I awoke with a start at the chicken pecking on the roof of my tin house. I can’t understand why the owners believe that placing their ground nuts on the roof keeps them farther away from pests, when the worst pests have wings. I lie inside my warm sleeping bag for a moment longer before the urgency to urinate kicks in. Living in a country previously colonized by the British, some habits have trickled down, including driving on the left side of the road and the electricity outlets. But the habit currently affecting me is the routine of drinking tea three times a day. Whenever a woman comes to visit, whether it is early morning, afternoon, or evening, it’s polite to ask “have you taken tea”. Whether they have or not, most women respond with “that’s just okay, I’m fine”. It’s the equivalency of asking your friends at home if they’d like a beverage, except here it’s always tea. Drinking tea three times a day, including the added three teaspoons of sugar in every cup really puts some pressure on your kidneys because (a) tea has caffeine which makes you excrete water more and (b) the sugar build up is partially mended by excreting it through urine. So whenever you need to use the latrine, it comes on quickly, and you will literally run with your roll of toilet paper and cell phone flashlight to the outdoor pit latrine in the wee hours of the morning.
Something I have loved during my stay in this foreign place, where I am the alien, is finding stuff that I am good at. Wrapping a skirt, and cooking Nsima are new skills, but I love finding traditional activities where I feel useful and my surroundings astonishingly feel familiar. After using the latrine, I began building a fire in the kitchen outside the main house to warm the water for a bath. It’s polished grey concrete floor, and soot covered walls give me a sense of comfort, as they remind me of my home village south of here, spending the evenings cooking with my little brother. After collecting dried corn husks, some corn stalks, some smallish sticks from the pile of collected branches, and a match (thank goodness for these), I begin the pang’ono pang’ono (little by little) process of building the fire. Building fire also gives me a great deal of comfort because it reminds me of my home in Canada, where living away from the urban and suburban centres means disposing of our own garbage. It was my responsibility for the last two years living at home to build a fire and burn the garbage, and living in the woods taught me how to gather the right underbrush to build with. I love fire, I love how unpredictable it is. I love how no matter where you go, fire will always be consistent. Or perhaps I like it because it’s an oxymoron.
After the fire is ablaze, I follow my flip flops over to the water drum, where we hold water for storage. It’s only 50L, but lends itself when we don’t want to walk to the Afridev pump 150 metres away every time we need to wash our hands or boil water for tea. I remove the lid, bracing myself for my reflection, only to see the bottom dried up. It is only 5:30am, and the sun is barely casting its light, but I pick up some buckets beside the pile of last night’s dishes, and open the squeaky wooden gate leading outside. My head is still dizzy in the morning light, and my flip flops drag and stagger as I walk along the path through the harvested maize fields. Once I reach the pump, I find two women, one is assisting the other as she places a 20L bucket on her head, the baby tied to her back has nodded off. I am reminded once again why women here have such amazing posture, they balance everything on their head with an infant piggy-backing to boot.
What catches my eye at the water pump are two small girls sitting on their haunches playing with bottle caps of the 5L jugs their mothers instruct them to fill. I take a closer look, and realize they are having what I’d call a tea party. They have a plastic cup for a pot, and three bottle caps the size of their small fists. These little girls are sitting together on the freshly swept earth, and the third ‘teacup’ belongs to the Santa Claus stuffed doll in between them. I see the mother calling them, so they replace the caps on their jugs, tie the santa doll on their back with a scarf, place the jug on their head, then follow the voice of their Mama. Seeing four year olds practicing the balancing act with small jugs, or tying their dollies to their backs brings a smile to my face. It reminds me of the time my mother bought me a miniature gardening kit, with seeds and plastic watering can, hoe, and hand shovel manufactured for a 5 year old’s fist. My mother has a green thumb, and just as I wanted to replicate my mother, these children were also following the cultural actions of their parents. Children mimic their parents, and this is consistent no matter where you go.
I loved finding that last consistency because it reminds me that people are just people wherever you go. I find those in developed countries places a picture in their minds that they are very different from those of another continent. When I told my family that I was going to Africa, they pictured me living in a mud hut with hunters wearing no clothes. When I told my roommates I was going to Africa, they pictured me going on a safari and seeing exotic animals. When I told my co-workers I was going to Africa, they pictured jungles of massive mosquitoes and diseases I had learned of in class. People picture themselves as different. It does not imply they place themselves above others however, they simply cannot relate or understand the other culture. After relating my childhood to the ones playing out in front of my eyes at the afridev pump that day, I felt connected to those girls, like we had something innately in common. Understanding that at the heart of people, there are things that remain consistent across cultures, it makes me feel like we are all a part of a world family. With the perspective that these people across borders are like your family, it drastically changes how you see, analyze, and react to the uncontrollable situations they face. If your own flesh and blood was trapped in poverty, sexual exploitation, lack of resources to increase their income that they barely survive on, or dying of preventable diseases, you would spring to action in a heartbeat. Perhaps this explains part of the reason why I am here, part of the motivation behind spending the summer in Malawi. I hope you have been given a chance to see how humanity is connected. We are equals, in a world filled with unjust inequalities.
Karina
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Puzzle Pieces
At the beginning of the summer, one of my goals was to find my place in the development sector. Much of what I knew about development, I had learned from my colleagues in the nursing faculty, EWB at the national and chapter level, foundation learning, and university classes. With my experience working with EWB, I had a pretty good picture of what roles I was interested in, such as fieldwork, research, practical work at a hospital, or managing meetings with donors and the national government. I told this personal objective to my coach during the long road trip up north to my placement in May, and he was super thrilled. Looking back in retrospect, I can make a good guess that he was not thrilled that I would find my answer, he was thrilled I’d set that big of a goal. To be honest, I don’t think any of us really know where our puzzle piece fits into development perfectly. My placement was based on both how Cat knew me, and how Jolly Ann framed the sanitation team’s strategy. It fit rather well, surprisingly, but whether it’s based on my flexibility or their finesse I don’t know. [I’ll go with their finesse]. I’ve had lots of learning experiences, but I still don’t know where my puzzle piece fits. If I am having difficulty finding a place to fit in EWB’s puzzle/approach, then how difficult will it be to fit into the entire development world?
I’d like to take a step back and explain what I mean about this analogy of the puzzle. The development sector is like a massive puzzle that cannot or has not been finished. There are pieces of every colour, shape, and size strewn over the floor. These pieces may say things like policy, donors, fundraising, fieldwork, research, corruption, trade, marketing, media, good intentions, publicity, money, matching t shirts, abandoned buildings, and the list goes on. Anyone who has experienced development work or the effects of it before would have another pile of word pieces to add. I feel as if through the evolution of EWB, they’ve chosen specific parts of the puzzle in which they wish to work with. You could say that each team strategy whether it be water + sanitation, agriculture, or enhancing infrastructure (forgive me if I’ve missed one of the West African ones) has its own part of the puzzle that it’s working on. We’re like a bunch of old ladies in a retirement home working on different colours of the puzzle. Don’t judge that vision, because I intend to be the puzzle making champion when I retire. From the water and sanitation team strategy I am a part of, we’re all working on the blue pieces that say key words like village volunteers, area mechanics, traditional authorities, extension staff, district support, the district water office, evidence based decisions, Ministry of Health, CLTS, and community financing. There are specific roles/pieces given to APS and also given to JFs. Unfortunately, when you are trying to put pieces together, or perhaps this is just from my experience with puzzles, 95% of the time the pieces don’t fit. That’s where the whole ‘failing forward’ idea comes in. So...that piece did not fit, e.g. volunteers are not actually dependable in sanitation, so let’s try leveraging the traditional authorities’ strength instead. Moreover, let’s publish a report on the work of volunteers in sanitation, so that other districts/countries working in sanitation will see the difficulty in forcing those two pieces together.
So how does this apply to you? Well, this post is mainly directed to those interested in working in international development someday. My advice for you is do not try change the system that you are working with, or add more pieces to the puzzle. Adding a new project or program just adds another layer to the deep pile of unorganized puzzle pieces. The empty buildings scattered across the country are just skeletons left over from good intentions. The matching t-shirts are sold and seen on the everyday farmer. The water point you fundraised for was placed 10ft from a pre-existing one. The development system is a pile of puzzle pieces that need critical thinking, coordination, and the willingness to admit failure in order to starting fitting together properly.
Karina
I’d like to take a step back and explain what I mean about this analogy of the puzzle. The development sector is like a massive puzzle that cannot or has not been finished. There are pieces of every colour, shape, and size strewn over the floor. These pieces may say things like policy, donors, fundraising, fieldwork, research, corruption, trade, marketing, media, good intentions, publicity, money, matching t shirts, abandoned buildings, and the list goes on. Anyone who has experienced development work or the effects of it before would have another pile of word pieces to add. I feel as if through the evolution of EWB, they’ve chosen specific parts of the puzzle in which they wish to work with. You could say that each team strategy whether it be water + sanitation, agriculture, or enhancing infrastructure (forgive me if I’ve missed one of the West African ones) has its own part of the puzzle that it’s working on. We’re like a bunch of old ladies in a retirement home working on different colours of the puzzle. Don’t judge that vision, because I intend to be the puzzle making champion when I retire. From the water and sanitation team strategy I am a part of, we’re all working on the blue pieces that say key words like village volunteers, area mechanics, traditional authorities, extension staff, district support, the district water office, evidence based decisions, Ministry of Health, CLTS, and community financing. There are specific roles/pieces given to APS and also given to JFs. Unfortunately, when you are trying to put pieces together, or perhaps this is just from my experience with puzzles, 95% of the time the pieces don’t fit. That’s where the whole ‘failing forward’ idea comes in. So...that piece did not fit, e.g. volunteers are not actually dependable in sanitation, so let’s try leveraging the traditional authorities’ strength instead. Moreover, let’s publish a report on the work of volunteers in sanitation, so that other districts/countries working in sanitation will see the difficulty in forcing those two pieces together.
