Part 7.b: I ❤️ San Andrés

Bohemian Paradise...

Even though I had said goodbye to Chelsea and Nicholas, I was actually so excited when the plane landed. This was to be my second Workaway job and it was my first choice pick in the many thousands of listings! I literally did not care what work they had in mind for me or how many hours. I was staying in a private room in the Bohemian Paradise Hostel on San Andrés Island in the Caribbean Sea for a month. I knew little about the island. Only a few things: The water around the island is known as the sea of 7 colors for the amazing blue shades. The island is tiny (13 kilometers by 3 kilometers). Most of the tourism is people from Colombia because you have to leave from there as it is owned by Colombia even though it is off the coast of Nicaragua. And 2 languages are spoken on the island; Spanish and an island English which sounds a lot like Jamaican.

I walked under 10 minutes from the Airport to my home-for-a-month; a beautiful place 90 seconds by foot to the beach and bustling boardwalk. My job was almost nothing! For about 2 hours, 4 or 5 evenings a week I was asked to watch the lobby and mop as needed if people brought in sand or water on their feet. They would have left it at that but I adopted the shared kitchen and pool area in the mornings. I would put away dishes that had been left to dry by guests and pick up any trash I found left overnight by the pool. Basically I put in 1-3 hours a day total for my stay. There were other volunteers too, doing different things. When I asked the owner why she agreed to my stay if she didn't really need help (there was a lot of paid staff), she said that the building had been in her family for generations and was vacant and had become very run down. She decided to turn it into a hostel several years prior and Workaway volunteers made that possible. After that she always accepted applicants! I recently visited San Andrés and sadly the place was closed. I know she was talking about moving out of the country back then...I guess she did it.

I was back to living like I did in the DR...Swimming several times a day, lots of walking, writing and feeling really big emotions without anyone really around to hide it from. With our divorce underway I was beginning to get really worried about how I would support myself soon, and as I aged. I had been married since I was 20, homeschooled 3 kids, done and taught a little painting, developed cooking skills, taught Sunday School, and kept my house in order but I had no degree, I was 53 and hadn't had a real job in 30 years. I decided to keep searching, keep doing counseling and keep going to my support group via Zoom while I enjoyed this Island for a month!

I saw a lot of great sunrises and sunsets and snorkeled a lot. One time, all alone, I found myself snorkeling VERY close to a pretty big sea turtle and my heart soared! I went scuba diving for my first time in a well supervised dive. It was amazingly beautiful and peaceful to be in a mermaids world. I especially loved laying on my back near the bottom, looking up at all of the fish swimming over me! I also had the opportunity to use a Subwing! A Subwing is a board you hold onto while being towed (not tooo fast) by a boat. You control the board and direct it to dive down and come back up. Wearing a mask lest you explore the deep visually. It's sort of like waterskiing underwater and I loved it!

One day I decided to walk the whole length of the island, from the north to the south. I stopped to see the oldest church on the island where one must go up into the tower for the best views of the island! I also went to the tiny lake with the tiny alligators where a local helped me fish to feed those tame little gators! He also gave me a tour of the area on which his family and community farm and live. I enjoyed visiting the national park which is dedicated to mangroves and the geyser at the southern tip of the island. It was a fun and exhausting day!

Everyday on the island I was asked by many women to get braids in my hair. I always said no, partly because in the US at the time, and I'm guessing still now, this would be a controversial hairstyle for me; partly because I didn't want to spend money; partly because I was swimming constantly. Finally in my last week a local beach stylist approached me as usual and I asked the price...It was around $20-$25 so price wasn't an issue. I was coming to the end of my stay so swimming wouldn't be an issue soon and my next stop wasn't the US so I had my hair braided with extensions the day before I left! This may sound crazy but I felt powerful when I looked in the mirror! It was a great way to end my trip. The next day I was headed to a new country and Chelsea would be at the airport to meet me! I was excited and ready for a hug!