Friday afternoon in George Town

For a long time we have talked about picking an afternoon and going into town to play tourist like we just came off a cruise ship.  Yesterday we finally found the time to do it and after packing up lots of food, toys and other items for Arianna drove over to Bayshore Mall on the water front and parked to begin our tour.  We started looking for the National Gallery which is moving to a new location on the Harquayle bypass but for now is still located in the Harbour Shops.  It took us a little time to find it but eventually we did and went in to see an exhibit on the Persistence of Memory.  There were only two viewing rooms which made it a brief stop but still interesting and when they move to their new larger location it should make for a nice afternoon out.  After the gallery we headed into the town square.

Saturday is Jamaican Independence Day and with so many Jamaicans on island, Cardinal Avenue was closed to traffic for a two day festival celebrating their independence from Britain.  We wandered past the booths smelling the food and enjoying the cultural displays.  We were headed to the downtown post office and the two blue iguana statues that are near it.



Arianna with Arti who celebrates 500 years for Cayman

 

Across from the historic downtown
post office



Arianna really liked the blue iguana in the post office roundabout and played with it and on it for several minutes.  But when we crossed the street to get pictures of her with the second statue she decided she had had enough and wanted to be held and given water (it was quite hot so we completely understood).  Katie held her for a moment we clicked the shots for the blue iguana trail book we plan to do and then it was on to Heroes Square and some food.

Our next stop was Heroes Square the town center of George Town and a look at the statues of some of the national heroes and the wall of history as well as some peaches and bread sticks for the little one.



Statue of James Bodden, First National Hero
and the man who donated the land on which ICCI sits

From Heroes Square we made the short walk over to the waterfront and Fort George.

After reading the markers we headed down the waterfront and back toward Bayshore mall.  To really be tourists we took one more photo.

Walking around in the hot sun for two plus hours left us all a little exhausted.  We headed up to Camana Bay for some frozen drinks and a chance for Arianna to unwind.  It was a great afternoon and we got to see some parts of George Town that we have always intended to visit but just never found the time.

Rainy July gives way to likely stormy August

There hasn't been a whole heck of a lot for us to write about these past few weeks other than the usual updates to the baby blog.  Of course Arianna dominates our days and activities.  In non-baby news,  my father was on island for a week and a half for college business as we get closer and closer to opening the new classroom building and negotiate with the government on the daytime program we have been working with them on for the past year.  August promises to be eventful though not necessarily the type of events we want as the storms are lining up over in Africa for their long trek across the Atlantic.  Emily should form later today though she may be a problem for Florida and hopefully not us.  We have been watching the TV series Lost and at a rapid clip of 2 plus episodes a day will finish all six seasons in just a little over a month of watching.  We have decided to do a team triathlon in November with Katie doing the ten 10k me doing the 40k bike and one of Katie's Mommy group friends doing the mile swim so we are both in training for that now.  Football season is inching closer and just the dog days of August to get through.

Watching an 8 month old

While the majority of updates on Arianna are going on the blog especially designated for her, it is hard to update in general what is happening with us as a family without focusing on things related to her.  This weekend for example we decided we had to address the fact that our little "thrill junkie" loves to climb up the stairs. This of course required one of us to follow very closely behind to catch her if she missed a step or took a tumble. 

The problem of course is that Arianna doesn't realize she needs Daddy or Mommy to go up with her and wants to climb them all the time.  We put the laundry hamper in front of the stairs as a temporary measure but she quickly discovered that she could climb over it or pull it out of the way so we couldn't look away for even a moment when she is on the floor downstairs.  When I was in Miami two weeks ago I picked up a gate and on Sunday we had some time to put it up.  We borrowed a drill from a friend and after a few starts and stops got her new gate up.

We are going to add a few more gates around the house in the next few weeks as we get a better feel for what areas we dont want her getting into so easily staring with the top of the stairs so she can start crawling around the upstairs. 

We are now in the fourth week of our summer term.  I have been reappointed for another one year term as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Cayman Islands National Insurance Company and this past Friday began service on a government committee examining healthcare costs to the government in the Cayman Islands and ways of reducing them. We are now entering the real hurricane season which everyone says starts on July 15.  The Cape Verde season doesnt begin until August 15 but we are now into that mode of checking the NHC site every morning and having plans in place to move quickly should it look like we will get a storm.

