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Tanzanian infrastructure…a long way to go!

On my way to Tanzania a little over a month ago, I stopped for three days in Zurich. I was so impressed with the public transportation (smooth and silent trolleys and frequent trains) and the restaurants (tasty food served and paid for in new ways not yet found in the US), I concluded that if Europe is the “first world” and Africa is the “third world,” the US must be the “second world” – as much as we’d like to think otherwise. Then, once I arrived in… Read More »Tanzanian infrastructure…a long way to go!

My Job Description

Lest you think I am simply sitting around eating ugali (corn mush) and sipping Konyagi (local gin), I’m posting the job description that Polly and I agreed to this week.  There are a lot of different tasks I’ll be working on in the next year and I’m sure more will pop up but this is already a pretty full slate. It’s a lot of work to run a good organization, especially in a challenging environment like TZ, and Sega is fairly understaffed right now so volunteers have… Read More »My Job Description

Into the Mountains

Yesterday, I joined a group of volunteers and some Tanzanians on a hike into the Uluguru mountains to a waterfall.  It was a beautiful hike and, along the way, we saw the homes and farms of people living there. Once we’d climbed a bit, we were able to look back at the growing town of Morogoro with an approximate population of 300,000.  Since almost all the  buildings are single storey with the exception being a few hotels and some two storey businesses in town, growth results… Read More »Into the Mountains

What is Sega and why am I here?

HOW THE HECK did I end up volunteering for this particular organization in Africa and what am I doing here? What is Sega? The Sega (Secondary Education for Girls’ Advancement) School is a residential secondary school for bright, motivated Tanzanian girls who otherwise would not have access to secondary education due to extreme poverty. Founded in 2008 and located in Mkundi near Morogoro in central Tanzania, there are currently 150 students boarding at the school, 90 in Forms 1,2 & 3 (Grades 8-10), and 60… Read More »What is Sega and why am I here?

First Impressions

It is Sunday afternoon and I’ve been here in Morogoro since Wednesday afternoon.  A lot has happened in a very short time or at least it feels that way to me.  This is certainly the first moment I’ve had to sit down and write.  When I arrived Wednesday midday after a 4 hour drive from Dar es Salaam, I spent the afternoon with Polly Dolan, the founder of The Sega Girls School. She had me over to her home, gave me lunch, and then took… Read More »First Impressions

Off to Tanzania…

I’m finally off!  Fraser is set up in his dorm at Drexel University in Philadelphia (see photo) and I leave tonight for my extended stint at The Sega Girls School in Morogoro, Tanzania. My house is rented out through June 15, 2013 so my plan is to stay until then and possibly longer. With this blog, I hope to chronicle my experiences living in a place so different from Berkeley and working in a young organization with a group of like-minded people who are excited… Read More »Off to Tanzania…

Conspiracy Theories

On Monday, I spoke on the subject of women and negotiations to about 50 women at The Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco. One of the points I made was that women need to compare themselves to all workers, including men in similar positions, not just to other women when they are preparing for salary negotiations. One of the questions that came up was how to get this salary information as it generally isn’t posted on the wall at work. After my talk, one of… Read More »Conspiracy Theories

Negotiating Basic: What’s an “interest”?

In the world of win-win negotiating, understanding “interests” is our first step because our goal is to reach an agreement that maximizes the interests of both parties and this is only possible if those interests are understood and communicated. But what is an “interest” and how does it differ from a position? Interests are the underlying needs, desires, concerns, and fears that are important to you and lead you to become involved in the negotiation in the first place.  Your interests are why you take… Read More »Negotiating Basic: What’s an “interest”?

“Masculine traits” and promotions — Finally some good news for women!

“In the business world, women who are aggressive, assertive, and confident but who can turn these traits on and off, depending on the social circumstances, get more promotions than either men or other women, according to a recent study coming out of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.”  Such begins a brief article in the spring 2011 issue of Stanford Business Magazine Online describing research done recently by professors Olivia O’Neill at George Mason University and Charles O’Reilly at Stanford. This is an important and… Read More »“Masculine traits” and promotions — Finally some good news for women!

Chicken and Egg: Confidence and Negotiating

Folks say that women should negotiate more. Women’s forums bemoan that women are not more confident. But which comes first, the negotiating or the confidence?  Well, actually they feed on each other and I’d like to suggest that by learning to ask for and getting at least some of what you want and need to be successful, your confidence will increase.  By pointing out that you are doing a good job, rather than expecting others to notice, and by asking to be acknowledged through raises,… Read More »Chicken and Egg: Confidence and Negotiating