Miscellaneous
I’m Going Home!!!
by Sean on Jun.03, 2010, under Miscellaneous, USA
I know I haven’t been updating this website lately, but if you go to my personal blog you’ll know why. Just as a side note before I continue, today is the 701st day I’ve been in China. Since I’ve been so busy since March working my butt off to save money for this trip (so far I have $7000 saved), I’ll give you a preliminary budget and outline for my USA trip:
- July 1: Fly from Wuhan to Shanghai, Shanghai to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Miami
- August 6-9: Fly from Fort Lauderdale to Chicago to see my friend Ish
- August 14: Fly from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle to see the Twins and Maddy
- August 15: Skydive in Seattle
- August 17: Fly to San Francisco
- August 21: Rent a car and hit the road south to Monterrey
- August 22: Drive to LA
- August 26: Fly from Los Angeles to Shanghai
- August 26: Fly from Shanghai to Wuhan
As I mentioned above, I’ll be coming home with $7000, $2200 of which will be going to pay back my credit card bills (flights and pre-existing charges), thus leaving me with about $4800. My roundtrip tickets (WH-SH,SH-LAX,LAX-FLL,LAX-SH,SH-WH) cost $1800, which I know is a lot, but considering I used only one website to book them all in a row without any hassles, it’s a good deal.
My intent is to spend no more than $2000, and I should be able to stick to that budget since my friend Ish generously offered to cover my expenses (need to look for a cheapppppp flight, anyone?). During the times not specified, I’m free to do whatever I want, and will be seeing as many people in Florida (Miami, Pines, Weston, Davie, Coral Springs, Orlando, Gainesville) as I can. It’s already proving to be a crazy trip.
It’s been 2 very long, trying years that have also been very fruitful and educational. 1 more year to go!
Popularity: 17% [?]
History of Malaysia – Part 2
by Evelyn on May.16, 2010, under Malaysia, Miscellaneous
This article is a continuation from The History of Malaysia Part 1.
After several years of peace, Malaysia began the industrialization process in 1970. In these years, the rapid development in Malaysia has attracted the people from rural areas. It has also attracted migrants from other countries within Southeast Asia. These people have taken jobs and have filled up the cities, eventually creating slums which surround major cities, thus increasing urban poverty rates. Despite all this, Malaysia has become a safe and modern tourist destination in SE Asia.
In order to provide new opportunities for Malaysian graduates, the government established a number of stated-owned enterprises in oil and other heavy industries. These companies not only employ a lot of Malaysian, but also stimulate the economy and create new technology.
Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohammad was the prime minister from 1981 to 2003, when Malaysia had a “one party rules all” system. The general UMNO-dominated Barisan National had won almost all the seats, while the Democratic Action Party won seats in a small number in Chinese areas like Penang, and the Parti Islam Semalaysia won a small number in the rural areas of Kelantan and Terengganu. As the DAP and PAS’s charter was not complete, they were unable to form an opposition coalition.
This created protesting which was restricted by the Internal Security Act and served to strengthen Malaysia’s authoritarian political culture which peaked in 1997, when the Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was dismissed and arrested. Anwar’s arrest was seen as the beginning of democracy’s demise. Anwar’s wife Wan Aziza organized a new party in the attempt to unite the country and named it Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party). They then merged with DAP and PAS for the 1999 election and named themselves Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front). In the end, this served no purpose and the Islamic party took many seats from the UMNO.
For a long time, the system has created a huge gap in wealth and class, thus causing a confrontation between the different groups, and grievances have piled up deeply. In the 2008 election, voters were told they aren’t allowed to vote on the basis of race or religion in an attempt once again to unify the country. the outcome of the election was that BN lost two-thirds of the majority seats in the parliament and 5 states became under the control of the People’s Alliance. This reflects the Malaysian political outlook and the subtle change in the national ethnic identity.
After all that has happened to Malaysia, there are still several things they need to figure out, one of them being identity confusion. National implementation of the ‘Indigenous’ and ‘Non-Indigenous’ system keeps reminding us that we’re different, and this does nothing good for us. I hope in the future we can overcome our political and cultural differences and finally live in peace.
Popularity: 22% [?]
China Tries to Rid Itself of Chinglish
by Sean on May.12, 2010, under China, Miscellaneous
As a foreigner, coming to China can be a wonderful experience that lifts the veil separating our cultures. As with most countries in Asia, China has spent an immense amount of money trying to teach it’s citizens how to speak English, yet has done so with a not so successful outcome. The biggest thing we see as we travel around the country are signs in Chinese and English, however calling the words on those signs English is an overstatement.
For whatever reason, be it a lack of understanding or just pure laziness, we find that very few signs are written correctly in our language. It is unfair to make fun of them for not doing it correctly, however with all the foreigners living in China, didn’t anyone think to just ask one of us?
