Creating A Global Identity...

Back Home! 11 Countries latter...Who am I ? What now?

2008-07-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

A free outdoor dance party in Central Park every Sunday!

My uncle and aunt restate their wedding vows the "Indian way" after 25 years of marriage

Catching up with a friend at a BBQ on memorial day weekend
Coney Island , despite rumors of extreme makeover is still vibrant and kicking with lights, diversity and colors
Seun Kuti ( Fela Kuti's son) performs at summer stage for a free concert

I have been back in NYC for 2 months since my trip. I spent the first month catching up with friends and trying to get back into the pace of things here. After talking to so many people who hadn't read my blog or kept in touch and hearing the same questions and giving the same answers I was a little disenchanted and not very excited about talking about summing up my trip or what I learned to people. You don't want to hear cliche answers and you want to get into details and emotions but how much can you say about a life changing experience in a brief encounter with an old friend.

Other than that issue, I had to deal with feeling let down to see what I was coming back to. Things were not as exciting as I remembered. Ofcourse it was nice to have a proper NYC slice again and jump on the train and hear some great musicians and see some good street art, but I realized how much less balanced life is in New York City. How unsustainable, how it was less holistic than other cities. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of concrete I had to deal with . I was disturbed by how much people were consuming and not recycling. I felt saddened by the lack of warmth I felt in everyday interactions. Some of these perceptions were real and some of them seemed heightened because I was back to the familiar. I didn't feel the energy and excitement of waking up in a different city. Of learning so much , of challenging myself.

Recently I have felt different. After reaching out to friends that were supportive of me, after going to outdoor concerts, seeing people working on community gardens, going to various events, and being around people that are involved in dynamic and important struggles here I realized how much I was overlooking. I've been slowly trying to get involved in new projects.

I am currently looking for work as a community organizer, or with a non-profit or NGO. After working as a waitress and hostess for the last 9 years, its a big leap for me to actually be able to get paid for something I like doing. My trip helped me feel confident about what I have to offer the world. It also made me learn to ask for myself. When you wake up in a country you have never been to, don't have any personal contacts and don't speak the language very well, you are forced to make interactions through the day to eat, to socialize, to learn and these interactions become the most memorable experiences in these places. It took me awhile, but I realized I can have those interactions here too, if only I allow myself to. I have always been spontaneous and aware of my surroundings but now even more so.

In many ways I feel lucky to be here in Queens New York City at this moment in history. The most diverse county in the nation, and most likely the world. I am not traveling , but I have the world at my fingertips here. In my communities. The local has always been tied to global forces and agencies. It is important for us to have both perspectives and remind ourselves that nothing is isolated. Everything is intertwined.

So what now? Well other than get a job and try to use the skills and lessons I built on my trip, I am happy to say I will start an MBA program at New School University this fall in International Affairs. I look forward to using my research to build a larger project and also think of further projects and work I can do in the future.

I am also working on a documentary photography book of my trip which should be done soon.

Sometimes I see something, look at a picture, read an article or hear a familiar word, or see something that reminds me of something about my trip and I get these moments of clarity and peace and so many memories come flooding back to me and I think wow I did it. Me ... a working class woman of color . I had this dream and I validated it. I have so many connections and friends that I made in various places that I still talk to and I rarely feel lonely or alienated. After all, this is something I wanted more than anything, to feel apart of the world. To feel apart of history and tied to other struggles and other lives all over this world. My life has not become completely easy and every day there are new challenges but I have a world to reference . The stories, the people , the struggles all right there for me to use to help guide me. I realize that many of you have a dream to travel and to do projects in other places. I want to tell you I would be happy to talk to any of you about developing projects or seeking to become involved in struggles abroad.

I would like to add that another thing I realized is I feel much more confident in my ability to live abroad. The idea doesn't scare me and I am definitely giving it a thought. I still need to get fluent in a few more languages. I still need to do more research. At the same time, I have rediscovered the great aspects of New York City and seen that here, there are a number of ways for me to get involved, to be apart of making this city better and to make connections to a global community! I am so happy to be able to apply what I've learned and spread the lessons here.

I also want those of you that are away now to post guest blogs on my page. I currently have two friends in South America and I thought, thought I am not traveling anymore, people in my network are! We must share and grow and become our own journalists and do our own research and eyes for the rest of the world . It is our duty while we travel to give a voice to the voiceless. So this is not the end .... just the beginning. Please feel free to email me if you would like to build.

Peace , love and solidarity to you, the reader, whom ever you are , wherever you are in the world.

Brothers and sisters in the global struggles....

New Zealand... One of the many trail-blazers towards "Sustainability"

2008-05-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Wellington ( the capital)
May was New Zealand's fall so I got to see beautiful autumn leaves like this everywhere

The City Council just passed a bill to provide street recycling in Wellington! FANTASTIC!
These stickers were on every single outlet!
It's a part of their culture... sustainability is not a new idea... neither is supporting Fair Trade
Local Brews

If I had planned the last leg of my trip instead of being burnt out by trying to cram too many places in such a little time, I would have stayed in New Zealand for longer than I did. Not to mention New Zealand was one of the most expensive destinations and I had already gone over budget.

Because of a number of factors New Zealand boasts some pretty fantastic scenery . The government has strict regulation about the amount of logging that they will allow for grazing sheep and cattle. Apparently there are more sheep in New Zealand than people. Many of the cities have very active Municipal Councils and participation of people in local initiatives. In the capitol or Wellington the City Council passed to have recycling bins outside in the streets of Wellington. Everywhere you go you see people recycling, using environmentally friendly bags, products etc...

The indigenous people's of New Zealand , the Maori who had originally came from Tahiti and before that from South East Asia had developed a very respectful relationship to the land and all things natural. There are a number of Maori proverbs that still have the same or not even more relevance. My favorites that I got from an exhibit from the National Museum "Te Papa" in Wellington were:

What is given by the land should return to the land

Swift to fall, long to resurrect

I will never be lost/I am a seed of this land

Embrace the past / Prepare for the future

These beliefs stem from a Maori concept of sustainability called "Kaitiakitanga" ( I hope I spelled that right ) which means "balance with nature."

These ideas are implemented in everything from legislation to commerce. In 1991 Rudolf Steiner pushed for the Resource Management Act which maintains biodiversity. Though allot of New Zealand's forest is being cut down for sheep and cattle farming, there is a quota and limit to how much forest is cut and in what time frame. In addition there will be a project of replanting of trees to ensure that the cycle is sustainable.

Auckland is the most populated city in New Zealand. While in Auckland I noticed the pr essence of many immigrant communties. There are allot of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, as well as Turkish, and Lebanese immigrants. It was nice to see the diversity after being in more homogeneous places for a few months. After talking to New Zealanders though, you get mixed reviews about how they feel about Auckland and how they feel about immigrants. With an election this year, I heard allot about trying to get new immigrants to participate and be more engaged in the election. In addition, there was also some talk in the media about getting Maori communities to be more engaged in the election, as high numbers of Maori people are not registered to vote and do not participate in the election.

New Zealand was a very expensive destination for me to travel on my struggling student budget. I stayed in hostels, bought my own groceries, and learned to be as thrifty as possible. It was easy with all the great hostels. I bought a package in which I traveled around the North Island on a bus and could hop on or off at any point. Most of my days consisted of going to museums, taking photos, walking around the city and talking to as many people as I could. Many tourists are attracted to New Zealand for adventure sports. It wasn't high on my agenda and I didn't care because I didn't have any money to do any of them anyways. I was happy to find out just that they had an engaged citizenry. Strong municipalities, vibrant and diverse towns and cities as well as a sustainable model of development. Hats off to New Zealand for blazing an exemplary model. I hope to be back again to check out the South Island!

In Hong Kong with friends...

2008-05-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hill in Cambodia
The view from Hill's bedroom
Market in Kowloon
Macau Island
The Bar District-Lan Kwai Fong
Chueng Chau Island
Giving offers to Hill's ancestors at the graves
A dragon that will be used for festivities on Chueng Chau Island
Macau Buddha
Danny and I went out during Typhoon 3 and were stuck in a restaurant for a few hours when I took this
Chueng Chau Island

I apologize to all my regular readers for not updating this. I never leave projects unfinished once I start them.

So ... Hong Kong.. Why did I go to Hong Kong? Well I originally did not plan to go to Hong Kong. There was nothing that I absolutely had to see there but I was quite surprised at how much I did learn and was thoroughly impressed by. Hong Kong was a lay over on three separate occasions so I decided to just extend one of them for 8 days.

When I was in Thailand, I met a girl named Hill, whom I met again in Cambodia since we were both traveling the same route at similar times. Hill is originally from Hong Kong and has family there. She had been in Australia for more than 4 years for college and was doing a trip on her own over land through southeast Asia and then up back to Hong Kong. Hill was an inspiration and a delightfully fierce woman to travel with. She told me to contact her once I was in Hong Kong and I stayed with her and her family for the most of my stay in Hong Kong.

The first day in Hong Kong after taking the express train to another island and then taking a taxi we got to her complex in "New Territories". Hong Kong is too dense for any houses. People live in huge high rises. Hill was on the 38th floor. What a view... mostly of the harbor. The first day I went with Hill's family for a long practiced tradition of giving respects to their ancestors. We met up early, at some dim sum and then went to several cemeteries where we gave offerings of inncense, fruit, and burned certain symbolic things like fake money in which was supposed to be used in the afterlife.

For one weekend I explored Hong Kong with an old friend from high school, Danny. Danny has lived in Beijing for 2 years and speaks fluent Mandarin. He has been there for work and travels to Hong Kong and other close destinations pretty often. Danny loves urban planning and likes to explore interesting neighborhoods with complex histories. We went to Wan Chai which is more a working class, both residential and commercial area of Hong Kong.

Hill took me to several museums and areas of Hong Kong. We went to view a giant buddha on Macau Island.

My favorite part of my stay in Hong Kong is when we went to Chueng Chau Island. Hill had some family still living on the island , including her grandparents who were in their 90's and still run a store on the island! They are beautiful energetic spirits and it is amazing that they can keep up a store on their own. Chueng Chau island has more than 30,000 people and not one single car other than an ambulance. There are no cars allowed on the island. So what is the main form of transportation? Bikes! Hill and I borrowed some bikes from a friend and biked all over the island. It was absolutely beautiful. Fishing is the biggest economy on the island and the boats are colorful and bright.

Staying with Hill and getting a tour off the beaten path from Danny as well really allowed me to see how people in Hong Kong live. So they have always been a hub/major port for the rest of capitalist asia. They have a very different history than China, and yet you still see both the Hong Kong and Chinese flag flying all over. Hong Kong has its own government that provides for its immigration, police force, legal system, monetary system as well as delegates but Hong Kong is under the Central People's Government which provides the territories defence and foreign affairs. There are sooo many x-pats in Hong Kong you can go to completely gentrified areas where you will see very little Chinese. In these areas you can get away with speaking English all the time. It makes it a very easy place to travel.

I loved the transportation system in Hong Kong! Thumbs up the the Octopus card which can be used on 7 lines - bus, shuttle, train, subway, ferry, as well as other forms of transportation.

Thank you to Hill and her beautiful family for taking me in and feeding me, giving me a bed and being my host family for a week. Hill if you are reading this.... I hope you are still dreaming big and I hope to see you out there as we keep blazing new paths and finding out more about the world.

