Another Peace education lesson

Today was presentation day in one of my classes. The topic? Four different groups presenting on non-violent movements in different parts of the world. The groups were:

1. Women in Africa- non-violent movements
2.USA Civil Rights Movement
3. Non-violent movements in the Arab World
4. Non-violent movements in Latin America

I was in the Latin America group. There were five of us in the group, and we each focused on a different country. When we first got the assignment I instantly remembered a movie I saw in college called the Agronomist- a documentary about Jean Dominique, who ran a radio station in Haiti. Dominique was an amazing person who dedicated his life to fighting (non-violently) for basic human rights for the people of Haiti who have suffered so tremendously under violent military dictatorships. Dominique was assassinated in 2000 while on his way to deliver a morning broadcast. His station broadcast in Creole, the language of the peasantry, not in French- which was the language of the ruling elite. That in itself was revolutionary. It was really great to watch the movie again, then do much more extensive research into Haitian history. It's really important for Americans to understand the involvement of the US in so many countries in central and south America- and Haiti is no exception. Dominique was often critical of US involvement in Haiti, and from what I've read, I agree with many of his points. When trying to "help," we often made things much worse. And that's saying something, given Haitian history.

There were many really interesting presentations today- and I'm especially interested in looking into the story of the Palestinian village of Battir, which was protected during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war by Hasan Mustafa. We heard a brief talk about it today, and there was a MA dissertation about it from a Coventry U student two years ago (which can be found here if interested). Really interesting stuff.

After class today (which ended early- at 4:45), I talked to a classmate for awhile about a lot of different topics- how classes are going, the civil rights movement, travel.... It was so nice to just sit down and chat with someone with no regard for time or topic. We sat in the really comfortable couches in the graduate centre (I really, really, really miss having a living room!), and talked until 7. It reminded me so much of my undergraduate years, and I realized how much I had missed this collegiate atmosphere.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how badly I want to go on a roadtrip. When I was at Pacific University during my undergrad, I took frequent trips to the ocean- to Cannon Beach. A beautiful part of the Oregon coast, and perhaps my favorite vacation spot. For those of you who aren't familiar with Cannon Beach, here's a classic shot of the beach, taken on one of my many trips a few years ago.

I miss being able to take those drives, to escape what's going on here, even if it's just for a few hours. After classes end in March, when I'm supposed to be deep in research and writing of my dissertation, I am seriously thinking about buying a used car, and traveling all over England. Short day trips, weekend trips, maybe as long as a week at a time exploring this amazing country. The worst thing I could do with this year is not explore. I'm going to be here for 14 months- I should see as much as possible! I've had several people tell me they'd be interested in joining me on a trip or two. Those are trips I'd remember for the rest of my life. Plus, I've got friends and family coming to visit over the summer... and it would be really convenient if I had a car so we wouldn't have to hire one... this is sounding pretty logical. Hmm...

We've got an All Student Meeting tomorrow for the Student Union which should be fun (free milk and cookies- gotta love being a student, right? haha). After that I've got class, then off to volunteer at a Rotary event. That's how I'm celebrating Thanksgiving. Then I'm off early Friday morning to my godparent's house just outside London for Thanksgiving, round two. I'm back in Coventry late Saturday night, then off to help cook dinner and provide entertainment (a speech) for 30+ Rotarians. Busy few days ahead of me!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving update...

Well, dinner was a success!!! I'll post photos once I get them from friends- I had my camera, but never remembered to actually use it! Oops.

The corn casserole didn't turn out as I had hoped, but what can you expect when I couldn't find the two main ingredients, so I had to improvise. The pumpkin pie was my favorite- it was my first attempt at making one, and it was so yummy and smooth!

I had some leftovers yesterday, but only a little because... guess what? I'm sick. Yep, my immune system decided to crash on me. Thankfully it didn't really hit until the day after the dinner (though I did sneeze my way through dinner, I didn't think it was anything at the time)... Yesterday I slept most of the day, and with deadlines for essays coming ever closer that wasn't the way I'd hoped to spend the day. I feel like I should be sleeping now, but I have a Rotary presentation to give this afternoon. I'll sleep afterwards. :-)

Anyone out there have a cure for the common cold, other than waiting for it to pass? I'd pay big bucks for it. :-)

Waiting...

