One of the great things about our little adventure is that it has provided a chance to reconnect with old friends, and has shown on multiple occasions that it is in fact a small world after all. I’ve already written about reconnecting with Greg and Pete, two great friends from my childhood. Recently I got an email from my friend Autumn, another good friend from high school with whom I had fallen out of touch over the years. She had been reading the blog, and once we arrived in Cayman she decided to write to congratulate us on our adventures and to wish us well. So Autumn and I have been exchanging emails and catching up on each other’s lives, and it has been very nice!
Autumn has an older brother named Erik. I knew Erik back in high school — we were on the high school volleyball team together (yes, I know — short and unathletic, volleyball was the perfect sport for me), but he was a few years older than me, and we were more acquaintences than friends. But he was a nice guy, and I liked him, since I was good friends with his sister.
A few weeks ago Erik and his wife Amanda came down to Cayman. It turns out that they just bought some property here, and they came down to see it and to have a nice little weekend getaway. I had never met Amanda, and I hadn’t seen Erik in about 17 years, but when you live on an island, you’re anxious to make friends and to enjoy the company of visitors to the island. And for Erik and Amanda, they were looking forward to making friends on island so they would know people here when they finally moved down. So it was with great pleasure that I went out to dinner with Erik and Amanda. Unfortunately, Andrea couldn’t make it — she was leading a night dive (dive instructors get paid extra for night dives, and since we barely make any money, we both jump at the opportunity to lead night dives whenever they arise). But the three of us went out and had a very nice time! It was interesting to meet Amanda and to learn what Erik has been up to, and it was great to hear their take on the island, and to learn a bit about buying property here. I look forward to the next time they come to Cayman, so that we can go out again, this time with Andrea!
Last week I got another visitor — my friend Greg from my diving course. He’s a doctor and he teaches diving on the side. He has been an instructor for years and years, but he let his teaching status expire, and PADI made him go through the Instructor Development Course again to get back up to speed before teaching again. He and his wife were taking a cruise that passed through Cayman, so he emailed me, and ultimately came by my shop to chat for an hour during his day in Cayman. Again, Andrea missed the visit — she was working that day as well, but her shop is in West Bay, which is not near where the cruise ships dock and the tourists visit. We chatted for an hour or so while I worked, but it was really nice to se a familiar face, and to get to chat with a friend face to face. Unfortunately we didn’t get to dive together, but it was still really nice to see Greg, even for a little bit.
And next weekend, Andrea’s parents come down for a visit. She is super-excited to see them — she misses them tons, and has been anxiously awaiting their visit. And even though she didn’t get to see our other visitors, you can bet that she’s doing everything she can to make sure she gets to spend maximum time with her folks! I’ll be sure to post a blog update about their visit in the future!
Is there a point to all of this? Come to Cayman and I’ll blog about you!