Saturday, October 27, 2007
On ship life
October 27, 2007
Whales, Dolphins, and Rainbows
I just want to share that the last few days have been great with regards to the view on the ship. We went under or through 2 rainbows, saw schools of dolphins, and at least 20 or 30 whales. Those scenes and experiences make the voyage so worth everything else we do. As much as folks can’t wait to get off the ship to get to the various ports, these days really make me long for more sea days, traveling on calm seas, looking at the beauty of the ocean, and wishing that we can preserve it all for the future. The moon has also been full the last couple of days and we have seen so many stars as we sail through the Red Sea. I can’t believe that I am back here again – on our way to Egypt….This and Turkey were favorites for me the last time I sailed.
Something funny – we had a fun (no gambling) poker tournament amongst the faculty, LLL, family and staff to figure out who the two reps from our team (the DEADly Sea) will be. I came in second and Nurse Karen came in first so we have an all women team! We hope to not be the first ones out during the tournament…I’m slightly frightened of the competition since the students definitely know how to play the game better than I. My tactic is just to go all in during hands that I play! August by the way is still in the faculty / staff / LLL / family ping pong tournament. He hopes to make it through so he can be on the team as well. This Sea Olympics is something fierce. Because I had to go to a meeting that evening and could not stay for the sign up meetings, I somehow was volunteered to be on the synchronized swim team….scary….I will not be sharing pictures of videos of that one. At least I was not signed up for limbo or the slippery twister….
Whales, Dolphins, and Rainbows
I just want to share that the last few days have been great with regards to the view on the ship. We went under or through 2 rainbows, saw schools of dolphins, and at least 20 or 30 whales. Those scenes and experiences make the voyage so worth everything else we do. As much as folks can’t wait to get off the ship to get to the various ports, these days really make me long for more sea days, traveling on calm seas, looking at the beauty of the ocean, and wishing that we can preserve it all for the future. The moon has also been full the last couple of days and we have seen so many stars as we sail through the Red Sea. I can’t believe that I am back here again – on our way to Egypt….This and Turkey were favorites for me the last time I sailed.
Something funny – we had a fun (no gambling) poker tournament amongst the faculty, LLL, family and staff to figure out who the two reps from our team (the DEADly Sea) will be. I came in second and Nurse Karen came in first so we have an all women team! We hope to not be the first ones out during the tournament…I’m slightly frightened of the competition since the students definitely know how to play the game better than I. My tactic is just to go all in during hands that I play! August by the way is still in the faculty / staff / LLL / family ping pong tournament. He hopes to make it through so he can be on the team as well. This Sea Olympics is something fierce. Because I had to go to a meeting that evening and could not stay for the sign up meetings, I somehow was volunteered to be on the synchronized swim team….scary….I will not be sharing pictures of videos of that one. At least I was not signed up for limbo or the slippery twister….
Thailand's Top Ten
October 24, 2007
10) Tom Yum (make it Thai style spicy please)– I know we have this in the U.S. but it can’t compare to the ones they cook in Thailand
9) It’s good to be the king – okay, so the King’s picture is EVERYWHERE…And even though he is approaching 80, according to the pictures, he does not look older than 40 – Wow!
8) ooooooh the massages – I had 4 in 5 days…..what more can I say?
7) All you can eat fresh prawns, crab, clams, mussels
6) Guavas, mangoes, lanzones (don’t know the English translation), santol,
5) The Tuk-Tuk rides – it was like riding in an out of control derby car without seatbelts or really any measure of safety for the passenger.
4) All the buddhas, the palace, the night market, and the water taxi!
3) Ayuthaya – It was wonderful to leave the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and take a leisurely drive to the “country” and see the old capital. We went to ruins and still active temples and fell in love with Thailand there.
2) Time with Friends – August’s roommate and best buddy Sudi who was so hospitable welcomed us into his home and life. We were treated to a special Tour of Thailand by his brother Arnie and had a wonderful time. It was great to see August and Sudi play the guitar and sing old Beatles songs.
1) Staying at the Shangri-La exclusive / members only / newest wing in a fully loaded suite with 2 private balconies. One of the bathrooms was bigger than our cabin on the ship.
10) Tom Yum (make it Thai style spicy please)– I know we have this in the U.S. but it can’t compare to the ones they cook in Thailand
9) It’s good to be the king – okay, so the King’s picture is EVERYWHERE…And even though he is approaching 80, according to the pictures, he does not look older than 40 – Wow!
8) ooooooh the massages – I had 4 in 5 days…..what more can I say?
7) All you can eat fresh prawns, crab, clams, mussels
6) Guavas, mangoes, lanzones (don’t know the English translation), santol,
5) The Tuk-Tuk rides – it was like riding in an out of control derby car without seatbelts or really any measure of safety for the passenger.
4) All the buddhas, the palace, the night market, and the water taxi!
