Chp-19-The Family in Barbados
August 30/97
I arrived at Terminal 2 in Toronto after a 1 hour drive in Mathew's car. Not much traffic on the road
but when we arrived at the airport's International area it was crammed! Wall to wall people heading
for everywhere you can imagine. Of course I've got the big hard-shell suitcase; the carry-on hardshell; my suitbag and the computer for Hickling corporation. I'm pushing my way through the two
bank teller type lines so we can book onto our flight. There are a number of young Barbadian types
with basketballs heading to the island and the usual smattering of tourists with their straw hats.
The damn books I'm carrying for workshops and resources add incredible weight to each
piece as I try to push them along the floor. I met a young man from London, Ontario heading for a
two week break. Checking in I have to take the computer over to the extra luggage area and for $60
they'll ship it with us! Finally we're into the loading area, and we wait for the flight. Of course, since
I'm paying(that is the consulting group) $1450 for my ticket, I assume I'm in business class. NOT!!
As it turns out I'm the last one to be boarded! That will teach me to be presumptuous.
The flights a regularly scheduled Air Canada flight which is quite uneventful. I met a 42 year
old X-guitarist on his way to visit his fiance, who is working as a computer systems specialist for
CffiC. He's even chats more than I do! The in flight flick is "Murder at number 1600" and it is very
entertaining and passes the time. We see Antigua as we move down the Caribbean but there is no
visible sign of the Monserrat eruption.
Finally Barbados. It's 28 C and fluffy white clouds. Of course our 767 arrives at the same
time as a 747 from Britain and a 767 from BWIA. This airport, with it's mighty concrete pillars and
40 foot ceilings is not geared for 1,000 folks, all at once. The luggage crunch is chaos, with red
shirted male and female porters vying for your bags amongst the thousand passengers. Somehow
they miss me. My guess is because it's so entertaining to watch a middle aged guying pushing four
pieces of luggage across a concrete floor in a humid 28 c. Only to get into the funnel of passengers
trying to get to the TWO customs officers on duty to clear us. The turquoise waters, white sands
and palms seem to be the last thing on anyone's mind. A couple of young Brit women next to me
quip,t hat they hope we get through the line before their vacation is over! Just as I make the customs
officer, in this mass of human sweat, a young porter grabs my 4 bags and zips us through. Of course
I don't have any dough! We go out to the taxi area and a pleasant young black man in golf shirt
approaches and says, " Ken Johnson". How Colin Thornhill recognized me in that crowd is beyond
me! I quickly excused myself to return to the inside of the terminal because it was the only place
where I could exchange a travelers cheque to pay the porter. I thought I'd be trapped in the line but
interestingly, I just walked through customs, over to the bank got $1.95 Barbadian per US Dollar
and walked out of the terminal. Interesting security system.
We spent the next 40 minutes trying to get out of the parking lot. Colin pointed out the ritual
that was ongoing between the drivers. No eye contact and they would cling to the bumper in front of
them so that you never got into the mainstream. If you made eye contact usually they let you in.
Now we're driving along on the wrong side of the Road and going around roundabouts on the
narrowest of roads. Colin wants to show me the Joyceville Apts. That he has reserved for us starting
tomorrow.
We zip past the OASIS resort(quite fashionable) and 50 yds. Further around a corner there is
a Pink Villa type home, with the steel roof and freshly painted. There is a white cement fence with
sculptured wire atop, and huge Hibiscus bushes with red flowers appear along its total length. We go
through the steel gates and up a wide wooden stairway to the double wood front doors. We briefly
ring the bell but no response. A neighbour yells across that she will phone as she knows the landlady
is home. An older lady , grey and with her arms showing aging and bruising over their full length
hobbles out. She tells us there is a painter in and it's bothering her asthma and the stairs are difficult
with her arthritis. But she makes it and takes us through the garden at the side of the house to the two
apartments.
I'll be looking at the larger of the two. She takes out her keys, apologizes for the state of the
apartment as the young couple from Vancouver are newly weds and most things are in disarray. Lets
see: there's a key for the dead bolt and a skeleton key for the other side of the door. Then you lift the
upper and lower bolts holding the wooden doors in place. This reveals the steel frame bars (for
security) that are the inner doors. I don't know what JoAnne will think of this place but I'm getting
uncomfortable. The steel bars have two master locks at the 2 ft. And 5 ft. Levels that secure pins
which go into the terrazzo floor and cement upper frame of the door. Finally we're into the living are,
made up of a Kitchen nook on the left with four high stools an a love seat two chairs in orange and a
small table and chairs. There is a small fridge, microwave and sink behind the nook.
Down five stairs on the back wall and your into the bedroom which is disheveled and beds not
made. Probably not a priority for newlyweds! And at the back of the bedroom you move into a tidy
tiled bathroom with a fair sized shower and sink and lots of cupboard space for clothes. I think the
state of chaos concerns me! But for $38 US a night (+$4 if you use the AC), it may not be bad. The
young couple arrive with John Holte the owner just as we're leaving. Colin pays a down payment
and we're off to the Dover Beach Inn. It's about 5 miles south east of us. It seems like a tidy hotel on
the beach, but $105 us seems a bit much for the room. Again a small kitchenette is at the doorway
and a loveseat (pull-out) and king-size bed are the offerings. The room over looks the front of the
hotel.
Colin leaves me for about an hour while he zips home and then he returns so we can pick
JoAnne and the boys up. They arrived on Canada 3000 at quarter to 7 and are waiting in front of the
airport. They didn't have any of the delays inside that I experienced! I was really happy to see them
and could feel my anxiety level waning. We returned to the Dover Beach in the dark so nothing was
recognizable. There was a wedding going on in the pool area and the restaurant of the hotel which
was quite pretty. The cake sat under a canopy next to the ocean with flowers along all the pillars.
JoAnne, Daniel and Kristopher seemed satisfied with the room. We took a brief stroll through the
pool area out to the beach but you really couldn't see much in the dark. To our room and we retired.
No television or radio available! JoAnne and I slept on the pull out
which had the thickness of a light days pad which let you roll to the middle. Fun wow!
August 31/97
Apparently none of us slept very well. We went down for breakfast and had ham & eggs;
bacon and eggs and pancakes. It was just fine, but it cost $38 bds! We went down to the beach and
the boys put on their suits and went in for awhile. There was a bit of an under tow which pulled to
the north west but the boys managed. A couple of "Bajans" were fishing with line and weights but
weren't catching much. A young Rastafarian was strolling the beach making loud animal sounds and
this sent Kris scurrying back to us next to the pool. There was another young guy stripping Aloe
Vera leaves of their jell and trying to sell it to us. Said that's how he makes his living. No sale today!
A tanned, chubby American approached JoAnne while we were on the beach and told her he
had just heard that Lady Di had been killed in a car crash. This was shocking, and disconcerting
news and was confirmed by the mom of the young British couple who had been married the night
before. What a terrible tragedy, and all because the damn press couldn't back off!
Colin picked us up at 12:00 and headed over to the Joyceville Apts. Actually with the rooms
freshened up they presented very well and JoAnne and Daniel were pleased. Kris was a little
disappointed because we had talked about booking into a large hotel on the west coast for their stay
in case it wasn't suitable, but he recovered and settled in quickly. We found a chicken restaurant
similar to KFC just around the corner and across the road from the beach so this was nice. The
chicken was tasty! And the bill was $42 bds. JoAnne and I strolled over to the food markets the
Rendezvous and the Big B which were about 5 blocks away and closed. On the way back we
checked the cost of a car rental: 1 day-$178 bds; 3 days-$375 bds; and 1 week-$550 bds.
Nothing comes cheaply in Barbados! We walked back to a "99" convenience store and bought eggs,
milk, margarine two 2 litre bottles of pop, bread, 2 bags of chips; some nibbllies and juice for a mere
$41 bds. Luckily we didn't buy the Frosted Flakes as they were $17.50 bds! Took it to the
Apartment and got our suits on and to the beach.
The boys had a mask and swim goggles and seemed to be enjoying the beautiful turquoise
waters. They spotted white fish about !0" long in schools of 5-8 and small black fish around the
coral that were in larger schools. The water had to be 85 C and we spent about one hour playing
there. Back to the apartment to shower and get ready for supper.
Just as we're coming out John Holte brings us a few brochures and offers to drive us through
St Lawrence gap to show us the restaurants. It really is quite close and he shows us dozens of
places. The expensive Josefs, the Sand Dollar and who can count the others. He describes a
number of sights that were his former homes as a young man. His family goes back to 1690 on the
Island of Barbados. And I thought he was a Brit. He drives right down to Oistin where they have a
huge fish fry every Fri. & Sat. And he takes us through a couple of exclusive resorts which look
absolutely fabulous; but run about $350 US a night. Finally we're back to Joyceville and we go to the
Abbeville Inn across the street for our supper.
It's a tidy bar and restaurant with two TVS playing the first weekend of NFL Football.
There's a large bar along one wall and the tables are arranged around two sides as you approach the
pool area. The entire area is roofed but open to the outside. We order a couple of daiquiris which
are excellent. Mine a strawberry and Jo Anne's banana. Daniel has a virgin banana Daiquiri as well.
Dan has a hamburg platter; Kris a plate of fries; me a flying fish burger and Joanne a Quiche. Only
$96 bds! There are slots and we win some on cards and three bars but two older gentlemen really
clean up. One wins 600 quarters on my machine; gives his brother some of his winnings. And He
proceeds to win 120 and then 300 quarters. It was enough to turn us off for the night so we went
home and turned in.
September 1/97
Apparently no one was able to sleep very well last night; Daniel said he felt sick as well. We started
the day with toast and eggs, cooked on our marvelous gas stove. It took me 5-8 Barbadian matches
to get the damn thing lit. The matches seemed to be almost soaked from the humidity and after
striking them a few times they would either break or the heads would turn to mush. Then when I got it
lit the fine tuning of the little burner would get turned the wrong way and the flame would go out
again. Obviously I'm not an Engineer! Everyone enjoyed the breakfast and then Dan and I headed
over to sunshine Car Rentals to pick up our mini Moki for touring the island. $173 bds for a day or
$345 for three days. So we booked the latter and picked up our little white convertible. Looks like a
doon buggy only smaller and NO seat belts. The seats are vinyl and you have to enter over the side
like a cock pit.
So let's go to Bridgetown! Holy "*&$%!@" I've got to drive on the left hand side of the
road without any practice! What do I mean road? These coastal highways would make riding
bicycles difficult given their width. I drive along and Daniel navigates. That is he keeps saying "stay
to the left Dad, stay to the left! No, No give way Dad, give way!" We very quickly circumnavigate
the routes through Bridgetown and Daniel suggests we stop at the Marlin Tourist info. Centre.
Almost missed it. Made a quick U-turn and down the narrower back street to find the Centre is a
Rum factory and it costs $12 bds per person to go inside and use the beach. Nope! No sale to the "
Griswalds" today. We decide to head back into town to do a little shopping.
Today's supposed to be a holiday, but I think everyone on the Island is in town. The traffic is
incredible, and the people are just wall to wall on the streets. It's kind of a neat town with its contrast
of old centuries old architecture side by side with new office structures for government and Scotia
Bank, The Royal Bank of Canada; the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce(CIBC); and Barclay's
Bank. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed by the Canadian financial presence. We ate lunch at the
Pelican restaurant over looking the marina in the downtown where many of the fishing charters leave
from. There are two huge catamarans, one about 30 ft wide by approx. 50 ft. Long docked along the
main street. We learn later on that hey are for party charters. Man were they huge vessels!
The struggle through the downtown on a 30 C+ day in these crowds was not easy. There
seems to be street work everywhere as the island is putting in new sewers on all the roads before they
get into a major road repaying. Colin pointed out this was an exercise in preparation for the
election next year. Some things are the same no matter where in the world you might be! We zip
into a National Barbadian Bank to exchange some travelers cheques for Bdss. We certainly didn't zip
out. There were 4 people in front of me in the foreign exchange line. Should be easy right? Not!
The teller in this section seemed to be meticulous about his work. As I would find out later he
checks his figures three or four times and wasn't getting the same answer on any try! Must be a new
accountant development program. Everyone was dressed to the nines, with fine white shirts, silk ties
and the women wearing silky long dresses with fancy braids and scarves. A great fashion plate if
you've got 40 minutes to kill. Finally we got the money!
The shopping is just not great. Everything is very expensive wether it be jewelry, t-shirts or
plastic souvenirs. Kris is getting frustrated because he wants to buy his buddies some neck or wrist
shell work but it is way over his budget, and he has to keep fending off the street vendors. They
typically look like latter day Rastafarians with their braids, dread locks and multi coloured knitted
caps. We've seen enough and decide we want to go to Mullins Bay because a few folks have said it's
a great swimming site on the West Coast.
Another driving adventure up the coastal highway. This time it wends its way past the large
docks where I assume the ships usually dock, but none to be seen today. The water to the left of us
is constantly changing shade from deep blue to bright turquoise and there are incredible flashes of
colourful flowers along the way. Reds, whites, pinks, yellows and every variation on the theme.
There is also an interesting contrast between the many villas and classic resorts on the ocean side
and the constant line of shanty tin shacks on the right side. Every once in awhile we would pass a
local pub. Usually identified with a Banks Beer sign, and about the size of an 8 by 10 ft. Tent. These
folks make do with what they have. Actually I recall passing one small cottage on the left which the
owner had decorated to the hilt. It was bright yellow woodwork with wood stained double front
doors and all the trim was either turquoise or green. Colourful would be an understatement but the
effort and the contrast of this place with his neighbours crumbling and rusty structures was striking.
During this trip I think 4 buses and two gasoline tankers made concerted efforts to run us off the
road. The cries of, " Oh God! Look out for that truck " kept the trip on the edge.
Finally we get to Mullins Bay, whoops, I missed it! Did a quick u-turn. This is becoming a
bit of a habit, I'm afraid. I can't find a parking spot on the first pass so I just pull off on the sandy
shoulder and everyone heads for the beach. We're immediately approached by a couple of young
beach merchants who want us to buy 15 mins. On a jet ski, only $40 bds. They wet the boys
interest. Now I see the parking lot across the street and decide to get the car out of the sand. Of
course I pop the clutch and it peels across the highway with a screech right in front of the local
constabulary who looks on in wonder!
The water is much calmer on the west coast, and the sand is incredibly hot on the feet. We all
enjoy the swimming and Kris rents an extra set of mask, fins and snorkel. There are many schools of
small coral reef type fish . Some are bright with highlights of blue and yellow colours which flash in
the sunlight as we follow them. We spot a huge sea urchin on a rock close to shore. His spines are
about 8"-10"long and looks like he could inflict considerable damage should you step on him. I spot
a small snake like creature in a crevice of a rock. He almost looks like a miniature eel. But he has
bright stripes of yellow along his silver body as well. I
called to Dan but when he heard me say "sea snake " he decided that was not something he wanted
to share as an experience. The boys finally got their shot at a "Sea Do" and Daniel was particularly
pleased. We went through all the cautions about speed, other swimmers and boats and they boarded
for their 15 minute tour. Daniel wound it out and headed toward the deep. You could see that as he
initially hit waves that bounced them he would slow; but as he became comfortable he sought out
these waves and went for the gusto to get airborne when he could. This gradually caught up with
Kris and he wanted to be returned to shore complaining of the tight turns and hops Daniel was taking.
