As much as I like engaging in internet bashing and various complaining about privacy issues like we enjoy so much doing in the northern western regions of the planet. I must say that I never saw the value of it more clearly than now that I am overseas in a completely different country in a completely different part of the world.
Cheap, reliable, familiar and readily available electronic communication means has completely altered the way travelling abroad feels like and in this regard alone is incredibly powerful!
It all started deciding to buy this cheap but lightweight and very convenient netbook. This occured 2 weeks before leaving for South Africa. I realized that most of my life and everything that I do as a Canadian resident and French citizen living abroad was done through the web.
I mean important stuff like registering to school, applying for loans, paying my phone bills, managing my money from accounts spread across our vast multi-provincial territory, paying taxes, exerting my right to vote in France, and I'm not even talking about emails. I simply realized that this was our reality and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's so convienient. So I needed a reliable personnal and secure access to the web that was purchased again at a very reasonable price for what it makes possible.
Going back to travelling in the world, flying from Toronto (CANADA) to Johannesburg (SOUTH AFRICA) is a long ordeal. The longest flight that I always known was going across the altantic ocean from the Americas to Europe. On this journey this flight was the shortest leg of the trip! Arriving in Paris airport early in the morning was unbeleivably boring. So I shell out this little computer and noticed that "wi-fi" was available (this is internet over the air). It wasn't free mind you but you could purchased airtime using your credit card directly from your own computer.
That's what I did and I am so glad. I could connect with a friend not asleep in Canada who who was preparing her own trip anxious to go back to Europe have a video conference and fool around. This was one of the nicest and most emotion filled chat I had in my life. On its own right this connection would have been worthwhile but what was almost priceless is being able to do things exactly the same way I am accustomed to. I felt at genuinely at home and didn't feel the distance separating me from my normal life and the 4 hours litteraly flew by without getting tired.
At this point I thought "well, ok France is my country and what if I don't feel jet-lagged I know I can handle this flight". Yes this must be it I have done taken these transtlantic flights before and I'm in my country: this is probably why I feel at home!
then I paid a credit card bill online and proceed to board the 11-hour flight to South Africa being just happy to be awake and ready for it.
I won't talk about the flight itself since it was a cultural immersion on itself and this is worth a dedicated entry.
Let's fastforward to Johannesburg. Johannesburg felt kind of familiar in the sense that it is made of cultural bits and pieces of places I have already lived in in the past so I immediately knew that I will be having a peacefull time adaptation wise.
However on my first day of being at work I came accross my internet again and found that here people are very fond of facebook. They use it the same way me and my friends do, on the same computers with the same softwares. There is no learning curve.
At this moment I felt the same feeling of being at home again, with different people yeah but people that could have as well been just from the next town.
and now i thought this is not Paris, this is South Africa i have never been here before. As a matter of fact Africa is very new to me. there is no way I am getting this homely feeling because of experience and right of citizemship. This is as foreign as it can be ... at least geographically and on paper but not in real life.
I have registered for my course in Toronto and begin applying for my yearly loan today exactly the same way that would have at my place in Canada and this feeling of being at home in "one-world" has not left me since.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
This internship is taking shape!
Today the supervisor gave me the tasks she wants me to complete by the end of the placements and it cannot be better!
I know this is one of the more difficult and stressfull task interns can have for living with students from Waterloo who have to be on internships every other semester. You have a general idea about why you are at this placement, you know it somehow fits into your study plan but you actually don't know how to make yourself useful and even if the people at your placement really have anything for you to do!
Your mileage my vary a bit but fitting in is for sure a challenge for me.
But not this time! When choosing Sci-Bono Discovery Centre as my destination I had an idea about which one of my skills could be useful there and I went through the process based on that...
This skill was however a bit vague: the scientific knowledge that I accumulated while studying in Canada might be of interest to understand and explain exhibits in a science centre...
