Hey all,
i came in with the intention of updating on my radio PSA project with my students. its going well, but there is something else on my mind.
Ok. So. I am a member of our Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC). The committee's job is to communicate with admin on behalf of volunteers, and vice versa. We give feedback on policy, hold admin responsible to follow through with things they say they will do, keep tabs on our transit house and other things that affect PCVs.
The recent frustration is the new administration. We received a new country director last November, and I know part of the reason he was sent was to get our program back in line with PC Washington regulations (little did i know, we were way out there in terms of policy, and enforcing policy). Our last CD, while he was happy to drop whatever he was doing in order to sit and talk with a PCV about anything, he didn't follow policies very closely, and didn't punish people who broke them. So, it has been a difficult set of changes. They have written numerous policies, and consequences for breaking them. Difficult as it is, I know this is all well and good. The problem is, our new CD isn't as interested in having personal relationships with PCVs as the old one was. He doesn't seem to think its his job. Come with a concern, and he will direct you elsewhere. Moreover, he doesn't seek/value PCV input when it is appropriate to seek it. I know that in terms of some policies, its all Washington's doing, and we have little room for input. But others, such as the direction of our program in development, its appropriate and necessary to seek PCV input on these decisions. We are the ones actually working on the ground. Most of us have been here longer than him, and better know the culture and history of development in the country.
Recently our CD decided that his new focus for our program is to push grant-writing. He has organized a series of new trainings and committees, etc. Hmm. Well, if someone is going to write a grant, I would want them to do it well, and so trainings seem like a good step. My concern is that PUSHING grant-writing might make people think that getting money for things ought to be our focus. It's not. It's absolutely %100 ok to be a PCV and never bring any money to a project. Money is not a solution to the problem, and TOO MUCH development money has harmed Gambia in many ways by shaping bad habits. Not enough money is not the problem. There is plenty of money in this country, just backward priorities. People can find money to spend over $40 for a single outfit, or over $500 for a party, but can't seem to find the money to send their kids to school. Here, as in other places in the developing world, people have really capitalized on what foreigners will pay for and what they will not. Foreigners like to pay for hospitals, ARVs, schools and school fees, roads, and food relief. Foreigners will not pay for big parties, fancy clothes, or mobile phones. So people spend their own money on the fun stuff, then knock on our door for the rest. It only exacerbates the problem if we're just another group of people throwing money around. If our CD spent some time living outside the capital he would know that. If we tell him our opinions, he simply replies "duly noted" and continues what he was doing.
The money thing is a big frustration. I know that some amount of money is necessary for development efforts. I just liked that we were different from other organizations in that we focused on skill-building. Money gets in the way of that because people still get stuff, and don't have to change any of their habits or learn new skills. When that money runs out, more will come. it always does. Why learn new skills when you can get paid to just stay the same? And the fact that my opinion (and those of my peers) is not valued by someone whose job it is to support me is a real pisser.
thats my rant for the day. duly noted.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The F word
*Yes, this article contains profanity. You can handle it.
Here’s something I’ve been meaning to write about. The F word. You know, the four letter one. It fits into almost any part of speech and is pretty universally offensive. Well, thanks to movies and rap music coming in from the West, the F word is fairly prevalent in conversation here. However, something has been lost in translation, and the word doesn’t carry as much weight. I did a double take the first time I heard a grown man tell his toddler son to “F*ck off” when he really just meant “go away and stop trying to climb my legs.” One can even hear old ladies reprimand others by yelling “F*cking ass!” out of bus windows. A PC employee replied, when I had asked what he was still doing at the office at 7 pm on a Friday, “Oh, I’m nearly done here and then soon I will f*ck off.”
Well. Fine. I’m not so much a prude, and can accept that people don’t quite mean what I hear when they use that word. But its one of the strongest words in my arsenal, and what can I do when I really really need to tell someone where to go? When I need the word to mean what I mean by it and all its force to be unleashed on someone who has thoroughly pushed my buttons? When my dander is up, what can I say when I really really need to make myself clear? One of the most offensive words in my vocabulary has been rendered pretty meaningless…and this can be frustrating.
