Cheerios Takes The Step

It is so incredibly refreshing to see these kids react the way they do towards the prejudice and injustice stirred from this Cheerios commercial! Watching videos like this gives me so much hope for the future. Maybe a future full of race equality, gender equality and marriage equality is not so far-fetched after all. Finally, it is so great of Cheerios for taking the step and making a commercial like this in the first place; I definitely hope to see more of them.

Next Steps

I’m graduating in less than one week. It feels unbelievably strange to say this out loud, especially because I remember every day of frosh week like it was just this year! I remember my parents dropping me off at the Ron Eydt Village Residence building, I remember unpacking my things in my new home, and I remember waving goodbye as I stared from my window while my parents drove off. These last four years have been remarkable and I have learned so much – more from the experience of progressing through university than any book or lecture taught me (but of course that’s no surprise, especially for our generation).

I came across this article some time last year. Although I wish I read it before beginning university, I’m content to say that I can cross off a lot of the items on this list!

Take a read!

Reintegration

It has been a little over two weeks since I have returned from Vietnam and have started to reintegrate back into my lifestyle in Canada. The first week upon returning home was more difficult than the second because reverse culture shock hit me like a big Hanoi city bus. However, as time progressed and my jetlag weakened, things more or less started to feel normal again; I don’t know how to feel about this. A part of me feels as if the last 8 months of my life were a dream. A blurred dream, because the memories have now meshed together and the details of my experience are starting to fade.

One of the requirements of my undergraduate program, along with the 8 month overseas internship, is to participate in a two week debriefing period upon our return as part of our reintegration process. I think participating in this debrief really helped me re-enter into the Canadian lifestyle without losing the identity the past eight months gave me.

My classmates and I joined in numerous sessions that required us to reflect on our international experience and connect this experience with our life in Canada. I never understood how important it would be to discuss what I had gone through immediately after returning home. One of our sessions focused on reconnecting with our overseas selves and merging that identity with the one we have in our home country. I like who I was in Vietnam, and I want that person to carry forward in Canada; despite what some people may think this is a difficult task.

I try to stay connected with the people I met by regularly emailing them and Skyping them. I have printed off some of my most reminiscent pictures, and I try to continue some of the habits that I picked up in Vietnam such as walking everywhere. Though my placement abroad is over, I don’t want it to stop being a part of me. This was one of the most influential experiences of my life and I plan on continuing to let it shape my character, today and in the future.

- Madiha

Cambodia

Last month I visited Cambodia with one of my friends. Coincidentally, we both had work trips in Southern Vietnam the same Week, and decided to use some of our Vacation days to do some travelling. It was the first time in Asia that I crossed a boarder by land, and because we took the bus from Ho Chi Minh City, I was able to cross an item off of my bucket list – standing in two countries at the same time! I am aware that I could have done this with USA and Canada, but it just does not cut it the way Vietnam and Cambodia does!

I did not know much about Cambodia prior to planning the trip, but before our journey I did my research and read up on its history... and I was shocked at what I read. In the mid 70’s, Cambodia underwent an awful genocide that wiped out over 2 million citizens and left the country in shambles.

History Lesson

In 1962, Cambodia was governed by Prince Norodom Sihanouk and his Royal Government of The National Union of Kampuchea, which was overthrown in 1970 by a USA-backed military coup lead by the Prime Minister General, Lon Nol. You see, the American army was in the region because it was trying to eliminate the Northern Vietnamese Guerrilla forces known as the Vietcong that were hiding in Southern Vietnam during the Vietnamese Civil War. The Americans bombed the border of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia to eliminate any rebel forces, and until 1973, they caused much havoc in Eastern Cambodia, killing thousands of people and causing many others to flee the country and take refuge in the capital city of Phnom Penh. These events stressed the Cambodian economy and military forces, and gave popular support for the leader of the Cambodian Communist Party Pol Pot and his movement the Khmer Rouge. After Sihanouk and his rule were overthrown, Lon Nol became the new leader of Cambodia. Nevertheless his position of power did not last very long as he was quickly overthrown by Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge. In 1975, The U.S. troops moved out of Vietnam after the South lost the war, and therefore also withdrew their influence in Cambodia. Pol Pot decided to take advantage of this and on April 17^th 1975, he and his troops invaded Phnom Penh to seize control of the entire country.

Pol Pot envisioned Cambodia to be a self -sustainable agrarian utopia enthused by Mao Zedong’s communist China and his Great Leap Forward Program. Pol Pot then began “purifying” the society by exterminating western influence and culture, all religion, and city life. The Khmer Rouge shut down television stations, newspapers, and educational facilities. They eradicated foreign products (including medicine), businesses, and mail and postage facilities. In the 70’s, Cambodia had a film industry which rivaled Hollywood before the Khmer Rouge’s rule, and after, this entire industry was shut down. City dwellers were forced to evacuate their homes and travel to the countryside. Over 2 million inhabitants were forced to relocate, many travelling by foot, and thousands perishing along the way. During Pol Pot’s regime, over 2 million people were killed from overwork through forced labour, malnutrition from insufficient food rations, diseases, and plain execution. Those who were accused of being true to the old society (the educated, wealthy, and religious) and disloyal to Pol Pot were exterminated. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, monks, artists, and former government officials were taken to prisons and the killing fields to be tortured or executed in large masses.

