Arnon, true, there's a flipside to everything. The "we are here to help" syndrome is awfully annoying as is the "I vote the Socialist Party (while owning a mansion)" symdrome. At least there's an attempt, though.
And as said before: you have a lot of guides , chauffeurs and luxury hotels around you. How about you take a bus or a tro-tro? I know you're not claiming to be anything you're not, but who knows what it will bring you once you step out of your comfort zone. If it's diarhorrea you're scared of, take baby-food with you. Not that I'm one to speak mind you. My view on Africa is from behind embassy doors. I'm simply jealous, that's all. Can I come next time? Together we may dare take the bus to Ho, instead of silence our culture shock with beer.

Tess

You think I don’t step out of my comfort zone, what are you talking about, I’ll send you a few pictures of my bathroom here. Afghanistan was paradise next to this.
On a more serious note: I despise third-world-tourism. Whenever I see the backpackers walking through Lima or Accra for that matter, who thought they can stop washing their clothes or taking a shower because they are in the third world I cannot help it but I hope they will be killed by lightning.
As to the flipside of the helper: The Lebanese architect Tony Chakar, whom I met during my visit to Lebanon in April (see also my articles about Lebanon in NRC) told me that the main goal of the helper or do-gooder or whatever you want to call this person is to establish his superiority towards the victim he is claiming to help.
You don’t have to brag about your support for the socialist party in the Netherlands, I don’t doubt that you meant well. And you didn’t cause much harm, but what the hell are you doing behind embassy walls?
If you want to compete for the next essay competition in 2011, be aware that you might find a competitor in Dens, and just so you know Johannes is going to be chairman of the jury.
But he is extremely objective, and his good taste is beyond doubt -- when it comes to literature, even though his father was an unemployed butcher in Belgium. Which at the end of the day is maybe better than having a father who is employed as a diplomat.
Where ever you are, please step out of your comfort zone today, and remember the border of your comfort zone is just 30 seconds away, by feet that is.

@Arnon, please reread what I said. I said I detest the starryeyed do-gooders as much as you do. In the same way I detest people that vote Socialist Parties while driving SUV's or living in mansions. My vote was pretty boring: blank.
So I'm agreeing with you. Even regarding so called backpacking tourism in Africa: please read the blog-entries I wrote while I was in Ghana, you'll find that again I'm agreeing with you (and yes, I drank a lot of Star beer too..). Still, it doesn't mean driving a bus can't be fun/interesting. As is a visit to Ho.

ps: regarding embassy doors - this was figuratively speaking as I got myself into trouble.
When's the next essay contest deadline and what's the theme this time? Please not something regarding the middle-east.

I always felt this attraction to (much too) young, beautiful and tormented boys.
Is wanting to read more about Timme illegal or just plain shallow?

Years ago, I was in Mexico for very personal reasons, my first third world voyage you can say. By coincidence I met a local artist; he thought I was a kind of do-gooder or a manager. I was neither, so we spoke for about one hour or so and ended up exchanging small presents.
I never forgot his words and I never went into third-word-tourism again.
His words were: “LEAVE US, THE INDIANS ALONE”.

third-world-tourism

And they all go there searching for their 'real me'!
And they come back praising the weed in my backyard.

In defense of starry-eyed do-gooders

Driving an SUV and fighting hunger do not logically exclude each other. Neither does drinking beer (although drinking too much excludes more than fighting hunger) and living in a heavily guarded compound.

I drink beer and the only hunger I fight is my own. Am I better?

In defense of starry-eyed do-gooders

Driving an SUV and fighting hunger do not logically exclude each other. Neither does drinking beer (although drinking too much excludes more than fighting hunger) and living in a heavily guarded compound.

I drink beer and I do that in my own safe environment. And the only hunger I fight is my own. Am I better?

I fight boredom with food, some other people fight food with excersise.

Arnon, did I mention that my father after he got unemployed he became a vegan and a radical animal activist?
This is the same when for example a reverend loses his faith in God and becomes a militant atheist.
My mother, an aristocratic woman - I think I will use her name in the near future - loves to wear fur coats. My father seems to like independent women as he accepts this, but when he is drunk he takes a fur coat and yells at me: 'Your mother makes a fool out of me.' Then he starts crying.

@Johannes

Now, that just sounds too staged to be true. I'm sorry.

Tell us about your mother, Dens.

My mother

Maybe later.

Family

Dens, we are practically family - don't be afraid.

Arnon: ‘Lutek is there for the beer’
Lutek: ‘Arnon attacks the beer’
Come on folks, do not blame each other for drinking beer. Have some proud. In our days we proclaimed proudly the amount of beer we could swallow.
Santé! And i like the essay!

Jan Thys, Tess, I Ron, Tjitze

Yes, Tjitze drinking beer in your own environment makes you a better person. I. Ron when it comes to our dear Timme you might have some competitors, but go ahead,you can defeat them. Jan Thys, I don't blame anybody for drinking beer. Tess, I'll take the bus. But then the-one-million-dollar-question: is taking the bus in the Black Forest okay with you? Or do I have to take the bus in Ghana which is fine with me. If for no other resaon that I know that the comfort zone will leave me before I can leave the comfort zon

Ok sorry Arnon. Bad timing for my (stupid) jokes again.

Jan Thys

You can always make jokes, I would even encourage you to make 5 or 6 jokes a day but don't expect me to label all your jokes as funny. This exercise should not become therapy.