A Bermudaful gem in the middle of the Atlantic

Bermuda: WOW. Have you been to Bermuda?  

Bermuda isn’t in the Caribbean (and they don’t particularly like it when you group them in with the Caribbean islands).  It’s an island about 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina in the middle of the Atlantic.  It’s a British territory, and I can describe it as a small, cute English town –with palm trees.  It is so well-kept and pretty and perfect that you feel like you’ve stepped into a postcard!  The landscaping EVERYWHERE is perfect: flawlessly-edged sidewalks, trimmed shrubs, beautiful flowers.  It’s an extremely expensive island, so it’s a good thing I go on my company’s dime.  I’ve now been there 3 times since October—my co-worker had Bermuda under his territory for most of 2011 until they made changes and I acquired it in October.  On my first trip, I landed on a Tuesday evening and had to take a taxi.  Like I’ve written before, some of my islands require you to be 25 years old to rent a car (I’m 24), so I have to take taxis, but in Bermuda it doesn’t matter if you’re 58 years old—there are no rental cars!  They don’t have any on-island.  You have to cab it or rent a mo-ped.  They do this to keep the traffic under control.  Even residents who live in Bermuda can only have one car per family.  So, I took a taxi from the airport.  And speaking of the roads, here’s an interesting fact...well let me back up by saying ALL roads on all islands I travel to are extremely lean and rarely have curbs or shoulders or ditches.  I’ve learned that the vehicle I’m driving, whatever it is, is skinnier than you think and you really don’t need 8-foot wide lanes for a 4-foot wide vehicle.  Anyway, the roads in Bermuda seem even leaner because many don’t have curbs, shoulders, or ditches –they’re built into rock cliffs sometimes so that the sides of the roads have 8-foot tall cliffs you don’t want to swerve into!  And the roads were originally built for horse & buggy, so while they’ve tried to widen them out, you can only carve into the hard aggregate of the cliff so much.  Where I stay on the island is a hotel called Rosemont Guest Suites, and it’s close to the capital town (Hamilton) and also within a mile of 2 of my 3 hardware store accounts on the island.  My other account is out in the parish (parish = little town/district/area) of Warwick.  Now, Americans, this is pronounced “warrick.”  I made a fool of myself pronouncing it the typical Yankee way, so now you know not to imitate my erroneous pronunciation when you visit Bermuda.  To get to that hardware store in Warwick, I’ve only so far taken taxis.  I have every intention of renting a mo-ped and driving one (for my first time ever!), but the 3 times I’ve been in Bermuda it has rained substantially, which isn’t conducive to learning to drive a mo-ped.  I’m back there in 2 weeks, so I hope to rent one then.  Don’t worry, Mother, they require helmets and I don’t think I’ll get over 25mph!  Even when I rent a mo-ped, though, I will still have to take taxis a couple of times, to and from the airport with my luggage, etc.  Sam is my usual taxi driver who I met on my 2^nd trip.  He’s Bermudian and loves his job and boasts in the satellite radio he has in his taxi van.  I chose him out of a line of taxis at the airport because he was dressed as any stereotypical Bermudian picking up tourists should be dressed – in Bermuda shorts!  Yes, people, Bermuda shorts ARE really worn in Bermuda.  They were actually declared official business formal attire for business men on the island.  They’re typically worn 2 inches above the knee, shorts pink or navy blue in color, with navy blue socks and a suit-coat if it’s cold enough.  And yes, it does get cold enough for suit-coats.  As I mentioned, Bermuda is off the coast of N. Carolina, and because of its location far enough north and in the middle of the cold Atlantic, it is not a tropical but a sub-tropical island.  If it weren’t for the warm Gulf Stream coming up from the Caribbean, the island could quite easily get snow!  It is also very susceptible to hurricanes.  So anyway, back to Bermuda shorts, here is a picture of Sam and I upon our first meeting at the airport.   

Sam and I at the airport when I met him.

My last time in Bermuda was early January, and the temperature was in the 50’s, so he picked me up wearing PANTS!  When I questioned where the shorts were, he said he KNEW I would say something and assured me that he had them on earlier in the day and that it just got too cold (my flight landed at 8pm). 

I’ve only been to Bermuda 3 times and feel like I could go on for hours about it because I really enjoy the island—my customers, the atmosphere, the friends I’ve met, and the natural beauty.  Click on the below link for a Youtube video promoting travel to Bermuda.  It's a bit cheesy and goes through all of the ritzy hotel options, but I like the aerial views it shows.  I've seen a lot of blue water in my island travels, but Bermuda gets the prize for clearest, blue water:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX9nd3xM_MY