Pol Pot held his rule over Cambodia until January 7, 1979, when the Vietnamese army successfully invaded the country and Phnom Penh fell. The Vietnamese were threatened by Pol Pot and his regime operating so close to the border, and therefore stepped in to overthrow his rule. However, after the four years of his rule which wiped out 2 million inhabitants of the country, and the succeeding 17 years of his counterattacks which lasted until the 1990’s, Cambodia was left unstable, taking five steps backwards with regards to development. To this day, there are landmines all over the country because the Khmer Rouge planted numerous bombs in the earth and made no record of where they were planted. There are many signs throughout the country, warning people not to stray too far from the main path.

Our Trip

While in Cambodia, we had the chance to visit The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum which was formerly the Security Prison 21 (S-21). We saw photographs of those entered into the prison, the torture chambers (and photographs of people being tortured), and the jail cells. The place exerted an eerie vibe because 1) we were there in the evening when it was getting dark, and 2) because it was evident that many horrible ways of man slaughter were performed in the buildings and many lives were lost. I felt pain for those who were brought to the prison grounds on the backs of trucks with blindfolds covering their eyes. They were men, women, and children who simply wanted what you and I want – a chance at life – but sadly were never given the opportunity. What’s most ironic is that before S-21 became a prison, it was the Chao Ponhea Yat High School – an educational facility altered to torture and dispose of the educated.

While walking on the streets, I saw numerous people without limbs – results of landmines – and whenever I came across anyone who looked to be over 40, my heart hurt because they had gone through the genocide. They experienced the very grotesque acts of human injustice and cruelty I read about... that I couldn’t imagine actually living.

Thoughts

I cannot believe that four years passed before the genocide was stopped. Was the UN not established at that time? Weren’t they supposed to be the peacekeepers and prevent crimes against humanity such as this? Shouldn’t the UN representatives have stepped in? But no, instead the Khmer Rouge continued to hold a seat at the UN during the course of the genocide. The UN did little to intervene and stop Pol Pot’s massacre, and as a result over 2 million innocent people perished.

Anyways, this has been quite the hefty blog post. I apologize that it is not the happiest, but I think it’s extremely important to become aware of historical events such as these so that we can (hopefully) avoid similar tragedies in the future.

Some Sources

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/hafa3/cambodia.htm

Also, a great book to read is First They Killed My Father. It is a story written by a woman who lived in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge takeover, and is told through the eyes of her as a young girl. Click here to buy a copy!

Leftover clothes in the Killing Fields. This was the site of many mass executions 

Security Prison 21 (S-21)

This rod was used to hang the keys for shackles that kept prisoners in their cells

Rows of jail cells

We are One

Adam, Nafisa, and I created a video from our three placement countries to demonstrate that despite our geographic locations, languages, cultures, religions, and traditions, we - the people of this planet - are more similar than we think!

Cultural Full House

So many of you know that in Vietnam, I live with a host family consisting of a mother (Nhan), her 15 year old son (Kien), and her cousin who sometimes comes to visit (uncle). Life has been great in our homey little 18^th floor apartment on Hoang Dao Thuy Street, but many times things have been so ridiculous and bizarre that I feel as if I’m living in a real-life sitcom.

Take last night for example. But first, a background story: Nhan (my host mother) loves hosting exchange students and for the past month has been looking for someone to fill my room since I leave at the end of April. I guess with a small family of two, it’s always nice to add another person into the mix. So last week, she filled the room with a boy from Korea who is running a cell phone business in Vietnam.  The boy asked to move in a little earlier, so for the time being he is staying in the spare bedroom until I move out. The boy does not speak anything but Korean, Nhan speaks only English and Vietnamese, uncle who visits every couple of weekends does not speak anything but Vietnamese, I speak English, basic Vietnamese, Urdu/ Hindi, and French (the latter two are irrelevant in this case :P), and Kien speaks a bit of Korean, fluent Vietnamese, and intermediate English, so he translates for us. I bet you can imagine how much of a riot dinner must have been.

Anyways, last night after Nhan, Kien, uncle, and I had finished dinner, the Korean boy returned home and insisted to cook dinner for all of us. Nhan didn’t understand this until Kien translated it after the boy had already begun preparing food. Nhan is not a fan of Korean food, so she jumped out of her chair like it was on fire, ran to the Korean boy, and attempted to explain that we did not want any Korean food because we just ate dinner. Her way of using charades to explain the situation was just about the funniest thing I’ve seen all week; it involved flaring hands absurd gestures, and speaking slow English to the Korean boy who did not understand a word of it (I don’t understand why, when we share a language barrier with someone, we speak to them slowly in our native language in hopes that it will help them understand. It just doesn’t make any sense, but I’m definitely guilty of this too!). Anyways, the Korean boy thought Nhan was feeling sick, so he got her some hot water and made her sit back down, while Kien, uncle, and I just stared with confused looks on our faces.

In the end, the Korean boy ended up making enough food for all of us, which I thought was pretty delicious! So good that even Nhan tried some and enjoyed it despite being pretty full from dinner (and not liking Korean food). Being in Vietnam has allowed me to become exposed to many different cultures as I have had several opportunities to travel and meet people from all over South East Asia, and even other parts of the world (other expats, travelers, and volunteers). I’ve learned so much and I definitely want to continue exploring this beautiful planet with so many languages, foods, cultures, and hidden treasures!

This was just one of the many shenanigans that have happened at home, and I can imagine them to only increase with the new house dynamic! One thing is for sure though - I am definitely going to miss every minute of living in our homey little 18^th floor apartment on Hoang Dao Thuy Street. 

