Carissa's Exploits and Fabulous Adventures




Japan Round Two

Saturday, July 30, 2005

COSTA RICA
Constantly changing clouds
Float above
Windy mountain roads
Greens blend into greens

Today was an interesting and yet difficult day for me. We went to a volcano and then had lunch. After lunch we were on our way to the canopies to swing through the trees like little monkeys. We were so carefree. We were playing games and singing songs in the back of the taxi. The traffic slowed and we realized there was an accident ahead. Usually, once traffic is backed up enough that people have stopped, there is no need for you to stop, so you try to avoid rubber necking while taking a quick peek and drive on your merry way. Someone stopped our taxi and asked if the taxi driver spoke English because there were gringos in the car that had crashed and they didn’t speak much Spanish. We dashed out of the car. I remember thinking, as I hurried toward the mangled car, that I wasn’t prepared to face what might be in there. Car accidents are bad. I’ve never been in a serious one. I’ve never seen a serious one. I understood that as I approached, and yet I approached. There was a blond haired guy sitting on a log next to the car bleeding profusely. Blood was dripping everywhere. Someone had given him a t-shirt (or maybe it was his own). We helped him closer to the road and I held a washcloth I had in my bag to his head. We tried to put pressure on it, but the blood just soaked through everything. There were too many cuts for us to do much good. I have always hated blood, and I suppose it is good that when the moment came I didn’t cringe but I did what needed to be done. His name was Chris. The ambulance came finally, it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, it seemed like forever. They wrapped him up like a mummy, but there was still blood everywhere. The 3 guys were from America. They just graduated from university and had driven down from America to look for teaching jobs, or just hang out. All 3 of them were in shock. 2 of them went to the hospital and one stayed behind to figure out the luggage and the car, which had to be towed out of the river it had fallen into. Everything was a bit crazy. People coming in and arguing in Spanish, saying various things had to be done. Pressuring him to do this or that. Finally we got him out of there and took him in our taxi to the hospital. We dropped his bags off at a hotel. We said a short good-bye and good-luck. All of the guys were fine and are going to survive. It made me think a lot though. About how lucky I am. About all of the risks I have taken that probably didn’t need to be taken. About how precarious life can be. And about luck. I am disappointed that we didn’t go to the canopy. Obviously the day did not go the way I had envisioned it. However, I’m glad that we were there to offer whatever assistance we could. The guys would have survived without our help, but I like to think that we made the ordeal a little bit easier for them. If we had eaten faster at lunch, if we had stayed at the volcano a little bit longer, if we had asked to go to a different canopy, we wouldn’t have been there at the exact moment that perhaps we were needed. I really do believe that things have a way of working out for the best and in way that they are supposed to work out. I didn’t swing through the jungle, but perhaps I did something more important in the long run. At any rate, it was an interesting and difficult day.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Panama Canal
In the jungle, raindrops tickle my belly
I float between oceans
Kissed by bubbles and buoyed in music

Drifting past is the work of men
Thousands died for our easy passage
Wars were fought
Land was stolen
Yet today we pass
Unfettered

Swimming in water siphoned from the Atlantic
I make my way slowly into the Pacific
Laying weightless in the middle of the earth
In the middle of nowhere
In the jungle

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Panama
How quickly we rebel
When told we can’t do something
Restrictions choke us
Heartily we complain
About our captivity
We yearn for more freedom
No leashes
Open gates
We want it all.

Do we once pause and think
Dare to compare
Our minor inconvience
To those of the world?

We anger that our adventure is stopped
Yet how many quietly accept
Roadblocks in their lives
Blocking education, healthcare, normality

Unaccepting of a loss of control
For even one day
Many have no choice
For a lifetime

In the middle of the world
The world still revolves around us.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

New York was not a new place for me, one of the 2 ports on this trip I have already been to. But it was interesting as New York is prone to be. I was able to attend the opening ceremony of GPPAC at the United Nations (I got to sit in the UN General Assembly room, how cool!). I also worked at a GPPAC Reception we held on the boat. It was amazing meeting so many different people from around the world and hearing about their amazing lives.

