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Pros: Coming from Northern Canada, I loved living in the Cayman Islands (weather was incredible) and did not experience any culture shock - I loved the Caymanian people. One of my favourite things was taking the local bus around the island. One Friday night the entire busload (van) of people started singing Christian worship songs leaving the main depot from Georgetown heading towards Savannah. It was a moment I'll never forget! People were super kind, friendly and polite. Once in a while the bus got pretty crowded (lol), but everyone was super good-natured about it, as we all used the bus to go to and from work.

Cons: What I did not like is how the public school system treated some teachers and students. I would still be there today except I did not agree with how the children were being bullied at the school where I taught. When I spoke out about it, the higher-ups were afraid I'd go to the newspapers and report it. My principal repeatedly said she felt I had been set up to fail and the gov't hadn't been honest with me during the interview process. It was unfortunate because I loved the children and they also loved me as a teacher.

Canadian Teacher who loved the Caymanians!

Sadams wrote:

What I did not like is how the public school system treated some teachers and students. I would still be there today except I did not agree with how the children were being bullied at the school where I taught. When I spoke out about it, the higher-ups were afraid I'd go to the newspapers and report it.

I wonder what years you were here and what school you taught at. I was on a PTA sub-committee of the government High School in 1988, at a time when illegal drugs were a problem there. My committee recommended to the main PTA that convicted drug-dealers be banned from the premises and their photos pinned on the school's Notice Board. Gosh! The very next day, the Headmaster was ordered to abolish the sub-committee. He and I agreed on the likely reason - namely, that drug-dealers vote, too!

Education today is still influenced by political factors, I'm sorry to say.

We moved to Cayman from Ontario and it has been great. The biggest culture shock/adjustment was the fact that everything is closed on Sundays. We have come to appreciate and embrace this over the years as it has given us time for church and family.

When we first came to Cayman in 1978, our biggest shock was discovering the fear among expats of summary deportation for speaking out of turn. The Chairman of the Caymanian Protection Board was in effect the chief censor. Not all that much has changed since then, unfortunately. It's instructive to visit our local news website Cayman News Service (accessible via Google) and to see how few commenters dare identify themselves. At least 95% sign "anonymous". Isn't that something, in a British colony in the 21st Century?

My blog-post "Confessions of a Subversive" (Archives, October 2012) tells of my own experience as Manager of the local Chamber of Commerce. I had just enough friends in high places to keep me from deportation, but I spent the next two years (after being removed from the job...) being stamped in as a tourist, month-to-month. My 12-year-old son's residence permit was cancelled, and reinstated only with the help of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London. Heavy manners, as we say here! As I said, not much has changed since then. Any intending expat who expects to be allowed to criticise any government policy will get a "culture shock" in short order!