Monthly Archives: February 2009

Reflections

February 28, 2009 – 7:29 am
By Aaron Rasenberg | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (0)

Throughout the trip there has been a recurring issue that has been at the forefront of my mind that I would like to discuss a little. The issue put in words is the conflict between the organized program and the self-directed happenings of individual students in regards to what provides an overall better experience of culture, history, religion etc.  For John0 and myself, we side towards the  self-directed adventures that we like to embark on. But the question is whether that is just our own personalities at work.

At one point in the trip we made a stop at a grand old cathedral built by the Spanish. The spectacular part was that even the sight of the large and very old building  gave me, the student, a sort of connection with the past, a fixed place in history (and a bone to Prof. Gregg). Seeing grand new structures that are triumphs of human ingenuity and then seeing these very old structures that were triumphs in their own time always amazes me. To say that “history is not dead” is to beat an old cliche to death, but that very realization is paramount to one’s experience with culture, community and religion ( a bone to Joel Mason). It is these encounters in our SE Asia trip that will continue to educate and develop me as a person. Included in this would be the random and spontaneous group shin-digs that we initiate in our search for adventure and experience. When we invite a few friends over, or just happen to be at the same place at the right time, and we go for walks, we explore, we build something and play with it, or we just sit around and kick back with the locals and talk about ourselves, our lives, and our ideas, we have connected, shared, and developed our identity in the world.

So I say that the best way to live and learn in a new culture is not through planned activities, but to engage on a personal level with people and let activities happen in their own time under the initiative of the individual. It is only when the individual takes ownership of his/her education that ideas will connect, relationships will be made, and knowledge retained.

Cheers!

so far…………

February 25, 2009 – 11:20 pm
By Cara Lehocki | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (1)

We have arrived in Kota Kinabalu for our final few days in Malaysia… after weeks of rice, veggies and the occasional pig snout KK offered us the foods we have all been craving. I forgot how easily the words “non-fat chai tea latte” rolled off my tongue until we were faced with our beloved Starbucks.  Although it’s been nice to have the comforts of home here, I have yet to feel homesick. The days are always packed full of new experiences and sights that I just don’t have time to be homesick… sorry mom.

Our time in the Philippines was spent in lectures at North Western University, hanging out with our homestay family or exploring the city of Laoag. I was blown away by the hospitality we were shown in the Philippines and will always have fond memories of our time spent there.
Malaysia has offered us an experience most tourists don’t find. We have found ourselves in beautiful jungles surrounded by mountains and even got to live in a Muslim village. In the village we were able to eat their food, wear their clothing and attend their mosque, an opportunity not many 21 year olds have.

My favorite experience of the whole trip was waking up at 5am to the sound of the Muslim “call to prayer”. There is something peaceful and even enchanting about living in the jungle and hearing these beautiful prayers on speaker throughout the village.
Tomorrow we leave for Thailand, I am ready for the next adventure and what Thailand has in store for us.

Point of Difference

February 25, 2009 – 10:30 pm
By Lindsay McKay | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (0)

As I sat down to write this blog, a whole flurry of possible topics tumbled around in my head. The experiences so far on this trip, great and small, enjoyable and not have lent themselves to creating the Southeast Asia 2009 trip as seen through my eyes thus far. The problem is not analyzing and articulating these events objectively; but rather trying to come to an understanding of how these experiences are changing me.

So as I often do when I find myself being stretched by new circumstances, I look for something familiar to gain strength from. This situation is no different from others, I have found strength in God; not necessarily through reading my Bible, praying or worshiping, but through relationships. Many times, I do not set out to have a “spiritual” experience as it were, but it almost always happens, like my spiritual life is an animal out of my control. I suppose I should not be surprised by this, but I find that I am.

So I guess the thing that I have been reflecting on the most is that no matter how deep differences run through humanity, God is the constant. No matter how much I do not understand these differences, God is in them. I am thankful for the growth that this experience is causing in myself and the rest of the group. I am excited by the different person that I am becoming over the duration of this trip. As I continue on this trip I hope to be able to continue to celebrate difference and let it change me even more.

