"The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul into vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." (Pslams 24:1-4)
Life in the Cayman Islands has always been centered around the sea. It breeds life and community to the small nation. Industry and prosperity has always depended on its vast resources and opportunities. A God-fearing people, Caymanians are witnessing the mutiny of their seas, once reserved for fishing and the like, by outsiders and a hell-bent overindulgent master. Sorry David, Vanity is the new resident.
On slow days in Del Sol I couldn’t help but to look out the door at the port that lay just across the street and wonder what this small developed city looked like ten years ago and then twenty and then even fifty. I determined it much look like other parts of the island with thick bush and palm trees and gorgeous beaches. Sadly, I considered the exceptional costs of industry and so-called progress. And yet, without them I likely wouldn’t have been sitting there pondering on these things. Most of life is like that, I decided.
During high season Grand Cayman has a cruise ship in port nearly every day, excluding Sundays. Extremely busy days will have up to six or seven with probably an average of 3,500 passengers on board each ship. For six ships that’s around 21,000 people. The population of the Cayman Islands is roughly 50,000; roughly 21,000 people reside in George Town where the ships dock. The streets looked like the streets outside an arena after a major sporting event. A serious cause of anxiety for locals and anyone with an aversion towards crowds (including me). On a busy day in Grand Cayman the population can nearly double for a few hours.
Enter free enterprise. High end jewelry stores, low end tee shirt shops, and tourist attractions to boot have popped up all over George Town in hope to cash in on the cruise ship culture. Beaches were heavily trafficked and the town was treated as if it were the beach. Men walked around shirtless; women in bikinis; and bottles of beer and mixed drinks were carried about as if their drinkers were at home. Vanity (mixed with a high level of tacky) was a part of this ever growing culture. I just happened to be along for the ride.
Fortunately, the cruise ships were not the form of travel I embarked on for Grand Cayman. For me, I witnessed and participated in the cruise culture only while wearing my “work hat.” At the end of the day I left that hat in the store, where it belonged.
Grand Cayman has much more to offer than what can be explored in a single day. For six months I tried to take in as much as I could and I still didn’t get to see it all. Part of the reason for this, of course, is the lack of funds and time spent working; as well as spending half of that time living by myself. As far as the things I did spend my money and time on, I loved it. Grand Cayman will forever stick out as an experience that was equally rewarding, relaxing, introspective, and enjoyable. The friends and memories I made there will remain as essential pieces to this intricately woven life of Stumpe.
