A Big Week in Aruba

This "assignment" I have here in Aruba has been developing as the days go by. I have been working with this client since last year to help them get their operations up to OSHA standards [that's it in a nutshell...the details would bore anybody but me. I, however, find them, uh, titillating].


As a matter of setting the groundwork, the guy that I'm working with here in Aruba, my counterpart, announces he is leaving his Company to take a job in Europe. YIKES. That could have blown up my project. But, instead, his boss gets the idea that they want to outsource his job for a while [6 months to a year] while they mount some sort of search party to find his replacement. So she calls the president of my company and says they want me to be the outsource-ee. After my inital panic attack at that thought I make an agreement with everyone that I'll come down here for 2 or 3 weeks to see if I want to completely nuke my family dynamics for a few months [and to let them see if I fit in]. I'm a home body. I don't like to travel mainly because I'm a big pussy about it. I even get lonely at the deer camp for a couple of days. Fast forward...

One of the things I find out about this job, late in the game, is that I need to be ready to teach a five-day class to a room full of brand new 22-year-old-wet-behind-the-ears-never-seen-a-refinery-fresh-out-of-the-auto-parts-store-wide-eyed-scared-to-death-future operators.

They give me this list of myriad topics that I need to cover. Admittedly, some of them I could do cold, but some of them are going to take some research into not only how they do things here onsite, but also I need to look into Aruba law on some of them. Then I look at the schedule and I see that I'm the first class on the schedule...and it's a 6-month schedule. [these guys are basically going to get all the training in 6 months that we, in the States, give people a two-year Associates degree for]...but I'm the first. I immediately fall into my normal stress relief mode [cussing] but since I don't know any Papiamento [the local language] it falls on deaf ears...literally...because everyone has that "better you than me" smile.

Before I go on, let me make one thing perfectly clear...this is NOT a third world country. These people are smart. They are savvy and well travelled [which makes sense because when you live on an island that is 22 miles long by 8 miles wide you gotta go somewhere on vacation]. Everyone speaks 4 or 5 languages, literally [Papiamento, Spanish, Dutch, English, and many speak French or Italian]. I met a 7-year-old kid last week who has mastered 3 but was a little embarrassed because she thought her English [#4] needed work.

Meanwhile, I'm working to get ready for this class and I'm barely keeping up. I'm literally printing out the next session while the guys are on a 15-minute "bio break". And all this time, the boss is coming in and handing me notes..."can you do a day-long class on this topic next week?" or "we're shifting the schedule and I need you to do this now instead of Friday." But, on reflection, it's pretty much the normal stuff that happens at home with these training endeavors except here I don't know any one and have no idea who my resources are to help me get something done. I can't even get the internet turned on in my bungelow.

Any way, the week is finally over and I can breathe. Did not wake up until 10 a.m. this morning...very late for me. If I did that at home, the kids would be holding a mirror under my nose to see if I was breathing. The outcome is that we have a schedule that has me in country for 5 weeks and home working at World Headquarters in Houston for 3 weeks till Christmas. Sorta makes deer season look a little iffy.

Well I have to go to "town" [if I can find one] and deal with a cell phone issue.

OUT

The Wildlife

One thing that struck me almost immediately in my travels around this rock is that it reminds me a lot of the Texas Hill Country. Of course, when you drive at night in the Hill Country, you have to be constantly vigilant for the deer in the highway. I mentioned to someone that I was really cautious at night here on the island but I needn't be because there are no deer. The other guy said that I still need to be aware of the burros.

Of course I thought he was kidding me [they like to do that here to people like me]. But this morning I became a believer...[see attached]

The Grindstone

I think i fixed the camera...well, it works now any way. It died with the zoom fully extended and on the way to the store to exchange it, I pushed on the lens and held the on/off button down. It came back to life...well, enuff about the camera.

My cell phone SIM card is out of minutes so I went to town to buy another card. Every thing is closed...worse than Sunday. It's a national holiday for Carnaval and they take it real seriously here. But Wendy's, KFC, and Burger King are still hard at it...but packed. The line for the BK drive thru must have had 20 cars in it.

Working against some hard deadlines right now. That's the story of my life...I'm either struggling with a deadline or a budget. I dream of a general services contract where it takes what it takes to get the job done. I don't even know what my metrics are at this point. I think I'll let the client tell me what she thinks they should be.

...just noticed something. There is a tree about 5 feet from my window and doves are flocking into it to roost [it's dusk here]. As I stare at the tree, I've realized there must be 50 birds all hunkered down and fluffed up for the night.

I think that's what I'm going to do...go to the bungelow and hunker down and fluff up.

OUT

Singing in the Halls

Oh, btw...I'm the only one in this office building [two stories, probably 100 offices] and I have been hearing this beautiful soprano voice singing from the lobby. I figured the guard had her radio turned up loud. But as I sat here the voice starting getting louder and was coming down the hall. It was the guard herself...just singing a cappella [sp?].

Carnaval is unbelievably elaborate...very complex floats, costumes, and ENERGY. The parade lasted for more than 4 hours. Afterward the street and sidewalks were covered with debris [beer bottles, water bottles, trash...and a LOT of beads of all shapes, sizes, and colors, flat on one side for gluing to costumes]. This morning it was absolutely spotless.

But my damned camera quit working this morning. I was going to take a picture of a Little League sign written partly in English and partly in popiamento for Cooper [my oldest grandson] who is a big time Little Leaguer. It froze up...paid 265 florin [$151 USD] for it. I'll have to take it back tomorrow p.m. Stores aren't open much around here on Sunday...may try to slip over there this afternoon, tho.

An American in Aruba

So I'm here in Aruba on business at the local refinery. As soon as I walked into the gate I flashed back to the 30 year stint that I worked in a chemical plant outside Alvin (Monsanto, now called Solutia). Walked into the Adminstration Bldg. where all the senior management people work and I could feel the politics of the place crawling up my spine...yada, yada, yada (more on first days here in a later post). That was Monday...today is Saturday.

I'm going to be here for 3 weeks and then I'll go home for a while and come back in April for a LONG run.

But this post is about my American moment in a crowded local grocery store. It's Carnaval time and the the streets are jammed with parades, people, revellers, etc. Has been for 2 days.

It occurred to me that with all the Carnaval activities in town, that getting anywhere is a chore. So this morning I go to the grocery store to get some food to cook [I'm having squid sticks tonight...you know, like fish sticks] so I can hunker down. When I checked out, a boy bagged my groceries and put them in my cart. While I was paying the check, a different kid grabs my groceries and starts walking to the door. Since I don't know how to say "HEY MOTHERF%^&#ER!!!" in popumento [the local language] I said something like "THAT'S MINE!!" [loudly]. The boy stops and looks at me and says, "yes sir...where is your car?"

D-OH!!! Half the people in the store started laughing...and it was crowded. I wanted to grab another bag and put it over my head. [at least I tipped the kid 10 florin ($5.17 USD it appears)].

...my American moment.