Children in the Caribbean (and the world): innocent enthusiasm

Recently I have been listening, reading and experiencing some inspirational and motivational teachings. This started around 2006 when I was feeling a bit down and lost. almost ten years later, I am still learning. But the difference is that now I understand all the teachings much better. and by teachings I mean everything, From motivational speakers to the Bible to Zen. I lay my hands on anything I can get.
What I found was that there is a thread that holds all these different teachings together. It is that you yourself are the architect of your life. The most important thing/tool you have are your thoughts. And envisioning things is key. Whether positive or negative, whatever you envision will in some way come true.
So what has all this to do with the Caribbean you ask? Listening to a motivational podcast I remembered a story about this kid (who is an adult now with children of his own), which is a 'textbook" case of all what I have encountered and learned.

The Caribbean, just like any place in the world, can be challenging for kids to grow up in. There are many things holding us back: poverty, abuse, discrimination etc. etc. I myself have experienced some of it, but my problems fade away compared to the story I am about to share.

When I was little there was a boy living in my neighborhood. He was about 2 years younger than me. He came from a very humble background, raised by a single mother. They lived on "welfare" and were considered poor. Having the Dutch education system on Aruba, where background does not play a big role, we visited the same elementary school. There I remember this kid went through a rough time. He was bullied by both the other children and the teachers. At the time I did not realize it was bullying, but thought it was quite funny. Also in the neighborhood, he was looked down on and bullied. I'll spare you the details, but it resulted him transferring to another school. Later I understood that there he flourished and became a good student.
Apart from knowing him from school, we became kind of neighborhood friends. He would come to our house to play, and eventually he came every day. My mother especially took him under her wing, as she saw potential in him and felt a great deal of compassion. Being little myself, I was not able to understand and became quite jealous of this. Nevertheless, we became friends and this relationship lasted for a few years, until he turned about 12 and one of his relatives took him under their wing. In a nutshell, back then he was considered to not amount to much in life.

The remarkable thing that stuck with me was that he always had great visions for himself. For example he explained to us how he dealt with aggressive dogs attacking him when walking through the fields to get to our house. He would sit down and imagined he was Bruce Lee, and then looked at the dogs and say: "Come and get it". The dogs would growl and bark, but not attack him anymore. Back then we just laughed at this, but now 27 years later....I understand the power of what he at age 9 did. But the most powerful and amazing thing he did, what convinced me that positive thinking, your thoughts and envisioning can do, was how he played.
In a field next to our house there was a little junkyard with large construction trucks. He would sit in those trucks almost everyday and image himself driving them and working. Some days we could hear him playing in the trucks and envisioning himself as a real truck driver.

After he changed schools and went on to spend more time with his relatives, we kind of lost touch. about 3 years ago I found him back on Facebook and also saw articles about him in the local newspaper. And this is the amazing part. He is actually now working with large trucks in a leadership position. I often see articles about him fighting for his organization and getting things accomplished for his people. And I think people now around him have a great image and appreciation for him. If I compare this to when he was 8-9 years old....I think back then no one would have believed that this would or could be his future. Some of the kids who bullied him, are actually less successful than him. I wonder what his elementary school teachers think of this if they realize.

So what I am trying to say in this piece is that no matter where you are from, your background or situation. With the right attitude and thoughts, you can achieve a lot. Of course you will need some help from now and again, but believe me, this help is also a result of your thinking. So to all kids in the Caribbean (also the rest of the world): don't let your surroundings and circumstances hold you back. Be brave, keep dreaming and recognize help when it reaches you. The world can be quite forgiving and compassionate. I have learned through some hard times as well, and now look at children in a whole other way.....great potential and innocent enthusiasm....

"Colonial mentality syndrome" A continuation on the blog: Are Caribbean professionals longing for home...?

Exactly 4 years ago I wrote a blog on Caribbean students becoming professionals and their longing to go back home. In that Blog I mentioned this blog (I travel through time). What I indicated then was that the topic is quite complex, that I wanted to dedicate an extra blog on it.

