I am wrapping up my cultural journal with a summary of what I have learned through doing this over the past few weeks.
Over my life, I have been very blessed with some amazing wonderful opportunities to experience cultures and ways of life around the world. I have forgotten about many of them and left them in the back of my mind.
Through writing this journal, I have re-kindled many of these cultural experiences and reflections. This has been pretty awesome. I am able to re-live and dig up some memories that I didn't know were still there. I really love traveling to foreign places and think that I have forgotten how great and beneficial it has been in my life.
This short blog has gotten me to want to get out there and go at it again. I want to go explore new places and visit some old ones now. Even more so because I have a family of my own. Sharing global experiences with my wife, son, and (hopefully) future child are what I pledge to do!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thoughts on English school lunches
When I lived in England, I had the pleasure of experiencing one of the coolest things EVER! Family Style school lunch!
I went to school in the UK for about 5 months and during that time, I enjoyed some very different things about their school system. The most bizzare and awesome of which was the way that they served their school lunches. Here is a bit about how it was done.
Every kid was assigned a table. This table was our lunch table for that year. We got to know all the people very well, and every day we were assigned different roles in how we would assist with the meal.
The tables were all round and everyone had real china and silverware... Imagine that! Some would be servers on a given day, while some would clear the table. Others were assigned to bring certain dishes to the tables, etc...
I don't remember absolutely everything about this, yet I remember enjoying many things about this style of school lunch.
The things that were gained from this are:
- Manners and etiquette
- Conversational skills
- Respect for the food being served
- A chance to get to know my table mates
- A purpose of being during lunch
- Skills that relate to everyday dining
- A reason to take our time while we ate
- Understanding of why we might or might not like something
- Sharing the meal with others
The only thing I didn't like about this style of dining was that they called lunch "dinner." I never got that and never will!
Anyways, I think American kids could have a lot to learn if we adopted a lunch style similar to this!
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| This is an example of what I had for my time in England |
I went to school in the UK for about 5 months and during that time, I enjoyed some very different things about their school system. The most bizzare and awesome of which was the way that they served their school lunches. Here is a bit about how it was done.
Every kid was assigned a table. This table was our lunch table for that year. We got to know all the people very well, and every day we were assigned different roles in how we would assist with the meal.
The tables were all round and everyone had real china and silverware... Imagine that! Some would be servers on a given day, while some would clear the table. Others were assigned to bring certain dishes to the tables, etc...
I don't remember absolutely everything about this, yet I remember enjoying many things about this style of school lunch.
The things that were gained from this are:
- Manners and etiquette
- Conversational skills
- Respect for the food being served
- A chance to get to know my table mates
- A purpose of being during lunch
- Skills that relate to everyday dining
- A reason to take our time while we ate
- Understanding of why we might or might not like something
- Sharing the meal with others
The only thing I didn't like about this style of dining was that they called lunch "dinner." I never got that and never will!
Anyways, I think American kids could have a lot to learn if we adopted a lunch style similar to this!
Building a house in Juarez Mexico
In 2006, I went down to Mexico to build a small 2 bedroom house in Juarez, Mexico
The organization that I did this with was called Casas por Cristo, or Houses for Christ. It was through my church. The goal of the whole trip was not about spreading christianity as much as it was just about giving someone or a family a place to live. The family that we ended up building for was living in a bus at the time and they had 3 children. Many of these families that were outside of downtown Juarez were living in busses and making do with what they had.
My family drove down to El Paso TX and then met up with the group we were to go with. We crossed the border together in the morning and by noon, we had laid the foundation with quick set concrete. Our meals were all done on site from food we had brought from the US. The dinners were supplied by the local church and was also from food we had brought from the US.
On the second day, the family that we were building for insisted on making us tacos. They did so, and the brave people from the group including myself ate them. They seemed to have been made from cut up hot dog and some sort of salsa. No one got sick, and I am thankful that I tried them. They were simple... Very very simple! I am sorry to say that that is the only authentic Mexican food that I had down there.
Overall, the experience was great. The things that I will always take away from this are the pictures of all of the people living in broken down busses, cars, and cardboard houses. It really was an eye opener for me to see the conditions in which people very close to US soils live. I now see why people cross the border so much and why some may even risk their lives by doing so.