3) Ayuthaya – It was wonderful to leave the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and take a leisurely drive to the “country” and see the old capital. We went to ruins and still active temples and fell in love with Thailand there.
2) Time with Friends – August’s roommate and best buddy Sudi who was so hospitable welcomed us into his home and life. We were treated to a special Tour of Thailand by his brother Arnie and had a wonderful time. It was great to see August and Sudi play the guitar and sing old Beatles songs.
1) Staying at the Shangri-La exclusive / members only / newest wing in a fully loaded suite with 2 private balconies. One of the bathrooms was bigger than our cabin on the ship.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Cambodia: On Genocides and Ancient Civilizations
October 12, 2007
Cambodia was amazing! I honestly was not looking forward to this country as I longed to stay in Vietnam and even go to central and northern parts of that country….We started out our journey by taking a flight into Phnom Phen. After obtaining our Cambodian visas, we headed off to our buses. We had parents joining us with me as the trip leader for both buses. Thank goodness, Mike (one of the parents) volunteered to help out so he took the parents and their kids on bus 3 while we went on bus 2 and away we went. After checking in to a very nice hotel located across the street from the U.S Embassy (the building alone without land cost $65 million U.S. dollars!) and a tempe which is a safe haven for free roaming monkeys and an elephant, we went to a sunset cruise. After the cruise, we had an amazing dinner at a famous and for Cambodian standards, expensive restaurants. Of course the meal was included in our trip so all we had to worry about were the drinks. After relaxing that evening, we woke up early the next day to have a really great buffet breakfast.
Our entire group made our way to the Genocide Museum. The Cambodian Genocide, led by Pol Pot (athough so many other individuals and even nations should be held just as responsible for this!) is one of humankind’s worst tragedies. We were stunned and moved to tears as we saw pictures, heard stories, and went inside the prison where intellectuals and suspected enemies of the Khmer Rouge were tortured mercilessly. What was more tragic in our eyes was the fact that for most of the students, this was the first time they were really learning about this historical event. One woman questioned why we only hear of some genocides but not all and why don’t we know about this one which has resulted in over 2 million deaths? After that, we went to the Killing Fields. It was a chilling experience – we walked over remnants of clothes, bone, teeth from that time. We also went to a shrine built there which housed hundreds of skulls from the victims. This was just one of a large number of “killing fields” in the country. Tens of thousands were killed here including children and even babies in front of their parents before they were murdered as well. This experience really bonded our group, particularly the 23 of us on our bus (bus 2). When we went to the Russian Market afterwards, it was a somber group and although there was some shopping involved, many of us chose to sit down at a nearby “café,”, ordered sodas, and talked about what we had seen thus far. We were particularly touched when our tour guide shared with us that his mother was killed in one of those prisons by the Khmer Rouge and that every Cambodian has had at least one member of his/her family murdered during this genocide. It was a different atmosphere in the afternoon that we experienced as they took us to the royal palace, temples, and museums. They were all very beautiful locales. The royal palace was amazing and students were pretty awestruck. We kept marveling at the architecture, art, color, cleanliness, etc. By the end of that day, no one wanted to leave the city and the country.
That evening, we flew out to Siem Reap (defeat of Siam (old name of Thailand) where we immediately went to a cultural show and dinner. It was great except for this weird moment. At the end of the show, dozens of Japanese tourists ran up the stage as the dancers (mostly women) took their final bow. The Japanese started taking pictures with them, one even tried to kiss one of the dancers. It was distasteful and you can see and feel the strong discomfort of the Cambodians on and off the stage. About a dozen SAS students ran up as well but thankfully, most of the others just looked and told their friends that it seems inappropriate. It was so weird – the women dancers were being treated as if they were some kind of Disney characters there for the pleasure of the tourists. I doubt it if at the end of a play in the U.S. or Swan Lake in England would a group of tourists run up to take posed pictures and kiss the prima ballerina! Later that night, we checked into our hotel – an amazing place again – and had a message in our room. It was a traditional Cambodian massage similar to Thai massage but slightly more painful.
The next morning, we got up at 4:30 am and went to see the Sunrise at Angkor Wat. Although it was too hazy and cloudy, it was still so cool to be there before the hordes of tourists came. For a while, it seemed like our private place (well, private in a sense that there were hundreds, not thousands of us at the moment). After going back to the hotel and having breakfast, we went to several temples in the area. They were all magnificent. I can’t even tell you the names (I Have them written somewhere else) and I am not sure my pictures will truly capture all that we saw. We climbed, ducked, walked inside, under, over, various ruins. I can’t put to words what I saw but I can tell you that I was overwhelmed and humbled all at the same time. I get teary eyed thinking of the beauty of that place, of the remarkable artistry and architectural genius of her people. I get so sad too thinking of what Cambodia has been through – that they have remnants of this great past and at the same time, they continue to clean up unexploded land mines all over their country, they have to deal with sex slaves, child labor, and pedophilia.
