Hello South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East!

Who knew my little blog was being read in so many incredibly interesting places? Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, Sweden, and Argentina! I don't even know anyone who lives in these countries and these are only my last 20 visitors. Crazy.

Eye Exercises

Back in December I started a series about school life in China. You may think that the series was canceled after the pilot episode, as I seem to have dropped the idea. This, however, is not the case. That time of year was busy with other activities to post about, as well as a major trip to plan. Now that that’s all over, I want to get back to the work on the posts that I had planned.

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Each country and culture has its own way for students to relax during the school day. During my time in Germany, I learned that students believe that it is beneficial to open the windows (no matter the weather) between classes to clear their heads. In the US, students take recess and “passing time” as down time between classes to relax and talk to their friends. Likewise, Chinese students have a 10 minute recess type break between each class, during which they enjoying playing basketball and jumping rope. These break periods are vital as the students remain in the same room throughout the day and it is the teachers who do the moving.

The Chinese, however, take de-stressing during the school to another level. Two times per day (or three times for the boarding students) the students do eye exercises. The exercises are lead by the recording of a women which comes over the loud speaker. She starts by instructing the students on what exercise they will begin with and then counts to eight eight times. I imagine she says something like, “Alright students, now we’re going to rub our eyes for the next five minutes. Don‘t roll your eyes at me! Here we go. Yi, er, san, si, wu, liu, qi, ba. Er, er, san, si, …” She then goes onto the next exercise; there are four in all. The students don’t actually need to be reminded what exercise they should be doing, as they’ve done them in the exact same order multiple times a day for the past 6 years of their lives.

While a majority of the class is stroking their faces, one or two of the students are patrolling the classroom with a notebook, making note of the students who are not showing the exercises the seriousness they deserve. Yet another group of students comes around to each classroom to ensure the monitors are doing their job to report misbehaving students. Should the individual classroom monitor be caught not reprimanding their students properly, he or she would be severe punished. The Chinese are certainly not creating a society that encourages citizens to spy and tattle on their neighbors with this discipline method. How could you even think that?

Well, now that you’ve read my description of what eye exercises look like, why don’t you watch for yourself? If your eyes are feeling the strain of a hard day’s work, feel free to join in. Just follow the students and listen to the soothing music.

According to this article in the New York Times, it appears that the Chinese might be on to something with their multiple breaks and eye exercises. Who knows, maybe American students will spend time massaging their faces as well in a few years.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

This week I have been teaching the students about body parts. This consists of me singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” 72 times, leading 12 rousing games of Simon Says, and allowing the students to draw on the board. Like twelve year-olds in any other country, they find it exceedingly funny to draw a pig nose and vampire teeth on the stick figure on the board. Some of the bodies actually came out pretty well, so I thought I’d let you take a look at one.

Welcome to the middle school classroom in China! (Notice the claw-like fingernails and bearded stick-person who is also wearing a skirt. Perhaps it's a kilt.)

For You Viewing Pleasure

At long last, here are the links to the photo albums containing photos from my recent trip. There are 486 photos in all, so try not to wear yourself out looking at them all at once.

Hong Kong, China
Bangkok, Thailand
Auytthaya, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mekong River Cruise, Laos
Luang Prabang, Laos
Vientiane, Laos
Si Phan Don, Laos
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Kompong Khleang, Cambodia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hanoi, Vietnam
Halong Bay, Vietnam

Happy Valentine's Day!

Careful When Using the Crosswalk

During the past several months Zhuzhou City has been on a campaign to curb (pun intended) jay walkers. There are elderly crossing-guards posted on every corner poised to give you a 20 RMB (about $3.00) ticket for crossing the street where you shouldn't. I've been complaining about how ridiculous I thought this was because the crusade is not coupled with the requirement that drivers in turn respect the crosswalk (or follow any traffic laws at all it seems). Today that fateful day arrived; the day I was proven correct. On my way to school today I heard the sound of screeching tires come to a stop and saw everyone on the bus stand up to look at a women on the ground in front of a taxi in the middle of a crosswalk. I'm glad to see these new laws are protecting the citizens of Zhuzhou. Oh, China!

