Thursday, December 13, 2007

Going Home... Dec. 17

This will be my last entry before returning to Maine. Five months went by in a flash, it seems. It was a terrific experience. I accomplished over 50 interviews in State, NGO, and private enterprise sectors. I have begun analyzing and discussing the findings, and trust they will be useful. I learned a lot, both in teaching and in the research endeavor. And...I managed to leave some time for diversion, which was important. I plan to return in May 2008 for several weeks. During that time, I've committed to do a workshop or two. When back in Maine, I also hope to locate other Ticophiles and perhaps get a club together that meets to share similar interests. Perhaps one already exists?

For those of you who followed this Blog and sent comments, I appreciated hearing from you. The "Food" column was definitely the crowd pleaser.

My Best. Pura Vida.

Elaine




Sunday, December 2, 2007

Food!

Food is often the subject of conversation at a Tico gathering. That makes me happy as I love to cook (and eat!). I've eaten pinto gallo, a typical Costa Rican dish which can be served at any time of the day, but known more for a breakfast dish. Translated, it means "spotted rooster." It is a mixture of rice and beans. Olla de Carne is another dish I've enjoyed on several occasions. The sustancia is the broth which arrives in a bowl, of course. On a plate (aparte) there is usually a presentation of vegetables, and beef. The ingredients may include, but are not limited to carrots, elote--a variety of of corn-on-the-cob, yucca--yellow is my favorite, yam, and others not recognizable. There are many varieties of bananas here, and one variety of small banana (guineo) is also a favorite ingredient. I've never added avocado to soup--yummy. The whole dish is "muy rico" (delicious), as is said here. So far the best olla de carne I've sampled was at one of the many restaurants at the Central Market in San José. The beef was rib meat (from the costilla); so00 tender. Another local favorite dish of mine is corvina, or sea bass. While in Manuel Antonio, I was advised to eat the whole fish (here the red snapper or pargo) a la parilla (or barbequed).

Costa Ricans certainly love their sweets. Pastry shops (pastelerías) are everywhere. Near the south side of the campus, on the Calle de Amargura (which translates as Street of Bitterness), eateries (sodas) and student hang-outs are plentiful--along with copy shops and pizza places. A favorite pastry shop of mine is Pastelería de Dona. A lunch there of chicken and rice, fried plantain, and a coconut flan to go is about $3.50. Their donuts are also exceptional. My favorite: chocolate-covered with caramel inside (¡riquísimo!). Pastries here are fatal--just too good.

Love for sweets carries over to a favorite Tico beverage, or frescos. These are natural fruit drinks made from fruit, water or milk, and sugar. Popular varieties include tamarindo (tamarind), maracuya (passion fruit), carambola (star fruit), or cas (sour guava). In milk, papaya, mora (blackberry) and guanabana (soursop) are apparently favorites.

I love Costa Rican coffee--since my days of coming here in my business life. It is outstanding. Unfortunately, I no longer drink caffeinated, and Ticos look at you as if your ...well, one doesn't ask for de-caffeinated. You can ask, but it is not available. So what does one do? (I just smell it. That's all it takes.) I was able to find a bag of decaffeinated (Britt) in the supermarket. Quite good, actually.

Near Manuel Antonio (see Travel, below), there is Costa Rica's home-grown version of a coffee/cafe-restaurant (Café Milagro)--one of two locations in the country. I was able to buy decaf coffee there. The coffee was quite good along with the banana pancakes. They ship coffee to many places in the world.

Pipas. This is a greenish coconut...not fully matured as we might know it. The top is hacked off with a machete and a straw is stuck in the top, and voilá , "una pipa." The liquid is the best thirst-quencher, particularly when the coconut is chilled prior.

Sopa Caribeña de Mariscos. This was a delicious soup I had in a soda (see above). I couldn't figure out what the fish was that was in the soup. Turned out it was squid. I couldn't believe it because it was so soft and unlike the squid I knew.

