The New Year

We made it through the holiday's for the most part. Tonight is New Year's Eve and we have neglected to make plans. That is okay as drinking and staying up late are not in the works for me anyways. Christmas in Bermuda was a blast. It may have been because of good food and family (see how the pregnant lady mentions food before family!?), but the weather held out and we enjoyed ourselves.

Breaks of sun made Bermuda seem like a tropical paradise for my family from chilly Minnesota, but the rain held off Christmas day and we were able to go to Elbow Beach for the typical Christmas party on the beach. My parents popped the bottle of Champagne and we had lots of Christmas cookies to share. It felt great yet slightly odd to be on the beach over Christmas. I am not sure anyone missed the snow.

Most stores, tourist attractions, and even restaurants were closed over the holiday, so we spent some good time exploring the beaches and hiking around the island. Most things were even closed on Saturday as Boxing Day was celebrated. I have heard of Boxing Day, but knew nothing about it other than the fact that it is a British celebrated holiday. Through some research I have found that Boxing Day is always celebrated on December 26th. To me it just seems like another day to give off of work, but according to a website by Woodlands Junior School in the UK, "During the Age of Exploration, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, A Christmas Box was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was then sealed up and kept on board for the entire voyage. If the ship came home safely, the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the voyage. The Priest would keep the box sealed until Christmas when he would open it to share the contents with the poor." Current day families, schools, and churches still collect money and gifts to distribute to the poor the day after Christmas. Okay so maybe people do get off of work another day in Britain, but it seems like a lovely holiday to help others and spend time with family, so maybe the US should adopt this tradition.

Until next time...

It's Christmas Time in the City...

Christmas is rapidly approaching and I can tell. It is cold here. I say that after the whole Northern portion of the USA got blasted with snow, ice, and cold temperatures, but I must admit 55 degrees and windy at night makes for some cool nights with down comforters and maybe, possibly our space heater. We don't have a heating unit in our house, and I think it will be cold this winter.

As I prepare for my family to visit for this Christmas, I am trying to decide if I should give into the Bermuda traditions or stick with the, "Steck family favorites." When the Bermuda traditions are cassava pie and minced meat pies, I think I will stick to what I am used to. Cassava pie is a Bermudian tradition which includes the ingredients of:

• 12 lbs. grated cassava
• 2 lbs. sugar
• 8 oz. condensed milk
• 27 eggs, unbeaten
• 2 pounds melted butter
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• Brandy - to taste
• 5 lbs. chicken
• 2.5 lbs. cubed pork

This recipe makes enough for 50 people! Now what the heck is cassava? Cassava is also called yuca and is a root. Past that I am not sure, but you can buy it in frozen bags already shredded. I tried this Bermuda tradition and it wasn't bad. It reminded me of a sweet corn bread with meat on the bottom. The meat threw me off, so maybe this sweet bread would be better enjoyed vegetarian style. While mince pies are a British festive sweet pastry, they have found their way to Bermuda through the English influence on this island. I have to say I have never tried it, but any thing with the word meat in my pie just isn't quite right. Once again that may be why I wasn't crazy about the Cassava pie. Actually mince pies do not contain meat but a variety of dried fruits such as raisins. The one Christmas tradition that we will partake in is going to the beach with some champagne on Christmas morning. If anyone in our party is daring enough (and I nominate my father), they just might take a dip in the ocean. Last I heard, the water was 70 degrees which may be warmer then the air temperature. I will be excited to spend my first Christmas out of the USA! I just hope Santa will be able to find me!

Until next time...

The Holiday's

We had a successful Thanksgiving/early Christmas with Ryan's family in Pittsburgh. We are back on the island and we were excited to get back after a few weeks away. We thoroughly enjoyed the luxuries of America such as Walmart, shopping malls, fast food, and good cheap everything. I missed America, but we came back to an island decorated for Christmas with 72 degree temperatures. I am enjoying the warm weather and don't miss the cool temps of Northwestern PA. I may not this winter. We are preparing for Christmas in paradise as my parents, sister, and brother-in-law will come to Bermuda for the holiday! I have decorated our house to the best of my ability as we have absolutely no room for a Christmas tree and no outside outlets for Christmas lights. This season I am thankful for loving, supportive family, and for the additions to our family. Ryan and I will be bringing a baby into this world on May 16th, 2010! My sister will also be adding a new addition to the family as she is due with her first child on June 6th, 2010! It has been amazing sharing the pregnancy journey with my sister!

The first question I get is will you have the baby in Bermuda? Yes, we will deliver the baby in Bermuda. I have been going to my doctor here since week 6 of this pregnancy and we will see it through in Bermuda. I have asked many people about the health care here and have been assured that Bermuda offers everything that the US can offer, well I guess on a smaller scale. There are only 3 OBGYN's and 3 Pediatricians on the whole island. I have asked my doctor what happens if she is in surgery or with another patient when I go into labor, she told me that scenario is very unlikely as there just aren't that many pregnant women here. I find that hard to believe as I see cute pregnant women every where on this island! Many women are like me in the fact that their husband's work and they are unable to secure a job, so starting a family sounds like a good idea. It sure was for us, and we feel blessed that the pregnancy is progressing nicely!

The other question is whether or not our baby will be Bermudian. The answer is, "NO." Babies even if born in Bermuda need to be born to a Bermudian citizen in order to gain Bermudian status. As soon as we obtain the birth certificate from the hospital, we will have to apply for US citizenship, then a social security card will be issued, and lastly, we will get a baby passport in order to take our child in and out of the country. Bermuda keeps its rules and regulations strict and it is impossible for us to gain Bermudian status or to live here for more then 6 years (more than 6 year permits are granted if an individual has a "key" role in a company, such as a CEO type position). The government watches the ex-patriot population very closely and in some ways makes us feel transient. They would like to keep Bermuda to its own citizens which is okay for us as we have no plans to stay here for an extended period of time. We have no idea where our Bermuda journey will take us, so we are enjoying the perks while me can!

Until next time...

*The picture is a beautiful fall tree in Boston from our last visit to the states. We were in Boston for an actuarial conference for Ryan. I missed fall here, so had to capture this tree!