Smiling at the World Blog

Orphanage #1

2009-04-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written about the kids at orphanage #1 much…think I’ve been avoiding thinking about them because as much as I love these kids I’ll have to leave them. If their parents don’t get their act together in one month’s time, then they will go to a permanent orphanage or to a school that has both kids with parents and boarding for orphans. They will stay there until they are 18 but unlike Sasha they won’t have a apartment to go to, no home to live in. Alex told me that there are Training schools and the orphans can board there and Sergei told me that they get about $2/mo. So, as Sergei says the country has a problem…100,000 orphans who will grow up and need to find jobs, housing, etc. Ripe for a good solution. Wish an NGO would form to take on part of this here.
But back to my kids….
I am in love. I’ve been here long enough to know their personalities, games they like to play and for them to know that when I come I’m the adult who plays. I come to them each afternoon and get this lovely reception. Alin, a 2 ½ yr old little girl gives me a kiss, looks into my eyes and then a hug. Two twins that must be 4 come to play a sailor went to sea sea sea. There is another 2 year old boy who is very shy but he likes to play near me. The rest of that group is Olah, who is 7 yr old, probably given too much authority with the other children and her sister Alin. The other day she was in the bathroom with Alin and must have done something mean. The housekeeper, who always is smiling, heard Alin cry and she walked in and I heard this huge slap, then a scream and Olah came running out holding her face. Hard for me. Very very hard. Olah sometimes comes over and curls up on my lap and I rub her back…but this is just a moment in time. I can’t even explain to her when I leave.
And there is new 3 yr old…Liza…she pretty much was a wild one when she came and they have rules here. But I notice that she is blooming under the rules, playing with the other kids. As for the rules…when you sleep, when you nap,what you do when you wake up, how you pull your chair over for snack and put it back, slippers on , slippers off, lots of rules to keep the order and to train these children who come from some really rough backgrounds to actually be taken from their parents by the police. I think the rules are great .
So, the other day with this group of 11 I bought 6 little cars and 6 dinosaurs. (The store did not have two packages of either…urgh) Oh, my gosh, it was the biggest event ever. They all just couldn’t believe that they had their own toy. They were so happy. Such a little thing created so much happiness. I just soaked it in. Bittersweet.
The room they play in has one set of building blocks and that’s it. So, we play inside for an hour or so and then head outside to the playground for jumping, running, basketball…you know the drill. I bought chalk for everyone…another big hit. It doesn’t really take much to bring a little spark to their lives.
In another group there are 5 sisters from the same family. They are 12-16…can you imagine being taken from your mother at this age? Very nice girls. But they put the youngest one…who is normally really sweet to help with that first youngest group I told you about. Usually Kolah, this wonderful 16 yr old boy plays with them and he is patient, kind, gets them playing games. Well, this girl does not like her babysitting I guess. I was in another room with the kids…doll houses, stuffed animals, cribs and the little kids were all being kids playing make believe having fun. She walked in and yelled at each one…big yells, moved the toys back to where they were, made each one cry! I was shocked…what was it? Did we have to go outside, clean up, what the hell was it that would make her scream? Are we supposed to play in a playroom without moving toys? I was at a loss…my kids all frightened.
I tried to mime to her are you angry, sad, what is wrong? She smiled and said nothing, fine. I mimed breathe, calm, and said patience….come sit here with me. She is a lovely lovely girl and I was shocked out of my mind to have her rant at the little ones. She doesn’t know about another way or something? This is the part when not having an interpreter makes me NUTS!
So it’s tough here when I don’t know the language and miss all kinds of things. I’m guessing a lot of the time. The kids have many many tough lessons that they cannot be protected from…getting slapped, screamed at. One little boy cries every time they make him sit on this pot…and it really is a pot! What is that about? Some of the kids are wearing shoes that are too small, not warm enough clothes. I know the orphanage tries to do their best but jeez….no hugs, few smiles, gruff orders…but not all. There are a few of the teachers who are warm, loving with the kids.
In the older group, there is a 6 yr old boy who rescued his 2 sisters from their house fire. The mom was out drinking. He is amazing…smart, wants to learn, strong, and really fun to play with. His sister now after 3 weeks will almost smile at me but then I’ll be gone won’t I. In that group are two brothers who are full of life, love to play, seem to be adjusting to life here but then the 3 teachers of the older group are also kinder behind their gruffness. This is a tough job as the kids are always changing...no continuity so hats off to the ones who can manage to train these kids to follow the rules and provide a kind atmosphere. I'm sure if I was in charge there were be utter chaos!
I was at the fountain in the park the other day and saw all .the loving parents with their children running around and I thought oh my gosh….my kids can never go to a park. They are confined to that orphanage for 1 month and after that a boarding school. So, the thought now is how to help them? I think we could send some things to them or if you like, I could buy something for the orphanage for you while I’m here. A little money goes a long way….let me know….balls, games, more cars…crayons, coloring books, dolls. Shoes!!! Yea, maybe shoes!! Is there an NGO that does Shoes for Orphans? Thinking if there isn’t one that might be very cool to start?? I saw a group of very well dressed women leaving the orphanage the other day with empty boxes and I hope they were bringing clothes, maybe shoes. Wonder how to get local people volunteering here too…the ones who have the time and don’t have to work long hours. I'm quite sure the way I see people care about their children here that they would be game to help out. Or maybe they do...again, without the language, I miss a lot. Just two eyes, no ears looking at things. But let me know if you want me to buy something and what it is and you can mail me a check later.
So, there it is. I have to really focus on the idea that I am here for moment in time to bring some laughter to a child and then need to be able to walk away. They aren’t thinking about their whole lives…they are just in the moment. So, those are some of my kids…the afternoon job. They are so much fun for me to play with even when they are jabbering away in my face telling me all kinds of things and all I can do is look, smile and say da da or neit. Still works somehow. The sanitorium is a totally different experience…more on that later. .

Orphanage #1

2009-04-26T03:21:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written about the kids at orphanage #1 much…think I’ve been avoiding thinking about them because as much as I love these kids I’ll have to leave them. If their parents don’t get their act together in one month’s time, then they will go to a permanent orphanage or to a school that has both kids with parents and boarding for orphans. They will stay there until they are 18 but unlike Sasha they won’t have a apartment to go to, no home to live in. Alex told me that there are Training schools and the orphans can board there and Sergei told me that they get about $2/mo. So, as Sergei says the country has a problem…100,000 orphans who will grow up and need to find jobs, housing, etc. Ripe for a good solution. Wish an NGO would form to take on part of this here.
But back to my kids….
I am in love. I’ve been here long enough to know their personalities, games they like to play and for them to know that when I come I’m the adult who plays. I come to them each afternoon and get this lovely reception. Alin, a 2 ½ yr old little girl gives me a kiss, looks into my eyes and then a hug. Two twins that must be 4 come to play a sailor went to sea sea sea. There is another 2 year old boy who is very shy but he likes to play near me. The rest of that group is Olah, who is 7 yr old, probably given too much authority with the other children and her sister Alin. The other day she was in the bathroom with Alin and must have done something mean. The housekeeper, who always is smiling, heard Alin cry and she walked in and I heard this huge slap, then a scream and Olah came running out holding her face. Hard for me. Very very hard. Olah sometimes comes over and curls up on my lap and I rub her back…but this is just a moment in time. I can’t even explain to her when I leave.
And there is new 3 yr old…Liza…she pretty much was a wild one when she came and they have rules here. When you sleep, what you do when you wake up, how you pull your chair over for snack and put it back, slippers on , slippers off, lots of rules to keep the order and to train these children who come from some really rough backgrounds to actually be taken from their parents by the police.
So, the other day with this group of 11 I bought 6 little cars and 6 dinosaurs. (The store did not have two packages of either…urgh) Oh, my gosh, it was the biggest event ever. They all just couldn’t believe that they had their own toy. They were so happy. Such a little thing created so much happiness. I just soaked it in. Bittersweet.
The room they play in has one set of building blocks and that’s it. So, we play inside for an hour or so and then head outside to the playground for jumping, running, basketball…you know the drill. I bought chalk for everyone…another big hit. It doesn’t really take much to bring a little spark to their lives.
In another group there are 5 sisters from the same family. They are 12-16…can you imagine being taken from your mother at this age? Very nice girls. But they put the youngest one…who is normally really sweet to help with that first youngest group I told you about. Usually Kolah, this wonderful 16 yr old boy plays with them and he is patient, kind, gets them playing games. Well, this girl does not like her babysitting I guess. I was in another room with the kids…doll houses, stuffed animals, cribs and the little kids were all being kids playing make believe having fun. She walked in and yelled at each one…big yells, moved the toys back to where they were, made each one cry! I was shocked…what was it? Did we have to go outside, clean up, what the hell was it that would make her scream? Are we supposed to play in a playroom without moving toys? I was at a loss…my kids all frightened.
I tried to mime to her are you angry, sad, what is wrong? She smiled and said nothing, fine. I mimed breathe, calm, and said patience….come sit here with me. She is a lovely lovely girl and I was shocked out of my mind to have her rant at the little ones. She doesn’t know about another way or something? This is the part when not having an interpreter makes me NUTS!
So it’s tough here. The kids have many many tough lessons that they cannot be protected from…getting slapped, screamed at. One little boy cries every time they make him sit on this pot…and it really is a pot! What is that about? Some of the kids are wearing shoes that are too small, not warm enough clothes. I know the orphanage tries to do their best but jeez….no hugs, few smiles, gruff orders…but not all. There are a few of the teachers who are warm, loving with the kids.
In the older group, there is a 6 yr old boy who rescued his 2 sisters from their house fire. The mom was out drinking. He is amazing…smart, wants to learn, strong, and really fun to play with. His sister now after 3 weeks will almost smile at me but then I’ll be gone won’t I. In that group are two brothers who are full of life, love to play, seem to be adjusting to life here but then the 3 teachers of the older group are also kinder behind their gruffness.
I was at the fountain in the park the other day and saw all .the loving parents with their children running around and I thought oh my gosh….my kids can never go to a park. They are confined to that orphanage for 1 month and after that a boarding school. So, the thought now is how to help them? I think we could send some things to them or if you like, I could buy something for the orphanage for you while I’m here. A little money goes a long way….let me know….balls, games, more cars…crayons, coloring books, dolls. Shoes!!! Yea, maybe shoes!! Is there an NGO that does Shoes for Orphans? Thinking if there isn’t one that might be very cool to start?? I saw a group of very well dressed women leaving the orphanage the other day with empty boxes and I hope they were bringing clothes, maybe shoes. Wonder how to get local people volunteering here too…the ones who have the time and don’t have to work long hours. Let me know if you want me to buy something and what it is and you can mail me a check later.
So, there it is. I have to really focus on the idea that I am here for moment in time to bring some laughter to a child and then need to be able to walk away. They aren’t thinking about their whole lives…they are just in the moment. But I would love them to have shoes that fit. Any one game to help?
So, those are some of my kids…the afternoon job. They are so much fun for me to play with even when they are jabbering away in my face telling me all kinds of things and all I can do is look, smile and say da da or neit. Still works somehow. The sanitorium is a totally different experience…more on that later. .

