Nassau Driving

Nassauvians (people from Nassau) live on an island that is 21 miles long by 7 miles wide. The island itself is called New Providence but most people tend to ignore that fact and just call the whole island Nassau. The Town of Nassau lies a little to the east of centre on the north side of the island.

Tonight, I went to choir practice. I'm house sitting in a place called Sandyport which lies well to the west of town but not extrememly far west. Choir practice was at a church at the eastern side of the centre of town. I was surprised by the number of people who were surprised that I had drive 'so far' to come to practice.

Far in Nassau is measured by asking yourself, "Do I need to drive through town to go there?" If the answer is yes, then it's far. If you live east and someone out west invites you over, you need to drive through town. Some Nassauvians won't accept the invitation. Ditto for people who live west being invited somewhere to the east.

Town can add thirty minutes or more to your trip, depending upon the time of day at which you are driving. All the jitneys, ALL the jitneys (the local buses) have their starting/ending points in town. Cruise ships arrive in town. School kids go to town when school is dismissed. Town is a very busy place.

I am a Nassauvian, by birth, by paternal lineage, by current residence. My driving habits are still measured by Canadian distances. 21 miles is nothing when you're used to driving long stretches of highway with fields or mountains around you. In a day, I have been known to put close to 50 miles on my car, in Nassau, usually having passed through town twice. Going out for an evening to one end of the island or the other doesn't faze me. Getting stuck in after school traffic is something I try to avoid whenever possible, but it still doesn't stop me from driving. I hope that town will never come between me and the things I want to do.

P. S. I want a Puma! I wonder how it would work in Nassau!http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/business/2009/04/07/dcl.valdesdapena.puma.car.cnn

P. P. S. The photo credit for this one belongs to my cousin, Elena!