Thomas C Famous. Photo: VINO/File

In my younger years, this often bothered me, as I interpreted those terms as follows:

“What you doing here Mehson !!” = “Why exactly are you here in Tortola?”

“When you leaving Mehson??” = “ When will you be gone?”
It bothered me so much, that one day, I asked my late Grandmother, Amay Fraser of the Sea Cows Bay Thomas and Fraser Clans, why did it seem like people, as soon as they saw me, seemingly wanted me to leave asap.

Chuckling to herself, her reply was this:

“Christopher that is the Virgin Islander way of saying Welcome Home, how long will we get to see you?” “So, accept it as a badge of honour, because if they did not want you here, they would just cut their eye and would not speak to you.”

From that day forward, whenever and wherever, I heard “What you doing here Mehson !!” “When you leaving Mehson??” it usually was followed by a warm, reassuring hug.

So, on this, my latest trip home, I lost track of the amount of embraces by friends and family, or friends who turned out to actually be family. Well that, is yet another VI story in itself.

Added to the friends and family embraces, I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of persons, who ask the following question: “Are you the guy who we see in VINO aka Virgin Islands News Online?”

It seems, I severely, underestimated, the reach of social media, specifically, VINO, in the territory and the region.

It has been years that I have read VINO in order to keep up with the daily going ons of the VI.

Whether it be; profiles of young professionals, legal happenings, business adverts, news from sister islands, columns by local historians and political pundits, I, like thousands of others, absorbed it all.

Ok, ok, I admit that I commented now and then. However, I always used my own name and never got into the tit for tat with other bloggers using fake names.

One day, I decided to try my luck and ask the then Editor, Mr Julian Willock, if he would give me a shot.

Well, to be completely honest, the Whatsapp conversation went a little like this:

Me: “What going on Mehson??”

Willock:”I busy, busy, busy, Mehson.”

Me: “You always busy, busy, busy Mehson.”

Willock: “LOL you a trip.”

Me: “Anyway Bro, listen, you remember saying how us Sea Cow Bay (SCB) people always have to stick together?”

Willock: “What exactly do you need?”

Me:” I need you give me an opportunity to submit some pieces to VINO. They will be relevant to the region.”

Willock: “Ok send them to me, so I can make sure that they are fit for the people of the BVI.”

The rest, was, as they say, history.

It is rather important, that the background of how I got my break, on VINO be told, for the simple reason, that credit must be given to the Editorial Staff, that has kept this news site going over the last 10 years.

Websites come and go, yet VINO has stood the test of time. Thus, giving people like myself, an indegenous Virgin Islander, a steady voice in our great territory.

I say all this to say, that through the years, it has allowed me to share my thoughts with you, our Caribbean history, regional politics and everything in between.

So much so, that the all to familiar term “What you doing here Mehson !!”, is now followed by “I read your piece in VINO last week”

Ask any singer, what it means for people to say that they played their songs over and over.

Ask any chef, what it means to them when people come back for more of their cooking.

I can go on and on, yet I am sure you get the picture by now.

Perhaps, without a doubt, one of my proudest moments, was when my Great Uncle, Mr. Kenneth Fraser of Sea Cows Bay, said that he reads all of my pieces.

To the readers of VINO, it means the world to me, to have your support and love. Even if you happen to disagree with something I may have written, it is all love, as you actually took the time to read it in order to disagree with it.

I look forward to continuing to contribute to our territory in this small way.

Starting today, I would love to hear from you directly via email: carib_pro@yahoo.com or via whatsapp 441-599-0901.

PS, if possible, send me some Coconut Tart for Christmas.

Thank you, Mehson.