July 2008 – Random Thoughts
Reducing our Carbon Footprint
Since returning to the U.S. at the end of 2007, Rick has been engaged or leading some TechnoServe projects, though it hasn’t interfered with his doing a lot of skiing. Rick’s operations projects require grounding and input from the teams in each country to ensure that he delivers systems that meet their needs. My focus has been on house projects to repair or update some areas that were neglected while we were in Africa. We’ve exchanged all light bulbs for compact fluorescents, added better but low-flow shower heads, been researching instant water heaters, considering how to improve the house’s ancient, poor water pressure, and finally, sharing one car. With our travel schedules entailing at least 1 week per month away from home, we will probably just drive one car through the end of 2008, then I’ll buy a hybrid. It feels as though I’m back in college sharing a car. It’s weird but certainly indicates how much needing a 2nd car for us is not a necessity.
Actually doing some paid work for a change
I admit that I’ve been both a bit jealous of Rick’s working part-time and skeptical about how I can fit stimulating part-time paid work into what will be a hectic travel schedule for the rest of the year. While I was tagging along in Latin America, I sat in the discussions with TechnoServe staff, observed the clients, and reminisced about my life before 2008. I realized how much I need to have at least some serious focus and clear structure in my life. Our trip to Latin America (see impressions below and www.walleigh.com) really reinforced my desire to start networking again. Serendipitously, I have now become a contractor for TechnoServe HQ, writing marketing content for various media as needed and eventually, hopefully, fundraising on the West Coast. Be careful what I ask for???
Boating, Eating and Spending a Few Days with Other Long-time Friends
Just a few days after my traveling for 6 weeks and after 2 years of spending U.S. Independence Day in Africa, we finally spent July 4th in America. Ironically, however, we were with 2 couples who were born and raised in the U.K. though are now U.S. citizens. On the other hand, we’ve known them for over 25 years since our kids were in diapers. Brian and Chris’ vacation home at a Lake in the Sierra foothills was a beautiful setting for a totally relaxed few days. Besides spending time each day on the boat, we read, ate, walked, ate, watched terrific fireworks, ate, listened to great music, and ate. Life is good!
June 27 to 29 – Celebration with College Friends for a Wedding
What is a better life celebration with friends than a wedding? When it’s a wedding with friends who have known each other for over 40 years and actually still love each other. My college room-mate has been the 1st of our close group of 4 to host our next generation’s wedding--her son’s about 5 years ago and her daughter’s on June 28, 2008 (which also happened to be the same date as one of the other couple’s anniversaries). It was a beautiful wedding with the ceremony outdoors (luckily the rain had started and stopped 3 hours prior) and the reception in a tent on the same site. This was the 2nd blessed event in 2008 for Patti. The first was the birth of her 1st grandchild, Ava, who arrived 2 months early but is doing well.
Each year for over 20 years, we have almost religiously re-united, usually near NYC. For some reason, though I live the farthest distance, I continue to be the catalyst, and often arranger, of our reunions. But that’s still a good trade-off for the rewards of continuing to be so close that even our husbands* are comfortable together.
*Rick has actually known all of the women since college, which is longer than any of their husbands have!
June 21 to 30 – Productive Relaxation in Bethesda
Few daughter-in-laws are fortunate to have a good relationship with their mother-in-laws. I know I’m in an elite, lucky group to have as ideal a relationship* with my mother-in-law as I do. We can chat together almost endlessly, read quietly in the same room, enjoy the same movies (this time the racy Sex and the City), as well as just give each other space to be. By the end of 2008, which is her 85th and my 60th years, I’ll have stayed more than 5 times in her home for at least a week. My life is so much better with her in it. I can only hope (with probably low odds) that my children’s eventual spouses will enjoy spending time with me this way…
*And my sister-in-laws and I have strong relationships, too!
June 14 to 21 – Boston Bar Mitzvah and Other Visits
Our first big event that catalyzed our stay in the northeast was that my 1st cousin Amy’s son Josh was Bar Mitzvah’d on June 14th outside of Boston. Miraculously I found a deal at a small Marriott’s near Adrian on the edge of South Boston/Dorchester—4 nights on Rick’s last points and 4 at a bargain “winter rate” from AAA. It even included free parking. We could hop on and off the T or the freeway in a half mile. Spending less than $300 per night close into Boston is virtually impossible, so yes, I was excited.
