Sunday, January 07, 2007
Last day of Asia Trip
In a few hours, I will be ending my two-month journey through Hong Kong and southeast Asia, flying via Hong Kong to Amsterdam.
I feel a bit torn. I'm sad to have no more exciting destinations to visit and people to meet but I also long for the comfort of my friends, my own bed and familiar surroundings. I consider myself very blessed to have been able to experience this fascinating part of the world which is so different to the world in which I live.
Some life lessons learned:
1) Money can buy the conditions for happiness, peace of mind and safety. Several times I was caught in stressful situations eg. missing trains, buses and tours, being stuck in bad hotels and all I had to do was show some good ole greenbacks and the problems disappeared and solutions mysteriously appeared. I don't mean to sound materialistic but it's true.
2) Throughout life, one should occasionally leave one's comfort zone to travel somewhere with different beliefs, customs and traditions. Asia was fascinating largely due to its zen-like atmosphere where confrontation, anger and aggressiveness between people are largely frowned upon. People identify strongly with family and society here and more focus is placed on the collective good, although this is slowly changing.
3) I love coming from a multicultural society!! At times, I found it exhausting to be in such homogenous places where everyone comes from a similar racial, ethnic or cultural background. Life is much more interesting when you share your streets, communities, public transportation with different people. The fun is in learning to live and work together. I love watching Chinese movies, ordering pizza, listening to African music on my ipod, visiting Caribbean family members, enjoying American thanksgiving.
4) On a more political note, after seeing the effects of an ill-advised American war with Vietnam, I am firmly against any military aggression which is not based on a direct threat to an invading army, notably the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Thirty years after the Vietnam War, this country is still coming to terms with the death and destruction its people endured. On the train ride from Sapa back to Hanoi, I passed a man with a mine sweeper searching for mines in a field.
On a more personal note, in Hoi An, my friend Tommy took me to an orphanage where children born with Agent Orange-related birth defects are looked after. It was so depressing to see these children, some with heads twice the normal size and twisted bodies lying in cribs. After getting over my horror, fear and even disguest, I stroked the leg of one of the little boys. Human contact is a wonderful thing. His eyes, which were moving all over the place, immediately focused on me and a smile slowly spread across his face. His eyes sparkled. Maybe I'm being selfish but that moment was probably more significant for me than him. I felt such compassion and for the first time in a long time, I wanted nothing more than to bring someone much less fortunate than me some happiness and comfort.
I feel a bit torn. I'm sad to have no more exciting destinations to visit and people to meet but I also long for the comfort of my friends, my own bed and familiar surroundings. I consider myself very blessed to have been able to experience this fascinating part of the world which is so different to the world in which I live.
Some life lessons learned:
1) Money can buy the conditions for happiness, peace of mind and safety. Several times I was caught in stressful situations eg. missing trains, buses and tours, being stuck in bad hotels and all I had to do was show some good ole greenbacks and the problems disappeared and solutions mysteriously appeared. I don't mean to sound materialistic but it's true.
2) Throughout life, one should occasionally leave one's comfort zone to travel somewhere with different beliefs, customs and traditions. Asia was fascinating largely due to its zen-like atmosphere where confrontation, anger and aggressiveness between people are largely frowned upon. People identify strongly with family and society here and more focus is placed on the collective good, although this is slowly changing.
3) I love coming from a multicultural society!! At times, I found it exhausting to be in such homogenous places where everyone comes from a similar racial, ethnic or cultural background. Life is much more interesting when you share your streets, communities, public transportation with different people. The fun is in learning to live and work together. I love watching Chinese movies, ordering pizza, listening to African music on my ipod, visiting Caribbean family members, enjoying American thanksgiving.
4) On a more political note, after seeing the effects of an ill-advised American war with Vietnam, I am firmly against any military aggression which is not based on a direct threat to an invading army, notably the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Thirty years after the Vietnam War, this country is still coming to terms with the death and destruction its people endured. On the train ride from Sapa back to Hanoi, I passed a man with a mine sweeper searching for mines in a field.
On a more personal note, in Hoi An, my friend Tommy took me to an orphanage where children born with Agent Orange-related birth defects are looked after. It was so depressing to see these children, some with heads twice the normal size and twisted bodies lying in cribs. After getting over my horror, fear and even disguest, I stroked the leg of one of the little boys. Human contact is a wonderful thing. His eyes, which were moving all over the place, immediately focused on me and a smile slowly spread across his face. His eyes sparkled. Maybe I'm being selfish but that moment was probably more significant for me than him. I felt such compassion and for the first time in a long time, I wanted nothing more than to bring someone much less fortunate than me some happiness and comfort.
