"The United States is my alcoholic brother". An expats thoughts on his homeland and a volunteers review

 “10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America” 

It’s a little long, but please give it a read! And if you really have some time to kill, read the comments, which are just as informative as the article. This weeks post is a response/ reflection of the article above. Disclaimer: I do not agree with all of what he says (I especially disagree with #5)

This is a great article that I think many Peace Corps Volunteers and expats can sympathize with. The author is reacting to his introspective assessment of his motherland, where he discovers that his rose colored glasses of patriotism and “We’re number 1!” mentality were tainted by the inundation of our own self-loving, fear mongering media. He realizes that we have become narrow-minded because we are so isolated from outside viewpoints (media, language, ideas).  He states “…we don’t really get perspective on what’s close to us until we spend time away from it.”

To me, this is the real meaning of the Peace Corp’s Goal #3: To share with your fellow Americans what you have seen and learned about the world outside of the 50 states; to bring back AND SHARE your changed perspective. Sharing the food, dance, music and photos from vacation hot spots are great, but any tourist can do that.

From my one-week back home last August, I was able to glimpse the oncoming frustration of reverse-culture shock. I’m not talking about strangers not staring at you anymore (wait, you don’t want to take a photo with me?), or old women not giving you a bag full of bananas or avocado just because you visited their house.  I’m talking about how tough it is to get people to understand your new world view, because they haven't had the chance to step outside of the bubble themselves. Sometimes you just want to shake someone saying WHY DONT YOU APPRECIATE DRINKING FOUNTAINS AND TOILET SEATS LIKE I DO! Haha, well those examples aren't exactly my point, but they dance around the topic.

Jamie was a GREAT listener!

I don’t pretend to be a very articulate writer, but luckily, I found other people who are! I was really impressed by the caliber of comments that this article provoked. Here are a few comments that express some of my issues with his opinions:

Recovering Hipster writes

“When you are a foreigner, people are either more forgiving of your “weirdness” because they expect it, or they’re just not thinking about how you conform to norms.

My guess is that this guy experienced the enhanced niceness that everyone expresses to foreigners – especially toward Americans, who have been saturating them with media and are therefore more fascinating than other foreigners – and perceived it as a sign of their culture.

Whenever I’ve traveled abroad, I’ve noticed that I get very, very comfortable with being a foreigner for that very reason I mentioned above: people are more forgiving and there’s a general level of awkwardness that’s to be expected, which has an overall dulling effect on any negative social experience.

It’s very easy to get addicted to that position of being a foreigner, and it’s easy to mistake that addiction for you fitting in better in a different culture.

There’s also the fact that other people often *do* look up to Americans, so they’re going to be at the very least interested in asking you questions, if not super friendly. To assume that others are nicer to you just because they’re nicer cultures is to get things a bit wrong.

If I was Peruvian, would they give me the time of day?

When I was in Brazil, everyone was pretty interested in talking to me. At first, I thought it was because I was special. Then, I thought it was because I was foreign. Then, I realized that it was because I was American. They had plenty of news stories and plenty of pop culture that they wanted to talk to me about. The same wouldn’t have been the case if I’d been an Uruguayan.

In the end, though, I came to recognize that their culture wasn’t inherently “nicer” or “more genuine” than mine.

In addition to all that, being a “professional traveler” does not put a person in touch with a culture as much as they’d think. You come to recognize how little you actually “get” a place when you go from being a traveler in a place to being a local who can’t necessarily afford to pack up and go on to the next place. Most places feel like a pair of open arms when arrive as a traveler. This does not signify a more open culture as much as it signifies the fact that you’re a traveling consumer.”

A great wake up call to the author comes from Tricia, who wrote

“…I started reading this article without looking at even the author’s name. Immediately I knew it was written by a straight white male. There’s this thing called “privilege” that some people have that makes them wholly unable to see something from a marginalized perspective. It is quite upsetting.
I have lived abroad as well, though not as extensively as the author. I have never been to Asia or Africa, though I’ve spent a lot of time in Latin America and Europe. I have been sexually assaulted much more frequently (despite more precautions taken) while abroad than in the States. Being a male has a lot to do with your presumed levels of safety while you’re out, not to mention comfort.

As guys, we don't have to worry about as many things and get to enjoy it all

 My male roommates when I lived in Nicaragua had all sorts of fun adventures with meeting strangers, staying out late, etc. I could not have a few drinks at a club without someone trying RELENTLESSLY to take me home. I was kissed, felt up, you name it, just for having the audacity to go to a club without a man. This has happened to me in countries in Europe, Latin America, and even here at home, but not nearly as frequently…”

Take some time to read some of the resulting discussions posted on the article, they really make you think. 

