Expected v. Unexpected

When traveling the world, there are certain examples of globalization which I have come to expect to see.  Occasionally, however, there are things that I see which catch me by surprise.  Here are a few examples from my recent trip to South Korea.

Expected

McDonald's, along with delivery motorbikes

Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks

7-Eleven and Pizza Hut

Popular books in local language and baseball

Anything "Angry Birds" (this was all over Indonesia too)

Unexpected

 

Popularity of an American automobile company

Influence a current movie in reviving interest in the book on which it's based

Travel guides in local language

 

Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen

Subway and Yankee Candle

Eskimo Joes (Stillwater, Oklahoma restaurant) t-shirt;

chocolate candies named after a west African country

McDonald's menu items: green tea and Shanghai Spicy Chicken

the Beef Bulgogi burger didn't surprise me since it's a Korean dish

Lone Ranger movie advertisement on a clear fan;

"Boom-Boom" sticks to cheer on the favorite baseball team

Sixth inning stretch (rather than 7th) and players actually came on the field to stretch

Indonesia Continues ...

In 2009, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Seoul, South Korea for a symposium between American and Korean teachers.  I've stayed in touch with many of the American teachers I met and about a year ago I encouraged each of them to apply for the 2012-2013 cylce of Teacher for Global Classrooms.  Two of them were accepted!! And of those, one has been assigned to go to Indonesia.

What has made this extra special for me is that Julie (my Seoul Sista' heading to Indonesia) invited me to participate within a Facebook group specifically designed for her TGC cohort.  The other members know that I'm not going with them, but have been very eager to ask questions ... some that I can answer and others that I just don't know, LOL.

I feel so honored to be "going through this process again" but from a different perspective.  So, while doing something familiar (prepping for an adventure to Indonesia) I'm also roaming another remote road (prepping to help OTHERS enjoy the Indonesia adventure rather than myself).  I'm just as excited about following their travel blogs as I was for the other country cohorts within my own larger team.

TGC Indonesia 2012-2013 ... I'm with you all in heart and spirit! (and if you want to smuggle me in a suitcase, I'm game for that too, HAHA).

Moving Forward

I've been silent on this platform for a while, too long of a while.  I'm not totally sure why, but that was not my plan nor do I plan to keep it such.  I intend to keep blogging away!!

I'm not 100% sure the direction which this blog should now go.  The initial reason for setting up this specific blog was to chronicle my journey to Indonesia as part of the Teacher for Global Classrooms program.  As of the August 1 at 1:15 AM the Indonesia trip was over and as of the Global Education Symposium II in early October the TGC program has also come to an official end.

Despite the coming and passing of my TGC and Indonesia experiences, the "spirit" of this blog should live on.  I never intended this platform to just be about those experiences and then let this blog come to an end (like many of my TGC colleagues have allowed theirs to do).  I want this blog to continued to be about exploring life through a variety of perspectives whether through physical travel or just the simple observations about life that come to my mind.

There may be changes coming.  I know some changes will probably be to remove the listings of TGC country blogs.  While those writings had their place, most authors stopped their reflections with the conclusion of their trips.  I'll keep links active for those blogs which have continued.

I hope that those who have roamed these remote roads will continue to do so.  I'm sure I'll have much more to share!

To My Indonesian Friends...

In light of the recent events involving protests within Muslim majority countries, including my recent host of Indonesia, I wanted to present some of my thoughts.

If you reply, I ask that you do so in the comments section on this blog entry rather than through Facebook, twitter, or other platform on which you have found this entry linked. I'd like all comments to remain in one place.

In July 2012 I had the amazing opportunity to visit Jakarta and Bandung and to meet some wonderful friends, especially friends with the teachers, administrators, and students I meet at Krida Nusantara High School; I am still in contact with many of them through Facebook and twitter.  Ever since I learned that I would be heading to Indonesia as part of the Teachers for Global Classrooms program I relished every opportunity to learn about the history, culture, political structure, economics, and society of this diverse land.  And the experiences I had in person will always hold a special place in my heart.

