In his book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn writes, "How can you expect a man who's warm to understand a man who's cold?" Whether or not they realize it, this question pervades the work of every person who tries to reach across cultures. When an American team came here, one of my friends described them as "a bunch of cheeseboys and cheesegirls." The best definition I've heard for that term is, "someone who thinks that cheese comes from the refrigerator," but it basically means that the person doesn't have an idea of what it means to work hard.
Don't get me wrong, I know plenty of Americans who work very hard (I'm related to a few of them). If I had pushed my friend a bit more, I think we would have gotten closer to the truth, that Americans who come here don't understand the life of a Swazi.
When we leave our homes behind and move around the world, there's a natural urge to make our new homes feel like the old ones. And because money is worth more here, a missionary who sells his/her house and moves here can certainly afford to live on a standard equal with home (slightly less so those of us who have a small stipend and big student loans).
The problem is, the standard of living in the US is different than the standard of living here. And the closer we get to our old standard, the farther we get from the people we are here for. We can afford nice cars, beautiful houses behind gates, and gourmet food. But then we go to meet with the average Swazi, who takes public transportation with 19 other people, lives in one room, and struggles to feed her family. And although Jesus does understand her problems, telling her that must sound awfully empty when it's clear that we can't even come close to that understanding.
I think it's a similar lesson to what we're learning in the middle east right now. We go in with guns blazing (or sermons blaring, or care packages flowing), doing everything that makes sense in our world. And to some extent, we succeed. But we don't always reach the roots of the problems, we don't always reach the hearts of the people, because we don't fully understand.
My point isn't that missions are worthless, or that missionaries need to starve to reach people. But I think we do need to rethink our approach. We practically applaud our own arrogance when we waltz into a new culture and start telling them things without taking the time to understand. And that's not an easy thing to remedy. It takes many months to get a basic idea of a culture, and we Americans feel like that's time wasted.
Please don't take this as a critique of American culture from someone who thinks he's superior. It's true that this article reflects Swazi attitudes toward things (prizing relationship over efficiency), but I remain an American. These are simply my thoughts as I reflect on my time here and realize that only now am I starting to have a working understanding of the culture here. If I were to create an internship for Southern Africa, I think I would include a 6-month period where the intern did nothing besides walking the streets and talking to people.
Have a great Wednesday,
-Ben
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
What does justice look like?
Today in the paper, the Swazi Council of Churches has called for in inquiry into the deaths of three people related to the police. The highest-profile death was 'Scarface', an alleged serial rapist who the police claim was shot and killed while he was fleeing.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the shooting, and it probably wasn't good that the police used deadly force on a fleeing man. But in a country where guilty people often go free or pay a small fine, it's somewhat hard to fault them if they did kill him without the dignity of a trial.
Justice often looks odd here, and I'm not always sure how I feel about it. A few weeks ago, I read an article about a man who was stealing electricity. He was caught by two guys posing as electric company workers and paid them a E50,000 (~$6,000) bribe to stop them from reporting him. The next day, he paid a E100,000 bribe to two guys posing as police officers to keep them from arresting him. When this all came out, the police issued a statement saying citizens should check the identification of people instead of paying them. And I couldn't figure out who was right and who was wrong in the situation. Obviously the guy was defrauded of a lot of money, but he was stealing and bribing. And the police are partly at fault for perpetuating a system where bribery is common.
At the same time, it's not easy for me to simply impose my upbringing and beliefs on Swazi culture. Some of the reasons that things work differently here is because the culture works differently, and I can't just force everyone to think like I do, no matter how many problems it would solve.
Nevertheless, the warped justice and flat-out injustice is still something that bothers me regularly. Hopefully that struggle is something that is good for my intellectual and ethical development. But it's something that one cannot be a part of life here without encountering.
-Ben
Friday, June 22, 2012
First World Problems
There's an internet meme going around that's known as "First World Problems." Basically, when someone complains about something trite or ridiculous, another person points out that it is a "first world problem. For example, if I complained that the server didn't bring me enough whipped cream on my hot beverage, someone might point out that it's a first world problem.
