Travel is Fatal

It Takes Two

"It takes two to get one in trouble." -Mae West

I heard somewhere that trouble comes in threes.

Trouble One- My flight from Hong Kong to Doha was delayed by 30 hours. How and why is a mystery which will be unveiled at some nebulous point in the future. Suffice to say, I was not aware of the change, and spent an hour lugging my duffle down to Central Hong Kong… just in time for the service desk to smile and direct me to a chair in the waiting lounge. There I seethed and listened to a friendly public service announcement instructing me on the proper manner to blow my nose. Sometimes I think Hong Kong is taking this whole public health craze a little too far.

Trouble Two- I returned to Maryknoll, frantically trying to contact my sister so that she wouldn’t show up 12 hours early to pick me up. I thanked God for Skype. I was using God’s name in a bit of a different way after my sister told me she had only fifty euros left to her name. Fifty. For 18 days of travel. Our hostel costs 30 euro per night for the two of us. This will all be terribly funny some day, I’m sure.

Trouble Three- Has yet to occur. I’m thinking about smashing my hand in the door, just to prevent the last unfortunate situation to occur while I’m on an airplane. Luckily, I’m sure that there are things my sister has not yet confided in me, and at least one of those things is bound to be a horrible surprise. Here’s hoping for a massive gambling debt or a rampaging Spanish boyfriend…

(Note to self: avoid Basque County.)

 

(An arch built by Carlos III to celebrate something or the other.)

Spain itself is wonderful so far- sunny, temperate, and full of people speaking a language that is somewhat intelligible to me. The Cantonese thing was really getting to me in Hong Kong. There’s been no sign of real trouble thus far. I fell on my face on the Metro, and Darcy got some weird looks when she started talking to statues at an art museum… but nothing too out of the ordinary. Maybe we’ll go to the train station on Wednesday and accidentally board the wrong train or something. We’ll see.

 

(Darcy claimed she was just asking directions to the nearest Metro.)

Maybe we'll luck out, though, and I'll go peacefully on my way with only two troubles interrupting my summer break. Though three is a more commonly heard number, I seem to remember either my mom or dad asserting that trouble comes more often in twos... and then staring very hard at my sister and I. Huh.

Oh, We Got Trouble

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." -Thomas Paine

I started this vacation as a pacifist, going out of my way to avoid confrontation with Mother Nature’s and her adorable little beasties. Funny how the beasties get less and less adorable as they slowly infiltrate your life. It was around the time that I found ants crawling on my toothbrush that I decided that pacifism was only a viable option for the north.

Thomas Paine- I follow your example. May I kill the rotten little insects so that the Maryknollers who come after me may sleep without nightmares of crawlies. Others may call me a murderer (cough cough Colin cough), but I sleep the sleep of the self-righteous. The path of noble sacrifice is one that we must sometimes walk alone.

The Great Ant Infestation has made me wary to approach my computer (which for some reason attracts the little sleezeballs as though I rubbed it down daily with honey-soaked aphid bits). Now that I am relatively free of ants, I can take the time to summarize some of the last week and a half in Hong Kong.

Last Wednesday was the night of the much-anticipated Midsummer Evening Maryknoll Tribute BBQ Seminarian Send-off BASH which- though it did not include a single barbequed seminarian- still managed to live up to its ostentatiously long name. Wang Wei managed to smuggle custom-made banners and t-shirts in through Shenzhen, Pat spent something like 2 days preparing vast amounts of food,  Victor arranged a hilarious slide show featuring pictures and video clips from their experiences in China, and even Colin got into the design and decoration aspects of the show.

 

(Mmmm... cheesy potato dish...)

Probably my favorite part of the whole shebang were the party t-shirts. Bright yellow and well-designed (thanks Colin), they were a huge hit with everyone. Victor was stationed near the front door, handing a t-shirt to everyone who came in. Some of the invitees were so excited, they stripped down right there and pulled their shirts on in the middle of the parlor. The whole matching t-shirt idea made the party look like an exuberant cross between a Chinese tour group and a family reunion. (Not enough sunflower seeds for the former, though, and not enough falsely jovial (un)familiarity for the second.)

 

(The Sunshine Convention.)

In the end, it was a wonderful experience that everyone enjoyed- a rare chance for the Brothers, Fathers, and workers to come together at one meal, relax, and enjoy conversations. I dare say the seminarians were the most popular guys in the room that night. If they had really wanted to, they probably could have organized a coup d’état and wrestled the power of Maryknoll from Aaron Voth’s iron fist. Bishop Tong (who was also in attendance, and dressed in the party t-shirt) probably would have blessed the new regime... if only for the sake of Pat's pineapple chicken.

