Mark and Olly and Cultural Anthropology

http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Mark_and_Olly

Thanks to my DVR, I have been fortunate enough to have watched the last two series that they have done - The Kombai Tribe and then the Mek Tribe. And now they just finished their third Machigenga Tribe. I so enjoy watching their show, simply because I sooo wanted to become a cultural anthropologist but was told that you can't do much with a Sociology degree at that time, so I changed gears.

As a very young kid, I had seen, on PBS, the documentary about the Yamamamo Tribe and was utterly fascinated by this amazing discovery and what it took to become one with these people, who knew little of the outside civilization beyond their forested jungle. I yearned to one day be one of those who helped discover, learn from, live among and also complete a documentary on such a tribe as the Yamamamo. Then years later, I had purchased a video about a tribe that had never heard the bible nor had their own language written out. And thought that would be amazing also - not only to help develop a tribe's own tongue but to also decipher it into a bible of their own. Even though I thought the bible thing was awesome, I was still more about the other cultural aspects of indegionous tribal life and what can the outside world learn from such a people, myself included!

But looking back at this dream and wishing for so many years that I had been able to really make it become a reality, I also realized that I probably would not have done as well as I gave myself credit, which is kind of sucky to say, but I know, deep down, was true.

For one, I don't have the gift of language, and thus I would have had great difficulty in learning another indigenous' language. Secondly, I am basically deaf in one ear and have only 80% hearing in the other ear, thus the language automatically would be a challenge just on that level, and never mind just trying to learn and decipher a tribe's language. And lastly, I don't know that I would have been a strong enough woman, to enter these tribes and have come out of them making the same kind of strides that Mark and Olly had done nor other anthropologists have done before these two. Many of past anthropologists were men, and were more so widely accepted into an indigenous tribe than would a woman, like myself, would have. And I'd like to think that I would have been able to really have an impact on these amazing and hidden people, but reality strikes like a match, and the burning deep down says, that my match would have blown out long before it even reached it's point of burning down the stick itself.

So disheartening and yet something that I just could not ignore, every time I dreamed, day dreamed or desired such a role among such a people. Even though I know these things about myself, there is still a huge part of me that is extremely fascinated by such an experience that I am hoping in my next life that maybe I'll be granted to do something such as what I'm speaking of...but then maybe not...who knows...BIG SIGH...

So, my life hasn't really gone the way I thought it would, it's not bad at all, but I guess I had hoped for more and had tried to hold myself at a higher place than I was meant for... Perhaps the thought of so many kiddles made it to my stream of consciousness, at such a young age, as to divert me to this propensity of cultural learning, although I would not become a parent until my 40's. So, I'm not sure what all that says, but I still think about what it would be like to be a cultural anthropologist. I even became prompted to meet with the head of the Anthropology department and talk with him about my working in this area of a degree and seeing what it would take to get to where I was looking and wanting to go...But that didn't go any where...

I ended up working with students on the Chico State campus instead. Okay, that in itself is it's own cultural anthropological arena. So, as I look back on my life thus far, I have been able to see
(in hindsight, of course) that I was getting myself into the anthropology of this one subculture, college students. And how...the group that Michael and I lead many were students on the fringe of society. They were the needy, the alcoholic, the gay, those that challenged the christian faith, the bipolar, the rebel, the okay to be called heathens, the has-been christian, with a few more 'normal' christian white america thrown in. So, I guess I can say, that I have been able to work in the cultural anthropological field - it just wasn't what I had in mind many, many, many years ago.

I used to get really angry about not having been able to be an anthropologist but within that anger, I also knew that I was and continue to be made to do something that I am not at all aware of...but that I need to be willing to have humility, continue to be vulnerable and willing to take on what comes my way despite what I desire. My desires are good and applaudible, but not that I was meant to do in this life time. It's taken me years to reach this conclusion and now I am finally okay with it and can move on from here.

