Three Weeks from our Move

By Scott

I am back from my second visit to Grand Cayman where I went last weekend to present the Strategic Plan to the College Board of Trustee's. John and I flew down on Friday and got in around 6 in the evening. We stopped off at Fosters the supermarket about 2 miles from the college and got food and drinks for the weekend. Restaurant food is very expensive on the island and while groceries are more expensive than the US they are still far less expensive than we would pay in restaurants so we got enough for a couple of meals. We stayed in the apartment at the college that Katie and I are going to live in for our first six months on the Island. That night we unloaded the four full suitcases we had brought down of stuff (at 40 plus pounds each, those suitcases were heavy as all get out) and settled in to prepare for the board meeting the next morning.

Saturday morning we met with the Board and the President Dr. Elsa Cummings in the library at the college. Kathleen had put together a power point for us that went off without a hitch. The board seemed very enthusiastic and had lots of questions and comments. What I had planned to be a 30 minute presentation lasted almost two hours because of all the comments and discussion that was provoked.

On Saturday evening I had the opportunity to attend the launching of a new book written by Roy Bodden, a former Minister of Education in the Caymanian Government entitled The Cayman Islands in Transition. I drove back from the event with Elsa, my first time driving on the left side of the road which will definitely take some getting used to. I had paid attention as a passenger during our last visit but the first time you actually drive and not just watch as a passenger is intense. I kept thinking "left left left left" every time I came to a turn.

I have already started the book and am three chapters in. The work is a fascinating study of Caymanian politics and society. Sunday morning, John and I had brunch with Elsa up in West Bay and the photo below is of me on the deck of the Cracked Conch where we had our meal. The afternoon was spent out on the eastern end of the Island taking care of some things in preparation for our move. Sunday night we had dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant and got in early for our 4:30 a.m. wake up call to make our 7:15 departing flight.

The flight back through Miami was fine though in the future we recommend avoiding that airport if you decide to come visit. There are non stop flights from Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, Charlotte and Fort Lauderdale (which we also suggest avoiding based on comments from John and April). We are going down through Houston in May and hopefully that is more pleasant than Miami which is under construction and which has a very time consuming customs and immigration check in because the lines are so long.

Katie and I head back on May 24. We will stay at the college the first two nights then go to a resort on the Eastern end of the island for our one year wedding anniversary. We officially start June 1 but unofficially will be helping beginning on May 28th as we move in.

Katie's weekend consisted of finishing up her volunteer work with Defend Darfur Dallas and spending quality time with her sisters. She is working on our wedding scrapbook which she is thoroughly enjoying. On Tuesday we were able to get out from under the Acura lease for substantially less than we thought we would have to pay and so we are a one car household for the next two and a half weeks presuming JJ (Katie's name for her Saturn) doesn't die on us. This weekend is our second try at traders village and assuming no tornado interruption we hope to unload the last of the candle supplies and materials. Next weekend is the garage sale, my last day of work is the 15th and on the 17th we head up to Seattle to visit Katie's Grandparents, my Mom and Brother for five days.