Japan- Reunited with my Global Family

2008-04-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

My family took me to a Jinja to bless my travels
Food stand set up or Hirami (cherry blossom Festival)
Cherry Blossoms in bloom
My good bye feast , some sake - a present for me
Sekino falls- Miyakonojo

Much of my family is spread across the world. I have relatives in a number of countries and states and this is a reality for many now. After centuries of living together and having extended family so close, many of us don't have the opportunity to see and get to know our families. This has been the case for me for a long time. It is one of the reasons I felt very alienated growing up. I had moved so many times and lived with so many different people in my family in different places, it was hard for me to feel like I genuinely belonged to household or community when I was growing up. As I have grown older I have been able to relinquish relationships that were broken off or never existed because of the forces of global markets. My family is torn because of the A.) a choice and B.) not having the choice when it comes to live in a Nation-State that is not burdened with debt , poverty or lack of infrastructure. So they went to the hegemonic powers. Wanting a slice of pie. A opportunity at freedom. A right to pursue their dreams.

This blog is dedicated to my Uncle , for all his humility, strength and all that he has inspired me and others to do. At the age of 22 ,he left India and went to Japan where he learned Japanese in the matter of months and entered speech contests in Japanese and won! I thought that was remarkable. What is also remarkable is that he plays the role of interpreter still in the communications company he works for setting up film crews to make documentaries in different countries , but mostly India.
Through my Uncle's struggle I realized how hard it was for him to be in Japan. A country that is still leaning to homogeneous side. It is a very difficult place to be in if you don't speak Japanese. While I was in Japan for two weeks I had many misconceptions debunked. I saw Japanese people as serious , as always rational, but there is a softer , passionate, spiritual side that many do not see. I met cousins for the first time and saw their children. It was quite an interesting experience realizing that there are people related to me living half way across the world, going on with their lives in culturally very different ways, yet still from the same ancestral origins as me. Not soo different in many regards.

I was lucky to be in Japan during Hirami which is the very important holiday known as the cherry blossom festival. It was absolutely beautiful to see so many pink petals all fluttering all over the streets, covering everything on the ground like a blanket. You would even see them in people's hair. During the festival , people gather and eat and drink under the Sakura trees (cherry blossom trees). It is actually an important holiday for businesses as well. Newly hired employees of large firms and businesses have to go through a sort of initiation process and take care of arrangements as well as drink to talk business and prove their worthiness to the higher ranking people of the company. You will see dozens of people in business attire at the level of inebriation laughing , singing, dancing once this happens. Its a pretty funny site.

I was in Tokyo most of my stay in Japan, but spent a number of days on Kyushu island in a small town called Miyakonojo. Population: 160,000. I have 2 cousins and an Aunt here, which I have never met. I spent a number of days in both Tokyo and Miyakonojo checking out Jinja's which are Shinto temples. I learned a great deal about how much Japanese culture and Shinto are entwined with the environment and landscape. There is a respect for all things natural and in nature and many aspects of their culture reflect this. Everything from the art, architecture, food and costumes all take the natural environment into account. It is a stark difference from Western culture that is soo used to going on with business as usual .

The over stimulation in Tokyo was a little extreme for me. It took me a number of days to get used to . I was thoroughly impressed with how bike riding friendly the suburbs were with large parking facilities for people that bike to the the train.

I was impressed by the efficiency of the transport system in general . I was stunned by how beautiful and clean it was regardless of the population. The infrastructure was pretty uniform in the city. Real estate is a huge market and rents are very high even for the large middle class populations.

The most rewarding part of my experience in Japan was getting to know my family. It was realizing that I have the right to be in other countries. That I can get over language barriers and understand what people's lives are. I can understand what they go through on a day to day basis.

In response to the global oil and food crisis

2008-04-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Watching BBC and hearing so many stories related the failure of the free-market to stabilize markets and as the people of the world are standing up against the inflation and high price of foods as their nation-state does little to regulate the markets. I want to offer this excerpt of my thesis for us to start thinking of the alternative. I am sick of people saying how bad everything is. Let's think of the alternative. Let's act. Let's start collective movements. We have consumer power. We have multitude power!

For real democracy to exist, political localization which manifests itself in participatory democracy has to be accompanied by economic localization where citizens have increasingly more power in the outcomes of their economic determinations. John Cavanagh, from the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies has been working to articulate alternatives to economic globalization. He has been instrumental in leading people-oriented organizations in the US, Canada and Mexico develop “Alternatives for the Americas” which addresses the injustices that arise under NAFTA. He has also compiled with the help of other various advocate-experts from the International Forum on Globalization, various ways to change the International Institutional Framework by strengthening certain UN organizations and proposing for a relocalization of markets. This call for localization of economy is not a utopian ideal of romanticizing back to a point of pre-industrialism and globalization, but a plea to limit and control trade. Trade is not undesirable but its role must be limited to “providing those things that cannot be provided locally.” (Mander and Goldsmith, 291) This would entail subsidies to small farmers and diversification of local markets for domestic consumption. When factoring the costs of trade and export, many fail to consider the environmental costs the transportation of commodities entails, or the quantity of petroleum that is required. The proposal for relocalization of markets does not seem nearly as utopian as the global expansionist model that assumes that availability of resources is unbound and endless. In addition, another assumption or value of the global economy model promotes the assimilation of all societies to that of one single homogenized society that consumes the same things and has the same lifestyle. This is problematic because it does not take into account the local cultures that are sustained by the local availability of resources or geographical limitations to that lifestyle. By promoting monoculture single crops, corporations are robbing people of their rights to remain distinct and independent, forcing them to consume things that are culturally irrelevant. The resistance of Karnataka farmers to the expansion of corporations like Mc Donald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken show concern over a shift to animal feed for cattle and other meats which constitute a meat based diet that is alienable to many people’s lifestyles in India. This shows the lack of cultural sensitivity that corporations have in their push for global economic growth. Their principal interest is that of profit. This is why it is important to reconsider and fully assess the need too correlate increased global free market trade to the livelihoods of peoples and ecosystems. This is why solutions like diversification and import substitution by local production can be seen as real viable and sustainable alternatives.

Please email me if you want to read more.

Vietnam

2008-04-15T01:51:00.000-07:00

Temple
War Remnants Museum- The photo that shook he world
Chinatown
Mekong Delta
Propoganda
Saigon traffic

War remnants museum
Mekong Delta

I am sad to say I definitely was not in Vietnam long enough to make any substantial kind of analysis. I wanted to go to a socialist country. I wanted to see what it was like. I wanted to go to war museums and understand the complexity and devastation and healing that took place in Vietnam. I have made the decision to go back to Vietnam at some point and to go to the north that is much different than Ho Chi Minh.

The Mekong Delta and series of canals were absolutely beautiful. I found Vietnamese people very friendly and with a great sense of humor. They smile and they love a good laugh. Saigon or Ho Chi Minh is a motorcycle city and the traffic is deadly. It can take you about 30 minutes to cross the street and you can't ever panic. Just walk straight or stop and people will go around you.

I did a number of short tours where I checked out Chinatown, Temples, Artist Workshops, The Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels, and the war museum. The War Museum has a number of iconic images of the Veitnam war. The images are heart wrenching and I had to take a good moment to cry and express how I felt seeing so many horrifying images of war. It was hard not to pick a side. It's easy to point fingers and ofcourse I think it was horrible that the U.S. did so much damage and the army killed so many people but I realized the real enemy is war. I saw images of things done on both sides. I watched a propaganda movie and felt the tension fill the air as the movie goes on stating how cruel and horrid the US army was. I am in no way supporting them , but shouldn't we be able to see how tragic the losses are on both sides.

All over Vietnam you see very interesting socialist poster art of Ho Chi Minh, health issues, workers etcc.. The art is really refreshing to see and I have to admit for a socialist country, there is still allot of Western Influence on everything from clothes to culture that ofcourse is another example of how globalization penetrates all markets. It was nice not to see a McDonalds or Kentucky Friend Chicken which you are still bombarded with in Thailand and every other country in the world.

Cambodia-A past of darkness but a country of hope

2008-04-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

The tragic recent history of Cambodia that many people are unaware of still has a big impact on modern Cambodians

Phnom Penh
Bar street in Siem Reip
The site of the killing fields

Holding cells at S21 Museum

s21 museum, many people had to become soldiers or help Khmer Regime in fear of being killed

These kids get by and help thier families by selling scarves and trinkets
Infront of Angkor Watt
The main form of transformation

One of many temples of Angkor have these remarkable trees that grow directly ontop of them

Angkor Temple
Buddhism and Hinduism have spread from India and have a big influence on Khmer Culture
Angkor Temple Carving
spiders snack for sale at a bus stop on the way to Phnom Penh
Khmer Dancers in Seim Reip

Before arriving to Cambodia I had heard so many mixed reviews about people traveling along the Vietnam/ Cambodia/ Thailand/Laos route. Many said that were disturbed and annoyed by the children and people that sell goods to tourists. They said it was a difficult place to be for a number of reasons. I knew that the difference between Thailand and Cambodia would be able to seen immediately on a developmental scale, but I had no idea what exactly to expect. I had known of the past history of Khmer Rouge and US involvement in the matter. I knew that the history of genocide and evidence of it's impact could still be seen. I never realized exactly to what degree. I loved Cambodia. Yes it was more difficult, and yes as a foreigner you do experience many uncomfortable scenarios but on the same note there is so many small miracles and sooo much strength seen by the people of Cambodia. I knew little about Khmer people or their culture. The Angkorian kingdom leaves centuries old rich history which Cambodians are very proud of.

Driving into Cambodia I was warned I might have a problem at the border. Sometimes people are charged extra entry fees by border police. The bus I took from Bangkok to Siem Riep was about 12 hours, one hell of a journey but quite an experience. At the border you have to change buses. You go from an air conditioned , padded seats tourist bus to something that looks like a school bus with no ac and a hell of allot of dust. When you get the border you have to carry all of your belongings from border to the other checkpoint. The road to Siem Riep from the border is not paved and extremmmmely bumpy. You have to bring toilet paper with you to use at the one bathroom stop your given. On the bus there were a number of Cambodians going from a small town to Siem Riep. My seat neighbor offerred me some peculiar sausage wrapped in plastic. She was very intent on me trying the sausage and I dare not decline. She didn't speak any English but she was really lovely. She offered me water and for awhile she passed out on my shoulder which I ofcourse didn't mind.

Arriving in Siem Riep I was transferred to a tuk tuk (mini motorcycle taxi) to take me to my hostel which was really lovely. The "Siem Riep" hostel which I booked for 10$ a night was reallly lovely. There was internet, wifi, restaurant/bar, pool, pool table , dvd area, as well as a yoga room and chill out room. My female 6 bed dorm was full with 5 other girls all traveling alone, all from different countries. It was really inspiring and motivational talking to all of them and what they were doing all by themselves. I felt really comfortable and empowered knowing that I could find brave women from around the world taking the initiative to travel alone.

At the hostel I met Rachel , Rachel was English and 35 years old recently divorced. Rachel sold her house and was traveling around the world for more than a year. We shared a tuk tuk around the Angkor temples the first day. Awwing at all the amazing architecture and cultural heritage it was no wonder why Cambodia's tourism was booming. The world heritage site of Angkorian temples are simply magnificent wonders. I learned that many of the temples were being restored because of damage received by the Khmer Rouge regime that ordered the distruction of the temples as well as the chopping off of many heads of the Buddha statues.

