Vanuatu

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Thanks for stopping by, but please drop me a line! =)

Hello,

I've recently noticed a surge in website visits, and a lot of the visits seem to be specific to a few topics (e.g. Vanuatu, traditional economy, VNCW). Since I've written a few papers on these topics, and would like to continue reading about the topic(s). Please drop me an email, or leave a message and it would be nice to follow-up.

Best,
Fatima

Friday, October 12, 2007

Travel

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." -- Mark Twain

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Closing blog

I returned from my placement in the first week of August, 2007.

The experience, as you can probably tell by the blog, has been just breath-taking: the amount I've learned and enjoyed is unexplainable in words.

Since I'm back in Canada, the blog will probably not be updated anymore(unless I come across things that are overtly related to the South Pacific).

Thank you to all regular readers and commentators. It would be great to know who you are... if you feel comfortable, please do leave your name and email address.

I (finally) got around to uploading pictures. There are way too many, so I take no blame for time not-well-wasted :P But if you are still interested, please click here.

Good luck to all with all their future endeavours. Hoping and wishing that happiness and satisfaction accompanies you through out this life and the afterlife*

* if you believe in one

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

"You’re not like other volunteers"

Do you fight for others’ right to be free of judgements and stereotypes when you know these very volunteers are not aware of their privilege and therefore, are not practicing their responsibilities, which either are defined by my morals or belief system or the host country’s belief system

Minority Right: Are expats still considered "minorities" in the power sense, even if they enjoy crazy amount of privelege over the more-in-numbers locals?

What are the responsibilities of a volunteer? Where do you draw the line, economically, in assisting others? Where do draw the line between sacrificing your personal pastime for the sake of getting to know a host country’s culture well.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Work trip to Moso Island - Thursday, jan 18th

I love how things work here. I walk into work 1.5 hours late (9 am) and find out that the four people I was supposed to teach today are going out to Moso, another island close to Efate, so I'm free to do my own thing. Another Australian volunteer at Shefa suggested that I also come with; so I did. And that is how I spent my entire work day on thursday! :P Moso has two villages, Sunai and *something else that I don't remember the name of*. Sunai has a total population of 50 people (that includes all the kids!) and the other as a population of 200-250. Turns out everybody lived together in Sunai back in the day (4 years ago I think) but there was a split, so a certain faction moved out to the another part of the island. I have my reservations when people want to split up or move out in response to a problem, but if the conflict is serious/non-manageable enough than really, what better way than some distance between the two parties to make matters less explosive.

- everybody gets a chance to talk
- sitting on higher level but sense of having responsibility to answer along with this privelege
- kids vandalizing primary school: stupid alcohol
- community tourim projects:
= who gets dividends?
= how do you make sure everybody is doing their job?
= do you provide recognition to the people going the extra mile? How?

Traditional Economy

What is it:
http://www.vanuatuculture.org/documents/CustomEconomyBlurb.doc
http://www.vanuatuculture.org/trm/20070207_kastom_ekonomi.shtml

My opinions

Good side: If I had to give a general statement, I am definately in support of the idea behind traditional economy; preventing the global push for the entire world to covert to a cash economy can, in my opinion, prevent great a many violent and non-violent conflicts.

Bad side: I've observed a power struggle to establish a personal legacy rather than working altruistically for the sake of a cause and/or betterment of a situation.

Question: is it humanly possible to work passionately and endlessly towards a cause without letting ego come in the way?

women advocating for female oppression?

idea that it is the women's fault if she got raped while wearing pants <-- women are the ones pushing towards retaining the cultural island-dress while (some) male activists are against the idea. why is it that women are often the ones most strongly holding onto tradition and culture, even when it goes against their self-interest and is most oppressive of women? this is similar to south asian culture where the (sometimes) mothers try to find a way of taking inheritance rights away from the daughter so that the son can have more!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Conversations with a strong female leader...

While working for CUSO, I had this really amazing opportunity of being able to get to know and hear from an amazing woman, Hilda Lini, who is also the sister of current PM and the deceased "Father of Nation". She is also the woman who is heading off the entire traditional-economy movement for Vanuatu. There were a few things I was *really* keen on discussing with her, however, unfortuntaley, due to lack of time on both of our ends the conversation never took place. However, still posting a list of the questions I had in mind for her, in case posting it here might trigger similar conversations with readers...

Female leaders / strong women: do they “loose” on something, when contrasting with the required or preferred female attributes.
Militant image of Muslims / Palestinians: how to balance image politics with independence struggles? How do you draw the line between forwarding your aims and caring about your image in the community
Making decisions for others’ betterments vs. individual / free choice?
Censorship: not translating certain parts of the speech
Cultural / kustom is always changing and made b man: how do you make sure then that this culture or kustom is not oppressive?
Internal peace vs. doubting others’ intentions; latter is necessary to not fail in cause but former is preferred. How do you find the balance?
Kustom is not stagnant: how do you make sure that the “full package” is passed down and practiced rather than only certain points?
Kustom, culture, and religion are not stagnant: and if it its man-made, how do you justify the over-the-top struggle to retain it?
I’ve been blamed of being racist, intense during my work with the anti-discrimination movement: how do you respond to such claims or insults/
What do you think about others coming to MIPST / Pentecost to learn so that peace models and peace culture can be replicated in other countries and cultures? Is privileged information given to outsiders if they promise to use it for good?
How do you explain working against he white man’s system but using the white man’s invention and discoveries such as facilitation skills, mics, lights and conference breakdown
How can is how solidarity to the people of West Paua and help to show that Muslims support their struggles for self-determination and independenceChief said okay to me for not wearing dress but still taking part in the community dance: where do you draw the line of making compromises for minorities following different belief system?

REDI - Rural Economic Development Initiative

VSO volunteers from the Philippines seem to have a monopoly over the REDI development in each of the provinces. Therefore, wouldn't it be a safe conclusion to say that the grassroots structure and activism within Vanuatu's islands is very much influenced by the Phillipino cultural and national history, especially history of resistance and community activism.

Thoughts from Pentecost Trip

I had to visit Pentecost, an island in the North of Vanuatu, for a conference on traditional economy. There will certainly be a seperate post on traditional economy, just because the whole idea and movement amazes me lots. Pentecost *had* to be my most intense experience while in Vanuatu; I was in a custom (traditional) village on an island of valleys, and the experience was so constantly unreal and emotionally/psychologically taxing that I did not think of taking pictures. However, every now and then, I did jot down notes.. I find that re-telling the bits and peieces of the experiences wouldn't do justice to it, so I'm just going to go ahead and post the notes I scribbled during the 9-day trip...

crazy ride back home: life flashed before my eyes
scared of making mistakes
it’s wrong that we get to attend a meeting with the Prime Minister and other “big men”: oinly thing I’ve done to desrve this is that I’m a CUSO volunteer froma first-world country
culture: changing over time. Who decides what’s true custom. Who’s voice get’s left out?
Culture: changes over time. Even if its equalatarian to beign with, over time, only certain elements get left behind and applied to future generations. However same problem exists with the implementation of religion
Why do we find it so hard or threatening to give up our culture, religion or belief syste., as most of the times it is only something passed dwon by our fathers and mothers? Why is the way of our ancestors so hard to give up?
Walking stick / talking stick: only chiefs are allowed. What would be the indigenous explanation for why this technique failed in Lord of the Flier?
Culture shock everytime you think you’ve become an expert on adapting, everytime you’re proven wrong. Still there’s no end to this fall sense of confidence you feel.
Respect: equality for women but respect for men is mentioned simultaneously, almost like the latter is a prequisite for the former. Does this take away from equity?
MIPST is possible on Pentecost or Vanantu due to geographic inaccessibility and communication barriers. Can land-locked nations or communities expect the same optimistic results in a similar culture-retention movements?
Kustom blong white man: why is that everything is assumed to be an attribute of the Western World: because of media? Because they are the current power-playerS?
Resisstance to WDO tactics: I might, morally, not be able to adpot a culture by regardless, the model or idea is out of this mind and is an invaluable opportunity for others to learn ots
April 20th: anything that could go wrong, did go wrong: lost my ticket, paid 3000 vt for new ticket, got *really* late for my plane
Definition of indigienous?
When you have a huge gathering with everybody who’s anbody, people don’t flaunt their status or credentials but still expect and require special treatement. How does that work? Struggles between who should serve and should be served?
Imagine a full-line of grown men, waiting to be served dinner, all of them starting at you. Are you supposed to pretend like there’s nothing out of the ordinary happening?
Welcoming evyerbody by name: political correctness? Etiquettes? Custom” politeness? Whatever it is due to, I really like the gesture
A separate person comes to say thank you: a way of including everbpdy. But MC is still sspeerate. Thank you by chiefe of council of chiefs
Search “daioly post” and “independent” for stories on WIP Forum and Peace and women
Religious tolerance: got invited to join women’s dance even though I can’t wear the grass skirs due to limits of my custom or religions. Why and how does Vanautu manage to remain tolerant in spite of strong influence from extremist factions in Australia, US and the geographical isolation?
Custom: what you should / can do? Relgion: what you can not do. Is this a fair distinction between the two?
Will take over the country: evnaglelical side of Islam: why? How can we as muslims want to convert others when Muslim states are some of the worst ones?how much of your relgion do you let go and how much do you hold on to?
Stressed, scared and anxious before each conference ibecause it’s new or outside my comfort zone? Or because I know that I’ll have increased trouble simplifying things abotut he world
Nuclear testing and militarization of the Pacific?
Did the missionas bother hearing about custom or culture before preaching? If they had, there might not be so much resistance to religion ?
Respect versus oppressions: who decides fine line between the two?
People being in full support of collective cultures but still raising children and owning things based on the individualistic approach
Kids are encouraged to listen in collective cultures but speak in individualistic communities. Balance between listening and learning from elders, confidence and not speaking up against unjusticies?
Hilda: good leader since she’s strong woman. But hard to live with? Same for all leaders? Or only women leders? Do you have be harsh to be revoluationary? Is it pimpossible to be passionate about a cause but be sensitive to normal, miniscule or “invisible” thigns at the same time?
Girls not beign allowed to live way from home: always thought that was a matter of oppression. Byt maybe this opinion was fromed by my cultural heritage. Maybe the whole “females need security” has something to do with the reality of the majority of the world? Or maybe this gender-exlcusive limitation is a result of colonial and outer-cultural interference?
Girls not being allowed to move away vs. limiting women’s experiences so that they are unable to realize their full potential
New foundr especet for Islamic schools that work according to tradition and for traditionalists. Still not one to join them bu interesting to realize that the rational ius pretty impressive, logical and anti-colonial
“peace shall destroy many” creating the perfet society for future generations. Same as MIPST: great, but what about individual choice? Or is this preference or need for individual choiuce as well a result of colonialist influences.
Does law of nature dictate that we all are not capable of making intelligible decisions and needs others to decide what’s best for us
“Ha! Let them try as hard as they want; we’ll win in the end": respoinse to a liberation or revulationary movement you don’t completely agree with
Quote: "You can not hold the sky with one hand. You need two hands to hold the sky": quote by Nelson Mandela. Should apply to gender treatment and opportunities available to both
Quote: "If you don’t respect environment, how can you respect another man", by a conference attendee, probably a chief
Drinking water finishing on island 4 days into the 7 day form. 200 participants and village residents were “water-less”
Immigration: in the end, we’re supporting the colonizaers and opresseors by moving into the stolen territory and supporting the conomic eneterprise?
Tamata: please stop. The facilitator doesn’t call out. The audience members call out so the facilitator’s impartiality is not questioned

