The Map's Edge - Fall 2014

photo RYAN GASPER

FALL 2014 Global citizenship and leadership programs in the developing world since 1993 IN THIS ISSUE: POWER

6.

8.

10.

16.

20.

22.

The Age of

MARCH

Lost Husbands:

Dispatches: Notes

The Power of

Shocked From

Megacities: First

Q & A: Global

Exhuming the Mass

from the Epicenter

Educating Youth

Innocence:

Impressions of

Climate Change

Graves of San Juan

of the Ebola

in Syrian Refugee

Awakening to

Chongqing

with Brett Fleishman

Cotzal

Outbreak

Camps

Privilege

by AARON SLOSBERG

by TIM HARE

by PEDRO MARROQUIN

by LEIGH ANN MILLER

by DR. PAUL FEAN

by SUMNER McCALLIE

CHINA

THE PEOPLE’S

GUATEMALA

SIERRA LEONE

JORDAN

CAMBODIA

EARTH 2050

By the time many current Dragons students retire around 2050, the world will have undergone monumental financial, demographic and environmental transformations. To highlight these inevitable paradigmatic shifts, we present the following statistics as a representation of a world unknown to us, but one that may become reality for the next generation.

OCEANS

YEAR 2050

Sea levels rise 19”

Cities most at-risk: Guangzhou, China; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Mumbai, India; Port-Au-Prince, Haiti; Venice, Italy; Palembang, Indonesia; New Orleans, USA

HEALTHY OCEANS Since 1950, humans have contributed to the disappearance of 90% of the ocean’s top predators, including various species of sharks, bluefin tuna, swordfish, marlin & king mackerel

YEAR 2014

1 BILLION Number of people who are undernourished Number of people who are overweight

LANGUAGE

AGING

YEAR 2010

More than 43% of the 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered or on the verge of extinction

13% of Americans are 65 years and older 9% of Chinese are 65 years and older 24% of Japanese are 65 years and older

AGING

YEAR 2050 21% of Americans will be 65 years and older 27% of Chinese will be 65 years and older 40% of Japanese will be 65 years and older

MIGRATION: IN SEARCH OF HOPE 232 million international migrants comprise 3.2% of global population: North to North: 54 million North to South: 14 million South to South: 82 million South to North: 82 million

SOURCES Environmental Research Letters; World Bank; Ocean; Pew Research Center; Wall Street Journal; US Census Report 2014; UNDESA; UNESCO’s “Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger”

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THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

THE POWER

OF YOU

A LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

On a recent trip into the foothills of the Himalayas, I was given the opportunity to speak to one of our semester groups for an hour. Looking at these bright, buoyant and eminently capable young adults, I asked a question that I had recently posed to my similarly-aged son. “Someday,” I said,

“you will be outraged. And when you are, what will you do with that outrage? What tools will you need to affect change? What power will you have, and how will you use it?”

With views of Manaslu, Annapurna and a hundred small villages off in the distance, I asked these students what they saw as injustice. I asked them whether they felt that a great education should provide hard skills for future employment, or whether it should cultivate informed citizenship. I asked whether any had participated in a meaningful call for change.

I asked the students if they thought that change comes through radical revolution, or whether change is ongoing. I asked whether technology would auger more change, or whether it would lead to complacency.

In their responses, I could see the beginnings of agitation and a call to action, but the questions I asked were generally too vast and overwhelming. Who among us feels the potency to identify the world’s ills, much less take a stab at addressing them?

I have had a front-row seat on the unfolding of extraordinary change: knowing students who stood in Tian’anmen Square in ’89; befriending Cambodians who have fought for war-crimes

resolution; and sharing in the lived realities of hand-to-mouth farmers, laborers, factory workers and intellectuals throughout Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. We live on a beautiful planet, with extraordinary people in every corner, none of whom have a right to exist any more than any other.

And there are too many of us, and too few resources. Too few people can realize the fullness of their human potential. We cannot survive as a species while we over-consume and put status-acquisition over care for community. There is too much injustice and suffering, and that is outrageous.

The people who are profiled in the pages of this newsletter are people who have embraced their power to affect change.

They are present to life’s suffering while living fully life’s joys.

They are testament that we all can be motivated by outrage, but that outrage doesn’t mean living with bitterness. They show us that we can all use our power to build a more tolerant, compassionate, wiser and just global community.

—Chris Yager

CHRIS YAGER i s the Founder and Executive Director of Where There Be Dragons. After graduating from Bowdoin with a degree in Asian Studies, he worked with Colorado Outward Bound for several years before launching Dragons as a 25-year old and leading the first courses in China and Tibet.

Having worked with over 1,000 field instructors, Chris has been closely involved with the design of Dragons’ curriculum, in-country programming and new program development.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

3

NOTES

FROM AROUND THE WORLD

HOW DO YOU DEFINE POWER? We sent a questionnaire asking alumni and instructors past and present to “define power” in its disparate forms. Here are some of the responses we received:

1,500

GUATEMALA: Number

76 BOLIVIA:

Percent of El Alto

1976

SIERRA LEONE:

of Guatemalan officers

population who identify

Year first human Ebola

the Americas between

about performance art

in Zaire (present-day

trained at the School of 1946 and 1995. Read

about the unearthed

mass graves in San Juan Cotzal on page 10.

as ethnic Aymara. Read

outbreaks occurred

as catharsis and

Dem. Republic of the

Bolivia on page 16.

Read about the Ebola

social movement in

Congo) and Sudan.

response on page 18.

Power is taking advantage of someone else’s disadvantage.

Power is knowledge.

Power is greed.

Power makes the world go round.

ROARKE MARTIN Chappaqua, NY

Power is the ability to shape outcomes at will without reference to, or regard for, competing interests.

MAXWELL RONCI Berkeley, CA

Power is representation in the discourse shaping our global reality. Who gets heard?

Whose voices are missing from the conversation?

JENNY WAGNER London, United Kingdom

Power is the realm of our shared ethically desirable abilities and capabilities.

It is given, taken and given back.

BABACAR MBAYE Dene, Senegal

This is what power looks like: Showing up.

Continuing to smile.

LEIGH ANN MILLER Freetown, Sierra Leone

BANNED BOOKS THE POWER OF WORDS

Salman Rushdie – the British Indian author whose novel Satanic Verses is banned in 12 countries – once said, “An attack upon our ability to tell stories is not just censorship – it is a crime against our nature as human beings.”

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THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (China) Banned by the Communist Party in 1965 for its “portrayal of early Marxism.” The ban wasn’t lifted until 1991 when the doctor died.

The King Never Smiles, Paul Handley (Thailand) Banned prior to its release, the government claimed the book could “affect national security and the good morality of the people.” They Black Beauty, Anna Sewell took great pains to suppress publica(South Africa) Banned by the white tion, going so far as to contact former apartheid government who assumed President George H.W. Bush and Robthe title referred to a positive portrayal ert Levin, president of Yale University, of a black woman. where the book was being published.

YAK YAKS FROM THE FIELD

619,376

7 NEPAL: Number of 3.62 billion

“persons of concern”

as UNESCO cultural her- passenger journeys

JORDAN: Syrian

presently seeking

asylum in Jordan. Read

about Syrian refugees in Jordan on page 20.

monuments recognized

CHINA: Number of

itage sites in Kathmandu expected during 2014 Valley. Read about the

chunyun (Spring Festival

scapes on page 14.

about China’s booming

allure of Himalayan land- travel season). Read

megacities on page 6.

RHYTHM OF WEST AFRICA SEMESTER ‘14

The Fatou I know also had a child with the boyfriend she fought for, the one who left for Spain as soon as he learned of the pregnancy. She hasn’t seen her brothers in years, not since they left for Sudan. The Fatou I know talks casually of these things: her temporary blindness after using the medicine a marabout (religious leader) gave her, her extended illness that keeps her awake and popping what medication she has. She can speak so flippantly, switching from soap operas to wondering whether her son has Ebola wherever he is. In the hospital, as her friends sobbed over her blindness, she reassured them. It is God’s will, it is in the hands of God, she laughs. I can only admire from afar her unshakable faith, but closely do I see her strength and kindness and beauty.

