march break madness

March break is an exciting time for kids & their parents as they leave the still persistent winter & head to warmer destinations such as Florida, the Caribbean & Bermuda for a week of fun in the sun. So, the island has had quite a few March breakers this week. Whilst at the beach, we noticed a some college students enjoying the fine weather we've been having. Dying to go in the water but hesitant to do so, at first anyway. But they did, eventually, even though the water was not warm enough to warrant a swim in Bermuda's beautiful blue. Hey, it may be warm enough for them but it's definitely not warm enough for us residents.

May 24th, also known as Bermuda Day is the official day that Bermudian men don on their Bermuda shorts for the rest of the summer. It's also after that date that most Bermudians they tend to venture out into the water. Hubby & I don't wait that long, though. The water is too tempting, beckoning us at every turn on South Road. So, we tend to do a couple of tests runs before the 24th & might I say it works out just fine, every time!

the 2 year mark

As of Monday, it's been two years for us here in beautiful Bermuda. Neither of us noticed the anniversary date & I don't know how that happened. But in taking a moment now to look back at the past, I remember the most pressing thing that we were worried about when we first landed - finding a decent apartment & having about a month to do it in. Since Hubby had already started his then new job two days later, the onus was on me. I had to be proactive as soon as e-moo posted their rentals for the day because the good ones would be snatched up before I'd even had time to blink.

Due to the huge demand, landlords are able to be picky & choosy about whom they want renting their space. Words like 'Professional non-smoking couple' are ones that landlords like to hear. A question we'd often get asked is if we're married. You see as Bermudians are very religious, there are some that refuse to rent to unmarried couples. Being betrothed does not count either. Of the 10 apartments we looked at, only two ventured to ask about our marital status. Two that I can remember.

However, if you have pets it is difficult to find a one bedroom rental. Dogs or cats, it doesn't matter. You will more than likely have to rent a two bedroom house which can cost an upwards of $3,000 USD per month or houseshare. So, if you're planning on bringing the beloved canine or feline family member, I'd suggest you leave it behind. The move & the transition will be a lot less aggravating for all parties involved, meaning you & the pet. It's not so easy for your pet to adjust to a new place, a new sub tropic environment especially while you are away at work for the better part of the day. Friends have also told me that dogs here catch fleas fairly easily & the vet visits here don't come cheap if your pooch or kitty needs to make a trip to the doctor.

For the most part, however, if you do get a place with an ocean view, it's a good thing. For those of you looking to move to Bermuda & would like to have a clearer picture of the rental market, here's the link. Good Luck & Happy Hunting!

the paid maternity leave controversy

Maternity leave is so vital & essential to new parents, especially to new mothers. But this varies among countries around the world. Maternity leave in the Middle East is about anywhere from 45 days or more depending on the country. I remember this being an issue with my aunts when I was growing up. They'd complain that 45 days was not enough. Course not! What's 45 days?

Bermuda offers three months maternity leave with pay across the board. I've heard of a generous few companies that offer even more trying to stay in line with their parent companies. But this is rare. Depending on the nature of the job, most companies are reluctant to offer any additional maternity leave, unpaid as it may be. This option, if it were available, is tricky for expats because of the time limit issues with their work permits. The three month maternity leave can also come as a surprise for some Canadian & Brit expats expecting it to be on the same playing field as their home country.

For many American expats, however, paid maternity leave is a positive & significant benefit than compared to their homeland. Surprisingly, America is the only industrialized first world country that does not offer paid maternity leave to its employees. While that is standard across the board, there are some corporations that make exceptions. For the most part, employers are unwilling to compensate new mothers or fathers for this critical time off. They believe that people should be financially responsible, prepared & not depend on the government or their employers for parental leave of this sort. This coming from America! Shocking eh, especially considering so many third world African nations actually offer paid maternity leave to its new mothers.

Perhaps it is for this reason that Americans (& Bermudians too) are shocked when they find out Canada's maternity leave period is slated at a year with the option available to either parent. That it's only compensated at 55% of regular pay doesn't seem to phase anyone a bit. Who cares they say - one year is amazing just to be able to stay at home with your baby & get paid for it even if it's only 55%. Fair enough. No complaints here.

However, if they're impressed with Canada's maternity leave plan, they'd be even more so with Sweden & Norway, who offer paid maternity leave for 18 months. Bulgaria tops the list offering its working employees TWO years paid maternity leave with the option of an additional year of unpaid leave. Now that's sweet!

links: parental leave rights

just when i thought

I just discovered that Blogger lets me transliterate in Hindi! I think it's one of the only languages available at the moment. At first I couldn't fathom why they chose Hindi as one of their first. But then I remembered a couple of things. Hindi evolved from an ancient Indian language named Sanskrit (the Indian equivalent of Latin). Sanskrit is the language known to be most compatible with computers. Ta Da! That & Hindi is the second most language spoken language in the world about 333 million. Even the Arabs in Dubai speak Hindi, due to the large presence of Indian expats.

Anyway, just when I thought Google could not get any better! Of course, at first I was really excited about the transliteration feature. I thought I could put my dormant Hindi language skills to some good use & sharpen my brain in the process. But it's not as easy as I thought it would be. I have to type what I intend to get across phonetically in English. Blogger then magically transliterates words into Hindi. There's a few obstacles in my path. Because Hindi is a third language for me & even though one that I am fluent in, my style of writing would not be the same as it was in English. Besides, other than some family & friends who know the language, who'd read it anyway? And what the heck would I write about?

In other interesting news, Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has released her latest single, Girlfriend, in eight languages (Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese). While she does not speak a second language she spent hours studying the various languages to get her song right. She stopped the buck at Hindi. Apparently, the language & the rhythm didn't match & that after Portuguese, Hindi is the hardest language to learn. Some Indians are not happy. They feel they've been shafted yet again. Ha Ha Seriously? I can't help but laugh. You know Bollywood (the Indian film industry) will rip that entire song, as it's been known to do to many other popular Western tunes. Hang in there my fellow Indians, you'll not only get the entire song, but probably soon.

