The Best Paralympic Volunteer Position EVER

When I first went to register my credential, the BOCOG people told me that I wasn’t going to get a uniform because I wasn’t an official volunteer. My credential said “ke ren” (“guest”). Shoulders sagged a little, Oh, so I’m not a real volunteer… Little did I know that I actually had the coolest volunteer position ever.

I was the translator for a group of American VIP (sponsors of the US Paralympic Team). There were two waves of VIP, each in China for less than 5 days. My job was to communicate with our bus driver, make meal reservations, and assist if anything else came up along the way.

I got to accompany the VIP group everywhere: sports events, sightseeing, fancy meals. We had really long days (up to 17 hours a day), but all fun stuff. My work felt pretty minimal, as my supervisor had done great prep work, and the venues were stock full of helpful Chinese volunteers with English skills.

I got the sweetest credential (access to all games and Family and Friends Lounges, even on my days off). Our seats were always prime. My supervisors were really cool and answered all my questions about game rules and Paralympic history. So I learned a lot too.

Games I watched: ( * = favorites)

• Opening and Closing Ceremonies
• Swimming
• Track and Field
• Sitting Volleyball*
• Wheelchair Basketball*
• Wheelchair Rugby*
• Wheelchair Tennis
• Cycling
• Goal Ball

We got special entrance into the Athlete’s Village and ate lunch with some US athletes. The cafeteria was huge and had a huge array of international foods. We met the Chinese athlete who lit the cauldron here!

Throughout the games, I had a great room at the Hilton, headquarters of the USOC and the accommodations for our VIP groups. Ah, such a step up over my dorm bed in my hutong hostel. And although I didn’t get the blue and white volunteer uniform, I got gear. It felt like Christmas!

That’s enough bragging for a whole year. In short, it was an awesome experience. And now I want to find out more about where to watch adaptive sports back home, especially sit volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby.

KTV

KTV in Asia varies a bit from karaoke in the West. In the US, one mounts a stage in a bar, mic in hand, to belt out (or not) one’s favorite tunes to an audience of strangers (and hopefully some friends). In China, the KTV experience involves renting, by the hour, a private room with a group of friends. The room is usually furnished with comfty sofas, a coffee table and a huge flat-screen TV. In control of an enormous remote control (with button commands all in Chinese characters), one has the power to enter one’s own song selections.

The KTV room has the effect of a flashy living room, complete with glass walls, mood lighting, and often a disco ball. Just press the staff call button if you desire to make a pricey drink order. Correct me if I’m wrong, but from my observation, one thing that doesn’t appear to differ between Karaoke East and West is the odd selection of video footage rolling behind the song lyrics.

Olympics Opening Ceremony

Elina (Russian classmate) and I watched the opening ceremony performances on a big screen TV on the sports field of Beijing University of Science and Technology. There were sites at various parks in the city that were set up for public viewing. We sat on the grassy field in a sea of black-haired heads. Campus is not too far from the Olympic Village, so you could even see a tiny bit of the fireworks from the field.

In the artistic performances, I was impressed by the juxtaposition between traditional Chinese culture and modern day technology.

We grabbed coconut pies and cheeseburgers to go from McDonalds because it was the only open restaurant in the area (24 hours, man) as today was an official public holiday. It was full of people gathered to watch the ceremony on the wall-mounted flat-screen TV. Armed with dinner and MccyD’s Olympic paper fans, we headed back to the dormitory to watch the parade of athletes on smaller screens in our rooms.

I won’t go into the details here now, but I want to say that I support the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And I agree with G.W. Bush's stance (how many times will these words ever be typed from my fingers?) on China and the Olympics: boycotting the Beijing Olympics would be an "affront to the Chinese people". Of course we could debate about this. But in short, one of my greatest lasting impressions throughout my travels, has been the difference between nations and their peoples as we know them through our foreign policies (and cultural stereotypes) and the actual people from those countries in their true human form with hopes and dreams and fears like ours. Okay, I'll stop there for now...

I have a tickets for Olympics baseball and wrestling later in the month. I’m looking forward to seeing things from inside the stadium!

p.s. I don't eat much McDonalds back home in the US, but McD's has the greatest chicken sandwiches in China--made with real chicken meat, sometimes even dark meat--yum!

Studying Chinese at BLCU

Right: my Chinese class
Far Right: a building on campus
Below: my dorm room

July 1, 2008

Hello Friends and Loved Ones,

I’m nestled on the soft, red faux-suede fabric of a new IKEA L-shaped sofa, at the P. LOFT Youth Hostel. It’s a new establishment in a Hutong neighborhood, still largely under construction as the owners prepare for the Olympics next month.