And yet, despite all of these wonderful things, over the past couple of days my heart has been sad due to some of the news that I've heard.  Due to protest rallies which have already turned violent the U.S. consulate in Bandung and the U.S. embassy in Jakarta have each closed (only temporarily I hope).  Additionally, U.S. owned businesses, such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC, have also been targets of the protests.

I do understand that there is much offense taken over a video which was made in the United States and has been placed on the Internet.  I understand that this video mocks your faith, its teachings, and especially your prophet.  When something mocks my faith I too find great offense.  I am in no way suggesting that you should not be outraged at this video.  I also understand the vast overwhelming majority of Muslims in Indonesia and other parts of the world are not participating in the current violent expressions of outrage.

My concern is 1) the form of the expression of the outrage and 2) the targets of the outrage.  While, yes, it was an American who produced the video in question, this video is not something that was created by or endorsed by our government.  Further, the American based businesses that are targets of protest were also not involved with the video project.  In fact, the news here in the United States even suggests that the actors who portrayed characters in the video were not aware that the video even had a connection to Islam when they were filming; a lawsuit filed today claims is that the actors thought they were acting in a desert themed video and that it was after the filming was complete when the producer edited their words to present the message that is found to be so offensive.  I have attempted to watch the online trailer to this video (because I want to be educated about this issue) and the editing was so poor that I had to stop watching.

I know that from many of the protests around the world, one of the demands have been that the U.S. government require Google and YouTube and other online video hosts to remove the video.  Please understand that in our country our history has such a strong link to the concept of a near 100% respect for the freedom of speech and freedom of the press (Internet would fall under both), that our government has such strong legal restrictions in trying to censor information and images...even those which some people or LOTS of people might find to be offensive.  This history goes back even into the historic legacy of the development of civil liberties within British history.  I remember having conversations within Miss Betty's political science class about imagery which might offend people (Mr. Daniel, my fellow U.S. teacher at Krida, showed Internet pictures of each President Obama and President Bush being depicted as Hitler...each image would offend many Americans) and that while such images might be censored in Indonesia the government cannot legally censor such images  in the United States.

I do have some questions I would like to ask of my Indonesian friends, even though you are not involved with the violent protests.

1. Why are businesses and government buildings which are in no way connected to the production of the video targets of the outrage?
2. Why do some people feel that it should be acceptable to use violence as part of a protest?
3. What are some other methods to express frustration and discontent with this situation or other situations which offend you which might be more constructive or appropriate to communicate the legitimate claims of offense?

My ultimate goal in this blog entry is to increase our mutual exercises in learning to understand people throughout the world who come from backgrounds dissimilar to our own.  To help read more about my quest to promote understanding on this topic I invite you to read my message these same events titled "To My American Friends..."

To My American Friends...

In light of the recent events involving protests within Muslim majority countries, including my recent host of Indonesia, I wanted to present some of my thoughts.

If you reply, I ask that you do so in the comments section on this blog entry rather than through Facebook, twitter, or other platform on which you have found this entry linked.  I'd like all comments to remain in one place.

Allow this phrase of St. Francis' famed prayer to be a guide: "Grant that I might not so much seek to be ... understood as to understand."

We as Americans, especially those who claim to be Christians, should be slow to rush into judgement of the events that have been occurring.  We often make judgements based upon our own cultural, historic, political, and religious biases without first seeking to understand.

 

Many Americans are so quick to rush to judgment and ranting about the "uncivilized" members of the "alleged peaceful" Islamic faith rioting in the streets of their homelands, threatening American (and other Western nations') embassies, consulates, and businesses.  Yet these Americans are so quick to forget such expressions of discontent, often conducted by Christians, within our country's history: Bacon's Rebellion, Paxton Boys Riot, Shays' Rebellion, Whiskey Rebellion, a Civil War, Homestead Riot, etc. "But those were in our past" some might scoff...and the riots at the 1968 Democratic convention, the 1992 riots in the wake of the "Rodney King" trial in Los Angeles, allegations of violent outbreaks at each Tea Party and "Occupy" rallies of the last couple of years.  Have we Christians forgotten the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:3?

