Life has been very busy. Last week was Asia- Pacific Forestry Week and as all you know- I am an intern at the IUCN- here's the link to all the blogs I wrote for my internship about the event. I did not write the third one.
China's good. It's certainly full of it's ups and downs.
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/forest/fp_news_events/asia_pacific_forest_week__november_2011/
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Change through experience
Once upon a time in a first semester Freshman English class, I wrote a paper about Change through Experience using Che Guevera's The Motorcycle Diaries. I wrote about how important it was to learn and grow from your experiences. Ironically, I hadn't really experienced anything. Not at 18 at least. My experiences and life trials and tribulations were so small compared to the troubles of the rest of the world. Here I am after two months in China and I feel like I have had a lot of different experiences that have shaped and changed me. I've evolved from the person I was and these changes won't really sink in until I'm back in the good old U.S.A.
China's not home turf. The rules and customs are just different. I was so comfortable dealing with Americans and now all I deal with are other foreigners and mostly chinese people. My honeymoon period of studying abroad is definately over and I'm enjoying being here, but it certainly does not have the same glamour that it did when I first got here. I am really trying to take in everything around and I'm realizing it's quite complex and complicated.
Internship at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
I just started an internship at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It's in the diplomatic district of Beijing and it's right near the Canadian embassy. It's a 40 minute subway ride and a bus trip away. Growing up in Alpharetta- I never really had any experience with public transportation excluding the school bus. It's been an adventure. Rush hour ion the Beijing subway is a nice mosh pit of Chinese people. My internship is really cool. We are getting ready for Asia Pacific Forestry Week next week in Beijing. My first assignment is to write a blog about each day of Asia Pacific Forestry Week. I am going to a bunch of different lectures about Reforestation, Climate Change, and Governance etc.
So Asia Pacific Forestry Week has been awesome! I've had a lot of great experiences and met a lot of great people. This is the first blog for the first day!
China's not home turf. The rules and customs are just different. I was so comfortable dealing with Americans and now all I deal with are other foreigners and mostly chinese people. My honeymoon period of studying abroad is definately over and I'm enjoying being here, but it certainly does not have the same glamour that it did when I first got here. I am really trying to take in everything around and I'm realizing it's quite complex and complicated.
Internship at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
I just started an internship at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It's in the diplomatic district of Beijing and it's right near the Canadian embassy. It's a 40 minute subway ride and a bus trip away. Growing up in Alpharetta- I never really had any experience with public transportation excluding the school bus. It's been an adventure. Rush hour ion the Beijing subway is a nice mosh pit of Chinese people. My internship is really cool. We are getting ready for Asia Pacific Forestry Week next week in Beijing. My first assignment is to write a blog about each day of Asia Pacific Forestry Week. I am going to a bunch of different lectures about Reforestation, Climate Change, and Governance etc.
So Asia Pacific Forestry Week has been awesome! I've had a lot of great experiences and met a lot of great people. This is the first blog for the first day!
Asia-Pacific Forestry Week
Beijing, China
November 7th, 2011
During the Community Forestry Enterprises for Livelihoods: The Way Forward session , a panel of experts discussed how non-profit organizations, international businesses, and forest communities can work together to produce timber and non-timber products that are not only environmentally sustainable, but also improve the living conditions of the indigenous forest communities. These indigenous people rely on the forests for virtually everything from food and medicine to flood prevention. These Community Forestry Enterprises stretch all across Asia and bring many short term and long term benefits to the local people. For example, in Cambodia, Forest officials help teach forestry community members about sustainable forest products and potential bio-resource enterprises. These forest officials provide the community with skill development training and sustainable resource management. These officials collects data, research market viability, and create business models for these communities. In Nepal, community based forestry enterprises have reached extremely remote areas that are not accessible by roads. These programs incorporate forestry micro- enterprises and lease land to community members. Through the enhancement of natural resources management through enterprises in the Phillipines, forest officials and associates conduct market research and have published information regarding more systematic management of natural resource based enterprises.
