Home at last!

It has been mentioned that I've not finished the blog since I'm apparently still in Mongolia. I did arrive home safely on Thursday, August 20th (after three different flights) -- somehow we managed to repeat Thursday -- we flew out of Beijing at about 7:00 pm and arrived in LA at 5:00 pm. Everything went well until I got to LA and the flight to Fresno was canceled. Stephen got right on the phone and made sure that I had a flight home since I had to be back at work the next morning.

Things are finally getting back to normal (no more camel milking for me), but I still have to put together my project and turn it in before I am completely finished.

It was a great trip but it sure is good to be home.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

We got back from the countryside of central Mongolia yesterday. It was a very rustic trip as we set up our own ger camp in someone's herding field. We got to build a ger, milk a mare, ride a horse, make yogurt vodka, and experience the thrills of a freshly dug pit toilet for several days. It was quite an experience getting to live like the herding families of Mongolia. The Mongolians are a very friendly and welcoming people. Just popping into their homes for a short visit was a good reason to break out all their best drinks and foods.

We also spent a night in the Hustai National Preserve where the wild Tachi horses lives. We were able to get up very close to a herd of eight of them in the early evening. They are a lot different looking than the horses that we are used to seeing. I also had the opportunity to see a smaller herd the next morning when I was out walking. Before we left, a group of us got to ride the Mongolian horses in the green hills surrounding the ger camp.

It has been a great experience, but I am definitely ready to come home. I miss the routine of home life and the support of those who are close to me. We fly out tomorrow morning around 11:00. Hopefully, we won't have any problems in Beijing but fortunately enough one of our group members speaks fluent Chinese so we should be able to get what we need.

See you soon.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

It has been ten days since I've posted anything on the blog, but we have not had access to internet during that time.

We got back two days ago from our seven day trip to the Gobi (to say Desert would be redundant since Gobi means desert). It was a wild and wooly time. Our first big adventure was the drive into the Gobi which was supposed to take us just six hours to arrive. It took us until 5:00 to arrive at our lunch site and until 11:30 to reach our final destination. There was one of our vans that just kept limping along. Finally about 5:00 the leader decided to cut our losses and leave that van behind to work out its own problems. We piled the other passengers into the remaining three vans. It only took us 16 hours to make the trip. Many of us came out of the experience with a new hobby of rock collecting -- there is not much else to do in the middle of the desert.

We did stay in gers several nights and enjoyed the hospitality of a rural school and stayed in their classrooms in makeshift dormitories. We visited a family in their ger -- shared snuff bottles, sipped airag (no fermented mares' milk for me), and ate goat cheese. We also had the opportunity to milk goats and camels and tried our hands at riding a camel. It was good times.

We are back in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, but we will be leaving tomorrow morning to head for central Mongolia and visit some more herder families.

This has definitely been an experience. I'm looking forward to sharing more with all of you when I get back.

Thur

Monday, August 3, 2009

We had to be in the lobby of the hotel at 4:50 this morning so that we could get out to the airport for our flight to Ulaanbaatar. Things went well. When we got to the airport we were met by a group of young adult Russians who were singing and taking alternate drinks of coke and whiskey. They were really wasted.

I was able to get a window seat and could see the terrain as we traveled north. The pollution was so horrible that we couldn't see anything as we flew out of Beijing. However, after that the scenery was wonderful. I am very excited to see the Gobi from the land level.

Spent today walking around the city with our director and getting to know the city. When I had free time I walked over to the Church offices that are only 5 minutes away from the hotel. A pair of elders gave me a tour of the building from the chapel to the family history center to the mission president's office. There are 8000 LDS members with 190 missionaries working with them. I also got to see the state department store and the circus. It is interesting to see all the things in the area.

More info to follow. We had a reception tonight where we met our host families. There was also some traditional musicians with horsehead fiddles and throat singers. It was so soothing! I bought a copy of their CD. I'll play it for you when I get home.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

We arrived around 6:30 this morning in Beijing, China. It was an amazing whirlwind day. The morning was spent in a pedicab being pedaled around the back alleys of the area. Then on to lunch at one of the small courtyard homes -- supposedly very authentic.

