It is the rainy season here in Costa Rica. One day probably sees as much rain as Arizona does in a decade. It was raining and the clouds were low on Saturday morning as Jim, Kathy and I caught our tour bus. They had flown in the night before for work, but wanted to get in a day trip over the weekend.
We were going to visit Volcan Arenal one of the most famous in the world. It is only 2,900 years old, a babe in geological terms. It has been erupting continuously for the last fifty years and looks just like your childhood science fair project--or so I've been told. I've visited it twice before but have only seen clouds. I didn't expect to see it this time either considering the weather, but there was another attraction on the agenda. Tabacon is a legendary resort at the foot of Arenal. Staying there is expensive by any standard, but a more affordable option is to visit its biggest attraction--the hot springs. They've built up a river bed and use natural heat from the volcano to create a river with the comfort and warmth of a spa.
We had been driving for a couple of hours, the bus was tilting along the steep roads when we caught a wide view. Our enthusiastic tour guide interrupted his impromptu musical number and said that the volcano could be seen at 10 o'clock. It was only a shadow on the horizon but the cone shape was clearly there. There was no sun and occasional rain, but fortunately the cloud ceiling was high enough.
After another half hour we glimpsed it again and this time we were close enough to see a puff of smoke from an explosion. The near, eastern side is green like any ordinary hill in Costa Rica. There is a patch of white near the top which is the fuselage from a recent plane crash. They say intense magnetism plays havoc with instruments. No one recovers a wreck near the top of a smoldering volcano.
We stopped for lunch after La Fortuna, the closest city to its base. We could see part of the west face which is black from constant lava flow. Small patches of white smoke burst out all over it. It felt alien.
The afternoon brought us to Tabacon. You could feel the heat and the steam filled the rain forest. It was beautiful. A spa is great, but sitting under a waterfall at 105 degrees is a dream. The afternoon slipped away. It's funny but the whole tour group seemed to agree that the best attraction was not the river itself but the normal, unheated pool. It felt refreshing. From the pool you could just make out the top of the volcano. We saw more puffs of smoke, but with a little time the extraordinary can become ordinary.
The real show began after sunset when our tour guide caught my attention and called me to the edge of the pool. I could just make out the silhouette of Arenal. There was a single red light at the top as on a radio tower. The light moved slowly down like the tower was crumbling, but then it split and split again leaving a trail of red. With the help of nightfall we could see the leading edge of the lava. When everyone was quiet I could just make out a sound like distant fireworks, the sound of rocks larger than cars colliding and exploding.
We had a great dinner at the resort, then drove to a point that gave us a better look at the volcano. We stood there for a long time watching and listening. Some members of the group made futile attempts to take long-exposure photos. The last thing I noticed before we left was not on the mountain. It was right along the road. Apparently they have lightning bugs in Costa Rica too.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Travels
Well I just got back from a great trip to the States. It was really awesome to catch up with friends again. Six months doesn't seem that long at first, but actually a lot can change. Two friends got married in that space and two more will be married by the time I come around again. I feel like I've been traveling though a time warp.
This last week back at work in CR was crazy. I've barely had time to unpack. This morning I met up with some of my friends here, and they introduced me to the local Parque de Diversiónes. With only two major roller coasters (and I'm being generous) it wasn't exactly the Six Flags I grew up with, but it was nice to walk around and practice my Spanish. Speaking of which....
I'm trying to workout taking off all of December up to Christmas for an intensive Spanish course. My plan is to fly down to Buenos Aires, Argentina and do a program there. I've been wanting to return to BA since I visited there with Highlands a couple years ago, and see the family I stayed with. A solid three weeks there would be incredible. I just have to make sure that absolutely everything I do at work is covered, which isn't exactly trivial, but I think I can make it happen. Wish me luck.
This last week back at work in CR was crazy. I've barely had time to unpack. This morning I met up with some of my friends here, and they introduced me to the local Parque de Diversiónes. With only two major roller coasters (and I'm being generous) it wasn't exactly the Six Flags I grew up with, but it was nice to walk around and practice my Spanish. Speaking of which....
