Category Archives: Volunteer Work

Stargazing in the Sahara

Jul 19, 2016

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Last weekend, I joined the group of West Point cadets for a weekend camping in the Sahara desert. The cadets are led by a professor of comparative politics and anthropology, who has become an incredible resource to me as I research and observe the society and culture around me. Her perspective is poignant and challenges me to continue to search for new manifestations of women’s empowerment in the Islamist and Arab culture, as well as the Moroccan political identity. But besides that, she and the rest of the cadets have become very, very dear friends to me. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been able to spend so much time with their group in the last few weeks. Below is a photo of our group (WP plus their four tagalongs!) on our way to the desert.

To get to the Sahara, we drove 10 hours through the Moroccan countryside before arriving in the neighboring town of Merzouga. It was incredible to watch the scenery change from urban residences to winding cliffs of dense forest, to eventually an infinite horizon of sand. To give you a better idea of where we were geographically, we were about 25 miles away from the Algerian border. We spent Friday evening in a hotel before waking up early Saturday morning to explore. We visited Berber artisan shops and attended an abidat ra concert. Abidat ra is a unique type of music that is native to Morocco , whose subject matter illustrate the nomadic roots and religious undertones of the Berber ethnicities prevalent throughout the region. It is extremely dissonant, but especially hypnotic and captivating when it’s performed live. Here is an action shot of us dancing with the performers! (Note the Audrey Hepburn-inspired headscarf... It was a great way to keep cool in the desert, and avoid getting sand in my face when it got windy!)

At around 6:00 PM that day, we embarked on our sunset camel trek to our campsite in the Sahara. The last time I was on a camel was two years ago in the Gobi desert in northwestern China, during a blistering hot afternoon. It was one of my favorite adventures in China, and so naturally I could hardly contain my excitement to mount a camel once again and enjoy a beautiful sunset as Merzouga disappeared behind me. I took the lead camel, feeling bold, and named him Hatim after my favorite child to care for at the local orphanage. After an incredible sunset and 45-minute ride, we arrived at our campsite for a mouthwatering dinner of tagine chicken and steamed vegetables. After that, we stayed up into the wee hours of the morning lying outside entranced by the constellations of stars above. The stargazing was the most incredible I’ve experienced... We saw five shooting stars and located two of my favorite constellations (Hercules and Pegasus) using the SkyGuide app (INVEST IN THIS APP) before falling asleep under the stars.

I woke up early with our guide Hamza to watch the sunrise, which was every bit as mesmerizing as the sunset we watched the night before. After we finished cleaning up camp, we saddled back up to return to Merzouga for breakfast before returning back to Rabat.

It was an absolutely indescribable weekend of experiencing the most majestic natural landscapes and culturally influenced art, and these pictures truly only scratch the surface.

I look forward to sharing more in detail about this weekend during my Lumos presentation this fall!

In my next post, I’ll be focusing about the changes happening once again in the classroom at Feminin Pluriel... Challenges and frustration are just as important to document as life changing weekends in the desert, after all!

God, Country, King

Jun 12, 2016

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Trivia question: In 1777, which nation was the first to officially recognize the US as a sovereign state? No, not France. They’d of course discuss it, but the recognition would not become official until 1778. (Naturally followed by a declaration of war from Great Britain, who was understandably salty.) Believe it or not, Morocco was actually the first country to officially recognize the newly-independent US with the Treaty of Peace and Friendship on December 20, 1777. And for the most part, we’ve been tight ever since!

Fast forward a few centuries to the most recent regime change in 1956, and you have the Kingdom of Morocco, a 60 year old monarchy currently ruled by King Mohammed VI. His wife is Princess Lalla Salma, who despite her fair complexion and red hair, is in fact a native Moroccan. Note that her official title is that of a princess, the same of all women in the royal family. Queens do not exist in the Moroccan monarchy. In fact, traditionally the wives of kings are kept far away from the public eye. It wasn’t until the current King that the Moroccan people had ever seen the face of a King’s wife. The King is a very big deal though, as is evidenced by the country motto and namesake of this post: “God, Country, King.”

The Moroccan monarchy, at its surface, seems quite similar in structure to that of a typical democratic parliamentary system. However, in reality, the Moroccan parliament is nothing more than a puppet of the monarchy. As one local pointed out to me, the Prime Minister only exists for when things go badly... It is always the parliament’s fault, never that of the King. But if things are going well, then all credit goes to the king. In fact, Moroccan citizens can actually be arrested and persecuted for speaking out against the king. Though King Mohammed VI has been notably more liberalized than his predecessors, things haven’t been the same since the suicide bombings that occurred in Casablanca in 2003, the most severe terrorist attack Morocco has ever seen. The highest measures are taken for national security, certainly at great costs of civil liberty.