When you visit the temples you are bombarded by many children trying to sell you things. They are beautiful and they appeal to your heart by asking you to buy whatever they are selling so they can make money to go to school. Their parents are usually close by directing them on who to target and then taking the money from them. This is the other side of the sad dynamic on dependent informal sector economies that rely on tourism. I was not annoyed by it at all. The sadder thing that I learned is that all the money that is made by tourism for the sites since you have to buy a pass to see the temples is not put back into the economy. The money goes to the different nation-states and firms that have sponsored the restoration of many of the temples. Of them include China, India, Vietnam, The US among other countries. This is heart breaking to know that one of the biggest economies is privatized. Trying to recover from a tragic history of genocide in which 1/5 of the countries population was killed less than a few decades ago, you can correlate the impact this has on people.

Siem Riep was easy. Equipped with a bar street near by popular guest houses and hotels fill with trendy cafes and restaurants serving everything from Mexican to pizza to Khmer food. Here you can mingle with all the backpackers and travelers. Actually i was shocked at the amount of luxury hostels catering to luxury travelers. Huge 5 star hostels going for 1000$ a night seemed so ridiculous.

Another thing which i noticed is that Cambodia is addressing the punishment for supporting the child sex industry. Another one of the sad realities is that many children are sold by their parents into the sex trade. A Australian man that was staying in my guest house stated that despite the efforts to crack down, he was offered a small girl for $ on the street. I was absolutely mortified.

Among the various issues that plague Cambodia and Cambodian people I found Cambodians to be very friendly and hopeful. Many of them speak English which is contrasted to Thailand where much fewer speak English , even in the Cities. They have to know English because the dependency on tourism is part of many of their livelihoods.

After going to a landmine museum which was created as an NGO hoping to rid Cambodia of it's excess of mines which have killed many innocent civilians after the civil war. After visiting the killing fields and going to the s21 museum which was a highschool converted into holding prison where many where killed . I was absolutely astonished by how recent and to what extent this history had been a reality to soo many Cambodians. My tour guide of the s21 museum had lost her whole family during the war and yet everyday she talks about he horrors done by the government and men that carried out the torture and executions. It was important for me to understand how this history effects a collective consciousness. Cambodians remember, but they persevere and on many of them you can see the light in their eyes, pushing them through.

I was really touched by the all the strength I saw in Cambodia, it was a very difficult place to be, but exactly why I am glad I went and glad to understand a very complex and beautiful place.

Akoon

Thailand- the jump off point in South East Asia

2008-04-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Susan at the airport
My Bungalow in Ko Chang
Ko Chang Pier
Visiting a bar in Ko Chang
Ko Chang Sunset

BTS Skytrain took me everywhere
Wat Arun
The Floating Market
Ko-San Road
Ganesh

Canals are still used for transport

Sukhimvit- The area my hostel was in is mostly a business and residential area for the uppermiddle class

Emerald Buddha Wat
Lotus
My Lunch- Noodle Soup from a boat

On the way to Thailand I was on a flight to transfer planes in Bahrain. On my flight coincidentally I was seated next to an American girl, Susan. It was quite funny that we sat next together since we were 2 out of 3 foreign women on the whole plane. Susan had been working for a Christian group in Egypt and was on her way to India. We exchanged stories and experiences. She told me how hard it was for her to make the decision to travel and how she left her job and everything. Previously she had spent time in Ethiopia as well doing work with her Uncle and Aunt who lived there. It was so refreshing meeting an American that had the same desire to be in the world . To feel as if she was a part of it. We got to spend 6 or 7 hours chatting until our planes boarded. Susan if you are reading this I hope the rest of your trip and time in India at the orphanage was great. Please keep in touch and give me an update.

Arriving in Bangkok I was determined to make the most out of my independence and use my skills to do the most I could alone. I took an airport bus to my hostel for about 5$ which saved me 10$. My hostel was clean and organized and the food in the neighborhood was cheap and delicious.

Thailand is an extremely easy place to travel because it receives sooo much tourism. Most people start in Bangkok and then head off from there. It's a convenient starting point because you don't need a visa but you can obtain your visa for the bordering countries if your going to Laos and Cambodia and then Vietnam quiet easily. Bangkok is a verrrry developed city. Among all it's fancy stores and high rises, there is still rich history of Thai culture. Thailand is a kingdom. You are reminded of this like in any other Kingdom when you see pictures of the king everywhere. I didn't do enough research or interviewing to find out what Thai's think about the king, but it's also a bit of a touchy subject. Most Thai's like him. He seemed to help make some legislation's for the working people so I can't argue with that. The new BTS skytrain boasts flat screens, and there are about a dozen HUGE MEGA malls where you can find bootlegs to brand names. People love to shop in Bangkok because the exchange of the Euro/ dollar, etc.. is still very high.

If you are a backpacker and you get to Bangkok, most people are swayed to staying on Ko-San road or Rice Ave. Ko- San road is the meeting ground for travelers and backpackers starting their travels. From their they go North to Chang Mai or Loas , East to Cambodia or South to the tropical islands.

I got to my hostel on Sukhimvit by taking an express bus. It was close to the airport by far from all the Bangkok sites and Ko-San scene. In the hostel i met a few travel buddies. One which was from my stomping grounds Queens, NYC. We spent a few days hanging out checking out the Ko-San scene and booked a few budget tours. I checked out a war museum, went to Tiger Temple, a few Watts or temples , saw the Royal Palace, the usual stuff. I also met a travel buddy that I met up with in Cambodia and which i will probably meet again in Hong Kong. Hill is Chinese but has spent allot of time in Australia. She is a little spunky rebel that likes to travel alone and learn and grow and challenger herself like me. Hill if you read this I will never forget that you biked that really hot day in Siem Riep to see all the Angkor Watt sites and ate steamed beef heart. LOL Can't wait to hang out in Hong Kong.

After being in Bangkok for a few days, I wanted to get away from the fast pace. Too much sensory stimulation and I wasn't feeling the party scene. I did want to go to Chang Mai where all the more traditional and cultural sites of Thailand as well as organizations are, but I didn't have that long in Thailand and I was feeling very drained. I took a bus and ferry for about 16$ round trip to Ko-Chang Island. There I stayed in a bungalow where I had the privacy i needed to get some R and R. The bungalow was in Lonely Beach. Which is the south side of the Island and less developed than the other beaches. There is only one paved road and you take pick up trucks that act as taxi's or motorcycles to get around. The little town that I was in had a bunch of bungalow/restaurants , cooking school, clothing shops, a 7/11 type place with an Atm, a convenience store , some thai massage spots and Thai tattoo shops. For the most part, that was it and for most people that was all you needed. I loved this town. I met allot of people that had ended up falling in love with this place and learning thai. At night there are parties, but if you are not into the party scene you can just go for a short walk to the beach, get a thai massage, a meal for about 3$ and watch movies in the communal spot of many outdoor bungalow houses.
I am sad to report that there was still allot of prostitution in Ko Chang. I didn't go to the red-light district in Thailand and didn't want to. I met a few people that wanted to check it out for observation purposes. The thought of it was uncomfortable so i decided against it.

I had many interesting conversations with different travelers from all over the world here in Ko Chang . One was an Israeli couple . They said they seldom saw Americans traveling, as tourists or as backpackers or volunteers. My theory was that American media is very fear based and Americans are too afraid to leave the security of their monotonous lives. The Military industrial complex needs to promote fear and war to get money for arms and military so we watch only disasters and sensationalism. I think that people are attracted to the thought of visiting certain destinations for very particular reasons. People go to Thailand to relax and sit on the beach , get a tan , have a drink and party for a very little sum of money. Many go to Phuket and many do very little to make any intimate connections with Thai people. I found that many Thai people if you tried to talk to them were warm and friendly, but their immediate reaction to you was skeptical. I also noticed allot fewer people spoke English. They really didn't need to. They can get by without it, as in Cambodia which was allllot less developed everyone that worked with people spoke English because their pay depended on it. They were dependent on tourism

I met another man from Cyprus that was also very surprised as to why he never saw Americans traveling. He had been to 50 countries, most of them in Europe and Asia.

I met one English guy who had a friend that was living in Thailand for 7 years and had a Thai girlfriend said Thai people lived for the day. They do not overplan and worry about the future but they live for the moment and get by but also know how to relax , eat and enjoy their time with family.

I was given a few contacts to organizations in Thailand. None of them gave me any response so i made the most out of my time their, still had a ball and soaked up as much as I could. I would go back , but it wasn't the highlight of my trip. It was almost too easy. I didn't feel myself being challenged and I was sick of being around tourists and people that were not accustomed to try to be cultural sensitive.

Thailand's beauty and splendor is quite vast, but you can't understand it right away. It's definitely a place you have to take your time in and really try to learn to language and get over barriers to form connections. When you do, its very rewarding.

Egypt- Pharaonic Egypt To Islam

2008-04-13T20:49:00.001-07:00

Karim
The hotel room in Cairo
Old Cairo
Traditional Egyptian food- My favorite dish- and only 1$!
Giza
Luxor
Dancer in Motion
Giza
Luxor Temple
The train ride from Aswan back to Cairo- she was adorable

Muhamed Ali Mosque in Cairo
Mom infront of the Sphinx

My mother and I were in Egypt for only 10 days.

I have always wanted to go to Egypt. Partly because i wanted to see Pharaonoiac Egypt and partly because I knew it was the center of New Islamic culture. It is the Islamic country where most of the music and movies come from that go to the rest of the Arab world. I had stayed in Morocco in January of 2007 with a host family for 4 weeks. This was my first introduction and intimate encounter with Islam. This was also my introduction to understand the role of Egypt. Egypt has had a very complex history from The legacy of Pharaonic Egypt and also their strategic role in Middle East relations and past of Socialism.

Going to Egypt it was mind blowing to see the complexity to Paranoiac civilization. Growing up learning a very Euro centric history like most people, I realized not all histories are acknowledged or given their rightful amount of noteworthiness.

It was also interesting seeing the influence of different cultures and periods in one place - Coptic Egypt, Islam, as well as Pharaonic sites all in the same place.

I have always had a respect for Islam. I think it is a very misinterpreted religion and it is full of compassion and peace. Being in Islamic state reminds me of that.

I met up with my Mom on March 1st in Cairo. We stayed there for two days, exploring , eating food, went to the Pyramids of Giza and then we went to Luxor and Aswan. Our train to Luxor took 9 hrs and then to Aswan and then to Luxor I think it was another 6 hrs. The further you go South on the Nile it truly is breathtaking. The more south you go the more Nubian influence you see as well.

Being with my mom I realized how different our expectations were. After traveling for awhile I had been accustomed to never expect everything to go smoothly. I learned how to try to pack light and be realistic about what you will get from a place. Being able to afford a budget hotel which was two stars she expected to get hot water. She was very angry that we did not have hot water when she wanted to shower. In the second hotel , the experience was the same. She got very angry and proceeded to call the front desk angry that she was not able to take a hot shower. I explained to her that it wasn't any one's fault. It is the dynamic. Maybe most of the people don't have the luxury of having hot water themselves I told her. How can you demand it for yourself just because you are a foreigner. Being around her made me realize I was becoming much more cultured and patient than her with her American standards.

