TIA - This Is Africa

Well December is finally upon me and looking back it has gone by so quickly and all the things I have done are starting to blur together. It's extremely easy to lose track of time and when I do take the time to look back I find that weeks have past. I have not gone and done anymore exploring since my travel buddy Bonnie has unfortunately left me for Canada (who would imagine). However, since my parents will be joining me here in Malawi in just over 2 weeks time I am sure I will soon find myself back out and exploring this beautiful country soon.

Despite not having gone out in my personal time my work and being a WUSC volunteer as managed to keep me pretty busy. WUSC (World University Services of Canada) has been in Malawi for 30 years as of last month and as such there was a some what birthday party for them. Which would have been fine, except they wanted the Canadian volunteers to do a song or dance that represented Canadian culture....Yah, not so possible. So we decided to do a presentation on Canada's aboriginal populations. However, this caused a great deal of conflict amongst us volunteers. Despite being Canadian, not many of us knew all that much about our heritage, we couldn't even decide amongst ourselves whether the proper terminology is aboriginal populations or First Nations people. In the end we managed to put together a presentation that pleased both the Malawians present at the celebration as well as the Canadian representatives from WUSC -Ottawa. But I still find myself shocked at how little knowledge we as a population generally have concerning our history. We used our aboriginal history to beef up the Olympics but how many of us really know that much? Sorry, just a little side-note that wasn't really all that related to Malawi.

As many of you know (or may not know I suppose), World Aids Day was December 1^st. In recognition of this day my work spent the week with communities conducting Open Days. These Open Days were conducted in rural communities in both Salima and Mangochi. Youth groups in these districts put on skits, sang and did some cultural dances that helped to raise awareness not only for HIV/AIDS but for gender equality and human rights. In each community I had drastically different experiences. Since my Chichewa is less then perfect I only understood about half of what was said during the days but each community was completely unique. For example, one of the communities was really into their music and dancing, halfway threw the day it was decided that a break was necessary, except it turned into a dance party. The chiefs, my coworkers, all the children and even myself ended up dancing – it turned out to be a very memorable experience for me demonstrating the unity that can exist for everyone. In another community there was a football game afterwards, where again I noticed how connected the community was. Each time a goal was scored all the children would run onto the field and give the players a high-five. And in a third community, just as the Open Day was concluding an ox-cart went by carrying an individual who had just passed away as well as there family. In response to this, the women of the community, as well as many of the children, stood up and started to follow the cart, walking behind it for as far as I could see. This really showed how much community is treasured, it gave me goosebumps just seeing this and realizing how connected everyone was. Overall, my week in the field was exhausting and by the end I was completely worn out, but driving home, with the sun setting over the beautiful Malawian landscape thinking back on all the experiences I had that week I felt inspired again. I find it is easy to want to give up day after day here, so these moments of inspiration are truly cherished.

A particular comment made by my co-worker has got me seriously reconsidering the world of aid. She was talking with our field officers about just getting an activity done so that they would continue getting the funding. It is starting to feel as if the work itself isn't actually the main concern anymore, its about ensuring that the money keeps rolling in. What would happen if aid just stopped, would all these aid-dependant countries just fall apart or would they be forced to stand on their own own. Would there be a period of civil rights movements that ensued that are necessary for many countries to get where they want to be? I find myself thinking about these sort of things more and more often. Our current international aid situation is less then sustainable so maybe its time we start looking for alternatives to the typical means of aid, move away from pouring millions of dollars into countries on an annual basis.

I also recently had the opportunity to go to the refugee camp in Malawi. The couple that I live with, two really amazing people from Michigan who are here for three years, work within the refugee camp. This was really an eye opening experience for me. It allowed me to see the importance of religion within this context as well as gave me the opportunity to meet one of the most interesting people I have ever met. I attended a church service within the camp. As many of you know, religion does not play a large role in my life, but since coming here I have gained a huge amount of respect for the institution of religion and how it truly helps people.

As I mentioned before, I also had the chance to meet a very fascinating individual. A man who goes by Papa. He has been in the Malawi refugee camp since 1992, and is considered a Burundi refugee. However, he has only ever been to Burundi once in his life and wasn't even born there, he was born in the Congo. To me this seems completely outrageous, that this man who has rarely been to the country that he is named a refugee from has been put into this camp where they aren't even legally allowed to leave. However, by spending an afternoon talking with him, I came to realize that despite the terrible circumstances he has really managed to make a life for himself. He owns several business within the camp, including his most recent endeavour of starting an internet cafe within the camp and he is genuinely making the best out of the his situation. His blind faith in the world, hoping that his hard work will pay off and trying to provide the best he can for his family made me think. Apart from Papa, listening to my roommates talk about all the scholarship applicants in the refugee camp has made me truly think about how many brilliant minds are within these refugee camps that will never have the opportunity to really have their chance at the world.

