One of my favorite shows is called “Going Tribal”. This intrepid Aussie guy travels the globe in search of people who have not yet encountered much of Western civilization. He spends a fair amount of time just lying low, taking in his surroundings, and understanding the culture. Eventually (and inevitably) he is accepted into the community. He does some pretty out-there things in his attempts to become integrated. He drinks coagulated cow blood stew, joins the hunters on 20-day treks for meat, and participates in all of their rituals, including the use of hallucinogens to search for his spirit animal.
Andy and I have our version of this show going on in Gambella. Granted, our adventures pale in comparison to the Aussie guy’s experiences, but we’re having a grand time.
When I was here last year, dropping Andy off for his eight-month stay, we were in a very protective and isolated setting. We were warned repeatedly not to travel into town due to the conflict. In my five days in Gambella last year, we made one trip into town, in a big group. We also crossed the Openo River once to visit with a widow who had the grave of her husband in her yard. After I left, Andy ventured out more and more, eventually becoming one of the most loved and famous white dudes in the area.
So, here I am in Gambella getting the insider’s tour of the town. Everyone knows Andy and has fond memories of him. We walk from our hotel, in the humid and very hot weather, down the dusty streets into town a few times a day. There is a big road-paving project going on, but the streets are still just dirt and ruts. Every so often, an NGO truck (UN, WFP, IOM, etc.) zooms by to put a big pile of red dust in your mouth. There are goats, donkeys, and people carrying heavy loads everywhere. The buildings range from well-built professional building to ramshackle huts with corrugated tin huts selling slabs of meat, maize, and onions.
Andy has taken me to a few local haunts at night to grab a few beers. We eat fried fish at the hotel, and injera and stewed chicken at local cafes. Little children follow us yelling, “Hey Ferrengie (spelling wrong, but a term for a white person…originated with the French who first came here…Frenchy turned into Ferrengie) how are you?” We walk to the Pact offices down a crowded street in the market pungent with roasting coffee beans, cow dung, burning trash, and tons of people smells. I love it! There is loud music coming out of every other shack. You wander down the alleyways past compounds of round mud huts teaming with chickens, goats, and laughing children clad only in ill-fitting underpants. They so love to follow us around.
Not exactly Going Tribal, but our hotel loses power about every other hour. When you shower, you have to time the cold trickle correctly. Just about the time you get some shampoo on your head, the water stops. So, you crouch down on the VERY human smelling floor and wait for the water to get a little more pressure. Shaving can take 20 minutes. I washed my pants in the shower with me yesterday and hung them up with dental floss in the doorway. My pants made good company with the myriad cawing birds, huge lizards, and the most beautiful black and white monkeys. They’re about two-feet tall and have long white tails that bush out in a vibrant plume of fir at the end. They make a terrifying baritone grunting sequence. Their favorite time seems to be between 1am and 3am when they swing through the trees behind my room on their way to the chickens in the mud-hut compound not 15 feet from my back door. You first hear the dogs barking, and then the monkey grunts get louder and louder. Then the chickens start screaming. Finally, the men frantically emerge from their slumber to whack the monkeys away. This goes on every night.
I wake up and have a deep, rich coffee with toast (if power) and runny marmalade. We meet the kids at 8am. We still don’t have computers (maybe tomorrow…) so our resident artist, Zerihun has been working on art with them. We’ve also had them write their narratives and practice filming with the Flip cameras. They’ve all been through so much and it is coming through loud and clear in their narratives. Many of them have faced challenges the rest of us would never have even thought existed. Can't wait to show you their films, as well as the rest of the kids from this trip. Oh, Zerihun is fantastic. He is an amazing artist (check out www.zerihun.com) and so great with the students. They are going to create some kick-butt pieces of art. Zerihun is also one of the coolest people you'll ever meet...he's one of those guys you wish you were more like. Oh, and Jody continues to amaze and become a better friend every day. She manages some very noteworthy and worthwhile projects for Pact. I'm going to have her blog tomorrow so that you can find out more. I know you'll love her as much as Andy and I do.
So, we’re dirty, smelly, and filled with carbohydrates. There are no fresh vegetables in the diet here (except during “fasting” season), so I’ve been eating fried fish, roasted potatoes, bread, maize, and injera (sour flat bread made with tef). I’ve gone from no carbs to all carbs in five days! Before yesterday, I was in dire need of some “greens”.
So, because I needed some chlorophyll, Andy decided that it was time for me to see the real Gambella. We made our way through the maze of winding alleyways past hundreds of mud hut compounds. Finally, we ended up at one of his friend’s compounds. There were about 10 men from Gambella and us (Andy, Erik, Keith, Zerihun). On the way, we’d stopped to purchase our own offering of chat. Chat stems are covered with what look like cocoa leaves. They have a caffeine-like effect when chewed.
We sat down on the ground and I got a primer course in chat chewing. You pull the leaves off (the younger, red, softer leaves are the best) and pack them into your back teeth on one side. You then grab a couple of peanuts (the leaves are really sour) and start masticating…and masticating…and masticating. Ojud is about 21 and is the go-get-it guy for an afternoon of chat chewing. He went to get Cokes, more chat, and more peanuts about five times during our afternoon. As I chewed, and chewed, and chewed, I started to feel cooler (it was the hottest day yet, yesterday). I got used to the sour taste quickly. Then, I started to feel really focused and the conversation really began. The longer you chew, the more coffee-buzz you feel, but you don’t feel anxious or jittery. It’s more like a hyper-focus coupled with a sense of well-being. I had a four-hour Anuyak language lesson and learned a TON. We talked politics, and learned about the tribal elder system of justice that still exists in Gambella. Andy and I agreed that it was a much better system than our non community-based system at home. I think I chewed through about 10 pounds of leaves (“elephant food” one of Andy’s friends poo-poos when he sees chat). As I sat there with these amazing people, I totally understood how Andy could live here for so long. There was a beautiful glow from the vermilion sunset, I was feeling slightly buzzed but calm at the same time, and I was having great conversation at the most leisurely pace. It made me feel like my life is just way too harried and complex. I wanted to sit there for two more weeks.
Finally, a driver showed up to pick us up…Jody was waiting for us at the hotel and was only too familiar with how a bunch of men could get caught up in chat-versation, so she sent a car. We went back to the hotel, still feeling the chat and still feeling Ya Met (“I feel good from the core of my liver…”). We sauntered down town and had a beer with some of Andy’s friends (well, my friends now, too). I slept really well and felt refreshed and relaxed today with the kids. I love this place.
The kids are drawing pictures for their movies and I’m sitting here typing. Andy just got back from yet another call with customs about our books and computers. They have been “released” and a car is supposed to pick them up today and take them to the town where one of our drivers will meet them tomorrow. The kids are so anxious to get on those machines! It will happen!
The Internet connection here is so slow that I can’t upload photos to Shutterfly. Also, I am lucky to get one email off to Ben (I have to try for about 20 minutes) with these updates. Andy and I will be in Addis for two days at the end of the trip and I’ll upload some photos of our amazing students then.
So, a relaxed, patient (can you believe it?), and un-hurried Erik signs off. Andy has promised to blog tomorrow.
E
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
1/16th of a Roll of Toilet Paper
Apparently, the average human need only employ 1/16th of a roll of toilet paper per day. Actually, we’re lucky to have any at all. I just got back to my room to type this up (after meeting the students) to find one small bar of apple soap and my daily supply of T.P. Sure makes you careful about not wasting it.
So, I sent y’all the blog entry yesterday then we went to an outdoor eating hut to watch the locals drink of a Sunday afternoon. We walked through the HOT streets of Gambella and had to stop a couple of times. It is HOT…did I mention that? Actually, it is humid so it is quite fine. After the chilly evenings in Addis, this is quite welcome.
After that we came to the hotel for some fried Nile perch and potatoes. We met a Pact consultant named Eloise who is quite spectacular and funny. We showed her and our newly arrived cohort Zerihune (I know I botched that spelling) some of the student movies. Zerihune is a quite famous artist so he is working with the kids on original art until our computers arrive. Still no word on that front, and I’m fatigued by even thinking about writing about it, so, no computers yet.
We then headed over in a Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) SUV to Chol’s house for the birthday party. Chol now works for the Girls’ Empowerment Project, and has a very nice mud and brick home. She had prepared a great meal of chicken, spaghetti, and sauce, as well as popcorn and cake. We drank Fanta and showed the many children how to make movies on the camera. They LOVED it and laughed for hours at seeing themselves dance and cavort.
There was thatched-roof hut village next to Chol’s home, and many of the neighborhood kids stared through the stick fence in wonderment. There were four of us white people at Chol’s party so it must have been a wonderful diversion for the neighborhood.
Chol’s daughter Juliet was turning seven, her son one, and she is, I believe, 26. There was much music and dancing, and even more sitting. Those of you who know me know how hard it is for me to sit. I’m doing it! I can sit for hours here, as it is culturally inappropriate to go all American on them and flit around like everything that happens has to happen NOW. I’ve calmed down considerably after these past several weeks.
Andy went out with friends last night and I put up my mosquito net and drifted off at 8pm, only to wake up with a start at 7:15am the next morning (today). I turned on the shower, nothing. Yesterday I had the faintest of cold trickles coming out…drip…drip…drip…but it was enough to wash my face and hair. Today I had to shave, so I used the bottled water. I was so excited to shave because Jody had cut my hair yesterday on the porch and I was looking normal again! She had never done it before, but she did a great job! She worked so hard that she started sweating like a marathon runner. We laughed as she dripped sweat off of her nose onto my head. I’m sure she’s still covered in Erik hair.
Our kids arrived at 7:30am this morning. As Andy and the hotel crew fashioned a screen out of a sheet and some string, I showed them how to take photos. They did great. I’m hoping you can see some of them on Shutterfly if I’m able to upload them.
We have about 14 boys and six girls. Many of the girls were profiled in the same document as Chol. One of the girls is paralyzed. A man carried her in. She has an amazing smile and attitude. I showed her the flip and she did a great job interviewing everyone who passed by her. I don’t remember how she became paralyzed, but I’m sure we’ll find out from her movie. She is very proud and doesn’t like to be carried. As odd as it sounds, it is uplifting to see her dragging herself along the dirt path, up the concrete steps, and into a chair at the desk. She can do it on her own! And, man, is she going to.
Andy introduced the project to the kids, and it became clear that we needed translation. So, everyone is taking turns speaking in one of the three languages represented in the room. Zerihune is a great help. We started showing some example movies, but the power went out, so we moved on. Then, the power came back on, but went out immediately. Eventually, Andy was able to get through them.
We introduced the idea of storyboarding to them. Andy explained that we want movies about their barriers to education and employement, but (more importantly) we want to focus on how they overcame them and also their dreams for the future. We’re setting them up as not only the storytellers, but also the mentors who will teach others how to use the computers we’re leaving at the Technical Vocational Training school, Openo.
I just looked at one of the storyboards. This boy is going to make a movie about how he had to fish as a boy and how hard it was to be carrying his fish home as he passed by other boys with books. He eventually went to school on his own, and is a testament to tenacity and perseverance. I think these will be some very moving films.
Jody showed them all the ONE Sara book we have (our other books are sharing company and space with the computers in customs). Many of the girls will make movies that incorporate Sara into the narrative.
I better head back and help Andy and Zerihune out. We just had tea and now I need to give the kids their lunch money so that they can eat before they walk home.
We’re off to the Pact offices in an hour to try and send this blog and upload some photos.
More tomorrow.
E
P.S. I’m also going to buy some toilet paper on the way home.
So, I sent y’all the blog entry yesterday then we went to an outdoor eating hut to watch the locals drink of a Sunday afternoon. We walked through the HOT streets of Gambella and had to stop a couple of times. It is HOT…did I mention that? Actually, it is humid so it is quite fine. After the chilly evenings in Addis, this is quite welcome.
After that we came to the hotel for some fried Nile perch and potatoes. We met a Pact consultant named Eloise who is quite spectacular and funny. We showed her and our newly arrived cohort Zerihune (I know I botched that spelling) some of the student movies. Zerihune is a quite famous artist so he is working with the kids on original art until our computers arrive. Still no word on that front, and I’m fatigued by even thinking about writing about it, so, no computers yet.
We then headed over in a Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) SUV to Chol’s house for the birthday party. Chol now works for the Girls’ Empowerment Project, and has a very nice mud and brick home. She had prepared a great meal of chicken, spaghetti, and sauce, as well as popcorn and cake. We drank Fanta and showed the many children how to make movies on the camera. They LOVED it and laughed for hours at seeing themselves dance and cavort.
There was thatched-roof hut village next to Chol’s home, and many of the neighborhood kids stared through the stick fence in wonderment. There were four of us white people at Chol’s party so it must have been a wonderful diversion for the neighborhood.
Chol’s daughter Juliet was turning seven, her son one, and she is, I believe, 26. There was much music and dancing, and even more sitting. Those of you who know me know how hard it is for me to sit. I’m doing it! I can sit for hours here, as it is culturally inappropriate to go all American on them and flit around like everything that happens has to happen NOW. I’ve calmed down considerably after these past several weeks.
Andy went out with friends last night and I put up my mosquito net and drifted off at 8pm, only to wake up with a start at 7:15am the next morning (today). I turned on the shower, nothing. Yesterday I had the faintest of cold trickles coming out…drip…drip…drip…but it was enough to wash my face and hair. Today I had to shave, so I used the bottled water. I was so excited to shave because Jody had cut my hair yesterday on the porch and I was looking normal again! She had never done it before, but she did a great job! She worked so hard that she started sweating like a marathon runner. We laughed as she dripped sweat off of her nose onto my head. I’m sure she’s still covered in Erik hair.
