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.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
One month- a quarter gone
I've been on sabbatical for a month. This first month will be like no other. My travel starts in a week, a trip to the Philippines, then the end of March a 10 day trip to South Africa, K arrives, then another trip to the Philippines, more family arrives then L comes. There will be time in March to practice my sailing and bridge and maybe even gain a bit of proficiency or at least lessen the confusion in both, but this first month was special because of the newness and aloneness of the time. I'm not lonely, although I am getting a little tired of eating most of my meals alone, but the aloneness for this extended period of time is a gift and also challenge.
I met a friend of the head of LeapFrog, a very successful CEO, who is on a break, looking for his next challenge and he talked about the freedom to allow the mind to wander, to think and not to have to focus on outcomes. It's harder than it seems. In true fashion I wrestle with the guilt of not wanting to waste this time and still being luxurious in letting my mind wander. Whenever I mention how decadent it feels to leave the office at noon for a sailing lesson, I'm reminded by AK that I should substitute deserved for decadent. Doesn't everybody deserve to have this kind of freedom to think and wander? I'm pinching myself to make sure this is real, thinking how lucky I am to be on this sabbatical. What a gift. The gift of time and space.
Got a wonderful lesson on "how to talk about LeapFrog" from the founder. It was more about how can micro-insurance play a role in breaking the cycle of poverty. If we can visualize the world's wealth in a pyramid, with the top being most people living in western countries, the very bottom the extreme poor who live hand to mouth, every day, the rest are in a cycle of moving out of poverty but being one event, one illness, one death away from going back into poverty. A Lloyd's study reported the number of people in that category is between 1.5 and 3.5 billion people. What would happen if something could be created and provided on an ongoing basis that would support the families so that the event, illness or death wouldn't send them back to hand to mouth existence. That is what micro-insurance, insurance for the masses is all about.
The greatest need is health insurance. And it is also the hardest. If the US can't figure out how to provide health care for the masses, it is daunting to think of doing this for the 4 billion in the world outside of the US who really need it. Australia has a national health insurance, Medicare, that is similar to the British system and I am constantly asked how the US can possibly have so many people in our country uninsured and why there is such a battle on the topic. They don't understand and nor do I.
Thinking also a lot about the distribution of insurance for the masses, the role of technology and training. Are mobile phones the answer? Do we need to train a group of agents who can gain the trust of the poor? Whoever solves this issue will win big. Both in market share and the social goal of reaching the next billion.
After last weekend's two plays and museums, I decided this weekend to focus on sailing and swimming. Took the ferry to Manly yesterday and walked to Shelly Beach. K and I visited this spot 25 years ago and the restaurant was still there. I think it might be the perfect spot for my sister's birthday when she visits the end of April. I swam, sat in the sun (with my 30+ sun screen) and later had a nice lunch at a little cafe. I have been so virtuous in my eating of healthy food, that when the fries were delivered with my seafood salad, I inhaled them. I guess the body does crave junk food every now and then.
Lots of folks were snorkeling but I forgot both my mask and camera on this trip. I remembered my sun screen, water, hat, sun glasses, reading glasses, maps, ferry tickets, phone, keys, book to read.... but forgot my camera. Next time I'll post pictures. The Australians have a great expression on avoiding sun burn. Slip (on a shirt) Slap (on 30+ sunscreen) and Slop (on a hat). The sun is brutal.
What is is about water that makes people do stupid things? Coming back on the Manly Ferry which was packed on a sunny Saturday in the summer, we passed a 30 ft. yacht with about 12 men in polo shirts and shorts, drinking beer and the lone woman stood up, topless and waved to all on the ferry. The men on the ferry waved back with abandon and the guys on the yacht smiled. Not to be outdone, after changing ferries at Circular Quay (pronounced key) and heading back to my home port of Double Bay, there was a party boat packed with guys and two were standing on the roof of this boat in their BVDs, dancing and having a good old time. The party boats, lights, music blaring and shrieks are a fixture on the bay until past midnight these summer weekend nights.
