Friday, April 25, 2008

150 boxes later



Finally our container was "released" from customs at the port - and our furniture and belongings were trucked to our new home. The road to our house is pretty rough (many potholes and uneven cement) and our driveway is incredibly steep. Full marks to our moving company - not only did they get everything safely from Vancouver - down to St. Thomas - but the truck drivers managed some tricky terrain and inclines to the house!


Four men, two trucks and 150 boxes later - we had a house. Actually - we had a toy store with some furniture. Needless to say, there was a lot of excitement. Train sets, cars, electronics. What to play with first? Julian and Max were also very excited.



Last weekend was spent unpacking and organizing and now we have a place that feels like home.


I am still uncertain as to what we packed two feather duvets and a quilt - but was relieved that neither a space heater nor ski gear got mixed up in our loads. While we clearly over-packed - everything seems to have a home.


This past week at work has been busy - but short. Carnival festivities in St. Thomas began last week but the big events have been running from Wednesday through Sunday. What this actually means is that there is another unofficial holiday when no one works. As of Wenesday lunch - everyone disappears to town to sample local cuisine and warm up for events later in the evening. Julian and Max had time off school and many businesses are closed. Take for example our water delivery - no one in the office since Tuesday afternoon, so we have had to get water elsewhere...


What is Carnival? From my limited knowledge, Carnival is a celebration based on folklore, culture and religion.

There is an energy and buzz on the island. The events and parades are loud, colourful and joyous with elaborate costumes, steelband competitions, calypso music and food. It's a family affair - young and old dancing and clapping. Ancient African traditions of parading through villages in costumes and masks are important to Caribbean festival arts. The parading and circling was believed to bring good fortune, heal problems, and "chill out angry relatives who had died and passed into the next world". Feathers are a huge component of the costumes and are symbols of the human ability to rise above problems and illness - to travel to another world to be reborn and to grow spiritually.




Today was the Children's Parade - starting at 10:00 (also known as 11:00ish Caribbean time). While I know I 'll receive little to no sympathy when I say it was incredibly hot today, I've never seem the perspiration roll off Max's face as I did at the parade. We wandered along the street - had a johnny cake and beef patty - and watched steel bands, small children with batons and very colourful costumes parade by. Both Julian and Max's respective schools had floats in the parade - and we saw their teachers and other new friends from school.






After a festive morning of Caribbean celebrations, we drove over to the St. John ferry dock to drop off Julian and Mark. Mark was going to do a quick check in with a client and took Julian for the ride over and some lunch on the island. Max and I went home for other duties including a nap.


Our Canadian theme of the day happened when we purchased a new barbeque at the local Cost-U-Less. I had discovered what looked like a fairly decent bbq to replace the one we'd inherited at the house that recently met its final demise. After we transported our new purchase home and hauled the 120 lb box into the house - we discovered the bbq was in fact, fabrique en Canada. Mon dieu - Canadian products show up in the oddest spots! Speaking of which - why is maple syrup cheaper here?

Monday, April 14, 2008

trucks, ships and toys.

With two weeks of working in the Import Supply business under our belts - we are slowly transitioning from the "what do I do now?" state of shock - to stumbling though a few decisions and learning about the business.

One of the first orders of business related to the lifeline of daily service calls. The fleet of Import Supply vehicles. And I use the term fleet very loosely. In fact, after closer inspection, a couple of the vehicles were sold our first week to the highest bidder for what I can only assume to be parts and scrap metal. Another two SUVs will be on the auction block as soon as we can secure some replacements. Island vehicles take a good beating from the road conditions, heat, and general vehicle apathy. We have bought another service van and an older Toyota 4Runner and are now looking for a couple of vehicles for ourselves. Buying vehicles in Florida makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective and we may end up doing this as pickings are slim - and very tired!

On the business front - we have had a busy time learning the ropes. From the accounting-side to understanding what the office people do and how the technicians operate - there is a lot to grasp. As we approach hurricane season - there is not only a big push to ensure everyone is serviced but a number of quotes for new sales. The work is steady.

Getting to know the team will take time - but they have been very friendly and helpful - especially after they received their first pay cheque from us.

We have had a spectacular stretch of warm and breezy weather. Today was the first day of rain in almost two weeks and I was wondering whether we should check the cistern level. After the amount of rain we had today - I would guess it has been nicely replenished. Tonight there is thunder and lightning and the sound of rain on the metal roof is deafening!

Julian is thriving in kindergarten - reading with confidence, improving his printing and speaking some Spanish. The teachers and resources at Antilles are great and we've been very impressed. Max is tolerating his new school and is taking a little longer to show his enthusiasm. When we tell him he is going to school in the morning, he replies "No cool. Po-po (aka pool)"

After a quick call to the shipping company today, we were informed that our shipment will arrive tomorrow and could be delivered on Wednesday. While I won't hold my breath - the sheer fact that it has been located is cause enough for celebration. I literally will be able to break out the champagne glasses. Well - hopefully not break them. It will be lovely to have something more than deck cushions to sit on in the evenings. The boy's toys will feel like new again and I probably won't even see Mark for a couple of days as he figures out how to hang the new plasma TV and set up the satellite equipment. Days and days of entertainment. Looks like I'll be doing the unpacking....

We had a very busy weekend with a dinner and auction event for Julian's school. We also had swimming lessons, sailing lessons, a beach visit and a wrap-up event for the Rolex Regatta. A lot of fun.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

IS under new management


April 1, 2008

News Release

ST. THOMAS, USVI - M&C Holdings Inc, LLC announced today that its acquisition of IS is complete. IS, located in St. Thomas is the leader in generator sales and service in the US Virgin Islands. Effective April 1, IS will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of M&C Holdings.

M&C Holdings' successful acquisition closed Tuesday following six months of negotiations, planning and newly acquired grey hairs.

"We are thrilled to be finally doing business in sunny St. Thomas," said M&C's co-president, Mark van den Driessche. "It's a great little community that has a growing demand for back-up power. And of course, the sailing doesn't seem too bad either."

Founded in the early 1970's, IS has been meeting the needs of US Virgin islanders in a territory that faces an inconsistent and unreliable power supply. With frequent power outages, businesses and residents have been turning to back-up generators for reliable power alternatives to ensure they can do business and conduct daily life activities.

"It's a pretty exciting time and it will get even busier as we learn the business during this lead-up to hurrican season," said M&C Holdings co-president, Charlotte Wardell sporting new flip-flops for the occasion.

IS sells, installs and services generators throughout the US Virgin Islands. With a team of 12 employees, IS currently services over 500 generators located on business, government and residential sites.

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Media Contact:
Julian van den Driessche
340-779-6513