PC did teach us insults as part of our language training. This happened to varying degrees depending on which trainer a person had. Some trainers went all out. Ours sheepishly taught us phrases such as “you are very lazy” and “you are so foolish.” Those don’t quite cut it. To learn the real deal, I had to go to the streets. Nonetheless, I just cannot bring myself to yell, in Mandinka, “I will cut your father’s penis to pieces!” or “Your mother’s clitoris is red!” even if it would get the job done. Even just yelling “your penis!” or “your asshole!”, while it sounds very silly coming out of my mouth, is enough to bring people to blows here. I just can’t do it.
Here’s something I’ve been meaning to write about. The F word. You know, the four letter one. It fits into almost any part of speech and is pretty universally offensive. Well, thanks to movies and rap music coming in from the West, the F word is fairly prevalent in conversation here. However, something has been lost in translation, and the word doesn’t carry as much weight. I did a double take the first time I heard a grown man tell his toddler son to “F*ck off” when he really just meant “go away and stop trying to climb my legs.” One can even hear old ladies reprimand others by yelling “F*cking ass!” out of bus windows. A PC employee replied, when I had asked what he was still doing at the office at 7 pm on a Friday, “Oh, I’m nearly done here and then soon I will f*ck off.”
Well. Fine. I’m not so much a prude, and can accept that people don’t quite mean what I hear when they use that word. But its one of the strongest words in my arsenal, and what can I do when I really really need to tell someone where to go? When I need the word to mean what I mean by it and all its force to be unleashed on someone who has thoroughly pushed my buttons? When my dander is up, what can I say when I really really need to make myself clear? One of the most offensive words in my vocabulary has been rendered pretty meaningless…and this can be frustrating.
PC did teach us insults as part of our language training. This happened to varying degrees depending on which trainer a person had. Some trainers went all out. Ours sheepishly taught us phrases such as “you are very lazy” and “you are so foolish.” Those don’t quite cut it. To learn the real deal, I had to go to the streets. Nonetheless, I just cannot bring myself to yell, in Mandinka, “I will cut your father’s penis to pieces!” or “Your mother’s clitoris is red!” even if it would get the job done. Even just yelling “your penis!” or “your asshole!”, while it sounds very silly coming out of my mouth, is enough to bring people to blows here. I just can’t do it.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hey all,
Its been a little while. Work is still work. Its still hot. Recently, I started working with the Peer Health kids at the high school project, so I thought I’d talk a little about how that was going.
A couple of weeks ago, I introduced the idea of making health-related public service announcements. I wanted the group to break up into smaller groups, which would then choose a health topic, research it, write a service announcement, record it in the three major languages, and distribute these recordings around the country. (actually my PCV friend Tavi came up with this great idea, but unfortunately she has been too busy to work on it). The kids seemed excited about an outreach project, so we got started.
I began by bringing in examples of 30 second health announcements(which in itself was a difficult thing to find on the internet, things that are relevant to Gambians. We don‘t talk about depression here, or childhood obesity, so finding radio messages about other topics was a challenge), and we discussed the messages in each, and the idea of a target audience. They chose their topics, and I brought in all the info I could find for them to research from. (internet downloads, health textbooks from the 80’s, my PC health manual) Then we started researching. And it was on this third session working on this project that they finally “got” what it was we were doing.
30 SECONDS!?! That’s not possible!!! How can we say all this in 30 seconds?! Why can’t we do a one-hour radio show? (how honestly to reply? Because you guys don’t know enough about any particular topic to do a one hour show on it, that’s why. Too honest, whitney). What, you guys just got this? We listened to examples, I’ve repeated the premise of what we are doing over and over. Yes, 30 SECONDS. I tried to re-explain in terms of cooking--when you cook sauce you put many things into the pot, and lots of water, then you boil it all down for many hours until you have a sauce. It might be smaller than what you started with, but the flavor is stronger. I want you to boil this information down to its most important points and use that for your radio announcement. Or, advertising. I talked about radio commercials for a mobile phone company, Africell. They have short messages telling you why you should buy their product. We are advertising good health choices, and we need to catch people’s attention with short bits of important info.
