EEEEEK! They drive on the left here.

Well I did it! I have driven a car in Kenya and survived to tell the tale.  I must confess, I do not have my Kenya license yet but necessity required to drive.  The Guardian at St Anthony friary fell wrong and broke his knee. So I have had to drive him to and from his doctor visits. I have been paying attention in the past few months and I was able to adjust quiet well. My only problem is using the turn signal. Here the turn signal is on the right of the steering column. So for the first few times I drove I kept turning on the windshield wipers.  The other problem, which I must pay close attention to is the speed bumps.  Instead of stop signs or other signals speed bumps are used before and after every major intersection.  Which is okay, really because sometimes you are warned about the bumps with a sign, a black and white pole or the bumps themselves are painted black and white (what they call a zebra crossing).  Sometimes  however the bumps are not marked at all. So I am very cautious. Getting my Kenya license is next on my program just before learning Swahili.

This is the remains of one of our cars. Two young Deacons Peter and George were driving and failed to negotiate a turn and this is the result.  It was about supper time when we got the call that there had been an accident. One of the friars involved and was in shock and since he could not see the other friar assumed he was dead.  Thanks to our good and loving God the night of this accident was a  night of miracles.  The two friars in this car were not seriously hurt. The driver spent two nights in the hospital with chest pains and some minor internal bleeding. The other went home that night.  There was something more than air bags and seat belts that saved these two young friars.  The driver of the other car spent one night in the hospital for observation and was sent home.  Another miracle involved passing taxi driver who took charge of both friars, drove them to the hospital and stayed with them until we arrived.  He even let a fare go in order to do this.  A good man by the name of Wicliffe.  The miracles continue with awareness and thankfulness and all the positive fraternal response of the friars. The American in me believes that if they were driving on the right as is right and proper this might not have happened but the rest of me believes that  All is Gift.  tim

Pushing a Pig

A lot of work resulting in nothing

I have been reading a really good book on Conflict by Jonan Fernandez who was instrumental in bring the conflict in the Basque region of Spain to an constructive conclusion.  The book is called, "Being, Human in Conflicts" (The comma there is important.)  The above picture is on the cover of the book. Briefly, the books puts forth some sound and constructive ways to look at conflict whether it be a relational, familiar, local, national or international conflict.  

Why I present this picture here is after 6+ years in formation work for the friars I find sometimes the picture depicts a perfect metaphor for formation.  Forming young friars is sometimes like pushing a pig.  Futile at times but I must say always rewarding.  I have learned that if I am facing the wrong end of the pig I need to re-evaluate my approach.  I guess many times the problem is not with the pig. It is with me.  I recently began working as the Master of Students in the House of Theology for the province of St Francis in Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius (phew! that is always a long title to type).  I am making a lot of changes to the program.  I adopted this strategy.  Ask for a lot, say it is a suggestion, dialogue and then settle for less than I asked for, which is what I wanted in the first place.  It worked. I am implementing what I feel are program enhancements while the young friars believe they had a hand in the decision.  I could have pushed the pig and gotten no where instead I addressed the beast as the intelligent animal it is. (Did you know that animal behaviorist say that pigs are smarter than dogs?)   

Some may take exception to me referring to the young friars as pigs.  I know. But really when I am pushing the pig I acknowledge that I am the pig in actuality, pig headed that is.  It is all projection really. Me projecting the negative side of myself on to those with whom I have difficulty. Awareness like this is a real gift.  If others are not the problem then it is me? More than likely it is.

Today is September 5, 2016, Labor Day in the US. I miss the cookouts, the Brats, burgers and burnt chicken.  Labor Day in Kenya in May 1. I wonder how it is celebrated? Stay tuned and find out.  ODE   tim

The OF/FOR Controversy

The OF / FOR Controversy

The picture above was taken in the friary library here at St. Anthony.  The third line says, (in case it does not read well) "Long Essays For Former Students".  In fact the long essays are written by former students and therefore the sign should read "Long Essays of Former Students". Now I have to admit when I first saw this sign the teacher in me wanted to correct the grammar. I resisted that temptation. I was reminded of a time a few months ago when I ran across another misuse of the word OF. This occurred when I was still in Uganda living at the Novitiate.  

The Novitiate is on the top of a hill and I was making my way somewhere and I encounter two novices walking up the hill. We met half way down the hill.  I noticed one of the Novices had in his hand a black plastic bag, so obviously they had been shopping at the markets at the bottom of the hill.  We stopped and I inquired what had they purchased.  The novice opened the bag and said proudly, "Legs of dogs."  At the same time I peered into the bag and saw what looked like furry legs. My face must of had an expression of horror on it because the Novice quickly added, "Legs for dogs."  They had purchased legs of slaughtered goats that would be cooked to feed the three dogs that we had.  I told him that was very different and we parted and I was relieved that nothing horrible had happened to our dogs and thought that prepositions can save a life. 

Now, I know that one of the many things that makes English hard to learn is the subtle use of prepositions.  One little word can mean many different things depending on context.  For example the word "of" is defined in seven different ways. "OF" is used to indicate direction, origin and identity to name three.  "FOR" of the other hand has 32 different meanings.  That's a lot!  All this is according to a web site I found (www.dictionary.com)  

Correct or not to correct?  Do I begin a crusade to eradicate improper syntax wherever it is found? How far should I go to ensure proper English usage?  Will I run the risk of being a grammar goon? I think not. English needs to grow and it grows through use. My judgments aside, is it my business to correct others intent?  Meaning is conveyed regardless and that is the whole point of language; communicating intent.  Take the above photo. Anyone who is a former student would not be in this library looking for reading material (trust me on that fact). That person has moved on to bigger and better things. So if the Long Essays are not for former students then they must be of them instead.   

