Spectra Magazine (January 2013) by Spectra Magazine

Spectra Magazine

NEW BEGINNINGS

On the Path to Sahaya International 16 Seeing Life in Perspective 40 No Need for False Despair 48 Wanderlust for the Mountains of China 52

EDITOR’S NOTE New Beginnings

What never fails to surprise me is the sheer number of people who believed that starting this magazine would be possible. By that, I mean not just contributors and advisers, but staff members who sacrificed many a weekend to pull this issue together. The truth is, beginning again requires a certain degree of faith. (I, myself, spent much time waffling as to whether or not to follow through with Spectra.) While we have had more than our fair share of setbacks, what kept us invested in this project was the reassurance that, at any given moment, someone believed in us more than we believed in ourselves. We are excited to feature stories about new chances. Koen Van Rompay’s journey toward founding Sahaya International (16) was fueled by the children who needed his aid. Tate Drucker rethought her life goals after visiting Tanzania for the first time—she now documents her travels around the world (24). Opthalmologist Jonathan Perlman performs eye surgeries for free so that his patients, who otherwise would not have access to healthcare, could lead productive lives (40). Yes, beginning again is fraught with risk. But as we have learned in the production of this issue and in reading these stories that meaningful change begins with ourselves. “We have to be continually jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down,” Kurt Vonnegut said. Here’s to fresh starts; here’s to brand-new hope.

Linda Ge Editor-in-Chief

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Spectra staff hard at work finalizing the first issue.

Spectra

VOL. 1, NO. 1

JANUARY 2013

About the Cover

“Sundrop” by Nicola Odemann. “I took this photo during a late afternoon walk in the old city of Suzhou, China. After the chaos of the day, the streets began to empty and the heat turned into the chill of evening. As the sun dropped its last beams on the earth, everything was peaceful again. ” Photostory on page 52.

In This Issue 4

100 Faces, 100 Stories

On Not Being Anything

Keeping the Hope Alive

Seeing Life in Perspective

Blast Fishing in the Andaman Sea

A Carefree Childhood

Working At the Madison Migrant Center

Wildlife Rescue

On the Path to Sahaya International

No Need for False Despair

A Comparison Between Education Systems

Wanderlust for the Mountains of China

Inspirational Irma

Voice from the Unborn

What Fuels Your Fire?

100 Faces, 100 Stories

The 100 Strangers Project challenges portrait photographers to step out of their comfort zones by approaching literal strangers to be their subjects. Peter Grifoni discusses how it changed his life. Photostory by Peter Grifoni

I started the project after many months of checking out the 100 Strangers group [on Flickr] and being inspired by the wonderful portraits that were in the [group’s photo] pool. The idea of doing it ran around in my head for a while before I decided to jump in. On a bright, sunny winter day, I headed up to a local tourist destination in the Blue Mountains, located about 80 kilometers west of Sydney. I asked my wife to come along for moral support and we hoped that we would find a good crowd. My stomach was full of tension from a mixture of fear and excitement as I carefully set up my gear, painstakingly checking the settings to ensure that nothing could go wrong. After 20 minutes of surveying the crowd and summoning up the courage, I spotted a young couple struggling to take a self-portrait with the iconic Three Sisters rock formation in the background. I took this as an opportunity to introduce myself and offered to take their photo with their camera. Of course, they were grateful for the offer. That’s when I made my move and asked Olivia to be my first stranger. I stumbled through my prerehearsed stranger blurb and the rest is now history. In fact, I got to shoot her boyfriend as well. When I think about Olivia, I can appreciate how lucky I was to have chosen her. She was a positive and happy young woman who was grateful to have been asked to partake in the project. Olivia made it seem all so easy and simple. I did not give a thought to the technical side of the portrait. I just wanted to capture her infectious, million-watt smile. Now that I look back at the final image, I think of how far I have come in terms of my skill level. I can see many things that I could have done better, but that is what the project is all about: learning. In terms of my photography, I would say 4

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that prior to the 100 Strangers project I only dithered around the edges of other styles such as Macro and Landscape. I guess I was trying to find what I liked and what motivated me. Now that I have completed my second round of the project, I feel that I have a firm grasp on most of the technical details of photography, but more importantly, I realize what makes a great photo—at least for me. This “discovery” took a lot longer than I anticipated and is now my primary motivator for pushing my creative boundaries and providing more opportunities to learn. I often think about the quote from the famous photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, who said, “Once the amateur’s naive approach and humble willingness to learn fades away, the creative spirit of good photography dies with it. Every professional should remain always in his heart an amateur.” As a person, I have been remarkably changed by the 100 Strangers Project. My wife often says that I am perceived by others as “aloof,” but of course I always felt that I was misunderstood. Nonetheless, the project has made me look at this side of my personality. I knew if I wanted to convince people to have their portrait taken, being “aloof” would not get me there. More importantly, I have had my faith in humanity restored. It was not until meeting my twentieth stranger that I noticed how we all seem to walk the streets disconnected from the real world around us. Our eyes look downwards and most are hidden behind sunglasses. Our ears are usually filled with

music to block out the sounds of the world. It is almost like we are all afraid to experience reality. For the most part, I found people to be friendly, warm and very accommodating when asked to participate, even when I have ventured into shops and cafes to drag them out onto the street. I have learned that we are all very similar beings yet very different in so many ways. I am forever grateful for this dichotomy. I have met some interesting and inspirational people as a result of the project. This alone has made my world richer and less isolated. I have befriended other photographers from the 100 Strangers group as well as some of my subjects. I could not have asked for much more than this. Most of all, it has been a lot of fun! Peter Grifoni was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He started pursuing his interest in photography after his two children left home. Living in the gorgeous Blue Mountains located 80 kilometers west of Sydney, Grifoni took advantage of the ideal natural environment to start shooting in the Landscape and Macro genres. Recently, he has focused on street portraiture, which has been a journey of self-discovery as the unique opportunity to reconnect with society.

ABOVE: Dee, Stranger #101. “Dee came to Australia from South Africa 31 years ago and, despite her being here for many years, I could still hear a slight accent. I was not surprised to hear that Dee works as a color consultant for a company that specializes in dyeing fabrics and clothes. Prior to this, she was a teacher, but fashion has been a main theme in her life as her husband heads up one of Australia’s biggest fashion houses. Her personality was even more bright and cheery than the magnificent green outfit that she just “threw on” that morning.”

For more information about the 100 Strangers project, please visit the official Flickr group (flickr.com/groups/100strangers/). Samples of Grifoni’s work may be viewed at his website (gtpetephotography.com), his Flickr (flickr.com/photos/gtpete), and his 500px (500px.com/gtpete).

Oneill, Stranger #197. “I asked Oneill to hold her cigarette up in that classic look-at-me way you often see women do in movies. Oneill is studying drama so she instinctively knew what I was looking for. Originally from the Hawkesbury region of Sydney, Oneill now lives in the city where she hopes that she will find work in film after she completes her studies. Ideally, she would love to act in art house films.”

Douglas, Stranger #131. “[His career as a set designer for Australia’s top TV stations] brought him into contact with many stars. He is a septuagenarian, so he has seen and done it all. Now retired, he is still so full of life and has some amazing stories to tell from his former working days. He is most proud of the fact that he never treated any of the ‘stars’ differently than [he would] the average person. Many respected [and befriended] him.”

Addy, Stranger #153. “Addy had a cool and calm demeanor about him and an awesome style that made his bright yellow bike fit in perfectly. A soft-spoken guy, he told me he works as a barista and also paints art on canvas. Originally from Thailand, he has been living in Australia for 20 years. I noticed an Elvis Presley badge on his collar, so I asked him his musical preferences. Of course, he said, ‘Rock ‘n’ roll.’”

Kiabeh, Stranger #110. “Kiabeh (pronounced Key-are-bay) is from Liberia. She works for a charity called WaterAid Australia, which provides practical solutions to bring safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people.”

Chris, Stranger #138. “Chris was quietly sitting on the footpath against a shopfront wall holding a small plastic container in his hand. [Nicknamed ‘Possum’,] Chris is a humble, well-spoken gentleman who greeted me with a smile. Only recently he had come on hard times. He was hoping to get enough money to pay for a room that night at the local Salvation Army hostel. For $10 he could get a meal, shower and a warm bed and feel a bit better the next day to keep going. I asked if it would be OK to take his photo and without hesitation he agreed. It wasn’t until I finished taking the shots that I realized he wouldn’t look directly into the camera.”

Cara, Stranger #114. “Cara is studying to become a makeup artist. She struck me as quite a creative person, especially after mentioning that she liked to dance as well as paint in her spare time. [Cara’s friend James added that] she is also an online gamer.”

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Tesha, Stranger #137. “Tesha works in office administration and is really into hardcore hip hop. We continued to chat for a while about anger management (of all things), but I had to go. [Tesha recently contacted me:] ‘My family is the most important thing in my life. [...] Dad has been rebuilding cars since he was young and it’s also something I love and hope to begin soon. Painting is something [my mother] has picked up only in recent years but she has an amazing talent and she impresses me so much.’”

Sam, Stranger #116. “Sam had one those faces that have a thousand stories to tell. However, he wasn’t that type of gentleman who talked much. In fact, all I could get from him was that he worked for the railways as a train driver many years ago and now lives locally.”

