Archive for the ‘Asia’ Category

My 7 Links: A Look Back At A Pair of Panties & Boxers

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

I’ve watched and read many bloggers in the travel community highlight their 7 links these past few days. It was a game of tag I was eager but uninvited to play…until now! Thanks to my fellow New Yorker, Connie Hum, from Connvoyage and Kathryne & Dan from Two Go RTW, I’ve been selected to participate.

So here are my 7 links:

My Most Beautiful Post: Jaw Dropping Sunrises Around The World

My Most Popular Post: 15 Ways To Volunteer In Africa

My Most Controversial Post: Tainted Travel Bloggers

My Most Helpful Post: Nine Rule To Follow When Traveling The World

A post whose success surprised me: Photo Collection: Faces of the Future

A post I felt didn’t get the attention it deserved: Climbing Out Of Poverty

And now, with my magic wand I’d like to nominate the following travel bloggers to participate and share their 7 links as well.

Katie Tibbetts from Breakawaykatie
Audrey Bergner from That Backpacker
Sam Lovell from Any Road
Kelly McCusker from Travelightly
Jerry & Adrienne from Shenventure

Tags: Africa, Asia, China, Travel Tips
Posted in Africa, Asia, China, Europe | 4 Comments »

Impressions of Bangkok

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Guest post by @midlifepassion

Bangkok is an assault on the senses. I step out into the heat and humidity and am struck by the noise, the smog and sheer number of people. There are cars and scooters everywhere. They take up every inch of the roadway, honking and weaving. The roads are narrow and pedestrians, traffic, bicycles and dogs seem to come from all directions. It’s an intricate, chaotic dance that appears quite dangerous at first glance. I’m afraid I’m taking my life into my hands by venturing out into it. But surprisingly, there’s no anger or frustration, simply much patience and courtesy. The honking is more of a “hi! I’m next to you” than “get out of my way.” I’m amazed at how smoothly it all flows.

Lane markers are only a suggestion and drivers are free to create additional lanes as they see fit. Scooters seem to go wherever works for them. It amazes me how many people can ride on one scooter. Anything that can fit into a tuk tuk or onto a scooter is easily carried, whether it’s rolls of carpet or the entire family. Helmets are merely an afterthought. Maybe it’s because traffic never really moves fast enough for it to be a concern.

Food stalls and carts are everywhere. The smells are overwhelming. I find much of the food unrecognizable and am unable to read the Thai characters. Refrigeration appears to be non-existent and there seems to be a complete lack of sanitation. I wonder how I’ll possibly be able to eat for the next month.

There’s no sense of personal space. There are simply too many people for that. We’re crammed into the buses, sky train and taxis. Everyone competing for their own small space, yet with a calmness and politeness I’ve not experienced before.

A stench of garbage and filth rises along with the sun. The tuk tuks belch thick black smoke as they zip between cars. There’s a stark contrast of business suits against barefoot vendors balancing baskets filled with their wares on long carry poles. It’s a world that I could never have imagined.

As I fall into the flow and routine of Bangkok, I quickly lose my sense of trepidation and embrace the uniqueness and beauty of this incredible city and the people who live here. I laugh at my first impressions of this amazing place. I love the street food and find it fresh and healthy; it tastes like nothing I’ve ever had. It’s inexpensive, available everywhere I turn and I just can’t get enough of it.

In this city of striking contradictions there’s a sense of spirituality juxtaposed with a strong sense of superstition, a belief in numerology, luck and other seemingly incompatible beliefs. The incredible poverty is set against a background of spectacular wats embellished in gold. A reverence for the king is palpable yet there is intense fighting amongst the two predominant parties.

The people are kind and generous and go out of their way to help me – a strange white woman who doesn’t speak their language. We persevere in our attempts to understand each other with good humor and much laughter. They are curious about me and what I think of their country. I wonder whether they’d be received in the same gracious way in our country.

This is the first time I’ve ever traveled alone. I feel lighter, stronger and definitely happier. I know that when I leave here I will have been touched in ways that I never could have imagined. My life will be forever changed by this experience and these beautiful people. This is a city that I will return to time and time again. Bangkok and its people will forever hold a very special place in my heart.

