Two Weeks

It’s been two weeks since the inauguration of President Barak Obama. And I have to admit it’s still a thrill to hear the newscasters say “President Obama.”

As to be expected, there have already been a few bumps along the road for our new President. Change in our country will not happen overnight. However, his presence in the White House represents such a huge shift for me that I can now proclaim: this is my President and I’m proud to be an American! I don’t remember how long it’s been since I have felt this way.

I can tell you that traveling abroad as a U.S. citizen in the past few years has had its challenges. I preferred to say I’m from Hawaii rather than from the U.S. People everywhere had no qualms about telling U.S. citizens what they thought about the U.S. and its President. They liked Americans, but everyone hated President Bush and his government policies. Their frankness and vehemence were eye-openers:  his unpopularity was global!  Citizens of other countries follow the news in the U.S. much closer than we follow world events. They feel the reach of U.S. policies more keenly than we Americans realize until we visit their countries. 

So, yes, I can claim President Obama as My President! He and I were both born in Honolulu. He and I are both people of color. He and I both want change in Washington and in the country.  And I worked as a volunteer to get him elected–the first time I’ve felt compelled to work on a political campaign.  

Like so many, I felt the excitement and euphoria of both the pre-inauguration and inauguration events. Even watching at a distance via television, the events seemed to reach out and grab me in the heart. I felt I was being reborn in a New America, a place where everyday people mattered, where everyday people could voice their opinions and be heard, where the principles of the Founding Fathers were once again revered and in place. Not a government by the Privileged, but one by the People. And the People of all colors were smiling, crying with joy, and dancing in the sreets!

I got totally caught up in the Obamarama of televised events. Loved watching MY President and the First Family. I watched the pageantry of taking the oath of office. I observed the respect that President Obama showed to the outgoing President. The newscaster said that it wasn’t expected that the new President walk the former President to the helicopter after the ceremony. And I wondered what part of his background Obama’s behavior reflected: the respect for elders that those raised in Hawaii learn well or the respect coming from having been raised by his grandmother or just good, common decency of character.

However, President Obama did not hold back any punches in his inauguration speech. He spoke out strongly against the past administration’s actions and policies. And I cheered along with the rest of the world.

Glued to the television, I watched the parade and saw the President give the Punahou Band the shaka sign. That was pretty cool. And speaking of cool, bless all the thousands of people who went to D.C. to brave the frigid temperatures. I heard the Punahou Band from Honolulu practiced on an ice skating rink to toughen up for the cold weather.

In the evening, I watched the balls, the entertainment, and festivities. And how much everybody was ready to party! Even the celebrities were awestruck by the First Couple, who danced and attended ten balls.  And these were only the official balls.  I don’t know how many other balls occurred in D.C. that night.

If you missed The Neighborhood Ball, go to ABC.com and click on Free Episodes. You can watch it on your computer and recapture the celebratory mood and music of this historic day.

Happy Year of the Ox!

Monday, Jan. 26th is the first day of Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the year is 4707.

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in Chinese and Chinese American families. It is a time for renewal, fresh starts, family, and friends.

According to my Chinese astrology book: “Ox years bring stability and measured growth, when patient, diligent work pays off. This is the Harvest year, when we reap what we have sown and harvest the fruits of past efforts. Harvest time is no time for idleness, and people need to keep an eye on their interests in Ox years.”

I just learned that President Barack Obama is the sign of the Ox. With all the excitement of last week’s inauguration, this may be the Year of “O” for Obama and Ox. Personally, I’ve been on an “Obamarama” with all the television pre-inauguration coverage, inauguration coverage (the oath, parade, balls, and glimpses of the First Family), and now following the actions of the President. His popularity is infectious and his leadership is a welcomed change indeed!

Year-end Notes

Wow! The last day of 2008!