It’s overcast and drizzling outside, but I’m cozy inside, resumes, electronic accessories, calendar, books, pens sprawled across coffee table, couch and floor in a spacious corner of the rec room.

And ah! My spaghetti bologniese has just arrived. Tonight I needed that something special that only Chinese Italian food can give ya, for that extra emotional comfort.

As I pour over NGO, school and housing related websites, I go through tissues like crazy. It’s a cold, agitated by pollution. Or pollution aggravated by a cold. Tomorrow I’m supposed to finish registration for my upcoming Chinese language course.

Meet the Fuwa

I’d like to introduce you to my new friends, the Fuwa.

Bei bei – the Fish – carries the blessing of prosperity

Jing jing – the Panda – …happiness

Huan huan – the Olympic Flame – …passion

Ying ying – the Tibetan Antelope – …health

Ni ni – the Sparrow – …good luck

The Fuwa are the five mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In traditional Chinese style, each mascot’s designs hold symbolic meanings on many levels, from their animal types and headdresses to the meaning of the phrase formed when you combine their names. “Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni” translates to “Welcome to Beijing”. You can read more about the Fuwa in detail here if you so desire.

I didn’t think that I liked them at first—the Fuwa. There are FIVE! What excess, I thought. What blatant maximization of paraphernalia products for profit! Children won’t be satisfied with just one plush stuffed Huan huan doll. They’ll need ALL FIVE—the collector’s set. They’re milking consumers for all they’ve got, I judged.

Yesterday, as I wandered through the Official Flagship Store of the Beijing Olympics, I saw Fuwa backpacks and pen sets, Fuwa commemorative coins and pins, Fuwa USB flash drives and cell phone tassels, Fuwa travel coffee mugs, Fuwa antique-style porcelain ware...

Suddenly I found myself cost comparing Fuwa decal stickers. As a saleswoman approached, I backed away from the glass display case. I’d better google these Fuwa folk, I decided. I’ve got to find out more about who I’m dealing with here. Exiting the store, I was strangely drawn to pet the soft-looking fur of a four-foot plush Jing jing.

So I did a little cyber research, and… It’s not that I’ve totally rejected my previous theory, but I’ve decided that I don’t mind this particular exploitation quite so much.

I’ll admit it. Those cute little faces got to me. Not that I hadn’t seen them before, but I didn’t let myself look that closely before. To learn their names and about how each tiny aspect of their appearance and character was drawn from things China—traditionally and modernly China.

So the Fuwa are a spectacular marketing ploy (yes, I’m being dramatic), but they’re magical too (or maybe, “and so” they’re magical). What they represent inspires hope and dreams in children and adults the world around. And that’s special.

Above all else, the heart of the Fuwa mission is supposed to be seeking “to unite the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit”.

And who's not for that?

Thoughts on Consumerism

I realize that paraphernalia and marketing is not a new or innately bad aspect of large-scale events. And the truth is that most of us want the cutesy characters and the colorful souvenirs, so we can take home a piece of something great. But you gotta admit that it feeds into the cycle of short-term fads and frenzies in consumerist societies.

Maybe fads aren’t bad in themselves—they can be lots of fun—but they don’t often do us any good in the realm of long-term happiness. They can leave us always wanting more, looking for the next thing, discontent with what we have. Fads do, however, tend to bring in the big bucks for certain business industries, particularly each time the product changes.

Consumerism in China is younger than it is in the United States. The Chinese middle-class is growing fast. People here are buying cars, not because they need them, but because it’s the first time they’ve been able to afford them and they’re excited about that. It’s like when you get your first raise (at work or in allowance), and now you want to upgrade to an iPhone like your friend Jim has. Except you haven’t even owned a cell phone before; maybe you’ve only ever used the local public payphone.

If Jim told you that you shouldn’t get an iPhone because it was bad for the environment or because you should learn from his mistakes and not spend so much energy on superficial commodities, it would p*** you off. Who is Jim to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do?! He already has an iPhone. But one out of five people on this earth are Chinese people. That’s a lot of iPhones. (And by iPhones, I mean cars.) That’s a lot of gas; that’s a lot of pollution.

So what do we do? We make friends. And we work together. We practice what we preach, and we try to eliminate our hypocrisies. If we must play the older sibling, we should do so by being a good role model. But we should remember that we don’t always know what’s best and that others don’t necessarily need to follow in our footsteps as we expect.