Visit from Danny Knowles and Family

All of us at Rum Point

Today we got a visit from Danny Knowles and his family who came to Grand Cayman on a cruise ship and were in for the day.  Danny is the Minister who married us just over five years ago and it was great to see him and catch up with him and Sharon.  We got to introduce them to Arianna who was very happy to make more friends that would play with her,  We took them out to Rum Point and got to do some swimming and snorkeling as well as all have jerk pork for lunch.  It was a far too quick a visit as we had to get them back to their tender so they could head out early in the afternoon.  Still, it was great to see them and really good to spend some time with people from home.

Home from Miami

I am home from Miami this evening after a long five days away.  I have never been happier to have a bumpy landing in Cayman than tonight so I could get home to Katie and Arianna.  This past weekend was our Seminar on Religion up in Miami and I attended my first ever Muslim call to prayer and service, Jewish service, and Hindu morning service.  I was really fascinated by all three and learned a lot I didn't know about each of those faiths.  One thing I had experienced before was Greek Orthodox service, but after a four hour long Greek Orthodox service this weekend, the only thing I took away was that I will never again complain about Mass running long.  Today is also a national holiday in Cayman for Constitution Day so no school as we traveled back.  Tomorrow it's back to the grind of classes and the dog days of summer.

--Scott

When you are the immigrant "stealing" someone's job

Next month both Katie and I apply to have our work permits renewed.  They both expire at the end of August and we are making sure our applications are in with plenty of time to spare.  We probably won't hear anything until later in the fall as there is a huge backlog and the wheels of immigration move slowly down here.  These renewals are an every two year reminder that we are guests in this country and here by permission not right.  Most locals are very welcoming and view us as a part of the community.  Our students in particular could not be more open and friendly whether you are an ex pat or a local.  We feel a sense of obligation to our community and do what we can to pitch in and be a part of it. 

Unfortunately there is a small but vocal group here, much like some Americans back home, who view all immigrants with disdain and distrust.  In their minds we are just here stealing some Caymanian's job and we will always be the "ex-pats" who are just taking advantage of the "true" Caymanians.  There is even a morning talk show on a major radio station that seems to feed on the "ex-pat" hatred.  Sadly, some local politicians also seem to believe they can make their careers capitalizing on this anger at "ex-pats" and they stoke the fires whenever they can even in the most absurd of cases.  In the last two years, several thousand ex pats have left the island according to the government figures.  That is a couple thousand people no longer renting properties to live in.  Those same thousands are no longer buying groceries, or clothes, or eating at restaurants.  They aren't buying cars or gasoline or having their autos serviced.  No cable or electric usage or work permit fees being paid to the government or importing goods and the attendant duties government relied upon or using the banks and those fees.  In the same time unemployment (which is calculated only by Caymanians since all ex pats must have a job to be on island) has grown and now tops ten percent.  In the same period, long time restaurants and businesses are closing and the government is struggling to bring in enough revenue to continue to operate. 

It has also created a sense of resentment amongst some ex pats who then go on to act exactly like they are accussed of, giving nothing back and just making their money and leaving.  A vicious circle that benefits the community not at all.  The law of unintended consequences comes into full play when you run off thousands of people who were pumping money into your economy.  The USA in many ways and on a grander scale faces this same issue and perhaps would do well to look at Cayman and see the stark consequences of scapegoating foreigners for your own issues. 

Gnips and Red Plums

Although the summer means heat and hurricanes down here, it also brings us my two favorite tropical fruits, gnips (pronounced ga-nip) and red plums.  Gnips are small golf ball size fruits that grow on trees.  They have a tough outer shell that you split and pull off.  The fruit itself is around a hard pit and you literally chew it off the pit in your mouth until you have gotten it all (at least that is how I eat them). Other more refined individuals probably bite off small bits thus leaving way too much still on the pit when they finish.  Red plumbs also have a skin and pit but you eat the skin of them along with the fruit around the pit.  Willie's fruit stand near our house has started carrying early season pickings of both fruit and this week we got our first batch of both.  Arianna has already tried red plums and likes them as much as her father, gnips are for later this week.

