The Anti-Antivaccination Movement

            Having been born in the 80s not only spared me the embarrassment of the popular trends that came along with the disco era, but it also saved me from the the age of diseases. I didn’t need to lose sleep over the thought of suffering from measles, small pox, or polio thanks to the advancements in medicine. A simple vaccine took care of all of that.

            But living in Luanda has served as a time machine for me because I have traveled back to the age of diseases that I was fortunate enough to miss out on during my own childhood. I’ve witnessed individuals sleeping on the streets outside of the hospitals in hopes of being seen by a doctor. Some of these individuals die before they are able to receive medical help. Others walk the beaches and streets (as seen below) begging for money or food because diseases have left them too disabled to work. These individuals don’t know what it is like to live in a world where diseases don’t devastate their communities. With an average life expectancy in the late 40s, many Angolans have grown accustomed to a lifestyle controlled by disease and illness.

            One very serious disease that still claims the lives of thousands of Africans every year and helps contribute to the short life expectancy is malaria. My husband is currently getting over his third bout of malaria making the disease hit even closer to home for me. There still isn’t an approved vaccine for malaria, only preventive methods that often times fail or are impossible to take every second of every day. One brief moment without being covered by a net or without putting on bug spray is all a mosquito needs to infect someone. A vaccine would prevent the spread of this terrible disease.

            My experiences living in a third world country have left me extremely bothered by the current anti-vaccination movement taking place in the States. Many parents are making the decision to not vaccinate their children for various reasons. But many of these same parents weren’t around when diseases such as polio, measles, diphtheria and small pox devastated the country, so they haven’t directly experienced what impact these diseases can have on their lives or those around them.

            Small pox is the only disease that has been completely eradicated worldwide. The World Health Organization reports that the last case of naturally occurring small pox was in Somalia in 1977. But other diseases are still very much a concern for the rest of the world. Even though polio has been eradicated in the States, it still exists in several African countries making it just one flight away from re-establishing itself in America.

            Measles obviously bought itself a ticket on that flight already because it has once again become a concern for Americans. The Centers for Disease Control reported in 2000 that measles had been eliminated in the United States; however, the anti-vaccination movement has paved a road for its re-entry. So far this year there have been 593 documented cases of measles in the U.S., a significant rise from previous years and a devastating increase from 2000 when it was considered non-existent.

            Living in a country where preventable diseases, many of the same diseases that have already been eliminated in the United States, kill thousands of individuals a year has been an eye opening and frustrating experience for me. Angola has been working very hard to eradicate diseases such as measles from its country through vaccinations and has cut the death rate significantly over the years. The progress it has made makes me very hopeful for this developing country. However, it also raises the concern I have for the United States. I am currently seeing first hand the devastating effects that diseases such as measles can have on a country. The same devastating effects Americans are starting to see and will continue to see in years to come if the anti-vaccination movement continues.

            I am very optimistic that medications and vaccinations will continue to reach Angolans so that one day they will experience a day to day life that doesn’t involve malaria, Ebola, measles, and other diseases that are currently claiming so many lives. I also hope that Americans realize how fortunate they are to have access to all of these vaccinations that have yet to reach other countries worldwide. I hope that parents don’t have to experience the devastating effects that so many other countries are experiencing before realizing how important it is to continue to vaccinate their children. We too often take health for granted.

References:

World Health Organization. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/en/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov

Monkey Business

            I am a creature of habit. I start nearly every morning off by feeding my caffeine addiction with a cup of coffee. However, two weeks ago I had a bit of a surprise during my morning routine. I was putting coffee into the filter when I heard a large thud at the living room window. Assuming it was just another bird flying into the glass, I didn’t pay it any attention and continued about my business. A short time later I heard a light tapping noise on the glass. When it didn’t stop, I turned around to see what was making all of the racquet and found myself staring into the eyes of a little monkey sitting on our window seal.