To touch on the friends I’ve made in Bermuda.  I’m friends with my hardware store guys/gals on all the islands, of course, but I’ve met some people in Bermuda more in my age group who are single and who I can hang out with and not have to talk to about drills and batteries and Milwaukee’s 5-year warranty.  I met Chris, a Bermudian, through one of my accounts called Conrad’s Ltd.  Jeff, the Conrad’s owner, is on a cycling team and the day I first met him, he invited me to meet up with him and his team after their usual Wednesday evening ride and grab a beer and hang out.  I had computer work to do and almost just stayed in my hotel room by myself as usual, working on emails and PowerPoints, but simply because Jeff seemed like a cool guy and I knew it was actually safe for me to walk the 10 minutes into Hamilton, I decided to go.  The cycling team was fun to talk to, there were some Bermudians, some guys from England (lots of English peeps in Bermuda because it’s a British territory), and maybe even a Canadian or two.  I met who I now call the Spandex guys (they correct me and say it’s Lycra) and learned about the island, the people, cycling, etc.  So Chris was in that mix of guys, and when the older guys went home to their families, I went and hung out with people my age!  At one point in our conversation Steubenville, Ohio, came up, and that’s where my Miami roommate, Ashley is from.  It’s a tiny town that’s slightly ghetto (Ashley will admit) that has a prominent Catholic college – Franciscan University.  Chris used to go to youth conferences there, and no offense Ashley because I’m from a small town too, but I couldn’t believe I met someone on an island who had been to Steubenville, Ohio!  It’s a small world.  On my 2nd trip to Bermuda back in December, Chris and I got lunch at this restaurant called the Green Lantern.  On my flight in, I sat by a Bermudian lawyer and when we got to talking, he recommended that I check out this restaurant for real Bermudian cuisine and really good fish.  The restaurant was right next door to Conrad's Ltd. and when I told Chris that we should meet there, he couldn't believe that's where I was recommended, as he hadn't been there since he was 12.  Anyway, we went there for lunch and the food was OK, but it was kind of a greasy little place with wooden booths and not where I would think a lawyer would send someone to embrace Bermudian cuisine.  I didn't finish my fish sandwich and so when the stoic waitress asked me if I liked it and I said "Yes it was really good!", she sarcastically replied "Ya right it sure looks that way" and rolled her eyes.  I know before we left, though, she cracked a smile from something we had said, so I hope she wasn't too insulted that I didn't finish the famous Green Lantern Fish Sandwich.  I also rode my first EVER mo-ped when Chris brought me to my next appointment so I didn't have to walk a mile in the rain.  

My first time ever on a mo-ped!  That's Bermudian Chris.

Through Chris I met Lisa, a super intelligent and funny girl from Sweden who lives in Bermuda as an ex-pat and works in the re-insurance business.  (Re-insurance companies, which I’ve recently learned, assess and take on some of the risk of insurance companies…it’s pretty interesting.)  Lisa and I talk a lot, and she actually just booked a weekend trip to Miami to visit me in March!  She’s taught me a bit about Swedish culture and has lived in London for her job, so we have great conversation about the world, living abroad, etc.  My brothers and mom and maybe a couple other friends who enjoy watching the animated kids’ show Arthur will appreciate that the only thing I was able to say that I knew about Swedish culture is that they eat lutefisk (from the movie I watch EVERY YEAR, Arthur’s Perfect Christmas), pickled fish in a tin, and that there’s a queen of lights, Santa Lucia, who is celebrated during Christmas for some reason.  Clearly, you can see I don’t know much about Swedish culture and me bringing up these facts I got from Arthur didn’t make me much more credible, right Lisa?! And apart from Chris and Lisa I’ve met Milton the Bermudian prodigy musician, James the English meteorologist, and Alba the Spaniard who I’m going to go salsa dancing with in Bermuda the next time I’m there.

Lisa and me, before running a 10K (more on the 10K below...)

Here are some random photos:

Meet Sammy, the Malaysian sushi master...this is a salmon that he cut up right in front of us.  Talk about fresh sashimi!

This is Martin, he's on the cycling team and is a HUGE Packers fan!  He's been to Lambeau Field a few times and keeps the Green Bay spirit alive in Bermuda.

This was taken at my customer, Sacha's, house.  She invited me over for Sunday brunch.  Not too shabby of a backyard view!

Flatts Village in the background.

The pic is dark, but this is Chris picking a loquat or a kumquat (I forgot which one!) fresh from the tree.  They're tangy, little citrus fruits.  Cultural, indeed.

In all honesty I have not yet REALLY explored the island and had a ton of cultural experiences. With that said, I know I’ll have more cultural, non-work-related stuff to blog about in another post,  but for the remainder of this post I want to focus on an event that I did for my job that was way more than just setting up a table and demo-ing tools.  

I worked with my biggest account on the island, Gorham’s Home Center, to hold a Milwaukee Race & Demo Weekend.  Henry, the purchasing manager of Gorham’s, mentioned to me that he liked to run when he found out that I was a runner, and he brought up Bermuda International Race Weekend, which happens every January.  On Friday night there’s a 1 mile race down Front Street, on Saturday morning there’s a 10k through the rolling roads of the island, and on Sunday there’s a marathon/half marathon.  You can sign up for all three and conquer the Bermuda Triangle!  Well, I brought up the idea to incorporate the 10K race into a Milwaukee weekend where I’d come to the island and run the race with Henry, we could wear Milwaukee shirts, and then in the afternoon I’d go to Gorham’s and do my usual demo day.  Henry liked the idea, and after getting approval from my manager and after LOTS of planning and emailing and networking, the event WAS AWESOME!  I bought Henry and myself red running shirts, had both of our logos screen-printed on them when I was home in Wisconsin for Christmas, made sure Gorham’s was stocked up on enough product, booked my travel, and trained for the race!  We also worked together to make a flyer that went in the Bermuda Royal Gazette, sent out emails blasts, got the store staff pumped up, etc.  We wanted to advertise “Catch Us If You Can,” and have people catch our bib numbers during the race and then bring them into the store in the afternoon to get put into a raffle to win a free drill, but we decided to just advertise the event that would happen in the store and then blaze through part of the island on foot by running the 10K and sporting our shirts.  See photos.

Henry, of Gorham's, and myself...prepping for the race!

Employee training in Gorham's

My demo table, complete with 2x4s, concrete blocks, and a rocking radio!

The raffle bucket.  We raffled off an M18 Combo Kit and a Contractor Radio.