Anyway, when I arrived on June 13th, Adrian told me that we would have dinner at Pier 4 Restaurant (on me of course) with Jason (Diana’s boyfriend) and Lindsey (Adrian’s girlfriend) with the hope that Rick would join us when he flew in later. Adrian was pleased because it’s not only a wonderful restaurant but because he knew that’s where Rick and I had our wedding reception. Rick was delayed in Dallas but the other 4 of us had fun together.
Family is incredibly important to us, so Diana was sad to miss the Bar Mitzvah because of hospital orientation. Josh was a terrific, confident Bar Mtizvah and the post-service Kiddush with family was a treat. However, every time I attend a typical 3-plus hour Jewish service, I remember why Jews always have suffered. On the other hand, we do know how to throw a party with fabulous food. During the Kiddush and later in the tent behind Amy’s house for the evening celebration, we ate, drank and kibbitzed with great gusto. A wonderful day was had by all.
Though Rick left on June 16th for NYC then DC on TechnoServe business, I stayed on through June 21st to spend more 1 on 1 time with Adrian, college friends and my favorite Aunt and Uncle. This was heavenly also because it was the 1st time in a month that I could fully unpack my clothes and spend more than 2 nights in the same bed!
June 10 to 13 - Moving Diana into her Townhouse in Greenville, NC
Diana will now be driving the blue VW Beetle every day during her 3-year pediatric residency program at East Carolina University’s Pitt Memorial Hospital. She is finally paid above poverty level—though her salary divided by 80 hours per week (American Medical Association’s recently established maximum for residents) is barely above minimum wage.
Despite the meager earnings, she could afford to buy her own townhouse for the cost of one room in most California homes and for about the same as a monthly NC apartment rental. And it’s absolutely lovely: light, open and cheery! The previous owners had recently updated the house including the kitchen (which even has a wine fridge!).
Before Garner left, we filled a cart for Diana at Bed, Bath and Beyond. After we dropped Garner at the Raleigh airport, Diana and I began our multiple missions: furniture shopping, changing the car title, finding good grocery/cleaners/hardware stores, buying a dolly/toolbox/patio table at Lowe’s, and most importantly unloading the bright yellow Penske truck still half-filled with Diana’s possessions.
Thank God that her friend’s parents who have a 2nd home on the NC coast, had given her a wooden ramp for her to transport in the moving truck and that they’d pick up at a later date. Using the ramp and the dolly we unloaded dressers, huge boxes, and finally the washer and dryer donated by these same friends. I have to say that even though Diana did 70+% of the work, I was very proud of our joint effort! Besides, even just sweating with Diana is loads of fun!
May 31st to June 10th – Impressions from Garner and WW’s U.S. Road Trip
This was Garner’s 1st drive across the U.S. and my 4th (and last) so we stopped where she requested. She did a tremendous amount of research for each of our major tourist attractions, resulting in great hotels and food. We laughed every day, talked a lot, enjoyed books on tapes, and were flexible about pretty much everything else. So we had a fabulous experience!
Days 1 through 10 are detailed on the website so I’ll only add a few brief stories.
- Not much of interest driving from Los Altos through California’s Central Valley to Needles until we arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
- There is nothing in the world I’ve seen so far that is comparable to the vastness of the Grand Canyon. And there is nothing else like a helicopter ride over it to really validate that impression. Mind-boggling and stunning…
- Santa Fe, NM has even more art galleries than Carmel or Napa. My favorite experience there was the Georgia O’Keefe museum with a brief film about how and why she chose Santa Fe as her key artistic inspiration.
- I don’t know why anyone lives in Texas. Outside temps reached over 100o daily. Yes, it’s dry heat but it’s still an oven.
- Even though the Garden District is quite lovely, New Orleans’s French Quarter is like a walking fraternity party--lots of booze and loud music. Particularly also in light of the Katrina-condemned homes, I don’t need to visit New Orleans again.
- Having no air conditioning for 3 days while driving through a solid wall of heated humidity was quite unpleasant but doable.
- Savannah is genteelly picturesque with its stately homes, Spanish moss on trees, and what seemed like hundreds of green and flowering squares with houses surrounding them.