Please don't misunderstand me.  I'm not providing a justification for the current streak of violence or saying that it is acceptable.  I am just asking for some perspective and for an attempt at understanding.

Additionally, while we as Christians in the United States may express our indignation in other ways, we too are apt to become highly offended when we experience an affront to our faith.  Waves of online protest and church sermons flooded out in response to Dan Brown's best selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, especially after it was turned in a movie starring Tom Hanks.  My own Senior Pastor felt the need to have a special sermon series on "blasphemous" topics raised within the book.  There is also wide spread outrage regarding issues pertaining to homosexuality and the church, especially regarding marriage and ordination of clergy; and this isn't even an issue upon which the entirety of Christianity can agree in that some denominations are ordaining homosexual clergy members and performing "gay" marriages.

Finally, don't lump all Muslims into the category of "terrorist" because of the actions of a few (in comparison to the total Islamic population, those performing such radical acts of violence are, indeed, a few).  Just as there are so many variations within the larger Christian umbrella, there are also wide-spread variations within Islam.  I had wonderful experiences and made some special friends with the Muslim teachers, administrators, and students who I meet in Indonesia this past July.  I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

Having presented my thoughts, I invite you to respond in a respectful manner (even if you disagree).  Also, please visit my similar post titled "To My Indonesian Friends...".
 

Diversity of Mosques

One of the aspects of my visit to Indonesia which most impressed me was the variety of mosques which could be seen in all directions within the cities I visited.  Most of the schools I visited also had an on campus mosque.  While I was not able to personally visit more than a couple of locations, their diversity and (in most cases) their beauty captured my attention. I hope the video below helps to offer some of the visual beauty of Indonesia's mosques.

Additionally, I've also mentioned my reaction to hearing multiple calls to prayer being heard simultaneously (see "Good-Bye J-Kart & Hello Bandung" and "Debrief Session"). In Christianity, the closest tradition for summoning worshippers is the ringing of church bells; a craft which is not at all common anymore.  However, I do find the human voice to be a much greater and more complex instrument than the majestic bells.  The music I used to accompany the video is "Call to Prayers" from the musical The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins (previously referenced in the posting titled "The Armed Man").

Regardless of your personal religious persuasions, I do hope that you can enjoy the wonders of the Mosques of Indonesia.

No Place Like Home

I finally arrived home in Oklahoma City at 2:45 AM yesterday morning.  It was a long time of traveling from Jakarta to Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Oklahoma City; nearly 36 hours of travel including layovers.

I had turned the air conditioner off during my time away, which has initially seemed like a mistake when I arrived back to Oklahoma and temperatures of 112+.  My A/C is still struggling to catch up.  It was showing 91 in my house most of yesterday but was down to 82 when I woke this morning.  So, due to the heat I'm still processing the validity of "home sweet home".

One definitely positive about being home is my new iPad. My district had funds to place some iPad-Apple TV-LCD projector combination. I am a one of 30 recipients at Southmoore and was able to pic up my pad this morning; in fact this posting is being typed on that very iPad. So perhaps homecoming is sweet after all.

So I guess this is a new adventure in remote road roaming for me: a new step in my quest for using technology effectively with my students.  I hope you continue to help me roaming the roads of lands remote.

Final Moments in J-Kart

It is nearly time to end this experience in Indonesia.  We depart from our hotel before 5:00 AM so as to get across Jakarta to the airport.  Here are some final images from my time in this city.

Inside the top of the closet is this sign to indicate the direction of Mecca.
The hotel is in a Muslim majority country and has a lot of Muslim guests.