Peggy McPartland

Peggy McPartland is a traveler, explorer, avid fan of anything outdoors and a passionate believer in helping others. She’s made the decision to live her life in an entirely new way and will be leaving the corporate world early 2012 to travel the world and live the life of her dreams. You can follow her as she finds her way and inspires others to break free of their routines and create a life filled with passion and meaning. www.midlifepassion.com

Tags: Asia, Bangkok, Thailand
Posted in Asia | 10 Comments »

A Traveler’s Night Out

Monday, May 16th, 2011

When you’re traveling, do you see more during the day or at night? Check out these night time photos of places from around the world taken by your fellow wanderlusters.

Connie Hum

Connie quit her job and left New York City in 2009. Since then, she’s lived in Istanbul, sailed the Mediterranean, slept in a cave inside Petra, belly-danced in Cairo, practiced meditation in India, trekked the Himalayas and volunteered in Thailand. Connie is now calling Hong Kong home, if only she would stop getting lost! Follow Connie’s (mis)adventures on www.connvoyage.com or Twitter at @connvoyage.

Kelsey Freeman

Kelsey is something of a nomadic jack-of-all-trades. After having moved 28 times in 8 years, she’s currently living near Washington DC. She works odd jobs as well as being a graphic designer, web designer, photographer, and writer.

She is also a former professional tall ship sailor, she’s working on her private pilot’s license, and she rides a vintage Russian sidecar motorcycle. She is an avid historical reenactor and travels frequently within the east coast to attend events. Photography is her true calling though and she is passionate about exposing people to cultures, places, and people they might otherwise never know about.

She loves to travel and used to live on a small, rural island in South Korea. Her favourite country is Switzerland, she’s currently planning a journalism expedition to Mongolia, and she once spent a year living out of her truck, couchsurfing around the USA and Canada!

Kevin Revolinski

Kevin Revolinski is the author of The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey and the Bangkok expert for NileGuide.com. His website and blog are at The Mad Traveler.

Michael Hodson

Michael just completed a sixteen month, round-the-world trip without taking a single plane. His blog — One Lap, No Jetlag — is at www.mobilelawyer.blogspot.com and you can Twitter him at @mobilelawyer.

Lash

Lash is passionate about traveling the world nomadically and sharing her adventures and the cultures of countries she visits. Way back in 1991 she quit my job in the USA, packed up and moved to Japan. She lived in Kyoto for 6 years, saving money to travel the world. In 1997, mission accomplished. She left Japan and began her world travels… Fast forward to 2010: still traveling! Check out her blog Lash World Tour.

Toby

Toby and Karen are your hosts at the Gibbs Bay Inn. Toby grew up in Nepal, India and West Africa and Karen is from a small village in East Sussex, England. They have a passion the mansion, service, the Caribbean, family life and running this beautiful old Guest House. “We love how there is always some old timer on the island who has an anecdote or scandal about the property from the old days. As we watch the sun disappear over the yard-arm with our guests we always feel we have found our Nirvana.”

Tags: Asia, Australia, Burma, Istanbul, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey
Posted in Asia, Australia, Europe, France, Photo Collection, Turkey | 2 Comments »

Exploring New York City: The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

You’d think that as a Chinese-American and a New Yorker I would know my way around the city pretty well. Nope. I spent an entire HOUR wandering the fishy streets of Chinatown trying to find The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). I Googled the museum address in the morning and jotted down the map location: 70 Mulberry Street. Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the corner of the block and realized that this didn’t look anything like the museum I visited before.

I called my sister and asked her to double check the location. She gave me the correct address, 215 Centre Street, and I spent another 40 minutes trying to find the place. I later learned that 70 Mulberry Street was the old location of the museum. Thanks a lot Google. If you’re planning to visit The MOCA in the future, don’t make the same mistake I did. After all the walking, I was glad to hear that the museum offered Target Free Thursdays. I didn’t have to pay admission!

