Tempus fugit!?! 3
weeks from today I will be in Swaziland, at the preferred end of 28 hours of
continuous travel, which will have followed 12 hours of travel from Orygun and
7 hours of staging. I think I like that fugit part <g>.
What I know so far:
Sending mail and packages is
expensive and iffy. However, emails and virtual hugs will be gratefully
accepted.
Internet connections are iffy and
slow and I may not have access on a regular basis. Therefore, if you email me
and don’t receive a reply right away, please be patient – I’ll answer as soon
as I can. Also, please don’t send cute stuff that takes a long time to load;
links are fine, and I’ll check them out when possible.
You may have noticed that Maggie is
listed as an administrator. Should there be some kind of problem in Swaziland
that may cause concern, if I am unable to post here, I will contact Maggie and
she will post for me. THANK YOU, Maggie!
The first 9 weeks are pre-service
training, and access to the internet will not be readily available. Once again,
patience, please.
After a month or so I’ll get a cell
phone and I’ve been told that if I put whatsapp on it I can send text messages
to others who also have whatsapp using a data plan.Not quite sure how that will work; I'll post when I figure it out.
An RPCV (returned Peace Corps
volunteer) said she wished she’d taken more pictures when she first arrived,
since later on so much had become part of her “normal”; I’m going to try to
learn from that.
Here at home, Makhosazana, a Swazi woman living in Grants
Pass, has been sharing her perspective of her culture and her
people. She’s helping me learn the language as well as answering questions that arise
as I strive to recognize my “givens” and wonder if and how they will be
challenged. She’s a lifesaver, allaying concerns as my flight nears and my
trepidation increases. Yesterday we laughed and told stories in between my
attempts to make the sounds in SiSwati that don’t exist in English. Her support
and encouragement made it fun; a good reminder for my teaching times to come.
As we talked, I discovered that many of the things I was
raised to (but sometimes forget) may cause offense if I get sloppy. For
example, it’s important to let people finish their thoughts without
interrupting, allowing lots of pause time. Disagreements need to be couched
politely. It’s okay to say, ‘please don’t disturb me’. All good things to do;
so I hope to come back more polite and tactful. (Stop laughing! Anything is
possible! Maybe I'll even figure out how to keep my foot out of my mouth. You're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop laughing!)
What is most clear is the thread of humanity, of people
being people. When I first met with Makhosazana and she began describing
Swaziland as she experiences it, I thought our countries and cultures were so
very different, so literally worlds apart. The more she talked, the more I saw
the underlying similarities. In fact, though things manifest differently in our
2 countries, there are amazing amounts of “sames”. The differences are easy:
geographical size, government, size of the middle class, availability of
electricity and running water… Of course there’s poverty, so easy to avoid
seeing here, but present all the same. Then there’s the attitude toward women –
oops, look at the men in the last election blaming rape on the women. Look at
the disparity between salaries of men and women in the same jobs… Okay, what about
education? Um, states are scrambling for funding for schools, and higher education
costs more every year while student loans teeter on almost unpayable interest. America
is an amazing country, no doubt about it; I’m proud of to be American. And,
like every country and every individual, we have room for improvement.
I wonder, once I am in Swaziland, how my perspectives will
change, what I will see and question and ponder. Challenge (sorry, I seem to be
unable to stop myself from issuing them <grin>): Think of 2 things in
your life that seem worlds apart. What makes them so? Are you sure they are really that different?
Sounds like you're finding the right mindset for your adventure, Michele.
ReplyDeleteWhat luck/serendipity/synchronicity/kismet to find a Swazi mentor right there in GP!
Did I ever mention UNESCO recently published my article on Hopes and Hazards of Transculturalism in international education?
You might find something useful in it: http://wwmr.us/support/transculturalism.pdf
Big hug,
Steve
How wonderful that Makhosazana has been willing to share so much of her life and culture with you. That will give you a great headstart to your 9 weeks of training. As to your challenge question, I don't have a good answer. As an adult I've remained open to differences and similarities among religions, cultures, ages. I've consistently found that there are more similarities in the human experience than differences. The differences lie in the way he express those experiences, or accept/deny those experiences, rather than in the experience itself.
ReplyDeleteHaving done my fair share of traveling half way around the world, here is some advice on the 27 hours of travel.
1. Get up and walk, as much and as often as possible, both while on the plane and during plane changes/stop overs, take time to walk for at least 15 minutes at airport exchanges.
2. Keep hydrated. I know they don't allow you to bring your own liquids on the plane and purchasing it at the airport is expensive, but it is worth it. Once you get through security, buy the biggest bottle of water you can find and keep with you at your seat. There are lots of times the flight attendants are too busy to provide you with water.
3. Bring snacks that give you energy and can be easily accessed (nuts, raisins, etc.) Your body clock will be way out of whack for probably a week, but most during the travel. I always find when I travel halfway around the world that I'm being served Dinner at my breakfast time and that I am being served something to eat all the time. They turn off the lights in the cabin when I'm wide awake and turn them on when I want to sleep. :) Eat small amounts when you are hungry, sleep when you feel sleepy (even if only for a few minutes or a couple hours). You will adjust.
This is exciting and I just know you will have so much to share. Waiting through your first 9 weeks will be difficult for all of us. If you have a choice, consider journaling at the end of each day/week and saving what you want to share. Then when you do have Internet access, you will have lots of posts ready to go and that can be scheduled daily/weekly to keep us entertained while you begin your work. :)
HI Michele,
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful reading about your initial experiences and sense that you are doing well with the challenges and open to the beauty and lessons. I'm not sure whether your Internet connections will be adequate to respond or to read comments. You are in my heart and mind and I wish you well! Love, Mary K.