Saturday, June 26, 2010
Communication Breakdown!...Fixed
So, I've recently bought a new computer. Theoretically, this means that I will now be in more consistent contact with those of you back home which means that i should be posting more regularly here... theoretically. Of course that means that I'm going to have to stop watching quite so much “Office,” so we'll see what happens.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Animal Psychology
Have you ever seen the movie, "A Beautiful Mind"? There is a part where the main character, John Nash, played by Russell Crowe, is writing on the windows, attempting to craft an algorithm that would explain the path that the pigeons in the yard below him are walking in. Of course this is where almost everyone thinks, "Wow, that guy has gone off the deep end." Well not me!
The other day, I was sitting in my house, feet up on another chair, door open to let the breeze in, reading a book (actually if you ever come to my house, this pretty much how you'll always find me) when it occurred to me. "I'd really like to study the psychology of animals." Now I know you're probably thinking, "Wow, Pat's gone off the deep end," or "What the hell is he on, and where can I get some?" (Its called mephaquin, and its great!) But not so fast. Bear with now. My neighbors have chickens that are pretty much free range, and since my and my other neighbor's house is pretty much the only game in town, when it comes to throwing trash (no trash service sadly), the chickens are pretty much around my house constantly. I therefore have a source of constant study, and, when it comes down to it, entertainment.
Take for instance the other day. I was watching one chicken as she was attempting to forage for food. She had no small chicks of her own, she didn't have to care for anyone else but herself. Yet another juvenile chicken was constantly shadowing this other hen. You could tell that this was not a chicken that this hen had hatched (chickens tend to have the same pattern as their parents I have found; I once saw some purple chickens, and thought that Willy Wanka had set up shop in my area, but I digress) yet, every time this hen would bend down to peck at something, this younger hen would instantly be all up in this poor hen's bidness, crowding her out, taking what the first hen had rightfully found. This went on for about 30 minutes (probably all day, but my American attention span has only double here in Kenya) and the whole time I'm thinking, "Why doesn't she react like Phil used to, when I was constantly all up in his bidness, and peck her, or chase her or do something!!??" Maybe I want my animal psychology to take on human characteristics, but then this is why this is such a crucial field that needs to be addressed, so that such confusion can be cleared up.
Another aspect that I find worthy of study (i.e. wildly entertaining) is chicken sex. (That's right, I'm talking about chicken sex!) Its hilarious. First, the cock (and seriously, the reason that so many proud, male related aspects of life have taken this term of description (see cockpit, cocking a pistol, cocktails, shuttlecock, etc.) has been made instantly clear to me over here) begins by chasing a hen. This can take anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes or more, and 5 feet to 50 yards of running. When he finally catches her and tackles, and bites (I have no other word to describe what he does) the back of her neck and holds her. He then takes the (oh so very brief) opportunity (or four) afforded to him to try to plant his seed. He then hops off, puffs himself up, flaps his wings, stretches his neck and emits a crow that Peter Pan would envy. Meanwhile the hens picks herself up, puffs up really quick to get rid of any ruffles, dust or feathers that aren't her own, and to settle and smooth her feathers, and quickly walks away as though nothing had happen, much in the same way I would imagine a sexy 60s stewardess would, as she leaves the cockpit or a plane. Again, maybe I'm just anthropomorphizing the chickens actions, and this is something that needs clearing up.
Take for instance the fact that there is the chickens' commitment to rituals. Everyday, at exactly 7:20am, the same rooster crows outside my window, a window that I might add, I have my head directly under. Now the chicken obviously has no dog psychology to it, because if it did, it would not be under my window everyday, but instead would remember all the rocks that I have hit it with (actually, I'm pretty impressed with my aim. You have no idea how difficult a target a running chicken is at 25 yards,) much as a dog remembers being swatted with a newspaper when it pees on the rug. Clearly, this cock, much like a human is out to prove something; as am I (Once I can convince my neighbor that its only worth 200 shillings and not 500, I'm out to prove that that rooster is delicious.) Again, we must learn how to differentiate between human psychology and animal psychology. There are many many aspects that I could ruminate on such as chicken fights, cows obstinately refusing to get out of the way or baby goats (don't even get me started on baby goats, I could go on for hours about baby goats, and how they'll play king of the hill on a palm tree stump (so awesome) or how they skip and jump when let out of a pen, much like a kindergarten let out of school.)
I hope I've cleared up some of your pressing questions, and shed a little light on a need in our society, and the necessity of a new field of study.
