So, considering it’s been a ridiculous amount of time since my last post, I figured I’d hop on this thing and update! And, for the time being, I’m going to disregard the fact that I start with that exact same sentence almost every post! Wow. Anyway, back to business I suppose.
I don’t really know where to start actually. The last I wrote was right before spring break, so I guess that’s as good a place as any! Spring break was amazing. It was a month ago, but it was still the best time I’ve had here all semester. My family and Derek trekked over to Athens and for about 8 days and we tore up the country! Well, alright, not tore exactly, but you get the picture. We were in Athens for a few days, and then went to Nafplio, Mycenae, Corinth and the Isthmus. My two brothers left for London, and we continued to hike up into the mountains to this ridiculously charming mountain town called Zaklarou! Some of the most amazing pictures I have taken happened during that trip. And…AND I saw goats. AND SHEEP! Not only did I see them, there were huge herds of them way up in the mountains. They had bells around their necks and a legit herder with a little beagle. They were all over the mountain roads and the trails. We must have seen upwards of 6 groups. Crazy.
So, after about 8 days, Derek and my parents left; which left me about 9 weeks of Greece before I had to head home. Since then, I’ve dropped a class, written a bunch of papers and gone to Olympia and Delphi with my class. That in itself was amazing. I got to run a stade (ancient Olympic running event) in the first every Olympic stadium! And Delphi was just awe inspiring in itself, as you will be hard pressed to read any ancient text and not find over 200 references to the oracle at Delphi in the first 3 chapters! Going back to Beloit, and studying Classics will never be the same, as I can now attest to everything that ancient writers are describing in their accounts of the land. Not only can I attest to it, I can picture it. Amazing.
And that’s about it so far. After spring break, things have been pretty relaxed around here. However, this is my last weekend before a crazy 3-week filled time of trips, and so far, its been wonderful. Two nights ago, I went with 6 other girls and we found an Irish Pub in Athens (Weird, I know) where we drank excellent beer and sang raucously to a bunch of iconic American songs until a ridiculously early time in the morning. Last night, I met up with my roommate Danielle and another girl named Danielle and we made burritos…sort of. Apparently, Greece is devoid of sour cream, tortilla shells, tortilla chips, cilantro, beans and ripe avocadoes. Though, one thing Greece has taught me is to improvise at all costs! We had rice with “Mexican Sauce,” basically glorified ketchup. We found canned red kidney beans and combined some tomatoes and onions to make salsa! And finally, we used pita for the tortillas. It actually turned our pretty decent!
Next week, I have a Mt. Olympus trip planned, where, yes, I will be climbing Mt. Olympus! The weekend after is Greek Easter. Cue Danielle, Erin and me going to Crete to see Knossos and hike an 8 hour gorge! The weekend after I will be Santorini with Danielle and Erin again, where we will go tanning and snorkeling! Finally, I come back to Athens to perform the play (Antigone) I’m in. One more weekend after and I’m home. That leaves 5 weeks and I’m back in the states for good! I really can’t believe that my experience here is almost done! There have for sure been ups and downs to the trip, but it just seemed to go so fast. It’s weird to think I won’t be able to look out of the classroom window and see the Acropolis or Lykovitos Hill anymore. Hmm. But I suppose all good things have to come to an end sometime! Well, that’s it. Missing everyone at home and abroad tons, and I think about you guys often! I’ll see you all soon!!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Ted (Burma): Yes, I am actually in Burma
I touched down in Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma)
yesterday at 8:45 Thai time, but 8:15 Myanmar time. I had
no idea there were half hour time zones. That's too much
math.
There was a free shuttle to a guesthouse with $4 dorm rooms,
and since three Americans had already made reservations
there, I figured it was a safe bet, especially since taxis
from the airport cost at least that much. They threw in free
breakfast even though we hadn't stayed, and what a nice
place. I think it's going to be a common thing here, but
they're also very overstaffed with possibly more staff than
guests, so at least 20 in a small place. Some of the nicest
people I've ever met. I hear that the average wage at the
guesthouse is $40 a month.
After changing money on the streets with a sketchy guy (the
black market rate is nearly twice as good as the official
rate) I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the massive golden
religious center of Myanmar. There were a ton of locals
there, and my bare feet were burning from the sun-heated
tiles surrounding the pagoda. The heat is crazy here!
The highlight of the day was when I went out drinking with a
guy from Wales and a girl from Germany, and after a little
bar hopping, we ended up at "Music Pub" where we were the
only foreigners. After passing tons of neon lit signs that
all turned out to be fashion stores, and wading through
crowds of people selling old clothes, eating, drinking and
socializing on the streets in the city center, we were
overjoyed to find an actual "pub". But what a strange pub.
It was almost all guys sitting at small tables facing a
stage. And the entertainment? Dance music would be turned on
for several minutes, and about 7-8 girls would come on the
stage and do little model walks. They would walk forward,
turn around, tilt to the right, and then walk back. The
whole time, looking unhappy at best, and miserable at worst.
After each "set" they would go into a tiny room and change
their clothes. Sometimes they wore matching dresses and
other times they wore varying styles. We couldn't figure out
if this was plain entertainment or some kind of fashion
show, but we eventually decided it was as close to a go-go
bar as you can get in Burma since the girls were all young
and wearing tight clothes. Never seen anything like it.
We also talked to two Burmese guys sitting at our table, and
the conversation really depressed me at one point for
reasons I won't get into now, but which are probably
obvious. They were good guys though and we had a lot more
laughs then serious moments.
On a final note, I'm very very sad that the government
pretty much has a monopoly on beer in the country. There is
Myanmar Beer, and Mandalay beer. The former is great, but
definitely run by the government, and Mandalay is supposedly
sketchy and possibly run by the government as well. But
cruel world! Not the beer!
The semester is almost over! Can you believe that? Looking
forward to seeing you all in Fall.
yesterday at 8:45 Thai time, but 8:15 Myanmar time. I had
no idea there were half hour time zones. That's too much
math.
There was a free shuttle to a guesthouse with $4 dorm rooms,
and since three Americans had already made reservations
there, I figured it was a safe bet, especially since taxis
from the airport cost at least that much. They threw in free
breakfast even though we hadn't stayed, and what a nice
place. I think it's going to be a common thing here, but
they're also very overstaffed with possibly more staff than
guests, so at least 20 in a small place. Some of the nicest
people I've ever met. I hear that the average wage at the
guesthouse is $40 a month.
After changing money on the streets with a sketchy guy (the
black market rate is nearly twice as good as the official
rate) I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the massive golden
religious center of Myanmar. There were a ton of locals
there, and my bare feet were burning from the sun-heated
tiles surrounding the pagoda. The heat is crazy here!
The highlight of the day was when I went out drinking with a
guy from Wales and a girl from Germany, and after a little
bar hopping, we ended up at "Music Pub" where we were the
only foreigners. After passing tons of neon lit signs that
all turned out to be fashion stores, and wading through
crowds of people selling old clothes, eating, drinking and
socializing on the streets in the city center, we were
overjoyed to find an actual "pub". But what a strange pub.
It was almost all guys sitting at small tables facing a
stage. And the entertainment? Dance music would be turned on
for several minutes, and about 7-8 girls would come on the
stage and do little model walks. They would walk forward,
turn around, tilt to the right, and then walk back. The
whole time, looking unhappy at best, and miserable at worst.
After each "set" they would go into a tiny room and change
their clothes. Sometimes they wore matching dresses and
other times they wore varying styles. We couldn't figure out
if this was plain entertainment or some kind of fashion
show, but we eventually decided it was as close to a go-go
bar as you can get in Burma since the girls were all young
and wearing tight clothes. Never seen anything like it.
We also talked to two Burmese guys sitting at our table, and
the conversation really depressed me at one point for
reasons I won't get into now, but which are probably
obvious. They were good guys though and we had a lot more
laughs then serious moments.
On a final note, I'm very very sad that the government
pretty much has a monopoly on beer in the country. There is
Myanmar Beer, and Mandalay beer. The former is great, but
definitely run by the government, and Mandalay is supposedly
sketchy and possibly run by the government as well. But
cruel world! Not the beer!
The semester is almost over! Can you believe that? Looking
forward to seeing you all in Fall.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Audrey (Australia)-Traveling
So my traveling can in no way compare to KO's trials in Senegal but apparently it still takes a long time to describe...Good luck with the epic post!
The first thing I did after the last entry was go to Tasmania. It's an amazing island and an interesting place to study what's going on the in the Australian environment. About 40% of Tassie is a World Heritage Area (WHA) because of it's ecological and cultural significance. Within the huge WHA there are mountains, lakes, and impressive old-growth Eucalypt forests. It was strange because it was so different than any other forest I have ever been in. Many of the plants in Tassie are the same as when the continent split from Antartica and when you look at the giant ferns it is easy to imagine dinosaurs roaming through this same land. I also saw: a platypus, an enchidna (porcupine-ish), a wombat (badger-like), and multiple pademelons (very miniature kangaroos). Although I liked Tasmania the whole time I was there I was very concious of being on an isolated island at what feels like the end of the world. It was a little comforting to get back to the familiarity of a city.
Next I spent five days in Melbourne which was great. I really needed a chance to recover because packing my bags and driving for hours every day in Tassie got old really quickly. I stayed in North Melbourne which was great because it wasn't touristy or ritzy. I felt as though I was really seeing the city. In many ways it reminded me of Chicago. I met up with my friend Sarah who was staying in South Melbourne and we sampled international food, admired architecture, and tried in vain to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert for less than $100.
On the train back to Byron Bay I saw my first kangaroos! It was so exciting and so strange to watch them hop around. Somehow it just doesn't seem natural.
Next we went on a three day Aboriginal camping trip. It was certainly the strangest camping trip of my life. We were mostly in the Byron Bay/Lismore region which for some reason I hadn't been expecting. During the trip we were forbidden cameras, watches, and anything to read or write with. However, we were around that sort of technology all the time so it was interesting to get an outsiders perspective. Most of all I was impressed with how open and friendly everyone was to us. There is certainly a vast amount of knowledge to be gained from Aboriginal cultures and it is ridiculous to me that most Australians have never even met an Aboriginal. Staying with our hosts also impressed on me what an amazing loss these people have endured and what it must be like to live in a cutlure that is consistently marginalized and misunderstood. It was a sobering and painful realization.
After our Aboriginal camping trip we spent two quick days in Byron Bay before going to Fraser Island. Fraser was amazing. It all seemed like one big vacation even though we really learned quite a bit about the ecology of the island. Fraser is the biggest sand mass in the world and another WHA. It is accessible only by four wheel drive (FWD) and the roads are really atrocious. The best way of getting around is driving on the beaches at low tide. Driving on the beaches felt a bit like a guilty pleasure but it was also an amazing way to get around. Every morning we would get to wake up by driving down a gorgeous sand beach on our way to 'class.' The ocean isn't much good for swimming because of bad rips and sharks but there are gorgeous lakes that were amazing to swim in. We also got to look at some more rainforest areas in the center of the island. Our teacher, John Sinclair, was incredibly inspiring because he has been the main figure responsible for conserving Fraser Island. He stood up against logging and sand mining in the 1970's when those industries were supported by the government and no one would else would fight them. Despite enduring legal battles, smear campagins and the like John perservered and eventually achieved his goal.
