Wofford College - Study Abroad

Running Out of Time!

November 28, 2008

My time here in Beijing is quickly drawing to an end.  I’m trying my best not to get caught up in schoolwork and am trying to make the most of these last few weeks.  A couple of weekends ago IES had their annual circumambulation (yes that’s a real word) of the second ring road.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Beijing, the city has five major highways circling the city starting with the first ring road around Tiananmen Square all the way to the fifth ring road in the outskirts of town.  Even though the second ring road is one of the smaller rings, it is still a lot of space to cover.  We started our trek around 8:30am and finished around 6pm.  We did have a two hour lunch break, but it was definitely a long day!  I really enjoyed the circumambulation, because we walked through many parts of town that I hadn’t seen before.  It reminded me just how enormous Beijing is!  One of my favorite parts of the tour was a street in Chaoyang.  Our director warned us before we walked down it, but I was still surprised.  This street serves as the business center for the Russian community in Beijing and looks like little Russia in the middle of China.  All of the ads have Chinese and Russian on them.  The Chinese people spoke to us in Russian because they automatically assumed that we were Russian.  When they realized we didn’t understand Russian they began speaking English but with a Russian accent!  It really was such an interesting experience, just another example of the extensive diversity of Beijing.

There is so much history in Beijing and so much modernization at the same time.  Beijing has experienced so much development in the past ten years alone it will be interesting to see what changes occur in the next ten years.  Part of the development, though, has included destroying some of the current structures such as the hutongs where many Chinese people live.  Even though the government compensates them for making them leave their homes, it’s difficult to find housing as cheap or  convenient as that in the hutongs.  It’s a difficult situation that I think many developing countries have experienced.  I just hope that Beijing doesn’t lose the charm and history of its traditional culture.  As we walked through one of the hutongs we saw an old woman sitting in a chair and our professor pointed out that her feet were binded.  Feet binding is a practice that came in and out of fashion for centuries in China, but it hasn’t been practiced since the early 1900s, which means that this woman was really old and her family was probably very traditional.  I can’t imagine what this woman has seen in her lifetime, from the fall of the Qing Dynasty to the Cultural Revolution, from the Open Reform Policy to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  I’m taking a Chinese history course right now and it was so interesting to see some of the buildings and areas that we have discussed in class.  Beijing is such a beautiful (despite the smog) and unique city, I just wish I had more time to explore it!  I’m torn by my desire to return home to the states to see my friends and family and by my desire to stay and explore more of Beijing and China.

Last weekend was a busy but exciting weekend.  We didn’t have class last Friday which presented a good opportunity for travel.  I visited Nanjing and Shanghai with two of my friends.  It was an interesting and encouraging experience because this was the first time I traveled in China without a teacher.  That means we had to take care of all of the travel plans and hotel accommodations.  You might think that sounds simple, but trust me it’s a lot more difficult explaining what time you want to buy your train ticket for in Chinese.  We successfully bought all of our tickets for the correct time and destination, but we never knew what kind of seats to expect when boarding the train.  We may have had to sprint to the train station a few times, but we never missed a train and made it back to Beijing in time for class Monday morning!  Thinking back now I see just how blessed we were to have everything go so smoothly, God was definitely looking out for us last weekend.  We spent our first night in a hostel in the Fuzimiao area of Nanjing.  We visited the Confucian temple there and enjoyed some local snacks such as pear smoothies and fried crab on a stick.  I really enjoyed just walking around and exploring the city a little bit.  We’ve been so busy with school work in Beijing we haven’t had much time just to relax and enjoy the city.