So how does this apply to you? Well, this post is mainly directed to those interested in working in international development someday. My advice for you is do not try change the system that you are working with, or add more pieces to the puzzle. Adding a new project or program just adds another layer to the deep pile of unorganized puzzle pieces. The empty buildings scattered across the country are just skeletons left over from good intentions. The matching t-shirts are sold and seen on the everyday farmer. The water point you fundraised for was placed 10ft from a pre-existing one. The development system is a pile of puzzle pieces that need critical thinking, coordination, and the willingness to admit failure in order to starting fitting together properly.
Karina
Saturday 9 July 2011
MIA
Hey Everyone,
Just a heads up, I will be missing in action for the next three weeks because I am headed farther North where there is no electricity or internet. I want to research sanitation practices farther away from the capital city. If you want to call my cell, it is still posted on Skype, or you can email one of the other JFs/APS from Southern Africa for the number. Talk to you then!
Karina
Just a heads up, I will be missing in action for the next three weeks because I am headed farther North where there is no electricity or internet. I want to research sanitation practices farther away from the capital city. If you want to call my cell, it is still posted on Skype, or you can email one of the other JFs/APS from Southern Africa for the number. Talk to you then!
Karina
The Phantom of the Opera
July 7, 2011
Yesterday marked probably one of the best days I’ve spent in Malawi. I was spending the day in Mzuzu, where I was trying to research fair trade farming in Malawi, get some pictures printed, and attend the independence day football game which the president was attending. While I was watching the game, I kept thinking of my brother in law Nathan, because he is the only soccer fan in our family. I have never watched a soccer game live in Canada, so after seeing African football I am not sure I ever will because there is little comparison. I love the sport so it was nice to see a game live. Despite how awesome talking to a fair trade worker and watching a Malawian football game was, these are not the reasons why the day was so incredibly amazing.
On the walk back to the church hostel where I was staying, I heard music being played in the room attached to the big sanctuary. Inside I saw two Malawian men playing keyboards, and I stopped in my tracks. Drums are common, guitars are rare, and pianos do not exist where I live in the north. Seeing piano keys, even if they’re plugged into the wall made me so excited. I nearly ran into the room and asked (begged) if I could give the keys a try. They graciously stopped practicing and handed them over. The model of the keyboard was very similar to the one I have at home, except it was a few years older. After tinkering around, doubling the tempo, and choosing the proper sounds, I proceeded to play the Phantom of the Opera. [insert facebook link here]. The JFs were surprised, and the two Malawian men absolutely loved it, and started dancing to the techno beat that I was pounding out of the keyboard. My friend videotaped it, making me wish that I knew an accessible place to upload it effectively. That one thing I miss from Canada, is free high speed internet access where you can actually upload pictures and videos.
I learned a valuable lesson from this experience that I did not fully understand when I came to Malawi. I am only here for four months, and I cannot guarantee that I will ever come back to Malawi. There are thousands of experiences that I can have, and depending on various variables such as location, available time, and motivation every JF will have different experiences. There is not just one JF experience that everyone has. I have learned that depending on the individual, their passions, interests, and level of personal awareness, their placement will be unique from anyone else’s.
Where does that leave me now and in the future? Well right now I have a huge amount of responsibility of taking ownership of my placement and time spent in Malawi. In the future, I will have to articulate this experience with 5 seconds or less to everyone who asks me “Soo, how was Malawi?” There is responsibility to make the most of your time while in country, and also the responsibility to somehow explain such a life changing experience to others in a way that fits their lens. EWB at the national, chapter, and African program level has put a great deal of faith in me.
A huge part of the JF program is taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. In fact, these opportunities are so common that you need to pick and choose. For example, I chose to visit fair trade workers in Mzuzu, and once I reach my home in Chitipa, my friend is a Malawian nurse working at the hospital, and she’s offered to let me shadow her for a shift on the wards. When will I ever be able to witness working on the maternal ward of a hospital in Africa again? Hopefully again soon, but what an experience to share at home in my chapter with the nursing students at McMaster!
Before I stepped off the plane into Malawi, I had the resounding “take advantage of your time, and make the experience your own” in my ears. I believe it is one of the most important messages that any future JF should hear. I think it’s funny that it took me walking into a church and playing the Phantom of the Opera techno style for this “Aha” moment to really sink in. Some things must be experienced before they fully capture the conscious.
As my good friend Scott from Zambia said during the mid summer retreat, there is no room for procrastination or hesitation, because there is no such thing as delayed opportunity. There is only missed opportunity.
If there is something on the back of your mind, something on your bucket list, something kind you want to say, do not allow hesitation, procrastination, or some other road block to stop you. We only have one pass on this road of life, and every day could be a chance to make better the life of another, experience something that photos cannot give credit, and/or be an “Aha” moment. “At the end of the day, let us reflect that one more day is irreversibly gone, indelibly marked” (Adoniram Judson)
Let this be that day you say “yes, I will [walk up to a stranger in a huge church and ask to play Phantom of the Opera on his keyboard]”. You can insert your own words to that sentence. “yes, i will .....”
Much love,
Karina
Yesterday marked probably one of the best days I’ve spent in Malawi. I was spending the day in Mzuzu, where I was trying to research fair trade farming in Malawi, get some pictures printed, and attend the independence day football game which the president was attending. While I was watching the game, I kept thinking of my brother in law Nathan, because he is the only soccer fan in our family. I have never watched a soccer game live in Canada, so after seeing African football I am not sure I ever will because there is little comparison. I love the sport so it was nice to see a game live. Despite how awesome talking to a fair trade worker and watching a Malawian football game was, these are not the reasons why the day was so incredibly amazing.
On the walk back to the church hostel where I was staying, I heard music being played in the room attached to the big sanctuary. Inside I saw two Malawian men playing keyboards, and I stopped in my tracks. Drums are common, guitars are rare, and pianos do not exist where I live in the north. Seeing piano keys, even if they’re plugged into the wall made me so excited. I nearly ran into the room and asked (begged) if I could give the keys a try. They graciously stopped practicing and handed them over. The model of the keyboard was very similar to the one I have at home, except it was a few years older. After tinkering around, doubling the tempo, and choosing the proper sounds, I proceeded to play the Phantom of the Opera. [insert facebook link here]. The JFs were surprised, and the two Malawian men absolutely loved it, and started dancing to the techno beat that I was pounding out of the keyboard. My friend videotaped it, making me wish that I knew an accessible place to upload it effectively. That one thing I miss from Canada, is free high speed internet access where you can actually upload pictures and videos.
I learned a valuable lesson from this experience that I did not fully understand when I came to Malawi. I am only here for four months, and I cannot guarantee that I will ever come back to Malawi. There are thousands of experiences that I can have, and depending on various variables such as location, available time, and motivation every JF will have different experiences. There is not just one JF experience that everyone has. I have learned that depending on the individual, their passions, interests, and level of personal awareness, their placement will be unique from anyone else’s.
Where does that leave me now and in the future? Well right now I have a huge amount of responsibility of taking ownership of my placement and time spent in Malawi. In the future, I will have to articulate this experience with 5 seconds or less to everyone who asks me “Soo, how was Malawi?” There is responsibility to make the most of your time while in country, and also the responsibility to somehow explain such a life changing experience to others in a way that fits their lens. EWB at the national, chapter, and African program level has put a great deal of faith in me.
A huge part of the JF program is taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. In fact, these opportunities are so common that you need to pick and choose. For example, I chose to visit fair trade workers in Mzuzu, and once I reach my home in Chitipa, my friend is a Malawian nurse working at the hospital, and she’s offered to let me shadow her for a shift on the wards. When will I ever be able to witness working on the maternal ward of a hospital in Africa again? Hopefully again soon, but what an experience to share at home in my chapter with the nursing students at McMaster!
Before I stepped off the plane into Malawi, I had the resounding “take advantage of your time, and make the experience your own” in my ears. I believe it is one of the most important messages that any future JF should hear. I think it’s funny that it took me walking into a church and playing the Phantom of the Opera techno style for this “Aha” moment to really sink in. Some things must be experienced before they fully capture the conscious.
As my good friend Scott from Zambia said during the mid summer retreat, there is no room for procrastination or hesitation, because there is no such thing as delayed opportunity. There is only missed opportunity.
If there is something on the back of your mind, something on your bucket list, something kind you want to say, do not allow hesitation, procrastination, or some other road block to stop you. We only have one pass on this road of life, and every day could be a chance to make better the life of another, experience something that photos cannot give credit, and/or be an “Aha” moment. “At the end of the day, let us reflect that one more day is irreversibly gone, indelibly marked” (Adoniram Judson)
Let this be that day you say “yes, I will [walk up to a stranger in a huge church and ask to play Phantom of the Opera on his keyboard]”. You can insert your own words to that sentence. “yes, i will .....”