Lecture @ USP (University of South Pacific)

I figured that attending the local university for at least one lecture would be a requirement before I can claim that I have "experienced" living in Vanuatu.. or Port Vila at least.

So, that’s what I did: I attended one-day lecture of a 2-week-intense course of Law & Human Rights. There was a visiting professor from Australia who was teaching the course, so understandably so, this wouldn’t qualify as a true “local” experience. But regardless, my observations are as follows:

there is this amazing uniformity or similarity between all academic institutions, maybe because USP is so strongly influenced by the academic community in Australia and New Zealand. But doesn’t this cut down, dramatically, on the possibility of creative solutions or unconventional discourse?
Cultural diversity or cultural retention is used, today, as n acceptable social-justice ideal or belief. But the action in custom to be violent or take revenge doesn’t receive the same examination or criticism as is accorded to the “eye for an eye” principle in Islam
The influential or power-broker community of Pacific islands is more often than not educated in the West. The professor asked if this community *really* knows the true custom or tradition, since they have been away and educated in a non-traditional system of education? My personal opinion: no. if you’ve been education then, unconsciously, there is this really strong push or desire to appease your authorities i.e. teachers. Therefore, your replies are more “moderate” or diplomatic; over time your principles get diluted to an extent that they no longer are “real” or in line with the traditional opinions on the grass roots level
Even strong proponents of custom say that certain things in custom, either those that were present or those that have been misinterpreted and included over time, have to done away with. But the question is: who decides what we do away with? More importantly, how likely are the “deciders” to consider interests of stake holders and how often are they going to resist the temptation to give into ideas that personally benefit them first?
What is the correlation between countries that have a majority of young (under 15 years) populations and the country’s status as: developed, developing or under-developed
Most, if not all, education at USP is done in English. You can’t, realistically, expect to not put a Western flavor or spin on “everything” that is being taught since English is being used as the tool of expression. What good does it do to acknowledge the overwhelming (undeserved?) Western influence on education system when the tool of delivery remains the same and doesn’t undergo significant change?
Self-Determination: some student in class said that self-determination is more of a group, rather than an individual, thing. Interesting, because earlier I never thought of a distinction between the two

Observations (2)

Some things that I might have typed up during the very beginning of my placement... apologies if this information has already been posted somewhere on this blog before...

houses are called "sleeping houses" as people spend most of their time outside, and only use the houses for the purpose of sleeping. For that very reason, there is not much furniture inside these houses.
everybody here is from an island; family dictates how you act to each other
how corrupt politicians stay in power <-- through helping relatives when in need, and then asking them for the favor back
impossible to avoid eye contact
hard water!! <-- everything becomes STIFF
se - beliefs etc.
you address somebody's wife as: woman blo NAME (woman OF name) .. side note: man blo NAME exists as well
very small town: everbody knows who's going out with whom
people WANT to go to school, there is just no money! This, as opposed to the sometimes this feeling of “we HAVE to go to school” that we come across, especially while attending (free) public high school
police is not trusted legal force, because the call of relations + communal living is too overpowering. judges are not trusted either. instead, chiefs are chosen source of arbitration
custom is based on compromise -- create a win-win sitaution rather than the western-traditional win-lose arrangement
kava was not mass-consumed before independence. it was the locals who decided to make it commercial, and to quite a large extent, it helps to cut down crime in the city. women might disagree since men don't do anything after kava
as expected, women had to take up both the traditionally-female and currently-female roles, but nothing changes about men's performance: so women keep getting worked harded and harder, and men, softer and softer
melansia: only three countries where the natives still control the indigenious land. That also explains the "zero poverty, homelessness, hunger" idea
1000 languages within this area <-- most linguistically diverse in the world
land ownership is still communal, but the leases are 75 years and have a "roll-over" policy. so if you fail to realize that you need to petition for yhour land, you lose it for another 75 years = 2 or 3 generations. This also means that the locals no longer have any relationship with the land
there are STILL places being colonized: new caledonia by france; west papua by indonesia
vanuatu is non-aligned; struggle to mantain this position is really hard. Mel-Trust is an organization that works towards this
Vanuatu is one of the only 3 (or 4) countries in the UN that still supports the de-colonization and independence struggles of west papua
melanesia, polensia and micronesia (the latter two) are major attraction spots for US naval bases. So there is a current movement towards de-militrization. With the new terrorism scare, a lot of old, isolated bases are starting to open up again
you don't disagree with somebody, without being offensive. Therefore, people will "disagree" but never vote against somebody's proposed ammendment during parliament sittings
big division of sexes - men interact with men and women, with women. But how do you keep this balance when men are constantly asking you about your hijab.. also, how do you deal with the whole "don't walk alone with men" if you see somebody on the street (chances of which are VERY high!)
sand drawings are pictures of stories.. so stories about heroism, love, unity, marriage, and life in general. Holding hands has a BIG significance in melanesian-fable. I would love to go to a story-telling festival of sorts!
avg earning: $50/wk.. so $200 - $250 / mnth!!!
people are very happy with their state: they don't want to be like the "white man", and they realize the true importance of what they've got.
food is completely organic and the amount of energy put into creating food from purely natural form makes sure that girls who are barely 6 have more arm muscles than I do (and I've been trying to work out for god knows how long!)
people at one point used to drive on both sides of the street, when the entire french vs. british thing hadn't been ironed out. This dispute was literally settled by saying: “ok, we will follow whatever the next truck does!” The next vehicle to enter was driven by a British national, so now everybody drives on the right.
architecture = tin houses. extremely modest, btu that doesnt matter since they sepnd most of the day outside anyways.
people dont own too many clothes; very common to see people waering clothes with holes in them. really nice to be aroudn this lack of superficiality.
it's amazing: you see the same people around
business owners made people work on Christmas, and the sucky part is that there are no labour laws to protect these workers. so, they have to work on a public holiday on normal (non-enhanced pay) and if they don't show up, than they get sacked!
arite with the fact that no matter how long somebody has been living here, he is still referred to as "chinense" or "white" rather than ni-van or local
copies of biblical stories were present in myths of islands before the missionaries came.
PeaceCorps get paid almost NOTHING while here but then get 6000 once they return + first dibs on any government job

Monday, September 24, 2007

Overstepping onself...

Ever had one of those moments where you get a scary remind of how much you don’t know, and in spite of not knowing any of his, you still talk too much for your own good?

Often, back in Canada, either you interact with your own peers in the school setting or with elders in your own family or social circle: in the former case, this revelation is not very frequently as others (usually) know as less as you. The latter, on the other hand, has a very strong power hierarchy and due to this assumption (by yourself) that you, in comparison, don’t know anything at all, you usually save yourself from putting your foot in your moth or overstepping yourself.

But being here in Vanuatu and getting a chance to interact with fellow volunteers on a somewhat level footing, it is absolutely amazing how often one tents to perform this act of making a fool of themselves.

Most of these volunteers are 25+ (with majority going towards the higher age bracket) and the fact that they were selected for an international placement (almost) always means that they are accomplished in their field or profession that, and you realize that, culturally, they might not be as flashy and forthcoming with declarations of their achievements.

But in spite of acknowledging this, you can’t stop making a fool of yourself. You can’t stop stating your opinion even though it is more often than not founded on incorrect or incomplete information and simplistic conclusions. It’s almost like word vomit: you realize right when you open your mouth that what you’re saying can probably be attacked from a million sides, but regardless, you can’t shut up.

