Climb every mountain....
Well folks, I apologize for the delay in posting to my weblog but logistics and available time have made it difficult to this point. As of this posting I have been in Southern Africa (read: South Africa and Lesotho) for over 2 weeks. I’ve experienced quite a bit since then but I wanted to share one experience from yesterday. The area that I’m based in is right in the heart of the Maluti Mountain Range. The hospital is perched on the side of one of the mountains and overlooks a very scenic valley (lots of fields, cows, donkeys, and small rondavels). I managed to take a couple hours off yesterday and hiked down into the valley and walked between some irrigated fields (about 10 different shades of vivid green since the rainy season has started) avoiding the cattle (it’s bad luck for the cattle (read: they become infertile) if a woman in found walking between them) and shouting out the occasional hello (Dumela me or ndate depending on gender/age) to passing folks. Once passed the fields I came down along the river bank and just sat down on a rock and enjoyed the scenery (gorgeous blue skies, green fields, craggy mountains, and the occasional bleating sheep). I was then accosted by a couple of small kids who insisted on knowing my name, where I was going, whether or not I was married, and if I had any sweets or money on me (all in that order in under 30 seconds!). It’s moments like this that make up for all the time I spend operating (or attempting to get one thing done a day) on African Standard Time or to quote a friend well experienced in these matters: “Why do something today when you can put it off until tomorrow!” Patience is a virtue indeed!
posted by Tarra @ 5:59 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Ah yes, the time shock. Now there's something I distinctly remember NOT learning about in all our anthro classes. You get your culture shock presented on a tray, analysed, deconstructed, and reconstructed, but never the very real difference in the perception of TIME. It never ceases to amaze me how some people manage to settle into the "slower" pace of non-western countries really well, while others run themselves completely ragged trying to insist that certain things must be done TODAY (or better yet, YESTERDAY). Look at it this way: If you had gotten 20 things done that day, you probably wouldn't have had time to hike around the fields, smell the cattle and encounter those kids. The mere fact that you hiked into the countryside at all puts you above most people in my estimation because I'll bet you many people in your situation (abroad on their own) would just be too scared to venture out anywhere at all. So: Respect for that and best of luck settling into African Time, you'll soon begin to enjoy it...:-) After all, it applies to you as well. You now too have the license to procrastinate. Take care! S.
So, what did you end giving those kids?
By the way, did I ever tell you about the time my mother and I had car trouble in the Sinai desert and were soon surrounded upon by these really nice but somewhat pushy Bedouin women asking us for...UNDERWEAR! So, it might be wise to keep some lacy underwear in your pockets for future encounters...;-)
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