In Egypt when you walk the streets, you are pretty much spotted for being a foreigner. You will be hassled to by souvenirs and trinkets. The vendors are VERRRRY aggressive and it turns allot of people off to their experience in the country. We also have to remember, we are going into a country where tourism is both an evil and a blessing. Tourists think of it as a necessary evil that promotes development. At the same time it makes economies dependent and how can you complain about the informal sector that is trying to capitalize on your wealth as a tourist. It is their livelihoods. Its very draining at times to constantly fend off vendors or argue with people because you know they are overcharging you for something. But hey, they have that right. For us, what is another 50 cents or a dollar. I would get mad at times because of the principal, but then again, they assume I have money and yes I did make it all the way there, so I would bargain or walk away when i was unhappy with a cost quote but many times I saw people lower their prices or almost seem to have more respect for you if you do bargain then if you just give up at the first quote. It's definitely a learning experience.

In Luxor I came across this site where the city was knocking down many buildings to widen a Paranoiac site in which many people visit. Paranoiac sites bring all kinds of people to Egypt, but many people don't want to realize and understand the costs on Modern Egypt that their stay has.

I was lucky to meet up with Karim whom I met on the travelbuddy website. My conversation with Karim helped me to learn allot about how everyday life is for Egyptians. I wanted to ask Karim about his perceptions of Americans. He said that many of his friends find it hard to separate Americans from American Foreign Policy which they see as imperialistic. I did not blame him. He talked to be about the struggle to make it through college. Karim wants to get his masters in the US in computer science. He is doing very well in Egypt but he also wants to travel. He explained to me the importance of Egyptian Cinema for the youth in Egypt. Karim, if you are reading this , I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you in NYC one day where I owe you a milkshake. Inshallah! ha!

To all the people that want to go to Egypt and see the pyramids, please stay their awhile to get to know Islam, to understand what it means and please acknowledge your own role as tourist. You should not go for luxury. Go their with an open mind and be willing to shrug of a bad experience. You can't stay bitter over one interaction.

To try to understand Africa

2008-04-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

Market
Kumasi
Ashanti Museum- Ashanti King

Kumasi

Last day in Kumasi

Ante Victoria and I
Making Banku

Girls school for Peace where Sister Constance Works

After a few days in Ghana with Lamont and friends , I stayed with Eva. Eva whom I met on Couchsurfing let me stay with her. Eva works for FARA which is the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa. Eva works at administrative level for FARA. She explained that FARA is an umbrella organization bringing different organizations working with a variety of issues on agricultural issues including sustainable development.

Please Check out the website: http://www.fara-africa.org

Staying with Eva, even though it was only for 1 night was very humbling to say the least. Ghana like many developing countries in the world is having a water crisis. About half of the country is without running water. I heard this statistic on the radio in Ghana.
When you are walking around, a very common scene you will see is people transporting water from whatever water pump to various houses, on-top of their heads, usually in plastic oil containers that are probably a few gallons. This water is used for everything, cooking, washing dishes, bathing- everything you need water for. So people just remember, your direct access to water is not the given you think it is. For many people it is a luxary to have hot running water at disposable. I will touch on this latter at some point. There are many reasons that have factored into this lack of water issue. Privitization, drought caused by climate change, lack of developlent infrastructure due to curruption and greedy incentives by corporations. THE WATER CRISIS IS JUST BEGINNING!

Eva happily shared her water with me and for that I am so greatful to you Eva. Thank you so much if you ever read this. Talking to Eva I found out her interests in international relations as well and her desire to travel. I understand that for so many people to move to travel is a luxary and allot harder for those that have to go through leaps and bounds to get documents, funding, accommodations etc. Being in Ghana I realized how difficult it was for people to get sponsored. Us in the West have no idea how hard it is. We want to travel, we get a passport and a visa if need and that’s it. It is not that simple for those in developing countries. They have to prove that they have enough money and wealth to the point that the government where they want to go to does not think they will try to immigrate illegally.

After one night at Eva’s I stayed with a family in Kumasi. I took a 5 hour STA bus for 10$ 5 hours away to Kumasi which is the home of the Ashanti kingdom and tribe. Matt , whom I met on myspace who has done a similar “Round the World Trip” writes on issues of participatory democracy. Please check out his blog at

http://www.democracybythepeople.blogspot.com/

Matt had a friend Odenke who’s family lived in Kumasi. I am so thankful to have met Odenke’s family and Ante Victoria, All of Odenke’s siblings and nephews and nieces really made me feel at home. Kumasi is smaller than Accra. While I was there I saw a handful of tourists all of whom where traveling in groups. I never saw one traveling alone. There was a point I was on the bus looking around on the way to meet this family where I was a bit nervous that it would all work out. I seemed to attract allot of attention. Even more so in Kumasi. It reminds you of who you are and what your purpose is in a place. To most people I am the strange one. I would constantly see little kids pointing at me. At first they seemed curious about my presence and after awhile, they would try to speak to me in English to practice their English skills but shy when I answered them. Odenke’s Mother works at a fabric workshop and makes traditional Ashanti clothing for Ashanti funerals. They took me to their lovely home, gave me my own room, my own key and told me to make myself at home.

Ghanain hospitality reminds me allot of Indian hospitality. There is allot of respect for elders but they love to talk to you as well. There was a moment where I had been in the house for a few hours and it started to rain very heavily. I sat outside on their large porch watching the rain beat down on the dry Ghanian soil. The house was quiet and I could hear the occasional chatter of someone inside. I was releaved to be in a big family setting. They made me feel like I was a part of the family and that I had every right to be there, even though I had never met them and only been in Kumasi for a few hours. I felt an extremely powerful wave of emotion come over me and it felt really right to be there. The next two days Kwame and Joe took me to a number of key places I wanted to visit to learn more about Ashanti culture. I went to the cultural museum, the market, and schools where I got the opportunity to learn allot about Ghanain history and culture. To anyone going to Ghana I would highly recommend a visit to Kumasi. Thank you again to Matt and Odeke for making my stay in Kumasi and Ghana life changing.

I was so touched by the experience. I felt like even though it was difficult at times, it was definitely the most life changing. It is sooo important for us in the West to understand some of the key issues of sub-saharan African development. I am so sick of people looking at Africa as only needing charity. It comes from a racist sentiment where people doubt the efforts of people of color to transform their own lives. They are quit aware of what their needs are and I am sick of hearing people say they want to work for some charity in Africa and help poor people. The intentions might be good. Africans can help themselves. What we need to do is be in solidarity with what their needs are and not dictate to them what we think they should do like we have it all figured out when most people are lacking the basic knowledge of African history and the post-colonial experience of many countries is very different. Maybe I was attracted to Kwame’s legacy. His idea of Pan-Africanism and creating a unified Africa that could oppose Western Neo-Colonialism. Never-the-less I am sooo happy I went to Ghana. I met so many ignorant tourists that would always ask me why Ghana? WHY NOT????! Most travelers go to South Africa because it is easy, maybe Tanzania for some nice beaches, but how many consider other places that have more cultural heritage?

Before I left Ghana, the boy that works as a driver whos name is not coming back to me kidnapped me for awhile. He wanted me to take pictures of his friends and him. He explained to me how he wanted to marry an American and get of Ghana. At first he was shy to the camera but latter he was walking around showing me and my camera off to all of his friends that worked in this car lot repairing different things. It seemed to be at times it was the first time they where thinking of themselves as someone to be acknowledged in the world. Here I was, with a camera and they wanted me to click away, asked me if I was married a few times and I thought to myself what was my role here. If anything I am the guest, the stranger, have an open mind. You cannot be in a place like Kumasi and judge. It is not your right to impose your own cultural values on someone else in a different country that has a verrrry different life and history than you. At the same time it is essential that we see our similarities as people. We all want the same things for our future. Strong communities, education for our children, governments that are responsive to our needs, running water, sustainable development, clean air, uncontaminated food.

In Ghana I also learned to smile more… that is something anyone can understand in any language. To all those that opened their hearts and homes to me in Ghana. MIDASI!! You are in my heart =)

Ghana - The Challenge of WRiting

2008-03-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

The Challenge of Writing

I realize that I have trouble updating my blog for several reasons when I actually write more than I end up posting. I want the project to be academic. I wanted to apply theory to my findings and experiences. I want my blog to be a resource, but the small things that I think are too personal or not so relevant actually become “big” things. Like small conclusions I come to about cultural differences, insights as well as other realizations and conclusions. I spend allot of debating what is “post worthy” or relevant and then I end up omitting the posts. I have come to a decision that is ok for me to talk about these small things, because they are a large part of my growth on this trip. The emotional, psychological outcomes of the experiences I go through are actually quite significant to me becoming a “better me” a more complete, global, aware. I would like to share these experiences with my friends, family, readers and acquaintances I have met on the road. I think that in itself is an asset enough and is a contribution in itself to others that want to follow in similar footsteps or are considering doing similar projects. After all, it’s about relating to others and seeing commonalities in our struggles and experiences. So… I would like to explore a more dynamic approach to this documenting. So it is.