Father's Day out at Rum Point

Yesterday was my first official Father's Day and to celebrate we loaded up the car and made the drive out to Rum Point on the north side of the Island.  We went out early to beat the heat which has been pretty intense down here.  Arianna loved the water as she always does though after a long day at the beach yesterday she was ready to call it a day earlier than she might have under other circumstances.  Katie and I have started watching "Lost" so we headed home to a quiet afternoon of DVD watching and playing with the little one.  All in all it was a fantastic first Father's Day.  This is an off week at the college with no classes, though we do have our comprehensive examinations for graduating Bachelor and Master candidates along with the summer faculty meeting and summer orientation so it will still be busy.  The summer is traditionally our smallest term so it shouldnt be quite as hectic around the college for a couple of months.  We are looking at a huge fall though so we are already gearing up.

Saturday Afternoon Beach Cookout

Yesterday the college held a cook out on Seven Mile Beach for students, alumni, and staff.  Arianna had a great time meeting many of the students she hadn't been introduced to yet and was happy to be passed around and meet them and their children.  The event celebrated the end of spring finals for current students and was a chance for alumni to get together and reconnect with each other and meet the current students.  We spent several hours out there and everyone had a great time.

Grilling the Chicken



With Esther from Kenya and Maxine from St. Vincents



With Carmarla, Sheena, EJ (the other little one)
and Shakira all from Cayman

End of Spring Term

Yesterday was the official end of our spring term and for Katie and I the completion of four full academic years at ICCI.  Construction has finally begun in earnest on our new third building which will house some state of the art business classrooms and that has the campus even more busy during the day.  It is a great sight each day to come in and see the building going up bit by bit.  The foundation is already laid and this week the outer walls started going up.  We hope it will be done by the end of July in plenty of time to have our grand opening and use the classrooms this fall.  The summer is always a little more laid back as the student body is its smallest of the year and everything slows down with the heat and the rain as well as the constant watching for hurricanes.

On the home front Arianna is just a bundle of energy crawling all over the house and using anything she can leverage to lift herself up.  She is definitely going to be an early walker.  We were warned that once they started moving everything would be different and it certainly is.  The days do just seem to run together lately and I sometimes have to look at a calendar just to see what day it is.

Fridays

One of the nice things about working at the college is the Friday schedule.  We have classes Monday through Thursday and thus are open from 9 in the morning until 10:15 or so at night.  While none of us work all 13 hours it does make for long days and evenings. Combine that with other events and weekend work and it is a tough work week.  We make up for it by working half days on Fridays.  Usually that means 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  With the Government program going on for me lately that has meant 11-3 or on days like today where I have an external exam 2 to 6 p.m. 

So this morning with a full morning off we decided to head over to Camana Bay and introduce Arianna to the joys of playing in the fountains.  She loved it and here are a few of the shots.

First Day of Hurricane Season

If its the start of June then that signals the official start of hurricane season down here.  While things usually don't get interesting until August but not always.  When we first moved here four years ago a very eraly season tropical storm was busy dumping several days of rain on Cayman making for a very wet first few weeks.  This year our hurricane kit will include lots of baby stuff and we have already decided that anything over a category two and we are sending Mom and baby off island (now no cheering for hurricanes by our Texas relatives just so you can see the little one!).  Construction officially began this week on our new classroom building at the college and you can feel the excitement each day as people see the building start to go up.  It should be done in July depending on weather and other possible (like government) delays so with any luck we will have it available for classes this fall.  We have three weeks left in the Spring term so we are busy finishing that out and registering students for the summer.  Should be a quiet June travel and family wise but hectic work wise.

