really quick, I awoke from a delicious American food coma at 3 am and
came down to find an empty computer room, so I want to be able to wish
everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND BLACK FRIDAY. I tried explaining the
American tradition of thanksgiving weekend to a gambian, she
understood the family getting together and sharing a lot of food, and
chatting and catching up and all that. But then I explained that the
day after, everyone goes shopping! Like crazy shopping. It was wierd.
She looked at me like, how strange, they have a day where everything
is on sale and they dont go to work b/c they are shopping. In a place
that's still warming up to the idea of a supermarket, a day of
shopping is like suddenly landing on the moon.
Which brings me to another point. I got a lot of cool emails about how
happy everyone was after the election. Like there was this vibe of
happiness and joy. One friend wrote "I felt like I was seeing the
political equivalent of the moon-landing." And I felt so empty. Being
abroad lessens those shared experiences. Like being in Berlin for
Katrina, being in Africa for the election has left me thinking it is
real, but unreal. that shared excitement is lost on me. I came here on
the 4th to watch the cnn coverage, saw the dumb hologram, saw the New
England returns, then went to bed. Woke up, Obama was president. I
went to site, and literally haven't thought about it since. That
disconnection is so strange. Like, moon landings don't come around
everyday. Am I missing another one?
Of course I am having my own experiences. I still have little idea how
I can properly articulate the feeling of 'being here'. It strikes me
the most when ppl's parents or friends come to visit from the states,
I meet them and kept help but feel like they are looking at me and
thinking, he's so strange.
all is good. November has been a good month for me, hope the same for you,
dick
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Email: mass email November 08
I came in to town to watch the elections via satellite at some embassy
lady's house. Have I expressed how happy I am that I am not in the
states to deal with the election bombardment. Sure, I feel like an
uneducated voter. (However I did vote, absentee already, who for…I'll
never tell.) (Ok. It was Obama). It just makes sense from my point of
view. The republicans, or at least the ones in Congress, keep cutting
Peace Corps' budget and putting it somewhere else. The war? Maybe, who
knows. Education and public parks, probably not. In any case, Obama
and McCain are both pro-national service, but I think Obama is more
keen on Peace Corps, or even if he isn't, I'm confident him being
elected will do more for America's international image and hopefully
make my job, and people's jobs like mine, a little easier. Although
everyone in the Gambia is an Obama supporter, my neighbors in village
like McCain. Although they cant say why. (Or I cant understand them
correctly.) On one hand, they like having a black, Muslim named guy in
office, BUT, have trouble dislocating the idea that America is the
land of White Old men. And that a white old man must therefore hold
the power. Some Muslims say that once Bush is out, no matter who takes
office, terrorism against America (either in thought, prayer, or
action) from the Islamic community, will cease. This optimism is much
welcomed.
The rainy season is over. It's been a few weeks since any real
precipitation. However most of my garden is still alive and producing
despite me being too lazy to adequately water it. For that I am
thankful, but it will not last. I will soon grow strong from all the
buckets of water that I will carry. Work is going well. I am keeping
busy. For whatever reason, I have been devouring books lately. We have
an everlasting supply at Peace Corps. From Oct 8th to the 30th I read
6 books, over 2,200 pages, which for some is not a lot (like my Mom),
but for me is astounding. Something like a hundred pages a day. And
these aren't Where's Waldo books either, like I know some of you
(Zack) are thinking. They're real books, with real authors. Highly
recommend 'the Power of One' about a young kid in South Africa around
World War 2 who wants to be a boxer. Or 'the Beach' which Jessica
Stockton recommended to me ten! years ago, but finally just got to. I
have a bad habit of grabbing books from the PC office and taking them
to site. One interesting thing I happened to notice, of the 18 books I
have on my bookshelf, 11 of them have been made into movies and 9 of
those movies I have seen. The other two were released in the last year
while I have been away and therefore could not possibly have seen. But
I thought that was weird, I don't usually go after books that I've
seen the movies of but maybe subconsciously my craving for films has
spilled over into the literary fold.
