SSU Travels the World

Shortly after returning from the recent Asia travel study term, Nicola had an experience with someone that impacted him.  His blog entry below speaks of the importance of the travel study terms for both our students and the people they interact with.

Redemption

Nicola Gladwell gave me a bobby pin.

During a long bus trip this April, I got out the handwritten draft of a short story and my AlphaSmart Dana word processor.

I balanced the Dana on my lap, then realized there was no comfortable–or even uncomfortable–way to prop up the sheets so I could type them. On the back of the seat in front of me was a tightly screwed-on strip of plastic that held the chair cover in place. I tried forcing the edge of a page under that, but had no luck.

Bother.

It was then that Nicola, seated across the aisle from me, came to the rescue. She removed a bobby pin from her hair and handed it over. I was at a loss what to do with it.

“What do you suggest?” I asked.

She took the flat prong and worked it under the strip of plastic, creating a clipboard. I slid a few pages into the bobby pin and they held.

Brilliant.

Later on, we introduced ourselves and chatted a bit. She asked what I was writing.

“A newspaper column,” I said.

This was a lie.

The short story was an early draft, and I never talk about writing so new. It wasn’t much of a lie, however, because I planned to work on a column later on.

“May I read it?” she asked.

“Uh . . . no.”

I know better than to lie and was embarrassed that I have been instantly, though unwittingly, caught.

There was wireless internet on the bus, and she had her laptop open.

“Take a look at my website,” I told her. “There are things there you can read.”

I gave her the web address and she sampled a poem and an essay and said some very kind things about them.

“Now that I’ve read something of yours, you should read something of mine,” she said.

My Dana isn’t wireless, so I asked her to email me the link and promised I’d read it when I got to my hotel.

I have something to confess. Because Nicola is a college student–an undergrad, in fact–I had low expectations. Whatever it was she had written would be, I was sure, devoid of serious thought and lacking in decent craft.

The internet, as is often the case, had a surprise waiting for me.

Nicola wrote about a recent trip to Asia, telling how things that are of small consequence here, are valued and used there. Redeemed, if you will.

She gave as an example, painted car tires being used as plant pots in the Philippines.

She gave as an example, the Asian practice of eating all parts of a beast, including the snout and feet.

She gave as an example, a dollar-store toy that we would scorn in the west, having value in the hands of a Filipino girl.

She gave as an example, the scrap tin that is used in many huts in Manila and Bangkok.

I could appreciate what she was saying, for I’d seen the same thing in Africa.

In Kenya, a dirty, twisted piece of wire is not trash, it is something that can be cleaned and carefully pounded into an attractive pair of ear-rings, often with no more tools than a flat rock for an anvil and a discarded engine bolt for a hammer.

A useless piece of wire redeemed.

I could follow the path that her examples laid down, but was not prepared for where they led me.

“I loved Thailand,” Nicola wrote. “I could live in Chiang Mai.

“I would ride to work on an elephant and guide rafts on mountain rivers for a pitiful living, seeking wisdom from aged monks and taking a masters in sustainable living or linguistics at CMU.

“However. I have a problem. I can’t get it through my head — you have to help me.

“There are over two million prostitutes in Thailand. In [the province of] Chiang Mai, all of them are brought from destitute Burmese villages and trafficked through the village of Ma Sai on the border.

“I was in Ma Sai. I bought a pen. And a necklace.

“All Burmese teen girls traveling through Ma Sai leave without their virginity and thus their hope for a future and marriage, and almost half leave with an AIDS death sentence from their first few weeks in the industry.

“What does redemption mean to a sex slave in Japan, in Bangkok, in Kuala Lumpur?

“If I see so much of what we call garbage being redeemed throughout Asia, isn’t there a way to redeem the consequences of societal chastity, idolatry, obligatory merit-making, hierarchical systems, and poverty?”

I still have Nicola’s bobby pin. I am thinking of framing it and hanging it on my wall.

This will remind me not to judge the abilities and motivations of others.

This will remind me that the life we are blessed with here is not the life most people enjoy.

This will remind me that redemption is everyone’s responsibility.

This will remind me that Nicola, who was her way home for summer break, planned to visit with her family for a couple of days then head north to Ontario.

Ontario, you see, has set a goal of planting 50 million trees by 2020, and Nicola was going to help plant some of them.
http://www.johngovernale.com/articles/redemption.html

Our final days in Southeast Asia are upon us. Chiang Mai University (CMU) and the city of Chiang Mai have been our home away from home for most of the past month. But on Thursday, March 19, the SSU team leaves northern Thailand for a three day journey south, via the historic centres of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, to the frenetic capital city of Bangkok, home to some 10,000,000 people.

By contrast, Chiang Mai has a population of just 300,000. Sometimes referred to as Thailand’s second city, it stretches between mountain ranges across a wide plain in the northwest part of the country. Not far away are Burma and Laos. There is evidence of Chiang Mai’s medieval past in every direction. The “old city” is encircled by the remnants of a defensive wall and a still-intact system of moats. The Ping River flows through the city-centre. The other day a local friend told us that the Ping River is “very rich.” He went on to explain that it was because it had two banks! (an example of Chiang Mai humour.)

Chiang Mai is punctuated by food and craft markets, dominated by dozens of elegant Buddhist temples and “tuk-tuks” and “songthaews” serve as the main modes of public transport–the local taxis. The former is an extended motorcycle that sits 2 or 3 passengers; the latter a small open truck that can sit up to 10 people. The locals appear proud of their identity as Thais. They value the heritage of their exotic city. Close by are herds of Asian elephants, orchid farms and a bounty of tasty tropical fruits including mangoes, pineapple, coconuts, guava and papaya.

