20 Realities of Living in Paradise (a.k.a. Puerto Rico)

When we first embarked on our exciting move from Arkansas to Puerto Rico, I had this glorious, dreamy vision of how amazing my life was going to be. Beautiful beaches, great weather & the laid-back lifestyle I always thought I wanted. But life never goes as planned now does it?

While I’m still (almost 1 year in) adjusting to island-life and probably always will be, certain realities became apparent almost immediately. Here are some hard truths about living in Puerto Rico that I never expected (or know how) to deal with.

1. Puerto Rico celebrates 30 bank holidays each year. The 7 that mean anything to you, you’re celebrating on your own (b/c you have no friends or family close by)… The other 23 just mean the bank and other businesses you need to do business with, are closed.

2. You should never, ever, have a predefined grocery list. You’re lucky to find a lemon/ which is the same thing as a lime/ much less a squash or avocado. And forget ranch dressing packets, coffee cups or boxed wine, you spoiled little American!!! Just check back next week for the flour- it didn’t make it on the boat ride over this time.

3. The staple items they DO have in stock (milk, eggs, bread, cheese) cost double if not triple what they do in the states. It’s an island- someone has to pay for the fuel to get it here b/c they sure aren’t interested in creating their own. Continue reading “20 Realities of Living in Paradise (a.k.a. Puerto Rico)”