Our kids arrived at 7:30am this morning. As Andy and the hotel crew fashioned a screen out of a sheet and some string, I showed them how to take photos. They did great. I’m hoping you can see some of them on Shutterfly if I’m able to upload them.
We have about 14 boys and six girls. Many of the girls were profiled in the same document as Chol. One of the girls is paralyzed. A man carried her in. She has an amazing smile and attitude. I showed her the flip and she did a great job interviewing everyone who passed by her. I don’t remember how she became paralyzed, but I’m sure we’ll find out from her movie. She is very proud and doesn’t like to be carried. As odd as it sounds, it is uplifting to see her dragging herself along the dirt path, up the concrete steps, and into a chair at the desk. She can do it on her own! And, man, is she going to.
Andy introduced the project to the kids, and it became clear that we needed translation. So, everyone is taking turns speaking in one of the three languages represented in the room. Zerihune is a great help. We started showing some example movies, but the power went out, so we moved on. Then, the power came back on, but went out immediately. Eventually, Andy was able to get through them.
We introduced the idea of storyboarding to them. Andy explained that we want movies about their barriers to education and employement, but (more importantly) we want to focus on how they overcame them and also their dreams for the future. We’re setting them up as not only the storytellers, but also the mentors who will teach others how to use the computers we’re leaving at the Technical Vocational Training school, Openo.
I just looked at one of the storyboards. This boy is going to make a movie about how he had to fish as a boy and how hard it was to be carrying his fish home as he passed by other boys with books. He eventually went to school on his own, and is a testament to tenacity and perseverance. I think these will be some very moving films.
Jody showed them all the ONE Sara book we have (our other books are sharing company and space with the computers in customs). Many of the girls will make movies that incorporate Sara into the narrative.
I better head back and help Andy and Zerihune out. We just had tea and now I need to give the kids their lunch money so that they can eat before they walk home.
We’re off to the Pact offices in an hour to try and send this blog and upload some photos.
More tomorrow.
E
P.S. I’m also going to buy some toilet paper on the way home.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Greetings from Gambella!
No power for toast! I’m sitting at the Baro River hotel. It was called the Ethiopian Hotel until someone bought it two years ago. Everyone still calls it that. I’m sitting outside, under the thick foliage listening to the drumming and chanting that will go on all day (it’s Sunday, after all.) There was a very loud African drama coming out of the television in the bar…think Days of Our Lives with the lowest of production values…when the power went out…again. “No power for toast,” the server tells me. “No problem,” says I. So now I have a Coke and some locally made fresh bread with the most watery, yet delicious, orange marmalade, and about 300 new little buzzing fly friends looking to enjoy my repast.
We left Addis at 7:30 yesterday morning. Yigzaw from the International School picked us up at the hotel. We made our way to Bole Airport in record time. Andy and Yigzaw were planning to meet the official who had promised to give us our computers and books from Pearson today. We all paid $1 to visit the International Terminal and pressed through security with the shoving crowd. I bought a Fanta and they went off to get our stuff. I didn’t want to go with them because I was afraid I might just add confusion. “Who is this new guy? What is he doing here?”
We had to be at the domestic terminal by 9:00am to catch our flight to Gambella. I sat outside, leaning on Yigzaw’s truck. About 50 taxi drivers came up to me asking if I need transport. I finally just sat in the truck figuring that would send the right message that I did not, indeed, need a ride. About 45 minutes later, Andy and Yigzaw slowly emerged from the terminal. I gave the thumbs-up sign in question, and Andy gave me the wrong response…thumbs-down. The guy was “on his way” at 8:00, but still hadn’t shown up. We had to go to the domestic terminal to make sure we weren’t pushed off of our flight. Yigzaw promised to come back Monday and get the job done. Shoot.
Turns out they wouldn’t let us in the terminal until 9:30, so we sat and had a coffee and discussed what we would do. We finally got in line and made our way to the check in kiosk. Luggage was fine and put through to Gambella. Our boarding passes printed and we were ready to get on the flight. “Wait,” says the ticket guy. Your tickets have been exchanged. “Yes, we called our travel agent in New Orleans yesterday and changed the return date to a week later, but we’re still flying out today.” “No, your ticket has been exchanged. I need to see your new tickets.” We had done the change over the phone. No ticket. So, we had to buy a NEW ticket and hope for a refund when we got home. We had to let everyone in line (a full plane) go through before he could issue us new tickets. We had been hording money all week (I can get $300/day from the ATM here…whew) and had JUST enough Birr to get us through two weeks of training the 30 students and adults in Gambella. Now, we had to take a quarter of our cash and buy plane tickets. So, (hey Mark and Wendy!), we’ll have to have our colleagues in California wire us money again this week in Gambella. (Hey, the power just came back on! My soap is blaring again.)
My seat belt was broken and kept coming off the pin at the base of the seat. So, I took the wire from the top of the vomit bag and jerry-rigged the seat belt back together. We stopped in Jimma (coffee export capital of Ethiopia) and got off the plane to stand on the tarmac while they refueled the plane.
Andy and I were so excited to look out of the plane and see the Baro River, the compounds of thatched-roof huts, and the farmers stopping their work to watch the plane land. We were met by the Pact driver, Leo. We have Keith from the International School with us. He decided to buy a ticket and come with us after our residency with his students last week. He wants to see how Andy and I bring digital arts to rural areas. We got to the hotel and had a lunch of fried fish and rice with spicy pepper sauce.
Our great friend from Pact and wonderful person, Jody, came to meet us and talk about the next two weeks. We’ll have many students from the Girls’ Empowerment program with us this week…including Chol! We’ll have some adults as well. They’ll learn how to facilitate our program. The plan is to have Yigzaw get the computers and books on Monday and immediately put them on a truck to Jimma. Leo will drive from Gambella to Jimma on Monday as well and meet the driver. They’ll spend the night, then Leo will bring our loot to us. We’re doing our residency at our hotel. We hope the dust and jarring drive don’t damage the equipment.
We showed the team many of the movies from our past several weeks and they were all very enthusiastic. We’ll spend the first few days teaching the students how to use the cameras, how to write a narrative, and how to create original art for their movies. It is all going to work out great…I know it!
Andy, Keith, and I left Jody (she wasn’t feeling well) in Andy’s room watching the DVDs of Sex in the City Andy brought. No, there is no T.V. in the room, but Andy had battery power on his computer (power was out again), so she was in heaven.
It is hot, hot, hot here, so we went to buy water, toilet paper (none in my room), and Coke. We saw our friend Agwa at a small hut/shop. He was with us last year when we came to open the orphanage.
We had a light dinner, then Jody thought she might vomit, so she took off. Jody is one of those people who just lights up a room. She’s the type of person you just LOVE having around…so open-hearted and funny! I hated to see her turning green. She’s been ALL over the world and goes to some extremely rural areas. I know she’ll be fine.
Andy and I went out last night and had a couple of beers in some local haunts. When I was here last year, it was all so new and exotic. I was a bit hesitant to walk down the road because we’d heard of ongoing ethnic strife. The “conflict” is still palpable, but I’ve seen enough of Africa now to know when to feel nervous and when to just enjoy myself. I saw only one other white person all night…had a great time.
I fell asleep under my mosquito net. The hotel is the nicest in Gambella, but still VERY rustic and just the kind of place I love. Mind you, I don’t mind a bit of pampering now and again, but I much prefer how ALIVE this place feels.
At 5:00am today, the “rondo” of sounds began. Sounded like this:
Monkey scream
Monkey scream
Drum, Drum, Drum
Chant oo ahh
Chant oo ahh
Baby scream LOUD
Ceiling fan
Ceiling fan
Drum, Drum, Drum
Monkey scream
Baby scream
Gutteral grunt grunt
I’m so excited about today. We’re off to the technical vocational training school that will house the donated Pearson Foundation media lab and library. Then (can’t wait!) we’re off to Chol’s house for her birthday party! I can’t wait to meet her and tell her that I’ve told all of you about her.
More once our program begins tomorrow. We’re SOOOO happy to be back in Gambella and thrilled to bring technical training these amazing people. I know their movies are going to be incredible.
More tomorrow!
E
We left Addis at 7:30 yesterday morning. Yigzaw from the International School picked us up at the hotel. We made our way to Bole Airport in record time. Andy and Yigzaw were planning to meet the official who had promised to give us our computers and books from Pearson today. We all paid $1 to visit the International Terminal and pressed through security with the shoving crowd. I bought a Fanta and they went off to get our stuff. I didn’t want to go with them because I was afraid I might just add confusion. “Who is this new guy? What is he doing here?”
We had to be at the domestic terminal by 9:00am to catch our flight to Gambella. I sat outside, leaning on Yigzaw’s truck. About 50 taxi drivers came up to me asking if I need transport. I finally just sat in the truck figuring that would send the right message that I did not, indeed, need a ride. About 45 minutes later, Andy and Yigzaw slowly emerged from the terminal. I gave the thumbs-up sign in question, and Andy gave me the wrong response…thumbs-down. The guy was “on his way” at 8:00, but still hadn’t shown up. We had to go to the domestic terminal to make sure we weren’t pushed off of our flight. Yigzaw promised to come back Monday and get the job done. Shoot.
Turns out they wouldn’t let us in the terminal until 9:30, so we sat and had a coffee and discussed what we would do. We finally got in line and made our way to the check in kiosk. Luggage was fine and put through to Gambella. Our boarding passes printed and we were ready to get on the flight. “Wait,” says the ticket guy. Your tickets have been exchanged. “Yes, we called our travel agent in New Orleans yesterday and changed the return date to a week later, but we’re still flying out today.” “No, your ticket has been exchanged. I need to see your new tickets.” We had done the change over the phone. No ticket. So, we had to buy a NEW ticket and hope for a refund when we got home. We had to let everyone in line (a full plane) go through before he could issue us new tickets. We had been hording money all week (I can get $300/day from the ATM here…whew) and had JUST enough Birr to get us through two weeks of training the 30 students and adults in Gambella. Now, we had to take a quarter of our cash and buy plane tickets. So, (hey Mark and Wendy!), we’ll have to have our colleagues in California wire us money again this week in Gambella. (Hey, the power just came back on! My soap is blaring again.)
My seat belt was broken and kept coming off the pin at the base of the seat. So, I took the wire from the top of the vomit bag and jerry-rigged the seat belt back together. We stopped in Jimma (coffee export capital of Ethiopia) and got off the plane to stand on the tarmac while they refueled the plane.
Andy and I were so excited to look out of the plane and see the Baro River, the compounds of thatched-roof huts, and the farmers stopping their work to watch the plane land. We were met by the Pact driver, Leo. We have Keith from the International School with us. He decided to buy a ticket and come with us after our residency with his students last week. He wants to see how Andy and I bring digital arts to rural areas. We got to the hotel and had a lunch of fried fish and rice with spicy pepper sauce.
Our great friend from Pact and wonderful person, Jody, came to meet us and talk about the next two weeks. We’ll have many students from the Girls’ Empowerment program with us this week…including Chol! We’ll have some adults as well. They’ll learn how to facilitate our program. The plan is to have Yigzaw get the computers and books on Monday and immediately put them on a truck to Jimma. Leo will drive from Gambella to Jimma on Monday as well and meet the driver. They’ll spend the night, then Leo will bring our loot to us. We’re doing our residency at our hotel. We hope the dust and jarring drive don’t damage the equipment.
We showed the team many of the movies from our past several weeks and they were all very enthusiastic. We’ll spend the first few days teaching the students how to use the cameras, how to write a narrative, and how to create original art for their movies. It is all going to work out great…I know it!
Andy, Keith, and I left Jody (she wasn’t feeling well) in Andy’s room watching the DVDs of Sex in the City Andy brought. No, there is no T.V. in the room, but Andy had battery power on his computer (power was out again), so she was in heaven.
It is hot, hot, hot here, so we went to buy water, toilet paper (none in my room), and Coke. We saw our friend Agwa at a small hut/shop. He was with us last year when we came to open the orphanage.
We had a light dinner, then Jody thought she might vomit, so she took off. Jody is one of those people who just lights up a room. She’s the type of person you just LOVE having around…so open-hearted and funny! I hated to see her turning green. She’s been ALL over the world and goes to some extremely rural areas. I know she’ll be fine.
Andy and I went out last night and had a couple of beers in some local haunts. When I was here last year, it was all so new and exotic. I was a bit hesitant to walk down the road because we’d heard of ongoing ethnic strife. The “conflict” is still palpable, but I’ve seen enough of Africa now to know when to feel nervous and when to just enjoy myself. I saw only one other white person all night…had a great time.
I fell asleep under my mosquito net. The hotel is the nicest in Gambella, but still VERY rustic and just the kind of place I love. Mind you, I don’t mind a bit of pampering now and again, but I much prefer how ALIVE this place feels.
At 5:00am today, the “rondo” of sounds began. Sounded like this:
Monkey scream
Monkey scream
Drum, Drum, Drum
Chant oo ahh
Chant oo ahh
Baby scream LOUD
Ceiling fan
Ceiling fan
Drum, Drum, Drum
Monkey scream
Baby scream
Gutteral grunt grunt
I’m so excited about today. We’re off to the technical vocational training school that will house the donated Pearson Foundation media lab and library. Then (can’t wait!) we’re off to Chol’s house for her birthday party! I can’t wait to meet her and tell her that I’ve told all of you about her.
