Blog | Bryan Clifton

From the Blog

Feb

Water Buffalo Wedding Delivery

Posted by Bryan Clifton at 12:00 pm

Water Buffalo Wedding

Normally, a bride walks down the aisle with her father. That is the grand entrance. I got one that will top that. How about a water buffalo ridden by a seaman, dragging a bamboo cart with the bride in the carriage?

Does that qualify as a grand entrance? I think so.

When I arrived at the house the day before, I noticed the bamboo cart in the backyard. My first reaction was curiosity. Why was it there?

The decorators explained that a water buffalo (caribou) would drag it to the wedding with the bride and groom in it. There is no way this could be true. It sounded like a story I would tell a gullible person. By the way, did you know that the word “gullible” is not in the dictionary?

I had to see it to believe it.

They weren’t lying. They really used it as the bride delivery system. Think FedEx meets farming meets professional photographers. Great combination.

Luckily, I wasn’t the only one shocked to see this. Filipinos from other islands were just as surprised as I was to see this one animal parade.

I wonder what the water buffalo was thinking with so many people taking photos of him? Honestly, he was probably happy that he wasn’t part of the butchering for the reception.

Feb

Nerey

Posted by Bryan Clifton at 9:00 am

Nerey

Language is not the only form of communication. A conversation without words is a different experience. It is an exchange of ideas that bridge barriers caused by languages and culture.

As Nerey and others butchered the pigs and cows, I filmed. I was captivated.

Nerey was the first one from the group to notice the camera. He was not shy about it either. He would point or make a gesture every time I turned it on. His poses were entertainment for the entire group. They would stop what they were doing to watch him. Basically, he was the lead role in this impromptu performance.

He did not know it, but his butchering was my alarm clock the next morning. It is hard to sleep when animals are chopped to pieces outside your window.

I wanted to try to talk with him. Both of us wanted to have a legitimate conversation, but it was not going to happen. It was more like point, laugh, repeat.

An hour later, a drunk man came up to me while I watched Nerey and others roast the pigs. He tried many times to grab my arm, but Nerey would not let him. I thought the machete and butchering knife he had in his hands was good reason to listen to him.

He wanted the drunk man to know that I was his friend and he should not mess with me. It felt good to know he had my back, even though we could not talk.

As the women finished cooking the food, they needed to put it into large serving containers. Nerey had an idea to speed up the process. He grabbed a plate from the ground (I’m sure he washed it first) then used it as a shovel to speed up the process. The joy on his face afterwards was priceless. He was proud of his achievement, and the women used his method the rest of the morning.

Nerey and I were never able to exchange a full conversation, but I loved the experience we shared.

Feb

The Wedding that Killed Old McDonald’s Farm

Posted by Bryan Clifton at 9:00 am

Parts of the First Pig

It happened again. I attended a personal event for people I did not know. This time it was a wedding, not a funeral.

Elmer and I arrived in Ormoc on Friday afternoon. He had been asked a few months ago by Jonre and Leny to do the ceremony for their wedding. Since I was going to be in the area and needed time to talk with Elmer, he asked me to come along for the journey. The couple agreed that they wanted me to come, so I agreed to join.

Jonre’s mother had a meal waiting for us when we arrived at the house. Even though it was delicious, it was not the meal that I was interested in eating. I wanted to know more about the next meal that was tied up near the front door.

It looked like Old McDonald had hand delivered his stock of pigs and cows to their house. These animals were either security guards for the house, or waiting in the queue for butchering. Giant machetes and butchering blocks on tables a few feet away answered that question.

As the afternoon progressed, members of the community slowly gathered in the yard. Each wielding knives, cooking pots, or other food related items.

CIMG7031 The Wedding that Killed Old McDonalds Farm

Lechon Baboy (Roasted Pig)

One by one, all eight pigs and three cows were butchered to serve as the meal after the wedding. I filmed the first pig being slaughtered and took lots of photos. It is not every day that you witness a moment like this. It was better than TV. They had my attention for the rest of the night and in to the next morning. The killing, butchering, roasting, and cooking did not stop for 15 hours.

They entire community pulled together to fix this feast in honor of the bride and groom. They worked through the night to make sure everything would be ready for their special day.

On Saturday morning, about 500 members of the community joined together to eat the meal and celebrate the new marriage. I felt privileged to join them in this special occasion.

I filled up a 4 GB SD card of video from the butchering and cooking. Most of which is too graphic to post on here, so I will do the logical thing and post it on YouTube.

Feb

International Goat Negotiations

Posted by Bryan Clifton at 8:15 am

I always knew international business was something I wanted to do, but I did not know it would happen this soon.

As I write this post, I am in the airport in Manila, Philippines. Over the past two days, I have met with presidents and vice presidents of three organizations negotiating contracts and legal agreements for Give a Goat. It is an amazing experience.

These are things you cannot learn from a textbook. It requires hands on experience and breaking out of your comfort zone. It requires me to trust people I have only communicated with via email. I show up at their office, get in the van with them, and drive for hours to unknown locations to see projects they are working on. I love it.

I am learning how to work and get things done in another culture. Managing people is different. Hiring people is different. Getting work done is different. Every aspect of business is different. But dealing with people is the same regardless of the culture. They all want to improve their life and leave a better world for their families. The key is translating that want into practical action.

The first reaction I received from every person I met was shock. They all expected to meet with someone older. They are caught off guard to meet a 23-year-old. I love the shock factor. I think it plays to my advantage.

This is only the start of the trip. There are many locations to see and people to meet before I fly back. All of my work is in the name of giving goats to help break the cycle of poverty. You can learn more about the work I am doing here.

Who would have thought goats could need this much work?

Feb

Busy Productivity

Posted by Bryan Clifton at 9:15 am

Staying busy is not the same as being productive.

Many people run around all day checking emails, texting, tweeting, making phone calls, etc. Yet at the end of the day, they failed to get meaningful work accomplished. They spent lots of time working but failed to produce results. They put in their time, but the results did not follow.

We value not having time. When was the last time you met someone who thought they had tons of extra time? They don’t know what to do with all the free time they have.

We are under an illusion. We believe that the numbers of hours we are busy (or say we are) has a direct correlation to the amount of work we get done. This could not be further from the truth.

There is no correlation between success and numbers of hours worked.

Zig Ziglar asks a question that drives this point home. He asks, “Why do you get twice as much work done the day before vacation as any normal day?” The answer is simple. We set a list of goals and tasks that have to be done before we could board the plane or set out for the road trip. Then we work the plan and get them done.

We make our work fit the time slot needing to be filled. We value hours worked over tasks completed. What is wrong with us? Time is our most precious commodity, yet we waste it on pointless tasks.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. “Bryan, I get paid by the number of hours I work.” I understand, but hear me out. What if you increased your productivity during those hours? How long do you think it would take before your boss would notice? Think that could lead to a raise or promotion? People that get work done more efficiently than others will always be in high demand. It may not pay off for you immediately, but it will in the long run.

Focus on productive hours, not hours spent. Get the work done and move on to the next task.