What a year, eh?  Change was definitely the theme for me personally (more positive than negative even though the dream of retirement has been postponed), but the changes nationally and globally were overall disastrous. The one shining moment in all the gloom was the historic election of Obama for our next President–someone who is inspiring, is a communicator and a true coalition-builder, wants to serve the public’s interest (what a concept after the Bush years!), is smart and not afraid to surround himself with people smarter than him!

I pray for our country’s and Obama’s safety and well-being every day.

Travel has been a personal theme for me. Travel is a journey on many levels. Learning about the world, yes. But also learning about myself. It’s been an incredible year for more learning as I traveled internationally to Mexico, Ecuador, and China. Domestically, I visited San Francisco, Eugene, OR, and island-hopped in Hawaii to Maui, Big Island, and Oahu visiting family and friends.

My Year of Travel was a gift to myself. It was the beginning of actualizing the things I want in my life, doing the things I want to do, living my life for me. What this meant is letting go of the things that don’t work for me, getting back to basics and the willingness to live simply, and trusting myself more.

Those who know me well know that I am no stranger to change. Taking control of my life and bowing to change, especially when I’m not in control, or speaking out to the powers that be have strengthened me. It hasn’t always been easy, but the longterm results have been more positive than negative.

And so, looking ahead to 2009, I know more changes are coming, ready or not.  I hope there will be many happy changes.  But whatever happens, I also know I am strong, I am resilient, I am resourceful. And I have the power of the many who love me.  And for all these gifts, my heart overflows with gratitude; it’s a great way to start the New Year!

P.S.  For a good reminder to be grateful for living in the U.S., go and see the movie Slumdog Millionaire.  It’s a great movie!

A White Christmas Indeed!

I woke up on Christmas morning to snow falling.  It snowed all morning, adding a few inches to the snow already on the ground.  Everything outside was white, white, white!  And had been for some time.

Today the high is expected to be 41 degrees, and the snow of the past two weeks is finally melting.  After living in Seattle for 20+  years, the duration and accumulation of this snow season are the most I’ve experienced in all the previous years combined. In my neighborhood, we got over 12 inches.  This is very, very unusual for the Seattle area and will be remembered for a long time!

You can probably tell I’m not a snow person.  It’s very pretty, but 1 or 2 days once or twice each winter is plenty for me.  There are things I want to do, places to go, etc.  Snow is immobilizing; I won’t drive in the snow if I can help it…and thankfully there was no place I absolutely needed to be.  It’s an alien substance to someone who grew up in a tropical climate.

However, looking back on these snow days, I recognized how quiet everything was under a blanket of snow.  Everyone stayed huddled indoors and the outdoors was eerily quiet–empty of traffic and people, birds, and the sound of  shoes on pavement. It was a hint of the peace promised during this season.  A time to reflect on purity and a  clean heart.  The fresh snow transformed the world into something sparkly and pristine--sometimes blindingly white during the day and magical in the moonlight.  This was an opportunity for people to literally slow down since they could not go about their normal lives:  going to school or work or holiday shopping.  Perhaps I wasn’t alone in feeling disoriented during this time, thinking, “What a nuisance!” instead of enjoying the respite from my regular activities, and the chance to succumb to a physical desire to hibernate.

My priority was staying warm.  Also, making sure I had enough food in the house, which started to feel like a snow cave as the snow accumulated outside.  I had kept my gifting more simple than ever this year so shopping was not an urgency.  I was grateful for having purchased some fine-quality long underwear in China; they were inexpensive (not much in demand in June!),  and being put to good use now! 

Really, I had everything I needed, including Internet access, movies, and books. The electricity stayed on–plenty of heat.  I have great neighbors I could call on when I needed something.  I could not go out on Christmas Day to visit friends, but had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with the neighbors.  That was truly enough!

As the Big Melting continues, life will resume to its normal pace.  I have my list of errands to do that had been postponed and my to-do list to get ready for 2009.   While I welcome the normalcy of the rain, I will remember the metaphor of renewal and respite of these days of snow.

