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Published: November 20th 2007
TIA stands for This Is Africa. I first heard the term used in S. Africa. Since that time I’ve used and heard it used many times. When I hear it used by westerners or travelers it doesn’t bother me. It is usually used as a way to remind ourselves that we aren’t home. Western rules don’t apply. However, I have heard it used by locals at times. This generally bothered me and would sometimes cause me to go off on said person. To here it from a local it always came across to me as a way of making excuses when things weren’t the way they wanted them to be. It just seemed as a defeatist attitude toward things that weren’t the way they liked.
But I digress, this blog is about things I noticed, saw, or pondered while in Africa. Some of these things are just me venting frustrations, but it is all good. The pictures also represent the Africa that I saw.
*The first thing to learn in Africa is "Africa Time." This essentially means that whatever time is stated carries about as much weight as the air it was spoken into. It does pretty much
tell you the earliest anything could possibly happen. Though it isn't likely to happen then, and nobody seems to really care. If someone is going to meet you at 9AM, they will likely show up sometime between 10 and 11 but you really don't know. Also the term "Now," doesn't have any of the implications you would think it does. If someone ever tells you that something will happen "just now." Go home. "Just Now" can be anytime between "Now Now" and probably tomorrow morning.
*There is a dichotomy between “African Patience” and “Organized Chaos.” Africans can sit all day waiting for a bus to show up. If you ask them when the bus will be there, they just shrug and act like “What is your hurry man? What is so important?” But when that bus shows up… Get out of the way, it is a mad rush for the doors. You would think it was the end of the world if they didn’t get on the bus. I witnessed this type of break down of patience on all forms of transportation, buses, trains, and ferries. But you see it really any time waiting in a line/queue would make
things seem to work more smoothly.
*Another dichotomy is trash and cleanliness. African’s are constantly cleaning their shoes and wiping the dirt off of them. Yet, as soon as they take 5 steps through the dirt road, they will be dusty again. They sweep the dirt floors of their huts every day, sometimes multiple times per day. But then at the same time, they will throw out their trash almost out their front door. Trash is routinely just chucked outside of the bus windows or wherever is convenient
*I don’t think African’s really listen in conversation. Some of this might be language barriers. But I think they do it to each other as well. They ask questions and don’t really listen to the answer. I remember this conversation held with multiple people. “So you will call me.” “I’m sorry, I don’t have a phone, I can’t call you.” “Ok.” Then five minutes later. “So you will call me.” “I don’t have a phone.” “Ok.” You can make a whole night out of this game. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter what question you ask them, they are going to tell you the story that they want to tell you. “How
old is this child?” “This child’s parents are from…”
*If you ever doubted Newton’s Law of Inertia, you just need to watch travelers. The law could almost be written as “A traveler in motion tends to stay in motion, a travel at rest tends to stay at rest.” When a traveler gets moving he can cover 1000kms in a few days, change through 3 countries in a week. But the next thing you know you will meet the same person later and he will tell you that he has been at this one place for 2 weeks. He doesn’t know why. He doesn’t know when he is leaving. Today maybe he’ll do laundry, maybe not.
*Every country I was in people took the time to tell me how poor they were. You could never convince them that they weren’t bad off or that there were poor people in America either. They just didn’t want to believe it. I’m not saying they aren’t poor, just that they say it to you like it makes them special. My thoughts were always, “so is everyone in Africa.” Sometimes, I thought they didn’t have it so bad, not everyone has bad soil.
Yes, it is subsistence farming but some subsistence is more sub than others.
*Shaking hands is a very important greeting. You always shake some ones hand when you meet them and always with the right hand. If your hand is dirty you extend your wrist or forearm for the other to grasp. I think this is very nice.
*Where, What, and When questions sometimes work. If you ask someone How or Why you almost never get an answer that makes sense. I think this is just language barrier though
*On the subject of language barriers. I don’t think African’s realize when they are using slang that is limited to their country. Everywhere I went people used words that didn’t make sense from a pure definition point of view. It was just their slang, but I don’t think they knew it was slang.
*It really sucks to not trust people or feel you can trust people. You always wonder when you meet someone, “What do they want.” You suspect that they are angling for money. This is not something that you start with. It grows on you and wears you down. It is a real shame because
many people do approach you just because they want to talk to and meet the mzungu or want to show their hospitality. But it seems like most want something more.
*Coca-Cola is the most dominate company in the world. I don’t know what its financial statements say or if it really makes the most money. What I do know is that it doesn’t matter where you go in the world, you will find Coke. You can go to the Ritz Carlton in New York and order a coke. You can also go to the smallest village that takes 2 days to hike to from the nearest road and you are likely to find a coke if you find anything. Good marketing. And if you feel like not supporting Coke and buy the local soda, look at the bottle carefully. It is probably owned by Coke. Every local soda I remember drinking was a subsidiary of Coke. Ethiopia was the one exception, Pepsi was more popular than Coke.. Very strange.
*Where do kids learn the words “Give me.” I was in some pretty rural areas and it seemed like the only English the kids new was “Give me.”
