As some of you may know, I have a dream.
It's been brewing in my mind and filling up my heart for several years now, and very soon (as in, the next step after I leave Taiwan) it will be time to roll my sleeves up and get to it.
My dream is to do yoga and dance therapy with women and girls who have been rescued from human trafficking. My theory is that people who have been abused and tortured and raped--especially as children--have had to completely "leave" their bodies. There is no way you could endure repeated trauma like that without somehow separating your mind and spirit from your body, a body that is bought and sold, a body where horrific things happen. A body that is constantly in a state of fear, shock, and pain.
For the ones who are lucky enough to get away, to get out, to attempt "recovery" and a "normal life," there are places to go. There are organizations that teach these women useful skills and help them get an education and a job. There are therapists who work with them to try to rebuild their trust, piece together their humanity, and assure them of their worth.
And I am so thankful for the work that these organizations do. But I see something missing from many of the rehabilitation programs. The body. What are these girls supposed to do with the container that holds their soul? They can't escape the place where all of their nightmares came true... they inhabit the reminder of their pain. I don't see how they can begin a journey of healing without acknowledging their body. My hope is that through yoga, a practice that makes your body strong and calm, and through dance, which is a language that expresses something words can't, people who have been separated from their physical selves post-traumatically can "move back in" to their bodies with peace and acceptance.
We are meant to live this life in our bodies. If they were of no importance, we would all just be spirits floating around. But we were given bodies to experience this world, to feel pleasure and pain, to taste, see, hear, and smell. We are entrusted with them, but we are given the choice. We can nourish, strengthen, and tend to them--or we can pollute, destroy, and abandon them. For victims of child prostitution and human trafficking, that gift of choice is taken away.
My dream is to give it back.
Last night I was talking with a co-worker whom I'll call "Andrew." Andrew's girlfriend, who I'll call "Vivian," is an Indonesian immigrant in Taiwan. There are many Indonesian and Vietnamese immigrants here in Taiwan--some legal and some not; the situation is somewhat similar to Mexican immigrants in the States. Vivian is a nanny for two small children and a caregiver for an elderly woman in a wealthy Taiwanese family. She works around the clock--her day beginning at around 7 AM when the children get up, and she gets to bed at around 2 AM, after helping the elderly woman. Vivian gets one day off per month. She earns a monthly salary approximately equal to $400 USD. Her employer pressures her to sleep with him almost every night--but as of yet, has not forced her. He does, however, hit and verbally abuse his wife in the privacy of their home. Andrew has spoken with several of Vivian's friends (other Indonesians here) who have been repeatedly raped and abused by their Taiwanese employers.
I am sick. Vivian and I are both young women who have come to this country with an expectation. For me--adventure and experience; for her--the chance to earn more money than she can at home. We are both foreigners here. We are both adjusting to the language, the culture, the food and the customs. We are both outsiders. We are both treated differently because we are not Taiwanese. But.
But I am, for the most part, respected. She is degraded. I am pointed at and giggled at and photographed as though I'm a celebrity. She is most likely ignored. I expect to be treated fairly at my job and I make more per hour than most Taiwanese people. She isn't allowed to request fair working conditions, and she makes far less than most Taiwanese. I have it easy. She has fear and injustice. My Taiwan and Vivian's Taiwan are worlds apart. And that haunts me.
These evils know no borders. This isn't just a problem in Southeast Asia or war-torn Africa. Please know that humans--children are trafficked, bought, sold, and raped in the United States every day. I've read about places in the remote deserts of New Mexico full of young abducted Mexican girls that would rival Thailand's red-light districts. Girls are smuggled into the U.S. from Tijuana into San Diego, hidden under the floorboards of buses. They end up at brothels across the nation, especially in the south. But it's not just the immigrants. Drug-addicted parents sell their own daughters for cash to support their habits. Please follow this link for more information on trafficking in the US: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/01-15-2009/0004955354&EDATE= Another great blog with relevant articles and updates is http://love146.blogspot.com/, and it's corresponding website is www.love146.org.
I want to encourage you to be aware. Please don't say, "oh, it's just too awful--I can't bear to know about it" and then go about your life. Nelson Mandela said "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Start there... simply allow yourself to know. Even though it's uncomfortable and scary and might just make your blood boil.
If it's really too much for you, it might be time to stop reading my blog. Because I've only just begun.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
price check, aisle 3!
