The Communist Party

The Communist Party

Sias University
Henan Provence, China
Spring 2012

When I taught at SIAS University, I was assigned specific classrooms which had cable monitors on at all time.  I was not allowed to move my students to another classroom and I had to submit my powerpoint presentations to the Party for review so that I wasn't teaching anything that contradicted the position of the government.

While there certainly was a communist presence on campus, my students seemed oblivious to the party and any effect it had on their lives.  Most of my students were apolitical and had no intention of joining the party.  I always thought that everyone was a member of the party but I was mistaken.  A person has to apply to be a member and go through physical training and classes.  After passing certain criteria, membership is granted as a privilege, not an earned right.  Membership in the party allows you to vote for the one candidate offered in each election.  It opens up doors for political jobs and it allows you to spy on your neighbors for the good of the country.

The president of the university had the Party breathing down his neck at all times.  That made some of what we were doing, suspect to the Party Secretary.  Some things that we wanted to do and were so benign, were rejected.  Then we got the "go-ahead" on other things only to be reprimanded later.

While all of this drove me crazy, my students didn't seem to mind.  As one student told me, "We have to trust our government to look after us.  After all, there are a billion of us.  They know what is best for all of us."

Connected

Connected
Spring 2011

Nicaragua

Our ship pulled in to port in Nicaragua and we were so excited to get off and start exploring. I personally like to go off the beaten path and meet the natives, in their true environment.  I didn't have to go too far as we tripped over them, huddled around a free wifi hotspot, near our terminal.

They live without electricity, running water or plumbing.  But today, they are all connected to the world, one way or another.

Worn Out

Worn Out
Henan Province, China
Spring 2012

I remember stopping in my tracks when I was this seat. I had never seen anything so threadbare but still in use.  Some old man was still pedaling his wagon and making deliveries, using this old, worn-out seat. As I looked at the seat, I wondered, "is he that poor?" or "is he crazy?" This seat needs to be replaced.

The Weaver- Guatemala

The Weaver

Guatamala
Spring 2011

She sits all day, in the hear, on  a stone.  Her arms hold the loom with tension that must be tiring. She weaves 7 days a week, producing fabric as fast as she can.  Her product is beautiful, filled with color and texture and years and years of family patterns.

Ships come in to the port on a regular basis, dropping off tourists who are hungry for souvenirs.  Some people accept the price the woman offers.  But others barter and barter and make offers that reduce her profit to just pennies.  Some days, she does not have to take their offers.  But other days, she is not so lucky and she is left with no other recourse but to accept pennies if she wants to feed her family that day.

Saturday In the Park- China

Saturday In the Park

Henan Providence
China
Spring 2012

It is the first nice day since I have been to China.  The sun is finally out and shining. I had forgotten what the sun looked like.  The temperature was pleasant. And the moment just lured everyone outside.  I wandered off to the Millennium Park to spend the afternoon, snapping one photo after another of everything that was different from what I know.  I was just about ready to head back to campus when I came upon this family outing.

In an attempt to give her children an authentic day in the park, this parent brought her own dirt which she scooped up when she finished and grandma carted back to their apartment.

Images of Viet Nam and Cambodia

Viet Nam and Cambodia

June-July 2005

During the summer of 2005, I traveled to Viet Nam and Cambodia for about a month.  Unlike other times I travel, I did not keep a journey of this trip.  My father had just died in March and I left his memorial service in June and flew to Viet Nam for 10 days and then headed to Cambodia for another 10 days.  During the entire time I was here, I did not meet one person over 30 who knew where his father was.  All of these men had gone missing due to the conflicts with us and others. It was hard for me to reconcile this fact and maybe that is why I couldn't write while I was there.

Ankor Wat

bird barbecue

Too poor to go to school

Floating Village

Washing the dishes

Buddhist nun

fisherman

tending the cattle

Ankor Wat

At the market

living on a boat

taking the taxi

The Styrofoam Lady

The Styrofoam Lady

Henan Province, China

Spring 2012

She walked and and down alleyways, chanting her arrival. People would come out of their apartments and give her bits and pieces of styrofoam.  They would shove what they had somewhere on her pile. She would give them a few small coins and move on to the next alleyway.  She walked these streets every day.  She looked to be about 70.  She never hurried.  She walked methodically, the same route she has taken for years past and years to come.


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The Luxury of Hot Water- China

The Luxury of Hot Water

Sias University
Henan Province, China
Spring 2012

When I was teaching in China, my students often commented about how lucky they were to have access to the hot water they wanted from 7PM to 11PM. It was such a luxury to them that I didn’t dare tell them that we, the foreign faculty, had hot water on demand.  I could take a shower any time of the day.  Now, it wasn’t a great shower and some days, the water was chillier than others.  But hot water was never an issue for me.

Then, I went to visit another university and found these water thermoses all over the campus.  These students do not have any running hot water.  As a matter of fact, the only hot water available to them is what they fetch in these thermoses at 5PM each night.  This little bit of hot water is their allotment for the day.

So, in the morning, on their way to classes, they leave their thermos in line and come back at % to stand in line and fill their containers.  It was then that I understood why my students bragged about their access to hot water.

NOPE!!!!!

NOPE!!!!!!!  I’m Not Eating That!!!

Viet Nam
July 2005

These are many, many gross things that I have eaten in my travels.  But there is one thing I will never eat: EYEBALLS.  I was offered these eyeballs and turned them down.  Instead, I ate parts of a tarantula just so I didn’t seem too uppity to my travel mates.