Self Care Day -- With An Education

Today was Meg and Deme’s Self Care Day.

It began with Banana Pancakes and Jack Johnson (and Jack’s banana pancake song). Flour, salt, egg, yoghurt, water, cinnamon, cloves and banana slices combined, then fried with fish oil (you work with what you got!). Stacked three high, with two layers of marmalade jam, we topped these babies with a drizzling of honey and a sprinkling of additional spice. Sliced peaches on the side!

Breakfast was followed by a 1½ hour foot massage at a little spa down the street (for $5 US). This began with a soak of the tootsies in a wooden bucket of HOT tea. After skillfully working her fingers into and around every muscle in each foot, the masseur moved onto heavenly work on the calves, and later in the neck, shoulders, and back. It was marvelous!

OH, but this indulgence was not merely physical! My brain enjoyed a working as well. During our massages, Meg shared with me her study experience in Senegal, and I talked about my experience as a union steward. We discussed responsible and effective international social/development work, and lamented at challenges inherent in forming intercultural friendships in the context of some perceptions of particular economic power dynamics.

All this pampering was, of course, just further career research—Deme Yuan, International NGO Consultant. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

An additional treat followed in the form of a manicure date with Columbian friend Laura. We three foreign gals gossiped as we took turns at having our nails painted. You gotta mix it up: the heavy and the light.

For my last evening in Chengdu, a group of us went out for a great Sichuanese dinner. Dinner was followed by drinks at “Little Bar”, where we were quickly invited to join a trio of local business people for a bottle of whiskey. Oh, China!

Pandas! Pandas! Pandas!

On Tuesday, I went out to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. The whole place was fairly empty; post-quake tourism is down. I most enjoyed the Giant Panda Nursery.

Oh my goodness! Baby Giant Pandas are SOOO cute! At this time of the afternoon they were indoors, playing and eating. I know the bars in this picture look pretty gloomy, but I just don't have any other good photos. The little guys looked happy and healthy. And their outdoor enclosures are spacious and fun filled.

The pictured panda was my favorite of the day--gnawing on his apple slice, in all sorts of positions, for a good 10-15 minutes. He was so adorable! A Chinese tourist made a donation to the Research Center and got to hold him on her lap for a little photo session.

My stroll around the rest of the grounds was relaxed but educational, and HOT. I really like this quote:

"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we have been taught."
~Baba Dioum~

Semi-Manual Washing Machine

I ventured up to the roof to wash clothes in the do-it-yourself machine. It’s a wonderful process meant to give you a real appreciation of your automatic washing machine back home:

Step 1: Load a few clothing items into “washing machine” basin.

Step 2: Add detergent.

Step 3: Turn on water faucet until basin is full, then turn off faucet.

Step 4: Turn timer dial to start machine.

Wait 15 minutes as machine swishes water and clothing around.

Step 5: Empty water from basin by placing hose attached to machine into nearby toilet bowl. Replace hose to upright position once basin is empty.

Step 6: Turn on water faucet to refill basin with fresh water, this time without adding detergent. Turn off faucet when basin is full.

Step 7: Turn timer dial to start machine again.

Wait 15 minutes as machine swishes water and clothing around.

Step 8: Empty water from basin by placing hose in toilet again.

Step 9: Remove clothing from machine and wring out excess water.

Step 10: Hang clothing on line to dry.

Repeat process for additional small loads of clothing.

A Day of Play with Earthquake Survivors

On Sunday I participated in The Rainbow Project, a relief program Ecologia runs in a town that was hit particularly hard by last May’s earthquake. Once a week, Rainbow Project volunteers travel to Loushui (a 2-3 hour bus ride outside of Chengdu) for a day of play with the surviving children of the town. Play activities include sports and games, arts and crafts, song and dance, and English language lessons.

The day of play not only breaks up the boredom of the kids’ new lifestyle as people displaced from their homes, but serves therapeutic and healing purposes for children and adults who are grieving for loved ones lost in the disaster.

Over 200 kids in Loushui died when the elementary school and high school buildings collapsed during the quake. (The majority were from the elementary school.) Parent have claimed that, since the earthquake, the only time during the week that the children of Loushui laugh or smile is when the volunteers from Rainbow Projects visit on Sundays.

Chengdu, China

I’ve finally arrived in China!