Another comment also made me curious:

“I would love to see similar articles by folks from other countries that emigrated outside their native lands, about their own countries. In my interactions with immigrants here in the USA, I hear many amusing observations about their own nations. It’s a sign of humility when you can recognize your own faults, admit that they’re silly and laugh about them [when they don't cause significant harm]. And if there’s one thing the global community of mankind can use, it’s less national pride, and more humility.”

So friends, let me hear your stories! I am really interested to hear if you have ever had a chance to look at our nation (or any other for that matter) after you have seen the way other places are run. (Please refrain from personal attacks)

God Bless the United States of America

Bamboo!

Quality control, this stuff is so tasty!

My journey to the world of bamboo came unexpectedly. It started with a visit to CepiCafe, a coffee co-operative in our department’s capital, Piura. My socio (community counterpart) was the president of the organization for 3 years, so we used his influence to learn about all of the work CapiCafe does to help the coffee producers improve their yield. We even got an impromptu tour of the panela factory!Next, we went next door to the father NGO of Cepicafe, called Progreso. My socio was interested in developing the use of bamboo in his community and introduced me to Rocio Leon, my new mejor amiga. She is the project coordinator of the NGO and is in charge of three different initiatives:

Rocio teaching about proper bamboo forest management

High school creations

Key chains!

S I bought a necklace and earring set from her.

When these have cushions on them, they are wrapped in local woven designs.

Bus stop designed and built by community

Healthy school project (Escuelas Saludables) –

Progresso, Cuerpo de Paz, y Emilio Espinoza (high school)

Eco-recreational high school center. Not in use, but to be developed soon!

Soccer field with 4 new bathrooms in the distance. We hope to build bamboo kiosks and bleachers.

The high school's "auditorium". Planning on building benches and adaptable shading structure. 

Municipality Tourism development- 

• Changing rooms – the main tourist destination is a group of waterfalls and pools called “Los Peroles”. Many tourists like to swim in them, but do not have anywhere to change their clothes. Our stalls will not only provide a place to change, but we may even build a lookout area on top of the stalls to offer a place to take in the amazing views of the waterfalls.

• Bathrooms – there are not any latrines near the waterfalls, which is a half an hour walk from the town center. In the future, we are talking about building a few bathroom or latrines to offer a restroom for the tourists. 

Regional Designs-

• Bus stops: The regional government has build one bus stop out of bamboo, but at certain times of the day, the seats are in the full force of the Piura sun. The have asked for me to help with a shading study for the following bus stops. I explained to them that each stop needs to be designed to the site (solar orientation, street orientation ect.) as opposed to designing something that looks nice. 

• Single family housing: The ministry de housing, construction, and sanitation from Lima asked Progresso to give them an affordable design for a single family house with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and dining room. I do not have a lot of time to develop the design, but after 3 days, I passed to them a model that is easy to build, with skylights for natural lighting and all the water services housed in one wall.

• It is important to have a design where the walls can be built on the ground, then lifted up into place, because the construction workers do not have much experience with the bamboo joints.

• Sierra Exportadora: A national based NGO also asked Progresso to help them out with some “face-lift” projects to promote tourism in Ayabaca, an area in the northern Andes of Piura that the regional government is developing. Basically they want to install veneer facades made out of bamboo to give the restaurants and the town a universal “eco-feel”.

• 

  Bamboo window frames look awesome during sunset

This past week I was in Lima for an English Teaching workshop that was hosted by the US Embassy. I took advantage of my time in Lima by visiting the architecture department of San Martin de Porres. There I met with two French architects, Yann and Faouzi, who have been working in Peru for the past 5 years.

French Architects Yann Barnet and Faouzi Jabrane. In front of a shading structure at San Martin de Pores, Lima, Peru

Transitional housing

2-story bamboo house

PS: Also working on an Eco-park! Its hard to remember it all. If I accomplish 30% of these dreams, I'll be very happy. PS: Also working on an Eco-park! Its hard to remember it all. If I accomplish 30% of these dreams, I'll be very happy. Noticias (News)1) Teaching villagers how to properly grow, cut and process bamboo2) Developing local small business through artisan workshops (jewelry, furniture)