Pan (Bread). There are sooo many varieties of bread available here. There is pan dulce (a sweet bread that can have many different types of fillings such as ham and cheese, or just cheese, etc.), pan francesa (like the bagettes we know), and other varieties too varied to mention. What interesting to me is the importance of having it in the house, and fresh to have early (with coffee)--for breakfast, and/or mid-morning (with coffee, a cafecito), and with lunch, and (of course) with coffee--like mid afternoon. The bread chosen is usually sweet for breakfast and morning, but that is really a matter of preference, or, a su gusto. If a spur of the moment gathering is to happen with a friend or friends, the conversation will be, "why don't we stop at the house for a cafecito?" Invariably, the inviter will say, "oh...I have no bread ...let's stop for some on the way." And so, back we go to a panadería to buy bread, rolls, and/or more. I just love this stuff!

Helado (Ice Cream). One chain of ice cream retailers is Pops. I'm hooked on their coconut.

Well, with all these food details, one might think I should be about 2 x the size I was when I left. However, this is not the case. In fact, I 've lost weight. I guess it has to to with all the running around I'm doing...catching buses and walking. I don't miss driving. I've always cooked pretty healthy; and so those habits continue here, but with what is commonly available. So I eat mainly fish and chicken, rice and beans, green vegetables, steamed. I'm liking this...a lot.

Funny...I am already missing Thanksgiving--my favorite holiday, and the food. Yep, that is uniquely ours. I'll probably seek out some turkey somewhere, as it is sold in the Automercado--a higher end supermarket.

Chicharrón. I don't know how I could have forgotten to mention this earlier, as I buy it every week after aerobics (!) and with a pipa--see above. In Mexico, it is fried pork skins (rinds). Here it can also be pork rinds. However, chicharones de carne, is pork, that is fried in pieces--crispy outside and tender in. I'm hooked on it. It is freshly made every day at this carnicería--butcher. So first the trip to the fruit stand for the pipa, and then the chicharrón.

Tamales. Many people have eaten these somewhere or another. Visit this site to understand their meaning in Costa Rica http://www.cocori.com/library/crinfo/tamal.htm. These are quite yummy and inexpensive (25 cents up to a $1.00 or so): Stuffed with maize, some carrot, some chicharrón, a slice or two of red sweet pepper, and a piece or two of potato, and wrapped in a lovely banana leaf. As they are a ritual for Christmas, there appear to be more commonly seen right now. I buy mine in the same place I buy my 1x per week chicharrón snack.

Other Christmas dishes. It is Christmas party time here. Besides tamales, I have eaten pozol, which is a delicious soup of pork, pinto beans, cilantro, hominy and other ingredients I hope to find out if I can convince a colleague to share the recipe. I have eaten many other things, and will try to list them here.

Limonese food. I went to Port Limón at the end of November to visit JAPDEVA, or the Port Authority for the Atlantic, and also responsible for development in Limón. I ate the best mixed ceviche -- a raw fish w/shrimp marinated in lime juice-- that I have ever eaten. The corvina, fried plantain, rice--all quite good. The Caribbean side of Costa Rica has a rich variety of foods, to include influence from the Islands. Some dishes are spicey. The rice and beans are often cooked in coconut oil and are seasoned with a Panamanian pepper. (I need to look for that stuff before I go home!)

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.





Saturday, October 27, 2007

Highlights: October - November 1

It's Holloween in the U.S.!! I miss it!! no pumpkin by my apt. ...

° AACUE (Acuerdo de Asociación entre Centroamérica y la Unión Europea/
The Treaty between the European Union Central America):

The first formal rounds of the AACUE took place in Escazú at the Hotel Intercontinental, about 45 minutes from the center of San José.

[Escazú, by the way, is a suburban area within the "province" of San José. Several of my colleagues live there and commute into San José. U.S. food and retail chains populate the avenues in and out of the city. The U.S. and British Ambassador live there. Go to this link to find out why the symbol of Escazú is a witch!
http://escazucostarica.com/]