The afternoon, after checking into the hotel, we were bussed to The Forbidden City. What an amazing place. It was beautiful but also huge -- 10 square kilometers. Some of us thought that it would never end. It was hard to believe all of the people who were there -- and half of them had umbrellas. Check the internet for pictures of the place.

We then headed to Tianenmen Square. It was easy to see how the students who were protesting were trapped by the government soldiers. It was another huge square. The Chinese people have really deified Chairman Mao with a huge picture of him on the Hall of the People. They also have a huge mausoleum for him where they have frozen his body and placed it on display in a crystal casket. It is only open in the morning so we missed the opportunity to see that.

Had a Peking duck dinner at a nearby hotel. I can't believe how much food was left after they served us 12 courses. I was very happy to get back to our hotel and get to bed. It was a very long day!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Up early for my last morning in New Zealand. Checked out Victoria Square one last time and found my last geocache underneath the bridge. There was even a TB in it. The rest of the morning was spent in a conference room debriefing on the time in NZ. Lunch was at the old campus for Canterbury University. Afterwards we got to go to the street fair that was being held there. Had some interesting things there.

Our last attraction for the trip was at the Antarctic Center. We had a blue penguin placed down right beside us which was really rather cool. Then we were off in a whirlwind to the subzero room to experience the temperature of Antarctica, the penguin pool, and the Haagland all-terrain vehicle.

We spent the evening at the airport in Christchurch and Auckland. We are off to Beijing!

Friday, July 31, 2009

Busy morning as we prepared for the last of our school visits. I was able to visit an intermediate school which would be comparable to Wawona. It was a decile 8 school with lots of multicultural students. Before we left this morning they even let us watch their kapa haka performance. They still needed a little more practice but they do have a month to go. The girls even tried to get us to learn how to do the poi balls. I will need a LOT more practice.

I also got to meet with and talk to the special education coordinator for the school site and sit in for lessons in their learning center. Very interesting for me. Also popped in to look at several of their elective classes -- it was amazing that they still get to do woodshop, cooking, sewing, and metal shop. The woodshop teacher even made me a wooden wind toggle thing. I had a great morning.

Afternoon was spent at the university listening to their lead professor on Children's Literature. I learned some new perspectives and realize that when I read I just do it for enjoyment not looking for hidden meanings. Also picked up two more caches and a travel bug which will be going with me to Mongolia.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

I was up at 6:30 and standing on the beach this morning. It was an amazing hour as I watched the sunrise. The colors were fantastic as they lit up the clouds and then up on to the snowcapped mountains. The pounding surf was great fun to listen to. I walked up the beach for about an hour before heading back. I had to take my shoes off so that I could feel the sand/pebbles between my toes. When the pebbles started getting too big I decided to put the shoes back on. Since we were having a late start this morning I had plenty of time to walk into Kaikoura and look around after breakfast.

The big activity for today was a whale watching expedition. We all dressed for warmth but realized too late that most of the trip was inside a heated cabin. It didn't look like we were going to see anything, but after an hour of pounding through the waves the engines slowed and we pulled alongside a sperm whale which had surfaced. We watched for 5-7 minutes until it had replenished its oxygen supply and then we watched as it waved its flukes at us and disappeared. There were two other sightings, one of which had two whales swimming together. It was a glorious day with great weather and calm seas. We couldn't have asked for anything better.

Arrived in Christchurch just in time for dinner with our school principals. Our guy was so friendly it made it easy to carry on a conversation with him plus the fact that he wanted to know all about the four of us coming to his school. I did have time to find one geocache before dinner down near their huge "Remembrance Bridge".

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

We spent the night in Nelson and started our day taking a tour of the Aquaculture and Cawthron Institute outside of town. We had the opportunity to learn the process of breeding, growing, and cultivating algae and shellfish (green mussels, oysters, and abalone). It is quite the process and quite the up and coming business in NZ.

Currently, we are back in Nelson having lunch and a "look around". Food is definitely not a top priority for me, but getting the blog up to date was. I'm so excited that I have a free hour of internet at the public library -- thank goodness for geocaching so that I was able to find the place this morning.

