The other side of the Caymanian postcard

Julien. I know you people don't like EB members who advertise their personal blogs, but probably half of all my blog-posts have described the bad side of Cayman; the good side can be found on our government's propaganda directed at prospective tourists. That's easily accessed via Google. There isn't anything that tells of the other side, apart from my blog. Sorry!

Our politicians and anti-Immigrant bureaucrats don't welcome foreign workers or retirees, and accept them only under sufferance. Indeed, our authorities condone the exploitation of unskilled migrant workers by those employers who feel inclined to exploit them. And just last week a blog-post of mine blasted our officials' treatment of Cuban boat-people. That aside, Cayman is a pleasant and comfortable place to live for middle-class expats. (Of which I am one! We have lived here for 36 years now. For several of those years the authorities tried to deport me for subversive activities - writing and speaking against injustices - but we stuck it out with the help of local supporters.)

I know you people don't like EB members who advertise their personal blogs

Hi Gordon,

I think there is a little confusion, as it is exactly the opposite .. I've created Expat.com 9 year ago, to promote other Expat.comgers & writers

Gordon Barlow wrote:

Julien. I know you people don't like EB members who advertise their personal blogs, but probably half of all my blog-posts have described the bad side of Cayman; the good side can be found on our government's propaganda directed at prospective tourists. That's easily accessed via Google. There isn't anything that tells of the other side, apart from my blog. Sorry!

Our politicians and anti-Immigrant bureaucrats don't welcome foreign workers or retirees, and accept them only under sufferance. Indeed, our authorities condone the exploitation of unskilled migrant workers by those employers who feel inclined to exploit them. And just last week a blog-post of mine blasted our officials' treatment of Cuban boat-people. That aside, Cayman is a pleasant and comfortable place to live for middle-class expats. (Of which I am one! We have lived here for 36 years now. For several of those years the authorities tried to deport me for subversive activities - writing and speaking against injustices - but we stuck it out with the help of local supporters.)

Hi Gord,

You have this web site, then you have your own blog, feel free to write what comes to mind.
We can all criticize this and that until the cows come home.
Where is the humor? 

Julien wrote:

I know you people don't like EB members who advertise their personal blogs

Hi Gordon,

I think there is a little confusion, as it is exactly the opposite .. I've created Expat.com 9 year ago, to promote other Expat.comgers & writers

Sorry, Julien. I really can't recall how I came by my belief, and I'm delighted to learn that it's a false belief. I will change my conduct accordingly! Thanks for setting me straight.

John C. wrote:

Where is the humor?

That looks like a non sequitur, John. What are you talking about?

Gordon Barlow wrote:

Julien. I know you people don't like EB members who advertise their personal blogs, but probably half of all my blog-posts have described the bad side of Cayman; the good side can be found on our government's propaganda directed at prospective tourists. That's easily accessed via Google. There isn't anything that tells of the other side, apart from my blog. Sorry! .....

  There was even a paragraph at your blog where you went to great lengths to describe how you saved a cockroach by inserting a paper under the water-glass in which you captured it.
Exactly what the Caymanians needed I reckon ...   

Ohhh, was it the entomologist in you or just the beginning of senility of a man's old age? 

Julien wrote:

I know you people don't like EB members who advertise their personal blogs

Hi Gordon,

I think there is a little confusion, as it is exactly the opposite .. I've created Expat.com 9 year ago, to promote other Expat.comgers & writers

Hi Julien,

You should read the cockroach paragraph at Gord's blog for you to see exactly the kind of stories you should not imitate. 

John C. wrote:

There was even a paragraph at your blog where you went to great lengths to describe how you saved a cockroach by inserting a paper under the water-glass in which you captured it. Ohhh, was it the entomologist in you or just the beginning of senility of a man's old age? 

That deed was done at the insistence of my animal-rights granddaughters, if you remember, John. The way my wife and I ordinarily deal with cockroaches brings to mind the worst excesses of the French Revolution.