Now I'm back in Byron Bay and we're working on getting things wrapped up before we leave for our ISP's next weekend. I will be working with an organization called Green Collect in Melbourne for mine, studying how this group has been able to integrate principles of environmental sustainability and social justice. I have a big final to study for on Friday and our final ISP proposal on Thursday so I will definitely being schoolwork.
The first thing I did after the last entry was go to Tasmania. It's an amazing island and an interesting place to study what's going on the in the Australian environment. About 40% of Tassie is a World Heritage Area (WHA) because of it's ecological and cultural significance. Within the huge WHA there are mountains, lakes, and impressive old-growth Eucalypt forests. It was strange because it was so different than any other forest I have ever been in. Many of the plants in Tassie are the same as when the continent split from Antartica and when you look at the giant ferns it is easy to imagine dinosaurs roaming through this same land. I also saw: a platypus, an enchidna (porcupine-ish), a wombat (badger-like), and multiple pademelons (very miniature kangaroos). Although I liked Tasmania the whole time I was there I was very concious of being on an isolated island at what feels like the end of the world. It was a little comforting to get back to the familiarity of a city.
Next I spent five days in Melbourne which was great. I really needed a chance to recover because packing my bags and driving for hours every day in Tassie got old really quickly. I stayed in North Melbourne which was great because it wasn't touristy or ritzy. I felt as though I was really seeing the city. In many ways it reminded me of Chicago. I met up with my friend Sarah who was staying in South Melbourne and we sampled international food, admired architecture, and tried in vain to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert for less than $100.
On the train back to Byron Bay I saw my first kangaroos! It was so exciting and so strange to watch them hop around. Somehow it just doesn't seem natural.
Next we went on a three day Aboriginal camping trip. It was certainly the strangest camping trip of my life. We were mostly in the Byron Bay/Lismore region which for some reason I hadn't been expecting. During the trip we were forbidden cameras, watches, and anything to read or write with. However, we were around that sort of technology all the time so it was interesting to get an outsiders perspective. Most of all I was impressed with how open and friendly everyone was to us. There is certainly a vast amount of knowledge to be gained from Aboriginal cultures and it is ridiculous to me that most Australians have never even met an Aboriginal. Staying with our hosts also impressed on me what an amazing loss these people have endured and what it must be like to live in a cutlure that is consistently marginalized and misunderstood. It was a sobering and painful realization.
After our Aboriginal camping trip we spent two quick days in Byron Bay before going to Fraser Island. Fraser was amazing. It all seemed like one big vacation even though we really learned quite a bit about the ecology of the island. Fraser is the biggest sand mass in the world and another WHA. It is accessible only by four wheel drive (FWD) and the roads are really atrocious. The best way of getting around is driving on the beaches at low tide. Driving on the beaches felt a bit like a guilty pleasure but it was also an amazing way to get around. Every morning we would get to wake up by driving down a gorgeous sand beach on our way to 'class.' The ocean isn't much good for swimming because of bad rips and sharks but there are gorgeous lakes that were amazing to swim in. We also got to look at some more rainforest areas in the center of the island. Our teacher, John Sinclair, was incredibly inspiring because he has been the main figure responsible for conserving Fraser Island. He stood up against logging and sand mining in the 1970's when those industries were supported by the government and no one would else would fight them. Despite enduring legal battles, smear campagins and the like John perservered and eventually achieved his goal.
Now I'm back in Byron Bay and we're working on getting things wrapped up before we leave for our ISP's next weekend. I will be working with an organization called Green Collect in Melbourne for mine, studying how this group has been able to integrate principles of environmental sustainability and social justice. I have a big final to study for on Friday and our final ISP proposal on Thursday so I will definitely being schoolwork.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
KO (Senegal) At least there were mangos
Last week was our spring break and I went with Marge and Lizzie to Kayes, Mali. It is a small city about an hour inside the country. We were thinking about trying to get all the way to Bamako, the capital, but decided that with only a week off we wouldn't have enough time in the city to really make it worth while. It turns out that Lizzie's host dad is from Kayes and still has some family and friends in the city, which ended up being very lucky for us. We met his childhood friend Ibrahima and their family, along with their granddaughter, Adji, who is about our age and married to Cheikh, Lizzie's host dad's grandson.
We left Dakar Saturday morning, we got to the station at 7:30am and were told that there was a bus leaving at 8, so we bought tickets and waited. We boarded the bus around 10 and then sat for a while before driving across the street to switch buses and then sit some more and then go to the gas station and then finally leave the city around noon. The ride to Kaolack, the first larger city, was fine, although we learned very early on that the bus only had 2 windows on each side that actually opened, which was not at all good. But after leaving Kaolack it is about a 6 hour drive to Tambacounda, the last major town/city before hitting the Mali border and the road is absolutely awful. There are so many gigantic potholes that the bus had to drive like 10 miles an hour and spent a good deal of time driving in the sand along the side of the road because you could go faster than if you were actually on the road. We got to Tambacounda probably around 10 or 11 at night and stopped for dinner etc and then continued for a few hours to the border, which we discovered is not actually open when it is dark, so we slept on a sheet that some nice man gave us from about 5am-7am and then sat around for another few hours before we wre actually allowed to enter Mali. We ended up getting to Kayes around noon and tried to find a hotel that was recommended to us, but it was too expensive.
So we called Ibrahima, who sent Cheikh to get us, and we went to Ibrahima's and then decided to stay at the youth hostel we'd read about that was about $6 per night per person. We all took much much much needed showers before heading out to search for food. Cheikh came at night and took us to a pastery shop with AC, which was amazing and then we went to bed around 9 because we were all beat, but then woke up at 10 when Cheikh and Adji brought us a cooler with ice in it, which was extremely nice, it was absolutely great.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all spent in similar fashions, so I won't go into detail about each day and just give you a summary of all of the things we did. We spent a lot more time in the ACed pastery shop when we were trying to find a tourist office that we were told about so we could figure out how to visit some waterfalls that are about 15km outside of the city. We never found the office and never got to the waterfall. We did however, go with Adji twice to the river, which is vrey shallow and we walked halfway across to little islands so that we could swim and bath in water that was a little cleaner than the water along the edge where there were just tons of people doing laundry and taking baths. We also spent a lot of time in the great market, it was a lot different from the markets in Dakar where there is a section for food, a section for fabric, a section for housewares etc, here they were all just all over the place. We all agreed that the fabric in Mali was a lot nicer and prettier than that in Senegal. We decided this was because it is all made in Mali and then they send the less pretty stuff to us and keep the good stuff for themselves. One night we went to the end of a dance competition, it was sad because we just got to hear them announce the winners, but it was still fun to see how excited everyone got. It was different neighborhoods in the city competing against eachother. We did get to see a little dancing though as we left the stadium, people were celebrating outside.
So we left bright and early Thursday morning, at 5am and figured this way we would avoid having to wait at the border for so long since we would get there once the sun was up. We thought the trip was going to be a peice of cake because the bus actually left on time and all of the windows opened, but this turned out to just be false. We did get through the first part of the border just fine, but then ended up waiting just inside senegal for about 3 or 4 hours because some of the people who had to declare things at customs decided to disappear for a while. Then on that wonderful road between Tambacounda and Kaolack our bus broke down for about another 3 hours and we overheard someone say that the company was going to send us a new bus from Dakar, which was about 6 or 7 hours away, so it was great that the bus got going again. However, at the next town we came to we got stopped at a police checkpoint, and the entire cargo on the bus was checked, which took another 2ish hours. To top it all off, I got kind of sick, and I'm not really sure why. I first pooped in a "bathroom" at the border when we were stuck there for 3 hours, although it was really a shower and I decided that I would just consider my shit punishment for the border police making us sit there for so long. It got subsequently worse as time went on, and I'm not sure if this has happened to anyone else, probably not any of you in cushy Europe, but I had the unique experience of PEEING OUT OF MY ASS! Literally my shit was the consistency of pee, it was pretty horrible, especially because once in a while I would feel like I had to barf instead and couldn't decide which would make me feel better. The guy sitting next to me on the bus also almost got into a fight with another guy who said he was really sitting in that seat and refused to move. There were also 2 Nigerian missionaries on the bus on their way to Gambia and spent a lot of time trying to convert us, all the while I just sort of want to die. It was horrible in the best way possible.
We got back to Dakar around 6:30am on Friday, which was Senegalese Independence day, and saw some of the preparations for the parade as we taxied back to our houses, but then fell asleep and didn't even get to watch it on tv. We were all disappointed to learn upon waking up that the fireworks were the night of the 3rd...
All in all it was a lot of fun, and I was glad we could all laugh about the situations we got ourselves into, and that none of us died from the heat, and that Mali has the best mangos ever!
Spring Break themes:
1. I feel drunk, but really I'm just hot.
2. Even the wind is hot!
3. Take me to the river, uhn uhn uhn, throw me in the water!
We left Dakar Saturday morning, we got to the station at 7:30am and were told that there was a bus leaving at 8, so we bought tickets and waited. We boarded the bus around 10 and then sat for a while before driving across the street to switch buses and then sit some more and then go to the gas station and then finally leave the city around noon. The ride to Kaolack, the first larger city, was fine, although we learned very early on that the bus only had 2 windows on each side that actually opened, which was not at all good. But after leaving Kaolack it is about a 6 hour drive to Tambacounda, the last major town/city before hitting the Mali border and the road is absolutely awful. There are so many gigantic potholes that the bus had to drive like 10 miles an hour and spent a good deal of time driving in the sand along the side of the road because you could go faster than if you were actually on the road. We got to Tambacounda probably around 10 or 11 at night and stopped for dinner etc and then continued for a few hours to the border, which we discovered is not actually open when it is dark, so we slept on a sheet that some nice man gave us from about 5am-7am and then sat around for another few hours before we wre actually allowed to enter Mali. We ended up getting to Kayes around noon and tried to find a hotel that was recommended to us, but it was too expensive.
So we called Ibrahima, who sent Cheikh to get us, and we went to Ibrahima's and then decided to stay at the youth hostel we'd read about that was about $6 per night per person. We all took much much much needed showers before heading out to search for food. Cheikh came at night and took us to a pastery shop with AC, which was amazing and then we went to bed around 9 because we were all beat, but then woke up at 10 when Cheikh and Adji brought us a cooler with ice in it, which was extremely nice, it was absolutely great.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all spent in similar fashions, so I won't go into detail about each day and just give you a summary of all of the things we did. We spent a lot more time in the ACed pastery shop when we were trying to find a tourist office that we were told about so we could figure out how to visit some waterfalls that are about 15km outside of the city. We never found the office and never got to the waterfall. We did however, go with Adji twice to the river, which is vrey shallow and we walked halfway across to little islands so that we could swim and bath in water that was a little cleaner than the water along the edge where there were just tons of people doing laundry and taking baths. We also spent a lot of time in the great market, it was a lot different from the markets in Dakar where there is a section for food, a section for fabric, a section for housewares etc, here they were all just all over the place. We all agreed that the fabric in Mali was a lot nicer and prettier than that in Senegal. We decided this was because it is all made in Mali and then they send the less pretty stuff to us and keep the good stuff for themselves. One night we went to the end of a dance competition, it was sad because we just got to hear them announce the winners, but it was still fun to see how excited everyone got. It was different neighborhoods in the city competing against eachother. We did get to see a little dancing though as we left the stadium, people were celebrating outside.