On Saturday we trained to Shanghai.  The weather was pretty gloomy, but we still enjoyed seeing a few of the major sights.  First we visited Nanjing Lu, one of China’s busiest streets.  We saw so many foreigners there…too many.  Then we visited the Bund and saw what will soon be the world’s tallest building from across the water.  Finally we visited the French Concession area, a very quaint and comfy area of coffee shops, apartments and boutiques.  This area was developed by European traders in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century and retains its European style today.  I enjoyed the city but going to Shanghai feels like crossing over into another country.  Shanghai is such a modernized and westernized city with so many foreigners that I didn’t even feel like I was in China anymore.  Visiting Shanghai made me extremely happy that I chose to study abroad in Beijing.  Beijing is a very modern city as well, but it has successfully preserved many of China’s traditional features and historical buildings.  China has such a unique and fascinating culture which I missed in Shanghai.  I think this is a problem that much of China is facing right now.  Western countries have heavily influenced Chinese culture and many Chinese fear that China’s traditions and values will be lost among the younger generations.  China has experienced such a rapid development in the past twenty years, so it is easy for the older generation to see the many changes that have occurred.  I sincerely hope that China works hard to maintain its culture and charm.  I never thought I could love Beijing as much as I do, squat toilets and all.  Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I do love Beijing and have experienced many things I never could have imagined.  I am ready to go home to America, but I know I will miss Beijing greatly.

La Paz for Another Week

Well, I have been in La Paz for the past week and it has been very interesting indeed. This is a very different time because the only thing I am working on right now is my ISP. There is a great deal of free time, accompanied with a great deal of work as well. I spend the majority of my days editing my documentary or doing interviews. Who knew it would take well over 10 hours just to edit 5 minutes of video. Now, if only my academic directors like the video we are making. I have been able to experience a little bit of the culture as well by going to museums and exploring the city. It has been really neat and the views are always awesome.  I am learning how to bargain a little better but it is still one of my week points.
    I must tell you about one of the most interesting cultural comparisons I have discovered this week. While walking around the city, I have had to dodge many people and taxis but this is what I have discovered. Bolivian people walk on the sidewalk like we drive in the United States and they drive like we walk on the sidewalks. Allow me to explain. When walking down the sidewalk in Bolivia, I don’t believe there is one person really paying attention and it appears as if everyone is in their own little world. I try very hard not to walk into someone but it always seems like they are aiming right for me. As for their driving, everyone pays attention and there are very few accidents. Everyone pays attention and it is alert. In the states most of us don’t really pay attention when we drive and it always seems like there are accidents but when we walk on the sidewalks we are very cautious not to run into anyone and we keep our distance. It is so very interesting.
     The cuisine here is very good as well. I have been eating my fair share of llama. I have eaten Carpaccio de llama, llama ham, and filet de llama. Just tonight I went to a restaurant that fuses international cuisine with Andean culture. It is absolutely incredible and I am sad that I will not have access to food like this later on. Of course one of my favorite dishes was the llama but another would be the spaghetti de coca. The spaghetti is actually made from coca leaves. I was skeptical at first but it was exquisite.
    In this entry I would like to update you just a little on the current political situation here in Bolivia. As of right now everything is very calm but a good bit has happened since my last update.  After Evo Morales kicked out the US Ambassador for conspiring with the opposition, the United States, a little later, decertified Bolivia for allegedly failing Washington's expectations for counternarcotics. The Bush administration then suspended Bolivia from the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (APTDEA), which will allow for some 25,000 people to lose their jobs.  It truly is quite sad. After this, Evo Morales commanded that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of the United States leave Bolivia within a time frame of 3 months  due to corruption and really not helping the current forgotten “war on drugs”. The United States simply wants to eradicate coca fields in Bolivia but this is due to the misconception that coca is equivalent to cocaine. Bolivia has implemented a new campaign “Coca sí, Cocaína no” It seems to be way more effective than just having the DEA come and pull up all the coca leaves. It is also way more cost effective. It is interesting that the US has chosen to single out Bolivia when coca production in Colombia has increased 27% and only 5% in Bolivia. I hate to see the relations of these two countries so strained but I do hope things get better in the future. I don’t really have an analysis of all this, but as long as we continue to view South American countries as countries that we can control and manipulate and as countries that don’t play a significant role in this world, we will never reach a common ground and be able to help one another. We will end up just hurting more innocent people. Bolivia has so much to offer this world, it just needs the chance and for the superpowers to stop taking advantage of it. If you have any questions about this please don’t hesitate to ask. It is hard to explain everything in one entry.
     My program is quickly coming to an end and I only have about two and a half weeks left. I am not going to enjoy watching Bolivia from afar because it just isn’t the same. We really don’t get to see what this country is really like. It is more than just a third world country fighting to stand on its own. The people here are real. They come from all walks of life and continue to battle oppression and discrimination. They continue to fight for a better life, free of pain, poverty, and oppression. It is hard to know what to do all the time and how to help but I guess it just comes down to helping one person at a time and making that difference in that person’s life.  I will end on this. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and I will see you soon!!!