            As soon as the monkey had my attention, he stopped tapping on the window. We continued to stare at each for a brief moment before he decided that he wanted to join me for my morning coffee. He put his lips against the window and used his little hands to try to slide the window open. Unsure as to whether the window was locked or not, I grabbed my phone and slowly backed myself towards our front door. If the window wasn’t locked and he somehow managed to snag himself a seat on our couch for a morning coffee, I needed to know that I had an easy escape. Luckily for me, he got bored with me before he figured out how to open the window. 

            This little encounter with the monkey may have been my first, but it wouldn’t be my last run-in with him. I was in our apartment one morning when I heard loud screaming from the other end of the hall where the community kitchen is located. The little monkey may not have successfully made it into our apartment during his previous visit, but he had managed to make it into the community kitchen during this little drop by and he wasn’t alone. He brought along a friend. A few of the workers found the monkeys in the kitchen having a feast. They pulled all of the food out of the fridge and were obviously enjoying what was surely a jackpot in their minds. The workers managed to get them out of the building, but they didn’t go quietly. They jumped onto the thatched roof covering the outside patio and put a nice hole in the middle of it. 

            These little monkeys that have started to make regular visits to our compound bring a whole new meaning to having 'nosy neighbors.' I’ve learned to keep our doors and windows locked at all times because you just never really know who is going to drop by for a morning cup of coffee.

History In The Making?

            Africa has an assortment of animals, many of which we don't have in the States making them even more fascinating to Americans. And if we do have them in the States, they are probably pacing around their small cages in a zoo somewhere while thousands of people look on. Africa is anything but a zoo setting, at least for most of its animals. Africa is known for having the Big 5, which includes the African elephant, rhino, leopard, lion, and buffalo.

            Living in Africa has afforded me many life experiences that I never would have thought possible such as seeing the Big 5 in their natural habitat. One of the most amazing experiences I have had since moving here is going on a safari. As an animal lover, I dreamed of seeing beautiful animals roaming freely with nothing but the land and the air between us. I can now say that I’ve witnessed African elephants, the largest land animals in the world, playing together in the grass. I’ve seen the African rhino take charge at mealtime. I’ve looked on as the African leopard caught a few rays while relaxing in the sun. I’ve observed the Cape buffalo grazing on grass. And I've had my heart melted by a couple of African lions that used their large tongues to bathe each other.

            It makes me sad to think that those same elephants that were playing together are now considered a threatened species. And the rhino population that ruled the lunch table has dropped 97.6% since 1960. The sunbathing leopard is now listed as a vulnerable species. And the gorgeous lions that enjoy grooming each other are already extinct in seven different African countries. It is devastating to watch as the populations of some of the world’s more beautiful creatures decline at a rapid pace, but even more depressing when realizing that it is mostly due to the human race. Whether it is for the elephant’s ivory tusk, the rhino’s medicinal horn, the leopard’s soft coat, or just an ego boost from a Facebook or Instagram photo of hunters next to the lion they just shot, none of these reasons warrant the hunting and killing of some of our most precious animals. Not to mention that many of these wild and crazy African hunting trips that many people claim to go on aren’t really all that wild and crazy after all thanks to the newer version of the sport, canned hunting.

            Canned hunting is a sport in Africa made very popular by foreigners. The saying ‘shooting fish in a barrel’ is the best way to describe canned hunting. Hunting companies spend years raising animals on private reserves. They often start the rearing process when cubs are only a few days old. The bottle-feeding and constant human contact help build a bond with the animals that will later aid in the hunting process. An animal that is not threatened by or isn’t fearful of humans is much easier to kill. Individuals then pay a lot of money to travel to Africa and obtain the proper licenses necessary. A guide takes a hunter to his or her prey, which is kept in a confined area that offers no escape for the unsuspecting animal. After the kill is completed, the guide helps the hunter stage the scene to look as if the hunter shot the animal in its natural habitat.