Ghana

Ghana was the first country in Africa for me to visit on my trip. It was also the first place I was alone as well as the first place I would attempt to stay with people that I had met online and not in Hostels. I left Buenos Aires on Feb 21. I was anxious, excited and scared out of my mind. Here I was going to a country I didn’t know a soul, a woman alone and I was just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I felt like I was starting on a bad note when I left the hostel in Buenos Aires with what I thought was just enough money for a taxi. After having a nice conversation in broken Spanish with the taxi driver, my nerves started to get to me and I felt like I had misplaced something. I couldn’t find my passport. I started franticly looking through my bags in the back seat until 30 minutes latter when I calmed down and realized I had it zipped up in the inner pocket of my travel purse. Then upon arriving at the airport and trying to pay for the cab, I found out the cab were 5 more pesos than the Hostel employee had told me. I had made a mistake and learned a lesson in not taking enough $ to the airport for cushion and miscalculation. The driver let me go with being a few pesos short but seemed annoyed. I felt very guilty. Then after checking in, I realized I hadn’t found out if there was airport tax. I went to the atm to take out $. I was disappointed I wasn’t more organized and prepared. This was just the beginning.
The trip from Buenos Aires was long and drawn out for a number of reasons. I had to transfer in two different airports. I flew to Sao Paolo first where I had a 3 hr delay and then after the 15-hour flight on the pimped out Emirates flight to Dubai. I had a 7 hr and change gap until my connecting flight to Accra which was another 7 hrs. All in all I was traveling for more than 36 hrs. The trip was rough, but luckily I had my books, my journal, and my laptop with me to keep me busy. I carry around my universal adapter set and plugged into the wall in Dubai Int. Airport to charge my laptop and the wireless was free! I was thrilled. I walked around and took pictures of the airport, which seemed to feel more like a mini-mall with funny glass facades for short-stay hotels for business and first class travelers. It was my first experience with seeing the wealth of the gulf countries. I saw allot of immigrants working at the airport as well. I heard just as much Hindi and English as I did Arabic.
Upon my arrival to Accra I got my luggage and started making phone calls to the two contacts I had made on Couchsurfing.com. My first option, Eva who works with FARA did not pick her cell phone up so I called Lamont, A Floridian from the states who has been in Ghana on and off for 7 years trying to hatch out a business deal. I’ll get into that latter. So Lamont who had returned from Sierra Leone that day had agreed to host me and I was thankful that I wouldn’t have to look for a hostel. I got a cab right away. I immediately asked how much? He had a chart in front of him and it had neighborhoods and he quoted 15 cedis which was the equivalent of 15$. I thought it didn’t sound too bad so I agreed. I told him that I would have to make a stop at the bank first to get cash, as I don’t carry around dollars to convert. After realizing that I had miscalculated my funds and ran out of $ when trying to extract money from the atm for the 5th time, I knew I was in deep poop. I didn’t know what to do. I told him I couldn’t get any money out so he told me he was taking me back to the airport. I quickly called my mother and told her I needed her to wire me money. Sounding worried she was quickly on it and wired me 250$ for the week. In the cab on the way back to the airport I got a call from Lamont asking me if I was ok because I was taking a long time to reach the house. I told Lamont I was in trouble and he agreed to attempt to pick me up.
So there I was, back at the airport, with my bags, no money and not knowing anyone in this country. There was a moment where I thought I was going to loose it, break down and start balling in front of all the taxi drivers. My cab driver that was hanging out in the spot where he picked me up walked by me and asked me if I had a ride coming. I assured him I did and he asked me if I wanted to sit down. I told him I was ok. I was too anxious to sit down. I thought for a second about if I had done the right thing, if I had prepared enough. It was the first moment where I questioned if I would make it. That moment was extremely uncomfortable and scary.
I hoped that Lamont would come through and something from the sound of his Florida accented voice sounded sincere, especially when he asked to speak to the driver to tell him that the fare he was going to charge me was way too much. 20-30 minutes I got a tap on my shoulder and heard a familiar accent. Lamont had come to my rescue with a taxi. Relieved but still not sure what I was getting myself into I went to Lamont’s eager to at least get a shower and a nap until I figured out the next move. Burning up in the taxi I started to feel the shock of heat and humidity. It was almost harder to breathe. Lamont started telling me about his AllTerra communications company. I tried to explain what I was doing in Ghana and we talked small talk. When I pulled up to Lamont’s property in it’s gated security protected enclosure I realized that I was in one of the nicer homes in Accra. After taking a shower, meeting Anush, Lamont’s partner, as well as everyone living in the house and settling in I felt a little better. After getting a bit settled and going through my things I realized I was missing a few things. My phone, which I know, I had had at the airport and in the taxi was missing. My point and shoot camera was also missing, but that I know I had packed in my suitcase as well as my medical bag with prescriptions and vitamins, band aids etc… was missing. I didn’t finalize that I had lost or had them stolen until days latter when I had time to go through all my bags and unpack completely and then reorganize my things. (I do this often, as it is quite difficult for me to get used to living out of bags) You constantly feel like you are misplacing things and are keeping track of your belongings hoping you didn’t forget something important somewhere. (Like a phone!)
The next few days were rough as well. Emotionally it was hard for me to adjust and take everything that had happened in. I wanted to allow myself to feel what Ghana was like and not worry about all the logistic stuff and what I had lost, had stolen etc.
My first night in Ghana, I went out to Manson, Tantra and another club. I met Lamont’s friends and got my first taste of what Ghana was like. I was shocked to see so many foreigners at the clubs. There were allot of Indians, allot of Lebanese and frankly allot more white people than I was prepared to see. I found out that there were allot of Indians in Accra that were there for business. The clubs we had gone to were owned my Indians, hence the Indian names.
I ate pretty good sushi and drank entirely too much. I heard some good music though which was nice to hear hip-hop after being in Porto Alegre and Beunos Aires that doesn’t have the hip-hop scene that Rio and Sao Paolo does. I missed it. The next day I woke up hangover and trying to recover from the day before. My third day I was eager to get out of the house. Lamont agreed to accompany me. We walked to a local Ghanaian spot that sold beer and the typical of Ghanaian food – Tilapia a large clump of Booja and some spicy red _____. I was excited to have Ghanaian food. I was eager to eat it with my hands. I ordered my local “Star” beer and was given a large bowl of water and soap. We sat outside and talked about our life and goals. We overheard an argument about Ghanaian politics, corruption and requirements for being a revolutionary by some Ghanaian military men. One wore a Kwame Nkrumah shirt. The argument escalated from a joke to something that looked potentially serious when the biggest of guys at the table picked up the plastic chair and threw it. Lamont assured me they were just playing. We walked back home and Lamont gave ma mini tour of Osu and Ridge. We stopped to get fried banana chips, a fertility necklace for me and say hello to some street kids that Lamont was friendly with. Apparently we had given them food and $ the night of our club hopping. They remembered me and I felt bad for not remembering more about them. He showed me the soccer stadium that the African cup had been at only a few days before with Ghana and Egypt battling out the top spot, among other UN buildings and Embassies that were close to his home in Ridge.
The fourth day with some help arranged for a car to take me around to a few historical spots around Ghana so I could take pictures. I visited Aburi Botanical Gardens, The Kwame Nkrumah Museum Mausoleum, Independence Arc, as well as small crafts market in Aburi.

My fifth day I stayed with Eva who works with FARA and the last two days I spent with a family in Kumasi. This leads me to my next blog.

The "Must PacK List"

2008-03-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Travel Organizer
Vacuum Seal Packs for Clothes
Miny Nalgene bottle set, Multi-purpose environmentally friendly soap, and Universal Adapter set

“Must Pack” List for Reference
–
Now that I know these items have been extremely helpful to have or I have wished I had.

Swiss army knife

Universal adapter set

Vacuum seal packs for clothes-
reduces size of clothing by half (also great for separating laundry)

Serong- used as beach towel, towel, sheet, dress among other uses

Medications- Malaria, Cipro, painkillers, airbourne, vitamins etcc

A small notebook to jot down thoughts and info

Expandable bags incase you pick up things on the way. ( you always accumulate )

Make a small folder- Make a copy of your documents including your passport, itinerary, contacts- INLCUDE YOUR PARENTS and FAMILY!!!. Write down emergency lists- all your emergency contacts , itinerary, places to stay in case plan A and B don’t work.

Mutli-purpose environmentally friendly soap that can be used for you to wash with, clean dishes, clothes, and even brush your teeth with.

Also buy a purse/passport carrier you can wear around you. This makes it really easy to find your ticket and passport and itinerary when your lugging around all your luggage in your hands. It dosen’t have to be a fanny pack.

One of every item of clothing (except for shirts)- No more… You really only need one of every item of clothing. One pair of shorts, one skirt, one jeans, one Capri, a few shirts and tanktops, one dress. One pair of sandals and one pair of sneakers. Ofcourse bring more than one pair of underwear and soaks and undergarments. Get used to washing these items with your hands. Plus you will always accumulate as your are traveling! Less is better. You want a lite load!

Small Nalgene bottles to fill up with left over shampoo, conditioner and other toiletrees that you are almost done with but don’t want to carry around the bottle wasting space in your luggage.

ok Pause on a deeper note...

2008-03-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

I remember Joanna pulling away in the taxi infront of our hostel in Buenos Aires. Maybe it was because it was that time of month for me and I was allowing myself to feel my emotions a little more. Maybe it was because I wanted to remember. I wanted to remember the first month we had together, the first month of my traveling around the world with my friend. I wanted to remember every incredible moment. Driving around dusty Lima streets in bumpy cabs and buses. Arriving in Cusco and poking her in awe at the way the city nestled itself in the mountains. Sitting across from Macchu Picchu and talking about everything from love, expectations, goals, family and persuits. Dancing in Carnaval Blocos in Rio. Walking around Once in Buenos Aires and seeing a memorial for hundreds of kids who died in a fire during a concert and feeling all their shortened lives come slap me in the face in a wave of sadness. I’m not even half way done. How did I get here. Am I still doubting my right to do this? To let myself enjoy it.
I thought of the amazing people… and shit I was so happy to be alive. To let myself experience them. I wanted to be around someone that reminded me that it was real. That I wasn’t making it up . This it wasn’t just a dream. Someone would believe me when I would say that I had known someone a week and then cried at the thought of not seeing them again. People that had touched my life. Left a permanent imprint on it.
I was bored and I picked up a book on social intelligence. It was the first book that was acknowledging alienation in relation to inability to connect in face-to-face encounters. I knew this, but I seriously have to make more of an effort to cut out internet and increase my face to face encounters with people. You cant give someone a hug or kiss over the internet. So true. Is that what we lack in this hyper techno world of ours. Intimacy. Have we lost some feeling, some ability to relate. Right now even, at this moment, while I sit on this really nice plane with all these computers, I guess Emirates is supposed to be known for high-tek comfort, but how much did I talk to this lady next to me that spoke perfect English. Did I want to . Yes. Do we all lack the ability to implore the need to strike up a random conversation. I have to admit I was feeling a little stupid. I think I still have to work on my self consciousness at times. This is ridiculous. I spend so much time thinking about how I will perceived in the action I waste the energy in allowing myself to do the damn task. Ohh wow there is a lot of turbulance on this flight and my stomach is feeling really queezy.

The Sum Up

2008-03-08T05:52:00.001-08:00

I was in Buenos Aires alone for the first few days before I met back up with Joana who had gone down to Mar De Plata to stay with some friends. The 25 hr busride was excrusiating! The first night I spent alone in a single room in a hostel in San Telmo . Nothing wrong with the neighborhood, actually it seemed like alot of fun. There was a huge noisy festival down the street, great street art, a young hip vibe and amaaazing food. However I didn't feel comfortable in the hostel alone and I had a reccomendation for one in Microcenter which was a little pricey at 20$ in a girls shared dorm a night but very comfortable.

I remember being blown away at the scale of Buenos Aires. It seems to stretch across a vaste amount of space and still feel very urban. The infrastructure of Buenos Aires is really quite well built, but it dosent lack the stratification and gentrification that big cities do. THere are plenty of slums that surround the well built neighborhoods for the rich. You can also feel the tension of inequality when you are constantly warned to be careful being alone, being a tourist and being vulnerable. I met some girls at the hostel that had had thier bags stollen on thier way into the hostel. While being distracted by two women , other counterparts to a gang walked away with thier bag that had thier camera and credit cards as well as other valuables. There are a number of issues that the poor and working class struggle with that I would like to shed light on in someway but I was not in Buenos Aires to tap into info. The demographic was much more white than I was used to seeing in Brazil. I couldn't help notice that people were also shaped different. They were lean , long and straight. There are allot of European immigrants that came to Buenos Aires post World War II. I realized after traveling to working class areas that there were alot of new immigrants as well. Asian, West African and central American immigrants give areas like "Once"(sp)? a bit more diversity. Paula said that Asian immigrants get the brunt of alot of racist sentiment amongst Argentinians.

The pictures below kind of sum up my time there. Joana, Paula and I spent 2 days walking around looking at neighborhoods, street art, eating good food, drinking wine from Mendoza , talking about politics and culture . We walked around the colorful streets of Boca which is adorned with houses and businesses painted bright colors. Paula and JOana explained that the immigrants of this area used paint colors that were used for ships because they couldnt afford the pricier mutted house paint. Boca now is one of the cliche attractions but still boasts a very intesting immigrant history that is seen in its architecture and colorful streets.

It is unortunate I wasn't able to hook up with any organizations are people working with any movements and NGO's but I hope to get some guest blogs from Paula who lives in Buenos Aires who has a friend studying Autonomous Movements in Latin AMerica as well as my friend Lauren . Paula said she had also done some research on the recooperating factories movement. Paula shared with me a brief story about the history of the community center in which she organizes out of which was originally an abondoned propertiy that was taken over by people to serve the needs of the community. I would like to get Paula to tell us a little about that story as well.