Morocco is also lauded as one of the most advanced African/Islamist countries for women, especially following the passage of the Moudawana law (also called the Family Code) in 2004. The law included major amendments to improve a woman’s ability to seek persecution and divorce in situations of domestic violence. Prior to the amendments, a woman had to have witnesses of the incident for any legal proceedings to take place. Sounds great! But here’s the problem: 60% of Moroccan women are illiterate, and therefore are hardly empowered by a law they can’t read. While it may be tempting to acknowledge the 17% of women serving in the Moroccan parliament, it is sadly only the result of a mandated gender quota, meaning that many of the women in parliament are quite literally there just for show. This is assumed to produce substantive representation for women in the government, but since the monarchy is the one pulling all the strings behind the curtain anyway, does it really make a difference? Morocco may be doing better than most, but further improvement is clearly still needed.

One of the most heart wrenching moments of my time in the classroom thus far came when one of my students told me “Things will never change. 20% of us live on less than the minimum wage of 200 dirhams a day ($2 USD) while the government officials get paid thousands for doing absolutely nothing. The best we can hope for is to continue our education, find a good job, and have enough to support ourselves and our family.”

Income inequality, unemployment, and illiteracy are three of the major issues afflicting Morocco right now. Many students cannot afford the opportunity cost of continuing school when their families need extra income to make ends meet. And many students, even after obtaining college degrees (yes, plural) in prestigious fields, are unable to find work in their field and have to resort to whatever else they can find to support themselves, like working in food delivery or as a parking assistant. At this point, you may be asking yourself: How is this government able to get away with this? Why don’t they protest? (Actually, they do.) What could possibly be worth sacrificing so much?

For all its shortcomings in civil liberties, government transparency, and rigid socioeconomic inequality, Morocco has something under the monarchy that outweighs all of the above. Something that can be summed up in a single word: Stability.

Amidst the chaos of ISIS, Boko Haram, and a systematic lack of government protection that plagues its neighboring states such as Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, (just to name a few) Morocco has enjoyed a steadfast stability that is not to be taken for granted. Their proximity to these persisting threats is constantly just a little too close for comfort, which they are reminded of when they see the inability of neighboring governments to protect its citizens. The monarchy, by contrast, has kept the Moroccan people safe by forging relationships with many world powers, working as their key ally in the Magreb. While it is certainly an imperfect system of governance, the people are acutely aware of just how much they have to be grateful for when they turn on the news.

Morocco is an altogether fascinating and complex country. I look forward to learning more about the triumphs and struggles that the Moroccan people face, because in an age where voluntourism (foreigners who travel to developing countries without understanding how to make a sustainable impact versus furthering the problem) is trending all across social media, it is of the utmost importance to seek out, learn, and understand the full story. Perhaps now, after this brief introduction to both the gaps and advantages of the Moroccan political system, you will start to see how my project in Women’s Empowerment was created in the hopes of meeting the challenges that Moroccans face.

Ancient History, Contemporary Development, & Empowering a Community

Jun 6, 2016

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Fun fact: Since 2002, Rabat has hosted the Mawazine Music Festival: Rhythmes du Monde. (Rhythms of the World) Artists from all over the globe come to perform, as well as local Moroccan talent, with 90% of the shows being free of charge to maintain a high standard of accessibility for the Moroccan population. In addition to a number of other external sponsors, the Maroc Cultures Association ensures the festival’s unique economic independence from public funds. The festival is touted as one of the largest in the world, and is held in Rabat because the capital city of Morocco is seen as “an intermediary between tradition and modernity” that transforms from a UNESCO World Heritage Site to an open air venue where artists from all walks in life and career perform. Seriously, give it a Google, it really is that cool.