I'm Not Asking For It

Pennsylvania Public Service Announcement Blames Rape Victims

I think the most outrageous thing I have heard to date is that rape victims are to blame for the rape. The first time I heard this line of defense for the perpetrator, I thought it was a joke. But after hearing this justification time and time again – through cases from all over the world – it became clear to me that this sickening excuse is actually what some people use to justify rape.

Oh and I suppose it’s also okay to steal that watch in the store display because of the way it is presented – in an "inviting" way. This is exactly the same concept.   

Rape is not and will never be the victim’s fault; it doesn’t matter how they dress (fashion is a form of personal expression that everyone is entitled to), and it doesn’t matter if they’re intoxicated – it does not mean the victim asking for it, it does not mean they want to be taken advantage of, and it does not mean you are allowed to do whatever you want. Saying the way a person dresses or acts is inviting rape is not a justifiable line of defense and to be quite honest, I can’t believe how prevalent victim – blaming is today.

We live in the 21^st century; let's dismiss the ignorance!

Water Part Two

Vietnam, like most countries in South East Asia, does not have drinkable tap water and since I’ve lived here, I think I’ve used more plastic water bottles than I have ever used while in Canada (even in elementary school my mom used to pack my water or juice in a reusable water bottle). What is most ironic is that environmental NGOs operating in Vietnam often use plastic water bottles, be they for conferences, during trips to the field, or even in the office!

Though much NGO attention in Vietnam is given to protecting water bodies from issues such as hydropower development and climate change, hardly enough attention is given to water systems in the cities and to providing safe drinking water to city dwellers. Even in the rural provinces, people would get their drinking water though boiling and storing, but this has proven to be unsanitary on numerous occasions because of poor storing practices leading to recontamination of the water. Hence, I’ve also seen many rural people purchase plastic water bottles. It is also ironic that city dwellers travel to the rural areas in hopes of bringing about “sustainable development” when in reality the cities are far from being sustainable themselves when it comes to drinking and using water. Because tap water isn’t drinkable, people often buy plastic water bottles in bulk, and because there aren’t any proper waste management programs let alone recycling programs in Hanoi, the water bottles get thrown into the streets or worse, into the lakes or other water resources, leading to water deterioration. In Waterloo, the international development program has been a strong advocate for the environment going hand in hand with development practices, especially for cities. Without keeping the environment in mind, city development is flawed.

Water and sanitation comes from the help of governments and their support in the construction of adequate water management infrastructure; these systems can help achieve access to clean water for washing, cooking, drinking, and managing water waste. But just because there is no government involvement, does that mean the environment has to suffer through our unsustainable use of plastic water bottles? All of this reminded me of a Ted Talk sent to me by my friend Moin last year.

“A man named Michael Pritchard invented a machine, Lifesaver, which sterilizes contaminated water so that it is safe to drink. He uses science to explain the technology. Basically, the smallest virus and bacteria are 200 nanometres and 25 nanometres respectively, and the pump has pores that are 15 nanometres large, barricading any unwanted parasites from getting through.” (Read this blog post to find out more).  

This idea suggests that instead of shipping sterile water from developed countries (for example La Vie, a product of the multibillion dollar company Nestle and a very popular water brand in Vietnam), we should just use the water Mother Nature provides us and make it sterile with Lifesaver. Investing in simple technologies is very beneficial because they can be used easily every day and are not difficult to maintain. With Lifesaver, people can sterilize and use water resources available from their taps instead of purchasing plastic water bottles or risking their health by relying on time consuming and sometimes unguaranteed methods such as boiling. Furthermore, these bottles are portable so that people can travel with them! In south East Asia, I’ve visited about 4 other countries already, 3 of which did not have safe drinking water. Naturally, one can expect that thousands of other tourists in cities with the same problem as Hanoi will resort to purchasing bottled water on a daily basis. If these people had Lifesaver, the amount of waste in plastic water bottles can be greatly reduced! It’s a shame that cities like Hanoi have access to water from the turn of a tap, but that water isn’t safe to drink. Once these cities can move away from plastic water bottles and disposing them wherever they please, they can move towards safer development that is harmonious with the environment. 

Climbing To The Top

Ever have one of those experiences that you wish you could preserve forever in jar or capsule or something of the like? And then when you profoundly missed that experience in the future all you’d have to do is simply open the container to relive the very moments that once took your breath away? Here is my attempt at doing so with words.

Last week was a holiday in Vietnam to honour the Lunar New Year – Tet. 2013 welcomes the year of the snake and to celebrate, Vietnamese families spent the holiday together, eating, drinking, exchanging money, and best of all – not going to work! So four of my friends (Dan, Steph, Heather, and Christian) and I decided to spend the week in Bangkok and Bali; we spent a few days in Bangkok and an eventful 5 days in Bali! Bali... I don’t believe there are many words I can use to describe Bali that will do the place justice. Everything was incredible from the beaches to the sunsets to the views to the people. Last week was also a week of extreme activities! We surfed, climbed Mount Batur (an active Volcano on the island standing at over 1,700 m), white water rafted, parasailed (is that a word?), and snorkeled! Surfing was incredible though I felt something like a rag doll being tossed around by towering waves. But my favourite activity by a landslide was climbing Mount Batur!