The International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) stands out for it's success in South America, Africa, and Asia. Through product diversification, sustainable resource management, and training and production centres, INBAR has used bamboo to substitute virtually every timber product from boats to desks to matches. Their marketing strategy and quality standards allow the bamboo products to compete in the world market. All of these organizations utilize market principles to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of forest communities while simultaneously consolidating natural resources and returning deforested and degraded environments to their original conditions. These different programs empower men, women, and children and encourage further entrepreneurship. Success creates economic incentives and provides tools for sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Making the familiar strange and the strange familiar
It has been a full two weeks since I have written my blog. I am sorry loves. I have been rather busy studying, working out. and living the Beijing high life. Writing this blog is very time consuming. I just had a midterm yesterday over 300-400 characters and I almost feel as though I am wasting time if I am not studying or doing something productive. Not to mention, I am starting to have a stronger connection to my blog. I almost regret the bouncing around beijing name. I only hope that this blog has more potential than that. I don't want my blog to be some mundane description of my daily life or an elaboration of my drunken adventures.At the end of the day, those things do not really matter. They are fun moments, but that's not what I want for my blog I aspire for this blog to be a well-written, experience-based, and personal reflection of the time that I spend in Beijing.
To be honest, the words that I write in this blog are what I hope to be the best of me. My candid feelings about how this experience has affected me and changed the way that I not only view the world, but also the way that I view myself. Life should change us and I strive to constantly be improving myself. We as human beings should live like snakes, constantly shedding the skins of our past and becoming new. I have said before Writing is good for the soul. It cleanses and heals. It reflects and analyzes on the times when we were hurt or hurt others and pay tribute to the beautiful memories throughout our life. Anyways-here we go.
Here's an Ode to the Significant Events that have made their way into my life
Also I have decided at the end of every blog I will add my political commentary because I understand all of yall do not care about politics!
IUCN Internship
Through my study abroad program, I landed an internship at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. I am waiting to start it, but they have to file all the internship papers through the Corporate Regional Office in Bangkok which is currently flooded so it is taking a lot longer than usual.
Here's the website-http://www.iucn.org It's an environmental inter-governmental organization in the diplomatic district. It's about an hour subway ride from my dorm in Wudaokou. Oh! I just discovered Podcasts and Itunes U. I don't know how I did not know about podcasts. I've downloaded a lot of french and chinese podcasts, as well as some lectures about International Affairs. It's like crack for nerds and it will be perfect when I have that long subway ride 3-4 times a week. What an awesome concept. I can learn anytime anywhere as long as I've got my Iphone. Oh the things I'll learn. Update! I am starting my internship on Thursday.
These days I spend a lot of time with my friends Jordan and Nicole. We all get along and have a good time together.
I have been studying Chinese everyday. It's one hell of a hard language and I now realize the I will spend a lot of my life trying to master it.
Halloween weekend in Beijing was just not the same as the United States Halloween. We went to a warehouse party in the Art district of Beijing on Friday and then Sensation for another Halloween party on Saturday.
This Occupy Wallstreet Business- View from the Middle Kingdom
So I hear all of this discussion about Occupy Wallstreet. First of all, if I were to occupy Tianan'men Sqaure or occupy Beijing ...I would end up occupying a jail cell or worse a coffin.
The American economy has serious fundamental problems and the distribution gap between the rich and the poor has increased over the last few decades. I understand the high unemployment in the American economy and the questionable relationships between American and foreign companies alike and the U.S. government. I am aware of corruption in our government. I will not deny it's presence in our political system.
But here's some fireballs of truth for some of you.
Corruption occurs in all governments. Honestly, it is a natural element of all politics. Every political system has corruption to some extent or another. Every society has a distribution gap between the rich and the poor because that's the way the world works. The world cannot exist without polarity. There is no intelligence without stupidity. No beauty without ugliness. Wealth cannot exist without poverty. Governments should strive to somewhat bridge this distribution gap, but the problem is the economy also needs to bring in profits in order to fund projects that bring more people into the middle class. It's a political dilemma that does not really get the attention that it deserves.
