WOW WOW WOW! Amazingness in a boat!
The last few days (week? I'm not sure how long I've been on the boat now) has been incredible. hectic and busy because we are planning a lot of programs, organizing the english program, designing lesson plans, interviewing students, learning, holding events... utter craziness. But utterly satisfying because the people I am working with actually get things done. They say they will do it, and it happens. Brilliant. After Singapore I am told everything will calm down a bit into a schedule of some kind.
DID I MENTION I AM IN HONG KONG AND LOVE IT!!!!
Two nights ago a Vietnam vetern, Allen Nelson, gave a lecture that was incredible. He talked about his experiences in Vietnam, he talked about his views on America as an occupying country. He urged the Japanese people to support Article 9 of their constitution. It was an amazing lecture and he ended it with a song "Down by the River" and everyone sang and it was an incredible sense of community and energy and love. One of the great things about peaceboat though is that I didn't just go to the lecture and go home. I pass Allen in the bar or a restaurant I sit down and chat with him. I've gotten to know him as a person and not just a lecturer. We talk about horses and growing up and random stuff as well as the peace activism he is doing. He is such a brave person to have experienced what he did and then confront it and use it as a way to spread a message of peace. He is going back to Vietnam on the peaceboat for the first time since he was in the war.
Last night 2 Iraqis who are onboard gave a talk. They talked about the constant terror and violence that they face. They talked about all the people in their lives that have died senseless deaths. I don't think there were many dry eyes in the audience. The man is only 25, a year older than me and yet he has lived through 3 wars in his life. The woman is a doctor and when she spoke there was so much pain, suffering, anger and even hatred in her voice. I felt horrible to be an American. To know that people from my country had caused her pain. I went up to her after the talk in the bar after I thought I had stopped crying. I introduced myself, thanked her for her strength in coming to speak with us and apologized. She said that she, and most Iraqis differentiate between American people and American government/military, and that she doesn't hate the American peope. I started to cry again and she wrapped her arms around me and have me a hug. It was an incredible experience. On a slightly different note I have been thinking a lot about the idea of collective guilt. Why is it that people feel guilty for actions that their goverment (or even ancestors) took, when they as individuals had no control. I feel guilty on a personal level for many things that American goverment has done that I could not have stopped. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
I watched the movie Heaven and Earth last night (directed by Oliver Stone). It's a really incredible movie. Lay Li Hayslip, the author of the book that the movie is based on (and really it is just her life story) is getting on the boat in Hong Kong (today) and is going to be giving several lectures. I'm also signed up on a tour that she is going to be leading in Vietnam, so I will have many opportunities to speak with her. I'm so blown away and inspired by the strength of the people around me.
The last few days (week? I'm not sure how long I've been on the boat now) has been incredible. hectic and busy because we are planning a lot of programs, organizing the english program, designing lesson plans, interviewing students, learning, holding events... utter craziness. But utterly satisfying because the people I am working with actually get things done. They say they will do it, and it happens. Brilliant. After Singapore I am told everything will calm down a bit into a schedule of some kind.
DID I MENTION I AM IN HONG KONG AND LOVE IT!!!!
Two nights ago a Vietnam vetern, Allen Nelson, gave a lecture that was incredible. He talked about his experiences in Vietnam, he talked about his views on America as an occupying country. He urged the Japanese people to support Article 9 of their constitution. It was an amazing lecture and he ended it with a song "Down by the River" and everyone sang and it was an incredible sense of community and energy and love. One of the great things about peaceboat though is that I didn't just go to the lecture and go home. I pass Allen in the bar or a restaurant I sit down and chat with him. I've gotten to know him as a person and not just a lecturer. We talk about horses and growing up and random stuff as well as the peace activism he is doing. He is such a brave person to have experienced what he did and then confront it and use it as a way to spread a message of peace. He is going back to Vietnam on the peaceboat for the first time since he was in the war.
Last night 2 Iraqis who are onboard gave a talk. They talked about the constant terror and violence that they face. They talked about all the people in their lives that have died senseless deaths. I don't think there were many dry eyes in the audience. The man is only 25, a year older than me and yet he has lived through 3 wars in his life. The woman is a doctor and when she spoke there was so much pain, suffering, anger and even hatred in her voice. I felt horrible to be an American. To know that people from my country had caused her pain. I went up to her after the talk in the bar after I thought I had stopped crying. I introduced myself, thanked her for her strength in coming to speak with us and apologized. She said that she, and most Iraqis differentiate between American people and American government/military, and that she doesn't hate the American peope. I started to cry again and she wrapped her arms around me and have me a hug. It was an incredible experience. On a slightly different note I have been thinking a lot about the idea of collective guilt. Why is it that people feel guilty for actions that their goverment (or even ancestors) took, when they as individuals had no control. I feel guilty on a personal level for many things that American goverment has done that I could not have stopped. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
I watched the movie Heaven and Earth last night (directed by Oliver Stone). It's a really incredible movie. Lay Li Hayslip, the author of the book that the movie is based on (and really it is just her life story) is getting on the boat in Hong Kong (today) and is going to be giving several lectures. I'm also signed up on a tour that she is going to be leading in Vietnam, so I will have many opportunities to speak with her. I'm so blown away and inspired by the strength of the people around me.
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