A South American Sojourn

Examples can include:

The purchase of fertilizer, seed and machinery for a farmer

Funds for a seamstress to open a retail shop

Acquiring restaurant equipment and food inventory to start a small restaurant

Until only recently the concept of micro-finance (micro-lending) was present only in poorer nations because the traditional concept of retail banking was not available to the poor. From the big banks perspective the cost to service micro-loans is both costly and risky and as a result, they have mostly ignored this sector. But in the 1970's thanks to a progressive social economist Muhammad Yunus, the idea of offering micro-loans to the poor was born in the country of Bangladesh. Since then, the idea has spread across the globe.

The concept seems counter-intuitive - lend a poor person money and then expect to be repaid. It seems like such a gamble. But to the surprise of many, the default rate on average is a low 2% and only a fraction of typical loans. Why? The secret is in the very tight system of cooperative banking in which the loans are cross-guaranteed within a group. That means if one person within the group cannot pay, the other members are obligated to pay on the defaulter's behalf. Naturally this creates a strong system of peer pressure and joint accountability.   

The reason I am a passionate supporter of micro-finance is because it is so empowering, especially for women. Instead of just receiving a fish, borrowers are learning to fish and become sustainable fishermen. This tends to have cumulative effects in the community. Per the statistics, women receive the vast majority of these micro-loans. This alone is empowering because in some cultures, women are not allowed to work outside the home or even handle money. Why this is brilliant is because when you look at the data, women tend to reinvest in themselves and in their children when given additional resources. This translates into better healthcare and a commitment to education for themselves and their families. The results are impactful and long-lasting for the success of their family and ultimately their community. 

In March of this year, I spent one month with Fundación CACMU (Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Mujeres Unidas / United Women's Savings and Credit Bank). It offers banking services including micro-loans to both men and women interested in starting businesses. The foundation supports a region in north and northwest Ecuador in both urban and rural areas, generally a very under-served part of the country. One common solution to the problem of remoteness is mobile banking. Weekly, designated "banking" trucks travel to rural communities to bring comprehensive banking services where no brick and mortar banks exist for miles around.  

During my time with CACMU, I was able to learn more about their banking services and realize how comprehensive they are in the effort to help mitigate borrower's risk. The cooperative offers very affordable (i.e. under $2 per month) life insurance, disability insurance, health insurance, education scholarships, maternity care, dental and preventative healthcare. In addition, the bank offers education about the effective use of credit and the importance of savings. In fact, each loan builds in an extra nominal dollar amount in the monthly payment in order to automate savings. By the end of the loan term, the borrower accumulates a little nest egg to jump start savings.

The highlight of my time with the organization was working with the clients. In one week we hosted a group of individuals with both physical or mental disabilities. They received three days of training on savings, credit, and business creation. We walked them through creating a business plan and showed them how to financially analyze the opportunity and the details of a loan. It was impressive to see this group express such excitement, hope, determination about their future as this training progressed.

Woman receives help while writing her business plan

The group is explained how to analyze the loan

On my final day with the organization, I had the pleasure of visiting a remote island in the Esmeraldas province of northwest Ecuador. This coastal region has a concentration of Afro-Ecuadorians (about 4% of the Ecuadorian population) which are decedents of slaves brought during the Spanish conquest. Because of the location, the most viable commercial opportunity in this very poor area is fishing. The community we visited named San Lorenzo was an isolated island that required a 30 minute boat ride to reach.

Once on the island, we met with 27 individuals (both men and women) who had been pre-approved for a micro-loan to help them individually support their fishing businesses. Each individual was approved for just over $1000 USD and for a one year term. While the bank approved each loan, it was the two presidents of this informal cooperative that had to guarantee them.

Presidents of the cooperative group sign to guarantee loans

It was an interesting process to witness. All of the borrowers came together to learn about the loans. The cooperative reiterated to them that the success of the group rests with each person individually. Repayment of the loan was imperative to the success of each individual and most importantly the credibility of the group and the broader community. Each borrower was required to sign a total of 13 times and provide a thumb print eight times!

A member of the bank explains the details of the loans

Women wait to receive their loans

In this remote village, illiteracy is not uncommon. While watching each borrower sign the loan documents, it seemed the signatures were works of art. Each borrower gave focused attention to his or her signature because it symbolized something very important. For the women who were fully illiterate, completing one signature could take up to a full minute to complete. But once all the documents were signed, there was recognizable evidence of immense pride in their eyes and in their smiles. 

