The Flow Of Things

This evening, I attended a lecture in Sutardja Dai Hall by the prolific artist, Stephanie Syjuco.  Syjuco displayed slides of her various projects from recent years, ranging from creating counterfeit designer handbags to creating 3D prints of antiquated Congolese vases.  The overarching theme stringing together her work is the “flow of things”.  According to Syjuco, “in today’s world, with the flow of goods comes the flow of ideas.”  It is for this reason that I have chosen to review her lecture  In recent decades, the shaping and attempt at alleviating poverty is shaped by the technology that allows the flow of goods and ideas.  Some call it neoliberalism, some call it global trade. Either way, to deny globalization would be fallacy.

for the GPP Blog.

One of the projects that Syjuco conducted was taking a “selfie”, and posting it on a website called Stock Share, which provides copyright-free pictures that are used on public domains.  She then tracked the different websites that used her photo ranging from Australian tourist sites to massage therapy.  Through this project, Syjuco addresses the way that the context behind images morph as they are stratified, which reminded me of the treatment of photography on our Practice Experience.  Because we will be immersed in our Practice Experiences, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that people who will be viewing the photos we take lack context.  Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we keep in consideration that we are responsible for the dispersal of portraits of people who will not be able to speak about the portrait themselves.

This is a recurring theme that began in GPP 115.  I think back to the GlobalPov videos that show smiling images of impoverished children, in which Ananya rhetorically asks, “Do people in poverty always smile this much?”  This topic cropped up again during our pre-departure orientation when we discussed Dorothea Lang’s photo of “Migrant Mother” and how the subject of the photo was angry at the non-consentual nature of the portrait.  On my practice experience, I anticipate that I may have some difficulty ensuring that the photos I take are approved by the women I will be working with.  I want them to fully understand where these photos will be posted, and who will see them, but it may be difficult due to cultural and language barriers.  Nevertheless, Stephanie Syjuco’s lecture sparked a renewed cognizance that on our Practice Experience we are responsible for painting the global portrait of poverty through our photography.

Poverty in Paradise

This past spring break, I took my first ever real vacation to Hawaii with some of my best friends. This was an experience I was sure to never forget. Hawaii is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places, with clear blue beaches, perfect weather, and gorgeous local people everywhere. I had a lot of expectations before going on my trip to paradise, but it wasn't everything it's all cracked up to be. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time and there are definitely beautiful places to visit, but besides the occasional tension that happens when you go on trips with friends, I had a lot of misconceptions and ideas of what Hawaii was all about.

I imagined Hawaii to be a place largely untouched by modern day consumerism, tropical trees and wild life everywhere, local people, and maybe a lot of hula shows (of course with the tourism). However, I was quite surprised for some reason when I took my first visit to the city of Honolulu. The city seemed extremely outdated and unmaintained. Infrastructure for the most part was not the best, and most surprisingly for me, poverty was everywhere to be seen. Yet, it is clearly goes largely unnoticed or maybe more accurately ignored. On my first trip to Waikiki (in an old bus with quite uncomfortable seats), one of the most tourist populated area, I saw homeless people everywhere, many bear foot, many with clear mental disabilities yelling or talking to themselves. I talked to my friend Evan (who attends the University of Hawaii) about how this was something I never would have expected. In response she said, "Yea, the poverty here is really bad." On our way up to Waikiki beach she told me and my other friend Basia, that the beach was man made and used to be a swamp. This brings up many questions and points of discussion for me. What is this place trying to represent? In the midst of what surrounds the very touristy Waikiki area exists reality, poverty. There is a front however, to maintain this facade of what Hawaii is, when literally what makes up these ideals are fake. From the beach to the things they sell, none of it is real or authentic.  

In discussion, my GSI Laura has often brought up that at some point she realized she doesn't need to go abroad since there are so many issues here that need to be addressed, even more specifically in her home town. This trip really highlights for me her point. Even in paradise, poverty is a huge issue.  I don't know how to begin fixing this problem, but I think acknowledging it as a problem and addressing it is a place to start.