They’re still fighting me. I know I’m asking them to do something outside of their experience. When Gambians get together to discuss topics, many people make speeches. One person will get up and be like “such and such is so important because blahblahblah…” for 20 minutes, often more. And then someone else will stand up and say “just to re-emphasize what my colleague has just said blahblahblah….” and he will repeat EXACTLY what was already said. It takes hours and everyone wants to hear his own voice, even if its just repeating what has already been said many times (I try not to get bitter when I attend these things. This cultural habit serves a function. Since so few people read, things are learned by repetition. Everyone repeats the message, so maybe it can be remembered. Its just that I watch people zoning out or playing with their phones, they are just as bored as I am and not listening). Also, kids at school are given information in books and lectures, and then just asked to memorize and regurgitate it at test time, whether or not they understand the words or not. So, to ask them to read info (which I do think this group is able to do), and decide for themselves what is most important , is a really really tall order in critical thinking for these kids.
And so, small small. Learning experiences all around.
As a post script to this article, but in no way as an afterthought, I wish to thank every teacher, parent, or mentor who ever encouraged me to think out of the box, come up with something new, and ask questions beginning with “How?” “Why?” or “What if?” rather than beating me for the impertinence of my question. I was allowed and encouraged to imagine the world that I wanted to create, knowing that imagining was the first step in making it possible. I am so much the better for it.
The US is not superior because we have flush toilets and fabric softener. It is certainly not true that no one works hard and we just sit all day counting our money. But as innovation in thought has been a core value of our philosophy from the beginning of our country’s history, this has contributed a great much to our success. Knowing that anyone’s next great idea could be just around the corner gives me hope for the world. Critical thinking skills are extremely important. These kids are not stupid, but they are a product of a really really outdated teaching method and their country’s development is suffering because of it.
Its been a little while. Work is still work. Its still hot. Recently, I started working with the Peer Health kids at the high school project, so I thought I’d talk a little about how that was going.
A couple of weeks ago, I introduced the idea of making health-related public service announcements. I wanted the group to break up into smaller groups, which would then choose a health topic, research it, write a service announcement, record it in the three major languages, and distribute these recordings around the country. (actually my PCV friend Tavi came up with this great idea, but unfortunately she has been too busy to work on it). The kids seemed excited about an outreach project, so we got started.
I began by bringing in examples of 30 second health announcements(which in itself was a difficult thing to find on the internet, things that are relevant to Gambians. We don‘t talk about depression here, or childhood obesity, so finding radio messages about other topics was a challenge), and we discussed the messages in each, and the idea of a target audience. They chose their topics, and I brought in all the info I could find for them to research from. (internet downloads, health textbooks from the 80’s, my PC health manual) Then we started researching. And it was on this third session working on this project that they finally “got” what it was we were doing.
30 SECONDS!?! That’s not possible!!! How can we say all this in 30 seconds?! Why can’t we do a one-hour radio show? (how honestly to reply? Because you guys don’t know enough about any particular topic to do a one hour show on it, that’s why. Too honest, whitney). What, you guys just got this? We listened to examples, I’ve repeated the premise of what we are doing over and over. Yes, 30 SECONDS. I tried to re-explain in terms of cooking--when you cook sauce you put many things into the pot, and lots of water, then you boil it all down for many hours until you have a sauce. It might be smaller than what you started with, but the flavor is stronger. I want you to boil this information down to its most important points and use that for your radio announcement. Or, advertising. I talked about radio commercials for a mobile phone company, Africell. They have short messages telling you why you should buy their product. We are advertising good health choices, and we need to catch people’s attention with short bits of important info.