More once our program begins tomorrow. We’re SOOOO happy to be back in Gambella and thrilled to bring technical training these amazing people. I know their movies are going to be incredible.
More tomorrow!
E
Friday, October 26, 2007
On Our Way to Gambella!
Wow. It's been a year since I was in Gambella with Andy. He stayed for many months, and I just had four days there. I get to stay two weeks now! Andy and I now arrive home on the 13th.
We finished with the kids today. (Andy got ten minutes with them between meetings to get our computers out...more on that in a bit.) It went great. The parents arrived at 3:30 for "bites", coffee, and movie viewing. I told them all about our trip through Africa. They were curious as to why we were at ICS. I told them that I was hoping they could help me make sure that their sons and daughters paid it forward. The fact that they were already exposed to technology meant that I could take them further. I asked that they take their new knowledge and help kids in undeserved schools in Addis. They all enthusiastically agreed. We had our kids from the underserved schools there, and you could tell that the parents were happy to have their kids exposed to the idea of helping other who have fewer resources.
Andy spent the day, again, trying to get our computers out of hock at the airport. He was ten seconds away from a "yes" when someone found a signature "issue". We've been told we can get them tomorrow. Man, this could be so nerve-wracking but we've decided to be philosophical about it and just go with the flow.
So, we get up early tomorrow morning (Saturday) and pack, check out of the hotel, and meet our friend Yigzaw from the international school at 7:30am. We'll head to the airport, and hopefully get our computers out at 8:00am when the "right man" shows up. We have to check in to our Gambella flight by 9:00am. Hope we have enough time to do all of this. That said, one can never really be sure that a) the flight will go, b) one will get on the flight, even if one has confirmed one's seat, and c) the flight will actually stop in Gambella as printed on one's ticket...given the whim of the pilot and his choice of landing spots for the day.
We have many friends from Pact joining us in Gambella to help with the two week program. If we get our computers tomorrow, they will go on a slow truck to Gambella on Monday, arriving Wednesday. We'll spend Mon/Tues/Wed with the Gambella kids writing their narratives for their movies, teaching them to use the Flip video cameras and still cameras, and gathering assets for their films. When the computers arrive, we'll start by teaching them how to use the mouse! We love that part. I can't wait to get back to Gambella and to work with these kids, many of whom are orphans.
Now, I remember from last year that both power and Internet are intermittent in Gambella, and Andy spent hours trying to just send me two pictures one day. So, we promise to blog (we love doing it...well, I love doing it!), but don't get concerned if you don't hear from us for a few days here and there.
SO looking forward to tomorrow!
Best,
E
We finished with the kids today. (Andy got ten minutes with them between meetings to get our computers out...more on that in a bit.) It went great. The parents arrived at 3:30 for "bites", coffee, and movie viewing. I told them all about our trip through Africa. They were curious as to why we were at ICS. I told them that I was hoping they could help me make sure that their sons and daughters paid it forward. The fact that they were already exposed to technology meant that I could take them further. I asked that they take their new knowledge and help kids in undeserved schools in Addis. They all enthusiastically agreed. We had our kids from the underserved schools there, and you could tell that the parents were happy to have their kids exposed to the idea of helping other who have fewer resources.
Andy spent the day, again, trying to get our computers out of hock at the airport. He was ten seconds away from a "yes" when someone found a signature "issue". We've been told we can get them tomorrow. Man, this could be so nerve-wracking but we've decided to be philosophical about it and just go with the flow.
So, we get up early tomorrow morning (Saturday) and pack, check out of the hotel, and meet our friend Yigzaw from the international school at 7:30am. We'll head to the airport, and hopefully get our computers out at 8:00am when the "right man" shows up. We have to check in to our Gambella flight by 9:00am. Hope we have enough time to do all of this. That said, one can never really be sure that a) the flight will go, b) one will get on the flight, even if one has confirmed one's seat, and c) the flight will actually stop in Gambella as printed on one's ticket...given the whim of the pilot and his choice of landing spots for the day.
We have many friends from Pact joining us in Gambella to help with the two week program. If we get our computers tomorrow, they will go on a slow truck to Gambella on Monday, arriving Wednesday. We'll spend Mon/Tues/Wed with the Gambella kids writing their narratives for their movies, teaching them to use the Flip video cameras and still cameras, and gathering assets for their films. When the computers arrive, we'll start by teaching them how to use the mouse! We love that part. I can't wait to get back to Gambella and to work with these kids, many of whom are orphans.
Now, I remember from last year that both power and Internet are intermittent in Gambella, and Andy spent hours trying to just send me two pictures one day. So, we promise to blog (we love doing it...well, I love doing it!), but don't get concerned if you don't hear from us for a few days here and there.
SO looking forward to tomorrow!
Best,
E
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Update from the town we’re in!
Things are going well with the students. They’ve learned quickly, and have done a wonderful job of integrating our students from the underserved schools. No problems or hiccups there at all. Smooth sailing.
On other fronts, Andy is still frantically attempting his, well, attempts. So much is happening. I’ll wait until later to update you on that front.
We leave on Saturday for Gambella. We’re really excited to get there. We’ve decided to stay an extra week. We found that in both Kigoma and Accra, we really could have used an extra week to make the students truly self-sufficient on the computers. Given that they come from no knowledge to working knowledge in five days, we realized that we could really create mentors to spread the wealth if we stayed longer. Also, it could be that we show up with just our two laptops, so we’ll work with the students in groups of six (three on each computer) in one-hour shifts throughout the day. If that happens, we’ll adapt and make it work!
We’re working with Pact Ethiopia on the Gambella project. They are amazing. Both Leslie and Jody from Pact have been so supportive in our “attempts” this week. They do incredible work in the country we’re in, and we are thrilled to be working with them.
They have a program called The Girls’ Empowerment and Management (GEM) Project. Many of the students we’ll work with will be in the same situation as some of the girls from GEM. Leslie and Jody sent us a brochure about GEM, so I thought I’d write down one of the success stories here, so that you’ll get an idea about what we’ll do next week. Since September, 2006, GEM has been implemented by Pact Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Forum on Street Children, and Action for Development.
The document Leslie and Jody gave us is called, “Stories from the Lives of Participants in the Girls’ Empowerment & Management Project.” It was authored by Katy Anis, Pact, April 2007.
This story is titled, “Chol Survives, Thrives, and Becomes a Role Model for Gambella Girls.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Chol Gatkek is an empowerment worker with the Girls’ Empowerment and Management Project. Starting out as a refugee in a camp, she has now graduated with a diploma and works to inspire girls to achieve their goals.
She recounts the story of how she got to where she is now. “I was born in Akobo, but when there was fighting, my father had an interest in being a soldier, so we moved to Sudan right after I was born. However, when there was fighting on the Sudan side of the border, we came back here. Later, I spent four years in the refugee camp in Itang until the change of government. Then, all the refugees ran back to Sudan again. This time, I stayed in Sudan only one year because there was no good school there. Here, the border is not such a big deal. People don’t see it as something so far away – they easily go back and forth.
When I was a child, in grade school, I lived with the wife of my uncle. I had to fight with this woman a lot for her to allow me to go to school. She would tell me, “The children have urinated in their clothes. You can’t go to school. You have to stay and wash their clothes.” I would tell her, “No, I must go to school. Even if you were my own mother I would tell you I have to go to school.” Every day was a struggle in that house.
Her hut was very far from the school. If I woke up at 6:00am, I would reach the school by 9:00 or 10:00 and miss all of my morning classes. So, I had to wake up at 4:00 before it was light in order to start walking and reach the school on time.
I did not have any watch in those days. One day I woke up and the sky was bright and I thought, “I am late. I must hurry to school.” As I was walking in the middle of the jungle, the moon suddenly disappeared. I realized it was midnight and I was in the middle of the jungle. It was dark and I could see nothing. I thought to myself, “Maybe this night, I will die.” But I just started moving.
As I was walking through the forest in the dark, I suddenly ran into a group of men. I could not see them and they could not see me. They thought I was an animal and they came to attack me with spears. I cried out, “Wait. Don’t kill me! I am a human being.”
When they realized I was a human, they put down their spears. They reprimanded me, saying, “What are you doing out here in the middle of the jungle?” I told them my story and they said, “You come this distance at this time for education?” Some of them began to cry. Some of them knew my father and so they sat and took counsel. They decided to split the group and some of the men went on, while the other group took me back to my living place.
When I got back, I knocked on the door and my aunt was afraid. She cried out, “Who are you? Who are you?”
“Auntie, it’s me! The moon cheated me.”
“You were supposed to die this night! Don’t you know there are animals that eat children like you?”
I was very afraid that night, but I tried to go back to sleep. But then the sky became brighter and I got up again at 4:00am to make the trek back to school.
And in this way, I made it through school.
I wanted to continue on to Grade 7 and 8, but they required me to know Amharic and I did not know it at that time. I wrote to my father telling him, “Father, I am jobless. I must come to where you are.
He wrote me a letter saying, “Stay there. I will bring your mother to you.” He sold all of his cattle to pay for the journey and the food, and he brought my mother to me. She then took me to a refugee camp. My father was later killed. When we got to the refugee camp, we had a chance to improve our economic situation because we got free food and school.
Then my fate changed.
When I was in Grade 8, I was employed by Save the Children Sweden as a Girls’ Education Mobilizer. There were many children who were living alone as heads of household there. Save the Children would look after these children. So they came to visit me and brought jerry cans and saucepans. After they spoke with me, they said, “We want you to work with us.” So they employed me.
They found that there was a high dropout rate in the schools and they wanted to know why. So I conducted home visits. We found that people did not get food. We also found that menstruating girls did not have any kind of sanitary materials. They had only one pair of underwear and after five minutes it would become full and they would change it with another sheet or some cloth, while they tried to wash the first one. The girls would stay five days in their house without going to school and would deceive people saying they were sick. So after this, we distributed eight pieces of cloth and four pairs of underwear to each girl. We also tried to reduce their workload. And then we would do follow up with them.
During that time, I was working, going to school, and taking care of a household. Just before my Grade 8 exams, my boss came and told me, “If you feel like working, fine. But take this time to study for the exams. You choose your own schedule.” I studied very hard and when exam time came, I was the first girl to get a score of 95 out of 100! My boss was surprised and told me, “I knew you would do well, but I was never expecting this!” After that, because of my results, I was awarded a scholarship to study from Grade 9 to 12.
I enjoyed working for Girls’ Empowerment. Even after I left, I would come back on school breaks and work for the project. I would also go back work as a translator doing interviews with refugees going to America for resettlement. If they paid me $10 a day, I could earn $70 in one week. That helped my economic situation.
Chol speaks Nuer, Anyuwak, English, Amharic, and Arabic fluently and goes back and forth between these languages constantly, even in one conversation. She says, “I can also understand Ndinka, but I respond in Arabic. I learned all of these languages while I was a child in the refugee camp. There were many different tribes learning together. I interacted with all of them.”
After I finished Grade 12, I was not able to get a scholarship to continue my education. So I became married and had a child. Three years later, I succeeded in getting a scholarship to pursue a diploma in the area of Community Development and Leadership at the Adventist College in Shashemene. It was so difficult to get that diploma! My child was in the care of a relative and he was always getting sick. When you hear your child is in the hospital, you do not feel good. I was always asking the dean if I could visit my child and he would refuse. But then I would cry each week, and he would find a way to allow me to go.
I was one of only two indigenous girls in the program to receive scholarship and I was the only mother. I asked the dean to consider my case, provide me a room in the school compound and allow me to manage the scholarship money myself, rather than having the money going through the school. And in that way, I supported myself to complete my diploma. Now my goal is to go to university.
I have always enjoyed working with Girls’ Empowerment. “She is my product,” Chol points to Nyobong, the intern at her side. Nyobong was in Grade 3 when Chol first began mentoring her as an 8th grader. Nyobong has now moved on to completing her own diploma. Part of Nyobong’s practicum is to work as an intern where she shadows Chol’s empowerment work, helping to distribute scholarships, conduct field visits, and translate and computerize text.
As Chol sits in front of a group of 9th grade Anyuwak and Nuer girls, she tells the story of how she survived war, the death of her parents, and getting a diploma while caring for her child. The girls sit with eyes locked, in wrapped attention. When Chol gets to the intense moments in her pursuit of education, the girls spontaneously break into clapping!
Later, when one of these girls speaks of a vision of her future, she says, “When I think of my future vision, I imagine myself like the staff in this program, standing in front of other people, talking to them and advising them what to do and how to plan their futures.” Chol continues to work as a strong and capable indigenous woman, serving as a role model and making a path for other girls like her to rise to success.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
More from Gambella next week…where we are going to meet many more girls like Chol!
Erik
On other fronts, Andy is still frantically attempting his, well, attempts. So much is happening. I’ll wait until later to update you on that front.
We leave on Saturday for Gambella. We’re really excited to get there. We’ve decided to stay an extra week. We found that in both Kigoma and Accra, we really could have used an extra week to make the students truly self-sufficient on the computers. Given that they come from no knowledge to working knowledge in five days, we realized that we could really create mentors to spread the wealth if we stayed longer. Also, it could be that we show up with just our two laptops, so we’ll work with the students in groups of six (three on each computer) in one-hour shifts throughout the day. If that happens, we’ll adapt and make it work!
We’re working with Pact Ethiopia on the Gambella project. They are amazing. Both Leslie and Jody from Pact have been so supportive in our “attempts” this week. They do incredible work in the country we’re in, and we are thrilled to be working with them.