It is August 2014, a new load of Caribbean students are arriving in Europe and probably North and South America as well. The students of 2010 are probably graduating, or already have. We are still in a global recession, jobs are scarce and things have changed compared to 4 years ago.
In said previous blog I mentioned the "colonial mentality syndrome" (CMS). And promised I would refer to this in a future (this) blog. I don't have statistics and other data to give a scientific basis for this topic, but base myself on experiences and chats with fellow Caribs. This is a blog that is open for (constructive) criticism and feedback. You are welcome to share your opinion and views as well.

For a lot of Caribbean Islands Tourism is one of the top economical sectors or industries, and therefore generates many jobs. However, one can argue that the tourism industry generates many low-level (paying) jobs and little high level (paying) jobs. Here is where the CMS comes in. Many times the top jobs are filled by people not native to the Island. I must be honest and admit that I have experienced many locals (on various Islands) being part of top management. Nevertheless, I am still seeing many foreigners in top management. To me it is funny as it is a mirror effect of Western countries complaining that foreigners (incl. Caribs) take their jobs. Therefore I try to take an objective look at things and leave nationalism, pride and personal feelings/opinion aside. The world is becoming more and more a global marketplace. This includes the job market. Is it then such a bad thing that a non-native has a job in a country he/she is originally not from? As I see it now, one should go and work where there is work and you are able to be the best you can be and happy. Are you a European dreaming of working in the tropics? Go for it. Are you a Carib dreaming of a cosmopolitan lifestyle and career in a modern western city? Go for it. At this point we should not let man-made borders stop us achieving our dreams. This sounds nice and reads like an idealistic pamflet, and many might say: yes, but you don't now my situation...

I agree, things are not as black and white, easy and straightforward as we would like them to be. So lets go back to the title of the blog and take a look at developments and opportunities back home. In a modern and ever more globalised world, the chance is big that you end up looking for a job with a large company or corporation. In tourism for example you might end up at one of the large hotel/resort chains, cruise lines, Airlines or operators. "Aha" I hear you say, "they are the ones employing foreign westerners for the top positions", hence the CMS. I used to agree with this quick judgement, but have changed my opinion over time. I personally know a couple of Caribbean natives who worked their way up and now have senior level jobs at these large corporations/organizations. I also know a lot of Caribs who occupy top level jobs locally on the Islands. Should we still point that CMS finger then? maybe yes, maybe no, but in any case, less. It all boils down to what you bring to the table. "Talent does get recognised", I was told long ago, and I believe this. It also depends a lot on your own efforts. We can get comfortable and less hungry and then get stuck into a certain comfort zone. Is there still inequality and do Human Resource depts. still show preference to foreigners? Probably, but don't let that stop you. Opportunity levels can differ per Caribbean Island and I tend to hypothesise that the Spanish Caribbean suffers most of CMS. The limiting factors I encounter when talking to people are: not having acces to travelling documents (Visa) and limited knowledge of International languages (English).

One of the many pitfalls for professional Caribs returning home is getting frustrated, when they are not able to bring change fast, and falling into the conformity trap. In my opinion this trap is biggest when working for the public sector (as a civil servant and/or politician). You need to be aware and accept what you will encounter upon your return. Of course your will to provide a positive contribution should remain top of your agenda, but don't be naive and get burned down to easy and quick.
A fellow blogger recently posted an interesting piece on this topic (in Dutch), urging students to think hard before coming back. Especially when dealing with Student loans ion USD$ and Euros. His advice was to stay abroad first to build up your career and pay off your student loans. And many of his readers (on social media) agreed.

Why did I wrote this blog? As a 37 year old Caribbean native, I hope I can raise awareness on CMS and provide support for the new generations and their knowledge and will to change. If you feel that our generation (35+) can still stir-up a revolution....let me know

Interview with Dexter Tyson, creator and manager of Caribbean Facebook page: CaribScope

When I started with my blog "Caribbean2World", my goal was to show that the Caribbean has a lot to offer. Besides sun, sea and sand, we have a rich history, culture and interesting people. The way we approach life in the Caribbean is really something unique in the world and  little by little we have remarkable Caribs who every now and again provide us with an opportunity to showcase ourselves to the world. Just take the last Olympics in London 2012, where: Jamaica, Bahamas, Grenada, Trinidad and The Dominican Republic achieved some incredible results and gold medals. I felt proud to be Caribbean. 