3) Leading workshops with construction workers to teach them how to build with bamboo (nickname vegetable steel)So I have fallen in love with this line of work. To the point where I have almost signed up for so much that my Peace Corps work took a back seat for a little while. I have pulled back from my bamboo craze (a bit) and incorporated it in my PC projects. How so you ask? Well let me tell you!I am working with two high schools to implement treated water, soap in the bathrooms, and a number or other initiatives that the teachers and parents prioritized. In one high school, they want to develop a small business selling organic banana marmalade and chifles (fried banana chips). In order to develop the local market, we are going to build a bamboo kiosk, which they can sell their products during special events (holidays, soccer and volleyball games) and during the peak tourist season (June-September). The other high school wants to install a bamboo-shading device to cover their courtyard that they use for many different events (graduations, volleyball, school-wide presentations).In addition to shade, we hope to train the local carpenters how to build bamboo furniture so that we can have benches, chairs, and tables to facilitate a space the community can use throughout the year. The municipality has been searching for someone to help improve their tourism. After a few conversations with a motivated socio in the municipality, we are going to install various bamboo projects to promote their tourism.So clearly I am up to my ears with opportunities, BUT I have to turn a lot of them down because I am not volunteering my 2 years in Peru to be a free source of design services. I am having trouble saying no at the moment because I really want to improve my design skills, especially in regard to bamboo.
They were very receptive to my impromptu visit and reinforced my already budding appreciation for the “vegetative steel”. After a devastating earthquake in 2009, they offered their design services to the various NGOs that rushed to the disaster area of Ica, southern Peru.They designed a simple bamboo home that could be built with a tight budget and little technical training. They also designed a beautiful bamboo church, and a 2 story bamboo house, all of which I hope to visit in my next trip down to Lima.
I am very fortunate to work in an area that has so much support from an amazing NGO (Progresso), and I hope to have more photos and stories to share in the future!

Peace Corps_A year in review

Well, when one goes on a 6 month hiatus from blogging, it is quite difficult to know where to pick up. I have decided to write about one theme of my life in the following posts. I will start with the most relevant: WORK! Themes to come: personal discoveries, vacations and who knows what else?!

This week I will post a rough draft of a portfolio I have been putting together. It describes my service until this point. Next post will be about my FUTURE work, which I am very excited about. 

Teaser- Healthy schools project, latrines project 2 hours hike up the mountain, bamboo furniture/architecture with INBAR (an NGO from China), recycling program, small business with students (jam and fried plantains), an eco-park designed with bamboo, tires, and much much more.

Enjoy!

The past 18 months, I have learned a lot about myself, the world outside of the United States and what I want to do with my life. I am very blessed to have the opportunity to put my skills to use for those who NEED them. It is very hard to say no, so I am operating at capacity right now. 

If there are any designers who would like to help with some bamboo projects (shade, simple houses and digitizing furniture designs) please to not hesitate to contact me! (david.witte.2030@gmail.com). We need YOU!

Future posts will come much sooner that 6 months, I promise.

Take care,

David Witte

America!

Oh where to start?

A LOT has happened since my last post, but I’ll keep this one about my trip back home. The week leading up to my return seemed to drag on forever. Even the trip back refused to end. There was a 16 hour bus ride to Lima, a 4 hour flight to Panama, an 8 hour layover, another 5 hour flight, and FINALLY, touchdown in Chicago. My oldest sister Mary Beth was waiting for me around midnight. It was really nice to see a familiar face. I actually gave her two hello hugs just for good measure.

On the way back to her apartment, we stopped at a CVS to grab some midnight treats. The CVS smell was as overwhelming as the selection of tasty beer. We decided upon a variety pack of 312. I got to say hi to space ghost and Sam, but only for a second because I had to catch the early MegaBus back home to Grand Rapids.

I live in a very lush part of Perú, but its in the mountains. Driving home was really great because I got to see the familiar, flat, green fields of Michigan. At this point I was too excited to really concentrate much. My youngest sister Emily picked me up from the bus stop and then we met my parents for a welcome back lunch at Sami’s in Eastown. Now Sami’s has been around for a very long time. Its this middle eastern deli that’s kinda set up like a Subway where you can pick all your favorite toppings for you Gyro. Sami, the business owner, was working the register so I had to tell him that I had been out of the country for almost a year, and that he was my first stop. My mom got a pita filled with falafel while I got a classic gyro, filled with all the good stuff. Oh it was heaven with a side of Arizona raspberry iced tea (which I was happy to see was still only $1 for the huge can)

Now I could go on an on about all the food that I ate. In fact it could be its own blog post. Now don’t get me wrong, Perú has a lot of really great food. But there are some comfort foods that just cant be replaced. Here are a few of my favorite things:

I also decided to do a little work at home. The third goal of the peace corps is to share the culture that you learned about with Americans. My favorite aspect of culture happens to be food (surprised?). So I decided to bring back some of my favorite (and most portable) parts of Peruvian cuisine: Fried plantains, canchita (think corn nuts but better), Chicha Morada (purple corn drink), Paneton (the holiday bread thats a mix between fruitcake and angle-food cake), and of course the tasty Peruvian pepper Ají.

