Clearly, this blog was named by a fool with no experience abroad.
In my defense, I kind of knew it was a crappy name even before I came to SL. I just wanted to start blogging and needed something to fill the space along the top. Still, it's time to fix this egregious wrong. This space will henceforth be known as simply "42.6". And here's why.
"On the ground" is precisely the kind of bullshit NGO-speak I've quickly come to revile. What does that even mean? Of course I'm on the ground. Where else would I be? When I told my friends and family I was moving to Sierra Leone, I imagine many people envisioned many different things, but I am willing to bet a common thread throughout those visions was that my feet were planted firmly on the ground.
"Where will you be?"
"Freetown."
"Yeah, but where in Freetown?"
"On the ground."
"Ahhh, it's a good thing we clarified. Otherwise, I would've assumed you were flinging yourself about using a complex system of high-wire trapeze apparatus."
Such a conversation would be absurd and so is the phrase. There's one that bothers me even more, though: "In the field." To me, this makes it sound as though leaving the Western world automatically means you're going somewhere that, by definition, is completely undeveloped.
"I'm going out into the field to do some work." No, you're not. Unless you're literally setting off for a large clearing, please don't utter this inane expression in my presence. Johannesburg is not a field. Cairo is not a field. And neither is Freetown. It's a densely populated urban city of close to 2 million people. There's really nothing field-like about it.
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6 comments:
short and sweet
*Updates his blogroll*
um... seems wacky that you had such a strong change of heart being so near to the end of your trip.
"On the ground in Freetown" always sounded like some hip hop line you were throwing our way - I rather liked it. More Brownesque.
To be honest, before even reading the post I noticed my borwser heading merely said "42.6" and I got rather confused.
I'll add "into the field" to my list of things to refrain from saying in your place :D
I actually initially made a note to change this in my second week here; I just always seemed to have something else on my mind when I sat down to update the blog.
And yes, the rhyming nature of "On the ground in Freetown" was admittedly its one redeeming quality and the reason I used it in the first place. Not redeeming enough, though.
Just out of curiosity, Trish, is the list of things you refrain from saying in my presence particularly long? *laughs*
haha I totally thought "on the ground" was simply a Mike Brown classic attempt at being "from the hood" or something like that..lol
Silly Lauren. I'm from Kitchener. I don't have to "attempt" to be from the hood. It's in my blood. Besides, I think Sierra Leone's 'hard' enough as is without me trying to lend it any street cred.
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