Although The MOCA features their display on one floor, this small museum is filled with fascinating stories of the travels, tribulations, history and culture of the Chinese diaspora in America. You can find them on almost every inch of the walls.

Below is a collection of my favorite photos from the museum. Click here to see the rest of the album.

What do the foreigners want? Our ten thousand goods, our inventions. What do we want? To trade work for dollars. On their land, seized and conquered, We try our luck with sweat and blood.

"Chinese Must Go" - When the toy pistol's trigger is pulled, the man kicks the "Chinaman" in the rear, exploding the cap.

The Fairness Cup - When the pot is filled half way, the contents do not leak out from the hole in the bottom of the pot. However, if you take more than your share all the liquid will drain out. It illustrates the classical Chinese saying that modesty brings gains and arrogance results in loss.

Poem expressing Chinese immigrants' outraged of American treatment carved on the walls of Angel Island in California.

This 8lb iron represents the weight of a day's work - 6 days a week, 20 hours a day.

A pocket guide prepared by the US Army to distinguish the Chinese from the Japanese

The Civil Rights Movement is often remembered as political movement for African American equality but the Chinese diaspora had their own civil rights movement as well. The Chinese people were the only race of people in the history of the United States that were ever banned from entering the Land of the Free in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Tags: China, Museum of Chinese in America, New York, New York City
Posted in Asia, China, New York, US | 6 Comments »

How To Celebrate Chinese New Year

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Guest post by @fienuts

I am not Chinese even though I have a fair skin but I’m often mistaken for one. I live in a country where diversity & multicultural races crisscross each other, especially during the many festivals celebrated in Malaysia. Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is one of those celebrations and I’d like to share with you some of my favorite things, which I feel would be your favorite thing too if you were to join in this auspicious festival. Here is how you can celebrate Chinese New Year:

1. Lion Dance

Before the celebration begins, a lion dance will be seen in most shopping malls to attract shoppers & visitors. This brings “ong” (luck) to the businesses and evicts bad spirits from the premises. The members of the lion dance practice their moves to perfection. It’s not an easy thing to do as 3 members will have to move at ease together as they are running, balancing one another on their shoulders or jumping from pole to pole.

Lion Dance - Chinese New Year

2. Card Games

Many people visits their close friends and relatives. After having a good meal by the hosts, they would gather to play “Twenty-One,” a card game which involves money. It is also deemed lucky to try your luck at winning money during this day but beginners should start off with a smaller amounts and move on to larger sums of money when they’re ready. The thing I found interesting was how they would put “good luck charms” on the money during the game such as oranges, angpow packet, lucky handkerchief, hello kitty keychain or anything to give them a heads up in the game.

Card Game - Chinese New Year

3. “Kam” or Gold

“Kam” means oranges. It symbolizes gold to the Chinese, especially during the celebration. That is why a lot of people will buy Mandarin Oranges for their homes or to give away when they are visiting a friend or relative. The more “gold” the better! Whenever I see stalls with boxes & crates of Mandarin Oranges on the roadside, in malls or sundry shops, I know that Chinese New Year is near.

4. “Angpow”

“Angpow” or money packet is normally given by married couples to the friends or relatives who are still single. They are also given to people who work hard for their living such as the security guards around your home, janitors or cleaners. When I received my “angpow” it normally comes with a “Wish you good luck for this year!” greeting or “Have a blessed year!” or “Many, many happiness this year,” which always makes me feel that the money should be kept for good use as it has been blessed with “wishes of luck.”

5. Sweets

Whenever you visit someone during Chinese New Year, it is always courteous to bring a gift for the hostess. Most times, the host will return her gratitude by serving a plate of sweet treats for you to eat, ensuring “a sweet year ahead.” Sweets and similar dried fruit goods are normally stored in a red or black Chinese candy box. I had these served to me and chose the coconut version as a starter.

6. Yee Sang

There’s always a reason to eat good food and having the “yee sang” is one of them. It contains a raw fish salad with a variety of crackers, which symbolizes good fortune & good luck. How it is eaten is quite an adventure. One has to pick up the chopsticks and mix these ingredients together and bring it up as high as they can for better luck & fortune. It normally ends up in a mess but still edible!