So just to try out the transliteration feature & show you what it looks like:

मुजे अबी ही मालूम पडी की मै हिन्दी की बाशा मे यहा लिख सकती हुं।

It's definitely challenging. For those of you who would like to read more, check out my new addition. It's all in layman terms, nothing fancy or flowery & probably with a ton of errors. I hope to get better with each passing post.

for the love of cricket

The 2007 World Cup Cricket match will be held in the West Indies this year from March 13th - April 18th & Bermuda is one of the countries that's slated to participate. For the first time as I know it, Bermuda is actually offering direct flights to the Caribbean (which is not the norm). Many are making plans to travel to the West Indies & everyone's excited as they cheer on hoping Bermuda will win. Hey, you never know!

America does not understand the fascination & the hype that goes with cricket, but then again I am sure that the Commonwealth countries reciprocate those sentiments when it comes to America & baseball. Bermudians love cricket naturally - a love that they have inherited from the mother land, England. I used to be in the know about cricket, but after moving to Canada, baseball pretty much took over. And even though Canada does have its own cricket team, I have long since forgotten how cricket works. While I do remember the rudimentary of rules, I'd probably draw a blank if you were to ask me anything specific.

However, the commentary & plays of a cricket match, any cricket match, takes me back to my childhood days. Lazy sunny days where the Cricket Cup Match is all that anyone would be talking about. My grandparents & parents were ever so engrossed in the matches that would last the entire day. India's favourite country to beat would be Pakistan. Oh! those matches would yield excitement like no other. I'm sure many kids here are experiencing the same cricket fever that I did. Memories being created as families get together to watch Bermuda take on other countries. Who would Bermuda love to beat? Maybe England? If I were into cricket now, who would I root for? India, Canada or Bermuda?

In further cricket news, Nike India has unveiled its new ad. What's interesting is that the jingle is not in the official Indian language of Hindi. It's in Konkani - a mixture of a couple of Indian dialects & bits of Portuguese - spoken by Goans who originate from the previously Portuguese ruled Goa. It's also the second language I learned after English & it's so neat that it's the chosen one for the jingle. And while I'd translate the jingle that reflects the Goan style of music, I am a bit lazy to do so at this point. But enjoy!

let the show begin

You must all know by now how much I love fish, especially the tropical kind.

Well, presenting my very own & first Bermuda's Marine Life Slideshow. Enjoy!

This link is also posted on the left under Bermuda Sun Links. Keep checking for more slide shows of all things Bermudian.

pretty in pink

Except for my years in Canada, I grew up with the sand at my feet, but never with sand so pretty as Bermuda's. And I say pretty because it's pink. It's not the coral that's the contributor, but a single celled animal known as foram (or the red foraminifier to be exact), pink in colour & growing on the underside of rocks. Once the foram dies, its pink skeleton is eroded & washed away to join the ranks of other particles like snails, shells & white sand. It is the foram that gives Bermuda's sand its pink hue & sand of this caliber is quite rare. Scotland is reported to be the only other place in the world with sand similar to Bermuda's.

While not all of Bermuda's beaches sport this pink hue, most do, especially at Warwick Bay (big chunks of pink there) but the sand all over the island is soft on your feet. And the government does a pretty good job of keeping this sand clean. During the summer months the sand is cleaned regularly of seaweed & litter. We found this lone little fella at John Smith's Bay. He couldn't decide which direction to head into but he was camouflaged quite well & content sitting pretty in pink. Except for those yellow legs that give him away!

a different cuppa java

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee. Luwak is the Indonesian word for the Civet cat. What's interesting is when these two words are combined to form a rare, very expensive & exclusive gourmet coffee that's making it's way into the world. Adverts for this coffee runs along the lines of 'From Cat to Cup' or 'The Purr-fect Cup'. But all play on words aside, why would an animal be associated with coffee?

There's a Thai restaurant in town & while I was lunching there last week with Newt & his colleagues, they directed my attention to a menu placard that was on our table advertising Kopi Luwak - a rare coffee with only 300 kgs produced annually. It also featured a picture of the tree hugging Luwak & went on to state that this was the animal responsible for contributing to the uniqueness of this coffee bean. But the explanation went no further as to the how - so customers were left to their own devices of whether they wanted to venture into the realm of this new coffee. So what if someone went ahead & treated themselves to one & found out about the inner makings of this coffee later. I bet they'd be upset. I know I'd be and here's why....

The Luwak's favourite food is the coffee cherry which it ingests, bean and all. Apparently it's the enzymes in the Luwak's digestive system that are absorbed by the coffee bean giving it its distinct flavour. Once the process is completed, the bean is excreted, the only way it can naturally, it's then collected by farmers. Once cleaned of the Luwak's feces (you see where I'm going with this), the bean is then roasted & ground for all you gourmet coffee lovers to enjoy. Are you kidding me? If it's going to come out of an animal's something, it should be priced next to nothing. Either that or someone's got to make this animal work overtime to make the laws of supply & demand work in our favour. Needless to say, I am no coffee drinker, but if I were, I'd certainly not want my coffee that way. The bean could be bleached for all I care, it still wouldn't make me change my mind. And I care not for how exclusive its taste is.

The restaurant didn't bother to disclose further facts on how the Luwak was completely involved in the process of this coffee bean. Oh wait, I know why. Perhaps that mere fact would be a deterrent to customers actually trying out this expensive cup. It would make people's imaginations start to wander. Hmm what is that unique taste they may ask. Or the thought that they hope those beans were cleaned down really good. Just you wait - some big shot is going to try out this coffee, find out the hows & whys later & waltz in to sue their pants off. But then again I've heard you can't really sue anyone here in Bermuda.

do you see what i see?

We've had some pretty decent weather - sunny days and all that. It's been getting darker later too & with the DST change next week, it's about to get better. While winter in Bermuda seems to be in full force in the short month of February, somehow it's just feels like it's the longest month there is. But bang March has rolled around & it seems like there's been a sudden unveiling from a state of hibernation. More like - that's it? Winter's done? Well, about time! That's what I've been feeling the last couple of days.

My brother, Newt & his co-workers have been here on the island this week for a business meeting. With work getting in the way & of what little they have been able to see so far, they were awed. It's been interesting seeing the island through their eyes. Even though it's been cooler than normal, with Bermudians stating that they have not known it to be this cold, it's a welcome change for these visitors from the T(.). They insist Bermuda is anything but cold. You see, it's only when you've got visitors from the cold white north that you realize there is a colder world out there, one that you may have temporarily forgotten about, but ta da you get family friendly reminders every so often.

