This and that…

We had a productive meeting at work this morning, as a team we presented our initial observations and recommendations to help DRF move forward. A lot of what we had in the report centred around building up the organizational structure to catchup with the rapid growth. The business is currently run in a very informal manner but to grow effectively, some structure is needed. The management team at DRF agreed with the majority of our recommendations and now the difficult part starts, implementing change. We are there to facilitate the change and its the employees at DRF that have to take  a lead with our assistance. To start, I will be working with Janice, the Finance Manager, to help create a better budgeting process and add some structure to her day to day in an attempt to reduce the chaos. Its been a slow start, I finally got quickbooks loaded onto my computer but we had some networking issues today which delayed us again. Hopefully things get sorted tomorrow, because im getting a little restless.

The weekend was quiet. Two new volunteers arrived on Thursday (a couple) and they came with me to the market Saturday morning. I showed them around, picked up fruits and vegetables for the week and we walked around downtown before settling down for some goat curry at Moby Dick (which some say is the best goat in Kingston. David the guy who started sitting in my office said they use ram, not goat. I dont believe they would participate in false advertising, its a very reputable establishment. David is also a bit of an odd character, so mind the source). Speaking of curry, my apartment now smells like curry (and incense) on an almost permanent basis. When we would visit Indian families in Canada most of their houses smelled like curry. I wondered how much they would have to cook for the smell to absorb into all the furniture and walls. I’ve learned that making it a couple days a week will accomplish that. Im doing a good job sticking to my budget this month, but that is a main driver of the curry smell. The most expensive part of making Indian food is the yogurt and with the weather here, it shouldn’t be a problem to make my own. Before Christmas I made  pickles, 3 of 4 CUSO volunteers liked them, no big deal.

We had a minor cold spell last week, which was a nice change. Since we walk most places, the cooler weather was nice. On average, most Jamaicans avoid walking if they can.  I walk a lot more now than I did when I first arrived but I do miss being able to walk around with my iPod. To cope, ive found myself singing to myself as I walk. Now, in Canada this behaviour isnt socially acceptable (like talking in an elevator or walking and reading a book at the same time) and I would be considered odd, like the boy in the movie “About A Boy”. In Jamaica, this seems to be a more common practice. I regularly walk past people that are well dressed and appear to be socially adjusted that also happen to be singing out loud to themselves. Devon, a coworker at DRF (the entrepreneurial electronics importer), often sings at work. His favourites include Whitney Houston and Bette Midler. Ive decided to add YouTube links of a couple of my favourite walking songs below…

We were supposed to have mediator training this week and next, but it was cancelled and postponed to February. With a board meeting at the end of the month, this week will be busy pulling together financial statements. Ive written a letter to the Liguanea Club to see if they will give me a discount on my squash membership. The Pegasus Hotel has given all the volunteers access to their pool for free, so I thought id check to see if I can get a discount from them. Ill follow-up tomorrow and hopefully start playing by the weekend.

Enjoy the music

Weezer – Heart Songs

Beatles – With A Little Help From My Friends

Foo Fighters – Home

Coconut Records – West Coast

Advertisement