So, when exploring the web for inspiration, interesting stories and content for my blog I found out that I am not alone in my quest. One of the most exciting Facebook pages I recently became a fan of is: 

CaribScope 

Only 6 months old, and already has more than 1700 fans. The topics they post are right up my alley and it is therefore that I want to introduce you to them. Like their page and join us in our journey on learning what the Caribbean has to offer 2 the world.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Let's start at the beginning. From which part of the Caribbean are you?

I am from St. Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands, but I was raised on the island of St Kitts for the first 8 years of my life. My father is from St. Kitts and my mother is from the island Nevis, next door.

What inspired you to start your FB page Caribscope?

I have since long had a passion for the Caribbean. I just have this complaint that we are not taken serious and that our story is understated and overlooked. We are just thought of as a tourist destination; a place for rum, sun and fun. Images are conjured up of us lying around in hammocks, drinking rum and smoking weed all day. I want to change this image. I want the stories of our history to be told and the stories of our contributions to the world stage. I want to do and see documentaries about our region. I have always maintained that we helped to build the world and shaped and sustained the fortunes of Europe in a myriad of wars. 

I have to also point out that this page was a brainchild collaboration with a Jamaican friend of mine (Leighton Scarlet). He keeps a very low profile, handling the administration side of things. I am the one who provides the content and engage the fans.

Do you have a special or specific purpose for the page?

Yes, to, in my own small way, do the above ---promote more than just pretty beaches and share interesting tidbits about us to the world. It is certainly a labor of love; a love for my people, a love for my people and a love in telling about us.

Which Islands of the Caribbean have you visited?

St. Croix, St. John, St. Kitts, Nevis, Puerto Rico, Tortola and Jamaica. I visited Jamaica at least 20 times in the 90s and early 2000s.

The Caribbean has a tumultuous past. Nowadays we have Spanish, English, French and Dutch Islands. All of this creates one of the most interesting melting pots in the world. What do you consider to be the most important factor binding us together as Caribbeans?

As crazy as this may sound, it is our common history under colonialism, coupled with a common dominant culture that originated in Africa, for the most part. I love the fact that you can go from island to island and find the same foods with different names, for example.

How important do you feel is the pre-columbian history of the Caribbean for todays culture and people? Where according to you can you still find most of this in the Caribbean?

Sadly, the story of the pre-Colombian peoples take a backseat to those who came after and became the dominant culture. This would make sense because they are a minority today, however, it is no excuse to overlook them. To find the survivors, you have to go to a place like Dominica or St. Vincent where pockets of Kalinago people still live. Apparently it is a dying culture and it would be unimaginable that in 200 years, they could all be gone.

English: Scene of the Battle of Vertières during the Haitian Revolution (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is there anything out there, of which you think the world should know more about?

(This could be a piece of history, culture, or anything you find important)

Oh yes…I believe the Haitian Revolution is very understated in terms of the world stage and important revolutions. It is because of the Haitian Revolution, a large portion of the U.S exists today via the Louisiana Purchase. While the upside of the Revolution was that the Haitian slaves won their freedom, the downside and lesser known story is that France, along with other European nations and the U.S, gave the new nation a cold shoulder and hamstrung their growth by placing a massive indemnity on it and making sure Haiti was set up to fail from the start. We see the evidence to this very day.

Can you name some important and inspiring people from the Caribbean who you recommend us to get to know more of? And why? (these can be a historical and current persons)

Tim Duncan from St. Croix comes to mind. Consummate athlete and person. I am also fascinated by Toussaint L’Overture, the Haitian leader who got the Haitian Revolution on the way. There is also Fidel Castro. I really don’t agree with how he went about suppressing expression in his country, but I like how he thumbed his nose at the U.S for all these years and has outlived about 5 presidents. Since I consider Venezuela, technically, part of the Caribbean, I also had a great deal of respect for Hugo C. Chavez. I am all about challenging establishments if they are corrupt and watching the poor/weak rise up to challenge the elite. Chavez, at least from where I sit, did this. He may have been in Venezuela, but he was a champion to the poor and weak everywhere. Oh, and how can I forget the great Eric Williams of Trinidad. Talk about an intellect and with an impressive track record.

