THE ROT SETS IN
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INGRID, PETE AND SALLY
By that I mean that all my good intentions went out of the window andI indulged for the next months in butter, cheese, milk and processedmeat to such an extent that I needed to return to Africa very quickly to regain areasonable body shape! Apart from food over-indulgence, there was film, theatre, opera,ballet, art galleries and so many wonderful friends and restaurant meals tofit in! Clean water which one marvels at and cannot countenance beingso pristine, is plentiful and safe to drink, even from a toilet! Thepavements (sidewalks) are clean and smooth, electricity is alwaysavailable, new-fangled hand driers in some toilets are super-efficient andeco-friendly, loo paper can be found everywhere, shops stock a greatvariety of things they encourage you to buy, transport is driven by theclock and timings are in minutes, not hours... Yes, culture shock but also wonder at how quickly the world changes.
After only 18 months away, I find the UK citizens being encouraged tobe hardy outdoors. It started on 1st July and they are slowlyentering winter with huddles of people puffing at cigarettes where there is nonotice to ban them from such anti-social activity. The pubs haveadapted and now they are producing very expensive, energy consuming outdoorheaters for their smoking customers and a new word has been coined:smirfing. If you do not want to loose the friendship of your smokingfriends, you have to join them outside pubs and restaurants wheresmoking and flirting have become the norm. In Yorkshire they are trailing the acceptability of mini-bananas (myfavourite) to the British who so far have only known Fyffe’s and Geestuni-size ones. Do people know that there are even bananas with pips? Traffic wardens now use timed digital cameras to record one'smisdemeanor. No excuse or argument tolerated! Ruth in The Archers has breast cancer and Liz Hurley is married.
Poor (?) Heather McCartney-Mills tried to explain to people that 18%of greenhouse gasses come from the dairy industry, for which she wasbooed (ok, she was not too clever in her comparative examples). But sheechoed my oft-quoted mantra that milk is for baby cows and that we canget calcium from many other eco-friendly sources. However, the DairyIndustry is so entrenched in its powerful industry and ‘education of themasses’ that these cries for sense are just ridiculed by the majority. My recent indulgence shows how I am but a product of my upbringing……
People would ask me; 'But what do you DO in Africa?' There is no adequate reply. I am not bored. As C. McCullers says in ' The heart is a Lonely Hunter’; The soul rots with boredom. Just watching the world go by or talking to people about their lives and aspirations is reward enough. Having the time to indulge in 'Me-Days' with books one would often never contemplate reading but might have to due to a dearth of reading matter, is always a challenge and surprising delight. One sleeps a lot...or at least I do as I do not generally go out to Reggae parties or clubs...and scientific research is confirming that adequate amounts of sleep really are necessary to ward off health problems. And of course I do not have stress, so can just enjoy being alive. That is reward enough.
In England I was reading again about how you can invest in Africa,but it is with the proviso; ‘African Funds are only for the most gung-hoof investors, who can afford to take a long term view and risksubstantial losses’ (Sunday Telegraph Oct. 28 2007). It does not encourage meto even try to invest my own money while I am here when locals see oneand immediately stick out a hand for money. I persist in loving theplace nevertheless. And my opinionated remarks can rile and activateyour conscience. Come and see!
Sam Kiley, in a TV film called Genocide’s Children (Channel 4 Nov.9th), warned that Rwandan exiles are being reared for a new genocide.(Glad to have my own feelings confirmed) To come to the end of my cynicism, let me just quote a recent OxfamReport: War in Africa has cost the continent at least 280billiion US$ in15 years- as much as the amount given in international aid over thesame period... 38% of the world’s armed conflicts are being fought inAfrica. And what I was very disheartened to learn is that about 95% of AK47s in Africa came from the West.
The winter cold set in and Ingrid had a daughter, called Sally, on 20th October. Thus I am now a grandmother.
Back in Zanzibar (direct flight now with Ethiopian Air). I am inmy little hotel which is much used by resting Volunteers. And I am once again being entertained by the same old story of corruption and mis-management and inefficiency by not only the African locals, but the good people from the West who come here to ‘leave a mark’ I suspect.
I shall indulge in being in Zanzibar and try to give more of my thoughts and unsubstantiated opinions while waiting to move on. Christmas in South Africa is to be avoided only because I do not want to intrude on family celebrations.