            Canned hunting isn’t for the experienced hunter who hopes to feed his or her family. Instead, it is for the inexperienced hunters who have enough funds in their bank account to help aid in the early extinction of Earth’s beautiful creatures all for a good story and a fancy picture to run home and brag about.

            On my most recent safari adventure with my family, the reserve had an African leopard that had been rescued from a canned hunting farm. Although the leopard had narrowly escaped a certain death, it still had a long way to go in the recovery process before it could survive on its own in the reserve due to several man-made obstacles. The hunting reserve declawed the leopard making it nearly impossible for the leopard to catch and kill its prey. But the lack of claws wasn’t the only thing interfering with this leopard’s ability to hunt. It had been extremely overfed at the canned hunting farm in order to increase the size of its skin; the larger the skin, the more impressive the kill. The leopard’s saggy stomach, a far cry from the usual long, slender and powerful body, nearly touched the ground making it impossible for the leopard to climb high in the trees where it would normally stalk and often eat its prey. A leopard that can’t catch and kill its own prey is a leopard that can’t survive in the wild.

            But canned hunting game reserves can’t be that bad, right? The hunters claim to be helping poor African villages by providing meat from their kill and money from their license fees. And maybe it is helping a few of these poor villages, but what happens when the animals are extinct? Will tourists who fly to Africa for weeklong hunting trips still care about the starving people and poor villages? If hunters are really that concerned about the impoverished villages in Africa, there are many ways that they can help. They can donate money, food, water, or even shelter to aid those in need instead of killing Africa’s gorgeous wild life through a fence and then using the ‘helping villages’ excuse to make themselves feel better about their effortless and cruel kill.

            I love being able to see animals in their natural environments and am so thankful for organizations such as the African Wildlife Foundation for doing their best to offset the damage that the canned hunting industry has done and ensuring that future generations to come will be able to enjoy the beauty that is Africa. I can only hope that canned hunting is banned so that my future children and grandchildren will one day have the opportunity to go on a safari and see the Big 5.

If you have any interest in learning more about the Big 5, African Wildlife Foundation, or how you can help, check out the their website at www.awf.org. 

Happy Peace Day, Or Not

            April 4, 2002 marked the end of a civil war in Angola. After a long twenty-seven years of fighting, peace was finally restored to the country. April 4^th is now celebrated every year and known as Peace Day. I was looking forward to celebrating my first Peace Day this year, especially considering the holiday landed on a Friday making for a long weekend for us. However, the celebration came with a very ironic twist that no one could have predicted.

            Adam and I made plans to go out to dinner on Thursday night to celebrate. He didn’t have to wake up at six o'clock in the morning, so we thought what better way to celebrate Peace Day than to sit by the ocean, grab a pizza, drink a few beers, and watch the sun sink into the ocean. The evening was absolutely perfect, or so we thought.

            We left the restaurant and headed towards our car that was parked in a spot right out front of the restaurant entrance. As we got closer to the car, something just didn't feel right. It didn't take me long to realize that in fact, nothing was right about the situation. Our reusable grocery sacks that we kept under the seat in the back were strung out on the street. Knowing that reusable grocery sacks haven’t made their to Angola yet and that the sacks on the street were definitely the ones I brought from the States, I became extremely confused as to how they went from being inside our car to now being on the street. I looked at the car and noticed that our driver side window had been completely shattered. Glass was all over the street, the seat, the floorboards, and every other space you can imagine. I looked into the car and noticed that our glove box was open, but completely empty. The only thing I could think about was our passports. My heart sank into my stomach as my mind filled with images of us being stuck in Luanda without passports. We had plans to leave at the end of the month, and there was a now a very real possibility that our trip home wasn't going to happen as we had originally planned. 

            I immediately ran over to the passenger side of the car, opened the door, and started sorting through the glass and documents that covered my seat and floorboard. I found our passports, our car documents, and Adam’s driver’s license all still inside of the car. All luck wasn't completely lost that night because the important things were still there. We sorted through the rest of the car and found that Adam’s iPod, our USB cord, and my Ray Ban sunglasses, which had all been out of view and in our middle console, had been taken.

