Settling in

I have been living in Cayman for just over a month now and I feel as though I am adjusting to life ‘on island’ as they say. I have made a few friends and I have had some diverse experiences. It is astonishing how quickly you can adapt to a new environment and take on a new lifestyle. I have been made to feel very welcome at work. Everyone is full of smiles and enthusiastic American cheerfulness. As a non-driver (although aiming to get my license this side of Christmas! Please God. Yes dad you said I needed it. Yes you are right. Well done) I am continually being offered lifts to the supermarket and to various social events. I do find it slightly annoying that quite frequently in a loud, rising-intonation screechy American twang, people will proclaim with utter shock and complete with starry-eyed gaze; ‘You don’t have a car!? How DO You get around?’ To which I respond with pity at their lack of a personal chauffeur/It’s not that big of a deal, fool/piss off/We don’t need cars in London/ okay, delete previous entries, I smile. That aside, the people here are very charming. I really get on with my housemate/live in landlady and as luck would have it we have a few things in common; a love of wine and a love of creation.

I have discovered that here in Cayman they don’t do things by halves. Their events, the fact you must go to a liquor store to buy wine and when at the said venue one can taste the wine before purchase. Buying wine is an occasion man, I went to a cheese and wine tasting event and mingled with people of ‘class’ complete with free booze. #aboutthatlife. My co-teacher told me that the island is about twenty years behind in time so perhaps that is why you need to frequent a ‘liquor store’ or perhaps it is due to their leaning towards the American model. Me, I’m used to picking up a few cans while I grab a pack of tampons, it’s something you do in a dash and don’t speak about. You are aware of their slight vintage feel in the banks; nothing is computerised. You are required to draft the amount which you would like to withdraw on paper including writing the number in a word form and in numerical form with all the digits in the correct place value columns no less (just to keep you on your toes with maths of course). It is all quite refreshing really. As I say, every occasion is an occasion. Buying wine is buying wine. You enjoy it, you mingle with the wine seller and he sells you the wine. You don’t just pop it in your trolly with your weekly shop.

One of the great things about island living is that it is so quick to get everywhere. The friends that I have made live down the road. My work is on my road. I get home within 10 minutes and have a whole evening to enjoy.

The people are very polite and will often greet you ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening.’ Also, shock, horror, wow… EVERYTHING IS CLOSED ON A SUNDAY. YES…EVERYTHING! There is no Sunday shopping here due to it being a Christian country, something which I think Britain still proclaimed to be maybe Two hundred years ago. LOL. I admire the fact that they close trade on a Sunday. Do we need to shop every day? The fact that things are closed on a Sunday however means that the supermarkets are open until around 11pm on a Saturday and boy, that is another event! I popped into Fosters (one of the big supermarket chains on island which funnily enough is owned by one of my student’s families, yes the island is small) on a Saturday night with a friend and I was taken aback by how busy it was. There were people getting their last minute food for the sabbath, a lot of Jamaicans chatting and spudding each other and exchanging greetings; ‘yo man, you good?’ And then reaching for their meat and veg. Honestly, were it not for the fact that all the beach bars are open on a Sunday and it is a massive drinking and party day, Cayman would properly be representing the Sabbath to the fullest. Church is big out here. I may pass through one day.