A cool front is coming in, or so says my sailing instructor. I am getting a handle on the C to F conversion. Basically double the C temp and add 30. Close enough. The Queen Mary and QE2 are to arrive in Sydney Harbor early Tuesday morning. They will sail right by my balcony and I promise pictures. Until then.
I met a friend of the head of LeapFrog, a very successful CEO, who is on a break, looking for his next challenge and he talked about the freedom to allow the mind to wander, to think and not to have to focus on outcomes. It's harder than it seems. In true fashion I wrestle with the guilt of not wanting to waste this time and still being luxurious in letting my mind wander. Whenever I mention how decadent it feels to leave the office at noon for a sailing lesson, I'm reminded by AK that I should substitute deserved for decadent. Doesn't everybody deserve to have this kind of freedom to think and wander? I'm pinching myself to make sure this is real, thinking how lucky I am to be on this sabbatical. What a gift. The gift of time and space.
Got a wonderful lesson on "how to talk about LeapFrog" from the founder. It was more about how can micro-insurance play a role in breaking the cycle of poverty. If we can visualize the world's wealth in a pyramid, with the top being most people living in western countries, the very bottom the extreme poor who live hand to mouth, every day, the rest are in a cycle of moving out of poverty but being one event, one illness, one death away from going back into poverty. A Lloyd's study reported the number of people in that category is between 1.5 and 3.5 billion people. What would happen if something could be created and provided on an ongoing basis that would support the families so that the event, illness or death wouldn't send them back to hand to mouth existence. That is what micro-insurance, insurance for the masses is all about.
The greatest need is health insurance. And it is also the hardest. If the US can't figure out how to provide health care for the masses, it is daunting to think of doing this for the 4 billion in the world outside of the US who really need it. Australia has a national health insurance, Medicare, that is similar to the British system and I am constantly asked how the US can possibly have so many people in our country uninsured and why there is such a battle on the topic. They don't understand and nor do I.
Thinking also a lot about the distribution of insurance for the masses, the role of technology and training. Are mobile phones the answer? Do we need to train a group of agents who can gain the trust of the poor? Whoever solves this issue will win big. Both in market share and the social goal of reaching the next billion.
After last weekend's two plays and museums, I decided this weekend to focus on sailing and swimming. Took the ferry to Manly yesterday and walked to Shelly Beach. K and I visited this spot 25 years ago and the restaurant was still there. I think it might be the perfect spot for my sister's birthday when she visits the end of April. I swam, sat in the sun (with my 30+ sun screen) and later had a nice lunch at a little cafe. I have been so virtuous in my eating of healthy food, that when the fries were delivered with my seafood salad, I inhaled them. I guess the body does crave junk food every now and then.
Lots of folks were snorkeling but I forgot both my mask and camera on this trip. I remembered my sun screen, water, hat, sun glasses, reading glasses, maps, ferry tickets, phone, keys, book to read.... but forgot my camera. Next time I'll post pictures. The Australians have a great expression on avoiding sun burn. Slip (on a shirt) Slap (on 30+ sunscreen) and Slop (on a hat). The sun is brutal.
What is is about water that makes people do stupid things? Coming back on the Manly Ferry which was packed on a sunny Saturday in the summer, we passed a 30 ft. yacht with about 12 men in polo shirts and shorts, drinking beer and the lone woman stood up, topless and waved to all on the ferry. The men on the ferry waved back with abandon and the guys on the yacht smiled. Not to be outdone, after changing ferries at Circular Quay (pronounced key) and heading back to my home port of Double Bay, there was a party boat packed with guys and two were standing on the roof of this boat in their BVDs, dancing and having a good old time. The party boats, lights, music blaring and shrieks are a fixture on the bay until past midnight these summer weekend nights.