I just made a late-night trip to the fabulous new grocery store in my neighborhood. When I left, I was grumbling to myself about how much money I spent, but then I wondered... I don't remember how much all this stuff would have cost in the US! So--here's what I came home with... and how much I spent in USD. Tell me how much this loot would run me back in the states!
small loaf of whole wheat bread
5 large bananas
a bag of sprouts
3 large onions
a dozen eggs
two green peppers, one red pepper,and one yellow pepper
a small box of mushrooms
a 10-oz can of Prego "fresh mushroom" spaghetti sauce
a small container of blueberries
5 mandarin oranges
3 Ferrero Rocher chocolates :)
Total cost: $21
small loaf of whole wheat bread
5 large bananas
a bag of sprouts
3 large onions
a dozen eggs
two green peppers, one red pepper,and one yellow pepper
a small box of mushrooms
a 10-oz can of Prego "fresh mushroom" spaghetti sauce
a small container of blueberries
5 mandarin oranges
3 Ferrero Rocher chocolates :)
Total cost: $21
Monday, January 12, 2009
aiiyo!
"Aiyo" is my favorite Taiwanese expression. I find it quite useful. It can be substituted for any of the following (and many more, I'm sure!):
-"Shoot!"
-"Ugh!" (to show distaste or disgust)
-"Oh, come ON!" (note incredulous tone)
-"No way!" (like, you have got to be kidding me)
-"Oh, great!" (used sarcastically)
-"aw, dang it!" (as in, I dropped/spilled something or made a mistake)
You can draw it out and change the tone of your voice to give it emphasis, like "AAAIIIIIIYOH!" I love it. I'm sure you will all hear me use it in the future, and I hope to spread its popularity throughout Iowa (or, "I-hoe-wah" as it's called in Chinese).
And now, for today's Hao-BuHao List (Good-Not Good)!
Bu Hao:
1) The Head Office finally decided to give me my health insurance card. My coverage (which I've been paying for!) apparently began on July 14th. The card lists my name as: LOVIN ELISABETM LUCRETIA (find the typo?) and I also momentarily freaked out when I saw my birthdate listed as November 15th of 1970! How rude! But then I realized that in the Chinese calendar, I really was born in 1970. In a few weeks it will be 1997 here!
2) It is cold. Like, 45 degrees cold. But no heat in the buildings... so once you get a chill, it never goes away!
Hao:
1) A sweet little boy (around age 7) came up to me tonight after class, solemn as a judge, and handed me a large plastic pearl that he had taken from his schoolbag. I have no idea where he got it (Mom's jewelry?) but it was just precious.
2) I am thankful for Big Red, my beautiful space heater. He warms my legs while I sit at my computer and keeps my room at a livable temp. Ahh...
3) Chinese New Year countdown: 11 days left!
-"Shoot!"
-"Ugh!" (to show distaste or disgust)
-"Oh, come ON!" (note incredulous tone)
-"No way!" (like, you have got to be kidding me)
-"Oh, great!" (used sarcastically)
-"aw, dang it!" (as in, I dropped/spilled something or made a mistake)
You can draw it out and change the tone of your voice to give it emphasis, like "AAAIIIIIIYOH!" I love it. I'm sure you will all hear me use it in the future, and I hope to spread its popularity throughout Iowa (or, "I-hoe-wah" as it's called in Chinese).
And now, for today's Hao-BuHao List (Good-Not Good)!
Bu Hao:
1) The Head Office finally decided to give me my health insurance card. My coverage (which I've been paying for!) apparently began on July 14th. The card lists my name as: LOVIN ELISABETM LUCRETIA (find the typo?) and I also momentarily freaked out when I saw my birthdate listed as November 15th of 1970! How rude! But then I realized that in the Chinese calendar, I really was born in 1970. In a few weeks it will be 1997 here!
2) It is cold. Like, 45 degrees cold. But no heat in the buildings... so once you get a chill, it never goes away!
Hao:
1) A sweet little boy (around age 7) came up to me tonight after class, solemn as a judge, and handed me a large plastic pearl that he had taken from his schoolbag. I have no idea where he got it (Mom's jewelry?) but it was just precious.
2) I am thankful for Big Red, my beautiful space heater. He warms my legs while I sit at my computer and keeps my room at a livable temp. Ahh...
3) Chinese New Year countdown: 11 days left!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
bright sunshiney day...
The thing about winter here in Taiwan is that there's always the possibility of having a nice, sunny 70-degree day squashed between the cold, rainy ones.
