Though the last post painted a negative picture of Tanzania and my experiences here, it is an incomplete picture.

During my week and a half at Boko One-Stop Secondary School, I experienced the most heartwarming hospitality from everyone. Just their willingness to help me in such things as getting water from the well showed me that though they may have little, their give all that they are able. I can not say that I was impressed by the education at the school and here in Tanzania, (just the opposite in fact, I was terribly dismayed) but nonetheless, the students are eager to learn. They constantly ask me questions about America and about the subjects they are learning in school. Considering their backgrounds—orphans, abandoned, abused, impoverished—they see light in every opportunity and “want so much a good education.” They are lacking good teachers and people who treat them as equals, as valuable members of society and I wish so much that I could have stayed longer to share everything I have to offer. There is simply not enough teaching occurring at an institution that is meant to teach the children. What do I mean by this? Example: Sometimes teachers don’t even go to class. Even making mandaazis (donuts), they did not know that it is a waste to use baking soda and baking powder in preparing the mandaazis and that it is essential to have live yeast in order for the dough to rise. Actually, before Aaron and Kaitlin came into the scenes on behalf of Ark, the students didn’t even make mandaazis, which they now sell for 50 schillings each to make a bit of profit and to provide food for breakfast.

At Boko, they are only given two meals a day (at 2:00pm and 7:30 pm) and each meal consists of ugali (this maize-based mush) and boiled beans. I ate every meal with them and was saddened at the site of ugali at every meal. Still, the students are grateful, grateful to be fed at all. By Western standards of course, this seemed unacceptable to me since 1) breakfast is the most important meal of the day and they were not provided such a meal and 2) you need to get vitamins and essential minerals from vegetables and fruits and they had none. But even this situation is better than the situations of many students in Tanzania. Can you just imagine? Some schools give a brownish ugali, which is a lower-grade maize than the white one we had.

I’m happy to see that Aaron (from Australia, Masters in International Development) and Kaitlin (from US, Masters in International Education) are there now and starting to get things into shape. The children deserve to have a chance to get further in life and I’m positive the two of them are the best on the ground team that Boko can have! It’s such a difficult situation though because in truth, it would be best for the own community members to make efforts to better the situation of their children, but some of them just don’t care. That’s not to say that none of the staff at Boko are dedicated to the students, but that they are not enough. One such person is Rodgers, who has been an Ark child since he was young and has a personal connection to struggling youth. Another is Mary. Oh Mary. She was my roommate at Boko and simply a lovely person. I observed her nursery school (at Boko they have a Nursery school to help the surrounding community) and her children are astonishing. They are learning so much English through songs and pictures and games—this is the kind of interactive learning that all nursery schools need in Tanzania! Right now I am with Mary at the Capacity Buildling Workshop help by Ark Foundation in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Probably the best part of being in Bagamoyo: no ugali and beans! Haha

One last positive note, I met an attorney assistant Jean, during my brief trip to Arusha to visit the UN International Criminial Tribunal for Rwanda. He was able to explain the cases more to me and give me an inside look. On the negative end, I can tell from the responses of the judges during the session I sat through that the entire case is so politically loaded and definitely weighted towards the prosecution (UN community) side. You know, the case I was watching has been going on since 2004, and it’s actually one of the shorter cases. Other cases have been going on for more than 10 years now. Crazy eh?

(Pictures were brought to you by Mama Rhoi and Aaron and Kaitlin.)

I have to admit that the robbery has really dampened my experience in Tanzania because it has exposed me to all the negative aspects of the society. After trying to get a hold of the boss of Akana Hotel for the past two weeks for some kind of reparations for the robbery, he finally met me one hour late, after I called him from the cell phone of one of the guests of the hotel. That’s right, the employees wouldn’t call him for me, they said there was no money on the hotel phone and they didn’t offer their cell phones. “Why?” you might ask. It’s because they are afraid to call their boss because then they are the bringers of bad news: “Ke Wu is here at the hotel waiting for you.” Mama Rhoi, from the Ark Foundation has spoken to him on my behalf already and he asked that I call him and meet him. So actually, after a week and a half spent at the Boko One-Stop Secondary School, I went to Akana Lodge to meet him. He did not show up and no one could reach his phone. That means when I met him yesterday, this was the second time I physically stood in Akana Lodge waiting for him. Is this what is considered proper treatment of hotel guests? I’m absolutely appalled and disappointed by someone who seems to be highly regarded in the tourism industry. (Akana Lodge is not his only business.)

