t e m e r i t y

AlSo: Coast Starlight 2

2007-09-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

Tried to go back to my seat only to find it occupied by my neighbor who had spread olut (granted I had been up for a few hours). Talked with a lady named Linda who has been traveling with her aged mother and a few other friends. They took a 3-day cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles, spent the night, and then took the Coast Starlight to Seattle at which point they’ll get in a coach. It was about $CA500, cheap because the cruise ships apparently reposition to Mexico for the winter months, with coastal deals to be had in September. This would be great for mom and dad! Also met a guy named Michael who does comic strips and wildfire fighting. He’s just riding the wind right now. We stopped in Klamath Falls, and I got out for some fresh air to find my parents on the platform. And the Aleatoric Sojourn continues!! Dad and Mom were in town for Dad’s 45th high school reunion, and, being the guy he is, called the station to discover our ETA and also to learn that we would be in the station for over 1 ¼ hours while they work on the tracks ahead of us. So they swept me up and took me to a reunion brunch where I crashed Dad’s reunion party. A vivacious crew. And who wouldn’t be with gin fizzes and Bailey’s and coffee to go with croissants (I stuck with Bailey’s and coffee)? we wiled away 45 minutes at which time my train was in danger of turning into a pumpkin. Said goodbye for two days, got back on and to my seat to find my seatmate still slumbering over both of our seats. I wish I could sleep that soundly now. At least it’s given me a chanco get caught up on my blog!!

AlSo: Coast Starlight

2007-09-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

Jan was a doll and took me to the Metro station to get to Union Station in Los Angeles. They have a really cool light rail! It’s really beautiful. Of course, it coincided with the Aleatoric Sojourn, so something weird is bound to happen. In this case, a train collided with a car (ummm, guess whose fault that was?), so we had to get off the train then to a bus and than back on the train. While on the bus, we saw the collision, surrounded by multiple fire trucks and two hovering news helicopters. Not pretty. I met with a lovely young lady who was reading “Ender’s Game”. She is a special ed teacher at a public school and was going to a training. She has been carfree for about a year after she got into an accident and couldn’t easily afford a replacement. She and her husband wanted to see if they could go without, and sure enough they found it possible! So he bike commutes, and she walks and takes the bus/train. She was so darn cool! We talked pretty much the whole time until we hit Union Station. I peeled off to get tickets and then to sit in the courtyard with coffee next to a bird of paradise under incomparable weather. The seats for the train were comfy and spacious. I sat next to Felix, who is a Quaker and a Graphic Design student on the way home from seeing his girlfriend. A delightful conversation. There was also a bachelor party; a fellow by the name of Mike was getting married in St. Luis Obispo and was being accompanied on the train by his friends Doug and Andy. We had a great time, they were kind enough to share their scotch, and then they left all too quickly. Andy had a lot of ranching stories; Doug is a headhunter and can write off just about any trip or meeting on his taxes. Mike is, well, getting married and also works with the armed forces. Their acquaintances wre unlikely, having been acquainted through ex-girlfriends as far as I could tell. Andy actually kissed my hand when he left, which never fails to endear. The train is such a wonderful opportunity to meet new people; I had a number of conversations with people I’d never have otherwise met. The tracks practically lick the ocean (or is it the other way around?), and one can see mountains and surfers and expansive forests. Late in the evening, we passed a freight truck in the dead of night. The slow speed and ominous, almost ethereal sounds seemed reminiscent of a deep sea adventure and passing a leviathan quietly, hoping not to awake it. I was having sleeping issues; I think my body is finally rebelling against yet another night spent in a seat. Grrr! Trying not to succumb to sleep lest jet lag rear its ugly head.

AlSo: Bye, Corey!

2007-09-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

so this is the part of our recounting of the Aleatoric Sojourn in which we part, inevitably but reluctantly, from our traveling partners as we speed home to wedding bells and clover leaves (of the asphalt, SoCo/LA kind). here is Corey's blog for the Seattle story:
http://jimspeak.blogspot.com/
he mentioned in a post that any disparity between our posts is a mistake (lying? pshaw, Mr. Schuster! please note the halo hula-hooping over my dishwater locks). in fact, we have concocted a diabolical choose-your-own-adventure with two counterpointing blogs.
lying, indeed.

AlSo: Retracing Steps

2007-09-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 6am to head to the airport, though I had to come back once because I’d forgotten my eyes. Oh well! The bus to the train to the airport. I was there far too early and wandered for about 2 hours. Got to Amsterdam and into another transfer Passport Control Check that never ends. Luckily there was time enough, and I sucked down some joe even though my flight was boarding. And then I was in car-dependent Los Angeles, got back to near Jan’s work, and helped her move her office to a different cubicle. It had been a rough few weeks for the gang: Ruffy had been put to sleep, Jan was moving her office twice, and Kev had a few questions without easy resolution. Ed works all the time! He was there late and left early. Jan and I talked for a while, then she went to bed and Kevin and I talked until I was so drowsy I had to fall asleep.

AlSo: Everyone Loves Brussels

2007-09-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

We kibitzed over coffee with the gang as much as time would allow. Shawn and I worked on motivating Matt out of bed, from his lofty bower. A farewell, and Shawn took us to Jurbise. We caught the train to Brussels and then the Metro and to the Jacques Brel hostel. I have been to Brussels once before at the height of the season and got a dorm no problem. It is past peak season and Every Single hotel and hostel was full. I mean brimming. They told us we could put our luggage downstairs and call after 3pm to see if any reservations had been cancelled. We set out in search of food and, after a long travail and metro, we found a Greek pita place which was absolutely delicious. Walked to the Grand Place, and Corey found us coffee. Then beer. We met with Joan and her husband. He’s from Detroit and worked for GM for 33 years and loves them. He also bikes all over the country and has biked internationally as well. They were fascinating people to talk to for the hour or so that they had before getting back on their Paris-bound train. I want to retire the way they’ve done it. We went to the Horta Museum and then to the internet café where Joroen agreed, Incredibly Graciously, to pout us up for the night. Phew! Because Corey and I had negative energy. It was horrible! We walked around a little more, picked up our luggage, and met him at his place that he shares with 3 others in Ixelles. His girlfriend, Anita (sp?) has been working on their website for their Auto-Suficance campaign which is just brilliant! They took a car and transmogrified it into a garden. Then they towed it by hand up the streets and to its downtown roadside installation space. An incredible project. What can we do along these same lines? This is just perfect! We talked and talked until beer became an increasing necessity. We headed to a swell watering hole and had a fdew beers until it was time to go to a nearby vegetarian restaurant at 10pm when they give away their leftovers. So not only did we have a place to sleep but we also got free food! Hot damn. On the way back, we encountered a woman coming out of a car who asked if we knew of a hotek that had space. We said that getting 15 minutes out of town was her best bet. Boy, Brussels is popular these days. We laid out our pillage and had a great dinner, met Anna, one of the other flatmates, and then fell asleep rather quickly.

AlSo: Traveling Blues

2007-09-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

we woke up entirely Entirely too early and got a taxi from Kadikoy to the airport. The taxi driver said it might cost 60, but we got it for 50, about what folks told us it might be. When we got to the airport, we learned that the flight had been changed to 8:55. we had gotten there about 5:30, and the check-in counter didn’t open until 7:00, so we had a while to wait. When the counter finally opened, it was more like a bunch of chunks than a true line, and this line spontaneously moved to different counters based on the activity of the employees. Someone should do a sociological study on this airport. We checked in and walked through duty free before going upstairs to the most expensive and paltry (not to mention rude) café in any airport. We asked for omelette and were told a fervent, “Yok” and quizzical look. Why would order something on the menu? Overpriced espresso that turned out to be Nescafe, and the guy actually slammed the 2 lira change when I added up our order for him and asked for the change. Wow. The security check hadn’t opened yet, but people were lining up anyway. A little kid was playing with all of the ropes, though, and I wondered what would happen if we all started to spontaneously do that, too. Why do people push in line when we’re all going to be on the same plane? It makes absolutely no sense. I’m thrilled to be the last person in line because it means I don’t have to sit as long. We got to the other side of security, and then we had to wait in line to get on the bus to the plane. Same scenario. Both times. People were snippy about their seating assignments, and for some reason this groups was positively manic about standing up and getting baggage even before we had taxied to the gate. Then the fun REALLY began in Dusseldorff’s passport control. The guy who graciously offered for me to go first out of the plane then shoved me out of line when it came to the passport control line. One guy was trying to show his passport while on his cell phone and was kicked out of line. Another guy started speaking angrily at someone after being asked to step aside and was shooshed. But the kicker came when a woman started yelling at the customs official after apparently being asked to produce identification, invitation letter and documents about how much she has in the bank at home. She said, “I have already paid” a number of times and then said, “get me the police. I want to talk to the police”. To which the customs official replied, “we are the police.” This caused everyone in line to laugh. She kept yelling and wouldn’t get out of line, so the customs agent walked out of the booth and into the booth nearer to us, which certainly sped us up! I’ve never seen anything so crazy. People shoving in the baggage claim and out the door. It was crazy!
So now we were in Dusseldorff and had no way to get to Mons. We checked all the car rentals who were all booked, all of the (god help us) airlines to learn nothing went from D to Brussels, and finally with gritted teeth we went to Eurail. $92 for both, which beats the $130 per ticket I’d been quoted online. YEAY! The train was smooth and fast and beautiful with the one exception of some opinionated American spouting out that Arnold Schwarzenegger would make a great President and there is a problem with Mexican immigrants and (this really got me going) the Army Core of Engineers is severely misunderstood. Please. Please spare me.
From Brussels to Mons and then to Shawn, Becc and Matt’s house. We had dinner and some GREAT beer. I bounced on Matt’s trampoline. We talked about the trip and Matt’s teachers. Matt had to go to bed, and we watched “Goblet of Fire” to see if it was Matt-friendly. Corey loves them. He has good taste. Sleep came relatively quickly.

AlSo: Last Hoorah

2007-09-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

This morning it was Nat’s turn to leave. She promised to come to Portland in exchange for pics of my bike wedding. We hustled to the Grand Bazaar and learned a good deal about carpets we couldn’t afford from one who had been a 4th generation carpet dealer. Ethem was free for lunch, so we had the chance to see him again. He has decided not to go to Afghanistan because they wouldn’t allow him a security guard and would not vouch for his safety, so he will instead go to DC where he has been invited by one who has a place to pout him up. He’s finished with research about domestic violence abuse cases with men as victims and will be starting a new project on pedophilia. We thought that he would have to write about something fluffy next like, “history of love in the Ottomon Empire” or “Baklava v. g . . .” (a Ramadan sweet). Turns out he didn’t even know Wahab or Ilhan, which makes the whole experience even funnier! We had tea served to us at Tesev by a fellow whose entire job is making tea for employees and guests. After leaving Ethem (sniff!) we walked through the Spice Bazaar and got some good deals and met one vendor who speaks 8 languages, though not much Chinese because they never buy anything according to him. We went to Suleyman Camii, quite possibly the most beautiful mosque in Turkey at least. The carpet is a tiled pattern of prayer mats pointing to Mecca, and the architectural nuances of the mosque are too numerous to detail, even if I did have the eye to appreciate them all. It’s awe-inspiring. We left the interior to find a movie set outside. Yet another wacky sighting to chalk up to our AlSo. Then it was time to head back to the Grand Bazaar and tackle the voluminous list of gifts to get people. I hate shopping. Truly. Bargaining makes it a little better, and it’s great in learning numbers, but in the end it just makes me feel burdened and tired. We only persevered because they were thank you gifts which I hope will be useful. Corey bought not one but TWO kilims. It was such a leap of faith, but I was not amazed. Corey leaps well. We had a celebratory piece of baklava and meditated on our new impoverished state. Quickly back to get our things, tram and ferry to Rick’s house by way of the best vegetarian durum ever! And we wiled a few hours talking with Rick, a nice closed circle to our beginning in Istanbul. If any final memory would make one want to come back to Turkey, it’s Rick’s company.

AlSo: A Lazy, Lazy Day

2007-09-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

Had breakfast with the gang. Sourma and Regina left back for England at 9am; a sorry sight to say the least. They seriously could open a comedy club together. We spent most of the rest of the day doing . . . not much. There was plenty of Turkish coffee, some internet, some laundry for which I’m sure many people thank us, and some more Turkish coffee. we found Nat reading “The Life of Pi” in a really swell park near Sultanahmet. We talked about her fellow, Tom, and how strangely time passes when traveling. She seemed pretty tickled by my moving by bike and marriage to Sparky. I have to send her pics. Then we high-tailed it to Rck’s for a FABOO dinner of salad (bless you, Rick) and bean soup with Ethiopian spices with bulghar. The time passed all too quickly, and we realized that Nat would be waiting for us, possibly with twiddling fingers (actually she would be happy, but I hate to keep people waiting only slightly more than I hate hurried goodbyes). We rushed to the ferry and a tram and managed to skirt around the Ramadan throngs thanks to Corey’s inexplicable navigation capabilities and ascended to the Sultan terrace to find Nat reading. We sauntered until there were too many people to saunter and then we shuffled around the Ramadan stalls. Had coffee and tea and gozleme, talking and people-watching all the while. Then it was back home.

AlSo: Istanbul not Constantinople

2007-09-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

I woke up rather feisty and took a 1 ½ hour walk. Erzurum has an amber indoor bazaar that was built at the behest of Solomon the Magnificent. I walked around the citadel as well, and during the first half hour or so of my walk I had the entire city all to myself, as most folks were back napping after their early morning breakfast. I tried to find a market that was open and, after a long time searching, found one and pounced while he was still laying out his wares for the day. I got some tomatoes and cucumbers, etc with a little stale bread and went back to see the boys up and about. Well, up anyway. We engaged in the second edition of the Infidels’ Clandestine Breakfast Picnic and then walked to the train station after hearing from a less than effusive Turkish Airlines ticket agent that there was not service to the airport. There was a dolmus from the train station, and we said goodbye for now to Justin before making our merry way back to Istanbul. The flight top Istanbul and a Havas bus to Kadikoy to the ferry to the tram to the Sultan Hostel where we immediately reunited with Nat, Sourma and Regina. YEAY! We talked with them and Volkan, the check-in guy, before heading up to the rooftop for a beer and a look at the view. We heard about their travels, including to Olympus which was awesome, Butterfly Valley which didn’t actually have any butterflies, and Ludones which turned out to be a British colony with a bunch of meringues on wedding package vacations. Earlier in the day they had spent time at the Grand Bazaar where they wheeled and dealed like only those two sisters can. We went to dinner together near the Blue Mosque at the Arrasta Bazaar. Quite touristy and a bit of a shock after having been in the east, truth be told. The call to prayer came about 7:25 and was preceded by a few loud booms, which I thought was a “get ready” signal for the end of fasting. Fasting for Ramadan is broken by first water and then dates, which according to Regina (whose parents are practicing Muslims) was the fruit Mohammed used to break his fast. Often soup with bread follows and then a main dish and then dessert. The whole are between Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque is transformed into a Carnaval for the duration of Ramadan, and the first weekend was the craziest because public school still hadbn’t started and everyone was keen to celebrate it. The Blue Mosque had a string of lights whose message would change many evenings after the fast could be broken. The first night it said something like “Hos Geldiniz Sehri-Ya Ramazan”, which I think might mean “Welcome to the City for Ramadan” but I defer to others whose Turkish extends beyond my 10 words. Food and craft stalls were everywhere and absolutely swarming with people and vibrance. Our lot had a nargile and some cay before going back to touristy, secular Sultanahmet hostel row.

Hopped up on Lentil Soup

2007-09-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

my eyes are buggy after spending some time catching up on email and trying to get us home without ransoming a few of our digits, but a few notes:

it's the 2nd day of Ramadan, and though we have eaten breakfast later than the 4:30amish that most of the people around us eat at, we've been not eating or drinking during the day. needless to say, we were rather excited to sit down to a place that had vaguely vegetarian lentil soup (mercimen corba) and tea. i'm fantasizing about ice cream later on. i think Corey has visions of Efes pilsner dancing through his head.

nothing makes me angrier at our President than when we divulge our nationality with the effect of a sad nod of the head and pursed lips with those whom we have enjoyed some good conversation. strangely, three people (Iranians to boot) have stated their affection for Bush and the army. i don't know how to process this.

if there is one lesson i've learned from my visit with Turkey, it's hospitality. i must strive to become the kind of host everyone in this country seems to be effortlessly.

excuse me now, but dondurma (ice cream) is calling.

AlSo: Ani and Armenia

2007-09-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

7-10am breakfast at the hotel! Had breakfast at 7amish Shazam! Met Jared, who whisked us into his car which was already populated by a Slovenian couple. On the way to Ani, Jared told us about Americans being a front for British in Iraq to some extent and of the relations between Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. The main point I felt from the snippets of conversation I could get was that citizens are pawns of animosity and greed propogated by governments. To prove his point, he got out and warmly greeted two fellows at the gates of Ani, both of whom are Armenian.
Ani is absolutely fascinating and within a stone’s throw of the Armenian border. Modern guard towers in the distance served as backdrops to the ancient and crumbling protective walls around the ancient city. One of the churches had a number of beautiful paintings that have since been marred by petty vandalism by others before us. Bastards. What egotistical bastards. Corey, of course, had to scramble around places most people wouldn’t have thought of going, including, ahem, through a gate. That’s all I’m saying. Got back to the lion gate after 2 ½ hours of exploring, including up to a castle that we only later learned was forbidden, and into Jared’s car with the gas meter reading “E” 45 lonely kilometers from Kars. Sometimes being adept at praying would help. On the way home, Jared told us about the obligatory 15 month army stint for all men and possible career thereafter, the army’s relative trustworthiness compared to the police, how he wishes that women would be allowed into the army so that the job wasn’t so boring, and his hopes for his son to grow up to be an engineer or a pharmacist. Back in Kars, we went to Kars Castle which we had read we shouldn’t miss but which was actually a little disappointing. Maybe it was something about not being crumbling or more than 1000 years old. We high-tailed it to the bus to Erzurum for yet another transportational adventure. The driver was crazy! He and some others got stopped randomly by traffic police along the highway where it seemed we might be forced to wile away the remainder of our lives until a few rather quick movements which looked very much like a bribe from where we were standing took place, allowing us on our merry way. A few of the towns en route had ski shops, and one also included a guy HOLDING a pair of skis which certainly got Corey’s excitement rating up. By the time we got withint Erzurum’s city limits, iut was nearing dusk and therefore the break of fasting. If the driver had been a little nutty before, he went positively berserk now. As Corey so elegantly puts it, when we got into the otogar,the driver just sort of stopped driving. He blasted into the parking space at top speed, seeming to gun it for 2 peds who scrambled to get out of the way. Justin got tickets for Ankara the next evening and we hoofed it to town. We found Dede Hotel. The proprietor, Adem Dede, is a crack-up! We had a dinner of the best lentil soup to date and were told that our hopes for pide would not find realization during Ramadan. Justin and I had the BEST pistachio and chocolate ice cream EVER. Seriously. Ice cream will never be that good again. Boy, Erzurum is serious about its pastries and sweets; there is at least one sweet shop on every block downtown. Justin and Corey were hankering for beer, but such was not to be seen in Erzurum. Our hour-long treasure hunt for beer yielded nothing but sightings of a few liquor stores shut tight for the duration of Ramadan. We found a cay place instead next to the central mosque and enjoyed it and the live music that accompanied it. So it wasn’t a bar, but we shut the place down anyway. That’s how we roll.

AlSo: Ramadan in Van

2007-09-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

We got up at 5:30 hoping to scrounge some breakfast for later to see that the sun was already up. There were some hopes that the breakfast places would remain open, but this was a paltry and unrealized dream. We hustled some groceries at a nearby market and headed back to the terrace of the Aslan Hotel (“aslant” means “lion” in case you were wondering)which we had already checked out of in order to concoct our own clandestine infidel terrace breakfast picnic, the first of two such meals while in the east. It was good, but I felt guilty enough to swear to fast the rest of the day. A meandering to the bus to the otogar and onto a bus bound for Kars. No less than 6 military checkpoints along the way with four identity card checks and two baggage checks. We learned the next day that this was to curtail a large drug trafficking across the Iranian border. A flooded bridge and flooded road and cattle crossing. We saw children sleeping on the grain in the beds of moving trucks, lots of donkey carts, many women in burqas, and, you know, Mt. Ararat where Noah’s Ark was said to have landed back in the day. Finally we got into Kars, got tickets for Erzurum, found a hotel, and met with Jared who works as a guide for Ani, then set out in search of food, as it was past dusk. We found a place with great meze and grilled fish and beer, but a shockingly big bill that had us feeling like paupers again. Oh well.

AlSo: Van

2007-09-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Best breakfast ever!! According to the LP (which we’re still mad at, by the by for a few other references that require a letter to the editor), Van is famous for having the best breakfast spreads in Turkey, and it’s not hard to see why. We went down a side street only to find a whole alley set up with chairs and tables just for breakfast (kavalti salonu). There was a grass cheese, honeyCOMB served along with 5000 other types of cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, tahini, a few mystery substances, and bread. It was incredible.afterwards, we walked to Van Castle a little over, say, 3k out of town and past a bunch of kids who know “hello” and “money”. We scrambled up the ancient ruins and up a tall chimney (I don’t believe it was a minaret?) because, you know, it was there. Some people were beating what looked like cotton or wool below. Afterwards, we walked to Lake Van which was a relatively short jaunt from the Castle. It’s a pristine-looking lake (though Rick said there is a great deal of pollution) with almost no water activity, just one or two ferries. We had celebratory beer (what were we celebrating? Umm, the fact that there was beer and it might be the last one we have before Ramadan begins the next day) along the dock, then a dolmus whisked us back to the city. Coreyn managed to find us tickets back to Istanbul, so we celebrated THAT at a pide joint. The hospitality in this country is legion. We said we were vegetarian and asked if they had eggplant, and they of course replied, “Sure!” and then sent someone out to buy some for us. Incredible roasted vegetables! We had all been jonesing for some veggies. There was a soccer game on during dinner, Turkey against some M-stan country none of us had ever heard of. We are Americans, I suppose. No one scored for the duration of our meal, and we got up to leave the table with the score still 0-0. no sooner had we walked into the street and down an alley when we heard cheers and roars from everywhere! Turkey had scored. They scored twice more within a few minutes, and men spilled out of teahouses and lokantas clapping each other on the back. It was so festive!

Oddysseı: Mardın

2007-09-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

after more stops than ı really care to count wıth a bunch of toıng and froıng and a screamıng baby who was quıckly shuttled off the bus (learned that ıt was actually theır stop; after all, just because someone crıes doesn,t mean they should get booted off), we arrıved at shortly after 4am ın Mardın. we were a ways from the cıty center, and a quıck tour of the nearby cheap hotel saıd that ıt was all booked up. started walkıng when a nıce fellow scooped us ınto the car and summarıly brought us to the door of a hotel. a very expensıve-lookıng hotel. we asked how much a room was and then almost choked. walked back out and weıghed the optıons of walkıng back towards town before dawn and most lıkely encounterıng large dogs. ıt was a beautıful vıew of the cıty, though! ın the end we decıded to pıck up some rocks and my paultry stıck as preotectıon from the bayıng dogs that had become part of the audıal landscape shortly after the roosters made themselves known. gendarmes protectıng the power plant laughed at the 3 forıgners walkıng along deserted streets. we got a faır ways, actually, when a fellow whose name ı thought was Oscar gave us a lıft. and none too soon! no sooner had we gotten ın and started drıvıng than we encountered 2 dogs, one of whıch attacked the car and trıed to take a bıte out of the wındshıeld. needless to say, we were grateful. he took us to a hotel that looked even more expensıve, but by thıs tıme we fıgured we would just have to suck ıt up for the nıght. ıt turned out to be about $US35 for each of us, whıch, okay ıs expensıve, but we,re also stayıng ın a castle datıng from the 13th century sıtuated ın ancıent Mesopotamıa. here are some pıctures of the hotel (the only pıctures to date sınce ı can,t download yet): http://artuklu.com/tr/ARTUKLU360/panoramic/kraldairesi.htm

ıt turns out our savıor,s name ıs Alı, and hıs job ıs an "osker", or soldıer. we sat up on the terrace drınkıng tea for about an hour whıle Alı went through the flashcards ı had made hım. we communıcated as well we could about football and chıldren untıl Alı suggested that he come back at 2pm and show us around the town. we agreed (though he had mentıoned payment, and we were now completely broke from the hotel), ı gave hım my flashcards, and we shuffled to our prıcy but absolutely luxurıant room complete wıth shower and complımentary cotton swabs!!!

starvıng by the tıme we woke up at 11:30 or so and found a pıde place along the road. Mehmet, ı belıeve hıs name ıs, has owned the pıde place for a number of years and follows a long tradıtıon of pıde owners ın hıs famıly. we sat and kıbıtzed whıle watchıng the three fellows make dough ınto magıcal bread through the huge maw of an oven. they made us specıal vegetarıan pıdes (whıch are Turkısh pızzas) usıng a huge glob of butter that permeated the entıre pızza. they were great!

a lıttle ınternet for Justın and Corey whıle ı trıed to get more mınutes for the phone Shawn and Becc loaned us. there were 5 young fellows who gave plenty of attentıon to my phone, then asked where ı ws goıng. ı was tryıng to say that ı ws meetıng my brother (Corey) at the ınternet, but ı guess ı ended up sayıng that ı was lookıng for a boyfrıend on the ınternet. two of them offered to chat onlıne. ıt was embarrassıng. ı don,t want to talk about ıt anymore.

got back to the hotel and waıted for Alı after fellows at the desk saıd that he was comıng. twenty mınutes later a glorıous young lady named Güşeln who spoke fabulous englısh ınformed us that Alı was NOT comıng. ı had heard "gılıyor", but they had saıd "gılıMIyor", whıch ıs the dıfference between "he,s comıng" and "he,s not comıng". bıg dıfference!
so we got to talkıng wıth her for a few hours about lıfe ın Turkey, her lıfe ın England, arranged marrıages, thınkıng posıtıvely as manıfestıng good thıngs ın your lıfe, etc. we begged her to joın us for dınner, and she acquıesced.

meanderıng ıs my favorıte pasttıme ın new places, and we all meandered up to a Madrassah that overlooks the cıty. ı thınk we hıt the chıldren,s quarter, because we ended up spendıng a goodly amount of tıme wıth a bunch of youngsters who spoke a lıttle englısh and a lot of Turkısh. good tımes, good tımes. when theır parents haıled them back, we kept walkıng to fınd a famıly hangıng out on theır stoop whose patrıarch offered us some tea. hıs name ıs Omer. another great tıme. walked down and around, a dollop of fabulous pıstachıo ıce cream at lıdo, a short nap, then dınner wıth Güşeln.
what a great day!

AlSo: The Rock

2007-09-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

In the morning we walked to St. Peter’s Church after a futile attempt to get breakfast at a doner shop (what were three vegetarians thinking trying to get food at a place with roasting, rotating chickens displayed in the window? Hubris). Waiting for the gates to open, we talked to one of the gatekeepers who suggested we scramble up the rocks above the church. We were on the verge of doing so when a distinct American accented voice asked where we were from. He is an archaeological student from Texas who had a great deal to say about the history of Antioch, as Antakya is often referred to, and the area [see emails to mom and Steve]. One fellow showed us around some of the areas. I’ve learned that I have a little disgruntlement with the direction “down”, perhaps owing in part to my glasses’ strange relationship to depth perception but assuredly due to my own clumsiness. Needless to say, both Justin and Corey scrambled higher than me. We wheeled back to town for brunch of, oh yes you guessed it, hummus, then the Archaeological Museum. Turkey has so much history that they just throw it around, that’s what we learned at the museum. The Museum was filled with amazing tiled mosaics with Greek and Roman references, coins of most Roman and Ottoman rulers (Claudius, Marcus Aurellius, and Suleyman the Great for the heck of it). Chinese toiurists came through at one point, and I got to translate “please don’t use you flash” into Mandarin for the security guard. In the back courtyard, we got to check out ancient sarcophagi used as planters, the watering hose propped up against a rendering of, was it Cupid?, on the side of a sarcophagus. Hightailed it back to the hotel to pick up our stuff, whiz through the Bazaar to pick up some to-go surk (a cheese with added spices) and pide for the ride and got on the bus to Mardin. Long, LONG ride.