But to any of you who might be reading, I sincerely wish you a
VERY HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON
and a lot of
GOOD CHEER FOR THE NEW YEAR
By that I mean that all my good intentions went out of the window andI indulged for the next months in butter, cheese, milk and processedmeat to such an extent that I needed to return to Africa very quickly to regain areasonable body shape! Apart from food over-indulgence, there was film, theatre, opera,ballet, art galleries and so many wonderful friends and restaurant meals tofit in! Clean water which one marvels at and cannot countenance beingso pristine, is plentiful and safe to drink, even from a toilet! Thepavements (sidewalks) are clean and smooth, electricity is alwaysavailable, new-fangled hand driers in some toilets are super-efficient andeco-friendly, loo paper can be found everywhere, shops stock a greatvariety of things they encourage you to buy, transport is driven by theclock and timings are in minutes, not hours... Yes, culture shock but also wonder at how quickly the world changes.
After only 18 months away, I find the UK citizens being encouraged tobe hardy outdoors. It started on 1st July and they are slowlyentering winter with huddles of people puffing at cigarettes where there is nonotice to ban them from such anti-social activity. The pubs haveadapted and now they are producing very expensive, energy consuming outdoorheaters for their smoking customers and a new word has been coined:smirfing. If you do not want to loose the friendship of your smokingfriends, you have to join them outside pubs and restaurants wheresmoking and flirting have become the norm. In Yorkshire they are trailing the acceptability of mini-bananas (myfavourite) to the British who so far have only known Fyffe’s and Geestuni-size ones. Do people know that there are even bananas with pips? Traffic wardens now use timed digital cameras to record one'smisdemeanor. No excuse or argument tolerated! Ruth in The Archers has breast cancer and Liz Hurley is married.
Poor (?) Heather McCartney-Mills tried to explain to people that 18%of greenhouse gasses come from the dairy industry, for which she wasbooed (ok, she was not too clever in her comparative examples). But sheechoed my oft-quoted mantra that milk is for baby cows and that we canget calcium from many other eco-friendly sources. However, the DairyIndustry is so entrenched in its powerful industry and ‘education of themasses’ that these cries for sense are just ridiculed by the majority. My recent indulgence shows how I am but a product of my upbringing……
People would ask me; 'But what do you DO in Africa?' There is no adequate reply. I am not bored. As C. McCullers says in ' The heart is a Lonely Hunter’; The soul rots with boredom. Just watching the world go by or talking to people about their lives and aspirations is reward enough. Having the time to indulge in 'Me-Days' with books one would often never contemplate reading but might have to due to a dearth of reading matter, is always a challenge and surprising delight. One sleeps a lot...or at least I do as I do not generally go out to Reggae parties or clubs...and scientific research is confirming that adequate amounts of sleep really are necessary to ward off health problems. And of course I do not have stress, so can just enjoy being alive. That is reward enough.
In England I was reading again about how you can invest in Africa,but it is with the proviso; ‘African Funds are only for the most gung-hoof investors, who can afford to take a long term view and risksubstantial losses’ (Sunday Telegraph Oct. 28 2007). It does not encourage meto even try to invest my own money while I am here when locals see oneand immediately stick out a hand for money. I persist in loving theplace nevertheless. And my opinionated remarks can rile and activateyour conscience. Come and see!
Sam Kiley, in a TV film called Genocide’s Children (Channel 4 Nov.9th), warned that Rwandan exiles are being reared for a new genocide.(Glad to have my own feelings confirmed) To come to the end of my cynicism, let me just quote a recent OxfamReport: War in Africa has cost the continent at least 280billiion US$ in15 years- as much as the amount given in international aid over thesame period... 38% of the world’s armed conflicts are being fought inAfrica. And what I was very disheartened to learn is that about 95% of AK47s in Africa came from the West.
The winter cold set in and Ingrid had a daughter, called Sally, on 20th October. Thus I am now a grandmother.
Back in Zanzibar (direct flight now with Ethiopian Air). I am inmy little hotel which is much used by resting Volunteers. And I am once again being entertained by the same old story of corruption and mis-management and inefficiency by not only the African locals, but the good people from the West who come here to ‘leave a mark’ I suspect.
I shall indulge in being in Zanzibar and try to give more of my thoughts and unsubstantiated opinions while waiting to move on. Christmas in South Africa is to be avoided only because I do not want to intrude on family celebrations.
But to any of you who might be reading, I sincerely wish you a
VERY HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON
and a lot of
GOOD CHEER FOR THE NEW YEAR
posted by Hilda Matthews @ 3:02 PM
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