So we left bright and early Thursday morning, at 5am and figured this way we would avoid having to wait at the border for so long since we would get there once the sun was up. We thought the trip was going to be a peice of cake because the bus actually left on time and all of the windows opened, but this turned out to just be false. We did get through the first part of the border just fine, but then ended up waiting just inside senegal for about 3 or 4 hours because some of the people who had to declare things at customs decided to disappear for a while. Then on that wonderful road between Tambacounda and Kaolack our bus broke down for about another 3 hours and we overheard someone say that the company was going to send us a new bus from Dakar, which was about 6 or 7 hours away, so it was great that the bus got going again. However, at the next town we came to we got stopped at a police checkpoint, and the entire cargo on the bus was checked, which took another 2ish hours. To top it all off, I got kind of sick, and I'm not really sure why. I first pooped in a "bathroom" at the border when we were stuck there for 3 hours, although it was really a shower and I decided that I would just consider my shit punishment for the border police making us sit there for so long. It got subsequently worse as time went on, and I'm not sure if this has happened to anyone else, probably not any of you in cushy Europe, but I had the unique experience of PEEING OUT OF MY ASS! Literally my shit was the consistency of pee, it was pretty horrible, especially because once in a while I would feel like I had to barf instead and couldn't decide which would make me feel better. The guy sitting next to me on the bus also almost got into a fight with another guy who said he was really sitting in that seat and refused to move. There were also 2 Nigerian missionaries on the bus on their way to Gambia and spent a lot of time trying to convert us, all the while I just sort of want to die. It was horrible in the best way possible.
We got back to Dakar around 6:30am on Friday, which was Senegalese Independence day, and saw some of the preparations for the parade as we taxied back to our houses, but then fell asleep and didn't even get to watch it on tv. We were all disappointed to learn upon waking up that the fireworks were the night of the 3rd...
All in all it was a lot of fun, and I was glad we could all laugh about the situations we got ourselves into, and that none of us died from the heat, and that Mali has the best mangos ever!
Spring Break themes:
1. I feel drunk, but really I'm just hot.
2. Even the wind is hot!
3. Take me to the river, uhn uhn uhn, throw me in the water!
Friday, April 4, 2008
John (Poland) Obscene Barmen, Hijacked Hotels and Other Adventures in Hungary and Romania
Hey all, it's good to be writing you all from the comfort of my dorm, back (temporarily) in Krakow after a week in Hungary and Romania.
The trip itself was very fun in terms of what we saw. We started with a night train to Budapest, which was felt so wonderfully European, I couldn't stand it. After that there were two days in Budapest where we met up with the Berlin group, which were very fun. There actually wasn't too much sightseeing in the city then and most of the time was spent on various debaucheries. After two months living with nothing but girls, I don't mind telling you that boys nights were sorely needed. The city itself was very nice, and a huge change of pace from Krakow which feels small, cozy, knowable. Budapest is huge, sprawling and just way too full of stuff to get a good sense of in such a short amount of time. Hungary also had a very different feel from Poland. The country isn't adjusting to capitalist democracy as well and people are still very dour and depressed (it's always a world leader in suicide). Whereas the Poles seem to revel in the glories of spectacular failed uprisings of the past, the Hungarians seems to just internalize the defeat. There is apparently a Hungarian saying that if you live in Hungary for a while you learn to live with suffering and if you live there long enough, you learn to like it.
So after two days, we hopped on a bus and headed for Transylvania, which is an area that was long a part of the Hungarian empire, but was given to Romania after WWII. Both sides have historical claims to the region (although Hungary's are probably stronger) and we were looking at how ethnic minorities deal with living in such a contested region. We spent five and a half days seeing different towns(mostly Hungarian, with some Seiki and Saxon), learning about the region's history as contested territory and how different peoples have learned to live together. The area traditionally was home to mostly Hungarians, but also Romanians, Saxons (imported German industrial workers), Jews, Gypsies and other smaller minorities such as the Seiki. It was very cool to see the area, because Romania in general and Transylvania specifically are much poorer than the rest of Europe and so touring the region was almost like going back in time. People still used horses, donkeys, their children and bare hands to work their fields, most roads were dirt and even the cities seemed to be crumbling with serious infrastructure problems (lots of open sewers). Although Romania is in the EU, it isn't in the Schengen Zone and it very much felt like seeing how the other half lives.
That being said, we spent all nights but one with Hungarian families, who were just incredibly nice. We were generally staying in the best homes in the village, which were comfortable, and the hospitality was unbeatable. Everywhere we went there was a welcoming ceremony, which centered around shots of the locally made moonshine called Palenka, which is deceptively strong. As soon as you finished your shot there would be someone at your shoulder giving you a refill. After the welcome ceremony, we would repast to the kitchen/dining area, where we were summarily stuffed. Most dinners would consist of bread throughout, with an excellent soup, again liberally ladled into your bowl, then a main course of rice/noodles and homemade goulash. After you'd eaten enough to visibly distend your stomach, a tray of pastries (often made with lard) would be brought out, which you would have to sample at least one or two of, both to avoid offending your hosts and because they were delicious. I can honestly say that I've never ate as well or felt as immediately welcomed as in Transylvania.
Although the trip was filled with amusing incidents, I will highlight only two, which I believe will be of most interest to you all.
The first story is perhaps my favorite memory from the trip. It occurred on our last night, which was the only one in which we stayed in a hotel rather than peoples' houses. We had another great dinner, then enjoyed some fantastic gypsy dancing, which, let me just say, is incredibly badass. Those gypsy men not only are awesome dancers but they can provide their own rythmic music through the tapping and knee slapping, wow. Anyway, the dancer's musician was just packing up and people were wandering out when I was summoned from my room by a couple of the Berlin guys, who had convinced the hotel to keep the speakers up and connected them to the lobby computer. We went downstairs and found that the hotel was willing to let us take over the lobby computer for a dance party. Naturally, I sprung into action and, working with a very nice woman from the hotel, configured the sound system,downloaded itunes on the computer and hooked up my iPod (yes, I've gone to the dark side, sigh). By this time, most of the people from the group were down in the main room and starting from the first bars of Ignition Remix, the party was on and poppin'. We basically took over the bottom floor of that hotel, including adjoining bar area, it was great and the hotel was happy to lets us do it, good times. As Beloiters could probably guess, I was in my element DJing the party, mixing major R&B/Rap dance songs with a few lesser known jams. At one point we put on some Hungarian swing, which got the Lexia Budapest director, a large middle aged Hungarian women named Hoyne (spelled phonetically for y'all) and our guide, Andras, also a boomer himself, out on the floor and cutting some serious rug, it was a good night for everyone.
The other story revolves around a phrase that some guys from the Berlin group had picked up after watching a video in Krakow. The phrase describes a sexual act that I won't detail here (though you're welcome to ask me later). In the original video, the giver of this act is encouraged by a fellow off screen to "Freak that bitch out, Tone!" in a hilarious intonation which must be heard to fully be appreciated. Anyway, this soon became somewhat of a catchphrase among certain members of our group, being used when ever possible (ie, when you see two pigeons mating, you might yell to the male, "freak that bitch out!".
So one night in a small mountain farming village, the group decides to go out to the local bar for drinks and everyone is having fun, when we notice that two group members have snuck off for a little slap and tickle. Two of the guys want to sneak outside their door to yell the catchphrase, which we dissuade them from doing. Instead they decide to wait until the guy has gotten back and then to yell it at him when he comes back to the bar. This plan soon involves the whole group and becomes more and more elaborate, getting a life of its own. Finally, when the lucky guy (Teddy) enters 90 minutes later, he walks up to the bar, which is run by a very nice let's say 60 year old Hungarian man who is standing next to Andras. As Teddy starts to order, Andras holds up his hand and Brian (the mastermind of this scheme) says, "Wait, Teddy, this guy has something he wants to say to you." The barman looks down at a small note card in his hand, clears his throat and says in a clear but heavily accented voice "Freak that bitch out!" And scene.
I'm off to Prague to meet my friend from Homewood, Kristin, so hopefully there will be more tales to tell soon.
The trip itself was very fun in terms of what we saw. We started with a night train to Budapest, which was felt so wonderfully European, I couldn't stand it. After that there were two days in Budapest where we met up with the Berlin group, which were very fun. There actually wasn't too much sightseeing in the city then and most of the time was spent on various debaucheries. After two months living with nothing but girls, I don't mind telling you that boys nights were sorely needed. The city itself was very nice, and a huge change of pace from Krakow which feels small, cozy, knowable. Budapest is huge, sprawling and just way too full of stuff to get a good sense of in such a short amount of time. Hungary also had a very different feel from Poland. The country isn't adjusting to capitalist democracy as well and people are still very dour and depressed (it's always a world leader in suicide). Whereas the Poles seem to revel in the glories of spectacular failed uprisings of the past, the Hungarians seems to just internalize the defeat. There is apparently a Hungarian saying that if you live in Hungary for a while you learn to live with suffering and if you live there long enough, you learn to like it.
So after two days, we hopped on a bus and headed for Transylvania, which is an area that was long a part of the Hungarian empire, but was given to Romania after WWII. Both sides have historical claims to the region (although Hungary's are probably stronger) and we were looking at how ethnic minorities deal with living in such a contested region. We spent five and a half days seeing different towns(mostly Hungarian, with some Seiki and Saxon), learning about the region's history as contested territory and how different peoples have learned to live together. The area traditionally was home to mostly Hungarians, but also Romanians, Saxons (imported German industrial workers), Jews, Gypsies and other smaller minorities such as the Seiki. It was very cool to see the area, because Romania in general and Transylvania specifically are much poorer than the rest of Europe and so touring the region was almost like going back in time. People still used horses, donkeys, their children and bare hands to work their fields, most roads were dirt and even the cities seemed to be crumbling with serious infrastructure problems (lots of open sewers). Although Romania is in the EU, it isn't in the Schengen Zone and it very much felt like seeing how the other half lives.
That being said, we spent all nights but one with Hungarian families, who were just incredibly nice. We were generally staying in the best homes in the village, which were comfortable, and the hospitality was unbeatable. Everywhere we went there was a welcoming ceremony, which centered around shots of the locally made moonshine called Palenka, which is deceptively strong. As soon as you finished your shot there would be someone at your shoulder giving you a refill. After the welcome ceremony, we would repast to the kitchen/dining area, where we were summarily stuffed. Most dinners would consist of bread throughout, with an excellent soup, again liberally ladled into your bowl, then a main course of rice/noodles and homemade goulash. After you'd eaten enough to visibly distend your stomach, a tray of pastries (often made with lard) would be brought out, which you would have to sample at least one or two of, both to avoid offending your hosts and because they were delicious. I can honestly say that I've never ate as well or felt as immediately welcomed as in Transylvania.