The other day, I was sitting in my house, feet up on another chair, door open to let the breeze in, reading a book (actually if you ever come to my house, this pretty much how you'll always find me) when it occurred to me. "I'd really like to study the psychology of animals." Now I know you're probably thinking, "Wow, Pat's gone off the deep end," or "What the hell is he on, and where can I get some?" (Its called mephaquin, and its great!) But not so fast. Bear with now. My neighbors have chickens that are pretty much free range, and since my and my other neighbor's house is pretty much the only game in town, when it comes to throwing trash (no trash service sadly), the chickens are pretty much around my house constantly. I therefore have a source of constant study, and, when it comes down to it, entertainment.
Take for instance the other day. I was watching one chicken as she was attempting to forage for food. She had no small chicks of her own, she didn't have to care for anyone else but herself. Yet another juvenile chicken was constantly shadowing this other hen. You could tell that this was not a chicken that this hen had hatched (chickens tend to have the same pattern as their parents I have found; I once saw some purple chickens, and thought that Willy Wanka had set up shop in my area, but I digress) yet, every time this hen would bend down to peck at something, this younger hen would instantly be all up in this poor hen's bidness, crowding her out, taking what the first hen had rightfully found. This went on for about 30 minutes (probably all day, but my American attention span has only double here in Kenya) and the whole time I'm thinking, "Why doesn't she react like Phil used to, when I was constantly all up in his bidness, and peck her, or chase her or do something!!??" Maybe I want my animal psychology to take on human characteristics, but then this is why this is such a crucial field that needs to be addressed, so that such confusion can be cleared up.
Another aspect that I find worthy of study (i.e. wildly entertaining) is chicken sex. (That's right, I'm talking about chicken sex!) Its hilarious. First, the cock (and seriously, the reason that so many proud, male related aspects of life have taken this term of description (see cockpit, cocking a pistol, cocktails, shuttlecock, etc.) has been made instantly clear to me over here) begins by chasing a hen. This can take anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes or more, and 5 feet to 50 yards of running. When he finally catches her and tackles, and bites (I have no other word to describe what he does) the back of her neck and holds her. He then takes the (oh so very brief) opportunity (or four) afforded to him to try to plant his seed. He then hops off, puffs himself up, flaps his wings, stretches his neck and emits a crow that Peter Pan would envy. Meanwhile the hens picks herself up, puffs up really quick to get rid of any ruffles, dust or feathers that aren't her own, and to settle and smooth her feathers, and quickly walks away as though nothing had happen, much in the same way I would imagine a sexy 60s stewardess would, as she leaves the cockpit or a plane. Again, maybe I'm just anthropomorphizing the chickens actions, and this is something that needs clearing up.
Take for instance the fact that there is the chickens' commitment to rituals. Everyday, at exactly 7:20am, the same rooster crows outside my window, a window that I might add, I have my head directly under. Now the chicken obviously has no dog psychology to it, because if it did, it would not be under my window everyday, but instead would remember all the rocks that I have hit it with (actually, I'm pretty impressed with my aim. You have no idea how difficult a target a running chicken is at 25 yards,) much as a dog remembers being swatted with a newspaper when it pees on the rug. Clearly, this cock, much like a human is out to prove something; as am I (Once I can convince my neighbor that its only worth 200 shillings and not 500, I'm out to prove that that rooster is delicious.) Again, we must learn how to differentiate between human psychology and animal psychology. There are many many aspects that I could ruminate on such as chicken fights, cows obstinately refusing to get out of the way or baby goats (don't even get me started on baby goats, I could go on for hours about baby goats, and how they'll play king of the hill on a palm tree stump (so awesome) or how they skip and jump when let out of a pen, much like a kindergarten let out of school.)
I hope I've cleared up some of your pressing questions, and shed a little light on a need in our society, and the necessity of a new field of study.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
In Brief...
I will have a more complete post a later time. Until then, here a little something in brief:
-My room is at the end of the house, and I have a window on each side. There is a little creature that, walking with a tiny little pitter patter of feet, I hear go from one side of the house, around to other. Really freaky. Made me thing of this:
http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t108/joez148/?action=view¤t=mrmarbles.flv
-Kenya recently had a census. The woman asked me if I had any deformities. My response: "Other than my personality?" She didn't get it.
-I was taking my wash down from the clothes line. I was only standing there for one minute, when I began to feel these little pinches all over my body, up to my shoulders. Turns out, in the brief time that I was standing in one spot, fire-ants had crawled on me, and decided to tenderize me. At least I learned a real world application for all those high knees that my football coaches made me do.