Charlie's Power Tool Angels.  This was the first time I had EVER had a good, solid tool conversation with women.  These women knew their stuff!

A customer trying out the M18 Impact Driver and realizing it's the best one on the market.  C'mon...1400 inch-pounds of torque on that bad boy.

 

The race itself: WHEW!  Now Bermuda isn’t the most mountainous terrain that I’ve seen out of an island, but a good way to describe it is ‘rolling.’ There were 3 or 4 significant hills in the race, BUT ALSO it was rolling….I don’t think there were many long periods where I was running on flat ground…it was either gradually up or gradually down.  In the end the race went well for both Henry and I.  He reached his goal of breaking an hour, and I reached my goal of breaking 48 minutes and beating my other customer’s (Jeff’s) time – 48:04—from 2 years ago when he ran it.  Jeff now owes me either dinner or a cycling shirt.  It is not my best 10K time ever, but considering the terrain and also the headwind and rain, it was a workout, to say the least.  My friends Lisa and James also ran it (see photos), and Milton came out to support.

Henry sprinting it in at the end.

Me, just trying to survive the hilliest course I'd ever ran.

Post-race...me, James the English meteorologist, and Lisa.  Awesome race, guys!

 

Later on, in Gorham’s, sales were ROCKING!  A little history of Bermuda and Gorham’s in relation to power tools: it’s an island that’s historically Makita-loyal (my competitor), but only because it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  If it’s not broke don’t fix it, but what if Milwaukee simply has a superior product with better technology and more benefits?  This event, I hope, was the start of a mindset change in Bermuda.  I’m not saying my competitor’s product is bad, but I really believe in my product, and Bermuda is one island where I don’t have to deal with the “Well Milwaukee is just too expensive”  and just need to get the brand awareness covering the island, get some sample tools in contractors’ hands, and convince them that my product is superior and will perform just as well or better than what they’ve been using all these years.  We sold more cordless 18 volt (M18) tools at this Saturday event than we did all of last year at Gorham’s!!  Now, the huge 30% off discount that we gave really helped, but doing the run, the advertising, and simply building up the hype of the brand will pay off long-term. 

Outside the store.

Another sale!

Team Milwaukee at Gorham's! 

This grassroots event was outstanding in a number of ways.  It has started Milwaukee hype in Bermuda.  It has given my manager more confidence in me and my creativity ability to take an idea and run with it (pun intended), driving results.  I truly see immense potential of growing the business in Bermuda, working alongside of my 3 accounts.  Just yesterday I sent my manager proposals for 2 more events Milwaukee will be a part of in the coming months, and he approved them!  We are going to be corporate sponsors for the annual Bermuda Contractors’ Golf Tournament in April, where Milwaukee Tool will have flags on some tees and greens of the golf course, red t-shirts in the goody bags, and I will be possibly participating in the tournament with one of my accounts.  Lord, help me.  I golf about twice per year, and while I love all sports, this one frustrates me to no end.  It sounds fun, though (it’s a 4-man team scramble), and it will make me dust off the old ladies left-handed clubs and get to the Miami driving range a couple times before April.  

The other event I’m planning for May is another running event.  Two of my accounts (one of them Gorham’s again) are involved on a running squad from the Bermuda Rugby Club, and Milwaukee Tool is going to sponsor their shirts and shorts.  Bermuda Day (their independence day) is on May 24^th and every year there is a half marathon that takes place, starting on one end of the island and ending in Hamilton.   I’m currently working on getting a Milwaukee tent shipped to Bermuda so that we can also have a Milwaukee Hydration Station!  My vision is to have it in a location toward the end of the race (Henry keeps telling me that we can put it by the Birdcage on Front Street in Hamilton, whatever that means…I trust it’s prime location) and we’ll hand out RED Gatorade, have volunteers from the runners’ families, and then also be blasting some motivational tunes from a Milwaukee radio with its superior sound.  Of course, I need to not lose sight of the fact that I’m selling power tools and while we need to build brand awareness, I need to sell tools to my accounts, so there will be product orders and promotions as well.  Exciting stuff! 

Final note: I’ll be honest—I’m extremely used to this traveling-to-an-island-every-week-thing.  I’ve mastered making travel reservations, coordinating meetings, reading island maps, airport security, everything.  I'm writing this post as I sit 30,000 feet in the air on a flight back to Miami.  It’s been 14 months, and I thought I’d be pulling my hair out after 12, but I’m not!  The fact that I look forward to going to the island of Bermuda every time, enjoy my customers there and appreciate their willingness to work with me and be creative with sales and events, is almost essential to my sanity with this job at this point.  I like my other islands and have many other cultural experiences and a few other island friends, but Bermuda keeps me motivated for the mixture of reasons I stated above.  KNOCK ON WOOD that we don’t re-organize the territory and I have to leave it!    ….Thanks for reading…I clearly didn’t keep this one short, but I hope you liked it.  My next post will probably be some funny stories from my last trip to USVI, and then I’ll be back in Bermuda in 2 weeks and plan on doing some more cultural stuff since I’ll be there the weekend, so look for that.  Love you guys, happy weekend.  Cheers!

-Anna Banana

An island re-cap: randoms from throughout 2011

Good day all and happy 2012!

I hope everyone has been listening to Dean Martin on their radios and watching “Elf” while drinking hot chocolate.  I'm delayed, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!  I’m home for a couple more days in Wisconsin, and it's been good time with family and old friends.  There's also a REAL reason to drink hot chocolate (because it’s cold here…).