I'm waiting for the ingredients for my early Thanksgiving party to arrive (as I've written before, it's so much easier to have groceries delivered here rather than taking the bus and having to manage carrying it all back home). And while I've been waiting, and occasionally looking out the window to see if the truck has arrived, I've seen many a graduand walking down the road with family and friends (apparently here in the UK, people are called 'Graduand' if they've completed their study but not actually walked in the ceremony- they're 'Graduate' after the ceremony). For this is graduation week here in Coventry. There have been ceremonies all week long in the Cathedral. I've walked by it several times this week to see queues going as far as the eye can see- people waiting to watch their loved ones graduate. Note to self: tell my family to get in the queue early.

The ceremonies all week until today have been undergraduates. Today is the graduation ceremony for all post grads. This means that, pending some unlikely scenario, in exactly one year, I will be able to say I've earned my MA. That's a pretty good feeling, I must admit! This will be a very strange graduation for me. For my high school and college graduation, I was surrounded by most of my extended family. Aunts, uncles, cousins... and next year, I only get two tickets for family. The ceremony is held in the stunning Cathedral... which is a nice setting, but doesn't have much room for guests. I guess it doesn't really matter, as it's not like my graduation is just down the road from home... but still, it will be strange not to have a big party with lots of family and friends right after the ceremony. Oh well, we'll save that for when I'm back home. :-)

I'll go back to researching while waiting for groceries now.

Oh- I should mention, in this week's Gateway I wrote an article about what I've been up to my first two months abroad. It's available online for you to read- I hope you enjoy! http://www.gateline.com/opinion/story/2871.html

UPDATE: Thanksgiving food has arrived!!! This is why it was delivered- soooo much food! Yes, that's one of IKEA's huge bags, totally overflowing with food. ;-) And this doesn't include any of the potatoes!!! :-) I can't wait for Sunday!

One month left of first term!

Today marks the beginning of the end of the term! It's hard to imagine that in one month, I'll have finished 1/3 of my masters degree (hopefully successfully!). And, to celebrate, I'll hop on a train and go to see my family, who will be waiting for me just outside of London. :-) It will be hard to not see my extended family at Christmas- this will be the first time ever for me. But we're prepared for that- and I'll have my computer so I can skype Grandma and we'll at least be able to see her via internet, and we're getting cheap international SIM cards for my parents' phones- so we'll be able to call everyone else. :-)

Before then, I still have three essays to complete. I've been thinking a lot about them recently, doing lots of research, and planning how I want to dissect the topics. I'm most excited about the essay where I'll develop a proposal for a peace education programme. It's such an open-ended idea that I'm not sure where it will take me- hence my excitement.

In addition to needing to finish those essays, I will be giving four speeches to different Rotary groups in that time, and traveling to London for a late Thanksgiving dinner with my (American) godparents who live here in England, and, I can't believe I'm doing this... I'm hosting an early Thanksgiving dinner here in my flat on Sunday. Yes, I must be crazy. I don't think I've ever attempted a full Thanksgiving meal by myself before. I've cooked a turkey before- that's not hard- but coordinating everything in a kitchen shared by 6 people (who I'm not inviting- that may be awkward)... hmm. Plus, as I learned shopping for the groceries online today, many of the ingredients I need aren't sold here in the form I'm used to- including shortening, and cream-style corn (it's way too hard to carry a Thanksgiving's worth of groceries on the bus by myself- so I am having them delivered- which is just a pound or so more than the bus ticket- totally worth it!).

My Thanksgiving menu:

• Corn Casserole
• Cranberry Scones
• Mashed Potatoes
• Turkey
• Gravy
• Stuffing
• Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie (if I can find a pumpkin around here- they don't have canned pumpkin, at least from what I've seen!)
• Vanilla ice cream
  

Mmmm.

It will be the smallest Thanksgiving I've ever attended- only 6 of us. How did I arrive at that number? Well, for one thing, that's all my kitchen table will seat. Also, in my kitchen, we have six people sharing three baby-sized refridgerators. That means I have two shelves in which to keep all the cool ingredients cool. I figure, if I take out one shelf, I will just be able to fit the turkey in (to thaw), and pile the butter, milk, and cream cheese (for the mashed potatoes- yum!) around it. Should be interesting. :-) I'll post pictures afterwards!

Back to work!!! I will achieve my daily goal of adding another 500 words to an essay today... I will, I will, I will!

RIP, letter 'Z'

I turned in my first written assignment yesterday, and before doing so, I figured out how to make my computer do spellcheck with British English... wow. I'm surprised my computer didn't start smoking with the amount of corrections I had to make. I've decided that people here hate the letter 'z'. What did it ever do to them? I happen to like it, and won't be playing Scrabble here 'cause I'd never have a chance without its 10-point value. :-)

Adios, Z. See you when I get back home.