CLAIRE RIVKIN Thies, Senegal

ANDES & AMAZON SEMESTER ‘14

Looking out upon the dilapidated roofs of cracked terra cotta, I recognize how poverty is in fact the defining characteristic of this city. Yet the people thrive. Children’s laughter rises above the dynamite and clamor of extraction. Streets swarm with lovers, friends and family. Resilience unmatched defines these people. The Mestizo, Spanish, African, and indigenous people of Bolivia remain living examples of the power of human fortitude.

PATRICK WILHELMY Potosi, Bolivia

HIMALAYA SEMESTER ‘14

The Meritorious Place of Our Redemption, William Pynchon (Massachusetts Bay Colony) The first book banned in the New World.

Pynchon’s critique of Puritanical Calvinism – which claimed obedience rather than punishment and suffering was the price of atonement – was burned on Boston Commons in 1650.

Then among the most influential men in the colonies, Pynchon was accused of heresy and fled to England, never to return to the New World.

A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein (Wisconsin) In 1986, a Wisconsin elementary school claimed that, in addition to encouraging disobedience, the collection of poems “glorified Satan, suicide, and cannibalism.”

The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

(Alabama) The American Library Association has documented six challenges to Anne Frank’s wartime diary since 1990. One record from an Alabama textbook committee described the book as “a real downer” and called for its rejection from schools.

After a series of bad omens, the village chief worried there was an evil spirit at work in his home and called a local shaman for assistance.

To conduct a house cleansing, a shaman enters a trance that allows him or her to travel freely through the three spirit realms and locate the source of negative energy. It may sound like a joke on paper, but witnessing the shamanistic ritual firsthand has proved to me that it is quite the opposite. As I sat there in that room, surrounded by hopeful villagers and a shaman shaking into a trance, I felt an energy that could not be replicated by books, or any other medium for that matter. In that moment, I understand what Benjamin Hoff (in the Tao of Pooh) meant by “Something More,” for it was right before my eyes.

SCOTT DIEKEMA Balanchaur, Nepal

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5

CHONGQING, CHINA

THE POWER OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS words by AARON SLOSBERG, images by AARON SLOSBERG, NZIZA RURANGIRWA & JODY SEGAR

X in nian kuai le! Happy New Year from Chongqing! I actually don’t think I could imagine a more different New Year’s experience coming from Big Sur and Hawaii just a month ago. I feel like I’ve landed in a post-apocalyptic cityscape with our China Program Director, Jody, as my guide. The sun has a sort of feeble quality to it, like an old firefly struggling to be seen at dawn through the perpetual “clouds” encasing the city. In fact, my first day here I mistook the sun for the moon, which I imagine would cause great offense if the sun is at all the sensitive type.

Chongqing proper is a city of roughly 11 million, squeezed between the confluence of two major rivers; the surrounding area houses closer to 30 million, which is surprisingly normal for a country that has eight megacities with populations greater than 10 million. What it lacks in traditional beauty, China has made up for in the scale of its puzzling development. I find myself lost in thought here as the surrounding scenes raise so many questions about who we are as a species. I know that sounds a bit overly philosophical, but it’s impossible to ignore the confounding questions this place raises. Yesterday Jody and I took refuge at a swanky new teahouse (all the traditional ones have been demolished) for a three-hour conversation on filial piety, the history of the “testing” obsession, the role of “face” and appearance vis-à-vis relationships to others, community vs. self-interest, dog-eat-dog capitalism, materialism as religion, anti-creativity culture, sexuality and social norms, stability as king, Confucian/Taoist/Buddhist influences, the role of God in personal and societal morality, destruction for development, industrialized happiness, the cycles of Chinese history and more.

I mention these topics as thought-cues for myself as much as to

went to one of Jody’s favorite Buddhist temples in the city only to find half of the temple demolished and under reconstruction.

Jody knows China incredibly well (he’s lived here for over 10 years and his wife is Chinese) and yet he still seems disoriented by the pace of change; every other restaurant he knew from just six months ago is no longer there. The famous Liberation Monument, an obelisk located at the center of Chongqing, was incredibly the tallest structure in the city up until the 1980s – its Rolex sponsored apex is now dwarfed by the surrounding skyscrapers.

Despite the post-apocalyptic feel, daily life thrives amidst the cracks between buildings. Yesterday morning I got lost in the winding streets and found myself in a pet market surrounded by chirping birds and distressed puppies for sale. Street markets crop up in the side alleys, selling every type of vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and meat imaginable. Which reminds of a defining feature of this trip so far: food! Jody’s in-laws prepared a New Year’s feast, but more enjoyable still has been the endless food vendors and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. The other day I struck out on my own and probably tried eight different unidentifiable

convey a sense of just how philosophically provocative China can be. I have a little pocket notebook that is quickly filling up with scribbled ideas and observations to jog my memory later.

The days have been so full — a combination of wanting to take in as much as possible, mixed with the fear of succumbing to jet lag if we ever slow down. As strange as it may sound, there is a stark beauty to the industrial aesthetic of Chongqing. Buildings spring out of the ruins of whatever unfortunate structure was recently deemed less utilitarian for the city. Everything is constantly under construction (or destruction), and huge cranes accompany buildings like the branches of trees. Our first day we

dishes in the course of an hour. The famous Chongqing flavor comes from liberal use of the Sichuan peppercorn, which unbeknownst to me is actually a mild anesthetic. After my first dish, I was filled with minor panic when my tongue and lips went completely numb; they call the flavor “ma la” which translates as “numbing spicy.”

Much more to share, but I’ll stop now because the perceptible silhouettes of buildings in the clouds is a sign that the sun is coming up. I’m going to brave a run this morning. If I can make my way down to the river, I think I found a decent traffic-free path yesterday.

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THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

Chongqing, China

PHOTOS From left to right: Freshly steamed tofu; Chongqing’s iconic “bangbang” porters, typically rural migrants who deliver goods throughout the city using traditional bamboo poles; sprawling demolition flanking the northern bank of the Yangtze River; elderly fruit seller on the street; historic Arhat Temple located in the heart of downtown; Liberation Monument (which contains a letter from Franklin D. Roosevelt supporting the people of Chongqing in their resistance against the invading Japanese army). Background image: Visitors are besieged by scenes of construction and demolition in Chongqing, the focal point of urban development in western China.

AARON SLOSBERG is Dragons Executive Program Director and a past instructor in Latin America and Indonesia. He has worked closely with Dragons course design, staff training and risk management. An avid aquanaut, Aaron is taking leave from his administrative role to get back into the field and explore the world (oceans) beyond Colorado.

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7

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, THE PEOPLE’S MARCH

THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE interview with BRETT FLEISHMAN by TIM HARE

image courtesy of CHRISTINE IRVINE | SURVIVAL MEDIA AGENCY

One of the many things that I learned from my time traveling and working in communities with Dragons is that, as much as climate change is an environmental issue, it is perhaps more significantly a human rights issue.

Countries such as Bolivia, Nepal, Botswana, Tuvalu, and many others from the Global South, are simultaneously the least significant contributors to climate change, while they suffer greatest impact of its effects.

350.org is one of the world’s leading climate action groups and was instrumental in organizing September’s climate march in NYC as well as the coordinated efforts around the world. I had a chance to engage Brett Fleishman, senior analyst for 350.org, in a Q & A as he has some time away from work (he is a proud new father of a baby boy), to speak about climate action and what importance it holds for each of us.

What happened in NYC on September 21? To get a sense of what happened on September 21, I recommend going to peoplesclimate.org/wrap-up and watching the video on the home page. In short, it all started with an announcement from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that he would host a Climate Summit in New York to begin building momentum for a meaningful universal climate agreement. As world leaders from across the globe (including President Obama) confirmed their attendance, environmental organizations, frontline communities, labor unions, student groups, religious congregations and con8

THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

cerned citizens saw this as an opportunity to send a very loud message to the politicians inside the UN. Here are the numbers: Over 400,000 people marched in the streets of New York (including 50,000 college students), 1,574 organizations officially participated, there were 630,000 social media posts about the march, 5,200 articles were printed about the march and 7 celebrities took selfies while marching. There were also parallel actions in 162 countries, and I highly recommend looking at the action map on the webpage cited above.

“It is important to understand that while climate change affects us all, there are specific populations who What is the most important thing happening in the current conversation around climate action? I can say with a lot of confidence that the most important topic in the conversation surrounding climate action right now is the people’s climate march. It is vital that politicians, whose jobs depend on the people’s vote, hear the call for action. And unfortunately, that call has to be louder than the very well-paid oil and coal lobbyist saturating DC. World leaders and UN climate change negotiators referenced the march in their speeches during the Climate Summit and have continued to make reference to the hundreds of thousands of active people when talking about climate action. I’ll point to another website for reference. It summarizes the outcomes from the UN Climate Summit in NYC: newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/un-climate-summitban-ki-moon-final-summary.

are more vulnerable than others — typically low-income communities, communities of color, coastal communities and communities on the frontlines of fossil fuel extraction.”

the Global South you have the opportunity for an intimate introduction to economies based on removing ever more raw materials from the earth, usually for export to traditional colonial powers where “value” is added. This is a model based on endless growth and a theoretical concept of “externalities,” or disposable peripheries where you can dump waste without consequence. I think the pertinent lesson is about power dynamics and injustice of the What is the most important thing any global citizen extractive economy – so that we know where to go from here. can do to respond to the current crisis? There is an old proverb that goes something like this: “To go fast, walk alone. What have you learned from your divestment work To go far, walk with friends.” We find ourselves at a very distinct at 350.org about change, influence and activism? point in our relationship with the climate that we need to go far, What made you care so much about this issue? I’ve fast. So yes, becoming more conscious about your personal im- learned that our public institutions and education institutions pact and consumption is important, but I’ll emphasize becoming generally operate without the consideration or consensus of the politically active. institutions they represent. Democracy is, by and large, absent In true Dragons fashion, the nexus of education and engage- from many of the big decisions being made by large institutions ment is a perfect place to start. As a global citizen, it is import- – institutions that are supposed to be representative of their conant to understand that while climate change affects us all, there stituents. Change and influence have come about when groups of are specific populations who are more vulnerable than others — the institution’s base (retirees from a pension fund, or students typically low-income communities, communities of color, coast- from a university) demand to be part of the conversation. There al communities and communities on the frontlines of fossil fuel is a very real power in “the people.” extraction. Find a frontline organization near you and offer to Divestment is an important campaign to me because it shines support their work. Ask them what kind of help they need and the climate issue spotlight on the financial world, and I believe take direction from them. this is an economic issue with climate symptoms. It’s been very cool to see ordinary people asking very big and complex economWhat pertinent lessons can be learned from power ic questions, like “How can the investments of our endowment or dynamics and justice between large and small econ- pension fund reflect our values?” omies, or the Global North and the Global South?

This is an interesting question with fathomless depths to explore. Other than 350.org, what are some interesting And in fact, I think Dragons courses get to the heart of this ques- orgs or initiatives that readers can look into? As tions, which is maybe why one of the leaders of the Harvard Di- I mentioned above, I recommend looking into organizations vestment Campaign, Chloe Hall, is an Andes and Amazon alum- that are working on climate justice in frontline communina. The dynamic that I think is important to grasp is one some ties. A good place to start is with the Climate Justice Alliance: political scientists call “extractivism.” While traveling throughout www.ourpowercampaign.org/cja.

BRETT FLEISHMAN is an environmental activist and frequent Dragons instructor (Bolivia ‘07, Andes and Amazon ‘08 & ‘10, Himalaya ‘09, Laos ‘10). He is currently a senior analyst at 350.org where he is working to build a global climate movement.

TIM HARE was a longtime Dragons instructor (Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru) and Latin America Program Director (Andes and Amazon, Central America) before becoming Director of Risk Management. He is an accomplished mountaineer and facilitates RM trainings for organizations and institutes throughout the country.

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9

THE LOST HUSBANDS OF COTZAL

THE POWER OF MEMORY words and images by PEDRO MARROQUÍN, translated by ARIEL STORCH

IN 1970,

there were many people living throughout the different aldeas (hamlets) of San Juan Cotzal. Here our people cultivated beans, corn, potatoes, herbs and tomatoes. People lived together and there was a great deal of culture – people celebrated mass, gave offerings, and performed the Dance of the Conquest and the Deer Dance. Preparing these celebrations required a great deal of work, and people worked cooperatively and were united. Those who had resources in abundance supported those who needed help. People organized and ran their own vegetable cooperatives. Many possessed great knowledge about medicinal plants, and families were able to cure themselves using natural remedies. Our community didn’t speak Spanish in those days.

During this time, many outsiders came from the capital to buy plots of land near Cotzal, which resulted in many residents facing discrimination and exploitation by large companies and plantation owners.

In the wake of this land grab, a group of campesinos (farmers) banded together and demanded that the government recognize their rights, both social and economic. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, and their land was stolen without restitution. Soon afterwards a general from the capital contacted one of Cotzal’s political leaders and said that if anyone in the community broke the law in this way again he would call in the military to deal with them. The threat was sufficient to scare the majority of the people in Cotzal, and many fled to the mountains where they built houses and started to organize a resistance movement.

This wasn’t only occurring in Cotzal; dissention was mounting throughout Guatemala. People were organizing to confront the military – some took up arms, others didn’t. Many innocents were detained by the military and tortured when they refused to reveal where their loved ones were hiding. The military cut off their hands, feet or ears. They even tortured women and children.

10 THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

1523

Alvarado arrives in Guatemala

1523-1540 Spanish Conquest

1821

Central America and Mexico gain independence from Spain

1847

Guatemala becomes a republic

1931

Jorge Ubico becomes President – beginning of the “Banana Boom”

1944

Juan Jose Arevalo elected President – initiates policies aimed at labor reform

1950

Jacobo Arbenz elected President – institutes agrarian reform policies

1954

Castillo Armas (School of the Americastrained) invades Guatemala – coup supported by CIA

1960s

Guerrilla actions followed by rise of death squads under Carlos Arana (SOA graduate)

1978

Lucas Garcia becomes President – US bans the sale of arms to Guatemala

1982

Efrain Rios Montt (SOA graduate) seizes presidency – scorched earth campaign begins: 132,000 killed

1986

Vinicio Cerezo elected President – marks return to civilian rule, although military power still significant

1996

Peace accords signed – UN deploys military observers to monitor implementation of peace agreements

PHOTO A fter decades of separation, a widow performs ceremonial death rites for her husband.

PEDRO MARROQUIN was born and raised in Cotzal and is dedicated to the betterment of his community. He works alongside the women of the cooperative managing product design and marketing. Pedro has helped coordinate Dragons’ visits to Cotzal for seven years.

AMID THE TUMULT,

the military called on all residents from the aldeas surrounding Cotzal to present themselves in town. The officers claimed they wanted to discuss the people’s rights and initiate peaceful reconciliation. Leaders from each aldea were told to assemble everyone from their community and to bring Guatemalan flags as a sign of solidarity. That morning people arrived as they were told, but there was no talk of peace. The general commanded his troops to arrest the leaders. He then ordered the leaders to be executed in front of those who had gathered to discuss peace; no one was pardoned. To the remaining community members the general said, “If anyone is opposed to our actions, this is how they will die. If anyone cries, this is how they will die. If anyone speaks out, this is how they will die.” All in attendance abided by the general’s orders.

36 YEARS LATER

in San Juan Cotzal, many of the women from our cooperative have been recently reunited with the remains of their husbands. They recognize them still – the cadavers wearing the pants they put on that tragic morning, carrying their old nylon bags. For decades the widows have kept photos of their husbands in their homes.

Only now have they been reunited with the ghosts of their loved ones buried deep in nameless pits. Five hundred victims of the violence have been uncovered in this community alone. With the discovery of every mass grave, the widows shed tears all over again, remembering the horrors of those troubled times. Many of the victims were forced to dig their own graves before they were shot.

These days we often reflect on our dead brothers who were just innocent rural farmers. There is some consolation within the cooperative that at least our grandchildren will not suffer the cruelties of the past. The women in the cooperative fight for a good life selling their weavings and cultivating the land. They are resigned to their pain and sorrow.

Although many years have passed, they never forget these stories – they hold them close.

It is unconscionable that our government has done such damage to humanity. Currently the government of Guatemala doesn’t use arms, but there still exists institutional discrimination against indigenous people in various forms. They build hydroelectric damns in our Ixil communities without consulting the people. They sign contracts with mining companies without our awareness. Through laws and policies, authorities and companies try to keep the people from “waking up.” There are still hardly any education opportunities for indigenous communities.

The group of weavers in Cotzal is reflective of our relationship with our government.

One of the women from the group says she thinks often about her granddaughter’s education and future. She hopes that her granddaughter will be better prepared to resist manipulation by the authorities. Instead of the current system where politicians give gifts to the people in exchange for votes, she hopes her granddaughter will have the ability to elect her government officials willfully.

Despite the history that the women relate, it is their reality. For many years, tears were shed without ever having conducted funerals for their husbands. Anthropologists in Guatemala City have been put in charge of the victims’ remains. Soon the bodies will be returned to the widows, who will perform traditional rites and bury their husbands in the general cemetery in Cotzal. On that day the women will shed tears of hope and pray that their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons are finally able to rest.

The women plan to build a monument in their cooperative’s community center in memory of the victims who were uncovered and still recognizable. Each one of the women in the cooperative is strong and has the will to fight, to live, to press forward with the future of the community. The Cotzal Weaving Cooperative will continue fighting in solidarity for the future of the community, for their mission, and for future generations.

IN MEMORY OF OUR VICTIMS, M onday, September 1st, 2014.

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THE POWER OF IMAGERY

CHINA SEMESTER, FALL ‘13

A group of Tibetan men take a break in Tongren (locally known as Rebkong), an ancient town settled by Genghis Khan and renown for its Thangka artists. No frantic rushing; no stress. Just a smoke and a laugh. photo NATASHA GALPERIN

ANDES & AMAZON SEMESTER, FALL ‘13

After attending a performance hosted by the local street kids at the enseñARTE program house, including this poi fire dancer, we invited them to join us on an excursion into the nearby wilderness. photo RYAN GASPER

MYANMAR, SUMMER ‘14

A young Burmese girl wearing traditional thanaka, a paste made from ground bark.

Thanaka is typically applied daily as a cosmetic and smells similar to sandalwood. photo ALEX KIM

12 THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

CHINA COMPREHENSIVE, SUMMER ‘14

Several hours into a five-hour bus ride to Lanzhou, we stopped to admire this sea of rapeseed in bloom. photo SOFIA LURATI

INDONESIA SEMESTER, FALL ‘13

Bajao Olympics: Amid carnival-like festivities, Bajao men compete in canoe tug-of-war, diving contests and kayak racing. After each event, young spectators overcome with joy swim and frolic wildly in the harbor. photo EMILY SHAHRZAD RAHRAVAN

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PHOTO ESSAY: NEPAL

THE POWER OF LANDSCAPE words and images by EMORY HALL

“Climb the mountains and ONE WHO HAS TRAVELED cannot deny

get their good tidings. the power that certain landscapes have

Nature’s peace will flow into you over us. No matter where we are in the

as sunshine flows into trees. The world, we reminisce about them, dream

winds will blow their own freshness of them, learn through them, seek ways to

into you, and the storms their energy, return to them. Some landscapes resonate while cares will drop off like autumn so deeply that when we first visit them, we

leaves. As age comes on, one source of swear we have been there before. Amidst enjoyment after another is closed, but that strange and overwhelming feeling of nature’s sources never fail.” familiarity, we realize that we are actually

—John Muir standing before a mirror, and that the

landscape itself is reflecting back those parts of ourselves yet to be discovered.

“

THOSE PLACES UNKNOWN, which stand

as grand glass castles built upon the soil of our imagination, hold for some a deeply attractive and gnawing allure. Their call is persistent, ever-audible – a resonant murmur as we lay our heads down to dream at night or traverse the familiar alleyways of our daily lives. We hear their call from a space deep within the wellsprings of our hearts. It is both faceless and yet strangely known to us, as if the voice of an old friend were whispering, “come, come,” beckoning us forth until finally we find the courage to follow.

Their call is persistent, ever-audible – a resonant murmur

as we lay our heads down to dream at night or traverse the familiar alleyways of

14 THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

our daily lives.

“

THERE EXISTS IN CULTURES all across I HEARD THE CALL OF THE HIMALAYA

THREE MONTHS LATER, I emerged from

our world, both past and present, the belief that certain landscapes guide us toward spiritual enrichment and realization. For centuries, these areas have been worshiped, revered, protected and prophesied. Such landscapes are often cloaked in a language that recalls the ethereal realms we read about in storybooks as children. They are the lands where gods and deities are said to dwell, where ancestors are laid to rest, where great medicinal healing can be found, where the gateways to purer lands are hidden. For some, that power is so undeniable and palpable that it causes us to leave behind our worlds of familiarity and embark upon a 30-hour plane ride to a country and culture, a language and people, almost totally unknown to us.

the windswept villages of the high Himalaya into the sterile hallways of John F. Kennedy International Airport. Though perhaps a bit grungier-looking than before, I returned from my journey with a new direction, a refreshed sense of purpose in my life, a feeling of deep peace and the hopes of returning as quickly as I could.

I guess you could say that I am a seeker of “Dragons,” those arcane symbols scrawled on old maps marking lands dangerous, remote and unexplored. I continue to seek, but I am only one of multitudes who hear the call. One way or another, everyone who is reading this seeks out Dragons, too.

as an 18-year-old fumbling to navigate

the crowded classrooms and disheveled dorm rooms of college life. It was always there — when I closed my eyes at night, when I drifted off in daydreams during three-hour lectures on Descartes, when I scoured bookstores for reports of those who had visited the mountain kingdom and experienced first-hand its incredible power. Although thousands of miles and seemingly thousands of worlds away, I could feel the magnetism of those jagged peaks and the mystical lore that permeated them. It didn’t take very long before I yielded to their force, and on a crisp morning in early September, I boarded a plane to finally see the Himalaya, “the abode of snow.”

EMORY HALL is a burgeoning photojournalist and past Dragons student (Himalaya ’11). She recently published a photo essay in Mantra magazine entitled “Divinity Within Nature: Lessons From a Nepali Village.”

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM 15

SIERRA LEONE: DISPATCHES FROM THE EPICENTER OF THE EBOLA OUTBREAK

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY words and images by LEIGH ANN MILLER

Week 1: Freetown, Sierra Leone 9.11.14 Freetown is sticky. Tropical damp in a way that melts pages of a book together and gives everything the odor of wet cardboard. I am fortunate. My biggest concern is, “will my underclothes ever dry?”

I am staying in a hotel with hot water, reliable power, internet and air conditioning – luxuries most of the six million people here will never know. Each time we return to the hotel, we wash our hands in water with diluted bleach and have our temperature read with a scanner gun to the forehead. The same process gets repeated when we enter meetings or restaurants or supermarkets: constant temperature readings and freshly scrubbed hands. No touching anyone.

People tell me Sierra Leone has magic. In the streets and meeting halls, I see posters for Revival Halls and the Jesus Saves Temple. Photos show how people were delivered from eight years of demonic burden and stomach pain by passing two cowrie shells; a woman whose arm grew from its deformed shortened state to regular length during an afternoon at church; another with a boa constrictor exiting her foot ending her lameness. In this context, it is easy to see how the Ebola virus becomes another of life’s struggles. The origins could just as easily be demons as germs. And saltwater showers in darkness might be curative like text messages sent rampantly through the country last week suggest. Technology does not equate with modern or scientific thinking.

Ebola signs and posters hang everywhere, but I’ve yet to see a patient or enter a health facility. That’s not my purpose or function here. The government has 50 beds for the country and the rest are set 16 THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

Week 2: Bathing in hot ginger beer prevents Ebola* 9.21.2014 Thanks for writing and sending your well-wishes and support. I’m fine.

I have now seen the bodies and met the people who care for the sick and bury the dead. It’s impossible to remain unaffected. This is a gruesome, terrible disease and it shows no signs of slowing down. I’m heartsick from witnessing the suffering.

This NYT story, entitled “Lockdown Begins in Sierra Leone to Battle Ebola,” on the house-to-house campaign shows in pictures and words what is happening. The reporter, Adam, is staying in our hotel.

We are a good team here and we’re working to contribute. What is most needed are beds and medical caregivers for patients. We’re told it’s coming.

There is no time to wait.

A moment of levity: Our hotel fire alarm went off in the night last week. (It was a false alarm.) I got out of bed in my stupor, dressed in my raincoat, grabbed my passport and walked out the door. When I hit the stairs, I felt odd in my footing.

I was wearing one flip-flop and one bedroom slipper. I left my key in the room, so I had to plod can conduct home visits across 1.5 million down to the front desk to get a replacement. households. This is a substantial underMore stories another time. taking with a compressed timeline and minimal resources. There is a call for *Not true. I ’m telling you so you get a 21,000 volunteers to go door-to-door to sense of how desperate the situation is by deliver health messages and pass out soap. seeing how nonsensical the beliefs are.

No one knows how it will work or what will result. Yet there is every reason to try. Week 3: 9.25.2014 p.s. I am well, happy even. Fascinated by Last night I went out for a colleague’s the culture and frustrated by the inability birthday dinner. We drove over unpaved to “fix things fast enough.” The next week roads with no streetlights in a capital city will be an interesting time to see what US to get to the Indian restaurant. When we government support to the region looks arrived, we knew two-thirds of the people like and how plans for the “stay at home” there. Knowing that many faces shows campaign here move forward. how close the circle is here among expats up by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and other international NGOs. In the absence of healthcare workers or facilities, the need for guidance on isolation and treatment at home is crucial.

What we are working to do is support the government’s three-day “stay at home” campaign so that health officials

“For 3 days people stayed in their homes while thousands of volunteers went door-to-door...” and how intensely everyone is working.

Our table had a British doctor who treats Ebola patients at a local hospital and multiple NGO and UN workers. I took the birthday girl some peanut M&M packets in a Ziploc bag as a small gift. She was delighted as neither is easy to come by here.

Dinner conversation shifted from the tale of someone catching a shark off the coast here to other birthdays celebrated in other places. Yet it always circled back to Ebola. Everything here does.

Last week at this time we were holding on to see what would happen with the house-to-house campaign. It is mind-bending to consider the enormity of the undertaking that this scrappy little nation mounted. For three days people stayed in their homes while thousands of volunteers went door-to-door to teach about the disease, to pass out soap, to answer questions and to ask if sick people were going for care. We circulated during this period to observe. We went to the call center and met university students taking calls from distressed parents about sick or dead children and telling them to wait, to trust in the system to respond.

The public service messages necessary to manage this disease are hard: Keep away from contact with your sick family members. No touching of dead bodies in a land where paying last respects means washing the body to mourn.

The good part is that these are actions people can take. At a time when things feel helpless and out of control, it’s comforting to know there are tangible responses that are helpful. One of our team members was born in Sierra Leone and now lives and works in US where he’s been for many years. He is our designated media spokesman and it’s inspiring to hear his call to action go out in Krio.

Listening to him almost makes it seem like this might end.

Week 4: 10.1.2014 I’m writing from Freetown again. The need here is dire and the suffering extreme. It’s worthwhile to contribute what I can, even if only in a small way.

What I’m doing is trying to get the messages out in a way people can hear them. It’s a challenge to blur the lines of science and magic so people will change their habits.

I’ve grown fond of this place where street life is so vibrant. People dress in a riot of color and walk everywhere with things balanced on their heads: eggs in crates, folded stacks of blue jeans, jugs of water or open bowls of chili peppers.

I saw a man pushing a baby stroller today. It was a rare sight so I looked closer. He was pushing a large cooler full of chilled drinks to sell. No one would push a baby in a stroller here. They “po-po the pekin” (tie the baby to their back with a strip of bright cotton fabric) and keep moving at the pace of life.

I’m doing the same, for a while longer.

Week 5: Lagniappe 10.10.2014 I’m so proud of my colleagues and friends, Anne and Michelle, who recorded a StoryCorps interview for NPR, “When Holding An Orphaned Baby Can Mean Contracting Ebola.” Be warned, it’s a tear-jerker and true to how I feel about leaving after being here for such a short time when those from Sierra Leone stay behind. p.s. Paul Farmer is now staying in our hotel. He’s a public health rock star who takes it to another level.

Week 6: 10.16.2014 I’m home safe and writing from Atlanta.

Reflecting on the experience, I’m glad that I went. I wanted to leave at a time when I felt like the situation was improving. Instead my departure came at a time when it seems like Freetown may soon become Monrovia. Social contact and population density in slums means one case becomes many.

I returned to the US during the news of infections among health care workers in Dallas. Ebola is a tricky virus. I’m Week 5: 10.9.2014 confident outbreaks in this country will be I fly home on Sunday so I’m in the final few. We have strong health care centers stretch of my time in Sierra Leone. This and good public health systems, both of place continues to impress me with how which are lacking in West Africa. Poverty headstrong it is. makes this disease harder to manage.

Yesterday I saw two men walking down As for how I’m doing, I’m asymptomthe road with bathtubs on their head. atic. I bought 21 Belgian chocolates in the Two men! Two bathtubs! I can’t foresee Brussels airport to eat daily as a countthose tubs will be plumbed in bathrooms. down of my incubation period. EmotionIn Bo district this week, we saw a tough ally, I’m twitchy and coming down off the case-study where the community latrine response. It seems like nothing is urgent became a hot pocket of Ebola transmisor important enough by comparison. I eat sion with 97 people exposed from one sick cheese in abundance. I’ve binge-watched person.

TV shows that I missed over six weeks. I Everything hard about ending Ebola sleep and wake early with jet lag. In the becomes harder because of poverty. My afternoons I feel (and look) geriatric. Still, time and observations here distill to that if anyone from Sierra Leone greeted me difficult reality. saying, “How da body?” I’d reply, “Da I am short on words and time, but I body fine” with a smile. I owe the place wanted to send a quick update. that much.

LEIGH ANN MILLER is an epidemiologist in Atlanta at a leading public health agency and a former Dragons instructor (Thailand ’01). She recently returned home from Sierra Leone where she has been working to promote awareness about Ebola. NOTE: The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author are hers alone.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM 17

SPECTACULAR MOVEMENTS

THE POWER OF ART words by MATEO HINOJOSA

T

HE FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM SPECTACULAR MOVE-

MENTS FOLLOWS A GROUP OF

YOUNG ARTISTS IN EL ALTO, BOLIVIA,

the largest indigenous city in the Americas, as they use theater to explore the social movements and migrations that forged their identity. The power of this art is to inform, to move their audiences and themselves, and to manifest memory with creative, visionary action. There are limitations, though, and how to best communicate the importance of revolutionary history to people living a seemingly radically different present is far from simple.