 

I’m gonna sum up a few things I’ve missed throughout my 12 months of traveling the Caribbean for a living.  I’ve met some interesting people and had some solid, cultural experiences that I may have missed in other blog posts, so I’ll compile them here, with titles for each (and also a few photos).  Bear with me - this is quite possibly my longest blog post thus far, but I promise I will keep it interesting and a bit humorous!  I'm REALLY going to try posting more often starting after this one, with shorter posts, more frequently, and with photos.  Thanks for reading, here goes:

Passport:  Last month I had to forfeit my passport to the U.S. government for a week so they could add more pages to stamp on.  Luckily I took a vacation trip to California for Thanksgiving week so that I could actually go w/o a passport for more than 3 days.  I cut it close, though, because the pages where they stamp every time you go through customs were over-packed.  Islands can technically refuse you entry into their nation if there aren’t sufficient pages to stamp.  It’s supposed to be 4 stamps/page, but I had customs officers stamping 5 and even 6 on a couple pages.  On my last trip to the island of Grenada, the guy told me that he’d let me in but that I shouldn’t come back unless I had more places to stamp.  Whew.

Executive Platinum:  Like I mentioned, I’ve been doing this travel thing for just over a year now, paying rent in Miami and island hopping on a weekly basis.  This job is a lot of work, but it has its positives.  One of those is the frequent flyer miles I’ve accumulated on American Airlines.  In October I hit Executive Platinum, meaning that I flew 100,000 miles…that’s around 10,000 miles/month!  Coincidentally, American Airlines has also just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, so hopefully my frequent flyer miles are still safe and redeemable.  So with this Exec Plat status, I avoid lines at the airport, get free first-class upgrades, can upgrade others to first class (come travel with me!), and the miles also count double (e.g., if I fly 1500 miles in one trip, I will get awarded 3000 miles).  With the accumulation of those miles as well as my credit card miles, I think I could fly around the world at least one time, but the last thing I want to do is be in an airplane even more; however, I must say that I’ve learned to fully embrace my airplane time.  No phone, no internet…a good 2-4 hours of ‘me’ time.  I do lots of computer work, but also use the time to read, pray, write, listen to the iPod, and sometimes just stare into the clouds (literally).  I’ve seen some beautiful cloud formations and vivid sunsets.  And, as you can imagine, I end up chatting with a lot of my seatmates.

Speaking of airline miles, I’ve met a couple of guys who have over 2 MILLION frequent flyer miles on American Airlines…they are Executive Platinum for life.  I hope I never travel that much for that long that I acquire that many…what a lifestyle.

People:  I’ve met lots and lots of people on planes, in airport lines, around the islands, etc. A few that stick out to me are in this section.  First, the professional contortionist … this guy is from that tiny island of Montserrat and travels all over the islands and the U.S. showing how he can fit himself in a tiny box and basically fold like a piece of clothing.  He said it is part genetics and part health.  He is a Vegan who does lots of Yoga, meditation, and stretching.  See the photo for proof of how this guy can twist his body.

The contortionist in Montserrat

I was in St. Lucia about 6 months ago and was walking in to a hardware store when I noticed a guy in front of me with a Wisconsin Badger Football shirt on!  Given my extroverted-ness, I approached him in my Milwaukee Tool polo and asked where he was from.  He told me Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and I knew one girl there from running high school Cross Country, and of course he knew her.  Small world. 

A guy from Sturgeon Bay, WI, who I met in St. Lucia

  

Speaking of small world, just a few weeks ago I was on a flight home from Bermuda, and the guy sitting next to me started talking with a couple behind us about football, and he mentioned he was a Packer fan.  I’m like “Hey I’m from Green Bay!”  He said he was from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which is really close to my hometown.  He went to Marquette Univ. and has lived on the island of Bermuda for 13 years as an accountant.  Bermuda is an expensive island, and you don’t want to know what he told me he pays in rent for his apartment there.  He pays more per year than I earn in an annual salary…I’ll leave it at that.  So, of course, we talked about Wisconsin, cheese curds, brats, our accent, etc. He went to Bermuda for an 8-month assignment after college and has never wanted to move back.  He skydives, crunches numbers at his accounting firm, and now even wears Bermuda shorts like the other business professionals on the island.  Shout-out to Erik!  And I'll have more on the wonderful island of Bermuda in January.  Below are just some random photos I wanted to add in this post:

Random. In Tortola (a British Virgin Island) where my taxi driver had this WI sticker on his van because he'd driven around the Univ. of Wisconsin football coaching staff the previous summer.

Walt Frazier – just last week I sat by Walt Frazier on a flight.  Don’t know who he is?  I didn’t either.  Apparently he played for the NY Knicks  and is a well-known NBA Hall of Famer.  I just remember boarding the plane and saying “good afternoon” and “excuse me” as I slid past him to my window seat, noticing the bold, red cowboy boots he was wearing and that he was extremely tall.  It wasn’t until we de-planed that a different guy asked me, “Do you realize who you just sat by for 3 hours?”  Once he told me, I caught up to Walt Frazier in the jet bridge, said hello and that I felt like a moron because I didn’t know who I was, but I wanted to shake his hand and say Merry Christmas.  He laughed and asked why I was in St. Croix, the island we had just come from.  He went on to say he does Real Estate there and always uses Milwaukee power tools.  Good guy!  Here is a link to a hair commercial he was recently in (he's the one who says "your 'stash is trash"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fucxG-he2qU

Barbados – allergic reactions, visitors, no electricity: So Barbados is one of my main islands, and if you read a post of mine from back in the spring, you’ll have read about my first experience there.  I have since been there about 6 more times, and we went from having one hardware store on that island with Milwaukee Tool to FOUR hardware stores in Barbados with Milwaukee Tool!!!

