Jasmine Lam

Ever since I have returned from Fiji, I have been overwhelmed in terms of work load and studies. I have quite disappointed in myself that I had not spared a bit of time to blog among the stress and pressure.  So here’s some of my thoughts after being back in Richmond since WavuWavu:

My first and greatest epiphany was when I saw that the Global Perspective Fijian home webpage had been changed to a Botswana home webpage. Right away, I thought of the Mongolians. How eager they were to be in class while we, the new Fijians, had just been introduced to the program. How kind and enthusiastic they were to share their thoughts, their advice. And finally, how excited they were for us as we were about to embark on our own Global experience.

Thinking about the Mongolians, I went through my desk and found the letter in which a Mongolian had written for me. It was almost unbelievable how much more sense the content of the letter made to me in comparison to the first time I had read it, which was prior to the trip to Fiji. All of a sudden, I felt that I had finally understood. I understood how the Mongolians felt when their trip was over, how sad yet excited they were when the Fijians started to take over, because I too had the same feelings towards the beginning of the Botswana journey. I understood Matheny and how he said, over and over again, that things would make more sense only after the experience.

I now feel a lot closer to the Mongolians, and I am much more thankful for their support over the past year.

-Jasmine

So, 42 hours and an opening ceremony later, the Colts to Fiji are in Fiji, and have settled into this hotel; apparently, it was in fact the best place in town. Ge, Alisha and Nicole were my roommates; we were given a room found next to the laundry mat, whose suite number did not follow the floor’s number sequence. With an unpredictable air conditioner, a cracked and mouldy wall, random nails, a poster stating that Christmas was on the 26^th, flickering bathroom lights, cockroaches, and not to the mention, the shower with exposing pipes and a single knob with only hot water, there was a lot to adapt to. The room had a creepy vibe to it, and all of us were slightly jealous of the other students who had luxurious queen sized beds and home décor; some of us even decided to spend the night the more polished rooms.

Nonetheless, as our days in Labasa went by, my roommates and I felt more and more attached to the room. It became the place where we talked and sang fragments of song lyrics like “We freak in a jeep”. Every day, it was where we reflected upon our experiences working with the locals and with one another. We laid on those thin, itchy, brown blankets and we were simply awed at how happy and lucky we felt to be there in Fiji, to be in that particular moment surrounded by friends, supportive teachers and Fijians who were beyond content of our visit.  I remember resting in that room, wanting every minute to suspend to hours, even days.

That room was unique not only because it was like no other hotel rooms I’ve seen, but it also held the times I’ve shared with my fellow Colts. Once, while all the lights in the rest of the hotel were operating, the one set of light in our bathroom would not turn on. Being extremely afraid of the dark, Nicole refused to take a shower.  However, as Ge, Alisha and I tried to comfort her, Nicole agreed to enter the dark bathroom on the condition that Alisha and I rehearsed aloud the Glass Menagerie while she showered. She also made one of us shine a flashlight in the bathroom to light up some of the darkness. This story may seem odd to you, or perhaps a little funny, but for me, it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Despite each other’s’ fears or demands, we were always there for one another. In spite of Nicole’s paranoia of ghosts in the dark, Ge, Alisha and I were more than willing to help her. Whether it was in our rooms or on the work site, I will always remember how supportive everyone was for one another, how everyone was one team, with a goal we were all proud of.

We were overjoyed to have had the opportunity to go through that entire work week, and to be with so many great friends. Though were off to many other places to stay, I believe I could say this for everyone that we would have rather stayed at Hotel North Pole.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone of Global Perspectives 2011, including teachers, for making this Fiji trip so great. Thank you for making one another smile and laugh. For some, thanks for welcoming me in your rooms, when the creepy room got too creepy.

-Jasmine

I am happy to say that today is my first day of post-IB. What a hurdle I just hopped over, it feels great. So now that I’m done, a Frequently Asked Question has been on my mind: Would I suggest others to join IB? I have actually pondered about this question for a while, probably since IB has ever started. Throughout the two years, my answers have changed immensely. In Grade 11, I thought, yes maybe it could not hurt to be in IB. During Grade 12, I thought, no way would I want others to go through this. And now, now that I’m done, I see that the worthiness of IB really lies in the amount of time and effort one is willing to invest into the program. The choice is not so much taking IB versus the regular provincial curriculum, but rather, the choices in which a student makes in the process. Thinking back onto the choices I have made, I could have made my year a little easier. I remember thinking, “if only I could reschedule my course selection, or if only I could redo the way I approached my EE, my math portfolio, my case studies…” However, like most experiences, life only gives us one shot. I thought of my experience in Fiji. The Global Perspective journey, too, was just as good as I had allowed it to be. Like IB, the efforts (which the students have put into fundraising) as well as the perseverance (in digging the poop hole or painting the entire building), contributed to the success and the uniqueness of the experience.

So, to all the Grade 11s in IB as well as to the Colts to Botswana, good luck to all of you, trust in yourself and realize that the experience will only be as good as you make it.

-Jasmine

Arriving to the village WavuWavu was like travelling through a dream or some kind of virtual world produced by the Discovery Channel. Every scene was like a picture in my Geography textbook. It was unreal. I have never seen so much green in one view, for such long periods. I had realized how much of nature we had lost back home in Richmond, ironically, “the city of Nature”. It is nothing like seeing a view like this with bare eyes. Every picture in my camera could not capture the extent of the beauty in which these islands display. I saw the big smiles from the children, and this place felt like paradise. However, I then continued to learn about the livelihood and opportunities here in this village. Mr. Sing mentioned that, when he was in elementary school, he had to walk for about an hour to go from home to school. Many of the children I saw walking and running along the fields, were not wearing shoes. A man, whom was cutting sugar canes for us, had an injury from soccer, three weeks ago. The wound had grown worse as he had been using powder and other methods in which probably had done harm more than good. Despite the fresh air, blue waters, and lively plants and trees, life includes many difficulties in which we barely worry about in Richmond. In order to gain something, one must also lose another. There is no taking both. So then, we must keep in mind to appreciate what’s with us, and make do with what we have. It incredible to see the smiles and waves from children, their energy while dancing. They are happy with what they have. I feel extremely thankful being here, and being able to do what we’re doing. I’d do a ton of more bottle drives, to take myself back here again.

Many a times, language and culture interconnect to create a society’s or an individual’s identity. Nonetheless, sometimes, language and culture exist independent of one another. Growing up, I had always felt as if I was lost without a specific cultural identity. Though Cantonese was my mother-tongue, I was educated in a Western-Canadian school system. On the other hand, while I was able to speak, read and write in English most comfortably, I participated in Chinese traditions and hobbies. Later, I learnt the French and Spanish language, yet, I had never interacted with culturally French or Spanish people. Living in my own world of Richmond, I had considered myself being among a multi-cultural society, but belonging in neither one. It was not until I traveled to Hong Kong and France, I had realized that I had been living in a cultural identity of my own. Getting to know my family members living in Hong Kong and a French family from Rouen, I found a very clear and distinctive personal cultural identity: one that is mixed with all kinds of unique and diverse views and interests. I guess that’s the beauty of learning and experiencing multiple languages and cultures: you get to build your own.

-Jasmine

“Sometimes we must emerge into an unfamiliar world in order to truly understand our own.” – Unknown, Nanny Diaries.

Mr. Matheny once said that the end is really the beginning. The end of our trip in Fiji, is actually the beginning of a journey, in Canada. I think what he means by this, is that our travel in Fiji will be a major learning experience that will allow us to see with new eyes, our own world, Richmond, BC, Canada, as a an entirely new place. We live in a “bubble” where everything has become an unrecognizable normality. If I think about it, everything that surrounds me: food, shelter, friends, family, even homework, can be seen as a gift; and yet, it is so easy to take those things for granted within the “bubble”. What this travel quotes is saying, is that sometimes we will only notice and value the common goods if we step out into a foreign environment, such as Fiji, where people live almost completely different lifestyles.

I’m starting to think, that in many ways, arriving back in Richmond from Fiji, will be the scariest part of this journey.

-Jasmine

It was the first day back from winter break, and the global perspectives teachers were hissing and “mhm-ing” at us. With lots of pointing, glaring teachers, and confused students, the activity was meant to give us a experiential lesson on culture shock. It was only after the activity I did realize what certain gestures meant; and moreover, the different interpretations in which they could have suggested. For example, asking the girls to lay out a timeline. First, it could have meant that the girls had to do all the work while the guys sat around, doing nothing. However, it could have also meant that the girls were being educated while the guys had no idea about the events among the timeline. Even being demanded to take off my shoes, could be seen as an advantage if, culturally, the ground was known to be “sacred”. It was eye-opening to realize that gestures can have such contrasting perceptions. In fact, it was even more surprising that our judgement is so highly shaped by our own culture; many a times, this happens subconsciously, and could easily

-Jasmine

Looking through the list of literacy rates of nations around of the world, I was really surprise to see the female literacy rate of Hong Kong being significantly lower than that of the males. I was reminder then about my mother’s family. My grandmother had seven children; six girls, and one boy, who was born last. Due to the culture in Hong Kong at the time, my grandparents wanted to have a boy, which played a role in the number children in which they had. Moreover, the youngest daughter’s Chinese name consists of a word meaning “Zero”; my grandparents did not want any more girls, the name was chosen in hopes of having a boy upon the next birth. In addition, the one boy, my uncle, was the only one in the family who went to university. This alone shows that society in Hong Kong, at the time or perhaps even now, saw that a boy’s education was prioritized over that of a girl. Nonetheless, although it is a trend for less developed countries to have lower female literacy rates, I do not think that Hong Kong is a developing region. The city’s economy is quite strong; the reason for its gap between literacy rates of genders is due to previous cultural views. Fiji, shares similar literacy rates with Hong Kong. By constructing a school in WavuWavu and allowing both boys and girls to be educated, will lessen this gap. However, it will not be an instantaneous effect. It will take a while till the education becomes equal between males and females throughout Fiji.

-Jasmine

Christmas, being only 16 days away, has been an ongoing topic at school. Between my friends and I, we planned and set up “Secret Santa” amongst ourselves. A recent website has been introduced among students, allowing one to create a wish list or ask a friend what they want as gifts. Excited, we joined this website which has helped narrow down gift selections and possibly assist in finding the perfect present. Upon using this site, I was asked to create a wish list. Creating this wish list was pretty fun, I enjoyed the feeling of being able to choose and get what I wanted. Upon making the list however, I ran into a few thoughts and challenges. First, it was hard to think of something that I really, really needed; I already have everything by means necessary for me to “survive” or to be “satisfied”. Second, there were a dozen of things I could imagine wanting; yet, I felt that I was greedy for wanting those things since many of them would just end up as junk sooner or later. Thirdly, I thought of the people who do not have this privilege: the ability to  ”ask” for something or to even “imagine” wanting such luxuries. What is Christmas like in WavuWavu, Fiji? Do they even celebrate Christmas or any other kind of holiday occasion? I wonder what the children in the village would say if you asked them for a wish list. My friends and I live under such luxurious conditions that gift exchanges are simply a gesture. Moreover, buying useless things for the sake of an inside joke is deemed as a more lovable gift than something that is handy. We get what we want, yet others may not even get what they need…

Jasmine

Today, during our Global Perspectives class at lunch, we discussed about fears and how to deal them. It is difficult to imagine the kinds of fear in which I would have to deal with in Fiji, as I have never been in a third world region before. Although there are many ways to deal with fear, such as to talk about it with somebody or to let the emotions come out, I believe that every fear, more importantly, needs to be faced than aided. I imagine that it would be crucial to take on every fear in Fiji as a learning experience; one must constantly remind themselves the reason behind their presence in Fiji.

-Jasmine