Being around mostly people with views similar to my own can play tricks on a person's mind at times. You start to forget how many differing views and ideas are really out there. One of my most passionate causes is human rights. With everything this country has accomplished such as ending slavery, women's suffrage and the civil rights movement, we still have a long way to go with treating homosexual people with the respect we expect for ourselves.
With the addition of New York, there are now seven states in the US where same sex marriage is legal. But there are still 43 left! The Trevor project has brought light to the fact that young gay teens are committing suicide at an alarming rate, mostly due to bullying by there peers. When I saw a news story citing how Gay History may be required in California public school's curriculum, I took to my facebook page to express my excitement. Now, I wasn't intending to ruffle any feathers, but nonetheless received a barrage of disheartening comments about how gay history is stupid or a waste of taxpayer's dollars. Well... when it comes to social media, I try to keep to the old adage "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". I don't agree with other things people post, but just pass by it, or sometimes remove them from my friends list.
I could handle asinine comments from people I barely know or haven't spoken to since high school, but when my own mother proceeded to exclaim from the mountain tops how "being gay is a choice" and gay history is in no way necessary for teaching readin', writin' and arithmetic...and then continued to attack a gay friend of mine whom she had never met...I was beyond mortified. This was a person who birthed, raised, and made so many sacrifices so I could have everything I needed. How could she possibly believe this? What cult Kool-Aid was she drinking? This hurt me to the core, and for the first time I really felt a fraction of the betrayal gay people feel from their loved ones who don't accept their lifestyle.
I'm not gay, so I can't claim to know what it's like. How it feels to question your own sexuality. Wondering if your friends, family, and society will accept you. And gaining the courage to come out and be true to yourself. I can never really know how it feels or what it's like, but I know I support every GLBT person I have ever meet, and hope to meet in the future. I feel the same conviction to fight for their rights to be valued members of society, much like the Caucasian freedom riders in the 60's were fighting for the rights of their African-American friends. I believe in this because it's the right thing to do, and a step forward as human beings.
I'm not sure how to battle the hate and intolerance. We can't change everyones minds overnight. Their convictions against homosexuality are as strong as ours are for equality. We're all entitled to free speech, even if its negative and hurtful. I do, however, know the answer is not more hate speech. Just keep spreading the message of love and acceptance, and practicing what we preach. Lead by example, and don't hide your passion for peace.
It Gets Better :)
Does anyone else have tactics for dealing with homophobes?
This is the true story... of seven strangers... picked to live in dorms...work together and have their lives taped... to find out what happens... when people stop being polite... and start getting real...The Real World TAIWAN
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
La La Shan
Welcome to the Mountains
The overnight trip to LaLa Mountain was legendary. It was great to have a trip with the group together and enjoy some great activities together.
The drive to the mountain takes about three hours. One of the students got carsick so we had to take him back to the dorm which added over an hour to the drive. Thanks buddy. Once we finally reached our destination, we could immediately tell how different the mountains are from the city. The air is thinner and less humid. It was also a little rainy and foggy so their were times when we were literally walking through the clouds.
The first stop was a village where some of the Native Taiwanese people live. They served us lunch of fresh whole fish and wild hog. All the food had great flavors and we ate it straight with our hands. After lunch we made a traditional dessert where you pound sticky rice into a thick paste and dip it in black sugar. Very fun and delish. After eating, people took turns singing songs from their native country. Because we have such a diverse group, we heard songs from Taiwan, Vietnam, Kurdistan, Brazil, and India. Next we took a tour of their christian church where Esther and Danny played some classical music in the sanctuary. Finally, we toured the Elementary school where K-6 attend. The school really focused on the local region. They are extremely in tune with the nature around them. They study local bugs and insects, grow local vegetation, and even have a lily pad pond to raise tadpoles. I would have loved to go to school there. Dr. Jih explained that because they are an aboriginal group, they receive more governmental funding which allows the school to do all it does and have such a low student to teacher ratio.
Finally it was dinner time and we had a traditional Taiwanese dinner. This is the 4th time I've been to a restaurant like this. There is all you can eat rice, and then they bring out lots of dishes that are served family style. Some of the common dishes are a whole fish, whole cooked shrimp, day lily soup, goat, bamboo, mushrooms, cabbage, roast duck or chicken, and lots more. One of the difficult things to get used to is that the Taiwanese don't always have a drink with their meal. Sometimes you get a small cup of tea, but whenever i would ask Dr. Jih if we could order a drink, he would say, "That's what your soup is for." haha.
After dinner we all loaded up on snacks and went back to our rooms which were really awesome. It was amazing to get to sleep on a real mattress. This was the only night that the girls and guys got to hang out past 11pm and get to know each other better. I invented a sumo wrestling game that I'm thinking about bringing to the states.