Earlier in the year when I was in Barbados on a trip, I went to eat at this local restaurant that I’d been to before.  It ended up being closed, but they had a grill set up outside barbeque-ing flying fish and pig tail.  Yes, pig tail.  I don’t ever turn a cultural experience down if I believe it to be safe, sanitary, and ethical, so naturally, I open-mindedly tried a piece of PIG TAIL.  It tasted like ribs, but it was mentally challenging to eat, so I only had one bite.  Well, 30 min. later I was in my hotel room watching my body slowly turn beat read from head to toe, and I couldn’t leave the restroom.  I think it was an allergic reaction even though it never itched or anything.  That was the first time I’d ever had one, so I freaked out a bit and did NOT call my parents.  After some consoling from my nurse friend, Amy, and another friend, Brianna, I got in the car and drove to the nearest gas station to get some Benadryl.   They had some Barbadian look-alike drug, so I bought what I hoped would be like a Benadryl and made it back to the room.  It turned out to be a minor reaction , I survived, and will never consume pig tail again.  It sounds like common sense, but until then I hadn't been traveling with any meds, but now I carry Benadryl, Ibuprofen, and Immodium AD on every trip.  Never a dull moment!

Oistins Boatyard, Barbados Feb. '11

The fish market in Oistins, Barbados.  Feb '11.

Chantalle, the Canadian raw foodist who I met on my first trip to Barbados back in February.

The next visit to Barbados was about halfway through the year, and I had two girlfriends from Dallas come along!  Brianna and Kim, friends of mine from Texas, flew in to Miami and met me to travel down to Barbados—they for a tropical vacation and me for another business trip in paradise.  It was a great week – I had work but it wasn’t overwhelming, so I went with them to a monkey reserve, underground caves, souvenir shopping, and we also saw a gorgeous sunrise and sunset.  We were humbled halfway through the week when the electricity went out at the Hilton.  Apparently the sprinklers went off in the breaker room and flooded the switchboards, and so for 24 hours the Hilton of Barbados had no electricity.  We survived, showerless and a bit warm without A/C for a night, but it really wasn’t too bad with the patio door open all night, falling asleep to the ocean waves lapping on the shore below.  I think Brianna and Kim had a great trip, trying their first fresh coconut water and learning to pick up on the crazy, thick accent when meeting the local Bajans.

Barbados Wildlife Reserve with green monkeys! Me and Brianna.

They came and helped me merchandise!  Thanks ladies!

Beautiful friends :) Brianna, Kim, me.

  

My most recent visit to Barbados was a trip without friends, with electricity, and with lots of Milwaukee Tool success.  I gave a 90 minute seminar for one of my hardware stores about Milwaukee’s history, new products, and safety.  It was extremely successful - great turnout and the follow-up with sales has since been increasing!  That night I was at dinner with the hardware store owners when their cell phones went off simultaneously - we had made the Barbados National Evening News!  For 60 seconds they talked about Milwaukee investing time and people into the island, and for about 30 seconds after that they showed my awkward face introducing the brand and talking about where we’re headed as a company in the Caribbean.  My first (and most likely my last) TV appearance.  Whether it was coincidence or not, recently after that TV appearance of Milwaukee Tool, a different Barbados hardware store who had told me they weren’t interested in Milwaukee Tool earlier in the year invested in a pretty sizable set of my product.  Not sure where that change of heart came from, but I’d like to think it was the 90 seconds of fame Milwaukee Tool got on the evening news a few months back! 

C&I Hardware's annual Milwaukee seminar...me teaching the guys!

After the information session, we had lots of Q&A and sales!

Event successful!  C&I Hardware team, Barbados Sept. '11

Hitchhiking in St. John:  Now that I have your attention, I did NOT hitchhike in St. John, but I was informed of how common it is.  Just for y’all to be aware, if you’re ever trying to hitch a ride on this island, do NOT hitchhike in the typical way, sticking out your thumb.  It’s all about the pointer finger in St. John, and if you want to blend in, be sure to stick out that forefinger and remember that they drive on the left side of the road.

Open bar in the hardware store – only in the Caribbean: In October I attended an annual event at a hardware store in St. Croix.  It was a weekend-long event called Tool Time, and I set up my usual demo tables and had my t-shirts and hats ready to give away to Milwaukee customers.  The unique aspect to this event was the open bar and live calypso band in the hardware store.  They charged a $10 cover to get in to the store (which was donated to a local charity), and then once you were in, there were two open bars in the hardware store along with waiters walking around with appetizer trays and a live calypso band singing the usual island music while playing the steel drums.  The event was a fairly solid success, but more than anything else it was entertaining watching the hardware store bumping like some Miami club while I babysat my power tools, making sure that none of the men who were overdoing it on rum punch were trying to driving screws into the 2x4s I had out.  Never a dull moment, and only in the Caribbean…

My rocking Milwaukee booth at Tool Time, Gallows Bay Hardware, St. Croix.  Oct. '11.

Notice the background...it was more of a social evening than a selling event.

The guy in the middle is the store merchandising manager and the one on the left is Dave, a loyal Milwaukee customer.  By this time, though, he had had one too many rum punches.

