Tales from Guyana

GEORGETOWN - First, our thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and in particular, Sherwin Naughton and the ministry's indefatigable driver, Mr. Softley, for their great support and fine company during our consultation in Guyana.
As we moved around, we met a diverse range of callings and people - football coaches who worked in Guyana through CSME;  a footballer with a convincing Bajan accent who was taking a break in his homeland from plying his trade; a deejay who plays regularly in other Caribbean countries; a racial potpourri of artistes - Indian, African and European who reminded us that music is truly a universal language that cuts through borders and restrictions and regulations; representatives of engineers, craftspeople (thanks for the bottles of Guyanese wine!) and service providers.
Thank you all for your candour, humour and commitment. More on our trip and what we found later.
Next, it was off to Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda for another round-robin series of consultations - journalists, nurses, teachers, NGO leaders,  business and opinion leaders and other Caribbean people who use the CSME's provisions to live and work in the region. We intend to share their stories soon. Our final stop is Kingston - on Wednesday and Thursday, with the assistance of the Government of Jamaica and JAMPRO, Jamaica's export promotion agency.