I decided to stop at Devon House this past Friday at mid-day,  as I was about to walk by it to take a taxi back to campus. I was travelling with my course text-book and thought, how different it would be to sit and read in a garden. I picked a solitary spot where unoccupied benches were gathered, then took a moment to gaze around. Perfectly manicured trees and grass everywhere just slowed my heartbeat to match the calm rhythm of nature around me. I began to contemplate about how nice it would be to have my very own future backyard look this way.

It’s not easy taking this MBA program, but living on a tropical island balances everything.

I needed a change in my life and I have found it here in Jamaica. When days are stressful, a look at the breathtaking landscape and the feeling of the blazing sun alone, puts things into perspective. So sitting at Devon House reading about International Finance, and every now and again lift my head to see the reality of my dream, is enough to motivate me to get through this tough chapter.

Although achieving all of the things we want out of life can be conflicting at times, it might be true that if we are creative enough, we can have the best of both worlds. My new friend had posed this interesting phenomenon to me the other night; days before my Devon House study session, and I shrugged at the discussion. I initially felt that while we might be able to achieve one thing well, the other will be compromised in one shape or form. In other words, in my perception, things can either be black or white. We can choose to play or work, and be happy or sad. And the same holds true for friendship versus love. But, the mere fact that I was studying in a garden on Friday, watching tourists come and go, enclaved in an environment filled with happiness, sunshine, cool breeze, peace, and contentment, makes me rethink my initial sentiment.

Related: Finding a Balance In Jamaica

I am wondering if we limit ourselves from our own desires when we think under such austere conditions (…as I read my IMEF textbook). Living and studying in Jamaica gives me the best of all worlds. Instead of studying in harsh winter conditions, I am basking in the Caribbean sun and I am working just as hard to achieve a Masters degree. Can I have the same pliability with other aspects of my life? In other words, will choosing love compromise friendship? This I hope to solve by making an attempt to use flexibility and creativity to play out this part of my life.