I live on an island off the coast of America - ask me anything

[catofdoom]

As requested @IdaBWells

There was a thread before but I can't find it. When Mumsnet has its brain fart a few months ago I could never get back in to my old account.

I live on a little island off the coast of Maine. I moved here after living in London for 15 years.

Is it Chebeague Island, by chance?

Blimey it is very small 😳

@AllFourOfThem I am now. It took a few years though. I miss my family the most but apart from that being able to buy what I need. It's a shock to come from London to somewhere where everything gets flown in! Even on the mainland there's not a ton of 'stuff'. We're at the end of the line for fruit and vegetables so out of season we really get the shite stuff and the nearest Ikea is two states away.

How did you meet your husband and end up there?

Oh! Looking at your last post, probably not.
I spent my childhood summers into my 20s going to Chebeague Island, Maine, OP. Nowhere else has my heart felt so at home. I think about Chebeague every single day, no lie.
Beautiful part of the world. Are you happier in ME?

@FiveGoMadInDorset I'm becoming quite a prepper! I freeze loads of fruit and veg that we grow in the summer to use in the winter.

We also have lots of bread/milk/etc frozen.

When we have bad weather the ferry won't run so the island fast runs out of food/petrol etc. And our house is probably one of the most remote and inaccessible when the weather is bad. We have some friends who just won't drive down our road past December.

Will you stay there forever?

Oh I'm so glad to hear people still don't lock their doors.
We never locked the doors. Our scariest summer was when there was a moose loose on the island. It was proper scary at night if you were out walking with friends, you'd hear the moose crashing through the woods.

@RandomMess yes! When I moved here it was really, REALLY hard. I missed London and my friends and family so much. And I'd been single for almost 15 years so suddenly living with someone was a HUGE shock. I was probably quite hard to live with for the first year.

I think living on a small island didn't help at all.

Certain members of dh's family were very intrusive.

And although now I think Mainers are probably as similar to Brits as you can get in the States I wasn't prepared for how different Americans are. Ironically I found most people here very dry in humour (which I was not expecting) and it was pretty easy to wind me up. I think everybody found me a little earnest and serious.

@TheVanguardSix no.

Does the school on your island take the kids till they're 18? Or do the kids have to go to a school on the mainland or a bigger island.
If you have a medical emergency that needs immediate medical attention like a major heart attack or something else life or death do you get the air ambulance/helicopter to take you to the nearest hospital?
Do you have a bank or atm for money withdrawals.
Thanks in advance for answering.

Thanks for answering my question, what an interesting thread!

@Sillyshell I came here on holiday with a family I worked for. They owned their own island off of this one. DH was their boat captain. He had grand plans of moving to the UK. Ha.

@TheVanguardSix when I came out here first I said I'd found my true home. I'm so happy here. I pinch myself every now and then at how beautiful it is and how lovely the people are.

Having said that, when I go back to The Cotswolds or Wales I'm blown away and see it afresh. Maybe seeing it through dh's eyes as well as being away for long periods, but Britain really is beautiful.

Do you work/can you work?

Is there loads of those quaint American festivals and town days on a la Gilmore Girls?!

Is there a high school?

@JaimeBronde the school goes from 5 to 18!! We're very, very lucky. DS starts in September and there will be one other kid in his year so they combine classes with the year above. But there will still only be 6 or 7.

Our health centre has physicians assistants there 24/7. They're kind of supposedly below a doctor but honestly, they see so much they're pretty good. I've changed them to be my main health provider. Unless it's something personal, you don't want to be at a Christmas party with the person who looks at your foof when it's having a bad day.

They can do minor medical stuff but anything major you'd take an ambulance or lifeflight helicopter. That's true for a lot of Maine though, there are some REALLY far flung rural places on the mainland.

We have an atm in the community centre but it's usually out of money. Everyone here still uses cheques. DH can even sign one of his work cheques over to me and I can take it in to a bank and get cash!

Thanks for replying, @catofdoom. Another one, if you’re not tired of them.

Is it different making friends in a small island community where (a) you can’t get far away from one another in case of major disagreements and also (b) presumably in bad winter storms, you all potentially rely heavily on one another?

I was wondering if it made you more or less cautious in making friends.

Also, what new skills have you had to learn? We’re you knowledgeable about boats before?

@IvanaPee i can work and have a bit but since ds has been born not so much. I do some gardening and a bit of cleaning here and there. When he starts school in September I'm going to start being a substitute teacher at the big school (with goes from 5 years to 18 years) and the preschool.

I've also recently been talking with the editor of the island paper who is wanting to give it to someone in the next 2-3 years. I'm going to work alongside her until then with a view to me taking the paper over when she's done. I pretty excited and nervous. It'll be nice to actually do something other than clean toilets and have ds be able to be proud of me for something though.

I feel the same way as you, OP.
The islands of Maine are ethereal in their beauty. It's a feeling that is almost inexplicable. I think people have to experience Maine island living to understand that special feeling. I remember being a kid and going to Chebeageue for the first time and I cried. My heart was immediately taken over and I don't know if I've ever loved being anywhere the way I love being on Chebeague island. But Britain fills me with that same, deep sense of love and beauty. I am amazed every day by the beauty that greets me here in England. And I am grateful for it.
But what I love about the islands is that there's a bit of a time-slip feel to them. There's a sense of community and living that doesn't exist anymore in most places. I always felt like I was slipping back into the 30s, 40s, and 50s when I was there... in a good way.

@IvanaPee there really are so many quaint, weird festivals. I was very snarky and Londony about it at first but now I love me a good strawberry festival or country fair!

Do you sail? Lobster fish (DH?)? Dig for clams (my aunt was forever taking us out on the beaches to dig for clams)?
Do you do lots of island hopping?

Thanks Cat.

@SperanzaWilde

I've not been at all cautious making friends! People here can be more guarded so I think I was waaay to upfront and outgoing when I first got here. People also thought I was extremely posh and stuck up (even though my accent is not that posh, more like the bog standard lower middle class London accent ).

I am cautious (or try to be) about really opening up to people. Gossip is another level here. I'm pretty sure I've got my really good friends pegged though.

People here bend over backwards not to fall out with each other. We just can't. The small minority of Trump supporters get on really well with the Democrats and are there for each other.

When there is a fall out it's huge. And tends to last years. Generally over someone stealing someone's work or sleeping with their wife/husband. There seems to be a fair bit of that here.

It sounds idyllic!

I can’t people you have a paper for 600 people! Love it.

And I would be so in there with the quirky festivals!!!

So, if you don’t mind me asking - when you say most of the work is for the Summers, is it all manual labour type stuff?

How self sufficient are you?

Who is the most famous person you have seen there?