Beijing to Ulaanbataar

Sainw!


It's always weird to follow a post like my last one. Though, this is where I am in my life right now.

To backtrack, most of you know I spent a little over three weeks in Alaska, post school releasing. The first two I was in Bethel for reading training and Curriculum Committee meetings. I spent a little over a week back in Nunapitchuk after that painting (with help) and doing a marginal bit of organizing in the classroom... and tinkering with the new boat. Then, Tesia and I took a spontaneous trip to Gasquet, California (far NW, just East of Cresent City) for a wedding. The following three weeks I stayed in NC visiting family and friends.

I arrived in Beijing on the evening of 4th. In Chicago, I had a 5-1/2 hour layover. Though, when I went to get my seat, and I was the last person to be issued a ticket, I had a surprise. It wasn't until I was boarding the plane that I found out I was bumped to business class, free of charge. This meant no plastic dishes, free booze, a c-u-s-h chair that included loads of leg room and reclining, and a bubble at the low back that pressed in and out, giving me a massage the whole time. It was worth the wait!

During one of the three days in Beijing we visited The Forbidden City (massive, impressive, and repeatitive). Another day we hiked the Great Wall, away from the usual tourist trap at Badaling, on the 10 km trail to Simitai, a largely unmaintained, delapidating portion of the wall. It was quite beautiful, and a good work out! We took 3 hours to hike that distance on the constantly rolling waves of the dragon's spine. We were all sweating buckets & lucky that it was overcast. There is a highway to Mongolia being built now that will pass under the wall in two places. I don't know when it will be finished. That's a long way from the original plan of the wall, eh?

Another day we bartered for souveiners (and spent a couple hours in the bookstore). Our last night we went to the City Market. There was a strip about a block long with all kinds of foods to buy and try. Some of the more exotic ones included (most all fried in a huge wok): scorpian, crickets, water beetle, silk worm, centapeid, sheep penis, snake skin, eel, cow stomach, organs, fried banana, fried ice cream, pumpkin cakes, candied fruit, bubble tea, cold noodle soup... and the regular chicken, lamb, beef wraps, etc.

Two words I used a lot in Beijing were (she' - shae') meaning "thank you" and (bouy yeow) meaning "no," " I don't want it" or something similar to detour the never ending hagglers. Vicki was pushed a few times, a couple times she pushed back. Her Chinese skills also came back nicely, I must say. It was fun listening to her carry on conversations with people, and she was complemented several times on her inflections being good.

Another enjoyable aspect about Beijing was the parks in the evenings and early morning, when things weren't so hot. We saw a massive (17 x 23 rows of people) practicing Tai Chi, or two in another park, "bomb" card games, eryu music along with fertive singing, some style of birdy hacky, Kung Fu warm ups including cracking chains in the air (this by a 70 something year-old man). I could people watch for months.

I'm in Ulaanbataar, Mongolia as of 2:00 this afternoon. We're meeting our director in the morning (Sat.); then we'll be heading out for the Volunteers For Peace workcamp. Vicki and I were able to take the train from Beijing after all. The Needam (men's games) festival begins tomorrow and there are trains running up here four days a week, as opposed to two. All & all the 33 hour ride went smooth. Our roomates were cool & the beds were comfortable (4 inside each "soft sleeper" room, which is about 6' wide at best). They would randomly locked the bathrooms though, like at the Mongolia border and always at stops. Also, at the border we had a scheduled delay because the gauges on the tracks differ from China in Mongolia, and again in Russia. So they took the train down, changed all the wheels and brought the train back. It took about two hours.

Going through the Gobi Desert was quite dusty. The countryside just outside of Ulaanbataar is gorgeous! There are prominent tall hills just outside of the city even. I love seeing the gers (yurts) among the rolling green hills and livestock scattered about. There really are a lot out there. The gers are even mingled among buildings outside of Ulaanbataar here. A fence runs alongside the railroad from as far as I can remember, maybe the Gobi Desert. It's quite unobtrusive though, a meek bobbed wire fence with posts. Closer to Ulaanbataar they were repairing it. Aside from the cattle herders I saw a woman seated in the grass cutting the square around her. For some reason, I am reminded of the Navajo Rez. Maybe it's the sheep and the desert. I'm excited to get to spend some time with people on a low key level, unlike the rushed bustling city life. It will be nice to interact on a more intimate level with people... and pull weeds (exercise). I've seen enough buildings and cars to last for a while. I'm ready to get out of the city and to the work camp.

I memorized and practiced two words this evening: "sainw" (san oo) meaning "hello" & "bayarlaa" (buy iRtlh laah) meaning "thank you." Many of the sounds we've heard so far seem related to the way Yup'ik sounds are.

A'ite I need to split to shower and sleep, neither of which have been abundant, but that's ok.

I'm wishing productive, happy summer time to all of you out there!

Israeli Occupation Forces attack Free Gaza Movement boat again

Is this the third time in the last six months? They abducted 21 human rights workers including Mairead Maguire and Cynthia McKinney. These are people working towards change.
Al Jazerra - Israel Stops Aid Ship to Gaza
BBC - Israelis Intercept Gaza Aid Ship

It's the same old story, nothing new... Israelis deserve to have a state to call their own so let's displace a million Palestinians to create one for them; Israelis build settlements despite borders; Israelis enforce embargos on food, water, and fuel; Israelis create blockades; Israelis restrict Palestinian employment; Israelis arrest people for trivial things like breaking the 8:00pm curfew; Israelis rip acres of olive trees out of the ground to make the "green line" for protection - nevermind the destruction to Palestinian economics and heritage; Israelis pound Palestinians in self defense of mortars that have killed 9 people in 5 years; Israelis stop humanitarian aid; Israelis need the outdated U.S. military weapons and ever flowing U.S. financial aid and U.S. international support for genocide labeled "self-defense"... Enough about the Israelis! What about the Palestinians who are trying to live?

Simply, I have mixed feelings about the results of acting out from where I stand, safely in the United States. I refuse to become inured to the violence. Denying people their rights to basic needs of safety, food, and shelter is violence. I hate this feeling of wanting to stop people from treating others like they are nothing, unworthy of being dignified as human beings. I feel my body pulsate with rage and I just want to lash out. I don't know how. It seems nothing I say or do will change anything; I'm acting on such a small scale talking to people I know about this or wearing a stupid sticker for 5 months. And I don't even know half of the b.s. that's gone down over there to be able to communicate with you more. Is 60 years not enough time to sit on our hands and wait?

This is the trying to find a "solution" mentality. I know one person can make a change; that's been proven. Those e-mail petitions to beg for humanitarian aid or for the U.S. to cut off funding, marches and protests, calling Congress... Does any of that do anything? Can it really be so futile? Sometimes I wonder if I even know what justice is. I'm a safe distance away. I'm living off the grid with my consumerist lifestyle, sleeping in a comfortable bed, eating too much food, exercising my right to free speech. I'm able to laugh with my friends without looking over my shoulder for guards or dodging bullets. Part of me feels guilty for living a full life and silly for feeling the way I do sometimes; I really have no idea what emotional strife is compared to what people wake up to every day elsewhere. Or I feel like a coward for not buying a plane ticket to Gaza and risking my life to make some sort of stand. Aren't I being compliant by not moving towards some sort of serious fight against this? Am I contributing in all the ways that I'm able?

I don't even know why the Palestinians have become so dear to me, besides the exposure I've had. There are thousands of other instances of this kind of plight, hundreds of other countries with people in need... I seriously think I can understand why people want to martyr for the sake of some form of justice or recognition or vengeance.

I have to believe that however minuscule I feel the things I'm doing are, some sort of pro-activity is better then only raging within myself. Talk to your children or a neighbor if you want to make them aware. Call or write your Congress person if you're feeling the urge. Call Secretary of State Clinton; The main switchboard for the State Department is 202-647-4000. Sign petitions if you agree with them. Blog to get the word out. Volunteer for the Red Cross or UNRWA or Amnesty International. Make human rights a priority in your mind and in your life. At least the sound will be louder with more voices.

Bang, Bang... Shoot 'em Up

Pops showed me how to shoot a couple of hand guns Thursday. The black one is a .38, and the smaller silver one is a .45. Both of them have a lot of kick for little things. I only hit the 25' target once for each out of maybe 10 tries; though it was on the first try for the .45. Those aren't such good odds, at any rate. A Load of practice is to be had. :-p

Side note: I'm usually so excited to jump into the cute summer clothes I have. Then, I end up wearing the same 1-3 outfits all flipping summer. This is the outfit of choice #1 this summer. I swear I've worn it at least 8/10 days.

}{appy Birthday Mom & Pops!

Today is my parents' birthday. They're six years apart, plus some minutes, I'm sure. Pops was born in 1950 and Mom in 1956.

This morning Pops and I took the RV-8 to a "Fly-in," hosted at a Wilksboro municipal airport. Folks fly their planes there for others to look at. Some of the planes on display were training planes from WWII; there were also others on display that were towed in (one was segmented). Additionally, there was a little antique car show with about a dozen cars, a live folk/bluegrass cover band, kids' games, fund raising food booths, and a couple craft tables.

{Lots of leg room in these experimental planes. *_*... I only take these shorts off to swim, bathe, & sleep... just in case you were wondering.}{Landing at Pop's house. You can only see the hanger on the left though.}

It was about 12:30 when we returned home from the Fly-in. Then, I went to a neighborhood pool to chill for a bit. A friend of ours, Robin, and her two teenagers were there. Mom & Tess were supposed to meet us but were waylaid. Mom, Tess & I went out for dinner and then back to their house.

P.S. It was still 93 degrees F at 5:30, when I drove by the bank thermometer. Southern sun.... ssssss!
P.P.S. I forgot to take a girls' photo and now my mum is asleep. I'll update that later.

Tarheel State

Well, I don't have tar on my heels, but I am in North Carolina.  I started yesterday at 12:30 pm, really 10:30 if you count the boat ride.  Then, the wheels skidded on the runway at about 10:00 am today.  Pops and Tesia were right there when I turned the corner at the baggage claim.

  

Tess took this photo of herself once back at Pops' house.  This is me, after maybe 1.5 hours of sleep and the traveling.  (Look, brother K, I'm wearing a seat belt in the back seat!)