I'm trying to workout taking off all of December up to Christmas for an intensive Spanish course. My plan is to fly down to Buenos Aires, Argentina and do a program there. I've been wanting to return to BA since I visited there with Highlands a couple years ago, and see the family I stayed with. A solid three weeks there would be incredible. I just have to make sure that absolutely everything I do at work is covered, which isn't exactly trivial, but I think I can make it happen. Wish me luck.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Mackinac
A nine hour car ride is never exactly a breeze, but if you like to live with a little more on the edge try it with a three month old. I became aware of the true level of adaptability of the human mind when I learned that it can filter out the continuous screaming of a baby. Lily is my favorite niece and I don’t regret a minute with her (but maybe a few loud seconds here and there).
The family (minus my hard working brother-in-law Tobie) piled into a borrowed minivan for the classic family vacation. Long road trips are how the Reardons have always done it: Illinois to Colorado, Florida, wherever. I put in my share during college too and I’ve never lost the love of the open road.
We headed north through Wisconsin across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and down the Mackinac Bridge—the third largest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge and nearby Mackinac Island (pronounced “Mackinaw”) are at the border between Lakes Michigan and Ontario. The island has been a tourist destination since the late 1800’s.
The area was of strategic importance during colonial times. The French originally built fort Mackinac as a trading hub on the Michigan mainland. They surrendered it to the British after the French and Indian War who then moved it to the more defensible island only to hand it over to the newborn United States. The first land battle of the War of 1810 was a British and Indian attack on the fort. The fifty-some US troops surrendered to the 400 attackers. The fort did not return to US possession until after that war.
My favorite story from its history was an Indian attack on the original fort. The French had recently ceded control to the British who were not as sophisticated in their dealings with the Indians. Rather than sending gifts and traders directly to the tribes as the French had done they required everyone to come to the fort. The Indians took affront to the changes and concocted a plan to force the British out. They gathered outside of the front gate for a game similar to modern day Lacrosse, but had the women watching on the sidelines conceal weapons in their belongings. Their signal was hitting the ball over the wall. The players rushed through the gate seemingly to retrieve it, but grabbed their weapons as they passed the women. They quickly captured the fort. When the defeated British returned a few years later to reestablish a trading presence they wisely restored the French policies.
Although the history was fascinating it was really only scenery behind the time spent with the family. We enjoyed bike rides around the island, sunsets on the lake shore, good dinners, and late nights around the camp fire, but mostly we enjoyed each others company. You really don’t need any other entertainment when you’ve got a baby around. Lily always commanded our attention (in fact, she usually demanded it).
The family (minus my hard working brother-in-law Tobie) piled into a borrowed minivan for the classic family vacation. Long road trips are how the Reardons have always done it: Illinois to Colorado, Florida, wherever. I put in my share during college too and I’ve never lost the love of the open road.
We headed north through Wisconsin across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and down the Mackinac Bridge—the third largest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge and nearby Mackinac Island (pronounced “Mackinaw”) are at the border between Lakes Michigan and Ontario. The island has been a tourist destination since the late 1800’s.
The area was of strategic importance during colonial times. The French originally built fort Mackinac as a trading hub on the Michigan mainland. They surrendered it to the British after the French and Indian War who then moved it to the more defensible island only to hand it over to the newborn United States. The first land battle of the War of 1810 was a British and Indian attack on the fort. The fifty-some US troops surrendered to the 400 attackers. The fort did not return to US possession until after that war.
My favorite story from its history was an Indian attack on the original fort. The French had recently ceded control to the British who were not as sophisticated in their dealings with the Indians. Rather than sending gifts and traders directly to the tribes as the French had done they required everyone to come to the fort. The Indians took affront to the changes and concocted a plan to force the British out. They gathered outside of the front gate for a game similar to modern day Lacrosse, but had the women watching on the sidelines conceal weapons in their belongings. Their signal was hitting the ball over the wall. The players rushed through the gate seemingly to retrieve it, but grabbed their weapons as they passed the women. They quickly captured the fort. When the defeated British returned a few years later to reestablish a trading presence they wisely restored the French policies.
