Yuck - by Tracy Guthrie

7/20/201112:55:34 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, Kenya, Volunteer

  Tonight for dinner we had Chipati which is basically flour and water made into a dough like substance and then fried with animal lard. It is really good, but doesn't help my ever expanding waist line.

I thought I would lose weight while I was over here, so I intentionally put on a few extra pounds before coming. But now that I am here, the exact opposite happened. I have gained weight. I don't know how much I have gained because there isn't a scale but my pants are really tight and I just feel yucky. I wonder why? Umm, maybe it is because all I have been eating is carbs and sugars. Here is an example of my daily meal plan:

6:30am cliff bar (I brought those from home)
7:30am breakfast (which consists of bread and tea)
10:00am cliff bar
10:15am candy/trail mix
11:00am cliff bar
1:00pm lunch (rice and beans)
1:15pm candy, cookies, pb&j
3:00pm cliff bar,sugar cane,trail mix
5:00pm banana
7:00pm dinner (rice and beans)
8:30pm candy, cookies, pb&j, banana

I know some of you reading this are thinking "Tracy is complaining about gaining weight? Seriously?!?" Well no matter how much you weigh, if you put on a few pounds and can no longer zip your pants it is hard to be at peace with it.

Right now I am totally thinking like an American and it's embarrassing! Why am I concerned about how I will look in my bathing suit this summer? There are starving children all around me! I can blame it on the American culture, but I am the one in control of what I believe to be true about myself. So the "weigh" I see it, I can keep obsessing about how much I have gained OR I can stop being so narcissistic.

Unfortunately at this moment and time, I chose vanity. My identity is wrapped up in how thin I am and I don't think I am in a place emotionally to let go of that. I pray that God help me see myself in His loving eyes, not the eyes of the judgemental enemy.

Chinese Pick Up Lines - by Robin

7/20/201112:45:48 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, teach

The other day in my class, there were two new students. I didn’t think it was that weird because on a few other occasions, some of the students come to class with their boyfriends or girlfriends. Weird but I don’t care as long as they aren’t annoying. It was about ten minutes until the end of class and Jeff stopped by to say that he had finished early and was going to start walking back. He just peeked his head in and since my class was working on their haiku poems, it wasn’t a big deal. So I am walking around helping my students and reading what they wrote and one of the new guys goes “Oh teacher, was that your boyfriend?”
 “Yes, it was. By the way, who are you? I haven’t ever seen you before.”
“Oh, I’m your next boyfriend.”

I was so floored that not only did this kid actually speak English but he also used a line (and a rather funny one at that) that I kind of just stammered at him for a minute before cracking up and saying “Oh, you wish kid, you wish.”

Another day in the life of an English teacher I guess. 

Longtan Park - by Matt Wiersum

7/19/20111:20:20 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, teach

Okay, here is my first attempt at writing about the every day experience of China, opposed to telling the stories of me running around with my friends until the wee hours of the morning.  So I my first edition is about Longtan park.  Longtan park is a very large park very close to my school.  I go running through here almost every day.  I try to run every day but since I have no plans to run in any races in the near future motivation can be a little hard to come by some days.  So now I'm just trying to run because it's something that I love to do, opposed to something that I feel like I have to do and if I don't get out I feel guilty about myself (which has been the case at various times in my life).

So, on to the park.  The gate is about a 10-15 minute walk from my apartment or a 4 minute run (I've only walked into longtan 2 or 3 times).  So upon entering the gate of the park, you seriously enter a different world.  Gone are the hundreds of cars and thousands of electric scooters that drive like pedestrians do not exist.  Also, the air is notably better in the park, and there is green space, something that is mostly nonexistent in chinese cities.  So naturally this place is a big attraction in the city and can become very very crowded at times.  So when I go running in longtan I try to avoid times when the crowds are the biggest, basically the middle of the day.  The park is quite wooded with a small lake in the middle.  There are also several karst peaks that have steps to the top.  I have yet to climb any of these.  So the roads in the park are roughly laid out like the greek letter Phi.  One main road in the middle and two roads that make a circle around the lake in one half and through the woods in the other.  There are a few trails around the park but they're not really suitable for running.  I feel pretty fortunate to have the park this close because I easily have access to a decent running grounds.  I have figured out how to cut up the roads into various loops and have made a series of routes that I go on depending the amount of time that I want to run.

Longtan park likes to pride itself on being a "natural" park where development is limited.  While yes, Longtan is better than most chinese parks at having open fields and forests (most parks are based around large public squares) it still has almost all the features of every park.  It has various carnival type rides; looping pirate ship, go-karts, bumper cars, bumper boats, log flume, carnival games, etc.  I mean, it still is quite nice but there is still the obvious objective of making money here.

As I run through the park I often become one of the attractions for the Chinese people.  I probably am in 100s of photos that people try to discretely take of me.  I can typically figure out when people want to take a picture of me, its actually quite easy.  usually, someone will be pretending to take a picture of something that is quite unremarkable, like a tree, then quickly turn their cameras towards me and snap the shot.  When I catch them doing this I try to make a face of some sort, give a thumbs up or look away.  I gotta to show them that I'm smarter than they think I am. Another thing they love doing is just yelling "hello" at me and then turn and start laughing with their friends.  Most of the time it is kids that do this but other times older people will join in on the act.  They think they're so clever!

One of the most interesting things about the park is when you go there in the morning.  Hundreds of elderly people will be there walking around, playing music, dancing, singing, writing calligraphy on the ground with water, playing cards, and so on.  I feel like this is something America could really learn from the Chinese.  There is so much benefit to regular social interaction that I feel is missed out on by some of the elderly in the US.  Also the elderly are still very active despite their age and I feel that this stems from a culture that values active lifestyles and social interaction in public places.

Okay, I dont really know where to go from here.  I feel that there is a lot more I can talk about but don't know how to put it together.  The weather is great here now, upper 70's and sunny so I'm enjoying it! 

20 Questions... at least - by Robin

7/19/20111:05:12 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, teach

Tonight I had class with a kid named Ken. He is a Korean kid that is maybe 12 or 13, I’m not sure. This was the second time that I had class with him, and what never ceases to amaze me about kids is how quickly they open up to you, even when they have only known you ten minutes.

What sets Ken apart is his ability to ask questions like he is getting paid for it. In one twenty minute conversation, these were the topics we covered:

I asked him how his week has been going, and what his favorite class at school was. He replied “PE.”
“Oh,what do you do in PE?”
“I play volleyball.”
“Oh cool, I used to play volleyball. Do you like it?”
“Yes, I do. Teacher, do you know who Evan Patak is?”
“Yes Ken, actually I do (after I spent five minutes trying to remember why that name was so familiar). He played for UCSB volleyball.”
“Oh, he plays for Korea airlines team, he is very famous in Korea.”
“Yea, I saw him play one time. He lived in the same town as me.”
“Really? That is cool.”

5 minutes later as I am correcting his homework
“Teacher is your hair two colors?”
“Well yes Ken, actually it is. I have been needing to dye my hair again for a long time. Do you know what hair dye means?”
“I think so, isn’t it very bad?”
“No you are thinking of die, like how you said your dog died two years ago. This is dye spelled D-Y-E. It means that my hair is really this darker brown color but I like to make it yellow so I put color in it. But I have been busy and my friend has been busy and I need her to help me change the color again.”
“Oh. So you think the brown is bad.”
“Well no I guess I don’t think the brown is bad, I guess I just like the yellow better.”
“Oh. In my Korean school, we aren’t allowed to have hair dyed. Your hair can only be black, and it has to be straight. You can’t have a firm.”
“A firm? What do you mean?”
“If you hair goes around and around”
“Oh, you mean a perm? When the hair is curly? You aren’t allowed to have curly hair at your school?”
“No. And if a boy’s ears are covered by his hair, he must to cut his hair too. And if you have any words on your shirts, you have to do maybe 30 or 40 pushups, I don’t know how many but it’s a lot. And the girls they can’t wear skirts. If they wear skirts, they have to do pushups but not the kind where you go up and down, just the kind where they have straight arms”
“Oh like a plank like this?
“Yes. And the girls at my school, they can’t wear their hair like yours, they have to wear it different.”
“Oh, you mean down? They can’t put their hair up in a ponytail?
“No.”
“Wow Ken, I would not last one minute in a Korean school. I have dyed curly yellow hair and I put it up, and I have words on my shirt.”
“I think it is too many rules.”
“Me too. Ok let’s talk about our book.”

2 minutes later

“Teacher do you have a car in America?”
“Yes Ken, I do.”
“What kind is it?”
“It’s a Toyota.. A Japanese car.”
“Oh, in Korea everyone has Kia and Hyundai. Are those in America too?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen them before but they aren’t as common. Toyotas and Hondas are very reliable cars, Do you know what reliable means?”
“No.”
“It means that it is a good car, that it won’t break down as much as other cars, hopefully. Anyways, Toyotas and Hondas are very reliable cars, so many people have them in America. But because they are so common in America, many thieves break into them. Do you know what a thief is?”
“No, I don’t”
“A thief is someone who takes stuff that doesn’t belong to them.”
“Oh yes, yes I know. Was he African American?”
“What! No, I don’t know. What do you mean?”
“Well in 1997 I saw there were a lot of African American people fighting in Los Angeles and I saw them leaving with a lot of blood.”
“Oh you mean they were bleeding a lot?”
“Yes, do you know what I am talking about?”
“No Ken, I don’t . (shoot I’m going to have to go home to google this stuff…) But sometimes in Los Angeles there are fights but it’s not just black people. It’s white people, and Mexican people and Asian people and other people. Everyone makes mistakes, not just black people.”
“Teacher why are there so many African Americans in America?”
(Does this kid ever quit?)
“Well a long time ago there was this terrible thing called slavery and many African Americans were forced to come over to America to work for white people. A lot of African Americans today are children from people who were slaves before.”
“But didn’t Abraham Lincoln set them free?”
“Well..yes…in a manner of speaking. (I did not want to have to explain what ‘emancipation’ and ‘proclamation’ meant).
“Well then why didn’t they go back to America?”
“Well it wasn’t that easy. It was very difficult to get back to Africa and very expensive and the trip was long and dangerous and many people did not have anything to go back to.”
“Oh.”
“Ok Ken let’s read Chapter 5 in the book now”
“Ok”

2 minutes later

“Teacher, what is your blood type?”
“I don’t know Ken.”
“Oh. Many Americans don’t know their blood type. Do you know Danica? She doesn’t know her blood type either. I bet you are an O.”
“Ok Ken, back to the book.”
“Ok.…..Teacher, what is it called when old people have this on their foreheads?” (pushes on his forehead)
“Wrinkles? Like this?” (I scrunch up my forehead and display the stair steps on my forehead)
No, like on your forehead like this” (he pokes his forehead a bunch of different times) “It’s red.”
“Oh.” Oh geez here we go again. Another kid I work with commenting on my skin. “That is called acne Ken.”
“Oh, is it bad?”
“Well no one really likes it but everyone gets it. It’s normal.”
“Oh. I don’t have that because I am young, but probably I will get it later.” How old does this kid think I am?
“Maybe, who knows. Ok, about chapter 5…”

I don’t know what amazes me more, how the kid barely pauses for breath between questions, the way his bright little eyes just want to know more, his insatiable curiosity, the extreme cultural differences, his preconceived ideas about what America is like, or the way he makes me think about things a little differently. I’m not sure.

But excuse me, I have to go brush up on American history and popular culture before our next class in a week. 

Haggling, our Unique Group, and a Host Family in Beijing - by Colin Finnegan

7/13/20114:54:21 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Summer Camp Counselor, teach

I've now been in Beijing for a week.  It has been a very interesting experience, with many surprises, ups and downs, and a lot of confusion in between.  From a giant plastic phallus incident, to fascinating foods, to near-death taxi rides, it has been an eye-opening trip that so far has not disappointed.  After all, I came here for adventure and a chance to try something new, right?  But it has not come without its frustrations.  Everything, starting with the language, is scrambled and backwards, it seems, from how things are done at home.  It seems anything having to do with making plans takes much longer than I am accustomed to, with everyone rambling confusedly and going back and forth with directions, and especially prices. 

