Grand Cayman is the largest island and is approximately 76 square miles, 22 miles long and 8 miles at the widest point. The other two islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac are only 11 and 15 square miles and have a combined population of 2,000. Grand Cayman has over 54,000 people from over 100 nationalities.
Most of the population lives to the West of the Pedro St. James National Historic site.
I highly recommend moving to Grand Cayman if you are an a) Attorney, or have any legal experience; b) Accountant, or have any of the appropriate certifications; c) Canadian or English. If you are either of the first two things move here and you will make buckets of money and you will not be taxed. That being said, the island is very expensive. Perhaps if you have previously lived in California or Manhattan, you will not notice a difference. A gallon of gas is CI$5.50 which is US$6.88. (That is why we have a Honda Fit that takes 7 gallons to fill up.) If you are interested in moving here, this is the best website to use as reference.
Grand Cayman consists of white sandy beaches and Caribbean blue waters. It is world famous for Seven Mile beach and scuba diving. With temperatures in the 80s and sunshine nearly year round, it is a tourist hotspot. Just yesterday there were at least six cruise ships in port. We visited Grand Cayman on our Caribbean cruise last March and enjoyed Seven Mile Beach.
I spent my afternoon on our backyard
Twenty yards off the shore you can find coral with tropical fish, stingrays, squid, and turtles!
How we got to Grand Cayman.
Steven and I were happily enjoying our life in Charleston, South Carolina. One day I was perusing the ASID job opportunities and came across an ad to work as an interior designer in Grand Cayman. I got so excited and immediately emailed Steven about the opportunity. We had always talked about owning our own resort in the Caribbean. This was our chance to partially make that dream come true! I sent in my resume and received a response back within the hour. We set up a phone interview for the next week. There were many conversations between Steven and myself to consider this adventure. Could we really quit our jobs, sell everything, pack up our home, and move to another country? After three weeks and a video interview with the owner, I was offered the position with the intention of starting October 1. I felt that life gave me limes so I was going to make margaritas and move to the Caribbean!
The October 1, got pushed back to a November 1 start date, then it got pushed back farther. I was unaware of all the hoops an ex-pat has to go through to receive employment. We did move out of our house in October to get it rented, sold most of our furniture, boxed up a few personal items and other things that we would want when we were to eventually move back to the South and moved into my parents' basement. I received the email December 2 that I was approved to work in Grand Cayman. We bought two plane tickets and made our way down Friday December 9.
December 9, 2011, Steven and I began our adventure with four bags, two carry-on and a guitar.
Our first Cayman sunset
Cayman is such a different environment than anywhere else. It is a much slower pace of life and everyone really is on "Island time." The fastest speed limit is 45mph, and you have to deal with traffic every morning and afternoon. But when we finally do get home to see the sunset between the palm trees and into the crystal blue waters, you almost need to pinch yourself to make sure this is real!
This is a wonderful adventure that we get to experience together. Fifty years from now our grandchildren will think we were so cool because we lived on a tropical island!
**Don't worry I don't plan on anymore history lessons! My next post will be about traditional Cayman style.
**Don't worry I don't plan on anymore history lessons! My next post will be about traditional Cayman style.
you did a great job of starting up something new. this is the best blog i have ever seen. i look forward to following your adventure with you in this colorful and insiteful way.
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