Life in Bermuda

Dear Ms. Robin's class,

I'm very excited to show you a small slice of what our life here in Bermuda looks like.  We (Sadaf, Jeff, Jordan - 9 and Mina - 7)  have been living here for about 3 and a half years now, after moving from New Jersey. 



We came here because my husband was offered a very special job working for one of the large insurance companies on the island.



Bermuda is a small group of islands located in the north Atlantic, right off the coast of North Carolina.  It is easy to get to by plane - about two hours from JFK, Boston or Philadelphia.  We travel back and forth a lot, so we know!



Because the island is so small (21 square miles.), families are usually limited to one car per household. But you can own as many motorcycles (or bikes, as they are called) as you want.  When tourists come to visit, they aren't allowed to rent cars, only bikes.  The roads are very narrow and windy, so people worry they will get hurt.



Bermuda is an independent island with its own government, headed by a Premiere and a Parliament. However, it used to be owned by England (now a part of the United Kingdom) and today is considered a UK protectorate. That means, England protects the island in case someone attacked it and Bermudian citizens have a right to travel and work in the UK.



These are the old stockades, where criminals were punished in public for crimes like stealing. Now it's just a tourist picture spot in the town of St. Georges.

Because of its British roots, Bermuda retains a lot of English customs - certain language, expressions, judicial systems, habits, and dress.

Speaking of dress, have you ever seen shorts like these?



They are called Bermuda shorts - long shorts for boys and men, worn with long socks and dress shoes. The boys here wear them as part of their uniform to school, and grown men also wear them to work in the warm weather. Don't forget the long socks though - without them, they're just shorts.  Bermuda shorts are considered appropriate dress for all work and formal occasions.  People here wear them to weddings and to fancy restaurants too - with a blazer and tie, of course.

The Bermuda flag also incorporates the "Union Jack," which is the British flag. You can see a bit of it on this picture below.



Golf is a popular sport on the island.  So is cricket and "football."  Back home, we call it soccer.  Cricket is such a big sport here, they have a special holiday called "Cup Match Day," where the island basically shuts down for three days, families camp out and spectators attend a three day cricket festival where rival teams from the east end of the island play those from the west end.

The holiday is properly called "Emancipation Day," which was the day slavery was outlawed on the island.  But people still call it Cup Match.  No one goes to work, and families enjoy the day together.  It's kind of like the 4th of July and Memorial Day all rolled into one.



We usually like to be on the water then, as it is so hot in July!





This was our backyard last July during Mina's birthday party. Having a pool is one way to beat the heat!

Christmas is a another big holiday on the island.  One of the things they like to do here is hold a boat parade at night, where sailors deck up their boats in lights and sail along the harbor in Hamilton.



They also have another annual tradition, called the "Santa Parade" where floats go down the street and kids get candy from the performers.



They like that a lot.



The Gombeys usually come out to all the major events too. These are a group of dancers who perform to the beat of a drum and reflect some of the island's African and Caribbean influences.



Speaking of holidays, Easter is another big one here. For Good Friday, people head to the beach to fly kites. They bring along hot cross buns and special fried fish cakes and meet friends and family. 



There's something pretty special about spending a day on the beach in April, especially if you are used to snow and cold.



We don't have any of this in Bermuda! That's Jeff plowing the driveway at Grandma's house in Pennsylvania.

I don't miss the snow. I'm more of a beach person anyway.



So is our dog, Oscar.

We hope you enjoyed our story. Thanks for stopping by in beautiful Bermuda. As we say, "Cheers!"

Update

Thank you again everyone for all the kind thoughts and for expressing in such eloquent terms all the reasons why it's ok to feel the way I do.

I've been in a better place this week. I don't feel as helpless about the situation as I did before. The Patient Relations department called back this week to tell me that the individual doctors are meeting to discuss the situation and they will contact me directly to set up a time to speak about this. I guess we've gotten the ball rolling and will see what happens. Jeff and I will be investigating another hospital in the area that has begun a new transplant cardiology program, and maybe we can get more reassurance from them that their procedures are different.

Ok, on a lighter note. We took Jordan and Mina to get their hair cut today.

Let's do before and after pics!



Mina - before!



Mina after!!



