5 Things I've Learned in 2009

It is that time of year again. The time of year when I take time to reflect on the year gone by and the twelve months to come. The time of year when I put time aside and dedicate myself to some serious introspecting.

Well actually that's a bunch of crap. I usually just keep on going without giving pause to anything past, present, or future.

However, I find myself in a different zone this year.

Did I learn anything in 2009?

Here it goes . . . starting with the simple stuff.

1) More Spanish.  Yeah, I know, not a real shocker here, but it is important to me. Understanding more of what people are saying here helps a lot with BECA and with my quality of life here in Nicaragua. I am still a LONG way from calling myself fluent. I'm not sure if I ever will be. But I do understand more now.


2) There is nothing wrong with doing "nothing." My neighbors often pull out their plastic chairs, sit in front of their homes and . . . well, just sit there, sometimes for hours. Sometimes they sit in the company of others, but it is not unusual to see someone sitting by themselves. I used to think: "do they not have something they can do?"

These people find tranquility in the moment and enjoy the peace and quiet company of their family and friends. What a fool I have been for judging these people.

3) If you want to get something done, don't expect someone else to do it for you. When I arrived here, I had this master plan to contact all of the other non-profit organizations (NPOs) working here for tips, advice, shortcuts, etc.  Why recreate the wheel, right? And so I did so. And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Nothing. It wasn't going to happen and still hasn't happened.

For some reason, my impression is that these NPOs just do their own thing. That's fine, but I promise you that if someone contacts me for some "advice" in the future, I'll do my darndest to give them my two bits worth.

4) Expats (i.e. Americans, Canadians, and Europeans living in Nicaragua) are not the least bit interested in BECA. This one was a little bit of a shock to me. I thought that these people would be inclined to show some interest in giving back to the land where they live. After all, most are enjoying a reasonably good standard of living for a very reasonable cost. I'm not saying that all of them are like that. Most I've met though. This brings me to point number five . . .

5) Most people really don't care about BECA. This is the big one and a watershed lesson for me in 2009.  The fact of the matter is that people are busy with their own lives, wherever they may live.  In the beginning, I took it personally when someone -- especially a friend or a family member -- didn't show much interest in my passion for BECA. I considered it a personal affront.

No more. Hey, people have got their own stuff going on. They have kids, families, and lifestyles. They are busy.

So most people don't give a hoot about BECA.

And that's completely okay by me.

How About Asking People who Live in Nicaragua to Sponsor?

Nicaragua has its fair share of expatriates; that is, Americans and Canadians and Europeans who choose to live here. Some retire here.

So I got to thinking.

Why not ask them about helping a student go to school? Why not ask them about "giving back to Nicaragua"?

I gave it a shot on a popular Internet forum Nicaliving:

Give back to Nicaragua this holiday season.

How? Help sponsor a Nicaraguan adult student.

No monthly commitment. U.S. Tax deductible (EIN: 26-2828810).

These people deserve a break. Let's show them we care.

View student profiles at http://www.beca.org

The response was immediate. Here are some snippets of the replies. (You can see for yourself on this link.)

BECA is a non-profit charitable organization that "seeks out Nicaraguans who are living in poverty" So what do they do for the rest of the day? . . . How do I get the job of the person that does the "Seeking Out", I could have found my perfect retirement job.

Just another reason to stay away of the professional beggars and to give where the need presents itself!

. . . but with so many "Non profit" outfits shoveling funds into their pockets and with so many Land Rovers and Mercedes registered to "Non Profit" in Nicaragua.... I think I'll pass.

And these people live here in Nicaragua.

Tough crowd, huh?

$90/pound Coffee

Okay, so last night (Sunday, December 6th) was the very first fundraising event for BECA outside of Nicaragua. (And I could attend!)

It was . . . absolutely delightful. And for the first time in about 25 years, I was actually nervous speaking before a group of people. Not really sure what got into me.

And you sure have to hand it to those Edmontonians. On a -30 (yep, that's MINUS 30!) degrees Celsius evening, I am guessing there were about 150 people in attendance.

At this time, I am unsure how much money was raised for BECA. Not the most important thing, though. Personally, it was very special moment for me knowing that "other" people believed in BECA enough to do something like this.

I will always remember and cherish this "first."

Thank you Greg, Blake, Matt, Erin and all the warm (and brave) souls at Calvary Baptist Church in Edmonton. Special thanks to the artists who donated 20% of their proceeds to BECA.


P.S. Quick thinker of the day award? None other than MC Greg Wiens who decided at the last minute to auction off a vase and coffee that I brought from Nicaragua. My idea was to give it as a door prize. His idea worked a little better. The result? $160 for the vase; $90 for the bag of coffee. And therein lies the title to this blog entry.

A First

Two "fans" of BECA Matt and Erin are behind a fundraising dinner for BECA in Canada, coming up in December.


Kinda exciting for me because it is the first BECA fundraising event EVER!


Facebookites can see details of the event here: Form and Function

Bono

What hasn't already been said about this guy?

(And you know I'm not talking about Sonny, although I heard that he was a very good egg.)

I'm talking about the rock star. Paul David Hewson. The U2 guy. The guy with the colored glasses. That guy.

The guy that for the last ten years has been a frontman in the fight against AIDS and poverty in Africa.

And, as if traveling around the world trying to convince world leaders to increase -- or, in these times, not cut -- foreign aid budgets is not enough, Bono finds the time to write the occasional article for the New York Times.
(By the way, his last one is a masterpiece.)

But I digress.

Now I'm not much for these rock-star types. But I'm writing this to tell you why I like this fellow.

He's an upbeat, positive guy.

God only knows he's seen more than his share of desperately poor, suffering, starving, dying people.

Nevertheless, he doesn't go galloping around the world on his high horse complaining, harassing, lambasting, or ridiculing these world leaders who keep finding ways to cut foreign aid.

Bono finds a way to keep it positive. He says nice things. He encourages them. He looks for the positives. He knows damn well that saying inciteful things and raging-off is not going to accomplish much. The guy gets results too.

Okay, so maybe you are thinking . . . what is the connection here?

Because from time to time, I get really really pissed off about the misery I see here in Nicaragua and I ask myself: why can't these people in rich countries spare at least a measly $20 bucks and help a person in the developing world get an education? What exactly is their problem?

I'm not falling into that trap.

And for that, I thank Bono.

What does Masaya look like?

What is it really like in Masaya? Do they have paved roads? What do the people look like? What do they wear? Is there a McDonalds?

Now you can taste a bit of Masaya. It was filmed by Sorania and Elvis -- two BECA.org students.




And in case you are wondering . . . no, there is no McDonalds.

What's on my nicaPOD

I'm starting to really dig Nicaraguan music. It took a while.

Someone told me that to really appreciate the music you have to speak the language.

That doesn't apply in my case. I still don't know what the hell they are saying in these songs . . . but, in any event, in order of my preference:

1. Guerrero del Amor- I really love this one.
   
2. Dias del Amor
3. Machaina
4. Nicaragua, Nicaraguita
   
5. The Chicken Song- My title and you'll know why if you listen to it.