It seems like the whole world is changing around me, now that I can tell people where I'm going and what I'll be doing.
At the post office, where they don't handle passports after 4pm, they gladly and voluntarily made an exception for me -- on two consecutive days -- just because I was joining Peace Corps. In fact, the line on Tuesday was about two dozen people deep, and the woman who processed all the information for me said that I could have just jumped in front. I wasn't in a hurry, though, and I think she appreciated that as much as I appreciated her taking care of my paperwork expeditiously!
Every day, more and more people tell me what a great thing I'm doing, and maybe I might believe it. But for now, I'm content with doing this for the people of Mozambique who don't have the privileges I've enjoyed for almost 24 years now. It may sound corny, but I can't help but be ashamed with how easy my life is right now. I paid for a pop (soda) the other day, putting $.60 in the machine and realizing that's what the average Mozambican makes in one day. I've been putting all of my purchases in a different perspective -- instead of thinking about it in terms of how many "hours of work" something costs.
Not that I took much for granted before, but I've been scrutinizing more and more every little thing that I do, and realize that most of it will be foreign in just over a month. My father told me, "It's not like you're headed into the Dark Ages." I'm not exactly expecting to be wading through my own feces, but at the same time I know the concept of air conditioning will soon (thankfully) be completely obscure.
Something else that people have been telling me is how they could never do anything like this. As if I've done anything yet :> . But I think everyone is capable, it just requires an open mind and a willingness to work hard. And I think those two things are what people are scared of -- if they open their world up, then they think they will lose all of the security they've worked towards for years, and they'll have to work doubly hard just to get that back.
I'm glad everyone's communicating their well-wishing to me, I just hope that the communication continues into October and beyond. Letters from home are so vitally important -- especially when you're seven time zones, one large ocean, one language, and one hemisphere away.
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Sunday, August 25, 2002
Mozambique
Q: Where and when are you going?
A: I leave in mid-September for Connecticut to spend time with my family (meaning there will most likely be a big party just before then :> ), then October 2nd for "staging" which is basically a big orientation session (I don't know where yet). October 5th, I leave for Maputo (the capital of Mozambique), Mozambique, a country on the eastern coast of Africa, directly north of South Africa and directly west of Madagascar. The ten weeks between when I arrive and when I leave for the community I will be teaching in, I will be training for my service. Training includes learning the language, learning customs, learning how to teach, and just basically how to survive.
Q: Portugese?!?
A: If you're wondering about Portugese, no I don't know the language! I know French and a decent amount of Spanish, and today I bought two books and tapes on learning the language. It certainly looks like Spanish, but a lot of the pronunciation is like French in that it isn't quite literal. The basic grammar and sentence structure is very familiar, and much of the vocabulary. It will be a challenge to teach in Portugese, but I'm definitely up to it.
Q: What are you doing there?
A: I will be teaching Biology to eighth through tenth graders, to prepare them for the national exams. I will most likely only have a chalkboard and chalk -- chairs, desks, and other materials are rare, textbooks (even for the teachers) are nonexistent. I will be teaching classes of between 40 and 50 students, and doing HIV/AIDS education as well as after-school clubs.
Q: What are the economic and health conditions like in Mozambique?
A: I'm glad you asked. Mozambique is the seventh-poorest country in the world. The per capita income is $220, or about $.60 per day per person. HIV is rampant (about 30% of the adult population is infected) due to ignorance and myths. Most do not know or see HIV/AIDS as a problem. Teaching biology in conjunction with education about the HIV/AIDS epidemic will help stem the spread of HIV.
Q: Where will you be living?
A: I will be living with a family for my training, and my training will be with other volunteers. After training, I will be assigned to a community, where I will live with another teacher (or volunteer, if there is one) in, well, modest accomodations. As a volunteer, you live at the same level as the rest of the community. I will most likely not have electricity most of the day, if at all. I will be either in a concrete-walled dorm or basically a thatched-roof hut. Either way, I'll have my own bedroom and either an indoor or outdoor bathroom. Bathing will probably be every week. The climate is much like a Cleveland summer, and since Mozambique is in the southern hemisphere, I will be arriving in Spring. Winter is temperatures in the mid 70's, sometimes in the high 50's at night. I *will* miss snow :>.