But over all they seemed to enjoy themselves
JoAnne and I strolled the beach and along the way noted a young couple enjoying an embrace
in the water and another group of young people tanning; one in particular was a pert blonde with
very large breasts, roasting in the sun. These clearly were of the melon variety even as she lay on her
back. Certainly a testament to her youth and someone we would have to bring to Kristopher's
attention. Him being the worldly admirer of cultural difference in bathing traditions. On the way
back the young embracing couple were now separated and the young lady really seemed to be
sulking rather obviously in her simple thong suit while the lad dried off on the beach. We did come
across our first Sting Ray along the shore. It was about 20" long and scooted away a we approached.
Time to head back to our hustings before it gets dark. Along the way we stop at a series of
boutiques just across from a major resort. The shops are loaded with crafts and paintings at totally
unreasonable prices, so we look but don't touch. A drink is in order and Kris has a coconut ice
cream cone. We find an IGA grocer where we can load up on some staples, and spend about $130
bds on spaghetti, milk, cheese, soup, beans, bread and wieners. My money should last until
Wednesday and then it's every man for himself. The ride home seems much quicker through
Bridgetown, although it is another adventure as I miss a turn and I seem to keep cutting this guy
behind me off as I try to stay on the right road home! We make it and unload our groceries; shower
from the sea and salt and dress to go to "Bubba's" for dinner. It's a big sports bar that's popular
during games and has a great reputation. Especially if your willing to sell your first born for supper.
I'm starting to feel that by the time my team leaves I'll need to go on a diet to conserve my expense
allowance. Supper was a Dolphin sandwich; a Flying Fish sandwich; a chicken caesar; and a Chicken
Club sandwich and baked potato. In the background of several TV screens on soccer, football, wet tshirt contest, there was one TV that had CNN doing a crossfire episode on drunk drivers and the
Terrible Lady Di disaster.
Time to go home and get some rest. We are all very tired after a couple of days of heavy
beaching activity. JoAnne reads. I do my journal, and the boys hit the hay at 8:30. Goodnight!
Sept. 2/97:
Everyone slept well last night! We rose to a bright warm day, JoAnne was already sitting in a lounge
on our patio reading a novel. Another morning of eggs and toast and juice for everyone. The boys
headed for the beach early and JoAnne and I cleaned up the dishes and rearranged the bedroom to
suit our needs as it were. Then down to the beach to check on the lads.
The boys were snorkeling between the shore and a reef and seemed to be having a great time. Jo
joined them and I sat on the beach with my camera snapping a few shots of the scenery and the guys
swimming. The turquoise and blue of the Caribbean with little white waves in the hot tropic sun just
really does it for you. The sun got hotter and we decided to return to Joyceville for our lunch before
driving out for the afternoon. This time we would head to Sam Lord's Castle, a historic site that had
been developed as a resort by Marriott.
The drive east was another adventure. Daniel was a great little navigator keeping in line
when I got to the roundabout. We must have gone through at least five on the way. Every once in
awhile some big truck or bus, twice the width of the cow path, called a road, would come tearing
around a curve like my time was up! But we made it. The castle was not "Dundurn Castle" in its
presentation, but the grounds and the ocean front were spectacular. Kris spotted several large
chameleons(8") that he tried to catch getting left with the odd piece of tail! We enjoyed a brief swim
in one of their 5 different pools surrounded by pink and white tropical condos, with shake shingled
roofs and all variety of trees, orchids and ferns around you. Certainly a first class facility.
The view of the ocean from the look cuts was dramatic. The white sand sloped away steeply
into a wild surf, that stirred the sand in the turquoise waters with five foot breakers. A group of
young black locals were playing in the surf and once in awhile would take an awful pounding by a
wave. The setting of palms, Thatched beach umbrellas and the surf was a classic tropical picture. A
stroll through the shops continued the impression of great expense in the shops and not worth the
expense. Two cokes ran $5 bds each, Jo and I drank water! We were ready to go back to town.
God knows I didn't want to drive the trails at night! A quick shower and we were ready for supper.
John dropped by and offered us fresh mangos from his tree as well as some fresh guava fruit.
The mangos were sweet and the guava were bland. John suggested "Blakey's" in St. Lawrence Gap
as an excellent place for great quantities of food. He was right! The restaurant was at the east end of
the road and had both outdoor cafe style under umbrellas and indoor tables. The prices were the
usual but that didn't deter us this time, we came to eat! Daniel had a half fried chicken. And this
bird was obviously a rooster and king of the flock! Kris had Scampi and the were large and succulent
in a great garlic sauce whose odour wafted across our table; JoAnne had the flying fish filet with rice
and veggies and it was a lightly breaded filet that was about 8" and thick; I had the fisherman's
platter, and it was to die for: scallop meat mounded on a 6" scallop shell, bound by a filet of flying
fish on one side and a filet of dolphin fish on the other with a thick filet of flounder in front and a
side of rice. What a feast and only $178.20 bds, actually I'm sure this meal would have been more
expensive at home. It was great.
We waddled back to the car and the drive home. Guess what?? The road in was one way!
Guess I missed that one , but the locals were very tolerant they just met me head on and politely said
" this road goes that way, man!" I MADE A QUICK EXIT AND HEADED IN THE PROPER
DIRECTION. WHEW!! Got home safely and JoAnne took the boys over to the Abbeville inn across
the way for a swim. They ran into Bert, the Montreal proprietor, who clearly doesn't have the
disposition of the real islanders. He gave the boys a hard time for not having shirts on and then told
them to swim away from the dining area so that they wouldn't bother the invisible patrons who
weren't at the tables. Go back to Montreal and give the real
Bajans their hotel back, you dweeb!! Back to home base and bed after a good adventurous day.
Sept.3/97
Again we seemed to have a good sleep, the air is working well in the bedroom and allows us
to sleep quite comfortably. JoAnne is first up and is reading on the patio. When the boys rise I
make some Aunt Jemima 8" pancakes and toast for breakfast. They seem to go well with syrup ,
Daniel has a bowl of Frosted Flakes as well. Everyone makes their bed and we're ready to head on
the road north. John Holte brings down a detailed map with both the road outlined and the sites to
see described on a separate sheet. He really is a very sincere and helpful person. Just before we head
out I manage to get some bird pictures. Kris gets a shot of the yellow breast and I catch a quick shot
of the black hummingbird. Into the MOKI for the trek north.
Daniel continues his role as a navigator and is very good at it. We start back towards Dover
so we can head across land to pick up the inland Highway north. One roundabout after another as
we move past Bridgetown, Holetown and Speitztown towards Falter Hill and the Game Reserve.
We don't encounter much difficulty going cross country but we see many goats; some cattle and a
number of cultivated fields and sugar cane fields. There seem to be men building or adding to houses
everywhere you go. Little shanties; medium cement block villas and new condos or hotels. There
really seems to be lots of economic development for a small island. We note the huge transmitters at
the CBC(Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation); there are a number of knitting mills; hardware
welding suppliers and construction material plants. We see a couple of Plastic foam furniture plants;
and chicken processing as well as beef slaughter houses. In the north end of the island we can see the
huge Hydro-electric plant and there is a huge , stark white windmill standing on a hilltop facing north.
The land over the interior is really quite hilly and cultivated along the highway. Once we
reach the end of the main highway we're back on to the narrow paved cowpath road through little
villages, but we do find the reserve. The entrance fee is $23 bds for adults and $12 for 12 and under.
The ticket person lets Kris in for the lower fare when I ask if they have a family rate. We first tour
the tropical forest which is quite lush and well pathed with red brick paths. All along he way they
provide interactive info. Boards which pose question about the environ. And by raising a plastic
cover see the answers. There are all type of plant from mahogany trees(which take 80 years to grow)
to cocoa plants and numerous exotic medicinal type tropical plants. Along the trail we come across
some of the natural limestone caves which were historically used by convicts and pirates as hiding
shelters. Of course as we enter one Daniel says," You know we haven't seen any bats since we came
to the Island." On cue a large black bat (about 10" wing span swoops past his head into the cave.
Exit Daniel, rapidly stage left!!! "Let's go over to the game preserve," he says.
There is a school bus full of little Barbadian children just exiting the preserve as we enter.
They are all very well behaved and orderly as they leave. The heat has to be at least 35 C as we
enter and today there doesn't seem to be much of a breeze. We're looking forward to seeing the
monkey population and as we head down the path into the jungle we pass a lumbering , large, brown
land tortoise(about 20"long and 8" high); he doesn't seem at all distracted by our presence as he
lumbers past us heading down the trail. No monkeys yet! An Aviary is the next
major part we come across. There is a pool with a pelican and two pink flamingos just a t the
entrance to the aviary. Inside there are varieties of Macaws in bright blue, green, and red plumage;
and we walk around a number of peacocks. Kristopher is keeping his eyes open for lizards and in
fact we spot a large green iguana(3' long and about 6" in diameter, but he doesn't move too much.
We see several rats sneaking into the feeding bins to grab their share of the grains. It doesn't seem to
bother the animals. There is a blond coloured otter of sorts in amongst the birds as well. Still no
monkeys! Now we are looking for the water area where there is supposed to be an alligator and
other water creatures. We pass towards the back of the preserve into the education centre and find a
large caged python(10" in diameter all coiled up) looks like he could be about 10' in length and I tell
Kris he could probably handle Kris for lunch. Heading down the back fence of the reserve we spot a
donkey on the opposite side of the fence but we don't see the Kangaroo which is pictured on the wall
as an existing animal. Still no monkeys! Now we see a number of small deer feeding along the way
and they are clearly quite tame. The turtles are the most abundant animal; Jo Anne even spots a pair
mating quite comfortably along a path. Aha! The gator is spotted in the middle of the greenest,
sludgiest looking pond in the park. It does not move. No wonder they can live for two hundred
years. They seem to have the metabolism of a petrified tree. Still no monkeys!
We are all thoroughly soaked with our own sweat from the trek through this tropical
environment. We are going to have to head out and this time with out a snack because it's time to be
frugal. Let's go to the floral cave on the northern most tip of the island. Easier said than done!
Whomever placed the signs on the roads had a definite passion for skipping directions at critical
points.. One spot actually said floral cave 5 kms. Well after 11 Kms, through paths that would be
narrow for a bicycle and past towns well off the beaten track we thought we might backtrack. Up
around a village past a church over a hill and nope, it ain't here. Let's try again. Round a sugar cane
field head, towards the ocean, dodge a van coming at us out of nowhere, and.....Nope not here. Well
let's backtrack again; I mean we can see the damn end of the Island where to hell are the signs???
Finally I come across a gentleman and he says just head straight west on this road and follow "The
Signs" Oh Yeah, Right! We actually do come across a couple of signs, and travel in what seems an
endless loop. Suddenly we come upon a vendor who waves us down and I think because we're so
close we are vulnerable to his sales pitch. Kris buys three necklaces of multi coloured beads and
shells for Joseph Atanas, Taylor Hitchon and Adam. It was only $48 bds! Later on we actually see
the same necklaces for $50 bds each so we did good! The view from the point at the tip of the island
was dramatic as the sea carved away the limestone and obviously the depth of the ocean here was not
a hospitable one. Jo Anne wonders into the little souvenir shop with its chimes and pictures and the
guy said to JoAnne ,"when are you heading home?", she said "Saturday". He said,"Maybe not!
There is a tropical depression coming in off the Atlantic and it may hit the island. If it does your flight
will be delayed" She is not overjoyed at this news and Daniel says he doesn't want to be delayed
from school any longer either. We'll have to wait and see. After looking for this sight I decide it
ain't worth the $12 bds each to visit the cave so we grab a pop in the dingy bar and head on our way.
Thank god we were able to navigate our way out easier than our way in! We only made two
bad turns and finally got back on the road to Speitztown. Then we headed back to the main
highway and were back to Christ Church and our home area. We went to the St. Lawrence Gap and
a Pizza Parlour for lunch and the pizza was very good. Kris had flying fish and JoAnne had
a salad. We checked a couple of shops and went to the Hilton Hotel beach for the kids and Jo to
have a swim. It was just as it had been 6 years ago when we stopped there on the Festival cruise. The
water was wavy and the boys enjoyed riding the blue water into shore. They finished off with a
swim in the hotel pool to rinse off the salt water. We went back to our apartment and played some
cribbage while JoAnne had a little pasta and sauce and we shared a french stick. I think we drank ten
gallons of water and several glasses of coke and gingerale. The boys retired exhausted at 8:30 and
JoAnne and I watched " Chicago Hope" where the team dropped a guys heart on the floor when
they were operating. It was a very funny and strange incident all at once. Interesting end to an
interesting day.
Sept.4/97
It' already Thursday and at this point my major concern is will tropical storm "Erica" hit Barbados
with its winds reaching 110 kms per hour and building. The boys went to bed at 8:30, I think the
heat and water are wearing them out. This morning we had eggs, cereal and juice for breakfast and
the boys headed over to the beach. JoAnne and I returned are "MOKI" vehicle, which had
performed very well over the three days we had it. We traveled over 250 kms across the island.
Over to the beach to check out the lads. They seemed to be enjoying the snorkeling, so I ran over to
the pharmacy and picked up an extra snorkel for $5 bds and we took turns swimming out to the reef
in pairs.
The reef was about 200 metres offshore in about 20' of water and had a large variety of
corral fish swimming about its crags and rocks. I was surprised that the majority of the multi
coloured fish were in fact what a I would consider aquarium sized fish. There were blue 8" fish with
yellow lips; neon type fish, and a number of white fish of about 10"-12" in length. A couple of the
natives had caught some octopus in amongst the rocks and were selling them along the beach.
Overall it was a nice relaxing mid day.
While on the beach Daniel had spotted John Tabac from the Raptors and later we would see
another rather large guy and his girl strolling the beach. It turned out the Raptors were staying at the
ACCRA Hotel, a new first rate hotel just down from our location and on the beach. Kris was doing
everything in his power to develop his palm leaf spear into a reasonable fishing spear. It wasn't
meeting his needs and combined with the leaks of his mask, he was getting frustrated. Now he was
managing it quite well for most of the day as he swam about and searched for crabs along the beach.
By mid- afternoon we felt we should look at having some lunch , so JoAnne and I headed for the
store.
We continued up to the Big "B" grocery store to get additional supplies at $130 bds. This
should give me an excellent base supply of goods for survival. On the way back from the grocery
store we ran into one of the Raptor coaches strolling to the store. I didn't get his name but he
indicated he had played for Notre Dame before joining the Raptors. His playing career had been cut
short by blood clots in his legs and so he moved into coaching. Walking along the street with our
bags of food really emphasized the heat and by the time we got to the apt. JoAnne was light headed
and needed to sit down to recover. After a bit of a rest out of the sun we stroll
back to the beach. Play the waves and visit the coral reef for a bit of variety. The turquoise
water is about 85 C and it seems you can float along for hours with virtually no effort.
Back at the apartment I prepare a late afternoon lunch for Kris and myself. Some fresh
(canned) tuna on leaf lettuce(only $4 bds a head), with a mayo dressing. Actually it hits the spot and
holds us over until later that night when we decide on supper. JoAnne takes the boys over to Bert's
Bar for a swim and the made the infamous Montrealer,"Bert". He gives them a hard time because
they have no shirts on (that is the boys, have no shirts on), and thinks they come from the OASIS
Inn across the way. NOT!! Why would we desert a nice pool to get hassled at his? We point out
we're from the Joyceville apartments and he backs off, a bit. But, he certainly has lost the interest of
the boys. They take a quick dip and return home.