Mountains Beyond Mountains: A Book Review

http://www.tracykidder.com/books/mountains/

I recently read a very inspirational book that I would strongly recommend to everybody for some motivation to continue working in the field of global poverty. The book is centered around Paul Farmer, a well-regarded doctor who many know from his publications on Haiti, including The Pathologies of Power. Mountains Beyond Mountains, written by Tracy Kidder, is sort of a biography about Farmer’s work in Haiti, Peru, and many other countries. I wanted to share some thoughts and questions that the book brought up for me, and relate it to my own experiences abroad.

One of the most inspiring aspects to the book was the morality of Paul Farmer, especially his rationale that those who have less money, especially in the developing world, should not have to suffer from worse medical treatment. Many policies and programs come to the conclusion that treatments  make more sense when they reach the greatest number of people, often meaning those who are chronically ill or require a more expensive treatment are left out. Farmer instead works by the logic that every patient should receive the best quality care that he can provide, and on a couple occasions he even flies his patients to Boston to receive treatment. Another reason this book was so inspirational to me was seeing Farmer’s extreme dedication to the people of Haiti, as well as the respect he received from those that he treated. He appears to genuinely care for every individual he encounters, and works as hard as possible to treat them. Many people seem to spend a couple years working in a developing country, or dedicate their lives to a certain organization but spend most of their time at an office in the US. Farmer, on the other hand, constantly flies around the world to do the most he possibly can, rarely taking a break or settling down. Overall, this book kept me motivated and has given me a lot of respect for Paul Farmer and his work.

While Farmer truly inspired me, I also finished the book a bit depressed about what I have accomplished so far and what I will every really be able to do. I am not planning to ever become a doctor, which is a resource that can literally save lives in a very direct and tangible way. What will my academic studies really allow me to do, and how much do I really know about the world as a whole? Additionally, I began to question the sustainability of Farmer’s work. Despite his consistent effort, what is his work doing on a larger scale for the people of Haiti? While a clinic is certainly necessary, and treating all patients not by the money in their pockets but by their value as an individual is clearly a necessity, is this really the way to end global poverty? Even my work with Fundacion Cantaro Azul is touching very few lives in the greater context of Mexico or even Chiapas. Rather, is targeting the political economy or powerful institutions a more sustainable and meaningful angle? Of course, I suppose nobody knows all of the answers, and this is why we are all in college minoring in Global Poverty. Either way, I really recommend the book—it is a fun, easy read that will be sure to leave you with many questions and reflections.

Effective Vaccinations

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/health/an-expansion-in-use-of-cancer-vaccine.html?ref=health&_r=0

In a recent New York Times article, Brazilian scientists and doctors have discovered a functional vaccine against cervical cancer. The article states that 80% of girls in South America get the vaccines and doctors are trying to spread the availability of vaccine to other third world countries such as India. Unfortunately, the cost of the vaccine has deterred many countries and NGO's from implementing the vaccine in their operations. Although research efforts are increasing, I think it would be important if philanthropic organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invested into methods of developing a more cost-efficient vaccine. Cervical cancer has become a major killer in Africa when combined with H.I.V. and the problems that occur with them. Although most healthcare related NGO's provide medication and treatment to the poor in the third world, not enough emphasis is placed on developing efficient methods of healthcare delivery. By focusing on effective ways to create vaccines and medications, it would be easier to send these out to an increased amount of regions around the world at a cheaper cost to producers, doctors, and scientists. As a GPP student heading to India to help with healthcare relief, I am interested to analyze the costs of medications and vaccines used by doctors in Kodaikanal. 

Unplugging for Clean Water

A few weeks ago, I saw the UNICEF Tap Project going viral on my Facebook newsfeed. The premise of this campaign is to have people in the developed world (primarily, phone-obsessed millennials) unplug for as long as possible, and large donors will give a predetermined amount for every 10 minutes the phone is unused. The campaign has many purposes. First, it is an attempt to recreate spheres of human interaction for people in the developed world, especially activities that older generations consider unspoken unplug time, such as meals. Second, the campaign is making people aware of how often (and how obsessively) we, as a society, check our phones and are constantly tweeting, posting, liking, commenting, and sharing on social media. It is a time to resist the urge to check every notification that pops up from our (virtual) friends, and being more present in reality. Lastly, the campaign is comparing our impulse to be "plugged in" every waking hour with the very real need for clean water that is necessary for survival. UNICEF is trying to make people realize what is truly a need and what is merely an accessory or desire.

