I HEART NY

Even after twelve years, I am pleasantly surprised by how Jewish my adopted home is: The grocery store across the street had free shank bones in the butcher section. Everyone in the wine store was buying kosher wine, and the Latino cashier wished us a happy holiday. The local diner where I had brunch had its boxes of matzah prominently displayed. And I live on the East Side. On the downside, both local grocery stores were sold out of fresh horseradish.

Chag Sameach.

What Happened to the First Amendment?

This week on 60 Minutes, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was asked if Senator Barack Obama is a Muslim, and answered that "as far as I know" he is not. Lefties all around are now criticizing her for this "sleaziness" in hedging over Barack's religion.

WTF?!

Why isnt anyone saying that Steve Kroft has no fucking business asking such a question? Why is the country, including the progressive left, silent about the fact that it has become OK to simply use the word "Muslim" as an insult?

I know, there is no way in Hell that this country will elect a non-Christian president in my lifetime. But until recently, we pretended that wasnt true. And that pretense is important.

Although racism against black people most certainly remains alive and well, it is now unacceptable in polite company to express those attitudes out loud. As it should be!

I am ashamed to live in a country where the word "Muslim" is accepted as a pejorative. And I am ashamed that my senator, for whom I voted twice, accepts that.

Happy International Human Rights Day

I was reminded this morning by the Daily Monitor of Kampala that December 10 is International Human Rights Day, commemorating the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Take a moment to read through the declaration. We still have a long way to go to reach the standards the world signed onto almost 60 years ago.

Photos

I haven't been writing much on this trip, but I've posted a few pictures here.

Jet Lag

It's a hazy day, so the view out my window doesn't show the lush beauty of Uganda very well. I'll try to get some better shots before I leave.




I haven't felt like I had much to say since I arrived in Kampala, not sure why. A big part is the jet lag, which is much worse with an eight-hour time difference than it was on my last trip, a mere four-hour time difference. I've been falling asleep very early, and then waking up early, but not having any particularly interesting thoughts at 6:30AM. But I'm sure I'll feel better soon.

Work in Kampala so far has been interesting, but perhaps not interesting enough to have much to share. I spent yesterday meeting with various people: an MP, leader of the Ugandan Women Parliamentarians Association; the reproductive health specialist for Unicef; the director of a Ugandan youth organization; and the director of the Family Planning Association of Uganda. Lots of discussion about the broken health care system here. Clinics outside of the cities can't keep doctors; even when they have doctors on staff, they don't show up for work much of the time; poorly trained staff; problems getting medicines where they are needed... It all feels a little overwhelming. But then, everything is overwhelming when I'm jet lagged. The point of this little exercise is to identify a few places in which a relatively small intervention by a couple of American NGOs can have some kind of impact. If we knew the answers on the first day, then we wouldn't need to be here.

I'm not completely happy to be away on Chanukah. I frequently point out to people at this time of year that Chanukah is not really an "important" holiday in a religious sense, and it irritates me that its proximity to an important Christian holiday has elevated its status. But it is the one holiday that my mom celebrated with us as kids, so it is a big part of my own sense of Jewishness and is an important connection to my mom. It wasn't usually a really big deal, but we always lit candles, and we had latkes at least one night (and of course there were the presents, though usually pretty small). So I planned ahead, found a menorah that I could pack. I lit candles last night, and will continue through the week. But it would be nice to be able to share it with someone, and to fry some potatoes. The breakfast buffet has donuts, so I had one this morning, a quiet observance.

The other thing about the big time difference is that I feel more cut off from home. Fewer hours of waking overlap, more difference between what I'm doing and what my friends and family are doing—it makes me feel really far away from home. Of course, I am really far away from home!

Chanukah in Kampala

Happy Chanukah from the Sheraton Kampala. I don't think I'll be able to find latkes in Uganda.

Kampala

The builders of Entebbe Airport had the good sense to put it right on the shores of Lake Victoria. Much of the 45-minute ride into Kampala also went along the lake, which is beautiful next to lush green hills. The city is also very green and surprisingly pretty.

I took a little walk, trying to find an area my guide book promised would be filled with shops and restaurants, but didn't quite make it. The Sheraton Kampala is something of a fortress up on a hill, and by the time I got down the hill, the sun was threatening to set, and I was tired, so I headed back for room service. I'll explore later, when I'm less jet lagged.

Open During Renovations

First stop on the latest African voyage: 24-hour stop in Dubai.

The most striking thing to me about Dubai was how familiar it felt. Sort of. It's a brand new city, all shopping malls and luxury hotels and freeways. I don't really get it. For a while, I thought a day was more than enough time there, but as I was getting ready to leave, I started wondering more about what life is like for people there. What draws them there, what do they do, how long do they stay?

The whole city seems to be under construction—half-build skyscrapers are all over. I wonder what it will look like when it's finished.

The Mall of the Emirates is the biggest mall in Dubai, and in the whole Middle East. It looks a lot like any mall in the USA, except for the ski slope:








Oh, and all the women in burqas.

The other remarkable thing about Dubai is how cosmopolitan it is. Sort of. Fewer than twenty percent of the population of the United Arab Emirates are Emiratis. The rest are from all over, mostly South Asia, but also the Philippines, various African countries, other Arab countries... It seems odd to have a society where the local elite import virtually their entire work force from other places.

Swimming Downstream

I decided the blog needed a name, subject to change without notice. What does it mean? Lately I've been feeling that much of my life has been less deliberate than I'd like—that I've allowed myself to be carried down by the current, sometimes to places I like, sometimes not. So I'm trying to live my life with more intent, maybe even purpose. To carry on the metaphor, I'm trying to learn to harness the energy of the stream I'm swimming down to take me where I want to go—as I figure that out— rather than letting it take me.

I started this blog as a way to share some of my thoughts as I traveled through Senegal—to have something to say to people when they asked me "what was it like?" which is always hard for me. Then I decided to keep the blog going back at home, but I don't seem to be maintaining the same volume. I guess things just don't seem quite as notable when I'm not seeing new things every day. But I do think that occasionally organizing my thoughts and observations about my life, and writing them down, can help me in my ongoing project to live life with more awareness and intent, so I plan to keep this going. And I welcome and cherish the friends, family, and others who may stumble upon my little page to join me—it's nice to know somebody is listening.

Winter in New York

Well, it's finally getting cold in New York. When I left for Senegal, it seemed like fall would never come. For once, I was looking forward to winter. Even now, I'm enjoying the chill in the air--of course, it's easy for me to enjoy, knowing that I'll be back in Africa in two weeks. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune in February.

New York is at its best in the fall and winter. Summer is just too damned hot and humid; and besides, New York is not about enjoying nature, it's about business and culture and throngs of people streaming down the street... and all of that is much easier when you're not sweating.

Of course, winter also means Christmas. It isn't yet Thanksgiving, but the festivities are in full bloom all over the city. Stores have Christmas displays up; Starbucks has switched over to the red cups. Usually, I feel rather put-upon by the majority foisting its holiday on me in this way. But this year, it isn't bothering me, at least not yet. It's kind of nice, I suppose, that so much of the population is getting excited about the same event--there isn't much that this society shares. And I do enjoy the Christmas trees on the street, which will make their debut sometime during my next trip.