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

Elvis is Alive and Working in . . .

. . . Masaya, Nicaragua.

I'm talking about BECA's very own Elvis Flores.

Elvis was one of our first "original seven" graduates. He studied tourism.

Quite frankly, I didn't think his chances were too great of holding down a job, or for that matter, even getting one.

In fact, now that I think about it, we weren't even going to accept Elvis into the program.His marks in school were average at best and he often seemed distracted. The career plan he submitted was sloppy.

Someone convinced me to let him have a shot.

Elvis Flores -  Hotel Campo Real, Nicaragua (May 2011)

I was wrong about Elvis.

After graduation, Elvis was the first to go out and get a job. Yep, the first.

And, he's still there. That would be about 8 months now.

I paid him a visit on Friday, and in my own goofy way tried to let him know how grateful I am. Why grateful?

I learned a very important lesson through my experience with Elvis.

Simply that everyone deserves a shot. Muchas gracias, Elvis.

BECA is a better program because of you.

And Those that Blog Shall One Day Rule the World

Good news.

Two months ago I mentioned in this space that Masaya has quite few buildings in sorry states of disrepair.

Buildings that I refuse to go near. In all.I thought there might be a dozen or so of these monstrosities in Masaya. I posted a picture of one right around the corner from where I live.

Hey, somebody is listening. They -- whoever they are -- yellow-taped the perimeter this morning and the mumbo jumbo on the street says it has been scheduled to be demolished.

 

Even La Prensa (the most popular national newspaper of Nicaragua) picked up the story (spanish).

It turns out the building was severely damaged in the Earthquake of 2000. Let's hope the demolition doesn't take another 11 years.

But, hey, that is their way. Nicaraguans take their time doing things around here. It's not a bad thing, just different. It's not a bad thing, just different. It's not a bad thing, just different. (repeat 20 times) :)

I Don't Know Who Told Me

. . . but I want to kiss them.

I'm talking about the person who recommended noise-cancelling headphones to me.

Here's why.

My Nicaragua is noisy.

Chickens clucking. Dogs barking. Humans yelling. Cars honking. Cats fighting on the roof. Roosters crowing. Ghetto blasters blasting.

Roosters crowing some more.

And I live in a city (Masaya).

I do appreciate the spirit of the place, I really do, but sometimes the noise never seems to end.

And then God created noise-cancelling headphones.

A month ago I had absolutely no idea they even existed. And, I was dubious.

"Yeah, right. Money-cancelling headphones."

They work. THEY REALLY REALLY WORK. Oh my Lord, what a Godsend. (All biblical references 100% justified!)

Now if I could only remember who gave me the idea in the first place.

Amnesia-cancelling headphones anyone?

The Tiger Woods of the Nonprofit World?

Greg Mortenson is under fire for allegedly fabricating bits of his bestseller "Three Cups of Tea."

The book documents the author's journey from a mountain-climbing expedition to the creation of an organization dedicated to building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Word is that he was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Last month, the populist U.S. television program "60 Minutes" went after him in a television expose. Ditto for former Mortenson supporter Jon Krakauer in a  meticulous online dissection.

"Three Cups of Tea" has been an inspiration to many in the nonprofit universe.

Including me.

I remember reading the book. And I distinctly remember thinking that some of the stories he spun seemed a little over the top.

But .  . .  so what?

In my three or so years in this nonprofit world, I see it all the time. And I mean ALL the time.

And, frankly, it's understandable.

• Who in their right mind wants to admit that their charity isn't working so great? 
• Who wants to admit that their development work sucks from time to time?
• Who doesn't want to paint a pretty picture for potential donors?

Dear reader, it goes with the territory in this sector.

And I catch myself doing it too. Not too often, but I do it. Hey, it's really hard not to!

So I say, let's give this Mortenson guy a break.

And I say to Jon Krakauer, "Greg Mortenson is no Tiger Woods."

And to you, Mr. Mortenson: Thank you for inspiring me. You are one of the reasons I am bumbling along down here in Nicaragua. And I am very grateful.

My Favorite Time of The Year

March and April in Masaya can be unbearably hot.

Nevertheless, they are my favorite months of the year here. Here's why:

Yep, it's a mango. And better yet . . . it's a mango from my neighbor's tree that decided to drop in my garden and pay me a visit.

This particular variety -- the locals call it a "Rosa" -- is absolutely divine. (I swear when God was coming up with ideas for fruits, the blessed mango was His master stroke of genius.)

Sadly, they only show up in late March and April.

But I'm a gracious host. Take a look at this backyard bonanza:

Next week I'm going to Edmonton to visit family.

What was I thinking planning a trip away from this backyard paradise at this time of year???