August 29th, 2012: I left a piece of sand. I left behind my island jeep, my snorkeling gears, my oceanfront condo full of stories. I left my friends. I left my life in the Caribbean.

From working solid hours to diving everyday, to swimming to the reef in my front yard, to cruising around the island in my roofless car, to the late night life chats on my balcony looking at the stars, to the simpleness of life under a tropical sun… Cayman Islands you were a paradise in all!

Why did I leave? Well, there was the end of the lease. I only planned on staying for 6 months… almost 2 years ago. And my roommate, the best roomy ever, was about to leave. Signing a new year lease, finding a new roommate, that was way too scary for me. It was like doing it all over again. Plus, I had friends, dogs and a job waiting for me back home. It was time for me to go… Was it?

I miss the island everyday though. I left when I finally made the place feel like home. I had new opportunities opening up to me. I had good friends. I was constantly doing something new. Being on the water everyday reminded me how important this element is to me. I got offered to be an underwater photographer apprentice. I also got offered to operate a watersport business…

So why did I leave? When you feel something in your heart pushes you to do something, sometimes you might hit a stomp, sometimes everything make sense. My heart needed to be back and catch up on the important people of my life, to see my dogs grow and to see the snow fall again. I wanted to be cold. I wanted to experience my home in the mountains again.

I am happy to be back. It is still summer here and the reflections of the snowy mountains on the lakes look fantastic. I caught up on my friends, spend quality time with my dogs and breathe the fresh air. It is good to be cold!

I think of Cayman everyday. I will go back for sure. Either to visit or to stay and work and play. We’ll see. The Cayman Islands chapter has arrived to its end. Now, I need to get to know home.