Lost the travel bug? What the heck?

This morning I drove with mom to Canada Place to get our passports renewed.  Mine is just about to expire and mom's expired almost a year ago.  After the lady finished entering our information into the computer, she quickly flipped through the passports and with mine, she noticed the nearly-filled visa pages.

"Do you have any invalid visas?" She asked.  "Nope, all used." I responded.

"It looks like you almost ran out of pages with this one. Would you like to have the extended passport, with double the number of visa pages? It's for $5 extra."  

I paused to think.   

At first thought, the idea of doubling my travel for the next five years as compared to the previous five seemed stupendously thrilling.  She didn't know it, but her simple question became like a dare, or a verbal lightening strike that seized all my attention and directed it at the crux of my recent contemplations.   What does life/God have in store for me in the next 5 years? Will I be working overseas again? Which countries? How many countries?  How long is this adventurous phase of mine going to last?

Much to even my own surprise, I broke the pregnant pause with, "Naaah, I don't think I'll be traveling that much."  

Oh my goodness.  I really said that? What does that mean?  Probably nothing right? A normal passport will still hold at least 9 visas with plenty of room for  stamps.  I definitely know people that work for NGOs or the UN whose excessive traveling require that they have a double portion of visa pages, but will I turn out to be one of those? within the next 5 years nonetheless?  More importantly, is it God's will for me to keep on gallivanting from place to place.  Do I have a lust problem with my insatiable need for new experiences, accomplishments or lifestyle choices? 

I've hypothesized to my friends on several occasions that perhaps I'm this way because I'm trying to fill a void in my life from the lack of romantic relationships.  But I suppose if I were truly, deeply concerned about my lack of romance, I would be directing more of my energy and prayer over that issue, which I'm not.   

For now, I'm at peace with my choice for a passport of normal thickness; and I am for the most part happy to be home.

A time to learn and a time to...

Today, my 15 months and 2 weeks stint as a master’s student ended.  Convocation isn’t until June of next year, but for all intent and purpose, I have completed all of the requisites for graduation.  It hasn’t quite sunk in that I’m no longer a student. Have I really crossed the finish line of this marathon?  Now it’s back to setting my own goals, objectives and timelines.  How terribly exciting and frightening is that? 

But before I get a riled up and nutty about the trajectory of my life (which is very very common for someone who dreads developmental stagnancy like the plague); and before I start drafting up my next 5 year plan, I think I should just take it easy.  Just be normal and mellow out, especially since its Christmas.  And nothing mellows me out more than making a list about things that I’m going to do to mellow out.   Here it is.

- Make gingerbread cookies

-  Try out some new recipes with the Epicure spices that I just got  (one’s apparently Moroccan cuisine inspired and the other Singaporean)

- Knit something – a striped scarf, maybe slippers

-  Read a novel or two, ohhh... maybe even a chicklit – I’m taking suggestions

Ok, that should be a good start. I’m feeling relaxed already :)

BTW - what do you guys do to relax? 

It's all about the food

Economic inequality can be manifested in various ways such as the differences in clothing, cars, and housing between the haves and the have nots; these distinctions even apply to the choices (or lack there of) that people make about food.  Many of us take for granted that we can put whatever we’d like in the shopping cart – within reason.  Usually what determines our choices are based on concerns related to nutrition and vanity (i.e. I don’t wanna get fat) and occasionally perhaps it might be financially based (i.e. I love cherries but I will forgo them at $4.99/Ib).  On a personally level, I would estimate that only 10% of the selection in the produce section is cost prohibitive for myself and as for dairy or meat, especially cheese, it’s more like around 20%.  Middle class shoppers might disregard such decisions are simply the proper actions of a conscientious spender, and may even attribute it to one’s thriftiness or discipline – which is a good thing right?  

But for the 2.7 million Canadians¹ who are experiencing food insecurity, it’s not just about forgoing the cherries or the avocadoes or the brie.  It’s the actual lack of means to buy dozens and dozens of different fruit, vegetables, meat and unprocessed foods, which are necessary for providing their families with well-rounded, healthy meals.  The household food budget is the first thing to get cut, as its more elastic then rent, utilities, and transportation.  

I’m currently writing a paper on the issue of food security for low-income households, and as I grapple with this issue, I realize that the root causes are diverse and huge and extends far beyond the control of municipalities, provinces and countries.

