“…So you need to attract the attention of people with something…special… because they’re most likely not going to stop to read your entire advertisement. People have lives to live, places to be…”
Crimildo, my Mozambican counterpart for FBLM, paused and quickly imitated almost perfectly the way I had walked past the chalkboard earlier as I explained the same concept. Hurried step: Check. Look of indifference on his face: Check. Based on the way he’s moving he might almost be confused for a New Yorker …
“You need colors…you need logos… you need slogans.” he said clapping his hands together every time he emphasized a word.
We let the room sit in silent thought for a minute as I looked at the students’ faces. They were still missing something.
“Ok,” I began in attempt to help him out. “Crimildo is right, you do need all those things. But the question is… why?”
Silence.
I turned around and got a picture from my bag of a Coca-Cola symbol. I had the kids identify it and talk for a while about what it meant to them. . .
“Right!” I said in response to one student. “So you see this emblem and you think a cold beverage that is relatively inexpensive. Ok, good! But what else has people coming back again and again to buy Coke besides this information…?”
By then my adrenaline was going as I paced up and down the room.
“It’s familiarity!” I answered with a smile. “It’s comfort in buying what they know!” Yes! Heads are nodding.
“If we have a good slogan, a good logo, and maybe some unique, identifying colors; we are going to make our product memorable… And if its in people’s minds then they will choose that product over the competition because… it’s familiar to them… it makes them feel safe.”
I looked at my watch: 19:25. Almost time to go…
“Ok students… any questions?”
I love teaching this class! I mean ‘Future Business Leaders of Mozambique’ (as I explained in an earlier blog) sounded like a good idea in theory and is now turning out better than I’d expected. Projects proposals are strong for the most part as the kids are both working their tails off and having a little fun at the same time. Of course, they should be working hard… they know there’s 15000 Mt on the line to be awarded to the group with the best project proposal.
In all seriousness, whoever designed this project a few years back really planned it well for all the kids, whether they win or not. Accountability, creativity, public speaking, deadlines, planning and budgeting, resume writing, professionalism in general, etc… are practiced and/or touched upon as the course progresses. And while this is great from our own viewpoint in the States, it takes on an even greater significance in a society where these skills can be less commonly taught and practiced.
Budgeting, for instance, while utilized more in bigger businesses, is a foreign concept for many street vendors. “Why keep track of money,” someone might think “when it doesn’t change whether or not I’m selling my tomatoes?” Then in class, the students come to learn that budgeting keeps money organized so they can keep track of it more easily, helps them plan the future of their business, and also lets them quantify mistakes and changes in the market, then learn from them.
Creativity is another concept that, while obviously present in society, is not often used in local business. Joao P. Mozambican might say, “Well I’m going to sell tomatoes because I know people will buy them.” To that the students come to decide that, yes, tomatoes are heavily utilized in this part of the world, but it doesn’t make sense to be selling a product that literally every other stand in the market place has. Tomatoes will make money, but they cannot guarantee a stable business in this environment.
It has been great to see that the students are responding to these different lesson plans and applying the knowledge in the updated business proposals they present to me each week. But it’s also been awesome to sit back and let these kids shine. On Saturdays I have a few students who are normally the shier types standing up in front of the room to defend their project against everyone else’s skepticism. Then on Wednesdays, the students in general blow me away with their intelligence and attention to detail through all the contributions they make in the classroom. It really doesn’t get better than that.
Three weeks remain now until the big competition and I have my theories who the winners are going to be (even though I don’t get to choose them). That said, I also feel very confident that no matter what happens, every group is going to come out having learned something great that they will be able to apply elsewhere, even if its just how to build their resume. Whatever the case, however big or small the lesson they bring with them, I think this class has been very much worth teaching and I look forward to doing it all again in the future.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Looking Ahead?!
Hold on to your hats, folks, and try not to fall off of your seats! This just in from the lush tropics of Mozambique:
I, Victor J. Perez, have officially started thinking about life after Peace Corps!
(Hint- This is the part where you fall over in a state of total shock and disbelief…)
As some of you may already know, while others of you are now correctly guessing, I’m usually not one to plan very far in advance. I enjoy living in the moment, I love doing things last minute, and I have this sick passion for pressure. So when you take those things and put them together, you find me in situations like in October of 2007, starting and finishing my entire, rather lengthy Peace Corps application in the week before it was due. Granted, it may not be the best way of approaching things, but it hasn’t failed me yet (knock on wood).