In front of one of the Casas por Cristo houses.
What the land looks like around Juarez
The organization that I did this with was called Casas por Cristo, or Houses for Christ. It was through my church. The goal of the whole trip was not about spreading christianity as much as it was just about giving someone or a family a place to live. The family that we ended up building for was living in a bus at the time and they had 3 children. Many of these families that were outside of downtown Juarez were living in busses and making do with what they had.
My family drove down to El Paso TX and then met up with the group we were to go with. We crossed the border together in the morning and by noon, we had laid the foundation with quick set concrete. Our meals were all done on site from food we had brought from the US. The dinners were supplied by the local church and was also from food we had brought from the US.
On the second day, the family that we were building for insisted on making us tacos. They did so, and the brave people from the group including myself ate them. They seemed to have been made from cut up hot dog and some sort of salsa. No one got sick, and I am thankful that I tried them. They were simple... Very very simple! I am sorry to say that that is the only authentic Mexican food that I had down there.
Overall, the experience was great. The things that I will always take away from this are the pictures of all of the people living in broken down busses, cars, and cardboard houses. It really was an eye opener for me to see the conditions in which people very close to US soils live. I now see why people cross the border so much and why some may even risk their lives by doing so.
Friday, July 26, 2013
That time I lived in the UK
When I was 9 years old, my family went to live in England. It was an awesome experience, and one that I will never forget or take for granted. Let me tell you a bit about it!
My mom and dad surprised me one day when they told us that I would be leaving my 4th grade class in February to go live in the UK for about half a year. It was one of the greatest experiences that a 9 year old kid could ever have! When my father was in high school, his family left to go live in the UK and he wanted us to have the same experience. He did this through getting a job as a Universtiy professor at the University of Nottingham in Nottingham England. This meant that we were to go over a live there for less than a year, go to school and then travel europe in a Saab.
My father left for the UK early and bought a Saab in sweeden. That was part of the deal, buy a car to have over there, and bring it back to the US when we were done with our travels. We got to London and spent a week and a half there kind of getting to know the city. My father has always liked walking and this was a chance for us to walk 5-8 miles per day and see everything that we could. I immediately loved London and all that it had to offer. The culture was different, but not that different.
After our time in London, it was time to head up to the Nottingham area to find a place to live for the next few months. I remember driving to many different places in the city and in the suburbs. We eventually found a place to live in a little town called Southwell. This was a place about 40 minutes outside of downtown Nottingham. This was the place we were to call home.
Living in Southwell was pretty cool. I got into a school called Lowes Wong. It was a primary school and classes seemed fairly similar to those of the 4th grade. I remember being a little ahead in some areas, while a little behind in others. School lunches were served family style and I will write about that later...
I walked to and from school every day and swam on a local swim team. I made friends and wholly enjoyed my time in Southwell. It was an absolutely amazing experience and no doubt shaped who I am today. I hope to someday give a complete cultural experience like this to my son!
My mom and dad surprised me one day when they told us that I would be leaving my 4th grade class in February to go live in the UK for about half a year. It was one of the greatest experiences that a 9 year old kid could ever have! When my father was in high school, his family left to go live in the UK and he wanted us to have the same experience. He did this through getting a job as a Universtiy professor at the University of Nottingham in Nottingham England. This meant that we were to go over a live there for less than a year, go to school and then travel europe in a Saab.
My father left for the UK early and bought a Saab in sweeden. That was part of the deal, buy a car to have over there, and bring it back to the US when we were done with our travels. We got to London and spent a week and a half there kind of getting to know the city. My father has always liked walking and this was a chance for us to walk 5-8 miles per day and see everything that we could. I immediately loved London and all that it had to offer. The culture was different, but not that different.
After our time in London, it was time to head up to the Nottingham area to find a place to live for the next few months. I remember driving to many different places in the city and in the suburbs. We eventually found a place to live in a little town called Southwell. This was a place about 40 minutes outside of downtown Nottingham. This was the place we were to call home.