I think it's an interesting concept, and I wholly support re-examining the things we complain about, but I don't think it's quite accurate. It rests on the assumption that people in the third world are substantially different from people in the first world. And that assumption just isn't true. Just because people are poor doesn't mean that their lives are one continuous misery. Even people who live in mud huts get offended if they pay for something and get less than they were expecting. In fact, people who live in mud huts get offended if they don't pay for something and get less than they were expecting.
From my mission project days, I remember that one common observation was about how happy the poor people were. Now that I know a lot of the poor people, I think I can say that they're happy about as much as everyone else (the higher percentage of smiling people may be due to the sight of strange white people in fanny packs clearly feeling uncomfortable in new surroundings). Everyone, rich or poor, has concerns and troubles, but everyone also has inside jokes, friends and loved ones.
We all complain about stupid things. If they don't put enough pepperoni on the first pizza I eat when I get home, I'll probably complain about a stupid thing right then. And it's definitely worth realizing that the old lady in the crosswalk who is holding you up really isn't a big deal in the grand scope of things. But I think it's also worth noting that people in the third world also honk when we get cut off. And I'm willing to bet that waitresses here get just as much flak as the ones in the US.
Have a good weekend. The Avengers finally made it to our cinema, so I'm planning on having an exciting evening!
-Ben
I think it's an interesting concept, and I wholly support re-examining the things we complain about, but I don't think it's quite accurate. It rests on the assumption that people in the third world are substantially different from people in the first world. And that assumption just isn't true. Just because people are poor doesn't mean that their lives are one continuous misery. Even people who live in mud huts get offended if they pay for something and get less than they were expecting. In fact, people who live in mud huts get offended if they don't pay for something and get less than they were expecting.
From my mission project days, I remember that one common observation was about how happy the poor people were. Now that I know a lot of the poor people, I think I can say that they're happy about as much as everyone else (the higher percentage of smiling people may be due to the sight of strange white people in fanny packs clearly feeling uncomfortable in new surroundings). Everyone, rich or poor, has concerns and troubles, but everyone also has inside jokes, friends and loved ones.
We all complain about stupid things. If they don't put enough pepperoni on the first pizza I eat when I get home, I'll probably complain about a stupid thing right then. And it's definitely worth realizing that the old lady in the crosswalk who is holding you up really isn't a big deal in the grand scope of things. But I think it's also worth noting that people in the third world also honk when we get cut off. And I'm willing to bet that waitresses here get just as much flak as the ones in the US.
Have a good weekend. The Avengers finally made it to our cinema, so I'm planning on having an exciting evening!
-Ben
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Different Worlds
One of the things that I've been struggling with on this blog is the total inadequacy of words. I can write many things, from anecdotes to statistics, and I'll still never be able to convey the experience. There will always be things that you cannot understand until you actually walk the streets and talk to the people here. Trying to put those unquantifiable properties into a few paragraphs is the challenge I struggle with.
So today, I'm going to take another shot. One of the newspapers here conducts online polls. To be clear, only about 200-1000 people answer these polls, and the sample is definitely skewed, so please don't take this to be authoritative. But I do think that the polls provide an interesting insight into how people think here. So I'll post some of the results that I think you will find most interesting. One of the most difficult things to do when reading these is to refrain from answering them ourselves. I'm not putting this up as a referendum on Swazi culture or the beliefs of people here, just an insight.
So today, I'm going to take another shot. One of the newspapers here conducts online polls. To be clear, only about 200-1000 people answer these polls, and the sample is definitely skewed, so please don't take this to be authoritative. But I do think that the polls provide an interesting insight into how people think here. So I'll post some of the results that I think you will find most interesting. One of the most difficult things to do when reading these is to refrain from answering them ourselves. I'm not putting this up as a referendum on Swazi culture or the beliefs of people here, just an insight.
Swaziland's army is about 3,000 strong and is mainly used to quell protests.
A few years ago, there was a serious controversy because the kombi drivers raped a woman who was wearing a miniskirt and significant portions of the population didn't think it was wrong.
These kinds of stories are often in the news.
