I can’t believe I have been in Utila for a month. Things started out slowly, but now I am living an oddly stable existence that is remarkably similar to real life. That is, if your job was diving/snorkeling 2-4 times a day, you lived on a tropical island (I’ve buffed up my beach wardrobe a second time) where rum is cheap, and all your friends were with a two minute walk away and always up for fun. This is Utila. People are learning and experiencing new things every day. For instance, yesterday Nico speared a lionfish; I can’t wait to cook the next one up! I love being a part of the daily rhythm of people I care about; never needing to really catch up because you’re all there together. This is the stuff I miss from college.

Tuesday is for trivia (which we won last week, winner take all pot of 700 Lmps, what what!) and tequila, Thursday is UDC bbq and music, Friday movie night (depending on the cinema schedule), there are snorkel tests often for new DMs, parties on the weekends, and so on. We have a rotating ad hoc dinner party virtually every night amongst my favorite people that I would kill for back in the states. Our cups, silverware, and Doug’s speakers flow from one house to the other. I was going to write a blog post on the food scene here, but for the past two weeks I have barely eaten a meal out. Home cooking for the win.

Pretending I’m back in Belize with a stew chicken, rice n beans, and coleslaw dinner.

Catching a wink from the cook at Spagh Bash 2013. Homemade cc’ers at Spagh Bash 2013. Who needs measuring cups?

Another delicious bbq, and my men the way I like them: at the grill.

To make things even more normal, I’m about to do some remote work on behalf of my old employer. It feels great to make a little extra pocket money (enough to make a good dent in my diving costs!) and also help out my past colleagues during the busy time leading up to the festival. Everyone wins!

Sometimes it feels like pretend, like this can’t be real life, it can’t last. And yet it is for right now. Eventually the ephemerality will catch up to me as I and my friends move on, but I try not to think about it. When that time comes it may break my heart but there will also be more adventures ahead.

Rosé on the beach at dusk before a private dinner at Chez Lola. Ok, so I do make it out to a restaurant occasionally, and when I do it feels special and fabulous! Especially when it coincides with an epic lightening storm.