My first assignement at Sci-Bono was loosely based on that in the sense that I had to help introduce more academic knowledge in the presentation of the exhibits to young pupils.
I went on and devise a little manual for one of the floors here.
It turned out the people at the centre liked it so much that I now have to make little scientific manuals for most of the exhibits at the centre and that what I'll be doing for the remainder of the placement!
It couldn't have been better work-wise and it is so nice to have something useful to offer.
The condition here in South Africa is that science is somehow weak even with demonstrators so it is actually a big help to understand scientifically what is going on in a physics show and feed this knowledge back to the demonstrators.
There it is, I have my purpose and I couldn't be happier :D
Have a nice day and a nice continuation wherever you are reading this from!
I know this is one of the more difficult and stressfull task interns can have for living with students from Waterloo who have to be on internships every other semester. You have a general idea about why you are at this placement, you know it somehow fits into your study plan but you actually don't know how to make yourself useful and even if the people at your placement really have anything for you to do!
Your mileage my vary a bit but fitting in is for sure a challenge for me.
But not this time! When choosing Sci-Bono Discovery Centre as my destination I had an idea about which one of my skills could be useful there and I went through the process based on that...
This skill was however a bit vague: the scientific knowledge that I accumulated while studying in Canada might be of interest to understand and explain exhibits in a science centre...
My first assignement at Sci-Bono was loosely based on that in the sense that I had to help introduce more academic knowledge in the presentation of the exhibits to young pupils.
I went on and devise a little manual for one of the floors here.
It turned out the people at the centre liked it so much that I now have to make little scientific manuals for most of the exhibits at the centre and that what I'll be doing for the remainder of the placement!
It couldn't have been better work-wise and it is so nice to have something useful to offer.
The condition here in South Africa is that science is somehow weak even with demonstrators so it is actually a big help to understand scientifically what is going on in a physics show and feed this knowledge back to the demonstrators.
There it is, I have my purpose and I couldn't be happier :D
Have a nice day and a nice continuation wherever you are reading this from!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Assignment 2 - New place to be for 3 months!
This assignment is supposed to be about our new country, new city, new place for our placement and the similarities and differences from our normal canadian life.
For Marco and me, it's Johannesburg a city in the other southern hemisphere of the planet. Beside being so far away from Canada, there is a major difference between the northern and the southern hemisphere: the season are reversed here!
So there you have it from June to August when this placement is taking place it is actually winter. I still c an beleive that I voluntarely gave up one of our so short Canadian summer, arrggg!
However this is not too bad because even if we are in the most southern country of Africa the temperature still remain easily above freezing with highs of about 15 degrees.
On the same note, something that is very different from Canada is the total lack of insulation whatsoever. This is making our lives difficult in the morning: I don't want to get out of bed!!!
Difference number #1 : The seasons are reversed
After a week of living at a co-worker's place, we finally found a lovely house to stay in a nice neighborhoud. My address is 100 3rd Avenue in Melville.
The landlord is this very sophisticated but very nice white lady Catherine. This is actually the first time I see these two quality go hand-in-hand this nicely.
As said the neighborhoud is great: it is extremely safe. The city itself is manageable but a bit sketchy so it is a major relief to come back home and know that we are safe even at night.
There is also a little strip of night life just outside our door with restaurants and bars that are very affordable!
here it is possible to treat oneself to fine restaurant dining for canadian fast-food money!
I have never been at restaurant so many times in my life!
Difference number #2: Restaurants are affordable on student money!
Speaking on a more general point of view, I don't really feel as being this far from any place in the world I would call home. I think this a remarkable acheivement from the people of our planet and it is due to a number of factors like language, our wonderful communication means and also my own experience but I'll elaborate on that in upcoming posts to this blog.
Stay tuned!!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Taking a moment to reply to comments! (a rough take on globalization and race)
Hello everyone. Thanks for the comments and questions.
first i'd like to apologize if i don't reply fast enough to your post. This is because i do not have a dedicated internet connection yet. By the way I shall write something about internet and world connectivity. Isn't it wonderful! :D
first let's start with moving around the planet and finding the same things as back home but with a different twist (of course).
I don't think this is sad at all since this is mostly for the better of the people. I mean I love to find working toilets and having a hot shower in the morning everywhere i go. I'm also sure everyone appreciate that no matter where they are from and what culture they have. Let's say that I know that for a fact since it was not like this 10 to 15 years ago even in the french caribbean and i remember people complaining about this tourists and locals alike.
I cannot stress that enough for people that are from rich part of the world: it is absolutely no fun living in poverty. Getting more and more things unfortunetaly comes with a significant loss of culture. This is a shame I agree.
All-in-all the reality of living in "one world" regardless of where you are born is worth the sacrifice in my opinion. There is nothing I dislike most than seeing someone living in unbearably low standard of living and knowing that there is no way for him or her to ever get out of it!
THE other big question about race in South Africa. Please don't take anything you read further as gospel because I have just been here a week and i am probably biased somewhat, but here is my first impressions.
Black people in South Africa appeared to me very relaxed and problem-free at least at some level. It is indeed quite easy to approach them and they have very correct and balanced interaction with me. For instance when going into a store just "to see" and not buy anything there is no pushing and the clercks are still helpful plus there is no special "attitude" or disdain that I can get in my own caribbean island or in small shops even in Toronto. That surprised me a lot since i figure that people need here might need to sell there merchandise a bit more than in French or Canadian territories.
To clearly set the stage, race-wise, I am caribbean-india mix and I look mostly like a black person with indian facial features. My hair is also a little straigther tham most black persons. So there are differences but this is subtle.
The people in Africa tend to move around quite a lot. So they aren't to bothered by the way I talk as long as I keep it short and simple. If I don't talk at all they tend to think I'm from somewhere if not South Africa. Yesterday the taxi driver thought I was litterally from Johannesburg. I was travalling with my partner Marco and his girlfriend Tanya who is clearly White so the contrast must have helped in the taxi driver's assumption.
There was also something very funny about being in a place where the majority of the population look like you, since the first day I got quite good vibes from the opposite sex! Quite diffrent from European France and Canada!
Also I finally settled at a white woman house. The kind that is clearly from higher parts of society. The relationship started a bit ackward, but she did not turned me down and it's getting better.
I'll elaborate more on this particular subject as it is very compelling and one of the main reason I shows this particular placement.
So far I'm very grateful to be living it!
first i'd like to apologize if i don't reply fast enough to your post. This is because i do not have a dedicated internet connection yet. By the way I shall write something about internet and world connectivity. Isn't it wonderful! :D
first let's start with moving around the planet and finding the same things as back home but with a different twist (of course).
I don't think this is sad at all since this is mostly for the better of the people. I mean I love to find working toilets and having a hot shower in the morning everywhere i go. I'm also sure everyone appreciate that no matter where they are from and what culture they have. Let's say that I know that for a fact since it was not like this 10 to 15 years ago even in the french caribbean and i remember people complaining about this tourists and locals alike.
I cannot stress that enough for people that are from rich part of the world: it is absolutely no fun living in poverty. Getting more and more things unfortunetaly comes with a significant loss of culture. This is a shame I agree.
All-in-all the reality of living in "one world" regardless of where you are born is worth the sacrifice in my opinion. There is nothing I dislike most than seeing someone living in unbearably low standard of living and knowing that there is no way for him or her to ever get out of it!
THE other big question about race in South Africa. Please don't take anything you read further as gospel because I have just been here a week and i am probably biased somewhat, but here is my first impressions.
Black people in South Africa appeared to me very relaxed and problem-free at least at some level. It is indeed quite easy to approach them and they have very correct and balanced interaction with me. For instance when going into a store just "to see" and not buy anything there is no pushing and the clercks are still helpful plus there is no special "attitude" or disdain that I can get in my own caribbean island or in small shops even in Toronto. That surprised me a lot since i figure that people need here might need to sell there merchandise a bit more than in French or Canadian territories.