Yafieda Jamil

Fie is almost five feet tall. She lives in a sunshiny place called Malaysia and loves to promote it! Despite being vertically challenged, Fie is a travel fanactic who loves to randomly go anywhere just to see, touch & smell something different instead of just slaving herself to the advertising industry. Fie has since been bit by the travel bug and would like to spread this friendly infection to everyone she encounters. Check out her blog http://fie-nuts.blogspot.com, LIKE her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @fienuts.

Tags: Asia, China
Posted in Asia | 8 Comments »

Do Good Thursday: Mending Faces, Changing Lives

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Guest post by @1Dad1Kid

Cleft lips and palates are something rarely seen in many developed countries. Typically they’re repaired during infancy; however, Asia has a unique situation in that it has a higher proportion of cases and not enough trained medical professionals. These are not merely cosmetic issues. Such deformities cause speech problems, frequent infections, and inadequate nutrition. And then there is the severe social stigma. Children with cleft lips find themselves unable to attend school because they are the targets for extensive ridicule. There is even a special word in the local dialect for “cut lip” which is used derisively. Without education their lives are further constrained.

When I joined up with Uplift Internationale, I looked forward to being a small part of this program as a member of outreach, a nonclinical, support role. My assignment was to blog and do photography, things I thoroughly enjoy. At the same time I wanted an experience that would immerse me in another side of culture and wondered how I might be changed by it.

Allowing for travel days, unpacking and repacking, we would only have a few days for actual surgeries. Because of this if a child presented with both a cleft lip and palate, they would repair the lip since that was the issue that complicated their life the most. We couldn’t do both repairs on the same day since that would further limit the number of children we could treat. The seriousness of the need for these procedures was further demonstrated by the story of 24-year-old Miguel who walked for 3 days to be able to get his cleft lip repaired. He arrived before we did, and so he camped out in the hospital. When staff discovered him, they contacted some of their friends in the area (he didn’t know anyone), and they took him in like he was family. The Filipino sense of community is simply amazing.

The day after our arrival, a staging area is quickly set up, and the next morning we are greeted by long lines of people waiting for their procedure. They were evaluated by nurses, a dentist, the surgeons, anesthesiologists, speech therapists, preop pictures were taken, and they were also consulted on by our pediatrician before being scheduled. To ensure patients didn’t eat past the appointed hour, they arrived at our ward the afternoon before. On the day of surgery, families would wait at the end of the hall until they could come see their loved one in the recovery area. On day #2 of surgeries, we had a situation where we needed twice the number of days since we had post- and preop patients now. No problem, they just have 2 kids share a bed, something you would only see in America if there was something at the level of Hurricane Katrina. And even then probably not. Even when we had to have preop patients put out mats on the floor in a lobby area, they simply smiled and set up their area. I found myself constantly humbled by these families.

Another part of outreach is tracking down former patients and seeing how they are doing, making sure they don’t need further surgery, and also checking to make sure siblings aren’t in need of corrective procedures. Besides seeing all the wonderful smiles, my favorite part was getting out into the barangay and seeing a slice of life that one would normally not experience as a visitor.

I was so thankful for an incredible team of professionals who were donating their time to do these surgeries and changing lives. In watching them operate, it was clear to me these children were getting the same level of care and quality anyone in the States would receive. One of the talented physicians, a plastic surgeon from Boulder, Colorado, explained, as he looked down and made finishing touches on a repair that can only be described as artful: “This is why I [do these missions] every year. It reminds me why I got into medicine.”

For me one of the most touching scenes was when a child looked into the mirror and saw their new smile for the first time. Something that usually was accompanied by tears from family members. Lilly’s grandmother burst into tears seeing her granddaughter smile for the first time. “She would always cry whenever she saw herself in the mirror,” she explained to us, wiping tears as they streamed down her sun-kissed, wrinkled cheeks. She was teased mercilessly at school and refused to go anymore. “You have given her life!” And in a way, that single moment did the same for me.

