Somebody please...enlighten me...

Okay guys, I need your sound advice. I don't want to go back! I have no desire to swap my hawk watching, lush Himalayan mountains, and Mahinder filled days for Provo. So educate me please. How do I get my classroom motivation back?

Snapshot

When I first met my Ama-la (my host mom) she grabbed my hand, took one of my bags, and laughed while telling me that she was my new step-mom. I knew then that this woman and I were going to have a grand 'ol time, but I couldn't have guessed how much I would come to love my little Tibetan family. Now one of their old students has been staying for the past 2-3 weeks and the four of us (Ama-la, Pa-la, Emily, and I) have had some great conversations. Here's a small snapshot...    

When asked why Pa-la had come home late one night
Ama-la: "Oh Pa-la was out dancing with his new girlfriend."
Pa-la: "Yes, she's 75."

In response to the lights going out in the middle of your shower, or the water running dry
Ama-la: "This is India!"

In reference to Matt and Julia's two years of marriage vs Ama-la and Pa-la's 26 years of marriage
Ama-la: "Only two years, oh still peak season. Off season for me and Pa-la."

Pa-la talking about his decision to marry Ama-la
"I knew this is right choice for me"
"No tension. This is the life" (said while he's reclining on his bed with his hands relaxed behind his head)

Pa-la's advice to Emily and I after explaining that Ama-la and Pa-la had written letters to each other for 8 years before getting married
"To take time is good. To hurry is danger. My daughters no rush."

Yes, we have a good time with our former paratrooper parents. They just get cooler and funnier the longer you hang around.

"Being Human"

In McLeod people often wear a t-shirt that says "Being Human". Initially I didn't have a clue what the shirt was talking about and finally attributed the phrase to some sketchy English skills. However after spending half the day with one of the Tibetan directors I feel as though this phrase is beginning to make sense.

It began when this director and I stood together for an hour waiting for the Dali Lama to drive by, while waiting he taught me about "being human". This man is educated with two masters and is currently working on his PHD, but he told me that every time he goes to one of the 13 schools under his jurisdiction that he goes in as a human being, not as the Director.

As I listened to his teaching and leadership styles I was impressed by how naturally he put himself on the same level as those he was teaching. Actually it wasn't that he was stepping down to their level, but helping them to get up to his. He taught me to think deeper - to see the human qualities belonging to all of us and gradually he helped me to understand on a higher level. I got the feeling that first and foremost, he was trying to be the best human he could be, and that is what made him a better husband, father, and director.

Later as I thought about the this conversation I was reminded of "being human". I think I might buy one of those shirts now, if only to remind me what it means to be human.

Parachute

I have started and not finished two posts already. Why? Mostly because I love this city and there's no way to express what I see and feel here in words. If only that were an excuse to not blog again :)

There are fabulously elegant Indian women working construction sites while simultaneously watching their children, Tibetan amala's spinning prayer wheels while they burst with laughter, monks taking English, Korean nuns sprinting through the rain, Nepalese flute players with a knack for palm reading, Yoga instructors pushing your body past the pain threshold, world travelers looking for the next adventure and Kashmiri shopkeepers telling jokes. It all combines into a beautiful kaleidoscope.

How I wish you could bottle it up and store away the kaleidoscope for dull days in a classroom. Buddhists believe each action you do creates an imprint on your karma for good or bad which will effect your future. By the same token, I believe the people me meet imprint upon our lives and we may not know the full effect of that imprint until years down the road when we find ourselves remembering a flute player or yoga instructor that we met once upon a time.

PS - "Parachute" is the song I was listening to by Ingrid Michaelson while writing this post.

Hind-sight

The last day of class! It's been a good ride. We've had our lows (beginning the IRB) and our highs (finishing the IRB). I feel like we covered a lot this semester so here's a couple of things I learned in hind-sight:

#5: While learning journals may never become enjoyable...they can be tolerable...maybe even appreciated
#4: No matter how many IRB or proposal drafts you do...it's never gonna feel "finished"
#3: This is a learner owned project, but it's not an independent project
#2: Flexibility = goodness
#1: India group is the best! And you other groups are pretty cool too :)

There have been other lessons learned...but these came to mind first. In my opinion, the best classes are the ones that answer the "so what?" question. They help you to find applications which connect outside of the classroom. And the very best classes, are the ones you carry with you because somehow they changed you or your perspective. I feel like I have a glimpse of the "so what" application for this class, but I imagine it will mean much more in the field. Cheers to FS prep.

On and on...

