It has been brought to my attention that I ran out of Aruba so quickly that I haven’t updated the blog. I ‘escaped’ Saturday morning in spite of all the hysteria about my leaving…but it got to the point where I actually had to stand firm and tell my boss and the client that my departure on Saturday morning was absolutely, positively not negotiable. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
For some reason, I figured that when the boss got to Aruba things would smooth out and some of the distractions would go away. Actually, it was just the opposite. We wound up sharing my office and all the issues he was working on (and even some issues from other projects around the company) just came pouring into my bubble. On top of that, the union decided they were going to ‘audit’ our work and started ‘lawyering’ every word we have written or presented or spoken.
Then the two guys that I was spending a great deal of time training to be trainers ‘spit the bit’ Thursday afternoon. They just walked in to their boss’s office and told her they weren’t ready for presenting the classes that were scheduled for this week. Over the past two weeks, as we worked on getting them up to speed, they assured me that everything was fine and that we were on track and would be ready to do the training beginning on June 23. The truth was that they didn’t want to do it at all. The plan had been all along to say they weren’t ready at the last minute with the idea that I would stay and teach their classes. They had no regard for the damage it would do to our company or me personally. Either they didn’t care or were too dense to ‘get it’.
Great panic ensued throughout the land when those guys started whining. I was in a ringer trying to cover my ass and not throw rocks directly at them. So now we had to call their bluff and work out a plan to fill the gaps. I forced them to tell us what part of the process they needed ‘help’ on and then showed them where they signed the training plan stating that they were trained in that area and understood what they were seeing. That didn’t do much good, believe it or not…other than the fact that their boss told them that if they failed they would be fired.
It was at that time that they asked me to stay. But since my 30-day clock was almost run out, I would have had to fly to another country and re-enter Aruba to restart my clock. I just flat out refused. So far this year, I have missed every holiday and family birthday and I wasn’t going to miss Father’s Day. Then the plan was for me to go home for the weekend and come back on Monday. Later on, though, cooler heads prevailed and I am returning on July 13 for a couple of weeks.
Oh…and those mangy cunucu dogs did just fine teaching their classes.
BTW…the boss is a terrible roommate. He doesn’t sleep. One night our agent in the Middle East called about midnight to tell us we have been awarded a contract over there [a 3-year project]. So the boss and me were up the rest of the night trying to figure out how we're going to ramp that project up with 11 people by the end of the year. The main reason I participated was so that I wouldn’t wind up over there living off of camel (the guy we sent to Algeria a couple of weeks ago wound up living off of camel and monkey). It appears that I'm going to move to a project in Utah at the end of the summer. One that won’t take so much travel.
Any way, I have been privy to some pretty blatant, high level corruption here that my naiveté would not let me believe 3 months ago. I really don’t know how they run this place. This bunch of keystone cops can't use computers, can't 'read' a spreadsheet, and get in a panic when a consultant leaves (I’ve checked it out with other consultants…they see the same thing when they get ready to leave…meaning, it ain’t just me).
As my departure date closed in, people started coming in to my office and saying 'we need to go do this before you leave'...yada, yada, yada. Meanwhile, I'm just giving them my best dumb blonde look. If they need me to come back, I'll do that on a separate purchase order against a different project. Every dollar and every hour that I have left in my budget is already spoken for about twice and there is no more milk in the cow.
But let’s not forget that they are shutting this refinery down in a few days until the economy improves. I have my doubts that Valero will ever start it back up. My guess is that someone like Petrobraz (Brazil) or PetroChina (China) or Ecopetrol (Colombia) will buy the place cheap and bring it up…later in the year. Or the government will nationalize it and hire a company to come in and manage it until Valero can sell it.
I’m so glad to be home I can’t stand it. I think I'm going to talk a friend into getting into the cheese business. Maybe I can make a meager living making meager cheese.