-When I was staying in Loitokitok for training, my home stay mama kept telling me that there were zebras that slept outside out gate, and that I only needed to go out early enough to catch them, but I was always a tad too late. One day, coming back from class, I saw a zebra on our farm, about 200 yards away, and decided to chase them. I ended up walking with the zebras for about a mile, before they got to a particularly dense grove of trees, turned around, and started looking like they were trapped, and the only way to escape was through me. I decided that my safari was over at that point.
-I think that I may have accidentally given my first bribe. I was going to Malindi for the day, and had to be there by 9am. But I also had some packages, which that time cost about 950 shillings in customs fee, that I was picking up from the post office, which didn't open until 9am. But there was a very friendly gentleman inside who took my slip and my 1000 shillings. When I took my packages I forgot about my change, and he, conveniently, did too.
-A bat flew into my room. I whacked him on the wing with a broom, but I didn't finish him. He managed to scurry away, and took up a very squeaky residents in my couch. I spent two feverish night, locked in mortal battle with the beast; as he scurried back and forth in my couch I would thrash about with my broom stick, never making solid contact. Finally, having decided that brute force was not adequate in such a contest, I decided to rely on guile. I left the flying rat to his own devices, and lay in wait in the dark. After a few hours, he finally emerged, and tried to make good his escape, at which point I trapped him in the corner, and crushed his tiny little skull with my mighty broomstick.
That's all for now.
-My room is at the end of the house, and I have a window on each side. There is a little creature that, walking with a tiny little pitter patter of feet, I hear go from one side of the house, around to other. Really freaky. Made me thing of this:
http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t108/joez148/?action=view¤t=mrmarbles.flv
-Kenya recently had a census. The woman asked me if I had any deformities. My response: "Other than my personality?" She didn't get it.
-I was taking my wash down from the clothes line. I was only standing there for one minute, when I began to feel these little pinches all over my body, up to my shoulders. Turns out, in the brief time that I was standing in one spot, fire-ants had crawled on me, and decided to tenderize me. At least I learned a real world application for all those high knees that my football coaches made me do.
-When I was staying in Loitokitok for training, my home stay mama kept telling me that there were zebras that slept outside out gate, and that I only needed to go out early enough to catch them, but I was always a tad too late. One day, coming back from class, I saw a zebra on our farm, about 200 yards away, and decided to chase them. I ended up walking with the zebras for about a mile, before they got to a particularly dense grove of trees, turned around, and started looking like they were trapped, and the only way to escape was through me. I decided that my safari was over at that point.
-I think that I may have accidentally given my first bribe. I was going to Malindi for the day, and had to be there by 9am. But I also had some packages, which that time cost about 950 shillings in customs fee, that I was picking up from the post office, which didn't open until 9am. But there was a very friendly gentleman inside who took my slip and my 1000 shillings. When I took my packages I forgot about my change, and he, conveniently, did too.
-A bat flew into my room. I whacked him on the wing with a broom, but I didn't finish him. He managed to scurry away, and took up a very squeaky residents in my couch. I spent two feverish night, locked in mortal battle with the beast; as he scurried back and forth in my couch I would thrash about with my broom stick, never making solid contact. Finally, having decided that brute force was not adequate in such a contest, I decided to rely on guile. I left the flying rat to his own devices, and lay in wait in the dark. After a few hours, he finally emerged, and tried to make good his escape, at which point I trapped him in the corner, and crushed his tiny little skull with my mighty broomstick.
That's all for now.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Happy Holidays Everyone!
I hope that you all have enjoyed the holiday season as much as I have. Stay well.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/115715/saturday-night-live-steve-martins-holiday-wish
http://www.hulu.com/watch/115715/saturday-night-live-steve-martins-holiday-wish
Monday, December 14, 2009
To begin with...
Hello everyone! So, I know that I've been talking about this blog for sometime, and I would love to say that I've been so very busy saving people, that I haven't had to the time to stop and write about my experiences. Sadly this is not true. The truth is that I have been rather daunted with writing about my experiences. I only hope that you find what I have to say somewhat interesting, mildly entertaining and/or slightly humorous. A word of warning, (especially for aunts, uncles, parents and others) I can use some colorful expressions here, so please be advised that I really don't want to the focus of ire for some of the things that I say.