Talon & Tigger

Talon & Tigger (now 9 years old) comprise the Windwalker Duo, known as @1Dad1Kid on Twitter and Facebook. On their blog you will find details of their indefinite round-the-world trip beginning in May 2011. After exploring parts of South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, they will be settling down in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for about a year as they continue to travel and then will continue living in other countries, unschooling along the way. Talon is also a regular blogger at TravelingDad.com. He hopes that other people, especially families, will be inspired to “Live Without Regrets!”

Tags: Asia, Do Good Thursday, Non profit, Non-profit organization
Posted in Asia, Do Good Thursday | 9 Comments »

Have You Failed To Seize An Opportunity In Your Travels?

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

Guest post by @Kantankkerous

The best aspects of travel involve the reflections and tale-telling of the amazing highlights of your holiday. People love to depict the finest details of how astonishing and impressive the locations were that they had visited. However, there is a greater form of adventurous travel that warrants story telling of a whole different benchmark – one of struggle and bewilderment.

What am I talking about?

The stories you hear of travelers finding themselves in situations so outlandish, one would think that it was a carefully crafted thriller written by a novelist. Stories of travelers whom somehow find themselves on the back of a maniacal rickshaw, or perhaps being forced to drink the urine from a holy cow during an Indian festival! These are the stories I want to tell! Not of how white the sand on the beach were, or how friendly the locals were or what amazing food I had for dinner.

That comes completely part in parcel with travel. It’s a given. It’s the unexpected that makes our trips memorable.

And in mentioning that, China almost felt too smooth.

Sure, I have plenty of hilarious stories from the trip that I’ve yet to share, but the little voice yapping in the back of my head tells me that I should have wandered a few more steps outside my box of comfort. Being fluent in the local language perhaps would’ve contributed to the lack of obstacles, however there were innumerable situations I recall throughout my month on the road where I had told myself, “Nahhhh maybe next time!” that may have helped contribute to my growing archive of travel anecdotes. Ultimately, there were more opportunities made available that I had failed to seize.

Travel reflection will forever be one of positivity and take this as important advice, that no matter how traumatic the predicament you find yourself to be in on the road, if you’re alive out the other end, it is a worthwhile experience. As cliche as it sounds – what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – can very much so epitomize how you can improve your travel experiences.

As one of my travel buddies would say, ‘live life a little!’. So the next time you find a strange Chinese man at the food market offering you goats testicles for a quid, make sure you accept and have it medium rare. I guarantee you that the taste will matter very little once you return home.

Have you failed to seize an opportunity in your travels?

Kan Huang

Kan is a current university student completing his major in Events Management, a photography enthusiast and a travel addict. He resides in Sydney, Australia and currently works in the hotel industry and hopes to one day be able to combine travel and work together. In the meantime, he hopes to share his experiences on his flashpacking trip to China and explore this enormous land of deep culture and economic prominence, combining his photography with anecdotal tales of his travel (mis)adventures. He keeps a personal blog Tales of a Globetrotter & you can also find him on Twitter @Kantankkerous.

Tags: Asia, China, Guest Blogger
Posted in Asia, China | 8 Comments »

15 Ways To Volunteer In Africa

Guest post by @BorderJumping

Our Journey began in October 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — when we left to visit nearly every country in Africa. At every stop we are meeting with farmers, community organizers, labor activists/leaders, unions, non-governmental organization (NGOs), the funding and donor communities, and local press. Read more

One Week Itinerary For Honduras

It’s two months away but I still have the urge to take out my backpack and starting packing. I’m eager to leave, eager to see and eager to live. I can’t wait till I get on that plane to Honduras. I booked it for only $280! I’ve got my plate full working 50 hours a week, volunteering, studying for GMAT, researching grad schools and running random errands I don’t have time to do during the work week.

I haven’t had a chance to do much planning for Honduras. Although, experiences have taught me that things never…Read more

Temples From Europe To Asia

Temples. Temples. Temples. What can I say about temples?

Let’s just look at pretty pictures of temples instead.