Our young protagonists – through conversations with each other, their parents and neighbors – explore the collective memory of their parents’ generation and how, driven by neoliberal policies that privatized and closed mines and severe drought, they were swept up by the mass migrations from the countryside to the city. The influx of indigenous campesinos (farmers) into the city radically reshaped Bolivia’s political and social landscape, and culminated with open resistance to centuries of oppression and plunder of public resources. This led to the Gas War in 2003, with its epicenter in El Alto, in which thousands of indigenous Bolivians rebelled against a plan to export natural gas and ultimately succeeded in overthrowing the government. These actions were instrumental in setting the nation on the road toward electing Evo Morales, their first indigenous-identifying president, and rewriting Bolivia’s constitution as a plurinational state. During the protests, the Bolivian military and police massacred protesters, leaving over 60 dead. Our young protagonists tell this story from the perspective of those killed.

Their struggle is to bring the dead back to life, to make that struggle real now, and to resurrect the calls for justice of the past in a contemporary setting.

T

HE YOUNG ACTORS OF TEATRO TRONO BELIEVE THAT THEY MUST NOT ONLY TELL THIS

STORY, BUT ALSO MANIFEST IT. Every

night they rehearse, putting on their parents’ clothes and re-enacting the mass migrations and mass protests. They communicate directly with those who died, channeling their characters’ spirits in order to connect more deeply with their motivations, their reality before they died, and their needs as spirits who have not found justice. The actors bring the performance to the streets, where they tell these stories to their neighbors and to small towns in rural areas, trying to do justice to the pain, the beautiful struggle and the terrible mistakes made – striving to mirror the true spirit of ongoing revolution.

Through their art, these young actors are able to illustrate the complexities of revolution. They glorify the impetus and organization of their people to demand their rights while condemning the violence that rocked Bolivia as part of the protests.

The reality is that even now state violence remains present in the new indigenous government, which continues to trample indigenous rights in the name of progress. The tragic legacy of the Gas War remains unprocessed, especially in terms of bringing all the perpetrators of the massacre to justice and compensating victims and their families. In response to these pressing needs and in the face of difficulties connecting with audiences, the young actors decide to bring their art off the stage and interact more directly with people.

They resurrect the dead in public spaces, in plazas and on the streets of El Alto and La Paz, going so far as to confront the central government about the lack of justice in a spectacular street intervention. The result is impactful and transformative, though ambiguous and unresolved, for audiences and actors. There is no direct line between creative intent and real-world impact.

T

HROUGH THEIR DOUBTS AND STRUGGLES, THE ACTORS IN SPECTACULAR MOVEMENTS

ARE EMPOWERED THROUGH A

CONNECTION WITH THEIR PAST AND THE KNOWLEDGE THAT HISTORY

REMAINS PRESENT ONLY THROUGH DIRECT CREATIVE MANIFESTATION.

They act in order to do justice to their past and their present so that others might boldly and peacefully do the same.

Theirs is a spectacle aimed not at passive observers, but at fellow actors, both creative and social.

Their creation is cathartic; they are renewed as individuals through their connection to the movements that forged their values. Collectively through art, they embody the spirit of struggle shared by their people who yearn to remain rooted in their past while growing towards a more just future.

MATEO HINOJOSA is a Bolivian-American filmmaker and frequent Dragons instructor (Bolivia ’06 & ’07, Andes & Amazon ’10, Director of video project). His most recent work, Spectacular Movements, was conceived in collaboration with the youth of Teatro Trono. Watch the trailer, support the distribution efforts and learn more: www.spectacularmovements.com.

18 THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

THE

I

N 1933, THE CHINESE ANTITUBERCULOSIS ASSOCIATION WAS FOUNDED IN SHANGHAI and soon embarked on

a project to stop people from spitting. At the time, effective drugs to treat tuberculosis did not exist, and therefore control efforts were focused on breaking the pathways through which the bacteria was transmitted. Curtailing spitting, both in public and in poorly ventilated private homes, was seen as a key strategy through which to do so.

Eighty years on, spitting remains part of contemporary China’s cacophonous orchestra. This is not due to any lack of effort to stop the practice. Signs in public spaces warn against spitting carelessly.

Once omnipresent spittoons are now almost non-existent. The 2003 SARS epidemic engendered knowledge about the risk of transmitting diseases through infected saliva released while spitting, coughing and talking loudly.

More recently, anti-spitting propaganda has been incorporated into the larger government-driven campaign to promote civilized behavior. Though ubiquitous, the

“DO NOT SPIT EVERYWHERE”

POWER OF IMAGES

words by EMILIO DIRLIKOV

campaign is generic, consisting mostly of brightly colored billboards that encourage citizens to “be enlightened and civilized.”

Descriptions that elaborate what precisely this means present a stark binary. Civilized citizens are depicted as contributing to society, such as helping the elderly cross busy streets and properly disposing of garbage and other refuse. In contrast, uncivilized citizens are shown not only spitting, but also smoking on subway cars, jumping traffic safety rails and allowing children to urinate in public.

How do such practices come to be regarded as unsafe, unhygienic and ultimately uncivilized (bù wénmíng)? The case of spitting in China illustrates at least two avenues by which this occurs.

First, the circulation of textual and visual images provides a powerful frame through which the uncivilized can be discerned. For example, in a 2011 Guardian article, author David Sedaris disparagingly recounts his experience on a multi-city book tour in China. Spit and other bodily products feature prominently in his description. “The supermarket cashier holds

out your change and you take it thinking, ‘This woman squats and spits on the floor while shitting and blowing snot out of her nose.’” Here, Sedaris plays into negative narrative frames about China that have circulated for centuries, providing them with new life via a global English media outlet. As these images travel around the world, audiences are taught to recognize the desirable from the disgusting.

Second, images also serve as sites of disciplinary power that become internalized by the viewer. Not only do anti-spitting messages empower viewers to be repulsed by the behavior of others (e.g., the hacking sound of someone about to spit), they also deter viewers from committing such offenses themselves. In this example, even if the viewer goes on to spit, perhaps there will be a split second of reflection when the viewer will think: This is not civilized behavior.

Power is often thought of in its tangible forms. A Google image search reveals pictures of fists, muscular bodies, electricity, and so on. A similar search of the Chinese word lì (power, strength) on Baidu.com reveals similar feats of physical strength, as well as fancy calligraphy.

What I want to suggest here is that power is also embedded in the textual and visual images about spitting and other behavior that are deemed uncivilized. Such forms of power work through more nebulous networks that are not always readily apparent, yet nevertheless constrain people’s perspective and behavior. While a critique of such power could highlight its coercive and potentially harmful aspects, its productive objectives must not be overlooked. Less spitting equals decreased risk of passing on tuberculosis infection, and in turn money and lives are saved. Reading beyond the surface of images leads to a more robust understanding of power in its diversity of forms.

PHOTO Translation : “Spitting everywhere is unhygienic, you can transmit tuberculosis.”

EMILIO DIRLIKOV is a PhD candidate at McGill’s University Department of Anthropology, researching global health and tuberculosis control in China.

He participated in two Dragons programs as a student (Silk Road ’99, Mt. Kailas ’00), and has led two China Summer Programs (’05 & ’06).

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM 19

LIFE AND TIMES OF YOUNG SYRIAN REFUGEES IN JORDAN

THE POWER OF EDUCATION words by DR. PAUL FEAN, image courtesy of NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL

“I work with a lot of foreigners. I worked in public policy for fifteen years.

Each time I would sit down with a group of foreigners and tell them about my life, about life as a Bedouin woman in the village, the eyes looking back at me would be full of pity. No matter what I told them, they always saw me as a poor Bedouin woman who didn’t know any better.”

H

AVING SPENT OVER TEN YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, this woman’s observation is not surprising.

