It is time to go home. I am ready. I don't think I can adequately describe the gift I have been given. A gift of time, exploration and renewal. The last few weeks have been pure vacation. Spending time with with K and L and seeing more of Australia. We went to Heron Island, two flights and a ferry ride to get to this Island at the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. The island is a national marine park, a research station and an amazing dive site. We toured the research facility, walked the 1.6 mile island many times, snorkeled off the beach and K and L did some SCUBA dives. L completed 5 dives.
I was sick the week before L arrived and although I kept up with the touring of Sydney, Port Douglas and the Daintree when I finally visited a doctor she reported I had torn my ear drum (I had done this earlier when learning how to SCUBA) so diving was out of the question for me on this trip. Heron Island is listed as in the book of 1,000 Places to visit before you die and it deserves the notation. The GBR is several hours off the mainland so the glory of being on an island 2 hours off the main land is we can snorkel from the beach and dive sites are a 5 minute boat ride away. We saw several kinds of sharks, lemon and reef (it has been 20 years since the last shark attack at Heron but I still got out of the ocean when the sharks circled). Lots of rays; cow tail, man o ray and eagle ray. And lots and lots of big and small turtles. If my trip to Africa brought back memories of Lion King, this trip was all about Finding Nemo. Is it pathetic or quaint that my travel experiences are linked to our daughter's early movie watching?
I don't think it would be possible to have a better birthday than I had. Watching the sun rise over the Coral Sea, K drawing HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANICE on the sand, a walk out on the reef during low tide, watching a turtle hatching and then sunset and dinner with the two people I love most in the world.
The turtle hatching was amazing. The odds of a baby turtle surviving from hatching on the beach to reaching maturity and reproducing are about 1 in 1,000 but the small group of guests on the island were determined to improve these odds so we spent several hours chasing away the predatory seagulls who would snatch the baby turtles as they struggled to the ocean. It was one of the most amazing things to watch. Just minutes from the egg, making their way across the sand, over some rocks and trying to get to the sea. We screamed, threw rocks and chased seagulls. Were we very PC or very unPC? We were as aggressive as these nasty baby killing seagulls and looked 1,000 times more ridiculous. Little kids and senior citizens and everyone in between, about 12 of us, committed to breaking the cycle of life and helping these baby turtles make it. The naturalists on the island warn everyone not to touch the turtles as it may interfere with their mapping to return to the site and lay eggs in the future, but in the spirit of true confessions, I did see several people (not me) pick up some and help them over the rocks. But as soon as the turtles made it to the sea, a seagull would snatch it from the ocean and gobble it down. If by some chance a gull didn't get it, there were 3 circling sharks, looking for a nibble. That damn circle of life thing was terribly depressing. Check out facebook and see some great pictures L took of the turtles. She took some videos and if I can figure out how to post them, I will.
After returning from the beach, we felt compelled after nearly 4 months in Australia to visit Melbourne. There is an intense rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney. Both claim they are the best city and since we have dear friends who hail from Melbourne, we wanted to visit it before we returned home. Spent three days in Melbourne, sightseeing, a little shopping and eating. I will not weigh in on the Melbourne vs. Sydney debate. Very different cities, Sydney is the glamour girl, all harbor and beauty. Melbourne has interesting laneways with cafes and shops, great restaurants and beautiful buildings built during the gold rush of the late 19th century.
Weather has turned cool but this last day in Sydney is sunny and feels great. We packed, showed L some of downtown Sydney, had brunch at the QVB, caught up on some things around the apartment and watched the harbor and sailboats. We all took a sailing lesson last Sunday, all three of us, which was great fun. The same school that I used earlier. Experiencing the harbor from on the water, in a sail boat must be part of any extended visit to Sydney.
I really am ready to get back to work, see our dogs and start (albeit a bit late) the summer garden. Will be wonderful to move from a nice long summer to another summer in DC. My sincere thanks to the great UE staff, especially RJ who kept the company running so smoothly, the UE Board who supported me and the entire company with this wonderful sabbatical policy and to the LeapFrog team that is breaking new ground every day and allowed me to join in the great journey, if only for a little while.
Cheers and no worries mate.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Easter Weekend
My family has arrived, K two weeks ago and K and M last week and two weeks until L arrives. The third and final phase of my sabbatical. The first phase was me, alone in Sydney, working at LeapFrog, taking sailing lessons, bridge lessons and walking everywhere all over the city. A sense of independence and aloneness. The second phase was of travel to Manila, South Africa, working on LF projects and now the third phase is family. This third phase is making everything seem more real. It will not just be my memories of Sydney but now I will have shared memories and stories to tell that others will be part of. I didn't realize when this experience started, how important that would be. These precious four months will live longer because others are here to be part of it.
I am showing family all of my haunts around Sydney. Developed the perfect first day. Land from the states at 6:30 am, make it to my apartment around 8:30, a shower and breakfast and off to the ferry to Circular Quay and then to Manley, a walk around the beach, and then sitting on the beach watching the surfers at Manley. Lunch at the Kiosk at Shelley Beach, ferries back to the apartment and quiet evening with light dinner and bed by about 8:30 pm. Lots of sunshine, some walking, good views of Sydney and the beach. Perfect first day in Sydney. I've done this twice for the two most recent arrivals. L arrives on Mother's Day, what a perfect present.