I did my project presentation yesterday...and I feel like I could have talked forever. At first I thought, "10-12 minutes is an eternity," but then I got talking and there was so much information to share and so little time to share it all. Heck, I was going on like a motormouth. It was fun though because I finally realized how much we've been learning this semester, and that is encouraging. Little by little we keep building these projects. Somehow I feel like it's foreshadowing our experiences in the field. Little by little we'll be trying to enter the field and building relationships...and then we'll have to go home. But I think we'll be talking about these projects for a long, long time.

Culture Shock

While in class, Bonnie and I discovered the perfect remedy to culture shock. See here's the plan: we're going to stock up on bread, mango's, pack a joke book and then...we will weep together. All irritations will subsequently be swallowed up in the joy of corny one-liners and tears. It's fail proof!

We really have no idea what to do, but it sounded like a good idea. Sometimes I think "get me out of Provo and over to India pronto!". Then we talk about stuff like culture shock and I remember it's probably better this process goes a little slower. I'm actually glad we talked/read about cs, otherwise we may break into fits of uncontrollable sobs with no plausible explanation. At least we know what to look out for now. And who knows, maybe we can add some more things to that list by the time we go home.

Whatever happens in the field, I'm sure we'll learn a lot. There's always a silver lining, right?

"Life by Passion"

Again I sit in front of the computer and wonder what to write. I don't know how columnists do it everyday...or comic strip writers for that matter (have you ever wondered how they can be so funny everyday of their lives?). Props to the literarily inclined. On a different note, this morning I went to the funeral of a good friend's husband. He was one of those incredible people that really lives and loves life, so it was fun to hear stories of him. As I sat there, I was inspired. "Life by Passion" is what it says on the wristbands they had made for him - and it's perfect because together he and his wife are the definition of living by passion. It's ironic that sometimes the Lord reminds us to live through death. I'm grateful for people who live, love, laugh, and inspire...they remind us that this life is one heck of a ride, so enjoy it.

My brother once told me to "live life intentionally" and be "awake". Sometimes I think we forget to wake up...and then the unexpected events shake us from drudgery. So I say it's time to embrace sporadic - be a nut, go to India, skydive, smile, make a friend. Whatever it is, do it and mean it. Heck! We're going on a field study! I am so stoked!!! Let's live it up :)

Evolution

Since I've already written about revolution, I figured "heck it's rhyme time," so we're gonna work it evolution style...then maybe down the road we'll throw in a little devolution or possibly pollution. That wasn't really funny, but I'm tired and trying to think critically, which naturally leads to rhyming. Alright, procrastination over. Today was I sitting in Tibetan class and TJ (our most excellent Tibetan buddy/teacher) was talking about the elections for the Tibetan government's next prime minister. He talked about the favored candidate, who happens to be a young upstart with ideas about sweeping changes. In his analysis of the situation cute little TJ said something that catch my attention real quick. Speaking about his uneasiness with large changes in the Tibetan government, TJ said, "our culture is our heritage". What an interesting statement, I thought. 

I wanted to wrap my head around his statement so I googled culture and heritage. Heritage is defined as "practices that are handed down from the past by tradition" and culture was defined as "the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization". In this context, I feel like he was saying that the way we behave is something that has been given to us from past generations. Maybe he believed sudden, or sweeping, changes would cause Tibetan’s to lose a piece of their culture and heritage.  What happens then when there is an evolution of culture? According to our heritage segregation was a fact of life a hundred years ago, yet our culture now shuns the thought. I believe our heritage develops our culture. The two terms are not synonymous because culture is continually evolving while heritage remains the same. TJ is right, there is a significant relationship between the two concepts – but, heritage allows us to look at what has been handed down and improve upon it…from this process culture is created. Culture requires flexibility, just like the field study. 

Helping, Fixing, or Serving

Today I decided to read the "helping, fixing, or serving" article again. I like the article and most of it rings true to me, however I found myself disagreeing with one of the author's points today. She said "serving makes us aware of our wholeness and its power. The wholeness in us serves the wholeness in others". I've never felt more humbled than those times when I want to serve the most. What about the times when you wish you could serve but don't know how? I agree that service is "a relationship between equals" but I don't feel like we are "whole" pieces. We are different pieces of something that is whole, and as we serve together we find another piece to that puzzle. When I think of someone who's whole, I think of someone who always knows what to say and when to say it, or what to do - but I have never met that person. Solutions are found when we work together because we are more complete together. Service is rendered in weakness and God magnifies it.