We are headed off to Kaikoura this afternoon which will be where we catch the Whale Watch ship for tomorrow. More about that on a future posting.

Our time in NZ is coming quickly to a close. Everyone is getting excited about the unknowns of Mongolia.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

We were early, probably the earliest departure so far on the trip. We had to catch the ferry for the south island. It was a very uneventful trip south. The ferry was huge with 10 levels, and lots of things to do and places to sit. Spent part of the time on the top deck with the wind blowing me around. It was great seeing the spectacular southern Alps in the distance. The sound we sailed into reminded me a lot of the inland passage on our trips to Alaska.

We picked up a new bus and new bus driver for the south island. The bus is smaller so now we need to share seats.

The exciting activities for today was a visit to the World of Wearable Arts (WOW) and a wine tour/tasting. The WOW was very different with mannequins covered in absurd outfits. It was like moveable art. It has become a really big thing in the past 20 years drawing artists/designers from all over the world. They have 10 days of shows in September with sell-out crowds of 1500 people per performance.

The wine tour was actually just a tasting. They gave everyone (but me) real glasses, talked about each wine, let them taste, pour and spit if they didn't like it, and water to cleanse their palates for the next one. To say the least this was not my favorite activity of the trip. I did find out why they tie their grapes vertically rather than horizontally -- why do you think they do it?

Monday, July 27, 2009

This morning we went on our second school visits. They put us in taxis and drove about 20 minutes to get to our school in Seatoun (which is a wealthy suburb where Peter Jackson has a home). The principal barely said hello and goodbye, but we still had a great visit at the school. We could take pictures of things but not kids except for the two year 8's that showed us around the school. I spent my time with a second/third grade class. I was able to do a Q&A and answer a lot of questions for them. Then we worked on math and science. The teacher asked me to work with one group and pot plants for a soil experiment. I finished the day reading them the starfish story out of my recycling book. The schoool itself sat right on the bay and was just a stone's throw to the beach. It was fantastic.

The rest of the day was non-stop meetings. After lunch, there was the lecture about the NZ government. Many of us were having a hard time staying awake for that. Then we walked to the Parliament House for a tour, went through part of the Beehive (executive branch), and then met with the Minister of Education, Anne Tolley. She answered questions about the education system in NZ and some of the challenges. Then off to the Ministry of Education to meet with a deputy for more facts and figures about education in NZ. After that it was a brisk walk back to the Fulbright NZ office for a two hour reception with dignitaries and former Fulbrighters. I was very happy when all of that was over and we finally got to go home.

Went out long enough to pick up some Hokey-Pokey ice cream -- supposedly you can't leave NZ until you try it.

Sunday, July 30, 2009

Went out walking for a bit this morning working on a multi-cache that Stephen had given me down by the waterfront along the harbor walk. Then it was off to the bus stop to catch the bus to church. It was so nice to have the morning free and be able to find a church to go to. One of the ladies on the trip, Dayna, wanted to attend a LDS service so she tagged along with me. The thing about the church is that it is the same no matter where you go around the world. We missed the bus we should have gotten on but still managed to get there part way through the sacrament song.

The afternoon was spent at the NZ National Museum, Te Papa. There were six floors of displays but once again not nearly enough time to see it all. After a two hour tour, I spent the next two hours before it closed checking out all the information specific to NZ and the Maori people. Luckily, I found the discovery centers and put in requests to receive information from them on several topics that should help me with my project.

After dinner, they took us on a city lights tour to the top of Mt. Victoria. Wellington is a beautiful city that is built all around the hills surrounding the harbor. It was great seeing all the lights around us.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

We had a beautiful drive up into the Tongariro National Park (NZ's oldest national park and a world heritage site). The sky was crystal clear so that we had great views of all three of the active volcanoes -- Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu. They were all snow capped and so different from each other. We drove up into the ski area at Ruapehu and got out to play in the snow for a little bit. It just seemed so odd to be holding snow in my hand in the middle of July. We were also able to see Mt. Taranaki which is on the west coast which the locals say you very seldom can see.

