Watch the Walk

(Warning: this post isn't a lovely tied up package of a post. It's slightly stream-of-consciousness.) If you've ever watched Holiday Inn, you might remember the sight of Bing Crosby sitting alone at a huge table full of holiday foods, singing the song, "I've got Plenty to be Thankful for." The verses talk about all the things that he doesn't have... but he's still got plenty to be thankful for. Today is Thanksgiving. In North America it's probably not 90 degrees at 8 AM, but you probably don't have fresh tropical fruit on hand for that fruit salad. A couple weeks ago I ended up in a taxi with the mayor of the port town. One of the questions he asked was if I had any regrets. Ha. Well, what's a regret anyway? It's not like I would change anything.  It reminds me of quote I tried to live by in high school: "No reserve. No retreat. No regrets." That was penned by William Borden, a rich guy who gave away as much as possible, moved...

I've never been water skiing. But I watched  few videos on YouTube of people doing a poor job of it. And what I saw of their experience reminds me a lot of living in Africa-- which I've been doing for a little over a year now. Here's the process, from the observer's perspective: 1) You get ready. Water skis, swimsuit, life jacket, boat. 2) You get in the water. 3) The boat starts moving and, if you're still holding the tow line, you start moving too. 4) You get slapped in the face with water. Lots of water. 5) Eventually it gets too difficult (splits, tangled skis, too much water in the air you're breathing) and you let go. 6) Rinse, repeat. But the interesting thing is that as a person learns to water ski, they quit getting slapped in the face with waves. Instead they ride on top of the waves and enjoy success through perseverance and honed coordination. Twenty minutes later it was pouring rain Here's what being in Africa is like: 1) You get ready: support,...

Front door at high tide It's not all bad news. Not all the men are terrible and inappropriate. And I know the problems here aren't unique in the world. Polygamy certainly accentuates the issue though. Just as there are a lot of awful men here, there are also some really great ones. Since I gave you a rundown of some typical situations with random men last time, this time I'll give you the balancing side-- some of the men I know who are great to be around and whom I appreciate greatly. Mwenye wahandra*: This man is connected. He knows everyone and everyone knows him. For our move to the new house in M-town , he rounded up a large truc k and a bunch of guys to help haul things. Any time I need something in the community he knows who to tal k to. He's a go-getter , a problem solver , and quite devout. A great role model for the young men of the community. Mwenye wawaili: He's friendly , knowledgable , and helpful. Any language question I've got , I know he can ans...