Although the history was fascinating it was really only scenery behind the time spent with the family. We enjoyed bike rides around the island, sunsets on the lake shore, good dinners, and late nights around the camp fire, but mostly we enjoyed each others company. You really don’t need any other entertainment when you’ve got a baby around. Lily always commanded our attention (in fact, she usually demanded it).
In Images
Friday, June 16, 2006
Breaking Out the Champagne
It's been a long road, but the project (Rating) that I've been working on (on and off) for almost the last two years is finally in production and successful! In celebration we broke out a bottle of Champagne for the team here in Costa Rica. From left to right: Marine, me, David, and Luis.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Mundial - Alemania
Germany 4 - Costa Rica 2
The office shutdown for three hours at 9AM during the inagural match of the 2006 World Cup. Costa Rica drew a tough spot playing against the host country in the first game of the tournament. I would compare the excitment here to the Superbowl, but I'm not sure that covers it. In the States many get together for the game, but only two teams are playing. Here everyone is rooting for the same team, and more than half the people are wearing red shirts. The entire country paused to watch it play out. At our office building people were sticking antenas out windows and you could see a big screen in the conference room of the DHL office downstairs. We rigged our projector up and had TVs scattered around the floor. Germany won as widely expected, but people were proud of CR's good showing. The excitement after their two goals was incredible as the announcer yelled "Gooo...ooo...ooo...oooal", and everyone broke out into jumping, clapping, and chants of "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ticos, Ticos".
The office shutdown for three hours at 9AM during the inagural match of the 2006 World Cup. Costa Rica drew a tough spot playing against the host country in the first game of the tournament. I would compare the excitment here to the Superbowl, but I'm not sure that covers it. In the States many get together for the game, but only two teams are playing. Here everyone is rooting for the same team, and more than half the people are wearing red shirts. The entire country paused to watch it play out. At our office building people were sticking antenas out windows and you could see a big screen in the conference room of the DHL office downstairs. We rigged our projector up and had TVs scattered around the floor. Germany won as widely expected, but people were proud of CR's good showing. The excitement after their two goals was incredible as the announcer yelled "Gooo...ooo...ooo...oooal", and everyone broke out into jumping, clapping, and chants of "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ticos, Ticos".
Sunday, June 04, 2006
The Uncanny X-Men Cop Out
One of the things I appreciate about Costa Rica is the cost of going to the theater. I went to the nicest one around and only paid about $3 for my ticked and another $3 for the popcorn, and that's expensive by the standards here. Taking advantage of a lazy Saturday I caught the third X-Men installment The Last Stand. I enjoyed it while watching, but the end left me disappointed, and I wanted to unpack why. (Warning: Spoilers follow)
The film begins with a flashback of Professor Xavier and Magneto before they have become opponents visting a young Jean Grey. She is a powerful adolescent out of control and we see the mutal desire of Xavier and Magneto to free her. Back in the present Jean has lost control of herself again and kills Xavier as a distressed Magneto can only watch. Later the upstart Pyro brags to Magneto that he would've killed the Professor himself. Magneto stops him and rebukes him saying that the Xavier did more for mutants than he would ever know. Here we see the inner conflict in Magneto between his stated goal of mutant domination, and the real price of this goal. This is the making of good drama.
By the end of the film the Magneto has lost his power and we see him a mere old man sitting alone at a chess board in a park. The image recalls him playing chess with the Professor in an earlier movie, but now Magento is without his identity and even worse, it feels, without his friend Xavier. This is a strong statement of loss that ends the movie on a somber note appropriate to the many deaths (three major characters) . Unfortunately, the director cannot resist one last moment of action that undoes the drama he must not have known he had. Magento reaches out his hand and taps a chess piece at a distance, a sign that his powers are returning, and the renunciation of every emotion the scene had just created.
