A Bahamian Odyssey
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During my teaching year at SAC, my legal status on the island was that of “lay missionary.” The school had secured a valid work permit for me, but since I had not yet completed my undergraduate studies, and therefore had no degree and no teaching credential, I was not identified as a “teacher” in the immigration papers. In fact, I didn’t receive a regular teacher’s salary. When Dan and I accepted the position to teach at SAC, we agreed to do so in exchange for round-trip air fare, room and board at the Saint Augustine’s Monastery property, use of an old Volkswagen bug, and a $100 per month stipend. We were more than grateful for this opportunity. Because of this agreement, our parents would occasionally send us money. One day, after receiving a check from my parents, I went to a local bank, the same bank with which Saint Augustine’s College did business, to cash the check. I presented the check to the teller. He immediately looked at me and said, “I can’t cash this check for you, sir. It’s been cancelled.” I was stunned, so I asked him to explain. He pointed out the two red lines crossing through the check and explained that the lines indicated that the check had been cancelled. I paused for a moment, wanting to laugh, but thinking better of it, and gently explained to the gentleman that those two red lines were the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge, the image depicted on the scenic check. He was suspicious, so he consulted a manager. When the manager arrived, he asked, “What hotel ya stayin’ at?” I told him that I wasn’t staying in a hotel, that, in fact, I was a teacher at Saint Augustine’s College, that I’m from San Francisco, that the check was from my parents, and that the image on the check was the Golden Gate Bridge. He smiled, almost apologetically, smacked the teller jokingly on the arm, and said, “He’s a teacher at SAC, mon. Jus’ cash de check!” Such is the respect for teachers in the Bahamas, and teachers from SAC, in particular.
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About the Book
In A Bahamian Odyssey, author Kevin Carroll shares the unique experience of teaching in a high school in Nassau, The Bahamas when he was only 20 years old. With humor and insight, Carroll describes the joys and sorrows, successes and failures, surprises and lessons learned from this on-the-job learning experience. Carroll also describes his experience of living in The Bahamas and immersing himself in Bahamian culture, providing vivid images of Nassau from more than fifty years ago. Readers will find this book to be both entertaining and inspirational.
About the Author
KEVIN CARROLL is a native of San Francisco, California. He is a graduate of Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, Santa Clara University, and the University of San Francisco. He has lived in the Santa Clara Valley for more than fifty years. Following his one-year stint teaching at Saint Augustine’s College in Nassau, Kevin taught in a variety of schools and pastoral ministry settings for 42 more years. He retired from teaching in June 2015 to embark on a second career as a writer. Kevin is married, the father of three adult sons, and “Papa” to his five precious grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, walking, getting together with friends for coffee or meals, spending time in his old neighborhood, the Sunset District, in San Francisco, and visiting his friends in Nassau. If he had the opportunity to teach three important life lessons to students today, these would be the three lessons: 1. It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice. 2. Although you may have the right to do something, it may not be the right thing to do. 3. Gratitude makes a difference. Take the time and make the effort to express your gratitude to those deserving of it. Kevin is the author of a blog — https://abeaconoflight.life/home/ and has published six books prior to A Bahamian Odyssey. His books are available on Amazon: A Moment’s Pause for Gratitude (2017) Cherries in the Summer (2021) The Ambassador of 38th Avenue (2022) Dad: 12 Questions… (2023) A Focus on Gratitude (2024) Through the Lens of Gratitude (2024)