Any other bloggers, Facebook pages or websites promoting the Caribbean you recommend?

I am not sure of many, but I know they are out there. As a Virgin Islander, I tend to come across more pages about the Virgin Islands because most of my FB friends are from my home islands. So far I love your blog and I really, really, really love the name.

And last but not least, what is your secret insider’s tip of the Caribbean?

I can’t say really. I don’t really have any, so to speak. Whatever secrets we have, I want them revealed to the world because I believe our ‘secrets’ could be to the world’s enlightenment and benefit. If anything, for those visiting our islands, I would say that we are more than rum, sun and fun. I suggest, before visiting, grab a book that gives a deeper history of our islands other than some travel magazine blip that talks about Columbus and then races past slavery to get to beach and rum talk.

Traditional Caribbean upbringing....should we return to this?

Next month I will become a dad and over the last couple of months I have been pondering on how to raise our child. Therefore the inspiration for this blog.

My Wife is from the Dominican Republic and I am from Aruba, so both of us have a Caribbean background and upbringing. However, we have been living for some years now in Europe and have adapted a bit to this lifestyle and culture. The children in Europe are brought up quite free and modern, and I am not sure I agree with it all the time. So lets revisit our own childhood and reminisce about the values we have been taught by our parents and family. I will limit this to the age of 5 to 10 years old because I think that that is the most important period where your parents had the most influence on you as a growing little person. For me this period ranged from the mid 1981 to 1986.

For us children of that period the most important people teaching us values and providing guidance and behavior corrections were: Father, Mother, Grandparents, Aunts, uncles, older cousins (older than 18, which in the Caribbean is normal, because our grandparents had up to 10 children so your the age difference between your parents and  your oldest uncle/aunt could be up to 10 years).
Outside of the family sphere, teachers also had a big influence and enjoyed a great deal of respect by both you and your parents.

One of the most important things we were taught was that you always respect your elders. This included never talking back. I remember the phrase: when the big coins speak, the small change shuts up (typical Aruban saying: ora placa grandi papia, placa chikito ta keda keto)
And when we did want to say or ask something we had to address them with either their family title followed by their name. For example: Aunti Judith, may I.... And when it was not family you used Sir or Miss/Mrs. followed by their name. These rules were also applied in school when communicating with teachers.
Also elder family members of your friends were spoken to in this way (when you were in their yard, playing, ripping out their plants and drinking water directly from their garden hose or water tap sticking out of the ground at the back of their house).
And if memory serves me well.....even the village drunks and hobo's were treated with a certain respect...(whenever you got caught by them after yelling crazy things at them while hiding in the bushes).

Having covered the basics on how to speak to people when allowed to speak to them, we get to the language you are allowed to use. In these days I agree that it is difficult for parents to monitor and try to get their children not to use profanity. It is all around us and seems to have become standard lingo. But back in the day.....I remember our school teachers washing our mouths with soap (for real). and at home the ol' belt, rubber flip-flop or flat of a hand came into the equation. Sometimes it as enough to just show us these props and we would know what to do....shut up and apologize (and run away outside and play....far away).

There are many other things that you might have experienced or miss in this short blog about these values we were given by our peers. There is however, one, which I have struggled with as a child and still struggle a bit with as an adult. And I am not sure how I will tackle this with the upbringing of my own child. This was the fact that we were not allowed (or expected) to question anything. For me this was a problem in elementary school, where early on I started questioning certain things we were taught or told. At this point I understand that for a child around 5 years old this is normal behavior. This is when we start making sense out of the world around us and ask questions to try and make sense out of it all. And as mentioned before, it was not expected that we went on and on in those days. We would have to accept and make do with the one answer we were provided with. Because of course, we could not reply with an additional question, because....one does not talk back to grown-ups.
On the other hand, when sometimes I see toddlers or children talk to grown-ups nowadays and being replied to as if they were equal conversational partners. One can argue that the boundary between childhood curiosity and a child being ill mannered, is fading. Where do you draw the line? At this point I think that I will engage my child in a "grown-up" way, but making clear that when daddy says its enough.....it is enough (no need to props to evoke fear).