Much love,
Karina
Friday 1 July 2011
Happy Canada Day!
Hello Everyone!
I recently got an amazing email from some members of my chapter with specific questions on the topics:
• Latrines/handwashing
• Women’s roles
• Solar power/cell phones/technology
In case anyone else is curious about these topics, I am going to use this avenue to answer the questions. But first of all, I would like to give an update! I have just returned from mid summer retreat! So many amazing memories made! Including sleeping on a bed within 5 inches from lake Malawi. (two hours of sleeping later we were nearly under water because of the tide). Sleeping under the stars, and then watching the sun rise was such an amazing experience! Another cool memory was taking a boat trip out to a rock island, where I jumped from a height of ~20 feet into the lake. Is it cheesy that I thought of Bella Swan the moment just before I jumped? I felt like such an adrenaline junkie. ALSO, the Watsan team won the retreat Olympics, which involved telling the best anecdote (here I told the ‘birth’ story), demonstrating the best Malawian accent, drinking chimbuku the fastest, wearing the best chitenge creation, having the best pictures, and eating Nsima the fastest. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally active the entire four days. I learned a lot about myself, and about those around me. I feel so blessed to have so many talented, passionate, critical thinking, and inspiring people on the team! I will miss them until debrief at the end of August! Also, please note that every morning and afternoon was spent doing serious sessions/meetings/learning moments/etc. I hope you don’t mind that I only included the bucket list memories.
Anyway, back to the questions given to me by Naomi and Meaghan!! (btw, I love you ladies for emailing me!) I am so excited for answering the above questions because those topics are extremely familiar to me!
• Latrines/handwashing. In the typical household in the urban environment, there are pit latrines. Pit latrines are kind of like a man made outhouse. A slab of concrete with a hole just large enough to use. As a girl, it’s pretty difficult to aim. Hand washing is an extremely rare commodity, and where it exists, soap does not. During travel, there are no Timmies to relieve yourself, or rest stations along the highway. Every major bus depot (one per district) has a pit latrine that costs about K40, which is roughly$0.35? I suppose we can take it back to McMaster that their 35 cents paid for something important, other than travel VISAs, accommodations, and other things.
• Women’s roles: This is a very broad question everyone. It depends on many things, but most of all the location. A woman’s role in the village is very different than in the urban setting. And what role are you asking about? In the household, income generation, child bearing, the office setting, etc? The most concise picture that I would like to paint about this massive black hole of a topic is this: women are facing the cultural norm that they are most useful in the home rearing children and performing the servant’s role. Women in the village find their dignity through their servant hood to their family through washing, cleaning, rearing, and quietly submitting. This topic has perplexed me. After spending four weeks living among them and seeing the power dynamics between men and women of the household, I question whether women empowerment truly releases them. Women are dignified through being a servant, in their eyes. If they are loved and cherished for this role, yet have no say in household decisions, what harm is there? I picture myself in their role of pleasant submission, and wonder what they think of all these women coming to tell them they are prisoners. After conducting multiple sessions on women empowerment with collectively 60 women of the village, and living in this context for four weeks, I am no longer approaching the subject with flames and arrows. Like I said, I am still perplexed.
• Cell Phones/Technology/Solar Power: I will have much more information on solar power next week because I will be travelling to a health centre away from the capital city of Chitipa. There they use solar power instead of electricity. As per cell phones, almost everyone in the urban setting has one. Having a cell phone and using it is very different though. Buying units for airtime is fairly expensive. No one that I have met has a cell phone plan. Even the APS with their smart phones don’t have a plan (as far as I know they buy units like the rest of us). It’s all a matter of buying pieces of paper for airtime (I am sending a blank one to Hamilton via Naomi’s house, so some of you can see what these look like). You scratch the back, dial the pin #, then use up that airtime through texting/calling. $1.00 will get you about 14 text messages or 4 minutes of calling. Therefore it is pretty expensive. It’s like Pay as You Go plan
Speaking of cell phones, I have had many people telling me they want to call me. For any of you who has me on skype, I have added my number to that. I am free every evening, so your time that’s between 12:00 and 2:00. So lunch break/call Karina via skype yes?
Looking forward to seeing your faces in September!
KAR
I recently got an amazing email from some members of my chapter with specific questions on the topics:
• Latrines/handwashing
• Women’s roles
• Solar power/cell phones/technology
In case anyone else is curious about these topics, I am going to use this avenue to answer the questions. But first of all, I would like to give an update! I have just returned from mid summer retreat! So many amazing memories made! Including sleeping on a bed within 5 inches from lake Malawi. (two hours of sleeping later we were nearly under water because of the tide). Sleeping under the stars, and then watching the sun rise was such an amazing experience! Another cool memory was taking a boat trip out to a rock island, where I jumped from a height of ~20 feet into the lake. Is it cheesy that I thought of Bella Swan the moment just before I jumped? I felt like such an adrenaline junkie. ALSO, the Watsan team won the retreat Olympics, which involved telling the best anecdote (here I told the ‘birth’ story), demonstrating the best Malawian accent, drinking chimbuku the fastest, wearing the best chitenge creation, having the best pictures, and eating Nsima the fastest. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally active the entire four days. I learned a lot about myself, and about those around me. I feel so blessed to have so many talented, passionate, critical thinking, and inspiring people on the team! I will miss them until debrief at the end of August! Also, please note that every morning and afternoon was spent doing serious sessions/meetings/learning moments/etc. I hope you don’t mind that I only included the bucket list memories.
Anyway, back to the questions given to me by Naomi and Meaghan!! (btw, I love you ladies for emailing me!) I am so excited for answering the above questions because those topics are extremely familiar to me!
• Latrines/handwashing. In the typical household in the urban environment, there are pit latrines. Pit latrines are kind of like a man made outhouse. A slab of concrete with a hole just large enough to use. As a girl, it’s pretty difficult to aim. Hand washing is an extremely rare commodity, and where it exists, soap does not. During travel, there are no Timmies to relieve yourself, or rest stations along the highway. Every major bus depot (one per district) has a pit latrine that costs about K40, which is roughly$0.35? I suppose we can take it back to McMaster that their 35 cents paid for something important, other than travel VISAs, accommodations, and other things.
• Women’s roles: This is a very broad question everyone. It depends on many things, but most of all the location. A woman’s role in the village is very different than in the urban setting. And what role are you asking about? In the household, income generation, child bearing, the office setting, etc? The most concise picture that I would like to paint about this massive black hole of a topic is this: women are facing the cultural norm that they are most useful in the home rearing children and performing the servant’s role. Women in the village find their dignity through their servant hood to their family through washing, cleaning, rearing, and quietly submitting. This topic has perplexed me. After spending four weeks living among them and seeing the power dynamics between men and women of the household, I question whether women empowerment truly releases them. Women are dignified through being a servant, in their eyes. If they are loved and cherished for this role, yet have no say in household decisions, what harm is there? I picture myself in their role of pleasant submission, and wonder what they think of all these women coming to tell them they are prisoners. After conducting multiple sessions on women empowerment with collectively 60 women of the village, and living in this context for four weeks, I am no longer approaching the subject with flames and arrows. Like I said, I am still perplexed.
• Cell Phones/Technology/Solar Power: I will have much more information on solar power next week because I will be travelling to a health centre away from the capital city of Chitipa. There they use solar power instead of electricity. As per cell phones, almost everyone in the urban setting has one. Having a cell phone and using it is very different though. Buying units for airtime is fairly expensive. No one that I have met has a cell phone plan. Even the APS with their smart phones don’t have a plan (as far as I know they buy units like the rest of us). It’s all a matter of buying pieces of paper for airtime (I am sending a blank one to Hamilton via Naomi’s house, so some of you can see what these look like). You scratch the back, dial the pin #, then use up that airtime through texting/calling. $1.00 will get you about 14 text messages or 4 minutes of calling. Therefore it is pretty expensive. It’s like Pay as You Go plan
Speaking of cell phones, I have had many people telling me they want to call me. For any of you who has me on skype, I have added my number to that. I am free every evening, so your time that’s between 12:00 and 2:00. So lunch break/call Karina via skype yes?
Looking forward to seeing your faces in September!
KAR
Saturday 11 June 2011
So...You want to go to Africa?
I wish to begin this blog post with a question. Someone tells you that you are “going to Africa”, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? Elephants? District government (EWBers...)? Safari adventure? Water/agric/data systems? Libya? Famine? Soccer (go Holland)? Languages?
Those with the experience of ‘going to Africa’ may have gone for travel, sight seeing, development work (whether it’s one week or a number of years), or perhaps work experience. Maybe you live or have lived in Africa before. But I really want to target those of you who have never stepped onto the continent before. There is a lot to do in Africa, with many experiences to be had. Those of you who have never ‘been to Africa’ before. Specifically, those of you who’s dream it is to go there and save lives. You have been stirred in one way or another to step up and help people less fortunate. Maybe you volunteer so much people look at you in bewilderment, perhaps you see those pictures and biographies of children dying in Africa and can’t stand to sit still any longer. Maybe you’ve had a taste of poverty in your own life, or have witnessed it in others. Whenever someone is looking for poverty to fight, problems to solve, hunger to advocate against, and preventable diseases to prevent, they generally look at Africa as the hotspot. All of you who have never been to Africa before, but it is your dream because in your eyes, it is the place where you can serve the most, this blog is written for you. Because approximately 40 days ago, I was all of the above.