To Begin With:
I am one of 24 Peace Corps Volunteer (you should have known this) working in the Public Health sector (that means I'm trying to get people to wear condoms when they have sex that isn't meant for makin' babies; to dig latrines for when they gotta go twosies; to drink clean water; to start coming to the dispensary to have their babies; and to start sleeping under mosquito nets so they don't get malaria) in Kenya. I work and live on a small government-run dispensary (basically a health clinic with two nurses and a public health officer) north of Kilifi (I can't reveal the specific name for security purposes, so you're gonna have to work to find me Al-Queda!) The first 2 months that I was here, I spent in a town on the Tanzanian border, undergoing language, cultural and technical training, while living with a home stay family. I have now spent 4 months in my village and to be honest, I have not done much yet. The first 3 months at site, Peace Corps Volunteers (I'll be going with PCVs, among other acronyms, after this, which Peace Corps (PC) is incredibly fond of) are supposed to acclimatize themselves to living wherever they are, getting to know the locals, and assessing the community's needs that need to be addressed. We PCVs then spent a week in Nairobi attending training that delved more deeply in the technical aspects of our work (really, it was not as helpful as I had hoped.)
I am now back at site, and attempting to become more active in my community. Generally speaking, I've been told, Public Health Volunteers working in the dispensaries of my sort take nearly 10 months before their projects take definitive shape (I tell myself this every time I spend yet another day on my couch reading.) In my defense(*warning*, a self-justifying excuse is approaching!) I am one of the few volunteers who live without electricity (the power lines have been strung, and I'm told that they have now installed the transformers, which was supposed to happen 3 months ago...so for Kenya they're running ahead of schedule) or running water (I'm on rain water, and luckily El Nino (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEoHz56jWGY) has been kind to us, but we do have to buy our water sometimes) but really, we PCVs here in Kenya are pretty spoiled when it comes to everyday conveniences (such as cell phones and internet access, among other things.) Be that as it may, I am now attempting to play catch up with my fellow volunteers, who have been very active in their communities, and I feel that I am making some headway.
The Work I've Done:
As far as work is concerned, I've mostly been attending a lot of meetings, and not understanding a word that is said (actually not true, its just that there are 4-7 words I don't understand for every 1 I do.) By far the most useful work that I've done (in my primary project) is weighing babies (I was lucky. My friend DeAnne had the babies pee on her, and she didn't have any water to wash with, not even any that she could buy) and recording what vaccinations they have received...oh, and I answered a question during a health talk to high schools, and managed to say "testicles," "genitals," and "vagina," without even cracking a smile...(*heh*giggle*snort*) ... and I helped educate a whole town about HIV/AIDS by winning a soda chugging contest! You may have heard about my side project that I'm working on. I am attempting to secure financing for a local group that is attempting to grow mushrooms (this will be a future blog topic, so I'll leave it at that.) Right now, I'm attempting to organize some sort of Health Awareness/ Mobilizations/ Barazas. Basically, I'm trying to get an organization to come out with tents, chairs and PA system (a must; people here LOVE those things), and another organization to come out and organize football (the fake kind) matches, in an attempt to get people to come out, so that I can present health topics to them in a social setting. There is a lot that goes into these mobilizations/ outreaches, and again, that's another post. My most important work will be working in schools, and it is the one I feel the most trepidation about. Honestly, I have found that there is nothing more terrifying that a group of children that don't speak your language, and have the time and inclination to pay attention to you. I'm sure that everything will work out, as this is what many of the PH PCVs do for their work.
The Fun I've Had:
Luckily, Kenya is a very easy place to get around in, and PC gives us just enough money and time off to have a little fun. With a group of roughly 50 PCVs in the Coast Province of Kenya, I have had more than enough opportunity to get to know people. We've managed to go to Watamu, which is an Italian beach resort town, and couple times and Mombasa more than a couple times. We had a Halloween party, and I dressed as a viking (my friend Lindsay said I was terrifying when I struck a berserker pose.) Things here are very inexpensive, and if you're willing to a few small comforts here and there, you can have an amazing time. And if you have a large group to split expenses, there's no reason to sacrifice those comforts. The best example is the villa that we rented out in Watamu that looked like something an African warlord would have owned. Honestly, the only things that were missing were the AK-47s, hookers and blow. I';m really enjoying myself here with all of my newly made friends, and will be sad when this time is up.
A Few Other Things
Peace Corps routinly reads our blogs, so there just be aware that Big Brother is watching, when you go to comment here. I'll have another post that has a scoop on PC as an organization. I also won't tell you too much about future plans (vacations, parties etc.) for security reasons (again, Al-Queda) but I will tell you about past things I've done. This will be a work in progress, so keep checking back for improvements. And lets hope that my writing improves. I miss you all, and will talk to you later.