As a proud Nashville transplant and music enthusiast, my interest was piqued. I confess that I’ve never been to an American music festival before, but this was simply not something I could afford to miss. Fantastic promotion of upcoming Moroccan artists, not to mention a few familiar names gracing the lineup just in time for my second weekend in the city, (Shaggy, Christina Aguliera, and Pitbull, just to name a few) and all at no charge! So a fellow volunteer and I decided to go on Friday night to see Shaggy perform and experience this festival in full. And what an experience it was! We were surprised to note that we were largely the only women in the audience... Likely as surprised as the men were by our presence, I imagine! Now if you read travel guides about visiting Morocco, one of the most fervent warnings for young women in particular is the frequent catcalling from men while walking around. In my experience, the key to handling these unwanted interactions is to refuse acknowledgment of their existence overall. If you give them nothing to go off of, you leave them with no direction to pursue, and they desist. Even a glance in their direction can be seen as encouragement, and so it is best to try and exude “back off” with every movement of your body. Some will still pursue, but in that case a sharp word in either French or Arabic while stroking one finger down from your eye to your cheek should do the trick. This facial gesture means “shame”, and is often used by mothers when children misbehave. Thus, it is particularly shocking and offensive when a foreign woman adopts a gesture they are used to seeing from their mother! We can chat more on the nature of living in a strongly inherent patriarchal society in a later post. For now, needless to say, Kelly and I were worried about what we had just walked into as not only females, but as clear foreigners. How would these men adapt? Would it be uncomfortable harassment? Would we have to leave early? Alas, none of the above. Despite it being the identical demographic to our daytime hecklers, these concert goers went out of their way to give us space, to the point where it felt as if we had an invisible shield around us. The only questions asked were if we could see okay, and would we like them to move over more in any direction to better accommodate. It was quite the surprising change of pace from the mosh pit I was expecting, akin to what I’ve heard about music festivals in the US.

The concert itself was a wildly amusing trip down memory lane as we enjoyed a number of blasts from the past from Shaggy’s golden years. There was a lot of dancing, though all male on male, due to the aforementioned lack of females. I’m looking forward to continuing to analyze the societal pressures and structures at work here, specifically the role of the patriarchy, but seeing as I’m only two weeks in I feel it best to keep observing before embarking on such a post in the next month or so!

Harkening back to the idea of history transformed, one of the venues for the Mawazine Festival was the Chellah ruins, located in the south of Rabat. The festival is accurate in describing Morocco as a profound cross section of ancient history and increased development, which can be seen in the adapted modern use of the ruins not just as an archaeological site, but a frequented place for concerts, families, and young couples seeking to escape the constant lack of privacy. The ruins are left from Phoenician and Carthaginian settlement in the third century BC, but were later refurbished as the Roman city of Sala Colonia according to Ptolemy’s writings, which dated around 40 CE. Eventually the city was taken by a Berber tribe and fortified to protect from Spanish invaders. The remainder of some of the fortress walls are pictured below. When the Romans abandoned the city, it became a burial ground until the 13th century when the Merinid dynasty resettled the city by building a mosque and other structures whose remnants remain today. Though I recognize that history is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, I felt it important to discuss in the blog because the ancient history of Morocco is, in my opinion, still very much alive in the contemporary culture. Walking through the ruins, I was struck to think of how many generations of feet had followed the path through the city that my feet now walked, not to mention how many more would follow in years to come. Unlike the archaeological site in Xian, China where the Terracotta Warriors stand tall, walking through the Chellah ruins feels nothing like a museum or a tourist attraction. It more so feels like a park that just so happens to have incomprehensible historical depth in addition to being a lovely place for an afternoon stroll.

As a side note, the ruins are also home to most impressive stork nests I imagine one will ever see. Yes, I mean storks as an the bird that delivers babies to your neighbor’s doorstep from time to time. For a second there, I thought I was looking out into the flawless CGI background of Jurassic World or Avatar gauging from the remarkable size of these nests. The storks were also in mating season, clucking their beaks quite loudly, which made for an interesting soundtrack as we meandered around the old city!

Finally, as promised, I am so excited to share what I’ve been teaching (and learning!) in the classroom at the Empowerment Center. Many have asked me, why Morocco? And though there are many answers to that question, one of the most relevant reasons to my project here is the definitive need to improve national education.

Morocco is not what I would call a poor African country. It enjoys a rare stability thanks to the autonomy of the monarchy, which has protected it from the struggles faced by many other African and/or Islamist countries. While it is still developing, it is leagues ahead of many of its neighbors.

However, for all its success, there is still a lot to be done in the kingdom before it can claim developed status. This can be summed up with two simple words: education and equality. Schools are publicly funded in Morocco, but as a result the quality of education is often compromised. Private schools – once looked down upon as the schools where students who failed one too many times would have to attend – are increasingly in popularity with those who can afford it thanks to the guaranteed quality and opportunities it offers. Meanwhile, kids in rural regions struggle to find consistent transportation to and from school, and kids in urban areas share their pain of finding a way to pay for their school supplies.