Mijn Oma

Recently I got the privilege to meet my dad's mother. I really did not know what to expect. I had never been in contact with her and I had never meet her. Would she like me? Would she hate me? I butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. The visit with my "step-grandmother" Janny went fine but there was also a lot of awkward tension. That was a first time meeting as well, but she had always sent me postcards, so I felt more comfortable in the idea of meeting her. With my "real" Oma Laurina I had no background. I got in touch with her through my aunt (my dad's sister) and we set a date. She was very direct in her e-mail and it felt more like we were setting an appointment up rather than a family reunion. We decided on a Saturday, a time, and a place. She told me she would be wearing a burgundy jacket and I told her I would have my cream one on. When Saturday came the sun was out, and I was excited and nervous at the same time. I biked over to the Spui (a square) and looked for the FEBO off Kalverstraat that we were to meet in front of--but alas, there was no FEBO. I walked around the block full circle, glad that I came a little early. What was I going to do? She of course does not have a cell phone, and she came by train all the way from the north of Holland! I had to find her! After asking three people (in dutch) if they knew where a FEBO was and being told no, I decided I would look for her jacket around where the Spui and Kalverstraat met. Thank goodness she told me what color jacket she would have on! When I saw her, I couldn't help but smile. She turned and either caught my coat color or the giant grin across my face, but she recognized it was me. As we walked toward each other all of my nervousness vanished. I felt completely at ease and elated as if I had known her all along. We hugged, and she told me that the FEBO used to be right there--on that corner--but now it was a bank. Amsterdam had changed some since her youth and she had not known it. It didn't matter; we met! The whole afternoon was great. We talked about school and adventures that each of us had had.

We wound up walking from the Spui to Dam square where we decided on Nieuwe Kafe beside the church. While we were seating ourselves she turned to me, while placing her jacket on the back of her chair, and said, “You know you really do look like me; when I was younger of course.” She said that she recognized it was me in the spui walking up to her because it was like looking in a mirror of herself many years ago. Maybe it wasn't the jacket or the smile at all. It made me feel good to have her recognize my Dutch side. We talked about everything from food to bike accidents and there never seemed to be a dull or awkward moment.

I asked her about foods that she normally makes, and she said that stampot and hutspot were of course traditional. Applesauce is also a favorite, but she told me about a new recipe I want to try: you make pannenkoeken and stack them up with applesauce in between each one and then you cut it like a pie! Sounds great!

She also told me about how she fractured her shoulder blade in 7 spots by falling off of her bike when her foot slipped. I thought it was funny when she openly old me she had trouble putting her bra on. She said that she tried on a sports-bra once but had to get a worker to help her out of it because she couldn’t get it off. Haha. She was just open, and the conversation never really faltered.
The meeting with my Oma Laurina went really well and much better than the meeting with Janny (funny enough--since she was the one that we were in touch with the most). We seemed to be able to connect more which makes sense since we are blood related.

After eating lunch, having tea and coffee, and a piece of apple cake, we said our goodbyes.We hugged and parted our separate ways. I am glad that I got to meet her but don’t know what our future holds in terms of our relationship. The family ties on this side of the family are not very strong, but at least I stepped forward, showed my neutrality, and meet a new side of my heritage.