Easter traditions

2009-04-25T12:25:00.001-07:00

All’s well in the motherland. It is so interesting learning about life under communism, gining their independence and Chernobyl. It’s all relatively recent. 1991 for independence. Natalya came home for the weekend holiday and since her boys are elsewhere she and I have been talking. Well, I’m listening..she’s quite a talker and with her accent and broken English I think I’m getting things correctly but I’m not sure! I do think she’s a wonderful mother, a hard worker and someone who knows how to endure hardship. “That’s life” she says a lot. And smiles.
She asked today where I get my dark skin. The mysterious coloring. Though I’ve been here just 2 weeks I’m getting a tan and it’s a contrast to the creamy white here. I have seen some kids with my coloring though.
So Easter is bigtime here. You go to the church at 11pm Sat, get your food blessed, your willows that will turn into tea that you wash with, and then go home about 4 am for breakfast. Not everyone goes the fulltime or at all but this morning she and I had the traditional breakfast. She had cooked all day yesterday even though the kids aren’t home and then it sits out on the table overnight…it’s tradition. She is not to light fire today. She told me that everyone was calling this morning to tell her on their way back from church…”Christ has risen!” She sort of chuckled.
First off, she said we must have a glass of homemade wine! A toast! 8am. Then colored eggs that we have to crack with another egg not a utensil on the top and the bottom. I think it’s a contest to see whose egg is strongest. After that there is special bread like a giant cupcake with frosting on top that is the only bread you are supposed to eat for 3 days. There was also a chicken stew with the fat congealed on the top, a fish soup that was on the stove overnight, some great cabbage salted and stored in a big jar for 2 weeks that is good for your entire digestive system, another fish salad, there’s a whole baked chicken on the table that is not visually very appetizing. Another mushroom and something else dish that was cooked yesterday and looks weird. The overnight on the table thing without seran wrap is certainly a new one. So, I ate a bit of everything and really all good. I’m really enjoying all the different cabbages. Get ready Paul, I’ll be making a mixture for our digestion!!
During breakfast she told me more folklore, more about her life, and then showed me LOTS of photos on the computer. Maybe a bit long…like 2 hours but she’s really sweet and trying to get me to learn about their culture. Told me this great romantic story about a woman many years ago who was a slave. Sounds like a book actually if its not already. The trick on all of this is that I need to fill in the missing words correctly and not change the story. She doesn’t want to be interrupted as she really loves telling stories. I’m listening and thinking…interpreting what I think she means to say.
After the long photo show, I wandered into the kitchen thinking I’d make myself maybe a cheese sandwich as I am supposed to make my own food here and feel bad when I eat theirs. But she said “sit down. We have vodka now! Homemade from my sister.” So there I was wine for breakfast and a shot of vodka for lunch!! After a toast we threw that back, throat is now really clear and Nataly said “this will help clear all the blood vessels in brain! Want another one? Eat cabbage now. Very good after vodka” Guess I best have another one then? Over lunch I learned more. I think all day I’ve said about 20 words. It’s just so nice. Her youngest married son is spending the weekend at his in-laws at the farm in the country and the oldest is doing the same with his girlfriend and a group of friends.
Tomorrow is a holiday for everyone and the tradition is to go to the cemetery and visit the graves. She won’t be able to because her family land is too far away and she needs to go back to her coursework…a 7 hr trainride away. She told me that her father had a problem with vodka and was aggressive and there were problems. He died at around 50 and her mom at 75. Her mom was a very strong woman as well and when she was dying she refused to be buried next to her husband. NO way will I be next to him! So she is buried in a different cemetery all together!
I could go on and on …..like the carrots, the potatoes....she gives me her real life story. I’ll be heading out this afternoon to visit my kids from the halfway house orphanage as they cannot go home for the holidays. I need to stop at the store and buy some candy for them. You can probably tell that I am really relaxed and comfortable here. Work with the children is really fun for me. I enjoy teaching as always, small classrooms, 35 min classes, just a few naughty boys and mostly pure enthusiasm that is just very very heartwarming. But for the computer that disconnects in the middle of an email, little stress…well, as long as I don’t have to talk to mr. greed, Alex, the dude that runs this program..
I told him I wanted to know exactly what percent of my room and board goes to him. He hemmed and hawed. I said fine if you don’t want to tell me but it is customary in my country to be open and before I can recommend a program I need to know the details. His wife who pretends that she doesn’t speak English suggested that he write it all down for me. Why not just tell me? Well, we’ll see if he does. I can’t ignore the fact that he is a sneaky b---. So, we’ll see. Sasha says there is no changing him that it is just the way he is and the country is. But he also says that is what is wrong with the country. Moving away from corruption must be one of the toughest things in developing countries. So, even if there is no change perhaps some exposure to our western style is not a bad thing. And Sasha gets a kick out of me questioning Alex. When I talk to Alex, Sasha always stands nearby and gives me little smiles. Both sons seem to dislike him but maybe not.
Okeedokeee…that’s it for today. Going to research Simon Says type games on the computer!! Hope things are going strong for you there. Stay in touch! Two weeks done, two weeks to go. Love, Joyce (If you like the blog thing…which I am only so so about…I posted some new things, new descriptions)

Wandering around the Market

2009-04-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

Wandering around the Market
I took a full day off today even though I felt a bit guilty not dropping in on my orphans. Just felt like having a walkabout as I have not done that yet. Cherkasy is really easy and really difficult. Easy in that it is safe, manageable. Difficult in that no one speaks English and it’s so frustrating not to be able to talk to people. I have an idea for a business here like the project I was at in Spain. Just need to find the right person to pull it together.
So, they have this enormous walkabout market that all the local farmers come in for. It goes on for blocks and was a feast for my eyes. Unbelievable new things to see and the babushkas selling were each so enchanting. I wanted to find a quiet corner and just watch. The print of their clothes, the wrinkles in their skin, the look of the outdoors and hard work on their faces and their produce in small burlap bags on the table or in an artistic pile. Pike Place market Ukraine style! I love weathered faces their heads covered in bright babushkas. Feels like life. No pretenses. Grains of all kinds, herbs, a man holding fresh bay leaves for sale in a bouquet, pomegranates that were small but jam packed with berries, a mountain of pomegranate berries, clumps of dirt on carrots, potatoes, beets, all beautifully displayed on tables. We make everything so clean at home. Imagine buying a dirty carrot! It is not appreciated…my staring so I had to kind of sneak looks at their faces. It feels like I can get their life if I can watch. They are so beautiful to me.
Walked to the next area, fish. Woo…lots of weird fish let me tell you and though the salmon looked familiar I just wasn’t too sure about any of the rest. Dried fish, hanging from a line, fish, really bloody fish..we don’t get bloody fish in Seattle, guess it would be too real, like dirt on a carrot. But then I went to more of a closed in fish place with a real roof. It was the worst smell ever. I’ve never really smelled fish guts, blood and scales in a closed space..unf—ing believable. I kept walking in because I wanted to know if my noise would adjust…slim, blood, fish guts, …so real and so gross. No manicured fish market. So, maybe we get detached from reality because our food is so removed from reality. It’s all so real here. Took a photo and thought the fishman would jump over and grab my camera he gave me such a dirty look. Forget the little Joyce smile getting to know people. NOT! Guess I can take the little fishes photo but not mr DeNiro.
On to the clothes. Everyone has a tented structure with their particular type of clothing. Bras, hosiery, kids clothes, sweaters, jeans, you wear it they have it. And there are even tents that have canned goods neatly stacked and labeled.. They pack it all in at the end of the day. Rows of shoes.
I wandered for hours and one woman stopped to talk to me. She said a lot to me but who knows. I liked her though. There are no tourists in Cherkasy which makes shopping really enjoyable. It’s low key. I can look at things and walk away. Sunglasses must be HUGE here because there are racks and racks of them.
Nataly calls this the Black Market but since it is out in the open not sure what’s black about it. Moved on to a two story circular building with meat counters and scales on the fist floor and a balcony around the top with more meat. All kinds of liver, heart, pigs feet, chicken, beef, you name it was sitting out waiting for that next lucky customer. Nataly says beef is expensive here. I’ve not priced it yet but maybe I’ll buy some for the family when I leave. Lots of people were out maybe because Easter is tomorrow. Yes, I know that you all had Easter but this is Orthodox Christian and I guess they are operating on a different calendar. Christmas is Dec 7 but Easter is their most important holiday. More about that later. On the way home I stopped at a bread stand to buy some bread. They don’t really get writing down total price here for me though I explain it. And they get a bit nervous that I don’t understand. I tried laughing so that she would relax as she was trying to explain what was inside the sweetrolls and kept saying the words over and over. I finally said, Da Da and she felt better. Next time I come here I will have studied the language! Also, passed a man who was selling old albums—Pink Floyd, Abba—no Beattles but pretty cool to see them.
Still crazy about this weather with a clear blue sky, sunshine and a bit of wind. Cool but not cold. I think all doses of sunshine are good for a Seattle woman and its been 2 weeks of playing outside in sunshine. On to Easter tomorrow the biggest religious holiday here.

Some family research

2009-04-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

I've got most of the day off as does the rest of the city.It's the Easter holiday and families traditionally go to the cemetary. I'll go see my orphans pretty soon as they have just another day. Time for some Mother May I if I can explain it without knowing any Ukrainian. Good luck Joyce.
I've been doing some research on maybe tracing my roots here and found a site with some cool photos. http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/Kharkov/KharkovCollection.htm I like thinking about my family here though having to escape to survive must have been very hard. Keep thinking about my dad's first 12 years in Kharkov. We'll see how the contacts go for seeing if anyone is still alive. Got a bus to catch!

2009-04-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

I am now working at a large school with 500 kids who stay here because of health problems mostly left over from Chernobyl or just from poverty and not eating well or something like TB? It’s a little hard to understand it with imperfect translations. About half are orphans. The grounds are forest like with paths wandering through the trees. They have a hospital on the grounds where the children can go for treatments—light, laser for their throats, medicines and healthier foods. There was a lot of thyroid cancer after the meltdown and maybe they are trying to prevent it even though it is more than 20 yr and these kids weren’t born. They look healthy enough but I guess they are susceptible to colds and more serious complications.
I’ve been able to teach there in the mornings…a bit of English, US geography, Joyce life and I show some photos of my family and Seattle. My little number seems to work out really well here. The children have a lovely innocence here and are very happy to meet an American and hear English. Really, so much enthusiasm and they ask for my autograph after class. It’s been a great experience. I’ve taught 3rd graders to 9th graders. The kids let out enormous sighs when I show them the sunset and Rainier, buildings of Seattle, the sound, mountains and Bob the cat! Next time I’ll get a better photo album together. I’ve played Simon Says and that’s a big hit. Researching more good games. Ideas always welcomed.
One of the teachers had a birthday and back in the teachers lounge. She had brought lots of homemade goodies, eggs, pickles, pickled mushrooms, bread, meat patties, chocolate cake and the teachers were laughing, eating and enjoying. They asked if I liked cognac and took out a bottle…highly illegal in the classroom…poured it into our teacups and we made a birthday toast. Now if it wasn’t for the English teacher I wouldn’t have a clue what was going on but it was truly one of those classic best moments…having a window into life here. After I teach each day, we go to the lounge to visit and they ask me questions about schools, life in American, divorce, child support, retirement and I have a chance to learn. There are more similarities than differences that’s for sure! Things like principals that are a pain to work for, low pay, being a single mom, joking.
In the afternoon, I have a choice of either going to my first orphanage later in the afternoon or another one in the early afternoon that is again a school/orphanage for kids with spinal problems. It’s an enormous, red brick building that is very nice from the outside. I’m not sure again about the problem..if it progresses or can be halted. My work here is playground duty which means my dodge ball skills are improving slowly. Kids come and take my photo and want to practice their English which is great fun. I think most of the kids that I am working with are not orphans. AS for their therapy, they see physical therapists at the school, twice a day music come on and the class stands up and goes through about 15 min of stretches. In the classroom they also have 4 platforms they can work from if they get tired at their desks. They lay on their stomachs with a incline going up from their waist. None of it is soft. They do their writing at the end of the incline below where their head is.. There is a swimming pool and they all have swimming lessons. Interesting concept to group kids together and give them help as part of their normal day. Might be an excellent idea? They thought it was strange that we don’t do this at home.
So, the day is varied and I get HUGE doses of just plain kid fun as I don’t have to discipline, plan or fret. At my first orphanage, a 2 year old corrected me on my coloring by grabbing my crayon..he was sitting on my lap…and moving it around in big scribbly lines instead of that weird neat thing I was doing. He was right…way more fun.
At each place I can’t really fret about not doing anything lasting because there really isn’t anything. Just a moment in time filled with laughter, new friendships and some culture exchange. Kids are such good teachers about time and the value of playing. And I really do still love recess.
I feel like I am just starting to get under the culture from talks with my host family and the teachers. As in all places, people like to put on a good face and it takes a while to get real. I do like to let them know that we are not living a fairy tale life in America and that we too are having an economic crisis. But it’s easy staying at home to not fully appreciate the quality of our lives –like protection from bribery, equal rights, respect for our laws-- that are ingrained in our culture. We may at times go sideways but here they are still struggling for things we take for granted or is that granite.
Found a great Japanese Folk Zen quote “Fish live in streams. Birds nest in trees. Human beings dwell in warm hearts.”

