Again, 3 stories:
1. I had my first gig yesterday - a wedding right near Elbow Beach, on South Shore Road. Now, I've played a million wedding gigs before, and this one was actually pretty standard. We even used the same music that we do in the states (the Wedding Album stuff for trio). This gig felt really long, though, because it was a Catholic wedding (hello, mass....) and because we didn't play for all of the parts that we usually would: the Unity Candle, Communion, etc. Instead, we just played some prelude music, some shit for the bridesmaids, and then for the signing of the register and some exit music for the guests. So, basically, we just kind of sat there and watched the wedding for about an hour while we weren't playing. It made the gig easier, but it felt really long. Although, I can't really complain about getting the 2 hour rate for only playing for about 15 minutes.
2. I think I might have found a suitable bike to purchase. I'm going to look at it today - it's a TGB 50cc bike, and it's only $850, which is more than in my budget. It apparently has one of those boxes on the back to carry stuff to keep it safe from the rain, etc. I'm going to look at it today, so hopefully it will be a good solid deal.
3. There's a pretty common saying to everyone who gets a bike and plans to ride it for an extended period of time: "Everyone falls off the bike sometime." Well, my sometime came last Tuesday. It was raining, and I guess I took a corner a bit too sharp, and totally just fell over onto my left side. Luckily, I wasn't going fast enough to get hurt too badly - just a little scrape on my arm and just below my hand. It was actually my ego that was more damaged than anything. But, I feel like a real Bermudian now, with my first case of road rash.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
My accomodations debacle (aka the month of September)
So, I've been here for 23 days, and am just about to move into my 4th (and final!) house. Here's a recap of where I've been living over the past month, and what my permanent place is like.
1. The studio apartment at Mount Royal - Sept 1-4 - Paget
The first few days I was here, I lived in a little studio apartment in Paget, which is the Parish located just south of the City of Hamilton. Although I wasn't extremely happy living there (especially due to homesickness for the first few days), the place did have a really great air conditioner. What it did not have, however, was a TV that worked, internet access, or a full kitchen. I spent most of those first days sleeping as late as I possibly could, reading a lot, and listening to my ipod nonstop. While the apartment itself was pretty nice - the bathroom was reasonably big, the bed was pretty comfortable, and the place was really clean - I was pretty isolated, and since I hadn't really met the teachers until I moved out I was also pretty lonely.
2. The "Gardener's Cottage" at Palm Grove (aka the Gibbon's estate) - Sept 4-15 - Devonshire
I moved to Palm Grove on Sept 4, and this place was AWESOME. It was a huge 2 bedroom house with a full kitchen, a laundry area with a really nice washer and dryer, a big master bathroom, a huge living room with a fireplace and flatscreen tv (that had a satellite so I got a ton of channels). Devonshire is about as far from Hamilton (maybe a little further) as Paget, so my commute wasn't really much longer. The estate was really beautiful - the main house was huge, the gardens were awesome, and I had a few parrots who lived right next to the cottage. The only drawback to living here was that I didn't have internet access - my EasyConnect box from M3 Wireless didn't get a signal there.
3. The "Somerset House" at Salt Kettle - Sept 15-now - Paget, up by the water on Harbour Road
The Somerset House is the main house on the Murphy's estate. The Murphy's have several cottages on the property, one of which is going to be mine in a few days. I'm living in the main house currently because although my cottage was supposed to be ready on the 15th, it wasn't. The dude who lived there before me was dragging his fucking knuckles on moving his shit, so I've been here for a week. It's not so bad because the landlords are gone so I have a great big house all to myself, but it doesn't really feel like home. I'm living out of suitcases, which is not really fun but at least I have a place to stay. The view is stunning from here - I can see right across the water into Front Street in Hamilton. I'm literally right across from the Princess Hotel, too, which is pretty cool.
4. "The Boat House" at Salt Kettle - (hopefully) Sept 25-on - Paget, right on the water
My permanent house is actually pretty nice. It's basically like a studio plus a master bedroom. As you walk in the front door, there is the living room and the kitchen (which is a corner of the living room). In that room, there are two sort of loveseat couches, a table, and a TV. You walk through a little doorway and there is the bedroom - a wardrobe, a bed (double or a queen, i can't really tell), and a desk. The you walk up a few steps, and the bathroom and walk in closet are both up there. Possibly the coolest thing about where I'll be living is that I'm literally 15 steps from the water - not the beach, but the harbor, which is just great. I'm also only about a 2 minute walk from the ferry that goes right into downtown Hamilton, which is AWESOME.