Interview by Shelby Ziccardi

Sandy Holman dedicates herself to keeping the hope alive. Her organization, The Culture C.O.O.P., battles stereotypes through education. S. Ziccardi: What is The Culture C.O.-O.P? S. Holman: Our mission is to promote respect for equity, diversity, cultural competency, reading and a quality education for all. I’m just trying to encourage people to love and to share power and resources in the world. We work with all age groups. We do presentations, we do events, we produce products— all designed to help people understand people who are different from them better. Or at least be willing to reach out and give. S. Ziccardi: Do you work with people here in the Davis community or do you work with people all over the world? S. Holman: Mostly [I work with people] all over the country. I work sometimes here in Davis. I used to have a policy where I wouldn’t work a whole lot in Davis—I needed to have a free and safe zone because sometimes my work can be difficult. For example, if we are dealing with a racist group or a situation where there is extremism going on, sometimes these people can get frustrated or upset. I didn’t want to feel like I was doing that kind of work in my community and constantly have to worry about my safety. But lately I have loosened that a bit and have started to do some work with young people in schools. S. Ziccardi: Are you spreading the word about diversity? S. Holman: Yes. The word I like to use more is equity. Equity has to do with making sure people have access to the fullest person they can be and aren’t hindered by our institution. A school might call us if they had an incident or they’re trying to stay connected with their students in regards to serving them better. Maybe they wanted to speak to a whole crowd of people about how to address painful things or how to make the system fairer. Each day 10 SPECTRA MAGAZINE

is a little different for me and it depends on where I go. I love what I do because I get to meet people from all over the country and all over the world, and I’ve learned as much as I have from them. S. Ziccardi: What gave you the idea to start this project? S. Holman: When I was growing up I realized we had a lot of problems with people being comfortable with differences. I was a daughter of a military father and mother. When I lived in Japan, I experienced racism over there. I experienced a ton over here. People treat you differently if you looked different. When I was in elementary school I knew that I wanted to be an Olympic athlete—which isn’t going to happen—or do something in the area of bringing people together so that they understood each other, share power and resources and work together because of the war. S. Ziccardi: What was the most memorable moment you had while working on this mission? S. Holman: One was when I was at a training at a high school where I wasn’t far from a little town. There was a community that had a high number of pinheads and they had asked me to come up to the community. I won’t mention the community, but they didn’t tell me where I was really going. They were afraid I would not come. I wish they would have told me because I still would have come (though I would have probably brought more people with me). So I drove up into this rural area and I was staying with one of the residents. They call it God’s Country—let’s just say that. It was really open and beautiful, a lot of nature. I was given a look at this high school. When I walked in there all the young men had military clothes on and a lot of hate in their hearts. Bless their hearts. It was really discouraging to be called some terms like “nigger.”

Shelby Ziccardi talks to Holman about the process of promoting acceptance of diversity.

But it was also very encouraging because by the end of my time with them, they were willing to listen. The ringleader of the group had corralled everyone else and told them to respect me, so I felt hopeful. I left hopeful. Just from being honest with them and having some time with them let me start some change. That was probably the most memorable because it was just so sad to see high school boys with so much visceral hate already in their hearts towards other groups of people because of what they had been taught. But after an hour and a half with me, they were up there dancing with me, something I know that if I had come in and asked them to do right off they would have never done and probably would have taken me out. It was so uncommon for that kind of response to happen so fast. I really felt like there was a lot of love operating in the air that had a permanent impact. That gives me hope for young people in particular. S. Ziccardi: Would you consider that to be your most successful session? S. Holman: Using the word “successful” in this kind of work is a really tricky thing. I never use the word “successful.” I use the word “growth” because the individual has to self-check. Individuals, organizations, whole communities. You always have to soul-search on these kinds of things because you never get to a point where you say, “All done. We were successful.” You can grow and be better than you were the day before, or the year before. Several things over the years have given me hope that there has been growth. But I would be cautious using the word “successful” because we still have so much work to do to ourselves as individuals, in the schools and in society in general.

S. Ziccardi: Was there any event in your childhood that really gave you the idea to start The Culture C.O.-O.P.? S. Holman: Well, yeah, when I moved from Japan to here there are two things that I distinctly remember. I was in fifth grade and the elementary school I would be going to was a 15-minute walk from my home. On the weekend, we went to go see it. A group of young people surrounded us on horses and called us “niggers.” That was my first experience with direct racism and it was terrifying. I had my little sister with me. I couldn’t get her to come with me from that situation so I had to run home to go get help and leave her there—which was just horrible. I knew that someday I wanted to do something so that this doesn’t happen. Then the other event happened when I was in high school. I was out with some friends and we saw a cross burning. A big old cross burning at a high school and I just kind of lost my mind for a second. I ran over to this big group of 30 or so men who were dressed up in KKK [Ku Klux Klan] outfits. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do but I had a reaction. I went over there and started pulling off their masks. My girlfriends were freaking out that I was doing this. These two [events] were probably the most significant because this was in Sacramento, California. [They] left an imprint. Of course there were a lot of small things in between. There were many situations with me and my brothers, who were all stopped by the police countless times, too many times. It was hard growing up, fearing for your brothers when the police were supposed to be your friends and in this case were not. Altogether, all these things over a lifetime affect how you see the world and that was just something that I knew I wanted to do. Spread love and understanding, and the sharing of power to the people who accept it. 11

“You never get to a point where you say, ‘All done. We were successful.’ You can grow and be better than you were the day before, or the year before.” S. Ziccardi: Have you ever lost hope for our society? S. Holman: Absolutely. I’m human, so sometimes I think, “Why am I doing this work? What difference is it really making?” In fact, I was just talking to a colleague who I went to college with just this morning. We were talking about what we see going on, just the fear-mongering and hate-mongering that’s going on from our political leaders and community members; it’s very discouraging. But then, you find there’s always hope because I’ve seen many incredible miracles happen. Some people who were selfdescribed “racist rednecks” are friends of mine now. I also know it takes a ton of work and courage and the desire to have things be different for our children. Our children inspire me because they often deserve much better then we give them in this area. They keep me going. S. Ziccardi: Do you have any words of advice that you would give to people in this community? S. Holman: Get to know yourself. What motivates you? What are you afraid of when it comes to differences? Why are you afraid? And what can you do to not be so afraid? I encourage people to really get to know themselves. Then I would encourage people to do just a little bit of studying of historical policies and practices that have been around since the beginning of our country that have contributed to what we are seeing today. For example, why is it that you see more African Americans in prison? Or why is it that you see that certain groups are struggling more? There’s historical reasons for that, and if we study that, we will stop stereotyping people. We will understand that there are a continuum of practices and policies. We will understand the way we structured our institution to benefit some over others. We will understand why we are seeing some of the major challenges we see among major ethnic 12 SPECTRA MAGAZINE

groups, why we see gender inequity still in salaries and all that. All these types of things that people often forget. Learn about yourself and learn about structuralized inequities that are apparent in our system. Sandy Holman is the founder of The Culture C.O.-O.P., an organization she developed to encourage diversity in education, business and the community. Sandy received her B.A in Psychology from the UC Davis and her M.S in School Counseling with a focus on Education from CSU Sacramento. Sandy has also received a National Head Start Association Award of appreciation, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community award and the Thong Hy Huynh Education and Community award. Shelby Ziccardi is the Chief Executive Officer of Spectra. She currently attends Da Vinci Charter Academy.

“We All Have A Heritage”, a children’s book by Sandy Holman, meant to teach acceptance of diversity.

Blast Fishing in the Andaman Sea

One woman discovers the horrors of blast fishing while diving on vacation. by Pam Petersen

“Do you have your fins, your mask, your weight belt?” This was the same mantra we heard before leaving our live-aboard dive boat every day as we loaded the skiff that took us to our dive site. We were somewhere off the coast of Burma in the Andaman Sea. Equipment all in place, the skiff’s outboard motors revved and we motored a few minutes to a known dive site. Some of the sites had a rock pinnacle jutting up above the surface of the ocean, while others were only marked by GPS coordinates known to the skiff driver. Just the top of the pinnacle called Parson’s Rock appeared above the water’s surface. Our dive group slipped into the water and took a first look. A large column of rock pierced the water’s surface, extending from the ocean floor. We began our dive, which according to plan was to circle the pinnacle, spiraling down to a depth of 60 feet and then reverse, spiraling back up to end the dive. It seemed a bit odd that the usual top-feeding fish that would look curiously at the divers were absent. Continuing to descend, we started to see evidence of the horrible insult that Parson’s Rock had experienced, probably 24 to 48 hours prior to our dive. Blast fishing had occurred here, leaving thousands of dead fish and shards of coral rubble on what had been a pristine dive site just days before. In the Andaman Sea, a rich and diverse marine habitat, Parson’s Rock was void of life. It was sobering and actually sickening to see the results of this human interference, and we aborted the dive. While on our dive boat before and after the Parson’s Rock dive, we had heard the explosions from blast fishing. Speaking with our dive crew, we were informed that both Thailand and Burma, which border the Andaman Sea, had laws prohibiting blast fishing. However, there was no way to successfully enforce them, as the Coast Guard equivalents in these countries kept busy with matters deemed more important. In some countries where blast fishing is also a problem, such as the Phillipines, Indonesia, Crete and coastal Tanzania, penalties for fishermen convicted of blast fishing involve imprisonment for up to 10 years as well as the loss of their boat and fishing equipment. But again, lack of enforcement has let the practice continue. Blast fishing explosions are caused by crude, homemade bombs contained in pottery, beer bottles or

pieces of pipe. In Southeast Asia, following World War II, there was an abundance of leftover dynamite, which became the explosive of choice. In modern times, the most common combination is everyday fertilizer, usually ammonium nitrate, mixed with kerosene. There have been a significant number of injuries and fatalities due to these unsophisticated bombs exploding at unpredictable times. The blast impact causes the swim bladders in the bony fishes to burst, incapacitating the fish. Some fish float to the surface, where they are skimmed off in nets from the boat, while others sink and need to be retrieved by men diving from the boat to retrieve their catch. As was evidenced at Parson’s Rock, the smaller reef fish that have no commercial value to the fishermen but which are incredibly necessary to the reef ecosystem are left to decompose. The impact from the blast or the fragments blown from the reef can also directly injure larger species such as rays and sharks. The fisherman themselves rarely understand the economic impact, both long- and

short-term, of blast fishing. Illegal fishing allows fisherman a sustainable income; when blast fishing occurs, there is an obvious bump in revenue for any individual fisherman who brings in his catch of the day. However, sites like Parson’s Rock are now unable to be fished, as it can take up to five to 10 years to rebuild a healthy reef environment. Overall, then, after using up the available sites that are used in illegal fishing, the fishermen deplete their very livelihood. Boats used in fishing in these countries are only fit to travel certain distances, so the fisherman cannot continue to increase the geographic area in which they are able to fish. The end result in these ecosystems is a lower sustainable fish population, thus decreasing income possibilities over the long haul for area fishermen. Non-profit organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, based in the U.S., have in the past provided important funding for enforcement activities in countries such as the Philippines to track down the perpetrators of illegal fishing practices. However, even when a certain village is known to be blasting, there is often heavy protection of the violators by others in the village, including officials, due to fear of loss of income to the people. It is a

large undertaking to educate about the actual longterm economic impact and environmental harm that is occurring. It has been clear that this job of education largely lies outside the country’s government itself and exists mostly with nonprofit organizations concerned with preservation of the ocean environments. Divers who have experienced the aftermath at a blast fishing site like the one at Parson’s Rock will never forget those dreadful visual images. Efforts to educate those people in remote areas of the world about the importance of using sustainable fishing practices will continue to be challenging but must be maintained for both economic and environmental reasons. Retiring in 2011 after 20 years of working as a pediatrician, Dr. Pam Petersen is now having fun traveling and spending more time with her college-age sons, her high school senior and her husband. Her hobbies include cycling, scuba diving, reading and writing. The Petersen family has lived in Davis for almost 20 years.