To clearly set the stage, race-wise, I am caribbean-india mix and I look mostly like a black person with indian facial features. My hair is also a little straigther tham most black persons. So there are differences but this is subtle.
The people in Africa tend to move around quite a lot. So they aren't to bothered by the way I talk as long as I keep it short and simple. If I don't talk at all they tend to think I'm from somewhere if not South Africa. Yesterday the taxi driver thought I was litterally from Johannesburg. I was travalling with my partner Marco and his girlfriend Tanya who is clearly White so the contrast must have helped in the taxi driver's assumption.
There was also something very funny about being in a place where the majority of the population look like you, since the first day I got quite good vibes from the opposite sex! Quite diffrent from European France and Canada!
Also I finally settled at a white woman house. The kind that is clearly from higher parts of society. The relationship started a bit ackward, but she did not turned me down and it's getting better.
I'll elaborate more on this particular subject as it is very compelling and one of the main reason I shows this particular placement.
So far I'm very grateful to be living it!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Salut! / Hi!
Voilà. un petit peu de temps et un accès à internet! C'est mon premier jour au travail!
Depuis samedi dernier c'est l'Afrique du Sud de mon coté. Le pays est impressionnant, l'année prochaine il y aura la coupe du monde de football ici et tout le monde semble très content de ça et l'esprit général est celui de produire le meilleur à la face du monde!
Le voyage a duré environ 24 heures. C'est long de toutes les façons que l'on approche la chose, mais le fait de pouvoir avoir internet à Paris a complètement transformé cette expérience! Vive la connectivité et je ne peux attendre le jour où ce ser apossible de l'avoir aussi pendant le transport! On se sent vraiment connecté et c'est très efficace pour se rendre compte que l'on ai sur la même planète. Vive les nouveaux moyens de communications.
Il est aussi vrai que Johannesbourg, la ville de mon stage, aide vraiment aussi à cet égard. C'est différent de Toronto, Montréal, Paris ou Fort-de-France bien sûr. Mais pas plus que ce quoi on s'attendrait et certainement pas plus différent que le Canada français ne l'est du Canada anglais. Je ne me sens étrangement pas dépaysé: tous les éléments qui définissent cette ville sont déjà présent tel quel dans une autre civilisation déjà connue.
Pour la modernité, on vient d'en parler, pour la société et pour ceux qui connaissent, c'est vraiment très proche de notre société aux antilles (on ne vient pas d'Afrique pour rien hehe ) mais ça semble plus facile à vivre que chez nous. Je pense en fait que c'est parce que l'état d'esprit général est plus joueur.
Ça fait drôle de revenir dans une société où il y plus de Noirs que de Blancs aussi :P Les relations entre Noirs et Blancs sont aussi très similaires dans la forme à celle des Antilles. La séparation est cependant plus marquée.
La pauvreté est une chose un peu différente qui apporte tout le facteur dangereux de cette ville mais cela me rappelle les banlieues parisiennes et la ville de Mexico.
Cela complète ma vision de Johannesbourg - Afrique du Sud
_________________________English__________________________
At last I've found a little bit of time and an internet connection from my supervisor's office who is home sick...
Since last saturday it's South African time and let me tell you that the country is quite impressive! Next year there will be the FIFA soccer world cup here and everyone is preparing for it. The country wants to look its best for this worldwide event!
My journey here lasted about 24 hours which is long by any measure. however being able to connect on the internet in Paris was game changing really. It litterally took away all my home sickness and made the 4 hour transit time go really fast. Long live our modern communication means.
Johannesburg where I have my placement also is big help in making me feel at home. The city is different from Toronto, Montreal and Paris or Fort-de-France of course but the change is no more bigger than going from French Canada to English Canada. At least this is what it feels like at this point... Every element making this city unique can be found in another part of the world that i already know.