AlSo: Antakya or Bust

2007-09-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

We got ourselves to the bus station, our old friend, rather early, determined to get on a bus in the general direction we wanted to go even if it meant body-slamming ourselves onto a coach. Woo hoo! We got on board the bus to Nevsehir to a bus to Adana from which we were to make a transfer to an Antakya-bound coach. We got to Adana and hit a snag – no one knew what to do with us, and the Nevsehir guy there got us onto another carrier’s oversold bus. Lots of stools in the aisles. We took a dolmus to the city center conducted by a guy who spoke German. What is it with people speaking German in this part of Tukey? We walked around the Bazaar until we found the hotel for which we were looking. Along the way, we spied a number of bike retail and repair shops, and a lot of folks were using it as a means of cargo and personal transport. Two cheeky kids came to practice their English with us, and an adorable fruit seller asked us why were here and helped us get our bearings. We complimented them on their rides and then checked into a nice and cheap serviceable hotel that the LP described as “scary”. Whatever. Went back to the fruit area and into the Bazaar which was HUGE! Seriously, it went on forever. We learned later that St. Peter used to wander around this Bazaar as it was the Jewish Quarter. That’s word on the street, anyway. Found dinner and the best hummus ever, which Antakya is known for. Great view of the city on the terrace, which looks for all intents and purposes like an Asian city. Between the bikes and the hummus, I swear I could live here.

AlSo: Ilhara Is Pronounced “Urgup”

2007-09-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Justin, Corey and I got up earlier than prudence would dictate in the hopes of hiking in Ilhara Valley, which is supposed to be just beautiful. Our hopes were dashed in Nevsehir, however, when we learned that the buses and ticket prices were daunting enough for us to change tacks. Instead we decided to go to Urgup. On the bus, off the bus, nice breakfast and tea, then a stroll through the old city. There was supposed to be an underground city in Urgup, as well, but the artist whom we asked about it later hadn’t heard of it. What we did find in scrambling around the area was a bunch of untended, uninhabited and fascinating pidgeon houses which we were more than content to explore for some goodly time. It was perhaps the highlight of Cappadoccia! Thus emboldened, we walked on and found a winery where we had a tour and wine-tasting. The tender has been in the wine industry for over 12 years and told us that Urgup’s terrain, weather, and volcanic soil create an optimal environment for wine-growing. I’ll drink to that! On the way back down the road, we met up with a Dutch lady who asked what sights there were in the area. She does paintings of Turkish carpet designs. Got back just in time to have a beer and meet a fellow named John from Hong Kong. He and Corey actively considered making an Iraq border run in a few days. We made our way to the bus stop only to learn that the “bus cancelled”, according to the fellow whom I will refer to as Mr. Suha through the person whom he had asked to translate from Nevsehir Bus Company next door. Mr. Suha offered to either exchange our tickets for the next morning and set us up in a hotel for the night or give our money back. Corey (since Mr. Suha wouldn’t talk to me as I was a woman and only stooped to make grunting noises in my general direction when conversation seemed unavoidable) checked to see if there were any buses with any vacancy going anywhere on our list of places to go. No, no and no. then our “cancelled” bus showed up. Hmmmm. That’s interesting. Mr. Suha made some indication that it wasn’t our bus. But it had our destination on it from the same company with whom we had booked at the same time it was supposed to come. Double hmmmm. we finally booked passage with the very helpful and kind fellow from Nevsehir for Antakya the next morning. However, when we asked about getting the hostel from Mr. Suha, he actually laughed in Corey’s face and said we had nullified the offer when we booked with Nevsehir. Who he had told us was his brother and whom he had employed as our translator. That Mr. Suha. What a jerk! So the wonderful fellow from Nevsehir got us a 3-for-2 deal at the HI Shoestring Hostel run by Jesus. Everything turned out well, and we crossed our fingers about the ticket the next morning.

AlSo: Going Underground

2007-09-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

Had breakfast on the terrace with Justin, who it turns out used to work at World Resources Institute in Washington, DC (small world) before leaving in favor of traveling and studying in India. We took a bust to Nevsehir and then another bus to Derinkuyu which boasts one of the most extensive open underground cities. It is seven layers deep and positively labyrinthian. They were used by residents in times of threats of invasion and had all amenities needed for mid-term living (the major issue being sewage which I couldn’t see any system for the long-term disposal of). The network we saw was actually only a small part of an even greater underground network. And what did the Lonely Planet call it? You guessed it – “troglodytic”. Is this even a word? After Corey and Justin had run through and explored every nook and cranny of the underground city (“yeralti sehri” in Turkish in case you were wondering), we found a leaf-canopied courtyard with older men drinking tea and playing backgammon. We drank tea and then migrated to a pide place that had GREAT pide. We wound our way back to Goreme the way we had come and engaged in some “underground” experiences of our own, specifically drinking red wine from the Conference farewell party 5 days before. I cleaned my shoes like the dickens for which everyone, particularly Ali, was grateful. Sunset was spent on the bluff with gorgeous panoramic views of the city and paragliders. Dinner was with the whole gang, all of whom save Justin, Corey and myself were heading to Antalya that evening. Audra et al had staked out a restaurant for their final Goreme meal which turned out to have everything BUT what they wanted. Delicious, though. Joke told by a passing Turkish guy: “What smokes more than a Turk? Two Turks.” True that. Everyone trundled en masse to the train station where they departed and we got tickets to Antakya the next day. As we were waiting with the others for their bus to come, all of the lights went off in the city and candles quickly taken out. Justin and my hopes for ice cream were dashed once again. We trekked back to the hostel in the dark and were contemplating going up to the bluff but reconsidered when we saw so many tourists heading that way with whoops and liquor. It was so very beautiful and peaceful on the terrace, though!

AlSo: Troglodytes?

2007-09-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

In addition to the British/Bengali dup, we met a fellow named Justin from America in the parking lot as we gazed balefully at the parking lot, willing transport to a hostel to come. We got one to Traveller’s Cave and a muesli breakfast where we met two Australians, Nat and Ali, and yet another American named Audra. Many of the houses and hostels in Cappaoccia, particularly in Goreme, are located inside caves and are quite cool, a blessing with the heat. We collectively took exception to the Lonely Planet’s constant reference to cave dwelling as “a troglodyte lifestyle”. Letters to the Editor are planned for certain. Everyone save the three new ladies had a nap, then we set out to see the Open Air Museum. It turned out to be an amazing enclave of early Christian shrined and churches set in the stone pillars typical of Cappadoccia. Some of the cave paintings were still intact, even after it was occupied by Muslims. We mused that, had the pedigree and occupation been reversed, the Christians of the time wouldn’t have allowed Islamic artwork to survive. We walked back in a heat that was keen on making itself known and found a taxi who was willing to take us to Pasabag to check out the fairy chimneys. The taxi driver was absolutely wonderful and took us back to Goreme via a beautiful canyon-like bowl that he called Lava Lake. Apparently the precipice of Lava Lake is also where locals go to drink and kibitz and bring their girlfriends. we had dinner at the hostel and heard about Audra, Nat and Ali’s day tour from which they had just come and which had left them famished. The fact that the hostel forgot their food order didn’t exactly help. Back to the room, my shoes stank so badly that even Ali had to admit they could use a wash, and I put them in a bag as a conciliatory gesture.

AlSo: Hamami

2007-09-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

Found Tijo in the morning and conducted him to wake Corey up, who said he opened his eyes only to see a floating Tijo head. Breakfast with Corey, Sylvia and Tijo covered talks about Tijos bike tours, life before and after the war, nepotism and corruption and unemployment. Randy joined us for breakfast. Met with Elly and talked about next steps for the Conference next year. I think the main question is one of tack – to make TCC08 a scrappy grassroots Conference or a more professional one. Personally, I think that creating a more extensive framework for involvement with a number of levels would be best, and to get engineering firms and other municipalities on board it needs a little more prep and follow-through. This is just me talking, of course (because hey, it’s my blog!). I’ve promised to draft a Sponsorship Coordinator Intern description and have, with Elly’s kind suggestion, committed to acting as Scholarship Coordinator. Still need to creat a description for that, of course. Everyone will create a powerpoint to follow up with potential sponsors and future stakeholders. We adjourned to the Bazaar where Elly bought a bunch of swell-smelling spices, and a vendor called me “Baby” which kind of killed the deal. Elly sallied forth in search of other pursuits while Corey and I meandered some more and dabbled into the Grand Bazaar which at the time was overrun with cruise tourists. Lunch at a random restaurant with a hilarious waiter from Batman. We met Markus at the Grand Bazaar and rather quickly quit it in favor of a hamami which we found nearby. It was 35 lira for a wash and full massage, which was about half of what we were quoted by others. I had the women’s side all to myself but was unsure as to how to proceed (haven’t been in many bathhouses that were not completely self-serve). A lady named Nagila invited me to rinse off which I did, but then she wandered off. I went into the sauna for a while and came back out. No Nagila. Rinsed again and went abck in the sauna. No Nagila. Finally went to ask if she had soap (“sabo var mi?”), and she replied “Var” but didn’t offer anything else. Back to the sauna. Little did I know that the answer was to sit on the big stone slab within eyeshot. Nagila came in, and what followed turned out to be “Loofah and Language”, where I learned (and have since forgotten) the parts of the body in Turkish. Back into the sauna and came out to find Nagila washing, and I rinsed as well. She held out a towel, and I confusedly made to wash myself with it until she indicated that I should get her back. I ended up giving her a back massage like she had given me which we both had a good time with. Left her with a picture of body parts in English and kibitzed about her family of which she has two children, one grandchild and a husband who is her second after the first died. A fond farewell and met up with Markus and Corey outside who had befriended a few Frenchmen. We swapped stories, and Corey remarked that few would get a massage at a hamami only to give one back to the masseuse. Aww schucks. We sauntered back to the Sultan Hostel, had a nargile, and talked about Markus’ work as an architect. Elly joined us, and we thought it would be very cool if we could create an exhibition of carfree places and carfree housing structures for the conference. Then it was time for Corey and I to head to Goreme in Cappadoccia by bus. Met up with two young English ladies named Sourma and Regina on the bus who were a total riot!

AlSo: Carfree Withdrawals

2007-09-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

breakfast with Rick and plans to meet Ethem Sat. or Sun. Meghan, Tamar, Corey and I went to a bookshop and then to tea. Poor Corey was the only one who didn’t either get his ass grabbed or a phone number from the tea waiter. We met Markus et al on the ferry and had as productive a meeting as one can on crowded public transportation. We deboarded at the first island and continued our meeting at the waterfront in as productive a manner as a waterfront meeting can be. Swimming, then talking about Steering Committee, then Milan and Justin had to leave on the next Istanbul-bound ferry. Randy, Markus, Corey And I rambled around the island, then Corey and I headed back. We saw the Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque and a 3500 year old stone. Wow! To all of them. Met folks for dinner at Sultan Hostel for a great talk and a fond farewell to Joroen. Back on the tram, but the ferry was closed even though it was before 10:00. walked to the bridge to catch a bus. Galata Bridge closed (for construction). Walked across the bridge and asked for directions in French of a Turkish fellow who was very accommodating but could see only a taxi as a possibility, the expense for which we couldn’t countenance. We walked to the next bus stop towards Besiktas. A wedding party had pretty well taken over the space where the bus stop should be (and how can this possibly be legal?). walked to the next stop and finally got a bus to Kadikoy. When we got there, the whole main street was cordoned off by police barricade. The total time home was over 2 hours. Go go gadget mobility.

AlSo: AGM

2007-08-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

I went by myself to the morning’s AGM by way of breakfast with Ton and Thiago. We talked about bike infrastructure in Latin America, the need for partnering with other NGOs and municipalities, etc. the sweet waiter gave us tea gratis which extended our discussion by a bit, and then we headed to the film center and the AGM meeting. Our first workshop was Strategic Planning and Decentralization (see notes). Next on my list was Communications. TCC08 needs to develop a blog and participation profile area so that other participants can contact others about possible presentation coordination, organizational synergies, and so on. In a perfect world, all participants would feel as though they know everyone there before the Conference’s beginning. One thing discussed pretty extensively was how to encourage more participation by Network member organizations both with the Network’s Prague office and with other member organizations to increase membership value and usefulness. The Carrfree Green Pages was discussed as a possibility. Eduardo agreed that he could help research capacity and possible augmentation scenarios. The larger meeting had a hilarious vote trying to change the consensus voting structure . . . by consensus. Has this ever actually happened? I have to say, though, Ben is a great resource on process and consensus, and I have never seen a facilitator be more effective than Jason was. I shudder to think how the meeting would have gone without him. What a guy! We continued the meeting on the boat, but I think most people were talked out, and we ended up tabling some of the discussions in favor of carousing and conspiring and enjoying the last threads of a warm and exciting conference. Oh yeah, and they voted on the WCN Steering Committee of which I’m now a member. A great excuse to talk to Sara and Steeries current and past. Talked to Sebel about WRI, Andras about sprawl costs, Ralph about distance and relationships and how sometimes these can be mutually beneficial concepts, Joerie and Joroen and Sylvia and Corey on a number of topics including Joerie’s upcoming nuptials, Tijo and Milan about EcoTopia next year, Ben about Consensus, Randy and Markus and Pippa about Steering Committee, and Jason about how much he fricking rocks! Other discussions: Eduardo about website possibilities, Maura about what she’ll do next, and Idil (the psychologist) about her interest in the carfree lifestyle. After the boat, we went to an overpriced dinner with a Turkish band and learned about Kristi’s life who hails from Portland. After, we went to a bar along the pedestrian area near Taksim Square. Ton and I talked about dogs (his) and relationships (long distance and international). We were turning into pumpkins, so we left with Meghan and her vivacious even when jet-lagged friend, Tamar in a dolmus bound for Kadikoy.

AlSo: Kucukcekmece, the Unpronounceable Neighborhood

2007-08-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

Woke up to find another at the house. I had been hankering to get out of the house earlier to allow for more walking time, and even though he had been up late the night before, Ben was kind enough to accompany me. What a spring chicken! On the ferry, we talked about his work and experience with EcoTopia, , traveling in eastern Europe, and his work with Platform, a London-based NGO that, among other things, creates commemorative installations for the people’s heroes. He had us stop at a borekci. I’ve never had borek. It’s great and certainly staunched the spinach craving I’d been having, then found Aya Sofia and the bus to Kucukcekmece (say it 3 times fast). Carbon offsetting presentation there was only nominally about carbon offsetting, but what it was about were research methods and findings relating to carbon emissions by vehicle type in urban areas of Istanbul. This was done by Sebel of EMBARC and World Resources Institute. FANTASTIC! Their study was funded by Shell, Ford, BP, and Caterpillar, which raised Joerie and my eyebrows since we had just been discussing CSR and greenwashing with Joroen, Sylvia and Corey. When asked, Sebel said that they are interested in improving the fuel efficiency of their products. Her powerpoint will be available in November and has promised me in 3 different ways that I can grab a copy when it goes public. I was seriously salivating. Ton spoke about his bike programs in Latin America through his NGO, Movilisation, and Andras spoke about true costs of sprawl. Later, he was gracious enough to agree to send me some info. on the data he has collected. Yeay! Eda presented on the future of Istanbul transport, which captured a number of the themes that had been discussed through the last few days. We all piled back in the bus and stopped at a parade of sorts, which we were told was for Victory Day (the reason Rick had the day off school). A few of us just got a little skittish when the flags came out and the torches and applause for the speaker who was positioned on the roof of a nearby building and hooked up to a powerful sound system. So some of us soft-shoed out to the nearby bus terminal. Corey and I had a chat with Rick on a few housekeeping issues while Meghan and Elly had a bit of dinner. Then Team Portland headed to the tastiest vegetarian durum place in Turkey. Oh man, so good! And on the pedestrian street in Kadikoy, which was also a definite plus.

AlSo: Presentations et al

2007-08-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Rick was off from work but was still up ahead of us on his daily walk or run. We headed to the Urban Center for presentations by the keynote speakers. The most stand-out presentations had to be by Halik and Ole Thorson. Halik talked about the urban planning history of Istanbul and was quite open about the city’s lack of planning for bike and ped master plans. I accosted him after the presentation to compliment and ask about how he would suggest dealing with challenges of changing traffic infrastructure in such an ancient city. Ole lives in Barcelona and has created an extensive ped master plan. He is adamant that all cities should develop a ped plan and decried that almost none do. Corey and Zeren had a lenghy chat with him just after the presentation, and I spoke with him later in the day. What a fascinating fellow, and such a marvelous presentation! After these presentations we were invited to go outside where there was a PARK-ing demonstration where the parking lot had previously been. Astroturf, benches, bike parking, a 4-tandem, bean bag chairs, art exhibition and yoga. Good times, good time. After lunch came time for our presentation on “Changing Car-Oriented Attitudes”. Meghan had put together a lovely powerpoint (though next time we should focus more on ped and calm down on bikes), and Corey, Meghan and I had been up late the night before tweaking it some and forming an outline. The presentation went well, I thought (although, to be honest, I am rather senSitive about being contradicted and interrupted during formal-ish presentations). We broke up the discussion into 4 groups and then came back at the end for general feedback which seemed pretty popular. Meghan typed up comments that each group had made based on our notes. Daniel then presented on Rails to Trails and Greenways with an interesting discussion about the evolution of master plans. A few people in the room had actually been involved with the inception or development of master plans and building networks. I believe Eduardo, Daniel and Thiago have all been involved with this process. Unfortunately we missed the presentations on carfree housing which had occurred the same time as ours, but we got a rundown from Ralph, Markus and Ed on the topic. The evening was all about a wonderful boat tour with lots of wine (that sadly ran out before the boat docked. Bikers can drink!). talked with Corey, Sylvia, Maura, Jason the Great Facilitator, Ben and Pippa. Pippa works with BankWatch, a largeish NGO that monitors WTO, European Bank, etc. Maura discussed how she decided to go into Urban Design and how their teacher decided to put Istanbul’s bid in for 2007 TCC. Maura and three of the other coordinators are working together on a baseline study and urban design project, so it was a natural extension to work on this Conference. They are all such good company. And good dancers! I try to remember what Sylvia, Corey and I talk about, but it’s hard because we seem to talk about . . . everything. Jason talked about his background in international activism and the G8 Conference. He has previously been involved in World Carfree Network and is acting as their facilitator for the AGM this year. When the boat docked, everyone spilled out. Corey and I, aged and wizened as we are, went back to Rick’s while Elly and Meghan headed out on the town with some others.

AlSo: Carfree Islands!

2007-08-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

Rick laid out yet another wonderful Turkish breakfast complete with tomatoes, olives, fresh bread and cheese. Yumm! Thank you, Rick! Thus satiated, we took a ferry to Buyukada, a carfree island near Istanbul proper. We waited for the others to join us and found Bas, Justin and Sarap, who has the coolest hairstyle, sipping tea. When the others finally deigned to show up, we walked along horse- and bike-filled streets to the municipal building for welcome and questions. Markus asked a really good one about why there were sidewalks cut on a carfree island. Answer: codes. A group of us got bikes and roamed around the island with Milan, Corey, Joerie, Joroen, Sylvia, Kostos, Thiago, Andre, Eduardo and a few others. we had formally met Joroen and Joerie at lunch who told Corey that he should turn his cap around lest he be confused for an American. Titter. Around the top we spotted a restaurant near a cliff that happened to sell beer. Well, of course with two Belgians present we just had to stop. We headed back down, dropped off the bikes and headed to the rocks for more beer. It felt like a Portland ride!

AlSo: TCC07 Conference

2007-08-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

Elly, Corey and I flummoxed across the ferry to Karakoy (by now an old friend) and walked across the Galata Bridge, through the hardware peddling section of town and wended our way up to Istiklal Cadde and TCC07s headquarters. There were opening comments and introductions, including our 15 minute presentation on next year’s Conference, and then a split for some short workshops. We heard Ralph from Cologne talk about map making, Joroen and Joerie about the anti-SUV campaign from GreenPeace and Friends of the Earth, and Karen and Lena about leisure-focused transport and density (almost 50% of car trips in Sweden are for the purpose of leisure!). Panel discussion in the afternoon was about “Car Culture v. Public Space”. I had thought this would focus on infrastructure, but the overriding themes turned out to be fear, identity and isolation. We met Zeren and Sebel from World Resources Institute with some great conversation. There was a walking tour throughout the European side, but I honestly spent more time talking to other Conference-goers to the detriment of sightseeing. Oh well! Spoke with Milan, Thiago and Karl at some length. The evening was in Ortakoy for a movie night which we had to skip out on early in order to walk to a bus home. Then it was back to Rick’s and a talk about the basics of Turkish linguistics.

Oddyssei: Alighting on Istanbul

2007-08-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

we got to the bus stop to find Bas, Justin, Julia and Daniel, then the trek to the border crossing and then on to Istanbul. We took the tram to what we thought was the correct spot to find Rick. Note: Karakoy is NOT Kadikoy, even if they do have the same waterfront street name. after some unsuccessful explorations down cat- and litter-festooned alleys on the wrong side of the Bosphorous, Corey and I, with Rick’s help, managed to make the ferry to his hospitality. Met Elly who had preceded us and slept our first night in Turkey’s most bustling city.

Oddyssei: The Train That Never Ends

2007-08-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

mıdnight passed and we were still on the train to Sofia. apparently the train tracks from Novi Sod to Belgrade are under construction, so all of the train,s congregants shuffled off the train en masse and wended their collective way to a small fleet of buses headed for we didn,t know where. it was fun! caught a few glimpses of a fellow wearing a carfree cities tshirt and figured we knew where he was heading.

we got to Belgrade and changed a money whose name we didn,t even know the name of (Cyrillic is not currently ın my reading reportoıre), but the coffee we used it to purchase was delightful! an hour later we were on the train to Sofia on which a German lady unlocked the mystery of the reclining chairs which Corey and i enjoyed until a family of 3 Bulgarians required the use of the other seats. turns out one of them spoke Turkish, so i used all of the 10 words i had learned along the way. they had just come from Nice (Nisha?) after harvesting peppers.

in Sofia and completely at a loss as to where to stay. fınally met Justin, Julia, Daniel, and Bas whom we had seen ın carfree shirts on trains and buses the previous few days. their friend helped us out with bus tickets and dırections, and we got on the tram where we met two very helpful ladies who led us to their hostel. Anna ıs from France\England and Katryn from Germany, and they are both working as corporate lawyers ın Brussels. Julian, the Colombıan working at the Bulgarian hostel (of course!) was quite helpful ın making us feel at home amongst the Panamanians and Bulgarians among other natıonalities represented there.

Oddyssei: Three Countries and Counting

2007-08-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Corey woke up fresh as a daisy, must say!

we hung wıth the gang as long as their schedules would allow and then got to some web searching for tickets to Istanbul by train or bus or whatever. after some failed attempts onlıne and by phone, we decided the best policy would be to just head to the train station in Mons.
we got on Shawn and Beccy,s bıkes and took off for the open road. wow, there really isn,t a shoulder on the main road from their house to Mons, must say. however, what it lacks ın road infrastructure it makes up for with landmarks. the SHAPE area. what is SHAPE? how,s thıs for a title: the SUPREME Headquarters of the Allıed Powers of Europe. who can beat that for a name?

we got into Mons and swung by the tourist center, whose proprietor promptly told us how foolish it would be to ride that stretch of road on bikes. too late.
we continued on to the train station after some puttering around Mons and asked the ticket booth agent about train reservations from Budapest to Istanbul. she first tried to get us a reservation from Budapest to Vienna, and when we described our route again to her, she blinked a few times, looked a little flustered, and then said, "most people fly". yes, we know. so that didn,t work out, but we were able to get tickets for our bikes for the train from Mons to Jurbise (why not?). we discovered that just because you have tickets for your bike doesn,t mean YOU have tickets, but the conductor took pıty on us. in the meantime, we enjoyed some great framboıse across from the train station.

had a few moments wıth Matt, Becc and Shawn before heading to the Charleroi airport with Shawn at the healm (John Cleese dıctating dırections). a fare thee well and we were on our way to Budapest. the only thing that held us up was the passport agent who looked through all of my visa stamps twice and the security check guy who made Corey slam a bunch of water.

on the plane, off the plane, a 30 second bus ride to the terminal, customs, bus, metro line, train station, running around for international ticket booth, nail-biting wait, tickets in hand for Sofia, sigh of relief, snatched plastic cups from Burger King, harried wait, and we were on the train to Bulgaria via who knew what route.

we met Alex the Spaniard who was going to work on the Serbian border at a zoo for an undisclosed period of time and Laura of LA fame who happens to live on an off-grid community and, by the way, knows the band TOOL personally on the way to what we learned was Serbia. Alex kept thinking he was getting off the train and was again and again repelled by the border police swarming the train. we started referring to him as the Spanish Boomerang and were rather suprısed (though happy for his ultimate success) when he didn,t come back. no sooner dıd Alex exıt than Mısha, the ınebrıated Austrian, grace our compartment wıth nothing but spontaneous and devoted love for Laura. quite an adventure overall!

Odyssei: Trainspotting

2007-08-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

today was the day i waıted for the coming of Corey. had a walk from Shawn, Beccy and Matt's place to the Jurbise train station and ended up seemiıng a complete train station groupie. ahhhhh!
Corey came, then Shawn did to whisk us back to their house, then some damn fine Belgian beer.
yeah!

Oddyssei: flirting with Jurbise & Soignies

2007-08-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

woke up fresh as a daisy at 6:30 with the rest of the family. i'm telling you, don't sleep for two days but for hour-long naps, and jet lag shudders away.

as everyone else had work or school, i wiled away a good part of the day with emails and tried to figure out how the heck we were going to get from Budapest to Istanbul in time for our presentation on the 27th. i'm thinking Budapest to Sofia by train and Sofia to Istanbul by bus, but anything could happen from now until then to change minds.

took Shawn's mountain bike for a spin, which was like a whole 'nother world after riding Bill's bike. when one rides a road bike for years, one forgets the slow hum that accompanies the tread of a mountain bike on pavement or the cushy way it tackles road irregularities. i have to say, i missed Sparky something fierce this afternoon. it's also strange to be without the ram horn handlebars; one feels so upright that it's easy to imagine oneself to be royalty. crouching over ram horns, i tend to feel like i'm trying to outdistance the cars behind me that would sooner run me over, while upright today i felt like i was graciously allowing other cars to use the space to the immediate left of my mobile throne. strange. their house in Mons is just on the borders of Soignies and Jurbise, so i put a few toes and at least one wheel in each of those municipalities on my relatively short ride.

when the rest of the gang got back, we got to hear all about everyone's day, then a small road trip to Mons for dinner. what a swell Grand Place! there is a fountain on one side that gushes straight onto the cobblestones and is collected by storm drains immediately downhill. plenty of road signs with bikes, and even one cameo silver cruiser with ape hangers. we stopped at the Excelsior for brew and salad, though for future reference the Copenhagen is said to have a nice rose wine. before the meal, the Three Musketeers suffered me to read a poem from "Archyology". good times, good times. i seem to remember more French than i thought i knew . . .

back at the home ranch, i started to learn Turkish and to make flashcards while Shawn played WoW (World of Warcraft). Matt let me read him part of his bedtime story, a Terri Pratchett novelette, but i fear we got a little rambunctious about what was supposed to be a bedtime story. i think i've been fired as a post-dusk storyteller.

then Shawn showed me a little treasure of Warcraft culture: the Leeroy Jenkins video on youtube. amazing that there should be so much notoriety and buzz from such a small video. it was hilarious! i don't know how, but the conversation then morphed to teaching. why do politicians try to micromanage the school system? will something similar happen to hospitals if health care is nationalized? from there came the topic of how to keep respect among students and parents, and how to quash potential problems before it starts. we have similar methods, which makes me happy!

Odyssei: LA -> Mons

2007-08-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

the flight from LA to Amsterdam was 10 hours with a 3 hour layover to Brussels. i read the last Harry Potter book from start to finish on the flight to Amsterdam and took a nap on the 2nd hop to Brussels as phase 2 of Jet Lag Avoidance.

the customs procedures in Amsterdam and Brussels were completely confusing because there. weren't. any. i took my little bag through "nothing to declare", and that was it. completely anticlimactic.

headed down to the train to Jurbise, and 2 hours after i touched down in Brussels, i was at the train station in Mons. Becc and Shawn had told me to go to the house across the station to call them, but i was wrong as to which house it was the first time and then got too shy to ask any other houses. so i went into town and managed to buy a phonecard in French with the 10 French words i knew and then by coating some Spanish with a French accent. i also learned that Elvis' face was everywhere because it is the 30th anniversary of his death. the things you learn in a Belgian convenience store!

Shawn picked me up at the station and whizzed me to their house in Mons, which is almost as beautiful as Beccy but not quite. Matt just finished his first day of 4th grade, and he recounted his recent exploits while we bounced on his trampoline. Shawn poured a pint (ahem, or two) from the keg in his petit maison-come-private pub, and we rambled and rambled until i completely shut down for about a 12 hour repose at 8pm.

jet lag averted.

