This will probably be my last blog post from Swaziland. On Tuesday morning, I'll be taking the shuttle to Johannesburg, where I'll board a plane that will fly me to Abu Dhabi and from there on to Chicago. So in less than a week, I'll be back inside the United States.
The last few weeks have been packed, as I've been trying to get ready to leave what has been my home for the past year. There's been a farewell party for me, and some last adventures. But no matter how prepared I am to leave, it'll be a tough transition to suddenly leave the people, places, and ways of life that have become ingrained in me.
When I get back, I'll begin transitioning back to academic life. At the end of August, I'll move to Madison, Wisconsin and begin orientation at Wisconsin Law School. It'll be a radical change, but also an exciting new stage in life. I'll be living with a family from the CRC church, about a mile and a half from campus. So that's a major blessing.
I greatly appreciate all the support that you have shown me. I'll probably post one or two reflection posts when I get back to the US, and then I will sign off this blog for good. It's been an amazing year and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Thank you, and God bless.
-Ben
Friday, July 27, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy 4th of July
To all my American readers, happy Independence Day. I hope the fireworks and grilling provide an enjoyable day for all. I think there is probably some sort of celebration at the American embassy, but I'll be spending my night at church (Wednesday night service).
There are two topics I'd like to draw your attention to today. The first is one that you've probably heard of, and I've even mentioned in my blog (back in March). Last week the AFP ran a story about the forces tasked with opposing Joseph Kony. The story (found here) mentions that about 5,000 African troops have been pledged to track down Kony in an area the size of France. Their chances would be much better if they had boots, uniforms, rations, etc. But despite 91,000,000 YouTube viewings of the "Kony 2012" video, there is no funding for properly equipping the troops. I know this is the age of the internet and social media, but I think it's clear that liking a facebook status has very little real power. So, if you feel the urge to do something, I would urge you to quickly email or phone your congressperson (see info at the bottom). The African Union representatives for this mission are meeting with the UN today and will be talking to American officials tomorrow.
The other topic is an article by Nicholas Kristof, a writer for the New York Times who I have found to have some interesting things today. His article (found here) talks about balancing our view of Africa. He recognizes that most of what we hear of of Africa is negative, and he claims that our warped view is hindering many of the good things going on here. He points to an article in the Economist (found here) that shows that six of the ten fastest growing economies are in Africa. Personally, I think both articles are mistaken to not predict that Zimbabwe will become the powerhouse of Africa in the next decade, but they are very interesting nonetheless.
Representatives:
Gwen Moore - Wisconsin 4th District (incl. Milwaukee)
James Sensenbrenner - Wisconsin 5th District (Milwaukee area suburbs)
Find your representatives by zip code
There are two topics I'd like to draw your attention to today. The first is one that you've probably heard of, and I've even mentioned in my blog (back in March). Last week the AFP ran a story about the forces tasked with opposing Joseph Kony. The story (found here) mentions that about 5,000 African troops have been pledged to track down Kony in an area the size of France. Their chances would be much better if they had boots, uniforms, rations, etc. But despite 91,000,000 YouTube viewings of the "Kony 2012" video, there is no funding for properly equipping the troops. I know this is the age of the internet and social media, but I think it's clear that liking a facebook status has very little real power. So, if you feel the urge to do something, I would urge you to quickly email or phone your congressperson (see info at the bottom). The African Union representatives for this mission are meeting with the UN today and will be talking to American officials tomorrow.
The other topic is an article by Nicholas Kristof, a writer for the New York Times who I have found to have some interesting things today. His article (found here) talks about balancing our view of Africa. He recognizes that most of what we hear of of Africa is negative, and he claims that our warped view is hindering many of the good things going on here. He points to an article in the Economist (found here) that shows that six of the ten fastest growing economies are in Africa. Personally, I think both articles are mistaken to not predict that Zimbabwe will become the powerhouse of Africa in the next decade, but they are very interesting nonetheless.
Representatives:
Gwen Moore - Wisconsin 4th District (incl. Milwaukee)
James Sensenbrenner - Wisconsin 5th District (Milwaukee area suburbs)
Find your representatives by zip code
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)