The Empowerment Center I work at provides free English lessons to anyone and everyone. The office space is located in the heart of the city, but my students come from all over the region. I admit, these classes are not at all how I had imagined they would be. Halfway through my second week, I scrapped my detailed lesson plans for building up technical grammar skills and vocabulary in favor of a new approach to accommodate the many challenges of my classroom: generational differences, varying levels of general education, and implicit gender biases, just to name a few. My new approach is entirely conversation-based, where I introduce a topic question and have my students speak to their opinions on the matter. Occasionally I have them write brief statements or paragraphs to read aloud to improve heir comfort speaking the language, and sometimes I integrate American music for them to practice listening comprehension and application. (Most recently, I used the Hamilton soundtrack to supplement a lesson reviewing proper use of the three types of past tense to discuss the history of America’s revolution with a “Who’s Who” on American currency, in honor of Memorial Day. One of my favorite lessons thus far!)

One of my dear students and I after class!

When asked about how they would change the national education system, I watched in amazement as their eyes universally brightened, impassioned by the introduction of a subject that has affected them all in some way despite their different stages of life. “There needs to be more funding allocated to the rural districts,” declared my econometrics major. “We need to improve the scholarship funds to help those who can’t afford to continue their education in their own,” explained my often quiet but just astute engineer. “There needs to be a way for us to do things like you are doing here, Teacher. A way for us to go places and share our culture and our skills. Without those opportunities, Morocco won’t have a bright future.”

Right now, they're my playful neighbors. But tomorrow, they could be world leaders... Who knows! But they are who we fight for.

Right now, they’re my playful neighbors. But tomorrow, they could be world leaders... Who knows! But regardless of who they will become, they are who we fight for. They are the future.

This is why I chose to come here. Not just to teach English and immerse in a foreign culture, because there are many places one could pursue that. I came to Morocco specifically because it is a country on the edge of what I believe to be great potential, and it is my hope that by leading discussions like this, my students will heed the spark of desire for change and pursue making a difference in their country as only they can. Young and old, female and male, it is my goal to show them how strong they can be as a united front in advocating for a brighter future.

To conclude, I want to leave you with the inspiring words of one of my students in response to today’s conversation question: Can money buy happiness? The author is a vivacious older woman whose sense of humor and intellectual depth know no bounds:

“Happiness comes from our mind, which we find in good company. It comes also when we see the future generation will live in a world without war. In a world of peace and love, without chemical products. We in the world where we feel we are all brother and sister, with no difference in color or religion. As Martin Luther King Jr said, I have a dream. This is my dream for happiness.”

This is why I am so grateful to be here, investing in these people’s lives as best I can, for the next three months. No one gives me hope for the future quite like they do, which is a feeling I hope will continue to propel me forward as I continue my work here. Thank you for reading, as always I am so lucky to have so many others be a part of this journey! Tune in next week for a breakdown of the Moroccan political system and the complex history of US-Moroccan relations! (I just graduated with a BS in political science, surely you all saw this one coming!) And of course, more stories from the classroom and an update on what will be my first week of celebrating Ramadan! The fast begins tonight at 2:30 AM, and I can’t wait to rise to the challenge, inshallah.

Chiming in just in time for brunch with the dearest of friends can make all the difference when you're an ocean away

Chiming in just in time for brunch with the dearest of friends, even just for ten minutes to say hello, can make all the difference when you’re an ocean away.

Quick shout out to those of you who have continued to love on and support me from afar. Your constant texts, emails, and messages always brighten my day! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping me build a home away from home by reminding me that you’re only a phone call away. All my love!

Carioca Culture

Sep 6, 2015

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They aren’t lying when they say traveling abroad impacts your perspective. Even in the short amount of time I have been here, I have absorbed so much from simply experiencing Carioca culture. Perhaps the greatest moments I have experienced thus far involve the completely altruistic nature of the Cariocas. It seems that no matter the language barriers or the overwhelming diversity the exists among the many people in Rio, there is always a willingness to accept, an interest in listening, a desire to understand, and a readiness to support others, no matter how small or large the need. Everywhere I turn I find someone who will welcome me as a friend and honestly want to get to know me. What’s greater is that even with the vast economic and social disparity within Rio de Janeiro, I have met so many people who continuously venture to foster meaningful connections within their communities.

