Talent Show and Vietnam Day

I swear we do go to class and study on this trip too!  It just happens that we had a lot of exciting things going on on the ship lately that I would rather report on.  haha

The day after Sea Olympics was the SAS Talent Show.  After the awesome job people did with the lip sync competition, I had high expectations and they were definitely met!  I can't believe that people can be so darn talented!  We had singing, dancing, acting, instrument playing, and some things that were a little hard to classify to be honest.  

The life long learners sang SAS's theme song which is actually quite moving.  My ship parents are the couple on the left.  :0)

The dependent children know how to boggie!

Remember this kid because he is going to win an Oscar someday.

My awesome global studies discussion leader jamming on an instrument from India.  

The ASL club signing "Wavin' Flag."  ( I'm in the club too, but missed the meeting when we learned the song.)

The SAStreet boys.

Complete with their own fan girls.  haha  

Performing the Firefly theme song!

My talent was dressing like a goof with my roomie.  Ok, not really.  We had a fire drill that day too.  :0P  They said that we had to wear hats so I wore my awesome jungle had since I don't have a normal baseball cap.  

The next day the fun continued with Vietnam Day.  There were presentations going on all day which were very interesting!  All of them had to do with the Vietnam - American War from different perspectives.  The first speaker talked about the history of the war as well as the history that led up to the war.  It was sad to learn about because the whole conflict was based on really stupid decisions going back decades.  The war caused so many individual tragedies that we have to lop them together in the form of statistics.  The land was bombed and sprayed with chemicals, people were killed in their home country, soldiers were killed far from home, and the U.S. was torn apart in it's efforts to come to grips with what was happening.  The only silver lining is that some people did learn some things from the disaster.  Now we would never see the anti-soldier sentiments that were popular back then.  Even among those who protest current military action the most, the sentiment has changed to be, "hate the war not the soldier."   There has also been an increased consciousness of the environment after chemicals did so much damage to the land and people in Vietnam.   None of these positive effects are enough to make what happens ok.  Many in both countries still suffer each day from the physical, emotional, or economic damages during the war.  

The next speakers were people on the front lines of the home and war fronts, Senator Charles Robb and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb.  (That would be former senator of Virginia and LBJ's daughter, by the way.  Aside from all that they are also really wonderful and interesting people.)  Senator Robb opened up the talk with, "To them [meaning most of the U.S.] Vietnam was a war...but for us it was a country."  I thought that was extremely relevant to us on the SAS voyage.  Our whole lives we have only heard about Vietnam in relation to the war.  Soon, we will get to see the country and start thinking about Vietnam as a place, not a tragedy.  

Senator. and Mrs. Robb were excellent speakers, very funny and candid.  Senator. Robb talked about his time in the military where he led a company in Vietnam.  His stories were exciting and sometimes very sad.  Of one young man in his company, he said, "the only thing we could send back to his family was a boot with a foot in it."  I can't even imagine.  Some of the Vietnam Veterans who spoke later said they were really proud of Senator Robb  because he could have easily avoided combat due to the fact that he had recently married the President's daughter.  But he chose combat even though there were posters all over his area offering a reward for his capture.  

Mrs. Lynda Robb talked about her experience on the home front.  LBJ gets a lot of bad vibes for his part in the Vietnam War, but those who really knew him (or read his biography) would say that he hated the war more than anyone.  He had these huge hopes for a "great society" and the war went against what he believed in.   'Mrs. Robb talked about how awful it was to see her father work so hard to end the war, worry about her new husband who was fighting there, and have people standing outside her window shouting, "hey hey, LBJ, how many boys will you kill today."   

The talk ended on al lighter note with them talking about family jokes and their excitement to visit Vietnam.  I believe the final picture that was up on the screen was the first picture taken of earth from space.  LBJ did a lot to start up NASA so this was in part his success.  He had sent the photo to all the heads of state and had received a reply from Ho Chi Mihn.  It was the first communication between the two countries since tensions started before the war.  

After a lunch break, Don Howard, a Vietnam War Veteran spoke about his experiences.  He said he was lucky to get into the air force after he was drafted and flew transport planes in Vietnam.  His missions included hauling anything from wounded soldiers to food rations.  He was very humble and frank about his experiences.  Though he didn't engage in combat directly, he says that he feels responsible for thousands of deaths that the bullets or bombs he transported caused.  He thinks that anyone who is involved in a war is equally responsible for the damage and should act that way.  He wishes everyone over 18 could be drafted so more people would care and the country would go to war less frequently.  Hard to argue with that!  He concluded the talk with what he learned from his experience in Vietnam.  The things that stood out to me were no one is invincible, no one wins a war, honor the warriors not the war, and that you should never listen when someone tells you the war will be over in just a few months - it is never over that quickly.  

The final panel of speakers were three students who were either from Vietnam or were Vietnamese-Americans.  They talked about the struggles their parents had to go through because of the war and how it still effects them today.  I thought it was really brave of them to put themselves out there and speak about such an emotional topic.  Most of them said that they didn't always know about the war directly growing up, but looking back, they realize that some of the things their family went through was because of the war.  They talked of separated family members, jailing for trying to leave Vietnam, and lost fortunes.  In so many ways, none of us in the room will ever understand the true impact the war had on their families and how it still impacts them today.  

India! (Day 3)

   What a wonderful day!  I started things out right with waking up extra early to make sure I didn't miss breakfast.  :0)

   When I got to the bus, I was happy to see that my guide from the first day would be leading us again today!  We ended up exchanging e-mails by the end of the trip!  The bus ride was about an hour and a half through the new center of Kochi and out into the suburbs.  We arrived at the Chendamangalam Village where we would spend the day.  The village has many different types of jobs that are independent or funded by the government.  The government here gives everyone a job to ensure that poverty does not exist.  Maybe it does still exist somewhere, but I have not seen evidence of it yet.  I'm telling you, things are run well in this state!  I love it that every kid has an equal opportunity to succeed, not matter what their background is.  I can see why the communist party wins almost all the elections.  (They do have an opposing party but everyone I talk to says that it is a party who only cares about rich people so they never get elected.) 

  We were greeted with jasmine garlands and coconuts to drink when we arrived at the village.  The people putting on the program for us, as well as some prominent people from the village were introduced.  Some of those prominent people were actually kids who met every Friday to discuss important matters, study, and work to support tourism in their village.  I was very impressed at how ambitious and mature the kids were!   

  The greeting also included a drum performance and a dance and singing performance.  In between each act we got to explore the nearby area and talk to the people who lived there. 

 I took the opportunity for a pit stop and was baffled when this was it:

  It's actually easier to use than it looks though.  Luckily, I had my own toilet paper because there was none to be found there.  

   I was getting really hungry and ready for lunch by the time the welcoming was finished.  Lunch was amazing!  It was even more amazing because we got to see a demonstration of how it was cooked and received a copy of the recipe!  In the traditional manner, we were served some truly delicious food on a banana leaf and I opted to only eat with my hands this time.  I swear it makes the food taste better!  

   

   After lunch, we talked a bit more with the villagers and I was presented with the unique challenge of explaining why I used a wheelchair in very basic words.  (Hint:  Dysautonomia and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome are not basic words.)  I think I finally made sense by showing a normal heart beat with my hands and pointing to myself and showing it beating rapidly.  

   We then got a tour of the village.  I wanted to wheel myself to get some exercise, but there was nothing I could say to convince the boys that I could do it myself.  I was getting a little frustrated until I realized that it wasn't about me needing help.  It was about them wanting to help the American girl.  If I insisted on doing it myself, I suppose I would have felt more accomplished, but if I let them push me, they would get so much out of learning to push a wheelchair and being able to help someone.  After all, that's kind of what I am doing in a lot of the service visits; going to people's homes and saying "I'm going to help you now."  So I completely changed my attitude and made sure to thank them many times and give them each and origami bird as thanks at the end of the walk.  Turns out I felt accomplished after all.  :0)

  The village was absolutely beautiful.  The houses were HUGE and painted bright colors, sometimes with carved designs.  We also got to meet more of the people who lived in the village during the walk.

This is one of my wheelchair helpers outside his house. You can't see it because of the trees, but it was a big beautiful white house.  

Snake Tail Fruit

   And of course there were lots of cows!  I was determined to pet one despite the emphatic advise of some of my fellow SASers.  The cows seemed to be pretty scared of people though.  Every time someone would walk close to get a picture, the cow would run away.  But I was determined.  I found that I could get close to the cows to take pictures if I went slowly and talked calmly as I inched forward.  The ladies from the village were laughing hysterically because I was talking to the cows and thanking them for letting me take their picture in the local language.  I suppose that is a bit silly.  haha  I finally got the guts to walk up to a cow and try to pet it.  I was surprised that when I got within a few feet, it actually came towards me.  I let it sniff me and it must have approved because it liked my hand and nudged me trying to be pet.  I spend a while petting it's nose until one of the ladies from the village spotted me and said I should catch up with my group.  From then on, they kept an eye on me whenever a cow was around.  oops.  I can't bring myself to regret it though.  :0) 

   When we got back, we sat back in our seats near the wonderful, beautiful, amazing, fan and cooled off for a bit.  The lady who ran the program came up to me and said, "You look Indian."  I smiled and said I was actually Russian and Italian.  She shook her head and said, "no you ARE Indian.  Not just in how you look.  Welcome home. Welcome home."  IT was truly a beautiful moment.  :0)

  

 After saying our goodbyes (that I must say were almost tearful) we loaded back onto the bus to go to our second to last stop.  This was a fabric weaving factory.  I hate to say it, but it reminded me of the sweat shops I learned about during the American Industrial Revolution.  The room was incredibly hot, and it was full of people working very hard on monotonous tasks.  I was surprised to see how happy the workers seemed.  Of course it could have been an act for us tourists, but it could have been genuine.  The people working there were excited to show us about their craft and explain (in the local language) what they were doing.  

 

  I ventured behind the building to search for another pit stop and found a really dodgy looking bathroom.  I headed inside to go anyway but was met face to face with a spider that was probably bigger than my head.  I held in a scream and was out of there at superhuman speed.  The bathroom stop would have to wait!

  Our last stop was just down the road at the place where the woven fabrics from the factory were being sold.  I bought a bright teal piece of fabric that is usually used as a bath towel, but I'm going to try and make it into a skirt.  

  

 The bus ride home was quite long with the traffic, so I took the opportunity to take a few pictures and doze.

India (Day 1 part 3)

  I just can't bring myself to cut down on photos, can I?  haha

Lunch was delicious!  There was a fried crispy thing, a rice pancake thing, shrimp, and seasoned cauliflower.  Unfortunately my already angry stomach became furious from the spice.  I felt like I was going to be torn open from my inside out.  Not good.  Luckily, I am a pro at functioning despite gut pain and other than a few inquiries about my health, I still got through the rest of the day and had lots of fun.  (It finally got better after my friend gave me a pepto later that night.)

 

After the delicious but dangerous lunch, we had some time to devote to our parasympathetic nervous systems (rest and digest) while we watched a performance of traditional bachlorette party dances.  Of course, it's not called a bachlorette party here, but it's a similar idea.  The bride's friends come together for fun and to tell her all how wonderful the groom to be is.   The dancers were ornately costumed and very precise in their movement.  The background music was complemented by the rhythmic smack of their sticks.  

After the performance, everyone else walked over to an open area and played tug-o-war with the rope we made.  I was not quite feeling up to it so I stayed behind and figured I would stare off into space.  I was rescued from this fate by the bubbly little girl who had initially greeted us when we got to the village.  I learned her name was Anna and she was very excited to be here because it was a school holiday.  We chatted about Toy Story, school, and how we liked to fold things.  She showed me how she could fold a palm leave into a snake and we took turns folding some of the paper I had into different animals.  IT was really fun!  She is one of those kids who you can just tell is bright by talking to her for a few minutes.  I was so engrossed in our conversation and folding session that my group had headed off to the bus the next time I looked up.  OOPS.  (again.)  

  Anna laughed at how worried I was and took me to meet with my group.  Along the way, she pointed out the different plants and told me what they were used for.  The small leave in my hand had a very strong smell and is used kind of like vapor rub when you have a runny nose.  With my expert tour guide, I was reunited with my group just in time.  I said goodbye to Anna and thanked her for the origami and folded palm leave gifts and hopped on the last open rickshaw.  

Now THAT was a fun ride!  The inside of the rickshaw was beautifully decorated with beads and intricately woven fabric.  The driver blasted some uppidy Indian music as we sped through the narrow village streets.  Quite an adrenaline rush!

I could have spent a few hours on that wild ride, but after about ten minutes, we were already back at our bus.  

The bus took us a short way to another side of the lake where we met with a different fishing community.  One of the families invited us into their home!  They ran a small tea shop from the back of their house, and offered us some snacks as we sat and chatted.  SO good, and thankfully not spicy!  I gobbled up more than I would like to admit.  

No big deal, but they also had a pet hawk.  

We wandered around the residential section for a while which was really cool.  I loved how there were bright colors everywhere!  I definitely am going to need a bright blue house in my future.  There was one water station where people could come get water every morning and evening.

We stopped briefly at a church which was a nice POTSie break for me.  We took our shoes off, as is customary, and I really liked walking in the church in just my socks.  I somehow felt much more connected than I usually would in a church.  

What would a trip to India be, without the terror of coming face to face with a hissing cobra?

Ok. I wasn't exactly face to face.  But I was close and I swear that thing made eye contact with me and hissed.  (Maybe it wanted to see if I spoke parseltongue.)  The snake charmer must have had nerves of steel to be within striking distance.  He barely flinched when the snakes would hiss and strike at him.  

I remembered the view of the Chinese fishing nets from Slumdog Millionaire and was really excited to get to see one up close.  They are quite rickety, but I managed to not fall into the water.  We even got to help haul the net up!  Huge rocks act as a counterweight so even I could manage to pull in the net.  

Check out our catch!