- Charleston’s architecture generally is older than Savannah’s because it wasn’t burned down by the Yankees during the Civil War. So there are many Charleston buildings and streets that look like they’d fit perfectly into any city constructed pre-American Revolution, especially Georgetown in D.C. I also enjoyed the bustling energy of a busy Atlantic Ocean port contrasted with lovely streets of “olde shoppes”, colonial structures, and ante-bellum mansions.
- As we pulled up to Diana’s beautiful townhouse in Greenville on June 10th, we were happy to no longer spend hours in the car, question a bathroom’s cleanliness at gas stations, and eat boring food. However, the road trip cemented a treasured friendship with amazing shared memories.
May 30th – 24 hours in California
I skipped Guatemala on our TechnoServe Latin America trip; returned on May 29th a couple of days before Rick; did laundry and errands; then left on May 31st with a woman friend, Garner, on a road trip across the U.S. We would drive from Los Altos, CA to Greenville, NC in order to deliver my VW Bug to Diana by June 10th. Other than 24 hours back in CA I would be traveling through from May 19th to June 30th for a total of 6 weeks, including family and friend visits and events in Boston, Bethesda and Philadelphia.
May 2008 - Latin America Trip Impressions
Rather than repeating what our website already pictures and describes, I’ve sketched just my impressions because this trip moved incredibly fast. I traveled 4 countries in 11 days and 5 countries in 13 days for Rick! In fact Rick and I may have hit a record: 4 cities in 3 countries in 24 hours (Cajamarca to Lima, Peru to San Salvador airport to Managua, Nicaragua).
More Serious Thoughts
PERU:
Our time with the clients and the staff in Cajamarca were our highlights. Though I must say that Cuy (guinea pig) is a difficult protein for Norte Americanos to contemplate. After all, American kids keep guinea pigs as pets. The ceviche (marinated raw fish), however, was excellent.
NICARAGUA:
Nactamales (Nicaraguan tamales) are tasty, the scenery is nice, and the people lovely. For me these were offset by Daniel Ortega’s overly cheery pre-election billboards everywhere (with a fuchsia background), especially because they were created by his wife, the Nicaraguan Government’s Communication Director. This is nepotism at its worst and irony at its best (Western-style posters for a Socialist / Communist).
– It was weird for me being in Managua at a Holiday Inn, watching American TV with Spanish subtitles and listening to Spanish speakers in the hall.
EL SALVADOR:
Sunday to tour around San Salvador:
– Our delightful guide (who had lived in TX as a roughneck oil worker) and driver were very knowledgeable about current and historical events.
– We saw Mayan ruins of both working and religious villages; 335 year old church; picturesque caldera lake; beautiful indigenous gardens; parrots at the restaurant where we had lunch; and a delightful market in a town plaza.
– Near the town of Sulchitoto, we were reminded that the early 1980s to 1990s were chaotic in El Salvador as well as Nicaragua by:
o Bullet holes in the walls along a residential street;
o A gigantic rocket bomb (hopefully defused) stuck by its “nose” in the front yard of a house along the road leading into town.
– At 6:35 p.m. a strong earthquake disconcertingly shook our hotel for about 1 minute.
TechnoServe El Salvador staff
is not only impressive for its current work, but also for maintaining operations during the civil war. Their contribution was recognized by the post-war government who contracted with TNS to help re-train combatants on both sides to become more agriculturally productive than before the turmoil.
– During our visit to Las Isla, an artisan cheese maker being helped by TNS, we had to dress in sanitary gear to tour the processing plant. We gained insight into cheese and milk processing as well as had fun dressing up.
HONDURAS
Our TechnoServe office is in San Pedro Sula, not Tegucigalpa the capital, because it is closer to the clients as well as being safer. However, being driven from the airport to our hotel into a very industrial area was like driving through Newark, NJ but with more poverty. Despite the surrounding area, our hotel was filled with tourists so clearly it was a nice place, comparable to African business hotels. But the depressiveness was offset by meeting the delightful staff the next morning, going to see clients in action, and learning where/how my favorite food group, chocolate, is grown and processed!
