Indtryk efter 6 dage

Nu er der gået endnu et par dage og børnene vågner efterhånden først hen ad 6, dejligt!!

Her i weekenden har vi været lidt rundt på øen. Vi har bl.a set skildpadder. På Cayman opdrætter man skildpadder. Nogle går til fortæring og andre bliver sat ud i naturen. Derudover har vi været på øens mest berømte strand 7-mile beach. Vi har også kørt "øen rundt". Havets farver, blå-turkise, er helt fantastiske og lever fuldstændigt op til de kodakbilleder, som man forventer af Caribien.

See flere billeder på Facebook ved at klikke her.

Et af de områder, hvor mærker, at man er i et mere "afslappet" land, er i trafikken. Vejene er af meget forskellig standard og det som ligner en stor bred vej på kortet, er ikke den store vej, som forventede og ofte i en ringe stand. I nogle kryds hvor der egentlig burde være vigepligt, kan jeg forstå på Jasper, at folk køre på skift istedet, måske fordi at man ellers aldrig ville få fri bane.

Bevoksningen er ret flot. Den er tæt og er i nogle meters højde. Her er oprindeligt meget sump, men det ligner, at man bare fylder den op og bygger ovenpå. Jeg har fået fortalt, at man p.g.a. myg har smidt kemikalier i sumpene, for at slå dem ihjel. Det er ikke en økologisk ø :-)

Vi har så også været i supermarked, 3 af slagsen. Første gang brød jeg sammen i grin. De har de her kæmpe indkøbsvogne med en legetøjsbil foran, hvor begge børn kan sidde. Det betyder at man køre rundt med et monstrum på 2-3 meter, som er meget svær at styre. Lige pludselig føler man sig meget lille, når man skal håndtere sådan en monstervogn. Man kan få de fleste dagligdagsvare. Forskellen hernede er, at man kan få ting op i kæmpe størrelser f.eks. 6 liter skyllemiddel, 1 spand ketchup, 2 kilo smør, et par liter dressing osv.

I weekenden har vi mødt et par stykker af dem som bor her i komplekset. Her er jo mange udlændinge. Vi har hilst på Marius og Buddy (hans hund) fra Canada og så har vi mødt et par, engelske Tess og australske Adam og deres 3 børn, som er flyttet hertil fra Brisbane.

Indtryk efter 4 dage

Børnene og jeg har været på Cayman i 4 dage.

Vi har endnu ikke set så meget af øen, da vi lige har skulle vænne os til tidsforskellen. Ungerne eller især Christoffer har svært ved at omstille sig. Han vågnede kl. halv 2 i forgårs og imorges kl. halv 5, så der er da fremgang.

Igår var vi ude og se skolen hvor Tobias skal gå. Det er almindeligt at skoler og institutioner er tilknyttet en kirke. Ifølge Jasper, som har været rundt at se en del af dem, var der kun en institution, som ikke lagde vægt på religion (kristendommen) og den var der ikke plads i. Det er svært at vænne sig til at religion, er så almindelig en del af samfundet og det at tale om gud osv. er som man taler om pædagogik. I den forbindelse kan jeg fortælle, at den første jeg har mødt her (Patricia) er barnepige og rengøringsdame for underboen. Hun er fra Jamaica og har 4 børn (som stadigvæk er på Jamaica). Hun beundre vores underboer meget for deres stærke tilknytning til kirken og deres store kærlighed til guds hus osv.

Mit umiddelbare indtryk med kun 4 dage på øen er, at det ville være svært at bosætte sig med en anden religiøs baggrund, ikke fordi folk ikke er tolerante, men fordi folk med anden religiøs baggrund måske ikke ville være interesseret i at deres børn igennem skolen bliver opdraget i den kristne tro. Jeg har lige siddet og læst skolens håndbog som bl.a. i forordet skriver:

....becoming totally committed to Christ and His way, ...will help each child to develop his/her full potential, and fulfill his/her God-given pupose.

Skolens motto er:

To grow..in wisdom, and stature, an din favor with god and man.

Ja, det er lidt en anden stil end i DK.

Hazards

The other day at work a colleague mentioned in passing the possibility of earthquakes here in the Caymans. What ?!! was my reaction. But he asserted me we live in an area prone to volcanic activity. That made me ponder what kind natural hazards I was exposing myself and my family to, by living in this region of the world. Based on a look at various websites, I came up with the following four major hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and hurricanes.

Earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis enjoy a common father: the movement of tectonic plates. Grand Cayman lies on the plate boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates (see image), next to the Cayman Trough (or Trench).

The tectonic plates in Cayman’s region are in continuous lateral movement against each other, with the Caribbean plate traveling east at approx. 20 mm a year. The lateral movement limits the size of earthquakes in this area. However, in December 2004 a quake of 6.8 magnitude rocked Grand Cayman - there was no major damage though.

The following image shows the Cayman Trough together with an indication of Caribbean plate boundaries. The Trough has a maximum depth of 7,686 meters.