Children
Some signs I’ve personally come across are “Be Careful and Slip Quietly,” “Tikts Here,” “Feed Pandas,” “No Service for No Clothes,” just to name a few.
As the Olympics approached in 2008, Beijing backed a massive campaign to fix the signs for tourists on the street, hotels, and restaurants, however when I was there in 2009, I still saw many problems. It was the same for me in Shanghai last April, yet as a result of the Expo coming this year, Shanghai followed a similar campaign.
Some people say it’s bad to correct the signs because it shows insight into how the Chinese think, while others say don’t change it because it provides laughter on the trail. My personal belief is that if China wants to be taken seriously as a country with English speakers ready to do business with you wherever you are, then they need to take even more drastic steps to correct these problems, including the way their education system is set up.
Railing
I think the country has done a piss poor job so far in educating their students how to speak English, and as a result have needed to hire millions of foreigners to come and teach the language correctly. If this was done the right way, those signs would never exist. Then why is it that even after foreigners have been teaching English here for almost 30 years, that these problems still occur?
All we can be glad for is that the government is trying it’s best to remedy some problems from the past by changing the signs so those who visit or move here will feel like it’s a serious place instead of a joke. Let’s hope in the future they continue to put forth as much if not more effort!
Popularity: 25% [?]
The Future of Tourism
by Sean on Apr.23, 2010, under Miscellaneous
There are many kinds of people who we can define as “tourists,” no matter how hard people like me strive to be called travelers instead. The truth of the matter is that we’re all tourists, but each of us has different goals, and it’s our goals that set us apart from one another. Up until now, I’ve experienced travel in different ways: I’ve taken the short cruise with only hours of exposure to the host country, I’ve studied abroad and lived in a house with a local family, I’ve taken a guided tour with almost no freedom to explore on my own, and I’ve backpacked alone with complete freedom. Of all these experiences, I feel the most valuable ones are those in which I’m completely free to choose my destinations, when and how I get there, and what to do when I arrive. But what if you could be completely free while still living with a host?
People will surely disagree with me since everyone has their own ideas. These people might be afraid to travel alone, or unsure of what to do or how to get there, or maybe just want to enjoy the privacy afforded by a hotel room. For me, these things are part of the journey. I love meeting locals along the way, and sometimes even spending time with them learning valuable information about the area or even country as a whole. I know what tourism has been in the past, and shy away from it. It’s my hope that the future of tourism will evolve into more of a genuine cultural experience void of trinkets and ridiculous prices. Most people work hard and despite have money to spend, are unable to take long trips like myself to really enjoy themselves.
As a result, some people have turned to vacations closer to home. This is good and bad at the same time, because people aren’t getting the opportunity to learn about other parts of the world, however they’re finally taking an interest in the things surrounding them. I think the future of tourism will be one in which people have more vacation time to go off and dive into the rich cultures not only of areas nearby, but also of far off lands one used to only dream of seeing.
The average tourist today loves to stay in nice hotels to enjoy the luxury associated with these destinations, however this can not be called an experience in the eyes of us travelers. That is why I hope in the future more programs will exist to allow tourists to stay with a local family no matter the amount of money they have to spend. Even if for only a few days, tourists can have a genuine experience where they are fed local foods and see the culture for what it is, and not from a distance (the hotel bedroom window).
My richest experiences have been living with the locals as they not only help you assimilate quickly, but keep you safe from the harms that exist. In addition to that, they can provide access to the language in case people don’t speak your own. These things will allow more people to find that little hut on the secluded beach with the best seafood in the world, or the little bar in the alleyway with home brews.
The best thing about travel is finding what’s hidden from plain view, meant only for the locals. Living amongst the locals allows you to live like the locals, and if that’s not a cultural experience, I don’t know what is. It’s my dream that more people will free themselves from the fear that has handcuffed them to the country they were born in. Diplomacy between governments is a good way to improve relations, but there is so much love in the world that is waiting to be spread, and can only be done one person at a time.
Popularity: 29% [?]
Photo of the Week – 4/23
by Sean on Apr.23, 2010, under Australia, Photos
Home-Cooked Meal
You’ve just come off a very long plane ride to the tune of 12 hours. The time and money spent and lost to get here are completely worth it, and you know it as soon as you step off the plane. The incredibly deep blue sky and lingering clouds open your eyes and remind you of what life was like before China. You’re further reminded of this when you take your luggage from the carousel and are made to wait in line for an hour just to be searched and enter customs.
All the stress of travel leaves you as you are picked up by your mate’s father and enjoy a nice car ride (on the opposite side of the road) and take in the amazing scenery. First stop: a home-cooked meal. After having been away so long, this kind of special meal fully recharges your batteries and you feel great. Time to move on and enjoy the rest of your trip!
Popularity: 16% [?]
