Island life

    I?ve talked to a number of people in the last month who spend a few weeks down south over the winter. Arizona and Florida are the typical destinations, but I?ve also talked to people who visit California and Texas. Some of them want to move there. Some of them have relatives who want them to move there.

    I?ve spent some time down south as well. I lived in Mexico for six months when I was a senior in college. I remember wearing shorts in January. In fact, I was one of the few people who wore shorts every day. To some of my Mexican friends, 60 degrees warranted a scarf! I was in short sleeves.

    I have a number of close friends who are world travelers. One of them lived in Africa for a few years, and just returned from a trip to Brazil. One studied in New Zealand and now lives in Uruguay. Another taught English in Japan. When we get together, we often talk about our travels and where in the world we?d like to go next.

    What I?ve concluded from our discussions is that you?ll be hard-pressed to find a safer, friendlier and richer place to live than Iowa. Oh, sure, you can find places with better weather. You can find better vacation stops. But when it comes to finding a place to live, you won?t beat Iowa.

    That said, there are a few other places on earth I?d like to live, just to see what it?s like to live there. There is an island in the South Atlantic known as Saint Helena. To say the island is remote is an understatement. It is more than 1,000 miles off Africa?s west coast, and at least that far from any ?nearby? island. Its area is a minuscule 47 square miles. The island is famous because it?s where the British exiled Napoleon to live after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

    The island has a population of just over 4,000, and yet is able to support many modern conveniences. The residents of the island have access to Internet, cable television and a minibus service. The island even publishes two newspapers!  

    I can?t fathom how all of that is possible on such a remote island with such a small population. That?s why I want to live there, to find out how it?s done. I wonder if the islanders have similar thoughts about the rest of the world, dreaming of life in a big city or life on the open plains ? just anywhere away from water. I suppose the novelty of living on the island would wear off after a few years, as do all things. That?s why I?m content with Washington, Iowa.