OUT
Friday, June 26, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
It's everywhere
Things have quieted down a little. Friday is most unproductive day of the week in Aruba…at least in the refinery. Everyone is acting like nothing is going on and gallows humor prevails. Believe it or not, the most common phrase I'm hearing here on “Mahogany Row” (the nickname for the executive wing where we all are) is, well,… “We’re f_ _ _ ed!” That’s the mantra that men and women are both using when anyone speculates about the immediate future…followed by a big laugh by everyone in hearing range. But I ain't laughin’. They’ve changed their minds about “business as usual” for projects. Everything will have to be re-justified at a series of meetings that start Monday morning. (Glad the boss is going to be here to fade that heat).
I do know that the intensity to work, work, work has been blunted a little while my project is crumbling while I watch. This is probably the end. When I leave next Saturday, I probably won’t come back…unless PetroBraz buys the place and they jump start our projects. The worst part is that we have a big project coming up in Saudi Arabia. Worst case would be that one landing in my lap. Traveling back and forth and spending weeks in Saudi could even be a deal breaker for me. (My, I get pessimistic quickly, don’t I).
The political situation is quietly tense. Drove by the cruise ship harbor this morning and there are naval frigates docked right behind the giant cruise ships. Can’t tell where they are from because they aren’t flying any flags (is that normal?). When they bring them around to the refinery docks, I'm going to get a little antsy. Meanwhile, one of my best friends told me it’s time to get a “bug-out bag” going. That idea, plus the fact that we were told by the refinery to be ready to leave at any time, made me take it seriously. I'll live out of my suitcase for the rest of my stay, and keep my passport and itinerary in my pocket. I also exchanged all my florin into dollars. But I do have a small bag with absolute essentials with me all the time in the trunk of my car (laptop, passport, change of clothes, flash drives, paper files, a snack or two, two bottles of water, a couple hundred bucks, etc.). I think I'll start sleeping on the roof of the house with a big signal light handy so I can zero the choppers in when they show up from the aircraft carrier. There really isn't one out there, but I keep looking.
I made my normal grocery store trip today and a guy asked me if I was nervous about being here. I asked him how he knew I was an American contractor to the refinery and he said, “You all look alike. It’s the starched long-sleeved shirt tucked into blue jeans. The shoes give it away, too.” Come to find out, this guy is a Euro who has lived here for about 10 years. He didn’t look Aruban. Obviously, there are as many Aruban variations as there are with Americans except the Arubans that go back many generations. The multi-generational Aruban women are short, big-breasted, and round-bellied. The men are darker, short, and very stocky…almost swarthy.
Oh, and Chavez down in Venezuela is having a blast (no pun) with this. He’s talking about all the Aruban government has to do is kick the American capitalists out and he’ll take the refinery off their hands. I don’t think socialism or communism will go over too well here. You know what they say the difference is…with socialism, the government takes both of your cows and gives the milk away to your neighbors. Communists don’t really take the cows but they make you sell the milk to the government at a fixed break even cost (low enough for the government to re-sell it at a profit) and require a daily quota from you. If you don’t make quota, they take the cows and feed the to your neigbors and double your quota.
I can’t wait for next week. No one could write this is in a script…but I might after I get home.
OUT
I do know that the intensity to work, work, work has been blunted a little while my project is crumbling while I watch. This is probably the end. When I leave next Saturday, I probably won’t come back…unless PetroBraz buys the place and they jump start our projects. The worst part is that we have a big project coming up in Saudi Arabia. Worst case would be that one landing in my lap. Traveling back and forth and spending weeks in Saudi could even be a deal breaker for me. (My, I get pessimistic quickly, don’t I).
The political situation is quietly tense. Drove by the cruise ship harbor this morning and there are naval frigates docked right behind the giant cruise ships. Can’t tell where they are from because they aren’t flying any flags (is that normal?). When they bring them around to the refinery docks, I'm going to get a little antsy. Meanwhile, one of my best friends told me it’s time to get a “bug-out bag” going. That idea, plus the fact that we were told by the refinery to be ready to leave at any time, made me take it seriously. I'll live out of my suitcase for the rest of my stay, and keep my passport and itinerary in my pocket. I also exchanged all my florin into dollars. But I do have a small bag with absolute essentials with me all the time in the trunk of my car (laptop, passport, change of clothes, flash drives, paper files, a snack or two, two bottles of water, a couple hundred bucks, etc.). I think I'll start sleeping on the roof of the house with a big signal light handy so I can zero the choppers in when they show up from the aircraft carrier. There really isn't one out there, but I keep looking.
