First Stop: Nassau, New Providence Bahamas

So it’s 10pm here in Nassau, sadly it is my last night in the Bahamas. Time went by so fast that I unfortunately did not get to do much while I was here. L Between trying to acclimate to the time difference, being alone, and just me being precautious, the only thing that I was able to do while I was here was try some restaurants, walk around town, and go to the beach across from my hotel.

I was traveling for 20+ hours prior to arriving in Nassau, and my suggestion for those who enjoy going out and about when landing is: when traveling for long periods of time, be sure to get A LOT of rest on the plane if you can’t fall asleep on the airplane I suggest taking a melatonin. If you are well rested it makes the jet lag less severe, and you will be much more energized when arriving at your destination. Second, don’t worry about your sleep schedule and what time you usually go to be back home, if you go with the local time you adjust much faster and it makes it easier to fall asleep and wake up on time.

Like the people, the Bahamas is very exotic and rich in character. In my short time being here I was able to piece together some parts of the unspoken Bahamian local culture and lifestyle. Bahamians are very friendly and are always willing to talk with outsiders and lend them a helping hand. When the locals are together even if they don’t know each other very well, they bond so well and act like they are old friends. Bahamians are very loud and full of spunk! It is easy to see that Bahamians are very family oriented in their interactions with one another and willingness to help other people. I was told that wherever I go somebody is always going to look out for me and I was able to experience this first hand.

Yesterday was such a culture shock to me. It was my first time being out of the country since I was a baby! I got my first taste of being an outsider in a foreign country, which was a really surreal experience. I was a little bit frightened walking around alone even in the day. Some of the men here are very aggressive try to pursue outside women very perversely. But like I said, people tend to watch out for you.

Luckily here, everyone speaks English and everywhere you go they accept US currency. It was really different being a complete minority here, coming from Hawaii where everywhere you go you meet a diverse spectrum of different people. Here, I stood out like a sore thumb. The Bahamian way of speaking is so beautiful. Once they begin to speak in their Creole accents words start to fly out of their mouths in so many directions and tones, it is so unique.

I walked through town and about the streets observing everything that I could take in. I met a girl named Finesse walking to town who told me of some places to go and we talked about the very different cultures that we were raised in. She was a very sweet girl and walked with me all the way to my destination. I did a little bit of window-shopping and came across a small local restaurant that I had read about in my Lonely Planet guidebook. It was called the Imperial Café and served many local Bahamian dishes for great prices. I ordered the chicken curry, that I was told was a popular dish and to my surprise, the chicken that was served with my dish was chicken feet! I immediately lost my appetite seeing something that I am really not used to. I homeless man came up and started talking to me as I sat down to eat. I wanted to keep an open mind and approach our encounter as a cultural experience rather than being a typical American snob, he began to get on my nerves a little bit, starting to ask if I was going to finish my meal, and I didn’t know how to politely get him away. A group of locals started to enter the restaurant and a local man saw that I was annoyed and asked the man to come sit with him. I was really relieved and thankful that a stranger had helped me like that. I ate for a little bit longer, then got up and gave my leftover food to the homeless man and thanked the stranger who had helped me.

It got dark faster than I expected and during the nighttime I decided to stay in because it is unsafe for women to walk around alone at night. I felt really lonely being alone and so far away from home, but I was fortunately able to call my family via Skype phone.

Nassau has been very welcoming to me since my arrival and was definitely a good place for me to adjust being away from home. Tomorrow I set sail for Roseau Dominica! I am very excited to get on the ship and set sail to the Caribbean! I wish I could have seen more of the Bahamas, but the real adventure awaits me tomorrow!