Another problem is that the American economy is changing. The United States can no longer afford to produce tee shirts and shoes. American companies along with western companies have moved to Asian countries with little to no environmental and labor standards. Even if these jobs had not moved to China, they would be moving to Vietnam, India, Taiwan, or other export-oriented Asian markets. Unemployment in the United States is unfortunately for many structural unemployment which is a result of changes in the American economy. These blue-collar jobs are not high in demand in America anymore.
These are not problems that the American economy can necessarily fix. This movement has no clear agenda. No reasonable goals. Really worldwide debt forgiveness? I understand that it's an outlet for angry and unemployed Americans. It's a nice scapegoat for a lot of people. Unfortunately though, this movement has no clearly defined goals or leadership. It's just an arena for Americans to voice their frustration. Most Americans according to a Gallup poll are uncertain of what this movement in trying to accomplish. http://www.gallup.com/poll/150164/americans-uncertain-occupy-wall-street-goals.aspx
I'm going to wrap this topic up because as I have just realized- I could write an entire blog entry on this. Maybe it's the fault of the American education system or just how we are all brought up as Americans-but everyone seems to have this ideal version in their head of what the United States of America should be. That's the problem. People sometimes complain and criticize America because it does not measure up to their idealistic vision of what our country should be. Instead, maybe- they should compare the United States to other democratic and non-democratic countries. Look at the levels of corruption in China, Egypt, Ukraine, or any other European countries. Unfortunately, America will never meet up to most of your standards. Sorry. It's life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Keyword being pursuit not god given right. Wealth and Prosperity are not written as rights in the Constitution only the pursuit of them. Obviously I'm in Beijing right now. And from where I'm sitting, Americans take their rights for granted. They don't appreciate the comfortable lives that they live. I'm sure I will post more on this. If you disagree, please message me and educate me. I am open to new opinions and different ways of thinking.
Minority Theme Park
So Cultural Differences. There are certain things in China that would be deemed so culturally and politically correct in the United States. One of those things is a Chinese minority theme park. China has 56 nationalities-Han Chinese represent about 91% of the China's 1.4 billion population. This minority theme park in Beijing shows all the 55 Chinese minorities in their "traditional" clothing doing "traditional" minority activities. Before I entered this park, I was required to write a two page discussion paper about the minority theme parks based on our readings. So here it is:
So post-minority park trip
This minority showed many different elements of traditional minority culture, but as a whole presented all of these minorities as uncivilized. There was no modern presentation of any of the minorities and this minority theme park served more as a minority zoo. Han Chinese could come into this theme park and get a skewed and condescending view of these minorities. We read this article by Steve Harrell called Civilizing Projects and the Reactions to them. He makes a really excellent point about how "civilized and/modern" people view the "uncivilized" minorities. He describes three metaphors that the civilized people attribute to minorities or less civilized people; the sexual metaphor, the educational metaphor, and the historical metaphor.My favorite metaphor has to be the sexual metaphor.Steve Harrell states that "Civilizers" of all sorts have seen peripheral people as both erotic and promiscuous in their behavior, as being at a lower level of culture where they have not yet learned about the proper civilized morals of sexual repression and/or hypocrisy".Just Chew on this: Do more "civilized" or "modern" people have a more hypocritical view of sex? The educational metaphor view the less "civilized" group as people who must be civilized and educated with mentalities of people.The historical metaphor depicts the people as ancient, unchanged, and far from modernity(historical metaphor). This is illustrated through the minority theme park because the minorities are shown as uncivilized, exotic, and far from modernity. I hiked and traveled all throughout the Gansu and Qinghai province in Western China. Never once did I see any Tibetans wearing traditional bright Tibetan garments. It's a mockery and an exaggeration of these minorities' culture.
To be honest, the words that I write in this blog are what I hope to be the best of me. My candid feelings about how this experience has affected me and changed the way that I not only view the world, but also the way that I view myself. Life should change us and I strive to constantly be improving myself. We as human beings should live like snakes, constantly shedding the skins of our past and becoming new. I have said before Writing is good for the soul. It cleanses and heals. It reflects and analyzes on the times when we were hurt or hurt others and pay tribute to the beautiful memories throughout our life. Anyways-here we go.
