It’s hard to believe that two years ago, I boarded a plane and moved 3,000 miles to a small Caribbean island called Grenada. It was a gusty decision, a leap of faith, and it’s turned out to be the experience of a lifetime.
As you can imagine, jumping into a Caribbean culture can be a bit of a shock.
Not only is the pace much slower, but there are all sorts of other adjustments from the types of electrical outlets to the currency to the cost of living. While it sounds like a complete dream to anyone else, we did go through our fair share of growing pains as we tried to blend in to a place that is very different from the good ol’ US of A.
The Comforts of Home
We all have certain types of food that we love, right? You probably always buy a certain brand of spaghetti sauce or bread. Maybe you love a certain type of apple or you have a favorite bag of chips. For the most part, Grenada has all the food I love from the States. They might not have them in stock every week, but as long as I check throughout the month, I can pretty much find anything I need.
Of course, buying the brands I love from the States comes as a high cost. Because all of those brands are imported, the price of food is extremely marked up. Also, because Grenada caters to a lot of tourists and 5,000 American students that live here throughout the year, the food prices are “tourist prices.” There were many months when I first got here that I spend $800, $900, and even $1,000 on groceries and eating out in one month for two people.
Eventually, I knew I had to make some changes or else we’d be completely broke.
Branching Out & Becoming Grenadian
The main way that I’ve been able to cut our food budget in half is by embracing the Grenadian culture. I go to the open air market on Saturdays where locals sell fruit, vegetables, and incredible spices (Grenada is known as the “Spice Island” for a reason!) Initially, I avoided the market for the longest time because it’s crowded and outdoors in a tropical climate. Shopping in the air conditioned grocery store was definitely nicer, but as mentioned above, also pricier.
Once I started going to the market, I was able to save so much money on produce. Then, I visited the fish market and got my own “lobster guy” that I can call if I want something particularly fancy. My landlords taught me how to cook with bread fruit, a species of flowering tree that tastes like a potato (only better!) I’ve also eaten so many local mangos that I’m surprised I haven’t turned orange.
A Few Small Changes Made The Difference
All of these small changes made such an impact not only on my wallet but also on my quality of life. Once I stopped trying to live like I did in the States, I started to enjoy living on the island a little better. Once I got to know several locals and learn about their culture, I found that I fit in more. And now that I’ve tried so many incredible local Grenadian meals, I’m almost positive that when I move back to the States, I’m going to miss this little island and all it has to offer. Simply put, mangos just don’t taste as good when you buy them at the grocery store.
Have you ever had to assimilate to a new culture whether for a business trip or vacation? How did you adapt?
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I 100% agree, mangoes are better right off the tree or from the markets where they are fresh and haven’t been refrigerated for ages.
MonsterPiggyBank Right?? They are so amazing!!
Moving to a new place would definitely be hard, especially if it’s out of the country! I am still jealous :)
SenseofCents I’m jealous of Cat as well!
DC @ Young Adult Money SenseofCents I keep telling yall to come on down and visit. :D
That looks beautiful! I love embracing new cultures….that’s the best part about traveling.
Holly at ClubThrifty I know!! I actually want to bounce around to different islands a little bit more while we’re down here just to check them out!
I can only imagine how good those mangos are. When we’ve been in the Caribbean the fruit has always been so amazing that it seems almost wrong to buy it in the store anymore. ;)
FrugalRules Haha I know. I’m eating as much as possible until we leave in December trust me!
I think you hit the nail on the head with “comforts of home.” I’m sure if I moved to a completely different country, I’d want something familiar to hold on to, and food can definitely be comforting in that sense. Immersing yourself in a different culture while traveling is what makes the experience though, and it sounds like you took full advantage! That bread fruit sounds interesting.
JourneytoSaving Oh it’s so yummy! You should definitely try some. It goes in a dish called Oil Down which is the Grenadian National Dish. Yummmmm.
This is awesome. I can’t even imagine trying to fit in with a whole new culture, but it sounds like you’re doing a good job. I’ve been to Mexico quite a few times and each time we try to immerse ourselves in the culture rather than be tourists. We get way more out of the vacation by doing this.