The UNICEF Tap Project's current status is here: http://tap.unicefusa.org/. I hope that the campaign is successful in all of its endeavors, but it makes me hopeful that perhaps we will realize how lucky we are to have some many resources that we take for granted.

Reflecting on Development Work

A few weeks ago, I took a leave of absence due to an unforeseen family emergency. Although the circumstances were not ideal, I was lucky enough to go back to my home town were I grew up as a child. I grew up in Tijuana, Mexico. Tijuana today is notorious for its sketchiness and various forms of drug related crime and violence. While I was there I couldn't help but feel horrible. I live my privileged life in beautiful Berkeley, while the rest of my family struggles daily in a city full or violence and corruption. I constantly thought about my studies in GPP and how I want to help my country. I couldn't help but compare my privilege to their "lack of privilege". Essentially I just started findings things to pick at, Mexico doesn't have clean water, or they cant flush toilet paper down the pipes, Mexico doesn't have Wifi everywhere, etc. I started thinking about all of the stuff that could be improved on, without thinking about the people that actually live in Mexico. I had not noticed that they were ultimately happy and were not complaining about all the stuff that I had complained about. Thats when I felt ashamed about my thoughts and started reflecting on the multiple stories of development work. The story that came to mind was that of the group that was building toilets for a country in the global south and the citizens did not use them. I felt dumb, especially being a GPP student, for trying to impose my ideals on someone else. I didn't see that people didn't complain about the lack of wifi, because that is not a priority there. I just want to state how important it is to take the input of people (via levels of participation) and not just assume that you know what is best, especially in development work.

But you all know that.

Are We Really Helping the Poor?

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/12/anti-poverty-programmes?zid=301&ah=e8eb01e57f7c9b43a3c864613973b57f

There has constantly been debates on whether or not anti-poverty programmes are actually helping the poor. The article, “Are We Helping the Poor?” published in 2013 goes into detail on the main debates people have over assistance programmes which prove how poverty statistics have been wrong for several years. It is shared that “[S]tatistics using the official poverty measure do not provide an accurate picture of poverty or the role of government policies in combating poverty,” by Columbia University researchers Christopher Wimer and Liana Fox. There is proof that these government assistance programmes reduce poverty by about 40% since 2010 based on the US Census Bureau. However, this is solely based on studies conducted but where is this information coming from? And how come there hasn’t been visible improvement on the poverty struggles of millions of the poor living in the United States?

Based on the Columbia University Research there has been a decline in child poverty and amongst those in deep poverty but where is the proof of this and how was this study/research conducted? The reason I chose this article was because it made me question the reliability of the research published. Mr. Drum (an impressive figure) stands within my same thoughts. He states that ‘While poverty among the elderly has fallen impressively since 1967 (around the time Medicare was introduced), the percentage of poor Americans aged 18-64 hasn't budged much. The figure dipped from 1967 to 1979, but today is right back where it was 35 years ago, at 15%.” The poverty problem hasn’t improved. Government assisted programs, in my opinion, do help families support but these families are stereotyped for it and these programmes do not get these families out of poverty, its only a way of helping maintain the home under certain circumstances.

