Thank You Tobago

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Thank you for the fabulous life I live on your beautiful island. I fell in love with your beauty on holiday visits with my husband — landscape, warm tropical climate, cornucopia of lush green, abundance of fruits, spectacular flora and sunsets of the rainy season, longer sunny days of dry season with its dry heat and the island's general lifestyle. The fourth visit was the defining moment when on our return journey home to England, we made the momentous decision to take early retirement and make Tobago our home.

I love your casual laidback lifestyle, where life revolves around leisure; “working to live”, as opposed to “living to work”, is the general philosophy. The easy going nature of the people, the tropical climate of eternal summer, the indoor/outdoor living being a pleasurable, relaxing joy, the year-round array of cultural festivals and events, exuberant carnival being the most significant, close proximity to and choice of beautiful beaches, Caribbean-style detached, quaint, brightly-coloured houses and colonial homes, spacious topography and living in much closer contact with nature — all of this is my definition of “living the good life”.

My advice to fully enjoy expat life is that having knowledge of the culture is key to assimilating, and an adaptable nature is invaluable when coping with the inevitable changes.

Life in Tobago has been transformative, bringing self-discovery of better self, an enhanced confidence, re-discovery of a latent talent, and an appreciation of nature.

Rosalind Harris took early retirement and emigrated from London, England to Tobago in 2007. Here, she rediscovered a latent interest and started writing freelance in 2013. She plans to launch a blog in 2022. An advocate of voluntary work, she has worked for a literacy institute as a board director and is considering restarting work with another NGO.

(Image credit: Erick Todd)

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