The following post will be based off a topic that was brought up during class discussion:  What do I scrutinize? 

The country that you are born and raised in shapes who you are as a person, what you think, your aspirations, how you see the rest of the world, etc.  Where you are is very influential towards who you are inside.  It’s just the way it is. 

I was born in a small town called Amery, WI.  Growing up, I always had aspirations of traveling abroad but every time I would mention it, people would either look at me like I was crazy or they would say, “wow, you’re brave! Do it while you’re young”.  The most common thing I would hear about other countries is that they needed our help: Habitat for Humanity, Peace Corps, donate money here, send clothes here, evangelize here, etc.  This caused me, and probably a lot of other people, to look down on other countries.  Especially developing countries. 

So then I eventually did travel abroad.  I went on a mission trip to Bogota Colombia in 2004 and then I studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal (NW Africa) for a semester in 2006.  The reality of actually being there and not just reading about the country, culture or people out of a book is almost indescribable.  I learned more than I could have ever imagined and then I came back to the United States… 

Now, instead of seeing the world through a set of United States lenses only, I also can see it through Bogota’s and a Senegalese lens.  This has lead to a lot of anger within me towards the Unities States, politics, country-to-country relations, colonialism, charities, etc. 

For example, shortly after arriving in Dakar, one of the first things I noticed was how much garbage was all over the streets and sidewalks.  The first thought I had was about how much poverty there must be and then I wondered, why don’t they clean up after themselves? Don’t they have trash clean up people?  Don’t they recycle?  As you can see, those are all things we have and do in the United States.  So why does this “problem” of trash all over the streets exist for the Senegalese?  First and foremost, before Colonialism, most African nations didn’t have much mass production of goods with special packaging…if any.  Living with my host family, I was able to see that they waste very little on an every day basis.  They reuse their dishwater, they wash their clothes by hand, and they spend a lot of time with their families.  So how did all these little wrappers get all over the streets?  All the little wrappers I saw on the streets were wrappers from goods that were shipped in from Europe, the United States or some other country.  They’re sent these goods and then what do they do with the wrappers but litter them wherever they seem fit…that confused me so I asked my host family why they don’t have a garbage disposal/collection company?  They said they do but they aren’t able to come by that often.  So then I noticed that they do have trashcans but they just don’t have as many as us.  Their living conditions are different.  Not worse. Not better. Just different.  A lot of African nations have issues… just like the U.S. has its own issues.  How is that we are then able to look at them and say your way of living needs to be improved so we’re going to send you a donation of clean water, power adapters, clothes, blankets, food, etc. so that then you will then have to figure out how to dispose of the water jugs when you’ve drank the water?  The clothes and blankets will probably have been made in the U.S. for U.S. weather conditions…the food not at all something they can or would even want to make.  Do those people who give these things even really know where they’re donating to and how it will be used?  This is not to say that their intentions should be ignored; I’m sure they really do care and they really do want to help.  All I’m saying is that before “we” go and try to help/change another nation/group of people, why don’t we research, try our hardest to understand and make sure we aren’t doing them a disservice?  Look at how horrible some nation-to-nation relations have gone in the past.  It’s too horrible and sad to be ignored yet it still is.  When I was in Dakar, our president at the time, George Bush Jr., bought the Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade a fleet of brand new SUVs.  Gas guzzling SUVs made in the United States for an African president who lives and travels within Africa…a very hot/tropical country.  Cars in the United States can over heat in 90 degree weather when Africa was 100 plus degrees for 2 of the 3.5 months that I was there.  And on top of that, the street pollution in Dakar was horrible.  Why not buy Abdoulaye Wade a more “green friendly” vehicle? 

Because of my experiences abroad, I heavily scrutinize any and all nation-to-nation relations.  It seems much more logical to look within your own country to aid/understand rather than looking at another country, guessing at what they need and then aiding them in their “struggles”. 

From all of this, I created the following picture.  Behind all the black and sparkly stuff is a map of Africa.  This, to me, shows Africa as a dark, mysterious place.  The gold sparkles indicate that it’s also a magical place.  It really is.  Senegal is beautiful with such rich culture.  In order to see that, we must set aside our United States lenses and see other countries for what they are.  Not for what “we” think they are.  

Look Deeper - Mixed Medium