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Ian Cowley's blogs
African Economics
By Ian Cowley April 20, 2018 - 10:05pmI have been playing a cat and mouse game with the lovely, efficient, hardworking housekeepers here at the Kuriftu Bishoftu Resort. Each day I leave 20 Ethiopian Birr ($1 cdn) on the pillow, and each day they leave it on the bedside table. I asked my...Some Change Comes Easy, and Some Do Not
By Ian Cowley April 19, 2018 - 12:56pmThe second week of an assignment is where the rubber hits the road and we begin to see some changes taking effect. Changing processes and procedures is relatively easy, but meaningful change takes time. This is particularly true when change...Blood, Sweat, and Blood
By Ian Cowley April 18, 2018 - 2:51amWhile I’m on assignment, I try to keep as normal a routine as possible that includes runs and workouts. Running in particular is always a great way to see the surrounding area and how the locals live. On my second day at Bishoftu, I did just...Bishoftu - The Mission
By Ian Cowley April 16, 2018 - 11:23amThe mission:Work with the food and beverage team at the Kuriftu Bishoftu Resort & Spa to help improve guest service, advise on and help incorporate internationally-accepted standards, and poke around in their kitchens to come up with some...Adaptation
By Ian Cowley January 4, 2013 - 2:01pm Comments (1)I have learned that the first week of a CESO assignment should be dedicated to observing, listening, and asking plenty of questions. Not everything is as it appears in cultures foreign to ours in Canada. As Stephen Covey writes, "Seek first to...Taking Apples To The Bank in San Pedro Sula
By Ian Cowley August 21, 2012 - 8:46pmOne day I joined a few of the fine folks from the Yo Quiero Ser orphanage on one of their occasional excursions to what is known as "the bank" in San Pedro Sula. Unlike the expensive riverfront homes on the Elbow River in Calgary, in this part of...Yo quiero ser .....
By Ian Cowley July 25, 2012 - 10:30pm Comments (1)Of all the things I have experienced in Honduras so far, by far the most touching have been my three visits to "Yo quiero ser ..." What a wonderful place with a great mission.Five years ago, a Swiss teacher named Patricia moved to Honduras because...Gecko
By Ian Cowley July 21, 2012 - 10:47pmMy host, Désirée, was telling me that everyone working at the Copantl Hotel has a nickname and that the nicknames are decided very quickly .... sometimes within minutes of a new employee arriving. This, of course, led me to wonder...First, let's stop calling it the "3rd world"
By Ian Cowley July 19, 2012 - 1:38pmWikipedia tells us (so you can be damn sure it's true!) that the term "third-world" was created during the cold war to classify countries not aligned with capitalism or NATO.Somehow, someway, in the interim it has taken on a more pejorative,...San Pedro Sula, Honduras
By Ian Cowley July 17, 2012 - 9:32pmFor the past week I've been in Honduras. This is my second CESO assignment in as many years and the second one to Honduras. A year ago I spent a couple of weeks in the capital, Tegucigalpa.The plan this time? To spend three weeks working with the...
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