For weeks, I had been trying to get an appointment with the Chief Negotiator (RE) from Costa Rica. The appt. was "pending" for Oct. 29th. But then we phoned and found out he was leaving for Belgium for a month on that day. I was reeeally disappointed. We made several more calls, and he agreed to meet with me from 9am to 9:30 in the lobby of the hotel on the last day of the meetings. So we (The Institute) managed to get a UCR driver to take me there. We're half-way there, and I ask the driver, "Aren't we going to Escazú?" (...because the route did not look right!). So the driver says, "Aren't you meeting him at the Hotel Cariari Intercontinental?" Well, the answer to that was, no. It was 8:50 am and we were totally in the wrong direction, sitting in traffic heading for Heredia, by the airport. So...I phone the Hotel on the driver's cell phone to talk with someone from RE's entourage, and explain how embarrassed and stupid I felt, and was there any way I could still meet him. RE had to be back in meetings at 9:30 and we were at least 20 minutes away. Sooo...we get to the correct Hotel, and I literally run through the lobby; find his assistant; and am whisked to his meeting room, where he is sitting with others and waiting for me. As it turned out, it was a great 10 minutes, and he promised a longer appt. before I left for the States. If ever a background in marketing helped me in other situations, it helped me most here. I began my conversation with why I felt he would be interested in the findings of my research as background and context for the negotiations. We talked about infrastructure issues and negotiating styles. I would have loved to have the l/2 hour, but I was grateful for the 10 minutes.

° Weather: The weather is starting to change a little--there are not so many heavy rainstorms in the afternoon. October is the real "winter" here. It actually felt like autumn on some of the rainy days. I am looking forward to a Costa Rican summer, but that will not happen to late November, early December, just about when I have to leave.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Highlights: October 1 - 12

Among the noteworthy events in this time period...

~Oct. 7: TLC (or DR-CAFTA as we know it) passes!! BUT, by a very slim margin. It was a priviledge to be here while the process was taking place; I felt a sort of kinship, as it was a democratic process I understood. No propaganda was allowed all day Sunday nor the day before. I've decided not to discuss this issue and the political ramifications in the blog, but expect to have the opportunity to do so in charlas (talks) when I get back.

~ Oct. 8: I was invited to present a talk on the subject of globalizaation to students and faculty in the Humanities. In the question and answer period that followed, I was asked to comment on U.S. foreign policy, the Bush administration, and more. I wasn't expecting that, but I was prepared! Talking about one's home country in a foreign country from a standpoint of neutrality is quite the challenge. I always begin by saying that in a country of over 300,000,000 people, no one is a representative voice for all. Stereotypical views of the US is another charla that I expect to do when I am back home. The value of the Fulbright, in my view, is that it is an opportunity to present perspectives that are not presented in the news and (hopefully) foster improved understanding between nations and cultures.

~ Oct. 9: Dos Pinos (Cooperatora de Productores de Leche Dos Pinos, in Alajuela). Visited the largest producer of lactose products in Costa Rica and among the top exporters in the region. The facilities occupy about 25 hectares of land (1 hectare is 10,000 sq. meters & 1 meter is 3.28 ft). So do the math to appreciate how big this place is! Its products, from personal experience, are yummy--The bests yogurt I've ever eaten, excellent cheeses, and my favorite ice cream pop is their chocolate with coffee ice cream inside. I met with the Director of International Marketing and the Director of Logistics for the purposes of my Fulbright research. This was a very valuable interview.

~ Oct. 11: Intel (Latin American corporate office, in Heredia). By now certain themes regarding logistics and more are being validated across industries. This means I am ready to start writing research results.

[Oh, about the interview transcripts...I am hiring work study students from
the Institute to type them. So I am up to date. All I need to do is read
through them all and color code for prevailing themes. Lots to do...]

I interviewed 2 individuals: the Logistics Manager and Special Projects (Logistics) involved in all areas excepting raw materials inbound. High security was experienced here going in and going out, and no tape recording or photos were allowed. It's understandable.

I stayed in Heredia that evening and took the opportunity to visit some friends of friends and eat gallo pinto (see "Food"), and torta chilena (a yummy, sweet, filo dough type layered dessert with caramel between the layers.) Of course, Costa Rican coffee accompanied the dessert. By now I've given up on decaffeinated and have succumbed to drinking the real thing because it is so rico.

~Oct. 12: Al Gore receives the Nobel Prize. That felt good for many reasons.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

9-24 - 9-30 Puntarenas & Puerto Calderas

Puerto Calderas: About 2-1/2 hours east of San José is Puerto Calderas on the Pacific Coast. It is a significant port for import of such goods as iron, vehicles, paper, banana, bagged cement, fertilizers, salt and fruits as well as bulk salt, corn, soy, wheat, malt, rice, fertilizers, sand. On the export side (formally a minor share of total traffic, but now almost 1/2) are fruits, vehicles, banana, bagged cement, and cattle--including but not limited to...
I interviewed both the Director of Port Security and the Assistant Director of the Port regarding my project. These were the first interviews I have had at a workforce level, and so the information was very useful. I got a tour of the operations there and was quite impressed with the modern facilities. This port has been privately owned and operated since 2006. The major financial interest is Colombian.

