I loved being around fellow Bermudians in Atlanta

Today ends Heritage Month – the one month of the year when we are supposed to reflect upon and express our pride about being Bermudian. 

It’s the one time of year that we pull together like the after effects of a hurricane to make the 24th of May our day of celebration.  

Our friendliness that we have always been known shines brightly on that special day and has become the trademark for what we are known for around the world.

I did not spend the 24th of May in Bermuda but rather attended a wedding of a Bermudian couple in my favorite destination — Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve heard it time and time again how we as Bermudians do not like travelling to other places where other Bermudians will be.  

As a matter of fact, I’ll admit. I’ve said it. But this trip was super special and it was the friendliness of the Bermudians that made this trip so much fun. 

Several Bermudians travelled to the wedding and many who now reside in Atlanta were in attendance as well. We had a fantastic time socializing, dancing, and talking about old times.  On occasion we ate breakfast together in the hotel. We even crossed paths in the aisles of Target!  

On Memorial Day I had the pleasure of hanging out with the Hinds family — our internationally renowned stellar entertainers, Rupert, Stefan, and Lauretta.  They hosted a casual holiday barbecue and grill and the food was plentiful. 

A few other Bermudians who now reside in Atlanta were also present at the Hinds’ gorgeous home. The laughs were endless. The time together was pure fun but ever so short. I hated to leave.  

In between attending the annual Caribbean festival and the Atlanta Jazz festival, it was a pleasure to be among Bermudians in Atlanta. That feeling was quite a surprise to me because when I travel, like so many others I know, I don’t like to encounter Bermudians. Why? It may sound a bit harsh but I know I speak for many when I say that when I travel I wish to leave every stress of living and working in Bermuda and everything associated with it behind. And I do a great job of that. I relax and I have lots of fun. But the stress quickly returns when the pilot makes his announcement that we are making our approach to Bermuda. Why is that? So many of us feel it — yet it becomes a taboo topic of discussion.   

I had the pleasure of being served by two Customs officials in the Arrivals Hall that were pleasant. Like so many other Bermudians, the much talked about negative feeling one gets in the Arrivals Hall is ever present. I’ve heard numerous people talk about it — the anticipation of a dramatic, stressful experience that never makes one feel welcomed back home. Again, a real end of good trip dampener! I don’t think the two who served me were positively efficient just because we knew each other, as I’ve known both of them to be friendly people for many years anyway. Thanks, Earlene and Pam for making my arrival a positive experience. Your professionalism was noticed. 

But I couldn’t help overhearing the abrasive manner in which one Customs employee spoke to an elderly white gentleman who had no idea why he was being grilled about such a simple matter. Being young and inexperienced shouldn’t be her excuse. I cringed at her tone and wondered to myself how much longer it would be before he took his finances to go elsewhere. I wanted so badly to take her to a back room and rehearse tact and friendliness with her. To the foreign gentleman, I apologize to you on behalf of my rude Bermudian counterpart.  

The Bermudian friendliness can’t be bottled and sold although I’m inclined to believe that if we could we’d probably be able to have a world class export product that could generate millions of dollars. 

Friendliness has always been a part of our heritage. But even though our Heritage Month has come to an end, I say let’s try to carry that small aspect of it through every day of the year.  It will make a huge difference to every aspect of Bermuda life and Bermuda’s prosperity. n

Shawnette Somner is a
mother and educator. Email:
[email protected]