We also got to visit the Gumshoe Capital of the World. One of the things about New Zealanders is that they always want to be the best at everything -- perhaps they have a bit of a Napoleon complex.

Had a nice dinner with the school principals for Wellington. Learned that the principals are actually part of the teachers' unions. Takes away the "us" and "them" mentality.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Just a quick post with a fast report of the last three days.

Wednesday, July 22 -- we had the opportunity to walk through a redwood forest right in the middle of NZ. We learned about their timber industry and what they are doing with bioplastics. Afternoon was spent at the Agrodome learning about sheep and farming.

Thursday, July 23 -- our first opportunity to make school visits in small groups. Very exciting. I had the rare opportunity to visit a specialized school for students with special needs. The evening we went to a Maori cultural show. Our first chance to see an actual haka performed. It was very well done. The evening was capped by the viewing of the geysers and hot chocolate.

Friday, July 24 -- today we traveled down into the geothermal valley and saw where the geysers had exploded in 1886 and again in 1917. Very beautiful. Looked a lot like Yellowstone NP but without the foul smell and with the look of the tropics. Then on to Lake Taupo. Spent the night at a Fishing Lodge along the Turanga River -- had a great walk through the woods and across a swinging bridge.

I'll try to add more details later, but had the opportunity for free internet. This is rare.

Left Bay of Islands and traveled through the island to the west coast and got our first view of the Tasman Sea. Most of the day was spent in pursuit of the Kauri tree -- the second largest tree in the world next to our Giant Sequoia. We visited Tane Mahuta, the largest remaining tree. Very impressive with a 14 foot diameter and 68 feet up until you reach the first branch. It made me realize how many different varieties of things there are on the earth. It was in the middle of the rainforest so it was a fun walk.

We stopped at the Kauri Museum to learn more about the trees. It looked like a little museum on the outside but it was amazingly large once you got in. The trees were coveted not only for their beautiful wood, but also for the gum (looks very similar to amber). It was a lucrative business. They showed us how the trees and the gum was harvested with stories and pictures to illustrate. Only 5% of the original trees still exist. The best part of the museums were all the dioramas that showed life during the 1800's. They used local people to model the mannequins after and actually identified them. It would be great to go to the museum and be able to introduce your friends to parents or grandparents.

Spent the night in Auckland. Had a most unusual dinner that was served to us on a "stonegrill". Raw food that we cooked on a heated stone.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Rode the fast ferry to the other side of the bay to visit the scenic town of Russell. It was the first capital of NZ and then came to be a whaling/sailing port with lots of problems, and is now just a quiet haven to visit. We went specifically to see the Missionary Printing Press. It was one of the best school tours that I've been on. We saw the printing press and learned about it, but also got all the steps of the bindery. The best part was the tannery. It all started with the barrel full of urine and went on from there. I actually got to haul out a skin from the tannic pit and slop it up across the log. It was definitely a stinky process, but very interesting to learn about.

In the afternoon, we boarded the bus and drove to Kaikohe (?) to visit a Maori immersion school. The teachers were passionate about the importance of what they are doing to help save the language for the coming generations. We actually got to ask the students some questions. I was surprised to learn that after speaking Maori all day they go home and speak English with their parents and friends.

We also got to meet with a tribal official who gave us more of an open view of what is happening with the Maoris today. In many ways they are similar to the Native American population with alcoholism, unemployment, prison time, and drop-out rates very high. They are working hard to improve their conditions and believe that it is through education and strong family ties that differences can be made.

Took most of the day to travel north of Auckland to the Bay of Islands. Had several stops along the way, the most interesting being the one where we stopped just to see the toilets. The town, Kawakawa, is famous for the public toilets that were built there by a well-known Austrian artist. They were unusual to say the least.