A cool front is coming in, or so says my sailing instructor. I am getting a handle on the C to F conversion. Basically double the C temp and add 30. Close enough. The Queen Mary and QE2 are to arrive in Sydney Harbor early Tuesday morning. They will sail right by my balcony and I promise pictures. Until then.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Contrast
I'm an early riser, always have been and continue that practice here. There is a big construction project right next to my apartment and the banging begins promptly at 7 am which is a big motivator to get moving but even without that I'm awake at 5 or 6. The BBC radio is on before 7 so I can lie in bed and get caught up on the news of the day, or is it yesterday from our perspective down under? I arrived in Australia on January 22nd. The same day the protests started in Egypt. So while I have been fiddling around here, learning the protocols of the office, figuring out bus and ferry schedules. hauling groceries home and playing tourist, Egypt and the world as we all know it has been shaken and turned upside down.
UE has done a great job of keeping track of what our members are doing to safely evacuate students and faculty from the turmoil in Egypt. The scale and scope of what is happening there and how it changes the chess board of diplomacy is hard to get my head around. I rely on the BBC radio for audio news and although I promised myself not to check news from back home, I have cheated and log onto the NYT web site to get some US perspective. It is a close tie to decide which is the worst news source here; Australian radio, TV or the newspapers. All three are really bad. As I visitor I don't want to be snarky about the news media, or anything, here but it is underwhelming. This is of course Mr. Murdoch's birthplace. I turned the TV on my first afternoon as I wrestled with hooking up the wireless internet in the apartment and haven't turned it on since. Bill Bryson in his 2000 book on Australia commented on the poor state of Australian TV and seems like things haven't changed. As for the radio, and I admit to be devoted ( addicted) to NPR back home, but at 7 am, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) radio show READS THE HEADLINES AND ARTICLES FROM THE AUSTRALIAN PAPERS. It is almost reminiscent of a SNL sketch. But real. I'll post a link to the Sydney Daily Herald on my facebook page.
On to other issues. Still haven't been on the water yet for sailing, the wind has a magical way of disappearing when I appear for my lessons. I'll try again Sunday morning. Finished my second bridge lesson and I think I can understand why Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are crazy about the game. It is a pretty cool, challenging and fun.
Very engaged in the work of LeapFrog. A lot of thinking about what should be measured. UE has values that guides all interactions and work of our staff. Teamwork, Integrity, Quality, Innovation, TIQI, and although the measurements are subjective and we are looking for objective measurements of social investments, we think there are ways to measure the effectiveness and efficacy of social impact investing. There are really smart people here who's life work it is to think about and launch these products and it's terrific to be a small part of this process, even for such a short time. The UE staff will laugh but I am also using The Ultimate Question and the concept of Influencers, Promoters etc. for some work here. Maybe we have a source for those books yet!
Starting to plan some trips for when family visits. OZ is amazingly huge, and although there are only about 22 million people in the country, there are so many things I want to see. Should we go to Tasmania, it will be chilly there in April but everyone I talk to says it is very special and the walks are really amazing, maybe up to the Daintree, Cape Tribulation and upper part of the GBR, but will "stinger season" be over? What about Uluru and the Olgas? Maybe Kangaroo Island? Melbourne of course and some folks say Canberra has a wonderful art museum with the best collection of Aboriginal art and although the capital city is much maligned, others say it is a really nice place to visit. Canberra was a compromise after Federation when both Melbourne and Sydney wanted to be the capital of the new country. In the spirit of compromise, half way between the two, Canberra was built. After all DC was a planned city, built on a swamp as the US's new capital. At least Canberra wasn't built on a swamp.
I will be traveling to South Africa at the end of March for a meeting of LeapFrog investors and partners and booked two nights at a game park at the end of the meeting. I haven't been to SA in over 25 years so I am really looking forward to seeing how much it has changed. I'll travel with a colleague to the Philippines at the end of this month and anxious to see the country, or at least Manila.
