Yet another long weekend, but am at work today as I (and many others in the FMB Head Office) leave town tomorrow, many for or via Nairobi. Yesterday we had a wonderful Rajasthani mutton curry. Muinto piri-piri but enjoyable nonetheless. Quite interesting to watch all the boys often get together and cook up a storm. The women aren't around so they've learned to make do - and quite well I might add. I spent the day relaxing, reading, and learning about the 2nd hand clothing industry. Saturday was the end of Nauratri, and I enjoyed spending time with the mixed Indian community and practicing dandia/raas. The day was a disaster though, as we took a brutal 3hr drive to Quisanga in an attempt to reach Ibo Island for an audit. We reached at 8am after our 5am departure, at which time I proceeded to chat with an Israeli couple(?) who were travelling post-military service. They had been waiting for a boat since 6am and their language barrier wasn't helping. We were able to get them the information and they boarded a boat with some other people I know from Pemba. We were to wait for the AKF boat, which surely would arrive soon we were told. Finally we got the update -10am. Ahh, then a Fundacion Ibo boat arrived, and one of the AKF nurses said the boat was at another island, Medjumbe I believe, and wouldn't get here anytime soon. She suggested we just take any boat, then the AKF boat would get us home. As I was on a 'work trip', I was advised we should wait for the proper boat. Many stories, texts, and calls later, we gave up our mission and at 2pm started to head home, back down the brutal dirt roads with spontaneous water traps built to divert water during the rainy season. Perhaps next time.
Off to Nairobi tomorrow, it's my 4th time visiting but I've never been as excited!
This is from 2006! I was trying to post it to an online forum but wasn't successful, so what better place than my blog? I have fond memories of China, and have just (finally) been in touch with my counterpart Chris, who is now based in Shanghai, and unfortunately declined a transfer to Zambia (would have been my neighbor!).
After a 14 hour flight and 20 hour train ride, we had a week to get rested in our new homes, and become acquainted with Yichang, Hubei. This is a city along the Yangtze river which is famous for its orange production, and is considered the hydroelectric capital of the world, as the controversial Three Gorges dam is a short drive away (not to mention Gezhouba and many others!). As a participant in a cross-cultural volunteer exchange, I was surprised when my counterpart and I initially were placed at a construction company, where we got to look at Chinese building techniques, including some new environmental projects such as water filtration. Not the type of place I though I would be volunteering at. As our usefulness with this firm was limited, we soon began as English teachers at Three Gorges Technical and Vocational College. It was quite enjoyable as the students were so grateful to have a native English speaker and they were eager to learn, often requesting extra classes. My roommate loved it for a while, as I could do most of the talking. He was then offered a job at the school! So he got busy following the curriculum, and after the four weeks of holidays (Spring Festival + final exams), I was transferred to a private boarding school overlooking the famous Gezhouba dam, where I completed the duration of my volunteer work. I learned how it feels to be 'illiterate', as in central China very few people speak English. All the signs are in Chinese characters. Amazingly, communication with my host mom was quite good. She realized the speed at which we could understand Chinese, along with the importance of simplicity! With a little body language, and my improving vocabulary (including local dialect), she understood me. During the Spring Festival, we spent lots of time with different aunts, often eating lunch at an apartment, going out for the afternoon, and returning to the same place for dinner. I got to know my counterparts family really well. In China, I became so used to the 10+ dishes at each meal, and have had to readjust to the simple food culture in Canada. In China, I noticed that schedules were quite precise, and I was surprised that time was taken seriously. On the other hand, we Canadians had to learn to go with the flow, as often we were told we had to be somewhere important minutes before we needed to leave. Our visit to the Great Wall was a mind-blowing experience. We saw a tiny portion of the 5500km wonder. We had two visits to Beijing as the city of 12 million was our entry and exit point in China. As we were in China to serve, not to travel, other places we visited were limited to Wuhan (capital of Hubei province), and rural regions of Yichang, including visits to minority peoples' regions. I loved the Tuja dance.
The level of hospitality I experienced in China was unsurpassed, and when I hear of people who visited as tourists and found the food was just 'mama hu hu' (so-so), I tell them they were surely eating at the wrong place! They should have eaten my Ayi's (aunties) food!
"Never have so many lines of communication in the hands of so many people been met with such obsessive resistance from a central authority."
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