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| This is the sarisons head - a pub and hotel we stayed at before moving into the house we rented |
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| The Southwell minster. I spent many hours here... I was a 9 year old obsessed with architecture and design |
Living in Southwell was pretty cool. I got into a school called Lowes Wong. It was a primary school and classes seemed fairly similar to those of the 4th grade. I remember being a little ahead in some areas, while a little behind in others. School lunches were served family style and I will write about that later...
I walked to and from school every day and swam on a local swim team. I made friends and wholly enjoyed my time in Southwell. It was an absolutely amazing experience and no doubt shaped who I am today. I hope to someday give a complete cultural experience like this to my son!
Friday, July 19, 2013
My Wife's hesitations towards visiting Japan
Since I met my wife in 2007, she has known all about my fascination with Japan and the Japanese people. I have also known about her disinterest and unwillingness to go visit that amazing country and culture. I thought that it might be benificial for us to sit down and talk about it since it is something that we have not finalized, and so that we could really understand each other on the situation (which is not all that big of a deal anyways).
So a list of her hesitations
-Being such a different culture
-Long plane ride
-Personal space issues
-Language barriers
-Food
-Isolation
-Again, personal space issues
I think that this one comes down to her feeling a bit out of place and in an unknown situation. This may come down to her typical stereotypes or to her discomfort of being in such a drastically different environment.
I don't know how we are ever going to settle this one, but I am trying to get my parents to include us on a family trip to Japan sometime soon. When we went to visit my sister at the end of her work in Thailand, she never got to see Japan. She wants to, my wife and sister get along, therefore maybe with the help of my sister and the financial blessings of our family, I will get my way!
:)
So a list of her hesitations
-Being such a different culture
-Long plane ride
-Personal space issues
-Language barriers
-Food
-Isolation
-Again, personal space issues
I think that this one comes down to her feeling a bit out of place and in an unknown situation. This may come down to her typical stereotypes or to her discomfort of being in such a drastically different environment.
I don't know how we are ever going to settle this one, but I am trying to get my parents to include us on a family trip to Japan sometime soon. When we went to visit my sister at the end of her work in Thailand, she never got to see Japan. She wants to, my wife and sister get along, therefore maybe with the help of my sister and the financial blessings of our family, I will get my way!
:)
Saturday, July 13, 2013
The importance of learning a foreign language
As citizens of the US, I often feel that we are never really encouraged to get out and learn a foreign language. I think that this comes from the expectations for our citizens to conform and learn English as a sort of way to be American.
I am currently taking a speech class and one of the students in this class did one of their speeches on the importance of learning a foreign language and it got me thinking and on the same page as him... I was required to take 2 years of foreign language in High School and chose to take French. I liked France and liked the idea of taking the language, but never took it very seriously. I think this is because even though I thought I would go to France, I wouldn't need to really know it.
How naive!
In that mindset, what I was really thinking was that I expected the French to know English, thus expected them to bear the brunt of my shortcomings in order to accommodate me! I think this is exactly what the rest of our country thinks when it comes to learning a foreign language. Because it is such a widely known language, we are sitting back and expecting people to learn our language even though we are visiting a place that doesn't normaly speak our language.
After listening to his arguments, I full heartedly agree that we should promote the speaking of foreign language in this country. I think that with so many spanish speakers in the US right now, it is only right to shift our way of thinking to be a bit less self centered on the global scale and a bit more enlightened by another language.
Just a thought.
I am currently taking a speech class and one of the students in this class did one of their speeches on the importance of learning a foreign language and it got me thinking and on the same page as him... I was required to take 2 years of foreign language in High School and chose to take French. I liked France and liked the idea of taking the language, but never took it very seriously. I think this is because even though I thought I would go to France, I wouldn't need to really know it.
How naive!
In that mindset, what I was really thinking was that I expected the French to know English, thus expected them to bear the brunt of my shortcomings in order to accommodate me! I think this is exactly what the rest of our country thinks when it comes to learning a foreign language. Because it is such a widely known language, we are sitting back and expecting people to learn our language even though we are visiting a place that doesn't normaly speak our language.
After listening to his arguments, I full heartedly agree that we should promote the speaking of foreign language in this country. I think that with so many spanish speakers in the US right now, it is only right to shift our way of thinking to be a bit less self centered on the global scale and a bit more enlightened by another language.