So by now, you’re wondering how the meeting went:
Well, to start off, he answered his phone 3 times during our talk, interrupting me each time. And after his initial greeting, he accused me of making bad friends when I first arrived and that’s why they “personally targeted me.” HA! That’s a laugh. The only person I met when I got here was the personal driver, Rogers, for Ark Foundation. He took me directly from the airport to the hotel, where I slept till dinner time, which was when my things were stolen. I couldn’t even identify the two men who stayed—I don’t know what they look like, I never met them. I was appalled that the first thing he tried to do was put the blame on me. He said it was my fault I didn’t ask for a safe…how in the world was I to know there was one when none of the workers offered? He also didn’t believe me when I told him that my travelers checks were cashed. He said it’s not possible for the company to know overnight so it must have been stolen beforehand. I informed him that travelers checks have a number, so though the physical checks have not yet been mailed to American Express, they know when a check number has been cashed and have that information right away, though they don’t know where it was cashed. Moreover, he said it was not the hotel’s responsibility! Excuse me?! NOT the hotel’s responsibility?! The men didn’t even write down their identification and this was due to negligence of the hotel. They have been at the hotel two times before and they didn’t write down identification information then either. You know why we can’t catch the two men? We don’t even know what their real names are!!!! Thus, it is absolutely unprofessional of him to say the hotel is not responsible. They didn’t even follow expected procedures to ensure the security of their guests. I was SOOO angry and frustrated that I couldn’t speak! He said to me, “Here is my suggestion, if you don’t have money, go back home to America.” Excuse my language, but WTF?! I am doing a research project in an effort to better society and his suggestion is to quit and go home. Absolutely unbelievable! When he saw me crying out of frustration, he said, “I know some rich Americans in the tourism business, maybe I can fundraise for you.” And on the phone he told the other person, “I’m with someone who is distressed right now, do you know any rich Americans?” WHAT?!
He was EXTREMELY rude and absolutely unprofessional. I felt so disrespected and finally understood the frustrations of the younger Tanzanian generation. In their interviews, they told me that they were treated as children (and we’re talking about mostly 18-22 year olds): completely disregarded and undervalued. Even Mama Rhoi said that a big cultural barrier here is the generation gap, meaning that either you are a child, or you are an adult and the adults treat the children like they are nothing. That was how I felt, I felt like I was treated as a stupid child who made a stupid mistake. In light of this, maybe I can say that it did at least enlighten my research and allowed me to understand a little more of their culture, but this experience was definitely the blackest so far. As much as it was a learning experience for me, it will also definitely be a learning experience for him because he has underestimated the power of the younger generation…

I have to admit that the robbery has really dampened my experience in Tanzania because it has exposed me to all the negative aspects of the society. After trying to get a hold of the boss of Akana Hotel for the past two weeks for some kind of reparations for the robbery, he finally met me one hour late, after I called him from the cell phone of one of the guests of the hotel. That’s right, the employees wouldn’t call him for me, they said there was no money on the hotel phone and they didn’t offer their cell phones. “Why?” you might ask. It’s because they are afraid to call their boss because then they are the bringers of bad news: “Ke Wu is here at the hotel waiting for you.” Mama Rhoi, from the Ark Foundation has spoken to him on my behalf already and he asked that I call him and meet him. So actually, after a week and a half spent at the Boko One-Stop Secondary School, I went to Akana Lodge to meet him. He did not show up and no one could reach his phone. That means when I met him yesterday, this was the second time I physically stood in Akana Lodge waiting for him. Is this what is considered proper treatment of hotel guests? I’m absolutely appalled and disappointed by someone who seems to be highly regarded in the tourism industry. (Akana Lodge is not his only business.)

