Posts Tagged ‘culture’

Before those two months of intense exam prep, I knew I would need something to look forward to. My world-traveling sister happens to be spending the summer in Cambridge, so we booked a trip to the South of France before her summer classes commence.

When two people enjoy globetrotting around the world, it’s difficult to be at the same place at once. This is often the problem I face with most of my friends and now also my sister. Two years ago, we booked a family trip to Taiwan and it looked like this: mom and dad flew to Taipei from St. Louis. Sherry flew to Taipei from Boston via Japan. I flew to Taipei from Cameroon via Paris. Somehow, we managed to all land within only an hour of one another.

The last time I had a quality bonding trip with my sister was when I took her on her college visits. She graduates college this coming year. It’s been a while, and we both were looking forward this vacation.

We took an early flight out of London Gatwick and landed in Nice Côte d’Azur airport. Since we are traveling during high summer season, we opted a self-catering studio apartment for the week. For only a slight premium, we get a private double room (albeit small) that is equipped with a bathroom/shower, and a well-equipped kitchenette – well worth it to not have to sleep in a room with 12 rambunctious backpackers (I must be getting old). The flat is Hotel Petit Louvre. Very centrally located and great value for money!

The lovely thing about Nice, besides the fantastic weather, gorgeous beach, amazing food and lovely people, is that lots of other great villages and towns are just a short train ride away. We took advantage of it and visited Antibes, Monaco, and Villfrance sur Mer during our week there.

Nice

According to these two lovely local guys who became our tour guide for an afternoon, Nice is the 5th largest city in France. The city has all that you need for a fantastic vacation – great beach, great food, great weather, great shopping! The nightlife, however, is mediocre. Everything in this city, and in the South of France in general, seems to revolve around food. If you don’t want to lay on the beach or shop, then you can: eat seafood or Italian food at a restaurant (other types of food exist, but not abundant), eat crêpes or gelatos, drink café or wine or other alcoholic beverages. These are the main themes that we extracted from our experience during the week.

World Traveling Sisters

Antibes

A lovely town that has an Old Town, a Picasso Museum, and an interesting rocky beach. The great beach, great food, great weather theme applies here. The shopping is less nice than Nice, but a lot more charming local shops. The Picasso Museum on a hilltop is worth visiting, if nothing else for the great view. If you get hot from the sun as we did, then stop in the Peynet Museum for some AC at the price of €3 (€1.50 if you are student) – it has fun sketches of French cartoon by Peynet (duh).

The beach is gorgeous. Like Nice, it has a wide horizon. But beware of those rocks. It was quite the fight to get out of the ocean without slipping and breaking a bone of some sort or cut in the feet. I liked Antibes a lot because it’s not overly touristy, yet has a good amount of activities to keep you occupied all day.

A little Picasso along the Mediterranean

Watch out for those rocks!

Monaco

We visited this Principality just days before its Prince was getting hitched. Red & White flags decorated the town as its people celebrate their own royal wedding. The day that we visited was just a bit too hot to walk around all day. Luckily, the bus system in Monaco stops literally every 3 minutes. The map makes the place looks rather large with its complex bus systems with many stops, but literally, there is a stop at every corner! Bus has AC, so Sherry and I would ride the bus and roam aimlessly to see where it takes us.

Monaco is très glitzy! I’ve never been to a place where the entire city is so wealthy that you can feel it in the air. I’ve never seen so many cars that are worth the price of a house running around in such close proximity. Needless to say, everything was rather out of touch for our student budget. But it was fun to see how the very wealthy live their lives. And like most places in the South of France, you combine the Mediterranean Sea, gorgeous historical buildings and lush landscape, you get gorgeous photos.

Red & White flags spinkled among the streets

All that glitz!

Villfranche sur Mer

Our original plan for the last day trip was to Cannes. But from what our local tour guide told us and what we read in guidebooks, Cannes seems like the French version of Monaco. We decided that city would be more fun to return when we have some actual money to spend. Instead, we opted for a tiny villagejust 15 minute trainride from Nice: Villefranche sur Mer.

The village is built on hills. From the beach, you can look up the hills and see layers and layers of colorful houses on top of one another. It’s a quaint place. Very quite, not much to do. Sherry and I wondered the narrow allies and finished the tour of its Old Town in 15 minutes. We were content to seat by the water, underneath a big umbrella all afternoon while consuming vastly overpriced food items from a mediocre restaurant. When the sun was less severe, we took naps on the pebble beach. Unlike Antibes, the beach has tiny pebbles that were much less deadly than the rocks at Antibes.

Food

As mentioned, there isn’t much to do but to shop and to eat. We didn’t have sufficient amount of money nor luggage space, so we resorted to eating. Crêpes, gelatos, seafood, wine, repeat. That pretty much sums up our entire vacation!

Mussels Overload!

Mmmm Seafood Pasta!

Yes, Seafood Pizza. We like them in all forms.

Gelato in the shape of a flower? Mais Oui!

Peace Corps

Okay, you are thinking, Wendy, come on, how in the world can you tie Peace Corps into your luxury vacation in the French Riviera?! Well, I was surprised as well how much being in a francophone country reminded me of my time in Cameroon. Before Peace Corps, I wasn’t well versed in the French culture, so I didn’t recognize signs of French colonialism in Cameroon. But during the week, I was reminded of Cameroon when French men would yell “konichiwa” or “hee-haw” (ni-hao) at me and Sherry. They ask if we were Japanese, and were for whatever reason very interested in our ethnicity. It made me wonder whether the bad habit of Cameroonians yelling such things at me actually stem from its colonial masters.

When we went into Supermaché Casino, I was filled with nostalgia. I remembered the excitement each time I had the chance to go to the capital, and to visit Casino to stock up on European goodies. When I saw groups of young people having a great time on the beach, I was reminded of the getaways that PCVs took to Limbé or Kribi.

I spent my last day in Nice alone, after my sister jetted off to Turkey. I spent the day reading The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of Acumen Fund. Her stories had me thinking about Cameroon with each page turn. Jacqueline wrote:

The juxtaposition of some of the most wonderful experiences of my life with the everyday realities in Kigali created, at times, a jarring sense of schizophrenia.

Even there in Nice, I somehow was reminded of the two stark contrasts of life in Cameroon – having people calling out racial names all day vs. the freedom to enjoy the ocean and nature at its finest.

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a different way of life

We are entering week 16 at the LSE, and that means the final quarter of the year. Where did time go? I am finally putting on my game face and am finally feeling the pressure of life in this “real” world. There seems to always be something going on – places I need to be, things I need to do, people I need to see. I find myself running around meeting various obligations and questioning what all the busying around is for. I no longer have time to think, to feel and to be, those were the luxury of life in Cameroon.

When I sit in development classes and hearing discussions of democracy, institutions and economic development, all I can really think about is the simplicity of my life in village. After two years of living au village, I’m extremely conflicted between modern world efficiency and the things you have to give up to reach such level of efficiency – a real community, nature, appreciating simply being alive, etc.

I don’t want to live in the past, so I am attempting to move forward. Despite all of my nostalgia, I’m putting myself out there to get my hand on the corporate ladder, to get with the program and remembering what it takes to “succeed” in this world. But when I walk around the LSE campus seeing people stressing out and discussing the horrible consequence of not getting a job with a top 15 investment bank or consulting firm, I feel sad for them. Don’t they see that there is so much more to life?

I miss living a life that always has a purpose. Peace Corps advertises itself as “the toughest job you’ll ever love”, and it’s true. It’s tough in a very different way. Living in such different environment, I was in touch with my deepest strengths and weaknesses. Yet even during my lowest moments, I could find purpose by having one simple conversation with a villager. There is something profound about the ability to change lives not through any noble act, but simply being present and converse.

Day in and day out now, I follow the motion of grad school grind, and during the low days here, I don’t know where to find inspiration and to feel purposeful again. So I look back to my pictures and draw inspiration from the past. It’s easy to become suffocated by the conventional societal pressure. But it’s important to remember, especially under high stress situations, that expectations are relative. I can only do my best to find a purpose in life for me.

Today, I miss Cameroon. They come in waves. But tomorrow is another day. Moving on, moving forward.

In between the library and my shoebox room, I did manage to do some fun things and I’ll share them in due time.

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This week, I escaped London and went to Tunisia to enjoy some warm(er) weather. One of the many perks that comes with attending an international school like the LSE, is that you know people from literally all over the world. My friend Agatha has strong ties in Tunisia and I gladly took up an invitation to visit during our break prior to the holidays.

Tunisia is the first Arabic country that I have ever visited and I was fascinated by all that I experienced. Prior to this visit, my only experience of Africa was Cameroon, which was my only reference point. Tunisia proves that African countries are definitely not the same. I am just as guilty as the next person to frequently refer to certain behavior and norm as “African”, as if the entire continent is homogeneous.

My visit to Tunisia was limited to Tunis and its surrounding areas, so I now only have a glimpse of what Tunisian life is all about. Nevertheless, discovering a country with someone who has lived there is still a heck of a lot better than if I was there alone with Lonely Planet.

Since Cameroon is all that I know of Africa, I couldn’t help but compare every little detail of what I saw with cities in Cameroon. And I was shocked by the level of development that Tunisia has. Granted they were towns surrounding the capital city, but I was amazed at how much pavement was around. In Cameroon, even in the Capital city, there are unpaved roads, much less towns surrounding the city. There are boulangeries (bakeries) everywhere, Carrefour (the French supermarket), various small supermarkets, etc. I felt as if I was in a less vibrant European city rather than an African city.

The Champs-Élysées of Tunis

The Muslim influence remind me of my visit to the North of Cameroon – people were so calm. Even in the markets, the level of noise was so low and harassment so minimal. I did, however, get quite a few “ah, la japonais” and a few “nee haw”. I couldn’t help but keep thinking about how much easier it would have been if I was a Peace Corps volunteer here – but perhaps that is why Peace Corps is no longer in Tunisia (the program was closed in 1996).

Agatha lives in Sidi Bou Saïd, a town 20km outside of Tunis; it’s a UNESCO World Heritage town. I felt as I was walking around in a postcard or a movie set. The blue and white buildings scattered between winding pathways. Orange trees and cats give the sea of blue and white colorful accents. Then you look over the hill, et voilà, the Mediterranean Sea.

I observed this very different culture and surrounding, and remembered why I was willing to join the Peace Corps. Seeing such different way of of life provides perspective and reminds me that my life in the bustling city full of certain social expectations is merely one of many many ways of living. When I get into this mindset, problems and worries melt away and I feel small in this intricate world. It makes me feel alive to experience and to discover, to feel slightly uncomfortable being the only Chinese girl around.

I'm tiny in this world!

Funny conversation with a vendor in a sandwich shop:

vendor: vous êtes japonaise? chinoise? (are you Japanese? Chinese?)
me: non, je suis américaine, chinoise aussi, mais américaine. (no, I’m American. Chinese also, but American.)
vendor: mais vous parlez français? américan qui parle français? (but you speak French? American who speak French?)
me: mais oui, pourquoi pas? (of course, why not?)

I’m not sure what to think of the American reputation to this Tunisian guy who thinks it’s bizarre that Americans can speak French…

Other highlights of my trip including a visit to the Roman ruins in Carthage and a visit to the local hamman (Turkish Bath).

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Roman ruins before. My visit to Bath, England didn’t really count since that Roman Bath was in tact. There is something really amazing about standing amidst all that OLD stone imagining those Romans roaming about back in the days. Visiting in the off season and being the only tourist exacerbates this mystical feeling. I must say, those Romans were some smart cookies – picking the perfect location right on the Mediterranean Sea!

I don’t have any picture from my visit to the local hamman (for obvious reasons). It was incredible to see Tunisian women so liberated in the public bath while they are usually covered underneath their veils on the street. In this Turkish bath, I received a treatment of grômage, where a local Tunisian mama scrubs my body with this Moroccan glove that took away all the dead skin I ever had and then some. This was then followed by a nice massage with some interesting jasmine mud. There was nothing touristy about this experience; we were there getting cleaned with all the local women – so amazing!

Traveling is so addicting! Where to next? hmmmmm…..

bon voyage et à la prochaine !

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This past weekend, Autumn invited me to attend a Cameroonian forum with her. Dr. Chris Foumunyo is a leading advocate for democracy in Africa who happens to be Cameroonian. I came in contact with him while raising money for my library project, Books For Cameroon. I was happy to attend the talk, and more so, to meet some Cameroonians in London!

The entire evening was wildly entertaining in that while in Central London, I was transformed back to that crazy country. I felt as if I was sitting in a fancy conference room at the Hilton with Cameroonians. The talk was held at the Knightsbridge Business Center and wasn’t an easy venue to find. We got quite lost and was really late. The invitation said the talk would begin at 4:30pm. When we showed up nearly an hour late, the event still hasn’t started. In fact, true to Cameroon form, we began at 6pm.

Although there were roughly 30 of us in a room, at least half were taking pictures as if it were the UN General Assembly. This is typical; Cameroonians love photos and giving events legitimacy. They always loved the certificates that I would give out when they “graduate” from business classes. Later, cell phone rang throughout the talk. My favorite part, though, was when people ask questions, they don’t just get to the point. They would take 5 minutes to introduce themselves, give some background opinions, and then ask the question. This quirky habit gets really painful in ceremonies when speeches are given. Finally, there naturally needed to be a photo de la famille at the end. Cameroonians always insist on taking a large group photo at the end of every event.

All the quirkiness warmed my heart. I was glad to see that even though these elites are in London, they didn’t lose their Cameroonian ways. So often, when you move to another country and spend many years abroad, your culture gets assimilated, myself included. It’s nice to see quirky traditions living on. The talk was very interesting; it concerned the state of democracy in Cameroon and the upcoming 2011 election. It was encouraging to see the dialogue taking place and that Cameroonians are concerned about the future of their country even from abroad.

After the event, people came up to Autumn and me, as they would in Cameroon, curious about our presence. When they found out that we had both lived in Cameroon for two years, really lively conversations took place. Their enthusiasms showed that they appreciate Westerners like us spending time getting to know their country in such deep and profound way. One guy asked, “weren’t you scared? I am from that country, but even now when I go back, sometimes I can get scared.” These exchanged once again validated just exactly why I spent two years there, and made me feel better after a classmate from the LSE told me that personal experiences don’t contribute to “development” discussions. I was reminded that in order to devise effective policy, you have to first understand the people and the culture. Policies shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all framework, but instead, country specific. Science and numbers can only take you so far.

After the event, Autumn and I went to dinner and talked about our time in Cameroon. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe the kind of ridiculous things that we went through, or put up with, for two entire years.

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Last week, I read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay. I only wanted to read it because it’s a book based in Paris, I had no idea what the story is about. I read the books in two days and it was one of the more captivating books I’ve read recently.

The books sets place in Paris, but goes back and forth between 1942 and present day. The story sets on the true historical event of the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup that was a part of the Holocaust. I must be honest that this book is definitely a “chick-lit” and that some of the story plot can be quite predictable. But the important thing is the author tied in an important, and often unmentioned historical event with a story that is easy to digest.

This was certainly not the first book I’ve read regarding this tragic history, but this one for some reason really made me think. Perhaps all the times before, I thought of this event as an unfortunate event in history like so many others. This time, however, it daunt on me just how recent this event actually was. Less than 100 years ago, people in the developed West actually submitted to such horrifying ideology.

The human race can be so vulnerably, and at times extremely frightening.  It perplexes me how people come up with these ideas that certain race or religion are “unworthy”. What’s more bewildering is how these individuals could have enough power to spreading the ideology into a widespread genocide. I am continued to be amazed how easily individual minds and an entire society can be swayed by extremist ideas.

Unfortunately, even today, people are still being killed for their race, religion, culture, or other reasons beyond their control. I wonder if one day human race will finally grow up and realize that no one group of people can be labeled and treated in such inhumane way. I wonder if generations in the future will look back and study these behaviors as one of the steps in evolution. I sure hope so.

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