Observaciones y lo que estoy aprendiendo... (Observations and What I am Learning)

            Well I am actually doing a blog for two weeks in a row!!! Someone should write this down. This week has been really good. We are now in our ISP period and I have spent the majority of the week trying to obtain interviews and editing video. I think I put this in my last blog but I am not 100% sure. I am creating a documentary about coca and Bolivian and U.S. relations regarding the subject. It should be very interesting and I am enjoying the process of it all. I am actually going to La Paz later this week in order to complete all my interviews.
             Just today I was able to play fútbol for a number of hours in the cancha after the torrential downpour that we had here in Cochabamba. Sometimes I felt like I was playing for the other team because I haven’t touched a soccer ball in so long but it was really fun and made me miss one of the true passions of my heart. I have tried many sports but I do believe soccer possessed a piece of my heart. I managed to score a few goals despite the several inches of barro (mud), rocks, uneven grown, and the makeshift goals. It was a great deal of fun and a great way to spend some time with my host brother and some other Bolivians.  P.S. I’m out of shape!!!
    This week hasn’t been too crazy, but I must say I have been able to observe quite a bit. It has been a week of tears, as I will title it. When riding the micro and going to the SIT office I have seen many women either in cars or on the side of the street with tears streaming down their faces. I think most of it has to do with relationships and what they are going through. I even was able to witness one couple fighting and I felt so helpless. It is so interesting because of the love that I have experienced in this country but it goes to show you that we have no idea what others are going through most of the time. We pass them on the sidewalk and just walk by when in actuality they are crying out for help. It is hard at times because I desire to help them or say a kind word but there is language barrier and it is hard for me to understand their situation completely. I just remember that a smile can make all of the difference in someone’s day. A smile is a universal language that speaks with words that only a heart can understand. I realize how busy I can make myself and just pass people by without smiling. Is it worth taking that extra second to show someone that you care, I do believe so.
               Just today I caught myself being in a hurry. I really didn’t have anywhere to be but I made myself think I had somewhere to be. I think we do this a lot in the states as well. It is great to get things done, but sometimes we do it at the expense of others and we end up missing some of the most wonderful things in life. Such as hanging out with a close friend for five extra minutes to finish a conversation and blessing your day or taking that extra second to give a smile or a hug to someone who needs it or writing a note of encouragement to someone who is going through a hard time. Those are the things that speak so much louder than words. I must say that I have really enjoyed slowing down or learning when it is okay. I wholeheartedly believe it is quite alright to be busy but I do also believe we must take the time to slow down at times that we don’t miss out on life.
    I have learned a great deal this week and I am enjoying just sitting back, observing, analyzing, and comparing. I was even able to talk to my girlfriend and a large number of friends this week on skype and it was so refreshing. I am having to force myself to think about today and experiencing Bolivia because sometimes I get focused on returning and seeing everyone I care about. One of my friends reminded me to truly treasure and appreciate my time here because I know it is limited and I have no idea when or if I will be able to return. We can’t focus on tomorrow because we will miss today. I only have about month before my program ends and that will fly by with all that I have to do with my ISP but everyday is a new adventure and that is what I have to take advantage of. I miss home but I know  this last month is going to be filled with some awesome things. I look forward to writing to you about them.
    I have attached just a few pictures of Bolivia but they are not specifically from this week. Just for your enjoyment! ☺ One more note, in the picture below, our bus had to cross the lake in one of these boats. I was  a little worried I was going to lose my things but as you can see, they do this quite often.

 

"Rebirth" and Recovery

November 10, 2008

I’ve recently recovered from a two week period of midterms and projects, so I apologize for not updating sooner.  So much has been happening here recently, as well as in the States, but I will do my best to catch you up on the last few weeks of my life in Beijing…  IES is all about seeing and experiencing China, so a couple of weekends ago we had what IES calls the “mobile classroom.”  Students had five trip options to choose from and groups were formed on a first-come-first-serve basis.  By this I mean, the minute the clock rang 12:10pm there was a stampede of students in the IES hall way shoving their way to the sign up sheets on the activity room door.  I didn’t think it was worth getting a black eye over, so needless to say I was placed with my last choice, Wutaishan.  I didn’t mind, though, because two of my good friends were on the same trip and I knew we would have fun wherever we went.  Not to mention, IES has amazing Chinese teachers and it is always fun to spend time with them outside of the classroom.  Most of our teachers are only a few years older than us, so they are very familiar with Western culture and provide an interesting insight into the younger generation of Chinese.