We woke up at 130 AM to get ready and left our hotel at 2 in the morning to begin the climb at 3:30 AM. The first part of the climb was exciting to say the least – a little chilly, ashy, and reminded me of a horror movie scene in which a bunch of campers get lost in the forest and start to disappear one by one (yes, I watch too many horror movies...). But as we continued to climb, adrenaline pumping and our anxiousness to get to the top before sunrise serving as a drive, each step became easier despite the upward slope. Once we hit the second rest stop we had passed the morning fog and when I looked up, the dark morning sky was studded...covered...embellished with stars! Never have I seen that many stars in my life! It was wondrous! I almost lost my balance upward a couple of times because I was so distracted by the striking picture of hundreds of white specks against the dark backdrop. I’ll never forget the image for as long as I live.

Occasionally I recall passing areas where hot air was emitted from the earth (signs that the volcano is active); this was pretty cool (and warm ;p). As we got closer to the summit I remember using both my hands and legs to haul my body over the rocks multiple times. But finally at 6:40 AM, feeling mighty and accomplished, we reached the top! Watching the sun peak over the horizon from the top of a Volcano in Bali would definitely go on my list of 5 most memorable life moments. Just imagine it. The experience made me feel like a piece of a great big puzzle in which all the pieces are scattered over cities, countries, continents, planets, and even solar systems that exist; I felt like a small yet significant part of something huge and magnificent we call “the universe.”

Even though we got hardly any sleep the night before the climb, even though I banged my knee pretty badly on a rock, and even though after returning to the hotel I felt like I just came back from battle (as my friend Christian would like to say), I would relive the moments at the top of Mount Batur again and again.

Madiha

We climbed this! 

Yes we did!

Sunrise from the top of Mount Batur - Breathtaking!

Me doing yoga on the beach (Photocred: Stephani Higgs)

Stumbled upon this in Bangkok

I've Caught the Travelling Bug

It is official. I have caught the travelling bug, but I’m not the least bit sad about it. South East Asia and Vietnam in particular have completely stolen my heart and it’s very hard to believe that I’m here for only three more months. Where does the time go? There is so much I have already done but so much more I want to do and as the next three months unfold, I know one thing for sure – I’m going to take every chance I get at a new adventure.

This past weekend I took a trip to Saigon with Vicky and Akua. We fit quite a lot into two and a half days, so I’m pretty impressed! Since we reached rather late on Friday night, we decided to wake up early on Saturday and go around the city. The War Remnants Museum was one the most memorable activities for me and not only because I am a huge fan of history, but as geeky as it sounds I just love learning. On Sunday we piled into a sleeper bus at 8 am and drove to a town 6 hours away from Saigon called Mui Ne. It is largely a resort town with tourists galore, but a definite must see if you’re ever in Vietnam! We rented a jeep (and driver), drove to the fishing village, and toured the sand dunes. A couple of years ago, I could not even imagine that a place like the sand dunes exists in Vietnam; it just goes to show that there are gems all over the world you may not know about. We stayed in Mui Ne till about 1 am, our night consisting of dinner at a local restaurant, talking about the lessons this placement has taught us so far, and even meeting some friendly Russian tourists. It is safe to assume that on the night bus back to Saigon, we completely passed out! The following day, we went to the Ben Than market and spent the afternoon shopping! I liked the market, but it was very overwhelming and salespeople kept hovering and shouting at us to buy things from them – a very stressful experience! I did manage to get a nice bracelet for only $2.50 out of it though :P.

The next stops on my travels are Thailand and Bali; though, I feel like I’m not completely done travelling around Vietnam. This country is truly glorious with countless treasures to offer. 

Some Pictures from the Trip:

Museum of Ho Chi Minh City

Feeding the Elephants at the Botanical Gardens and Zoo!

War Remnants Museum

Mui Ne Fishing Village

Sunset Over the Mui Ne Sand Dunes

This monkey just kept on doing back flips! Pretty Sweet!

Focus Points of 2013

Since the beginning of December I’ve been looking forward to writing an "end of the year" post highlighting some of my biggest moments and best memories of the 2012 and my resolutions for 2013. As the year came to a close, I kept putting this post off because I found it difficult to choose the best memories since I had so many. Even more so, I found it difficult to create a list of resolutions for 2013. The past year has truly been good to me and I believe I've done 5 years of growing (figuratively; physically I’m still small :P) in just 12 months. This year came to a close perfectly as I got to spend it with my loved ones in MALAYSIA! I have to say, seeing my family during the holidays was the most perfect Christmas gift and start to the New Year, especially since it tends to get a little lonely in Vietnam (combating loneliness). I stayed with my cousins in Kuala Lumpur and we did all sorts of things like shopping, visiting the Batu Caves, eating, visiting the Genting Highlands, more shopping, visiting the Putrajaya Mosque (one of the most breathtaking architectural pieces I have ever seen), more shopping and of course more eating.

Instead of creating a list of resolutions for 2013, I want to create areas of focus with specific goals. Even though 2012 has been filled with countless experiences and learning opportunities, I know there is always room for improvement and growth and I have a long ways to go. I thought about and decided on three areas of focus and what goals I will try to achieve in each area.

1) Become more religious: Aside from practicing faith regularly if you’re religious, I think it is also so important to understand what you believe in and not to have blind faith. I have always wanted to learn more about the history of my religion and its roots. This year I’m going to educate myself on my religion and re – learn the meaning of our prayers.

2) Keep more up to date about world issues: Many times I just read the one or two articles discussing a major current event and I leave it. This year I’m going to read more articles, and watch the documentaries that I’ve been meaning to watch for some time now to become more knowledgeable about what goes on around me (many of these documentaries are ones my dad recommended and since he is the most intelligent man in the world, I know they would be nothing short of insightful). This is terrible, but I also don’t check the news every day. In 2013 my goal is to wake up every morning and check the news before I check my text messages like they’re the morning paper.

