How does one prepare for a tropical storm that’s coming for the long weekend? In hurricane season in the Caribbean this isn’t as uncommon as it sounds. This Constitution Day weekend Tropical Storm Elsa is headed our way, the Cayman Islands are in her path, and she threatens to turn into a hurricane at any moment.
In true Caribbean style we prepare. We fill our gas tanks. We draw our shutters. We stockpile water and food. We plan to cook. We plan to play dominoes. We plan to watch football. We’ll wear sweatpants, and while away the afternoons discussing philosophy, politics, and the best way to bake a banana bread.
But the rains never come. The cooking in the kitchen quickly becomes a BBQ on the deck. The England v Ukraine Euro match indoors takes shape as an outdoor event, with the TV relocated to the beach with a long extension cable. The comfort of a tile-based game while we shelter from showers, turns into a lively dominoes tournament under the shade of a grape tree. Competitive contestants from ‘town’ pull in by boat. Sweatpants are supplanted by sunglasses, straw hats, and swimwear. Cosying up and staying dry is no longer the objective. Splashing around into the neighbour’s pool is way more fun after all.
And that’s how we roll in rainy season in the Cayman Islands. We learn to live with storm alerts. We are subject to heavy downpours, sometimes ferocious winds, and we trim all the coconuts off our trees to be on the safe side. Everyone here is a weather expert, ready to share intricate data from handy apps offering live updates on the progress of any looming formation. But when the storm swerves off course, we just get good old Caribbean sunshine. And that’s not such a bad default to have when the day doesn’t go to plan.
Of course, when the sun falls down into the sea, the rains are not far behind, and we are grateful for the excuse of a night to snuggle down indoors.
