The Beginning
Over the past 6 days, Lois and I have been in Ottawa at CUSO HQ to undergo training in the fine art of cultural awareness and understanding. A jampacked agenda, saw us working from about 8 am each day with a breakfast session to allow for networking with other volunteers. People from all over Canada and one token American were all brought together to learn more about other cultures, how to cope with issues such as gender equality and equity, perceptions of corruption, understanding that there is more than one story to analyze and so much more.Each day was different and one to certainly look forward too as we ploughed though the works of well known social authors and their take on cultures and how we adapt and grow within them.
We came away from this weekend dog tired, jet lagged and yet more optimistic than we have been about our upcoming posting to Stonetown, Zanzibar in Tanzania, East Africa. We will be there for the next two years of our lives, absorbing a new and fascinating kaleidoscope of new cultures, languages, customs and peoples. We are looking forward to this as we do with any of our travels.
This is just a brief first blog and we will add to it each week as our adventure plays out before us. We leave Canada on the 23rd of September and will spend a week in England visiting relatives we have not see since we were evacuated out of Cambodia in the 90's. We have to arrive in Dar Es Salaam on the 30th to start in-country awareness and language training. So stay tuned..this is going to be an adventure from the edge.
Hi Guys, after sailing last week and seeing Derrick at the dock, thought I would check in on your blog...how I wish I were going with you! I was a bit curious about your comment on learning to cope with "perceptions of corruption" though. I do suppose there are some people out there who are downright ignorant of how rampant it is in ALL countries, but personal experience in Africa, I'll just say was "blatantly interesting." We wish you the best, and do share some of your language tutorials...it would be neat to learn a new word per blog. Also, any new recipes you try out and think someone might like to try. Anyway, those are just my thoughts, it IS your blog after all, and I am really glad you have taken this on! To live vicariously through your words! Ahhhhh! Carpe Diem, Kathy
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