Nearly everything is a chance for haggling.  It seems street vendors do it just for the fun of arguing, especially with foreigners.  It was comical to see the same vendors work several groups of Americans for a certain article, say a folding silkscreen fan with a picture of some pandas and some Chinese characters, which of course he assures us is authentic and rare.  He would start high, like maybe 30 RMB or so, before someone in the group would go down to 5.  From there, through a ritual of keen acting, arm swaying,  and head shaking, the buyer would either walk away or reluctantly agree on a price, waving the desired amount, and not a fen more, in front of the vendor until he accepted.  What one group had haggled for 20, another got for 10.  Either way, it was only a few dollars, sometimes a measly 20 cents we're talking about here, but after a week of battling these determined sellers, that can add up fast with the countless little trinkets and treasures they seem to pull out of thin air.  Even atop the Great Wall, after climbing for nearly an hour to reach the high tower, amidst the great view of the vast Yanshan mountains stretched out around us, out pop more vendors.  Yes, on top of the Great Wall, I haggled a vendor down to $5 American for a red t-shirt commemorating my journey to the top.  Gotta love China.

As one person stated in our group of 20 Americans, anyone who came all the way out to China for this trip is going to be a pretty unique, outgoing person, and we're likely to get along fairly well.  And that is really how it has been.  After the first night out in Beijing, I knew we would remember this experience and each other for the rest of our lives.  Everyone is different, each bringing a unique dynamic to the group.  Together we're in this for the experience of a lifetime, and that made it easier for everyone to just let loose and take it as came.  And come it did!  From aggressive street vendors grabbing at us (Jake), to eating sea horses and live scorpions (Chris), to pissing off sex-shop owners (Sarah), we really made our mark on Beijing, and it has made its mark on us.  Sure, the Forbidden City, the 798 Art District, and eating gow gees (jeow tsurs, a small, dumpling-like pastry with a meat filling) was fun, but really the highlight of the trip so far has been the company.  Yesterday I set off to stay with a local family for a week, and my first thought was how I really hope to see everyone from our group again.

After a very gawky “orientation” with the local coordinator for Cultural Embrace,  a Mr. Luo, myself and 3 others from the group set out to spend a week staying with some native families, tutoring their children in conversational English.  In his broken English, he basically tried to go over the details of staying with the family, emphasizing extensively the importance of “safety first.”  I had a hard time not cracking up when he asked if I minded sleeping in the same bed as the boy I was to be tutoring.  I politely requested separate beds.  And even better was when he looked me squarely in the eyes, room full of strangers, and asked very plainly: “ Do you have any private things or secrets that we should know about?”  Hmm.  What should I say.  I'm a serial killer?  I frequently wet the bed at night? Ummm... I have a SCORCHING case of herpes?  I mean, how do I answer this question?  Through awkward laughter, I shook my head no.

So far, the family has been very accommodating and hospitable.  Last night, they treated me to a very interesting meal that included a spicy smoked chicken, feet and all, a salad concoction that I didn't particularly care for with seaweed, tofu, and other unidentified objects of various textures, and some noodles with a very interesting peanut butter/soy kind of sauce.  All in all, it was delicious, aside from the salad.  I was pleasantly surprised when the husband kept refilling my small paper cup with yanjing beer, assuring me that it was customary to cheers every time we took a sip.  They asked me to name everything on the table in English, repeating after me 3 or 4 times until their pronunciation somewhat matched mine.  We laughed a lot.  They seemed very nice.  After I had played a few songs on my guitar for Mr. Luo in the train station before we arrived for the orientation, he made it a point to let my host family know.  Their son, whose name I cannot begin to pronounce, apparently plays the trumpet, and asked if I would teach him a few songs.  I was obliged!  I figure it will make for a good English learning tool, if nothing else.  For breakfast this morning we had a biscuit type pastry and a spicy soup that somewhat resembled what we call egg-drop soup in the States.  Not what I would typically expect for breakfast, but it was good.

So that was my first week in Beijing with Cultural Embrace.  Though it has been frustrating at times, I am thoroughly enjoying the people, the foods (most of the time), and the experience.  I look forward to the days ahead, and the opportunity to try teaching.  This family will make for a fun transition into teaching, as they are hungry to learn, and eager to laugh.  I am very glad and blessed to be here, and already have enough to write and think about for years to come.  I will keep you updated as I have more to write! 

'You Want to Buy Machete??' The Market and Other Guatemalan Experiences, With Pictures!! - by Haley Price

7/13/20114:31:47 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, Guatemala, Volunteer

So today me and my neighbor were walking through the market and that we are convinced Guatemalans are raised to sell! Children have great marketing skills and are pretty sly about it. One really cute little boy asked if I wanted to buy some handmade fabric and I said no but kept talking to him just because I was waiting for my bus and he was pretty adorable. I had my nice camera around my shoulder and after I told him no, he said "pues...por un beso?" hahaha and then after I laughed he said he could use my camera to take a picture of me for me....sneaky little kid...I know he would have run off with it. So I told him oooh nooo haha and he had this little smirk and walked away.

Children here don't go to school, they are shining shoes at 7 years old and selling on the streets all day. Few do go to school, but the schools here are privately owned so it is rather expensive for families to send kids to school. 

In the market they really do try to sell everything and anything. I was looking at some things and this guy comes up to me in two seconds and asks if I want to buy a machete! I do not look like the kind of person who would buy a machete...I thought it was hillarious. 

An other distinct Guatemalan thing I've found is their fascination with fireworks! 4 am and all day and all night fireworks, or bombas, are set off. They are either firecrackers or a huge mortar that sounds like a war is going on. The tradition is to wake up someone at 4 am with firecrackers outside their door if it is their birthday....but I'm having a hard time believing that it is someones birthday nextdoor EVERY morning. So with the fireworks, rooster, barking dog, and loud children around the house, sleeping is a challenge. If you ever come, bring earplugs to sleep with. 

Yesterday I went to Lake Atitlán and explored by boat the villages of San Juan, San Pedro, and Santiago. San Pedro was definitely the best and was really very beautiful. The lake is also gorgeous, there are 3 volcanoes and about 12 villages total. Besides hiking Volcan de Pacaya, Lake Atitán was definitely one of my favorite things I've done since I've been here. 

Local life is easy going. Everyday we wake up, go to class or volunteer, drink a lot of coffee (BEST COFFEE EVER), run some errands, hang out at the cafe or bar, always meeting new people, and then watch a movie or go out that night. I love this lifestyle. Life moves slow and simple. I could definitely get used to it. I got offered a job at the local bar! haha we have gotten to know the bartenders of Cafe No Sé really well! More people have moved into the house. So right now we have one Canadian, one guy from the UK, one from Korea, and another from Australia. Talk about a cultural experience!!! 

So far, I LOVE it in Antigua, it really is different from the rest of Guatemala I've seen. It feels the safest, and the people are really friendly to tourists, and the vibe is very welcoming. 

PICTURES FINALLY! 

 

 

Life between two Rabbits - by Robin

7/13/20114:17:21 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, teach

Well it’s the best time of the year, and im not just saying that because its my birthday, its March Madness. The only bummer is that im in China and that means late nights and early mornings to watch the games. For some reason I think I will manage.

As many of you know, we are on round two of rabbits. We bought a small gray rabbits down in the local night market only to be heart broken when it died. Peta lived for a good six days. We believe that he had a disease called Rye-Neck. He had all the symptoms. The highlights of his time with us were: chasing the vacuum, eating cilantro, running in circles around the apartment, and peeing on everything.  He was a blessing to our lives and we are glad that he was able to spend a little time with us.

This semester has Robin and I working all over. We figured out that we are each teaching around 33 hours a week. Now this doesn’t sound like too many hours, but when you include travel time and prep it keeps us busy. Robin works nearly every night till 8 pm in the community next to our school called huang hai. She teaches at a Korean Art/English school. She teaches some of the cutest little kids alive over there. I have been teaching at a new school that helps to send Chinese students to school in America. The four girls I teach are fun and are really enjoyable to teach. I have to travel about 30 mins there and 30 mins back so my bus time has doubled this semester.  On the weekend I teach phonetics to little kids at the school I found first semester. I like teaching little kids the best. Teaching is keeping us really busy, and giving us a good chunk of $$$ for when we come home.

In the little time that we have off we have been working to plan our wedding, along with getting helping Scottie and Angie. They decided to get their groomsmen suits here, because it’s so cheap. Today is a big day because Robin ordered her dress! She designed it herself and had the Korean Art teacher sketch it. I am so proud of her for designing it and cant wait till Aug 19th. She also put in the order for bridesmaid dresses. Things are starting to come together, next step is invitations.

We got a new bunny last week! We liked having the silly little thing in our apartment, so we decided to try again. This time we invested in bunny food and did our homework a little better. Rocky or Stinky is starting to open up to Robin’s apartment. He is a small little black bunny. He helps keep her company when I leave every night to go to sleep. She also enjoys when I come up in the morning and put him in her bed to snuggle with her. He is different then Peta, but an enjoyment to have around. 

Only three more months and we are home. Time is flying! 

Cha'Ching - by Tracy Guthrie

7/12/20114:08:48 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, Kenya, Volunteer

Our last stop on Safari was at the Massai Market, the equivalent to a flea market in the United States. There are about 100 vendors selling anything from purses to bananas. Most of the vendors use a blanket as a booth and lay their merchandise on top.

Being the only white people around, we stick out like a virgin in the Playboy mansion. Therefore, the minute we walk in we are surrounded by "personal shoppers". They want to know where we are from and at first I thought they were sincerely interested. Not so much. Stanley told me later that they want to know if you are American so they can set the price accordingly. I get why they do it, and I would probably do the same thing if I were in their shoes, but it still feels like you are being taken advantage of.

Daniel, the name of my "personal shopper", followed me around and put anything I touched in a bag. I told him I was just browsing, and wouldn't be buying everything. He said "No worries! I will hold all your items and help you pick at the end. We'll get you a good price." Pretty slick, huh?

Once I was done, Daniel escorted me to the "Negotiator". This guy's sole responsibility is to bargain with you until you crack. The "Negotiator" asked the same question "Where are you from madame?" I considered telling him I was from another country, but I didn't want to lie. So I opted to just say "I am from everywhere."

At that point he calculated all of my items and came up with a price. I tried to counter with confidence, but like any good sales person, he knew I wanted it all. He knew I wouldn't be able to walk away. And he was right, I have a hard time walking away from something I want and I don't just mean material things. Which makes me think, is that tenacity, or stupidity? 

Whirlwind with a Backpack and a Stanley - by Alyssa Russo

7/12/20113:20:39 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, India, Volunteer

I am finally starting to  get back to blogging now that I am settled in at my new digs in Amata Nakorn.  However, before I blog about all of the fabulous things that have happened to me since I have been in Thailand, I wanted to get you updated with my backpacking trip around India and Nepal!  As some of you may have heard, I am once again hosting the fantastic Flat Stanley, only this time he has travelled all the way to Asia to see me!  Flat Stanley is a character from a children's book who gets flattened after a bookcase falls on top of him!  He finds that he is so flat he can fit perfectly inside an envelope. Thus, he decides to visit different people in all different places and send home pictures of himself with popular monuments.  This is very popular in many elementary school classes, as the kids read the book and then make their own Stanley to send to a friend or family member in a different state.  My niece Jordan did it about 3 years ago and I housed Stanley in Boston for a month.  My sister has decided to do it again and sent me Stanley when I was in India with directions to bring him along on all my travels.  The only bad thing was that he did not make it in time for the Taj Mahal trip so I told her that Michael would have to photo shop him into one of my pictures haha!  So, with Stanley in tow, I embarked on my crazy Asian backpacking adventure!