China: Post-Olympics

China as the 2008 host of the Summer Olympics seems to have been an unqualified success.  At least I did not see any media coverage of major problems.  Oh yes, there was the incident about two 80-year-old women being sent away (to a labor farm?) when they applied to do a protest.  The official demonstration areas were pretty inactive due to intimidation and fear of reprisals.  Apparently, the people’s fears were justified.  While no big demonstrations occurred in Beijing, demonstrators were not silenced in cities in other countries.

Other earlier concerns:  the air quality and pollution did not pose any problems, and there was a flurry when international journalists were unable to access all Internet sites as promised.  I never did hear anything further about this, so I assume this was resolved. 

Other potential problems did not materialize.  No problems at the airports for either arriving or departing visitors.  I found the process a bit confusing when I was there in June.  And no problems with exchanging currency at the banks or else everyone brought enough yuans with them for their stay.  I heard people in my tour group who brought traveler’s checks could only exchange these at the Bank of China, and this was not a quick and easy process. ATM machines varied in what they would accept; usually no cash advances for credit cards, but debit cards worked. 

I guess it’s safe to say that overall China did an impressive job!  The word I keep using is stunning–that’s how I felt when I was there and when I saw the opening ceremonies.  The Chinese are used to working on a different scale than those of us in the West, and this was apparent with the artistry, precision, and number of performers (10,000) displayed in the opening ceremony.  They achieved the WOW-factor in this and sports venues like the Water Cube Aquatic Center and Bird’s Nest Stadium, no question.  

In visiting historic sites like I’ve mentioned in earlier entries, the scale is unimaginable.  You have to be there like I was–right there in the middle of the Forbidden City or on the Great Wall–to believe it.  I felt awe-struck when I first visited Washington, DC, and New York City, but the awe I experienced in China far surpassed anything I’ve felt when seeing some building, monument, or public structure made by humans in the U.S.  

I wish I could say that after visiting China, I knew the ceremonies would be spectacular and mind-blowing, but my imagination failed to conceptualize such magnitude.  

Now that the world is no longer watching, I just wonder if the daily lives of people will improve qualitatively in a post-Olympics China.  I hope so.

China: Beidaihe

As the world focuses on all the excitement of the Beijing Olympics, it’s fun to see Beijing on television and know I was there!  We saw the Watercube Aquatic Center all lit up one night, but the Bird’s Nest Stadium was not completed in June when we were there.  Our bus slowed down to a crawl on the street while we craned our necks to get a pre-Olympics preview of these now-famous sites.  Still, my thoughts keep returning to the tranquility of Beidaihe.

My journey to China consisted of both an outer journey and an inner journey.  The outer journey included all the sites we visited, all the sensory experiences of being in a foreign country, and the pleasures of adventure.

The inner journey included working with qi to balance the mind/body/spirit.  And the healing that occurs when balance is achieved. 

Our practice took place outdoors in the Qi Field amidst beautiful tall pine trees.  I don’t know what kind of pine trees they are, but each tree has its own personality, and they create such tranquility in the landscape. It was very peaceful to stand among these wonderful trees, to have classes outdoors.  A special place indeed!

 

Movie: Up the Yangtze

After being in China, I am more keenly interested in all things about China.  The movie Up the Yangtze tells the personal stories of ordinary people and how their lives are affected by the building of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world after the Nile and the Amazon.  

The relocation of approx. 1.2 million people is part of this monumental project as farmlands and towns disappear under water.  In the movie, someone says that the little families have to sacrifice for the greater good of the Big Family, meaning all of China.  However, others feel that the country doesn’t really care what happens to these little families, or common people.  Some don’t want to move, but have no choice.  Others are willing to move, but are not receiving the promised help and compensation.

To most tourists like myself, these social issues will not be obvious when visiting the country.  Poverty, hardship, and homelessness were not visible in Beijing or Beidaihe where I visited.  And you can be sure none of the media coverage during the Summer Olympics will bear witness to these problems. 

I recommend this film for its very personal stories (politics affects people’s lives) and to better understand China in all its complexity.