Made in America

This is the perfect book for someone like me. First of all, I've become a good Bryson fan; he's funny, a bit irreverent, and has a great take on life. Made in America illustrates the growth of American English over the years since the Pilgrims landed. Along the way, he covers an enormous amount of American history, business, politics, and pop culture. I love language and I've always been interested in how languages evolve, especially our American version of English, now that I realize how very different it is from the English spoken by Brits, Australians, New Zealanders, and other native English speakers. Plus, all the history trivia will come in handy some day, I just know it.

I found the chapter on the Age of Invention very interesting. It was a time when the rich indulged themselves heavily and obviously, while those people who sustained their wealth toiled in misery (in one town in Massachusetts at the turn of the century 36% of factory workers didn't live past the age of 25). Words like slum, sweatshop, and tenement came into play. In fact, tenement used to describe any apartment-type building, but by the 1840s in America, where only the poor lived in shared housing, it became a pejorative name for building inhabited by the poor and immigrants. Almost 70 years ago, people who lived in shared housing were considered lower-class! It's hard to reconcile that with our recent trip to Egypt where, after a week I was unable to get a picture that accurately captured how indescribably dense the housing was there. It speaks to the luxury of space that we've enjoyed for so long.

America has had a long history of tinkering. Often things were invented by people in their spare time, by an obsessive idea (Charles Goodyear and vulcanized rubber) or to help a friend out (Eli Whitney and the cotton gin). The word pragmatic appeared in 1863 to describe the kinds of inventions America excelled at turning out. Many great technological inventions--the car, the radio, radar, computers, and jet engines--were created in Europe. America certainly kept up its own end of that deal (telephones and light bulbs) but tended to focus more on conveniences that involved less complex systems.

Through most of this chapter I kept wondering "why?" Why are we a nation of tinkerers and inventors? Why were we/are we obsessed with making something better? Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Ben Franklin were all tinkerers. What has made us stand apart in this respect? And for so long? And furthermore, why NOT other countries, like, say, Tanzania? Obviously, we have greatly benefitted from tremendous resources, a stable government, and an economic system that rewards efforts, but given some of those things, shouldn't others do the same? If someone is shown a way to do something in a way that is more efficient or more beneficial and has the resources and the knowledge to do it, wouldn't they?

Which, of course, is a central issue of development work. Mark's parents have been visiting and have commented many times on things that are inefficient or unproductive and have offered up very simple ways to change. Some issues are problematic at a very large level. A person can't change because the systems that person depends on aren't changed. But other times, a solution appears to be relatively easy to solve, yet things continue on. Even when given materials, training, and an eye to cultural differences. Why?

I've come to see less of the "failings" or problems of Tanzania as much as an increased awareness of my own privelege--of education, of my government, my history--things that I have very little control over or have done, but have shaped an attitude and an outlook on the world that I can't assume others share. Working with someone or a group that will acknowledge a problem, understand ways to address it, but not do it when faced with a practical situation is very challenging. Why is it easy for me to address that situation, but not this other person? Tanzanians very much want to join the rest of the world. They want to be more modern, more developed. Some of the things have gotten us as Americans to where we are are in significant conflict with the values of Tanzania. Others aren't. Nothing is easy when you approach things from two such vastly different perspectives. I certainly don't want Tanzania to be a little America, or even more like America necessarily. I think it would be best for the country to forge its own identity, creating itself the way we've been doing for the past 200 years. I don't know that will be done. I just know that it won't be done by simply showing people something new or different. Clearly, as Bryson illustrates, there is something very unique about us as Americans, something that we can be proud of. But when we look at the rest of the world, we should at acknowledge the benefits and opportunities that we have derived simply by being American, benefits and opportunities we enjoy without having to earn. We continue to stand on the shoulders of giants.

Temple of Philae

Wow. That's just about anyone could say when they see the Temple of Philae. Wow.
You can get a sense of how big the temple was by looking at tiny Cameron on the right below the carvings of Isis and Osiris (which are also on the right of the picture on the left). It's even more amazing to consider the entire temple was dismantled and rebuilt in in the 1970s because it was constantly flooded from the Nile. Each block was mapped and recorded and reassembled to within less than 1/4 inch accuracy.

The temple was built to honor the goddess Isis, the greatest of the Egyptian gods, who was worshipped even throughout the Roman empire. Early Christians who arrived built an altar in the temple, added crosses next to the doors and scratched out the faces on many of the carvings, as the later-arriving Muslims.