This probably explains why there is no real sex education going on in Swazi schools.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Pizza Party
Saturday night, we had a get-together for a team of missionaries that was here from Louisiana. We ate Swazi pizza and talked, which was interesting. After we talked with a few of them for a while, I feel like there are some things that I should clear up for those of you at home.
First, in Southern Africa, there are three "racial" groups. In the US, people are white or black (there are other groups, but I'm leaving them aside for now). Everyone who has a hint of color in their skin is considered black. Here, people who have both black and white ancestors are considered "coloured." The term is considered offensive in the US, but here it's common and not anything to blink at. So if you come to Southern Africa, now you'll know what they're talking about.
Second, Apartheid. If you don't know about it, you should. It's not that old (it ended in '94) and it still has a major influence on the culture of Southern Africa. My best friends here are black, but when we were born, our parents probably could not have predicted that would even be possible. If you come to Southern Africa, you'll be expected to know Apartheid.
I'm sure most of you were familiar with these things, but they're probably good reminders for all of us. It's important to understand other cultures, especially when we visit them. Have a good week.
-Ben
First, in Southern Africa, there are three "racial" groups. In the US, people are white or black (there are other groups, but I'm leaving them aside for now). Everyone who has a hint of color in their skin is considered black. Here, people who have both black and white ancestors are considered "coloured." The term is considered offensive in the US, but here it's common and not anything to blink at. So if you come to Southern Africa, now you'll know what they're talking about.
Second, Apartheid. If you don't know about it, you should. It's not that old (it ended in '94) and it still has a major influence on the culture of Southern Africa. My best friends here are black, but when we were born, our parents probably could not have predicted that would even be possible. If you come to Southern Africa, you'll be expected to know Apartheid.
I'm sure most of you were familiar with these things, but they're probably good reminders for all of us. It's important to understand other cultures, especially when we visit them. Have a good week.
-Ben
Friday, June 15, 2012
Preparing to readjust
Some days, I feel like I'm not very far from home at all. On Sunday, I saw a teenager wearing a maroon sweatshirt that said "Holland Christian Swimming" on the front and "Hoekstra" on the back. I'm fairly certain my sudden outburst of laughter sounded a bit insane, because my friends looked at me like I had lost it.
Other days, I know I'm a long ways away. Swazis are fond of saying that it's not a meal unless there's meat, a sentiment I wholeheartedly support. Unfortunately, I think they feel the same way about their snacks, because potato chips are flavored with flavors like "BBQ Beef". They're not much tastier than they sound.
As this phase of my life begins to close, I'm trying to figure out what the transition is going to be like. I've talked to a number of people who've transitioned back and forth, and I've gotten some interesting answers. One girl said that the key to going to the US is patience. I thought that was funny, because that's what I had to learn coming here. She said coming here takes patience for things happening, while going to the US takes patience for people. I can't say I completely understand, but maybe I will in 2 months.
So I'm doing a bit of reading, and probably some journaling as well. I slipped into Swazi culture pretty easily, so I think that slipping back will be easy enough. My hope is, however, that I will be able to retain some of the things I've learned and use them to take a fresh look at the culture I build for myself.
Have a good weekend,
-Ben
Other days, I know I'm a long ways away. Swazis are fond of saying that it's not a meal unless there's meat, a sentiment I wholeheartedly support. Unfortunately, I think they feel the same way about their snacks, because potato chips are flavored with flavors like "BBQ Beef". They're not much tastier than they sound.
As this phase of my life begins to close, I'm trying to figure out what the transition is going to be like. I've talked to a number of people who've transitioned back and forth, and I've gotten some interesting answers. One girl said that the key to going to the US is patience. I thought that was funny, because that's what I had to learn coming here. She said coming here takes patience for things happening, while going to the US takes patience for people. I can't say I completely understand, but maybe I will in 2 months.
So I'm doing a bit of reading, and probably some journaling as well. I slipped into Swazi culture pretty easily, so I think that slipping back will be easy enough. My hope is, however, that I will be able to retain some of the things I've learned and use them to take a fresh look at the culture I build for myself.
Have a good weekend,
-Ben
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Another on-time post!