Where in the world am I?

2009-04-19T04:12:00.000-07:00

My sister asked questions about what it looks like here and since it takes a century to download and connections are cut off in the middle of things, I’ll give you a view of what I see in Cherkasy. First of all I am living in a 10 story cement brick apt building.ugly, plain, rundown and there are 4 such buildings that form a square with a formerly brightly painted playground in the center. Built by the communists, the building is at best functional. Sounds echo off the building and I can here voices clearly from the ground though in the evening it’s very quiet. The first night I heard all this banging and I thought oh my gosh, gun fire? Target practice? What is that sound? There is Dnipro River right across the street and I thought maybe someone was having target practice. The answer, really funny…jeez, Joyce….they take their rugs outside and hang them on a rod at the center of the playground and beat the shit out of them rapidly. My gunfire and imagination is actually rug beating echoing on all four buildings!. (no vacuum cleaners). You’d have to hear it to know that I’m not crazy….rapid fire rug beating echos really sound like gun fire (especially if you don’t’ really know what gun fire sounds like!)
Okay, so we’re past my ugly, run down complex. (My apt is lovely, oriental rugs hanging on the wall and floor, mostly brown tones, wallpaper on all the rooms, living room that doubles as a bedroom for Sasha and his wife Sveta is peachy red wallpaper, lots of light…just got the windows replaced with vinyl, 2 bedrooms 1 bath. An elevator that would just as soon crush you if you are too slow getting in hence the preferred walk down the stairs. I’ve had it squish me. We take off our shoes before coming inside. Toilet closet that you can’t flush the paper down takes some getting used to. Putting it in the bin, well, it takes some getting used to but everything is very tidy here. Shower works fine but I have to remember NOT to get any water in my mouth.
The main street through town has a middle pedestrian walkway lined with trees that are just beginning to come into bloom. It must be very dreary in the winter though as most of the architecture is drab, there is a lot of dirt covering the sidewalk from a lack of grass. You wouldn’t come here for a beauty tour. Throughout the town there are hundreds of these huge Soviet-built apartment buildings in various states of depression. Not sure how you would spruce up a big old ugly run down cement building. Reminds me of China. There is an occasional robin’s egg blue building or pink and the big Orthodox Church in town has gold domes. I think once the leaves come in, the town will cheer up from the drab buildings. McDonalds is at the center but I haven’t seen KFC or Starbucks!!
Playgrounds are everywhere and kids play all the time. We have a basketball court and soccer field near the house. Children are everywhere and babies are out in strollers and carriages. Now these carriages and strollers are like ultra deluxe. Absolutely gorgeous looking things that I would have died for. It’s safe enough for 10 yr olds to take the bus home alone. I don’t think there is that fear for children’s safety that we have at home.
My sister asked if everyone looks beaten down when they walk. No, just purposeful. Well, first of all, I need to accurately describe the women here. This is undoubtedly the country with the most beautiful women I’ve seen…maybe Rio was a match though the coloring there is all the same. Combinations of different conquerors have given most of the people blue eyes that match the sky and dark hair or blonde. The girls are tall, built like models, some Snow white and some Goldilocks but really all young girls from 18-35 are sensational looking as in really amazing. I don’t know if the young men…who have that bit of tough Robert DeNiro look but taller…really appreciate their scenery. The girls are meticulously groomed, gorgeous hair, skin tight very fashionable jeans with stilettos or mini skirts with boots. The jeans have lots of detail, zippers, or just very cool tailoring. A million different boots or shoes with matching purses. It’s a fashion show. Lots of leather jackets. A very sexy fashion show. Tyra should do her Next American Top Model from here! There is not just one look but most have a creamy white complexion. (There is a pretty active “Find a Ukrainian Wife” thing that goes on especially in Odessa. It can also involve some sex and that nasty sex trade thing. )
There’s a rather drastic switch at 40ish. I think at that point many women start expanding, relaxing and the 50+ women really look and dress like grandmas. The students at the three schools that I am at are pretty surprised that I am 61.
The young men are pretty styling in cool jeans, shirts and jackets and they are thin as well. The older men, well, think gangster movie. Hollywood must come here to study their faces. But definitely the private, impersonal looks out on the street are just an outward look. I think if I can judge from the people I have met, inside their homes they are warm and open. Maybe like Seattle which is not friendly on the street either. We are also very reserved in public. I’ve not seen any big warm public emotional greetings and hugs but I’ve seen lovers kissing, holding hands and couples walk their babies together in those magnificent strollers. I’m looking forward to tomorrow…Easter…figure lots of people will be out.
Beer is a hoot. You can drink it walking, sitting on a park bench or on a bus! People drink it like we carry around our water bottles. I got this new aluminum water bottle and I’m pretty sure the kids think I have vodka in it cuz they always ask what it is. You can buy beer pretty much whenever you have the money and can reach up to the cash register. One girl at the orphanage jumped out the second story window cuz she wanted opt go buy a beer…landed poorly and broke her leg though. I can’t get used to people walking around with beer. Saw a lady at the playground this morning drinking her beer. There is a big problem here with drugs and alcohol but I’ve only seen one wavering drunk trying to find his way home.
And given that this is a second world nation, we in the first world could learn from them on how to run an efficient bus system. I can get everywhere I want to go quickly. Buses come often and cost 15 cents to ride. Doesn’t it seem like Seattle could figure it out? Maybe smaller buses that run more often or on more streets? AT times riding a bus is just like being a sardine. We can be packed to the gills and the bus still stops and more people crush on in. Standing up holding on, can’t see outside to know where to get off, hot, stuffy buses are not my favorite thing.
I’ve spent $50/week on food so far. That’s eating lunch out and buying my own groceries for breakfast and dinner. Most people eat in reverse of us here. The saying is “Eat for yourself at breakfast, share your food with a friend at lunch and give your enemy dinner.” Took me a minute to understand that a late big meal would only be good for your enemy!! I do think I like the idea except the giant breakfast every day. Nataly was making Lee chicken, potatoes and cabbage for breakfast. Not quite ready for that!
I’m taking the weekend to head to a museum, see if I can find the baby orphanage that I want to work at and go check on the kids at the half-way house orphanage as I don’t think they will get to leave the grounds to visit family. Not sure. That’s all for now.

Learning about a Culture through Volunteer Work

2009-04-13T03:20:00.000-07:00

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One of the largest benefits of volunteering for me is actually getting into a culture. Though it’s only a small window into life here, it still gives me a bit of an understanding of how my life would be different if I lived here. I love that aspect of travel…seems a very good way to ferret out who I am, how much of me is ‘American’ and what parts are ‘Joyce’. How does being a woman in America might differ from being a woman in Ukraine? I had lots of robust experience with that today!
Staying with a Ukrainian family here in Cherkasy is giving me a lovely insight. Nataly is a hard working loving single mom. Her oldest son was hit by a car when he was young and they didn’t know if he would recover at all or at best be brain damaged. She prayed. And while she prayed her husband left her with 2 small children. The miracle was that her son fully recovered and is 28 yr old, working, and her other son, 21, is also strong but having a tough time in this economy finding work as a trained mechanic. The mom has always worked hard as a journalist and took in volunteers to help her sons learn English. She has done an amazing job and still has a smile on her face. Nataly has gone for 11 days on business and now the young son who lives here is taking care of us. (Us? A Brit came to live here too. He’s around 40.) Sasha, the youngest son, is married and his young wife who is a cleaning maniac is here too. Neither one of them works right now and they stay home all day. It must be tough. She is from farm country and doesn’t like the city…plus she has no job and he, of course, likes the city. But the custom is for the woman to go to where the man’s family lives. I hope they both find good jobs soon.
We have a cozy group except that these toilets do not flush very well and is there anything more embarrassing than a log that won’t flush. I feel so bad! “Hello, I was wondering if you could help me again. I have a log jam.” Not sure how to solve that one, always embarrassed but guess we are learning about each others cultures. Do you think that was like way too gross to blog? Tee hee, ho hum….some of you say you like to know the details!!!
So after that, it’s only natural to move on to greed and corruption. When I look for a place to volunteer, I usually get a feel for it before I leave but never know for sure. There are big expensive volunteer organizations that charge huge sums of money and keep most of it for their own salaries and fancy booklets to attract volunteers. (A more formal acceptable capitalist form of greed) I stay away from them and when I teach my classes on volunteer travel I also advise my students to find cheaper ways. Know where the money is going.
So, this project is not very expensive…$500 for food and lodging for a month and my understanding was that all the money would go to the orphanage and my homestay. Enter greed and a weasel. The cagey man who runs this program has found that he can tap into people’s desire to do something good and fill his pocket. He has a website, he brings people from all over the world, finds them lodging but the majority of the money doesn’t go where he says..it goes in his pocket.
Today I was very frustrated with him as I have asked for another orphanage to work at to fill more of my time and he has not helped me. I have mornings here where I could be helping or learning or doing. So we had to have a bit of a shake down. Lee the volunteer from UK was backup as he is also not happy with how his time is being filled. He’s a builder and had hoped that he would be able to teach his skills, or teach English to older kids though he is only here for a week. Alex told me yet again that tomorrow he would maybe work on it. Tomorrow maybe would be different. He has been telling me this for a week now. I was not pleased with that answer and told him that maybe I would need to find my own opportunities. He told me that would be fine but I would have to move out. What? Well, you can tell lesson number 1, the Ukrainian bossman is not happy with a contrary woman. Seems a bit crazy that he would not be more helpful doesn’t it? I’m here. I’m great with kids. I want to help. So what is behind his unwillingness to help me I thought? Why isn’t he more motivated to find me more volunteer work?
Follow the money. We asked him where the money goes. He said he gives the orphanage 5%, and then he lied and said that Nataly gets the rest. We will ask Nataly how much rent money she gets because he always asks for the payment privately and doesn't give it to her directly. Seems to me I should be able to find out from him exactly how much is going where.
So, I am learning about both sides of a culture and he is learning about me and Lee (the American and the Brit). And here where corruption has reigned for a long time, where money is survival, the custom is to pay the man in charge. (Apparently even some not all teachers take bribes for good grades but that’s another story)
I guess a part of me understands that in the wild the clever animals survive and maybe this life here has been more about survival. Ukraine only became independent in 1991. But my lofty values really don’t like someone using an orphanage as a front for making money. Perhaps if he told the truth upfront…then there would be no problems. And so what I think needs to happen is that I explain why his process is offensive to me and perhaps he can explain to me why his process is necessary for him and his country. (Turns out besides the car he drives me around in he has a Mercedes. And its good to make money but not on lies.)
But on the good side of what he is doing… I do know that the children love having volunteers and that for me playing with the kids is a GREAT way to spend the day. I have really been having fun getting to know them. And Nataly who makes $300/mo finds the extra rent money helpful but it’s about knowing the truth of where the money goes. Is this the only way for something good to be accomplished here? Perhaps? Is it wrong for me to impose my cultural values here? And if there wasn't a greed factor would anyone be there to pick up the work? Perhaps a US or UK ngo? So, it was an interesting united nations today. Lee from the UK, me, Sasha the son and Alex, the organizer.
Sasha says that this pocketing the money is the way here but he thinks its fine that I gave Alex my opinion. I dont' want to involve the family. I'll have to talk to my college students that I am working with about this situation and get their feedback.
I also was interested to know how he took having me confront him directly. Like how does a woman questioning a man work here anyway?:) He wanted to walk right out but Lee told him no, you must stay here and work this out. Yea for the Brit! I do think this conflict will ultimately be a good thing but it was not pleasant. But then I don’t travel the world to find out that it is just like home. And Pollyanna I’m not (well, a touch)…plus my culture has its own issues.
My solution? I told him that I would pay my money directly to Nataly for the rent since that is what he told me happens to it all. I’ll give a donation to the orphanage but nothing more to him. Urgh…. That is if he finds more for me to do and I stay here. Stay tuned for next Friday rent day!! I don't think he is representative of Ukrainian men. Need to find some more adults to discuss this with.
I am also home today googling for volunteer opportunities in Kharkov which is where my dad was born. I’m hoping that I can find something there this week and go there on Friday for the last two weeks. If that doesn’t work out, Lee has an American friend who started an NGO in Crimea… if you’re like me you need to look it up to find it. If I don’t find anything good in Kharkov, I might travel there as Lee knows this Dave who speaks Ukrainian and has contacts with orphanages.
All in all today has been a huge education all the way around. Remembering to always be aware that there is the light and the dark. Can’t ask for more than that!!

communication snags

2009-04-12T00:54:00.017-07:00

HI,
Well, I'm wishing that I was a computer nerd so I could figure out how to correct the problem and get on the internet with hotmail. Thank goodness I found one internet cafe where it works but it is over by my orphanage. Guess I will wait till Monday to catch up with everyone. And with the 11 hr time difference, it's not been good for calling either as my mobile isn't working and I am not out during the right times. Frustration! There are times when I want to talk to my sons, mom, sister, Paul and urgh.....

