OK I suppose the rock in the middle of the South Atlantic also exceeded these limits, but I can now at long last say I’ve been to Asia.
So what are my impressions? Well I like it, I mean what’s not to like. The food (wow the food), people with manners, real shops with things in you’d want to buy and some mind blowing beautiful architecture and buildings.
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| (Just tilt your head!!) |
Maybe the part when some woman discharged the contents of her fridge on my face wasn’t too great. Yoghurt, honey, mashed bananas all smeared on my face, and then finished off by a mask of finely sliced cucumber and a sprinkling of melon water. Also maybe its best I forget about the unfortunate sexual assault I endured when another woman decided to massage by boobs with fragrant oils during what I thought was a shoulder massage. But apart from these incidences, Asia has left a good impression. My favourite bit was when I took a spur of the moment decision to hire a taxi driver for the afternoon to take me around all the best temples that Kathmandu had to offer. OK it was rather unformtunate that I got lost looking around one and had to get a taxi to take me to my taxi but hey, thats just me!!
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve not only been seeking homosexual experiences in Asia (no I’ve been looking for good drugs too – joke!!!). I was in fact working - honest. And I have to say working here has been even more surprising than the mountain goat humanoid who climbed all over me in the name of alterntive therapy.
You see, in terms of development work Asia is known to be more advanced than Africa. The poverty (and corruption) is somehow comparable, but overall there is no doubt that people’s educational skills are way beyond what we meet in West Africa. The national staff in the charity in Nepal for example are light years ahead of my team in Africa. There is internationally recognised medical and allied health training and some world class services. There is a sense of order, standards and attention to detail that I do not see back in my adopted home. There’s also a culture of customer service which to be frank, I’m just not use to and to be honest unnerved me the first few days I was here. All that bowing and scraping is unnerving to a Northerner at the best of times, but to one whose been living in Salone for 18 months it's downright freaky!
So how has this week affected me? Well, as we have all come to accept some time ago, I’m not what you’d call all there in the head, so rather than start job hunting for a position in Asia, this exposure helped me make my decision to stay in Africa another 6 months. You see it’s not just that I’ve grown fond of West Africa, or my newly aquired toaster. Nor is it that I feel it needs my help more than Asia. No in simple terms I think if I move to Asia they’ll soon uncover the truth that I haven’t a clue what I’m doing half the time and just bullshitting my way through life.
I don’t have such high standards and to tell you the complete truth everyone is so small in Asia I feel like a big wobbly giant. So I think it’s best for all concerned that I stay where my arse and more importantly my lack of intellect & moral fiber can do least harm.
What have I done…..