Questions questions questions

Why is fresh produce so expensive, while mac and cheese, and pizza pockets so cheap?  Didn’t more ingredients, labour, energy, and transportation go into these highly processed foods as compared to the former?

Are major grocers subsidizing processed food products by passing the cost unto fresh produce? (YES, that’s actually what they do) 

Were major grocers one of the industries that experienced growth during the recession? ^{2, 3} (YES, they were; and they’re embarrassed to talk about it) 

Are food banks simultaneously helping the poor but making the situation worst?  (YES, the presence of food banks allows governments to slack off in addressing the root causes of food insecurity, such as the deterioration of the social welfare system, and employment policies. BTW, only ~30% of food insecure individuals even use the food bank⁴ because there is such a heavy social stigma attached to it). 

 What’s mind boggling is that I’m just scratching the surface.  I can’t even begin to explain the role and impact of transnational food and agricultural corporations (and their well-integrated vertical monopolies) on the problems of food security and pricing in both developed and developing countries.

At the end of the day, how far in a civilized society should we go with the commodification of food? Should we simply say to our fellow men and women, as with everything else in a market economy, “you only deserve to eat as much or well as your ability to sell your skills in the labour market”?  I am not advocating for absolute food equality.  I’m just questioning the trajectory of our path; and concerned that eventually all of us will feel the bangs of an unregulated, globalized food system in our stomach.  What if the rise in food insecurity among low-income individuals is just the canary in the mine…

 

References

1. Health Canada. (2004). Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004)—Income-Related Household Food Security in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada.

2. Marowits, R. (2009 September 11). Empire Company Ltd. profit rises on strength of Sobeys grocery chain. The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.canadaeast.com/search/article/788724

3. (2009 May 6). Grocery store chain bags 73% profit jump. The Star: Toronto Edition. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.thestar.com/business/article/629576

4. McIntyre, K. (2003). Food Security: More than a determinant of health. Policy Options, March 2003, 46-51. Retrieved November 22, 2009, from www.irpp.org/po/archive/mar03/mcintyre.pdf

Professionally adept, romantically demented

As an engineer, I am expected to be a methodical thinker, a good decision maker and someone that gets things done.  Being results-oriented sometimes means that you have to be politely assertive… ok ok, maybe some would call it demanding; and you definitely have to be a good negotiator – especially with the “sticklers for the rules but don’t see the intent of the law” types.     Oh boy, I wish I could give a couple of examples, but I’d like to avoid a defamation suit.

Years of working in a testosterone-saturated field have successfully programmed me to be more or less at ease working and interacting with my XY counterparts.   But lately, I’ve been realizing just how nontransferable my work skills/techniques are in the realm of dating. 

For instance, at work you DO NOT text or receive quaint but completely ambiguous messages from your contractor or colleagues such as “Got any plans this week?” Whatever you want to ask or know from them, and vice versa, you communicate it in an explicit, and timely manner.  If they don’t respond in an explicit, and timely manner, you email or phone them with “friendly reminders” or, to “follow- up”.   This is entirely inappropriate in the dating game.  The following is what would happen to a phone message when you mix work-style communication with dating-style.

“Hello Mr. (insert last name of dreamy guy) , I just wanted to FOLLOW-UP on the productive outing that we had three days ago.  I am glad that we were able have this opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the project, errr… I mean each other’s background, expectations and the budget, oops… I mean I really enjoyed the evening.  And… just a FRIENDLY REMINDER to give me a call, so that we can discuss the proposed Terms of Reference further… errr.. I mean NEXT ACTIONS… ah ah..  Sorry.   Oh… umm… I’d love  to…  you know….. Ooooh forget it!!”  * CLICK *

A slight exaggeration, I know; but I honestly do have to make a conscious effort of holding back the engineer, relinquishing control, and letting some of that buried femininity emerge.   Professionally adept; but romantically-demented.  The worst part is I kinda relish this bit of personal dysfunction J

Migrants and their giant granola bars

Everyday after work, I walk pass the same group of young men on my way home. There are usually 4 to 6 of them, parked near the entrance to one of the busiest bus transfer and subway stations in the city, Dongzhimen; and each of them are selling to the passersby something resembling a giant granola bar from the deck of their bicycle carts. These hefty, scrumptious- chewy-looking treats are about 3 foot long, 2 foot wide, 1 foot high, and covered with walnuts and dried fruit. Everyday as I pass them, I would check on the progress of their sales. "Is the mound almost gone? Oh, good - it's been a good day for them", I'd think to myself. Other times I'd see that there's still more than half remaining on the carts and I can't help but share in their disappointment.

