Reserved parking

It's a well known fact that Bermudians love their cars. The snazzier, the more souped up, the cleaner, the better. I've got proof. A picture. Which we all know is worth a thousand words. Snazzy car, right? This St. George's sign reads, 'MAYOR'S PARKING'. And you can bet the Mayor owns this convertible, because this is Bermuda, where the rest of the not so snazzy choices take a back seat. I mean, does the Mayor really need a convertible? Wouldn't he have round the clock limo service?

Need I say more?

So, here's me saying something, without really saying it.

Baby steps Blackle

Practically everyone uses Google.com as their search engine. What's not to love about it right? Well, it's about to get even better and will ease anyone's guilty concience when it comes to the environment. Next time you need to Google something, please try this energy saving version of Google. www.blackle.com Want to know how it works? Please click here. Like what you read? Then please set your homepage to the Blackle site. Baby steps, everyone, baby steps. Please pass this on to everyone you know.

Mother Earth & I, thank you.

Fake accidents

In an effort to educate its residents on the perils of careless and dangerous driving, the Road Council staged various 'Fake Accidents' in and around Bermuda's roads, complete with signs as to the cause of the accident.

SAY WHAT?

Is there no one else that finds something wrong with this scenario, this 'guerrilla marketing' as they're calling it. This has got to be a first, right? Outsiders reading the article must think that Bermuda must be grasping at straws to educate the public on safe driving. Staging fake accidents indeed!

First of all, doesn't this bring on a whole slew of problems. Like, the chaos it creates during rush hour. That stop and go traffic. Because we all know how everyone loves to slow down and inspect the scene as they drive by. Apparently the staged accidents were made to look very real, that many stopped to offer assistance. And some were peeved to find out they were fake, in an effort to educate the public, but fake, nevertheless.

So, here's my thing: what if this 'Fake Accident' ended up causing a real accident? Some distracted not to mention frustrated motorist rear ending another while he or she's been caught in traffic that has been at a near crawl. Remember people, Bermuda has one lane roads. There's no way to bypass anything.

My first few thoughts as I drive by this 'Fake Accident' not knowing it's fake: Hey, since when have they started putting up signs to inform everyone of the cause of the accident? Is this the way it's going to be going forward? We really don't need to turn on the nightly news anymore, do we? Damn that's the coppers being more than efficient.

Fake Accidents, indeed!

Bee worried

If this (courtesy of Haagen Dazs) doesn't bring attention to the problem of bees disappearing, then I don't know what will. Albert Einstien once predicted that if bees were to disappear, man would follow only a few years later. That hypothesis could soon be put to the test. Think about it for a moment. It's very scary. It's now. In our lifetime. And time is running out.
Click on the following links to learn more:
http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/
http://www.save-the-honeybee.org/
http://burtsbees.com

Chunk of change

One of the nice things about working in a tax free jurisdiction is that anything other than your base pay is not likely to be taxed at 40%. Some of you gasp, but for those of you that are from Canada, you know all too well the big bite CRA takes out of any commissions, overtime or bonuses earned. So, welcome to Bermuda, where for an expat, overtime pay does not exist, but the yearly bonus that an expat receives is a good chunk of change that makes up for all that overtime they've put in during the year. It's a most welcome chunk of change that no government is getting a slice of. Not this time. Not ever!

Talking to everyone

When I was really really young, perhaps about four, I was approached by a man my father's age after church. He smiled and said: 'Hello, I know your father'. I reckon he was one of my father's friends and wanted to introduce himself. I was rather cute with my tomboy haircut at that age, but unfortunately for him, I was also rather feisty. I looked him dead in the eye and replied: 'So? I don't know you!'
My parents never fail to remind me of this story once in a while, just for kicks. They laugh about it, but looking back I feel bad that I was so rude. I didn't mean to be. I chalk it up to the fact that I was four and that I was following protocol on talking to strangers.

We live in a day and age where we caution our children to be careful to who they speak to when they are out and about. Which is what surprised me about Bermuda. Kids here are never afraid nor shy to talk to strangers. Conversations abound, I tell you. Perhaps this is the plus about living on a small island.

This post was brought upon by an interview with Johnny Barnes posted in newspaper. It's all brand new information, starting off with him at the age of 12 and a very important lesson learned from his mother. Have a read through. It's highly entertaining, just like Mr. Barnes is in person.