Self Identity – Tira Ingersoll

February 25, 2009 – 10:19 pm
By Tira Ingersoll | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (0)

Only a few days after landing in the Philippines I learned that “Tira” is a word in one of the dialects spoken there. You can only imagine my excitement when I learned that it was spelled and pronounced the same way and even more so when I learned its meaning: “Go for it.” The example the woman gave me was, if a bunch of people are in a bar or drinking together and someone starts chugging, people would start chanting, “Tira! Tira!.” How encouraging it was to know that my name is being chanted in bars all across the Philippines.
I decided that I would keep this in mind during the trip; that I would transfer it to situations in which I felt a little apprehensive and let it serve as a reminder that I am there to experience all that I can. Though one thing I’ve been learning is that experiences cannot be compared. Not in the sense that you can’t exchange them, but in the sense that you can’t measure your experience against someone else’s. It is also true that the same experience is not meaningful in the same way for each person; therefore what is significant for one person, may not be significant for another. It’s hard not to do this though. It’s hard to be the person who hears about all the exciting things people are doing and feeling like the things you’re doing aren’t as fun, and you’re not taking advantage of opportunity. It’s also hard to be the person who’s having the great adventures and still being sensitive to others, and not coming across as arrogant or demeaning to the experiences of others.
I’ve decided to keep my name in mind and “go for it” when something interests me; and let my experience here in Asia be significant to myself.

Filipino Family = Fantastic Fun

February 25, 2009 – 10:16 pm
By Dan Snyder | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (1)

Dinner - Filipino StyleWhat impacted me most during my time in the Philippines was the concept of family life. From the moment that I arrived, I was accepted as a son in my homestay family. I participated in all of the family activities and even met their large extended family. For a couple meals during my time there I ate at the grandmother’s house, also known as the family house. This house was still run by the matriarchal grandmother who was in her 80’s and she had some of her children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild living there. Although she was not as mobile as she once was, I could still see how much she was respected and revered. To illustrate this point, when her daughters wanted to renovate the family home, the grandmother would not allow them to since she preferred the tradition and the attached memories that the home contained. This is very similar to many situations in Canada that I know of where the decisions of the elders are respected; often times the older generation prefers tradition and the younger prefers change.

What is different in the Philippines though is that the families take care of the grandparents within the family homes. When I asked my family if there were any nursing or retirement homes, they said that there weren’t any in their province, but maybe there was one in Manila. I think that this is something that North American culture misses out on for the most part and I really admire the way Filipino culture places such a focus on the family.

Through food, fellowship, fun and most of all family I learned about and experienced Filipino culture. I am looking forward to getting to know more families and cultures as I continue on this travel term!

what makes the difference?

February 25, 2009 – 7:17 am
By Nicola Gladwell | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (0)

I almost forgot to take off my sandals before entering the outer premises of the Mosque. As my white feet touched the carefully swept cold. patterned pink tiles, we sit in a line as a buzz of activity rhythmically surrounds us. The rev of a scooter, a loud speaker reciting Hebrew. Joanna came to deliver long skirts and head scarves to us. I sit, with only bare hands, feet, and face, tight against laura as the number of men gathering in the inner Mosque grows, and I hear the sounds of hands, feet, and faces being cleansed at a water trough to the left of the tiled area. We look elegant in our head scarves. I sense only a slightly different atmosphere as I do in an immense cathedral. There is a fluorescent digital clock on the front wall. Its numbers contrast against the ancient Muslim devotion. Some enter wearing traditional Muslim garb, some wearing fashionable or athletic clothing. I can see the British influence in their choice of soccer garb. I feel protected covered by yards of cloth, comfortable even. I feel confident as I drink in my scarf-framed scene as deeply as I can. I wonder what the decorative circular caps the men wear are for; I wonder what the overhead speaker is saying.  I wonder who recorded it. I wonder if the activity gives a sense of peace, belonging, and meaning. I wonder if any of the men praying here have doubts. I wonder if it is okay I writing? A gecko scales the wall in front of the men in the room I can only see through a centered open door, next to the out-of-place clock. Is the path to the Mosque worn… does the wearing paint on the handrails comfort them? How do they feel about a line of white female faces looking at them in wonder? Later I would talk to Sofre, a Muslim man, about the tension between Islam and the West; we even talked together about Shane Claiborne and Jonathon Hartgrove’s healing experience in Rutba, near Baghdad. His hurt face pleaded with me to not believe the stories about Islam that we are told, instead to go back to my country and tell of my experiences in Keningau. When I come back, ask me about the kids, the musicians, the politician, and the school teachers I met there. “When you cut yourself, your blood is red, and so is mine… so what makes the difference?” What a healing adventure.