My apologies if this post is all over the chart, just some ideas that have been floating around my head the last couple weeks. Unfortunately this will probably be my last blog post until the new year. I have a school report to write, grad school applications and work assignments to address before my family gets here. I'll be sure to keep track of my adventures with my parents so that I can blog and share their experiences as well. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays this year, I will be thinking of everyone back at home!

One week at a time...

Kind of looks like I have a mustache, just a piece of hair!

Okay, so when I said I would blog weekly, its more likely bi-weekly, maybe even monthly. Since I last blogged however, life has been pretty slow. Im won't pretend like life in Malawi is hugely different from that of home. I wake up, walk to work, spend 8 hours in the office, walk home, have supper and sleep. Pretty similar to that of home or maybe its that I am starting to become accustomed to life in Malawi, the things that once seemed so unique and different from home are very much so commonplace to me now.

However, since I last wrote I did manage to do the most typical African tourist thing ever – went on a safari. This was one activity that I absolutely needed to do, I mean really, who goes to Africa and doesn't do a safari...definitely not me! Bonnie and I went with a company called Kiboko Safari's. They are a great company and really provide a lot of value for your money. We went on a four day trip into Zambia. The safari was a lot of fun, we were able to see loads of animals: elephants, giraffes, lion, lioness, lion cubs, zebras, hippos, hyenas, antelope, puku, crocodile, monkeys, warthogs and loads of others. Despite having taken nearly 1,000 pictures none of them really capture what its like to see this magnificent animals in person. As amazing as it was, the environmentalist in me struggled with how comfortable these animals were with people. They are fully aware of people and just go about their business as if they aren't there. It seems unnatural that we should be able to be only a few feet from a lion. The camp we stayed at was located inside the game management area of the park, so it was frequented by hippos and elephants in the early hours of the morning. But there were lodges within the national park as well, which to me doesn't seem right. Shouldn't the park be left to the animals, its bad enough we drive threw the park but by building lodges it is further deteriorating what should be a pristine place for these animals. I wonder how many animals homes were destroyed so that tourists could stay in the park and be even closer to the animals....Maybe I need not worry and a complete impact assessment was completed prior to these lodges being constructed (however, I have a hard time believing that). The game management area is more of less the transition zone between the national park and the surrounding villages. Within this area I was able to listen to hippos talking to one another as I fell asleep, watch monkey corner other tourists and watch elephants take a mud bath, so why does one need to be any closer? All in all I really enjoyed myself, but it made me realize that I think I have a more vested interest in environmental aspects of development, my heart is in the flora and fauna of the world. 

Big lion sleeping :)

 

But for now I am working with the social aspects of development and at the request of my dearest Sarah (currently volunteering in Botswana) I'm going to talk about my work. As I mentioned before I work at the Farmer's Union of Malawi, which is an umbrella organization for farmer cooperatives and groups across all of Malawi. The organization does work in a lot of areas, agro-forestry, gender, human rights, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, basically anything that farmers could use to further themselves, to increase food security and decrease poverty. So my role in all of this, I have been given the title of gender specialist. I don't claim to be a gender specialist by any means, my education pertaining specifically to gender consists of one – three hour lecture. But I am learning as I go, even if I had had more education specifically on gender Im not sure that it would have proved overly helpful. No matter how much reading or how many essays I wrote every country is different and the best way for me to learn about gender issues in Malawi is to be here.

So far I have had to opportunity to draft two policies for my organization, one on gender in the workplace and the other on HIV/AIDS. I have also helped coordinate and implement training sessions for 2 districts (Salima and Mangochi) on gender, human rights and HIV/AIDS. These sessions were intended to provide the participants with knowledge that they could use in their own organizations to try and work towards gender equality and minimize the spread of and impacts of HIV/AIDS on their groups. My co-worker and I are now planning our presentation for a symposium next week on the importance of considering gender equality and all levels of the value chain in agriculture. As a female from a country where women have already made huge progress to be considered equals I find it extremely frustrating that there is so much inequality here.