Just a thought.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
My sisters adoption of an African American baby
Autumn Kai Carson - My sisters adopted girl and my beautiful niece!
Here is a picture of Autumn and my son Aiden trying to catch fish
My sister, Erin, always had plans on having a child of her own then adopting another. That's how it all eventually happened. She had my nephew, River, on the 4th of July 2007, then started the adoption process. It was very long. Very long... Ill tell you a bit about it in this post. Erin actually found blogging as a way to keep some sanity during the whole process and used blogging about adoption as a subject in her doctoral thesis from St. Thomas University in the process. Her blog can be found at: http://eecarson.wordpress.com
Watching my sister go through the adoption process was tough. It was long and filled with so many ups and downs (not to mention financial support), that it made me appreciate all that do it, and more so, all that have to do it because they are not able to have children of their own. When Autumn was born, I was lucky enough to meet all 5+ pounds of her a few days later and having just had my first child a few months before, it was special... Really special.
Autumn has grown up with all of us and she has been a part of us since day one. I hear of so many families who adopt later and find it difficult to form a bond with their child and could not imagine what that would be like. Read the story below to get a beautiful first hand experience about my sister's story.
A timeline and her story (in her words with her permission):
August, 2010- Our decision to adopt domestically
November 3, 2010 -The first time we were matched with a birth mom
December 1, 2010- When “Kaiya” was born
December 6, 2010- The day we found out “Kaiya” wasn’t ours
December 31, 2010- The holidays and another failed adoption
January 6, 2011- When we got matched with “R”
February 6, 2011- Autumn was born! 5lbs 8 oz, 17 inches long
February 9, 2011- This is the night we said goodbye to “R”
June 12, 2011- Autumn’s baptism at Northfield UCC
October 2, 2011- Autumn’s adoption finalization. Happy Adoption Day!
February 6, 2012- Autumn is 1!
Well, I’ve been meaning to write this for quite some time now, so here is the whole story of that week early this February when we met and adopted our little girl…
As you read before, we got the call early Sunday morning before we left Disney World. It was a weird feeling, since we were planning on leaving at 5am Sunday morning, and come around 2am I was awake and strangely anxious just wanting to go back to sleep. At 3am I got the call. I find out at that point that Autumn was born around an hour earlier… just about the time when I woke with that uneasy feeling. Strange how I was connected to her and her birthmom even before I knew what was going on.
I’m up so I look for flights. Nothing seemed easy so we decided that we would go to the airport and that I would fly alone to Salt Lake City. River and Kyle would go back to Minnesota for the evening to pick up the infant car seat and baby stuff. I wished more than anything I could have had those two with me, but I knew I needed to get out there asap, and we needed the “stuff”. I guess I was to do this leg of the journey on my own.
At the airport we splurged and bought one of the only tickets left to Salt Lake City in a first class seat (well, if you’re gunna spend the money, better well be first class!) and I took River and Kyle to their gate and said my good byes before I went and hopped on my flight.
It was the longest airplane ride(s) I’ve ever had.
I arrived in Salt Lake City around 2pm. Got a rental car and headed straight to the hospital. I was a wreck. I was sweating, nervous, and excited. Let’s just say my tummy was feeling funny.
I arrived and met with my case worker from Heart to Heart in the lobby of the hospital. After talking with her for a month on the phone it was really nice to put a face to the name. She then took me upstairs and said that the birth mom, who we’ll call “R” was alone, but soon her social worker was going to show up. But for now, we can go in and meet her.
I walked in the room with my stomach in knots. I saw R and she seemed to recognize me from our profile. I sat at the edge of her bed with some pretty icky flowers and some gifts from Disney World. I asked her how she was feeling and she said pretty good. She was obviously exhausted from the C-section not even 15 hours before, and working through her pain. She looked tired but quickly called the nurse so I could meet our little Autumn.
When they wheeled our 5lb 8oz daughter in she looked like a little doll. So tiny, so sweet. I was excited to see all her hair on her tiny little head, and her fingers were super long compared to the rest of her. When they brought her in I asked R if she wanted to hold her, and she said that she wanted me to.