They have a program called The Girls’ Empowerment and Management (GEM) Project. Many of the students we’ll work with will be in the same situation as some of the girls from GEM. Leslie and Jody sent us a brochure about GEM, so I thought I’d write down one of the success stories here, so that you’ll get an idea about what we’ll do next week. Since September, 2006, GEM has been implemented by Pact Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Forum on Street Children, and Action for Development.
The document Leslie and Jody gave us is called, “Stories from the Lives of Participants in the Girls’ Empowerment & Management Project.” It was authored by Katy Anis, Pact, April 2007.
This story is titled, “Chol Survives, Thrives, and Becomes a Role Model for Gambella Girls.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Chol Gatkek is an empowerment worker with the Girls’ Empowerment and Management Project. Starting out as a refugee in a camp, she has now graduated with a diploma and works to inspire girls to achieve their goals.
She recounts the story of how she got to where she is now. “I was born in Akobo, but when there was fighting, my father had an interest in being a soldier, so we moved to Sudan right after I was born. However, when there was fighting on the Sudan side of the border, we came back here. Later, I spent four years in the refugee camp in Itang until the change of government. Then, all the refugees ran back to Sudan again. This time, I stayed in Sudan only one year because there was no good school there. Here, the border is not such a big deal. People don’t see it as something so far away – they easily go back and forth.
When I was a child, in grade school, I lived with the wife of my uncle. I had to fight with this woman a lot for her to allow me to go to school. She would tell me, “The children have urinated in their clothes. You can’t go to school. You have to stay and wash their clothes.” I would tell her, “No, I must go to school. Even if you were my own mother I would tell you I have to go to school.” Every day was a struggle in that house.
Her hut was very far from the school. If I woke up at 6:00am, I would reach the school by 9:00 or 10:00 and miss all of my morning classes. So, I had to wake up at 4:00 before it was light in order to start walking and reach the school on time.
I did not have any watch in those days. One day I woke up and the sky was bright and I thought, “I am late. I must hurry to school.” As I was walking in the middle of the jungle, the moon suddenly disappeared. I realized it was midnight and I was in the middle of the jungle. It was dark and I could see nothing. I thought to myself, “Maybe this night, I will die.” But I just started moving.
As I was walking through the forest in the dark, I suddenly ran into a group of men. I could not see them and they could not see me. They thought I was an animal and they came to attack me with spears. I cried out, “Wait. Don’t kill me! I am a human being.”
When they realized I was a human, they put down their spears. They reprimanded me, saying, “What are you doing out here in the middle of the jungle?” I told them my story and they said, “You come this distance at this time for education?” Some of them began to cry. Some of them knew my father and so they sat and took counsel. They decided to split the group and some of the men went on, while the other group took me back to my living place.
When I got back, I knocked on the door and my aunt was afraid. She cried out, “Who are you? Who are you?”
“Auntie, it’s me! The moon cheated me.”
“You were supposed to die this night! Don’t you know there are animals that eat children like you?”
I was very afraid that night, but I tried to go back to sleep. But then the sky became brighter and I got up again at 4:00am to make the trek back to school.
And in this way, I made it through school.
I wanted to continue on to Grade 7 and 8, but they required me to know Amharic and I did not know it at that time. I wrote to my father telling him, “Father, I am jobless. I must come to where you are.
He wrote me a letter saying, “Stay there. I will bring your mother to you.” He sold all of his cattle to pay for the journey and the food, and he brought my mother to me. She then took me to a refugee camp. My father was later killed. When we got to the refugee camp, we had a chance to improve our economic situation because we got free food and school.
Then my fate changed.
When I was in Grade 8, I was employed by Save the Children Sweden as a Girls’ Education Mobilizer. There were many children who were living alone as heads of household there. Save the Children would look after these children. So they came to visit me and brought jerry cans and saucepans. After they spoke with me, they said, “We want you to work with us.” So they employed me.
They found that there was a high dropout rate in the schools and they wanted to know why. So I conducted home visits. We found that people did not get food. We also found that menstruating girls did not have any kind of sanitary materials. They had only one pair of underwear and after five minutes it would become full and they would change it with another sheet or some cloth, while they tried to wash the first one. The girls would stay five days in their house without going to school and would deceive people saying they were sick. So after this, we distributed eight pieces of cloth and four pairs of underwear to each girl. We also tried to reduce their workload. And then we would do follow up with them.
During that time, I was working, going to school, and taking care of a household. Just before my Grade 8 exams, my boss came and told me, “If you feel like working, fine. But take this time to study for the exams. You choose your own schedule.” I studied very hard and when exam time came, I was the first girl to get a score of 95 out of 100! My boss was surprised and told me, “I knew you would do well, but I was never expecting this!” After that, because of my results, I was awarded a scholarship to study from Grade 9 to 12.
I enjoyed working for Girls’ Empowerment. Even after I left, I would come back on school breaks and work for the project. I would also go back work as a translator doing interviews with refugees going to America for resettlement. If they paid me $10 a day, I could earn $70 in one week. That helped my economic situation.
Chol speaks Nuer, Anyuwak, English, Amharic, and Arabic fluently and goes back and forth between these languages constantly, even in one conversation. She says, “I can also understand Ndinka, but I respond in Arabic. I learned all of these languages while I was a child in the refugee camp. There were many different tribes learning together. I interacted with all of them.”
After I finished Grade 12, I was not able to get a scholarship to continue my education. So I became married and had a child. Three years later, I succeeded in getting a scholarship to pursue a diploma in the area of Community Development and Leadership at the Adventist College in Shashemene. It was so difficult to get that diploma! My child was in the care of a relative and he was always getting sick. When you hear your child is in the hospital, you do not feel good. I was always asking the dean if I could visit my child and he would refuse. But then I would cry each week, and he would find a way to allow me to go.
I was one of only two indigenous girls in the program to receive scholarship and I was the only mother. I asked the dean to consider my case, provide me a room in the school compound and allow me to manage the scholarship money myself, rather than having the money going through the school. And in that way, I supported myself to complete my diploma. Now my goal is to go to university.
I have always enjoyed working with Girls’ Empowerment. “She is my product,” Chol points to Nyobong, the intern at her side. Nyobong was in Grade 3 when Chol first began mentoring her as an 8th grader. Nyobong has now moved on to completing her own diploma. Part of Nyobong’s practicum is to work as an intern where she shadows Chol’s empowerment work, helping to distribute scholarships, conduct field visits, and translate and computerize text.
As Chol sits in front of a group of 9th grade Anyuwak and Nuer girls, she tells the story of how she survived war, the death of her parents, and getting a diploma while caring for her child. The girls sit with eyes locked, in wrapped attention. When Chol gets to the intense moments in her pursuit of education, the girls spontaneously break into clapping!
Later, when one of these girls speaks of a vision of her future, she says, “When I think of my future vision, I imagine myself like the staff in this program, standing in front of other people, talking to them and advising them what to do and how to plan their futures.” Chol continues to work as a strong and capable indigenous woman, serving as a role model and making a path for other girls like her to rise to success.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
More from Gambella next week…where we are going to meet many more girls like Chol!
Erik
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Frustrating and Fulfilling Day in This Country
Again, apologies for how vague this blog entry will seem. I just have to be careful. Turns out I can upload photos to Shutterfly, but this country won't allow me to share them any more. So, Ben is taking over and adding the Shutterfly links, too. Thanks Ben. An anonymous friend from an anonymous NGO told me about a website you can sign up for that allows you to surf the net anomalously in this country, but I was also blocked from that. So, I become more and more isolated here in this country. Still love it here, just slightly frustrated.
Speaking of frustration, Andy has spent all of his time here still trying to get our computers and the 3,000 books our company donated to this country out of customs. I have had to write certificates of donation, and Andy has stood in endless lines at myriad ministry offices. He was about 10 minutes away from finally getting everything out of hock when the last person he spoke to decided it wasn't going to happen. All we want to do is donate 15 laptops to a technical school in a rural area. Frustrating indeed. We're trying again tomorrow. All we can do is try. I'd tell you more about it, but I can't.
Seems Andy and I have switched roles this week. Last week, I spent every morning going to ATMs in Accra looking for cash as Andy was in the classroom. This week, Andy is in line at the ministry as I teach. I spent all last night editing the kids' narratives. I woke up early to keep going, but I didn't finish in time. So, imagine this...I took my computer out in the back of the taxi and went to work. Just picture me using my new Mac to edit video as we made the 45-minute drive through the smoggy, vibrant, and people-heavy streets of this town. Every time we stopped at a light, about 15 people would knock on the window looking for handouts and food from this firrengie (sp?), or white person, working on his computer. Weird.
We had ten indigenous kids from a local, marginalized school join us today. They looked a bit bewildered when they arrived, but Dawn, Keith (our host teachers), and I had a talk with our International kids about inclusion. We brought six of the International kids who spoke Amharic welcome our new students. I'm sure the surroundings were quite foreign to our new friends. All went well, however, as the International kids starting teaching our local kids how to use Premiere, how to use the Flip cameras, and how to write narratives. All in all, it was great to see! You can see the indiginous students and the International School students working together on the Shutterfly link Ben will post. The local kids are in red.
I am hesitant to say much more. I fear out blogs are less than satisfying to you, but I just don't want to rock the boat. It will be harder from the remote town we're going to next as the power there is so intermittent, and the Internet is all dial-up. Rest-assured, we'll do our best to keep you informed. I will be more forthcoming with information once we get our computers and books out of customs.
More later. (I hope!)
E
Speaking of frustration, Andy has spent all of his time here still trying to get our computers and the 3,000 books our company donated to this country out of customs. I have had to write certificates of donation, and Andy has stood in endless lines at myriad ministry offices. He was about 10 minutes away from finally getting everything out of hock when the last person he spoke to decided it wasn't going to happen. All we want to do is donate 15 laptops to a technical school in a rural area. Frustrating indeed. We're trying again tomorrow. All we can do is try. I'd tell you more about it, but I can't.
Seems Andy and I have switched roles this week. Last week, I spent every morning going to ATMs in Accra looking for cash as Andy was in the classroom. This week, Andy is in line at the ministry as I teach. I spent all last night editing the kids' narratives. I woke up early to keep going, but I didn't finish in time. So, imagine this...I took my computer out in the back of the taxi and went to work. Just picture me using my new Mac to edit video as we made the 45-minute drive through the smoggy, vibrant, and people-heavy streets of this town. Every time we stopped at a light, about 15 people would knock on the window looking for handouts and food from this firrengie (sp?), or white person, working on his computer. Weird.
We had ten indigenous kids from a local, marginalized school join us today. They looked a bit bewildered when they arrived, but Dawn, Keith (our host teachers), and I had a talk with our International kids about inclusion. We brought six of the International kids who spoke Amharic welcome our new students. I'm sure the surroundings were quite foreign to our new friends. All went well, however, as the International kids starting teaching our local kids how to use Premiere, how to use the Flip cameras, and how to write narratives. All in all, it was great to see! You can see the indiginous students and the International School students working together on the Shutterfly link Ben will post. The local kids are in red.
I am hesitant to say much more. I fear out blogs are less than satisfying to you, but I just don't want to rock the boat. It will be harder from the remote town we're going to next as the power there is so intermittent, and the Internet is all dial-up. Rest-assured, we'll do our best to keep you informed. I will be more forthcoming with information once we get our computers and books out of customs.
More later. (I hope!)
E
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Takin' It Slow in Addis
Hey there!
We had a very successful day in Addis. We got up at 5am, did some Shutterfly work, then went to ICS (an International School) to set up at 7am. We still don't have our laptop computers (more on that in a bit), but we were able to use the media lab at ICS and load software. These kids are quick, quick, quick. It is a good lesson in socio-economic disparity for us. These kids come from money, and so have access to better education. It just punctuates, for me, the need to head out to remote areas and bring technology. I just know that kids like Never, Isack, and Saada are going to go to college, and I'm betting that their time learning digital arts will be a key factor in this.
The kids here are making PSAs about environmental issues. There are many good things about being here. First, these kids are so accustomed to using computers that we can go really fast. This will mean that they can quickly become mentors. They go on outings to villages once a year, so our kids here will be positioned to do our digital arts program with marginalized kids by the end of this week. Second, it is a bit of a break from all of the emotions for Andy and me. There have been so many tough moments over the past six weeks (and there are SURE to be some more in Gambella next week), that it is good for us to take a moment to partake in some slow breathing.
Tomorrow, we have 10 kids coming from some of the poorest schools in Addis to join our International kids. We had a long talk today about inclusion. It will probably be some of the more affluent kids' first encounters with under-served members of Addis society. I can't wait for the cross-cultural mixing to begin.
I have to be vague in my attempts to tell you that I have to be vague. Andy spent much of the day trying to finagle our computers out of customs. We worked for hours last night trying to figure it out, and Andy spent many more hours today. We are going to donate the computers to a tech school in Gambella that has 500 students and just a few, very outdated computers. When we told the school that we were doing this, you could hear the screams and shouts for miles. More on Gambella toward the end of the week. It looks like we might get our computers today, but I can't say more than that right now.
Andy and I are going to edit the kids' narratives tonight and continue to do post-production on the movies from our other countries. No days off, but we wouldn't have it any other way. This trip has been life-changing. Oh, and we got in a small car accident on the crazy streets of Addis today. Our wonderful taxi driver is a master at weaving in and out. Lanes? Who needs 'em! (Jaime, you'd love driving here.) A big, dented bus carrying tons of people pulled right into us (honestly, Andy and I have been waiting for this as it seems like we should have been in at least ten fender benders by now). We watched the haggling, then our driver sped off. We were hoping for some kind of tussle, but it just ended with no drama.
