Entries this day: Dream To_do_today notes soml_of_sorts today zzzzStar_Wars_III

Dream

10:55am JST Friday 16 December 2005

Molly was telling me that Maggie had begun to fall in love with me, which came as quite a surprise, given that it meant Maggie stopped being Catholic and was looking forward to sex with me.

Whoah whoah whoah, what?? I have got to contact her and see how she's doing.

To do today

10:58am JST Friday 16 December 2005

1. * email looking for addresses

2. * send Palestine document to Gyosei

3. * email 佳子

4. * upload journal entries

5. * take a shower

6. * eat

7. * put sprite bottle of Dead Sea water in a box

8. * mail box of water from the Dead Sea

9. * mail letter

10. * carefully read through emails from Matt, taking notes

11. * ask T for navel info

12. * ask ma for baby photos

13. * read documents on Jeopardy Game

14. * read information pack.pdf

15. Watch Star Wars III

16. research my port orientation port

17. research Argentina's soya plantations

18. look up World Bank

19. look up WTO

20. look up IMF

21. write State of My Life Address

22. * decide if I send it to list or just a link

23. * add people to the list before sending (finish going through inbox)

24. send it or reference to link

notes

4:24pm JST Friday 16 December 2005

16 teachers: 3 Spanish and 13 English:

• GET

  • Main goals of 52nd GET:

    1. develop a functioning curriculum (especially for Opens)
    2. develop an effective student evaluation system

  • events near the beginning of the voyage:

    1. GET Orientation 29 Dec (Matt)
    2. GET Open House 4 Jan (Phil)
    3. GET Nomikai 4 Jan (Nick)
    4. GET Interviews (Matt)
    • fundraising for Vietnamese agent orange victims

  • Notes from 51st GET:

    1. books and supplies from Kris (49th) were not all delivered; there are 9 boxes left in GET room 2
    2. teaching supplies available in GET room 7
    3. 8 hockey sticks in GET room 8

  • Teachers

    • Spanish:
      Pepe INTENSIVE: (Buenos Aires)
      Leo INTENSIVE: (Ushuaia)
      Elizabeth OPEN: (Valparaiso)
    • English:
      Dan AB: (Rabaul)
      Lisa CD: (Port Victoria)
      Nick* EF (A-D): (Singapore) Australian, loves soccer, beginner mentor
      Laura GH: (Rabaul)
      Maruan IJ: (Walvis Bay)
      Kellie KL: (Papeete)
      Rob* MN (G-L): (Rapa Nui) help with computers
      Carl OP: (Cape Town)
      Carla QR: (Latouka)
      Petra* ST (O-R): (Da Nang) working on fundraising, help with computers
      Tony UV: (Rio De Janiero)
      Karen WX: (Latouka)
      Phil* YZ (U-X): (Mombassa)
      * repeating teachers

  • Students

    • 24 Spanish students
    • 156 English students

• Overall

  • 900 passengers

  • Main theme of the voyage
    Causes of poverty and civil society's role in alleviating it

  • Specific topics:

    • Yokohama ~ Capetown:
      The mechanisms of poverty: slave trade debt, HIV, racism

      Guest Speakers:

      1. Jona Gokova (Solidarity Africa Network in Action)

      2. Hayashi Tatsuo (Africa Japan Forum)

      3. Lee Hirsch (director of AMANDLA)

    • Cape Town ~ Valparaiso:
      free trade, agriculture, alternatives for a sustainable world

      Guest Speakers:

      1. Sakuma Tomoko (Japan Center for Sustainable Environment and Society)

      2. IS Latinos (young activists from Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile)

    • Valparaiso ~ Papeete:
      Indigenous Rights: learning from Polynesian lifestyle

      Guest Speakers:

      1. Gabriel Titiarahe (Hiti Tau, PIANGO)

      2. Ishikawa Bunyo (photo journalist)

    • Papeete ~ Yokohama:
      The rise of civil society: what we can do as global citizens

      Guest Speakers:

      1. Keibo Oiwa (Meiji Gakuin University, the sloth club)

      2. NGO Ambassadors (group of NGO representatives from Japan)

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    soml of sorts

    Two weeks ago, Madeline wrote

    
    > Just now getting around to replying to emails - has it only been 5 days?  I
    > don't know if it feels like it's been longer or shorter.  My time-sense is
    > very altered here.
    
    I imagine I know what you mean regarding time
    dialation/shrinkization/warping...  We do so much that it seems longer
    (it must have taken more time to do all that, right??) but it's all so
    much richer that we remember it (so well that it couldn't have been
    very long ago, right??)
    
    That's basically what I think happens on PB
    
    > Sometimes I find myself wondering how you feel when you
    > are in Japan, or what it'd be like to live there instead of here.
    
    When I am in a groove/rut in Japan, time goes by at the normal
    understood speed that it did back in the US, punctuated with points
    that throw it out of scale.  And overall goes by really fast...... but
    so much changes in a short time; I won't recognize my peeps back at
    home (or so the saying goes)..
    
    Shit, dawg, I don't know what the hell I'm talkin' about!!
    
    > Sometimes, especially in the beginning of my trip, I felt like I was living
    > the dream - being the crazy adventurer that everyone believes me to be.
    > Sometimes, especially nowadays, I feel a little bit aimless, and like, well,
    > what am I accomplishing now?  I'm wandering around a supermarket in Mendoza,
    > buying salad fixins so I can sit in the hostel. big deal.
    
    "You better watch your attitude, young lady."    No, seriously, I
    think I know just what you mean.  It's the same shit in Japan: they
    use money to buy goods and services; we work to get money, eat and
    play to spend money...  It's all the same shit in a different wrapper!
    
    OR, as I look beneath the idea that I'm doing some amazing trip, I see
    that I am still here inside this imperfect skin and imperfect mind,
    seeing life through the same filters as before.. of course it all
    looks the same.
    
    So, how do I change the outlook - make this an amazing adventure?
    Either change my definition of "amazing" or change the filters.  One
    is easy and one is easier, once I figure out how!
    
    
    ((((  That's probably the deepest thoughts I've had in a long time;
    thank you for inducing them!!  ))))
    
    
    > I know that we should live our lives for the moment, and that the most
    > important thing is to be happy and content (not accomplishment), but there
    > are times when I want to be everything that the 13-year-old Madeline thought
    > she would be when she grew up. You know?
    
    I know.  I imagine you are doing those things, but it doesn't feel
    like you predicted.   Kinda like if you go back to the playground now,
    all the equipment will be smaller.
    
    I have a fear that I will keep putting off my long-ass bicycle ride as
    I seek the all important dollar (or yen), and I have a fear of not
    having enough dollars........ no, it's not that so much as just
    fearing going into debt for no good reason.
    
    But I'll be damned if riding my bicycle around Japan isn't worth going
    into debt!
    
         Love Love Love Love Love (and SO looking forward to seeing you
    in South Motha Fuckin' America!!!!!!!! (*))
         - ROB!!
    
    
    (*) see, my reaction to "South America" proves that I have huge
    expectations about this continent to which I've never been.  You, who
    I trust a lot because we seem to have the same outlook, seem to say
    it's equally ho-hum once one gets down to proverbial brass tacks.
    Japan is the same.
    
    But, we  travel because we must.
    
    I love you!
    

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    today

    9:27pm JST Friday 16 December 2005

    I've had a pretty awesomely productive day, primarily focused on reading GET / PB related material, and getting psyched up for the voyage!! I've finished my to-do list down through "Watch Star Wars III" so I'll be doing that now.

    I added that when Sam offered me the DVD which he rented, in exchange for me returning it tomorrow before 10am.

    At this point on, I just need to do a bit of research on my port and optionally, some of the things we'll be discussing onboard!

    I feel happy and well-prepared.

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    zzzzStar Wars III

    7:12am JST Saturday 17 December 2005

    Last night around 9:30pm, after flossing and brushing my teeth, I bundled myself up in my tent and headphones and watched Star Wars III on my computer. By not wearing my glasses, I got a full screen surround sound experience, having the screen close enough to see clearly.

    After the movie, I just closed the computer and let sleep take over. Lovely.

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