Heading into the weekend, will follow events in Egypt closely, go to an independent theater production, "Speaking in Tongues" tonight and Dr. Zhivago, Saturday night. May go to the zoo or maybe a market in Paddington, and of course try once again to get on the water for a sailing lesson.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Settling in
The end of the second week of "work". Getting more of a feel for the group. The team is is working from four time zones, Sydney, South Africa, Scotland and DC. There are two regularly scheduled calls each week to compare notes and discuss. So while one team is eating breakfast, the other may be calling from home, putting their children to bed. I am taking bridge lessons and Thursday night I ran home from my first lesson to join the call at 9:30 pm Sydney time. Some of the team were on video conference and I was glad I could lie on the lounge (sofa) and listen to the discussion in the dark.
This group is working with multiple cultures, in multiple times zones, on multiple deals, in multiple countries and wanting to change the world. They just might do it too.
In addition to bridge (no idea why I signed up but it was cheap $39 for four lessons plus practice sessions and convenient, right around the corner from the office), I signed up for sailing lessons. As I write this I am at a table on my balcony overlooking Double Bay with about 40 sail boats out this Friday evening. I think I was a bit jealous of these sailors. Also, RJ took sailing lessons on his sabbatical so maybe he started a UE tradition.
I showed up for my lessons, just 3 blocks from the office, hoisted the sails and with my instructor, a young woman the age of my daughter, we headed out to the bay. For the first time since arriving in Sydney there was no wind. Nothing, nada. We sat there for about 10 minutes and decided to drag the boat back in and try again another day. Next lesson is Monday. Which is also the day of the Super Bowl game. I plan to join the American Australian club to watch the game Monday at 10 am. They will serve hot dogs, bacon sandwiches, wedges and fries and beer. I'll be sure to write after the event. My brother-in-law asked me, since we are a day ahead, to tell him who wins the game to he can place bets on Sunday. You gotta love him.
Thinking a lot about measuring the "impact" of the investments in micro-finance, micro-insurance and all of impact investing. Been able to dig in and read dozens of academic articles on measuring the impact. These are similar to the issues we face at UE, how can we measure the impact of our risk management, the work that we do, and that we are lowering our members' total cost of risk. Thinking hard about this.
Weekend plans include a visit to a growers' market which show cases local food. Yasi, the category 5 cyclone hit the banana growing region this week and bananas are expected to rise in price 5x. But I am officially addicted to passion fruit, eating it every day, twice a day and will be interested to see what other local produce the market has. Going out to Bronte beach for "tea" and a swim on Sunday and maybe a make up for my sailing lesson.
One UE staffer made me promise not to come back speaking like an Aussie. So I won't end this the typical Aussie way of...Cheers and yes go Steelers!
This group is working with multiple cultures, in multiple times zones, on multiple deals, in multiple countries and wanting to change the world. They just might do it too.
In addition to bridge (no idea why I signed up but it was cheap $39 for four lessons plus practice sessions and convenient, right around the corner from the office), I signed up for sailing lessons. As I write this I am at a table on my balcony overlooking Double Bay with about 40 sail boats out this Friday evening. I think I was a bit jealous of these sailors. Also, RJ took sailing lessons on his sabbatical so maybe he started a UE tradition.
I showed up for my lessons, just 3 blocks from the office, hoisted the sails and with my instructor, a young woman the age of my daughter, we headed out to the bay. For the first time since arriving in Sydney there was no wind. Nothing, nada. We sat there for about 10 minutes and decided to drag the boat back in and try again another day. Next lesson is Monday. Which is also the day of the Super Bowl game. I plan to join the American Australian club to watch the game Monday at 10 am. They will serve hot dogs, bacon sandwiches, wedges and fries and beer. I'll be sure to write after the event. My brother-in-law asked me, since we are a day ahead, to tell him who wins the game to he can place bets on Sunday. You gotta love him.
