Day #5 --- I now know why I never took a real job --- I cant stand being cooped up in an office all day! More meetings today trying to help our Nica friends sort out a very challenging set of problems. Every time we think we have a good idea, we get more info that changes our mind. Politics exist in every industry, but when there are 8-10 different organizations, all trying to protect their best interest --- change comes slowly. Our first interview gave us a solid, unbiased opinion of the situation - something we had not heard before. Our host had no horse in the race and was honest about all sides involved. He kept saying, My friends would hate me to say this, but its what is best for our people! Heart-felt honesty is rare in the NGO world. It was an eye-opening meeting! Our second interview was just as direct! A lifelong Nicaraguan cattleman that received his Masters Degree from the University of Oregon in Economics - very impressive! He told of the challenges from a producers prospective, as well as an Industry leader. He blended economics with generations of cultural practices to help us understand the unique challenges of his fellow dairy/beef producers. The most striking point he made was this --- Our people work to survive, not to make a profit. I hope you can help us to change this? WOW --- talk about bringing the issue down to a REAL level. I sure hope we can help! Our new Nica friends work just to eat, not to buy cars, fancy houses or go on vacation! Its all about true survival! Both these gentleman took the opportunity to practice their English during the interview and to help keep me in the loop. They spoke better English than half of Madera County I believe! Another big THANKS to TEAM NICA, Ms Scarleth Navarro and Mr Daniel, for keeping this Gringo in the conversation! Tomorrow we have three more meetings - each usually lasts a minimum of 2 hrs. As an American entrepreneur, I want to fix problems NOW! As an American volunteer in a foreign land, I have learned that 100s of years of traditions do not need fixing --- they just need to see things from a different vantage point! They will fix it on their own! I just hope they can see my outsider vantage point? This is how we roll --- NICA style! :)
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 05:08:11 +0000
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