Andy is off now buying ear-buds and splitters so that the kids can hear their narratives tomorrow. I am editing their films and sending this blog to Ben so that he can upload it. Thanks Ben.
More tomorrow.
E
We had a very successful day in Addis. We got up at 5am, did some Shutterfly work, then went to ICS (an International School) to set up at 7am. We still don't have our laptop computers (more on that in a bit), but we were able to use the media lab at ICS and load software. These kids are quick, quick, quick. It is a good lesson in socio-economic disparity for us. These kids come from money, and so have access to better education. It just punctuates, for me, the need to head out to remote areas and bring technology. I just know that kids like Never, Isack, and Saada are going to go to college, and I'm betting that their time learning digital arts will be a key factor in this.
The kids here are making PSAs about environmental issues. There are many good things about being here. First, these kids are so accustomed to using computers that we can go really fast. This will mean that they can quickly become mentors. They go on outings to villages once a year, so our kids here will be positioned to do our digital arts program with marginalized kids by the end of this week. Second, it is a bit of a break from all of the emotions for Andy and me. There have been so many tough moments over the past six weeks (and there are SURE to be some more in Gambella next week), that it is good for us to take a moment to partake in some slow breathing.
Tomorrow, we have 10 kids coming from some of the poorest schools in Addis to join our International kids. We had a long talk today about inclusion. It will probably be some of the more affluent kids' first encounters with under-served members of Addis society. I can't wait for the cross-cultural mixing to begin.
I have to be vague in my attempts to tell you that I have to be vague. Andy spent much of the day trying to finagle our computers out of customs. We worked for hours last night trying to figure it out, and Andy spent many more hours today. We are going to donate the computers to a tech school in Gambella that has 500 students and just a few, very outdated computers. When we told the school that we were doing this, you could hear the screams and shouts for miles. More on Gambella toward the end of the week. It looks like we might get our computers today, but I can't say more than that right now.
Andy and I are going to edit the kids' narratives tonight and continue to do post-production on the movies from our other countries. No days off, but we wouldn't have it any other way. This trip has been life-changing. Oh, and we got in a small car accident on the crazy streets of Addis today. Our wonderful taxi driver is a master at weaving in and out. Lanes? Who needs 'em! (Jaime, you'd love driving here.) A big, dented bus carrying tons of people pulled right into us (honestly, Andy and I have been waiting for this as it seems like we should have been in at least ten fender benders by now). We watched the haggling, then our driver sped off. We were hoping for some kind of tussle, but it just ended with no drama.
Andy is off now buying ear-buds and splitters so that the kids can hear their narratives tomorrow. I am editing their films and sending this blog to Ben so that he can upload it. Thanks Ben.
More tomorrow.
E
Kelly and Mitch Love Botswana!
Hey, Erik here. Kelly and Mitch have finally found enough free moments to blog about Botswana, so here it is!
It wasn't my first time to Botswana, but I learned so much more about
this lovely country the second time around and have come to
appreciate it even further. We were lucky enough to be around for
the 44th anniversary of their independence. We didn't get to stay
for all of the fireworks but we did get to see the pride the
Botswanans have in their country. And rightfully so! Only 44 years
ago Botswana was a poor country suffering many of the same problems
that exist throughout Africa, however, Botswana was lucky enough to
find diamonds within their boarders and, thanks to a government that
was not corrupt and cared for it's people, it's now a fast growing,
thriving country and a shining example to other African countries.
There are malls and universities, but they have still managed to keep
a huge portion of their land reserved for the wildlife. In Botswana
you won't see as many tourists on your game drives as other
countries. Botswana has adopted a policy of high quality, low volume
tourism, keeping the reserves less damaged and untouched.
It is, however, the people that make Botswana a wonderful place.
Unlike so many other countries in Africa, you don't have to worry
about getting pick pocketed or cheated out of your money or about
your safety. The people of Botswana are not violent and do not like
confrontation. Granted, you can't always get exactly what you want
all the time there (fast internet, for one thing) but the people are
very generous and accommodating.
Working with some of the orphans at the media arts camp put on by the
Pearson Foundation was one of the highlights of my trip. In this
camp, run by Erik and Andy, they were taught how to use computers,
take still photos and use digital video cameras. I'm sure none of
them had ever touched a computer or video camera before. The wonders
of a digital camera where you could immediately see the results was
so amusing to them they constantly erupted in fits of laughter seeing
the photos of themselves on the camera monitor.
They were able to take the cameras back to the orphanage to shoot as
much footage as the camera could hold, and the results were amazing.
We were able to see them completely uninhibited. They and their
fellow orphans felt right at home when one of their own was behind
the camera and they hammed it up.
I also had the opportunity to interview them and the results were
amazing. They told me how they came to their orphanage. Some lost
their parents to AIDS, some had parents that were just too poor to
take care of them. Listening to their stories brought tears to my
eyes more than once, but being able to see their faces when they saw
pictures of themselves and hearing them laugh out loud made me so
proud to be able to be a part of this event.
Thank you Erik and Andy for all of your hard work and thank you
Pearson Foundation for making it all happen.
pula!
Kelly Hu
Monday, October 22, 2007
Hello From Addis
Andy and I made it safely to Addis after a 7-hour flight (stopped in Lagos). There was nobody on the plane for the 42 minute flight from Accra to Lagos, so we stretched out. Then, the plane filled up in Lagos, so we had to sleep all crunched up. All good. It meant we could spend another day with the kids in Accra, so we didn't mind a bit.
Ben is posting this for us because we can't blog from here. I really can't say anything more than that, sorry. Need to be a bit vague about that.
We'll send Ben a new blog entry tomorrow after we start with our kids. We're making PSAs about environmental issues with students from an International school. We're also inviting students from several underserved schools in Addis. It will be interesting to see how they mix.
Our computers are stuck in customs because they want an exhorbitant amount of money to get them out. We're working on a fix, but it has been an extremely frustrating day today trying to get in touch with people who can help us. We have a computer lab at the International school, so we loaded Premiere on those machines today. We're good to go this week. The problem is that we are donating the laptops to a school in Gambella, and they could REALLY use them. But, we can't get our computers out of customs. Cross your fingers for us.
More tomorrow,
Erik
Ben is posting this for us because we can't blog from here. I really can't say anything more than that, sorry. Need to be a bit vague about that.
We'll send Ben a new blog entry tomorrow after we start with our kids. We're making PSAs about environmental issues with students from an International school. We're also inviting students from several underserved schools in Addis. It will be interesting to see how they mix.
Our computers are stuck in customs because they want an exhorbitant amount of money to get them out. We're working on a fix, but it has been an extremely frustrating day today trying to get in touch with people who can help us. We have a computer lab at the International school, so we loaded Premiere on those machines today. We're good to go this week. The problem is that we are donating the laptops to a school in Gambella, and they could REALLY use them. But, we can't get our computers out of customs. Cross your fingers for us.
More tomorrow,
Erik
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Last Day In Accra
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Last Day in Accra
Wow. What a day. But before I talk about today, a few more items from the video pen pal program yesterday.
Lori and Claire Dillon did an amazing job setting it up in Chicago, and Peggy Blanchard did the same in Lake Charles. The kids on both sides had a blast. Here are some comments Lori sent through from some of her teachers.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lori,
My students were so impressed with the telecast; far more than I thoughtthey would be. I will show my other classes the video I taped during thetelecast and the video clips. I discussed fund raising possibilities withall four classes, and they are all ready to go. Their homework (dueTuesday), is to come up with a(n) idea(s) regarding how we can best raisethe necessary money to rescue a child. Each class period would like toplan their own activity(ies), and they are up for a competition betweenthe three 6th grade teams (Carol Lynne suggested a thermometer in the mainhallway to monitor growth). Raffle idea is great, too! They particularlyliked the idea of another telecast in which they all can see their giftbeing handed to Eric (or whomever) and the children accepting it. Theyare thinking of having all this done so you could, perhaps, hand deliveran installment. Perhaps this is too lofty a goal and they understand theremay be a conflict with the Association House. I will talk to StudentServices (will see Sue H. tomorrow). I have already had a parent email meregarding a donation. If we could only bottle their energy and generousspirits, we could rescue them all! Thank you, Lori, for all your work incoordinating this.
Taylor Monroe
Lori,Thanks so much for coming and having the video-conferencing with us. That was awesome! I know it wasn't easy with all the technical difficulties and all. Thanks for your patience. My other class was so disappointed they couldn't do the video conferencing. If there are other opportunities to video-conference, I vote we do it again :)I'm all for the fund raising idea too. Yes, whatever we can do to rescue more children. Let us know how we can help with that.I showed the video clip that you sent us to the class that didn't get to video conf. and they loved even that short clip. Thanks for sending us all the links.My students are very anxious to begin this pen pal project. It's so neat to see how excited they all are about this.Susie OhLori-
WOW! It's about all can say.... WOW! The students who were fortunate enough to be in the teleconference- both classes- will never quite be the same- What a fantastic, compassionate, educational experience this was for all. We can't wait to receive our pen pals, to build a relationship with these amazing kids, and to help in any way we can-Thank you very much-
Katie Schiyer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
My favorite memories of the day…
Because there was a slight delay, we taught all the kids to say, “over” when they finished talking, then to wait for a few seconds. It worked great. The rest of the day, the kids would be talking to each other like this: “How was your lunch, over.” Just fine, over.”
One of our kids asked the a student in Chicago, “How big is your village?” The look on the Chicago student’s face was priceless, “Uh (looking around for guidance in complete bewilderment), 19 million?”
One of our kids was telling the kids in Chicago about being trapped in the nets and beaten mercilessly by his master. He ended his very poignant story by demonstrating the master beating him with a paddle, “I have dent in my head from it.” When he did this, all of his friends on the Ghana side started laughing hysterically because he had missed his head with the ersatz paddle. The kids in Chicago just stared at the screen, not sure whether to smile along or what. They all started laughing together, and it was a truly priceless moment.
We had just finished when Lori said, “Erik! One more group, can we? They really want to talk.” So, we did. Alfred (Ghana) told the story of his time with his master, and then begged the Chicago students to help. They said they would do everything they could. Then, they talked sports. When the kids asked if the Ghana students knew of the Chicago Bears, they (of course) did not. But, our astute students all said back, “We hope your team wins!” There was an immediate uproar in Chicago. Both groups sang songs to each other, and then we ended with a riotous bit of waving and signing off. Awesome.
Andy and I finished with each group today, and then sent the others to go play football (not American football) and take pictures. You can see some of their stunning photos on Shutterfly. Give me a couple of hours to upload the photos as the Internet seems to be really slow today.
When we finished, the girls all decided that it was time for Andy to have some corn-rows in his hair. So, the porch-side beauty salon went into action. Totally fun.
I sang the kids’ new favorite repeating and clapping song, “I said A Boom Chicka Boom!” (Thanks to my first-grade teacher Mom for supplying me with endless activities to keep the kids occupied.)
Here is what you do:
Start a clap then hit your knees with the flat of your hand, and then clap, knees, clap, repeat. On the beat, sing, “I said a Boom Chicka Boom.” The kids immediately repeat on the beat. Again, “I said a Boom Chicka Boom.” Then, “I said a Boom Chicka Rocka Chicka Rocka Chicka Boom!” “Oh, yeah.” “Uh, huh.” “One more time now…” Then, change the speed, do it quiet, do it loud, do is sad, do it crazy. The kids and I did this for HOURS this week. Every time they walked by me outside they said, “I said a Boom Chicka Boom!”
We took some silly photos, and then the kids went off to bathe. I walked through the teaming and humid streets of Accra and bought them some treats for the movie night extravaganza. I bought Andy a beer and a little bottle of very sweet (oh well) wine for myself. We really needed to wind down after a marathon week of digital arts with our lovely, recently trafficked children. Honestly, we are wiped out, as Andy stated, but in the best way. We come home at night and do post-production on the movies from the last six weeks as everyone is so anxious to have their films. It is kind of fun to re-visit our time in Kigoma, etc.
Paul Koyah from Pearson Longman, Ghana showed up with some of the Sara books and other Longman offerings to give to the kids. Andy, Jenny Raymond, and Mark from the Foundation have worked tirelessly to get books to these kids. They don’t own any books in most of their villages. Thanks to Fathima, Mary-Clare, and Sandra from Pearson Longman in South Africa for making this happen. Paul handed us the books and we put them aside for distribution after the movie premiere. We showed all of the kids’ movies and Joe (head of the IOM office here) was astounded, as was Eric. These are kids they rescued with their own hands. These are kids who were so defeated by life when they picked them up from Yeji, the fishing village where they were sent. Now, they were thriving and had learned how to not only use computers for the first time, but master some difficult software. Their movies are, well, incredible.
I had taken about 100 photos from the week and made bound booklets for each of the kids to take home. We handed those out, along with the Longman, MML and UNICEF books. The kids were ecstatic. They clutched those books like it was Christmas morning in America. They all wrote their names in the books, and then we went out for a group photo.
We said goodbye for the night. It was really tough not to start crying and blubbering. I gave some of my clothing to Never to take to his dad and a bunch of cleaning supplies and medicines to take to his mom (I can always buy more of that!). Never asked me how all of the supplies and medicines worked. He was so gracious and thankful. I’m going to really, really, really miss Never. He was so happy to find out that we are going to leave a laptop in his village (New Bakpe is the name…you saw photos of us filming the other day…that took place in New Bakpe.) He promised to keep learning and send us movies that he makes this year.