            We cleaned the glass off of the seats, put all of the documents in our glove compartment, and headed home. As we pulled out of our parking space, I noticed that the car window of the vehicle next to us had also been shattered. I guess the thieves managed a two for one special that night. We spent nearly the entire drive home in silence because we were both in complete shock at how the selfish actions of others turned such a peaceful evening into a disaster.

            We had plans to spend Friday at the beach playing paddleball and swimming; however, those plans went out the window, literally, the previous night. Since it was a holiday, we had to wait until Saturday to have the window fixed. We spent what should have been a wonderful Peace Day at the beach hanging out at home, catching up on laundry, and playing monopoly. Luckily we were able to get the window fixed on Saturday just in time to head to the beach, watch the sunset, and remember that the little things in life, not the material things, are what actually matter. And to the thieves that stole our material things, I hope our iPod, sunglasses, and USB cord were the only things missing in your lives.

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!

            Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Dorothy realized very quickly during her journey following the yellow brick road that other creatures exist outside of her Kansas home besides her beloved Toto. I had a very similar experience during my move to Africa. I grew up surrounded by birds, rabbits, squirrels, dogs, cats, and cows. But it wasn’t until I followed my yellow brick road to Luanda that I realized I was no longer sharing my yard with those same animals, and instead was sharing my world with some very different creatures. Or rather, they were sharing their world with me.

            After settling in to my new home, I decided to go to work with Adam one day to check out the factory. As we turned onto the road that runs in front of the factory, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were pigs and piglets running around on the street feasting on the trash that people had thrown out. Adam, having lived in Luanda for five years, wasn’t nearly as fascinated by this as I was and considered it to be just a normal part of his day. And yes, I realize that we have pigs in Kansas, but how many times have you driven down 2^nd street in Atchison and had to slow down to let pigs cross the road? Almost every morning that I go to the factory with Adam, the little pigs are there to greet me. I guess those little piggies may never make it to the market.

            On another occasion, we were driving down the road when I spotted a couple of goats climbing a mountain composed of dirt and trash. And once again, I do realize that we have goats in the States but they don’t usually roam freely and instead are kept on farms. Apparently Africans have a little more faith in their goats than we do in the States because they allow them to stroll from one dirt pile to the next, no strings attached.

            The Mariginal and Ilha have also afforded me some very unique experiences. Adam and I enjoy walking along the Mariginal in the evenings. During our first stroll, I noticed that the water was extremely calm with the exception of a few large waves that seemed to come out of nowhere. It wasn’t until I stopped and took a closer look that I realized those waves weren’t waves at all. They were actually entire schools of fish jumping out of the water at the same time as if they were practicing their synchronized swimming routine. It was an absolutely incredible sight to see, but it wasn’t the only incredible thing that we would get to witness that night. We watched as those same schools of fish became dinner for many of the coastal birds. The birds hovered over the schools of fish before diving straight down and often coming up with their prey secured tightly in their beaks. Dinner is served.

            And as if the schools of fish and birds weren’t shocking enough, we have had several other run-ins with Earth’s beautiful creatures. Adam and I often spend afternoons soaking up the sun's rays and cooling off in the deep blue sea. We usually share the beach with people who enjoy family outings on the Ilha. And what’s a family day at the beach without the family dog? One afternoon I was watching as a local Angolan walked his dog on the beach in front of us. I couldn’t help but notice the dog’s incredible vertical when it jumped up next to its owner. I pulled my shades down and took a closer look. The man wasn’t walking his dog on the beach, but instead was walking his pet monkey. Only in Africa. 

            The journey down my yellow brick road has certainly led me to some very unique experiences. I may miss the rabbits and squirrels back home in Kansas, but I love the new animals that I am becoming more familiar with in my new environment. Pigs and goats and monkeys, oh my!