Although the trip was filled with amusing incidents, I will highlight only two, which I believe will be of most interest to you all.
The first story is perhaps my favorite memory from the trip. It occurred on our last night, which was the only one in which we stayed in a hotel rather than peoples' houses. We had another great dinner, then enjoyed some fantastic gypsy dancing, which, let me just say, is incredibly badass. Those gypsy men not only are awesome dancers but they can provide their own rythmic music through the tapping and knee slapping, wow. Anyway, the dancer's musician was just packing up and people were wandering out when I was summoned from my room by a couple of the Berlin guys, who had convinced the hotel to keep the speakers up and connected them to the lobby computer. We went downstairs and found that the hotel was willing to let us take over the lobby computer for a dance party. Naturally, I sprung into action and, working with a very nice woman from the hotel, configured the sound system,downloaded itunes on the computer and hooked up my iPod (yes, I've gone to the dark side, sigh). By this time, most of the people from the group were down in the main room and starting from the first bars of Ignition Remix, the party was on and poppin'. We basically took over the bottom floor of that hotel, including adjoining bar area, it was great and the hotel was happy to lets us do it, good times. As Beloiters could probably guess, I was in my element DJing the party, mixing major R&B/Rap dance songs with a few lesser known jams. At one point we put on some Hungarian swing, which got the Lexia Budapest director, a large middle aged Hungarian women named Hoyne (spelled phonetically for y'all) and our guide, Andras, also a boomer himself, out on the floor and cutting some serious rug, it was a good night for everyone.
The other story revolves around a phrase that some guys from the Berlin group had picked up after watching a video in Krakow. The phrase describes a sexual act that I won't detail here (though you're welcome to ask me later). In the original video, the giver of this act is encouraged by a fellow off screen to "Freak that bitch out, Tone!" in a hilarious intonation which must be heard to fully be appreciated. Anyway, this soon became somewhat of a catchphrase among certain members of our group, being used when ever possible (ie, when you see two pigeons mating, you might yell to the male, "freak that bitch out!".
So one night in a small mountain farming village, the group decides to go out to the local bar for drinks and everyone is having fun, when we notice that two group members have snuck off for a little slap and tickle. Two of the guys want to sneak outside their door to yell the catchphrase, which we dissuade them from doing. Instead they decide to wait until the guy has gotten back and then to yell it at him when he comes back to the bar. This plan soon involves the whole group and becomes more and more elaborate, getting a life of its own. Finally, when the lucky guy (Teddy) enters 90 minutes later, he walks up to the bar, which is run by a very nice let's say 60 year old Hungarian man who is standing next to Andras. As Teddy starts to order, Andras holds up his hand and Brian (the mastermind of this scheme) says, "Wait, Teddy, this guy has something he wants to say to you." The barman looks down at a small note card in his hand, clears his throat and says in a clear but heavily accented voice "Freak that bitch out!" And scene.
I'm off to Prague to meet my friend from Homewood, Kristin, so hopefully there will be more tales to tell soon.
Kira (Thailand): Adobe, Asoke, and other Adventures
I never thought I’d say this, but it’s really good to be back in Khon Kaen. Yesterday morning when I was walking past the classroom, one of the little pre-school-aged kids who hangs out outside ran up to me and hugged me around the knees, shouting “FARANG! FARANG!” He motioned to his two friends, and they ran up and hugged me too. “FARANG! FARANG!” Apparently, they missed us when we were in Bangkok...
Then in the afternoon, some of us returned to the local elementary school where we have been helping build an adobe music building. We stomped in mud, coated the walls with our mixture, and joked around with the workers. I don’t think I can explain how much I love this building process. It’s so sustainable and traditional, and incredibly fun(The first time we built there, the kids were building too, but they’re on summer break now. They have been an integral part of the building process.). When we were stomping in the mud, I led the group in the moose song and Princess Pat (really, would you expect otherwise?) And then the director of the school invited us over for an amazing homemade dinner. It was so good to eat Isaan food outside on a porch under the palm trees again.
As I said, it’s good to be home.
Notable events since last time I posted:
1. The Asoke community: The Asoke are really extreme Buddhists who try to live without any greed at all. They grow their own food, do everything communally, refrain from wearing shoes, and follow the 5 precepts very, very carefully. The community we stayed with for a night consisted mainly of school children (apparently, parents can send their kids there for free) and older women whose husbands aren’t Asoke (Thai marital relationships aren’t usally super-close anyway, so it’s not unusual). The Asoke wake up every morning at 3, have discussion/class from 4-6, work from 6-8, breakfast at 9 (most of the adults only eat one meal a day), work again from 12-2 and 2-4, dinner (for the kids and us) at 5, meeting from 6-8, and sleep after that. We had a really good time there, actually. We got to help out with work (gardening, fertilizer-making), play games (huggy bear, down by the banks, etc) with the kids, and have a “cultural exchange” with everyone in the evening. One part of the cultural exchange consisted of us taking turns playing/singing songs. We sang (with guitar accompaniment) “Sweet Home Alabama” and “On the Radio” (by Regina Spector). It was one of the most unexpected experiences of my life –singing Regina to a crowd of attentive children in blue uniforms, a monk, and some older women in drab, traditional clothing.
The next morning (at 4 am) we had another exchange in which they asked us what religion we were. One other girl and I said we were raised Jewish, and the Asoke woman who had been acting as our host mom (she was an English teacher before she became Asoke) said that she didn’t know much about Judaism, but she had heard that Jews were particularly violent and not very good to their slaves (!). So the other girl went into a brief history of the Jewish people, the holocaust, and the Israel-Palistine issue. When she finished, our host mom asked, “so, is it true that Jews are stingy?” HOW DID THAT STEREOTYPE GET TO THAILAND? It was crazy. I don’t think she meant anything bad by that, though…
After that, we accompanied the monk on an alms round through a city. Picture a monk, about 10 children in blue uniforms, and about five farang, all shoeless, wandering through a city and accepting donations of food. Kind of crazy.
And then, after a whole lot of intense wai-ing, hugging, and even kisses on the cheek, we left. I’d like to go back, though.
2. HIV/AIDS Patients: We spoke with an NGO about HIV/AIDS and then we visited a clinic and people’s homes. It was kind of intense. One thing that struck me is that a lot of the patients didn’t know how they got it, and they didn’t really seem that interested in knowing. One hadn’t even told his ex-wife and wasn’t sure if he ever would (apparently, he didn’t have the courage. Just for the record though, I feel like it’s kind of a necessary thing to do, regardless of courage). Also, we didn’t really connect HIV/AIDS to everything else we have been studying, but it is really connected (I explained this to the group later, if you’re interested in my analysis on the matter, ask).
3. BANGKOK: AHH. I HATE BANGKOK. It was nice to eat international (Indian, Mexican, middle-eastern) food, but that was the only good thing about being in Bangkok. We stayed right near Khaosin road, which is where all the dumb, white tourists like to go play. It was kind of a jarring contrast to what we usually see. Also, we had to go see male and female sex shows. That was a really difficult experience, especially in the context of what we have been studying. But we did get to have a bunch of really good exchanges with NGOs. I am though, as I’ve mentioned numerous times, very, very, very glad to be home.
We’re done with units and now we’re starting final project planning. I’m in a group doing stuff with alternative education in the school we’ve been building with and in another school in a slum. It should be fun . Also, it’s almost sonkran (water festival). We have four days off, and I’m going back to Udon Thani (the land-unit village) with some friends. That should be amazing too. I can’t believe I have only another month on the program…
Miss you guys.
Then in the afternoon, some of us returned to the local elementary school where we have been helping build an adobe music building. We stomped in mud, coated the walls with our mixture, and joked around with the workers. I don’t think I can explain how much I love this building process. It’s so sustainable and traditional, and incredibly fun(The first time we built there, the kids were building too, but they’re on summer break now. They have been an integral part of the building process.). When we were stomping in the mud, I led the group in the moose song and Princess Pat (really, would you expect otherwise?) And then the director of the school invited us over for an amazing homemade dinner. It was so good to eat Isaan food outside on a porch under the palm trees again.
As I said, it’s good to be home.
Notable events since last time I posted:
1. The Asoke community: The Asoke are really extreme Buddhists who try to live without any greed at all. They grow their own food, do everything communally, refrain from wearing shoes, and follow the 5 precepts very, very carefully. The community we stayed with for a night consisted mainly of school children (apparently, parents can send their kids there for free) and older women whose husbands aren’t Asoke (Thai marital relationships aren’t usally super-close anyway, so it’s not unusual). The Asoke wake up every morning at 3, have discussion/class from 4-6, work from 6-8, breakfast at 9 (most of the adults only eat one meal a day), work again from 12-2 and 2-4, dinner (for the kids and us) at 5, meeting from 6-8, and sleep after that. We had a really good time there, actually. We got to help out with work (gardening, fertilizer-making), play games (huggy bear, down by the banks, etc) with the kids, and have a “cultural exchange” with everyone in the evening. One part of the cultural exchange consisted of us taking turns playing/singing songs. We sang (with guitar accompaniment) “Sweet Home Alabama” and “On the Radio” (by Regina Spector). It was one of the most unexpected experiences of my life –singing Regina to a crowd of attentive children in blue uniforms, a monk, and some older women in drab, traditional clothing.
The next morning (at 4 am) we had another exchange in which they asked us what religion we were. One other girl and I said we were raised Jewish, and the Asoke woman who had been acting as our host mom (she was an English teacher before she became Asoke) said that she didn’t know much about Judaism, but she had heard that Jews were particularly violent and not very good to their slaves (!). So the other girl went into a brief history of the Jewish people, the holocaust, and the Israel-Palistine issue. When she finished, our host mom asked, “so, is it true that Jews are stingy?” HOW DID THAT STEREOTYPE GET TO THAILAND? It was crazy. I don’t think she meant anything bad by that, though…
After that, we accompanied the monk on an alms round through a city. Picture a monk, about 10 children in blue uniforms, and about five farang, all shoeless, wandering through a city and accepting donations of food. Kind of crazy.
And then, after a whole lot of intense wai-ing, hugging, and even kisses on the cheek, we left. I’d like to go back, though.
2. HIV/AIDS Patients: We spoke with an NGO about HIV/AIDS and then we visited a clinic and people’s homes. It was kind of intense. One thing that struck me is that a lot of the patients didn’t know how they got it, and they didn’t really seem that interested in knowing. One hadn’t even told his ex-wife and wasn’t sure if he ever would (apparently, he didn’t have the courage. Just for the record though, I feel like it’s kind of a necessary thing to do, regardless of courage). Also, we didn’t really connect HIV/AIDS to everything else we have been studying, but it is really connected (I explained this to the group later, if you’re interested in my analysis on the matter, ask).