Secretly, I partly blame my education and experience in North America where confidence and being (overly?) vocal / assertive is culturally accepted as the right formula to succeed in life. But regardless, I acknowledge the fact that I still continue to “overstep” myself and often am not afforded the luxury of escaping public mockery, even if this mockery is something that goes on in people’s heads rather than being verbalized.

Moral of this post is: I need to learn how to be silent, especially when I realize the need to be silent!

Friday, August 03, 2007

Posting this because it goes for our "development work" in the Pacific as well...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stop Trying To 'Save' Africa

By Uzodinma Iweala
Sunday, July 15, 2007; B07
Washington Post

Last fall, shortly after I returned from Nigeria, I was accosted by a perky blond college student whose blue eyes seemed to match the "African" beads around her wrists.

"Save Darfur!" she shouted from behind a table covered with pamphlets urging students to TAKE ACTION NOW! STOP GENOCIDE IN DARFUR!

My aversion to college kids jumping onto fashionable social causes nearly caused me to walk on, but her next shout stopped me.

"Don't you want to help us save Africa?" she yelled.

It seems that these days, wracked by guilt at the humanitarian crisis it has created in the Middle East, the West has turned to Africa for redemption . Idealistic college students, celebrities such as Bob Geldof and politicians such as Tony Blair have all made bringing light to the dark continent their mission. They fly in for internships and fact-finding missions or to pick out children to adopt in much the same way my friends and I in New York take the subway to the pound to adopt stray dogs.

This is the West's new image of itself: a sexy, politically active generation whose preferred means of spreading the word are magazine spreads with celebrities pictured in the foreground, forlorn Africans in the back. Never mind that the stars sent to bring succor to the natives often are, willingly, as emaciated as those they want to help.

Perhaps most interesting is the language used to describe the Africa being saved. For example, the Keep a Child Alive/" I am African" ad campaign features portraits of primarily white, Western celebrities with painted "tribal markings" on their faces above "I AM AFRICAN" in bold letters. Below, smaller print says, "help us stop the dying."

Such campaigns, however well intentioned, promote the stereotype of Africa as a black hole of disease and death. News reports constantly focus on the continent's corrupt leaders, warlords, "tribal" conflicts, child laborers, and women disfigured by abuse and genital mutilation. These descriptions run under headlines like "Can Bono Save Africa?" or "Will Brangelina Save Africa?" The relationship between the West and Africa is no longer based on openly racist beliefs, but such articles are reminiscent of reports from the heyday of European colonialism, when missionaries were sent to Africa to introduce us to education, Jesus Christ and "civilization."

There is no African, myself included, who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one's cultural superiority . My mood is dampened every time I attend a benefit whose host runs through a litany of African disasters before presenting a (usually) wealthy, white person, who often proceeds to list the things he or she has done for the poor, starving Africans. Every time a well-meaning college student speaks of villagers dancing because they were so grateful for her help, I cringe. Every time a Hollywood director shoots a film about Africa that features a Western protagonist, I shake my head -- because Africans, real people though we may be, are used as props in the West's fantasy of itself. And not only do such depictions tend to ignore the West's prominent role in creating many of the unfortunate situations on the continent, they also ignore the incredible work Africans have done and continue to do to fix those problems.

Why do the media frequently refer to African countries as having been "granted independence from their colonial masters," as opposed to having fought and shed blood for their freedom? Why do Angelina Jolie and Bono receive overwhelming attention for their work in Africa while Nwankwo Kanu or Dikembe Mutombo, Africans both, are hardly ever mentioned? How is it that a former mid-level U.S. diplomat receives more attention for his cowboy antics in Sudan than do the numerous African Union countries that have sent food and troops and spent countless hours trying to negotiate a settlement among all parties in that crisis?

Two years ago I worked in a camp for internally displaced people in Nigeria, survivors of an uprising that killed about 1,000 people and displaced 200,000. True to form, the Western media reported on the violence but not on the humanitarian work the state and local governments -- without much international help -- did for the survivors. Social workers spent their time and in many cases their own salaries to care for their compatriots. These are the people saving Africa, and others like them across the continent get no credit for their work.

Last month the Group of Eight industrialized nations and a host of celebrities met in Germany to discuss, among other things, how to save Africa. Before the next such summit, I hope people will realize Africa doesn't want to be saved. Africa wants the world to acknowledge that through fair partnerships with other members of the global community, we ourselves are capable of unprecedented growth.

Uzodinma Iweala is the author of "Beasts of No Nation," a novel about child soldiers.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Training of Trainers

Usually, I don’t have to worry about teaching potential trainers to release control of the mouse or to give time to students to think or digest information. This is interesting because that used to be one of my biggest struggles while conducting trainings back in Canada.

Loosing Culture

It’s interesting that the more consciously I hide (or loose?) my South Asian culture or the “fasin” following by many Islamic nations, the more acceptance I feel from the world? I realize the entire need of “deriving a common denominator” in order to converse but how do you ensure that one party or group is not making the entire concession towards this process of funding common reference points.

Balance

How do you find the balance between being culturally-sensitive (and not giving into the whole “Western ideology, standards and lifestyle is most superior) and speaking out against the wrongs or injustices against certain groups?

Living in Canada, I always got offended while reading derogatory news articles portraying the Muslim women t o be battered souls who has been denied uncountable freedoms and luxuries as well as necessities. I always wanted to tell people that there was not one “right kind” of empowered-female or feminism. I had promised myself to not commit the same mistake when learning about another’s custom or culture. But how do you know when a group or individual is truly “oppressed” and not deprived merely through West’s definition of oppression or injustice.

More so, how do you express to host nationals that while you support their custom and culture, you, at the same time, find problems and have issues with certain aspects their society, and that you might have similar (or different) problems or issues with aspects in your own society?

Need for utopia…

Why are we constantly in search of “utopia.” Is it due to our need to simplify what we see and experience so that we are not at war, psychologically, with ourselves? Is it because we are too lazy, intellectually, to stay up at night thinking about questions that don’t have an immediate black-and-white answer?

There are selfish people everywhere. There are people who abuse situations and others everywhere. So, is it fair to look at two different places or cultures to compare the quantity or extent of abuse or selfishness? Or is this one of those flawed things that we been taught while growing up: that something is always better than the other and this “betterness” can be rated in numerical figures?

Every country is blessed with those who can look out for the place; we don’t need to be saviors in foreign countries. But what about wanting to help because those locals who are blessed with those abilities aren’t respecting their responsibilities? And how do you find the balance between providing timely support and giving others the time to realize that they need to take action in order for a situation to get better over time.

If we have to make sacrifices, might as well make them for those somewhat deserve it. How do you decide who “qualifies” for these personal sacrifices? Just because somebody doesn’t constantly express or imply that they are indebted to you, does that mean they don’t deserve these sacrifices?

Simplifications

- I’m always romanticizing the collective while back in Canada and while in classes at university but always wishing for the individualistic freedom when having to above by the rules or responsibilities of collective structures
- Struggling to find the balance between appreciating the equality and well-being of the “weakest” person in the collective structures vs. enjoying the luxuries of an independent non-responsibility-laden lifestyle
- cherry on top: only reason I was able to come to Vanuatu was because of the individualistic structures that I ideologically believe to be more violent or barbaric than a collective structure

There goes another simplistic notion I used to hold about collective living being superior to an individualistic lifestyle.

Thoughts from Epi Work Trip

Hard and often tiring to constantly have to establish one’s opinions and to prove the personal position as an ally rather than the conventional (?) aid worker
Late comers have to sing a song or tell a custom story: punishment is enjoyable and community oriented; more focused on benefiting others than merely punishing or causing harm to the aggressor.
In case of an apology or “peacemaking ceremony”, the traditional mat giving ceremony is held. This mat goes directly to the victim rather than the western model, where reward or benefit goes to the state. Is it possible to avoid de-personalization that we face in Canada while having the same population numbers and growth?
A lot of times I’m told by Ni-Vans: “Oh, you’re really committed to your religion.” How do you respond to this? What if this is said in response to an apology by you for being unable to take part in a ceremony or action: how do you decipher if this is meant as a compliment or a criticism?
Day 3 in Epi: Shefa Day Celebration: Who *really* needs to be empowered: women, even though in island dresses, completely enjoy and entertain and seem to have not as many social inhibitions that we sometimes feel in Canada.
Day 2 in Epi: Fundraiser: Interesting tactic or raising funds by “buying out” people to dance. Very convinced that Ni-Vans know how to celebrate and repeatedly amazed at the sense of community where everybody knows that they have a stake in what’s happening in the village so contribute as much as financially possible. Possible solution to our apathy problems in Canada: everybody should start living in a village! :P
I asked my counterpart what the ideal attributes for a marriage partner are, especially in the village. The first thing she said was “a girl who can take minutes” so that she can help with the village’s development. Very surprising because even in Canada, often the first ideal attribute for marriage partners is looks rather than such a non-superficial trait
How is “youth” defined? Usually, older aged people end up being the leaders of village youth committees and therefore, end up representing at inter-community, provincial or national forums. So, is the voice of youth really being heard?

Lesser of two evils?

NGOs are famous for corruption and major initiative, on a personal level, is required to ensure the follow-through of projects. However, government has control and censorship of agenda.

So, which is better? Or less worse? If women’s organizations have the choice, who should they work with?

Kalibat vs. Kalibazi

Kalibazi in Urdu means acrobats. Interesting because the word in Bislama for the same action is “kalibat”. Mere coincidence or has there been a history of association between Bislama’s development with Urdu/Hindi?

