Bahamas Update #2

WEEK TWO AND LOTS TO DO
originally sent Jan. 21st, 2001

Hey y'all,
Lots of stuff going on down here. My apartment is great and I totally feel like I live here. I can't wait till my bicycle arrives by freight so I can be mobile. Right now I get picked up every morning at 8:00am by one of the girls from work who lives close by. It's not a far distance to work, but with all the morning traffic, and the fact that there are so many cars and so few roads, it's a 20 - 25 minute drive. Mr. Dupuch (my boss) is such a larf you just have to love him. And he sure has a thing about sharpening pencils! But he is, I've been told, a very sweet old man, and the people at work seem to really like him

My apartment is great. I really feel like I live here now. I am trying to survive without a TV, and I think without it I am accomplishing much more in the evenings. I'm trying to do some house repairs to get this place ship-shape for my first "out-of-town visitor" (hint-hint). The dogs still bark all night, but I'm getting used to it. In fact, whenever I mention things at work about my observations and reactions, I usually get a "you'll get used to it" or, for unpleasant things, they just say "get used to it". I opened my first bank account here on Thursday. I was warned that doing things like that is a bureaucratic nightmare, but I was in and out of there in half an hour. But I will say that most administrative paperwork (in all areas) is still done by hand (filling out forms, account deposit receipts, government things etc.), and that makes it a slow process. I even have to update my OWN bankbook, by hand, based on a bank statement that gets mailed to me once a month!

There are tons of lizards running around everywhere (love that) and tons of these teeny teeny ants (called "sugar ants") that are absolutely EVERYWHERE! But they're harmless (I hope). No mosquitoes yet, but I've been warned about all the natural pests and annoyances I'll encounter (sand flies, mosquitoes, sea lice, sand flies, jellyfish etc.). Can't wait...

I went and saw a live band the other night. It's a Bahamian girl (a friend of someone I know in Toronto) and her combo, but she does NOT do "island" style stuff. She plays Radiohead covers, Cranberries covers, and her own stuff. She's quite good, and her guitar player is a whiz. I hear enough island music everywhere else, so it was a nice change. But I do like the music here. I can hear the sounds from one of the big night clubs, at night, in my apartment, so I'm already up on all the local hits.

I also found a great local radio station, and talk about eclectic! Hits and oldies during the day, talk radio weeknights, church broadcasts Sunday mornings, classical music Sunday night, Casey Kassum on Friday nights and wicked Gospel music in the wee wee hours of the overnight shift. And their version of an "oldies" station is cool, old soul and funk, and great seventies dance music. Everything from Leo Sayer, to Stevie Wonder, to Smokey Robinson, to stuff I've never heard before. It's not ALL great, but it's not like the "oldies" stations back home where all they play is Beatles, Beach Boys & Elvis. Also I find radio is a good way to ease into a new culture. (*updated footnote - I got sick of that station soooo fast, and Casey Kassum is unbearable. But the commercials for local businesses are still worth a larf now and again. Their production values and scripts are unbelievably bad!)

The weekend has proven to be another bad weather stretch, so I still have yet to have my head under the ocean water. The only nice days seem to be the ones where I'm stuck inside at work. Now THAT reminds me of Toronto. But Friday night we went on a bender and all day Saturday I paid for it. Ouch! I'm still finding things expensive but I've realized there are bargains to be found (and I definitely have time to look). In fact, one of my best meals so far has been a fresh snapper (head and all), and conch salad (basically a ceviche) that I bought take-out from an outdoor grill vendor at the top of my street. And it was only $4 for the whole thing! They also have delicious potato bread, pineapple tarts and fresh conch fritters. On the other hand I ordered a steak sandwich the other day for $6 which was just chipped beef on a hamburger bun. Caveat Emptor!

There's a cold front moving in tonight, so it's back to sweater weather, but they're talking of daytime highs in the 90s this week. It's all very pleasant for me, and with all the talk I hear of how unbearably hot it gets in summer, I'm regarding this cool period as a pleasant respite. But on almost any given day, the midday heat is pretty strong. Bring it on!