Mr. Alhert also believes that this study is flawed and argues that “Welfare benefits will dampen some recipients' drive to seek employment, whether they are technically impoverished or not,” because welfare programs can give more financial help than actually having a job. The anti-poverty problem is a continuous cycle. There are those that believe that these programs do help, and I believe this too. However, certain programs can only help a family so much and do not allow them to get out of poverty without having more resources of getting a proper job in order to maintain a household. Some of those impoverished cannot get a job because they do receive more financial help by not having one which allows them to take care of their children and do much more during the day. However, this is going to be the same routine for them. They have no other opportunities for a brighter and more secure future. So this leads me back to the question of whether or not we are helping the poor with government anti- poverty programs which include social welfare and others. The research conducted by Columbia University states that it has but in all honesty, I feel that it has only left the poor in a deeper poverty trap than they were before. The research does not take into consideration other factors that affect poverty rates in the United States. There should be a system that deliberately tries to increase the amount of those impoverished seeking employment in order to live above the poverty line in the United States.

Anti-Trafficking Efforts and Photography

http://www.sfgate.com/art/article/Lisa-Kristine-photographs-slavery-4167748.php#photo-3980832

Take a look at these photographs. In the realm of anti-human trafficking efforts, Lisa Kristine is well known for a collection of photographs depicting modern-day slavery.

This week we read articles relating to the ethics of visual documentation. In The politics of photographic aesthetics: critically documenting the HIV epidemic along heroin injectors in Russia and the United States,” Schonber/Bourgois explain how photos “…might foster critical social engagement through an emotional aesthetic—empathy, horror, awareness, and anger—by documenting extreme levels of social suffering in the heart of the American Dream” (388). Kristine’s article accomplishes this precisely; she took these photographs for a distinct purpose: to reveal to the public that modern-day slavery still exists and to spur these individuals to take action against it.

My PE, Challenging Heights, runs a school and rehabilitation center for child trafficking survivors. In order to encourage people to donate money to their organization, I expected CH to publish pictures of children working on farms or in fishing boats. Once the viewer witnesses this terrible situation, he or she would feel inclined to contribute (via donation) to CH’s cause.

However, CH website consists of no children working as slaves (Take a look here: http://challengingheights.org/). All the photos illustrate children reading, studying, playing soccer, laughing, and just being kids. We often see the stereotypical pictures of African children, who are starving, illiterate, or my PE’s case, slaves. Instead, Challenging Heights does not victimize the children, but portrays them as strong survivors who are working past the injustices they’ve experienced. However, as Schonberg/Bourgois state, is this ‘sanitizing’ the ‘extreme social suffering’ of human trafficking? In my opinion, I do not think so. I think having such photos solidifies the children's identity as slaves...when really, they are trying to move past this label and reclaim a new identity as free individuals with a bright future ahead of them. What do you think? Do you think CH should publish photos like Lisa Kristine's? 

Everyone Deserves a Roof* *a REAL roof

This past spring break, I was in South Central Los Angeles doing service with several community organizations in the area. One of which was Midnight Mission, a homeless shelter on Skid Row that provides counseling, housing, food, and recovery programs for people who want to get off the streets. Something that they promoted was their courtyard,  an open area for homeless folks to relax and a zone of outreach on behalf of the staff. It also was host to some of these interesting looking enclosures, called EDARs. EDAR stands for Everyone Deserves A Roof, and is a 501c3 noprofit organization that started in South Cenral. In fact, if you watch the video, the background is Midnight Mission. EDAR claims to provide a temporary roof and easy storage for personal belongings. It folds up and can act as a shopping cart as well. 

However, each unit costs $500. At Midnight Mission, it looked like they were only a few and primarily used to provide a safe, separate, space for young mothers to sleep at night. EDAR seems unsustainable and a bandaid solution to the issue of poverty. Critics say that it may just "perpetuate homelessness", to which the founder Peter Samuelson says, "Fine, I agree with you, so do something else. Get off your  behind and build some buildings with beds in them". So what's better, creating something that fixes symptoms of poverty or going after policy that created poverty? What will actually make a difference in the community? 

I think this is a great example Ananya Roy's paradigm: "hubris of benevolence//paralysis of cynicism". With so many nonprofit/charities/aid organizations cropping up, it is easy for us to criticize any initiative that aims to alleviate poverty (this one isn't participatory enough, that one won't garner funding...) At the same time, we can't just delve ahead without thinking about a project's unintended consequences either. While these are two extremes, I think it is also a fine line between if we are hurting or helping. (Refer to To Hell With Good Intentions - Ivan Illich!) 

