Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Nov. 10 - 19: Highlights...I miss Thanksgiving!

Well, if I were anyone, I wouldn't want to read anything about my interviews, etc. I wove my way this week through Ministries, etc.

So I figure that "food" is where we all need to be at this time of year. I ate some amazing dishes today at a Christmas party that the Research Institute (IICE) put together. I haven't posted those dishes yet because I don't know the names of the some of the dishes I ate! Staff cooperated to build a portal together-- loosely translated, "a Christmas Nativity scene ." What an effort is was! It was the first time they had ever done it, and it was part of a holiday competition within the University. I hope they win. Truly, it was a lovely design and combination of textures, animal groupings, sand, rocks, lights, pine branches and more. And, to accompany the event was this amazing indigenous food. So, check out "Food" sometime soon. I will probably move that section up to always be what folks read first.

Weather is changing to summer with sunny days and a breeze. Ticos complain of the cold (¡qué frío!) when, for me, it is springtime (or early Fall!). A combination of wind, rain, and 60 degrees and people feel congelados (frozen). The Tico does not tolerate this "coolness" well. The gripe (a bad cold) is commonplace right now. I am frequently asked how New Englanders survive the winters.

Of course, Christmas is a month away. How weird it is seeing Christmas trees in the trunks of cars or on trucks when there is no snow. But, so it is. I am feeling so...sad about leaving so soon. I ask, why didn't I go for a year on a Fulbright. But, alas, leaving a home in winter...in Maine...is risky. And so, it was the right decision, as difficult as it was...and is still. What a wonderful experience. I hope I have the opportunity to share it with you when I return.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Travel & Highlights: November 1 - 9

Also see "Food," below, which is always updated every week.

Playa Flamingo. About 5 hours from here on the Pacific Coast, and north of Tamarindo, is some lovely area, and where I visited a friend of a friend who up'd and moved here 5 years ago. Twas lovely, and a needed rest. Development to the south has gone wild, and unfortunately, what was pristine is now becoming congested. The Leatherback Turtle groups have been quite actively compaigning against the development, and the government is considering exappropriating land that has already been developed and lived on. One can only imagine concerns among people who bought property and already moved here.

Limón. Despite concerns regarding dengue, I made a day trip to Limón to keep an appointment there. The return was scary: Torrential rains, fog, houses flooded and water 1/2 way up the sides of the house, and one bridge near collapse. The road from San José to Limón is the only major route for cars and trucks from the Port, so it gets much use, and rains do not help. I may attempt to go back to the Caribbean side before I leave, but really...the Pacific side is more reliable right now, weather-wise.

SEF2Conference. I attended the Supply Exchange Forum in Cariari City, about an hour from San José.

The purpose of this conference was to bring together businesses of all sizes—to include transnationals (TNC’s) and small to medium sized business, logistics and logistics consultancy providers, and governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to address best practices and regional and global trends in supply chain management.

Over 86 exhibitors, 28 of which were TNC’s, exhibited at this event and were represented by individuals at a high management level. *APL, *Maersk, *Intel, *Atek Medical, *Texas Instruments, *Tyco Corp, *Intel, Boston Scientific, Sodexho were among the many.
[1] Others included the European Institute of Purchasing Management, sponsors, 3PL’s, outsourcing agents, logistics “solutions” companies, and banks. Schenker, Expeditors, *UPS and Scotiabank are a few examples. Georgia Tech. had high visibility
through their Institute of Supply Chain and Logistics. Sponsors included export promotion NGO’s (PROCOMER, Costa Rica’s equivalent to MITC here in Maine), the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), AMCHAM, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), Continental Airlines, and Scotiabank. Former Astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz, Chairman and CEO of AD Astra Rocket Company, was a main attraction speaker. They have research operations in Houston and their recently built Guanacaste, Costa Rica location. Session topics included, but were not limited to lean supply chain manufacturing, outsourcing in developing countries, development of flexible supply chains, and global transportation challenges.

[1] *denotes that these companies were also represented in keynote presentations. Examples include: UPS’s Asia Pacific Regional Director; Maersk’s Regional General Manager of Logistics, and member of their Refrigerated Product Development Team. Most of the TNC’s brought their stateside and regional management team. Many have operations in Costa Rica, which explains their presence.