Four years in Cayman

Governor's Beach on May 28

May is the month for significant dates in our family.  We just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.  May is also the month we met and is the month we moved to the Cayman Islands. May 31, 2007 saw us take the leap and move down here to start our work at the International College.  Four years later we are still here and now with a new addition to our family as well.  As we look back over the past four years there are a ton of memories that jump out.  Going through Hurricane Dean just three months into our move was a sharp introduction to the reality of hurricane season down here.  Dealing with the high cost of living while enjoying all the island has to offer has been quite an experience too.  Where else could we live and only have to drive 5 minutes to be on a beautiful beach.  The work at the college has been both difficult and rewarding and seeing the college doing well today is something we take great pride in as we played a big role in that.  And of course Baby 2010 and the birth of Arianna.  No matter what happens to us this will always be the place our daughter was born.

Fifth Anniversary

To celebrate our fifth anniversary we headed up to Papagallos in West Bay.  Arianna's grandfather is on island for some work at the college and pulled down babysitting duty for the evening so we could have a nice romantic dinner, just the two of us.  Papagallos is at the very top of West Bay near Barkers national park and is in a somewhat secluded area giving it a real natural feel.  As we talked over dinner we realized we hadn't been up there since the graduation banquet for 2008.  So much has changed in our first five years together from where we live, to our jobs and now even to the composition of our family.  Thanks to all the folks who sent us congrats and who relived memories with us of that special day.  Katie officially graduates next Friday with her Masters degree so we have another celebration coming up next week.  Making the day even more special Arianna decided to say her first word "Mama" though whether she meant Katie or just that everything is "mama" we couldn't tell.  She did say it several times so we didn't have to ask ourselves are we really hearing this.

Five Years Ago Tonight

Five years ago tonight I was in my last few hours of being single.  I remember getting back to our apartment relatively early in the evening from the rehearsal dinner.  It was an early wake up call the next morning so I hadn't intended to stay up late but the combination of anticipation and a good basketball game kept me up into the wee hours of the morning.  Earlier in the day we had done the rehearsal out at the Ranch and then the rehearsal dinner at Billy Bob's.  Katie was staying at the Ranch and had the car we planned to use to drive back so my ride was one of my best men Gary who was to meet me the next morning at the break of dawn.  I kept reminding myself of this fact as I stayed up later and later.  Most of the night is a blur but I do remember not being nervous even though I thought I was supposed to be.  I was completely at ease with what was going to happen and I can distinctly remember thinking you should be nervous now, why aren't you nervous.  There was a lot of anticipation but not the questions I thought you were supposed to have the night before you get married.  Five years later there still aren't any questions and its even more clear now than it was then how fortunate I was to have met and eventually married Katie.  I love her even more now than I did then and look forward to the next five years, and the five after that, and the five after that............

Home from Atlanta

After five days in Atlanta for the spring seminar I am back in Cayman.  Katie and Arianna did not come with so it was all work though I did take the time to go pick up a high chair to bring back.  I got to see my brother Kevin who helped out with the field trips in downtown Atlanta on Friday and overall the seminar went very well.

Solid Food at Last

With the Pediatrician signing off it is time to start introducing Arianna to solid foods and Tuesday morning was her first such meal.  Katie ground up some sweet potato into a mush that was soft and safe for Arianna and this time while Arianna sat at the breakfast table she got to participate.  At first she was a little confused but she quickly got the hang of it and at one point even wanted to take the spoon herself and put it in her mouth. 

Six Month Birthday

Six Months Old Today

It hardly seems possible but today is Arianna's six month birthday.  To celebrate she is seeing the pediatrician and possibly tomorrow may start solid foods.  All morning we have been singing the song from Alice in Wonderland (with a slight change) "A very Happy Half Birthday to you....".  She is also coming up on her six month shots later this week so we are a little worried about her getting sick as a result though she has come through each previous set of shots in good shape.  The cliche that "it seems like only yesterday" is so appropriate with her, it really seems like just last week we were bringing her home.  In other exciting news, we got a message from the University of Denver about the capstone which is now being submitted for approval (hopefully just a formality as it has been vetted by the advisor and academic director already for any necessary changes) and graduation is now set for June 3, 2011.

Happy Mother's Day

For us this is a significant Mother's Day as it is the first one for Katie with Arianna.  We want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to our Mom's, you are in our thoughts.  For our first family Mother's Day we plan to head up to Rum Point and spend some time on the beach and in the water.

