Homecoming Weekend in Eleuthera

I was invited to a weekend on a family island called Eleuthera. The history of the island dates back to the Eleutheran adventurers that first came to the island in search for a new, free life. The island is larger than New Providence, 110 miles long, but the population far smaller, only 11,000 compared to 200,000 in Nassau that is 21x7 miles. Needless to say, traffic is welcomingly non-existent. I was invited by one of Nelly’s friends, Ineisy and her husband Juan for Palmetto Point’s Homecoming weekend. Juan is originally from Palmetto Point, a settlement about midway on the island. The term "homecoming" refers to an annual settlement reunion that all family islands have. It usually consists of a regatta, a lot of home-cooked food stands, bars, and live music. Bahamians party all the time, but homecoming is a special reunion celebration giving extra reason to celebrate. And the term “family islands" is a literal term: islands of the family, your family. Most people move to Nassau for work, leaving their family home on the outer/family islands. So these reunions are a time for everyone to come home and party together. So, from the moment we left the dock it was rum and coke all the time. I drank more coke this weekend that I have in five years. Seriously. I met the group at the dock at 4pm on Friday, after a mix-up of going to the wrong boat and buying the wrong ticket in typical Priti fashion. We took a boat called the Island Link (not the SeaLink which was my original ticket), which is a barge with a ½ floor of benches. People come on with coolers and booze it up for the 3.5 hour ride. So here I was rum and coke in hand, making new friends and enjoying the ocean breeze. There were 10 of us on the trip, Juan, Ineisy and the baby, Grammy, Kim, Bertram, Rhoda, Sandra, Kristen, and myself. I didn’t know everyone very well at the beginning, but with Bahamian friendliness and hospitality we were fast friends soon enough. Bertram was the number tennis pro on the island before he retired. His daughter Kim was a 30th of a second short of qualifying for the Olympics in swimming, an accomplished triathlete and swimming medalist. Sandra was married to a music producer for Paula Abdul in LA for years with her daughter Kristen. (They met when he was recording in Lenny Kravitz’s studio in Nassau back in the 80s before anyone knew who Lenny was). Rhoda is the controller for John Bull, so we were able to talk a little shop. We spent our days driving, drinking, eating, and sunning. We went to the big blue hole (literal hole in the island that extends down 1500feet to the ocean below) in Rock Sound that I explored. It was pretty cool, lots of fish. We took a day trip to Harbour Island (seperate entry to come on this) where we had lunch and putted around in a golf cart in search for fresh baked bread for Rhoda. We went to the beach every night for homecoming, where we drank, ate, danced, made new friends, and watched Juan catch up with everyone on the island. The last day when we were driving back to the boat we stopped at a day party in Hatchet Bay where I had the best Bahamian Mac n’Cheese I have ever had. I really wish I could digest cheese. After watching the local town drunk dance his butt off (video below) we made our way back to the boat where we drank even more rum and coke and fought off eating all the pineapple tarts we bought for friends at home. (Eleuthera is known for their pineapples, holding the Eleuthera Pineapple Fest every year showcasing some of the sweetest, juiciest pineapples that you will ever taste. And of course lots of partying and drinking.) We got home around 10pm and after the boat captain (my new BFF) dropped me home, I passed out and a week later am still recovering.

Snapshots over the last few weeks

Scene1:
Discussion with my co-worker Kevin:
Kevin: Priti when we started the program I thought you were a real bitch but it turns out that you're ok.
Priti: Thanks Kevin, right back at ya.


Scene 2:
Out at a late night bar after work:
Man at bar: My friend here wants to have sex with you, want to go in the back for a few minutes?
Priti: Just a few minutes? Totally not worth my time, but thanks.


Scene 3:
At a bar on our way to darts match/only in Nassau:
Grouper: Guys we have to drive now or we are going to be late.
Ricky: Not until I get my f-ing drink fo the road.
Todd: Yeah man, I need a beer for the traffic.
Grouper: Yeah, you're right, I'm running a little low too. Beers!


Scene 4:
Man in car driving past me: Are you pregnant?
Me: What?
Man: You pregnant right.
Me: No fool, I'm not.
I turn to my friend: Erin, what the hell was that about?
Erin: Priti, you must be getting fat.
Me: Oh, ok.


Scene 5:
On Justin's boat going to Rose Island:
Justin, as I'm taking my cover-up off: Man, that is a nice bikini.
Priti. Thanks, and by bikini do you mean breasts?
Justin: Yes I do.
Priti: Alright, thanks man.

Scene 6:
Overheard by friend that was playing an extra while filming:
Chris (acting security guard): Hello Julia, I'm Chris, I"ll be working with you today, just wanted to introduce myself. (extends hand to shake)
Julia Roberts: I'm not shaking hands with everyone today. (and then turns her back to him)

Scene 7: (to end on a postive note)
At filming where I was an extra (and above scene occured):
Gary: Hello, we haven't met, I'm Gary.
Me: Hi Gary, I'm Priti.
Gary: Oh Creepy, it's so nice to meet you.
Me (semi-annoyed): Well, Hairy, it's nice to meet you too.
Gary: Wine? I'm on my third.
Priti: Clearly.

Stuart's Birthday

Stuart has been working the Nassau program for decades. This is our first season working together, as I had only worked with opposing companies in the past. We’ve had our rival moments in the past, so it was nice to get to know him in a non-competitive manner. Stuart’s birthday is April 30th, so with our newfound friendship and my love of celebrating birthdays we were going out in style. I took him out to dinner to one of my favorite restaurants on the island, Café Matisse. Then Nelly met up with us at a bar called Crazy Johnny’s. This guy Johnny lives like a rockstar. He owns the bar, sings in the band, dangles from a u-bar upside down while singing, and spits fire (video below). Insane. So we hung out there for a while before we met up with the staff at Waterloo where most of the pictures are from below. Happy Birthday Stuart!