Q: How do we keep in touch?
A: Communication will be difficult. There may be telephones in the community, but maybe not. I won't be further than a day's ride to a telephone, however, and in an emergency less than a day from any news (via Peace Corps). In any extreme governmental issue, Volunteers are some of the first people to be removed. Mail can take up to a month to arrive from the States, and to be sent back to the States. Often, Volunteers find travellers to mail things for them (the African version of "air mail"). Computers will be few and far between, except in Maputo, where there are a couple Internet cafes.
During training, my address will be:
John Dutton, PCT
Peace Corps
C.P. 4398
Maputo, Mozambique
[IMPORTANT: Write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on all letters and make sure to date and number them.]
My mother will probably be updating my website (http://john-dutton.com/) with journal entries and post-training contact info, but please never hesitate to write, even if it's just a postcard. I will probably also have her check and print out my e-mails (and not the spam), so if you don't want to write an actual letter, send an e-mail and I'll get it (eventually :>). [BTW, her name is Alice, so make sure to thank her for printing the e-mail out and sending it along!] The best thing in the world will be to receive some news on what's going on, and I promise I'll be the best African pen pal ever :> ! Keep in mind that even if I write back the same day, you may not hear back for two months. So just keep on writing and include little bits of American culture that I can show the locals.
Q: Do you have any vacation time?
A: Yes, I get three weeks per year (or two days per month of service). The schools have four weeks of vacation time, two of those in June. Because it costs so dang much to get to the US, I will probably end up vacationing in South Africa or Europe. If you are at all interested next June (or the June after) in doing either of these, let me know!
There's so much more, so if you wanna ask me anything, feel free. If you wanna hang out sometime before I leave (and I don't see you every day :>), I've got a really flexible schedule for the next few weeks in Cleveland and in Connecticut, just let me know! Please, please, PLEASE keep in contact and I will be back mid-December 2004 (hopefully it will be snowing :> ). I'm going to miss everyone so much!
Proxima ("Later"),
John
A: I leave in mid-September for Connecticut to spend time with my family (meaning there will most likely be a big party just before then :> ), then October 2nd for "staging" which is basically a big orientation session (I don't know where yet). October 5th, I leave for Maputo (the capital of Mozambique), Mozambique, a country on the eastern coast of Africa, directly north of South Africa and directly west of Madagascar. The ten weeks between when I arrive and when I leave for the community I will be teaching in, I will be training for my service. Training includes learning the language, learning customs, learning how to teach, and just basically how to survive.
Q: Portugese?!?
A: If you're wondering about Portugese, no I don't know the language! I know French and a decent amount of Spanish, and today I bought two books and tapes on learning the language. It certainly looks like Spanish, but a lot of the pronunciation is like French in that it isn't quite literal. The basic grammar and sentence structure is very familiar, and much of the vocabulary. It will be a challenge to teach in Portugese, but I'm definitely up to it.
Q: What are you doing there?
A: I will be teaching Biology to eighth through tenth graders, to prepare them for the national exams. I will most likely only have a chalkboard and chalk -- chairs, desks, and other materials are rare, textbooks (even for the teachers) are nonexistent. I will be teaching classes of between 40 and 50 students, and doing HIV/AIDS education as well as after-school clubs.
Q: What are the economic and health conditions like in Mozambique?
A: I'm glad you asked. Mozambique is the seventh-poorest country in the world. The per capita income is $220, or about $.60 per day per person. HIV is rampant (about 30% of the adult population is infected) due to ignorance and myths. Most do not know or see HIV/AIDS as a problem. Teaching biology in conjunction with education about the HIV/AIDS epidemic will help stem the spread of HIV.
Q: Where will you be living?
A: I will be living with a family for my training, and my training will be with other volunteers. After training, I will be assigned to a community, where I will live with another teacher (or volunteer, if there is one) in, well, modest accomodations. As a volunteer, you live at the same level as the rest of the community. I will most likely not have electricity most of the day, if at all. I will be either in a concrete-walled dorm or basically a thatched-roof hut. Either way, I'll have my own bedroom and either an indoor or outdoor bathroom. Bathing will probably be every week. The climate is much like a Cleveland summer, and since Mozambique is in the southern hemisphere, I will be arriving in Spring. Winter is temperatures in the mid 70's, sometimes in the high 50's at night. I *will* miss snow :>.
