One of the glories of being back in Coquitlam is my ridiculous proximity to the best satellite library of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was built about 500 metres from my parents' home when I was probably around 8 or 10; Nadia and I spent the summer sneaking onto the building site and trying to leave marks in the cement. The site was ideal for other beautiful reasons: at that time (much less so now) it was plunked right into the middle of one of the neighbourhood's Foresty Bits. Yes yes yes, it cost some trees their lives and displaced a raccoon or two, but it also allowed The Lucky Reader Who Discovered the Cove By the Window to be nestled against the surviving trees as she read.So, I was just watching Before Sunrise, that touchy-feely movie about two kids spending the night in Vienna, which I procured from above-detailed library. I remembered liking parts in viewings past, but wasn't sure how I'd react now. Touchy-feely-ness aside, one of the most striking moments for me came at 1:07:24 --Ethan and Julie are in a Viennese coffeehouse, and the camera pans around the other people in with them, resting on individual tables for a handful of moments. I only took one semester of German 11, but it is easy to get a sense of the moods and discussions at each table --i.e. clip #1 (students) are the same in any culture, with the speaker telling his interrupter at one point, "Can you let me finish what I'm saying?" Debaters touch on Dubrovnik, Schiele, and Otto Wagner, while a girl quietly sits alone and reads. Cut to two North Americans: "I really think this is a civilisation in decline; look at the service. I mean, where is the waitress? In New York, this person would be out of a job."
This really shook me up because, despite my love of Europe (not least the very phenomenon of the coffeehouse), I totally saw myself in that idiot guy. More than once, I've complained to anyone who would listen that the Continent is gagging for a customer service-oriented paradigm shift. However (a big one), I do not think that my Reasons For Loving Europe are at all compromised or watered down by this astute evaluation, as:
1) the culture of passionate debate punches through my ribs, grabs me by the spine and pulls me in;
2) Europe turns the bigger faster cheaper louder North American trends that so frustrate me upside down --case in point: sturdy architecture produces small, carefully-crafted homes, because public places are living spaces.
One last note regarding microloans: I may be last person in the world to know about Kiva, but in case I'm not, thought I'd point you to this exciting website. Below are some hits from their Press Center: take a minute to watch Bill now, then save the audio to your computer or ipod for later!
NPR: Forum, April 6, 2007
Microfinance and Social Justice Philanthropy
“Kiva just shows how compelling this idea can be and why micro-finance has been such a success as a policy initiative. It taps into the belief of many people who want to find ways to make a positive change in poor countries, poor regions, and shows how you can do it effectively.”
 | Listen (RealMedia stream) |
| Download (MP3) (Windows: right-click and choose "Save Target As." Mac: hold Ctrl, click link, and choose "Save As.") |
NPR: All Things Considered, December 23, 2006.
Young Donors Turn to Micro Loans
"If you've got even $25 to lend, you can point and click and become part of a global village promoting sustainable development." Listen Now.