Signage for Ramadan over the entrace to hotel's restaurant

  

Restaurant for our final meal together

I ordered the Nasi Kapau from the Padang Sumatera region of Indonesia

I'm was not able to finish eating all of it, but it was wonderful!

Debrief Session

All of the morning and much of the afternoon for our final day in Indonesia, the eleven TGC teachers were guided by a representative from IREX (organization which facilitates the TGC program for the US Dept. of State) in a session to debrief on our time here.  While I felt as much of the session could have (and probably should have) been facilitated at a later date and once we were back home in the United States, there was one portion of the session that I found rather meaningful.

We created a "T-chart" for some of our experiences while in Indonesia.  In the narrow left-hand column we listed a one or two word emotion or thought as a theme and then in the right-hand column we placed several bullet points with detail of an event during our time "in country" which relates to that theme.  While Blogger makes it difficult to replicate the T-chart here, I'll do my best to present a few of my take-aways:

Beauty:

• mysterious harmony of a least seven different simultaneous calls to prayer from a variety of local mosques
• store racks filled with Batik clothing filled with vibrant colors

Unexpected:

• "Lady Gaga" horse at the volcano near Bandung
• students "animal club" at Krida with owls, hawks, and snakes
• being constantly saluted by students at Krida

Frustrating:

• long drives EVERYWHERE even when distance was close
• being told "it's closed because of Ramadan"

It's always good to provide appropriate reflection on the experiences that we have.  Roaming the roads of lands remote does not come without its challenges, but the encounters are often filled with amazing opportunities.  Reflection on such allows us to let our experiences become a deeper and more meaningful part of our lives and to help us grow and mature into our future.

Return to J-Kart

We rose early and left Krida and Bandung around 7:30 AM.  We then made the 150 km trip in just over two hours which included a pit stop for "the facilities" and a morning pick-me-up at Dunkin Donuts.  Each Betty, Daniel, and I selected to tasty eats and a coffee drink.  Betty had pre-cleared it with our driver for us to eat in the car as we continued on to Jakarta; our driver was, like most Indonesian Muslims, fasting as part of Ramadan but was ok with us eating in the car.

We arrived at the Park Hotel shortly before 10:00.  The original schedule which TGC had given us called for all of our pairs to be at the hotel by 1:00 and then we would continue with events as a collective group.  Somehow a message had been circulated amongst the host teachers to arrive earlier and then have more city site-seeing time.  However this message was not clearly received by one pair and they ended up not being with us for most of the afternoon.

We went to the old colonial capitol building in Jakarta which has now been turned into a museum.  This area of J-Kart is called "the old city" and there have been some attempts to spruce it up as a tourist attraction.  Some sprucing might have occurred a decade ago but I'm not sure how many tourists were actually informed.

Following our time in the museum we were hungry and found a place to grab a small lunch.  The "chicken sate" that I ordered...and even photographed before eating...wasn't exactly what I thought I was getting.  It was cold and far from tender and upon closer examination the collective conclusion was that it was intestine (possibly from a bird) but NOT anything close to what any of us had come to know as chicken sate.  Let's just say the "mystery meat" was a bit too far outside of my comfort zone.

David, Jodi, Daniel, Susanna, Heather, Jeanne, and Cora

My lunch...as described above...was NOT enjoyed or finished

Monkey in the restaurant.  I gave him a lime to eat; he seemed to like it.

After lunch, the old town square in front of the old capitol (now museum) was bustling with activity.  People from a select "counter-culture" within Jakarta had gathered for a concert by the music group Slank.  We people watched for a while.

Yep, that's me in this gang of young ruffians

Oh, Susanna is now a Slank fan

Our group finally returned to the hotel at which point we were finally reunited with the final pair in our collective delegation.  After getting settled in to the hotel, most of us departed for some shopping at a gem market and a Batik store before finally catching a late dinner.  Tomorrow will be a time for our cohort to debrief as a team on our experiences at our host schools.  I think their could be some interesting stores (some have already been shared).