From one island to another!
Is it like Cuba? - my mom asked, with that tone of expectation and concern of who sees her little girl leaving the country for the first time.
-Yes! - I said, without really knowing if this island was like mine.
The heat, the warmth of the Caribbean, the smell of sun, sand, sweat, and beach, that was the same. And as a Caribbean girl, I knew how to deal with it: bikini, mojito, and ocean.
The beaches of Cayman Island look like a picture taken from Varadero (the most beautiful beach in Cuba) with the combination of clear foam and fine sand, with a touch of girls trying to take home the last ray of sun. Yes, again, I felt like I was on my island. So far, it was like being at home; Cayman Islands: good and kind people, willing to give a smile to mitigate sun, heat, and humidity. Welcome to the Caribbean.
Where are you from? - Someone asked, and only then did I realize that I was not in Cuba anymore.
In Cuba, nobody asks 'where are you from?' We are all Cubans, and foreigners are tourists. That was the first twist on the island that skewed it from mine, here I was a foreigner but I was not a tourist, the tourists were others -also foreigners. Like me, many more had decided to call this land, their second home. No wonder why after each 'what's your name?' always comes a 'where are you from?'
Many other changes arrived... some were expected; others, not at all.
Ladies, forget about your heels and makeup to go out. Cayman dress code: shorts, top, and flops. Havaianas, Sexi crocs, Ipanema, anything works, when you're in Cayman, you'll need flops. Even when we get our hair done, make an appointment, go to the hairdresser and what do we ask for? Beach wavy hair, please... Of course, there will always be a night (or a brunch) where you can wear your most refined jewelry, but it does not happen very often, and it makes sense, if all parties end on the beach, heels and jewelry stay at home.
The food, an important and delicate issue!
I clarify, Cuban food is NOT spicy (that's Mexican food) and God knows how long it took me to get used to it (and still...). Oh, how I missed the famous Cuban rice and beans with pork and yuca on my first week! Never in my life had I eaten spicy food before. The very beginning was hot as hell (literally), I always forgot to order the mildest option on the menu. I needed to get used to it, yes or yes.
I learned to deal with all the new spices when I realized the wide culinary culture that characterizes Cayman. With a population of around 100 countries, there are 100 different types of cuisines: Caymanian of course, but also Italian, Thai, Philippine, Indian, Chinese, Jamaican, Latin... Try something from the Roti shop, and then find the best jerk chicken or pasta, and do not forget to order the best Cayman Style, a famous food preparation technique on the island, usually with fish, chicken, shrimp or lobster, lightly breaded, skillet or sautéed and mixed with a tomato sauce with peppers and onions. Delicious! Ya man, Bon appetite!
"Ya man"! And I just loved how often they use this phrase. Having a degree in Spanish Philology (lots of Literature and Linguistics, if you haven't heard of this before) I cannot get enough of languages, and Cayman never seems to disappoint me.
"Tell me sump'm bobo, "You going home ah wah?"
(bobo (boh-boh) - 1. A close and personal friend 2. The object of one's affection. 3. a woman's pet name for a boyfriend or close male friend / ah wah (ah-wah) 1. Or what? 2. The end of a question 3. yes or no.
It never fails, you know when the person talking is Caymanian. They have that juice and prolonged end of the phrase that makes them so unique, even if, like cuisines, we have 100 different accents down here: Spanish from Cuba, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela; English from South Africa, England, Australia, USA, Canada, Ireland (oh lord, what a difficult one) plus, Italian, Philippine, Dutch, Portuguese, French, and we can go on and on. Let's not forget our closest neighbor, Jamaica; the good thing they know that their English with that Jamaican 'patwah' requires time to understand.
At the end, everything works out pretty well with the night getting old and the bartenders starting their precious hours. Like magic, we all start understanding each other... Well, we have an excuse, right?
Oh yes, people can drink on this island. Cuba is well known for our famous rums, but Cayman? This island is on another level. Even before you get here, when you are still on the plane, Cayman Airways is already filling you with their free rum punch. Brunch on Sundays is just an excuse to eat? nope, "all that you can drink champagne" at 11 in the morning. Afterwards, and it's like a rule, go to Royal Palms and order a beer-garita, which is just a 12oz Corona in a large pitcher of frozen margarita! Because you didn't have enough from the champagne!
Yes, cocktails are a big thing here. Strawberry daiquiri, Gin and tonic, Pina Colada, Cayman Lemonade, even Mojito and Cuba Libre (Made in Cuba cocktails). Last but not least, the Mudslide, this delicious combination of vodka, Kahlua, Bailey's Irish Cream and chocolate syrup is the drink if u are here. Drive up to Rum Point (others prefer Kaybo) grab what I call the best "non-virgin chocolate milkshake" and enjoy the most beautiful sunset that your eyes have ever seen.
"Sunsets in Cayman"! the tourist flyers don't lie when they talk about sunsets in the Cayman Islands. I could say "the yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange" or "the sky was dyed pomegranate pink", but this would be nothing compared to the colors above Cayman when the sun makes the sky just one with the sea. Don't try to imagine it, just go, find a beach and pay attention. Will be, indeed, the most beautiful sunset that your eyes have ever seen.
Now when people ask me if this island is like mine, it is not that clear anymore. Cuba has lots of Salsa, drums, rum, music, and cigars but Cayman is more than just beaches, sunsets, and drinking. It's not just stingrays and starfishes - even if that's a good touch may I say - Cayman is the place where more than 100 nationalities found a second home; where your mother can be Philippine, your father Jamaican, you Caymanian and your partner Canadian. Where Italian food is enjoyed with a "non-virgin chocolate milkshake", and on Sundays, champagne is drunk wearing flip-flops. In Cayman, everybody knows everybody or is about to meet; your best friends only stay for a while (people come, people go); and the lovers always have, even if it's just one, a date by the fountains of Camana Bay.
On this island I have not used my jeans again, my heels are forgotten in the closet, I learned (more or less) to tolerate spicy food, and I found several types of love: the love for my husband, an amazing South African guy (who still struggles with my accent); the love for my friends, from every corner of the world; the love for the English language, that connects us all (with the help of some cocktail); the love of my country, because I miss it always and; the love for this beautiful island, that reminds me every day that I live where you vacay... just kidding... well, not really ;)