OVERALL
We were very impressed with how competent and organized the TNS staff was in all the Latin countries. And seeing clients like Clarita’s Mix, Cuy Network, Cris Vida Water, La Isla cheese, and Apatch Cocoa Nursery and Farm continues to be tangible proof that TechnoServe’s approach really does work!
More Humorous Moments
– BEST CERVESA: Cuzquena Rubio (Peru) then Port Royale (Honduras) though Premium (Nicaragua) and Golden (El Salvador) were OK.
– BEST FOOD: the hands-down winner is Salvadoran restaurants (we had dinner at La Cofradias down the hill from our San Salvador Radisson hotel and lunch at Posada Sulchitoto in Sulchitoto, El Salvador. At both restaurants we were the only foreigners. My favorite dish is pupusas. I also like one called "doggie ears" (small, fried, meat-filled empanadas) as well as sweet tamales and plantain-filled pastries.
– BEST CROP: Cocoa beans in Honduras, since chocolate is my favorite food group.
– WORST ROAD: After lunch in the cute little town of San Marcos, Peru we drove to the cuy (guinea pig) farm to supposedly arrive around 2:00 p.m. After about 45 minutes on a deteriorating dirt road we arrived where the road was closed due to construction for about another 45 minutes. Of course we had the same experience 1.5 hours later when we had to return to San Marcos on the same road. An hour each way turned into 2 hours…
– FUNNIEST SOUND & IMAGE: whistling guinea pigs which frantically pile on top of each other as soon as we walked into the room with their cages. Maybe even their tiny minds understand how fragile and short their lives are.
Latin American Client Visits (see our website to view clients’ pictures)
Cocoa Nursery outside San Pedro Sula, Honduras
We were picked up at 7:30am to meet our host the country director at the office then we were driven to the Apatch "fine cocoa" project in Chocoloma Basin outside San Pedro Sula. Just as TNS is helping its coffee farmers move into premium bean production, TNS Honduras is working with cocoa bean growers to upgrade to a high sugar content bean that can be made into edible, virtually 100% chocolate bars without added sweetening. Lots of cocoa seedlings were lined up in the nursery. Some were to remain “common” and some were to become finer cocoa species. We witnessed the finer cocoa being micro-grafted onto the baby cocoa plants as well as onto mature bushes. The latter is mostly trial and error since TechnoServe and the Honduran government’s agricultural department is not familiar with proven grafting techniques for older plants. But some success is certainly better than having local cocoa crops be poorly maintained and valued. Now I can picture how chocolate is grown every time I indulge!
An Artisan Salvadoran Cheese Maker in Sonsonete, San Salvador
About one hour’s drive from San Salvador, we visited La Isla cheese manufacturer in the small city of Sonsonete. Though the owner had been in business for about 25 years, TechnoServe had enabled him to build a new factory, train better workers, expand the number of cheese brands and types, find new markets (including potentially the U.S.) and create his own small retail cheese stores. Before Rick, Cindi, the TechnoServe staff and I could enter the facilities, we suited up in doctor-like booties, coats, masks and hats so that the cheese and milk would remain uncontaminated. We saw milk being fermented into fresh cheeses (crema and queso) as well as the processing, refrigeration, and packaging of multiple soft and hard cheeses. Though the site would probably not meet U.S.D.A. import standards currently, the entrepreneur, his staff and TNS supporters were working hard to achieve them in the future. Meanwhile, we all enjoyed their great recent success!
Clients near Cajamarca, Peru
From 2003 to 2005 and now again 2006 to 2008, TechnoServe (TNS) Peru has been helping Micro- and Small-Enterprises expand revenues, employment, and potential to impact poor and rural Cajamarca Province’s economy. A large corporation mining gold and silver is located near the city of Cajamarca. The workers and communities who contribute to the mine’s significant growth have not seen parallel improvements in their lives. It is anticipated that these precious metals may continue to be successfully mined until 2028 or even 2035. Recognizing their responsibility to the surrounding region, the large mining company has established a separate “corporate social responsibility” organization. Its goal is to source as many supplies from local vendors as possible as well as raise these vendors’ skills and products to serious corporate standards. Three major donors including the mining company underwrite TechnoServe Peru’s Small Enterprise project which identifies, assesses, and trains 20 qualified entrepreneurs per year in business/marketing, production/technical skills, and finance/accounting. In turn, each TNS alumni business should engage/impact up to 20 supplier-farmers whose increased family incomes will improve access to education, healthcare, and other services. TechnoServe helps improve local vendors’ capacities and revenues as well as connect them to more customers locally, across Peru, and even globally. Since 2003 TechnoServe Peru will have improved the livelihoods of over 150 entrepreneurs and 1,500 farmers in the Cajamarca region--all of whom are now actually benefiting from the mine’s success.