Super Glue

So, the shoes here die very quickly. Besides the fact that I walk lots and that it rains here a lot, I am also a miser by nature. So I usually go for the cheapest shoe or slipper and then get surprised when the life length for these $2 or $3 shows is shorter than 2 months! :P

But at one point I went against everything I believed in and bought a shoe worth $20… it lasted my 4 months! I was bent on getting more value out of my $20 so decided to try my luck fixing the sandles using super glue.

Now, I buy a super tiny bottle of super glue from the closest Chinese store and sit down outside my house, since I didn’t want to risk ruining any of landlord’s stuff. So, I’m sitting outside and try pouring some glue on the inside of my shoe. The bottle is turned completely upside-down but still nothing comes out. I think, oh no, maybe the shopkeeper cheated me or gave me something else. So, in a moment of brilliance, I decide that the best way to check if there’s something inside this bottle is to bring it SUPER close to my nose and eyes and then blow as strongly as I can. That’s just what I did.

It was a Friday evening when I was trying to fix my shoe. All of Saturday, Sunday and Monday I was trying to get frosted super glue off my face, specifically off my lips. It was painful but not as deathly-frightening as when I first realized I couldn’t open my eyes because some of the super glue powder went and settled on my eye lashes.

Moral of the story is: Kids, do not use super glue, no matter how cheap you might be. But more importantly, under no circumstances, try to check the contents of the bottle by blowing inside it! :P

Log – March

- thurs, mar 1 -- Second french class. Finally i have some idea what the teacher is saying, even though I'm still getting 50% of my exercises wrong and still need to do major background work before I can succesfully claim that I am no longer Beginner-3, but instead, Intermediate-1. Will that day *ever* come? But second resolve: I want to try and do an exchagne trip to France or Montreal, or, try to get an international-development placement to a french-speaking country like Nomea. That way, I can pick up on French the way I quickly picked up on Bislama here in Vanuatu. Retention shouldn't be a problem after if I can manage to find a decent-paying job that requires the candidate to be bilingual.

- fri, mar 2 -- invited girls over from work to come have dinner because felt bad that the last time they were over, I had to ask them to leave as we were invited to nics party. sat around and had fruit, than i cooked daal+rice+eggs. As always, I was scared of adding too much salt and ended up adding not enough. after, we sat around for a bit more and they left around 7ish or 8ish but not before asking me for bus fare as "they forgot to carry the money." Made me feel weird: are they trying to rip me off? Or am I just being too materialistic?

- sat, mar 3 -- woke up early and went over to dana's house to help her move/pack/etc. came back after and slept a little bit more. after, around 12:30 was stepping out of the house to go grab coffee since I didnt wanna sit at home alone the entire day but just as I was stepping out, Anna Nalao, from Tanna, came over at the gate. She was there with her husband and one grand-kid. Let them in and they stayed until 5ish. I only had .75 kg rice and that wasn't enough, so they ate rice + daal + eggs and myself and dana ate only eggs and daal... felt horrible about it because every time we go over to their house, they are SUPER hospitable but I couldn’t offer them even enough to eat!  after, they left I came back and read an entire book within that evening. The book was by Japenese author and even the writing style says lots about the difference between culture, lifestyle and mode/code of communication.

- sun, mar 4 -- jamila, from mele, was over with her two sons and a new convert (who entered islam just the week before) and came over to select a new "muslim" name for her. There were a few super-nice names but the girl selected jaasmin (same as yasmin). There were a fwe others I liked but didn't want to push my selection onto her. After we thought they would have a really hard time finding a bus back due to the riots going on in blacksands but succesfully caught a bus back home. After, came home again and just went to bed @ 8 thinking I'd wake up after and do osmething more, but slept on until 6:30 the next monring!!! got annoyed when people would ooh-and-aah at things, thinking "oh they are just materialistic things" but then got this really horrible feeling of possessivness when I realized that the new muslim girl had used more than :just a few sprays" of the very expensive perfume my aunt gave me as a gift before I left Canada. Again, just shows how hypocritical I was being in terms of ideology and action/feeling. muslim lady said something about talking to the ladies and running sesions about different topics such as ghussal and so on, and to not be afraid of wearing a hijab in public and so on. Felt so overwhelmed: of all the practicing people allah could choose for dawah/naseehah/etc, he chooses me. How can I possibly give naseehah when I often slip in those very things that she wants me to talk about, e.g. cleanliness, missing fajr/isha prayers more often than not, not waering my hijab "right" (i.e. not covering neck) because it's too hot, eating non-halal meat, swearing once in a while, etc.

- mon, mar 5 -- were invited to pango by anna to come over for a swim. But it was raining like crazy until 11 and then I was being too wimpy as I didnt wanna go all the way to pango incase things got a bit tense/violent/etc. So, instead, ended up spending the entire day @ danas new place, "room with a view", where tried to get started on my research paper (but in vain) and talked for the rest of the day or created a music cd for my song out of dana's song collection. watched "murder she wrote" which is a great show but looks very cliche / cheezy in today's day and age. Just realized today that I'm half-way through my quran-translation-reading-goal!!

- tues, mar 6 – worked till 7 pm i.e. until sunset and stopped only when it was not safe to stay at work anymore. Dana did a thank you dinner for becs and myself for helping her move; don’t know if I deserved it since becs and dana did most of the work while I sat around and pretended to work but good food. She made crab cakes, and turns out it’s just kababs (not the seekh kababs, the flat, round ones)

- wed, mar 7 –- see calendar
- thurs, mar 8 -- see calendar
- fri, mar 9 -- see calendar
- sat, mar 10 -- see calendar
- sun, mar 11 -- see calendar
- mon, mar 12 -- see calendar
- tues, mar 13 -- see calendar
- wed, mar 14 -- see calendar
- thurs, mar 15 -- see calendar
- fri, mar 16 -- see calendar
- sat, mar 17 -- see calendar
- sun, mar 18 -- see calendar

- mon, mar 19 –- brain went into vegetative mode; can’t remember what I did
- tues, mar 20 -- brain went into vegetative mode; can’t remember what I did
- wed, mar 21 -- brain went into vegetative mode; can’t remember what I did
- thurs, mar 22 -- brain went into vegetative mode; can’t remember what I did

- fri, march 23 -- Was supposed to go on a girls night out with roma from USP. But, Dana wanted to do dinner and since it was her birthday, ended up cancelling my girls night with Roma. Instead, took her out for pizza @ Chills. She didn't eat much since she was going with Paul after so promised her a second-half of birthday celebration some other time.

- sat, march 24 -- house-looking @ zeinabs. After, mele girls came over around 1 pm. Stayed around at home until maghrib time, at which point we decided to take a walk to town and stayed in the park until 8:30 pm.

- sun, march 25 -- mele girls still over. dana wanted to go to honey moon beach so I took the three girls visiting to go over with me. I paid for their bus fare (both ways) and Dana paid for their entrance at the beach. After, came home and those girls slept over a second night. They left on Monday morning when I had to go to work.

- mon, March 26 -- Took Dana out for her second-half-of-birthday-treat. Went out for coffee @ the French place and had coffee and cake. She got me a pink-miniskirt! :P

- tues, March 27 -- Drumming class. Last time I had drumming class, I brilliantly forgot to take the price tag off the dinner I took for Tim, the drumming teacher. Felt super horrible and was half-expecting him to tell me to get out of the class. But, he didn't say anything and I felt even worse about the entire deal. Either way, seems like my learning curve in terms of drumming skill is actually regressing! What I seemed to have grasped in the first one or two classes, I have now completely forgotten and Tim has to start a much-more-basic level of stuff than ever before. How I pity music teachers! :P

- wed, March 28 -- Cyclone day!!! This was supposed to be my day off, but instead, ended up rushing for the first half of the day since I had brilliantly forgotten to cancel my air ticket back to Canada. Did I mention I was supposed to fly back on March 29?! I was very much expecting them to tell me that it was no longer possible to cancel the ticket. But, I go into the travel agent's office and she does the whole cancelling the ticket, giving me new dates AND giving me extended time on each of my 2 stopovers, all without even a frown! Now that's what I call customer service man. Either way, came back home and the rest of the day, rather than doing what all other volunteers must have been doing (i.e. sleeping) I ended up working on never-ending funding proposals for VNCW and Shefa Province. You know when they say "brain dead." Well, let me tell you, I think I experienced the death of the death of the death of my brain! :P I have officially sworn to myself to *never* take a Fundraising-related job, no matter how desperate of a financial condition I am in. *NEVER* lol

- thurs, March 29 -- French class. So, today, we were learning how to describe ourselves in French. The teacher asked us to write a small description about ourseves in French. Then, he would put read it out loud to the entire class and the rest of the students would have to guess who wrote it. Sounds fun and simple enough! Or so I thought. The basic two things everybody was starting with was their eye and hair color. So, I wrote the following:
French: J'ai lex yeux bruns et tu ne regarde pas les cheveux (j'ai les cheveux bruns).
English: I have brown eyes and you can not see my hair (I have black hair).
Really, this was the only way I could figure out how to describe a hijab (head scarf), especially keeping in mind my almost-non-existent french vocabulary. I didn't think much of it. But, I guess it must have been wrong since my French teacher ended up laughing for a good 2 minutes. It was so bad that everytime he tried to start talking, he would launch into giggles like a 5-year-old and was absolutely unable to stop himself. So yes, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I said in french that was so hilarious to him. French lesson of the month: "boucles d'yeux" does not mean eyebrow peircing.. it means "EYE ring"!. I also wrote my first hand-written letter in the past 7 years. Might I say, it's a *VERY* weird feeling. I've gotten so addicted to computer-communication that when I proof-read my letter to my parents, it simply sounded like an email that was copied from a computer screen on to a paper. Ahh! What to say about this slavery to technology!

