I looked around the computer lab, scanning the monitors for trouble. Most students were opening the encyclopedia program while a few others opened some of the other educational software I had loaded onto the computers. I'd been opening the computer lab everyday after school. It gave the kids who were really into computers some more computer time and it gave an opportunity for those who were a little behind in class to catch up on their skills. My eyes drifted over to the student that I had designed at the class prefect (or so you'd say in Harry Potter). After reminding them once more of the rules - no touching the computer cables, no touching the spare and broken parts lying in different areas of the room – I made my way to the exit.
Initially I'd set up the system so that the lab was open to anyone after school. This quickly descended into the same 10 kids watching music videos over and over and over. I didn't think that was having the most positive effect on their grades so I had decided this semester that every grade would have a day in the lab, and today was 5eme's day.
Outside three students from 4eme were sitting, waiting to talk to me. I'd had all three of them last year, and each was pretty decent with a computer.
Students: Sir, we want more time on the computers.
Me: Everyone wants more time on the computers.
S: We really want to go in.
Me: Nope, today isn't your day, you can go in tomorrow.
S: But there isn't anywhere else to practice! No one has a computer.
S: In the US everyone has a computer, right?
Me: Well not everyone, but a lot of people have them.
S: Here no one has them!
S: Everyone in the US must be really rich.
Me: A lot of people in US are rich.
S: When you go home I'm going to come visit you in Europe.
S: The US isn't in Europe, idiot!
Me: So the US is now in Europe?
S: I mean I want to go to the US.
Me: Alright, well you get me $2,000 and I'll see what I can do.
S: The US is really rich because of us.
Me: What do you mean?
S: Because of the African slaves. They made the US rich.
Me: They certainly did contribute to the US being rich, but they weren't the only reason.
S: Well how else could the US become rich? The Native Americans don't work well.
Me: What?
S: The Native Americans don't work well.
Me: There are Native Americans that don't work well, just as there are Africans and Europeans that don't work well.
S: Well why did they have to bring in Africans as slaves then?
Me: That had to do more with diseases than work ethic. The diseases the Europeans brought with them to America killed a very high percentage of the Native Americans.
S: Oh. But Africa is so poor and the US and Europe are so rich. It's because we Africans can work well but we aren't intelligent.
Me: What? That's completely false. There are Americans, Europeans and Africans who are dumb and there are Americans, Europeans and Africans who are smart.
S: Yeah, but Africans can't be smart like Europeans.
Me: Yes they can be!
S: Well if they can why is Africa still so underdeveloped?
S; It's because the Europeans come and exploit all of Africa's natural resources.
Me: Natural resources hurt a country more than they help it to be rich. Usually the money ends up in the pockets of just a few people and increases the chances of a civil war.
Me: And the US and Europe were just as poor as Africa was now a long time ago! Things here are slowly getting better!
S: No they aren't, we are all very poor.
Me: Ten years ago, did your parents have cell phones? Electricity? Televisions? Now I'm betting all of them do.
S: But we're still very poor.
Me: But it's getting better! And it will continue to get better as long as there isn't a civil war.
S: Well I guess, but it's so slow!
Me: Yes it is. But imagine how much better it's going to be for your children. You might each have a computer in your home.
S: We're going to!
Me: Alright, now go do your homework or something.
S: Good evening sir, talk to you later.
Me: Good evening.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Choice and Waste
With less than six months to go in Burkina Faso I find myself contrasting Burkina and the US. Volunteers who return to the states are often shocked by the complete difference in lifestyle and culture. I’m still in denial that this will happen to me, but I suppose we’ll just wait and see.
One of the tritest experiences from anyone spending a lot of time away from supermarkets is the idea of walking into the supermarket and being completely overwhelmed by the amount of choices. You’ve probably seen this in films about people getting stuck in the wildness for six months. Apparently it’s common for PCVs to feel the same way. Often descriptions of this experience are accompanied by phrases such as “do we really need 10 types of canned peaches” and “it’s so wasteful.” The comments usually seem to imply that we don’t need the plethora of choices or that it is wasteful.
I don’t agree that a large selection is tantamount to waste or is unnecessary.