We left Cambodia wishing that we could have stayed a little longer. All the students and parents loved it and most were thinking of when they could go back. We took from us the warmth of the people, the beauty of the country, and a reminder that we need to be more responsible for knowing about history so that genocides and wars will cease to begin. Cambodia is a must see place so I hope you all have the chance to go there!
Cambodia was amazing! I honestly was not looking forward to this country as I longed to stay in Vietnam and even go to central and northern parts of that country….We started out our journey by taking a flight into Phnom Phen. After obtaining our Cambodian visas, we headed off to our buses. We had parents joining us with me as the trip leader for both buses. Thank goodness, Mike (one of the parents) volunteered to help out so he took the parents and their kids on bus 3 while we went on bus 2 and away we went. After checking in to a very nice hotel located across the street from the U.S Embassy (the building alone without land cost $65 million U.S. dollars!) and a tempe which is a safe haven for free roaming monkeys and an elephant, we went to a sunset cruise. After the cruise, we had an amazing dinner at a famous and for Cambodian standards, expensive restaurants. Of course the meal was included in our trip so all we had to worry about were the drinks. After relaxing that evening, we woke up early the next day to have a really great buffet breakfast.
Our entire group made our way to the Genocide Museum. The Cambodian Genocide, led by Pol Pot (athough so many other individuals and even nations should be held just as responsible for this!) is one of humankind’s worst tragedies. We were stunned and moved to tears as we saw pictures, heard stories, and went inside the prison where intellectuals and suspected enemies of the Khmer Rouge were tortured mercilessly. What was more tragic in our eyes was the fact that for most of the students, this was the first time they were really learning about this historical event. One woman questioned why we only hear of some genocides but not all and why don’t we know about this one which has resulted in over 2 million deaths? After that, we went to the Killing Fields. It was a chilling experience – we walked over remnants of clothes, bone, teeth from that time. We also went to a shrine built there which housed hundreds of skulls from the victims. This was just one of a large number of “killing fields” in the country. Tens of thousands were killed here including children and even babies in front of their parents before they were murdered as well. This experience really bonded our group, particularly the 23 of us on our bus (bus 2). When we went to the Russian Market afterwards, it was a somber group and although there was some shopping involved, many of us chose to sit down at a nearby “café,”, ordered sodas, and talked about what we had seen thus far. We were particularly touched when our tour guide shared with us that his mother was killed in one of those prisons by the Khmer Rouge and that every Cambodian has had at least one member of his/her family murdered during this genocide. It was a different atmosphere in the afternoon that we experienced as they took us to the royal palace, temples, and museums. They were all very beautiful locales. The royal palace was amazing and students were pretty awestruck. We kept marveling at the architecture, art, color, cleanliness, etc. By the end of that day, no one wanted to leave the city and the country.
That evening, we flew out to Siem Reap (defeat of Siam (old name of Thailand) where we immediately went to a cultural show and dinner. It was great except for this weird moment. At the end of the show, dozens of Japanese tourists ran up the stage as the dancers (mostly women) took their final bow. The Japanese started taking pictures with them, one even tried to kiss one of the dancers. It was distasteful and you can see and feel the strong discomfort of the Cambodians on and off the stage. About a dozen SAS students ran up as well but thankfully, most of the others just looked and told their friends that it seems inappropriate. It was so weird – the women dancers were being treated as if they were some kind of Disney characters there for the pleasure of the tourists. I doubt it if at the end of a play in the U.S. or Swan Lake in England would a group of tourists run up to take posed pictures and kiss the prima ballerina! Later that night, we checked into our hotel – an amazing place again – and had a message in our room. It was a traditional Cambodian massage similar to Thai massage but slightly more painful.
The next morning, we got up at 4:30 am and went to see the Sunrise at Angkor Wat. Although it was too hazy and cloudy, it was still so cool to be there before the hordes of tourists came. For a while, it seemed like our private place (well, private in a sense that there were hundreds, not thousands of us at the moment). After going back to the hotel and having breakfast, we went to several temples in the area. They were all magnificent. I can’t even tell you the names (I Have them written somewhere else) and I am not sure my pictures will truly capture all that we saw. We climbed, ducked, walked inside, under, over, various ruins. I can’t put to words what I saw but I can tell you that I was overwhelmed and humbled all at the same time. I get teary eyed thinking of the beauty of that place, of the remarkable artistry and architectural genius of her people. I get so sad too thinking of what Cambodia has been through – that they have remnants of this great past and at the same time, they continue to clean up unexploded land mines all over their country, they have to deal with sex slaves, child labor, and pedophilia.
We left Cambodia wishing that we could have stayed a little longer. All the students and parents loved it and most were thinking of when they could go back. We took from us the warmth of the people, the beauty of the country, and a reminder that we need to be more responsible for knowing about history so that genocides and wars will cease to begin. Cambodia is a must see place so I hope you all have the chance to go there!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Good Morning Vietnam!