What a gift.
Autumn was gorgeous and sleepy. Holding her for the first time was wonderful, but I kept talking with R so to concentrate on her for a little while. The whole experience was quite surreal, and very, VERY different from my experience with River. No surprise there.
I was in the hospital that afternoon and evening with R, and whatever case worker/social worker was available. It was nice having more than just R and I, since we had just met, but she was so easy to talk to and wonderful, that it wouldn’t have made any difference either way. There was a lot of small talk in those hours, lots of questions answered, along with changing diapers and feeding Autumn. Oh, and you can’t forget that the day she was born the Packers won the Superbowl. (Which we watched when we weren’t chatting). Yes, little girl, you were born a cheesehead. (Sorry MN fans:)
That evening I was planning on staying in a hotel, but at the last second one of the case workers from the agency suggested that I stay in the hospital. The hospital is a very adoption-friendly hospital, and they put up adoptive parents in a room if they like for free. I thought it would be great and if there was any need for help with Autumn in the middle of the night, I’d be there.
I’m so glad I stayed.
At around 2am I got a call in my room from R saying that Autumn was awake and she asked if I wanted to come down to her room to see her with her eyes open. Of COURSE I said yes, and got myself together enough to go down and see the beautiful little girl’s eyes. I am so thankful for that call from R, not only because I really got to see Autumn’s eyes open for the first time, but also because R and I could really have a “talk”. It was a couple of hours of learning a little more about each other, and our experiences with this adoption. (I told her my sob story, she told me some of hers). It was a few hours in the middle of the night that were completely priceless.
As the morning rolled around (yes, I went back to bed) I went on some errands getting R some comfy clothes and a little bit of breakfast for myself. I returned and had some more talk time with R, and some more cuddle time with Autumn. Some of the social workers from the agency started showing up around noon, since the plan was to have R sign the papers around 1. It was very strategic since R needs to be at the very end of the pain med cycle.
So around 1, I also had to get in the car and go meet Kyle, River and Sandy at the airport that was around a half an hour away. I was getting nervous around that time because of the signing of the papers, since I still was worried that R would change her mind. When I left the hospital, R was holding on pretty tight to Autumn, which I totally understood. But, as you can imagine, it scared me as well.
When I got in the car I called my case worker and asked her to let me know if/when R signed the papers. The whole car ride I was a wreck, but probably not half the wreck R was at that moment.
When I arrived at the airport, my case worker texted me, “She signed, it’s official”.
I cried.
After all we have been through, it was official. I never thought I’d hear (or read) those words.
As I met Kyle, River and Sandy at the airport, I went up to Kyle and told him that he has a daughter. He gave me a goofy smile and a hug. We were both so relieved.
When we went back to the hospital, my family got to meet its newest member. It was wonderful.
We then did our signing of the papers in a different room, and really, truly made it official.
R seemed good. The woman was the strongest person I’ve ever known. This whole thing mist have been so hard for her, but she was a rock all the way through it. I will always be amazed by her strength.
After we signed the papers, the babysitter who was watching R’s 1-year-old brought him by and Autumn got to meet her full biological brother. He was a DOLL. All boy, and so much fun. River had a little fun with him and we got some pictures of Autumn, R, and her brother. The room got crowded for awhile, but it was fun being together.
Soon after the play time we left, since we were going to stay in the hotel that night, and Kyle and I had to go get some stuff engraved for R before the next day when she and Autumn would be discharged. It was weird leaving Autumn in the hospital, but I was glad to give R some time alone with her if she liked.
After doing some errands and our last evening of a full nights sleep, we returned the next morning with some presents, coffee and a car seat. We sat with R and Autumn for a few hours before discharge, and we gave some small gifts to R. A nice engraved box and bracelet. She seemed to like them, but I felt like they were nothing. Nothing compared to what she was giving us.
As discharge rolled around I got more and more emotional. R got everything together and she left first. Autumn was in the room, and as R was walking out, she came up to her beautiful little girl, paused to stare at her, and then gave her a simple little kiss.
A kiss that was so full of love that I could feel it.