Btw, did I mention and I met this really really interesting woman who's volunteering at VNCW for only 5 weeks, in her attempt to ensure that the organization doesn't go down-under for ever. She told me that I'm a "light saver" and will be at the forefrunt of the peace movement. Let's hope there is some truth somewhere in her prediction. But yes, in case you're interested in finding out more about her, check out the following: www.lindaespeaks.com

- fri, March 30 – see calendar

- sat, march 31 – see calendar

Need for Ghettos

A friend’s parents mentioned something about the constant struggle a certain person has to make, to fit into both the workplace and the home. This constant negotiation of realities on a daily basis can be absolutely taxing, especially when the level of extent of difference is as great as it is in this case.

Not having a “fixed” reality or not having the “reality” you identify with be that which is shared with the majority of the society can be overwhelming especially for those not too emotionally/psychologically strong. Now I truly understand the need for “ghettos” where a lot of times neighborhoods are, unofficially, divided by race or place of origin. I can also begin to understand the (sometimes) increased rates of crimes in people of color, especially immigrant and refugee communities and the rationalize affirmative action further better.

Tug: constant indecision on which “side” to go on

- Born in South Asia and Muslim so collective ideology by studied and worked in Canada so individualistic experiences and successes
- Have common experiences and opinions with North Americans but resist the temptation to identify with North Americans because “that would be too colonized of a mentality”
- Anecdote that summarizes how I feel: while on the ship trip back from Tanna, I was asked by a 5 or 6 year old: “mama blo yu I blak? O daddy blo yu I blak?”  is your mom Ni-Van? Or is your dad Ni-Van?

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Observations?

My lack of computer and internet access are no new dilemmas. At one point, I had started the practice of writing down (on piece and paper). These were some of the points that really shocked me.. I’m guessing that must’ve been pretty early in my placement since some of the observations seem to be pretty basic:

Vanuatu get the most aid per GDP. In spite of this, AusAid and NZAid just recently increased their aid to Vanuatu. Needless to say that these aid is to be spend in accordance with their foreign policy, so we don’t have to worry about it actually being useful
Women don’t care much about appearance. More like, people generally don’t care *as much* as we are brain-washed to care back in North America. But to this observation, one fellow volunteer replied that there was maybe just a different kind or level of superficial-ness. Fair enough. Still trying to recognize or understand this different kind of superficial-ness. But going back to the point, the concept of beauty is *very* different. Just the other day, I had a co-worker ask me why all these actresses such as Nicole Kidman were so popular, especially since they weren’t good-looking at all.
I’ve attended a number of performances, more specifically church-sponsored concerts (what’s the right word for them: choirs?). But most of the times there was at least one heckler in the audience.
No privacy at work: people will come and read over your shoulder or peer onto the screen and this isn’t considered rude or anything
Ghettofication in progress: social fabric is stronger than others, but certainly not strong enough to prevent all the problems that come with urbanization
Shyness is more common here than back home in North America. It’s cute, the whole shyness thing. Our culture promotes confidence and out-going-ness too much, to the extent that it becomes annoying and that certain innocence in people is lost.
Don’t ask people “how far” something is: the watch is a new introduction and so is the vehicle. Therefore, “how far” is strictly dependant on how fast you’re walking and what you’re carrying. So, moral of the story is, don’t ask this very “relative” question, ‘cuz all you’ll get is a very “relative” answer
In Bislama, there is only one word for the self “mi”, but when referring to the group, there is plenty: Mitrifala, mitufala, mifala, yufala, yutufala, yutrifala, yumi. Interesting because you can assume the degree of collectiveness of the culture simply by this one fact.
We were recommended, strongly, to not follow any kind of schedule. Black magic, “nakaimas” is frequently practiced here and following any kind of pattern puts you at an increased risk of being on the receiving end of such acts.
There is no word for “frustrated” or “impatient” in Bislama. So far, the only word I have learnt to express displeasure of any kind is “cranky”, which is crazy or angry. In fact, to say that you are unhappy, you say “mi no happy tumas” i.e. I’m not too happy. Interesting, very interesting!
Political correctness doesn’t exist here. Or people are politically correct only about certain things. Or people feel that volunteers and expats are an exception to political correctness rules. That’s the only thing that would explain why people ask the following three questions as an introduction and without any hesitation: (1) where you sleep, (2) if you are married and (3) how old you are
A noticeable portion of the population that was against independence. I wonder if this has ever been the case in any other independence/nationalistic struggles.
Children from mixed-marriages are called “half-caste”

i Miss.

You know what I miss the most? I miss the muslim community. I miss not having to explain again-and-again-and-again-and-again what the hijab is or why I can't drink alcohol or why I can only marry Muslims or why Muslims are NOT satan/sun worshippers or how the Quran doesn't command Muslims to kill all non-believers or how my parents don't force me to wear hijab or how I wear skirts *not* because I'm not allowed pants, but because I want to respect the host culture where females wearing pants are sometimes frowned upon.

Yes, I realize that this is a really huge opoprtunity that I've been chosen for, to explain to others and to clarify their misunderstandings about Islam/Muslims. But at one point, it all just gets too frustrating. It all ends up just being a too taxing, emotionally and intellectually.

Yes, yes yes, I'm being whiny. This is nothing compared to the struggles other people have to face on a daily basis. But, just wanted to write this post to say to the Muslim community back in Canada: thank you.

I think we don't thank each other often enough. Yes, there are politics. Yes, there are disagreements. And yes, there is judgementalism. But still, I can't wait to be back in Canada where I'm one of the *many* hijabis or salat-praying people, rather than the *only* head-scarf-wearing-person in the entire city and only the second on the entire island!

hijabis: those who wear a hijab. Hijab is the head-scarf Muslim women wear

Try explaining to people that your prayer direction is determined by the sun since the Kaaba is to the West of Vanuatu, but still you do *not* worship the sun. And again, try doing all this Bislama. Half the times even I don't know what I've said to people!

Enjoying Placement

You know you're really enjoying your placement when

- the "challenges" part of your activity report is the hardest to compile and takes the longest to finish
- you are the first person to offer explanations for the lackings of your workplaces
- you can't remember the last time you got frustrated beyond the level of "oh man!" frustration
- when you stay awake at night, trying to find ways to convince yourself that a second extension wouldn't be *such* a great idea
- when you are offered contract extensions by not one, not two but three different perspective employers

national council of women...

I’m working with the Vanuatu National Council of Women on a consulting/volunteer basis. And without going into too much depth (just because I’m unclear of the confidentiality level required of me), I can say this much: the parliament and area council, island council and provincial councils structure doesn’t work., possibly because it’s a foreign introduction and therefore cursed to fail regardless of how strongly some organizations, funders and other supporters propagate its relevance etc. In contrast, the chief and nakamals do work, however they don’t necessarily fit with out present-day understanding of human rights and equal access, especially for minority groups such as women and youth.

So, what’s the solution?

Utopia

Love Patrol, an education and HIV awareness program taking the form of a 10-part series has been previewing and Wan Smol Bag** over the past few weeks.

I was very impressed by the digital, acting and script quality of the entire play. But, there was a certain dialogue:

Expat: I thought this place was called paradise on Earth
Police Officer: no place is paradise
Expat: Well you should call this place hell on earth *fumes off*

It was certainly a humorous exchange, but the reason I mentioned this was because I’ve been struggling with this lately. There is no (visible) poverty, homelessness or hunger here in Vanuatu; it’s very easy to jump to the automatic conclusion then that this is “almost utopia.” But it’s just a matter of scratching the surface to find out about some of the very intense and recurrent social problems. But, just because these are not visible and because they have no direct effect on me, it’s extremely hard to fight this simplification of seeing the country as “utopia.”

I guess it was best summarized by a friend who said “it might be utopia for her.” Utopia might be possible, but universal utopia might not be. So, utopia can be relative?

**Wan Smol Bag is an organization that uses theatre to address problems like domestic violence. They also have a youth drop in centre, health clinic and facilities such as a computer lab and free computer classes. They are the only organization in the entire country that are doing this kind of work. I heard that the founders of the organization were initially working on a similar project in Zimbabwe, but had to leave due to political circumstances.

Workplace: Did I mention collectivism?

So I’m sitting through a three hour meeting where we have to review and approve funding proposals asking for a maximum of 2M Vatu ($20,000). And while sitting through this somewhat-long meeting, I realize that my counterpart is working on a funding proposal which is great news since sometimes I have (hidden/unexpressed) complaints about her not taking initiative and having a tendency to avoid work. But this is the interesting thing: this funding proposal has nothing to do with the women or the Women’s Development Office. In fact, it is something that an acquaintance of a work colleague needed help with. They asked Janet, and she (had to?) say yes.

But what’s interesting is that she isn’t doing a slapdash job at it; she’s giving it her best shot. What’s even more interesting is that things/services/tasks like these are what she can never count towards her “this is what I accomplished” reports. So, did she say yes because people know social relations have greater importance than work output numbers? Did she say yes because she doesn’t know better, or didn’t realize the extent of work involved? Or did she say yes because, by virtue of being a collective culture, individual accomplishments don’t hold the importance or appeal that we experience in North America?

