King of the Playground

6/11

Pack of Kids and Heart of Darkness

Finally I have internet!!!! But, it doesn't really work. It takes me 30 minutes to connect and about 5 minutes to load a Wikipedia page.  At least I can check my email and google news once a day. 

Now I’m in the daily motion of wake-up, eat, work, read, write, eat, read, sleep. Not too exciting. French is coming along slowly but surely. 

Everyone seems to be very concerned for my safety, even me sometimes! But the greatest threat to my safety I knowingly encountered so far is walking across the school grounds to work (not exactly Iraq). When I walk back to the convent for lunch, there have to be 400 6 – 11 year old kids out of class just playing around. I’m embarrassed to admit that walking through this mass of children is a little nerve racking. It starts off with one child saying “good morning”, then a crowd of children starts growing around me just to stare- no words, just blank looks. Then another child says "good morning", then another, then the kids start yelling it, and another child yells “MAZUNGU!” –white person! Then a child touches my arm and the entire group yells in excitement, then another kid touches me, then the crowd of children surge forward all wanting to touch my white skin. I push forward through the crowd trying not to think of the children turning into little piranhas and telling myself “display courage and control”!!!..   I wasn't actually afraid, (I’m going to do the same walk tomorrow without hesitation) but I was probably embarrassed because teachers and parents just watched.  I really wish I could get a video of this. I should probably walk through the kids with a priest tomorrow so he can tell the kids to behave, as I don’t want to encourage the mass excitement. Who am I kidding, what I really want to do is stand still with 100+ kids around me and yell “I’m king of the playground!!!!”

I did finish reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I have a little respect for the book because it’s based on Conrad’s personal experience in the DR Congo and could provoke a very interesting discussion.  But other than that, I think this “literary masterpiece” is overrated. It explores the darkness of the human soul without acknowledging the darkness of dehumanizing a group of people.  Instead of the Congo River taking the main character into the darkness, the river was taking him out the darkness of slavery and into a place where people cared about one another and even would die for one another. At times the book drove me crazy. I even think Conrad missed the point of his adventure.  He missed the point of the adventure I’m having- emotions of love, hate, and longing are universal. You don’t find the darkness in the Congo; the Congo just makes you aware that it’s inside you with the rest of your soul.  Feel free to disagree.

6/13