One of the down sides about living on such a small close-knit island is the good-byes. Friendships form quickly here, especially when a new start group of 37 people begin at the same time. Whenever a holiday comes about, we celebrate with our friends. All of our little successes like raises, new jobs and anniversaries are all celebrated with our "Caymanian Family." Since we are all without any relatives on the island, bonds form quickly and we act as each other's families. I'll return to this thought in a minute, but first...
As I quickly found out from the locals I work with, everyone on the island falls into one of four categories. There are Caymanians, white Caymanians, Jamaicans and Ex-pats. Caymanians are classified as anyone who "looks" Caribbean and has lived here for more than two generations. White Caymanians are legal residents and citizens of Cayman who look to have some white ancestry. The distinction between these two groups always baffles me. Jamaicans are, of course, Jamaicans. However, the prejudice on this island places them into their own group since most of the crime here is blamed on them, as well as the poverty. Technically, they too are ex-pats like me, and some are even Caymanian, but, just like the classic "one-drop" rule, one ounce of Jamaican ancestry automatically places you in this category. Finally there are the Ex-pats. Even if you were born on the island, if your parents migrated here, you are still an ex-pat. I am astounded that this island so neatly places everyone in to categories, but it makes me appreciate Canada's multi-cultural attitude more.
So, back to my original thought; because we are so neatly profiled into one quarter of the population, and because we have no family here, we forge strong relationships. This weekend is our friend Nikki and Ian's last weekend on island. They are moving back to England and then on to Sydney. I met Nikki shortly after we had arrived. She is a such a blast. She talks non-stop and reminds me of the female version of Austin Powers. The strangest things happen to Nikki. One day I was grocery stopping and ran into her being accosted by a tall man in the supermarket. I ran up to save her, only to find her continuing to chat with the toothless smelly guy. She claimed that they were friends and he stalked her regularly as she rode her bike through town. Then there was the night that Ian left her at the bar. She had to ride her bike in the rain 30 minutes back home. However, the chain on her bike broke in town, and she was forced to sneak into the Port Authority, where she was promptly reprimanded for her stealthy entry. She begged the men there to fix her bike, and they spent an hour chatting before sending her and her mended bike on the road. She arrived home to find the scooter and her derelict boyfriend on the front step because she had the house keys. Instead of letting loose on Ian, she felt bad for having the keys! Her favorite topic of conversation is her noisy neighbour up stairs. The one who engages in incredibly loud and vivid "nightime" activities with her on again off again boyfriend. It wasn't until I actually visited her during the day, that I heard the tremendous clomping sound of the woman thundering around the flat upstairs wearing heels. I could finally appreciate NIkki's rants!
Nikki and Ian have made a great effort to get out and see all Cayman has to offer. They are constantly on the go, and we see them nearly everywhere we go, whether planned or not. We will miss them greatly, but realize that without Nikki working, it is just too hard for them to make it here.
Good-byes are inevitable when you live on a tiny island were workers are imported and most people are kicked out as part of what is called "the rollover" process every 7 years. However, I am grateful for the chance to meet such incredible people, and we still have so many friends on island. No doubt that we have formed friendships that will last Blake and I throughout our lives, and of course, we will have free accommodation in nearly every continent in the world when we travel!
Pictured above: A picture of Nikki holding her Banoffee Pie, and us girls!
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