The preceding scene tied off the characters back at the school. We found Iceman visting Rogue's room to discover that she's returned. She had left to be "cured" from being a mutant. She reaches out her hand to his and instead of stealing his life and power, it is a simple human touch. Rogue alone of all the mutants saw a mutant cure as a good thing. Even though she can have a normal relationship with Iceman she has lost her uniqueness and it doesn't feel like victory. It feels like a cop out, and it is, one of many that this film makes.
It simply cannot live with dramatic conflict. It can handle mutants and humans raining firepower on each other, but not internal and interpersonal conflict that can't be solved with a violent special effect. The characters serve the action rather than the other way around. The success of the previous two movies and similar films like the first Matrix lies in the service of action to character development.
The first cop out of the film occurs when Cyclops is called by his wife Jean to the lake where she was thought to have died. He leaves the school in a rush and has a brief confrontation with Wolverine. In the last two films Wolverine and Jean struggled with controlling their attraction in the face of her marriage to Scott. They do restrain themselves and a bittersweet relationship lingers.
How does the film address this complexity? Jean, transformed into the brutal Phoenix embraces then annihilates Cyclops. Later in a moment of lucidity she begs Wolverine to kill her before she does more harm. She goes on to murder Xavier, and in the final battle Wolverine confesses his love and mercifully kills her. She never has to come to grips with her unleashed identity, and finishes the film exactly as she began it, a monster overpowering a woman. Wolverine becomes convinced of the necessity of killing Phonenix, but he doesn't undergo any dramatic tranformation either.
The heart of a good film (including the last two X-Men films) is character development, but no one changes this entire film. Nothing has to be resolved, only destoyed (including Rogue's powers). There is some fun action, and at moments it seems to reach at something bigger, but in the end only the violence remains.
The film begins with a flashback of Professor Xavier and Magneto before they have become opponents visting a young Jean Grey. She is a powerful adolescent out of control and we see the mutal desire of Xavier and Magneto to free her. Back in the present Jean has lost control of herself again and kills Xavier as a distressed Magneto can only watch. Later the upstart Pyro brags to Magneto that he would've killed the Professor himself. Magneto stops him and rebukes him saying that the Xavier did more for mutants than he would ever know. Here we see the inner conflict in Magneto between his stated goal of mutant domination, and the real price of this goal. This is the making of good drama.
By the end of the film the Magneto has lost his power and we see him a mere old man sitting alone at a chess board in a park. The image recalls him playing chess with the Professor in an earlier movie, but now Magento is without his identity and even worse, it feels, without his friend Xavier. This is a strong statement of loss that ends the movie on a somber note appropriate to the many deaths (three major characters) . Unfortunately, the director cannot resist one last moment of action that undoes the drama he must not have known he had. Magento reaches out his hand and taps a chess piece at a distance, a sign that his powers are returning, and the renunciation of every emotion the scene had just created.
The preceding scene tied off the characters back at the school. We found Iceman visting Rogue's room to discover that she's returned. She had left to be "cured" from being a mutant. She reaches out her hand to his and instead of stealing his life and power, it is a simple human touch. Rogue alone of all the mutants saw a mutant cure as a good thing. Even though she can have a normal relationship with Iceman she has lost her uniqueness and it doesn't feel like victory. It feels like a cop out, and it is, one of many that this film makes.
It simply cannot live with dramatic conflict. It can handle mutants and humans raining firepower on each other, but not internal and interpersonal conflict that can't be solved with a violent special effect. The characters serve the action rather than the other way around. The success of the previous two movies and similar films like the first Matrix lies in the service of action to character development.
The first cop out of the film occurs when Cyclops is called by his wife Jean to the lake where she was thought to have died. He leaves the school in a rush and has a brief confrontation with Wolverine. In the last two films Wolverine and Jean struggled with controlling their attraction in the face of her marriage to Scott. They do restrain themselves and a bittersweet relationship lingers.
How does the film address this complexity? Jean, transformed into the brutal Phoenix embraces then annihilates Cyclops. Later in a moment of lucidity she begs Wolverine to kill her before she does more harm. She goes on to murder Xavier, and in the final battle Wolverine confesses his love and mercifully kills her. She never has to come to grips with her unleashed identity, and finishes the film exactly as she began it, a monster overpowering a woman. Wolverine becomes convinced of the necessity of killing Phonenix, but he doesn't undergo any dramatic tranformation either.
