This weekend marked our one-year anniversary of the day we moved to Curaçao. Here is a bit of a review of things we’ve learned in this first year.

SLOW DOWN!!!

One of the most important lessons was learning to slow down. First of all, things in general just don’t move as quickly here. Things like getting a bank account take weeks, not hours. Having a meal in a restaurant takes hours, not minutes. Even simple things like running errands takes longer. We had a broken toilet. Getting what would be an easily accessed part in Canada took trips to half a dozen stores and over two weeks to acquire. A seven-week construction job at our hours is currently in week 49. North American “speed” just doesn’t happen here very often. Every now and then we have to remind ourselves to just slow the f#%& down and relax. It’ll get done when it gets done, and waiting a bit in a restaurant just means I have more time for beverages and chatting with my beautiful wife. I still don’t have this lesson mastered, but I’m working on it.

Stuff Breaks:

This one has been tough for me. We think that Canada has difficult weather conditions for houses, etc. Let me tell you, the heat, salt, wind, and rains here are brutal. We have found that we always have at least two things that require repair. The A/C units are constantly failing (drain hoses, electrical switches, needs new coolant, etc.), we’ve had two toilets need repair, generator, sink drains, electric driveway gates, household appliances…I could go on. Add to this routine maintenance (cleaning dust out of A/C filters, painting the house/fence, etc.) and this all adds up to a full-time job. Caring for a home and possessions in Canada never felt like a hassle. Here, we feel like there is always more to do. We’ve heard the same from pretty much everyone else we know that owns a home here. We currently have a broken A/C and generator…always something. I’m not the handiest guy around, so stuff breaking sucks for us. Which leads us to…

Finding Good Tradespeople:

This ties in nicely with the previous lesson. Finding skilled, trustworthy tradespeople (electricians, plumbers, handymen, contractors, etc.) is very difficult. Tons of these guys will take deposits on jobs and disappear, or promise things they can’t deliver in terms of quality and timeline. It can be very frustrating. We have learned a few lessons. First, get references from friends. We even started a thread on the C4C Facebook page where people can recommend skilled tradespeople that they have used. This has been very helpful. Second, if you need a specific job (example: drilling a deep well), go to a company that specializes in this, not a general trades guy. These guys will subcontract to the specialist anyways. We learned this the hard way. Third, never give them money up front. If they say they need a deposit for materials, go with them to purchase the materials, pay it yourself at the vendor, and ensure delivery to your property is arranged. A lot of these guys will take your deposit to pay to finish a previous job, then do your job with money from the next sucker. It happens all the time. Unless it is an established, well-reviewed company, do not give a deposit.
The other issue with many of these contractors is that because they aren’t specialists in what they do, the quality of the final product may not be up to par. We forced one guy to retile our entire pool because the first tile guy was useless. Again, getting the quality of workmanship you are used to may take time to find the right provider.

Variable Supply:

This is more of a minor irritant than anything, but it honestly doesn’t bother us much. We have heard from others that they get frustrated. In general, Curaçao grocery stores and hardware stores, etc. are quite well stocked. The problem is, from time to time, some items may just not be available on the island. Everything is shipped here, and sometimes shipping has delays. You may see your favorite flavor of chips one day, then not see it again for 2 months. The part we needed for our broken toilet was nowhere in Curaçao for about 2 weeks. Every plumbing store was waiting for the damn boat!! Lol. Ultimately, this is not that bad a problem and we have adapted to it fairly well.

Illness/Allergies:

This was one we weren’t expecting. Both of us got sick multiple times this first year. I guess the strains of viruses here are different than the ones we have in Canada (colds, flus, etc.), so each of us had a few bouts of minor illnesses. I also got dengue once…ick.
Another thing we and others encountered were minor skin irritations: heat rashes, contact dermatitis, etc. Typically, these go away on their own, or are easily treated with antibiotic or cortisone cream.  We honestly had no idea this would occur and were a bit surprised. Things have leveled off now, and I assume we are constantly acquiring new antibodies the more we are exposed to things.
For me, my allergies, specifically to dust, have been very bad. I constantly have sinus issues. Again, nothing earth shattering, and I’m finding the right mix of stuff to help.
I guess we should have anticipated that moving to a new country would expose us to different things.

Awesome Food Quality (but keep it in the fridge!):

This is one of the greatest things about Curaçao. The food quality here is incredible. The meat we get is amazing quality, very fresh, and much cheaper than in Canada. This week, I bought a 1.3kg beef tenderloin from Argentina (frozen) for 21naf…about 16cad. I love a good special, but even at regular price, it’s no contest…Curaçao wins. Chicken and pork are also very cheap. Fruit, vegetables, and pretty much everything else is very high quality as well. Other than meat, food prices can be a bit higher than in Canada, but so long as the meat stays cheap, I’m in heaven!
One issue: it’s freaking hot here, so some things go bad quickly. We also have a lot of bugs, so everything has to be stored with that in mind. Many of our friends keep items in the fridge that I would never have thought of; bread, rice, flour, sugar, spices, etc. We keep our garlic and onion powders in the fridge so they don’t get clumpy. I know people that keep bananas in the fridge. With some of these items, if you don’t keep them in the fridge, you have to store them in packaging that bugs can’t get into. This is a minor challenge, but worth it for the incredible food, and to live here!!!

