I’ve got about 9 hours then I’ll be en route to Amsterdam. The last few days have been spent writing this paper, taking in as much ocean as possible and searching for food that I might not have the opportunity to eat again for a long time. The other day I came across a vendor of vegan cuisine. Soy cream amongst many other tasty treats were advertised and I became incredibly excited. Oh but to my surprise, it is only open during the september-may months. However, I just picked up this guide to Amsterdam and there’s a whole section on veg cafes. I have about 50 Euros that I plan on spending on food there. Even though I’ve been eating fairly well, I always feel hungry. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t been getting enough protein or what, but I’m eagerly anticipating some serious veg food. There really isn’t a lot to be found down here. It’s understandable, I guess eating meat is a sign of wealth down here and people aspire to live as glamorously as they do in the West, but the context is different. Instead of driving Hummers, it’s eating meat.
Anyways, last night all the Canadians got together in the hostel to play some cards. A girl had an ipod with a bunch of classic Canadiana/Dad Rock/90’s junk on it and we ended up with a soundtrack including the first two Our Lady Peace albums, a bunch of Tragically Hip and oh god, what else was there? It was pretty ridiculous, I think a Silverchair album made it on as well as Chris de Berge (which was funny because Lady In Red was in my head for days after enduring it cranked in a cab ride).
Was in Osu again the other day and the vendors were trying to get me to buy their crap, as usual. Bracelets with my name on it, hideous necklaces and other super cheesy, touristy junk. There was one dude who was selling sweet shirts for super cheap so I held one up to my face to size it up as a possible gilt. It smelled like it had been sitting next to an open sewer for days. Sick.
“No way, I don’t want this”.
“How much will you pay for this?”.
“Nothing, it smells like a sewer”.
“I’ll give it to you for five cedis”.
“No it’s gross, I don’t want it”.
“Four cedis”.
“Forget it”.
“Three cedis”.
This carried on until I told him I didn’t want the shitty smelling shirt and continued down the block for a few more similar encounters. When I got here, I was totally polite to these guys who are pretty funny and totally mean well. But they have to do business so they can be really pushy. I’ve gone from entertaining them with my name and where I’m from (their intro to make friends with you so you’re less likely to turn them down when they offer you a “gift” in exchange for “a donation from the heart”), to an almost instantaneous response of “no thanks, I don’t want your crap”. These exchanges and haggling have become some of my favorite things to when I need some entertainment.
Well, it’s been a month and I still hate the shower. I had my last one this morning, mouthing it off one last time before and after stepping under it’s freezing cold drizzle. I been using way less water these days though. Everyone has. You know why, I don’t need to go into it. That being said, I also went to a pool with a swim up bar the other day, so it’s not like I’m trying cop some kind of holier than thou attitude. I’ve just curtailed my excessive use of resources.
We said our goodbyes to Richard and Issac, the two Ghanaian students we’ve been working with the past four weeks. They were so awesome and have been invaluable to this whole experience. That being said, our goodbyes were very sad since it’s unlikely we’ll ever see them again. They teach in Apemanim and while they dream about coming to Canada, they make about $150/mo. and a Visa cost them each about $35K.
I just booked a different hostel in Amsterdam after deciding that the person I was originally planning on sharing the room with drives me completely nuts. A nice person, don’t get me wrong. But after spending a month in relatively close quarters, I need to get away. So I’ll be more or less alone in Amsterdam for a couple days, which should be an adventure.
I’ve got about an hour left of time on this computer and I’ve got to finish this paper. Final thought from a sweaty internet cafe in Africa: everyday in this country has completely blown my mind and while the grass is no greener here than in Canada (or any other place I’ve been for that matter), the soil is red. And that’s kind of neat. Also, the new Nick Cave album is really, really great.
One of the neat things about my living situation is that there is another room on my floor, rented out for other guests to stay in. This weekend an awesome couple were in town and last night we sat around the living room last night sharing stories. Turns out one of them (D.) lived in Kenya for the first 18 years of his life and his partner is a prof at my university who’s actually writing a book on sexuality in Africa (with a focus on the queer community). Very interesting stuff! I had my mind blown several times during our conversation as they told me stories that I would have never heard otherwise.
