Cayman is a Changing Place
Somehow, this week was like a journey. Like starting out in one place and ending up somewhere totally different.
Cayman is not the place it used to be and we are not going to like the place it is rapidly becoming. You don’t have to
look hard to see the changes but you do have to stop and take notice, too many people think it wont affect them.
Non Caymanians, expats, foreigners, whatever you like to call them vastly outnumber Caymanians especially in everyday
situations. Everywhere I went this week I saw people, whole crews working at fast food joints and supermarkets, not one
was identifiably Caymanian. If I can’t identify the Caymanians I’m sure a tourist can’t either. If you walked into
Fosters you would be forgiven for thinking the national language was Spanish! Anyone entering KFC during the late shift
would be excused for thinking they were in India.
All these people have brought with them their customs, their habits and their attitudes. There was a time when
everyone understood that the supermarket isle were too narrow, courtesy dictated that you keep to one side. Tell that to
the two Spanish ladies with gaudy red lipstick I was behind. They walked down the exact center of the isle, slow as
turtles, gazing in all directions, except mine.
Crime is on the rise too. My friend from the Med School got his wallet stolen. My great aunt had hers stolen out of
her car while she was delivering Meals on Wheels. A car cleaning service took a co-workers Jeep for a joy ride and used
her credit card in three separate places. These petty crimes never happened before, largely because people
couldn’t hide. Everyone had at least seen everyone else once. Now the crowds of people are a sea of nameless, shifting
faces. Cayman has lost its peacefulness and Caymanians are loosing their neighborly attitude. We feel the hustle and
bustle, we are all striving to make a buck, money has becoming more important than morality, or legality for that
matter.
We went out for a proper Caymanian lunch today, Conch Stew and Steam Fish. The conch comes from elsewhere now, a
total ban is in effect because of over fishing. The Crows Nest is one of Caymans hidden treasures, it overlooks the
water with a nice view of the South Sound Light House. The sound of the gentle sea on the sand is one of natures most
relaxing sounds. I remarked that there was no point being on this island if you didn’t make it to the beach every
weekend. Nobody could say they had been in the last month, everyone was too busy.
We are too few, too busy, too indifferent to look after our Island. Other people are looking after it for use, things
are bound to change. Now I feel as though I have woken up to where I am and its not the place it used to be.
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