On Thursday Valery asked if I would accompany her to the
Songea airport where she caught a small 12-seater airplane to Dar (I’ll be
flying out of Mbeya because it is less expensive). I did so along with Br.
Cassian and Br. Nolasco. We stopped for lunch and then saw her to the airport.
After, Br. Cassian had to run some errands in town and so
Br. Nolasco and I decided to grab a beer at the local bar in Songea. The Safari
Lager is my favorite here so that is what I had.
Sitting down and speaking with Br. Nolasco had to be one of
the greatest conversations I have had this year. This conversation was one that
left me wishing I had recorded it. Afterwards, I quickly jotted down a few notes
on what we spoke about and so that is what I’ll write about today.
First, Br. Nolasco is a Tanzanian monk who was born in a
village near Njombe, Tanzania. After joining the monastery he was invited to
study in Washington State and then helped form a community in Klamath Falls,
Oregon. He currently resides there, but is visiting the Abbey this week. Br. Nolasco
has a master’s degree in psychology and the community in Oregon runs a home for
people who have committed crimes but have been deemed psychologically unfit and
after serving some time are sent there to be reoriented into society.
Br. Nolasco is also close to the Jesse-Theis-Nice. If you know Jess Theis
then you understand what I am talking about. That guy is nice. Jess has to be
one of the nicest guys out there and so it is obvious that if Br. Nolasco is like him in this way then he must be pretty nice himself.
The first thing I want to discuss is the change in life from
Njombe, Tanzania to Oregon. I asked him how it was to be born in a small
village and then to now live in the United States. He told me three things: it
is hard, he is thankful and that it is much better in the U.S.
He said it is hard because of the culture shock and the
loneliness. Even though he comes from Tanzania we must understand that this
life is what he knows and what he grew up with. Also, his family is here and so
just like I am alone in Tanzania he is in America. In addition, he had to deal
with immigration just as I have which is always a stressful piece of business.
We both understand why immigration is difficult, but simply understanding it
does not make it fun.
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| A subtle reminder at the secondary school. |
The children who grow up here know nothing else and so they
are happy. Yet, once they are adults and find out about the outside world it can
be a hard blow. In some cases, (emphasis on the word some) ignorance is bliss.
The people here head out into the field every day in order
to pick maize, sugar cane, rice, bamboo or some other crop and then bag it in
order to be able to sell it in town. This allows them to make enough money to
eat (rice, beans, ugali) and that is it. They then head back into the field each
day for the rest of their lives. There is not much else when the chance to grow
and seize an opportunity is so low. While I was young I had a new dream job and
image of what my life would be like every day. I cannot imagine how it must be
to know most of those things are not remotely possible when living here. Be
thankful for the opportunities you have been, are being and will be given.
As the conversation kept on he told me about his first
experience with the noise of the highway and cars. He remembers writing to his
family back in Tanzania and telling them how loud the highway was at night. He
couldn’t believe the amount of cars. He remembers thinking that there must be
more cars than people. In fact, in this observation he may be right.
Another factor that played a part
in his culture shock is the wealth. He told me about how it was to be
surrounded by so much wealth and not having any access to it. This is because
he was both a monk and a foreigner on a visa permit which does not allow you to
work, but it still is an eye-opening statement. It is hard for us to see and we
tend not to think about it very much because we were born into it. This is what
we grew up with and know; especially if you identify with the middle or upper
economic class.
I am unsure how this view relates
to the poor and lower class of America, but I would imagine it to be similar.
African poverty is really on a whole other scale. It is extreme. Though, this
isn’t to say American poverty isn’t poverty because it is. The amount of wealth
that is stored, currently exists in and on display in America is substantial.
To come from a village where you help your parents cut bamboo each day in hopes
of selling it for some money and then to compare that to America must be so
difficult. How crazy it is that 1% of the population controls most of the
wealth when there are people who have none. It does make you think.
We do not need communism. No, what
we need is to be able to create an opportunity for all.
As the conversation progressed I
found myself trying to apologize or clarify some of the things Valery had said
on the car ride to the airport. I was not doing so because her viewpoints were
incorrect, but rather to just inform him that there is a large amount of
misunderstanding which led to the comments that were being said, many of them
in a strong manner.
He laughed. He told me that he completely
understands. He actually was very nice about it.