3) Get Healthier: I know this one is pretty vague but fitness and healthy eating have always been important to me and this year I want to take it a step further. Aside from regularly doing cardio, I’m going to try and eat at least four servings of green vegetables every day (green vegetables are the most nutritious and in Vietnam it’s pretty easy to find them).

So these are my areas of focus for 2013! Hope everyone has had a great couple weeks of the New Year so far! xx

Some Pictures From Malaysia:

On our way  up to the Genting Highlands



The cousins in front of the Batu Caves



On our way to the top! 500 stairs!

Can you believe I got this close to a monkey? (I'm very very afraid of them)

The Putrajaya Mosque. Women had to cover up prior to entering

Water Puppet Show

Water puppet theater is an ancient form of entertainment that originated in the Red River Delta and is still performed today! Though this was one of the more touristy things we have done in Hanoi, it is a strong element of Vietnamese culture.

I was only able to capture two segments. The first half depicts how in Ancient Vietnam, hunting was a dominant practice and the people got much of their food from the water (still is practiced today). The second half depicts how young lovers in ancient Vietnam expressed their feelings through the use of pan pipes and umbrellas.

Enjoy! 

Ownership in Ha Giang

Hello friends! I know it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post; things have been quite busy on my end for most of November and December, especially with all the travelling I’ve been doing. In November I went on my first field visit, which lasted about a week and then to Singapore a week later (this city – state will always have a place in my heart)! After that it was two back to back field visits each a week long, so I haven’t had much time in Hanoi. But, I am back now and finally have a couple of weeks to catch my breath before I head off to Malaysia to spend the holidays with my family! I am beyond excited to see them and even more so to start the New Year off with them! Anyways, I thought I would write about one of the trips I took with work this past month!

I am very fortunate to have been included on the field trip to the Bac Me district of the Ha Giang province. Though the trip had to be extended a day longer than expected (we had to stay there for eight days, when we originally intended to stay for seven), I was thoroughly impressed with the way the whole team from Oxfam Quebec and WARECOD staff were able to manage and complete all planned activities and training sessions with precision and even enthusiasm. For those of you who do not know, by the sixth day in the field, the tiredness and exhaustion take over and you find yourself pushing through the remainder of the time, very anxious to return home.  On the bright side, since our trip was extended, we got one day off and were able to take a lovely boat ride along the Gam River, seeing mountains and waterfalls all the while experiencing the misty rain splash our faces while standing on the boat deck. It was all very wonderful.

The title of this project is Community – Led Water Resource Management. There are three phases of this project, and so far we are in the second phase which entails establishing “water user groups”; on this trip to Ha Giang, we established four water user groups in the district of Bac Me. Basically, we gathered people in four hamlets Ha Son 1, Ha Son 2, Phia Ven, and Na Pau and explained to them the benefits of joining these groups. Water user groups comprise of dedicated individuals of a commune that provide services to their communities, and in return, the communities provide the groups with money to carry out these services. The aim of this project is to build a strong reputation of these groups among community members, so that they are trusted to complete tasks for the community with dedication and quality. Once this trust is established, the water user groups can ask for more money and become sustainable, allowing WARECOD and its partner Oxfam Quebec to step back.

These groups set regulations for the better use of the land and ensure that the communities are running at the best possible quality. WARECOD provides support to these groups by training them in proposal writing, so that a more formal interaction can be created between the communities and their local authorities when asking for something they need, and even provide them with the aptitude to reach out to other NGO’s themselves to seek funding for their projects (most NGO’s have special funds for such situations). WARECOD also trains the members of these groups to plan the activities required to implement a project and budget their funding to ensure all activities are financed, but above all the aim is to empower these people and give them ownership over improving their communities.

We are often told that giving ownership is the best way to empower people and thus bring about development. It is the same message portrayed by the old, yet wise saying “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." Providing people with knowledge and encouraging them to take responsibility for what they value gives them ownership over those things, be they homes, communities, or even countries. And if one has ownership over something, their desire to preserve, protect, and enhance it is increased. Helping with this project has certainly been a great learning opportunity and provided some insight as to how NGO’s can help people help themselves. 

Some pictures:

Sailing along the Gam River

Gorgeous waterfalls we saw

Stepping Stones of Development

This week, I have thought a lot about international development in general, and what exactly my role is in Vietnam. International development is probably the most difficult thing to define, and this statement has progressively become more and more real to me with each year of undergrad experience. To me, international development has always been to not only enhance the quality of life for individuals who are living in poor conditions, but also give them opportunities to help themselves out of poverty. It also means “hope” to me; there must be hope that those living in poverty have the capability to break free from this cycle to start a better life. Recently, I have been starting to understand that bringing about development does not necessarily begin with hope (hope should be an on – going sensation), but it rather begins with humility and with your heart in the right place, even if it means you bring about a temporary moment of happiness for someone else.