They’re still fighting me. I know I’m asking them to do something outside of their experience. When Gambians get together to discuss topics, many people make speeches. One person will get up and be like “such and such is so important because blahblahblah…” for 20 minutes, often more. And then someone else will stand up and say “just to re-emphasize what my colleague has just said blahblahblah….” and he will repeat EXACTLY what was already said. It takes hours and everyone wants to hear his own voice, even if its just repeating what has already been said many times (I try not to get bitter when I attend these things. This cultural habit serves a function. Since so few people read, things are learned by repetition. Everyone repeats the message, so maybe it can be remembered. Its just that I watch people zoning out or playing with their phones, they are just as bored as I am and not listening). Also, kids at school are given information in books and lectures, and then just asked to memorize and regurgitate it at test time, whether or not they understand the words or not. So, to ask them to read info (which I do think this group is able to do), and decide for themselves what is most important , is a really really tall order in critical thinking for these kids.
And so, small small. Learning experiences all around.
As a post script to this article, but in no way as an afterthought, I wish to thank every teacher, parent, or mentor who ever encouraged me to think out of the box, come up with something new, and ask questions beginning with “How?” “Why?” or “What if?” rather than beating me for the impertinence of my question. I was allowed and encouraged to imagine the world that I wanted to create, knowing that imagining was the first step in making it possible. I am so much the better for it.
The US is not superior because we have flush toilets and fabric softener. It is certainly not true that no one works hard and we just sit all day counting our money. But as innovation in thought has been a core value of our philosophy from the beginning of our country’s history, this has contributed a great much to our success. Knowing that anyone’s next great idea could be just around the corner gives me hope for the world. Critical thinking skills are extremely important. These kids are not stupid, but they are a product of a really really outdated teaching method and their country’s development is suffering because of it.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Slkfjsdljf
Laksjdlskdjfkjdf
Alskfhdklsdfjkjsfdkj.
This past week or so has been kind of a pisser. Want to hear?
Alright, so I wrote a few weeks ago about having discussed condom use with the students at the school. Before I did those lessons, I mentioned to the teacher coordinator that we were going to discuss sexual and reproductive health, including condoms. Then, I did the sessions separately with boys and girls. A month passed and we moved on to other things.
Then, a week and a half ago, this teacher coordinator called me into his office to say that what I had done was wrong, and anti-Islam, etc etc. While I was surprised and a little annoyed that he had taken to long to tell me, he was very respectful in his tone, and seemed to try to make it a dialogue between two people with differing points of view, rather than a wrist-slapping. That’s fine. I’m open to discussion and I know that religion is a big part of people’s lives and decision-making processes. What I was NOT ok with was the fact that he spoke about me to students when I was not present. I’m pissed that he may have tarnished my credibility with them, and I told him so. His opinion is that we should preach chastity and virtue only, and that to discuss condoms as a safety measure gives students license to sleep around willy-nilly(does the argument sound familiar?). OF COURSE I encourage abstinence. It’s the safest option and the only sure-fire way to keep your body healthy. It’s just not practical to only give people that option.
My problem is that up until this point, I really respected this man. I still do, though I really disagree with him on this point. He and I both care about the students, I just care more about the here-and-now, he is more concerned with the hereafter. I wanted to be respectful of him and of the faith and culture while still pushing for a more practical education for the students. So when this teacher invited me to his house to discuss the issue, I went. I wanted to show that the lines of communication are open. At his house, I met one of his very devout friends and was subjected to two hours of complete bullshit. His friend began with questions and speeches meant to convert me(have you ever wondered why you were created? (Let me blather on about the wonder of the universe and it‘s creator), and when I pointed out that this was off-topic from what I came to discuss, he moved on to how the West is corrupting the youth, and that if I teach condoms etc, MORE unwanted pregnancies and HIV transmissions would result. He also gave me grief about child’s right’s advocates coming over and saying that people shouldn’t beat their children (actually lots of people have been giving me hell about this lately. There seems to be a mass misunderstanding about Child’s Rights--teachers, parents, and kids alike). And he guessed that I was probably going to try to encourage homosexuality because that is acceptable in my country (not touching that one, it’s illegal here and I’m not trying to be labeled a witch and hauled off by the government). Moreover, he seemed to like having the threat of pregnancy and HIV as a weapon and stigmatizer, so that if someone became pregnant or infected they could be labeled a “fornicator” because only through premarital sex could any of these things happen. God wouldn’t allow them to happen any other way.
