It's Better in the Bahamas?
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It's been a while since my last update. Part of it is due to laziness (I blame pregnancy)--and also travel. Me and the fam just recently got back from a nice little 10 day trip in the Bahamas. Hubby has family on two different islands (Grand Bahama & New Providence), so we did a bit of island hopping. It was such a relaxing trip, and we were very eager to leave the (then) frigid temperatures in Atlanta. Anyway, I carelessly forgot to bring my camera with me, and was only able to take crappy cell phone pics. It's better than nothing I suppose. Here are a few pics:
As mentioned in one of the photos, while there I'd straightened my hair. I borrowed my mother-in-law's GVP (Sally's brand) flat iron and was REALLY impressed. This will definitely be the next flat iron that I buy--and at a price of about $50, I couldn't be more pleased. Also, I think there is a big misconception about straight hair and the islands/Caribbean. The misconceptions being 1) that it's impossible to wear straight hair over there, and 2) that wearing natural styles, especially wash-n-go's, are easier. Well, I'm here to debunk the myths. As much as I love my textured styles (i.e. braidouts, twistouts), in the more humid (and breezy) climates I have found that they don't last as long. Pretty quickly, braid/twistouts turn into FRIZZouts. As far as wash-n-gos, they work well, probably even better than the braid/twistouts, BUT I'm not very keen on the amount of work they require, meaning having to redo the wash-n-go at least every-other-day. Not to mention, the tangles. So for me, only on days where I plan to doing some water activities and getting my hair wet would be the days I'd wear a wash-n-go. Now regarding straight hair, after flat ironing SOME reversion takes place. For me, it's not that substantial. I basically end up with a "fluffy" straight look by the end of the day. Even with that small amount of frizz, I find it's still easier to throw my hair up in some kind of bun and be done with it. Actually, the bun that I tend to do (one big bantu knot) tends to keep my hair straighter while giving it a soft wave, and I'm able to take it down in the evening when the humidity has lessened up a bit and wear it loose. So, us natural haired girls do actually have a lot more options even in tropical climates than we think. (Keep in mind, that I wasn't there in the heart of the summer, and pretty much believe that during the extreme summer months it would be a lot harder to wear a flat ironed look and would probably wear wet buns mostly during that time.)
After our trip, it became official that my hubby wants move to back home to the Bahamas. We are seriously making plans for it now. There are some good opportunities for hubs work-wise, and because we'll soon have two whole kids, it would be a lot easier to be near one of our families. I'm from Indiana and all of my family are there--and there's no chance of me ever moving back up there. So the Bahamas will have to do! Nothing is set in stone just yet, and we know that we won't move before baby #2 is born, so if it happens it will be later in the year. His family has been wanting this to happen for some time now, and we already have a house waiting on us. I'm really excited about this big change, and I definitely plan to blog or maybe even write a book about my adjusting to island life. Most people only romanticize the idea of island living, but there are definitely some minuses that go along with the pluses! Also, there is just so much that the average person doesn't know about or realize just how different it is living in a foreign country. I think I could definitely tell an interesting story. So stay tuned for that! I would also love to be able to do some fashion posts on my personal "island girl" aesthetic. haha
P.S. Hubs really hasn't wanted me to say anything about this until we have definitive plans in motion, but what the hell. Hey, if we move, we move--if we don't, we don't. And if we don't, it will ONLY be because hubby's company gave him an offer we couldn't refuse. ;^)
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| Gambier Village in Nassau. Waiting on conch salad. |
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| As you can see, later in the trip, I straightened my hair. Xanadu Beach in Freeport. |
As mentioned in one of the photos, while there I'd straightened my hair. I borrowed my mother-in-law's GVP (Sally's brand) flat iron and was REALLY impressed. This will definitely be the next flat iron that I buy--and at a price of about $50, I couldn't be more pleased. Also, I think there is a big misconception about straight hair and the islands/Caribbean. The misconceptions being 1) that it's impossible to wear straight hair over there, and 2) that wearing natural styles, especially wash-n-go's, are easier. Well, I'm here to debunk the myths. As much as I love my textured styles (i.e. braidouts, twistouts), in the more humid (and breezy) climates I have found that they don't last as long. Pretty quickly, braid/twistouts turn into FRIZZouts. As far as wash-n-gos, they work well, probably even better than the braid/twistouts, BUT I'm not very keen on the amount of work they require, meaning having to redo the wash-n-go at least every-other-day. Not to mention, the tangles. So for me, only on days where I plan to doing some water activities and getting my hair wet would be the days I'd wear a wash-n-go. Now regarding straight hair, after flat ironing SOME reversion takes place. For me, it's not that substantial. I basically end up with a "fluffy" straight look by the end of the day. Even with that small amount of frizz, I find it's still easier to throw my hair up in some kind of bun and be done with it. Actually, the bun that I tend to do (one big bantu knot) tends to keep my hair straighter while giving it a soft wave, and I'm able to take it down in the evening when the humidity has lessened up a bit and wear it loose. So, us natural haired girls do actually have a lot more options even in tropical climates than we think. (Keep in mind, that I wasn't there in the heart of the summer, and pretty much believe that during the extreme summer months it would be a lot harder to wear a flat ironed look and would probably wear wet buns mostly during that time.)
After our trip, it became official that my hubby wants move to back home to the Bahamas. We are seriously making plans for it now. There are some good opportunities for hubs work-wise, and because we'll soon have two whole kids, it would be a lot easier to be near one of our families. I'm from Indiana and all of my family are there--and there's no chance of me ever moving back up there. So the Bahamas will have to do! Nothing is set in stone just yet, and we know that we won't move before baby #2 is born, so if it happens it will be later in the year. His family has been wanting this to happen for some time now, and we already have a house waiting on us. I'm really excited about this big change, and I definitely plan to blog or maybe even write a book about my adjusting to island life. Most people only romanticize the idea of island living, but there are definitely some minuses that go along with the pluses! Also, there is just so much that the average person doesn't know about or realize just how different it is living in a foreign country. I think I could definitely tell an interesting story. So stay tuned for that! I would also love to be able to do some fashion posts on my personal "island girl" aesthetic. haha
P.S. Hubs really hasn't wanted me to say anything about this until we have definitive plans in motion, but what the hell. Hey, if we move, we move--if we don't, we don't. And if we don't, it will ONLY be because hubby's company gave him an offer we couldn't refuse. ;^)
xoxo,
-Nik