Easter weekend is a bit unusual in Australia. The country feels rather unreligious, compared to very religious US. But the amount of chocolate Easter candy in the stores boggles the mind. I've never seen so much candy for sale. I imagine there will be some pretty good sales after Easter on the left over candy. This year ANZAC Day and Easter fall on the same weekend so there is a five day weekend, which for Australia is better than the Second Coming. Australians love their weekends. Where parts of the US are live to work places, this country is more of a work to live place. So five days off, Good Friday through Easter Tuesday. Easter Tuesday??? Well because ANZAC day is Monday, one is obliged to push Easter Monday to Easter Tuesday. Got it? Just about everything is shut down on Good Friday, Easter and until 1:00 pm on ANZAC day. Even grocery stores. Just so happens I have no, and I mean no, food in my apartment so we are scraping together meals and trying to find the few restaurants that are open. ANZAC day is sort of a Veterans Day and Memorial Day rolled into one. Daybreak ceremonies that everyone says are very moving, but I have yet to talk to anyone who has ever been to a day break ceremony. Parades of veterans and then a gambling game called Two Up which is only allowed to be played, legally, on ANZAC Day. Seems you go to a bar, and bet on whether the coin toss will be heads or tails. It may be more challenging than this but I don't think so.
Although I am not overly religious, I was a little taken aback by watching parties and a wedding (live band pounding out songs while everyone danced and drank) on Good Friday. Now that is something that would never happen, in virtually any community in the states. There was a loud and rowdy party in my apartment building on Friday night, long into the night. There are a few Anglican Churches, St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney and a few other churches scattered around but my overall impression is that organized religion does not play a big role in the life of many Australians. But the five day weekend, now that is a big deal.
Spending more mental time on UE things, working with J on some trips for the summer and getting excited about returning. LeapFrog announced a huge new investment in Kenya last week. The largest microinsurance investment, ever and one that will fund significant new growth in microinsurance in East Africa. I think there will be a few more announcements in the coming months. The projects in the Philippines are still in the early stages but I think they will come together. LeapFrog is taking the social metrics initiative very seriously and I think will be able to have a strong story to tell in the future on the role their investments had in improving their communities. I'm looking forward to following this over the years.
I am showing family all of my haunts around Sydney. Developed the perfect first day. Land from the states at 6:30 am, make it to my apartment around 8:30, a shower and breakfast and off to the ferry to Circular Quay and then to Manley, a walk around the beach, and then sitting on the beach watching the surfers at Manley. Lunch at the Kiosk at Shelley Beach, ferries back to the apartment and quiet evening with light dinner and bed by about 8:30 pm. Lots of sunshine, some walking, good views of Sydney and the beach. Perfect first day in Sydney. I've done this twice for the two most recent arrivals. L arrives on Mother's Day, what a perfect present.
Easter weekend is a bit unusual in Australia. The country feels rather unreligious, compared to very religious US. But the amount of chocolate Easter candy in the stores boggles the mind. I've never seen so much candy for sale. I imagine there will be some pretty good sales after Easter on the left over candy. This year ANZAC Day and Easter fall on the same weekend so there is a five day weekend, which for Australia is better than the Second Coming. Australians love their weekends. Where parts of the US are live to work places, this country is more of a work to live place. So five days off, Good Friday through Easter Tuesday. Easter Tuesday??? Well because ANZAC day is Monday, one is obliged to push Easter Monday to Easter Tuesday. Got it? Just about everything is shut down on Good Friday, Easter and until 1:00 pm on ANZAC day. Even grocery stores. Just so happens I have no, and I mean no, food in my apartment so we are scraping together meals and trying to find the few restaurants that are open. ANZAC day is sort of a Veterans Day and Memorial Day rolled into one. Daybreak ceremonies that everyone says are very moving, but I have yet to talk to anyone who has ever been to a day break ceremony. Parades of veterans and then a gambling game called Two Up which is only allowed to be played, legally, on ANZAC Day. Seems you go to a bar, and bet on whether the coin toss will be heads or tails. It may be more challenging than this but I don't think so.
Although I am not overly religious, I was a little taken aback by watching parties and a wedding (live band pounding out songs while everyone danced and drank) on Good Friday. Now that is something that would never happen, in virtually any community in the states. There was a loud and rowdy party in my apartment building on Friday night, long into the night. There are a few Anglican Churches, St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney and a few other churches scattered around but my overall impression is that organized religion does not play a big role in the life of many Australians. But the five day weekend, now that is a big deal.
Spending more mental time on UE things, working with J on some trips for the summer and getting excited about returning. LeapFrog announced a huge new investment in Kenya last week. The largest microinsurance investment, ever and one that will fund significant new growth in microinsurance in East Africa. I think there will be a few more announcements in the coming months. The projects in the Philippines are still in the early stages but I think they will come together. LeapFrog is taking the social metrics initiative very seriously and I think will be able to have a strong story to tell in the future on the role their investments had in improving their communities. I'm looking forward to following this over the years.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
South Africa
Finishing my time in South Africa and heading back to Sydney tomorrow. The trip was a combination of the investors in LeapFrog meeting for the second time since the fund was started, working with the micro insurance experts based in Johannesburg and a trip to a game reserve.
The investor meeting was very interesting for me as an outsider. I think we do meetings extremely well at United Educators so I have a very high bar on both governance and meeting flow. LeapFrog has added challenges to holding meetings as they are working across cultures and varying degrees of comfort in English. I tried to lead a lessons learned after the meetings, using UE's format of things that went well and things to improve upon. It fell flat and proves that point that what works for one group isn't guaranteed to help others.
I also went with a colleague to visit the call center for Allife, the insurance group that offers term life insurance to HIV positive South Africans. There are 15 languages spoken in South Africa so the call center reps are matched with the language of the prospect and go through a complicated process to get the appropriate underwriting information, medical tests must be done etc. After the policy is bound, there is ongoing follow up to ensure that the proper medical treatments are achieved, either through the government health insurance program which means long wait times or through private health insurance.