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If anyone is interested, the program I am in is called Alternative Breaks which focuses on different social issues (immigration rights, food justice, animal welfare, urban health - to name a few) through a critical service-learning model. We spend spring break learning from community partners and serving in a way that is most beneficial to them. 

Social Venture Capitalism

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2014/03/31/how-philanthropists-and-investors-can-work-together-to-create-social-change/

Currently there is a strong likelihood that my PE will not be in microfinance as originally anticipated.  As worrisome as that is for the impending literature review I may have the chance to work in a place much more interesting.  This article describes the approach of many new social ventures.  The article provides the example of Aravind Eye Hospitals - a group of hospitals around India providing low cost yet profitable eye-care to the rural poor in India.   The Hospitals got their start when a philanthropy donated the seed money to the founder much in the same way a venture capital firm would provide seed funding for a start-up.  UnLtd. India -the organization I might be interning at- describes itself as a social venture incubator and occupies a role similar to a social venture capital firm.  One of the problems for Aravind was that he had to rely on funding from philanthropists because profit margins were too low for traditional venture capital firms.  If he did go to a venture capital firm he would have to focus on distribution models that centered around profit margins where as by getting a donation he could focus on a distribution model that focused on distribution. This is where UnLtd. India comes in.  They are a non-profit themselves donating the profits from an endowment that is held in trust for them.  This consistent source of funding allows the organization to give  seed funding to social ventures in the same way Aravind got his funding but at the same time providing many of the services and networks that venture capital firms often provide to their investees.  This model is so cool because it uses the tried and true structures of capitalism for social ventures.  It lets the ideas and the know-how emerge organically from the places it operates in then finds them and gives those ideas funding.   Usually in the development world the funding and ideas originate from the same space which has often left the combination wanting.  Either the ideas aren't perfectly situated to a developing country given that they were developed elsewhere or the idea is local but the funding is hard to come by. Basically its a model that has combined the strengths of Easterly's searchers with the funding from developed nations.

Work Colleges and Student Loan Debt

Rising tuition and high interest rates on loans are frequent topics of discussion nowadays, but universities have done little to change the status quo on their own volition. Many students are left with crippling debt after graduation – nationally, almost $1 trillion is owed. All of us UC students have experienced huge tuition increases, and maybe even participated in protests against them. And Cal’s fees pale in comparison to the $50K often charged by private schools. Basically, the current system is unsustainable, and with the current political climate makes policy change seem unlikely. However, seven small private vocational colleges have found a possible solution on their own: reducing or eliminating tuition in exchange for working a required number of hours.

             At these colleges, all students – regardless of their financial situation – are required to work on tasks ranging from gardening to handling phone calls, usually around 100 hours a semester, and then evaluated on their performance. (Cal, of course, has work study, but it is quite different: it’s voluntary, targets financially needy students, and is a federal program.) The results are promising: average student debt is $12,121 as opposed to the national average for private nonprofit colleges of $27,710 and public colleges of $21,740. The vast majority of students find the program helpful, saying it helped prepare them for their first job, manage time, work with people with different views, etc. And the schools have benefitted from reduced staff costs and have seen large increases in applications and enrollment. Three of the schools, Alice Lloyd, Berea College, and College of the Ozarks, have used grants, donations, and the work program to completely cover tuition costs.

            Despite these positive outcomes, this program brings up a lot of questions. Should every student be required to participate? The colleges claim it evens the playing field, since everyone is working the same amount, but students with disabilities or other part-time jobs might really struggle to fulfill the additional time commitments. And the program’s demands might detract from students’ ability to find well-paying jobs they could otherwise squeeze in. The colleges admit that a lot of fundraising is needed to keep the program running – requiring everyone to participate might not be economically sustainable. Letting students choose to opt out and pay full tuition could help cover the program’s costs. On the whole, though, I think that the benefits of giving everyone job experience and the same time commitments outweigh the costs.