This discussion was exhausting for a number of reasons. I really struggled with how far I wanted to push this issue. I attended this phenomenal waste of my Sunday morning because I am aware of how America is viewed, and I didn’t want to seem like I was unwilling to listen, know everything, hating on Islam, etc. but I also think that this is important info for kids to have in the fight against HIV.
Luckily, I have been able to talk to the headmaster about the issue. Sex education, including condom use, is part of the school curriculum for senior secondary schools. I brought in text books to demonstrate, and also the official literature from the organization who supports the Peer Health Clubs on the national level. This curriculum is government sanctioned, and if someone has a problem with it, they have no right to attack me personally about it. Gambia is not an Islamic state. This high school is not an Islamic school. While religion can be part of the discussion, it cannot be the ONLY discussion. The principal backed me up, which I was grateful for, I just worry about the effect this disagreement may have had on the students and our relationship.
As a side note, what is it with religious fanatics and their obsession with sex? Why are those rules the ones they like to enforce so strictly? When there are lots of rules in a religion, why do people think that there is wiggle room in some(like in this case, I know that there are other rules of Islam that this teacher breaks and he says that there is room for interpretation but be damned if someone wants to protect themselves from HIV) , but the ones governing sexual practice are to be held hard and fast (ha. No pun there, promise.)
Why does everyone care who is doinking who?
Laksjdlskdjfkjdf
Alskfhdklsdfjkjsfdkj.
This past week or so has been kind of a pisser. Want to hear?
Alright, so I wrote a few weeks ago about having discussed condom use with the students at the school. Before I did those lessons, I mentioned to the teacher coordinator that we were going to discuss sexual and reproductive health, including condoms. Then, I did the sessions separately with boys and girls. A month passed and we moved on to other things.
Then, a week and a half ago, this teacher coordinator called me into his office to say that what I had done was wrong, and anti-Islam, etc etc. While I was surprised and a little annoyed that he had taken to long to tell me, he was very respectful in his tone, and seemed to try to make it a dialogue between two people with differing points of view, rather than a wrist-slapping. That’s fine. I’m open to discussion and I know that religion is a big part of people’s lives and decision-making processes. What I was NOT ok with was the fact that he spoke about me to students when I was not present. I’m pissed that he may have tarnished my credibility with them, and I told him so. His opinion is that we should preach chastity and virtue only, and that to discuss condoms as a safety measure gives students license to sleep around willy-nilly(does the argument sound familiar?). OF COURSE I encourage abstinence. It’s the safest option and the only sure-fire way to keep your body healthy. It’s just not practical to only give people that option.
My problem is that up until this point, I really respected this man. I still do, though I really disagree with him on this point. He and I both care about the students, I just care more about the here-and-now, he is more concerned with the hereafter. I wanted to be respectful of him and of the faith and culture while still pushing for a more practical education for the students. So when this teacher invited me to his house to discuss the issue, I went. I wanted to show that the lines of communication are open. At his house, I met one of his very devout friends and was subjected to two hours of complete bullshit. His friend began with questions and speeches meant to convert me(have you ever wondered why you were created? (Let me blather on about the wonder of the universe and it‘s creator), and when I pointed out that this was off-topic from what I came to discuss, he moved on to how the West is corrupting the youth, and that if I teach condoms etc, MORE unwanted pregnancies and HIV transmissions would result. He also gave me grief about child’s right’s advocates coming over and saying that people shouldn’t beat their children (actually lots of people have been giving me hell about this lately. There seems to be a mass misunderstanding about Child’s Rights--teachers, parents, and kids alike). And he guessed that I was probably going to try to encourage homosexuality because that is acceptable in my country (not touching that one, it’s illegal here and I’m not trying to be labeled a witch and hauled off by the government). Moreover, he seemed to like having the threat of pregnancy and HIV as a weapon and stigmatizer, so that if someone became pregnant or infected they could be labeled a “fornicator” because only through premarital sex could any of these things happen. God wouldn’t allow them to happen any other way.