But through our classes at CMU and our fieldtrips we have learned that just under the surface, modern Thai society faces serious political and economic strains, issues that North Americans hear little about in the suppertime TV news. In conversation with local people we have discovered much about Thai society. There have been opportunities to talk with Buddhist monks, Thai students, local educators, members of the Christian community of Chiang Mai, and the students’ home-stay families. And no account of Thailand would be complete without mentioning the food. We have been savouring Thai cuisine — duck, catfish, squid, prawn, noodle soups and curries and much more.

Early on in our time here, we discovered the Thai greeting — the “wai.” This is a prayer-like gesture made by a gentle bow of the head and the raising of the hands to the top of one’s chest with fingertips placed under the chin. It serves as a near universal Thai greeting. The “wai” can mean “hello,” “goodbye,” or it can be a sign of respect or gratitude. A traditional Western hand-shake is rare. We have not only learned to practice the Thai greeting, we are also learning to speak the Thai language at CMU. Distinct from the other tongues in Southeast Asia, the Thai language is tonal, with five different tones used — low, middle, high, falling and rising, so that the meaning of a single word can be altered in five different ways. Many in our group are now able to make themselves understood when ordering a meal or when talking to merchants at local markets.

And now as we near our journey’s end, we have much to be thankful for. May there be good endings and good beginnings. Additional prayer requests include:

– God’s provision of safety and good health day by day for each of our students as we prepare to depart for Bangkok and onward to many hours of air travel back to Canada;
– Continued unity within the group as we prepare for the final week of this learning adventure;
– Energy, diligence and inspiration as students work on their final academic assignments;
– And most of all, may we ponder our many experiences in Southeast Asia with discernment inspired by the Holy Three — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

(Gregg Finley for the leaders’ team)

SSU in Malaysia – the journey continues

On February 19, we travelled north from the Moslem village near Keningau to our second Malaysian home-stay experience in Tambunan.  Villagers welcomed us with performances of traditional music and dancing and a meal of home-grown vegetables and other local delicacies. In Tambunan we got acquainted with the host-families, had guided treks into the jungle, and hands-on experiences with the villagers focusing on local crafts and customs.   SSU students harvested bamboo, learned about growing ginger and were introduced to rubber tree farming.

While most of us settled into KK, twelve from our group left for a two day expedition up Trusmadi Mountain. The trail to the peak is completely natural, and the group spent the climb and descent stepping on and using roots and branches to assist us all along the way. When the clouds would part for a second, the beautiful trail would combine with the idyllic jungle spread before us and take our breath away.

On to Chiang Mai via Hong Kong

On February 26, we began our journey to Thailand, but it took a while.  First there was a flight from KK to Hong Kong (HK); then a night spent on the floor of the HK airport; then a 5am bus tour of HK sites and a Chinese breakfast; then a flight from HK to Bangkok; and then a third flight from Bangkok north to Chiang Mai.  We were very happy to finally arrive and check into Chiang Mai’s Mountainview Guest House around 10pm.   And so the Thai-chapter of this Southeast Asian saga has begun.

Prayer Items:

-for students and leaders as we seek a continuing sense of God’s closeness in the next weeks
- for safety, unity, and physical stamina–especially relief from colds, sore throats, and upset stomachs.
-thanks for good connections, safe flights and for our luggage arriving on time in Chiang Mai.
-for our Chiang Mai University program organizers as they finalize the details of the SSU study program in Thailand.
-for God to prepare the hearts of the Chiang Mai home-stay families who will be hosting our students for two weeks  starting March 1.

(Gregg Finley for the Asia team leaders)

Our second week in the Philippines has been full of activities based at or made possible by the efforts of North Western University NWU in Laoag City. We participated in a three-day series of lectures presented by NWU faculty. Among the lecture topics was coverage as such themes as: the history, economics, literature, and social aspects of the Philippines.

SSU students had many opportunities to engage with Filipino scholars in Q/A sessions following each lecture. These were rich exchanges. Gradually we are gaining an appreciation of the complexities and challenges of this fascinating island-country. We have been treated with great courtesy, hospitality and friendship by NWU staff, faculty and students as we engaged in conversations with our hosts in the classroom, at mealtimes, in the library and computer centre, and at other university venues.

The Mission Statement of NWU is that the university “…is committed to develop man’s full potential, empower him to attain excellence, uphold his dignity and worth as God’s creation and hence mold him to become a creative, patriotic and noble Filipino.” Our ongoing partnership between NWU and SSU holds much promise for SSU’s future visits to the Philippines.

When SSU students were not in class they were spending quality time with their home-stay families, experiencing exotic local foods like fried calamari, fried bananas, etc. and visiting sites around Laoag City.

Toward the end of the week the SSU group made a couple of day trips beyond Laoag City to visit historical and cultural attractions in the region of northern Luzon, including the Burgos National Museum, Vigan (UNESCO Site featuring Spanish colonial buildings), and St. Augustine’s Church at Paoay (UNESCO Site). On the second day we had time to splish and splash in the South China Sea on Valentine’s Day. At Pagudpud, we enjoyed a swim and lunch at one of the finest white sand beaches in the country – and yes, the water was warm and the tropical breeze was haunting.

Prayer requests:

– Thanksgiving for gracious, hospitable families in the Philippines that showed love and built relationship with our students.
– Travel mercies as we travel to and in Malaysia.
– May the hearts and minds of the Moslem villagers be open to receive us warmly, and may our students not be fearful as they enter into very new and unfamiliar Malaysian surroundings;
– May our time in Sabah be enabled by continued unity and cooperation within the SSU group, and may our “quiet times” be enlivened by prayer and mutual service to one another.
– Healthy bodies as the rigors of travel have resulted in some colds and upset stomachs.

Thanks again for your support,

Asia 2009 Team