Hello from Ankara

It's so nice to hear from everyone! Andres and I are working at TEPAV this summer, which is a think-tank. We are thinking about economics of course. I'm currently thinking about the microeconomics of competitiveness: I'm trying to design a program for TEPAV that improves the competitiveness of Turkish industries. Working in Turkey in the non-profit sector has been quite an experience for me. I'm used to billing the time I spend working on projects in 15 minute increments, but here people are a lot more relaxed.

The weather here is quite warm and dry. Above is a picture of my favorite place in Turkey--Cappadocia. As you can guess, I am thoroughly enjoying the food here. In fact, you can read all about my food adventures on my food blog. As for the traffic here, you can certainly tell you are in a developing country. It is extremely tough to be a pedestrian here and when we ride the public bus to work, we are exposed to what Andres' wife calls "the national odor" (no offense to our lovely Turkish classmates, but sometimes I just want to hand out deodorant to everyone on the bus).

Miss all of you guys,
Kareen

Holy ..

If there is something I would like to be in this country, it’s being a cow. They’re just so enviably carefree and have to face no repercussions whatsoever for that. In India the saying must go ‘free as a cow’. You invariably see one (or many) of them on the roadside every time you’re struggling through the traffic, staring at something of their choice for the day (in Turkish we say “as the cow stares at the train” when somebody looks at you blankly. But the important point is, they can’t choose what to stare at there). Just to give a brief caption of the traffic here- there are usually 6 cars lined next to each other on a 3-lane road, there is never a straight line between your car and two cars ahead of you, two cars do not stay behind one another for more than 10 seconds. The cars don’t possess left-side view mirrors (because they usually get ripped off by the normal proximity of flowing traffic), sometimes keep their right ones. The drivers trust their horns more than their eyes in navigation, not only are they extremely risk-loving but they also have internalized the belief that being courteous in traffic is a big sin. So imagine you’re in a bus in slow moving morning traffic, jumping in your seat due to the broken roads every time you move and feel like you’re in an action movie while your driver is fighting for the little open spot ahead. It’s very exciting to watch which Maruti Suzuki will get it. The horns are continuous and loud. Then there are the little ‘flies’ around – the motors and autorickshaws that fill in the remaining empty spots on the road. Can’t afford to waste here. You still have 45 mins left to reach work and on top of your upset stomach (due to jumping) and headache (horns), the A/C from the 40s is blowing in your face (I don’t like A/C, as Brazil trip people will recall). You’ve been in a bottleneck for a while, and the traffic’s just not moving. You’re wondering whether there is an accident. A few mins later the reason reveals itself with magnificence: meet the Cow, sitting in the middle of the road, chewing his breakfast, enjoying the passers-by. The cars are going on top of each other, trying to dodge his Excellency and find their way. The interesting thing is, the drivers are completely fine with this. Nobody’s cursing at the Cow but at each other.

The Cow situation here is pretty serious; you can face big fines if you hit one. While they’re not wrecking traffic, they eat the greens on the side of the road. So there is no way the Municipality can have a Roadside Beautification plan in Delhi. But don’t worry, I do not think that this is the binding constraint before India’s development. I am actually quite puzzled on that. I am working on infrastructure development in India and everyday I hear/read about how much investment goes towards infrastructure building and it is on a very fast-paced growth and so on. And then I experience the extremely badly maintained roads in Delhi- the roads that –ironically- take you to possibly the most modern area of India, full of corporate buildings, malls, restaurants. It might have something to do with which infrastructure projects are prioritized- maybe the ones that bring the most amount of profits to the companies that are PPPing. The ones that would improve service delivery for the public can happen later on their own (Vinay, this goes to you). But then again, I’ve heard of some Roads projects as well that have worked quite well in India. I believe this leaves us with one binding constraint responsible for the road situation in Delhi: Cow, the carefree.

Tradables and Non-tradables

Greetings from the best city to live in in India! Check out these prices:

- Gasoline (unleaded 95 octane): $1.70/gallon
- Haircut (men's, basic trim): $2.50

The first is not surprising given the resource boom, but that's precisely what makes the second surprising. Given all we'd learned in PED-119 about haircuts, I had originally planned to get mine done in Somerville which I assumed cheaper. Upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my strategy needed rethinking. So I am currently sporting cheap fuel in my tank and slick Keralan style on my head.

I'm curious what prices are like in all of our various summer countries...

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility / Mécanisme d'assistance pour les peuples autochtones / Fondo de Apoyo a los Pueblos Indígenas

Français: Le texte en français suit le texte en anglais.
Español: Por favor mire abajo para la versión español.

2008 CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS FROM INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' ORGANIZATIONS AND
THEIR COMMUNITIES

Dear Equator Net members,

The IFAD <http://www.ifad.org/> Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility
invites applications from indigenous peoples' organizations and communities,
as well as organizations that work with them, for grants to fund projects,
innovative approaches and partnerships that promote the development of
indigenous peoples and help them fulfill their aspirations.

Grants range from US$10,000 to US$30,000. Applicants must meet specific
requirements and their proposals should respond to the needs of indigenous
peoples in any of IFAD's Member States
<http://www.ifad.org/governance/ifad/ms.htm> . Activities likely to be
considered for funding will build on indigenous culture, identity,
knowledge, natural resources, intellectual property and human rights.
Projects should improve indigenous peoples' access to decision-making
processes, empower indigenous peoples to find solutions to the challenges
they face and promote collaboration in the public and private sectors.

To apply for a grant, read the call for proposal
<http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/call.htm> and application
guidelines <http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/application.htm> .
Complete your application form
<http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/form.doc> and send it to
IFAD at indigenouspeoples@ifad.org. The closing date for applications is 30
June 2008. IFAD will not accept applications after that date.

If you have any further questions, please visit
http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/index.htm

or contact:

Ms Antonella Cordone
Coordinator for Indigenous and Tribal Issues, Policy Division
International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD
Via Paolo Di Dono, 44
00142 Rome, Italy
Tel: 00390654592065
Email: indigenouspeoples@ifad.org

Good luck and warm regards,
Gaby

To post a comment to this message or see previous Equator Net contributions
please visit www.equatornet.blogspot.com

APPEL A PROPOSITIONS POUR L'OBTENTION DE DONS EN FAVEUR DES ORGANISATIONS ET
COMMUNAUTES AUTOCHTONES

Chers membres du Réseau Equateur,

Le Mécanisme d'assistance pour les peuples autochtones du FIDA
<http://www.ifad.org/> invite les organisations et communautés autochtones,
ainsi que les organisations qui collaborent avec elles, à solliciter un don
pour financer un projet, une approche innovante ou un partenariat visant à
promouvoir le développement des peuples autochtones et à les aider à
satisfaire leurs aspirations.

Des dons compris entre 10 000 USD et 30 000 USD seront attribués. Les
candidats doivent correspondre à des critères précis et leurs propositions
doivent répondre aux besoins des peuples autochtones dans l'un des États
membres du FIDA en développement
<http://www.ifad.org/governance/ifad/ms.htm> . Les activités susceptibles
d'être financées devront valoriser la culture, l'identité, les savoirs, les
ressources naturelles, les droits de propriété intellectuelle et les droits
humains des peuples autochtones. Les projets devront améliorer l'accès des
peuples autochtones aux processus de décision, mettre les peuples
autochtones en mesure de trouver des solutions aux difficultés auxquelles
ils sont confrontés et favoriser la collaboration dans le secteur public et
le secteur privé.

Pour présenter une demande de don, prière de lire l'appel à propositions
<http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/f/call.htm> et les
instructions
<http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/f/application.htm> à suivre
pour remplir le formulaire de demande, puis de compléter le formulaire de
candidature <http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/f/form.doc> .
Vous pouvez envoyer votre candidature au FIDA par courrier électronique:
indigenouspeoples@ifad.org. La date limite de candidature est fixée au 30
juin 2008. Le FIDA rejettera toute candidature reçue après cette date.

Si vous avez encore des questions, visitez:
http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/f/index.htm

ou contactez:

Mme Antonella Cordone
Coordonnatrice des questions autochtones et tribales, Division des
politiques
Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA)
Via Paolo Di Dono, 44, 00142 Rome, Italie
Téléphone: 00390654592065
Courriel: indigenouspeoples@ifad.org

Bien cordialement,
Gaby

Pour afficher un commentaire à ce message ou à voir les contributions au
Réseau Equateur précédents veuillez visiter www.equatornet.blogspot.com

INVITACIÓN A LAS ORGANIZACIONES DE PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS Y SUS COMUNIDADES A
PRESENTAR SOLICITUDES DE DONACIÓN

Estimados miembros de la Red Ecuatorial,

El Fondo de Apoyo a los Pueblos Indígenas del FIDA
<http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/f/application.htm> invita a
las organizaciones de pueblos indígenas y sus comunidades, así como a las
organizaciones que colaboran con ellas, a que presenten solicitudes de
donación para financiar proyectos, enfoques innovadores y asociaciones que
promuevan el desarrollo de los pueblos indígenas y les ayuden a satisfacer
sus aspiraciones.

