Things I've Learned My First Week in Bermuda

I've been here almost a week and a half now and picked up some random tidbits along the way about life in Bermuda:

- You can laugh at your husband all you want for being shaky when he starts and stops the scooter with you on the back. You may even scream "gosh, what are you doing idiot?" each time he does it. It's not funny when your husband is on the back and you almost run off the road every time you try to start and stop.

- If you ride on the back of a scooter, you will smell like gas. It doesn't matter if you are going just 1 mile down the street. You will smell like gas.

- All scooters are different. Don't try to ride the biggest scooter you see because when you stop, you will not be able to hold the scooter up and you will fall sideways along with the scooter.

- 35 km per hour (the max speed limit on the island) is about 20 mph. That is slow, painfully slow. There's no way anyone here follows that law. 

- iPhones rule and Blackberries suck. This is not particular to Bermuda, this is just fact.

- You may be skeptical when a pizza place serves Indian, Chinese, Italian, Island and Japanese cuisine. Give it a try, it may be one of the most delish places on the island.

- Just cause you live on an island, does not mean you will get fresh seafood or sushi. You may resort to eating Alaskan King Crab flown in, just like you do in Chicago.

- Just cause a place has "& Sushi Bar" in the name, does not mean you should try the raw fish there.

- All the stores close at 5:00pm so you need a house husband to go out and pick things up for you when you are at work.

- Some stores will just be open when they feel like it. No regular hours required.

- All of the people at the post office take their lunch at the same time. That means they close during lunch.

- Make an appointment. You think you can walk into the bank to open an account? Not unless you want to sit there and wait for hours to get helped.

- Don't take it personally when everyone else knows each other and you just sit there like the loser idiot. Also, don't take it personally when people yell "go home" at you in the streets. They just hate ex-pats. (Sidenote: there are also incredibly nice people on the island and I would say they are the majority)

- My raincoat is my favorite item of clothing I brought. It really only rains for about 5 minutes a day but it's always a surprise when it does. It'll be sunny one minute and start raining the next.

- If you sit in a tiled room with no furniture, you cannot call people on your computer because all they will hear is echoes.

- Even though it's only a 25 mile island, it can take you 2 hours to get from one side to the other if you are driving. But if you take the ferry, it will only take 25 minutes. Better yet, you can take your boat (for those that have one).

- You can sell your BMW in the states for $16K and then come here and buy a used Chevy Aveo for $20K.

- If you hear a rustle in the trees below and your dog is missing, it probably means your dog has taken a tumble onto the beach below.

- If you are showering and it sounds like the water is clogging in the pipes, but everything seems fine in the bathroom you're in...go check the other bathroom down the hallway. It's probably flooded.

- If you tell your coworkers about all the local restaurants you've tried (like Mr. Chicken) and your coworkers give you a blank/disgusted look and tell you they have never tried the place after being here 8 years, they are probably re-considering hiring you.

- If you have 5 different doors all leading into your house, your dogs will get confused and not remember which door they should stand by to get back in the house.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day so I'm off work. Yay! Happy Remembrance Day to everyone!