Ten Things to Bring to a Remote Island

​The other day, we were talking about how as kids, we used to imagine being stranded on a deserted island and the things we would have liked to have with us on this island. Well, now I am «stranded» on a remote island and thinking about what I wish I had with me now.

First – more dark chocolate! I’m a chocolate addict, so even though our stock of delicious chocolate was very big when we still had guests, because many of them bring us some when they visit, I managed to pretty much finish all of the ones that I liked by now. So next time I come back from Switzerland, I must remember to bring more chocolate!

Second – a better e-reader and recommendations for good books to read. With the three additional afternoons off and the electricity being switched off at 10.30pm now, I have a lot of time for reading and I am devouring one book after the other. Before I came here, I subscribed to a big library in Zurich to borrow e-books. While this was basically a very good idea, there are two problems that I keep encountering: my – in my opinion – very un-user-friendly e-reader that takes forever to download a book even with a fast internet connection. On the island, it’s a nerve-rackingly long process and every other time, I get an error message that doesn’t allow me to download the book even after trying again and again. The second problem is not knowing which books to choose. The choice is simply too big. I’ll have to bring a list of recommendations to avoid spending hours downloading a book that I get bored of after the first few pages.
​So, if you have any recommendations (I like biographies and novels based on historical facts), send them my way please!

Third – less sun cream. When I left Switzerland last summer, I threw a little goodbye party. Many of my friends tried to find a useful goodbye present, so they gave me a sun cream or body lotion. I know it was meant well and a good thought really, but I hardly ever use sun cream here, because I simply try to stay out of the sun. And even though my office features the most beautiful view on the ocean, there's no direct sunshine either. Which means I am still left with tons of sun cream. Please don’t give me any if you happen to meet me in Switzerland...
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Fourth – less make-up remover. Back home, I would hardly ever leave the house without a little eye make-up and some lipstick, but over here, I rarely use it. Which means I brought way too much make up remover – I think I could survive for another 5 years if it were only for this!

​Hang on! Why am I already writing about things I brought but am not using instead of things that I wish I had? It seems I don’t miss that much on the island. And the things that I wish I had here are not something that I could have taken with me – the people, cinemas, unsweetened plain yoghurt, a crispy slice of whole-wheat bread with some delicious French cheese, etc. But I realized that I can live without them, except for the people that I miss.

Before plunging (quite literally...) into this new adventure, I had no idea what I would need on this island. So, I took as little as possible and still brought way too much. When I went to Switzerland for Christmas, I took back a lot of things, such as shoes I never used and jackets and sweaters I brought because – you know it – I am always cold. But not here. Now, I have one sweater and one jacket and that’s perfectly enough. The few times that I need a jacket, I don’t mind wearing the same one again.

I like the fact that I was only able to bring two suitcases full of things for my new life. It felt liberating not to need to many «things» anymore. I’m generally not someone who buys a lot of clothes or knick-knacks and my flat is rather scarcely furnished. But coming here, I was able to reduce my life even more and I liked that a lot. This is probably why I can’t even think of ten things I would have wanted to bring to the island. It’s fine as it is and I don’t need more.
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Except – maybe more dark chocolate!