To Begin With:
I am one of 24 Peace Corps Volunteer (you should have known this) working in the Public Health sector (that means I'm trying to get people to wear condoms when they have sex that isn't meant for makin' babies; to dig latrines for when they gotta go twosies; to drink clean water; to start coming to the dispensary to have their babies; and to start sleeping under mosquito nets so they don't get malaria) in Kenya. I work and live on a small government-run dispensary (basically a health clinic with two nurses and a public health officer) north of Kilifi (I can't reveal the specific name for security purposes, so you're gonna have to work to find me Al-Queda!) The first 2 months that I was here, I spent in a town on the Tanzanian border, undergoing language, cultural and technical training, while living with a home stay family. I have now spent 4 months in my village and to be honest, I have not done much yet. The first 3 months at site, Peace Corps Volunteers (I'll be going with PCVs, among other acronyms, after this, which Peace Corps (PC) is incredibly fond of) are supposed to acclimatize themselves to living wherever they are, getting to know the locals, and assessing the community's needs that need to be addressed. We PCVs then spent a week in Nairobi attending training that delved more deeply in the technical aspects of our work (really, it was not as helpful as I had hoped.)
I am now back at site, and attempting to become more active in my community. Generally speaking, I've been told, Public Health Volunteers working in the dispensaries of my sort take nearly 10 months before their projects take definitive shape (I tell myself this every time I spend yet another day on my couch reading.) In my defense(*warning*, a self-justifying excuse is approaching!) I am one of the few volunteers who live without electricity (the power lines have been strung, and I'm told that they have now installed the transformers, which was supposed to happen 3 months ago...so for Kenya they're running ahead of schedule) or running water (I'm on rain water, and luckily El Nino (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEoHz56jWGY) has been kind to us, but we do have to buy our water sometimes) but really, we PCVs here in Kenya are pretty spoiled when it comes to everyday conveniences (such as cell phones and internet access, among other things.) Be that as it may, I am now attempting to play catch up with my fellow volunteers, who have been very active in their communities, and I feel that I am making some headway.
The Work I've Done:
As far as work is concerned, I've mostly been attending a lot of meetings, and not understanding a word that is said (actually not true, its just that there are 4-7 words I don't understand for every 1 I do.) By far the most useful work that I've done (in my primary project) is weighing babies (I was lucky. My friend DeAnne had the babies pee on her, and she didn't have any water to wash with, not even any that she could buy) and recording what vaccinations they have received...oh, and I answered a question during a health talk to high schools, and managed to say "testicles," "genitals," and "vagina," without even cracking a smile...(*heh*giggle*snort*) ... and I helped educate a whole town about HIV/AIDS by winning a soda chugging contest! You may have heard about my side project that I'm working on. I am attempting to secure financing for a local group that is attempting to grow mushrooms (this will be a future blog topic, so I'll leave it at that.) Right now, I'm attempting to organize some sort of Health Awareness/ Mobilizations/ Barazas. Basically, I'm trying to get an organization to come out with tents, chairs and PA system (a must; people here LOVE those things), and another organization to come out and organize football (the fake kind) matches, in an attempt to get people to come out, so that I can present health topics to them in a social setting. There is a lot that goes into these mobilizations/ outreaches, and again, that's another post. My most important work will be working in schools, and it is the one I feel the most trepidation about. Honestly, I have found that there is nothing more terrifying that a group of children that don't speak your language, and have the time and inclination to pay attention to you. I'm sure that everything will work out, as this is what many of the PH PCVs do for their work.
The Fun I've Had:
Luckily, Kenya is a very easy place to get around in, and PC gives us just enough money and time off to have a little fun. With a group of roughly 50 PCVs in the Coast Province of Kenya, I have had more than enough opportunity to get to know people. We've managed to go to Watamu, which is an Italian beach resort town, and couple times and Mombasa more than a couple times. We had a Halloween party, and I dressed as a viking (my friend Lindsay said I was terrifying when I struck a berserker pose.) Things here are very inexpensive, and if you're willing to a few small comforts here and there, you can have an amazing time. And if you have a large group to split expenses, there's no reason to sacrifice those comforts. The best example is the villa that we rented out in Watamu that looked like something an African warlord would have owned. Honestly, the only things that were missing were the AK-47s, hookers and blow. I';m really enjoying myself here with all of my newly made friends, and will be sad when this time is up.
A Few Other Things
Peace Corps routinly reads our blogs, so there just be aware that Big Brother is watching, when you go to comment here. I'll have another post that has a scoop on PC as an organization. I also won't tell you too much about future plans (vacations, parties etc.) for security reasons (again, Al-Queda) but I will tell you about past things I've done. This will be a work in progress, so keep checking back for improvements. And lets hope that my writing improves. I miss you all, and will talk to you later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
