When you read this, mine will be a life of nearly 25 years. I have gone through both easy and hard periods, and the way I judge whether an event is easy or hard has changed. I have spent the last month trying to get a visa for Madagascar. I postponed many activities to accomplish this goal. I even compromised some of my principles to get the visa: when I left Phoenix, I wanted to live in a rural community in Madagascar to augment my knowledge of life with technology; now, I am without a visa in a polluted capital city.
I know that it is important to balance the principle that when tasks offer a lot of resistence, take another route with the principle that without pain, there is no gain. Another duo is that while it is important to avoid pain, one must stick to one's principles. Trying to get into the countryside has caused me some pain: I even felt more like going to China more than staying here. The reason I stayed is not to get to the countryside, though I did get a contract with an English school that will allow me to do so. The reason for me to stay is that I am not man enough for China.
I have never really been fully immersed in another culture, and maybe I never will. But I believe immersion in an unfamiliar culture is maturing. I don't feel ready to deal with the perspective on home that I expect from living in China. I get rattled when get stick out there hands, "Monsieur, donne argent". Here, American music an fashion are popular. Also, fake products are very prevelant and they are associated with China. Viewing this dynamic without understanding it is a dangerous piece of knowledge.
I could not keep good records of my attempt to get the visa. I am looking forward to the future, but I spend so much time doing that!
Wednesday 31 July 2013
Saturday 20 July 2013
ooooh weee
The hotel keep ten cats in the kitchen. A black and gray striped one likes me. I like an orange and white one with long hair. The rest are afraid of me because I make like I am going to kick them when they get into my food. There are three kittens that look positively deformed. One of the boys, Sisi, treats them like stray soccer balls, and he does Tae Kwon Do, so they are pretty tough cats, despite being confined to a ten by fifteen foot rooM.
There are dogs out back, by the staff house. One is chained. He is big, but skinny. The other two are little, white and black, and dirty. They cry and cry and cry. One hits the door next to mine. The chained one jumps sometimes. I never go back there because I miss Bela and because it is not really for guests.
The saxophone playing neighbor has really improved in the last two months.
I make a lot of pancakes. Whipping the milk a little helps get them fluffly. Another important thing about cooking is that I have a lot of trouble making a rice accompaniment taste good without some type of stock. Most of the cubes here have MSG, but I found one that doesn't. It does have maltodextrin, which I am afraid to google. I feel kind of like a noob because I need packaged flavor to enjoy the food I cook.
I have a one year contract with the National Center for the English Language; it includes time for me to spend in the bush. There is a problem though, I have a dirty criminal record. In 2008, I was arrest in Sky Harbor for having a fake ID. I wasn't charged; in fact, when I showed up for court, they told me to go home. But, it is on the books, so whether the Malagasy Ministries will approve me for a long term visa is uncertain. Regardless of what happens, it I hope it will happen during the next business week, as my current visa expires on July 29.
There are dogs out back, by the staff house. One is chained. He is big, but skinny. The other two are little, white and black, and dirty. They cry and cry and cry. One hits the door next to mine. The chained one jumps sometimes. I never go back there because I miss Bela and because it is not really for guests.
The saxophone playing neighbor has really improved in the last two months.
I make a lot of pancakes. Whipping the milk a little helps get them fluffly. Another important thing about cooking is that I have a lot of trouble making a rice accompaniment taste good without some type of stock. Most of the cubes here have MSG, but I found one that doesn't. It does have maltodextrin, which I am afraid to google. I feel kind of like a noob because I need packaged flavor to enjoy the food I cook.
I have a one year contract with the National Center for the English Language; it includes time for me to spend in the bush. There is a problem though, I have a dirty criminal record. In 2008, I was arrest in Sky Harbor for having a fake ID. I wasn't charged; in fact, when I showed up for court, they told me to go home. But, it is on the books, so whether the Malagasy Ministries will approve me for a long term visa is uncertain. Regardless of what happens, it I hope it will happen during the next business week, as my current visa expires on July 29.
Wednesday 10 July 2013
rock bottom
I judged an English competition last week. CNELA is a school donated by the British in 1974. The facility is vast. They have sixteen classrooms and over thirty teachers. The students in the competition were in high school. Different students competed in reading, spelling, and speaking. Between segments of the competition, students made music and danced. After the competition I talked with the director about a job. I told her that I want to go to the bush to learn Malagasy before I start teaching. She said that I need certification to teach. I said I will take an online class while leading conversational classes. She said that will work. At the end of a tour of their facility, I participated in an English club meeting. Later, I submitted my terms in writing. After two work days, she did not get back to me.
I went to the American version, ETP, on the other side of Independence Avenue on the 9th. I submitted my resume for consideration.
On the fifth, I went to Lala's place for an end of class party. At the begining, the only students that were there were Lala, Bodo, and Emilie. I mentioned Emilie before, but I probably spelled her name incorrectly. I felt a like I did in the summer of 2010, actions seemed to be for my particular benefit. I listened to Kirk Franklin. The house has a nice layout: at the entrance is a big rool split between living and dining. Almost in the middle is a hallway with the kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom on one side, and two bedrooms on the other. Lala runs a store. Lala wants to become an English teacher and Emilie is now a tutor. Bodo has a daughter that lives in China and speaks both English and Chinese. When everyone arrived the women worked on food, while Buddy, Marius, and I talked about school and the US government. There was a lot of meat, so I was not a vegetarian that day. We took a lot of pictures. I finally spoke in French with Miora. Lala has a nice family.
