Comparing Apples and Dates

The events in Tunisia set off a domino effect in the Middle East and North Africa, with many populations rising en-masse to either depose decades of dictatorship or petition the existing government for increased freedoms. 2011 is going to be a major year in the history of the region, hopefully a time that historians will point to as the beginning of an age of greater freedom, understanding, prosperity and peace.

I think historians will also use this juncture to draw some conclusions and comparisons about ways to establish a new government. On the one hand we have organic popular uprisings, on the other hand we have government change enacted by a external force in the case of Iraq. While the legitimacy of each may be less of a question, the effectiveness of each strategy will be playing out for the next few decades. And while this is far from a perfect scientific experiment, it should provide compelling arguments in favor or against military occupation and overthrow of dictatorial regimes.

I won't pretend that I don't think one will prove better than the other, but regardless of my own biases this year could be quite the petri dish for how to lay the foundations of a modern functioning democracy. In Iraq we have a military occupation and slow withdrawl while encouraging a democratic process and advising its growth. In some countries like Morocco this process might be slower. The petitioning for greater freedoms now without a total overhaul of the government could potentially begin a longer, slower and less chaotic process from one government to a democracy. Morocco is known however as already being a bit more liberal than other countries in North Africa, partially due to its close proximity and ties to Europe, so they could be starting slightly further ahead than other countries. And in Egypt we will see a complete overhaul induced by a popular protest until an autocratic authority stepped down, ceding power to a well respected military until such time as free and fair elections can be held.

Will they alter or replace their constitutions? What freedoms will be guaranteed? Will the new government first seek to govern or to define the new supreme law of the land? What role will religion play in formation of government law and policy? Will minorities be protected? Many fascinating questions await answering, and we shall see what comes of it all. It is heartening to know that most people agree that whatever comes next, it will almost certainly be a step forward for humanity.

There's no such thing as "my" time.

This time last year I was living at my parents house and slowly discovering that there were no jobs in architecture out there. This year, I'm starting a couple new volunteer positions. This time last year, I was killing time by playing W.o.W.  and streaming TV shows. This year I'm still reading more books, actually taking a class! This time last year I was alone on valentines day. This year, I'll still be alone on v-day, but I won't be single :)

It's a welcome change that this year is off to a better start than last year. I'm doing some significant volunteering now, with two new major commitments. First, I'm leading a project to design a Nutritional Rehabilitation Center for a hospital in Malawi through Architects Without Borders. I have a design team of 4 people underneath me, and it's an interesting experience leading my first real project. But I am embracing the challenge and excited to call myself the "Project Champion," (that's AWB's title, not mine).

The other major commitment just came together a couple days ago. There is a local community development non-profit called Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI), and they specialize in rehabing or renovating existing homes, duplexes and small complexes in the poorer parts of Portland and providing financial planning assistance to make it easier for minorities and people with lower incomes to own homes. I'll be helping out as a project management assistant, which will involve checking on current projects, working with the city, doing paperwork regarding funding, preparing scopes of work, among other things. This isn't third-world development, but it is development and I think it will be great experience in dealing with governments and non-profit processes and understanding residential architecture.

I'm very stoked to get busy with these opportunities. Who knows, maybe one of them will eventually lead to a real employed position?!

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention my wonderful girlfriend, who has made the start of this year a very special one. Even though she's in St. Louis finishing school, we are keeping in touch quite well and coping with the long distance relationship. She is a great and godly woman who not only respects and cares about me, but also challenges me to be a leader and caring boyfriend that's deserving of such a great gift from God. Neither of us is pretending to know what God has in store for our relationship, how long it will last or where it might take us, we're just both very grateful for "us," and enjoying the time we have.

So it's off to the races and off to volunteering this year, and not off to other countries. The cupboard isn't bare, but it's certainly devoid of travel funds right now. But I am rather fond of Portland, so I really can't complain. 

Tony's District

 So I recently made a trip across the country, from Portland to Washington D.C. I did most of this in the car with my good friend Brad, but technically did fly the Portland to Boise portion. But I've driven enough roads between Boise and Portland to count that as done anyway. Nothing too much to note about the trip itself, Wyoming looked looked pretty much like eastern Colorado, which looked similar but not as flat as Kansas, which had many similarities with southern Illinois and Indiana. Kentucky might have been a better change of scenery, as would have West Virginia, if it hadn't been the middle of winter so the hills were covered in naked trees.