CommonCentsWealth Yeah immersion is definitely the best way to go. It’s taken a little bit to adjust but I’m so grateful for the experience!
You already know how jealous I am of your lifestyle :-)
I think it would depend on where a person moves as to how easily they adapt.
For example, I personally don’t feel as if I would adapt well to living in Asia for example, but when I moved to the UK (I sound like a broken record) I found that I adapted very quickly and loved it.
But I noticed that many of the visitors from the US did find the differences a bit difficultamusing, but overall I think they still enjoyed themselves.
The way I viewed it was that I knew I wouldn’t be there for the rest of my life, so I just took advantage of all of the opportunities (being able to travel through Europe on a dime) so that I wouldn’t have any regrets once I moved back home. And, as much as living there was a different type of lifestyle, I miss it everyday…
TacklingOurDebt I think that’s exactly what happened with me. Because I know there was a distinct end to my time here, I’ve tried to enjoy it all the more. December will be bitter sweet.
Having traveled to a lot of different parts of the world I feel that there are some places that I could easily adapt. My wife and I have talked about moving to Europe for a year or two for the experience. It is so similar to the US however still so different. I think that transition would be much easier than to someplace in South America were the culture is a lot different than here.
OneSmartDollar That’s true. I wonder if moving to Europe would have been a better transition than moving to Grenada.
BudgetBlonde OneSmartDollar I would think so because the US and Europe have so many similarities in lifestyle whereas the Caribbean is such a different lifestyle and culture.
I’d be more than willing to live either place though :-)
OneSmartDollar BudgetBlonde Haha get on it! ;)
Do you do any of your shopping in the grocery store now?
frugalportland Yes to get chicken and peanut butter and things like that. :)
Great story Cat! I’m a little jealous of you, but at the same time I know I would have a hard time giving up all of the comforts of life in the States, even for that tropical paradise. :)
ayoungpro Haha well you’re welcome here anytime!! It was hard to give up the comforts, but it’s been an awesome lesson! :)
I eat mostly local, imported products cost a lot. 3-4 times a year we go to a kind of Costco in the capital and stock up on wine, cheese and other imported things but mostly we do without and when I go back to France I enjoy them more!
RFIndependence That sounds fancy! I wish we had a Costco imposter! :)
I remember buying several boxes of cheez-its when I was in the Bahamas on vacation in college. Like I couldn’t live a week without them? Lame I know. Foods are so symbolic of home and comfort. When you’re in a new place with a new culture it’s hard to get acclimated. We go to the Filipino store at least once a month so bf can get his “taste of home”.
StudentDebtSurvivor LOL KK! There has been more than one Cheez It run around here, haha!
Sounds like an awesome experience, and one that we’d like to have! Jacob hasn’t traveled out of the States at all.
CashCowCouple Yes it’s been truly awesome!
ha ha I have a hard time just going from California to Detroit when it comes to creature comforts. I drive 45 minutes to the nearest Trader Joe’s here yesterday just so I could get my specific brand of hummus. :) But when I have to I adapt. I’ve never been somewhere too long where I had to make long term changes though. I’m pretty sure I could adapt to a western European diet pretty quick. Cheese? yes please!
Beachbudget I know right. Put me in France with cheese and wine for every meal. :D
Sadly, I’ve never traveled anywhere long enough to have to adapt to a different kind of lifestyle. I know when I moved from BC to Alberta, I thought the Albertan water tasted weird. That’s about as far as I’ve gotten in adjusting to a different country’s lifestyle.
Good for you for making it work, Kat!
LindseyatCents Haha hey water is important!
We were visiting with some friends who spent the last year in Seoul, and they were talking about having to adapt to shopping there. It was a bit different than your experience, but same concept. I don’t know if I would have it in me, but I’d like to think I could blend in with the locals, even if I would still have my Southern accent.
Eyesonthedollar Seoul would definitely be hard to adjust to!
I haven’t lived away from Vancouver long enough to really need a grocery budget. But even while on vacation, I find it is cheaper to eat what the locals eat rather than trying to find the nearest pizza place. :) Plus, I love trying new foods!
OutlierModel So true! Local food is the best here, seriously!