Food was 136

lodging was 136

Plane tickets were = 451

36 PHP for Coffee

15 Water

Other

70  PHP Laundry (crap I forgot to budget for that category – ok just edited)

Well, the irony is my own budget is somewhat like a Scooby Doo mystery (the mystery being – “where is it)?” Despite knowing what I “should” do, I often get blocked at putting it into practice. I track my spending  and then say either -  wow that was a lot – not good, your out of control or that wasn’t so bad, your depriving yourself (interesting either way seems to be – no win hmmm – not very self loving!)  You see, I don’t actually have a budget – because I don’t want a piece of paper to tell me NO – it’s the teenager inside say &*@#$% U!  I don’t like making choices ( i want them all).   I also love to tip people and buy gifts – like I’m Daddy Warbucks or something – which does not help matters. (Being in another country makes it even more interesting  – the justifications I come up with – my mind starts to play with conversion rates – all of the sudden 2000 pesos is 30 USD but in reality it’s 44!! It’s maddening.)

Why things need to change for me…

I’ve been lucky that money has not been a problem for the last 3 years -working in the tech industry  – Ialways had enough to cover the vagueness! But if I am truthfully going to transition into the non-profit sector my relationship with money (I don’t want to look ) really needs to change and since I’ve already hit a bottom in the past with money (wee bit of debt after college) I don;t want to learn that lesson again.

Ok – so I’m trying to look at this at an adventure. I will blog how I did every few days. Let’s see if that makes if fun!

Here is the budget for traveling the next two weeks in PI – before I get too Cambodia! I’m going to make it conservative and then hopefully come in  below – we’ll see.  Maybe If I’m allowed to spend but decied not to that will help! Remember Mary – this is a loving act – you have the opportunity to be a good parent to yourself.

Shaggy, Velma, Fred, and Daphne, help me  present with money – but not try to be perfect!!

SUBTOTAL = 940 USD Traveling in PI (OUCH)

Getting to my next placement in Cambodia = 500 USD

TOTAL =$ 1460 USD = 67240  PHP

Yes – it’s a alot but I have saved up from the IT grind and this is something I totally want to do – which means I’ll have to give on other things down thw road – but it is a choice – i think budgets are about picking your Priorities.  Right?

Breakdown

Accommodation for 2 weeks

• Total = 600 USD – 30,000 PHP
• Daily limit – 2000 PHP
  

Food for 2 weeks

• Total = 100 USD – 4,875PHP
• Daily limit – 325 PHP (25 is for my daily diet coke)

Transportation

• Around Philippines -

flight to Boracay (80 USD,3680 PHP)

Changing flight (4o USD, 2000 PHP)


Road (20 USD, 1000PHP)


• To Cambodia
  

• 500 Usd Ouch!
  

Recreation (tours, surfing)

• surfing = 40 USD, 2000PHP
• tours – 2 = 40 USD, 2000, PHP
  
• Shopping – 20 USD (shirt) , 1000 PHP

Other (Laundry etc)

• 20 USD 1000 PHP

Last month I picked up my clothes from the Washeteria. I was psyched, walking home with that, “I have clean clothes to wear,” feeling (you know the one). I got home, opened the cube shaped bag, it smelled so nice, even my underwear were folded! “What can I wear tomorrow?”

I stumbled upon a long blue, polyester skirt.  “Hmmm, this definitely doesn’t look like mine,” (although having worn uniforms for 12 years I did feel a slight connection.)

Quickly I worried, “If I have someone else things I wonder if someone has anything of mine.” I looked, my black skirt was missing.

A week later I went back to the Washeteria armed with barbaric Taglog sentences in my hand. “I pick up clothes Monday, black skirt missing. Blue skirt is not mine. “ Several variations of these sentence fragments later she understood. I asked if anyone had returned it. “No Mam, wala” (this sentence has come to irritate me like no other.) She (Candy)looked puzzled and worried– “where could it be?” She looked around, opened up washing machines, dryers.  It didn’t look promising.