Here's an Ode to the Significant Events that have made their way into my life
Also I have decided at the end of every blog I will add my political commentary because I understand all of yall do not care about politics!
IUCN Internship
Through my study abroad program, I landed an internship at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. I am waiting to start it, but they have to file all the internship papers through the Corporate Regional Office in Bangkok which is currently flooded so it is taking a lot longer than usual.
Here's the website-http://www.iucn.org It's an environmental inter-governmental organization in the diplomatic district. It's about an hour subway ride from my dorm in Wudaokou. Oh! I just discovered Podcasts and Itunes U. I don't know how I did not know about podcasts. I've downloaded a lot of french and chinese podcasts, as well as some lectures about International Affairs. It's like crack for nerds and it will be perfect when I have that long subway ride 3-4 times a week. What an awesome concept. I can learn anytime anywhere as long as I've got my Iphone. Oh the things I'll learn. Update! I am starting my internship on Thursday.
These days I spend a lot of time with my friends Jordan and Nicole. We all get along and have a good time together.
I have been studying Chinese everyday. It's one hell of a hard language and I now realize the I will spend a lot of my life trying to master it.
Halloween weekend in Beijing was just not the same as the United States Halloween. We went to a warehouse party in the Art district of Beijing on Friday and then Sensation for another Halloween party on Saturday.
This Occupy Wallstreet Business- View from the Middle Kingdom
So I hear all of this discussion about Occupy Wallstreet. First of all, if I were to occupy Tianan'men Sqaure or occupy Beijing ...I would end up occupying a jail cell or worse a coffin.
The American economy has serious fundamental problems and the distribution gap between the rich and the poor has increased over the last few decades. I understand the high unemployment in the American economy and the questionable relationships between American and foreign companies alike and the U.S. government. I am aware of corruption in our government. I will not deny it's presence in our political system.
But here's some fireballs of truth for some of you.
Corruption occurs in all governments. Honestly, it is a natural element of all politics. Every political system has corruption to some extent or another. Every society has a distribution gap between the rich and the poor because that's the way the world works. The world cannot exist without polarity. There is no intelligence without stupidity. No beauty without ugliness. Wealth cannot exist without poverty. Governments should strive to somewhat bridge this distribution gap, but the problem is the economy also needs to bring in profits in order to fund projects that bring more people into the middle class. It's a political dilemma that does not really get the attention that it deserves.
Another problem is that the American economy is changing. The United States can no longer afford to produce tee shirts and shoes. American companies along with western companies have moved to Asian countries with little to no environmental and labor standards. Even if these jobs had not moved to China, they would be moving to Vietnam, India, Taiwan, or other export-oriented Asian markets. Unemployment in the United States is unfortunately for many structural unemployment which is a result of changes in the American economy. These blue-collar jobs are not high in demand in America anymore.
These are not problems that the American economy can necessarily fix. This movement has no clear agenda. No reasonable goals. Really worldwide debt forgiveness? I understand that it's an outlet for angry and unemployed Americans. It's a nice scapegoat for a lot of people. Unfortunately though, this movement has no clearly defined goals or leadership. It's just an arena for Americans to voice their frustration. Most Americans according to a Gallup poll are uncertain of what this movement in trying to accomplish. http://www.gallup.com/poll/150164/americans-uncertain-occupy-wall-street-goals.aspx
I'm going to wrap this topic up because as I have just realized- I could write an entire blog entry on this. Maybe it's the fault of the American education system or just how we are all brought up as Americans-but everyone seems to have this ideal version in their head of what the United States of America should be. That's the problem. People sometimes complain and criticize America because it does not measure up to their idealistic vision of what our country should be. Instead, maybe- they should compare the United States to other democratic and non-democratic countries. Look at the levels of corruption in China, Egypt, Ukraine, or any other European countries. Unfortunately, America will never meet up to most of your standards. Sorry. It's life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Keyword being pursuit not god given right. Wealth and Prosperity are not written as rights in the Constitution only the pursuit of them. Obviously I'm in Beijing right now. And from where I'm sitting, Americans take their rights for granted. They don't appreciate the comfortable lives that they live. I'm sure I will post more on this. If you disagree, please message me and educate me. I am open to new opinions and different ways of thinking.
