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DanniJacques
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Birthday: 4/17/1984
Gender: Female
Interests: Akward, anachronistic, adrenaline junkie. Lab rat, bookworm, ZARA clotheshorse. Tea, chocolat noir, strawberries.
Expertise: So i want to start a revolution from my bed. Cos you said the brains i had went to my head...
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Member Since:
3/5/2005
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| Ok, so i really shouldnt be awake at this time. Being as im supposed to
wake up in two hours to study and do other various humdrum duties as a
student. But i cant sleep. My body is stretched and my mind wanders
restlessly. And naturally of course, i turn to a blog for my sanity.
How times have changed.
Today i went to hear Anwar Ibrahim speak. There were many malaysians
present at the event organised by harvard's school of government. For
those who have no idea who this guy is, let me enlighten you a little.
In the last decade, Anwar was a rising star in malaysian politics and was
slated to become the next prime minister of malaysia. But in a dramatic
reversal of fortunes, he was accused of committing sodomy, stripped of
all his titles and was imprisoned for six years. Until today no one
knows for sure what the circumstances of his situation were. Rumors
abound about defamation, corruption, power struggles.....it almost
seemed like a caricature of a bollywood film if it wasnt such a tragic
indicator of the ugly face of politics.
But now the man is back. he is making trips all over the world as a
"face of moderate islam" and today his speech was about islam and
democracy. Basically the guy is a liberal. He advocates freedom of
speech, the fundamental right to vote, to own property...he appears to
be a proponent of Locke and Mill in his allusions to the social
contract and Jeffersonian ideals. Up till this point, i am in absolute
agreement. i believe that there are certain inalienable rights that are
due to us as rational beings and members of a society of persons. As
Rawls said, freedom of person, speech, representation and property. Do
i think that everyone has a right to live, to pursue his own happiness
and to be free from opression whether physically or psychologically?
Yes. Do i believe that society should accord its members the right to
decide the laws on which that very association is based and allow
persons to speak their mind and act on their convictions as long as it
does not trespass on the rights of others? Absolutely. (and you can see
by the length of this that i fully intend to take advantage of my
freedom of speech :) Am i a supporter of the right of every individual
to own property and engage in the just expansion of wealth? The answer
is a resounding affirmative.
Now the problem that afflicts muslim countries is not one that is
confined to muslim countries. However, given the reason global
situation surrounding islam and the increasingly loud voice of its
detractors, Anwar is unfortunately accurate in his assessment that
muslims are not helping their case by living in societies that are seen
as poor, undemocratic, irrational and tyrannical with poor human
rights records....a veritable hotbed of violence and a threat to global
security. Im not saying that i agree with the above description. As one
irate gentlemen stated in the forum, Bangladesh is a democratic country
and has been since its inception. But the challenge remains, how many
muslim countries out there appear to have a transparent goverment, a
growing economy and the respect of other nations? i am saddened to say
that i am still looking for the answer to that.
of course, the west has its share of problems. Russia is neither muslim
nor does it enjoy an unblemished record in human rights. China has a
sizeable fraction of the world's population and yet is not a democratic
country. And iran is not the only country purported to have nuclear
weapons program.Rumor is that a certain east asian country has one too....but the fact remains that just because these countries
arent perfect, doesnt give us the excuse to tolerate the flaws in our
society. we as muslims should live up to our religion that calls upon us
to be fair and just, to respect the rights of individuals and the
collective harmony of society, to value the sanctity of life. Let Bush
and Blair speak what they may. The truth is that we are obligated by
our very faith to uphold the principles that the west accuses us of
lacking.
and the problem here is education. as a society, we have allowed a
handful of people to dictate what should and should not be done. we
have left the reins of leadership to a select group of individuals and
have neglected to remain in touch with the basic frameworks of our
society. we have ceased to continue the process of learning,
self-examination and critical thought. Everyone condemns PAS for
attempting to promote an islamist state. I for one, am not a big fan of
PAS as my previous posting may suggest. But just how many malaysians
actually KNOW the principles and platforms espoused by the oppostion.