BAck to the progress here. I met with 4 college students who are studying to be translators. I had run into by 'accident' early in the week and offered to help them with English. so we took a walk in the park and I talked and asked them questions. They were a bit shy to speak but I think it's good practice for them to listen. They are a good place for me to learn about life here, too. Three very attractive girls and one boy who wants to go to Alaska this summer. We are goingt o try to meet 2 times a week to practice and I'm hoping that I can get them over to the orphanage to translate for me.

Okay, more later...today we are going for a drive in the countryside. In truth it looked like boring farmland to me but I'm game to see if there are any pretty spots. The river that we live by is both beautiful and eerie. They dumped sand all over the area and its weird to see a sandy beach at a river. They also widened it. It's funny how it doesn't look natural even without knowing all that. I am looking forward to the brass band concert at 6 though in this small town. Wonder how many locals will go. Okay, meeting another volunteer soon. More later.

Cherkasy School #3

2009-04-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

Chekasy School #3

Yesterday was a surprisingly amazing day probably one of the most surprising of my life.. I say that because Alex told me we had a meeting with a director of a school but I figured it was to find another orphanage to work in to fill my day as I had asked for more work We went to a large beautiful school and walked in to the directors office filled with sunshine, plants and the director had this lovely welcoming smile, twinkling eyes and wrapped my hand in her two hands. I felt like an old friend coming home. We then sat down at a table with one of her teachers translating. She welcomed me, told me about the school and what they planned for me. By the way, sidenote, I was dressed in playground clothes. Just a shirt I wear for sports, jeans, tennis and some silly socks. I wasn’t expecting any of this. They were in lovely dresses..professional. I apologized profusely for my way too casual outfit explaining what I thought I was doing today. They just repeated that it was amazing to have a native American speaker there at the school, an amazing opportunity for the children and for their school. Photos around. (I tried to primp) Turns out they wanted me to speak to a class of high school students about myself and then the students would ask me questions. Then the same thing with some middle school students. (Can you imagine…I’m in playground clothes and acting as this speaker from American…ouch!)
So I entered a room and about 40 students immediately rose until Queen Joyce sat down. After I spoke we had Q&A.I explained to them my casual dress and also about m roots. Is it true Americans eat only fast food? Do teenagers there just sit around doing nothing after school? Do you watch TV all night? What are some traditions from your country? What is this Halloween? (perfect questions for the top lover of Halloween) Do you like your new president? (I tried to get some feedback on this but they were hesitant to offer an opinion. Are there hip hop teenage dance groups? (By the way, when I was wandering the town on Sunday came across a group of boys and girls practicing dance steps) What are some traditions in your family? What do you think of Chekasy? Ukraine? And on they went. I was speaking at an almost normal clip and it would be interesting to know how much they understood. I tried to explain that with the size of the United States no one person can represent life, customs of all but that the spirit of freedom, independence is in our bones. For me it was so surprising to be welcomed …a total stranger…put before the kids. Would we do that with someone from a foreign land? At the end they presented me with a welcome gift, a traditional plaque to protect my home. Hard to absorb it all.
After the big kids, we took a tour of the school…they have a museum to celebrate the history of the school, a hall with paintings by their art teacher of the culture of Ukraine, and then on to the next level. About 70 students. We had the same format but the questions were cuter. You have a cat…why don’t you like dogs? One would like a pen pal in the US. But then one about fast food….the president too. They all wear uniforms so both groups asked me what I thought of uniforms and sighed when I said public school kids don’t wear uniforms. Truly, amazing. And there’s more!!!
I went to the cafeteria for lunch with the assistant principal, a lovely warm woman and lunch was amazing. Potatoes in a pot..like stew with cheese broiled on top in the cutest little pots with lids, a cabbage salad. The students who came in later all stared at me. By the way, when they are done with lunch they have to show the staff their plates and if they don’t eat enough they sit back down. Looked like potatoes and cabbage and beets.
And then, can you believe this, I went to another room where the English teachers greeted me with tea, chocolate and biscuits. Can you believe it?..I told them I felt like a queen being treated so regally. We had a wonderful chat. Again, they were so happy to have a chance to practice their English with a native speaker. And I’m just pinching myself to make sure I’m awake…how did I get so lucky. I am hoping that they take me up on my offer to come back and talk to them each day, or the kids or grade papers. I’d love to come back to that first class and ask them questions about their life. Truely a great school.
I left floating on air. It was so lovely to be welcomed with such warmth just because I speak English!!  So there you have it. It’s why traveling this way is so good for me. I so like getting little glimpses into life, meeting people. If I just walked around this town, I’d never really get it. Now, I have a small window open to life here. Okay, enjoy all that fast food and TV. There is one Mcdonalds here. i'll have to drop by. :)))

kids in the orphanage....sweet and lovable of course

2009-04-08T05:38:00.000-07:00

The children
Margaret Mead said that the three paths to enlightenment are to have a nervous breakdown and recover, or have an affair with an old Russian or to play with young children. Lucky me, I got door three! It’s not yet a full day of work but given that I can’t understand a word that they say and they are jabbering away sure that I will…maybe 4 hr right now is plenty. So, let me explain. These are children from 3-15 and have been abandoned by their parents because of poverty or else taken from them because of alcohol and drugs. There are 80,000 orphans in Ukraine…by the looks of it, really great kids, too. This orphanage is a halfway house where the kids stay for a month to see if their folks can get it together. After that they go to a bigger place with 300 orphans and either get adopted after a year by Ukrainian family or they are open to world adoption. We have 22 kids now but I guess it changes regularly and the place can hold 150. The teachers don’t speak English are really good with the kids in that strict discipline way and yesterday was the first time one even spoke to me. An old guy who has the afternoon shift with the older kids sat down when I was playing checkers and played me, well, he kind of played both sides as he didn’t think I was making the right moves(I am researching the male attitude here) He doesn’t smile …I think the teachers have to do that to keep control.
So, yesterday I was with the younger kids. In particular I got to play with this 3 yr old girl…feisty, funny and very dramatic. They do a good job here of older taking care of younger but every once in a while the older kids would come and take her ball…oh my. It was a good good hour. Big blue eyes, which are the norm here in Chekasy…maybe all of Ukraine.
Then for 3 hours I was with the bigger kids, 7 boys around 10, 1 boy and 1 girl 15 yr old. There are a couple of boys that seem to be my best buddies. I’m remembering games on paper that can be explained easily. Hey, you know the dot to dot game where you try to make boxes. After you make boxes, do you have to make one more mark? Any suggestions for more games? No one wants to play chess. Outside hopscotch was a huge hit with Lana, the 15 yr old girl. She’s really easy to get laughing. By the way, I haven’t hopped in a long time…it’s kind of tiring!! Also shot hoops wishing Dan was here. Actually I wish a lot of people were here. We could get a whole lot of fun happening. I have no idea what happens in the winter or rain. It must be crazy as they are outside playing now 3 hours a day.
It’s very rewarding. Just keep scouring my memory for things to do that don’t require much instruction. Going to see if I can teach them enough English for Simon says. Okay, take care there. More about sunny, springtime Chekasy….

just things

2009-04-07T04:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it takes a certain amount of patience to use a computer with all Ukrainian language cues. You'd think you could remember or understand the icon but its tricky. The young man here at the internet cafe put on online translator on the computer so we could talk...how smart is that!!
Had lunch today in this pub but it took a bit. The waitress of course couldn't speak English, no pictures, my sign language seemed to be failing and I was walking out...hungry. I saw some men eating and approached their table. Not friendly. I got the get away stare and so I went back inside and acted out that i wanted what the men were eating. She was so escited to be able to understand me and I was so excited to know that I would be eating1 I had a good salad and some time of short ribs. The cook cam e out to give me my meat and we had a lovely bit of smiling. The food was good too. You'd never in a million years go into this place at home.
Here's a bit that I wrote the other night and now figured out how to ocpy and paste in Ukrainian.
I walked down the 8 flights of dark stairs(I’m building on going back up them) to go outside and noticed that there was a crowd around the back of a car. My first thought was that someone had bought a new car and was showing it off. But no in the back were slabs of mostly fat with some meat. The women were bargaining for these large slabs…like maybe 10 lb or more each. Really gross to see the fat just laying in the back of a car.. I watched for awhile and should have gotten my camera. Wonder how often the meat guy, or maybe he’s more the fat guy comes around. It must get cooked in the borscht. So what do we do with the slabs of fat? Does it go into hot dogs
Stopped at the grocery store to figure out my dinner. First lunch is the big one here and that will work cuz I’ll go to a restaurant for the big meal. Went to a good one yesterday. So, shopping and not knowing what’s on the label or inside is really challenging. I wandered in front of the yogurt not knowing for sure…they don’t like plain but have lots of other things. There is lots of fish like the fish in the deli growing up, cooked or something…maybe tomorrow. They had salmon too. Where is that from? Do they get the oranges and bananas from ??? But I’m not in a cooking mood so I got some what I thought was herring..at least it looked like it after I stared at it a long time. And some lox, some cheese and some what I hoped was really good black bread. Hopefully it wasn’t some fruit thing. Seemed like a really good noshing picnic. Veggies are expensive here except for potatoes, onions and beets and cabbage. Think I’ll cook up some beets. Got home really curious to taste everything and I scored. Really good especially the dense bread. Figure it will be good with a morning egg too.
Alex says that even with boiling not to drink the water from the tap. I can’t imagine what’s in the water that boiling for 5 min would still be harmful but ho hum. I buy a gallon of water in a jug. Tried making coffee without the proper filter and we all know how that went. But green tea only goes so far. And though there is a McDonalds there is no Starbucks here. I’m gonna stop at the McDonalds and see if they have the $1 burger…maybe the kids would like one? Alex told me to buy some cookies for them and you know what that means….baking cookies I hope. I need to check with my homestay mom Nataly about using the oven and a cookie sheet and then find my way through the grocery store for flour and sugar, butter and good luck figuring out baking soda.
Okay, it’s 4 in the morning but my internal clock is not adjusted yet and I still think its 3 in the afternoon. I’ll see about listening to the ipod and then bck to bed. It’s really quiet here given the number of people who live in this area. Tomorrow is Sunday and I’ll do some writing and take the day off from the orphanage.

