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I gate crashed yet another fishing party today.

The boat left the island at 6:45 am. The moon was still up, the sky still dark. Our eyes half awake, our stomachs craving for warm coffee.

I waited for the sun to come out. It’s been a while since I last saw the sunrise.

I sat by the edge of the boat and marvelled at the rising sun, its light taking over this small paradise.

I thought about my past 8 months here and how I have slowly settled into the island life.

I thought about my plans before moving here.

Before signing my contract, I told myself that this will be my last overseas contract, that once this contract is over, I’ll retire and go back home for good. I thought about the island life and how I will miss it once I go back home.

I thought about the days when I stroll down the beach to watch the sunset after a day’s work or swim and mingle with the fish & turtles or gate crash a fishing party. I thought about the luxury of coming to work in flip-flops and of not cooking for myself, of just having to bring myself to the canteen and put the food on my plate.

I thought about the days when my skin smelled of sun and sea, and of days when I won’t be able to smell it anymore. I thought about the days when I would want to swim but would only be able to do so after a five hour drive to the nearest beach.

I thought about all of these and more.

I thought of today and how today will just become a yesterday, a month ago, a year ago or a decade ago.

I thought of all the memories that I will take with me once I leave this paradise for good and how it will stay as vivid as the Maldivian waters or how it will blur out as I age, when I can’t distinguish the difference between a memory and a dream anymore.

I sat by the edge of the boat and marvelled at the rising sun, its light taking over this small paradise, its light taking over me.