So by now, you’re wondering how the meeting went:
Well, to start off, he answered his phone 3 times during our talk, interrupting me each time. And after his initial greeting, he accused me of making bad friends when I first arrived and that’s why they “personally targeted me.” HA! That’s a laugh. The only person I met when I got here was the personal driver, Rogers, for Ark Foundation. He took me directly from the airport to the hotel, where I slept till dinner time, which was when my things were stolen. I couldn’t even identify the two men who stayed—I don’t know what they look like, I never met them. I was appalled that the first thing he tried to do was put the blame on me. He said it was my fault I didn’t ask for a safe…how in the world was I to know there was one when none of the workers offered? He also didn’t believe me when I told him that my travelers checks were cashed. He said it’s not possible for the company to know overnight so it must have been stolen beforehand. I informed him that travelers checks have a number, so though the physical checks have not yet been mailed to American Express, they know when a check number has been cashed and have that information right away, though they don’t know where it was cashed. Moreover, he said it was not the hotel’s responsibility! Excuse me?! NOT the hotel’s responsibility?! The men didn’t even write down their identification and this was due to negligence of the hotel. They have been at the hotel two times before and they didn’t write down identification information then either. You know why we can’t catch the two men? We don’t even know what their real names are!!!! Thus, it is absolutely unprofessional of him to say the hotel is not responsible. They didn’t even follow expected procedures to ensure the security of their guests. I was SOOO angry and frustrated that I couldn’t speak! He said to me, “Here is my suggestion, if you don’t have money, go back home to America.” Excuse my language, but WTF?! I am doing a research project in an effort to better society and his suggestion is to quit and go home. Absolutely unbelievable! When he saw me crying out of frustration, he said, “I know some rich Americans in the tourism business, maybe I can fundraise for you.” And on the phone he told the other person, “I’m with someone who is distressed right now, do you know any rich Americans?” WHAT?!
He was EXTREMELY rude and absolutely unprofessional. I felt so disrespected and finally understood the frustrations of the younger Tanzanian generation. In their interviews, they told me that they were treated as children (and we’re talking about mostly 18-22 year olds): completely disregarded and undervalued. Even Mama Rhoi said that a big cultural barrier here is the generation gap, meaning that either you are a child, or you are an adult and the adults treat the children like they are nothing. That was how I felt, I felt like I was treated as a stupid child who made a stupid mistake. In light of this, maybe I can say that it did at least enlighten my research and allowed me to understand a little more of their culture, but this experience was definitely the blackest so far. As much as it was a learning experience for me, it will also definitely be a learning experience for him because he has underestimated the power of the younger generation…

Last night I watched a rat scurry across my bed while I was sleeping in it.

I am here in Tanzania now, at the Boko One Stop Secondary School in the town of Boko near Dar Es Salaam. I have been here since Tuesday, June 10 and thought I would give an update of my trip. An unfortunate event has recently befallen me. While staying at a well-recognized hotel with grounds security, I became the victim of an organized robbery on the first night that I was here in Africa! In the hour and a half that I was in the dinning area eating dinner and watching a movie, my electronics, including my camera, cell phone, and most unfortunately, my voice recorder along with my money, which was about $1,300, $700 of which were travelers checks, were stolen from my locked room. We suspect that the two men who stayed in the room across from me were the culprits. They checked in the same night, after me, said they would stay for two nights, but never returned during the night after leaving to “find some dinner.” By the time I was able to report stolen travelers checks, I found out that they already cashed $400 of it. This suggests they have allies in the banking system since they obviously don’t have the identification to prove that they are me. So here I am now, with no camera, no voice recorder, and significantly poorer. The worst part of it is the voice recorder since all my interviews are on there. Luckily I have Peru interviews saved on a portable drive, but all the interviews from Romania are lost.

