An Interview. Featuring Leanda Shinee Simons.
IAR 202. Jan. 22, 2008.
By: Jackie Alvarez and Ruby Reeves
Note: “J” = Jackie & “S” = shinee
J: What is your name?
S: Leanda Shinee Simons, but I go by my middle name “Shinee”.
J: Why is that? S: My Granny and my Deddy are called by their middle name so I just kinda followed tradition.
J: Where were you born?
S: The Bermuda Islands, more specifically, the West Side. It’s off either the North Carolina or South Carolina coast. It’s only 21 square miles and it’s an English Colony.
J: So are there conflicts between the different areas in Bermuda?
S: Well there’s the West Side, East side, and then there’s the St. Davis Islanders who are pale and they look like they’re white but they’re black, we call them the “Indians”. They kinda keep to themselves I guess because they think they’re better or somethin. And yeah there’s some scandal between the East and West side. Over the past decade, there’s been an ongoin scandal and many boys about my age or younger have been killed. When I heard about these twins both gettin killed at the same time, it made me not wanna go back home.
J: That’s awful… what’s the diversity like there?
S: Well 30% of the population is white, but it’s funny because even if they’re white Bermudians, Black Bermudians view them as tourists (laugh)… even if they have an accent. And even if they were born and raised there, white Bermudians have a different accent that Black Bermudians.
J: How does the Government run there?
S: It’s a British system with Parliament, members of Parliament, and a Premier
which is like a President.
J: How old are you?
S: 23 (and she is female)
J: Are you in a relationship?
S: Well I live with “B” my sort of boyfriend but I dunno (smile).
J: When do Bermudians tend to marry?
S: Women don’t usually marry until they’re like 30 to 35, time before that is all about having fun. And Bermudian women usually date younger guys, I guess because there’s a two-to-one ratio.
J: May we know your family details?
S: I have a younger brother who’s 21, two older half sisters that don’t live with me and that I’m not really close with, one is adopted but they’re both considered my deddy’s children, and then there’s my momma, my deddy, my Granny, My Ma, and my Grandpa. I also have cousins that are in and out. There’s almost always someone stayin at my house.
J: So would you consider you family close?
S: Yeah we’re all close and everyone stays near each other.
J: So the Native language is English, correct?
S: Yeah
J: What’s your occupation? S: I just graduated last year so right now I’m not workin, I’m just figurin out what I’m goin to do. I only have a year left of sponsorship in this country and then I really wanna go to England.
J: Sponsorship?
S: Yeah UNCG has been my sponsor to stay here and if after this year I wanna stay longer, I have to get another sponsor.
J: Why England?
S: Well all Bermudians travel all the time, we usually go to England of Canada. I’ve been going to The US twice a year every since I was really young. When I first came here for school, I lived in New Hampshire and went to a community college there, gettin my grades up.
J: Did you like it there?
S: Yeah, people are a lot nicer there, no one speaks here. Since I’ve been livin in Greensboro, I’m not as nice as I used to be (laugh). And boys are so much more aggressive here. In Bermuda, boys like it if you got style, here all they care about is whether or not girls are showin they’re skin.
J: So you don’t really like it here?
S: I remember when I toured the campus, my tour guide made it seem so amazin here, but it didn’t really live up to my expectations. Also it’s like people in the US all-together don’t have a clue. Most don’t know the geography of their own country. And then they can’t really afford to travel so they’re stuck in this vicious cycle of having no clue.
J: Oh, so if Bermudians travel all the time, do they make more money in order to support that?
S: Yeah we make three times more than the average American.
J: Is that because of tourism?
S: Well kind of, tourism is usually from April to September and stuff cost double there.
J: Does it get really crowded over there? S: Not really because each family is only allowed one car, you get a Bike when you’re about 16.
J: You mean like a Bicycle?
S: No everyone gets a motorcycle
J: Well that’s cool… so what would your dream job be?
S: I dunno, I would like to own a boutique, somethin to do with fashion.
J: So how would you say you’ve become more Americanized? S: I dunno, I don’t really think I have.
J: Well do you eat more American food or watch more American television programs?
S: Yeah I’ve been eatin more fast food, more processed food. In Bermuda there used to be one McDonalds on the other side of the island and it used to be a really excitin day trip when we would go to get some McDonalds food, here they’re everywhere! When I go back home, my friends are like “Ey bring me back some McDonalds from the US” and I’m like “Eww it’s going to be cold” and they’re like “I don’t care, I just want some!” It’s crazy. Now there aren’t really any fast food places in Bermuda except this place called Ice Queen.
J: So people of Bermuda tend to be a lot healthier than Americans?
S: Yeah, I mean diabetes is kinda popular but not because people are fat, I guess it’s just in the families.
J: So did you face any challenges when you moved here?
S: Not really, I mean it wasn’t like a culture shock because I’ve visited here every since I was little.
J: Well what do you like most of all about the US?
