Nassau, The Bahamas Report of what it's like to live there - 01/11/11
Personal Experiences from Nassau, The Bahamas
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
2nd experience
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
From Washington, DC, you can take a direct flight to Nassau, but most airlines transit via Miami. It is a 45 minute flight from Nassau to Miami.
3. How long have you lived here?
18 months
4. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Assigned to the U.S. Embassy
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Housing is primarily single family homes and condos. You will either be in a gated community or in a residential neighborhood. If you're in a residential neighborhood you're more like to have a decent yard and maybe a pool, but security can be more of an issue. If you're in a gated community you'll be safer, but in more a townhome/apartment type environment. Most if not all of the homes in the Sandyport community have boat slips. Commutes to the embassy vary from 15 - 60 minutes depending on your location. Traffic is worst when school is in session and can double these times.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Groceries are very expensive. After a while you just get used to it and stop looking at prices. A box of Cheerios will cost about $7-8, yogurt is $2-3 a cup, apples are often $1-2 each. Anything non-food related that you may want you should buy in advance or count on ordering online. I wanted a little cooler and the cheapest I could find locally was $120. There is no sales or income tax here so all government revenue is made on customs taxes. Cars average about an 85% when they come in.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Probably more paper goods. We shipped quite a bit, but we've run out and are ordering more rather than pay local prices.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
McDonald's, Wendys, KFC, Burger King, Subway, and Quiznos are all present. There are a lot of decent restaurants here, but all are expensive. I would say a nice, non-fast food lunch without drinks would be about $20 person and dinner probably more like $40-50. Even the fast food prices are higher here. When Subway was running its $5 footlong campaign in the States it was $7 footlongs here.
5. What kinds of organic, vegetarian and allergy-friendly foods are available, such as organic produce, gluten-free products, meat substitutes for vegetarians, etc?
There is some organic food available here at a few small shops, but not much.
6. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Mosquitoes can be pretty bad and the region has had recent dengue outbreaks. Sand fleas are the worse thing here. You'll never see them, but you can get terrible bites around your lower legs that itch horribly and can become infected to the point of requiring anti-biotics.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
We have pouch and recently added a DPO. Neither is particularly quick though. Expect 2-3 weeks. Hopefully the DPO will get better with time though.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Available, but expensive. A full time housekeeper would cost about $200-300 a week. Make sure they already have a work permit because you don't want to go through the hassle of getting one. All housekeepers will generally be Jamaican or Haitian. All gardeners are Haitian.
3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
There is one main gym that people use located at Sandyport.
4. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
You can use credit cards at major restaurants. ATMs are present and generally safe to use, but be aware of your surroundings.
5. What English-language religious services are available locally?
Many, many churches.
6. English-language newspapers and TV available? Cost?
2 daily newspapers plus a few others that are published twice a week. Most of the television sold by Cable Bahamas is pirated from the U.S. We have channels from Miami, New York, Seattle, and Canada.
7. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
You'll get the hang of Bahamian English pretty quickly. Haitian Creole would be helpful as 20% of the population is Haitian.
8. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Sidewalks are often absent and when present are in disrepair. Many buildings are not accessible.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Fairly safe and a seatbelt law is now in effect (it was passed in 2002, but the police just announced they're going to start enforcing it.) Buses crisscross the island and usually cost $1.25.
2. What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
Anything is fine, but the roads can be rough and flooding is common so you may want something with decent ground clearance.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Internet access is pretty good and generally reliable.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
The embassy issues them to direct hires. If you bring something unlocked you can use it here and buy minutes from one of the guys standing on every corner. Calls are very expensive to the U.S. due to a monopoly.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
No.
2. Quality pet care available (vets & kennels)?
The Palmdale Vet Clinic is good. They don't have every piece of equipment, but the vets are good and seem to care. Avoid the vets at the Humane Society unless it is an emergency. Also, never use the Humane Society as a kennel for your pet as there are far too many diseases and ticks there. There are a few petsitters on the island.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Work permits would make this challenging, but it is possible. There are quite a few EFM jobs in the Embassy.
2. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Bahamians dress pretty conservatively. It may be 85F, but count on wearing a suit to all meetings.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
I believe Nassau is currently listed as "high" for crime, but that will probably move to "critical" soon if it hasn't already. The country has set murder records in 3 out of the last 4 years. In 2010 there were 96 murders. That may not sound like a lot, but in a country with less than 300,000 people, it is significant. Most of the murders involve the drug trade. Tourists have been targeted in the past for violent muggings and robberies. In 2009 there was a group of 9 tourists robbed at gun point in a major tourist attraction downtown. Also in 2009 there were 14 tourists robbed at once while they were on a Segway tour. In general, if you be careful about going out at night, you'll probably be okay, but day time robberies and home invasions are not unheard of.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
There are two major hospitals. Neither is great, but Doctors Hospital is better. For anything serious, you'll have to go to Florida.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
The air quality is good.
4. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
The summer is usually in the 90s with lows in the 70s. In the winter you can expect highs in the 70s or 80s with lows in the 50s or 60s. Occasionally a cold snap will come along and push lows in the the 40s. Hurricane season runs from June through November and The Bahamas is regularly affected. 2 hurricanes hit the islands in 2010, though neither did significant damage.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
I believe there are two high schools, Lyford Cay and St. Andrews. Lyford Cay is on the west end of the island in a prestigious community (Sean Connery lives there), but is very small. St. Andrews is on the east side and is bigger, but traffic is awful over there. Parents with kids there will be faced with either hour commutes for their kids to get to school or having an hour commute for them to get to work.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
3. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Some employ nannies, but work permits are a serious hurdle to overcome.
4. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
It is pretty large, but many are wealthy retirees who have a second home here. There are also quite a few expats working in finance here. The diplomatic community is small and consists primarily of the Americans and the Chinese.
2. Morale among expats:
Fairly low at the Embassy. Some of this has to do with current personalities and those will change and that might help. It also has to do with Embassy divisions between State, CBP, and DEA. CBP isn't often stationed overseas like this and many of them have unrealistic expectations as to what Embassy life is. This can also be true of a lesser extent with DEA.
3. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?
The Marine House has been holding regular events. Quite a bit of entertaining in people's homes. There are also a lot of restaurants that hold events, though many of these are geared toward tourists.
4. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
I would say it is pretty good for all, but is mostly family focused. Singles and couples will need to find their own entertainment and balance that with how much they want to be treated like a tourist when they go out.
5. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
Bahamians are extremely homophobic and intolerant of anything that violates their concepts of a "good Christian." There is an underground gay community, but it stays pretty quiet.
6. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Black and white Bahamians (about 80/20) appear to get along just fine. I think any religion as long as it is Christian is acceptable. As far as gender goes, I would say there is a tendency toward very traditional roles, but in fact it is often the women who are better students and achieve more.
7. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
The weather is nice all year around, though it does get pretty hot in the summer. The winter can be a bit too cool to get in the pool or ocean, but it still beats two feet of snow. Bahamians are friendly people (at least the ones not trying to mug and/or shoot you.)
8. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Go to the beach, visit the forts, go to the Out Islands for a more traditional Bahamian lifestyle (most Bahamians will tell you that Nassau is awful...it is the other islands you want to visit.) Go over to Paradise Island and envelope yourself in Atlantis Resort and pretend you're someplace else. Go to the U.S. for a quick getaway.
9. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Straw bags, rum cake, cigars.
10. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
The beaches are very nice and you're never more than a 10 minute drive from one and often you can walk to one. The close proximity to the United States makes it easy to get out of here and to attend to things in the U.S. Some people do all of their doctors and dentist appointments in the U.S.
11. Can you save money?
We managed to save quite a bit, but we don't go out all of the time. A family with several kids might have a tough go out of saving money.
Words of Wisdom:
1. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
No.
2. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Winter clothes (even though you'll see Bahamians in parkas once the temps dip into the 60s), pre-conceived notions of a vacation for two years.
3. But don't forget your:
Flip flops, sunglasses, sunscreen, checkbook to pay for everything.
4. Do you recommend any books or movies about this city/country for those who are interested in learning more?
5. Recommended movies/DVDs related to this city:
Several movies were filmed here: After The Sunset, Casino Royale, Thunderball. None of these have much to do with what life is actually like here.
6. Do you have any other comments?
It is hard for people to believe that an assignment in The Bahamas might be difficult, but it is. Few are happy here. Some of this is personality conflicts. However, mostly it is the difference between staying at a resort for a week as a tourist and living the real life of a local for two years. The beaches are beautiful, but you can't spend all day on the beach for two years and they get old pretty quick. The threat of crime is always in the back of your mind and the Bahamian lack of work ethic and customer service is really draining.