After a little while, Candy looked over at me and shook her head defeatingly . The room was still and in that moment I accepted I was not getting my skirt back. “Ok – next option,” I thought to myself, “I need some sort of compensation here. I feel like I am being taken advantage of!” I asked Candy, ”Since you lost my skirt ($30 US) can I have a free wash ($1 US)?”  I thought I was being very reasonable.  Candy did not understand at first so I asked her friend to translate. When it clicked, Candy shook her head and smiled, “no Mam.” Again stillness, then I responded, “really,no?”  Same answer, “No Mam’ as she laughed.  The laughing was killing me but it’s a part of “smoothing the situation.”Then she lit up as if she has just thought of the best idea in the world,“ I  will take your cell phone number and text you  if it comes back.” I was not impressed.

As I stood there, part of me wanted to push the issue – the American in me wants to see a manager and owner!  “Where is the customer service – are you kidding me?  You’ll call me if it comes in? – that should be a given!”  Then the other part of me does not want to get this woman in trouble, knowing how hard it is to find a job in the Philippines.  At this point Candy and her friend start trying so hard to befriend me – you are beautiful etc. – where do you live.”  I just now realize, after living here for 3 months, that this be-friending (which I think is a side-bar) is actually how many Filipinos do business, creating bonds and thus  loyalty, if someone is your friend you don’t tell their manager on them. You don’t tell people not to go to that business. In a country where the corruption is so entrenched (2.1-2.7 confidence/trust rating – 9.5 is the highest) social connections and obligations often dictate the business culture – they are the ultimate business tool, almost a commodity. It’s a cultural complexity that any organization  or business operating in the Philippines must understand and navigate to some extent no matter how micro!

Needless to say, Candy texted me a lot in the coming weeks and not about my skirt, instead asking me to be her friend. I replied to a few texts but there was such a communication barrier it seemed pointless.  Then she texted me about starting a business with her. Could I help her, what kind of business should she start, she had saved up some money?  After speaking with my MFI (Kiva’a Microfinance Field Partner) ASKI, I recommended she go to the Department of Trade office run by the Philippine government and told her the address. I told her that ASKI could help provide support (trainings, business ideas) if she wanted a loan. (Like all healthy organizations, ASKI has boundaries. With money from Kiva lenders, other International donors, and interest, ASKI provides all types of business support services to borrowers. (Checkout ASKI borrowers currently funding on Kiva!! )  Then Candy wanted to meet and talk – talk? I can’t understand you and you can’t understand me?  You lost my skirt – how could I run a business with you anyway? I had to decline and let the notion of saving Candy go. But when I think about business and Microfinance in the Philippines, Candy comes back.

In the moment, I decided not to sweat the small stuff (my skirt)– life happens. I did not report Candy to her Manager or make a fuss, but I could not help wonder if I was I really helping her. I’m not sure. Did I stop her from learning and growing from a mistake or did I help her family continue to have regular meals.

I did go back to the Washeteria eventually; Candy doesn’t work there anymore. There was a new woman working there who returned all of my clothes. I gave her a tip.

Mary Riedel is a Kiva Fellow volunteering with Alalay sa Kaularan, ASKI in the Philippines.

It’s that day of the year when we look forward with hope as we let go of last year’s demons and angels; as they say, “let go or get dragged!” So we put on those funny hats, blow those horns, and dance like we just don’t care!

To inspire you this New Years I’ve collected some dance footage of Kiva Fellows bustin’ a move in the field at their respective Kiva Field Partners (Microfinance Institutes). Each fellow recalls feeling a little trepidatious at getting out on the dance floor, but all seem to recount the story with a smile. If  the US Post Office unofficial motto pledges that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Then the Kiva Fellow unofficial motto might be something like, “neither typhoon, nor malaria, nor diarrhea, nor subzero temperatures, nor mouthfuls of exhaust, nor embarrassing dance exhibitions stays these fellows from tenaciously completing their appointed deliverables.

So when your out celebrating tonight if you feel like you’ve got lead in your feet or you catch a glimpse of yourself dancing in a reflection just remember the following 5 clips and keep on movin! If the Kiva fellows can do it…so can you!

1. Kiva Fellow: Ed Coambs, KF9, Philippines
2. Kiva Fellow: Josh Weinstein, KF9, Philippines

Occasion/Celebration: Negros for Women Staff Christmas Party

Type of Dance: Marcarena

Personal Experience around the dance: Ed and I (Josh) were the honorary judges of the dance competition at our MFI.  We thought that would give us an immunity from performing.  Unfortunately, the MFI had other plans for us and gave us no choice but to perform.  We had 20 minutes to come up with something, so we chose the only dance that we both knew – the Macarena.  We had to perform in front of 150 of our cheering coworkers.  Against my better judgment, I’m sharing the video with all of you.  As you can tell from video, neither Ed nor I is much of a dancer.

3. Kiva Fellow: Suzy Marinkovich, KF8, Peru (currently a fellow in Chile)

Occasion/Celebration: Finca Peru, volleyball competition

Type of dance: shopping cart and the sprinkler

Personal Experience around the dance: Finca thought our  volleyball should be immediately followed by a dance – in the same clothes. At first they laughed at us thinking gringos cant dance, but after we showed them the shopping cart and the sprinkler, they started copying our every move. Works every time! i just love how so often as kiva fellows you have this thought–
“whelp- just going to have to embrace the awkwardness”
me being embarrasing-

4. Kiva Fellow: Eva Wu, KF9, Philippines

Occasion/Celebration: Hagdan sa Pag-uswag Foundation, Inc. Staff Christmas Party

Personal Experience around the dance: I  totally gotten roped into joining the head office’s choreographed routine for the Christmas party dance contest. But I (unlike Josh and Ed) actually got performance immunity as a judge After the official party activities ended people started videoking in the office. There were a lot of crazy ’80s and ’90s songs for a while (think Backstreet Boys) which we tried to dance to, with limited or huge success depending on how you look at it. After everyone had gotten their fill of singing one of my co-workers blasted the videoke machine to party mix mode and we began rocking out to awesome songs, from Avril Lavigne to Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas. One of my favorite moments came when a project officer from Iligan brokedown traditional Filipino dance moves, which we proceeded to follow in a huge circle to “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire. Or when that same project officer made people do the tinikling dance while he improvised with a tennis racket and some other piece of office miscellany instead or the traditional bamboo poles.

Type of Dance: …rocking out clubbin’ style at the office? I didn’t manage to get any actual footage of me dancing – sorry!! But to make up for it, here’s a link to a video of another HSPFI Christmas party that I edited, where you can watch HSPFI borrowers do cool group dances for another dance contest. 

5. Kiva Fellow: Adam Preston, KF9, Philippines

Occasion/Celebration: ASKI Sports Fest (annual event where all branches compete in volleyball, badminton, and table tennis)

Type of Dance: Cheer/”Nobody but you” music video moves (Wonder Girls)

Personal Experience around the dance: (As told by Mary Riedel) Adam was asked to attend the “ASKI Sportsfest.”  Adam said “yes” thinking he’d be competing in some friendly sporting competition. Little did he know these were the final playoffs teams already chosen.  Adam was asked to join the as the cheering squad. Adam accepted the challenge!

6. Kiva Fellow: Brian Kelly, KF9, Armenia

Occasion/Celebration: Aregak Workshop/Conference

Type of Dance:  Classic Armenian Dance Moves!

Personal Experience around the dance: “While I didn’t get any footage of me dancing, here is a little sample of some classic Armenian dance moves.  These were taken at a company-wide party last Friday at the end of a 3 day conference/workshop.  Note the extensive use of arm movements.  I was most definitely dragged up there about 2 songs in, and luckily there is not footage to prove it.”

