We are three months into our RTW adventure. I have been amazed about what I have learned and what I have seen and observed in such a small amount of time. For example, my friends back home are learning about medieval Europe and Asia, but we are learning about these places by visiting them. My parents hope that we will be more interested in the world when we visit the places we learn about.
The observations started pretty quickly. On our first day in Japan we saw kids walking to school, kids from 6-10 were walking by themselves in a huge city. I have also observed in poorer communities like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, the kids don't have full days of school. They go home and have lunch and then some have to do work in the fields and sometimes sell stuff on the streets to support their family. In places like Indonesia, they might spend the afternoon learning the different aspects of their culture. Also, some of the public schools cost money, unlike the public schools in America. I observed in Cambodia and Vietnam that if a family has very little or no money, some are not going to send their kids to school, but instead they are going to make them work to get money so the family can eat. I am really lucky that my family doesn't have to make those hard choices.
This trip as changed my look on the world. For example, before this trip I thought China would be a scary place and the people that live there would be mean and aggressive, because that is what I have heard. When I was there it was the same yet different from what I heard. For example, when people try to get on the subway they push their way on and they push their way into lines. However, we also found that people were friendly and helpful all over China.
I have learned so much on this trip about Asia. I have learned some upsetting things on the trip like Hiroshima and the atomic bomb that the United States dropped there during World War II. In Hiroshima we saw pictures of what the bomb did to the city and it's people. I felt sad and guilty to think that the place where I come from did something that bad. In Indonesia we learned about rice and how important it is to their culture. I also learned that people eat dog, but I didn't actually believe it until I saw it in a market in Sapa, Vietnam. When I saw the dog, I thought, "I just saw a dead dog for sale at a market." I was really taken by the fact that people eat dog - it is really upsetting, but I have to remember that it is normal in another culture.
Another thing I learned about was the Vietnam War. We went to a museum about at the place where Northern Vietnam, at the time held the American P.O.W. At the museum they wanted to show the visitors that it was fun there, but we all know it was not. This shows me that each country has its own way to show their history, and that there are always at least 2 sides to every story.
On my next review post, I will tell you more about how I feel about being gone from home and traveling with my family for so long.
Jacob - What about the positive things you've learned about? For example, I've learned since I got to Prague that the Czech Republic helped lots of Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnamese War by giving them asylum and letting them live here. Try to look for positive parts of history too, not just the negative things like war (although negative events tend to shape a country and culture more than positive ones.)
ReplyDeleteHi Jacob,
ReplyDeleteYou are going to remember and understand these things in a much deeper way than if you had just read about them in a book. It's interesting to see that you and Maggie were both struck by some of the same things (the independence of kids and how some kids have to work instead of going to school). I haven't read Luke's yet... will do that now. Anyway, it's gotten cold and dark early in San Mateo now and North Shoreview only has 3 more days of school before winter break. Take care, Anita