Recent read - The White Masai

So I finished the White Masai by Corinne Hofmann on Sunday. I read it in 3 days. It was engaging and a pleasure to read. I am currently drawn to any book on Kenya so as to keep the memory alive of whence I was there and to relive my adventures.

Unfortunately I spoke to two ex-volunteers later that night. They rang me and wanted to chat about the Primary School where I taught. They have had heavy involvement with the school for many years, actively helping to fund and construct new buildings and other projects. They were lovely to talk to but two things disappointed me:

1. They asked ~ 'So, what did YOU contribute to the school?'
2. They said the memory of being there will fade quickly even if you read books to try and keep the memory alive.

Poo to them!! Firstly, what did I contribute to the school? Well, isn't myself enough?? It didn't feel like that answer alone would be adequate so I mentioned that I will also be sponsoring 5 students to go to highschool. *Pause, they're waiting for more...* And I organised a donation of money for the school to use on text books. Oh, they were happy with that! I'm glad I got their approval *sarcastically* Judgement about what one contributes is not cool in my book.

And the memory fading ~ well they can go jump cos that doesn't make me feel good. I don't want the memory to fade and they were so jolly about it. *Grumble, grumble*

So that indeed is that. The White Masai was a great read because I could identify with the bustling city that is Nairobi, the hassels and delays it takes to get things done, the bad condition of the roads, the fascination of being white to the locals, riding on the local transport, the difficulty in getting medical care, the long distance between places, the types of food available, the issue with bribery, the warmth&hospitality of locals, customs of the masai tribesman, the importance of cattle and the friendships that develop with locals and other 'whites'.

But besides the Kenyan connection, as a woman I really identified with the main character in the story ~ Corinne. Even though she seems 'crazy' at the start, because she does things that I found hard to relate to, you understand some of her feelings when it came love i.e. the nervousness of waiting to see your crush again. And by the end of the story, I admired her strength, determination and resilience. There are three subsequent books in the series and a movie has been made about the first one.

Essentially, it is a real-life story about a 27 year-old Swiss girl on holiday in Kenya who falls in love with a masai tribesman. At first sight! Even though she already has a boyfriend who was travelling with her. She commits herself to this new man even though they barely share a common language in which to communicate. It details her love affair (sex before marriage!) and her move to live in rural Kenya. She is very adaptable to the traditional way of living except is not immune to local diseases (well it was the 1980's) and so her health suffers. What comes next is blend of unique experiences that test her resolve and prompt her into action. Worth the read (but more so for females).

An expert of failure

I'm going on a gameshow soon, some friends applied and got on so I thought I'd give it a go. In the information package I had a sheet of questions about myself. One of the questions was name your weaknesses and strengths. I could come up with plenty of weaknesses but not many strengths. Could I list one of my strengths as being 'an expert of failure'. Prob not, because it is negative in itself, but it certainly feels true.

This semester I'm finishing off my last uni suject (one that I had failed last year). It is visual art ~ the final bump in the road. Growing up as a child, I was always praised as being a wonderful artist and my handwriting was oh so neat. So I choose to do visual art at uni to accompany my education degree.... a natural attraction. But any initial confidence was bludgened down by the moody and unapproachable teachers that I didn't know how to please. And that barely taught the fundamentals. They taught you something briefly and it was never repeated again. For instance, a crucial demonstration on colour-mixing went for 10mins and that was it. I didn't 'get it', so was thereafter lost. Because I did't learn THEIR way I failed numerous times. And now here I am on my sixth and final art subject... and I'm reading 'Acrylic Painting for Dummies'.

I suppose I lacked the initiative to find outside help... but they didn't provide the support for that. I think it's an important role as a teacher to support your student and LESSEN the impact of anxiety about a given subject. Skilled painting seems unachievable to me and I think it's really unfortunate.

World Movies are nourishment for the soul

MOVIE REVIEW: Departures (Japan, 2008)

Tonight I watched the movie 'Departures' (director Yojiro Takita), winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, 2008. Wow is all I can say first up. The soft classical cello sounds are still resonating within.

I got into the habit before I left for Kenya to watch movies that had been nominated for an award or had won one on the World Movies channel. For instance, earlier this year I watched 'Tsotsi', another Oscar winner (2006; set in South Africa) which is set in the slums and it was amazing. There's something unique about a really good foreign movie, it ties you in by offering a glimpse into someone else's life for a while... it doesn't have to be a revolutionary storyline but something neiche or simple is enough.