Spouse of....

If you, an expat, a foreigner, marry a Bermudian you will for the next ten years be classified by the government as a 'Spouse of Bermudian'. The term is a necessary definitive, especially when it comes to working on the island. As a 'Spouse of', you only stand second in line behind a Bermudian to be considered for potential employment, if you are qualified for the job and if no Bermudian is deemed suitable for the job. As a 'Spouse of', you are ahead of the residents and expats.

So, it's no wonder that some come onto this island with ulterior motives to snag an eligible Bermudian. But the government has procedures put into place to ensure that this is done with the best of intentions. You have to be married to the Bermudian for a total of 10 years and have resided in Bermuda for a significant number of those years in order to get to the finish line. Once you pass the ten year mark you are then eligible to apply for Bermudian status. A divorce within those ten years, does not give you rights to anything. Some of my Bermudian friends joke about the whole 'Spouse of' status about what they would say if they married a foreigner: Hey, be good to me or I'll divorce you. You're only coming on 5 years! OR Remember, you still have 4 years to go...

Cracks me up every time!

Barmuda?

HA! This was the Google search 'Barmuda comes under which state in USA?' that lead this Redmond, Washington visitor to this blog & link. I'm calling it the Bda Sun Google search of the day!

First of all, it is so like an American to assume that Bermuda and every other surrounding island is part of the US. I mean just because Hawaii and Puerto Rico are, doesn't mean that every other island is, right? It's generally assumed that Canada is America's 51st state. Heard by myself, umpteen times, right from the mouths of many Americans. A little heads up: Canada is its own country and the largest one at that. And can we talk about Puerto Rico for a sec? I was totally shocked (after a long argument with one of my uncles) to hear that it's part of the US. When did this happen?

Second, I loved the way they spelt Bermuda. Spelling and geography - not one of their strengths. It's been proven time and time again. You gotta love those Americans!

The dating jungle

This post is nothing I've experience first hand on the island but rather behaviour that I have observed while watching from the sidelines or accounts related to me by my single friends. When you're a single expat and living on an island in the middle of the ocean, there can be plenty of fish in the sea to choose from. With a steady stream of single expats leaving and new ones relocating to the island, sometimes the choices may seem never ending. Other times it can be a repetitive batch. I've heard stories from both sides - expat singles complaining that there are no decent single expat guys or girls on the island, local singles complaining how there are no decent local guys or girls on the island, with some locals that have blatantly said they don't want a guy or girl from 'here', and some expats that have said they'd rather date a local. Expats and locals are crossing over into each other's realm all the time, not that there's anything wrong with it. Sometimes it just seems that it's done for the wrong reasons. There's so many layers to this topic, that I have to break it down or this will be one long post.

But this is what got me thinking. With an island so small as this and the human tendency to gossip (particularly given on a small island), how do you end a relationship and still have the ability to deal with privacy and all that post break up mess? It's not very easy and if this were a big metro of a city, you could easily ignore your ex if you chose to, you could even be on hostile terms and you'd be fine. But this sort of behaviour just won't be had here. Assuming that both parties are planning to stay on island post break-up, it is a survival tool to be on friendly terms with your ex, as much as you may not want to. I think it's harder to end a relationship on a small island, than if you were back home. People talk and this talk can even make the rounds into your professional working world as well. So, closure is something both parties had better receive and fast. Grinning and bearing the awkwardness when you run into one another again, or meeting your ex's new beau for the first time is just something that has to be done with shall we say, a modicum of propriety. I find people tend to gossip far more if a former couple is not on speaking terms, rather than when two exs get along fabulously and still sing each other's praises. While that may be a smart move yet one that is forced, really is there anything interesting about exs that stay on good terms. I didn't think so! Like I said, it's a survival tool.

English in Bermuda?

Is it weird that someone reached this blog by Googling: 'Do they speak English in Bermuda'. What other language would one expect to speak here? Creole was the only one I could think of, since many mistaken for Bermuda being a part of the Caribbean.

For the record English and Portuguese are the two official languages spoken here in Bermuda. Portuguese for the large Portuguese population that has been here for hundreds of years, originally setting foot on the island as paid labourers.

So, although it's most definitely English that's spoken here, it's not the lone one.