I'm in Kigali airport right now...in Rwanda. Waiting for the flight to Mumbai. I've learnt a lot this past week. About South Africa. About Africa. In general.
It was a different sorta trip. I was teaching health IT to doctors. It was a lot of fun for me. After a point, it was just like how we do workshops and training in the office. If your pipe is clear and you connect, it flows. From somewhere.
Anyways. Sikhum...dropped me today morning to the airport. On the way, a cow had just been hit by a vehicle. On the highway. There were already people. He said one to cut with a knife...others to take the meat. Quick.
At the end of the training, many docs said, "you've made a big difference to my life" or "changed my life" or "demystified technology"...and so on. One of them, Busi...she said, many are saying that you changed their life...we must give you a sheep. Sikhum...said since he's vegetarian, we must give him cabbages.
Later at night at dinner at Ebony (it's the restaurant with snakes on the logo). Both Ziya...and Sikhum...explained the significance of the sheep. That it's common in their culture to give someone sheep in honor. Ziya...said during her first graduation, someone gifted her a live chicken. And she was very touched by it. She gave it to her cousin to safeguard. I asked how would someone take a sheep? They said by tying its legs etc.
My views on animals have constantly evolved this past year and more. Ever since that Sapiens book.
It's an integral part of a lot of people.
Umtata...the older name of Mthatha is a medicinal plant. I wanted to know more about it. But didn't. Ziya said people go on treks along the coast. Wild coast it says...because none of it is developed. It's as it is...
Mthatha is surrounded by mountains. Morning drive to the airport was beautiful. Clouds. Resting gently amidst mountains.
I'm quite tired...the journey's been long. My back is sore.
WSU was cool. The infrastructure and buildings are all in place. The hospital is also next door. Though I didn't go in. People were very cool. Pat the pulmonologist with 40 years experience...he's the only one around. Khulil...the only interventional cardiologist around. And yet they were easy, relaxed, learning and happy.
Pat gave a vote of thanks in the end. This after closing comments.
I learnt there are 3 Nelson Mandela museums. I didn't go to any. Even his house.
I learnt about South African politics quite a bit. This Dec everyone is watershed event for ANC. It's just so odd...country after country...people go crazy with this power thing. Forgetting what they are here for. I was reading in the Economist that Ugandan leader also doesn't want to let go - he's 73. It's repetitive in Africa particularly. I also learnt of the Gupta brothers who are apparently missing now. So much corruption. People have therefore the attitude that either they need to take from the government or someone else will. Where will the respect for a government be?
The are so many languages. People intermingling. Mthatha is Xhosa people. Apparently they are intellectual. Xulus are more warriors. Sikhum...told me about his dad...he spoke 9 languages including Greek. SA takes on languages from Botswana (Tswana...his wife spoke Tswana) and Sesotho (from Lesotho)...these country lines are actually arbitrary. Europeans made it. The tribes are all divided.
I sense a stronger unification of Africa. People are mixing more freely. Working more freely together. There's pride.
Actually it's all very cool. When I compare business travels here vs the western world...it's different here. Both of challenges. That's all polished. Here it seems more closer to the ground. Earth.
Rwanda seems to be doing well. Called the land of a thousand hills. Might come back for the primates.
Another thing I learnt more on-the-ground...was about the apartheid. WSU is a black university. A few others...like wits...were originally white. There's a great struggle to uplift the locals. And it takes generations and generations. People make stupid decisions. Those wrong ideologies have impact for hundred+ years.
I met and spoke to many others. Like Nina from Guatemala. She seeded that idea of buying a tent. Going to Namibia. A desert. Just simply staying. She said as much...you will feel invincible. It's just you and the earth. Everyone lives. Animals. You. Earth. We spoke on the flight from Kigali to Joburg.
And there was another lady...don't know her name...she was Xulu...I managed to ask her about her hair. She had red streaks. She was going to Kigali for training in finance. The co was Rwandan...and she told me all about hair, her daughter's hair is smooth so you can't braid easily...that some people leave braids on for 10 years...to maintain you have to go to the salon...when her daughter was born and she was breastfeeding...the nurse was shocked and mistakenly thought it was someone else's baby she was feeding...because of the smooth hair vs harder African hair...funny :)
People have generally been very nice and warm. Mz...talked about Cuba. He trained as a doc there for 6 years. That place.
Rwanda will grow...small country but you can get the sense that they are trying. I ate samosa and a chapati-roll in the airport. Food hasn't been that much of a problem. During training the chef made something with soya for me. It was tasty. At Ebony restaurant that veggie wrap was delicious.
Chalo...later then...