Before supper Daniel feels lucky and wants to use some of his money on the slots, so we
agree. As we stroll down the street the evening has brought out a number of tourists going to
various restaurants for their dinners. Brits, Germans, Americans and Canadians are all over the
place. We enter a small slot room which is part of a small hotel across from the ACCRA Hotel. I
play a one armed bandit who is completely adept at taking all of my money in short order. $15 bds
"poof'!! Daniel hits it lucky and several times on a card machine wins 30 quarters. But true to form,
even though at one point he is up about $30 bds he keeps playing until he loses the entire wad! Do
we learn from the experience?? I think not!! Let's go to supper.
Kris wants to go back to "Bubba's" as we pass it, but we feel there are other places down the
beach we haven't tried yet. After a few small restaurants, Chinese, and otherwise we find it! KFC, no
less. Now this is the biggest KFC I have ever come across in my travels anywhere. It's located on
the sea and is large enough inside to seat a couple of hundred patrons. Of course when we enter we
find the air conditioning is broken down, so we choose to eat outside. JoAnne has a chicken pot pie
that is humongous, with a 10" dia. And loaded with chicken chunks about 2" thick .Daniel and I have
a chicken on a bun and Kris has the two piece dinner. About $55 bds. Luckily they take MasterCard!
We sit at a table next to the sea. The design of their sea-wall is convex so that it uses the waves to
neutralize other waves as they arrive. The effect is quite pretty against the evening sky, it creates
sprays of sea foam up to 8'-10' high all along the wall, without heavily spraying the patrons. We take
a quiet stroll back to our apartment and retire for the evening.
Although everything is locked up tight, and one sees security police at each hotel and city
police along the beach, there is no overt threat when you stroll along. Most people are very friendly
and willing to provide assistance and direction on request.
SEPT. 5/97
Another good nights sleep, I wake at 7:30 Joanne is already up and reading. I catch up on
my diary and the boys are up by 8:00. Kris starts off a little out of sorts, kind of a continuation of his
go to sleep blues, after a harangue with his brother. As the morning wears on his spirits seem to
recover with the pancakes and toast he has for breakfast; Daniel compliments his pancakes with the
last of the Frosted Flakes. After some discussion the boys go to the
beach with me and JoAnne stays back to straighten the apartment. The water is a great cure all and
it has worked to get Kris back on track. He captures what appear to be some kind of sea worm.
They're about 8"-15" long with a hollow core and two muscular areas about a third from the end of
their bodies. They are full of sea water and bury themselves in the sand. The boys find them easily
and have to pull real hard to get them to release. The texture of their surface is rubbery with wart
like bumps, like freckles mottling their skin. Daniel catches the largest but Kris retrieves five or six
over the morning. Finally mom arrives with the snorkeling gear and we take to checking the coral
for awhile, spending about two hours straight in the surf. I'm beginning to wrinkle like a prune.
Home for lunch, this time I prepare a pound of large shrimp stir fried for Kris and myself.
Daniel has a bagel and cream cheese and JoAnne makes some baked beans and wieners. Truly
gourmet fair. The boys decide to walk down to St. Lawrence Gap to eyeball the Mexican restaurant
and JoAnne and I catch forty winks and agree to meet the boys at our buddies "Bert's" for a swim in
awhile. Trouble is Jo over sleeps and the guys crawl back in after their hour trek in the mid day sun.
They said they don't plan on doing that run again because it's a killer in the heat. The restaurant
checked out alright and we'll go back for dinner later. So off to Bert's Bar.
Just as I approached the steps a small black car beeps at me and I jump out of the way. I
start up the stairs and someone calls my name. Turns out the guys in the car were Gaston( a prof.
From Windsor) and Colin Thornhill, they were finished work for Friday and thought they would try
to catch us. We had a couple of drinks together. Gaston is consulting on the establishment of a
Barbadian Education Degree at the Univ. Of the Caribbean; he was here from Nov.96 to Apr. 97 and
will be here until mid. Nov. as well. He has his wife with him for the first three weeks and will be
heavily involved in the delivery of the pilot program starting next week.
We decided to walk to the Cafe Del Sol, Mexican restaurant in St. Lawrence Gap for dinner.
It was a hot walk along Rockley Road skipping from one side to the other as the sidewalk would
disappear due to construction. Every once in awhile a huge truck or bus would zip by scaring the
wits out of us as we jumped aside. Finally we arrive at the Gap and the restaurant which is still
relatively unoccupied, although all of their outside tables are taken. The setting is very Mexican with
marimba band music in the background and paintings and posters of Mexican related themes on all
the walls. There are a number of young couples clearly newly weds on their honeymoons, who are
seated around us.
JoAnne and I have the margarita special and we order variations on burritos, nachos, chili,
and a mushroom burger, all for a mere $192 bds. Nice but certainly not as notable as Blakey's earlier
this week. We enjoy our dinner and stroll back up past the beach as The Gap seems to get busier
with the Friday night traffic. The traffic on the main drag is less on the walk back so we don't feel
quite as harried heading home. There are a number of street vendors out selling their shells, beads
and sandals along the street. We not one little sandal shop manned by an old grey bearded
gentleman, who sits quietly taking in the flow of cars and people with little change in his expression.
There seem to be Bajans yelling across the street at one another at every bus stop, but it's almost
impossible to make out the banter. We arrive back at the apartment at about 9:00 and catch the tail
end of a 90210 episode; now I know why I have never watched that program at home. The news
says tomorrow we'll have scattered showers and
thundershowers as the south end of hurricane "Erica" affects us. They will also be broadcasting the
funeral of Princess Diana at 4:00 am for up to 8 hours. JoAnne and I hit the sack at 10:30.
Sept 6/97
Overnight we had some thunder showers and it doesn't look like we'll get our last day on the
beach. The so called scattered showers became rather concentrated and appeared to give us regular
torrential rains with a smattering of thunder and lightning. We had scrambled eggs and toast for
Brecky as we watched the very sad, and moving funeral ceremonies for lady Di. It was interesting to
see Lloyd Axworthy interviewed on the BBC regarding Lady Di's contribution to the treaty for the
elimination of land mines. The general description of her contribution by Lord Attenborough in his
interview was particularly poignant and clear, describing how the people could relate to her
overcoming her natural shyness in order to support causes like the Lepers, and Aids. She has broken
the stuffiness of the Royal Family and shown a more human side to the world which may create a
larger than life dedication to her ideals in the future.
The rain lets up a bit and we head over to the Pharmacy and Daniel makes a stop at a local
slot machine room. I have my usual luck at the bank of machines, NAD A!! While Daniel plays one
card game machine and wins 40 coins; then 15; then 36; then 80. By this point my kid is feeding my
losing habit; luckily he only gives me two coins at a time and I lose them all. Meanwhile he chooses to
walk away with about $30 bds in winnings. We go to Bert's for lunch and keep it simple with
macaroni pie, hamburgs and a dolphin Burg; $65 bds. While we're eating a young lady is winning
big time on one of the end slots at Bert's. The rain continues teaming down off and on during our
lunch. It looks like their last day here will be in liquid sunshine!
Kris wants to buy the girls some bracelets and of course all the vendors are gone because of
the rain. We make it down to "Harramee's Leather store and of course after a 15 minute stroll in the
rain we find it closed. We sit on his steps assuming he is out to lunch as his lights are on but the store
is locked. After watching several people rushing about with broken umbrellas, and garbage bags
wrapped around themselves to protect from the rain we check next door. They have no idea where
the old duffer is, so we give up and start back. The rain is kind to us and we get back relatively
unscathed. Cars and buses are very polite as they slow to a crawl when passing us on the side, as the
street has become a 6" deep river because the sewers just cannot handle the run off. Kris wants to
make one last try at a shop so we continue on to the small plaza a couple of blocks down from our
apartment. There is one little souvenir shop that happens to be having a sale on Rastafarian multi
coloured beads and leather bracelets. Kris decided on the necklaces and purchased three for $27 bds
almost half of what we had spent on three at the flower cave on the northern point. Back to the
apartment with a sense of relief that he had met his friends expectations. The rain was definitely
letting up now as it was almost 2:00 PM and as we entered the yard John and Daniel were trying to
sweep away some of the water that had began to flood almost up to our door way as the sewers
couldn't handle the volume. I call through to the rep for Canada 3000 and they indicate the plane will
not be leaving Toronto until after 3:00 PM and I should check with them after that time. Once I can
get a confirmed time I'll give Colin a call and arrange for transport to the airport. Otherwise we'll
just sit tight and get ready for the trip home.
At 3"30 the flight is confirmed and I call Colin to arrange a 4:30 ride to the airport. Daniel
And Kris get their suitcases together and Mom has a shower to prep for the long journey home. Kris
and I are really happy that the bad weather has finally broke so they will be able to leave in
reasonable weather. I'm a little anxious but thankful for the week they've been able to share with me
down here. My sense is it will make it a whole lot easier for me to get through the next two months.
JoAnne and the boys say goodbye to John and Barb Holte and Colin arrives to load us up for the
airport. The breeze is noticeably comfortable and Colin tells us that yesterdays 31.5 C is the hottest
day Barbados has ever had We arrive at the airport at about 5:00 and easily book in as there are only
two people at the check-in for Canada 3000.
We stroll through the shops around the outskirts of the airport with no success The lads are
getting hungry and we spot a restaurant lounge overlooking the airport and head up there to await our
flight. The news on the TV. Shows the storm moving off to the north and Puerto Rico with 85 mile
Airlines 747 takeoff; Caledonia airlines, takeoff for England; BWIA Tristar land from New York,
BWIA land from Miami en route to Trinidad and Georgetown Guyana; and finally Canada 3000
lands. We head down to the departure lounge and JoAnne gives me a great slightly tearful goodbye,
she's concerned for my loneliness but I've been well supported by my family over the past week and I
know that will help immeasurably. Daniel gives me a goodbye hug and Kristopher gives me a hug
too. It feels great and I'm sure they will help JoAnne over the next two months at home. But I'll miss
them as I wave bye through the glass of the departure lounge. I loiter around the airport for about 15
min. But since I can't see anything I grab a cab for $22 bds and stop at Bert's Bar for a daiquiri and a
couple of beers while I watch the memorial to Lady Diana, which strangely provides some peace and
settling in the words and music of her tribute.
On my way home after the memorial I hear a steel band playing in the restaurant of the
OASIS restaurant and it really sets a pleasant tone for the walk home. Just by Joyceville I run into
Gaston with his wife Muriel whom he introduces. They asked if the family got off alright and I say
yup. They're going for an evening stroll and I continue to my apt., a little empty without the team
but it's comfortable after a week. I catch a late movie and then shower and crash.
SEPT. 8/97Me in Barbados from Now On!
The consultation begins. Well I got through last night, waking a few times but
basically sleeping. The cold water shower seems to provide a better and more refreshing start to the
day. I consciously delay getting into my nice shirt tie and wool suit, so that I'm not wilted before I
get there. Toast with jam & peanut butter is the start up for the day with orange juice. Then I head
out to get picked up by Colin Thornhill. On the way out the door John Holte is working in his
garden and wishes me the best of luck for the day, asking if I want anymore of his fresh guava fruit. I
pass, because I really don't like the way it tastes. Gaston is moving down the road as I come out. I
note he's in an open collared shirt with casual slacks; and there's's me in my dark green wool suit.
I'm not quite sure who I'm going to impress. Colin was to pick us up at 9:00 am, he arrived at 9:30.
He had his middle son with him as he was dropping him off near his school. Colin heads up the road
past the grocery store which is the opposite direction from downtown. He's doing this because
believe it or not Bridgetown has a terrible traffic problem in the morning and evening rush hours.
Aside from the business traffic many cars are
there driving their children to and from school. We pass many youngsters in their colourful school
uniforms going to the first day back. The teacher's union inn Barbados is threatening a strike because
10 principals were informed of changes in the schools they are to administer, the week before school
started. Up and around in traffic snarls on every little side street. The cars are wall to wall and
believe me on a 10'-12' wide street there isn't any room to get around.
Finally we're into the downtown. Hickling's office is located directly behind the 5 story
modern International Bank office in a two story walk up. Colin pulls into a chained parking area
which leaves him about as much room to maneuver as a sardine can. I mean there is not a car length
between cars on each side of this lot. We squeeze out into the street to walk the block to the office.
Man is it hot. There are loads of people moving to work on this tiny street. Women dressed in very
stylish, professional dress; men in white shirts and ties, suits and casual office dress. The street is one
block off Broad St. the main drag in Bridgetown and represents a thriving behind the scenes
business activity for both private and public sector work.
The office is quite spartan. You go up a white tiled stairway that is wide and opens to a
foyer on the second floor. There are a couple of offices on this floor and some training appears to be
going on at the far end of the hall. Colin unlocks the doors to our office which is a room about 30'
by 40" with six desks space around the perimeter of the room. The far wall is all windows which
open to the back street. There are printers located beside three of the desks and a computer on
Colin's desk at the back of the office. There is one phone and no clerical support. Gaston's desk is
covered with files in preparation for this weeks opening of the education degree program. Colin
phones over to the Labour Ministry to let them know that I have arrived and sets a time to meet. I
print up my training needs assessment on Colin's machine and take a hard copy with me.
Back to the street and although the office didn't seem air conditioned it was much cooler than
the street. It was 10:15 and 32 C. We walked across Bridge street heading towards the Ministry
downtown office which fringed on the east end of Trafalgar square facing the inland marina. The
streets are teeming with bajans! As we come around a corner an older lady has a megaphone and is
chastising the population for their sinful ways, and telling everyone they must repent. I mean it was
loud. A block further and there's a guy holding a bible and letting us all know our time has come.
The general population seems to be taking it all in their stride with little impact n what they're doing.
We hold for a traffic signal and suddenly my computer feels like a ton and my suit is becoming a
"sweatsuit"!
The building is a 5 story yellow brick structure which houses a bank and some offices on the
ground floor. We enter at the east end and have to check in with a security guard and get permission
to go up to the Labour Ministry on the 3rd flour. The elevator immediately reminds me of one I rode
in Russia. The doorway is narrow and the capacity is small and exacerbated by the people and heat.
Jo Anne would not like this ride! The door opens on the third and a couple of clients get out in front
of us. They appear to be Rastafarian types, by their hair style. On entering the very hot office Colin
tells me they shut this office down last week because of the unbearable heat. The air conditioning
units broke down last year and the government has not been able to get them repaired or replaced
because of cut backs and other priorities. Believe me this is a tough working environment.
The majority of the workers on entering are females sitting at desks speaking to clients. There
is a small waiting area of two rows of chairs at the front of the office where clients are seated until
they are called. The environment at best is spartan. All of the windows available are open. Colin
spots a familiar face across the office and approaches a woman who turns out to be the Assistant
Deputy director for employment. She takes us to the back of the office to a gentleman who is the
Deputy Director of Employment for Barbados. His office is a large desk with blank walls and a
cabinet and he is wearing an opened collared shirt and looks hot. The lady suggests we move to a
larger board room next door as the air moves through it more readily, and we do.
I won't bore you with the detail of the consultation other than saying that my sense was they
listened to my presentation with some skepticism but seemed genuinely interested and more
comfortable with the materials by the time we finished. Their total staff is 24. Six experienced
counselors; six new inexperienced counselors; six occupational health and safety and Industrial
Relations specialists and six clerical service needs assessment personnel. The logistics of this
consultation are going to limit the number of full training sessions we can run and keep the place
operating. After two hours of discussion in the heat of the day the deputies suggest that I attend their
operational employment center at Verona by Hall ( a couple of miles down the road) tomorrow
morning. It's about 1:00 PM and Colin leads me back through the noon hour crowd to Hickling's
offices.
I will spend the afternoon at the office developing the first steps for tomorrow's presentation.
Colin ties into his Internet server, Caribsurf and this allows me to get brief messages off to Jo Anne
and the boys; and Heather & Brian. I hope to get my own service for the time that I'll be here, so that
I can have a more regular contact with home. While I'm at the office I field several calls for Colin
who is out on company business. A young lady comes by the office following up on her earlier call.
Colin's daughter and a friend drop in at 3:00 hoping to get a ride from her dad, she is in jeans and
appears to be about 18. Then his younger son , Christopher comes in a 3:45 and decides to wait for
dad at his desk. Finally a business man drops by to leave an envelope with a disk for Colin. Aha,
Colin arrives at 4:10! He follows up on a few calls and then we're off through the evening rush hour.
Believe me you don't want to be on these roads on a bicycle or car, if you don't know your
way around! Up around, over and wait, is the call for the afternoon. Bajans don't appear to be
bothered by it. But it takes about 45 minutes to make the 5 minute drive home. I'm happy to get out
of my "sweatsuit" and put on my shorts and a t-shirt. I initially work on my formal work plan. This
gets done by 7:00 and I decide to go to the Big "B" for some additional groceries. As I head down the
street I run into Gaston and his wife Muriel also going for groceries. It makes for a pleasant stroll to
the store. There seem to be very few tourists walking about this week. But maybe that's because I'm
working and don't notice as many. I pick up some canned goods, milk and juice and additional cereals
; and treat myself to a t-bone steak for supper(it's only $6.08 bds). My total bill is $74.50 bds. I
manage to carry the stuff home with minimal pain.
A band is setting up in the outdoor restaurant of the OASIS hotel down the street as I start to
cook my peas and BBQ my steak. I use a bagel as the grain. I hope that is sufficiently
balanced for Jo Anne. Typically I'm drinking gallons as the weather just seems to draw fluid from
you constantly. I finish off the orange juice and the diet coke. Tomorrow I may drink the nearest
fresh water lake! Supper is fine and I clean up and settle into updating my diary. I think I'll do my
exercises, catch the news, have a shower and go to bed.
Sept.9/97:
Started the day with a simple cereal and juice breakfast, and headed down the hot road to
meet Gaston Franklin. Today Colin was on time and the traffic into town was not near as heavy. The
temperature is already 29 C and many of the women strolling along the street carry colourful
umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun. We arrive AT THE PARKING LOT AND THE OLD
GENTLEMAN LOWERS THE CHAIN AND WE GO THROUGH OUR SHOEHORN operation to
get into the snug little parking spot. Colin has arranged for the attendants to clean his car before we
take it out, apparently this is part of their regular service.
Down the street and up to the office which Gaston points out is surrounded by Slot machine
Parlours; and three different off-track betting locations. All of these are already packed as the patrons
are betting on activity piped in from England. In the office Colin checks for e-mail messages and
discovers that two of the three I sent didn't go through. The one to Jo Anne and the boys did but
Heather & Brian's, and the one to the Employment folks in Hamilton had wrong address info. I'll
have to resend them later. We did various and sundry preparation tasks and Colin paid me for the
cost of the extra computer I brought. It worked out to $87 bds, and I had to take the cheque to the
CIBC branch around the corner. It was 10:00 and they were lined up 30 deep, so it took about 40
minutes. Again the streets always seem to be teeming with people as we walk back to the office.
I'm ready to go to the other Employment office location at Verona Bank Hall. It's about a
five minute drive from downtown and is located in a large yellow stuccoed, two story plantation type
mansion. Clients que up at the double front doors to go into a large reception area filled with plastic
chairs, where they wait to file for unemployment Insurance or an appointment with a counselor.
There are lots of fans going but it is hot. I meet Edla Lowe the Assistant Deputy from the day before
and she introduces me to Vincent the Senior Employment Officer at the location. He's a middle aged
slim guy with slightly graying tightly knotted hair. Seems to be quite friendly and helpful. They take
me back to the training room which has four fans located high on the wall and about 20 chairs in
rows of 7 for the staff. I set up my computer for the review of the consultation and of course it
crashes! Luckily I have paper back up. The staff are very interested and questions which they raise
are clear and articulate. The mix in the group is about 50/50 male/female with a cross section of
counselors and clerical support. Vincent assigns me an office off to the left front side of the building,.
The office has a big , old wood desk and a plastic chair and that's all there is. Spartan to say the
least. I proceed to start interviews with the staff and get through 11 over the afternoon. I won't bore
you with the details but each person typically provides further insight into the island's culture and
values. Very interesting people. Colin picks me up at 4:30 and we're off home.
Along the way we pass the Prime Minister's Home which is a mansion on a huge park like
setting on a hill in the East end of Bridgetown; we also pass a huge grocery store which Colin points
out cost 35million and is owned by a 28 yr. Guy who started from scratch. The road
home has a few traffic delays in the typical narrow streets. At one point a city bus has broken down
and the tow truck rescuing it has its hood up because it overheated as well. All this on a street that's
about 12 ft. Wide and the bus is 6 1/2' so you can imagine the crunch. Finally home and supper and
tonight i crash at 9:00. I think the interviews in the heat got me.
Sept. 10/97:
Started off with morning exercises and in the heat I find I really have to temper my
approach. But the cold shower afterwards feels really great! The mornings are quite hot but there
does seem to be a breeze these days. This morning we will be taking a taxi downtown as Colin is
tied up with consultants coming and going at the airport. Gaston arranged for the cab last evening.
He called Rockley Rd. Taxi, that would be the guys who sit under the trees at the end of the beach,
just next to the ACCRA Hotel. Usually they're playing dominos under the shade of the trees. The
driver's name is Berry and he and Gaston carry on a conversation which is basically a critique of the
National Cricket team which has just been selected. The driver , about 60 yrs. Old says he played
cricket all his life and he could beat the guy that was selected as captain so they won't have much of a
chance against the competition in the Caribbean.
Traffic is heavy as usual on every road and each time the driver hits a block he heads
down a side street that wouldn't be large enough for consideration as the alley way behind my
mother's house. Somehow he gets through and drops Gaston off downtown and takes me to Verona
Bank Hall, the Unemployment Office. Cost $22 bds.
I have four more individuals to interview today at this site and then I'll head down to
the main office downtown to speak to their Industrial Relations Officers. As i'm walking in I note
the gardening service in front of the building starting to cut the grass and trim the bushes. Now you
have to imagine this stately looking Plantation type house. Surrounded by grass that is about a foot
high and gone to seed; not to mention well spaced clumps of weeds intermingled with the grass.
The drive to the door is a circular dive with a grassed area that is bordered by very sparse yellow
flowered bushes. The ground crew is about 8 guys and girls with weed whackers and lawn mowers
and hand clippers. I'll come back to this as I leave for downtown.
Inside there is a smaller crowd waiting for registration or interviews. Ms. McLain a
senior employment officer greets me and indicates the balance of the staff will be available for
interviews this morning. The cooler provides an excellent refreshing cold sip of water, which I
access throughout the morning. Generally the interviews go well, one of the officers, Richard is very
interested in computer related counseling and I discuss how he can access our Hamilton site on the
Internet. Overall there are only two individuals who may not be appropriate for the sessions but that
will be a management decision. I get a ride downtown with their courier who is driving a new
Labour Ministry Suzuki 4 wheel drive. He's also transporting one of the clerical officers downtown.
I meet with Ken Walters the deputy for a few minutes, and it is noticeably cooler in
their office today. They have managed to get an air conditioner and several fans working. The
interviews with the Industrial /Relations Officers are held in a boardroom with the typical long table
and surrounded by blue padded chairs. They have staff bringing me water and juice
every half hour. The walls are completely bare and the window opens to a rather crowded back alley
with people milling through constantly, and garbage strewn everywhere. The officers are clearly
more confident than their counterparts in the employment service and this seems to be a result of the
fact that they work with clear policy and legislation which they enforce for employers and
employees if they have not been dealt with according to the law. It is always easier to deal with clear
black and white issues versus people problems when you don't have a job to offer them. I think this
will provide an opportunity in the training through mixing the IR officers with the Labour Officers.
By mid afternoon I've completed the interviews and return to Hickling's office two
blocks away. The betting halls are loaded and the streets are teeming, I just can't get over the
volume of people. The Air of the office is a relief and I work quietly on work plans and survey
results. Colin receives calls from Ottawa, Beijing and London England related to various consultants
that will be coming to Barbados. I have a sense that the Bajans , at least in the Labour Ministry are
feeling set upon by the rest of the world. The World Bank and the IMF are setting all the criteria and
then forcing a by in by the small island if they are to receive the funding. Hopefully my contribution
will respect the integrity of the counseling skills of the Bajans and will allow them to create their own
initiatives from the refreshing of their skills.
I manage to get a few minutes on the corporations Internet site to get another
message off to Jo Anne and the boys; and resend my message to Heather and Brian in Australia. I
screwed up the address on the first try. I hope to get my own link before the weekend. That will
give me a little more activity on the weekends. Well it's time to head home so I head out into the
afternoon sunshine and heat and walk past the Parliament buildings around the corner; they look
more like a church than a gov't administrative complex. I continue over to the area downtown
where all the taxis gather. One offers me the ride home for $15 bds, a definite bargain over the
regular $22 bds. He is a creative driver and with all the construction and traffic difficulties at rush
hour this guy cuts through some back streets; through private yards and ultimately through the
service entrance at the back of Queen Elizabeth hospital to get us onto the Rockley Rd. With
minimal delays. This guy makes his money.
I'm hot and tired so I drop into Bert's Bar for a beer and some fish fingers, and
watch Bert's regulars chat up the sports channel. Then I head to the apartment and make some
spaghetti with sauce and hot canned chicken wieners. Creative what? Actually it tasted pretty spicy.
Again, I think interview through the heat of the day just whacked me out so I crashed at 8:30.
Sept. 11/97
Good morning, it rained overnight and I seemed to go through the most active night of
dreams I can remember for a long time. I mean I was fighting terrorists; building mansions; coaching
basketball[ and all kinds of stuff I can't begin to recall. Exercising seems like a good start to the day.
So I open my hurricane windows and turn on the fan and get at it. Gaston and his wife Muriel go
for a swim on the beach every morning around 6:30 AM and he says there are about 8 people who
are regulars every morning one day I'll have to give it a try. The cold shower after the hot workout
continues to be a highlight of the day. Today I'll just wear an open
shirt and slacks as I'll be at the Hickling office all day working on reports.
Breakfast is 2 cups of coffee and a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Then we're off with
Colin at 9:00. Traffic seems lighter again. All day at the office is a real drag so I'll get back to the
NEB office tomorrow to interview their management. The lunch hour approaches and Gaston
suggests KFC for lunch. We move out of the air and onto the garbage strewn street. Just outside our
door a young Bajan is lying on the street using a newspaper for a pillow, apparently he spends all his
waking hours gambling and doesn't get much sleep! We step around him and the back street garbage
on our way to lunch. The line is short at KFC and we order a chicken Breast sandwich and pop.
Gaston talks about eh politics of Barbados and the pressures in the Min. Of Education which created
the BEd. Program which he is developing. Their education school had been closed since 1991, so it
became a war cry in their election to get it re-opened. Gaston also worked on a 3 month project in
China in the early nineties and indicated that it was by far the worst living conditions he had ever
experienced.
We do a brief stroll through the small market kiosks behind the Parliament with Gaston
buying some fresh bananas and mangos. We pick up a couple of local papers from the corner vendor
who normally is in the betting halls. He tells Gaston he has to spend a little longer on the corner
today because he's out of money! Gambling clearly is a burden to the country given its size and the
clear fact that the majority of users of these backroom betting parlours are poor Bajans. God help
them down the road if they let these things continue.
The office is cool relief and the guy was still sleeping on the sidewalk on our return. This time
when we leave Colin tries a new route home. It doesn't work . We are stuck in traffic and don't get
home until almost 6:00 pm. Give me a break, this is as bad as trying to drive around Toronto at rush
hour, only the streets are only one lane wide and narrower in many spots. I think they need to control
the sales of cars. Colin said they sold over 700 used cars last month alone. I mean where to hell are
they going to put them all. They sure can't widen these streets without displacing half the
population. Finally we're home and the comfort of the apartment is quite inviting.
Actually I note on the way home that the clouds are quite different today with a gray high
level overcast by 5:00 yet a large number of well separated pillars of clouds like thunderheads reach
for the ground but aren't as high as the cloud cover. And there are areas in the distant background of
the western sky where blue and light peaks through to create a very picturesque scene. I decide to go
for a walk on the beach as dusk begins to settle. It is fairly quiet as I pass the Sugar Rice Bar and
go between their sailboats onto the sand. The pillars of clouds are accentuated by the contrasting
waters and the tide is almost high so the beach is disappearing.. A couple of muscular young black
men are jogging back and forth from one end of the beach to the other as I walk along. I'm passed by
three young white ladies two of them in rather shapely thong type suits which certainly keeps the
scene interesting. Now the boys would really have enjoyed the beach tonight. I don't know what
system created the waves because it wasn't windy, but the waves were at least 5' high as they broke
between the reef and shore. There were actually a couple of surfers out on their boards and the ladies
were in and out enjoying the waves as well. One of the surfers was having a couple of spectacular
wipeouts while I stood and watched. I mean this guy caught the wave, miss-judged it and went flying
10' into the air before the wave grabbed him and slammed him under. These waves would definitely
have been over Daniels head as they broke. As I'm heading back down the beach one of the young
ladies is screaming obscenities at a couple of white guys who had been on the beach with them. Like
if they really
thought she cared they were out of their ?@#$* heads! Oh sure! I'm out of here.
A little TV before bed and that's it for me. Although I'm noticing that I really don't have
any one to talk to in the evening and that is a little trying. I'm looking forward to calling JoAnne on
Sunday. I think I set that time to see if I can last that long, and as a stamina builder for being away
from home for so long. After all it's not two weeks yet and really only part of one on my own.
Interesting observation, kind of like self therapy to keep my spirits up. I think if I see this as two
months of celibacy, isolation from my family and an exercise in self discipline I may be able to get
through it and return home a more supportive husband and father. Then again I may just be having
early delusions of grandeur!
Sept. 12/97
I'm losing my touch with keeping up my diary. It's Sunday night and I've got three days to cover.
Friday morning I did my exercises and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast before heading out with
Colin & Gaston. We all start at the office and today I meet anew consultant who has been working
with the Min. Of Education. Bob Wilson is a Prof. Form Queens Univ. In Kingston and is staying at
a friends home on the east coast. Bob seems to suffer from some degree of multiple sclerosis, but he
gets around and is very well respected in his field. So four of us are typing away at our notebooks for
most of the morning. Then Colin drives me over to the Labour office at Verona Bank Hall. The
maid at our apartments tells me that used to be a hospital and she delivered two of her children there.
