Workin' for the weekend.

Man oh man!  Things have been so chaotic over here in Costa Rica!  My boss has had us working away on projects in hopes to complete his long list by the end of this month, we shall see.  We finished all of our Spanish Powerpoint Presentations and they were sent to all of the Spanish countries.  So far we have had great feedback and each country likes having their results in a simple, layed out plan versus pages and pages of excel sheets.  After completing the presentations we were asked to present one of the presentations to the head team of Aerocasillas.  We were able to explain the graphs and the overall results of each survey question.  I think this is survey and analysis by coutnry is a great tool that can be used to improve the countries overall strategy and goals.  Our new project has begun and of course I am excited because its arts and crafts!  We were asked to come up with 3 score board ideas to represent 6 countriey goals for 2010.  The first score board needs to measure packages moved per month and so I came up with the idea of a giant bar graph that is measured in 4 quarters of the year ( I will post pictures later).  The second board needed to measure the amount of new clients added per month and so I created a monopoly board and called it "Aeronopoly".  Our third board needed to represent the number of affiliations and so we created a puzzle board.  I left all of the math to my co-intern to create the charts! :)  Once we finish I will post pictures so you can see exactly what I am talking about!  Our boss is a very visual person and so he likes to see the big picture of the company in a creative way, which is right up my ally.  This week we also met the founder of Aerocasillas which was quite a treat.

A few more things that amuse me in Costa Rica (yes, once I see something I immediately write it down):

 -The technology system is so different here.  In order for an iphone to work they have to have someone replace the software to be compatible with the Costa Rica Network.  Cellphones are a monopoly in Costa Rica and they do not have numerous providers like the United States does which is why it is unlikely for foreigners to buy a cell phone here and count on it working. (if you can believe it I am still surviving without a cell phone or a watch).

 -The language here is completely different from what I learned in school and I pick up on new phrases and words on a daily basis. Costa Rica is famous for their slang and unique way of speaking. As a visitor this is very difficult to pick up on.

 -Slamming doors.  Apparently Americans slam taxi doors so loud and slam doors when they leave.  Taxi drivers are not happy about their doors being slammed.

 -When getting on to the bus there is a “bar” before you pay the bus driver and if you stand by the “bar” for too long they can charge your twice or charge you and the person behind you.  So make sure you have your change ready when getting on the bus!

 -I have never appreciated the fact that the sun sets later in the states and now I do, more than ever!  The sun sets at 5:30 and it is pitch dark at 6 pm, this is something that I don’t think that I could ever get used to…I appreciate the extra hours of daylight in the evenings.

 -Ticos answer the phone as “ahh-low”.  You need to ask for ice because they usually serve water and soda without it.  Canned peaches are a delicacy.  They are used on cakes, pies, etc. but the price increases depending on the amount of peaches are on the desserts.

 -What Tico’s consider “Barbies”: blonde hair, blue eyes, and light skinned Americans. We laugh because everywhere we go is a sea of brown hair and of course, we are the outcasts.