More space to make mistakes…

It’s dangerous to be making generalized statements about work culture, not only because generalized statements always have exceptions but also because so many of the social demands, taboos and responsibilities don’t apply to volunteers; in fact, as an outsider, we often are completely oblivious to these demands or protocols. But in spite of the above, one thing I have increasingly noticed is the lack of “strictness” at work. That’s not to say that the people aren’t professional. But just seems like there’s more space, both at work and in leisure time, to make mistakes and let go. I am attending provincial meetings on the official level; I still observe people cracking jokes or talking silently within themselves. And this isn’t taken as a sign of disrespect or in-attention by the speaker; simply something part of human interaction where it is sort of hard, if not impossible to maintain absolute silence and attention for a good hour or two straight.

Some would argue that this automatically means that there is decreased work output and efficiency. In response to that I would say that in spite of having several conflicting personalities at work, there continues to be this surprisingly high level of (superficial) calmness, maybe due to the social protocol that discourages open conflict. And I doubt that this superficial-calmness would be possible were people over-stressed with meeting a certain quota of work every day or week.

While on this topic, another observation: people talk here, well “stoyean” to be more exact. But to say that they sometimes talk things to death might not be too much of an exaggeration, but yet, taking this time to talk makes the entire consensus bilding process easier, less painful and less mechanical (as was my observation while serving on board for WPIRG). That’s not to say that there aren’t people who continue to be dissatisfied, but still allowing everybody an opportunity to talk at least takes the responsibility of any future problems away from you, as the meeting facilitator; besides, than you can’t be labeled with such fun and arbitrary tags as “racist”, “oppressive”, “facist”, “bossy” or whatever other stuff we love to throw at each other.

Power Politics

So, I usually try to completely avoid talking about politics since the future seems extremely bleak, especially when it comes down to politicians making decisions for the public versus pocketing money. But for anybody really interested in learning about the power politics happening on this side of the world, I’d say the following article does quite a good job of providing a quick summary.

The New Pacific Wall: The U.S., Australia, and New Zealand Control the Pacific Islands (Worldpess.org)

If you don’t have the time to read, than the following quote and picture is enough to get a glimpse:

Pacific Island votes at the UN are openly for sale and it is often an extremely dirty business. Although several countries in the region are disappearing as a result of global warming, both Nauru and Kiribati voted against the Kyoto Protocol.

On a side note, I was actually living right next to this Fijian girl who’s running a business in Vanuatu but who’s brother (who works for the Fijian military) is accompanying/assisting the US and British forces in Afghanistan. I usually try to not let political differences get in the way of friendship, but the stories she would tell me of what her brother “boasted” of doing back in Afghanistan made it absolutely impossible for me to continue interacting with her.

Self-Determination

Anecdote: A 13-year-old wanted me to find her a job. So, in response, I told her that it’s more important for her to study at this point so that she could make decisions for herself in the longer run. So, basically, I withheld information and assistance and made a decision for her, since that was in her “best interest”, in the longer run.

Cultural re-affirmation, traditional economy, preventing or discouraging people from coming to urban areas, wanting people to see the beauty and superiority of their own belief system and lifestyle. Even if all this is a well-meaning and politically-correct agenda in the social justice circles, it still remains just that: an agenda.

It’s almost like they don’t know what’s good for them so we, as outsiders, need to come in and “save” them from our evil brothers and sisters. But, really, some of us are evil but still we are superior because we can not only exploit you but also be your saviour.

Either way, the concept or ideology of self-determination is an agenda pushed by another, somebody other than the “self”. So is it self-determination at all?

West Papua

So, something that I was completely unaware of until coming to this part of the world: Indonesia is colonizing West Papua. And as always, money and natural resources is the motivator. And the kind of atrocities they’ve been committing are, in one word, outrageous.

It’s really amazing that we as Muslims in North America are actively working against the various forms of colonization that Muslim countries all over the world have to face, but fail to even acknowledge that there is a Muslim country doing the same thing to others.

I’m guessing the following link might be give comprehensive, even if strongly-biased, information on Indonesia’s aggression: http://www.freewestpapua.org/

On a side note, there was this overwhelming feeling of guilt during the entire orientation session on West Papua: simply by virtue of being Muslim, I felt I was somehow responsible for what Indonesia has done to the people of West Papua. Is this how Caucasians feel whenever attending the very frequent colonization and anti-colonization sessions? Is this how practicing Christians feel whenever learning about the harm done by the missionaries to the traditional structure, knowledge and practices of the host nationals?

Women in Nakamals

So, I recently finished working on a $1.4M proposal for a national project to increase the number of women represented in provincial and national councils, and it seems *very* likely that this proposal will be approved by a number of funding agencies. But within some communities, women, socially and culturally, aren’t even allowed to sit inside the traditional meeting rooms called Nakamals. I’ve been assured that they are still “allowed” to voice their concerns, but just makes one wonder if we are trying to jump too many steps and or introducing too foreign a concept in the entire political, social and cultural system.

Superstitions

Being in a place that receives so many volunteers, one not only has a chance to learn about Melanesian culture but also about the places of origins of these volunteers. I’m working with a mid-30-year old from the Philippines. Somehow we started talking about superstitions in our cultures, and this is what I found out:

if you hear a gecko talking, or chirping, or whatever it is that it does, than that means you’re going to get a visitor (she said that it might even extend to getting phone calls :P)

if you’re single and eating out with others who are committed or have partners already, the server should never collect your plates (the single person’s) until everybody has finished eating

if there’s a death in your family, you shouldn’t shower in your own house until the body is buried

If your eating a fork or spoon drops and your single, then there’s a prospect on the horizon (didn’t ask if this applies to couples as well; if yes, might not be the best idea to go about dropping your cutlery)

If a butterfly circles you at your home than that means a guest or stranger is going to come

Hand lines

If there’s one thing you have in Vanuatu, it’s time. Lots of time. And one becomes *very* observant during this new-found time.

So, my latest observation is as follows: my palm lines have changed. I don’t mean like a slight additional line here or there. I mean an entirely new branch has appeared, and a very noticeable portion of another line has completely vanished.

I can finally make the claim that I am walking-talking-proof against something; I know, palmistry is not the most fascinating thing to disprove, especially since most of us already don’t believe it. But still, I disproved *something* :P

One of a kind

Do we, as volunteers, enjoy out time so much not only because of the special treatment we receive, the increased hospitality and improved sense of worth because of the “charitable” work, but also because being “one of a kind” gets you places: because standing out, visually, gives you recognition and affords you access into things and all that other stuff that comes with “fame”?

Reverse Racism?

So my landlords are finally starting to “de-frost” to my presence. Not that I blame them for their not-so-hospitable attitude. After all, he is the director for the national museum / cultural centre and is known, nationally and internationally, for all the work he has done. Not that being famous automatically certifies them to being mean. But, before I digress, point of this post: so they were asking if I had any DVD’s of my place back home (i.e Pakistan, or maybe even India? I’m pretty sure they weren’t referring to Canada as “my place”.) But yes, the lady made some comment about how she’s tired of watching movies with “white man” *signaling to skin* and that she appreciates watching movies about Africans (I’m not sure if she meant African-American or African-African) or any other movie but that of the “white man.”

But isn't it that the "whites" are victims since there is growing “us-vs-them” mentality in the world? Does it justify to have this feeling of animosity and jealousy if, as a group, they have so much and others not as much? What about the common “we worked for it” claim made by certain not-so-aware individuals? Also what about the fact that they miss out on some *very* invaluable things such as being able unable to understand the culture just because they are “white” and myself, “colored”? Or is this the price they pay for all the un-acknowledged benefits they experience?

On a side note, I was told by a Caucasian friend that there is a “us-vs-them” mentality in some of my posts. And ever since, I’ve started noticing the way Ni-Vans talk. And it’s interesting, because that’s the exact thing they do while talking about volunteers and expats. So something as simple as talking to my counterpart and saying that she has to follow-up with the carpenter to make sure that he gets us the bookcase we’ve been asking for, her reply was: “be hemi no lissen to me *signaling to skin* sipos yu tok-tok witem hem, hemi mas lisnem lo yu”  but he won’t listen to me, but if you talk to him, than he’ll probably listen to you. Is this a matter of identity that people simplify to simply skin color for the sake of making things easier to communicate? Or is this really how things are perceived by people?

On a positive note, I’m still struggling, but I’m half-way to being treated like a “black man” rather than a “white man.” While that automatically implies that people are less “caring” or “careful” around you, it still feels good to know that you are getting at least a chance to somewhat understand the host culture and country.

Ending note: how do you differentiate between “Caring” and “Careful”: how do you tell when others are treating you with care, and when others are simply being careful around your?

What I miss most

Dana’s leaving in two weeks or less. So there’s much talk about what she’s looking forward to and whether she thinks “it’s time” to return. During one of the nukerous coffee nights, she asked what I missed the most from Canada. Earlier, I thought I would’ve said family and all that other stuff, but here’s what I *really* miss:

the impatience during Friday’s Fed Bus ride back home and the anxiety to see family

praying Jummah (Friday prayer) and SLC’s third floor prayer room

knowing that I could always find somebody to have a conversation with in front of the second floor prayer room

getting attacked by hugs by other Muslim (and non-Muslim) girls on campus

random chats with the turnkey guy or girl

staying up till random morning hours in the library and studying (or trying to study)

my brother’s jokes

visits to extended family on weekends and sitting next to my dadi-jan (grandma)

my mom’s daily “new bulletin” calls where I received updates on everybody (sister, dad, extended family in Canada and US) and their wellbeing

going out for coffee with friends at Tim Hortons

sleeplessness

During my entire departure time, I kept thinking / preparing to miss my family. But not once did I think I would miss the Muslim community as much as I do. To say that I can’t wait to pray prayers in congregation back in Waterloo or Mississauga would be far beyond under-estimation!

