Better Than Good
Happy Easter! I've always loved the cheerful nature of this holiday.
So I've lived in Bermuda for just a little over a month now. Brett left April 3rd for his rotation (and will be gone for about 30 days), so I've been on my own since then. I wouldn't say I've been "homesick," but I have really missed having a thriving social life. This city-people-culture-chaos-loving girl coming from South Florida, now living in a secluded section of an island with no transportation has been enduring a bit of a culture shock. And with my partner in crime (Brett) gone, I was beginning to feel lonely and isolated. When you're feeling like that, it amplifies anything remotely negative. All too quickly I was relating to Tom Hanks in the movie "Castaway," only I didn't have a Wilson.
But God and the universe works in wonderful ways at times. It's like it knew I was in need of human connection. Brett's coworker reached out to me to tell me about this Good Friday event happening up the road from me. All I had to hear was that there were going to be other humans present to be sold on attending myself. So after I wrapped up work for the day, I walked a little over a mile to the end of the gokart race (because that's what they do). There was a massive crowd, all in good spirits. I was delighted to see so many people, even if I didn't know a single soul. After the race, the crowd broke out into a parade of sorts. Drummers and Gombey dancers came out of seemingly nowhere. Everyone (including myself) followed them until we ended up at this field where there was music, booze and food vendors, and kite flying. Kite flying is a big thing to do on Easter weekend - kites were being flown all over the island. But I have to say the Gombey dancers were my favorite, especially the kids. They were GETTIN' IT. I loved seeing children in the crowd bravely jump in and start dancing with the performers! It was so fun to watch.
At the Good Friday Festival (I'm not even sure if that's what it's called, or if there was even a name for it), I brought my Nikon to keep myself entertained, and talked to anyone who intentionally (or unintentionally) made eye contact with me. I finally ended up meeting a few folks who looked to be around my age. Most of them work as oceanographers (how cool is that?!). It was a mix of friendly expats and Bermudians, I was stoked. I grabbed the phone number of one of the girls I was chatting with and hope to take a workout class taught by one of the guys in that group later this week with her. I also bumped into Brett's coworker there, who introduced me to a few other people. It was a good time!
Then on Saturday (yesterday) I got up and biked to the bus stop, where I took a bus "into town," which means the city of Hamilton. It was my first bus ride in Bermuda, and it was a lot easier than I expected, and quite a scenic ride. I got to Hamilton in about 30 minutes (I'm told normally it takes 45), and met up with a girl named Heather that Brett introduced me to that is also a pilot, but for a different company. We went to a fun coffee shop, and a couple of her girlfriends joined us. It was such a blast! The conversations were hilarious, and it felt so good to hang out with a bunch of gal pals! From there, Heather and I met up with one of her other friends for a late lunch at this fantastic cafe. After lunch we walked around a bit, and then Heather had to head home. I walked around on my own for a little while, and got some groceries since there was a store near the bus stop, and commuted back to my part of the island via bus then bike. It was a wonderful day. As I told Heather, it was the first time I actually felt optimistic versus convincing myself to be optimistic with regards to having a social life on this beautiful island.
Ahhh, this weekend was a good one. Better than good.