The party gave the rest of the week a hard act to follow, but I still managed to have a good time. For some reason unfathomable to myself, I accompanied the seminarians, the Wangs, and our friend from Zhanjiang, Angel, back to the same Tiantan Buddha I so thoroughly lambasted in my previous entry. Does that make me a hypocrite or a pushover? At least this time I got to ride on the cable car :)

All in all, my time in Hong Kong has been one of luxury, privilege, and idleness. Er... and troubled sacrifice, of course.

Ministry

“This morning this young man does what his time in seminary was preparing him to do, and what for the rest of his life will be the primary activity of his ministry.” -Edgar Wells

Um, planning parties? Somehow I don't think that's what Edgar Wells was thinking of- more's the shame. But I'll get to that later.

First, a bit of advice for those of you out there with even less common sense than me: do not go out in the tropics without sunscreen. Doing so marks you as a kind of stupid rarely found in those that walk erect. While most of my burn has healed quite nicely (leaving my skin an attractive two-toned white and dun color), the skin on my left shoulder still looks like a lunar landscape. I get vaguely disgusted looking at it, so I've taken to wearing high-collared shirts. At least it's stopped hurting.

Of course, there is no one here to feel my pain, since the seminarians are all from easy-tanning warm weather climes, and no one else is foolish enough to prance around without sunblock. I resent them all quietly and hope that my peeling skin makes their lunch taste a little less delicious.

Luckily, what the seminarians lack in easily flammable skin, they make up for in hilarity and exuberance. When not playing Majiang with our resident big-wig, whey amuse themselves by planning preposterous send-off parties for themselves.
                        
                         (Pat, Aaron, Victor, and Colin deeply engrossed in a game of Majiang)

What started off as a thoughtful BBQ to thank Maryknoll for hosting them has morphed into a multi-course entertainment extravaganza including everyone they have ever met in Hong Kong, from the priests and workers in Maryknoll to the security guards down the street. They're even inviting the bishop and the cardinal. 

And since such a momentous event needs an equally momentous name, they have decided to give the party a title: "The Mid-Summer Evening Maryknoll Tribute BBQ Seminarian Send-Off BASH."

I can't wait until July 22.

Thing That Cannot Be Hidden

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”    -Buddha

Make that four things: the sun, the moon, truth, and the honking huge statue of the Amitabha Buddha on Lantau Island.

I went to the island thinking that the statue was some grand masterpiece of ancient Chinese engineering. Why, I wondered, was this 110 foot, 280 ton Buddha not listed among the wonders of the ancient world, alongside the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse at Alexandria? Looking at the picture to the right, you have to admit that it is a remarkable creation of human hands.

Sort of.

I actually found out later that is was not made by human hands, but rather by mechinized claws. The Tiantan Buddha(it's official name) was actually constructed from 1990-1993. Hardly an ancient wonder. I feel so disillusioned... though perhaps the environment around the statue should have clued me in...

Ah, well. It was a good time anyway. Getting to the statue is a bit of a trip, though. I started on a ferry from Central Hong Kong to Mui Wo on Lantau Island. Upon arrival at Mui Wo, I discovered that the only real modes of transportation on the island were the buses- which only ran once per hour. It took another 2-odd-hours to get from Mui Wo to Tai O, and from Tai O to the Po Lin Monastery near the statue. 

There were a surprising number of expats on the buses, most of them living on Lantau. One girl who worked at the local bookstore (succinctly named "Bookstore") said it was the perfect place for people who want to get away from the insanity of Hong Kong and just chill on a beach. Sitting around on a beach all day would probably drive me battier than any of the crackpots working in Hong Kong, but that's just me.

In addition to seeing the Tiantan Buddha, I was also looking forward to taking a cable car across the island; it's supposed to have some amazing views of the national parkland and the ocean. Of course, the day I choose to go to an island is the day Cyclone Soudelor decides to whistle through China's southeast, so I had to settle for the view at the top of the Buddha statue. Not bad, really.

   

                               

Mad Dogs

"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun." -song by Noel Coward

Mad dogs, Englishmen, and stupid American tourists. Kevin and I went to the Macanese islands of Taipa and Coloane yesterday, and toasted ourselves quite nicely. We wandered around the whole day, marveling at how lovely and peaceful it all was, never stopping to think that maybe that was because all of the intelligent people were inside- away from the 98 degree heat, 300% humidity, and scorching tropical sun. I feel like I've microwaved my head.

Other than the weather, the trip was wonderful. We played intrepid adventurers and walked around the island, getting a good look at the beautiful tiled streets, the ubiquitous tiny temples and stately churches, and the lush vegetation that made me finally realize why people come to Asia for vacation.