Today is gorgeous. I went running through the rice paddies and enjoyed the sun on my face, sweat down my back, little dancing butterflies following me, tiny flowers blooming white and purple, curious black goats munching on leafy greens, an ancient man doing tai chi, and a white crane skimming the surface of a small dark stream next to the path. I stopped to catch my breath at a tiny temple hidden in the middle of a garbage dump, abandoned yet the candles burned away on the altar; the colorful images of warriors and dragons fiercely glaring at the piles of technological waste in their once-pure field. Large canvas bags filled with old computer parts and empty ink cartridges stand like an army themselves, holding their ground, because there is nowhere else to go. A child's pillow in the shape of a popular cartoon character here, "Doraemon," lays in the grass, dirty and faded but still smiling.
This country is full of sharp contrasts. I've gotten used to that, but sometimes it still takes my breath away, the sadness and beauty pulling me apart.
Today is gorgeous. I went running through the rice paddies and enjoyed the sun on my face, sweat down my back, little dancing butterflies following me, tiny flowers blooming white and purple, curious black goats munching on leafy greens, an ancient man doing tai chi, and a white crane skimming the surface of a small dark stream next to the path. I stopped to catch my breath at a tiny temple hidden in the middle of a garbage dump, abandoned yet the candles burned away on the altar; the colorful images of warriors and dragons fiercely glaring at the piles of technological waste in their once-pure field. Large canvas bags filled with old computer parts and empty ink cartridges stand like an army themselves, holding their ground, because there is nowhere else to go. A child's pillow in the shape of a popular cartoon character here, "Doraemon," lays in the grass, dirty and faded but still smiling.
This country is full of sharp contrasts. I've gotten used to that, but sometimes it still takes my breath away, the sadness and beauty pulling me apart.
Friday, January 9, 2009
cold! (but not Iowa cold)
January has been gray and wet! I haven't taken down my little Christmas tree because the lights are so cheery and calming. So I'm designating it my "Winter Tree." And besides, Chinese New Year is still to come, so maybe I'll hang some little red lanterns and gold trinkets on it, and then I can have a good excuse to leave it up till February!
I cannot believe I've been here for nearly 8 months. Really? Everything has become so normal; it's astonishing. I've surprised myself with the way I have adapted and adjusted, and am beginning to think about coming home and what I'll do when I get there. While living here isn't easy by any means, and there are things about the culture that drive me up the wall, coming back is going to be rough. I was looking back at my adult life (almost ten years now!) and see that I've been seriously "uprooted" five times already. Not just moving houses or switching roommates, but serious, life-changing, say-goodbye-to-the-world-as-I-knew-it- kind of events. It seems that every six months to a year, I am faced (yet again) with major decisions to make. I used to believe that there was only one right answer, one right "path" for me to take, one thing that God wanted me to do--which of course, made those choices very stressful. I don't think that way anymore; I know that He has given us gifts and strengths and freedom along with that, and enjoys seeing us choose between many good things and make the most of every situation. However, I still lay awake at night, wondering what's best for me next... what will bring the most good to the people around me, the most joy to my Father's heart, and the most peace to mine.
And with whatever new beginning happens this year (a new country or city? a new job? new friends?) there will also be the emotional processing of this past year. I know I am different and stronger and changed because of Taiwan--but I can't see those things because I'm in the middle of it still. And there will be a lot of sadness, too... missing my life here and my students and my friends and things I don't even realize I will miss...
Anyway, enough of that for now.
In two weeks we have Chinese New Year vacation--a whole nine days off! Early Saturday morning (the 24th) I will be heading to the east coast with three of my friends. We will be volunteering in an orphanage there for the first half of the break. You can check out the home's website here: http://www.thehomeofgodslove.org/ I am so excited to have a chance to do something for free for the kids here (as in, not teaching English/babysitting). In Taiwan, the males have most of the rights, so when a couple gets divorced, the father gets the children. He often doesn't want them, though, so he puts them in an orphanage but refuses to sign them away to the government, because he doesn't want anyone else to adopt them either. So they grow up there. We will spend our time hanging out with the older kids and playing games, as well as holding, feeding and changing the babies. Some of the babies have been adopted already by people in the States, but you know how long the process takes... they have to wait for paperwork to go through and money and all that. It will be really interesting and I'm really looking forward to the change of pace and scenery.
I hope everyone's new year is off to a brilliant start! All of you, my dear friends, have been pretty silent lately... I hope to hear from you before I get back to the States!