Modernity can be found in every western city. It is actually very funny to use the exact same windows on the same dell computer and type on the same keyboard than back home. Society-wise this is very close to what we have in the French Caribbean (we have african roots and it actually shows a lot hahaha ) however the mindset seem more easy to live than ours. It is also funny to be again in society where there are a lot more Blacks than Whites after all these years in continental France and and Canada.
Relations between Blacks and Whites are also very similar (in the form) to what we have in the Caribbean with a deeper divide however.
Poverty is somehow new though and this is what meks this city dangerous. It is the same to any kind of poverty and the one that is found in Paris suburbs and in Mexico city.
This completes my composite picture of Johannesburg - South Africa.
Depuis samedi dernier c'est l'Afrique du Sud de mon coté. Le pays est impressionnant, l'année prochaine il y aura la coupe du monde de football ici et tout le monde semble très content de ça et l'esprit général est celui de produire le meilleur à la face du monde!
Le voyage a duré environ 24 heures. C'est long de toutes les façons que l'on approche la chose, mais le fait de pouvoir avoir internet à Paris a complètement transformé cette expérience! Vive la connectivité et je ne peux attendre le jour où ce ser apossible de l'avoir aussi pendant le transport! On se sent vraiment connecté et c'est très efficace pour se rendre compte que l'on ai sur la même planète. Vive les nouveaux moyens de communications.
Il est aussi vrai que Johannesbourg, la ville de mon stage, aide vraiment aussi à cet égard. C'est différent de Toronto, Montréal, Paris ou Fort-de-France bien sûr. Mais pas plus que ce quoi on s'attendrait et certainement pas plus différent que le Canada français ne l'est du Canada anglais. Je ne me sens étrangement pas dépaysé: tous les éléments qui définissent cette ville sont déjà présent tel quel dans une autre civilisation déjà connue.
Pour la modernité, on vient d'en parler, pour la société et pour ceux qui connaissent, c'est vraiment très proche de notre société aux antilles (on ne vient pas d'Afrique pour rien hehe ) mais ça semble plus facile à vivre que chez nous. Je pense en fait que c'est parce que l'état d'esprit général est plus joueur.
Ça fait drôle de revenir dans une société où il y plus de Noirs que de Blancs aussi :P Les relations entre Noirs et Blancs sont aussi très similaires dans la forme à celle des Antilles. La séparation est cependant plus marquée.
La pauvreté est une chose un peu différente qui apporte tout le facteur dangereux de cette ville mais cela me rappelle les banlieues parisiennes et la ville de Mexico.
Cela complète ma vision de Johannesbourg - Afrique du Sud
_________________________English__________________________
At last I've found a little bit of time and an internet connection from my supervisor's office who is home sick...
Since last saturday it's South African time and let me tell you that the country is quite impressive! Next year there will be the FIFA soccer world cup here and everyone is preparing for it. The country wants to look its best for this worldwide event!
My journey here lasted about 24 hours which is long by any measure. however being able to connect on the internet in Paris was game changing really. It litterally took away all my home sickness and made the 4 hour transit time go really fast. Long live our modern communication means.
Johannesburg where I have my placement also is big help in making me feel at home. The city is different from Toronto, Montreal and Paris or Fort-de-France of course but the change is no more bigger than going from French Canada to English Canada. At least this is what it feels like at this point... Every element making this city unique can be found in another part of the world that i already know.
Modernity can be found in every western city. It is actually very funny to use the exact same windows on the same dell computer and type on the same keyboard than back home. Society-wise this is very close to what we have in the French Caribbean (we have african roots and it actually shows a lot hahaha ) however the mindset seem more easy to live than ours. It is also funny to be again in society where there are a lot more Blacks than Whites after all these years in continental France and and Canada.
Relations between Blacks and Whites are also very similar (in the form) to what we have in the Caribbean with a deeper divide however.