Las donaciones varían de 10 000 a 30 000 U.S. dólares. Los solicitantes
deberán reunir determinados requisitos, y sus propuestas deberán responder a
las necesidades de los pueblos indígenas de cualesquiera Estados Miembros
del FIDA <http://www.ifad.org/governance/ifad/ms.htm> . Las actividades cuya
financiación probablemente se considerará deberán basarse en la cultura, la
identidad, los conocimientos, los recursos naturales, la propiedad
intelectual y los derechos humanos de los pueblos indígenas. Los proyectos
deberán facilitar el acceso de esos pueblos a los procesos de adopción de
decisiones, proporcionarles medios para hallar soluciones a los retos con
que se enfrentan y promover la colaboración en los sectores público y
privado.

Para solicitar una donación, lea la invitación a la presentación de
propuestas <http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/s/call.htm> y las
instrucciones
<http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/s/application.htm> para
completar el formulario de solicitud
<http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/s/form.doc> . Envíense su
solicitud por correo electrónico al FIDA: indigenouspeoples@ifad.org. El
plazo de presentación de solicitudes termina el 30 de junio de 2008. El FIDA
no aceptará solicitudes después de esa fecha.

Si tiene preguntas, por favor visite a:
http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/s/index.htm

o contacte a

Sra. Antonella Cordone
Coordinadora de Cuestiones Indígenas y Tribales, División de Políticas
Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA)
Via Paolo Di Dono, 4400142 Roma, Italia
Tel.: 00390654592065
Correo electrónico: indigenouspeoples@ifad.org

Saludos cordiales,
Gaby

Para agregar un comentario a este mensaje o para ver un mensaje anterior del
Red Ecuatorial, visite a www.equatornet.blogspot.com

If you want to learn karate, learn it from a black belt

Imagine for a second you were in the business school. Would you spend your summer internship in a company about to go bankrupt? Would you study only cases of companies which failed? Probably not.

Now let’s say you are in medical school. Would you focus on case studies of very fit decathlon athletes? Would you study only healthy people? Unlikely.

Now is running a country more like running a business or is it more like treating a patient?

At least in the MPA/ID we use a lot of medical analogies: “diagnostics”, “pathologies”, “shock therapy”. We also only study sick countries. Our “success stories” are for the most part very poor countries. China has grown but its still pretty poor, let alone India. Even South Korea and Taiwan are not about to join the G7 anytime soon. Shouldn’t we look more at the developed world?

One thing that strikes me about developing countries that are doing well is that they do study what the rich countries have done – they study it a lot. I remember when I was working with the Chinese government. They were always looking for the international benchmarks and trying to emulate them (they are the kings of piracy after all!). Of course they adapted their strategy to a Chinese reality, but that was often more a question of circumstances on the ground rather than their original intent. The same can be said of the Gulf. Dubai for example has essentially copied financial regulation straight from the UK to form a booming financial centre. Even Chile, who pioneered pension fund reform, still looked at how successful funds are managed in the developed world.

Of course, if you were paying attention in Dani’s class you may now say “Developing countries have their own realities, they are just different. We don’t need another Washington Consensus/best practices manual”. But maybe you slept during his class… you may still go with Lant’s approach and simply say that “You can’t jump straight to a post-modern paradigm!”

I am not saying that we should ignore developing country realities, but shouldn’t we look a bit more at things that do work? A mechanic who has never seen a car working is not likely to fix your car…

This whole long-winded story is to say that Malaysia – a country known for shunning the IMF during the Asian crisis and for being successfully heterodox in its policies – is looking for best-practices just like anyone else. Luckily my summer internship is in a sector in which I have seen the best practices in action. I can be useful. But I wonder sometimes… what if was working on, say, education here in Malaysia? I have studied all about cameras in schools in rural India, but I have no clue on how to run schools that don’t need a camera in the first place.

The MPA/ID is about “tools” (as it should be) and not about cases, so no fault on the program. But the lesson from my experience here so far is still valid: In practice you really want to learn from those who know what they are doing.

Yes, you're allowed to check Google Maps to see where Bissau is located...

