Most people start writing on day one of a new adventure, I'm starting a year after relocating to Bermuda. What can I say... I've been busy with the day job! Contrary to the belief of many close pals, I'm not in the Caribbean, but in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I'm a Brit in a far flung, little heard of corner of ye ol' British Empire but rather than this being a home from home, life as an expat couldn't be stranger than out here in the triangle...

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Freedom isn't free

As the world looked on and cheered as 33 Chilean miners were freed after more than two months trapped down a gold and copper shaft this week, Bermuda's very own virtual captives were brought to the forefront once more. Yes, the island's four resident Chinese Uyghers, and one-time international celebrities, were once again in the spotlight albeit at a more localised level this time.


The quartet made international headlines last year when the Premier Ewart Brown did a deal to accept the former Guantanamo Bay detainees onto Bermudian soil. All had gone quiet on this story for a while, that was until it was revealed on Monday that they were made redundant from their positions at Port Royal Golf Course but were found work in the private sector within days of the story breaking. 




This was met with anger from community, as an estimated 1,600 remain unemployed as a result of the economic downturn. This is a truly tragic story though, I fail to see how anyone can claim to feel hard done by the situation of the Uyghurs. The men were held for seven years in Guantanamo Bay WITHOUT CHARGE. They had fled their home country to Afghanistan through fear of political persecution, when they were captured by Pakistani bounty hunters following a U.S. assault on an Al Quaeda mountain stronghold.


They were accepted through the gates of paradise but it's no fairytale ending. Due to the political complexities of the case, they Uyghurs cannot leave this 24-mile island as they haven't been granted national status by the U.K. Government. Paradise must seen less like a good thing when you are not free to leave of your own accord. 


When the Premier gave them refuge, he called it a "humanitarian" act but now that his term is ending, what happens now as the Uyghurs are reliant on the Government for work and the "humanitarian" act appeared to be a very personal one as the U.K. government were not informed?! 


Meanwhile in other tales of captivity, this week the Premier imparted part of the blame for the cost of constructing a pier to receive ginormous cruise ships on the western tip of the island, Royal Naval Dockyards, skyrocketing from an estimated $35 million to $60 million, on some knocked up dolphins. I kid you not. In a open forum media roundtable to mark the end of the Premier's tenure, he said they should have been sent back to Chicago as the pregnant dolphins cost an extra $3.7 million to protect. Only in Bermuda!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Oktoberfest in Bermuda

And so we find ourselves in October... how did that happen?! I think my subconscious has been trying to keep me thinking it was still August, but having attended Bermuda's answer to the autumnal German beer festival, Oktoberfest, on Saturday, it was a fact that could escape me no more.


So how did Oktoberfest in Snorkel Park compare to the real thing? Well, as I've never experienced the authentic Bavarian deal, I can only imagine. But yes, there was plenty of Heineken (the bartender wouldn't accept that this isn't a German beer!), a few bratwursts, some sauerkraut and drinking games involving hammers and logs, however the event was set against the Atlantic horizon, so there was also beach volleyball, pedalos, palm trees and a few gallons of rum. The end result was a little more Club Tropicana than Bar Munich but hey Fun and Sunshine... there was enough for everyone!




So on a wider level, what is October in Bermuda like? Well, contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is not an all-year-round tropical destination so it means the end of summer :""""-( The evenings are drawing in, my after-work ocean swims came to an end a few weeks ago and my cardigan collection is getting an airing again. Although it never really drops below 60 degrees, it feels MUCH colder because of the constant humidity and there's no central heating in these parts.


It also means the start of running race season. Despite the island's high obesity rate, Bermuda has a incredibly active and popular road race calendar. Last weekend was the annual PartnerRe Women's 5K, one of the biggest races, with somewhere near 1,000 competitors this year across the day's events. I took part again this year and learnt that Autumn was not quite upon us. It was 78 degrees. This means you not only sweat buckets but the sweat is not evaporated because of the still very high humidity = face like a bubbling cauldron. It's a challenge. I'm hoping that my acclimatisation to these conditions will turn my tortoise pace into a hare's when I return to UK shores. Next in my sights is the Bacardi 8k (interesting sponsorship choice that one but then again maybe a quick pre-race Dark 'N' Stormy would act as rocket fuel for my performance!).


On a much more tragic note, October so far has also seen two fatal motorbike accidents in just 11 days and the tenth road fatality this year. Both 31 year-old, Earlston Kavon Bailey Smith, and 22 year old, Adam Goodwin died in the early hours of the morning. Back in July, the Road Safety Council called for more sophisticated data collection and analysis after traffic accidents. I'd be interested to know how seriously this point was taken. We are told there have been reductions in traffic accidents in recent months and I'm sure the recent ban of cell phone usage while driving will help but there is no escaping the fact that only last year, Bermuda's road death rate was the second highest in the Hemisphere, dwarfing every other Caribbean island. And that's with, what has to be, one of the lowest national speed limits in the world at 35 KPH. Something doesn't quite add up...