Blogs from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Oceania - page 5

As we say here on Raro… The Island always wins, and this week it stole my time from me. I completely failed to post last week, somehow it just kept getting put off. So this week I will hopefully catch everyone up! 24/1 Busy day at the shop. When I got home I decided to go to bed early. I hadn’t been sleeping well so I popped a few Tylenol PMs and looked forward to just crashing. Unfortunately, around 930pm Steve called and told me he was picking me up because Sara had been in a bike accident and I needed to either help watch his kids or go with Sara to the hospital. Obviously I jumped out of bed and we headed over to where she was. I ended up riding in the Ambulance with ... read more

Week 3 Its official: I dont wear shoes anymore. I spent all Saturday sandal-less and couldnt be happier. I went to work, went grocery shopping, took a drive around the island and chatted to my neighbors. All without any sort of barrier between flesh and ground. Have I gone native? Am I destined to be a Raro bum for life? I doubt it. BUt I havent had my "Holy Shit!" thoughts in quite some time, and that can only be a good thing. The anti- shoe thing really started out of practicality and pain. First, it is too difficult and annoying to always be putting shoes on and off. Yes, even flip-flops. You never wear them into the house, dont need them on the boat and they are cumbersome and slippery when wet around the shop. ... read more

Week 2 So life on Raro is still going well. The weather is still amazing and life is still great. I wish I had big, wonderful things to write about but to be honest, I am working pretty darn hard over here and don’t really have too much time for anything else. We have a 6 day work week with Sundays off. The only problem with that is the whole island shuts down on Sunday, forcing us to sort of relax at home and catch up on all the things we put off during the week like laundry and what not. There were of course, a few highlights to the last week here in the South Pacific. My flat mate Sara decided to move out of our house and into a great little apartment with her ... read more

Hey all! So, one week has already passed for me here in paradise and I must say.... it sure beats a Michigan winter!! I arrived at 7am Raro time on Monday the 27 of December and was greeted by my boss Steve. He gave me the lowdown on my fellow interns and our awesome instructors on the drive to the house. After I was dropped off I had lots of time to unpack and take a much needed shower! The house is great, it has 3 bedrooms and a nice full living room and kitchen that open up onto our front porch. The view consists of the lush green mountaintops and palm trees... not too shabby! After getting settled into my room, my flatmate Sara from Colorado was nice enough to have me hop on her ... read more

So, it is the official one week countdown to my departure for Rarotonga. My one measly suitcase is mostly packed.... I am told by my friend Gaz that I have already packed too much. But that's ok. The preceding weeks have been filled with visits and time spent with family and friends, and of course the standard doctor and dentist visits that I am so bad about keeping. Spliting my time between New York and Michigan for the last 3 years has made me somewhat lapse on my personal care. I brush my teeth and floss everyday, have no pain and take no medications, so these "routine" visits tend to fall by the wayside when I actually am home for more important ventures like keeping up my relationships with area bartenders. This being the Christmas season ... read more