Osiris, the king of Egypt, and Isis, his queen, was beloved by all his people. But his brother Seth was jealous and plotted against him to take over the throne. One day Osiris held a big banquet for his court. Seth was also invited. This was the moment he had long waited for. He began to describe a wonderful coffin that he had been given. It was indeed beautiful, made of the finest wood and gilded and painted. He promised to give it as a gift to whomever fitted exactly into it. And as he already had acquired Osiris´measures, the king was the only one that fitted into the coffin, and when he was persuaded into taking place in it, Seth´s accomplices quickly nailed the lid to it and while the rest of the court was held back, it was taken away and thrown into the Nile where the current carried it away. Later, Seth and his men were out hunting nearby. When he happened upon the casket, he recognized it, realized his treachery might be found out and feared that Isis would punish him. He broke into it and tore Osiris´ body into several pieces which he spread out all over the land. Only then did he feel safe that Isis would not be able to find them.

For many long, sorrowful years Isis searched the lands. Wherever she found a piece of Osiris´ body, she erected an altar, giving thanks to the gods. When at last all the parts had been assembled, Isis made Osiris into the first mummy. She then proceeded to use her powerful magic and breathed new life into Osiris and so she was able to conceive the child Horus. After this Osiris became in time the King of the Land of the Dead, while Horus fought against his uncle Set and won his father´s throne and became the Living King of Egypt and the first of the pharoahs, all of whom claim to be descended from the gods.

Of course, it looks pretty fantastic at night, too.

The sound and light show was cheezy to be sure but well worth it to see the temple at night. We giggled at the girls leaving behind us who were very insulted at the show--"It was just lights and a recorded soundtrack," they said. "I thought there would be actors. I thought it would be a play." So not everyone is familiar with the concept.

The temple glowed like it was lit from within. We enjoyed watching a couple cats (worshipped in ancient times and still very common today) sitting quietly on wall watching the proceedings.

Ava enjoyed working on her modeling career. Noah tried to wedge himself into a stone chair. If his skinny little bottom couldn't fit in easily, we wondered just who that chair was for!

One of the things that amazed us at every turn was the detailing of the carvings, especially the hieroglyphics. Everywhere you look, stories, inventories, and records are kept using hieroglyphics. Given how time-consuming it would be to write using that alphabet, it's hard to imagine the number of people and hours it would have taken to do the work. The images are carved in bas relief (where the image is raised from the surface) and low relief (where the image is carved into the surface). So much time has passed, so many millions of people have visited (10 million people per year visit Egypt) and yet the images still appear so new in so many instances.

Aswan

Next stop, Aswan, home of the Aswan High Dam (which really didn't merit a picture). Behind it is Lake Nasser, the world's largest artificial lake (unless the Three Gorges Dam in China is going to beat it--I read somewhere that that lake will be 1/3 the size of the state of California and visible from space). It was heavily guarded as it supplies most of the electricity to the country. It's an interesting study--it has controlled flooding, increased farmable land, and provided electricity. On the other hand it has eliminated the flow of silt that has been essential to renewing the nutrients in the soil. This has led to heavy uses of artificial fertilizers and the canals are now hotbeds of parasites that cause infections.

We had a day to wander around before our cruise left. We visited the souq (market) where we got our first introduction to the Middle Eastern version of the tourist pitch (ack!) and a carriage ride. These carriages were everywhere and horses are used frequently to pull carts as well (as are donkeys, longer legged and much quicker than their Tanzanian cousins!) Ava, of course, loved seeing the horses, but was bothered by how thin and worn so many of them seemed. We had a lot of talks about "Black Beauty" and how he and his friend Ginger were treated and how we can be good caretakers of God's creatures.

Feluccas are the traditional boat on the Nile. I pictured them to look more like the dhows we see in Dar and the coast but they look more like traditional sailboats. They are beautiful! The Nile really is a lifeline through the Sahara. There is a narrow band of green on both sides, then abruptly the desert begins and stretches for as far as you can see. And where there's desert, there is really absolutely nothing but sand and rocks. It seems impossible to live anywhere but that narrow band of green.

A lot of the granite that was used in monuments in and near Cairo (although not the pyramids) came from quarries in Aswan. In one of the quarries there is an unfinished obelisk that was smoothed and finished on 3 sides before it was abandoned. Apparently there was a flaw in the base that would have prevented the obelisk from being finished and displayed. If finished it would have been the largest monument made from a single piece of rock. You can see the holes drilled along the sides where they placed plugs of sycamore wood and then soaked them with water. As the wood expanded, it split the rock and allowed the workers to cut the obelisk out. You can also see the tracks where large blocks of granite were dragged and removed for building.