So, I had to take a step back to see what Newt & company saw. I had to first picture myself from their point of origin. Toronto with it's bare landscape save for the evergreen trees, streets kissed with melting snow giving rise to the unwelcome slush, the below zero temperatures at night & the most recent yet another snowstorm definitely makes Bermuda a welcome change. In contrast, we have Bermuda with it's rich foliage year round, blue skies when they're not threatening & awesome aqua hues when the sun decides to shine down. Yeah, I guess I have a lot to be thankful for. And I am.

At one point, Newt looks at me & says: So you live here, huh? Obviously, a rhetorical question. Yet all I could do was smile, shrug & answer in the affirmative. Not because I was taking it for granted but because I did not want to rub it in, for you see, he still has to go back home to Toronto in a few days. Well, not before he stays back to enjoy the island with Hubby & I, while his colleagues leave tomorrow as scheduled. Well, ain't the boy just plain lucky!

the spanish hogfish

Here's another Bermuda native fish that's too pretty to eat. It's the Spanish Hogfish. Not as interesting as the Parrotfish with its sex changing ways, but it holds up its own. What it doesn't make up for in genetic marvels, it makes up for in vibrancy.

Some facts about the hogfish: as a juvenile, it rids the ocean of parasites but abandons this diet in favour of crabs, mollusks & sea urchins as it matures. It lives among corals & are very conspicuous (well that one's a given considering its colour). The males spend half their time foraging than the females do, for they busy their lives with social interaction & mating. Well, there's a case of role reversal. The meat of the Spanish Hogfish is poisonous (which is interesting because I once saw a Bermudian fisherman skin & fillet one of these & all I could think was what a pity. It's too bad I didn't have my camera to take a before shot). But if the facts are not to be ignored, what's the lesson here? Leave the pretty fish alone. It's the dull ones that are safe to eat. Ok, so maybe there's one interesting fact about the Spanish Hogfish: the male defends his territory with groups of females backing him up. Talk about getting women to do the dirty work.

all aboard

Bermuda is an island steeped in religion. Its population still holds their traditional values very dear & most of them are very clear that marriage is a union between a man & a woman. I get the feeling that being gay is definitely frowned upon by the traditional lot over here, but perhaps tolerable as long as everyone's nice. But I could be wrong. I wanted to find out more & did manage to find one website for gays & lesbians in Bermuda, only to find out it was disabled.

Personally, I could not care less if one is gay or straight. Each to his own. Growing up, my parents never talked about gays or lesbians - nothing negative, nor positive was said. Perhaps, this enabled my brother & I to form our own liberal opinions as we got older. And the irony is that our family has always been staunch Roman Catholics. In any case, I am intrigued. I'd imagine there are quite a few gays & lesbians, locals & expats alike here on the island. For a local, what is it like growing up gay in Bermuda? For an expat, are they as open about their sexual orientation as they would be in their liberal home country? Do both feel that they perhaps have to be discreet while here on the island?

And speaking of, Rosie O'Donnell is coming to Bermuda on a cruise that she has exclusively chartered for gay & lesbian families. Rosie had a similar cruise chartered last year that headed for the Bahamas but when they docked, most of the 1,600 passengers stayed on board to avoid anti-gay protesters that gathered in light of their arrival. And so this year, the cruise is going to a private island in the Bahamas, but not before stopping off in Bermuda.

Now here's where it gets interesting. I could not find the news article mentioning the charter today. I'd imagine it was taken down to diffuse any light that may have been brought to it yesterday, in the hope of staving off any conflicts or issues that may arise. Bermuda largely depends on tourism. Given its population's divided views, how will its traditional population react to this charter? Will Bermuda's population exhibit the same reaction as the Bahamian people did? Will they welcome Rosie & co. with quiet disapproval, because it's a family affair with kids on board while also a source of tourism income OR will they have something to say about it, before the ship even leaves NY?

And how will Rosie react to the negativity, if there is any? She has long been an advocate for the gay & lesbian community in America. She is very vocal about anything anti-gay, which is all fine & dandy but turning the simplest of comments made by others into an anti-gay slur is just not happening. She has managed to make issues where there were none on the basis of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Many of her fans have been turned off attributing it to her arrogance. Well, this is Bermuda, where it's a whole different ball game, where being arrogant is definitely definitely frowned upon, but being gay just may be tolerated as long as you are nice (but I am still waiting for confirmation on this one - so what say you?).

shiver me timbers

We had yet another day of gale force winds & this one was unexpected. What is with this weather? Somehow, I don't remember it being like this last winter. I tell you, I practically got blown away walking around town today. It's probably the first time I've worn a toque in Bermuda too! But it's essential. Not only does it keep you warm, but prevents the mussing up of hair. I think the ladies can empathize with me on this one! Male or female, this kind of wind can whip your hair in so many different directions at once, that it could only leave you with a headache. People all around town were donning their toque's too, that & a cringing look plastered on their faces. You would think offices would have pity & let people go home or stay home in the first place.

Everyone's complaining that it's too cold. Well, mostly the local folk & rightly so. Of course, it's too cold for them. I dare'nt complain, I told them. All I have to do is think about my folks back in Toronto & how it's still way below zero over there. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to get through 10 Toronto winters. Oh yes, the locals nod. You don't want to be in Toronto. Course not I say, that's why you won't catch me complaining about the temperature. The only excuse I can make to family back home is: It's damp & so, it's a different kind of cold. But somehow they don't care to hear about it. It's not as cold as Toronto, is their retort. Well, what else can I say?

It doesn't take too long to get acclimatized to Bermuda's damp wintry weather. If you're thinking of leaving your winter gear behind, think again. We learned our lesson the hard way. No one told us to bring winter gear. You will need gloves, a scarf & a good waterproof windbreaker, especially if you're on a scooter. Oh! shiver me timbers. Don't laugh all you car owners. We still beat traffic & pass you by, all while staying toasty warm in our multitude of layers.

health benefits & you

As a Canadian, I am proud of our health care system. It's free & available to all immigrants & citizens & it's one of the best in the world. While prescription medications & dental benefits are excluded, it is covered via medical benefits provided by your employer. Premiums for these additional health benefits are not a significant cost for the employer & employee because of the nationalized coverage of basic health care. Some employers even cover all your premiums. Such was the level of care that we were used to in Canada.