Spring Festival Overview

Numbers:
# of days traveled: 31
# of countries: 6
# of currencies: 7
# of visas: 3
# of passport stamps: 14
# of extra pages added to my passport: 24
# of US Embassies visited: 1
# of cities: 13
# of times stranded in a city we did not intend on visiting: 2
# of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 6
# of long distance buses: 5
# of buses missed: 1
# of trains: 7
# of flights: 4
# of unplanned flights: 2
# of boats: 2
# of days spent on boats: 4
# of elephants ridden: 1
# of bikes rented: 2
# of times ripped off by taxi/ tuk-tuk drivers: 10+
# of hotels: 12
# of bungalows: 1
# of animals found it the bungalow: 3 + bugs
# of insects willfully consumed: 1
# of fruit shakes: 21
# of bug bites: 50+
# of sun burns: 2
# of temples visited: too many to count
# of mosques visited: 2
# of random run ins with friends: 2
# of miles biked in Siem Reap: 45
# of things lost: 4
# of things broken: 6
# of times we did laundry: 2
# of times we had no idea what was going on: incalculable
# of people put into their place after they tried to rip us off: many
# of times we wanted to burn the LP: millions
# of books read: 4
# of scarves and bags purchased: an embarrassing number
# of dollars saved with our super bargaining skills: countless
# of dollars spent nonetheless: too many
# of dollars spent on visas: $108
# of pictures taken: 2186
# of new friends: dozens


The Best:
Meal: Chiang Mai
Fruit Shake: Chiang Mai
Street Food: Bangkok
Bus: Vientiane to Pakse
Train: Vietnam to Hengyang
Hotel: Siem Reap
Temple: Angkor Wat
Buddha: Bangkok
Bathroom: Hanoi
Airport: Hong Kong
Public Transportation: Bangkok
English: Kuala Lumpur
People: Kuala Lumpur
Tour Guide: Chiang Mai
Foreign Friends: Halong Bay
Knock-off Goods: Kuala Lumpur
Mall: Kuala Lumpur
Market: Bangkok

Oh, please, no! Not more delicious tropical fruit!

During the Vietnam War, hundreds of US pilots who were downed in the northern Vietnam area, including Senator John McCain, were detained in Hao Lo Prison, which is located in Hanoi. The prison was originally built by the occupying French to hold political prisoners. The Vietnamese who were imprisoned in Hao Lo were no doubt treated poorly and suffered extensively. Today, portions of the prison remain and are on display as a memorial and museum.

The curators of the prison did a very good job of showing how horrific life in the prison was during French occupation. The food, bathroom facilities, and living spaces were clearly inadequate. Leg braces, a guillotine, and prison uniforms are all on display for visitors to get a better idea of how terribly the prisoners were treated.

The curators were, however, a bit less detailed when it came to the US soldiers housed in the prison. According to Lonely Planet, Southeast Asia on a Shoestring, Senator John McCain is unable to lift his arms above his head due to torture he experienced at Hao Lo, where he tried to commit suicide twice. This aspect of life in Hao Lo was – how should I say it – “overlooked” when the exhibit was being designed. Instead the displays show pictures of happy inmates decorating a Christmas tree, singing songs together, and attending Christmas mass. Brand new-looking clothing, which was “worn” by one of the many US soldiers who “enjoyed” their time in “Hanoi Hilton”, as the prison was known during the war, is on display is several cases. Another case shows a letter which was allegedly sent back to America by one of the inmates tells of the delicious tropical fruits he ate, the songs about his home state that he sang with his friends, and the many other fun things he had been up to.

The account of Hao Lo clearly varies greatly depending on the source. Since obviously neither source is lying or exaggerating, I think we have to assume that the torture that John McCain speaks of must refer to the delicious tropical fruits. Lifting juicy pineapple, papaya, and jackfruit to one’s mouth day after day could permanently hurt the arms. Let that be a lesson to you. Be careful about the amount of delicious tropical fruits you eat, it could permanently scar you.

Dress in Islam

Rather than give you a play by play of my time in Malaysia, I’d like to let you read experts from a pamphlet I picked up at the Malaysian National Mosque. I’m not posting this here to laugh at or make fun of what they have to say. I just think it’s really interesting to take a minute to think about things from the “other side.” It’s rare that one is able to see things through another’s eyes, so I’d thought I’d share this opportunity with you. Furthermore, though I clearly don’t agree with everything they write, some of their points are actually valid.