So, the boat house is ready-ish today. All of my predecessor's stuff is out of the house, but it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned yet. I'm just waiting for the main house's maid to come on Thursday and clean it really hardcore. Then I should be done moving!
1. The studio apartment at Mount Royal - Sept 1-4 - Paget
The first few days I was here, I lived in a little studio apartment in Paget, which is the Parish located just south of the City of Hamilton. Although I wasn't extremely happy living there (especially due to homesickness for the first few days), the place did have a really great air conditioner. What it did not have, however, was a TV that worked, internet access, or a full kitchen. I spent most of those first days sleeping as late as I possibly could, reading a lot, and listening to my ipod nonstop. While the apartment itself was pretty nice - the bathroom was reasonably big, the bed was pretty comfortable, and the place was really clean - I was pretty isolated, and since I hadn't really met the teachers until I moved out I was also pretty lonely.
2. The "Gardener's Cottage" at Palm Grove (aka the Gibbon's estate) - Sept 4-15 - Devonshire
I moved to Palm Grove on Sept 4, and this place was AWESOME. It was a huge 2 bedroom house with a full kitchen, a laundry area with a really nice washer and dryer, a big master bathroom, a huge living room with a fireplace and flatscreen tv (that had a satellite so I got a ton of channels). Devonshire is about as far from Hamilton (maybe a little further) as Paget, so my commute wasn't really much longer. The estate was really beautiful - the main house was huge, the gardens were awesome, and I had a few parrots who lived right next to the cottage. The only drawback to living here was that I didn't have internet access - my EasyConnect box from M3 Wireless didn't get a signal there.
3. The "Somerset House" at Salt Kettle - Sept 15-now - Paget, up by the water on Harbour Road
The Somerset House is the main house on the Murphy's estate. The Murphy's have several cottages on the property, one of which is going to be mine in a few days. I'm living in the main house currently because although my cottage was supposed to be ready on the 15th, it wasn't. The dude who lived there before me was dragging his fucking knuckles on moving his shit, so I've been here for a week. It's not so bad because the landlords are gone so I have a great big house all to myself, but it doesn't really feel like home. I'm living out of suitcases, which is not really fun but at least I have a place to stay. The view is stunning from here - I can see right across the water into Front Street in Hamilton. I'm literally right across from the Princess Hotel, too, which is pretty cool.
4. "The Boat House" at Salt Kettle - (hopefully) Sept 25-on - Paget, right on the water
My permanent house is actually pretty nice. It's basically like a studio plus a master bedroom. As you walk in the front door, there is the living room and the kitchen (which is a corner of the living room). In that room, there are two sort of loveseat couches, a table, and a TV. You walk through a little doorway and there is the bedroom - a wardrobe, a bed (double or a queen, i can't really tell), and a desk. The you walk up a few steps, and the bathroom and walk in closet are both up there. Possibly the coolest thing about where I'll be living is that I'm literally 15 steps from the water - not the beach, but the harbor, which is just great. I'm also only about a 2 minute walk from the ferry that goes right into downtown Hamilton, which is AWESOME.
So, the boat house is ready-ish today. All of my predecessor's stuff is out of the house, but it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned yet. I'm just waiting for the main house's maid to come on Thursday and clean it really hardcore. Then I should be done moving!
Monday, September 22, 2008
A few stories about my first couple of weeks.
Since I've been here 3 weeks, I guess I'll have to share 3 stories with everyone. Not necessarily 1 for each week, but 3 good ones.
1. My first happy hour at the Princess Hotel.
So, there is this big hotel just outside of downtown Hamilton that has a glorious happy hour every Friday night over the summer. It's called the Hamilton Princess Hotel, and it's this giant pink building on the water.
The first time I went was my first Friday on the island. After a week of homesickness and being stuck in a really small studio apartment with no TV or internet, I was going a bit crazy, but Caroline (a fellow violin teacher) invited me to come out with the other teachers to go to happy hour and then to dinner. I was really happy to get out and experience some island nightlife.
I arrived at the Princess around 7ish, right when Caroline showed up. We walked through the lobby and around back to this awesome outdoor area right on the water. There were several hundred people hanging out, drinking, and listening to the live band that was playing.
