(a few members of our team outside the hospital)
This evening's blogging will highlight some of the cultural differences that have struck me the most strongly over the last 6 weeks. I wanted to write about them a bit, because I am realizing that what I used to notice as interestingly different, is fading into normalcy very quickly...
- The greetings and formalities here are abundant. Every day as each person encounters one another, a long greeting, with handshakes and questions about the well-being of everyone's families and homes ensues. I try to get away with a quick round of high fives, which seems to be entertaining people, because I don't have the patience for the rest of it. It was the same way in east Africa, so I guess it is widespread. Maybe we used to do that before we became overworked, stressed out and estranged from our neighbours?
- When I'm ducking out of the midwives' frequent angry eruptions, I laugh to myself as I notice how I can really feel like a prude here (which isn't a feeling I typically experience). I try not to jump when folks hork up massive balls of phlegm and propel them wherever the moment inspires. I try not to giggle when people start picking their noses in the middle of speeches or meetings with affluent leaders. I love a good nose pick as much as the next gal, but I have never seen people go to town in professional situations like this! My biggest prude obstacle arises in the realm of cell phone manners, which I think are quite non-existent at home, but are even less-so here. In the middle of a meeting or a presentation or a meal, nobody thinks twice about answering their cell phone and talking loudly for as long as they are inspired to do so. There is no concept of turning off or turning down ringers in any situation, and in fact, people here usually have 2-3 phones with the various spotty telecommunication services, so that at any given moment, one will hopefully work. It makes for a lot of cell phone interruptions! Between the interruptions that are normal when talking in person, and the interruptions incurred by cell phones, I can see why it is hard for people to get ahead here ;) I enjoy picking my nose freely though, so that keeps my spirits up!
- The majority of people here are Muslim, and I love hearing the call to prayer that emanates from the mosques throughout the day. I asked one of our drivers if he drinks alcohol, as it seems that most people are quite liberal in their practice. He told me that he doesn't "drink" alcohol, but he "tastes" it. This expanded into him telling me that on weekends, he likes to have 5 or 6 beers after work, then drive home and go to sleep. He assures me that if everyone did this, we would all be so much more stable. Liberal Muslims abound indeed, and apparently so does drinking-and-driving. Interestingly, I found out that the woman who does our laundry is less liberal... After days of wondering why I had no underwear, I found out that the women here don't wash others' undergarments because of some religious conflict I don't quite understand. Good to know.
- The pace of the work day and the general work ethic here is pretty darn far from what I experience back home, which can feel nice and frustrating, depending on the winds. I have moments of savouring how low expectations can be for accomplishing things, but then my hyper-driven work ethic kicks in from time to time, and I start pulling my hair out, wondering why people can't do things just a bit more efficiently or quickly. I waiver between wanting to adopt a work ethic more like this when I am in Canada, and wanting to put some fire under the feet of folks here to MOVE...
- A few things that make me laugh: I keep picturing a cartoon about a HOV lane in an African city, because every vehicle is so far beyond high-occupancy that the other lanes would host only the SUVs of all the NGOs working here. I also laughed when I went to a lovely outdoor swimming pool and saw the lifeguard spend his whole afternoon, not looking at all at the pool, but yelling at the patrons to step throwing their garbage on the pool deck; the garbage pails all sit empty, but the pool deck is elaborately decorated with litter! I also find it hilarious that everybody keeps the manufacturers' stickers on their glasses lenses here. Not sure why, as it definitely can't make vision any clearer. But it seems nearly universal, they all keep the stickers on their lenses.
- Speaking of glasses, many people need them here. Every time I go into the health centres, people pass me document after document to read out loud so that staff can understand what is written. It is hard to be efficient or get ahead when nobody can see their work!
- And now to finish, I'll tell you about two people that stuck with me today. The first is a nurse that I work with at one of the centres. He was explaining his family to me, and nearly exploded my brain. His dad was the chief of his village, so was lucky enough to have 27 wives. (27...not a typo!) His mother was the last of his wives. She added 8 kids to the grand total of 76 kids that were fathered by his dad. He is the only boy of those 8 kids, and he is hoping that he can keep working with MSF nearby his village in the future, as he wants to be closer to family. And that is one seriously bountiful family! The other person that stuck with me today, was a man about my age, in a wheelchair, labouring to slowly wheel himself through the polluted streets this afternoon. It was so hot and so humid, and the sun felt so unfair in that moment. He was wearing a shirt that said: "Put yourself in my shoes". And despite the fact that ironically, he didn't have any shoes, I took a minute to really try to imagine myself being born into his reality. Harsh. I can't get him out of my mind.