2009-04-05T06:25:00.004-07:00

Well, I’ve spent my fist night in Chekasy, Ukraine. But where to begin. The flight over was to Amerstandam, Slumdog Millionasaire, Benjamin Buttons and even Marley kept me company and since it was daytime, no worries. While I was waiting for the next flight to Ukraine, met a Hawaiin man going there to find love…with about 5 different women he is in touch with. Seems that’s pretty popular...Ukrainian women hooking up with usa men. He is hoping for love at first site!
Kyiv is a small airport and Alex, my 50 yr old contact, married with 2 sons my kids ages, met me to take me for the long 3 hour drive thorugh farm country that looks like Ill. Even with the blacksoil. It’s not spring yet so no leaves on the trees but the sky was blue, sun shining. Alex decided to take me to the orphanage first to meet the kids.
This orphanage is like a half way house for children that are picked up on the street or taken away from their parents…drugs, alcohol, povery. They stay for a month and then go to a permanent orphanage with 300 kids or back to their parents. After 1 year, they can be adopted out of country before that in country only. There are 80,000 orphans in the Ukraine. So right now they have 22 kids from 3-14. One boy rescued his brothers from a fire(mom was out drinking), another mom died, never met dad, So, I can work with whatever group I want. One group of about 7 boys 8-10 seems like lots of fun. To say this is challenging without knowing the language is a huge understatement. It’s right down to conveying language without words. I don’t know how they survive emotionally. But they are really easy to get a smile from…just need to figure out what to do.
My homestay mom is very sweet. I really like her…she speaks some English and today on her day off she is in her bedroom watching tv and making cabbage in enormous jars with salt and water and then another mix with carrots. Word is this has all the minerals and vitamins you need. It sits in this jar for 2 weeks. I’ll see if I can get the proportions to make it at home! Had some borsht for lunch. Alex was really surprised that I knew about it. Also saw kasha and there are many different blintzes as well. I’ll make my own breakfast and dinner and eat lunch around the orphanage as all the kids have lunch and then a nap. I also cook my own dinners here…going to the store soon to see what looks good. We live in this ugly 10 story apt building with 4 buildings…Soviet era so that's why Alex says its ugly. BIG dislike for Russian here…too much oppression. Communists killed Alex’s grandpa and took all his land.
Oh, Alex when he’s not organizing volunteers and adoptions is a photographer for a newspaper and his wife is a reporter. He says she will ask me lots of questions and his son wants to learn about yoga(he’s 28) Seems all the younger sons live at home still. Paul, he walks as fast or faster than you do and never looks back. It's like a race through the city and I hope that I am able to remember where everything is. I road the bus with him but it's tough learning where to get off when everything looks the same. Close to no one speaks any English and I've got 4 words now in Ukrainian.
Alex says there is a symphony for $5 next week and also will find ballet.
And hre’s the crazy news….
I was telling him that my family was born here and he asked for names. He wasn’t sure about Bernard but he lite up when I said Grandma B’s Kenis name. He looked at me…and said…that is Jewish. And then turns out the Deputy Mayor of Kharkov where pops was born is….are you ready ….a Kenis.!!! He could be a cousin!! I'll see if Alex can figure out a way for me to meet him. It happened so fast and easy that I am figuring that it will be easy to find him. How cool would that be!!!!
I had trouble getting on hotmail today so you close friends no worries if you don’t hear from me often. It's a safe nice city...not cold, sunny and cool. If I had come right from Bali I probably would have been shocked by the lack of smiles on the street but Seattle got me used to that!! It's about like us in that way. more later...Still would love ideas for working with kids when you don't speak the language!!

March Bookstore appearances

2009-03-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

I'll be speaking at Northgate Barnes and Noble in Seattle on March 7 at 3. You'll also get to hear a wonderful man play music that he composed in honor of lowland gorillas and hear about his experiences there. If you miss that, come see me at Queen Anne Books on March 10 at 6;30 or Worldwide Books on the 24th. Come by and say hi!! After that I'm off for April on another volunteer adventure and will be blogging again:)

On the road in the Spring

2009-02-18T13:13:00.001-08:00

It's been a long time since I wrote on this blog. I've been doing some local talks about the orangs and the problems that they face and always looking for more venues if you know of any, let me know. I really am committed to helping them.
Soon I'll have decided where I want to volunteer in April though it's going slowly deciding between something more spiritual or that desire to become fluent in Spanish. Now how cool would it be if those were together!
I'm also having fun planning a book tour to New England in May. I'll finally get to see all of those pretty states that have alluded me for so long. If you have friends there, let me know or if you have bookstore or college connections for a continuing ed class that would be great help too. I have this lovely image of driving through quaint towns, hills, farms and rolling roads. I'll be couchsurfing for lodging to give me a chance to meet more people. The second edition of the book will be out next month and I've added a photo section. If you were curious about Robert, you be happy with his beach shot! Okay, that's it till April.

Are Orangutans worth the Effort to save from Extinction?

2008-07-24T21:19:00.001-07:00

If you want to see the last remaining orangutans in the wild, you must travel to either the island of Sumatra or Borneo but you had better hurry as orangutans are in rapid decline. With only 6500 remaining on Sumatra, their numbers have dropped by 14% in the last four years according to a recent orangutan population study funded by The Great Ape Trust and conducted by Serge Wich, who warns that "unless extraordinary efforts are made soon, it could become the first great ape species to go extinct.”
Our closest ‘relatives’ in the animal kingdom sharing 97% of our DNA are critically endangered primarily because of the rapid expansion of oil palm plantations, which have drastically reduced their habitat. Hungry orangutans wander onto plantations to eat oil palm berries where they are often beaten or shot. If the oil palm industry’s growth pattern continues, 98% of the Indonesian rainforest will be lost in the next 15 years along with the entire species of critically endangered orangutans, tigers, elephants, rhinoceros and thousands of species of birds, plants, and insects that live only on Sumatra.
The 2008 Guinness Book of Records gives Indonesia the dubious honor of the world’s fastest rate of deforestation and Indonesia is the third largest emitter of green house gases. These records stem from the international oil palm industry’s lack of any long term sustainability goals. Currently new plantations expand by either logging primary forest or draining and then burning peatland releasing enormous amounts of stored carbon. Indonesia, the number one palm oil producer in the world, has a goal to double its current 6.5 million hectares (that’s about 10 million acres) under oil palm plantation in the next five to eight years – tripling it by 2020.
Orangutan survival then rests in the hands of the Indonesian government and the oil palm industry, an international conglomerate of companies from Indonesia, Denmark, England, China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States and others. With demand for palm oil skyrocketing, what possible motivation can be found to stop these companies from continuing their expansion until only a small patch of rainforest remains insufficient to support orangutans or other endangered species. How can conservation ever become more important than profits and greed?
The Roundtable on Sustainable Oil Palm (RSPO) made up of oil palm growers, processors, traders, retailers, environmental and social NGO members, bankers and investors was formed in 2003 to study sustainability but in the last five years of meetings they have still not worked out any solutions. Though there may be individual sustainable plantations, there are currently no sustainable oil palm companies in Indonesia or Malaysia.
Oil palm trees take six years before they produce berries and then continue for another 25 years before becoming too tall to harvest the clumps of oil palm berries. The oil palm industry could stagger plantings yielding continuous harvests but prefers to buy virgin rainforest for instant logging money than wait six years for the income stream to begin. Their goal is expansion to increase profits. But there are millions of hectares available for plantations that are not pristine rainforest and some conservationists believe plantation permits are only a guise providing cover to strip the last stands of timber not already targeted by illegal loggers. In one corner of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, a mere 250,000 hectares of the 6 million hectares of forest allocated for palm oil by the government have actually been planted. "When you look closely the areas where companies are getting permission for oil palm plantations are those of high-conservation forest," said Willie Smits, who set up SarVision, a satellite mapping service that charts the rainforest's decline. "What they're really doing is stealing the timber because they get to clear it before they plant. But the timber's all they want; hit and run with no intention of ever planting. It's a conspiracy."
But though palm oil is now called an environmentally catastrophic ingredient, it never shows up on most shopping lists. Why then is it in such high demand? Though very few people have ever gone to the store to buy it, palm oil is an ingredient in 1 out of 10 items at your grocery store in items like toothpaste, shampoo, chocolate, biscuits, Pringles, Oreos, KFC, lipstick, makeup, Ben & Jerry’s, Earth’s Balance, cookies, Nutella, bread, soy milk and many other products. Because of a lack of transparency laws, the ingredient palm oil can be labeled as vegetable oil, cetyalcohol, dicetyl dimonium chloride, elaeis guineensis, E471, isopropyl palmitate, octyl palmitate, potassium palmitate, retinyl palmitate, vitamin A, palmitate, palmitic acid, palm kernel oil, palm kernel amide, DEA and MEA, palmolein, steareth-2, steareth-20, sodium palm kernelate and other names making your commitment to stop purchasing palm oil close to impossible.
As more and more consumers blindly purchase products containing palm oil, the demand for bigger plantations increases and the chance of rainforest survival diminish biscuit by biscuit. Conservation has always faced one enormous stumbling block, where is the money in conservation? Who stands to make any money if orangutans and the forest are protected? Right now the short-sighted greed of governments, industry and business is in the driver’s seat encouraged by blind consumer consumption of oil palm, which may even become an ingredient in biofuel.
But who actually controls this battle? You --the consumer. What would happen if consumers refused to buy products that used non-sustainable palm oil and only supported companies that used sustainable palm oil? Right now your own country is using palm oil to make toothpaste, soap, biscuits and cereal and if you care about the extinction of orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos, it is time to make your move.
Conservation groups and individual efforts have begun to achieve positive changes resulting in companies switching to sustainable palm oil, a glimmer of hope for orangutans. The Body Shop now uses only sustainable palm oil from Columbia. Lush products removed palm oil from their products. Asda grocery stores owned by WalMart, has become Britain's first supermarket chain to tell suppliers it will not accept products unless they can guarantee their palm oil is from sustainably run plantations and has banned palm oil sourced from the worst affected regions in Borneo and Sumatra. Within a year Asda hopes to have banned all unsustainable palm oil from 500 products. Unilever has said that their company would buy all of its palm oil from certified sustainable sources by 2015. But this change has not come without pressure. Ferrero, the Italian company that makes Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, and Unilever after GreenPeace staged a protest said that they are ready to support the moratorium on converting forest and peatland into oil palm plantations.
But more pressure and more consumer involvement is needed, more letters and emails to CEOS, more phone calls to Ministers of Government and more conversations with grocery store owners if orangutans are to be saved. The ball is definitely in your court. It’s your turn to act on your convictions.
In learning about conservation issues, we sometimes feel both discouraged and disconnected from global problems as if our desires and our personal ethics would have as little effect on the greater scheme of things as the small trail of ants marching across the table affects our day to day living. Will anyone notice if you take a stand on rainforest conservation? Yes, they will. If you care, you must act. Margaret Mead said it best. “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
A moratorium on rainforest destruction and conversion to sustainable oil palm plantations are the only solutions. If we wait for the governments of the world and the oil palm industry to enforce sustainable standards, the rainforest and orangutans in the wild will be lost. A lack of international will, individuals choosing not to work together to preserve our very earth will have killed an entire species.
But rather than allowing governments and business to control the outcome, the collective wisdom of global citizens and the synergy of conservation groups working together can preserve the Indonesian rainforests. The critically endangered orangutans are worth the effort as is their habitat, the Indonesian rainforest. But first, international consumers must make a commitment to use only sustainable palm oil products and to actively support conservation efforts.

It is my hope that you understand that this issue affects so much more than orangutans. You have many things to do each day, responsibilities and stress. I am asking for your help ...a pause in your life...to add rainforest conservation to your agenda. We have only one planet and if it is not our responsibility to safeguard it, who's responsibility is it?

Meeting a prince!