Q: How do we keep in touch?
A: Communication will be difficult. There may be telephones in the community, but maybe not. I won't be further than a day's ride to a telephone, however, and in an emergency less than a day from any news (via Peace Corps). In any extreme governmental issue, Volunteers are some of the first people to be removed. Mail can take up to a month to arrive from the States, and to be sent back to the States. Often, Volunteers find travellers to mail things for them (the African version of "air mail"). Computers will be few and far between, except in Maputo, where there are a couple Internet cafes.
During training, my address will be:
John Dutton, PCT
Peace Corps
C.P. 4398
Maputo, Mozambique
[IMPORTANT: Write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on all letters and make sure to date and number them.]
My mother will probably be updating my website (http://john-dutton.com/) with journal entries and post-training contact info, but please never hesitate to write, even if it's just a postcard. I will probably also have her check and print out my e-mails (and not the spam), so if you don't want to write an actual letter, send an e-mail and I'll get it (eventually :>). [BTW, her name is Alice, so make sure to thank her for printing the e-mail out and sending it along!] The best thing in the world will be to receive some news on what's going on, and I promise I'll be the best African pen pal ever :> ! Keep in mind that even if I write back the same day, you may not hear back for two months. So just keep on writing and include little bits of American culture that I can show the locals.
Q: Do you have any vacation time?
A: Yes, I get three weeks per year (or two days per month of service). The schools have four weeks of vacation time, two of those in June. Because it costs so dang much to get to the US, I will probably end up vacationing in South Africa or Europe. If you are at all interested next June (or the June after) in doing either of these, let me know!
There's so much more, so if you wanna ask me anything, feel free. If you wanna hang out sometime before I leave (and I don't see you every day :>), I've got a really flexible schedule for the next few weeks in Cleveland and in Connecticut, just let me know! Please, please, PLEASE keep in contact and I will be back mid-December 2004 (hopefully it will be snowing :> ). I'm going to miss everyone so much!
Proxima ("Later"),
John
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Watch this space ...
... because on Monday evening, I should know where I'm going and what I'm doing for the next 2 1/2 years!
UPDATE!
I have just received word that my Placement Review has been completed! Wooo!!
No, I have no idea what that means, either.
No, I have no idea what that means, either.
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
I spoke with my placement officer and temporary screening nurse today. It seems that my nomination has expired, so I could end up anywhere and doing anything in the realm of science teaching. The good news is that I will have an invitation to go ... somewhere ... by the end of the month! I got interrogated about my vegetarianism again, and I gave the same response of essentially "I'll eat it if I have to," meaning that if culture dictates, I will abide.
I leave work the 30th and start a position with the Cleveland Metroparks banding birds 3x a week. You may be asking when I have to get up to do such a cool thing. Well, I would have to respond by saying that I have to get up at about 4am, depending on where we're banding. That's right, 4am. It'll be an adjustment, especially living in a fraternity house. Maybe I'll just crash when I get home, and be mostly nocturnal.
The bike ride this weekend was a blast - MS really has their shit together and I was impressed by the entire weekend. The only thing I was disappointed by was their lack of environmentalism, which kind of surprised me. However, beggars can't be choosers, so I suppose making conservation decisions might not have been an option.
I leave work the 30th and start a position with the Cleveland Metroparks banding birds 3x a week. You may be asking when I have to get up to do such a cool thing. Well, I would have to respond by saying that I have to get up at about 4am, depending on where we're banding. That's right, 4am. It'll be an adjustment, especially living in a fraternity house. Maybe I'll just crash when I get home, and be mostly nocturnal.
The bike ride this weekend was a blast - MS really has their shit together and I was impressed by the entire weekend. The only thing I was disappointed by was their lack of environmentalism, which kind of surprised me. However, beggars can't be choosers, so I suppose making conservation decisions might not have been an option.
Mom charged with letting kids get sunburned
"She pushed her kids around the fairground all day last Tuesday, and it looked like those kids' faces were dipped in red paint," [Sheriff Fred Abdalla] said. "There was no sunscreen or nothing on these children."
