Ok, so maybe it isn't that bad but still...
Saturday, January 9, 2010
It has been an eventful past 36 hours or so. I didn’t write or post on Friday because I was basically exhausted and found myself “zombie-fied” - when it comes to changing time zones, the second day has always been the worst for me. I can usually handle the first 24 hours but the second 24 always knock me out and this was no exception. I still need to comment on my first day here (Thursday) but for now I’ll just say that Thursday night into Friday morning, I didn’t fall asleep until around 4:30 am - and the birds and roosters woke me up promptly at 6... I blame the time difference but I also blame myself for having a cup of coffee at 10pm on Thursday night - Stark, you dumbass. I have to admit the coffee is very strong here - but it is so good! I need to bring some home...
Let me comment on what is happening now and what happened yesterday (Friday, Jan. 8th). Today (Saturday the 9th) is an off-day for me - there is nothing scheduled and I have no appointments to meet with anyone. Basically I’m on my own, and quite frankly, that’s fine with me. I can go at my own pace today for the most part and catch up on some things while working ahead on others, and resting up some more. For the record, I slept like a rock last night. I went to bed around 10pm because I was just flat-out beat and fell asleep before I knew it. I’m actually kind of surprised I fell asleep so fast - my apartment here is located in a fairly busy place on campus. The main gate is just outside the balcony and what qualifies for the center of campus is just outside my bedroom window. Last night was Friday and comparatively speaking there were many people out, there was a lot of talking and laughing, a lot of music playing, etc. And if you close the windows anywhere, you run the risk of sweating to death and not being able to breathe. The air can get so thick so quickly if there isn’t any movement - I don’t mind the heat so much (and quite frankly, the rumors I’ve heard of the heat have been mostly unfounded) but I need air movement. Even hot moving air is better than no moving air at all. Just one of my pet peeves.
Anyway, I have all of the windows open last night, people are outside doing their thing and having fun - and I slept through all of it, which might not seem like such a big deal, but if you knew how I usually slept you would be surprised. Nothing outside bothered me at all - I recall being woken up around 3 by a dog howling close-by, but that didn’t affect me much either. When the birds and roosters started up again, I actually just sort of rolled over and ignored them. I finally got out of bed when some kind of huge bird started squawking outside my window. I have no idea what kind of bird it was but it sounded very loud and very big. I finally got the point and got out of bed.
Ok... I've been scanning local radio pretty much all day and to be honest it hasn't paid off very well. Billy Graham is on the air right now - in English. But I can’t find any news or sports in English and haven't been able to do so since I've been here. I have no idea what is happening in the outside world these past few days. In some ways it is kind of nice but in other ways, it is quite disconcerting. But, since this is the only station I’ve found that broadcasts in English so far, I’ll stick around and listen to what else might come up.
Let me write a bit about the media outlets here - seeing as how I’m a media kind of guy, its a pretty big deal to me.
I have tried to access the internet several times here on campus, using the school’s system - unfortunately however, it has not been working since I’ve been here. Apparently the school contracts with an outside provider and according to rumors I’ve heard (and these are just rumors mind you), the bill wasn’t paid last month. I can’t confirm whether this is true or not, but I have heard this rumor from some reliable sources. Hopefully we will have access soon (if you’re reading this now, it was posted offline and it is now online - weird, huh?) - the only other option is to go into town and pay for access, which I hear happens a lot.
If I may comment on the internet access issue - it is very frustrating. I say this both as a spoiled American who is used to continuous access but also as a visitor and guest. Traveling so far away from my family, it is very important to have reliable communications in place for many reasons. I’m not interested in wasting time online, surfing the internet or anything like that - I’m talking about basic, consistent, reliable access that allows a person to send and receive emails and do rudimentary work online at the very least. Nothing of the sort seems to exist without traveling several miles into town and paying for it. While this is inconvenient and expensive for the students and faculty, it can be even more problematic for visitors. Consider the fact that I have the day off, but I don’t know what bus to take into town, nor do I know what bus to take back to campus. Add in the fact that I’ve only been here a very short time and am unfamiliar with many local customs, can say only basic greetings in Swahili, and it has been suggested by many that I should not go into town by myself, and the problem becomes more difficult and frustrating. There is nothing more I would like to do today than to go online, communicate faster and cheaper with my family, read the news, check my work email, etc. But I can’t do that without knowing which buses to take, where to go in town, how much to pay, etc.