Another thing that strikes me about this gang is that of their appearance: light brown hair, high foreheads; round, deep-set, those sought-after "doubled-lidded eyes"; brown skin; and some of them are sporting bushy moustaches that the wide majority of the Chinese men can't grow. With the exception of their shorter, slender frame, they don't look "Chinese". (In fact some of them might not even consider themselves Chinese, but I'm not going to open up that can of political worms right now.) These men are from the northwest, highly rural and Muslim region of China, areas that borders central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; and the fact that they are so far from home is by no means unusual. This group of giant muesli bar peddlers are just a handful among the estimated 120 million migrant workers scattered throughout China. The literal translation for "migrant workers" in Chinese is "farm village workers", as the term "migrant worker" does not refer to urbanites that choose to move to other cities; but rather describes people from rural areas that have been forced to leave their homes in search of work, like internally-displaced economic refugees.

When you're in a large city like Beijing, you start thinking that all of the migrants in the entire country must be here. They are EVERYWHERE. They are the Sichuanian servers in the eateries; the Tibetan girls selling jewellery made of Tibetan Turquoise from the floors of the subway stations; the garbage collectors on bicycles that pull the light blue refuse bins; the army of street sweepers in fluorescent orange safety vests and white cotton masks; and the construction labourers that are pouring the concrete for the next upscale office or condo high-rise on your street. In reality, most of them, 80 to 90 million, are working in places hidden from public view, in garment factories, chemical plants, scrapyards, brickyards, fireworks shops and coal mines. Their muscle, sweat and blood contribute immensely to the gigantic, economic machine that is China, and they are also one of the most invisible and vulnerable population groups.

Many of them work in small to medium sized private enterprises, where employers refuse to provide formal contracts nor medical and disability insurance. In the absence of a well-developed worker's compensation mechanism, there is no negative financial or regulatory feedback that forces employers to pay or causes them economic loss should their employees get hurt or become ill due to their job. Thus the employers will continue to neglect their duties to make working conditions safer.

For example, it is widespread knowledge that China's coal mines are the most deadly work sites in the world. Xinhua News Agency (2006) reports that nearly 6,000 people were killed in over 3,341 coal mine accidents in 2005. Accidents and explosions at chemical factories, fireworks workshops, construction sites and other industrial operations are also common occurrences.

The issue of workplace diseases is equally pressing. Pneumoconiosis, a chronic lung disease caused by sustained exposure from the inhalation of coal, silicon, cement, and other mineral or metallic dust is the most prevalent type of workplace disease. 11,000 to 12,000 new cases are reported each year – accounting for 77% of all new cases of occupational diseases. Any official occupational disease statistics are underestimates as many millions of migrant workers are not receiving regular medical screening and services, and therefore are not diagnosed.

Though Chinese Labour and Workplace Safety Laws exist, enforcement has been weak and poorly coordinated between the various departments and levels of government with mandates to regulate this area. How does a country even began to effectively manage literally millions of enterprises that are said to be potentially involved in hazardous activities? And do they even want to? And where do they start?

I have a personal interest in occupational health because it's one of the few problems that is absolutely preventable by changing the work environment, work processes and through personal protective equipment. It's not like AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases where we have to constantly be on guard about drug or vaccine resistance and fight an uphill battle with controlling the spread of infections. Also I feel deeply for the otherwise able-bodied men and women, who should be living the most productive years of their lives to be unnecessarily impacted by injuries and disease that keeps them from continuing to provide for their families.

These are just a few of the issues that I am getting acquainted with during my internship, and hopefully, I won't stop at just learning about them but actually get to contribute somewhat to the alleviation of these problems.

'Mo Privacy, 'Mo Problem.

In a city of 10 or so million people, one needs to let go of their personal bubble very quickly. Coming to Beijing, I was fully prepared for being constantly pressed up against strangers on buses and trains; and everyday having to file into and out of chaotic metro and bus transfer stations under conditions of what one might expect at the Edmonton-Coliseum station post-Oilers game – except with a business casual crowd that's less rowdy and inebriated.

However, I had forgotten that one needs to be literally prepared to be comfortable in one's own skin – as in to be seen ONLY in one's own skin. Among people of the same gender, there's no concept of the need for privacy. I have two illustrations of this.

