Okay, my first few days in Curacao have passed and here is a bit (quite a bit actually) of an update.
Every day it is warm straight from the word go, which in my case is usually pretty early as my body is still five hours ahead. I'm getting there though.
I did not bring a jacket but I did bring 4 sweaters. It looks like I will never use them...
Thursday morning I meet my new boss and the HR bunch who all are very nice folks. The hotel has been without an Assistant Controller for about half a year and I think my new boss is honestly glad to have me around.
So, even though I officially don't start until Monday, I get a tour of the hotel and meet quite a few people already. Previously one of my big strengths used to be remembering names quickly, but that skill seems to have gone somewhere. Same place my hair has gone to probably.
After the showround, it's back to HR to sign my life away. As I don't have any luggage, they also give me my first Polo shirt. Man, I can tell you this is so much better than shirts and ties.
Then I go and see Systems who do all the necessary requests to change my email and 2 dozen other logins. That'll probably take a week or so. The Systems Manager is new as well and she has all sorts of good information about getting a car and an apartment.
In the late afternoon, my luggage finally arrives!!
Straight away Thursday evening they take me for Softball training. Now, I did play Softball @ The Grosvenor House but this could not be more different. For starters we play at a real Ballpark with proper bases and everything. Second, training starts at 9pm, but there is almost 30 people including the General Manager, the Director of Finance, the Director of Engineering, the Director of the Casino and various other relatively senior staff. Moreover, they do take their Softball seriously. Whereas in London we tried to catch the occasional ball, here you better catch it all the time. And these balls travel fast! At least I seem to be better than my boss... I will find out this Thursday if I make the hotels second or third team (!)
The Softball experience already illustrates what is going to be my main problem: the majority of people don't normally speak Dutch, English or even Spanish, they speak Papiamentu, which is the local language here and which is some sort of mixture between Spanish, a little bit of dutch and various other influences. They might as well speak Klingon, because I understand Zilch. It'll be interesting how that'll turn out.
After the Softball it's round to the corner shop (which seem to be run exclusively by Chinese or Vietnamese here) for some beers. Now, not having worked the day, not needing to work the next day and with some decent beer drinking experience, I fare better at this than the softball, even though I have no idea whether they are discussing World Politics or my socks.
Friday I manage to open a bank account and afterwards go into town with the hotel shuttle. The town really looks like on the postcards with all the very colourful houses. There is easily more Jewelry shops here than in London and in general the town is nothing special. When the shuttle returns 4 hours later I feel pretty confident I have seen all I needed to see.
Later that evening some other associates take me back into town to a very nice Piano bar and we are the last people to leave.
Only a very short while later it's Saturday morning and I'm off with the Systems Manager to hunt for a car. With public transport almost non-existent, you can't get around without a car. I'll spare you you the details, but it's quite surprising what sand and saltwater will do to cars in a relatively short period of time. I haven't bought it yet, but I will probably by a Chevrolet some time this week.
Back at the hotel I'm told to go to the hotel's own Jurassic park. This means a side of the hotel grounds where loads of Iguanas live. In the afternoon they bring all the kids over to feed them and it's quite a spectacle with them munching away bits of fruit.
You can find them everywhere and I'm really looking forward to my girlfriend making friends with them.
After that it's Sports on TV until Baseball and Nascar comes out of my ears.
Sunday is my beach day and I sit in the sun pretty much all day. Luckily there seems to be a constant breeze blowing that makes the heat more bearable. I have written a good amount of postcards, so look out for them.
In the evening Front Office sort of recruits me to help with a group check in and because I'm quite bored at that stage I gladly accept. Turns out to be quite fun.
Then it's already Monday and my first day at work. I'm presented at the morning meeting and then I have the pleasure of doing 17(!) A&Ls as it is MIP 66 time. Unless you're in Finance within Marriott this will not mean anything to you, but I think the Finance people will appreciate that that is a fair few (even if I don't understand half of them though). Tomorrow it'll probably be the same. I get to have lunch in the restaurant (yeah) and learn about the challenges awaiting me. Doing so I lose all my hard-earned tan again by going very very pale, but I guess in a way I asked for that. The rest of the day I spend in the office and by the time I get out, it's dark outside. For all you Grosvenor House people who might be reading this: Yes, again I sit in an office with no window, even though this time it's at least not 2 miles below ground level. On top/outside it is quite nice though.
I will leave you with a few more impressions of the outside below.
That'll have to be enough for today folks. I'm not sure I can keep this kind of blogging up... Email me if you have any questions and I will try to get back to all of you...