Part of my dissertation research focused on issues of access to media outlets and information and the pitfalls that could occur when access is not available. I’m glad (in a way) to see that several of my observations and conclusions have been pretty close - however it is extremely frustrating. So frustrating that it could be something that actually discourages future visitors.
And it isn’t just me. Speaking with faculty and students Thursday and yesterday, one of the most pressing issues raised was the lack of internet access. Faculty are frustrated because of the difficulties of conducting online research, which tends to be the only option available when the library has minimal resources to begin with. Faculty here are expected to follow the three basic academic tracks that we have to follow in the US in order to keep our jobs - teaching, research, and service - but in the 21st century, a professor cannot be completely successful in these areas without reliable online access. I'm not trying to sound like some kind of elitist snob or anything, but that just seems to make sense to me (although I will admit I am biased when it comes to electronic communications issues - screw the food! Give me my internet!)
I suppose faculty here could always rely and fall back on postal mail for communication with colleagues in other countries, and subscribe to print versions of journals - but trust me, that’s not a feasible option for this university. Online options would be much more cost effective in the long run.
The students have told very similar stories. It is often difficult for them to complete homework assignments and difficult to communicate with fellow students both at home and abroad. The biggest issue they have however is that too often they have to go into town to pay for access - this takes away hard earned money that could be better used in other areas, but it also takes away valuable time - time that they could use for studying or writing, rather than riding the bus back and forth.
The problem is not necessarily having computers - sure, they could always use more but I’ve noticed the machines they have really aren’t in bad shape. There are no flat screen monitors and my laptop is probably the most powerful machine on campus right now, but every campus machine is running Windows XP and they seem strong enough to handle most of the applications students need. But the lack of reliable access really puts them at a disadvantage and I hope it is something that can be corrected for them soon.
Ok what else - I have seen no newspapers. None. I’m sure they are in town somewhere, but they aren’t here. There were two televisions in the main cafeteria but I’m told they were stolen last month (I wondered why there were coaxial cables hanging from the wall). I brought a small portable radio with me, and I’m glad I did because that’s about all there is. So far I’ve found only about five stations, four of which are in Swahili and mostly play music, and one running Billy Graham and other gospel shows full time, it seems. I know of no news back home, no news of Tanzania outside of campus, or anything else. There is no phone in the apartment - I don’t even know the weather forecast for the weekend. The theme from “Gilligan’s Island” keeps playing in my head.
But there is running water. There is electricity (most of the time). The food is great and the people even greater. So I got that going for me... which is nice.
Please don’t take away from this post that I’m unhappy - on the contrary I find everyone and everything here wonderful. Not one bad thing has happened since my arrival and I don’t foresee any bad things happening. People are friendly and understanding and everyone has made me feel welcome. If there is one wart however, it is the access issue. And it is unfair to put all of the blame on the university or those who work for it. Lets be honest - this is not the most technologically advanced region of the world, mostly due to economics, which is another rant for another time, I suppose. But I’m really turning into a believer of the United Nations resolution in its Declaration of Human Rights (#19, I believe) that argues reliable, stable, constant access to electronic communications is a basic human right. Not a privilege, but a *right*. Just as much of a right as access to food, shelter, and medical care.
I would provide a link to that resolution in this post to make my point more clear and more credible, but y’know...
UPDATE (02/05/10) Well, I was close - according to Article #19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, released in 1948:
- Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
I'll accept the second clause of the Article as a way to defend my position. Is it possible to declare the lack of internet access here as a violation of Article 19, according to the U.N.? :p
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