A proud borrower of a micro-loan

This experience only gave me a snapshot of the power of micro-finance in action. I am sorry I won't have the opportunity to see the longer-lasting effects first hand especially with the individuals I met during my time there. But either way after having had this experience, I am convinced that trusting them with a resource to potentially change the quality of their lives will pay positive dividends for years to come. 

I realize being on the road and traveling alone comes with a range of challenges. At times you are lonely and frustrated with your surroundings. You miss your loved ones. But you also really miss your culture -- because you instinctively know how it operates. You don't have to think so hard to figure out how things work or carry a bit of defensiveness with you to ensure you stay safe. 

Traveling to far away places is exciting because it carries with it an air of adventure. In your mind, you see the differences in other cultures as enlightening and you see the flaws in your own. I would be disingenuous to say that I didn't have this perspective in the past, but the more I have traveled, the more I have learned to view all cultures including my own with object rationalization. There is both good and bad in everything. 

Having said all of this, I still feel homesick. Like remembering only the good times with an ex-boyfriend, homesickness can skew your perspective. But I have the right to do that! I feel compelled to share at least 10 things I look forward to having in my life again...from my culture. It starts off with the easy, mindless desires and graduates to more thought-provoking reflections. No need to debate me on my points, I am entitled to my opinion as it is my blog!

1. Rights for pedestrians. Cars do not stop for anyone, ever.

2. Seeing and buying brands I know and love. No Diet Coke in Peru was tough for me. 

3. Feeling secure about where my food comes from and how it's prepared. Seeing meat just hanging unrefrigerated in the open market with sun beating down made me physically nauseous.

3. Much less pollution. Cars, trucks, and buses spew out disgusting black fumes. These vehicles would never pass inspections in the US. 

4. Not having to concentrate so hard to communicate. I came a long way with Spanish in my time here. But I still need to give thought to what I want to say and more importantly what someone is saying to me. It can be exhausting. 

5. Not feeling inadequate when I tell people my husband and I don't have children. In the family-centric cultures of Latin America, it's practically a travesty to not have children. You are always asked if you have children and when you say you don't, they look at you with a mix of pity, curiosity, and sometimes disdain. 

6. Having some confidence in the objectivity and transparency of authority (police and politicians). I know this opens a can of worms but the overt corruption in some South American countries was shocking. Brazil was ridiculous. It was actually a bit unnerving to think you would not have an advocate you could trust in the event of an incident.  

8. Confidence in the stability and strength of the US's economy. Again, a debatable topic but after being in places like Argentina with a pending economic meltdown, I now have renewed confidence in the Greenback. I understand why a lot of countries want to hold this currency when theirs is so delicate, weakened by escalating inflation.

9. The "in-check" role of government in our private lives. I know this is an intensely debatable topic especially now but the shear fact that there is so much discussion of government overreach is proof that we still have checks and balances and democracy in place. The blatant heavy-handedness in places like Brazil against protesters of legitimate grievances was sobering. Another shocking example to me was in Ecuador. There was a federal two day holiday for Carnival that fell on a Monday and Tuesday. All businesses and schools were closed. Under the current government, the government required that all business, banks, schools, etc. make up these days on two subsequent Saturdays. I am still shocked by this. 

10. The sacredness of the US Constitution. It seems today all politics swirls around protecting and defending articles of the constitution. It has made for polarizing discourse but when you take a step back you realize it's a good thing. In many South American counties, their constitution is not worth the paper it's written on. It seems with new presidents come brand new constitutions that surprisingly support the politicians' personal agendas. In Venezuela, Nicaragua, and potentially in Argentina, the presidents have pushed through laws to extend term limits so they can stay in power longer. Rewriting the constitution to suit their needs is common practice. No surprise that most South American countries have suffered under brutal dictators in the past that had no respect for legitimate governance. 

I realize nothing is perfect and I am in no way advocating that US ways are superior. I fully recognize that the US has flaws both seen and unseen. But when you take a step away and you look at the make up of your culture in light of some others, you deepen your appreciation for what it is. 

In the end, I think it is one of the absolute benefits of travel. By exploring other cultures, you see your own in a brand new light and it potentially makes you a better citizen.

In order to travel long-term and within some reasonable confines of a budget, you are forced to accept things in conditions you would never dream of tolerating in your normal life. What's funny is this process makes you very quickly lower your threshold of acceptability because you simply have to. For example, your late-night flight gets cancelled and you decide to just sleep in the airport. It's not ideal but after considering all the other options, it's the least painful. 

During my time on the road, I have played this game in my head and sometimes with new friends for the sake of some entertainment: "Which is worse..."