I will paraphrase some of what he
said…
Man, she has her own views and
that is great. What I like best is that she is honest and truthful. You have to
remember that I have lived in America for quite a while now and have met many
people with the same viewpoints as her. You are right, though, when you say
much of it comes from misunderstanding. It’s important to refine your thinking.
This is why it’s great you are living in Africa. You are able to get a better
understanding of what life is like away from America. These things help you
refine and improve your thoughts which help your comments and ideas become more
accurate and intelligent.
In America, you can get just about anything
you like. Not everything, but much more than what you can get in Africa, as you have seen. You want a burger, pizza, sushi, coffee, whatever; all you do is head
to the grocery store or fast food restaurant. In addition, you have the
opportunity to become something. Your education system allows for that. Your
society and its structure are highly developed and so it is much easier. I
won’t say it is easy, but it is easier. You don’t know anything else because you
grew up here. You begin to wonder why the rest of the world, especially Africa,
doesn’t do what you do. Well, your country has been continuously developing for
centuries whereas ours is very new, only a few decades. We are still learning
how this is all done. When we were at lunch this afternoon and Valery ordered chicken and commented on how long it was taking, becoming angry that they did
not have the first thing she wanted and then made the joke about them killing
the chicken in the back and cooking it up…well, even though she meant it as a
joke, we all must be patient with how things are done here.
They probably were killing the chicken in the back. In America, you really
don’t know where the food at the super market comes from. You just know it will
be there when you go. The convenience, simplicity and ease are wonderful. That
is not here. To become enraged at the waitress is not going to do anything.
This is because they obviously don’t have the item you want, she probably
doesn’t understand most of what you are saying in your angry outburst and it is
not easy to get all the ingredients that make up the item you would like. We
are still learning.
The above passage is a mixture of
his comments and my thoughts from what he had discussed. This is not an exact
quote, but an accurate sample from what we spoke about. To conclude this
conversation I have to add something he did say which I loved…
““Have you ever been in a
conversation where you didn’t have all the answers? The person you were
speaking to was asking you something and all you could say is “I just don’t know,
I don’t have all the answers right now.” Well, that person who doesn’t have all
the answer right now is Africa. America is developed; they know how to do
things and its answers are concrete. Things are organized, well-documented and
complete. So, when someone questions why Africans do things this way instead of
that it is because we are still trying to figure out the answers.””
I thought this was a phenomenal
example. It was as if someone had filled a pitcher full of knowledge and was
pouring down upon me. It is conversations like these that make me so happy to
have lived and volunteered here. Wow.
A few things we can take away from
this conversation:
1. Each person has an opinion and
that opinion has value.
2. Each person’s opinion is shaped
by their experiences and understanding of the world around them which is why
many differ from yours (sometimes by a lot).
3. Each one of us needs to refine
our thoughts and opinions before angrily screaming them at our next door
neighbor (or at a Trump rally). We MUST remove the uneducated and misunderstood
layers and replace those with accurate ones. WE MUST.
4. Refining and improving our
ideas and thoughts about the world is the only way we will be able to fully
understand others and help each person and country grow and prosper.
5. Patience is a virtue. We must
be patient with others. When teaching someone how to drive they will most
likely fail their first few times. This is because they have to try it out
first. You know how it’s done and so it is easy for you, but they do not. And
even then, you are not a perfect driver. America is a good example. We know how
to do many things, but must be patient with countries that are younger and need
time to learn. It’s also good to know that even though America is great, it is
not perfect and so we, too, must continue to refine.
 |
| Great roads constructed in Tanzania by America! |
6. We should be grateful for what
we have and I mean for everything we have. I am talking about much more than
just the motorcycle that is sitting in the garage. We must be grateful for the
things we own, of course, but also the ones we don’t. The Super Target, the
phenomenal roadways (really, they are phenomenal compared to Africa - oh and
traffic lights are super nice too), the massive sports stadiums, the police and
their ability to keep order, the gym, schools, your job, relationships and many
more.
7. Finally, we all just need to
take a second to calm down. Short fuses and hot tempers are rarely needed. Some
things just can’t be done the way you want them and to yell, scream and pout
will only raise your heart rate and stress levels.
8. I wish Br. Nolasco could speak
with each presidential candidate.
Why I love conversations and
experiences like these is because they teach me things one cannot learn from
Harvard, Yale or Princeton. You could have the smartest professor and best
book, but it is the experience that will really shape and help you understand.