If someone comes to a developing country thinking that he or she is better than the people of that country, and is more knowledgeable about how life should be lived, that person will never be able to bring about a positive change. I have determined that a desire to do good things, a positive attitude, and humility is important on all levels of this international placement, and I never realized it more than I did on Sunday, November 4th. A fellow INDEVOUR Stephanie invited us to go with her co – worker’s youth group to the Tan Son district, Phú Thọ province in Northern Vietnam to take part in their program “Be Friends of Children.” Essentially, this youth group is a team of university and high school students that does community and social work in various poor Vietnamese provinces. They get sponsors to fund their trip and help them purchase gifts to give to the village children and their families. For the program we helped with, the gifts included things like chips, candies, warm bedding, and school scholarships for the community’s “overly – poor students.” Out of these gifts, the scholarships made the most sense to me because at least it is helping the children get an education, even if the scholarship sums per student were not very high. After speaking to my own manager about this group (she was a part of one when she was in school), I was informed that in poor villages such as the one we went to, the children are encouraged to stay home and help their parents work, and if they receive a scholarship, the money may not be used for school, but rather to help the family buy food and get through the hard winters which is more essential to survival. Moreover, I don’t think the practice of giving handouts to children of poor communities is going to help them out of poverty, but for the duration of the program, while the volunteers were playing games with the kids and giving treats to them, they seemed to be really happy.

on our way to the school ground. We took a truck up the mountains

Maybe these acts of development are not necessarily the key to ending poverty, nor will they make a grand difference in the children’s lives in the long run, but the volunteers’ hearts were definitely in the right place and one could tell they were genuinely happy to be there. They were humble to the fact that they were from the city, where living conditions are 10 times better than these villages, and were talking and playing with the children and their families and trying to learn everything about their life and day to day activities. I got to sit down with a volunteer and a few children, speak with them, and play Simon Says and other games with them. They were all so happy and enthusiastic and loved to be interacting with me; it was such a wonderful thing to experience. I thought about my host mom and host brother, Kien, and why I sit with him from time to time and help him with his homework or why I help my host mother make dinner and get to know her and about the experiences she’s had. These acts will not give them better living conditions in the long run, but will make an impression on them for the short time that I am here. They’ve taught me the factors of humility and having your heart in the right place are just as important to international development as big projects are. They serve as stepping stones into the bigger picture of development and can perhaps steer you in to making grand changes for communities in poverty in the future.

My Trip to Bao Lam

Pac Pha Village Researchers

This week I have been thinking development projects. During the course of our undergrad, we studied numerous NGOs as well as their development projects. We learned about what qualities make a project effective and why projects sometimes fail to bring about development. I have been heavily pondering this topic because last week I went on my first monthly field visit with my host organization, WARECOD, for one of our larger projects. We left on Friday for a six day trip to the Cao Bang province in Northern Vietnam to conduct some research. The entire experience was so great, and very different from the lifestyle I’ve had in Hanoi thus far. The scenery of the mountains and trees was indescribably beautiful, the air was so clean and fresh, and everyone who lived there seemed to be in such harmony with the earth. The villagers that I met were extremely hospitable and showed me many things from digging for cassava to  making a sticky rice and mung bean cake; they were even kind enough to share some of their sugar cane with me (which is very tough to eat but also very delicious). Moreover, this was the first time I got to witness one of our projects at hands – on level, and I feel like it really allowed me to understand and grasp the whole of its initiative. I noticed many components of this project that could create positive changes for the community we engaged with.

Che Pen Village Researchers

The project that we are executing is called Promoting Local Adaptation of the Gam River Basin’s Water Management to Climate and Environmental Changes. It is funded by a German organization called Rosa Luxemburg, and has a three year implementation period. Basically, WARECOD works with local researchers of two villages (Che Pen and Pac Pha) in the Bao Lam district of the Cao Bang province to collect local knowledge about extreme whether events in the area and how they negatively affect the livestock and harvest of the local people living in the basin, and therefore deteriorate their livelihoods. WARECOD pays the local researchers to investigate these issues and helps them to build their own database from the collected knowledge. During the first few days of each field visit, the local researchers work with the WARECOD staff to organize their information and develop their presentation skills. On the last day of the field work, WARECOD puts together a workshop and invites representatives from Rosa Luxemburg, members of the Cao Bang Department of Natural Resources, local authorities, and other relevant stakeholders. The local researchers then get to exercise their presentation skills by explaining to the audience their collected information and their recommendations on mitigating the effects of climate change and extreme weather events. WARECOD will then create a book based on the collected information and distribute it to the local authorities who can then easily convey the message to the rest of the people of the district.

My verdict on this project is that it is effective. Regularly, the provincial authorities are first given instructions on how to behave in the wake of extreme weather conditions from the central Vietnamese government, and then they pass this information to the local people. It is a very top – down approach and sometimes the local people do not fully understand what climate change is, and why certain behaviours must be practiced to mitigate its affects. This project aims to integrate the bottom – up approach with the traditional top – down approach by having local researchers investigate these issues and create their own database. It empowers this group of locals to understand the changing conditions of the earth and ensures them that their knowledge and specific observations are very relevant and worthwhile. Some of the local people have worked on the land for their entire lives and have more knowledge and insight than they are accredited for. An admirable observation I made from this field visit is that there were many local female researchers involved with this project. The WARECOD staff encouraged them to participate and speak in the workshop and deliver their ideas to the present stakeholders.

Day of the Workshop. The women dressed in special traditional garments because this is was considered a very special day for them.

Perhaps this project will not bring about large – scale development for all of Vietnam, but it certainly helps this small province and district move in the right direction by empowering locals and women. It integrates a bottom up approach into a traditionally top down system which is far more effective than simply having local authorities pass information to local people without having them understand it. 