Small reef fish impacted by the blast fishing explosion at Parson’s Rock are left to decompose.

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Working At The Madison Migrant Center

The Madison Migrant Center provides solace to migrant families. by Corey Hollowell

The first thing I always notice when I head out to the Madison Migrant Center is its isolation. Not only is it not actually in the town of Madison (on the outskirts of town), but it is surrounded by miles and miles of farming land. The center is on the side of Highway 16 heading west from Woodland, and would be missed in the blink of an eye. It is filled with some hardworking, incredible people who happen to be migrants. The people who live in this center are getting ready to leave and head south. During the months of October and November, the center closes down, meaning people have to travel elsewhere for a place to live and work. Most of the families return to a place where they go to year after year: for some that’s Mexico, and for others it might be Texas. No matter where they go, many of them go with other families, meaning the community at this center breaks up into smaller communities. The program I work with is called DIAS (Divertides Imaginacion, y Artes Bajo el Sol), which is an after-school program that is open for kids between the ages of 10-14. We decided that this was a good age range because these children didn’t seem to have much to do after school. Our program is structured so that for the first 45 minutes of the two hours, we focus on homework that the kids have been given for the week. If the kids don’t have homework (or choose not to bring it) we ask that they pick a book from the shelves and read it, either by themselves or with a volunteer. Once homework time is over, the next hour is some sort of activity, such as Perler beads, painting, card games, duct tape wallets and many other things. This leaves the last 15 minutes for clean up and snack time. This type of structure allows the kids to know what to expect when we come. Whenever we plan to head out to the center, we never know exactly which kids will show up, or how many. With the season winding to a close, we generally set up, then walk around knocking on doors to gather the kids to come join us; we end up with around 10 kids on any given day. The kids are always so excited to come to DIAS and are extremely friendly, even around new people.

DIAS is a program started by a local organization called the Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network (YIIN). It began four years ago when YIIN started to focus on trying to help immigrants in the community. YIIN looked at what the center might need and decided that an after-school program would be beneficial for the people who lived there. It partnered with a local 4H program to start our own program, and has maintained that partnership for four years. Over the years, more kids have joined and become a part of DIAS when they return to the center in the springtime. DIAS is only an active program for the six months or so that the migrants are in the center, as it would not be practical to be there when they are not present. Madison is one of a few migrant centers in Yolo County, and one of the most isolated. The center itself is a place for the migrant families to live during the seasons of harvest, and is operated by Yolo County Housing and owned by the State of California. The kids in the families are enrolled in the local Esparto schools so that the parents can work on the farms in the area. What caught me off guard the most is how the children face reality. Many of the families move away, but the kids seem unaffected by it. They act as if this is a normal part of life, which it is: this is something the community does every year. When I look at my own life, I recall that I have only moved a couple times, but each time was a painful experience. Yet here are these families where the kids talk about moving like they are just going into town for a couple of hours. These kids have had life experiences that I can’t even begin to fathom, yet they are always smiling, always happy, always wanting more. These kids are the next generation, the future of America. Corey Hollowell was born in San Francisco but grew up just outside of Boulder, Colorado. He is a recent graduate of the University of Wyoming with a degree in Psychology. Hollowell volunteers with the Lutheran Episcopal Volunteer Network and plans to attend graduate school for counseling.

On the Path to Sahaya International by Koen Van Rompay

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Can I really make a difference in the life of an unde

Students at the Jawahar Matriculation School smile for the camera on Sports Day. Jawahar Matriculation School is located in Andim International and Sahayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner organization, READ India.

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erprivileged child?”

All photos provided by Koen Van Rompay

madam, Tamil Nadu, India. It receives funds from Sahaya

That’s the question that stuck in my mind in 1997. As a veterinarian and HIV researcher at UC Davis, I was traveling to the city of Chennai in India, having been invited to present my research findings at a regional AIDS conference. Outside of the conference halls, I was shocked to witness the severe poverty and suffering of many people. What especially broke my heart was seeing so many innocent children who lacked the basic level of comfort, who were given little respect and very few chances in life, and who struggled to survive on the streets. It evoked many emotions that were hard to deal with. Thoughts of realization were racing through my mind—they made me realize how spoiled I was, living in Davis, California. I became frustrated with my inability to find a solution, because I am not a social worker. I am not a politician. I am just a lab researcher who had no experience in this whatsoever. But I couldn’t just trust that others will solve it, because even though there are so many specialists all over the world, poverty was clearly rampant here. I felt I could not close my eyes. I had to do something. I couldn’t change the world, but maybe I could help a child. But giving some money or some food to a begging child would only change a day in their life. If I wanted to change the life of one child on longer terms, how would I go about it? If I’d donate to a large organization, how would I know the money would get here? How would I know the child truly would get a better future? Fortunately, at the same conference, I befriended a social worker, Mr. Selvam, who had just started a small grassroots organization in a remote rural area. I became intrigued by his dedication to helping others with whatever little means were available, even if it meant sacrificing oneself. I noticed that Mr. Selvam himself was malnourished and poor, but had a big heart. This inspired me! I decided to get involved, in a small way, by selling embroidered cards that women in his village were making to raise some much-needed funds. I remember I was happy to have raised my first $20 here in Davis. 17

Children in the rural village of Kien Giang, Vietnam are photographed with the educational supplies Sahaya donated. Sahaya and the local Buu Son Monastery collaborate to provide social services to the rural community in the form of medication, food, and education.

My interest was sparked, and within one year, I raised $1,000 by selling cards. That may not sound like a lot, but in a country like India, where many adults only earn $1 or $2 per day, it makes a difference. As my involvement grew, I decided to start a nonprofit organization in Davis, and named it Sahaya International (www.sahaya.org). Sahaya means “help” in Sanskrit. As we’re 100% volunteerrun, this means that as I still have my day job, I spend nearly every evening or weekend working on it. Over the years, we expanded our programs, including sponsorship programs for orphans and HIV-infected children. Each year, we organize a walk in Davis, first called “Hope Walks”, but now named “Sahaya Walks”, to raise funds for HIV-infected children. Each year, we’ve been fortunate to have Davis High School students participating, including the Freedom from Hunger and CSF clubs. Some late evenings, when I am looking for inspiration to reenergize me, I often think of Shanti*, one of the first girls in our program who was diagnosed as HIV-infected. I remember meeting her 18

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the first time in 2003.“I assumed that she Selvam and I were leaving from a visit was ‘plain happy’ to a large HIV clinic [...]the kind of in Chennai, when she and her mother were happiness that we just arriving there, take for granted.” after an 8-hour bus trip from our village. Selvam knew the mother, so we halted to say a few words, and I was introduced to Shanti, a 6-year-old girl, who was standing quietly next to her mother, with gems of eyes staring at me. I was probably the first white person she had ever seen. Selvam explained me that they were both here thanks to the support of sponsors in Davis, to cover their travel expenses to reach this clinic and get proper medical care, as both of them were HIVinfected. Because in 2003 few medications were available, I was unsure about the chances of this family, but wishing for their future, and determined to do my best in my own small ways. As years went by, on my annual trips to India, I saw Shanti grow up step-wise. Thanks to the better HIV

Ranjitha (right) was part of Sahaya’s orphan sponsorship program. Thanks to the support of a sponsor, not only could she finish high school, but she could complete a higher education program. Her goal was to become a teacher who worked with children with special needs. She graduated earlier this year and is now working at Sahaya’s special school in Andimadam.

medicines that were becoming available, and her perseverance to travel a long distance every month to the clinic to pick up the medicines, she remained healthy. She was very special. On a few occasions, when she would see me walking through the villages, or when we would be taking all the kids on a trip to the beach, she would run toward me, grasp my hand firmly, and not let go for several minutes. Although she did not speak English, and I don’t speak enough of the local language (Tamil), on such moments I felt that the warmth of her gentle hands, the smile on her face and the stars in her eyes conveyed her emotions better than words from lips could do: she was happy. I assumed that she was “plain happy”, the kind of happiness that kids here in the USA feel when they go on a fun trip or receive a birthday present; the kind of happiness that we take for granted. Not long ago, in preparation for our annual walk event here in Davis, I had asked Mr. Selvam to ask some of the kids in our program to write about their life, and what we mean to them. Shortly afterwards, I received a letter written by Shanti. It

brought tears to my eyes… Dear friends, In my family there were four members, until my father died when I was three. My mother goes daily for cashewnut processing work to look after our needs. My elder sister is a differently abled child. My mother would prepare food for us and she would be fasting often due do the insufficient amount of money. The food was also not sufficient for us. If sometimes I asked my mother for some more quantity of food, she used to share her food with me. At that time I felt so depressed and when I asked my mother the reason for the problems we face in life, she used to say that I am the only soul earning money in our family and as your father is not with us, the total family is depending upon my income so I have to satisfy your need, so you better kindly adjust with this living condition. At that time I feel the absence of my father. Whenever I see my friends and neighbors family happily going along with their father to temple, cinema etc., I have a feeling that if my father was alive I would have 19

Shanti in 2003 (left) and in 2010 (right).