Word Power

That title sounds like we're about to watch School House Rock but, I'm just going to make this journal an extension of our class discussion. The question Ashley wrote up at the beginning of class reminded me of a presentation by Breanne Ackerman at the Inquiry Conference. Breanne did her project on the importance of translators in Dharamasala, and specifically about what/how people choose to translate. She made the point that people translate the most important messages they want to communicate and how they translate the message can make a major impact on what's understood. She gave the example of Tibetan's using the word "torture" in their translations rather than the word "beaten" or "escaped" in place of the word "run-away". Obviously, the use of different words intensified the meaning of what was being said. There is a definite power in words, and I think the video that was shared in class today shows how quickly our meanings can be altered. I don't know if there is a way to avoid being misunderstood in our everyday interactions on the field study. It's not like you can back-translate everything someone translates for you. Hopefully the more we try to get to know someone, the better we'll both be understood. This things going to be one heck of an adventure.

What do the things we share with people say about who we are? I watched the Voice of Africa on Thursday night and left grateful to have the experience. The guy introducing each song explained that the group drummed and danced to share the pride and joy they felt for their culture. Thursday night I felt that joy and understood that pride because of their decision to share. Their music brought in an incredible spirit wrought with meaning and faith and tradition, thank goodness God made us all different. The message they shared was universally beautiful.

The next night I sat on a plane in the middle of two strangers. One passenger was a 27 year old attorney, the other passenger an electrical engineer. Both were flying home after doing work up in Salt Lake. As we talked it was easy to see how much education meant to this young attorney. She was a hard worker with ambition, but I got the feeling that she was a normal down to earth woman at the same time. The engineer was too cute. He told us about his kids, especially the daughter at UCR who wanted to become a forensics technician like the CSI people. In all likelihood, I will probably never see those people again...but somewhere in Vegas there is a hard working attorney who values education, and in the thick of Burbank there is a family loving dad who's proud of his kids...and that is worth knowing. I like talking to strangers because it's those brief once-in-a-lifetime encounters where people teach you what's really important.  

Revolution

As I watched CNN last night there was a quote that has stuck with me. A number of analysts were discussing what the US should do about the situation in Libya. Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad versus McWorld, was explaining why Libyans didn't want the US to become too involved. In his explanation Barber said, "In the end, people have to make their own revolutions". They were a people fighting for something better, but this movement had to be for their country and not anyone else.

This quote again came to mind today as I was reading about Buddha, hopefully I can explain why. When I think about Siddhartha (Buddha's original name), I picture him beginning as a curious man. I don't think he forsook his old life in order to create the world's next major religion, I just think he wanted to understand his world better. He questioned and searched, and by so doing he did "make [his] own revolution". His revolution ended up effecting millions of people, but that's not always how revolutions turn out. In my mind revolutions are a determination to act, and to act in a way that will change one's circumstance or mentality. In this sense, a revolution can be as large as Siddhartha's or as small as changing one's habits. 

Now you may wonder what this has to do with a field study. That's a fair question which I can only answer for myself. I will be interacting with incoming Tibetan refugees and in many ways I consider these refugees to be in the midsts of their own "revolutions". They come from China, Nepal, Bhutan, and other parts of India, and I assume they come with the desire to change their lives for the better. I will be asking many of them what they feel they need most. In essence, what do they need to finish their revolution? I'm excited to learn the answers because I imagine they will add some "enlightenment" to the revolutions that happen everyday.

Grandpa D

This last weekend I went to visit my Grandpa D and he told me stories. For hours we sat as he entertained me with the past, we even brought out his atlas so he could show me all the places he’s been. I was fascinated to learn how he and my grandma were serving an irrigation mission in Egypt at the time that Sadat was killed and Mubarak took over power. I tried with my might to pick his brain about what it was like, if there was a change in the atmosphere, and any political insights I could get. However he didn’t have too many details to share about Mubarak’s presidency. I began to notice a trend in grandpa’s stories. He remembered people. He remembered the men that he served with in WWII, the boys he played ball with, the professor that inspired him, the kid in his seminary class who was a scripture mastery whiz, and the names of irrigation engineers he’d worked with around the world. That's what amazed me; he’s ninety-one and still remembers their names. I want that out of India, and out of my whole life. History books will record the presidential facts, but they can’t remind you of the people who changed your life. Grandpa reminded me it was the relationships he’d built and the service he’d rendered that made his life beautiful. I hope my research in India is awesome, but thirty years from this experience I hope I can say more of the people I met than the work I did.