On the upside, I am enjoying my time with the students here. Since this is my third country, I can really start to see the comparisons in the education systems and the recurring themes that to me are the main reasons why the education systems are failing to turn out a literate society and failing to rid the mass poverty. The children here, in Romania, and in Peru, are incredibly driven children who have been raised in unfortunate situations of poverty, and here, an environment of death (from AIDS). With insufficient encouragement at home, the majority of them go to school only to face the same lack of encouragement from their teachers. However, it’s too hasty to assume that the teachers are to blame because their original pedagogy training breeds a continuation of the traditional methods of teaching, which neglect the students. But there is hope, and there is gradual change towards a better future.

The meaningful interactions I have with the kids I’ve encountered on this trip thus far make me wonderfully grateful for this opportunity! No matter where, children are still children and simply want someone to talk to and someone to laugh with. I like to think that at the same time that they are impacting my life, I offer something in return, whether it is a small glimpse into a world outside of their own or a friend they can remember for life.

I was looking around the office yesterday thinking about how they have this large GATTACA poster on one wall and another Ethan Hawke poster in their conference room. It seemed strange that a GATTACA poster was on display in this office, but meh, it's a good movie, so I thought nothing more of it. It turns out, Leslie Hawke, one of the founders I interviewed a few days ago is Ethan Hawke's mother! Yea, MOTHER! Crazy huh?

I'm really impressed by the methodology the organization in Romania has taken in tackling education.

They first researched the educational policy here in Romania and discovered that there is a law stating that all children starting at the age of 7 or 8 need to attend school. However, as could be expected with a developing society, this law is hardly enforced. Their goal now is to see that this policy is strictly abided by and currently work with the lowest wrung of society. They provide a combination of family counseling, after school programs and supplies, as well as their most important contribution, professional development. Exactly like in Peru, many teachers here fail to enter the classroom with a successful pedagogical approach towards at-risk children. This organization has developed an integrative methodology that they have been teaching to teachers. However, it is financially unsustainable for this organization to continue to train all the teachers when 1) this should be supported by the state and 2) the training is not mandatory and can only be received on a voluntary basis. Yet, this organization manages this hole as well by creating partnerships with the local government in places like Bacau, Romania to have them administer the training and ensure that their teachers are entering the classroom with the mindset of wanting to interact with their students and ensuring the students are applying critical thinking within the classroom. They produced a very interesting report that compares the Roma (gypsy) situation in Romania to the situation of African Americans in the United States. The comparison points out lessons to be learned from the history of the United States and is meant to be presented to the Ministry of Education here in Romania.

A commonality that I'm starting to notice in underdeveloped and developing countries is rote learning within the classroom. Teachers write and dictate and students copy. There is no room for experimentation, discovery, and intellectual development. As a result, many students drop out of school since the alternative is to make money for a family that is struggling to sustain itself. I found out from teachers in Peru and here in Romania that they learn theory in professional school and the only practice they receive is limited to observing another teacher. Thus, the cycle persists.

I have only ever had interactive teachers that have probed me and questioned me, so the intellectual being I am now is a product of their work and collaboration. I can't imagine what I would be like if I grew up copying everything written on the board and accepting everything told to me! It's not to say that there are not great teachers here as well, but it's distressing thinking that the majority of the teachers here are so poorly trained. I guess one of the universal problems with the profession is that it is so poorly funded; there is just not enough money in education. We have research and exemplary countries that prove that more money into education (given that it is correctly allocated) only betters the country as a whole, yet this problem remains.

Though seeing more of the world has only dismayed me about the universal situation of education, I am even more adamant now that it's development will solve the world's problems. I know that education is not always the highest priority on political agendas because there is such as slow turnover rate, but it is the worthiest investment any government can make!

I'm a little confused by good people.

I visited the Ovidiu Rom center at a local elementary school in sector 5 yesterday. Catalin, a Roma staff of the organization was my personal translator and showed me around. Afterwards, he invited me to have dinner with his Roma fiance and her family. The family, the fiance--everyone--was wonderful. We laughed, we joked, we ate.

He eventually asked me where I was originally from and I told him China. He told me there were a lot of Chinese in Bucharest and they all lived in an area known as Europa. He then laughed and looked at his fiance and told me that she doesn't like the Chinese people here. I asked why and they explained that Chinese people kill other people and hack them into pieces before stuffing them into bags! (Hm, hopefully I've altered that mentality a bit now that they've hung out with a Chinese who doesn't kill.) When they asked me more about the US and my life, they were surprised to find out that people of different ethnic backgrounds could be good friends and even more, they could date!

So I was thinking through this: The Romanians HATE the Roma people. The Roma people HATE that the Romanian people HATE them. However, the Roma people HATE the Chinese. Can there be just a little less hate please?!

Yesterday I interviewed one of the co-founders of Ovidiu Rom and was impressed to find out that the evangelicals are making headway here in Romania. She was telling me that they are reforming the gypsy ("Roma") males by giving them moral guidelines for life, e.g. don't smoke, don't drink, make sure to take care of your family and especially your children. Before the evangelicals, the Roma population had no moral standards to abide by and were not making progress as a group of people (her words, not mine). This of course, reminded me of an article we read in Dr. Burke's class about the evangelicals in Brazil. I was so delighted that I had this background knowledge upon which to converse further about the cultural situation here. She was telling me that the the Roma people lack respectable representatives for the people. What happens is that after a Roma person progresses past an impoverished situation, he/she will renounce their Roma ethnicity in order to assimilate into the Romanian culture. This, of course, reminded me once more of the exact same article, where the African population in Brazil were finally making headway because members of their population were attaining seats of power, such as the African politician noted in the article. The major difference between the two countries that makes African Brazilians successful and the Roma unsuccessful is that the African population is easily detectable simply based on physical features. On the other hand, the Roma population consists of members spanning a range of skin tones and hair colors. Therefore, those of lighter skin color can easily blend in with the European portion of society.

Maybe this conclusion comes a bit hasty, but I am starting to feel that there are universal components to helping overcome poverty.
1) Need to educate the group.
2) Need a set of values, some sort of guidelines that the group believes in and is willing to live by and grow from.
3) Need examples--people from the group who have progressed beyond the majority situation--that the group can look up to.

I've caught something. I don't know what it is, but I've been stomach sick since the plane ride leaving Lima. Cipro isn't working, but maybe it's just a time factor.

On another note, the Madrid Barajas Airport is the LARGEST airport I have ever been in! I had to take a bus that runs every 30 minutes and gets on the highway to get from terminal 2 to terminal 4. Then at terminal 4, I had to walk through the entire terminal, which was several stories high, get on a metro that took me to a satellite portion of terminal 4, which had three letters worth of gates (with numbers that went to at least the forties). It's crazy HUGE!

So now I'm here in Bucharest, Romania. I have yet to meet with the organization here, but an interesting conversation occurred when I first arrived:

My taxi driver and I got to talking and he eventually asked me if I have faced any racial issues in the US concerning the fact that I am Chinese. I replied no and he continued by telling me that they have problems here concerning different "behaviour." He said a group of people called the "gypsies," who were mostly of Indian background, steal everything here in Romania from the Romanian population. They steal water, they steal electricity, and there is no legal consequence for what they do. He complained that no one did anything to get rid of these "gypsies." I told him that I've learned a little bit about this "Roma" population and he replied that he really hates the new term for them--it suggests that they are Romanian, when they are not. This term, he speculates, may have been derived from the term "Rom," which is what the Romanians use to call them. He says they are really awful people and he wishes they would go away because they are threatening the Romanian population when the Romanians have done nothing threatening to the "Roma" population. (Hm, fascinating.)

Then we briefly touched upon the Ceauşescu regime and he seemed adamant about the fact that Ceauşescu really formed this city, even though it was through extravagant means and he doesn't understand who is writing stories about the regime, but a lot of them are lies. (A little prideful?)