I came to realize that there are some things that I never knew I took for granted. The first and most important was ice water. I think my mother passed this habit along to me, but I often need to have a tall glass, completely filled with ice, then topped off with water. The unlimited supply of clean, ice cold water really made my day.

Other things that really felt great were:

• Driving. Okay, I admit I did speed for a while, just for the thrill. I drove around Reeds Lake, which I had intended to bike, but just ran out of time.
• Taking a long hot shower with full pressure and drying off with soft towels, stepping onto a dry bathroom floor. I felt like I was in a spa.
• Cooking with a Teflon pan. Who knew you didn’t have to use two tablespoons of oil to fry an egg?
• Drinking a Bells Two-Hearted IPA from tap. The first sip was beyond description.
• Hooking up the Nintendo 64 and playing MarioCart with Emily.
• Rediscovering my earthly possessions: It was a very odd experience rummaging through all of the things I had left behind. I was slowly remembering who I was before I left. Oh yeah, I did buy this padfolio, and Oh! I forgot that I bought that yellow button up from GoodWill right before I left! It was kinda like finding 100 Christmas presents that someone with your taste (yourself) gave to you all at once.
• Sleeping with a Temprapedic pillow.
• Driving by my old work in Ann Arbor, just as the band was practicing Hail to the Victors at Elbel Field.
• Chilling on the diag, eating Sushi.com and dramatically running to give Johanna a spinning hug.
• A visit to the Evans House during “work week”. The smell of that house brought back a flash of memories and feelings that put a huge smile on my face. I introduced myself to the 75% of the people in the house who I didn’t know, and most of them said “So YOU are David Witte! We keep getting all your junk mail!” I had a great night in Ann Arbor that ended up with 2 Late-night specials from Cottage Inn.
• Visiting Eric’s cottage and going for a swim. The taste and smell of the lake-water was all that I needed to fulfill a Michigan summer. I even stuck my feet down in the muck just to get the full effect.
• Oh yeah, and my sisters WEDDING!

The wedding:

First off, let me just say that when two artistic people get married, you automatically know that the wedding is going to be a blast. I mean, its not everyday that you find a venue that has a 15 foot mirror behind the head table that slides back to reveal a kickass band. 

Add the photobooth, open bar and all the family that you’ve missed for the past year, and its like all of the holidays thrown into one. That being said, it flew by way to fast and I felt like I barely had time to say hello before it was time to say goodbye. 

Luckily the night before they had a little get together at Audiotree which has huge canvases of Sam’s artwork all over the walls. And the roof top was open, which a great view of the Chicago skyline. Anna flew in from Seattle, where she just started Americorps. I beat her to the Peace Corps, which I know she always wanted to do first, but I know she will have an amazing time in Seattle.

The wedding ceremony was outside, in Lincoln Park. It was 94 degrees outside and the groomsmen were placed in the sun. But really it wasn’t that bad, because it was a short ceremony and I was filled with so many other emotions that there really wasn’t room to feel the discomfort. It was not your traditional service, being as it was lead by a Hindu “priest”, but I thought it was amazing. 

 

Every member of the wedding party had a reading that really spoke to their personality. Here is the reading that they picked out for me:

"It is important to find out exactly what makes you happy, peaks your interest and quenches your thirst for knowledge. Therefore work will not feel like a chore and success will come naturally." Sepp Holtzer

Like I said, it fit me perfectly. Ever since my senior year of college, I have been living with this philosophy. And to tell you the truth, coming to Perú and leaving all my comforts behind has really made me realize what makes me happy: my family. 

The 10 days that I was home, I was ecstatic. I felt like I was on top of the world. It had nothing to do with the good food, the fast internet, or the warm showers but everything to do with the love that I was feeling from all those around me. I could see it in their faces that they missed me and I could hear it in their laughter how bad my jokes still were. And I felt it in my heart when I had to say goodbye to my nieces yet again. But those 10 days really reaffirmed that I am blessed to have such an amazing family who will be there when I come back. I love you all.

PS: Mya can walk and talk now! (ABCs Video) A year changes a lot with those little girls.