            Given that, could it work on a larger scale? All the colleges currently doing this work program are small, private schools with vocational emphases, and it is a little difficult to imagine huge universities like Cal managing 30,000 students’ work hours. And replacing staff with students would be unfair to the employees, many of who have families or more financial demands than college kids with access to their parents’ bank account. It seems as though the work college program is well suited to the seven institutions currently using it, but that the program’s limitations would be exacerbated on a larger scale.

Overall, I think the seven work colleges have designed a really interesting way to combat student loan debt while simultaneously preparing their students for the workforce after graduation. It works well at those schools, but it does little to change the outrageous student debt situation nationally.  

Read more at: http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Students-jobs-pay-off-tuition-at-7-work-colleges-5361112.php#photo-6095445

The Mango Doctor

I don't tell people this story. It's too close to my heart to tell in person. But it is part of what drives me and provokes me to question myself: What am I willing to do?

My father was a passionate man and an intuitive physician. When me (age 9), my brother, and he lived in the Philippines, he had given up a career as a doctor in California to raise mangoes in his home town -- a small, rural town predominated by agriculture and fishing. Yes, I said mangoes. He had denied himself and us the luxurious lifestyle that he had built in order to pursue what he really cared for. With constant typhoons destroying the crops and without a stable source of income, we quickly fell to a less than modest lifestyle. Despite all the conditions we faced, my father still managed to practice medicine in the town.

There was no clinic with health care services in the town; the closest place to receive any form of decent treatment was an hour drive away into the city. When the townspeople became sick, they could not afford to travel the distance or the care they required for even the simplest things. Family, friends of family, friends of friends of friends of family came to rely on my father for his medical consultation. I would follow my father around as he made house visits to anyone who requested his help. He performed whatever diagnostics and procedures that he could, such as circumcisions, wound cleanings, acute and chronic illness diagnoses, etc. He even spent what little money he had to buy medications or supplies for those who could not afford them. Not once did I ever see him accept or ask for payment. This was his community and he served it better than the state did. People came to know him as "the mango doctor."

With our financial and home conditions depreciating even more, he became sick. But that didn't stop him from continuing to provide whatever primary care services he could offer to whoever needed his help. It wasn't until he passed away that I realized just how much of an impact he made on that town; one man who embodied the true essence of medicine. Medicine and health care beyond clinical walls.

I want to be like him. I want to practice medicine as he did. I want to serve as he did. But I've tasted what a better life for me is like. So everyday, I ask myself: what am I willing to do?


What are you willing to do?

Organization Promotional Videos versus Picture Documentation

In the light of this week's topic about visual documentation, and the power and problems it presents, especially when portraying human suffering, I wanted to share a promotional video for the organization I'm working with (Coaching Corps).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44pTRVsdrxA

I really want to hear what you all think of their portrayal of these low income children and their suffering.

According to Coaching Corps there are over 21 million children in the U.S. living in low income circumstances. The video really attempts to draw on the viewers emotions to make us sympathize for these children and Coaching Corps's cause. What is different about this form of visual documentation versus what was discussed in the articles for the week is that this is a video and not simply a picture. Schonberg and Bourgois go into the great benefits of pictures, but also there drawbacks as they are open to interpretation. The "thousand words" they express could be a "thousand lies" depending on who in the public is viewing the image. That's why they emphasize the importance of context and a small line of description below the image. However with videos, that context is inherently embedded. Thus it is more effective. The only issue is pictures are much more accessible and easier to advertise on a large scale, which videos are a more complex form of media.

So can a technological movement towards videos help correct the faults within the portrayal of suffering through pictures? Or do videos introduce a whole other set of issues in the depiction of human suffering? Is the way this video uses children, music etc. to make us feel sympathetic an even larger wrong or simply a part of the context?

We have a Lime CRISIS!!

Two limes for $1, or $11.99 for a bag of 25 limes at most!! I was shocked as I did my grocery shopping this past weekend. I’m a big fan of limes, but for this time, I had to limit the amount I was to consume until my next trip to the grocery store. But why are lemons and limes so expensive, when there was a time we were able to purchase up to ten lemons for just $1? The price of limes not just locally but nationally is closely tied to one of Mexico's infamous drug cartels, Los Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templars).

