Stereotype Me

This morning I went shopping at the local market, which runs every Tuesday and Friday and is literally 300 feet from my house. I was looking at metal hangers for my dress shirts. Like anything and everything at the market you should barter or else you'll end up paying way too much. I tried to barter for five hangers. I started at 200 francs (about 30 cents), but they refused to go any lower than 500 francs (just under a dollar), which was their starting price. I tried several stands and each time I was baffled because they wouldn't budge. I knew that I was being ripped off because I am a white foreigner, and apparently skin color determines economic status. One lady was even blunt enough to say, "you are rich; you can afford it." I can't tell if I am annoyed because of the stereotype or because it's is true.

There are many things I am loving about the culture here, but this stereotype that all whites seemingly have an infinite supply of money at their disposal is not one of them. I walk down the road and little boys stick out their hands and demand "amafaranga!" ("money" in kinyarwanda). Teenagers and even adults stare at me for literally minutes on end as if dollar signs are hovering over my head. Countless people want to be your friend and they will tell you there stories of how they cannot go to school because they do not have any money and are looking for a sponsor. I realize this comes with the territory of being a volunteer from a country whose GNI is $41,400 in a country whose GNI is $220 (2004 figures, per person). But, it can be difficult sometimes to build friendships because it's hard to distinguish those who genuinely want to know me from those who are more interested in my stereotype. I must remember that not all Africans, not all Rwandans, label me and judge me by the color of my skin. Many have a genuine interest in my work here, my life, and me as a person; it would unfair, afterall, for me to cling to my own stereotypes of them.   

On a deeper note, if I'm here to promote global understanding and mutual respect between cultures, then what should my reaction be to this stereotype and how should I represent Americans in my conversations with people? I guess the question I am getting at is, "Am I really rich?" When i am talking to people here about American finances I try to explain that there actually are people who struggle to get by in America and that 10% of the population do not have jobs and that I myself am not a wealthy person, but live a regular middle class life, according to American standards. Obviously the middle class in America has much more financial opportunity than the middle class in Rwanda, and obviously the income is greater, but the cost of living is much higher too. So, I am back to the question of how does one define "rich?" Maybe the best way is not by absolute income, but by purchasing power, or the opportunity to purchase "stuff." I don't know but I would be open to suggestions, thoughts, and advice. Thanks for reading my little vent here and for thinking about the issue with me.

P.S. I finally got 4 hangers for 300 francs.                            

Ughh... politics.

Well, the big election is coming up pretty fast so I figured I should do some research on the top two: McCain and Obama. It's kinda surprising that this is my first real post because I really don't like politics. When I think of politics I'm reminded of a quote that my dad has in his office at work: "A committee takes hours to put into minutes what can be done in seconds." Especially after working with NASA last year I experienced first hand the craziness of bureaucracies and some of the politics involved.

Anyhow, I've posted my excel list comparing McCain and Obama side by side on the right side of this page under "The Sweet Spot" section. Just click on "Compare the Candidates." At the bottom of the spreadsheet I included my references, and anything in blue is my own comment. I only included the issues that were of real interest to me. They are not in any particular order, although there's definitely certain issues that I'm more concerned about than others on the list. Particularly, the environment and renewables (including reduction of foreign dependence) is high on my list. Also, our foreign policy: how we treat other countries and the global issues that we choose to address (like poverty and the Millennium Development Goals). Not only will this help diplomatic relations, but it fights terrorism peacefully, protects our country, and I believe it's just the right, sensible, and inexcusable thing to do. And yeah, I kinda left out health care cuz it's so confusing to me. If anyone can ever find an easy way to explain what's going on with that, let me know! haha.

The only other thing to note right now is that it was interesting going through the candidate's websites. A common complaint about Obama is that he is too vague about how to address the problems. But so far, I've found it to be the opposite; McCain's website describes a lot of promises and hopes, but lacks specifics, whereas Obama's website outlines his plans as well as his goals quite clearly.

Again, I'd love to hear feedback. Please fill in any blanks I'm missing on the spreadsheet or correct anything wrong or unclear. And comment what you think is important. I hope it all makes sense... I wrote it in note form, initially thinking I'd be the only one reading it. So if you're not sure what something means, ask me or google it!