The next morning we woke up to have a traditional breakfast...but me and Becky had to have some real food so the cook make us toast, fried eggs, and peanut butter. It's a good thing too because next we took a 10K trek across the mountain. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The main attraction of the LaLaShan nature preserve is the old trees. They are giant trees ranging from 400-2800 years of age. Literally some of the trees were around in 800BC which is unreal. The United States has only been a country for more than 200 years so that tree was 14 times older than the USA. WOW!! Although there was a steep incline for the majority of the hike, the trails and stairs made it safe and easy to navigate.
Some of the most interesting parts of the mountain is that the main crop is peaches. There are peach stands everywhere. The mountain is also home to a species of monkeys which love to eat peaches, so while we think monkeys are awesome, the farmers don't love them so much. The peaches are delicious and quite expensive. Along with just fresh produce, they make a variety of peach products. One i tried was peach honey tea which was delicious. The peach wine and liquor is a little on the strong side.
The overnight trip to LaLa Mountain was legendary. It was great to have a trip with the group together and enjoy some great activities together.
The drive to the mountain takes about three hours. One of the students got carsick so we had to take him back to the dorm which added over an hour to the drive. Thanks buddy. Once we finally reached our destination, we could immediately tell how different the mountains are from the city. The air is thinner and less humid. It was also a little rainy and foggy so their were times when we were literally walking through the clouds.
The first stop was a village where some of the Native Taiwanese people live. They served us lunch of fresh whole fish and wild hog. All the food had great flavors and we ate it straight with our hands. After lunch we made a traditional dessert where you pound sticky rice into a thick paste and dip it in black sugar. Very fun and delish. After eating, people took turns singing songs from their native country. Because we have such a diverse group, we heard songs from Taiwan, Vietnam, Kurdistan, Brazil, and India. Next we took a tour of their christian church where Esther and Danny played some classical music in the sanctuary. Finally, we toured the Elementary school where K-6 attend. The school really focused on the local region. They are extremely in tune with the nature around them. They study local bugs and insects, grow local vegetation, and even have a lily pad pond to raise tadpoles. I would have loved to go to school there. Dr. Jih explained that because they are an aboriginal group, they receive more governmental funding which allows the school to do all it does and have such a low student to teacher ratio.
Finally it was dinner time and we had a traditional Taiwanese dinner. This is the 4th time I've been to a restaurant like this. There is all you can eat rice, and then they bring out lots of dishes that are served family style. Some of the common dishes are a whole fish, whole cooked shrimp, day lily soup, goat, bamboo, mushrooms, cabbage, roast duck or chicken, and lots more. One of the difficult things to get used to is that the Taiwanese don't always have a drink with their meal. Sometimes you get a small cup of tea, but whenever i would ask Dr. Jih if we could order a drink, he would say, "That's what your soup is for." haha.
After dinner we all loaded up on snacks and went back to our rooms which were really awesome. It was amazing to get to sleep on a real mattress. This was the only night that the girls and guys got to hang out past 11pm and get to know each other better. I invented a sumo wrestling game that I'm thinking about bringing to the states.
The next morning we woke up to have a traditional breakfast...but me and Becky had to have some real food so the cook make us toast, fried eggs, and peanut butter. It's a good thing too because next we took a 10K trek across the mountain. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The main attraction of the LaLaShan nature preserve is the old trees. They are giant trees ranging from 400-2800 years of age. Literally some of the trees were around in 800BC which is unreal. The United States has only been a country for more than 200 years so that tree was 14 times older than the USA. WOW!! Although there was a steep incline for the majority of the hike, the trails and stairs made it safe and easy to navigate.
Some of the most interesting parts of the mountain is that the main crop is peaches. There are peach stands everywhere. The mountain is also home to a species of monkeys which love to eat peaches, so while we think monkeys are awesome, the farmers don't love them so much. The peaches are delicious and quite expensive. Along with just fresh produce, they make a variety of peach products. One i tried was peach honey tea which was delicious. The peach wine and liquor is a little on the strong side.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Hot or Not!!!
Things about Taiwan that are Amazeballs:
1. Bubble Tea - Tea that has these little chewy balls at the bottom made of sweet tofu. so rad.
2. Night Market- You can buy everything here! Yeah, love it.
3. People - The people here are so kind and will bend over backwards to make sure you get the full experience. I seriously owe so many people but they won't ever allow me to pay them back.
4. Adorable kids - Everyone here is gorgeous in general but the kids are cheek pinching adorable. Especially if they are little nugget chubby faces. PS - they are scared of giant blonde chicks.
5. Skin protection - Guys and girls alike work hard to keep their skin white. They wear sunblock, longsleeves, carry umbrellas, and even use skin whitening creams. I know the reason isn't just to be healthy but i'm sure it's why most asians look so young!!