Oddyssei: Arcadia & Palm Springs

2007-08-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

about 20 minutes after Brian so graciously dropped me off at Aunt Jan's, Jan and i were off again in another car heading for Palm Springs to see Bill and Rita. on the way, we swung by Kevin's new workplace, Game Stop. this was the first time i'd seen Kev in his natural habitat; usually our visits have been relegated to some wedding or other.

on the 2 hour drive to Palm Springs, we passed by a huge wind farm in the valley. AMAZING!! what a beautiful form of energy production, but why haven't they been painted more pinwheely colors, one wonders? think of how candylandish the desert would look.

the four of us kibitzed through the evening, and Bill and i plotted our bike ride the next morning. i admittedly felt a little anxious when i heard about his 60-mile per saturday habit, wondering whether i would just be slowing him down. however, the second he showed me what i'd be riding, all other thoughts left. it was a gorgeous and nimble carbon frame road bike with shimano shifters. i think the skirt i was wearing weighed more than that bike.

sorry, Sparky, but i'm getting a mistress. no offense.

we got up the next morning and were out the door at 6:15 to beat the heat, which was expected to top 110F that day. he showed me where the original Cheetah (from the B&W Tarzan tc show) lives as well as Al Jolson, whose music i adore. of course, who doesn't love "Alexander's Ragtime Band"? there were only a few hills (we hit 40mph on one of the downhills) with beautiful views of the canyon; the rest of the 25-mile ride were straight stretches. we had a great talk about comparisons between bike use and culture in Palm Springs v. Portland. Palm Springs needs bike culture! lycra-clad racers just don't count. and the bike was totally yare!

we got back to his house about 8:00am in time for Shelly's, their turtle's, breakfast and to get back on the road to meet with two of Jan's college friends. i think we convinced Rita and Bill to come up to Portland to ride bikes down the Springwater Corridor Trail with mom and i.

brunch with Molly and Linda, Jan's friends from college, was like something straight out of a Wendy Wasserstein play! i mean, three women who went to college during the women's lib movement meet to catch up with each other a number of years later and talk about how the roles and rights of women have changed or not since college? it's Act III of "Uncommon Women and Others". they all have such dynamic lives and rich insights. it was just heavenly. also, being at a table with 3 good friends to whom one has recently been introduced and not to feel excluded is rare, indeed. i chalk it up to Jan's great hostessing and Linda and Molly's graciousness.

after this, Jan and i went shopping. i haven't been shopping in years, and all of my clothes are supported by safety pins. Jan, you are a paragon of patience. we talked and talked until it was time for me to nap in preparation for an all-night workfest. all-nighters before a long flight is the only way i know of to combat jet lag. let's see if it works. the workfest commenced, Kevin came home, we hung out for a couple of hours, and by 8am it was time to head to the airport. thanks, Jan, Ed and Kevin! couchsurfing with you is just the bees' knees!

Oddyssei: to Arcadia, a Craigslist adventure

2007-08-17T03:52:00.000-07:00

as the first real vacation in almost 2 years, i decided that the trip to Turkey via California and Belgium should be a good one filled with transportational questionmarks and as many random experiences as possible.

and what better way to begin than a rideshare to LA through Craigslist, melting pot of all that is random and strange? all the more ironic to begin a journey to a carfree conference in a car.

i had started looking a couple of weeks beforehand and responded to two ads before getting a response from one fellow traveling from Seattle to LA. as soon as he said his name was Brian, i knew it was all going to be okay; my dad, brother, and former roommate are all named Brian, and all of them are luminous fellas.

Brian picked me up from work in Portland, and we started south. i was wondering how a Long Drive with a new acquaintance would be. how was it, you may well ask? a 15-hour conversation blitz! topics: what is it about our fellow Americans that promulgates celebrities and reality TV shows? have we as a society obliterated cohesion in favor of individualism? what IS scary, and how does one depict, say, a monster, in makeup? how is it that one can point to something in China, ask about it in Chinese, and not be understood? what does one do for fun in Mozambique?

and not only was the company sparkling, but it was, remarkably, a great prologue to the Carfree Conference. when one's primary transportation is a bicycle, one forgets certain conventions such as, say, the highway clover leaf. hypnotic, unyielding, monomodal clover leafs. the ballet of cars and trucks between lanes. lack of turn signal use in California. the complete absence of bikes or peds along stretches of road. drive-thrus. i TOTALLY forgot about drive-thrus. gas stations with adjacent motels. we have a long way to go, people.

so at the end of a long drive, we wound up on Jan, Ed and Kevin's doorstep. thanks for driving, Brian! you're fabulous.

post-Nicaragua: Portland

2007-07-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

17 julio Portland
So Matt drove me home (thank you, Matt Rae!). I waited for a couple of hours for a roommate to come back, but no one did. Set out my sleeping blanket and read until it was too dark to read. My phone had died before leaving for Nicaragua, so I begged to use Albina Green’s phone to call my parents, who graciously agreed to let me stay at their house. Got into work this morning still wearing the same clothes and toting my luggage. Saw my roommate’s extracycle, though, and he came by so I could make a copy of the key. Hip hip hooray for bike parking! Can’t wait to be with Sparky again. Checked out of work a little early to do that which I’d been dreaming of for a week – snuck a scoop of B&J’s ice cream into the new Harry Potter movie and vegged for two hours. It was just as great as I thought it was going to be! Very decadent. I did, however, remember the Bluefields mayor’s words about US decadence as I did this.

Nicaragua: Managua, Houston, Portland

2007-07-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

16 julio Managua, Houston, Portland

Grogged ourselves to curbside at 4:30am with 2 solar pumps in our luggage. Offloaded my insect repellant onto Jorge, the night watchman, before leaving. Got through the airport system without a hitch until we heard “Anna Garwood” announced over the loudspeaker. They had found our “bombas”. a cute little fact: the word for "bomb" and the word for "pump" are one and the same in Spanish, which makes for an interesting customs excursion when transporting solar pumping equipment. Downstairs and out the door we went accompanied by a security guard to inspect the goods. Got the “all clear” before they FLUNG our bags onto the belt. Will they make it? Who knows?
And now we sit in the airport. Anna’s working on her expense report as I write these lines.

Nicaragua: Boaco, Masaya, Managua

2007-07-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

15 julio Boaco, Masaya, Managua
Woke up to rain, rain, and, oh yeah, more rain. Upon learning that the Hipicos was not until 2:30pm, we decided to leave Boaco in favor of volcanoes in Masaya, which was amazing! Then back to Hotel Los Felipes with its massive mosquitoes and lunch with VEGETABLES (I had had a dream about broccoli the night before). Spent a little time talking about next steps for projects.
Anna went to Jaime’s place for the 2nd solar water pump. I spent longer than necessary trying to acquire a Mana CD and Reggaeton, the latter of which the cyber proprietor was more than happy to “quality check” for the whole café. Anna and I tracked H & B down at Dona Pilar for our last talk together.

Nicaragua: Boaco, Managua

2007-07-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

14 julio Boaco, Managua (Solidarity Conference), Boaco

4am came quickly. I had some difficulty getting out the door because it closes and locks from the inner receptionist area. The bus to Managua at 4:30 takes mostly students. I’m amazed at the hours and expense that studying 2 hours away from home must entail. Got to Managua and got a taxi ride from a 72 year old man who told me all about his diabetes on the way, including specific figures of his pharmaceutical bills and inability to pay for injections. While walking into the conference, met with the New York film-making crew that was documenting the conference.
I assumed I wouldn’t know anyone at the conference, but almost immediately I met up with the group from the Baltimore/Esteli Sister City Association who had stayed at the Quaker House with us. We had an interesting discussion about micro credit, as it turns out someone from the group was going to present a lecture on the subject. Then I saw Lizzie Fussell! She’s working in Chinandega to bring health services to women on banana plantations. Apparently there is comparatively more promiscuity in the plantation communities which leads to higher incidence of STDs. Since the medical services are provided by plantation owners who only have a view to increasing productivity, STDs tend to go unchecked and proliferate as does ovarian cancer caused by the highly toxic pesticides. Fascinating and horrifying to learn about chemical treatments that not only contaminate wells and lend to skin burns but also chemicals that dry out harvested areas and, as a minor side effect, the drinking wells.
Lizzie, Narcissa and Frasier let us cop some territory at their booth, and my 50+ annual reports went like wildfire. Talked to a number of folks, including ones who were interested in becoming involved in projects in Boaco, someone interested in University partnerships, and possible event partner.
The keynote speaker for the conference was a former mayor of Bluefields. His basic premise was that we need to raise our own consciousness about the living disparity between Nicaragua and the United States. One of his representative statements went a little something like this: “Think about what your breakfast cost when you were in the States last week, and then, when you leave today, look at a child on the street and ask when the last time was that he had breakfast.” A woman sitting next to me got up quickly and said that she just wanted to thank everyone for being here to foster solidarity. When she came back from the microphone, she expressed that she didn’t agree with his statements, that the people who came to this conference were not the ones whose consciousness needed changing. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion of his speech (my $.02: I think his speech did more to separate the participants into two separate groups than to invite solidarity and collaboration, though the truth of his words was undeniable). Afterwards came a panel of speakers; the one that seemed to get the whole group humming was a fellow from Bend, OR who talked for just a few eloquent minutes about the difference between charity and solidarity. I decided to accost him at lunch.
Met Hannah and Keith who already know about GE and were thinking about moving to Portland (thought my theif-proof methods of securing money on my person was pretty hilarious). They helped make the conference happen and would like to meet with us for volunteering, etc. when they get into town. We mentioned our shared, abiding love for the Distinguished Gentleman from Bend and attacked him together.
Tim has a weekly radio show and is involved with the Bend-Condega Sister City Association with his very funny wife named Daisy. Gave him our Annual Report and we talked about a possible event in Ben focusing on community development.
Caught up with Lizzie and kibitzed about funding thoughts for her project as well as a possible volunteering venture with AsoFenix for website and brochure creation and re-entry into Portland.
Bus back to Boaco. Either the drive train or the acceleration cable snapped out of kilter, rendering us stationary for about ½ hour. Luck was with us, however, and we made it back safe and sound. After trying to find the gang (who ate at a loud mariachi place), I had dinner with a fellow named Daniel who lives in a colonial house in town with his sister and father. A small parade with puppets on stilts went by as part of the ongoing festival. Daniel said that the town was expected to double in the next 10 years due to a highway project. Met up with the others thereafter and learned of their exploits which Anna will assuredly recount.

Nicaragua: Boaco, P, N, & M

2007-07-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

13 julio Boaco, P_____, N____, M____ (town names supressed because projects still in proposal stage - sorry!)

We got to P____ first thing in the morning and met up with a woman named Christina. She has a beautiful and clean yellow and blue house with a patio garden on the side.
Jaime started the conversation by introducing the project as a possible project. When asked about health, she said that people got diarrhea and began vomiting when they drink the water from another well; it is contaminated (the N____ well). There are other wells that are privately owned. There are three wells in all, but all are manual.
there is a Water Committee that regulates the water in 7 houses by monitoring how much people take from the well and resolve problems regarding the well. They also have a tariff system, though it is sometimes difficult to get people to pay this.
In regard to sharing the water with the other two communities of M____ and N____, Christina said that they are happy to share the water. The three communities are related by families and have a long history together. The 30m. well was dug by E about 3 years ago and pumps 80 gallons per minute, which Christina described as an “ocean of water”. When we told her about Bramadero’s well that pumps 8 gallons per minute, she said that they and San Jeronimo are suffering, those “pobrecitos”.
Who uses P____’s water? 7 families (5,3,5,6,7,4,4) with 34 people total plus 6 people from the outskirts of the community, totaling 40.
Asked about health conditions. Everyone has a latrine. There is more infirmity during the winter due to mosquitoes. Children in P____ have less sickness than in the other two communities because they have easier access to clean water.
Victor then joined us to show us the proposed site for the tank that will serve the other two communities through gravity-fed system. The tank would be 2km from N____ and 3km to M____. The topographical studies still needs to be done before we can be sure that the gravity-fed system will work.
History of the community: all three communities were formed at about the same time with the first house originally on the same plot of land as the tank will be situated on.
As we viewed the area, Victor said that the previous crop was lost due to lack of water because the rain was not as great this past year. There is currently no irrigation system in the communities.

We went on to M____ to check on the next closest community that would be the beneficiary of the water. They have gone to other wells in the past, but health officials have told them not to drink the water in the closest well. The harvests have small crops which continues the cycle of poverty in the community. Their Committee of Water numbers 12, and the community has 19 houses.
When asked about water conditions, members of the community said that there is no money for latrines; the mayor only helps some. Infirmities include gripe, diarrhea, stomach pains, and laceo (?). their health affects their ability to work.
We went to the first well, which is a manually-operated pump which required 24 revolutions for water to come. The others we spoke with said that they only use the water for bathing and washing (there are two stalls for bucket showers and a wsashboard next to the well), but the women who lived next door to the well said that she drinks the water without issue. It is difficult to understand anything quantifiable or universally accepted.
No one drinks from the second well which is described as salty. It is only for animals and for washing. E pumped the well a long time ago. Irrigation is not possible because the water would dry up the crops. Maria Therese was our model for pumping and washing at this pump.
The 3rd pump (manual pump with exposed rope) apparently does not always have water but is clean water and the only one used for drinking. It is dry April to September, during which time they have to go to P____. When this well needs maintenance, there is a soda can top used to stop the rope from slipping down. Some lucky person is lowered down the well with some chlorine and manually scrubs the sides of the well before getting to the bottom when they scrape the sludge out of the bottom of the well.

We went to M____ next where Marisol and her husband spoke with us. There are 6 houses in the community woth 26 people (5,6,5,6,2,2). Major crops include maize, sorghum, wheat and beans. Every house has a little cattle and small farm parcels (though they work the abuelo’s farm). There are 7 people on the Water Committee which was originally convened when E dug a well a number of years ago.
The well closest to their family is salty and undrinkable. The west well has arsenic in even more concentrated doses than before. There is also an issue with the pump. What happens when they drink the water? It is very dangerous to drink, they said. People get fevers, vomit immediately after drinking, and the animals won’t touch it. It is warmer water. They drink from [barrilon] in the summer. Marisol goes to this well three times per day, requiring 20-30 minutes per trip. The well has water November to January. Sometimes they drink from the stream water, but there are microbes and pesticides that contaminate the water. They sometimes chlorinate this. In March, there is no water to this well but comes back in May and June. There is no arsenic in the stream well and 4 varas of water. The stream well was created in the 90s.
There is one private well and water catchment systems for the 6 houses. They had another well before, but it was destroyed during Hurricane Mitch. Starting in May, “dryness is death for everything.” The descent to the well is steep and has some rubble, making it difficult to balance water on their heads.
When asked about illnesses, they said that there is definitely more infirmity in the winter with more plagues. Illnesses mentioned: dengue, gripe, fevers, diarrhea, [calenture]. They don’t have a clinic in the community and have to pay for medical assistance, traveling to other communities when they need medical help. There is a medic in Teustepe, Rosetta in San ________ and more assistance in faraway Boaco.
There is one large farm owned by Marisol’s 97-year old abuelo, and everyone in the three communities works on this. No other ONGs are working in this area currently.
When describing how they find water, they said that a computer was incredibly expensive and beyond the means of the community. Instead, they use divination with a rope.

We headed back up the rubbly hill to Marisol’s house, where her daughter, Esparanza, offered R a very beautiful chicken! It was so sad we had to decline her generosity, offering the reason that chickens would not be allowed on the plane. She offered to kill it for us, but we couldn’t bear that thought, either. Note to self: send her a picture of her with chicken.

We went back to N____ for a community meeting with anyone who could attend. Most of the attendees were women and a few men. The meeting was in the former school which now acts as a church. 22 children go to primary school in the community, and those who can afford to go on to secondary school do so in Teustepe.
Before the meeting, a woman spoke with us and told us that there was more water availability before, but now the streams are dry, and they must rely on spotty wells. They have been cutting the wood for firewood, for more cattle pastures, and for selling (apparently the wood – [ochete] - that grows in this region fetches a high price).

Community Meeting in N____ 12pm
First was to create a map with the houses and wells (functioning, nonfunctioning, 1 public, 2 private, 1 stream). The stream well is 6m. and only has water in the wintertime. Some houses farther up have difficulty getting water. For drinking, they come to the well near the school.
One of the wells doesn’t have sufficient water for 8 months of the year, and the other well is dry for 3-4 months. When these wells dry up, members of the community must go to P____, a 30 minute walk on average.
When asked how many baldes they use daily, they answered 6-7 each on average for 19 houses. Uses for the water include animals, cooking and drinking. They go to the stream with cattle and horses, though chickens and pigs get their water from the well.
Most houses don’t have gardens for tomatoes, etc. because it would take too much water.
Chlorine – they don’t often use this because they don’t like it, but occasionally it is used (weren’t sure exactly how much). They buy the chlorine in Boaco.
Pump maintenance in the community – monthly tariffs aren’t used for most of the well, but it costs $30 on average to fix the pumps when they break, and everyone chips in for the repair cost.
They have not taken water from P____ this year, though last year was pretty dire.
Payment and support for proposed system – people seemed a lot happier about the idea of a metered system, which would be more equitable for the people with only 2 family members. There would have to be a contract with each individual in the community promising to pay monthly tariffs. There was at the end of the meeting a general vote to support the project. Jaime mentioned reforestation as necessary for the water system, which has a direct impact on water tables. The community recognizes this.

After the N____ reunion, the travel-weary crew dragged itself into Teustepe for lunch. R asked what people at the meeting had laughed about when they mentioned her name. at the end of the meeting, Anna had thanked the group for taking the time to meet with us and to answer questions which might seem strange for them but are unknown to us who have a different lifestyle. She mentioned that R had never seen a rooster until a few days before, which caused people to giggle. We got back to Boaco that evening just in time to see the evening procession of San Domingo’s statue. We decided that copious rum was needed to properly celebrate San Domingo. Anna and I set out on a mission for a bottle of Flor de Cana and our ongoing quest for reggaeton. We thought we had lucked out with a barberia, but alas the barbershop only peddled DVDs. Took our liquor and some papas fritas to our hotel balcony (which overlooked the plaza and the church) where we people-watched and listened to music. A marimba band serenaded our table for a few songs. It turns out that the band is comprised of a father and two of his sons with one additional youth to round out the quartet. After strategizing a little about the following day, I turned in early, knowing that I had to get up at 4am for the conference.

Nicaragua: San Jose, Bramadero, Potreritos, Bramadero, Boaco

2007-07-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

12 julio San Jose, Bramadero, Potreritos, Bramadero, Boaco
Woke up to our final breakfast with Nonnie, our hostess. R divulged that she had been rained on the previous two nights and hadn’t peeped a word. She also had never seen a rooster before this trip. What a great sport! Piled in the car, and off we went to Bramadero. Jaime said that CCM, another organization, has had volunteers in this area previously. One married a Nicaraguan recently. AsoFenix is working with CCM to possibly have volunteers for the next few years, for water, agriculture, etc. this is part of an ongoing exchange program.
There are two private wells in Bramadero that are apparently just for the farms there. Nine houses are closer to the well designate for the solar pump system, and a number more are farther above. They are using nim trees as natural pesticides (thought we saw more traditional “insecticide packs” in use nearby). When originally asked by H why they use the rubber boots they do, and they replied that the boots are resilient to the insecticides, last up to 4 months and are cheaper than others.
Along the road, we passed by a manual pump created by ENACAL and UNICEF that is dry part of the year. A house boasted a water catchment system behind it, a system that was replicated in a handful of other homes, used primarily for bathing and cleaning. A 32 m. well was covered over, a manual pump that went dry several years before. This is not an uncommon sight in this community. Next to the dry well was a washing stone. A dry 16m. well about 20 m. away from the first. We also passed a number of solar cookers. Main crops in the area: maize and beans.
We spoke to a 26-year old woman named Mercedes holding her daughter, Jaquita. When asked about whether she heard about the pump, she said she had heard that a new pump had been drilled. She said that it was unfair that some people had more water than others. she agreed that there was a difference in the frequency of illness between those with the private wells and those without. With the rain, however, there is less incidence of diarrhea and less need to go to the well for washing water. Mercedes’ mother came by and also mentioned how wonderful it was to have rain. “Gracias a Dios ahora hay mas lluvia” and “Agua es vivo” were two quotes from her.
Meeting with the Bramadero Committee
Francisco, the older gentleman with the hat, sat next to me. There were 4 men and 10 women in the schoolroom in addition to a number of children. Jaime introduced this as a great possibility for better health in the community, economic development, and possibility of reforestation

Map of the Community
Norma, a 4th year student from Teustepe, drew the map according to input from the community. When asked about non-functioning wells, there were 9-11 nonfunctioning wells as opposed to 3 functional wells. There is a mayor in Bramadero. 50 families. Are there more houses every year? There are 2-3 families in some houses, but there are not many new families.

Annual Calendar
Winter is May through November, summer is December through April. Plantings occur in May and September; harvests are in August and November. There is lesster in the wells during the summer, but there is a little year round. Illnesses include gripe, fevers, and diarrhea. There is more rain in September and October, but they have to go to the neighboring community of Aguacate all through May. Animals die in the summer due to hunger and lack of water.
Celebrations – March is Semana Santa; 30 Sept. is Misa de San Jeronimo.
In Dec. and Feb, men go to other countries (like Costa Rica) to work. This option is only available to people with passports, which costs a great deal of money.

Daily Schedule
There are 5 private wells, 2 private wells in the neighboring community of Jocote. 4 families have guaranteed water year-round. Every house has an average of 5 gal. during the summer (10 gallons if one goes to Jocote). In winter, most houses have 15 gallons. Ten houses carry water from Jocote, Aguacate, or San Rafael in winter.
What is the water used for? Water from wells is for cooking and cleaning; must get to Jocote to bathe and shower and wash clothes.
How much time is needed to carry water? Often have the help of horses for carrying. Women do most of the carrying with some help from children. Majority of the houses have horses. Every day requires between 2 ½-3 hours in summer and 1 ½ hours in winter (6 baldes in summer)
Also don’t have latrines due to lack of funds (though I did luckily encounter one behind the pulperia,)
Harvest – crops include maize, tomatoes, café, beans, and wheat.
Spend 5 cordobas per month on animals
PAEN is an organization that provides food for children. There were some papers that had edibles and meals with community members’ names assigned next to them.

Potreritos
We went up the road a piece to the community of Potreritos, where we installed a solar water pump the year before.
Two people are on the Water Committee from Potreritos as part of the tri-community 7-person Committee (4 women, 3 men). There hasn’t been a problem with payment, as everyone has paid without trouble. In terms of differences in health, she said that fewer children have diarrhea because they wash their hands and are born under healthier conditions. They wash their hands more as well, in schools for instance.
Five houses have planted porch gardens and more in the additional two areas. The animals go to a well.

We left Potreritos and got to Teustepe only to realize that the one hospidaje in town was full, so we headed to Boaco. What a great town! As we had dinner at Maria Christina’s gazebo diner, a parade streamed into the street from the church toting a statuette. Christina told us that we had fortuitously happened upon the festivities celebrating Boaco’s patron saint, San Domingo (I think?). B & H explored and found a bar complete with mariachi band, but the rest of us were “rendido”.

Nicaragua: San Jose, Malacatoya, San Jose

2007-07-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

11 julio San Jose, Malacatoya, San Jose

Jorge, the Mayor’s agenda advisor, met with us again, this time at the Municipal offices. He discussed the selection of the communities, who are chosen based on their social and environmental capacity. This includes gauging passion for development and desire for energy access and improved health services. The Committee considers three factors when exploring a community project: environmental, economic, and social consciousness. Every potential community should have an economic plan, diagnostic and map, potable water and/or energy uses/needs, school energy and production uses. The community must decide the energy needs and uses, because they know better than the municipality. Most important is the sense of group and a map of each inhabitant and what specific needs that house/business would have. A larger view can be extracted from this.
We had met with the community the other day. They have a waterfall approx. 3km away and a project that can work there. Jorge said that there was a system in L___ before but was destroyed during landslides during Hurricane Mitch.
dispositions of other communities were discussed with regard to the suitability of RE projects.
The upper regions have more forested lands and more availability of water, whereas the middle and lower regions are dryer. In the lower area of Boaco, there is one well that could have the capacity to serve the entire area if it is distributed well. They are currently working on the diagnostics for the lower regions. Reforestation can be helpful when done in tandem with pumping projects.

Jorge then invited us to the Mayoral Committee’s meeting after which we went to Malacatoya. we learned that George had assembled the turbine and the generator the previous day, after all, and that tests were ready to go ahead on three houses before the system started up 100%. it rained mightily! we heard the conga monkey again on our wet walk back which culminated at Paulo's house. they served us some delicious coffee, and we asked where it was from. he pointed to the coffee plants behind his house, and they explained that they roast the beans for their own consumption in the firewood kitchen stove. coffee doesn't get fresher than that!

back at Nonnie’s hospidaje, R had what she termed the “best shower” she’s ever had. with a water hose. i got to wash my clothes with a washboard again, just like the good old days in China. hard to find better traveling companions than this, must say.

Nicaragua: Managua, San Jose

2007-07-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

10 julio Managua, San Jose
The morning passed without much fuss. I had felt a little malaise had set in because we had stayed in one place for more than one day. Strange feeling! Anna read the paper and found a story about the declassification of CIA documents pertaining to the Castro assassination attempt.
Throughout our time in Nicaragua, there has been the abiding subplot of Union Fenosa. According to many, it has been a simmering issue for quite some time, but recently the problems have exploded with sporadic and unpredictable blackouts that have caused rioting in the streets. When we first came, there was a TV story about a riot in a barrio in Managua, cutting off both light and water (pumped by electricity) for indefinite periods. Just in the past few days, damning front line stories about the damaging effects of blackouts on hospitals and barrios have pervaded daily papers. Much of the graffiti we’ve encountered has been in protest of Union Fenosa. Everyone whom we ask about Union Fenosa have had pointed views about the Spanish utility company.
Went past the panaderia we love so much. What a cool lady! I want to adopt her. Then came the search for an ATM for Anna and i. I’ve determined that Managua was conceived by a centaur as a labyrinth. When we returned to the hotel, H, B & R were in deep conversation with two fellows named Steve and Juan who are doing a documentary on insecticide use and its health effects in Chinandega. They explained that the tent city set up along the roundabout is populated by the families of people effected by insecticide use. Steve and Juan promised to email us the hydrological studies and maps of Chinandega so that we can forward it on to Amigos for Christ.
Jaime came by, and we all packed into the van driven by Luiz for the 2-hour drive to San Jose, where we stayed before. The weather was bad enough to put off the assembly until the next day, so we settled in for an introduction of the project and AsoFenix.
AsoFenix’ orientation
AsoFenix’s main role is to identify communities that have both need and capacity for renewable energy systems. The organization began when a group of engineering students at the University of Managua took a separate course on renewable energy, teaching how to assemble solar dryers, cookers, pumps, etc. The group of 5 students founded AsoFenix. Jaime met Michael Royce and started a dialog about how to get sustainable technologies to rural areas. Alexis and Ain work with battery recharging stations, solar pumps and biogas. In Somoto, some communities have up to 20 biodigestors because they are far from firewood supply. B & H had seen biodigestors in Costa Rica. In Candelaria, the biodigestors might use pig dung. Now, mostly women and children have to walk 1-2km to find firewood. In areas with biodigestors, men are more likely to cook because it’s easy to light and novel to use.
After dinner (served by Nonnie the proprietess), we went for a group walk. Jaime showed us the houses that had either been bought or seriously remodeled by people who had gone to America to work and had sent money back (or come back themselves to retire), which has inflated house prices in the area. San Jose, like many communities, has one Catholic church but numerous Evangelical churches, the difference between restrictions imposed by the Archdiocese and the promulgation of Evangelical churches by charismatic individuals.
H asked a number of edifying (for me!) questions about voltage and transmission. Nicaragua uses 120 volts for normal use and 240 for industrial uses. Malacatoya started as an 8kW system but got expanded to 13kW.

Other interesting tidbits:
While we were at the dinner table (documented by Jaime for his tourism files), the television had a story about Union Fenosa and blackouts.
Cellular phones are very expensive, costing US$15 for 40 minutes usually for monthly signal, this is why people often use a cyber for phone calls, including Jaime.
Most electrical lines now use aluminium rather than copper lines because copper lines are expensive and apt to be stolen. The downside is that aluminium lines have to be thicker.

Nicaragua: Managua

2007-07-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

9 julio Managua
Woke up thinking about a plan Jaime had about bringing tourism to Malacatoya. How might increased tourism affect a small community like Malacatoya, or even a slightly larger one like San Jose de Ramates?
Anna brought pinol for breakfast, though I admit I had to decline in favor of my favorite deity, Coffee. H, B & R joined us for breakfast, and then we headed to the panaderia where everyone partook of bread pudding. I asked if we could see the equipment in the back, and they graciously agreed. Wood fire starts the huge stove!
H, B & R spent the day at Laguna de Apoyo while Jaime, Anna and I went to the National Assembly who ended up being on vacation for 46 days. WOW! Went back to the cyber, but the server was down. Went back to the hotel, but no electricity on the patio. No one wanted us to work, apparently. An hour later, went to the Ministry of Energy for what would hopefully be met with better luck than our previous non-meeting.