Now back to that question. Imagine someone tells you that you are ‘going to Africa’ for four months of the summer to help decrease the number of children who die every year due to diarrhoeal illnesses. People die of diarrhoea every day because of a number of causes, and you are going to target the act of shitting out in the open. This will decrease the oral-fecal transmission of cholera (among other diseases), so babies will live past the age of 5 and not die of something INCREDIBLY preventable as diarrhoea.
WOOT WOOT! This is your dream come true! You really don’t understand exactly WHAT you’ll be doing, but you know that you are ‘going to Africa to save lives’. I want you to take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine what you will do, who you will meet, what experiences you will have, how many people you will impact, and most importantly, how many lives will you save? Close ‘em and think of the sights, smells, and people. GO.............................................................................................................................
During the past 6 months of knowing I am “going to Africa” I painted a picture of myself in my mind of what I would look like, what I would do, where I would go, what I would accomplish, etc. However, my good friend from home wrote me an “in-Africa” letter to read that I recently had the opportunity to open. I thank God for her writing it, because He worked His purpose through her words, even though she probably did not realize the impact it would have at the time. It said that as a Christian, I must give up this fantasy of my purpose in Africa. I have this idea of what I will accomplish and who I will become through all these experiences. In all honesty, I fell prey to my own pride. I thought that I would make some incredible impact for God, for EWB, for Dorothy, and for myself. But God also has a plan for me here, and it’s a million times better than one that I could ever imagine. So I have decided to just go with the flow, and trust Him.
It has been an incredible experience thus far because I am giving up that fantasy of myself. If you had the chance to read the last post titled “Walls”, this fantasy of myself was one of those barriers that was constricting me from being effective in my work for sanitation.
Thank you God, and thank you K.A. <3
Karina
Disclaimer: this blog is from the perspective and opinion of the writer only, and does not represent any other parties that the writer may represent, such as Engineers Without Borders Canada. Thank you.
Those with the experience of ‘going to Africa’ may have gone for travel, sight seeing, development work (whether it’s one week or a number of years), or perhaps work experience. Maybe you live or have lived in Africa before. But I really want to target those of you who have never stepped onto the continent before. There is a lot to do in Africa, with many experiences to be had. Those of you who have never ‘been to Africa’ before. Specifically, those of you who’s dream it is to go there and save lives. You have been stirred in one way or another to step up and help people less fortunate. Maybe you volunteer so much people look at you in bewilderment, perhaps you see those pictures and biographies of children dying in Africa and can’t stand to sit still any longer. Maybe you’ve had a taste of poverty in your own life, or have witnessed it in others. Whenever someone is looking for poverty to fight, problems to solve, hunger to advocate against, and preventable diseases to prevent, they generally look at Africa as the hotspot. All of you who have never been to Africa before, but it is your dream because in your eyes, it is the place where you can serve the most, this blog is written for you. Because approximately 40 days ago, I was all of the above.
Now back to that question. Imagine someone tells you that you are ‘going to Africa’ for four months of the summer to help decrease the number of children who die every year due to diarrhoeal illnesses. People die of diarrhoea every day because of a number of causes, and you are going to target the act of shitting out in the open. This will decrease the oral-fecal transmission of cholera (among other diseases), so babies will live past the age of 5 and not die of something INCREDIBLY preventable as diarrhoea.
WOOT WOOT! This is your dream come true! You really don’t understand exactly WHAT you’ll be doing, but you know that you are ‘going to Africa to save lives’. I want you to take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine what you will do, who you will meet, what experiences you will have, how many people you will impact, and most importantly, how many lives will you save? Close ‘em and think of the sights, smells, and people. GO.............................................................................................................................
During the past 6 months of knowing I am “going to Africa” I painted a picture of myself in my mind of what I would look like, what I would do, where I would go, what I would accomplish, etc. However, my good friend from home wrote me an “in-Africa” letter to read that I recently had the opportunity to open. I thank God for her writing it, because He worked His purpose through her words, even though she probably did not realize the impact it would have at the time. It said that as a Christian, I must give up this fantasy of my purpose in Africa. I have this idea of what I will accomplish and who I will become through all these experiences. In all honesty, I fell prey to my own pride. I thought that I would make some incredible impact for God, for EWB, for Dorothy, and for myself. But God also has a plan for me here, and it’s a million times better than one that I could ever imagine. So I have decided to just go with the flow, and trust Him.
It has been an incredible experience thus far because I am giving up that fantasy of myself. If you had the chance to read the last post titled “Walls”, this fantasy of myself was one of those barriers that was constricting me from being effective in my work for sanitation.
Thank you God, and thank you K.A. <3
Karina
Disclaimer: this blog is from the perspective and opinion of the writer only, and does not represent any other parties that the writer may represent, such as Engineers Without Borders Canada. Thank you.
Friday 10 June 2011
Walls
I am sitting in the District Hospital’s Environmental Health office while I write this blog entry. I was perusing my notes from pre departure training, and I am overwhelmed at how useful they are! Note to self and future JFs, take notes about what you learn during pre-dep and in-country training! One specific entry I made in my notes was a fear I had. Going back to that headspace before I left Toronto is so interesting. The fear I had was “losing my ambition, drive, passion, ideas, and critical thinking because I keep running into walls”.
These ‘walls’ can be many things, like small details that get in the way of progress or cultural norms that you must learn to live with. One example of this is what JFs lovingly call “Malawi time”. Unlike Canada, Malawians don’t rush to beat the clock. In fact, I have only seen two people carry a watch since I came here. If a meeting it set for 9:00am, it’s not likely to start at 10:30, it WILL start at 10:30, and people will plan for such things and come late. Another small frustration I can think of happened this morning. I was coming into work and no one left the keys for me to get into the office. So I wandered around until I found a friend with an office open so I could charge my phone with the electricity outlet. Maybe this ‘wall’ is not related to efficiency and is a cultural barrier. My placement involves gathering information about hygiene practices of villages to determine the open defecation free status, and how the major players in the village contribute to this status. I have learned that as a white woman, I am treated as a black man, with respect, a chance to voice my opinion, and the highest seat at a meeting with the village. The women of the village sit on the ground and only speak when spoken too. This cultural norm is difficult to work with because the depth of information that I am looking for is mostly found from the women’s perspective. I cannot simply walk into a village meeting and gather accurate information about the village households. Nor can I simply gather this information from the government office. This makes my placement so incredibly interesting and fun to tackle, because I must literally work (harvesting, gathering water, attending church, cooking, cleaning, meeting with the women groups, etc) to gain trust and acceptance from the women of the community. What are the hygiene practices in the household REALLY like outside of what the village leaders are saying or the government is assuming? This is a wall I am having an amazing time scaling.
Let’s go back to that fear of mine, of getting frustrated and losing my ambition because I keep running into these ‘walls’. Other illustrations are swimming upstream or running up an escalator that is going down. However, these walls are not made by anyone but myself. I am the one trying to beat the clock, I am the one who is used to having my own office space, and I am the white foreigner who expects in depth information now now now. I am the one who likes structure, making lists, punctuality, reliable internet, and itineraries that actually happen. I am the one building these walls. I am the problem.
Therefore I have decided to go with the flow. The other day, I went to visit the women in a neighbouring village, but rumours had been spread of finding a body, so no one attended the meeting. Luckily, this meeting was set to happen in a school and there were a hundred children around. With the good ‘ol EWB spirit I developed a workshop targeted for school children on hygiene practices on the fly. The children were really excited to interact with me, and I them. We had fun, and I gathered some really interesting information from children about their household’s hygiene status in terms of open defecation. This is an example of where you just have to go with the flow. Like my coach Duncan told me when he dropped me off in my very much loved district Chitipa, always have a plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D, etc, and if these don’t work, plan on the spot. Being able to scale the walls that you bring into the country is a difficult task, but you just need a positive attitude and recognize that perhaps you are the problem. When this light bulb comes on, gleefully get out of the way of progress.
Have a super fantastic day!
Karina
Disclaimer: this blog is from the perspective and opinion of the writer only, and does not represent any other parties that the writer may represent, such as Engineers Without Borders Canada. Thank you.
