Pork Buns and Natural Disasters
Welcome to another installment of adventures in international aid work!
In this issue you will find:
Pork Buns vs Bus Stop: How not to get what you want.
Photo a Day for a Year: If you want to know what I do, but don't have much time to.
Chinese New Year: Will there ever be a year of the liger?
World Economic Forum: How to get into one of the most elite clubs on the planet.
Global Hand: Redistribution of wealth for capitalists. Yes, really.
Disaster Response: Aid that helps, not hurts.
California: The motherland calls my name.
Support: How to keep the ball rolling despite the laws of friction.
As usual you are welcome to read just a bit, read the whole thing, or ignore
what I say and just click on the links... its up to you. I just want to
share with you the things that are so important to me I am spending my life
on them. Literally.
*Pork Buns vs Bus Stops
Public transportation in Hong Kong is amazing. I have always been a
huge fan and try to utilize it no matter where I am living, but dude, other
cities can learn a thing or two from these guys. You’ve got the MTR (think
subway), busses, taxis, ferries, trams, elevated footpaths, longest
escalator in the world, underground foot paths… but I would like to take
pause on the mini-bus. If you had a chance to watch my earth-shattering iMovie
debut, you might have noticed a
fine transitional clip of beeping numbers on a small bus, yes, a mini-bus.
These are not for the faint-hearted, but they get you where you’re going
fast, enough to keep their speeding-warning beepers going throughout your
ride. Tricky thing with these is that there are no designated stops. You
stand on the side of the road with your hand out to hail it like a cab and
when you want off you have to ask - verbally, in Cantonese.
Now, I know I’ve been here for nearly six months but Cantonese ain’t
Spanish, it doesn’t stick in my brain so naturally. I learned to say “one
pork bun please” and “next bus stop please” on the same afternoon... the
other day I found myself on the bus, needing to get off with a frozen open
mouth, blanked out in fear. It just wasn’t clear in my mind if I was about
to ask the bus driver for a pork bun or not. As my stop was very very quickly
approaching, I ended blurting out an mgoi (please) which sent him into a
panicky skidding stop in the middle of the road to let the poor guwilo
(foreigner) out. Ah, good times in Hong Kong. For the record, next bus stop
please is 'basi jam mgoi'. I’ve got that one down now.
*Photo a Day for a Year
I took a photo a day for a year in 2008, many of them with lists of things found in
my pocket at the end of the day. Well, this year I have decided to do the same.
However, I have listed things I have done for the day because the contents of my
pockets have been less interesting than the contents of my office out-tray.
I know that I feel far far away for many of you, so this is my attempt to
give you a peak into each of my days. Hong Kong is not as particularly
exotic or adventurous as it sounds, but my days are anything but boring. My
aim in this is that you understand just a little more of what I’m all about
and why I’m out here working for no salary… and it will take a bout 3
seconds to glance at my flickr
site(As opposed to this
email, which may take you a bit longer and requires a
more substantial amount of caring to read! Let’s be real, some days we just
can’t care that much!).
*Chinese New Year
My first Chinese New Year in China and I will not be in China. Go
figure. However, I have learned some interesting little factoids such as; we
are leaving the year of the rat, headed into the year of the tiger and that
it is tradition for married people to give single people money for
prosperity in the new year. It has been very different living in a culture
who’s holidays are pegged to the moon and seasons instead of a fixed
calendar of slightly arbitrary dates. I feel more in tune with humanity as a
whole.
*World Economic Forum in Davos
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland is an event that globalized
junkies like myself tend to follow. It’s the who’s who of the global
political, economical and intellectual spheres of influence all hanging out
in the Swiss Alps for a weekend. Well, this year we were there too… for
different reasons. One of our life simulations is the “Refugee Run” which is
an hour in the shoes of a refugee.
Just to say, its amazing that we have such open access to some of the most
powerful policy and commerce movers in the world and that they are opening
their minds to the plight of the powerless. One such participant said he’d
“learned more in this past hour than [he] could have in a thousand books”.
*Global Hand Site Launch(es)
I sent out an email about this already, but the launch of our sister
site www.business.un.org in conjunction with www.globalhand.org has been a
massive tool in organizing the Haitian Earthquake response as well as
alerting businesses community of the greater need of ongoing development
projects. Makes a girl proud to be working here and part of this team!
*Disaster Response
Philippines Feedback – Speaking of disaster response, we recently
relieved some great feed back from our shipment of flood relief to the
Philippines. On a call to our partner on the ground doing the distribution
at one of the displacement camps, he told me that what they heard over and
over was, “We’ve never been given such quality and new things”. It is a
humbling place to be, where we can ask what the need is and meet it beyond
expectations.