October 10 2007
Two days (and counting!) to Vietnam (and Cambodia!)
Vietnam
War torn, ravaged, broken
Guns bombs blasting
Hiding, hidden lives
Schoolgirls in white
Waiting
Walking through roads once stained
In red
Soaked in the rain
Outsider watching from inside
Sweet milk and coffee
Sugar from cane
In the fields walking, waiting, hoping
Asking for forgiveness
Of an (un)forgotten war
Wishing all of this had never happened
Wondering when wars will truly end
I am afraid to say that we are tired. The shipboard community is excited to get to Vietnam…but almost everyone is tired of the port days and then just 2 days at sea. We barely have time to get our laundry taken care of (okay, so we don’t actually do the washing or even folding…the ship’s crew does that) but putting it into the bag and thinking about it has clearly stressed out many of our students. Seriously, people do need more than 2 days to recuperate from the Great Wall (oh Beijing, why must you get all of us sick?), the food and drinks in Hong Kong, plus the papers and exams due or given during this time. August has been particularly stressed. He is loving the voyage thus far and has already asked me when I think we can sail again. He was asked to help coordinate a panel on the Vietnam War, its relevance yesterday and today, and connection to the Iraq War. It was a great panel (cultural pre-port). All 5 faculty members were excellent, thoughtful, moving, informative. Those of us who went really got a lot out of what was said. I thought (and other folks voiced this) of how we were coming into Vietnam, a country we bombed and innocent and civilian lives we destroyed, as visitors. I felt shame and embarrassment and was amazed by how they welcomed us. They were on a road to forgiveness (but thank the Buddha that they were not about forgetting) and wanted to share with us their culture and history. How amazing it is to think of a people who fought against so many for thousands of years from the Chinese to the French to the Khmers to the U.S. and others along and in between the way and emerge to have their nation state.
In Vietnam, I saw folks who were willing to talk about the war. How complicate it was for them. How it is over but how they worked (and continue to work) so hard to heal themselves and their country. Our taxi driver told us about particular dark periods during and after the war…so many people were killed. Our tour guide spoke of how his own family was divided – his father who fought with the Nationalists (north) while his uncle fought on the side of South Vietnam and the U.S. How Ho Chi Minh himself wished only the best for his people and that freedom was what he longed for, not a far between brothers and sisters. So many students really were affected by what they saw in Vietnam, particularly the War Remnamts Museum. Learning about the atrocities our solders committed sent a chill down my spine. What affected me the most was when our tour guide reminded us that every family in Vietnam today has been personal. Iy touched by the war. Someone was killed and / or maimed, raped, etc. from each family during the war between the Vietnamese and the U.S. I wonder if we could forgive them the way they seem to be able to be nice and hospitable to us.
Vietnam amounted to two days for us. Most of those days were spent at Ho Chi Minh City (what folks also call Saigon). We went to the historic Rex Hotel for massage, lunch, and drinks, followed by a trip to the Ben That market (indoor, big, fun!) where we got fitted for our handmade clothes I was so nervous because again, I was charged with negotiating prices for our group. We had so much fun once we learned to cross the street that we actually were going to brave crossing the city’s busiest section where we had to cross about 14 lanes altogether of non-stop traffic that looped in a circle. No one stops although they are supposed to go around you but really…I think they get special prices if they ran tourists over. In any case, we actually did not need to cross this street but rather was instructed to go into a cab where we met with our tailor who sewed our lovely new clothes. After this, we went back to Ben That market and ate at Pho 2000, a place made famous by Bill Clinton on a previous visit to the country. The pho was good (we had an even better one on our last day in another part of town) and with the egg rolls, drinks, etc., I think we paid about 2 or 3 dollors each. Yum! As usual, the downpour came down upon us and we went home looking like wet cats but feeling very satisfied.
On the second day, August and I got up and went to the War Museum. This is a place everyone should go to. I hated the war even more than I thought possible. I felt so sad and ashamed at a person’s capacity to do hateful, racist, murderous acts against a fellow human. There were moments when I realized that those who did this to the Vietnamese and other Southeast Asians killed and attacked did not see them as people who deserved to have a life. At the same time, I was so happy to see SAS students there who went without being forced to go. They simply wanted to learn about the war through the eyes of the Vietnamese. A young woman who I talk with once in a while came up to me and said that she felt genuine sadness and helplessness at that moment. It surprised me a little because she is known as one of the party (but responsible) women on the ship who likes to have a lot of fun. That was the first time she and I talked of things other than Brangelina, what club she went to at the ports, and what she bought in the markets. She and I spoke of how we were fortunate to see the war through the eyes of the Vietnamese and not just through the eyes of the U.S. and wondered if it can ever really be possible for those in the states to get this perspective unless they traveled to Vietnam. It was a very special moment for me to talk with her and made that trip all the more wonderful since I have been longing to make connections to students beyond judicial matters.
August and I by the way were being driven around by an awesome driver who served in the South Vietnam Army and later during their war against Pol Pot in Cambodia. He was so knowledgeable. I wish that we had more time with him but we had to go back to the ship. We took his card (it has a working email etc.) so for those of you going to Vietnam, ask me later for his info. He gives tours and you will not be disappointed. I will skip the next few days because that will be in the Cambodia entry. For now, I’ll tell you about our last day in Vietnam.
We came back late at night from Cambodia tired, hungry, dirty but really appreciative of all the things we experienced there. Because it was raining and because we did not want to go through the hassle of negotiating a price to get into the center of town, we decided to stay on the ship, have the box lunch dinner they prepared for us, and wash the deet of our clothes. The next day, we got up very early to go to the Cu Chi Tunnels trip. August was the trip leader for our group of about 35 SASers. He was really good, particularly letting folks know that while the tunnels have been turned partly into a weird pseudo amusement park atmosphere where at the end, you can even shot the guns both sides used during the war, folks really needed to remember that people actually died there and that people were fighting for their lives and for their beliefs – on both sides of the war. The tunnels were really interesting – again, I could not help but think of the resilience of the Vietnamese. They built the tunnels for over 20 years using things like small bowls and small gardening shovels (that ones you use to build sand castles when you were little). They lived and worked in these tunnels and used them against the French and the U.S. As one of the students said, it was quite ingenious. We got to go inside the tunnels (they had a couple that they enlarged for western size!) so I crawled inside. It was hot, dirty, and dark – quite an experience! The students we were with were thoughtful and considerate. Only a few tried to shoot with the guns. The rest were really engaged in thinking about all that they saw and learned from. I think that what was so great about this port was even though there were so much shopping, massages, great food and drinks at cheap prices, and numerous bars and clubs, many of us were still able to engage in the history, culture, and everyday life of the Vietnamese. So many of our students spoke of a growing sentiment against violence and war and they even began exploring the similarities between Vietnam and Iraq. They also began exploring things such as some flaws in the U.S. educational system, what bias means, and what privilege looks like. We ended our trip with one final bowl of pho and a promise to each other that we will definitely return to Vietnam!
Two days (and counting!) to Vietnam (and Cambodia!)
Vietnam
War torn, ravaged, broken
Guns bombs blasting
Hiding, hidden lives
Schoolgirls in white
Waiting
Walking through roads once stained
In red
Soaked in the rain
Outsider watching from inside
Sweet milk and coffee
Sugar from cane
In the fields walking, waiting, hoping
Asking for forgiveness
Of an (un)forgotten war
Wishing all of this had never happened
Wondering when wars will truly end
I am afraid to say that we are tired. The shipboard community is excited to get to Vietnam…but almost everyone is tired of the port days and then just 2 days at sea. We barely have time to get our laundry taken care of (okay, so we don’t actually do the washing or even folding…the ship’s crew does that) but putting it into the bag and thinking about it has clearly stressed out many of our students. Seriously, people do need more than 2 days to recuperate from the Great Wall (oh Beijing, why must you get all of us sick?), the food and drinks in Hong Kong, plus the papers and exams due or given during this time. August has been particularly stressed. He is loving the voyage thus far and has already asked me when I think we can sail again. He was asked to help coordinate a panel on the Vietnam War, its relevance yesterday and today, and connection to the Iraq War. It was a great panel (cultural pre-port). All 5 faculty members were excellent, thoughtful, moving, informative. Those of us who went really got a lot out of what was said. I thought (and other folks voiced this) of how we were coming into Vietnam, a country we bombed and innocent and civilian lives we destroyed, as visitors. I felt shame and embarrassment and was amazed by how they welcomed us. They were on a road to forgiveness (but thank the Buddha that they were not about forgetting) and wanted to share with us their culture and history. How amazing it is to think of a people who fought against so many for thousands of years from the Chinese to the French to the Khmers to the U.S. and others along and in between the way and emerge to have their nation state.
In Vietnam, I saw folks who were willing to talk about the war. How complicate it was for them. How it is over but how they worked (and continue to work) so hard to heal themselves and their country. Our taxi driver told us about particular dark periods during and after the war…so many people were killed. Our tour guide spoke of how his own family was divided – his father who fought with the Nationalists (north) while his uncle fought on the side of South Vietnam and the U.S. How Ho Chi Minh himself wished only the best for his people and that freedom was what he longed for, not a far between brothers and sisters. So many students really were affected by what they saw in Vietnam, particularly the War Remnamts Museum. Learning about the atrocities our solders committed sent a chill down my spine. What affected me the most was when our tour guide reminded us that every family in Vietnam today has been personal. Iy touched by the war. Someone was killed and / or maimed, raped, etc. from each family during the war between the Vietnamese and the U.S. I wonder if we could forgive them the way they seem to be able to be nice and hospitable to us.