When we arrived in Paihia at the Bay of Islands, we drove directly to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. This is where the British and the combined Maori chiefs signed a treaty of peace that would protect the rights of the Maori. We got to see the longest waka (canoe) and be able to think about what they traveled in between islands. Then there was the treaty house itself and the marae. The marae was the most decorated one that we have seen yet -- it represents all the Maori tribes and had carvings from each one of them.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Up early this morning to send off new post from Auckland, NZ. We arrived on Friday, July 17th, after an eight hour flight from Honolulu. After collecting our bags, we checked in at the hotel in the downtown wharf area, and then headed for our first activity.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum was filled with a wonderful collection of materials from the Maori and other Pacific islands. We really didn't get a chance to look at much of it because of the time schedule. We started our visit with a formal welcoming ceremony and were invited into the marae -- the Maori house of worship. It was very interesting to go through the experience. As in Japan, we had to remove our shoes before entering. The whole process was very respectful of the connection between families. I like the way they think. We got to visit their learning lab and do some hands-on activities that they would do with students who come to visit.

From here we visited the Auckland University's Education Department and learned how they are encouraging the Pasifika people to become teachers and what they are doing to try and preserve the culture of the islands. Very enlightening and had a great Q&A session.

Yesterday, we started the morning at the Otahara Market which is a local swap meet. It was raining so there were limited people set up to sell things. Got to see some examples of local crafts. Then on to northwest Auckland to the Pacific Cultural Center. A group of people who have developed the center to help keep the arts and culture of Pasifika alive. We did some native dancing, tried our hands at drumming, wove some flax, and had a wonderful homemade meal including banana pake.

The afternoon was filled with lectures about the history and demographics of New Zealand. Then there was an informal 2-hour reception for us with some of the supporters of Fulbright in Auckland. One of the guests was our coordinator's father, Albert Wendt who is a very well known artist and author. It was an interesting evening. We even got to watch the hake at the beginning of the All Blacks rugby match against Australia.

Today we are headed north and are to visit the house where the Whantaigi (spelling is off) Treaty was signed -- it is New Zealand's historical document showing cooperation between the colonials and the Maori. It should be fun.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Spent Tuesday in seminar classes all day. Learned lots about Mongolia and it makes me more excited than ever to be able to visit there and take part in daily life.

Last night we went to a dinner show at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. Definintely a show made for the tourists. It did show a lot of the dances from the various islands. The favorite for me was the Maori war dance. Hopefully we will get to see that again when we arrive in New Zealand.
Took a picture with the fire dancer -- I'll have to post it when I get home. Got to spend about 1/2 an hour on Waikiki Beach -- very crowded but it was what I expected.

Honolulu, Hawaii

After 6:45 departure this morning from Fresno, we arrived in Honolulu at about 4:00 PDT. Everything went smoothly. We checked into our spartan dormitory rooms at Frear Hall and are now enjoying free time walking around the campus of the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Tomorrow the orientation begins for real. Was surprised to hear today that there were 160 people who applied for this program (3 Xs as many as for Mexico or India). I'm feeling more honored to be here than before. Sometimes I think I get awarded things only because no one else applied.

Time to get back outside and enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian weather and sights.

It's almost Time

My bags are packed (I've got everything I'm taking in one suitcase and it weighs in at just forty pounds), I'm ready to go -- well sort of. There are still tons of CARS+ things that I could do and, of course, geocaches to look up. I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep before heading out to the Fresno Airport at 5:15 a.m.

Where am I Going?!!?

I'm starting to get everything together and this blog was the last thing on my list. But now that I've almost got this completed, my excitement for this grand adventure is peaked. To the left is the New Zealand flag and to the right is a map of the islands of New Zealand (click to enlarge). This culture-rich country is home to breathtaking landscapes, some of which were featured in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Below and on the right are some of its views as taken from random photographers. I'm hoping that I'll have some just like it to share in upcoming posts.

The next stop on my trip will be to the country of Mongolia. This country, located in Central Asia, is the 19th largest country in the world. The flag, pictured to the right, is easily recognizable and stands as a symbol of the Mongolian peoples' journey from early Mongolian rule to the present. The country is surrounded by Russia and China. I'm so excited to meet the people and

partake of the culture of this beautiful country. If you don't believe me that is is a spectacular country, then just check out the pictures to the right and below.

Here's to traveling and I'll be sure to be checking in with you soon! -Linda

Preparation for Travel

Up late tonight trying to make sure that I've read everything that has been sent on the google group. Still lots more to do.