Mid-May 2008 - “The Road to” TechnoServe Latin America
From May 19 – 31st 2008, Rick and I were on the road to TechnoServe offices in Peru, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Rick’s operations’ projects required input from the teams in each country to ensure that he delivers systems that meet their needs. Seeing field projects, interviewing in-country TNS staff, with brief bouts of sleeping and eating made this a hectic but insightful trip. I just tagged along but documented some client and country stories for my own purposes.
Despite our unfamiliarity with TACA “Grupo” airlines (representing several Central American countries), upon arrival at SFO at 11pm on May 19th, we were informed that because we were business class on the leg from San Salvador to Lima (which was news to us), they were upgrading us on the SFO to San Salvador trip as well. More leg room, better food, classier service—why not? We arrived at the San Salvador airport in El Salvador, entitled to spend our 5-hour layover in the 1st class lounge, a considerable step up from Nairobi’s equivalent. I was able to stretch out on a sofa, sleep comfortably for 2.5 hours, and take advantage of free wifi Internet. Though we did experience a very brief power outage, overall it was very pleasant!
Life in the Balance by Dr. Tom Graboys
This was the Most Impressive Book I Read on our Latin American trip. From June 2001 through April 2003, our daughter Diana worked as a researcher at Lown Cardiovascular Clinic in Brookline, Mass. before starting med school summer 2003. She worked for and met some of the world’s leading cardiologists, including Bernie Lown (inventor of the defibrillator, now 88 and still seeing patients) who headed the doctors who founded the Nobel Peace Prize winning Physicians against Nuclear War. Diana was incredibly fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Thomas Graboys, heir apparent to Dr. Lown, who headed the globally renowned cardiology team who practiced a mind and body healing of the total patient. The couple of times I chatted briefly with Dr. Graboys, I was impressed with his down-to-earth characteristics, untypical of such a highly-reputed, brilliant doctor-to-the stars*.
Diana had taken care of Dr. Graboys’ dogs while he and his new wife traveled, so had personal as well as professional insight into how to lead a balanced though highly demanding medical life. Before she left Lown, she learned that Dr. Graboys suffered from Parkinson’s disease, which forced him to retired in 2005.
While at SFO awaiting our flight to Latin America, I started reading Graboys’ recently published Life in the Balance, a brutally honest review about how he denied then faced Parkinson’s which had the additional misery of “Lewy body” dementia. It’s a tough read but well-written and uplifting despite the eventual, known outcome. It should inspire anyone who faces a debilitating disease because even brilliant doctors must deal with fear, anger, and denial when they are ill. Graboys’ remarkable story though sad, shows that hope with dignity is also possible with support from family/friends/colleagues/patients.
*Diana told many stories about his patients pulling up to the clinic in stretch limos but one of my favorites was her reviewing a chart of a patient named Edward Kennedy to whom she gave a stress test. She honestly didn’t associate his name with U.S. Senator Teddy Kennedy until one of the nurses later mentioned it. The Senator probably found it refreshing to have the Lown Staff treat him as a patient, not a personality.
May 1, 2008 – Irony After 6 Months Back in the U.S.
Though Rick and I slipped surprisingly easily into our U.S. life almost immediately upon our return from Africa, I’m having weird conflicting feelings recently. I suspect it reflects my lack of daily structure, not working on intellectual projects, and missing a real sense of purpose that I felt in Africa. I have thoroughly enjoyed re-connecting with our wonderful U.S. friends and family. But right now I miss our African friends as well as impacting “real world” struggles to survive. I know that many in the U.S. face dire straits, but recently I feel the need to return to Africa to fully appreciate what over 50% of the world faces every day. Kenya’s political chaos seems to have been settled for now according to friends’ emails. But with its tourism-dependent economy in shambles, Kenya is a reminder how fragile even one of the most stable African countries is.