These delicious fruits are largely grown in one specific region: the state of Michoacán. This is where the cartel has marked its territory. This cartel has been elbowing in for a few years now, and they have had Michoacán residents in fear by controlling the lime production. What they have done over the last couple of years is that “if they're nice, they put humongous taxes on the farmers. If they're not nice, they just kill farmers and take the land and take over lime production themselves." The fist option has causes farmers to reduce the amount of exportations they have done, in order not to pay taxes evertimes they want to export limes.

This has affected the United States because the decrease in exportation has caused the prices of lime to increase dramatically. For example in Southern California, a consumer says that a case of limes used to sell for about $40, but not the price is closer to $100. This has caused restaurants to charge for small wedges of lime, when before they would, without extra charge, bring out bowls of limes for customers.

Although prices have skyrocketed in the United States, it is not affecting us as much as Mexico. Mexico is the biggest lime producer, yet they have the world’s most expensive limes. Statistics have shown that “prices have risen more than 200 percent since December to 80 pesos ($6.10) a kilogram, higher than Mexico's daily minimum wage.” This crisis is a serious matter in a country where lime is such a popular condiment that ranks “as the equivalent of mayonnaise in the Unites States.”

In some parts of Mexico where Limes are a crucial ingredient for Margaritas, Bartenders are asking home growers to bring them a bag of limes, and in exchange they will sell them a margarita for only 25 cents. This is clearly a rip off because limes are more valuable than Margaritas.

Not only is this affecting people in Mexico, making it more difficult to afford limes, but this crisis is also putting their lives in danger by having to live in an environment which is not safe for either them or their families. But they have to deal with this because they cannot afford to live elsewhere.

Nonetheless, limes have become an expensive commodity.

To Read more on the crisis of limes, check out the links below:

Fruit from Fruitvale

On Thursday I hopped on the 1R bus and I went to Fruitvale in the Oakland area by myself. For those who haven't been to Fruitvale it is a heavily Latino and Black populated community rich in food stands, food trucks, and restaurants around the area. On International and 33rd where the Fruitvale BART stop is located there is much going on. There is a local elementary school, Catholic church and a small market outside of the BART station where they were selling fruit and vegetables, a variety of nuts, and other items as well. I walked around through a couple of streets walked by the school, entered the church, and purchased the cup of fruit that I posted a picture of. I have been to Fruitvale in the past to try some of the delicious authentic Mexican food that I miss. I always felt connected to the people I saw walking in the streets because they reminded me of me when I was growing up. Seeing familiar brown faces always makes me feel at home.

As I walked through Fruitvale I wanted to bust out my phone and take numerous pictures. I wanted to take pictures of the kids playing tag in the courtyard, of the church, of the guy selling strawberries in his stand, of the moms walking their kids to school, of the woman who sold me the fruit cup, of the people enjoying their snacks sitting on benches, of the black woman with bright red hair, of the people waiting for the bus. I wanted to capture this community, but I stopped myself and I only took a picture of my fruit cup overlooking International boulevard.

Schonberg and Bourgois write "Photography by photojournalists or documentarians is a medium which combines visual aesthetics and realistic information to offer partial glimpses of very different, inaccessible worlds" they also mention that "...how photography takes on its meaning through the context in which images are presented, via the subjectivity of the viewer, and the ideological constrains of the larger society"

I think these ideas tie to visual documentation in terms of my practice experience as well as my experience in Fruitvale. To me, Fruitvale is a realistic world, that is not different, and is accessible. I felt that taking pictures would separate my cultural connection to this place. I would have become simply an outsider trying to capture the culture rather than maintain my connection with it. The picture of my fruit seemed like my only appropriate option. I feel like I will have the same dilemma with my practice experience as I will be working in the West Oakland community. These visual documentation readings bring a lot of ethical questions. I still need to understand my place in these communities, even if I am not directly part of them. It will be interesting to figure out what approaches I take to document my practice experience in a way that I feel comfortable with the images I am trying to capture but also that they capture realities of the work that I am doing.

