Hey white man!

These kids live on the road outside of our compound. They always
scream hey white man hey white man banananananalalana. I am not sure
what the last part means, but I am sure they don't see many white
people. That hit right behind them is where they live. It's amazing
that they survive in literally shacks. Wow.

On our way to our first interview today, we were stopped by the
police. They made our driver pay a fine on the spot because Anup
didn't have his seat belt on. Which is laughable because our car
shouldn't even be on the road because it is so unsafe. A seatbelt
doesn't make anything better.

Anyway, instead of getting a ticket, our driver was ordered to pay a
fine (read bribe) while the 4 whiteys waited in the car. Corruption
exists here on the lowest level. I am really having a hard time
understanding the incentive situation here. Contracts are just not
honored here. For instance, if you go to the gas station in the us,
you expect to pay the listed price for 89 octain. Here, you pay the
listed price, but who knows what you will get. So in that sense,
markets do not operate properly here.

Case in point, there is a bamboo school here. And students are paid
to go. When they finish, they sell their tools outside the schools
gate and don't ever build a single piece of bamboo furniture. My team
wants to pay people to take our training. I contend there is no
school in the us that pays you to attend. And there is no selection
process on the world that just pays random people. For every action,
there must be a congruent action. So this is a huge challenge. Why
would I ever work if I knew that if I sat around and got hungry
enough, someone would come pay me? This breeds apathy and it's on the
verge of communism. This nations attitude would be better served by
communism rather than capitalism.

Today is really hot too. But I am happy that it is our half way
point. Thank heaven.