I have been recording all of my interviews on cassettes. The Institute has provided work-study students to type the transcripts. Yet, I am falling behind as the tapes take about 4 hrs. to transcribe. What to do? Not sure yet, but hope to resolve this week.

Puntarenas. I am told that Puntarenas was once Costa Rica's busiest ports. That's not so anymore since the port facility at Calderas was established. Frommer's Costa Rica guidebook (2007) says of Puntarenas that it "... has yet to shed its image as a rough-and-tumble port town" (p. 256) despite efforts to attract visitors and clean up the beaches. This appears to be an accurate assessment, yet it is relatively close to San José if one yearns for a view of the ocean.

Food. I was told to have a Churchill on the way back. It is a combination of milk, ice cream and fruit. However, I had just eaten a yummy corvina (see below), and had no room. Perhaps next time.

Wow...Oct 1 tomorrow. I'm here 2 months. Where has the time gone??

Monday, September 24, 2007

TLC (Tratado Libre de Comercio)/Free Trade Agreement

As I have mentioned in a previous post, October is the referendum on the DR-CAFTA Trade Agreement. Costa Rica is the only country that has not ratified it. The news and the protests are gearing up here for the people vs. the No people. Even a taxi driver will try to pull you into a conversation about the subject. On Sunday, there were demonstrations on street corners and vans riding around town blasting propaganda through microphones. More soon...

9-30-07: Well, the referendum is a week away and the demonstrations more noticable. Paradoxically, while all this is going on, COMEX (The Ministry of Foreign Commerce) is meeting with representatives of the EU (European Union) to develop the AACUE, or a trade agreement between the EU and Central America. I was invited a summary meeting of the state of the negotiations to date in Herradura last week.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Travel

My schedule does not give me much time for tourism; however, to not see some of the country while I'm here would be ridiculous. Right? (yes)

San José: 9-22/23. Decided to check out some museums while here: The Gold Museum--an unbelievable collection of gold dating from the Pre-Columbian era; The Costa Rican Museum of Art, the National Museum, and a museum that displays a collection of coins, etc. dating back many years. In regard to the latter, I was amused to see that some of the coins and bills I still have from by business life here 20 yrs. ago are now museum pieces. While they have no value in exchange, I am sure they will be a nice gift for a young Costa Rican who is starting a coin collection. I also visited a Butterfly Garden--amazing all the varieties that were there. ...lovely.

Manuel Antonio: 9-14/9-16. The 14th was Costa Rican Independence Day. In celebration, there were parades. Additionally, runners carried a torch from the Nicaraguan border to Panama to celebrate the occasion. The "neat" thing was to see the entire event emulated within the elementary schools. Another torch was carried by school children who ran along and passed it from pueblo (town) to pueblo. It was so cute to see the school children (in their school "uniforms") perched along the road, waving the Costa Rican flag.

Manuel Antonio is on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. I decided to go there, rather than Limón (see below for "why"). It is a tourist-attracting place with lovely vistas and the celebrated Manuel Antonio National Park. Unfortunately, the area is showing the signs of too much development, I am told. About a month before I went, I was told that there was a tsunami alert there due to the Peruvian earthquake. People were literally running with their suitcases to the mountains. I was advised to stay higher up--in the mountains, if I decided to go. As it turned out, there was a tremor at 3 am. on Sunday, the day I was to leave...pretty scary.)

The park is definitely a "must see." I managed to take more a few more pictures of monkeys, to include the perezozo ("lazy," in Spanish)--a monkey that lumbers along so slowly, that it takes about 20 minutes for it to move about a yard. Crabs and grasshoppers that are beautifully colored, and iguanas that were not, were prevalent. I was told that a boa constrictor ate a small animal (a rabbit-like-looking rat the size of a small pig--name of which I cannot remember) the week before. It swallowed it whole, as the story goes. Glad I missed that... By the way, check out "Food," updated below.

