Something I found stored away from about 4 months ago. An interesting peek at things back then (especially for me). Seems like this was written after a probably frustrating day as I sense my cynical side coming through. So maybe this is a small picture of Peace Corps on one of those days. But I also must say my thoughts have changed and evolved since. Maybe I could do a response to this sometime. Anyway, here you go...
Some good things happening. Computers are now in Spanish and the unknown “file” is now a more understandable “archive”. The keyboard also jumped around on people, with the @ sign now being hidden behind the alt and 2 key. I guess now I will be keyboard translating instead of file menu translating. But that’s all right; at least now the accent doesn’t take an alt plus a three digit number to get to. If they could only place their fingers on asdf jkl; the world could be so much easier for them. Or me? Actually they probably could care less, they just ask me the same question a hundred times over when they get stuck.
Zuleika is slowly progressing with her mouse range. Although still wanting to drive her finger through the mouse button on a double click. Madeline got the right click down today. I think.
I do wonder sometimes as I walk under Aristides et al. on my way to the computer room. As I fill myself with worry and hurry and sometimes even double step it there to download a Service Pack 2 or install the entire office suite. The pounding of his makeshift wooden hammer log and homemade al against the cocobolo turtle he is working on summon me back to earth. My minds eye sees the turtle held between his feet, as he sits bent over and 6 inches off the floor on his simple wooden stool. I’ve seen the image so many times already. Really every time I take a peak over his way. He works, dark red wood chips cover his clothes and surround him like rose petals around a bride. More veins then I ever knew a person to have cover his forearms and hands as they maneuver tightly around his rough masterpiece.
I wonder as I look back and see Huma on the floor, eight feet off the ground, and leaning to her left, legs bent to her right as she plays with her three year old granddaughter. She always says something to me in Wounaan, still so foreign to my ear. I wonder as I see the three sisters, three wives of three brothers, weaving up there, shy and only now starting to smile at me first. I wonder. Who is going to use this Microsoft suite I am rushing to install? Huma, Aristides, etc. don’t even show face in the computer converted side of their bathroom. Actually, Aristides did once, the first class. I feel it was more like a show of support and a welcoming gesture then any interest whatsoever in the subject matter. I mean really, he’s going to be carving Cocobolo every day for the rest of his life. And he doesn’t mind that or even should you.
So I wonder, how many people is all this currently impacting? Well unless a huge flood of tourists come as a result of the new web page, which I’m pretty sure won’t happen, the current impact of all this is very small. But then the potential is big. It’s big for the younger residents of San Antonio, I tell myself.
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