I made my normal grocery store trip today and a guy asked me if I was nervous about being here. I asked him how he knew I was an American contractor to the refinery and he said, “You all look alike. It’s the starched long-sleeved shirt tucked into blue jeans. The shoes give it away, too.” Come to find out, this guy is a Euro who has lived here for about 10 years. He didn’t look Aruban. Obviously, there are as many Aruban variations as there are with Americans except the Arubans that go back many generations. The multi-generational Aruban women are short, big-breasted, and round-bellied. The men are darker, short, and very stocky…almost swarthy.
Oh, and Chavez down in Venezuela is having a blast (no pun) with this. He’s talking about all the Aruban government has to do is kick the American capitalists out and he’ll take the refinery off their hands. I don’t think socialism or communism will go over too well here. You know what they say the difference is…with socialism, the government takes both of your cows and gives the milk away to your neighbors. Communists don’t really take the cows but they make you sell the milk to the government at a fixed break even cost (low enough for the government to re-sell it at a profit) and require a daily quota from you. If you don’t make quota, they take the cows and feed the to your neigbors and double your quota.
I can’t wait for next week. No one could write this is in a script…but I might after I get home.
OUT
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Thot Plickens...
Every day, new drama...the Company announced this morning that they are going to shutdown the refinery. The qualifier is that it is supposed to be only for the summer (till October…allegedly). At that time, they’ll evaluate the economics to see if they should start back up or just lock the gates and walk away. But, up to the October “drop dead” date, everyone will keep their jobs and our project (and others) will continue. The savings comes from not buying raw materials, utilities, maintenance costs, etc.
Now keep in mind that this is the only refinery in Aruba and it supports thousands of families and uncountable businesses. Permanently shutting this refinery down would have a devastating impact on the economy. It would affect this country to the extent of, say, shutting down all the refineries and chemical plants in either Galveston or Brazoria counties.
Here is the cold-blooded part. I’m on my way to lunch after the announcement has gone public, and I tune into the government radio station. I should also tell you that there is great resentment toward people who are not Aruban (especially Americans) that work in the refinery because, in theory, they are taking Aruban jobs.
So here is some high-ranking government official (Deputy Minister of something…should be Propaganda) saying “Now is the time for all American contractors to get the hell out of Aruba and take Valero with them. Let PetroBraz or PetroChina have the refinery. There are 102 American professionals in that refinery and they should all leave today”. This is a government official essentially kicking Americans out of the country on the freakin’ radio.
I immediately started flashing back to Saigon in 1975 or ’76 or whenever it was with all those people swarming onto helicopters from the roof of the embassy with the Viet Cong overtaking the city behind them. I asked the other people in the car where the embassy was because “I’m going to climb up on the roof and wait for the helicopters.” They didn’t get the homage but they got a laugh out of it anyway. I don’t know…I think I may be too delicate to make a good hostage.
But, the plan is for us to carry on with business as usual. Damn, I was hoping I'd get kicked out today. While they were making the announcement, I was scrolling through my cell phone directory looking for my travel agent to have her send a chopper or something.
Oh...and I talked to my wife, my daughter, and one of my best friends on the phone earlier. But only one of them asked if I was safe...(you know who you are). What's that about?
At some point during the day I had this thought that I wished the refinery was in Curacao where they at least have a really tall bridge.
OUT
Now keep in mind that this is the only refinery in Aruba and it supports thousands of families and uncountable businesses. Permanently shutting this refinery down would have a devastating impact on the economy. It would affect this country to the extent of, say, shutting down all the refineries and chemical plants in either Galveston or Brazoria counties.
Here is the cold-blooded part. I’m on my way to lunch after the announcement has gone public, and I tune into the government radio station. I should also tell you that there is great resentment toward people who are not Aruban (especially Americans) that work in the refinery because, in theory, they are taking Aruban jobs.