Lauren and I met durring a study abroad program organized by City College in jan 2007 to Morocco. Lauren who is taking a course in Buenos Aires said she would help contribute her findings as well.

So for now.. I leave this blog to be updated with more guest blogs in the near future.. stay tuned!

Buenos Aires, Argentina

2008-03-06T15:07:00.001-08:00

Participatory Democracy - The World Conference on Developing Cities-Autonomous Movements in Solidarity

2008-03-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

DRAFT
While I was in Porto Alegre I was lucky to find out that there was a conference. The "World Conference on Developing Cities was and I decided to extend my time there as it was of utmost relevance to my research . The Conference covered 4 different themes that were addressed 4 days of the conference. There were large panels as well as small workshops and panels. The conference was hosted at PUCCI the large private state University of Porto Alegre. The themes

The Right to the City-Local Policies and the Right and Responsibilities of Citizens
Governance and Democracy in Cities-Experiences of Democratic Participation
Local Development in Cities – Processes of Investment in Social Capital to Develop Economic, Environmental, Human, Social and Political Assets
Sustainability and the Network-City – The Emergence of Social Networks and the Sustainable City of the Future

I was only able to attend 3 of these days. The conference itself had allot of investors- people representing banks and other organizations that were eager to network and talk about their new strategies and approaches to "development".Municipal employees from the City of Porto Alegre as well as people of academia. It is sad to admit that I saw allot of people who should have been at this conference not there. There were very little youth, students, there was very little participation at the level of workers. There were allot of people in suits and ties and quite frankly to me it felt a bit elitist and not so accessible of an event. How could it be when you have to pay $75 to attend. That is the student discount. Maybe the event was not supposed to attract the average citizens of Porto Alegre, but I was definitely aware of the lack of their presence. The major panels talked about the experience of Participatory Democracy and what kinds of changes it brought at various levels. Within the smaller workshops I attended I heard a number of discrepencies about the experience with Participatory Budgeting.

A few of the things I learned is that there is still a need to get people involved in the process. I would hear allot of adults complaining that the younger generations seem to express little interest with engaging in the process or councils.
I also learned that many people felt that there was a big gap between practice and theory of Participatory Democracy. It was felt by many that the city was also welcoming large scale corporations and companies to do business here without addressing accessibility and development of the poorer areas.

I remember one comment made by a gentlemen presenting in a panel when answering a question about lack of budgeting for programs that he was sick of hearing this question. His answer was that "we have to stop thinking like Americans." We must not always ask ourselves where the money will come from. We have to organize our communities on our own. There is so much we are able to do at the grassroots level without always getting aid. The important thing for us to do is think and be creative. We can come up with solutions to problems without having allot of money. We can use resources that are already there.

After thinking about this for awhile it occurred to me how much I saw this true of my experience with IPDAE. The organizations was able to be extremely resourceful and able to do allot with very little.

THe process of Participatory Democracy however has inspired many to take on tasks on thei own. There is a culture of civic engagement here. Though it is far from ideal. It has been able to overcome some pretty large battles and open an atmosphere of discourse and debate.

The last day of the conference I witnessed and documented a protest by a contingent of various organizations that were protesting the conference as a event which represented the lack of accessibility by the poor. The protesters asked to be let into the conference and campus. There was street theater and a number of Autonomous organizations expressing their anger at the fact that reps from the World Bank were inside talking about "development" and not addressing huge concerns by Indigenous communities and people that have felt that upheaval and pains of structural adjustment and unfair competition which has private investors yet makes it harder for the poor to survive with the increased competition.

I was happy to see the youth in the street with the people. They weren't in the conference because they were in touch with the people's concerns. I got the same vibe at the conference. Even though the conference had a number of amazing speakers and ideas were generated , debated and shared which is crucial, I still kept in mind how much of a fragment of actual change was being represented. In the next few days I hope to update this particular blog about some of the lessons learned from communities around the world applying new solutions to civic engagement and development at the local level. It was exhilarating to see that there are alternatives being explored around the world. Little miracles every day by the people proving the alternative is a reality , it is crucial and it is where we are going... collectively!

World Conference on Developing Cities Link

The Popular Insitute for Art Education- Grassroots in Action in Porto Alegre

2008-03-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Popular Institute for Art Education
Grassroots Initiatives in Porto Alegre
Art Education for the People

Melissa workes as an English teacher for a program that was organized under the Popular Institute for Art Education, which I wanted to know more about during my stay in Porto Alegre. Melissa introduced me to Fatima Flores who was the director of the “Popular Institute for Art Education” in Porto Alegre. Fatima has a MA in law. She studied Community Law in a Catholic School, Pucci in Sao Paolo. I was able to ask Fatima a number of questions about how the schools she helps run were created, how they were organized, led and what impact they had on the community and the children in the schools.

In 1998 there was a theatrical performance, a play about “Gaucho” culture, which shapes many aspects of identity for people in the South of Brazil. The play was called “Negreo do Pastorea” which in translation would be “The Pastor’s little black boy”. For more than a century Gaucho culture has been distinctive of the region, which formed out of the cattle ranchers and farmers of this area. They are the cowboys that have been living here and working the land and maintaining their distinctive cultures as “Gauchos”. The turn out and participation of the community was received at the play went very well and was quite intense. After the play there was an acknowledgment by many that there was a need for an institution to serve some of the needs for artistic expression. A group of people formed by mainly teachers and people from the community were the ones that led this initiative. What was formed was a 3rd sector grassroots led initiative of an art education institute. The program currently has 14 paid staff as well as 43 volunteers. The volunteers do it for many personal rewarding reasons of their own but hey also enjoy more access to resources at the schools.

One of the impressive things I learned about the school was its resourcefulness. For example, the library for the community, which is housed in the schools, was created by mainly a collection of donations by teachers, professors, community residents as well as books that were scavenged out of the trash. The library itself is rated one of the top 5 libraries in Porto Alegre! The library is housed in 3 locations in which the institute runs out of which are all working class neighborhoods in Porto Alegre. They include Bom Jesus, Lumbo do Pinerro and (Para de Sues??) Literature is promoted as one of the key components in the schools. The library helps as a major resource for many residents in the neighborhoods because there is a lack of public resources made available to them by the state in their specific neighborhoods. “People think the poor can’t read or don’t want to read” Fatima said, as she explained the importance of literacy in these neighborhoods. People read everything from philosophy to classic literature Shakespeare, Sophocles, Etipus as well as reference books. The library has been a huge success. 1000-2000 books are borrowed every month. The process of borrowing the books is very accessible and people outside of the schools can have access to it as well.
The school explained Fatima is for the children who don’t have access to the arts. There are no music schools. There are no music bands in high schools. It is not something that is funded at the municipal level. The program has an agenda and goal to accomplish within 8 years. The goals is to encourage students to pursue their talents and passions in the Arts so they can build skills, experience resources as well as discipline so they can become professionals within their fields.

The organization is registered as a philanthropic organization so all taxes are tax-exempt. The work that went into that took a lot of time. The beauracracy and paperwork was extensive explains Fatima.

The students are extremely driven. They study outside of their normal schooling for an additional 4 hrs. Officially the program has lasted a year and a half. Some students have more experience working with the program before it was completely up and running. The qualifications for students to get into the schools are that they have to want to study. They have to want to put the time and energy into the program. The expenses that they have at the school are donated cleaning materials for the school. Soap and sponges are sufficient. These items are used to keep the schools clean. Keeping the schools clean and appealing help boost the people’s spirits in the neighborhood. I couldn’t help notice how clean, peaceful and tranquil the schools grounds were. The music school in Lumbo de Pinherio had and amazing garden. Fatima was explaining that a project to start an herbal garden as well as an education program about herbs, flowers and remedies was under way. Some other projects underway included a recycling project where people from the community are encouraged to recycle newspapers. The money received from the newspapers is used to pay the water and electricity for the school! Porto Alegre has excellent recycling programs!

Curious about how foreign volunteers come to participate I asked Fatima how they find volunteers. The Volunteers come through the program in which Melissa helps organize “Children Brazil” which is promoted on idealist.org. In the past volunteers have taught English, music and multi media. Kaya one of the volunteers in the past made a psychological map of the community doing some research on the demographic of community.
I also asked what kind of volunteers are attracted to the program and what benefits have they received from it. The schools are looking for teachers that can teach dance, English, arts, creative movement, multi-media, as well as other forms of arts, plastic arts for example. Volunteers receive an amazing opportunity to work within these dynamic schools. When they are done they can receive certification, which can be included in their resumes/C.V. Many of the volunteers that teach in the program are foreign. Many of them were from Europe as well as the U.S. Fatima said that there is an additional benefit of having cultural exchange, which allows the children to open their eyes and learn about people who live in other places in the world. It also gives them the motivation to think about living abroad or wanting to know more about other places themselves.
I wanted to get an idea of what lessons Fatima experiences during her experience working with a program which is essentially grass roots, by the people, for the people and using creative innovative ideas to solve their problems. I wanted to know what kinds of problems; obstacles and complications have been learned. The vision of the program is to create a generation of people that can contribute to society. People that come out of the program are more aware of issues in their community and feel empowered to change them. Teachers that teach in the normal schools express that they see such a huge change in students that attends the programs and those those don’t. They say they don’t see them yell as much, they are more likely to help collogues and professors as well as be more engaged in classes. They like to read and study more.

Fatima also addressed what things the children get out of the program. She has seen the unique aspects of every child and what they have to offer. Through the program children gain respect for others and nature. They learn ethical traits that change their attitude and give them a positive look at things, some things that are lacking from many of their lives.

After spending a day at both locations, I felt the creative energy and positive affects myself by seeing how warm and enriched the kids were. I followed Melissa around for a day where she teaches in the school in Bom Jesus. The students are different age groups. Melissa uses her singing ability and love of music to help them learn English by singing songs with the students. A wonderful exchange and process occurs with her and the students and as the class goes on you see their individual personalities come to full bloom. The students love it and enjoy it immensely. It helps them annunciate the words as well as give them a fun way to learn together. I wanted to stay there and spend more time with them. Each school is truly a special place. I learned a great deal from this visit to IPDAE. I would encourage people to check out the website. I will also attempt to see how the program works itself into the political and social culture of Porto Alegre. A city that has been regarded as a city of change with people-based initiatives on the forefront of the agenda. IPDAE is one example of the ways that civic engagement has been able to change the constructs of their realities.

WEBSITE: ipdae.org

Porto Alegre

2008-02-24T19:14:00.001-08:00

I reached Porto Alegre the 10th after taking a bus from Rio for 25 hours with Joana. Stopping along the way for gas I stared out the window seeing the landscape change from green and plush, to more green and rolling hills and mountains. Allot of farms, allot of favelas, and allot of beautiful amazing scenery. I had plenty of time to think on the way. I remember thinking back on Rio.

So let me take this opportunity to explain some logistics of how I plan this trip. I look for Ngo's organizations, grass-roots, civil society groups on sites like idealist.org and through my own activist network and look for contacts in each place to interview and document. By reaching out to organizations I made a contact who was a volunteer for an organization in Porto Alegre. Her name was Mellisa. We were supposed to stay in Porto Alegre for one night but when I got there and after spending a day there , it was clear this was the place I needed to be. There was a conference organized by the city of Porto Alegre to host the "World Conference on Developing Cities". It took place from the 13-16. I decided to change my plans and extend my time in Brasil and meet Joanna 5 days later.