A less than clean bed in a noisy hostel or an overnight 8 hour bus ride on an outrageously bumpy road?

A frigidly cold shower or no shower at all...for days?

Electing for some dehydration on a long bus trip or using the most disgusting bathroom you have ever seen?

Walking 15 blocks in the blazing heat or taking a completely packed, unairconditioned subway ride? (assuming you have to take this trip everyday for a month)

Eating the sandwich offered on the bus with some kind of mystery meat or just going hungry?

These scenarios are tough but it forces you to figure out what is more important to you. And obviously, it makes you really, really appreciate the times when you didn't have to make such decisions. 

The other way you begin to measure relativity is through the scope of time. Before traveling, the thought of a six hour bus ride seemed horrendous. Who would ever choose to do that?  Well, in South America it's the principle means of transport and South America is a big content. Besides, airfare can be very expensive.

The majority of people travel by bus and they seem to take it as a given that the journeys will be long and perhaps uncomfortable. On my way from Argentina to Chile, I spent nine hours on the bus and another three at a border crossing. This was supposed to have taken six hours in total. In the end, I survived and it proved to not be as painful as I originally imagined. 

Sometimes when you are faced with one more gross or uncomfortable proposition, you wonder why you are doing it? And the answer is because it takes real effort and sometimes discomfort to see and experience some amazing things. I would never have experienced the Bolivian Salt Flats unless I endured an eight hour overnight bus ride on mostly unpaved roads. Nor would I have gone hiking in one of the most scenic national parks in Brazil. Besides the shear amazement of the destination, you feel like you earn some travel stripes. 

Like many Americans, I am by nature a Type A personality. I make 'To Do' lists for menial tasks and get a little thrill when I scratch them off my list. I have been programmed by my culture to be a productive and active person. To be alive and a respected member of society I must be doing something, accomplishing anything. So when I decided to downshift my life temporarily and build in this much coveted downtime, I found it to be very difficult. Like trying to sneeze with your eyes open, it just felt so...unnatural. 

Even though I couldn't do it, I observed it in action. In Mendoza, Argentina siesta is practiced very seriously and by everyone. With daytime temperatures approaching 100 degrees, this desert town incorporated siesta hours from the very beginning out of simple logic. Who wants be doing anything in the middle of the raging heat? Between approximately 1pm - 5pm the entire town shuts down. It feels like a ghost town. Everyone is napping. 

I guess admitting that you have a problem is the first step, right? I knew I had a problem when those 'do nothing days' came and I couldn't let myself just do nothing. Instead of just surrendering to the no-plan plan, I found myself feeling anxious and guilty. My brain would immediately go into planing mode: Isn't there something I should research? Do I need to check on something? As a conscious way to break this bad habit, I forced myself to just read for pleasure. But do you see how that's a work around? It's still doing something!

Here is where the daily discipline of meditation earns its reputation. The practice of meditation gently but consistently breaks the obsession with mental overdrive. You get back into being a human BEING. But this is not a piece of cake. It takes regular practice to get to this released state...ironic, huh?

So moving past all this analysis, I question how I can apply this to my travel experience. How can I drop the guilt and busyness and just be in the travel. Some ideas I have come up with:

When hiking, don't make it a race. Take the time to stop periodically and really take in the view.

Sit on a bench and really people watch.

On same said bench, close my eyes and enjoy the environment through all other sense except site: sound, smell, touch.

Watch children playing.

And of course, just take a nap.

This is advice I am giving myself but I suppose it has universal application. Simple ways to just find moments to unwind in any lifestyle. 

When you travel, you want it to change you for the better. Most of the time we think the change will come because of some amazing cultural experience or exposure to new things - something outside of you. But what I am realizing is that change can simply come from within and without some grand purpose or event. 

Mendoza has a continental climate and semi-arid desert conditions. The region experiences four distinct seasons with no extremes in temperatures that provides a relatively uneventful annual growth cycle for grapevines--especially winter dormancy. Rainfall in the region averages around 8 inches (200 millimeters) a year, making irrigation a necessity.

The soil of the Mendoza wine region is composed of loose sand over clay. Mountain rivers provide ample water supplies from melted glaciers in the Andes. Nearly 17,000 boreholes scattered throughout the region provide the equivalent of an additional two rivers worth of water flow to the area. A system of irrigation channels, canals and reservoirs (some dating to the 16th century) help sustain viticulture in this semi-arid desert region.

Malbec is the region's most important varietal followed closely by Cabernet Sauvignon,Tempranillo and Chardonnay. Malbec does well in these conditions because the grapes grow thick skins to protect from the extreme summer daytime temperatures. With the strong sun, more sugar forms which eventually produces wines with alcohol content around 15%. 