Can you believe how straight her hair is! The stylist blew it out, then pulled out a flat iron to smooth it!!! I was so surprised, I didn't ask her to do that. It never would have occurred to me. But I didn't stop her because Mina wasn't complaining at all. She sat there and watched a cartoon on tv, and listened to the stylist direct her to move her head one way or the other. It's lucky Mina loves getting her hair done. It takes me at least fifteen minutes every morning to put it together. The minute her hair hits water though, this straight-do is history.

And no, I'm not investing in a flat iron. She's enough of a princess as it is.

And here's Jordan:



Before.



After.

Nothing too dramatic. Standard little boy cut. The refreshing thing is how much easier it is to take him for now. He sits on the stool calmly, doesn't freak out, listens to the stylist, and is generally very cooperative. His stylist today was very amused when Jordan greeted her:

"Hello Miss Cutter!"

In other news -

And with every good day, we still manage to have our dramatic moments. Tonight's episode was brought to you by Miss Mina. Not content with merely eating her cherries (cut up, mind you), she decided to choke on them. Violently. Within seconds, she began wheezing, gagging, and making those retching gestures that guarantee a complete freak out, on my part. She doubled over, and I grabbed her.

What was difficult to understand was what was happening, because she was still sort of breathing. She was gasping for air, gagging, and her face turned bright red. I wasn't sure she was choking, because I hadn't seen it happen. I just grabbed her when I saw her start heaving. I took her to the sink, because I knew she was about to throw up. I worried she might be having an allergic reaction to something - it just looked that was to me. And we couldn't figure out what it might be. We cooked scallops tonight, but we hadn't offered any to the kids (not at these prices!)

Within seconds, Jeff was on the phone calling 911. In about three minutes, max, the entire town emergency team descended upon the house. There were EMTs, uniformed police officers, a doctor, and a host of other people I couldn't identify. There were ambulances outside and police cars, all with lights on - which thrilled Jordan to no end.

The team checked on Mina, made sure she was breathing ok, decided that must have gagged on something, and cleared her for an allergic reaction. They were awesome. They spent several minutes with her, checking her skin, her face, her lungs, etc. Mina freaked out, but she did try her best to follow their instructions.

They went home, and I had a minor heart attack of my own. I sat there on the couch and tried to breathe again.

These kids... they know how to keep things exciting huh?

Rock Star!

This weekend, we took the kids to the Bergen Performing Art Center to test their concert going skills at a kid friendly show.

The Dirty Sock Fun Time Band was performing. Although we weren't familiar with them, I had heard good things about this venue and was hoping it would provide us with something different to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Kids music has come a long way since the days I was humming "Puff the Magic Dragon." There's a lot of good stuff out there, if you're willing to suspend your disbelief for a minute. My first introduction to it was when Jordan began kiddie gym class, and I heard a catchy little tune blasting across the radio. I discovered it was Laurie Berkner, who has gone on to become a gazillionaire. Clearly someone is buying this stuff.

We got to the show. It was set up in a smaller room with the stage set right on the floor. Kids were invited to sit right up next to the band and dance to their hearts content.



Miss Mina did not need a second invitation.

In fact, at various points, I actually had to pull her off stage, off the dancer (Mina wanted her big, sparkly ruby ring). I gotta give credit to the dancer. She worked those kids up into a frenzy. And the music was pretty good too. I found myself doing the old head nod a few times.



This is Miss Mina shakin' what her mama gave her.



Jordan's got a different personality than Bean, but he loves music too. In school, I always get glowing reports about his behavior during music class, and he loves playing with toy instruments at home. However, he's not a fan of loud music, so I wasn't sure how he would do at this show.



Overall, he did great. He made it almost an hour, he danced, he watched, he joined the band for a musical story time.





But, he reached his threshold at the hour mark. I think the temperature got to him. That was my one complaint about the venue - the small size and the crowd of people was tough. I suppose that's true of any concert though. Oh well. I was happy he lasted as long as he did. I think we got our money's worth out of it.

My Little Monsters.

They know I fall for it every time.

They pull this stunt any time they want me to forget the other stuff.

How we keep busy on dreary days...

Stomping!



Loudly!



Drawing.

Jordan did this one - entitled, "Mommy and Jordan playing hopscotch and a truck."



The truck theme continued here. This is "Jordan waiting for the ice cream truck." I particularly liked the ice cream versions - two!