If you have any stories or things based on this topic to share, please do so. I think it can be very useful for us to learn from each other and celebrate wisdom we posses handed over to us from our elders.

What they don’t teach you in Marketing class

Marketing is a widespread “phenomenon”. When I started my studies, it was still relatively new and specific. Nowadays, it seems, everybody is a marketer. Or at least feel they are. I remember one professor telling us: “forget everything you have learned, throw away all your marketing books. Just use your common sense”. Marketing for him was 90% common sense and 10% application of theoretical knowledge. (just like Yoda tells Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: let go of your feelings….feel the force).

In many ways I do agree with him. There are many people out there who can be considered marketing geniuses, without having a formal degree in marketing. But, for all us “licensed” marketers, these can be some comforting words. I think it was in Tim Harfords book "The Undercover Economist" where he said something like:
I might not be as good as Einstein or other famous people, but at least I do the best I can at what I do best, and that is my contribution to this world

Lets look at the classical marketing approach of 80-20. Try to achieve 80% of marketing goals by using 20% common sense or theory? It will bore in the likes of around 70 - 30. In any case, just apply the percentage-mix you feel works best for you. This is what they don’t teach us in school or marketing courses.

Every person who has endured, survived and accomplished any kind of marketing course is sent into this world with a manual of theories, models and other stuff he or she can apply. This is always very noticeable with newcomers in any organisation. They start right away applying some model in order to achieve a goal which it should lead them to. This is all very good. That’s why they learned that stuff and why they have been hired and everybody is happy (at least that was in a nutshell my first start at where I work).

Then after a while you start noticing that your knowledge and implementation of these models mixed and based on common sense…..don’t always get approval. Something is wrong. The model indicates that in situation A one should apply model X and based on market trends, data and statistics, the logical outcome and therefore action should be AX. Still you meet resistance and negative feedback. How do you deal with this? Nobody taught me this in school?

Marketing, for a large part is what some call: “a people’s business”. And whilst theoretically we have been thought what the definition of People’s business is, we have not been trained on how to deal with this when things don’t go as planned.

Many times there are different people involved in determining the decision or direction of a marketing objective, strategy or tactic. They all have their own respective common sense, knowledge and experience. However….it’s a people’s business. They also have their own interests and desires that get included into the equation. Sometimes these “personal” factors defy common marketing sense and any existing model or theory. Yet, depending on the person, they can be very decisive in determining the chosen direction. As a marketer caught in the middle one should also have a certain level of political and diplomacy skills. How to reach a consensus where common marketing sense, partly based on facts and figures, can still please some of the personal desires. Sometimes it takes a little bit of pleasing in order to get the big plans rolling.

Scene in BBC's mini series ROME. Where Mark-Anthony and harras Octavian (Julius Ceasars Heir) for having pleased the poor people. However, Octavian sees the bigger picture:

Mark Anthony: What have you done?

Octavian's mother: What is the reason of this? You are giving the plebs their money!!
Octavian: I have promised it. I am sorry I have not told you before, I knew yo'd object. I have decided to enter public life, and this is a great way to introduce myself to the people.
Mark Anthony (very angry): That will be seen as a direct challenge to ME!
Octavian: Yes...but that isn't y intention at all. I suggest we make a public display of unity. That when you leave politics and I step in, you will be protected by me from your enemies in the senate. And I can provide that.
Mark Anthony: Who the **** do you think you are?
Octavian's mother: He does not have the money.
Octavian: I was able to borrow it in advance of my inheritance.
Octavian's mother: ...How much..did you borrow?
Octavian: Not much in the grand scheme of things?
Mark-Anthny:..How Much...?
Octavian (calmly answers): 3 million sesterstius

Here Mark Anthony and Octavian's mother completely flip out. Because that was a substantial amount of money back then. And to just give it away to the poor people.
Octavian's line always stayed with me: "Not in the grand scheme of things". He went on being one of the longest sitting roman rulers and set Rome on a course of prosperity.

