Friday, October 15, 2004
Thursday, Oct 14
No class today, it is Nyerere Day to celebrate the man who peacefully gained Tanzanian independence from Britain. And I don’t teach tomorrow, so I have a long weekend – and nothing special to do. I may go explore on my bicycle again, but I don’t have the sense any more that I am likely to discover new things.
Last night was the third Presidential Debate. I arranged with Peter to watch it at his place – he lives in a large house downtown that is the Mwanza center for an Australian mining company. This is where a whole crowd of us watched the first debate, but for that there were a lot of PC Volunteers in town for our HIV/AIDS conference. In their absence and with the number of PCVs who have left Mwanza, there aren’t many of us left. I thought Joanie might come but she didn’t, and so I watched the debate alone. Less fun that way, but I am glad I saw it, live.
Don’t know if anybody won, I have to subtract my bias from my judgment. But I do feel sure that at the least, Kerry did not lose.
I’m taking my classes into the laboratory to do titrations, now. After putting it off for so long, it really isn’t so bad after all. But they have little idea of what we are really doing. I went over the calculations and the process in several successive classes. But still, when I ask them very basic questions, I get nothing but blank stares. Some of them, the serious ones, do seem to find the answers, though – apparently by looking at past exams and memorizing what figures to put where.
I guess I am really getting down on Africa. Coming here was the idea of the Peace Corps, not me – I tried as hard as I could to get to South or Central America. My prejudice was that Africa is a hopeless basket case. And now that I have been here for a year, I would argue that Africa is, yes, basically a hopeless basket case. For the past forty years, the Southeast Asian countries have emphasized technology and education, and there are many strong, vibrant economies there. Meanwhile, Africa has had the attitude that since they were subjugated by the Western Nations they are now the responsibility of those nations, and so their appeal is Give Us Money. But that doesn’t lead anywhere – except to an ingrained dependency culture.
So many problems – but no vision on how to attack the problems, or to set priorities. And the help DOES come, from NGOs and foreign governments and the UN, but as handouts. There is no central coordination of efforts, and sooner or later the handout stops and the project ends. So these efforts and donations are like the rain: When the rain comes, we eat. When it does not come, we tighten our belts. There is nothing we can do about it. It is all God Willing. So, Rich Nations, give us money.
Well, maybe I will be able to get a small business course going for high school seniors. And maybe that will make some tiny difference to both enhance development and reduce dependency. I don’t know, but I think it is so essential to at least try. We will see.
ALTHOUGH.... I AM making a measurable impact here, no doubt about it! I’ve been using Pat’s idea: When the little kids set up their Mzungu Mzungu Mzunguuuu chant as soon as they see me, I point at them and mimic their chant and tone with Mafrica Mafrica Mafricaaa (Africans!!). Yesterday, when I rode my bike to town, only HALF the kids went into the Mzunguu chant. The others started gleefully calling MzunguMafrica MzunguMafrica MzunguMafrica.
Perhaps culture is malleable after all.
No class today, it is Nyerere Day to celebrate the man who peacefully gained Tanzanian independence from Britain. And I don’t teach tomorrow, so I have a long weekend – and nothing special to do. I may go explore on my bicycle again, but I don’t have the sense any more that I am likely to discover new things.
Last night was the third Presidential Debate. I arranged with Peter to watch it at his place – he lives in a large house downtown that is the Mwanza center for an Australian mining company. This is where a whole crowd of us watched the first debate, but for that there were a lot of PC Volunteers in town for our HIV/AIDS conference. In their absence and with the number of PCVs who have left Mwanza, there aren’t many of us left. I thought Joanie might come but she didn’t, and so I watched the debate alone. Less fun that way, but I am glad I saw it, live.
Don’t know if anybody won, I have to subtract my bias from my judgment. But I do feel sure that at the least, Kerry did not lose.
I’m taking my classes into the laboratory to do titrations, now. After putting it off for so long, it really isn’t so bad after all. But they have little idea of what we are really doing. I went over the calculations and the process in several successive classes. But still, when I ask them very basic questions, I get nothing but blank stares. Some of them, the serious ones, do seem to find the answers, though – apparently by looking at past exams and memorizing what figures to put where.
I guess I am really getting down on Africa. Coming here was the idea of the Peace Corps, not me – I tried as hard as I could to get to South or Central America. My prejudice was that Africa is a hopeless basket case. And now that I have been here for a year, I would argue that Africa is, yes, basically a hopeless basket case. For the past forty years, the Southeast Asian countries have emphasized technology and education, and there are many strong, vibrant economies there. Meanwhile, Africa has had the attitude that since they were subjugated by the Western Nations they are now the responsibility of those nations, and so their appeal is Give Us Money. But that doesn’t lead anywhere – except to an ingrained dependency culture.
So many problems – but no vision on how to attack the problems, or to set priorities. And the help DOES come, from NGOs and foreign governments and the UN, but as handouts. There is no central coordination of efforts, and sooner or later the handout stops and the project ends. So these efforts and donations are like the rain: When the rain comes, we eat. When it does not come, we tighten our belts. There is nothing we can do about it. It is all God Willing. So, Rich Nations, give us money.
Well, maybe I will be able to get a small business course going for high school seniors. And maybe that will make some tiny difference to both enhance development and reduce dependency. I don’t know, but I think it is so essential to at least try. We will see.
ALTHOUGH.... I AM making a measurable impact here, no doubt about it! I’ve been using Pat’s idea: When the little kids set up their Mzungu Mzungu Mzunguuuu chant as soon as they see me, I point at them and mimic their chant and tone with Mafrica Mafrica Mafricaaa (Africans!!). Yesterday, when I rode my bike to town, only HALF the kids went into the Mzunguu chant. The others started gleefully calling MzunguMafrica MzunguMafrica MzunguMafrica.
Perhaps culture is malleable after all.