Today I meet with Vincent the Senior Labour Officer at this site. He has been delivering a group
session for most of the morning. The session was for domestics. Vincent is about 40 yrs. Old and is
quite a sensitive man. He is very concerned for the clients coming through the door given the fact
that they have very few jobs. He will probably be a co-trainer along with Wendy McLain who is
another senior officer. I review the first training package in the sweltering afternoon with Wendy.
She'll take it home over the weekend and take a look at it. The videos are a little stilted but it will
provide some modeling of the proper skills.
Colin arrives at 4:00 to try to beat the traffic. He's not successful! We spend an hour and a
half trying to get out of Bridgetown. It's just incredible! We stop at Bert's for a couple of brews.
Colin says a Bernadette Ling is coming in for Hickling on Sunday but we're not sure what her job is.
I stroll home and have a toasted tomato sandwich for supper and try to link home on the net. It
doesn't seem to be working. The heat really hasn't let up yet, and everyone tells me this is not at all
what Barbados is usually like. There is virtually no wind and it is humid. I crash at 9:00 cuz I'm
bagged.
Sept. 13/97
Well a week to the day since JoAnne and the boys left and I'm still here. I suppose that's a
good sign. The morning seems a little less humid so I head over to the small launder mat just
down the street. It's $.50 bds for a wash and the same for a dry. I've got some underwear,
dress shirts, t-shirts and socks and shorts. It really is quite a small load, but I put it in the
machine. The lady will put it in the dryer and I can pick it up in an hour. The launder mat is
at the front of some beach apartments. It's rather basic with
about 8 automatic washers and 6 dryers. A 21" television linked to the apartments satellite
dish is playing a Charles Bronson movie this morning. I head back to the apt. And check out
what i'll need from the grocery store. I think I'll need some veggies, fruit, juice and milk and
then as usual pick up whatever catches my eye.
As I stroll back for the clothes on my way to the Bib B groceteria I notice there seems to be a
new load of tourists in town. Lots of Brits picking up their groceries for the week. I pick up some
frozen shrimp as well as the stuff I mentioned earlier and head back down the road$33 bds out of
pocket. On the way home it's getting a little overcast and it isn't long before we have some thunder
and heavy rain. This lasts for the bulk of the afternoon and starts to break around 6:00 PM. i CHECK
OUT THE GARDEN AFTER THE RAIN AND AT DUSK i SUDDENLY NOTICE THIS
STRANGE FLOCK OF BIRDS ZIPPING IN AND OUT OF THE PALM TREES. I watch their
flight for a few minutes and realize I'm watching a good number of bats feeding on the insects over
the garden. I retire to the indoors.
Once again this evening I spend on the internet checking out a basketball story on the
Brantford High School teams which makes me feel at home. It profiles all the girls that Daniel chums
with and gives pretty good press overall. I try to download a few things from the net but my damn
notebook keeps overheating and kicking out before I get the software. Oh well such is life, and it
does keep me busy trying! Tonight I actually start to read a novel from John Hunt’ s collection. Its
about some warrior guy who was a Nay Seal commando and from the start sure fits the american
macho jerk image. This one is non-fiction, no wonder the Americans are despised globally. It's clear
this guy values life about as much as a gnat! I fall asleep within the first 4 pages. No wonder I don't
read!
Sept. 14/97
Sunday AM and I start off with my exercise routine at 6:00. I told Gaston I'd try to get down
to the beach in the morning and after my exercises I put on my suit and take the snorkel and
goggles to the beach. The sky is dotted with fluffy white clouds and the water looks
absolutely beautiful in the morning sun. The turquoise colour is very dramatic with the white
wave caps and the deep blue of the Ocean in the background. Gaston and Muriel are walking
up and down the length of the beach. I speak to them for a moment and then into the surf with
my mask and snorkel. The water is quite warm yet refreshing but the waves are stirring up
the bottom too much to see anything. Although it is really comfortable just to float along
using the snorkel. The buoyancy is very relaxing although after a while the motion of the
waves can be a little disconcerting as you bob along on top of the waves. I swim from the
Sugar Reef restaurant down to the Accra Hotel and then start to walk the beach for a while.
The sun is getting higher and by 7:45 it is already getting very warm and the beach is
beginning to get populated, Three young ladies in bikinis are strolling back and forth with their
mom, all with strong British accents. A couple of black men are jogging the beach, one
appears to be the father in his mid 40's and his son about 20.
The tide is so far out this morning that the area of the beach at the west end past the
Accra Hotel reveals all the rocks where Daniel and I had seen the huge black sea urchin and the sea
snake. I find a small black urchin , land locked and take him home carefully to dry him.
out. I go for one more swim and enjoy diving over the surf as it breaks. On my way out i notice
there are hundreds of crabs in the rocks down by the Sugar Reef Restaurant at the east end of the
beach. They are as large as 8" down to minuscule and scramble like mad as I approach.. The black
lads are getting the catamaran out for the day as well as the other days sailors. The sails in all their
bright colours really finish off the tropical scene of palms, villas, turquoise surf, even a rainbow over
the water in the distance.
Back to the apartment for my great cold shower and some time on the Internet. I read the
Toronto Star while I'm listening to the CBC, at least until the damn computer crashes. Then I head
over to BUBBA's for the Sunday morning Breakfast special $14 bds for an omelet home fries, bacon
and toast, $3 bds more for coffee. The place seems filled with Irish types watching the Irish National
Championship in field hockey between Tiperrari and Clare. The fans are really into it and they cheer
from one side of the restaurant to the other with each goal scored. It is an incredibly rough game as
they zip up and down the field swinging the sticks like giant hatchets. Breakfast is great and I stroll
the beach on my walk home. It is now 11:30 and really hot. There are loads of folks on the beach
and in the water. The really white fat older folks stick out like a sore thumb . The men from Europe
in their speedo type suits with gut hanging over and then the nubile young women in their bikinis.
No thongs today folks. But everyone is enjoying the sun and surf.. It does seem somewhat more
manageable than Siberia at this point. But I'm only two weeks into it, and there's seven to go.
Whew!!
I stroll around the yard for a bit and then exchange e-mails with Kris as we try to get our
PowWow communicator operational. I think the problem is at my end with my machine and my
server who keeps kicking me out. We'll keep at it! Late I take some Macro shots of the various
flowers in the backyard. It really is quite a nice day. By mid afternoon I give into my tv need and go
over to Bert's to watch some NFL football and have some Bajan Lite and fish fingers. It's relatively
quiet with a few Brits who drop in for a brew and one lady working Daniels card slot machine at the
far end of the restaurant. The setting really is kind of neat as it’s roofed but it really is open to the
outdoors with the hurricane windows fully open on the east side by the bar. The yellow breasts,
sparrows and doves enter freely and one yellow bird sits on the wire frame of the chair across from
me hoping for a morsel. While in the background the NFL plays on.
I head back home looking forward to this evenings first call home. I don't think I like leaving
it for a whole week but we'll see once I talk with Jo Anne and we see how much a call costs. Not
much point in suffering this much time away if all the money I make just pays the expenses. I meet
Bernadette Ling who has arrived from Ottawa for a two week stint with the Min. Of Education on
Vocational & technical program development. She's a woman of east Indian extraction in her mid to
late twenties. She heads off to a restaurant as I begin my first shot at a stir fry
I start with separating half of the frozen shrimp I bought and get it going in the frying pan.
Then I use the balance of the other days canned mushrooms; cut up some fresh green peppers and a
tomato and then add them to the shrimp. The concoction doesn't look or smell too bad. I've got
some kernel corn in a small pot simmering. I'm beginning to think I may have veggie overkill and
have to figure some base to put this stuff either on or with. I add the prepared spaghetti sauce for
additional flavour and thickening and it works. Finally i put two slices of bread on the plate and pour
the shrimp and veggies over the bread and put the corn on
the side. It actually tastes quite good. Then I settle in to catch up on my diary. I sit sweating as I
type this stuff with my 4 speed fan on high on the floor in front of me to give some relief. The time
does go while I'm typing and it's now 20 to 9 and I'll be calling home soon. From the TV I see I'll
be watching the X-files after the phone call. I'm really looking forward to talking to JoAnne and the
boys. So that's it for now. You bored yet
Week of Sept. 15-Sept.20/97:
I decided to switch over to weekly recording of my perceptions to make the detail a little
more manageable and to save some time needed for reworking my workshops. Monday was my day
to meet the National Director of the Department of Labour, Mr. Mitch Codrington. Now this guy is
about mid fifties and has spent a considerable time working in Canada and being educated in Canada
and England. He comes on like gangbusters regarding his dissatisfaction with the National
Employment Bureau and if it doesn't turn around his recommendation to the Minister is shut it down
and lay off the workers. I point out to him that my consultancy is to provide some training for his
staff and consultant on the development of target group strategies but it isn't to work miracles and
turn an organization around that may not have had the appropriate management leadership to achieve
its mandates. I think he was a little surprised by my bluntness but I wasn't going to be placed in a
position of making or breaking the organization based on a few training programs. He backed off
and refocused on the task at hand.
I couldn't tell if Mr. Codrington was just trying to intimidate his two managers who sat in on
the meeting or if he was just out of touch with what his people did on a day to day basis. Any way as
I left his office downtown the main floor was jammed with people in suits and well dressed women
many of which were being interviewed by TV reporters as cameras recorded. It turned out the
Public Servants in the building had walked out because of the failure of the air conditioning and
elevators. Apparently the building didn't meet their National Labour standards because of
deterioration over the past few years that had not been repaired. I returned to the Hickling office to
prep. My package for the week.
The new arrival from Hickling was Bernadette Ling a Project Co-ordinator who had come to
town to liaise with consultants working with Vocational Prep. At the Min. Of Education. She
seemed quite interested in what each of us were doing and was busy writing reports most of the time.
I headed over to Verona Bank Hall, the Labour Office to meet with Wendy McLain who would be
my co-trainer on Module 1- Listening Skills. Wendy it turns out has a Masters degree in Training so
she'll be a valuable resource I'm sure. The intent of involving their staff as trainers is to build
capacity in them to deliver these packages on a regular basis with their staff. It also reduces the
burden on me in delivering the 3 and 5 day training modules.
We're ready to go for Wednesday and Thursday with the first class of intake workers who
are clerical officers. I don't know if it's the heat or what but Mon. & Tues. Night I crash at about
8:30 and sleep right thru. We are supposed to have 12 people in the training and we get 9 as others
are either off or assigned elsewhere. The training room is about 20 x 20 with four fans
high on the wall to circulate the air. There are two windows at one corner of the room and we open
the back door. There's no air so it's going to be a tough couple of days for the participants. Eight
are women leaving one guy Roger, on Tuesday a second male James will join the group. There are a
couple of participants who seem very reluctant to be there on e is exceptionally quiet and the other
physically turns away from the rest of the group and faces the wall. We manage to get them involved
with some simple icebreaker exercises getting them to describe some family background, hobbies,
interests, their strongest conviction and the greatest dream. Then we're in to the activities of lectures,
video clips and role playing. The two days seem to go really well as the participants get into the
activity and are actually having some fun with the role plays which can be intimidating activities.
About half of the group is very skilled and catches on to the process quickly , the balance are real
triers and do contribute to their peers activity. The shy lady really gets into the role plays and
becomes very animated in the process which helps both her and her partners in practicing the skills.
The evenings of the week are being spent reviewing the workshop materials for the next day
and sometimes watching a little TV and talking to Jo Anne and the boys at 10:00 PM on the internet.
That is a real god send for me because it keeps me in touch with home and JoAnne who I miss
desperately. I never was one for roaming on my own and this just proves the fact for me. It was great
to hear how well Kristopher has been doing now that he's back in school. He has no trouble with the
course content, if the system gives him the right range he exceeds their expectations and his
classmates in most academic pursuits. Daniel is already into b-ball and seems to be keeping up with
his studies as well. JoAnne says the boys are really taking their support roles seriously with me out
of the picture. Both Kris and Dan have been helping around the house and yard and are constantly
checking in to see if JoAnne needs anything. They let her know exactly where they are and are
sensitive to their responsibilities. That should make this experience a real plus for them if they
continue in this mode. I'm proud of their understanding their responsibilities and making such an
effort at it.
Friday I meet with Ms. Lowe and Mr. Walters to review the activity to date and make some
changes. They are requesting a one day session for their receptionists to handle telephone
communication a little more effectively. I agree to provide it from my package although it's not part
of the mandate. It'll keep me busy. I find their office is a little cooler with the cloudiness and
raining that is happening. We have a series of tropical waves over the next few weeks that is
bringing more cloud and rain to the island. On the way back to the office I meet with Colin and
Bernadette on their way to lunch. We go to a restaurant on the 2nd floor of the large Cave Sheppard
Dept. Store. Obviously for tourists because everything costs an arm and a leg, in the store that is. A
little Sony short wave radio is on sale for $950 bds. I bet it wouldn't cost $200 cdn. At home .
Anyway up to the restaurant on the 2nd floor; thru a line which is tight because of the semi-wall with
thatched fence material at the top. Actually the selection is very large and all Bajan at a
comparatively reasonable cost. I have Cous Cous (cornmeal and spices, with a potato consistency)
Boiled flying fish; some pickled pigs feet and a juice for about $18 bds. In the background there is an
older gentleman who is playing the organ while we eat. Most of the crowd is Bajan, with a
smattering of tourists around the room which seats about 250 people ,it's a big place. Back to work
where I put together the first package for Hickling.
We head for home around 4:00 and pick Gaston up at the Education Min.. Where he has been
meeting with principals all afternoon. The traffic isn't as bad as it has been on most days
so we get home around twenty to six. The days I trained I took a cab to town ($20 bds.) Each day and
he left at 7:30 supposedly so I could get to the office by 9:00. Well I got tot he office by twenty to
eight and spent the time on the porch of the Labour office with a number of clients ; listening to their
chit chat about " Bosses who whipped them or Kicked their ass" when they wanted something done.
Usually I was out there for about an half hour before some staff arrived to let me in.
We went to Bert's for a couple of beers after work and just chatted about the gov't and activity
on the island. Berts seemed quite busy as we approached the supper hour. As usual the yellow breasts
and doves strolled and flew around our tables begging for scraps of food or popcorn. Then it was
home for the evening and talk to Jo and the boys at 10:00. As it turned out the boys were out. My
damn modem keeps overheating so we can't get much more than 20 min. On line.
Saturday I do my exercises and head to the beach at about 7:30 There had been rain earlier
but it was already hot and the turquoise water was quite inviting. I saw Gaston and Muriel for a
minute and they headed off to breakfast at a small restaurant at the far end of the beach, $9.50 bds.
For bacon eggs, potatoes , toast and a drink. I played in the surf and walked the beach until about
9:30 so that I wouldn't get too much sun. There were a number of tourists already out in their lounges
and smearing on sunscreen. I headed from the beach to the grocery store to pick up additional
supplies like beer, chips, pretzels and nuts. Somehow I've lost my food focus this week!
Colin has arranged to take Bernadette Ling around the island so he asks if I would come
along. Like where else am I going except my apartment! He's an interesting study. Clearly dedicated
to the company because he is constantly entertaining new consultants and driving them all over the
place. He heads towards the southeast, to a place called the heritage Rum Factory. It is in the middle
of a large sugar cane plantation in a valley. Guess what ?? It's closed today for upgrading of facilities.
From the exterior it looks like a theme park very neat and tidy with large buildings for the Rum
Factory portion and several different heritage type areas. If your ever here it's probably a nice place to
visit.