First of all, as all of you know me, I am sure you are all saying to yourselves, that Alyssa an Backpacking just don't go together; and you would be correct in thinking that! Upon leaving Jaipur I had a rather large rolling suitcase, plus my small rolling carry on, and my normal purse. However, my suitcase was quickly replaced with a large trekkers backpack once I realized just how sore your body could get from walking up and down the train station stairs with all of those things.  But I survived and, while it was exhausting, I had blast and would not be opposed to doing some backpacking throughout the southeastern peninsula of Asia later in the year!

First Stop, Mumbai:
This really was a beautiful city with all the possible modern necessities anyone could want!  The malls were crazy, the nightlife was fabulous, and the history was wonderful to learn about.  However, this city also showed the epitome of Indian life, as there were giant hotel adjacent to the largest Indian slums I have seen yet (imagine "Slum Dog Millionaire.")  All in all, it is probably the only city in India that I could live in long term!

This is Stanley and I in Front of the Mumbai Skyline.

Second Stop: The Backwaters
The next stop that we took was into the famed Backwaters of India.  The backwaters are a series of waterways throughout the central area of the state of Kerela, one of the two southern most states at the tip of the Indian Peninsula.  The al the waters meet at the town of Allepey, often called the Venice of the East. We travelled to this tiny town and hopped upon a houseboat.  On the boat, we travelled throughout the waters and spent the night docked in the middle of them, eating delicious food.  We got to see many facets of the Kerelan way of life, where the river dominates, the fishing industry strives, and there are some lazy days in these little tiny villages on the land strips that make the famed waterways.  It was a beautiful trip and I could see myself parking up next to a coconut palm and living the days away haha!  

BTW, it was during this part of the trip that Stanley took a dive into the water and had to be rescued by a Kerelan fisherman in a small canoe. Thank god he is a good swimmer lol!

 Drinking a coconut!

Third Stop: Varkala
After traveling through the backwaters, we proceeded farther down the state of Kerela to a tiny little beach hub called Varkala.  Here, we spent 5 days on a beach holiday taking in the sun and some waves in the Arabian Sea.  It was extremely relaxing and the view was amazing.  The town is on a high cliff that over looks the Arabian Sea.  It has a small main road that boarders the cliff and a series of spots that have stairs going down to the beach.  I certainly enjoyed the time sitting on the beach and drinking a Pina Colada!

 View from the cliff

Forth Stop: New Delhi
Now, since my good friend Sarah lives in New Delhi, this was not my first trip.  However, this was my longest stay and I got to do a little more touristy things!  This is another one of my favorite places in Indian and the heart of the government and independence fight!

 The nightly Hindu Ceremony at the banks of the Ganges.

Sixth Stop: Lumbini, Nepal
After leaving Varanasi, we spent about a day crossing into Nepal over land.  It was a beautiful journey that culminated in our first stop in Nepal, Lumbini.  This small town right over the boarder into the country is located in the Terrai and considered to be the birth place of Buddha  The Terai is the area of the Nepalese planes, that run across the Southern part of Nepal on the boarder of India.  It is a thin strip which produces a lot of grain products.  Once there, we parked ourselves for a night, experienced the first of many power outages in Nepal, and learned a ton of Buddhist history.

 

 Stanley and I after the hike up to the Peace Pagoda

 The busy streets  of Kathmandu!

 Stanley and I in front of the most famous Buddhist Stupa's!

 Stanley and I before getting on the plane for the mountain flight!

Attempting to take a picture with Stanley and the Mountains.  It didn't work so well!

So there you have it, my fabulous backing adventure!  It certainly was amazing and I was sad at the end of it.  But there was no better place for it to finish then in Nepal and I am so happy to have been able to have the experience!

Hope you all enjoyed taking a little piece of the journey with me and stay tuned for a new blog post on Teacher Alyssa in Thailand, coming soon!! 

Balancing Act - by Tracy Guthrie

7/11/20114:53:07 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, Kenya, Volunteer

It is interesting how taking one step forward in the journey of life reveals more about the journey you used to be on. I came on this adventure with the hope of learning about the Kenyan lifestyle, people, and most of all how I can serve Kenyans in need. But during the process I am learning what defined me before and what I want to define me now. Basically, I am learning the definition of "Tracy".

Until this trip I never realized how much and how often I taper my feelings to accommodate others. In stead of just owning my emotions, I worry about the other person's feelings. I am terrified of rocking the boat. I am terrified that if I express my feelings of anger, disappointment, or annoyance I will be seen as combative, thoughtless,selfish, difficult, or offensive.** In my head I know you can show grace, mercy and love even when expressing feelings of anger, but in my heart it freakin' scares me. I am slowly starting to realize I am only responsible for my feelings and actions. I have no control over anyone else and how they feel. I pray that I can work towards balancing validating others feelings while acknowledging my own.

** Since I struggle so much with defining what my emotions are I had to use http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/assess/feelings.html. I am thinking I need to carry around a copy of that list for awhile. 

Liuzhou - by Matt Wiersum

7/11/20114:45:13 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, teach

So when I left off last time I wrote about my final few days in Yangshuo.  I really enjoyed my time there.  But now after my weekend in Nanning (which I will get to later)  I really think the people is what made Yangshuo so great.  I feel that they route I took was an ideal transition to life in china because Yangshuo is a very western city by chinese standards so it allowed me some time to transition from western culture to a full on chinese culture that I have here in Liuzhou.  So yes, here a more of a rundown of the past two weeks to finally get up to speed on my blog.

On Monday morning, the 28th Mr Meng drove me to the Yangshuo bus station to take a bus directly from Yangshuo to Liuzhou, where someone from the school would pick me up.  So everything went smoothly until I actually got to Liuzhou.  When I got off the bus I was expecting either the headmasters of the school, who I met a few days prior, or someone with a sign with my name on it, like when Tina picked me up at the airport in Guilin.  But of course neither were there and I was given almost no direction on where to go or do.  So I just stood... and stood... and stood.  For about an hour.  While I was standing countless taxi and tuk tuk drivers were asking me where I wanted to go, and that they could take me.  One even had the gall to ask for 100 kuai for a ride.  I declined.  So I figured I probably should call Isabella.  I of course only had Isabella's phone number on my computer which I didn't want to pull out in the middle of a busy street in china.  So I made a plan.  I was going to go to a noodle shop, open my computer there (where fewer people would see) and then go back across the street to where there were several phones that you could pay several kuai to use.  So I started proceeding with my plan.  While I was in the middle of eating my noodles this guy comes up to me, starts talking really fast in chinese and so I didn't understand him.  I figured he was trying to sell me something so I started repeating "wo bu yao" (i dont want it).  Then he pulls out his cell phone and calls someone and puts the phone to my ear.  On the other end is Joanna, the foreign teacher coordinator at my school.  So this was my guy.  Apparently he was walking around for half an hour trying to find me, which I don't know how that happened because I was standing outside the bus station for an hour, and the bus came right on time.   Regardless I made it and everything is good.

So when I arrived at school I was quickly introduced to all of the other foreign teachers,  Stephen from Ireland,  Freda from Ghana, Elana from Latvia, and Laura from England.  All are pretty nice people as usual.  So after meeting them I was shown my apartment.  I was pretty surprised because the place is pretty nice in comparison to the dorms in Yangshuo.  Granted, I don't have the same view but the amenities are a bit nicer (I have a two bedroom to myself so if anyone wants to stop by YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME!!!).  So, my first night the teachers take me out to eat, a nice gesture that I was very appreciative of.  So the next few days were all pretty similar because I spent time observing classes, which to me seems pretty uneventful and very similar to my training classes because I just spent about 10 minutes each class introducing myself and answering the kids questions about America.   Now this reminds me of something.  The school I'm at here in Liuzhou, is like the Taj Mahal compared to the school in Yangshuo.  In every way this school is nicer.  I guess the school in Liuzhou has more basketball  courts.  So if thats how you want to measure a school then, I guess yangshuo is better.  I haven't taken any pictures here of Liuzhou yet, but I'll make sure to take some of the school.  It's really nice.

So events that have happened in Liuzhou... On the 3rd day I was here a chinese teacher comes up to me and tells me that stephen is going to his friends house tonight to eat dinner.  I was slightly confused by this because I had never met this teacher before but if Stephen was going it probably was legit.  So, that night stephen and I hop in a cab to his friends house.  It was really fun just hanging out eating dinner in they way they do social dinners, Hotpot (i think i explained this already).  So after eating dinner for like 2 hours, I'm told we're going to the city center for a few beers and that we're not going to be out that late.  Well "not that late" turned into 3am.   Luckily I didn't have class until 11.  The next night stephen and I start doing the same routine but we make sure get back early because we both had early class.  So on friday me and stephen decide to go to the city center with his girlfriend where there is this massive pool hall where they charge for tables by the hour.  So we play for an hour or so and then we decide to go to a bar, but something more low key.  So Stephen knew of a spot so we went there.  But after about 15 minutes one of stephens chinese friends came and told us to come with him.  So we follow him and he leads us to a KTV bar where he has a room rented.  So KTV for those who don't know is karaoke, but where you rent private rooms so you only embarrass yourself to your friends rather than an entire bar.  So we spent our evening there which was a pretty good time.  After friday night, my weekend went very slow.  I slept in really late on Saturday and didn't really get out until 3 in the afternoon.  I basically went running and went to dinner with stephen and xiao liao.

So I'll talk about running some, because my blog is titled running through china.  So.  Running in Liuzhou actually has been suprisingly good.  I live really close to a very large park called Longtian park. Its pretty big and has several miles of roads which makes it a decent running spot.  The main problem is that the park can get really really busy, particularly around lunch time, when its most convenient for me to run.  So I have to do a lot of weaving.  One nice thing about the park is that I've notice the air is significantly better in the park than on the regular streets so thats better than breathing the polluted air of typical chinese cities.  An intersting thing about the park is that the chinese love putting little carnival things everywhere, gokarts, bumpercars, boats etc.  It was like this in yangshuo too.  But longtian park touts itself about being undeveloped but it has all this stuff.... I don't really get it.  Also, this is nothing new but chinese love trying and failing at being discrete at taking pictures of westerners, particularly when I'm running.  They'll pretend to be taking a picture of something (most of the time is like a tree which gives it away) and then turning their camera to me at the last second.  When I catch them doing this I usually try to make some sort of face to show that I know what they're doing.  They also love yelling hello to me.

Okay, I'm tired.  I didnt sleep much last night in Nanning, and I promise I'll get up to date tomorrow. 

Shanghai Nights - by Robin

7/11/20114:28:58 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

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Pre-Departure Reflection: Teaching in China ~ by Sarah Lowen

7/5/20119:20:47 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Summer Camp Counselor, teach

I have less than two weeks before I leave American soil and land on unknown territory. I have never been to China before nor have studied the language or culture so I turn to the internet for answers. The first thing that strikes me is the large population that inhabits this country. I'm already picturing myself in the streets of Beijing, surrounded by crowds and crowds of people, racing their bicycles around me. Not like the day-after Christmas at the mall kind of crowds, but the shoulder to shoulder, breathing in each other's carbon dioxide kind of crowds. The vision continues as I'm walking in Beijing and a person bumps right into me. My natural instinct is to stop and apologize for the contact as us Americans so often do, but the man is off like a horse in the Kentucky derby. Even if I were to chase him down, would he even understand that I'm trying to apologize? Not only is the language an obvious barrier, but I can imagine the social norms are different as well. He might even find me rude and strange for wasting his time. He is probably more interested in how different I look with my long, brown hair and big, hazel eyes than my attempted apology for our shoulder bump. My psychology degree from Virginia Tech won't help me here. Lucky for the man in my hypothetical scenario and lucky for all of us, I'm practicing changing my definition of personal space right now. In fact, I'm throwing it out the window. In a city with millions of people, I can't imagine there would be much room for personal space. I anticipate there will be a lot of things that I will need to make adjustments to but I'm excited for the challenge.

