Day one in China began with an adventure in Hong Kong. Interestingly enough Hong Kong is warm and not quite under the communist government which doesn’t seem important, but it is in relation to the rest of my trip. Hong Kong is completely misleading from Beijing, where I spent the majority of my time, so day one set me off with completely opposite expectations of my trip. Day one began with catching a ferry to the city, beautiful city, clean tall buildings, New York, but clean and friendly. There are so many foreigners who travel and live in Hong Kong that I was just one of many different looking visitors. Our ferry ride led us to the subway station where Olivia and I spent about two hours navigating the subway and having a blast. There is something so invigorating about conquering a countries public transportation system.
We took the subway to find the giant Buddha, built up on a hill. Now it was never my intention to spend the day looking at a giant Buddha, but the journey was completely worth it. We rode a gondola over mountain after mountain, for about thirty minutes, giving us the most insane views of Hong Kong. The gorgeous city is set on a coast, blue and sparkling and between lush green mountains. The Buddha sits up on a hill that has been made into a tiny tourist city complete with shops and restaurants. It was absolutely breath taking. After exploring and taking photos all around the big Buddha we headed to a teahouse and sat for about an hour and a half of white tea and good conversation. After tea we headed back down the mountain and back to the ship to change for the night. Nights tend to be either a lot or just really chill. This night was definitely a really chill and it was great. Four others and me headed out to the Four Seasons Hong Kong for a pre-dinner drink. The hotel was gorgeous and the drinks although pricey were absolutely delicious. With little money left in our pockets we headed out to a cheap dinner of soup and sides in a cozy, dark restaurant.
The next morning found we had to be ready to leave by 9:45. We loaded up on buses and headed to the airport. In China I went with a group of about 75 SAS kids who were doing an independent trip with a Chinese tour group. I will tell you why I chose this trip specifically, but it comes later. So we flew to Beijing, all geared down with our warmest clothes, but I don’t think anything could really prepare us for the sting of cold we were about to feel. Oh here’s a fun story, as most people know China is terrified of flu outbreak and rightly so, they do not have a good track record with epidemics. So anyways, they give you health forms to fill out on the plane and let them know your current health status. I, in my nieve honesty, thought it proper to check the cough box. No big deal, just a little cough, so I figured harmless right. Nope, you never check the cough box on the health questionnaire in China, I don’t care if your right lung is literally coming out of your mouth, you NEVER check the cough box. I was quickly whisked away by military officials wearing the doctor face-masks. They took me to an enclosed area and questioned me about my illness, at this point I am convinced that I’m going to be quarantined in Beijing, miss my trip completely and potentially miss my opportunity to get back on the ship. Well I got a little ahead of myself. The officials took my temperature and handed me a blank sheet to re-fill out, this time not checking the cough box. Once that fiasco was finally over we headed to our hotels, threw on about 3 more layers and headed into the Beijing night, for the most random dinner at a bar in a hotel on some side street. We then made a poor attempt to head to their local bar and restaurant strip, which turned into about an hour of walking in freezing weather, asking directions with barely any English and eventually giving up and turning back to the hotel to climb under covers and warm up.
Day two in Bejieng we headed to the Silk Market to stock up on cheap warm clothes for what we were about to do that night. After about two hours of frantic running around I found myself some gloves and a hat to keep my extremities warm. Little did I know how helpful these little accessories would be. My group then piled onto our bus and headed to check out some temples and sights. I don’t know the name of them, I honestly saw so many temples that by the end they were all a big jumble and it was so cold my brain was paralyzed and retained no information. We rode around in rickshaws through tiny alleys and streets covered in melty snow and mud, which of course I dropped my brand new $2 knock-off Ray-Bans from Vietnam in and when we tried to stop to pick them up the rickshaw rolled over them. That is why I have never bought sunglass that cost more than $10. After lunch we all piled into the home of a sweet little Chinese woman who had prepared lunch for about 25 of us. It was delicious, full of dumplings, a chicken, warm vegetable, authentic Chinese food is very simple, but tasty and perfect to warm you up in the freezing Beijing winters.
That night held my most anticipated activity of the whole voyage…SLEEPING ON THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA! I know some have already done and many will come after, but I slept on the Great Wall of China. We rode the bus two hours to a tiny town at the base of the wall, where we ate more wonderful food and then piled layers and layers of clothing on. Just as an example of how cold it was, I wore leggings, jeans, snow pants, two long-sleeved t-shirts, a polar-fleece, a hoodie and coat. We hiked about 45 minutes up stairwell after stairwell in the pitch dark and ice to eventually come to the watchtowers designated for our sleeping for the night. I was in a group of all girls and one boy, but our watchtower was the furthest away conveniently. Something about the Great Wall, the Chinese had no real fluid concept of design, sometimes there are steps and sometimes there are ramps at about an 85 degree angle straight up, which in the freezing weather are covered in ice. So there is your visual, my body covered in about 5 layers, on all fours attempting to scale the Great Wall of China covered in ice. Oh and shout out to my Dad, thank goodness for headlamps, I was the only one savvy enough to have a hands free mechanism for lighting their path. After about 15 minutes of ice skating/climbing with 24 griping girls we reached a spot to stop and regain ourselves. A couple of us took the time to look up at the stars. It was gorgeous, like standing in a planetarium, I saw stars that where all around me that I have no potential of seeing anywhere else. We made everyone turn off their lights to marvel, it was glorious, one of those moments where you are engulfed in awe of your Creator. After our climb we finally came to our stopping point and quickly spread out to claim our sleeping areas. We each grabbed two mats for the ground and two sleeping bags. The tour group brought all the sleeping gear and food and drinks up the wall for us. We set up our beds, stole about 3 packs of Oreos and sat outside for about 30 minutes marveling in the blessing of our situations. Once I hit a point of frozen exhaustion I headed to bed with my friends Ajuli, Jackie and Brooke. After worming our way into the double sleeping bags we all just lay still attempting to fall asleep.