So here is some high-ranking government official (Deputy Minister of something…should be Propaganda) saying “Now is the time for all American contractors to get the hell out of Aruba and take Valero with them. Let PetroBraz or PetroChina have the refinery. There are 102 American professionals in that refinery and they should all leave today”. This is a government official essentially kicking Americans out of the country on the freakin’ radio.
I immediately started flashing back to Saigon in 1975 or ’76 or whenever it was with all those people swarming onto helicopters from the roof of the embassy with the Viet Cong overtaking the city behind them. I asked the other people in the car where the embassy was because “I’m going to climb up on the roof and wait for the helicopters.” They didn’t get the homage but they got a laugh out of it anyway. I don’t know…I think I may be too delicate to make a good hostage.
But, the plan is for us to carry on with business as usual. Damn, I was hoping I'd get kicked out today. While they were making the announcement, I was scrolling through my cell phone directory looking for my travel agent to have her send a chopper or something.
Oh...and I talked to my wife, my daughter, and one of my best friends on the phone earlier. But only one of them asked if I was safe...(you know who you are). What's that about?
At some point during the day I had this thought that I wished the refinery was in Curacao where they at least have a really tall bridge.
OUT
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
It's always hot in Aruba
Well, I did it. I called for some help. The political and business climate has turned so toxic here (as temporary as it is) that I'm spending more time dealing with all the stuff swirling around me that I'm struggling to get my job done and meet some hard deadlines. So I called the president of our company and told him someone needs to come deal with the lawyers and the immigration issues and the things that have me running the streets while I should be at my desk. I have also found out that there is more corruption here than I assumed. Lots of people know things that they can only find out through nefarious means.
Truth be told, he’s happy to jump into the fray from here rather than from Clear Lake. The savings in our collective cell phone bills ought to pay for the plane ticket. So, he’s coming in Sunday and I’m lining up meetings, dinners, and “clandestine” lunches. It’s unbelievable that we have to be careful who we are seen with at lunch or dinner so we have to carefully pick the venues. On the other hand, some people we almost need to be seen with, but with others we should probably wear disguises…which is ok because they need to wear a disguise, too. Aren’t we all adults here?
I really hope that I don’t have to be present for all those dinners and lunches because the food here…well…it sucks. I've been to the highest end restaurants and the food is just ok there. Even Ruth’s Chris at the Marriott is just ok. Not what you would expect (or receive) in the States. The best food I've had here was a steak chalupa at Taco Bell in Oranjestad….no kidding. But, it had flavor. I mean, the food here isn't bad, it’s just bland.
I normally have sandwiches at lunch time, which is just fine, and I cook my own dinner. BTW…beef here is pretty cheap. I can get tenderloin (the cut for filet mignon, chateaubriand, etc.) for about 25 florin per kilo or $6.50 or $7.00 a pound…about 1/3 of what I pay for it at home. Veal is about the same. So when I cook, I eat good stuff. Surprisingly, tho, fish is not bargain unless you buy it from some dude off his boat, but the flies are a little offputting…that and the general lack of ice.
Another subject…theft here is a big problem. Violent crime is almost non-existent here but theft is rampant. Anyway, while we were in a marathon meeting yesterday, one of the guys who is working very closely with me got a cell phone call (we were all, of course, very appropriately showing our indignation that he would take a personal call in that setting) from his wife. They had been burglarized at home. Everything the burglars didn’t take, they broke. He said on the phone this morning that they even kicked doors off the frames, cut furniture, just destroyed what they didn’t take.
This is a pretty dang small island (it’s only 70 square miles; Brazoria County, where I live, is 1800 square miles) with all 90,000 people living on the west coast (about a tenth of the island…the rest is uninhabited ‘outback’). The point being that it would be hard to sell something that you stole without causing someone to notice. Good luck, guys…the federales are always close here. There is a very imposing prison out there in the Aruban ou
tback. (I think I have a picture of it.) Like I always say…the smokier you drink, the player you get. (I’ll bring an iggy home to the first person who can tell me where I got that quote.)
