A new year awaits.

Happy New Year to one and all!

The wonderful snow of Nagano and a New Year countdown with my family definitely sets the stage for a great and fulfilling 2009 ahead! More photos of our memorable trip will be coming right up. ;)

Anyway, this is a really short note posted here to remind myself that the world out there is big, diverse and in need of constant change and improvement. There is no reason why we cannot put ourselves out there to understand a person from a different country or cultural background. Today, the Sub-Saharan Africans in our class, including those from Ethiopia, Zambia, Kenya, Madagascar, shared with us a sobering story of their home AFrica. They explained the multi-faceted nature of poverty that cannot be simply solved by international aid alone, how the history of past colonialism had artificially drawn barriers which disrupted tribal cohesions that hence became a source of conflict that in turn reduces growth. They talked about the need for strong political leadership that is based on accountability, not family/tribal ties; about the creation of a better place that provides access to education and information for its people that is not based on policy conditions imposed by donor countries. It is a complicated issue but they explained with an inexplicable sense of endurance that is hopeful of a better life, and that touched me. That was also when I realized that whatever I saw in the movies or read in the news were overly dramatized in some ways, truthful in others.

After the presentation, we all scurry back to our lives that is mostly concerned with our own well-being and lifestyle; and it is even easy to forget that whatever they described continues, even at this moment when I write. What can I do? What can international organizations do in face of the realities of their own political agendas and interests? At this point, I realized how much I took for granted and now and then, I think it is always good to count one's blessings. Today is one such day.

Have a great 2009 everyone!