Frampton Comes . . . Alive?

Since when does Peter Frampton looks like this? The Peter Frampton? When did this happen?

Ugh. Be right back. Gotta go consult a mirror I know.

Pulling My Hair Out

I have had some challenges on this "adventure."

Nothing too, too serious.

I have come to believe that the "tranquilo" approach to life in Nicaragua often tranquilizes what otherwise might have been an aggressive reaction on my part.

Tough to get too worked up about a lousy website programmer when some of the people around you don't have enough money to buy medicine for their sick kid.

Nicaragua, I think it's fair to say, has mellowed me.

Case in point. I was going to write about how maddening and frustrating it has been to get the BECA team here in Nicaragua to understand the importance of being well-organized.

[Aside: It's always been my experience that effective, successful companies are super well-organized -- organizationally and on an individual "key actor" level -- and I see no reason to believe that the non-profit sector should be any different.]

But you know, as I started to write, I realized that I'm not that bothered about the whole thing.

And instead of pulling my hair out, you ask?

I went and got a haircut.

Why I Do What I Do

I'm asked THE question on a regular basis:

"Why are you doing this?" or it's more subtle (but no less pointed) cousin "Don't you miss Canada?"

I thought I'd 'fess up in this blog. That way, the next time someone asks -- usually happens a couple of times a month -- I'll be ready with the link to this blog and he or she can go read the answer for themselves.

Beats the heck out of squirming and fidgeting like I usually do.

Anyway, the answer is a personal one and it goes something like this.

!!Boring Sappy Blog ALERT!! !!Boring Sappy blog ALERT!!

10 years ago I lost everything I had. There was this little problem with the stock market. I bet big and, as it turns out, I bet wrong. The (now ex) wife following the same trajectory shortly thereafter.

It was 2001 and it was my own personal version of 9/11.

I was about to turn 40 and I found myself back in my old room in my parents' home

• without a job,
• seriously indebted to financial institutions, and, 
• alone.

Thanks to a dear friend, I landed a job in a cubicle in a software company punching a keyboard that paid the minimum wage.

So, at 40, a

• cubicle job, 
• seriously indebted to financial institutions, and,
• still alone and sleeping in my old room in my parents' home.

It was a big, big mess.

I decided to make myself a pledge. I promised myself that if I ever got myself out of that mess financially, I would

. . . drum roll please . . . 

give it away somehow (Thinking to myself at the time, "Yeah right, you hero, so easy to make these gutsy promises from such a deep hole.")

I then made the mistake of telling someone about my pledge. In this way, I couldn't turn my back on my pledge if it ever materialized. ("Yeah, right" I repeated to myself.)

So as it turns out I hatched some fluky Internet marketing scheme and I did make that very unlikely comeback.

And being that stubborn man of my word, here I am.

In Nicaragua. Living up to my pledge.

Epilogue. As I read these words back I realize one little thing about my answer to THE question.

In 2001 I didn't lose everything I had.

Nope.

I gained everything.

And now you know why I do what I do.

Is There a Better Way to Sell a Bed?

In my continuing series of beautiful curiosities from Nicaragua, I present to you "selling a bed, Nicaraguan style"

Masaya Street Corner, May 2010

The sign says something like "The day was made to dance, the night was made to rest."

Not sure how many beds were sold.

Very sure that not many speeding tickets were issued that day.

Musings on Giving People the Boot

I thought that might get your attention. Now to our regularly-scheduled programming . . .

 
BECA does a monthly newsletter. Actually two of them. One in English. Another in Spanish.

Occasionally I attempt to write something more on the serious side.

That was the case in the June edition.

The BECA newsletter doesn't reach too many people -- direct to SPAM anyone? -- so I thought I'd reprint my "Dear Loyal Supporter" note here.
 

June 2011 Update

Dear (Your Name Goes Here),

May was tough.

We were faced with some difficult decisions.

What to do when a scholarship recipient consistently refuses to live up to their obligations with the BECA program?

The way I see it -- and saw it -- there are a few options.

One is to do nothing and accept that in any program some people will refuse to follow the rules.

Another is to continue to try to change their behaviour through a combination of incentives and penalties.

A third way is expulsion.

I really don't think BECA asks for a lot. We want our students to write 4 blogs a month, attend 6 meetings a year, and send in a monthly report. (All students receive payments to cover these expenses.)

The other side of the coin is that for some (many?) of these people, their lives are incredibly complicated and challenging. Understandably, their BECA tasks are low on their priority totem poles.

But also at stake is the credibility of the BECA program. What kind of message are we sending if we tolerate, and ultimately accept, non-compliant behaviour?

Ultimately, I "approved" the recommendation of the Masaya Coordinator to expel six students.

I'm not happy about it, but I thought you should know about it.

Sincerely,
Walter Hunchak
Founder, BECA.org