La Fortuna: 9-1/9-2. I spent two precious days with friends on a trip 2-1/2 hrs. northwest of San José. We visited several volcanoes--the quite impressive Poás and Arenal. I'm told there are 110 volcanoes in Costa Rica. We also bathed in some lovely hot springs near La Fortuna--in the pouring rain, by the way, and visited the Arenal Rain Forest...lovely. I'm finally figuring out how my daughter's digital camera works: Got some some lovely rainforest shots, but the white-faced monkeys would not pose long enough for me to capture a picture of their great "mug." With 5% of the world's biodiversity here, there is much reason to take pictures, although I have not taken many yet.

Next trip? ...don't know yet. On the Caribbean side, Limón has been in the news an active place for dengue- carrying mosquitos due to the heavy rains this year. I was considering tying in a trip to Limón to visit JAPDEVA for an interview (see column on left). However, I'm adverse to taking unecessary risks while here. Better to get the interview in San José? So for further travel, I may consider a trip to Guanacaste Province located on the Pacific side. There it is drier; therefore, it is more of a "no worries" area for mosquito -borne diseases. Iwould also love to go to the Golfito, down toward Panama--we'll see; it's a long trip.

Significant trivia: One-quarter of the world's tree species are here in Costa Rica. Yes, Costa Rica is quite biodiverse.





Saturday, September 8, 2007

Sept. 3 - 7; Sept. 10 - 14

Sept. 3-7, aside from teaching responsibilities, I accomplished 3 high level interviews with the following organizations: INCOP, FUNDES, and PROCOMER. INCOP is the Port Authority for the Pacific; FUNDES mission involves working to develop small to medium-sized businesses internally. PROCOMER continues where FUNDES leaves off to assist companies with their exporting activities. Several themes are emerging specific to my research focus which have implications to logistics, human resource development, and infrastructure development within the country and the region. I'm taping the interviews (in Spanish), and the Institute is assisting me with student workers who are typing transcriptions for me. I don't know what I would do without the Institute. They've been instrumental in opening all the doors for me.

Sept. 12: (highlight): I was invited by a professor in the Economics Dept. to give a guest lecture to his class. I focused on transnational company trends specific to their supply chain "factors of production" choices. I tied in the importance of these trends to Costa Rica's economic development. This was fun to do.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Weather, etc.

When I told people I was going to Costa Rica, the response was usually a perception of sandy beaches. However, I am in the city, so there are no sandy beaches here. San José is about 1160 meters above sea level. Therefore, weather is pretty temperate--about 75 degrees most days and some humidity. It is winter (yes...winter) here. Winter here is rain and lots of it. When I walk to the bus on my way to the University, it is usually sunny. Everyone totes an umbrella, which is a clue of the afternoon rains. By 1:30pm. it is pouring. And... as many cities in this part of the world, streets are congested. The pedestrian does not necessarily have the right of way (or at all!). So one has to watch over one's shoulder when crossing the street. (I've had some pretty close calls, and an occasional taxi driver scream at me to walk on the sidewalk vs. the street. No gestures, however. ...)

Week of Aug 27

~teaching. Hard to believe that September is around the corner and that I've been here almost a month. For my undergraduate students who still remember me, guess what? Yes, they have name cards--seniors with name cards. Of course, they have not had to deal with name cards for 4 years, as you may recall. Those cards really work: The class this past Tuesday was animated; I'm learning their names. I'm enjoying it. This week we covered decision making and the Director of Logistics of Intel was a guest speaker. They chose Costa Rica to build a major corporate center.
Good news!: The School of Business Administration at UCR was rated the best in Costa Rica by La Nación this week.
~Research. I made up my pre-diagnostic research questions this past week. These will help me develop the real questions for the survey I plan to do on my fieldwork (see left column for details). I have two appointments on Monday, September 3.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Week of August 20

Research Projects: There is a great deal of formality regarding approval and support of research at the University. Therefore, I will be submitting my proposal this week. Below is an excerpt from a letter and proposal I plan to submit. For translation summary, see column at left, ...Regarding Research. Reiterating, approximately 70% of my time will be devoted to research.