From there we drive over to a plantation called Sunbury Plantation House. Now this
place in terms of a real plantation has all of the furniture and clothing laid out in the bedrooms as it
was 250 yrs ago. Pictures and materials were really interesting. You can arrange to have dinner there
Friday evenings for $75 US and it's served in the old way. There was a beautiful garden and open
enclave leading to the garden which was being prepared for a wedding this afternoon. The setting is
idyllic tropical and combines the garden with a large canopied eating and dancing area. I'm sure
Clark and Christy might like this place for their wedding. The next stop is at the oldest church in
Barbados, high up on the east coast cliffs dramatically overlooking the Atlantic ocean. It was a tidy
little church which also housed the oldest tomb on the island, going back to 1630. The grave yard
was also interesting and it was surprising how many people who had died exceeded 95 yrs of age.
Island life must be pretty agreeable over time!
The view of the ocean with the pounding surf visible for about 10 miles with
breathtaking.
We then went to the Edgewater Inn for lunch at 2:30. The route was along the east coast and Colin
took us to the Barbadian Magnetic Hill and allowed us to experience it. Just like Moncton except
only the locals know about it. The Edgewater is also high on a cliff with another spectacular view of
crashing surf and today there are a number of surfers we can watch risking the waves. Of course this
Inn is hosting a wedding today and this delays are lunch and prevents us from visiting Harrison
Caves. Just as well I'm actually getting quite tired just traveling around. Colin takes the west coast
road home and points out a number of hotels whose rates start at $1850 US per night. Apparently the
folks who fly in on the Concord jet on Sundays are the regulars for these places. Must be nice. He
also points out a restaurant called the Cliff which is accepted as the best in Barbados and compares
favourably with the best in the world. Try it sometime if you dare.
Finally home and some rest!
Sunday am I do the beach thing again, and the waves are a little bigger , I think the boys
would love this. There are a couple of surfers who are getting up regularly. The waves are actually
about 5" over my head as they come crashing in. Somehow they didn't look that big from the beach.
Well I figure I'm having fun with this body surfing in on a few and then I miss one and it literally
kicks the shit out of me. I mean this wave picks me up and slam dunks me into the sand and I feel
like I just got beat up. That's it for me I'm outta here! It's much healthier for us old guys to walk
the beach after that. I head back to the apartment to work on materials until 4;00 when Colin picks us
up for the Master Cruise to celebrate the opening of the Barbados Community College Education
program Gaston is implementing.
The ship is like a Toronto Island ferry with three decks , each having a bar and on the second
deck a food area. There are about 150 people taking the cruise up the west coast to Speightstown
and then back. Although it's cloudy the water is quite calm and the air is clear. We can see some of
the spectacular hotels on the west coast from the beach side as the boat runs about a half mile
offshore. Caribbean music plays at a study drone on the upper deck with most of the younger people
dancing for the entire trip. The meal is a choice of chicken or fish or a combination of both with rice
and macaroni casarole.Jt's OK. A young lady has some kind of seizure on one of the upper decks so
the captain heads back at a little quicker pace and the boat is met by a Queen Elizabeth Hospital
ambulance and she is taken away still unconscious. We head back to the apartment and I get to talk to
Jo Anne for 45 minutes , it's great to hear her voice. Boy she is really busy with preparing stuff for
Geo. & Nan's fiftieth.. But the boys are continuing their positive support which is great. Lights out
and hit the hay.
Week of Sept.22-Sept.28/97
The week started off with preparation for the next workshop for the Labour Officers. Although
waiting for Colin to pick us up on Bajan time is always a guessing game . We're by the OASIS Hotel
at 10 to 9 and he gets there about 9:30. He has the new guy Brian from Edmonton , an
apprenticeship specialist, with him. We pile in and today he'll try the Ocean rd. Which becomes Bay
St. into Bridgetown. Typically traffic is still heavy and the construction has started but we get past
the little trench that is the excuse for closing the road as Colin challenges all the work crews as we
pass. But we make it to the office in about 15 minutes instead of the usual hour.
Sometimes you just luck out. We all stroll down the back street and watch all the school kids in their
uniforms going one way and all the gamblers heading to the off track betting going the other way.
The air is refreshing in the office and I get a few things together and Colin takes me to Verona Bank
Hall. The usual Bajan crowd is lined up at the door and this morning the staff with the keys haven't
arrived so everyone is waiting out back to get into the building. The area is like an open carport
access to the doors. It's already about 28 C. Most of the people from last weeks course greet me
enthusiastically and head about their chores. I spend the day with Ms. McClain preparing for
tomorrows workshop. It doesn't get any cooler and the Xerox machine breaks down on us two or
three times during the day. I have a ginger ale and an O'Henry bar for lunch today as a treat. Colin
shows up at 4:30 with Gaston, Bernadette and Brian and we're into the traffic home. An hour or so
later we make it.
I'm tired from the day and decide to have a simple supper of Kraft Dinner and tomato and green
pepper. Of course the Kraft dinner box has been infiltrated by some multi legged creatures about the
size of red ants. Of course I don't see them until I pour the contents into boiling water. Now I have
to spend 20 minutes fishing out corpses from the boiling kraft dinner. I suppose I got them all, I'm
still here and no ill side effects. Then some workshop prep and Meet JoAnne on the Net at 10:00 pm
. We carry on a good conversation but JoAnne is tired from all her running around with the 50th
anniversary and the boys so off to bed.
Tuesday I take a taxi and get there early as usual and meet most of the new trainees as they arrive.
This bunch are the senior labour officers and the assistant chief Mrs. Lowe will sit in on the training
as well. There are some real characters. A well dressed shirt and tie, Elon Arthur is celebrating his
birthday so we all sing happy birthday to him. The group is a cross section of quite sophisticated
women and men to your very casual informal types. One thing you learn real quickly in Barbados
every refers to the other in a formal way. That is Mr. or Mrs. Such and such. They rarely use first
names at work. All of these participants have a minimum of a Bachelors degree and some have
Masters level and most are still taking courses towards advanced degrees.
The course is a success and everyone gets into the materials and they share a number of very relevant
work experiences which makes the material come alive and work for them. Most evenings I'm
revitalized by the calls on the Net from Joanne but training in this heat really takes its toll on my
energy level. On the Thursday and Friday I'm back riding with Colin and I'm finding this is my
chance to Tan in the sun while I'm waiting for him. Actually on Thursday morning after the exercises
I head down to the beach and at 7:30 just past the ACCRA Hotel there are 5 young, incredibly
attractive , bikini clad young women; this clearly adds vigour to my step as I stroll the beach passing
them about 10 times. As I head home at 8 it occurs to meet that next time down to the beach I should
bring my camera and ask the young nubile types if they might have someone take a picture of me in
their midst to send home to the office. Give them a sense of the pressure I'm under to perform as it
were!!
Finally we make it to Friday. I meet with the Chief of the Labour dept. To set the schedule for
the strategic planning sessions on target groups and servicing the Employer market. I'm beginning
to feel I'd need about a year to really do this consultation properly. They have built so many things
into the two months it's incredible. Many of these packages would be delivered over a three month
period at home. With significant spacing between each session to give people a chance to use and
develop their skills on the job. I just do what they ask at this point but I will recommend that they
establish a long term development program for their staff.
Friday night I meet the neighbours across from our villa. Kurt and Barb are native white Bajans.
Kurt is an accountant with his own firm and Barb has two women's clothing boutiques one just
down the street and the other in Bridgetown. We share a drink with them at Gaston's patio and
enjoy the discussion about kids values in Barbados and how they really have to keep a tight rein on
their kids to convey the proper values. Not unlike Canada! We head off to Charlie's for our Steak
dinner and pick Brian up at the Worthing Court Hotel. Once again the steak is very good off the
huge bbq; served with the traditional Bajan macaroni pie(casserole), salad, & potato salad.
We chat about all nature of issues from the death penalty to the rapid one day justice I see in
Barbados. I guy is picked up at the airport Tuesday with Crack cocaine and Wednesday his trial is
over and he is shipped off for 5 years hard time. I mean these guys don't screw around!
I head home around 9:30 to get on the net once more and share the day with Jo Anne as the boys are
at the schools first fall dance. Then I crash!
Saturday morning comes quickly and I get my exercises out of the way and head to the beach for a
swim. The air and water are just right and the usual crowd is either swimming or strolling the beach.
I snorkel the near shore coral and watch the blue and yellow and silver fish dart about and feed on
the reef. The water is very calm and I find with the mask and snorkel you absolutely float on the
surface with no effort at all and it is very relaxing. Unlike the Great Lakes where you have to work
like a dog just to stay afloat. After about a half hour swimming I begin to stroll the Beach. Of course
my young ladies are nowhere visible ever again so no pictures for the home crowd.
I proceed to get my laundry together and take it to the laundromat and get it started and then head to
the Big B for my groceries. This time $47 BDS FOR MILK AND JUICE, AND SOME Bananas.
Walking back is incredibly hot on the pavement I take the groceries in put them away; go pick up
my laundry and put it away and go to sleep from 1:30 -3:00. Brian next door gives me a call and I
share a rum and diet coke with him and chat about his job as director of vocational training for
Alberta. I head in at about 5:30 and do a bit of prep on my next workshop and watch tv. At 6:00 I
get on the Net with Jo Anne and chat about the days activity. It's a good chat and Daniel starts it off
and seems to be having a good time at school and really enjoyed the school dance where all the guys
dressed as GINO's and the girls dressed their sexiest. Good for him. After the call I went back to
work and got some good things completed for Mon..
Sunday morning up again and exercise and to the beach I spent a little more time and met Gaston and
went to the little Blue cafe at the end of the beach for breakfast, french toast juice and coffee for
$9bds. Brian joined us and after a bit I swam for awhile with Brian and he then lay on the beach and
I went back to doing a couple of hours of work materials. Actually got a lot
doone.. The day at the beach was the clearest sky I've seen in a month. Mid afternoon Brian asked
if I would walk to town with him so I gave it a shot. The long and winding road dodging all the vans
and buses was an adventure. It took us 50 minutes to walk right into downtown Bridgetown which
was shut down like a church. Barbados is the bible belt and little is open on a Sunday. We catch a
van back for #1.50 bds and it's like a roller coaster ride to Bert's Bar where we have a bajan light
some fish fingers and watch Chicago and Dallas play NFL football on satellite TV. Home for my Net
contact,..
Oct.6-Oct.12/97:
Sunday was a good day for the beach it was already 30 C by 8:00 am and the people were arriving by
the minute by 9:00 it was actually quite busy. While snorkeling I run across another Black
checkered pattern eel and watched it snake thru the rocks near shore. Spent a little to much time on
the beach and my cross and chain showed their mark on my chest.
The remainder of the day I was working on reconfiguring my workshops and the day went pretty
fast. Late in the afternoon I actually went back to the beach for a swim and there wer large numbers
of very white british accented people still on the beach; a new load must have just arrived.
The week started with the director of the Hickling group picking Brian and I up much earlier
than Colins usual time of 9:30. We went into the office and the traffic for some reason wasn't too
bad.. In the afternoon I spent the time with a management, counselor team responsible for youth
services developing their strategic plan for the next year. We met in their downtown Bridgtown
board room and it was typically hot. As the afternoon went on a thunderstorm rolled in and the
women, Edla the assistant Chief and Roberta were quite upset by the lightning Believe me it was a
very mild storm by our standards. They couldn't concentrate on anything for the full hour it rumbled
around. They said they could not ever remember having a storm like that in their life time in
Barbados. Interesting how it bothered them .
On the way back to our office there were a number of Rastafarians selling incense on the
corner in really outlandish hair and clothes it was quite a contrast with the youngsters just out of
school passing them in their brown and blue and plaid uniforms in the sweltering sun. Back to the apt
and work on tomorrows stuff. Jo Anne's chat at 10 really revitalizes me and keeps me focused so I
can get home quickly. The balance of the week is the usual sessions with people working very hard.
Our group counseling seminar works exceptionally well and the presentations they achieve at the
end of the course really demonstrate how much they have learned. I'm pleased it came together so
well. Sometimes your just not sure when your crossing cultures and trying to give them something
that works for us but is new for them. I think it's a testament to the stuff we develop in Canada
because we're so multi-cultural we can take it anywhere in the world. Enough political tripe, what!!
On Thursday while heading home from the Labour office a young boy is hit by a small white
van and is lying writhing in the street with some people trying to comfort him and bringing some ice
to cool him. God knows how an ambulance will ever get to this kid at rush hour in this mess when
the streets are 12 ft. Wide and you can't get out of the way. I don't hear anything over the next two
days on the radio so I have to assume he survived.
I meet with the management to review progress to date on Fri morning and this time get
some very good clear feedback about my consulting and it's positive impact on their staf and their
skill levels. It's quite gratifying but I don't want to get a swelled head , as I said to them they really
have to learn that in counseling you always have to be sensitive to not taking yourself too seriously.
You'll live longer and contribute more if you recognize that the real work is being done by the other
people we just help.
Friday night we head to Oistens for their famous Fish Fry by the Fisherman's Market and the
boats. First we stop at Gaston Franklin and Muriel's time share. It is absolutely gorgeous. Third
floor of a wonderfully kept building . Wooden cathedral ceilings and ceramic tile throughout with a
huge living dining area and kitchen; white ceiling fans move the air and the master bedroom is huge
in white and gold and stucco type walls . Each room leads out to a double balcony overlooking a
picturesque court. To the left through tall wispy palms is a candlelit dining restaurant, to the right in
amongst huge ground level palms the blue water of the pool reflects as a young couple swims about
and beyond that the surf of the south shore of Barbados hits against the sand . It is exactly as you
might imagine a tropical paradise to be .. The designers here were very successful and it was a treat
to visit them. We had a quick beer or coke in my case and headed to Oistens.
It was absolutely crawling with people we parked in a small plaza a couple of blocks from the
market. The stroll was interesting as a young black couple squabbled coyly as they embraced on a
bus stop bench oblivious to the crowds passing. There were equal numbers of whites and blacks
enjoying the evening and on the opposite side of the road you had the mini bars with reggae and rap
playing loudly to the street and a Chicken Chefette restaurant in amongst the local pubs . Then the
market with it's open air cooking of Marlin and tuna as the fish in season. Vendors cooking were
everywhere with flames from the BBQ shooting up . People were walking on the streets with their
Banks beers and the park bench tables were already packed at 7 pm. Lots of lovelies black and white
enjoying this feast and everyone was pleasant and cordial.
The fish I had was Marlin and it tasted like a cross between chicken and steak with a little
Bajan hot sauce it was incredible. Of course as we sat to eat we had a cloud burst. Ta Da I brought
my umbrella and stayed where I was and finished my meal and didn't get very wet at all although it
was a real downpour but no wind. We strolled the area after eating and the rain had created a fine
display of some of the nicest wet tee shirts I've seen in awhile. I really am missing Jo Anne in this
environ. A bar and dance hall at one end of the market called Flexies is playing fifties country and
western music and all kinds of folks are dancing to and fro on the ground sand in the hall. Really
neat place to visit and for $12 bds( that's $6us) you can't beat it anywhere. O
On the stroll back to the car we check out the fishing boats with their Barbados W.I. signs and all
sizes from small whaling types to 75 ft. Fishing boats in blue, green yellow and white all up on dry
dock as it's the Hurricane season and many don't go out much until mid-Nov. Finally home after a
pleasant evening and I can chat with JoAnne.