Here is a collection of images submitted by travel writers around the world of temples from places like Uluwatu, Madrid, Greece, Cambodia, Italy, Cambodia, China, India, Nepal, Japan and Indonesia. Read more

I’ll be calling for photo submissions in the future for an upcoming photo collection post. If you’d like to contribute, please feel free to email me at monica@apairofpantiesandboxers.com.

7 Essential Items For Light Travelers

Sometimes I forget to eat when I travel. I get full off of life and everything else around me. That is until my stomach starts growling like a dinosaur and I realize that I’m half way up the mountain already.

Afterward, I started packing crackers. It was cheap and it was good enough to hold me down for the time being. Then I realized that granola bars, although slightly more expensive, are much better and healthier alternative.

Jaw-Dropping Sunrises Around The World

Today’s Photo Friday Special is inspired by my previous blog post, Sunsets From Around The World. It was such a big hit that I decided to feature sunrises in this edition. I thought I’d be receiving a lot less sunrise submissions than sunset editions. I mean, unless you’re jet-lagged or an insomniac, who gets up at the crack of down to catch the sun rise?

Traveling Latin America Safely – It’s the little things

Guest blog post by @Brendanvanson.

I remember the first time I left home on my own to travel the Central America I was 20 years old. Everyone around me warned of the thousands of dangers – real and make believe – that would exist in this strange part of the world of which I knew little about. I remember clearly my mom telling a friend of hers that I was going to Central America, where “the favourite pastime of people is kidnapping foreigners.” The truth of the matter is that the media always has a way of accentuating the negative aspects about different parts of the world. Read more

新年快乐！ Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year is on Valentine’s Day this year. It’s different every year because the holiday is based on the lunar calendar. Learning about my own traditions has always been a hands-on, and sometimes painful, experience. When I was 5, I stuck my chopsticks upright in my bowl of white rice and got whacked. I later learned you only do that when making offerings to the deceased. Oops!

Chinese New Year celebrations began with the legend of a wild beast called Nian. “Nian” in Chinese means year. Read more

Hangzhou, China: A Stunning Sunset On The West Lake

The travel bug bit somewhere between Wuzhen and Suzhou. We returned from Suzhou Saturday night. But by Sunday morning, JC and I already had our bags packed and a one-way ticket in our hand. We took the next departing train fr0m Shanghai to Hangzhou. It was an hour and a half of smooth sailing.

The first thing we did was go island hopping. In Xihu (West Lake), the most famous lake in Hangzhou, there are three smaller man-made islands. Nearby are three small pagodas erected from the water. Read more

Things I Can’t Stand When Traveling

I use to think that I was the most level-minded person on the face of this earth. I always heard two sides of the story before passing judgment and I’ve been told countless times before that I’m an extremely understanding person. I use to think I’d make the world’s coolest girlfriend. That was before I got a boyfriend and that was before I started traveling.

I guess certain things never use to bother me because I controlled everything. I planned for everything. I let no surprises hit me with a curve ball. That wasn’t always successful but most of the time it worked. But after I started traveling, I realized that I can’t stand it when…Read more

Make Your Bucket List Less Daunting With A F***-It List

Guest post by @Jetpacker

Bucket lists are cultishly popular right now. It seems like everyone is making a list full of life goals so lofty they make The Most Interesting Man In The World look like an incompetent jackass. Conquering fears. Gaining independence. Finding enlightenment. It all sounds so… overwhelming.

I needed something that would make my bucket list seem less daunting and more realistic. Read more

Which one is your favorite?

Tags: Africa, Asia, China, Do Good Thursday, Europe, Hangzhou, Honduras, Latin America, Travel Tips, Volunteer, Volunteer abroad
Posted in Africa, Asia, China, Do Good Thursday, Honduras, Latin America, Photo Collection, Travel Tips | 5 Comments »

Do Good Thursday: Volunteer With We Women Foundation

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Guest blog post by Ursula Cats

We Women Fundation

“Some people would like to study to help themselves. Some people think they will study and then go to another country to work and make a lot of money. But for me I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to help my people. I know a lot of people who need help. I have a plan.” -Pao Naing, Unrecognized Refugee from Shan State , June 2010

We women from Burma project assists unrecognized refugee women from Burma.