This was not one of the more interesting things to see for our group. I overheard someone wonder aloud why they made a monument out of something that they weren't able to do, when there are so many extraordinary monuments they did so well! After one of those "stand around and look a bit and go 'hmmmm', we decided that making shadow pictures proved to be a lot more entertaining! Imagine, hieroglyphics thousands of years old enhanced by 21st century sillouettes!

We had some time on the boat before heading to the temple of Philae so of course our fish had to go check out the pool. The cruise boats look a lot like the paddlewheel boats on the Mississippi. We even saw one with a faux wheel. There are about 250 cruise ships that move up and down between Aswan and Luxor (a distance that takes about 2 hours by car) so everywhere we looked we saw other boats. As it turned out, the weather was a bit cool and with the breeze generated by the boat's movement, the water proved too chilly for even Noah and Ava (although they diligently tried numerous times).

Memphis (but not Elvis), Khufu, Khufre, and the Big Guy

One of the first things that struck us in Egypt was how accessible the monuments are. Touchable, in fact. In the US, everything would be behind ropes, under plexiglass, and kept safely away from fingers and breathing. Here, virtually everything is displayed in a way that doesn't encourage touching, but doesn't prevent it, either. The other thing that continually amazed us is how much has survived. Things are out in the open, in the sun, exposed to exhaust fumes and whatever else, and the detailing (like the Anubis on Amenhotep's sarcophagus (from 1290 BC) is still so clear and easy to see.

Egypt used to be divided into 2 kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt. When they were united in about 3100 BC, the capital was located in a place called Memphis. Most of the temples and monuments here have disappeared, but the huge statue of Ramses II (the building was built around the statue where it was found) was well worth the quick stop.

The Egyptian pharoahs did nothing on a small scale. If a statue was good, a huge statue was better. If one looked great, then 10 were 10 times more impressive. The statue of Ramses II was originally over 40 feet tall!

The first sphinx we saw was sculpted from a single piece of alabaster. The sphinx measures approximately 13 feet high and 24 feet long and weighs an estimated 80 tons. Looking at how well-preserved it is gives an idea of what the more famous Sphinx must have been like!

What is the oldest stone monument? Not Stonehenge, or the Great Wall, or even "the" pyramids. It's the Step Pyramid, built in 2650 BC. Like most of the monuments we saw, it was buried under sand until the 19th century when the French and English arrived. Saqqara, where the pyramid is located, was the site of a huge cemetary for Memphis. Originally it was about 7 km (4 miles) long. An enormous funerary complex surrounded it, part of which is still visible today.

While trying to perfect a smooth-sided pyramid, archictects began building a step-type pyramid. Partway through finishing what was going to be a 300 foot tall pyramid, the foundation began to crack. The only way to salvage the work was to reduce the angle of the pyramid. This gave the Bent pyramid its name.

It's hard to describe the feeling of standing in front of something so iconic, something you've seen thousands of times in magazines and parodied on television and in movies. Harder still to describe the massive impact the momument has on visitors. I felt absolutely dwarfed and rather insignificant. Approximately 2.5 million blocks, each weighing 2.5 tons, were used to build the largest pyramid which is 479 feet tall!

The pyramid of Khafre still has the original limestone cap, giving an idea of what they looked like when they were whole. We were able to go inside--the passage was about 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall, angling very sharply downhill, then very sharply uphill. At the end was the room where the sarcophagus was found. Because everyone knew that these monuments were for pharoahs, it was pretty easy to know where the treasure was, so nothing has been found within them of any note.

One of the highlights for Ava (ok, and me, too) was a quick jaunt on horseback around the pyramids. Anyone who thinks it's just camels has not watched enough desert movies ala Lawrence of Arabia, or read "The Black Stallion." You could ride a camel, but everyone knows the cool sheiks rode the Arabian horses. Including Ava, who made the guide eventually get off his horse so she could ride alone. The best part was that we could ride anywhere as fast or slow as we wanted, not in a nose-to-tail line. Giddyap!

The Sphinx can inspire awe. Or it can inspire people to try to take silly pictures. The Greeks gave it the name because it reminded them of the monster with the woman's head and lion's body who asked the riddles and killed anyone who couldn't answer them. Khafre had the Sphinx carved from the bedrock, rather than removing it. Considering it is one of the most identifiable sights in the world, it is one that our guide had the least to say about. It was also the most crowded site of the ones we saw in and near Cairo.

PHS Update

I haven't had much to say on the PHS front lately, have I? Students went home for the end-of-year break on December 7th. We determined that all of the students were able to go home to their families. Our social worker and headmistress met with those that had concerns and visited the families and students over the break. We expect all of them to return on January 14 for the first day of the new school year. Students will be beginning Form 1, the first year of secondary school. This brings new subjects taught by the new teachers that have been hired.

