Life On Turks and Caicos

As many of you know I just moved to the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos (TCI) to coach squash at Graceway Sports Centre. If you've never heard of it, don't be alarmed as I hadn't either until this job opportunity opened up. I arrived on the afternoon of April 29th. I thought the biggest challenge of my move to was going to be driving on the lefthand side of the road and the warmer climate, but as you're about to learn these have been the simplest transitions thus far. 

My apartment is still being built and even though I was assured it would be ready for my arrival, unfortunately (yet not so surprisingly) it was not. No worries though, this is the Caribbean and they take care of you. I was put up in the beautiful Wymara Resort for 2 nights before renting an apartment from a nice lady on a street with no name or street number. That’s right, no address!

Turks and Caicos is a popular tourist destination and it is built up to suit tourists, but that is mostly around resorts. When you get off the main highway and onto any side street you have no idea what to expect Some are dead ends, others have a big private villa. A lot of the side roads aren’t paved, and the one I’m living on has the biggest pot holes I’ve ever seen in my life..and I’ve lived through 2 Moncton winters! 

Well I found somewhere to stay and it’s more than I would have spent at my new apartment, but I didn’t have much of a choice so 'don’t stress' I kept telling myself. This unit I’m renting was supposed to include internet, but as you’ll get the picture, things don’t always go as planned and when they don’t, they often take a lot of time and patience to get fixed. Another strange thing where I’m staying is that I hear dogs barking at all times of the night. I have no clue why they don’t seem to bark during the daytime and why people leave their dogs out overnight or if this is a mixture of wild dogs. But again, this is another thing that a tourist would never have to experience. 

Did I mention that I saw Usain Bolt here? Well it was at Digicel which I had been at 2-3 times per day for the first week of my arrival. I was trying to switch my phone over to a local company and for some reason it takes 24 hours for your data to kick in and then it still didn’t work. If I didn’t have so many issues with my new plan I never would have known Bolt was in town signing autographs. 

My phone is working now, although apparently you can’t text someone who uses a different company other than Digicel omg..are you kidding me? Well I was told I can, but it will be 11 cents per text, but it isn’t working on my phone yet anyways. There are only 2 mobile phone companies on the island and half the people I can’t message or I have to pay to talk with them? How’s that going to work being a squash coach? For now I’m going to try WhatsApp as that seems to be what most of the locals do to get around this issue. A lot of people actually make phone calls here too and seem like they enjoy talking on the phone. They seem surprised when I saw I never talk on the phone back in Canada and that only phone calls I normally ever received were spam. 

I know I may be painting a poor picture on my experience thus far, but I’m really just telling it like it is. There are plenty of good parts and I’m also learning to be more laid back and easy going; give me a few more months and I’m sure I’ll have the lifestyle down pat. 

If you’ve ever been to Turks and Caicos you’ll know how friendly and outgoing everyone is here. When you walk into a room everyone greets you with a ‘good morning’ or ‘hello.’  It’s an amazingly friendly place. I’ve never had so many strangers speak to me. When I’ve traveled to other parts of the world you’re always a bit cautious about overly friendly strangers, because you fear they want something from you as you’re an easy target. It’s tough to let your guard down, but it really is much different as people are quite genuine, honest and don’t hold back if they are unhappy about something. 

Let’s go back to when I first arrived and I’ll take you through my experience at the local dmv. After checking into Wymara I went to pick up the scooter I had bought, sight unseen. It’s a 2013 Honda NCH50 that came without a working speedometer or odometer, but hey the speed limit is 40 miles per hour on the highway and my scooter tops out at 40 so it’s not a concern. This was my time driving a scooter so it took a little bit to figure out how to use it properly, but once I did I absolutely loved it. It’s so fun and incredibly cheap on gas; I haven’t been able to get more than $4.50USD into the tank and gas here is around $5.15 per gallon. 

I’m going to do my best to recall all the steps so far getting my scooter ready to ride legally. I first went into the Department of Road Safety with my bill of sale to get plates. They gave me some paperwork and sent me off to get it insured and said that I had to get it inspected at a place ‘across from Hertz’ which of course has no address or any recognizable feature for that matter. Making this all the more of a challenge, I was trying to do all of this with no working data plan!