Reciprocity

I'm trying to wrap my head around the concept of reciprocity. On the mission this was easy because everything was contracted: we teach, you keep commitments, you feel something, and we teach more. However, how do you give back in a situation where you feel like you have nothing to give? I'm thinking mostly of the field study experience here. I'm going to research, so I will need their time/knowledge, but what will I give back? This question got me thinking about the simplest moments of reciprocity, which made me think of a man I met while jogging yesterday. This man and I had gotten caught at the same intersection, I had obviously been jogging and he was headed across the street to the library, at first we smiled at each other and nodded. After a few seconds I asked him how his day was going, he responded to my question and then nicely told me that the concrete sidewalks are hard on your knees while jogging. We then had a conversation where I learned about optimal jogging surfaces, about how he had completed five marathons, and the injury that was now keeping him from running. It was a great conversation that spanned all of two minutes. This cute little Hispanic man had knowledge to give, and all I had to offer was my attention and gratitude. As meager as my reciprocity was for his knowledge, I knew it still meant something to him. It's like those moments when you meet as strangers, but leave as friends. Time, appreciation, and gratitude are often the kind of reciprocity that builds bridges and motivates us to serve again.

I’m still reading from Immigrant Ambassadors, and lately Hess argues that the identity of Tibetan youth is becoming more cosmopolitan because their focus is to support the Tibetan cause, which is becoming “increasing internationalized” (210). Her opinion reminded me of an incident I had read about from a Refworld page where 300 Tibetan youth were detained after protesting at a rally for the Chinese Olympic Torch (http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,USCRI,,AFG,4562d8cf2,4a40d2a75d,0.html). It reminded me because I was surprised to hear about protests by Tibetan youth. I had a vision of quiet village people in my head and then all of the sudden they’re protesting, so when Hess talked about their cosmopolitan identity I wondered if that was the cause for the protest.  I tend to connect such passionate protesting with nationalism.  Now I’m not an authority on Tibetan youth, or the Tibetan cause, but that kind of nationalism has to come from somewhere.

What would cause them to identify so passionately to the Tibetan cause?  The fact that they’re born Tibetan? Or born exiles? Or the education which teaches their history from a heavily Tibetan perspective, and probably lacks coverage from a Chinese perspective?  Does exposure to other cultures and nations increase ones own nationalism? 

I believe there are too many variables to prove that the cause of increased activism is a result of international exposure.  

Prodigal Blogger

Whew! It has been a while since my last post, but this is my re-dedication to learning journals. Any who, onto the meat-and-potatoes of this blog...

Culture has been on my mind lately and there are a couple reasons why. I've been reading chapters of a book called "Immigrant Ambassadors: Citizenship and Belonging in the Tibetan Diaspora" by Julia Meredith Mess. It's a book that Melissa recommended which talks about the Tibetan diaspora (mainly in the US, but there's general coverage of their diaspora in India). I like the way that this book is trying to understand Tibetan culture/identity. For example, one of the quotes Hess uses is from a CTA (Central Tibetan Administration) employee as he dealt with one foreign woman who complained that she thought there was "too much commercialization," because of the intermingling between Tibetans and western "hippies". The employee responded to her by saying, "culture is not static, one identifies one's own culture through interaction with others. You were disappointed because you have an illusion" (17). I've been pondering about how one's culture is fluid since reading this particular quote. Often I've thought of culture as inbred, lasting, and static, however that's not necessarily true when you look at people, especially Tibetans. For years the outside world thought of a isolationist Tibetan culture, yet now Tibetans are on the world stage and being visited be thousands of tourists. Was it Tibetan culture that changed, or an outside illusion that was shattered? Maybe a little of both was going on. At any rate, a culture was better identified/understood because of interaction with others.

Once you decide to interact with another culture then comes the question of how to interact with that culture. Last night I watched a short movie called Barbequeria with the cultural inquiry club (I think this is the right group...but no guarantees). This movie was a satire which reversed the roles of black indigenous people and white colonizers in Australia. There is a black reporter who lives with a white family in their slums, and follows them through a number of changes in their family (all changes are initiated by the black government and include things like taking their daughter away for a "better" education). This reporter interviews the family in an attempt to understand how they feel about these changes, but you can tell that she's not even close to understanding them. There are times when she asks the right questions, yet the family doesn't feel comfortable giving open and honest answers. She is trying to understand them from her perspective and it's just not enough.