Applications have been sent out and exams are being scheduled for the next round of student selection. Those of you who have been reading know that this is a hugely important yet very time-consuming process to determine that only the neediest students are admitted to PHS. This year we will be doing the selection while operating the school, which adds a new (and now ongoing) dimension to juggling all the things that need to be done! We expect to have the selection done in time to provide a much longer "pre-Form" preparation for this next group of 120 students.

Construction--continues. December is a time when just about everything slows down as people take their annual leaves. In addition to standard holidays, Tanzanian workers are allowed 28 consecutive days off. Many are not always able to take the full 28 days at one time, but many do and often the bulk of that time is taken in December.

We continue to look forward to visitors and volunteers that bring their talents and enthusiasm to the project. Dana, a PHF board member, and his wife are joining us for a few weeks in January. We have a group visiting from Luther College (go NORSE!) this week and 3 nurses at the end of the month doing health screening and hygeine instruction. We have an ESL teacher from New Mexico for 3 days also coming the end of January or early February who will be doing some teacher training on improving English skills in content areas.

Project 640 will be returning for another week of work in February. We hope to see our good friend Brad, a retired school administrator, this spring as well for more teacher training and some help with student selection.

This summer we'll host another week of teachers as well as a few guys from Duke University who will be working on extracurricular and sports activities with the students. Pastor Bob from Peace Lutheran Church and his family will also be visiting and working this summer.

We also have several "maybes" in the works. Whew!

Gina Goodgame, Max's wife, has joined the PHS team here in Tanzania. She will be taking over the volunteer coordination. She has had considerable experience working here in TZ with volunteers with Young Life and is a terrific addition to the project here. I'll be spending more time doing things on the teaching side, assisting with administrative tasks, and continuing with work on the library. I'll stay more involved with volunteers and groups that have a specific educational focus.

As always, KARIBUNI! We'd love to have you!

Another Side to Voting

With Iowa behind and New Hampshire (and all of this year) ahead, I still haven't quite decided if I'm relieved not to be innundated with all the politics. We definitely feel out of the loop--we know what happens, but not in any real depth unless we spend considerable amounts of time trolling the internet, which is my least favorite way of getting news. The international news does provide a quick overview but nothing in depth. I get tired of the the long buildup, of primaries and soundbites so heavily impacting on the final outcomes, of conservatives and liberals telling me that I'm not a "good" Christian or a "good" American if I don't vote a certain way. I get tired of people campaigning on an image or in response to polls instead of just being honest and talking to their constituents. I get tired of candidates saying they won't run negative campaigns while they run those very campaigns. I get tired of the state of fear that many political leaders seem to want to keep us in, that we are going to be attacked or annihiliated at any moment and seem so much less concerned with some of the other problems that our country is facing.

Then Kenya had its presidential elections. In the wake of what is clearly a botched election, 300 people were killed (including an incident where a church filled with people was set on fire) and some 250,000 people have been displaced as a result of the rioting and looting. This, in a country that is often held up as a symbol of progress in East Africa.

Then Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan. The first women leader of a Middle Eastern country died attempting to bring some form of democracy to what many call the most dangerous country in the world.

What can any of us do about these kinds of things that happen in countries all around the world? How is it that we have been able to live within a government system that works so well that a large percentage of us can't even be bothered to get out and vote? Our friends were in Nairobi over Christmas and saw lines of people that waited 8 or 9 hours to cast their vote. That's how important, how powerful, the idea of democracy is. That's how badly people hunger for a voice. How long would any of us be willing to wait in November to cast our vote?

Lord knows our own system has its considerable flaws. Yet it's the system most of the world seems to look to when they talk about democracy. How then, is it possible to be complacent? I can't change things in Pakistan or Kenya or any of the other places that experience such terrible hardships in areas we take for granted. What I can do is stop taking things for granted. I can take advantage of and appreciate and use wisely those things that I have been given. Like the ability to access information and news to make an informed decision. Like the freedom to express my opinion and vote in safety. I'm committed now to taking more time to learn about the people that claim to represent my interests. To think about those issues that are important to me and understand what the candidates have said and done in those areas to look beyond the clever soundbites and platitudes. It's the only way I can think of to respect the freedoms that I've been given and respect the efforts of those that want the same.

Rats.

Literally. We have them in the house. I know this because Ruka has dispatched 3 nice sized ones--2 upstairs in our bathrooms and one down in the dining room. What I can't figure out is where they're living. We have a storeroom full of food and no sign of the nasty buggers there or anywhere else. What we get instead is a mournful yowling in the middle of the night that announces the latest fatality.


