Culture Clash

 This is a picture of a rice paddy in Cambodia, taken from the web.  It shows one aspect of how we lived and the source of our main staple, rice.








The biggest culture clash that I've experienced and witnessed has got to be when we first came to America.  We came in 1980.  We came from a very agragrian type of society that would be considered non-developed or under-developed nation.  We basically lived off the land and lived day to day hunting, gathering, and growing our own food.  There were no electricity or plumbing where we lived.  When our country was war stricken we had to drop everything and leave.  I was much younger then but my family expected to be able to return once the war was over.  What we did not realize was that the war took much longer than we anticipated and circumstances led us here.

On the plane, my mother had extreme motion sickness.  We had only the clothing that we wore and a few small items that we took with us.  I know that my mother was worried about how we were going to live here in the U.S.  "We did not know the language.  We never lived in a city before so how would we do in a city of an advanced country?  How will we learn to cope, communicate, and function as regular people?"  These were the things on our mind while we were on that long flight.

When we got here, it was winter.  I was afraid of the escalator so after everyone was already off the escalator, I was still at the top trying to figure out when it was safe enough to put my feet down.  Luckily, there was an older man that we knew who came back to carry me on the escalator.  My brother was wearing my grandfather's boxers because he had only one pair of pants and he had wet it on the plane.  After a long travel, we finally went to our new crowded apartment which we shared with five families.  It was a good thing that my aunts and uncles, two couples, did not have any children yet.  There were seven children, including me, living in the same apartment.

The most memorable time was when someone told us that it was snowing outside.  We had never seen snow before and we did not know it looked like.  I imagined that it must be cubes of ice that drop from the sky.  I remember thinking that it would hurt if we were outside.  When we went out to see the actual thing, it was fluffy and made up of small ice shave like particles.  Some people actually made frozen drinks out of it.  This was all new and exciting to us and the beginning of many explorations and learning opportunities.

Crowded Place: Boat Festival in Lowell, MA

     Once a year, sometimes in July, there is a boat festival held in Lowell, MA.  The boat festival is a Southeast Asian tradition carried over from such countries as Thai, Laos, and Cambodia.  In this particular event held in the state of MA, certain people from each of the mentioned countries form a team to represent their country and compete in a rowing event.  The boats are usually canoe-like but much longer and it is usually crafted with details of an animal, such as a dragon, to demonstrate the ferocity of the strength of the boat and its inhabitants.
     From what I can remember, besides all the cultural aspects of this festival, it can be very crowded.  It is very difficult to maneuver around the crowd there, especially in the 90 degrees and over heat.  I found that it is not wise to bring small children because I am constantly looking back to see if my daughter is behind me and trying to make sure that I do not lose her.  Also, when I stop from one booth to the next, I am always checking to make sure that our group stays together.  For this reason, instead of enjoying my time and instead of seeing everything that is offered here, it feels more like a chore.
     It is so crowded that someone's body part is brushing up against us almost every second.  Although the atmosphere is stuffy and traffic moves slowly, we do get to see a few items and activities.  We see some hand crafted art work from the different countries.  We manage to taste a few dishes that are sold by different people who set up tents for the festivities.  We get to try some ice coffee and other cold drinks which have flavors native to one of the celebrated countries.  We even get to see a live show which is graced with the presence of some famous faces of the celebrated countries as well as that of some local activists and teenagers.
     Somewhere between all these events and activities, we catch glimpses of those who row their boats in the lake.  All in all, it is a fun and exciting day.  By the end of the day, we are ready to get some rest and relaxation.  By this time, a nice cool shower is due as well after the long drive home to Providence, RI

Fishing in Narragansett, RI

It was not easy finding my way back to the blogger site and log on.  I felt like I traveled to the moon and back.  I wrote a few paragraphs and lost it all.  In this case, I felt like I came back to Earth after a trip to the moon and forgot something very important there.  So, I went back to get it...

I do not have any rock climbing, marathon running, sky diving experience to share.  My story is simple.  We went fishing last summer in a spot near the Narragansett beach.  Usually, it was fun and relaxing.  This time, we went with my three children: Cheyenne (13 years old daughter with autism), Avery (3 years old son), and Evan (1.5 year old son).  Was I crazy?  Yep. 

The spot had big rocks for us to walk on.  Most of them were flat.  I stayed further away from the crashing wavers, of course.  Although far away from the water, it was still very nerve wrecking for me because I was constanly keeping my eyes on the children.  Fighting for their turn, the boys asked me to carry them again and again.  Cheyenne would pace around back and forth.  We looked at puddles of water which got trapped in between rock crevices and searched for any signs of life.  Although this is a fishing trip, I technically did not get to do any fishing.  I was the observer and person who explained everything that happened.  As fun as it was, it was exhausting to be on constant alert for any possible danger.

After we packed up, we stopped by a local food venue for some clam cake and calamari.  We ate it on the way home.  About five minutes into the ride home, my head and the children's heads leaned to one side and our mouths open.  We all fell asleep, except for driver (my husband), of course.  When we got home, it was a relief, but the task of washing up everybody still hung heavily in my head.  Although the trip was not physically demanding, the idea of being on high alert sure was tiresome...  Home, sweet home, that was all I could think.

1st Post (Hello!)

Hi everyone!  Here is the blog I started for travel writing.  I will share all details of any traveling I do here.  I hope you like it.  Happy blogging...