Vietnam amounted to two days for us. Most of those days were spent at Ho Chi Minh City (what folks also call Saigon). We went to the historic Rex Hotel for massage, lunch, and drinks, followed by a trip to the Ben That market (indoor, big, fun!) where we got fitted for our handmade clothes I was so nervous because again, I was charged with negotiating prices for our group. We had so much fun once we learned to cross the street that we actually were going to brave crossing the city’s busiest section where we had to cross about 14 lanes altogether of non-stop traffic that looped in a circle. No one stops although they are supposed to go around you but really…I think they get special prices if they ran tourists over. In any case, we actually did not need to cross this street but rather was instructed to go into a cab where we met with our tailor who sewed our lovely new clothes. After this, we went back to Ben That market and ate at Pho 2000, a place made famous by Bill Clinton on a previous visit to the country. The pho was good (we had an even better one on our last day in another part of town) and with the egg rolls, drinks, etc., I think we paid about 2 or 3 dollors each. Yum! As usual, the downpour came down upon us and we went home looking like wet cats but feeling very satisfied.
On the second day, August and I got up and went to the War Museum. This is a place everyone should go to. I hated the war even more than I thought possible. I felt so sad and ashamed at a person’s capacity to do hateful, racist, murderous acts against a fellow human. There were moments when I realized that those who did this to the Vietnamese and other Southeast Asians killed and attacked did not see them as people who deserved to have a life. At the same time, I was so happy to see SAS students there who went without being forced to go. They simply wanted to learn about the war through the eyes of the Vietnamese. A young woman who I talk with once in a while came up to me and said that she felt genuine sadness and helplessness at that moment. It surprised me a little because she is known as one of the party (but responsible) women on the ship who likes to have a lot of fun. That was the first time she and I talked of things other than Brangelina, what club she went to at the ports, and what she bought in the markets. She and I spoke of how we were fortunate to see the war through the eyes of the Vietnamese and not just through the eyes of the U.S. and wondered if it can ever really be possible for those in the states to get this perspective unless they traveled to Vietnam. It was a very special moment for me to talk with her and made that trip all the more wonderful since I have been longing to make connections to students beyond judicial matters.
August and I by the way were being driven around by an awesome driver who served in the South Vietnam Army and later during their war against Pol Pot in Cambodia. He was so knowledgeable. I wish that we had more time with him but we had to go back to the ship. We took his card (it has a working email etc.) so for those of you going to Vietnam, ask me later for his info. He gives tours and you will not be disappointed. I will skip the next few days because that will be in the Cambodia entry. For now, I’ll tell you about our last day in Vietnam.
We came back late at night from Cambodia tired, hungry, dirty but really appreciative of all the things we experienced there. Because it was raining and because we did not want to go through the hassle of negotiating a price to get into the center of town, we decided to stay on the ship, have the box lunch dinner they prepared for us, and wash the deet of our clothes. The next day, we got up very early to go to the Cu Chi Tunnels trip. August was the trip leader for our group of about 35 SASers. He was really good, particularly letting folks know that while the tunnels have been turned partly into a weird pseudo amusement park atmosphere where at the end, you can even shot the guns both sides used during the war, folks really needed to remember that people actually died there and that people were fighting for their lives and for their beliefs – on both sides of the war. The tunnels were really interesting – again, I could not help but think of the resilience of the Vietnamese. They built the tunnels for over 20 years using things like small bowls and small gardening shovels (that ones you use to build sand castles when you were little). They lived and worked in these tunnels and used them against the French and the U.S. As one of the students said, it was quite ingenious. We got to go inside the tunnels (they had a couple that they enlarged for western size!) so I crawled inside. It was hot, dirty, and dark – quite an experience! The students we were with were thoughtful and considerate. Only a few tried to shoot with the guns. The rest were really engaged in thinking about all that they saw and learned from. I think that what was so great about this port was even though there were so much shopping, massages, great food and drinks at cheap prices, and numerous bars and clubs, many of us were still able to engage in the history, culture, and everyday life of the Vietnamese. So many of our students spoke of a growing sentiment against violence and war and they even began exploring the similarities between Vietnam and Iraq. They also began exploring things such as some flaws in the U.S. educational system, what bias means, and what privilege looks like. We ended our trip with one final bowl of pho and a promise to each other that we will definitely return to Vietnam!
R & R
October 9, 2007
Best days ever!
All I can say is that we had two days between Qingdao and Hong Kong. Most of the students, faculty, staff, and LLLs went to overland trips (mostly for the Great Wall of China) meaning that only abut 130 participants were on the ship to have a two day, 3 night crossing between the two ports. I organized a pool day (yes, it rained most of the time but we were able to swim and lay out for about 2 hours out of that entire crossing – woo hoo!), then we had a couple of concerts by Judy and August (they are a great duo!) and on the last evening, we had line dancing taught by Judy (so much fun!). I read, did dissertation work, and other than some meetings, had a relaxing time. It was the best two days ever – at least on the ship itself! Unfortunately, those are the last of their kind for the entire voyage….
Best days ever!
All I can say is that we had two days between Qingdao and Hong Kong. Most of the students, faculty, staff, and LLLs went to overland trips (mostly for the Great Wall of China) meaning that only abut 130 participants were on the ship to have a two day, 3 night crossing between the two ports. I organized a pool day (yes, it rained most of the time but we were able to swim and lay out for about 2 hours out of that entire crossing – woo hoo!), then we had a couple of concerts by Judy and August (they are a great duo!) and on the last evening, we had line dancing taught by Judy (so much fun!). I read, did dissertation work, and other than some meetings, had a relaxing time. It was the best two days ever – at least on the ship itself! Unfortunately, those are the last of their kind for the entire voyage….
Tsingdao Write up - finally!
October 9, 2007
It’s been too long since I wrote on the blog save some pictures I put up from Qingdao and Hong Kong. Since my last real writing, we have gone to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Qingdao:
It rained most of the time we were in Qingdao. I was excited at first to see a former German colony in Asia. Some of the tour books and websites talked up the city and for various reasons, I was disappointed. In part, the rain contributed to my disappointment as did the actual port itself. We walked through oil filled rain water to get to town and had the hardest time exchanging / taking out money. For being a port city, Qingdao seemed unprepared for the onslaught of tourists that may come with the Olympics as well as their hopes to expand into a port for tourism. On the other hand, I felt that I saw everyday life in China or rather in a Chinese city which was educational. We walked through street markets where we saw livestock and freshly caught fish butchered as folks ordered. We saw vegetables fresh from gardens and farms, and we smelled and tasted (thank you Marianne!) green onion bread and fried chicken from street vendors at such cheap prices. SAS students were disappointed in the city and could not wait to get out. I was very impressed with those who traveled independently through China and who later met up with us in Hong kong. They all survived and seemed to grow from the experience of riding an overnight train to Beijing and making your way on a bus to a portion of the Great Wall.
Qingdao itself taught me about how cities view tourists, particularly those from 1st world nations ( I include Japan in this category). The locals did not seem to understand our fascination, curiousity, genuine admiration for their everyday “habits.” They did not understand why we would want to wander through the market after all. I wonder how we would feel if some tourists came to the local Trader Joe’s, ,started taking pictures and pointing at all the “exotic” food? I felt that locals were ok with tourism and tourists provided we stay on our side of the fence and that we do what is expected of us – clearly, trampling through their market day is not something normal for us or them. Where it seems to be ok for us to go to is to the Qingdao or Tsingdao Brewery. Clearly set up for tourists, the brewery is situated in a “happening” side of town with many restaurants and bars along the streets. By the time we got there (3 pm I the afternoon), some of the students were actually pretty inebriated, one to the point that he was throwing up. Students were really good though about taking care of their friends and after seeing that some of the individuals needed R & R, I had them be taken by their friends to the ship. Between the rain and the ride back, these folks were able to walk into the ship and sleep off their drinking. The rest of us and some students went ahead to the brewery and took a self-guided tour. It was a pretty neat facility and explained the history of the place as well as the beer itself. There was a small but informative section on global warming and the importance of recycling etc. They connected the importance of saving our earth with beer by the slogan Green China, Green Tsingdao (Qingdao) and Good earth makes good water makes good beer…Makes sense to me! While we had a leisurely self guided tour where the 3 staff, 1 faculty, and 3 students who followed us in actually read and took notes, there were groups of U.S. and Japanese trourists who were being shuttled in at a fast pace. There were barely any information given to them and they were being told that the tasting room is below, the tasting room is below. We enjoyed the tipsy or tipping room…they stimulated what you would be walking like if you had too much to drink..it was hilarioius, kinda like being on the ship in rough seas but without the feeling of wanting to throw up your previous meal. So, we get to the tasting room. For some funny reason, the servers were quite curious about me and August being “American” but looking Chinese. This gave us the advantage of getting all the beer that we wanted to consume. I had only one pitcher while August did not have any other than a sip or two as he was the designated sober walker for our group. It was interesting to watch the Americans (many SASers) and Japanese bond over beer. They were toasting each other quite loudly and it looked like a bad beer garden scene. There was no one that got out of control though and the students even commented on how much they liked to see us be in their space with a drink in our hand. I told them that I was there to teach them how to drink normally and to model how to walk upright after a couple of hours in a brewery. The Chinese were much more welcoming to us at the brewery. They expected us to be there and expected the loud and sometime raucous behavior to take place there rather than have us and our cameras at their local markets and neighborhoods.