These ‘walls’ can be many things, like small details that get in the way of progress or cultural norms that you must learn to live with. One example of this is what JFs lovingly call “Malawi time”. Unlike Canada, Malawians don’t rush to beat the clock. In fact, I have only seen two people carry a watch since I came here. If a meeting it set for 9:00am, it’s not likely to start at 10:30, it WILL start at 10:30, and people will plan for such things and come late. Another small frustration I can think of happened this morning. I was coming into work and no one left the keys for me to get into the office. So I wandered around until I found a friend with an office open so I could charge my phone with the electricity outlet. Maybe this ‘wall’ is not related to efficiency and is a cultural barrier. My placement involves gathering information about hygiene practices of villages to determine the open defecation free status, and how the major players in the village contribute to this status. I have learned that as a white woman, I am treated as a black man, with respect, a chance to voice my opinion, and the highest seat at a meeting with the village. The women of the village sit on the ground and only speak when spoken too. This cultural norm is difficult to work with because the depth of information that I am looking for is mostly found from the women’s perspective. I cannot simply walk into a village meeting and gather accurate information about the village households. Nor can I simply gather this information from the government office. This makes my placement so incredibly interesting and fun to tackle, because I must literally work (harvesting, gathering water, attending church, cooking, cleaning, meeting with the women groups, etc) to gain trust and acceptance from the women of the community. What are the hygiene practices in the household REALLY like outside of what the village leaders are saying or the government is assuming? This is a wall I am having an amazing time scaling.
Let’s go back to that fear of mine, of getting frustrated and losing my ambition because I keep running into these ‘walls’. Other illustrations are swimming upstream or running up an escalator that is going down. However, these walls are not made by anyone but myself. I am the one trying to beat the clock, I am the one who is used to having my own office space, and I am the white foreigner who expects in depth information now now now. I am the one who likes structure, making lists, punctuality, reliable internet, and itineraries that actually happen. I am the one building these walls. I am the problem.
Therefore I have decided to go with the flow. The other day, I went to visit the women in a neighbouring village, but rumours had been spread of finding a body, so no one attended the meeting. Luckily, this meeting was set to happen in a school and there were a hundred children around. With the good ‘ol EWB spirit I developed a workshop targeted for school children on hygiene practices on the fly. The children were really excited to interact with me, and I them. We had fun, and I gathered some really interesting information from children about their household’s hygiene status in terms of open defecation. This is an example of where you just have to go with the flow. Like my coach Duncan told me when he dropped me off in my very much loved district Chitipa, always have a plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D, etc, and if these don’t work, plan on the spot. Being able to scale the walls that you bring into the country is a difficult task, but you just need a positive attitude and recognize that perhaps you are the problem. When this light bulb comes on, gleefully get out of the way of progress.
Have a super fantastic day!
Karina
Disclaimer: this blog is from the perspective and opinion of the writer only, and does not represent any other parties that the writer may represent, such as Engineers Without Borders Canada. Thank you.
Wednesday 8 June 2011
What every traveller should do in Africa
To do list for JFs:
Drink coke/fanta from a glass bottle
Learn how to wrap a chitenge (woman’s cloth) around your waist without it falling off within 30 seconds.
Wash yourself without the help of pipes and gravity. I.e. use a bucket of water
Use an outdoor latrine, which involves squatting over a hole in the ground and covering the hole afterwards. (extra points if you use a leaf for toilet paper)
When using public transport to travel from one city or another, gleefully get into the back of that pick-up truck because it may be the only thing available.
Draw water from a well and carry it at least 1km on your head or wheelbarrow. We are talking at least 40L.
Take a picture of a sunset and sunrise.
Dance to authentic local music
Attend church at least once, if not every week. It’s quite the experience.
Brush your teeth with a cup of water
Start your own fire with twigs and a match
Hang a mosquito net
Get ripped off in the market at least once. We all know what that object was, how we paid, and who we bought it from, so don’t be shy.
Laugh out loud with someone who you cannot converse verbally with
Wash your clothes by hand outside in a bucket
Cook Nsima (or in my case Bughali)
Find a child who sees you, starts crying, and runs away because they’ve never seen a “Muzungu” (white person) before.
Order food from a restaurant in the native language of your District.
Bring your bicycle to the mechanic
Run out of units on your phone (tsk tsk)
Harvest food, in my case sweet potatoes, for others, corn. Cook it, eat it, and wash the dishes.
Wash your dishes outside.
Eat with your hands, (some might call this playing with your food)
Watch a game of football. And by football I mean soccer.
Play with a group of at least 15 children at one given time
Go to an internet cafe
Use solar power, because electricity is not available
Swing in an open body of water, in my case lake Malawi (because we know Schistosomiasis is just a myth....right?). As a nurse, I don’t advise.
This list is only a rough draft of some of the things I've been doing, and I hope to compile a much larger one after spending some quality time with my other Jfs at the mid summer retreat!
I have found internet access in town that supports my blog, so stay tuned for more blogs this week! My laptop died and all my blogs are saved on it, so once I have it both electricity and internet, (very unusual) I will post the ones I have written!
Karina
Drink coke/fanta from a glass bottle
Learn how to wrap a chitenge (woman’s cloth) around your waist without it falling off within 30 seconds.
Wash yourself without the help of pipes and gravity. I.e. use a bucket of water
Use an outdoor latrine, which involves squatting over a hole in the ground and covering the hole afterwards. (extra points if you use a leaf for toilet paper)
When using public transport to travel from one city or another, gleefully get into the back of that pick-up truck because it may be the only thing available.
Draw water from a well and carry it at least 1km on your head or wheelbarrow. We are talking at least 40L.
Take a picture of a sunset and sunrise.
Dance to authentic local music
Attend church at least once, if not every week. It’s quite the experience.
Brush your teeth with a cup of water
Start your own fire with twigs and a match
Hang a mosquito net
Get ripped off in the market at least once. We all know what that object was, how we paid, and who we bought it from, so don’t be shy.
Laugh out loud with someone who you cannot converse verbally with
Wash your clothes by hand outside in a bucket
Cook Nsima (or in my case Bughali)
Find a child who sees you, starts crying, and runs away because they’ve never seen a “Muzungu” (white person) before.
Order food from a restaurant in the native language of your District.
Bring your bicycle to the mechanic
Run out of units on your phone (tsk tsk)
Harvest food, in my case sweet potatoes, for others, corn. Cook it, eat it, and wash the dishes.
Wash your dishes outside.
Eat with your hands, (some might call this playing with your food)
Watch a game of football. And by football I mean soccer.
Play with a group of at least 15 children at one given time
Go to an internet cafe
Use solar power, because electricity is not available
Swing in an open body of water, in my case lake Malawi (because we know Schistosomiasis is just a myth....right?). As a nurse, I don’t advise.
This list is only a rough draft of some of the things I've been doing, and I hope to compile a much larger one after spending some quality time with my other Jfs at the mid summer retreat!
I have found internet access in town that supports my blog, so stay tuned for more blogs this week! My laptop died and all my blogs are saved on it, so once I have it both electricity and internet, (very unusual) I will post the ones I have written!
Karina
Thursday 26 May 2011
Cross Cultural connections
May 25th
Cross cultural connections
My host family loves listening to the radio, therefore my host brother keeps asking me to show him my music. Today I finally pulled out my nearly dead laptop (there is no electricity at my village home, and I have not been to the district office due to field work). When I started playing my Chris Tomlin and Starfield, he wasn’t all that responsive. I even played the “African” tunes I downloaded before coming to Malawi, and he still did not recognize it. This perplexed me because why wouldn’t an African recognize his own music? (Rhetorical question) However, I started playing “Grenade” by Bruno Mars and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and he lit up with excitement. He knew the lyrics and everything and they are not even in his native language.
This demonstrates one of the assumptions we make about Africa. I don’t exactly know why my family chooses to listen to the American/Canadian music on the radio. However, I must tell you that this remote village without electricity, internet, or running water still has radios that play Bruno Mars and Celine Dion Monday to Saturday and Hillsongs on Sunday. On a selfish note, it’s a taste of home and somewhat comforting for me. From my family’s perspective, perhaps they choose that radio station because it is English, for my sake. Whatever the reason, I think it’s something interesting to share with all my friends, family, colleagues, and readers back home. What you listen to on the radio reaches all the way to this remote place, where I can barely get cell phone reception. In fact, to really target my point, I will probably already have listened to all the new tracks by the latest and greatest artists from North America when I return home. I will be completely lost in Grey’s Anatomy and Off the Map, but all the new songs will be familiar because I’ve already heard them in my village home.
Besides my presence, the radio, and television in the capital city, my family does not receive much experience of what Canada is like. It makes me wonder, what if my host brother only knew about Canada what Bruno Mars, Celine Dion, and Jennifer Lopez sing about? I suppose our misconceptions of Africa are just as inaccurate as their perception of Canada. Interestingly enough, you can probably blame both misconceptions on the media. We see our vision of ‘Africa’ on TV, advertisements, theme parks, movies, or someone in Hollywood is adopting a baby or building an orphanage somewhere. And from what I’ve seen so far, they receive our music on the radio and TV broadcasting. Even right now, I am using technology or ‘media’ in form of a computer to share my perceptions of Africa, specifically Malawi.
Food for thought. I must go, my battery is dead in 3...2...1...
Karina
Disclaimer: Reference to specific artist names and musical scores are not representative of my personal or professional preference. As a person, and a representative of Engineers Without Borders, I do not endorse any of the artists or songs mentioned.
Cross cultural connections
My host family loves listening to the radio, therefore my host brother keeps asking me to show him my music. Today I finally pulled out my nearly dead laptop (there is no electricity at my village home, and I have not been to the district office due to field work). When I started playing my Chris Tomlin and Starfield, he wasn’t all that responsive. I even played the “African” tunes I downloaded before coming to Malawi, and he still did not recognize it. This perplexed me because why wouldn’t an African recognize his own music? (Rhetorical question) However, I started playing “Grenade” by Bruno Mars and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and he lit up with excitement. He knew the lyrics and everything and they are not even in his native language.