And it's interesting to realise that since watching 'Departures', I have felt more motivated. For most of the day, I have been feeling down and uninspired to do much. But since the movie has ended, I feel a lot more passionate about life.

'Departures' is set in a small Japanese villiage. A young married couple move from Tokyo to the small town Yamagata to start a fresh when the husband, Diago (Masahiro Motoki), can't maintain regular work in the big city. He moves to Yamagata and starts working in the encoffinment industry ~ an ancient cleaning ritual of deceased persons. The profession is looked at unfavourably by the community even though it pays well. He hides his job from his wife, Mika, thinking she would disapprove. Through the job, he develops a strong appreciation and respect for the process involved in preparing the "departure" of loved ones and performs his duties with honour.

The storyline is delicately portrayed. Aside from death, other issues explored are parental abandonment, marital relations and the search for one's self. Watching the movie, I felt in touch with my youth because there were many flashbacks to Diago's childhood. And I also made a meaningful connection to one specific open carsket scene in the movie. Death in this manner affects you and I don't know if it is ALWAYS because it hits home or if the movie is powerful in it's own right.

Trailer: http://www.departures-themovie.com/media.html

Reviews:

"Departures turns out to be a delightful surprise, at once an engaging dramedy and an eloquent social statement. "- Bob Mondello, NPR

"This film is absolutely amazing..so well made it transcends the limits and strictures of language and its native culture. This film speaks to its viewers in the gentle and loving respect it shows its characters and through them, its viewers. How long has it been since you had the opportunity to be cherished by a motion picture? "- Ted Ott, Valley Scene Magazine

Other international movies I want to see:

• The Counterfeiters (2007) ~ Based on a real life counterfeiting plant was set up with prisoners in the concentration camp in Sachsenhausen. Austria, Oscar Winner.
• The Lives of Others (2006) ~ Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck takes a hard look at East Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, where a mind-boggling one in fifty citizens spied on the rest. German, Oscar Winner.
• The Sea Inside (2004) ~ The real-life story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die. Spain, Oscar Winner.
• The Barbarian Invasions (2003) ~ During his final days, a dying man is reunited with old friends, former lovers, his ex-wife, and his estranged son. Canadian, Oscar Winner.
• No Man's Land (2001) ~ Two soldiers from opposing sides in the conflict become trapped in no man's land during the Bosnia/Herzegovina conflict in 1993. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Oscar Winner.
• All About My Mother (1999) ~ Young Esteban want to become a writer and also to discover the identity of his father, carefully concealed by the mother Manuela in Alomodavar's masterful melodrama. Spain, Oscar Winner.
• 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (2008)~ illegal abortion in Romania
• Wings of Desire (1987) ~ An angel tires of overseeing human activity and wishes to become human when he falls in love with a mortal. German.
• Pan's Labyrinth (2006) ~ In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world. Spain, Won Oscar,
• City of God (2002) ~ Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer. Brazil, Oscar Nominated
• Nobody Knows (2004) ~ In Tokyo, the reckless single mother Keiko moves to a small apartment with her twelve years old son Akira Fukushima and hidden in the luggage... Japan *partially watched
• At the Height of Summer (2000) ~ This aesthetic story revolves around the lives of three sisters, their relationships with each other as well as their relationships with the men in their lives. Vietnam.
• Maria Full of Grace (2004) ~ A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family. Colombia

Older movies:

• The 400 Blows/The Adventures of Antoine Doniel (1959) ~ first in a series of 5 French movies about childhood and growing up. Oscar Nominated.
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) ~ a French musical about a 17-year girl who lives in an Umbrella shop with her mother. Oscar Nominated.
• Black Orpheus (1959) ~ A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian, Oscar Winner.
• Yojimbo (1961) ~ A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town. Japanese, Oscar Nominated.

Animated:

• Spirited Away (2002) ~ In the middle of her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures. Japanese, won Oscar.

Movies I have seen:

• Departures - Oscar Winner 2008
• Tsotsi - Oscar Winner 2005
• Nowhere in Africa - Oscar Winner 2002
• Amelie - Oscar Nominated 2001
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Oscar Winner 2000
• Life is Beautiful - Oscar Winner 1998
• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo