Last week 135 of Plan China's 150 staff began our annual retreat. In truly Chinese style it took 23 hours to get to our destination via coaches and trains; though we all had beds the electric fans on the 25 year old trains struggled to beat the 30 degree evening heat. We ended up at a place called Bamboo Sea, 'not that famous' a place according to my colleagues almost none of whom had heard of it before.
Not that that matters, it was far enough into the mountains to have fresh air and a great opportunity for me to be forced to speak more chinese. Unfortunately most of my colleagues from the field offices have rather thick accents. Bamboo Sea was, as the name implies, a forest entirely made of Bamboo (not actually a sea, but a metaphor) which was rather large and took up several mountains.What makes the trip so Chinese?
-the tour guide talking for more than 2 hours on the bus about the local area, then organising a 2 hour karaoke competition on the bus (she did not get the humour when i sang Oasis' Wonderwall whilst looking at her: "I don't believe that anybody// Feels the way I do about you now") and forcing everyone to participate.
-the party 1 evening whereby offices/groups perform 'short' skits which in total lasted over 3 hours. It did look funny, and everyone else was laughing a lot, even though i had barely a clue what anyone was saying. Never the less there was some fruit and munchies...
-the 'sightseeing' which requires being bussed around the area we were in between various bamboo related sights (often involving lots of carvings of famous sayings or legends into the rock that is really nothing to do with bamboo and that are found at every famous place in China).
-the food which was 90% made of bamboo dishes. There are, in my recent experience, at least 30 different dishes you can make from bamboo and many other herbal medicines that can be created from bamboo according to the women trying to sell it to me.
-the incredible amount of photos the chinese people took of bamboo and of themselves in front of bamboo (bamboo is quite common all over china).
-lunch on a boat cruising along the river looking at more bamboo
-how loud (and how fast) chinese people speak on buses
and so on.... Anyway it has been a fun trip and great to get out of the office and enjoy more social time with my colleagues. Especially after reading Only 1 percent of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the EU.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Banteay Srei amongst the trees
Banteay Srei is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the temples in Angkor. Many people miss it as it is 25km from the main complex, but the completeness, the intricacies, the colours, the designs and the stories are breathtaking. I walked around it for over an hour doing at least 6 laps and still did not want to leave.
Bayon and lake 2
Bayon, one of the most impressive temples in Angkor has an incredible amount of faces carved into the rocks and some even more incredible carvings of daily life, wars and escapades the rulers got up to at the time. One of the many interesting aspects of Angkor's temples is the various religious influences on them: sometimes Buddhist, sometimes Hindu depending on the year. And of course, depending on which ruler built the temple.
Pretty hut
A family's home in rural Cambodia. Nearby is their 1 pig, a small fire that they cook over and some other huts.
Painting of the killing fields
Evidence of the incredible regime run by Pol Pot wiping out a third of Cambodia's population. A visit to the school that was turned into an interrogation/torture centre coupled with a trip out to where the unlucky inhabitants were clubbed to death is sobering. The children (of which there were hundreds, often only a few years old) somehow ended up being killed as 'children of political enemies' by being held by the legs and swung against trees. How does mankind do such things?
Adam and massive tree in Ta Phrom
Indiana Jones eat your heart out. These are the big mama trees that are taking over thousand year old temples. does put the little old human into perspective
Angkor Wat rising above the forest
Angkor Wat and the many other temples are lying around in a jungle... almost literally. indeed the smaller temples are so rarely visited it is a fantastic experience to be there alone amongst the nature.
Stunning Angkor Wat at first light
Angkor Wat at sunlight; photos do not do it justice... though i did try enough times!
Mirror image of Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat -the greatest of all the temples at Angkor which is now in tiny Cambodia but which used to be the centre of an empire covering most of South East Asia. At sunrise it is incredible.
Immaculate Banteay Srei carvings -closeup 2
Imagine entire temples packed full of carvings like this; built more than a thousand years ago -and the hundreds of temples sited in a 'capital' whose population was 1 million people! And then, they all disappeared and the jungle swallowed up the entire complex. As spectacular as Angkor and surrounding temples are, the area around it is one of the poorest in Cambodia.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
luxury
I missed out on the (presumably) impressive celebrations on the 8th which marked 1 year to go till the Olympics, as I was in a seminar talking about the role of China in Africa. A very interesting topics, since there are all kinds of phrases that are associated with it from 'the new colonialism' to 'south-south co-operation'. There is no doubt why China is dealing with Africa -it is for its own benefit, as every other country deals with Africa. The question is will Africa benefit from China's involvement or not?
Will trading help reduce poverty or flood the market with cheap, subsidised, imported Chinese goods? Will China's endemic corruption make Africa's corruption worse or is this a chance for Chinese companies to turn over a new leaf in a new continent? Will the media and NGOs be successful in forcing China to help Africa; using the 'genocide' Olympics as leverage? How will Chinese people who can barely speak english deal with African people, and will they just live in their own communes eating Chinese food? Since Chinese workers have now started being kidnapped for ransoms, will China have to stray form its policy of 'non-interference'? Will the government controlled Chinese media ever start to accept whatsoever that China's motivations for being in Africa are not really just to help the poor black man that the white man screwed over?
