Island 35-year-old Maria Sherriff is having some fun.

That is according to a story in The Observer in the Unitd Kingdom which detailed the life of an expatriate in an overseas post through Ms Sherriff.

"Bermuda is one of the most beautiful places on earth,'' Ms Sherriff is quoted as saying. "My working day is over by 5 p.m. and the partying, sailing, sport and beach life are second to none. I'm temping for a law firm here and it's fantastic. I recommend it to anyone.'' Ms Sherriff came to Bermuda after spotting a newspaper advertisement looking for secretaries to work on the Island. She dashed off her CV and she was on the way to paradise.

She required six years' secretarial experience at a senior level, and in return for temping for SOS Ltd., a local agency, she was issued a work permit.

The downside was that Ms Sherriff found life here expensive.

"It was more expensive than I'd realised,'' she told the Observer.

"Altogether there was an initial outlay of nearly 1000. The agency also takes 50 percent of your salary for the first six months.'' Still Ms Sherriff is upbeat about her new life.

I feel as if someone gave me my life back,'' she said. "I didn't come here looking for anything and Bermuda has given me so much. It will be hard to return to the real world. To be tired of Bermuda is to be tired of life.''