Alas, there are a few conclusions I've come up with as a result of these sources. First, try not to go into a culture with illusions - this one might be hard because I think we naturally imagine the experience we're going to have. Second, don't make assumptions about a culture based upon my own illusions. Third, try to avoid getting caught up in one perspective. And forth, enjoy the people and their culture.

Postscript: The New York experiment was fun :) I have a new love for New Yorkers, the subway, and bustling cities. Here are a few reasons why my friends in the city still live in the city:
#1: It's home. I heard this answer the most. People had grown up in New York, or lived there for so long, that it was hard to imagine living anywhere else.
#2: They loved the city. One cute Filipino woman told me she loved how there's always something going on, and that she's gone to other smaller cities and thought they were really low-key. "What do you do," she asked, "when it's late and you're hungry and there's no street vendors open?". Being a lover of gyro vendors, I think she brings up a serious point.  
#3: They stay because of their situation. Their situation could include a job, family, etc. A woman from Zimbabwe wasn't such a fan of the city, but her husband liked living in New York and she was a good woman who was willing to be a supportive wife.
This list is a small sampling of New Yorkers, but I had a ton of fun talking to them. Good people.

So Tuesday I went to the Raffa Raffa activity and it was pretty cool. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical when they told me to start making animal noises...but it worked out in the end. Anywho, I like that the activity puts you in a different environment and then allows you to analyze your own behavior. Automatically I was of the impression that my dog-barking-pig-squeeling trade culture was the way of life, but then we went into the other "tribe". I wanted to relate things to what I understood, like trade/competition/or power. However, because I was trying to understand based upon my small perspective, I was limited and couldn't appreciate the ways of this new culture. They were different, and that was fine with me, but it wasn't the "best" way in my mind. As we talked about the activity later I realized my uneven bias and decided to attempt to change my way of looking at new things.

Now I'm in New York. On the plane over here, a friend remarked that the people of New York were mean compared to the west because that's what you had to do in order to succeed in the big city. I asked another friend what he thought about New York, "it's great to visit," he said, "but it can't compare to my mountains". I guess it's natural to try relating your world to the unknown.

These conversations have led me to an experiement...I'm going to try viewing this city outside of my perspective. What's great about it? What do native New Yorkers love about living here? Why do they live here? I know this isn't India, and these people are Americans, but I'm still tempted to compare everything to my west coast way of life. Hopefully by experimenting on New Yorkers, I'll be more prepared for Tibetans.

The Role of Religion

Today I've been shifting through more, and more, articles to find annotated sources. Mostly I'm looking for sources that focus on Tibetan refugee studies. While searching, I came across an article about the role religion has played in helping these people to assimilate into a new society. The Dali Lama was arguably a key figure, and assimilation was heavily assisted by his leadership. I don't know why, but I had not considered the major impact religion plays on assimilation. Yes, I knew that Tibetan Buddhism was a large part of their lives, and they followed the Dali Lama...but what did that mean for assimilation. Well, then I went and wikipedia-ed "tibetan Buddhism" and came to learn a lot about how the refugees could be so greatly influence.

According to Wikipedia, Tibetan Buddhism teaches a great respect for the teacher. The teachers are to be revered, and their decision accepted. However, this process of becoming a teacher is a long process and accompanied by skepticism (questioning to make sure that they are qualified). With this respect of the teachers, it would be a great comfort to know that your leader would help you to have what was needed, etc. You could also trust the lower level teachers, under the Dali Lama, because you know they are worthy of your respect. I assume this direction would assist in moving/working/and starting life over.

7 Years in Tibet

Anyone reading this is probably a member of our India fs group and already knows we watched "7 years in Tibet," so I will refrain from recapping the movie. I thought is was facsinating to watch the transformation of the main character's attitude throughout the movie. After reading the "Culture Blends" article, it makes me wonder when this hiker began to accept a different culture. What made him change his mentality (because let's face it...he's a punk for the first half of the movie)? And as an American, I'm a little nervous of going into a new society and offending them with my "deficit" nature. I have been in situations with different cultures, and ways of life, but I was still on my "turf" so to speak. It's exciting to think that we're going to someone else's turf, culture, and timeframe. I guess I'll just have to keep my American perspectives in check :)

Time for a new post! So I just received a book from a friend about five different methods to do a qualitative study. This particular friend is going to Uganda to study how sports are helping Ugandan orphans to create an identity within their schools. I thought I was going to study the way that host families helped Tibetan's to assimilate into society...but now it appears that there may be too many variables. This would complicate my process, and lead to inconclusive data :(   So here's what both my friend, and I, need to figure out, how do you do a qualitative study about one variable? I hope this book helps.