I have always had the motivation to support people who have fewer opportunities than I do. To gain more knowledge on developmental work, I decided to enroll in the Master’s program in anthropology in September 2009. It was not complicated to find a focus for my fieldwork: the women who had fled from Burma to Thailand who did not obtain a refugee status. The anthropological agency based theories I used, however, did not correspond directly with what I actually saw and experienced. The women flee from a country ruled by a military regime, who make them leave their homes because of human rights violations. Upon arrival in Thailand they are forced to live illegality with no affordable acces to healthcare, education and other basic human rights. Living daily life in fear of police checks does not seem to give much room for agency to the people and so I met a lot of women who tried to survive within uncertain circumstances. The women felt they were oppressed by the state and their traditional positions as women. Through these stories I was eventually able to gain a perspective of the women themselves, which I used in my thesis to shed light on the situation of unrecognized refugee women from Burma.

The future aspirations these women had, as became apparent in my research, inspired me to keep taking part in the lives of my informants and their communities. I wanted to turn research into action and decided to start a new foundation: We Women. This foundation offers unrecognized refugee women from Burma the opportunity to become community leaders through obtaining higher education. The reason why We Women’s focus is on education, is that the women we work with told me during my fieldwork, that studying was an aspiration that helped them getting through the difficulties of their daily life existence and would give them the oppertunity to become active in the struggle for human rights for the people from Burma.

It is incredibly rewarding to work with unrecognized refugee women from Burma. The women are highly motivated: they know that there are few chances for them to study and put their souls into their work. They never complain about the long days and you can see their passion shine through their expressions and body language. They are proud women that want to work hard to attain equal rights for their people.

My experiences throughout my life, including my master study taught me to take on the perspective of the people I work with. Researching the background and needs of the target group is thus a very important aspect of the We Women foundation. It’s about the women themselves; they are getting the opportunity to realize their dreams and ideals: they make the difference, not me!

I hope that after reading this blog more people get enthusiastic about working with unrecognized refugee women, because we need volunteers around the world and in Thailand to help the women to achieve their future dreams.

Available positions:

Fund-raising and networking assistant
English teacher
Social media employee
All-round employee

Job descriptions can be found here.

Ursula Cats

Founded by Ursula Cats, an anthropologist and drama therapist, the We women foundation was established after Cats’ work and research in Burma and Northern Thailand. For many years she has been active in human rights. Working as a lobbyist, campaign organizer and action coordinator for Burma her passion for the people of Burma deepened. She is dedicated to supporting those who live without the liberties and freedom too often taken for granted in many parts of the world. She is motivated by her passion for her work and research. The we women foundation is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Tags: Asia, Burma, Do Good Thursday, Guest Blogger, Non-profit organization, Thailand
Posted in Asia, Do Good Thursday | 3 Comments »

‘Tis The Season: Six Countries & How They Celebrate Christmas

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Guest post by Lindy Howard

December is the one time of the year when people throughout the world join together to celebrate Christmas. Although it may be referred to in different terms, Christmas is a time for celebration and hopes of ‘peace on earth’. It is a time that many spend with family and friends. All countries have unique, traditional ways of celebrating. Here are six different cultures around the globe and how they spend the festive season:

Hong Kong: Church Services are Prevalent

Hong Kong Church Service by Candlelight. (Source: Nat Chiu)

Hong Kong celebrates Christmas with hundreds of church services complete with choirs and candlelight, conducted in Chinese. There are dozens of other church services held in English for international speakers. The people spend a lot of time decorating their Christmas cards and the cards show the ‘Holy Family’ in a Chinese setting.

Hong Kong Friends at Christmas. (Source: PrincessCCCC)

Most of the homes are decorated with the Nativity scene along with Poinsettias. In many places Lan Khoong, or Dun Che Lao Ren, who we recognise as Santa Claus makes his presence.