Ministry of Energy
The Ministry works in El Cua with ATDER-BL; there are 900 more people who live in this area than just a short time before, so the 1mW plant will serve the area well.
Micro hydro is the current focus of the Ministry; they even had a map on the wall of the micro hydro systems in place and those still planned. The Ministry is currently involved in a pilot project creating 20 hydro plants to show the technology’s potential and effectiveness. We were told that most people on farms use energy for processing coffee. They have despulpadors and picadoras. Other business uses for electricity include pulperias and furniture manufacturing shops. Addition domestic uses are also quite common. There are three levels of production: the farm, electricity for related business, and cooperatives.
The Ministry has few funds of its own and receives donations from groups for programs including micro credit. Micro-credit is something which the Ministry is quite familiar with, starting to use it themselves in 2005. Protesa, PrestaNic are microlenders as well, but he knew of nothing that served Boaco at present.

Got back to the “ranch” in time for a meeting with another organization.

Nicaragua: San Jose, L____, Managua

2007-07-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

8 julio San Jose, L____, Managua

Juan Manuel is the Committee chair in L____; the Committee numbers five. we got to Vicente’s house, who is the mayor and the only one at this time with electricity, which comes from solar panels on the roof. he has a TV radio, 1 light, a refrigerator, and two outlets. their house doubles as a pulperia. the school also has solar electricity. 33 families live in this community with 6 more families outside the community. the Committee is looking to get micro hydro power from the nearby stream. Anna, Jaime and i went to the falls after Jaime had begged some coffee and tortillas for us. the falls were many but the altura small, so Juan Manuel took us a bit farther upstream where the caudal was larger. they informed us there was a larger falls farther up, and Jaime asked them to get the height and flow of the falls in the next few days. we headed back to Vicente’s house.
Anna asked what other ONGs worked in the area.
members of the Committee asked why solar could not be used instead of micro hydro. if i were to hazard a guess as to why, i would say that they have seen that solar power can be installed on individual houses without the community infrastructure needed to design, implement and maintain a micro-hydro system. Anna and Jaime answered that micro hydro generates electricity 24/7 as opposed to solar which only generates power during sun hours.
Anna and i asked Vicente’s wife about her children’s graduate pictures. Her daughter graduated from secondary school in Teustepe and is currently a secretary in Managua. She comes back frequently, in part to help around the house and assuredly to see her 3-year old son who stays in Lagunas with the rest of the family. Vicente and his wife have three daughters and one son. The son is currently attending school in Teustepe. Even during planting and harvesting seasons, he goes to school on Sundays, which is a sacrifice for the family. We asked her about women’s roles in the community and then whether there was a women’s Committee, as well. the Committee, which deals primarily with matters of health and education, is comprised of 5 women. they are hoping to create a clinic by December 2007 with a health promoter (there is not a nurse or practitioner in the area at this time). It seemed that the clinic would benefit from electricity, and they seem excited by this. The Committee meets always in the afternoons. when asked about health problems in the area, she mentioned calenture, diarrhea, and brijules.
back with the Energy Committee, Juan Manuel came with a clipboard of all the houses, names and numbers of their residents.
We went back to Managua after this to Hotel Los Felipes. Rather expensive for the hotel (though I always think everything is expensive). Plenty of smaller hospidajes for future reference. We met up with H,B, and R in short order.
For dinner, H, B & R had found a swell eatery during their walk. The best fritanga ever! Dona Pilar, look no further. Overarching topics of conversation: availability of water generally, Georgia v. Oregon in terms of conscientiousness, etc.

Nicaragua: Managua, San Jose, Malacatoya, San Jose

2007-07-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

7 de julio Managua, San Jose, Malacatoya, San Jose

Jaime picked us up in his white truck about 8am, and we headed out for San Jose and points beyond. San Jose is about a 1 ½ hour trek from Managua with roads that faded from traffic to rubble and dust and culminated with San Jose’s “Samoza” blocks that run about 4-5 blocks in any direction from the center of town. stopped at a house with a swanky, small wooden spiral staircase that turned out to belong to a fellow named Jorge, the one who directs the Mayor’s agenda. the discussion went a little something like this:

there is a Committee in the north and one in the south. the one in the north seems to have less motivation or vision for development than the other.
regarding Malacatoya, the installation will take place either on tuesday afternoon or wednesday morning.
the demand is the same in most of the communities, but the applications and uses are different: some communities need energy and water, others primarily water; some can benefit from micro-hydro, others will require solar. regarding hydro-electric, they discussed how water delivery and electricity can be offered in tandem. the water confluence is pretty large, but its source is not one large waterfall but many sources that flow into the same flow. the majority of communities do not have adequate water delivery service. most have wells of some sort, but they are by and large manually-pumped and not suitable for the quantity of people they serve. the manual wells have the additional issue of claves breaking, rendering the wells unusable. Communities already identified as needing water projects were identified by name. 25 of the communities in the area have already been identified as not having sufficient water. Union Fenosa apparently has a scheduled increase of 2% annually for its utility services, which makes the system even less tenable to rural communities. Currently, water is for consumption in most communities but not for anything else like irrigation. if there was more water available to those areas, it could completely change the economic capabilities and lifestyles of the zone. just a little irrigation will allow a lot of crop cultivation. corn is a difficult crop to grow because it is expensive to buy the seeds for the first plant. it’s also difficult to ensure the quality of the seeds, and farmers have to buy the seeds every year. the priority is to provide energy where there is none, but Jorge also mentioned that some communities that have energy could benefit from a backup system because the national grid is less than reliable. there will be more rationing in future (Managua alone requires 500 mW). on Malacatoya: it is near the grid, but there is no electricity available to speak of. the only alternative is an independent system. the assembly of the turbine and generator should take place on tuesday afternoon.
we got to Malacatoya by way of San Jose (a “settled” town). along the way, we encountered a number of folks that knew Jaime by sight. he is obviously well known and liked by the community (we started calling him "Antonion Banderas"). the jeep took us as far as it could which was to the base of an incline where mud (“lodo”) prevented further driving. up and down and some slips later, we got to the site of the micro-hydro plant. the building has been constructed, the penstock about to be fitted, and the turbine and generator are sitting on the plant floor. four guys are currently working on seating the penstock, which needed an additional four metres. George is coming on tuesday to install the turbine and generator. Jaime explained that the injector controls the flow into the turbine the canal around the plant keeps water from washing against the wall and potentially weakening (?).
Anna said that she and Suzanne Adatto had been out a few years earlier when there was no building. everyone seems VERY excited at this stage. one fellow named Orlando accompanied us back to his house where we talked about the project at greater length. there was a good deal of discussion about tariffs: whether it would be by household or by appliance (a suggestion Anna made). Jaime explained that tariffs would help keep consumption down to what and when people need it. who will enforce and set up payment? the Committee. will there be a paid operator and technician, or will everyone be volunteers? Orlando explained that a technician would not be paid and that tariffs would go to maintenance. the Committee will check the plant from time to time. Anna asked about pulpadoras; Orlando has one in his backyard which we went out to see after the discussion. throughout the conversation, the women kept on the outskirts of the room. Orlando’s wife came out at one point, and the younger women came in and snuggled behind her, peeping out at the others. another worker at the plant (Tony?) came in the doorway, and his wife stood behind him and rested her head on his back. after we had gone back to the truck, we mused how amazing it was that so much change in a project could happen in such a short time.
got back to San Jose and looked for a room of which Jaime knew. needed prep, so we went down the street to a comedor. Anna turned and asked, “isn’t it funny how, in Nicaragua, the first thing you ask when you go into a restaurant is, ‘is there any food’?” it’s pretty hilarious. at Snack Brisas near the Quaker House two days before, they didn’t have rice and beans, though later they confessed to having gallopinto (which is rice and beans mixed together). we got some Really Delicious eggs and rice and beans. then to the room, then Anna and Jaime worked on a proposal while i went to a cyber and typed up notes. good reggaeton, so i stayed for an extra hour. fireworks outside sounded like gunfire. the paved streets (with “Samoza” blocks, according to Anna) and clip-clop of the horse hooves which made for good transportation made it sounds for all the world like a traditional western show. San Jose’s streets are paved well, but in some ways it feels like a town on stilts because all the roads leading to/from it seem to lead down and quickly become rubble and dirt/mud roads. the pulperias sell horseshoes right next to the refrigerators holding juice and coca-cola (“gaseosa”).
when i got back from the cyber, Anna and Jaime were just finishing up their session on the proposal, beer was requisite at this point. lot of young children out at night we found. over Tona, we mused as to whether women have any organizations or Committees or gathering places in Malacatoya. also brainstormed other ways to get statistics regarding health in communities. plan to stop by clinics or hospitals in the area of San Jose to get information including diseases, ailments, reasons for doctor trips or any issues that could relate to water or nutrition as it might relate to distance of water carrying.

Nicaragua: Managua

2007-07-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

6 de julio Managua

there were a number of folks staying at the Quaker House that hadn’t been before. we had missed the PSU Community Development group by a hair’s breath (this and Union Fenosa seems to be the main subplots of our Nicaraguan adventure this time around). Sarah was still there. Caroline was there but about to leave to WOOF in Belize for a week. Molly was in town amidst doing her grad studies in Scotland. she and Sara were teaming up to investigate NSL classifiers. a group of four were from a Baltimore/Esteli sister city association and were preparing to take the bus up to do some work there. Kristen (i believe?) was working for a health clinic. she had created a questionnaire to see how doctors were performing their duties. it was interesting to learn that women in her experience were quite forthcoming in discussing women’s health issues with her, even when other men and women were obviously within earshot. she had been most surprised that women answered how many partners they had had without pause (the range was 1-4 with most in her experience being 2).
no one knew where the heck the Embassy was, so we took a taxi. walked by Habitat for Humanity and had a discussion about why they were doing only houses when communities needed water and electricity.

Embassy Meeting
interesting questions asked of us:
• GE is in 6 countries?
• whose responsibility is the maintenance of the technology?
• which better: to have volunteers or salaried employees?
• what do you do about stealing utilities? how do you assign tariffs and ensure payment? (gave magnificent hypothetical that could only be conceived by a dastardly mind!)
• how do you get the panels here?
• what are the main uses of electricity?
• how much does n entire solar pumping project cost, including training and feasibility studies?
in answer, Jaime and Anna explained that maintenance could either be volunteers or salaried technicians, depending on the communities’ preference, and the tariff system and fund allocation are likewise decided by a Committee within the community. creating an equitable distribution framework is one of the big challenges. it can be ameliorated with the use of meters, but meters are expensive and their installment costly. panels are often shipped in the form of cells to be assembled into solar units in Nicaragua. this has been the most cost-effective but of course has the downside of lacking certification should anything go awry.

other things explored, of course, but in the interest of space. . .
met with another international NGO after meeting with the Embassy, and then Jaime took us to lunch to a vegetarian cart near the university. gorgeous! afterwards, we went to the Ministry of Energy only to learn that, due to the energy shortage (i’m not lying, folks), the government had declared that offices would only be open 7a-1p. they declared this less than 24 hours before our meeting. with the Ministry of Energy. so let’s just recap – the Ministry of Energy, which is located within the purview of the national grid maintained by Union Fenosa, is closed due to energy rationing. humor, bad luck in timing, and a reinforcement of our mission statement all in one closed door.
other notes of interest this day:
• in the ciber while Jaime was making a call, we saw two boys surfing for women – one was youtubing all evening gown portions of Miss America pageants from the last 5 years, and the other was searching for pictures of celebrity women and saving the ones with 30%+ of screenspace devoted to cleavage
• while waiting in line to extract money from my account, two fabulous nurses who asked where i was from, what i was doing in Nicaragua, and then if there was a job for them with our ONG. they didn’t care what kind of job. they didn’t even care what kind of ONG. we were all laughing for a good while after that.
• a woman in a makeup shop started cracking up when i asked if she had change for C$500 (about US$25) when i said i wanted to buy a few hairtyes for C$10.
• a guy was very adamant about palm reading and i believe spirituality while we were waiting for the receipt at the vegetarian place.

Nicaragua: Chinandega, Managua

2007-07-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

5 de julio 2007 Chinandega Managua
they got up. Justin was as fresh as a daisy. we couldn’t believe it.
while waiting for the truck, we had a fascinating conversation with a few of the students’ chaperones, one of whom left Nicaragua in 1983. Martin had never thought of leaving Nicaragua to go to the States like many of his family wanted. he didn’t even get a passport until he saw his father being carted away by the Sandanista government for having “too much money in his pocket.” they held his father for a week, and Martin decided he didn’t want to stay in a country that would do that. it was a very different accounting of that time than others we had heard.
we piled into the ambulance with Marieling, Luiz, Dania, Patty (how is it that she was even standing?) H (forgot her name, darnit!) and Justin. best conversations of the trip:
• Luiz and others getting into a very interested discussion about the possible applications of pumping systems
• Justin talking about his own motivations for doing work with A4C, which became an interesting comparison of doing Christ’s work v. evangelism. he talked at length, and very movingly i might add, that his relationship with God was his motivation for doing this work, but he didn’t expect everyone else to feel the same. it is not something one can coerce another to feel. Anna and i were both impressed with both his eloquence and his unwavering, unconditional faith.
• Dania and i talking.
Anna and i talked later about this missionary fervor. it’s interesting that non-religious NGOs focus on the “what”, while religious NGOs focus on the “why”. A4C, for example, has a long, unwavering vision that is deeply rooted in a faith that its donors and participants share. John was very forthcoming in describing the mistakes or incorrect assumptions they’ve made, but these mistakes have not stifles him. they have guided their focus and direction, rather than requiring, in some situations, an evaluation of the mission itself as would often happen in a secular nonprofit. both seem right. which is more effective?
got to the Quaker House, foraged for food at Snack Las Brisas which didn’t have rice and beans but did have gallop into, then went back to crash for an hour before meeting with Jaime. WHO ROCKS! talked about the solar umps, micro hydro systems, and the communities (won’t elaborate on this, as i assume Anna can better than i). he was even gracious enough to take the “Sondeo . . .” book home with him to look at it. after talks and some phone calls, came up with a game plan to meet with the Canadian Embassy, CARE Intl, and the Ministry of Energy. Caroline came in and mentioned the Solidarity Conference that NicaNet was putting on the next weekend, and we considered doing this, as well. ponder ponder ponder.
Anna and i were HUNGRY. we shoelace the street near the supermarket area until we found a GREAT fritanga. it was so clean that the lady actually put a condom on the tongs when not using it. i will miss that place when we leave. have come to learn that when one finds a good fritanga, one must grasp it with both hands.

Nicaragua: Leon, Chinandega

2007-07-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

it turns out that Leon opens at 8am. the water (still) wasn’t on yet, so we put clothes over our dusty, grimy bodies and set out to get a few last pictures before heading to the bus. the Ben Linder painting, the “Bush” graffiti, and a mysterious “6% Union Fenosa” graffiti. the bus ride to Chinandega: uneventful. upon arrival, Anna had the BRILLIANT idea of using a bicitaxi. David who couldn’t have been more than 16, took our bags and the address of our destination. he has had the taxi for 2 years, with his certification as the taxi’s only adornment. guilt and what was a further trek than we’d thought coupled with impish indulgence overtook us, and both Anna and i took at chance at driving the bicitaxi. the look on people’s faces? classic. one missed turn accidentally to the doors of a military enclave later, and we found ourselves at Amigos for Christ’s door and in David’s debt for his faith in us.

John came out immediately to greet us on the porch of Casa Blanca. he sported a southern drawl we learned hailed from Georgia. his wife, Sabrina, and their three sons were also staying at the house. John introduced us to Tomas, the A4C engineer.

the organization was formed three years ago formally, but John and Sabrina have been working on projects for something like 18 years. they originally started in the Peace Corps in Paraguay on i believe a sanitation project which quickly taught them the necessity of water. three years ago, A4C, whose volunteers had been working in conjunction with another entity, became its own nonprofit and go enough start-up donations to buy Casa Blanca and pay for a small office as well as John’s salary. it’s a small outfit out of Georgia that does missionary trips in the sumemr and spends most of the rest of the year fundraising, designing, and keeping in touch with Nicaraguan year-round staff. John ran down a few of the projects and renewable energy possibilities associated with them:

Villa Catalina – a community home- and farm-building project to relocate people who had previously been living at the dumps. John said that there were a number of challenges involved with the project: one was cost-effective water pumping for irrigation as well as for a community housing project next door created by the Rotarians who ran out of money.

the Finca – their farm, recently purchased, keeps a number of chickens, pigs, and cows to be distributed a la Heifer International. they have a need for potable water for caretakers and animals as well as irrigation to their maize crop.

before we went to a tour of the projects, Tomas talked about his interest and experience with solar. he recently went to Potreritos to check out the solar water pump with Jaime. he said that their pumps sometimes had problems with wear on part of the pump, specifically a plastic component that impacts with a metal component that wears the plastic down to nothing. Tomas was intrigued by the solar pump and thought that it would be a good match for them. when Anna asked about funding, John said that donors individually helped cobble their budget together, but Food for the Poor provided funding for a lot of their water projects and are willing to cover it.

we got in the “ambulance” as it is called and headed out with Luiz, MarieLing, the jefa of computadoras, and Tomas and John. first stop was the dump and its nearby slums. A4C has been involved with the dump’s human microcosm relating to immediate health needs. they have been working with leaders of the community to build Villa and help transport families. there were a dozen or so people on the dump grounds, and John said there would normally be more than 100 but for the burning. John showed us the river right underneath a path leading straight up to it where waste was “encouraged” to go. there is a hospital upstream that dumps their medical waste straight into the same river.

about 4 dozen flies hitched a ride with us to Villa Catalina. over 100 houses were built in a spot that had been cleared away by Mitch. John said that he and Luiz and members of the dump’s community had driven around for days to find the right spot. they were in the process of building a health clinic when we arrived. reinforced concrete. a covey of families helped build the houses, and a lottery was held to place them. John, Tomas, Luiz and MarieLing showed us the diesel-powered pump and tank, the grid “generously” and unwittingly provided by Union Fenosa, the library, pig stable, massive chicken coop, and crop parcels. there is a basketball court. a sports stadium and locker room area are being funded by spots eagues from the States. the courts are going to have a league of 5 on 5 games with uniforms provided. we visited two sisters who have laid tile in the house and ainted their walls pink and blue. Manuel, an older fellow with calloused hands, met with us and said how great the place was. he is paid a small monthly stipend for doing work on the grounds which he did assiduously. John talked a bt about the micro-lending process they have started doing which has worked really well in establishing pulperias, bike repair, etc. an ice cream cart went around he neighborhood twice while we were there. a number of patios were teeming with vegetation, much of it for consumption or productive use. the pigs were sold at about 1 ½ years, i believe. there was one HUGE pig weighing over 1000 lbs. called Tomasito. i have NO idea how many chickens they had, perhaps 150?, but they used rice hulls which ony had to be changed out every 6 months or so. a biodigester fed into what will be the cafeteria, and the main struggle thwy were finding was that people had to be convinced that the gas emitted from the cow dung was not unhealthy. it certainly is rather counterintuitive. worm composting near the animal pens.

we nex looked at a spot where John was considering for a tank and water pump. it was on a slight incline overlooking the Rotarians’ funded housing community (advertised at $2000 per house). who ran out of money before little details like water delivery could be installed. John mentioned that some of the rock was volcanic ans very dense, and occasionally they drilled and found water only to have the well collapse due to subterranean irregularities associated with volcanic activities. their land abuts private land, so there appeared no way that water could be pumped to another nearby community. Anna asked whether they couldn’t just hook up the pump to the electrical line overhead; Tomas and Luiz said that the line actually belonged to Enitel. to hook up to the grid, they would have to hook it way down at the road.

while we were kibitzing, members of the community came up to discuss issues with latrines and to ask about water. before we knew it, most of the community (of 37 families) joined us. Anna talked with a few members of the community; i talked with a young lady of 12 years of age who gos to school in the schoolhouse. her family moved to the development 7 months ago. they planted corn the previous october, which was the first crop their family had ever planted. my spanish needs work, so i took pictures when i couldn’t string together words.

we said goodbye to the community and headed back to the house to shower before heading to their finca for the 4th of july celebration and pig roast. best shower ever!

on the way to the finca, we stopped to get fireworks from a self-made pyrotechnic. there was a “no fumar” sign nailed to the tree. this day was getting crazier and crazier.

the finca is currently comprised of a pigsty, chicken coop, cow pasture, and corn field. there is a water tank in the back that hasn’t been hooked to an energy system yet. next steps for the finca include a house/office for John and Sabrina, housing for a caretaker’s family, and more crops. according to Anna, this seems the best option for a first-run solar pump project. stats:

320 litres

200 feet well
70 ft. static water
the well-digging syste they have used in the past is Deep Rock 100 with a rig that can dig up to 450 ft. A4C have drilled 360 ft max to date.

what the missionary students were doing through all of this:
*catching chickens
*water balloon tossing
* preparing for a tug of war in the pigsty. you heard me, IN the pigsty

we met Sabrina, a nurse by trade. she has been insrumental in heading up health clinics for a number of their programs. she introduced us to the bus driver and Bacchus, their agronomist. Bacchus talked about the projects they have with giving away livestock to families in need in much the same way as Heifer International does. our converation (okay okay, their conversation and my shameless eavesdropping) continued after he joined the tug of war and helped grerase the pig for the pig-catching contest (KY Jelly, hich is apparently better than Vasoline for a pig’s well-being). in case you’re wondering (and who wouldn’t be?), the contest was very short; everyone was disappointed about how skittish the pig . . . wasn’t.

Bacchus’ story. he came from Chichigalpa from a very poor family who are now living in one of thw A4C’s new houses. he asked and asked A4C many times when he was of school age to be given the chance to study agronomy, and finally they acquiesced. he subsequently became a trained agronomist and has been working with them for a long time.

Anna and Bacchus continued to talk, even when fireworks were going off. one went onto a neighboring house, but no one seemed fazed by this. we packed up and headed back to Casa Blanca, where John asked whetehr we’d like to go out with a few others for a drink. went with John, Sabrina, Justin, Jeremy, Roberto, Luiz, Marieling, Hannah, Kristen, and Patty.

i thought it was going to be one drrink. it turned into an all-out drinkfest. more Tona and Flor de Cana flowed than i can talk about. it definitely could have spun a turbine once or twice. specifics suppressed to protect the innocent, but it is telling of a good group of people when everyone is as funny and good-natured sober as they are . . . not so sober.

Nicaragua: Condega, Esteli, Leon

2007-07-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

3 de julio Condega, Esteli, Leon

okay, so i have to mention that both Anna and i had weird dreams that night. Anna dreamt about Mill Walker and Irene Tinker and Amaya togetehr in a highrise, and i dreamt about secret doors, Steven crossdressing, and a university president faking his abdication and subsequnt demise in order to gain secrets of the Freemasons. all of my joints hurt, which has come from sittingfor longer than i have in years. i spent 45 minutes just stretching and popping and cracking throughout the night. still praying for corporeal gods to forgive me. end random personal account.

walked to Helen and Amanda´s house about 8am by way of vegetable market boasting coffee and tortillas with avocado. yum! Helen and Amanda had filled about half the truck bed with seedling plants: primarily coffee, papaya, cedar, and mahogany. we looked up and headed to the farm. on the way, there were a number of houses that looked the same as their neighbors with vibrant colors that were constructed closely together. Amanda explained that this was a municipal project for homeless people of Condega. i asked how many were homeless, and she replied that Condega is like many other places in that poor families exist with many generations living practically on top of one another in the same house. she was not very optimistic of the project, which was unsustainably close together with no abutting land to grow anything and too small a house to accommodate more than a very small nuclear family.

their farm was bought about 5 years ago when it was an arid, desert-like parcel. the whole area was destroyed during Hurricane Mitch. in the past five years, they have replanted cedar and mahogany as well as shade-grown coffee underneath and papayas. the irrigation is done by drip irrigation piping bought in Israel and fed from what is currently a diesel pump-fed tank further up the hill. they want to install solar pumps as a more environmental and economical alternative. drip irrigation requires filters of which there are two on the grounds. next, Helen showed the house, created by adobe (same as cob in this case) with a lime/plaster finish. the idea is to mount solar on the house, have an office and guest rooms for visiting groups, and an area for demonstrations ranging from adobe to solar installation. there will be a bicycle pump that abuts the house where a well has already been dug. they also hope to have biodigesters in the future but are talking to AsoFenix, who know of a new cheaper, more portable design than the classic brick and mortar version. in fact, Alexis from AsoFenix had just been there the day before. we had missed him by the merest breath. the composting area is ner the animal stalls with worm composting to speed up the process. two composting latrines are also on the farm. the composting feeds back to the crops for fertilizer. a bull pen is just beyond the compost area with a horse pasture populated by two horses. they will use a covered trough for the summer months. since Helen and Amanda are preoccupied most of the time with the school, a family lives in a separate house and tends the animals and crops. there is a solar panel on the roof of the tenders’ house. the adobe house has already been used as a space for an adobe workshop whose techniques have been employed in subsequent projects, such as adobe houses in town. as we left the farm, we passed the fledgling maize crop. Amanda was known by most of the men we passed an a number of women in town.

the school. we passed by the office first where Helen showed some brochures and pictures. there was a classroom across the way. the main area opened into the carpentry lab with additional tools on the side. carpentry was the original use of the school. the area has a “green wood” and regular lathe, planers, table saw, and a number of other specialized machines along the periphery. Helen next showed us the welding area and electrical classroom/lab that comprises the most recent addition to the curriculum. up a winding wooden staircase was the computer room and welding classroom. Helen described the history of the school itself, created by the hands of 3 years’ students. one of the signs was a female symbol incorporating a hammer. she described the importance of involving the women’s families into the culture. downstairs a “Bienvenidos a Padres” sign could be found.

students had recently taken a trip to a timber farm so that they could see the carpentry process from start to finish. the students working while we were there (on their week off, i might add) seemed very keen and intent. Anna and Helen discussed the possible partnerships and funding thoughts we had the night before.

we departed for Esteli and then on to Leon, but not before visiting Condega’s Museo Anthopologicke. our favorite was the “personajes de Condega” section: a woman who could balance a whole lot of fruit on her head who is an example for future generations.

in Leon, we got on a covered truck (almost exactly like a Thai songthaew but with fewer colors) to the cty and asked around until we found a cheap hospidaje called “Casa Vieja” for 100C a night. no water, though. as it turns out, the water was out in Leon at that time, though there was light. we were confused.

we went for walk and found:
*the UNAN/Leon Universidad
*a monument to Leon’s heroism during the Contra/Sandinista conflict
*the beautiful plaza with iglesia next door. Gorgeous! Anna said that Leon was not effected by the earthquake that decimated Managua in the 70s which explains the beautiful old buildings and houses.

the best find of all probably had to be the red and purple edifice we found with a stylized clown on a giraffe unicycle and “Benjamin Linder” painted on the doorway arch.
we have to go back for the story. we found a restaurant that boasted salads and played Silvia Rodriguez, much to Anna’s delight. i ordered the Ensalada Cactus after we assured that it was vegetarian. it was, if you didn’t count the lumps of ham and a vast infestation of mayo-slathered chicken. Anna was kind enough to share her spaghetti.

Anna had wanted to wash her hands, but there was again no water. according to the waiter, half Leon has light but no water in the evening and water but no light in the morning. the converse is true for the other side of town. of course, according to the waiter, the Ensalata Cactus is vegetarian. we’ll see.

on the way home, i got terribly lost as is my wont. no one seemed to know where the Casa Vieja was, but it was good Spanish practice. one guy i asked:

Me: ¿conoce Ud. a Casa Vieja? es un hospidaje cerca de aqui, pero no recuerdo la direccion.

Seguridad: no conozco. tal vez es nueva.

Me: no! es Casa VIEJA.

i love language learning. stupid puns are actually funny. found someone who knew, and i’m back at the room.

there is a cockroach on the wall. at first i thought there were two and that they were mating, but i guess it’s just one really indecisive one. thought about hitting it with my shoe, but the smell of dead cockroaches tends to attract other cockroaches (ahh, important tidbits one learns in Thailand). it also reminds me of Archy the Cockroach.

goodnight.