I think the thing that surprised me most about New York was how much I had missed America and missed old friends. I didn’t get to spend nearly as much time as I wanted in New York. When you are constantly traveling and moving (as I am prone to doing) you are always starting as a blank canvas. People know nothing about you and you have to paint them a picture. I am constantly explaining myself, who I am, what I do, about my life. I do it almost daily on this boat (amazingly enough I still haven’t met everyone). I think having to always be re-creating yourself is more exhausting that I realized. Suddenly in New York to be with people who know me and don’t need an explanation of who I am, was incredible. I was able to relax in a way that I can’t really do on the boat. Of course realizing all of this made it that much harder to leave. I am always a little sad when we leave a port, but New York was the first port I have left where I had people I was waving good-bye to.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

(Notes from a lecture by Erick Lever) There are so many people who are profiting economically from the war in Iraq. Obviously, the weapons manufacturers, the military contractors and the corporations reconstructing Iraq benefit. However there are others who surprised me, such as citizens who hold stock in the companies involved in the war and all of the US citizens and citizens around the world who benefit from the money being injected into the economy by the US war spending. A little bit harder for everyone to claim innocence when we are all benefiting, directly or indirectly. The military contractors are private corporations who have taken over jobs the military use to do such as feeding soldiers, building houses, loading bombs, guarding bases and interrogating prisoners. There are over 20,000 contractors in Iraq today working for over 50 companies. The ratio of soldiers to contractors in the first Gulf War was 50:1, in the current war it has decreased to 10:1. The contractors from the US make 3-5 times the amount of money soldiers in the US military make, although contractors from other countries don’t make nearly that much. So why has the US started using so many private contractors? During peacetime the US military started downsizing and got rid of the military personnel first because it was an easy place to cut costs (much easier than getting rid of bombs). Then when the war started there weren’t enough people in the military to cover all of the jobs. In addition, contractors fall outside of US law and International law and so the US doesn’t have to take responsibility for their actions (Abu Ghraid prison). Also because they don’t work for the US government (they work for companies hired by the US) the US doesn’t have to get involved if they are killed in the line of duty. There are obviously a lot of serious problems associated with the increasing use of private contractors though. There is no common training program for the contractors as each company does their own training. There is a loss of morale in the military when soldiers see people doing the same job as them but getting paid 5 times as much. The contractors tend to be some of the most violent people in the field because they fall outside of the law and outside the watch of the military. There is also a lack of communication between the US military and the contractors, meaning they can’t help each other.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

When we had Iraqi guests on the ship I was able to learn about the situation in Iraq from a personal point of view. I heard about families being destroyed, people dieing, looting, violence, grief. It was heartrending. Now we have a guest on the boat from an anti-war NGO in Washington, DC and I am learning more about the politics and the economics of the war. It is interesting to be able to see both sides in such a short period of time—the qualitative and quantitative. Some of the facts from Erick are interesting, as well as shocking, and I’m going to put highlights from them on this blog.

Erick Lever’s 1st lecture on Iraq:

40% of the US soldiers in Iraq are reserves (mostly police officers, firemen, doctors, and medical personnel). 44% of US police departments have had officers leave to go to the Iraq war (meaning that the US streets are less protected).

The US has spent $208billion so far on the Iraq War and Congress is going to approve another $50billion soon. That is approximately $2000 per every family in the US. Adjusted for inflation the US spent $5.1 million a month on the Vietnam War. The US currently spends $5.5 million a month on the Iraq war.

Employment in Iraq is between 30-70%. During the US Great Depression the unemployment rate went up to 25%.

The War cannot be won militarily
The strength of the insurgency has increased. In Nov. 2003 the insurgency was thought to have 5,000 members. It now has 17,000 members and another 200,000 people support the resistance. The US coalition has been shrinking and has lost 10 members since the war started.

Only 25% of Americans favor immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Staying the course won’t lead to a better or safer Iraq. Having waged an illegal war and occupation the US has no good options left. Maintaining the occupation continues to violate international law and the Geneva Convention. Withdrawal will happen eventually, but it will be our legacy to see when it happens and how it happens.

Suggestions to end the situation in Iraq:
1. End offensive operations and decrease US troops in Iraq. Pull the troops out of the cities and focus on protecting the borders to help stem the flow of foreign fighters in the insurgency. If Iraq wants help they should ask for it and then it should come from the UN not the US.
2. The US should declare no long term plans to stay in Iraq or have military bases there. This would deprive the insurgents of one of their primary recruiting tools—continued US occupation. Without this promise of no long term plans, the Iraqis have no reason to believe the US won’t stay.
3. Give Iraqis the ability to reconstruct their own country. The US should stop paying US corporations to go into Iraq and re-build Iraq by American standards. This doesn’t help Iraq problems of unemployment because reconstruction money is going mostly to Americans and American corporations. Iraqis should have control over their own future. Reconstruction is not happening now. The UN estimated that reconstruction in Iraq would cost $60 billion. But the US has only spent $15 billion on reconstruction so far and much of it has been wasted or used ineffectively.
4. Encourage negotiations between the US, the Iraqi government and the insurgents. 40 different groups are part of the insurgency. Some of them have realistic political demands that can be easily met (ie they won’t participate in the government until the US has set a date for withdrawal). By working with some of the moderate groups, meeting their demands and incorporating them, it will isolate some of the more radical groups. This will cause the insurgency movement to lose momentum and popular support.