The power of representation all too often produces preconceptions based on differences rather than humanity’s common connections. Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, primarily the representation of the Middle Eastern societies and cultures as the violent “Other” to the “civilized” West, is continually played out in the media – from new reports to the plot of Homeland and even characterizations of Disney’s Aladdin. As you’re likely well-aware, media reports are dominated by conflict in the region, from the convulsions and repercussions of the so-called “Arab Spring” to the recent rise of ISIS. Such reports fall in stark contrast to the scene playing out in front of me. I am writing this from a coffee shop in Amman, Jordan, overlooking a community book sale in the square outside. It’s a far cry from the images presented in the western media. I am still struck by the contrast between the concerns of outsiders (Isn’t it dangerous?) and my reality living among the diverse, warm, spiritual and most importantly, fun people here.

Helping students (and by osmosis their families and communities back home) to see beyond overt differences in order to understand the rich values and cultural tapestry of the region has been an essential motivation in my role as a Dragons instructor. By deconstructing preconceptions by way of personal experiences, students were able to meet the Bedouin woman not only as an equal, but also with empathy and compassion for her values of family and faith.

20 THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

A

—Woman from rural Bedouin village

FTER LEADING DRAGONS PROGRAMS IN

JORDAN OVER SEVERAL YEARS, I recently started coordinating education projects for young Syrian refugees in Jordan with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), an international NGO. Our students constitute a fraction of the more than 600,000 Syrians who have taken refuge in Jordan since the conflict in Syria started over three years ago. Living in both refugee camps and host communities, there are over 115,000 Syrian refugees between the ages of 15 and 24 (the same ages as most Dragons students) in Jordan. Given the regional context, notably armed groups such as ISIS, concerned outsiders speak of a youth “time bomb” that could explode in the absence of opportunities to channel the positive energies of Syrian young people. With this thinking in mind, I wondered what our Syrian students would be like.

On my first day in my new role, I went to a Syrian refugee camp for the first time. On my tour of an NRC youth center, I walked into the IT training room and heard guys laughing. Soon I was chatting with the group and being berated (jokingly) for the lack of cappuccinos available in the center. Any coffee, actually, but specifically cappuccino! Just as our Dragons students sometimes missed the comforts of home (and declared so with impassioned laments about the absence of a Starbucks spiced pumpkin latte), so too do our Syrian students miss the comforts they once had. Illuminated by this humorous, if mundane, interlude, any preconceptions about the difference of Syrian young people evaporated before I walked out of that IT lab!

THE IGNORANCE PROJECT

U

NLIKE PROTRACTED REFUGEE CONTEXTS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, until recently

Syria was stable. Young Syrians, as elsewhere, were studying in school or college, or working.

Through their struggles and hardships, I am reminded that the unexpected is an intrinsic aspect of the human experience and that conflict and displacement could become a reality for any one of us.

Youth are often overlooked in refugee contexts. Syrian youth in Jordan are largely marginalized from education and development programs, and are barred from learning in accredited vocational and higher education programs. NRC youth centers work to support the development of skills and address the psycho-social needs of young people by providing threemonth programs focused on subjects such as information technology, barbering or beautician skills, and electrician training.

The programs are supported by literacy, numeracy and life skills courses.

These courses enable young people to continue their education and increase their engagement with peers. Importantly, such opportunities return some structure and normalcy to their lives and build their aspirations. The power of education is shown in the words of 21-year-old Hamza, one of our recent graduates: “Back in Syria I was also a student, but I never felt this passion for education. I want to become an entrepreneur and, with the English and certified IT courses, all that is left for me to do, other than continuing to help people around me, is to find a way to continue my education.”

H

AMZA, WHO HAS A PHYSICAL DISABILITY,

overcame substantial challenges to pursue his education. “Look at me, I needed more than an hour to get to the youth center, and the same time to get back home. But it did not matter; education is not something you should miss.” Hamza’s story, one of many narratives of optimism and determination in the camp, is a testament to our students’ unwavering commitment to learning, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

In a context seemingly beyond the scope of our understanding, it becomes clear that the energy and dreams of Syrian youth are shared by young people around the world. As the Bedouin woman shows us, rather than looking at refugees with pity and preconceptions of the “Other,” we might engage with them and their stories with empathy and seek to understand how others, even in very different scenarios, have the same hopes, fears and aspirations.

DR. PAUL FEAN is an expert in youth education and teacher training and a Dragons instructor (Jordan ’12 & ’13, Middle East ’12, Princeton BridgeYear Senegal ’13). He is currently in Jordan working with Syrian refugees as a youth project coordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR WORLD – about macro-trends in global

development, the schism between Global North and South and the state of global health? According to research conducted by Dr. Hans Rosling, Professor of Global Health at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, we aren’t as well-informed as we think. And that is good news.

The following test was conceived in the 1990s after Dr. Rosling conducted an experiment meant to test his students’ (and fellow professors’) knowledge about health improvements in Asia. The results were so bad that Rosling coined it the “Chimpanzee Test” – meaning Sweden’s leading intellectuals and burgeoning scholars scored worse than chimps selecting answers at random. Nevertheless, the data turned out to be far more illuminating than poor test scores; it indicated an unlikely source of hope and optimism.

Below are seven questions taken from the 2013 US survey pertaining to trends in global health, education, economics, demography and gender. The answers are based on data compiled by the World Health Organization, World Bank, and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, among other research institutes.

GLOBAL IGNORANCE TEST

1. In 1950, there were fewer than one billion children (aged 0-14) in the world. By 2000 there were almost two billion.

How many do UN experts think there will be in 2100? a.) 4 billion

b.) 3 billion

c.) 2 billion

2. What do you think is the life expectancy in the world as a whole today? a.) 50 years old

b.) 60 years old

c.) 70 years old

3. What percentage of adults in the world today are literate – can read and write? a.) 80%

b.) 60%

c.) 40%

4. On average, in the world as a whole today, men aged 2534 have spent 8 years in school. How many years on average have women in the same age-group spent in school? a.) 3 years

b.) 5 years

c.) 7 years

5. What percentage of the world’s one-year-old children is vaccinated against measles? a.) 20%

b.) 50%

c.) 80%

6. In the last 20 years the proportion of the world population living in extreme poverty has... a.) almost doubled

b.) remained the same

c.) almost halved

7. What percentage – approximately – of total world energy generated comes from solar and wind power? a.) 1%

b.) 5%

c.) 10%

On average, the global population answers about one-third of these questions correctly. Go to the Where There Be Dragons Facebook page to see how you fared.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM 21

CAMBODIA EDUCATOR

THE POWER OF PRIVILEGE words by SUMNER McCALLIE

humanity only leads to conflict, internal and external. It is a destructive dead end, personally and for the world.

A second response is a call to action, one almost always pursued without depth of research. This seems most common: fundraisers to send the village’s daughters to school, money sent to buy materials to dig wells, letters written demanding that local governments recognize corruption. Unexamined, emotionally-driven good intentions generally leave the fundraiser feeling good about results that actually have changed nothing at best, or caused dangerous expectation and upheaval at second S AN EDUCATOR WHO HAS LED INTERNATIONAL best. Though trying to “right a wrong,” the focus erroneously TRIPS FOR TWO DECADES, I have watched countless assuages the concerns of the minority world traveler, completely students confront the reality of their American lifestyle and missing the larger contexts of the majority world need. wealth compared to the situations of the local folks with whom we have worked to build homes or dig wells or preserve forest EITHER RESPONSE WORKS. THERE IS, HOWEVER, resources. I have seen students figuratively, and occasionally A THIRD ALTERNATIVE. On the recent Dragons Educaliterally, stopped in their tracks in shock at the daily challenges tor trip to Cambodia, my group met with first-generation college our new friends face to find food or firewood or freedom. students to hear their stories of courage to leave their village I want my students shocked out of their innocence. I want to pursue a degree. We had dinner with founders of a start-up my students forced to question the random luck of the draw forging ahead with a newly designed product. We heard from a that has placed them in privilege and power. It is vital they see husband and wife managing an ecotourism venture. We walked how extraordinary that position actually is, and how dramatic through a four-story building housing an up-and-coming ethical a difference it makes in their lives, one over which they had no fashion business, with fifty-plus employees who otherwise might control being given, but which nevertheless benefits them in have been unemployed or working in a garment factory. ways they have never before considered.

