Friday, June 29, 2007
The Ponds of Kalambayi
In the mid-1980s, Peace Corps training was an interesting experience.
I'm reading a book called The Ponds of Kalambayi by a guy who served as a volunteer in the Congo (then Zaire) in the 1980s. His job was to teach people fish-farming, so during training he had to learn fish-farming himself. The training went like this.
On the first day, the woman training them had everyone sit in silence for several hours. Every now and then she would call someone to come out of the room and talk to her. She asked one question: what are you doing here?
The author of the book first responded, "I'm here to learn how to farm fish." Apparently that was wrong, because she sent him back to the room.
The next morning he was called out again. He said, "I'm here to teach myself how to farm fish." This was the correct answer, so he progressed to the next question: "What do you need to farm fish?" "Fish?" he tried. This was wrong. "Water?" he said. "Correct," the teacher said. "Now go find a place where you can farm fish. When you find it, wait there and I'll pick you up for lunch."
So he trekked through the woods of Oklahoma, where the training was, for several days. Once he found a likely pond and waited by it, but the teacher never came. Meanwhile some members of the class had mysteriously disappeared, apparently having found the correct spot. Finally the author of the book sat and thought, wait, it makes no sense for all thirty of us to find a different spot to raise fish in. There must be one place with thirty fish ponds. We're at a university, so how about the biology department?
He walked into the biology building and asked the receptionist, "Where are the Peace Corps fish ponds?"
The receptionist glanced around to make sure no one was watching them. Then she asked for identification. "If I'm not supposed to talk to you, just tell me," the author of the book said.
"No," the receptionist said calmly. "This is what you're supposed to do. You were all supposed to find your way here eventually and ask about the fish ponds." And so after all those days of trekking through the woods, he was simply directed to the correct spot.
Apparently some people in the class weren't so lucky--they never found the ponds, and had to go home.
Now I don't think Peace Corps training is like this any more. But if it is, it will be interesting.
I'm reading a book called The Ponds of Kalambayi by a guy who served as a volunteer in the Congo (then Zaire) in the 1980s. His job was to teach people fish-farming, so during training he had to learn fish-farming himself. The training went like this.
On the first day, the woman training them had everyone sit in silence for several hours. Every now and then she would call someone to come out of the room and talk to her. She asked one question: what are you doing here?
The author of the book first responded, "I'm here to learn how to farm fish." Apparently that was wrong, because she sent him back to the room.
The next morning he was called out again. He said, "I'm here to teach myself how to farm fish." This was the correct answer, so he progressed to the next question: "What do you need to farm fish?" "Fish?" he tried. This was wrong. "Water?" he said. "Correct," the teacher said. "Now go find a place where you can farm fish. When you find it, wait there and I'll pick you up for lunch."
So he trekked through the woods of Oklahoma, where the training was, for several days. Once he found a likely pond and waited by it, but the teacher never came. Meanwhile some members of the class had mysteriously disappeared, apparently having found the correct spot. Finally the author of the book sat and thought, wait, it makes no sense for all thirty of us to find a different spot to raise fish in. There must be one place with thirty fish ponds. We're at a university, so how about the biology department?
He walked into the biology building and asked the receptionist, "Where are the Peace Corps fish ponds?"
The receptionist glanced around to make sure no one was watching them. Then she asked for identification. "If I'm not supposed to talk to you, just tell me," the author of the book said.
"No," the receptionist said calmly. "This is what you're supposed to do. You were all supposed to find your way here eventually and ask about the fish ponds." And so after all those days of trekking through the woods, he was simply directed to the correct spot.
Apparently some people in the class weren't so lucky--they never found the ponds, and had to go home.
Now I don't think Peace Corps training is like this any more. But if it is, it will be interesting.
# posted by Kristen @ 4:24 PM 
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