Well, as you guessed it, I sat in the room and cried. And cried. Then when Kyle returned from helping R to the car, it was our turn to leave. After talking to the nurse about Autumn one more time, we got all the information we needed and gathered our stuff and headed out the door with our daughter.
As Kyle has said while telling this story to others, we expected that this time picking up Autumn would be a joyous time. Although becoming a family of four is incredibly joyous, the time in Salt Lake City was not all rainbows and party hats. So much of it was heart wrenching. In that short amount of time I really got to see what love is, especially the love from a mother to a child. R loves Autumn so much. She really, truly she does. She did this so her daughter will have more opportunities than she can give her right now. I could tell that R did not take motherhood lightly, and if she couldn’t give her all to her daughter, she wanted to make sure that someone did.
I am so blessed, so thankful, and so amazed that she thought we were that someone.
So, we didn’t stay much longer. We did the dinner with R the next evening and the morning after that we took the trip to Colorado. It was very fast considering, but it was probably the most memorable trip I will ever take.
I hope someday Autumn reads this story and understands how in awe I am of her biological momma. I am in awe of her strength, her love, and her generosity. I hope she knows that she is loved all the way around. By Kyle and I and River, as well as her birthmom who gave up so much so that her daughter can have all that she deserves.
Autumn, you are truly a loved little girl. Your journey ahead is bright and exciting, and your past is filled with the love of many.
Welcome, my child. We all love you.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Cultural experiences in racing triathlon
For those of you that know me, I am a very avid triathlete. I specialize in the longer distances most specifically the Ironman distance. I am going to write a nice little entry on my experience of the Ironman World Championship race held in Kona Hawaii. My first time at this race was 2012 and turned out to be a truly global event!
A cultural perspective of the Ironman World Championships
The ironman was first started in 1977 when some crazy guys needed a way to see who was the absolute fittest of the bunch. They came up with a single day race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. Whoever won, they would call the Iron Man. Since that first rare, the sport and distance has picked up some amazing followers and has become an international competition.
The Ironman World Championships is an event that takes place on the first or second weekend in October every year on the Kona side of the big island of Hawaii. There are close to 40 Ironman events (most are held outside of the US) around the world every year that lead to be qualifiers for the World Championships. Over 70,000 people compete for about 1500 slots to get to the start line each October.
When I got to Hawaii last October, I was ready for the time of my life. My parents live on the island of Maui for a few months every year so I know Hawaii very well. What I do not know so well in Hawaii is the crazy amount of Europeans and Australians that crawl all over in October. It was the first time that I was in Hawaii and heard more foreign languages than English. It was fairly odd to say the least!
The race in October is sort of a weeklong festival of the sport. There are parades, expos, kids events, and crazy fit people (who don't speak english) all over the roads all of the time! The race is on a Saturday and it is quite the experience to be a part of... I still can't really believe that I did it last year and (given health) will do it again this year.
I have never raced in Europe, and have never raced outside of the country for that matter, but people have some different tactics that they use. Because this was such a global event, I was able to get a glimpse of what it might be like to race in Europe. People were very brash and brutal. The swim was the most terrifying hour of my life... People fought all over for placement of clear water and I don't think I was without contact for more than 5 seconds of the whole swim portion. I was pulled in every direction, pushed underwater, and had a relatively miserable experience.
The bike was likewise... In long distance triathlon, drafting is illegal. But in this race, it seemed like people were there to fight for placement weather it meant cheating or not. The bike seemed full of drafters and when I would ask people if this was the norm for the race, they would either answer me in an accent or in a reply that they did not speak english. It was awesome because it was so different! The run was met with exchanges between athletes that were much less hostile. When we were all out there running, it seemed that we were on level playing fields and everyone seemed much nicer.
After the race I was able to sit back and enjoy what a global event this truly was. I was not sure if this would truly be a world event, but in hindsight, it really was!
My finish, So many flags from so many countries that were represented
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| The parade of nations - One of the week long events that takes place |
A cultural perspective of the Ironman World Championships
The ironman was first started in 1977 when some crazy guys needed a way to see who was the absolute fittest of the bunch. They came up with a single day race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. Whoever won, they would call the Iron Man. Since that first rare, the sport and distance has picked up some amazing followers and has become an international competition.
