After 8 hours in the plane, we start seeing the coast line of Barbados - I must admit, I cannot remember 3 months after, how I saw the coast first but what I remember very clearly was the rise of heat inside the plane itself as we were going down. Was it due to my pregnancy or does it hit everybody in the same way when coming from a colder country? I do not know but for sure, it was extremely unpleasant at first - to feel the heat, without seeing the sunny landscape - it was as if I was lacking of air, I was starting to feel sick...
Finally, we landed and after a long wait inside the plane, we eventually started moving and reached the top of the stairs outside of the plane. At that point, I had a joyful moment:-) We had just been through half of one of the coldest winter ever in UK and I suddenly could see this ultra sunny landscape and was hit by the second real wave of extremely hot air. In addition, my heart jumped inside, I was full of hope - not that I had ever been excited by the perspective of moving here - I've never had any particular attraction for the Caribbean - but several events seemed to drag us there - I knew, I had to go through this and I thought there must be a good reason for it. So, I was full of hope and overwhelmed by the sun and this just made me feel I wanted to laugh like crazy:-)
The arrival at the airport and many things that just happened on that first day would be very relevant of feelings I still have today...
The heat has proved more than once to have very strange chemical effects on our brain...it hits you suddenly - around 8-9 am in the morning, it gets sometimes overwhelming, it gives you sometimes the impression that certain connections on the software of my brain are melting, it favours the spread of creative new ideas and intuitive thinking as Jos would say, but it also makes it very difficult to concentrate on things...it is like everything would be boiling and melting away quickly...it is difficult to keep focused on one thing - hence, maybe the time it takes me to give a real start to this blog...although, here, I would blame also the fact of disliking spending time in front of any source of heat...ad my cooking is still done because with my beliefs about healthy living, it is necessary but suffering as well of this problem...it gets so difficult to spend too long in front of any source of heat...
Let's come back to the arrival at the airport and the various elements of that first day that would prove to be still an issue or a joy or a fact today...
Then, came the queue and the non-sorted visa issue at the passport desk...a letter from the University of West Indies brought by the Vice President would do for a temporarily permit to stay but this took time and was not how things were supposed to be dealt with...Jos employer had received our papers - Noa and mine - 3 months before our arrival, as requested, in order to issue our permits to stay...but nothing had been sorted out and nothing still has been sorted out regarding our visas 3 months after our move on the island. Noa and me entered with a permit to stay 3 weeks...I guess, we are still here illegally for 2 months...
Then, our first encounter with the land on our first taxi drive to the hotel...
Nowadays, with internet, you see pictures before, you know more or less what to expect - I did not fall in love instantly with the place...I had my prejudice about the island - the majority of pictures I had seen were the 'selected prettier ones', the news you read about Barbados all talk about 'the little England of the Caribbean', the most modern place in the Caribbean, the cricket, the golf courses, the luxurious hotels taking over the nature...So, I did not fall in love with the place but I actually felt a funny relief when I saw the road leaving from the airport getting narrower, dustier, going through some packed colourful 'slum' houses area...As I was strangely getting relieved by the sight of a poorer view of the country that sort of made me feel this was going to be more exotic and adventurous than the dreadful thought of living on a luxurious island...Jos, on the other hand was getting more concerned...
We drove on some narrow roads with no finished sides, no pavements, through the sugar cane fields...we drove through some shortcuts around Bridgetown - as I would later realise - surrounded by a very dense collection of small houses - Here and there, a green painted 'Heineken' house where people are gathered or a red painted 'Banks' house, which hold bars or small mini cans' convenient stores inside...
The hotel looked lovely - some private flats - exotic, comfortable, and still simple - not of this luxurious type I was dreading of. It was spacious, had a large opening at the front on the terrace - same as our house now actually - 2 wide open doors on the terrace - offering an excellent view on some green in front - including palm trees and colourful flowers. We had 2 large spacious rooms, with A/C!!! a good size kitchen bar opened on the living room area...Anyhow, just to say, all looked comfortable but somehow isolated...and I felt a funny squeeze inside...which is still in my heart...
There are nice areas, nice spots from which you look at an amazing sunset for example...but so many times, everything around you reminds you that you are on a small island with a feeling of isolation from the external world...you are on a coral reef plate that emerged out of the sea slowly in the middle of the ocean and the notion of time and space here feels very different than on a bigger part of land attached to others...well at least, the experience I've had of living in Europe...
Here are some pictures of our first week in Barbados to illustrate some of my thoughts although, on the pictures, I feel more a sense of immensity but I am not sure this strange feeling of isolation comes across...well, hopefully not since once wants to bring a bit of dream through the pictures...or maybe, it is just a paradox here - living on a paradise island with a feeling of nostalgia...or maybe it is just us or just me feeling that...