The next morning we awoke to our tour guide Robert beckoning us awake to catch the sunrise. It was fantastic because we walked up in the night and were not able to see at all what our surroundings looked like, so our first visual of The Great Wall was sunrise, glorious. After a quick breakfast of bread and cold coffee we loaded up and headed out for a three-mile hike across the wall. It took about two and a half hours for us to complete, stopping about every 20 ft. to take pictures of each other, with each other, and for each other. We finally reached the end and were faced with the decision of walking the rest of the way to the restaurant for lunch, or paying $7 to zip line off the wall. I took the zip line route and before I knew was flying over a river. At the end of the zip line a tiny Chinese woman was trying to unhook Anjuli and I, I was not quick enough to stand up and was unfocused so she swatted me on the arm and shouted, ”Stand up!” which I quickly did after that. We finally ended up in the warmth of the restaurant and ate a delicious warm lunch before heading back to the hotel. Our bus then met us and took us back to the Silk Market for some additional shopping; I ended up pooping out around two hours in and opted to go get a pizza with the girls. We ended the night with warm showers and watching some bizarre movie about Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman.
Day three in Beijing was another day full of touring temples and outside venues in the freezing cold weather. We walked around The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, and made a quick stop at The Birds Nest and The Water Cube, which was my favorite. There was something fascinating about Tiananmen Square and although you are not allowed to talk about the massacre that happened there, the only reason I am aware of the place altogether, there was something so eerie and unsettling just walking around that gave me a fascination with the Chinese government and the power it has in the lives of it’s people. It is a magnificent place, one that I would love to visit again, but the first country of the whole voyage, besides Morocco, that I would never want to live in. After all the touring we headed to the Beijing Train Station to catch our sleeper train back to Shang Hai. The train was a highlight for many of us. It looked exactly as I would imagine a sleeper train, except extremely clean. I piled in a room of four girls and claimed by bed. The night turned into hours of mingling up and down the halls with the other SAS students on our trip.
We awoke to a rainy day in Shang Hai and headed back to the ship. In my exhaustion I ended up spend the day on the ship with my friend Lane. It was too cold and rainy to try to explore and in a surprise turn of events, bad weather prevented us from leaving at our intended time, so we were granted an additional night and half day. I woke up the next morning early and headed out for a little Shang Hai exploration. We had such limited time though we made it on one subway ride and then hit a mall, where I opted to sit with my journal and the best latte of my life while Bobbi Lee shopped around. We then hailed a taxi and headed back to the ship to settle in for our two and half day journey to Japan. China was a beautiful country, full of opportunities for adventure and growing relationships. I love you all dearly and cannot wait to see you in the coming month!
Carley
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Unexpected Vietnam...
Our time in port is beginning to become more and more of a whirlwind. It is amazing how the days just go and you almost don’t know what happened. The trip is really starting to fly as it near the end and it is sadly starting to hit us all that we have only three ports left and the final is back on American soil. We are running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to blog and journal and catch up on work between our next couple of ports because we only have three days on the ship. It might seem like no big deal, but to study and reflect and sleep and prepare to do the port travel all over again it is not enough time to recuperate.
On that note I will share with you my time in Vietnam. It began early in the morning on the 3rd. Our ship had to travel up the Mekong Delta for three hours to get to our docking spot on the Saigon Port. It was amazing, many of us sat for hours watching the landscape move from thick jungles to residential, to city like. Vietnam is captivating right from the start. The way people live is exactly what you see depicted in stories. Rice hats and fishing boats surrounded us. There were palm trees and thick tropical brush lining the river. It was so enthralling. When we finally docked there were about ten Vietnamese women holding banners that said “Welcome Semester at Sea”. No matter where we go in the world we are warmly welcomed and it is always humbling. Vietnam was the location where many of the students parents planned through SAS to meet up with the ship, so I was able to meet my friend Mary Chandler’s wonderful parents. It was emotional pulling into Vietnam and being so anxious about this country. I was so excited to be in Vietnam, it was where I was most looking forward to going because of Hannah and the connection I already had with this country. It was hard to watch all the parents see their children and feel the little tinge of homesickness that strikes. Nonetheless, I was very blessed to get to spend with the Allen’s (Mary Chandler’s parents), which gave me a sense of home and family in Vietnam. The ship took a long time to finally get cleared and us to be able to leave. Once we were free we all jumped on the shuttle and headed into town. Ho Chi Minh city is extraordinary. It is busy and full of tourists and people. It is clean and crazy, but exhilarating. We went to the market and for about five hours lost ourselves in aisle upon aisle of trinkets and treasures. I mean everything you can imagine and tiny little women grabbing your arms saying, “what you looking for miss?”, “miss you want bag, miss you need shirt?” it was so much fun. By 4:30 we had exhausted ourselves and headed back to the ship to get ready for dinner with Mary Chandler and her parents who had offered to take a group of six of us out. We started with drinks at the top of The Majestic hotel overlooking all of Ho Chi Minh and then moved to a delicious dinner at Lemongrass Café. We finished the time of with drinks at the Rex hotel before we said good-bye to each other and headed in for the night.