I also was talking to Professor Dave Shuler (I think that's how you spell his name), and the man is a valt of knowledge. I love it! He should me that personal connections would be vital to my project. There is a man living up in Provo Canyon who apparently knows quite a bit about the McLeod area, and P. Shuler also remembered a paper from nearly six years ago that a student had written about Tibetan refugees. I think the BYU connections are going to be a huge help!

Source Documents

Okay, source documents take an amazing amount of time! I finished my two and then I wanted to pack it in for the day, but it was only two in the afternoon. Oh well. I did learn quite a bit from the experience, but now I have more questions. The more I prepare for this field study, the more complicated it gets (anybody else feeling that?).

Anywho, I'm going to study the effect of host families on refugee assimilation, however I'm not sure how you show causation. There was one paper I read where the author had done tons of research in order to better understand how to help refugees who are coming into a new environment. This guy had bucket loads of info on the many variables that contributed to the experience: age, gender, education, marital status, ethnicity, networking, sponsorship, etc. He had so many different variables! If I choose one variable, such as host families, than how do I show that this variable is the difference maker?

I'm thinking that I will have to make my sample group extremely similar. They will all have to be the same age range, gender, marital status, you get the picture. Or could I have two separate sample groups? For example, one group could be male, married, middle-aged, etc and the other group could be female, single, early-20's. I'm new at this research action...so any ideas are welcomed.

I think I just might have a subject to study! Of course, I'm holding my breath a bit until this is actually legit. One of the things I'd like to study is the work of NGO's based in McLeod Ganj, and how they help refugees adjust to life in a new territory.

In my IAS 220 class we discussed how some people receiving aid tend to degrade themselves because of the opinion that donners have towards them (ex: I want to help you "little people"). Here you have people in need, who suffer from a "little people" syndrome, and therefore lack additional confidence. No wonder it becomes easy to depend more on foreign assistance. How can you believe that you can get on your feet and prosper, when everyone looks at you as a poor refugee. So, here's my question: do the host families used by Tibetan NGO's help refugees to have more confidence and make better community connections? What is the influence of a sud-o family upon refugees? It's just an idea at this point...but it may work.

My roommate and I have been talking about whether, or not, anyone really knows what they're doing when it comes to development. Recently, our classes have discussed the different approaches to development. Are you more of a bottom-up person, or do you think top-down is more effective? We came to the determination that it is just too complicated to go with one clear-cut answer.

In December (or November) NPR's Planet Money had a podcast where they were wondering this same question, more specifically they wanted to know if donations to Haiti should be sent right to the people, or to the aid organizations. They set up two accounts: one for a struggling school who met in a church building (this school wanted to have their own building and books for the kids), the other account was for a women who thought she could set up her own small business if she had the money to obtain the initial resources. Sending money directly to the school was a complete failure, however the money sent to the women was a great success. What's that mean? Listening to the podcast I thought to myself, "that is so inconclusive! What's the answer to aid?".

The more I listen, and read about development, the more I believe there is no easy answer. What works for Haiti will not always work for Botswana. Similarly, there are differences between people and occupations that complicate matters more. The street vendors solution could be completely different than the farmers plans, and yet they could be the same. It sends my head spinning! Why couldn't there just be an easy answer?

Have you ever wondered why people beg on the street? I had read an article about Tibetan refugees in India, and apparently there are a number of beggars. This article partially blamed the foreigners for the number of beggars, saying that tourism had created a dependency. I wonder how many variables go into making a Tibetan refugee choose to beg on the streets, rather than take a job. Naturally, I would like to judge the man, and probably encourage him to get up and start working. However, what if this individual is more capable of providing for his family by begging, instead of working at the local blacksmith? What if his begging is his job? I just don't know! There are so many different reasons that could cause someone to become a beggar. Not only are these people struggling with the same human issues as us in America, like finances and education, but they're also displaced. How do you know when to push someone to get up vs when to let them beg? This is all very complicated...and over my head.

Dream Big

I've been wondering lately...so brace yourself. What do people in other countries dream about? I dream about getting good grades, or competing well, or hanging out with the fam. What about those kids who are poor, or displaced? Does it mean anything when someone tells them to dream big? Do Tibetan kids in India dream of going home? Maybe impoverished kids in Africa dream that their mom didn't have AIDS anymore. It's kind of a sobering thought, and I'm sorry if it's a downer thought, but I was musing. What does it really mean to dream big?