Monday, September 9, 2013

settling in to Mbale

Well, hello, friends! I hope this message finds you all well, healthy, happy, and loved. I am feeling rather well myself and don’t mind saying so. After last year’s woefully woeful loneliness, the condition in which I was to find myself in Mbale, my emotional and psychological states this year are so much more to be welcomed and appreciated! Thanks to the kind consideration of Meg North (shout out, girl!), I found myself at ease amongst new friends upon my arrival and have been happily busied with them since.
Of course, this happy arrival in Mbale necessitated a fond farewell and au revoir to my host family in Nankinga! After allowing me, vey generously, to stay beyond my initial set date, my host Dad and brother drove me to catch my “twilight cruise” Elgon Flyer bus. I rode and admired the sun setting over fields of sugarcane, maize, and what I fancy may have been papyrus.

Host Mom (Anne), host Dad (Wilson), and host bro (Aggrey) :)

view from my ride to Mbale

After chatting with my seat-mate, I arrived to be greeted by Freddie, radio personality and traveler host extraordinaire. Freddie put me up for two nights before I found and settled in to my current apartment in the heart of town (thanks to Zac), just steps from the Red Cross and managed by yet another friend (Abah, Zac's brother)! Their father calls me “daughter” and greetings abound most pleasant whenever one of the family is to be found around. :) My stint at Freddie’s found me with new friends in Alex and Tim (‘sup, dudes!) and Freddie’s sister Rhoda, who is great. Sadly though, she must away ‘ere break of day, rejoining the fray at Makerere (ahem). I have also managed to infiltrate the highly selective and secretive society known to insiders as the Wanale Hiking Club. This is a personal triumph. It not only affords me the luxuries of birds-eye Mbale views, waterfall frolics, and blistered feet galore, but also the much-sought-after and enviable friendships of such illustrious characters as Sid, Ayub, Musa, Juma, Massa, Uncle Sam, Oscar, Brian, Jacob, and a motley crew of brave ‘zungus! I am a lucky girl.

on the hike up Wanale

on the hike down from Wanale

Enough social chat, Kira, aren’t you meant to be disserting your dissertation? Researching your research? Indeed I am, impatient friends! It’s true. My friends and colleagues at the Red Cross (hooray for Joyce, Ken, Muzam, Stella, Yonna, et al!) are setting me up well for success. Not only do they help me to fit in (literally, fitting me up with a gomesi for this weekend’s introduction ceremony), but they are helping my work to move along, too.

at the Introduction-- lots more pics on facebook!

My schedule is completed, my contacts beginning to buzz, appointments are made, and interviews are happening! Cold-calling is definitely the thing, here, or cold-approaching, which is a bit nerve-wracking and feels horribly confrontational and direct to my retiring, New England-bred self, but is nonetheless effective. I’m getting better at it. And one of my recent interviews panned out and I’m going to get to attend a farmer training session next week! BAM! Super great. I’ll get to meet the farmers, and the trainers, and all that jazz. Everyone I’ve met has been incredibly helpful and generous and kind and it makes me feel even more that my research must produce some useful result for all those who have helped me. Hold me to it, friends!

view from Friends Restaurant, where I often go to eat alone, but end up with lots of new pals :)

This week, I’m in the field- up in Bududa and Manafwa. I’ll be attending a farmer training on Tuesday, thanks to the kindly folks at Mbale Farmers Association—can’t wait! I’m beginning to feel like I have a pretty good feel for the agricultural-development-complex around these parts… though I’m sure that is just my ignorance talking. There’s always more to know!

Other than that, life in Mbale town is lovely. I’m having fun greeting people in the Lugisu (Lumasaaba), and between you and me, I think it’s been helping me get “local” prices for my produce. Check out this pile o’ goods I got for 3000/= total! That’s about $1.20. Tropical living. Love it.

the aforementioned produce, 3k shillings only!

Some pronunciations I am completely loving here:
Sure is pronounced very distinctly as a two-syllabled “shoo-ah”, dear is “dee-ah”, and chairmen are “chee-ah-men”.

Further additions to the “list of thoughts I’d likely never have back in America”:
:: I should remember to take some shillings up to the hike with me, so I can buy carrots at the top and bananas on the way back down
:: If I don’t rinse my soapy clothes soon, I won’t be able to take a shower without standing in the laundry tub…
:: Never before have I felt so strange wearing such traditional garb that I’m serenaded by “wow! you look smart!” one night followed by a chorus of child’s calls of “mzungu! hey mzungu!” the next morning for wearing shorts in town. (I just don’t usually think about my clothes that much…)





Thursday, August 15, 2013

Uganda, part 1

Needless to say (though apparently I plan to say it anyway) it’s been longer than intended since my last blog post. To two people at least, perhaps more, I promised to faithfully produce reports of my exploits in Uganda so that worries might be assuaged and curiosities satisfied! For both these reasons, I have finally sat down to pen (or type) my first post in this glorious nation of sun, clouds, dust, rain, and some of the most welcoming people this world has ever known.

Cool bird. Suspect is woodland kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis

I arrived in Entebbe on the 19th of July, 2013, on the late-night KLM flight at around 10pm. The flight goes from Amsterdam (11a) to Kigali, Rwanda (8pm) to Entebbe. I watched a number of movies, which I can’t now recall, though one of them was Identity Thief, which I found entertaining. Ooh! And Les Mis. I didn’t cry at that one as much as I’d expected to. After all, I knew the end! The least consequential of my impressions was that the costumes were fantastic. Oh! And I watched Warm Bodies. Okay, apparently I remember everything perfectly. My Ugandan horiscope today did say that it seemed like I ‘had it all”! (I agree) It also directed me to thank a higher power. Uganda puts the God back in astrology fo sho.

Upon arrival in Entebbe, one is greeted with the queues for visas ($50, please go ahead), and a baggage claim area (one carousel in use), and then you’re in Uganda! There always seem to be a great number of drivers waiting for charges who never show. I know this because on the two times I’ve arrived here, I’ve been one of the last passengers awaiting my ride and then it’s just me, staring at a bunch of people who are not my driver and a bunch of drivers staring back at a girl who is not their passenger, for 30 minutes or so, in a demonstration of uninterrupted awkwardness. I wonder who has sent them on their pointless errand? And perhaps they wonder if I can’t read their signs?

In good time, I am approached by a friendly face I remember! It’s Jordan! He was the kind and accomplished man who drove me to Entebbe on my way out of Uganda last year! Hello, Jordan! Nice to see you again! How are you?! Soon we are trundling toward Kampala, the scent of clean but dusty tropical air relieving my mind and feeling like a gentle welcome.

The view from my window at the Palm Hotel, Kampala. For reference, that's the Gadaffi Mosque on top of the hill

My first night, I spent in the Palm Hotel in Kampala in a location that ought to have been a short walk from downtown. Instead, I got lost on my first wander and ended up taking 2.5 hours for the journey. C’est la vie! I met a few very nice folks who helped me redirect myself. I got so thirsty and hungry after my walk that I ducked into an Indian place (Char Minar, which apparently means Four Minarets), where I met yet another kind Ugandan named Faizal, who might even help me buy a motorcycle. And he insisted on buying my lunch for me, too, and waved away my protests saying that he wanted to ‘Pay it forward’ and that I might be kind to someone the next day, and so on. I hope I have showed similar kindness on my way!

A few days in Kampala and then I made my way down to Nyanama, to the City Language Center (CLC), which is on the “New Entebbe Road”, or Kulupya, between Kampala and Zaana. And! And and and and AND! I have a host family! :D

The CLC set me up with the delightful Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Anne Kayanga, who live here near Nyanama with their youngest, Anggrey. What’s up, new fam! It has been so great actually living with a family these days rather than in some lonely hotel where I have only myself for company! Aii! Quel horreur! (I suspect that French is not legitimate).

My room at my host family's compound. Lovely!

The front yard, northwest view.
Sugarcane! DIRECTLY fresh cut, thanks to Johnson, one of the CLC Directors. Yum!
Here is the CLC!I’m studying Lumasaaba, and am the only student in the class, with Betty as my teacher. Betty is grand! She’s a firecracker, too, and super busy. I love Betty.
Home away from home for a few too-short weeks
Betty!!!
So life here is good. I’ve settled into a routine and am happy. I'm studying language and will soon be heading off to Mbale to conduct some flippin' research, yo. Until then, Ube umulaayi, umusaale watse! Stay well, my friend!
Preparing g-nuts (peanuts) packaged as snacks for my host Mom's small business.
Finished product
**
tidbits: Sometimes I find myself having thoughts here that I doubt I’ve ever had back in the States. Examples include:
  1. Is that rain or are the chickens back on my roof? It sounds too small for storks.
  2. Stay on the outside of my mosquito net, Lizard!
  3. I fervently hope the soap from my shower, which has now slid across the bathroom floor and into the toilet, doesn’t clog the drain.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Goldilocks Complexity

File this one under "philosophical musings" or alternatively "wicked meta: thoughts on thoughts"... then later under "rants".

You learn a new thing about yourself every day, or rather you should if you're paying attention. I was paying attention this morning in the shower and what I learned was this: my mind relaxes in the shower. I think it's where my best thinking happens.

Maybe this isn't as sexy as other things I could have learned in the shower (... e.g. the many toxic ingredients in my shampoo, the specific heat of a bar of soap, or the true extent of my vocal range-- you're welcome, roommates!), but it was still a good discovery.

Part of the reason that this was a good discovery is that this discovery was related to, and supportive of, philosophical musings happening in my brain. I am always thrilled when I discover things related to the way brains work, specifically my own and let's face it, most of the mind experiments (or mindsperiments) I do have an "n" of one. And that one "n" is me.

What my brain feels like in the shower! I call it my thinkin' brain. (link to original)

The other reason that this was a good discovery lies in the content of the musings that led to the aforementioned realization. The content of the musings was related to complexity and the fact that, to my thinking, people consistently misappropriate it.

Folks make befuddled that which is simple and oversimplify that which is nuanced.

These musings are born out of all the recent activity on Facebook, Twitter, and the various other socially medias about the upcoming Supreme Court decision on DOMA and Prop 8 (slated for the end of June-ish) and a clip I saw this morning of Matt Damon talking about Education Policy in the US.

It's all about the crux of the argument. Here's my take on these issues:
1. Gay Marriage

  • The Debate: Should gay couples be allowed to wed?
  • The Crux: moral argument for (rights-based) and against (religious-based)
  • Simple. Rights trump religious inclination, especially when the religious argument is based largely on Leviticus. Adults who want to commit to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their days ought to be supported in doing so, regardless of the identified genders of those adults. Society should support as much loving, honoring, and cherishing as it can, period, because there's far too much hate, dishonor, and neglect rolling around these days. (Whether or not government should encourage the semi-permanent linking of two adult individuals at all is another matter for debate, of course)
2. Education Policy
  • The Debate: How do we best insure that all young people of America are provided with the opportunity to receive a comprehensive, high quality, and thorough education?
  • The Crux: arguments against "good education" are minimal, arguments for "good education" are ubiquitous, but their proponents offer for different solutions. It's a methods argument.
  • Complex. There is much ongoing research on education policy- it's an unresolved "issue". Interests of equality/ justice, economics, race, safety, geographic location, state sovereignty, choice, and tolerance have reasonable cause to enter the debate. In a situation with so many (in some cases, competing) interests, an optimal solution is unlikely to be achieved in a top-down/ federally-mandated, single-metric way. 
But what do people often do with these two issues? 


We hear arguments against gay marriage that are framed as if the issue were a complicated one: implications of gay marriage for straight marriage, morally-susceptible children, godliness in general, and the moral fiber of our nation specifically. The talk goes on, but it is all based on a single, flawed central assumption: that being gay is morally wrong. Without this assumption, all other "complexities" disappear (even and especially those related to the fear that encouraging "gayness" will produce more "gayness"). And since this assumption is the crux of the "anti" side, the issue boils back down to the moral argument again. And the "pros" win. Rights over religion. QED.

(original)

For the education policy argument we hear the opposite. We hear arguments on all sides that are framed as if the issue were a simple one. "People work better with incentives. So we incentivize teachers with test scores. Problem solved." or "A good education is an equal education- busing students from an area with bad public schools to an area with good public schools will solve the education issue. Problem solved." or "Money makes things better. Pour more money into schools and they will become good. Problem solved.".... and none of these arguments is completely wrong. People often do work better when the incentives are better, there is unequal education based on locality, and lack of funding can contribute to education inefficiencies... but there is no tidy underlying assumption to which these arguments boil down. The assumptions vary and must be independently addressed:

The first assumes: 1. that teachers are the sole dictator of student success; 2. that test scores accurately reflect student success/knowledge/education, and 3. that teachers are motivated to teach well solely by a student-score-derived monetary incentive. These assumptions, however, are rarely articulated (or likely understood) by proponents of score-based incentivization.   

This is a good teacher, even though I can't see his test scores. (original link)
The second and third arguments also rely on assumptions, like the above, but I won't bother enumerating them now--  it suffices to say that they are equally unsubstantiated and troublesome. All of this means, that for education policy there is no "single-intervention-problem-solved-q.e.d." answer. It's complicated and so must be our policy responses.

I love simplicity as much as the next gal, but I love accuracy, rightness, and truth even more. It's always tempting to pick one answer, one metric, one possibility, and shutter off the others. Ockham's Razor still cuts sharp, parsimony is nice, and who among us doesn't love a fun, truthy epigram? But misplaced simplicity is lazy to the max. Misplaced simplicity is at the root of much evil, done by good people. 

So be good people and be wise with your complexity. 

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
-Winston Churchill (the master of epigrams)



Friday, March 22, 2013

Introductions all around

Hello, hello!

As of the writing of this post, I am a 2nd year PhD student (hopefully soon-to-be-candidate) of Geography and Environment in the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University. 

near my research site outside Mbale, Uganda

I am also a child of New England (which really is fairly culturally English, a realization I have while reading Watching the English, by Kate Fox-- wild!). Having been raised in the suburban forestlands of central Connecticut, I grew up with an affinity for woods and creatures of the woods, which led to my majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, where I focused on ornithology (which is really for the birds.... hyuck hyuck).


There, I realized that my beloved world is, in fact, strongly influenced by my fellow man and the lives we all lead, so I headed to the Big Apple (after a brief stint at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, which is brilliant, if you've never been) to learn about how people interact with the environment! I did this at Columbia University in their Climate & Society Program. It was fantastic, I learned heaps of great stuff, was introduced to the idea of sustainable development (included some field work in the DR) as well as the useful tools of economic and anthropological models of human behavior and decision-making. My time in the program combined with my innate love of travel and nature to guide me to pursue my current (and final?!) degree at Boston University. 
one of my field sites near Miches, Dominican Republic

A few aspects of my life will be reflected in this blog, including but by no means limited to:
. just-for-fun travel
. research-related travel
. research non-travel
. all the other stuff i enjoy (nature, cooking, cycling, books, international development/economy)