also enjoyed my life with him; my mother realized my feelings and to help me overcome sadness, she would take me to the nearby temple in the village. At the time of Diwali festival, and other functions we won’t be having new dresses to wear. Our neighbors children used to wear new dresses and burst crackers, this will make me so depressed and when I ask my mother about the new dresses, her reply will be the same that their father is earning money and he bought them new dresses, but in our family only I am earning and that itself is not sufficient for us to look after our basic needs, and we will not be going out at this time of occasions. At that time I missed my father’s presence a lot. I was not even using proper notebooks for my studies. My mother used to get only one or two notebooks. I have gotten many scoldings from my school teachers and if I go and tell this to my mother, she would say “With my income alone how can I satisfy all the needs of you” and by saying these words she cried. At that moment I just console my mother by saying these words “Whenever you get money, then you purchase and give me the notebooks”. The classmates of me bring different varieties of food items for lunch like poori, pongal, idly. I too like eating these types of food items but when I expressed this to my mother. She replied, “They are rich people. They can eat different foods but we are not like them. We can have only rice.” The words uttered by 20 SPECTRA MAGAZINE

my mother made me sad. This was our situation. When I received support from Sahaya, I became very happy. I received a desk, notebooks, and school uniform. And I was very happy in attending the sponsorship meeting and to see many children. I was taken on tours to temples and to the beach, and this was entirely a new experience for me I enjoyed a lot. Even I would have not enjoyed a lot with my father like this if he was alive. I am thankful for the timely help. When I pray to God I usually have a habit of praying for all your well-being and health. We want you in our life, because without you there is no life for us. My entire family is happy now and I pray to God to give a long life for you to help many children like me to come up in their life. Yours lovingly, Shanti *Name changed for confidentiality. Belgian-born Koen Van Rompay obtained a Ph.D in Comparative Pathology from UC Davis and became an HIV/AIDS researcher at UCD. His non-profit organization, Sahaya International (http:// www.sahaya.org/), has been improving life in third-world countries since 1999. It supports programs in India, Kenya, Vietnam, Phillipines, and Sri Lanka.

A Comparison Between Education Systems A lycéen’s observations after taking a year-long sabbatical at Davis High School. by Rafael Boucher

I came to the U.S. with no knowledge of the American school system whatsoever, and no time to learn about it. Our transatlantic flight landed in San Francisco the day school started. I had to rush through the enrollment process, translate my transcripts and my vaccination sheet, fill out numerous forms, take an English proficiency test and run from office to office and desk to desk. I realized bitterly that dealing with administration was stressful everywhere and not just characteristic of France. Nevertheless, my file was eventually completed and I became a junior at Davis Senior High School. Wait! Did they just say junior? I objected that I was 17 and I had already taken my junior year in France, but they assured me my situation was completely normal. All exchange students are juniors since they can’t graduate. That was my first disappointment. I had vaguely imagined myself flying back to France with an American diploma to pin on my wall. It led me to understand a major difference between the French and American system. Whereas American graduation depends on the number of credits collected during the four years of high school, French graduation depends the baccalauréat, or BAC: an end-of-school exam where pupils take a test for every subject studied in high school. Without saying which system is better, as neither is perfect, I found both to have pros and cons. The big advantage of American graduation is to relieve pupils from the stress of a massive exam. Of course, they still have to study for important tests—AP exams come to mind—but the BAC is, in my opinion, much more nerve-wracking. It comprises of a whole week of four-hour-long tests, morning and afternoon, for every single French senior. Failing the BAC would mean not going to

college. Besides, the historical goal of the BAC, a couple hundred years ago, was to award the best students in France, those who managed both intellectually and financially to finish high school, with a high distinction. Nowadays, finishing high school is a given for most students, and many of them continue studying for several years in college. The BAC has lost its aim of distinguishing the elite. Its usefulness is questioned in France. However, there is a downside to the American system. Since high-schoolers need only so many credits to graduate, they usually can take less than 7 periods, at least in junior and senior year. Most pupils don’t fill their free periods with elective classes, which I understand. It is human to be eager to go home after a school day. Without reproaching American high school students, I think the system should encourage them to take extra classes and broaden their field of knowledge, the way it is done in France. French high school days usually finish around 5 or 6 PM, but with free periods in the morning or in the middle of the day. Students are more tempted to fill these gaps with extra periods, called “options” in French. Furthermore, students take a test on every option for the BAC, and their results can only raise their score, not lower it. Taking an extra class means extra credit and new knowledge for a small investment of time, usually two to three hours a week. In my opinion, it is a big advantage of the French system. As I said before, every system has its flaws. It is also a question of habit, as it is hard to leave a familiar environment. Rafael Boucher, 18, currently lives in Vincennes, a suburb of Paris, and is completing his last year of French high school. He spent a one-year sabbatical in Davis, California, as a student of Davis Senior High School.

The author with her mother, Irma Benjamin, in 2005.

Inspirational Irma

A daughter muses on the importance of words, as her mother loses control of her writing and speaking skills. by Katrina Knighton

As we exit at Blackpoint and head toward and costume opinions to her belly-dancing buddies San Marin, the curvaceous hills with occasional and she would congratulate and yelp enthusiastic trees and brush once again catch my eye. These cheers during class with her “Jazzercise” groupies. warm and rolling hills and the familiar smell of euShe would discuss the finer aspects of Napa’s latest calyptus arouse the abundant yet distant memories grapes with her wine tasting companions and she of the years when I lived in Novato fine tune her stage manage“Words are taken would with Mom and Dad. The anticipament skills or rehearse lines with her tion of awakening memories exfor granted. We use Novato Community Theater pals. If cites me, as does the fact that soon could do so, she would write her them as though Mom we’ll arrive at my favorite house on thoughts and ideas in letters, books, Maria Court. The house looks like the supply is end- and notes with the grace and skill of most in the San Marin area, but the professional journalist she had less. We sometimes in this house lives a modern-day aspired to be. But she cannot. hero. Her name is Irma and she is speak without think- For a reason not completely undera bit of an unspoken hero . . . literstood by top doctors in Neurology, the ing and we often ally. Once a woman of many words part of my mother’s brain responsible and a gregarious social butterfly in say more than we for communication, both written and various circles, she is now quiet. If verbal, is degenerating. What this should.” she could do so, she would still chat means for my mother is that her abilwith my father and call her five children and their ity to speak and write has dissipated gradually over families on a regular basis. She would offer dance the past five years. She knows what she wants to say SPECTRA MAGAZINE 22

“ Yet with all of the negative words available, by far the worst words are the ones left unspoken.”

or write but is unable to get the correct sounds (or letters) out for others to comprehend. A barrage of testing done at UC San Francisco confirms that her memory and cognitive abilities are intact. She just cannot write or speak. The frustration and isolation are immense—unimaginable for those of us with these capabilities. So, you may ask – why is she a hero? Irma is a hero because every morning she wakes out of her quiet dream space and enters a world of sounds and voices. She wakes up smiling and grateful for having another day of life. She listens to my dad discuss the day’s news and events. She “eavesdrops” via speakerphone on conversations when her children call the house. She goes for her daily walks and nods appropriately as passersby cheerfully say “good morning” and “hello.” Each day she promptly arrives at one of her two small offices to balance her employer’s financial books while listening to artists on the radio bellow out strings of melodic lyrical combinations. She enjoys going to Jazzercise at the Community House, as she has for almost 20 years; illustrated by the smiles and nods exchanged with her exercise buddies. She is still involved with her belly-dancing friends and wine tasting group who understand her plight and fill in the conversation where she once did. We all fill in for her and she just smiles and nods. She’ll motion and indicate when she feels it is necessary, and she gets by just fine at Albertson’s and Tommy Salsa – as they know “Inspirational Irma” with the sweet smile. Imagine for a moment what it would be like if you were unable to speak or write. Could you do it? Words are taken for granted. We use them as though the supply is endless. We sometimes speak without thinking and we often say more than we should. In their most unattractive form words are even used as weapons. Hurtful insults and com-

ments can powder the air like the smoke of a fired gun. Words can be misshapen or creatively strung together as a means of hiding truth. Yet with all of the negative words available, by far the worst words are the ones left unspoken. Beautiful, simple words like “thank you,” “excuse me,” “I’m sorry” and “I love you” are far too often left unclaimed when they are so easy and effortless to access. Words can be powerfully positive, lifting the heaviest spirits and holding together the weakest moments. Words can last a lifetime and change the future. Words can hold secrets or carry us through the roughest times when uttered by the right person. Irma understands all of this. She does a lot of listening and a lot of smiling. Sometimes her smile fades when she wants to communicate something and struggles for us to label her thoughts. She knows words shouldn’t be taken for granted. She knows that words are valuable and can be a gift when wrapped in the right moment. Mom still says “I love you” whenever I see her. It’s in her eyes, and on a good day she’s even able to get a resemblance of the sounds off her tongue. She always smiles afterward and sometimes I detect a tear in her eye for I know there is so much else she wants to say but cannot. She is such an inspiration to all who know her and her story – a true hero. I love you too, Mom. Katrina Knighton and her husband—her high school sweetheart—live with their two teenage daughters in Davis, California. Katrina works as a full time operating-room nurse in Sacramento, and enjoys running and spending time with her family and friends. She grew up the youngest child and only girl in a family with five children. Her parents were hard working, ethical individuals who instilled in their children similar values and familial devotion. In 2000, Katrina’s mother began having difficulties with her speech. Over time, her progressive neurological symptoms worsened until she eventually moved into a nursing facility in 2007. Katrina spent a great deal of time with her mother until her death in 2009. During her mother’s illness, Katrina found comfort in writing and yoga.

What Fuels Your Fire? While people around the globe follow their passions in different ways, the ultimate goal is the same: to keep their fire burn-

ing. Photostory by Tate Drucker

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A performer at a restaurant in the southern China city of Chengdu keeps the Sichuan tradition of Bian Lian—otherwise known as mask changing— alive by performing the art for hundreds of tourists flocking to China’s vibrant South.

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A thrill-seeker scales steep rocks beside a cascading waterfall in the Ecuador region of the Amazon rainforest. Every year, the region attracts thousands of adrenaline junkies looking for their fix of adventure in the jungleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infamous terrain.

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A caretaker at the Bifengxia Panda Base in Sichuan, China quietly sweeps in front of an endangered giant pandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enclosure. At the Panda Base, staff care for the pandas and work to keep this species safe in the hope of seeing pandas thriving in the Chinese wilderness again.