2008-07-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

It is hard to really describe what is happening in Ubud now, the buzz with 2 weeks left before the King, who died young at 55, is cremated and then 4 days later the mass cremation of 80 people who have died over the last 5 years. If families have enough money, people can be cremated immediately when they die but these ceremonies are incredibly expensive and the village working together seems to me a beautiful way to celebrate and honor the lives of the dead and make this process affordable.
The men have been building sarcophagus in either the shape of a bulls or a singha, a mythical lion which will be used to carry the cleansed bones to the Wadah, which is also being built, a tall tower representing the cosmos. The detail and beauty of the bulls is amazing….black velvet, gold tooling, red details. In my neighborhood, 5 people, well, their bones, will be transported inside one enormous bull. In a temple near the house there are about 14 bulls and lions being made. It’s an enormous job that the men dressed in their sarongs, temple wear, work at every day.
The women gather on the temple grounds as well clustered together making offering baskets, gathering everything that needs to be done to help these souls ascend to heaven. The amount of materials that are needed including food for this ceremony is mind boggling. When I walk by the temple grounds, there is a buzz from all the talking, and I just find myself staring at all the activity, loving the closeness both physical and I guess the village friendships all working together. The closeness here in Bali of families and villages is appealing.
The king will be cremated on the 15th and at the palace they are building a bamboo wadah that must be 4 stories high! Men balance on the bamboo poles tied together with cloth as they go up higher. The construction process would fascinate you. Better video some of it! And then there are the ramps being built used to place the body up there. This wadah after the ceremony at the palace will be walked to the royal cemetery for his cremation. Probably 50,000 people will be here for this event.
So, Nyoman, my sunshine in the morning coffee and breakfast man, told me yesterday that not far from the palace he walked to see the biggest bull he had ever seen…like enormous! I said How many people will be cremated in it? Just one was his reply but that’s all he said. So yesterday after my batik class (gotta tell you about that too) I decided to take a walk to see the biggest bull Nyoman had ever seen. It was a pretty long walk in a neighborhood I didn’t know but I turned down a street and saw about 100 men in sarongs leaving this large garage type building. Inside were 2 enormous……as in enormous….2 stories high bulls, one higher than the other and the detail, the gold, the beauty, I was awestruck.
There was a Balinese man standing nearby in a gorgeous royal blue silk temple outfit(could have figured out from the color maybe?)….blue jacket with gold details, blue patterned sarong with gold detail. So handsome. I asked him “how many people is this beautiful bull being built for?” “Just one, my father.” He said so proudly. “My father is the King.” So Nyoman had left out the part that this one man was the King of Bali. So then the son, CW for short or Chuckwa as his name is pronounced spent the next hour with me explaining about the gorgeous dragon that they are building with a 108 meter tail that will wrap around the wadah as it is marched to the cemetery. The dragon leads the way to heaven. The bull is the transport. I got so many questions answered as we wandered around the grounds.You know as an American royal families are not part of my heritage…well, except for King Bush and his lame son Prince Bush. So, it seemed rather amazing to be wandering the grounds, being served a cold drink at what will be his new home. He lives in a palace near the big palace now but wants to move his family to this quiet place near the river. He is building this lovely home on this peaceful setting.
I heard stories about his family, his one American mom & his other mom, his kids….the cremation, his dad. And what kept coming through was how much he loved his father and how much he missed him. He wants this cremation to be the most spectacular of all time. He said …after a person dies, all they have is their name that stays here.
We wandered to say hello to his dogs….a golden retriever, a collie…I asked him if he saw the show Lassie, he had and another breed I don’t know. I actually wanted to just keep talking, learning about Bali, he is very devoted to this island, and life as the youngest son of the King. You know me, I love to understand life in other countries and it seemed so wonderful to have time to talk, a relaxed conversation with the son of the King!
While I was there, his brother called to say that the daughter of the President of Indonesia had arrived at the palace and was he coming home to greet her. No, he wasn’t. We joked that he was meeting with an American woman the daughter of a very important man. But, as it was getting dark and I didn’t want to take up his entire evening…well, I did but decided not too….I said farewell. I’m invited back to see the progress of the bulls & if I want to go see his palace, I just say…hey, CW invited me and I won’t have to pay!  Cool…..now starting the 5th month here in Bali and for someone who notices smiles, I picked very wisely. Lots of smiles.

more fun

2008-06-24T03:05:00.000-07:00

Hello,
Just had a man come into the office and ask about yoga stuff. We are near the yoga office and though the door is covered with orangutan photos, they still come in and ask. He said, "So this all is balispirit yoga?" I said, " Well,no we just rent the office . We are not part of that because we are orangutans" In a very dry English accent keeping his face perfectly still he delivered his line, "Well, of course you are. " And just looked at me. I completely cracked up...could not stop laughing. I could only pciture ...laughing...like the Planet of the Apes was renting office space.
So, I thought I could share that one.
My weekend, well, it's easy.....the library for new books. This time I changed it up and signed up for a 3 hour mask carving class...amazing.
We took this stump of wood and with Ketut's help and his master craftsmanship, I have a mask! It was so much fun...I've never done any of that before and I'd have to admit that I did a lot of watching but still.....I learned. Carved a mask out of wood! So, for the Halloween party this year. I say we order wooden half masks. He showed me some....an amazing old man with an enormous nose, a Bali one, he can do whatever you like. He makes full ones as well. I'll get his web address and we can order. he paints them, the detail is so beautiful. Think Halloween!!
Okay, I've got to get some awareness writing finished for the local paper. take care, joyce

volunteer work in Bali

2008-06-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have volunteered so many places with so many different projects but this is the longest that I have stayed anywhere and I definitely feel more involved with the longer stay. There is a huge opportunity in this organization at this office for creativity. As I look at the amazing group of people, tourists, that come into the office to talk with me about conservation from all over the world, I am strengthened by their desire to help the planet. Encouraged. A man from Columbia and his wife have no children and want to give money to groups that help wildlife. He doesn’t know if its not too late for the earth but he can give money. A man from Italy wants to organize a fundraiser for us. A young full of hope student from Atlanta works with a network of concerned students at home and will see how they can help us. A man from Ca. is going to see about doing a documentary about the need to develop eco-tourism in Sumatra. Let’s see who else? A teacher from MI has a grant to interview people working for conservation all over the earth…so that she can go home and reinspire her students that they really can make a difference. She taped an interview with me. Aussie woman who picks a new NGO each year and donates to them, gives their items to her family and friends as gifts and educates the young children in her family. Almost every day someone comes into the office to ask about what we are doing and how they can help! Dewi,the young woman who works at the office, says there are more now…because I am friendly people like to talk.:) We also worked on the outside look of the office, a German volunteer Volker, helped us design a cool banner and encouraged us to make the outside more inviting. Dewi and our new volunteer from Oz, Sophie, hung orangutan photos, got another new banner, put out a display for out t-shirts and sure enough he was right…more people, more t-shirt sales. We have a woman who will sell our t-shirts back home. I bet there are some shops you know…eco-friendly …that would carry our t-shirts as well.
I am still writing articles about conservation and eco-tourism and we’ll see if they work to wake up people to the issues. All of this work has been rewarding for me, challenging and at times frustrating. Maybe even more than frustrating is a better word! We visited our first school last Friday to do an orangutan conservation talk to 10 yr olds. From the days of Discovery Toys, I made a matching card game with orangutan photos and facts. It’s a hit.There is a ton more we could do there. I wish I spoke Indonesian. We need to find someone who can do these short talks at the schools here in Bali. I think the office here could use an education volunteer as well as a fundraising volunteer and then an organizing campaigns volunteer. Learning learning learning….the beauty of volunteering…learning.
As life here in Bali continues,..my goodness its my 4th month Madge!...I’ve gotten into a rather nice weekend rut. I go to Ari for my foot massage that is the most healing thing I do. She is the size of a peanut with hands of steel and slowly works through all the reflexology points. Yesterday I went to a new salon…all Indonesians go there…for a crème bath. That is the hair shampoos with massage and crème on your hair. They give the most amazing head massages…indescribable. She worked on all the points on my head with pressure and those same fingers of steel. Head to toe. The middle just takes care of itself with yoga. But this place only charges 17,000 Rupiah. Oh, my gosh, that is about $1.70! I was embarrassed to have it be so little. The spa in town that caters to tourists charges 80,000-110,000.

An Aussie family told me that you can live in Bali like a millionaire and that is true. There are things that I could never afford to do at home and here they are weekly. Makes for a lot of expats! Today is manicure and pedicure as it is time for a change from the gorgeous green toenails--but what color now I am deeply appreciative of the library which has an amazing group of Asian books that I would never get to at home. I love that every night I read. Now reading The Becoming of Madame Mao…absolutely so good. All of this stuff, the smiling people, the being in the day, walking home and having my neighborhood…Penglategan…kids out playing badminton on the street…it is a really good environment to balance the weekly problems of how to get more people involved in caring about the planet. What now seems so obvious to me about taking an active role in helping the environment wasn’t always so. So how to bring more people on board. This is my weekly frustration at the office when I read about cruelty to orangutans, I just have to breathe and think of how to change that. Humans can bring it up a notch and do more than we are doing. It’s awareness first and then action.
I read this thing that China has finally passed us in the US in carbon emissions but then I read the find print. Per person China emits 5.1 tons…..India is just 1.8 tons and then the next number made me gasp. The U.S. is responsible for 19.4 tons for each person! 19.4 tons each? The EU is only 8.6 tons. It’s just too much. Especially because when I ‘m home I don’t even KNOW how I am emitting these damn Carbon Emissions. Alright my car…but what else? Is it all my car or is there something else that I am doing that I need to at least be AWARE of? No more closed eyes living for me. Dang! I just can’t stand that I am screwing up the environment more than 2 times as much as my friends in Europe and I am doing it out of ignorance.
So, there you have it. Awareness first. Very few of us really want to hurt the air, the rainforest, the orangutans but ignorance is bliss and apparently also really hurts. So, now that I am aware………..it’s kicking my ass into action. And that is what I want to do here with this great NGO…..bring awareness first and then follow it with action. It is intense work. I care so much. I really want orangutans to catch a break and live on. Extinction is so fucking final. So I’m in….hoping that my drop in the ocean of caring adds energy to the cause.
Of course I want to do that in between foot massages, crème baths, cooking classes, yoga classes, batik classes, meditating and watching kites fly. (It is kite flying season and the sky is full of simple, beautiful kites).
And we are coming up to cremation time as well. Every 5 years each village cremates their dead that have been buried for the last 5 years. Yes, they bring up their caskets, wash the bones and then cremate them. We are coming up to July cremation month. It’s a big time deal. It is expensive and elaborate to create this ceremony and the every 5 years is the way villages afford it. Every temple is busy on the weekend making the most amazing things….I saw bamboo horses yesterday being made, a 3 story high bamboo structure getting built for the prince this month, everyone is making massive numbers of offering baskets. There are enormous things that need to get done. I have no ideas what to expect. Today is a day off i am getting a new flashy color on my toes, I am buying a sarong and sash to get ready!
So, there you have it. Let me know how you are doing…and do check out your carbon emissions...where the hell are those things coming from!!

Another Day in Bali

2008-06-09T01:32:00.000-07:00

A Poem for a Good Friend of Mine

no matter what we believe
the truth is that
we have hours of life here not forever...
maybe though we have no idea of how we will die
we have a huge gift in how we live
and to know that we cannot protect ourselves from death
perhaps can give us the courage to live
as if it is our right
to take our own individual beautiful dance here on earth
to feel, to love, to learn

I wrote that for a friend… a while ago.
Bali is a unique place to pose questions…soulful questions not like hmm…what should I have for breakfast? (especially since it is always an egg.) but questions about what is Joyce, what is earth, There is something in the vibrations here that allow some new to be heard … something most definitely encouraging.
On a trip that appears to be an outward journey…ho ho off to Bali I go….comes inward travel like following a little road map through the places in my mind, I am a tourist of the internal kind. The atmosphere allows stillness…Rachmaninoff, birds, children laughing outside, blessings.
My Japanese yoga teacher who teaches a class for 2 hours mostly in Japanese says at the beginning of class in a very sweet accent, “You on your mat now. Stay on your mat. You came here find connection between your body and your soul. Please listen your body. Just one minute now feel you spine (we are in mountain pose) feel the energy of the earth come up through your body. Listen your body please.”

The solitude of being…to be alone with myself in a spiritual way. A holiday. Surrounded by large green leaves and people who absolutely understand a smile while working on a conservation project that allows creativity and heart. Everything about SOS seems to tap into some former life…this office is just like a real estate open house with new people coming in and me, I’m in sales still…but its conservation sales…can I get them to buy in and help, the writing, teaching..even get to go to a school this week, merchandising and marketing our t-shirts, prospecting for new leads…it goes on. Amazing connections AND it all begins from a heart belief in this work to protect orangutans and rainforests. I think everyone can pick some group, some animal, some child to help and feel all the better…a different kind of cardio workout. 

This smiling Italian man came to visit again today at the office, where I have met so many interesting people who care. He wants to fundraise for us because he can feel the heart in SOS. Wish Lucy was here to meet him. He wore a purple shirt, unbuttoned or maybe it doesn’t have buttons?, his meditation beads, gray and black hair in a rather artistic style, has come here from India…and he really is…full of heart. He just kind of bubbles over with happiness. He stopped by to give me an update on what he is learning about raising money in Bali to let me know that he is researching and will have an idea soon. I am excited to hear his plan!
(You won’t believe the wide assortment of people who come to the office…amazing with amazing ideas to help…wonder who will sit in this desk after I am gone. Such a great spot to volunteer.)
Oh, food update…..
Tumeric root and coconut milk with ginger, garlic…an amazing stir fry.
Mint and coconut milk…the best refreshing drink

Found this today…I stored it away the first time I read it…
Dalai Lama “You may think you look beautiful in a meditative state but that’s not enough. To generate compassion, you have to get up and live it.”

So, obviously, I have decided to go with the blog, write on sister!

2008-06-04T04:24:00.000-07:00

From the inside out

Traveling….traveling around the world looking at stuff. I am not good at that and yet I love that. Now in my fourth month in Bali …4th month!...? I have reached that place of breathing in Bali. What does that mean? It means I am breathing it in…like you do when you are home but don’t even notice. Breathe and drive around. Breathe and work. Breathe and pay bills. It’s so automatic that you don’t even notice…till you travel.
But a new place takes adjustment and my body is maybe on alert taking in all the changes. So breathing, being naturally somewhere takes a bit of time. My times up. I say I am adjusted. First of all either all my prayers worked or the season changed, they turned the heat down or maybe my furnace, the internal one, self-corrected. I am crazy in love with the dry season, can’t believe I thought it would be the hotter season. My brain works again in these cooler temperature, 2 blankets at night and I don’t just sit at my desk without blinking feeling sweat beads mass all over my face and drip down.
My lifestyle now feels familiar…people on scooters with little children as young as babies, holding on with their little hands, feet dangling, woman walking with tall covered woven baskets balanced on their heads on the way to ceremonies, lower caste women, my age, working hard labor digging dirt, lifting bricks and putting them in a basket and then carrying that basket on their heads(really…) flowers so delicate and brilliant, the smell of incense burning freshly an offering to the good and the bad, dogs covered with mange or with raw wounds from fights wandering the streets, it’s really not Kansas but somehow it now feels like home.
I have Balinese friends all along my path that stop and smile, talk, laugh. They call me Joycee because all words have 2 syllables here I think so I really have to be Joycee. You know how Canadians are so incredibly polite. The Balinese make them look rude. It’s that nice here.
So, on this walking thing…if I was to walk about 2 blocks here, passing all the clusters of women talking and smiling outside their shops, I would be asked about 8-10 times, ‘Taksi?’ or ‘Transport?” by men sitting in groups along the way. It can make you a bit crazy to say No Thank you so many times.
So the other day on my way to yet another amazing foot massage…I sat down like the Balinese do and just watched the world go by, scooter madness is always amusing. Tbey carry pipes…like 12’ long on their shoulder, drive with one hand or 6 large bottles of water in racks or 6 bottles of gas. I even saw two guys…one riding backwards with a wheelbarrow in his hands trying to hold it, keep his balance. Anyway, not very many Balinese people walk anywhere but a Balinese man strolled by and I couldn’t resist. As he passed me, I said, “Taksi?” He looked at me and then totally cracked up. It was so funny…best joke ever. I did it twice before I was ready to move on.
So as I moved from being a tourist to being a local, I asked my taxi philosophy man…what about anger? What if you feel angry, what then?” “Well, we believe that if you are making bad feelings to someone, then you make them maybe sick. Better not to do this.”
The beauty of working in Bali on tough conservation problems is that the culture has this lovely healing effect. I can hear something so sad and shocking in the land of orangutan conservation that it is mind boggling….what is it …what will it take for the people who can actually solve the problems to pull off the road, the accomplishment racetrack, and use all their brilliance to solve the problems? World brilliance solving world problems. But it’s not that easy. And then I watch a simple blessing and breathe.
Taking a look at the issues facing the rainforest here, it seems like an enormous tangle of very thin string that a kitten has played with way too long.
As I have looked at it to learn and unravel, there are so many different issues and its still unraveling:
1. The agriculture of palm oil plantations —Is there a way and any motivation to make it sustainable? If not, how can the forest survive? Money trumps conservation unless people speak up..
2. The social issues of indigenous people losing their land as well as people working on these plantations being underpaid. It’s not a wonderland on these plantations. Who protects them?
3. The survival of all the endangered species – are there more than a handful of organizations (who are working very hard) that actually care about whether or not orangutans get to live in the forest? Or tigers, elephants and their buddies the rhinoceros? There are a gazillion causes that need attention. Do these amazing creatures merit a rescue? Will the collective intelligent world eyes stay closed?
4. The apparent corruption of the Indonesian government that I read about every day makes illegal logging not that difficult or legal logging moving into ‘protected’ habitat.
5. International companies taking whatever they need from here, making whatever money they can from logging, oil palm, mining with not even a pause on is this ethical?
6. Us palm oil users…crazy worldwide palm oil users. I would have Pringled, girl scout cookied, Tom toothpasted, Dialed and even Ben and Jerried my way through my life (and there are so many more!) never having a clue that my snack had anything to do with an orangutan, a rainforest, my air! What little Girl Scout is going to sell those cookies if she finds out now that the orangutans lose their forest because of it? How crazy is that?

But who knows all this and who has time to care and what can we do about it anyway? So that’s what I think about here volunteering with the Sumatran Orangutan Society while I also see the beauty of Bali, the ceremonies to good and bad, the smiles. It’s a good place to ponder and a good place to try to figure out…how can we all make a difference? I really believe in the ability of all of us to solve problems together. I believe in heart, ethics and caring… .
And in the middle of that, I have to wonder about the writing. My chosen method here is a bit of a surprise. Opens up an entirely new world…praise, criticism. This is not mathematics, not selling toys, not selling real estate. It’s me looking at things, feeling things and giving my thoughts words. From the inside out. That’s how I write. I look for a heart string… a way into the heart, to the place that conservation is no longer a problem, but an obligation in how we live. All of those numbered problems have solutions with heart. And would that be such a bad thing? To become motivated enough by just knowing that something is the right thing to do and then working to solve problems? I continue to ponder, to read(Amy Tan Saving Fish from Drowning, and something else, yet another Rusdie) and get foot massages, manicures and other lovely things to keep my heart soft.
I am not sure if I’ll keep this blog going. I’m not so sure about blogs. I got a criticism on something I wrote and it felt like a total invasion of my freedom….and privacy, which is pretty damn funny for someone writing on the internet! But I’m thinking that the emails to my friends, the ups and downs and funny stories about whatever I’m thinking might just be the ticket for me. I’ll let you know…. Meanwhile, have a good day over there …do something quite loverly for yourself.
OH, wait, one more thing….I read that in an airport in Japan they tested their drug dogs by putting $10,000 worth of marijuana inside a suitcase. …just a regular passengers suitcase. Well, the dogs missed it and the police forgot what suitcase they put it in. They had to call everyone on the plane to find out who had it!
And I can now do a headstand without balancing against the wall which is way too exciting...it is big news here in Bali. :)

a WEekend of green toenails and a cooking show

2008-05-25T02:20:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven’t yet taken a trip around this small island. I ask people where they have been and so far nothing is screaming at me. I may go up to an ecolodge for a couple of days. The woman who runs it takes treks to Sumatra to the orangs and donates $ to SOS. It’s up in the mountains. Most people say to keep away from Kuta, the Australian wasteland. However, I did have time for a pedicure and now have these very cool emerald green toes…really busting out! Photos to follow.
And today I took a cooking class. I am now in a food coma. Where to begin,,,
at 9am our chef took us for a walk to the market…a place that I had not investigated. Oh my, we went downstairs where they sell spices, fruits, vegetables meat, fish and chicken. It’s all these dark narrow hallways, women selling from baskets all crouching on the ground, so many different foods. Not so great to see flies landing on the fish, the meat, the chicken. Encourages me to stay with the tofu and tempe! This part of the market opens at 5am for locals to get their produce. Our chef stopped along the way to explain the names of things and how it is used. From there back to the restaurant where the 4 of us took a seat for the start of a cooking show! And we each were given a chance to cook for the next 4 hours…yes, a 5 hour class. I am so ready to come home and cook! Think I’d like to do a fundraiser for SOS with everything that I had to eat today.
First the Basic Gede, which is used in many dishes and has roots, ginger, garlic, peppers, tumeric, cumin…all the favorites fried together. Sayur Urab, an amazing veggie dish with coconut shavings, carrots, beans, cabbage, sprouts, chili garlic, shrimp paste. The beginning………He made this dish, had each of us help a bit and then we ate while he got ready for the next dish. Tuna Sambal Matah, grilled tuna steaks brushed with the Basic Gede with lemon grass, lime, ginger, shallots, chilies mixed but not cooked as a dressing. Oh my oh my. We ate. Tempe Manis was up next. Tempe cut into small French fry sizes and fried with peanuts, garlic, sugar and chili peppers. Crunchy goodness. We ate. Opor Ayam was cooking on the stove…chicken soup Bali style—potatoes, bay leaf, carrot the basic gede and coconut milk..we waited for that one and went on to Bali Satay Lilit. Ground pork mixed with the Basic, coconut milk, brown sugar and wrapped around lemon grass very carefully and then grilled. You have no idea how good that was. We were all now in a bit of a food coma, sitting back in that Thanksgiving mode, quieter, but still there was the Chicken soup next. Delicious. And after that one specialty Sambal Udang…spicy prawns…pretty much the same seasonings and these were sauted. All of this was served with rice, the big staple in Bali. Oh my gosh….are you as full as I am? We were done, nothing more to learn but dessert was on the way. Black rice …oh, my goodness…so good! With a bit of coconut milk on top. I was amazed. This entire class, tour of the market and meal was over the top. I will go back next month and have the vegetarian course.I’ll probably be hungry in a month. Right now I need to walk it off. it will be a while before I eat again. Phew……….so yummy. Feast is on when I get home!! So get ready!! Bali festival!

