We are leading off tonight with a huge shout-out to the country of Niger. For the first time in their history, they have convicted someone of slavery. Most people might ask what took them so long, but I am choosing to focus on the positive that it actually happened. Nowhere to go but up from here. Also in Niger, President Goodluck Jonathan (yes, that is a presidential name and not the title of Nick Jr. show) condemned "international terrorism" and vowed to wage "war" against Boko Haram. Boko Haram, remember, kidnapped 300 Nigerian girls earlier this month. There are lightyears of progress ahead of Niger in confronting terrorism within their borders, but let us give credit when it is due. Chalk up a good day for our friends over in central Africa.
On a more lively front, I am pleased to announce that, on the advice of fellow PCV´s, I have discovered Hostal Aqui in Salinas. Hostal Aqui is a joint owned by a retired man from Kentucky, they offer room and beverage discounts to Peace Corps folk, and most importantly, carry NFL Sunday Ticket. In addition, they throw a kick-ass party for every American holiday...which sounds super fun considering only a specific group of gringos will be lighting fireworks on the beach down here come 4th of July. This afternoon I indulged in the best cheeseburger I have ever had, or it seemed to be considering I have been deprived for five months, and watched the first round of The Memorial tournament. Which, by the way, after Rory´s 63 today, do yall think he got in the car and started blasting Jay-Z´s 99 problems. I mean I´m just saying, she ain´t one no mas.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
This Wednesday´s Gringo Musings
Okay, so a few things are at play here. One, I need to force myself to fight through the obstacles presented by a lack of internet (and laziness) to take better care of this blog. Second, there are a lot of things happening throughout the day down here that are either hysterical or profound, somtimes both, and deserve to be shared...or at the very least, archived. Third, this forum is intended to help support the third goal of Peace Corps, which is the sharing of other cultures with Americans. As a result of all of this, I vow to throw at least a little tidbit on here everyday of what the life of an Ecuadorian gringo is all about. A few musings from today...
Most importantly, and I share this as an independent observer and not a spokesperson for either the governments of the United States nor the Republic of Ecuador, but I was outraged this morning, when reading my daily international affairs briefing (provided by the Foreign Policy journal), to learn of a woman who was stoned to death by her family in Pakistan. The twenty-five year old was accused of bringing dishonor to her family, thus, in front of the Lahore court building, in broad daylight, the males of her family attacked her with bricks and blunt instruments until she died. Sadly, this event drew several public spectators (including local policemen) who did not intervene. Even more outrageous, included in the spectators were local policemen and the girl's father. As I write this, I am bolstered in that third Peace Corps goal of cultural exchange. The people of Ecuador are a warm and vibrant people, who deserve to have their story shared. Unfortunately, other cultures are sorely lagging behind, and, I would argue, the laws of humanity demand progress.
A few less significant thoughts from my day that was...
*At our cluster meeting this afternoon in Guayaquil, I learned that if attending a futbol (aka soccer) game, or even if attending a large watch party at a bar or the likes, it is advised not to wear a belt or carry an umbrella. Seriously. Entering a soccer stadium is the equivalent of passing through American TSA at the airport, and a belt has apparently been used as a weapon in past hooligan-led scuffles. It looks like I will be reverting back to my Appalachian roots and using a piece of twine to hold my britches up.
*I almost dropped a very public F-bomb when my bus from Santa Elena to San Pablo started playing "Gone in 60 Seconds" IN ENGLISH!!! I had to endure a horrid sci-fi flick in Spanish during the two hour ride from Guayaquil to Santa Elena, and for the final leg of my journey home (which lasts 10 minutes) I am teased with a Ford Mustang Shelby GT. Ugh!
*Today a news report out of Oklahoma City began to surface about a middle-aged man who called the police to report a robbery, and throughout the course of their questioning, the OKC PD focused their investigation on the very man who summoned them for help. Oh yea, the man was an African-American. I typically empathize, and sympathize, with police officers because on a daily basis they often deal with the underbelly of society and are forced to act more bluntly. I have zero issue with this type of profiling if there is a threat of imminent danger to the officer, after all, safety is the priority. When investigating a crime, though, it harkens back to the days of Jim Crow to ask a man, who was just robbed, if he was involved in an extramarital affair or seeking to buy drugs. I have known the man who is involved in this issue, and could not vouch more a more compassionate and trustworthy individual. Shame to those police officers, and the department spokesperson who dismissed the incident as simple occupational hazard. A link to the story is pasted below.
http://kfor.com/2014/05/27/metro-man-angered-over-police-line-of-questioning/
¡Ciao!
Most importantly, and I share this as an independent observer and not a spokesperson for either the governments of the United States nor the Republic of Ecuador, but I was outraged this morning, when reading my daily international affairs briefing (provided by the Foreign Policy journal), to learn of a woman who was stoned to death by her family in Pakistan. The twenty-five year old was accused of bringing dishonor to her family, thus, in front of the Lahore court building, in broad daylight, the males of her family attacked her with bricks and blunt instruments until she died. Sadly, this event drew several public spectators (including local policemen) who did not intervene. Even more outrageous, included in the spectators were local policemen and the girl's father. As I write this, I am bolstered in that third Peace Corps goal of cultural exchange. The people of Ecuador are a warm and vibrant people, who deserve to have their story shared. Unfortunately, other cultures are sorely lagging behind, and, I would argue, the laws of humanity demand progress.
A few less significant thoughts from my day that was...
*At our cluster meeting this afternoon in Guayaquil, I learned that if attending a futbol (aka soccer) game, or even if attending a large watch party at a bar or the likes, it is advised not to wear a belt or carry an umbrella. Seriously. Entering a soccer stadium is the equivalent of passing through American TSA at the airport, and a belt has apparently been used as a weapon in past hooligan-led scuffles. It looks like I will be reverting back to my Appalachian roots and using a piece of twine to hold my britches up.
*I almost dropped a very public F-bomb when my bus from Santa Elena to San Pablo started playing "Gone in 60 Seconds" IN ENGLISH!!! I had to endure a horrid sci-fi flick in Spanish during the two hour ride from Guayaquil to Santa Elena, and for the final leg of my journey home (which lasts 10 minutes) I am teased with a Ford Mustang Shelby GT. Ugh!
*Today a news report out of Oklahoma City began to surface about a middle-aged man who called the police to report a robbery, and throughout the course of their questioning, the OKC PD focused their investigation on the very man who summoned them for help. Oh yea, the man was an African-American. I typically empathize, and sympathize, with police officers because on a daily basis they often deal with the underbelly of society and are forced to act more bluntly. I have zero issue with this type of profiling if there is a threat of imminent danger to the officer, after all, safety is the priority. When investigating a crime, though, it harkens back to the days of Jim Crow to ask a man, who was just robbed, if he was involved in an extramarital affair or seeking to buy drugs. I have known the man who is involved in this issue, and could not vouch more a more compassionate and trustworthy individual. Shame to those police officers, and the department spokesperson who dismissed the incident as simple occupational hazard. A link to the story is pasted below.
http://kfor.com/2014/05/27/metro-man-angered-over-police-line-of-questioning/
¡Ciao!
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