The heart of a good film (including the last two X-Men films) is character development, but no one changes this entire film. Nothing has to be resolved, only destoyed (including Rogue's powers). There is some fun action, and at moments it seems to reach at something bigger, but in the end only the violence remains.
Monday, May 29, 2006
The Wrong Way Around the World
Forty hours of travel, that's what the Cebuanos have to look forward to. Their plane should be taking off shortly for a brief stop in Havanna (yes, that Havanna), then Frankfurt, then Bangkok, then Manila, and finally Cebu. It has been exhausing living with them, but now that they're leaving I really miss them. I got to know them well, and they included me entirely in their lives. I don't envy them trying to start an office where there is virtually no overlap with the US and CR, but I know they'll be happy to see their families again.
It was amazing that such a small group of people could bring such drama. God rolled up his sleaves and began some hard work on people. I feel honored to have seen lives being challenged up close, but this work is just getting started and it's been painful so far. I was completely out of my depth in knowing how to advise people, but I had a few right insticts that at least I was able to play a small part, mostly in prayer. Keep them in your prayers. They've got trials that no one saw coming.
Here are some pictures from their trip. The first is with the CR developers, and the second is with our company driver Alfredo and his wife at their house in the hills (a beautiful drive if a bit nauseating with all the switchbacks and potholes).
It was amazing that such a small group of people could bring such drama. God rolled up his sleaves and began some hard work on people. I feel honored to have seen lives being challenged up close, but this work is just getting started and it's been painful so far. I was completely out of my depth in knowing how to advise people, but I had a few right insticts that at least I was able to play a small part, mostly in prayer. Keep them in your prayers. They've got trials that no one saw coming.
Here are some pictures from their trip. The first is with the CR developers, and the second is with our company driver Alfredo and his wife at their house in the hills (a beautiful drive if a bit nauseating with all the switchbacks and potholes).
Monday, May 08, 2006
Cebuya
Our new Filipino employees from Cebu are training in Costa Rica. They moved into the condos where I live. We have two guys sharing the master bedroom in my place, and in the girl's condo there are four girls who volunteered to stay in the same room. They are very communal. They all went in for food and cook and eat every meal together. They invite me to join them every time. It's refreshing and I feel like an important guest rather than the host I expected to be.
There are fully bilingual between English and Cebuano their local dialect. They will switch between the two mid-sentence when talking to each other. Even though we share the same language they seem like a more alien culture than the Costa Ricans. The Filipino habits are more like what I expected from the Costa Ricans. I have to admit that I'm constantly surprised when they start speaking to me in English. It doesn't feel like we should speak the same language. It's not like they're ignorant or primitive either. They were all helping each other with their laptops, getting online, and uploading their digital photos. I've been adjusting so easily to Costa Rica that I began to feel that culture differences were not as severe as I had originally supposed. But the Filipinos are simply a very different culture.
There are fully bilingual between English and Cebuano their local dialect. They will switch between the two mid-sentence when talking to each other. Even though we share the same language they seem like a more alien culture than the Costa Ricans. The Filipino habits are more like what I expected from the Costa Ricans. I have to admit that I'm constantly surprised when they start speaking to me in English. It doesn't feel like we should speak the same language. It's not like they're ignorant or primitive either. They were all helping each other with their laptops, getting online, and uploading their digital photos. I've been adjusting so easily to Costa Rica that I began to feel that culture differences were not as severe as I had originally supposed. But the Filipinos are simply a very different culture.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Inflation
Costa Rica has a significantly higher rate of inflation than the United States. Doesn't this mean that over the long term (say ten years) the cost of employees in Costa Rica will be much greater and will offset the initial savings of outsourcing? I found this question interesting to think through.
