119 Days and 1 Great Insight

It was May 31st -- four months ago -- that I took over again as Executive Director of BECA.org Nicaragua.

My current team consists of three Coordinators, one Office Manager, and one Intern (who will soon become a Coordinator herself.) All except one are graduates of the BECA program.

What has been my greatest insight since returning?

That my biggest challenge has nothing to do with management and everything to do with psychology:

Persuading and convincing these passionate young people that they know what's best for BECA Nicaragua.
And that I don't.

I work at this every day.

And thanks to their passion for BECA I think we're making progress.

Hi. My Name is Walter Howard.

Like in Canada, newborn in Nicaragua are typically given a first and second name by their parents.

Canadians tend to go by their first name.

That isn't always the case here. It's quite common that the first given name takes a back seat to the second given name.

I find the practice rather puzzling.

The Canadian way seems more logical, right? I mean someone's first name should take precedence. Wasn't that the intention of their parents?

I've asked around for explanations.

Nobody seems to know why.

Or nobody wants to tell me.

But I am determined to unearth the mystery behind what I consider to be another Nicaraguan cultural oddity.

On a recent student visit with BECA Coordinator Urania Montoya I pounced again.

"Why do you use your second name? Why don't you use your first name?," I interrogated the student.

Ms. Montoya, appearing to lose patience with my stubbornness, turned to me and quipped sharply, "Why don't you begin by explaining why you use Walter?"

Gulp.

Point well taken.

I've stopped asking. For the time being. But I'd still like to know.

BECA's Annual Retreat

Last year BECA "gran queso" Antonio Rodriguez and I started what we hoped would be an annual practice.

A long weekend in which the BECA team could get away for a two to three day pow-wow to consider changes in our program for the coming year.

The second version of the "BECA Annual Retreat" is set for the first weekend in October.

The weekend is pretty important. Decisions made with respect to policies and processes that weekend impact our students directly for the coming year and beyond.

I really like these kinds of things. They represent a chance to hang out and get to know one another a bit better. Sometimes in an informal setting people let their guard down and it can lead to creative decision-making.

I've already made the first one.

I'm not going.

Yep, I'm the acting Executive Director. And the Executive Director should be there. And deep down I want to be there.

But this Executive Director thinks its more important to empower the BECA team members to learn to make decisions and learn about the consequences that they can bring.

I believe it's the best thing for BECA Nicaragua in the longer run.

And they'll be just fine.

Nine Things That I Bet You Didn't Know About Me

In no special order:

1. I was in a rock band in high school. Bass guitar.
2. I have extremely rare palms (you might know this because I've mentioned it here before).
3. I have a tattoo (don't tell my mom, please)
4. I drink two big bottles of club soda every day (Canada Dry, of course!)
5. I don't know how to cook (yeah, and I'm fifty  . . . . sigh)
6. I once drove a sports car into a ravine (a long, long time ago)
7. My coffee in the morning consists of two parts coffee, one part chocolate milk. (Now I didn't say all of these would be interesting.)
8. I still think about my pet frog that died (Grade 7). Ditto for my precious Banana Splits flashlight (Grade 4).
9. I have a secret passion for reading rock star autobiographies.

So what about you?

Oh come on, don't be shy? Share! I did.