DC was cold. I made trips to a few places I hadn't seen on my last visit, including the National Art Gallery (fantastic exhibits) and Arlington National Cemetery. Also got to meet a few men my age at the house I crashed in. Some good guys it seemed, all very smart, many with ambitions to make it a lot further into washington than just being staffers.

I doubt I could make myself fit in there with all the suits and ties and formalities and constant hand shaking. At least, not without some changes in how I define "myself." Everyone here is networking with other people, and they always ask you what you do for work and who you work for, like they're sizing you up for how useful a friend you might be. That's not to say there aren't genuinely nice, real people here (I met them too) but that seemed to be the atmosphere that hangs in everyone's social interactions.


Everyone at least except a guy I met named Tony. I don't know if he was homeless or jobless or anything, but he was just sitting outside the National Gallery and spoke to me as I was passing, so I stopped to talk to him and he said he was hungry. But before he even started asking me anything, he thanked me as soon as I stopped and looked him in the eye - which I guess meant no one really ever paid attention to him. But we went to a place nearby for a bite to eat, which was actually really convenient because I was looking for somewhere to eat and there are not restaurants anywhere on the mall it seems. He told me to go order him something and that he would wait for me at a table in the back, I guess he felt too embarrassed to go wait in line with me. So as I made my way to the counter the doubt came, along with the obvious opportunity to just leave without him seeing me and go on my way to do what I wanted to do. But I was hungry, and I had told Tony I would buy him a meal, and I like to think I'm a man of my word so I resolved to eat anyway. We sat there for maybe half an hour or more talking and eating, with Tony doing most of the talking. He says he's seen all sorts of famous people here, Denzel Washington and Jay-Z and Richard Pryor. And we got to talking about how common some names are, and we talked for 5 minutes easily while we thought of really common names. He figured the most common are John, Dave, and Katie. Patrick was up there but didn't make the top five.

I told Tony that I was going to see the Museum of Natural History soon, since it closes at 5pm and it was already passing 3 o'clock. He said he'd been there many times and would give me a special tour in appreciation for the meal. So we went over there and he started showing me stuff, always the oldest thing or the biggest thing or the weirdest animal. He was really funny actually, and he knew his stuff. He wanted to show me the first men using fire to cook - an exhibit that reminded him of his first time camping and roasting marshmallows. He said, "I thought it was a really Indian thing to do man." We didn't find it, but we did stumble upon a movie showing deep ocean exploration. It took maybe 10-12 minutes, and when it was over and the lights came on I looked at Tony and he was fast asleep! I tried gently to wake him, but he didn't stir, so I sat and debated how long to wait for him. He came around a few minutes later on his own, and said he was gonna keep napping for a bit. So I said I'd just keep exploring the museum and try to run into him later. I figured he must not have been getting much good sleep if he takes naps in the theater. And I didn't find him afterwards sadly, but he made things very interesting.

Hanging out with Tony brought several things to my mind. There were a couple times where I kept telling myself, "As you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me," just to make myself stay around and not just buy a meal and then leave. I doubt now that he enjoyed the sandwich as much as my company. It also made me realize how much I struggled just trying to relate to him at times, either just understanding his speech or finding things to talk about with him. I like to think that I'm a nice guy and can get on well with just about anyone, but with Tony I really had to struggle to come up with things to talk about or find ways to enter into the conversation he started. It makes me think I should try and spend more time with homeless and hungry back in Portland, since I obviously lacked the social skills to relate to people below (and I hate to say it this way) my social class. I didn't like my instincts around him, to try and just appease him and then get out without making a connection, without treating him like a real person. I mean, I'm proud that I did stick around and do that, but I almost did it as if under protest rather than out of a genuine loving manner, and if I'm honest with myself I can definitely do better. I know God humbles people in encounters like this to be more thankful for what we have, I never expected him to use this to point out that what I thought was a strength of mine really wasn't that strong at all.