My dad always says that when you study something in enough detail, then you end up studying everything. That happened a bit in this book - now everywhere I look I see founding fathers and divisive aristorats and democratic rabble-rousers. two examples from today's news. First, Congress's refusal to pass the $700 billion Wall Street bailout (700,000,000,000? What does that number even mean?) harkens straight back to Andrew Jackson's anti-banking instincts, and all the populist rhetoric that it rode on. Second, watching Ecuador fight over and pass its new constitution - a 444-article tome, and Ecuador's twentieth in 200 years - makes me marvel at how sturdy our own little constitution has proven, despite the hardly guaranteed development of democracy in the first half of the 19th century. It was a rough ride, no doubt about it.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Finished!
After three months a handful of stops and starts, I've finally finished Sean Wilentz's The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln. It is a beast - a beast - of a book, and I'm quite proud of myself for getting through it, however well-written it is.
My dad always says that when you study something in enough detail, then you end up studying everything. That happened a bit in this book - now everywhere I look I see founding fathers and divisive aristorats and democratic rabble-rousers. two examples from today's news. First, Congress's refusal to pass the $700 billion Wall Street bailout (700,000,000,000? What does that number even mean?) harkens straight back to Andrew Jackson's anti-banking instincts, and all the populist rhetoric that it rode on. Second, watching Ecuador fight over and pass its new constitution - a 444-article tome, and Ecuador's twentieth in 200 years - makes me marvel at how sturdy our own little constitution has proven, despite the hardly guaranteed development of democracy in the first half of the 19th century. It was a rough ride, no doubt about it.
My dad always says that when you study something in enough detail, then you end up studying everything. That happened a bit in this book - now everywhere I look I see founding fathers and divisive aristorats and democratic rabble-rousers. two examples from today's news. First, Congress's refusal to pass the $700 billion Wall Street bailout (700,000,000,000? What does that number even mean?) harkens straight back to Andrew Jackson's anti-banking instincts, and all the populist rhetoric that it rode on. Second, watching Ecuador fight over and pass its new constitution - a 444-article tome, and Ecuador's twentieth in 200 years - makes me marvel at how sturdy our own little constitution has proven, despite the hardly guaranteed development of democracy in the first half of the 19th century. It was a rough ride, no doubt about it.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
One small step
We had another marathon 2.5 hour meeting this morning at the Manna Ecuador house. Not abnormal, though this meeting did include a vote on whether our new avian friends would get to stay.
After the meeting, I headed to the Sangolquí notary to process more visa paperwork. My regular readers know what a happy hassle this process has been. I'm happy to report that after today, and if all goes well tomorrow and Thursday, I will be free of visa paperwork (or tramite) until our next group of Program Directors comes in July 2009. That means less time for me in offices and more time losing at basketball to Ecuadorians like I got to do this afternoon.
After the meeting, I headed to the Sangolquí notary to process more visa paperwork. My regular readers know what a happy hassle this process has been. I'm happy to report that after today, and if all goes well tomorrow and Thursday, I will be free of visa paperwork (or tramite) until our next group of Program Directors comes in July 2009. That means less time for me in offices and more time losing at basketball to Ecuadorians like I got to do this afternoon.
Beer that tastes like beer. Eureka!
I have spent 13 months now drinking the local Ecuadorian swill, a beer called Pilsener. 13 months. "Ecuadorianly Refreshing" is its midleading tagline, and the hooch has long been a key ingredient to Ecuadorian pride. Insulting Pilsener is equal to insulting the entire country. But man, it's bad.
Imagine my surprise and delight, then, when Dunc informed me that the new corner store was selling Budweiser - the King of Beers - Grandpa's nectar - for 89 cents a can. And, to top it off, the purchase of a six pack comes with a free Budweiser glass.
I know Budweiser is bad, too. And I know it's Belgian. But sometimes little pieces of home, however processed or foreign-owned, can make an afternoon.
Imagine my surprise and delight, then, when Dunc informed me that the new corner store was selling Budweiser - the King of Beers - Grandpa's nectar - for 89 cents a can. And, to top it off, the purchase of a six pack comes with a free Budweiser glass.
I know Budweiser is bad, too. And I know it's Belgian. But sometimes little pieces of home, however processed or foreign-owned, can make an afternoon.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Mark at the pulpit
Jocelyn roped me into going to church on Sunday morning - which, for those of you who know me, involved me swallowing down quite a few demons - and they asked me up front after the service to talk about MPIE. J-La asked me afterwards to type it out, so here it is.
"Good morning to all of you, and thank you to Fernando* and you all for inviting us her today. Thank you also for all the warmth you’ve already shown us. My name is Mark, and I belong to the organization Manna Project International – or, in the Spanish which I’m still learning bit by bit, el Proyecto Internacional de Maná. I imagine that some of you have already seen us, walking around the neighborhood, giving surveys, or maybe lost like two of my friends were last night after they left here.**
"I’m here this morning for three reasons: first, because Jocelyn made me. Although I’m supposedly the boss of this group, we men with titles know that it’s women with strength that make us do things!