S: Well it’s much easier to travel and get around the US now that I live her, which is good.
By: Jackie Alvarez and Ruby Reeves
Note: “J” = Jackie & “S” = shinee
J: What is your name?
S: Leanda Shinee Simons, but I go by my middle name “Shinee”.
J: Why is that? S: My Granny and my Deddy are called by their middle name so I just kinda followed tradition.
J: Where were you born?
S: The Bermuda Islands, more specifically, the West Side. It’s off either the North Carolina or South Carolina coast. It’s only 21 square miles and it’s an English Colony.
J: So are there conflicts between the different areas in Bermuda?
S: Well there’s the West Side, East side, and then there’s the St. Davis Islanders who are pale and they look like they’re white but they’re black, we call them the “Indians”. They kinda keep to themselves I guess because they think they’re better or somethin. And yeah there’s some scandal between the East and West side. Over the past decade, there’s been an ongoin scandal and many boys about my age or younger have been killed. When I heard about these twins both gettin killed at the same time, it made me not wanna go back home.
J: That’s awful… what’s the diversity like there?
S: Well 30% of the population is white, but it’s funny because even if they’re white Bermudians, Black Bermudians view them as tourists (laugh)… even if they have an accent. And even if they were born and raised there, white Bermudians have a different accent that Black Bermudians.
J: How does the Government run there?
S: It’s a British system with Parliament, members of Parliament, and a Premier
which is like a President.
J: How old are you?
S: 23 (and she is female)
J: Are you in a relationship?
S: Well I live with “B” my sort of boyfriend but I dunno (smile).
J: When do Bermudians tend to marry?
S: Women don’t usually marry until they’re like 30 to 35, time before that is all about having fun. And Bermudian women usually date younger guys, I guess because there’s a two-to-one ratio.
J: May we know your family details?
S: I have a younger brother who’s 21, two older half sisters that don’t live with me and that I’m not really close with, one is adopted but they’re both considered my deddy’s children, and then there’s my momma, my deddy, my Granny, My Ma, and my Grandpa. I also have cousins that are in and out. There’s almost always someone stayin at my house.
J: So would you consider you family close?
S: Yeah we’re all close and everyone stays near each other.
J: So the Native language is English, correct?
S: Yeah
J: What’s your occupation? S: I just graduated last year so right now I’m not workin, I’m just figurin out what I’m goin to do. I only have a year left of sponsorship in this country and then I really wanna go to England.
J: Sponsorship?
S: Yeah UNCG has been my sponsor to stay here and if after this year I wanna stay longer, I have to get another sponsor.
J: Why England?
S: Well all Bermudians travel all the time, we usually go to England of Canada. I’ve been going to The US twice a year every since I was really young. When I first came here for school, I lived in New Hampshire and went to a community college there, gettin my grades up.
J: Did you like it there?
S: Yeah, people are a lot nicer there, no one speaks here. Since I’ve been livin in Greensboro, I’m not as nice as I used to be (laugh). And boys are so much more aggressive here. In Bermuda, boys like it if you got style, here all they care about is whether or not girls are showin they’re skin.
J: So you don’t really like it here?
S: I remember when I toured the campus, my tour guide made it seem so amazin here, but it didn’t really live up to my expectations. Also it’s like people in the US all-together don’t have a clue. Most don’t know the geography of their own country. And then they can’t really afford to travel so they’re stuck in this vicious cycle of having no clue.
J: Oh, so if Bermudians travel all the time, do they make more money in order to support that?
S: Yeah we make three times more than the average American.
J: Is that because of tourism?
S: Well kind of, tourism is usually from April to September and stuff cost double there.
J: Does it get really crowded over there? S: Not really because each family is only allowed one car, you get a Bike when you’re about 16.
J: You mean like a Bicycle?
S: No everyone gets a motorcycle
J: Well that’s cool… so what would your dream job be?
S: I dunno, I would like to own a boutique, somethin to do with fashion.
J: So how would you say you’ve become more Americanized? S: I dunno, I don’t really think I have.
J: Well do you eat more American food or watch more American television programs?
S: Yeah I’ve been eatin more fast food, more processed food. In Bermuda there used to be one McDonalds on the other side of the island and it used to be a really excitin day trip when we would go to get some McDonalds food, here they’re everywhere! When I go back home, my friends are like “Ey bring me back some McDonalds from the US” and I’m like “Eww it’s going to be cold” and they’re like “I don’t care, I just want some!” It’s crazy. Now there aren’t really any fast food places in Bermuda except this place called Ice Queen.
J: So people of Bermuda tend to be a lot healthier than Americans?
S: Yeah, I mean diabetes is kinda popular but not because people are fat, I guess it’s just in the families.
J: So did you face any challenges when you moved here?
S: Not really, I mean it wasn’t like a culture shock because I’ve visited here every since I was little.
J: Well what do you like most of all about the US?
S: Well it’s much easier to travel and get around the US now that I live her, which is good.