Cayman Islands:  I haven’t written at all about Grand Cayman Island because it’s one of my more recently-acquired islands that I’ve only been traveling to since October.  It’s another beautiful island, just south of Cuba and a 90-minute flight from Miami.  Grand Cayman is flat as a pancake and is known for its ‘Seven Mile Beach’ that extends - you guessed it - 7 miles long. The island is known for its snorkeling.  It is a part of the Cayman Islands (which also includes Little Cayman and Cayman Brac).  I like the island, the people are really nice, the beaches are gorgeous, but I would probably never go there on a personal vacation.  It’s a bit too fancy for my taste with no mountains and way too many tourists and American food chains.   

Sunset on Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman Island

I have a big hardware store there that I held a Milwaukee Weekend for last month.  I did in-store demos of tools and their accessories for two full days, and sales went really well.  I got out the ole cinder blocks and 2x4s to demo the tools as well as the M12 Radio connected to a battery and my iPod to show the superior sound it pumps out.  At the end of the 2^nd day, I finally met the owner – Al Thompson  (the store is called A.L. Thompson’s).  He’s well-known all over Cayman and the rest of the Caribbean as are his annual Christmas parties.  He’s been known to go all out on his annual party, inviting all his friends, employees, and vendors either to his grand house or on a boat to eat and drink and dance the night away in honor of the Christmas season.  The party happened to be that night, and I got invited.  He rented out a portion of the beach (seriously...who rents out part of the beach?!), and I had some good local food, chatted with some big wigs, and busted a few moves on the dance floor (the beach!).  At one point, they played some Latin Spanish music, and one of my favorite salsa songs came on.  It’s a song by the late Celia Cruz, and while we were on that beach dancing our own salsa/cumbia moves to the song, I couldn’t help but think about a Youtube video I’d seen of that song from back in the 80’s.  The song is called “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” and it’s one of the most famous salsa songs to date.  The lyrics and the beat are solid, and I frequently dance salsa to this song when I go out in Miami.  Watch this video, and you can get a good feel of what I felt like dancing to that exact song on the beach in Grand Cayman (a little bit more conservatively-dressed, of course)!  Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIFqBIZJpmQ

Well, you've reached the end of the longest blog post of Banana Adventures to date!  Overall, the year of 2011 with this job was full of adventure, lots of hard work, and unforgettable experiences through diverse cultures with neat people.  It's pretty awesome to scan the Caribbean geographically in my mind and know over 15 islands and their unique cultures via the people and hardware stores.  The adventures will be continuing into 2012, continuing to do what I'm doing for work, with higher expectations from the CEO and my manager and therefore harder work from me.  But, I'm ready for the challenge, and even when I get down and a bit lonely through this unstable traveling lifestyle, I remember that it's temporary and that the way I'm growing in my career and especially as a person is irreplaceable.  I never would have thought that 2 years out of college I'd be building a power tool brand in a new market ... booking my own flights and hotels and car rentals, finding my way around islands, and building business throughout. I'm truly protected through all of this adversity and travel.  God has His beautiful hand in everything, and without putting my trust in Him, last year would not have been as fulfilling as it was.  I'm extremely blessed with the way this job has changed me into a more independent, patient, accepting, and self-driven person.  I look forward to another wonderful year continuing along this tropical Milwaukee Tool path, residing in Miami where I speak more Spanish than English, and being thankful for this beautiful life. 

Thank you for reading...congratulations on making it to the end.  Like I said I WILL write less in the rest of my 2012 blog posts.  Everyone stay in touch with me, and as they say on the islands, "All thee Best!"

-Anna Banana

Pura Vida! A business trip into Costa Rica...

A month ago I had a change of pace from the Caribbean islands as far as my work travel goes.  I went to COSTA RICA!  My territory is only in the Caribbean, but I am on the international team with co-workers who cover Central and South America.  Daniel is my teammate who covers Costa Rica and Panama, and he organized a huge event, a “Milwaukee Blitz Week.”  Daniel, my manager, a teammate in Mexico, and I got to be in Costa Rica for 5 days, ‘blitzing’ the country with Milwaukee.  We worked with a big hardware store chain and wholesale distributor called Torneca, and together the Milwaukee and Torneca teams went all around the Costa Rican countryside visiting little hardware stores, construction companies and construction worksites with the purpose of building and bettering relationships, spreading the word of Milwaukee Tool’s new initiatives internationally, analyzing the market’s need and opportunity, and ultimately driving sales to meet goals.  This experience was so awesome and unlike any other I’ve had so far with this position.  I’m always bouncing around the islands to the small hardware stores, but my islands speak almost all English (a thick ‘island English’)… Costa Rica is a Latin country where they speak ALL SPANISH!  Todo en Español!  Those who know me, you know how big of a passion I have for the Latin culture and for speaking Spanish, so this was a great fit.  It was also a unique experience because I worked with a Torneca representative and got to experience being on a 3-way team:  Torneca, myself (representing Milwaukee), and the little hardware stores in the countryside of the country that Torneca attends to.  This was different because sometimes a store’s perception of and attitude toward a brand is defined by the relationship (good or bad) with the sales rep.  For many years Torneca has been representing Milwaukee Tool without Milwaukee Tool having its own reps in the countryside of Costa Rica, and they’ve been doing a great job, but nothing is flawless, and there are always some hiccups.  It was interesting to hear what some of these little hardware stores thought of Milwaukee just by what they’d heard, or by the way they were or were NOT cared for well in the past when being sold our tools.  There were a couple instances where I had to set some records straight about misconceptions on our tools and our objectives moving forward, but overall I collected really great data about a positive attitude for Milwaukee in Costa Rica.  I rode with the Torneca reps in their cars, and I got to see much of the Costa Rican countryside that I wouldn’t have seen if I was there on vacation.  We drove up in the mountains around San Jose (the capital) through Sarchi, Palmares, Atenas, Grecia, and Naranjo.   Interesting fact:  Naranjo is a region of Costa Rica with a lot of coffee plantations, and it is one of the places that Starbucks buys its coffee beans from internationally. 