Orangutan Conservation...the reason I am here

2008-05-25T02:05:00.000-07:00

As I’ve been adjusting to the culture and filling you in, I’ve also been learning about the crisis the orangutans face, the actual orangutans lifestyle and the problems the Indonesian government faces. I can only describe this as a tangled up ball of yarn and searching for the ending..,well, it hasn’t happened yet. There are so many issues… the most urgent and the best kept secret is the palm oil problem. I had NO idea and I’m pretty sure you don’t either. But if I am here learning, I figure you want to learn as well. What is palm oil and why is it a problem?
First, the orangutans.
I know that in the world we have people without food, children who need our help, lots of issues on the planet to work on, and you ask, what is it Joyce, what’s with this orangutan thing that has your heart so firmly in its grasp?
Have you looked at an orangutan photo or at the zoo? It might be their eyes, the thought and feelings are so much like ours (97% same genes…truly, that might be more than that one weird cousin in the family!), maybe their natural calmness and gentleness, but I think it’s their mothering style.
These orangutan mothers stay with their one baby till she reaches 6 or 7 or 8. She carries her everywhere, teaches her jungle survival, feeds her, builds nests so they can sleep together. Those little babies cling to her body with fingers and toes and know the safety of mom. I understand this mothering thing. I understand protection, love, and caring. A Mom’s job. I feel a responsibility to help these beautiful orangutan mothers.
Willy Smits, started BOS(Borneo Orangutan Society) a true hero for the orangs, said that a mother orangutan caught in a fire with her baby went to a road in the hopes that a car would come by. When it did and slowed down, she gave up her baby. Yes, she gave her baby to humans to care for. .Do you get that? I find that so amazing and perplexing. But rather than have them both perish in the fire, she actually gave her baby to a human to be saved. I feel her right in my heart and her trust about us humans. That we can do the right thing. WE can, right? She took an enormous chance on us. I’d like to think we can honor that trust.
So, what is the problem and what does an orangutan in Indonesia have to do with your life in Crystal Lake, Illinois? Here’s the deal. Palm oil plantations are a HUGE international enterprise. And the oil palm workers end up beating, killing or keeping the babies as pets, which is something SOS works to stop.. It’s nasty. I didn’t have a clue what palm oil was. But manufacturers have found more and more uses for it. Are you ready….( this is no way near a complete list…1000s of products)
Girl Scout cookies (I think the girl scouts would be sad if they knew their big fundraiser was killing orangutans)
Detergent, soap, toothpaste
Oreos
Avon, Clinique, Sephora, Lancome, Mary Kay’s, Cover Girl…more
Dial…more soaps…lots more
Nestles, Procter and Gamble, Unilever
Kirkland
Tom’s (say it isn’t so)
And
Ben & Jerry’s
McDonalds
Quaker
Milk…what how can that be…check out Vit A palmitate oh and the cheeky bastards can get away with labeling it as vegetable oil too)

This is huge…an enormous problem. And a damn good secret too. So how do you get palm oil…from oil palm tree plantations that grow in Indonesia. These plantations are expanding by cutting down the rainforest. Really, that’s what is happening here. We are all unknowingly taking down the rainforest with these products and lots more. 1 out of 10 products in the grocery store has it. I didn’t know. I didn’t have a clue that something that I use at home would mean that I have agreed to take down the rainforest. Did you?
So, is it important to you now? Can you stare at your toothpaste tube, your crackers, your Pringles… and start to feel its way out of control. Add the wish to put it into biofuel! Really! Imagine making a fuel to better our planet by taking down the rainforest to do it. Who’s crazy here and who’s making all the money?
These WORLD corporations are happily making money buying more land for these giant plantations…tearing out the rainforest. How does this happen? Sweet little countries like Denmark…all tidy on their own shores…own palm oil plantations here..as does England and more. No consideration to make it sustainable. And the Netherlands, so conscious about the environment, they are the number one consumer of palm oil in the EU. But consumers saying NO are starting to have an impact. Consumers! That would be us…our power. So, this is the way it looks to me….big business has been having a party, making money, making oil, giving the Indonesia gov money for rainforests.
It will all continue because money has always been tough on the environment. It just is. Unless, unless, each of us does a little bit of good to stand up for sustainable palm oil and say what we need. I for one could really use your help. I am writing articles and will work to get them published in enough places to educate people about the problem. Because it isn’t just the orangutans. If this oil palm expansion keeps going, the global warming thing heats up big time.
So, if you want to help.
Easy way…give money to an orangutan group, a rainforest group, or some group where you feel good about the work they are doing to help save any wildlife group living in the rainforest. It does not have to be a big chunk of money. www.orangutans-sos.org, my group.
A bit more effort…write something short and sweet..
Email or Write your favorite product that uses palm oil…better yet get a petition going…or get your school to do it…and tell them you cannot and will not use their product until the palm oil plantations become sustainable. No more destructive plantations. This sustainable plantation issue is going to take lots more work to establish and verify but if we don’t insist, the big co. won’t do it on their own. The environment will loose unless we all say NO!
Some background…..Palm oil trees give oil for 25 years and then get too tall to get the bunches off without crushing them when they hit the ground. New plants take 6 years to become oil producers. There has not been staggered plantings. So as all developing countries would do…they sell off rainforest (it is by the way illegal to export timber here but it is done because the rest of the world buys it) because there is so much money to be made with the rainforest wood and then they put in a new plantation and wait.
If you are inspired More ways for you to help…
Actually join a group working to save the rainforest and see how you can help (now that would be pretty darn active!!)
(What is interesting, amazing about this new volunteer job is that it is so involved and intertwined. It is about orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos…all endangered and living in that rainforest, it is about indigenous people losing their land, it is about the air we breathe and global warming and it is about big business doing things for the short term gain and all of us being rather blind to the consequences of their actions and our purchases.)
If you’re hedging on this, wondering how that nice woman Joyce became such a raving activist, take my word for it…this is important. We of the developed world cannot go create environmental chaos in the third world and not expect it to screw things up for us all…eventually. Climate change, global warming escalates quickly without a rainforest and even if you don’t believe in that here’s another one
…we humans have an obligation to use our brains and our sense of right and wrong to help not to harm. And it is so lovely to think that we all can help. Consumers can stop the palm oil craziness, which is just some fat cats getting richer with absolutely no cares about the planet, the orangutans, or us! . Jeex….I have turned into an activist. Ho hum….at least my heart is 100% in. I can find no reason to ignore this. So figure out your level of helping and just do it. If you want more ideas, I have lots! Thanks for your help. I believe that we as a race can be depended on to stop this destructive path. I believe that when the orangutan mom handed over her baby, she handed it right to me and I want to take her trust and do something to stop the destruction of her habitat andher entire species. And you?

Ceremonies and Rain

2008-05-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

I’ve just woken up with a smile on my face…gentle rain is hitting my grass roof and the enormous banana palm leaves just outside my window, which I opened to hear each raindrop as they hit the big leaves, a cool breeze is blowing in, I’m all snuggly in bed under covers. The window on the other side of the room is a picture frame of green. For a Northwest woman green is food for the soul and the addition of rainsounds, heaven. Yea, if you are home now and its cold and the rain has lost its magic, well, believe me it sounds so great after endless sun. There is no sound for hot sun, is there? So the ‘dry’ season means that instead of the very cool torrential rains, we occasionally get this Seattleish rain mostly in the night or morning. This bamboo room with woven bamboo mats on the walls, bamboo poles on the A frame ceiling woven with bamboo and three enormous windows makes for a great rain and reading and writing hut. (think with Sudoko puzzles thrown in we can now say reading and writing and rithmetic)

Last night was an enormous ceremony…there are lots but this one seemed bigger. Each one of the major temples in town had one and one group marched by the office on the road stopping the endless scooter traffic. The women are so gorgeous in their lace tops or white tops with sarongs carrying bamboo baskets on their heads with offerings inside, the men so dapper in white jackets, sarongs and these batik folded headbands. Sometimes the couple rides the scooter to ceremonies, woman riding sidesaddle.

So last night I left the office around 7pm and passed a temple with hundreds of people cross-legged on the ground praying, priests in white blessing them with holy water, all the offerings piled up at the front, the gamelan band at the back playing when needed and one man with very strange makeup on, incense, a crown standing in the back(don’t’know his job) I watched for a while and then felt like I was intruding.
When I walked through town, it was eerie…none of the usual crowd sitting on their shop doorsteps asking ‘transport?’, and no scooters zooming by. And I noticed the offerings. Usually all the stores and house compounds have the small woven banana leaf dish offering with a touch of rice and flowers that would fit inside your hand. But these were enormous, super-sized offerings, all piled up in a mountain in front of everyone’s place. HUGE!

So when I got to the library, I asked the woman. What is this ceremony about? The offerings are enormous. The local woman told me. “This is to the money god. Thanking him if you have a business or thanking him for your family.” Ah, but you aren’t able to go there? “That is because I am menstruating. No woman can make offerings if she is menstruating.” Oh, I see. How bout if you are pregnant? “That is okay.” (Are you shaking your head in wonder?) I was so curious about how she felt about that but didn’t’ want to be rude and ask. I do like this gratitude aspect to say thank you to the money god for prosperity. So many questions about all of these gods. I want to learn more about fearing gods, offerings to them and the demons…the recognition that both exist…good and bad.

Just little things

2008-05-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

I was driving back from Jason’s and a group of about 7 men were sitting together on a pavilion with their cocks in their laps (where else!). They are there every day. Do I seem stuck on this cock thing? Anyway, they hold their cocks and kind of lift them up and put them face to face with the other cocks that strain to peck them. ( Hm…must be another story about cocks and peckers? No no, sorry.) Let me tell you it looks weird.
What are they doing? I asked Kungs brother whose English is not that great yet. Practicing. Practicing? I asked. Yes, the cocks get strong as they practice together. But why do they do this? I asked. It is for ceremonies. He told me. Soon my family compound will have a big ceremony. What is it for? I asked. It is to cleanse our house of bad spirits. We will have a cock fight. Just one? No, many people in our village will bring their cocks to the fights. Why do the cocks fight? They just naturally fight. And we must have blood for the ceremony. Ah, now I think we are getting interesting. So, the cocks draw blood when they fight? No we put little knives on their feet. The blood is an offering to the evil spirits to keep them from doing something bad to our family in the compound. Ah, so one cock fight then. No, the cock fights will go on all day. So apparently the evil gods like a lot of blood and must like gambling too. I didn’t ask about that or what happens to the cocks that die. It’s so complicating understanding someone else’s culture.
On another drive with Kung, I got more on their upcoming ceremony….seems that a long while back in the grandfather time, there was a disagreement in the family compound (So there are disagreements here too) and a line was drawn down the middle of the compound to separate the arguing families. And it stayed this way for some time. But now, Kung’s father is getting sick a lot and the healer has said it is the old line that is causing his distress. So the big ceremony with the extra powerful priest who is coming from far away is going to marry the two sides of the compound which was never formally done after it was split. I would love an invitation…stay tuned.
The weather has changed…I am enjoying the dry season with less humidity in the air, a breeze from Australia and the permanent ‘glow’ is gone from my face…mostly. I think the cooler temperatures are allowing me to soak in the atmosphere rather than spend so much energy on staying cool. And the people who come bless our houses twice a day are now leaving flower petals in a bowl outside my door as a blessing. There are so many lovely things here in Bali.
I’ve amped up my writing figuring that this is probably the most effective way to make use of all the tourists that come to Bali. Happily, my queries are well received and now my days are spent writing conservation articles about orangutans, oil palm and saving the rainforest. I actually have 7 articles to write in the next couple of weeks which is really exciting for me. I can’t believe all that I have learned in a short time and this oil palm thing…I’ll save it for another day but even Ben & Jerry’s uses it…NO, say it isn’t so and Revlon. More on that later. I have work for you all…just a little.
Oh great fun, I joined a Gamelan band…go check that out on the internet. What an interesting sound. I was at the library and they were practicing and a friend asked me to sit in. No written music though so I tapped out a few notes and totally enjoyed the sound. I have no idea how long it will take me to actually learn to play it by ear. I’ll be going back…it meets twice a week.
And just a small thing I found today about the lovely orangutans….
Willy Smits who started BOS the Australian organization that works in Borneo and
Has done amazing work for orangutan conservation, ticks off a list of new findings
just beginning to reveal what we will lose if wild orangutans become extinct. Often
dubbed the world's best field botanists, orangutans are also talented pharmacists,
treating their illnesses with forest plants. Because
of their similarity to humans, the benefits are obvious. Plagued by a splitting headache while
walking in the forest, Smits remembered seeing a slumped female orangutan clutching her
head and groaning, only to make what seemed to be a complete recovery after eating some
flowers from a nearby bush. "I immediately went to a bush of these purple fordia splendissima
and ate some of the flowers and within 15 minutes my headache was gone."

Remember there are ways that you can help. If you need some reminders, just ask me!! J
Time to head to the library finished The Reef by Gunesekera, good! And Tomcat in Love by O’Brien, good! And 2 not worthy of notice. Have started A Hotel in Bali.
Okay, enjoy your day.