Me Kong Delta, Explosion!

 Watch Michael's video of our trip to the Mekong Delta, and watch out for the water snake. Enjoy! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-d7MXV7kjw&feature=youtube_gdata

Good work, boyfriend. 

Elephants in Chiang Mai!

If you visit The Elephant Nature Park, North of Chiang Mai, Thailand you will experience a perspective shift. At the Elephant Nature Park, a woman named Lek (little woman, big heart) rescues abused elephants from Thailand and neighboring countries and provides them with acres and acres of land to roam. The land includes feeding areas, an elephant hospital, a river running through the property, and hills for the elephants to "get back to nature".

Most of the elephants at the Nature Park are domesticated. They were rescued from a life of street performance in polluted cities and lives as elephant loggers where they were often mutilated and some, blinded. A true elephant whisperer, Lek walks and sits with them as if she were part of the family.

Before visiting the Elephant Nature Park, I did not understand the process of creating a domesticated elephant. Baby elephants are put into cages, beaten, poked, prodded, and scarred so  that they will be submissive to their masters. They are used for profit and often lead lives of misery. They are the elephants you often see in circus shows or on the streets in SE Asia.The Elephant Nature Park is an alternative 'eco-tourist' option for people who want to observe and love elephants, rather than participating in demanding and abusive tours.

To visit the Elephant Nature Park it will cost you around 70 dollars, but worth every penny. The 70 dollars goes toward feeding and caring for the 34 elephants in the park. During your visit, you will feed, bath and watch elephants play together and in the river. For hours, I stood at the base of the camp and just observed the elephants with their elephant friends while listening to my IPod, making my own elephant nature video in my head. It was like watching enormous dogs lumber over acres of land, or like hanging out with dinosaurs in my own backyard. The experience was amazing! At the end of the day, I was soaked with river water and elephant slobber, but it was all worth it because I was inspired by one woman's effort to live and work for these large, beautiful animals.

I like to meet people who are World Changers, and I feel like my job allows me to do so, but this time the World Changer wasn't in my classroom, but in Northern Thailand.

If you would like to visit or volunteer at the Elepahnt Nature Park, please visit this website:
http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

Birthday Countdown!

28 days until my birthday! Just a reminder.

Khao Lak and Similan Islands

My first stop during Spring Break Adventure 2010 was Khao Lak. Khao Lak is about an hour, and hour and a half drive from Phuket, Thailand, and I wanted to get out of Phuket as quickly as possible (the tickets were cheap), so I chose Khao Lak based on Mike Murphy's recommendation. Dyana Wilson was my cohort in crime for this adventure because Michael wanted to stay home and save some money for our European excursion this summer, so Dyana and I flew from HCMC to Phuket with relaxation on the bill.

Khao Lak isn't much to scream and shout about, but our hotel was right on the beach and the Similan Islands are only a 1 1/2 hour boat trip away. My point is, if you have the opportunity to visit Thailand, you must visit the Similan Islands. I've vacationed in Thailand numerous times because I love it and the tickets from Viet Nam are cheap, but I've never seen such beautiful water or snorkeled without the fear of jellyfish "spicy pop-pop" stings. The Similan Islands are,quite frankly, paradise, and although Dyana and I only spent one day enjoying the beaches and snorkeling, I am going back, tomorrow, if possible. Ok, well maybe not tomorrow, but soon.

Weekend assignment: Walk in our shoes

To all aspiring movie makers, here's a weekend assignment.
You should make!

 http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=409928

Online Collectivism and Intellectual Property Rights

I was sitting in our computer/yoga room watching my boyfriend cut and paste art into his blog, sharing ideas and works as if they were his own, but the beauty of the exchange knocked me bloody, in the face. I asked him, "How does it feel to be part of this collective, frantic online exchange of information?" He said, "Great."

I find it wonderful that he, we, can sit in Viet Nam and shuffle through a library of information and images to share with others. The world as a classroom is now, virtual reality and as Mr. Lanier, quoted in the NY Times article Text without Context "the mash-up as more important than the sources who were mashed.” Creation, most often if not always, comes from a previous creation, it's just that the pace is faster now and tomorrow will be even faster. However, I am a flip-flopper on this issue. I like the idea that all of us own ideas, music, and information as a concept, but it is difficult for me to wrap my mind around as a practice. Coming from a country where copy right is a major issue and working in schools where plagiarism is a concern, I grapple with the question of ownership; nevertheless, I think the creative conversations march or mash on without my, turnitin.com, or copy right lawyers' consent. Thoughts for food.

Here's the article "Text without Context" from the New York Times, which inspired my morning blabber.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/books/21mash.html?hp

Beijing Cold

The snow began to fall as I left Beijing. 

I want to remember the feeling.