At present I’m visiting friend Meg in Chengdu. Meg and Kate (new friend; Meg’s flatmate & colleague) have graciously invited me to stay at their apartment and have been sharing their knowledge and experience in the world of micro-credit AND relief work.

Meg and Kate work for an NGO called Ecologia, which conducts a micro-credit program in rural China. Ecologia’s main partner is the Rabbit King (see previous blog entry). The Rabbit King provides poor villagers with the rabbits and training to start small businesses. Ecologia then grants small loans to eligible farmers so that they can grow their rabbit farm businesses. Money might be used to build pens, to buy feed-making machines, or to buy more rabbits.

With last month’s devastating earthquake, troubleshooting the new and immediate problems of farmers’ loss of shelter, food, water, etc. became a necessary piece of the puzzle.

Wednesday Meg and Kate let me tag along for a trip out to one of the villages they work with. I got to meet some of the rabbit farmers who have received loans from Ecologia. Among the lovely cast of characters I met was the Rabbit Prince, 17-year-old son of the Rabbit King and Queen.

One of the purposes of the day’s outing was to get estimates on the cost of reconstructing farmers’ homes. Many people are living in tents outside of their houses, because the buildings are standing so precariously—it’s an extreme safety hazard. These structures usually shelter large families, as well as any livestock the families depend on for their livelihood.

(Check out the links to the Ecologia and Sichuan Xuping Rabbit Co. websites for more info if you have the time and interest.)

The Rabbit King

I love this story:

The Rabbit King started as the son of poor farmers in rural China. At age 14, he began raising his first rabbits. The bunnies did what bunnies are known for doing—they reproduced. The teenager sold some of his new bunnies, and turned a profit. Thus began the business that pulled his family out of poverty.

News of the Rabbit King’s rags-to-riches success story spread. He was actually visited by Deng Xiaoping (Chinese leader known for opening China to the global market, 1978-1990s). This visit inspired philanthropic ideas in the young man, going beyond simply acquiring wealth for himself to sharing success with the larger community. The Rabbit King established a relationship, and worked for many years, with The Heifer Project*, which provided the model for this.

Having lifted his own family from poverty, the Rabbit King began giving rabbits away to other poor villagers in his community and sharing his knowledge of business and rabbit-raising with them. Because of his generosity and genuine care for people, the Rabbit King is well-known and respected.

Note: Farmers sell their rabbits to businesses that primarily use them for their meat and fur. However, the farmers can also use the meat themselves, which is am important source of nutrition.

*Heifer is an international NGO, whose mission is to alleviate poverty worldwide. They donate farm animals (like chickens, goats, cows, rabbits, etc.) and animal husbandry training to poor farmers. Their condition is that when the animals breed the recipients give the baby animals to other poor families in their community, to spread the opportunities. Beautiful, isn’t it?

Thailand with the Sibs

It's been awesome getting to travel with Kim and Chris (my sister and brother-in-law) in Thailand this past week. Unfortunately, they've each had a turn at being sick in their first week in Asia. Our trio has turned to duos during some of our day outtings, but it's been great still (says the only one who hasn't had fever!).

In Kanchanaburi, Chris and I rented a motorbike and rode to Erawan Falls, an impressive 7-tiered waterfall. We hiked up to the 6th step, and took a dip one of the crystal blue pools, dodging toe-nibbling fish. The hour ride out to Erawan National Park was gorgeous. The trip back was bone-chilling, as raindrops slapped at our skin and wind tore at our sopping clothes.

At Tiger Temple, the three of us got up close and personal with the big cats, and a couple cubs too.

In Sangklaburi, I took Kim and Chris on a tour of Baan Unrak School and Children's Home. And I got to introduce them to some of my friends and favorite kiddos!

Two days ago, a night bus brought us north to Chiang Mai. Kim and I visited the Tribal Museum to learn about the main hilltribe groups in Thailand. And the three of us made a trip to the Malaria Testing Clinic just to be sure (negatives on both the sibs).

Today, Kim and I took a day-long Thai cookery course. It was so fun! Our teacher was a real comedian. The experience was educational and entertaining.

Kim and Chris arrive in Thailand!

Kim and Chris arrived in Bangkok last night. It was so great to see them! We have about a week to travel together before we must part directions.

Today, in the older, historical part of the city, we visited the Grand Palace and Wat Po (a temple with a huge reclining buddha). Then we took the river ferry to the Skytrain to get to the Bangkok's super-modern, downtown commercial district.