Do we know enough about the governance in our country to enable us as
citizens to properly evaluate the ruling body? How many people are
interested in the reports published by the UN about the level of
corruption, of governance and the actual state of the malaysian
economy? No one. We all know that media is lopsided but we never do
anything about it. we know that there is corruption but we keep quiet.
we silently talk of the inefficiencies that exist in our systems but
we ignore them. it would be too difficult and take entirely too much
effort to change these things.
It appears to me that we as malaysians are guilty of being
self-satisfied with ourselves and our country. As long as we have food,
clothes and shelter, why should we bother with how things are run? i
must admit that i too am guilty of this. it took a change of scenery.
exposure to the politically active and socially conscious culture of
harvard's campus and a roommate whose research for the harvard law
school came up with not very pleasant reviews of malaysian society to
instigate me to start asking questions.
but back to anwar. his passion for freedom was quite apparent and
peppered with jokes about solitary confinement, the fiery oration
seemed all to real. islam and democracy. the guy basically said that
there is nothing wrong with islam as a religion fundamentally. all
through the golden years of the caliphate, muslims enjoyed great
enlightenment and were the envy of the west. true. he said that islam
should not be limited to the middle east, being as the largest muslim
country in the world (indonesia) happens to be in southeast asia. and
that islam in asia is very different from the portrayal of islam in the
middle east and that these differences are attributed to culture and
has nothing to do with the religion itself. true, true, true. he
defined secularism as a separation of religion and state, not the
ANTI-religious connotation that we have. he said that up till the last
few decades, muslims were fighting for democracy, against the colonial
power, personified in persons such as tunku abdul rahman, sukarno and
company. and that turkey has interesting potential because of its
democracy and such. he said that authoritarianism is not a muslim
tradition and we should not make it so.
hmm...first of all. it seems to me that all through islamic history,
there has been authoritarianism. the caliphate was just that. it was a
system of goverment with absolute power given to the caliph. and while
the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and his
four immediate successors and companions ruled with the concept of
ijtihad or consultation with a circle of advisors and collective
agreement, subsequent heads of the islamic empire, starting with
Muawiyah early in the Umayyad dynasty, inherited their power
and kept them in their hands. And the political entities that existed
in asia in the pre-colonial period were also authoritarian. sultans who
held the abosulte power of life and death over their subjects. we
remember the story of hang tuah and how it is only in recent times that
we have come to crticise his blind obedience to the king as opposed to
the much maligned hang jebat, who stood against an unjust ruler, albeit
in a rather petulant manner involving the hijacking of the royal
castle. but the point remains, the kind of governments that we had in
malaya before the coming of the british was far from democratic.
and thats ok. because at that time, authoritarianism was well and alive
all over the world. von bismarck, stalin etc. point is, we werent free
from authoritarianism then either. furthermore, the individuals he
cited as being the champions of democracy were all educated in the west
and ingrained with western notions (including the not so impressive
ones such as drinking and womanising), therefore we cannot conclude
that they championed democracy solely because they were muslim. they
could very well have read western philosophy (as i should be doing
now..) at cambridge or oxford and become enamored with democracy not
through islam but through western political thought. and i feel that
they were not
championing the right to democracy and free election but more of the
right of a people to rule themselves and not be subjects of foreigners.
Im not sure if they wanted free elections or were just in favor of
booting the british
out and reinstallling the one-man rule we had before. but i shant
speculate because regardless of their motivations, we are now a free
country because of their efforts. and i am grateful to them for that.
as for turkey, i doubt that many muslims would like to take
turkey as an example. it is true, as anwar says, that attaturk was an
extremist. he was anti-religious and obsessed with westernising his
country. and turkish people today are far from endorsing the sort of
terror tactics employed in attaturk's days to drag the turks into the
western tradition. but the thing is, the popular conception that
muslims have of turkey is a country that is trying to reject its muslim
heritage and identity. many muslims scorn the way turkey is humbling
itself to gain accceptance into the EU. they are not impressed by
reports that turkish women cannot wear headscarves and that the
expression of any sign of religion, islam or otherwise, is frowned
upon. To cite turkey as an exemplary muslim country, i feel, is not
going to be an easy sell to the muslims.
all this was going to my mind so i decided to pop a question to good
old datuk seri. does he agree that the separation of religion and state
(note my studious avoidance of the use of the word secularism) is
necessary for democracy? Because, it seems that the aspects of muslims
governments that is most objected to by the west is the involvement of
religious authorities in civil government, for example in afghanistan
and iran. And if he does agree that this separation is necessary, how
does he reconcile that with Islam, which as a religion, views itself as
a way of life and not just a private faith?
i think that the last question really is the heart of the problem. and
its a tough one to answer. but anwar's answer, i think, was rather
unsatisfactory. he said that having a constitution, a basic framework
that delineates one's rights to be protected by society and one's
contracts with society in return, should form the basis of any
government, muslim or not. that every citizen should have the
freedoms prescribed by countless western philosophers from aristotle
and locke to kant and rawls. he said PAS may espouse their islamist
policies. that people should be free to form buddhist, christian or
hindu parties if they want. basically, that the people should be free
to participate in the political process wihout obstruction and fear. but
he didnt answer: just how much of a modern muslim government should
involve islam?
although i did not think his answer (or lack of one) was good, i do
respect him as a person. he is indeed a charismatic speaker, able to
pull out wry one-liners that had people chuckling. he spoke with
intelligence, with references to other thinkers and academics like
amartya sen. and i suppose, his time in prison has imbued him with a
passion for freedom. but he remains a politician. questions about his
future plans were deftly turned away and left us clueless as to whether
he wishes to reenter the malaysian political scene. his vociferous
affirmation of his fight for freedom of speech and transparency in
malaysian society and government were duly noted. although... he is adamant in his
believe that the NEP should go, citing that the malays were not the
only segment of the population who are disadvantaged. indians and even
chinese malaysians are facing poverty too. And with this i agree with
him.
i think it is high time malaysians attempt to erase the racial lines
that so separate us. the NEP was a beneficial policy but it is past its
time now. what we should have is a need based policy. affirmative
action for those who need it. based on their merits and circumstances.
not based on their race. some would say that even i am here by virtue
of my race. after all, as a malay, it was easy to secure a JPA
scholarship, even if i only had 8A1s. If that were the case, i can only
apologetically say that i have and will always try my best to succeed
and i hope that the blessings that i have received are not due to the
fact that i am bumiputera. but in any case, if such a
need-based policy was imposed, the malays would not lose out. the
malays that need the help will get it. but so will the indians and
chinese. MALAYSIANS in need should receive help, regardless if their
name is abu, ah seng or amit.
i came out of this meeting with an even stronger desire to improve my
country. i am not against UMNO and im not rushing to join KEADILAN.
what i am concerned is with my future and by extension, that of
malaysia. it is true that the prospect of working in malaysia is a tad
depressing. that the working environments, especially in research and
academia, are stifling, political and all around exasperating. Many
good malaysian academics have become fed up with the way the
universities are run. it is sad that while trying to promote our
country as a hub of higher education, we fail to respect the very
people who will enable this vision to succeed. there are many things i
love about malaysia. i think its an awesome place to grow up. in no way
am i denouncing my country. i embrace my roots and am proud to hang the
jalur gemilang on my wall. but there are some things about malaysia
that could do with some improvement.
and we musnt give
up. we cant. everyone says that changing things will be difficult. akin
to tryin to push over an elephant with a drinking straw. but try we
must. if we see wrong we must speak up. we have to be diligent in
keeping tabs on domestic and world developments. i dont know what
anwar's motives are and if he is earnest in his intentions. but that is
something that only he and God knows. As for me, i will do what i think
is right. If i believe that UMNO has good policy i will support them.