As soon as I got outside, I decided that I needed a drink. Happy hour here is really interesting. Instead of bars where you pay the bartender individually, you first walk up to a small table where you purchase some tickets. Each ticket is good for one alcoholic drink, whatever you want. Then you take the ticket to one of the bartenders at one of the many other tables that line the patio area. Caroline and I decided that I needed to try the quintessential Bermudian drink, the Dark 'n Stormy.
The Dark 'n Stormy is made from Ginger Beer and Gosling's Dark Rum (made in Bermuda). Now, there are 3 things that I detest immediately of this drink - Ginger Beer (too strong a taste for me), Dark Rum (we usually don't get along too well), and using the abbreviation "'n" for "and". But, I decided that I had to have a Dark 'n Stormy. As much as I hate the ingredients alone, the Dark 'n Stormy is DELICIOUS! It's really hard to describe what it tastes like, but it ends up being a bit sweeter than either the Ginger Beer or the Rum - completely unexpectedly great.
Anyway, so we (me, Caroline, and Charles, who showed up a bit after we got there) hang out for a few hours, drink a bunch of Dark 'n Stormies (each drink is only something like 6 dollars), and head off to dinner with the rest of the teachers. Let's just say that the night ended with my first taxi ride out of town, and the next morning ended up with me drinking the remainder of my Powerade when I woke up around 1.
2. The guy that fell off of his scooter.
My second night in town, Caroline called me up and invited me to go out for a drink downtown with a couple of the teachers. Eager to meet my new colleagues, I was really excited to meet them and hang out. We chilled at a bar downtown for an hour or two, and then headed home around 10 or 1030. On our way home, I was focused on trying to kind of figure out my way from downtown to Paget, as I'd have to drive it the next day.
As we're coming off of Front Street, Caroline says "Oh shit! That guy just fell off his bike!" So we make a U-turn as soon as we can and Caroline comes to the guy's rescue. She's trained in First Aid, so she pulled over and sprang into action. As I'd had a few drinks, I stayed in the car so I wouldn't get in the way. Apparently the guy was swerving all over the road behind us (read: drunk, probably) and had hit the curb, fell off of his bike, and smacked his head onto a tree. He was breathing at the scene, but was apparently not really responsive.
Lesson #1 - don't drink and scoot, or you'll end up like that guy.
3. This isn't so much a story as it is unfamiliar British words that I've heard the past 3 weeks (and their meanings, as least I hope so).
Driving words:
Give way = Yield
Overtake = Pass
Dazzle = distracted (as by someone with high beams coming towards you)
Zebra Crossing = a crosswalk, I think
Pedestrian Crossing = Crosswalk
Time is especially weird:
Half nine = 9:30
Then they all use "quarter past" or "ten to" instead of (for example) 9:15 or 9:50
And don't even get me started on musical terms:
crotchet = quarter note (I think)
quaver = eighth note
then you start adding demi- and semi- to quaver to get notes of diminishing value. (I think)
semiquaver = sixteenth note (I think)
And of course the spellings of things here is the Queen's English:
Centre
Manouvre
Colour
etc, etc.
And finally, the dates:
Generally, it varies, and places specify which date format to use, but instead of
mm/dd/yy
it is
dd/mm/yy
so my birthday would be 26/03/08.
I don't think I'll ever get used to that.
Anyway, 3 stories (sort of) of island life. I'm sure I'll have about a million more after this week - it's the first week of teaching group lessons in the schools.
1. My first happy hour at the Princess Hotel.
So, there is this big hotel just outside of downtown Hamilton that has a glorious happy hour every Friday night over the summer. It's called the Hamilton Princess Hotel, and it's this giant pink building on the water.
The first time I went was my first Friday on the island. After a week of homesickness and being stuck in a really small studio apartment with no TV or internet, I was going a bit crazy, but Caroline (a fellow violin teacher) invited me to come out with the other teachers to go to happy hour and then to dinner. I was really happy to get out and experience some island nightlife.
I arrived at the Princess around 7ish, right when Caroline showed up. We walked through the lobby and around back to this awesome outdoor area right on the water. There were several hundred people hanging out, drinking, and listening to the live band that was playing.
As soon as I got outside, I decided that I needed a drink. Happy hour here is really interesting. Instead of bars where you pay the bartender individually, you first walk up to a small table where you purchase some tickets. Each ticket is good for one alcoholic drink, whatever you want. Then you take the ticket to one of the bartenders at one of the many other tables that line the patio area. Caroline and I decided that I needed to try the quintessential Bermudian drink, the Dark 'n Stormy.