All interesting questions, and all affect the whole poverty reduction agenda. Unfortunately the seminar barely touched on any of these issues, but never mind. Work is going well; organisation-wide retreat coming up soon. should be interesting/exciting/good chance to practise chinese.
I moved apartments a couple of months back into a cheap place of rather low quality; but it keeps out most of the mosquitos and has a few drips of water flowing into the sink and into the hole that is both a toilet and a shower. It is good enough for temporary stays. The reason I moved was that I am expecting to spend more time in Beijing, hence the greater expenditure of rent in Beijing instead.
A big bed in a big room with my own bathroom; a living room with 3 sofas, big screen TV, dining table, kitchen with oven, a study and a little bed+bath-room for a maid (we do not have a maid, so it is used for storage) amongst all the other fancy things i am not used to having; like bookshelves, plants and air conditioning. I honestly feel guilty living there (though i do conserve electricity), compared to the people that Plan is actually helping. But never mind, it lets me live close to work in Beijing, gives me space to study chinese in quiet and provides a green park between the 58 buildings of the complex to go for a run in the mornings.
Unfortunately this week i am in Xi'an. But never mind. Spurs won, and that is all that matters!
Will trading help reduce poverty or flood the market with cheap, subsidised, imported Chinese goods? Will China's endemic corruption make Africa's corruption worse or is this a chance for Chinese companies to turn over a new leaf in a new continent? Will the media and NGOs be successful in forcing China to help Africa; using the 'genocide' Olympics as leverage? How will Chinese people who can barely speak english deal with African people, and will they just live in their own communes eating Chinese food? Since Chinese workers have now started being kidnapped for ransoms, will China have to stray form its policy of 'non-interference'? Will the government controlled Chinese media ever start to accept whatsoever that China's motivations for being in Africa are not really just to help the poor black man that the white man screwed over?
All interesting questions, and all affect the whole poverty reduction agenda. Unfortunately the seminar barely touched on any of these issues, but never mind. Work is going well; organisation-wide retreat coming up soon. should be interesting/exciting/good chance to practise chinese.
I moved apartments a couple of months back into a cheap place of rather low quality; but it keeps out most of the mosquitos and has a few drips of water flowing into the sink and into the hole that is both a toilet and a shower. It is good enough for temporary stays. The reason I moved was that I am expecting to spend more time in Beijing, hence the greater expenditure of rent in Beijing instead.
A big bed in a big room with my own bathroom; a living room with 3 sofas, big screen TV, dining table, kitchen with oven, a study and a little bed+bath-room for a maid (we do not have a maid, so it is used for storage) amongst all the other fancy things i am not used to having; like bookshelves, plants and air conditioning. I honestly feel guilty living there (though i do conserve electricity), compared to the people that Plan is actually helping. But never mind, it lets me live close to work in Beijing, gives me space to study chinese in quiet and provides a green park between the 58 buildings of the complex to go for a run in the mornings.
Unfortunately this week i am in Xi'an. But never mind. Spurs won, and that is all that matters!
Monday, August 06, 2007
3 years without...
...going to a cinema, since cinemas are so expensive in China (around 10 USD), they only have around 20 foreign films a year (due to government regulations) and fake DVDs are so cheap.
But, in Bangkokg, in one of the best cinemas in town, it is only a few dollars and they show loads of movies, so I popped in on saturday to watch Die Hard 4 (a great 'return to the cinema after 3 years' choice).
Now the Thais love their King -and it really is not possible to understate the word 'love'. In fact, though 95% of Thais are Buddhist I think the king fulfills a god-like role. Yellow is his colour so Thais often wear yellow t-shirts (especially on Monday, when the subway is full of yellow). On many tall buildings there are massive (covering 20 or more storeys/floors) posters of their dear king. Along the roads there are posters and temples to the king. He is everywhere. I have no problem with this, and was quite willing to stand up during the 3 minute 'infomerical' about the kind that was showed just before the movie started. It was quite surprising though, when after an advert about shampoo, the whole movie theatre gets up and bows their head and then the king comes on!
...going to a live sporting event, since there are not many world famous teams in China. However, on sunday 1 world famous team, Barcelona, was in town so i went to buy the cheapest ticket (18 Euros; most expensive was 180 Euros!) to watch them beat Beijing 3-0. The game was surprisingly good and open. Barcelona were in another league altogether, especially in individual skill, but Beijing did get better towards the end.
There were 30,000 fans, though the stadium is very different to British ones: no roofs, jsut 1 tier of seating and an athletics track means the atmosphere is not as good. Though it did heat up when some Americans (supporting Beijing) had a scuffle with some Chinese (supporting Barcelona). Of course there was plenty of fake t-shirts and posters outside the stadium, but the Chinese still have some way to go to prepare for the Olympics -for example, there was so few snack stalls that they ran out at half-time and were only twice the price of normal shop prices! Wembley can give them some advice on extortionate pricing I am sure!
But, in Bangkokg, in one of the best cinemas in town, it is only a few dollars and they show loads of movies, so I popped in on saturday to watch Die Hard 4 (a great 'return to the cinema after 3 years' choice).
Now the Thais love their King -and it really is not possible to understate the word 'love'. In fact, though 95% of Thais are Buddhist I think the king fulfills a god-like role. Yellow is his colour so Thais often wear yellow t-shirts (especially on Monday, when the subway is full of yellow). On many tall buildings there are massive (covering 20 or more storeys/floors) posters of their dear king. Along the roads there are posters and temples to the king. He is everywhere. I have no problem with this, and was quite willing to stand up during the 3 minute 'infomerical' about the kind that was showed just before the movie started. It was quite surprising though, when after an advert about shampoo, the whole movie theatre gets up and bows their head and then the king comes on!
...going to a live sporting event, since there are not many world famous teams in China. However, on sunday 1 world famous team, Barcelona, was in town so i went to buy the cheapest ticket (18 Euros; most expensive was 180 Euros!) to watch them beat Beijing 3-0. The game was surprisingly good and open. Barcelona were in another league altogether, especially in individual skill, but Beijing did get better towards the end.
There were 30,000 fans, though the stadium is very different to British ones: no roofs, jsut 1 tier of seating and an athletics track means the atmosphere is not as good. Though it did heat up when some Americans (supporting Beijing) had a scuffle with some Chinese (supporting Barcelona). Of course there was plenty of fake t-shirts and posters outside the stadium, but the Chinese still have some way to go to prepare for the Olympics -for example, there was so few snack stalls that they ran out at half-time and were only twice the price of normal shop prices! Wembley can give them some advice on extortionate pricing I am sure!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Motos
A city of 2 million people, and probably more than a million Motos (Motobikes), Phnom Penh gets my award for the most dangerous traffic of all the cities I have been to. It is hard to describe in words; but suffice to say there are about 4 times more Motos than cars and if ever proof is needed of how dangerous it is, surely the fact that at least 1/3rd of drivers wear helmets is it. Spot a helmet elsewhere (especially China) and you deserve an award!
For a capital city it really is a bit disappointing: barely a building over 6 stories tall and an airport that is probably smaller than Wembley Stadium, but as towns go it is a fantastic place full of character and pleasant architecture, a lack of slums (considering the poverty of Cambodia), tremendous food, nice sunsets and very warm people.
Despite this, despite the great guest houses that extend into a pretty lake (and provide rooms for only 3 dollars), despite the fun that can be had when travelling with a girl whose hair is braided and attracts all kinds of attention.... despite all these and more, the endearing memory of Phnom Penh is still of the [... how can one describe this...] despicable atrocities that took place during the late 70s when the Khmer Rouge killed 1/4 of the population (the civil war lasted a shockingly long 30 years in total). These atrocities are remembered in the museum at a school which was turned into an interrogation and torture centre for almost 20,000 'enemies of the state'.
I've been to Nazi concentration camps, I've read about the Rwandan genocide, I've seen movies like Blood Diamond and I can deal with the evil that is in all of us. But it is very, very hard to accept the fact that adults can pick up babies by their legs and kill them by smashing their heads against trees. It is extremely hard to understand how 6 year old children can be accused of being political enemies and need to be tortured and killed. I asked a friend what she would do if told to kill a child or be killed herself -no answer of course; it is awful when these kinds of situations are created whereby everyone down the chain of command is ensuring those beneath them are committing these kinds of acts in order to stay alive themselves.
The best part of the (sparse) museum [though best is not the right word] is the small section about those who were the torturers and killers. Is the excuse of 'If i didn't kill the innocent child/adult i would have died myself' an excuse anyone can actually believe in themselves?
On a lighter note, whilst visiting the projects that Plan supports in Cambodia it is impossible not to see how much aid other countries are pouring into Cambodia to try to help them recover from what the country went through (note that the Americans also did their best to destroy the country whilst the Viet Cong were hiding there during the Vietnam war) and it is evidently working. Though how effective it is when so many charities are all trying to help the same village with different techniques is questionable. I saw a school with 3 different wells, built by 3 different organisations. I suppose the school needed 3 wells, but why 3 different kinds of well?
No wonder the whole country still harks back to the incredible glory days of 9th-12th centuries when the Angkor empire ruled much of South East Asia and build such incredible temples and housed cities of a million or more people (London, at the time, was apparently about 40,000 people). Even now, no one is quite sure how such a population was sustained (water, food, sanitation, order etc). At least the future can only continue to get better for poor Cambodia; even if their current government is as corrupt as most of the others in developing countries. Interestingly this week the UN organised war crimes tribunal finally started to actually do something about convicting those in charge of the awful regime 30 years ago. A bit late though, since most of those leaders are already dead of natural causes!
For a capital city it really is a bit disappointing: barely a building over 6 stories tall and an airport that is probably smaller than Wembley Stadium, but as towns go it is a fantastic place full of character and pleasant architecture, a lack of slums (considering the poverty of Cambodia), tremendous food, nice sunsets and very warm people.
Despite this, despite the great guest houses that extend into a pretty lake (and provide rooms for only 3 dollars), despite the fun that can be had when travelling with a girl whose hair is braided and attracts all kinds of attention.... despite all these and more, the endearing memory of Phnom Penh is still of the [... how can one describe this...] despicable atrocities that took place during the late 70s when the Khmer Rouge killed 1/4 of the population (the civil war lasted a shockingly long 30 years in total). These atrocities are remembered in the museum at a school which was turned into an interrogation and torture centre for almost 20,000 'enemies of the state'.
I've been to Nazi concentration camps, I've read about the Rwandan genocide, I've seen movies like Blood Diamond and I can deal with the evil that is in all of us. But it is very, very hard to accept the fact that adults can pick up babies by their legs and kill them by smashing their heads against trees. It is extremely hard to understand how 6 year old children can be accused of being political enemies and need to be tortured and killed. I asked a friend what she would do if told to kill a child or be killed herself -no answer of course; it is awful when these kinds of situations are created whereby everyone down the chain of command is ensuring those beneath them are committing these kinds of acts in order to stay alive themselves.
The best part of the (sparse) museum [though best is not the right word] is the small section about those who were the torturers and killers. Is the excuse of 'If i didn't kill the innocent child/adult i would have died myself' an excuse anyone can actually believe in themselves?
On a lighter note, whilst visiting the projects that Plan supports in Cambodia it is impossible not to see how much aid other countries are pouring into Cambodia to try to help them recover from what the country went through (note that the Americans also did their best to destroy the country whilst the Viet Cong were hiding there during the Vietnam war) and it is evidently working. Though how effective it is when so many charities are all trying to help the same village with different techniques is questionable. I saw a school with 3 different wells, built by 3 different organisations. I suppose the school needed 3 wells, but why 3 different kinds of well?
No wonder the whole country still harks back to the incredible glory days of 9th-12th centuries when the Angkor empire ruled much of South East Asia and build such incredible temples and housed cities of a million or more people (London, at the time, was apparently about 40,000 people). Even now, no one is quite sure how such a population was sustained (water, food, sanitation, order etc). At least the future can only continue to get better for poor Cambodia; even if their current government is as corrupt as most of the others in developing countries. Interestingly this week the UN organised war crimes tribunal finally started to actually do something about convicting those in charge of the awful regime 30 years ago. A bit late though, since most of those leaders are already dead of natural causes!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Impressed
After a week in discussions about how business can contribute to Earth's and Society's sustainable development (which i basically what i am doing in my work), which was complete with plenty of Thai food, a swimming pool and fresh air, I am now in Siam Reap, Cambodia. Siam Reap is the town next to Angkor Wat and other nearby temples, one of the most impressive sites open to tourists anywhere in the World.
The temples, of which there are more than 30, though only about 15 major ones, are all 1,000 years old and many are of a simply incredible size.... literally the size of modern day palaces; all made of rocks, all done by hand, all intricately carved, almost all done solely for religion. They are impressive; though many of them are in some what of a state.
The highlight so far: Walking around in the jungle and coming across a 'lost temple' appearing out of the ground, walls and statues are intermingled with hundred year old trees! Granted, the temple are not lost, and 2 minutes later a tour group or some other backpackers will invade the pace, but it is unusual and makes one feel 'at one' with nature to some extent. It is great that many temples were not restored and so feel so natural. Of course, if it was in China, all the temples would be rebuilt with cranes and painted in bright blue (or whatever c0lour they were originally) in preparation for the Olympics! Plus of course, there would be pictures of the famous people who have visited and the awful destruction that other countries did of the original site (note for readers: much of China's historical and cultural heritage was destroyed by the commnist party during the 'cultural revolution').
The other great thng is how not so over-toursity the area is, much aganst what i expected. There are bery few beggars, few few locals harrassing tourists to sell them t-shirts or water really; bearng in mind this is the most famous tourist site in South East Asia. And, maybe this is just caue it is the 'low season', there are surprisingly few tourists -still lots of course, but the number is certainly acceptable. Another plus is that the entrance fee is only 20 USD a day -a bargain really!
On Monday Plan's local staff will show me around the poor villages and the work Plan is doing here. It should be very interesting, and a great way to get to know a country. I cannot wait!
The temples, of which there are more than 30, though only about 15 major ones, are all 1,000 years old and many are of a simply incredible size.... literally the size of modern day palaces; all made of rocks, all done by hand, all intricately carved, almost all done solely for religion. They are impressive; though many of them are in some what of a state.
The highlight so far: Walking around in the jungle and coming across a 'lost temple' appearing out of the ground, walls and statues are intermingled with hundred year old trees! Granted, the temple are not lost, and 2 minutes later a tour group or some other backpackers will invade the pace, but it is unusual and makes one feel 'at one' with nature to some extent. It is great that many temples were not restored and so feel so natural. Of course, if it was in China, all the temples would be rebuilt with cranes and painted in bright blue (or whatever c0lour they were originally) in preparation for the Olympics! Plus of course, there would be pictures of the famous people who have visited and the awful destruction that other countries did of the original site (note for readers: much of China's historical and cultural heritage was destroyed by the commnist party during the 'cultural revolution').
The other great thng is how not so over-toursity the area is, much aganst what i expected. There are bery few beggars, few few locals harrassing tourists to sell them t-shirts or water really; bearng in mind this is the most famous tourist site in South East Asia. And, maybe this is just caue it is the 'low season', there are surprisingly few tourists -still lots of course, but the number is certainly acceptable. Another plus is that the entrance fee is only 20 USD a day -a bargain really!
On Monday Plan's local staff will show me around the poor villages and the work Plan is doing here. It should be very interesting, and a great way to get to know a country. I cannot wait!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Xi'an
It is the middle of July. Wow. Almost 1 year of being at Plan and in Xi'an. My contract has been renewed for another year, though I may soon move back to Beijing, rather than just traveling there every other week. As with most things it is only when you contemplate change that you realise just what things are like now -i say this in regard to Xi'an. A city that at first sight is polluted and grey, boring and dangerous (never try to cross at a pedestrian crossing in xi'an; keep going to a road junction where the traffic lights afford slightly more protection) is in many aspects wonderfully chinese where the middle class is taking over and where on saturdays shopping streets are crowded, buses are packed and personal cars clog streets.
A city that is cheap enough for it's millions of inhabitants living of a few pounds a day (average taxi driver's take home salary here is 100 pounds a month) to drive consumerism; yet one that is trying price itself out of these people's range. The accommodation that these people live in is disappearing (though not as rapidly as East China), the number of places where farmers can drive up in their 3 wheeled carts piled high with vegetables to sell is declining, and the number of bars on the (only) bar street that actually have people in them is increasing (though not as fast as the number of clubs opening). I may be exaggerating a little -but observing this is what makes Xi'an an interesting place to live. It might not change as much as Beijing, it might not have anything actually happening (politically, culturally, business etc) in comparison but it does have an atmosphere, hidden in the old villages that have been absorbed into the massive city.
These villages are surviving and they are just like any other village that could be in the middle of nowhere: market streets, evil dogs, hundreds of kids, litter and all. It means that the culture these people that grew up there have lives on, though in different forms. Going to the South gate is a bizarre example of how old people are forced to socialise, play instruments and dance in modern times where land is at such a premium. Of course, just like British culture (and one could even say, values) have changed so much in the last century China's are too. Whether it will actually be quicker or not, I am not sure. It might still be dependent on older generations dying, middle generations forgetting their past and younger generations only knowing consumerism -which all takes time.
A friend of mine is running a soup-kitchen in town, which operates 3 days a week and has over 50 people coming each time -mostly regulars. Going there reminds me what real charity is like (Plan is a multi-million dollar development organisations and though in no means ineffective, is operating on a totally different level) -and that though it is not sustainable, it is still required. Several of the regulars there are now volunteers themselves and it is clear how much they get out of being offered a chance to help themselves and others, even if that is just by cleaning tables and handing out soup and baozi. This weekend I will running a couple of workshops at the AIESEC conference and one is going to focus a great deal on the linkage between entrepreneurship and empowerment (along with micro-finance, an incredibly hot topic nowadays). This is a topic i am increasingly getting interested in.
In other news, camping/hiking is still my favourite past-time (apart from when i get my hands on a new series of 24!), the sun has actually come out recently and there has also been a few showers, i am off to thailand/cambodia next weekend and i am feeling more chinese after downgrading my living situation :) I can highly recommend Little Children movie-wise and facebook for a place to upload embarrassing photos of people!
p.s. not the most exciting last 3 weeks, but pretty busy. The main highlight was watching the torture my colleagues went through listening to my presentation (in chinese) about my 'resource mobilisation' plan for the next 12 months!
A city that is cheap enough for it's millions of inhabitants living of a few pounds a day (average taxi driver's take home salary here is 100 pounds a month) to drive consumerism; yet one that is trying price itself out of these people's range. The accommodation that these people live in is disappearing (though not as rapidly as East China), the number of places where farmers can drive up in their 3 wheeled carts piled high with vegetables to sell is declining, and the number of bars on the (only) bar street that actually have people in them is increasing (though not as fast as the number of clubs opening). I may be exaggerating a little -but observing this is what makes Xi'an an interesting place to live. It might not change as much as Beijing, it might not have anything actually happening (politically, culturally, business etc) in comparison but it does have an atmosphere, hidden in the old villages that have been absorbed into the massive city.
These villages are surviving and they are just like any other village that could be in the middle of nowhere: market streets, evil dogs, hundreds of kids, litter and all. It means that the culture these people that grew up there have lives on, though in different forms. Going to the South gate is a bizarre example of how old people are forced to socialise, play instruments and dance in modern times where land is at such a premium. Of course, just like British culture (and one could even say, values) have changed so much in the last century China's are too. Whether it will actually be quicker or not, I am not sure. It might still be dependent on older generations dying, middle generations forgetting their past and younger generations only knowing consumerism -which all takes time.
A friend of mine is running a soup-kitchen in town, which operates 3 days a week and has over 50 people coming each time -mostly regulars. Going there reminds me what real charity is like (Plan is a multi-million dollar development organisations and though in no means ineffective, is operating on a totally different level) -and that though it is not sustainable, it is still required. Several of the regulars there are now volunteers themselves and it is clear how much they get out of being offered a chance to help themselves and others, even if that is just by cleaning tables and handing out soup and baozi. This weekend I will running a couple of workshops at the AIESEC conference and one is going to focus a great deal on the linkage between entrepreneurship and empowerment (along with micro-finance, an incredibly hot topic nowadays). This is a topic i am increasingly getting interested in.
In other news, camping/hiking is still my favourite past-time (apart from when i get my hands on a new series of 24!), the sun has actually come out recently and there has also been a few showers, i am off to thailand/cambodia next weekend and i am feeling more chinese after downgrading my living situation :) I can highly recommend Little Children movie-wise and facebook for a place to upload embarrassing photos of people!
p.s. not the most exciting last 3 weeks, but pretty busy. The main highlight was watching the torture my colleagues went through listening to my presentation (in chinese) about my 'resource mobilisation' plan for the next 12 months!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Chinese culture
Many things in China are fascinating to watch as they change: economy, environment, internal politics, international affairs etc. As China becomes more important and develops all of these are changing, but possibly the most fascinating of all it to see how China's culture changes, or at least deals with, all these other changes.
As you may know the Chinese are rather proud of their 5,000 year old culture entailing all kinds of elements: from education to ethics or religion (in a sense) to guanxi (relationships) and of course language! The best thing about having a tutor is the chance to discuss and often argue about all these kinds of topics and really get to understand different views on China.
Today we argued about whether Chinese culture is fundamentally changing -she denies it; though i did manage to convince her that at least there will be some impact on culture from all these changes and that it will be interesting to see what happens. What is most interesting is that she recognises the changes to everyone's lives due to economic changes and does not think it is due to cultural changes; though i disagree. However, we both agreed that irrelevant of the cause, there will be impacts.
A few examples include that the massive internal migration that leads to parents separating from each other, and/or from their kids and/or their grandparents which is a massive change for China and impacts on education and the role of the family unit. Another might be the increasing number of divorces -brought on according to my tutor not because of people leaving others to find something better (which it is in the West apparently), but just because of economic change, jobs and communication issues; so what will happen to the single parents kids and the grand parents; and how does the 1 child policy affect this (you can normally work it out to have 1 child per marriage).
Finally consider the impact of the drive to emulate Western culture and values, closely aligned with the drive for (Western) economic growth and quality of life leading to people becoming fatter, but becoming more obsessed with being thing; going clubbing and dating more; living with partners before marriage and so on. In theory a strong traditional Chinese culture can help China develop and avoid some of the problems of the West, like 'anti-social' or 'disrepectful' youth for example. But then it may make things worse; since it is relatively common for men to visit other women on business trips, which are becoming more and more frequent nowadays!
As you may know the Chinese are rather proud of their 5,000 year old culture entailing all kinds of elements: from education to ethics or religion (in a sense) to guanxi (relationships) and of course language! The best thing about having a tutor is the chance to discuss and often argue about all these kinds of topics and really get to understand different views on China.
Today we argued about whether Chinese culture is fundamentally changing -she denies it; though i did manage to convince her that at least there will be some impact on culture from all these changes and that it will be interesting to see what happens. What is most interesting is that she recognises the changes to everyone's lives due to economic changes and does not think it is due to cultural changes; though i disagree. However, we both agreed that irrelevant of the cause, there will be impacts.
A few examples include that the massive internal migration that leads to parents separating from each other, and/or from their kids and/or their grandparents which is a massive change for China and impacts on education and the role of the family unit. Another might be the increasing number of divorces -brought on according to my tutor not because of people leaving others to find something better (which it is in the West apparently), but just because of economic change, jobs and communication issues; so what will happen to the single parents kids and the grand parents; and how does the 1 child policy affect this (you can normally work it out to have 1 child per marriage).
Finally consider the impact of the drive to emulate Western culture and values, closely aligned with the drive for (Western) economic growth and quality of life leading to people becoming fatter, but becoming more obsessed with being thing; going clubbing and dating more; living with partners before marriage and so on. In theory a strong traditional Chinese culture can help China develop and avoid some of the problems of the West, like 'anti-social' or 'disrepectful' youth for example. But then it may make things worse; since it is relatively common for men to visit other women on business trips, which are becoming more and more frequent nowadays!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
rain
In Hong Kong it was raining, but the rain was coming from my body due the humidity (and not from the sky). Even at night, on the 38th floor with the window open, and without moving, i started to sweat. Yikes, though HK is a great place, i dislike having to sleep with air conditioning on, or carrying around 3 spare shirts... (though the taxis are nice and cold).
In Xi'an there was rain for about 4 hours combined out of the week i was there. Well, it's a start. In Beijing there was also some rain, though it was the day before I arrived there, so that meant the few days I was there were nice and cool. In Shanghai it has been drizzling non-stop. Drizzle is great cause you don't get soaked or drowned in puddles. The only problem is, along with the rain, come the Mosquitos :(
The week in Xi'an was quiet. The 4 days in Beijing a bit hectic. The week in Shanghai totally hectic. Just the way I like it. It is not that Xi'an is so bad, or that I struggle to work effectively there (how to set-up and manage corporate partnerships when there are no corporations there?), but that I am just not that busy there... the only things to do are eat, drink, work, study or escape the pollution. Having said that, the cycle to the mountains-climb the mountain-cycle back was fantastic and the ride is much more enjoyable than Beijing; where it takes an hour to get out of the city and another 30 minutes to escape off the highways.
I am staying in a Hostel in Shanghai as it is in a very central location with wireless internet -perfect for in between meeting times (plus there are 3 crazy kittens running all over which adds some life compared to staying in friend's empty apartments during the daytime). You'd think hostels are full of travellers. Not Shanghai's -they are full of opportunity-seekers. People live here whilst job hunting, whilst working (it is cheaper than trying to rent an appartment, if you are happy sharing a room with 5 others and a good way to make friends) and whilst planning their new business venture. Walk into the hostel and not only do you find the 2 computers permanently in use, you find several people with laptops...Typical Shanghai.
In Xi'an there was rain for about 4 hours combined out of the week i was there. Well, it's a start. In Beijing there was also some rain, though it was the day before I arrived there, so that meant the few days I was there were nice and cool. In Shanghai it has been drizzling non-stop. Drizzle is great cause you don't get soaked or drowned in puddles. The only problem is, along with the rain, come the Mosquitos :(
The week in Xi'an was quiet. The 4 days in Beijing a bit hectic. The week in Shanghai totally hectic. Just the way I like it. It is not that Xi'an is so bad, or that I struggle to work effectively there (how to set-up and manage corporate partnerships when there are no corporations there?), but that I am just not that busy there... the only things to do are eat, drink, work, study or escape the pollution. Having said that, the cycle to the mountains-climb the mountain-cycle back was fantastic and the ride is much more enjoyable than Beijing; where it takes an hour to get out of the city and another 30 minutes to escape off the highways.
I am staying in a Hostel in Shanghai as it is in a very central location with wireless internet -perfect for in between meeting times (plus there are 3 crazy kittens running all over which adds some life compared to staying in friend's empty apartments during the daytime). You'd think hostels are full of travellers. Not Shanghai's -they are full of opportunity-seekers. People live here whilst job hunting, whilst working (it is cheaper than trying to rent an appartment, if you are happy sharing a room with 5 others and a good way to make friends) and whilst planning their new business venture. Walk into the hostel and not only do you find the 2 computers permanently in use, you find several people with laptops...Typical Shanghai.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
oxygen
Only 1 day left to enjoy clean air, clean rain and 'freshness'. I've got a lot of oxygen on this trip, hopefully enough to last until my next trip back here (or out of China -though to be fair, there are places in China with some oxygen)... although Xi'an is 25 degrees, which is nice.
A lot of my outdoor activity has involved exercising. Well, I say exercising; mostly it has been pleasurable cycling or walking. Some of it has been more challenging (5 mile cross-country, 6 mile road races and a triathlon) though some has been quite relaxing (outdoor hot tub!). There is a reason for so much exercise, other than just a dash for air (which is not that bad, I am totally over-exaggerating a lot of the time; please feel free to still visit!). 1 is that my Dad does this kind of stuff all the time, so I might as well join him. Though he beat me on the 5 mile-er by 4 minutes and the 6 mile-er by 2 minutes, I beat him on the Triathlon by 2 minutes, cause his swimming is useless! The 2nd reason is that my family does have a bit of a liking to chocolate and deserts in general. My mum is a great cook and even when I'm out, I can't not buy desert.
Why? Because China does not have deserts. It is not just that everything comes at once in cheap restaurants (there is a bit more order in posh places), but just that there is no concept really of cakes or similar sweet things (not helped by the lack of ovens). Such a shame. The ice cream is not bad in China (though avoid the weird flavours, e.g. green pea, sweetcorn etc), but the chocolate is awful and the birthday cakes are very very similar to the cream pies that you shove in someone's face for a joke. Despite the exercise, I have most definitely regained my sweet tooth and put on weight. My suitcase has also gained weight: you have no idea how much chocolate is inside it (but no Apple Crumble, sorry Fumi!).
