Clean The Nation Day
Well, I wish it was more like Japan sometimes. There, the new year is the biggest celebration of the year, and everyone cleans their homes and pretty much everything with great ferocity beforehand, so that you start the year off fresh and new. Here, Clean the Nation Day happens (almost) monthly, and doesn't really seem to make much of a difference. At least to the cleanliness of the streets and whatnot. It certainly does make a difference to the ability to get things done on a Saturday morning, if you are a Peace Corps volunteer wanting to take care of banking, or anything else. Ah well, learning patience is one of the reasons I am here.
And I am sure they get things cleaner, if only because I saw piles of leaves and swept dirt on my way to the office. Sweeping dirt. When I visited Mali, I didn't really get it, why people swept the dirt. I mean, they are sweeping dirt off of ... dirt. But, now I believe in it, even if I don't understand it. Dirt looks better if it's swept up. And so, we "Clean the Nation". I am sure if this were the U.S, it would be "Clean the Nation Day, sponsored by Pinesol" or something horrid. At least I don't have to watch the Alamo Rent A Car Bowl, sponsored by Exxon, or anything, this year.
One of my projects this week has been getting my website moved to a different host. This is only really important now because I want to still use it for email, and I like having it out there for when I need to do something. But I have been paying too much, and so I have done some research on better providers. It is so much more complicated when I have to be here, using slow internet and no phones, rather than there, in the circumstance for which the system was designed. Ah well, Africa's not easy.
That's a very common saying here. People will always tell you "Africa is not easy", or "The Gambia is not easy". It is said so much that now it's a joke amongst volunteers - any trouble and someone (usually Robert) is likely to say "Africa isn't easy." Can't find any ketchup at the market? It's not easy here. The bank is closed for the forth time in a row when you go to get money? Africa isn't easy. Clean the Nation Day closes all businesses for the bulk of Saturday? You get the picture.
I have also linked to another blog - from Chris in my training group - and I hope people check out the other sites when you have a chance.
Happy New Year!
Love to you all,
Zac
And I am sure they get things cleaner, if only because I saw piles of leaves and swept dirt on my way to the office. Sweeping dirt. When I visited Mali, I didn't really get it, why people swept the dirt. I mean, they are sweeping dirt off of ... dirt. But, now I believe in it, even if I don't understand it. Dirt looks better if it's swept up. And so, we "Clean the Nation". I am sure if this were the U.S, it would be "Clean the Nation Day, sponsored by Pinesol" or something horrid. At least I don't have to watch the Alamo Rent A Car Bowl, sponsored by Exxon, or anything, this year.
One of my projects this week has been getting my website moved to a different host. This is only really important now because I want to still use it for email, and I like having it out there for when I need to do something. But I have been paying too much, and so I have done some research on better providers. It is so much more complicated when I have to be here, using slow internet and no phones, rather than there, in the circumstance for which the system was designed. Ah well, Africa's not easy.
That's a very common saying here. People will always tell you "Africa is not easy", or "The Gambia is not easy". It is said so much that now it's a joke amongst volunteers - any trouble and someone (usually Robert) is likely to say "Africa isn't easy." Can't find any ketchup at the market? It's not easy here. The bank is closed for the forth time in a row when you go to get money? Africa isn't easy. Clean the Nation Day closes all businesses for the bulk of Saturday? You get the picture.
I have also linked to another blog - from Chris in my training group - and I hope people check out the other sites when you have a chance.
Happy New Year!
Love to you all,
Zac
posted by Zac at
7:18 AM
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