Well, there are many things. One regarding living in the Galapagos specifically is keeping an eye out for sea lions in my walking path---or worse, their droppings. My flip-flop and I had our first encounter the other night when Em and I were walking on the beach at night in the dark. (Literally, that shit is hard to scrape off a shoe....) The sea lions rule this island and we as humans simply live here. Should there ever be a sea lion revolution or conquista, I'm not sure who would win---the larger brain with opposable thumbs and guns, or an angry mob of barking sea lions which, quite frankly, would scare the hell out of me. As of yet I've not had a run-on with such a group, but the barking of an angry sea lion momma is enough to stop you dead your tracks and send you in the opposite direction.
Another is the electricity, water, and internet going on and off on a pretty consistent basis. It's not uncommon to go to use the water and find instead a growling, dry faucet. This is always a joy when you need to shower after a day of trekking through town and sweating (or simply sitting in the computer lab or any room without a fan blowing 150 mph in your face). When I first arrived, delays had cause me to enjoy ten hours in transit and after trekking through town I was ready for a shower. I turned on the shower and there was literally a tiny trickle coming from the faucet below the shower head. I was exhausted, sweaty, filthy, and assumed it would be morning before we had water. I curled up in a fetal-esque position, desperately cupped my hands, and proceeded to throw tiny handfuls of water at myself while laughing at the irony of it. After about 20 minutes of trying my patience, I was lathered, rinsed, shampooed, and conditioned..... I stood proudly in my towel, clean, and ready for bed...!!! Five minutes later the water came back on. I immediately changed out of my PJ's, dove for a hot shower, and realized that with everything in life while patience is key, sometimes instead of learning patience during twenty minute stints of tedious desperation and despair, patience can be better learned in a twenty-five minute period of sitting down and reading a book. (Then again, it HAS been hours before the water has returned in some cases...)
As for cuisine and products, everything that comes to this island comes on a boat and is in limited quantities and types. So, unless it's on that boat and in bulk, you're S.O.L. I needed hairspray---there were literally two options on the entire island (believe me I looked) both of which were the same product with a different label. Needless to say, I chose one which smelled the least like Aquanet and, as a luxury item, it cost me a whopping $4. (Yes, $4 is "whopping" when you earn $12 a day and find that it's more like a gel type substance that mattes your hair down and doesn't actually do its intended purpose). Same goes for food. Hummus? You are out of your mind, señor!. Miracle Whip? Not unless it's packed in your suitcase, chica! More than three varieties of any condiment? That's just crazy talk, amigo! (Anything that seems "luxury" like Kraft Cheese slices is best avoided because god knows how long it was on the boat and how long it has been on the shelf...plus you'll pay out the nose for disappointment.)
Regarding insects, you'd better love ants (or at least be able to tolerate them) because they are everywhere whether or not you want them. I set a cup of juice down on the desk in my classroom and twenty minutes later when I went to drink it, it was covered in ants. They can smell a piece of bread from twenty miles away. They are worse than Great Whites in an ocean of chum Oh, but don't be misled---it's not simply reserved for food. Any foreign object such as my glasses is fairgame. It's second nature to feel a tickle on your arm, even if you are simply standing there not touching anything, and yep, there he/she is, some tiny little ant trekking along your arm. I mean, WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?!?!?! In the end, it really doesn't matter because they are everywhere, they aren't going anywhere soon, and clearly neither am I.
Luckily, Costa Rica broke me in and taught me to "Just scoop from the sugar bowl that has the fewest black specs and then don't look down at your coffee as you drink it." Like all things frustrating, ants are a fact of life and serve as a good metaphor for island living. They are here, I am here, and although they annoy the hell out of me some days (like when they are in my bed!), we are co-inhabitants of this island. And, perhaps at some point in the distant future they too will evolve, they too will have larger brains, and with this evolution of species they will have the ability to speak. Thus, at least when we are sharing coffee--the conversation will come with it.
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