NGO

I have some interesting coworkers. Anna, the most interesting one who also has a hot boyfriend that she met on LDS Singles, is the one I will most likely become besties with. She wears jeans to work (which gives me the long awaited green light) and large earings and bracelets. She's a lot like my friend Jill Dempsey, which is only to her credit.

Jeff used to do investment banking at Lehman Brothers, but has taken a hiatus from money making before he goes back to business school and, eventually, back into money making. He is very typical of every guy I have ever known that is in banking or consulting. Saracastic, intellectually funny, talks with his hands, wears glasses, works a lot and very likely is missing a soul underneath the interesting exterior. This Jeff might though, I only say that because he took time off to work for a NGO. Not something I would typically expect.

Lizze has been in Bangalore for 9 months and is moving next month to the Phillipines to do research on a Fulbright scholar. She's the most enthusiastic person I have ever met. Obviously I'm hoping that will end and her real personality will come out. She's the kind of girl that wears sarees and no make-up because she feels like an Indian woman. She will probably continue to wear the sarees even in the US. She's that kind of quirky.

Tori has been based on the Seattle office, but is on a partnering tour through Bangalore, the Phillipines and Africa. She just announced today that she will be returning to Banglore to live permanently for a year after this tour. She and Jeff knew each other in the Seattle office and I'm pretty sure there's some sort of relationship happening there. Nothing has been confirmed, but Anna and I gossiped about it a bit tonight. We both think it's well on it's way, if it hasn't happened already. One of the major hurdles is that Lizzie stays over at the Guest House a lot, where both Tori and Jeff live along with Anna. Maybe she doens't sense the obvious flirtation, or maybe she thinks Jeff isn't a good catch. Hopefully there will be drama to come.

These 4 people make up the Americans that are around my age. The most interesting thing about them is that they have all these "principles" that they live by. None of which I relate to. They are vegetarians, or have been. They are vegans, or have been. They think that buying a large mansion in Hawaii is unjust to the indigenous people there and, therefore, something they wouldn't do. They categorize people with adjectives like, "typical NGO". Whatever THAT means! Also, they seem to think that living in another country and helping the poor through non-profit work is a worthy life long pursuit.

This is where we don't really mesh. I like capitalism. I like money. I like the pursuit of money. Did I hear something about treasures on earth or treasures in heaven? I can't recall. But honestly, I think that capitalism (well, besides the Church) is the answer to abolishing poverty. I'm not sure how effective this public sector really is. I know they have given a lot of money in micro-franchising which has pulled thousands of women out of poverty, but is this the best way to do it?

That's why I like the housing project I'm working on. It's a money makind endeavor. It will demand high returns to the investors, but serve the poor by providing something they want to buy, something they need and something they can afford all in one. By addressing what they already have money for, turning them into consumers by offering an asset that will increase their producivity, I think that's the winning combination right there.

But, who am I to judge? As soon as I get out of this country, I'm going to Whole Foods, I'm going to get a already needed pedicure and I'm going to probably stop by Starbucks for a steamed milk with sugar-free flavoring syrup. I'm not moving to Africa to live in a mud-hut and train people on water sanitation. The water wells are probably better off without my "help" anyway.