Happy Trip Hump

February 25, 2009 – 3:25 am
By Jonas Martin | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (0)

As I am writing this we are halfway through our trip through South East Asia. We have conquered the sweaty metropolis and tricycles of the Philippines, and the Sweaty Jungles of Malaysia (notice the common theme?) Well if you didn’t, it has been really freakin’ hot, but I am making it through I suppose.

The Philippines was a tremendous experience for me, we had a very good introduction to the homestay program. I know I was nervous going into it. We could not have been more warmly welcomed, and I know that for me, it really helped with the rest of the homestays that we have had since then, and I am very grateful for it. I miss the Philippines already, it seems like a country that is the most like me. It is apathetic when it needs to be, they eat a lot of delicious food, and they have great beer.  Going in I was told that Filipino food is the hardest part of the Philippines to get used to, but I found it to be fantastic, maybe it was just the great cooking in our house.

I feel like Malaysia has come and gone so quickly I don’t even know what I can put in this entry for it.  I had a great time in the village in Keningau, and would have loved to stay there longer.  We trekked through the Jungles,  and swam in amazing clear freshwater rivers in the jungle. What more can be said, I thought I would never have the opportunity to  do these things. But I did them, and am very happy I did.

I am excited for the adventure that is Thailand. But at the same time, I am happy we are at the hump of the trip.

Snapshots of the Time of My Life :)

February 24, 2009 – 6:51 pm
By Alicia Farnham | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (1)

My shoddy math skills tell me I’ve been away from home for twenty days. My fears of the past blog entry, if you care to know, only simmer in the back of my mind whenever I’m not too hot or tired to simmer anything. I don’t remember how long ago that actually was. The time here seems to be blurring together and remaining in my memory are only moments of life lived.

…I went to a Catholic church. And not just any Catholic church, but the kind that took literally centuries to build, finished meticulously through the strength of faith and persevering slavework (a point which I was somewhat disappointed to learn as not only does it seem incongruent with a church’s values but it also quite effectively squashes my bent for romanticism–and yet I forge ahead!); it’s the kind of church that was Robin Hood’s protection, Guinevere’s punishment, Quasimodo’s sanctuary and dungeon! Yes, that’s a little dramatic but I have never before entered a cathedral–a real one!–and I feel I’m justified in calling up legends of such epic proportions. Only their memory echoes the kind of awe I felt inside the cavernous Paoay Church of St. Augustine, viewing the saints lining the walls and the still-fluttering and collapsing candles beneath them, evidence of a surviving and vital faith. It was an immense feeling–or, rather a feeling of immensity. I have never before experienced immensity.

…I swam a path of liquid gold! It was 7am, the South China Sea was calm and cool. The sun was rising, a golden, burning sphere of perfect light, first silhouetting the leaning palm trees, then the squat bamboo shelters lining the beach and then! I was swimming in a path of liquid gold. The sky is a canvas of spilled ocean and oranges; behind me the water and sky met in indistinct grays and blues. Only there, from me to the shore, did the extraordinary mat roll out, as if the sun rose for me alone, to grace the lapping ripples of the water and kiss me good-morning!