The experience in Porto Alegre was very important for my lessons of Participatory Democracy, with seeing how it works, how it affects change, what types of energy and projects it was creating.

Porto Alegre, the capital city of the State of Rio Grande do Sol where approx 1,440,000 people live has been in a very central place for some developments of an alternative type of government . Participatory Democracy - a people's initiative to build a city and municipal government where citizens create councils based on themes and through the councils distribute the municipal budget is a new way of looking at relationships of people to participate directly in the budgeting process. How well has it worked? Well since implemented, access to water in the favelas, street lighting among other issues have seen amazing statistics for the better. In addition it has created an environment of engaged citizenry. Places where there is still not enough money, people have been empowered to change the dynamics and the social constructs they live with . I will tell you my experiences with both.

Demographically, Porto Alegre is a bit different from Rio. Its not as big in scale. There are allot of Italian , Lebanese and Asian immigrants. Gaucho culture is a big part many people's lives. It is inbed in centuries of rancher culture. You still see men ride horses around the city to collect garbage. You can find many people from Porto Alegre walking around with their Yerba Matte in their thermos and tea flasks. Recycling programs are main sources of income for many are run really well. Their is even a distinct Gaucho style which includes pants, cowboy hats, knives at side with high boots. Their culture is distinct to the south of Brasil and countrysides of Argentina and Uruguay. Much of it is also borrowed by indigenous Indian communities.

Cariocas

2008-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Draft
Cariocas (are what Brazilians are called in Rio de Janiero)

A few things that I observed about Cariocas and people’s perceptions of Americans

*People in Rio and maybe in Brasil in general do not contribute to the extent of ageism and generational abandonment that Americans do. On so many occasions we would see people hanging out with their grandparents. Literally, hanging out. At the beach, at Carnaval, on the street. What is it about American society that makes us embarrassed of our families? Of not being able to relate or want to spend time in public with our families?

*I always knew that Americans get a bad rap, some rightfully so, but when I tell people I’m American a very interesting thing occurs. First of all I have to assert that I say I’m American and I live in New York, but my family is Indian. because they want to place me in a nation state. I can’t get into the conversation of global citizenship with everyone I meet, especially when we don’t speak the same languages. I sometimes see an immediate reaction on people’s faces. Sometimes it is positive, sometimes it almost looks disappointed.

Grafitti and Street Art in Brasil are alive!

2008-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Graffiti in Rio de Janiero and Porto Alegre

I have always felt that street art, especially in the urban context represents the artistic expression of youth. It is part of a youth that does not have channels of expression. Adults often misinterpret it as vandalism, but for many it is so much more.

Growing up in New York during Hip-Hop’s golden years I respected the significance of the 4 elements of hip-hop. Dj-ing, Mc-ing, B-boying (dance), and of course Graffiti- these elements were stressed by the founders, movers and shakers of Hip-Hop’s formative era. The 80’s early era, which saw it as a social movement, an urban movement, a black and Latino movement seems so far from the current state of Hip-Hop in the states. In many places in Latin America and Europe, however, it is live and kick’in!

Decades after Hip-Hop’s initial birth as a movement, I recognized strong signs of an intense street art/ graffiti culture. Some is social, some political, and some cultural. Seeing myself as relatively young and in tune with youth movements I couldn’t help be awed by the quality and quantity of street art and graffiti in Brasil. To those that love that art form, you have to see it for yourself!

Rio- leaving you is sooo bitter-sweet!

2008-02-14T11:53:00.000-08:00

Rio de Janeiro is a visually stimulating city. Actually, all senses are heightened here. Even for a New Yorker I found it’s pulse vibrant but relaxed…. not quite as rushed as New York but still with so much going on. I think it is the elements of weather and water that don’t make Cariocas ( people from Rio) as uptight, in a rush as New York.

A city of 6 million and change, Rio has something for everyone. Brazilian food is not very vegetarian friendly, but Brazilians have borrowed influence from all of the immigrant groups found in Brazil. Oh and the fruit is ambrosia! In Rio, there are large immigrant groups of Lebanese, Italian, Japanese, among other groups. It has an amazing botanical garden, excellent museums, a huge renowned soccer stadium (Marcana), great nightlife and music, beautiful beaches, vibrant neighborhoods that come alive at night, and not to mention gregarious war, amazing people!

It is with disappointment that I saw allot of prostitution, but with much excitement that I found out that the discothèque “Help” in Copacabana being shut down. In Copacabana there is allot of sex tourism. Mostly European, American, and Latin men looking for easily available sex trade.

People always hear questionable concerns about violence in Rio. They hear about drug wars, violence, and the prostitution. Being there during Carnival, I have to say that I felt safe. Carioca gets a bad rap. Even the petty theft that happens there is misinterpreted as a hostile interaction. It is the poor in desperation that are pushed to the point of action – the will to survive. There was one night that we hung out at the beach late at night, I had had a few drinks and was eager to learn to samba under the influence. The barkeeper who sold us coconuts and caipirinhas told a street kid hanging around to teach me to samba. I told him with body language to do the steps slow and he did so that I could mimic him. After attempting to dance and making a fool of myself but having a good laugh, my friends and I ordered a sandwich. The kid seemed to be staring at us and we finally concluded that he was hungry. We bought him a burger. As soon as it was ready, the kid grabbed the burger, which we had paid for and ran across the street, eating it, walking barefoot back into the streets.

This experience snapped us out of our perceived luxury and made us think about our privilege and our need to feel like we can still communicate. We didn’t look at the exchange as charity. This kid had spent a good few minutes teaching me something, and we were obliged to pay him back.

The saddest thing about going to Rio had to leave. It was heart-renching saying good-bye. I’ve come to realize this is an aspect of my trip that I'm not too happy about. Falling in love with places, meeting people and then having to leave them. I asked Joanna what I should do with the guilt, the hurt that stems out of feeling like my time somewhere is too short. For abandoning the amazing people that opened there lives and homes to us. I keep all of them with me.

Message to everyone I have met on the way: please write me, please stay in touch and please never shy away from the opportunity to repay you with the same hospitality. This is what I want to get out of these experiences. A network, of people, working, communicating and resolving in solidarity the debt of our existence and inability to create meaningful solutions to our lives and to the current space and time. Above is my attempt to pay tribute to a city of splendor. I hope to do it a sliver of justice.

Rio De Janiero , Brasil- Carnaval Culture

2008-02-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry that it took me so long to post an update for Brasil. I have been in Brasil since Jan 30th. Joanna and I flew from Lima to Buenos Aires just to transfer and then get on another plane to Rio de Janiero. We were met a few days later by Tiffany and Miguel . The 4 of us were packed in tight quarters but had a ball non-the-less. We rented a one bedroom studio room in Copacabana across the street from the beach. Now , Rio was leisure but I still took so much from my experience there. It is still hard for me to digest being away for only a few days.
Currently it is the hot, humid and wet season in most of Brasil. When the weather provided it possible, we would go out and even in the rain we went out as much as we could. All week during Carnaval there are "blocos" . Blocos are essentially street parades of various samba schools and organizations. Some are more traditional , some are more contemporary in theme. One thing that I would like to stress about Rio during Carnaval is it's electric energy. Men dress up as women at any given time at any place, children walk around as characters , girls are dressed up as butterflies and fairies. The samba schools provide the body moving rythms and people come out of their houses and into the streets! Amen for solidarity.

Leo, a friend I had made through Couch Surfing had given us allot of the 411 on "Cariocas" that is what people from Rio de Janiero are called. He said that many of his friends leave Rio during Carnaval because they can't take the pace, the chaos, the disorder. I could see how it could get a bit annoying when your trying to sleep and there is a BLoco outside your house. But, oh my , how fun ! We went to Lapa many nights. A neighborhood in Rio, that is a bit artsy, a bit young and progressive. There were blocos , clubs blazing samba, hip-hop, ska and everything else. People dressed up making a rakus with instruments, vendors selling everything from beer, caipirinhas (Brasilian drink made with Cachaca, lime and sugar) earings, shirts, etc... You are allowed to walk around with your drink as long as its in a cup , or it really dosent have to be.

The one thing I remember about Carnaval culture is the atmosphere of tolerance . It was the feeling of being able to explore your dormant self, your other half, the sides of ourselves we repress.

Music is the largest element of Carnaval. A good friend once said to me, that music was a one of the highest forms of communication. Samba rythms beat inside my head for the whole week during carnaval, communicating to me the African influence in popular Brasilian culture. Carnaval stems from a celebration after lent, but in Brasil samba comes from the history of African slaves holding on to their traditions and musical heritage.

Peru, El Centro- The Guest Blog by Joanna

2008-02-02T04:59:00.000-08:00

(DRAFT)
In the wealthy barrios of Miraflores and Barranco, fancy stores, pricey restaurants and oversized supermarkets abound. Locals walk the streets doing their thing constantly yet daily life feels reserved, as though it is lived mostly behind closed doors.

To catch a glimpse of the colorful daily lives of Limenos, el Centro de Lima is where it’s at. Taking a taxi or bus, it is immediately apparent that Lima runs at a different pace – the traffic, frustrating to anyone, combined with the crazy-ass, zig-zagging, light-skipping driving skills of Limenos is enough to drive anyone insane.

An introduction of Lima Centro begins at the photogenic Plaza San Martin, with a walk up ….. to Plaza Mayor. On …., colonial architecture, once built as homes for the well-off, now house cheap boutiques, greasy food joints and tattoo parlors. Hustlers dot the car-free street: artists selling their crafts; tattooed men advertising their parlors; ice-cream shops vying for attention; vendors selling everything from quinoa bars to rosary beads, street meat to cell phones. On the corners are a few men wearing bright yellow vests at the ready to publicly exchange your dollars or euros to soles.

The madness seems to lessen the closer it gets to Plaza Mayor.

The tourist trap of Aguas Calientes

2008-01-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

If you do not do the trail to Machu Picchu your only option in a short span of time is a train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes is a small town also knows as El Pueblo de Macchu Picchu. This town is beautiful , nestled in the valley of huge sacred mountains and next to a river full of minerals which are famous for the hot springs. The greens are realllly green and the blue is in contrast very blue.

The town is also ridiculously expensive. Everything is 4-5 times the amount it should be. We also found that not allot was very authentic here. This town has developed and grown like allot of places near popular tourist sites... off of tourism. Our experience here reminded us of our role. These people were probably farmers, or atleast subsisting in some way off the land untill it became impossible for them to compete with corporations.

The train ride from Cusco to Aguas Calientes you see sooo many families living practically a few feet from the train tracks. Some of the children and even family members come out to wave at the people on this overpriced train ride while they live in adobe huts and thier cattle are having to be pushed and harassed by dogs so they wont end up getting run over. I found this very sad.

When you go to Macchu Picchu please be aware that you are supporting a business that is not just helping a few of the Andean Indians that can proffit off of you, but you are also playing a role in the business of displacment.

