week 3

We can't quite believe we are part way through the third week of four here. We have just spent 3 days looking at world views and community development (and are still going on the community development I think). It has been incredibly eye opening, realising that we all look at things with our own cultural view point and that we really need to know the basis for the views we hold. It is incredibly hard to get your head around some of the things that are ingrained in other cultures, that even despite an education programme about germs people still refused to believe anything other than that evil spirits cause illness.

Kim told us about the Ship helping set up mini-buisnesses to help women become self-sufficient, they were taught different industries over a period of many months, all were making a profit, their families were being fed (having previously not), yet when the ship returned they had all stopped. The Ship folk tried to get to the bottom of why this happened, as it had appeared so successful - and it seemed that they thought this was the only way to become friends with the Ship people (and relationships are a high priority) that they had done it but ultimately they had a fatalistic midset - they belived they couldn't actually change anything or make a difference to escape poverty and feed their families. Its hard to get it from a Western perspective when we think the answer is simple!

Sam and the boys are all doing fine (although you can read his version on his blog at samthemanny.blogspot.com ) except for Sam feeling a bit under the weather today- obvious to the rest of us by the lack of food being consumed and seeming more subdued than usual.

We had our class pictures taken and were offered a family one - thinking this would be useful for any future newsletters we took the opportunity - however Joshua did not want to be parted from a visiting cat, so if you ever get a Farrell family picture with a ginger cat you'll know why!

Sarah.