3. BANGKOK: AHH. I HATE BANGKOK. It was nice to eat international (Indian, Mexican, middle-eastern) food, but that was the only good thing about being in Bangkok. We stayed right near Khaosin road, which is where all the dumb, white tourists like to go play. It was kind of a jarring contrast to what we usually see. Also, we had to go see male and female sex shows. That was a really difficult experience, especially in the context of what we have been studying. But we did get to have a bunch of really good exchanges with NGOs. I am though, as I’ve mentioned numerous times, very, very, very glad to be home.
We’re done with units and now we’re starting final project planning. I’m in a group doing stuff with alternative education in the school we’ve been building with and in another school in a slum. It should be fun . Also, it’s almost sonkran (water festival). We have four days off, and I’m going back to Udon Thani (the land-unit village) with some friends. That should be amazing too. I can’t believe I have only another month on the program…
Miss you guys.
Kira (Thailand): Adobe, Asoke, and other Adventures
I never thought I’d say this, but it’s really good to be back in Khon Kaen. Yesterday morning when I was walking past the classroom, one of the little pre-school-aged kids who hangs out outside ran up to me and hugged me around the knees, shouting “FARANG! FARANG!” He motioned to his two friends, and they ran up and hugged me too. “FARANG! FARANG!” Apparently, they missed us when we were in Bangkok...
Then in the afternoon, some of us returned to the local elementary school where we have been helping build an adobe music building. We stomped in mud, coated the walls with our mixture, and joked around with the workers. I don’t think I can explain how much I love this building process. It’s so sustainable and traditional, and incredibly fun(The first time we built there, the kids were building too, but they’re on summer break now. They have been an integral part of the building process.). When we were stomping in the mud, I led the group in the moose song and Princess Pat (really, would you expect otherwise?) And then the director of the school invited us over for an amazing homemade dinner. It was so good to eat Isaan food outside on a porch under the palm trees again.
As I said, it’s good to be home.
Notable events since last time I posted:
1. The Asoke community: The Asoke are really extreme Buddhists who try to live without any greed at all. They grow their own food, do everything communally, refrain from wearing shoes, and follow the 5 precepts very, very carefully. The community we stayed with for a night consisted mainly of school children (apparently, parents can send their kids there for free) and older women whose husbands aren’t Asoke (Thai marital relationships aren’t usally super-close anyway, so it’s not unusual). The Asoke wake up every morning at 3, have discussion/class from 4-6, work from 6-8, breakfast at 9 (most of the adults only eat one meal a day), work again from 12-2 and 2-4, dinner (for the kids and us) at 5, meeting from 6-8, and sleep after that. We had a really good time there, actually. We got to help out with work (gardening, fertilizer-making), play games (huggy bear, down by the banks, etc) with the kids, and have a “cultural exchange” with everyone in the evening. One part of the cultural exchange consisted of us taking turns playing/singing songs. We sang (with guitar accompaniment) “Sweet Home Alabama” and “On the Radio” (by Regina Spector). It was one of the most unexpected experiences of my life –singing Regina to a crowd of attentive children in blue uniforms, a monk, and some older women in drab, traditional clothing.
The next morning (at 4 am) we had another exchange in which they asked us what religion we were. One other girl and I said we were raised Jewish, and the Asoke woman who had been acting as our host mom (she was an English teacher before she became Asoke) said that she didn’t know much about Judaism, but she had heard that Jews were particularly violent and not very good to their slaves (!). So the other girl went into a brief history of the Jewish people, the holocaust, and the Israel-Palistine issue. When she finished, our host mom asked, “so, is it true that Jews are stingy?” HOW DID THAT STEREOTYPE GET TO THAILAND? It was crazy. I don’t think she meant anything bad by that, though…
After that, we accompanied the monk on an alms round through a city. Picture a monk, about 10 children in blue uniforms, and about five farang, all shoeless, wandering through a city and accepting donations of food. Kind of crazy.
And then, after a whole lot of intense wai-ing, hugging, and even kisses on the cheek, we left. I’d like to go back, though.
2. HIV/AIDS Patients: We spoke with an NGO about HIV/AIDS and then we visited a clinic and people’s homes. It was kind of intense. One thing that struck me is that a lot of the patients didn’t know how they got it, and they didn’t really seem that interested in knowing. One hadn’t even told his ex-wife and wasn’t sure if he ever would (apparently, he didn’t have the courage. Just for the record though, I feel like it’s kind of a necessary thing to do, regardless of courage). Also, we didn’t really connect HIV/AIDS to everything else we have been studying, but it is really connected (I explained this to the group later, if you’re interested in my analysis on the matter, ask).
3. BANGKOK: AHH. I HATE BANGKOK. It was nice to eat international (Indian, Mexican, middle-eastern) food, but that was the only good thing about being in Bangkok. We stayed right near Khaosin road, which is where all the dumb, white tourists like to go play. It was kind of a jarring contrast to what we usually see. Also, we had to go see male and female sex shows. That was a really difficult experience, especially in the context of what we have been studying. But we did get to have a bunch of really good exchanges with NGOs. I am though, as I’ve mentioned numerous times, very, very, very glad to be home.
We’re done with units and now we’re starting final project planning. I’m in a group doing stuff with alternative education in the school we’ve been building with and in another school in a slum. It should be fun . Also, it’s almost sonkran (water festival). We have four days off, and I’m going back to Udon Thani (the land-unit village) with some friends. That should be amazing too. I can’t believe I have only another month on the program…
Miss you guys.
Then in the afternoon, some of us returned to the local elementary school where we have been helping build an adobe music building. We stomped in mud, coated the walls with our mixture, and joked around with the workers. I don’t think I can explain how much I love this building process. It’s so sustainable and traditional, and incredibly fun(The first time we built there, the kids were building too, but they’re on summer break now. They have been an integral part of the building process.). When we were stomping in the mud, I led the group in the moose song and Princess Pat (really, would you expect otherwise?) And then the director of the school invited us over for an amazing homemade dinner. It was so good to eat Isaan food outside on a porch under the palm trees again.
As I said, it’s good to be home.
Notable events since last time I posted:
1. The Asoke community: The Asoke are really extreme Buddhists who try to live without any greed at all. They grow their own food, do everything communally, refrain from wearing shoes, and follow the 5 precepts very, very carefully. The community we stayed with for a night consisted mainly of school children (apparently, parents can send their kids there for free) and older women whose husbands aren’t Asoke (Thai marital relationships aren’t usally super-close anyway, so it’s not unusual). The Asoke wake up every morning at 3, have discussion/class from 4-6, work from 6-8, breakfast at 9 (most of the adults only eat one meal a day), work again from 12-2 and 2-4, dinner (for the kids and us) at 5, meeting from 6-8, and sleep after that. We had a really good time there, actually. We got to help out with work (gardening, fertilizer-making), play games (huggy bear, down by the banks, etc) with the kids, and have a “cultural exchange” with everyone in the evening. One part of the cultural exchange consisted of us taking turns playing/singing songs. We sang (with guitar accompaniment) “Sweet Home Alabama” and “On the Radio” (by Regina Spector). It was one of the most unexpected experiences of my life –singing Regina to a crowd of attentive children in blue uniforms, a monk, and some older women in drab, traditional clothing.
The next morning (at 4 am) we had another exchange in which they asked us what religion we were. One other girl and I said we were raised Jewish, and the Asoke woman who had been acting as our host mom (she was an English teacher before she became Asoke) said that she didn’t know much about Judaism, but she had heard that Jews were particularly violent and not very good to their slaves (!). So the other girl went into a brief history of the Jewish people, the holocaust, and the Israel-Palistine issue. When she finished, our host mom asked, “so, is it true that Jews are stingy?” HOW DID THAT STEREOTYPE GET TO THAILAND? It was crazy. I don’t think she meant anything bad by that, though…
After that, we accompanied the monk on an alms round through a city. Picture a monk, about 10 children in blue uniforms, and about five farang, all shoeless, wandering through a city and accepting donations of food. Kind of crazy.
And then, after a whole lot of intense wai-ing, hugging, and even kisses on the cheek, we left. I’d like to go back, though.
2. HIV/AIDS Patients: We spoke with an NGO about HIV/AIDS and then we visited a clinic and people’s homes. It was kind of intense. One thing that struck me is that a lot of the patients didn’t know how they got it, and they didn’t really seem that interested in knowing. One hadn’t even told his ex-wife and wasn’t sure if he ever would (apparently, he didn’t have the courage. Just for the record though, I feel like it’s kind of a necessary thing to do, regardless of courage). Also, we didn’t really connect HIV/AIDS to everything else we have been studying, but it is really connected (I explained this to the group later, if you’re interested in my analysis on the matter, ask).
3. BANGKOK: AHH. I HATE BANGKOK. It was nice to eat international (Indian, Mexican, middle-eastern) food, but that was the only good thing about being in Bangkok. We stayed right near Khaosin road, which is where all the dumb, white tourists like to go play. It was kind of a jarring contrast to what we usually see. Also, we had to go see male and female sex shows. That was a really difficult experience, especially in the context of what we have been studying. But we did get to have a bunch of really good exchanges with NGOs. I am though, as I’ve mentioned numerous times, very, very, very glad to be home.
We’re done with units and now we’re starting final project planning. I’m in a group doing stuff with alternative education in the school we’ve been building with and in another school in a slum. It should be fun . Also, it’s almost sonkran (water festival). We have four days off, and I’m going back to Udon Thani (the land-unit village) with some friends. That should be amazing too. I can’t believe I have only another month on the program…
Miss you guys.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Kate (Ireland): We're kings among runaways
So my darlings, I just had the best spring break ever. First, Molly was here in Galway for St. Patrick's and we had a blast--went downtown to the parade and the entire city was out and about, crowding every street. It was also my friend Jenna's 21st so we had a lot of partying on our hands. So basically from noon to midnight we traveled from pub to pub drinking and dancing and laughing (all in green, naturally).
The bad news was that my friend Jerad, who was coming with Siobhan and I for break, had a money crisis and decided he had to cancel everything, leaving me alone in Spain for 5 days. Shit. So I had no choice but to get on the 7am bus to the airport with
Siobhan and I began our epic journey to the continent. After an entire day of traveling (planes, trains, buses) we got to Emily's apartment in Freiburg. The next few days we spent walking around exploring, I fell in love with the city. Emily isn't exaggerating when she calls it the best city in Europe. It's a big university town with unbelievable architecture, pastries sent from heaven, exciting bars, and it's basically surrounded by the Black Forest. I also got to practice my sad, minimal German. Ireland is magnificent, but it was fun to be in a place where I never heard English.