I guess I can say that I continue to grow as a human being and continue to evolve, though it would be nice to know a lot more of the details, but that's not the way it apparently is suppose to be...At least in my case...

Virtual or Reality Friends?

So, here I am a momma of three kiddles two of which have weekly therapy, pretty much the same time, the same places, with the same therapists. And when we don't have therapy we play, we watch tv, we sing, we dance, we play in water when it's only 40 degrees outside, we eat meals, we eat snacks, we fight, we cry, we scream, we use the big potty, we beg, we whine, we negotiate, we use momma when we can, we use her as a play structure, we use her as our protector, we get mad at her, we hit her, we bite her, we kick her, we tickle her, we smile at her, we do what all toddlers do to their mommas. So, notice the change in voice as I wrote this?

This is typical of my daily mental formation. It has to be about being a momma, not getting things done because they are fighting, burning dinner because they are underfoot, going to the chiropractor because you are 3/4 the size of your momma. See there I go again. I also think it is attributed to not having a regular and adult conversations with adults that don't include kiddles. My kiddles' therapists - I love what they do for the kiddles, for our household, for our family and for my sanity. But aside from that there just hasn't been enough time spent rambling with another adult in an extensive conversation other than kid stuff.

To say all that I have decided not only am I an addict of Facebook, obviously have needed to get my fix, but that these are real people in the virtual world, with whom I have some amazing conversations with, albeit with minutes and even hours in between each topic. But that's beside the point. Also, I've decided that since I, a woman, apparently have about 25,000 words that I need to use each day, that I am seriously and currently back logged for the next five years at least. Because it hasn't worked out to have a moms group, or a few close friends to get together weekly because of everyone's schedules. So I have resorted to using the virtual world to meet the needs that real friends would give me - if it was a perfect world - so I am engaging in topics ranging from serious to junior high humor, no matter that I have far too many words to share, I just can't seem to meet my minimal quota for the day.

So this blog does help but unfortunately, I don't write on it enough to meet its quota either.

And for some that may be a wonderful thing that I'm not just rambling on about nothing.
Well, actually, I am but that's up to whomever decides for themselves the content of my writings.

So, I'm enjoying the virtual and my reality worlds colliding together.

Reminiscing...

I just wrote out this story below for some one who is going through cancer treatment. And since I was going down memory lane, I thought I'd add it to my blog post. So here you go...

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On a beautiful Spring evening, a group of six of us gals and our small group leader were having an end of the year celebration. Particularly for those of us that were graduating from high school.

Every one was gathered around the table eating dessert and talking. Then our group leader asked the question of the night. "What did you hope to see God do in your future?" I was sharing the piano bench with my closest friend, Erin.

Everyone in the circle was to take a turn answering this question. One of the gals was going really deep and was even contemplating some difficult future issues.

We were all listening so intently that you actually could hear a pin drop, the air was that heavy.

Then I heard a high pitched sound coming from my posterior. I just acted as if nothing happened and hoped that no one heard.

Whew! No one heard and the talk was still heavy with future plans and God.

Then another high-pitched sound came out again, this time with a 1 and a 2 beat to it. Now, I was positive every one heard that one. It was so loud, how could you not?!

Again, no one said anything. By this time I'm trying to squeeze my posterior cheeks to keep from any further noises escaping.

But THEN... A really, really high-pitched noise escaped, this time it was so loud, my face went crimson and I just cringed with embarrassment. Again, no one said anything...Oh, but then someone did and asked what that noise was. My friend, Erin, spoke up and said,'Oh, it was just me rubbing the foot of the piano bench.' I was just dying inside. The person who asked just nodded their head and the talk continued.

But not a second too soon, another high-pitched squeaker came out... and someone had to ask, 'What was that?' Erin, once again, came to the rescue and just apologized for making that sound again. This time, I just couldn't hold it any longer, and I just said to the group, 'No, it wasn't, it was me and I farted.' Erin looked at me for a split second and we just broke out laughing...AND I could not hold in my high-pitched squeak while I was laughing. It just was coming out louder, and louder, and longer and in rhythmic cadence.

