Posts Tagged ‘Kiva’

July 14th, 2010 - 9:51 am § in Costa Rica, Culture, In the Field, Op Ed

Profits vs. People

Costa Rica is arguably the most “developed” country in Central America. But at what cost has this “development” been attained? Is it really an accomplishment to be able to say, ¨We cater to the interests of gringos better than anyone else?¨ Or would it be more noble to pass[...]

June 24th, 2010 - 10:37 am § in Chile, Culture, Honduras

High Definition

Idealistic adventurers (whether in Latin America or elsewhere) inevitably find themselves in a world of contrasts. Some contrasts are devastating, others empowering, and then there are the contrasts that are neither here-nor-there. The last of these, whether they make us chuckle or swear, add uniq[...]

June 3rd, 2010 - 8:50 am § in Chile, Culture, In the Field

Fatalism and Optimism

On Monday I worked with a group of women to identify characteristics that they relate to being a good entrepreneur. The activity was part of the professional training program they take part in as part of their loan through Fondo Esperanza, and to begin the session I asked one of the women to descri[...]

May 17th, 2010 - 7:27 am § in Country, Peru

Happiness is: New Experiences and Unpredictability in a Foreign Country

“Maybe we mistakenly think we want ‘happiness’, which we tend to picture in very vague, soft-focus terms, when what we really crave is the harder-edged intensity of experience.” I read this in a New York Times article two days before leaving the States for my yearlong stint in Cusco. Nine mo[...]

May 6th, 2010 - 12:00 pm § in Chile, In the Field, Volunteer

Mother Hen

In the past week I bid my family of Honduran friends farewell, packed my things, moved continents (now in Santiago, Chile!), found a new apartment, learned a new public transportation system, and visited three offices of Fondo Esperanza (the new Kiva partner I’m working with).  This morning[...]

April 19th, 2010 - 11:37 am § in Bolivia, Culture, In the Field, Peru

Hungry?

I can’t leave South America without writing a post on one of my favorite things in the world: FOOD! Many of  the clients I met working as a Kiva Fellow sold food in various forms – whether they were wholesale potato dealers, raised and prepared cuy for functions, cooked lechón at the local[...]

April 9th, 2010 - 4:15 pm § in Good Ideas, Nicaragua, Volunteer

Productive Uses Create Sustainable Energy

There are many steps to help create energy independence within blueEnergy’s mission. One of the final stages is to create ways in which our communities can use the wind turbines, solar panels and other energy systems we provide for productive uses. Broadly speaking, productive uses refer to projec[...]

March 26th, 2010 - 5:40 pm § in Bolivia, Day in the Life, Tips & Resources

Day in the Life: Buses and Me, a Love-Hate Relationship

When I arrive at the terminal, people are calling out Bolivian city names and offering to carry my bag, hoping to sell me a ticket.  It’s fierce competition!  Any seat that goes unsold is lost revenue. I bought my ticket earlier that afternoon, so after handing over my mochila (backback) to the [...]

March 17th, 2010 - 1:48 pm § in Around Town, Colombia, Tips & Resources

Working in the Barrios

Celeste’s fantastic post about favela tourism got me thinking about the differences between visiting and working with favelas (or barrios de invasion as they’re generally known in Colombia). One of the things that I most love about volunteering for Kiva in Barranquilla is that I’m in a city [...]

March 9th, 2010 - 4:56 pm § in Around Town, Colombia, Day in the Life

Day in the Life: Times are Changing

I feel I know Barranquilla reasonably well: I’m finding my way around the city, making friends and—at last—working out how to use the bus network, without needing to get off the bus because I misread where it was going. But for all I think I know Barranquilla, there’s another side that I’v[...]





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