Macchu Picchu was breathtaking.... a dream of dreams... a place I could never grasp and still cant grasp even though I have seen it. Yet I see hords of tourists ( the controlled maximum at 400 a day) walking around leaving thier plastic water bottles and gatorade bottles around like it was thier own city corner. Our hearts dropped when we saw this and we had to pick up the trash to feel better but knowing that there would be soo much more from so many more careless, selfish, ignorant tourists who don´t give a rats ass they are walking on a historical and sacred ground that has lost the fight in so many ways that even in its preservation it is slowly dieing.

La Casa De Panchita

2008-01-31T04:16:00.000-08:00

DRAFT

La Casa De Panchita

Jan 24, I had the pleasure of meeting Johana Reyes who introduced me to the project and space of “La Casa De Panchita”. This project is headed by the NGO Asociacio Grupo De Trabajo Redes which is a private NGO working to empower domestic workers. This project was initially headed by Blanca Figuerao who is the President of the Board of Directors. Blanca was the women that I was in correspondence with and set up a wonderful opportunity for me to know more about the work that goes on there.

The NGO’s primary project is “La Casa de Panchita”. The name of the space is after a fictional character named “Panchita”. The story of Panchita which is one that is understood by many young women who find them in a situation in which they have to take domestic work to survive. The story of “Panchita” is used to communicate the issues which afflict those Blanca explains in a documentary that the situation of domestic workers in Lima is a dynamic of inequality. The workers are of a particuliar past, of a particular demographic. They are mostly from the highlands, they are indigenous, they move to the cities for work and are very prone to discrimination. The most at risk are the women and the children.

La Casa de Panchita is a safe space for many of the youth and women who do not have access to resources. There is an issue of the uneven urban development in Lima and their neighborhoods are plagued by a consciousness of inferiority. It is a complex of lacking the self esteem and the lack of affirmation in the right to ask for more. La Casa de Panchita is a house of several rooms currently being rented for the interest of the people to build stronger communities. The people who need it to be a haven for them to realize their potential and stand up to the possible injustices they will face.

I asked Johanna how she particularly was interested and introduced to this project. She has studies social Psychology and found out about the project through friends in school. Currently at the time of our visit there were a number of volunteers. Funding is an issue because the space is not fully theirs yet. They do not own it. The project of having a space that is fully theirs is important because they cannot fully utilize the space as much as needed without loads of beauracracy. Telefonico is one of the communications company that assists the NGO in thier sunday projects. The pictures below were taken at a sunday workshop in the Telefonico building. Other international sponsors such as Cordaid and Tierra de hombres have contributed to helping AGTR .

The particuliar day we visited we had the pleasure to see the kids involved in one of the interactive workshops. There are three every Sunday with about 60 children of different age groups. The workshops are designed to promote awareness, skills and creativity. The were many art projects that we saw where kids got to decorate and design something so they could ring something home with them.

This was important because many of them live in homes where there is little to decorate or feel proud of. The projects give them something special that they can bring home and share with their family. The day of my visit the kids were in the Telefonico building working with volunteers to make robots that could draw. It was a fairly simple project but it´s outcome was tremendous and engaging!

Other workshops aim at helping the mothers. There are workshops that, learn basic skills like cooking as well as interactive workshops that help them learn how to speak to employers or learn their rights as domestic workers. Joana reminded us of how important this was because they wanted to empower the women to know that to ask for more was something that they were entitled to do. In many of the homes where these women and children would clean or help out at, they are barely given enough to survive but at the same time made to feel like that is enough.

The most impressive thing about this NGO was that they were able to accomplish soo much with handful of workers and volunteers that they had. There was a schedule and plenty of work for the paid staff to do, but the volunteers and interns were paid in different ways. They were given access to more resources like computers, services etc..
In addition all the workshops are evaluated by the children and women to see if there is any way to make them more efficient and helpful to them. Suggestions are taken to improve affectivness.

Other than the amazing projects and work I saw at ``La Casa de Panchita`` there was an amazing sense of solidarity, warmth and patience there. As soon as you come in I was greeted with kisses. I saw the children in the workshop playing, growing , learning and delighted…being allowed to be children. This space is a crucial part of building the lives of so many people. The rewards these people feel are immesurable . Johana would tell me how she would see children and women come into the projects and space feeling standoffish and shy and then see them blossom into self aware, affectionate strong people.

Many thanks go out to Blanca Figuereo and Johana Reyes for their warm welcoming of me into the space, of taking time to tell me what they do and how they do it. I hope to carry on the struggle of these people and share it with anyone in interested in knowing more about this organization and the amazing home you have helped build.

Peru- setting a tone

2008-01-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

What I wrote below was initially jotted down in my notebook, while taking a train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes...

I wanted to share it with you first among the many emotions I have felt while being in Peru....

I saw Inka temples and sacred places that had been demolished by the Spaniards in order to build their churches and institutions on top of. To solidify their hegemony. It was heartbreaking...

We saw

Qorikancha the temple of the sun in Cusco.. it had been made by civil engineers hundreds of years ago to pay tribute to the gods, the sun, to keep track of the days and constilations. The temple had been excavated while archeologists started looking at the structures of a colonial cathedral and found that they built the cathedral directly on top of the Inka temple in order to deligitimize their way of life, their amazing advancements in science, astrology, engineering etc...

We (The developed World) are like the Spaniards, we are a society that has decided to build on top of what is sacred in order for profit and commerce. We are a culture of destruction. We are a society built on death.

We are the disjuncture of civilizations before us that praised the sun, and everything living from it that would sustain their lives.

We are a people that worship what dies

not for us to sustain ourselves..

but with the arrogant notion that everything here (on earth) is for us... and IT IS NOT!

Why are we the first to not get it??

Looking up at the mountains, on the way to Aguas Calientes, I saw amazing lush but jagged Mountains , lush green vegetation decorating it´s sides. I saw a violent river below the train with crashing waves carrying sulfur and minerals to the rest of the region..

I wanted to cry..

Wanted to fly into the low clouds.

Wanted to pay tribute to all that was greater than my own meager life.

Humanity, ecology, life, history of life... as a whole.

Wanted to cry because there were civilizations before mine that had understood this, and cry for the introduction of commerce , typhoid and the greed and interests of colonials and clergy that sought to exploit the very people that praised life and not money.

I wanted to cry for all those that didn´t know this beauty that didn´t feel the urgency to fight to keep our livelyhoods and future generations from seeing the same destruction. Those that didn´t know what was at stake to fight for. Those of us that forgot how to plant our feet in the ground and realize we too are a part of the earth and all of life.

Wanted to cry for those that did not see this current space and time as the fragile state that still had amazing new narratives that needed to be written by us.

People that forgot we make history.... even by being silent.

Seeing, feeling and knowing this... surely they too would not go on with¨business as usual¨.

This is the most rewarding thing to me right now.. to realize my life will never be the same, to know that I would never be comfortable with the same kind of comfort in my bubble. I have a responsibility to consider how I play into this .. how my actions are in twine with all of this.
I have a responsibility to change it... with all I have seen... observed.. digested

I must never see new things without thinking , never just see for escapism purposes, I must consider every social, economic, global, political implication I can that comes to mind.. or else how can I grow? How will I really learn?

In Flight...

2008-01-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

Jan 22-23

While in flight on route to my first stop to Lima, Peru, there were a number of things on my mind.

I couldn´t help thinking about how much I forgot to acknowledge factors about how much my trip itself was unsustainable. I want to feel responsible for my actions, I want to be aware of the impact I alone have. If we want to build a movement of citizens engaged in a global struggle all with the agenda of sustaining healthier lives, for everyone and the earth as well as maximizing democracy I didn´t think enough about my own ecological footprint.

Air travel uses an enormous amount of fuel and oil . In the future I have to give this issue more thought and attention. It is an excellent idea and amazingly easily to look up your own ecological footprint in relationship to travel, especially air travel and see how you can be proactive. There are dozens of tools and articles online that one can use...

Moving right along...

Random things that crossed my mind on the plane while in route...

* There was a Muslim man in front of me in security, he wore a long gown and was most likely
Pakistani . It disturbed me that this was not the first time I saw Muslim men being checked an extra 20 minutes and everyone moving along side of them not caring or paying attention that these men were being racially profiled. Some people around him even looked hesitant being close to them, I could almost sense their fear. Scenes like these never cease to hurt me deeply.

* I played language games on my Lan Airlines flight on the touch screen infront of my seat on the plane. If I want to communicate, relate and create bridges with people , organizations and movements I will have to talk to people that don´t speak english. I have to make an effort to try to learn and go outside my comfort. I wrote down appropriate phrases in my notebook.

* All the flight attendants assume I´m Latina and speak to me in spanish. I realize because of my dark features I can pass for allot of different ethnicities so I will encounter this often.

* I feel amazing to be on this plane now- I feel like I have already liberated myself with all the complications of not letting myself believe I deserve to do a project like this... because even though travel stems from privilege to move... I have never enjoyed much privilege in my life as the daughter of a working class , immigrant family in the US. I will stop feeling guilty for this and make this trip amazing and productive.

* I will read ¨Earth Democracy¨ by Vandana Shiva to get my mind on issues that I want to think about .. about thinking of an alternatives that promote democratic participation, that protect indigenous cultures, local economies and are ofcourse sustainable.

* My mentor, Dr. Sue Harris had reminded me that this trip would help me feel like I belong to humanity. We often forget how much we feel alienated from people, especially in a capitalist, commodity obsessed, workaholic American pace life. I am blessed to feel have the opportunity to do a project like this. Even though I want to share my experience and be the most productive on this trip, I know that ultimately the most rewards will be felt by me. This project will help me with my own internal liberation, with finding truth and inspiration in other struggles, in other wins and give me the insight and strength to keep fighting. I am not tired!

Definition of "Global Citizenship"

2008-01-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

For those that have not heard of this term before. Here is an intro and a general definition from Wikipedia

"Global Citizenship is both a moral and ethical disposition which might guide an individual or groups' understanding of local and global contexts- and their responsibilities within different communities. It is motivated through a complex set of commitments to local interests (love of family, communal fairness, self-interest) and a sense of universal equality and notions of care for human beings and the 'world/planet' in its entirety. Global citizenship, as participatory action, entails a responsibility to alleviating local and global inequality, while simultaneously avoiding action that hinders the well-being of individuals or damages the 'world/planet'. This notion is closely linked to an understanding of globalization and cosmopolitanism."

Where it began

2008-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

It began before I was born. I have always been struggling with defining who I am and how I got where I am.My story like many stories is one of struggle. It is a struggle in the battle for freedoms. Freedom from patriarchy, freedom from repression, from exploitation, freedom from lack of expectation and opportunities.

I was born to two Indian parents in Oct 30 , 1981 in New Delhi , India.

My mother left India after divorcing my father when she was 21 . She was young, hopeful, and in search of a better life for herself and her daughter. She had a dream of following her potential and letting go of the traditional societal limitations imposed on her as a single parent in India. For the next few years I would live in Ethiopia. My aunt, (my mother's older sister) had married a diplomat. A Sudanese man working with UNICEF in Ethiopia. This is where I would spend the the next 3 years.

This is where it began for me. This is where I started to abstractly think about identity, development, injustice and poverty. Seeing my uncle , Abdulla on assignments. Going with my family to villages to hand out food and clothes. This is where I would first learn that poverty is man-made. It is not a natural phenomenon.

This is not the only experience, but this is one of the most formitave that I can identify as what planted the roots in my journey to becoming a global-citizen.