April Gradcity Program

After I came back from Miami, I stayed with my married friends, Nelly and Adam for a few days before I checked back into the Wyndham for work. My days with them consisted of losing power for 12 hours and almost sweating to death, going to my buddy Grouper’s dart matches (which is a lot of fun and drinking), a post-marriage celebration party, dating this guy named Jeff, American teacher on the island, being set up with Cliff by Nelly and Adam and sitting on my suitcase to move it over to the Wyndham. And lots of beach and afternoon mudslides. It was an adjustment when I started work and my time was no longer my own. I fought it for a while, but with a 10-day 1100-kid program, there are a lot of demands. And the staff was hand picked as the best of the best from all locations, so it was really fun to hang out with a group of work hard/party hard people. The staff, 45 total, came from the Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco programs, originally coming from places like England, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, etc. On average the normal staff size is between 7-15 people, so 45 was a lot more financial work for me. While working, my days consisted of attending and reconciling arrival orientations (which could be ALL day), staff reimbursements, vendor payments, submitting reports to the US office, and partying with the staff at night. At the end of the program we had a staff party to celebrate which was unbridled insanity and always a good time. There were only three kids that went to the hospital, one in jail, and one escorted off the island, not too bad for NY and Boston kids.

My View

View from my balcony, SUCKAS.

Miami, FL

After my crazy staff party, I closed accounts and went to Miami to visit my best friend in the whole world, Angela. Ange is living in Miami pursuing her Masters in Education soon after completing over two years Peace Corps Service in the Dominican Republic. Her spanish is very useful in Miami as it is the first and in some cases, the only language in Miami. My partial french background is not particularly helpful, so its a good thing to have her around.
Miami was a very relaxing and restful time. Mainly because I got a massive chest cold and had to sleep it off. So I slept, laid out and ate and it was great. Ange was working on her final papers (SO glad I'm not in school) and occasionally freaking out, so I got to spend a lot time recouperating from my cold and my previous 6 weeks of straight partying. I did manage to do some fun things when I wasn't sleeping or being lazy: kayaking in Oleta State Park in North Miami, downtown at the Blue Martini for drinks and dancing, and sunning in south beach. I also shopped myself to exhaustion getting things for my Bahamian friends. Because things aren't widely available/affordable on the island, whenever someone goes over to the states they have a shopping list on hand for their friends. I got things from Victoria's Secret scents to a cordless computer mouse. I remember a few years ago when I had a friend visiting, I emailed him my own list of goods including things like face make-up and contact solution. I once paid $8 for a bottle of Suave conditioner on the island. All of this is why people get their goods abroad.

After 8 seemingly short days, it was time to leave Angela and Miami. I really enjoyed the city with its international vibrance and melding of so many rich cultures. And Angela, she's my best friend in the whole world, so its hard to say goodbye everytime. But before I knew it was time to head to back to Nassau, which is also great, but it was a sad parting until next time.

Staff Goodbye - April 1st Group

So this season is different than it has been in the years past.

Because more people are travelling independently, numbers have gone down, making the seasons on-site shorter/broken up. Therefore, a season that would normally run from the end of Feb to the end of April, now has a two week break in the middle. This causes two seperate staff groups. One group ending on April 1st, and a new team starting on the 15th. So when the kids left on the 30th, we had a staff night out and partied a little too hard.
We started with dinner at the Fish Fry (area of Nassau, and most Bahamian islands, where the dockside fish restaurants are located) where a friend of ours, Bobo, has a restaurant called Oh Andros! (island where he is from). Before we sat for dinner, we had a couple cocktails at another fish shack, Goldie's, where there was Karaoke going on. Oh my. Now, I would put that video up, but it is like torture, so I'll spare you. Plus, the one that is up of Blue doing the Souldya Boy dance is way funnier. After a few ear-bleeding songs, we went over to Bobo's restaurant and ordered more drinks and ate so much good food. Now, Liz, the program director from Freeport, didnt drink in Freeport. I thought she was always dry, but apparently only for that month. Because all of a sudden I hear, "PRITI, TEQUILA NOW!" and I turn around and its Liz, waiting for her shot. Thats when I figured out that she was only on a break and is apparently a boozehound like myself. So we have not one, but two, double shots of Tequila together. She definitely made up for lost time. Food food food. I had grilled grouper, Bahamian style baked mac n'cheese, peas and rice, and plantains. This is a typical Bahamian meal (except usually the fish is fried, but most of you know how that makes my stomach feel). After my multiple shots with Liz, I ran into an old friend of mine, Casey, that bartends at one of the clubs that our kids go to, Cocktails and Dreams. We've known each other since I started coming down in 02, so it was good to see him and catch up.

After dinner we went to Senor Frogs. I made a pit stop with a couple of my staff to Frankie's room to smoke and an hour and 6 where-r-u calls later, we got to Senor Frogs. Then it was time to really party. Several buckets of Dos Equis, a bottle of tequila, and an already plastered staff, we danced and danced and danced. and drank. After that we went to Waterloo where people started to blackout and had to be carried home. Around 4:30am that night we called it quits and fumbled to the cars to get home. People started flying out at 6am that morning. I'm so glad I wasnt one of them.