The next day we elected Lala president of the SEC English club. It was Johnathan's idea to select a president so that he can relax on the week. Aside from running the election, we talked about food. We talked about food preferences. Tahina, a guy from the southeast, told us about some of the things he ate while living in the bush. He has eaten crocodile!
Sadly, there is little hope for me to use my Nexus 7 tablet. I broke the old screen when I switched them and the new one is defective. I had that verified by a technician at the Supreme Centre in Chinatown. In other technology news, I am learning about Ubuntu.
Before I left the US, I was watching the anime, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I liked it, but I didn't bring it with me. Ben Fisher, my Huckleberry Hill Lane neighbor, brought me my external HD, so I could continue. I was hesitant because I had heard the original show, Full Metal Alchemist, was better than the new one. So when I found a movie store that transfers an episode for a dime, I got the original. I watched the first three episodes. They were a LOT alike, so I decided to skip. I was on ~45/60. The new show has 50 episodes. I decided to skip to 33. At first, I new exactly what was happening, but after, I wasn't sure I was watching the episodes in order. By the end, it was OK. The conspiracy in the plot is more plausible in the original so far as I can tell.
I saw Claude on the Fourth of July. We each had delicious tomato salad at a restaurant between Isoraka and Analakely. He told me about how NGO Azafady was doing when he quit. He has some important affairs in England and he wasn't really satisfied with his position. We talked about Kung Fu and Capoeira. He is getting creative with the latter. He told me that in the countryside, it is easier to find martial Kung Fu instead of the kind that prepares one for demonstrations. It was cool to see Claude because he understands a lot of my goal here and he respects what I am trying to do.
But I have to say that now, I am much more interested in computers than farming.
Kevin came by on the eighth. We had lunch in the bookstand restaurant Mary runs. We talked about Anime. He recommends I watch GTO. After, we walked through a market in Antanimena. He came by for dinner. We talked about how to improve the lives of Malagasy. I said this place needs to search for a country specific solution, not a development that worked for another country. He and I really disagree about China. That came up because he said that people here have to avoid the route the Chinese took. I think Malagasy can become world leaders in both environmental policy and technology that benefits the environment. People here should avoid reliance on manufacturing.
I went to the American version, ETP, on the other side of Independence Avenue on the 9th. I submitted my resume for consideration.
On the fifth, I went to Lala's place for an end of class party. At the begining, the only students that were there were Lala, Bodo, and Emilie. I mentioned Emilie before, but I probably spelled her name incorrectly. I felt a like I did in the summer of 2010, actions seemed to be for my particular benefit. I listened to Kirk Franklin. The house has a nice layout: at the entrance is a big rool split between living and dining. Almost in the middle is a hallway with the kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom on one side, and two bedrooms on the other. Lala runs a store. Lala wants to become an English teacher and Emilie is now a tutor. Bodo has a daughter that lives in China and speaks both English and Chinese. When everyone arrived the women worked on food, while Buddy, Marius, and I talked about school and the US government. There was a lot of meat, so I was not a vegetarian that day. We took a lot of pictures. I finally spoke in French with Miora. Lala has a nice family.
The next day we elected Lala president of the SEC English club. It was Johnathan's idea to select a president so that he can relax on the week. Aside from running the election, we talked about food. We talked about food preferences. Tahina, a guy from the southeast, told us about some of the things he ate while living in the bush. He has eaten crocodile!
Sadly, there is little hope for me to use my Nexus 7 tablet. I broke the old screen when I switched them and the new one is defective. I had that verified by a technician at the Supreme Centre in Chinatown. In other technology news, I am learning about Ubuntu.
Before I left the US, I was watching the anime, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I liked it, but I didn't bring it with me. Ben Fisher, my Huckleberry Hill Lane neighbor, brought me my external HD, so I could continue. I was hesitant because I had heard the original show, Full Metal Alchemist, was better than the new one. So when I found a movie store that transfers an episode for a dime, I got the original. I watched the first three episodes. They were a LOT alike, so I decided to skip. I was on ~45/60. The new show has 50 episodes. I decided to skip to 33. At first, I new exactly what was happening, but after, I wasn't sure I was watching the episodes in order. By the end, it was OK. The conspiracy in the plot is more plausible in the original so far as I can tell.
I saw Claude on the Fourth of July. We each had delicious tomato salad at a restaurant between Isoraka and Analakely. He told me about how NGO Azafady was doing when he quit. He has some important affairs in England and he wasn't really satisfied with his position. We talked about Kung Fu and Capoeira. He is getting creative with the latter. He told me that in the countryside, it is easier to find martial Kung Fu instead of the kind that prepares one for demonstrations. It was cool to see Claude because he understands a lot of my goal here and he respects what I am trying to do.
But I have to say that now, I am much more interested in computers than farming.
Kevin came by on the eighth. We had lunch in the bookstand restaurant Mary runs. We talked about Anime. He recommends I watch GTO. After, we walked through a market in Antanimena. He came by for dinner. We talked about how to improve the lives of Malagasy. I said this place needs to search for a country specific solution, not a development that worked for another country. He and I really disagree about China. That came up because he said that people here have to avoid the route the Chinese took. I think Malagasy can become world leaders in both environmental policy and technology that benefits the environment. People here should avoid reliance on manufacturing.
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