After a couple lovely days in Germany, Siobhan, Emily, and some of Emily's friends from her program took an overnight train to Amsterdam. I was shaken awake at the Dutch border by passport authorities and they told me not to go to the coffeeshops (weedhouses) because they don't sell coffee. Then they laughed and walked away. Great way to wake up. Amsterdam was pretty surreal. Aside from the snow, which really pissed me off, the city was really exciting. More canals than Venice! I really dug the canals and the tall skinny buildings, super beautiful. The Red Light district was funny, a mixture of hilarious and creepy...whores, neon lights, weed, tourists. God the tourists. Never seen so many in my life. Anyhow, we spent countless hours lounging in the coffeshops. When we gathered energy and focus together, we did cool tourist things like the Van Gogh Museum, an amazing canal boat cruise, various sex shops, and the Anne Frank House. Siobhan and I parted ways after Amsterdam (she went off to Lisbon to meet a high school friend) so I got on the plane to Madrid. Alone. Scared.
It ended up being wonderful. Madrid totally blew my mind. Warm weather, blue sunny skies, incredible architecture, sculptures and plazas. You can really tell it was a royal city. I felt like a princess in the absolutely perfect El Parque del Buen Retiro, former royal gardens. That was my favorite part of the trip I think, this giant, gorgeous park full of perfect gardens, marble statues, beautiful fountains, a crystal palace..definitely check out my pictures. The best part of the trip was when I was lounging in the sun at the Rey Alfonso monument at the edge of the lake. A middle-aged man was sitting near me and we ended up talking in Spanish for over an hour--basic sentence structures and such, but still, I was incredibly proud of myself and beyond grateful for my five miserable years of studying Spanish. Other Madrid highlights included: the Reina Sofia art museum with a huge temporary Picasso exhibit, window shopping along Gran Via, and meeting a great girl at my hostel who ended up traveling to Toledo with me.
Toledo, where my friend Hilary from the film festival is studying, is one hour south of Madrid. The city was built to be a labyrinth to confuse and dissuade invaders--you can tell. Everything cobblestoned, all the streets tiny and twisty, every building ancient, it was amazing. The area is super hilly, so we would be panting up some vertical sidestreet when someone would yell "coche!" and we'd have to hide in a doorway to let the car pass. Yes, the streets were the width of one car. Anyhow, it was phenomenal to see Hilary and get a feel of old-world Spain. Great paella as well.
Barcelona was the last leg of my journey and by this time I was getting burnt out and lonely. It didn't help that the weather was grey and crappy when I got there and there were creepy men everywhere trying to get my attention. I tried to make the best of it though. Walked around Las Ramblas, the huge main pedestrian thoroughfare filled with street vendors selling everything from flowers to souveniers to birds and chipmunks. I also went to the most wonderful market, La Boqueria--row after row after row of stands selling the most perfect displays of fruit, veg, fish, meat, candy, bread. Took a few pictures, hopefully they turned out ok. I also went on a lovely boat tour around the bay and the coast. The highlight of Barcelona was La Sagrada Familia, the giant cathedral by Barcelona's most important and innovative architect Gaudi. Google it because my pictures don't do it justice. It was amazing from the outside, but I went in an elevator one third of a mile up in the air inside one of the cathedral towers--breath-taking view of the whole city and the ocean and the coast. Perfect. My last night in Barcelona I went out with a bunch of amazing people from my hostel for tapas and a flamenco show (the sexiest thing I have ever seen), this great package deal thing arranged by the hostel for 10 euro. They also filled us up with great sangria and unpleasant Spanish shots. But it was a fantastic evening capped off by a 3 hour "nap" before I got up to go to the airport.
Back in Galway, it really feels like home here. All of my friends are back from their travels as well and we're all so happy to see each other again and share stories and enjoy each other as much as possible as our time winds down. But I think about all you guys a ton and miss you and send you vibes of love from across the Atlantic.
The bad news was that my friend Jerad, who was coming with Siobhan and I for break, had a money crisis and decided he had to cancel everything, leaving me alone in Spain for 5 days. Shit. So I had no choice but to get on the 7am bus to the airport with
Siobhan and I began our epic journey to the continent. After an entire day of traveling (planes, trains, buses) we got to Emily's apartment in Freiburg. The next few days we spent walking around exploring, I fell in love with the city. Emily isn't exaggerating when she calls it the best city in Europe. It's a big university town with unbelievable architecture, pastries sent from heaven, exciting bars, and it's basically surrounded by the Black Forest. I also got to practice my sad, minimal German. Ireland is magnificent, but it was fun to be in a place where I never heard English.
After a couple lovely days in Germany, Siobhan, Emily, and some of Emily's friends from her program took an overnight train to Amsterdam. I was shaken awake at the Dutch border by passport authorities and they told me not to go to the coffeeshops (weedhouses) because they don't sell coffee. Then they laughed and walked away. Great way to wake up. Amsterdam was pretty surreal. Aside from the snow, which really pissed me off, the city was really exciting. More canals than Venice! I really dug the canals and the tall skinny buildings, super beautiful. The Red Light district was funny, a mixture of hilarious and creepy...whores, neon lights, weed, tourists. God the tourists. Never seen so many in my life. Anyhow, we spent countless hours lounging in the coffeshops. When we gathered energy and focus together, we did cool tourist things like the Van Gogh Museum, an amazing canal boat cruise, various sex shops, and the Anne Frank House. Siobhan and I parted ways after Amsterdam (she went off to Lisbon to meet a high school friend) so I got on the plane to Madrid. Alone. Scared.
It ended up being wonderful. Madrid totally blew my mind. Warm weather, blue sunny skies, incredible architecture, sculptures and plazas. You can really tell it was a royal city. I felt like a princess in the absolutely perfect El Parque del Buen Retiro, former royal gardens. That was my favorite part of the trip I think, this giant, gorgeous park full of perfect gardens, marble statues, beautiful fountains, a crystal palace..definitely check out my pictures. The best part of the trip was when I was lounging in the sun at the Rey Alfonso monument at the edge of the lake. A middle-aged man was sitting near me and we ended up talking in Spanish for over an hour--basic sentence structures and such, but still, I was incredibly proud of myself and beyond grateful for my five miserable years of studying Spanish. Other Madrid highlights included: the Reina Sofia art museum with a huge temporary Picasso exhibit, window shopping along Gran Via, and meeting a great girl at my hostel who ended up traveling to Toledo with me.
Toledo, where my friend Hilary from the film festival is studying, is one hour south of Madrid. The city was built to be a labyrinth to confuse and dissuade invaders--you can tell. Everything cobblestoned, all the streets tiny and twisty, every building ancient, it was amazing. The area is super hilly, so we would be panting up some vertical sidestreet when someone would yell "coche!" and we'd have to hide in a doorway to let the car pass. Yes, the streets were the width of one car. Anyhow, it was phenomenal to see Hilary and get a feel of old-world Spain. Great paella as well.
Barcelona was the last leg of my journey and by this time I was getting burnt out and lonely. It didn't help that the weather was grey and crappy when I got there and there were creepy men everywhere trying to get my attention. I tried to make the best of it though. Walked around Las Ramblas, the huge main pedestrian thoroughfare filled with street vendors selling everything from flowers to souveniers to birds and chipmunks. I also went to the most wonderful market, La Boqueria--row after row after row of stands selling the most perfect displays of fruit, veg, fish, meat, candy, bread. Took a few pictures, hopefully they turned out ok. I also went on a lovely boat tour around the bay and the coast. The highlight of Barcelona was La Sagrada Familia, the giant cathedral by Barcelona's most important and innovative architect Gaudi. Google it because my pictures don't do it justice. It was amazing from the outside, but I went in an elevator one third of a mile up in the air inside one of the cathedral towers--breath-taking view of the whole city and the ocean and the coast. Perfect. My last night in Barcelona I went out with a bunch of amazing people from my hostel for tapas and a flamenco show (the sexiest thing I have ever seen), this great package deal thing arranged by the hostel for 10 euro. They also filled us up with great sangria and unpleasant Spanish shots. But it was a fantastic evening capped off by a 3 hour "nap" before I got up to go to the airport.
Back in Galway, it really feels like home here. All of my friends are back from their travels as well and we're all so happy to see each other again and share stories and enjoy each other as much as possible as our time winds down. But I think about all you guys a ton and miss you and send you vibes of love from across the Atlantic.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Robert (New Zealand) - Merry Makihinui
After two and a half weeks of bouncing around the South Island we're back in Christchurch on a regular schedule again for a few weeks.
Last week we traveled to the the west coast to stay at the Rough and Tumble Lodge and do a case study of the hydro-electric dam that is proposed to be built on the Makihinui River. The west coast of the south island is a very rural area, in fact the total population of the west coast is less then that of Beloit. It also has very little industry. It's basically the New Zealand equivalent of the US's rural deep south.
Gathering in the parking lot at the University of Canterbury it was great to hear about everyone else's break adventures and misadventures ranging from various hikes, to falling down waterfalls, to pretensious British hikers, to crashing motor boats, and hitching around the South Island. We were rejoined for the first few days of our trip by Terry, one of our guest lecturers who also accompanied us on the trip to CASS research station and Hinewai. Great guy.
The Rough and Tumble Lodge is in the northern section of the west coast on the banks of the Makihinui River. It may well be the northernmost structure on the west coast actually. It's a beautiful building run by a married couple (one from Christchurch, one from North Carolina). They actually built it almost entirely by themselves with locally milled timber. It's an impressive building in its own right, the fact that only about 4 people worked on the construction is even more amazing. Terry took us on a couple of nature walks and we settled back into close community living which is nice after being fragmented in Christchurch for so long. The main focus though was the dam that Meridian Energy is planning to build one kilometer up stream of the lodge. I mentioned Meridian in my last post as the power company that is carbon neutral. In a lot of ways they are a very impressive company. All of there power comes from hydro-dams and a few wind farms. Still hydro-dams have many problems associated with them. The Makihinui dam would interfere with fish and eel life cycles, make a lake out of a river gorge that is home to a few breeding pairs of Blue Duck (a highly endangered species), lead to massive erosion on the coats where the river runs into the sea (a small town would have to be moved), and would permanently change the river flow. However, unlike the scenarios Kira has been describing in Thailand, Meridian has been very conscious about trying to mitigate the environmental problems caused by the dam and to be open to the concerns of the local community in their plans. All in all the whole study highlighted that any form of power production is environmentally problematic. Over-consumption and the idea of constant growth are the real problems we face.
As a side note, it was a very strange feeling to stand in the gorge just up stream of where the dam might be built and to know that you could be one of the last people to ever walk there because in 5 years it may all be underwater.
We also toured a massive open-cast coal mine which is the primary employer on the west coast. The tour was lead by the guy who's in charge on the mines environmental policies. It's amazing the amount of work and money they put into trying to lessen their environmental impact. At the same time, walking along a stream near the mine later that week it was clear that no matter how much they do, there's still a great deal of pollution being caused by the operation. All environmental issues aside, the place had tons of cool machinery, including one of the world's largest bulldozers.