Let’s take a look at those ten types of canned peaches. Each of these types of peaches is made by a company seeking to gain a profit. Assuming they act to realize this profit, they will either reduce peach prices or stop canning peaches if there are too many canned peaches hitting the shelves, in order to make sure that they can actually sell their product. The 10 different types of canned goodness are pitted into a fierce competition to ensnare potential peach patrons. They’re constantly looking for a way to gain that extra peachy edge, giving them a larger slice of the market. Peach sizes, tastes, colors, packaging and labeling are all changed to the perceived peach-purchasing preferences. Quality is strictly controlled and usually guaranteed.
Now let’s pretend for a second that I could find canned peaches in Burkina Faso. There would be one brand of canned peaches, maybe two if I was really lucky. Stores would almost never have said canned fruity goodness. The cans would often by damaged on transport and/or past the expiration date. If I opened a bad can of peaches no one will listen for more than two seconds and getting a refund or a new can is almost unheard of. There is no choice. Is this somehow less wasteful? or somehow more necessary?
I think the point of the original choice-is-wasteful argument that does stick is that, no, no one really physically needs access to ten types of peaches. And in that sense it is unnecessary. But the benefit of having the freedom to choose really does improve your peach eating experience. It also promotes peach producers to search for the safest, most cost effective method of transporting their peach cargo.
So in summary, I want some canned peaches!
One of the tritest experiences from anyone spending a lot of time away from supermarkets is the idea of walking into the supermarket and being completely overwhelmed by the amount of choices. You’ve probably seen this in films about people getting stuck in the wildness for six months. Apparently it’s common for PCVs to feel the same way. Often descriptions of this experience are accompanied by phrases such as “do we really need 10 types of canned peaches” and “it’s so wasteful.” The comments usually seem to imply that we don’t need the plethora of choices or that it is wasteful.
I don’t agree that a large selection is tantamount to waste or is unnecessary.
Let’s take a look at those ten types of canned peaches. Each of these types of peaches is made by a company seeking to gain a profit. Assuming they act to realize this profit, they will either reduce peach prices or stop canning peaches if there are too many canned peaches hitting the shelves, in order to make sure that they can actually sell their product. The 10 different types of canned goodness are pitted into a fierce competition to ensnare potential peach patrons. They’re constantly looking for a way to gain that extra peachy edge, giving them a larger slice of the market. Peach sizes, tastes, colors, packaging and labeling are all changed to the perceived peach-purchasing preferences. Quality is strictly controlled and usually guaranteed.
Now let’s pretend for a second that I could find canned peaches in Burkina Faso. There would be one brand of canned peaches, maybe two if I was really lucky. Stores would almost never have said canned fruity goodness. The cans would often by damaged on transport and/or past the expiration date. If I opened a bad can of peaches no one will listen for more than two seconds and getting a refund or a new can is almost unheard of. There is no choice. Is this somehow less wasteful? or somehow more necessary?
I think the point of the original choice-is-wasteful argument that does stick is that, no, no one really physically needs access to ten types of peaches. And in that sense it is unnecessary. But the benefit of having the freedom to choose really does improve your peach eating experience. It also promotes peach producers to search for the safest, most cost effective method of transporting their peach cargo.
So in summary, I want some canned peaches!
Experiments
Hey all.
I know I’ve been sorely lacking in Blog entries of late, and after some reflection I can see there is a pretty easy explanation for that. I’ve been trying to describe experiences here that I found novel, unique or interesting coming from my American perspective. However after being here for almost two years most of the experiences around me have long ceased being novel. A school day here is much like the one a week ago, which is not all that dissimilar to one a year ago. I see the same students, teachers and people in a week and do a lot of the same things. I’m in a routine of sorts, or maybe you could say I’ve settled in. That's not to say that I don't experience new things every week, I just feel less like they are worth writing home about.
So I think I’ll be experimenting with a few different types of entries to see what sort of things I’m inspired to write about. I’ll try and keep them shortish and stay away from to-do lists. Happy reading!
I know I’ve been sorely lacking in Blog entries of late, and after some reflection I can see there is a pretty easy explanation for that. I’ve been trying to describe experiences here that I found novel, unique or interesting coming from my American perspective. However after being here for almost two years most of the experiences around me have long ceased being novel. A school day here is much like the one a week ago, which is not all that dissimilar to one a year ago. I see the same students, teachers and people in a week and do a lot of the same things. I’m in a routine of sorts, or maybe you could say I’ve settled in. That's not to say that I don't experience new things every week, I just feel less like they are worth writing home about.
So I think I’ll be experimenting with a few different types of entries to see what sort of things I’m inspired to write about. I’ll try and keep them shortish and stay away from to-do lists. Happy reading!
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