Very convenient

I just realized that it’s very convenient for me to just sit around and talk about all the privilege I have but not really bother doing anything. I mean, that way, you avoid the blame of being ignorant, unrealistic or selfish; in fact you get applause for being so self-conscious and for the “intense” self-reflection.

But the whole talk makes you feel so good that you have to never bother doing anything; you can continue sitting in your nice home with electricity, running water and food, saying all those “enlightened” things and never be forced ors elf-motivated to five up even a miniscule part of all that you’ve been blessed with.

The net is “giaman”

Giaman means liar in Bislama and just so you know, the net lies. Before going, I had tried looking over the net to see if kava was an intoxicant and therefore, not allowed for consumption in Islam. I only come across websites denying the popular “myth”.

Ever since coming here, I have tried kava a total of three times and all three times I was getting signs to not continue: the first time I threw up, the second time I couldn’t sleep and the third time I got “seagrass” i.e. allergy where you go crazy scratching yourself. The third time was also my last time.

But recently I found out that kava, even though not like alcohol, is still an narcotic drug, and therefore, forbidden for consumption in Islam. So all who read the “Nigerian lady” bashing post should also know that when it comes down to it, she was right and I was wrong. As embarrassing and painful as it is for me to admit this, still wanted to put up the post incase any Muslim readers are offered kava and got the wrong information from this blog. Serves me right for being so vocal about my dislike…

Ambitious-ness

So, recently I realized that I’m not feeling competitive or ambitious: I don’t feel the need to conquer the world (I mean figuratively, of course… or do I *suspense music background*:P). Is this because I’m growing up? Because the international experience has humbled me to realize how much (or lack of) of power we as individuals have? Because I’m disillusioned by the state of the world? Or because the Melanesian’s laid back style is affecting me?

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Bollywood Lied to Me!

So, whenever somebody asks me what the hell was going through my mind when I decided to take the boat from Tanna back to Efate, this is the explanation I offer:

Well, in bollywood movies, the boat ride is always the portion where the movie's actor (or actress) goes through a major light-bulb moment and finally understands the meaning of life and the purpose of their being. Not far behind as a motivator is the fact that more often than not, it is also at this point when the protagonist meet's the man or woman of their dreams.

So, that said, it just made common sense for me to take the boat back from Tanna. After all, who doesn't want to figure out the meaning of life AND meet the guy of their dreams, all within 24 hours! :P

Well, even though I never ended up achieving either of the two above (did I mention there was no singing or dancing either?!), I can say that I still had quite an interesting experience where I threw up a lot and cursed myself for the horrible decision the rest of the time. However, I also had some magical man come up and give me magical pills that, as soon as I ate, put me out like that *snaps finger* for a good 3 or 4 hours. (Well, I found out after that this magical man was in fact the captain and those magical pills were in fact sea-sick pills). But needless to say, before knowing the above-two points, it wasn't the wisest decision.

I also witnessed the process of getting 800 watermellons onto the ship, without the ship ever docking onto a wharf. AFter all, if it did get any closer to the wharf, it would have to pay the docking fee. So, yes, imagine 800 water mellons being put on board through a single-file man-chain. Did I also mention that it was in these three hours that I got the most sea sick and therefore, vomitted the most?

Oh, lastly, there were about 50 - 100 people on the ship. And there were two washrooms between all of us, one for male and one for female. The only glitch? None of the washrooms worked.

So, the only way I didn't need to use them was because I was out cold for 90% of the 23-hour ship trip. I had also decided to not eat anything for the 8-10 hours before. But I am still curious about how all those people who were eating through the trip survived it without having to use the washrooms. One of those life mysteries will never find out the answer to,I guess :P

Nigerian lady

So, I went to visit this Nigerian family's house on Sunday. They had invited me over once before, but there were no follow-up visits as neither of us two fancied each other too much. Why was I turned off her? Lots of minor cues, but primarily her comment about how Pakistanis are extremist/militant in their ideologies. It was not the comment that got to me, but the fact that she felt it was appropriate to say such a overtly-offensive statement in front of somebody who was of that very descent).

But then I saw them at the masjid on Friday, and thought that I should give the lady a second chance, maybe I was wrong at reading her the first time around. But this time I'm even more strongly repelled off by her. She's lived in this country for a good 10 years now and still doesn't know bislama. When asked what she does on weekends, she just said "I hate weekends; there isn't anything to do". That seemed to be something that I would expect only from a teenager. Anyway, after we started talking about other stuff and she was saying something about kava and I told her that I've tried it. I am *not* kidding you when I say this: she got off her seat in disgust and then sat back down. Even if it was alcohol I had tried, I wouldn't have accepted this kind of blatant response from a Muslim. When I asked her why she thinks it's so wrong, she said that kava is the same thing as alcohol, to which I replied no, it isn't like drugs and alcohol, as it is NOT an intoxicant. Infact, it's the complete opposite: it sedates you. So, excess amount of it would certainly not be recommended in any scenario since it makes you lazy, but it is not haram in the absolute terms. All this time while I was saying this, she was vigorously shaking her head from side-to-side, trying to let me know that she disagreed with the point I was making. Then, later, we started talking about chicken. The following dialouge ensued:

Lady: So, you only eat vegetables here?
Me: Well, I try most of the time. But I've started eating chicken and meat sometimes... (not finished yet)
Lady: WHAT!! Even though you KNOW it's haram. (a sarcastic, condescending laugh followed this comment)
Me: Yes (getting defensive) but I've read a few fatwas from shcolars back in North America that say that it is acceptable to eat non-halal chicken and meat when no alternative is available
Lady: Well, you know Toa farms, they have halal chicken!!!
Me: Umm, where is Toa farms?
Lady: (mock laughter again) You don't know where Toa farms is!!!?
Me: Umm, no (wanting to add: I've been for only 2 months here lady! please cut me some slack!)
Lady: Well, it's on the way to mele
Me: Can I catch a bus to that place?
Lady: I don't know.
Me: Okay

Needless to say that silence ensued after this and the rest of the coversation was merely senseless chit-chat used to kill time until the visit ended.

I know I shouldn't have such strong dislike for her, as it is not her fault for being like this; it's probably because she had limited experiences. But still, it really frustrates me to see that not only is she the wife of the most intellectual muslim in the community(and country?!) but also that she is raising three kids with this kind of attitude: no suprises if they also end up retaining the same judgementalism (I think that's the 7th new English word I've used).

Contract Extended

I was orignally supposed to return end of March, but my contract has been extended until end of August on account of there being too much (or me being too slow to finish work). Either way, that means I'll be away from family and friends till end of August, 2007. On the positive side, this buys me time to get involved in the non-technical aspects of my organization. For instance, I can get involved in doing capacity building with women leaders so taht we can have increased representation in the next provincial and national elections. *Excited*! :)

Thank You

"Ya Allah! Thank you for not only allowing the luxury to dream, but also, the almost impossible opportunity to see *all* those dreams fulfilled and turned into reality. Thank you for keeping me aware of when my reality is something I had dreamt of earlier, and thank you for always giving me other things to dream for I would be lost in this life without having something to dream for and strive for.

Ya Allah! Forgive me for the uncountable moments of lack of gratitude, for the unthinkable times when it's easier for my to wallow in self-pity than look at what I'm doing wrong. Forgive me for not remaining in a constant state of gratitude and thankfulness to you, and allow me the ability to get as close to this state of "eternal satisfaction" as is humanly possible."

Ever had one of those "Eureka" sort of moments where you realize that everything you have *ever* dreamed of or wished of, God (if you believe in one) has granted you that every-something without fail! And you realize that everything in the world is just plain perfect for that one moment. You realize that this sense of "everything is alright" will not stay, that you will get caught up in this minor glitches of life that don't deserve as much attention as you afford to them. But instead of worrying about how to make this feeling of "eternal satisfaction" or "eternal gratitude" last forever, in my opinion the better thing to do is to live that moment at the fullest (whatever that might mean and/or entail of).

I had one of those moments today, while walking back from a "High Tea" party this evening. Truly, this entire experience has been nothing short of amazing.. in fact, amazing is an understatement. Perfect is more like it. Even at times when it gets oh-so-lonely, it only means that I'm able to truly appreciate how long an hour is, or how long a day *really* is. To realize that; to realize that there are these small droplets that we readily waste away; to realize that these droplets can be used here and there to work on long-awaited self-improvement projects; to realize how much family truly means to us; to realize that our life goals and dream jobs aren't exactly as "dreamy" as we had anticipated or imagined; to realize that no matter what you dream of, when that dream turns to reality, it is less glamorous, less perfect and more "real" with a lot of those minor details that we don't, and possibly can't, daydream about; lastly, to realize that all those realizations are only possible when your not surrounded by those who you love or who you can freely interact with.

So, more of an ode to those who are struggling to get to their dreams: enjoy the process of getting there, because the end is only worth the struggle put in to get to it. Also, a note of reminder for myself; when I'm getting cranky and impatient with the most minor of life obstacles, that things are always "perfect"; one just needs to keep refocusing their lens as they move, one just needs to keep changing the definition of "perfect" along the way.

I also realized that while I still have issues with the power structure and how those in privelege don't realize the unconscious power they have over others, I also realize that a lot of times my rants come from my lack of social ability or more so, my preference to not risk revealing oneself to those one doesn't know *yet*. So, as one of my other posts mention, I fully and readily accept the charge that I use my boogey man as a scapegoat; as a way to avoid taking blame where it truly is deserved i.e. with myself. That said, I still have to figure out a way to do away with the need of a boogey man in the quest to live life.

