Ahhh..home sweet home

I found the ideal place! I have my own room and bathroom but more importantly it is spotless, I would be more than willing to still eat a cookie after dropping it on the floor. Whereas, were I am currently living, if I accidentally dropped my undies on the floor, they immediately became dirty laundry. Anyways, this new place is 4 blocks from where I work so its super close too. I am really looking forward to situating myself permanently (aka. not live out of a suitcase), so I can start a routine or something. I was also able to go to the gym after work and sign up for the month. I still can't get used to how Costa Rica does not use street names, numbers, or anything of that sort. Everything is determined by landmarks, so if the McDonalds goes bankrupt and moves, you're screwed. Literally, people draw little maps with pictures for me every time I ask for directions. I think its pretty funny, but I am also starting to get to know the city a lot more and I'm beginning to recognize popular landmarks. I am also starting to learn my orientation in the world, if that makes sense. In order to get anywhere, once has to learn what is north, south, east, west and so on. This is great for me because those of you who know me, know that I easily get lost, even with a GPS on full volume. Unfortunately today I also have to tell Anita that I am moving out, not fun, really not fun. GAHH can I just write her a letter or something?

@ Oiko: Today I got a list of all the counterparts we lend to. Oiko's portfolio is primarily made up of MFIs (60%), but they also invest in PYMES (micro, pequena y mediana empresas), which are micro, small and medium enterprises. Furthermore, they invest in projects that involve/enhance education, agriculture, health, housing, and commerce in rural and urban areas. Currently, Costa Rica has 49 projects in the areas I listed above. My job will also be to visit the different projects and interview clients, as well as, evaluate them using the ESG score cards. Today I went through some of the counterparts I will be visiting and read over their reports. Something interesting was the different forms of collateral MFIs use. In Spanish, there is the fiduciara (which is comparable to a co-signer), prendaria (which is when people use an item of value such as a car, or a tv etc, as a guarantee) , hipotecaria (which is the option to put your house up as a guarantee), or other. Speaking with Anita, she made me realize that there weren't any options for someone like her, who would benefit from a credit to expand her business, but also does not want to risk putting her house up as a guarantee. She is a single mother, therefore, she has no co-signer and nothing of significant value besides her home. I am going to keep looking, but I feel that this segment of the population is not being reached.Urban poverty is a larger problem in Costa Rica, but I feel that Anita would be a prime candidate for credit and there is no tangible option for her. It really does upset me, so hopefully I will find something.