Hi all,
Great to hear from some of you, and hope there are more updates on their way! I got a later start on the interning, after spending some quality time at home and at my Yale college reunion. I hope MPA/ID reunions are like this one: they basically set up a tent in a courtyard, and fill it with food and an open bar around the clock for 3 days. Who can complain?

I made it to Bissau almost 2 weeks ago, and was picked up in a fancy white UN SUV to go to the World Food Programme office, which features 24-hour generators, A/C, internet access… pretty cushy. The rest of the city, not so much. There is neither free food nor an open bar. It’s a small city, and moves at a slow pace, but has a nice feel to it. I’ve got a beautiful apartment in one of the nicest neighborhoods, with reasonably consistent electricity and faux sinks/toilet/shower that really do look like they’re connected to running water, even though they’re not. The photo is the view from my porch this morning, out onto a little plaza. I’ve spent a fair amount of time just walking around the city, down by the port, through the little winding alleys of the main market, past the 1-km-long lines of taxis/buses waiting for gas to become available, through the old Portuguese quarter, past the bombed-out former Presidential Palace (and I too was shooed away by guards when I accidentally walked past the President’s current office, although there were no AK’s involved), through the dirt-road neighborhoods... I’ve also been on a massive quest to find street food, although so far it’s limited to the Nescafe cart guys, some women selling “donuts,” and hard-boiled-egg-and-mystery-paste sandwiches (very tasty, if mysterious). But after a confirmed case of cholera was identified inside the city limits yesterday, I might reconsider my enthusiasm for street food altogether.
Work’s interesting so far, pretty much a daily example of why and how it is hard to “measure” or “evaluate” anything at all. There’s a lot of counting of how many people received food, and a lot of speculation about whether/how it encouraged some desired outcome (sticking to HIV/AIDS or TB treatment, school attendance, healthy pregnancies, agricultural rehabilitation, building community infrastructure), which is virtually impossible to quantify. Won’t be running too many regressions this summer. I’m looking forward to making some field visits, starting next week, to see the projects in action. Have been learning more Portuguese, so that I can manage the basics of greetings, market bargaining, and small talk, but am still a bit mystified by the multilingual staff meetings, in which each person speaks in turn in his/her preferred language (English, French, Portuguese, local Portuguese creole…) and the others listen politely despite varying degrees of understanding each language.
Anyway, that’s more than enough from me…

Elephants and Micro-finance

Hey my good friends! So here we are, in a rural area close to Hyderabad (in Andhra Pradesh, one of the poorest states in India). This was a field trip to micro-finance - joint liability groups.

It was really interesting. I was surprised that I couldn't find a singe case of new businesses with the micro-loans. The majority of the women gave the money to their husbands for agricultural purposes. Some of them used the loans for improving their micro-businesses (a shop, cooking). Many of the women used it for consumption.

Now, the question that I have after this field trip is, to what extent large-scale uniform micro-credits are helping poor people around the globe? Are micro-credits many times just an expensive way of saving? Do we really understand what is it that poor families really need? 

Since June 15 I moved to Ahmedabad (state of Gujarat, India) to start the actual internship (before I was in an induction-course). This city is fascinating. Modernity and tradition, all in one.

There are so few turists in Ahmedabad that, approximately 10 times a day I must answer to the question "which country?". You can imagine that all these people think that all Chileans look like Japanese!!

(we have lots of other pictures @ www.esposopolos.blogspot.com)

Marigen & Kenzo.

Raisin' da Bar in KL

Whenever I tell people I used to DJ in China their first reaction is to say "how cool." My answer has always been that it is not cool at all – any foreign-looking person with a few MP3s and a bunch of friends can get a job DJing at a club in China . Before coming to Malaysia I thought the situation here would be the same. Not that I was looking for a job spinning, but I wasn’t expecting much from the nightlife. I was expecting to have a lot of fun, but in other ways.

That all changed today when I ran into DJ Black. I suddenly realized that even if I had kept up with the latest trends in the music world I would never be able to compete in this local scene… The guy has simply raised “da bar” for the rest of us in the profession. He puts the night in nightlife, he puts the shiny sparkle back on your pearly-whites, he puts the blond wig on a bald head. He is DJ Black! And the best part – you can get roasted chicken as you dance to his tunes!!

"Good morning khwaja!"

So shout the little kids as I run down the dusty roads of Juba.