Wutaishan is a very small, very cold town west of China.  The main attractions include the mountains (it’s a good thing I enjoy hiking), trees (which by this time have already turned grey and brown), and Buddhist temples as far as the eye can see.  The main focus of our trip was to learn about Buddhism in China, so we visited several different Buddhist temples and monasteries.  The thing about Buddhist temples is, most of them are in the mountains, so in order to get there you must first climb the mountain.  Needless to say I got a great work out that weekend. 

On our first day in Wutaishan we climbed many stone steps to a temple on the mountainside.  From the outside the temple had no particularly distinctive characteristics to separate it from other  temples, but once inside we discovered why this temple was so special.  This temple housed a special cave which had attracted several other Chinese tourists and Buddhist monks.  As we stood in line to enter the cave we noticed that everyone came out of the cave laughing.  We were greatly confused because we couldn’t imagine what could be so funny about a Buddhist cave.  Well, finally we reached the front of the line and discovered why everyone was laughing.  The entrance to the cave is a small hole so in order to enter the cave you must crawl through the hole.  Apparently coming back through the hole is supposed to symbolize your rebirth.  Honestly, when people were being squeezed and pushed out it did kind of look like the rock was birthing them.  There were three monks in front of us, but one of them was a little heavy.  He tried so hard and the other monks were pushing him from behind but he just could not make it through the hole.  I was afraid he would get stuck!  I tried (with little success) not to laugh.  When my turn came I literally had to go in hands first and wriggle my way through.  Even then I needed help getting my legs through.  Once inside we found ourselves in a tiny little room with rocks and a little shrine to Buddha.  Only about four people could fit in the cave.  I’m a little claustrophobic, so I escaped as quickly as possible.  Buddhism has many rituals and practices that Westerners would consider strange, but I think even the Chinese found this one amusing.  It was an interesting experience to say the least.

The original schedule in Wutaishan included a lecture, an hour of meditation with the monks, a meal with the monks, and an open ended discussion with a monk.  The temple ended up having a special guest from another province speaking that same day so we didn’t get our lecture or meditation session.  We did, however, get to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to eat breakfast with the monks.   I’m not sure if this is true of all Buddhist monks, but these monks were the fastest eaters I have ever seen.  Buddhists don’t eat meat, so the meal consisted of potatoes, porridge and bao zi (a Chinese dish similar to dumplings).  Those of you who know me have probably noticed that I am a fairly slow eater, so this meal was particularly difficult for me.  Not kidding, the monks were in and out of the dining hall within 15 minutes.  There was no speaking involved, just eating.  I’m not sure if this applies to all Buddhists, but these monks obviously don’t place the same emphasis on eating that Americans do.  It seemed more like a chore than an enjoyment.

The night before we had the opportunity to interact with one of the monks and ask him questions.  Before our question and answer session my Chinese professors asked one of my fellow classmates to give us an introduction to Buddhism.  He has been practicing Buddhism for the past two years so he knew the background and basic principles of Buddhism extremely well.  Coming from a white middle class Christian background I know very little about Buddhism or any other Eastern religions for that matter.  I’ve studied Buddhism and Daoism in some of my Chinese classes, but actually visiting a monastery and interacting with Buddhist monks has given me a deeper understanding of its characteristics.  I won’t lie, I still don’t understand most of Buddhism’s principles and I don’t think I ever will.  My beliefs are very different from that of Buddhism, but even though I have no desire to practice Buddhism I think it’s important for anyone living in a foreign country to familiarize themselves with local beliefs and customs.  Buddhism has such a large influence in Chinese culture and in order to understand a culture’s practices and characteristics you must understand the source from which they derive. 

