Three things no one told me about living in the Bahamas…

Briefly let me explain the Bahamas I am talking about here. It is not your tourist destination, casino, straw market, and Senor Frog Bahamas. Here I am referring to one of the least populous yet landmass-wise largest of the Bahamian Islands, Andros Island, renowned for its quiet natural beauty, gorgeous blue holes, and pristine beaches. It is also the island home of the US Navy’s one square mile AUTEC (Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center) facility and my husband’s current residence. Now for the three things no one told me.

1.      It is really HOT and HUMID in the summer. And being on an island during the dog days of August (in a smallish space with noisy A/C) can give one the same kind of cabin fever as you might experience in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the dead of winter. You’re just trading in the hush of an endless blanket of crystalline white snow for being surrounded by a boundless sparkling aquamarine sea. Plan to make the best of it!

2.      Spanish language TV shows and subtitles that you get with the Caribbean cable companies have not helped me learn Spanish. This girl from Chicago took four years of French in high school and sometimes even the English the young people I know use sounds like a foreign language to me. Netflix also connects to the same Spanish language programs so that isn't a solution either unless you want to watch CSI in Spanish on your computer. TV is highly overrated anyway!

3.      There is no Wal-Mart or big chain grocery store anywhere on the island. Food comes once a week (weather permitting) on a barge and the variety is limited and the prices pretty high. But on the other hand you can have delicious Bahamian rice and peas or baked Bahamian mac and cheese with fresh caught lobster or grouper so who needs Piggly Wiggly!