Syria: A Unique Christmas Celebration

Old Syrian Church at Christmas Time. (Source: Laura’s Eye)

Many Syrians gather together on December 6 for a special mass is held in churches throughout the country. This is to honour Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgas, a legend who was said to have been a kind and generous man. On Christmas Eve, families gather outside their homes with each person holding a candle. The youngest child reads the Christmas story and then a bonfire is lit. Then, depending on the direction the flames spread, this informs the family about the luck of the house during the coming year. During the burning, psalms are sung. When it nears the end of the flames, everyone leaps over the embers as they make a wish.

Guatemala: A Celebration with Parades and Processions

A Christmas display in Guatamala (Source: Roberto Urrea)

This Central American country offers a number of religious statues which are put in an elaborate parade. Then, at the rear of the procession, there is an image that represents God. However, this white-bearded man also has a resemblance to Santa Claus.
The night before Christmas the festivities end at midnight with a Misa de Gallo – or the Mass of the Rooster. Although the churches and other public places offer manger scenes throughout the season the Christ child is not put on display until Christmas Eve.

All Smiles in Guatemala at Christmas (Source: Roberto Urrea)

Germany: Celebrations throughout December

People begin celebrating Christmas in Germany on December 6. Families spend a lot of time between this date until Christmas Eve baking all kinds of goodies; particularly ginger bread houses and spice cakes along with little dolls made from candy.

The tradition is that the Christ child had a messenger. This messenger brings toys to the children. The messenger appears in the form of an angel.

Christmas Angel at Nürnberg Christkindlemarkt (Source: Geach)

Children write decorated letters to the angel and place them on the window sill. Each home locks one room in the house. This is the special room where the presents are kept until the big day arrives. On Christmas Eve, at midnight, the parents wake their children. They take each child to the locked room. When the door is opened the children find all kinds of presents sitting under a beautiful Christmas tree.

A Christmas tree in Wirtheim, Germany (Source: Lauke)

In Germany, where Christmas trees are really loved, most every house has more than one tree. The family also keeps an advent calendar and the children track how many days remain until Christmas.

India: Christmas is Sacred Yet Joyful

Christmas Gujarati-Style, India (Source: Nat Chiu)

The Christians in India decorate the banana or mango tree. They light small oil burning lamps as Christmas decorations and celebrate in the week preceding advent. They fill their churches with red flowers and some put on nativity plays, often performed by young children, and carols are sung before Santa comes out to give out sweets. In their native language, Father Christmas is called ‘Christmas Thaathaa’ (Tamil) and ‘Christmas Baba’ (Hindi). Family members receive gifts as do the poorer members of society. Most Christian homes in India display a nativity scene in their front window and more remote tribal Christians spend the week carolling in nearby villages to spread the Christmas story

Japan: Christmas Cake and Hotei-osho as Santa Claus

The Japanese decorate their homes and offices with evergreens during the season. They also exchange gifts as part of the celebration. They have a Buddhist deity figure called Hotei-oshi who, I suppose, is the equivalent of Santa Claus. The story is that the gentle old Japanese god takes presents to each house where he leaves them for the children. Like Santa Clause, Hotei-Osho has a large belly and carries around a linen bag (called hotel) which he uses to distribute gifts.

Happy Salesgirls Sell cakes in Southern Osaka, Japan (Source: Jannem)

Although Christmas in Japan adopts many western influences, probably the most traditional Christmas food in Japan is fried chicken and Christmas cake. The Japanese usually go to great lengths to decorate their Christmas cakes, often covering it extravagantly in ornaments, bright colours and textures.

Family Celebrations of Christmas (Source: Isado)

Christmas in Japan is not a day for the family and there is rarely turkey involved. But the Japanese do love any excuse to give each other lots of presents…but don’t we all!

This guest post was contributed by Anytrip.com, which offers Christmas deals including cheap hotels in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Mumbai and in over 70 countries worldwide for all those who want to spend Christmas a little differently this year.

Tags: Europe, Germany, Guatamala, Guest Blogger, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Latin America, Syria
Posted in Asia, Europe, India, Latin America | 8 Comments »

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