Evenings at the lodge took a number of forms. As I mentioned before Susan proposed to Jon at the end of Routeburn, and Rough and Tumble was the perfect place for the wedding. We got dressed up (except for me because Jon needed my nice cloths). We did the whole thing, Elliot presided over the ceremony, Jon and Susan wrote vows, there was wedding cake, rings Julia wove out of flax, and the throwing of the bouquet (Liz, an Earlham graduate who's been the program assistant caught it so best of luck to her). And of course the evening ended in a crazy dance party. We also had an Ode to Winter night because we're missing that beautiful season this year, complete with Eggnog, stockings filled by secret Santas, Christmas music, and toasts of "Merry Makihinui".
Being on the west side of the southern alps, the west coast gets an amazing amount of rain due to warm, humid winds coming off the Tasman Sea and then hitting the ridges. Our freakish luck with sunny weather held foe most of the week but we got a fair bit of rain the last night. It was great though. We got to see the river rise up to high flow, the sort of thing that would be regulated on a daily basis if the dam gets built.
Back in Christchurch we're headed into our last block of courses. We have two more weeks of class and service learning, then a week of finals, and finally a week long hiking/kayaking trip up in Abel Tasman National Park. After that the program is over. It feels strange to be only a month from the end (although I'm staying an extra two weeks to travel on my own and with my father when he comes over). I had a conversation with Susan on the Dusky Track about how it's really great when amazing experiences end at just the right time, when you've gotten what you want from it but it doesn't drag on. I think this program will do that perfectly.
After classes today we had a very informal game of soccer in a field by the university. It was a lot of fun, even though I haven't played in seven years and majorly suck. I was also playing barefoot and may have broken my toe. Time will tell I guess.
If you guys are dying to see pictures, I wont be able to upload until I get back to the states, and as I said, my North Island pictures got deleted. However, you can see some pictures on Earlham's website along with program updates written by my professor.
http://www.earlham.edu/~outdoor/new_zealand/updates.shtml
Things I have been appreciating:
-The Office (watched most of season 3 on various laptops while at Rough and Tumble)
-Lukas' (one of the students, originally from the Czech Republic) Tobias Fuke-esque word mix-up: "I think I would be great anal-detective."
-The smell of burning peat bricks, mostly because it reminds me of Raphoe
-Hearing a Frames song being played at a pub downtown
-Water
-I'm actually coming around to the odd spoon sizes a bit
-Running around in the surf on the west coast with some random dog
-"Snack Pack" the rap about our time in New Zealand that Shane and Brian made. I am told that the music video will be on youtube soon.
Finally, a request for you all to hold the Earlham community "in the light" as the Quakers say. It's been a rough semester. A student, and two professors have died over the past couple months. People here seem to be dealing with it ok, but it's still hard.
I'm thinking of you all often, both those abroad and back in in Belwah. Take care of yourselves.
Last week we traveled to the the west coast to stay at the Rough and Tumble Lodge and do a case study of the hydro-electric dam that is proposed to be built on the Makihinui River. The west coast of the south island is a very rural area, in fact the total population of the west coast is less then that of Beloit. It also has very little industry. It's basically the New Zealand equivalent of the US's rural deep south.
Gathering in the parking lot at the University of Canterbury it was great to hear about everyone else's break adventures and misadventures ranging from various hikes, to falling down waterfalls, to pretensious British hikers, to crashing motor boats, and hitching around the South Island. We were rejoined for the first few days of our trip by Terry, one of our guest lecturers who also accompanied us on the trip to CASS research station and Hinewai. Great guy.
The Rough and Tumble Lodge is in the northern section of the west coast on the banks of the Makihinui River. It may well be the northernmost structure on the west coast actually. It's a beautiful building run by a married couple (one from Christchurch, one from North Carolina). They actually built it almost entirely by themselves with locally milled timber. It's an impressive building in its own right, the fact that only about 4 people worked on the construction is even more amazing. Terry took us on a couple of nature walks and we settled back into close community living which is nice after being fragmented in Christchurch for so long. The main focus though was the dam that Meridian Energy is planning to build one kilometer up stream of the lodge. I mentioned Meridian in my last post as the power company that is carbon neutral. In a lot of ways they are a very impressive company. All of there power comes from hydro-dams and a few wind farms. Still hydro-dams have many problems associated with them. The Makihinui dam would interfere with fish and eel life cycles, make a lake out of a river gorge that is home to a few breeding pairs of Blue Duck (a highly endangered species), lead to massive erosion on the coats where the river runs into the sea (a small town would have to be moved), and would permanently change the river flow. However, unlike the scenarios Kira has been describing in Thailand, Meridian has been very conscious about trying to mitigate the environmental problems caused by the dam and to be open to the concerns of the local community in their plans. All in all the whole study highlighted that any form of power production is environmentally problematic. Over-consumption and the idea of constant growth are the real problems we face.
As a side note, it was a very strange feeling to stand in the gorge just up stream of where the dam might be built and to know that you could be one of the last people to ever walk there because in 5 years it may all be underwater.
We also toured a massive open-cast coal mine which is the primary employer on the west coast. The tour was lead by the guy who's in charge on the mines environmental policies. It's amazing the amount of work and money they put into trying to lessen their environmental impact. At the same time, walking along a stream near the mine later that week it was clear that no matter how much they do, there's still a great deal of pollution being caused by the operation. All environmental issues aside, the place had tons of cool machinery, including one of the world's largest bulldozers.
Evenings at the lodge took a number of forms. As I mentioned before Susan proposed to Jon at the end of Routeburn, and Rough and Tumble was the perfect place for the wedding. We got dressed up (except for me because Jon needed my nice cloths). We did the whole thing, Elliot presided over the ceremony, Jon and Susan wrote vows, there was wedding cake, rings Julia wove out of flax, and the throwing of the bouquet (Liz, an Earlham graduate who's been the program assistant caught it so best of luck to her). And of course the evening ended in a crazy dance party. We also had an Ode to Winter night because we're missing that beautiful season this year, complete with Eggnog, stockings filled by secret Santas, Christmas music, and toasts of "Merry Makihinui".
Being on the west side of the southern alps, the west coast gets an amazing amount of rain due to warm, humid winds coming off the Tasman Sea and then hitting the ridges. Our freakish luck with sunny weather held foe most of the week but we got a fair bit of rain the last night. It was great though. We got to see the river rise up to high flow, the sort of thing that would be regulated on a daily basis if the dam gets built.
Back in Christchurch we're headed into our last block of courses. We have two more weeks of class and service learning, then a week of finals, and finally a week long hiking/kayaking trip up in Abel Tasman National Park. After that the program is over. It feels strange to be only a month from the end (although I'm staying an extra two weeks to travel on my own and with my father when he comes over). I had a conversation with Susan on the Dusky Track about how it's really great when amazing experiences end at just the right time, when you've gotten what you want from it but it doesn't drag on. I think this program will do that perfectly.
After classes today we had a very informal game of soccer in a field by the university. It was a lot of fun, even though I haven't played in seven years and majorly suck. I was also playing barefoot and may have broken my toe. Time will tell I guess.
If you guys are dying to see pictures, I wont be able to upload until I get back to the states, and as I said, my North Island pictures got deleted. However, you can see some pictures on Earlham's website along with program updates written by my professor.
http://www.earlham.edu/~outdoor/new_zealand/updates.shtml
Things I have been appreciating:
-The Office (watched most of season 3 on various laptops while at Rough and Tumble)
-Lukas' (one of the students, originally from the Czech Republic) Tobias Fuke-esque word mix-up: "I think I would be great anal-detective."
-The smell of burning peat bricks, mostly because it reminds me of Raphoe
-Hearing a Frames song being played at a pub downtown
-Water
-I'm actually coming around to the odd spoon sizes a bit
-Running around in the surf on the west coast with some random dog
-"Snack Pack" the rap about our time in New Zealand that Shane and Brian made. I am told that the music video will be on youtube soon.
Finally, a request for you all to hold the Earlham community "in the light" as the Quakers say. It's been a rough semester. A student, and two professors have died over the past couple months. People here seem to be dealing with it ok, but it's still hard.
I'm thinking of you all often, both those abroad and back in in Belwah. Take care of yourselves.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Ted (Laos) - Wanderings
So it seems I've procrastinated quite well, and haven't written in over a month. Where do I start?
Maybe by country?
Thailand:
Visited the infamous death railway in Katchanaburi, where thousands of European and Asian POWS and conscripts died building a doomed connection between china and india. Sad that it was so commericialized with weekly firework displays replicating the bombing of the bridge back in WW2, and hawkers swarming around entrances to museums filled with photographs of dead bodies and emaciated forced laborers. Right on a river, it was green and beautiful like a lot of cities in Southeast Asia. Amazing cooking course too. Our curries and stirfrys turned out almost as good as the chef's!
Then saw Kira in bar-closed Khon Kaen (but we had fun anyway) and visited my old volunteer haunt in Nong Khai before bouncing into Laos. Haha, I think Kira's covered enough of Thailand already =)
Laos:
Vientiene- Capital of Laos, tame and lazy compared to a lot of capitals with a more secret night life, delicious fruit shakes (and tuna sandwiches), a very biased war museum (hurray for american imperialists!), some scattered french architecture, an incomplete arc de triumph-like structure built with concrete donated by the U.S. for an aiport... Very laid back, but not much to see.
Vang Viene- Backpacker capital of Laos, beautifully green mountains, squiggly and bumpy roads, caves, lazy tubing river, etc. The main "town" is full of restaurants with couches and pillows to sit or lay on, blaring television sets playing episodes of Friends, Family Guy and the Simpsons and serving banana pancakes, pizza, greasy things and not so good lao food. Oh, and 'happy' shakes and pizzas. I spent two days riding a rickity rented bike around, admiring the cliffs and sheer greeness of everything. Also watched a lot of simpsons one night. I think it would have been more fun with some crazy beloit drunks, because most of the people "hanging out" were high and immobile. Later I found out all the drunks were across the river, painful hindsight :(
Luang Prabang - Cultural powerhouse of Laos, full of old french buildings, tiny winding streets, temples, markets, painting stores. Definitely a place easy to wander. I've seen so many temples that it's hard to distinguish between them with just words from across the globe (with a faulty memory), but there were some powerful ones here. Beautiful paintings of the Lao version of the Ramayana, a magical epic that originated in India and, which features Hanuman, the magical monkey king who can do all sorts of cool things like fly and change his size and shape. He's not the main character, but he should be.
Pakse - Because of limited time, I didn't make it to the enigmatic plain of jars in north-east laos, which is basically... plains and plains of large stone jars dating back thousands of years with no clear origins. A very strategic area during the vietnam war/secret laos war. So I went to Pakse, which is a small city with no real attractions except for my vietnamese tour guide friend Thuyen, his mom's delicious noodle soup, and beerlao. Thuyen did take me to the old city of Champasak, once a Lao kingdom, and the nearbye Bolaven Plateau, but I was itching to get out of Laos.
Overall impressions- Greenest country I've ever been too. It was so green that even though there was garbage along every inch of roadside in some places, the plants just swallowed it up. So green that when a Lao family came on our VIP bus (very necessary on these bumpy hell roads where you don't want to be sitting next to chickens and fish that could easilly fall on you), and basically threw up the whole 6 hour ride, it was ok. P.S. They should hand out bigger bags for those situations. And the people? Laid back, smiley, and friendly. And the beerlao, bless its heart, and all the people it brings together.