I’m so incredibly privileged to do the kind of work I’m doing in a culture that whole heartedly embraces and values supporting others and making their communities stronger. There are many people here that not only have very little, but also have very little access to resources. Perhaps one of the most essential needs though is to feel cared for, loved, and valued. And from what I’ve seen, these aren’t mutually exclusive. While someone is working to increase social resources in the favelas, they are also extending warmth and endearment to everyone they interact with. For example, take Retalhos Cariocas. The organization shares their artistic knowledge and skill with its surrounding community, and in doing so they also get to know who they work with and begin to build strong, lasting relationships with them, no matter how vastly different they may or may not be. I’ve discovered this same approach and attitude in almost every encounter I’ve had here, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to practice it in my work with JIVE, both at Retalhos Cariocas and in the arts center.

The studio at Retalhos Cariocas

Silvinha, the local woman who started RC, holding some of the art we make at the studio.

Lotus flowers made from recycled materials for an upcoming exhibit

Sun catchers made by kids at the local community center during art class

I’ll leave you with a final thought for now. In the last few weeks its been difficult to compare my previous work and studies at school with what I am doing in Rio. I’ve been struggling to understand the meaning of my time here and the value of my work. But it is with the lessons I am learning in Rio that I am reminded that social change is only possible through small changes, and those small changes can have a big impact.

Until next time.

Fundamind

Sep 17, 2014

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Fundamind is located in the center of Buenos Aires. The center of the city is actually one of the more dangerous parts, and most families who live in the center of the city live in poor conditions.

Fundamind is a preschool that is partially funded by the government of the city of Buenos Aires. The rest of Fundamind functions off of donations. This school was started 20 years ago, and had one classroom of 20 three-year olds. The original intent of this school was to reach out to children in the community that came from impoverished families, whose parents could not otherwise afford to send them to childcare or preschool while they worked. These children were (and are) more exposed to HIV/AIDS, and many of them are carriers of the illness. Today, Fundamind hosts over 150 students each day, providing them with quality childcare and education. It is a safe place for children whose homes aren’t even necessarily safe. Most of them come from complicated family situations – divorced or abusive parents, poverty, and dangerous neighborhoods (here they are called the villas).

This doll was made by one of the teachers at Fundamind. The caption (translated) says “I’m small, but I have big rights”. This doll stands at the entrance of the school.

When I first showed up to Fundmind two weeks ago, I wrote the blog post after entitled “The Volunteer World”. I closed that post saying that I was excited to find my place at Fundamind (also implying that I hadn’t found it quite yet).

I am happy to report that I most definitely have a place and purpose at Fundamind. When I was working with the school director, Marisa, she told me they did have a need for an English teacher. During our conversation, it came up that I went to a school in Nashville that is known for its music program. I told Marisa that I originally went to Belmont to study classical piano, and her face lit up when I shared this information. She exclaimed, “We’ve been looking for a music teacher for months! We had a piano donated to us years ago, but no one has ever played it”.

This is the old piano that was donated to Fundmind years ago. Today, the director told me it dates back to just after WWII, and it’s from a German brand. They all ask me if it sounds okay, and apologize for it’s age. It’s really a great piano though, and quite in tune (all things considered).

I’m well into my second week of providing music classes for each room. We sing songs in Spanish and then in English, and the children are always amazed when I start singing in English. “Winsy Winsy Aranya” (The Itsy Bitsy Spider) is by far the most popular song we sing. Some days, I take the classes down to the main room where the piano is. I’ve played some Scott Joplin for the kids (they love to dance to it) and some classical songs and scales. The first time I told a class we were going downstairs to the piano, one student asked me: “What’s a piano?”

These kids don’t have the same exposure to music or arts that most other children their age do. It is my hope that by teaching these children songs in English, their interest in learning the language will be sparked. I also hope to provide them with the fond memories of music class that surely every child has (and should have).

I did find a school that actually needs help in their English department, and the children are middle school aged. I’m going tomorrow for the first time to meet with some of the teachers to see where I can help. It will be great to put my TEFL certification into practice, but I’m also blown away at the opportunity that I’ve encountered at Fundamind to teach kids music and bring some fun into each day. Many of the children already remember my name, and as soon as I walk into the class, they all yell, “Raquel!!! Cantas Winsy Winsy en ingles!!” (Rachel! Sing Itsy Bitsy in English!!). I successfully taught the 4-year olds class “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” today, and they were thrilled to have learned some new English words.

