DIARY ENTRY 21

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Diary of S. F. C. for Tuesday, May 6, 2008

6:30 a.m Alarm went off. Woke up. Can’t believe it’s that time of day again, but I’ve got to open the
gate for the gardener and the housekeeper. Why can’t they sleep in? Frankly, after last
night’s long dinner, and more wine than I needed, I could use some extra sleep. Great
conversation at dinner, but it’s a bit disturbing to hear some of the views that the investor
community expresses, though. Sure, Barbados needs to welcome foreign investment—and
it does—but don’t they think that Barbadians are going to be concerned about their apparent
marginalization each day, as more of their homeland seems to slip away from their grasp?
The island is only 166 sq miles. A US$40 million condo at Four Seasons is not going to be
something with which Bajans readily identify. Or welcome, for that matter, when they can’t
afford a BDS$400,000 home. It’s a good thing we’re such a docile people. I hope that
doesn’t change or we could all be in for a rude awakening.

7:00 a.m. Made breakfast. Read newspaper. Quite frankly the news is not particularly encouraging:
Barbados is in the throes of an awakening that people don’t seem to be able to come to
grips with. Oil and food prices are increasing and no one seems to know what to do about it
except blame the Government and expect them to fix the problem. Hello?? Wake up,
Barbados. Stop spending money at Reggae on the Hill. Record crowds there last week.
Start carpooling: our roads are clogged at every hour of the day. Learn to cook. Have you
seen what Chefette and KFC look like at meal time? They’re rioting in Somalia and Haiti
over food. Maybe Barbados will be next.
Today will be a day of conference calls to my EC Country Heads all day, so I might as well
be comfortable – a “no-tie” day, I think. I’ll wear a crested shirt at least so I look like I work
somewhere. But short sleeves it will be.

12:30 p.m. Five calls under my belt already. I don’t know how I do it sometimes. Everybody has the
same gripe: too much pressure. “Why can’t the company cut us some slack?” “Don’t they
understand how de-motivated our people are becoming?” Well, that’s the way the world is
right now, I’m afraid. Can’t say that 2008 is shaping up to be one of those years that we sit
around hoping for!!
Lunch was another treat. Barbecue Barn’s salad bar is pretty good, but I’m amazed how
difficult it is to get things to stay working in Barbados. The general attitude of the people
must wear off on the equipment. It’s the second day in a row (I was there yesterday also)
that the soda fountain is not working and there is no chicken breast. How is that possible at
a busy location like Warrens? Who manages these things?



6:00 p.m. What a day! More conference calls in the afternoon, and that very unsatisfactory update by
my HR/ER team on our union negotiations. How can a Union seriously expect 25% increase
in wages over a 3-year period when we’re struggling to control inflation in this country?
Anyway, gotta get out of here as I still have to brave the traffic and get to my stress-relieving
session of playing music with Willie and the gang. It really does help to get away from all of
this stuff for a few hours and just play some music.
No time to prepare anything for supper. I’m lucky I have some leftovers in the refrigerator.
I’ve been wondering how single people survive. Who wants to cook every day? But I think
it’s quite simple: cook twice a week and make enough for 3 meals. The only thing is: you’d
better really enjoy what you’re cooking, because you’re going to be seeing it pretty often
over the next week.

11:30 p.m. Really enjoyed our music session. We agreed to get together tomorrow night again. This
time we’ll rehearse with Eliana. She really adds another dimension to the group: particularly
when she sings in Spanish and Portuguese. Latin music is so beautiful.

12:30 a.m. Called my son, Sean, in Toronto: had a good chat. Too late to call Mary. She’d have been
sleeping long ago! I’m supposed to call every day. Can’t believe it’s after midnight already,
and I haven’t had a chance to do any reading. 6:30 is going to be here pretty quickly.