Being a Role Model Works Kinda!

So, this is a story about a really tiny thing that made me feel good. If you don't like smiling, sorry not sorry.

Every day during our 30 minute tea break I sit on the front stoop of the office and read. This has been my exact routine every day for the past six weeks: get out of class, refill my coffee, open my book, and eat my orange. Like goddamn clockwork. A lot of learners see what I do but continue playing. But one learner, Jerold, came and sat down next to me and started reading his bible. I couldn't help but smile. Then a little later he asked me to help him on a speech - the kids were supposed to prepare speeches on a famous person. So we went to the library and I helped him look up Nelson Mandela in the encyclopedia. We ended up having a pretty solid discussion about apartheid.

Aside from warming my little heart, the point is that being a role model works. I've had the same tea break routine for over a month. Yesterday was the first day I saw any positive consequence of doing that. It takes so much time and the results seem kind of tiny - I mean one kid? Where are his friends? - but if you get one kid, I think you can get more.

Also, not only was he comfortable enough to sit down next to me and read, he also felt comfortable enough (and cared enough) to ask for my help. Not in a "Miss, do this for me" type of way, but a genuine "hey, help me out" sort of way. Before he gave me his speech he flashed me a smile and gave me two thumbs up. So, yesterday was a good day.

TIA

My town, as my friend Shannon puts it, is like a jenkyass beach town. All the boys have on board shorts and YMCMB (=Young Money Cash Money Billionaire, Mom) hats when they don't have their school uniforms on. A lot of the girls look like they're on spring break in Miami. All we would need is an ocean and a legit beach, and we could easily be somewhere near the shore of a random American beach town.

 As soon as I found out what town I'd be in, I received constant shit about it. I've heard quite a few people say that because I live in the town that I do, I'm "not really in Africa". People also say "TIA" (=This Is Africa) when talking about one of the downsides of life here as compared to back home. There are a couple problems with this, and I don't think people realize how malicious that comment really is.

It's akin to someone saying "you don't really live in America because you live in the projects" - you know, because in America chocolate flows out of faucets, and everyone wipes their asses with gold tissue. Pretty absurd, right? You caricature life in America, and you flatten out the experiences people have. Saying "you're not really in Africa" is actually worse because Africa is a continent with dozens of countries. Is it not "really" Africa because there aren't mud huts in my town? Is it not "really" Africa because I have electricity and hot water? Is it not "really" Africa because many people I've met here aren't poor? Whatever the answer, you're pigeonholing the lives of millions of people into categories that you delineate in a pretty insidious way.

Yes, Sara and I make salsa with the fancy schmancy food processor I bought. We also have a toaster and a hand blender that makes delicious smoothies. There are some wealthy folks here, but most of our students are in extremely poor living situations. Soooo, not really the same sort of experiences across the board. That's Africa, folks.