Inflation is a devaluation of your currency. The increase implied in the term actually refers to the rising cost of goods. Think of a failed state that is experiencing hyperinflation where yesterday what was someone's life savings now can't buy a loaf of bread. There are a lot of reasons for inflation (many hotly debated) but the important point here is that Costa Rica's higher inflation rate means that in general their currency (losing value at a higher rate) will trade progressively worse against the dollar, and that employees may be paid more in their own currency but for the same or less cost to the US company.
I'm not suggesting that inflation doesn't ever cause real wage pressure. For instance the rising cost of oil applies (almost) uniformly, increasing the cost of all commodities and thus prices, decreasing employees' buying power, and increasing their wage demand. It's a vicious cycle. It is precisely because it applies uniformly that it is not meaningful in comparing wages between countries.
Now the actual cost of Costa Rican employees is not decreasing, so it's interesting to go on. Many of Costa Rica's goods (besides bannanas and coffee) are imported, so if their economy doesn't grow fast enough relative to others they will lose purchasing power (a factor that can cause of inflation). This is offset by money coming in from tourism and outsourcing. These dollars shift the value of their currency closer to the dollar and maintains their buying power despite inflation. Outsourcing significantly increases wages in real terms because of rising demand. HP recently opened a big office in CR and drove the average programmer wage up, a phenomenon that is already happening in India and China in a big way.
If wages are rising, and sometimes in big jumps caused by the arrival of a major investor, what makes outsourcing worthwhile? A company doing outsourcing gets an efficiency gain (more value for the dollar, minus startup and transition costs) which hopefully allows them to grow more than they would have otherwise. If they make solid long-term investments they can establish a capital base and growth rate that allows them to absorb the wage growth, so that ten years down the road they have made a net gain. Think of a loan where you face a rising long term cost due to intrest, but you get initial capital that hopefully allows you grow and get ahead of this debt. One caveat here is that this benefit is negated if competitors are receiving exactly the same benefit, but in that case outsourcing is required in order to remain competitive.
Inflation is a devaluation of your currency. The increase implied in the term actually refers to the rising cost of goods. Think of a failed state that is experiencing hyperinflation where yesterday what was someone's life savings now can't buy a loaf of bread. There are a lot of reasons for inflation (many hotly debated) but the important point here is that Costa Rica's higher inflation rate means that in general their currency (losing value at a higher rate) will trade progressively worse against the dollar, and that employees may be paid more in their own currency but for the same or less cost to the US company.
I'm not suggesting that inflation doesn't ever cause real wage pressure. For instance the rising cost of oil applies (almost) uniformly, increasing the cost of all commodities and thus prices, decreasing employees' buying power, and increasing their wage demand. It's a vicious cycle. It is precisely because it applies uniformly that it is not meaningful in comparing wages between countries.
Now the actual cost of Costa Rican employees is not decreasing, so it's interesting to go on. Many of Costa Rica's goods (besides bannanas and coffee) are imported, so if their economy doesn't grow fast enough relative to others they will lose purchasing power (a factor that can cause of inflation). This is offset by money coming in from tourism and outsourcing. These dollars shift the value of their currency closer to the dollar and maintains their buying power despite inflation. Outsourcing significantly increases wages in real terms because of rising demand. HP recently opened a big office in CR and drove the average programmer wage up, a phenomenon that is already happening in India and China in a big way.
If wages are rising, and sometimes in big jumps caused by the arrival of a major investor, what makes outsourcing worthwhile? A company doing outsourcing gets an efficiency gain (more value for the dollar, minus startup and transition costs) which hopefully allows them to grow more than they would have otherwise. If they make solid long-term investments they can establish a capital base and growth rate that allows them to absorb the wage growth, so that ten years down the road they have made a net gain. Think of a loan where you face a rising long term cost due to intrest, but you get initial capital that hopefully allows you grow and get ahead of this debt. One caveat here is that this benefit is negated if competitors are receiving exactly the same benefit, but in that case outsourcing is required in order to remain competitive.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Uncle Jason!
My sister Anna gave birth to Lily JoHannah Depauw yesterday. I'm flying back to Illinois April 12th to meet her in person. I can't believe it.
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