As with all big meetings, the LeapFrog team was exhausted by Friday afternoon. The perfect escape for me was a weekend in the bush. Rented a car and started my first ever driving on the opposite side of the road, opposite for me at least. Thirty minutes out of Joburg, I got a flat tire. Truth be told, I was finding my way to stay center on a narrow road and went slightly off the side of the road. There was a 4 inch drop in the pavement, a sharp edge drop and the right tire blew. A few choice words escaped and I realized I had to pull over. The background to this is everyone in South Africa has a story of crime. Either they or a close relative or friend has been a victim of crime, a car jacking, murder, attack something. It seems to be part of the collective experience. I pulled over and relied on the generosity and kindness of strangers. I've been taught to change my own tire, K has been insistent that both L and I are able to do this, but after being quickly surrounded by a large crowd out for Saturday shopping, a few men stepped forward and offered to help me with the tire. It was an efficient operation and the kindness of strangers prevailed. I gave the banana I had to a little girl who was close at hand and 100 Rand to the primary tire changer and drove away.
Made my way to the Madikwe Game Reserve which is at the border of Botswana and South Africa. The final 20% of the trip was on dirt roads with the last portion in the Reserve really rough road.
Jaci's Tree Top Lodge, www.madikwe.com, was worth the hassle of the trip. I'll post the pictures which with all modesty are pretty good considering I just shave a pocket camera. The animals were wonderful to see in the wild, the highlight was a pack of wild dogs which are very rare and difficult to see. The African bush is a magical place. L was born in 91 and her generation grew up on Lion King. I must have seen this movie 100 times. It left such an impression I was identifying the animals based on the character in Lion King. Pretty pathetic but true. Timone and what was the warthog's name?
It is off season so I was the only person staying at the Tree Lodge Sunday night. Even the staff was a distance away at the staff quarters. A very lonely and sort of scary night to be out in the bush too far for anyone even to hear a scream. I was brave and kept my doors opened, hearing the birds and monkey calls and praying that snakes are not nocturnal and the gate to the Lodge was locked.
I've been asked my impressions of South Africa 25 years since my last visit, after apartheid. I can't possibly judge the country's progress after 10 days but some things are hard to miss. Twenty five years ago, except for a few "international" restaurants, I wouldn't see blacks as patrons at restaurants. I remember trying to having dinner with a banker from Zambia and we were denied admittance to a restaurant in downtown Joburg. Now there is no distinction. Like the US, segregation exists, whites with whites and blacks with blacks. But there are many groups of upwardly mobile blacks, a group that didn't exist 25 years ago.
The poverty and slums still exist in abundance, the area where I stopped to change my tire was desperately poor and all black. The whites mostly seem to live in houses with walls and gates. The whites who have stayed, made the conscience decision to stay in South Africa and not immigrate to London, Perth Australia, Israel or other places are committed to the success of the country and are optimistic. They believe the country is getting better and the crime issues notwithstanding, that this country is on the mend, that Mandela did a miraculous job of reconciliation and with someone else as the first president things could have been much worse. I have a good feeling about the country and the potential for continued progress.
I am spending a couple days in the LeapFrog Joburg office, finishing up a business plan for a project in the Philippines and pulling together metrics for measuring the social impact of investments. These are my final projects. Another 12 hour flight, more jet lag ahead but I'm counting the days until K arrives and I begin to see more of Australia, the part outside of Sydney and to show off Sydney to my sister, brother-in-law, K and L.
The investor meeting was very interesting for me as an outsider. I think we do meetings extremely well at United Educators so I have a very high bar on both governance and meeting flow. LeapFrog has added challenges to holding meetings as they are working across cultures and varying degrees of comfort in English. I tried to lead a lessons learned after the meetings, using UE's format of things that went well and things to improve upon. It fell flat and proves that point that what works for one group isn't guaranteed to help others.
I also went with a colleague to visit the call center for Allife, the insurance group that offers term life insurance to HIV positive South Africans. There are 15 languages spoken in South Africa so the call center reps are matched with the language of the prospect and go through a complicated process to get the appropriate underwriting information, medical tests must be done etc. After the policy is bound, there is ongoing follow up to ensure that the proper medical treatments are achieved, either through the government health insurance program which means long wait times or through private health insurance.
As with all big meetings, the LeapFrog team was exhausted by Friday afternoon. The perfect escape for me was a weekend in the bush. Rented a car and started my first ever driving on the opposite side of the road, opposite for me at least. Thirty minutes out of Joburg, I got a flat tire. Truth be told, I was finding my way to stay center on a narrow road and went slightly off the side of the road. There was a 4 inch drop in the pavement, a sharp edge drop and the right tire blew. A few choice words escaped and I realized I had to pull over. The background to this is everyone in South Africa has a story of crime. Either they or a close relative or friend has been a victim of crime, a car jacking, murder, attack something. It seems to be part of the collective experience. I pulled over and relied on the generosity and kindness of strangers. I've been taught to change my own tire, K has been insistent that both L and I are able to do this, but after being quickly surrounded by a large crowd out for Saturday shopping, a few men stepped forward and offered to help me with the tire. It was an efficient operation and the kindness of strangers prevailed. I gave the banana I had to a little girl who was close at hand and 100 Rand to the primary tire changer and drove away.
Knowing I didn't have a spare added some stress, especially as I passed the road sign "HIGH RISK HIGHJACKING AREA" I translated this to drive fast and don't stop if another tire blows.
