Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 02, 2009
Vientiane, Lao PDR
I am in a coffee shop near the Mekong, using a crazy keyboard so forgive the non-conjuctions and missing apostrophes, sipping Lao coffee and enjoying the peace and quiet. Lao PDR is amazing. I can-t believe how mellow this country is. Lao people are absolutely wonderful. Kind. Polite. Helpful. It-s truly a pleasure to travel here. (Though to be fair, this probably isn-t the ideal destination for people who love hot water showers, air conditioning, or knowledge of what-s in their food.) Vientiane has strong roots pre-French colonialism. However, the architecture, cuisine, and city structure all serve as constant reminders of the extent of France-s influence. Though French is spoken by the older population, almost everyone in the hospitality industry speaks a tiny bit of English. I wonder what it would be like to teach English here... Lao itself is incredibly hard to decipher (at least for me). I-ve learned how to say "Hello," and "Thank you," and combined with my expert body language I-ve gotten far.
There are dogs and cats everywhere. None of them bark or hiss. Laos is a Buddhist country, and I wonder whether the animals are considered city-wide pets, as in everyone-s communal pets, or they-re tame because no one is mean to them. I-ve pet many and haven-t required a rabies shot yet. Yes, they-re a bit dirty. Yes, I still do it.
The traffic here makes me never want to go back to Korea or the U.S. for that matter. The best word to describe it is mellow. (I know I already used that word. I can-t think of a better one!) While riding my bike down the country-s most important street connecting the president-s palace to the Lao Independence Monument (think Arc de Triomphe) not a single car honked for me to get out of their way. In fact, they simply slowed down, which is saying a lot since traffic goes pretty slow anyway, to make sure they didn-t hit me or even cause me an inconvenience. It-s like everyone-s taking care of each other on the road and that bikers matter just as much as taxis and trucks.
The food is amazing. Spicy, fresh, and diverse. There are restaurants cooking all sorts of Asian food (Indian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Turkish!) and some tasty bakeries offering yummy warm baguettes and such. You can find fresh fruit being sold on every street corner. I ordered a "coconut shake" at a riverside stall and was surprised with a 10-pound green coconut with a hole drilled through the top. It was incredible.
I bought 25 dollars worth of books from a literacy charity here called Big Brother Mouse. Most Lao children don-t have books and don-t read that much. The charity writes books (in Lao, but many also in English and Lao) and translates stories into Lao, then prints them. The information materials said that waiters, clerks, and other working adults love receiving books as a tip since they don-t see them that often. I never imagined growing up without books. So, Chris and I bought a set of books that we can give kids when we travel to the rural north, but selfishly I-m keeping The Monkey King. It-s too hilarious to give up.
We ate lunch at a restaurant that trains street children in employable skills and gets them off the street. It has two sister restaurants in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (which I visited on my last trip) and many other locations. The organization, Friends International, is wonderfully structure and extremely successful in its mission. Not only do they train kids to be chefs, waiters, mechanics, and managers, but they offer street parents jobs creating souvenirs to prevent them from sending their children to the streets out of financial necessity. Additionally, they offer " training on various topics ranging from communication skills, drug use issues, outreach work, reintegration strategies, and other child-centered activities." I-ve seen a lot of charities, but this one in particular has passion, empathy, pragmatism, and above all a genuine interest in the kids first.
www.friends-international.org
Were you thinking of making a charitable donation any time in the future, please keep this charity in mind.
Randomly, I was sitting on a bench and a Chinese woman holding a baby sat next to me for a photo. I don-t know why. I think she just wanted a photo with a Westerner. Her baby was adorable and wore shoes that squeaked at every step.
Next stop, Vang Vieng and tubing down the Mekong!
There are dogs and cats everywhere. None of them bark or hiss. Laos is a Buddhist country, and I wonder whether the animals are considered city-wide pets, as in everyone-s communal pets, or they-re tame because no one is mean to them. I-ve pet many and haven-t required a rabies shot yet. Yes, they-re a bit dirty. Yes, I still do it.
The traffic here makes me never want to go back to Korea or the U.S. for that matter. The best word to describe it is mellow. (I know I already used that word. I can-t think of a better one!) While riding my bike down the country-s most important street connecting the president-s palace to the Lao Independence Monument (think Arc de Triomphe) not a single car honked for me to get out of their way. In fact, they simply slowed down, which is saying a lot since traffic goes pretty slow anyway, to make sure they didn-t hit me or even cause me an inconvenience. It-s like everyone-s taking care of each other on the road and that bikers matter just as much as taxis and trucks.
The food is amazing. Spicy, fresh, and diverse. There are restaurants cooking all sorts of Asian food (Indian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Turkish!) and some tasty bakeries offering yummy warm baguettes and such. You can find fresh fruit being sold on every street corner. I ordered a "coconut shake" at a riverside stall and was surprised with a 10-pound green coconut with a hole drilled through the top. It was incredible.
I bought 25 dollars worth of books from a literacy charity here called Big Brother Mouse. Most Lao children don-t have books and don-t read that much. The charity writes books (in Lao, but many also in English and Lao) and translates stories into Lao, then prints them. The information materials said that waiters, clerks, and other working adults love receiving books as a tip since they don-t see them that often. I never imagined growing up without books. So, Chris and I bought a set of books that we can give kids when we travel to the rural north, but selfishly I-m keeping The Monkey King. It-s too hilarious to give up.