I'm left wondering if the cat's pace is sufficient to eliminate the rats. Rats are, by all accounts, very intelligent. And Ruka is very, very, very good at what he does. Will they realize that and pick up and leave? Or am I going to have to be more involved than simply dragging myself out of bed to shut the cat up and then badgering Mark to puh-leaze get rid of the carcass before the cat disembowels it all over the room (which, sad to say, I have personal experience with and which is a lot harder to clean up).

And finally, am I supposed to be relieved that the cat is taking his job seriously? Or sincerely bothered that he's brought a potentially disgusting problem to my attention?

It's not often a person would feel the need to update a blog entry a few hours after it was written. Make that a few hours and 2 more dead rats after it was written. Seriously, I heard this terrible growling noise. First I thought someone was snoring. Nope. Then I was sure it was the dogs and had a complete burglar flashback panic attack, until I saw them snoozing under the tree. THEN, I saw the cat. He was growling that loudly over his latest prize/victim. It was another biggie. I could not get him to drop it and the idea of cleaning up shredded rat tomorrow morning was too disgusting to contemplate. I had to finally wake Mark up because the it was a race--the cat eating and Mark whacking him with a stick.

One rat = eww.
Two rats = ewwww yuck.
Three rats = where are these things coming from?!
Four + rats = OMG what is happening and why is my skin crawling?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the plus side I have a completely amazing cat. He's not messing around. He's past amateur status and is definitely on the pro circuit now.

No, forget it. There can't be a plus side to large rats.

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,

Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown

And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,

The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains: round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

-Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1818

Ozymandias was another name of Ramses II. The name is a translation into Greek of a part of Ramses’ throne name. The sonnet paraphrases the inscription on the base of the statue as "King of Kings am I, Osymandias. If anyone would know how great I am and where I lie, let him surpass one of my works."

The Hillmans and the Pharoahs

Warning: Mummy pics, in case you're a bit freaked.

Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) Famous for building Abu Simbel, the giant monument that was moved several hundred yards away from Lake Nasser to preserve it after the Aswan High Dam was built. He also contributed to the temple at Luxor

For all the iconic images of Egypt, let's face it--none of it would be there if it weren't for these guys (and a gal). The Pharaonic period lasted approximately 3,000 years and the many of the surviving temples and tombs were built by these pharoahs. Standing in the tombs, looking at the paintings, walking through the temples was a feeling of...smallness. The ancient Egyptians put their belief in the afterlife above everything else and dedicated their lives to their eventual deaths. We touched hieroglyphics that were 4,000 years old and climbed on blocks cut by impossibly ancient workers. It was surreal to see the images that I've seen all my life on the pages of National Geographic and to be able to first stand in the temples built thousands of years ago, and then see the actual men (well, mummies) that were responsible for their construction. I've never been to Europe to see the cathedrals or the Sistene Chapel or the Louvre, but I am convinced that these works rival anything that has ever been accomplished by humans on earth. The size and scope of the work boggles the mind.

Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) His rule represented the peak of ancient Egypt's power and prestige and was marked by some of the greatest architectural achievements, including the Colossi of Memnon (probably the largest temple constructed, although only 2 statues remain) and the temple at Luxor.

We were so fortunate to be able to spend 8 days in Egypt. We flew to Cairo and saw the pyramids and the Sphinx, then headed down to Aswan to see the temple of Philae, built to honor Osiris and Isis. Then it was up the Nile to Luxor, stopping at the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu along the way. We stopped in Esna to have some Turkish coffee and smoke shisha. In Luxor we took in the Valley of the Kings (which we all agreed was the most amazing of the sights), the Luxor and Karnak temples, and the temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

Queen Hatshepsut (died 1458 BC) married her half-brother Thutmosis II. Because the successor to the throne was too young (Thutmosis III, whose mother was another wife) she became regent and then a pharoah, ruling for 20 years.

Then it was back to Cairo to see the oldest Christian churches in Egypt. One of them is built over the place where Mary and Joseph stayed after the birth of Jesus when they were warned by the angel not to return home but go to Egypt instead. We also saw a spectacular mosque (Cairo used to be known as the City of 1,000 minarets) built in the 5th century, one that I think must rival any of Europe's cathedrals.

Thutmosis III (1479-1425 BC) was one of the first to build his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. He was considered the Napolean of ancient Egypt and expanded Egypt's empire into what is now Syria. He built the festival hall and gardens at Karnak and a chapel at the temple of Hatshepsut.

We took some final time for shopping at the Khan al-Khalili district, where the sales techniques and smooth talking were like nothing I've ever seen and eating (Pizza Hut was hands down the favorite) before heading home.