My next internet search shines light on the weather in China during the summer. I am from Northern Virginia where our summers regularly reach the mid 90's and the humidity is high. So to me, China in the summer is no sweat. I'll take full credit for the clever pun. However, I am concerned about the food and drink in China. My head and stomach are always at a constant battle with one another because my head is adventurous and open to trying new foods but my stomach can't stomach it. I find myself picturing another scenario in the bustling streets of Beijing where I stop at a vendor on the street to try some warm dumplings to fill my rumbling stomach. These dumplings taste unique to China and I allow myself to appreciate the dumpling like I were paying respect to an elder. Thirty minutes pass and I'm shopping for a watch that I'm bargaining for and all of a sudden my stomach is reminding me that he is not going to let me win this battle. I am eager to find a bathroom and thankfully the street woman agrees to show me the restroom after I purchase the watch. The watch is equivalent to only 3 American dollars, or so I think based on my poor conversion skills, so I accept the deal and make a run for the bathroom. I'm so excited to finally reach the bathroom until I realize there aren't any Western toilets. I guess I will have to practice my yoga skills to balance over the toilet since the toilet here is not made for sitting. I don't see any clean toilet paper in sight but then I reach for the toilet paper that I stashed in my purse, thanks to advice I read from another website, and make it back to the hustle and bustle of Beijing.

As I continue my online journey through China, I come across a lot of beautiful and grandiose landmarks. Although it might seem a little cliche, the one I'm most excited about seeing is the Great Wall of China. I have traveled to the Red Square of Russia and stood in front of the Wailing Wall in Israel but have never seen the Great Wall of China. I can recall a faint memory in grade school where I came across a picture of the Great Wall in a scholastic magazine but that's the extent of my experience. I plan on sending a postcard of The Wall back home to the preschool that I currently teach at. They might not realize the significance of this Wall but they will look at this picture as did I when I was in grade school. Fifteen years later and I'm finally putting down the books and images of what China is suppose to look like and seeing it for myself. I will take pictures for the first few minutes just to prove I was there but then I will put the camera down and remind myself to experience the Wall and the country for what it is and what it stands for. Then I will make a bet with someone that I can walk a longer distance along the Wall despite the blistering heat and long trek ahead. I blame this competitiveness and athleticism on playing travel soccer my entire life. I'm also excited to see the Forbidden Palace and plan on going on more excursions when I find out more about the history of China and what is available. I will bring back pictures of these places and my experiences and thus earn serious bragging rights for traveling so far and seeing so much.

What I fail to find on the internet is how these Chinese children that I am responsible for teaching this summer will react to me. Will they be confused and annoyed by my lack of knowledge of the culture and language like the man on the street? Will all my hard work and preparations for lesson plans be shoved down a Chinese toilet because it's not working well for them? Will what works for American kids work for Chinese kids? Are teaching styles the same in China as they are in America? I have experience in teaching and a degree from a four year university but nothing will prepare me for this. No lesson planning, internet searching, book reading, nothing will give me the answers to this. Hopefully I can bribe them to teach me about China in exchange for teaching them about America. Maybe that is what it's all about and in that, we can discover the differences and share the similarities.

As for now I can only guess what my experiences in China will be like and continue to entertain possible situations in my head. Soon I will be boarding  a direct flight from Washington D.C. to Beijing and will have the long 14 hour plane ride to dream of all the possibilities. My suitcase is currently half packed but filled with pictures and gifts from America to share; and of course my immodium and peptobismol. Here I come dumplings!
 

Flashback 4.20.10 - Peaks and Valleys by Volunteer in Kenya Participant Tracy Guthrie

6/30/201110:53:01 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, Kenya, Volunteer

There is no denying it. I am at my breaking point. I am tired of mosquito nets with holes, toilets that are just a hole in the ground, cup showers you take outside, bugs, no T.V., no coffee, the smell, the crazy matatu rides, the smog in Thika and Nairobi, and..... OH MY GOODNESS! I just looked outside the Safari van window to see the most beautiful sight I have ever seen - Mt. Kilimanjaro. If only I were a poet, I would have the words to describe this magnificent piece of land. Do you even call a the largest mountain in Kenya rising to 19,340 ft. a "piece of land"? Anyway, this majestic creation of God has my emotions stirring, in a good way. Like when you hear the National Anthem play, or when someone expresses their love for you, or when you find that perfect pair of shoes or when "The Bachelor" gets down on one knee to propose, even though you know it is a sham or best of all, when God shows Himself to you. I find it quite interesting that just as I was complaining about the gift which I have been praying for for more than two years, a volunteer trip to Africa, God shows Himself to me. Man, is God cool! He knows how to put you in your place through beauty, not anger. I guess that is why we call him God.

GOD CREATED US TO SERVE. ARE YOU?

** The second picture is of the pool at our lodge in Amboseli. We weren't expecting to stay here. Another example of God putting me in my place. 

Way Behind by Teach in China Participant Matt Wiersum

6/30/201110:48:21 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Teach

Yep, okay, fell way behind again.  Anyways I'll dive right into it.  2 weeks ago February 18th, Isabella rounded up the crew to take us on an excursion to Xing Ping.  A small town near where the imagery on the of the 20¥ bill.  I took the requisite picture at the spot so I will post that soon once I figure out what to do with my photos (my HD is nearly full).  But before we got to Xing Ping we stopped at a very small village where many of the traditional Chinese scroll paintings and fans that you see at the shops in Yangshuo are made.  So we strolled through there for a bit, looking at various artists work.  So, from there we continue on to Xing Ping and board one of the river rafts.  Now, they advertise that the rafts are "bamboo rafts" but the bamboo they use is an odd white color that is really slippery when wet.  I've never seen it in nature.  So we embark on our tour and its a pretty chilly day and we're riding up stream on a boat thats powered by a motor cycle engine with an extended sort of driveshaft with a propeller on the end.  It was a pretty fun ride, and cool to see the karst formations rise straight out of the water.  I took quite a few pictures from here.  It was funny for us because like usual we were as much of an attraction to the chinese tourists as the scenery. At the turn around point there was a formation where supposedly there are 9 horses hidden in the rocks.  I think I found three or four.  More of a mind game than anything.  After the boat cruise we drove back to Yangshuo and that was pretty much the day.

The next day was a pretty low key day.  The group just hung out at the school until about 1 or so when I decided to go running.  The others were going to go to mimosas to use the internet because it was down at the school as usual.  So I went for my longest run so far in China 70 minutes.  When I returned nobody had left for mimosas because apparently tom broke the washing machine drain while it was draining and flooded his bathroom.  Smooth.  After that we went to mimosas and took it easy.

Sunday.  At brunch Isabella asked if we would like to go on a bike ride to Moon Hill.  Moon Hill, being one of the biggest attractions in Yangshou couldn't be one to miss out on.  So Isabella pulls out several bikes that the school owns.  The bikes were no race bikes by any means but it got the job done.  I think I made Amelia have a heart attack by the amount of time I would ride no-handed (about 75 percent of the ride).  Anyways on the ride Tom was being his usual self saying "Ni Hao" to every chinese person he saw and saying "Dui" to everything said to him.  Then somebody made the grave mistake of telling him how to say "I love you" which he then proceeded to start saying to every girl he saw.  Other than Tom making a bunch of friends the bike ride was nice.  It was a really nice sunny day which seemed to happen every weekend in Yangshuo, good timing weather.  So on our ride we made our first stop at "The Big Banyan Tree".  The tree is exactly what it says.  A 1400 year old Banyan tree.  It was cool to see that parts of the branches had reached the ground and made new roots so it looked like a tree with multiple trunks.  So we did the usual thing, walked around it three times for good luck.  After looking at the tree we went over to the little market.  There was a guy with three monkeys tethered to a little stand that you could pay to get your picture taken with.  I didn't get my picture taken because I felt it was a cruel situation for the monkeys.  So I just took a picture of them.  After Banyan tree we continued on to Moon Hill.  We all were pretty hungry when we got there so we stopped at the over priced café at the bottom and got fried rice.  Once charged and ready to go we made our voyage up the 800 some steps to Moon Hill.  The climb isnt all that scenic because you're hiking up through a forest but once you get to the top there is a pretty impressive view.  On this day we ran into a group of climbers that we had seen around town, climbing up the under side of the formation.  Then we saw this guy pulling himself up the middle of the arch by his ropes.  They were trying to get as high as they can so they could backflips off of the hill.  It was pretty impressive to see.  The guys we talked to were a part of a group they made called "Organic Hobo"  Basically a group of guys going around the world seeing how sustainable food practices were being used.  Search for them online, I think they said they would post the backflip videos on their website.  So after spending about an hour at the top we make our way down and head home.  Pretty exhausting day.

The next couple of days were spent doing the regular training routine but we got more into actual teaching practices, then doing a demo teaching lesson amongst ourselves.  We gave each other a pretty hard time so that was pretty funny.  On thursday and friday we had to do a practice class with real live students, which increased the pressure.  For those classes we had a partner and we split time talking about our home countries.  Chinese kids know 6 things about america "Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, NBA, Yao Ming, Kobe, and Obama".  So hopefully I filled their brains with a little more knowledge. 

Another significant even that happened on thursday is fellow Centurians, Justin Bussies and Kei Mamiya came to visit!! This was really fun to see some good friends from college on the other side of the world (Kei is Japanese and Justin is teaching english in Japan).  Anyways, with my days occupied with teaching, Kei and Justin went around doing the tourist things, meeting up in the evenings.  So for their first night we decided to go out for a nice Chinese dinner.  We went to the same place Isabella always takes us so she called ahead for us to tell them we were coming and to give us a discount (which they actually gave to us, AWESOME!).  So after dinner, I showed them around town and went to Caviler Bar to teach them the dice game (our usual spot The Stone Rose closed to remodel...).  The next day (friday) was the same routine.  This time we met at the much cheaper Wontons restaurant but still had a great dinner.  On saturday Isabella informed me that a teacher at the school wanted to take the group on a bike ride on some new road.  Everyone again decided to join.  We started going out the direction non of us have ever been down which eventually lead to a very hilly road.  The biggest hill was over half a mile long.  So at the top of the hill everyone thought this route was too tough. I was slightly disappointed because I always like these types of challenges.  So we all turned around and everyone but Justin, Kei, The teacher and Me went back to school.  We then decided to go to Moon hill.  The teacher said he could show us a different more scenic route.  That sounded good so we went that way.  On the way we stopped at an aquaduct along the river.  Pretty cool spot. We continued to moon hill and got a much better view as we approached compared to the typical route.  This route also had a lot fewer cars and busses so that was nice as well.  We then hiked to the top, hung out for a bit, and them made our way down and back the same route.  I then saw Justin and Kei off at the long range bus station on the outside of town.  I then went back to Mimosas and found the crew there with Jarone and Weiss!  They were back for a few days from the orphanage before they took off to the Netherlands.  We then went out to tin tin bar and cavilers, it was a good time.

Okay I'll keep catching up.  Week behind still but I'll get it! Its 1:30 now and I have class at 9:35 I need to got to sleep! 

Thanksgiving Leftovers by Teach in China Participant Robin

6/30/201110:44:25 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Teach

I just realized I wrote this a long  time ago, but never posted it. So here goes...

Well, we successfully pulled off Thanksgiving in China with flying colors, which is no small feat considering our shopping selection and the kitchens we had to work with.