When Hubby received his job offer from Bermuda, we made sure to negotiate that he & I would be covered for full health benefits with all premiums to be borne by his potential employer. We had no idea how much health benefit premiums cost in Bermuda but assumed that like everything that was reputed to be expensive on the island, this was too.

Here we are two years later, acutely aware of how expensive premiums are & how we lucked out in that department. We've learned that most companies cover half the monthly premiums for their employee & their spouses. Some just don't cover premiums for spouses at all. So, how expensive is it? Say about $300.00 a month. Yes, you read right. Thats about $3,600 a year & that's just for one person. A significant chunk of change, if you're not prepared for it. If you're lucky, your claims will be covered at 100%, for most insurance companies will only cover 50% to 80% of your claims. This again, depends on your future employer & how much more they are willing to shell out so their employees get the best deal.

The best advice I can offer for those of you looking to work on this island, is NEGOTIATE your health benefits coverage before you sign your contract. Don't be afraid that you're going to loose out on the job opportunity - you won't. Organizations here are aware of the amazing low cost health benefits that are available to Canadians in Canada & are willing to negotiate or acquiesce to your requests. You've got nothing to loose by asking & you'd be surprised when they say yes.

Most insurance companies cover claims for dental work, prescriptions, etc done in your home land. They too, are aware of the top notch level of care you are used to, back home. You can even elect to have any required surgery performed in your home land, should you be unsure about Bermuda's surgical procedures. That & airfare would also be covered. For the rest, prescription eye wear is expensive in Bermuda, some places take up to 3 weeks to process, all because they order it from Toronto anyway (the irony never ends). Dentists are booked up on the island, especially the good ones, because there is a shortage of dentists in relation to Bermuda's population. So, you may want to schedule your semi annual visit to your dentist when you're back home. I know sitting in the dentist's chair is not necessarily what you want to be doing while you're on vacation, but you'll be better off in the long run.

Many a family member often ask us why we don't take time out to visit them when we're down in Toronto. Well, this is why - we're busy crossing things off our shopping lists & getting our teeth cleaned at the same time. It is because of this, my mantra & excuse for the past two years has been: It's never a vacation when we're in Toronto.

customer service? don't bank on it.

Bermuda's debit card structure is similar to the US, both unlike Canada. In Canada, no matter which bank you're with, you can use your debit card at any of the millions of retailers that accept Interac. This is because all banks are nationalized & are thus efficient to offer this service. In America, the privatized banks are not about to spend exorbitant amounts of money to achieve this efficient payment structure. So like the American banks, my Bermudian bank issues me a debit card, which while has the VISA insignia on it, is not a credit but rather known by another name, the Visa Check Card. This would not be so confusing if America followed the Queen's English, for the card would be appropriately known as the Visa Cheque Card (It took me a while to figure out why they called it the VISA Check Card). Regardless of the way it's spelled, the danger with this type of card, however, is due to the direct link to your bank account, fraudulent activity is something you don't want occurring with your account.

A couple of months ago, I whipped out my card to pay for something at the drug store. It's been declined, they say. I was surprised because it couldn't have been lack of funds. I called anyway to check & sure enough everything was dandy. I figured it must have been the drugstore's system. But I couple of days later, I ran into the same problem at the grocery store. This was getting mighty annoying. I eventually went in to the bank & get a new card ordered. No explanation was given as to why the old one kept declining. Even more annoying.

Well, then came the news that a couple of months ago, a US based company, TJX Co. was hacked into. The hacker stole customer information including their credit card info from the stores that TJX owned - stores that were in the US & Canada. Then it dawned on me that I did shop at exactly one of those stores in Georgia during our trip in June. OK, so the bank decided to play it safe & cancel my card. Smart proactive move! But you'd think they'd have given me a heads up, you know a customary call to say: Mam, we're going to have to cancel your card & reissue you a new one due to the security breach. I received no such call. But then that's how it is with the banks on the island. Customer service is a whole new ball game & perhaps the concept of Customer Service is lost on the representatives. Somehow, it's too much for them to pick up the phone to contact a customer to let them know what's transpiring with regards to his/her own account. I guess we're left to our own devices when it comes to banking & trying to get access to our own money.

got milk?

Bermuda is not agriculturally self sustainable. A common misconception is that since it's a tropical locale, exotic fruits are in abundance. After you get the once over of the island, you will notice that most of the land is taken up by housing. It is a very small island after all. Of course, there are areas owned by farmers but it's not nearly enough to feed the entire 60,000+ population. Banana trees, however, are in abundance & the bananas here are huge - definitely different from the imported Chiquita. We pass certain farm plots during our daily commute to work & anything from butternut squash to cherry tomatoes are grown at any given time. Most of Bermuda's produce is imported & transported via the sea. It can be very annoying when some produce arrives a bit wilted due to the summer heat, yet the exorbitant prices are not marked down at the grocery store. That also largely depends on which grocery store you go to. In any case, I prefer my produce to wilt after I've bought it, not before!

But what about the staples, like milk for example - If some produce has freshness issues, how does Bermuda handle milk? Well, this island does produce it's own courtesy of its very own cows. When we first got here on the island we noticed that milk was priced a tad unreasonable to what were used to - that little carton on the left there - that will run you a little over four bucks. Quite pricey because in Toronto, I could get a two litre bag of milk for the same chump change. But every thing is relative in Bermuda. We are used to the prices by now & it's not so much of a shocker anymore. There's four different types of milk one can buy, each variation is colour coded. The least messed with is the blue carton. The other variations have a certain amount of fat or powdered milk added to it. Powdered milk is also available because lets face it - there's not enough cows to produce for all of Bermuda. Needless to say, we have switched to the Blues just because we feel it's better for us. And if you're looking for a expiry date, it's a little hard to find. But it's there. Since milk is produced every week, it's just the day thats indented on the top of the carton. That's the expiry date not the number of the carton as some may think. For the new comers, this mark is lost & meaningless until someone kindly points it out & what it stands for.

where have all the parents gone ?

Friday was my maternal grandmother's birthday. I miss her dearly. She would have been 83. She was a no nonsense sassy kind of woman, not afraid to tell you like it is, even if you were the Queen of England. But generally grandmothers are like that. If they don't already have it, they take on an air of attitude that becomes more apparent once they gain the grandmother title. The rest of the world has to just politely concede to whatever they say. But that's what makes grandmothers fun. Besides they're the only ones that can still order your parents around & that's got to count for something.