My latest blog-post, "Cayman's Entitlement Culture", outlines the privileged position of the bloodline-Caymanians and underlies the whole long-term demographic strategy of our ruling caste. The article is of relevance to anybody thinking of retiring here. People thinking of working here, however, should not be put off. It's a very comfortable place to live a middle-class, middle-income life. My wife and I have lived it for 37 years now. It's becoming a wee bit expensive to maintain our lifestyle, and one day the expense might drive us out. But... so far, so good!

I'll give my perspective as someone who lived in Cayman as an expat, and then left.  My time on the island was 2 years.  I was an expat for a total of 5 years, having spent 3 years in another location, before being recruited to Cayman.

There is something to the notion of Caymanian Entitlement being a destructive thing.  The office I worked in, 1/3 of the Caymanians had low motivation and/or did not have true ability to do quality work for our offshore clients.  They were employed primarily because there was an unofficial minimum number of locals we had to employ to keep Immigration off our backs.  It irked me to have to waste my time fixing garbage created by these locals over and over - especially for those who made a salary that was the same or better than mine.  I was encouraged to coach them, but it was pointless.  It was either, a) They knew were unfire-able, they just wanted their paychecks, no interest in improving, or, b) They did not have the capacity to be better.  So the cycle repeated itself.  Deadlines could be missed, there were no consequences.  It was a bizarro world to work in, no correlation between performance and pay for a small subset of hangers-on.

The island environment (away from work) is very limited.  Once you're in Cayman, you are ultimately hit with the reality that it is an isolated small town.  It may take a few months, but you'll see it.  And like an isolated town nearly anywhere, negative gossip runs rampant, and variety is thin in all things (places to go, things to do, shopping).  Its indicative to read Expat.coms, which all end up being about the same.  Year 1 is drinking rum here, drinking rum there, woo hoo I'm in the tropics, the beach, the beach again, friends back home are jealous, a day on a boat, a swim, a snorkel, a scuba.  Year 2, the posts are less frequent.  I'm not going out so much anymore.  Been there done that, some mentioning of wondering about the future.  What is Cayman all about really?  Getting the itch to leave, reports of rock fever, with the main "excitement" being posts such as pictures of tasty restaurant meals and the occasional sunset.  Year 3, the blogs most often die - I am left to believe this is because the people are still on-island but cannot think of anything interesting to say, or they have left.  For most, the island experience has a shelf life.

Like most, starting at 6 or maybe 8 months in, I found myself often bored in my downtime.   Probably would have been more like a year, except for the fact that I was an expat for 3 years in another place prior to coming to Cayman (see opening parag).  The week before I left Cayman, if you and I had lunch, I would have told you that was the reason to go.  In retrospect, I can say the workplace and related immigration aspects were larger than I consciously realized at the time.  Most want to live a life that is more than temporary, in a place that feels like a home.  There is a want to grow, to see the years spent toiling getting professional quals pay off.  In Cayman what you get is a work permit, ongoing noise about how limits of all kinds should/will be put on permit renewals, that preference for the best jobs must be tilted toward locals, because Cayman is for Caymanians.  And the weird dysfunctional workplaces that all of this creates.  For a foreigner, the glass ceiling, the complete uncertainty, and the underlying 'you are a necessary evil' ever-present tone, you'd have to be stupid to get too attached to the island.  The true possibility of a genuine long term future is low.  There are some exceptions to this - certain well-connected (to Immigration) accountants and lawyers can put themselves above it all.  But most are just an Immigration policy decision away from being booted next month.

So, go to Cayman.  Have that lovely first year.  Settle in for Year 2 - resist going out just to go out.  Maybe even a Year 3 if you are not too terribly bored.  Save money along the way - it'll serve you well later.  Have an exit plan.  Don't get too used-to your weird workplace.  Have the fortitude to pull the plug and get on with your life.  Find a place where you can live on your terms and have some real rights.  A real chance to advance.  A place where the culture does not mark you a second class person.   Don't let yourself be an Immigration decision away from a harsh exit.