The next day was my only planned activity through Semester at Sea and it was one thing I had been looking forward to more than almost anything. We were planned to go to an Agent Orange orphanage and meet the disabled children affected by Agent Orange. We first met Vietnamese students on the ship and were able to have a discussion about their lives and what we wanted to do to help out the places we were visiting. We left the ship and went to the YMCA of Vietnam where we were told all about how the YMCA is providing jobs for women and helping to serve the community. Some of the Vietnamese students stood up and sang for us to give us a little cultural experience. My friend Olivia had coordinated about five students to do the Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance for them, which turned out amazing. A fellow Western student, Joey then stood up and sang a little Old Crow, “Wagon Wheel” to share a little bluegrass with them. After we had our little impromptu cultural exchange they had prepared a delicious lunch for us, full of greens and spring rolls and of course pounds of rice. After lunch the group ended up splitting up, some of us went two hours to the orphanage and the rest opted to stay back and help the YMCA. The orphanage was a challenging sight. Children were walking around with so many disabilities we have never even seen. I think one thing easily taken for granted is pre-natal care. These children typically did not live past twelve and many of them, potentially, could have been saved by good pre-natal care. After spending about an hour sitting and interacting with them, they loved my blonde hair and my watch with indiglo, we moved into a mini-conference to see how we could enhance the children’s quality of life. It was sad because we only had $100 to help them, but all their needs were much beyond that, so our session turned into a fundraising brainstorming session to promote awareness of what these children were dealing and the workers who cared for them everyday. The Vietnamese people are so kind and caring with Americans, but I was able to see first hand how the war had affected the lives of many who had no tie to it in anyway. It was a hard reality to take in and see these children who had no potential for life. Many children just laid on the floor staring up and trying to play with blocks, one tiny hydrocephalic girl laid down crying, her head to heavy to move it by her own power. I don’t think the image of her simple struggle will ever leave my mind. We all left more aware of what was happening in this world and burdened by the responsibility we, who have been given much, have to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. The day ended with a dinner of Pho, pronounced Pha, a traditional noodle soup dish, and an adventurous ride on a cyclo, where you sit in front of a bicycle on chair and are pushed by a tiny man through the busy streets.
My third day I had to be filmed, someone finally recognized my incredible talent and beauty, so I will be featured in a two-minute video about Vietnam. It is my acting debut so I anticipate all of you will look it up on the semester at sea website. My friend Leigh Anne accompanied me as we rode Moto’s through the streets and went to a tiny street market, selling everything from live fish, crabs, pig heart, liver and ears, to Pringles, baby formula and clothing. One stop shopping! We spent the morning filming, I had to cross the street multiple times to get good shots. Let me tell you something about crossing the street in Vietnam, we were literally given lessons aboard the ship about how to cross the street and it goes like this. You walk in a straight line, at a steady pace and don’t look at the oncoming traffic. If you try to anticipate what the moto’s are doing you get hit, if you go to fast you get hit, if you stop walking you get hit. Pretty much you close your eyes, walk and hope for the best. Sure enough we all did as we were told and the vehicles all just moved right around us. Once we were done filming Leigh Anne and I hit the markets for some more gift shopping. When we had finally worn ourselves out we sat down for some Vietnamese iced coffee, best iced coffee I’ve ever tried. They use condensed milk rather than plain and they individual drip cups rather than brewing in mass quantities, delicious! We finished our night with drinks at a bar called “Allez Boo”. It is the local spot for backpackers in the area, which there are tons, there we met some Australian guys on vacation because Vietnam is so close they all travel to up there for vacations. I just wanted to tell everyone that I met Australians and they were exactly what I would anticipate Australians to be, good-looking and they had accents. After a nice conversation we wandered back to the ship, hopped on the back of moto’s(mo-peds) and arrived safely home to fall into bed.
Our plan for the next day was to indulge in some of the cheap spa services you can find throughout the city. After an hour and a half of walking in and out of spa’s that looked particularly sketchy or too expensive we discovered a wonderful little oasis. For $16 we all bought 75 minute aromatherapy massages. As enjoyable and relaxing as it was I think I figured out that I can never again spend my money on having someone else rub my back. We finished the day off with dinner, a little relaxing back at the ship and then headed to the Hyatt hotel to listen to a singer/ songwriter girl from Kansas City, Andrea Hamilton. She had an incredible voice and it was relaxing to listen to her play and sing. I didn’t realize how much I miss shows and the power of live music. There is something so special about hearing a voice and an instrument in person, I was glad to get to experience that and be reminded of the joy that music can bring.
Our last day a group of seven of us booked an independent tour to the Mekong Delta. It was the perfect way to end our time in Vietnam. We traveled two hours to the river, where were taken to a coconut candy shop and then walked through the jungle to a tea hut to try tea and hold a big snake. We then traveled to a fruit tasting hut, and then finished the tour with a ride down a tiny section of the delta on little rowboats. It was so beautiful. The brush was so green and the water so brown, there was no chemical enhancement or involvement, just the natural formation of a landscape. It was like going back in time. There were huts all along the river where people lived. It is hard to believe that some people conduct life in such simple ways still. It was such a stimulating little trip and after a traditional Vietnamese lunch I headed back to the ship. I spent the rest of my night on the deck of the ship staring into the lights of the city and being nostalgic about our homes with my sweet friend Kate.
Vietnam was not packed with touristy adventures. I didn’t see many things that had to do with the war because I think as Americans we are so overly focused on that topic. It is a huge part of our history, but for my generation it is unfamiliar and rather than understanding more of America’s past I wanted to experience the Vietnamese reality and future and it was wonderful to be a part of. The people are so welcoming and warm. They know so much about their government and how we view them. It was such a beautiful place to visit and I am sure that my life will bring there again one day for a much longer period of time.