We took the overnight train from Wutaishan back to Beijing, arrived at Bei Wai around 9am and started class at 10am.  The next day we had a 400 character essay due about our weekend trips.  Then on Friday we had to give a 15 minute powerpoint presentation (in Chinese of course) about our trip.  The next week I had two midterms and a video to complete.  IES keeps us busy, but I refuse to let that prevent me from seeing and experiencing Beijing.  That Saturday I went with my history class to visit the Forbidden City.  My history professor does some of his research at the Forbidden City so he is very familiar with the layout.  It was very exciting to tour the Forbidden City with someone so knowledgeable about Chinese history.  Our professor pointed out several interesting details of the emperor’s life inside the walls of the Forbidden City, for example, out of all the 9,999.5 rooms (apparently in China it’s possible to have half a room) there are no bathrooms or dinning rooms.  If the emperor had to go to the bathroom his servants would just bring him a chamber pot, and when he was ready to eat they would just bring a table and set up his feast wherever he happened to be at the time.  The Forbidden City covers an immense amount of space, so we only saw a small portion in the few hours that we visited, but it’s always so amazing to see a place after reading and studying about it.  Personally experiencing a place always gives such a clearer understanding of it.  One of the greatest advantages of studying abroad is having the opportunity to experience for yourself another culture and environment.  I think learning about China’s history and China’s culture has given me such a deeper understanding of my own culture and background.  I know I still have a long way to go, so I’m going to do my best to see and experience as much as I can in this last month.

Sweet Election Dreams...

I had dreamed of this moment for months. I would be sitting in front of the TV, tallying up electoral votes, with my family and friends, and when Obama was announced as the next president of the United States, I would scream, cry, and rejoice with all of my loved ones after watching CNN all day long. This dream was perfect, and it was on replay in my head. Suddenly, November 4th, the video tape of this dream was ejected by reality. Unlike my dream, I was not in South Carolina; I was out of the country, as I have been for three months, and I would not share this moment with the people I wanted to share it with the most. This realization made me sad and I began to debate how I would spend my election day.

Plan A was to skip class (the Wofford student in me cringed at this idea) and watch CNN all day. This plan was easily plausible because of my location and time zone. Unlike my other classmates studying abroad, I am extremely close to the United States. This means that I have many American news channels, not their international versions, and I am only an hour ahead of the East Coast. Consequently, achieving Plan A wasn’t going to be hard for me. I could watch CNN all day, like I would at home, and come close to fulfilling my fairytale election. But something in this plan was wrong. It did not involve any people and enjoying election results is all about the people around you.

After short contemplation, I decided to scratch Plan A. There was no way I could come close to mimicking the election experience I would have in America without being in America. Instead, I chose the middle path. I wouldn’t let the election consume my entire day nor would I pretend to not care about the election either. I went to class in the morning and came home and began to watch CNN. As I sat in front of the TV (to be obnoxious, I watched it on the big screen, so that everyone in my house could see), mosquitoes began to feast on me and I realized that I would lose my sanity if I saw anymore commentaries on the election.

Luckily for me, my program had scheduled a field trip to a Dominican baseball game this night. I was planning on not going but I knew I couldn’t watch TV anymore without reminiscing on what I would be doing if I were in America, so I decided to go. The baseball game was a good distraction and for two hours, I was just a baseball fan enjoying my favorite team play. However, as the final innings of the game wore on, my classmates and I’s façade of energetic baseball fans wore off. We didn’t care who won the game anymore; we wanted to sit in front of a TV and find out who our next president was.

Soon, meaning 30 minutes later, we were on the bus to go home. Because none of us wanted to find out alone in our homes, we invited ourselves to our resident director’s apartment. It was 12:30am here, 11:30 EST and silence filled the room as we all listened to the CNN broadcaster announce Barack Obama as the presumptive president-elect. The apartment stood still, and no one dared to move as to not interrupt this fairy tale ending. Finally, I pinched myself and screamed at the top of my lungs. My classmates unfroze and shouts of joys and tears awoke our middle class Dominican neighborhood. After watching Obama’s acceptance speech, the ecstasy that filled the room calmed down. CNN showed snapshots of Americans celebrating all over America, in Atlanta, in New York, in California, and in this moment, we all wanted to be home, in our country, to share in this historic national moment, but we couldn’t.

The emotional roller coaster of the American living abroad had reached its lowest point. We were living in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, and breathing a culture that wasn’t our own. This moment, the moment when Obama was elected President, was an American moment, uniquely ours; it couldn’t be expressed in Spanish or in some ‘Dominicansim.’ We needed English. Normally, I feel guilty about talking in English, but this night, I did not. We talked in English all night and all day on Wednesday; we had to make this moment ours.