This past weekend, I was staying over with an aunt and the temperature was sweltering (over 30C and humid) well into the evening. Around 8 pm, auntie says, "Take a shower, it'll help you cool off." Now, before I go further, I need to explain that a washroom in the typical middle-class high-rise apartment in Beijing is small, perhaps just 2 m X 2 m, and consists pretty much of a toilet, sink and a shower head mounted on one of the walls. One wouldn't take anything into the washroom during a shower that one doesn't want to get wet. My usual method at home is to undress in my room, cover up with a towel, race to the washroom, swing my towel over one of the various wires strung up between the pipes along the opposite corner as the shower head and then… well shower.

"Auntie, can I get a towel please?"
"Sure", she says and passes me a little thing that's about the same size as the typical dish cloth. As I stared at the towel and pondered how one can possibly physically maintain their modesty with it, she says, "Just change here." HERE - as in in the main hallway/reception area of her small, 400 sq. feet apartment, which by the way, also doubles as a study/dining/laundry area. So what can an obedient niece do but comply, and I mean it really shouldn't be a big deal considering there weren't any males in the house.

Now for le deuxieme example, a few days ago, I was at a little boutique and wanted to try on some dresses. As the sales girl directs me to the store's one and only fitting room, we see another customer just slipping in. So what does any normal Canadian gal do? Stand by the fitting room and wait of course. What does the sales girl do? She knocks on the door and announces, "Hey miss, you're going to have to share the fitting room with someone okay?" She doesn't wait for a reply, opens the door and tells me "Okay, go in." I myself being such a sheep, again comply and as I'm sharing the fitting room with this lovely stranger, I convince myself it's not thaaat weeeird; it's just like the first time I was in the locker room in 7th grade gym class right?

So there you had it – my first few anecdotes from Beijing, as perceived from the eyes of a semi-/quasi foreigner.

I didn't end up buying anything from that store; perhaps I was protesting their lack of a privacy policy and well… also that their clothes were only designed for women who weigh 100Ibs and are pre-pubescently thin!

Amazing revelations from the World Water Forum

March 22nd, 2009 is World Water Day, a day of international observation recognizing the importance of universal access to safe water and adequate sanitation. 

Most Canadians are far removed from this issue and ignorant of the fact that approximately 1 billion of the world's population do not have adequate "access" to water and an estimated 2.5 billion carry out their lives without access to any type of sanitation facility (i.e. proper and safe place to poo).  With respect to water, "access" per capita as defined by the United Nations means at least 20 litres a day within 1 km of some type of improved water supply. For comparison,  20 litres is roughly equivalent to a 2-minute shower or 3 toilet flushes.  And I don't know about you, but I have never had to walk up to 1 kilometer to get anything, food, mail, never mind water.  Yet 1 billion people need to walk at least 1 kilometer to fetch water -water that is not even necessarily drinkable as is.  Woman and children bear the greatest burden of fetching water, and are forced to sacrifice hours each day, missing school and relinquishing much opportunity to do productive work, just to carry water not only for themselves but for their entire household.

This year the theme of World Water Day is on Transboundary Water - issues relating to how neighbouring countries negotiate and allocate water resources from watersheds that cross national borders, as well as effective management of water quality and pollution prevention in those water systems.  Imagine the Nile or the Mekong River, which collectively flow through more than a dozen countries and easily serves tens of millions of people.  How can countries cooperate and collaborate to ensure that every "neighbour" has enough water and doesn't have to deal with polluted water that they were not responsible for in creating?

This year World Water Day coincided with the World Water Forum, a gathering of governmental officials, water companies, and NGO leaders, working on the water issue, which takes place every 3 years with the purpose to shape global water policy.  There were high hopes that the country delegates at the conference this year would support the declaration of water as a human right; however, the final product was a declaration signed by some 150 countries (CBC) that recognizes water as a "basic need", rather than a right.

"We acknowledge the discussions with the UN system regarding human rights and access to safe drinking water and sanitation.  We recognize that access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a basic human need," the statement said. 