Happy New Years!! Thanks for watching!

Mary Riedel is a Kiva Fellow working for ASKI in the Philippines who is sitting in a hotel  bar in Cebu City called Le Swiss Chalet, which is neither Swiss nor a Chalet. She is using her new computer purchased after a tragic incident which included a full cup of coffee and her mac.

I’m writing a blog post and posting this video because

1. It makes me laugh
2. I’m behind!
3. Right now it feels like that’s all I can do. Why? Well since you asked…lemme tell you…

An overtired and ill (I still don’t know what I have, feels like more than a normal flu though) Kiva Fellow spilled an entire mug of coffee on her computer last week. I know it’s just a computer but when it’s a lifeline to your friends and family it feels like loosing a small pet (like maybe a parakeet). On the bright side I did back-up all my files last week (which almost feels like flossing doesn’t it?) on a cool new external hard drive I purchased from the Apple when I was in the US. So I can’t be mad at myself for being irresponsible and not following through – at least I have my data – theoretically ( What I didn’t know is the drive can only be read by a Mac and there are none in sight.) Eventually it will work out but I’m a little bummed….

So, why am I so tired? Well, I am recovering from a week of travel and ASKI Buklods (A Christmas party and combined Annual Update). I was honored to be invited to attend one of the weeklong (yes one of them!) celebrations with ASKI senior management, board members and clients.
There were over 5000 clients at one party, and about 1500 at each of the other two – it was intense!

It was especially great to see some spiritual principles at work during the holiday season

Love – Clients interacting with each other (watch the video)
Hope – The Department of Trade speaking about national programs ASKI will be helping clients access in 2010
Service – Elections taking place for MBA Coordinator (This is an opportunity for a client to help provide fellow clients with access to insurance as part of their MBA program– Mutual Benefit Association)
Joy – Games, Prizes, and Dancing.

* Hula hoop relay (hysterical)
* Let’s make a deal (Is it Door #1 or Door #2? In this game winning livestock is actually a good thing!)
* A version of 25,000 pyramid (if the client did not guess correctly– the loan officer would get goo poured over him!
* Hip Hip Hooray (kind of like Simon Says).

And of course there was dancing and despite the fact that the rules said “you must dance to Christmas music” of course the Filipinos still found a way to get “Nobody, Nobody but you in there.”

Check out this Video on Vimeo…(Youtube is blocked at my “office”). You can hear the number 1 song in the Philippines too (Nobody, but you!)

ASKI Borrowers Dancing up a Storm from Mary Riedel on Vimeo.

I feel so honored to be working with a Kiva’s Microfinance Partners who is so innovative in their approach to servicing their clients. Although, with 1500 – 5000 clients at a party not everyone can win, or even play! There were some sad faces but ASKI took note and is always looking for ways to help more people. The annual gathering/parties (Buklods) actually developed as a scaleable way to honor the invitations of all clients who traditionally invite ASKI executives/management to their homes during the holiday season to say thank you! ASKI has about 42,360 active borrowers – Now that would really be tiring!!

Mary Riedel is a Kiva Fellow volunteering with ASKI Kiva’s Microfinance Partner’s in the Philippines.

Filipino Parols/Christmas Lanterns outside the NE Pacific Mall

…”Tis the season,” and, “twas the season” from the moment I arrived in the Philippines on October 3rd – a Kiva Fellow bound for Kiva’s Microfinance Partner ASKI. (Microfinance field partners, are a critical link in connecting Kiva lenders with Kiva borrowers. Check out this rad video to learn more about the process). The Christmas Season starts sometime in September and lasts though the middle of January. I distinctly remember my first encounter with Christmas the weekend after I arrived in Cabanatuan City, PI. I was lured into a day spa by ambiant music and reclining chairs. I decided to get a facial, and was totally relaxed. Then all of the sudden about a 1/4 of the way through my delicious experience, the music changed to the “All Christmas Music, All the time” station….45 minutes of fa-la-la was intense…. So my initial “black and white” plan of totally ignoring Christmas this year, while out in the field volunteering as a Kiva Fellow, seemed unlikely.