We've been here two weeks, and have had a full spectrum of experiences both in and out of work. Peter, Francisco and I are helping facilitate the budget planning processes of the nascent Government of Southern Sudan, and find ourselves doing anything and everything in an environment that will be recovering from decades of civil war for decades to come. As much as I recoil at using the phrase, I now know what "capacity-building" means in a very real way, as we're working with people who in many cases had to forgo formal education completely to fight in what was Africa's longest running (and most deadly) war. We're also getting involved in other projects like the design of the first household expenditure survey in Sudan, and are brainstorming how to start a modular subsistence agriculture scheme.

A sample of our activities outside work include:

• getting a jeep stuck in a pothole four feet deep on a random corner at 11pm
• accidentally driving down the President's driveway, with much shouting and a smattering of AK's pointed our way
• Francisco being stopped by the police demanding $200 in bribes, and getting out of it (courtesy, in part no doubt, to the negotiations course he took at HKSG)
• singing along to Dinka hymns in a local church service
• eating hamburgers and talking politics in an unreal expat hideaway
• etc.
  

Francisco hasn't photographed for real yet, but he's already taken a few fantastic photos that should appear here quite soon. Until then, here's a shot outside our hotel. We call it paradise...

Hello from...Kendall Square!

I miss you all so much! Cambridge is so much more beautiful in the summer, and I wish you all were here to share it with.
I'm in the midst of my third week at J-PAL and it's been great! I'm grateful to have the opportunity to squeeze in an internship this summer, and to be able to do something that's so international despite being less than a mile from home.
The little guy growing inside me seems to be doing well! I'm in week 34 of 40, and I can't believe that my stomach is going to grow more- but it is! My stomach actually moves - my co-workers refer to this phenomenon as my "alien moments." Will post some pictures when I get a chance. I am sure that all of you are having the most amazing experiences, and I can't wait to read and hear about them all. Good luck and take care.
Much love,
Nupur

I Love Ghana!

I hope this finds everybody thriving in their respective corners of the world!

Marina in 2 weeks: It's been a daily adventure, small discoveries amongst so much good will and friendliness. People are wonderful, warm, open and laugh a lot!

Work started on right about an insane note – the very first day I was in a meeting with the director of the World Bank here and he said: “Well, we're thinking about this idea of exploring the opportunities of a growth pole area in the West of the country. Value chain and the likes... We want to go next week on a growth pole scoping mission, so why don't you go ahead and organize the trip?” Talking about immersion, no! I had 5 days to figure out how the Bank operates in Ghana, what projects they have, what's on the ground in the West, what are the opportunities and what are the constraints, who's out there doing what and find ways to contact and schedule meetings with them! It worked out somehow... The process was fascinating, I learned a ton, worked 12+ hours a day 12 days straight. We traveled west the beginning of this week – met the regional government and the traditional chiefs (making sure I got the right libation alcohol for the chiefs was tricky hey!), visited the ports, the railway, a gold mine, a rubber and oil palm plantations, sustainable forestry and carbon trading estates, wood and cocoa processing factories and numerous beaches (assessing the tourism potential, right!). One of the chiefs we worked with is an incredibly strong community leader – very inspirational. We became friends - I'm going back to the West next weekend to pay tribute to his family – a funeral occasion.

In a nutshell, I am working on mapping the value chain / growth pole realities on the ground in Ghana and looking for untapped growth potential in that field (looking into technology transfers and innovation as well). Nevertheless, my time's split between research and day-to-day tasks, report writing and meetings (I am amazed in how many meetings I sit daily – there is much donor agency dialogue here). Next week Ghana is hosting a big conference on Making Finance Work for Africa so that should be very interesting.

Accra I mostly see at night, going on food scoping missions and the like. There are parts of town that never sleep and parts of town that look dead after sun down. My friends – the place I stay in is FULL of Ghanaian and West African businessmen, so I spend tons of time listening out and discussing entrepreneurial ideas for... everything imaginable, including acne products for dark skin. By chance I got somebody's apartment for the summer – I have this super quirky place with a huge veranda with 100 plants overlooking the city, millions of self-designed switches leading to all sorts of tanks, tubes and generators and funny duck-taped appliances, a bathroom converted into a kitchen, spacious airy rooms in pink and yellow... It's a jewel (with an espresso machine)! Come visit me please (esp. the Liberia team!!! - free UN flight from Monrovia to Accra on weekends)! Also by chance I ended up at a celebration for Ghana's Music Awards yesterday, met the prominent musicians – quite embarrassing / funny since I didn't know any of their songs...

Ghana is insanely green, I love the mahogany trees rising above the coastal forests... The old colonial slave forts along the coast – such dreary / beautiful places... Come, we'll have akrantie soup with fufu!