OUT
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Slow Weekend so far, and Few Prospects for the Rest of it
Sometimes I can’t get over the ineptitude that is just business as usual with these people in the refinery. I’ve been chasing a couple of purchase orders this past week. It’s amazing the circles I've been running in. Every one tells me a different story about the PO status and none of them are right. How do they get anything done?
Oh well…
Went to a flea market Saturday on the way to the grocery store. Arubans take their flea markets seriously…as in everything is very expensive. And they give you the price in dollars and then convert to florin in hopes that you don’t know the math. I bought something from a girl and she said it was $10. I only had florin on me, so I gave her a 25 florin bill. She said “okay, thank you.” I just looked at her for a few seconds until I realized she was serious. So I reminded her that $10 is actually 17.5 florin. By the time I got my change from her (lots of discussion and calculating ensued) I was exhausted and feeling guilty. My impression was that she was trying to wait me out. That may work for tourists, but not this worldwise seasoned international traveler.
Friday, as I was leaving the refinery, the Canadian from across the hall (Alex) called me on my cell phone and said him and a couple guys were on their way to eat “at a Chinese place” and asked me to join them. Of course, I jumped on it. When I got to town, I had to call Alex to find where the restaurant was and he told me to meet him at Wendy’s. So I met him and followed him. We went down some “streets” that are really just paths…just wide enough to drive through. I was almost driving through people’s living rooms These streets went through the poorest neighborhoods I've ever seen. I should have gotten a clue from the route we were taking.
We finally pulled into a shabby little “restaurant” and we went in. Well, it wasn’t really a restaurant. It was what we call a beer joint but in Aruba, it’s called a rum shop. The only thing on the menu was beer, cigarettes, and potato chips. The guys looked at my face and started laughing and said they had to lie because they knew I wouldn’t go to a rum shop with them. So I drank guava nectar and bought them beer and chips till about 8 o’clock when we all called it a night. They all thought it was funny and they enjoyed their free beer.
Yesterday was my grandson Carson’s birthday (he’s 3 years old now) and his mom told him he could go anywhere he wanted for lunch. His answer? “Grandandy’s!” Ya gotta love a kid like that...although I think he settled for Whataburger.
The internet access has been practically non-existent this week. When I do get online, it drops off about every 10 minutes. Kinda hard to conduct any business like that. I’ve actually been writing messages in MSWord and when I get online, I cut and paste them in the bodies of emails as fast as I can.
You gotta be flexible living on this rock…
OUT
Oh well…
Went to a flea market Saturday on the way to the grocery store. Arubans take their flea markets seriously…as in everything is very expensive. And they give you the price in dollars and then convert to florin in hopes that you don’t know the math. I bought something from a girl and she said it was $10. I only had florin on me, so I gave her a 25 florin bill. She said “okay, thank you.” I just looked at her for a few seconds until I realized she was serious. So I reminded her that $10 is actually 17.5 florin. By the time I got my change from her (lots of discussion and calculating ensued) I was exhausted and feeling guilty. My impression was that she was trying to wait me out. That may work for tourists, but not this worldwise seasoned international traveler.
Friday, as I was leaving the refinery, the Canadian from across the hall (Alex) called me on my cell phone and said him and a couple guys were on their way to eat “at a Chinese place” and asked me to join them. Of course, I jumped on it. When I got to town, I had to call Alex to find where the restaurant was and he told me to meet him at Wendy’s. So I met him and followed him. We went down some “streets” that are really just paths…just wide enough to drive through. I was almost driving through people’s living rooms These streets went through the poorest neighborhoods I've ever seen. I should have gotten a clue from the route we were taking.
We finally pulled into a shabby little “restaurant” and we went in. Well, it wasn’t really a restaurant. It was what we call a beer joint but in Aruba, it’s called a rum shop. The only thing on the menu was beer, cigarettes, and potato chips. The guys looked at my face and started laughing and said they had to lie because they knew I wouldn’t go to a rum shop with them. So I drank guava nectar and bought them beer and chips till about 8 o’clock when we all called it a night. They all thought it was funny and they enjoyed their free beer.