I had called a friend of someone about inquiring insurance, but he said he normally didn’t insure motorbikes. He did provide me with a company that he was certain would. I called up and the lady on the phone said they do indeed insure scooters and told me where to find them by telling me the colour of the paint on their building. After only about 10 minutes I found it (for the record it was 200 feet away) and I was feeling good about my progress. 

I got to the insurance office and said I was here to get insurance for my moped. The man working the front desk said they ‘we don’t insure scooters.’ After I told him the lady on the phone had just told me that they did, he went around back to look into it and eventually he unwillingly took my money and started the paperwork...which was $270USD for the year. 

After getting insurance I went to get a safety for the scooter. I managed to find the place, got the safety in under a minute. He checked the signals and other lights and he said I was good to go back to the ministry, but that I may have to get a Turks drivers license too. When I got back to the ministry it was almost closing time (3:30pm). The lady was very nice and helped me fill out the paperwork for the new plate and license and told me to come back in the morning and it would all be completed.

The next morning I woke up and it’s pouring rain. Once the rain stopped I drove down to the ministry and arrived around 11am. They said I was too late to get my photo taken for the license and that I had to do this prior to getting my permit and license plate. So the next morning thankfully there was no rain and I was back there again at 8am to get my photo taken for my license. By 9:30 I had gotten my photo taken, with some very messy hair from my scooter drive I should mention. But they told me they were out of license plates and I had to come back before 3pm to get my permit because the paperwork for it was being transferred from somewhere else.

I head to the club for a meeting and then go back home for some lunch. Back to the ministry I go to get my permit and license plate; I thought. When I arrive they hand me my permit, but confess they are out of license plates and I should try again in month! A month from now is also when I should be picking up my new drivers license with the photo. Somehow I don’t think either will be ready in 1 month, but I am open to being proven wrong. 

This is kind of how everything has been going down here. I have a moderate amount of patience, but it has still been a big challenge. This is the curse of growing up around Toronto and the east coast work and rush to get things done mentality. It always drives me nuts when I see people speed walking after work to get to their train, subway or bus. What’s the rush? I never liked that way of living, but it’s groomed into you through teachers, your family and the chase to be better and more successful than the next guy. I think this is a big reason for wanting to make this move; to live somewhere more laid back, with happier people and less day to day stress. So although this way of living has been quite an adjustment and it hasn’t always been easy, I think it’s a good test for me and I certainly prefer it over the crazy chaos of big city life. 

I know I painted a bleak picture on my first week, but it’s just a culture shock. Living in any new city, yet alone a new country takes time to adjustment. Maybe, just maybe I found a place that feels more like the pace of life I enjoy. I know the island isn’t going to change for me so I can either let it bother me or I can accept it for it is.

I actually had a job offer in a big city in a different part of the world, but I don’t think the big city way of life is for me. Yes I could have made more money and the squash would have been better, but there would have been more stress and more pressure to get things done quickly and with better results and I too may have become that guy speed walking to catch my bus after work. I honestly think results can be better without the extrinsic societal pressure. And I’m also old enough now to know it is more about the journey and enjoying the path I’m on than it is the finish line anyways. 

So what’s next out here? I've started working this week and I've spent a lot of time playing guitar, reading and going to the beach. I have a lot of group classes scheduled and hopefully I will be able to do lots of private lessons. The club also just put in some new air conditioner units which work super.

Even though the pace is super slow, life isn’t cheap on Providenciales; it’s a strange blend. I do really enjoy waking up early, going to the gym, riding my scooter, spending time at the beach and just spending a lot of time outdoors. I've already created an 8 level Squash Skills Checklist to monitor the juniors development and let them know many of the areas that I believe are vital to becoming a successful competitive player.

Besides growing the local squash community another area I’ll be working on over the next few months is putting together a travel package for squash players. I will try and coordinate with local companies and put together a package for you including accommodations, fun outdoor trips and of course the squash training! With my daily growing knowledge of the island I’ll definitely be able to assist any of you coming along for as visit, but not with addresses. If you’d like to stay learn more about this please feel free to email me at info@SeriousSquash.com or Squash@GracewaySports.com

Stay tuned for my next rant, be it squash or the adjustment to the island life. Oh and I do have an exciting squash announcement coming very soon! Follow Serious Squash on Instagram or Facebook to be the first to learn about it. 

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