Dress in Islam

“The very same headscarf revered as a sign of ‘holiness’ when worn by Catholic Nuns, is reviled as a sign of ‘oppression’ when worn by Muslim women.”

Western politicians and media criticize Islam as anti-women. … Just about everything that feminists in the West strived for in the ‘70s was already available to Muslim women 1400 years ago. Woman enjoy more protection and respect within Islam compared to any other faith. … In the spiritual realm, women are equal to men as the only distinction amongst the Believers is the level of their piety. Western politicians and media portray Islam as anti-women’s rights by highlighting cultural and political practices in Muslim lands that have nothing to do with Islam. …Muslims regard the West’s attacks on Islam as nothing by hypocrisy as reflected in their backing of groups that suppress human rights in Muslim lands. The hegemonic control of the oil and natural gas reserves in Muslim lands is the primary goal of the Western powers. … Every aspect of Islam is now under a magnifying glass – to search for subjects to distort and misrepresent Islam as backward and violent. They do not spare even the hijab, the dress of the Muslim women. They highlight it as ‘proof’ of women’s servitude in Islam. … The Muslim woman seeks spiritual beauty. Her hijab is an external expression of her inner commitment to lead a way of life that pleases Allah The Most Merciful. Rather than make rules of dress styles, Islam teaches both men and women how to be modest and humble in their dressing. The dress of the Muslims must be loose enough to hide the shape of the body. … Islam does not require a person to dress totally in black, blue, or green. Only saffron, the color associated with polytheists, is prohibited as dress color for Muslims. … Most hijab wearing women do not cover their face and hands. A small though highly visible minority wear a face veil (niqab). They have been harassed and discriminated in the ‘liberal’ West. … Cultural practices and personal choices are constantly highlighted to portray Islam as a backward religion that needs modernization. .. Islam redirects humankind from the false worship of created things to the true worship of The Lord of all created things.

Angkor What?

Before I started any serious planning for my Winterbreak trip to Southeast Asia, the one place I knew that I wanted to visit was Siem Reap, Cambodia, which is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor. Angkor is a complex of Hindu and Buddhist temples, the most well-known being Angkor Wat. I first learned about Angkor a few years ago while watching 1,000 Places to See Before You Die on my beloved TravelChannel. The Ulle's spent an entire episode in Cambodia, the majority featuring Angkor. At the time I thought the temples were amazingly beautiful and that it would be incredible to visit the site, but at the time I never imagined I too would get the chance only a few years later.
Though the visit had a rocky start, Caroline and I had a most enjoyable time. We were both overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the temples. We spent the first day visiting some of the outlying temples with the help of a tuk-tuk driver and the next day woke at 4:00 am in order to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. We rode bikes in the pitch-dark to Angkor, praying the enitre time that we wouldn't be killed by the tuk-tuks and tour buses that were whizzing past. Everything ended up just fine and Caroline and I lived to see the sun rise another day, this day over one of the most beautiful temples in the world. By the end of the day, we had ridden over 45 miles to visit 6 temples! Our final day in Angkor was spent visiting Angkor Wat itself. While it wasn't what I expected, it was magnificent and I'm so happy I was able to see it during my lifetime.
All of this, though, might not be what I remember most about my time in Cambodia. During the afternoon on the third day, Caroline and I decided to visit a "floating" village. The village is not actually floating, rather built on high stilts. To get there, we had to take a tuk-tuk, ride motorcycles, and then take two boats. The village is built in a area that is severly affected by the change in water levels during the rainy season. From the water marks that we saw, it appears the water rises over 8 feet during wet season. While it was fascinating to see the changes these people have made to their lives to allow for the changing water levels, the most interesting part of this visit was that it wasn't all touristed up. We did see some other tourists in the area, but for the most part, I felt like I was getting an authentic glimpse into the lives of the villagers here. There weren't really many people who spoke English, there weren't small children trying to sell me bracelets, guide books, and postcards, and there weren't women calling out "Lady, lady you want cold drink?" It was very refreshing and nice to be able to travel in a place that wasn't catering to my every need, as weird as that sounds. Although everything was set up for me, it felt a tiny bit like I was forging my own path and meeting the locals where they were, rather then having them come to me all the time. Because of this, I will remember Cambodia as a place where I was able to see real people, in their traditional and "natural" environment.