Female volunteers from the United States say goodbye to the girls of a Calcutta women’s empowerment school. In class, young girls learn how to profit from their embroidery skills and, therefore, stay off the streets.

Where It All Began by Tate Drucker

“Like a river, suddenly reversing the direction of its flow.” That’s how I best describe how that first experience out in the world changed me. When I was fifteen years old, a photographic expedition to Tanzania changed the course of my life completely. I had traveled prior to that first experience, and I already had begun to develop a love for photography beforehand, so it was not as if it was my first time stepping on a plane or picking up a camera. However, the intensity of that first experience knocked the wind out of me with one simple realization: this is what I have to do with the rest of my life. I grew up hearing of my grandfather’s expeditions to the North and South Poles. I was surrounded by my stepfather’s photo albums of his years living in the Kenyan bush and beneath Himalayan peaks. Despite the fact that, when I was young, the most “foreign” family trips were to the Caribbean or a beach resort in Mexico, I clearly understood that an entire, colossal planet existed 30 SPECTRA MAGAZINE

beyond my small New England town. However, the idea of being young and traveling anywhere beyond the walls of a hotel seemed to be such a strange idea that I’d be able to tackle in maybe twenty years’ time. For a while, I didn’t bother questioning that assumption. Somehow, I found myself at fifteen years old, surrounded by strangers on a plane bound for the east African country of Tanzania to be a part of a three-week-long photography-focused expedition. I would be immersed in village life. I would explore and photograph savannas as well as local Maasai tribes. Although I was, of course, excited about this opportunity, I had no idea of the significance it would play in my life until the trip actually began. Tanzania blew all my senses beyond anything I had ever experienced, and it caused me to ask questions about the people surrounding me and what our roles are in the grand scheme of the world. Every day I attempted to capture not only landscapes and

A poacher in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park poses with his rifle in one of the many campgrounds in the game park, speaking boldly of Tanzania’s poaching problem from a poacher’s perspective.

the portraits of those I passed, but what people back in the U.S. hardly see when they look at a postcard or turn on the news. I firsthand saw the effects that industrial development has on destroying the fragile ecosystem. I was given insight into the lives of the people who once seemed impossibly far away. However, no matter the number of answers I received from the questions I asked and no matter the number of people who came across my path, a new kind of hunger evolved in me that I knew would be insatiable. That experience showed me that I was very small in a grand, massive world, and there were thousands of stories I desperately wanted to hear. From then on out, I hit the ground running. Upon my arrival back in the States, I vowed to make traveling the world, meeting people, and photographing their stories my ultimate priority and constant goal. I started pursuing mentors

and photographers I admired in an attempt to get noticed and get my foot in any doors possible. My first experience in Tanzania threw me into the deep end and placed a sense of urgency in me to get out there, get moving, and get exploring. It was hard for me to believe that such a simple trip could change so much, but that’s exactly what happened. The river switched directions and began running upstream instead of continuing, slowly and surely, down with the current. Tate Drucker is a freelance photographer, born and based in New York. Her passion for photography and travel lead her to a life dedicated to photojournalism with the ultimate goal to open minds, to educate, and to inspire others to explore the planet and ask questions.

Workers at humane societiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; like this woman at a shelter in Putnam County, New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;take care of abused and abandoned animals. Endless hours of dedication from volunteers like her allow these animals to be rehabilitated and to start new lives.

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A man shelters his lover from a sudden rainstorm in Beijing. As locals passed by quickly in an effort to escape the rain, these two huddled in each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arms until the storm eventually passed.

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A local woman in the small village of Yunguilla in Ecuadorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cloud forest makes fresh, organic cheese to sell. Yunguilla prides itself on being one of the few 100% self-sustainable communities in Ecuador that also aids in reforestation with its greenhouses and its profits made from all-natural products.

on not being anything by Emma Soberano

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Race is a touchy subject. Today, after minority populations have skyrocketed and the first African American President has taken office, our country is particularly careful to highlight racial equality and colorblindness, and to shine a spotlight on successful members of minority populations. In Davis, with its low ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational diversity, the small ethnically different population can be conspicuous at times on the basis of appearance. Many people flaunt their ethnicity, making sure the world knows that they are different. I suppose that in many ways I am different. However, much of the time I don’t feel that difference. I suppose if I were to truthfully answer the question, “What are you?” I might say, “I am not anything.” My father is Hispanic and my mother very white. And while I was raised by my father, I wasn’t raised in Mexico. I was raised in our tiny, homogenous city, and grew up with many of the privileges and benefits that come along with living here. I do not truly understand what “being Mexican” means, and likely never will. My father doesn’t even fully identify as Mexican. His heart lies more in El Salvador, or, if in Mexico, in the Mexico of years past, when indigenous culture was more prevalent, less hidden away, and the hills and swamps and deserts rang of revolution. Back before California was stolen from the Spaniards as all of Mexico had been stolen from the Aztecs. I sometimes feel that if I had been born back then, perhaps I would be more grounded in one culture, one language, more supportive of one side. As it is, though, I was raised here, and born from a white mother. German, Irish, Scottish, and a thousand pale shades in between. My skin and features are not those typical of a Mexican girl, and people tend to forget me when they proudly and indignantly declare their ownership of the title “Only Hispano in the Room”, or when they mangle their Spanish and laugh when I correct them. Nor, however, can I say that I look white. “What are you?” people ask. “Italian? Last name, right?” No. “Part French? Spanish?” Once, I even got “Part Japanese” (they had me mistaken for my friend Margaret, whose father looks a bit like mine). But I? I know my face, and I can look in the mirror and find my Aztec nose between Irish

eyes on skin too olive to burn, but so light I’ve been people who dismiss me and my knowledge of our called “chele.” I sometimes wonder, If my nose and language because my skin is too white for them. skin were like those of my mother, would I identify Facing prejudice from all sides has taught with one race? Would I be, perhaps, considered me not to take race into account. Though ethnicprettier? I feel sad that I might understand a bit ity might determine some of your experiences, as of the urge of the people in Mexico, who compete it has mine, and though those experiences may in on the basis of who has the ‘purest’ Spanish blood, turn shape you as a person, race is never an entire denying their history and bloody past. person. A person is made up of more I suppose if I California is a land of migrants. than just their skin tone, or their hair, Proximity to the border of that sadly were to truthfully or nose or eyes or ears. Those parts are violent, historically oppressed country simply the visible ones, and it is the answer the ones we cannot see that truly matto the south means a higher Mexican population, both legal and illegal question, “What ter. I said before that, when asked, I throughout the state. Many of them might respond that I am not anything. are you?” I might I would like to retract that statement. come fighting poverty and carrying diseases, because it is the ones worst say, “I am not Let us try again. “What are you?” you off who so desperately scrounge for might ask. And I can truthfully answer: better fortunes in strange, dangerous I am a person. I am a girl, who loves art anything.” lands like the supposedly free United and theatre, writing, and singing show States. Our country is not free; not to those who tunes in the shower. I am a runner, I am an actor, a “do not belong.” Not even fully to its own citizens, graphic designer, photographer, pastry chef, poet, the majority of whom have had to fight tooth and philosopher, friend. And yes, I am biracial. nail for fundamental human rights at some point throughout the young nation’s history, and who continue to struggle quietly on today. There are new Emma Soberano is a senior at Da Vinci Charter Academy. She laws created on a daily basis in states such as Arizo- enjoys writing, acting, and photography, among other things. Emma hopes to further explore her racial identity and eventually na that resemble ones long ago deemed unconstitu- discover how to use a multicultural viewpoint to aid progress on tional when seen targeted at a different population. world issues. Even without those laws, however, there would be other injustices, small and large, that are born out of the stereotypes that come from living in a country with such a high immigration rate. When I was five, for example, I was put in an English as a Second Language class. Every few days, I was taken from my Spanish immersion kindergarten studies and forced to relearn supposedly “new” words like butterfly and bread. It took a week and a half of the teacher marveling at my and another student’s “amazing ability to learn so quickly and overcome all odds” for someone to tell the teacher that, just because my father was Mexican and we spoke Spanish at home, I was not unable to understand and speak English less eloquently than my classmates. Even today, I still receive the occasional report card in Spanish; a leftover from my father’s “Second Language: English” status. Last year, when I began tenth grade, my father had to call the office and inform them that though, yes, we do understand and speak Spanish, they should not assume that we do. It is an interestingly far cry from the 39

Perlman with a patient.

Seeing Life in Perspective: A Conversation with Jonathan Perlman

Ophthalmologist Jonathan P. Perlman travels to impoverished areas in Mexico with LIGA International, a non-profit organization that provides free healthcare services to those who could not otherwise afford treatment. He has traveled to Sinaloa, Mexico about 25 times. There, Dr. Perlman performs cataract removal surgeries free of charge. Emily and Katrina Knighton conducted the interview. Jonathan Perlman provided all photos.

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E. Knighton: How did you first get involved with LIGA International? J. Perlman: I was invited by [opthalmologist] Dr. Miller back in 1999. That was the first time I went. But it was clearly on a smaller scale than it is now. I mean, it was he and I that went. Maybe we would do 25 or 30 cases in a weekend and thought we had really done a lot. Which we had, but it’s definitely evolved since then. E. Knighton: How do you feel about helping other people, especially in these impoverished areas? J. Perlman: When all you get from people is a thank you, or gracias, you know there’s not a sentiment of entitlement there that everybody has here, and I think that’s what I love. People appreciate what you’re doing for them because they know that you don’t have to be doing it and that you’re not being paid to.

seen now, like tomorrow or Tuesday or—,” you know, versus being thrilled that you’re first in line to have a surgery in six months. They go for six more months only seeing light and dark maybe, or you know, their vision being compromised. So it’s kind of amazing. J. Perlman: Yeah. It’s also really nice to see the common family structure there. The kids help, the grandkids—you know, there might be a sevenyear-old in charge of Grandpa, leading him around. We’ve had patients leave on donkeys; it’s just a totally different culture.