Language is intimately linked with culture and in some ways language at the same time reflects the culture. I live in a culture in which English is second (or sometimes third or forth) language a person may know. It is the colonizing language of the victors of a long ago struggle that is still being played out as Kenya and all of Africa strive to overcome colonialism through sustained development.  Maybe its time for English to evolve into a much friendlier language with simpler rules. Maybe the above is a truly a sign of such an evolution. Let's hope for God. Remember it's all gift.

My new home

 Okay, the picture I put up last time was of a group of male impalas. They are called locally "the losers club" because the failed to mate this season and so have to hang out with other losers.

Entrance to the Chapel just past the front door

I have arrived in Nairobi to very cold (by African standards) weather. It is still the dry season so rain is scarce and the ground is cracked. There is not the amount of dust present as in Uganda, thankfully. By cold I mean in the 60's for highs during the day.  I guess I have acclimated since I have two blankets on my bed.  I have jumped into my new position as Master of Students very quickly and am busy learning the ins and outs of running a house of 20+ people.  So far so good. I am including some pictures of my new friary, St. Anthony.

Front Door

                                                                          Chapel looking to the left and right

Chapel Center

Recreation Room


Refectory

News

Well, I have been transferred.  I sorta expected this to happen but I also wanted to stay here in Uganda.  I will be moving back to Nairobi in a part of town called Lang'ata. It is were the Province has a house for the temporary professed studying theology. Does that sound familiar?  Yes, it is what I was doing in Chicago. I will be the Master of the formation effort there.  I will also be the Secretary of Formation and Studies.  My main task will be to formulate and execute a program that forms the formators.  I am excited about both of these assignments.  I am not, however, looking forward to the over night trip to Nairobi.  The novices make there first profession of vows on the 15th so I will be leaving after that.
I will leave you with this photo. I call it "Losers Club"  Can you guess why?

Myths

I am finishing up teaching a week long course of HIV and AIDS Mainstreaming to the Bachelor candidates in Counselling. This is described as "Mainstreaming AIDS is a process that enables development actors to address the causes and effects of AIDS in an effective and sustained manner, through both their usual work and within their workplace" UNAIDS, World Bank and UNDP(2005).
Part of our work together focused on the Myths that surround HIV and AIDS. Here is a list of some of the myths that we uncovered:

Myths

1. ARVs (antiretroviral medication) will solve all my problems and I don’t have to worry about HIV anymore.

2. Drinking 5 liters of saliva from an infected person will infect a person.

3. HIV and AIDS is a Haitian disease.

4. AIDS is a gay disease.

5. AIDS means American Initiate to Destroy Sex.

6. Saliva, sweat, urine, mucus and feces can infect a person with HIV.

7. Mosquitoes transmit HIV.

8. Sharing wash rooms, eating utensils, socks, bed sheets, toilets and swimming pools can transmit HIV.

9. You can contract the HIV virus by being coughed upon by an infected person.

10. Sex with children cures AIDS

11. HIV and AIDS are problems of the poor.

12.  It can’t happen to me!

13. HIV is only active during the day. You cannot catch it night when HIV is sleeping

14. HIV is an American idea.

15. If circumcised you cannot contract HIV.

16. Having intercourse with and elderly women is safer sex. Old women do not have HIV.

17. Having and HIV test is protection from contracting the virus.   
To let you know of the prevalence of HIV and here is Uganda I have attached the following:

The Power of the Collective

I was in the middle of teaching my first course at St. Francis Counsellor Training Institute. I was teaching Integral Theory.  It can pretty dry theoretical stuff so I needed an activity to get the students out of their chairs and talking to each other.  We were talking about the three modes of consciousness, Art, Science and Morals. So I decided to pull out a favorite exercise that I have done many times in the past with a variety of people.  It is call HIROSHIMA and it is a values clarification exercise.  The group is given a list of twenty people of different backgrounds and expertise.  The story is that a bomb will be dropped that will eradicate human life on the planet. The group is tasked with naming ten people who will enter the shelter and live and ten who will not and die and they need to tell why people live and why they are to die.  In the past people worked diligently to pick the ten people. Sometimes they argue as to why but in the end they all came up with their list.  So this time was not so different, at least on the surface.  The class broke up into four different groups and worked on the task.  Again, in the past, the responses reflected the group as it did this time. Answers vary from group to group.  The most interesting came from a group of prisoners but that is another story.  On the list of twenty people were:

an HIV+ doctor             a male nurse                 a lawyer              a  housewife                 

A woman with 2 children (the children counts as one adult)

A farmer                         a traditional healer      a politician          a gay teacher

a truck driver with a criminal past

Female police officer  an army soldier             a boda boda driver*           a convicted rapist        an elderly woman

A teenage student       a chemist                       an electrical engineer           a schizophrenic man   a professional football player

*Boba Bodas are the main means of quick and cheap inner city transportation by motorcycle. The drivers are not known for their honesty and are usually resourceful and clever.

Well the first group shared their results. They explained who they chose and why. The second group went through each person on the list and told of how he or she may be important to the new society and why they could not exclude that person. So at the end of the list I asked, “So what is your answer?” They said, “They all live!” This is the first time in ten years of doing this exercise that I got such an answer.  Without letting in on my surprise I asked them to justify their decision.  The group leader said confidently, “If it is a matter of space and sharing food we have been doing that for centuries. We know how to do that and do it well. There is no reason why anyone has to die.”  We discussed the African culture as a collective society.  That each member is important and that people live for one another and for the group.  I was evangelized by this response.  Why does anyone have to die so others can live?  In the US, elections are coming up and I am reflecting on how my votes in the past may have saved a life or taken a life. Big question. Something I will ponder before making my next X. Peace  ODE