Made my way to the Madikwe Game Reserve which is at the border of Botswana and South Africa. The final 20% of the trip was on dirt roads with the last portion in the Reserve really rough road.
Jaci's Tree Top Lodge, www.madikwe.com, was worth the hassle of the trip. I'll post the pictures which with all modesty are pretty good considering I just shave a pocket camera. The animals were wonderful to see in the wild, the highlight was a pack of wild dogs which are very rare and difficult to see. The African bush is a magical place. L was born in 91 and her generation grew up on Lion King. I must have seen this movie 100 times. It left such an impression I was identifying the animals based on the character in Lion King. Pretty pathetic but true. Timone and what was the warthog's name?
It is off season so I was the only person staying at the Tree Lodge Sunday night. Even the staff was a distance away at the staff quarters. A very lonely and sort of scary night to be out in the bush too far for anyone even to hear a scream. I was brave and kept my doors opened, hearing the birds and monkey calls and praying that snakes are not nocturnal and the gate to the Lodge was locked.
I've been asked my impressions of South Africa 25 years since my last visit, after apartheid. I can't possibly judge the country's progress after 10 days but some things are hard to miss. Twenty five years ago, except for a few "international" restaurants, I wouldn't see blacks as patrons at restaurants. I remember trying to having dinner with a banker from Zambia and we were denied admittance to a restaurant in downtown Joburg. Now there is no distinction. Like the US, segregation exists, whites with whites and blacks with blacks. But there are many groups of upwardly mobile blacks, a group that didn't exist 25 years ago.
The poverty and slums still exist in abundance, the area where I stopped to change my tire was desperately poor and all black. The whites mostly seem to live in houses with walls and gates. The whites who have stayed, made the conscience decision to stay in South Africa and not immigrate to London, Perth Australia, Israel or other places are committed to the success of the country and are optimistic. They believe the country is getting better and the crime issues notwithstanding, that this country is on the mend, that Mandela did a miraculous job of reconciliation and with someone else as the first president things could have been much worse. I have a good feeling about the country and the potential for continued progress.
I am spending a couple days in the LeapFrog Joburg office, finishing up a business plan for a project in the Philippines and pulling together metrics for measuring the social impact of investments. These are my final projects. Another 12 hour flight, more jet lag ahead but I'm counting the days until K arrives and I begin to see more of Australia, the part outside of Sydney and to show off Sydney to my sister, brother-in-law, K and L.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Philippines and South Africa
It's been a hectic couple of weeks. Last week I returned to Manila and spent the week with a colleague calling on insurance companies, a distribution group we are interested in working with and a possible advisory committee member. My second trip in a month and I felt like a veteran. Harold the bomb sniffing dog was still on duty, sweet as ever. Wonder what would happen if he actually smelled something dangerous? My take aways from Manila are incredibly friendly people, great disparities of wealth, like most developing countries great inefficiencies in just about everything and food that is really not very good. I think there is a reason there aren't many Filipino restaurants around.
Not sure how to think about the inefficiencies. On the one hand unemployment is so high that there is great motivation to hire a lot of people to do things. In many cases hiring people is cheaper, at least in the near term, than investing in new technology. But these same inefficiencies will hold back development and add costs in the future. I decided I needed some new sneakers and walked to Landmark, the local department store. I counted and it took 7 people to sell me a pair of shoes. It could be however that I attracted a large crowd with my height and blond hair, trying on a variety of shoes and settling for a pair of classic white Keds. Also bought a cheap blanket for when family arrive in Sydney. The blankets in my neighborhood in Sydney were $300+ but I scored a made in China version at Landmark for $40. My carry on bag was bulging on the return flight with a week's worth of dirty clothes, the blanket and my Keds.
I am starting to shed some clothes, leaving behind things that I brought with the intention of not bringing them back home. A pair of black pants in Manila, a pair of shoes with a hole in them at the airport, (these were snatched from my hands before I could put them in the trash can) and now that I am in South Africa, another pair of shoes and a suit that has seen better days and will have another life here in Joburg. When I return from this trip it will be more vacation than work so the need for business attire will diminish.
A quick turnaround in Sydney last weekend, washed a few clothes and repacked and I left for South Africa. The trip is 15 hours. Yes 15 hours. Unbelievable. There isn't a recent movie I haven't seen. I resorted to watching old Glee episodes and some documentaries. A daytime 15 hour flight on a packed plane is as close to hell as I need to be.
It has been 25 years since I was in South Africa. I came here during the apartheid regime with the sense that there would be a major revolt very soon. Now 25 years later the transition happened, without violence and the country is still trying to find its footing. Crime is very high here and almost everyone knows someone who is a victim of crime. Despite high promises, the public education system is very poor, there are still shanties housing too many people and the infamous gates around South African's homes still exist. In talking to South Africans, they marvel that we live in houses without high stone walls surrounding the yards.
I traveled here for a meeting of LeapFrogs's investors. Americans and Europeans, all focused on some form of social impact investing and all major investors in the LeapFrog private equity fund. Really interesting discussions on the deals being done and on measuring the impact of the investments, the importance of the Double Bottom Line, profits with purpose or as we say at UE, doing well, while doing good.
Visited the call center for ALLife, a South African insurance company that offers life insurance to individuals who are HIV positive. There are 2 million South Africans who are HIV positive. With proper care these people can live a long time. Allife links getting the best care with life insurance. It will be an interesting experiment to watch and see if they can serve a large portion of the South African HIV population and if they can in fact extend the life expectancy of these individuals.
Going to head to a game park tomorrow morning for two nights. This will be the first time I have driven on the left side of the road, should be interesting and hopefully uneventful.