I cannot believe I've been here for nearly 8 months. Really? Everything has become so normal; it's astonishing. I've surprised myself with the way I have adapted and adjusted, and am beginning to think about coming home and what I'll do when I get there. While living here isn't easy by any means, and there are things about the culture that drive me up the wall, coming back is going to be rough. I was looking back at my adult life (almost ten years now!) and see that I've been seriously "uprooted" five times already. Not just moving houses or switching roommates, but serious, life-changing, say-goodbye-to-the-world-as-I-knew-it- kind of events. It seems that every six months to a year, I am faced (yet again) with major decisions to make. I used to believe that there was only one right answer, one right "path" for me to take, one thing that God wanted me to do--which of course, made those choices very stressful. I don't think that way anymore; I know that He has given us gifts and strengths and freedom along with that, and enjoys seeing us choose between many good things and make the most of every situation. However, I still lay awake at night, wondering what's best for me next... what will bring the most good to the people around me, the most joy to my Father's heart, and the most peace to mine.
And with whatever new beginning happens this year (a new country or city? a new job? new friends?) there will also be the emotional processing of this past year. I know I am different and stronger and changed because of Taiwan--but I can't see those things because I'm in the middle of it still. And there will be a lot of sadness, too... missing my life here and my students and my friends and things I don't even realize I will miss...
Anyway, enough of that for now.
In two weeks we have Chinese New Year vacation--a whole nine days off! Early Saturday morning (the 24th) I will be heading to the east coast with three of my friends. We will be volunteering in an orphanage there for the first half of the break. You can check out the home's website here: http://www.thehomeofgodslove.org/ I am so excited to have a chance to do something for free for the kids here (as in, not teaching English/babysitting). In Taiwan, the males have most of the rights, so when a couple gets divorced, the father gets the children. He often doesn't want them, though, so he puts them in an orphanage but refuses to sign them away to the government, because he doesn't want anyone else to adopt them either. So they grow up there. We will spend our time hanging out with the older kids and playing games, as well as holding, feeding and changing the babies. Some of the babies have been adopted already by people in the States, but you know how long the process takes... they have to wait for paperwork to go through and money and all that. It will be really interesting and I'm really looking forward to the change of pace and scenery.
I hope everyone's new year is off to a brilliant start! All of you, my dear friends, have been pretty silent lately... I hope to hear from you before I get back to the States!
Monday, January 5, 2009
holidaze
Apparently this is a busy time of year no matter where in the world you are! I just had a four-day weekend for New Year's, and the rest was very welcome. I had ambitions of traveling to an island for the weekend, but was much too broke and much too tired after Christmas. We had to have parties in every class, and on top of that I had several demos and Parent's Nights this past month.
We had one day off for Christmas, and a few friends and I escaped to Beitou, a mountain town just north of Taipei, famous for their hot springs. After a relaxing soak, we had Christmas dinner at Macaroni Grill in Taipei and walked around Taipei 101.
Choosing the right hot spring--so many options!
The healing waters... mmm....
About $7.50 for a half hour soak in peace and quiet. So worth it!
Downtown Taipei
Some high schoolers wanted pictures with the foreigners for their Christmas albums :)
By far the cutest thing I saw on Christmas... little Rudolph and Santa Claus brothers!
Gingerbread Taipei 101
Almost like New York City! :)
It was a nice Christmas. A few of my friends here exchanged some gifts and I also got to Skype with my family and open presents "together," and carry on our tradition of affirming each other when we give gifts. It was hard to be away from my family, but at the same time, it was a Christmas I will never forget.
I hope your holidays were peaceful and spent with those you love.
We had one day off for Christmas, and a few friends and I escaped to Beitou, a mountain town just north of Taipei, famous for their hot springs. After a relaxing soak, we had Christmas dinner at Macaroni Grill in Taipei and walked around Taipei 101.
Choosing the right hot spring--so many options!
The healing waters... mmm....
About $7.50 for a half hour soak in peace and quiet. So worth it!
Downtown Taipei
Some high schoolers wanted pictures with the foreigners for their Christmas albums :)
By far the cutest thing I saw on Christmas... little Rudolph and Santa Claus brothers!
Gingerbread Taipei 101
Almost like New York City! :)
It was a nice Christmas. A few of my friends here exchanged some gifts and I also got to Skype with my family and open presents "together," and carry on our tradition of affirming each other when we give gifts. It was hard to be away from my family, but at the same time, it was a Christmas I will never forget.
I hope your holidays were peaceful and spent with those you love.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
they wish you a merry christmas! and a happy new year!
My precious kindy class singing... they obviously have no idea what's going on, but it's cute nonetheless... be sure to watch the little one with pigtails when she drops the jingle bells... she is adorable!
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