Week Update

On Saturday I gave my first Rotary speech here in the UK! And I think it went really well! First, no technical problems, which was a big relief (as much as I love my still-newish MacBook, it isn't always so cooperative with PC-orientated external equipment like projectors!). I had re-worked some of the content of the speech, and I think it went over well. It's hard to give a speech about the US to people who have often visited the country and already have their own idea of what it's like. I want to provide an inside, non-stereotypical look at my country, so I focused on my hometown and my family. I shared photos of Gig Harbor- lots of photos. Mainly ones showing all the water. Oh, how I miss the water. :-)

The question that I expected to get I did get... and I still don't really have an answer to it! The question was: What, good or bad, has surprised you in your time here? Well, what I said was that I was surprised that so much surprises me. It's true! I was expecting everything to feel familiar. Never did I anticipate that the small differences would surprise me. I still haven't adjusted to looking to the right instead of the left when crossing the street. I get frustrated every time I walk into a supermarket needing to buy one or two specific things and I still don't know exactly where to look, and I have no idea what the packaging will look like. And I still can't find an equivalent to American tomato sauce. It's not spaghetti sauce! Nor is it paste! :-) I like the price of peppers, as I've told several of my British friends. They're often 3 for 1 pound... which, even with the exchange rate, is wayyyy cheaper than home. I prefer the taste of chicken in the US to here. I know, it sounds totally weird, but it's different here. Same with ground (mince) beef. There's so many different choices here, and none of the ones I've tried are the same as home. Not bad, but different. These are a few of the minor differences I've noticed. There are many more serious differences I've noticed when interacting with people from around the world- keep in mind, most of my time is spent with international students- the people from my course, and the people who live in my building. And my cultural sensitivity has been tested many a time. There are things people will say or ways people will act that still surprise me, and not in a positive way. And I work through them.

Someone asked me recently if I missed home. Of course I do, but what can you do in this situation but make the best of it? The only thing I can think of is to spend time with my new friends, throw myself into my studies and travel! I miss home, and I know I will even more on Thanksgiving when I'm not in the kitchen making corn casserole, delicious mashed potatoes (cream cheese is the key, folks!!!), and standing in the driveway with a cell phone just waiting to call 911 should dad slip and fall into the turkey fryer. :-)

25 days until my Mom arrives to visit, and 31 days until my Dad and sister arrive!!! Christmas together in London. :-) I better get back to work on essays so I can actually spend some quality time with them!

Why I'm so lucky!

This week is reading week, so no classes. And no, for those cynics out there, that's not why I think I'm a lucky person. Ha. I may have thought that during my undergraduate years once or twice, but not here, not now.

One of my classmates had several of us over to his town for a walk through the countryside then dinner with he and his wife (and a dog named Barack, no joke! No relation to the 44th President-Elect, but still, I loved it). It was such an amazing afternoon! As the eight of us were getting ready to catch the bus home, one of them said: "I learned more spending this afternoon with you all than I would have reading 100 books." It really did capture what my life has been like the past two months. I'm learning so much about different cultures- let alone everything I'm learning about peace studies. I feel really lucky to be spending a year with these great people. We always have a great time, and we're all very respectful of each other's cultures. Can I stay here studying peace for more than a year, please???? I don't want this year to end.

Remember, lots more photos are in my photo page, there's a link to the left, under "Hannah's Favorite Links" Enjoy!

Bonfire Night, Round Two!

I just got back from Round Two of Bonfire night, and have dried enough to be touching the computer without serious risk of electrocution. It was a tad rainy. OK, really rainy. But not until the fireworks started, of course.

I went with my host counselor and a Rotary youth exchange student to see the fireworks celebrating Bonfire Night at Kenilworth Castle. One of the best backdrops for fireworks that I've ever experienced! We were standing in a field, which got really, really really muddy as the show went on... Time to break down and buy some wellies (ie boots). :-)

Enjoy the photos!

The Castle:















See, I said it rained!














Especially proud of this one- not too shabby for no tripod, and rain!

Bonfire Night

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, here in the UK. What is that, you ask? Well...

Guy Fawkes was a Catholic conspirator in the Gunpowder plot of the 5th of November, 1605. What is the Gunpowder plot, you ask? Well...

The Gunpowder plot was a group of Catholics who tried (and failed) to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London to assassinate King James I... who wasn't keen on allowing the practice of Catholicism (all UK residents reading this blog- my apologies if I butchered the history- I think this is right... but please, correct me if I'm wrong! This wasn't in any history class I've taken...)