K. Knighton: Wasn’t there a story one time of a grandson who brought his grandfather on a burro and he’d walked from a neighboring town that was quite a ways away? J. Perlman: Oh yeah, we’ve got pictures of it because we put him back on the burro to leave. [laughs] It’s not uncommon at all on a Friday afternoon or a Saturday to say, “We’ll do your surgery tomorrow,” and E. Knighton: How do you feel like the people who you these people from a hundred miles away say, “We’ll help view this aid from another country? go sleep on the ground outside the fence and we’ll J. Perlman: These are desperate people that have come back in the morning.” There’s not a hotel that fallen through the cracks in the social welfare systhey go to. These people have no other [option], you tem of Mexico, and most of the people that we oper- know, we’re it. There’s also a significant number—a ate on are in bad shape. These people are truly blind. quarter, a third that want to come see the American Sometimes all they can see is light and dark. They doctors because they’re not satisfied with the qualmight wait in line for a day or more or come from ity or what they perceive as the quality of the care a few hundred miles away for help. So how do they they’ve gotten there. They want an opinion from view us? I hope some of them view us as heroes the American doctors. We see that all the time. coming in, donating their time to help them. Occasionally there’s a patient who feels snubbed because K. Knighton: Have you ever done a botched surgery? someone got in line ahead Like somebody who did have work done “When all you get from of [him or her] in surgery or in Mexico and then they were coming something, but not that often.people is a thank you, or back because whatever was done was Most of the people there are done well? gracias, you know there’s not pretty grateful just to have J. Perlman: Rarely. We go out of been told that they can have not a sentiment of enti- our way [to perform surgeries] that surgery. They’re often even think will have a good result. If tlement there that eve- we grateful to be told, “You can somebody’s got more than one concome back in six months and rybody has here, and I dition and we think if we take their have surgery.” Even if they’ve cataract out maybe they’ll see better, think that’s what I love.” traveled a hundred miles and but they’ve got some other problem stood in line for a day, just having a ticket for surin the back of the eye, we try to avoid those because gery in six months, I think a lot of them are happy we want people to have a good result [afterward]. about. They get no follow-up care like everybody gets here: we see them like a day after, a week after, a month K. Knighton: Which, can you imagine in this country later. if somebody went and they wanted something from We don’t do surgeries that are heroic. We try not to Dr. Perlman and he said, “Sorry, I can’t see you for six do things that we’re not sure about or that are likely months”? You know that sense of entitlement that to have complications since we’re not there to take would step in, that would be like, “What? I need to be care of them. So it would be rare that we would try 41

to follow up someone else’s surgery that didn’t go so well. We might try to do the other eye, but it would be rare that we would try to salvage something, because it’s pretty primitive there. We bring [equipment] but it’s not the Davis Surgery Center.

got to remember when someone’s completely blind from a reversible cause that they can’t even feed themselves necessarily; they need total help from their family, or maybe from that seven-year-old whose life is dedicated to taking care of Grandpa. I’m not gonna speak to a specific thing, but I just K. Knighton: The people will often get kind of dressed think it’s totally cool about all these people who up when they come to see us; you’ll see women in probhave gone on all these trips with us for over the ably their best outfits and their Sunday best. The guys, years. [Our nurse] Dorothy has been on thirty of they’ve got their best cowboy boots. So they want to these trips or something, and Dorothy’s retired. be presentable. You figure what they’ve worn to their When she really retires, I don’t know whether this grandson’s wedding or something they show up in to see will go on in the same way that it has, because she Dr. Perlman. spends a ton of time before these trips preparing E. Knighton: Do you have a favorite memory or anyfor them. That’s a huge amount of dedication, and thing that stands out to you when you think about your I hope someone else steps up. But I guess my best time in Mexico? memory from up here about there is just all the selfJ. Perlman: That’s a tough ques- “I’ll say to my kids all less people that I have met through tion because one of the disapthe process. Yeah, I guess that would the time when they have pointing things is, we don’t be it. see people after we operate on some problem, ‘This is them. We operate and then E. Knighton: Has helping people in a high-quality problem. Mexico through LIGA taught you anywe say adios, and while I like to assume that they all have a This is a first world thing in particular? perfect outcome, I’m sure there J. Perlman: Heck yeah! I think it’s problem; this is not a helped reinforce, for me, what is are some that do not. So, it’s hard to say that, “Oh I changed third world problem.’” important in life. I’ve tried to bring that person’s life,” because I my kids there so that they can hopedon’t necessarily see the outcome. Although, not fully see a little bit about what is important in life. uncommonly, people come back six months later I think it’s very easy, living here, to get caught up and say, “Oh my God, it’s so great—could you do in iPads and iPhones, and more of this and more the other eye?” Then it’s gratifying to see how their of that and materialistic things, and I think seeing life has changed. It’s most gratifying to do surgerpeople that have little or nothing… I always comies when people are very blind, particularly when ment every time I go down there, seeing people they’re very young. There are people in their forthat have little or nothing and how happy they are. ties who come in with dense cataracts in both eyes, I think they’re happier than we are, in general. It’s unable to see, who would [otherwise] be working very centering to me, to see that. or having productive lives with their kids. You’ve Perlman (left) working on a patient.

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Perlman with patients.

Patients in line waiting to be seen.

“I think they’re K. Knighton: They’re very loving, familyhappier than we are, oriented people. in general. It’s very J. Perlman: I don’t know exactly why. I centering to me, to think maybe some of it’s explainable see that.”

because they’re religious people and maybe it’s some spirituality that binds them to accept their circumstances and roll with it.

K. Knighton: Well I think if the basics are taken care of, they’re happy. If they’ve got food on the table and they’ve got their family getting healthier by having their cataracts taken care of, you know that kind of thing, versus wanting more, more. J. Perlman: They’re grateful for the little things in life and not for the materialistic things that our society gets caught up in and takes for granted. It really is amazing how much we take for granted, you know? How will we get along for an hour with the Internet down? The Internet went down in our office today at eight o’clock and it was like, “Oh my God, how are we gonna survive for half an hour here, without the Internet?” [laughs] But when I was your age no one even thought of the Internet existing yet, and we seemed to get along okay. E. Knighton: Has your time in Mexico changed your perspective on world cultures, different socioeconomic statuses or the human race at all? It’s kind of a big question. J. Perlman: Yes. I’ll say to my kids all the time when they have some problem, “This is a high-quality

Volunteer medical team, 2011.

problem. This is a first world problem; this is not a third world problem.” So, I guess that would answer that question as best as I could. It’s very centering and grounding to realize that what we have is incredible, here. I think with most things in life, until you experience being sick yourself, it’s difficult to relate to those that are in that predicament. So I don’t know that my experience is transferable easily to others, but I think the volunteerism is a great idea and it’s thriving more in colleges now. There’s a resurgence of this missionary lifestyle, and being of service is just a really important thing, no matter how little the… maybe I’m off topic here, but I’m always incredulous even about moms in school who volunteer to do a bunch of stuff that seem like, “Oh my God, how could this person have the time to do this?” Or, “Who is this saint that has volunteered to come into the classroom a day a week or to be the parent for the class?” Whatever it is, I just think it’s amazing. I appreciate them a lot more now than I used to, because we wouldn’t have what we have without people with the service spirit. Jonathan P. Perlman, MD graduated in 1982 from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biological Sciences. He received his medical degree in 1986 from UC San Diego. He founded the Perlman Center for Eye and Eyelid Surgery in 2002, remains the Medical Director of the Vision Service Plan, and holds the position of Assistant Clinical Professor at UC Davis. He resides in Davis with his wife, Shawna, and his three daughters. Emily Knighton is a Spectra staff member. She currently attends Da Vinci Charter Academy. Katrina Knighton is a registered circulating nurse who travels to Mexico with Dr. Perlman and a group of Davis volunteers.

Jungle Boy. “Noticed him playing with the wood logs which were stacked together for further transportation to different parts of the country. These street kids have an incredible ability to make anything their source of amusement.”

A Carefree Childhood Photostory by Ata Mohammad Adnan

“I believe my journey into photography has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I picked up photography initially to express myself. As I took more and more photographs, the hunger to tell others’ stories drove me forward. While my photographs are mostly about my subjects, I admit that viewers can also see a little bit of myself through my work. One of my biggest photography inspirations is my mentor, Nayeem Kalam, who has been taking photographs just for the joy of it and nothing more. Feeling the love and affection from photographing people is my greatest achievement.”

Ata Mohammad Adnan, 24, is originally from Bangladesh but has recently graduated from a Chinese university. He is a doctor and a freelance photographer. Adnan’s work has been featured in over 20 exhibitions locally as well as internationally. His photographs have garnered awards and publication.

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Flour Power. “Noticed these sisters collecting and playing with flour beside a flour factory. It was a national holiday here in Bangladesh but the factory was still running.”

Smiling Friends. “[I wanted to] take some photographs in the evening, just outside of my house. These little neighbors were very excited to see a camera. Well, I was more than glad to see them amused!”

Badminton Portrait. “One of my little neighbors with his badminton racket. Quite a regular sight here [in Chittagong, Bangladesh] during the winters.”

Little Blue Penguins at the Rena spill in New Zealand.

Wildlife Rescue by Michael Ziccardi

A bird is washed during the Cosco Busan spill cleanup.

A Western Grebe is examined during the Cosco Busan spill cleanup.

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“There is a small oil spill going on in San Francisco Bay.” For most people, that statement brings to mind images of brown pelicans dripping in brown goo or sea otters shivering in Arctic waters. For me, it means I need to pack a bag and start making phone calls, as I am an emergency wildlife response veterinarian in charge of California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network. While it may seem like California does not have many spills when compared to other areas of the world, there is on average more than five spills per day in our state (in 2011, 1,914 spill incident reports were filed). Most do not affect animals or require a wildlife response but, when it is needed, we need to be ready. Our preparation is similar to staffing an emergency room—while we do not want to train people, build hospitals, or buy fire engines to respond to emergencies, we need our options open if and when an incident happens. The OWCN is the most advanced oiled wildlife response program in the world, made up of more than 30 different aquariums, rehabilitation

An eared grebe is released during the Cosco Busan spill cleanup in San Francisco.