5 weeks, 2 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes by Volunteer in Guatemala Participant Haley Price

6/27/201112:54:21 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, Guatemala, Volunteer

Until I'm in Antigua!!
Getting pretty excited YA'LL. haha ok I'll lay off the texas-ness a little.
and yes, I have a countdown going.
Hmmm sooo plan plan plan! Turns out my very own mother wants to come visit. This is super exciting and cool, just the organization is kind of tough. Hopefully it'll work out, gotta figure out how to get her from the airport in Guatemala City to Antigua (Safely) ...no idea how to do that....not a taxi...chicken bus???
I don't even know who's picking me up at the airport, where exactly I'll be living... I feel a little clueless I must say. But there's still time to get the details down. Half of my nerves about this trip are from not knowing the details and not knowing what exactly is the plan. The plane ticket is bought so that's half the battle I feel. Thats the commitment step. This is gonna happen.
I still have a few things to take care of. I owe Cultural Embrace some $ still but money is kind of tight so trying to get that to them ASAP. Also wanting to plan some excursions and things to do. I made some friends through couchsurfing and will meet some locals that way when I get there for coffee. I know that sounds crazy, but couchsurfing is a very awesome (and reliable!) way to meet locals and get a crash course of the culture of wherever you go.
However safety has been on my  mind a lot lately. Everyone tells me I'll be fine and all that, I just can't be too careful. I researched crime reports in Antigua...bad idea...freaked myself out and got me thinking all this crazy stuff! I've talked to 3 people so far who have lived there and they said it's all just fine and not to worry. I really hope the volunteer housing has a lot of people there when I go.
Nos Vemos! 

The Most Beautiful Sight You Will Ever See! by Volunteer in India and Teach in Thailand Participant Alyssa Russo

6/27/201112:41:19 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, India, Teach, Thailand, Volunteer

I hope all is well with all and that the spring has finally arrived in the Northeast.  Things on my side of the world are going rather nicely.  The weather has quickly warmed up and it is now around 85 to 90 degrees during the day.  Last night was actually the first night that I felt it was a little to hot to sleep, which as you all know, is never a good thing.  I am hoping that keeping the door open at night will help to cool the room off. My friend Sarah was in town for the weekend and that was very nice.  She is currently working in New Delhi with a TB NGO and it was great to see her.  The only bad repercussion of a busy weekend is that I somehow contracted a cold.  I feel that the colds that I get here last so much longer because of all of the pollution that is in the air.  On a normal day, there are always little specks of soot that often show up on your tissue when you blow your nose.  Thus, you can imagine a day when you are sick.  However, I am slowly healing myself and am very happy that I will not be travelling anywhere this weekend.

Now, I am sure that all of you are wondering why I gave this post the name that I did.  Well, there is really only one possible answer...the Taj Mahal.  That's right, this blog is about the majestic building that is considered one of the seven wonders of the worls.  Let me tell you, when you see the Taj in person, it is even more magnificent then you can imagine it to be.  There is something about looking at the building from the main courtyard, that makes you want to never take your eyes off of it.

The actual excursion to the Taj Mahal was done in one day.  It is in the city of Agra, in the state of UP, which is about a 5 hour train trip from Jaipur.  From previous volunteers having gone to Agra before, we knew that other then the actual visit to the Taj, there is nothing much to do in the city, thus the reason we planned it as only a day trip.  We started out the day at 6AM and took the 5 hour trip to Agra.  We arrived in the city around 11:00AM and got a Tuk Tuk to the center of the city.  After a short breakfast, we set out on our way.  Since India has such a high pollution rate, there is 200 meter area surrounding the Taj Mahal that is blocked off from any cars or Tuk Tuks.  The only things that can get in are battery operated buses and cycle rickshaws.  This is so that the beauty and whiteness of the Taj Mahal can be preserved.

Getting into the actual Taj was an adventure all it's own.  For a foreigner, the ticket to get within the compound is 750 rupees, which is equivalent to about $18.00.  This includes foot covers for your shoes, to be used once inside the actual building, and a bottle of water. After collecting your ticket, one follows a long line of people to the lockers where you must lock up your personal items as you can only  take in a camera, cell phone, and wallet.  We are then herded towards the long line of guests waiting to get into the compound that holds the gardens, secondary buildings and the Taj Mahal.  This is perhaps one of the only places in India where it helps to be a women, has there is a ladies only line that moves significantly quicker then the gents one.  After going through numerous metal detectors, we finally entered the main compound.  Now this is not the the compound where one can see the Taj Mahal, this is the pre-area that houses two secondary mausoleums.  However, one can clearly see where the entrance to the garden that houses the Taj Mahal is, as there is a giant crowd around one doorway.  As you slowly make your way towards the entrance of the garden, one can see that there is a lot of commotion going on; thousands of people trying to get to and from the entrance and take pictures while moving at a rather slow pace.  It surly was pure madness.  However, as you enter the garden, things get significantly calmer and there are numerous photo-ops.  Basically the entire walk up to the Taj Mahal is a slow stop and start of trying to get the best picture. Upon arriving at the front of the building, one puts their shoe covers on and ascents the giant stairs to wait in the 1 hour line so that you can enter the Taj.  I have to say, the actual inside of the Taj Mahal was rather unimpressive, particularly for the hour line.  But of course we had to say we actually went into the Magnificent Taj Mahal.

Here are some interesting facts about the Taj Mahal:

1) It is actually an Islamic structure despite the belief that it is a temple built for the Hindu God Shiva.
2)The Taj was built by Shah Jahn, the Mughal Emperor at the time, in honor of the death of his second wife who died giving birth to their 14th child.
3) The construction for the Taj Mahal began in 1631, the year of the wife's death, and was not finished until 1653.
4) Not long after it was finished, Shah Jahn was overthrown by his son who imprisoned him in Agra Fort.  From the fort you can see the Taj Mahal, thus reminding the Shah what he would never be able to visit again
 

The Entrance Gate to get into the Inner Courtyard that houses the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal from the Main Entrance way.

View of entire courtyard and Taj.

All those people are part of the Giant line to get inside the Taj. 
All in all it was a fabulous trip that could not be missed!  Hope you all enjoy the photos and talk to you soon! 

Pre-Departure Reflection for Summer Camp Counselor in China ~ Rebecca Qiu

6/27/201112:34:32 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Group Trips, Summer Camp Counselor, Teach, Work

The most memorable thing that I remember about China is the heat.  It is a very disappointing thing to say, but it is the truth.  Contrary to many people who are also traveling with Cultural Embrace, I have been to China twice in my lifetime, staying for a month each time in the busy city of Shanghai.  My parents, both Chinese, tell me that we have visited a considerable number of famous landmarks and cities.  Yes, I recalled scaling the Great Wall of China while sitting regally on my father’s shoulders, running around the Forbidden City, and taking smiling pictures at Tiananmen Square with my family.  But I also remembered dying of the horrible, humid heat.  Sweat and unquenchable thirst were constant unwelcome companions during my stays in China.  As a child, I learned quickly that you could never carry along too much water.  And, owing to China’s frequency of hitting Saharan-like temperatures, I told myself that if I ever visited China again then I would never in my lifetime come during its hottest months.  So what possessed me to leave my cool, comfortable home in the United States --- in July, moreover--- in order to travel to the hot, humid, crowded streets of Beijing?

It started during my second semester of my college.  I was a college freshmen at the University of South Carolina at Columbia and was currently taking Elementary Mandarin classes.  I had a number of great friends in that class, one of which included Deana Tourigny, who initially introduced me to Cultural Embrace.  I was intrigued at the idea of traveling to China again, but at first I did not seriously think about it.  However, after Deana enthusiastically began to talk about her trip more and more, I realized that I had picked up some of her excitement as well.  I realized that I did want to go to China.  Not only would I be able to expand my limited Mandarin and experience the diverse culture of a foreign country, but I would also be teaching English to willing Chinese students.  Also, as an added bonus, the experience would be a great résumé builder.  The only obstacle for me was getting approval from my obstinate father.  Due to the affordable pricing of the program and my own persuasion skills, I managed to wheedle out a reluctant “yes.”  This was a miracle upon itself: You know how economically frugal the Chinese can be.

So now here I am writing this reflection letter.  Deana and I have finally purchased our plane tickets to Beijing, where we will be happily sharing our twenty-one hour flight together.  As of now, with only about a week left until departure, I am fraught with excitement, curiosity, and a bit of anxiety.  The latter stems from my own insecurities and worries: Will my students like me?  Will I be a good teacher?  How will I survive in Beijing with only a limited vocabulary at my command?  These emotions have been growing as surely as July 1, our departure date from the US, draws closer.  I only expect all these emotions will explode when I wake up at 3 AM on the said date to catch our flight.  I have heard that leaving early for a trip is always a good thing, but as of now I am not so sure.  Oh well.  We’ll be able to nap on our plane rides.  Sleeping on a plane is always so rejuvenating after all.  

Home Alone by Childcare in Italy Participant Jade Th'ng

6/20/20113:55:50 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Childcare, Featured Participants, Italy, Work

My First Italian Stomachache by Childcare in Italy Participant Jade Th'ng

6/20/20113:49:18 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Childcare, Featured Participants, Italy, Work

I am currently experiencing my first Italian stomachache. It could be because I ate two lunches, had gelato twice today, and just made myself eat dinner (I know that about every other problem in the world is worse than mine). Let me explain, though.

The family I work for has another girl that works for them too. Her name is Anna, and she is twenty-eight (something we could talk about in the realm of my vocabulary). We get along very well, except, she doesn’t speak/understand any English. We’ve managed to communicate slightly through my broken Italian and a lot of hand gestures, but mostly we both just say, “Non capito…” (I don’t understand). We actually find it funny how difficult communicating is. However, we discovered something that helps: translation software. We sit with my laptop alternating between translating from Engligh-Italian and Italian-English. Francesca and I also use this to communicate, which obviously resulted in her calling me a, “Strange girl, very strange.”

During the day it is just Anna, Francesca, and me. Anna cleans, takes care of Francesca, and runs errands. My job so far seems to be to play with Francesca, make sure she practices her guitar, and to teach her English, which is quite enjoyable.

This morning, when I woke up (and after I struggled to wash my hair in a bathtub), I decided to go for a walk around Siena and maybe grab some lunch. I explained to Anna that I would be gone for about an hour, and it seemed like we understood each other.

I had a lovely, short walk around the town. I saw the Piazza del Campo (the most famous attraction in Siena), and on my walk I figured that it was time to have my first gelato.I strolled through the hilly cobblestone streets, walked past shops, and somehow managed to trick people into thinking I wasn’t a tourist. It was so delightful and I felt so cool (probably all in my head). On the way back to the house, I decided that I also needed a piece of pizza (or two). I ate a little bit, and then returned home, where Anna was finishing up lunch. I felt so bad that she’d prepared lunch, set a place at the table for me, and obviously hadn’t understood me earlier, that I just sat down and she served me lunch.

The thing about Italian meals is that they are served in courses. So I finished my pasta and knew that I was very full, but out of courtesy, I just kept eating. What followed were peas, bread, and chicken. I was near tears with fullness.

Anna left to go study, and I passed out on the couch while Francesca did arts and crafts (luckily she’s a sweet girl, and I didn’t wake up with construction paper glued to my face). When I woke up, it was time for Francesca to practice guitar, and then it was time for me to have my first English lesson with her. It went surprisingly well: we practiced the alphabet, numbers, and some vocabulary. Naturally, we used the translation software to communicate when we didn’t know what the other was trying to say. It resulted in a lot of fun and giggling.

Later, after Giovanni and Lucia got home, Giovanni, Francesca, and I went for a walk to retrieve her backpack from somewhere that she had left it. It turned into a delightful tour of Siena, and Giovanni was able to show and tell me a lot about the city. We walked past the San Giovanni Cathedral (that he was named after), and he showed me the house where he was born. He explained that his mother had passed away two months ago, but she had lived to be 100. We arrived at what I gathered was a recreational-church-community center that had a beautiful garden and places for people to play sports. Francesca grabbed her backpack, and while her dad spoke to someone, we walked in the garden. After this, we started our journey home (the long way). Giovanni continued to tell me interesting things about Siena, and it was a great experience.

While walking home, Francesca asked for ice cream. Giovanni turned to me and asked, “Do you like ice cream?” Obviously, I said, “Yes.” He then preceded to buy me a giant gelato with three flavors topped with whipped cream. I didn’t want to tell him that I had already had gelato earlier today, so I forced myself to eat the gelato (the things I do..).

Once we got home I went and read in my bed while wallowing in the guilt of how much food I’d consumed. When I went downstairs, the family was leaving to go to to Lucia’s mother’s home. I was informed that dinner was left on the table.