if i think that anwar has a good proposal, i will stand by him.
but in all of this, it is i who makes the decision. it is my
responsibility to assess, judge and determine what is best for me and
my country. no one can tell me what is best or right because i must
seek that knowledge myself. is is my duty as a rational being, a
citizen and a muslim. and i hope that other young malaysians will do
the same. it is up to us now. dont relinquish this right and
responsibility to anyone and dont let worldly fears distract you. i say
this, because even as i spoke at the forum and as i type this, there is
a residual discomfort in knowing that i may receive a stern talking to
by the people in the public services department who are sponsoring my
studies here. But i stand by my views. In the end, we only answer to
God and if we are earnest and honest, God Willing, we will endure and succeed.
| | |
| Hah, surprised to see me so soon? Given that i only write like once
every two months, i suppose twice in a week is a record. But my inner
muse calls and i cannot help but obey. My little pet peeve this time is
about malaysia and the bbc. Now, dont get me wrong. i love them both.
my country is an awesome place to grow up and grow old. and the bbc
well, they gave me top gear. i cant complain. BUT as i was reading the
news on bbc, i noticed an article with the headline, "Malaysian wives
compete to sing husbands to sleep". Naturally my curiosity got the
better of me and i just had to investigate. Apparently, Nik Aziz has
declared that he wants to have a lullaby singing contest for wives
singing to their husbands as a way to promote marital happiness.
Now, honestly. Tell me you didnt snicker, even just a teeny bit, when
reading that last sentence. Actually, a more appropriate response would
be like "what the &^%$?" While other countries have news like
japan's growing popular movement to modernise the throne and
indonesia's problems with acheh and bird flu, the column space
dedicated for malaysia seems intent to highlight the very absurdities
so much of us try to hide when attempting to explain to our
international friends just how malaysia is. last week, the same web
page displayed an article on how a group of men, including a member of
the royalty mind you, had crashed into a wedding party. A brazilian
wedding party, with guests who had never even been to asia. so
much for promoting tourism. what kind of image are we trying to
transmit to the world here? i know personally that our country isnt
populated by idiots, but really, you wouldnt be able to tell by reading
the news.
im proud to be malaysian. i always tell people where im from. and i
dont always expect them to know who we are much less where the country
is located. But occasionally, harvard students surprise me. Comments
such as "oh, you had the worlds tallest buildings" are always heard.
Equally common but less welcome is the refrain "oh, didnt you have that
anti-semitic prime minister". one can only answer "well hes not the PM
now..."
but back to the issue at hand. im not saying we should create news. i
dont wish for six people to die suddenly of H5N1 nor do i want a war to
erupt in my backyard. but surely we have other events and
accomplishments to be reported. The incredulity brought on by this
latest announcement of nik aziz was further compounded by a line in the
article which quotes a correspondent as saying "Malaysian politicians are wont to come up with ideas off the cuff and announce them in public. Sometimes they come to something, sometimes they don't."
Great, not only do we have dumb ideas. We're indecisive, hasty and cant even be bothered to
implement our own ideas effectively. with such an attitude its no
wonder that any effort on our part to progress on the world stage is
greeted by the developed countries with some skepticism and a hint of
scorn. Imagine tony blair patting badawi on the head going "there,
there. one step at a time". How can they take us seriously when we make
no effort to be serious ourselves? When our leading citizens are
portrayed in the international media as gawky, akward, immature
pre-teens who dont seem to know how to behave.
alright, maybe im being a little harsh but im fed up of having my
home page open up every morning only to display the latest shenanigans
of my fellow countrymen. is there a finishing school for politicians
and royalty? Because if there isnt, we should invest in one. and let other
countries provide amusement for the world audience for once.
| | |
| Alright, its been craaaazy so i havent had time to post here. Three
midterms in a row and a philosophy paper yet to write. But i felt the
urge to vent a little so here i am.