We spent an embarrassing amount of time wandering Coloane in circles, trying to find a restaurant called Fernando's Ristonrante, which came highly recommended from several sources. In the end, though, the walk to find the restaurant was just as nice as the restaurant itself. We got to walk along pine-shaded paths, black sand beaches, verdant tropical gardens... gorgeous. In Coloane Village, we visited a few temples and a cafe, and mostly just strolled the streets, looking around.

Of course, there was also that time we missed the shuttle to A-Ma's statue because Kevin needed to get his picture taken by the Lube Stop sign. Instead of a 15-minute, air-conditioned ride, I was treated to an hour-long mountain trek with Mr Comedian nancing along beside me singing Disney songs and doing cartwheels. Jerk. At least the view from the statue was nice.

The whole trip gave me a new perspective on Macau. Before, I pretty much agreed with Kevin's classification of Macau as "Hong Kong Lite." A little less modern, a little less crowded, a little less crazy... that pretty much sums up a lot of the Peninsula. But the islands- man they're different! Taipa is starting to build up a bit more, especially the border of Cotai next to The Venetian, but it's still a pretty relaxed place. Just a bunch of kids getting their practice hours in with their driving instructors. And Coloane is so undeveloped, so residential. It's really peaceful.

And now I sound kind of like a tour guide, so I'll just post some pictures and be done with it.

Kevin in 天后官

Triumph at A-Ma Statue. A-Ma is the goddess of seafarers.

                              

Margins of Society

"These political movements flourish on the margins of Turkish society because of poverty and because of the people's feeling that they are not being represented." -Orhan Pamuk

 

I don't really want this to be a political blog, but the current violence in Xinjiang is spilling over into everyday life. I've had students emailing me- asking what I think, expounding their own beliefs, and warning me against trusting "thieving liars from Xinjiang." Where is all of this hate coming from? These are students from Jilin province! I'd venture to say that most of them have never seen a Uighur in their lives! So where do they learn these horrible stereotypes?

I am definitely not pro-violence, but I can understand where many of the Uighurs are coming from. Their homes are being destroyed in the name of "progress," their cultural traditions are being ignored, they are marginalized in the government and in their own home cities, and even their religion is completely controlled by the Islamic Association of China` a nationalist, Beijing-based organization. Just go to www.chinadigitaltimes.net and click on the links to Xinjiang; you'll see that these accusations are not liberal propaganda or bleeding-heart sentimentality, but rather legitimite complaints that have been observed and recorded by dozens of news agencies from around the world.

I do not want this to be a political blog. I want a blog about my life. Sometimes, though, China makes it kind of hard to separate the two. 

Censorship Brings New Beginnings!

"The paper burns, but the words fly away."  ~Akiba ben Joseph

Good-bye Blogspot, hello TypePad.  I knew before I came to China that censorship is a bit of an issue here (like saying that gun control is a bit of an issue in Zimbabwe), but it didn't really hit home until my blog's host site was blocked for three months. Weirdly, LIvejournal (another popular bloggins site that has been blocked in China for years) came unblocked that same day. Maybe they have some sort of weird rotation schedule worked out? So many vice-ridden pixel pools of filth, so little time.

Inspired by Fr. Brian Barrons, I decided to open a TypePad account. (You can find his blog about his life in Jilin at http://www.brianbarrons.typepad.com/.) According to Fr. Brian (heretofore referred to as "Padre," "Padri," or "The Godfather"), TypePad is only "harmonized" a few times per year. The software is also a bit more advanced, so I should be able to update from a proxy server. Woots! 

It actually seems strange to be planning so far ahead. Here in Hong Kong, I feel so far away from censorship concerns. Just yesterday, Kevin Mills and I wandered down to the Star Ferry area by Harbor City on Kowloon, and there were giant placards pasted on all the columns, highlighting the abuses of the Communist Party, the torture of Falun Gong members, the oppression of minorities and human rights activists. Some of the illustrations that accompanied the placards were disturbingly graphic. Just the same, it was nice to see that people in Hong Kong can speak out without getting beaten down or arrested.

Still, I can't imagine living in Hong Kong. It's this strange mix of nature preserve and super-modern city, commercial bustle and tropical lassitude.  It's just too big for me, I guess. Too many people. I wish Radhika all the best of luck next year, but I'm just as happy that I'm going back to Jilin.

Tomorrow, Kevin and I are off to Macau. We visited part of Macau in January- the ruins of St. Paul's, St. Anthony's, St. Dominic's (lots of churches), and the Mount Fortress. Tomorrow, we hope to explore the island of Coloane, which supposedly retains more of the old Portugese influence. I'll also post some pictures next time I write. Thanks for reading!