Europe: Sept. 1 – Sept 11, coming to Africa
Please see my full year trip log Sept. 2022 – Sept. 2023
Sept. 1, 2022, London
We met in a pub in London to discuss ISEC opportunities in Nepal:
Simon Batchelor, MECS, took the picture.
Sam works with direct DC solar microgrids in the Brazilian rainforest.
Later that day (10 AM California time), I attended the GLC (Global Learning Community) meeting for the first time from London with Simon behind me.
I stayed one night with Simon, and learned so much from him. He’s lived and worked in many many (many) countries and is responsible for lots of development work, one of which is the creation of mobile money, which started in Kenya as M-Pesa, making small transactions low cost and convenient. I also learned from Simon the history and motivation of MECS, which is well documented in Simon’s paper: Two Birds, One Stone – Reframing Cooking Energy Policies in Africa and Asia. The paper makes reference to the Stevens Framework, a roadmap for policies toward societal change.
Sept. 11… as the USA remembers the attack on the twin towers, I am leaving Austria for Uganda to spend about a month with African Stem Education Initiative (ASEI).
I was an exchange student 40 years ago in Eibiswald, Austria, a village of about 2000 people with a nice family, including two sisters and two brothers. I spent the last week reuniting with family and friends here, sharing laughs and tears, and reflecting on a system/government/society/culture that seems to really really work. I noticed that in 40 years, the wealth has greatly increased… for everyone. Where in the states the rich have grown richer and the number of homeless has increased, everyone in Austria has grown richer, and they seem content and happy… compared to in the USA. I mean everyone still has a bitch about one thing or the other, but everyone I know has a job they work reasonably hard at and enjoy their earnings and free time. In particular:
- Saturday night (Sept 3) we visited a family friend’s house and talked and drank beer and homemade schnapps until after midnight. In the process, there was fun discussion. HOWEVER, this was between dynamic debate about challenges with assisting unindustrialized countries, the plight of refugees, renewable energy, nuclear energy, and global politics. There was strong disagreement but with respect for each other. It’s a discussion I haven’t had elsewhere.
- I was taken back by a group of 12-year-olds we talked into playing soccer at the local field. They were so kind to play with two …”advanced adults”… an 8-year-old, and his mama, but just mixed in with us and seemed to enjoy themselves and were kind to our little boy. It’s a kind of game I haven’t had elsewhere.
- My sister in Austria has two kids: a girl (15) and a boy (13). The girl had a rocking party and even invited her brother and his friend. They drank alcoholic “White Claw” kind of drinks. The girls are in a choir together, so they started singing and you could hear them from the street. I asked their father how he managed this responsibility. He said that he knows all the other parents, and they think it is better that the kids start drinking with the knowledge and care of their parents. It’s also the case that this happens before they get their drivers license. I think everyone slept there, and some fathers called in the morning to find out when they could pick up their daughters. It seems so logical!
I shared with them how my student, Kennedy Love was killed by a high school drunken driver as he was riding his bike. They listened with great curiosity. I also told him how alcohol parties at home have been a source of conflict because our kids do it without our knowledge or permission. It seems as though we should be able to find a way that everyone can safely pursue what they think is best and we all learn together as we go along. I know Austria also has challenges related to alcohol, just like every culture I’ve experienced including especially in the USA. However, I really like this parenting strategy.
Continued: full year trip log Sept. 2022 – Sept. 2023