Today i woke at 6.45 to study for my organismic and evolutionary
biology class. Now, thats not whats got me going. Oh no. Whats got my
gander is that article i read in the Harvard Crimson today. Apparently
there this whole controversy centered on the Fulla doll, which is a
doll marketed as the opposite of Barbie and "embodies muslim virtues".
So the Harvard Salient ran a mock-ad that tastelessly pictured muslims
and arab women as being married since they were three and not having a
soul of their own. An article was written in protest to clarify how
hurtful it was to muslim arabs on campus. And today, this guy writes in
to say that the ad was tasteless but grounded in the very 'real'
situation that muslims have a terrible record about womens rights and
human rights in general. Something about how men can divorce their
wives just by saying his intent but women cant. How women are forced
into the shadows. How, basically, we are still in the middle ages and
could you please get on the bandwagon and join the rest of the world?
(meaning the west...)
But im saying that we cant join the West because the whole underlying
principle that governs an islamic society (a community of mainly
muslims, lest people now accuse me of trying to promote cutting the
hands of thieves) is so fundamentally different from that of the west
that never the twain shall meet. And that principle is this: we do not
own ourselves. Being a muslim means being a servant of God. And as the
Master, he owns us. Our bodies, our souls, our lives and property. You
have no rights. You deserve nothing beyond what God has chosen to
bestow upon you, which include the priceless gifts of free will and
reason. But even with those, you are always subservient to your Creator.
Even if you think you own yourself, you self is part of a larger whole.
Islam is a religion based on community. It is not a private faith. One
cannot dismiss it as being merely between me and God. There is you, God
and the rest of the people you live with. That is why terrorism is
un-islamic. One of the greatests sins in Islam is injustice, and to
kill innocents who have done no harm is unjust and furthermore you have
comitted injustice to yourself by assuming the position of God as the
Giver and Taker of life. Islam is not only believing that the
Heavens came about through something more than coincidence. Its also
about living a way of life. A way of life that was proscribed thousands
of years ago and remains relevant even today. Oh no, i hear you
shouting human rights again.
But lets get this straight. Culture and religion are entirely separate.
There is a whole spectrum of muslim countries that practice different
things because of their history and legacy of their peoples. The very
practices that usually results in activists up in arms are usually
almost exclusively about culture. The wearing of the arbaya, the robe
that covers a woman from head to toe. That is a culture from the middle
east. You will not find women in arbayas in southeast asia where there
have been muslims for centuries. True there is a dress code for
muslims. Women are only allowed to show their hands, face and feet in
public. But that doesnt mean you cant wear jeans and shirts. And did
you know that on the holy pilgrimage to Makkah, it is forbidden to
cover your face?
You may still argue that forcing women to cover their hair while men
stroll freely in shorts is unjust. But everyone in society is a slave
to etiquette. Do you wear thong bikinis to a funeral? There is a time
and place for everything, even clothing. And in Islam, you must be
properly dressed in public at all times. And even if you choose not to
practice this yourself, you have no right to condemn those that have
chosen to practice in what they believe in.
Divorce. Im surprised that people have not pointed out how 'modern'
Islam is by allowing divorces since the 5th century. Instead, since all
we can do is wrong, the rule of divorce is condemned as being sexist.
It is true that men may divorce their wives by uttering their intent
while women must submit their cases to court. But muslims belive that
this injuction is a rule laid down by God. And no matter how much it
offends you, you have no right to try and change the way we view the
institution of marriage. Equality is a non-sequiter in this
issue. Islam views a husband and wife not as equals but as parts of an
institution. Each has his or her responsibilities and rights. And they
may not be equal in the eyes of many but then even westerners dont
believe that men and women have identical roles in a marriage.
how many courts daily issue custody to the mother in view of the childs
best interest? Men and women are not equal. They are not the same. Each
has a part to play and Islam has defined those parts for its believers.
I guess the thing that most offended me is that while muslims are being
accused as opressors, the West itself has assumed this role by implying
that muslims are unable to make their own decisions. There are many
muslims who commit injustices in the name of religion. These are the
ones who forbid education to girls (do they not realise the
significance of the first commandment of God to Muhammad? What did He
say? READ!!!) . They are the ones who commit honor killings. They are
the ones who are wrong. But it is the responsibility of muslims to
speak out against them and to act. It is our responsibility to learn
the facets of our religion and be able to discern what God has said and
what man has made. But fundamentally, as a muslim, one fully and
cognizantly decides to subject oneself to God's Will. Simply
being born a muslim and going through the motions does not make you
one. And because i willfully and knowingly made that decision,
what right has one man to come along and tell me that that decision is
wrong and that i should do this and that. Just because your ancestors
read Locke and decided that everyone should have unalienable rights. I
have rights. Theyre just not the same as they are in your culture. And
thats fine by me. But why are you so mad?
| | |
| I'm back!!! Good old america. Im finally stationary this week after
roadtripping to DC and visiting my roomie in Minnesota. Went to the
smithsonian and attended the MN state fair. All in all, its been a
great summer. Just thought id drop a line or two, seeing as ive been
gone awhile. I have tonnes of stories and pictures, but the thought of
writing and uploading them gives me hives. So if you want to hear me
rave, email me eh? ;)
Was reading the news today. Apparently a model back home got into
trouble for posing nude (well, she LOOKED nude. said she had a boob top
and shorts on). It wasnt even a tasteful shot. The photographer ought
to be lynched as well. Poor girl. Risked everything for a photo that
doesnt even merit a place in playboy (heffie has some taste if nothing
else) Bet thisll teach her to grow up quick.
Other news- criticism of Amalina, that very smart girl whos off to
Cheltenham i hear. Apparently, the consensus is she had too much
publicity. Well, i bet she was just overwhelmed by the attention. Its
hard when people are calling you all the time and its even harder to
say no and still retain that polite asian veneer. The malaysian media
is afflicted with the It girl/guy syndrome. When someone hits it big,
everyone has to get a scoop. Problem is, saturation is so intense that
there is then a backlash towards the poor itinerant star. If youre
reading this Amalina (which i highly doubt but what the heck), keep
your head low and do well in school. You did a great job and the
success was heady but well-deserved. However, id suggest staying out of
the limelight for awhile. Although, you should still do your best to
motivate students by going to schools and talking to them. Eeveryone
needs a role-model. And youre a good one. A girl at that. Go female
power!
Another thing i dont understand is why we are sending a man/woman into
space for 25 million dollars. Dont get me wrong, im all for science. I
just think that we dont need someone in space. We all know the moon is
just a gigantic piece of rock. And its not like we're benefitting from
any scientific advances that this sort of endeavour leads to in america
and russia. We arent going to develop a new way of processing carbon
dioxide, no one is going to find a new superinsulating material to
insulate the spacecraft. Research that requires space travel hasnt
developed in any of the local institutions. All we're doing is paying
someone else to take our representative into the great unknown, a
shameful parody of a certain boyband member who also paid a fortune to
the russians for the exact same privilege. The analogy is nauseatingly
accurate. I think we dont deserve to send someone to space yet. unless
and until we can harness the knowledge and technology that comes with
sending a person into space and not just pay an exorbitant fare, we
ought to look at the myriad of problems we have back home. on earth.