Thinking a lot about measuring the "impact" of the investments in micro-finance, micro-insurance and all of impact investing. Been able to dig in and read dozens of academic articles on measuring the impact. These are similar to the issues we face at UE, how can we measure the impact of our risk management, the work that we do, and that we are lowering our members' total cost of risk. Thinking hard about this.
Weekend plans include a visit to a growers' market which show cases local food. Yasi, the category 5 cyclone hit the banana growing region this week and bananas are expected to rise in price 5x. But I am officially addicted to passion fruit, eating it every day, twice a day and will be interested to see what other local produce the market has. Going out to Bronte beach for "tea" and a swim on Sunday and maybe a make up for my sailing lesson.
One UE staffer made me promise not to come back speaking like an Aussie. So I won't end this the typical Aussie way of...Cheers and yes go Steelers!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
It's been a week
Monday evening and my one week anniversary of arriving in Sydney. Cliches like drinking through a fire hose come to mind as I think back on the week. As a fairly seasoned traveler, I always thought jet lag was for wimps and that with my efficient system of little sleep on a normal day and resolve I wouldn't fall prey to this wimpy condition. True confessions now as it took me about four days to emerge from a fog. Tuesday I booked tickets for my first trip to the Sydney opera and told the office I was seeing Carmen. When the ticket booth gave me tickets to Madame Butterfly, it was my first clue that perhaps my mind was a little foggy.
I'm carless and after walking the hills and seeing the local aggressive drivers decided against buying a bike for transport. I am getting the hang of the transportation system here in Sydney. I've taken buses, city rail, ferries, taxis and cars. Haven't take a train yet but will do for a day trip to the Blue Mountains.
Wednesday was Australia Day and the head of Risk Management/Business Development of Unimutual (a group similar to UE but for Australian Universities) and his wife opened their home and adventures to me. Check out the pictures Harry took of me snorkeling and kayaking. A wonderful day. Bay water was a bit chilly but the day warmed up. Since almost every Australian lives within a short drive of some beach, Australian Day is beach day, although I'm sure there were folks in downtown Sydney, the vast majority head to the beach or at least it seemed that way. The police seemed to enforce the no alcohol on the beaches but there was plenty of drinking going on elsewhere and the uniform of most young men was a bathing suit, Australian flag worn as a cape and a beer. A woman in the office explained that there was an event at Bondi Beach to set the world record for most people floating on a thong. The image is beyond disgusting until I realized thongs are flip flops and they floated this huge one in the ocean with a gazillion people hanging on. Not sure if they broke the record.
Friday I went to Chinatown for the kick off of the year of the Rabbit. (see photos). Saturday I joined a walking tour of downtown Sydney, bought some hibiscus flowers in rose water (an Australian speciality) to add to champagne when my sweetie joins me and later in the evening Opera in the Domain. Finally got to see Carmen with thousands of other opera fans at the Sydney version of Opera in Central Park.
Sunday I took City Rail and a bus to Bondi Beach. (again see photos). Took the stunning and long, about 90 minutes each way, Coastal Trail hike. Amazing views past coves and individual beaches, Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee with lunch and a mango/lychee ice cream. Life guards here are a different breed. A volunteer force that guards against rip tides, jelly fish, shark and every other scary force out there. Flags are posted to direct where folks should swim and the guards try their best to corral folks to a narrow band. The beaches were packed on this sunny, hot Sunday. Lots of surfers. The sun is really intense here. Someone said that there is a hole in the ozone above Australia which makes the sun's rays even more intense. If anyone can confirm that let me know. It's a good story though. I slathered on the sun screen, wore a hat and sunglasses and the only parts that are lobster like today are the spots I missed.
In the evening I met one of the young LeapFrog Fellows for an outdoor movie. One of my favorite summer activities is watching movies outside but nothing has ever compared to this setting. Photo is posted. We had dinner at the cafe and with about 200 other Sydnesiders we watched Hedgehog. I missed it in DC and highly recommend the movie.