We are going to go pick up the kids now (it is Saturday), and take them to the airport. No, not to get on planes, but to watch them. They have long drives home today to their villages and all they wanted to do was go somewhere where they could watch some planes land and take off as they have never seen it and can’t imagine how it works. So, off we go! I’m going to go to the store and buy each of them a huge sack of rice to take home to their villages. Hunger is a big problem, so I want to do something from the Pearson Foundation to help out.
Andy and I will then spend the day with Eric in his home and, undoubtedly, have another wonderful meal. Then we’ll walk around this crazy and bustling city before we head to the airport at 7pm for our red-eye flight to Addis. We get to Ethiopia at 7am tomorrow. We start immediately with a day of professional development with teachers from all over Ethiopia, and then work with kids starting Tuesday.
More from our whirlwind tour when we get to our next, and last, country.
E
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Worn Out
Three blog entries in three days. The world is ending. Andy is here.
We had another brilliant day. I have to be honest though; we are exhausted. It gets to be pretty overwhelming to have so many intense and incredible experiences with no pause in between. Today was no exception. We started the day with the kids working on their movies. The electricity went out, so the kids started drawing more pictures to add to their movies. At eleven o' clock this morning, twelve kids and I drove over to the IOM offices in Accra. Erik stayed with the remaining kids at the center.
We had our video pen-pal day scheduled today with three groups. Two were with Lori and Claire in the Chicago area, and the other was with Peggy and Ronald's class from Lake Charles Louisiana. We started off a bit rough with the Internet, but once we established a good connection we had a ton of fun. The kids from both Ghana and America seemed in awe that they were actually talking to each other in live-time. The conversation usually started with names and ages, eventually moving into school, sports and food. The most confusing subject is the difference between "football" and "American football." I don't know why America calls football soccer. It really makes more sense to call American football "rugby version 2..." but I digress.
The kids from America then began to ask the kids here about what it was like to be trafficked. I was impressed with how open both groups of kids were. They talked back and forth (when the Internet allowed), and really got into some serious conversations. My hope is that this experience sparked a realization in both groups of kids that the world is pretty small, and no matter where you are from, you have a lot in common. It ended with the kids from America asking the kids here if they can become friends, and the response from here was a huge YES.
Whew. So after that kind of day, Erik and I came back to the hotel to realize that we have about 10 hours of work to do before tomorrow. Man... I am going to sleep for a month when I get back. As tired as I am, I only have one thing to complain about. Tonight at dinner, a group of about 15 loud and obnoxious American dudes showed up at the restaurant bar. We sat and watched as they took booze from behind the bar when the bartender wasn't looking, insulted every patron of the restaurant, and continued on to make every social and cultural mistake that is humanly possible. Luckily, it was the first group of stereotypical loud Americans that we have encountered, but they were sure a disgrace to the country. Erik and I were ashamed. If you know me, you know how much I love it when Americans are like that. Anyway... enough of them.
It seems weird to think that we are almost done with this blitz trip! Only one more country (Ethiopia). So until we write again, I will say adios.
Medawasee (Thank you in Twi - one of the languages here in Accra).
A.dog
We had another brilliant day. I have to be honest though; we are exhausted. It gets to be pretty overwhelming to have so many intense and incredible experiences with no pause in between. Today was no exception. We started the day with the kids working on their movies. The electricity went out, so the kids started drawing more pictures to add to their movies. At eleven o' clock this morning, twelve kids and I drove over to the IOM offices in Accra. Erik stayed with the remaining kids at the center.
We had our video pen-pal day scheduled today with three groups. Two were with Lori and Claire in the Chicago area, and the other was with Peggy and Ronald's class from Lake Charles Louisiana. We started off a bit rough with the Internet, but once we established a good connection we had a ton of fun. The kids from both Ghana and America seemed in awe that they were actually talking to each other in live-time. The conversation usually started with names and ages, eventually moving into school, sports and food. The most confusing subject is the difference between "football" and "American football." I don't know why America calls football soccer. It really makes more sense to call American football "rugby version 2..." but I digress.
The kids from America then began to ask the kids here about what it was like to be trafficked. I was impressed with how open both groups of kids were. They talked back and forth (when the Internet allowed), and really got into some serious conversations. My hope is that this experience sparked a realization in both groups of kids that the world is pretty small, and no matter where you are from, you have a lot in common. It ended with the kids from America asking the kids here if they can become friends, and the response from here was a huge YES.
Whew. So after that kind of day, Erik and I came back to the hotel to realize that we have about 10 hours of work to do before tomorrow. Man... I am going to sleep for a month when I get back. As tired as I am, I only have one thing to complain about. Tonight at dinner, a group of about 15 loud and obnoxious American dudes showed up at the restaurant bar. We sat and watched as they took booze from behind the bar when the bartender wasn't looking, insulted every patron of the restaurant, and continued on to make every social and cultural mistake that is humanly possible. Luckily, it was the first group of stereotypical loud Americans that we have encountered, but they were sure a disgrace to the country. Erik and I were ashamed. If you know me, you know how much I love it when Americans are like that. Anyway... enough of them.
It seems weird to think that we are almost done with this blitz trip! Only one more country (Ethiopia). So until we write again, I will say adios.
Medawasee (Thank you in Twi - one of the languages here in Accra).
A.dog
Happy Birthday Beth!
In the tradition of saying happy birthday on the blog: Happy birthday to my little sister Beth!
This blog will be short, more later.
Andy
This blog will be short, more later.
Andy
Accra Art Day
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(First, go to the blog entry below if you want to see the Ghana student welcome messages. I didn't realize I had to paste the direct URL for each video.)
Andy started the day with a lesson on using transitions (not too many!) in Premiere. I, of course, got in an IOM SUV and searched ATMs that might spit out a paltry few Ghana Cedis on our way to Western Union. Finally, some success. I got 100 Cedis (about $100) and also got the Western Union money Mark had sent. Hooray. We were able to pay the food lady and the transportation dude, and Andy and I have $50 each to whoop it up on Friday. We leave here Saturday at 9pm and arrive in Addis at 7am the next day.
We had another lunch of maize balls (taste good, like raw, sour, bread dough). We had fish and okra stew along with it. I was able to eat it all up the other day, but any of you who know about my "issue" with phlegmy, glutinous food know that it took all of my fortitude to get it down. Yesterday, as I watched the gooey mass go from bowl to mouth as our very hungry students slurped and gurgled, I hit a food wall. Imagine a broth made of the okra juice, and you know what I mean. Nothing against the food at all! It is all about my issue. I tried, but just couldn't do it!
In the afternoon, we had a conversation about using artwork for the beginnings of their films when they describe the deplorable conditions at the fishing village. They all came up with some great ideas for pictures they were going to draw. The boys all decided to draw the canoes, nets, kids getting caught in them, the masters beating them, and the Ghana flag (to put in their films when they introduce themselves). The girls decided to draw the mats for drying and smoking fish, the kitchens, the mistresses beating them, etc. I walked out of the compound and down the dirt road lined with hundreds of tiny tin huts that sell everything from 1970s televisions to laptop computers to fish heads to motor oil. I found a little hut that had paper and crayons. I also bought 35 lollipops ($1.05 for all). The kids were THRILLED to start drawing and they came up with some great stuff. Andy and I played some pumping house dance music as loud as we could, and we all danced, drew, and laughed all afternoon. At one point, I had to stop and take it all in. Here were kids drawing pictures of the scariest moments of their lives, and now they were all fed, thriving, and making movies that they hoped would help serve to free some of their friends still in the village.
We went to the IOM office to upload the welcome messages on YouTube and take pictures of their drawings to add to their films. Then, we headed over to Eric Peasah's house for a great meal of succulent spicy chicken, coconut cabbage (yummy), basmati rice, diced fried plantain, carrots and peas, and the most incredible and spicy corned beef in tomato sauce. We stuffed ourselves as this was the best meal we've had in six weeks. We played with his adorable sons Wasi and Fifi (nicknames), rolling around on the floor, doing gymnastics, and looking at wedding photos of mama and papa. Eric's wife had obviously worked all day to make this incredible meal, so we thanked her profusely and then headed to the hotel to sleep off our extreme fatigue.
Today, we go to the IOM office with the kids so that they can meet their new friends in America on Skype. We told Lori in Chicago and Peggy in Lake Charles not to have the American students pull any punches when they ask about what it was like to be trafficked. These Ghana students are very willing to talk. Their hope is that by talking to kids in the States, more people will help IOM save their friends who live the most frightening lives you can imagine.
More tomorrow. Shutterfly photos to the right.
E
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
REDUX Student Introductions from Ghana and the U.S.
As you might know, we are working with Lori and Claire Dillon in Chicago and Peggy Blanchard in Lake Charles, Louisiana tomorrow on a Video Pen Pal program. We're all set, and the kids couldn't be more excited! You can get a preview now by viewing some of the welcome messages the kids filmed today.
(Next morning: Sorry! Didn't realize I had to post the exact URLs. Here goes:)
Videos from Ghana
Never: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6TnNUu5Yks
Our other amazing Ghana kids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkxNFtqpQI0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XNJZrjcK9A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1sL7gIzGl8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQP6kUyBMc0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAz3np5eIRQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P50cXCWLFA4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qqhrmhAbtk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZP2ESh5vLk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60AccPklY0k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4G4VBFv6X0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeULaDZTnEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd4IRu0p68Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnQ9LZSDlZU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH3805__clo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuimUZA9QfI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcTDCy8PgK4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghqwzmx8G9M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nYbzEUjiZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY_CF-FtRBA
Videos from Chicago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgrXugOBQu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULvN5tC69s8
Will blog about our great day...tomorrow. Andy and I are WIPED OUT!
E
(Next morning: Sorry! Didn't realize I had to post the exact URLs. Here goes:)
Videos from Ghana
Never: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6TnNUu5Yks
Our other amazing Ghana kids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkxNFtqpQI0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XNJZrjcK9A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1sL7gIzGl8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQP6kUyBMc0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAz3np5eIRQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P50cXCWLFA4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qqhrmhAbtk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZP2ESh5vLk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60AccPklY0k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4G4VBFv6X0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeULaDZTnEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd4IRu0p68Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnQ9LZSDlZU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH3805__clo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuimUZA9QfI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcTDCy8PgK4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghqwzmx8G9M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nYbzEUjiZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY_CF-FtRBA
Videos from Chicago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgrXugOBQu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULvN5tC69s8
Will blog about our great day...tomorrow. Andy and I are WIPED OUT!
E
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
From 0 - 60 in three days
Shhh... don't tell Erik, but I am blogging now (this is Andy). I think if he knew that I was blogging, he might stop breathing, and we wouldn't want that.
Today was just too cool to not blog about. We had a "computer" day today. While it might not be as exciting to those of us who live on computers, it was a brilliant day for the thirty-four kids that are now confident computer users. We started the day with Erik leaving on another mission to attempt to get some money for the cooks. Apparently the money gods have put a curse on Erik Gregory's ability to get money. He couldn't get any money from the 300 Western Unions in Ghana. Luckily, Mark (the main guy at the Foundation) was able to stand in line at Safeway long enough to wire us some money directly.
While Erik was on his adventure, the kids and I were having our own adventure with Microsoft Paint. We discovered that the best way to get kids good at using the mouse is to get them into the Paint program. They mix art with coordination, and BAM! they are pros at the computer. Seriously. Once they figure out how to use the mouse, I taught them the movie-making program in about two hours. I have never seen a group of kids go from 0-60 so quickly. I told the older kids that it was their responsibility to look after the younger kids, and even the 8 yr. olds were editing movies.
We ended the day by reviewing all the pictures from the previous days. The kids screamed when they like a picture, and booed when they didn't like a picture. We are going to print out a booklet of pictures for each of the kids to take with them when we leave. Brilliant. It was just fun. Lots of dancing, screaming, and laughing with the kids. It's astounding when I think about what they have been through, compared to the unabashed happiness I see now. There's nothing better than bustin' out a dance in the middle of class, and having 34 kids start dancing with you.
Tomorrow we are going to have the kids start editing their own movies. It should be good.
One more story before I retire my blogging for another spell. When we first got to Ghana (4 days ago), Erik and I had slept for about 2 hours after the late night/early flight from Tanzania. We both got to the hotel and said "peace out" to each other (we both needed a nap). Right when I was about to fall asleep, I heard a massive crowd singing something. I thought there was a parade or a rally happening outside, so I walked out onto my porch/balcony to see what it was. It was silent outside. I opened my door into the hallway, and heard a HUGE wall of singing/chanting/stomping coming down the hall. I was so confused having almost been asleep. It turns out that the South African soccer team was staying in the same hall as us. They played Ghana on Sunday. Ghana won 3-1. The South African team was silent on Sunday night. It was pretty funny, but it was cool to meet the team.
Anyway... I think I might start into a seizure if I blog much more, so I will sign off.
Talk to you later.
A.
P.S. Ghana and Tanzania are two of my new favorite countries. They are just cool.
Today was just too cool to not blog about. We had a "computer" day today. While it might not be as exciting to those of us who live on computers, it was a brilliant day for the thirty-four kids that are now confident computer users. We started the day with Erik leaving on another mission to attempt to get some money for the cooks. Apparently the money gods have put a curse on Erik Gregory's ability to get money. He couldn't get any money from the 300 Western Unions in Ghana. Luckily, Mark (the main guy at the Foundation) was able to stand in line at Safeway long enough to wire us some money directly.