This demonstrates one of the assumptions we make about Africa. I don’t exactly know why my family chooses to listen to the American/Canadian music on the radio. However, I must tell you that this remote village without electricity, internet, or running water still has radios that play Bruno Mars and Celine Dion Monday to Saturday and Hillsongs on Sunday. On a selfish note, it’s a taste of home and somewhat comforting for me. From my family’s perspective, perhaps they choose that radio station because it is English, for my sake. Whatever the reason, I think it’s something interesting to share with all my friends, family, colleagues, and readers back home. What you listen to on the radio reaches all the way to this remote place, where I can barely get cell phone reception. In fact, to really target my point, I will probably already have listened to all the new tracks by the latest and greatest artists from North America when I return home. I will be completely lost in Grey’s Anatomy and Off the Map, but all the new songs will be familiar because I’ve already heard them in my village home.
Besides my presence, the radio, and television in the capital city, my family does not receive much experience of what Canada is like. It makes me wonder, what if my host brother only knew about Canada what Bruno Mars, Celine Dion, and Jennifer Lopez sing about? I suppose our misconceptions of Africa are just as inaccurate as their perception of Canada. Interestingly enough, you can probably blame both misconceptions on the media. We see our vision of ‘Africa’ on TV, advertisements, theme parks, movies, or someone in Hollywood is adopting a baby or building an orphanage somewhere. And from what I’ve seen so far, they receive our music on the radio and TV broadcasting. Even right now, I am using technology or ‘media’ in form of a computer to share my perceptions of Africa, specifically Malawi.
Food for thought. I must go, my battery is dead in 3...2...1...
Karina
Disclaimer: Reference to specific artist names and musical scores are not representative of my personal or professional preference. As a person, and a representative of Engineers Without Borders, I do not endorse any of the artists or songs mentioned.
Peel me like a potato
Hello THere
This morning I was able to share a new experience with my host family. A few days ago, I ended up biking home in the mid afternoon for lunch break. Other than the fact that this bike ride is 5km uphill, midday in Malawi is very hot and the sun is powerful. Being the good JF that I am, I had taken my malaria pill, had 1L of water in my packback, and my phone was charged with units for emergency. Goodness, I even had an emergency first aid kit in my backpack because of my nursing habits. Being the fair sensitive-skinned person that I am, I am very prone to burning. This particular day, despite my exhausting health efforts, I forgot to put sunscreen on, and ended up earning myself some burns on my arms and face. I find the more time I spend speaking the language, eating, cooking, and cleaning in the village, I forget that I am not African.
This morning after taking a bath, my skin started peeling like it normally does after burning. This does not seem like a novelty to you or me because fair skinned people always feel the consequences of burnt skin, and peeling is not that unusual. However, for my host mother who has never seen this consequence before, the sight of me was extremely appalling. She looked at me as a mother would if their child came running into the house with a massive black eye. I felt really bad for freaking her out so much. We happened to be eating sweet potatoes and tea for breakfast. She told me I was a sweet potato, because we always peel the skin off of it. My host Aunt also piped in that I was like a baby, with super sensitive skin.
Despite learning the language, harvesting sweet potatoes, washing, cleaning, drawing water, and cooking like an African, I will always be reminded that I am an alien here. (FYI, you can’t buy sunscreen in Africa anywhere, because they don’t use it. I packed 50spf thanks to my Mom). Whether it’s the sun beating down and burning my skin, or the constant shouts from little kids waving and running to see me yelling “Muzungu! Muzungu!” (white man), I am reminded that I am different.
What one does with this unfamiliarity is up to them. Some people use this ‘white power’ to exploit others. Some use it as self gratification to stand out as the white hand coming to pull Africa from its state of poverty. Personally, I have chosen to try and bridge that gap, to prove that there is no difference between white and black. I have tried to immerse myself into the culture so deep that people will see more than the colour of my skin. They will see someone trying their hardest to love them. If that means I forget to put on sunscreen, then I can handle the burns along the way. Physically and emotionally.
Much love,
Karina
This morning I was able to share a new experience with my host family. A few days ago, I ended up biking home in the mid afternoon for lunch break. Other than the fact that this bike ride is 5km uphill, midday in Malawi is very hot and the sun is powerful. Being the good JF that I am, I had taken my malaria pill, had 1L of water in my packback, and my phone was charged with units for emergency. Goodness, I even had an emergency first aid kit in my backpack because of my nursing habits. Being the fair sensitive-skinned person that I am, I am very prone to burning. This particular day, despite my exhausting health efforts, I forgot to put sunscreen on, and ended up earning myself some burns on my arms and face. I find the more time I spend speaking the language, eating, cooking, and cleaning in the village, I forget that I am not African.
This morning after taking a bath, my skin started peeling like it normally does after burning. This does not seem like a novelty to you or me because fair skinned people always feel the consequences of burnt skin, and peeling is not that unusual. However, for my host mother who has never seen this consequence before, the sight of me was extremely appalling. She looked at me as a mother would if their child came running into the house with a massive black eye. I felt really bad for freaking her out so much. We happened to be eating sweet potatoes and tea for breakfast. She told me I was a sweet potato, because we always peel the skin off of it. My host Aunt also piped in that I was like a baby, with super sensitive skin.
Despite learning the language, harvesting sweet potatoes, washing, cleaning, drawing water, and cooking like an African, I will always be reminded that I am an alien here. (FYI, you can’t buy sunscreen in Africa anywhere, because they don’t use it. I packed 50spf thanks to my Mom). Whether it’s the sun beating down and burning my skin, or the constant shouts from little kids waving and running to see me yelling “Muzungu! Muzungu!” (white man), I am reminded that I am different.
What one does with this unfamiliarity is up to them. Some people use this ‘white power’ to exploit others. Some use it as self gratification to stand out as the white hand coming to pull Africa from its state of poverty. Personally, I have chosen to try and bridge that gap, to prove that there is no difference between white and black. I have tried to immerse myself into the culture so deep that people will see more than the colour of my skin. They will see someone trying their hardest to love them. If that means I forget to put on sunscreen, then I can handle the burns along the way. Physically and emotionally.
Much love,
Karina
Monday 16 May 2011
Church, Frisbees, and Making Friends
Hello Friends!
So yesterday was Sunday, so I did not go to work (no one is there). Instead, I went to church in morning and experienced the African church to its fullest! It was really fun, I am going to take a video of their worship next week. Once the associate pastor realized I had a digital camera, he said “WHY did you not use it?” and I replied “I did not want to be rude, taking a video without asking” and he was like “no no no you take as many as you like!”. I was asked to stand up in front of the whole congregation and introduce myself. I was also invited to a wedding on June 4th. After church I went to dinner and met some of the workers who are constructing the road through town right now. The road to the nearest town is very rough, so the Chinese have come in to build a paved road. What is currently a 4 hour car ride will be 1.5 hours instead to the nearest town to the south. It's interesting hearing about the Chinese development projects in the paper, and witnessing it first hand outside my front door. After dinner, I went to explore and read my bible outside in the remotest area possible. I love being outside to think and reflect! At home I like to go outside to be alone. It’s hard to hide outside here because everywhere you walk, people cry “Mazungu” (white person) or “Sista!” to get your attention. I am hoping the novelty will wear off in the next month or so. While I was looking for a place to chill and read my bible, a bunch of kids called to me, as usual. But instead of just waving and walking on by, I pulled out my Frisbee and we spent almost an hour playing with it together. They made me promise to come back tomorrow to play again. I kept walking down the road and found another bunch of kids, so the Frisbee came out again. I am excited to go back to that part of town to play with them, and may even capture a video if I can. I am just worried that every kid in town will show up, now that I have promised the Frisbee again.
Food for thought
Hello Everyone!
In this blog post, I would like to share two things:
1. What it’s like living in the part of Malawi that has 12 languages
2. The effect of open defecation and Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS, my placement) on girls and women
1. What it’s like living in the part of Malawi that has 12 languages. Tiresome! But really interesting at the same time. I am so relieved when I find someone who speaks English, because then I can ask them how to speak in their language! My host father speaks seven languages, and one of those thankfully includes English. However, his wife, mother, and three children do not know any English. So it will be cool communicating with them without words and practicing my Chilambya (the language I have chosen to learn). I am getting supremely good at communicating with actions and not words. I want to challenge each and every one of you to a game of charades when I get home, because there is a good chance I will win! I am getting very good at explaining things like “shower, boiled eggs, and business deals” with hand actions. Mostly people just laugh at me, and I laugh at myself.