This adventure is unfolding differently, yet better than I ever could have expected. I will keep you updated on how my day tomorrow goes at my new school!

The Volunteer World

Sep 3, 2014

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Though it goes without saying, everything in Argentina is different. The government, the food, the language, the state of the economy, the seasons, the working world, and the volunteer world…they’re all different. As I’ve been preparing for my volunteer placement to start, I’ve been learning a lot more about non-profits in Argentina and how they function. It’s very difficult to start (and maintain) a non-profit here. Unlike in the states, companies don’t get any tax breaks from the government for doing volunteer or community work. Thus, “non-profits” like we imagine in the States really struggle to exist here. The organizations that do exist as non-profits are typically understaffed and lacking funds…and when it comes to volunteers, they are fairly unorganized. You have such a different experience when you show up in the States to volunteer somewhere. Typically, you sign up, provide some basic information, and designate what time/day you’re coming and for how long. Upon arriving, you are greeted warmly, the organization is expecting you, and they have a designated task for you. From just my two days of experience with my organization here (and after talking with a few other Argentines), it’s safe to say that non-profits here struggle to find volunteers, and when they do get a volunteer, there’s not much of a system or organized schedule for that person.

I went to my volunteer placement, Fundamind, for the first time yesterday. A native speaker from Argentina accompanied me to ensure there were no misunderstandings. I could understand everything the President of Fundamind was telling me, but I struggled to understand how I was received. I wasn’t greeted with bells and whistles, a nametag, and information about a Facebook page I could “like” and post all my photos to. I was, however, greeted by the screams, waves, and faces of the 150 children who are benefitting from Fundamind. This greeting really brought me back to why I’m doing this. It isn’t so that I can feel needed or good about myself, but it’s to better the lives of some of the less fortunate children in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

As I settle into my weekly routine of volunteering and find my place at this organization, I will be sure to write more.

One Week & Two Days Left in China

Aug 4, 2011

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Last Monday (7/25) and this Wednesday (8/3) I reached more blocks in my Chinese. It just made the elderly home a little more difficult. But I am always able to help and still make them happy anyway. I found a place to develop photos so I could give some of the pictures I took to the elderly and autistic children. The elderly were especially happy that I did that. I have never seen someone so happy to have a photo! Huang Yeye (Huang Grandpa) put the pictures in his hat and would constantly look at them every few minutes. Then he asked me to put the pictures in his room but Wang Yeye told me that Huang Yeye does not even know where his room is... (he just has a minor mental disability... if I heard right his wife was murdered...but it could just be me mixing up Chinese words!!) I’m so glad that I can make them happy!! And for the last few days at the elderly home I will be teaching a few of them some English!

At the autistic school Last Tuesday (7/26) I focused on one boy because his emotions were all over the place. He was hitting, screaming, throwing things, crying and would randomly calm down for a few minutes. This boy is 2 years old and just began showing symptoms of autism. His mother was so frustrated but patient for a while. Once her patience grew short, she slapped him really hard on the face. This left a horrible bruise. I encouraged her a lot and told her that she was a great mother either way. Then that Thursday (7/28) the boy was again not stable. I went over to try and help. He was wearing a tank top that day and I saw bruises on every inch of his arms and back. I am talking about REALLY large bruises that cover whole sections of his body. It is really hard to see especially since I cannot do anything about it. This boy seemed to just really want some love. When one of the teachers gave him a hug he would stop throwing a tantrum and hug the teacher back. But his father was with him that day and was not patient at all. At one point he was grabbing his son’s neck like he was going to choke him or something!! It is so sad.

Some parents will be patient and kind to their disabled child, but there are some really depressed parents that do not treat them the right way. But then I really have to realize that the parents at this school actually kept their children instead of abandoning them in the first place. Many mentally or physically disabled children will be abandoned because it is shameful in the Chinese culture. There are also so many expectations from Chinese parents. Having a “imperfect” child is a bad “investment.” Most people can only have one child because of the one-policy in China. Some will have a second child if they are rich and can pay a crazy amount of money.

After being there for over a month I have JUST now realized that I have really only seen a select few autistic girls. Most of the children at the school are boys. It actually makes a lot of sense because many families want a son instead of a daughter. So having a girl that is autistic is the worst combination and these girls will most likely will be abandoned. The few girls that I have interacted with at the autistic school are just so precious... It really makes me think that there are some really great parents at the autistic school and I admire them for not giving into what is “acceptable” in the Chinese society.