We recently conducting a training sessions on gender for employees of the Farmer's Union of Malawi. At these training sessions we completed an activity that really put this into perspective for me. We did a daily calendar, which basically visual maps out a man's day vs. a women's day. It looked something like this:

Men:

5:00 am: land preparation

10:00 am – home, drinking, playing games

1:00pm – lunch

2pm – resting

3pm – working in the garden

5pm – home (family time), resting, socialize with friends

7pm – supper

Women:

4:00am – prepare breakfast for family

5:00am – garden the field

10:00am – collect fire wood & water

11:30am – vegetables and food preparation

1:00pm – cleaning

2:00pm – fetch water

3:00pm – working in the field

4:00pm – food preparation

6:00pm – spend time with children

7:00pm – dinner

8:00pm – bed

**These schedules were created as a group, both men and women contributed, both coming from villages across Malawi. **

It then became apparent that gender inequality also plays a role in the spread of HIV/AIDS. The men have so much free time while the women are exhausted by the end the day, with little no time to even bathe themselves. So it is often the case that the men will go elsewhere for their lovin'. Again, I am struck by how complicated international development is, so many problems have simply compounded on themselves and it is like trying to unknot a necklace, slow and intricate work.

Since being here my interest in gender issues has definitely grown. But as I mentioned before, my heart is truly in the environment. I had the opportunity to attend the National Symposium on Climate Change and Environment here in Lilongwe. I really enjoyed this because it was all Malawians presenting on the environmental issues that Malawi faces. I hadn't realized how much climate change was impacted Malawi until I attended this. I have been told that if I would like I can write a proposal and try to create a project relating to climate change. This is a door I have just started to open, so we will see where it leads to.

The rainy season is finally starting in Malawi. I am starting to see the changes all around me, everything is green, farmers are planting their crops, and the temperature fluctuates like crazy. The rain cools it off but it only lasts a few hours before the humidity is right back to where it was. I am excited to see the plant life start to really bloom. I am just glad I survived the Malawian summer, starting to think Canadian summers just won't seem as warm anymore.

Evidently, I apparently also lied about making my blogs shorter, I didn't intend on making this one super long. What can I say, I like to talk (who would have thought). All the best to everyone back at home and to all my friends working in their various countries. Will write again soon, I miss and love my friends and family so much.

Only two months late, my apologies!

Bridge that I am doubting will survive the rainy season...

Life in Malawi is definitely an experience of a lifetime. I have yet to write a blog since being here but I am going to try and start keeping everyone back at home up to date with my adventures. However, since I haven't been blogging, this one will be along one. I do apologize for the long delay, and if you can't make it threw this post, I won't be offended :) .

As I sit in my bed typing this up I am currently waiting out one of the many power cuts that Malawi experiences, more recently then not as of late. Power cuts are just one of the many issues that plagues Malawi. Since my arrival in Malawi in early September I have had the pleasure of enduring the fuel crisis, the electricity issues as well as the most recent water crisis. But apart from the many issues my time in Malawi has been one adventure after another, and definitely a learning experience.

My first weeks in Malawi were spent figuring out how to get around the city. Luckily I have had two really great travel companions that have helped me to get settled. Bonnie, who goes to the University of Ottawa, and Katie, who is in the same program as myself. Right from our first day we have been having the time our lives. Starting with our arrival at the airport, we were 12 hours early...leaving us stranded at the airport at 1:00 am. We were fortunate enough to meet a very persistent taxi driver who wanted to make sure we had someone coming to pick us up. After calling the program director of WUSC in Malawi the taxi driver took us to Annie's Lodge in Area 47 where we were suppose to be staying for the week. However, upon arrival we were told they did not have room for us. Now as it is approaching 3 am the program director shows up at the lodge and takes us to his house for the evening, where Bonnie was forced to sleep between Katie and I, two girls she had just met. It was safe to say that we had started our trip off on the right foot...

The first week we tried to keep ourselves relatively busy in order to ward off any homesickness. Our first day to ourselves (our second day in the country) we decided to make a trip into town to see if we could find the market. After getting to know the city better, we now know we took the longest possible route into town. And the market that we were never able to find that day was just around the corner. Our first week was spent mostly with WUSC doing an in-country orientation, a city tour (a little late for our first adventure), culture and language training, and being introduced to the organizations we would be working with. I am working at the Farmer's Union of Malawi (FUM), which is an umbrella organization for farming cooperatives and groups across Malawi. While at FUM I will be working on gender equality, human rights and hopefully in the near future implementing a project relating to climate change.

My first day with my organization was probably the most interesting first day I will ever have at a job. Not ten minutes after finishing my introductions to my fellow colleagues I was taken to a funeral...I was glad I brought my chitenja (the traditional wrap worn by women on special occasions). And my second day, my boss decided to take me out into the field, where I was able to finally see Malawi outside of the capital city. This was the first time the advice from my professors truly hit home. “Don't be concerned if small children in rural villages cry when they see you, for this may be the first time they have seen a white person”, but even being armed with this knowledge I still felt terribly for making the small boy cry. But from that day, work came to a complete halt in terms of excitement. My counterpart (the girl I will be working with for my placement) Chikondi had left for the United States the day after I arrived. Katie and Bonnie were both experiences equally as exciting times with their organizations. In order to keep ourselves motivated we kept ourselves busy on weekends.

Our first adventure was to the Lilongwe Wildlife Sanctuary where we saw our first wildlife of Malawi (pretty well all exotic wildlife in Malawi has been eliminated). We saw loads of monkeys, a leopard, a turtle and a crocodile. There is also a one-eyed lioness from Romania that makes the Lilongwe Wildlife Sanctuary home. However, it isn't meant to be a zoo, it is where animals are taken when they are found sick or out of place. They are kept here until they are better or until their time has come.

Our second adventure was to Lake Malawi. This is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and a place where few people will ever have the opportunity to be. However, it was here that I first started to experience what it is like to be an outsider. Malawi is considered to be the “warm heart of Africa”, which is true, people are very friendly and helpful. However, there are still times where being white gets you more attention then you really want. While walking along the beach Bonnie and I became famous....simply because of our skin colour. Locals on the beach decided to start taking pictures of us and a few even asked us to be in pictures with them. It wasn't a great feeling, almost like being an animal in the zoo. After being here for almost two months now I am more accustomed to receiving this sort of attention. On any given day men in Malawi will ask “Can I fall in love with you?”, or “Will you be my wife?”, and I am constantly being called baby, momma, lover, etc.

Freshly Ground! Look 'em up!

Lake of Stars Music Festival

Our last adventure in September was the Lake of Stars Music Festival. This festival is the largest festival held in Malawi and draws artist from Europe and from across Africa. We spent the weekend lay on the beach during the day and listening to music on the beach at night. It was really amazing to be introduced to new music that I wouldn't normally have listened to. For example, a group that I would highly recommend is Freshly Ground (look 'em up, seriously).

My most recent adventure took me to Mt. Mulanje. Bonnie, myself and a few other international volunteers went and climbed, just not all the way to the top. We climbed to the top of a smaller mountain, however after a full day of climbing we were still 12 hours from the peak of Mt. Mulanje and we were unfortunately short on time as well as being completely out of shape apparently. This was one of the most amazing things I have ever had the opportunity to do, the view was amazing and so worth the pain of not being able to walk for two days afterwards and six hours stuck on a bus between Malawian men.

Market

Of course these just represent the bigger trips I have taken. Any trip to the market is always an adventure, bargaining and interacting with locals. The pace of life in Malawi is completely different from home, and takes some getting use to. Work moves at a glacial pace but the market is a sea of chaos and the minibuses we take are probably the most amusing things I have ever seen (some days you could swear they defy the laws of gravity).

Work has picked up since Chikondi has returned from the United States. We just spent last week out in the field conducting training sessions on gender equality, human rights and HIV/AIDS. This was such an eye opening experience. I spent four long days in four very different districts. Life is so much more simple then North Americans make it out to be. After spending a week out in the field watching mothers and their children making the best of life I realize that we really have nothing to complain about. These mothers who spend their time taking care of children, farming, doing chores, and locating water amongst other things still managed to make time to come to a training session in order to try and better themselves and their communities. And the children are always smiling, they are happy with the simple things in life. Some of the children that mothers brought to the training sessions occupied themselves for nearly eight hours with plastic bottles in 40 degree weather.

Malawi is definitely opening my eyes to so much and keeps me on my toes. No day is ever the same. I miss home everyday but I would not give up this experience for anything, it is really a life changing trip and has helped me find where I want to go with my future. I will blog again next week, not to worry it will be drastically shorter then this :) . Happy Halloween Canada, I miss you all and wish everyone the best!

Where are we going?

Over the course of my years at the University of Waterloo I have been accumulating names of various films I would someday like to watch. Last night I finally started in on the list. The first film I decided to watch was The Human Experience.