Hibbits, 31, could face 15 years in jail if convicted of all three counts.
John says: And in other news, Sheriff Fred Abdalla is facing 20 years in prison if convicted of using "dumb English."
"She pushed her kids around the fairground all day last Tuesday, and it looked like those kids' faces were dipped in red paint," [Sheriff Fred Abdalla] said. "There was no sunscreen or nothing on these children."
Hibbits, 31, could face 15 years in jail if convicted of all three counts.
John says: And in other news, Sheriff Fred Abdalla is facing 20 years in prison if convicted of using "dumb English."
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Stargazing
A few friends and I tried to go stargazing last night, away from the light pollution of Cleveland. The Perseids meteor shower was apparently visible after 10pm, so I rounded up the troops, we borrowed a car and headed east. We didn't really have any particular destination, we were just looking for some land to lie down on where we could see stars.
I guess that was really our first problem. Being spontaneous does require permission, after all.
Well, we headed east on Fairmount, all the way into Pepper Pike, a nice upper-middle class suburb. I took a random turn down a quiet street, and we struck gold. There was a cul-de-sac at the end of the street with a nice grassy area in the middle, and there were cars parked along the side of the street. I pulled in behind the cars, and we laid our blankets out on the grass.
I was driving a friend's car, an old American beast that sucks down gas at an amazing rate. It didn't really fit in among the Audi, BMW, Lexus, and other luxury cars we were parked alongside. When I write "luxury," I mean "really fucking expensive and symbolic of people who just want to be left alone." So all the signs were pointing to this being a short-lived trip. But we were determined.
We didn't see any meteors, but we had a fun time trying to find constellations. The light pollution, at least 15 miles from the city, was still keeping part of the sky illuminated. The moon wasn't visible, but we did see a few planes.
About 15 minutes after we laid down, we saw headlights. Looking more closely, I saw that it was in fact a police car. He explained that he had received a complaint that people were camping out. He had expected to find tents and a bonfire, and seemed to have as much frustration as we did that he was out here, breaking up our very peaceful party. I asked him if we were trespassing, to which he gave a very circumlocutive answer. I knew we weren't, that this was city property, and unless we were taking a poop or drinking on it, there was nothing he could do. But why give him a hard time? He was being nice, and giving us suggestions as to where else we might be able to go. Plus, we weren't seeing any meteors, so we got up and left.
When we were pulling out, we noticed that people started to emerge from across the street. About 50 college-age people and a set of parents were on the lawn (and as we found out had all been drinking their share), and started excitedly asking us what we were doing. Their interest was obviously more out of curiosity than concern, and so we told them what were doing and that we had come from Cleveland.
They were flabbergasted. They couldn't believe we had come all the way to their street just to go stargazing. Now, this was entertainment for both of us. Imagine, 50 people on their lawn at 11pm talking to 5 strangers in a car from a city 15 miles away who were looking for something the other 50 had every day of the year, in full view of two very bored police officers. Same planet (same county), different worlds.
I guess that was really our first problem. Being spontaneous does require permission, after all.
Well, we headed east on Fairmount, all the way into Pepper Pike, a nice upper-middle class suburb. I took a random turn down a quiet street, and we struck gold. There was a cul-de-sac at the end of the street with a nice grassy area in the middle, and there were cars parked along the side of the street. I pulled in behind the cars, and we laid our blankets out on the grass.
I was driving a friend's car, an old American beast that sucks down gas at an amazing rate. It didn't really fit in among the Audi, BMW, Lexus, and other luxury cars we were parked alongside. When I write "luxury," I mean "really fucking expensive and symbolic of people who just want to be left alone." So all the signs were pointing to this being a short-lived trip. But we were determined.
We didn't see any meteors, but we had a fun time trying to find constellations. The light pollution, at least 15 miles from the city, was still keeping part of the sky illuminated. The moon wasn't visible, but we did see a few planes.
About 15 minutes after we laid down, we saw headlights. Looking more closely, I saw that it was in fact a police car. He explained that he had received a complaint that people were camping out. He had expected to find tents and a bonfire, and seemed to have as much frustration as we did that he was out here, breaking up our very peaceful party. I asked him if we were trespassing, to which he gave a very circumlocutive answer. I knew we weren't, that this was city property, and unless we were taking a poop or drinking on it, there was nothing he could do. But why give him a hard time? He was being nice, and giving us suggestions as to where else we might be able to go. Plus, we weren't seeing any meteors, so we got up and left.
