International Women's Club

When arriving in Bermuda as a wife of a work permit holder, I felt different. Mainly because I so desperately wanted to work and create my own identity in Bermuda. As you know from previous postings, since I am not in the insurance, finance, or hospitality industry, obtaining work has been very difficult. So in order to create some sort of identity, keep myself busy, and meet other people I have volunteered. While I have always liked to give back whether it be with time or monetary gifts, I have never considered myself a philanthropist. I guess I still don't consider myself a philanthropist, but I have done some meaningful work in Bermuda and along the way I have met some great people on this little island.

Through volunteering I met a woman that drug me along to an International Women's Club of Bermuda (IWC) luncheon. She said it would be a great way to meet other women. I decided to go as I knew if I became a member I would have the opportunity participate in activities such as book clubs, badminton, golf clinics, mahjong, and other exciting opportunities (some sarcasm inserted). I am 27 years old not 60, but I attended with an open mind. According to the clubs President, "The IWC’s goals are to promote intellectual growth, to encourage social fellowship, to provide service to community and to assist in the integration of newcomers to Bermuda. The IWC is over two hundred members strong." Since joining I have attended 3 monthly luncheons. They are at different restaurants and have different activities and speakers each month. I myself enjoy eating at different places across the island, but the speakers have also been interesting and fitting for a woman's needs. This month being heart health month, we listened to a speaker on heart health in woman. When I look around the room at these luncheons, I somethings wonder how I fit in. The woman who are all very nice and pleasant sometimes remind me of the woman from either the Golden Girls or The Real Housewives for Orange County. I must fall somewhere in between there. For the time being I will continue to attend these meeting while I don't have a little one to look after. I have enjoyed the Philanthropy aspect of this club and some of the connections I have made to other woman trying to find an identity for themselves in Bermuda too.

As an update, to my last blog. Our landlord has unlocked the coin operation piece of the dryer and washer. We will now keep track of our laundry usage and pay the electric company monthly. No more trips to the bank for rolls of quarters...thank goodness!

*Golden Girl image thanks to BuddyTV.

The Laundry Room from Hell

I am usually so happy, upbeat, and positive when I blog, but today I need an outlet to vent. Most people have heard this story or pieces too many times to care anymore, so I decided to write it all out as a way to vent some frustration.

Most of you know that we pay astronomical rent rates in Bermuda. The average rent for a one bedroom is around $2000 a month, a two bedroom $4000, and 3+ bedrooms can run anywhere from $5000-$25,000 a month depending on location and quality. Thanks to good housing allowances, we can afford to pay the rates, but usually it comes with some cost. It is difficult to go from owning your own house to renting from landlords that don't always have your shared priorities. Okay that is the build up to the story of, "The Laundry Room from Hell."

When Ryan first looked at our place it was nice, close to town, and had most everything we wanted. It had laundry in the front of the house below the front apartment. You have to go outside to get to it, and it is shared by the renter in the front, but it was on site and usable. After moving in we discovered that it was coin operated ($1.50 to wash and $1.50 to dry). While I was frustrated by the fact that the laundry was essentially in our house and we had to pay for it, I found out that the landlords pay the electricity that goes to the laundry room. So they were using the quarters to pay these bills.

After living here a month, the cold water stopped running to the washer. It only came out scalding hot! After waiting 2-3 weeks to have someone fix it, we decided to start carrying buckets of water from our back faucet to the washer. That got old quickly! I also discovered that since the room is a basement and is damp and cool, cockroaches, spiders, ants, and even the occasional rat like to inhabit our laundry room. I refused to go down there after dark!

A few months after the cold water was fixed, the dryer coin operation piece was jammed. The tenent in the front had jammed a Canadian quarter in the slot. While the machine accepted USA and Bermudian quarters, it did not take Canadian quarters. They had to order a whole new coin piece. Once that was installed it jammed again the next week. Once again a Canadian quarter. After that, 2 times in December and 4 times in January the dryer just didn't work. You would wash your clothes, put the money in the dryer and it wouldn't turn on! We started keeping a tally on how many times the dryer didn't work. I was forced to bring laundry to friends houses or hang it in our house or on a line outside. Many times after hanging it outside, it would start to rain. The wet laundry in the house would take forever to dry as humidity levels were extremely high. We had had it!

After a heated email in January, the landlords decided to buy a brand new washer and dryer. We were excited to have new units. After they were installed this week, I discovered that that washer and dryer are once again coin operated! We were hoping this wouldn't be the case. While I don't mind paying some money for the cost of electricity, it is ridiculous to have to go to the bank monthly to get quarters! The thing that set me off today was that I found out they upped the cost to $2.50 to wash and $2.50 to dry. That is 20 quarters for one load of laundry. With a baby on the way, I can't imagine how many quarters I am going to need to keep up with all of the future laundry. Also in the summer it is so humid that if you leave anything wet in your laundry hamper it will mildew! I had moldy towels and shorts this summer. Mold does not come out of clothing!

Here is the real kicker. I could not get the washer to work last night even after putting in the appropriate amount of money. I soon discovered that the coin operation pieces only take USA quarters. When you buy rolls of coins at the bank, they bundle them with Bermudian and USA quarters mixed. Since money is one for one, it does not matter which currency you pay in. All soda machines, parking meters, and other machines in Bermuda accept a mix of Bermudian and USA quarters. The quarters essential are the same size and shape. They must not be exact as my machines now only take USA quarters. I could see if it only took Bermudian quarters as we live in Bermuda! I sorted out all of my quarters today into one bag of USA and one bag of Bermudian quarters. I have since emailed the landlord to express that this is not acceptable, but I will have to keep you updated. For now I am headed back down to the dungeon to retrieve my dried clothes! At least there wasn't a rat down there today!

Until next time...

Winter Vacations

I was in Minnesota bearing the cold weather this past week. I actually enjoyed the snow and the cold wasn't too bad. I didn't miss wearing winter jackets (especially since mine is a little tight fitting in the middle) and trudging through the slush in boots. I decided that I miss these few things about the USA:
1. Family. It was great shopping with my mom and sister, eating dinner with the family, and seeing my extended family over the weekend.
2. Mexican. Yes, Mexican food is a must for me. There is no good authentic Mexican in Bermuda. At this point I would even settle for Taco Bell every once in awhile!
3. American interstates, large parking spots, and appropriate size roads! I did well switching back to driving on the right hand side of the road. I didn't however have my normal winter driving skills built up. Some ice and snow on the road made driving for me tense!
4. Pure Convenience. I would have said Target, shopping malls, large grocery stores, etc..., but it all leads back to convenience. Things are open late, there are stores where you can buy everything you need (Super Target was my dream come true!), and things are just plain affordable!

While I had a wonderful time back in the USA and even managed to bring back two extremely full suitcases and a new piece of IKEA furniture, I was excited to get back to my home. Bermuda has become our home for now and flying in over the beautiful blue waters and sandy shores of the island had me excited to get back. The weather has been getting better. There is still a rain shower almost every day and unexpected winds, but the sun is out and the temperatures are staying steady in the low 60's. We are also excited to leave in a few weeks for Cabo San Lucas. While we are leaving one tropical paradise for another, we are excited for some time away together. We will be enjoying a week vacation/baby moon with another pregnant couple. It should be a great time.

Until next time...