Starting to find my feet at the office. The people are smart and incredibly hardworking. Three Fellows are each serving a year with LeapFrog doing important work in due diligence, developing insurance for the underserved. They are professionals, lawyers, bankers and management consultants, taking a year off from the corporate career ladder to explore something different and make a difference. Sort of like the Peace Corp for financial geeks? Don't tell them I called them that, they really are incredible.
I'm spending most of my time thinking about measurements for micro-insurance. What should be measured, how should we collect the data, how should it be shared, what does it mean. UE is so data driven that it feels natural to think this way but I sure wish I had a Bob or Brian here to help!
Weather is very hot, 32-36 (90-97) but there is a breeze in my apartment and the ceiling fans are working well. Very few apartments have a/c but the offices all have it.
Going to try and slow down a bit and move away from this frenetic tourist mode, trying to see everything and go everywhere. I'll let you know how that works out.
Cheers
I'm carless and after walking the hills and seeing the local aggressive drivers decided against buying a bike for transport. I am getting the hang of the transportation system here in Sydney. I've taken buses, city rail, ferries, taxis and cars. Haven't take a train yet but will do for a day trip to the Blue Mountains.
Wednesday was Australia Day and the head of Risk Management/Business Development of Unimutual (a group similar to UE but for Australian Universities) and his wife opened their home and adventures to me. Check out the pictures Harry took of me snorkeling and kayaking. A wonderful day. Bay water was a bit chilly but the day warmed up. Since almost every Australian lives within a short drive of some beach, Australian Day is beach day, although I'm sure there were folks in downtown Sydney, the vast majority head to the beach or at least it seemed that way. The police seemed to enforce the no alcohol on the beaches but there was plenty of drinking going on elsewhere and the uniform of most young men was a bathing suit, Australian flag worn as a cape and a beer. A woman in the office explained that there was an event at Bondi Beach to set the world record for most people floating on a thong. The image is beyond disgusting until I realized thongs are flip flops and they floated this huge one in the ocean with a gazillion people hanging on. Not sure if they broke the record.
Friday I went to Chinatown for the kick off of the year of the Rabbit. (see photos). Saturday I joined a walking tour of downtown Sydney, bought some hibiscus flowers in rose water (an Australian speciality) to add to champagne when my sweetie joins me and later in the evening Opera in the Domain. Finally got to see Carmen with thousands of other opera fans at the Sydney version of Opera in Central Park.
Sunday I took City Rail and a bus to Bondi Beach. (again see photos). Took the stunning and long, about 90 minutes each way, Coastal Trail hike. Amazing views past coves and individual beaches, Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee with lunch and a mango/lychee ice cream. Life guards here are a different breed. A volunteer force that guards against rip tides, jelly fish, shark and every other scary force out there. Flags are posted to direct where folks should swim and the guards try their best to corral folks to a narrow band. The beaches were packed on this sunny, hot Sunday. Lots of surfers. The sun is really intense here. Someone said that there is a hole in the ozone above Australia which makes the sun's rays even more intense. If anyone can confirm that let me know. It's a good story though. I slathered on the sun screen, wore a hat and sunglasses and the only parts that are lobster like today are the spots I missed.
In the evening I met one of the young LeapFrog Fellows for an outdoor movie. One of my favorite summer activities is watching movies outside but nothing has ever compared to this setting. Photo is posted. We had dinner at the cafe and with about 200 other Sydnesiders we watched Hedgehog. I missed it in DC and highly recommend the movie.
Starting to find my feet at the office. The people are smart and incredibly hardworking. Three Fellows are each serving a year with LeapFrog doing important work in due diligence, developing insurance for the underserved. They are professionals, lawyers, bankers and management consultants, taking a year off from the corporate career ladder to explore something different and make a difference. Sort of like the Peace Corp for financial geeks? Don't tell them I called them that, they really are incredible.