Nicaragua: Matagalpa, Esteli, Condega

2007-07-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

2 de julio, 2007 Matagalpa, Esteli, Condega

the next morning we had coffee (gracias a Dios) and set out to solve the Mystery of the Phone Chip. the phone kept asking for a phone provider when tryng to add time to the chip. after waiting in the Enitel office for 45 minutes, the shop (air conditioned and complete with security officials) told us to go to the shack across the way which is the place where things apparently ACTUALLY get done. went to a cybercafe where a woman wrote a sweet note to me with her phone number and address. call me crazy, but i´m a sucker for a written note. she had the cutest son ever! on the way, another ¨Toro Mecanico¨sign, this time next to another banner that called for gay rights. Wow! went to ATDER-BL office, and Aleyda gave us copies to all of the current deeds and receipts. what a gal what a gal. she said again that she believed the land could be bught without difficulty by the end ofjuly. she and i kibitzed on how much time was needed at the office to keep things going. i heart her.

we had the Grand Taxi Tour on the way to the bus stop, and from there the bus to Esteli, and from the bus stop a walk to another bus stop to the last bust to Condega in order to meet with AMCC. arrived in Condega at about 5:30 and shopped around the place for a cheap hotel. note: if you{re looking for a deal on a room in Condega, look no farther than Hospidaje Framada. two downsides: when we got there, no light, and no light also meant no water. it sure seemed telling that light flowed freely in the northern concession but FAR less frequently or dependably on the national grid.

Anna and i were confronted by a new and strange animal ' free time. we bravely combatted this by calling Helen at AMCC and then, when no one answered either phone, resolved to find their school door and seek them out physically. we got as far as their street (after a monsoon-like downpour lasting 5 minutes) when Helen caleld and gave directions to her house. it was a greem-blue facade with a beautiful garden and open kitchen/dining area looking out. Amanda and Helen introduced themselves, and we learned a little of AMCC. Helen came to Nicaragua from Britain 18 or so years ago and has stayed pretty much constantly since. Amanda is originally from Condega and very politically outspoken. when asked about Daniel Ortega, Amanda was direct and fervent that the new ¨Left¨looks rather like the ¨Right¨in many ways, and that the new political paradigm is to ally itself as closely as possible with financial interests. this was about the time in the conversation when the electricity went off (from the national grid). Amanda and Helen immediately got candles like old pros. apparently this happens often. it is interesting to compare this circumstance to that in the concession of the north, where electricity was completely constant. back to Daniel. according to Amanda´s views, dissent is encouraged among the barrios and disadvantaged populations, and the vote is split so that Ortega won with just 38% of the vote. women, who had reached some modicum of emancipation along with the social services with the 1st wave of the Sandinists are now either entirely forgotten or paid mere lipservice. in terms of women´s roles in Nicaragua, Amanda and Helen both stated that there were any disadvantages in the machismo culture, but the force of women is strong, and women´s rights needs only encouragement and time to change current situations. about Helen´s history: she was originally a carpnter in Britain and came during the 80s to teach women computer skills and other ocational skills. she became involved with AMCC with Amanda and has slowly developed the venture into a school. while we were talking, Helen cooked up some eggs, rice & beans with sweet peppers, and SALAD with raisins (pasas). it was heaven! we went back to the hotel and cospired on rocking chairs. thoughts included the following:

QUESTIONS
how much income comes from manufacturing contracts?
who would the sustinable farm demonstrations be for? consumers, municipalities, their students, other NGOs . . .?
might they be looking for other alternatives for welding (ie. hydraulic ram pump)?
how sophisticated is thir electrical training?

other brainstoming followed, but i´m not authorized to divulge this info. at this time or the chip in my gbrain will explode.

sleep quickly followed.

Nicaragua: Bocay, El Bote, Matagalpa

2007-07-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

1 de julio 2007: Bocay, El Bote, Matagalpa

woke up and had breakfast the same spot as the night before. tortillas and queso seco. Aleyda explained divorce in Nicaragua, which happens more frequently now than before (i don{t think this has anything to do with renewable energy, by the way). people who marry the 2nd time can have a civil marriage, but church weddings are not really ¨done¨. she mentioned marriage encounters (encuento conjugales), which seems a predominant way for catholics to work out communication difficulties in their relationships. my parents went on a marriage encounter once that saved their marriage, so we swapped stories.

we said godbye to Bocay with its Benjamin Linder banner and headed to El Bote!!

our first stop before the hydroplant was ATDER{s telephone station. we met with ATDER{s agronomist, Buonoera, who talked about the harvesting and planting methods for coffee, plantains, bananas, beans, and rice. th major question was ne of incentivesÑ farmers need reason to change farming habits that are more immediate than promises of llong'term sustainability and social quality. farmers are paid to plant the initial harvest and maintain sustainable techniques.

he had pictures of all the farms to be bought with corresponding maps of their plots. very impressive!

in the midst of this, i met Eric and his friend Lester as well as Lester{s sister (who was too shy to introduce herself). Eric started working for ATDER'BL a week ago since school is out. he helps Rebecca as a manager, though i was unclear in precisely what capacity. i walked across the street after being beckoned by the owner of the pulperia. he asked where we were from and how we were involved in the project. Anna came over, and he sat us down in his house and asked rather pointed questions about the funding. apparently he was worried about a new government being bought by foreign interests. as auxiliary mayor, Alcade came with us as we looked at the fence marking the watershed and coffee plants growing under the shade of banana trees. they plant posts which end up sprouting leaves and roots. it{s called a ¨cerca vivo¨. satisfied with the reasons for our visit, he was dropped off back at the pulperia before we headed up to the hydroplant. it´s HUGE!
1 mW, 2 turbines with 2 injectors eachand 2 generators, with one control panel to rule them all. the transformers can be easily found just above the plant and fed into the grid. behind the plant was a small house with the falls beyond. El Mexicano said that the falls have 3 tiers, 2 of which were high enough that we couldn{t even see them. we thought that roaring falls would prevent sleep, but the noise was much diminished inside the thickly'walled house. hopefully, the walls will also filter some of the noise from the generator which will be rather intense when it{s operational. Doris and daughter Maria have lived there for the past 4 months. Maria will start school in the next session, a 20'30 minute walk upsteps of the falls. we walked back into the plant where Buonoera, _________, and the El Bote plant operator were looking over designs. a lightning bolt had hit the plant the night before and knocked out one of the parts of the control panel. Rebecca had apparently alreadycome by and taken the part to be replaced.

we left the plant and headed back to ATDER{s telephone headquarters (Eric was there to greet us) and said goodbye to everyone there as well as Alcade across the street. we followed the lines back to El Cua (beuatiful pillars and endless lines). we saw the lechedora on the way back. i had hoped that we would pass by the Iglesia Luz Eternal which we passed in El Bote just before the telephone station, but no such luck. a quick goodbye to El Mexicano, and then the bus back to Matagalpa. there were plenty of stops and starts along the way: sacks of beans loaded, a boisterous group of guys kicked off the bus for being ¨too drunk¨and kicking up a fuss in the street, a woman with a LOT of lipstick shuffling her children to the back of the bus, beans unloaded, etc etc. being the last bus, it was nightfall before we were halfway to Matagalpa. the fireflies lit up parts of the field. pulperias were open into the night. music could be heard from the road all along the countryside under El Bote{s electrical lines. a few houses could be seen across the hillside. it was magical. i{ve never noticed how much a little electricity ca change an entire region. Alcade, when asked how electrcity had changed his pulperia, said that there was ¨more protection and safety, more goods to be sold, more customers¨. he has had the pulperia for 18 years, since well before the electricity cam. he remembered Ben Linder.

Aleyda{s husband and nephew, Ditmar, came to pick us up when we hit Matagalpa at 8:30m or so. they were kindenough t take us to a hotel. Anna and i went foraging for dinner and passed up a pizza joint for platinos and friojles molidas (and cerveza!). at the end of the meal, the proprietress asked where we were from and divulged that 3 children of hers lived in LA. everyone seems to have some connection to the States. Anna and i walked back to the hotel by way of the church which had a banner hanging next to it advertising, ¨Cowboy Festival, Toro Mecanico¨. for the previous night. bummer.

Nicaragua: El Cua, La Pita, Bocay

2007-06-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

30 junio 2007: El Cua, La Pita, Bocay

had breakfast at the same spot in El Cua. tortillas and ¨queso seco¨. funky cheese, as Anna calls it. we met with Inocencio, or Ël Mexicano¨(called this because he spent 12 years in Mexico), who drove us in ATDER´s 4x4. we headed for La Pita, one of the micro-hydro plants. El Mexicano works in the taller, or machine shop, of ATDER-BL. they have a few lathes, a few drill pressesand the obligatory tabgle saw among other tools. their shop is often used to make pieces for the turbines, etc. that are easier and cheaper to make than they would be to hunt down and buy.

when we got to La Pita, El Mexicano showed that a few parts he had created were at work in the La Pita turbine. i wondered what he did while in Mexico and later learned from Anna that he worked as a taxi driver.

a number of folks were kind enough to greet us in La Pita - Dionysio, who was sporting a CARE tshirt, Euclides, whose jacket had Ben Linder´s logo on it, Isidoro and Lionel. they first showed us the plant, which had one turbine and one injector. Dionysio said that he was n charge of helping coordination within the community. there are three types of meetings with reagrd to the plantÑ assemblies, coordinator meetings, and general meetings with prncipal leaders. the oordinator meetings are often with 20 people or so and serve to discuss legal and logistical matters. i believe the principal leaders are principally for logistics and tactics. assembly meetings often involve 100 people and focus on consent and visioning for the community. Anna learned from Euclides of some businesses in town the welding shop (soldadura), carpenteria, and more pulperias than you can shake a stick at. they said the biggest problem that they had was lack of meters, which caused a loss 0f revenue and theft of more energy than houses are supposed to consume. until they have these, they are basically losing money and electricity.

we went next to the co'op, a place where bananas are treated and washed so that they will fetch a higher price on the market. it{s a cooperative with over 30 people. we went around the area a little more and checked out the welding area, complete with rusted trucks and junkyard dogs. on the way back, there was a family of four women. when asked how the light had changed them, they said simply, ¨we have light. our house is beautiful now¨. they seemed happy at being called guapas. the adjective or my bad spanish? you decide.

next was a meeting with everyone involved with the plant back at the telephone office. there was a cinematographer with cameras draped like leaves awaiting us from ASOLPIC hat made us feel better, what with our cameras. i will assume Anna can describe the meeting better than me. El Mexicano and i went back to check out the school which was closed. it is a primary school. the secondary school students go to El Cua. El Mexicano said he came back from Mexico 4 years ago and started wrking for ATDER shortly after that. before, he was working as a taxi driver in Mexico City, which is not nearly so beautiful as La Pita. not hard to imagine.

going back to the meeting, the fellow from ASOLPIC asked everyone to say what they thought of GE. he first just asked Anna and i our impressions of La Pita. the most important questions asked of any of the three women present seemed to be ¨soltera o casada?¨ this pretty well sent us on our way to Bocay.

on the way t Bocay, we stopped by the lechadura, complete with its own generator. the lechadura keeps the milk cold, about 45 degrees when we visited.

Bocay{s generator does not currently have the second injector installed, which will augment both the number of people and the wattage. i believe the main issue is just one of connecting. it was amazing to see the amount of water that could generate s much energy.

in Bocay, there s a new school named after Elisabeth Linder. when we were there, there was a computer course in sesion teaching basics of spreadsheets. Ella, the office manager for the school, said that students who learn will use new skills for further study but will most likely stay in Bocay.

Chepito, manager of APRODELBO, was pretty darn forthcoming on a lot of issues. one of the most interestingaspects of the conversation was corporate social responsibility. let{s just say he wasn{t a fan.

we went to dinner and discussed different types of music. everyone seemed to like ranchero, no one understood the abiding love that Anna and i have for reggaetown. the restaurant was open after dark with at least 2 refregerators. whole trucks were in town for saturday evening religious services. Felix was right: the music and lights seemed to make everything festive. walked back after dark, we noticed most houses were still lit with music and talking coming from within. we walked under at least three lights.

Nicaragua: Managua, Matagalpa, El Cua

2007-06-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

29 Junio 2007: Managua, Matagalpa, El Cua

This morning, Anna and i woke in the Quaker House. we got on board the express bus to Matagalpa, taking 2 hours or so. on the way, we looked over IUCN details that would definitely come up in conversation ith ATDER-BL. upon arrival in Matagalpa, we met with Aleyda at ATDER´s home office. there are 3 people that work there. the deeds and receipts from IUCN land puchases were ready for us, so we took no time in perusing them. Anna and Aleyda talked about the amendment to the title that needs to be filed with the land registration office, which ATDER can amend with IUCN´s language by the July deadline, and possibly before we leave Nicaragua. $15,000 is all that´s left from the IUCN grant, and the rest has gone to purchase land! Aleyda also said it shouldn´t be aproblem to buy the rest of the land by the and of July.

at 1:30, Aleyda, Anna and i got on the bus to El Cua/Bocay. it took 4 1/2 hours. the road started as concrete but quickly became rock and dirt after just a little while. the mountains are positively luscious! banana and cocnut trees abound! there are some terraced crops which i later discovered to be coffee.

as soon as we got to El Cua, Aleyda took us to TechniSol, a solar company that sells PV equipment systems and accessories. apparently there is a market for this in the north. a hotellay behind the store with 4 rooms, three of which our group occupied for the night.

Aleyda took us across the alley to ATDER´s workshop and El Cua office, where we met Doravel (Aleyda´s sister, and her coworker whose name shamefully escapes me. they discussed briefly the 20 year anniversary remembrance of Ben´s life, whose pictures were interspersed along the wall with accounts from the fiesta.

we swung across the hall to meet Felix and Arel. They are working on the hydro plant and just got the bugs out of a computer that describes wattage produced, use by villages, and amount sold back to the grid. all in real time. incredible. a few stories:

1. there was a piece of equipment recently that had a little fragment of metal clinging to it. the metal prompted the voltage to shoot up due to the friction, and they had to take part of the systemcompletely apart to find the offending particle.

2. they were having trouble with the turbine and had t run some maintenance procedures. they begged everyone not to turnon their televisions for a few hours but they are ¨stubborn¨, and the wattage usage shot up during everyone´s favorite soap opera despite Felix´s protestations.

after speaking with Felix and Arel, we went for dinner. rice, beans and onions with fried plantains. yumm! we hadn´t eaten most of the day, and cebollo never tasted so good. Aleyda told us about her family - a brother in Washington DC who cannot come back from the States, Doravel, and other family members that live in Matagalpa. we had met her husband very briefly before leaving Matagalpa. when asked the difference between electricity and none, she said that people stayed up a little later now watching TV and talking and get upa little later. there are computers inthe schools, in some shops, and in private homes as well. there is internet. women´s working time is about the same as before. however, before the use of firewood for cooking and planchas (irons) were rather dangerous and created smoky working environments. a s,all lull in the conversation, and we watched TV for a moment in the restaurant. ina barrio in Managua, Union Fenosa had taken one of the employees hostage during a utilities-use struggle. the utility had turned off electricity which also turned off the water to the barrio, and the people became angry.

Aleyda mentioned one time recently when the electricity was off for rationing (racionamiento), and everything was quite. Felix said when asked the difference between pre- and post-electricity that there was more dancing than before and that religious services were more festive, that everything seemed more vibrant with electricity.

Aleyda said they were already planning a 1 mW plant in a neighboring area in St. Therese and feeding it back to the grid. in the freest reserve, people use for forest and not for crops at all (though Anna and i were not entirely sure on this point. Anna would be better able to say). we walked back to the hotel. there were streetlights (alumbrado publico), souds of music and people talking on the streets. a group of kids were playing soccer in a concrete square under 4 large lights. it was so beautiful to hear music and crickets together, as well as seeing streetlights and stars. small frogs hopped across the concrete in front of our rooms.

other random remembrances:

. Doris´daughter´s name is Ashley

. Four people told us not to get robbed within the first 12 hours of our time here

. Sarah at the Quaker House is in Nicaragua for 4 months studying Nicaraguan Sign Language. before, people tended to hide their deaf children away from the rest of society because they felt heir children´s disability was proof of their iniquities. a school began to create a means of communicating about 30 years ago in Nicaragua, and children began talking with their ¨home sign¨, developing a new language through the social evolution. the language is now in its third generation, and the school teaches parents, who no longer hide their children, the language. NSL has more structure now, even boasting classifiers like Chinese (jia, zhang, ting, etc.).

. the driver´s horn from Matagalpa to Bocay was an electric wire dangling from the windowsill that had to be tugged.

Nicaragua: Portland, Houston, Managua

2007-06-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

28.06.07 Portland, Houston, Managua

on the plane, i learned a number of hopefully helpful words from the “Sandeo Rural Participativo” book that Gordy (unwittingly?) loaned us. here’s the beginning of the ongoing list:

esfuerzo effort
nivel level
mundial worldwide
calidad quality
diseño design
herramientes tools
apoyar to support (financial, physical)
manera way; method
líderes communitarias community leaders
promedio average (numerical)
valores values
manejar to manage
cierto certain
criar to raise (children, animals)
quebrada ravine
cascada, caigo de agua, salto waterfall
cosechar to harvest
capa arable topsoil
manzana area measurement
sembrar to plant
le~na firewood
propias property
mano de obra labor
juicio case (legal)
escolaridad schooling
finca farm
jornaleros unskilled workers
piso de tierra dirt floor
bestias para carga mules; beasts of burden
cerdo pig
paja/zacate types of grass
bosque forest
tierra balestre arid land unsuitable for farming
gallinas hens
chunto bull
oveja lamb
cabra goat
pizotes wild animals
coche de monte donkey cart
mapaches raccoons
zancudo mosquito
culebra snake
ardillas squirrels
pendiete pending
riego irrigation
huerto crop (of land)

one moment of the trip that is noteworthy: we got off the plane late and ran to E2 where our departure to Managua was supposed to take off. the attendant took our tickets and waved us onto the plane, but people were already in our seats. the attendant followed us a minute later and told us this was the wrong plane as it was bound for New Orleans and that our airplane was to be found across the terminal at E20. gotta love flying!

Pedalpalooza RideReport: Road Witch

2007-06-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

RoadWitch.07

NAME of Ride: Road Witch Ride
LEADERS: Michael Jones and "the other" steph
CO-HAULERS: Dan Miller, "the other" Matt P., Donna, Flow, and BenFoote

DATE: 14 June, 2007
START time: 6:40pm
DURATION: 6:40-10:00pm (ish)
DISTANCE: <1km for sure!
NUMBER of riders: 20

SYNOPSIS of ride:
road witches are creative ways of traffic calming. WE WANTED TO CALM TRAFFIC! i mean, we wanted to c . . .a . . .l . . .m traffic.

we met up at Col. Summers Park and had a brief intro. to types of road witches that have been created the world over. a little discussion later, we (accompanied by Dan's portable tunes) waltzed our furniture- and astroturf-laden trailers over to Alder Ct. where we picked up a chair and loveseat lovingly donated/loaned for the occasion by the Jasper/Carl contingent. our caravan had just begun heading up the street when lo! what should we find but a coffee table and easychair set out for the taking! manna from heaven? you decide. a few bungee cords later and off we were in search of a fitting place on Belmont.

we eschewed a few mere 15-minute spaces until we came upon our new erstwhile parking spot in front of Tao of Tea. we rolled our bikes and trailers into the parking lot and unloaded our goods. within a minute we had moved into our new streetside living room and backyard, complete with carpet, floor lamp, table, chairs, and plant pots. the parking sign indicated that we could spend as much as an hour there, so we got comfortable. Donna got tea service from the Tao (their jasmine tea? highly recommended). theatre-goers who were on their way to see "The Wonder of the World" or "Uncommon Women and Others" stopped to ask what we were doing. one woman came up and said that our setup was just fabulous and that there should be more of this. grapes and tea and kudos from passersby made us feel quite at home, and the BC bikeazine reading material provided by Ron, our Canadian Ambassador to Pedalpalooza, allowed us to pass the time in relaxed fashion.

perhaps 45 minutes later, we packed up and headed to Hawthorne to spread yet more traffic-calming cheer. the Parking Fates smiled once again, and we found ourselves with free real estate in front of the Bagdad on 34th. according to the sign, we were allowed to be there until 5am! we moved in to our little humble roadside bungalow, and Guy immediately ordered pizza (for future reference, the Bagdad delivers to curbside residences). we stayed until a little after dusk and then packed up. Dan's sound system and Team parkXbike meandered back up to NoPo.

HIGH points: Dan's portable sound system! no house is complete without music. Flow stepped up to haul the TimoTrailer, and a few unwanted furniture items found a home. the company was great, too! a lot of good discussion and good times. everyone who passed by seemed curious but then appreciative of our parking job. you were all wonderful!! it was such a pleasure to park with you all.

LOW points:
it ended.

WOULD you do it again? If so, What would you change?
heck yes! in fact, some folks were talking about making this an event through the summer in different locations and using different themes. there was talk of starting a discussion/action forum in the future.

Some places included:
*Woodstock area
*West Burnside
*Alberta
*Stark
*Farmer's Markets

Road Witch ideas:
*Interior design exhibition streetside
*Children's reading hour with fenced carpeted area and pillows, preferably at a sunday brunch location populated by younguns
*More rooms! More locations!
*Knitting circle

Small Background on Road Witches
a road witch was originally a scarecrow-like affair with a traffic cone hat:http://www.wormworks.com/roadwitch/pages/whatis.htm
examples of road witches:http://www.wormworks.com/roadwitch/pages/trialcontents.htm
PARK(ing): http://www.rebargroup.org/projects/parkingday/images.html
Walk to School Week:http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/walk_to_school_week_takes_crazy_twist_in_england.php

thanks to Jacque, Jonathan and Michael for online examples!

unbearable lightness of taxes

2007-04-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

it's been a month stewed with activity! the play closesd with pretty good audiences throughout, thanks to all those die-hard theatregoers and friends and family members. you guys rocked! for some reason, everyone i knew seemed keen on sitting in the first few rows. this i chalk up to sheer adventurism.
in other news:
Umbrella has filed their articles of incorporation and are gearing up for filing with the feds. exciting stuff!
carfree conference plans are underway, made so particularly by Elly Blue and Sara Stout, heroes of mine.

Private Lives - reviews

2007-03-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Willamette Week
[NEW REVIEW] If the essence of this Noel Coward classic is a study of fanatical human behavior, Integrity Production's rendition of Private Lives has nailed it. Instead of individual actors playing the distinct characters of Amanda, Elyot, Sibyl and Victor in this over-the-top tale of lust, love, infidelity and British dandyism, director Kerry E. Sorci has opted for a game of theatrical work-up. Six actors interchangeably play the four roles, which creates interesting and hilarious (albeit slightly confusing) character interpretations that focus on the temperament and nature of the characters, instead of the idiosyncrasies of the artists. Private Lives is well performed, and despite the chaos, characters are wholly believable—give or take the occasional regression into an American accent. MIKE THELIN. Integrity Productions at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 286-3456. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 4 pm Sundays. Closes March 18. $12-15. Thursdays are "pay what you will."

The Oregonian
Theater review Cast creatively updates Coward's 'Private Lives'
Iffy laughs - Troupe overcomes marital abuse and a tag-teaming of four roles
Thursday, March 01, 2007
RICHARD WATTENBERG
The on-again, off-again relationship of a once unhappily married but now divorced couple may be material for contemporary comedy. But when this twosome slips into physically violent behavior, it's difficult to see how, given our growing sensitivities to spousal abuse, we can still laugh.
Yet there's the magic of Noel Coward -- a magic not lost in Integrity Productions' generally fun but occasionally overburdened "Private Lives."
In this intimate 1930 comedy, which Coward wrote as a vehicle for Gertrude Lawrence and himself, we chuckle as well-to-do sophisticates Amanda Prynne and Elyot Chase literally wrestle across the floor.
"Very few people are completely normal, really, deep down in their private lives," Coward's ever-so-clever Amanda remarks.
In this neat little play, personal problems bubble away in sparkling humor. Coward was a master of style, and his glittering comedy of manners so engages us that we're unfazed by any disturbing matters.
Living up to the scintillating Gertrude Lawrence and Coward himself isn't easy, and Integrity Productions avoids the challenge by divvying up the lead roles among multiple actors. Three actresses play Amanda as well as Elyot's new wife, Sibyl, in tag-team fashion. Similarly, Elyot and Amanda's new spouse, Victor, are passed around among three actors.
This arrangement may be a little disorienting, but distinct aspects of each character are interestingly highlighted -- especially with Amanda. Kate Mura depicts an acrobatic but intriguingly mysterious Amanda; Jessica Zodrow a sweeter, playful Amanda; and Stephanie Routh an Amanda with an imperious edge.
All these comings and goings require careful choreography. Director Kerry E. Sorci oversees the transitions well, maintaining the play's flow and also intensifying the climaxes of acts II and III by integrating all six actors into the four-character action. Character-shifting and doubling can distract from the smart dialogue, but the controlled pandemonium of these crescendos translates Coward's theatrical fireworks into appealing stage antics for audiences unaccustomed to the verbal pyrotechnics of witty comedy.
Sorci tries to do too much by using the simple but elegant set and a brief mimetic prologue to call attention to how media constructs celebrity -- a motif that isn't developed enough to do anything other than clutter the production. Still, her cast gives Coward a contemporary spin.

Private Lives: the revolving door

2007-02-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

our play opened last night, and people actually laughed! so come one, come all. if you can't see the image, here are the details:
Private Lives by Noel Coward
Integrity Productions' version of the well-known play provides a new look for a new millennium. Imagine if Bertolt Brecht, Andy Warhol and Anne Bogart collaborated with Noel Coward!
Shows run Thursday, Friday, Saturday 8:00 pm and Sunday 4:00 pm. 22 Feb - 18 Mar
Tickets: $15 general admission; Student and Senior rate $12. For reservations call (503) 286-3456 or online at www.integrityproductions.org. Shows are at Theater!Theatre! 3430 SE Belmont St.

zixingche - bikey chinese lesson

2007-01-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

i am nuts about chinesepod and can't help myself. yesterday's brand new intermediate lesson was all about fixing a bike. to listen:

	中级78 A Flat Bicycle Tire

	Visit ChinesePod.com

and some additional vocab from listeners:

brakes 刹车 (shāchē)
cable 刹车线 (shāchē xiàn), 闸线 (zhá xiàn)
pedal 踏板 (tàbǎn)
reflector 反光板 (fǎnguāng bǎn)
handle bars 龙头 (lóngtóu), 车头 (chētóu), 手把 (shǒubǎ)
bike parking shed 车棚 (chēpéng)
to have gotten rusty 生锈了 (shēngxiù le)
“The handle bars are crooked.” 车头歪了。 (chētou wāi le)
mountain bike 山地(自行)车 (shāndì (zìxíng)chē)
安全帽 (ānquánmào) and 头盔 (tóukuī)
坐墊 zuòdiàn seat
尾灯 wěidēng taillight
坐杆 zuògān seat post
坐杆夹 zuògānjiā seat post clamp
反光板 fǎnguāngbǎn reflector
飞轮 fēilún rear sprocket lit. “fly gear”
后轴 hòuzhóu rear axle
后拨 hòubō rear derailleur
链条链贴 liàntiáo/liàntiē chain
气嘴 qìzuǐ stem
前拨 qiánbō front derailleur
牙盘护盘 yápán/hùpán front gear
曲柄 qūbǐng cranks
申轴 zhōngzhóu middle axle
脚踏 jiǎotà pedal
水壶架 shuǐhújià water holder
车架 chējià frame
钢线 gāngxiàn spokes
车圈 chēquān rim
外胎 wàitāi tire
碟刹 diéshā disk brake
前轴 qiánzhóu front axle
把立 bǎlì stem
码表 mǎbiǎo odometer/spedometer lit. “number meter”
碗组 wǎnzŭ headset lit. “bowl group”
横把 héngbǎ handlebars
指拨 zhǐbō shifter
刹把 shābà brake handle
前叉 qiánchā front fork

AaA:aAA route and photos

2007-01-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

sample items moved:
4 boxes of books, red ferrari accordian, banguitar, two scaled house models, two stage epees, wig, cookbooks, costume makeup case, and did i mention books?

there were over 20 riders braving mid-20 temperatures, and a whopping 9 (9!) of those riders
were first-time bikemovers. two move-by-bikers came to help with the move right after dragonboating practice (with icicles still on their lifejackets), and one cycle-freighter braved the cold after touching down from hawaii. there were also 4 logisticians who got the terminus-grub piping hot by the time the "brawny bike brigade" arrived. there was food aplenty, silkscreen action and a fire stoked by my fabulous new roommates! the whole affair was documented by two fellas who showed up on the red door doorstep asking if they could film the move for a documentary about bike love in portland. one of the cameramen, Jason, balled up in Steven's trailer with his camera and my accordian and shot the whole thing. pure rapture!

pix by mom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24841458@N00/sets/72157594480990947/detail/
pix by Michael: http://www.flickr.com/photos/84139144@N00/sets/72157594480063167/detail/

unrelated to bike move, i heard on the MAX (after a gorgeous
early-morning bike ride unhindered by speedy cars) about a mountain bike near
interstate ave. that was helping a car move to the side of the road after it
stalled. fabulous!