The depth of the Trough is more easily seen in the image below. It provides a perspective view of the sea floor of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Florida is on the upper right. The purple sea floor at the bottom center of the view is the Puerto Rico trench, the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean. At the top of the image and to the left of Cuba you can see the Cayman Trench and what looks like small mountains. The top of the mountains are the Cayman islands - the realisation that we are on top of massive underwater mountains in the middle of nowhere made me feel small and vulnerable.

Along the northern east part of the Caribbean plate, including areas in the vicinity of Jamaica and the Virgin Islands, moderate earthquakes of shallow depth are generated. In the Eastern Caribbean seismic events are common and principally associated with a subduction zone at the junction of the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate. The North American Plate slides underneath the Caribbean Plate along a north-south line just east of the arc of Caribbean islands.

Several of the islands of the Eastern Caribbean are volcanic in origin. Grenada even has a submarine volcano called Kick 'em Jenny. Studies dating back to 1972 indicate that minor eruptions have been occurring on a fairly regular basis and that the summit of the volcano is growing at a rate of approximately 4 metres per annum.

To conclude, on a hazard rating of 1 to 10 for Cayman: volcanoes = 0, earthquakes = 2.

So what about the possibility of a tsunami? The majority of tsunamis are related to tectonic displacements associated with earthquakes at plate boundaries. However, tsunamis can also be generated by erupting volcanos, landslides or underwater explosions (and meteorites). For islands in the vicinity of Kick’em Jenny that is bad news.

Grand Cayman has large boulders on its south coast that geologists believe were moved from the seabed to land by a tsunami. Carbon-dating of dead sea-plants on the rocks put the event in 1662 plus-or-minus 25 years. That time-period comes close to including the 1692 earthquake and the event-generated tsunami and landslide that killed over 2,000 in Port Royal, Jamaica. However geologists believe that Grand Cayman's rocks were moved by an even greater event.

For us in the Cayman, I doubt tsunamis pose a significant threat. It seems to me that possible movements in the Cayman trench are at a depth and of a type (horizontal not vertical movement) that would be unlikely to create a tsunami. My hazard rating: tsunami = 1.

Finally, we have hurricanes which name is derived from the Mayan storm god Hunraken and the Arawak (Amerindians encountered by the Spanish explorers) word hurican, which meant the devil wind. As I noted in a previous post one of the greatest of all recorded hurricanes occurred in October 1780. Nearly 20,000 people perished. Warmer waters also increase their intensity.

Here in Grand Cayman, hurricane Ivan (two years ago) caused massive damage. Damage which is still evident today. Apart from strong winds and flying debris, one of the major contributors to damage was the surge of water, flooding almost all parts of the low-lying island. I would say the likelihood a direct hit by a hurricane is substantial. My hazard rating: hurricane = 8.

Writing about hurricanes reminds me of an article I read in the local newspaper a few weeks ago. It was on the (economic) cost of hurricanes. It is pretty obvious that people who live in hurricane prone areas must expect to incur additional costs to protect themselves. Building construction needs to be of a higher grade, insurance is more expensive, etc. However, one thing I had not thought about (which in retrospect seems obvious) is the cost to businesses of having emergency hurricane disaster plans in place and the cost of acting upon these plans in the event of a possible hurricane event. Think of staff evacuation, additional back-up options for data, standby office space off shore etc. When hurricane Dean passed south of Cayman with no consequence whatsoever a month ago, most firms engaged their pre-hurricane disaster plans. While some incurred little cost, some sent all staff off island at considerable expense.

A devine morning

Today I went to church!

Those who know me may be surprised, because this not something I do very often. The people who live downstairs had invited to me to go along to see the school that is affiliated with the church.

I am currently trying to find a school for Tobias. Here in Cayman every school I have seen so far has an affiliation of some kind to a Christian church or a Christian movement. In this case it was a Baptist church. Other denomination of the Christianity on the island include Anglican, Catholicism, Church of God and Presbyterian.

Arriving there at 9.15 am, I was taken on a brief tour of the school. Nothing much to say about the school grounds - everything looked fine. Then I was placed in discussion class. The subject: the Book of Daniel (chapter 3). For more devoted Christians this is probably a well-known story, but for me it was all new. I guess I could have heard the story as a child, but it is certainly not something I remember. Anyway it is the story of three Hebrews Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who defy King Nebuchadnezzar's order to bow down and worship a huge golden idol (9 stories high). As a result Nebuchadnezzar throws them into a fiery furnace (likely used when building the idol), but they are miraculously unharmed by the flames. Nebuchadnezzar sees them walking around in the furnace along with an unnamed fourth figure. When they emerge, Nebuchadnezzar orders everyone to worship their god instead of the idol. The fourth figure (who did not emerge) was the Son of God or a least that's who Nebuchadnezzar thought it was.

The story was discussed for a hour. I kept my quite, only listening. Suffice to say, discussion of Christianity is not something I do very often and I felt very much like an outsider. There was some interesting discussion though, some of which I could relate not to Christianity but to game theory and strategic interaction on the part of the Hebrews and the king.