This discussion was exhausting for a number of reasons. I really struggled with how far I wanted to push this issue. I attended this phenomenal waste of my Sunday morning because I am aware of how America is viewed, and I didn’t want to seem like I was unwilling to listen, know everything, hating on Islam, etc. but I also think that this is important info for kids to have in the fight against HIV.
Luckily, I have been able to talk to the headmaster about the issue. Sex education, including condom use, is part of the school curriculum for senior secondary schools. I brought in text books to demonstrate, and also the official literature from the organization who supports the Peer Health Clubs on the national level. This curriculum is government sanctioned, and if someone has a problem with it, they have no right to attack me personally about it. Gambia is not an Islamic state. This high school is not an Islamic school. While religion can be part of the discussion, it cannot be the ONLY discussion. The principal backed me up, which I was grateful for, I just worry about the effect this disagreement may have had on the students and our relationship.
As a side note, what is it with religious fanatics and their obsession with sex? Why are those rules the ones they like to enforce so strictly? When there are lots of rules in a religion, why do people think that there is wiggle room in some(like in this case, I know that there are other rules of Islam that this teacher breaks and he says that there is room for interpretation but be damned if someone wants to protect themselves from HIV) , but the ones governing sexual practice are to be held hard and fast (ha. No pun there, promise.)
Why does everyone care who is doinking who?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Nonverbal Communication
MAN its hot outside. Our cold season this year was, like, a week long. Now its back to hot and dry with strong harmattan winds blowing from the northeast. The wind isn’t cool and refreshing though, its hot like standing underneath a hair dryer all day. Yikes. But hey, the cashews will be here again soon, and then the rains will come (and then the mold will come ;-/) and then the mangos will come!
With my Mandinka skills being as so-so as they are, I thought I would devote some space to Gambian non-verbal communication. Without even noticing, I use quite a few in theh day-to-day. Here are my favorites.
This is the general question hand. It means “where are you going?” or “how much does this cost?” Start with the palm facing downward, then dramatically turning the hand over. A driver might make this gesture as he approaches to ask if you are going his way, and whether you want a ride. This same interaction happens in reverse when hitch-hiking.
Eh?
This is a more emphatic version of the same gesture, and I usually translate it as “What the hell?” The hands clap together, then both sharply turn palms up.
WTF?
This is a threat. It serves as a warning to a child that if he does not stop what he is doing, he will be beaten. It is done by holding the middle finger steady with the thumb, then shaking the hand forcefully so that the index finger slaps against the middle finger. The louder the sound the better. Sometimes the threat continues as follows.
I am going to beat you.
Until you die.
Then I’m going to eat you.
This one is my favorite. It begins with arms bent at 90 degree angles to the body. They then they are brought sharply down to the sides (think of the chicken dance. Its like one chicken flap). Sometimes it is accompanied by the declaration “Mbang!” but just the gesture is understood fine. It means “I refuse!”
With my Mandinka skills being as so-so as they are, I thought I would devote some space to Gambian non-verbal communication. Without even noticing, I use quite a few in theh day-to-day. Here are my favorites.
This is the general question hand. It means “where are you going?” or “how much does this cost?” Start with the palm facing downward, then dramatically turning the hand over. A driver might make this gesture as he approaches to ask if you are going his way, and whether you want a ride. This same interaction happens in reverse when hitch-hiking.
Eh?
This is a more emphatic version of the same gesture, and I usually translate it as “What the hell?” The hands clap together, then both sharply turn palms up.
WTF?
This is a threat. It serves as a warning to a child that if he does not stop what he is doing, he will be beaten. It is done by holding the middle finger steady with the thumb, then shaking the hand forcefully so that the index finger slaps against the middle finger. The louder the sound the better. Sometimes the threat continues as follows.
I am going to beat you.
Until you die.
Then I’m going to eat you.
This one is my favorite. It begins with arms bent at 90 degree angles to the body. They then they are brought sharply down to the sides (think of the chicken dance. Its like one chicken flap). Sometimes it is accompanied by the declaration “Mbang!” but just the gesture is understood fine. It means “I refuse!”
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