This evening we traveled 2 hours by minivan to get to Kanchanaburi. It's been a long, hot day. I think we'll all sleep well tonight!

Fishing

Fishing is not best done on a tight schedule. One must have time to figure out what to do with the unexpected.

What's a girl supposed to do with the contraption pictured to the left?

And the "bait" pictured to the right?

My baits guess...

You got me...

Ahh, Bliss!

I don’t know how it could get any better than this!

I woke up this morning around 9:00 to a phone call from Burmese friend Tun Ein, who scolded me for still being in bed. His prompting got me up and to the guesthouse’s restaurant bungalow for a hot Lipton. The staff sliced me a huge plate-load of mangos, which came from the tree next to my bungalow.

As I sipped my tea and delighted in my fruit breakfast, I gave Tun Ein what he demanded: his first Mandarin Chinese lesson—numbers and greetings. Shortly thereafter, Thai friend Chai called to check in. Then I sunk into a comfy reclining position, with a second story view of the river, opened a book and read!

At noon, I picked up a scooter for another day’s expedition. (The guesthouse staff gave me great advice for a circuit.) I followed the same stretch south as on Thursday, this time passing the hot springs and connecting to the highway. It looped me north again, and I pulled off at Pai Canyon. After a brief hike and scan of the area, I mounted my motorbike again to continue on to Mo Paeng Waterfall.

The scenery along the way was great. And there were restaurants scattered along the road that looked inviting. I’ll come back here tomorrow, I thought to myself.

I turned off the highway again, and headed into the hills. Curiosity inspired me to follow signs for a “Fishing Park” posted along the same road as led to the falls. I should nearly be there…, I thought each time I saw another arrowed sign that promised smiling, gilled-friends.

By the time I finally arrived, I was relieved that I hadn’t been on foot or bicycle when curiosity first struck. The “Fishing Park” looked pleasant and relaxing; prices weren’t bad; and the "farang" (Thai word for “Westerner”) fishing had the catch to show for his efforts.

I’ll be back tomorrow, I announced.

Continuing on to the falls, I passed through a Lisu hill-tribe village. Farmers were burning old fields and raking at the ground with long-long, skinny, bamboo hoes. The land looked dark and fertile.

When I reached Mo Paeng Waterfall, I ate my sweet bun from 7-Eleven, dipped my feet, and consulted my map. The waterfall looked like any in Colorado’s mountains, except that it was surrounded by tropical jungle rather than pine forest.

On the retreat downhill, I turned into Santichon, a Chinese hill-tribe village. The ethnic-Chinese people here come from Yunnan province, in southern China. I spent about 30 minutes at a tea shop, sipping Oolong cha, nibbling on dried fruit, and chatting in Mandarin with a woman in her fifties and a twelve-year-old boy. I’d have imagined that their Chinese would be some dialect incomprehensible to me, but they spoke clear Putonghua… and Thai, and the boy spoke a little English.

En route towards home, I decided, It’d be nice to go back there tomorrow too…

Before sunset, I dropped my day gear off at my bungalow. Then I cruised a stretch of road going northward, looping back down to town on the other side of Pai River. For dinner I devoured a coconut curry.

Ah, BLISS!

A Splendid Day

Yesterday morning I arrived in Pai, a bit worn from the last 14 hours on the bus. By the time I’d secured a bungalow near the river, it was still not yet even noon. So I rented a motorbike and rode the 8km southeast to the natural hot springs.

The ride was gorgeous. Jungle on the left, farmland on the right. Everything was so lush and alive. I passed by a handful of elephant camps. The rain was on and off again, but light.

While you can't take a dip at the actual park, a local resort allows non-guests access to their hot spring pools for a small fee. So I enjoyed a relaxing soak in luxury setting before heading back to town.

Before bed, I had a terrific pumpkin curry for dinner and a bit of time on the Internet.

It was a splendid day!

The Warm Fuzzies

Last night, during the course of a very long bus ride, I began thinking about all the people in this world who have touched my life. As I rolled through names, faces and shared experiences floated across my mind. No sooner than I'd think I'd reached the end, I'd recall a whole other group of individuals who hold a special place in my heart (for instance, my teachers K-uni and beyond, my college acappella group, Brenda and the senior ladies in her weaving class...). The list went on and on! It was so beautiful that I had to make an effort, more than once, to keep my smile non-vocal. (My fellow bus passengers were sleeping.)

There is no possible way for me to write all your names here. But you know you're on my list. And I want to tell you that I feel so blessed that you are.

Thank you!