I have been asked multiple times though if I saw Hannah in the faces of the people there and I can say that I did not. I am so thankful for her heritage and the Vietnamese people that sacrificed a daughter so that I may have a sister, but I can say she is more a Brooks to me now than she has ever been and she has always been that to me. I thought I would be so moved, but I wasn’t, no matter where my family members continue to come from around this globe I am so thankful to say that they will always be Brooks’ so much more than their ethnicity or genetics. Every new person to my family will be my brother or sister more so than I ever even realized before, if that makes any sense at all. What a gift to have a family made up of a mosaic of the beautiful people on this planet!
Vietnam was extraordinary, not what I expected, but so special nonetheless. The Lord was faithful to continue teaching me about myself and about who He is. He is amazingly faithful to answer prayer and bring your understandings in a full circle.
Oh and just to throw it in…I’m an AUNT! I am across the Globe and fourteen hours ahead, but I was able to literally be on the phone at the exact moment sweet Eme was born. So praise the Lord because He is good.
I have said it from the beginning, but I still miss you guys and love you all tons!
Carley
On that note I will share with you my time in Vietnam. It began early in the morning on the 3rd. Our ship had to travel up the Mekong Delta for three hours to get to our docking spot on the Saigon Port. It was amazing, many of us sat for hours watching the landscape move from thick jungles to residential, to city like. Vietnam is captivating right from the start. The way people live is exactly what you see depicted in stories. Rice hats and fishing boats surrounded us. There were palm trees and thick tropical brush lining the river. It was so enthralling. When we finally docked there were about ten Vietnamese women holding banners that said “Welcome Semester at Sea”. No matter where we go in the world we are warmly welcomed and it is always humbling. Vietnam was the location where many of the students parents planned through SAS to meet up with the ship, so I was able to meet my friend Mary Chandler’s wonderful parents. It was emotional pulling into Vietnam and being so anxious about this country. I was so excited to be in Vietnam, it was where I was most looking forward to going because of Hannah and the connection I already had with this country. It was hard to watch all the parents see their children and feel the little tinge of homesickness that strikes. Nonetheless, I was very blessed to get to spend with the Allen’s (Mary Chandler’s parents), which gave me a sense of home and family in Vietnam. The ship took a long time to finally get cleared and us to be able to leave. Once we were free we all jumped on the shuttle and headed into town. Ho Chi Minh city is extraordinary. It is busy and full of tourists and people. It is clean and crazy, but exhilarating. We went to the market and for about five hours lost ourselves in aisle upon aisle of trinkets and treasures. I mean everything you can imagine and tiny little women grabbing your arms saying, “what you looking for miss?”, “miss you want bag, miss you need shirt?” it was so much fun. By 4:30 we had exhausted ourselves and headed back to the ship to get ready for dinner with Mary Chandler and her parents who had offered to take a group of six of us out. We started with drinks at the top of The Majestic hotel overlooking all of Ho Chi Minh and then moved to a delicious dinner at Lemongrass Café. We finished the time of with drinks at the Rex hotel before we said good-bye to each other and headed in for the night.
The next day was my only planned activity through Semester at Sea and it was one thing I had been looking forward to more than almost anything. We were planned to go to an Agent Orange orphanage and meet the disabled children affected by Agent Orange. We first met Vietnamese students on the ship and were able to have a discussion about their lives and what we wanted to do to help out the places we were visiting. We left the ship and went to the YMCA of Vietnam where we were told all about how the YMCA is providing jobs for women and helping to serve the community. Some of the Vietnamese students stood up and sang for us to give us a little cultural experience. My friend Olivia had coordinated about five students to do the Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance for them, which turned out amazing. A fellow Western student, Joey then stood up and sang a little Old Crow, “Wagon Wheel” to share a little bluegrass with them. After we had our little impromptu cultural exchange they had prepared a delicious lunch for us, full of greens and spring rolls and of course pounds of rice. After lunch the group ended up splitting up, some of us went two hours to the orphanage and the rest opted to stay back and help the YMCA. The orphanage was a challenging sight. Children were walking around with so many disabilities we have never even seen. I think one thing easily taken for granted is pre-natal care. These children typically did not live past twelve and many of them, potentially, could have been saved by good pre-natal care. After spending about an hour sitting and interacting with them, they loved my blonde hair and my watch with indiglo, we moved into a mini-conference to see how we could enhance the children’s quality of life. It was sad because we only had $100 to help them, but all their needs were much beyond that, so our session turned into a fundraising brainstorming session to promote awareness of what these children were dealing and the workers who cared for them everyday. The Vietnamese people are so kind and caring with Americans, but I was able to see first hand how the war had affected the lives of many who had no tie to it in anyway. It was a hard reality to take in and see these children who had no potential for life. Many children just laid on the floor staring up and trying to play with blocks, one tiny hydrocephalic girl laid down crying, her head to heavy to move it by her own power. I don’t think the image of her simple struggle will ever leave my mind. We all left more aware of what was happening in this world and burdened by the responsibility we, who have been given much, have to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. The day ended with a dinner of Pho, pronounced Pha, a traditional noodle soup dish, and an adventurous ride on a cyclo, where you sit in front of a bicycle on chair and are pushed by a tiny man through the busy streets.
My third day I had to be filmed, someone finally recognized my incredible talent and beauty, so I will be featured in a two-minute video about Vietnam. It is my acting debut so I anticipate all of you will look it up on the semester at sea website. My friend Leigh Anne accompanied me as we rode Moto’s through the streets and went to a tiny street market, selling everything from live fish, crabs, pig heart, liver and ears, to Pringles, baby formula and clothing. One stop shopping! We spent the morning filming, I had to cross the street multiple times to get good shots. Let me tell you something about crossing the street in Vietnam, we were literally given lessons aboard the ship about how to cross the street and it goes like this. You walk in a straight line, at a steady pace and don’t look at the oncoming traffic. If you try to anticipate what the moto’s are doing you get hit, if you go to fast you get hit, if you stop walking you get hit. Pretty much you close your eyes, walk and hope for the best. Sure enough we all did as we were told and the vehicles all just moved right around us. Once we were done filming Leigh Anne and I hit the markets for some more gift shopping. When we had finally worn ourselves out we sat down for some Vietnamese iced coffee, best iced coffee I’ve ever tried. They use condensed milk rather than plain and they individual drip cups rather than brewing in mass quantities, delicious! We finished our night with drinks at a bar called “Allez Boo”. It is the local spot for backpackers in the area, which there are tons, there we met some Australian guys on vacation because Vietnam is so close they all travel to up there for vacations. I just wanted to tell everyone that I met Australians and they were exactly what I would anticipate Australians to be, good-looking and they had accents. After a nice conversation we wandered back to the ship, hopped on the back of moto’s(mo-peds) and arrived safely home to fall into bed.
Our plan for the next day was to indulge in some of the cheap spa services you can find throughout the city. After an hour and a half of walking in and out of spa’s that looked particularly sketchy or too expensive we discovered a wonderful little oasis. For $16 we all bought 75 minute aromatherapy massages. As enjoyable and relaxing as it was I think I figured out that I can never again spend my money on having someone else rub my back. We finished the day off with dinner, a little relaxing back at the ship and then headed to the Hyatt hotel to listen to a singer/ songwriter girl from Kansas City, Andrea Hamilton. She had an incredible voice and it was relaxing to listen to her play and sing. I didn’t realize how much I miss shows and the power of live music. There is something so special about hearing a voice and an instrument in person, I was glad to get to experience that and be reminded of the joy that music can bring.
Our last day a group of seven of us booked an independent tour to the Mekong Delta. It was the perfect way to end our time in Vietnam. We traveled two hours to the river, where were taken to a coconut candy shop and then walked through the jungle to a tea hut to try tea and hold a big snake. We then traveled to a fruit tasting hut, and then finished the tour with a ride down a tiny section of the delta on little rowboats. It was so beautiful. The brush was so green and the water so brown, there was no chemical enhancement or involvement, just the natural formation of a landscape. It was like going back in time. There were huts all along the river where people lived. It is hard to believe that some people conduct life in such simple ways still. It was such a stimulating little trip and after a traditional Vietnamese lunch I headed back to the ship. I spent the rest of my night on the deck of the ship staring into the lights of the city and being nostalgic about our homes with my sweet friend Kate.
Vietnam was not packed with touristy adventures. I didn’t see many things that had to do with the war because I think as Americans we are so overly focused on that topic. It is a huge part of our history, but for my generation it is unfamiliar and rather than understanding more of America’s past I wanted to experience the Vietnamese reality and future and it was wonderful to be a part of. The people are so welcoming and warm. They know so much about their government and how we view them. It was such a beautiful place to visit and I am sure that my life will bring there again one day for a much longer period of time.
I have been asked multiple times though if I saw Hannah in the faces of the people there and I can say that I did not. I am so thankful for her heritage and the Vietnamese people that sacrificed a daughter so that I may have a sister, but I can say she is more a Brooks to me now than she has ever been and she has always been that to me. I thought I would be so moved, but I wasn’t, no matter where my family members continue to come from around this globe I am so thankful to say that they will always be Brooks’ so much more than their ethnicity or genetics. Every new person to my family will be my brother or sister more so than I ever even realized before, if that makes any sense at all. What a gift to have a family made up of a mosaic of the beautiful people on this planet!
Vietnam was extraordinary, not what I expected, but so special nonetheless. The Lord was faithful to continue teaching me about myself and about who He is. He is amazingly faithful to answer prayer and bring your understandings in a full circle.
Oh and just to throw it in…I’m an AUNT! I am across the Globe and fourteen hours ahead, but I was able to literally be on the phone at the exact moment sweet Eme was born. So praise the Lord because He is good.
I have said it from the beginning, but I still miss you guys and love you all tons!
Carley
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Rickshaws and Revelations
I’m sorry this has taken so long and honestly I am just trying to share with you before I arrive in Vietnam and fully succumb to the potential that it has for me!
India…well honestly I didn’t know what to expect from India. So many people were so hyped up and I just didn’t feel like it was going to my place. There is something about this whole experience that when you reach halfway and you realize that traveling becomes normalcy you have to make a conscious effort to be tuned into the culture around you. India for me was somewhere I had to really tune in.
Chennai is interesting. South India is starkly contrasted with north India. It is traditional and older, the ideals and morals are more conservative and the city is not the India you see when you think of India, the Taj Mahal and the Ganges river and all that. It is an over crowded, polluted, city full of color, cars and a bunch of people who look so opposite from me I felt like I was in a zoo with all the looks I got. The first day was my friend Charis’ birthday and she was so excited to be able to get to go visit the US consulate in Chennai. I thought it sounded interesting so I tagged along. We arrived to the consulate only to be told that all the employees were on lunch, so we ventured off to find ourselves the first of many real Indian meals. Lunch was at a restaurant called Palimar and we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We petitioned the women beside us for help ordering and both ended up with traditional south Indian dishes called Thali. Thali is rice, naan, and about 8 different cups of sauce and vegetables that you mix in with the rice. All of this you eat with your hands, which I have to say is the brilliant thing and I think something I plan to continue at home. Not only is it so fun and makes you feel like a little kid, but the food legitimately tastes better. I promise it’s true and the people there say it too. The oils on your hands combine with the food to enhance the flavor. I am pretty sure though that the second you step off the ship all the oil on your hands is replaced by straight up dirt and dust that is in the air.
After lunch we headed back to the consulate where an incredibly nice guy named Kevin greeted us. He was so humble and took us around for two hours showing us the building and answering any and all questions we had. By the end of our visit Kevin had negotiated a rickshaw for us to take to a nearby market for some shopping. Which we did and then after much confusion and exhaustion we found our way back to the ship to meet up with more girls to go out to dinner for Charis’ 21st birthday celebration. Dinner was eaten at the Taj hotel and it was beautiful and delicious. There were 8 girls total and we spent three hours eating, talking, laughing and enjoying our first night in India.
For the next few days I was able to do a home stay with an Indian family that was part of the Rotary Club. I could not have chosen a better trip for this port. To see the Taj Mahal is incredible, but to live in the home of a family and share in their life and be let into their love is something so unique. We were met at the bus and told by our “mother” to “come along”. Our mother’s name was Vidya, and her husband who we met briefly, but raced off was named Ramarajan or Ram. We piled into the car with Vidya and her driver, a common thing for many higher-class Indian families to have, and she took us straight to St. Thomas’s Basillica. It was absolutely gorgeous, colorful, and bright, such a beautiful thing to experience in a country so drenched in Hinduism. After our trip to the church we piled back in the car headed to Aishwarya’s(the fifteen year old daughter) school. We ate a wonderful lunch at the Indian version of the Rainforest Café. Let me paint a picture for you. It was covered in “brush”, so much so my hair got in it while I was sitting at the table. From the ceiling they had tied stuffed animal monkeys to strings, and they were just hanging by the arms. During our meal a man dressed in a gorilla costume came out and stood behind a lady dining a table over. He stood there for at least two minutes just waiting for her to see him and jump, which she did and it was funny! My sweet family then took Stephanie and I shopping, where they treated me to a top. I cannot even describe to you how kind these people were. Our day finished out with a trip to the beach, a rotary club meeting, which we attended in the families traditional Indian attire and then back home for some dinner and late henna before falling asleep.
The next day we toured with our group again and left our families. We saw temples and street vendors, were attacked by men selling marble kama sutra figurines and girls with beaded necklaces. The day ended with a birthday for an eighty year old man, complete with Vedic chants and traditional South Indian Thali for dinner. The last day of the home stay our SAS group went to a rotary club hospital we were able to implement our $100 solution and provide the hospital for additional medical supplies to better treat their patients. I’m sorry I know I have rushed through my days and time, but India was such a scheduled place it is so generic to share my activities. So I wanted to turn my writing more to thoughts and attempts at comprehending what was going on.
I have spent a lot of time after leaving India trying to understand myself. Why I wasn’t as touched as many people or just devastated by what I saw. It was different do not get me wrong. In many areas the standing water was so drenched in pollution that it wreaked of feces as you passed. There were people begging for food, but almost so many you become desensitized to the physical poverty. There were little girls, beautiful, tiny little girls selling necklaces. Walking around hassling tourists for money, it bothered me to see such precious children have their youth be spent on wholly surviving. But I had to come to an understanding of something in India, and what a blessing it was because the Lord has been working into it.
I have seen so much here, through this whole experience. I have seen joy, happiness, pain, tears, hurt, hunger, desolation, depression; you name it this world has it to offer. In all of this though one thing has to remain, God is good. No matter what the circumstance, God is good. No matter the hurt, the pain, the injustice, God is good. I have never been so sure of the verse in Ephesians that states, “This battle is not against flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces of evil…” There is nothing in this world, which can lead us to understand further our God than that He is good, no matter what our human corruption has brought. This world is not about fighting poverty or ending the widespread devastation, yes we must contribute, but there is no life in the spiritually dead. That is where our minds and hearts have to wage war in this Earth. Our love must be deeper than giving our money or our hands, we must give our thoughts to those things beyond our actions.
India shared with me lessons that the Lord continues to unveil to me in my heart, but I learned something brilliant in my moments there. We must give without hesitation. There is nothing more appreciated, nothing more deeply moving and thought provoking than a person who gives without hesitation. I find myself in the midst of all this learning, so overwhelmed and unbelievably inept to carry out the challenges I learn. It is so disconnected to experience and learn and then return to this ship, where your bed is made for you and your dishes are picked up. My greed immediately rises up again to be hesitant to give in everyway, not just of my materials, but of my time and my heart.
I stayed with a family in India who spared no expense. Not a single thing was kept from me. No question went unanswered, I never even began to feel a pang of hunger, I slept in the parent’s bed, I did not spend a dime, yet I am quick to withhold from those closes to me here. I am quick to be cynical and slow to be giving. It is amazing how the depths of your heart are revealed and never prove you to be a good or descent or person(well myself at least).
So as I approach Vietnam and I have heard so much of the war and the desolation caused in the lives of so many I can only cling to one thing, God is good. No matter where I am, whom I am with, God is good.
I miss you all so much and cannot believe I am finally going to Vietnam. It is such a weird thing to be approaching a place with such deep personal ties to my life. I cannot wait to experience this culture and get to know the country that gave me one of the most treasured gifts in my life, my sweet little Hannah. I am so looking forward to the next five days and all it holds in store. Love you all!
India…well honestly I didn’t know what to expect from India. So many people were so hyped up and I just didn’t feel like it was going to my place. There is something about this whole experience that when you reach halfway and you realize that traveling becomes normalcy you have to make a conscious effort to be tuned into the culture around you. India for me was somewhere I had to really tune in.
Chennai is interesting. South India is starkly contrasted with north India. It is traditional and older, the ideals and morals are more conservative and the city is not the India you see when you think of India, the Taj Mahal and the Ganges river and all that. It is an over crowded, polluted, city full of color, cars and a bunch of people who look so opposite from me I felt like I was in a zoo with all the looks I got. The first day was my friend Charis’ birthday and she was so excited to be able to get to go visit the US consulate in Chennai. I thought it sounded interesting so I tagged along. We arrived to the consulate only to be told that all the employees were on lunch, so we ventured off to find ourselves the first of many real Indian meals. Lunch was at a restaurant called Palimar and we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We petitioned the women beside us for help ordering and both ended up with traditional south Indian dishes called Thali. Thali is rice, naan, and about 8 different cups of sauce and vegetables that you mix in with the rice. All of this you eat with your hands, which I have to say is the brilliant thing and I think something I plan to continue at home. Not only is it so fun and makes you feel like a little kid, but the food legitimately tastes better. I promise it’s true and the people there say it too. The oils on your hands combine with the food to enhance the flavor. I am pretty sure though that the second you step off the ship all the oil on your hands is replaced by straight up dirt and dust that is in the air.
After lunch we headed back to the consulate where an incredibly nice guy named Kevin greeted us. He was so humble and took us around for two hours showing us the building and answering any and all questions we had. By the end of our visit Kevin had negotiated a rickshaw for us to take to a nearby market for some shopping. Which we did and then after much confusion and exhaustion we found our way back to the ship to meet up with more girls to go out to dinner for Charis’ 21st birthday celebration. Dinner was eaten at the Taj hotel and it was beautiful and delicious. There were 8 girls total and we spent three hours eating, talking, laughing and enjoying our first night in India.
For the next few days I was able to do a home stay with an Indian family that was part of the Rotary Club. I could not have chosen a better trip for this port. To see the Taj Mahal is incredible, but to live in the home of a family and share in their life and be let into their love is something so unique. We were met at the bus and told by our “mother” to “come along”. Our mother’s name was Vidya, and her husband who we met briefly, but raced off was named Ramarajan or Ram. We piled into the car with Vidya and her driver, a common thing for many higher-class Indian families to have, and she took us straight to St. Thomas’s Basillica. It was absolutely gorgeous, colorful, and bright, such a beautiful thing to experience in a country so drenched in Hinduism. After our trip to the church we piled back in the car headed to Aishwarya’s(the fifteen year old daughter) school. We ate a wonderful lunch at the Indian version of the Rainforest Café. Let me paint a picture for you. It was covered in “brush”, so much so my hair got in it while I was sitting at the table. From the ceiling they had tied stuffed animal monkeys to strings, and they were just hanging by the arms. During our meal a man dressed in a gorilla costume came out and stood behind a lady dining a table over. He stood there for at least two minutes just waiting for her to see him and jump, which she did and it was funny! My sweet family then took Stephanie and I shopping, where they treated me to a top. I cannot even describe to you how kind these people were. Our day finished out with a trip to the beach, a rotary club meeting, which we attended in the families traditional Indian attire and then back home for some dinner and late henna before falling asleep.
The next day we toured with our group again and left our families. We saw temples and street vendors, were attacked by men selling marble kama sutra figurines and girls with beaded necklaces. The day ended with a birthday for an eighty year old man, complete with Vedic chants and traditional South Indian Thali for dinner. The last day of the home stay our SAS group went to a rotary club hospital we were able to implement our $100 solution and provide the hospital for additional medical supplies to better treat their patients. I’m sorry I know I have rushed through my days and time, but India was such a scheduled place it is so generic to share my activities. So I wanted to turn my writing more to thoughts and attempts at comprehending what was going on.
I have spent a lot of time after leaving India trying to understand myself. Why I wasn’t as touched as many people or just devastated by what I saw. It was different do not get me wrong. In many areas the standing water was so drenched in pollution that it wreaked of feces as you passed. There were people begging for food, but almost so many you become desensitized to the physical poverty. There were little girls, beautiful, tiny little girls selling necklaces. Walking around hassling tourists for money, it bothered me to see such precious children have their youth be spent on wholly surviving. But I had to come to an understanding of something in India, and what a blessing it was because the Lord has been working into it.
I have seen so much here, through this whole experience. I have seen joy, happiness, pain, tears, hurt, hunger, desolation, depression; you name it this world has it to offer. In all of this though one thing has to remain, God is good. No matter what the circumstance, God is good. No matter the hurt, the pain, the injustice, God is good. I have never been so sure of the verse in Ephesians that states, “This battle is not against flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces of evil…” There is nothing in this world, which can lead us to understand further our God than that He is good, no matter what our human corruption has brought. This world is not about fighting poverty or ending the widespread devastation, yes we must contribute, but there is no life in the spiritually dead. That is where our minds and hearts have to wage war in this Earth. Our love must be deeper than giving our money or our hands, we must give our thoughts to those things beyond our actions.
India shared with me lessons that the Lord continues to unveil to me in my heart, but I learned something brilliant in my moments there. We must give without hesitation. There is nothing more appreciated, nothing more deeply moving and thought provoking than a person who gives without hesitation. I find myself in the midst of all this learning, so overwhelmed and unbelievably inept to carry out the challenges I learn. It is so disconnected to experience and learn and then return to this ship, where your bed is made for you and your dishes are picked up. My greed immediately rises up again to be hesitant to give in everyway, not just of my materials, but of my time and my heart.
I stayed with a family in India who spared no expense. Not a single thing was kept from me. No question went unanswered, I never even began to feel a pang of hunger, I slept in the parent’s bed, I did not spend a dime, yet I am quick to withhold from those closes to me here. I am quick to be cynical and slow to be giving. It is amazing how the depths of your heart are revealed and never prove you to be a good or descent or person(well myself at least).
So as I approach Vietnam and I have heard so much of the war and the desolation caused in the lives of so many I can only cling to one thing, God is good. No matter where I am, whom I am with, God is good.
I miss you all so much and cannot believe I am finally going to Vietnam. It is such a weird thing to be approaching a place with such deep personal ties to my life. I cannot wait to experience this culture and get to know the country that gave me one of the most treasured gifts in my life, my sweet little Hannah. I am so looking forward to the next five days and all it holds in store. Love you all!
Sealed with a Sunset
So I had to omit the Mauritius blog, for no other reason than there was little to share. Three quick days of R&R, for me it was 3 days of God’s faithfulness to teach me about obedience. Oh, how He is tricky that way!
We are now on our way to India, can you believe that, India? Not only is it so different than any culture I have ever experienced, but it marks a little over halfway. Wow time just goes away, well I honestly have lost time because we have to set our clocks ahead an hour almost every night, so time really disappears here.
So I know I shared our ship tradition of Neptune Day, but today was something I would never have anticipated enjoying so much! It was Sea Olympics. We took a day off of class so that we could get together and compete. The teams are made up of the hall you live in and they are titled by the name of different seas. Our’s was Sargasso, random, I still only know that it contains Bermuda, but that’s it. So of course everyone had to compete and I really did not care either way if I participated or not, until I found out there was a pie-eating contest, which was later turned into popcorn, but nonetheless still fun. I was then suckered into synchronized swimming with three other girls and as anxious as I was I had so much fun and laughed so hard. It turns out everyone on this ship has no problem making fools of themselves. Our team placed seventh overall, not last so that was good. My personal events did well, third for swimming and second for popcorn eating, not bad huh?!
The rest of my day consisted of sitting outside in the sun, swimming, and watching people play stupid field day games. All in place of a day of class, just to rub it in, we’ve only had two since Mauritius…It’s a ROUGH life! To make the day even better we had a barbeque, complete with ribs, burgers, hot dogs and ice cream. Each of these items has only been served once on the ship so there was a frenzy at dinner. As we were all eating outside the sun set in the most beautiful way I have ever seen. The water looked like glass and the sky was filled with shades of pink and orange. It was magnificent.
I took an hour to indulge in dinner and then had the brilliant idea to dance on the top deck, which ended up turning into an hour-long dance party. Oh my we danced our hearts out, not literally that would be gross. I just want to say I have friends here, sometimes the way I write these blogs it’s seems like I’m alone, but I’m not! Today I was with Leigh Anne, Anjuli, Olivia, Charis, Kate, Lane, Mary Chandler, I could keep going, but honestly there are a lot of people here and you are pretty much with all of them all the time! By the end of the night, after much needed showers, we grabbed blankets and pillows, piled into one of the classrooms and watched Slumdog Millionaire. Seriously the perfect day!
Tomorrow is cultural pre-port for India, which will be intense compared to the last couple of them. I cannot wait to share my adventures in India with everyone; I am doing a homestay for two nights with a rotary club family and visiting a hospital. Should be interesting! I miss you all…LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Carley
We are now on our way to India, can you believe that, India? Not only is it so different than any culture I have ever experienced, but it marks a little over halfway. Wow time just goes away, well I honestly have lost time because we have to set our clocks ahead an hour almost every night, so time really disappears here.
So I know I shared our ship tradition of Neptune Day, but today was something I would never have anticipated enjoying so much! It was Sea Olympics. We took a day off of class so that we could get together and compete. The teams are made up of the hall you live in and they are titled by the name of different seas. Our’s was Sargasso, random, I still only know that it contains Bermuda, but that’s it. So of course everyone had to compete and I really did not care either way if I participated or not, until I found out there was a pie-eating contest, which was later turned into popcorn, but nonetheless still fun. I was then suckered into synchronized swimming with three other girls and as anxious as I was I had so much fun and laughed so hard. It turns out everyone on this ship has no problem making fools of themselves. Our team placed seventh overall, not last so that was good. My personal events did well, third for swimming and second for popcorn eating, not bad huh?!
The rest of my day consisted of sitting outside in the sun, swimming, and watching people play stupid field day games. All in place of a day of class, just to rub it in, we’ve only had two since Mauritius…It’s a ROUGH life! To make the day even better we had a barbeque, complete with ribs, burgers, hot dogs and ice cream. Each of these items has only been served once on the ship so there was a frenzy at dinner. As we were all eating outside the sun set in the most beautiful way I have ever seen. The water looked like glass and the sky was filled with shades of pink and orange. It was magnificent.
I took an hour to indulge in dinner and then had the brilliant idea to dance on the top deck, which ended up turning into an hour-long dance party. Oh my we danced our hearts out, not literally that would be gross. I just want to say I have friends here, sometimes the way I write these blogs it’s seems like I’m alone, but I’m not! Today I was with Leigh Anne, Anjuli, Olivia, Charis, Kate, Lane, Mary Chandler, I could keep going, but honestly there are a lot of people here and you are pretty much with all of them all the time! By the end of the night, after much needed showers, we grabbed blankets and pillows, piled into one of the classrooms and watched Slumdog Millionaire. Seriously the perfect day!
Tomorrow is cultural pre-port for India, which will be intense compared to the last couple of them. I cannot wait to share my adventures in India with everyone; I am doing a homestay for two nights with a rotary club family and visiting a hospital. Should be interesting! I miss you all…LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Carley
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