Poverty is somehow new though and this is what meks this city dangerous. It is the same to any kind of poverty and the one that is found in Paris suburbs and in Mexico city.
This completes my composite picture of Johannesburg - South Africa.
What is your culture? (1st assignment)
This defintion has to start as a composite of two cultures right away. The Caribbean part of me likes to chill out and take life at a slow pace. I love the sun and going outside especially where nature is still present.
My French side is attracted to good food and mostly fancy clothing. There is no better feeling than the one you get from finding a niece piece of clothing ... or is it wearing it later? Anyway you get the picture! Finally, exactly like French Canadians I'm proud to speak the french language.
All-in-one I'm French Caribbean.
A lot of the culture of my people can be understood by knowing just one thing: France is our authoritative step mother. We still have a very parent-child oriented type of relationship. So, as a form of defiance, we don't like to be in a hurry. Because the Europeans are usually busy and hyper-active we take the oppositie road. France is very urbanised, we proud ourself on having natural surroundings.
These aspects are very typical of people living far from everything and in a warm weather. But we take it to the next level whenever we can! Don't get me wrong, if we have to define ourself quickly we will invariably say that we are French!
As typical french persons we also think that France is the definite centre of the world... make that the universe. (Me, myself am slowly improving in that regard ;) ). France has so rich a culture and a past that we feel that we must look our best just to barely honour our past, hence the fancy clothing and also the general swagger of us unfortunately. If you put yourself in our shoes, it is not easy being French hahaha! But we mostly just trying to share our culture in a very clumsy manner I agree...
On the positive side if you come to our tiny caribbean islands you will be surprised by the warmth of our people as well of our weather and the relaxing pace at which we generally take life. Martinique and Guadeloupe are probably the best vacation spots you can find. Just think about it, white sand beaches, sun the year around and all the advantages of a western country: political stability like no other island has, drinkable water out of the tap, electricity, low crime and a health system second to none (same as in Europe).
Continental France also has its good attributes: have you ever heard about French food and wines. For this alone a trip to Paris can be justified. Once you break the ice with French people you'll find citizens eager to get you deeper into the rich culture of the country and show you around and you have friendships that will last for a life time. I garantee this!
My French side is attracted to good food and mostly fancy clothing. There is no better feeling than the one you get from finding a niece piece of clothing ... or is it wearing it later? Anyway you get the picture! Finally, exactly like French Canadians I'm proud to speak the french language.
All-in-one I'm French Caribbean.
A lot of the culture of my people can be understood by knowing just one thing: France is our authoritative step mother. We still have a very parent-child oriented type of relationship. So, as a form of defiance, we don't like to be in a hurry. Because the Europeans are usually busy and hyper-active we take the oppositie road. France is very urbanised, we proud ourself on having natural surroundings.
These aspects are very typical of people living far from everything and in a warm weather. But we take it to the next level whenever we can! Don't get me wrong, if we have to define ourself quickly we will invariably say that we are French!
As typical french persons we also think that France is the definite centre of the world... make that the universe. (Me, myself am slowly improving in that regard ;) ). France has so rich a culture and a past that we feel that we must look our best just to barely honour our past, hence the fancy clothing and also the general swagger of us unfortunately. If you put yourself in our shoes, it is not easy being French hahaha! But we mostly just trying to share our culture in a very clumsy manner I agree...
On the positive side if you come to our tiny caribbean islands you will be surprised by the warmth of our people as well of our weather and the relaxing pace at which we generally take life. Martinique and Guadeloupe are probably the best vacation spots you can find. Just think about it, white sand beaches, sun the year around and all the advantages of a western country: political stability like no other island has, drinkable water out of the tap, electricity, low crime and a health system second to none (same as in Europe).
Continental France also has its good attributes: have you ever heard about French food and wines. For this alone a trip to Paris can be justified. Once you break the ice with French people you'll find citizens eager to get you deeper into the rich culture of the country and show you around and you have friendships that will last for a life time. I garantee this!
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