Yesterday was my grandson Carson’s birthday (he’s 3 years old now) and his mom told him he could go anywhere he wanted for lunch. His answer? “Grandandy’s!” Ya gotta love a kid like that...although I think he settled for Whataburger.
The internet access has been practically non-existent this week. When I do get online, it drops off about every 10 minutes. Kinda hard to conduct any business like that. I’ve actually been writing messages in MSWord and when I get online, I cut and paste them in the bodies of emails as fast as I can.
You gotta be flexible living on this rock…
OUT
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Mangoes and Houseplants
I think I've found a way to make a meager living here. I was going into the GOB [General Office Building] yesterday and there were two guys struggling with this big ol' house plant in the front door. That plant was in bad shape. It had more dead leaves than live ones so I assumed they were going out with it to go throw it in the Caribbean.
I was wrong. They were bringing that thing in. And on top of that they beat it up bringing it thru the door. I started noticing the plants in the lobby, upstairs on the landing, in the hallways, and in people's offices. They were all in terrible shape.
So I got an idea. In the States there are businesses that lease plants to buildings, businesses, etc. I'm going to make a leap of faith and assume that there aren't any plant leasers on this rock. So all I have to do is find a couple hundred perfect, large houseplants, get some lease contracts for them, distribute them all over the island, and then maintain them...
Wait a minute...let's see. If I could even find a couple hundred really nice plants they would cost me twice much as they would at home. Plus no one would lease a plant here...it does sound a little unnecessary and these folks squeeze every florin. And maintaining all those plants would be a hassle.
So much for that business plan. It don't look so good when you write it down.
Any way, another topic...yesterday one of the guys had a couple of beautiful mangoes at lunch. I asked him where he got them because you can't get good fruit here [accept bananas]...especially stone fruit. It's all been refrigerated for a long time on the way down here and they don't ripen. They go from cold and half ripe in the "produce" aisle to brown and depressing overnight. But this dude grows them in his yard. He said they're laying all over the ground because he can't eat them all. AAAAHHHHH!!!! I love mangoes. So he brought me 5 of them this morning. They're a work of art...tree-ripened, organic mangoes. I'm getting verklempt.
One last thing...a lot of people ask me about how these folks handle the Natalie Holloway thing. Today at lunch someone (an Aruban) brought it up out of the blue. What I found out is that they believe it's a 5.7 million dollar scam by her mom!!! Of course there are more holes in the theory than swiss cheese but many people believe it.
I don't know, I guess that makes as much sense as many other theories.
God save the Queen [they have one, ya know...she's the Queen of the Netherlands].
OUT
I was wrong. They were bringing that thing in. And on top of that they beat it up bringing it thru the door. I started noticing the plants in the lobby, upstairs on the landing, in the hallways, and in people's offices. They were all in terrible shape.
So I got an idea. In the States there are businesses that lease plants to buildings, businesses, etc. I'm going to make a leap of faith and assume that there aren't any plant leasers on this rock. So all I have to do is find a couple hundred perfect, large houseplants, get some lease contracts for them, distribute them all over the island, and then maintain them...
Wait a minute...let's see. If I could even find a couple hundred really nice plants they would cost me twice much as they would at home. Plus no one would lease a plant here...it does sound a little unnecessary and these folks squeeze every florin. And maintaining all those plants would be a hassle.
So much for that business plan. It don't look so good when you write it down.
Any way, another topic...yesterday one of the guys had a couple of beautiful mangoes at lunch. I asked him where he got them because you can't get good fruit here [accept bananas]...especially stone fruit. It's all been refrigerated for a long time on the way down here and they don't ripen. They go from cold and half ripe in the "produce" aisle to brown and depressing overnight. But this dude grows them in his yard. He said they're laying all over the ground because he can't eat them all. AAAAHHHHH!!!! I love mangoes. So he brought me 5 of them this morning. They're a work of art...tree-ripened, organic mangoes. I'm getting verklempt.
One last thing...a lot of people ask me about how these folks handle the Natalie Holloway thing. Today at lunch someone (an Aruban) brought it up out of the blue. What I found out is that they believe it's a 5.7 million dollar scam by her mom!!! Of course there are more holes in the theory than swiss cheese but many people believe it.