The 21 Bucket List

I’ve finally conjured up a bucket list (which I will continue to add to)! For now, I’ve started with 21 experiences I have always wanted to have, but why 21 you ask? In light of my 21^st birthday this year, which I got to celebrate in Halong Bay, and Hanoi (Check out this post). I’m not giving myself a time limit to accomplish these goals, because I know some of them will take a while to achieve; it is more so a written aid for myself - almost like a journal - to help me keep track of all of the things I want to do. Comment or send me a message about what you think, if anything from the list appeals to you, or if you have other dreams you would like to achieve. Share with me, I would love to know.

1. Learn how to play the piano.

2. Go skydiving.

3. Step foot in every single continent.

4. Rent a truck and drive up to the Yukon. Watch the Aurora Borealis while sitting on the back of the truck. 

5. Go to an Ellen show/ Meet Ellen DeGeneres.

6. Write a book; get it published.

7. Visit each of the 7 Original Wonders of the World.

8. Visit each of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

9. Live in at least 2 countries abroad (Vietnam included and at least one other).

10. Become fluent in at least 5 languages.

11. Take singing lessons and sing live.

12. Take a cooking class in every country I travel to, write down all the recipes.

13. Go to an opera.

14. Rent a bike, bike around the entire province of Prince Edward Island.

15. Graduate from law school.

16. Have my own family (Become a woman that does not have to pick between a successful career and a family life. I want both, and I want to be good at both).

17. Go deep sea diving.

18. Learn how to horseback ride.

19. Ride a really high and fast roller coaster 5 times in a row.

20. Learn how to surf.

21. Take part in the CIBC run for the cure (run for breast cancer).

Combating Loneliness

I knew from the moment I started university that an 8 month work placement abroad would be a life – changing experience that would teach me numerous lessons, provide me with diverse experiences, and grant me insights about the world I would have missed out on had I not embarked upon this journey. Some of the lessons, observations, and insights a person can gain from an international experience are very obvious; these can include dealing with culture shock, learning about the lifestyle and social norms of a population accustomed to an environment so profoundly different from their own, or even a development of language skills. However, some lessons, observations, and insights are less obvious, and are only made aware to the person some time into the international experience.

A key lesson that I have learned from my time in Vietnam so far, that I most definitely did not see coming, is that sometimes you’re going to be alone for long periods of time and you’re going to have to be okay with it. You see, I was placed in a country that 10 other of my INDEV classmates were also placed in; Vietnam has a majority of the INDEVOURS while some of the other countries that were offered have as little as 2. So naturally, in the beginning I was expecting to never get any alone time. However, I find myself being one of the few who works in an organization and lives in a house without the company of anyone from Canada. At first, the weekdays were extremely difficult because it is hard to always see the others with conflicting schedules and distance. I found myself missing my fast – pace life in Canada; I constantly counted down the days until the weekend when I would be reunited with familiar people again. I would come home from work, and just sit in my room by myself, working on an assignment or personal project until dinner time; it was extremely hard not to get lonely. My host family is quite small – I live with a single mother and her young son (Her elder son and cousin also lived with us, but they moved away for school and personal reasons respectively), so after dinner the two of them are very busy, either completing assignments from work or doing homework.

It has been quite a learning curve, combating loneliness, especially because my regular day in Canada was the polar opposite of what it is like in Vietnam. In Canada, I was constantly surrounded by many different groups of people, and always had plans, even if they were just study dates. I've come to realize that being alone does not have to be a bad thing, but can be a great way to learn how to be comfortable with yourself or even branch out to those whom you would like to know better. The days I am alone, I keep busy by reading a book, working on my video editing skills, or going on a long walk to explore more of my neighbourhood and the Cau Giay district in general – there is a juice bar near my work that sells fresh mango smoothies (sinh to xoai) for only 20, 000 VND (basically 1$), and the owner knows me pretty well now! I also try to make plans with my coworkers, though they are very busy and sometimes cannot spare time. My most favourite pass-time would have to be an aerobics class that I joined at the beginning of this month. I was so nervous walking down there by myself the first day, noticing that I am the only Canadian in the class. I decided to keep going, and pretty soon it turned into a daily activity which definitely keeps me closer to home given my dancing background.

Though I do love the time I get with my friends (it brings back the familiarity of Canada that is nice to have) I am grateful for this learning opportunity. I've learned that being alone does not necessarily mean you have to be lonely; it means that you are comfortable with yourself and that you have gained enough independence and strength to be okay on your own.

One Year Older, Wiser, and More Experienced

And the award for my memorable birthday would hands down, have to go to...ding ding ding... my 21^st (which just passed). First of all, how many people can say that they got to celebrate one of their birthdays while living in a country abroad, immersed in a new culture, and with people whom they did not know existed just a couple of months ago? This year, I have celebrated my birthday in many different ways with many different people whom I have grown to love in the short amount of time I’ve been in Vietnam. I’ve been overwhelmed with love and warmth from not only the great people I have met here, but also from my INDEVOURS friends and travel companions with whom I’ve ventured out here with,  my family and friends back home in Canada and even from those who are on their placements elsewhere in the world. I can’t possibly put into words the feelings of happiness, bliss, and thankfulness that have overtaken me these last couple of days. That being said, I want to take the time to describe the different ways I was fortunate enough to celebrate my birthday this year.

