one year ago today i was landing in provo for the first time, little i knew about this island, other than the beaches were pristine. i had always wanted to experience life in island like this, i was very excited and i am glad i made the move. now i think back through the past year and what i most like and least like about living in provo.

10 things i love about living in provo

pristine beaches, definitely number one best thing about living in provo, white sand, clear water, never busy and awesome water temperature.

lobster, fresh and affordable lobster is available, never before i had bought so much lobster as in provo (ok, only during lobster season).

no traffic lights, none on island, only roundabouts, actually there is never ever any traffic, and believe me it is a big plus.

weather, always sunny and warm, it does rain from time to time but never enough to wear raincoat and rainboots, it actually feels nice for a change.

people, i love that this is such a multicultural island and that we’ve met amazing people from all around the world.

clothes, i am terrible at wearing layers and find it perfect and relaxing just to wear one layer of clothes, short sleeves most days, no coats, no scarves, no jumpers.

distance, everything is close by on island, and because there is no traffic or peak hours, we take a short time to get anywhere. james takes less than 10 minutes to get to work and we take 5 minutes to get to the supermarket. the beach is 2 minutes away.

lunch, where else would james have time to come home for lunch, it’s a nice break to his busy day and we get to spend some time together.

parking, there is parking everywhere, anywhere we go. and the best thing all free of charge. the only one parking on island with costs is at the airport 1 hour = $1!

water sports, it is so easy to go snorkeling or paddleboarding.

10 things i don’t love about living in provo

sharks, i am super scared of these creatures and james sees them every weekend.

the cost of living is high, almost everything is imported and therefore highly taxed.

there are not many local products, other than lobster, conch and some fish.

we can’t go on last minute road trips on weekends, the island is 98km2, there is only so much to explore.

cinema, there is only one with three screens and not a great choice of movies.

no good pizza and sushi choices, i miss them like crazy.

lack of anonymity, everywhere you go you will always find someone you know.

no public transport, i am lucky to have a car, but many people rely on unofficial jitney drivers.

you cannot live without air conditioning…and i’m not a fan (!)

there are very limited shopping choices. i only shop when i’m off island so when i’m here i give my bank account a little rest.