"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."

I was inspired by one of my friends to write a blog, and I thought it’d be a great idea to start with my trip to Torti Abajo, Panama with Global Business Brigades Texas A&M. (Also read about the trip from my friend Scott Perry – http://jscottperry11.blogspot.com/2011/05/el-choque.html).

And I named this blog, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime,” because this Chinese proverb is not only the GBB Texas A&M’s slogan, but more importantly, it defines the whole mission and vision behind Global Brigades, which is empowerment and sustainable development. (To read more about Global Brigades, visit http://globalbrigades.org/).,

Appreciate

Before I start talking about the brigade itself, I want to recognize a few groups of people who made this trip memorable, but also possible for all of us.

First, I want to give a huge shout-out to each one of the 26 brigadiers on this trip: 25 Aggies and 1 professional from Apple. Every day through the week they worked from 8:00 AM to sometimes past midnight, doing everything they can to help these individuals and families in Panama. These brigadiers were the engine to the success of this brigade, so thank you for all of your dedicated and diligent efforts.

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Second, I want to thank all the GB coordinators who have devoted countless hours to the organization’s success. Adriana, Michelle, Greg, Christina, Demetri , Carlos, and many others – without your passion and leadership, none of this would be possible, so thank you!

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Third, I would like to thank everyone in the Torti Abajo community for welcoming us into their homes and being so friendly and cooperative with us!

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Lastly, and most importantly, THANK YOU all the generous sponsors, donors, and families and friends who supported GBB Texas A&M through monetary donations, prayers, and words of encouragement!

Give

The mission of GBB is to create sustainable economic development solutions to
improve impoverished communities and their individual inhabitants. For those of you who don’t know, GBB Texas A&M has already participated on two separate brigades and assisted a chocolate business in the Rio Oeste Arriba region of Panama (click to view pictures from January 2010 and August 2010). This May 2011 brigade, however, was a whole new experience for all of us. GB has implemented a new holistic model to the Business Brigades, so instead of preparing and presenting workshops to the whole community like we did in the past, we met with 16 different families and worked with each of them independently. Each family had different goals and needs – such as learning how to record and analyze incomes and expenses, how to save, the concept of loans, developing and managing an inventory system, the supply chain of the business, and starting and managing a new business, just to name a few. We had to cope with a wide range of families’ business knowledge, but by working with each family and consulting and educating them based on their respective needs, this new model was able to create personal and individual empowerment. Honestly I was skeptical about the new model at first, but now I understand; this new model does work, and it is for the better because it completely supports the idea of sustainable development!

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One night during the brigade we had an interesting discussion about a charity vs. a sustainable development. Some said a charity can be bad in certain circumstances, if it creates too much dependency. On the other hand, some said a charity is absolutely necessary, especially during the times of disasters and emergencies. For instance, think about the Hurricane Katrina, tsunami in Japan, earthquake in Haiti, and etc. After all, we agreed that the world wouldn’t be the same without charities. Yet, it was important for us as well as the Torti Abajo community members to realize that what we’re doing in Panama as a part of GB is not a charity. One family asked, “What [tangible goods] are you bringing this time?” and we had to explain that although we’re only here for a short amount of time, our purpose is not to just give them something, but is to educate, encourage, and empower them, so that in a long-term they can grow and improve by themselves. “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”

Smile

Whenever I think back on those 8 days I spent in Panama, I can’t help smiling because this trip was just full of rewarding and laughing moments. Let me share some of those moments with you.

First, we quickly found out that the families in the Torti Abajo community are hard-working, driven, courageous, independent, and entrepreneurial. We also learned that they care about their future, want to accomplish their goals, and ultimately want to succeed in life. All they needed was a little bit of push, and that’s exactly what GBB Texas A&M did. It was very rewarding to see the smiles in their faces, and as one of our members said, we might not see the impact right away, but we have definitely influenced their lives, as well as people around them. We changed the lives of others through education, encouragement, and empowerment!

We built close relationships with the Torti Abajo community and created a lot of fun memories including, but not limited to, playing soccer, football, and other fun activities with the kids, playing softball game the whole community, and dancing with everyone!

One day, we visited a different community called Embera and found out a little bit about their organizational structure, their cultures and traditions, and their artisan business. We also learned how to say a few phrases in their traditional language. And in the pouring rain, we went on a nature walk and played volleyball with the community members. And of course, how could I forget about our party bus back to the compound?

And finally, there are countless of incredible memories with GBB Texas A&M: Fun at the compound, dinner, pool party, dancing the night away, games (hotseat, psychology, mafia, etc.), small talks and deep conversations with friends, jumping pictures, and so many others…

Below are some songs that reminded me of our party bus & dancing parties in Panama:

Danza Kuduro by Don Omar - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1TbLFPp8&feature=player_embedded#at=163
El Choque by Mr. Saik - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnYVYSJZ8Uo
Loca by Shakira - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAhTt60W7qo
La Camisa Negra by Juanes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRt2sRyup6A
We No Speak Americano - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgFE5OQbt_g&feature=fvst
I Know You Want Me by Pitbull - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2tMV96xULk

GBB’s Impact on me

GBB made a difference in other people’s lives, but it has also made a huge difference in my life in several ways.

1. Appreciate the small things

• This is the most valuable lesson I’ve learned from traveling to Panama with GBB.
• After seeing how people live in the indigenous parts of Panama, I realize how I take so many things for granted – from the basic needs such as food, water, clothes, and shelter, to ‘essential’ and ‘luxurious’ items such as electricity, paved roads, cars, Internet, education, health facilities, and etc.
• “Live simply so that others may simply live.”

2. About Me

• We asked the Panamanian families about how they’re spending and saving money, their short- and long-term goals, and their values and motives in life.
• What I didn’t see was that I should be asking these questions myself! Am I saving? Am I spending too much money on something and if so, how can I cut on my expenses? What are my goals, and how do I plan on reaching them? What are my motives and passions?
• This trip made me realize that I need to regularly take time to sit down, reflect upon myself, and reevaluate things that are going on in my life.
  

3. Professional / Business Experience

• Teamwork
  

[Left to Right: Team Torti, Team Equipo Awesomoo, Team Macho Cuatro, Team Charlie Brown]

• Adjusting to a new environment – learning about and respecting other cultures
• Overcoming challenges - the key of communication
  i. Language barrier and illiteracy in families members
  ii. Importance of non-verbal / body language / using pictures
  iii. Speak to people, not about people
• Consulting experience
• Etc.

In conclusion, I’ve gained a valuable experience from GBB. I’ve built close relationships with my friends. Also, it was a great feeling to use what we learned in classes at A&M and apply them to help the families in Panama. GBB is an incredible and remarkable experience, and I recommend all of you to seek out and participate in GBB or other similar opportunities like GBB!

Support us on Facebook by “liking” our organization’s page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-AM-Global-Business-Brigades/163794213640252

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments about this blog, me, GBB Texas A&M, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me at yjkim227@gmail.com!

“Panama, this is not a goodbye; but just a see you later!”

Click here for a complete GBB Texas A&M May 2011 Picture Slideshow