The film is the story of two brothers searching for answers to some very simple yet complex questions. Who am I? Who is man? Why do we search for meaning? In order to try and answer these questions for themselves they decide to travel the world. While doing so they have some amazing experiences that open their eyes to the beauty of humanity. Their journey brings them to three spatially different places: living with the homeless in New York City, working with the orphans and disabled children of Peru and lastly meeting the abandoned Lepers of Ghana.

"The breath taking reality of a new, unrepeatable, unprecedented adventure of a human life." The film ends with this quote, and I think it summarizes the film very well. The aspect of the film that moved me most was how it managed to show the human desire for life. That all these individuals they met on their travels, whether homeless, disabled or exiled from their own villages still managed to find joy in their life and still live their lives to the fullest.

As a student in International Development this film had a great impact on me. After feeling so overwhelmed and defeated from constantly researching and discussing all of the problems that exist this film truly was a breathe of fresh air. It allowed me to recognize the beauty that is being different and all the amazing people that exist globally. But at the same time it also allowed me to realize that despite the all of the differences we may have we are a family. We share this planet and everything that is on it.

There are many lessons that an individual can take from this movie. However, words don't do this film justice, I believe that it is something everyone should watch, like many Grassroots Films. So, I suggest everyone take the time out of your blockbuster movie schedule and squeeze this film in, it has renewed my hope for humanity.

The Informed Masses

For the last three days I have been sifting through various news sources looking for a potential topic or just searching for a story that would inspire me to write a blog. What I realized after three days of reading article after article is that Canadian citizens really can't be all that informed of global issues if they rely primarily on the big news sources. Our major Canadian news sources focus on internal issues, which makes sense, as well as international news. It is the international news that I have an issue with.

The international news sections consistently contain stories of war, disaster, political upheaval and death. These events are obviously important but there are so many other issues that are happening continuously and only appear once in a blue moon. Instead of relying on these conventional news sources I looked up international development news and came across various small scale new sources that focus on these different issues, the news that is consistently changing and effecting the lives of thousands of people.

One source that I found to be particularly interesting was the Guardian in the UK. It has articles on food security, climate change, commodity prices and population growth. Of course the Guardian also covers it's own internal news but somehow manages to do justice to international issues as well.


Maybe it's a commentary on North America in general. Hundreds of North Americans donate money to various causes to help the 'poor black children', but how many are fully aware of the issues behind this poverty? I am willing to bet that not many do, even within my own family there are many misconstrued notions of global issues that exist. Unless you going looking for these global issues they probably wouldn't even be a blip on the radar of many North Americans, which is a crime in itself. I think its time we took a step outside of our North American bubble and really looked at the world around us.

We've All Gone Gaga!

The 2010 TIME 100 list has recently come out and I personally feel it shows just how far we have come. The list is an accumulation of leaders, artists, icons or anyone really that are considered to be the most influential in the world. To be included on this is a great honor for anyone really, especially to be ranked # 1. In past years the # 1 most influential people have been individuals such as George W. Bush, Dalai Lama, Edward Kennedy, and various others. For 2010 the # 1 most influential person was Lady Gaga.

What does it say about our culture and ideologies that the most influential person to most is Lady Gaga....I don't think it says anything good at all. Our lives have become so consumed by media and image that I find myself wondering if we have really lost what is truly important in life. Don't get me wrong Lady Gaga's music is fantastic and extremely fun but is she something the ultimately governs what we do in life? Sarah Palin, Beyonce and Neil Patrick Harris all ranked above the Barack Obama, again I find myself simply wondering why? To me this simply shows how obsessed we are with fame and not with the world as a whole.

Outside of my personal influences (such as my parents) I believe that an influential person should be working towards a goal, be an inspiration for greatness or have created change for the better possibly? Not by being influential because of their obsession with fame (the reason behind Lady Gaga's greatness). Of course TIME has gotten around this by creating various TIME 100 lists for different categories (turning the most influential person into a popularity contest in my eyes). As great as the TIME 100 lists are I find it's really just become a fame list and is not longer as reputable as it once was. So, what influences you? Is it musicians? Politicians? Or maybe one of your professors? I am curious to know what it is that truly influences the people in my life.

An Indication of our Future?

Recently, evidence has been found of a land crab that existed 1,000 years ago and was wiped out by colonists. This particular crab was extremely unique with its ability to travel great distances inland. It was also believed to be important as a predator since it was an omnivore, acting as a control for the ecosystem. However, with the colonist came domesticated animals that the crab was unable to cope with, resulting in their extinction.