Over the past few years, Africa has witnessed an unprecedented change in population due to the onset of AIDS & its widespread annihilation. Africa's children are finding themselves orphaned & it has left grandmothers as the only adults around & in charge. There is no one save for their grandmothers to whom they look to for their daily upbringing. Most of these grandmothers are well into their 70's, some even in their 80's. Barely able to take care of themselves, they have had to be the cornerstone for their grandchildren, some shouldering the responsibility of as many as eight children at a time, almost all under the age of 10. Unable to work, these grandmothers have had to find means of ensuring their brood are somewhat fed, if they can even manage that. Add to that they have also had to learn to administer medication to those of their grandchildren who are HIV positive. These African grandmothers are showing resilience, defying stereotypes & surprising those skeptics who are quick to stick to the old adage - the old uneducated African grandmothers know nothing about new modern medicines & will never learn on how to administer required doses. The grandma's sure showed them. For Africa's orphaned, their grandmothers are their only hope of surviving into adulthood.

For the most part, Bermuda's grandmothers are not your typical average. Most are not old enough to be grandmothers. They certainly don't look it. But yet here they are - a good 20 to 30 years from retirement, employed full time & some taking on an important responsibility - raising or helping raise their grandchildren. It's a different scenario when compared to Africa. In Bermuda, the parents are alive & well but are unable to support themselves or their new offspring because they are in their teens. They have nowhere to turn & grow to be increasingly dependent on their mothers, if not both parents. But this is not typical of most non-nuclear families in Bermuda, rather just a percentage. But for that small percentage, it's an extraordinary added responsibility & sacrifice that these grandmothers are undertaking. It's no surprise really - If you don't expect a mother to turn her back on her child, what would make a grandmother be so different? The next time you cross paths with a middle aged Bermudian woman, keep in mind that as young as she may look, she just may be a grandmother - raising & supporting two generations at the same time.

do you speak american ?

The English language is being butchered. Some of you may not care but if you're going to learn a language, wouldn't you want to learn it right? No slang because that can come later once the language is mastered. The reason the English language is going to hell? Well, I am sorry my American friends, but I have to blame this one on your country. There is quite the distinction between American English & should I say, the Queen's English. It is quite ironic, since the first American settlers were British. Some time between the Revolution & the now, the language structure has broken down.

I grew up with the Queen's English in the Middle East & in India & couldn't fathom why Americans spelled certain words like this: colour is spelled color, labour (labor), cheque (check), behaviour (behavior) and so on. I bet you some of my American friends reading this may not be aware that there even exists a distinction. Even as I type this, the American words pass the spell check, but all my Brit words are underlined in the big red. I always have to switch my default from English US to English UK & it's something I aim to do before using any program involving words. I think it's safe to assume Bill Gates learned American English. Thank goodness Canada follows the Queen's English. You won't find words like color, labor or check in our Canadian dictionary. Thank you very much! We may acknowledge the American variation due to the close proximity with America but that's as far as we'll venture. It was only after moving to Canada that the American misspellings were demystified - America spells their words phonetically (spelling words like they sound) & now that that's explained, my high school English language teachers in the Middle East are in the know. If they read this, that is.

You'd think that Bermuda can't possibly go wrong in this department because it is a British territory. And like all commonwealth countries the Queen's English rules. Well, not here. I am sorry to say that while Bermuda should be following the Queen's English, it doesn't. It follows America. Worse yet the American English language is broken down further. I was shocked to learn that potato is spelled potatoe. Now that's definitely underlined in red. And it also makes me squeamish. Unfortunately, I imagine a toe in potato when I see it spelled in that manner. Yes, I know & I am sorry for the image. But I should not be the one apologizing. I think it's the system & the teachers that should be apologizing to the children of today. Bermuda's Ministry of Education needs to take a hard look at its English language & grammar curriculum because they're not following the Queen's English, as they should. Bermuda prides itself on doing many things English, so why not this? For if the teachers are confused & misguided about the English language then what hope is there?

mya

Pit bulls are a dog breed that is fast becoming banned in countries over the world. In 2005 Toronto joined the ban on pit bulls due to an ever increasing attacks on children & other dogs. No new pits are to be allowed & any existing pits have to be muzzled when out in public. Because of the attacks & the ban everyone, including me, had a certain perception that pits were dangerous. Never mind that pit owners protested the ban stating that it's not the dog to be blamed but the owner. If the owner presents him/herself as an authoritative figure, with a firm but gentle & kind hand, pits will not turn out to be so aggressive. The growing attacks are by those dogs who have been conditioned to be watch dogs for their owners, conducive to an aggressive environment. Yeah right! That's what I thought until I met Mya.

Mya (pronounced Maya) was a 8 week old pit that we met about 2 months into our stay here in Bermuda. She was presented to MsStopYourNoise's son as a gift. When I first saw her I thought she was the most adorable thing until I found out she was a pit bull. And then I was wary. One weekend I was on the patio, gabbing away on the phone with LadyBug when out of nowhere Mya came charging toward me. I have never been so scared. I yelled on the phone: I gotta go! I have a pit charging at me. But Mya was all play & no bite. She was a pup after all. A pup that could jump up to your face. Over the period of the year, Mya grew to be our best friend. She'd escape from upstairs & make a bee line to our apartment, sit right outside our sliding door & wait. Wait for us to come out & play.

She was never allowed to be walked & I could never understand why until I was told that pits are banned in Bermuda. Some Bermudians are possessive about their belongings/ property & prefer pits as their breed of choice to guard their property. For the most part, these watch dogs are trained to be aggressive. That kind of behaviour eventually led into attacks which prompted the ban. Since the ban has gone into affect, no new pits are allowed on the island. But Mya was recently bred on the island & clearly she was illegal & I am sure pits are continued to be bred. Yet for all the wrong reasons. No one knows where Mya came from, so don't anyone come knocking down my door asking.