The Ironman World Championships is an event that takes place on the first or second weekend in October every year on the Kona side of the big island of Hawaii. There are close to 40 Ironman events (most are held outside of the US) around the world every year that lead to be qualifiers for the World Championships. Over 70,000 people compete for about 1500 slots to get to the start line each October.
When I got to Hawaii last October, I was ready for the time of my life. My parents live on the island of Maui for a few months every year so I know Hawaii very well. What I do not know so well in Hawaii is the crazy amount of Europeans and Australians that crawl all over in October. It was the first time that I was in Hawaii and heard more foreign languages than English. It was fairly odd to say the least!
The race in October is sort of a weeklong festival of the sport. There are parades, expos, kids events, and crazy fit people (who don't speak english) all over the roads all of the time! The race is on a Saturday and it is quite the experience to be a part of... I still can't really believe that I did it last year and (given health) will do it again this year.
I have never raced in Europe, and have never raced outside of the country for that matter, but people have some different tactics that they use. Because this was such a global event, I was able to get a glimpse of what it might be like to race in Europe. People were very brash and brutal. The swim was the most terrifying hour of my life... People fought all over for placement of clear water and I don't think I was without contact for more than 5 seconds of the whole swim portion. I was pulled in every direction, pushed underwater, and had a relatively miserable experience.
The bike was likewise... In long distance triathlon, drafting is illegal. But in this race, it seemed like people were there to fight for placement weather it meant cheating or not. The bike seemed full of drafters and when I would ask people if this was the norm for the race, they would either answer me in an accent or in a reply that they did not speak english. It was awesome because it was so different! The run was met with exchanges between athletes that were much less hostile. When we were all out there running, it seemed that we were on level playing fields and everyone seemed much nicer.
After the race I was able to sit back and enjoy what a global event this truly was. I was not sure if this would truly be a world event, but in hindsight, it really was!
Friday, July 5, 2013
My cultural experiences
Hi, my name is Colin Laughery. I was born and raised in Boulder Colorado and have had the opportunity to experience many awesome travels in my life. This blog is a project for a class that I am taking. In this blog, I will share some of the awesome experiences that I have in and out of this country dealing with people of all cultures.
I will share some of the things that I have experienced first hand or have learned from those around me. Take a read and enjoy!
I plan to keep this around and contribute towards this blog even after I have completed this course. I think that my cultural experiences have shaped who I am as a person and who I will raise my son to be and what to appreciate.
I am thankful for this project because I think it will allow me to re-visit some imaginations that have sat dormant in my mind for quite a few years.
I will share some of the things that I have experienced first hand or have learned from those around me. Take a read and enjoy!
I plan to keep this around and contribute towards this blog even after I have completed this course. I think that my cultural experiences have shaped who I am as a person and who I will raise my son to be and what to appreciate.
I am thankful for this project because I think it will allow me to re-visit some imaginations that have sat dormant in my mind for quite a few years.
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| My family a few years ago. Beth, Aiden, and Colin - Aiden is a tad bit older now |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Japan and Thailand
In the summer of 2003, I had one of the greatest foreign experiences of my life! My sister accepted a job to go over to Thailand and teach for about 4 months. Our plan was to go over towards the end of her stay and get to Japan along the way. We spent about a week and a half in Japan and two more weeks in Thailand. It was an awesome trip!
Japan
Japan became my absolute most favorite foreign country during this trip. I often compare it with landing on the moon. Seriously, it seemed that different to me! My father had done some work over in Japan back in the late 90's and I remember watching some of the cultural videos with him on what to expect.
It's so bizare because it is such a technologically and fiscally advanced society and yet so drastically different from what we have in the United States. We spent the first five days in Japan in downtown Tokyo. From what I remember, Tokyo was an awesome and huge city. Construction of buildings seemed different and I remember a drastically different perception of physical space. People were used to being very bunched up and close together. I did not mind this at all and actually thought it was kind of cool.
I was going through a bit of an eating disorder at the time so I found the food to be very odd. Looking back, I wish I had the chance to be a bit more exploritive and hope to go back someday to sample what the food is like through a clearer mind. The one thing that we never had was sushi. I can't believe that, but we never got around to eating that one food that everyone always familiarizes with Japan.