After about an hour of debating whether I should really eat or not, I felt that it would be rude if they came home and I hadn’t touched it. I went to the kitchen where pasta with basil and tomatoes, salad, cured meats, and a half of a melon were waiting for me (I’d like to add that it was about enough to feed 3). I then continued to eat half the pasta, a small salad, a few pieces of meat, and three slices of melon.

Needless to say, I regret eating all of this food. I don’t know why I’m complaining to you because this story deserves no sympathy. I just wanted to document my first Italian stomachache. 

National Holidays and Stuffed Cake by Intern in China Participant Abby Goldstein

6/8/20111:14:07 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Intern

Sorry its been so long, I have been very distracted as of late. My computer broke, I lost friends, I gained friends, I went swimming… I smell something burning. 
Moving on, last week was pretty much a blur, a lot of new work and training. I am now learning our Tibetan routes, as I started sales today (yay!). I have been offered a post grad job here for a few years. Definitely something to chew on. Speaking of chewing on, I had pizza this past week, it made me delirious. It was a Chinese national holiday similar to the American Labor Day. So we went to Richard’s country club for swimming, pingpong, and badminton. I also tried new foods this week… chicken blood, eel, sea creature of unidentified origin (Manny and I couldnt pinpoint what it was and have taken to calling it sea creature). We went to Hot Pot with a girl named Olivia who was in from Shanghai, she was a total sweetheart, and we walked all the way from dinner which was on the north west side of town, to the clubs on the south east side of town (it was a surprisingly refreshing walk). We stopped along the way to pick up a dress for 20 quai for me which looked fantastic with my sneakers, and a shirt for Manny to replace the oil splashed one he ruined at hot pot ( I suggested we just rub some mud and other weird stuff on it to make it look like part of the design). Either way, we had a blast (and a free bottle of champagne, oh how I love being foreign).

On Saturday Manny, Florence, and I did 6 hours of ktv…. straight through. It was awesome. We did everything from Elvis to Lady Gaga. This was all for only 15 RMB per person, non-alcholic drinks included! I was a little shy at first, but I was belting out by the end of the first hour, I was belting it out like I was possessed by Whitney Huston herself. My companions’ enthusiasm is contagious. I met a bunch of local girls, which was nice. Apparently, we hit it off enough that they were asking Manny for my number. Ah, if only I was that popular with the opposite sex. C’est la vie.

I met a ton of foreigners, many of whom I will be seeing at a concert tomorrow. I met a dance crew who was in Step Up 3 who were here from Holland for an international dance competition (apparently they liked me enough, I was sought after when they went into CC.) They are also the reigning champs in their competition, so mazel tov to them . I was given an oven too… a toaster oven, my boss is like you can cook cakes in this right, I shook my head and said I would try my best. I have mosquito bites up the wazoo, it totally blows, but I got them being outdoorsy so I am okay with it. I hit the mountains to the south of Chengdu this weekend with some friends, the views were breath taking, I need to start remembering my camera, its a really bad habit of mine to not have it. I will upload some new pics at some point, let me acquire more first.

I met my Chinese tutor, we have set up our first few meetings. My co-workers have gotten especially busy as it is peak season now, and don’t have time to teach me anymore. She seems very nice and has friends at Sichuan University. She works in a company that specializes in tutoring. Isabella referred me to her, she seems to be a very powerful woman, Isabella, that is.

I will keep you updated on other things as they happen, starting with a concert tomorrow. May is a month of new beginnings I have decided, and as such, there will be a lot of changes made. Social, academic, health-wise, and breaking bad habits. Sadly I am not much of one for making New Year’s resolutions and am beginning making some just a bit later in the year. With that strong note, I leave you for this evening.

A pleasure updating you all, as usual.  

April's A-Ha! Travel Moments by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

6/8/20111:10:24 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Australia, Featured Participants, Work

Although I had A-Ha! moments coming out of my ears the first time I traveled abroad alone, there’s one in particular that keeps me motivated to go after even my “wildest” dreams.

I’ll preface: Remember the spin-the-globe-to-see-where-you’re-going-to-live-when-you-grow-up game from when you were a kid? Well, that’s how I discovered Tasmania. It seemed so exotic and fantastical and I can remember scheming my future escapades in my tree fort later that afternoon. I held on to the dream
of one day experiencing Tasmania for years but considered it a near-impossible mission that only wealthy world travelers, enamored drifters who could afford a one-way plane ticket or Looney Tunes cartoon artists were able to experience. But, as it turns out, I was wrong.

My A-Ha! moment came last year as I stood in Wine Glass Bay, Tasmania staring out from the white, powder sand beach into the crystal clear blue and green water. I did it. I’d sorted out a work and travel Australia visa and a plane ticket, saved enough from my paychecks working in Sydney to afford the trek to Tasmania and convinced two friends to come with me and live in a (tiny) hired car and exist on canned beans for nearly the entire trip to make our travel funds last. My mind started rolling… if I could make this thing happen, man, I could do anything. Traveling the world and submersing myself in foreign cultures and lands didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore… it was absolutely achievable.
 

That awesome moment led me to unearth a majestic gratitude for life and all of its opportunities and  permanently disabled the part of my brain that filters seemingly ridiculous ideas and dreams. …Anything is possible. Just, make it happen. 

New People, and Panda Palooza by Intern in China Participant Abby Goldstein

6/8/20111:05:42 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Intern

A Day in Queenstown, New Zealand by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

6/8/20111:03:35 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Australia, Featured Participants, New Zealand, Work

 
The legend, as shown in a statue

  
See what I mean?  Empty

  
 
 
More of the downtown area and...whoops?

  
 
 
Area down by the lakefront

 
My breakfast stop with the view included.  Yum.

 
 
 
A taste of what the gardens were like

  
 
 
More prettiness from the gardens before we continue on

  
Looking down at Queenstown from the gondola

 
 
 
Behold the awesomeness.  See the paragliders?

 
The luge track, according to Google

April's A-Ha! Travel Moments by Luan Ly Lierman

6/8/20111:00:55 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

A-Ha, China, Featured Participants, Teach

I knew I needed to see the world and I love travelling. I fell in love with China especailly after I had studied abroad for a semester with Seattle Pacific University (SPU). Now, my husband and I are happily working and living in China, almost 3 years!

I've always been very interested in people. Cultures, food, religion, customs have always fasinated me. China for one, has such a deep culture and long history. Since my heritage is part Chinese, I find it even more important to know my roots.

Life back home in Tacoma, WA. is surrounded with people from different walks of life. I grew up with Tacoma, a good size city south of Seattle. I love my home for many reasons. Diversity in language, culture and life. All my friends have such unique stories. That's where education starts; is by getting to know one another. That's when we grow as individuals and a community. Being open, patient, and non-judgemental is crucial to getting to know others.
 

I did take a leap of fatih, a big leap when I decided to come to China. At the time, by myself with limited language ability. But what kept me going was my determination to learn, to grow in myself, and to expand my future. My risks, no return! Travelling abroad is huge risk, especially when you have no idea (for me) how to teach, or what to expect. My A-HA moment was the time I told myself, "I'm here. I got myself this far. No turning back!" I pushed myself and it has it rewards. Another A-HA moment was, "I can't believe I'm living in China." Now, I see China as my second home. A place I can always come back to with open doors and great opportunities. 

April's A-Ha! Travel Moments by Teach in Guatemala Participant Jerzy Wasilewski

6/8/201112:58:10 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

A-Ha, Featured Participants, Guatemala, Teach

I have been living in Guatemala for 3 months now and have observed a great many things. Some differences are quite obvious and others more subtle. It has been interesting to try and get deep enough into the culture that I am able to actually see things from their perspective. I can’t say I’m there yet, but I can say that I’ve realized some of the initial thoughts I have are pretty hasty. The cultural differences only seem so strange because I am living in a foreign land with the same set of eyes from my homeland.

I noticed right away that coffee is far more popular than in the US. Nearly everyone drinks coffee everyday and it is not unusual to drink it at every meal. I’m not a coffee drinker myself but have found myself drinking a little here simply because it’s in constant supply. At dinner the question asked is “¿Quieres café?” not “¿Qué deseas beber?” It is as if it is assumed that coffee is standard with each meal. I have observed this in far more places than just my host family and have been told it is common here. 

The other day I finally made a comment to one of the teenage daughters in my host family because she had just served coffee with sugar to a six year old per the child’s request. Yes, even children of six years of age here are drinking coffee. I told her that it was crazy in the US for someone of that age to drink coffee. I have been astonished by this since I noticed this phenomenon while living with various host families. The teenage daughter responded with the simple question of “¿Por qué?” I opened my mouth to explain as my brain quickly generated the response…except nothing came out of my mouth. It suddenly occurred to me that my explanation was not sound. I was about to respond that giving caffeine and to a kid of that age is not a good idea. But before I released that thought from my mouth I processed the other side of the equation. What do we give our kids to drink in the US? I didn’t like the answer I gave myself but it was the reality. I know PLENTY of elementary school age kids whose parents allow them to consume soda and candy on a regular basis.

Suddenly my case was lost, before I even spoke. It was this moment when I realized the differences are only odd to me because they are just that…differences. Different doesn’t mean weird; it just means you are not accustomed to it. This was my revelation of the month. It is unfair to evaluate what you observe in a culture or society from the standpoint of a different culture. I will be away from my culture for several more months and I am very curious to see what I find strange back home once I return. 

Journey to the South Island - Picton to Abel Tasman by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

6/8/201112:45:53 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Australia, Featured Participants, Work

  
 
Wellington Harbor at Dawn

 
 
Leaving Wellington

  
My first look at the South Island.  See the trees?  Even New Zealand loves itself.

  
 
 
More pretty pictures.  See all of the houses on the shore?

  
Docking at Picton

  
Wine tasting with my new friends

 
 
The bridge we stopped at for a swim

  
 
Passing through Nelson.  Sigh.

 

Our campsite for the night

Oil Tea by Teach in China Participant Matt Wiersum

6/8/201112:11:31 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Teach

Okay, last night, on my way back to school I remembered that I completely forgot to talk about one of the most notable things we did in Fengyang.  Oil tea.  For the three nights we were there, Isabella, our Cultural Embrace local coordinator, had us go out to three different villagers homes to drink oil tea with them.  We did this as a cultural exchange kind of experience and it was quite enjoyable.... well.... kind of...  At each house the drink of choice is a concauction called "You Cha" (pronounces yo cha, for those not familiar with chinese pinyin). 

You cha means "Oil Tea", and is probably the most bitter thing I have ever consumed.  To make oil tea you get green tea, ginger and garlic, cut them up into bits and sauté them in a wok.  After they have been cooking for a while you hammer the ingredients with a wooden hammer and then place everything in a sieve and run hot water through it.  Out comes a coffee and cream looking liquid which then is served in a bowl with puffed rice on top. 

The flavor when it first hits your tongue isn't that bad, but once it hits the bitter zone in the back your taste buds explode with the most intense bitter taste ever.  I generally like bitter beers, IPA's and the lot, bit this is close to unbearable.  Needless to say I think its an acquired taste.  So I got to sample three different varieties of oil tea because I went to three different houses and everyone makes it a little differently. 

The first house is what I'm basing everything off of and it was quite bitter but the middle of the three.  The second was the most palatable, not too bitter.  The third house was very bitter and pretty rough. Oddly, the third place is the only house where I had more than one bowl.  This could be due to the fact that the third house was a larger family and there were three chinese guys that were quite entertaining and quite hospitable. 

By in large, the chinese people know that we don't like oil tea.  I think they understand that its not an insult to them at all but this stuff is really hard to drink if you have not acquired the taste for it.  In the third house I the three guys picked this up and offered us some Li Qian beer (coming in at a whopping 3.6% alcohol).  So most of us took them up on the offer.  Then shortly later they pulled out Chinese rice wine.  This is another one of those acquired taste things.  The rice wine we had essentially tasted like straight vodka, quite noxious.   Luckily they gave us only little bits at a time so it wasn't too hard to put down.