Michael Ziccardi examines a Kemp’s Ridley turtle at the Deepwater Horizon spill.

groups and universities throughout California. We rely on more than 2,000 pre-trained volunteers and 50 staff to manage both capture of affected birds and mammals as well as their rehabilitation in one of our 12 purpose-built or modified facilities. Since 1996, we have responded to more that 70 spills, both small and large, in California. I have also assisted in many other responses through the world, including the Prestige spill in Spain, the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico (otherwise known as the BP oil spill), and the recent Rena spill in New Zealand. Oil spill response is fascinating and frustrating at the same time. By the very nature of being emergencies, spills can be chaotic. As a organizer, you never have all of the information needed to develop the perfect plan, you never have enough time to do exactly what you want to do and you constantly need to report what is going on to the public as well as to the Incident Commanders at the Command Post. To succeed, you have to be flexible. You must change and modify your plans based on the dynamics of the spill as well the animals coming in at a moment’s notice. You must also think several days ahead so that the operations can continue forward. Probably the biggest personal challenge for me, being one who likes to work more behind the scenes, is working with the media to get the best information out to the public. Keeping people informed during a spill of the work we are doing is an important part of the effort. I have learned to hide my fear of the cameras to get that message out! For response veterinarians, oil spills can be sad as well as rewarding. Hundreds of thousands of animals in severe distress must wait to be cleaned, while experiencing what could almost be considered an alien abduction. It is not every day that an

animal finds itself being caught off the beach and transported to a strange facility. Through experience, we have found that birds that have not been captured early on in a spill have a slim chance of survival. These birds with extensive damage to their feathers and internal organs cannot recover even after a thorough cleaning. In these cases, choosing humane euthanasia early is often better than moving the bird forward to have it die later—a difficult personal choice that is best for the bird in the end. By contrast, some animals make full recoveries. They come into care completely oil-soaked and cold. We provide nutrition, fluids and time to get over the shock of being oiled. We clean them of the contaminant and gradually allow them to regain the insulation and waterproofing that their feathers provide. Eventually, we release them into their (now cleaned) environment. That emotionally rewarding experience often makes the negative aspects of my job more than worthwhile. I am blessed to do work that I have hoped to be involved with since I was four years old. While being on-call 24 hours a day, leaving my family and friends for months at a time and being fearful of winter months (due to storms making it “spill season”) can be challenging, I feel truly fortunate to be able to do the work I do. Helping society repair the damage it has caused to nature due to its need for oil make my profession more than worth my sacrifices. Dr. Michael Ziccardi received his Ph.D. from UC Davis and has been an oil spill response veterinarian and coordinator since 1996. He has responded to more than 50 spills in the US and abroad. His current position is Director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network and Associate Director of UC Davis’ Wildlife Health Center.

No Need For False Despair

Going against conventional wisdom, a mother turns to homeopathic medicine in order to cure her daughter of cancer. by Jan Woods

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One of the first things the oncologist, or cancer doctor, said to me after my 14-year-old daughter Della was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in January of 2010, was: “You don’t need to Google anything or do research. We can’t know what caused her cancer—it was nothing you did wrong; you don’t need to feel guilty about it.” His words registered in me no emotion. I was too shocked to feel anything, least of all guilt. My darling child, who rarely got sick, suddenly had a life-threatening illness, and what seemed to me to be the scariest one of all: cancer. In the first days after the diagnosis, there was little time to think or feel. My child was rushed into surgery to remove a 14-centimeter tumor from the outside of her small intestine. Pathology results identified her type of cancer as diffuse B-cell lymphoma. This was a bit of good news since lymphoma, in children, has a high cure rate. But what followed over the next five months was anything but good. Many caring doctors and nurses worked hard and sincerely believed what they were doing would help my daughter, yet one thing after another went wrong. It turned out that rushing her into surgery right away to remove the tumor had been the wrong thing to do: a major mistake made by the first hospital that treated her. She should have had chemotherapy treatments to shrink the tumor and then, if necessary, a minor operation when the tumor was much smaller and inactive. The oncologists at the second hospital were also disturbed because, due to the need for the surgical wound to heal, they were unable to start chemotherapy right away. Since chemo kills rapidly growing cells (both healthy and cancer cells), her body would not be able to make the new tissue it would need to heal properly if they started the therapy too soon. It was a “Catch-22” that had life-threatening consequences. As it turned out, the oncologists started the chemotherapy before the intestine had healed properly. Della had to endure many additional procedures, treatments, and emergency operations for conditions not caused by the original tumor, in addition to suffering all the side effects that go along with chemo treatments. Through all of the suffering I witnessed my precious daughter go through from both the cancer and the treatments, I sometimes flashed back to the doctor’s words: “no need to Google”, “don’t feel guilty”, “can’t know what caused it.” I had a nagging sense that there was something not quite right

about those words of advice. tamin to build strength, and should drink Carna I appreciated his wanting to relieve any tion instant breakfasts everyday. That, plus dates feelings of guilt I might have; I knew he meant it in for wellness appointments, was the advice we went kindness. But as time went on, with every ounce of home with. strength our family devoted to Della’s survival, I At home, Della rested, got in touch with her started to wonder. How could there have been “no friends and teachers. Weeks passed; I gave her a cause” of this fearful illness and terrible turn of multivitamin and shake every day, but Della seemed events that followed? There must be a reason my even weaker. She had no appetite, was clearly not child had to endure this suffering. The treatment to “getting well.” I was very worried. “cure” the cancer was in itself life-threatening. As We needed to do something but calling her serious as the disease of cancer is, in Della’s case, medical doctors was out of the question. I faced clearly it was the treatments themselves that she what had been nagging me for so long: as well battled to survive even more than the original meaning as the doctors had been, they were trained cancer. technicians, not healers. I realized I had little faith What could the causes be? Della, only 14, in their ability to help us. Though good people, I had none of the “risk” factors associated with felt the majority of them had lost—or never had cancer. She didn’t smoke, drink or do drugs. Slim developed—the art of healing. Looking back, I felt and fit, she played competitive many of the tests and procedures “‘You don’t need to sports year round. Her diet was they had ordered had been unnecthat of a typical teenager, maybe Google anything or essary. Some were even harmful. better than most. No one in our Now I was really afraid. I do research. We can’t didn’t know where to turn to help family had a history of cancer, save after age 70: lung cancer know what caused her Della. What if she kept getting diagnosed in a lifetime smoker, weaker? Would the cancer come my grandfather. How could I not cancer—it was nothing back? If it did, and I called the wonder? If our doctors didn’t you did wrong; you don’tsame doctors, would they give her know, did anyone have answers as more of the same procedures that need to feel guilty about to why Della had to get this dreadhad nearly killed her the first ful disease and endure the painful time? It seemed like repeating the it.’” and life-threatening treatments? same mechanical routine was all After five months, including three weeks in they knew. Without a doubt, the sugary shake and the intensive care unit where her life hung by the multivitamins prescribed were all but useless. thinnest of frayed threads, Della was released from Desperate one day, I called my best friend while the hospital to go home and “get well.” She had had Della slept. After listening to me for a few minutes only four out of the five prescribed chemotherapy she asked if I had considered “alternative therapies.” treatments, but we, her parents, and she herself, With that phrase, everything in our family’s world felt she would not be survive another treatment. It changed. I asked what she meant; she spoke some was a miracle to us that she was still alive at this phrases I had vaguely heard before: nutritional point. Incredibly, some of her doctors insisted that therapy, therapeutic massage, acupressure, herbal she have the last chemo session. Fortunately, the remedies... oncologist in charge of her case finally agreed with We first visited a practitioner of Chinese us. herbal healing. When I took Della to his office, she When they discharged Della, I expected only weighed 93 pounds. Brian, the herbalist, instructions on how to help her become healthy listened to our story while writing furiously on a again, because she was very thin and weak, barely pad. The two most memorable things he said were, walking and in great pain. The doctors only said, firstly, for us to buy something called “probiotics” “Return to your life as it was before.” They told us and give Della eight of them that day, two every that as Della got stronger she could return to four hours; and secondly, “Search the Internet. normal activities and to her “normal” diet. I asked if Cancer can be prevented: there are treatments there were foods she should avoid; I knew from besides chemotherapy and surgery.” He wanted me magazines I had read that some foods were considto Google! To understand what had happened! ered carcinogenic, or cancer-causing. But they said I understood now what had bothered me in she could “eat anything she liked”, needed a multivi- those words spoken by the oncologist to me six 49

months earlier. His words had made me feel helpless and therefore hopeless—as though cancer were like lightning, striking one totally at random— which one could maybe not avoid being struck by again! He had made me feel as though we had no control, as though we were victims at the mercy of cancer and the horrific treatments and side effects. As we sat in the herbalist’s office I believed that maybe there was something we ourselves could do! I gave Della four probiotics that first day instead of the eight Brian recommended, but the effects the next morning were miraculous. She woke up with energy, and was very hungry! The probiotics released billions of beneficial bacteria into Della’s system. We learned that without those bacteria to help her absorb and digest her food, she might never have gotten well. All her healthy bacteria had been killed off by the chemo and antibiotic treatments. In the next few weeks Della began seeing a massage therapist. After seeing Heather, Della was glowing and healthy-looking for days. The massages re-energized her circulation through touch and bodywork. Due to complications from chemo and operations, Della had lost her spleen, her gallbladder and part of her small intestine. Additionally, she had two large cysts in her abdominal cavity; the doctors wanted to do another surgery to remove them. Adamant that we did not want another surgery, we asked Heather’s advice. She recommended Ben Katz, a very special massage therapist. Ben worked on loosening the scar tissue built up in Della’s midsection from the removal of her organs—we learned that scar tissue, left to build up over time, could cause major problems down the road, including sterility. We wondered why the doctors never told us of this possibility. Did they even know? Ben helped Della regain her energy and health even more. After only three sessions with Ben, Della felt a release of pressure in her abdomen. We wondered if her cysts had burst! An ultrasound the following week would decide whether she would have to have surgery or not. After the ultrasound we met with Della’s doctor. Clearly surprised, he told us Della’s cysts, which she had had for ten months, were entirely gone. From this point on there was no turning back. We spent hours on the Internet learning all we could about alternative therapies, especially for cancer patients and cancer survivors. In subsequent appointments with our oncologists, we tried to discuss what was helping Della stay healthy. We were shocked to learn the 50