Halong Bay

Christian, Nafis, Madiha, Connor

On the weekend of October 6^th, about 16 of us (11 INDEVOURS and 5 other lovely interns from all over North America we met while here) took a trip to one of the world’s seven natural wonders. We piled into a bus early on Saturday morning, drove about 3 hours up north and boarded a ship which took us all around Halong Bay. I can say with full confidence that this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my entire life. It looks like something God painted himself, brought to life, and gifted to the world (as I have described to so many of my friends already). Our Saturday was very busy; we cruised along the bay for a bit, had some lunch, then went site seeing in a cave. The cave was really fascinating and our tour guide explained many mystical stories about the site. We then went kayaking, which was simply magnificent. I remember just staring out into the distance, the sun beginning to set and all I could think was “wow, I can’t believe a place like this actually exists.” My favourite part about the trip was actually swimming in the bay itself. At one point, I must have floated in the water for 10 minutes, the rolling hills dancing in my peripheral vision, and the sun setting behind one of the peaks. It was wondrous. That night, after we had dinner, the dining hall of the boat was cleared to make a dance floor and the 16 of us just danced and hung out and had a great time. Four of us (Nafis, Christian, Connor, and I) were celebrating our birthdays that weekend so the others were kind enough to bring us cake. We also did karaoke (a very popular activity in Vietnam), and surprisingly there was quite the selection of English songs! We then made our way to the rooftop deck of our boat to talk and enjoy the view for the rest of the evening. Sunday was a mixture of spending time on the boat, site seeing, and driving back to Hanoi. We visited a Vietnamese Buddhist Pagoda and it was very beautiful. For dinner, our tour guide and his company treated us at an 18^th century restaurant in the city before we made our way back home.

With the WARECOD Family

I am extremely grateful to work with such wonderful people at WARECOD. As soon as I came in for work, I was greeted by everyone and showered with warm wishes. They spent all day preparing a birthday party for me, cooking amazing food for lunch, and even got me TWO cakes! During the party, we ate, sang songs, ate some more, took pictures, and ate some more (haha)! OH, and funny story: my coworkers knew of my dancing background from when I first started working and they really wanted to see me dance, but I kept putting it off until one day I promised them I would dance on my birthday (secretly hoping they wouldn’t remember :P...but of course, they did). So during the party I actually got up there and did a Bollywood dance for them! They loved it so much and one other guy came up there with me and danced to Gangnam Style. It was amazing! The best part of the day for me was actually after the party when my co-workers presented me with a card they all signed and a hand crafted artificial flower bouquet that I now keep on the far corner of my desk.

At Home

For dinner I met up with a few of the INDEVOURS who were not in the field this week (shockingly, everyone seems to be out of town); Nafis, Heather, Daniel and I went to a pho restaurant near my house and then walked back to my place for dessert. My host mom laid out fruits and candies for us and we all sat together and enjoyed them until the day came to a close.

I’m going to cherish these memories for as long as I live. I feel so fortunate to be blessed with these experiences; I know they are opportunities of a lifetime, and I intend on making the most of each one. Keep an eye out an upcoming post, featuring a bucket list that was inspired by my birthday this year. 

Chào than ai my friends

Madiha (Mai)

Power Women

Modified October 18, 2012

A friend of mine forwarded me Forbes Magazine’s list of the 100 most powerful women of 2012 (shout out to Karim, who makes constant fun of me for being a feminist but knows I am a huge woman’s empowerment enthusiast; it was very sweet of him to think of me when he came across the list). I was very fascinated to see which women made the cut; of course, a majority of the top ten were dominant political figures from all over the world, but as I continued to go through the names, I found a variety of different women from different backgrounds and “powerful” for different reasons.  They ranged from celebrity icons to corporate leaders to even news anchoresses.

Reading this article really got me thinking “wow, look at where women are today compared to where we were 100 years ago.” Even though women have more voice than we once did, I know that in developing countries (and even in developed ones) there is still much work to be done in terms of gender equality. Regardless, women have more opportunities today than they once did, and I believe they are starting to be taken more seriously. We now have opportunities to hold leading political positions and we can use our voices to cast an influence over people through media, the internet, and other such tools. Not to mention, more and more women today are exercising their voices and even creating a difference, and I only hope their position continues to improve from here.

Considering all of this made me wonder...because the woman’s role in our society has changed so drastically in the last several decades, does that mean the character and meaning of womanhood has also changed? How does one define a woman’s “power” anyway? If a woman’s responsibility in the workforce and in world in general falls more and more closely to that of a man’s, does that mean she has power? Though I am not sure of the recipe Forbes used to conjure up their list, I do know to me, a powerful woman is one who is charismatic and able to hold the attention of an audience. She is able to move people with her words and inspire them to do things they wouldn’t normally do. But above all, she is able to succeed in this world as a woman (let’s face it, even with the vast strides we have made in gender equality, women still have to work harder than men to be taken seriously). What I mean is that if she chooses to have children, she can without giving up her career, and giving up opportunities to excel in her career. This definitely requires women and men work in unison; that men also learn how to support the family on a domestic level so women do not have to work tirelessly every single day to keep up with numerous responsibilities. 

That is why I was so disgusted by what Mitt Romney suggested, for women to have flexible working schedules so that they can go home early and cook for their kids. Families should not  be like that; they should be strong enough to share these responsibilities so a woman is not stuck working a double shift. To me, a strong woman has the best of both worlds if she chooses to, and it gives me great happiness to see that most of the women who are on Forbes’ list are successful yet also have children. I know that I want children one day and I want to be a great mother to them, but I also want to be a successful career woman that creates lasting changes for the world with the work I do. I want both of these things and I want them equally. That being said, I know many women are conflicted between choosing a family life or a successful career life, but I think she should be able to have it all. That one day society should be so equal in gender roles that she will be able to have it all.

Check out The Forbes Magazines list of 2012 Power Women