Today, Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated with a large bonfire and a firework show. Which I was more than happy to attend. Hope you enjoy the photos! And keep in mind, I had no tripod. So... I got creative with my photo-taking technique. :-)
The first one is my attempt to make an octopus out of a firework. :-)

The Day After

Every election day I'm awed by what our country does. While I wish more people would turn out to the polls consistently, last night more than 100 million Americans made their selections. It was a tight race. One that at any given time in the past two years provoked in people across the country feelings of hurt, anger, patriotism, happiness, pride, and hope, among so many other emotions.

Many of us volunteered for our candidates, whether with our time or our pocketbooks. We participated in what is best about our republic: our firm belief in participation in a democratic process.

Last night, I wanted to watch the results come in with people from across the world. After all, the main reason why I wanted to pursue my Masters degree abroad was to experience different people and cultures.

I started the evening at the annual Coventry Peace Lecture, which was given this year by a professor of American Studies from Swansea University. The talk was about how contemporary memories of war and defeat have been molded in American political rhetoric, culture and society. The speaker talked about the Civil War, and the Vietnam War, and the memories created from both conflicts. It was an interesting lecture and interesting perspective for me to hear, but what I found more interesting was the question/answer session afterwards. Many people used it as a chance to criticize the US on several fronts. It's important, I believe, for us Americans to know how we are sometimes thought of abroad. It's not always pretty, but it's not always ugly, either. Some of the resentment is, in my opinion, misdirected- but not all of it by any stretch.

I hear most often from people I've talked with here the stereotype that Americans don't care about anything but domestic issues. But I strongly disagree. Look at any poll in the last year or more, and it's obvious that Americans are, in general, concerned with our standing in the world. I honestly think that we want to be liked. We want to do "the right thing." It's the American way, after all. We're often idealists, wanting to create a better world for ourselves and those in need- and I believe in part that this idealism comes thanks to the extraordinary history we've lucky enough to come from. The amazing challenges we've overcome.

Look what we've done as a country in the past 200+ years. We became one, separated over the issue of slavery, and came together once again. We've fought and settled world wars, fought and at least symbolically achieved equality for women and minorities. And today, no matter what your politics, we can all respect that history has been made in the fight for equality. I'm not asking that the many millions of McCain supporters celebrate Obama's victory- I understand and respect political differences and the strong emotions that were created throughout the long campaign season. Now is the time to come together as a country capable of such amazing things, to bring our economy back into shape. To find a way to keep our citizens healthy. To work on our aging infrastructure, and mold a path into a future of energy independence (which is intrinsically tied to our economic problems). To work together, democrats and republicans, to show the world how great our country can be.

Last night, after the lecture, I sat in our university bar watching returns. By 4am our time (8pm west coast), there were about 10 or 15 diehard politicos left from several different countries watching with me. As Senator McCain came on the air with his amazing speech, I watched the reactions of my fellow students. Many teared up, and the applause at the end was very powerful. There was such respect shown by everyone in the heavily Obama crowd here in Coventry. I am grateful for Senator McCain's service to our country. And impressed with his presentation last night. And a few minutes later, as President-Elect Obama came to the stage in Chicago, the crowd here in Coventry listened with the same respect, teared up with me again, and joined me in watching history unfold. I was so proud watching both men speak last night. I felt so lucky to come from the United States, and especially lucky to be able to participate in the 2008 election. I don't think I'll ever forget where I was on November 4th, 2008. This appreciation for the capabilities of the American people and our country is something I can understand much more because of my experiences abroad thus far. And it's something I won't soon forget.

Stay tuned for more blog postings, and I promise I won't get political on you again for awhile. :-)

Happy Election Day, everyone! I'm trying to keep myself busy awaiting results, but having no success. If I hit 'refresh' on CNN's homepage one more time I may go nuts.

That's where I'll be (look left!) tonight to watch results. I'll post photos of the party later.

The world is watching. They're interested, they'll be affected by the choice we make as a nation tonight. I was very careful about protecting my right to vote and set up email voting before I left (wow, that was a wonderful way to vote!). Thank goodness for voting programs for those of us overseas on election day. Now it's time for you all back home to step up. Go out to the polls. Cast your ballot. And a message to voters who are with me in the 18-30 year old bracket... don't, I repeat DON'T mess this up for me, our country, and the world today. Every election we collectively say that we'll play a huge role in determining the winner, and every year we disappoint. Get out and VOTE! No excuses. Show the world what we're capable of.