We saw emerging success, driven and sustained by locals That part is easy; almost any trip can provide shock and awe. who perceive their challenges as surmountable, if difficult. We An initial ride from an airport through the capital of most any saw the complexity of issues and the courage of people trying to majority country invariably stuns the first time traveler: the pot- untangle a strand at a time. Simply stated, we saw tangible hope. holed roads on which lanes mean nothing as bicycles and tukHope allows for movement. It breaks the paralysis of exposed tuks (rickshaws) and trucks weave their way through intersecprivilege. Seeing success on the ground in the midst of the harsh tions with no stop signs or lights; streets that turn from asphalt inequity creates space to reconcile a life lived in prior ignorance to dirt with any turn off the main route; wooden market stands with a life blown wide open by the needs of the world while not that line roads where mothers sell oranges next to sink parts and collapsing under the strain of the new vantage point. plastic toys while their half-naked kids play with homemade flywheels; open air markets where anything and everything can HIS IS HOW I WANT TO DIRECT MY STUDENTS: be bought to sustain those on the barest of margins. not to ignore or misguidedly try to compensate for their hapBut that is not where I want to leave students. Shock is a penstance position, but rather to recognize common humanity, to reaction, not a progression. Awareness necessarily spawns guilt, value the deep exploration required to comprehend their world, but leaving individuals in such a space only paralyzes. The pow- to identify specific examples of hope, and to commit to learning er of the trip lies in directing the next steps. about the difference they can make. This does not happen in one Without direction, my experience dictates that there are two easy trip, but in a life which adopts the mantra expressed most typical responses to facing this world’s truths of inequity. The clearly by the head of the ethical clothing company who offered first is simply defensive judgment: “Those people had it coming. a lucid response to my question, “Why do you do this?” She said, They remain poor because they can’t figure out how to change rather matter-of-fact, “Because of the position of privilege and their trajectory.” As appalling as it is ignorant, this response power into which I was born, I have the freedom to take much reeks of a guilt-induced need to separate from reality in an greater risks to study, to listen, to understand and then to act.” attempt to preserve the self by confusing situational context with Providing ways for my students to arrive at this concept defines a human-created difference. I believe that such isolation from successful trip.

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SUMNER McCALLIE participated in Dragons Cambodia Educator ‘14 course and is the Academic Dean of McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. Sumner spent his childhood in Africa and the Middle East before returning to the US to attend high school and later Yale University. He is faculty advisor to McCallie’s active Habitat for Humanity chapter and an advocate for experiential education.

22 THE MAP’S EDGE FALL 2014

TRANSFERENCE TOOLKIT

EVENTS

Looking to stay involved in global initiatives?

Check out the following organizations that are working to change our world for the better.

STAY INVOLVED Alumni Global Potlucks

January 25 & 26, 2015 Come share food, share stories, and reconnect with your Dragons family.

To confirm attendance or request more information please email Eva Vanek at eva@wheretherebedragons.com or call: 800.982.9203.

COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU: BOSTON CHICAGO

LOS ANGELES NEW YORK

SAN FRANCISCO WASHINGTON DC

RWANDA Spark

LOCATION Butare

and Gisagara districts for sheep-rearing, school construction, women’s community building WEBSITE www.sparkmicrogrants.org FOCUS Micro-grants

OPDE

LOCATION Butare,

Huye District for street children WEBSITE www.bambiniopderwanda.it FOCUS Capacity-building

GET INVOLVED Alumni-Hosted Info Sessions

Association Ubutwari bwo Kubaho LOCATION Karama, Huye District FOCUS Agricultural projects run by a cooperative of women (genocide survivors and wives of perpetrators) CONTACT Emmanuel Dukundane EMAIL emmanuel.dukundane@gmail.com

If you are unable to attend an event or don’t see a location near you, call us to arrange an individual meeting: 800.982.9203.

INDIA

NEW YORK

LOCATION Phey,

Are you a prospective student? Come join us for an alumni-hosted presentation in your neighborhood. Meet a Dragons instructor. Talk to an alum.

Watch a slideshow. Learn about Dragons. RSVP to our Admissions Director, Eva Vanek, at eva@wheretherebedragons.com.

PURCHASE December 5

HOST Alpert Family

NYC December 11

HOST Attie Family

SCARSDALE January 15

HOST Irwin Family

VERMONT MIDDLEBURY December 17

HOST Anna Stevens

CONNECTICUT DARIEN Mid-December HOST TBD

NEW CANAAN Mid-January HOST TBD

DARIEN February 3

HOST Osherow Family

MASSACHUSETTS LEXINGTON January 15

HOST Connolly Family

RHODE ISLAND

CALIFORNIA

PROVIDENCE Late-January

REDWOOD CITY January 13

HOST TBD

HOST Levin-Guracar

Family

NEW JERSEY RUMSON January 21

HOST Fleming Family

SUMMIT February 20

HOST Gump Family

PENNSYLVANIA DEVON January 22

HOST Spector Family

BLUE BELL February 16

HOST Advani Family

NEW HAMPSHIRE HANOVER Late-January

HOST Brown Family

WASHINGTON DC DC February 8

HOST Kellogg Family

LA JOLLA January 19

HOST Secondine Family

SAN RAFAEL February 7

HOST Strull Family

COLORADO BOULDER February 22

HOST Dragons Office

TEXAS HOUSTON February 16

HOST Farris Family

ILLINOIS EVANSTON February 8

HOST Brennan Family

GEORGIA ATLANTA Mid-January HOST TBD

SECMOL

Ladakh alternative education, green building CONTACT Becky Norman WEBSITE http://secmol.org FOCUS Ecology,

The Root Institute LOCATION Bodh Gaya, Bihar FOCUS Meditation courses, free medical clinic WEBSITE www.rootinstitute.com Zabaan Institute LOCATION New Delhi FOCUS Hindi and Urdu language classes WEBSITE http://zabaan.com Wilderness Experience LOCATION Ladakh and Zanskar FOCUS Trekking in Ladakh, Zanskar, greater Himalaya CONTACT Rigzin Namgyal WEBSITE www.wildexp.com

NEPAL PHASE

LOCATION Main

Office – Kathmandu gender, governance, education CONTACT Claire Bennett WEBSITE http://phasenepal.org FOCUS Health,

Himalayan Quests LOCATION Main Office – Kathmandu FOCUS Trekking, medical missions, Children’s Home CONTACT Amrit Ale WEBSITE www.himalayanquests.com The Green Lion LOCATION Kathmandu FOCUS Nepali language & Devanagari script CONTACT Rajesh Shrestha WEBSITE http://thegreenlion.asia WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM 23

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Where There Be Dragons 3200 Carbon Place, Suite #102 Boulder, CO 80301 tel. 800.982.9203 | 303.413.0822

BRING THE WORLD INTO YOUR SCHOOL: GLOBAL SPEAKER SERIES 2015

The GLOBAL SPEAKER SERIES is an annual initiative sponsored by THE DRAGONS FOUNDATION FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION to support global citizenship and leadership education in high school and university classrooms across the country. A select group of Dragons’ veteran field instructors will spend three months on the road sharing their extensive in-country expertise with aspiring students, facilitating dynamic conversations on critical global issues and providing a unique perspective that will enrich any classroom experience. The objective is to offer new voices the opportunity to participate in a broader dialogue about what it means to be a global citizen in the 21st century. To invite a Global Speaker to your classroom, please give us a call: 800.982.9203.

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