AaA: aAA bike move

2007-01-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

as mentioned in an earlier posting, i'm moving to north portland as of the 15th of january and am hoping to do the move via bike. here's the information. if you'd like beginning coordinates, give a buzz and i'll send the info. your way! happy for anyone who'd like to join in this most auspicious event.

AaA:aAA

to A. . . and A. . . : an Alliterative Address

after allocating an adequate aepoch at Ashlee and Associates' abode, an adventurous about-face approaching alternate accommodations ascends. aliments available apres activity, and ale also administered after advance accomplished. alliterative accessories applauded (author's aunt to accord alliterative adverts).

(translation: after wiling away about 1 1/2 years at “the red door”, home to backyard movie nights, a new neighborhood with fabulous new roommates beckons. we’ll have tasty nibblins before the move and food accompanying tasty beverages at the end of our excursion, a refreshing way to celebrate a shared accomplishment. NOTE: it's going to be a longer bike move than some recent ones and a little uphill, but anyone with a backpack or trailer or baguette basket is welcome to come. grab a few coathangers or a spoon or two, and we can make a lovely winter parade!)

Commencement Clock: saturday, 13 january, 2007 @ 1:00pm

Beginning Bearings: SE 28th Ave. near the Clinton district

Ascertained Area: A. . . and A . . ., absolutely!

Dress Details: down-like, drenchproof digs describing down-to-earth dimensions and deftness definitely de rigueur.

Contact Coordinates: comment, compadre!

Mad Lib & Annual Letter

2007-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

in the holiday card sent to people whose addresses i have (and if you'd like one go ahead and send me your address and i'll send one your way!) there was a mad lib from "A Christmas Story". i didn't have the gumption to spell it out in its unaltered entirety in the space of the insert, so here is the original version crafted so expertly by Jean Shepherd (A Christmas Story, p.22):

"It did not pay to take chances, and so we waited in line for our turn. Behind me a skinny seven-year old girl wearing a brown stocking cap and gold-rimmed glasses hit her little brother steadily to keep him in line. She had green teeth. He was wearing an aviator's helmet with the goggles pulled down over his eyes. His galoshes were open and his maroon corduroy knickers were damp. Behind them a fat boy in a huge sheepskin coat stood numbly, his eyes watering in vague fear, his nose red and running. Ahead of my brother and me, a long, uneven procession of stocking caps, mufflers, mittens and earmuffs inched painfully forward, while in the hazy distance, in his magical glowing cave, Mister Claus sat each in turn on his broad red knee and listened to exultant dream after exultant dream whispered, squeaked, shouted and sobbed into his shell-like, whisker-encased ear."

my favorite christmas picture is of Nanny. Nanny was Jason and Ryan's neighbor across the street in Suratthani, Thailand, and on christmas they decided to decorate Jason and Ryan's tree outside with homemade ornaments. Nanny was pretty happy with the result. i miss both Nanny for her great humor (we used to speak in a random language to each other) and Jason and Ryan for creating a wonderful and inspiring space anywhere they went. Ryan is a wonderful photographer and took this picture.

i'll save the annual update for coffee conversations and just mention that:

I A M M O V I N G
as of Jan.15th, i'll be living in NoPo with some fabulous folks and am going to try to contrive a bike move the 14th if at all possible.

that's it. hope you're well. more about the bike move soon

brief gazette

2006-12-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

boy, the days certainly do fly like hummingbirds, don't they? i won't bore my two devoted readers by recounting the past few weeks or so, but here is a quick smackdown:
presented the final project for roadsharing for the Portland Traffic & Transportation class which ended last week, topped off by a fine time at Paddy's with Rick Gustafson as the host; organized a fundraiser at The Monkey & The Rat which went well; got the end-of-year appeal out the door finally; spent thanksgiving in sacramento with my CAL (Crazy Aunt Laurel) and fabulous cousins Pam, Chris, Andy and David; did the Junk to Funk fashion show which was AbFab (Ashlee was gorgeous and a great sport, and the costume got acolades from the other participants and from Sam Adams who officiated in a tux made from used bike tubes and coffee cups); working on the play "Private Lives" which opens feb. 22nd, and we are currently working on a Viewpoints Lab; the umbrella group is going to be called Umbrella, and boy are there some smart cookies working on it; got my stage epees back from Ricky; trying to figure out how to create a silkscreen emulsion; learned how to knit hats; saw the gospel choir perform with the oregon symphony; and am taking a Voluntary Simplicity class at David Evans organized by the Great Corey Schuster.
next on the to-do list: sing-your-own messiah, holiday crafts and shrinkie dinks; build vertical shelving for my room pending landlord approval; sew an apron; and need to find caroling opportunities. also hopefully volunteering with the CCC for their holiday bike drive.
okay, must sleep. hope you're well!

the agony and ecstacy

2006-11-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

yesterday marked the first rehearsal for "private lives", for which i was luckily cast (performance dates coming soon to a blog near you). it was 9a-12p and a rigorous exploration of impulse, cooperation and body language/cues. we all seemed pretty exhausted by the end of it (LOTS of running around). i am ashamed to say that for a few cynical moments i was remorseful that i had to go directly from that workshop to a bike move, but once i was actually on the road there was nothing but eager anticipation for Matt's Distinguished Tie Move (also known as "The Girl Next Door").
supreme kudos go to Matt for his very tall load and to Aaron who hauled a hide-a-bed couch over the Broadway Bridge. man, i feel like such a wimp sometimes!
just one more reason i love portland. hopefully i'll be able to steal some pictures soon.
usually i have moved by myself on mass transit (new york, changchun, dalian, bangkok, suratthani 1) or multiple bike trips (suratthani 2). i almost wish i could move just to enjoy the parade and find an excuse to cook for people.
after the bike move, i jumped back on my bike to head downtown just in time for the wind storm and, with shoes soaked and socks squished, headed to hang with my family. Colleen was in town from boston, and we had a grand old time together. i never notice how much more we seem to laugh than other families until we're in a public space. wouldn't have any other family in the world! they even agreed to not do presents this year. hip hip hooray!
this morning my body revolted, however. i could barely extend my legs because my calf muscles were so tight. wimps.
and now to homework.

victory!

2006-11-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

Ken and Don are off the streets!
Don called shortly after dragon boating practice to tell me that they had gotten their first social security check and had checked into a hotel for a few days until they could get a longer-term place on monday. i asked them what they did the first thing they got into their hotel room. they took a hot shower. got some dinner. took another hot shower. and they'll probably be taking showers straight on until monday morning! they were watching "The Dukes of Hazard" when they called. they also promised that they would have christmas with my family again this year, though they had mentioned moving back to vegas.
it's going to be strange not seeing them every morning on yamhill st., and now i'll have to make an appointment and hope to make it into their busy schedules. at least i get to see them on monday because the by-the-week rooms for some reason need some extra paperwork done, and i'm to help them with that.
we talked for so long on the phone that i was late meeting my friend Fillard for lunch. punctuality is important, but i've never had a better reason for being late (sorry, Fillard).
over the moon.
we'll miss you, fellas. drop us a line from time to time, will ya?

thank you, BonB

2006-11-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

just found this write-up about a recent transportation-related film extravaganza at the Bagdad in the Oregonian by Joe Rose and repost it here. the apples he mentions were leftover donations from BonB the day before. i don't remember having been quoted in an article before. what fun!

and here's a poster for Junk to Funk on december 2nd. Ashlee, my roommate, has graciously agreed to wear my design, which means i need to spend this weekend making it look a little better than it does. it is going to be great fun, and i can't wait!

donald and me

2006-11-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

now that our secretary of defense is on his way out, i can safely post a picture of my office. if i had a nickel for every time since the beginning of this administration i heard, "hey, you stand at your desk, too? you know, so does Donald Rumsfled". i know i know i know. comparisons between me and our (SoB) SoD are obviously precisely the look i was going for.

thankfully he's losing his desk and will consider taking up different work habits that do not inspire comparison between us.
by the way, the computer desk is one that Dad and i made together when i first got my current position at Green Empowerment. it's made from melamine and soldered copper tubing and wire. we were going for a Brooklyn Bridge look on the keyboard portion. this is by far the best standing computer setup i've had (previous incarnations at other jobs have included basic pine and ikea assembly leftovers, recycled paper boxes, magazine file holders, etc.). this one actually LOOKS nice. next one will be adjustable. from now on only recycled materials - i felt a little tawdry buying melamine from a lumber store. eesh!

lessons from Katrina - united in homelessness

2006-11-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

first, brief random updates:
*my submission was selected for the Junk to Funk fashion show. yeay!
*i got callbacks to "Private Lives". yippee!
*did callbacks for "If You Take One Elf off the Shelf". hot diggity!
*started hard-core plans for Green Empowerment's Burma fundraiser at The Monkey and The Rat on Nov. 18th. meow!
*actually rented "V" for the weekend. thrilled!

okay, and now for the title event of the day . . .
this evening there was a panel lecture hosted by the Oregon chapter of the APA (American Planning Association) entitled "Lessons from Hurricane Katrina" (http://www.oregonapa.org/content/view/106/80/). the panelists included a FEMA volunteer, Gulf Coast Program Manager from Mercy Corps, NW Medical Teams volunteer, legal volunteer, and a PSU urban planning graduate student who did undergrad at Loyola in New Orleans and went back to volunteer after Katrina.

i am sorry to say the PSU student's name eludes me now, but let's call her Kaye for brevity. Kaye's story killed me. She talked about a fellow named George who was a handyman who traded his skilled labor for rent in his New Orleans apartment and, due to the fact that he didn't pay bills associated with his house and had lost his ID during the evacuation, couldn't receive FEMA aid for lack of residential proof. George and Kaye went through a labyrinth of bureaucratic hoops, including Kaye physically driving to New Orleans to get a copy of a form that in the end couldn't be printed due to their lack of printer, then finally giving FEMA the information they needed in a format they would accept only to have it lost later due to a data entry mistake. they have not been able to find George since the last letdown, and he is homeless somewhere without any way to locate him.

the panelists' stories reminded me a great deal of life shortly after the tsunami in southern Thailand. but sadly, they actually reminded me a little more of life in Portland. most of my friends and family have either met or known about Don and Ken, two really cool homeless guys that hang out between 1st and 2nd and yamhill in the mornings. they have been trying to get assistance for years from social security, since Ken has not been able to work since a train accident that made his arm nonfunctioning at best and a serious threat to his kidneys at worst. their prospects got a little more hopeful a number of months ago when Ken had to have his arm amputated, thereby eliminating all doubts as to his disability. and yet it's been months of waiting for them. we talked this morning (as we do most mornings), and we had all hoped for some final good news in the form of a social security check that would help get them off the streets. due to clerical error (tell me if you've heard this before), their processing has been delayed, and they'll have to wait a little longer. did anyone else feel how cold it was today? and wet? it certainly wasn't this cold in june when Ken's arm was amputated and they started the process. now it might not be until december. the whole time Kaye was talking about George and everyone was shaking their heads in wonderment, i just wondered whether the system ever actually worked in someone's favor. i am sure many social service workers try very hard and put their hearts into their jobs. there are many heroes among them, and nothing in this little rant is meant to say they are anything less than wonderful and well-meaning folks trying to make a difference (the ones that don'e make silly and frequent data entry mistakes, anyway). however, i struggle to see how efficacy and accountability can coexist in such a bureaucracy-laden society.

i won't start on post-tsunami aid or displaced persons and developers' ambitions. that is a travesty too often told and too often forgotten. and i've already ranted enough.

ballots and bullets

2006-10-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

yesterday was a 6 1/2 hour ballot measure smackdown at Fillard's house for which i'm eternally grateful. hoping to share the love this sunday with a little cinematic snack thereafter. anyone want to come?

My Quilted Subscription

2006-10-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

2 december marks the first annual Junk to Funk Fashion Show in portland. many other places have versions of this celebration of recycled couture, but i feel sure that our fair city whose patron saint seems to be the God(dess) of Sustainability, is ready to leap onto the stage with great fanfare. these are a few pictures of my submission. only 25 folks are chosen, so who knows, but it was great fun to make, and it is a fantabulous exercise in the whimsical. the skirt and tank top are made entirely from my subscription to "the economist" magazine, grocery bags and duct tape. i still haven't made the hat or the purse yet, and there are some bits of frippery on the tank top and skirt yet to be completed, but i look forward to making these. my roommate modelled them, but sadly the camera's memory card was on the fritz, and she is now housesitting and unavailable for another session. but there it is. what a wonderful event it is likely to be!

in other news, i auditioned for integrity production's upcoming show of "private lives" by Noel Coward. such fun! i could take up auditioning as a sort of pasttime. i met Morgan and Chloe, my auditioning partner and the play's stage manager respectively, and had a bundle of laughs playing Amanda an Sibyl. in truth, i'd had hopes of reading for the maid, Louise, but this was not to be. who knows if callbacks are in the future, but good people, good company, and a grateful opportunity. also, this morning's inbox was greeted with a timeframe for callback auditions for Francesca Sander's latest. also got a coffee brewing donor for Breakfast on the Bridges which is pretty swell (and what's more important is that we'll have the opportunity to publicize
JAMES BEAN COFFEE on 2nd & SW Taylor
which is owned by a great couple who are not only golden-hearted but can speak Chinese to boot!).

monthly gazette

2006-10-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

so much to recall since the last posting! portland is a whirlwind of wondrous activity, leaving it difficult to participate and still allow time to sleep. here are some basic updates:

CASTAWAYS
we've started up the arduous yet hopefully successful venture to gain sponsorship, which could take us to china and hawaii. i only have eyes for china, myself, for reasons that are not difficult to ascertain. thoughts of visiting Rebecca wherever she is (and since her daughter is marrying a man with a different passport, so this could be anywhere) fill idle timed thoughts. more soon. in the interim, we've taken to asking everyone for bios which i get to collect and, oh yes, READ! you think you know a person after paddling in the same boat with them for a year . . .

PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY
the bus project met their goal of registering 15,000 young voters. they did over 16,000 young and over 20,000 cumulative. way to go! it took thankless tasks like pub crawls, post-concert sifting, line hustling, pioneer couthouse square trawling, and a host of innovative questing i can't keep track of. just before the 5pm tuesday deadline, i hustled the street where i work downtown. 10 voters in 25 minutes. very cool, and yet quite sad. i wonder at a mail-in ballot system that disenfranchises the often-moving youth vote and negates the cultural aspects of the voting process even as it increases overall voting participation (and when the average age in the last primary was 62?)
Alex and i went out on the sunday before the tuesday deadline and headed up the:

Voting Bike Brunch Brigade - sunday morning a few folks met at Bus Project HQ and whirled out to southeast p-town to attack the unsuspecting, unregistered brunch-munching hopefuls on belmont. Alex and i registered at least 10 in a couple of hours with time to stop for coffee in between. today (tuesday, 17 october) is the last day to register voters. deadline 5pm. just thought i’d mention.

Candidates Gone Wild - Ben, Corey, Lauren, Adam and i sat in the audience for this little ditty, an evening of discussing the dense (of either meaning) ballot measures and heckling gubernatorial candidates. sadly, the republican abd democratic candidates felt unable to make an appearance (boo hiss), so we were treated to lambasting Saxton and Kulo's absenteeism as well as a better spotlight on the other candidates. Joe Keating is a wonderful fellow who's talent show entry included a headstand on a yoga mat.

PTT
i met with Mark Lear for an hour this past wednesday to discuss my "road user's manual" project, and he suggested as an alternative to research delivery truck and intra-city freight trainings which drivers are required to take every few years. this would be a great way to learn how the hell insurance companies work to ameliorate their liability risk. personally, however, i have to admit that individual drivers are less-than-adequately trained with ped and bike roadsharing laws almost nil, and these are the roadusers who are at highest risk of plowing into traffic that's not enveloped in tank-like cradles.

yesterday we went to our professor, Rick Gustafson's, house, and he took us on a tour of traffic calming installation in the portland metro area. fascinating! and there are some great people in the class, i tell you! we went back to his house afterwards where his wife had kindly laid oiut some nibblins for us, and we drank beer on his porch and kibbitzed for longer than we politely should have. he's going to sagrada familia in barcelona next week, which arouses a tinge of jealousy. gaudi! what a guy what a guy.

BIKEYNESS
a group of us are exploring the possibility of starting an umbrella nonprofit. don't want to say any more than this because the nuances of such a potential organization is rife with differing vision and questions. a good group of people and an interesting process.

Africa Women’s Bicycle Initiative at Mississippi Pizza saturday evening - i actually got there a little early because i was supposed to meet a friend whose sickness prevailed in the end and couldn’t attend. all the better for eavesdropping, my dear! the folks who were organizing the event sat next to me in the parlor and talked about last minute details. as with many events, there is an equal fear of just too many and too few people turning up. but it was definitely a baby bear event with the attendance “just right”. some bike helmets in the audience, small packs of “the youth”, some world travelers - a healthy mix. great music. i didn’t stick around for the auction and wonder how they did.

that's all i have time for today! trying to get a junk to funk submission ready and don't know whether i'll be able.

thank you, two devoted readers.

PTT: statement

2006-10-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

just about to swing out to our second Portland Traffic and Transportation class, a joint venture by p.s.u. and the p.d.o.t. wonderful!
last week we got to meet Sam Adams, portland's transportation commissioner, who spoke for about an hour about the responsibilities, limitations and current proposals presented by his office. we have the greatest transportation manager on the planet!
our homework for today was to provide a statement of a possible final project we want to pursue. here's mine:

(nonbinding, preliminary, quite possibly logistically impervious)

Project Statement

AREA OF FOCUS

I would like to focus on road-sharing education, primarily between bicycles and motorists. Laws affecting bicycle/motorist usage are changing with far greater rapidity in the State of Oregon than most road-users can track. Misunderstandings in regard to rules of the road are one of the most frequent causes for frustration and collision between bicyclists and drivers. By promoting legal transportation education, we can create safer streets.

PROJECT

Driver and bicycle user manuals are two independent DMV publications with very little commonality, and I would seek to change that. We can provide an updated, integrated road manual offered by the DMV that can be used by all users of roadways in order to create mutual awareness of road-sharing rules. This could also involve developing an easily implementable system for continuing education, and here is the wishlist:

*integrated DMV Road-User Manual to replace Bicycle and Driver Manuals

*bicycle rule integration into DMV tests;

*requisite bike legal clinic attendance for all parties in bike-car collision cases;

*optional fine waives/reductions for bike-borne fines in return for bike legal clinic attendance;

*law change updates provided to media to be mentioned during traffic reports.

hmmmm . . . a little too bold? dependent on swiftly moving bureaucracy? and again i say hmmmm . . .

linfield debut

2006-10-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

friday was one heck of a crazy day! i woke up at about 5am, and Sparky and i snookered our way to downtown in just enough time to get hot water for Breakfast on the Bridges, voter registration cards, and signs made such as "exercise . . . your right to vote" and "are you registered to vote at your current address? reg. cards available here!". on the way to work, Sparky and i telepathized to finally name our lovely bambina trailer. so next time you see that three of us, kindly tell Minerva what a cute trailer she is. she likes that.
so anyway, we got to the bridge, broke out some hot water and plums that Joan our FABULOUS volunteer brought to the office, registered folks to vote, then busted away to prepare for Green Empowerment's Board of Director's meeting. five minutes before the meeting, i called Gwen Leonard to say that my voice still wasn't back (curses!), and she informed me that i was already on the program for the dedication to the Vivian Bull Music Building at linfield. this is my fault, as i didn't call her the day before. luckily, Gwen suggested that i could sing a little chinese ditty, which is about all my voice could handle.
just after the Board meeting, mom called and agreed to drive us to mcminnville. we arrived just in time for the earlier concert to hear the glorious personages of Brian Bartley and Joe Theissen sing (they're performing in ragtime until oct. 25th, and they are not to be missed). one person couldn't make it through the parking lot of dundee in time for the concert, so i pinch hit. it turned out much better than i was fearing! i asked for the audience's forgiveness and offered in trade an introduction to the songs in chinese. thankfully made it through "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wode Xin" and "Mai Tang Yuan" without too garish a passaggio.
everyone was there! it was a reunion of about an entire town that i had been missing! Wynn and others from the first baptist church, Donna Root, two Susans, Tiff, Tom Gressler and the Marshalls (sounds like a great band), a number of other professors, a lot of alumni with whom i share fond memories, they were all there. i think i hugged everyone on the planet. after the dedication and second concert, Gwen took any performers who could stay out to sushi. what a great conversation. what an utterly fantastic day! mom and i were glowing all the way home, and i couldn't stop gleaming all saturday.
more about saturday soon, but i don't want to bore my two readers any longer.

SSS - six string samurai

2006-09-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

if you are ever in a position to need a macguyver-concocted roadside entertainment system, consider the following triumvirate: "Organic" Brian Scrivener, "Tall" Steve Kirkendall, Aaron "Transportation Diplomat" Tarfman.
thanks to them, the sidewalk on 24th and alberta was home to a showing of "six-string samurai" at this month's last thursday. more to come, with any luck!

last paddle hurrah in san fran

2006-09-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

last weekend marked the final dragonboat competition of the year. held in san francisco, there were over 100 paddling teams that helped compose the weekend encampment on treasure island. i can't recall whether i've mentioned it before, but dragonboat competitions look not unlike a modern depiction of a medieval military campaign. there are a number of tents, each sporting its own banner and hosting its own distinctly-attired cadre bent on thwarting the other groups' dreams of victory by employing time-honored devices. races involve a closely-contained covey of odiferous folks who employ a lot of muscle and war cries to propel them to the finish line. the space between the finish line and a lot of expensive yachts was rather slender on treasure island, so we had to hold the boat quickly after crossing. i was in the 2nd bench for most of the races, so i had an intimate understanding of how imminently our potential rendezvous with yacht gunnels (and very possibly personal bankruptcy) was. a weekend of such close encounters rendered me unable to phonate as i repeatedly and loudly encouraged teammates to hold the boat. tee hee.

so that was the actual competition. now to san francisco. ahhh! Corey and i enjoyed beds in a chi-chi (sp?) hotel on market street secured by Debbye (thanks, Debbye!). Linda, Corey and i were hotel-mates for the weekend, and hilarity ensued. Corey got me a most humbling and treasured gift - travel scrabble. two of our three nights in san francisco were spent drinking wine and playing scrabble. it was delightful! a guilty squandering of a beautiful city's myriad opportunities, but we just couldn't help ourselves.
what did we do? we visited citylights books, walked around a lot, ate cheap pizza, walked around some more. the last day, i walked in the haight and golden gate park areas and returned to the waterfront to - you guessed it - walk around some more.
next to playing scrabble and paddling, the greatest pasttime was to be found in and around chinatown. it has been so long since i've spoken chinese with such wild abandon! most folks i met could speak mandarin, which is rare in portland (most speak cantonese). i shopped for cds that no one seemed to have. i continued my quest for portable chopsticks to replace mine, and no one had even heard of the idea before. i hunted for a restaurant with a chef from changchun or beijing to no avail. and i was unsuccesful every time, but completely in chinese which gave me the chance to speak mandarin some more with the next person or shop who didn't know or didn't have. it was fabulous!!! i went a few whole hours without speaking english. our last night in san fran, a group of castaways deigned to follow me in the winding route from our hotel to a restaurant that had been recommended by two different music store vendors, and we got to order a bunch off the menu (stir-fried eggplant and hot and spicy tofu . . . yumm). it was great! i have missed china, and san francisco is the nearest thing nearest to portland. what a find.

the only downside to the weekend was that i returned to portland with absolutely no voice (i will never yell that much again lest my voice leave and never return) and screaming muscles on the entire right side of my torso (i paddled all the races port-side, which will also never be repeated).

famous for a week

2006-09-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

i'm blushing, positively blushing!

TOUR DE VOTE: ROUND 4

Stephanie Routh: Tour de Vote victor of the week!

Stephanie was a continually awesome presence in Building Votes office last week. On Monday, she showed up at the office with registration cards. On Wednesday, she helped-out with our captain training. And on Sunday, Stephanie ran into BV staff member, Alex, at Red and Black Café and handed him three more registration cards!

It was absolutely wonderful! For all her hard and persistent work we are happy to award Stephanie with a $25 gift certificate to Coventry Cycle Works on Hawthorne Blvd.