Afternoon Update

We had a great time out at Rum Point and Arianna went swimming not once but twice.  She is definitely a fish as she took to the the water like it was a second home and was angry when we took her out. 

First Mother's Day as a family

Other odds and ends catching up

Before we left for our trip to the USA we had a busy week in Cayman highlighted by a visit from Governor Duncan Taylor.  As many of you know, the Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory and while it has its own legislative assembly and Premier they ultimately must get the Governor's approval for all actions and his signature on all laws.  It is a subtle but firm reminder that the British are the ultimate government here.  He is the Queen's representative and is referred to as "His Excellency" the Governor.  We had been trying to set up a visit to ICCI for several months and had cancelled an earlier visit at the last minute when he got stuck in budget meetings.  This time he set aside a large block of time and came with his wife to visit the college.  He was given a tour as well as a chance to meet our staff and interact with a couple of our early classes.  He did a question and answer session with one of our classes and seemed to have a good give and take with the students during that session.



Governor Taylor and his wife with Friends Hall
in the background

Governor Taylor takes questions from students

Headed Home

A happy Cinco De Mayo and happy birthday to Arianna's Aunt Melanie.

To finish out reviewing our trip home, Friday April 29 was royal wedding day and the real reason we were doing what we called Arianna's North American tour since it meant we could do a ten day vacation and only miss three days of work (combined with the Easter holidays).  We didn't wake up early to watch it but did catch the balcony scene before leaving for our flight.  If the flight to Chicago was a good example of Murphy's Law the flight home was karma paying us back as we had no problems and Arianna even slept most of it.  Back in the metroplex it was time to do some shopping that we needed done and to spend some final quality time with the Loski grandparents and Aunt Stephanie.  We hadn't bought new running shoes in over three years and the folks at run on sports gave us funny looks when they saw the condition of our shoes.

 

As the long week came to an end we packed up the stuff we had bought and the stuff we had picked up from the storage facility and got ready to head back to Cayman.  The flight home included a layover in Houston so Aunt Melanie came out to the airport and brought us Indonesian food for lunch.

We got back to Cayman around 4 p.m. and were met by one angry cat who proceeded to yell at us for the next 6 hours until we went to bed.  We are back into our routine now and sliding back into our normal activities.  This month includes the spring seminar in Atlanta and we hope for certain milestones with Arianna like her first crawl.

Chicago

On Tuesday April 26 we headed up for the Chicago portion of our trip.  We had an early morning flight and were at the airport before 8 a.m.  Our flight left a little after 9:30 but as a result of mechanical difficulties it actually had to turn back to DFW twenty minutes in and when we landed we were met by emergency vehicles. It was not the way we hoped to start a quick trip to the windy city.  We were re-booked on a later flight and ended up having to spend the day at the airport.  We finally got to Chicago after 7 p.m. and to Johanna's after 8 p.m.  Arianna's cousins were already asleep but she did meet her Aunt Johanna. The next morning she got to meet Zach and Nick and started playing with them like they were lifelong friends.  She also got to meet her Uncle Brent who immediately tried to show her how to ride Winston the dog and her Grandma Cummings who flew in from Whidby Island to see everyone. 

On Wednesday we spent the day with Grandma Cummings and the Spetter's at the Shedd Aquarium.  Our cousins Denise and Mary Kay had both taken the day off and they were joined by Eileen and a bunch of the next generation Natalie, Michelle, Dan and Jack so we headed out with a full crew.We had to bundle Arianna up as it was quite cold and she gave us strange looks as we put on layer after layer of clothes.  On our way downtown, we passed the Obama Motorcade on the other side of the highway (closest any of us have gotten to a sitting President) and then got to see the four Marine One helicopters that he flies in at the Soldier Field Parking Lot.  Arianna really liked the fishies at Shedd and we saw a couple of different shows.

After a long day at the aquarium we went back to our Great Uncle Hank and Great Aunt Mary's for Chinese food and Arianna got to meet her oldest living relative.  We had a great time catching up with Aunt Mary and Donnie made it over too to meet Arianna.