Love ya,

Marina

Prague, McK, George and Havel

Dear All,

well...I am attaching this photo of George and I in Prague...and if you look closely, you may see Vaclav Havel there. I would love to say we had a private audience with Havel but really, we just spotted him in a restaurant we went to, and decided to say thanks...my heart was beating (I have been wanting to meet this man for a long time).
Other than that, Prague is lovely, though Greg left this morning :(
Hope to hear from many of you soon!

Missing you guys,
a

Cuba, but not so Libre

The maddest of props to Sir Gregory for setting up this amazing blog!  

Here's the news from my end: I mashed down to Nassau immediately after final exams, met my gorgeous damsel, and set off into the forbidden island of Cohiba cigars and sultry salsa music.

Orlee and I headed way out into the agricultural region of the island (where they grow all of that fine tobacco that the world covets), and hiked all around the farms, cruised to a distant beach in a 1950 Dodge, and trekked up a huge mogote to find this particular 90 year old mountain woman from an obscure tribe called the Aquaticos.  I had met her six years before, and wanted to deliver a portrait that I had taken of her.  Upon receipt, she started crying and offered me fresh mango juice.

We blasted over to a huge bio reserve, where we spent the night in an A-frame hut adjacent to a private waterfall lagoon.  Orlee had to swim around holding her cast above the waterline (she broke her thumb canyoneering in Utah two weeks ago), but it was Happy Days nonetheless.

Then we zipped down to Havana where we spent Shabbat at a synagogue with Cuban Jews, went salsa dancing at a massive locals-only dancehall, and walked miles and miles through one of the most dilapidated (yet beautiful) cities on earth.  

Now I'm in Palo Alto, the throbbing heart of innovation, just finishing up my first day in the office.  Working in a startup is one damned fine experience, and the level of exuberant intelligence and creativity of the people here is second only to that of the MPAID09s.  Prepare yourselves for an era of electric vehicles ("EVs"), and challenge me to argue why the mass deployment of EVs (both in developed and developing countries) is integral to the economic success of the Global South.

Mad love to all y'all all over the world!

The rest of the photos are here.  Yeah Baby!!!

!مرحبا

Greetings from دبي ! Props to Greg for setting up this site!

From my end, I find myself also working with a sovereign wealth fund on a private equity deal, playing an interesting development role*. After MPA/ID1, I'm not writing off SWFs' potential impact in the fight against poverty...

If anyone is in my neighborhood, let me know. I have an extremely well air-conditioned apartment for any MPA/ID wanderers to crash in!

--=Daniel Hsu

*restructuring a company which builds cell towers in developing countries - thus providing mobile phone reception to overcome information asymmetries and make markets work better (e.g. Bangladeshi fishermen)

Apa Khabar?

Bad boy Marcos and I will be doing a Harold and Kumar check out Kuala Lumpur this summer. We have sold our souls to join a sovereign wealth fund that does private equity investments in the region.

Stay tuned and I will post some pics when our havoc starts in KL ;p

-Dave N.

Ahoj from Praha! And welcome to our summer blog!

The past week has been an absolute blast, traveling around what I (now) think is one of Europe's coolest cities. Adriana started work last Friday, while I've been busy with such strenuous activities as:

• marveling at yet more 14th century buildings
• sipping espressos with water (don't call it a cafe americano)
• watering Adriana's new plants
• reading more about Sudan
• etc.
  

Here's a scenic shot of the city, with the Charles Bridge in the background:

I'm brushing up on my language skills, and have learned something like 40 new Slovak words. Czech and Slovak are such similar languages, though, I guess I can count 80 new foreign words (a true feat for a monolingual American)!

In addition to being a wonderfully scenic town, Prague is also a great walking city. We've covered a few marathons worth of kilometers just wandering around, and I've discovered a new-found taste for klobassa (Czech sausage) and sauerkraut to compensate for the caloric expenditure. Also, George was in town this weekend, visiting from Vienna where he is interning at UNIDO, so we caught up on what's new over (more) klobassa, potato dumplings and beer, and... walked around for hours.

In any event, this marks the first post of our new blog, intended to share experiences from our internships and travel this summer. Feel free to post whatever strikes your fancy, and be sure to tag each post with a descriptive label so we can easily follow a common category of posts (eg, "Team Liberia"; "IFC/World Bank"; "International NGO").

I hope this finds everyone well, and happy blogging!