I don't know, I guess that makes as much sense as many other theories.
God save the Queen [they have one, ya know...she's the Queen of the Netherlands].
OUT
Monday, June 1, 2009
A Surreal Moment at Wendy's and other Gastronomy
Well…I haven’t had the internet on this damned rock since Friday. Wasn’t able to do much online work or communication all weekend but managed to get some things done from the ol’ flash drive. But the internet is back again.
Thought I’d share a classic event that happened to me Saturday morning. I went to town for some coffee (Wendy’s). As I was standing inside I noticed a couple of “local” teenage girls trying to unlock their car with a coat hangar on the driver’s side. About the time I got my coffee, I noticed that a couple of men were standing there and trying to help out. (BTW, my car was parked next to the locked car).
So I stroll out of Wendy’s and the 4 people trying to open the car had torn up a lot of weather stripping and were more than a little stressed because they weren’t making any progress. I walk over to my car and start to get in and noticed something…the passenger side window was DOWN about six inches. It took a minute to register on me (I was already in the car before I realized what I was seeing).
So I just step out of my car, reach in the window and unlock the car. Went it went “thunk” every one froze for a second and looked at me. I said, “this, uh, window is down and it looks like it may rain in Aruba today. Might want to roll it up when you get that door unlocked.” I got in my car and drove off. When I looked in the mirror, they were still just standing around looking at each other. Not sure if they even quit trying to unlock the driver’s side door.
Some gastronomic observations:
1-Arubans like their cookies. Every meeting, class, gathering, at the refinery is accompanied by piles of cookies and they all eat them. However, they have some awesome cookies. They’re all imported from Holland and those Aryans are evidently real good at making cookies.
2-If you go to a meeting in the refinery where lunch is brought in, it’s Subway…always. Last rotation here, I went to 4 meetings in a row where lunch was brought in. It was Subway or starve. Never anything else. It was free food but that’s all it was…free.
3-They also like their fruit drinks. I’ve noticed that when you go out to eat that the people here drink pineapple juice, grape soda, guava nectar, etc. with their meals. Where we drink tea or water or wine, they drink their fruit drinks. And the cool part is that the restaurants all have the stuff.
4-And could someone give the chefs on the island some freakin’ SALT!!!
OUT
Thought I’d share a classic event that happened to me Saturday morning. I went to town for some coffee (Wendy’s). As I was standing inside I noticed a couple of “local” teenage girls trying to unlock their car with a coat hangar on the driver’s side. About the time I got my coffee, I noticed that a couple of men were standing there and trying to help out. (BTW, my car was parked next to the locked car).
So I stroll out of Wendy’s and the 4 people trying to open the car had torn up a lot of weather stripping and were more than a little stressed because they weren’t making any progress. I walk over to my car and start to get in and noticed something…the passenger side window was DOWN about six inches. It took a minute to register on me (I was already in the car before I realized what I was seeing).
So I just step out of my car, reach in the window and unlock the car. Went it went “thunk” every one froze for a second and looked at me. I said, “this, uh, window is down and it looks like it may rain in Aruba today. Might want to roll it up when you get that door unlocked.” I got in my car and drove off. When I looked in the mirror, they were still just standing around looking at each other. Not sure if they even quit trying to unlock the driver’s side door.
Some gastronomic observations:
1-Arubans like their cookies. Every meeting, class, gathering, at the refinery is accompanied by piles of cookies and they all eat them. However, they have some awesome cookies. They’re all imported from Holland and those Aryans are evidently real good at making cookies.
2-If you go to a meeting in the refinery where lunch is brought in, it’s Subway…always. Last rotation here, I went to 4 meetings in a row where lunch was brought in. It was Subway or starve. Never anything else. It was free food but that’s all it was…free.
3-They also like their fruit drinks. I’ve noticed that when you go out to eat that the people here drink pineapple juice, grape soda, guava nectar, etc. with their meals. Where we drink tea or water or wine, they drink their fruit drinks. And the cool part is that the restaurants all have the stuff.
4-And could someone give the chefs on the island some freakin’ SALT!!!
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