HAVE YOU JOINED THE TOUR? Register now to let us know you're participating -- and get to work! Opportunities abound. Register your friends and neighbors.

dragonboat sellwood

2006-09-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

the varnish on my paddle dried just in time to use the New and Improved paddle on the waters during this weekend's sellwood race. the Castaways sported both a women's and a mixed team this year, and what a workout for the ladies! our first race was almost unbearably sluggish (were some of the men holding the back of the boat at the dock just so that we would appreciate them more during the mixed races?). our second race was almost 30 seconds faster, and we ended up with respectable times considering we had practiced as a group only twice before the competition.
the double duty definitely had a number of us huffing. a few times we stepped off the boat of one race and turned around and marshelled straight into the next one. no one can ever call us whimps! the stars of the day were, of course, Captain Darrell and Coach Fev, both sporting huge hearts and winning smiles straight through to a drinking foray at the Black Cat.
wanted to die sunday evening. very nearly did.

weekend craze

2006-09-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

why i am a silly chiquita who doesn't know how to say "no":

this morning i went to work, delivered hot water for breakfast on the bridges and “birthday” flyers on both hawthorne and broadway, greeted bikers for two hours, went to work, am going to buy marine varnish to varnish my paddle before the race tomorrow, going to a movie with friends or disco dancing with other friends at a ballroom, then a midnight mystery ride, sleeping somewhere between the midnight ride and our 8am race tomorrow morning, registering folks to vote between races, meeting up with my family at some point, hanging with the team at the end of the evening before going to a friend’s birthday party, then more racing on sunday followed by a picnic for Shift (biking nonprofit) with more voter registering followed by (if i’m not too tired) a get-together with my friend Nicole.

doable? my head (and muscles) hurt already.

a near miss

2006-09-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

the following is an emailed rampage i unleashed on two of my hapless friends, Corey and Nicole, after a near miss between my beloved Sparky and a car in northwest portland. a few edits have been made to protect innocent eyes. it is a testament to Nicole and Corey's copacetic nature that they are still speaking to me at all. i am also ashamed to say that i posted something FAR more benign on bikeportland.org after some guilt and shame caught up with me.
here we go:

okay, i must vent.
i was on my way to REI (they have a clearance sale, and i needed a floor pump), and there was a road closure in front a few blocks. a subaru came up and drove past me on my left (i was in a bike lane) and then turned right in front of me and then stopped directly in the bike lane. i mean dead stop for absolutely no reason. i skidded to a stop just before flying into her rear window.
i was so angry i slammed my hand on her rear window before riding around her (she was STILL parked in the bike lane, by the way). she rolled her window down and told me "that's what blinkers are for. you should be more careful". i replied that it's hard to see the blinker when the person's coming from behind and cutting you off in your lane, and she snottily made a few comments and then said, and here's the clincher:
"you give bikers a bad name". i was speechless, mesmerized by her audacity and her unbridled assurance that her driving was completely flawless (when in fact had she done the same with a car she would have a great deal to answer for). that speechlessness, of course, lasted about a nanosecond. needless to say, i pointedly invited her to get out of her car, but she was already starting to drive off.

i hate drivers sometimes. not all, not most, actually. just brunette former cheerleaders who think that the tonnage around them gives them license to drive whatever way they choose regardless of traffic law (and had she stuck around i . . . well, first i would have rearranged her pert little nose . . . but THEN i would have graciously offered her my copy of "pedal power" with all traffic regulations regarding bicycles therein for her perusal and, one hopes, her ultimate enlightenment).
but i got to REI. and i got my pump at 25% off. it's orange. and makes me happy. or will make me happy after i'm done with murderous rage.
give bicyclists a bad name. the impertinence!

love,
-s

okay, so there was the rage-stricken biker that you see on the news (i can still work up into a lather when i think about it for too long). just would like to follow up with a tale of coming together through adversity that happened the following monday morning. Sparky and i were waltzing around ladd's circle on our way to work when a silver economy car turned in front of me. i veered as much as i could without hitting the parked cars and ended up getting hooked by her passenger-side rear-view mirror and taken along the front of her hood for a few yards (still riding my bike). she stopped, i landed on the pavement, then got up to check on Sparky and my paddle, expecting another lambast from another haughty motorist, to be honest. instead i heard a bashful, "i'm so sorry. i didn't see you there." the driver was out of her car and shaking a little with her hands out to me. she asked if i was alright, and we ended up hugging each other a lot and asking if the other was okay. we talked a bit about how it's difficult to see bikes, that the laws are always changing and so it's difficult to know where to look or what to do, that we'll both be more careful next time. she didn't even LOOK at her car for damage until she was about ready to get back in. i don't know who that woman was, but i hope good luck is strewn before her like rose petals for the rest of her life! it was such a reversal from the near-hit the week before that i was able to appreciate her candor and generosity of spirit even more.

this is a test

2006-09-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

it is only a test.
the postings predating this one have lived in other venues and in varying formats.
the strings of words above these trifles make their debut on the computer stage via the portal from which you are currently discerning.
if this had been a real post, you would have probably witnessed a foppish attempt at poeticisms before you realized the day had gotten long in the tooth and it was high time you attended to other matters.

a fabulous bike move (and PDX100)

2006-08-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

sunday was a duo-cyclical romp through the ins and outs of portlandia. to begin, we had the first ever portland century bike ride. folks could pedal their way to the 40, 60, or 100 mile mark, depending on their ambition and pain tolerance. i chose the 60-miler, which i term the "metric century" because it makes me sound slightly less wimpy. i didn't feel less wimpy, mind, but in repeating the phrase every half hour or so, i hope that history will treat me kindly. . . or overlook me completely, which seems slightly more likely (and i have only you to thank, my glorious two readers, for some passing notice. grateful and more grateful).

i rode for most of the way with Fillard Rhyne, who had the perfect bike and the perfect hair for the occasion. i felt as though the two of us were a peculiar sight, as neither of us were sporting spandex for the event. Fillard, if you don't know him yet, is a rather tall fellow with what could only be described as rich tresses, which was lucky for me since it was easy to spot him in a crowd. we set out from PSU a little before 9am after having wrestled with the other registrants. there were about 3 times as many participants as they were expecting, and the limited resources (water, gatorade, snacks, etc.) were an often sought and rarely found commodity, but i imagine such is to be expected on the first ride of its kind. i heard later that one of the big reasons for the massive over-registration was that many more people registered at bike shops than had been expected, and those forms didn't get to HQ until a few days before the event. next year will assuredly be more luxurious, but it was great to be among the pioneers of the pdx 100!

i got back to the finish line about 3pm and wound my way to the office to pick up my brand spankin' new bike trailer in time to help my friend my friend move her apartment. there were about 12 of us (?) with trailers and panniers and joy in our heart to be invited for the great Stuff on Bikes parade. our new little trailer (who does not have a name yet, but we are considering "Pluck" or "Minerva") had a big first week with a BTA bike move followed by delivering hot water for breakfast on the bridges with Elly's move as dessert! every one of the movers demonstrated awe-inspiring prowess at bungee-cording, stacking and scrunching every worldly possession she owns onto a team of eager bikes. the trip was incredibly short and followed by a long stretch of multi-course delicious concoctions created by Meisterkoch John.

at the end of the evening i was a tired, tired bicyclettist and endured a rather bad movie just because it meant sitting for 2 uninterrupted hours in air conditioning. sometimes even when the movie's terrible one is able to stay for comfort.

paddling in victoria

2006-08-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

this post is scrawny and far inferior to the glory that was our trip to victoria, but it's a reminding placeholder.

bibledash in seattle

2006-03-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

just your average weekend in seattle. you know, biodiesel homebrewing guides, wedding crashing, the time warp, VegFest, the experience music project a la my man Frank Gehry, chinese food, and ikea with contingents from the east and west coasts.

oh yeah, and Bibledash.

consider six people sitting in a hotel room still buzzing from dancing the conga and time warp at a wedding to which only 2 of the 6 were invited (Mel was gorgeous, and Andy's dance moves are beyond compare!). imagine, if you will, a desire to play a game together. but which game? ahh, one cries out, balderdash. everyone grows excited at the thought. hearts a-quiver, the search for a wortebuch commences. sadly and finally, however, scavenging and treasure hunting fail to produce the almighty, the requisite, the everliving dictionary. well, posits another, what book do we have that might take its place? more scavenging. tossing. pondering. eyes flitting in oscillating hope and perturbation. and then, a light! what one book does every hotel room in america possess?

that's right. the Gideon's Bible.

thus was Bibledash formed. how Bibledash works: at random (and random, as any balderdasher knows, is quite relative and of lesser priority than whimsicality), each person takes turns finding a book, chapter and verse. others coin what they think could pass for a biblical phrase. books referenced during Bibledash's maiden voyage included Genesis, Lamentations, Acts, 2nd Chronicles, and (what game would be complete without) the Song of Solomon.highly recommended regardless of your liturgical prowess. watch out, King James!

Random: the deity

2006-02-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

this week's randomness quota (for i must do one random thing per week) was filled by snowshoeing. never done it before, never actively pursued the idea of doing it, had no idea who my fellow snowshoers would be, had no idea what modern snowshoes looked like and assumed that they resembled the backs of wingback wicker chairs hailing from the heyday of the 70s, etc. had no idea. also spent most of the 45 seconds it took me to respond to the www.cnrg.org posting contemplating just how surefooted i am not. i mean truly. the last time i went hiking it was on the slippery, damp leaf-carpeted grounds of southern thailand rainforest area, and i almost died once. the short version of that story (though not the focus of this entry, so i hope the telling of it will not over-weary my two readers with tangential data) involved me climbing up a slippery slope with sheer rock faces on either side, no purchase to speak of, sharp rock licked by the andaman sea below, a slip, a slide and a last-minute catch of my foot on a root. every day since has been a gift.

so it was with these thoughts that i rented my snowshoes and met the 13 others at "the daily grind" this morning. we set out for mt. hood with the guidance of Christine and Pat.

i'm already hooked on snowshoeing. it's fabulous. claws secure purchase, toes dig to surety. the journey is ponderous and hushed with snow. crunch shhhhh clack crunch. crunch shhhh clack crunch. the sounds of every character Jack London ever immortalized can be heard to clatter their teeth or spit ice with every snowshoeing step.

all hail, deity of Randomness!

my favo(u)rite soup

2006-01-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

well, you literally asked for it this time! as requested, following is the recipe for the soup i made last time at Izzi, Matt and Ted's house:

dilled broccoli soup
(from Lorna Sass' "cmplete vegetarian kitchen")
serves 5-6

INGREDIENTS
1 lg bunch broccoli (2lbs)., cut into small florets
4 c. vegetable stock
1 lg. onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 c. steel cut oats (the original recipe is for old-fashioned, but steel cut are better)
sea salt or blond miso to taste
3/4 c. tightly packed minced fresh dill (you can substitute 2T dried dill, but don't whimp out and go for dried!)

DIRECTIONS
1. throw everything into a pot and bring to a boil
2. cover the pot, reduce heat and simmer about 15-20 minutes, until the broccoli is soft and the oats cooked
3. add miso to taste and serve

(3a) the recipe calls to puree the soup, then add miso and serve with dill garnish, but i prefer this soup chunkinated. you be the judge.

and there you have it - 6 ingredients, quick as a wink, easy as whistling, and good as Gideon's!

remembrance of things past

2005-12-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

talking to my parents as we trimmed the tree this evening, we waxed poetic (or perhaps just waxed) about the ghosts of christmas trees past. we Routh are rather fond of our tree choices - those trees that are off-kilter, somehow slightly askew are the ones that invariably find themselves bedecked in years worth of yuletide trinket collection. so we paused while admiring the fruits of our bedecking labors in order to pay tribute to arbors of yore.

my favorite recollection is actually from that of my teacher in china, whose son's class was learning about western holiday traditions during my wintertime spent in changchun. Shu's son's teacher wanted a christmas tree for the classroom but of course could not find one to cut down (trees are rare enough in cities as to not be available for the taking, and the country is difficult to access without private transportation which few have), so she decided that each student should have to bring a branch in as homework. the teacher would then bind them together, and the class would have their tree! now Shu's husband is a police officer, but they love their son, and the prospect of him not having a branch for the classroom tree was too much to bear, so in the dead of night, he took a saw and went into nanhu park. as he started cutting into one of the branches, he looked around carefully to see if anyone was watching him only to find that there were a few other parents doing the same thing. i didn't get to see the "tree" that the teacher bound together, but i imagine it looks rather like one in line with Routh tree specifications.

a week after this story was just after christmas and my next lesson with Shu Laoshi. this was the telling of the Stocking Incident. along with learning about christmas trees at public school, Shu's son also learned about christmas stockings at his after-school english class. he insisted on having a christmas stocking with a tenacity that almost led Shu Laoshi to distraction. they made great ceremony of hanging the stocking by the fire (actually the radiator connected to the bloc's centralized furnace, but whatever) with care and then went off to bed. in the middle of the night, however, Shu's son shook her awake and begged that the stocking be taken down because he was afraid that he would get coal in it because he had been such a bad boy. Shu Laoshi, though not fluent in the semantics of western holiday traditions, is very quick on the uptake and a clever woman who knows how to answer the door when opportunity knocks. in the following five minutes, she learned a great deal of her son's recent transgressions which he believed would provoke a coal-ated stocking come christmas morning. he got candy in his stocking, but i am sure not without first promising both his mother and santa claus to be better next year.

keys and mooncakes

2005-09-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

i am writing from my parents' computer where i have been camped out pretty much all night in an attempt to answer the 113 email messages from noble friends whose quips have been ignobly molding in my inbox. i am writing from my parents' computer because i locked my keys at work which prevents me from unlocking my bicycle and unlocking my house's front door among other conveniences. the good news is that i am not as bad off as last time, when i was locked out of my apartment in brooklyn for two days wearing only a sarong during a snowstorm. yes, sir, this is much better.

and even better is reading these jewels of prose! for instance, following is from Sasha Tian, a student from Chengdu, China. the Moon Festival was on sept. 18th, and i asked her the story behind mooncakes (a kind of pastry eaten only during the moon festival which everyone hates but everyone eats). here is her email (i hope it is okay to tell your story, Sasha!):

Mid-autumn Day is based on a legend.Long,long time ago,there were ten suns in the sky,people were very hot and didn't have enough water.Many people dead.The God was very worried and looked for someone who could shoot the suns in the sky.There was a man named Houyi,he was good at shooting.So the God gave him the super power and he finally shoot nine suns and left one in the sky.The God was very happy and he gave Houyi a medicine.It could make him young all his life.Houyi's wife(Cheng'e) knew this and stole the medicine.She eat it and to her surprise,she began to fly.She flew to the moon and could not come back.Houyi missed his wife and he ate mooncakes(his wife like eating mooncakes) every year in the middle Autumn.On that day the moon will be round.And you can see a woman on the moon.
So every year,family get together and eat mooncakes.
Also mooncakes are good presents.You can give them to your boss,teachers, friends...
To be honest,I don't like mooncake.I just the mooncakes with eggs inside.
Now you know the story about mooncakes and why they are so popular in China.
I miss you.520!!!!!

my first personal

2005-09-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

titter titter gleam shine!!

well, last week Brian Bartley and i stepped into the Sapphire Hotel for a drink and hopefully a free tarot reading (we didn't happen upon tarot, but the band was glorious!). Willy Week was handing out free personal ad apps. so here it is, our first publication as seen in www.wweek.com, and our first collaboration (unless of course you count "Jake's Women"), hopefully the first of many (though not necessarily in personals format):

WHIMSEY WINS!
29-year-old, HWP, wanderlusting chick ISO lexicon-loving, highly humorific, consummately cantankerous soul, adores alliteration. Philatelics, programmers and pet lovers welcome. Jugglers accepted on a probationary basis. Linguistic status *a must. Please enjoy people watching and infrequent eavesdropping.
6956 (10/19/05)
*should read "Linguistic status immaterial", but hey, the ad was free

i was wondering last night to what this sudden interest in personal ads is due (in addition to actually posting one, i have also responded to one on CL). could it be belated culture shock? FOLLOWING PLEASE FIND STEPH'S PALTRY JUSTIFICATION FOR HER CURRENT FEELINGS OF LONELINESS. i came back to portland after gallavanting around new york and asia for the last 7 years-ish among expats and travellers, many of whom are little-attached to the thought of commitment. i came back to find everyone i know married or marrying and/or homeowners, whereas i left an enjoyable romantic interlude in thailand, and my luggage coming from thailand came to 28.1kg. soaking wet. given a week, i'm sure i'll get over it. i think the kicker came when Heather got married, the Heather that was going to be my golden-years bed-and-breakfast partner. Sarah and Heather, please tell me you're still up for a triumvirate of hostel proprietorship, and please say you'll let my rocking chair sit next to yours!

is it the "getting-used-to-being-single-again" conundrum? advice eagerly accepted. i believe that loneliness will be cured on monday when my chinese class starts (it might be cured today if only the pool was open). just wanted to confide in cyberspace. an electronic yawp. thanks for listening, ye deaf ears.

on the andaman and other noiseless ramblings

2005-04-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

SCHOOL CLOSED
well, we have finished the school year at Suratthani School after more holidays than i thought could possibly be justifiable, poetry finals, pinatas and withdrawal symptoms.
after "Peter Pan" and "Alice in Wonderland", we were confronted with a vacuum of rehearsals. this slack was quickly taken up by the preparation of our final project, the Poetry Book. we delved into syllables and haikus, word types and cinquains, forms and concretes, letters and acrostics, and tied it all up with title and table of contents pages. the results were awe-inspiring. one student made their poetry book out of a pizza box, another created a story of the tsunami utilizing all of the required poetry forms, and there was a brilliant acrostic about unrequited love that had my eyes crying and my side splitting. suture material, anyone?
having finished these exemplary works of creative writing, i though the mattayom 1 students deserved to whack something with a big stick (isn't that a natural reaction?). so we took a few big balloons, a week's worth of old newspaper, flour and water and made some pinatas. it took much more time than i had originally alotted for the constructions, so each pinata took at least 6 hours to construct and roughly 5 minutes to destroy. but hey! candy is always a good idea.
the withdrawal symptoms, of course, were mine. i have seen some of them during vacation and have to check the temptation to sit them down and extract their life philosophies from them. next year's new teachers are lucky bastards!!! of course, at least by not teaching in thailand next year i am eschewing the arduous task of filling out pink books. no more talk about those evil, pepto-bismol (sp?) monstrosities of illogic. i'm sorry to have brought it up (but not sorry enough to have deleted mention of them before sending).

MOM AND DAD
shortly after the close of the term, mom and dad landed in bangkok. this began a three-week adventure through bangkok, ayutthaya, suratthani, ao railay in krabi, and koh tao. i will let them tell of our exploits in detail, but we had one HECK of time. my major aim was to not leave them in quite as much pain as i did last year when my father was subjected to forced marches, long hard-seat train rides and "populated" bungalows (most residents sporting 4, 6 or 8 legs). we went to ayutthaya on a bus and came back on a boat which was lovely though LONG. mom and dad both got massages at wat pho after visiting the grand palace. we recouped in suratthani before spending some quality beach time on ao railay, my favorite place in thailand so far. the parents took a day snorkelling trip that stopped on koh phi phi, and dad was especially amazed to see the extent of the damage from the tsunami. it is very much changed from our time there last year. ask him and i am sure he will oblige you with pictures. another few days in suratthani followed by our trek to koh tao. the boat was heavily populated because we travelled two days before the full moon party on koh phang-an. oy veh! needless to say, we were all happy to find ourselves on land. Jane's boyfriend, Amnat, happens to work at a dive shop/bungalow, so he arranged transport to sairee beach. dad and i took our advanced open water course which included a night dive (sting rays at night!) and a gorgeous deep dive to chumphon pinnacle (that dive was actually the original reason i talked dad into going with me!). the diving instructor was particularly fascinated with some of dad's tales of using older diving equipment (i am currently reading a great book called "stars of the sea" which tracks the evolution of diving technology, so i have a devel oping appreciationg for how far underwater equipment has come in a short time). our last day on koh tao was spent snorkelling around some of the coral gardens, so mom was illuminated with contentedness upon disembarkment from koh tao. we spent one more day in suratthani together (you can see the fabulous dress mom had tailored if you attend Rob and Jo's wedding) before they left for bangkok. i had to head in the opposite direction to malaysia to renew my tourist visa. it was the best border run ever (and how often do you hear that, really?)! i was planning to hoof the long walk into town from the border, but a janitor told me i would do no such thing, put down his broom, climbed onto his motorbike and drove me straight to the van stop. such drama. such compassion. gotta love it.

GOING WEST
more on this portion in a while (i just lost it and the derriere protesteth much at the thought of retyping all of this on such a beautiful day). in short, i have spent the last week on koh phi phi helping out as a volunteer for the coral reef cleanup on the island. there are two major projects in the area: diving/swimming shore cleanup, and business renovation and reconstruction. i've been swimming which i love and doing something i feel is important. we are pulling up oxidizing metal and suffocating plastics that might have long-lasting impact on the coral and fishlife. it's like Swimming for a Cause. we have filled up about 3 pontoons in 5 days which are then ferried to the shore and sifted for salvage metals, etc. i feel as though i have personally taken out enough bricks from the shallow corals to repave broadway, but i imagine that is slightly exaggerating. the government hasn't arranged for any relief on the island that i can discern, but there are three volunteer organizations which are active not only in this region but also on kao lak and phang-nga. if you have a few extra sawbucks lying around and care to donate to the cleanup or a reconstruction program, here are the websites:

http://www.projectaware.org/americas/english/news/tsunami.asp

natalities

2005-02-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

and so has another year passed in my macrocosmically insignificant but personally gratifying life. the age of 29 was almost immediately preceded by the purchase of my first ever pair of glasses, which does nothing to ease the feeling of being within a hair's breath of the archetypically dreaded 30 (though i am certainly looking forward to at least the first half of my tercery decade with no small amount of anticipation, sitcom sentiments by and large to the contrary).

this birthday was a multi-tiered affair. the prologue to the natal comemoration (sp?) entailed numerous homemade birthday cards from my homeroom (Tammy supervised the cardmaking). they were beautiful! if i can discover the secrets to putting images on this website, i will certainly scan some of them in to give you a gander. a few students also gave me presents. one was a homemade bookmark and dried goods sculpture, another was a notebook that two students had drawn beautiful pictures in (homemade presents are ALWAYS the best). a few students gave me a bear, and i put it with the menagerie of bestowed stuffed animals behind my desk. the bear's name is Fritz Chocolate, if you are interested, and he has developed a companionship with Fluffy Pink and Ernest Prescott IV.

at the end of the school week we had a get-together. and what a way to bring it in, by golly! it was perhaps one of the loveliest and most unexpected fetes since my brother planned a do for my 16th. Tammy was the author of the whole delectable evening, in cahoots with the other teachers at suratthani school. she had invited Alfy and me to her house for a quiet dinner. we mosied on up to her place and were greeted by a covey of colleagues on her front porch, which was quite a surprise indeed. i then got the scoop on the evening's prep. it had been planned for two weeks and everyone had been most meticulous about keeping me in the dark. three folks had been delayed just before the party due to a speech competition adjudication, so Tammy had asked Alfy to stall. he turned every light on and left every screen door open in the apartment, which he knew would get my goat and prompt one of my little "we need to talk for a second" lectures. once we got to the ground floor, he "suddenly realized" he had forgotten to put on his shoes. masterful.

but the fun didn't stop there! oh no! it turns out i had blindly stepped into the midst of an unfolding murder mystery when i stepped through Tammy's gate. the others were so taken up with their parts during the ensuing few hours that it was difficult to follow the actual clues as they were divulged. it was rampant glory! Alfy and i finally left at about 2:30am after having pledged (drunken) undying love for numerous attendees and, of course, requesting a place in heaven for Tammy.

a few hours later Alfy and i rousted ourselves to phase 2 (yes, you heard me, PHASE II) of the birthday extravaganza. we pulled our sorry selves out of bed and tramped to the bus station to get to ao railay. there were six of us heading over, and it took an interminably long time. after a best forgotten journey, we skidded straight onto that beautiful beach and collected photons for a timeless stretch. there were more tourists there than last time, but the bungalow fares were actually lower than they had previously been. we met up with Judy and her friend Chris, wiling away a languorous evening in good company. i am beginning to second Bruce's sentiments that krabi is the most enchanting area in thailand (though kanchanaburi and kao sok are close seconds, let me tell you!). the next morning, Scott and bruce and i went to the diamond cave (WOW!). the experience was heightened by the fact that Scott, a science teacher at our school, had NEVER been inside a cave before. how cool a weekend is that? we swam some more and eventually headed back to civilization. Jane and Giselle spent a great deal of their time in their room, a swanky affair that was 1/5 its usual price and therefore actually affordable. does life get any better?

so much goodwill and sweet sentiment on and near my birthday has galvanized my love for this little life . . . this wee speck of a thing that gives me so much joy. the greatest success with which this Year of 29 could meet would be to make the people i know and love feel as special as they deserve, if only for a few moments. my greatest birthday present is you. it is a blessing.

blessings to you, wPublishhatever your age (though so far 29 is looking like a very good age. i highly recommend it).

addendum

2005-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

this is a partial reprint of an email i just sent to my beloved Crazy Aunt Laurel. she had asked me how the tsunami had disrupted my classes, and i unintentionally started meandering down a winding pathway of my own design. i apologize for broaching the topic of the tsunami again and hope you will forgive the indulgence into recent memory. here goes:

to answer your question about school, there was eerily little disruption with school as a result of the 26th. i thought i was pretty well over culture shock for thailand until i witnessed the reaction to the tsunami. students were making jokes just a few days after the wave hit. one teacher asked her class what they were doing for the weekend, and a rather precocious student said he was going to phuket and then laughed. the teacher, who had just been to the hospital and had talked to some of the victims, got upset and told the student in no uncertain terms that it was not appropriate to make jokes when other people have lost families and friends and livelihoods. she asked him again where he was going, and he again said (though with much more serious a face) that he had to go to phuket with his family for his uncle's memorial. his uncle had died in the tsunami. the teacher felt awful, of course, but i think many of the foreign teachers have been trying to discern mere jest from the thai way of dealing with death. the thai and western traditions of demonstrating grief are so incredibly different. students are not shielded from it at all. some of my M4 students went to the hospital to act as translators for foreign patients, and they received no orientation or counselling for what they saw (and some of it was GRIM, i can tell you). a wonderful new friend (whom you would just love) spent two weeks working at the crisis center in krabi, which was a chinese temple converted to an office inside and an open-air morgue outside. students from krabi town were asked to help people search for and identify the bodies of loved ones. alfy's student was on koh phi phi during the tsunami and saw people washed away near her, and dead bodies littered the ground after the wave receded. when she told the story to the class, she just giggled and shrugged.

i still don't know how to approach the subject with people i know because our customs of demonstrating grief are so very dissimilar. one friend had a number of sisters on phuket and koh phi phi, and i stopped by a few days after the event to inquire after her sisters. she got quite flustered and replied that three of them were still missing, then quickly tried to change the subject by offering me clothes (i have never been the best dresser). i left feeling very bad at having asked and therefore reminding her of her worries. (the story has a happy ending in that her 3 sisters called her the next day).

i felt the best way to discuss the matter with my students was via a blood donation discussion. i felt it was pretty nonthreatening, and indeed they had never learned about it before and asked a lot of great questions, and they were much more focussed and serious than when the tsunami itself was brought up in conversation. we talked about what happens and how it effects the body and how it can help people and why it is important to do, even if you are a little afraid of needles. when i gave blood, two of my M4 students came with me, so i asked them to help me talk about it when we discussed it in their class. i felt it was really valuable, and it was the only time i felt i was really communicating freely with my students about the issue.

golly, that was a lot longer than i had intended. sorry! if you don't mind, i might actually put that on my online journal. cultural customs are so interesting, aren't they?

monkeying around

2005-01-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

ao railay was the destination of our most recent escapade. the group defining "our" in the previous sentence consisted of neil and bridget visiting from south africa and ajarns bruce, jane, judy, giselle and i. bruce and judy both taught at suratthani school a few years back and have kept in contact with each other since then - bruce from suratthani and judy from krabi. i had not formally met judy prior to this weekend, though i knew her by reputation as a free spirit and very consciencious teacher. she has been volunteering for the tsunami response networks in krabi for two weeks. two weeks of working around the clock within sight/smell distance of exposed corpses in psychologically exhausting conditions would be enough to drive most to distraction, but when we met judy on saturday she seemed imbued with more spunk than most show on their best days. her demeanor was due doubtless to the cocktail of her indomitable spirit and bruce's sagacious presence. with the addition of judy to our suratthani entourage, we were ready to explore whatever awaited us on ao railay.

and good heavens, what a shock! giselle, jane and i were just on ao railay one month ago, and the place has been transformed by its lack of tourists. the beach itself has not seen much obvious damage, mostly stripped vegetation along the beach and limited bungalow damage. but we were struck by the ghost-town ambience. there were so few visitors that bungalows were forced to cut their prices by 50% in some cases during its high season. one month ago it was difficult to find a place at the bar. but saturday three waiters came up simultaneously and asked where we would like to sit. if you are in the area and wondering where to travel next, GO TO KRABI!! it's beautiful and bungalows hurt by the tsunami need your business.

not that we weren't grateful for the beautiful high-season weather, seclusion and sub-low-season room rates! we immediately headed for the beach after checking in to our previously unaffordable rooms. on the way, a number of us bought drinks and chips. this was to prove a futile purchase. a few yards down the path, one monkey appeared into view. everyone stopped to look and bless our good fortune at seeing a monkey so close. then another monkey came. and another and another until they had us surrounded. one monkey started towards dtom and her potato chips. when our hairy cousin got within biting distance, dtom yelped and dropped her bag of chips. the monkey grabbed the chips, and the whole gang bounded up to the treetops. amazing.

almost as amazing, in fact, as the two battered ships awaiting us at the beach. they were two beautiful antique-looking boats docked as annexed restaurants to the audaciously-priced resort nearby. both of the ships' masts and mainsails fell victim to the tsunami and were to be found sticking out of the water some way down. the deck dressings were smashed up ashore, and one of the hulls was topside. given the ready evidence of the tsunami, bruce asked if there had been any casualties or fatalities. amazingly, there was only one fatality, a tourist who was caught in a cave temple along the beach. apparently the guard and three of his coworkers saw the approaching tsunami and blew their whistles, giving everyone enough warning to reach higher ground.

after a quick swim, we headed back for a lovely dinner before heading to the other side of the isthmus for a nightcap. as we were wandering along the boardwalk checking out our bar options, a rather redfaced foreigner sauntered over to us and kindly informed judy and myself that the food around here is good, it's just that the tiramisu (this is what we believe to be his mangling of the word) scared everyone away. we hope he was just very, very drunk. either that, or that's one hell of a frightening dessert menu.

sunday was our pre-appointed day to check out the notorious lagoon which happens to be bruce's favorite place in thailand (and for someone who has lived here for 14 years, that's saying something). we had been warned that the climb was sporadically arduous, but no one managed to tell my legs (they still hurt 24 hours later, by the way). it was the closest thing to rock climbing i had ever experienced, and i might have turned back if it hadn't been for the others. there are three vertical portions of the trail, though there is a rope to help steady oneself.

but can i just say how very WORTH IT the hike was! we emerged into a lagoon shore entirely encircled by cliffs. the lagoon is tidal, so we hit it at the perfect time. the water is just deep enough to swim and float in, and looking up at an encapsulated sky is a requisite experience. i thank my aching legs for taking me into and out of such an enchanting place. i don't even mind losing a pant leg to the adventure (boy, was i a fashion statement as we walked back to the beach!).

my birthday is january 29th, which i hope will be a good enough excuse to get a group together to ao railay again. how can you beat a fantastic weekend at an unprecedented bargain that helps local economies damaged by the recent tsunami? i mean, really! all are welcome, get your bus or plane tickets today, because the 29th is coming up!

until i see all of you on the 29th at ao railay, may the world treat you right, my two devoted readers.

the annual letter (1st edition)

2005-01-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

dearly beloved,

greetings and well-wishings during this festive time!
in true Routh tradition, this will reach you all long after you have taken down your lights and sent your tree (should you have one) to be recycled. perhaps we might all consider this a perpetuation of the holiday spirit rather than mere negligence and procrastination. hmm? what do you say to that?

as many of you know, i have spent the past nine months or so in Thailand after having lived in northern China for two years. The decision to move to Thailand was due, at least in part, to the fact that Alfy (my boyfriend) found a math teaching position in southern Thailand, and the thought of living in a beautiful Asian country with English bookstores sounded fine by me. i began my “Thai Period” in Sampran teaching English at a private Catholic school. while the vista was less than picturesque (our school was situated on the highway connecting Bangkok with Nakhon Pathom), my neighbors were quite exceptional. i refer (naturally!) to the elephant training ground and crocodile farm abutting the teachers’ dormitory. i hadn’t really lived before waking up to the sound of crocodiles slipping into a marsh or seeing an elephant pregnant with twins on my way to school. picture an elephant pregnant with twins in your mind right now, just for a second.

i moved to Suratthani in april to be closer to Alfy and to teach THEATRE at Suratthani Public School. the decision was not without difficulty. there is a community theatre in Bangkok, and taking the job in Surat meant relinquishing a juicy role in their Fringe Festival and being unavailable for a Gilbert & Sullivan (always wanted to do G&S out of silliness) production. luckily the decision to go onto greener pastures (literally and figuratively) was punctuated by a trip to new york to witness the jeff/amber union. this ceremony should be the precedent by which all marriage ceremonies should be judged - it was informal and meaningful and a galloping good time. a toast to you, pioneers in covalent love!

eight months later, we Thai residents hailing from temperate climates have had to trust that the calendar is not lying in saying that Christmas is just around the corner, because the weather certainly doesn’t recommend the fact. ten days before Christmas day, i was sunburned after kayaking on Ton Sai with two other teachers during a week break. the vacation leading up to Christmas week was shorter for me than for other teachers because Jason and i were still preparing for our school productions of "Peter Pan" and "Alice in Wonderland", performed on December 20th.