[mint published this - https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/38Do5EvmgCjw1gvuE7sZRL/Bringing-home-a-sheep-from-Mthatha.html]
It was a different sorta trip. I was teaching health IT to doctors. It was a lot of fun for me. After a point, it was just like how we do workshops and training in the office. If your pipe is clear and you connect, it flows. From somewhere.
Anyways. Sikhum...dropped me today morning to the airport. On the way, a cow had just been hit by a vehicle. On the highway. There were already people. He said one to cut with a knife...others to take the meat. Quick.
At the end of the training, many docs said, "you've made a big difference to my life" or "changed my life" or "demystified technology"...and so on. One of them, Busi...she said, many are saying that you changed their life...we must give you a sheep. Sikhum...said since he's vegetarian, we must give him cabbages.
Later at night at dinner at Ebony (it's the restaurant with snakes on the logo). Both Ziya...and Sikhum...explained the significance of the sheep. That it's common in their culture to give someone sheep in honor. Ziya...said during her first graduation, someone gifted her a live chicken. And she was very touched by it. She gave it to her cousin to safeguard. I asked how would someone take a sheep? They said by tying its legs etc.
My views on animals have constantly evolved this past year and more. Ever since that Sapiens book.
It's an integral part of a lot of people.
Umtata...the older name of Mthatha is a medicinal plant. I wanted to know more about it. But didn't. Ziya said people go on treks along the coast. Wild coast it says...because none of it is developed. It's as it is...
Mthatha is surrounded by mountains. Morning drive to the airport was beautiful. Clouds. Resting gently amidst mountains.
I'm quite tired...the journey's been long. My back is sore.
WSU was cool. The infrastructure and buildings are all in place. The hospital is also next door. Though I didn't go in. People were very cool. Pat the pulmonologist with 40 years experience...he's the only one around. Khulil...the only interventional cardiologist around. And yet they were easy, relaxed, learning and happy.
Pat gave a vote of thanks in the end. This after closing comments.
I learnt there are 3 Nelson Mandela museums. I didn't go to any. Even his house.
I learnt about South African politics quite a bit. This Dec everyone is watershed event for ANC. It's just so odd...country after country...people go crazy with this power thing. Forgetting what they are here for. I was reading in the Economist that Ugandan leader also doesn't want to let go - he's 73. It's repetitive in Africa particularly. I also learnt of the Gupta brothers who are apparently missing now. So much corruption. People have therefore the attitude that either they need to take from the government or someone else will. Where will the respect for a government be?
The are so many languages. People intermingling. Mthatha is Xhosa people. Apparently they are intellectual. Xulus are more warriors. Sikhum...told me about his dad...he spoke 9 languages including Greek. SA takes on languages from Botswana (Tswana...his wife spoke Tswana) and Sesotho (from Lesotho)...these country lines are actually arbitrary. Europeans made it. The tribes are all divided.
I sense a stronger unification of Africa. People are mixing more freely. Working more freely together. There's pride.
Actually it's all very cool. When I compare business travels here vs the western world...it's different here. Both of challenges. That's all polished. Here it seems more closer to the ground. Earth.
Rwanda seems to be doing well. Called the land of a thousand hills. Might come back for the primates.
Another thing I learnt more on-the-ground...was about the apartheid. WSU is a black university. A few others...like wits...were originally white. There's a great struggle to uplift the locals. And it takes generations and generations. People make stupid decisions. Those wrong ideologies have impact for hundred+ years.
I met and spoke to many others. Like Nina from Guatemala. She seeded that idea of buying a tent. Going to Namibia. A desert. Just simply staying. She said as much...you will feel invincible. It's just you and the earth. Everyone lives. Animals. You. Earth. We spoke on the flight from Kigali to Joburg.
And there was another lady...don't know her name...she was Xulu...I managed to ask her about her hair. She had red streaks. She was going to Kigali for training in finance. The co was Rwandan...and she told me all about hair, her daughter's hair is smooth so you can't braid easily...that some people leave braids on for 10 years...to maintain you have to go to the salon...when her daughter was born and she was breastfeeding...the nurse was shocked and mistakenly thought it was someone else's baby she was feeding...because of the smooth hair vs harder African hair...funny :)
People have generally been very nice and warm. Mz...talked about Cuba. He trained as a doc there for 6 years. That place.
Rwanda will grow...small country but you can get the sense that they are trying. I ate samosa and a chapati-roll in the airport. Food hasn't been that much of a problem. During training the chef made something with soya for me. It was tasty. At Ebony restaurant that veggie wrap was delicious.
Chalo...later then...
[mint published this - https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/38Do5EvmgCjw1gvuE7sZRL/Bringing-home-a-sheep-from-Mthatha.html]