I think our country has been afflicted by
this disease that requires us to be a regular contributor to the
Guiness Book of Records. KLCC, KLIA, Midvalley Megamall.....its great
to try to life yourself up into the company of giants, but we have to
do it in a logical, sustainable fashion. I could think of so many other
useful
things that could be done with that money and go a long way to
elevating our country and our people . Our education system for
example. Theres great fanfare about smart schools and computers. Thats
all fine and dandy but there are countless students out there whose
main problem isnt the lack of technology. Rather, its the lack of
guidance and facilities. In my fathers hometown waaaaay up north,
schools are reasonably equipped but only a very small percentage of
students continue into high school and college. Why? Because they see
no future in their town. Most of them have no direction, no guidance
and no role models. They are intimidated because they cannot speak
english well and no one told them that university was even a remote
possilibility. I think we should send people- teachers, college
students- into the rural heartlands , not even permanently, but just
regular enough so that the students are exposed to the world beyond
their little town. Give them career guidance, show them all the
opportunities that are open to them. Even if the entire effort only
made a difference in one child, it would be worth it.
Having lived in America for 2 years now i must say that there are many
things that i like and dislike about this country. But one thing that i
always admired was their spirit of serving the community. Im sad to say
that volunteerism is not an asian trait. here in the states, youths
spend their time after school and during the summers, volunteering for
various causes whether it is to aid old people or to promote recycling.
But back home, integrating the youth into serving the society is not
easy. I remember the hassle we used to go through in girl guides just
to arange a day trip to the old folks home. And now in college im
meeting people who took a year off from school to set up an orphanage
in India or received threats from their government for setting up a
branch of Amnesty International. There are people who set up now global
micro-financing organizations and advocacy groups. And mind you these
are college students- teenagers and young adults like me (and
preseumably you too if youre even reading a blog :) So age definitely
isnt an obstacle.
But hey, for any budding community workers out there, heres an idea.
how bout arranging a program that sends university or high school
students into the rural areas to teach english during the long term
holidays. Its easy, doesnt require that much training and you could
very possibly change the life of many a youngun. Or perhaps set up a
program like habitat for humanity. Last spring i traveled to the
appalachians during my one week break and helped build houses for the
poor. granted they had to have a job and pay a minimal fee for the
house and be committed to it. Still it was a great feeling to stand
outside hammering in the cold knowing that a family will be eternally
grateful for the roof above their heads.
wow ive ranted on for awhile. sorry. its just that independance day has
made me realise that theres so much potential in our country, if only
people would rouse themselves from their comfy IKEA chairs and go out
and make a difference. We have to remember whats important for
ourselves, for others and for the country, and hopefully we'll be fine.
Selamat Hari Merdeka...
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| Well hell, you're still back here reading even after my piss poor literary efforts. Jolly good.
Its my eighth week in fabulous Costa Rica and i am having the time of
my life. Spanish classes came and went and i am thrilled to be able to
converse to people out here. Since i wrote last, my adventures have
taken me to several small towns, beaches, mountains and research
stations. We have chilled out in tiny honky-tonk bars, hiked in primary
rainforests, burned the skin off our backs at beaches to die for, swung
to the afro-caribbean beat in Limon, learn to salsa everynight and went
mushroom hunting in the mountains. Oh, and along the way we learnt
about plants, tropical medicine and indigenous cultures of costa rica.
And can you believe im having all this fun, getting half a sem worth of
credit, all at Harvard's expense?
I gotta say that this trip has created a boatful of memories. The time
when we spotted a Bushmaster two feet away from my foot. Or that
archery match in the Maleku village. Dyeing my shirt blue with natural
dyes at the Boruca village. Munching on sugar cane while soaking up the
sun at La Gamba. Fording through rivers and eating cacao. Searching all
over Limon for the famous pan bon. Stealing breadfruit from the tree at
La Selva and sweet talking the cooks into frying it up for us. Spotting
twelve spider monkeys on a tiny tree. Chopping a banana plant at a
plantation. Watching as millions of pilgrims walk on their knees to a
basilica. Helping jon's tica family build their roof. Outrageous
drinking games, bumpy rides through the mountains, getting a zillion
bug bites, eating the best pizza in the world....i'll never forget this
place. Pura vida.
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