Thursday, May 13, 2004
Country Road, Take Me Home
Actually, it's a roughly 30 hour ordeal of a taxi, a train, four flights, and an hour car ride that will take me home, but who's counting?
I haven't been able to sleep the last few nights. Weather, the moon, or anxiety!? This seven month stretch is the longest I've been away from home. I think I could survive being away for longer, but since I know I get to go home, I'm anxious and happy to be going. I'm dumping a full suitcase full of clothes I never wear and books I've read. Must travel lighter from now on!
36 hours driving Iowa-Connecticut-Iowa for my sister's graduation and main reason for my return. She really has bad timing: my brother had to return from Pakistan for her high school graduation! I hope the car-time will enable me to fully catchup on blogs I've been meaning to write: beggars, Laos and Thailand2, a conversation about religion with a friend's mom from back in November (o-yo!), and a piece about wearing the headscarf (most likely for a June 1st launch of a new online magazine, details to follow!). Or maybe I'll just watch pirated DVDs on my laptop, if I get them past customs!
I'm submitting a request to extend my stay in Malaysia (insha'allah) by two months. That'd put me here till the end of October and round me out to a full year (minus travels). Africa is still an alternative. I hope to gain clarity while stateside.
Today
I was told today by my academic advisor at the Islamic University that I'm a perfect example of a good Muslim (even though I'm not Muslim, which she knows!). I didn't ask what exactly she meant, but think she was referring to the way that I treat people and how I behave. Actually, I think that might be one of the best compliments to receive.
I feel like I should comment on the Iraq prison abuse and the recent beheading, but find it difficult to find the words. Mostly I feel disgust, despair, shame, fear of what is to come (both worst revelations as well as probable retaliation). And mostly, I just don't understand how those soldiers could do what they did. Do they have no sense of right from wrong, no conscience? I read an article discussing Washington's depiction of them as a 'few bad apples,' but I think it goes deeper than that.
How is the cycle of violence and hatred ever going to end? With the recent events, my resolve to go into human rights and international law is ever stronger.
I'm so excited!
First: I get to see Kristi at LAX during my layover. And she's bringing me Mexican! The closest I've come is Chili's fajita salad, which doesn't count.
June promises some more fun: a Malay wedding, a trip to the beach, going to Toast Master's (with Chinese Businessman Friend, who loves being referred to that way, so I'll do it every chance I get), and the best------Speed Dating! A evening where you spend 10 minutes with about 10 different guys, almost like an audition. At the end of the night, if you both mark your forms that you are interested in each other, contact information is exchanged. I checked out the website and the events are segregated by race: Chinese, Malay, or Indian? How to pick?! I think I'll have to go to all three, so as not to discriminate (and I'm marking it up as sociological and psychological research, so why not!?). And then there's the temptation to go and be a total crackpot weirdo just to see what happens.
Which reminds me, I've gotten a lot of messages on Friendster from random Malaysian guys. Most I deemed unworthy of response (mostly because I judged a lack of adequate English), but two or three were exceptions. I met one, a DJ, for dinner the other night. Nice enough guy, but all he could talk about were: sound systems, his car (which was referred to as both his 'baby' and his 'wife,' he washes it daily, even when returning from DJing at 4 am before having to go to his day job at 9 am!), and...his mother. Ai-yo!
My return in June also comes with a resolution to work at least 2 hours a day, five days a week, on my research (that's down from three hours, which is what I decided this morning. Better to exceed my minimum that set my goals too high to meet, no?). Or blogging counts as work, too.
Blogwatch (ala Andi, once again!) TV Smith's Dua Sen. I've just started to poke around it and like what I see. Plus, I discovered that people (e.g. this guy) I don't even know actually look at my blog (though how much, I do not know). That both surprises and pleases me! Check out his photos and commentaries for a Malaysian POV.
Actually, it's a roughly 30 hour ordeal of a taxi, a train, four flights, and an hour car ride that will take me home, but who's counting?
I haven't been able to sleep the last few nights. Weather, the moon, or anxiety!? This seven month stretch is the longest I've been away from home. I think I could survive being away for longer, but since I know I get to go home, I'm anxious and happy to be going. I'm dumping a full suitcase full of clothes I never wear and books I've read. Must travel lighter from now on!
36 hours driving Iowa-Connecticut-Iowa for my sister's graduation and main reason for my return. She really has bad timing: my brother had to return from Pakistan for her high school graduation! I hope the car-time will enable me to fully catchup on blogs I've been meaning to write: beggars, Laos and Thailand2, a conversation about religion with a friend's mom from back in November (o-yo!), and a piece about wearing the headscarf (most likely for a June 1st launch of a new online magazine, details to follow!). Or maybe I'll just watch pirated DVDs on my laptop, if I get them past customs!
I'm submitting a request to extend my stay in Malaysia (insha'allah) by two months. That'd put me here till the end of October and round me out to a full year (minus travels). Africa is still an alternative. I hope to gain clarity while stateside.
Today
I was told today by my academic advisor at the Islamic University that I'm a perfect example of a good Muslim (even though I'm not Muslim, which she knows!). I didn't ask what exactly she meant, but think she was referring to the way that I treat people and how I behave. Actually, I think that might be one of the best compliments to receive.
I feel like I should comment on the Iraq prison abuse and the recent beheading, but find it difficult to find the words. Mostly I feel disgust, despair, shame, fear of what is to come (both worst revelations as well as probable retaliation). And mostly, I just don't understand how those soldiers could do what they did. Do they have no sense of right from wrong, no conscience? I read an article discussing Washington's depiction of them as a 'few bad apples,' but I think it goes deeper than that.
How is the cycle of violence and hatred ever going to end? With the recent events, my resolve to go into human rights and international law is ever stronger.
I'm so excited!
First: I get to see Kristi at LAX during my layover. And she's bringing me Mexican! The closest I've come is Chili's fajita salad, which doesn't count.
June promises some more fun: a Malay wedding, a trip to the beach, going to Toast Master's (with Chinese Businessman Friend, who loves being referred to that way, so I'll do it every chance I get), and the best------Speed Dating! A evening where you spend 10 minutes with about 10 different guys, almost like an audition. At the end of the night, if you both mark your forms that you are interested in each other, contact information is exchanged. I checked out the website and the events are segregated by race: Chinese, Malay, or Indian? How to pick?! I think I'll have to go to all three, so as not to discriminate (and I'm marking it up as sociological and psychological research, so why not!?). And then there's the temptation to go and be a total crackpot weirdo just to see what happens.
Which reminds me, I've gotten a lot of messages on Friendster from random Malaysian guys. Most I deemed unworthy of response (mostly because I judged a lack of adequate English), but two or three were exceptions. I met one, a DJ, for dinner the other night. Nice enough guy, but all he could talk about were: sound systems, his car (which was referred to as both his 'baby' and his 'wife,' he washes it daily, even when returning from DJing at 4 am before having to go to his day job at 9 am!), and...his mother. Ai-yo!
My return in June also comes with a resolution to work at least 2 hours a day, five days a week, on my research (that's down from three hours, which is what I decided this morning. Better to exceed my minimum that set my goals too high to meet, no?). Or blogging counts as work, too.
Blogwatch (ala Andi, once again!) TV Smith's Dua Sen. I've just started to poke around it and like what I see. Plus, I discovered that people (e.g. this guy) I don't even know actually look at my blog (though how much, I do not know). That both surprises and pleases me! Check out his photos and commentaries for a Malaysian POV.