Note: I've been told that my blog has been a bit "intense" (aka hateful?) so I thought I'd share this moment with everybody else, along with the other moments of not-so-much fun times here in the South Pacific. Hopefully this puts things in perspective not only for myself but for others as well.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Fat-Fat

This is going up on Dana's request :P

You know you're fat when:
- when people call you fat-fat
- when people stare at your cheeks, then your tummy, then your cheeks, then your tummy, and then tell you you're fat-fat
- when people tell you to stop sleeping in front of a fan because "people get fat that way"
- when you can't fit into your old pants
- when you start coming up reasons why your ethinic group could *never* fit the criteria of beauty outlined by Caucasian countries
- when you think anything-fashion-related is part of a conspiracy against you
- when you are told "yu fat-fat tumas" (you are too fat)
- when you are greeted with "What are you eating fat-eema"
- when you are greeted with "stop eating whatever you are eating"
- when you start identifying with the guy from "Fat Albert" even though you've never seen the movie
- when you start coming up with stereotypes such as "fat people are always nicer / happier"
- when you explain to everybody, without them ever asking or bringing up the topic: "I get atleast 5 - 7 hours of exercise every week"

and my personal favorite
- when you can feel your cheeks flapping up and down while walking down a hill

ps: I think I've fulfilled my quote for "lightheartedness" for this month. Don't expect any thing other than cynical posts for the next few weeks :P

Culture-retention

How can I strongly feel for and be working towards the goal of culture retention here in the Pacific but be working towards the exact opposite goal back in Canada. I feel that a lot of times, within the religious-social-circles (but not the religion itself) there is a strong push towards loosing *all* of our ethnic cultures, for me that'd be South-Asian-ness, for others it might be something else rather than merely certain oppressive facets of it.

Culture and Religion

So, a lot of times, while in North America, we talk about the difference between culture and religion. Especially for those second-generation kids whose parents are from another part of the world, e.g. South Asia, Middle East, Africa, etc, but they themselves have been born and raised in North America, there is more often than not a struggle between the two about what "brand" of Islam is correct. Up until coming to the Pacific, I think I was of the conventional idea that the Islam we are trying to practice in North America is the "true" kind, while all the rest are those strongly-influenced by the surrounding society's culture.

But, while staying here, I've been exposed to a lot of church groups. For the first time I've truly started to understand the difference between the many Christian denominations I've also learnt about a lot of "traditional" or "conventional" church-related activities. And slowly, I've started realizing that the kind of islam we are preaching/spreading in North America is also, undoubtedly, colored by the surrounding culture. By forgetting that, we think that other, culturally-influenced interpretations of the religion are in someway less "priveleged" or less "progressive" than us. but then seeing progressiveness as a virtue is also dictated by one's culture. In addition, it is becoming very obvious that a lot of activities that Muslim youth groups are doing in Canada specifically are certainly ideas borrowed from Christian churches, and have been introduced by those who converted to Islam from Christianity. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with any with this. But I think, generally, we as young Muslims in Canada sometimes forget that our interpretation of the religious text is also almost always colored and biased by the culture and the daily life-style we are exposed to. I guess it's just something to keep reminding ourselves of.

Emergency?

Did I mention Vanuatu is either the first, second or third most disaster-prone area in the world. In spite of this, it was named the happiest place *and* as far as I can tell, the fatality rate post-disasters is extremely low and very commendable, esp. for a country considered to be in the "Developing" category.

Just an update that we're fine here in Vanuatu.

- First, there was a declared state of national emergency during the first weekend of March due to first-ever ethnic-confict situation in Vanuatu. While the situation was certainly very intense, I was lucky enough to not be living in the neighbourhood where most of the problems were having. So, while we had to stay at home for a day or two, that was the extent of "personal effect" the situation had on us.
- After, BBC reported Vanuatu suffering from a *very* strong earthquake - while I'm told the Richter-scale readings for the earthequake was somewhere in the 6.x or 7.x range, it was something that we barely felt. Well, we did feel it but keeping in mind that CUSO makes sure to arrange very decent housing for all its cooperants, the chances of houses collapsing or us getting hurt were very low (that is, *unless* we were smart enough to be sitting under a cocunut tree, in case a flying cocunut could certainly mean the end of everything!:P)
- Day before yesterday, we were lucky enough to get a day off on account of a Cyclone with a speed between 60 - 70 miles per hour hitting the country. It's senseless and I feel super-immature for saying this, but I was sort of looking forward to just seeing what a cyclone feels like. But, fortunately or unfortunately, the cyclone passed our part of the island by.

So yes, three "emergencies" that happened all within 2 weeks of each other. Did I mention my mom calling my country director to inquire about my well-being after each of these incidents, since my cell phone conveniently decided to receive no signal when she was trying to call? I feel like Robert from "Everybody Loves Raymond" when Marie tries to convince the interviewer about her son's credentials as a good candidate for the Secret Service Agency job he is applying for. Did I mention I get smirks from everybody at the office :P?!

NBDid I mention Vanuatu is either the first, second or third most disaster-prone area in the world. In spite of this, it was named the happiest place *and* as far as I can tell, the fatality rate post-disasters is extremely low and very commendable, esp. for a country considered to be in the "Developing" category.

Just an update that we're fine here in Vanuatu.

- First, there was a declared state of national emergency during the first weekend of March due to first-ever ethnic-confict situation in Vanuatu. While the situation was certainly very intense, I was lucky enough to not be living in the neighbourhood where most of the problems were having. So, while we had to stay at home for a day or two, that was the extent of "personal effect" the situation had on us.
- After, BBC reported Vanuatu suffering from a *very* strong earthquake - while I'm told the Richter-scale readings for the earthequake was somewhere in the 6.x or 7.x range, it was something that we barely felt. Well, we did feel it but keeping in mind that CUSO makes sure to arrange very decent housing for all its cooperants, the chances of houses collapsing or us getting hurt were very low (that is, *unless* we were smart enough to be sitting under a cocunut tree, in case a flying cocunut could certainly mean the end of everything!:P)
- Day before yesterday, we were lucky enough to get a day off on account of a Cyclone with a speed between 60 - 70 miles per hour hitting the country. It's senseless and I feel super-immature for saying this, but I was sort of looking forward to just seeing what a cyclone feels like. But, fortunately or unfortunately, the cyclone passed our part of the island by.

So yes, three "emergencies" that happened all within 2 weeks of each other. Did I mention my mom calling my country director to inquire about my well-being after each of these incidents, since my cell phone conveniently decided to receive no signal when she was trying to call? I feel like Robert from "Everybody Loves Raymond" when Marie tries to convince the interviewer about her son's credentials as a good candidate for the Secret Service Agency job he is applying for. Did I mention I get smirks from everybody at the office :P?!

Edit: This post was written sometime back. The update since then is this: we *also* received a tsunami warning. Once again, Vanuatu wasn't affected (Alhamdulillah) but we *did* get half a day off to "go prepare". How are you supposed to prepare, especially when you are on an island that you can drive around within 3 hours?

ICT

So, I'm working as a "IT Trainer / Officer" while here in Vanuatu. The person who drafted up my Placement description was earlier working as the Women's Development Officer for Shefa Province and is currently the Finance and Admin Officer for CUSO Vanuatu. I discovered that part of her "wishlist" for my job description was to create a computer lab. Which seems like an easy enough task, with the only obstacle being acquiring the funds.

However, over the past 5 months, I've been doing needs assessment to see how things work here, how people work and and what kind of culture is present in the work place and in the society. So, here's the dilemma:

The government is working sufficiently fine so far, with whatever technology it has at this point. Yes, there are ways it could become more cost-effective, more transparent to all and more accountable to its constituents. But, isn't that the case with anything and any working thing.

Point is this: the electricity source is anything but spectacular here. The average computer life is anything from 2 - 5 years. Reasons being the lack of electric constancy for power sources and the very-often natural disasters such as earthquakes and cyclones.

So, by simply training people on ICT usage are we getting them addicted to something that is culturally not their creation? Is this a form of intellectual imperialism?

I was sitting in a meeting with the CEO for the Vanuatu National Council of Women (VNCW). At one point, she mentioned something about how Melanesians aren't too good at reading or writing, but talking is certainly their domain. Is technology a third one of those "well-intentioned" things that will only further strengthen the political-intellectual-economical status quo that allows us, the Western nations, to dominate over all the rest?

literacy vs. equal access

- The education material is printed in English. Anybody who is not proficient in English is unable to benefit from them. The people who are fluent in English are also the ones who were priveleged enough to be able to attend post-secondary school oustide the country. So, this results in a self-contributing circle of inequity and inaccess.

- The people who were never traditional-schooling oriented are the ones doing jobs that do not require too much education. If you try to teach them using the conventional methods, it isn't too helpfull to them and not too productive, results wise. What is needed more is spending one-on-one time with these individuals and going a lot slower than before. *BUT* IF you are hard-pressed for time and pressured to produce quantative results, teaching these people takes last priority as these people would not be able to apply the gained knowledge to be more efficient at their jobs or to help out other locals. But, by virtue of refusing to put in this extra time, are you not practicing discrimination?

- Lastly, my issue with technology: Why is it that we have managed to translate everything into only the main, currently power-dominating countries, such as English, French and Spanish? Yes, it is partly due the popularity demographics: there are more Spanish or French speakers in this world than those speaking Bislama or any of the other 100+ indigenous languages. But I'd like to argue that there is something more sinister behind this: we know that by keeping all mainstream technology in the languages that are historically and geographically our domain, we can continue to maintain a higher step on the intellectual status-quo.