But, I never thought I'd be training a pit. In a few minutes, we were able to get Mya to sit on cue (bribed with food of course). An amazing feat for Mya because she would never sit still. She was very loyal & friendly towards both Hubby & me. When we eventually started taking her for walks, we'd often get stopped. You see Mya was not only beautiful, she was also one of those rare ones. She had those albino eyes & she was a 'red nose all American white pit'. Or so strangers would tell me. I'd deny it & say she was a mixed breed - that's what I was told to say. But they knew better. They'd smile & nod their heads at the fact she was what she was. But she was my walking buddy & our walks were quite effective. Looking back, I now know that it is really dependent on the owner & how they raise their pits. It is all about being authoritative but kind & portraying that vibe, which dogs can apparently read. Sure, they have some amount of aggressiveness in them but you take them for walks, make them run to tire them out & which slaps the aggressiveness out of them.

Mya was eventually given away once MsStopYourNoise's son went away to college. We still miss her though. Every so often we see a pit like her head out the window, whizzing by in a car, & we pause & wonder: Was that Mya?

to be or not to be

We exist in a global village, one that is made smaller & more accessible through internet existence. If you are a first generation citizen then you probably have many friends & relatives you keep in touch with from your country of origin or birth. If you're an expat then you're definitely one to work that email & get up to date on the all ongoings of your hometown. Your email contact list probably hosts a plethora of people you keep in touch at your leisure - even if your mode of communication is via forwards.

My mom's cousin passed away this weekend. He would often send us all forwards - some scary, some funny, some with adult content for us adults. Last night, as I was going through my email contacts list, I came across his name & the stark realization hit me - I won't be emailing him anymore. I am sure the rest of the family & his friends who had him on their list will soon undergo the same realization. I feel like it's almost too cruel to delete his name of my contact list. Sort of like I'd be erasing him forever. Seems silly, doesn't it?

I still have the name of one of my high school friends in my contact list, who passed away five years ago. Everyone so often as I skim through my contacts, I come across his name & am reminded of the funny person he was. Bit of a troublemaker really. But you see if I didn't have his name on there I'd remember him less often.

are you brave enough?

One of the most surprising & perhaps inconveniencing things about Bermuda is the non existence of car rentals as a mode of transportation for visitors. That rule has been implemented for good measure & reason. Sure it's a right pain for when you have multiple visitors, & have to shuttle them around in a cab or take the public transportation, but that's the rule. At one point, years ago, car rentals were in existence. But that caused an onslaught of traffic accidents as visitors (mostly Canadian & American) were not used to driving on the left hand side of the road. If you've got no traffic ahead of you as a constant reminder on which side of the road to stay on, it's just a force of habit that you would resume to driving on the right hand side. Which is the wrong side. Bermuda's round-a-bouts did not help either & probably contributed to the confusion. All these accidents could have only translated into increased red tape for the traffic police & increased car repair costs for the rental companies. To give you an idea of how expensive parts & labour is in Bermuda: SharkBoy & LadyBug's apartment move last year somehow entailed a broken window of the car they borrowed. Quote to get it fixed? $1,200.00 Absolutely asinine!

The demise of car rentals for visitors meant added business & stable employment for Bermuda's cab drivers. Scooter/Moped rentals, however, stayed but it's not as safe as it seems for the first timers. Many that opt to get on these are not necessarily ready or nearly as confident, for most have never been on a scooter before. We heard some horrendous tales of tragic scooter accidents involving visitors when we first arrived on the island. But the tales were of years past & there have been no accidents involving visitors since our arrival. And while the tales were horrifying to hear it was more to make us aware. Whether you're a visitor or a resident, the safest rule when it comes to renting a scooter is to not be a Speedy Gonzales ♫.

adios amigo

SharkBoy is leaving the island on the weekend. But I'm sure he'll be back - he sort of grew up here some so he's always got a home to come vacation at. We met up yesterday to bid our temporary adieus & he regaled us with more of his shark stories during dinner. Every time we meet him, he's got more shark catches under his belt to brag about. Now for the most part Bermuda does not see sharks in its waters. While Nurse sharks are common in Bermuda's waters they are not carnivorous - so nothing to worry about there. But one of his most recent catches was a Caribbean reef shark, the kind that feasts on meat. Big problem there.

First of all I was told that sharks don't enter Bermuda shores on account of the reefs surrounding the island. And I was feeling pretty good about going in the water. But then a few months later when SharkBoy caught his first shark, I'm told they manage to sneak in over the reefs when the tide is high. But no worries, they're only here to breed during the full moon & normally go back to where they came from. Still feeling pretty good. Until yesterday's Caribbean catch. And there's only one place he goes where he knows they'll be just around the rocks from John Smith's Beach. A beach that we frequent due to its close proximity to our home & because it's not as crowded like the ever popular Horseshoe Bay. It's a good thing I'm wary when I'm in the water at John Smith's or I'd have likely made my way around the rocks to where the sharks may or may not be. I am not about to take that chance.

Anyway, I'm sure SharkBoy is going to miss his quota of shark catches, what with all the excitement that follows. Fighting the shark for at least half hour at a time during the reeling in, the sore muscles, losing a swanky cell phone in the process. All good stuff. There are no sharks where he's going & besides the climate is too cold to warrant any shark sightings.

chit chat

A couple of weeks ago I was running errands around town & I was genuinely touched by the number of people that stopped to make conversation while I was waiting in line, waiting for the bus or just plain waiting around. Ok that last one is not true - no one really has time to wait around, island life or not. And most of the people that stopped to chit chat were seniors but I would say they are the nicest people you will find in Bermuda. Instilled with traditional old school values of yester year they are surprisingly open minded to the new values that the younger generation exuberate today. In recent decades Bermuda has seen a magnanimous influence from America as teenagers have been & continue to be exposed & relate to America's hip hop culture. While not all hip hop is bad, it's rarely the good that is the popular choice. But that's another post.

Adding to the change in attitudes & culture, seniors have also had to deal with the increase in population & the expats that have come to call Bermuda their home away from home. I'd often wonder how they felt about us expats. The tourists are only here for a short time, while we expats are here to stay for a while. When I first got here I'd not know what to say when our paths would cross. After all it's their turf & we were fresh off the boat. But they are the nicest people I've met & continue to meet. They're apt to take interest in you if you're generous enough to greet them with a smile.