The next portion of our trip was in Kyoto. I remember Kyoto and much quieter and older city. I think this was mainly due to the amount of destruction that was done during world war 2. There were many original pre-war buildings that were made from wood. This was something that you simply did not see in Tokyo.
Kyoto was lush and beautiful. It was hilly and full of some awesome history. I wish I had some of the pictures from that portion of the trip but I don't know where they are.
Thailand
Thailand was full of so many people that spoke English, this was a huge change from Japan where it was very hard to communicate. We visited 3 places in thailand: Chang Mai, Kho Samui, and Bangkok.
Chang Mai was close to where my sister was working. It was a nice place that was urbanized but not too urbanized. I remember it being very different in terms of layout and overall feel. I felt like I was in a more underdeveloped part of the world and I loved it! So many dirt streets and beutiful back alleys, yet some internet cafes with faster speeds than the ones that I got back in the US. Kho Samui is an island and seemed mostly like a tourist destination. We did not leave the hotel a ton because there was not much to do culturally very close, so it was mostly a relaxing beach part of our vacation. Bankok was a much more bustling city. I felt the culture there... Aside from coca-cola and 7-11's on every corner, I felt like I was in a foreign land. It was dirty, and seemed a little scary at times. People were very nice and it was easy to get around.
Comparing the two very different countries leaves me with this. Japan was much more advanced and financially well of, though it seemed much more foreign to me. Thailand seemed much more open to communicate with American travelers and seemed like the economy relied on foreigners to spend some money there. I will always look back at this trip with such appreciation that I was able to do this.
Japan
Japan became my absolute most favorite foreign country during this trip. I often compare it with landing on the moon. Seriously, it seemed that different to me! My father had done some work over in Japan back in the late 90's and I remember watching some of the cultural videos with him on what to expect.
It's so bizare because it is such a technologically and fiscally advanced society and yet so drastically different from what we have in the United States. We spent the first five days in Japan in downtown Tokyo. From what I remember, Tokyo was an awesome and huge city. Construction of buildings seemed different and I remember a drastically different perception of physical space. People were used to being very bunched up and close together. I did not mind this at all and actually thought it was kind of cool.
I was going through a bit of an eating disorder at the time so I found the food to be very odd. Looking back, I wish I had the chance to be a bit more exploritive and hope to go back someday to sample what the food is like through a clearer mind. The one thing that we never had was sushi. I can't believe that, but we never got around to eating that one food that everyone always familiarizes with Japan.
The next portion of our trip was in Kyoto. I remember Kyoto and much quieter and older city. I think this was mainly due to the amount of destruction that was done during world war 2. There were many original pre-war buildings that were made from wood. This was something that you simply did not see in Tokyo.
Kyoto was lush and beautiful. It was hilly and full of some awesome history. I wish I had some of the pictures from that portion of the trip but I don't know where they are.
Thailand
Thailand was full of so many people that spoke English, this was a huge change from Japan where it was very hard to communicate. We visited 3 places in thailand: Chang Mai, Kho Samui, and Bangkok.
Chang Mai was close to where my sister was working. It was a nice place that was urbanized but not too urbanized. I remember it being very different in terms of layout and overall feel. I felt like I was in a more underdeveloped part of the world and I loved it! So many dirt streets and beutiful back alleys, yet some internet cafes with faster speeds than the ones that I got back in the US. Kho Samui is an island and seemed mostly like a tourist destination. We did not leave the hotel a ton because there was not much to do culturally very close, so it was mostly a relaxing beach part of our vacation. Bankok was a much more bustling city. I felt the culture there... Aside from coca-cola and 7-11's on every corner, I felt like I was in a foreign land. It was dirty, and seemed a little scary at times. People were very nice and it was easy to get around.
Comparing the two very different countries leaves me with this. Japan was much more advanced and financially well of, though it seemed much more foreign to me. Thailand seemed much more open to communicate with American travelers and seemed like the economy relied on foreigners to spend some money there. I will always look back at this trip with such appreciation that I was able to do this.
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