Oddly Enough

In my years away from Canada, I have come across other North Americans residing permanently outside of their native country.

The fancy term used to describe us people is expatriate.

Who are these expatriates?
 
There is no simple answer but attitudinally I classify them into two broad groups.

People that embrace the challenges and oddities of living in a foreign country.

And those that don't.

I'd like to think that I fall into the first group -- see my previous blog post on the subject here -- but it isn't always easy.

And I wasn't always this way. 

What provoked the attitude adjustment?

Oddly enough, I can't tell you. 

 

A park near my house in San José. Would you bring your children here? (September 2013)

Steve Who?

I have written about Steve Jobs before.

 
And I'm a huge fan.

But this authorized portrayal by Walter Isaacson has stirred me up.

"History will place him in the pantheon next to Edison and Ford." (Isaacson, 2012)

Are you kidding me? This seems a bit much.

Indeed the iPod, iPhone and iPad are revolutionary products.

For rich people.

I see no evidence of impact in the developing world. Where most of the people on this planet happen to live.
 
May I suggest a rewrite.

"History will place him in the pantheon of gadget makers." (Hunchak, 2013)

Sorry Steve.

#iJustSaying
 

(A)Social Media

Instagram.

Facebook.

Twitter.

Pinterest.

And there are many, many more.

I've heard social media referred to as an essential tool for non-profit organizations.

After five years of religiously posting BECA.org news on the most famous one -- facebook.com, may I offer up another description: time-waster.

The "reach" statistics are mindnumbingly low (below).

And these things take time to administer. (BECA has a Spanish page too!)

And they take time away from BECA's core work of screening and supervising scholars.

If anyone were to ask me about Facebook's utility for a grassroots non-profit like ours, I wouldn't mince words.

Fuggedaboutit. 

Screen capture of BECA's Facebook administration panel (13-11-13). Is it worth it?

An Important Moment in BECA's History (For Me)

For the first time, BECA is dipping its toe in the waters of financial sustainability with Campaign 1000.

BECA's graduates are directly being asked to step up and contribute to BECA -- their organization -- for the first time.
 
Right now, BECA is supported entirely by foreigners. In 2013, 95% of the donors are people I personally know.

This is not sustainable.

If BECA is to survive in the long run, I feel that people who have benefitted from the program should chip in.

Not a lot, but something.

The deadline for "Campaign 1000" is New Year's Eve. 

I am paying close attention.