Where's Ramón?

[Guest]

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[Ramón]

Dear Kivafriends,

I'd like to apologize for my diminished participation on the forum, and it doesn't look like it will get any better over the next few weeks.
- My company is going through a merger, which means that all of us are taking on extra, integration related responsibilities on top of the overloaded work schedule that we already have
- There are too many distractors going on in my personal life (the Perú family situation, the expansion of the Kolb family in the beginning of next year, a sudden death in the family, etc.) to be able to concentrate on this forum very much
- The bit that I am doing for Kiva-- mostly doing translations, I'm having troubles to keep "current" with. I actually had to turn down a batch of translations yesterday, something I really don't feel very good about...
- At the end of next week, I'll be out in Europe for 2 weeks. I won't have computer access for at least the first week. And work-life will continue as well-- I'll probably spend so much time on my cellphone and rack up a phone bill comparable to the cost of constructing a complete new house of the amount by a Kiva borrower...
- I will try to keep up on my self-imposed obligations of lending at least 2x a month to someone-- for now, my lending pattern is still "on-time"...

Thanks,

--Ramón

[wind5001]

Dear Ramón,

thanks for updating us; I had indeed wondered.

I wish you well with all that is coming these weeks, it does sound busy physically and emotionally. Take good care of yourself and your family and until soon!

Oli

[cpbailey]

Ramón,

Wow...hope things settle down for you soon.  Take care!

Colette

[Diane R]

the expansion of the Kolb family in the beginning of next year

And congratulations are in order!! 

[Kay]

Yes, indeed!

[QueenOfHearts]

Ramon...take each day as it comes...but take care of yourself first!!! Get plenty of rest, eat well, take your vitamins, etc....dont you like have another mother.  Hope your wife is feeling well too.
Queen

[Ramón]

Jeee, you don't check Kivafriends for a day or two... And then Oprah happens! Exciting times...

I'll try to be a bit more active on the forum using my Blackberry while out in "old" Europe over the next two weeks...

Government Warning: Kiva and Kivafriends may be addictive. Periods of abstinence may cause withdrawal symptoms like shaking hands, urges to visit the Kiva website whenever a web browser is available, and urgent feelings of "having $25 too much in you bank account". While side  effects are generally mild, please discuss them with you professional financial advisor if the interfere with your daily activities.

[wind5001]

LOL Ramón!

[Ramón]

Well, I'm back in Boston but the merger related activities at work have caused my Kiva related activities to get cut back dramatically. I've been working 14 hours a day without more than 5 minutes of break, and it looks like I'll be traveling next week and some part of the week after.

So, in addition of not being able to catch up on Kivafriends here (I've seen a bunch of great posts this morning from old and new people), I've also run into trouble extending loans. There are simply not enough Latin American loans to choose from (I really prefer Perú and those countries that are under represented in my portfolio)...

So... If you come across an interesting Latin American loan that you are investing in, and you want me to join you, please PM, IM, or email me while it's still available.

Thanks, and welcome to all new Kivans and KivaFriends!

--Ramón

Ps. As far as Mexican loans go (which do appear to be available regularly), for now I will only invest in AlSol loans there...