I guess what I’m trying to say with these snapshots is that this experience–the Asia travel abroad term–has been amazing so far. Along with being sick three separate times in the past 20 days, I’ve also raced with the clouds in the mountainous regions of Sabah, Malaysia, bathed with a cockroach, tramped through the jungle just to see how pineapples and ginger are grown, been told what the cold parts of North America are like from a Filipino’s perspective and eaten rice for breakfast for over a week straight! So as much as I absolutely detest rice at this point, I’m no longer asking myself why on earth I’m on this trip. I even have the great pleasure of tellling all those who, like myself, were unaware that pineapples do NOT grow on trees! :D

The Greatest Revelation So Far

February 24, 2009 – 11:23 am
By Katie Ironside | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (1)

It’s been nearly 3 weeks now since the day we pulled away from Park Hall, heading out on our South-East Asian adventure. Our time in the Philippines over, and our Malaysian experience near its end, I find myself in awe of how quickly this trip is passing by.

I have seen a number of new and exciting landscapes, from the Malaysian mountains to the sandy beaches of the Philippines, and have visited many unique and interesting places along the way. We have seen museums, old churches, a rubber and ginger  farm, and even the mausoleum of the Philippines’ ex-president, Marcos (ask me about that one when I get home).

Along with my classmates and leaders, I have learned so much about the history, the politics and the culture of two amazing countries so far. We have also tried a lot of new and exotic food, including Halo-Halo, rambutan, pig’s intestines (surprisingly tasty), and ube (yam) ice cream. Oh, and let’s not forget the steady supply of rice, in all its forms.

Most importantly, though, I’ve met many amazing people, both in my homestays and the other folks with whom I’ve interacted to date. I know that relationships have been created which will last for years to come. In getting to know the people of the Philippines, I was struck by their capacity for hospitality. Never before have I experienced such a warm invitation to befriend and ‘befamily’ a group of complete strangers. And yet, such was the case with my Filipino homestay family. So too in Malaysia, I have met people who couldn’t be more eager to share their culture, their traditions and their way of life with a group of crazy young students from North America. And I expect that a similar experience awaits us in Thailand as well.

In all of this, I am reminded of the verse when Christ calls us to love our neighbours as ourselves. The people I have interacted with so far have really made an effort to do just that- and beyond. Not only have these new friends and families opened their homes to us, but they have also opened their hearts.

When I return to Canada at the end of the trip, I hope that I will do my best to show a similar love to everyone I encounter- whether it’s my family, friends, or complete strangers. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned so far, it’s that every person has the potential to become someone special in my life- it’s just up to me to get out there and meet them.

Humanity and “Sameness”

February 20, 2009 – 9:45 am
By Brianna Kocka | Posted in SE Asia 2009 Comments (3)

There are differences, and there are similarities. These things exist in all shapes, forms and sizes and quite obviously in all cultures and regions of the world. However, on this trip I have been noticing the similarities between people, and it has been a joy to observe.

People seem to initially have the same wants and needs. We all need food to live, beverage to quench our thirst. We all need shelter; beds to sleep in and roofs over our heads. Even more than these outward items used for our personal survival I have noticed that people quite simply need each other. Whether I was in the house of my home stay family in the Philippines, on the bus with all of my fellow SSUer’s or staying here in this Muslim Village in Malaysia, we need each other. And even more so I am noticing on the trip, we want each other… we as humans want community. Life together is what makes humanity, it is what makes culture. Sometimes life together is what creates hatred, but on a good day community can create peace.

My home stay mother created peace in our house in the Philippines by always caring and looking out for me. She was nurturing and loving and cared for our entire group of travellers. She wanted us around as well; she desired community with our group. She was similar to any other mother figure, which seems to be something you find in most any culture whether North American or South East Asian.

Other similarities consist of the way children laugh and have fun. Here in Malaysia I see kids being rascals just like anywhere else. Their smiles fill up this community. Even Crystal said the other day about the boys in the village that, “Boy will be boys, Muslim or not.”

These are the things that make up our world, there is much more for us to see and recognize as the same (or close to it, at least) instead of seeing all those things that separate us. This trip thus far has opened my eyes to see all that we as humans in the world share just through our humanness; it’s beautiful.