparently, now, humidity below 70% makes my skin incredibly itchy and dry.  And I love the summer weather we are experiencing right now.  HARD rain during the night, hot, crazy bright sun during the day.  Every few hours a storm cloud passes – and on the beach you can watch them coming.

This rain missed us and it was sunny about 20 minutes later.

It’s beautiful.

5.  It’s HOME

I moved to San Pedro, Belize 10 years and 2 months ago.  Like many new arrivals, I referred to my yearly visit to the states as a “trip home” for a few years.  But at about year 5 – San Pedro became my home.

It’s where my friends, my pets, my boyfriend, my house, my books, my job…my life is.

So when I visited Rhode Island and people asked “Do you ever think about moving back home?” – my answer is certain.  No hesitation.  Belize is my home.