It is a bid sad (and pretty poor writing for me to even try this ending for this post) but you could almost say deserts and chocolate are as important as oxygen for my Mum and sisters especially. That is the real reason they could never come to China for too long!
p.s. For the BLCU/Wudaokou gang, i do have to make a special 'shout' out to the 'Fish Man' by BLCU west gate selling fish shaped waffles filled with chocolate sauce. 1 RMB... buying just 2 is never enough!
A lot of my outdoor activity has involved exercising. Well, I say exercising; mostly it has been pleasurable cycling or walking. Some of it has been more challenging (5 mile cross-country, 6 mile road races and a triathlon) though some has been quite relaxing (outdoor hot tub!). There is a reason for so much exercise, other than just a dash for air (which is not that bad, I am totally over-exaggerating a lot of the time; please feel free to still visit!). 1 is that my Dad does this kind of stuff all the time, so I might as well join him. Though he beat me on the 5 mile-er by 4 minutes and the 6 mile-er by 2 minutes, I beat him on the Triathlon by 2 minutes, cause his swimming is useless! The 2nd reason is that my family does have a bit of a liking to chocolate and deserts in general. My mum is a great cook and even when I'm out, I can't not buy desert.
Why? Because China does not have deserts. It is not just that everything comes at once in cheap restaurants (there is a bit more order in posh places), but just that there is no concept really of cakes or similar sweet things (not helped by the lack of ovens). Such a shame. The ice cream is not bad in China (though avoid the weird flavours, e.g. green pea, sweetcorn etc), but the chocolate is awful and the birthday cakes are very very similar to the cream pies that you shove in someone's face for a joke. Despite the exercise, I have most definitely regained my sweet tooth and put on weight. My suitcase has also gained weight: you have no idea how much chocolate is inside it (but no Apple Crumble, sorry Fumi!).
It is a bid sad (and pretty poor writing for me to even try this ending for this post) but you could almost say deserts and chocolate are as important as oxygen for my Mum and sisters especially. That is the real reason they could never come to China for too long!
p.s. For the BLCU/Wudaokou gang, i do have to make a special 'shout' out to the 'Fish Man' by BLCU west gate selling fish shaped waffles filled with chocolate sauce. 1 RMB... buying just 2 is never enough!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Memories
A long time ago I came to realise, or rather accept, that people come and go. There comes a point where there is little point setting wrong expectations that friendships can be maintained when (normally due to changing circumstances) people end up moving in different circles. Then if a friend does end up in contact again for various reasons, intentionally or otherwise, no-one need feel embarrassed. Each accepts people come and go; and 'catching-up' is still a good thing to do as a one-off.
Though, it does seem due to social networking sites like Facebook, My Space, Linked In etc that everyone any of us have ever come across in our entire lifetime could get back in touch with us. What are we supposed to do with thousands of friends, most of whom were barely friends of friends and whom we cannot remember?
Since the family house is going to be sold soon; I've been packing up my few possessions (there have been many a tidy-up before to reduce what i own to just 1 satchel or 2 apart from clothes) and finding fantastic things: pen pal's letters (i can barely remember what a letter is now!), swimming certificates, pens bought on school trips, photos from primary school, school projects, contact details of people on group trips I took and so on. Weird to think how much has been achieved so far in just 25 years, how many people have come and gone. Nice to keep some memories, though I am not entirely sure.
A lot more still to come, presumably, though the memories of the future might be some what greater since there are so many more emails/photos/videos/documents and other tangible evidence of relationships nowadays. The good news is most of this stuff is virtual -can be taken anywhere easily and cannot be lost thanks to google/yahoo's fantastic online servers :-)
My room is currently a mess; only a few more nights in a bed I've slept in for 22 years pretty much. All that is left is to ask: Does anyone want to volunteer to scan in hundreds of photos going back 25 years, name them and tag them?
Though, it does seem due to social networking sites like Facebook, My Space, Linked In etc that everyone any of us have ever come across in our entire lifetime could get back in touch with us. What are we supposed to do with thousands of friends, most of whom were barely friends of friends and whom we cannot remember?
Since the family house is going to be sold soon; I've been packing up my few possessions (there have been many a tidy-up before to reduce what i own to just 1 satchel or 2 apart from clothes) and finding fantastic things: pen pal's letters (i can barely remember what a letter is now!), swimming certificates, pens bought on school trips, photos from primary school, school projects, contact details of people on group trips I took and so on. Weird to think how much has been achieved so far in just 25 years, how many people have come and gone. Nice to keep some memories, though I am not entirely sure.
A lot more still to come, presumably, though the memories of the future might be some what greater since there are so many more emails/photos/videos/documents and other tangible evidence of relationships nowadays. The good news is most of this stuff is virtual -can be taken anywhere easily and cannot be lost thanks to google/yahoo's fantastic online servers :-)
My room is currently a mess; only a few more nights in a bed I've slept in for 22 years pretty much. All that is left is to ask: Does anyone want to volunteer to scan in hundreds of photos going back 25 years, name them and tag them?
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