Take care y'all, and remember "erryt'ing cool"!

B.

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Hey y'all,
Lots of stuff going on down here. My apartment is great and I totally feel like I live here. I can't wait till my bicycle arrives by freight so I can be mobile. Right now I get picked up every morning at 8:00am by one of the girls from work who lives close by. It's not a far distance to work, but with all the morning traffic, and the fact that there are so many cars and so few roads, it's a 20 - 25 minute drive. Mr. Dupuch (my boss) is such a larf you just have to love him. And he sure has a thing about sharpening pencils! But he is, I've been told, a very sweet old man, and the people at work seem to really like him

My apartment is great. I really feel like I live here now. I am trying to survive without a TV, and I think without it I am accomplishing much more in the evenings. I'm trying to do some house repairs to get this place ship-shape for my first "out-of-town visitor" (hint-hint). The dogs still bark all night, but I'm getting used to it. In fact, whenever I mention things at work about my observations and reactions, I usually get a "you'll get used to it" or, for unpleasant things, they just say "get used to it". I opened my first bank account here on Thursday. I was warned that doing things like that is a bureaucratic nightmare, but I was in and out of there in half an hour. But I will say that most administrative paperwork (in all areas) is still done by hand (filling out forms, account deposit receipts, government things etc.), and that makes it a slow process. I even have to update my OWN bankbook, by hand, based on a bank statement that gets mailed to me once a month!

There are tons of lizards running around everywhere (love that) and tons of these teeny teeny ants (called "sugar ants") that are absolutely EVERYWHERE! But they're harmless (I hope). No mosquitoes yet, but I've been warned about all the natural pests and annoyances I'll encounter (sand flies, mosquitoes, sea lice, sand flies, jellyfish etc.). Can't wait...

I went and saw a live band the other night. It's a Bahamian girl (a friend of someone I know in Toronto) and her combo, but she does NOT do "island" style stuff. She plays Radiohead covers, Cranberries covers, and her own stuff. She's quite good, and her guitar player is a whiz. I hear enough island music everywhere else, so it was a nice change. But I do like the music here. I can hear the sounds from one of the big night clubs, at night, in my apartment, so I'm already up on all the local hits.

I also found a great local radio station, and talk about eclectic! Hits and oldies during the day, talk radio weeknights, church broadcasts Sunday mornings, classical music Sunday night, Casey Kassum on Friday nights and wicked Gospel music in the wee wee hours of the overnight shift. And their version of an "oldies" station is cool, old soul and funk, and great seventies dance music. Everything from Leo Sayer, to Stevie Wonder, to Smokey Robinson, to stuff I've never heard before. It's not ALL great, but it's not like the "oldies" stations back home where all they play is Beatles, Beach Boys & Elvis. Also I find radio is a good way to ease into a new culture. (*updated footnote - I got sick of that station soooo fast, and Casey Kassum is unbearable. But the commercials for local businesses are still worth a larf now and again. Their production values and scripts are unbelievably bad!)

The weekend has proven to be another bad weather stretch, so I still have yet to have my head under the ocean water. The only nice days seem to be the ones where I'm stuck inside at work. Now THAT reminds me of Toronto. But Friday night we went on a bender and all day Saturday I paid for it. Ouch! I'm still finding things expensive but I've realized there are bargains to be found (and I definitely have time to look). In fact, one of my best meals so far has been a fresh snapper (head and all), and conch salad (basically a ceviche) that I bought take-out from an outdoor grill vendor at the top of my street. And it was only $4 for the whole thing! They also have delicious potato bread, pineapple tarts and fresh conch fritters. On the other hand I ordered a steak sandwich the other day for $6 which was just chipped beef on a hamburger bun. Caveat Emptor!

There's a cold front moving in tonight, so it's back to sweater weather, but they're talking of daytime highs in the 90s this week. It's all very pleasant for me, and with all the talk I hear of how unbearably hot it gets in summer, I'm regarding this cool period as a pleasant respite. But on almost any given day, the midday heat is pretty strong. Bring it on!

Take care y'all, and remember "erryt'ing cool"!

B.