This is just one example of the human impact on ecosystems. There have been numerous species that met their "maker" and are now extinct as a result of us. Extinction is definitely part of life, however, humans have exponential increased that rate at which we are losing species. As a species ourselves we need to concerned with the damage we inflict on the various ecosystems that exist globally. This inland crab was important in controlling the number of pests, snails and small birds. The loss of this crab was not detrimental to the ecosystems function, but there are many species today that face extinction that are considered linchpins.

Currently, a quarter of the world's mammal population is facing extinction. But more shocking is that more then half of all mammals are showing declines in their population size.  If we continue with our current living habits these trends will only continue as well. These species are an indication of how far we have degraded our environment. Humans are somewhat a dominant species in the global setting and hold the fate of many species in their hands. We have a responsibility to various species to not deteriorate their environment or hinder their ability to survive.

We need to take responsibility and start altering our behaviour to help those who have no control in the matter, those who are impaired by our actions.

Entering the World of Social Entrepreneurs

While watching TV with a couple friends recently a commercial came on that made us all laugh as we made the connection to our own lives. The commercial started by simply defining entrepreneur as being, another way to say unemployed. Since all of us are in international development we are all aware of the various enterprises we have seen succeed as well as the many that have failed and how this can translate to unemployment. 

After sometime however I realized just how untrue this is. This term we have started taking a social entrepreneurship class which has opened my eyes to many things that I had previously been missing, such as the many great ideas that exist and "employ" entrepreneurs all over the world. One that stood out to me in particular was the idea of Playpumps. The idea behind Playpumps is simple, children are simultaneously playing on the roundabout borehole while pumping out of the ground. In theory the idea is brilliant-it brings on things that both young and old would enjoy, fun and clean water.

However, there are some flaws with the very basic model behind the Playpumps. One large issue is that it assumes children globally have the same idea of fun. Many children may not view the roundabout as a means of fun ultimately turning the Playpump into an extreme energy suck for many women and children to simply access safe drinking water. There is also the issue of needing to access water at various points throughout the day. So, even if the children originally believed the Playpump to be fun it often becomes a source a work for them that is not as enjoyable as intended.

Despite these flaws the ideals behind the Playpump are fantastic in my mind. These issues to me are really a result of the Playpump becoming too mainstream as well as the large number of donors wanting to support the idea. You wouldn't normally believe financial support from donors to be negative, but in this particular instance (and many others I am sure) it is. With large quantities of money being directed at the project, there was a decrease in ability to introduce the Playpumps at a local level and create them to suit each location based on the individuals who would be utilizing the Playpumps. As we have discussed in our social entrepreneurship class there is large amount of tension that exists when trying to create a social enterprise. In this case there is the conflict between needing money to continue the enterprise and creating a product to suit your clients.

To me this is just one example that has so much potential so long as we hold onto our core values. As I approach graduation with my classmates it is becoming increasingly prevalent that we will be the future social entrepreneurs of the world and we have the ability to invoke social change. There is still much we can learn from past and current entrepreneurs, hopefully we will step up and be the change we want to see.

Rubber Duckie, you're the one!

That adorable little yellow rubber duckies that we all remember from our childhoods are now considered world class travelers. In 1992 a shipment of 28, 000 little duckies was lost at sea and are still washing a shore to this day. Amazingly this duckies are helping us to better understand our ocean currents. Duckies have been found in a magnitude of areas, showing up in Alaska, Hawaii, South America, Australia, the Pacific Northwest and even frozen in Arctic ice! Other have been found washing ashore as far as Scotland and Newfoundland.  These little guys have generated a following in response to their amazing travels and have been christened with the name  the "Friendly Floatees".

A retired oceanographer has created a website dedicated to the Friendly Floatees which has an interactive map for sights of them. People have been sending him pictures of rubber duckies that they believe belong to the patch lost almost 20 years ago. What it truly amazing about the location of these duckies is their ability to help us better understand the North Pacific Gyre. The gyre stretches between Japan, southeast Alaska, Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands. They have helped scientists determine just how long it takes for the circuit to be completed. 3 years the friendly floatees have determined!

But something more concerning that is the rubber duckies have brought up is the issue of garbage dumped into the ocean. The North Pacific Gyre is also home to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. This patch is a large, floating pile of garbage the gyre accumulates and manages to stir. This patch consists mostly of various plastic debris, however, not quiet as cute as our friendly floatees. These rubber duckies have brought attention to a very grim situation that we as humanity has managed to get ourselves into. Globally there are 11 major gyres which could all potentially be sites for these large patches of floating trash that have an unknown impact on our aquatic life. If the friendly floatees can really teach us something its how durable plastic really is and that it is a global issue.

