Ahh the sweet smell of success!
It is finally go home day here in muggy Malabo. I was actually awake this morning at 3am, just lying there in bed anticipating the homecoming when the rain started pounding on the side of my wall. It is always like that. Comes out of nowhere. When I went to bed last nite, the moon was up and totally full, like a huge, backlit yellow-soft globe, dominating the indigo night sky. I could even see some stars, it was breezy and comfortable. But, with no warning the wall of water came again, lashing out like a wild thing. I went ahead and got up in the dark and by sunrise, was out in our hanger with a cup of community and the cigar that I didn't smoke last nite. I make it a relaxation / destressor point to have one cigar a day when I am in country. I usually smoke them at night after I start the movies (at 7:30pm sharp). I sit on the front porch of my BQ and watch the lights of vessels in the bay,listen to the heavy thrumming of the diesels of the darkened patrol boats, or watch the night birds, usually fruit bats. I was sitting there this morning just enjoying sunrise when a flock of pigeons flew over. We have a 240ft guyed steel tower with microwave antennas, radio antennas etc. that we use for communications. The flock of pigeons flew overhead and I heard this THWANG and looked up and saw one tumbling down, doornail dead. It hit with a huge THUMP. It was in the flock and didn't see the guy wire and flew right into it. The rest of the flock kept right on going. Didn't even slow down. I could imagine them muttering to themselves; "Stupid Bruce! We told him and told him to always watch where he was flying and not watch Ethel so much!".
Other than the single bird accident, this has been a stellar day.
This trip, in my working relations with the nationals on my team I have been dealing with some confounding personal issues that simply baffled me. I have been struggling with their behaviour, which to someone from our cultural background could be construed as rude, or arrogant. But, I have had an ephiphany and come to the realization that the culprit here is cultural communications, or those things that we are taught as 'normal' by our parents and peers when we are growing up in our respective cultures, but can't recognize similar cultural behaviour patterns in others because of the differences. What I came to realize is something anthropologists or cultural psychologists call Monochromatic and polychromatic cultures. Some of the difference are;
Monochromatic cultures (Europe, North America)
linear, sequential use of time
emphasis on punctuality
influenced by industrialization- the need to be at work on time and the emphasis on productivity
Polychromatic cultures: (Africa, Mexico, South America, & the French)
many things done simultaneously
priority often given to family
being on time is of less significance than in monochromatic cultures
Often the behaviours, assumptions and values underlying one’s own culture are transparent until we interact with another culture. In this case, that is exactly what I am seeing. When I instruct them to do something, sometimes it takes a lot of time for them to get around to the job. In our monochromatic society, we can't understand that and our focus is on that job, then the next, and so forth. But what I am learning about handling Africans in particular is that they will get it done, but you have to let them get it done in their time or comfort zone. It does not work to try to impose our values. That was an insight that I have not had before and it explains a lot about the difficulties that I have been experiencing. It is not all that bad, but the difficulties do occur each hitch and I have been struggling with how to cope with it. This is something that I can deal with. I thought it was an interesting learning and maybe others can share.
IN any event, I go HOME today! I am so excited that I am wiggling in my chair while writing this like a junior high boy waiting for the bell to ring on the last class of the day.
This has been a very productive trip, overall.
Here is a picture of my little cowboy in his favorite bath, in Buffalo.......
Other than the single bird accident, this has been a stellar day.
This trip, in my working relations with the nationals on my team I have been dealing with some confounding personal issues that simply baffled me. I have been struggling with their behaviour, which to someone from our cultural background could be construed as rude, or arrogant. But, I have had an ephiphany and come to the realization that the culprit here is cultural communications, or those things that we are taught as 'normal' by our parents and peers when we are growing up in our respective cultures, but can't recognize similar cultural behaviour patterns in others because of the differences. What I came to realize is something anthropologists or cultural psychologists call Monochromatic and polychromatic cultures. Some of the difference are;
Monochromatic cultures (Europe, North America)
linear, sequential use of time
emphasis on punctuality
influenced by industrialization- the need to be at work on time and the emphasis on productivity
Polychromatic cultures: (Africa, Mexico, South America, & the French)
many things done simultaneously
priority often given to family
being on time is of less significance than in monochromatic cultures
Often the behaviours, assumptions and values underlying one’s own culture are transparent until we interact with another culture. In this case, that is exactly what I am seeing. When I instruct them to do something, sometimes it takes a lot of time for them to get around to the job. In our monochromatic society, we can't understand that and our focus is on that job, then the next, and so forth. But what I am learning about handling Africans in particular is that they will get it done, but you have to let them get it done in their time or comfort zone. It does not work to try to impose our values. That was an insight that I have not had before and it explains a lot about the difficulties that I have been experiencing. It is not all that bad, but the difficulties do occur each hitch and I have been struggling with how to cope with it. This is something that I can deal with. I thought it was an interesting learning and maybe others can share.
IN any event, I go HOME today! I am so excited that I am wiggling in my chair while writing this like a junior high boy waiting for the bell to ring on the last class of the day.
This has been a very productive trip, overall.
Here is a picture of my little cowboy in his favorite bath, in Buffalo.......