I'm spending most of my time thinking about measurements for micro-insurance. What should be measured, how should we collect the data, how should it be shared, what does it mean. UE is so data driven that it feels natural to think this way but I sure wish I had a Bob or Brian here to help!
Weather is very hot, 32-36 (90-97) but there is a breeze in my apartment and the ceiling fans are working well. Very few apartments have a/c but the offices all have it.
Going to try and slow down a bit and move away from this frenetic tourist mode, trying to see everything and go everywhere. I'll let you know how that works out.
Cheers
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Happy Australia Day
Wednesday morning, January 26. A foggy start to Australia Day. Ferry horns on the bay but if today is like yesterday, it will be sunny, hot and steamy. Check out my photos from my first day at work and the evening ferry trip to the Opera House. I over did it with photos from the harbor but the iconic building dulled my editing skills. Madama Butterfly was the performance. The performance space is smaller than the Met so a more intimate place to see an opera. Dinner on the terrace before the performance and my first Australian Beer, Jack Squire. Not a bad place to have my second night down under.
Australia Day 2011 is a bit somber this year because of the floods but I've been warned about the fierce partying that takes place. The beaches are all alcohol free and there are an additional 2000 police on duty for New South Wales so I'll report later on the results. The reputation of Australians is they love to gamble and Simon, the am DJ (Breakfast with Simon) on the local ABC station reports that they had to cut off betting early on who would win Australian of the Year. Betting on which able citizen would be honored on Australian I have a lot to learn about Australians. Simon Mckeon won the honor this year. Lots of buzz about the Australians nominated for an Academy awards. I'll check in on the odds as we get closer to the date.
News is also full of the way the insurance companies are behaving on flood claims. I've been warned by one person living in Brisbane not to tell anyone I work in insurance. Seems as though the definition of flood is as muddy here as in the US after Katrina.
It has been 13 years since I had a first day in an office so it felt a bit strange entering the small office of LeapFrog Investments. I bring the Sydney office to 8. The current group is all young, all smart, hardworking and very dedicated to changing the world by helping people move out of the cycle of poverty. We have lunch on a little deck, a big umbrella to shield the sun. Collected ideas on how to best see Sydney.
LeapFrog is a global group, folks in South Africa, Scotland and Australia (and one ernest attorney in DC), at the very early stages of micro insurance, insurance for the masses. Will be thinking of the metrics to measure social progress, bringing operational experience to the group.
I'm heading to the beach to snorkel, go to a barbie and perhaps try another Jack Squire.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The begining
Monday afternoon in Sydney. Still Sunday back home. I know this because I checked in on the Steeler game. Friday was finishing odds and ends. A nice lunch and a very sweet send off orchestrated by J. Fosters to celebrate my new digs (hope no one noticed) final words with R and putting voicemails and out of office on. Took the bus home, finished packing and made the official Abraham send off meal of pasta carbonara. Used whole wheat pasta which didn't go over too well with K.
Incredibly long flight. Had forgotten to replenish my supply of Tylenol and had to beg some off a nice couple behind me. Although I worried whether I had the right visa, and would customs and quarantine give me a hard time about my Calcium pills and prescriptions, I sailed through. Australia is fanatical about keeping fruit, seeds, animal skins just about everything out of the country.
Apartment has a beautiful view over looking harbor. Watching sailboats and ferries as I write. Cloudy but warm. After freezing DC, I have all the windows open and ceiling fans going. Actually hooked up wireless by myself. Didn't have to call W, K or A!!!!
Walked to the market, bought some healthy but heavy groceries so taxied back. Australian butter, yogurt, olive oil, fruit and veggies. I passed on the oranges from USA but picked up some lychees. Ordered a pound of ground coffee and left with 200 g. Gotta work on the temps and weights.
Although I slept for a few hours on the flight, I'll try and stay awake until later tonight and get on Sydney time.
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