So yeah! there is my forgotten post.  And for those who are concerned, today started my official teacher training so that took the whole day, and now we're going to town to go out to eat because its Jarone, and Wies' last night in Yangshuo :(

Hope you're having a good morning America! 

Running in China by Teach in China Participant Matt Wiersum

6/8/201112:05:46 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Teach

Whoa, its been a while. I finally have found the time, and motivation to make a post, emphasis on the latter. So for this post I'm not going to do a day by day rundown of everything I've done but just get the highlights, as a consolation though I'll try to keep events in chronological order!

So a few days, after the Chinese new year, I saw the departure of all three brits, Isaac, Holly and Lucy :'(. But Wies and Jarone are still here and they have been keeping me company! So, the day that Holly left, Jarone and I went with Isabella and the family to another town about an hour away to visit a government official that allowed Isabella to start her business. The main purpose of the visit was to wish the official's family a happy new year. We ate some hot pot and Jarone and I did our best to converse with them because they didn't speak a word of english. It was a little strange because shortly after we sat down to eat our hosts got up and went outside. I don't know what they were doing but just me, Jarone and the family were there eating. A funny side story is when we were just sitting down, Yan Yan, Isabellas 3 year old son was playing with a spoon of hot chilis (mind you this isn't just crushed red peppers, a tea spoon of these things will make you crumble) and he eventually dumped an entire spoonful into the pot, needless to say we had some very spicy hot pot.

So the next day was Super Bowl MONDAY! Since the Internet went out at the school I had to go into town to go to Mimosa's cafe, to use their wifi. I was upstairs by myself watching the game on the slingbox. The chinese owners were probably pretty confused by this random american yelling at his computer as the game ebbed and flowed. Regardless the Packers WON! and I was happy!!!! other than that it was a slow day, I went running and Tina (Isabella's 21 year old niece) gave me and Jarone a Chinese lesson.

On Tuesday a new guy arrived, an Italian named Fredrico! So Wies and I went with the family to Guilin for the day, and to pick up Fredrico. Guilin was pretty interesting. It was nice to go to a bigger city and experience the craziness that is Chinese city life. We started off getting lunch at a noodle shop. I got some Hunan noodles, which are different than Guilin noodles? I don't know how they are they taste pretty similar to me. After that Mr and Mrs Meng, took Yan Yan to the park and Isabella, Wies, Tina and I went to this massive shopping mall in the center of Guilin. It was interesting because the mall was like one massive department store. Each brand had their little section, and when you wanted to buy something you went to the sales person told them you wanted to buy something and then they wrote a receipt for you which you took to the cashier to pay. Just one of those interesting differences that you'd never think of. After the mall, we went to this large pedestrian street that had tons of different shops, some selling legit stuff and then the usual knockoffs. Then to end the day in Guilin we walked over to a large park that had two pagodas in the middle of a lake. One pagoda was the "moon pagoda" the other the "sun pagoda". Finally, on the way to the car we walked through the people's square of Guilin. It was cool to see because they had a massive map of the world imprinted out of granite on it. We walked over North America and I showed Isabella where I was from. (to my frustration the Twin Cities was omitted on this map when other cities of similar size were included). Then we went off to the airport to pick up Fredrico.

Next day, we went off to Fengyan Village in rural China. Fengyan is a very interesting place. It is a very traditional Chinese village that has really held on to historical practices. I don't really know where to start because there is a lot to talk about.... Well I'll start with the house. The house we stayed in was built over 100 years ago, in the classical chinese style. It is a courtyard style house. So, when you walk in the front door there is a large room with a pool of water in the middle, and above that pool there is a hole in the roof, so when it rains the rain water falls into the pool. I don't know why but I didn't take many pictures of the house but hopefully I can get some from the others in the group. I did get some good shots of the town so thats good. So adventures in Fengyan village. On thursday morning, everyone (everyone as in all participants, Tina and her friend Hannah) went on a "walk". Our walk started out as a regular walk through the hills but then all of a sudden our two track trail degraded to a single track, and then further degraded to rock scrambles and some pretty intense hiking. Mind you, nobody is dressed for this, we're just wearing casual clothes. Of course I go to the front to see how far I get as the trail conditions get worse and worse. Kim (german foreign exchange student) and I do a pretty good job of finding the trail and making sure everyone follows us. Finally after crawling under some brush and seeing a wall of vegetation that is pretty impassable, we decide to turn around. We thought going up was quite the adventure, but it was going down that proved to be a real challenge. Typical of this region of China it was misty and all the rock scrambles we went up were quite slippery on the way down. It took a great deal of teamwork to get everyone down safely. I fell into a bush once, but we don't have to talk about that.

New paragraph, that one was getting too long. Next day, we go for another walk. But this time we went walking along the road. We were going to Lin hua? Not sure on the name but regardless, Isabella told us it was a "model socialist town". This place was 7km away, about 4.5 miles. The weather wasn't too bad at the start but it got progressively worse as we went. So we stopped about 1k away from the town and Tina called Mr. Meng (her dad) to come pick us up and take us the rest of the way. When we got there we walked around for a bit and then went on a short river raft ride. Not too exciting. I don't think our guide was too happy because she had to stand out in the rain while we were under the little cabana. After that the town had built steps to the top of a karst formation, 518 steps to be exact. We went to the top and got a really good view. I got some good pictures up here. After 10 minutes at the top we went down and walked through town. It wasn't too remarkable other than the fact that the houses were pretty nice. My theory is that the chinese government made this "ideal" place to create a tourist attraction to create something called revenue....? hmmmmmm and this is model socialism? On top of that the locals were out selling little trinkets, even though we were the only outsiders there.

Saturday, we drove home met a new guy, Brit named Tom. Nice guy. I also met up fellow Minnetonka'n Alex Messanger! He has been in Yangshuo for a few days so little sense in showing him the town, but he came out to Stone Rose with the crew. Enjoyed the free beer at the price of getting your ears blasted out by the insanely loud music. 

TODAY TODAY TODAY!! Today Alex and I went climbing, which was AWESOME!!!!!! For 180 Kuai (27 dollars and 29 cents to be exact) we got four hours of climbing in, pretty good deal if you ask me. I got to do 5 routes, ranging from 5.6 to 5.10a for those who know what I'm talking about. I got some good pictures, Alex got a lot better ones (he's a much more serious photographer than I am). One thing I learned today about myself is that running is not really good training for climbing. My arms are completely dead, my legs are fine. A strange thing about climbing in china is that most of the routes here are controlled by a single climbing "club" which our guide told us was a cover for the mafia. There were signs saying "climbing prohibited without permission". And today we were lucky enough to get a visit from the mafia! Luckily nothing too much came of this, the guides paid them 10 kuai ($1.50) and they were off. I don't know how they make any real money.....

Okay, Its 9pm and soon we're getting a new person! A girl form england, so I have to go meet her! Finally one last note. For those who are interested, my running has been going pretty well. I've been pretty busy but I get out running about 5x a week so not too bad. I don't feel totally settled with routes and everything so I have yet to go out for a really long run. I've been topping out at like 50 minutes. Still pretty solid. 

Happy New Year China Style by Teach in China Participant Matt Weirsum

6/8/201112:04:25 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Teach

Hello everyone and happy new year! Anyways to my Dad's request here is a new blog post, and the first from China! I have met the others in China: Lucy from Wales, Weis from Holland, Holly from London, Jarone form Holland and Isaac from Wales. Nice group of people. I had images of Yangshuo being this really tiny place, but its a lot bigger than I thought. And, those hills that you see pictures of in the city? They're literally in the middle of the city. So on tuesday everyone was saying that we were going to eat dinner with the local government, but nobody really knew what that meant. So after a day of touring around the city we all met back at the school to head to dinner. So we went to the middle of town and saw a small banquet area outside this building on western street (the main pedestrian street). We sat down and shortly one of the coordinators was trying to get us to do all of these activities, like dragon dancing, dancing with children, playing these flutes and playing dumplings. We all were quite reluctant to do any of these things but a few of us eventually gave in. I did the dragon dancing, which actually turned out to us putting the dragon mask on and then all these chinese reporters would take pictures of us. So basically, they just wanted Westerners to do all these things so they could take pictures of us. After all that settled down we ate a large dinner of all the local foods and watched the program they had put on for us. Then towards the end they had everyone go on stage and they started doing a countdown (mind you its like 9:30) and then they shot off confetti everywhere. So apparently this whole program was being filmed to be on chinese TV on the actual new years eve.

Next day, the actual Chinese new year we went to town and walked around to check out everyone's preparations for the festival later that night. To prepare for new years the chinese put these red lanterns everywhere and light off firecrackers. Now, chinese firecrackers are no black cats that we have at home. They come in massive rolls about the size of a car tire and the firecracker itself is about the size of a AA battery. When these things go off the sound is deafening. People here also have little regard to when and where they light these off. They just go outside of their house and look for a clearing in traffic and just throw them out into the road. Then for dinner we ate a nice dinner with the coordinators and their family. After that we went to town for the evening to watch fireworks and celebrate the new year with all the chinese.

New years day! Yesterday a Holly, Isaac and myself went to town to scope the scene. We thought it would be rather slow because everyone would be at home with their families, but actually the streets were packed and we saw this carnival in the park, full with rides and chinese fair food. I got some pictures of this I will post them soon. After walking about, we met the rest of the crew and walked down west street and saw the dragon dancers going to every business, blessing them for the coming year. On our way home we passed a fireworks stand and we bought some fireworks. I lit some of my bottle rockets off when we got back but saved the rest for the evening. Then last night we went to the schools basketball courts to watch a fireworks display. Which they were lighting off like 50 yards from us. I've never been so close to fireworks as they were being set off and it was weird actually hearing the explosion and then the lights not the other way around. After that we set off our fireworks and went to town for a bit. 

Teach in Mexico Testimonial by Participant Umeshaa P.

6/8/201112:01:12 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, Mexico, Teach

"My favourite aspect of this whole experience has been quite simply the people: their sweet gestures and earnest smiles make all the difference. Coming from a individualistic, classically Western point of view, it has been so very humbling to be invited into their values of family and love. Though I still manage to fill my days to maximum potential with volunteer sessions, working out, going to the market, what-have-you, it's interestingly enough almost comforting to see a people content with a much slower pace in life. Just being surrounded by it is peaceful, when I was living in the small town of Sahuayo as in the large city of Xalapa. The sound pollution, the un-hygienically displayed chickens in the kiosks, everything that is so overwhelming at first, melts into a white noise, becoming tranquil.  It has been such a self-revelatory experience and I have loved it!" - Ume P. (August-Dec., 2010) 

Love and China Part 2: Q&A with Luan by CE Founder Emlyn Lee

6/8/201111:58:44 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Emlyn's Expressions, Featured Participants, Love, Teach

This is the second part of a two-part blog series that I started yesterday, to highlight current, past, and future participants that have either found love abroad, or are traveling or will be traveling with their loved ones on a Cultural Embrace program. Since it is Chinese New Years today (Happy Year of the Rabbit!), I thought it would be appropriate to feature two couples teaching English in China.

Today’s featured participant is Luan Lierman. I knew her as Luan Ly when I started working with her to organize her teach placement in China. Now, three years later, she is still in China, independently tutoring, learning Chinese, and working on couple of side businesses. She recruited her husband, Van, and current Cultural Embrace participants, Robin and Jeff (who were featured in the first blog)to join her in seaside Yantai, China, and even got married to Van in China. I hope you enjoy this Q&A with Luan, the same way that I am always delighted to receive email updates from her, since she has embraced the cultures in many facets of her life. 
 