Minority Theme Park
So Cultural Differences. There are certain things in China that would be deemed so culturally and politically correct in the United States. One of those things is a Chinese minority theme park. China has 56 nationalities-Han Chinese represent about 91% of the China's 1.4 billion population. This minority theme park in Beijing shows all the 55 Chinese minorities in their "traditional" clothing doing "traditional" minority activities. Before I entered this park, I was required to write a two page discussion paper about the minority theme parks based on our readings. So here it is:
Kristen Carusos
Week 8 Brief
SOCS 260
21 October, 2011
China’s theme parks give Chinese citizens and foreigners alike the ability to view China as well as the rest of the world through a Chinese perspective. Tourists can see the different “cultures” of Chinese minorities through a politically correct Chinese authorized minority theme park. These theme parks are not politically correct in the sense that they do not stereotype or demean China’s minorities, but rather that they correlate with the “official line” of the Chinese government. They represent the Chinese state as a harmonious society in which different minorities live peacefully among the Han majority.
These minority theme parks showcase the natural beauty and landscapes of minority areas and positive elements of their culture such as dance, art, and habits. Modern history of these minorities and autonomous regions are omitted. Through our foreign policy and culture class, we have briefly mentioned the “good” and “bad” minorities from the Chinese government’s perspective. The positive attributes of these “good” minorities are highlighted while controversial or “bad” minorities are barely represented. For example, there is one “mosque” in the Shenzhen theme park that is supposed to characterize four different types of Muslim minorities. This “mosque” is in reality just a gift shop with Uighur goods. Tibet is represented through its scenic landmarks rather than actual characteristics of Tibetan culture. Chinese government officials visit these “Tibetan landmarks” for political reasons and for the promotion of a unified China (Stanley, 282). Through the representation at these parks, the Chinese government advocates national unity while not equally representing some minorities. Do you think that some minorities are more Chinese than others? Are the ethnicities that contribute more to Chinese society and economy more Chinese than trouble-making minorities (Uyghurs, Tibetans, and now Inner-Mongolians)?
There are several ironic themes that occur through these theme parks. These theme parks are supposed to show Chinese unity and strongly clarify that all these minorities are a part of China, while simultaneously pointing out the distinctive differences between the minorities and the majority Han Chinese. Han Chinese encompass the majority of tourists come to these theme parks. How do you think Minorities feel about these theme parks? Do you think that they are happy that their “culture” is being publicized and recognized to some extent? Do you think that these minorities feel frustrated and patronized because not only is their culture being misrepresented, but also that these theme parks disregard several important historical events? Naturally, it is dependent on which minority it is and how they are being represented. In these theme parks, minorities are often being portrayed by Han Chinese. Theatricality is mentioned several times throughout the article. It is highly plausible that there are exaggerations of minority life simply for the entertainment effect. How do these parks relate to the Han superiority complex?
The two different Taiwanese theme parks further demonstrate the Han superiority complex. One of the parks explores Taiwan’s pre-Han history with research conducted by Japanese scholars during their occupation. The Han-oriented park offers a “modest and unobtrusive display of indigenous buildings, while reserving, in Skansen style, pride of place for Han architecture and life” (Stanley, 272). It is as if the Taiwanese were ancient and uncivilized before the Han Chinese had a presence in Taiwan. (We will not fully understand how these theme parks operate and the extent to which they affect Chinese society and culture until we go to one.)
Week 8 Brief
SOCS 260
21 October, 2011
China’s theme parks give Chinese citizens and foreigners alike the ability to view China as well as the rest of the world through a Chinese perspective. Tourists can see the different “cultures” of Chinese minorities through a politically correct Chinese authorized minority theme park. These theme parks are not politically correct in the sense that they do not stereotype or demean China’s minorities, but rather that they correlate with the “official line” of the Chinese government. They represent the Chinese state as a harmonious society in which different minorities live peacefully among the Han majority.