6. Prices - Wow the cost of living here is amazing. From what we have learned, most people save 40% of their income, pay for their kids college, and can still afford to live comfortably. You can have an amazing multi course meal in a restaurant for around $4.
7. Style - Everyone here dresses so cute. There are a lot of bows, leggings, dresses, hats, giant glasses, floral prints, scrunchies, lace, and hilarious t-shirts. Guys even carry murses.
Things I could def live without:
1. Floor Toilets!!! I don't get this. Last time I went to Lowe's, toilets were like $40. Why would you subject yourself to this mess?
2. Driving. If you have road rage, don't come here. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way so you nearly get hit by a car or moped on a daily basis. Also, no one stops unless there's a redlight.
3. Humidity - It gets hot in the summer in the south, but you could cut through the air here with a butter knife. I think there is about 5% oxygen in the air.
4. Stinky Tofu - This is hilarious to the Taiwanese...i guess they're used to the smell. This is a real street food and it smells like ass.
5. Wifi - All the FREE wifi here requires a login and password....ugh...where would i get this??
6. Sizes - It's really hard to find sizes in clothes other than small and extra small. Not that I think you should cater to obesity like we do in America...but come on!!
7. The Bed Situation - Mattresses here a like a chunky comforter. Not to sound like a brat, but you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, why not go all out on a mattress???
Misc. Can't decide what I think of this stuff. It could go either way.
1. Masks - Most of the time when people where a mask it's for good reason, they are sick and don't want others to catch it or they don't want to breathe in the exhaust from cars and mopeds. It's still kinda hard to get used to though.
2. Health Inspection - There are some restaurants and other establishments that would not pass health codes in the US of A but we still ate there..and the food was good.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Night Market Syndrome
So most cities in Taiwan have a night market. This is when people open up their stands in front of the normal stores in the street and sell food, clothes, souvenirs, accessories, just about everything you can think of. It opens around 5pm every single day. Being the shopaholics we are, Becky and I frequent the night market every single night until the very last second when we have to get back to our dorm for curfew at 11pm. (PS - the night market is directly behind our dorm so it's a little too accessible.)
Last night we were walking back to the dorm after dinner when Becky, who has a BS in microbiology so she's a legit scientist discovers the phenomenon of "Night Market Syndrome". It's the urge you feel every night right before bed to go buy something, no matter what it is. You must make a money transaction before you are locked into your dorm. Becky's fix is a milkshake from Tip of the Iceberg, a dessert stand by our dorm, and Cosmed, and drugstore we also frequent. Mine is usually any accessory with a bow or some black tea.
Even if you don't need anything or couldn't possibly eat or drink another gram of food, you have the strongest urge to go buy something. You'll find any excuse to make your way over to the night market to go buy something. You find yourself digging through people's conversations, waiting for any chance to suggest visiting the night market.
Examples:
Person #1 - "I bought my girlfriend a bracelet in Taipei 101. What do you think of it?"
Me - "I need to buy some more souvenirs for my family. I'm going into this shop real quick."
Becky - "Hey do you want to go get a watermelon drink...I think I'm gonna go get one. Yeah I'm going."
We're not sure what kind of treatment would work best for this illness. Once we leave Taiwan, it will obviously be harder to find the types of goodies we have grown accustomed to here, and especially at such low prices. I'm thinking about checking myself into rehab when we land in Nashville so I don't end up going broke or gaining another 50 lbs once i get home and am not confined to my home at 11 every night.
I'm sure case studies and much more research will need to be done before this issue can be cured for good. Good luck everyone.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Fun Little Saturday
The National Palace Museum was interesting because it showed art that is exclusive to Chinese Culture. One of the wierdest things in the museum that is also probably the most famoust is the Jade Cabbage which is bok choy made out of solid Jade.
From the museum, we headed over to Taipei 101 which is the tallest skyskraper in Taiwan. It's over 101 stories tall. Inside is a full mall that has every designer you can think of (just about). I was able to land some Dolce & Gabanna flats for 60% off. Best day so far. <3 Some of up bought tickets and rode the elevator to the top. The elevator took us up to the 88th floor where there was a 360 inside observatory. The elevator went so fast that my ears popped. It only took about 40 seconds to go up more than 80 stories. From the inside observatory, we took the stairs up to the 91st floor where there is an outside observatory. This was a lot more fun. There was a great breeze so we were able to stay up there a while and take tons of pics. After all the shopping and site seeing, we finally ended up at Freedom Square.
This is a great area with tons of asian style architecture and landscaping. There were tons of locals and tourists walking around. This is the square a lot of people go to to watch the countdown and fireworks at Taipei 101 just like Americans do at Times Square.
Friday, July 16, 2010
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