Monday, July 11, 2005

So often I feel that even though there are things I want to do, the problems are too large, the world is too big and I am only one person. Even when I feel inspired there are so many obstacles in the way that it is easy to become frustrated and give up. However today I finally did something to combat that feeling, in myself and in others. Although small, I created an avenue for action. Maybe it won’t change the world, but it will give many people an outlet for their feelings. And perhaps in the long run it might influence someone or something. With my Palestinian friend Niveen, I started a campaign called Postcards for Palestine. We are encouraging everyone on the boat to write a postcard to the Japanese embassy in Israel and the Israeli embassy in Tokyo protesting the building of the apartheid wall and urging them to support Palestinian civil society and oppose Israeli aggression. We sold 50 postcards today and we are going to have 2 more events before New York and then another event before every port. I won’t know if the postcards have any impact, but I was very happy to finally do something and to help other people do something.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Some of my ancestors came from Ireland. As we pulled out of the Dublin port today I realized that my ancestors had probably pulled out of the same port on their way to New York by ship. And now I am tracing that same route 150 years later (approximately, I’m a little fuzzy on the dates). It is interesting to think of the way things and people and opportunities have changed since then. They were poor, fleeing a land full of poverty, hunger and often persecution. They fled to a land that was supposed to hold promise, but in the short term probably didn’t offer them much. They would have been carrying all of their belongings in the world with them. They would have said good-bye to family and friends they would never see again. I am making the same journey for fun, in luxury. They were probably excited but also scared and uncertain of their futures, and while I am at times uncertain I am never scared. I wonder if they could have ever pictured what would come, in their own lives as well as in the future. I stare out at the waves and sometimes think that their ghosts are still there prowling the waves, watching.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

A shepard and a weaver fell in love. Madly in love, so much so that they forgot all about their work. The Shepard stopped sheparding and the weaver stopped her weaving. The gods became angry and banished them to opposite sides of the sky, as stars. But then the gods felt bad and decided they could meet once a year in the sky. The gods were feeling generous and decided to grant all humans one wish on the same night. Tanabata. What to wish for though….

Tonight I was promoting Irish Night, a party celebrating our upcoming arrival in Dublin. Suddenly there didn’t seem to be much to celebrate. A bomb blast in London. No. 4 bomb blasts. Dozens killed, hundreds injured. Too far away to understand, but then I realize I am practically next door. Stunned looks on faces. A few tears sneak out of water-filled eyes. Suddenly there is realization of how many of us know people in that area. Worry attacks, as does the unknown. Prayers for your loved ones. And Tanabata Wishes?

My Tanabata Wish is that there will be no more bomb blasts anywhere in the world. Ever.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Cutting between islands coated in green, capped in snow
Clouds creep in covering the hills
Wrapping them for warmth against the frigid whipping wind.

We glide, float; adrift through green waters

Seagulls hover midair, unaware of the cold
Small houses hide in crevices
Snuggled close against the mountains

White waters fall into freezing waves
Bright forests fill the spaces
Friendship shared in steaming mugs

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Norway. We arrived on one of the 3 sunny days they have each year (slight exaggeration, but only just). The town of Bergen is about as picturesque as towns come. And the amazing thing is that unlike most picturesque towns it wasn’t a façade. The whole town and the outlying areas had the same serene beauty. We rented bicycles and started to explore. We found a place near some apartment buildings where the residents were laying about on rocks sunbathing and swimming. It is always polite to do as the locals do, so we took an ice cold dip into the North Sea. We started talking to some people and they told us that there are incredible fresh-water lakes in the mountains nearby so we decided to bike up and find them. The locals said it should only take about 20 minutes by bicycle. But no matter how far we went everyone told us it should only be 20 minutes from there. Even when it took less than 5, the person had told us it would be 20. It was so beautiful and we were feeling very energetic, so before we knew it we had biked 20 kilometers to this peaceful little lake. We stayed there for awhile eating, swimming, talking with people (we conveniently, and lazily, stationed ourselves right next to the hiking path around the lake). We only left when the sky threatened us with rain. The clouds were making empty threats though and we made it the 20 kilometers back to town and through all but the last 20 minutes of the day without rain. We ran around Bergen behaving like children and immensely enjoying it. We ate candy on swings in a park, had a troll contest (who is the scariest troll, I unfortunately didn’t win), ate Burgers in Bergen (say that 10 times fast), danced in a large square, explored, made new friends and met lots of old friends. I don’t think I could ever live in Norway because I don’t really like rain very much, but it was an amazing place and I can’t wait to go back and visit.