21/8: My proposal was accepted by the Institute of Economic Science Research, which is the research unit within the University of Costa Rica, and highly esteemed at the country level. I never considered requesting their support as I simply was not knowledgeable. This is good news, indeed. This all happened based on the advice of a Rotary club member. As it turns out, I will be given an office (one-half) day w/computer and phone, secretarial services, a researcher to assist with data compilation, and assistance with setting up interviews. For more information about IICE see http://www.iice.ucr.ac.cr/pagina3.htm

Investigaciones propuestas:

Mi trabajo de investigación se centrará e el tema: Costa Rica: Preparativos necesarios para la seguridad logística y capacitación de los recursos humanos frente al CAFTA-DR: Un Estudio de Casos

Puesto que Costa Rica fue uno de los primeros designados en 1983 para la Iniciativa de la Cuenca del Caribe (la CBI), resulta propicio para hacer mis investigaciones. Mi propuesta es investigar las implicaciones de las pautas de CAFTA-DR en cuanto a la capacitación de recursos humanos e integración de medidas de seguridad, logística y tecnología en la región. Espero conseguir entrevistas con las compañías y agencias siguientes, P/O Nedlloyd, Seaboard Marine, Remarsa, Junta de Administración Portuaria y de Desarrollo Económico de la Vertiente (JAPDEVA), FUNDES, Instituto Costarricense de Puertos del Pacífico (INCOP), Fed Ex Corp., empresas locales: Hewlett Packard, IBM, Teradyne, Sykes, Baxter, Procter & Gamble, e Intel. Así esta labor tendrá la figura de un estudio de casos. He hecho varios estudios longitudinales sobre la Iniciativa de la Cuenca del Caribe y los siguientes tratados relacionados. Por lo tanto, este trabajo de campo en particular constituye una progresión natural de esfuerzos ya realizados.

24/8: Participated in a rural community effort by a Rotary Club. Every Rotary Club has their community project, and this one was a cooperative effort with Fiderpac, a non-governmental organization that provides small business and other financing to rural communities. It was about an hour + drive to San Pedro de Puriscal, a very precious community in the mountains northwest of San José. Additionally, there was a workshop going on for women on the subject of small business development and microfinancing. My Rotary "godfather" was evaluating a survey that was intended to measure customer satisfaction with Fiderpac. I really enjoyed the opportunity to participate in these efforts. I used to do workshops for women with the Small Business Association (SBA) some years ago; this reminded me of those efforts. In this case, however, financing requests could be for other purposes than a business development. Examples include: to purchase cattle, do improvements on a house, and more.

August 15: Mother´s Day (El Día de la Madre)

San José is often quite congested with traffic, but this day was unbelievable for a Weds. I made the mistake of attempting to meet a Fulbright acquaintance downtown. What should have been a 10 minute ride turned out to be a 40 minute ride.

The government decreed recently that Mondays will be the days when holidays are celebrated. It was done (I am told) to attract more tourism over a 3 day weekend. Despite the decree, however, Ticos still celebrated the holiday on its usual day. Of course, they will also celebrate it on Monday, the 20th. As one woman said, "I have no problem accepting as many gifts as people want to give me." (It loses something in translation. It was quite funny.)

August 3 - 14

This was basically a settling-in period for me: e.g., unpacking, trying out the bus route to the University (about 10 minutes and 28 cents, or 145 colones), meeting colleagues, finding groceries, and more. As I've always valued Rotary Club contacts in business and other travels, I had already contacted several club presidents before I left. I cannot express how wonderful and hospitable these folks have been for explaining cultural, food and other issues important to life here.

U.S. brands are definitely visible here...some in more places than others. As example, the Hipermás here is really a Super Walmart and resembles the layout in the U.S. Another acquisition by Walmart is a grocery chain called, Más por Menos (More for Less). One is about a 3-4 km. walk from my apt. Taco Bell, Quiznos, McDonalds--you name it; they are all here.

I team teach once per week in a 3-1-2 hr. class with Professor Gustavo Bado--my email "pen pal" contact before arriving and hospitable colleague in the Department of Business Administration. The course is similar to our MA401 as its focus is Strategic Management. It is a fourth year undergraduate course requirement. There are 35 students in the class. I enjoyed the first session immensely, discovering what I've always believed... . i.e., that we often look for differences between peoples vs. the universals. These students expressed the same hopes and dreams as our MMA students when asked what their expectations were of the course. Another universal: They also enjoy complaining when given the opportunity. Two things (among many) that I found interesting: a) These students do not have a "coop" experience before graduating. (They wish they had.) b) Professors receive the grade point average of each student in the class on their class lists. I don't believe we could do that in our country for reasons of privacy. This is the first time I have taught an area of interest and specialization in Spanish. I am quite excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of me.