After discussion class it was time for church. Compared to the church on Ærø where I would normally go Christmas eve, this was all high tech. Power-point presentations running lyrics to the hymns on two huge screens and top of the line sound equipment. Compare this with hymns idenified by a number listed on boards. There was a band consisting of keyboard player, drummer and guitarist. Compare with a mechanical organ. Cushioned seats vs. antic wooden benches… you get the picture. However, once the initial fascination with the physical elements subsided, it was frankly not a service that appealed very much to me. But the same is often the case in Danish churches.

Churches seem to play an extremely significant role in Caymanian society. It is evident when walking the streets on Sunday. Many native Caymanians are churchgoers. Indeed it would appear that the churches are more than religious centres - they are also community centers serving as a basis for a variety of activities.

On http://www.caymanchurches.com/ I counted 35 churches - a pretty significant amount for a population of about 45,000, of which just under half are Caymanian residents and the rest expatriates.

By the way, I met the Principal of the school after church and she me invited me for a tour on a normal everyday school day. No doubt a much better way to evaluate the school than on a Sunday morning.

Back in the Caymans

I am back in the Caymans, having accepted the job offer from the Information, Communications and Technology Authority (ICTA). I have been given a week to sought out all tasks related to a move abroad: accommodation, schools, banking etc. So far I have opened a bank account and found a place to live. The apartment is located in the George Town area close to schools and work. It has a sea view and direct access to the sea and a beach half a block away. The Google Earth coordinates are: lat=19.2784135251, lon=-81.3917586815

As I write this post there is a thunder storm passing overhead. The last couple of days I have been watching the developments of hurricane Felix. It passed way south of Cayman as expected. The people here didn’t make any fuss at all. With hurricane Dean a few weeks ago, however, it is my understanding that some areas were vacated and people prepared themselves for a hit.

The potential for a hurricane passing over the Caymans has influenced me in some of my tasks this week. For example, when renting a house, a two story is recommended. During hurricane Ivan (three years ago), the island was nearly covered in sea water. A quarter or more of the buildings on the islands were reported to be uninhabitable, with 85% damaged to some extent. A second story can keep you dry. Another example, is my choice of car. During Ivan almost all cars were covered in sea water, ruining car engines. Obviously, I don’t intend to buy an amphibious vehicle, but through private purchase there is a risk of buying an Ivan infected car. As a person with very little understanding of car mechanics, this has narrowed my car search efforts to car dealers.

The prospects of a hurricane passing over the island both scares and fascinates me. Currently, we in the midst of the Atlantic hurricane season. The figure below illustrates the Atlantic hurricane season with over 97% of tropical activity within the period of 1 June to 30 November.
There is evidence that the global warming might be making the storms stronger (not increasing their number). In addition, global warming may also be causing sea levels to rise. The Northwest Passage is now open (connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans) and melting polar ice and glaciers may cause a rise in global sea levels - something that should be a major concern for Caymanians. Cayman Islands is very low lying and I suspect a rise of only a few meters could have disastrous effects.

From Brisbane to Cayman

So it has been a while since I posted anything. It has been a few very busy months. As I write this post I am sitting in The Courtyard Marriot Hotel on the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean waiting for a response to a job interview. The previous post was submitted from our apartment in Brisbane.

Having left Brisbane on 10 June (Tobias birthday) we made our way to Thailand. Here we spent three weeks doing pretty much nothing. The majority of time we were at the Holiday Inn Resort on Koh Phi Phi Don (about 8 x 2.5 km and the shape of an H), a fantastic island paradise off the southern coast of Thailand.

The resort had all the essentials for the making of a relaxing vacation. Staying within the bounds of the resort you could be forgiven for thinking that this was an island of perfection. However, just outside the resort was the island’s sea gypsy population and other less exclusive resorts giving a more realistic picture of the status of the island. In addition, every morning from around 6 an army of workers would clean the beach allocated to the Holiday Inn resort visitors. Upstream from the resort various rubbish would drift downstream during the night littering the otherwise beautiful beach. Litter in the water seems to be a general problem in the island region. According to Majken who visited the area 11 years ago, it was also problem back then. No matter where you are in the island region you find rubbish. The tsunami may have played a role, but it is unfortunate that locals (and tourists) are not more concerned with this development and have been educated in environmental protection.

During our stay we also managed to visit Phi Phi Don’s sister island Phi Phi Lei. Lei is uninhabited except for the Viking Cave which is guarded to protect the nests of the cave swift.

They are renowned for building nests with a unique chemical mix needed to produce the Chinese delicacy - Bird's Nest Soup. It is also on this island you find the world famous beaches Loh Samah and Maya Bay. The Beach was filmed here.

While the beaches in Thailand are fantastic the main Beach here on Cayman, seven mile beach, is just as impressive and impeccably clean. Despite its name it is only about 5.5 miles long. The stretch of land making up seven mile beach is the most developed and expensive area of Cayman and houses most of the island's luxury resorts and hotels.

I think the job interview went well. Cayman Island could prove to be a good place to live.