Of course, by now, I am just keeling over with laughter and squeaks. And tried so hard to squeeze my cheeks to prevent any more from escaping, but the more I laughed the more and I squeaked. Oh, my stomach hurt so much from the laughter and a bit from the embarrassment.

I think the laughter of all of us, at the table, lasted for a good fifteen minutes or more. I think we were all crying by the end of my fine event... I know I was...

Ah, the predictability of one's body. Or not...

Kiddles

Boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, tom girl, boy, tomboy, girl, boy...

When I was younger I knew I always wanted to have children, twelve to be exact. Because, I got my education from reading the classic 'Cheaper By the Dozen' and watching movies like 'Yours, Mine, and Ours' with Lucille Ball, as well as the other classic 'My Father The Preacher'. Everyone seemed to have a large clan, and so of course, I wanted to also have one as such. I came from a family of seven so that was pretty close to twelve. And besides, in watching and reading all of those educational films and books, I understood that by having at least twelve children you, the parents, got a lot of help from the older kids. And when going out for a Sunday drive, you had to buy one of those cars that had the top down because otherwise not every body would fit in the car, and food just grew on trees since nobody ever went food shopping, so feeding my family of fourteen would be easy as pie. Then since there would be a large span in age between the youngest to the oldest, the oldest would help with supporting the family by getting jobs and using that income for the family. And my future husband would be thrilled to have twelve children since there would be so much help and extra income coming in, so he wouldn't have to work so hard. So, in all he'd think it was a win-win situation. And, of course, so did I!

But sadly that was my reality. But looking at my brood, I think three is a good number for now. We would like to adopt one more but are waiting for our current kiddles to be a bit more available to help us out. Nattie has already shown great signs of being a good helper when she isn't screaming or grabbing something from her brother's possession. Matthew, too, has shown he wants to help but doesn't quite have the same knack as Nattie. So, we're off to a good start when we finally do adopt our last baby. If truth be told, we would stop now if we knew we could keep Matthew forever...But the way things look currently, that is absolutely not going to happen so we're setting our sights on adopting another down the road.

And while enjoying staring at my kiddles for great lengths of time, just to enjoy what's going on in their little brains and taking pride in what they are striving for and accomplishing, makes me realize how these three creatures have come along way and will continue to grow and mature to be the kind of people we hope they were created to be. So, I'm hoping that with maturity and when the time is right for us to obtain a new child to our family, our kiddles will be the wonderful siblings to the newest addition. But we'll see when we cross that bridge...Should be interesting....

But I guess the one thing I have become very grateful for is that Nattie is not only all girl, but she also has a tendency toward being a Tom Girl. She is willing to get dirty, fall down and receive scraped knees and elbows and pick up bugs that the rest of us (Nate, Matthew and Momma) won't touch. So, I'm mighty proud of her and feel very lucky to have such a girl. Because god knows when she hits puberty and she becomes all-girl then I'm going to be totally in learning mode to keep up with her fashion, her makeup, her boy craziness, her need for attention, etc.
I am so opposite of her in this area that I have no clue really how to go about it all. But like I said, I'll be in learning mode and hopefully will have done some of my homework when she has reached the age of girlhood fully. I laugh when I think about those days ahead of me...But I realize I can only be open and willing to work with what she's been given and even take a few pointers from her perhaps...

Nate and Matthew will be boys for sure and I will have a lot to contend with and probably lots of broken body parts along the way. But I am all about bravado and no gain without pain.

But to write all of this and then to finally live it all out will be very interesting to say the least. I do look forward to those days ahead, but am definitely living and loving the moments we are in currently. I already can't believe how much time has passed so far...

All the joys of kiddles. I love it!