Haiti, Handle with Care – Speaking of needs being met, as Haiti’s
ongoing development needs have escalated to dire crisis, there has been a
lot of talk on what is helpful aid and what is, well, not. Here at
Crossroads we are very conscious of this (actually, where ‘good aid’ guidelines
have not existed, we have written them). What I love about the work that is done
here is that we provide a place where need meets resource. We are equipping
organizations and programs that are on the ground and committed to a
long term investment in the people (more often than not it is locals running
these, so they clearly have a vested interest in the development of their
infrastructure, livelihoods and people).
All that said, we are in constant communication with partners on the ground
who have not received aid yet, and as well as connecting them with
resources, we are sending relief aid aimed for the median to long term
rebuilding of Haiti. As you give, please, know who you are giving to and
that it is meeting an actual need on the ground, not simply quenching your
desire to help. That desire to help is vital to Haiti's recovery, but needs
to be harnessed into good aid and useful projects… also, keep in mind it
will take decades for them to recover, just because Haiti has fallen from
the headlines doesn't mean its all OK. Invest in the long term for them as
well as immediate aid. To be super real; don’t clean out your closet to send
to Haiti, clean out your wallet to send help to Haitians. You know me, you
know I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.
*California
Just two weeks and I will be on my home side of the Pacific! Yep, my
beautiful friend and roommate of 6+ yeas is getting married! Very exciting.
Here’s a shout-out to Laurel, James and love.
Lunch dates and meet-ups - After my week of wedding extravaganza in
LA, I will be in San Diego for a week. I’ve got some lunch dates and such on
the books already and I’m so excited to catch up with everyone. I was
wondering if you’d be interested in a larger gathering? A lot of people have
been showing interest in what I’m doing out here and even in coming to Hong
Kong to volunteer! That’s awesome. Please, if you would be keen to come to a
BBQ or something like that where I could tell you guys what Crossroads does,
how you could be a part of it, and answer your questions… let me know ASAP.
You could even click reply right now with a one-liner answer (hint, hint -
nudge, nudge.).
*Support
As you know by now, I am a volunteer… our whole staff is. As such, I rely on
people like you to partner with me so I can continue this work out here. I
live rather minimally but still have rent, food and health to take care of.
If you have any questions about how I live or why I chose to live this way,
please, ask away!
I’ll end this elongated newsletter with a quote I came across that
encouraged me in the work I do and I hope will encourage you in yours:
"I would like to highlight the important role volunteers all over the world
play in protecting our planet and advancing important causes. The decisions
and actions of individuals may seem insignificant in the face of global
challenges. But when people choose to devote their time and energy they can,
together, make a difference."
- Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General
Welcome to another installment of adventures in international aid work!
In this issue you will find:
Pork Buns vs Bus Stop: How not to get what you want.
Photo a Day for a Year: If you want to know what I do, but don't have much time to.
Chinese New Year: Will there ever be a year of the liger?
World Economic Forum: How to get into one of the most elite clubs on the planet.
Global Hand: Redistribution of wealth for capitalists. Yes, really.
Disaster Response: Aid that helps, not hurts.
California: The motherland calls my name.
Support: How to keep the ball rolling despite the laws of friction.
As usual you are welcome to read just a bit, read the whole thing, or ignore
what I say and just click on the links... its up to you. I just want to
share with you the things that are so important to me I am spending my life
on them. Literally.
*Pork Buns vs Bus Stops
Public transportation in Hong Kong is amazing. I have always been a
huge fan and try to utilize it no matter where I am living, but dude, other
cities can learn a thing or two from these guys. You’ve got the MTR (think
subway), busses, taxis, ferries, trams, elevated footpaths, longest
escalator in the world, underground foot paths… but I would like to take
pause on the mini-bus. If you had a chance to watch my earth-shattering iMovie
debut
fine transitional clip of beeping numbers on a small bus, yes, a mini-bus.
These are not for the faint-hearted, but they get you where you’re going
fast, enough to keep their speeding-warning beepers going throughout your
ride. Tricky thing with these is that there are no designated stops. You
stand on the side of the road with your hand out to hail it like a cab and
when you want off you have to ask - verbally, in Cantonese.
Now, I know I’ve been here for nearly six months but Cantonese ain’t
Spanish, it doesn’t stick in my brain so naturally. I learned to say “one
pork bun please” and “next bus stop please” on the same afternoon... the
other day I found myself on the bus, needing to get off with a frozen open
mouth, blanked out in fear. It just wasn’t clear in my mind if I was about
to ask the bus driver for a pork bun or not. As my stop was very very quickly
approaching, I ended blurting out an mgoi (please) which sent him into a
panicky skidding stop in the middle of the road to let the poor guwilo
(foreigner) out. Ah, good times in Hong Kong. For the record, next bus stop
please is 'basi jam mgoi'. I’ve got that one down now.
*Photo a Day for a Year
I took a photo a day for a year in 2008, many of them with lists of things found in
my pocket at the end of the day. Well, this year I have decided to do the same.