When we were pulling out, we noticed that people started to emerge from across the street. About 50 college-age people and a set of parents were on the lawn (and as we found out had all been drinking their share), and started excitedly asking us what we were doing. Their interest was obviously more out of curiosity than concern, and so we told them what were doing and that we had come from Cleveland.
They were flabbergasted. They couldn't believe we had come all the way to their street just to go stargazing. Now, this was entertainment for both of us. Imagine, 50 people on their lawn at 11pm talking to 5 strangers in a car from a city 15 miles away who were looking for something the other 50 had every day of the year, in full view of two very bored police officers. Same planet (same county), different worlds.
Monday, August 12, 2002
Progress!
CNN.com - Students put to work cleaning restrooms - August 12, 2002
"Anytime I'm in the bathroom and I see trash on the floor, I pick it up and throw it in the trash can," said Allesta Brewley, a junior. "If one person helps clean the bathroom, and other people see it, they'll probably do the same. We thought it was going to be a lot of hard work, but we made it fun."
"Anytime I'm in the bathroom and I see trash on the floor, I pick it up and throw it in the trash can," said Allesta Brewley, a junior. "If one person helps clean the bathroom, and other people see it, they'll probably do the same. We thought it was going to be a lot of hard work, but we made it fun."
Friday, August 09, 2002
CWRU to ban animals on campus
The full proposal is here: http://burro.astr.cwru.edu/cwrupet/proposal.txt
My favorite part:
3. Fish
Fish in containers of ten gallons or less are exempt from this policy.
Individual schools or management centers may adopt more restrictive
policies on fish.
I can see it now ...
Jeff was weary after a full day of classes. Taking a deep breath of stale, paint-peeling-off-the-walls air, he started towards the door.
"Just study a couple hours for physics, then work on my engineering homework. After that, I'll brush my teeth, feed the fish, then go to bed."
As his words echoed through the hall, he realized that everyone else's doors were closed. Not that this was strange, no, not for CWRU. It would have been odd if a couple doors were open or if he were closing the door so that he could shut out the noises of people busily socializing. Jeff felt his eyes glaze over from the woe of routine, partially questioning why he even bothered to lock up before studying.
"It's not like anyone's actually going to bother me."
Routine was what kept a CWRU student in school. Without their normal sequence of events, a Case kid would never make it. Not with endless work and studying to juggle with resume-building extracurriculars. As with many tough schools, a regular motto was "Sleep is for the weak." Jeff embodied it. Three hours of rest per night, but some would argue his fascination with fish provided more.
Jeff relished the moments he could drift away, pondering what world his fish lived in. He wondered about his own world and about what life after CWRU would be like. It was only after thoughts ran to schoolwork and responsibilities that the future seemed to look dark and ... normal.
Jeff deftly moved his hand down to the deadbolt, preparing for his evening study session. Before he was able to move the bolt, a strangely similar sound emanated from the door, twice in a row. Snapping out of it, Jeff realized it was just someone knocking.
"Mr. Simonds?"
The voice was strange, sounding much like a frog had developed human vocal cords.
"Jeff Simonds?"
Jeff thought that maybe someone had been accidentally let into the dorm, but then realized that a stranger would never know his name.
"Yes, I'm Jeff," he said as he opened the door.
"Hi, my name is Phillip, I'm from Maintenance. I hate to do this to you, but I've heard that you have a very large fish tank."
"Yeah, I guess it's pretty big. It doesn't leave very much room for doing anything other than sleeping, but ... wait, why do you care?"
"Well, you see, there's a, um, regulation."
Phillip said the last word as to make sure Jeff knew this was not a word in Phillip's normal vocabulary. Phillip continued,
"All tanks have to be ten gallons or less. I'm afraid I'm going to have to drain your tank to find out how large -- "
"That's absurd! Don't you realize that you can just measure the height, width and depth to figure out how many gallons it can hold?"
"I don't, well, you see, I have these steps I need to follow."
"Says who?"