Two hours of sleep later, I woke up on Wednesday morning still excited. When I left my bedroom, my Dominican mother greeted me with the biggest smile and a hug from all Dominicans. She could sense my excitement and wanted to share in this American moment. When my doña (maid) came to work, she too greeted me with a hug and “Obama.”

The excitement did not stop here. At school, all of our Dominican professors talked about the election for the first half of class. I had an oral exam in my Dominican-Haitian Relations class and my professor spent the first half of my exam talking with me about the election and its implications. Lastly, I was sitting in the hall outside of a class on my computer. A professor, whom I had never met before, came up to me, asked me if I was norteamericana. After I answered yes, she lifted me up from the couch and gave a hug and told me how proud she was of Americans.

By the end of Wednesday, I was no longer sad that I was not in America or could not achieve my American election dream. News anchors frequently commented that “the world was watching” during the election. For the first time in my life, I was a part of this world watching and felt proud to claim my patria. Dreams are sweet, but reality is so much sweeter.

Regina Fuller

Picture 1: Me hugging the TV on Tuesday night
Picture 2: My classmate Sierra and I modeling our Obama tshirts on Wednesday at school
Picture 3: Two Dominican newspapers on Wednesday morning with Obama on the front

He estado ocupado... (I have been busy...)

                 Well I have been a terrible blogger and I haven’t blogged in about 3 weeks but I do believe that my absence, in itself, portrays a great representation of an overall theme in Bolivia. Anything and everything can change in an instant. I haven’t really had a chance to do anything except work these past three weeks. Our whole schedule this semester has been thrown upside down based on the political and social events that have occurred. We decided to go to Santa Cruz three weeks ago because there was still a little bit of unrest in La Paz. Santa Cruz was amazing, we were able to interact and spend the afternoon with the Guarani people in the rural area of the departamento. This small community doesn’t have electricity but yet it plays a role in one of the fastest rising topics in the world…Biodiesel. The government wants these people to grow corn for biodiesel, which sounds good at first, but it has a detrimental affect on their health and nutrition.
              “Development” is a topic that is very difficult in Bolivia. So many think they can just come in and “develop” whatever they want and wherever. This has happened many times with NGO’s and other organizations. They even believe they can represent politically the people they know pretty much nothing about. We have discussed a great deal about this topic and it is very difficult even to convey in a single blog entry. The people of Bolivia do not have a great deal of money, especially in the campo, but development has the potential to cause great harm to them especially if it doesn’t take into about their cultural and religious beliefs. We have been told by several that the people (Aymara, Quechua, etc) don’t want to live “better” or “developed” but they want to live well. This is all relative but it opens the window of thought about what we believe is a better life and what exactly are the benefits of development. If you have a question about this or would like me to explain more, please don’t hesitate to email me or leave me a facebook message.
                 As a quick overview in Santa Cruz, I was able to eat alligator and llama, a friend and I got  picked up in the Plaza so a girl could practice her English, a man asked me for $1000 as a gift for him, we went to the sand dunes where our bus was stuck for over an hour, and the majority of our group was sick. It was a great excursion and the weather was a lot like SC in the summer. It was a small taste of home.
                 I spent the next week doing a group project on the affects of the local dump on the environment in Cochabamba. It was incredible interesting and we were able to obtain interviews with many top officials in the city. I believe this is something very unique to Bolivia. People seem to be more accessible and willing to talk about what they are doing. When I was in La Paz, I was even able to tour what is equivalent to the Bolivian White House. As we were touring, Evo Morales was in his office 3 floors above and I was able to see him peaking out his window. It was kind of exciting.
                 This past week I spent most of my time in La Paz. The political situation has completely  cooled down and the American travel warning was lifted! This is very exciting!!! Who is up for a visit? The first part of our trip was spent at Lake Titicaca, Tiwanaku, and Copacabana. The people consider the lake sacred and it truly is like jewel that sits amongst the clouds. The water is a deep emerald green that has clarity unlike any water I have seen. As we were driving through the mountains, the sun’s rays kissed the peaks and made them shine with a golden hue. The water glistened as if diamonds were floating by. We could also see snow capped mountains in the distance. I did go swimming in the lake, but it was quite cold.  It was interesting see the ruins on the Isla del Sol. The people of this area thrived from around the time of Christ all the way up to 1200 AD. It is an incredible story of how these people lived and what they  considered sacred. I believe the people of Bolivia have an understanding of nature and the environment that is light-years ahead of our own understanding. That which we take for granted is something we should cherish, respect, and enjoy.
             While in La Paz, I finally solidified my topic for my ISP. I thought I was going to do it on Medicos Cubanos in Bolivia but that was shut down quite fast. I am now planning on creating a documentary on Coca and the US and Bolivian relationship on this subject. It should be quite interesting and I am looking forward to showing it back home.
              My program is flying by and it is coming to an end. Only about on month left. I am still enjoying my time in Bolivia but I must say that I am also ready to return home to see my family and friends. Again, I do apologize for my tardiness in this entry but I have experience a great deal and  learned a lot and it gives a little insight into the way of life here, busy and ever changing. I hope you can get a glimpse of this country and its complexity because it has as great deal of influence in the South American world, which directly affects the United States and our future relations with these nations.