These minority theme parks showcase the natural beauty and landscapes of minority areas and positive elements of their culture such as dance, art, and habits. Modern history of these minorities and autonomous regions are omitted. Through our foreign policy and culture class, we have briefly mentioned the “good” and “bad” minorities from the Chinese government’s perspective. The positive attributes of these “good” minorities are highlighted while controversial or “bad” minorities are barely represented. For example, there is one “mosque” in the Shenzhen theme park that is supposed to characterize four different types of Muslim minorities. This “mosque” is in reality just a gift shop with Uighur goods. Tibet is represented through its scenic landmarks rather than actual characteristics of Tibetan culture. Chinese government officials visit these “Tibetan landmarks” for political reasons and for the promotion of a unified China (Stanley, 282). Through the representation at these parks, the Chinese government advocates national unity while not equally representing some minorities. Do you think that some minorities are more Chinese than others? Are the ethnicities that contribute more to Chinese society and economy more Chinese than trouble-making minorities (Uyghurs, Tibetans, and now Inner-Mongolians)?
There are several ironic themes that occur through these theme parks. These theme parks are supposed to show Chinese unity and strongly clarify that all these minorities are a part of China, while simultaneously pointing out the distinctive differences between the minorities and the majority Han Chinese. Han Chinese encompass the majority of tourists come to these theme parks. How do you think Minorities feel about these theme parks? Do you think that they are happy that their “culture” is being publicized and recognized to some extent? Do you think that these minorities feel frustrated and patronized because not only is their culture being misrepresented, but also that these theme parks disregard several important historical events? Naturally, it is dependent on which minority it is and how they are being represented. In these theme parks, minorities are often being portrayed by Han Chinese. Theatricality is mentioned several times throughout the article. It is highly plausible that there are exaggerations of minority life simply for the entertainment effect. How do these parks relate to the Han superiority complex?
The two different Taiwanese theme parks further demonstrate the Han superiority complex. One of the parks explores Taiwan’s pre-Han history with research conducted by Japanese scholars during their occupation. The Han-oriented park offers a “modest and unobtrusive display of indigenous buildings, while reserving, in Skansen style, pride of place for Han architecture and life” (Stanley, 272). It is as if the Taiwanese were ancient and uncivilized before the Han Chinese had a presence in Taiwan. (We will not fully understand how these theme parks operate and the extent to which they affect Chinese society and culture until we go to one.)
So post-minority park trip
This minority showed many different elements of traditional minority culture, but as a whole presented all of these minorities as uncivilized. There was no modern presentation of any of the minorities and this minority theme park served more as a minority zoo. Han Chinese could come into this theme park and get a skewed and condescending view of these minorities. We read this article by Steve Harrell called Civilizing Projects and the Reactions to them. He makes a really excellent point about how "civilized and/modern" people view the "uncivilized" minorities. He describes three metaphors that the civilized people attribute to minorities or less civilized people; the sexual metaphor, the educational metaphor, and the historical metaphor.My favorite metaphor has to be the sexual metaphor.Steve Harrell states that "Civilizers" of all sorts have seen peripheral people as both erotic and promiscuous in their behavior, as being at a lower level of culture where they have not yet learned about the proper civilized morals of sexual repression and/or hypocrisy".Just Chew on this: Do more "civilized" or "modern" people have a more hypocritical view of sex? The educational metaphor view the less "civilized" group as people who must be civilized and educated with mentalities of people.The historical metaphor depicts the people as ancient, unchanged, and far from modernity(historical metaphor). This is illustrated through the minority theme park because the minorities are shown as uncivilized, exotic, and far from modernity. I hiked and traveled all throughout the Gansu and Qinghai province in Western China. Never once did I see any Tibetans wearing traditional bright Tibetan garments. It's a mockery and an exaggeration of these minorities' culture.
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