Cambodia:
Siem Reap- ANGKOR WAT. Words cannot describe. Angkor Wat is the largest religious construction in the world and it did not dissapoint. Besides being huge and impressive from a distance with large spires basking equally in dusk or sunset, there were stunning bas reliefs and stone carvings depicting battles and myths. Angkor Wat is only one of the structures in the area, another big one being Angkor Thom, a large, fortified city, which I thought was even more impressive. Inside it had a temple complex with dozens of huge heads peering town, and the bas reliefs here depicted everything from daily life to Gods duking it out with huge armies. Thousands of figures on these walls. I was blown away. I spent three days bicycling around the temples marveling at civilization. I couldn't believe it. Sure they were all built with forced labor, and many people probably died building them, but Angkor Wat and friends together are the first thing I've seen that actually rival nature in beauty. Siem Reap, the city right next to Angkor Wat is dusty, small and easy to navigate. I loved it. THe area had a lot of beggars and hawking children, but not too overwhelming.
The people were really sweet there, but the moto driver from the airport...man-baby, no other word for it. He drove extremely slowly trying to sell me a moto tour of the temples, then dropped me off at the wrong hotel and told me it was the right one. Then the guy at the counter told me it was the right one. And the rooms were garbage, and expensive. I figured out the real name of the hotel, and as I left, angrilly, this moto driver yells out, "Fine! leave! I don't care!" I wanted to kill him, but I spared his life and found another place nearbye.
Phnom Phen- Cambodia's capital, center of the fucked up Khmer Rouge that tried to instigate a cultural revolution by depopulating its cities and sending all the educated people to work in the fields under frequently deadly conditions. Besides being a dumb idea,it was poorly thought out and like many communist regimes, impossible demands were made in insanely short periods of time. I visited the famous school turned torture-prison in the Toul Sleg (I can't remember the spelling) area of Phnom Phen and walked around the former classrooms in silence as they were now only filled with steel beds with chains and covered with stains of various colors. A few days ago I was marvelling at the beauty of Angkor Wat, and now I was in this monstrous place of the worst of human possibility. I didn't make it to the killing fields where thousands were killed either by bullets or by being bashed against walls, but I think the prison was enough. This happened in the 70's! ANd shit like this is still going on in some places. Where the hell are we?
Overall Impressions: Cambodia is a little dusty with bad roads, less green than laos, but endearing. Very underdeveloped, poor with thatched and falling apart houses everywhere, its a different kind of life. But you're so amazed that the people still seem happy. Especially the children. I couldn't help but feel a little insecure that just a few decades ago, many of the educated people were killed off, and that there was no getting around the fact that murderers from the Khmer Rouge were walking the streets. I know that many of them were afraid for their own lives and families, and that reconciliation is so important, but how do you live alongside people that ruthlessly killed, maimed and tortured for whatever reason? I later found out that A) You could kill someone in Cambodia and get a way with a several thousand dollar fine (paid to the military), and B) near the killing fields, there is a place where you can blow up a cow with a rocket launcher for $3000. A lot of war museums and old battle grounds feature firing ranges in Southeast Asian countries, and I just can't get over it. You see all this beauty, but you're scared for the world at the same time.
I'm running out of time, so I'll try to cover vietnam later. Sorry for cramming this all together. I love travelling. I feel like it's doing more for me than two years of class at Beloit since it's putting everything into context and making everything I've learned a lot more real. That and I'm a bad student... I know I've put some strong feelings in this entry, but overall, the people here are some of the nicest I've ever encountered (besides some Vietnamese that I will get to later), and the cities and towns are alive, relaxing, and make you feel like you could melt right in at times. I'm still amazed by all the greeness, trees, bicycles, random dogs, etc I see here compared to the suburbs of Chicago.
I hope you're all having a great time! I really want to wander all over after reading all of your entries. I wish I had some background European experience to put everything more in context. Let's all stay healthy,
Ted
Maybe by country?
Thailand:
Visited the infamous death railway in Katchanaburi, where thousands of European and Asian POWS and conscripts died building a doomed connection between china and india. Sad that it was so commericialized with weekly firework displays replicating the bombing of the bridge back in WW2, and hawkers swarming around entrances to museums filled with photographs of dead bodies and emaciated forced laborers. Right on a river, it was green and beautiful like a lot of cities in Southeast Asia. Amazing cooking course too. Our curries and stirfrys turned out almost as good as the chef's!
Then saw Kira in bar-closed Khon Kaen (but we had fun anyway) and visited my old volunteer haunt in Nong Khai before bouncing into Laos. Haha, I think Kira's covered enough of Thailand already =)
Laos:
Vientiene- Capital of Laos, tame and lazy compared to a lot of capitals with a more secret night life, delicious fruit shakes (and tuna sandwiches), a very biased war museum (hurray for american imperialists!), some scattered french architecture, an incomplete arc de triumph-like structure built with concrete donated by the U.S. for an aiport... Very laid back, but not much to see.
Vang Viene- Backpacker capital of Laos, beautifully green mountains, squiggly and bumpy roads, caves, lazy tubing river, etc. The main "town" is full of restaurants with couches and pillows to sit or lay on, blaring television sets playing episodes of Friends, Family Guy and the Simpsons and serving banana pancakes, pizza, greasy things and not so good lao food. Oh, and 'happy' shakes and pizzas. I spent two days riding a rickity rented bike around, admiring the cliffs and sheer greeness of everything. Also watched a lot of simpsons one night. I think it would have been more fun with some crazy beloit drunks, because most of the people "hanging out" were high and immobile. Later I found out all the drunks were across the river, painful hindsight :(
Luang Prabang - Cultural powerhouse of Laos, full of old french buildings, tiny winding streets, temples, markets, painting stores. Definitely a place easy to wander. I've seen so many temples that it's hard to distinguish between them with just words from across the globe (with a faulty memory), but there were some powerful ones here. Beautiful paintings of the Lao version of the Ramayana, a magical epic that originated in India and, which features Hanuman, the magical monkey king who can do all sorts of cool things like fly and change his size and shape. He's not the main character, but he should be.
Pakse - Because of limited time, I didn't make it to the enigmatic plain of jars in north-east laos, which is basically... plains and plains of large stone jars dating back thousands of years with no clear origins. A very strategic area during the vietnam war/secret laos war. So I went to Pakse, which is a small city with no real attractions except for my vietnamese tour guide friend Thuyen, his mom's delicious noodle soup, and beerlao. Thuyen did take me to the old city of Champasak, once a Lao kingdom, and the nearbye Bolaven Plateau, but I was itching to get out of Laos.
Overall impressions- Greenest country I've ever been too. It was so green that even though there was garbage along every inch of roadside in some places, the plants just swallowed it up. So green that when a Lao family came on our VIP bus (very necessary on these bumpy hell roads where you don't want to be sitting next to chickens and fish that could easilly fall on you), and basically threw up the whole 6 hour ride, it was ok. P.S. They should hand out bigger bags for those situations. And the people? Laid back, smiley, and friendly. And the beerlao, bless its heart, and all the people it brings together.
Cambodia:
Siem Reap- ANGKOR WAT. Words cannot describe. Angkor Wat is the largest religious construction in the world and it did not dissapoint. Besides being huge and impressive from a distance with large spires basking equally in dusk or sunset, there were stunning bas reliefs and stone carvings depicting battles and myths. Angkor Wat is only one of the structures in the area, another big one being Angkor Thom, a large, fortified city, which I thought was even more impressive. Inside it had a temple complex with dozens of huge heads peering town, and the bas reliefs here depicted everything from daily life to Gods duking it out with huge armies. Thousands of figures on these walls. I was blown away. I spent three days bicycling around the temples marveling at civilization. I couldn't believe it. Sure they were all built with forced labor, and many people probably died building them, but Angkor Wat and friends together are the first thing I've seen that actually rival nature in beauty. Siem Reap, the city right next to Angkor Wat is dusty, small and easy to navigate. I loved it. THe area had a lot of beggars and hawking children, but not too overwhelming.
The people were really sweet there, but the moto driver from the airport...man-baby, no other word for it. He drove extremely slowly trying to sell me a moto tour of the temples, then dropped me off at the wrong hotel and told me it was the right one. Then the guy at the counter told me it was the right one. And the rooms were garbage, and expensive. I figured out the real name of the hotel, and as I left, angrilly, this moto driver yells out, "Fine! leave! I don't care!" I wanted to kill him, but I spared his life and found another place nearbye.
Phnom Phen- Cambodia's capital, center of the fucked up Khmer Rouge that tried to instigate a cultural revolution by depopulating its cities and sending all the educated people to work in the fields under frequently deadly conditions. Besides being a dumb idea,it was poorly thought out and like many communist regimes, impossible demands were made in insanely short periods of time. I visited the famous school turned torture-prison in the Toul Sleg (I can't remember the spelling) area of Phnom Phen and walked around the former classrooms in silence as they were now only filled with steel beds with chains and covered with stains of various colors. A few days ago I was marvelling at the beauty of Angkor Wat, and now I was in this monstrous place of the worst of human possibility. I didn't make it to the killing fields where thousands were killed either by bullets or by being bashed against walls, but I think the prison was enough. This happened in the 70's! ANd shit like this is still going on in some places. Where the hell are we?
Overall Impressions: Cambodia is a little dusty with bad roads, less green than laos, but endearing. Very underdeveloped, poor with thatched and falling apart houses everywhere, its a different kind of life. But you're so amazed that the people still seem happy. Especially the children. I couldn't help but feel a little insecure that just a few decades ago, many of the educated people were killed off, and that there was no getting around the fact that murderers from the Khmer Rouge were walking the streets. I know that many of them were afraid for their own lives and families, and that reconciliation is so important, but how do you live alongside people that ruthlessly killed, maimed and tortured for whatever reason? I later found out that A) You could kill someone in Cambodia and get a way with a several thousand dollar fine (paid to the military), and B) near the killing fields, there is a place where you can blow up a cow with a rocket launcher for $3000. A lot of war museums and old battle grounds feature firing ranges in Southeast Asian countries, and I just can't get over it. You see all this beauty, but you're scared for the world at the same time.
I'm running out of time, so I'll try to cover vietnam later. Sorry for cramming this all together. I love travelling. I feel like it's doing more for me than two years of class at Beloit since it's putting everything into context and making everything I've learned a lot more real. That and I'm a bad student... I know I've put some strong feelings in this entry, but overall, the people here are some of the nicest I've ever encountered (besides some Vietnamese that I will get to later), and the cities and towns are alive, relaxing, and make you feel like you could melt right in at times. I'm still amazed by all the greeness, trees, bicycles, random dogs, etc I see here compared to the suburbs of Chicago.
I hope you're all having a great time! I really want to wander all over after reading all of your entries. I wish I had some background European experience to put everything more in context. Let's all stay healthy,
Ted
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