We ate lunch at a restaurant that trains street children in employable skills and gets them off the street. It has two sister restaurants in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (which I visited on my last trip) and many other locations. The organization, Friends International, is wonderfully structure and extremely successful in its mission. Not only do they train kids to be chefs, waiters, mechanics, and managers, but they offer street parents jobs creating souvenirs to prevent them from sending their children to the streets out of financial necessity. Additionally, they offer " training on various topics ranging from communication skills, drug use issues, outreach work, reintegration strategies, and other child-centered activities." I-ve seen a lot of charities, but this one in particular has passion, empathy, pragmatism, and above all a genuine interest in the kids first.
www.friends-international.org
Were you thinking of making a charitable donation any time in the future, please keep this charity in mind.
Randomly, I was sitting on a bench and a Chinese woman holding a baby sat next to me for a photo. I don-t know why. I think she just wanted a photo with a Westerner. Her baby was adorable and wore shoes that squeaked at every step.
Next stop, Vang Vieng and tubing down the Mekong!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Translate please.
I've walked past this advertisement dozens of times. I still have NO IDEA what they're trying to say. Do they want to tell me that my lotion is non-toxic...and therefore my baby can eat it freely? Do responsible parents just laugh when their child swallows $50 worth of high-end moisturizer? And if that's NOT it, what in the world are they advertising???
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Christmas 2008 - New Year's too
I spent Christmas at Jeongbok's family's house. We made our own Christmas tree from poster board, construction paper, and post-its (accented with candy canes). 
We ordered pizza and exchanged presents. Koreans are serious about reciprocity, so I was worried that my Christmas gifts would be met with dread (guilt for not having anything to give me). Instead, they were thrilled. Jeongbok's mom scrounged up a wallet (probably in the drawer marked "just in case") and it magically appeared under the tree as well. However, what was even better was the note on it, handwritten. It said how thankful they were to have me there and wished me blessings in the new year. I was touched. (Yes, it was written in Korean. No, I couldn't understand ALL of it, but Jeongbok translated the rest.)
For New Year's we came back to Seoul and celebrated at the giant bell near City Hall. There were thousands of people, some intoxicated, and lots of roman candles shot off indiscriminately.
Of course, Korean protestors took advantage of the free publicity and marched against Lee MyungBak. But when midnight struck, everyone cheered. A group lit lanterns that floated into the air, carrying countless wishes and messages of good luck. As for us, we drank wine by the "fake river." 
It was a beautiful night. On January 1, I bought a cake and sang Happy Birthday to the new year.
It's going to be a good one.
We ordered pizza and exchanged presents. Koreans are serious about reciprocity, so I was worried that my Christmas gifts would be met with dread (guilt for not having anything to give me). Instead, they were thrilled. Jeongbok's mom scrounged up a wallet (probably in the drawer marked "just in case") and it magically appeared under the tree as well. However, what was even better was the note on it, handwritten. It said how thankful they were to have me there and wished me blessings in the new year. I was touched. (Yes, it was written in Korean. No, I couldn't understand ALL of it, but Jeongbok translated the rest.)
For New Year's we came back to Seoul and celebrated at the giant bell near City Hall. There were thousands of people, some intoxicated, and lots of roman candles shot off indiscriminately.
Of course, Korean protestors took advantage of the free publicity and marched against Lee MyungBak. But when midnight struck, everyone cheered. A group lit lanterns that floated into the air, carrying countless wishes and messages of good luck. As for us, we drank wine by the "fake river." 
It was a beautiful night. On January 1, I bought a cake and sang Happy Birthday to the new year.
It's going to be a good one.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Some things never change
This week is the last time I'll teach my current students because they'll be moving up a grade at the new year. I put together a great goodbye lesson of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (which I've watched 12 times now), candy canes, and a class photo. I wanted to use the time to say goodbye to the students who've made me so happy here. However, my last class today was rudely interrupted by a school-wide writing test which no one informed me would happen.
I've come to accept the many schedule changes, surprise exams, and club activities that conflict with my class time, but I resented it today (of all days!).
A teacher came to the door right as I was going to push play and motioned for me to come. I gestured, "Me?" and he did what most Koreans do, he made fun of his English by saying something totally inappropriate. He said, "Yeah, baby!" The girls laughed with delight. I was aghast.
He explained in the hallway that there was a writing test, then we both went back inside. He explained what was happening to the students, then again used inappropriate English. The girls whined about the test. "Shut up," he replied.
I was not entertained. It's not funny anymore. Even though he was making a joke, it's not funny. This is the problem with learning English words without proper connotation and void of context. The thing is, I don't think he (or anyone else who does this, and that's most people in Korea) care about appropriateness or politeness or connotations of what they're saying. English is a joke. And as long as they treat it like that, they'll be one too...which means, to them, I'll continue to be the clown.
I've come to accept the many schedule changes, surprise exams, and club activities that conflict with my class time, but I resented it today (of all days!).
A teacher came to the door right as I was going to push play and motioned for me to come. I gestured, "Me?" and he did what most Koreans do, he made fun of his English by saying something totally inappropriate. He said, "Yeah, baby!" The girls laughed with delight. I was aghast.
He explained in the hallway that there was a writing test, then we both went back inside. He explained what was happening to the students, then again used inappropriate English. The girls whined about the test. "Shut up," he replied.
I was not entertained. It's not funny anymore. Even though he was making a joke, it's not funny. This is the problem with learning English words without proper connotation and void of context. The thing is, I don't think he (or anyone else who does this, and that's most people in Korea) care about appropriateness or politeness or connotations of what they're saying. English is a joke. And as long as they treat it like that, they'll be one too...which means, to them, I'll continue to be the clown.
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