Brother and Sister - they are amazing children!

Helping in the Music Class

I have really gotten attached to these children. The little boy in my previous blog post, who has the paper ring on his ear, will always be wearing them on his ears after his art class. I think his mom uses it as a reward now – if he can cut these shapes then he gets to wear them on his ears haha... Another boy only participates in the exercises in music class because he really likes me a lot and will only listen to me. It is interesting because I have only seen him show any kind of emotion when he around me. His grandma is so happy to see this! I have also told some parents, who have children that refuse to talk, about the story in the United States where an autistic boy began speaking with his dog (see previous blog post for the short story).

So aside from my amazing learning experiences, I took a little trip this past weekend. I went with one of my friends from the Keats School to Dali (大理). It is a small city about 5 hours away from Kunming.

We took the Sleepers Bus so I didn't have to miss class or volunteering on Friday and we could still have all of Saturday...very very interesting experience...I'm not sure how often they wash the sheets, but in the morning they just folded the covers for the next group

Dali University...um...I wish Belmont was there haha

Took a horse to LITERALLY climb the mountain... no, I did not know that it was literally going to climb straight up. Two hours up, one hour on the mountain, two hours down.

Pretty close to the top of CangShan (Cang Mountain)...yes, the horse climbed the whole way and if the horse ever fell I would have been (seriously) injured. It was an adventure!

CangShan

I got to hold a monkey at the top of the mountain!!

I came down from CangShan with the horse from one of those hills over in the distance...

Picture of Dali University and Pagado is all taken during my horse ride

I loved Dali! First, I just LOVE mountains. Next, it really reminded me of Tibet(I went last year with the Belmont Study Abroad group). Then I really like cities in China that keep their traditional style. It was a great place to relax and see something different.

I miss China already and I haven’t even left yet!

Constantly Learning

Jul 29, 2011

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I just spend over an hour writing on my blog but the internet completely messed up and then it erased my entire blog post 🙁 I already posted it and everything but I looked back and it was completely gone like I never even posted anything! For now I will post the pictures that I had in my post but I will come back later to write the stories that I lost...

This is Huang Yeye - 79 years old - he has a mental disability but it is not extreme - he smiles until it is time to pose for a picture haha

Me and another volunteer (she is from Spain) with an autistic child

Music Class

Only 3 years old and already practicing characters

Helping in "art class" and making it a little fun by putting the paper he cut on his ears! Even though his mother is constantly wanting perfection, I think she was really happy that I could make her son laugh and smile!

All I really want to say is that it has been a great week and I have been learning so much from this whole experience as a volunteer in China. Since volunteering in China is still not a regular thing in some places I have not had anyone tell me to go there, do this, do that, etc... I have had to decide things on my own to help in the best way possible. I think that has really caused me to become a leader. I never even knew I had this in my personality until now. All of this is hard and tiring but definitely so rewarding!

Long Week

Jul 22, 2011

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This Thursday was the hardest day of volunteering yet. I have had a very busy and long week going to both places to volunteer, waiting really long for extremely crowed buses, long Chinese classes, and studying after it all. So I was particularly exhausted on Thursday. My brain just would not and could not comprehend Chinese that day. At home I usually reach a block in my Chinese every few months. Since I am forced to use it all the time in China, I have reached a block every week. I know that it will pass after a day or two and when it does I am ten times better. So I look forward to the language block... but when it happens on a day when I am extremely tired, it is not a great combination.

On Thursday I helped out in the Autistic School’s art class. This class was more like “playtime” where the children could work with puzzles, cut shapes, trace, etc. A parent/grandparent was with their child so that made it a little more difficult. First I spent time with a girl who is 3 years old. She is so cute and extremely bright for a 3 year old! Her mother did not really think so, though. The girl’s mother was constantly yelling at her because she could not put a badly made puzzle together correctly. At one point, even the mother put some pieces together wrong!! How do you expect a little 3 year old child with autism to do it correctly then? She was also yelled at because she could not use the scissors correctly while cutting paper shapes. I honestly think that they should not be holding scissors at 3 years old. Besides, her hands were almost too tiny to hold them! The mother had no patience at all. There is just so many expectations from some Chinese parents.

