So I don't really remember what else happened in Lofa ( that is code for me not wanting to go back and read the last entry and then piece back my memmories to figure out where I left off), so I am just going to go from where I can remember.
First off this internship is turning out to being amazing. The Liberians really respect education, almost to a fault. Here a college degrees = smarter, more capable, better, etc. a masters degree = walking on water. They dont seem to have realized that some of the biggest idiots I know have college degrees and some of the smartest people I know need a college education like they need another hole in their head. Anyway... so when I got back from Lofa the director and assistant director wanted me to tell them all about what I thought and what critiques I had and all this kind of stuff. I keep trying to remind people that I am here to learn from them but they dont seem to listen to that. That being said, I have found a few of the articles that I read for classes last year online and have sent them around to everyone. they inhale them over night, coming back the next day with a laundry list of questions and ideas. It is really quite interesting. I mean i don't really feel like I am sharing that much knowledge but I guess I am able to point them in the right direction.
So I am really excited about some of the programs I want to work on. I was basically told that I could do anything I want so I am going to try a couple of different things. Firstly I am writing up a proposal for opening up a third track diplomacy option between the villages. So basically what that means is in addition to our work with the official hierarchy of the communities (which seems to have hit a slight wall because the Mandingo leaders are not cooperating as much as we would like... ok so they are dodging all our efforts for the most part) we will work with common every day people and get them together. so take like 3 people from each village bring them here to DEN-L and have a three or four day retreat with each other. get them focused on what they share in common and not what they have different and let them make friends and what not. then they go home and they tell their friends that hey these lorma or these mandingo are so bad and its sort of a ripple effect and we just keep bringing people here. like i said i am writing up the proposal hopefully i make it sound convincing enough cause i really think it could help.
the other idea I had was to use theatre or some sort of acting to help get our message across. so one of the branches of DEN-L is a group that does just that, they use music and theatre and what not to get messages across... so i was thinking that we could re write romeo and juliet and re work it so it was about the lorma and the mandingo instead. I think it will be a huge hit but i need to bounce it off people as always.
alright those are my thoughts for now. its late they should turn off the generator soon.
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