*I started eating tomatoes in Africa. All markets in Africa are well stocked with tomatoes and onions. These are actually the most common vegetables throughout all of Africa. In southern Africa, I started eating tomatoes a little because often they were diced to small for me to really pick out, so I toughed it up. But in Uganda I was sitting down to my dinner of roasted pork served with onion and tomato salad. I realized that lunch was beans and rice or beans and posho and dinner was grilled meat. I figured if I was going to get any veggies I better try the tomato. So I put on lots of salt and ate it. Of course, a few weeks later I started thinking that wasn't the smartest thing I had over done. The rule on veggies in the developing world is “Wash it, peel it, or cook it.” Well I wasn’t doing any of these, but I never got sick.
*Speaking of Posho (Pap, Ugalli). This is the staple through a large part of Africa. It is made from corn flour, mixed with boiling water. It is made to the consistency of very dry mashed potatoes with
the taste and flavor of grits. It is even with pretty much every meal and actually is used as the silverware, they use it to pick up everything else. (it is fun to eat with your hands) . I mention this because everyone will tell you that it is their traditional food. Now what always struck me as funny is that it is a tradition that is only about 400 years old. Corn was brought to Africa by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English.
*Speaking of stable foods, I rediscovered PB&J (Peanut Butter and Jelly) as a stable. I could buy a jar of Peanut Butter and a jar of Jam and carry them around for a long time without worrying about them going bad. Bread of some kind can almost always be found. Good stuff
*I used to mock Gillette and Schick for having 2, 3, 4+ blades on their razor. I don’t feel as strongly about this. There were many times I couldn’t get a name brand razor and I was essentially shaving with a single blade safety razor. Now if the blade was sharp and clean the shave wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t until I got
to a city and picked up a “better” razor that I realized how nice the razors I used to mock really were
*For shaving cream, I’ve really come to like shaving gel. It just seems to last forever
*Roll-on deodorant is another good find. I don’t really like roll-on deodorant. But it seems that for size, weight, and longevity of the product roll-on is the way to go.
*Don't ever set your sunglasses down in gravel. No matter how careful you intend to be with them. They will get scratched. Once you get once scratch on them, they just seem to breed more scratches.
*You can tell the difference between Old vs. New travelers. I was having dinner with some friends in Kampala. We had met in Mozambique. They were saying how they spent the day doing nothing, sort of debating whether to go and see this tourist site or not. The other people in their hostel, who hadn’t been to the site were saying that my friends had to go. These other people had recently just arrived in Africa. My friends ultimately decided a rest day was in order. You start out often with the
feeling that you need to see everything, in the end you don’t care that you see everything, you just want to see the good things.
*Everybody that has spent along time in Africa, or for that matter in developing countries has at one point and time or another, had an accident. Don't ask. It has happened to everyone. Such is life.
*I was often asked about American politics. Most people were surprised when I told them that not everyone liked George Bush. That in reality barely half the people voted for him (if that, I don’t know). They almost all said they thought everyone in the US voted for whomever was elected president. Almost everyone wanted to know who the next president would be. Isn’t constant press coverage great.
*One man told me something that stuck with me, after he asked me about the next president. He said, “Remember who you vote for effects us.” I really think this is something that we don’t think about very much. Our votes do effect more than just our country. They can have a large effect on people all over the world.
*When I left I said that there
were 4 things that I fully expected to have happen to me. Lets see how I did
1) I would get dysentery -- Nope, but I got Malaria, twice -- I’m fine now
2) I would get ripped off -- Yes, on every corner and every transaction just about. There is always a Mzungu price that is usually more than the locals pay. But not a big deal. The biggest rip-off was the mask in Fiji I got conned into buying
3)I would get robbed -- I got my phone nicked out of my pocket in Kampala, not a big deal though
4)I would lose or break something important to me -- I fully expected this to be my Ipod or camera. I luckily made it home with both of those. However, I lost my passport, walking stick and MSR camp towel. All due to my own stupidity and thoughtlessness.
About 26 months ago I quit my job to undertake this little adventure. I cannot say it turned out as planned. I don’t know how I planned it to turn out. I can say that it has gone on longer than I ever intended, so that is a
good sign. And now I’m home. I came home because I got tired of traveling. I realized I wanted a home again. I wanted permanent friends. That is what I missed most. Friends that you didn’t have to tell your story to. You could sit and watch a ballgame and know who the person pulled for. You didn’t have to ask the 5 questions.
I have learned one very valuable lesson though. Everyone around the world, from rich to poor, from Asia to America, are essentially the same. Cultures can change, and on the surface everyone is different. But as you get to know people you realize that everyone wants the same thing. People want to make their lives better. For some this means more food, for some more money, for some well who knows. But deep down, the more differences one sees on the surface, the less differences there really are.
So I’m home now. What is next is a job. I intend to try my hand at teaching, High School math or science. Most likely not in Atlanta, probably in the Pacific North West. But if I’ve learned anything in the last two years…. All things
are subject to change, despite what the plans are.
The End...
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Dedra
non-member comment
Welcome HOME, Mike! Now your journey begins!