And it all pays off...

So today was one of the most rewarding of my life, which I realize seems rather extreme to say.  Let me explain....

I've been interested in int'l development for nearly 6 years now and while I've tried to pursue some of my own research and experiences abroad, to date it's been rather hazy and unfulfilling.  Reading books and volunteering just doesn't really cut it when you look around and still feel like you can't really make a difference.

Meanwhile, I've been working at Bain, which is an absolutely fantastic job most of the time.  Unfortunately,  int'l development isn't part of the work.

But today it all came together- I got to use my consulting skills to actually frame an int'l development problem.  A little context: most consultants find whiteboards incredibly tempting, as if they're waiting for us to fill them up with grand ideas to solve some elaborate problem.  Think of John Nash in a beautiful mind trying to come up with a formula for the movement of pigeons on his dorm room window.  Probably a little crazy and most definitely nerdy.  

Today I filled up the whiteboard at least 3 times.  I had to keep typing it all in ppt (another overused consultant tool) and erasing.  I nearly took a picture of the whiteboard each time because I was so proud- absolutely ridiculous but I was grinning from ear to ear.

Cause this is it.  I'm doing what I want to be doing.  Granted, it's not a full time job and my mind is of course reeling with "what next"?  (As my mom says- "you would enjoy life a lot more if you just stopped thinking about it so much")

But what can I say?  I get excited about possibilities and love thinking about them.  Who knows if I'll actually be able to deliver on the massive amounts of analysis I just sketched out.  Who knows if this will actually make any difference whatsoever.  But for tonight, I'm content with my place in this world and finally feel like I can bring something valuable to it in the way that I've been dying to.  They actually mentioned having me teach a workshop on creating hypotheses for all the Nicaraguan staff here.  Me, the girl who only ever had a few inputs into the teams' hypothesis is now coming up with her own (with of course, some help) and teaching others!!!

Then after this incredible day of work, I went to dinner with the technical advisor who's here just this week- hugely helpful by the way.  We talked about all his crazy adventures and his thoughts on all things int'l development (fair trade, why Latin America gets so overlooked, microfinance, non-profit combined with for-profit models, the World Bank, etc).  He's seen the whole picture and has an inside track to all the research (plus he's done a LOT of it).  Just absolutely incredible and I'm so sad he's leaving tomorrow.  Thankfully, he's been tossing me thumb drives all day long of articles and reports to read later.

So now I'm sitting in bed, listening to Juanes (trying to make up for the fact that I've spoken less than an hour of Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country over the last 3 days) and writing this blog on a Friday night.  Most may consider it lame that I passed up a chance to see a Flamenco show and salsa dancing (and we all know how much I LOVE to dance).  But I couldn't be happier.

Next goals: post some pictures and speak Spanish more.  And laundry.