So I’ve been trying to create a new Christmas, a sort of Gray Christmas. (That actually sounds pretty dismal. Alright how about a turquoise Christmas, not green and not blue – somewhere in the middle of the two on the color wheel). With my new outlook in mind yesterday I said hello to Christmas and went Christmas shopping. (Scrapping my initial plan to just buy gifts for my family online, which felt cold (kind of blue:-) and disconnected for me). Oddly enough my first stop was at ASKI in Cabanatuan City where I “work.” As it turns out ASKI operates a merchant store called, “ASKI Marketing Cooperative,” where they sell some products their borrowers make (some of them are Kiva borrowers but not all – in order to remain solvent only 1/3 of MFI clients/borrowers can be funded by Kiva ). The products range from traditional clothing, shoes, arts and crafts, food, stationary, handbags an so on.

Here are a few of the items, I bought.

Clutch purse for mom - made of native Philippine flora

Angel Ornament- so I am not forgotten

Here is some things I would have bought if shipping where not crazy expensive and I had a bigger box.

Wood Bowls from Isabela

Wood is a major product in Isabela, Philippines (this is also where many Kiva Borrowers are live)

Christmas lantern (a.k.a parol)

Christmas Latterns sold at ASKI Marketing

I have been sort of obsessed with the Christmas latterns ever since their star shaped brilliance caught my eyes! “In the philippines, the parol has become an iconic symbol of a filipino christmas and is as important to filipinos as the christmas tree is to other cultures.” (wikipedia).

My favorite ones are these, simple yet beautiful.

Simple Capiz Parol

Not a fan of these…

Flower Lattern

In recent years like everything parols have advanced with technology. “The electronic lights can now be coordinated to produce a dancing effect.” (wikipedia) the result….well i think the new ones are really tacky and they give me a headache – but to each his own. I am sure they are a very nice accompaniment to what i can imagine are endless nights of videoke christmas carols.

Happy holidays!! and if your procrastinating on the shopping like i was, “every journey starts with one step!” which can be anything…like checking out the merch at the kiva online store or purchasing a Kiva gift certificate starting at $25 USD! Give a borrower something that keeps on giving – Hope! spelled L-O-A-N!

Here’s some more info about the history and construction of Parols from wikipedia.... Read more if you like below are on wikipedia.

Adaption and History

The parol, technically called philippine christmas lantern, was adapted from the chinese lantern and the
mexican piñata to symbolize the star of bethlehem.[6] patterns of the parol evolved from the five-pointed star-
shaped paper lantern that was crafted by an artisan named francisco estanislao in 1928. his creation was made
of bamboo strips pasted with papel de japon (japanese paper), illuminated by a candle or kalburo (carbide).

This kind of lighting was adapted by barrio folks to light their paths during an annual ritual dawn mass
called misa de gallo, due to electricity being unavailable at the time.[7]

Construction and Variations

Traditionally, parols are made from a star-shaped framework made of bamboo sticks which are then
covered by colored pieces of either japanese paper or crêpe paper.[1] Nowadays, the materials range from
various non-traditional materials such as beads, feathers, glass, hemp, leaves, plastic, seeds, shells, soft drink straws, wood and even metal.[8] they usually comes in various sizes—from small, tinsel and foil lanterns to
gigantic one—shapes and artistic designs where some lanterns can be electrically lit at night. other designs
include that of santa claus’s face, angels, reindeer, huge flowers, happy faces, and christmas trees.[9] more complex shapes that are seen are the rose, the bromeliad, the snowflake and the sea urchin.

Laughing with Myrna Data, a Kiva Borrower

Mary Riedel, KF9, Philippines

“…What do you think your biggest challenge will be if you become a Kiva Fellow?”