Social Pleasantries:

I love this one. People here truly embrace social pleasantries. Saying good morning/afternoon/evening (bon dia, bon tardi, bon nochi) is not only considered polite, but it is expected, even of visitors and new residents. People will actually check their watch to see if it is time to switch over to bon tardi. And, they will say these things to strangers they pass on the street…while making eye contact and smiling. I freaking love this. People here say please, thank you and excuse me. Friends at the bar will offer to buy you a drink. I find it all very Canadian-like, but honestly, in recent years, Canada has backslid a bit on these things. I’m happy to be in a place that still values this.

Social Life:

One fun aspect of living in Curaçao is how active the social scene is. People just go out more. It’s super fun. Whether it’s Punda Vibes, Happy Hours, Special events, holidays, parades, dinner at friend’s places…basically any excuse is good enough!! And it isn’t just the young people (obviously…I’m writing this and I’m freaking old!). People of all ages and social strata just seem to love getting together and having fun whenever they can. I think not having to scrape ice off your windshield may help, too.

Oddly Polite Driving:

This is something I’ve never encountered anywhere else in the world. People here will actually stop and let you pass. They will stop to let you turn left, or enter a busy street that they are already jammed on. It’s remarkable. And they won’t just let one car in…they’ll let in a bunch. I honestly have a hard time understanding it because I’ve certainly never encountered this in Canada, where people will launch a torpedo at you for trying to turn onto a street when they are still 200 meters away. Oddly, when it comes to letting you back out of a parking spot or driveway, the same polite drivers will not pause to let you! In this situation, they turn into Indiana Jones, trying to thread the needle behind you, risking a collision.
Overall, though, people drive very politely, waving or honking thank-you or apologies when appropriate, giving the right of way, and being very patient. I’m starting to get it, but it’s a weird one for me. Lol.
One thing I haven’t yet mastered is Curaçao’s unofficial 4^th language…honking. Honking in traffic has evolved into a finally tuned, detailed language of its own. Amazing!!

Daily Life:

Daily life in Canada was very structured and scheduled for us. We had a routine. Certainly, working a full work week was a big part of that. Retiring and moving here was super exciting, but, because we had no routine, we kind of floundered a bit trying to organize ourselves. As described above, things tend to take longer in general, and the heat makes you have to take breaks. Combine that with having no real schedule, and we were just sort of floating around, and not getting much done. Sometimes structure can be comforting. We’ve learned that it’s important to make sure we schedule time for work, time for rest, and time for fun. Now that we’re improving in this area, we are feeling better overall.

The HEAT!!!:

So, we all know the Caribbean is hot. When you’re here on vacation, you go to the beach, swim in pools, and generally do stuff that is mostly comfortable. When you live here, you have to complete all your daily tasks/work in this heat, and it is really something. In Canada, I’ve run cross country, marathons, obstacle course races, and worked tough jobs in 30+ degree weather, and never had any issues. Here, the heat can be stifling, especially if the wind is low. I find that when gardening, painting, cleaning, etc., I can only work in short bursts, and have to take tons of breaks for rest and hydration. I’ve heard people complain that part of their body like eyelids and elbows were sweating for the first time in their lives.
We sweat…always…from everywhere. Everyone has sweat stains on their clothes. Some men carry a small towel around to wipe their faces off…even in the evening during the hot months.
To summarize: it’s freaking hot. Thankfully, we don’t mind!! We prefer it to the stupid winter. Lol

Summary:
It has been my dream to move to Curaçao for a very long time. I was lucky enough to find a partner to share this dream with. Moving here took a ton of effort, and was quite stressful. When we first arrived, it still felt like a vacation; everything was perfect. Soon, the normal stresses of daily life set in. Add to that all the lessons we needed to learn (all the stuff above), we had a bit of an emotional slump. I guess the retirement honeymoon was over.
I guess the lesson is, nothing is perfect and there will always be ups and downs. We are trying to remind ourselves daily that we truly are living in a paradise. Some days we honestly can’t believe such a beautiful, incredible place, full of amazing, generous people is all around us. Some days I actually feel bad about feeling bad. How dare I not be happy in paradise! I guess that’s the key: everyday, remind yourself of the good stuff and try not to focus so much on the bad. Do something nice for yourself, and also something nice for someone else, and you’ll probably have a good day.
If all else fails, go to the beach and have a DRINK! (or ten)

Oh yeah…one more thing. Despite some of ups and downs, life here is 1000 times better than it was in Canada. No question.