2. The effect of open defecation and Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS, my placement) on girls and women specifically. Open defecation means that instead of using a commode (toilet), someone pees or poos in the wide open space (like a bush or river). This is a serious contaminant for people’s water and food supplies, and causes disease transmission via the faecal-oral (poopà mouth) route. For example, someone with cholera/typhoid/Ecoli/etc poops in a river. A woman is collecting her family’s drinking water and/or washing clothes downstream of this. Diarrhoea causing illness such as cholera, typhoid fever (yes that still exists), and E. Coli are transmitted when the recipient swallows the faecal matter (poop) of the person with the disease. Gross eh? So thaaaat is why we wash our hands after using the toilet! Millions of children die before the age of 5 because of diarrheal illnesses, even more than malaria. This is because someone is pooping in the river upstream, behind their house, in an open pit, or simply behind a bush. This is one specific example (pooping in the river) but there are lots of other scenarios where diarrheal related illnesses are spread from pooping to eating. It sounds really gross, but most people don’t understand the connection. So this part was about girls and women right? Yes. Girls and women are most affected by open defecation because the cultural indicators of Malawi inhibit them from showing any skin from the waist to well below their ankles. This space between their waist and ankles is the most intimate part. So you will see NO bikinis in Malawi, or skirts above the knee for that matter. This means that ‘going’ in the great outdoors means that girls and women must wait until no men are around in order to relieve themselves. In fact, most will get up before dawn and wait until after dusk to do their ‘business’ for privacy. The hours of daylight in Malawi are between 5:30am and 5:30 pm. This is an extremely long amount of time to wait. In fact, my nursing mind is wondering if it’s even possible. Anyway, constructing a private toilet or closed pit with walls would be extremely helpful for girls and women. I have also read that women are usually the leaders in a village on sanitation movements because it both affects them directly and their children. Women are most aware of diarrhoea illnesses with their children.
Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all your comments and questions, I read and cherish every one of them!
Karina
Saturday 14 May 2011
The Right Question
When someone offers up their entire summer holiday, it relatively means that they are committed to whatever task they are signing on for. Last November, the phone call from my chapter changed my life around and suddenly I was on this journey to Africa. One national conference, four months of assignments, one week in Toronto for training, 22 hours of travel, three days training in Lilongwe, Malawi, 36 hours of travel, and now I am in my placement for the summer. All that time that EWB has poured into my preparation and travel, all those letters my friends and family wrote, and that huge shopping trip my Mom took me on all comes to this. The time has come. That phrase just took me back to Gandalf in LOTR, sorry for how random that is, but my headspace naturally is. If someone were to ask me for five emotions I am feeling right now, I would answer: nervous, excited, eager, lonely, and peaceful.
There is so much unsaid. During my stay in Malawi so far, I have learned that value of asking a minimum of five questions before being satisfied with the answer. There seems to be a gap between me asking a question and my counterparts fully understanding what I am getting at. I am sure this is mostly because English is not their first language. Many of the things in English make no sense for them. For example, on my plane ride to Lilongwe I was speaking to some native Malawians about their country. During our conversation, the phrase “you’ll rock their socks” slipped out, and the confusion on their faces was priceless. Even when I am not using strange catch phrases, it’s hard trying to find the real answer to my question. Whenever I ask a question, I always get a very direct, honest, short answer, but it’s not always what I am looking for. For example, if my family, friends, or EWBers asked where I am right now, I would say a guest house in Chitipa, Malawi. I answer this with the amount of detail that my counterpart is looking for. However, if I were Malawian, the conversation would probably go like this:
Q: Where are you?
A: I am sitting in bed
Q2: Where is your bed?
A2: In a house
Q3: Where is this house?
A3: In the capital
Q4: Which capital?
Q4: Chitipa
Q5: What is Chitipa?
Q5: District in Malawi
Five questions later I finally get the full depth of answer I was initially looking for. I hope that makes sense. This exercise is just to demonstrate what it feels like asking questions. My coach and I were talking this morning, before he helped me settle in Chitipa, about asking the right question. This puts a whole other swing on things, because you not only have to be meticulous about digging deeper into the conversation, you also have to begin that first question with a legitimate reason.
I have always taken communication for granted up until now. Being able to articulate a question where the recipient knows exactly what I am getting at (most of the time) is so efficient. I am really enjoying my time within the language barrier though, because I would never have seriously thought about communication unless I had!
So what is the right question to ask me right now? If someone were to ask me what I am doing here, I would answer them something like this: I am stationed in the District Hospital working with the environmental health officers trying to further understand natural leaders’ role in the Community led total sanitation status of the district. The better question is “what made you decide to spend four months 13,000 km away volunteering in an unfamiliar place where you don’t know the language and you stick out like a sore thumb”? That is the question I wish people would ask. That is the right question because it brings the conversation to a whole different level. I have a well thought out answer for that, but you will have to wait and see, because I must go buy a bicycle, flipflops, and some food from the market.
Tsalani Bwino (stay well, Chichewa) Much love,
Karina
Monday 9 May 2011
A series of cultural events
May 9th, 2011 11:49 pm Malawi time
Muli Bwanji!
This morning I awoke to the local mosque messaging the dawn at about 4:30am. It sounded so beautiful! Luckily I could go back to bed! The schedule began with waking up at 8:00am to go for a walk through the village with one of the other JFs! We then convened at 9:30am to start off the sessions with another hour long language session with Duncan. From 12:00 to 2:30 I was in the market working on a scavenger hunt! I stumbled through the phrases that Duncan taught us like Muli Bwanji “How are you” Ndili Bwino, kaya inu “I am good, and yourself?”. We were given a scavenger hunt to buy malaria medication, a cell-phone, a Nshima spoon, retrieve money from a bank machine, etc. We were also suppose to find a restaurant, which never happened. I bought some chichenje which is Malawian fabric that women wrap around their lower half. My favourite part was trying to speak with the people, when they were both surprised and amused by my interest in learning the language.
I have 5 minutes of free internet a day where I am temporarily staying, and beginning on Thursday I will be headed off to Chitipa. It will take two days to reach the district.
Today I tried a beer that was made of maize (corn flour), sorghum (another type of flower), milk, and yeast. It tasted like raw bread dough floating in white wine. I was one of the only JFs who managed to taste it! I feel like it was like a rite of passage.
Also, it is so awesome having APS at our disposal right now! Learning their perspective on the African-Canada connection in terms of advocacy and acting as a resource was really insightful. I realized today that Duncan was in the play-pump video that we showed in our session at McMaster. There are seven APS providing information and insight on our placements right now. Tomorrow I have another meeting with the CLTS leaders (my placement). I get to sleep in tomorrow until 10:00am!
Goodnight!
Karina
Sunday 8 May 2011
Finally I am in Malawi!!
May 8, 2011
Happy Mother’s Day! I am now officially settled in Malawi! I am sitting on top of a bunk bed, in a room with five other Junior Fellows, and in a hostel in Lilongwe, the capitol of Malawi. Notice I chose the bottom up approach to explain my current location. Bed, room, hostel, city, country. Hey, I made a framework!
Our first flight left Saturday morning at 7am and our last flight landed in Lilongwe at 12:00 pm this afternoon. This is not as dramatic as it sounds though, because technically I am 6 hours ahead of those in Toronto, where we flew out. During this time I ate three airplane meals and slept 7 hours! I had a lot on my mind as we flew over the ocean (FYI we changed course to bypass Libya). I have committed to myself and fellow JFs to value other’s knowledge, opinions, and perspectives more than my own. I am worried that I won’t ask enough questions to understand, or speak so much that I shut down someone else’s perspective. I am walking into this situation with a serious lack of experience. I am reflecting back to B. Magee’s session about cultural understanding where he explained it as an ice berg. You may see the uppermost obvious information about a culture like clothing, language, and music and this is the part of the ice berg above the water that is obvious to the naked eye. However, there is so much more rich information below the water that a stranger will not see instantly. This includes family roles, livelihoods, gender equality, values, religion, and other hidden cultural qualities. I am worried I won’t ask the right questions or have the right approach to begin understanding the hidden cultural qualities. Thank goodness for pre-departure training to help prepare us for this. So much love for B. Magee, Cat Denis, my coach Annette, and all of the supportive figures from national office.
Tonight Duncan gave us an hour session of speaking the language Chichewa, Anna orientated us to safety and logistics. I have a meeting with Jolly Ann tomorrow morning to discuss everything I need to know about the community led total sanitation before my placement. I have finished multiple assignments and have emailed her back and forth, but tomorrow is when we meet face to face. I am so excited about getting into the headspace and transitioning into Malawi’s culture.
One more thing, I hung my mosquito net for the first time tonight. The six people sleeping in this room all look so cute huddling underneath the equivalency of a princess canopy that my sister in Canada owns.
Much love,
Karina
Monday 2 May 2011
Training in Toronto!
May 1st, 2011
I feel like today is the first day of summer! The summer leases are rolling out, university exams are over, people are fitting all their fun, exciting, and hopefully relaxing time in before starting summer jobs.
For me, today marks the first day of Pre-departure training. This morning we met up with Cat and Brian (my Foundation learning coaches/JF supervisors) at the University of Toronto building. I say building because the university campus has MANY buildings sprawled all around Toronto. After introductions, we ran a session about the hopes, fears, and fantasies that we have about our placement. This was meant to allow the JFs to have an understanding of our common feelings.
We then went to an Ethiopian restaurant and had an inspiring speech from George Roter, the CEO of Engineers Without Borders Canada. I love George, because he never stops smiling and showed up today in flip flops. More importantly, he is an incredible motivator. He spoke to us about our role as an ambassador of EWB while we are overseas. He also taught us the connection between being active learners and making impact. He has a lot of stories to relate his points.