However, I have listed things I have done for the day because the contents of my
pockets have been less interesting than the contents of my office out-tray.
I know that I feel far far away for many of you, so this is my attempt to
give you a peak into each of my days. Hong Kong is not as particularly
exotic or adventurous as it sounds, but my days are anything but boring. My
aim in this is that you understand just a little more of what I’m all about
and why I’m out here working for no salary… and it will take a bout 3
seconds to glance at my flickr
site
email, which may take you a bit longer and requires a
more substantial amount of caring to read! Let’s be real, some days we just
can’t care that much!).
*Chinese New Year
My first Chinese New Year in China and I will not be in China. Go
figure. However, I have learned some interesting little factoids such as; we
are leaving the year of the rat, headed into the year of the tiger and that
it is tradition for married people to give single people money for
prosperity in the new year. It has been very different living in a culture
who’s holidays are pegged to the moon and seasons instead of a fixed
calendar of slightly arbitrary dates. I feel more in tune with humanity as a
whole.
*World Economic Forum in Davos
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland is an event that globalized
junkies like myself tend to follow. It’s the who’s who of the global
political, economical and intellectual spheres of influence all hanging out
in the Swiss Alps for a weekend. Well, this year we were there too… for
different reasons. One of our life simulations is the “Refugee Run” which is
an hour in the shoes of a refugee.
Just to say, its amazing that we have such open access to some of the most
powerful policy and commerce movers in the world and that they are opening
their minds to the plight of the powerless. One such participant said he’d
“learned more in this past hour than [he] could have in a thousand books”.
*Global Hand Site Launch(es)
I sent out an email about this already, but the launch of our sister
site www.business.un.org in conjunction with www.globalhand.org has been a
massive tool in organizing the Haitian Earthquake response as well as
alerting businesses community of the greater need of ongoing development
projects. Makes a girl proud to be working here and part of this team!
*Disaster Response
Philippines Feedback – Speaking of disaster response, we recently
relieved some great feed back from our shipment of flood relief to the
Philippines. On a call to our partner on the ground doing the distribution
at one of the displacement camps, he told me that what they heard over and
over was, “We’ve never been given such quality and new things”. It is a
humbling place to be, where we can ask what the need is and meet it beyond
expectations.
Haiti, Handle with Care – Speaking of needs being met, as Haiti’s
ongoing development needs have escalated to dire crisis, there has been a
lot of talk on what is helpful aid and what is, well, not. Here at
Crossroads we are very conscious of this (actually, where ‘good aid’ guidelines
have not existed, we have written them). What I love about the work that is done
here is that we provide a place where need meets resource. We are equipping
organizations and programs that are on the ground and committed to a
long term investment in the people (more often than not it is locals running
these, so they clearly have a vested interest in the development of their
infrastructure, livelihoods and people).
All that said, we are in constant communication with partners on the ground
who have not received aid yet, and as well as connecting them with
resources, we are sending relief aid aimed for the median to long term
rebuilding of Haiti. As you give, please, know who you are giving to and
that it is meeting an actual need on the ground, not simply quenching your
desire to help. That desire to help is vital to Haiti's recovery, but needs
to be harnessed into good aid and useful projects… also, keep in mind it
will take decades for them to recover, just because Haiti has fallen from
the headlines doesn't mean its all OK. Invest in the long term for them as
well as immediate aid. To be super real; don’t clean out your closet to send
to Haiti, clean out your wallet to send help to Haitians. You know me, you
know I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.
*California
Just two weeks and I will be on my home side of the Pacific! Yep, my
beautiful friend and roommate of 6+ yeas is getting married! Very exciting.
Here’s a shout-out to Laurel, James and love.
Lunch dates and meet-ups - After my week of wedding extravaganza in
LA, I will be in San Diego for a week. I’ve got some lunch dates and such on
the books already and I’m so excited to catch up with everyone. I was
wondering if you’d be interested in a larger gathering? A lot of people have
been showing interest in what I’m doing out here and even in coming to Hong
Kong to volunteer! That’s awesome. Please, if you would be keen to come to a
BBQ or something like that where I could tell you guys what Crossroads does,
how you could be a part of it, and answer your questions… let me know ASAP.
You could even click reply right now with a one-liner answer (hint, hint -
nudge, nudge.).
*Support
As you know by now, I am a volunteer… our whole staff is. As such, I rely on
people like you to partner with me so I can continue this work out here. I
live rather minimally but still have rent, food and health to take care of.
If you have any questions about how I live or why I chose to live this way,
please, ask away!
I’ll end this elongated newsletter with a quote I came across that
encouraged me in the work I do and I hope will encourage you in yours:
"I would like to highlight the important role volunteers all over the world
play in protecting our planet and advancing important causes. The decisions
and actions of individuals may seem insignificant in the face of global
challenges. But when people choose to devote their time and energy they can,
together, make a difference."
- Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General
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