That was nothing compared to what I saw next. All of a sudden out of no where, I heard really loud yelling and hitting noises. I looked over and saw a grandmother slapping her grandson on the head, face, and pinching him really hard because he could not trace shapes PEFECTLY. He could follow the lines but not PERFECTLY. I was so angry. This boy is 6 years old and has a severe case of autism. He cannot speak at all and did not even understand why his grandma was hitting him! All he could do was cry. I immediately had to help him. I grabbed a chair to sit beside them both. His grandmother was holding his hand so tightly and tracing the shapes for him (what a way to teach, huh). Since I sat down next to them, the boy was distracted and turned his head to look and smile at me. When he looked over, she immediately slapped his face and held his head down towards the tracing paper. It was so rude! I decided to distract the grandmother a little bit and asked her how old he was, what his name was, and then I began to help him trace the shapes myself by slightly directing his hand movement. He actually traced them really well! I made sure to compliment him the entire way through. She finally walked away angrily to watch from a distance. A few minutes later, another member of his family came to sit beside us and told him that if he traced it badly then his grandma would hit him...literally. This family member also told me that he was really sick the day before so that is why he was not tracing so well. She was almost apologizing to me for his “bad” tracing. All of this is being said in Chinese and I was trying so hard not to look completely shocked. All the while, the boy just wanted to be hugged and comforted. It was one of the hardest things I’ve seen during my volunteering.

Well that was depressing... how about something a little happier?

How about seeing the CUTEST BABY EVER on my way to volunteer

Yeah, that's right, I have Harry Potter 7-Part 2! Can't turn down a bootleg for 10 kuai ($1.50) in China. Amazing movie!! Very rewarding after a long week...

Realizations

Jul 16, 2011

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After a short time of volunteering at the School for Autistic Children, I realize that this is the wrong place for me to be. It is a good school with a great purpose, but I am not able to really help these children. I have observed their music class, one on one therapy class, and gym class. However since these children are autistic, they are having an extremely hard time getting comfortable with me. Even the teachers have a hard time in class and they have been teaching the child for months or years. It makes me wish that I was a doctor or therapist so I could help them! At the same time, the parents are always by their child’s side and there are a lot teachers constantly helping at this school. I feel like this school does not necessarily need anymore help. The building is not the best quality but they seem to have everything they need and I was almost more of a distraction by being there.

This school is just always showing me how great they are and how much they help the autistic children. That is wonderful!! But so far I feel like the owner has been enjoying practicing his basic English with me while the children are in their classes. Each day I have been waiting for the opportunity to help but I just seem to do less each day. I have tried playing with the kids and conversing with ones that are not as severe but it is still extremely difficult and they are always playing with their parents or being carried around. Since I am not that helpful, I decided to find somewhere else to give my assistance.

I would say it was a great experience because I got to see how a different culture interacts with their autistic children. Because mental and physical disabilities were looked down on for a long time in China (and even still is), they are not as experienced as some schools in other areas of the world (such as the United States). I did not agree with some of their exercises for the children, but there is no way for me to change the way their teachers do things. At the same time, I am no expert at all on autism.

I talked with the Keats School and they immediately understood my observations. When I expressed to them that I wanted to find a place where I could give more help, they said that I could volunteer at an elderly home. What they said next surprised me! They told me that most people do not like to work with the elderly in China and thought I wouldn’t be willing to do that work. One reason is because they are old and many people like to work with children. Also the conditions in which the elders live are really bad and many are not very clean. That is why they sent me to the School for Autistic Children. If many people do not want to do this then I REALLY (I cannot emphasis REALLY enough) want to volunteer there. I was a little disappointed that the Keats School did not give me all my options in the first place. But here is something that I have seen several times in the Chinese culture – they do not always want you to see the worst of the worst and they want to make sure that “Westerners” are as comfortable as possible. So it was all out of good intentions.

Below is an extremely great video that Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn showed in one of my classes. It gives a little information on the elderly and elderly homes in China.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MkBk0rU8Ec (I was able to find a paid secure server that allows me to view blocked sites in China)

BUT LET ME JUST SAY, the elderly home I went to see today is NOTHING like the one in that youtube video. The elderly home was even concerned that it would be “too harsh conditions” for me to volunteer in. They wanted to call a nicer elderly home for me to volunteer in! I insisted more than a few times that I wanted to stay and volunteer there. So for the next month, I will take the bus every afternoon on the weekdays to volunteer at that elderly home. I know I will see some really hard things in the next four weeks, but this is real life for them. I am ready to face it and hopefully I can give them some happiness.