Secondary projects are worrisome. Joining up, confused, thinking only of Africa, I though “Wells!” and “ditches!” I'll help dig things! What else can I dig? School foundations. Dykes. My brain fizzled with hot days breaking my back to bring the easiest symbol of civilzation to tribesman using sticks.
American's thinking of themselves as gods dolling out gifts of better life That better life simply being something more like their own life. Disney pointed this out succinctly in the much criticized masterpiece of color and music and child-level criticism of society: Pocahontas.
Ask any educated person you like and 8 times out of 10 they put this down as a work of baseless historical misinformation. They tend to be malicious.
My point is not that Pocahontas was a sex kitten in leather who seduced a Mel Gibsonish John Smith and saved the world from war, cus obviously those are exagerations at the kindest. The point is this strip of dialogue:
P: Ee tomaway, mata ha way.
J: I'm John Smith.
Magic Wind: Listen with your heart...
P: My name is Pocahontas
cut to their subsequent conversation →
J: We'll show you how to use this land. Make the most of it!
P: “Make the most of it?”
J: We'll buid roads and decent houses!
P: Our houses are fine!
Other things Disney does not include: the insane cannibalism that happened in those better house John Smith was talking about when the inhabitants of Jamestown ignored the teachings of Powhatan's people.
I came to Moldova and found snug houses, well painted and adequately heated. Some with running water. The only things that needed digging, I was not allowed to dig – girl. And I was teaching. Teachers are revered community members. They're supported by the communities so as not to have to do so many menial things. Of course here in the backwoods, there's little choice but to grow corn (thanks Pocahontas) and chickens, but they are never sunburned, and they certainly aren't expected to take their turn to shepherd the cows all day.
Training for this sort of thing didn't exist. What did exist was pressurized seminars and panels of older volunteers about secondary activities. We don't have chickens I guess, so we must instead, tend clubs. Almost every volunteer has at least one club they mind, with students or adults or who ever is interested.
2 comments:
You should start a Mickey Mouse Club. You could watch Disney movies in both English and Moldovan/Russian.
ttkt1234you sound disaffected, like you do not know what you are doing and, therefore, criticize everything. Find a path that makes you comfortable and makes sense to your situation. All the experts in the world have less knowledge of your circumstances than you do. Be brave and move forward. A club is one way to try.
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