While Erik was on his adventure, the kids and I were having our own adventure with Microsoft Paint. We discovered that the best way to get kids good at using the mouse is to get them into the Paint program. They mix art with coordination, and BAM! they are pros at the computer. Seriously. Once they figure out how to use the mouse, I taught them the movie-making program in about two hours. I have never seen a group of kids go from 0-60 so quickly. I told the older kids that it was their responsibility to look after the younger kids, and even the 8 yr. olds were editing movies.
We ended the day by reviewing all the pictures from the previous days. The kids screamed when they like a picture, and booed when they didn't like a picture. We are going to print out a booklet of pictures for each of the kids to take with them when we leave. Brilliant. It was just fun. Lots of dancing, screaming, and laughing with the kids. It's astounding when I think about what they have been through, compared to the unabashed happiness I see now. There's nothing better than bustin' out a dance in the middle of class, and having 34 kids start dancing with you.
Tomorrow we are going to have the kids start editing their own movies. It should be good.
One more story before I retire my blogging for another spell. When we first got to Ghana (4 days ago), Erik and I had slept for about 2 hours after the late night/early flight from Tanzania. We both got to the hotel and said "peace out" to each other (we both needed a nap). Right when I was about to fall asleep, I heard a massive crowd singing something. I thought there was a parade or a rally happening outside, so I walked out onto my porch/balcony to see what it was. It was silent outside. I opened my door into the hallway, and heard a HUGE wall of singing/chanting/stomping coming down the hall. I was so confused having almost been asleep. It turns out that the South African soccer team was staying in the same hall as us. They played Ghana on Sunday. Ghana won 3-1. The South African team was silent on Sunday night. It was pretty funny, but it was cool to meet the team.
Anyway... I think I might start into a seizure if I blog much more, so I will sign off.
Talk to you later.
A.
P.S. Ghana and Tanzania are two of my new favorite countries. They are just cool.
Absolutely Emotional Day in Ghana
Andy and I headed out with Eric and Eddy at 8am this morning. We drove to the rehabilitation center and met our rescued children. They were so excited to see us, and we were thrilled to see them after a brief, 10-hour separation. We had ordered a bus to take them to Never’s village so that we could film their narratives. Andy, Eric, Eric’s CUTE four-year-old son, Eddy, and I drove in the IOM SUV. I gave my digital SLR camera to Never and asked him to take pictures of the kids and the villages we passed for Shutterfly (new photos from Never on the new Shutterfly link).
We drove east for about two hours. We could see the kids singing and dancing in the bus behind us. The villages we passed became more and more rural. Never and I got out in one village and started taking pictures. When I turned around, he was trying to get photos of some small children. I ran to him to grab the camera, reminding him to only take shots of buildings. Some women started yelling. They don’t like us doing this. We ran back to the bus and both vehicles pulled out quickly. Lesson learned.
Never had the camera in the bus. When he got to the Volta River Bridge, he took a few shots of the water. It must have been hard for him, for this is the place where he was taken from his family on his journey north to the fishing villages. Every kid on the bus had been in this place before. They all left for lives as trafficked children from these shores.
Eric told us more about what the kids had been through. Beatings and starvation were commonplace. I looked at the bus and thought, every one of those wonderful young people have been through the worst that life has to offer. I again felt honored to just be near them. We have a lot to learn from them.
When we arrived in Never’s village, we were greeted warmly by the community. There is no running water or electricity. Women were washing clothes and cooking on mats on the ground. There were goats everywhere, and the men were out to see what we were up to. We met the chief, had a brief ceremony, and then shook everyone’s hands. I started with the Chief, working my way right. Turns out you are supposed to start on the right, go left, and end with the Chief. So, we did it again! Much laughter.
The kids then practiced their narratives under the beautiful trees and Andy and I took teams off one-by-one to film them with the Flips. Now that Gabriel is gone, we decided to make this project with just Flips. Andy and I worked hard to be professional and not let the kids’ stories get to us as we filmed. We heard of the kids being told they were going to school in the fishing village, only to find themselves as trafficked children forced to work 16 hour days and not getting enough to eat. One boy told about having a barrel of gasoline spilled on his leg. He showed me the scars on his leg as I filmed. His entire leg is scared from top to bottom, and he has thick keloids. We saw many scars from canes and knives as we filmed.
Never took us to his home to film his team’s segment. We wandered down the dirt path and came to his compound. There were clothes hanging on the line and his mother was cooking in a hut. He sleeps in his mother’s room on a mat on the floor. His father Napoleon has three wives and 22 children. Nine of them ended up in the fishing village. Both parents now understand what actually happened and both talked freely of it. Never’s father changed his son’s name to Never when he returned home…"Never again will my children go to the fishing villages.” Very good name.
All of the kids are grateful to IOM and happy to be home and going to school. They all ended their narratives describing how great their lives are now and with a call to action for viewers to go to the IOM website. We ended the day on a high-note, singing songs and playing volleyball.
We went to lunch in the open schoolroom so that we wouldn’t have to eat in front of the community. We had spicy rice and meat with Fanta and Coke to wash it down. We met other trafficked children at the school. School was out because of a national holiday, but two kids were studying environmental science on their own. That is how important education is to them.
When we got back to the village, we found that the kids’ van had broken down. We had to wait two hours for it to get fixed. Andy and I looked at the buildings and huts and decided we would buy one fixer-upper! Loved the village.
I sat with a teacher and some students as we waited. The teacher said, “We know that the castle is where the Dutch put stolen men before they were sold as slaves to America. But, what we don’t know is what happened to our ancestors once they got to America. Can you tell us?” Wow. I had an hour conversation about slavery, the Civil War, Jim Crow, 3/5ths law, Civil Rights, and modern prisons filled with African Americans. The kid’s mouths were wide open. They couldn’t believe it. I did talk about how many African Americans have become quite successful, and this made them happy.
We finally got on the road and bought provisions for the cooking staff at the center. Once we opened the window by the side of the road, and once we showed money, about 30 men, women, boys, and girls (all with their wares on their heads) swarmed the SUV. They do this every day, in hopes of selling something so that they can feed their families.
We are off in a few minutes to start making the films with the kids on the computers. Andy promises to blog today! Also, it takes too long to upload films on the Blog, so if you would like a DVD with the students' films, please email me at erikeleven11@yahoo.com, and I’ll get one to you.
E
We drove east for about two hours. We could see the kids singing and dancing in the bus behind us. The villages we passed became more and more rural. Never and I got out in one village and started taking pictures. When I turned around, he was trying to get photos of some small children. I ran to him to grab the camera, reminding him to only take shots of buildings. Some women started yelling. They don’t like us doing this. We ran back to the bus and both vehicles pulled out quickly. Lesson learned.
Never had the camera in the bus. When he got to the Volta River Bridge, he took a few shots of the water. It must have been hard for him, for this is the place where he was taken from his family on his journey north to the fishing villages. Every kid on the bus had been in this place before. They all left for lives as trafficked children from these shores.
Eric told us more about what the kids had been through. Beatings and starvation were commonplace. I looked at the bus and thought, every one of those wonderful young people have been through the worst that life has to offer. I again felt honored to just be near them. We have a lot to learn from them.
When we arrived in Never’s village, we were greeted warmly by the community. There is no running water or electricity. Women were washing clothes and cooking on mats on the ground. There were goats everywhere, and the men were out to see what we were up to. We met the chief, had a brief ceremony, and then shook everyone’s hands. I started with the Chief, working my way right. Turns out you are supposed to start on the right, go left, and end with the Chief. So, we did it again! Much laughter.
The kids then practiced their narratives under the beautiful trees and Andy and I took teams off one-by-one to film them with the Flips. Now that Gabriel is gone, we decided to make this project with just Flips. Andy and I worked hard to be professional and not let the kids’ stories get to us as we filmed. We heard of the kids being told they were going to school in the fishing village, only to find themselves as trafficked children forced to work 16 hour days and not getting enough to eat. One boy told about having a barrel of gasoline spilled on his leg. He showed me the scars on his leg as I filmed. His entire leg is scared from top to bottom, and he has thick keloids. We saw many scars from canes and knives as we filmed.
Never took us to his home to film his team’s segment. We wandered down the dirt path and came to his compound. There were clothes hanging on the line and his mother was cooking in a hut. He sleeps in his mother’s room on a mat on the floor. His father Napoleon has three wives and 22 children. Nine of them ended up in the fishing village. Both parents now understand what actually happened and both talked freely of it. Never’s father changed his son’s name to Never when he returned home…"Never again will my children go to the fishing villages.” Very good name.
All of the kids are grateful to IOM and happy to be home and going to school. They all ended their narratives describing how great their lives are now and with a call to action for viewers to go to the IOM website. We ended the day on a high-note, singing songs and playing volleyball.
We went to lunch in the open schoolroom so that we wouldn’t have to eat in front of the community. We had spicy rice and meat with Fanta and Coke to wash it down. We met other trafficked children at the school. School was out because of a national holiday, but two kids were studying environmental science on their own. That is how important education is to them.
When we got back to the village, we found that the kids’ van had broken down. We had to wait two hours for it to get fixed. Andy and I looked at the buildings and huts and decided we would buy one fixer-upper! Loved the village.
I sat with a teacher and some students as we waited. The teacher said, “We know that the castle is where the Dutch put stolen men before they were sold as slaves to America. But, what we don’t know is what happened to our ancestors once they got to America. Can you tell us?” Wow. I had an hour conversation about slavery, the Civil War, Jim Crow, 3/5ths law, Civil Rights, and modern prisons filled with African Americans. The kid’s mouths were wide open. They couldn’t believe it. I did talk about how many African Americans have become quite successful, and this made them happy.
We finally got on the road and bought provisions for the cooking staff at the center. Once we opened the window by the side of the road, and once we showed money, about 30 men, women, boys, and girls (all with their wares on their heads) swarmed the SUV. They do this every day, in hopes of selling something so that they can feed their families.
We are off in a few minutes to start making the films with the kids on the computers. Andy promises to blog today! Also, it takes too long to upload films on the Blog, so if you would like a DVD with the students' films, please email me at erikeleven11@yahoo.com, and I’ll get one to you.
E
Monday, October 15, 2007
Absolutely Perfect Day in Accra
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(These are two pictures of Never...he's in the blue clothing. More photos on Shutterfly.)Absolutely Perfect Day in Accra
If I’ve learned one thing from this trip, is that we humans are resilient. This was a very important day in my life.
Eric and Eddy picked us up at 9am. We drove to the IOM offices and picked up our computers and equipment. It’s pretty amazing how easy it is to FedEx computers all over the world.
We drove through the wonderful streets of Accra. Andy and I both love it here. Some of the roads are rough, but it’s fun to bounce around in the SUV. There are people everywhere carrying the largest loads you can imagine on their heads. We weave through darting goats and chickens.
We pulled into the IOM center where the rescued children come for three months before going back to their homes. It is a compound with bunks, kitchens, and classrooms.
We pulled up and my heart skipped a beat with the realization that we had come so far and were about to meet the kids. From the moment Lisa called me from the plane, I knew I was going to meet these trafficked children, but I wasn’t prepared for how excited I would be in the real moment. We went into the room where they are served meals, and 33 anxious faces waited for us. We greeted them in a local language, and we saw these worried faces light up and the brilliant smiles came out.
If I’ve learned one thing from this trip, is that we humans are resilient. This was a very important day in my life.
Eric and Eddy picked us up at 9am. We drove to the IOM offices and picked up our computers and equipment. It’s pretty amazing how easy it is to FedEx computers all over the world.
We drove through the wonderful streets of Accra. Andy and I both love it here. Some of the roads are rough, but it’s fun to bounce around in the SUV. There are people everywhere carrying the largest loads you can imagine on their heads. We weave through darting goats and chickens.
We pulled into the IOM center where the rescued children come for three months before going back to their homes. It is a compound with bunks, kitchens, and classrooms.
We pulled up and my heart skipped a beat with the realization that we had come so far and were about to meet the kids. From the moment Lisa called me from the plane, I knew I was going to meet these trafficked children, but I wasn’t prepared for how excited I would be in the real moment. We went into the room where they are served meals, and 33 anxious faces waited for us. We greeted them in a local language, and we saw these worried faces light up and the brilliant smiles came out.
The boys have been rescued from live of 16 hour days on fishing boats (small canoes) where they sit all day bailing out water, diving to untangle nets, and acquiescing to unimaginable beatings and abuse from “masters”. Some die from getting tangled in the nets in the deep water.
The girls have been rescued from lives of 16 hour days of cooking and cleaning for the fishing community. They get two small meals a day, and must stay awake to take the beatings and abuse from the “mistresses”.
We told them about what we were doing this week, and then Andy went to set up the computer lab. I asked if any of them had used computers, and, as I suspected, none had. As I was getting ready to teach them how to use the Flip video cameras, I asked if the boy named Never was here. A bright face looked up from the crowd and I immediately recognized. Lisa had become good friends with him and he featured prominently in the Oprah segment. I couldn’t believe I was meeting him…I felt honored.
Never turned out to be one of the most inquisitive, bright, good-natured students I’ve yet worked with. He immediately figured out the cameras, and then set out teaching all of the kids. A boy named Welcome came up and we showed the students how to conduct interviews. Then, we went outside and kids practiced with the cameras in their groups of three.