Our office is located fairly close to the major city park, so we see all the protests as they're setting up. They come to the park to gather and dance, and then march from here. It's quite a sight, even if it doesn't happen particularly often. But today was a very big march, possibly the biggest since I've been here. The public high school teachers were marching for increased salaries. It's unlikely that they'll get the increases, because the government really doesn't have any money. Swaziland is going to have a rough time in the next couple years, so we'll see what happens with the money. A number of people I've talked to think that the marching is a positive thing. They hope that it's building a foundation for people to speak out about issues they care about.
Over the past month, I've been noticing that I have adopted some of the speech mannerisms of Swaziland while I've been here. They're not major things, but they do sound strange. For example, in the Swazi dialect of English, it makes sense to say, "I was lazy to get out of bed." You can understand what it means, it just doesn't sound quite right. Hopefully, getting back to the US will help me cull some of the stranger sayings. But it's quite possible that ten years down the road, a judge will read a brief I've written and think, "That's a very strange way to phrase that."
Have a good Wednesday,
-Ben
Over the past month, I've been noticing that I have adopted some of the speech mannerisms of Swaziland while I've been here. They're not major things, but they do sound strange. For example, in the Swazi dialect of English, it makes sense to say, "I was lazy to get out of bed." You can understand what it means, it just doesn't sound quite right. Hopefully, getting back to the US will help me cull some of the stranger sayings. But it's quite possible that ten years down the road, a judge will read a brief I've written and think, "That's a very strange way to phrase that."
Have a good Wednesday,
-Ben
Monday, June 11, 2012
Restart
Ok, it's been a long while since I've posted and judging from the emails I've gotten, I should be doing it more. I'll try to catch you up.
For the most part, things aren't much different. I've been a little busier with church and social stuff. Monday is always small group, and this past week we had our first Wednesday night worship service. Because that was Wednesday, we moved worship team practice to Tuesday and Friday night I went to dinner and a movie with a group of friends (the factual errors in Battleship almost drove me crazy).
It's also gotten a lot colder here. It's winter now, which mainly means it's the windy and rainy season. There hasn't been a ton of rain yet, but the wind is just incredible. I don't mind it most of the time, but it makes a cold motorcycle ride much, much colder. It's a good thing I don't mind walking much.
The temperature changes are pretty radical. On a sunny day, it usually gets into the 60s or 70s. Very nice weather. But at night, that heat leaves very quickly (it doesn't help that Mbabane is at a high elevation and I'm at one of the highest points in the city). So around 3-4am, it gets into the high 30s and I am wondering why houses here lack basic insulation.
I've got less than two months left here, so I'm slowly starting to start thinking about the next year. There are many reasons I'm excited to get back (see my family and friends, get back to my church, eat pizza, etc.), but I can safely say that I'll be sad to leave here. I know it's strange that the same event will cause feelings of happiness and sadness, but it will. I'm hoping that the transition will be smooth, so we'll see.
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Have a great week,
-Ben
For the most part, things aren't much different. I've been a little busier with church and social stuff. Monday is always small group, and this past week we had our first Wednesday night worship service. Because that was Wednesday, we moved worship team practice to Tuesday and Friday night I went to dinner and a movie with a group of friends (the factual errors in Battleship almost drove me crazy).
It's also gotten a lot colder here. It's winter now, which mainly means it's the windy and rainy season. There hasn't been a ton of rain yet, but the wind is just incredible. I don't mind it most of the time, but it makes a cold motorcycle ride much, much colder. It's a good thing I don't mind walking much.
The temperature changes are pretty radical. On a sunny day, it usually gets into the 60s or 70s. Very nice weather. But at night, that heat leaves very quickly (it doesn't help that Mbabane is at a high elevation and I'm at one of the highest points in the city). So around 3-4am, it gets into the high 30s and I am wondering why houses here lack basic insulation.
I've got less than two months left here, so I'm slowly starting to start thinking about the next year. There are many reasons I'm excited to get back (see my family and friends, get back to my church, eat pizza, etc.), but I can safely say that I'll be sad to leave here. I know it's strange that the same event will cause feelings of happiness and sadness, but it will. I'm hoping that the transition will be smooth, so we'll see.
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Have a great week,
-Ben
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