19127 miles, to be exact. That was my tally of air miles from mid-October to the end of November this year. Four separate trips, two of them less than 48 hours apart (much to the chagrin of my family). A week-long consulting engagement in Brasilia, Brasil. Facilitating several sessions at QuickBooks Connect in San Jose, CA — the world’s largest QuickBooks conference ever. Speaking at the Sleeter Group’s Accounting Solutions Conference in Las Vegas, NV — the longest running QuickBooks consultants annual conference. And presenting at the International QuickBooks Conference in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles.
I extend my genuine gratitude to event host Aubrey Pasial of our colleague Intuit Solution Provider firm Class N.V. in Curaçao for inviting me to teach at the conference for the fifth consecutive year.
As with previous visits to the beautiful island country of Curaçao, I took advantage of a few days prior to the Conference for consulting engagements with local clients, partnering with our associate firm Class N.V. Working with local businesses once again afforded the opportunity to experience the local culture — the people, the food, the life. The people of Curaçao never cease to impress, with their affinity for laughter and the lighter side of life and their impressive linguistic skills — most are fluent in four languages: Papiamentu (a colorful local dialect), Dutch (from the colonial roots), Spanish (from the proximity to Latin America), and English (a way to communicate internationally). Definitely something to admire.
I get a little tired just from recounting it. But every one of those journeys was an experience like no other.
I extend best wishes for this Holiday Season from the most exotic and fun place of all — South Florida, the place I like to call home!
…MARIO