Costa Rican countryside...everything is GREEN!

One of my days on the jobsites, I went with a Torneca rep named Gerardo to a couple of the big construction projects around San Jose.  I had to wear a hardhat and everything.  One of the companies in particular, Eliseo Vargas, is one of the biggest construction companies in Costa Rica, and I got to demonstrate to a few of the head guys the benefits of some of our new cordless tools, corded grinders, and also speak to Milwaukee’s commitment in Costa Rica moving forward.  A sidenote about power tools: the future of tools is a cordless tool, un inalámbrico.  There are electric tools that plug in and then there are tools that function from a battery that can be recharged.  Well, corded tools are less expensive, but less convenient.  Batteries are not cheap, but the benefits and longevity of a cordless tool with a high-quality Lithium-Ion battery far outweigh the higher cost.  Both on my islands and through much of Costa Rica, the higher cost associated is a huge barrier in getting the people to believe in and invest in cordless tools; so, this was something we really focused on through the week—educating the people on cordless tools, letting them touch and use the tools, and hopefully invest in what is better for business in the long-run.   In the middle of the week we had a huge Milwaukee Event from 7-11pm at night, where hardware store owners and construction company management came from all over the countryside to a Torneca store in San Jose for a big evening event promoting Milwaukee.  We had about 100 of our tools on display and demonstration areas to cut, grind and drill with the tools.  Torneca catered in food and drinks and hired the “best comedian in Costa Rica” to come and give a show.  Even though I speak pretty solid Spanish, I didn’t get many of the jokes and had to pull out some fake laughs.  A joke is never as funny if it’s not in your native language (that’s a fact) even if you understand the words being spoken.  It was packed and a valuable experience for me.   I didn’t sit down once…I just stood by the tool wall and talked Spanish about Milwaukee tools nonstop for 4 hours.  

At Ferreteria San Ramon up in the mountains...a loyal Milwaukee store!

At the jobsite in San Jose.

Enough about work.  Let’s back up to the weekend before that.  I worked in Costa Rica a Monday – Friday, but I was able to book my ticket a few days early and spend the prior weekend on the island to explore a little.  I flew in on a Friday afternoon and met up with my new Costa Rican friend, Freddy.  A friend of mine from living in Dallas, Ashley, told me about a good friend she had in Costa Rica who might want to hang out during my free weekend.  Through Ashley and Facebook, I connected with Freddy O’Connor.  Now, you’re probably picturing a red-headed, freckled boy from Ireland, but Freddy is full Costa Rican.  You sort of pronounce his name with a Latin accent: ‘Fray-dee Oh-coe-nore.’   Anyway, I trusted Ashley and she trusted Freddy, so he picked me up from the airport and brought me to a safe hotel/hostel in Alajuela, Costa Rica, where I stayed for 3 nights before I had to transfer to the Marriott in San Jose when work started on Monday.  As many of you know, I’m a big SALSA dancer now…I learned in Dallas and dance a lot in Miami with the Latin scene, and Freddy knew of a couple great places to dance, so we went to a traditional Costa Rican restaurant and went dancing the first night.  They eat a lot of rice and beans, but something else I fell in love with in Costa Rica is ceviche!  I’m not even sure what it is, and I know it differs in every country (originally from Peru), but it’s like a raw white fish that sits ‘marinating’ in lime/lemon juice all night, and they serve it chilled in a small cocktail dish with cilantro, onion, etc.  I loved it!  I had it four times in my eight days there, and I only got sick once from it…   The dancing in Costa Rica was great!  They dance something called cumbia…and I thought I knew how to dance cumbia from the Mexican influence in Dallas, but there are all sorts of cumbia styles.  Costa Rican cumbia involves not only turning and spinning, but JUMPING!  They do these little hop steps for part of the basic move, and I was really bad at it the one time I tried, but it was interesting to watch…looked almost like a jumping workout that you’d do in basketball practice!  On Saturday we drove around the area and tried to see one of the many volcanoes in Costa Rica – Vulcan Poas.  The drive was BEAUTIFUL.  I’ve never been anywhere that’s more green than Costa Rica.  There’s so much rainforest, and the people really know how to take care of it by recycling, promoting eco-tourism, etc.  Unfortunately it was too foggy to get up to the volcano, but the drive was nice, and we ended up stopping at a waterfall.  There is so much more to do in Costa Rica – volcanoes, natural springs, hiking, ziplining, beaches, etc., but I decided I need to fly down there and just spend at least a week exploring someday.  I also went to Café Britt, a coffee manufacturer who buys all of its beans from suppliers around the Costa Rican countryside, and I sampled more coffee than I’ve ever had in my life.  The BEST part about the coffee tour, though, was the chocolate-covered coffee beans that they make.  I had some great conversations with the workers in the gift shop, and they recommended to me some great Costa Rican salsa and cumbia music that I’m listening to now as I type. 

Typical Costa Rican dinner: fried plantains, rice, chicken, black beans, salsa, vegetables.

That's Freddy - looking up at La Paz Waterfall

Catarata La Paz (Peace Waterfall)!

