So long and thanks for all the fish

Yet again it’s been a while since my last post. Not really sure how to sum up the last few months here in Palau but the gist of it is that I’ve made the decision to leave and return home. There have been a number of factors that have contributed to this decision but essentially it comes down to having nothing to do. The diving dried up (pun intended) in May with the start of the low tourist season and I’ve only ‘worked’ two days since. 

After a few months of no diving I decided I needed to do something here and tried valiantly to either get a proper job or volunteer my time here. Rather typical for Palau lots of people/organisations were super keen to have me volunteer my time but no one could be bothered getting back to me to tee something up. This is something that a number of other expats have experienced as well.

So essentially the last 5 months for me have been much like the movie Groundhog Day (but with significantly less Bill Murray). The volunteer stipend we receive doesn’t stretch very far at all so I end up spending my days sitting at home wasting my time just waiting for the next social catch up. I couldn’t even do an online course due to the poor quality of the internet here. 

Jake Seaplane - many thanks to Emma for the photo

It all came to a head twice over recent months where I cracked it with living here. Once back in September where I started thinking about going home and once again a few weeks ago in early October. I know a lot of you would be thinking how great it would be to sit around with nothing to do on a beautiful island but the reality is quite different, especially after near 5 months with nothing to do. 

Amanda and I had quite a few discussions about what we should do and we ended up realising that the best option was for me to return home, look for work and restart my old life. Fittingly, the lease on our unit back home just expired so I could walk straight back in the door to my home.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing my family & friends, eating some good food, drinking some good beer, seeing some live bands, watching some Montreal Canadiens games, abusing some high speed internet and getting back into playing hockey & drums again (wish I didn’t sell my drums now).

Teshio wreck - Many thanks to Karen/Dave

Since making the decision a few weeks ago I’ve been enjoying living here a little more – knowing that my time here is almost over. As frustrating as this place can be I know I will miss it but I can’t stay here any longer either. No place is perfect and while a lot of people may hate the big city lifestyle, I need to head back there for a while. Palau is a great place to visit and if you have any interest in diving or it’s definitely worth it. Living here is a little tougher as the place starts to wear you down after a while. Regular trips ‘off-island’ are advisable if you can afford it. I don’t regret coming here, it’s been a fantastic experience and has definitely been one of the best decisions I/we’ve made. After some time back at home I’d definitely consider living abroad again but maybe in a fully paid position this time. 

After meeting so many great people and having so many awesome adventures here I will be sad to leave (especially as I have to leave my wife behind for a bit) but it’s time to go!

So long Palau and thanks for all the fish dives.