"Peter Pan" deserves its own paragraph (it actually deserves a tome, but i am unambitious). this was the most frustrating and one of the most ultimately rewarding theatrical experiences i have ever had. most of my frustrations stemmed from communication and elusive keys. i felt that, just like Alice running after the White Rabbit, Jason and i were constantly seeking information, and i was always on a quest for some key or another. we spent 5 months trying to learn what our budget was, then another month (unsuccessfully) trying to see the set storage area (we found some items during clandestine adventures, but we are sure that most set pieces are hidden in some secret underground vault lined with gold). because so many students have after-school classes, we weren't allowed to have rehearsals after class. the first few weeks after receiving the budget amount, i was told i had to buy things through the school's thai staff. i won't go into the gory details, but the initial lumber purchase was harrowing! i had never seen a cutting list so unabashedly fubared. to make matters worse, two guys went to pick up my lumber without waiting for my class to finish as i had requested, so they paid for wood that in no way resembled the list i had given with money from the play budget which they then said was unreturnable and nonrefundable. after the "lumber incident", i insisted on buying everything myself to be reimbursed by the school.

so with the purchasing issue fixed, i moved onto phase 2 of production hell, Finding Space. because there is no set storage or workspace available in the english program, i moved my flats no less than 7 times during a 6-week period. i don't even have keys for our teacher's office, much less the wood shop or stage area. our first rehearsal onstage was three days before the production, which was also the first time the whole cast had a chance to rehearse together. try putting on a production with 100 non-native english speakers in a space only available three days before the performance date with no administrative help while other teachers and administrators take your actors away from backstage without notice or mention during dress rehearsals in order to "help you". oh, and don't forget the three weeks' holiday time just before the performance with one weeks' notice. i admit to crying myself to sleep more often than not. Jerry Lesch, however did you do it year after year?

despite the enormous odds and a dismal final dress rehearsal, both "Alice" and "Peter" turned into an unprecedented hit with the parents. students remembered their lines and blocking, parents were very proud of their children, and my sets actually got a shocked intake of breath and applause the first time we flipped and changed them. my kids were WONDERFUL, and they have talked about the play a lot since. and i got wine out of the deal as a thank-you from the departmental head which replaced the vodka i had been drinking copiously prior to december 20th!

in fact, the students have been the high point of my time here. i have never looked so forward to going to class as i have this year. they are helpful and funny and very quick to pick up spoken English. during the vacation preceding the play, a number of students came to paint the sets and mark the stage.

even the naughty students are naughty in such a creative way that it takes all my strength not to chuckle when i have to say things like, "Sun, now we're making costumes today which means you can't take the yellow fabric, wrap yourself like a monk, sit in the corner and chant sutras. what if everyone did that? and Taee, you should be sewing right now not enacting an indian bridal procession, i don't care how much you loved the bollywood movie you saw last night." last week i left a class to edit their papers for five minutes only to come back to class with the lights turned off and no students in sight. it took a second of staring to see a few giggling heads poking out. i was informed that class could not continue until i found ALL of the students. one managed to cram into a cabinet, so he was the last found. the list goes on and on, and i will happily relay some of the other more interesting ones if i can ever get out from under my grading burden.

Christmas in Thailand was pretty low-key, though we had a wonderful get-together with colleagues and friends a few days before. it's just not that easy to get into the Christmas spirit while wearing shorts, planning scuba diving trips and eating watermelon and pineapple.

the great shock, of course, came on Boxing Day when a tsunami hit the Andaman Coast of Thailand. we in Suratthani felt tremors in the morning, but i only discovered the extent of the catastrophe a day later. Ton Sai, where i had gotten my sunburn only two weeks before, is unrecognizably decimated. many people spent the following week trying to determine the fates of friends and family unfortunate enough to be in the affected areas. the hospitals were maelstroms of the injured transferred from kao lak and family members hoping to find their kin alive. i am sure everyone has seen the pictures and heard the stories, so i won't add to the tales. the missing pictures remind me so much of new york after 9/11 that the last two weeks have smacked of deja vu. i hope to be of some help in the next few months but right now can't help but feel useless in the midst of inconceivable destruction.

sometime after march i plan to head back to portland for an unspecified length of time to be my brother's "best person" at rob and jo's wedding. only my brother would know to dangle the undeniable temptation of wearing a tux at a wedding in order to get me home. there is another wedding shortly thereafter, so it looks like a season in america.

enough talking about myself! i hope this letter finds all of you, and finds you well. please know that at least until april you have a place to stay in Suratthani and a tour guide at your service. with joy and affection i extend my

best wishes,
steph

. . . and who could forget cambodia?

2004-04-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

how could i forget in the last entry to at least mention our trip to cambodia? perhaps it was a subconscious decision to create a space just for the experience. and it was certainly an experience unlike any i have ever had before.

alfy and i had 8 days vacation time during which we opted to visit angkor wat in cambodia. to this end, we attained the requisite re-entry permits so that our non-immigrant b visas would not be null and void upon our return, our tourist visas to cambodia and our bus tickets. the going was good from kao san road in bangkok just up until the border.

and then we reached poi pet. poi pet is described in the "lonely planet" as the armpit of cambodia, and far be it from me to disagree. it seems the place where wayward souls congregate to pull the hair and coerce the minds of hapless foreigners hoping to visit the ancient wonders of the former khmer kingdom. after weaving our way through the labyrinthian border checkpoint and casino clusters, we were ushered into a delapidated van captained by a smiling octagenerian bent on finding and experiencing every road deformity. because alfy's legs are so much longer than the average thai's, we sat in front with me next to our fearless driver.

after bumps and scrapes and a close call with the transmission, we finally arrived in siem reap, the closest city to angkor wat. alfy and i found a cheap guesthouse with a swiss couple who were so cool that we spent the rest of our time in cambodia travelling with them. we rented bicycles for three days and were on our way to great adventures.

i don't mean to build it up for anyone who has not yet experienced angkor wat, but nothing prepared me for the majesty and wonder of it. there is a scaled version of one of the main temples in bangkok's grand palace, but i had no notion of the whole complex's sheer size until alfy and i pedaled around it with sweat and dust coagulating on our tired bodies.

the first morning, alfy and i got rather lost as we "navigated" (i use that word loosely) through microscopic villages and little pathside markets. having finally spilled onto the road to angkor, we rode up to angkor's main gates and asked where we could procure a three-day pass. after some confusion, one shocked and rather worried guard asked how we had managed to miss the checkpoints on the road. apparently we had missed all four checkpoints during our rural trek, which no foreigner had ever done before. cambodia is not the safest country in the world due to strife and landmines, so the guard did some hand-wringing while we tried to assure him that we never strayed from the path (which at least protects some against landmines).
after an eventful morning and a swell conversation with the woman who processed our passes, we continued on to our original destination - ankgkor wat.

the actual wat is beyond description. i won't try to describe, but only to say that you must go and experience it for yourselves. some temples have been restored while others have been left in the manner in which it was found, the jungle creeping into and becoming a part of the stone structures.

sacha, dorian, alfy and i decided after three days that we should see at least one other city before departing cambodia. the bad road experience from poi pet to siem reap had made us bus-shy, so we took a boat to battambang through floating villages and beautiful countryside. gorgeous! upon landing, we were informed (well, we deduced from the activity around us) that we had to climb on a pickup with our luggage and drive the rest of the way through into battambang. so much for avoiding the roads. as it happens, poi pet to siem reap was a cake walk compared to the treacherous mudlands optimistically called a road. a few times the pickup swung up to an embankment on the left tires and down into swamp on the right side, nearly tipping the truck over in the process. the cambodian passengers didn't seem overly concerned, but all the foreigners had heart palpitations and jumped off to walk until the road evened out again. i have never been so afraid or dirty in my life. we had wondered why one cambodian insisted on bringing some cardboard and a scythe with him. the answer was cardboard for traction and a scythe for brush if the actual road proved impassable. it was a shock and surprise to actually reach our destination. we stayed one night in battambang and drove in a car to poi pet the next day. alfy and i spent two days on koh chang, which has been built up beyond all recognition. still, a beautiful area is a beautiful area, and we returned refreshed and ready for the classes and schedule craze that lay ahead.

that's the trip! sorry it was so long. best to you all, my two devoted readers.

eledile eulogy

2004-04-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

i am happy to announce that my time spent between bangkok and nakhon pathom, between the elephant training ground and the crocodile farm, have left me both alive and unscathed. there are worse occurrences in life than walking past baby elephants and their mothers on one's way to work and having dinner with a crocodile wrestler and his family.

yes, it's been a quite few months in sampran, my current hometown. i have to admit that children i have taught in thailand vary quite radically from their chinese counterparts. the first few days were an incredible shock. students were wrestling each other (and i'm talking wwf, not greco-roman) down to the floor, sliding under and over tables and talking like each individual had undergone surgery to insert a microphone next to his or her vocal chords. in short, i just didn't know where to begin. i began to relax a little with one class of 5th grade girls on the second day who sat politely in their chairs and raised their hands to answer questions. towards the end of class, i turned my back to one side of the class and collected papers from the other side. within 20 seconds, there was a shattering sound. i looked back to find that in 20 seconds two students had picked up a chair and begun playing with it . . . straight into three panes of glass. that was the first week.

by the end of the semester in march, most rebellions had been quelled and forces of nature diffused to resemble a low-grade hurricane. i had grown accustomed to the tempests and tumult which was my daily environment, and now i occasionally miss the chaotic amorpha (i hereby anoint "amorpha" a word by right of poetic license) created by cacophonous youths.

but on to new adventures! the end of february brought with it the end of term (summer in thailand is march and april). most teachers went home for the summer, and we bid adieu to the cantankerous youths, but a few teachers stayed to do textbook work and some tutoring. i was assigned to edit and create activities and dialogues for energy sources and recycling. did they know i was green? because i hope it didn't come as a shock when one of the activities designated to mathayom 3 studying coursework published by the archdiocese of bangkok during their english lesson was to write the energy policy council and express concern for thai dependence on oil and the need to encourage energy conservation. tee-hee!

it has also been my glorious treat during these summer months to tutor a young priest, father sahaporn, in preparation for his masters study in america. we have discussed the movie "the passion of christ", life as a seminarian, latin prefixes and roots, football (thumbs down manchester united, thumbs up arsenal) and anything else that comes into our heads. it has been delight incarnate! i have also had the sublime opportunity to spend time with four aspiring seminarians as they sachet down the garden path to bilingualism.

alfy, as many of you know, has been living in nakhon si thammarat in southern thailand, and the commute between bangkok and nakhon has been a difficult row to hoe at times. i began looking for a theatre teaching job in february and finally found one a few weeks ago in nearby suratthani! i will be teaching m1-m2 students (7th and 8th grade in america) drama tempered with a touch of english literature from may onward.

this (finally) brings me to the present day. i am currently in suratthani doing orientation for my new job. the other teachers are absolutely lovely, and i look forward to spending time with every single one of them. the fact that i get to see more of alfy AND get to teach theatre in the meantime is certainly more good fortune than i can credit to merit. and i am going to get a bicycle! most residents of thailand opt for a moped or motorbike as their flavor of transportation, but a few of us here at suratthani school are taking the sweaty route and going for a pedal-pusher. so i was on the lookout for a bicycle shop, a walking tour which took me all over the face of my new fair city. my journey ended at a bike shop near the river which was run by a lovely woman. i asked her how much a few bikes were, and she invited me to look at her bike catalog. lo and behold there was chinese written in pen next to each description! next thing i know we were speaking chinese and meeting her daughter who is learning english and chinese and who has lived on the west coast and southern china! i found a bicycle, new friends, and a thai-english language exchange partner all in one go. who needs fred meyer's? this is one-stop shopping! now all i need is a place to stay and life is golden.

next week is songkran, so i will be sure to write an account of the most festive time in thailand as it comes to pass.

hope all is well with you and that you are either still awake after reading my update or have had a restful sleep. as a very wise woman often says: work hard, be happy, make friends. cheers.

greetings from the grave

2004-01-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

somewhere between the western and chinese new years, i heard a voice that reminded me of my journal's neglect. that voice sounded a lot like sandy malter's, and to ignore a suggestion from a wise source would be paramount to abject folly.

it's too late for christmas and too early for the chinese new year, so please consider this (my devoted two readers) a post-holiday card without the pomp or postage.

as mentioned in the last entry from another time and place, i returned from a wonderful romp across china with my mother and her linfield students. i spent one more month at bai da wei school in changchun before heading in a southerly direction to dalian, china. why would one meander from one northern chinese city to another? one might well ask. the answer is a teaching position in dalian, the coastal town that boasts both the occasional beach and a glorious coffee shop. the workload at sea rich sino-british college was far more involved than my previous esl (e.nglish as a s.econd l.anguage) foray with bai da wei. although this cut into swimming and exploring time, it also provided an excuse to spend an inordinate amount of time with my fellow co-workers. michelle murray, another bai da wei teaching veteran, was one such colleague who made a similar relocation from changchun to dalian, via america. we became roommates as well as reunited colleagues in one of the most enviable apartments ever. i did not deserve such palatial quarters, and i know that i will never enjoy such domestic luxuriance again. this knowledge only leads me to cherish the time spent all the more, as well as the time spent learning how to cook chinese food with yang shifu.
i found the college students at sea rich to be taller than the 4-year-old tots in changchun. there are, of course, upsides to the additional height and worldly experience of one's students. together my post-adolescent students and i suffered through bibliographies and academic writing,yes, but we also enjoyed discussing "the truman show" and "the shawshank redemption." the chaucers of china, my first esl drama class, was a group formed by six talented students. talented and tall.
the jewel of dalian, of course, is not from dalian but from tianjin. she is the alpha and omega of chinese instruction, and many sea rich foreign-language teachers became foreign-language students after that annoying sea rich bell rang at the end of the day. where are you, dear rebecca, because my tones have gone to hell in a handbasket!

and then it was time to spend time with dad in thailand. an outsider might think that i hated my father, given what i put that unquellable spirit through. i strapped a heavy tank on his back and encouraged him to dive into shark-infested waters. i practically walked his feet off by showing him the backpacker's thailand (the only way to travel). i made him do hard time on a hard seat from nakhon sii thammarat to bangkok. and through all that he still found a way to say "i love you." what a guy.

the holidays were spent in portland and new york, and i am afraid that i would bore everyone with my potentially lengthy account tagged onto an already scandalously-long entry. let's just say they will be visits eagerly redone.

and now i'm in thailand, one hour from bangkok by bus and 2 minutes from an elephant training ground and a crocodile farm. if i don't get squashed or devoured, i will recount life here and try to do it justice.

hope all is well with you in whatever climate you find yourselves in!

a deep, prolonged silence

2003-02-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

as many friends and family members have come to expect from one stephanie routh, it has been a vast expanse of time since i have written in this here journal. to all three devoted perusers, i offer my usual profound apologies.

THE BRIEF SYNOPSIS
an overview of the past few months in chilly changchun:
well, the ktv foreigner christmas special aired on christmas eve. the critics (meaning my pint-size students and hutong neighbors) received it favorably and sang me snippets from my solo with smiling faces. potential embarassment averted. the cast party included russians, koreans, irish, canadians, and nigerians. great fun and a lot of dancing.
i just finished spending about 3 weeks with my mom and a bunch of linfield students careening around beijing, xi'an, hangzhou, suzhou, and shanghai. this will require at least one full journal entry, so i will leave it for the near future. let's just say it was quite the grand experience.
after much searching, michelle murray aka meng ling and i are planning to swing over to dalian next semester to sling yet some more english. we have been assured by a kickin' cat named bernard that our students will be eye-level with us, as it is a college. excited to be teaching folks with whom i may converse beyond "i want to eat an apple", but will so miss my bourgeoning english speakers at bai da wei! this, too, will require its own entry as well as pictures so that everyone can fully understand the cute factor. no, you cannot have them because they will forever and always be mine.

look forward to a recount of spring festival, or "how i learned to the love the fireworks". must go swimming now but shall expand on this abstract of a tale in the near future. meaning this millenium.
best to all, and may we all learn to get along in perfect harmony.

6th floor isolation

2002-12-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

it's been quite a raucus few days around here and thought i'd relay it to you, dear unsuspecting reader.

6TH FLOOR ISOLATION
this morning was an uncertain one for folks destined to rifle some english jabber into 6 year-old noggins. every monday morning, five of us depart for public school classes at 7:20am from bai da wei school. before such time, many of us run up to our school on the 6th floor to grab supplies and a cup of coffee. the elevator doesn't open until 7:30, so we get a little morning stair climb to wake ourselves. this morning, however, our vertical chariot was ready and waiting! little did we know that the reason for this was that the guy with the stairwell keys either was late in coming or just hadn't gotten around to opening the fricking doors. this becomes important when the elevator guy shuts off the elevator and the stairwell guy is still AWOL. the clock ticked louder as the cleaning ladies and stranded teachers all started mulling over the situation in not-so-subdued chinese. fire hazard came up a lot in those minutes of conversation, and i finally called our headmaster so that he could call the first floor so the stair guy could feel so inclined to use the keys given him. another word that came up a lot (in english, though after this episode i am bent on learning the chinese translation) was incompetence. i suppose if it had come down to it, one of the stranded foreigners is adept at rappelling (sp?) and might have jimmy-rigged some appropriate apparatus. happily, though, none of us missed classes.

SEYMORE LAOSHI
so that was early morning. my last public school class of the day occurs right before lunch and held its own little twist. one fellow in my 1.4 class (1st grade) is named seymore, and he's a pretty bright chap by any account. today, however, he spent more time talking to his neighbor than paying attention in class, and belinda (the ji che chang teacher) put both he and gillian in front of the class for a few minutes as punishment. they were able to go back to their seats after promising not to talk anymore, and i kept at lessons with "what's this? how do you spell it? how many are there?" but seymore apparently just couldn't withstand the temptation to rattle on and on and . . . so i brought him up in front of class and asked him if he would like to be the teacher since he liked talking so much in class. he replied that he certainly wouldn't mind (i'm paraphrasing), and i sat down in his seat. so he got a dog flashcard (it was the last object on our worksheet today) and asked "what's this?" the class responded. "how do you spell?" he called on one of his friends who gave the correct answer, which he then WROTE on the board! "how many dogs?" he called on someone else to answer. it was stunning!!! i was shocked and giddy, although the original purpose was to get him to stop talking in class. he told belinda after class that he wants to be teacher next class, too, and might just talk to his heart's content until he's allowed. may i remind you all that this boy is 6 years old. we'll see what happens.

THE WHITE CHICK FROM XINJIANG
last week sandy and i hung at the bathhouse together, including submerging ourselves under hot pebbles for 30 minutes (fantastic, but can i just say "sweat"?). as we were taking our final shower, one woman (there is usually at least one every time i take a communal shower) was remarking on how white i was. when she asked sandy where i was from, i replied that i was chinese. sandy then told her that i was a minority from the xinjiang province and chinese was my second language. she looked at me and my white belly in shock. i thought she got the joke until she pointed me out to a friend who had just come in and remarked about how white they were in the xinjiang province. i felt kind of guilty listening to this and told her before towelling off that i am actually american. she blinked a few times and went on again about my whiteness. sandy and i both chuckled over it on the way home.

THE RECORDING STUDIO
we recorded the chorus numbers and the duet last night at jilin broadcasting studio. it was the first time i've ever recorded in such a place. great fun, though sadly mr. star search couldn't make it (see previous entry). we tried to get along without him the best we could. the recording supervisor (i couldn't ascertain his exact area of expertise) spent a good deal of time hollaring chinese into the headsets, and david kept telling him, "hold on just a minute" in chinese. there were a few koreans and a russian and a nigerian who only spoke chinese, no english. the recording staff was chinese as well, so translation between english and chinese definitely added amusement. we couldn't get rolling until 7:30pm because of class schedules, so the wrapup finally came at 10pm. our last song of the night was "auld lang syne," which sounded like a dirge hindered by the doppler effect upon playback. but the staff was tired, so the dirge take is what will be playing on national television. oy veh!

that's about all i can think of at present. tonight i am watching "amelie" on vcd with a chinese friend of mine. it's in french with chinese subtitles, and i can understand just enough spoken french and read just enough chinese to get the general idea, but there are a few holes that i'm looking forward to filling in. my big question mark is what the contents of the letter were to amelie's downstairs neighbor that made her kiss the bullfighter's portrait. anyone know?

hope all is well. sandy says hello and you're not wearing enough clothes, wherever you are.

a KTV christmas

2002-11-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

well, it's still bone-crackin' cold here in northern china with a high today of -4 celsius. happy unthanksgiving to all and hope those of you who indulged in post-thanksgiving consumerism were not trampled into wafers.

STRANGE SIGHTINGS
Acrobats--four high school students were seen travelling on one bicycle last week.
Hazy Shade of Winter--a few weeks ago the snow started up, and all us shivering inhabitants fell asleep to the glow of a white world only to wake up the next morning to an orange one. occasionally the wind direction changes and we get a visit from the gobi desert's more nomadic elements. the change in hue was, to say the least, notable.
Michelle's Restaurant--okay, this one is second-hand. michelle, another bai da wei teacher, lives above a restaurant which formerly belonged to a friend of ours. as she was walking home last week, she noticed one of the cooks take out some garbage to the dump in back, remove some meat on top of his bag, sniff at it, shrug, and walk back into the kitchen with sniffed meat in hand. despite this invitation to avoid eating there, michelle tried their fare and, shockingly enough (sarcastically), it wasn't very good. shockingly enough (sincerely), she didn't get retchingly ill from the experience.

GANENJIE ("THANKSGIVING")
everyone at bai da wei had america's thanksgiving day off for which we were all very thankful. the restaurant on the first floor affiliated with the school was also closed, and we were able to prepare a thanksgiving meal for 45 people in the kitchen. greg was in charge of the lamb, turkey and stuffing, nell in charge of pavlova, shea in charge of buttermilk biscuits, new michelle in charge of gravy, and i heading up the mashed potato front. the turkey was about a 35-pounder (according to my conversion from jin to kilograms to pounds) and came with claws, head and brains. sadly, my vegetarian self was not around to see the dead bird with head and feet intact, but shea tells me it was quite a sight to behold. the head and brains were on display in the fridge for all to see, and the claws were cooked with the rest of the carcass. serving the food had only one hitch, being that most of the chinese guests had any idea what stuffing or gravy were.

the pavlova was a hoot! pavlova is a baked australian
confection covered with fruit and whipped cream. nell the australian opted for kiwi as the fruit of choice, and she was in the process of slicing up the kiwi when kim the new zealander entered the kitchen. as you probably know, new zealanders are often referred to as kiwis since both the bird and the fruit are native to new zealand. so greg the south african told kim the kiwi to see what nell the australian was cutting up, and poor kim ran away screaming in outrage or fear (couldn't tell which). i won't belabor recounting our thanksgiving, but it was quite a gas and salved being so far removed from american freinds and family.

A KTV CHRISTMAS
so i guess i'm going to be on a nationally televised christmas program in china. david, the headmaster of my school, is directing the show and asked a bunch of us teachers to be in the special. nell and old michelle are performing a snowman dance (i'm looking forward to it) and the chorus is doing a few numbers in chinese and english. i am doing a solo and a duet in addition to the chorus stuff. the solo is "mai tang yuan," a vendor song about a kind of soup used to celebrate the lantern festival, and the duet is in catalan with a kick-ass woman named roser (her hometown is not far from cardona, marc torres-gual's hometown). none of the music is live for one reason or another, so we recorded the solo yesterday and are recording the other music today. during the solo recording, we went through it once straight and david then said to add character. "imagine you're missing teeth and have the clap." i'm looking forward to seeing the costume. perhaps the most interesting guy in this whole scene is robert, whom i will hereafter refer to as "mr. star search." during the intial organization meeting, mr. star search asked repeatedly when prospective soloists could expect a call and what opportunities for extra numbers there were and could we expect to be on national television more than once and could we receive individual copies of the program. i hear that one of his desired solos was sinatra's "my way." sadly, this wasn't deemed christmasy enough.

DINNER WITH KATE
i had dinner the other evening with kate, an english teacher at jilin university, and her friend darlington. after hearing about her students chronically cheating and her hardships with learning the language due in part to knowing so many chinese students who speak english well and in part to living on campus, i am beginning to rethink teaching at a university. my kids may not know much english but they are cute as hell. plus, i live in a small hutong and have to use chinese on a regular basis. decision pending.
darlington is from southern china, and he tapped two fingers on the table after i poured beer into his glass. i told him i had never seen anyone say thanks like that before, and kate asked me how i knew what that meant. i finally remembered that neal stephenson had referred to it in "the diamond age". the man does his homework.

sweet god, this entry is long!!! sorry. i'll finish by relaying that my mensa class (they're my smartest class) loves "you're older than you've ever been" by they might be giants. hope your thanksgiving was marvy and talk to you soon!

hot rocks with maple

2002-11-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

CROWDED CAREENING
it occurs to me that i have forgotten to relay a swell bus tale from a few weeks ago. Robin, a swinging chick who is also a teacher at bai da wei, has occasionally accompanied me to my swimming hole at xian guanchang. the first of our tandem submerged exploits began with the single most crowded mode of transportation i have ever been in. many buses in changchun are actually glorified (i use the term glorified lightly) minibuses that have no maximum capacity. on this particular occasion, there were so many people on the bus that no one budged as we careened around roundabouts and plunged into stophood at red lights. there is usually a person to take money at the door, and his task on this venture was to jam people in and yank people out of the bus. at one point there were so many people that he could not rejoin the bus' swelling population and the door closed on him. the bus driver, oblivious to his comrade's screams over the din of his disgruntled cargo, started driving on. the money-taker/yanker/pusher banged on the door to little effect, since the occupants were so crammed in that they could not reach the handle to pull the door open. he finally had to rush in front of the bus to get the driver to stop. i wish i could have gotten to my camera.

HOT ROCKS WITH MAPLE
this past tuesday was spent in the company of Shea and Maple, a new friend of Shea's and hence a happy acquaintance of mine. many teachers have been on the lookout for a bona fide bathhouse/sauna that didn't peddle more services than one would care to explain to mother. Maple knew of such a place and was kind enough to invite Shea and myself to attend. such bliss! we got white pajamas and unlimited use of the milk sauna and oh-so-warm showers. one room had a pile of hot rocks and a stretching session led by an instructor. there was another room with hot pebbles that you could pour over yourself and sleep on, with an adjacent area for sleeping or swinging under heat lamps. the wooden swings under red light seemed so dreamlike, so peaceful and quirkily well-placed. when we were all taking a final shower before joining the clothed world (shea took a sauna), i happened to have a conversation with a woman who was stunned by my white body. she asked if i was married, complimented my chinese, and asked if i would like her to introduce me to a good-looking boy of hers. she asked Maple the same thing about 5 minutes later and i wondered if it was the same boy or if she had a list of eligibles somewhere in her purse. it has to have been one of the most memorable afternoons in changchun for its other-worldliness. the feeling lasted just up until the time that my wet hair froze upon contact with the outside air. the best part was that i saw no flesh-peddling (if you don't count the woman tring to marry maple or myself)! woo-hoo! anyway, i believe a group of us are planning to go next time. will keep you posted.

i was planning to talk about learning chinese chess and discussing the triathalon in chinese during a recent swimming escapade and a televised christmas program i am probably going to take part in and the new teacher whose pluck is immeasurable, but i suppose this will all have to wait. time to study a bunch of characters and prepare for the next day of slinging english with a bunch of aspiring young minds. hope all is well.