As cute as the rubber duckies are they can really teach us something about ourselves and the state of our planet. Years and years of producing and discarding plastic objects without much regard for their impacts is starting to show. The duckies are a strong motivator to reconsider the plastic items many of us still decide to throw away instead of recycling. If these giant patches of garbage were in your frontyard it would be unacceptable so why is it okay for the ocean and its inhabitants to deal with our wasteful ways? If we don't want our garbage I am sure they don't want it either.

Losing our way?

On the global stage each country has a persona that it represents or is well known for. In the case of Canada we are suppose to be the "peace keepers", the "freedom fighters"or any other variation of this that you may have heard. But over the past few years as our tyes with the United States has grown Canada has managed to grow out of this image. An example of our new "Canadian personality"is how we are planning on dealing with the Libyan conflict. To summarize, Libya agreed to a ceasefire upon authorization by the United Nations to use force in Libya if necessary to ensure the no-fly zone is upheld.  Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper declared that for the threat of military force to remain credible the "forces" (military presence from various countries) must be present and therefore we will deploy six fighter jets to help the cause.

With this one announcement Harper has managed to completely undermine Canada as a peace keeper. He manages to make military strength a strong underlying factor for Canada when that has never been what we are about. It is basically saying that 'Hey, we are okay with fighting now!',  when are our entire persona has been based on being the ones who try to keep the peace. By using military force and the threat of fighting our proiorities become skewed. And as a Canadian, the fact that we are continually becoming more like the United States is more then irritating. I have prided myself my entire life on being Canadian and being so different from the US. But as the years go by I find the peace keeper image slowly slipping out of our grasps.

We have abandoned our image for that of our neighbour, moving away from our roots as a country. We should be trying to find another way to contribute to the Libyan conflict instead of using military force. We have become just another military country that promotes violence instead of peace - something the world could really use right about now.

So much to do.... But where to start?

Every day I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to further my education but at the same time I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all. So many issues in every aspect of our lives that its hard to feel optimistic. My generation and those to come face many issues such as climate change, poverty, inequalities or even the loss of cultural identity for many. Continuously I am bombarded with the question, "What are you going to be doing after graduation?", but the reality is I have no idea. How can it be possible to pick just one cause when there is so much change needed?

For example, today alone I have encountered four of these issues, both national and global. By starting my day with reading the news I have already exposed myself to two issues. The various reports on Japan's current state as well as the arrest of two pedophiles from Canada who were connected to an international pedophile ring. Then upon my arrival at school I learn about the impact of urban landscapes on our environment as well as the economic costs of mitigating or adapting to climate change. This is just one day, it's hard to imagine everything I have been taught in my three years of university thus far. And it is even harder for me to imagine only picking one field in which I can try to make a difference.

But I've come to realize it isn't so much the wide range of issues but whether we even have it in us to change that is overwhelming me. In an era where there is so much knowledge about global issues it is disheartening that so many people still hold economic prosperity as the primary goal. Humanity is at a crucial point where change is necessary, we cannot continue on simply as is. The fundamentals of society need to change and I believe our generation has the knowledge, drive and ability to do so. It is no longer about choosing which feild I'd like to work in but learning to work together. As the Three Muskaters would say, "All for one and one for all".

Global Adaptation Deficit?

Today as I sat in class learning about adaptation in relation to climate change it became clear to me that globally there is a large adaptation deficit. Unfortunately, as most people know, in the last few days the the world has been plagued with a devastating earthquake and its corresponding tsunami. Because of the stress we put on our planet these sorts of events will start to increase in magnitude and frequency and  I find myself wondering how prepared we really as for these events.

Even as we learn of the various threats presented from human induced climate change we continue on in hopes that it will just turn around and be okay. People continue wanting houses with an ocean view or are too concerned with the costs of being prepared. Economic gain continues to be more relevant then preparing for what is bound to happen. As the initial shock from the earthquake and tsunami pass many countries are re-evaluating the structural integrity of their buildings. Countries need to start being prepared for what may happen. Building houses on the coast - not such a good idea with rising sea levels. We need a reality check. The planet is changing and we need to prepare for the worst.

But can we prepare for large events such as the earthquake in Japan? Is there any adaptive strategy large enough to help cope with impacts as devastating as in Japan? If not then we are in for a depressing future globally. I believe we can, it will just take a change in our perceptions. Something that is easier said then done.

My thoughts are with those effected by the earthquake and tsunami.

Back to the Beginning

I originally wanted my first blog to set the stage for why I am doing this. However, I got a little side tracked with articles and sort of jumped the gun. So this blog is going to take a few steps back and do just that.

So, why am I writing a blog? To put it shortly, it’s a requirement for my marketing class. However, that doesn't really clarify anything. If you’ve had the opportunity to read my "About Me" section you are aware that I am in International Development. And for my program I am required to embark on an 8 month field placement in Malawi. For my placement I will be working for the Ngolowindo Cooperative Society which will have me working alongside farmers in Malawi helping them to create a sustainable market for their products (to summarize it without getting into too much boring detail). I am so excited to have this once in a lifetime opportunity to get some hands on experience in the International Development field.

One question that I am bombarded with on a regular basis is “What is International Development?” and “Where will a degree in International Development get you?”. And you would think that by my third year in this program I would have a straightforward, simplistic answer for them. However, I don’t and its not from a lack of trying. I have now come to the conclusion that even individuals who have spent their entire lives studying International Development wouldn’t be able to provide you with this answer. It is a complex and ever changing field that I believe in the near future will becoming increasingly important. As part of the program we are required to study economics, statistical analysis, environmental issues, political science and the humanities. Each interacts and plays a crucial role in how humanity will play out in the years to come. There are so many areas of International Development that what it means is based on your own perspective.

Another question that I am frequented by is “Why did you choose International Development?”. And I think everyone in my program has a distinctly different story as to why they choose this field – each of us holds a different “Aha!” moment so to speak. For me I believe my entire life has led up to this. I have been aware of the many issues of inequality that plague the world still today – from being the only girl on a boys hockey team and facing ridicule to celebrating Emancipation Day with my family for the past 20 years. Even throughout public school my projects always related to environmental issues or issues of inequality. My parents have always called me a “bleeding – heart” for various reasons, but it is this quality that I believe makes me so passionate about International Development. This along with my education will hopefully allow me to make a real difference in the world one day.

Alas, this blog is intended to be a place for me to share my thoughts and ideas regarding International Development as well as Malawi. As I prepare for my departure (in September of this year!!) I will keep you updated on my pre - departure activities as well as any fascinating International Development or Malawi – related news. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and I really look forward to any feedback you may have ☺ .

The world is beautiful and diverse place, but there are many issues of inequality that still exist. This is just a short video that helps put it all into perspective. As the world continues to grow it will continue experiencing the many issues it already faces. Growing pains is a reality for the world and is something that needs to be addressed.

Battle Against Pollution

Just a little something on Malawi. An interesting article that was forwarded onto me about the proactive role Malawi is taking on pollution.

Have a read :)
Malawi to ban farting?

Over Consumption at its Finest

So here it is - my first blog. I had fully intended for my first blog to be a little something about myself and how I managed to get myself where I am today. But I stumbled across this article and couldn't resist sharing it. The article is sharing the G8 - G20 summit's ability to win a spoof award from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. These spoof awards, also known as Teddies, are awarded to acknowledge the largest money sinks provincially, federally and municipally. The federal teddy was awarded to those who organized the G8 - G20 summit. The total estimate for this completely necessary event? A billion dollars.

It is amazing that as a Western society we are capable of spending this much money on a summit intended for global development and to discuss government over - spending. Let's face it, the real purpose behind the G8: to gather the richest/most powerful countries to have a pre - meeting to a meeting with the slightly less rich countries to predetermine what it is we want to accomplish at the G20. The entire thing is a colossal waste of money, representing only the interesting of the eight present. Why is the G8 necessary in the first place? There is no reason these eight countries should have a meeting of their own before letting "lesser" countries to the table. Imagine the cost reduction in simply eliminating the G8.

Then there is the issue of equality. Equal representation at these summits has always been a fierce topic of debate. The rich countries hold the money and therefore the power..... so they should make the decisions? (That's how it would appear). Why not let those who experience development and its corresponding issues have a voice of their own? If we have so much money burning a hole in our pockets that we can afford to spend a billion dollars on a summit for twenty countries then why not invite everyone? It can't be "us and them" anymore. As we enter the 21st century we need to realize we our issues are global and we all need to work together.

Canada is suppose to be the "helpers" on the global stage but we are just drowning in the politics of development issues. We need to re - evaluate: instead of wasting large quantities of money on meetings about the issues its time we start to address the issues or potentially start holding up our end of agreements we have previously made. The Kyoto Protocol is a perfect example - but that is another issue for another day.

If you wanted to have a read for yourself: G8 - G20 Named Most Wasteful Spending