Thursday night, sitting in the hotel lobby at 10:30 so I can access internet and get some work done. And, more importantly, chat with Nancy over gmail.
Today was a tiring and frustrating, but productive day. We had several good discussions during the training exercises, but I perceive that those who should be there (small business calling officers) are not, and those who aspire to be said officers ARE. We shall see next week when we get into financial analysis, but there may be a disconnect between those who think they need training, and those who think their employees need training. That is one of the dangers of an assignment like this – since I did not negotiate directly with the bank, I had to depend upon others to correctly and competently convey the needs and assignment. It is not until one arrives on site that any discrepancies become apparent. We shall do the best we can with the time we have.
My hosts ( the two top people in the training dept.) have been nothing short of spectacular during the visit….going out of their way to show me nearby sites, make recommendations, and do things for me before I even know I need them done. They need to work at least a half day this weekend, but are tentatively planning to take me on a daylong tour of Armenia, outside of Yerevan, so I get a proper feel for the country of which they are so proud. Of course, it is an opportunity I cannot pass up.
If I happen to be in town Sunday, the city is also celebrating (Big Time!) its founding 2,792 years ago. Kinda puts our “old” cities to shame, doesn’t it? I have no idea exactly what it planned, but the epicenter is about ½ km from my hotel, so I shall be there if possible. I caught on a marketing newsletter, a month ago, that the world’s largest candy bar had been created for this event. The 1,000 kg+ bar was reported to be scheduled to be cut up and distributed during the celebration.
Training ends at 5:00 every day (the work day ends at 6:00). Today, instead of going back to the hotel, my hosts included me in a party for a co-worker whose first child was born Monday. About 15 people attended, around a formal table with traditional Armenian dishes (ALL delicious). Of course, there were also several traditional Armenian toasts with 8 YO Armenian brandy. They really go out of their way here to make one feel welcome.
OK, it is late and I need sleep. More over the weekend. Have a great day, everybody.
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