 

Sunday, my last day of freedom before work: I spent it with some CAM (Central American Ministries) missionaries who my missionary friend from Dallas hooked me up with.  Before leaving for Costa Rica, I was commenting to my Dallas missionary friend, Stephen, that I had to check a huge bag on my flight to take a few hammer drills down for work purposes, but that I’d have extra space in the bag.  He suggested that I get in touch with a mission team down in CR and see if they needed me to bring anything.  So, through Stephen, I got in touch with Alejandro and Daniel, two Costa Rican CAM missionaries.  They suggested that I bring some school supplies for the Sunday school at their church.  So, I packed a huge suitcase full of Milwaukee hammer drills, notebooks, and pencils.  I met up with the missionary brothers, Daniel and Alejandro, and also their significant others, and we went to church together in the morning and just spent time together in fellowship for the afternoon.  The Sunday school wasn’t aware that I was bringing anything, but they ended up needing to use some of the supplies I had brought on that same day, so that was really awesome to be a vessel to bring what they needed!  I don’t mean to say there aren’t school supplies in Costa Rica, but they are more expensive and mission churches don’t exactly roll in the dough.  I’ve never been on a major mission trip or anything, so it was great to be able to do something small and see how grateful people can be.  It was humbling.  Spending time with Alejandro, his wife Lory, and the others was really great to just share together in good conversation about our travels, our countries’ similarities/differences, how God is working in our lives and the lives of others, laughing about my Spanish accent and their English accents, etc.  As I keep them in my prayers and stay thankful for having met them briefly, I know that when I go back down there someday, whether for work or leisure or both, I will meet up with them again. 

One of my 2 suitcases, full of power tools for work and school supplies for the church.

The CAM Missionaries I hung out with (Alejandro and Daniel) and their wives.

I can’t end this blog post without speaking a little to culture and also the Spanish language differences in Costa Rica.  Freddy was awesome to talk to about all of this and go with to local restaurants.  As you know, I’m ALL about the local, cultural experience—trying new foods and learning about the language differences.  Obviously, the language is Spanish, but I’m talking about the accent that they use in Costa Rica versus in Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, etc.  This kind of thing fascinates me. 

FOOD: So, besides eating ceviche, Freddy and I stopped for breakfast at a small, local place in the mountains called Dona Mayela, where I tried a typical Costa Rican breakfast: gallo pinto (rice mixed with beans, cilantro, and spices), eggs (cooked in pan from chickens…you know…), and my favorite – una chorreada!  A chorreada is like an amazing pancake x10!  It’s made of corn, and is flat and sweet and cooked in a pan.  You can put whip cream (a Costa Rican whip cream equivalent…Natilla) on it…I would have preferred peanut butter or Nutella, but the chorreada was amazing.  Now, if you’re not a sweet-tooth like me, you might not like it.  I also had some of the freshest juices I’ve ever had in Costa Rica.  There are juices (called ‘naturales’) made of fruits I’ve never heard of – guanabana, maracuya, mamey, etc. 

 

CULTURAL FACTS: People from Costa Rica are called Costa Ricans, but they’re also called ‘Ticos’ or ‘Ticas.’  In fact, anything or anyone Costa Rican can be Tico/Tica.  For example, the paragraph you just read was explaining typical comida tica.  I went to tico restaurants, met a lot of Ticos, tried dancing cumbia tica, etc.  I would frequently say throughout the week when people asked me if I liked Costa Rica, “Si!  Ya me he puesto en media Tica!” (I’ve already become half-Costa Rican!).  They also use a key phrase in Costa Rica – ‘Pura Vida.’  This literally means ‘pure life,’ but can translate as many, many, many things.  For example, when greeting someone in the morning, one person says “Buenos Dias” and the other says “Pura Vida”…meaning hello.  You can say Pura Vida instead of Gracias (thank you), Pura Vida instead of Que Pasa (what’s up?), Pura Vida instead of a word for ‘cool!’…etc.  Another difference in the Costa Rican Spanish is the words for ‘you’re welcome.’  Typically in Spanish, this is ‘de nada,’ but in Costa Rica they say ‘con gusto,’ which literally translates at ‘with pleasure.’  I must say, it grew on me and sounds much more pleasant!  

‘TICO’ SPANISH: A final language difference I’ll explain is the way they DO NOT roll their ‘R’s.’  As you know, when saying the Spanish word for car – ‘carro,’ your tongue is supposed to roll, but they don’t in Costa Rica!  At first it sounded to me like they were saying it wrong – like a bunch of silly Americans attempting to speak Spanish.  But, that’s how they pronounce most of the R’s…just as we would in English…whether it’s a double ‘rr’ or a single ‘r.’ One of my secrets: as much in love as I am with the Latin culture and Spanish language, and as much as I tried when living in Spain and also taking phonetics and linguistics classes in college, I could NEVER learn to properly roll my R’s….so I fit right in!

Overall, my 9 days in Costa Rica were amazing.  The country was beautiful and so much different than the Caribbean islands.  You can tell it’s not a small island, but rather a developed country with more amenities, a faster pace of living (not the fast American pace, but not the pokey island pace), a really friendly and open-minded people, and a welcoming attitude for foreigners interested in their country.  Seriously, Costa Rica is extremely advanced.  While they have no army, they invest heavily in education, and it shows with their literacy rate over 95%...which is better than the U.S.  They are still classified as a third world country, but many, many young people attend a university and unemployment isn’t as bad as it is in parts of the Caribbean and Latin America.  And for me, just having everything in Spanish and spending 9 straight days speaking Spanish and even doing business in Spanish was AWESOME.  I truly have been blessed with a passion for the language and culture.  It was rewarding to spend time with local people like Freddy and the CAM missionaries, who openly invested time and energy in me and helping me learn more about their country.  It’s something to be proud of.  Thanks for reading, guys!  Pura Vida!