We then went back to U of TO where we ran a 2.5 hour session about our impact back here in Canada. They gave us a sheet of paper with a timeline from today’s date to the end of this next school year (April 2012). We made one overarching goal for ourselves, then split up how we’d accomplish that goal. My goal is extending our chapter’s investment in students to reach faculties outside of Engineering. I plan on doing so by running a workshop called “the ROOT cause of Disease” within the Health Science faculties (such as nursing). I plan on developing the workshop while overseas based on the experiences I have with the district hospital in Chitipa, Malawi and the water and sanitation experiences in the surrounding villages.
Today was very well rounded, with a lot of varied information. Cat and Brian organized it wonderfully, and I feel like I have a new diverse knowledge base!
I have to leave know, Cat is about to start the “Intro to Poverty and Development” session. EWB values learning so much! I love how invested the JF supervisors are in us! It’s so honouring and compelling.
Much love,
Karina
Thursday 28 April 2011
Packing
Hello Friends!
I finally finished my exams on Monday April 28th, and since then I have been preparing for my trip to Malawi! With only four days to move back from Hamilton, unpack all my things, and repack everything, I am afraid I have not had the chance to see all my friends before I head off on this adventure. But you are all loved, and I will miss each and every one of you!
I wanna give a shout out to my Mom, for helping me every step of the way in organizing everything from vaccinations to enough hand sanitizer. She's been truly amazing, even after getting her tooth pulled just yesterday.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write notes, have coffee with me, and/or wish me well as I prepare for this trip. Each and every one of you acts as such a support, and I am really grateful for all the friends and family I have to wish me well as I depart!
This summer will be full of challenging situations, changing perspectives, and a huge change in maturity level as it relates to international development. I plan on using this blog to share some of the key learning curves I have and also some of the fun times I am experiencing!
For example, today I bought a motorcycle helmet and needed a size LARGE, because of my montrous head. It's super cool! When I wear it, I look like I am in one of those "elf yourself" videos because my head is three times it's normal size. I don't know if I will be riding, or driving a motorcycle in Malawi yet, but if i come back a true Hog, my Dad sure will be proud. And my sisters, mortified.
The next leg of my journey will be spent in Toronto from April 30th to May 6th doing pre-departure training and bonding with the students going to Malawi and Zambia! Afterwards, I fly out of Toronto on May 7th, endure a 22 hour flight, and arrive in Lilongwe, Malawi!!
Time for bed, I have a phone interview tomorrow morning for a job in September, sooo I need some sleep!
Love ya!
Karina
I finally finished my exams on Monday April 28th, and since then I have been preparing for my trip to Malawi! With only four days to move back from Hamilton, unpack all my things, and repack everything, I am afraid I have not had the chance to see all my friends before I head off on this adventure. But you are all loved, and I will miss each and every one of you!
I wanna give a shout out to my Mom, for helping me every step of the way in organizing everything from vaccinations to enough hand sanitizer. She's been truly amazing, even after getting her tooth pulled just yesterday.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write notes, have coffee with me, and/or wish me well as I prepare for this trip. Each and every one of you acts as such a support, and I am really grateful for all the friends and family I have to wish me well as I depart!
This summer will be full of challenging situations, changing perspectives, and a huge change in maturity level as it relates to international development. I plan on using this blog to share some of the key learning curves I have and also some of the fun times I am experiencing!
For example, today I bought a motorcycle helmet and needed a size LARGE, because of my montrous head. It's super cool! When I wear it, I look like I am in one of those "elf yourself" videos because my head is three times it's normal size. I don't know if I will be riding, or driving a motorcycle in Malawi yet, but if i come back a true Hog, my Dad sure will be proud. And my sisters, mortified.
The next leg of my journey will be spent in Toronto from April 30th to May 6th doing pre-departure training and bonding with the students going to Malawi and Zambia! Afterwards, I fly out of Toronto on May 7th, endure a 22 hour flight, and arrive in Lilongwe, Malawi!!
Time for bed, I have a phone interview tomorrow morning for a job in September, sooo I need some sleep!
Love ya!
Karina
Saturday 26 March 2011
Warm Heart of Africa
Welcome to my Blog!
First of all, I would like to state the following post(s) solely come(s) from the author's, Karina Redick's, feelings, beliefs, and perceptions and may not be replicated in any form to represent the organization Engineers Without Borders Canada, UK, or US or McMaster University and its affiliates.
"EWB"=Engineers Without Borders Canada.
"Mac"=McMaster University.
"JF" = Junior Fellow
I have set up this account in order to keep in touch with friends, family, and fans (ha). If I have invited you to follow this blog, then you most likely already know it's purpose. If not, I will do a quick introduction and update:
My name is Karina Redick, and I am a second year Nursing student from McMaster University who has been accepted for the Junior Fellowship Program with the McMaster EWB chapter in Hamilton Ontario. This means I am taking a plane to Malawi on May 7th and returning (tentatively) on August 21st. While I am there, I will be working with the Water and Sanitation team that EWB has there. Part of the WatSan strategy right now is working alongside the District government (one beneath the national gov.) to improve the water pump placements in the country. Not only are wells placed unproductively in places they are not needed, but over 30% of the pumps are broken and abandonned. EWB recognizes the problem facing the WatSan in Malawi is the government's infrastructure. "Approximately $1.5 billion has been invested in rural water access in the past 20 years, during which time the number of unserved people has risen six-fold" (see attached document "Overview of Waterpoint repair in Malawi for full document). Because the infrastructure of the government is failing, policies now direct the responsibility of water point repair to the rural communities owning them. This process is called "Community Based Management", where spare parts, funds, and repair skills are available at the community level. This is a more sustainable and ideal method of water point repair, but there are many struggles with organizing and building the infrastructure of that system.
OKAY...now you can breathe :) Sorry if I lost you in that last paragraph! It's hard to explain such a specific complex process in four short sentences. I will attach the document on the Overview of Waterpoint repair in Malawi if I can! :)
I have created this blog so that my friends, family, Mac's EWBers, and the McMaster community can keep up to date with what I am doing in Malawi. I will share frustrations, enlightening moments, exciting updates, the food I am eating, my goals as a JF, and much more. I will have limited internet access while I am there, so these updates will most likely come every (other) week.
The first thing I wish to share is a fear I have.
I am afraid that when I go to Malawi, I will learn more than I teach. I am worried that the people I meet, the experiences that I have, and the exciting moments I encounter will benefit me more than the district that I am going there to help. I understand that this is usually a reality in the development sector, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately.
Thank you for taking the interest in reading this blog,
Unfortunately this post is a little dry. I will be posting on this blog whenever I learn something new in my development training before pre-departure trainingin TO. So there will be more than logistics coming soon!! :)
bye for now,
Karina
First of all, I would like to state the following post(s) solely come(s) from the author's, Karina Redick's, feelings, beliefs, and perceptions and may not be replicated in any form to represent the organization Engineers Without Borders Canada, UK, or US or McMaster University and its affiliates.
"EWB"=Engineers Without Borders Canada.
"Mac"=McMaster University.
"JF" = Junior Fellow
I have set up this account in order to keep in touch with friends, family, and fans (ha). If I have invited you to follow this blog, then you most likely already know it's purpose. If not, I will do a quick introduction and update:
My name is Karina Redick, and I am a second year Nursing student from McMaster University who has been accepted for the Junior Fellowship Program with the McMaster EWB chapter in Hamilton Ontario. This means I am taking a plane to Malawi on May 7th and returning (tentatively) on August 21st. While I am there, I will be working with the Water and Sanitation team that EWB has there. Part of the WatSan strategy right now is working alongside the District government (one beneath the national gov.) to improve the water pump placements in the country. Not only are wells placed unproductively in places they are not needed, but over 30% of the pumps are broken and abandonned. EWB recognizes the problem facing the WatSan in Malawi is the government's infrastructure. "Approximately $1.5 billion has been invested in rural water access in the past 20 years, during which time the number of unserved people has risen six-fold" (see attached document "Overview of Waterpoint repair in Malawi for full document). Because the infrastructure of the government is failing, policies now direct the responsibility of water point repair to the rural communities owning them. This process is called "Community Based Management", where spare parts, funds, and repair skills are available at the community level. This is a more sustainable and ideal method of water point repair, but there are many struggles with organizing and building the infrastructure of that system.
OKAY...now you can breathe :) Sorry if I lost you in that last paragraph! It's hard to explain such a specific complex process in four short sentences. I will attach the document on the Overview of Waterpoint repair in Malawi if I can! :)
I have created this blog so that my friends, family, Mac's EWBers, and the McMaster community can keep up to date with what I am doing in Malawi. I will share frustrations, enlightening moments, exciting updates, the food I am eating, my goals as a JF, and much more. I will have limited internet access while I am there, so these updates will most likely come every (other) week.
The first thing I wish to share is a fear I have.
I am afraid that when I go to Malawi, I will learn more than I teach. I am worried that the people I meet, the experiences that I have, and the exciting moments I encounter will benefit me more than the district that I am going there to help. I understand that this is usually a reality in the development sector, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately.
Thank you for taking the interest in reading this blog,
Unfortunately this post is a little dry. I will be posting on this blog whenever I learn something new in my development training before pre-departure trainingin TO. So there will be more than logistics coming soon!! :)
bye for now,
Karina
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