bermuda summer

   People have always been telling me that summers in Bermuda are phenomenal and they are all right!  Since summer started, my weekends have been fully booked.  There’s not a weekend where I don’t have a social engagement that I feel that the weekends are even shorter! 

My fantastic weekends normally start with Friday happy hour, which starts right after work.  I’m definitely at the Princess at around 5 hanging out with fellow expats while looking at the gorgeous Bermuda water.  Happy hour is actually what you think it is — drinks are cheaper!  That is, of course, in terms of Bermuda prices.  How it works?  You’ll have to buy tickets (which actually look like stubs you get from Time Zone) at the entrance for drinks and hamburger or hotdog then you’ll just eat and drink and drink until the sun goes down at around 830-9ish.  At that point, people will then move on to Lemon Tree, which is another cafe that has happy hour but at a later hour than the Princess.  It’s pretty much the same thing but it set in a park, which I find kinda cool.  Lemon Tree is happening until closing, that is, 12 midnight then people will head on to the Pickled Onion or Cairo or they’ll be too drunk that they’ll just head home. 

On Saturdays and Sundays, we definitely take out the boat with friends and go around the island if the weather is good.  I never really went boating before and now that I do, I’m thinking, why the hell didn’t I do that before?!  But yeah, I have to remind myself that boating is really expensive in the Philippines that’s why I never did it. 

This is my boyfriend’s boat, which we worked hard on for several weeks to get in the water in time for summer…It’s all worth it! 

Proud boat workers!

We normally spend one whole day boating.  We would drive around the island and explore areas not normally reached via land.  I just love it since we could go to a secluded romantic place or to a very popular area depending on our mood.  The possibilities are limitless.  We could go fishing, just sit around and eat or sleep, jump in the water with our noodle, lie on the beach, or just hang around with other boats, which I find the coolest! 

After a whole day on the boat, there’s always a party to go to — birthdays, leaving the island, hen night, or just a party for no reason at all. 

At the end of my weekends, I’m pretty exhausted and sleep like a baby.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining at all.  I really love the summer here in Bermuda even if I’m getting darker and darker every week.  

another week…

I’m so glad it’s Friday!  This week has been really crazy!  Monday, we had hurricane Bertha, which they eventually called tropical storm Bertha disrupting our so far peaceful and utterly lovely summer.  It was supposed to hit the island Saturday but it decided to take its time and hit us Monday, which I kind of prayed for thinking that work will be suspended.  But lo and behold, work was not canceled.  A lot of other firms closed their offices by midday though but we’re not one of them, which made me even more disappointed.  But oh well, what can I do.  They said that it’s just like one ordinary winter storm so it’s no big deal.  But I really don’t think so.  First, the wind was so strong that I could barely walk.  Then, some asshole in a car was so insensitive that he just flew by so fast and splashed water all over me on my way to work!  I’m sure he saw us because we were 3 people walking down the street and I’m pretty sure he noticed all the other cars slowing down on that curve.  Grrrr!!!  And worst, while typing along in my little cube, I could feel the earth shake like there’s an earthquake every minute or so!  But oh well, at least we all made it alive. 

Day after the storm, it’s as if nothing happened.  The only trace of hurricane Bertha were the leaves and some twigs scattered on the streets.  It’s hot and humid again that you just want to run to the beach and dive into it’s nice clear water.  Of course, I can’t.  I went to the bank instead and started sorting out my finances.  I opened another account so I could use that for my monthly expense and make sure that there’s a material chunk left for the future for whatever reason.  I also opened a supersaver account, which earns more interest than a normal savings or time deposit account.  I just have to commit to contribute a sum of money every month for 5 years and I’ll have compounded monthly interest.  Not bad.  At least I’m sure that at the end of the day, I still have some money left from my stint here in Bermuda. 

There is nothing extraordinary about work really.  But while asking the managers for something work on, I just realized that I wasn’t just asking for work so I can charge something but I was asking because I want to immerse myself in work or to put it bluntly, because I enjoy it.  Ok, I am enjoying working.  But I am not exactly sure if it is the work itself or just so there’s something to occupy my mind and save me from boredom.  But does it really matter?  At least, the important thing is I’m faring better than when I first got here. 

I just finished 3 clients today.  Rare for this season.  But I did crank it up!  Yeah!  It’s Friday tomorrow!! Yay!  But I have a stye

bermuda online resources

Migrating to a new country is extremely hard especially if you do not know anybody who has previously moved to the same place you’re moving to.  Bermuda is a very small island with a very small population, hence, there is a very slim chance that you would know somebody who has previously moved there.  I am lucky though since I have a close friend who recently transferred to Bermuda with her then boyfriend, now husband.  Even so, here are a few links I found very useful before and even after moving here:

• http://www.e-moo.com/Welcome.aspx  E-moo is a very useful site where one can search for apartments for rent, items for sale, events, jobs, etc.  It is Bermuda’s version of America’s famous Craigslist.com.  I personally found this site the most useful even before I arrived at the island since it gave me an idea on how much my cost of living would be.  I learned from my friend that the most significant expense I’ll have would be my housing so I was mostly looking at the rentals at that time.  From the various ads I saw, I had a rough idea of the amount I would be allotting for my housing expense.  I initially wanted a studio apartment but it is very rare to find a nice and cheap one so I opted for a houseshare.  It was more practical in price, there are more options and at least I will always have someone to talk to, just in case. 
• http://www.weather.bm/  Weather is always an important consideration. 
• http://bermynet.com/  and http://blackandcoke.com/ Sites that give a glimpse of what’s happening in Bermuda’s social scene.
• http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/index.jsp Update on the more important things that’s happening in the island.
• http://bermudayp.com/ I found my dentist and other doctors in this site.  Note that finding doctors here is a real PAIN IN THE BUTT and getting schedules set is even harder!
• http://www.limeyinbermuda.com/ A Bermuda expat’s blog.  Aside from living in the island itself, there’s no better way to learn about living in a foreign land but from a fellow expat who has come to live in the island earlier.

