Lecture on 18.02.2018 for the New Year Celebration
at the Amitofo Care Centre Germany e.V.
In Düsseldorf
2 Months at Amitofo Care Centre of Namibia (abbrv. ACC Namibia or Centre)
Report by Beatrix von Eycken
Page 5:
The motivation of Overseas employees
With which expectations do the overseas employees come to Namibia? Not all of them are Buddhists, few are young, most are over 40, many are over 50. There is no need to be adventurous. There is a lot of work, some 7 days a week and the Centre is far from any distraction. Drink a beer or go shopping? Dead loss. There is no TV, Wi-Fi, with which one could watch movies over laptop, is not stable enough. The most exciting thing I experienced was the 3.80 m long giant python that was discovered and killed on the neighboring farm. Even the goats and cows that came by regularly offered a variety. Water is scarce. Not an easy life.
So why do people take it all on? I asked some of them and their answers were, “Doing good,” “supporting Hui Li,” and “sharing good things.”
My personal resume
What is the correct adjective to describe my experiences? Difficult. If I should limit myself to one, I choose “enriching”. It was not all nice, it was often difficult, there were language problems, cultural differences and always a feeling of loneliness.
You get to know another life: you have no distraction, you can not escape the environment. You have to arrange. Over and over again. You should not show your feelings spontaneously, because you have to be able to face the other the next day. You can not stay out of the way. The usual distractions are not available. One becomes humble. And gets by. You realize that you can live with little and it is still sufficient and you realize that you are surrounded by a community in which you are supported.
Page 3: The Children at ACC Namibia: The Admission Process