Uncle Hank

Spetter's, Kaminsky's and Cummings

On Thursday we spent the day with our cousin Chuck and his wife Twila along with my nephew Nick.  We had breakfast in downtown Naperville, went and saw Aunt Tina and later that evening had a big family dinner with even more relatives.  Arianna was great about letting everyone hold her and meeting so many new and exciting people

 

Friday morning it was time to head back to Dallas.  We got through checking in and security so fast we had time for a nice sit down breakfast and to explore.  We found a Children's Museum and Arianna got to play a little before getting on the flight and very courteously sleeping almost the whole flight back.

We had a fantastic time in Chicago and cannot thank enough everyone who made it such a wonderful part of our trip.

Beauty and the Beast and the Fort Worth Zoo

On Sunday April 24 Katie and I celebrated our anniversary a month early by returning to the spot where I asked her to marry me, Bass Concert Hall in Fort Worth.  We went to see the musical Beauty and the Beast and for dinner went to the same Pappadeaux's restaurant that we had gone to on the evening of our engagement.  To be completely candid it was also where we went on our very first date, so yes I am a creature of habit.  While we were out, Arianna had no less than four babysitters as her grandparents and both of Katie's sisters stayed with her to entertain her.  Katie's favorite musical is Beauty and the Beast so it was a very happy coincidence that it was playing in Fort Worth the week we were home.

Bass Concert Hall

On Monday we headed to Grapevine to sign our wills and then back to Fort Worth with Aunt Stephanie in tow to visit the Fort Worth Zoo.  As real zoophiles both Katie and I were excited to see how Arianna would react.  We knew that she loved to watch the fishies and was fascinated by Gypsy so a place full of animals promised to give us a lot of fun moments and we were not disappointed.

Arianna really interacted actively with several of the animals and we had a good time experiencing the zoo through her eyes.  The zoo had changed a lot in the four years since we had last been so it was something of a new experience for us too.  We spent almost four hours there and still had a lot to see that we couldnt get to, so we definitely have another zoo trip on tap next time we are in DFW.  Monday evening Aunt Stephanie again baby sat while I went to a Rangers baseball game with Russ and Katie went to a painting class with her Mom.  We had a great time in DFW early in the week and headed out Tuesday morning after saying our goodbyes to continue on for the Chicago portion of our trip.

Houston and the drive to Dallas

With Easter and the royal wedding providing three national holidays within a week of each other we decided it was time for an extended visit home.  For Arianna this would be her second flight though this one would not be a short hop to Miami but an almost three hour long one up to Houston.  She did very well and though she fussed more we chalked it up to the fact that she was expecting the flight to only last an hour like the last ones did.



At the Airport in Grand Cayman

We arrived in Houston late on Friday April 22 and stayed with Arianna's Aunt Melanie our first night back.  Saturday morning was breakfast with my roommate from college Gary and his family.  I hadn't seen his children in a couple of years and Katie had not yet met his youngest daughter Sarah.  We got a chance to catch up on family news and a little Longhorn sports.  We also picked up some stuff he had been storing for us these past four years to take to our storage facility.



With Gary and his family

After spending some time with them it was time for the longest leg of our trip, the four plus hour drive up to Dallas.  We tried to break it up with constant stops for feeding and for Arianna to get out of her new car seat.  One of our stops was at the Sam Houston statue in Huntsville.  There is a state park and visitor center there which provided a great rest stop.  We took Arianna out to the statue and she was pretty entranced by the crowds of people and the big marble man.

Full statue with us at base



The car ride itself was hard on Arianna.  We got her a new car seat which had been delivered to her Aunt Melanie and which is huge.  Even with her new "throne" though, she really doesn't like being in any car seat so long and she fussed most of the trip.  We eventually made it to Dallas after an almost five hour trip and Arianna's reunion with her grandparents and first meeting with her Aunt Stephanie.

Ten Days in the United States

We are back from our longest visit home since we moved to the Cayman Islands. Ten days spent in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Chicago and then back in Dallas.  Over the next couple of days we will post a couple of entries on some specific things we were able to do with family and on Arianna's first meeting with several of her Aunts and Uncles and her cousins as well as getting to see grand parents and relatives who had made the trek down here to meet her already.  It was a great trip and it was fantastic to see everyone and spend some extended time back in the USA.