By Sam Keller - September 13, 2020
We're on Day 14 in Tahiti. Already the metamorphosis is underway: we no longer expect our house to be gecko-free; we've grown accustomed to eating ripe mangos when they fall onto the street outside our house; we have less tendency to stop, and watch, in the evening when the sky gets painted with intense gold and pink and purple.
We're coming to understand that certain things cost more (like imported groceries, and meals in most restaurants) and others less (like housing and coconuts). For us, this is relative to Mill Valley, California, one of the costliest parts of the U.S. To better understand the cost of living in Tahiti and how it compares to your area, check out: https://lesdeuxpiedsdehors.com/partir-vivre-a-tahiti-le-guide-complet/
Overall, we are reducing our cost of living while living more fully. This afternoon we were watching colorful reef fish at a nearby marina, when a boy ran up to say hi. It turns out he knows Kaz from the Tahiti International School (where our kids just finished their first week). So we wound up talking with his dad on the catamaran on which they live. They sailed here from Belgium. At one point, no matter what barriers they constructed, they couldn't prevent seals from coming onboard at night; the family kept waking up in the morning to find the entire deck covered with seals. I thought that sounded hilarious. But he said the seals shat all over the place!
I'm okay living with fewer bedrooms and bathrooms. And a cheaper car. Give my family experiences like today, which broaden our understanding of what's possible.