These are actually the sites I visit everyday at work.  Having small breaks in between always brings my productivity up

the little theatre in bermuda

It’s not called little for no reason.  It’s called the Little Theatre, because it is indeed very small.  It is the smallest movie theater I’ve ever been to in my entire life!  It only seats 173 people, which is probably less than a quarter of most movie theaters.  Consequently, the screen is not as wide as usual and there is only one movie showing each week.  So if there is a really good and popular movie showing, you really have to get tickets way beforehand or you’ll never get to see it at all. 

I’m not very fussy about the movie theaters I go to.  The picture, of course, does not equal those in theaters in the US or even the Philippines (those are the only other countries where I’ve been to a movie house) but it’s decent.  Even the sound quality is OK.  So I’m cool with that.  Honestly, I’m not a very big fan of going to theaters so that’s probably why I don’t really mind the crudeness of the place. 

Tuesday night, however, when we went to see “Wanted”, I was kind of wishing there was a better and more modern movie theater in the island.  Wanted was really a good movie I think, which would be nice to see in a state-of-the-art movie house and at least with all the lights off.  Yes, the crew at Little Theater forgot to turn off the lights before the movie started.  I don’t know if the other moviegoers noticed it but they didn’t say a word.  If it were somewhere else, I’m pretty sure somebody would have started booing.  They only turned off the light more than halfway through the film. 

Another thing that irritated me was the fact that there was a chick who was really loud — as in as if she’s seeing a movie on her own at her own private home theater.  She was over reacting at everything that my own reactions just back off because my irritation with her drowns everything!  I was thinking then that maybe, had it been a bigger room, the sounds she made would have probably seemed more discreet and I would have watched my movie in peace. 

But, it is what it is.  The Little Theatre may not be the best there is in the world but it still does its job, provide entertainment to the island and the occasional marvel it brings to people for it being one-of-a-kind.

island living

             Before I went to Bermuda, I did my fair share of research on how it’s way of life, people, culture, and all the other basic things a new entrant should at least have a background on before migrating to a new country.  Honestly, before I got my job offer, I know nothing about Bermuda except that it’s a small island in the middle of the Atlantic.  How small it is?  I never knew the answer to it until I got here…it is VERY SMALL!!!  It’s smaller than Singapore, which I already found to be a bit asphyxiating so just imagine how shocked I was when I found out that I could actually go from one end of the island to the other in roughly 45 minutes! 

Here is a map of bermuda and where it is in the world. As you can see, it is really very tiny that in most world maps, it is barely even a dot.

Apparently, due to lack of online information about Bermuda, the size of the island is not the only surprise in store for me.  Here are some facts as well as my own island discoveries/observations so far:

• Bermuda is an English (UK) territory but since it is very close to the US (it belongs to the continent of North America), it has a very strong American influence.  Add that to the fact that since the plunge in the value of the dollar, most Brits went back to the UK while most Americans flock the island to get shelter from tax and their declining economy.  Their music is more American than European.  They have more American food than English food.  Though they have a lot of Italian restaurants, they are actually more American Italian than Italian Italian. 

• Though Bermuda imports majority of its products, they still love their own and by their “own” I mean not only their products but their race and their country as well.  For instance, Coke bottles here say ”Bottled in Bermuda by Bermudians”.  Isn’t that one of a kind?  I don’t remember seeing Coke bottles in the Philippines that say “Bottled in the Philippines by Filipinos”.  In fact, in the Philippines, Filipinos would more often than not, prefer buying stuff made elsewhere in the world except in the Philippines.  Also, Bermudians are always get priority wherever, whenever.  In the airport, there’s a line exclusively for Bermudians with 2 immigration officers attending to them.  Note that the ratio of Bermudians traveling to non-Bermudians (meaning residents and tourists) is really low so it’s not uncommon to see tourists and residents get out of the airport last and finding no taxis out.

• All houses here have names. I found that cute really because I feel like I’m playing Sim City.  Actually, there are a lot of manors here similarly named in the game.  My house is called “Paddington”.  We include that in our address because they say it makes it easy for the mailmen and/or taxi drivers to know where you live so I’m assuming the house names are unique.  I wonder if they apply for it like trademarks?

• Bermuda is an expensive place to live in.  I already expected that before I got here because it’s what most of the websites I visited say.  But really, I was still shocked when I first came.  Imagine paying $4.75 for a loaf of bread.  That would have cost me just a dollar or less in the Philippines!  I’m not exactly sure how much is it in the US but I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper.  I used to convert a lot back then but now, I just don’t notice anymore.  I can’t live here if I continue converting and comparing.  I only buy the basic stuff here like food and detergent that’s pretty much it.  All the others, I buy in the US.  When I’m in the US, I shop like crazy!  I make sure that when I have a big bag with almost nothing in it when I leave Bermuda for all my shopping stuff.  I remember buying hangers in the US!! Haha!

• The beaches here are absolutely gorgeous!  The sand is pink, not dark pink but more like a pig’s skin pink.  The water is clean and clear with the nicest blue, green, turquoise hue.  I just love it!

These are just a few things about Bermuda that I remember at the top of my head.  Just like any country probably, there is more to Bermuda than those published in websites, books or magazines and the best way to learn about it is to actually live there.  I live here now and I am still discovering a lot of things about the island, both good and bad.  I’ve only been here six months and I’ve already learned a lot about it but I’m pretty sure I have a lot more to learn including the answer to the big question “Am I befitting for this island?”…We’ll see…

  Isn’t that lovely?