Ha!  I'm pretty sure we didn't need to spend millions of dollars flying these 25,000 delegates (AFP) to Istanbul, Turkey, put them up in fancy hotels, stuff them with h'or d'oeuvres, just for them to declare water as a basic need.  Maybe next year, the World Food Forum will really push the envelope and declare access to food as a basic human need.  (NOTE: I'm not not sure of a WFF actually exists)

Among the opposing countries were the United States, China, Brazil, Egypt and... Canada (CBC and Christian Science Monitor).  One of the main reasons cited by countries against designating water as a right, was the fear of being forced to transfer (share) already scarce water resources with other countries.  But the cynic inside of me feels that if they don't declare water as a right, then if anything, it actually opens up the opportunity for the commodification of water.  For example, if a government declares health care or education as a right, then they would, from an ideological basis, support it through the public system so that people can have equal chance of accessing it.  Oppositely, if you don't declare something as a right, then there would be less barrier to the privatization of its delivery and weakened government responsibility for ensuring that all its citizens have access to it - in this case, affordable, clean water. 

The lack of binding protocols at the forum prompted about 20 dissenting members, including Bangladesh, South African and Spain, to issue their own declaration, defining safe drinking water as a human right (CBC and AFP).  Regardless of the outcome from the forum, numerous countries, many in Latin American, have already incorporated access to water as a right in their constitutions. 

I commend them for standing against the prevailing neoliberalist ideologies.  Good for them for recognizing the true motives and agendas of the nations that are home to some of the world's largest water utility companies and corporations. And on that note...

Happy World Water Day everyone!

Now I'm going to go drink some water and then do a Sudoku while taking my biobreak in my personal sanitary facility.  

Call me a feminist!

Today at work I had to move from my current workstation into a boardroom that will soon be converted into new cubies for me and at least another co-op student.  I've been booted out because the Project Engineer, whose been on mat leave and whose workspace that I've had the privilege of squatting in for the past year, will be returning to work next Monday.  No worries though, I believe I will actually be getting more sunlight in my new location.  How's that for literally looking at the bright side of life.  What was a cause for concern was my temporary lack of counter and filing space while I wait for the new workstation to arrive.  Upon suggestion by our lovely office manager to lift a table from our meeting room, I promptly approached our new engineering co-op student, Heather, to help me with the not so subtle act of temporary office equipment relocation.

As we conspicuously transported the long meeting table across the reception area, I hear Brant, one of our teache/tour guides exclaim, "Oh my goodness.  Here here for the women's movement!"  To that statement, Heather and I stared blankly at each other.  We must have both been thinking did women use to not move office furniture? So after setting the table down, I went back to the reception area to give Brant an opportunity to elaborate on his previous comment.  That's when Brant explained that we have no idea of how things have changed in the past 30 years, because when he was my age, women did not open doors, pay for dates, or even light their own cigarettes - which I think is an exaggeration. AND... two young ladies like us certainly would have NEVER thought to do that type of physical labour ourselves.

So I said, "Well, maybe women are expected to be more independent and capable nowadays, but there's also a greater expectation for men to contribute domestically such as with cooking and cleaning.  That kind of evens things out right?"  (You know me, trying not to blame the men). Of course that wasn't the end of it and we couldn't end our conversation without discussing pay equality and the glass ceiling.  Blah blah blah...

Truth be known, I don't know if things are "even" and I don't dare to presume which gender is currently getting the short end of the stick.  But I do know that I am deriving huge benefits from tough battles won not long ago.  The right to vote, the right to higher education and having access to previously male dominated professions, the right to own property.  All of these rights I have already taken full advantages of.  Call me a feminist, but I love being in a society that no longer treats me as chattel and subservient to men, but allows me to thrive and to live to my fullest potential.  And call me up if you ever need help moving a table, 'cause I'm a pro at that as well.

Waiting watchman

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord
More than watchmen wait for the morning
More than watchmen wait for the morning…"

Psalm 130:5-6

These verses have really resonated with me lately. I’m not the type of person to sit still and wait. As hard as it is for some people to take action and do something. It is just as excruciating for me to not take matters into my own hands and to simply wait and listen to God’s gentle guidance and his directions for my life.

When I first read these verses about the psalmist comparing his activities (or in this case non-activity) to that of a watchman, it made me curious to learn more about the role of a watchman. In ancient times, a watchman or a group of them would be stationed at the city gate and along the tops of the city walls to guard, keep watch and report to their leader sightings of approaching visitors, or perhaps the king returning from an expedition, and especially of any suspicious activities and potential threats.

Just as a watchman is waiting in the dark, bored or anxious of not being able to perceive what might be coming towards the him and just as he is eagerly waiting for the break of dawn, the psalmist too is impatiently waiting for a clearer picture to arise of what might be in store for him.

So that is where I am right now. I am waiting. I am impatient. But I am waiting and not acting. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits!