I just got done reading some blog posts from an old friend and decided to revisit my blog. The last time I wrote, my mom and I were waiting out hurricane Igor. As the hurricane approached, my mom and I got more and more terrified of the unknown. The news was predicting a direct hit and the storm was going to be a category 3. The thought of waiting out the storm sent us packing. We booked a flight out to Philadelphia and spent a few nights with some good friends who took us in. We were glad to have done so as most people lost power and air conditioning for at least 48 hours. I heard that the most miserable part was the heat. It was so hot, but terrible to open the windows since the storm was so loud. The island had very little damage and no fatalities.
I may have missed my only opportunity to live through a hurricane as Ryan and I will not be living on a tropical island for much longer. Our move back to the USA (specifically Erie, PA) is scheduled for December 20th. By the time we leave, we will have spent almost two years here. While it is earlier than expected, we are glad to get back to the USA. Ryan took a job at Erie Insurance again. This time it is a Supervisory position. He is excited about the new challenges in this role. We were ready to leave Bermuda, but this job offer did come as a surprise and he was not actively looking for a new job. With Collin, we are excited to get back to the conveineces of America and we are excited to be closer to family.
Bermuda has beat us down in some ways. We get tired of the high prices for meals out, terrible wilted produce at the grocery store, rude people, 47 steps up to my car from my front door, our car with only a cassette deck, a small pumpkin costing $17, paying duty for every item we bring into Bermuda, stores closing at 5:00 pm in town, gas costing $8 a gallon, and the list goes on and on. Really, I shouldn't complain and I realize we are in the midst of an amazing journey that I will remember forever, but Bermuda has not been all it was crack up to be (well maybe what we imagined in our head). We only have 2 months left here and I am trying my best to take it all in. We are leaving a tropical paradise for Erie, PA (maybe one of the most non-glamorous places, we could chose). I am thrilled about moving back to Erie, but I am looking longer at the blue waters, rolling down my windows in my car to get some sun on my arms, eating freshly caught fish, putting my feet in the pink sand...as I know I will soon not be able to do those things.
We have said that we will love to come back to Bermuda to visit. We know we will in the future and can't wait to bring an older Collin back to the place of his birth. It is a wonderful island, but for us our home is America.
Until next time...
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all thank you very much for sharing your island experiences on this blog. It was fun and interesting to read your story. If you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you could share some of your experiences on these topics?
• Cost of living: based on this website (http://www.bermuda-online.org/costoflivingguide.htm), the estimated cost of living not including rent is about $7-8k per month. Is that true? It just seems unbelievably high to me.
+ You mentioned that groceries were about $1000 a month for two. Did that include eating out (dinner/lunch/etc.)
+ Utilities: could you share how much did cost in the Summer and not Summer months? I heard in Summer it can go up to $1000 a month. It probably depends on the size of the house a well.
+ Could you share your opinions a rough estimate monthly expenses not including rent?
+ Based on what I found on the internet, it looks like everything is at least double the US’s prices.
• Traveling back to US
+ It seemed you and Ryan traveled back and forth to US quite often (almost every 3 months). Could you share what were the motivations? Was it the island fever?
• Water tank: Could you share what you saw?
• How was your experience on delivering the baby on the island? How was the hospital (in terms of cares) in your opinion compared to the US? Are baby stuffs very expensive there?
• Ants and cockroaches: I read that they are everywhere. Is it true that they would invade your house? Did you have difficulties dealing or keeping them away from the house? Any chance to keep them away from the house?
• At the end, you seemed to be very happy to leave the island sooner than expected. If you get another opportunity, what would be the factors that will pay more attention this time? Would you do it again?
I know these are very long questions. I would truly appreciate it if you could share your experiences on these issues. I am considering moving there and would like to make sure that I will be happy and save money there.
Thank you very much,
Paul