Saturday, November 05, 2005
An actual update
I sit now in a quickly-emptying apartment as I try to pack all my stuff this weekend so that I can move in with the Wests for my last 10 days in Nicaragua. Packing is frustrating and sad. Packing reminds me nothing of the great Thanksgiving and Christmas times spent with family that is just around the corner or the wedding of friends that i will actually be able to attend this coming summer. Instead, every book, paper and peice of clothing remind me only of leaving. I called the airline to make sure I was correct in my assumption that each passenger is allowed: 1 carry on piece, 1 personal item, and 1 musical instrument. Yeah, that's not true. First of all, "musical instrument" means "guitar," they do not intend for any passenger to bring a djimbe onboard. So it has to go below, but in what case? I have two djimbes and I have no clue how to send them back. If I put them in footlockers, they are both going to take up the majority of the space in the footlockers. I can see it now: I'm going to have 6 bags plus a carryon and personal item. I am so in trouble.
Lately I've been reading articles like this one: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051105/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/americas_summit that talk about the Free Trade Agreement talks in Argentina. Does anyone understand economics enough to explain to me why Chavez et al are so opposed to free trade, besides a mere anti-American sentiment? What really kills me are the riots. Really, these riots have nothing to do with economics. Free Trade protests don't end in the smashing of 30 storefronts. These people are just mad at the US for their presence. The protestors don't understand that the police officers they injured are Argentine and are all the workers in the shops whose storefronts were smashed. Even if it was a McDonald's, owned by an American Corporation, McDonald's always hires all positions locally. So many times extremists want so badly to make a statement that they don't mind doing so against the wrong people, just so long as everyone knows that they aren't happy. And really, how selfish is that? Someone in the article above pointed out that Bush may not even hear about their riots. I'm sure he is unaffected by it. Latinos have been, for so many years, building up a growing hatred for the US which is odd as, if I were to tell any Nicaraguan on the street that I'm about to go home to the states, they would ask me if I would sponser them for a green card. It's a jealousy thing, kinda. There's a latin american concept that if you get one, I should get one too. A concept that works really well with socialist revolutions (see Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bolivia, Venezuela). Capitalism, as a concept, fails in latin america (see Argentina for a macrocosm or any latin american city or town for a microcosm). There is no desire to work any harder than I have to get by. Hard work doesn't pay. Working for a rich man and stealing when he's not looking does pay. Case in point: in a small store in Costa Rica, a man offered an item imported from the States that wasn't being offered by any other local store, so his sales, especially for that item went through the roof. One day, someone walks in looking for it and it isn't there and the store owner tells them that he stopped ordering them because he just couldn't keep them on the shelf and he kept having to restock and he didn't like restocking that much.
I still haven't blogged about my trips in the Rio Coco because I'm a little insecure about the trip. I'm not sure that we did the best thing and I don't know how to categorize the trip on the scale of success/failure. It makes me fear that I wouldn't be able to last in aid work because I walk away angry with the people for being so dishonest and selfish, instead of being grateful to have been able to helped someone whether they appreciate it or not. I will say that it was gorgeous. If you click on the "myspace" link over on the left, my main picture is from the area as is the picture of the lady with the bucket on her head. It's a place that I can take pictures of, but that pictures can't really tell the story.
I hope to see you states people soon.
Lately I've been reading articles like this one: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051105/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/americas_summit that talk about the Free Trade Agreement talks in Argentina. Does anyone understand economics enough to explain to me why Chavez et al are so opposed to free trade, besides a mere anti-American sentiment? What really kills me are the riots. Really, these riots have nothing to do with economics. Free Trade protests don't end in the smashing of 30 storefronts. These people are just mad at the US for their presence. The protestors don't understand that the police officers they injured are Argentine and are all the workers in the shops whose storefronts were smashed. Even if it was a McDonald's, owned by an American Corporation, McDonald's always hires all positions locally. So many times extremists want so badly to make a statement that they don't mind doing so against the wrong people, just so long as everyone knows that they aren't happy. And really, how selfish is that? Someone in the article above pointed out that Bush may not even hear about their riots. I'm sure he is unaffected by it. Latinos have been, for so many years, building up a growing hatred for the US which is odd as, if I were to tell any Nicaraguan on the street that I'm about to go home to the states, they would ask me if I would sponser them for a green card. It's a jealousy thing, kinda. There's a latin american concept that if you get one, I should get one too. A concept that works really well with socialist revolutions (see Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bolivia, Venezuela). Capitalism, as a concept, fails in latin america (see Argentina for a macrocosm or any latin american city or town for a microcosm). There is no desire to work any harder than I have to get by. Hard work doesn't pay. Working for a rich man and stealing when he's not looking does pay. Case in point: in a small store in Costa Rica, a man offered an item imported from the States that wasn't being offered by any other local store, so his sales, especially for that item went through the roof. One day, someone walks in looking for it and it isn't there and the store owner tells them that he stopped ordering them because he just couldn't keep them on the shelf and he kept having to restock and he didn't like restocking that much.
I still haven't blogged about my trips in the Rio Coco because I'm a little insecure about the trip. I'm not sure that we did the best thing and I don't know how to categorize the trip on the scale of success/failure. It makes me fear that I wouldn't be able to last in aid work because I walk away angry with the people for being so dishonest and selfish, instead of being grateful to have been able to helped someone whether they appreciate it or not. I will say that it was gorgeous. If you click on the "myspace" link over on the left, my main picture is from the area as is the picture of the lady with the bucket on her head. It's a place that I can take pictures of, but that pictures can't really tell the story.
I hope to see you states people soon.
# posted by Adam @ 7:18 AM 
Comments:
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Why not try sending some of your stuff home threw the post office? I know that for us sometimes its best to mail a few things to where your going instead of paying the fees on airlines for all the extra bags and such. Or ask them how much they charge per extra bag, most air lines will allow more bags, just at a price.
I understand what you mean about packing. It's a very bitter-sweet process. I'd love to see your pictures. And we are extremely happy that we all get to see you and that you'll be able to come to the wedding. Also, if you are serious about it (and it's not just a rhetorical question:)) I'll look at that econ stuff. I'm doing some research now on communist/socialist ways of doing business and the effects of trade. I hope you enjoy your remaining time in Nicaragua. I also hope you enjoy your return to the States:)
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