School vacation in Curaçao Taught Me to Slow Down!

For a long time I considered school vacation in Curaçao to be a nuisance to my hectic routine.

The traffic is different, the beaches are more crowded and everywhere you look you will see children and families enjoying school vacation in Curaçao. In fact, the sheer number of kids around on school vacation in Curaçao makes it impossible to almost impossible to maintain any strict plan of action that you had in mind prior to the start of the school break.

However, this year I saw things differently when school vacation in Curaçao started.

Living in Curaçao is all about not being a slave to a timetable and to enjoy the time you have with your family and friends.

The Island Starts to Feel Different

Curaçao during school vacation time.

More family time, more crowded parks, more crowded restaurants, but people are having a great time. Even going to the supermarket is more fun because you see your neighbors again after months.

In place of rushing around, the island is breathing a little more slowly.

At first, I resisted it.

At first I wanted to keep going as we normally would on a school day and fill up our time as we normally would.

I later realized that the island wasn’t demanding of me, and that it wanted me to live more.

The Best Days Weren’t the Ones We Planned

Most people make the best memories of their vacation when they carefully plan and organize their activities before they leave for their trip. Fancy trips, expensive activities, packing of the calendar and planning of every moment before it happens.

Fancy trips.

Expensive activities.

A packed calendar.

I usually attribute my best memories from school vacation to happenstance, rather than careful planning.

One afternoon turned into an unforgettable evening.

We were going to be at the beach for one hour.

Instead, we stayed until sunset.

The kids collected shells.

We watched pelicans dive into the water.

Someone started playing music nearby.

Without realizing it, several hours had passed.

Simple hours like these form the best memories during your vacation and even years after they happened you can still tell the stories about them.

Why Slowing Down Matters

One of the things I learned living in Curaçao is that in order to avoid wasting time you have to slow down.

Sometimes it’s exactly what we need.

During school vacation I do not like to keep making a list of things to do. I try to enjoy every moment of every day.

Here are a few things I try to do to make school vacation as pleasant as possible.

• Go somewhere without making a strict schedule.
• Put your phone in your bag for an hour.
• Watch the sunset instead of watching the clock.
• Let children decide part of the day’s adventure.
• Go with the flow and say yes to the ideas that pop up suddenly.

None of these cost much.

Yet they’re often the moments everyone remembers.

The Island Teaches Patience

Life on an island has a certain kind of rhythm to it.

Sometimes plans change because of the weather.

Sometimes a friend unexpectedly drops by.

And then another time, everybody wants to take the lunch with them to the beach and then eat it for dinner.

Years ago, I probably would have been frustrated.

Now I see those changes differently.

Life doesn’t have to be 100% organized to be meaningful.

Maybe that’s one of Curaçao’s greatest lessons.

The island in the most quiet way reminds you of the happiness of even the most ordinary moments of your life.

A Vacation Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect

Social media often shows carefully edited vacations.

Perfect beaches.

Perfect sunsets.

Perfect families.

Real life looks different.

Someone forgets the sunscreen.

The kids argue.

Plans change.

The weather surprises you.

At the end of the day we always remember the little things that we experienced that day.

I have finally come to the realization that I don’t have to keep searching for the perfect vacation, and that we are already having a wonderful one.

Conclusion

School vacation in Curaçao has taught me something I didn’t expect with our vacation here.

The most valuable part doesn’t have to be all the extra places to visit.

The most valuable part of this school vacation in Curaçao isn’t having more places to visit. The most valuable part of this school vacation in Curaçao isn’t having more places to visit. The most valuable part of this school vacation in Curaçao has taught me something I didn’t expect.

The sound of children laughing in the neighborhood.

More hours to enjoy watching the rolling waves on the beach.

A long dinner because there is no pressure to eat and leave for another activity.

These are the moments that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.

So this school vacation, don’t worry if every day isn’t filled with activities.

Sometimes the best plan is to have no plan at all.

We would like to hear about your favorite memory of a school vacation. Perhaps it can be inspiring to others to enjoy the simple things during their next school vacation. Share your favorite school vacation memories with us in the comments below.