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doctors knew about probiotics but had not prescribed them for her! They only said, “Take them if you think they help.” We tried to talk about some of the other therapies, especially nutritional ones, but when we brought up something as simple as organic, pesticide-free foods, they all looked nervous and changed the subject (especially the medical students)! This attitude was a mystery, until we learned that in the state of California and many other states, doctors are legally forbidden to discuss alternative therapies, on the threat of losing their licenses to practice medicine. I was dumbfounded to learn that men“Clearly surprised, tioning a subject related to potenhe told us Della’s tially healing seriously ill people was cysts, which she had actually taboo in the had for ten months, medical profession! were entirely gone. We had seen too much evidence From this point on however, to stop our there was no turning studies. We were healthier than back.” before—not just Della—as we made nutritional changes. Della continued to enjoy returning health, her father’s asthma went away and my arthritis as well! We found out Della’s type of cancer had very well known causes: chemicals used in perfumes that Della had often worn, the herbicide Roundup (which is used around schoolyards and athletic fields), pesticides in general, and possibly something called genetically-modified organisms (GMOs): food created in labs by biotechnological companies that had entered stores, unlabeled, the year after Della was born! We cleared our home of toxic substances, from chemical body products to household cleaning products, and purchased safer products to use instead. We realized not all of these carcinogenic substances could be avoided all of the time; we needed to find out what kinds of foods and actions were safe for cancer survivors—and all of us. In our search to learn all we could, three names stood out in the area of cancer cures: Dr. Max Gerson, Dr. Johanna Budwig and Dr. Stanislaus Burzynski. Dr. Gerson discovered a nutritional cure for migraine headaches in the 1940’s. Soon patients who had come to him to be cured of their migraines reported other health conditions they had were being cured also: tuberculosis, diabetes, and many

other diseases. At first Gerson himself was skeptical: how could just food cure so many diseases? But the evidence mounted: he had to believe it was true. He went on to learn how to cure many diseases, becoming famous for curing even most cancers. Today, Dr. Gerson’s daughter Charlotte at the Gerson Institute in San Diego, CA carries on his work. For quick information on Gerson I recommend three DVDs: “The Gerson Miracle”, “Dying to Have Known”, and “The Beautiful Truth.” Netflix carries them, and sometimes these movies can be found for free streaming on the Internet. Johanna Budwig, a seven-time Nobel Prize nominee and researcher in the fifties for Germany’s National Institute of Health, discovered a cure for cancer using a combination of proteins and fats to create a recipe that kills cancer cells by delivering oxygen to every cell in the body (cancer cells hate oxygen). Dr. Burzynski practices medicine in Houston, Texas today. He invented a cancer cure from a chemical compound using cells from each cancer patient’s own body, calling the compound anti-neoplastins. The DVD about Dr. Burzynski is called “Burzynski, the Movie.” Each of these doctors was a leader in his or her profession, but once they announced their cures

for cancer, even with evidence of many people cured by their therapies, they became highly criticized, perhaps because their therapies are so inexpensive and simple, and threats to the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry. But people around the world continue to be healed and testify on behalf of these doctors and their cures. Our family hopes we have given readers a lot to think about. We want to say that it is important to always check with a doctor you trust before trying alternative therapies. However, if you do not like what you hear, or if you want to know more, we encourage you to also to think for yourself, to explore to your heart’s content and to be your own person, even when—or especially when—faced with major health challenges. I have often heard of well meaning people warning a seriously ill person against seeking alternative therapies because they should “avoid false hope.” But as a doctor named David ServanSchreiber once said, it is as important to avoid “false despair” as it is to avoid false hope, maybe more so. No one can really tell another person just how long that person has to live, but for some reason, many doctors do that all the time to cancer patients. Dr. Servan-Schreiber had survived brain cancer for 17 years on alternative nutritional therapies, after his doctors gave him just six months to live. We think that is what Dr. Servan-Schreiber means by creating “false despair.” There are many paths to health and no one size fits all when it comes to health challenges. We wish good health, long life and happiness to all! Jan Woods, a former teacher, volunteers for local and state food education organizations. She lives with her husband Jerry, a teacher, in Woodland, CA. They have two daughters: Beatrice, who studies at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, and Della, a senior at Davis High School/Davis School for Independent Study, who plans to study nutrition at Bastyr University and enjoys running cross-country at DHS.

WANDERLUST FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF CHINA One woman’s journey to rural China proves to be a memorable experience.

Photostory by Nicola Odemann

Who has never heard of a “backpacker’s paradise”? It is a phrase that awakes all kind of different pictures and emotions in our heads. I never thought that the scenery I would see in reality would be able to come close to those images. How wrong I was! In August, I decided to visit my sister, who was volunteering at a school in China. Together, we traveled around the country. While we have journeyed to many great places together, none have been as spectacular as the county of Yangshuo. Yangshuo is located in the middle of a wide karst mountain range in the Guanxi province of southern China. With 300,000 inhabitants, Yangshuo is relatively small in population >> 52

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Arrival in Yangshuo in the late afternoon.

>> when compared to other urban areas. The heart of the city exists at the socalled â&#x20AC;&#x153;West Streetâ&#x20AC;?, which is filled with little shops and bars. On West Street, everything and everybody seems to come together. We stayed in a hostel right next to this street and it had a wonderful rooftop terrace. From there, you could look all over the city and endlessly into the mountains. What I love most about traveling is meeting new people. You may never see them again and you may only share a couple of days with them, but during your time together, you get to know their stories. In Yangshuo, we shared a room with two English girls. We spent almost every night with them and with two Dutch guys who also stayed in our hostel. Together, we went from club to club, ate the most delicious chocolate donuts in the middle of the night, found the best Chinese food in a small side road and spent hours sitting on the rooftop of our hostel. Another night, we met three Chinese girls, dressed exactly alike, who took us to a KTV bar. They could barely speak English but spoke enough so we could understand each other. I will never forget how they jumped around the room, singing old western songs that no one here knows anymore. I remember walking through West Street at night amidst bright lights FROM TOP: River views; Climber on Moon Hill; Cycling through the area.

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and loud sounds, thinking that I had never felt as alive as I had then. In the daytime, we explored the area and found many new experiences. We cycled through the countryside, hiked Moon Hill, floated in the mud at the Water Cave, explored the Li River on a bamboo boat, watched Chinese women making fans, waded through rice fields, met water buffalo during walks along the river, accepted fruits offered by friendly farmers and watched the sunset from our terrace. It was the ultimate place to be. We were more than sad when it was time to leave Yangshuo. Thankfully, China is a huge country, full of things we still wanted to see and do. Although we have experienced so many more adventures (such as getting lost in the Stone Forest, hiking through national parks in northern Sichuan, hiking the Great Wall, and walking through a maze of skyscrapers in Pudong), nothing felt as real and vivid as the days we spent in Yangshuo. Whatever it is you long for when traveling, you will find it there. An amazing place on earth. An unknown beauty. A life far away from reality. A paradise.

FROM TOP: Farmer and ox; Exploring the countryside; Sister buying handmade fans.

Nicola Odemann grew up in the mountains of South Germany but now studies elementary education in the North. She is an avid traveler who wants to see the world.

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Watching the sunset from the hostelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rooftop terrace.

LAST WORDS

Voice from the Unborn by Frances Kakugawa

You promised me, eons ago, A world, free of battlefields, soldiers, children Abandoned in fear and hunger. You offered me Hope, again and again. A world, you said, where we will stand Hand in hand, beyond color, religion, gender, age, One race. One humanity. You promised me a world Free of poison in oceans, earth and air. “You are the future”, you told me, Every election year. “Come and be born in this world I will Create for you.” My brothers and sisters who believed you Are now old men and women, and they wait. They wait. Listen to my voice, your unborn child. Turn Hope into Reality, Future into Today. Stop using me, your unborn child For promises and meaningless rhetoric. The future is now. I can’t wait any longer. The future is now. I want to be born. Today. Frances Kakugawa was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai’i in Kapoho. She has taught for many years in the Hawai’i and Michigan public school systems. In 2002, she was recognized in Living Legacy: Outstanding Women of the 20th Century in Hawai’i. In 2004, she received the Hawai’i Publishers Award for Excellence in Children’s Books. She currently resides in Sacramento.

SPECTRA MAGAZINE

who we are Spectra Magazine is a not-for-profit magazine based in Davis, CA, born of a desire to bring more understanding in the world. The staff, comprised entirely of students at Davis Senior High School and Da Vinci Charter Academy, work to publish three editions per academic year. Spectra aims to bridge communities across cultural boundaries through collecting and publishing personal narratives. The staff actively solicits personal essays, articles, poems and photostories that inspire discussion from the surrounding community. Spectra Magazine particularly believes in the causes of sustainable education, entrepeneurship in third-world countries, and empowerment of minority groups. For more information, please visit the official website (spectra.co.nr). Please be sure to ‘like’ the Facebook page for updates (www.facebook.com/ thespectramagazine).

2012-2013 Masthead Founder/Editor-in-Chief Linda Ge ‘13

CEO Shelby Ziccardi ‘14

Creative Director Emily Kappes ‘14

CFO Margaret Lawson ‘14

Art Director Natalia Khodayari ‘14

Public Relations Selina Arias ‘14 Elsa Young ‘14

Editor Isabelle Chen ‘13

Staff Marisa Ransdell ‘15 Mariah Farris ‘14 Emily Knighton ‘14 Eileen Han ‘14 Ashley Han ‘15 Amy Jiang ‘14 Project Committee Selina Arias, Emily Kappes, Elsa Young, Emily Knighton

submit Spectra staff continually seek engaging narratives from people around the world. For an idea of what we publish, please peruse the content that appears in previous editions. Please visit the website for detailed guidelines. Spectra staff have the right to decline or modify all submissions. Story submissions and inquiries may be addressed to Linda Ge at spectra.mag@gmail.com.

special thanks to: Lili Floyd, Tyler Millsap, Rody Boonchouy, Susan Kirby, Chris Ziccardi, Janet Kappes, Sam Gona, Katrina Knighton, Steve Le, John O’Neill and Brenna Lyles This issue would not have been possible without their guidance. Our next issue will be released on April 27, 2013. 59

Thank you to our contributors around the globe.

Spectra Magazine Da Vinci Charter Academy ATTN: Susan Kirby 1400 E. 8th Street Davis, CA 95616