There are a lot of things that I have learned in my first year as an Island Fellow, such as: if it’s cold enough, peppermint oil will not deter mice and that the noon boat rarely comes at 12 p.m.
The most surprising lesson that I have learned, however, is that you don’t have to live in the ocean to live on an island.
While not a novel concept, it resonated with me through conversations with my older sister who, for the past year, has lived in the Middle East working for the State Department. I have found that even though we are living in possibly the two most different places, the challenges we face are incredibly similar.
Early on last year, my sister was often homesick and we would talk about what she found particularly difficult. She said that she was unable to leave even to go to the grocery store without a driver, and that her work life and social life overlapped with the same 50 or so people; she was really tethered to the consulate.
While that is a very harsh reality for a twenty-something, I realized that she was living on an island of a different sort and that I probably knew better than most what she was going through. That is to say, I certainly couldn’t relate to the culture shock that she experienced, however, I was living alone for the first time; I couldn’t leave to go to the grocery store whenever I felt like it; I was bound to the boat schedule; and on the Island, it is difficult to tease apart my work life from my social life.
When she was feeling particularly down, I would gently remind her that she could always come home.
“No way,” she would say. “I love my job and I love to serve my country.” For her, no matter how challenging she might find it, it never surpasses her service to her country.
For me, when things get difficult it is best to remember why I came here: to help and be a part of the community. The feeling of accomplishment when a project is successfully completed or when the kids at the school stop me to tell me about a cool thing that they saw makes it worth it.
It also doesn’t hurt to watch the sunset over the water; it is pretty hard to deny that such moments have an intoxicating effect that makes it hard to say no to the place. So in a very dramatic way, living here has forced me to face adulthood.
The Fellows program has taught me how to be an adult by giving me the maturity to deal with difficult situations and learn from them. When the going gets tough, I persevere because of my commitment to the community and my belief that I am working towards the greater good.
Similarly, my sister stays the course because of her commitment to this country and the love of what she does. Being able to live alone and learning to go grocery shopping so that you can feed yourself are valuable skills and choosing to do so on an island or in the desert is a baptism by fire.
While it can feel overwhelming at times, I have never doubted that I made the right decision to be a Fellow; these are the lessons that will carry me well beyond the Fellowship and gives it value to me beyond what I can describe on my résumé.
Erin Crowley is in the second year of her Island Fellow experience on Islesboro. Island Fellows are supported by AmeriCorps and the Island Institute.