The election from across the pond

 
  It was a time for change. No, I'm not referring to the campaign slogan of our new president, Barack Obama. I don't mean the historical nature of this election. It's not even the switch from a Republican to a Democratic president that I'm getting at. I'm talking about experiencing the election as a student overseas.
    As long as I've known what voting is, I'm pictured voting in my first presidential election: I would wait in a long line, cast my ballot and go home to watch the results, feeling that I finally had been given a chance to affect America. But there was no line, no voting station, no home. Instead there was an envelope that marked "Absentee Ballot," a mail box and a concert hall providing drinks, hot dogs and a huge screen to watch the election live.
    But that wasn't the only change. The political shift was mind-boggling. Because I'm from Georgia and I attend Wofford, I'm used to living in "red states" -- largely conservative areas. And though I've known for the past two months that Britain is a much more liberal country than the United States, nothing made it clearer than the assumption that every Brit I spoke with had: that I was an Obama supporter. In their minds, McCain wasn't even an option.
    Yet, perhaps the biggest difference for me was watching the election process through the eyes of the British press. I couldn't help but laugh as the BBC anchor called our electoral college a "rather strange system," and explained how the actual results wouldn't be known for weeks: "the results tonight are only projections." Like trying to interpret a cryptic message, the anchors explained to the audience repeatedly that even though the popular vote would be close, the candidate can actually win by a large number if he gains the electoral votes of certain states. And everyone -- both the press and the Brits I spoke with at the election party -- insisted that this election would impact the world.
    And, watching the action from Britain, we were always just a step behind the states. For some states, like Georgia and New Mexico, BBC told us which way a United States news station had already projected the vote, reminding us that they didn't have their results confirmed yet. Not to mention the five hour time difference: for the first time I was truly frustrated with the gap of time between the countries. It was midnight before we got any results at all, four in the morning before we knew who the 44th president would be and five a.m. before I was home and able to sleep.
    Though it was an uphill battle -- fighting fatigue and nerves throughout the evening -- it was one of my best nights in London. I came to Europe with the idea that I was wearing a scarlet letter: the A standing for my nationality as a dreadful American, coming from a country that everyone hated in some way or another. But last night, I wasn't ashamed to admit my roots. Instead of consciously trying not to say "y'all," I reclaimed my Southern accent. I was proud to be American and spoke about the elections with Brits and Americans alike -- forming a kind of bond with other Americans overseas in the same position.
    Not that it wasn't bittersweet. I felt a slight pang as one Londoner leaned over and asked, "Do you wish you were home right now?" At that moment, I did terribly. I noticed to how my friend Michaela who's from Chicago watched Grant Park fill with people, a homesick look on her face. She told me she wished she could be there. But if we hadn't been there -- if we hadn't shared one seat for five hours, our backs aching, crowded by people from every angle -- we would have never known just how much this election meant to them, too: our host country.
    Suddenly, it wasn't just our future as Americans I was thinking about; it was our future as British people, Europeans, world citizens. That's the change I mean: a complete alteration in the way you think. And that's what being abroad is all about, isn't it? Realizing that when you flip the other side of the coin, there's a whole other world outside your home. Luckily, you're all on the same coin.