Q: Why did you go abroad alone while you were engaged to teach in China? How long were you dating before you left China? 
A: Van and I got engaged in January 2008, the start of my senior year of College. We had planned to get married that summer after graduation, and of course plans change. Half way through the year, every Senior wonders what the next step will be. At this time, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do so I applied for all kinds of positions thinking something might work out. It isn’t easy for a fresh out of College to find a job, a decent job in my field of International Business anyways. With not many opportunities in Washington, I really wanted to travel abroad. What a better place than China. I had taken a year of Chinese in College so I knew the basic but I needed the environment to improve my fluency. That’s when I went online and typed in “jobs in China.” About 99% were all teach in China positions. I knew I wasn’t prepared or had any experience in teaching, but I love trying new things so it was a leap of faith. 

After applying to several organizations, one being Cultural Embrace, I just waited for a reply. A couple weeks later I received a call from CE and they wanted to interview me for a teaching job in Yantai, China. I had no idea where Yantai was and at this time, I had only 3 months before I would depart. I talked to my fiancé at the time and said I was going to China for 6 months minimum, which was the contract. He told me that he found a temporary job in California, making wine. We were both excited and this is our time to explore the unknown. Of course this wasn’t easy and we had to think long and hard but finally we decided to do what we loved. I would go to China and he would go to Napa Valley. At this time, we had post-pone our wedding date to the following summer which felt wonderful. The pressure of planning and marriage was lifted off my shoulders. We both felt good about it. And this time will allow us to grow independently since we were together throughout College. We had been together for over 4 years. 

Q: Were you nervous having a long distance international relationship, and how did you deal with the long distance?
A: Long distance relationships are never easy. I hate it! The longest long distance we did was about 3 months when I studied abroad in China my junior year. That was actually one of the main reasons why I wanted to come back to China. During the studied abroad trip, my Chinese language ability improved tremendously. All I needed was to be in China. Needless to say, we didn’t like being apart but what can you do when two people have different wants and dreams. That’s why marriage is not easy but you go into the promise with the hope that love will lead the way. 

Q: How did your experience in China change when your fiancé came to teach in China too? 
A: When Van came to visit me in December, I was more than thrilled. It had been almost 4 months since I last saw him. He came on a 1 month tourist visa thinking he was going to hang out in China and then head to New Zealand for more wine making. That was the plan, and plans change. He decided to stay with me and earned more money in China than he would if he went to New Zealand. Money unfortunately was a main priority since we were planning on getting married that summer, 2009. 


Before Van came, I cried the first couple weeks I was in China. Not because I didn’t like being in China, but I was alone and teaching was overwhelming. I arrived in late early Sept. when I was supposed to be there in late August due to visa delay and complications. School started that first week of Sept. as well. I came on the 5th and school started on the 6th. Yup, not a whole lot of time to adjust. I made it through that first week with the thought of, “oh boy, what did I sign up for?” But then I told myself, “you can do it Luan!” I had met some friends during the first few weeks and we were in the same boat. Molly and Jack were also recent College graduates and decided to try China for a year. Molly was my maid of honor and Jack was Van’s best man in our China wedding. 


Van deciding to stay in China made my decision easy as well. I extended my contract to one year. Now, we’ve been in China almost 3 years. Time flies when you’re having fun. =)


Q: Tell us about your wedding in China, and was it a culture shock to you and spouse?
A: Our wedding in China was perfect. It was perfect because our apartment we moved to happened to be right next to a Christian church. We did not plan that. When we switched schools for the second semester so we could teach together, we moved downtown. We worked with a private tutoring center which gave us great accommodations, but we didn’t stay too long since our schedules were not ideal. 


Anyways, Van and I lived together in this apartment and our family back home wanted us to see if we could sign a marriage license before we starting living together. To please them we looked around, and even contacted the embassy of in Beijing to see if we could get a marriage license since our wedding was scheduled for July 25th,2009 in Washington. Well, it was useless. Two foreigners in China can’t get legally married in China. One of the many laws in China. So, it was Feb. and the one thing we could do is have the wedding ceremony at the church. We set the date for April 25th,2009. That gave me two months to plan and with the help of some Chinese friends, it was more than I had expected. 


We had a pastor that only spoke Chinese so we asked our friend Jack, a Chinese English teacher, to translate the ceremony. He was delighted to. My friend Brenda helped me arrange all the flowers, decorations, camera/video man, and pretty much for my right hand woman. She was amazing. I’m so thankful for all my friends I’ve made met in China. 


On the wedding day, everything was set to go. Brenda’s daughter Lorraine was our flower girl. Jerry, one of my students was the ring barrier. Molly and Jack were ready to go with their new dress and suit. I had printed 300 programs and by word of mouth invited all my students and their families. At about 6pm, my uncle from Beijing walked me down the aisle and that’s when I saw the crowd. It was breathtaking. Van was waiting for me at the altar, and I walked down smiling at all our students and friends. Most of our international friends also came. England, Italy, Australia…etc. It was an international event. The whole thing was captured on video. Our students had never seen an American wedding before and for some, it was their first time in a church. We felt like celebrities since everyone had their cameras and taking pictures of us. My seamstress, Mrs. Yang and her son also came. She had custom made my husband’s suit, and Molly’s maid of honor dress. She is very talented. It was a perfect day!

Q: Do you have any advice for living and traveling abroad with your companion?
A: If you and your partner love adventure and meeting friends from around the world, go abroad. It was the best decision I’ve made, besides getting married to Van. He and I are grown in our relationship and our marriage. We study Chinese together and practice at home. Now, after 2 years, we can communicate in Chinese. I actually never thought that would happen. It’s fun to have a secret language when we go back to the US. Van finds China a fascinating place and the language very interesting. He even enjoys listening to Chinese music and tries to sing along. I haven’t ventured there yet. =)


Q: What are your anticipated future plans?
A: Since we’ve been in China, we have made the most of it. After planning two weddings, China and America, I might say I was experienced in the wedding biz. My friends back home wanted to know if I could help them with their wedding by getting dresses and tuxedos made in China. I was more than happy to help. This gave me the idea to start my own business. Luan’s Custom Made Wedding Attire. My friends find it so convenient and much cheaper to have the clothes made in China by the talented seamstress, Mrs. Yang. All I need is the picture of what you want made and your measurements. It’s that easy and hopefully more people will see the benefits in this idea. I’m having lots of fun and I’ve always wanted to start my own business. Never thought this would happen but where there is a will, there is a way. I’m extremely grateful.


For future plans, we go back to Washington every summer to see family and friends. We haven’t had enough of China yet so we’re coming back for more. But this time, we’re moving to Guangzhou. We have friends there and they really want us to join them. We also have invested in our friend’s cosmetics company and are now shareholders. It’s a risk, but we did research and signed legal contracts so with no risk, there are no rewards. Life is about risk, trying something new, going places and meeting people. That’s what makes life fun and worth living. I would not have it any other way. We will come back to America eventually, but not yet. What’s the rush? Well, maybe a future child. =) That time will come. 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Make it Stop! by Teach in China Participant Robin

6/8/201111:53:27 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

China, Featured Participants, Teach

My opinions about snow seem to change on the daily, but today, I love love love it!!!! I woke up this morning to find that while I was sleeping, Yantai had gotten dumped on with about 6 inches or so. Well, at least that is dumping to me. Those of you who are from the Midwest are probably laughing at me, but this was a big deal. 

I was going to walk but after talking to Jeff I decided to take the scooter. “It’s just powder.” So I get down there and after freaking out about how white and beautiful everything was, and how deep my footprints were, I made my way over to the bike. I wish I had taken a picture. I had to sweep off a layer of snow that was about as tall as my hand if I stood it up on top of the bike seat. The whole basket was filled with snow. After I brushed everything off, the hard part was getting the aforementioned vehicle out of the snow that came up to my mid-calf. It went something like this. I sat on the scooter, did like a million point turn to get it faced the right direction, and then half walked, half rode it out to the street. The snow came up to the bottom of the part where you put your feet up, and you couldn’t tell that there was a curb because the snow had leveled everything out. I left some pretty amazing tracks behind me as I attempted to swim through the snow. 

I only made it about halfway to school before I hit the section where they had stopped plowing. I tried to flail through but felt like too much of an idiot to keep going, so I ditched the bike and walked the rest of the way to class. It was so beautiful! The sun was out, most of the snow was still white and untouched, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to keep looking at how perfect it was, or if I wanted to run all over and mess it up because it was too perfect. But I was late to class as it was anyways, so I left the snow alone.

A few things to note about when it snows in China. Recently we found out they have a giant snow plow, but they only bust that out in extreme situations. Otherwise, it is good old fashioned man power. This means that they equip the freshmen with about two thousand shovels, and send them out into the streets. So today, as I was making my way back from class, I ran into a roadblock that went something like this. The snowplow had cleared about a 5 foot path in the road so that I could get by on my way to class. But now, the students had been sent out, so this entire 5 foot wide path was swarming with them. I literally had to honk and yell and half walk the bike through this group of students, who found it necessary to call out “hello!” and laugh at me as I scooted by. It was like a one woman parade. 

Another thing that I felt was particularly brilliant was the behavior of the few cars that decided to go out this morning. There were only about three that I saw moving, but all three of them decided it was necessary to park their cars in the middle of the only plowed section of the road. Needless to say, I did not enjoy having to make my own way through the snowdrift on either side of the vehicles. I can only hope that there was some good reason they felt the need to park there, but I think it is highly unlikely that there is.

So today, aside from a few hiccups, I like snow. I love the way it sits on the branches of the trees so that the whole hillside is white with green peeking through. I love how white and smooth it is before anyone has walked on it, and I love how it provides endless entertainment for me as I sit inside with my hot chocolate and watch the freshmen shovel, sweep, and chip away at it. 

Oh China. 

Angelo's Testimonial by Language Exchange in France Participant Angelo Atienza

6/8/201111:49:03 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Featured Participants, France, Language Exchange, Teach

The family that you guys hooked me up with is absolutely amazing!! They're all so very kind and hospitable and you couldn't have given me a better living situation. Occasionally, it's a bit difficult to express myself to them and vice-versa due to the language barrier, but that's pretty much expected. Most of the time it can be resolved through a dictionary.
The town is very pretty too. At first I was a bit nervous because I thought that I'd be living in a small farm town in the middle of nowhere. But Limoges is actually a decent sized city with lots to do and plenty to see. It's also very convenient that there is a bus really close by that I can take to go downtown, to sports rec. centers, etc. so I can keep myself busy while the kids are at school & the parents are working. Just fyi, yes I am keeping a journal and taking plenty of pictures, both of which I can shoot your way whenever you want.

Anyways, thank you so much for all of Cultural Embrace's help these past few months and for setting me up with such a great family!! Thank you also for the teaching ideas. Everything that you guys have done for me is very greatly appreciated and I wouldn't be in such a good position right now w/out you!

Hope all is well and stay in touch!! 

Sydney! by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

6/8/201111:45:49 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Australia, Featured Participants, Work

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"Ta" is what I've heard many Aussies say in lieu of both "thank you" and "goodbye." It seems most appropriate to use it now in my last blog from Sydney. I can't believe it's been over five months since I first arrived completely clueless and lost in Chinatown! Although I'd like to think I've come a long way-- mastering the ins and outs of city life-- alas this is just not the case. Though I may no longer be quite as clueless, I am still quite often lost--but then that still happens to me in New Orleans so what should I expect?!

Christmas and New Years were both very bittersweet days. I hosted Christmas dinner, thanks to the "resort style" accommodations I've had housesitting. I don't think any of us felt as though it was really Christmas but we played along and cooked our favorite dishes from home, drank our favorite concoctions, and took turns skyping family/friends back home all throughout the day and some of us into the night--depending on what time zone we were from! The weather was gorgeous, though a bit hot, but we waited out the sun and ate our "orphan backpackers'" meal outside in the yard and later exchanged our secret santa gifts. It's funny the things you exchange as travelers. Nothing too expensive or lavish--as it will likely be broken, stolen or lost before you return home and even more so no one can afford it anyway!; also, nothing to big, bulky, or heavy--as we all considered that these gifts will end up being carried on our backs for lengthy periods of time or being weighed in an airport and we don't want to be responsible for a friend's overweight charges do we?! And so all the gifts were thoughtful--practical, edible, or small-which was just perfect! :)