Source: Wikipedia.

To be fair, this opinion was corroborated with others who have much more familiarity with the city having spent considerable time here or having visited again after many years away. This naturally lead me to ask, "But why?" That ushered in a whole dialogue which I will touch on later.

First, I need to give my number one example. It's the trash. It seems to be everywhere. Despite the regular presence of trash bins (dumpsters) on city streets, garbage still makes its way quite regularly into the streets, sidewalks, and even parks. It's rather sad to see and it feels as if the Porteños don't have the will or the resources to keep the city reasonably clean. As a side note but on this very topic, I won't further discuss the ubiquitous piles of dog crap that appear on every sidewalk in town. 

Before I slip further down this slope of negativity, I want look on the brighter, more creative side. Along with the trash, there is also plenty of graffiti. While one would think this would just add to the urban blight, it actually helps beautify the city. It's likely the origin of this art form came from the desire to express frustrations (i.e. protest) without the risk of death. This, of course, is referring to the tragic episode of the Dirty Wars in the 70's and 80's.

(Picture by: Tom Bowes)

Buenos Aires has some very talented graffiti artists that either come out in the dead of night or are little elves. I have never actually seen anyone applying graffiti but their works are everywhere and they are masterpieces. Instead of criminalizing this activity, the city seems to have embraced it. A very common city tour is one that explores the city's graffiti. 

(Picture by: Marco Morales)

So now... let me tell you why, still, so many visitors absolutely love this city. Simply, it's got loads of sophisticated charm. Thanks in great part by the influences of its wealthy European immigrants mainly from France, Italy, and Spain who arrived at the beginning of the 20th century. They integrated the best their respective cultures had to offer. Examples are everywhere: stately architecture, leafy plazas, historical statutes, quaint cafes, and fashionable boutiques. Just being here and immersing yourself in these things makes you feel more refined.

(picture by: Tom Bowes)

But in many ways this refinement is disguising some foundational issues. This country continues to work through the effects of a painful past which encompassed political turmoil and economic catastrophe. To this day, The Mothers of the Disappeared continue to seek answers and healing for the loss of their children during the harsh military regime of the late seventies. Every Thursday, like they have for decades, they carry on their silent protest in the Plaza de Mayo. In a sad epilogue, these Mothers are now suspected Grandmothers of children stolen from their abducted and eventually murdered daughters of 30+ years ago. These babies were given to families of the military aristocracy in secret. Now as these children are coming into mature adulthood they are experiencing a painful and unique identity crises. 

When you step away from the residual pain this country continues to carry, you are confronted with the other big challenge that still haunts it: economic precariousness. Back in 2001, the country suffered its biggest financial meltdown in history. The economy shrank 28%, unemployment was out of control, and the government eventually defaulted on its debts. Slowly things did improve but today signs are emerging to indicate that another economic crises is looming. 

Once again the country is inching closer to financial crisis. The government's reserves are being depleted rapidly and inflation is once again a problem. In just the time I was here, the price for a subway ticket went up 40%. The rapidly declining value of the peso is evident by the hoarding of US dollars by Argentinians whenever possible. It's their only means of saving in a hard currency. It is actually illegal for Argentine residents to hold more than about $300 of USD and they are charged 25% "tax" if they use their credit card abroad. These actions by the government to attempt to control the inflow of hard currency is just a futile attempt to artificially prop up the value of the peso.

In my own experience I observed the the monetary crises in very practical ways. Both examples had to due with the actual, physical currency.

There never seemed to be enough physical money.

The quality of the notes was questionable, often times laughable. 

On more than one occasion, I attempted to pay for a restaurant bill with a 100 peso note (equivalent to about $15 USD) and they could not make change. The clerk would immediately look anxious and needed to call the manager to make change. I was the most surprised when this happened in a international fast food restaurant in an area as busy as Time Square. (I am too ashamed to tell you more details of why I patronized that establishment.)

Secondly, some of the physical bills are so old and damaged, I wonder why they are still in circulation. I have seen bills that were entirely taped together and others that were nearly ripped in half. When I would get these bills as change, I would get nervous that another establishment would take them. But they always do. They have no choice. 

As I end this post, I fear that I seem too negative. That's not my intent. Buenos Aires IS a very charming city but it has handicaps that show more than other international cities. This experience has broadened my perspective about my own country. I appreciate the relative stability of US economic policy and I am relieved that government overreach can be called out in a public forum without fear of reprisals like a brutal military smack-down.