The Dark 'n Stormy is made from Ginger Beer and Gosling's Dark Rum (made in Bermuda). Now, there are 3 things that I detest immediately of this drink - Ginger Beer (too strong a taste for me), Dark Rum (we usually don't get along too well), and using the abbreviation "'n" for "and". But, I decided that I had to have a Dark 'n Stormy. As much as I hate the ingredients alone, the Dark 'n Stormy is DELICIOUS! It's really hard to describe what it tastes like, but it ends up being a bit sweeter than either the Ginger Beer or the Rum - completely unexpectedly great.
Anyway, so we (me, Caroline, and Charles, who showed up a bit after we got there) hang out for a few hours, drink a bunch of Dark 'n Stormies (each drink is only something like 6 dollars), and head off to dinner with the rest of the teachers. Let's just say that the night ended with my first taxi ride out of town, and the next morning ended up with me drinking the remainder of my Powerade when I woke up around 1.
2. The guy that fell off of his scooter.
My second night in town, Caroline called me up and invited me to go out for a drink downtown with a couple of the teachers. Eager to meet my new colleagues, I was really excited to meet them and hang out. We chilled at a bar downtown for an hour or two, and then headed home around 10 or 1030. On our way home, I was focused on trying to kind of figure out my way from downtown to Paget, as I'd have to drive it the next day.
As we're coming off of Front Street, Caroline says "Oh shit! That guy just fell off his bike!" So we make a U-turn as soon as we can and Caroline comes to the guy's rescue. She's trained in First Aid, so she pulled over and sprang into action. As I'd had a few drinks, I stayed in the car so I wouldn't get in the way. Apparently the guy was swerving all over the road behind us (read: drunk, probably) and had hit the curb, fell off of his bike, and smacked his head onto a tree. He was breathing at the scene, but was apparently not really responsive.
Lesson #1 - don't drink and scoot, or you'll end up like that guy.
3. This isn't so much a story as it is unfamiliar British words that I've heard the past 3 weeks (and their meanings, as least I hope so).
Driving words:
Give way = Yield
Overtake = Pass
Dazzle = distracted (as by someone with high beams coming towards you)
Zebra Crossing = a crosswalk, I think
Pedestrian Crossing = Crosswalk
Time is especially weird:
Half nine = 9:30
Then they all use "quarter past" or "ten to" instead of (for example) 9:15 or 9:50
And don't even get me started on musical terms:
crotchet = quarter note (I think)
quaver = eighth note
then you start adding demi- and semi- to quaver to get notes of diminishing value. (I think)
semiquaver = sixteenth note (I think)
And of course the spellings of things here is the Queen's English:
Centre
Manouvre
Colour
etc, etc.
And finally, the dates:
Generally, it varies, and places specify which date format to use, but instead of
mm/dd/yy
it is
dd/mm/yy
so my birthday would be 26/03/08.
I don't think I'll ever get used to that.
Anyway, 3 stories (sort of) of island life. I'm sure I'll have about a million more after this week - it's the first week of teaching group lessons in the schools.
3 weeks in.
So, I've been in Bermuda for 3 weeks now. I'm currently waiting for my laundry to finish washing so I can throw it in the dryer and head off to TCD (transport control department) to hopefully ace my written test for my bike permit. Which brings me to the point of this entry - not so much a recap of what's been happened the past 3 weeks (that will take a lot more time than I have now), but the really interesting/weird/cool/shitty things about living in Bermuda.
1. Driving on the left is, well, really hard to get used to at first. Especially on a 50cc motor scooter. It's not that bad when just driving down a stretch of road - it's when you have to turn at an intersection that can easily throw you off. Making a left turn means you're turning really sharply and making a right turn means that you turn really wide. If you're the only one at the intersection, it's really necessary to check that you're going to be driving in the correct lane after you make the turn.
2. Learning your way around Bermuda is actually not very difficult. There are 3 main roads - South Shore Road, Middle Road, and North Shore Road (plus a few other big ones, but these 3 are lifesavers) that basically run parallel to each other and to the ocean across much of the whole island. If you can find one of these roads, you're not lost. If you don't know where you are, just start driving, and if you don't hit water within 5 minutes, then you're driving parallel to the ocean, likely on one of the 3 roads. The smaller roads (throughstreets, etc) aren't very well marked, so you really need to plan ahead with a map, especially if you're not familiar with the area where you're going.