While the teenagers as teenagers go, are another story, it's the young kids of Bermuda that leave a lasting impression. They have been taught to greet everyone with a customary Good Morning or Afternoon, will proceed to ask YOU how you're doing & have no problem engaging themselves in conversation with a tourist or an expat. So don't be surprised if you find yourself deep in conversation with a child or a senior citizen of Bermuda while on the bus or anywhere around town. It's expected & it's the way things are done here. Get used to it.

angel

If you see one of these marine angelfish (not to be confused with the freshwater angelfish), prepare to be amazed. This is the Bermuda Angelfish more specifically a Townsend Angelfish. It's a hybrid between the Blue & Queen Angelfish. The Townsend angelfish is abundant & unique to Bermuda's waters. Their graceful & majestic presence in the water is associated with healthy reefs. Angelfish are very shy & are quick to get away when spotted. Like swans, they are monogamous & are often found swimming in pairs. They breed throughout the year & grow at an alarming rate. Their lifespan is about 20 years. Hubby & I once spotted a gigantic pair at Tobacco Bay while snorkelling & they were beautiful. If you spot one of these & want to capture it on film, then make haste, before they swim away. The Angelfish are also featured on Bermuda's five cent coin. Are they edible? I'd say no. While some of the larger marine angelfish species are sought as food, there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning as a result of their flesh harbouring toxins. Why would anyone want to eat them anyway, they're too pretty to be made minced meat out of.

riding in cars

Want to make more of an environmental difference to a greener tomorrow? Here's how:

Zoom zoom zoom:
Car manufacturers are going green. There are a fair number of hybrid models being introduced into the market. If you're thinking about getting a new car, this is certainly the way to go. Think of the money you'd be saving in the long run plus you'd get that warm fuzzy feeling inside every time you turn on the ignition.

The next time you're waiting on someone or something you may want to turn off that idling car. The job always takes longer & as the seconds transition into minutes, you sit there wishing you had turned the car off three minutes ago.

Yearly emissions tests on your car - this is now a requirement in many countries or your registration won't be renewed without a passed certificate. But lets not cheat & pay off the mechanic to fudge the report when you really don't pass the test. Aren't we really cheating ourselves?

Here are some of my observations of how some metropolitan cities have been adapting to greener ways.

Bermuda: We see quite a few smart cars on Bermuda's roads. On the smaller side, you can't get any greener that these but small in Bermuda small is good. With the narrow roads & even narrower driveways smaller cars are in demand. Small is good, but smarter is better.

Toronto: Has integrated Bio-diesel (part diesel, part soy bean oil) for some of public works trucks. This cleaner fuel emits lower emissions & gives the environment a much needed break.

Bombay: On our recent visit to India, I was impressed to learn that pollution levels were decreasing in Bombay, a city that houses a population of almost 13 million. So what's attributed to this change? The switch from petrol (gas) to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), a mixture of hydrocarbon gases that is proving to reduce damage to the ozone layer. There are about 7 million cars in Bombay that are running on LPG & that number is only growing.

Speaking of the ozone layer, there's some good news. All our environmentally friendly efforts have been translated into the ozone layer growing back where there was a gaping hole. That's right. The hole is shrinking. But let's not stop now!

a short break

And a quick shout out:

Hello right back to FT from cold Sweden. Stay warm. I sure am!

this little light of mine

Fluorescent lighting is the way to go in the 21st century. These energy saving bulbs are starting to make an appearance in every household. But when one says fluorescent what comes to mind is those ugly, unflattering white tube fluorescent lights. The popular lighting choice for work, school, hospital, factories. Unfortunately, while they're energy saving & cost efficient, they also highlight every unflattering wrinkle on your face. I'm not a fan of fluorescent lighting especially when used at home.

I lived with my grandparents in India from the ages of three to 13 & while there I had to live with the ugly fluorescents. They insisted on having them. The tubes are efficient & cost effective, so practically every household has them. It's been the only choice since perhaps electricity was introduced in India. Mood lighting is somehow not an everyday option regardless of class you belong to: upper, middle or lower. It's more about brighter is better. I grew up hating those lights. Everyone loved them but me. I guess my interior design skills were alive & kicking even when I was three & thereon to make me sit up & take notice how unflattering & a little depressing those lights were. When I'd visit my parents in Dubai, I'd breathe a sigh or relief because we had mood lighting there. But when I was back in India for the academic year, I'd cringe every time the sun went down & those lights came on. My friends in the next building over, now their folks had the mood lighting all setup. There was not a fluorescent in the living room. Their minimal plantation style furniture looked great. I thought I was in heaven every time I went over to their place. What a difference lighting makes!

Fast forward to Canada where we took out any traces of fluorescent lighting at my parents' new place. Well, I did actually & my dad's comment was that I was on a mission to rid the house of any fluorescent lights. Seriously, do people not like mood lighting? It's called mood lighting for a reason. It affects your mood. Sigh! Anyway, incandescent was the way to go for a while until the introduction of new fluorescent lights of the future. You know those energy saving bulbs that use just 13 watts to produce the output of a 60 watt bulb. They are a lifesaver for your electric bill. But the best part, though they're fluorescent bulbs, they also provide you with ambient mood lighting just like the incandescent bulbs. I love technology, don't you?

Once we moved here to Bermuda, I was surprised to find the limited variety of bulbs available on the island. Incandescent 60 watts are very popular & mostly all that's available here. Losing no time to make the change, I dug into my stash & got out my fluorescent bulbs (almost seems like I have a Santa Claus bag of goodies, doesn't it? I wish!). Since the change, our electric bill has seen a significant decrease. Like everything, electricity is also imported into Bermuda from the US & at a hefty price too. Everyone complains about the electric bill here especially in the summer when the air cons are running at full capacity. Want to save some $$ & help out the environment? Well, switch to the new & improved fluorescent bulbs. Add it to your shopping list on your next trip back home. Companies like GE, Sunbeam & Noma have followed Ikea's original bulbs & have now revolutionized these fluorescent bulbs. They are now available in the same size as an incandescent bulb & are even available for pot/recessed & flood lights all at Canadian Tire. Damn! Times are a changing & it's time to get in on that change.

