Lessons Learned - Vol. II

I'm learning so much here in South Africa, that I should be able to share nuggets of wisdom on a regular basis. Here's what I've learned this week…

Lesson 7
Don't be fooled by the phrase "African Salad". There's no lettuce, no croutons, and no little red tomatoes. "African Salad", my friends, turned out to be a combination of enriched corn meal and sour milk (buttermilk in the U.S.). My father has been eating a similar concoction all of his life, and he often subjected his two innocent sons to it. Needless to say I didn't have trouble downing a bowl full , but I still feel duped.

Lesson 8
Settlers of Catan is a pretty fun game. Yeah I said it! I held firm against playing it for months, but Sarah and Ryan have gotten me into it. Being fairly decent at it, even winning a few games, may have had something to do with it. As an aspiring public servant, I sometimes have to re-evaluate long-held positions. Maybe I also unfairly rushed to judgment on Magic, Dungeons & Dragons, Risk…

Lesson 9
Driving "on the other side" takes some getting used to, but it's not that bad. Ryan and I got to drive a friend's car earlier this week. Ryan went first and made a graceful left turn, and with only a minimal outburst of fear, he easily got back into the correct lane. After stalling once (ok, twice), I was doing a rather masterful job. Then I hit a curb. No harm, no foul, right?

Lesson 10
Though thousands of miles apart, South Africa and the Delta are very close when it comes to education quality. The current level of quality (or lack thereof) is the product of a historical system of mis-education. Efforts to improve education are often slowed, if not completely stopped, by fragmentation, low standards, and misplaced priorities. Likewise, any success in improving education quality can only happen through uniform standards, innovation, and accountability. Easier said than done, huh?

Lesson 11
The world loves Obama! Based on the articles I've read over the last 24 hours, there appears to be a lot of happiness about Sen. Obama securing the nomination. The Cape Times even printed a transcript of Obama's victory speech. Amanda got me a new Obama shirt, which I wore yesterday. I'm curious to see if anyone will respond to it. Which brings me to my last lesson...

Lesson 12
The world is watching this presidential election. Very few people can deny that the past 8 years have had a negative effect on our standing in the world. If the current numbers hold, the Democratic Party will enjoy historic success this November. But that won't be enough to satisfy the world, or (hopefully) most Americans. The Democrats will have to use their mandate to PRODUCE! There'll be no excuse for Democrats to not improve health care, education, and U.S. foreign policy. For the next 5 months, and well beyond, Sen. Obama needs to think long and hard about the team he puts together. The Congressional leaders must also think about how they'll govern this January. Remember, the entire world is watching.