Dress up!



Who am I kidding? Mina doesn't need a dreary day to dress up. It's Halloween year round over here.



On this dreary day, we had a very special outing to see Madagascar 2 - Escape 2 Africa! The kids got another chance to see all their animated friends...



And I got a chance to do battle against my childhood nemesis - Galaga!! Score!! Wow that was an added bonus! I'll admit, this had me very excited. If Jeff wasn't yammering in the background, I would have gotten on the high score board. I know it.

I got some writing done too - here's my latest kids' cuisine installment. In it, I shamelessly detail my fascination with all things celebrity and food related... as related to their kids, of course.

You mean you don't do the hokey pokey after lunch?

Oh.. I guess it's just my kids then. That one, and "Wheels on the Bus," - the Dan Zanes version fifty thousand times a day. I'm convinced this is Jordan's attempt at burning off each calorie the minute it hits his body. Why else start exercising the minute lunch is over?

The Twilight Hour.

From seven to eight at night, it's time to wrap things up for the day. After bath and dinner, there's a lull of about 15 minutes before I start giving Jordan his meds. In that time, I usually clean up the mess in the kitchen, while the two monkeys run off to make a mess somewhere else.

Tonight, the light was just so, and they noticed their shadows in the hallway. The camera flash obliterated the scenes of them engaging the shadows on the wall, unfortunately.



But the looks on their faces amused me nonetheless.

Last days of summer..

August is winding down and our big beach vacation is just a few weeks away. That's my official marker for the end of summer - not Labor Day or the start of "school." The beach vacation is the last big hurrah of the summer. once that's over, it's really fall.

For now, we've been keeping busy in smaller ways close to home. While it's sort of felt like the summer of amusements parks, sometimes the monkeys find other ways to keep occupied.



Jordan and Mina worked hard building a fairy house in the nook next to the swing set. Jeff prefers to call it a "fort."



Here, Mina assembles signage to lead the fairies home, or as Jeff says, "Good job marshaling the troops to the fort, Mina."



Regardless of what you call it, great concentration and care went into its design.







Jordan maintains that same intense concentration on other important tasks - like bubble making.



But when it comes to the bubbles, I've found it wise to set up separate "bubble stations" on the deck. Everyone needs their own work space sometimes.



Some of us get a little possessive about our bubbles.



The nice thing about playing on the deck is that it's directly below the kitchen window. So, they are visible at all times and can be heard loud and clear. I can safely toss them out there for a little while to fend for themselves, while I tend to other matters.

Like making a batch of veggie muffins. Grandma H gifted us with a particularly bountiful zucchini this week. It came in handy for three different recipes.



Some of us have not been eating as healthy. Oscar demonstrates why dogs are not meant to be vegetarians. Don't mess with me, man. I got a steak bone.



A surprising development in recent weeks has been Jordan's emerging skills in Wii bowling. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, maybe it's unwise getting hooked on video games this early. On the other, it's Wii, which is a more physically engaging game than the Atari space invaders and Asteroids, I grew up with.



It's bowling. He loves it. And he's really, really good. I played him last night, and he beat me. And trust me, I was trying to win. Those of you who've played any kind of athletic endeavor against me know how competitive I am. I had no intention of letting the kid win. But he did. Soundly.



There's something about his technique that defies logic.



Maybe it's the little happy dance he does after each strike.



Miss Mina doesn't have the patience for learning to play this game, yet. However, she's making herself useful in other ways. Before bedtime, she helps me water the flowers on the front steps.



She inspects them. Amazingly, they're still alive. Geraniums are pretty hardy.



Last stop of the evening - meds. Miss Mina's been expressing interest of late in the medications I give Jordan at night. As she puts it, "Want meds too!" This is one of those transplant-related moments, when I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

So, I improvise. Recently, her pediatrician switched her multivitamin from the oral kind to the chewable. I used to try and hide her vitamin drop in her beverages, but she wasn't crazy about that.

On the other hand, they both LOVE the chewable multivitamin. I sit them both on the counter and each gets a "special med." They come in three different colors - pink, purple, and orange. Jordan always chooses the orange. Mina always goes for the pink. We have a glut of purple languishing in the bottle, which I'm going to have to do something creative with.