As a marketer, one should always keep the end result in sight. It is essential that you create a track record of achieving results by keeping your focus. Because you can please people as much as you want, but at the end of the day, if you cannot deliver results all the pleasing has been in vain. And in the big bad business world, your actions to please can be easily set aside as being: It’s business…nothing personal. So even if you get fired, your achievements will not go un-noticed and will help you get back on your feet.

It is essential that you develop a 6th sense, if you will, for knowing exactly how to determine your marketing decision mix (based on facts vs. based on pleasing key people). This can only be achieved through experience. If someone wrote a textbook on this and schools started adding this to their curriculums, it might help a bit. But reality is never as exact as books make you believe.

So again, what my professor told me a couple of years ago is very useful:
“Forget everything you know and learned about marketing. Use your common sense”.
Determine for yourself why and who do you have to please and to what extend. Whilst never betraying your true marketing sense and instincts (integrity) for achieving real results.

And as Sir Richard Branson says: everything is allowed, as long as it is legal.

Are Caribbean professionals longing for home....?

The Caribbean.....sounds like a dream destination to live and work.
At least that is what everyone I meet tells me. "Why are you living in Europe?" is one of the classic returning questions I constantly get.
Well, other than promoting my Home Island Aruba, I also enjoy the possibilities to develop myself professionally and as a person. My standard answer therefore is: "Aruba will not go anywhere and it will always be my home to which I can return at any time". Still, for many people in Europe working and living in the Caribbean is still an aspiration.
Now that I am about 34 years of age, I start asking myself: "what would be a good age to return and actually work and live in the Caribbean?". This possibility is a certain reality for me, so not such a far fetched idea.
One of the obstacles I find is that in The Caribbean, especially on the smaller Islands, the professional possibilities are limited. for most of the Islands Tourism is one of the main industries, next to sugar and other agricultural exports. Meaning that mid and top level managerial jobs are not abundant. Yet every year over 200 young students leave Aruba to continue their studies abroad. Many of them obtaining bachelor and Master degrees in various fields.
The local government stimulates this as it is good for the Island. constantly reminding us that we should come back and give back to the Island. They are concerned about "Brain drain". However, I am in a generation where we have a "Brain overflow". On Aruba, in the year 2000, about 15% of the population has enjoyed a higher education (source: CBS Aruba; www.cbs.aw). This is still a bit lower than Europe and the USA, nevertheless, on a small territory with only 2 main industries and a limited amount of mid and top level positions, the competition is tough. Also keeping in mind that most of the jobs at the very top are usually filled by foreign professionals.
These last couple of days I did a small enquiry amongst fellow Caribbean Professionals about whether they would give in to lesser jobs in order to be able to live in the Caribbean or pursue a career with more possibilities to grow abroad. The outcome somewhat surprised me. Most of them were willing to give up their lives in the Caribbean for a career abroad. I have to mention that most wanted to retire back home of course. My surprise came from the fact that during our student times, most Caribs I met always indicated that they would return home as soon as they finished their studies. My conclusion here is that when one gets more involved with their career and the impact it has on their lives increases, the allure of living in the Caribbean fades away a bit. Maybe this is also influenced by the fact that in the Caribbean and Latin America we still battle with the "colonial mentality syndrome" (a psychological remnant from colonial times where everything/one from the mother country was better). But I'll dedicate a separate blog on that interesting topic.

There is always the argument that maybe the narrow job market is a stimulus or indicator that people should become more independent and start their own businesses. With the Internet connecting even the smallest region in the Caribbean to the world, the possibilities are many. However, starting a business in a market-place with a limited supply of local (affluent) customers could be difficult. That's when I hear a lot of people say: "well...focus more on tourism, there is a large and potential market".

However, gaining experience and capital in order to effectively start your own business (some may say that this is just an excuse) is still popular amongst professional Caribs. Not to mention how popular culture romanticize career building in large western cities.  Movies, TV sitcoms and series are mostly based on life in  cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London etc.

In contrast to Western professionals, THESE are the dream destinations to live and work for professional Caribs. The big difference would be that we Caribs know both worlds. First our childhoods in the Caribbean, followed by our lives abroad studying and starting our careers. And after talking to my peers we all agree that we remain torn between 2 worlds, having tasted the sweetness of both.

I Guess the grass will always be greener at the neighbours.....