3. The prices here are both astronomical and not so bad. Generally, the wages here are much higher than in the states, so people have a bit more purchasing power. Also, most of the boxed/canned (non-perishable) stuff is only slightly more expensive than in the states - maybe as expensive as in NYC or DC or some comparable large city. Produce is just disgustingly expensive (I paid 8 bucks for 6 gala apples the other day) because it has to be imported frequently and quickly. Gas is somewhere around 8 dollars a gallon but driving a scooter means I'm only filling up around once every 5 days or so, and then it only costs me about 10-11 dollars.
4. Dining out is a really different experience here. It's much slower and more relaxed than in the states. The food has been generally really good, although fairly expensive. If you go out for dinner at a decent place, get (alcoholic) drinks, an entree and either an appetizer or dessert, plan on spending around 30-40 dollars per person. And if you're paying with credit cards and splitting the bill, everyone just throws in their card and the waiter splits the check evenly. It doesn't seem kosher to split up exact entrees and give the waiter an exercise in his math skills. I actually like this a lot better than what we usually do in the states, which is make sure everyone pays exactly for what he or she ordered. Even if you pay a couple extra bucks, it is worth not having the hassle of trying to be "fair." Also, gratuity is almost always included.
5. You have to get a license to own and register a scooter, but not to drive one. This is one of the strangest laws I've found in Bermuda. You can rent scooters by the month if you'd like, for as long as you want, but you aren't able to purchase your own unless you have a driver's license. It kind of sucks for new people, because instead of just buying a used bike for around 1000 dollars, I'm paying 400 dollars a month to rent one until I can get my license.
I think my clothes are just about done, so I'll leave it at this for now.
1. Driving on the left is, well, really hard to get used to at first. Especially on a 50cc motor scooter. It's not that bad when just driving down a stretch of road - it's when you have to turn at an intersection that can easily throw you off. Making a left turn means you're turning really sharply and making a right turn means that you turn really wide. If you're the only one at the intersection, it's really necessary to check that you're going to be driving in the correct lane after you make the turn.
2. Learning your way around Bermuda is actually not very difficult. There are 3 main roads - South Shore Road, Middle Road, and North Shore Road (plus a few other big ones, but these 3 are lifesavers) that basically run parallel to each other and to the ocean across much of the whole island. If you can find one of these roads, you're not lost. If you don't know where you are, just start driving, and if you don't hit water within 5 minutes, then you're driving parallel to the ocean, likely on one of the 3 roads. The smaller roads (throughstreets, etc) aren't very well marked, so you really need to plan ahead with a map, especially if you're not familiar with the area where you're going.
3. The prices here are both astronomical and not so bad. Generally, the wages here are much higher than in the states, so people have a bit more purchasing power. Also, most of the boxed/canned (non-perishable) stuff is only slightly more expensive than in the states - maybe as expensive as in NYC or DC or some comparable large city. Produce is just disgustingly expensive (I paid 8 bucks for 6 gala apples the other day) because it has to be imported frequently and quickly. Gas is somewhere around 8 dollars a gallon but driving a scooter means I'm only filling up around once every 5 days or so, and then it only costs me about 10-11 dollars.
4. Dining out is a really different experience here. It's much slower and more relaxed than in the states. The food has been generally really good, although fairly expensive. If you go out for dinner at a decent place, get (alcoholic) drinks, an entree and either an appetizer or dessert, plan on spending around 30-40 dollars per person. And if you're paying with credit cards and splitting the bill, everyone just throws in their card and the waiter splits the check evenly. It doesn't seem kosher to split up exact entrees and give the waiter an exercise in his math skills. I actually like this a lot better than what we usually do in the states, which is make sure everyone pays exactly for what he or she ordered. Even if you pay a couple extra bucks, it is worth not having the hassle of trying to be "fair." Also, gratuity is almost always included.
5. You have to get a license to own and register a scooter, but not to drive one. This is one of the strangest laws I've found in Bermuda. You can rent scooters by the month if you'd like, for as long as you want, but you aren't able to purchase your own unless you have a driver's license. It kind of sucks for new people, because instead of just buying a used bike for around 1000 dollars, I'm paying 400 dollars a month to rent one until I can get my license.
I think my clothes are just about done, so I'll leave it at this for now.
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