it's all so much bigger than me
today i was reading the star tribune when i came across a small article headlined, "Southern Africa in crisis." the article is probably an eighth of a page or less. it caught my eye because i obivously will be in that region of the world next spring. but if i hadn't had that type of intrest would i have even stopped to read it?
the story is tracked to johannesburg and is basically a summary of how poorly things are going in that part of the world. in swaziland, a tiny country that's embedded in south africa, 38 percent of people 19-45 have aids. that's more then 1 in 3 people. can you imagine? i don't know a soul with aids. there it's 1 in 3. of citizens my age. i can't even fathom. the article goes on to mention 30 million of the 40 million people in the world infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. so much uncurable disease crammed into a region of the world. while uncurable, it's spread is totally controllable. but it's not. i can see that as an issue i will struggle with while i'm there. it's spreading there so rapidly, but to me, a common american, ways to prevent its spread and ways i can avoid getting it are so clear. while for a souther African, who is surrounded by it, doesn't have that key information. it frightens and sickens me at the same time.
because of the AIDS epidemic the life expectantcy is 46. 46. i expect to be having a mid life crisis then, not dealing with my own death. that's such a life cut short i can't even wrap my arms around it.
the article finishes with the fact that as a result of health difficulties there are 11 million orphans. so many children left on there own. in a society that cannot keep itself from getting sick, how can it take care of someone else's children?
after reading this article i want to go down there and change the world. i have to remember i won't change the world. i'm a little 20 year old college student.
i'm just trying to wrap my arms around the surroundings i will find myself in. i won't be comfortable. i won't be at ease. not for awhile at least. most likely i will be safe. but i have to get in there and understand what is happening to these people. can you imagine the state of mind? you're only expected to live until your 45 in the year 2004. i can't grasp the concept and i hate it. i hope by spending the time i do, i can grasp it. i feel that by choosing to go to south africa and taking part in the program i am in, that this semester off campus will not in the slightest be about me, but about the people and culture i encounter.
all this from a 34 line article nesseled in the safe star tribune.
oh can i also mention that because of erratic rains, food production in the region is extremely low and thus swaziland and lesotho have declared national disasters. that also makes me wonder, these two tiny countries embedded in south africa, a country somehow unaffected and in good enough stature to host a future fifa world cup, has place inside of it that are declaring disaster?
one more commcent. i guess this also plays on the idea that many of our us papers are euro centric. europe is wear the important events are. and things that happen to europe and ourselves are what will change the world the most. i guess these facts aren't breaking news or a sudden event. it's a situation that's been developing and harboring for obviously some time. but a place in such crisis is so far from american minds. i can't decide if that's wrong or evil. i mean what can an "average" american do? send money to the un or some random organization? i dunno. i just dunno. but it's something to think about.
i'm grateful that i don't just have to think about. i'm lucky enough to go investigate the situation. and cross our fingers, do even something small about it.
the story is tracked to johannesburg and is basically a summary of how poorly things are going in that part of the world. in swaziland, a tiny country that's embedded in south africa, 38 percent of people 19-45 have aids. that's more then 1 in 3 people. can you imagine? i don't know a soul with aids. there it's 1 in 3. of citizens my age. i can't even fathom. the article goes on to mention 30 million of the 40 million people in the world infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. so much uncurable disease crammed into a region of the world. while uncurable, it's spread is totally controllable. but it's not. i can see that as an issue i will struggle with while i'm there. it's spreading there so rapidly, but to me, a common american, ways to prevent its spread and ways i can avoid getting it are so clear. while for a souther African, who is surrounded by it, doesn't have that key information. it frightens and sickens me at the same time.
because of the AIDS epidemic the life expectantcy is 46. 46. i expect to be having a mid life crisis then, not dealing with my own death. that's such a life cut short i can't even wrap my arms around it.
the article finishes with the fact that as a result of health difficulties there are 11 million orphans. so many children left on there own. in a society that cannot keep itself from getting sick, how can it take care of someone else's children?
after reading this article i want to go down there and change the world. i have to remember i won't change the world. i'm a little 20 year old college student.
i'm just trying to wrap my arms around the surroundings i will find myself in. i won't be comfortable. i won't be at ease. not for awhile at least. most likely i will be safe. but i have to get in there and understand what is happening to these people. can you imagine the state of mind? you're only expected to live until your 45 in the year 2004. i can't grasp the concept and i hate it. i hope by spending the time i do, i can grasp it. i feel that by choosing to go to south africa and taking part in the program i am in, that this semester off campus will not in the slightest be about me, but about the people and culture i encounter.
all this from a 34 line article nesseled in the safe star tribune.
oh can i also mention that because of erratic rains, food production in the region is extremely low and thus swaziland and lesotho have declared national disasters. that also makes me wonder, these two tiny countries embedded in south africa, a country somehow unaffected and in good enough stature to host a future fifa world cup, has place inside of it that are declaring disaster?
one more commcent. i guess this also plays on the idea that many of our us papers are euro centric. europe is wear the important events are. and things that happen to europe and ourselves are what will change the world the most. i guess these facts aren't breaking news or a sudden event. it's a situation that's been developing and harboring for obviously some time. but a place in such crisis is so far from american minds. i can't decide if that's wrong or evil. i mean what can an "average" american do? send money to the un or some random organization? i dunno. i just dunno. but it's something to think about.
i'm grateful that i don't just have to think about. i'm lucky enough to go investigate the situation. and cross our fingers, do even something small about it.