‘So, what’s changed?,’ you might ask. Well, I guess it comes down to the fact that I am hopefully about to realize one of my older pipedreams: I have been asked by the University of Sagrada Familia here in Maxixe to volunteer and teach a course in Theology. That’s right, I’ll be teaching an introductory course on the Bible (in English) starting next month and, yes, I am extremely excited!
To be honest, I’m feeling lots of things right now as result of the news: excitement at the possibility of volunteering at the University, fear that I won’t have what it takes, but also the surprising reaction of anticipation for the general road ahead. Now I’m thinking things like, ‘Teaching both the business course and English have been fun, and I’m sure I’ll love teaching the Gospels; but can I see myself continuing in that arena?’ Maybe it’s too early to tell, but thus far the world of academics, while engaging and intellectually satisfying, does not seem to be the place for me. Meanwhile, even though I have for now shied away from the possibility of life as a scholar, this in no way answers the question: what am I going to do?
In response, I have found myself in the early stages of good, old fashioned Fr. Himes style discernment: What brings me joy? Well I love teaching business class, not necessarily because of the teaching, but because of the results I see… young, more confident professionals with an opportunity to develop a solid business within their community. Also, I love reading US history, but not more than I have come to love reading political speeches as well as about current events in Washington. Finally, I love my God and I enjoy working with youth, so perhaps this could bring me down the road of non-ordained pastoral ministry. Who knows?
The answers I have settled myself with are going to involve a lot of research/ testing things out in my head, as well as tons of prayer. There are many things I love doing and many roles I enjoy fulfilling, but can I see them going somewhere in the long run? Am I good at doing these things? Most importantly, how can I use the gifts that God gave me to do God’s will?
As you can tell, I’ve found myself with more questions than answers, but I’m very much ok with that. I mean, c’mon, I have all the time in the world, right? What is it… a year? Two years? At the very least I can feel secure in the fact that I’ve started asking the right questions. And even if I’m not figuring things out right away, this feels like the best place to be right here and right now.
I, Victor J. Perez, have officially started thinking about life after Peace Corps!
(Hint- This is the part where you fall over in a state of total shock and disbelief…)
As some of you may already know, while others of you are now correctly guessing, I’m usually not one to plan very far in advance. I enjoy living in the moment, I love doing things last minute, and I have this sick passion for pressure. So when you take those things and put them together, you find me in situations like in October of 2007, starting and finishing my entire, rather lengthy Peace Corps application in the week before it was due. Granted, it may not be the best way of approaching things, but it hasn’t failed me yet (knock on wood).
‘So, what’s changed?,’ you might ask. Well, I guess it comes down to the fact that I am hopefully about to realize one of my older pipedreams: I have been asked by the University of Sagrada Familia here in Maxixe to volunteer and teach a course in Theology. That’s right, I’ll be teaching an introductory course on the Bible (in English) starting next month and, yes, I am extremely excited!
To be honest, I’m feeling lots of things right now as result of the news: excitement at the possibility of volunteering at the University, fear that I won’t have what it takes, but also the surprising reaction of anticipation for the general road ahead. Now I’m thinking things like, ‘Teaching both the business course and English have been fun, and I’m sure I’ll love teaching the Gospels; but can I see myself continuing in that arena?’ Maybe it’s too early to tell, but thus far the world of academics, while engaging and intellectually satisfying, does not seem to be the place for me. Meanwhile, even though I have for now shied away from the possibility of life as a scholar, this in no way answers the question: what am I going to do?
In response, I have found myself in the early stages of good, old fashioned Fr. Himes style discernment: What brings me joy? Well I love teaching business class, not necessarily because of the teaching, but because of the results I see… young, more confident professionals with an opportunity to develop a solid business within their community. Also, I love reading US history, but not more than I have come to love reading political speeches as well as about current events in Washington. Finally, I love my God and I enjoy working with youth, so perhaps this could bring me down the road of non-ordained pastoral ministry. Who knows?
The answers I have settled myself with are going to involve a lot of research/ testing things out in my head, as well as tons of prayer. There are many things I love doing and many roles I enjoy fulfilling, but can I see them going somewhere in the long run? Am I good at doing these things? Most importantly, how can I use the gifts that God gave me to do God’s will?
As you can tell, I’ve found myself with more questions than answers, but I’m very much ok with that. I mean, c’mon, I have all the time in the world, right? What is it… a year? Two years? At the very least I can feel secure in the fact that I’ve started asking the right questions. And even if I’m not figuring things out right away, this feels like the best place to be right here and right now.
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