I often see this Bermudian man at the corner of Burnaby & Reid Street selling the new fluorescent bulbs for about $8 a pop. He tried to get me to buy them once. He said it's very hard to get people here to switch & they have no idea how much they'd be saving in the long run. I told him I had a whole stash at home & I use nothing else. He said: Lemme guess, you got it from back home. Sure, I said, I got them from Canada. They come in packs of two or three. He groaned & said: I don't even want to know what you got them for. He's right. I spared him the pricing details for what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides he asked not to know.

el niño & the other thing

A couple of weeks ago everyone everywhere was happy about the mild winter weather & welcomed it with open arms. No one really cared about the environmental implications or the repercussions. Let the glaciers melt! Let the polar bears starve! Let the animals that normally hibernate be awake to enjoy the warm weather! Well, we only have ourselves to thank. We've put out as much carbon dioxide in the air in the last century with all our industrial & technological revolution, that we've upset the delicate balance for good. Do not console yourself with the fact El Niño has been around or that global warming has been in motion for thousands of years because it was never at this frequent nor this fast a rate.

The overall temperature has increased by a couple of degrees - seems minor, but it is major damage for the North pole. Once those glaciers melt, we won't have as much land mass nor fresh water. I can tell you that everyone would want to be Canada's best friend, as we'd be the only country with the world's largest fresh water supply. Maybe Bermuda won't be affected? Think again. With the rising sea level, Bermuda may just be underwater.

The sad unfortunate news is that while we may curb our wasteful ways significantly, the damage has already been done. Our changes will only prevent any further escalation. Any positive changes will only help the temperature to remain stable but it will not lower what we have caused to rise in the last century. The glaciers will continue to melt, that's a given. What is to be determined is at how fast a rate. But please, don't let that discourage you into making a change for today. Scientists have been looking 50 years into the future to predict what the world & our environment will be like. Why 50 you ask? They chose 50 because that's when most of us will be around. It's sad when the scientists have to cater to us, the current generation, to make it more of a reality for us. We obviously don't care enough to leave the world in good hands for our future generations, so why on earth would we care about the state of the world 100 years from now? So what are we going to do about it?

i choose c

We were watching the weather channel for a few moments to get an update & all that anyone is talking about is America as the Frozen Nation. Looking at the single digits for central & southern US, we were a bit confused because we first had to figure out if they were in Celsius or Fahrenheit. We figured maybe it's in F as most of the US likes to have it broadcasts but then that wouldn't make sense because it would be colder than Canada. Most of the digits were in the singles, which is insane because Dallas at 3^o C & Atlanta at 1^o C was just unbelievable. Who knew it could get that cold over there? Now that the southern states have witnessed & experienced first hand how El Niño & global warming can wreak havoc, maybe Bush might take the environment seriously & cut down on some pollution.

Getting back to the weather format, the reason for the C/F confusion? For the most part, Bermuda has adopted British ways: the metric system for one - the distance & odometers here are spelt out in kms as opposed to miles, the roads & cars - left hand drive. However, there's one area where confusion ensues & that's the weather. In this case, Bermuda seems to follow the American preferred Fahrenheit when it comes to stating & predicting the temperature. While they do have the Celsius conversion displayed, it still makes it confusing. They figure with their large number of tourists being American, they may as well make them feel comfortable. It's just makes it confusing for the rest of us ex-pats, especially the ones from Canada & England. For this reason I've had to learn to convert F to C during the summer months (temp in F minus 32 divided by 2). But that's it. I am not about to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit for anyone. Besides stating the temperatures in Celsius makes more sense to the viewer & the rest of the world goes by it!

remember when

Remember when you were a kid & all you wanted to do was be out in the sunshine & play with your friends in those never ending days of summer. Until an unexpected shower or two put a damper in your plans forcing you to wait it out, hoping it would stop so you could get back to the order of the day. Once it stopped raining, you barely waited a minute before heading out & joining your posse. Amid all the laughter & excitement, you barely noticed anything else, least of all the intoxicating scent the earth released after the first rain. I bet you notice it now, now that you're all grown up. Doesn't it take you back to that magical carefree time?

It rained here today after a dry spell of many many days. I love the smell of the earth right after the first rain. It's intoxicating, energizing & definitely a memory trigger. It takes me back to India. Most are surprised, but really there's no mystery there. Bermuda & most of India share the same sub tropical climate. So it's no surprise that the air would smell somewhat the same. The same goes for the foliage too. When we first got here I'd point out certain many plants & tell Hubby: Hey, that's just like in India. At first he'd poke fun saying I think everything is like India. That ended when he made his first ever trip to India in Dec 2005 & finally he understood what I was talking about. Besides I could hardly compare Bermuda's foliage to Canada now could I?

They say that scent is the most powerful memory trigger, perhaps, after food or maybe they're at a tie. I am not sure which one is the most powerful but they both trigger memories to my wonder years tying me to a certain place & time. The taste of apple juice, mashed potatoes & cucumbers, all separately of course, will forever remind me of my three year old self or so in Dubai. The scent of the earth after the rain will always remind me of my grade school days/vacations in India. It doesn't take much to leave you feeling so good reminiscing about yesteryear with not a care in the world. It's nice when life is like that, unexpectedly catapulting you into a makeshift time warp.

So, what scent/food triggers your memory? Feel free to post your comments.

bamz

One of my favourite places to visit is the Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo (BAMZ). Established in 1962, this attraction is an island must see. An entire day could be spent taking in the Aquarium which houses so many species of tropical fish that will leave you mesmerized. The Museum is a cornucopia of information from Bermuda's volcanic island creation to present day & its Zoo houses many species some expected & others rather surprising to see on this secluded island. BAMZ is located in Flatts Village & during the summer months a smaller street festival takes place every Thursday. If you stand over the Flatt's bridge, just outside the Aquarium, you may just get lucky & see some gigantic eagle rays passing through right under you. It's the best $10.00 you'll spend in Bermuda & I am looking forward to visiting it for the third time, when we have our next set of visitors.

Surely, I exaggerate or maybe I'm biased. Well it's neither. We visited Georgia Aquarium, the worlds largest, this past June in where else but Atlanta, GA. I was expecting more from the sheer fact that it's the world's largest & from what I saw on the website but when all was said & done, I was not impressed. Sure, the pike & piranhas were interesting as were the Beluga whale, which seemed to be attracted to ThePoser & Smoochie, but there's only so many monochromatic fresh water fish that one can see. Somehow, I found myself thinking about BAMZ & how its array of tropical fish dazzled me to no end. I am sure it will do the same for ThePoser & Smoochie, whom I can't wait to take to BAMZ when they come visit us this year (you got that kiddos?). Now I know we're going to be there all day!