Not sure how to think about the inefficiencies. On the one hand unemployment is so high that there is great motivation to hire a lot of people to do things. In many cases hiring people is cheaper, at least in the near term, than investing in new technology. But these same inefficiencies will hold back development and add costs in the future. I decided I needed some new sneakers and walked to Landmark, the local department store. I counted and it took 7 people to sell me a pair of shoes. It could be however that I attracted a large crowd with my height and blond hair, trying on a variety of shoes and settling for a pair of classic white Keds. Also bought a cheap blanket for when family arrive in Sydney. The blankets in my neighborhood in Sydney were $300+ but I scored a made in China version at Landmark for $40. My carry on bag was bulging on the return flight with a week's worth of dirty clothes, the blanket and my Keds.
I am starting to shed some clothes, leaving behind things that I brought with the intention of not bringing them back home. A pair of black pants in Manila, a pair of shoes with a hole in them at the airport, (these were snatched from my hands before I could put them in the trash can) and now that I am in South Africa, another pair of shoes and a suit that has seen better days and will have another life here in Joburg. When I return from this trip it will be more vacation than work so the need for business attire will diminish.
A quick turnaround in Sydney last weekend, washed a few clothes and repacked and I left for South Africa. The trip is 15 hours. Yes 15 hours. Unbelievable. There isn't a recent movie I haven't seen. I resorted to watching old Glee episodes and some documentaries. A daytime 15 hour flight on a packed plane is as close to hell as I need to be.
It has been 25 years since I was in South Africa. I came here during the apartheid regime with the sense that there would be a major revolt very soon. Now 25 years later the transition happened, without violence and the country is still trying to find its footing. Crime is very high here and almost everyone knows someone who is a victim of crime. Despite high promises, the public education system is very poor, there are still shanties housing too many people and the infamous gates around South African's homes still exist. In talking to South Africans, they marvel that we live in houses without high stone walls surrounding the yards.
I traveled here for a meeting of LeapFrogs's investors. Americans and Europeans, all focused on some form of social impact investing and all major investors in the LeapFrog private equity fund. Really interesting discussions on the deals being done and on measuring the impact of the investments, the importance of the Double Bottom Line, profits with purpose or as we say at UE, doing well, while doing good.
Visited the call center for ALLife, a South African insurance company that offers life insurance to individuals who are HIV positive. There are 2 million South Africans who are HIV positive. With proper care these people can live a long time. Allife links getting the best care with life insurance. It will be an interesting experiment to watch and see if they can serve a large portion of the South African HIV population and if they can in fact extend the life expectancy of these individuals.
Going to head to a game park tomorrow morning for two nights. This will be the first time I have driven on the left side of the road, should be interesting and hopefully uneventful.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Half way done
March 20th is the half way mark. I left DC on January 20th and will leave Sydney on May 20th. Entering a different phase of the sabbatical; finishing projects, pulling together pieces and welcoming family and seeing more of Australia.
First the finishing projects part. We have made significant progress on the Philippines initiative. The first trip encouraged us that there really is something there that is worth developing. The creative process was interesting to watch and be part of. Ideas were tossed around, LeapFrog experts would weigh in, case studies of previous initiatives considered, more ideas on the table, analysis done, testing of ideas, drafts written, more expert advice, some luck, fate and serendipity, and we are starting to have a vision for a major project. We think a pilot study would be the best first step, testing out two different ideas and lining up regulatory and structural framework. What is really exciting is if this works in the Philippines, there is a high probability that the model will be able to be used in many different emerging markets. Heading back to Manila tomorrow to spend the week and put some meat on the bones, testing ideas and digging into more specifics. We may have lined up some talent to be on the ground which will be great for him and the project. Really exciting to see this come together.
After five days in the Philippines, I'll head to South Africa for a series of meetings on global issues for LeapFrog and then some time with LF experts to do further work on the Philippines plan. Also anxious to work on finalizing the social and environmental metrics that LF will monitor on portfolio companies. The best investment funds/private equity funds are establishing the metrics that are important to them and working with their portfolio companies to measure and report. Most of the emerging markets don't have compliance and social metrics ingrained in their culture so it is falling on companies, and investment funds, to set the standards. I'm glad LeapFrog will have a seat at the table because they are thinking very hard on this issue. The old management saying that you get what you measure will be very true in the social and environmental arena.
On the fun side, I've worked through most of my "bucket list" for Sydney, saving a few things for when family arrives but have seen a lot. Last weekend I went to Taste Sydney, a restaurant/food fair in Centennial Park, Sunday went with friends hiking in the Blue Mountains. The best of the city and the woods or bush as they say here: a perfect weekend for me. The Blue Mountains are wonderful, nice trails, waterfalls and exotic birds. Ended up at a RSA for dinner. A strange, uniquely Australian invention. Seems as though the veterans years ago wanted a way to drink longer than local liquor laws allowed at regular pubs, so they petitioned the government to let them establish private clubs for veterans. Sort of a VFW or American Legion. One thing led to another and now they have gambling, night club acts and Chinese restaurants. A weird combination of American Legion Club, Holiday Inn Acts and a Chinese restaurant, go figure. There is a RSA in virtually every Australian town, lots in the suburbs of Sydney and you can become a "temporary member" for the day if you live five miles (or some short distance) from the club. The liquor is cheap, there is some sorted story of why all of the restaurants are contracted out to be Chinese restaurants, but here these clubs sit, taking in members and temporary members alike. The slot machines subsidize the entire operation. I don't think there is a lot of charity work that comes from them, the RSAs may support some youth sports leagues. But they are very popular and very much a part of suburban and rural Australia.