Have you ever watched the TV and
found yourself saying “Oh, that can’t be that hard!” when you see someone
perform a certain task. Well, you have never done or experienced it and so how
would you truly know. Then, when you do try the task the reality of how hard it
is becomes known and finally discovered.
I could use many different
examples, but I’ll use one that is closely related to living in Africa – the
lack of internet. This is not me complaining (it has become the norm and I am
too used to it for complaints) this is just an example.
The scenario tends to play out as somebody
reads about how different it is not having access to the internet for a long
period of time and responding how easy it would be for them to go without WHILE
they read the article on the internet. The point is not coming across because
you have not actually experienced it and because of this it becomes hard to
truly understand. Heck, you are using it while reading the article so how can
you say it would be easy.
In the end it may be easy; however
my point is how is it possible to truly know without trying? I feel this is something that happens to
people planning to volunteer in another part of the world. You really have to
sit down and think it out. Considering you don’t experience it in America you
should ask questions about how it will be without it in Africa. Whether that is
internet, certain foods, friends, family, air conditioning, etc.
Then there are situations in which
you truly cannot experience. For me, that is being a woman and how it must feel
to give birth. I cannot do it and so before ignorantly and naively commenting I
better think it out and try to better understand it. And for those who can
experience something while others cannot – help the other understand rather
than angrily throwing it in their face. I have seen so many fights over someone
not understanding another. Well, let us help them understand so we can get
somewhere rather than constantly fighting. Sheesh.
----
Alright, time to wrap this blog
up. Sorry for how long it has become. If only it was this easy to write my 15
page essays back in college.
----
It is very common for people to
take a bathroom break on the side of the road in Africa and so that is what we
did on the way home from Songea on Thursday. All of us, after having a beer,
had to go. One Safari Lager makes another – you know what I mean.
My love for the sisters here
continues to grow. It is so fun to hang out with them because they will laugh
at everything. We were watching Isidingo, the one TV show I’ll actually pay
attention to, in the refectory yesterday evening when one of the characters was
being a bit scandalous with another. I just leaned over to Sister Saima and
said “Tisk, tisk…lead us not into temptation, am I right?” and she just lost
it. Ah, it’s really too funny.
As my European trip looms closer
with each passing day Christa has asked me how much am I here and how much am I
traveling already. A good question that I feel each of us could be asked when
approaching a trip. You know that feeling you get when a few days from
traveling and your mindset is switched from ‘at home’ to ‘on a trip’. I’d say
I’m at 85% ‘at home’ and 15% ‘on a trip’. Still very much here and that’s where
I want to be right now. The problem arises when you feel closer to ‘on a trip’
and you still have 10 months of service left. Probably a main reason some decide
to end it and go home.
I know I spent today’s entire blog
on a single conversation, but I just had to. As for the rest of my week, it was
good. The debate on Friday actually took place this week which was nice. My
students did great. They are beginning to grasp the concept of my leaving and
so it has become a bit harder to see them knowing each day is one less, but
that is life and I must return home at some point.
The next three blogs will be
posted from a different place. Wednesdays will be here in Hanga, Saturdays will
be in Mbeya and then the following Wednesday I hope to post from Schiphol
Airport (if I can get internet) which is located in Amsterdam. I’ll write that
blog while in flight over Africa.
Tanzania has begun to load-shed
again. The electricity is being cut off to certain parts of the country
throughout the day to conserve energy. In addition, major flooding in Moshi and
Dar es Salaam has caused problems. So, if you need me and I am not responding
it most likely is because I do not have electricity and, therefore, internet.
It tends to work best when I don’t need it and be cut off when I do haha J
that’s life.
To conclude, remember to always refine
those thoughts and opinions of yours. If you have trouble grasping this concept
then just think about how you wash your car obsessively during the summer.
Remove the dirt, scrub it down,
remove the dirt, soap it up, rinse it off and polish, baby. Polish till your
heart’s desire…or until you find the small dent or scrape that your idiotic kid
probably did while driving the other day. Then you can actually spend time
refining those opinions you have about that kid and continue on polishing your
car. You can always take it to Nova-Chek auto repair tomorrow. J
Happy May, everyone! Also, welcome
WR Laquon Treadwell to the Minnesota Vikings!
Thanks for reading!
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