After they understood the mechanics of the cameras, I gave them lessons in perspective and some tips on taking interesting and personal photos and videos. Then, I told them to make music videos. They had a blast! Some of the kids performed some of the most amazing local dances. One kid did a dance that looked like a warrior dance, complete with guttural chants and stomping feet. I loved it.
Right before lunch, we sat in a circle and had a serious discussion about their movies. We talked about being honest and open from the heart. We explained that their stories would be seen by many, many people in the states. We wanted them to talk about what had happened to them, how they were rescued, how their lives have improved, and what dreams they have for the future. We then told them that they could tell viewers to go to the IOM website to help. The kids were SOOO happy to think that their films could help save the lives of friends they left behind after being rescued. I could see the determination in their eyes. A few talked about how powerful it felt to take control and do something that could actually help their friends who were still stuck in these horrible conditions.
Some of what I heard from them as we went around the group talking about all of the segments of their films had me instantly in tears. Many of the girls have whip marks on their legs. The boys talked of the terror they felt every day. Ben Adams talked about how he wondered every day if he would be alive that night. He was terrified of the water and was forced to dive so deep. He would sometimes panic and not know which way was up. He also talked about watching one of his friends die after getting caught in the nets.
We then turned the conversation to their situations today, and I was awestruck. Many of these students are prefects in their schools. They are determined to get good educations and learn everything they can. They have huge dreams, and are extremely grateful to IOM for their efforts to rescue them, and their ongoing efforts to rescue their friends. We sat for another ½ hour talking about their lives and goals. I walked away thinking that I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I wish every single person I know could spend just 20 minutes with these kids. Your heart would open and you would be amazed to be standing in the presence of some of the most enlightened and resilient children on this planet.
We had a lunch of Okra/Fish stew and the ever-present maize concoction that looks like a ball of dough. It was spicy and wonderful. We washed our hands in warm water, and then dug in with our fingers…scooping up the maize then dipping that in the savory stew. The kids sat at small tables and loved watching Andy and me eat with our fingers.
In the afternoon, Andy led the computer training. We realized in Kigoma that we had to spend a ton of time teaching them how to use the mice, because everything comes from that skill. Andy is amazing at what he does, and has come up with some of the best techniques for teaching computer skills to kids who have never used one. Never was the star pupil, of course, and he helped teach the other kids. They learned to click, drag, drop, etc. The learned to open files, close them, and open programs. Watching Andy lead these lessons was a beautiful thing to see. Best of all, the kids were THRILLED. To see a group of marginalized children go from 0 to 60 in one hour is such a treat. We left them playing computer pinball and making art in Paint. We ended the day with a discussion about how to best tell their stories and how to seamlessly go from one student in their group to the other, all the time weaving in examples of what they’ve been through, and how great their lives are now.
We came to the hotel for a brief moment to start uploading films for Gabriel, and then headed back for an evening with local officials. We had wonderful sausage and beer, and the kids interviewed the officials with the Flip cameras. Loved watching that interaction. We saw some more amazing dancing and singing, and then headed off. The kids all told us how excited they were to see us tomorrow. I took Never aside and we called Lisa. He was so excited to talk to her. Once we got her, he told her how much he missed her, loved her, and how great it was to learn so much in one day from Mr. Erik and Mr. Andy. I know it meant just as much to Lisa as it did to Never.
Andy and went with Eric downtown and saw an amazing show on the street. There was a great local band and a comedian who was so funny, Andy and I laughed not even knowing what he was saying.
In an hour, we off on a bus with the kids to go to a local village where we’ll film the kids’ narratives.
Again, I feel honored to be here.
Tomorrow.E
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Getting Ready to Meet the Trafficked Children
6:00am in Accra (pronounced "a-CRA"...and, by the way, Tanzania is pronounced "tan-ZAN-ia" not "tan-za-NEE-a"). I am in the business center and the Internet seems to be great. Lori and Claire Dillon (see her blog a few down from this...they are pictured directly above) sent me some photos of some of the trafficked children. If you Google "Lisa Ling/Oprah/Trafficked Children" you can find out more. Basically, Lisa called me from the plane last year on her way back from Ghana. Oprah had sent her to find a boy featured in a haunting article in the New York Times. Lisa met Eric Peasah while she was here. He is part of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). During her shoot for the Oprah segment, she met many kids, a boy named Never being one of her stars. They traveled to the fisheries and met many children. Lisa saw for herself the horror of what these boys and girls go through. In the third photo you see Gabriel. He's nine years old and was sold when he was only four years old. He has worked for his master for five years and a few months. He works with five boys on a boat and he sleeps in the canoe at night on the beach. Fishing children dive 6-7 meters (~20 feet). Gabriel's nickname is "Macho" because where other children have drowned, he always manages to free himself when his ankles become tangled in the fishing nets. Eric has tried more than once to rescue him but the fisherman won't give him up. Lori is using his profile and photo to raise money locally for the rescue mission but she doesn't have much time as Eric said he needs the funds no later than early November.
After the call with Lisa, I immediately called Mark and asked if we could help bring technology skills to these kids who have been away from educational opportunities for so man years. We sent computers and many, many books from Pearson Longman. We also decided to come on this trip and help the boys learn computer skills and tell their stories. Eric needs to rehabilitate the rescued children before they go back to school. In about two hours, Andy and I will meet 32 children who have been enslaved under deplorable conditions. We'll work with them all week. We've paid to have them bused in from all over the Accra area...most of them live in small villages. We're also paying for their room and food. I can't wait to get there. Tonight, we have a reception after our first day of computer training. I am so excited to meet Lisa's friend Never today. She sent along the last Harry Potter book for him with our computer shipment. I am looking forward to talking to this kid (who could have died getting tangled in the fishing nets) about Hogwarts.
Eric met us at the airport then we checked in to the hotel. We sat for an hour discussing the week and our expected outcomes. The kids spent last night writing the stories of their lives. We'll train them on the Flip cameras today and let them play. We'll have them in groups of three. We're planning to put one older kid in each group. The good news is that there will be many teachers there to help us. Tomorrow we're going on a field trip to one of the villages so that the kids can film for their own movies. This is going to be, uh, intense.
Eric then took us to his home and we hung out and listened to music. He lives on a cool Cuban-style compound with his wife, two sons (SO CUTE), niece, and brother. We then walked through town and bought supplies for our hotel rooms and some candy, art materials, and footballs (we call them soccer balls). We went to the beach and it was a bit sad. The plastic bottles and bags were ankle deep. We saw couples roaming romantically through the mire, kicking up plastic as they walked. There are beaches here that are pristine, but this area was tragic. We hear that many of the plastic bottles come from Europe and America. Thanks.
Accra is amazing and so cool. There are huge monuments to the 1957 struggle for independence. Andy and I got confused driving on the right-side of the road again. We had just become completely accustomed to the left. Yesterday, I kept wincing thinking that we would be hit, only to remember that we were in the right lane. After independence from the British, the Ghana government decided to emulate America, so they switched lanes! Also, the money has been revalued. A couple of years ago, you paid 10,000 ceda for a bottle of shampoo ($1). They reissued money and got rid of all of the zeros after 10,000. So, now, a one-note ceda is about $1. BUT, and this is a big but, the shopkeepers still announce the costs of things the old way. So, when you buy a soccer ball for 100,000, you have to drop four zeros to get to ten ceda, or $10. Very confusing.
The streets are teaming with people and the night-life is supposed to be awesome. Eric will take us out tonight after our gala event (egads, more speechifying for Erik Gregory). There are small goats and chickens everywhere. And, people carry everything on their heads. We saw a bit of this in Southern Africa, but here it is just a way of life. We did not see one person carrying anything in their hands...I take that back...we saw ourselves carrying things in our hands.
Eric dropped us off last night and we immediately poured bottles of cologne we had purchased all over our rooms. The spray they use to kill mosquitoes is a bit harsh for our delicate American noses (very chemically), so we thought it best to cover it up. I poured my bottle out last night and then went to sit on the patio with a glass of wine. When I came back in, the stench was unbelievable. The sweet cologne mixed with the chemical undertones took on the smell of bile...just like that thing you taste in the back of your throat right before you throw up. I slept fitfully (we had only had two hours of sleep the night before) and realized that the mosquito spray was much better than my new concoction.
Can't wait to go meet the kids, so I'm signing off.
E
Last Day in Dar
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Last Day in Dar.Got up early to go to Western Union to get Mark’s cash. Had to wait in line for two hours, but it was worth it. You have to know the secret question and answer that the sender comes up with if you want to get your dough. I forgot to ask Mark for that when we spoke. I should know better. I’ve done this before. The question? What is Wendy’s last name? Answer? DARLING! Whew. Got the cash.
We paid the woman who makes the food and the driver for the students. Andy, James, and Gabriel helped the kids finish up with music, transitions, and keyframing. I went back to the hotel to check out of four rooms with my non-functioning credit card. I just held my breath. It took the woman at the front desk 90 minutes to check us out of our rooms (the calculator was her nemesis, so she had to triple-check every time she punched in one digit, when you’re dealing with numbers like 1,205,175 shillings, you can just imagine how hard I bit my tongue.
Then, I headed over to Barclay’s bank to get my ATM card back. I just had to give it one more try. I met Mr. Martin. He said he couldn’t help me because there are procedures. As I sat there for another 90-minute visit, he would come in and out of the room, apparently helping others in the bank follow the requisite procedures. Finally, I said, “Look. Mr. Martin. If I managed a bank in America and you came in telling me that you couldn’t do programs for underserved kids unless you got your ATM card back, I would give it to you.” Dang if that didn’t work! The man simply opened a drawer, unzipped a deposit bag, and handed me my card. It had been sitting in his desk drawer the entire time. More tongue biting.
Finally, I checked Andy and myself in to our flight out of Dar the next day. You have to do this in Africa or you probably won’t get a seat. That only took 45-minutes, but I was so happy to have my ATM card back that I didn’t care. And, both the credit card and ATM card were functioning again.
I went back to JGI and we all helped the kids complete their films (they needed VERY little help from us). I went to my tiny market/shack and bought the four remaining double-A batteries so that we would have juice for a couple of Flip cameras…just in case.
Gabriel finished up interviewing Felix, Erasto (Erasto is the one dancing in a crouch on the Shutterfly album today), and some of the students.
At 5:00, we opened Andy’s computer and called/Skyped Paul Wolf’s class. Our colleague Julian (you can see him on the computer screen on the Shutterfly photos) had set up the webcam on their end. We told students to come up in small groups and chat with the team in Louisiana. We told our Tanzanian students all about Hurricane Katrina so that they would know what had happened. Our students understand not having homes. Some live at the orphanage we visited the other night. Some live with relatives because their parents are dead. And, let me point out, it is not just poor people dying of AIDS here. Imagine if you went to work next week and found that 20% of your colleagues were dead and 50% had HIV? That is what is happening all over the place here.
I digress. The Internet connection in Dar was splotchy, so it kept timing out. After 10 minutes of only being able to say, “HI THERE! MY NAME IS…” we decided to have the students quickly ask questions back and forth. And, there was a bit of a delay, so we had to remind them to speak, then wait, then listen, then wait, then speak. That said, it was totally amazing and the kids in Tanzania were THRILLED to speak to students in America. We’ve heard that the students in Louisiana were thrilled also. The students in Louisiana asked things like, “Do y’all play American football?” “What do y’all eat over there?” Our Tanzanian students asked, “What foods are you liking to eat?” "What is your PSA subject matter?” We had a bit of a “dialectical” challenge, but they stayed at it for about two hours, calling Skype back every time it dropped off.
The best part of the entire experience was when Saada (the Muslim girl in the photos) told them to say “Mambo.” “Mambo means how are you?!” “Say, Poa!” “Poa means I am fine!” She said it over and over, but their sound was off. Skype has a chatting window, so Saade typed it in so that they could say it. All of a sudden their sound came back on in Plaquemines Parish and we heard a boy saying, “Oh, look what she wrote. When she says 'Mambo' we’re supposed to say 'Poo' back to her.” We all about fell on the floor in Dar. Andy spun around so fast in a fit that he hit his head on the wall.
It went great and the kids loved it. We had to learn to be quick, but it worked! And, they got to see films on YouTube. Can’t wait to do the same with Lori and Claire next week.
We had a going-away/certificate party at night. There was an amazing sound system brought in, great “bites” and drinks. We had the kids introduce their PSAs and then we viewed them with many parents and local dignitaries in attendance. The films are phenomenal and the students all received loud clapping and cheering from the crowd. I spoke about our work and how wonderful the kids were, then Andy and I worked with JGI people to hand out the very important certificates! Everyone was so thankful. They had spent six months trying to get just one laptop, so to have us leave 15 (five in Kigoma, and 10 in Dar) was unbelievable to them. They have 5,000 Roots & Shoots members who will now be able to come in with one of our students from last week and learn how to make movies. One parent spoke in front of the group last night and said that this week was beyond his imagination and that we had just provided his son with the single most important experience of his young life. He couldn’t wrap his head around why would do such amazing things for the kids of Africa, but just about got teary when he described the impact of our visit. Then, we danced our booties off for a couple of hours to some great Bongo Flavor music. It was a great way to leave Dar.
We said goodbye to Jaime and Gabriel at the hotel around 11:00pm. Andy and I had to get up at 2:00am to pack, shower, and grab a cab to the airport at 3:00am. I am now sitting in the lounge at Nairobi Intl. Airport having coffee and rubbery banana bread with rancid butter. We leave for Accra in two hours.
As always, more later…E
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