brain drain and patriotism in the Philippines

 

"Filipinos overseas are self-exiles. We chose to leave our homeland when this became intellectually, politically, financially, artistically or philosophically limiting or oppressive. We are drawn to another country because of the vitality of its intellectual, scientific or artistic scene, its support and tolerance for innovation, progress and intellectual energy, and by its high regard for the immigrant who brings in new talent and skill, allowing him or her the freedom to achieve success, find his or her identity and express his or her ideas. Self-actualization in another land is not a crime. And Filipinos back home, who seek their own success, would be well-served to rejoice in ours. We are no different. We are just far from home."  

(from "No, Winnie, Filipinos who go overseas are not traitors" by Joy Anotnelle De Marcaida M.D.)

 

I have come to realize, while doing research for my lit review, that Healthcare Brain Drain is an issue in many developing countries. I have learned, from various sources like Ruth Groenhout who wrote “The ‘Brain Drain’ Problem: Migrating Medical Professionals and Global Health Care,” that “countries in the global South face enormous shortages of health-care workers” and that “the most direct solution, to train more doctors and nurses, does not solve the problem because so many of those who are trained move to the global North to take advantage of higher salaries and an improved standard of living.”

It is quiet interesting that in the Philippines this whole migration of workers business was once considered a good thing. In fact, in the 1970’s overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were coined “bagong bayani” (new heroes) by the government as their efforts of working abroad cushioned the country from falling into way too deep an economic fall. Now, however, migration has been one of the country’s problem and OFWs are now being thought and accused of being traitors of the country. I remember a particular YouTube Video of the famous Professor Solita Monsod of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, delivering a lecture for Econ 1001 where she said: “If you’re going to help this country, you’ve got to be in this country.” She further calls out those who have ambitions of working abroad, especially the graduates of state universities that “they are essentially betraying the people of the Philippines who trusted them and invested their money for their education.”

I have tried to wrap my mind around this issue. I can see Professor Monsod’s point that going abroad doesn’t really help the country considering this outflow of physicians and nurses (and other healthcare workers) leave the country with a shortage thereof. But, at the same time, I also feel for “self-exiled” Filipino workers abroad. For one, it’s not like the government compensates them well enough to even support their workers own basic and family needs. They don’t even have conducive enough work places wherein they could provide services for clients. Not to mention the lack of medical supplies that are crucial not only for providing medical service to patients, but also for their own safety.

It is quiet unfair to bring the “you’re betraying the country if you leave card” (especially when it comes from the mouths of rich/influential/powerful people) when the truth is the country (or those controlling the country) betrayed them first by neglecting their needs. 

But two wrongs don’t make things right. And perhaps the better question isn't whether or not healthcare workers who go abroad are traitors or not, but rather whether or not there is action from the government to reduce healthcare brain drain...

Any thoughts?

Here and Away

PBS | Indies this month has some great short videos on the theme of home.

The first, Here and Away is about fleshing out a place of belonging in a world full of vastly different, possibly unrelatable landscapes. But rather than dismissing the immediate differences of city life and rural life, the two narrators come to conclude that “we’re all just an island onto ourselves” and that “you can be content wherever you are.” On an island or in the countryside, what may seem to be a border may be what connects us all, like the water that connects all shores. And in the city, because it “doesn’t dictate” but rather absorbs, it is a “place where you don’t have to explain yourself,” “a place that contains all other places.”

It reminded me of the ethical questions that may arise out of doing a practice experience abroad. I personally chose a local PE but I think this film reminds me that bridging across differences is possible. 

The second clip “Home” animates the filmmaker’s childhood home using photos and home videos that was flooded during Hurricane Katrina and then mistakenly torn down in the rush to rebuild. It was provocative because I personally see home not only as a physical space but a specific time and place in memory. It’s the latter than can’t be destroyed yet we spend so much time focusing on the former. Click the link to check out the award winning film.