When living in paradise can be a slice of hell

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6: “The trouble with all these foreigners is….”  Feel free to fill in your favorite complaint.

I hear it all the time. They have all the jobs, their cars are too big, their wives are snobby and demanding and their kids aren’t that smart.

These comments are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, but you get the picture.

Their first offence is that they’re not Bermudian, they’re foreigners.

If you think that your comments haven’t been heard, let me assure you, they have been heard. They have been heard at the gas station, at pediatricians’ offices, in taxis, in restaurants, and at school drop-offs and pick-ups. 

The Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) recently released their Economic Impact Survey and the picture isn’t pretty.

For the fourth consecutive year, their workforce in Bermuda is shrinking.

The industry is fed up with stalled immigration policies and the lack of any sense of urgency when it comes to doing business in Bermuda.

They’re leaving in droves to other jurisdictions and have been for several years, albeit quietly.

If this worrying trend continues, you won’t hear any “foreign” accents in Bermuda, just the sound of your own voice rising in frustration at the irreparable damage done to Bermuda’s economy.

Immigration policies aside, what you won’t read in any survey, is that while some senior executives have elected to stay on the island, their families have returned back home.

This trend is equally damaging to Bermuda’s economy since the “wealth creators” spend their money where their families live. The truth is that their families’ quality of life here hasn’t been all pink sand and sunny skies.  There’s a limit to how much one can take when one is treated as an unwelcome interloper, no matter how pretty your pastel rental house is. 

Most men, and for the most part, it is men who are working in the financial industry in Bermuda, can tolerate all sorts of challenges in their businesses, including immigration policies. It comes with the territory. They typically spend long hours in their offices and don’t arrive home until late at night.

Their wives and children however, are the real beneficiaries of Bermudians’ hospitality and inclusiveness or the lack thereof. Sometimes living in paradise can be a slice of hell.

If you think I’m wrong then listen carefully while you are going about your day or listening to some of the radio talk shows.  You’ll hear it loud and clear, “foreigners this and foreigners that.”

More than any government policy, if your family isn’t happy, you’ll move on to greener pastures at the first opportunity, even if it means giving up paradise.

Some things, like being treated with respect and kindness, are too important to eliminate from your quality of life. 

Calling anyone a “foreigner” is pejorative.

Consider finding an alternative, like “neighbour” or “friend” or “colleague.”

The international community has a lot to learn about Bermuda but it’s impossible to fully appreciate Bermuda and its unique people if you and your family are held at arm’s length. 

Drop “foreigner” from your vocabulary and replace it with “friend” and you might just find that other difficulties, including immigration policies, will be more easily overcome.

• Elaine Murray is Director at The Irish Linen Shop, on Front Street. Next Wednesday she will share her thought-provoking views on the controversial topic of legalized gambling.