Oct.13-Oct.19/97:
This would turn out to be an interesting week. I started the week at the Sober's Gymnasium. A
complex dedicated to Barbados' most famous cricket player and build for free as a gift from the
Peoples' republic of China. The facility sits at the top of Rendezvous Hill which is almost straight up
the hill from where my apartment is located in Worthing, Christ Church. You can see the facility as
soon as you get to the roundabout at the top of rendezvous Rd. It has a bright red roof which stands
well above anything in the area, and is located next to the National Swim center which is an outdoor
Olympic size pool used constantly by the local schools and the Bajan Olympic team. The pool is
regularly rented to North American swim teams from various universities in Canada and the USA,
who like to come down and practice there.
The director of the complex is introduced to me by my co-trainer Ms. McClain; his name is
Anthony(tony) Rochforte, and he previously was a labour officer at the National Employment
Bureau. This made him quite interested in our activities for the week. We had a seminar room and
the VIP lounge to use for break out rooms and would shortly be sharing the facility with the
Americans from the World Gospel 97 Barbados extravaganza. M.C. Hammer was headlining the
show with just about every major Gospel singer in the world coming in for the 4 days.
We started our major advanced counseling technique seminar with nine labour officers and two cotrainers that I would be training and using as assistants for the course duration. The sessions
seemed to go quite well for the first day. A labour officer drove me over to the local grocery store, to
buy lunch from their deli. It really was very good and had a tremendous variety of regular and Bajan
fair. I had a ham on a bun which was $3.50 bds and a coke. It was delicious and had a great smoked
taste. Back to work and we notice the technical crew and producer for the Gospel show start
arriving. They have to build a stage; set up their sound system and install an incredible battery of
lights by Thurs. Afternoon for the first performance Thursday evening.
Day two continues after I spent most of the evening revamping exercises for the officers. The
participants are getting noticeably frustrated with the stilted activity. They keep wanting to problem
solve and the material requires them to take very calculated steps first; to build up some competency
in the process. Luckily the facility is air-conditioned or their frustration level might have been
unbearable. A few colourful gospel singers start arriving for the practice seminars and you begin to
hear the southern american accents. Their producer is a big ex-prison type who is very black and has
a great smile and praises the Lord every time you talk to him. By the end of the day I'm concerned
with the frustration of some of their best counselors. They have been working hard on workshops
for the past 5 weeks and I see signs it's wearing on them. In talking to Jo Anne on the net that night
she triggers my memory of an alternative program I have that can break the pressure for the
participants.
Wednesday morning I break from the agenda and take co-trainers and counselors into the VIP
lounge. There are big soft leather black chairs and couches for everyone. I pull the drapes and take
them through a full relaxation therapy session for the first hour. IT WORKS!! Their batteries seem
recharged and the anxiety has washed away and they are prepared to continue comfortably. It makes
a significant difference in their ability to concentrate on tasks over the next two days.
Elon Arthur and Richard Hope seem to take great pleasure in creating the most difficult clients they
can think of for their role play situations. By Thursday I encourage them to lighten up and
be like regular clients who tend to go along with the counselor, rather than fighting him at each turn.
Donna Fredericks, the counselor who seems to have the best personal counseling style still is
frustrated by the process but her colleague Linda Sergeant is working very hard to assist her. David
Carrington is the intellectual deep thinker of the group; he isn't afraid to take risks in trying new
strategies or questioning what he doesn't understand. He also drives me home each day and often
his wife arrives with the car. She is a nursing consultant named Shirley who works at the Queen
Elizabeth hospital in Bridgetown. They have four little children , I don't know how they carry on
working and raising kids with costs what they are in Barbados. One evening two of their children,
Sheldon(6) and Sherice(5) are in the car and the two sets of white eyes peer at me with the cutest
little smiles in their little blue and white school uniforms. The children are incredibly polite and well
spoken and shake hands with me as I leave the car. The Carrington's invite me for supper on the
Sunday of the 27th of Oct. I'm looking forward to sharing their meal.
The activity with the Gospel group is accelerating and we are now competing for our breakout
rooms with the singers or artists as the producer refers to them. On Thurs. At 3:00 in the afternoon
they start a rehearsal for tonight and the whole building reverberates with the music. The typical
gospel music is loud to begin with but these guys have huge amps in preparing for the US
transmission I guess. Finally Mr. Hammer arrives and everything seems to flow around his
entourage. They arrive in a big black Lexus and everyone is catering to these guys big time. That is
everyone in the US entourage. The Bajans avoid him like the plague; the sense is he's just another
American and the natives are not big on Americans and their variety of free enterprise. The stage has
trumpeting angels in four spots and huge silk screen silver lace white arches and teleprompters and
it's your big Yankee production. Some of the gospel singers are huge in their flowing colourful
smocks that would create a tent given the opportunity. INTERESTING.
Three of the counselors went to the performance on Thursday evening and said it really was
incredible. $17 dollars Bds. Which ain't bad for these headliners. The show ran from 8:30 until
12:30. I guess they were on a roll and wanted to keep the tape running as it was working so well.
The performers in the corridors on Friday looked very tired indeed and they have three more days of
this. Mr. Hammer comes thru the narrow hall while our guys are in breakouts so I say " Praise the
Lord" as he goes by and shakes my hand saying "Amen, brother". No autographs though as they
whisk him along with video cameras following his every move. He's got a nice half moon gold
earring that is totally encrusted with diamonds. So my guess is he isn't wanting for a whole lot.
Our session ends the week with me doing a decision Making lecture with MC Hammer basting out
live in the background. I feel like I should have taped it as the whole building shook. Finally the
weekend and I've survived the 5 day workshop in one piece. Just 2 1A weeks to go and I may be home
free.
Friday night we have ribs at Bert's bar with Jim Bryce, Gaston & Muriel, Bill Sinot..., Brian Lupul,
Colin Thornhill, Myself and Joan Harvey Ellis the deputy Minister for Youth and Sport who controls
all the activity and money for this project. She's a very interesting person and much of everyone's
conversation focuses on Ms. Harvey-Ellis. I suppose it's proper protocol.
After 9:30 I head home to chat with Jo Anne on PowWow.
-SepL20-25/97
This week I managed to get some sun and surf over Saturday and Sunday. With doing my laundry I
had time to stroll the beach and catch some rays. As usual the weather has stayed quite hot and the
water is always warm. Brian and I risk the taxi vans to town again to do some shopping. I manage to
pick up three whales tails for the boys and Brian and then just stroll thru the shops watching all the
tourists buying over priced Tommy Hilfiger and Nike stuff. The core of Broad street always seems to
be crawling with loads of travellers from ships and flights . Even with the travelers there is always an
abundance of Bajans strolling, doing their shopping for a Saturday. All long the street you have fruit
and vegetable vendors either Rasta types or grandmother types and nothing in between.. Every once
in a while an older lady will happen by carrying all her parcels on her head. Saw n=me with a clothe
shopping bag folded over so it wouldn't spill its contents and then she had a 20 Ib. Propane tank on
top of that as she merrily strolled along. Great balancing act for sure.
The week started with me picked up by Colin again at about 9:15 and then into the office. I
PREPARED SOME WORKSHOP MATERIALS FOR THE PSYCH Testing workshop Wednesday
and then headed over to Labour Dept. Headquarters to start our strategic initiative on Employer
Services. It really is a dilemma for the Bajans as they have no data base or background information
which they had accumulated to give them some history on their employer population so they really
have to start from scratch. For a change the board room had its windows open and there was a nice
fresh breeze blowing in which made the session and the heat quite bearable. The activity seemed to
move very well and we identified about 6 strategic goals that will help them to establish an employer
data base and begin to develop a professional relationship with their employers.
The week progressed with more strategic activity while Barbados tooled on. The number of cars
seems to increase daily and they are now up to 25 road related fatalities this year that's five up o over
the past year and there doesn't seem to be any abatement. With the construction on all the major
routes once people get past the work they just open it up and these roads don't leave a lot of room
for maneuverability, so people get killed. The psych testing session goes better than expected with
theory in the morning and then having the participants do some testing prep. And interpretation with
their colleagues in the afternoon. Insights are gained and skills are learned and the world goes on.
When I leave Verona Bank Hall and wait for my ride up front one evening there is a basketball game
going on. It's between the school next door which is a private vocational school and another school.
They play all their games outdoors here with no real gym facilities inside. The local school has a
couple of boys in the 6'8"-6'10" range and most of the players have no trouble dunking with their great
verticals but they pass like a bunch of old ladies. Big looping passes and little play making as
everyone seems to be intent on scoring rather than playing effectively. St. lohn's College could sure
use some of the height that's out there. Give them a coach like Dave McNeil and they would be an
incredible bunch.
Strolling the streets at noon you always se a few of the politicians out of the parliament buildings hob
knobbing with the electorate in the streets. The colour of vendors and on one day a gentleman in
the bright red, black , yellow knitted Rasta cap with an apparatus which sells flags of several different
nations. The coconut juice vendor is always nearby selling copious amounts of the drink to
passersby. Apparently the Bajans believe the coconut clear drink is a potent aphrodisiac and it has
great healing powers so they buy it a lot. They aren't particularly concerned about the high
cholesterol.
Friday my communication workshop is canceled. So I make the decision to work out of my
apartment for the day. The writing of my counseling manual runs into some difficulty as I try to
convert it to Hicklings template. It changes all my syntax and highlighting. So after two hours of
word smithing I close it up and go to the beach. As luck will have it while I'm changing by the big
pine tree something catches my eye at the edge of the sand and grass to the side of the tree. It turns
out to be a leather wallet for a watch which someone obviously has dropped from their towel or
bag. I check it out and the watch is something called a Sector Men's Sport looks like stainless and
gold and the stainless band is Broken . I figure I'll check it out at a shop tomorrow and see if it's
worth getting fixed.
We hit Charlie's for steak and pork chops on Friday night and they are quite busy with mostly Bajan
folks tonight. Actually a number of the people are recognizable from Bert's Bar over the past
number of weeks. The meal is exceptional as always and after about 1 Vi hrs. We head off home.
Saturday it's the beach and the downtown tour again this time to show Pat the stores and I can pick
up a whale trinket for George. "^ * -;•
Septr26/97 :A Day with the Carrington's:
The morning was a typical Sunday with early morning showers and then the warm sunshine
and for the third straight day a wonderful breeze blowing that made the heat comfortable.
I went for my usual swim on the beach , snorkeling the shallow reefs and relaxing watching the
clown fish and the various blue and silver fish and this morning there was a school of thousands
offish that were silver white with a black dot mid side all swimming about one shallow reef. I swam
the length of the beach to the Blue cafe and then proceed with my usual morning stroll back and forth
the length of the beach. Every weekend there has been a Bajan family of a mother and her daughter,
I would guess in her early twenties who vigorously stroll the beach for about an hour and a half;
then her sister and father join them and later they swim together. They have been here every time
I've been at the beach on the weekends. Then there is another Bajan family with two blond little girls
who first stroll the beach with their mom who looks about 35 and is lithe and muscular in her
traditional swim suit then dad joins them and they all go for a snorkel. They seem to have a facility
right at the far west end of the beach that they come from.
This morning Brian Lupul joins me at about 9 am and we walk for an hour and then have another
swim before I return to my apt. To do some additional reports before David Carrington picks me up.
David arrives in his white toyota at about 1:30 and we're off to his home in St. Phillip. He makes a
point of taking me past any sights he feels would be interesting to me like Sam Lord Castle and the
Crane site and the Heritage Park Rum facility. Finally we arrive at his home
which is a stucco bungalow, which overlooks an area called Bottom Bay. The ocean along this south
east coast is quite wild as the surf seems to crash from three or four different directions almost half a
mile offshore. Sending great sprays into the air.
The Carrington's David, Shirley, Shannon(l 1), Sheldon(6) and Sherrice(5) are a close knit Seventh
Day Adventist family. The house is pinkish stucco with a lovely front patio which is fully ceramic
tiled as is the entire house. The ceilings re a vaulted mahogany wood with ceiling fans throughout
and the kitchen area is massive with about thirty cupboards and a pantry in an area about 25X20.
The dining room is at the front and is set for 6 in a formal setting. The family room at the back is also
quite large and the children are watching the Cartoon Network on their RCA satellite dish.. The
view of the ocean out the back is David's pride and joy and the children share the view and are
exceptionally polite and respectful. The dinner consists of a variety of things I have not eaten before
including Ochra, Yam, boiled pumpkin and melon with a large carrot salad garnished with
cucumbers , onions and lettuce. The main course is Breaded Billfish(marlin) with a rice dish with
peas and spices and potato salad. There is also some sliced Avocado. I can't believe I ate all this
very nutritious food in varieties I've shunned in the past and it was both good and I survived. They
have purchased some fresh coconut water to serve with the meal and clam it is incredibly good for
cleaning out your kidneys. Actually it is not bad either. It tastes quite like regular water with a slight
coconut flavour and is the same consistency as water as well. Quite a delicious Bajan home cooked
meal and certainly a moment to treasure, having been invited into their home.
David then takes me and the kids down to Bottom Bay and it has a walk way carved out of the coral
rock that takes you down to one of those beautiful tropical beaches with a cliff backdrop a huge cave
area overlooking the beach and a stand of coconut trees perfectly located to offset the beach and the
sea. The surf is incredible here and you don't swim unless you really know what your doing. I take a
few shots and then we walk over to a huge old deserted building at the top of the cliffs and another
beach called rag bottom which is as spectacular as the first David feels the gov't should develop this
area as a park and I believe he's right given the quality of the view and the general amenities. Then
to the car and he heads for Culloden Ministerial College(Anglican) on the east coast and then up to
the Bathsheba area to view the spectacular limestone and sandstone formations in the hills of the east
coast. They are dramatic and all along the way today there are a number of parks loaded with Bajans
having barbecues and picnics. Clearly this side of the island is virtually devoid of the tourists which is
really amazing given the incredible beauty of the scenery and the intriguing route along the cliffs.
The children are very well behaved in the back and it is almost 6:30 when we return to his home in
the dark.
Shirley has prepared a fresh sweet cake which has coconut raisins and dates in a heavy pound cake
like consistency, and she has set aside a couple of pieces of the Marlin to take for my lunch
tomorrow. It really has been an exceptional experience and the whole family goes for the ride to take
me home. They still try to show me additional sites even in the dark and David gets lost twice as
there are detours he didn't expect. I thank them profusely for a wonderful time and sharing of their
home I just hope some day I can return the kindness. It will certainly be a highlight of this experience
in Barbados.
Oct.27-Nov.3/97:
This was to be my final full week of work in Barbados and I had a couple of Strategic Counseling
sessions regarding Employer Services, Women and Youth. The week started of fairly normal with
Colin picking us up by the OASIS hotel at about 9:30 and dropping Brian and Pat off at the
Vocational Training Board and Gaston and I off at the Hickling office while he ran some errands. I
started on my final report and came across the report of the local consultant who was paralleling my
consultancy but from a purely administrative view. The trouble was in a couple of related areas he
made reference to the Canadian Employment service being discriminatory and not offering
opportunities to the disadvantaged. I spoke to Gaston about this as it was wrong I happened to have
my Hamilton program budget with me and showed the $2.7 million we spend on the disadvantaged
just in Hamilton. I also pointed out I felt it was inappropriate that this local guy had been unavailable
while I was here but was recommending how they should set up office admin. Support for counseling
and I disagreed.. I find out he gets all his info. From the University library or the internet and has no
idea what he is talking about so I lodged a formal complaint with Hickling and the Labour Dept,
because I don't want to be tarred by this guys inaccuracy. Enough on that one.