I heard this question twice during my interview process with Kiva. On both occasions I was sitting at my kitchen table in San Francisco, working from home (experiencing some cabin fever), and planing to meet up with friends later in the day. My answer was, “Feeling disconnected from friends and family.” And yes, some days staying connected has been a bit of challenge, looking at the clock wishing it was telling me a different story, jumping to Skpye and hoping to to see little green dots. For the most part though, communication has been good, it just takes more planning and acceptance.

So that’s not my biggest challenge…

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Myrna Datu a woman with a warm smile and a boisterous laugh. She was the first person I noticed when we got to Parog Parog barangay (village) in Solana, Cagayan. She was standing in a group of women holding a sign that said “Welcome Kiva Fellows Adam and Mary”. Myrna had a lot of energy, was wearing a bright orange shirt and a canvas hat (I love hats).

A Very Warm Welcome - Myrna Datu, left of sign

Myrna is the mother of girls (one in high school and one in college), she was widowed 7 years ago, which means she does all of male and female duties in the household by herself . Myrna raises pigs, buys and sells vegetables, makes and sells small snacks, and works in the field growing rice (she walks a Karibou – Filipino Buffalo – to plow the fields becasue she’s afraid of riding him.

Karibou (Filipino Buffalo)

A little while later after many group photos…. it was Myrna’s turn to be interviewed. She sat down and looked away (she was really nervous) she started laughing…and then her expression changed – tears, a quivering face, but still a smile… “oh, no!” I thought… “she’s crying,..like, a lot..but smiling, what’s going on…” Could it be…really?… “tears of joy”.

Sitting in small a room full of about 20 women, the Documentation Officer from ASKI (a Kiva Microfinance Partner) asked, “Myrna why are you crying?”

You HAVE TO WATHCH THIS VIDEO (the first 30 seconds at least) and hear Myrna…her voice and spirit are far more touching then I could ever put into words…Which is why I am humbling myself and posting this – despite the fact that my “journal interview” sort of turned into an Oprah episode and some of my comments sound pretty ho-key. I’m learning less is more when the camera is rolling. (My ego really wants me to spend a ton of time editing this on imovie to get my voice out of there, but to be honest it would take me far tooooo long and have a ton of journals to post).

As you can see keeping a boundary and acting as an objective reporter/fellow might be pretty challenging. It’s proving to be the most challenging aspect of being a Kiva Fellow…. Here’s what you don’t see in the video… While I was sitting with Myrna, as she lovingly touched my hand over and over, crying and telling me her story– all of me wanted to jump up, hug this woman, and say, “You ROCK! You are doing an awesome job! Everything is going to be OK.” I wanted to thank her for sharing her story with me and tell her how touched and honored I was. Then my mind got going… “Myrna works so hard. I hope she has some joy in her life….maybe I could take her to a movie, get her a facial.” Then my mind really got going, “What about a different job, a vacation, a husband…. I wonder how widows find dates here? Do widows date here – maybe in Manila? I’ll talk to Prem (the Kiva Fellow there), Do they use e-harmoney here. Hmmm, this is sounding a little crazy…. but I bet she’d like the special soap I use, maybe I’ll bring a little next time… I wonder what she wants for Christmas.”

So as you can see, from the inner chatter I actually held back in the video, but it was really uncomfortable, I was having a hard time finding the line…the boundary. Knowing how to respond to this intense display of human emotion?…This definitely would not have happened at Wells Fargo in California. Was I supposed to stay stoic like a real reporter, no feedback…nothing?

We left the barangay, time passed, my mind settled, I wrote a journal, and then another, because that is how I help. That is how I help everyone not just Myrna, by working toward’s Kiva Mission – connecting people through lending in order to alleviate poverty. There are many people like Myrna Datu out there.

All things considered I did a pretty good job (minus a few dorky sentences) but as I said, I’m learning. I’m getting more comfortable with silence and letting people have “their feelings” and experiences (independent of me) without interrupting the process…because it is a beautiful one.

Loan to ASKI Borrowers