Monday, July 04, 2005

It is 1:30 in the morning. I just watched the sunset on deck. I finished dancing in the Sports Bar at 1am and went outside before bed and was shocked to see the sun just going down. The wind from the east was blowing strong, but the west side of the boat was protected and calm. It was incredibly beautiful, if not a little bizarre. Also strange is that the sun is going to rise at 5am; in 4 hours it will be day again. The ocean is so vast that usually there is nothing on the horizon in any direction. I have grown use to being completely alone in the ocean (well, completely alone with 1,000 other people). Tonight there were many boats dotting the horizon. I could see their lights as the sun disappeared. On a slightly different note, tonight we had a party in the Sport’s Bar (I make that sound as if it is an unusual thing, when it is not). I was dancing with Germans, French, an Israeli, a Palestinian, a Serb, Australians, Canadians, Americans, Japanese. Someone turned to me and asked if I would have ever expected to see a German and an Israeli dancing together. I suppose I never thought about it, but if I had I certainly would not have pictured it happening in the North Sea. On a boat. I love this ship because it brings so many people together from different backgrounds. If it weren’t called the Peaceboat I think it would have to be called the Inclusiveboat, because nowhere else in the world is there a place where people from so many nationalities, backgrounds, social groups, economic groups and ages can spend time together. But now it is late and I need to go to bed. Tomorrow I will be in Norway! Yeah!

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Paris. What can I write about Paris that hasn't already been written? Everyone was right when they told me it is dirty, crowded with tourists, the waiters are rude and everything is over-priced and yet I still love it. I wouldn't want to live here and I don't know if I will come back anytime soon, but it is a wonderful place regardless of that.

How strange to decipher between perceptions and preconceptions. True impressions or reinforced sterotypes? Perhaps travel is about destroying those ideas that have been planted by movies, books and others' experiences. Learning firsthand how you relate to the world.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Somehow I almost enjoy travel in Asia more. I am able to drop the pretense of being a local, a native. I accept myself as a tourist. I soak in, swim in, drown myself in my truth. With camera ever ready, I enjoy every aspect of traveling because I am not playing a role. Yet, in Western coutries I find myself trying to fit in. Attempting to fool those who can see straight through my weak farce. I hesitate to ask directions or even speak because my accent, my clumsy attempts at language will surely give me away. My camera stays hidden. I stay hidden. Why the act though? Why the self-imposed embarrassment? When my face gives me away I am free. Or perhaps I have stood out in a crowd for so long that I merely want to blend in. It has been a long time since I fit in or belonged anywhere. A long time since I was accepted and wasn't seen as just a foreign face.

Eiffel Tower
Why is it that frequently, especially recently, the only word I can find to describe my life is surreal. I’m sitting in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower eating a baguette and cheese. Looking at the tower I feel as though I am looking at a picture. Taking pictures of a picture. The Eiffel Tower has always been an image, never a reality, in my life. So even as I look at the real thing, my conditioned brain doesn’t accept it.

Dialouge to French Waiters
You smile as I enter your café. Then when I stumble through “Une café s’il vous plait” you register my lack of understanding and suddenly your eyes turn cold. I do notice, whether or not you meant for me to. I want you to understand that just because I didn’t study your language doesn’t make me an ignorant, arrogant American. Just because I didn’t pick your language doesn’t mean I haven’t worked hard to learn a language that is not my own. What I have found in my travels is that all over the world people are happy and excited when I make an effort to use their language. Even simple things such as “hello” and “thank you” bring smiles. Yet you give me no credit for what I have learned. Instead you fault me for all the words I haven’t learned yet. Utterly impatient, you have no time for true communication, which comes in many forms. You need immediate understanding or you want none at all. I am not going to be able to give you that immediate understanding though.