The final report seems to be coming together well and on Tuesday I delivered our Client Centered
Counseling manual for their use on the job. It was very well received and will be a critical part of the
National Employment Boards shift in service delivery. For a couple of days we travel to Cave
Sheppard for lunch in their huge cafeteria and I have salads and Bill fish for lunch. Very tasty and the
place is really very busy with locals, I actually buy a t-shirt one day as they are on sale for $35bds
which is a great buy. That is until I hit Woolworth's on the side street one afternoon when I'm
getting seals for our diplomas at a shop next door. I drop into Woolworth's and they're clearing
Barbados stuff; of course I go on a binge and get; 2 t-shirts that are embroidered for $15bds; all sort
of plaques, key rings and hand painted egg. It was a great adventure and the two Bajan clerks that
helped me got so excited they bought some stuff after I did.
The week had me at the Hickling office and the Labour Department main office in downtown
Bridgetown every day. The hubbub on the street really was interesting to watch as men and women,
rastas and kids in school uniforms are tearing along every which way. The vendors sit with their
small baskets of veggies (ochra, carrots, apples etc.) In front of the grocery store windows just below
the signs that say NO VENDORS in front of store. Interesting in that no one asked them to move in
the two months I've been here. Having had a good week shopping and reaching Friday I'm looking
forward to the certification ceremonies this afternoon to recognize the counselors for their hard work
over the past two months.
Colin has to take Brian and Pat to a function of the training Board and I go along for the ride because
there's lots of time. Colin stops at the bank at 2:00 pm but doesn't come out until 2:40 and I'm due
across town for ceremonies at 3:00 pm and traffic is murder. Final at 5 to 3 we arrive I rush in and
prepare the certificates in the back room, no fan a million degrees, humid and I'm in my green suit.
Which is rapidly turning into a sweat suit. They had arranged for the Minister of Labour to attend to
my surprise and luckily he was called into an emergency cabinet meeting due to a recent garbage
strike on the island. So the deputy came.
The ceremonies turned into a real surprise for me as Edla Lowe the assistant chief labour officer and
my main liaison started off with a speech directed at me. I think they missed the point it was the
counselors who were graduating. Then the chief labour officer Ken Walters proceeds to describe
what they feel the impact of the training has been and is expected to provide for Barbados. I'm
beginning to get a little uncomfortable. Then one of the counselors is introduced and goes through a
prepared poem that the other counselors join in on at certain points to thank me for the process I've
taken them. Through. Now I am embarrassed, because I was just trying to give them the idea that
counseling in employment and guidance is a great and challenging career and can be fun. Finally I get
to give each of them their certificates and luckily can remember some personal moments that
occurred for each of them during the training. It goes quite well but I find out they're not done with
me yet. Rhonda Walcott then comes forward with another speech describing my training style and
some incidents when I mentioned how difficult it was to be away from Jo Anne and my two boys Kris
and Daniel for this amount of time. They said how much they appreciated JoAnne and the boys
sharing me with them and then brought out a beautiful framed print of the Barbados Parliament
buildings and a special gift for JoAnne which they said she should open at home. I really was quite
moved by it all and the genuine way in which each of them made a point of demonstrating the skills
learned during the program to their deputy minister through the presentations. Finally one last thank
you speech from Yvette Walcot a labour officer on behalf of all her colleagues and the ceremonies
are over . Whew!!
They have put together a smorgasbord meal of Macaroni pie, BBQ chicken, potato salad, carrot salad
. Various breads and veggies and about five different cakes and ice cream. There is wine and other
refreshments as well and during the meal each of the officers makes a point of coming up and offering
their personal comments of the two months we have been together and inviting me back to visit with
my family to enjoy the island outside of work. Over all it was a very gratifying evening. I was
surprised and pleased with how well the program and my delivery had been received; certainly more
than I could have hoped for . I still don't care to be away from JoAnne and the boys that long but at
least the program was successful for the Bajans and that helps.
David Carrington provides me with a lift home and again gets into the personal thanks which really
were not required. I thank him for the lift and retire to my apartment and meet Gaston and Brian
having a drink at Brian's .. I join them and tell them what happened and they're quite enthusiastic.
They 're going to Charlie's for dinner so I join them for a beer and a salad and pork chop.. I think my
emotions made me hungry or I just eat when I'm at all nervous. The pork is great, the discussion is
about similar experiences that they all have had on other consultations in the United Arab Emirates;
the Philippines and Cuba. Interesting evening. When I get home I share the experience with JoAnne
who is as surprised as I am but sounds really enthusiastic.
Saturday I head to the beach because I'd like to get on the beach for the last weekend here and pick
up a bit of a tan. Brian and Pat are there one snorkeling and the other walking and the beach is
generally quite quiet Saturday mornings as it's a tourist transition day and the new white blanched
bodies haven't arrived yet. So I do some snorkeling and then walk the beach
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with Brian for about an hour and a half to get me to 10:30 and I take my laundry in to be done. Brian
and I walk to and completely through St. Lawrence Gap looking for a place called Stingy Lulu's a
Rasta joint that sells walking sticks but we don't find it Actually when I ask a street vendor at the far
end of the gap for some directions he gets angry with me because I didn't say please. Brian says he's
surprised I don't rheem the guy out for being so rude.. Not my style.
We meet Pat, who has walked down too the Gap and catch a crazy van to town so they can see what
is available at Woolworth's.. We luck out and they buy all kinds of t-shirts and souvenirs for home at
dirt cheap prices for nice stuff. It starts to rain pretty good so we make our way back to the bus /van
terminal and grab a van home. Of course we get one with a crazy guy who gets into a fight about
paying the $1.50 because they took an extra passenger he will only pay a $1.00. They want to throw
him out but no movement. They argue about it at every stop and we think it is going to come to
blows but it doesn't. Actually it was quite an interesting day downtown as there were literally
thousands of people in the core because Nov. 1 is the start of their Independence Month celebrations
and they will be lighting the gov't buildings and all round-abouts on the island at 5:30 for the
celebration. It is also Haillie Salassie's birthday and as the founder of the Rasta Religion the Rasta's
are celebrating at Trafalgar square in Bridgetown from %:30 until 11:00 tonight. The rush in the
narrow streets as Bajan's banter at each other and the incredible splashes of colour from the variety of
clothes worn in the narrow streets is just really an experience to behold. People were just moving
everywhere and the upper level bar on one corner had all kinds of revelers carrying on with the music
and the beer.
We got home at 3:00 and John Hunt took Brian , Gaston and I on another 3 hour tour of areas he felt
we should see before we go .. Again St. John's church , Coldridge College Seminary and a new
lookout over the east coast called Hastings Ridge(the highest point on the island ) gave a spectacular
view of the heavy surf on the beaches of Bathsheba. It was a really neat tour as John often
commented on the various plantations we passed that had been owned by one of his bothers or a
cousin and provided incredible insight into the personal side of the island .. He would often stop and
talk to local black individuals to see how they were fairing in their little chattel Houses and commend
them on their gardens or how they up kept their homes . It was a very pleasant drive. One last
highlight was visiting the Crane Hotel which overlooks the Atlantic from the top of a spectacular
cliff. Beautiful out of the way place with another spectacular view of a wonderful sandy beach with
reasonable rolling waves breaking on shore .. It was a nice way to end the day. But I did forget to
pick up my laundry, I hope they're open on Sunday.
Nov.l-Nov.5-1997:
Saturday represented a bumper day as I headed to the beach at 8:00 and snorkeled for an hour
amongst some blue angel fish and small schools of black and white striped fish. The water seemed
almost refreshing this morning I don't know if that's because I'm acclimatizing to the warmth or it's
actually cooler water, my suspicion is I'm acclimatizing. Then I strolled on the beach for a good long
time and admired the new crop of tourists in their blanched skin. Actually had to wear my sandals this
morning to support my arches as my feet were killing me from all
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the walking on Saturday.
After a couple of hours on the beach I headed to pick up my laundry and get it back to the apartment
in preparation for the packing of most of my belongings. Interestingly I've left about 40 different
books, trainer's Manuals and guides that I brought for the National Employment Service and yet I
think I've bought enough to keep my bags really full for the return trip home. Oh well such is life.
Sunday afternoon I have a couple of home made pancakes of the full pan size and the make me sleepy
so I crash for about an hour .. I find that while I've been sleeping the damn mosquitoes have made a
successful return and fed on my wrists and ankles. Well it's time to pack and I get everything from the
various cupboards and shelves into the suit bag or my large suitcase. I still have to figure how I'll
carry the picture and ceramic statue with 4 suitcases and a camera. Methinks I may be in a bit of
trouble at the airport.
By mid afternoon Brian drops by and I help him to configure his computer for the link to Hickling's
office Internet site and then we go to the beach again. This afternoon there is a bright orange thong
suit which catches my eye as the young lady seems to be in pretty good shape and the suit doesn't
detract from her appearance. There is probably the largest crowd I've seen on the beach since
arriving in August and for the first time a cruise ship is coming into Barbados from the south. 11 is a
fairly large ship with a wavy blue line at the front of the hull, I don't recognize the line but it is a huge
ship.
Typically the palms are catching the sun as it heads to the west by about four o'clock. The beach
presents the exemplary tropical scene of azure waters, white sands and palm trees in idyllic locations
with the classic three catamarans on the south end of the beach with their red, yellow, green and blue
sails blowing in the breeze. A regular postcard! After an hour and a half strolling and watching the
girls ; and the Bajan paddle ball players as they try to impress the crowds with their rapid hits and
flurries against each other at the waters edge. The beach chair brigade starts to gather up their chairs
as the masses begin to leave as the sun disappears in the west and the beach returns to a silent
evening. Brian and I head back to our apartments for a light supper toast with jam and peanut butter
in my case and some TV.
My last week in Barbados I'm making finally report arrangements and checking out the activity in the
core of Bridgetown just to give me some lasting memory of this fine tropical location. The betting
halls around our office still reverberate with people yelling at the T.V. screens as their horses never
seem to come in. The lone young black street sleeper lies sleeping in the hot sun on the sidewalk, just
to the right of our office door , next to a pile of garbage. A major social statement as this character
looks to be about 20 years,, he has no shoes and obviously no money.
I take my last trip over to the Labour Dept. Head office next to the bridge in Bridgetown and say my
goodbyes to staff who have become good friends over the two months. On returning to the office I
particularly notice the young Rastafarian fruit vendors on the bridge in their bright shirts, dread locked
hair and some wearing egg cartons to shade themselves from the sun. Making
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comments to each of the young ladies in blue or brown school uniforms as they pass by on the bridge.
I policeman stands talking to one of them near the steps to the bus terminal.
Tuesday I entertain the Bachelor of Education class at Barbados College; they are all teachers with
from 8 to 19 years experience who are participating in the new B.Ed. Program on competency based
education. Today I'm their guest lecturer providing them with an overview of the Canadian
Counseling competency based program and describing my work with their national Employment
Bureau. There are 28 individuals about 18 women and 15 men and the discussion and questions are
really interesting and seem to make for a productive session for all of us. They thank me for the
discussion and then I proceed with the professor, Dr. Coward to the faculty offices to finalize
arrangements for materials I will be sending them on returning home.
Colin picks Gaston and I up and we proceed to get Brian and Pat and head for Bert's bar for my last
early evening Bajan Light Beer with the boys. The bar has about 15 patrons there including some
regulars and a group of Canadian women who seem to be winning constantly on the slots for the time
we are there. Gaston leaves for a few minutes to make arrangements for his apartment in January at
the Nook residence just up the street from Bubba's Bar. I tell Bert to keep an eye out for my brother
in the spring of next year and see if he can ding him for a big screen TV to replace his 32" which
looks quite small in his bar. Then we head to The Melting Pot for dinner.
The Melting Pot is a former "Rum Hut" which was bought and converted into a restaurant by a very
capable chef. It has all the style of the Rum Huts, i.e. looks like a chattel house, will only seat about
10 tables with a bar at the left rear of the room. The wall is decorated with testimonials from some
famous patrons including a hockey player and there are some great pictures and quotes throughout
the room. The tables all are of a glossy hard walnut, oval shaped so you can seat about 6 at a table.
We all order a rum punch and for supper I decide to go out on a fish meal of dolphin on a bed of rice
with veggies. The fish was delicious, perfectly spiced with excellent bajan rice with black eyed peas
and carrots. The boys give me a nice farewell toast and we talk about the various activities we have
been indulging in over the past couple of months. Overall it was a great way to end the two months
on the island. There is an arrow over the door way which indicates which way you should be looking
when you leave the restaurant. It is an absolute necessity because the door is followed by to short
steps that put you right on the Bay St. Highway. So if your at all tipsy with the vans and buses
zipping by at break neck speed, you would be a quick statistic or splat on the road. The Melting Pot
is located about a half block past the street entrance to St. Lawrence Gap and is excellent value for
the money and definitely Bajan in cooking style.
Home and get ready for leaving tomorrow.
Wednesday morning I finish my exercises around 6:45 and head to the beach. The sun is already hot
and the water feels marvelous as I head out to snorkel in the waves. Actually it is very calm this
morning which makes for great snorkeling and there are all kinds of blue and yellow angel fish and
schools of the thin white striped fish zipping around the coral. I take a little longer to
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view as much of the coral as possible and enjoy the free floating sensation of the warm ocean water.
When I hit the beach Brian is already walking along so I join him and we stroll the beach until almost
8:30. Brian has to head off to work so I stroll alone for awhile and absorb the hot tropical sun and
capture the view of the palms over the beach next to the Blue Lagoon cafe which sits beside the
orange and red of the Accra Hotel. It's a pleasant way to spend my last few hours in Barbados .. I
head up to my apartment so that Pat can put his belongings in before they head to the office in
Bridgetown. Colin shows up with Pat around 9:30 and we get him moved in . Walker the maid
comes in and remakes the beds and starts the full clean up while I stroll the beach and then go to
Chefette's for an early lunch.
Colin picks me up for the airport at 2:00pm and in a light drizzle from an afternoon shower we head
up the ABC highway to the airport. David Carrington has made a point of coming out to the airport to
wish me farewell. He brings additional farewells from Vincent Burnett(Buff), who says "walk
softly!'; and Wendy McLean saying "Talk softly"; and Yvette Walcott who says" come back with
your family for a holiday, very soon!" It certainly is a warm gesture from these folks who I’ve known
only so briefly. The plane sits on the tarmac with a BWI flight; a British 747 and several small LIAT
inter island flights. As we take off and curl to the north I get a complete view of the island that has
been my home for nine weeks. I leave with conflicting feelings because I've missed JoAnne and the
boys so much. But with every experience here I've gained new insights into myself and the work I
love and I owe the Bajans for sharing that with me.
Barbados is an unusual island that offers the incredible tropical experience of white sands, turquoise
beaches and wonderful terrain and attractions. But there is far more that it offers in the people behind
the scenes that work every day in that tropical paradise. As we fly away two cruise ships are visible
just off the coast as another herd of tourists approaches and leaves this little island in the Atlantic. I'll
look forward to visiting the Hunte's and the Carington's and the island , hopefully in the not to distant
future.
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