Phillip handed Jeff a worn piece of paper, detailing the "regulation" accompanied by a fresh signature.
"Shit."
-----
Jeff stood up and headed towards his door. He did this every night, it seemed, but he knew it was the only way to survive. As he locked the door behind him, Jeff looked out to the desk on the other side of the room that was faded except for a two-by-two-foot square in the middle. He had been sleeping well, but doing poorly in class. He sighed, and thought,
"I should have stuck with the eight-gallon tank."
My favorite part:
3. Fish
Fish in containers of ten gallons or less are exempt from this policy.
Individual schools or management centers may adopt more restrictive
policies on fish.
I can see it now ...
Jeff was weary after a full day of classes. Taking a deep breath of stale, paint-peeling-off-the-walls air, he started towards the door.
"Just study a couple hours for physics, then work on my engineering homework. After that, I'll brush my teeth, feed the fish, then go to bed."
As his words echoed through the hall, he realized that everyone else's doors were closed. Not that this was strange, no, not for CWRU. It would have been odd if a couple doors were open or if he were closing the door so that he could shut out the noises of people busily socializing. Jeff felt his eyes glaze over from the woe of routine, partially questioning why he even bothered to lock up before studying.
"It's not like anyone's actually going to bother me."
Routine was what kept a CWRU student in school. Without their normal sequence of events, a Case kid would never make it. Not with endless work and studying to juggle with resume-building extracurriculars. As with many tough schools, a regular motto was "Sleep is for the weak." Jeff embodied it. Three hours of rest per night, but some would argue his fascination with fish provided more.
Jeff relished the moments he could drift away, pondering what world his fish lived in. He wondered about his own world and about what life after CWRU would be like. It was only after thoughts ran to schoolwork and responsibilities that the future seemed to look dark and ... normal.
Jeff deftly moved his hand down to the deadbolt, preparing for his evening study session. Before he was able to move the bolt, a strangely similar sound emanated from the door, twice in a row. Snapping out of it, Jeff realized it was just someone knocking.
"Mr. Simonds?"
The voice was strange, sounding much like a frog had developed human vocal cords.
"Jeff Simonds?"
Jeff thought that maybe someone had been accidentally let into the dorm, but then realized that a stranger would never know his name.
"Yes, I'm Jeff," he said as he opened the door.
"Hi, my name is Phillip, I'm from Maintenance. I hate to do this to you, but I've heard that you have a very large fish tank."
"Yeah, I guess it's pretty big. It doesn't leave very much room for doing anything other than sleeping, but ... wait, why do you care?"
"Well, you see, there's a, um, regulation."
Phillip said the last word as to make sure Jeff knew this was not a word in Phillip's normal vocabulary. Phillip continued,
"All tanks have to be ten gallons or less. I'm afraid I'm going to have to drain your tank to find out how large -- "
"That's absurd! Don't you realize that you can just measure the height, width and depth to figure out how many gallons it can hold?"
"I don't, well, you see, I have these steps I need to follow."
"Says who?"
Phillip handed Jeff a worn piece of paper, detailing the "regulation" accompanied by a fresh signature.
"Shit."
-----
Jeff stood up and headed towards his door. He did this every night, it seemed, but he knew it was the only way to survive. As he locked the door behind him, Jeff looked out to the desk on the other side of the room that was faded except for a two-by-two-foot square in the middle. He had been sleeping well, but doing poorly in class. He sighed, and thought,
"I should have stuck with the eight-gallon tank."
Wednesday, August 07, 2002
Roofing
This weekend I helped Dominic re-roof the garage of his house. It was hot, sweaty work, but a ton of fun because we finished what we set out to do. And it was manual labor, which is always satisfying.
The big bonus was getting a home-cooked vegetarian meal. There were portabella mushrooms marinated and grilled to perfection, topped with red peppers, grilled and raw onions, and absolutely the best pesto I've ever had. I consider myself a good cook, but they were in a different league. Mmmmmm ...
The big bonus was getting a home-cooked vegetarian meal. There were portabella mushrooms marinated and grilled to perfection, topped with red peppers, grilled and raw onions, and absolutely the best pesto I've ever had. I consider myself a good cook, but they were in a different league. Mmmmmm ...
Friday, August 02, 2002
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