There is a hoopoe outside my office widow. I've always loved hoopoes. They're one of my favourite birds. I used to think they were uniquely South African. Obviously, they're not. Far from it. But I didn't expect to find them in Korea.
It was winter, I think, and I was visiting my favourite town in Korea, the history-rich Gyeongju. I had visited the museum that morning, and now I was at Anapji pond, a man-made lake, constructed in 674 as part of a palace pleasure-garden. As I walked around the lake, there on the path were a pair of hoopoes.
Strange how ordinary things - birds, animals, smells, sounds - gather memories over time.
Beautiful Bridge
My favourite bridge in Little Rock, AR - an old railway bridge now being converted into a walking bridge
Why
Two of the Aid/development bloggers I follow recently wrote pieces on why they do this work. Tales from the Hood and Alanna Shaikh are both great and I really like what they're saying. Particularly the bit where they talk about enjoying it. I sometimes come across people who, when they discover that I work in development, start finding excuses and making apologies for the fact that they don't work in development. It's odd and a little disconcerting.
I think it comes from the idea that working to help people must be a sacrifice and a hardship. Sure, there are disadvantages. But there are disadvantages everywhere. I visited the national headquarters of a big international corporate the other day. Everyone was going about their workday and they seemed pretty happy. And it's a nice enough place. But I can't imagine doing that kind of job.
Why do I do what I do? Cause it's what I do. I remember a heated conversation with a friend years and years ago. He was one of those (if I remember rightly) who was concerned because I didn't seem to have much of a life outside of my work. In retrospect - although I doubt he'd have accepted this at the time - the reason I didn't have much of a life outside of work was the same reason I still do the work now - it's what I do, it's what I love. I'm good at it, it's interesting, I get to learn about things like youth attitudes to future opportunities and the reproductive cycles of goats and I get to care about impact on a daily basis. I have another friend who used to say that when it stops being fun, it's time to get out. One day I'll put some effort into understanding why other people do the jobs they do. For now, I do what I do because getting a life sounds like less fun than getting up and going to work tomorrow. And I'm pretty sure, at least for now, that that's enough.
I think it comes from the idea that working to help people must be a sacrifice and a hardship. Sure, there are disadvantages. But there are disadvantages everywhere. I visited the national headquarters of a big international corporate the other day. Everyone was going about their workday and they seemed pretty happy. And it's a nice enough place. But I can't imagine doing that kind of job.
Why do I do what I do? Cause it's what I do. I remember a heated conversation with a friend years and years ago. He was one of those (if I remember rightly) who was concerned because I didn't seem to have much of a life outside of my work. In retrospect - although I doubt he'd have accepted this at the time - the reason I didn't have much of a life outside of work was the same reason I still do the work now - it's what I do, it's what I love. I'm good at it, it's interesting, I get to learn about things like youth attitudes to future opportunities and the reproductive cycles of goats and I get to care about impact on a daily basis. I have another friend who used to say that when it stops being fun, it's time to get out. One day I'll put some effort into understanding why other people do the jobs they do. For now, I do what I do because getting a life sounds like less fun than getting up and going to work tomorrow. And I'm pretty sure, at least for now, that that's enough.
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