D has been back 8 times in the past 4 years and does work with a non-profit that tries to find disabled Kenyans work. It’s hard enough to be a resident there where the rate of unemployment is extremely high and the term minimum wage has no tangible meaning. But the people are very industrious and I saw some photos of things people were selling to get by that were literally made from garbage. One woman made shopping bags from wire and bottle caps. Another man’s job was going door to door in the slums offering his knife-sharpening service. The contraption he used to sharpen knives he made himself from various waste materials. The whole time I was being regaled with these stories, I couldn’t help but think about how much material we throw out that is usable.
Another thing they told me about was the water, and how it was usually undrinkable and black in colour. The lady, C., had a woman with “freshly” washed hands touch a cob of corn she bought and told me that the resulting effect was her first experience with projectile vomit.
It sounds like the vegan thing is going to be my biggest challenge while I’m there. While legumes and fruits are widely available, there isn’t much of an animal rights movement in a land where people struggle to get by on a daily basis. They told me that while I will probably be able to find food to eat, but the slaughterhouses there have glasswindows (unlike they do here) and people treat animals fairly poorly.
Lastly, they provided me with all kinds of tips on critical vaccinations and what to do to prevent pickpocketing and such. They were very clear that while things happen, I should be looking forward to the experience this summer as Africa is an amazing place. And I am. As well, they said my experience in Ghana will likely differ from theirs in Kenya. Don’t worry Mom, I’m going to have access to clean water.
Today I woke up, found some excellent breakfast/coffee and spent the majority of my time at the school marking, putting together tests and tomorrow’s lesson plan. A couple of other teachers ended up coming around during the day and I got to know them a little better. One of them invited me out to the community dinner that goes down every Sunday night and is put on by various local groups. Also, it’s pay by donation. Score! I don’t know who put it on tonight, but I ate like a king and met a few more locals. It was totally fun.
When I came home I marinated some tempeh bacon for the morning and had had a chat with the 12 year old (S.) who lives here. The one who screened me my first night, you remember. Tonight I asked him about the music he listens to. Sure enough, his hockey warmup playlist consisted of some predictably bad stuff. Hey, I don’t care if he’s 12. Kids today are unfortunately exposed to some total crap, marketed by labels that know their bands are seriously lacking in content. SAs a result, they appeal to people who were never exposed to the Nirvanas, Elvis Costellos and Minor Threats. So I’m going to make him a mixtape. Get ‘em into the good stuff while they’re young.
I handed over the keys to my place around 3 yesterday, said goodbye to my cats and set off with a cup of coffee in hand and a few of my favorite records. It was a beautiful day for a drive and I ventured into the mountains to the tune on the last Minus the Bear, the Wheat Chiefs and some Hot Water Music.
Driving through the mountains I noticed all of the pipework that’s happening in the area. I couldn’t believe the giant tubes that were being buried in order to expand capacity of sludge headed west. It’s the reason why I had a hard time finding a place to stay, the workers have made the vacancy rate hover around zero. I’m not complaining however as two teachers have taken me in and given me a room to sleep in with my own coffee maker. The only stipulation, no talking shop at home. This was broken within minutes of my arrival however when we all sat around the table, ate and drank some wine. Apparently the second of two beverages that are a teaching necessity (the first being the black blood of creativity). Their 12 year old son grilled me on my knowledge of hockey all night. “What’s your favorite team?”, “are you any good?”, “do you know a lot about hockey?”. It was humorous, then I blew his little mind when I told him I’ve been to many concerts. (Gasp) “You’ve been to a concert?”, he asked. “I’ve been to many”, I replied. “You should look at my stereo! Do you have your own Ipod?”. It was funny.
One thing I forgot to mention, when I got into town I was surprised to see these Elk just hanging out in people’s front lawns. Lot’s too. I counted about a dozen and tried to take some photos of them. My host’s son told me about how they’re annoying and that I should throw ice cubes at them.
I work up bright and early and walked to school, arriving at about 7:15. The facilities are quaint and utilitarian. Though the students have access to a pool, a rink and a weight room at the activity centre next door. Apparently I get to take them there for curling lessons in a couple weeks.
Right now my schedule is more or less split in half between Jr. High P.E. and High School Bio. I give my first lesson tomorrow on the eye and get to do the lab with them the following day. Trail by fire, that’s what all the seasoned teachers say is the best way to get through this.
I finished school today and went for a walkabout. The town seems to have everything I’ll need in the coming weeks. An organic grocery, some sweet coffee shops and a veg cafe. Also, might I add that due to this teaching community being so tight knit, this guy is going to be getting some free ski passes. Happy Birthday to the vegan teacher!
Lastly, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the beef recall south of the boarder. Check out this video and ask yourself if it’s ethical to support this industry anymore. I would argue not. The way I see it, the cows in it are no different than our dogs, cats and other companions and deserve to enjoy life to the extent of the rest of us.
Filed under: Vegan Interest
Alright, been pretty busy. I’ve decided that I’m not going to continue talking about the creationism/evolution debate right now. What I’ll say is that the presentation really reinforced the notion of presenting kids with facts and letting them figure out things for themselves. It’s a much less polarizing method of education than simply stating “you’re wrong, learn this”. But you already know this.
Anyways, a funny thing about this blog is that I can see how people come across the site through their google searches. A couple funny ones that have occurred in the last couple days with people arriving at my site while searching “is Jello Biafra vegan or vegetarian?”, “punk rock music saved my life” and my favorite, “we should band [sic] homework”.
On to more important matters. For the last couple of days we’ve been going through labs that our peers are putting together, which are being compiled in a database that we can all access. I think it’s a really good thing to do before we head on out for our next field experience because we’re leaving with some applications, whereas last time we just kind of wung it. So I decided to do my lab on alternatives to dissection. Upon researching for it, I’ve found some interesting facts. Apparently the top Universities have stopped practicing animal dissection in medicine and favor both models and working with human cadavers. This site allows you to donate your deceased companion animal for learning purposes (ie. vet students). Also, there are a TON of websites and programs out there that walk you through virtual dissections. I was glad to come across such good news as we all know why dissection (though it can be a powerful learning tool) has serious ethical drawbacks. In case you want a refresher, here you go:
- Religious beliefs: Some religions do not support the killing of certain types of animals or any animals for unnecessary purposes.
- Moral/ethical beliefs: Many people feel it is morally wrong to kill an animal for the purposes of dissection, animal experimentation, or eating.
- Environmental issues: Dissection’s negative impact on the environment due to toxic chemicals and degradation of natural resources prompts many people to feel dissection is wrong.
- Animal abuse: Animals used for dissection purposes are collected, killed, and prepared in a manner that many people find abusive, unacceptable, and totally unnecessary. Animal abuse at biological supply companies has been documented by undercover investigations.
- Technology: Because of the advances in technology (especially in the realms of computers and video imaging) and the need to encourage students to want to utilize this technology, many people feel that dissection is outdated and obsolete.
- Respect for Life: Dissection teaches some children that humans need not respect other forms of life on this planet. Many people feel this can lead to desensitization, less compassion, and potentially more violence. (See NEAVS’ Resensitizing Society.)
(Taken from the Ethical Science and Education Coalition)
I’m still home for the holidays and am having a fantastic time decompressing. Yesterday, I went out to a friend’s place on a small lake and spend a few hours pulling a being pulled by a snowmobile while riding a snowboard/GT/other. It was fun, but now I am sore all over. I also got together with a bunch of my closest friends who haven’t been in the same room in about 5 years. One of them walked H and I through a Guitar Hero sesh, which was a humbling experience (ie. we stunk), and there was a smelly dog who apparently ate a pound of fruitcake before we showed up.
So I ran into another good friend the other day who used to put on shows in this town. In fact, I think he gave H and I our very first gig. Turns out he’s spearheading an advocacy group that is ruffling feathers up here as it’s mandate is one highly critical of the treatment of sled dogs run in events such as the Yukon Quest or Iditarod, two races that garner lots of publicity for northern communities and mushing in general. Anyways, turns out there’s more cruelty involved in the process than I was previously aware of and I’d encourage anyone to check out his website and contrast some of the facts with any romanticized notions of dog sleds you may have.
(12/14/07)