"Second, I’m here to explain a little bit about our organization. We are a young organization, made by young people, nonreligious, apolitical and nongovernmental. As an organization, we believe that global communities, like those here, already have the resources, abilities, and ancient and modern knowledge that they need. As a result, let me say that we are not here to “help” you, because we don’t see you as people who need help. We are here to build upon that which you are already doing to advance your communities.
"Because of this, we talk of our work in terms of three axes: empower individuals, strengthen institutions, and build networks. With respect to the first, we’ll be offering courses like English and women’s exercise that Jocelyn talked about yesterday. With respect to the second, we’re working, for example, with Aliñambi to help them open up their clinic to the entire neighborhood. And with networks, we hope to connect local individuals and institutions with both national and international resources.
"The third reason I am here to today is to meet you. We believe, myself personally and we as an organization, that at the heart of any positive change are individuals and personal relationships. My goal is that we would see each other not as “others” but as brothers and sisters – or, given our gringo-ness, at least as cousins.
"Thank you again, thank you very much for the invitation to come here. We look forward to working with you all."
* The pastor’s name was actually Francisco. Oops.
** Jocelyn and Serena had gone to church on Saturday, then gotten lost on the way home.
Estoy acá esta bonita mañana por tres razones: primero, porque mi amiga Jocelyn me mandó. Aunque supuestamente el jefe de este grupo, los hombres que tenemos títulos sabemos que a veces son las mujeres con fuerza que nos mandan!
Segundo, estoy acá para explicarles un poco de la fundación nuestra. Somos una fundación joven, hecha por jóvenes, no religiosa, no política, no gubernamental. Como fundación, creemos que comunidades globales, como estas acá, ya tienen los recursos, capacidades, y conocimiento antiguo y moderno que necesitan. Por eso, dejadme decir que no estamos acá para ayudarles, porque no les vemos como gente que necesita ayuda. Si estamos acá para fortalecer todo que ya están haciendo los de acá para avanzar sus comunidades.
Por eso, hablamos de los tres ejes de nuestro trabajo: empoderar a individuos, fortalecer a instituciones, y forjar a redes. Con respecto al primero, vamos a armar clases como los de ingles y ejercicios de que habló ayer Jocelyn. Con respecto a instituciones, estamos trabajando, por ejemplo, con la escuela Aliñambi a abrir su clínica de salud a todo el barrio. Y con redes, esperamos conectar individuos y instituciones locales con recursos internacionales y nacionales también.
La tercera razón para que estamos acá hoy día es para conocer a ustedes. Creemos, yo como persona y también nosotros como fundación, que al fondo de cualquier cambio positivo son individuos, y relaciones personales. Mi fin es que nos vemos al otro no como “el otro,” sino un ñaño o ñaña nuestra o (como somos gringos), por lo menos como primos.
Gracias otra vez, les damos gracias por su invitación a venir acá, y tenemos ganas de trabajar con ustedes.
"Good morning to all of you, and thank you to Fernando* and you all for inviting us her today. Thank you also for all the warmth you’ve already shown us. My name is Mark, and I belong to the organization Manna Project International – or, in the Spanish which I’m still learning bit by bit, el Proyecto Internacional de Maná. I imagine that some of you have already seen us, walking around the neighborhood, giving surveys, or maybe lost like two of my friends were last night after they left here.**
"I’m here this morning for three reasons: first, because Jocelyn made me. Although I’m supposedly the boss of this group, we men with titles know that it’s women with strength that make us do things!
"Second, I’m here to explain a little bit about our organization. We are a young organization, made by young people, nonreligious, apolitical and nongovernmental. As an organization, we believe that global communities, like those here, already have the resources, abilities, and ancient and modern knowledge that they need. As a result, let me say that we are not here to “help” you, because we don’t see you as people who need help. We are here to build upon that which you are already doing to advance your communities.
"Because of this, we talk of our work in terms of three axes: empower individuals, strengthen institutions, and build networks. With respect to the first, we’ll be offering courses like English and women’s exercise that Jocelyn talked about yesterday. With respect to the second, we’re working, for example, with Aliñambi to help them open up their clinic to the entire neighborhood. And with networks, we hope to connect local individuals and institutions with both national and international resources.
"The third reason I am here to today is to meet you. We believe, myself personally and we as an organization, that at the heart of any positive change are individuals and personal relationships. My goal is that we would see each other not as “others” but as brothers and sisters – or, given our gringo-ness, at least as cousins.
"Thank you again, thank you very much for the invitation to come here. We look forward to working with you all."
* The pastor’s name was actually Francisco. Oops.
** Jocelyn and Serena had gone to church on Saturday, then gotten lost on the way home.
------
Buenos días, Buenos días cono todos. Les agradecemos a Fernando y todos ustedes por invitarnos acá este mañana, y por todo el cariño que ya nos han dado. Soy Marco, y pertenezco a la fundación Manna Project International – o, en el castellano que aun aprendo pite pite, el Proyecto Internacional de Maná. Creo que ya algunos de ustedes nos han visto, andando por acá, dando encuestas, o tal vez un poco perdidos como se encontraron dos de mis amigas anoche después de salir de esta iglesia.
Estoy acá esta bonita mañana por tres razones: primero, porque mi amiga Jocelyn me mandó. Aunque supuestamente el jefe de este grupo, los hombres que tenemos títulos sabemos que a veces son las mujeres con fuerza que nos mandan!
Segundo, estoy acá para explicarles un poco de la fundación nuestra. Somos una fundación joven, hecha por jóvenes, no religiosa, no política, no gubernamental. Como fundación, creemos que comunidades globales, como estas acá, ya tienen los recursos, capacidades, y conocimiento antiguo y moderno que necesitan. Por eso, dejadme decir que no estamos acá para ayudarles, porque no les vemos como gente que necesita ayuda. Si estamos acá para fortalecer todo que ya están haciendo los de acá para avanzar sus comunidades.
Por eso, hablamos de los tres ejes de nuestro trabajo: empoderar a individuos, fortalecer a instituciones, y forjar a redes. Con respecto al primero, vamos a armar clases como los de ingles y ejercicios de que habló ayer Jocelyn. Con respecto a instituciones, estamos trabajando, por ejemplo, con la escuela Aliñambi a abrir su clínica de salud a todo el barrio. Y con redes, esperamos conectar individuos y instituciones locales con recursos internacionales y nacionales también.
La tercera razón para que estamos acá hoy día es para conocer a ustedes. Creemos, yo como persona y también nosotros como fundación, que al fondo de cualquier cambio positivo son individuos, y relaciones personales. Mi fin es que nos vemos al otro no como “el otro,” sino un ñaño o ñaña nuestra o (como somos gringos), por lo menos como primos.
Gracias otra vez, les damos gracias por su invitación a venir acá, y tenemos ganas de trabajar con ustedes.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Mark the Killer
Holly and Serena came back from Sangolquí markets today with two chicks and two ducklings.
As the resident dad of MPIE, I was less than excited about our new pets: "Where will you keep them? What do they eat? Do you have a plan for when they're not cute anymore?" And yes, I had already looked up websites on how to butcher ducks.
That said, I wasn't so upset about our new friends that I was homicidal. But then I stood up to go grab a beer, the pink one decided that a good spot to hang out would be right underneath where my right foot was headed. Since my (sandal-clad) foot didn't cast a mortal blow, I had to finish the job with a kitchen knife. I'm not sure Serena will ever forgive me, and I'm slightly traumatized myself.
Rest in peace, little artificially pink guy.
As the resident dad of MPIE, I was less than excited about our new pets: "Where will you keep them? What do they eat? Do you have a plan for when they're not cute anymore?" And yes, I had already looked up websites on how to butcher ducks.
That said, I wasn't so upset about our new friends that I was homicidal. But then I stood up to go grab a beer, the pink one decided that a good spot to hang out would be right underneath where my right foot was headed. Since my (sandal-clad) foot didn't cast a mortal blow, I had to finish the job with a kitchen knife. I'm not sure Serena will ever forgive me, and I'm slightly traumatized myself.
Rest in peace, little artificially pink guy.
Building your core takes more than sit-ups (wisdom from Suzi)
When I was in DC a couple weeks ago, I had a conversation with Suzi, a former boss of mine at FHI. Suzi is regularly full of wisdom, and she did not disappoint during our conversation over pizza at Comet.*
First, Suzi stressed the importance of reinventing the wheel. I've turned that over some, and find it to be a pretty sharp insight. If a local homeless shelter is a dump run by entrenched politicos, then a young person might be better off starting over rather than trying to resurrect that corpse. If a computer operating system begins to grey, maybe it's time for a smarter one. If you're clanking around on spokes - or now, on a material that is contributing to global warming - maybe somebody should be reinventing that wheel.
Second, Suzi emphasized the importance of building up one's core - not physically, but spiritually. We had been discussing the possibility of my heading to graduate school before the decade's end, and Suzi said, "Mark, one thing I've found is that it is not people's education or experience that determine how they act - it's who they are, at their core, that determines that." Maybe it's time for me to do some more core building. Like any good nerd, my first step in that process will be some background reading.
Thanks for listening,
Mark
----
*Really fun, family-oriented place with bad pizza.
First, Suzi stressed the importance of reinventing the wheel. I've turned that over some, and find it to be a pretty sharp insight. If a local homeless shelter is a dump run by entrenched politicos, then a young person might be better off starting over rather than trying to resurrect that corpse. If a computer operating system begins to grey, maybe it's time for a smarter one. If you're clanking around on spokes - or now, on a material that is contributing to global warming - maybe somebody should be reinventing that wheel.
Second, Suzi emphasized the importance of building up one's core - not physically, but spiritually. We had been discussing the possibility of my heading to graduate school before the decade's end, and Suzi said, "Mark, one thing I've found is that it is not people's education or experience that determine how they act - it's who they are, at their core, that determines that." Maybe it's time for me to do some more core building. Like any good nerd, my first step in that process will be some background reading.
Thanks for listening,
Mark
----
*Really fun, family-oriented place with bad pizza.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