I finished my sailing and bridge lessons. Quite sure I won't skipper a sail boat but I could hold my own if asked to crew and I'd like to continue to work on my bridge game. I know why Buffet and Gates love it. Tactical, strategic and fun.
This past weekend was rainy, Fall is in the air. Took the ferry to Circular Quay and walked all over the Royal Botanical Gardens, checked out this amazing salt water swimming pool, Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool and Mrs. Macquaries Chair. Half of Sydney is names after Governor Macquaries and the other half after Darling, not sure what he did but he got a lot named after him. Saw a play at the Opera House and ferried back to dinner and apartment.
Today, Sunday, took a cooking class at the Sydney Fish market. Been meaning to get to the market for awhile and although I missed the wholesale fish auctions, which end at 5:30 am, the retail markets are amazing and the class was loads of fun. We did five Seafood BBQ dishes. An hour and a half of demonstration and then in teams of 5 set about to cook the dishes, finishing up with a bottle of wine and all of our creations. Learned how to clean, prep and cook a squid. Learned that all calamari is squid but not all squid is calamari, how to fillet a Garfish (or other smallish fish) and how sashimi-grade fish earns its designation. Also learned to make some pretty good dishes that I'll try out when we get home. If you have some extra days in Sydney a cooking class would be a great event.
In for the night to read, pack for the week and work on a knitting project. Ate so much at the cooking class, dinner won't be necessary.
First the finishing projects part. We have made significant progress on the Philippines initiative. The first trip encouraged us that there really is something there that is worth developing. The creative process was interesting to watch and be part of. Ideas were tossed around, LeapFrog experts would weigh in, case studies of previous initiatives considered, more ideas on the table, analysis done, testing of ideas, drafts written, more expert advice, some luck, fate and serendipity, and we are starting to have a vision for a major project. We think a pilot study would be the best first step, testing out two different ideas and lining up regulatory and structural framework. What is really exciting is if this works in the Philippines, there is a high probability that the model will be able to be used in many different emerging markets. Heading back to Manila tomorrow to spend the week and put some meat on the bones, testing ideas and digging into more specifics. We may have lined up some talent to be on the ground which will be great for him and the project. Really exciting to see this come together.
After five days in the Philippines, I'll head to South Africa for a series of meetings on global issues for LeapFrog and then some time with LF experts to do further work on the Philippines plan. Also anxious to work on finalizing the social and environmental metrics that LF will monitor on portfolio companies. The best investment funds/private equity funds are establishing the metrics that are important to them and working with their portfolio companies to measure and report. Most of the emerging markets don't have compliance and social metrics ingrained in their culture so it is falling on companies, and investment funds, to set the standards. I'm glad LeapFrog will have a seat at the table because they are thinking very hard on this issue. The old management saying that you get what you measure will be very true in the social and environmental arena.
On the fun side, I've worked through most of my "bucket list" for Sydney, saving a few things for when family arrives but have seen a lot. Last weekend I went to Taste Sydney, a restaurant/food fair in Centennial Park, Sunday went with friends hiking in the Blue Mountains. The best of the city and the woods or bush as they say here: a perfect weekend for me. The Blue Mountains are wonderful, nice trails, waterfalls and exotic birds. Ended up at a RSA for dinner. A strange, uniquely Australian invention. Seems as though the veterans years ago wanted a way to drink longer than local liquor laws allowed at regular pubs, so they petitioned the government to let them establish private clubs for veterans. Sort of a VFW or American Legion. One thing led to another and now they have gambling, night club acts and Chinese restaurants. A weird combination of American Legion Club, Holiday Inn Acts and a Chinese restaurant, go figure. There is a RSA in virtually every Australian town, lots in the suburbs of Sydney and you can become a "temporary member" for the day if you live five miles (or some short distance) from the club. The liquor is cheap, there is some sorted story of why all of the restaurants are contracted out to be Chinese restaurants, but here these clubs sit, taking in members and temporary members alike. The slot machines subsidize the entire operation. I don't think there is a lot of charity work that comes from them, the RSAs may support some youth sports leagues. But they are very popular and very much a part of suburban and rural Australia.
I finished my sailing and bridge lessons. Quite sure I won't skipper a sail boat but I could hold my own if asked to crew and I'd like to continue to work on my bridge game. I know why Buffet and Gates love it. Tactical, strategic and fun.
This past weekend was rainy, Fall is in the air. Took the ferry to Circular Quay and walked all over the Royal Botanical Gardens, checked out this amazing salt water swimming pool, Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool and Mrs. Macquaries Chair. Half of Sydney is names after Governor Macquaries and the other half after Darling, not sure what he did but he got a lot named after him. Saw a play at the Opera House and ferried back to dinner and apartment.
Today, Sunday, took a cooking class at the Sydney Fish market. Been meaning to get to the market for awhile and although I missed the wholesale fish auctions, which end at 5:30 am, the retail markets are amazing and the class was loads of fun. We did five Seafood BBQ dishes. An hour and a half of demonstration and then in teams of 5 set about to cook the dishes, finishing up with a bottle of wine and all of our creations. Learned how to clean, prep and cook a squid. Learned that all calamari is squid but not all squid is calamari, how to fillet a Garfish (or other smallish fish) and how sashimi-grade fish earns its designation. Also learned to make some pretty good dishes that I'll try out when we get home. If you have some extra days in Sydney a cooking class would be a great event.
In for the night to read, pack for the week and work on a knitting project. Ate so much at the cooking class, dinner won't be necessary.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
To Manila and back
Returned to Sydney on Saturday at noon after Monday-Friday in Manila and surrounding communities. Manila is like many cities in beautiful countries, Johannesburg in South Africa, Casablanca in Morocco to name two, that are best used as transit points to more beautiful parts of the country. I am told that the beaches in the Philippines are some of the best in the world but tourism won't really take off until they build up their infrastructure, airports and roads are pretty poor. But my traveling companion, a LeapFrog partner and I were focused on business and stayed in Manila the entire time. It is a dirty, crowded city with huge disparities of wealth. One of the business people we called on described the Philippines as a country that spent 400 years in a convent and 40 years in Hollywood, summarizing the Spanish occupation of 400 years and the 40 years of pre-WWII US occupation. As dirty and uninspiring as Manila is, I'm not sure I have ever met nicer people. Everyone was friendly, warm and engaging. Made me want to like Manila despite the lack of physical charm.
I had a strong case of deja vu on the trip. Scenes from my travels to Africa in the 1980s came rushing back. Big hotel, cool rooms but the air conditioning not quite reaching the halls. Abundant food at the hotel buffet and instead of Africa and European dishes, substitute more Asian food. Men walking around with guns. I guess guarding, but they were either too young or too bored to give one much comfort. But I never felt unsafe. I think the bus hostage situation last year and the armed struggle in the southern part of the Philippines are driving the security. Lots of security, at the entrance to the hotel, checking under cars with mirrors, entering the very upscale mall next to the hotel, and in all office buildings. Instead of British, French and Americans in the hotels in Africa, there were Chinese, British, Americans and did I mention Chinese? Very strong ties between China and the Philippines. One can really feel the pull and presence of China through out Asia and Australia.
My Facebook has lots of pictures from the week, from Harold the eager bomb sniffing dog to the amazing women who run Sari Sari stores. The Holy Grail of micro insurance is finding a distribution channel that reaches the poor and costs very little. We spent much of the week thinking and exploring different options. We met amazing people, who are working very hard to alleviate poverty in the Philippines. One man, attended UVA, and was back home running micro finance companies among other initiatives. He said, "I have studied poverty for many years." And he had good insights into the causes. The migration from rural villages to Manila was at the root of much of the poverty and politicians who seemed to encourage squatters and this migration to build a power base are also at fault.
Particularly impressive in Manila were the number of senior women we called on. Executive Vice Presidents, Senior VPs, leaders of companies. I can't remember ever calling on this many women, in the US or other countries. Women with real power and authority. It was a joy to call on them. The real joy came though in seeing the owners of the Sari Sari stores. All women who wanted to be their own boss and add to their families' income. The photos on my facebook page shows their stores and a bit of their lives. The importance of OFWs (overseas foreign workers) for the Philippines can not be over stated. They contribute about 10% of GDP. Sending home remittances to support large families. They are in the US, Canada, Middle East, almost everywhere. The TV had images of the slowness of the evacuation of Philippine OFWs from Libya. The country is too poor to send special boats or planes to bring home their citizens as other countries did.
The Philippines is also replacing India as the call center capital for the US . Their English is much closer to our English. On the way to dinner one night we drove by huge buildings of JPMorgan Chase and other banks where the call center workers answer phones.
On returning back to Sydney, Saturday was a quiet day, although I was in business class on the trip back, changing planes in Hong Kong, the little bed in Cathay Pacific wasn't as good as a real bed. I did get to see The King's Speech, which was on my list to see. Bought some food, did some laundry and watched the boats in the harbor. Today I took a very long hike through Double Bay, Rose Bay, Watson Bay and ending up at the Tasman Sea. Swam in Shark Cove (there is a big net barrier up so it doesn't attract its name sake), walked through a native bush area and another swim at Camp Cove before seeing the light house at the end of the hike. Pictures on facebook. I took the ferry back from Watson Bay to Double Bay and walked up the hill to my apartment. Lots of walking and exploring. Weather is now overcast and feels a little like the end of summer.
I had a strong case of deja vu on the trip. Scenes from my travels to Africa in the 1980s came rushing back. Big hotel, cool rooms but the air conditioning not quite reaching the halls. Abundant food at the hotel buffet and instead of Africa and European dishes, substitute more Asian food. Men walking around with guns. I guess guarding, but they were either too young or too bored to give one much comfort. But I never felt unsafe. I think the bus hostage situation last year and the armed struggle in the southern part of the Philippines are driving the security. Lots of security, at the entrance to the hotel, checking under cars with mirrors, entering the very upscale mall next to the hotel, and in all office buildings. Instead of British, French and Americans in the hotels in Africa, there were Chinese, British, Americans and did I mention Chinese? Very strong ties between China and the Philippines. One can really feel the pull and presence of China through out Asia and Australia.
My Facebook has lots of pictures from the week, from Harold the eager bomb sniffing dog to the amazing women who run Sari Sari stores. The Holy Grail of micro insurance is finding a distribution channel that reaches the poor and costs very little. We spent much of the week thinking and exploring different options. We met amazing people, who are working very hard to alleviate poverty in the Philippines. One man, attended UVA, and was back home running micro finance companies among other initiatives. He said, "I have studied poverty for many years." And he had good insights into the causes. The migration from rural villages to Manila was at the root of much of the poverty and politicians who seemed to encourage squatters and this migration to build a power base are also at fault.
Particularly impressive in Manila were the number of senior women we called on. Executive Vice Presidents, Senior VPs, leaders of companies. I can't remember ever calling on this many women, in the US or other countries. Women with real power and authority. It was a joy to call on them. The real joy came though in seeing the owners of the Sari Sari stores. All women who wanted to be their own boss and add to their families' income. The photos on my facebook page shows their stores and a bit of their lives. The importance of OFWs (overseas foreign workers) for the Philippines can not be over stated. They contribute about 10% of GDP. Sending home remittances to support large families. They are in the US, Canada, Middle East, almost everywhere. The TV had images of the slowness of the evacuation of Philippine OFWs from Libya. The country is too poor to send special boats or planes to bring home their citizens as other countries did.
The Philippines is also replacing India as the call center capital for the US . Their English is much closer to our English. On the way to dinner one night we drove by huge buildings of JPMorgan Chase and other banks where the call center workers answer phones.
On returning back to Sydney, Saturday was a quiet day, although I was in business class on the trip back, changing planes in Hong Kong, the little bed in Cathay Pacific wasn't as good as a real bed. I did get to see The King's Speech, which was on my list to see. Bought some food, did some laundry and watched the boats in the harbor. Today I took a very long hike through Double Bay, Rose Bay, Watson Bay and ending up at the Tasman Sea. Swam in Shark Cove (there is a big net barrier up so it doesn't attract its name sake), walked through a native bush area and another swim at Camp Cove before seeing the light house at the end of the hike. Pictures on facebook. I took the ferry back from Watson Bay to Double Bay and walked up the hill to my apartment. Lots of walking and exploring. Weather is now overcast and feels a little like the end of summer.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Back on the road
Leaving for Manila Monday morning for the week. A very full schedule, meeting with lots of insurance companies and companies that could be involved in distributing micro insurance. Meeting with the newly appointed Philippine ambassador to the US. He also happens to be a Wharton alumnus, as is my traveling companion. A mini Wharton reunion in Manila. Not taking my laptop, one less thing to haul along, but I will try and do facebook postings from my Droid. (again my sincere thanks to AJ who set up the Droid for my travels).
As I pack my suitcase, and anyone who knows me, knows that I am the most excellent packer, I realize I am itchy to travel. Since arriving on January 22, this is the longest time I can remember when I have not been on a plane, living out of a suitcase. But of course, I AM LIVING OUT OF A SUITCASE, I have to remind myself. Actually 2 suitcases and a carry on, but still. I am anxious to learn more about the market and demand for micro insurance in the Philippines, the structures that already exist and what needs to be built and generally to get to know the culture. The LeapFrog team has great relations in the country and I'm armed with a lot of background material for building the base of a program.
Had my last sailing lesson and bridge lesson this week. Now I need to practice, practice some more and then practice a bit more. I'm all thumbs in sailing and there are long pauses as I add, count and struggle to remember things in bridge. My sailing course allows unlimited times on the water if they have an empty seat on the J24 boats that go out and there are also discounted practice sessions at bridge. I may consider buying a bridge software package to play as well.
Went to the zoo, see the pictures on Facebook, had breakfast with a friend from AFS and wandered around the Rocks, the old, original part of Sydney and in the evening went to the Olympic Park to see a Rugby game on Saturday. The Rocks has nice markets, a few winding streets and little pubs to explore. Reading David Hill's book 1788, about the First Fleet. Finished GOLD, by the same author on Australia's gold rush. I didn't know that England was using the American colonies as a dumping ground for convicts but was forced to end that practice when the US declared our independence. The British searched about for another dumping ground, Africa was one, but they finally settled on New South Wales, (Sydney).
Before I left, JS and I were laughing that I might miss my two incredibly ugly but lovable dogs more than anything. I do miss them but I really miss my husband. It is so nice to be married for almost 29 years and still miss and love him so much. Thanks goodness for the free calls from gmail to any land or cell phone in the US and of course skype as well. The calls help but I miss his friendship and our long discussions on the state of the world.
The harbor is calm tonight and there is almost no wind so most sail boats have packed it in. A quiet Sunday night.
As I pack my suitcase, and anyone who knows me, knows that I am the most excellent packer, I realize I am itchy to travel. Since arriving on January 22, this is the longest time I can remember when I have not been on a plane, living out of a suitcase. But of course, I AM LIVING OUT OF A SUITCASE, I have to remind myself. Actually 2 suitcases and a carry on, but still. I am anxious to learn more about the market and demand for micro insurance in the Philippines, the structures that already exist and what needs to be built and generally to get to know the culture. The LeapFrog team has great relations in the country and I'm armed with a lot of background material for building the base of a program.
Had my last sailing lesson and bridge lesson this week. Now I need to practice, practice some more and then practice a bit more. I'm all thumbs in sailing and there are long pauses as I add, count and struggle to remember things in bridge. My sailing course allows unlimited times on the water if they have an empty seat on the J24 boats that go out and there are also discounted practice sessions at bridge. I may consider buying a bridge software package to play as well.
Went to the zoo, see the pictures on Facebook, had breakfast with a friend from AFS and wandered around the Rocks, the old, original part of Sydney and in the evening went to the Olympic Park to see a Rugby game on Saturday. The Rocks has nice markets, a few winding streets and little pubs to explore. Reading David Hill's book 1788, about the First Fleet. Finished GOLD, by the same author on Australia's gold rush. I didn't know that England was using the American colonies as a dumping ground for convicts but was forced to end that practice when the US declared our independence. The British searched about for another dumping ground, Africa was one, but they finally settled on New South Wales, (Sydney).
Before I left, JS and I were laughing that I might miss my two incredibly ugly but lovable dogs more than anything. I do miss them but I really miss my husband. It is so nice to be married for almost 29 years and still miss and love him so much. Thanks goodness for the free calls from gmail to any land or cell phone in the US and of course skype as well. The calls help but I miss his friendship and our long discussions on the state of the world.
The harbor is calm tonight and there is almost no wind so most sail boats have packed it in. A quiet Sunday night.
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