The fragile relationship between the real people and what they really do vs. that of what commodities they make and sell as well as what areas are famous enough for them to promote was so interesting to watch. As a traveler and a generally curious person, I truly want to talk with and get to know who the people are in the various places I visit. How do they live, what are their opinions, how are we connected? They however seem to want to maintain a safe distance from that, a reaction in part to the way in which they have seen tourists act (e.g. obsessed with buying rather than experiencing their culture, obsessed with the exotic or if not that, the comforts of western lifestyles in these countries). After all, why should they waste their time to tell folks about the real Qingdao when what people seem to truly want to experience is Tsingdao the beer.
It’s been too long since I wrote on the blog save some pictures I put up from Qingdao and Hong Kong. Since my last real writing, we have gone to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Qingdao:
It rained most of the time we were in Qingdao. I was excited at first to see a former German colony in Asia. Some of the tour books and websites talked up the city and for various reasons, I was disappointed. In part, the rain contributed to my disappointment as did the actual port itself. We walked through oil filled rain water to get to town and had the hardest time exchanging / taking out money. For being a port city, Qingdao seemed unprepared for the onslaught of tourists that may come with the Olympics as well as their hopes to expand into a port for tourism. On the other hand, I felt that I saw everyday life in China or rather in a Chinese city which was educational. We walked through street markets where we saw livestock and freshly caught fish butchered as folks ordered. We saw vegetables fresh from gardens and farms, and we smelled and tasted (thank you Marianne!) green onion bread and fried chicken from street vendors at such cheap prices. SAS students were disappointed in the city and could not wait to get out. I was very impressed with those who traveled independently through China and who later met up with us in Hong kong. They all survived and seemed to grow from the experience of riding an overnight train to Beijing and making your way on a bus to a portion of the Great Wall.
Qingdao itself taught me about how cities view tourists, particularly those from 1st world nations ( I include Japan in this category). The locals did not seem to understand our fascination, curiousity, genuine admiration for their everyday “habits.” They did not understand why we would want to wander through the market after all. I wonder how we would feel if some tourists came to the local Trader Joe’s, ,started taking pictures and pointing at all the “exotic” food? I felt that locals were ok with tourism and tourists provided we stay on our side of the fence and that we do what is expected of us – clearly, trampling through their market day is not something normal for us or them. Where it seems to be ok for us to go to is to the Qingdao or Tsingdao Brewery. Clearly set up for tourists, the brewery is situated in a “happening” side of town with many restaurants and bars along the streets. By the time we got there (3 pm I the afternoon), some of the students were actually pretty inebriated, one to the point that he was throwing up. Students were really good though about taking care of their friends and after seeing that some of the individuals needed R & R, I had them be taken by their friends to the ship. Between the rain and the ride back, these folks were able to walk into the ship and sleep off their drinking. The rest of us and some students went ahead to the brewery and took a self-guided tour. It was a pretty neat facility and explained the history of the place as well as the beer itself. There was a small but informative section on global warming and the importance of recycling etc. They connected the importance of saving our earth with beer by the slogan Green China, Green Tsingdao (Qingdao) and Good earth makes good water makes good beer…Makes sense to me! While we had a leisurely self guided tour where the 3 staff, 1 faculty, and 3 students who followed us in actually read and took notes, there were groups of U.S. and Japanese trourists who were being shuttled in at a fast pace. There were barely any information given to them and they were being told that the tasting room is below, the tasting room is below. We enjoyed the tipsy or tipping room…they stimulated what you would be walking like if you had too much to drink..it was hilarioius, kinda like being on the ship in rough seas but without the feeling of wanting to throw up your previous meal. So, we get to the tasting room. For some funny reason, the servers were quite curious about me and August being “American” but looking Chinese. This gave us the advantage of getting all the beer that we wanted to consume. I had only one pitcher while August did not have any other than a sip or two as he was the designated sober walker for our group. It was interesting to watch the Americans (many SASers) and Japanese bond over beer. They were toasting each other quite loudly and it looked like a bad beer garden scene. There was no one that got out of control though and the students even commented on how much they liked to see us be in their space with a drink in our hand. I told them that I was there to teach them how to drink normally and to model how to walk upright after a couple of hours in a brewery. The Chinese were much more welcoming to us at the brewery. They expected us to be there and expected the loud and sometime raucous behavior to take place there rather than have us and our cameras at their local markets and neighborhoods.
The fragile relationship between the real people and what they really do vs. that of what commodities they make and sell as well as what areas are famous enough for them to promote was so interesting to watch. As a traveler and a generally curious person, I truly want to talk with and get to know who the people are in the various places I visit. How do they live, what are their opinions, how are we connected? They however seem to want to maintain a safe distance from that, a reaction in part to the way in which they have seen tourists act (e.g. obsessed with buying rather than experiencing their culture, obsessed with the exotic or if not that, the comforts of western lifestyles in these countries). After all, why should they waste their time to tell folks about the real Qingdao when what people seem to truly want to experience is Tsingdao the beer.
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