I'm over halfway through my time here. When I realized that I got scared... so I wrote this post to make sure that I've actually learned something.
1. I’ve learned more about being present and communicating with people from a different culture. I’ve learned that sometimes it’s really hard and sometimes you just have to sit there and laugh even though you have not idea what people are talking about... In the words of Mindy Kaling, “I sat at the table listening and smiling and saying nothing, like an upbeat foreign exchange student who spoke very little English.” You just have to show up.
1. I’ve learned more about being present and communicating with people from a different culture. I’ve learned that sometimes it’s really hard and sometimes you just have to sit there and laugh even though you have not idea what people are talking about... In the words of Mindy Kaling, “I sat at the table listening and smiling and saying nothing, like an upbeat foreign exchange student who spoke very little English.” You just have to show up.
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| Sometimes when you try to go for a walk here people accompany you... these dudes were super excited. Don't worry, they weren't excited because I was there, they were excited because there was a football game. |
2.
PSsssshhh is the best sound to use to scare the birds away from the sugar bowl.
I learned this before learning that keeping the birds out of the sugar is
hopeless.
3.
I’ve learned to appreciate the little things. Pancakes. Bug
nets. Bird songs. Avocados. Unlimited guavas. JBiebs playing in the market.Tea time twice a day every day.
4.
I’ve learned to rely a little less on affirmation from other people. I have
only one person here who is truly my peer in all senses of the word and it isn’t
her role to affirm me… that doesn’t mean I have to walk around in a cloud of
self-doubt.
5.
I’ve learned that there’s freedom in working solo. Sometimes you want to have a
manager who is around, but sometimes it is super nice to work solo because it
means the dock can be your office, or the restaurant, or that random bench that
has a super good view of the sunset. Even the dreariest work is beautiful when
you’re sitting outside soaking up the sun (while wearing sunscreen, of course).
6.
Be like that beetle next to your desk that has been trying to turn over for
three hours and don’t give up. Or be the person who helps the beetle turn over
because it really needs a hand. (The real lesson: beetle analogies/puns might
make people stop reading.)
7.
I’ve learned how to make a mean curry… no recipe needed, just give me spices,
veggies, a pot, and a single burner. I can even make it by candlelight if you’d
like.
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| Peeling potatoes in the dark. #safetyfirst |
8.
I’ve learned how to paddle a canoe in a relatively straight line. This might
actually be the most useful skill I’ve learned here. I feel like now I can
really be a Canadian. I mean, what kind of Canadian can’t paddle a canoe in a straight
line?
9.
I’ve learned that I’m not as independent as I thought I was and it’s okay. It’s
okay to appreciate phone calls with your parents and Facebook messages from
friends. It’s okay to accept that you need to be a part of a community, even if
that community is halfway across the world and not right where you are.
10.
I’ve learned more about development in the past four months than I ever could
in a semester of Uni. To be specific:
- Having limited funds is quite frustrating and a part of almost all development endeavors.
- People are human everywhere.
- People treat the poor with more respect here, but just like North America, they aren’t going to, necessarily sacrifice everything for community development.
- NGOs naturally rise and decline.
- That trend where the entire goal of an NGO is to leave the community is good… but it does have it’s faults.
- Partnership is good. (too obvious?)
- Be careful before arbitrarily making tourism a huge part of an economy because tourists are unpredictable and tourism rides heavily on politics… also unpredictable.
- Just because somebody else is doing it better doesn’t mean you should stop or give up…. Follow their lead and keep going.
- Aid workers are strongly opinionated and tend to think what they’re doing is the best… this is simply an attitude that keeps them doing what they’re doing because uncertainty freezes people and that might be even less helpful than being convinced you’re right.
- Don’t worry too much about other people’s opinions of your work/NGO/local organization because their opinions really don’t matter.
- Just because a community doesn’t seem poor doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement… communities at home need development too.
- Our plumbing, electricity, homes, roads, schools, churches- are the framework for our lives- improve those because they’re a lot easier to fix than the deeper issues… when these things improve the other, more complicated issues can then be dealt with.
- Money matters, learn how an economy works and you’ll have a strong foundation to build upon.
- Change comes from within but outside support is pretty great too.