What else. It's hard to think of all the things happening to me, and
how to write them in a way that they might be interesting to you guys
who are all getting married and having kids and pursuing new jobs and
new homes. I'm just reading and gardening. Biking and sweating. Eating
millet three times a day now. But they make this kick-ass pumpkin
peanut sauce, so at least I'm enjoying it. Been finding all sorts of
creatures in and out of my hut, got some videos, so those will come
soon, I'll let them speak for themselves. Been journaling
consistently, every evening for the last few months. I have not
transcribed them yet because so far they're just me complaining about
being a toubab and not fitting in. Maybe one day I'll write a big fat
book about it all.
toodles, dick
ps
the election just concluded and obama is the man with the plan. CNN
holograms gave me the news last night, and somehow, the world seems no
different.
lady's house. Have I expressed how happy I am that I am not in the
states to deal with the election bombardment. Sure, I feel like an
uneducated voter. (However I did vote, absentee already, who for…I'll
never tell.) (Ok. It was Obama). It just makes sense from my point of
view. The republicans, or at least the ones in Congress, keep cutting
Peace Corps' budget and putting it somewhere else. The war? Maybe, who
knows. Education and public parks, probably not. In any case, Obama
and McCain are both pro-national service, but I think Obama is more
keen on Peace Corps, or even if he isn't, I'm confident him being
elected will do more for America's international image and hopefully
make my job, and people's jobs like mine, a little easier. Although
everyone in the Gambia is an Obama supporter, my neighbors in village
like McCain. Although they cant say why. (Or I cant understand them
correctly.) On one hand, they like having a black, Muslim named guy in
office, BUT, have trouble dislocating the idea that America is the
land of White Old men. And that a white old man must therefore hold
the power. Some Muslims say that once Bush is out, no matter who takes
office, terrorism against America (either in thought, prayer, or
action) from the Islamic community, will cease. This optimism is much
welcomed.
The rainy season is over. It's been a few weeks since any real
precipitation. However most of my garden is still alive and producing
despite me being too lazy to adequately water it. For that I am
thankful, but it will not last. I will soon grow strong from all the
buckets of water that I will carry. Work is going well. I am keeping
busy. For whatever reason, I have been devouring books lately. We have
an everlasting supply at Peace Corps. From Oct 8th to the 30th I read
6 books, over 2,200 pages, which for some is not a lot (like my Mom),
but for me is astounding. Something like a hundred pages a day. And
these aren't Where's Waldo books either, like I know some of you
(Zack) are thinking. They're real books, with real authors. Highly
recommend 'the Power of One' about a young kid in South Africa around
World War 2 who wants to be a boxer. Or 'the Beach' which Jessica
Stockton recommended to me ten! years ago, but finally just got to. I
have a bad habit of grabbing books from the PC office and taking them
to site. One interesting thing I happened to notice, of the 18 books I
have on my bookshelf, 11 of them have been made into movies and 9 of
those movies I have seen. The other two were released in the last year
while I have been away and therefore could not possibly have seen. But
I thought that was weird, I don't usually go after books that I've
seen the movies of but maybe subconsciously my craving for films has
spilled over into the literary fold.
What else. It's hard to think of all the things happening to me, and
how to write them in a way that they might be interesting to you guys
who are all getting married and having kids and pursuing new jobs and
new homes. I'm just reading and gardening. Biking and sweating. Eating
millet three times a day now. But they make this kick-ass pumpkin
peanut sauce, so at least I'm enjoying it. Been finding all sorts of
creatures in and out of my hut, got some videos, so those will come
soon, I'll let them speak for themselves. Been journaling
consistently, every evening for the last few months. I have not
transcribed them yet because so far they're just me complaining about
being a toubab and not fitting in. Maybe one day I'll write a big fat
book about it all.
toodles, dick
ps
the election just concluded and obama is the man with the plan. CNN
holograms gave me the news last night, and somehow, the world seems no
different.
Monday, October 13, 2008
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