Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Barefoot Hospitality
I'm getting ready to leave Singapore. What an interesting city! It's a clean, modern, and developed city with a unique blend of Eastern and Western culture. Eating and shopping are the national pastimes and wearing shoes inside the home is a taboo.
The research here has been quite interesting as well. This is one country that could really benefit from an educational campaign about disabilities. There's a general lack of awareness about the needs of PWDs. One employee of a disabled persons organization mentioned she doesn't think the locals understand that wheelchair users can't use the escalator, which leads to a lack of courtesy, such as people refusing to make room for wheelchair users in lifts.
The truth is that no matter how accommodating legal systems or public spaces are towards people with disabilities, no one can experience their full effects without some public cooperation. A wide lift is no good if people won't let a person in a wheelchair in and an accessible bathroom stall is no good if it's used as a storage room. (A real problem)
On another note, I recommend anyone reading this invite themselves over to my apartment in future years, because all of this travelling has made me want to be a better hostess. I have a lovely host family here that was supposed to have me for a weekend and ended up inviting me to stay for the rest of the trip. Now my standards for hosting are set. If you want meals and rides and wifi and a comfortable bed my place is going to be the place to be.
The research here has been quite interesting as well. This is one country that could really benefit from an educational campaign about disabilities. There's a general lack of awareness about the needs of PWDs. One employee of a disabled persons organization mentioned she doesn't think the locals understand that wheelchair users can't use the escalator, which leads to a lack of courtesy, such as people refusing to make room for wheelchair users in lifts.
The truth is that no matter how accommodating legal systems or public spaces are towards people with disabilities, no one can experience their full effects without some public cooperation. A wide lift is no good if people won't let a person in a wheelchair in and an accessible bathroom stall is no good if it's used as a storage room. (A real problem)
On another note, I recommend anyone reading this invite themselves over to my apartment in future years, because all of this travelling has made me want to be a better hostess. I have a lovely host family here that was supposed to have me for a weekend and ended up inviting me to stay for the rest of the trip. Now my standards for hosting are set. If you want meals and rides and wifi and a comfortable bed my place is going to be the place to be.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Moving On
Australia has been beautiful and I will have to come back here to see more of it. The next leg begins today!
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Monday, June 16, 2014
As Pro-Colonialist as I'm Going to Get
The flight to Australia...what a whammy. I went from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo to Santiago, got delayed in Santiago, flew from Santiago to Auckland, got off the plane, went through security, and then re-boarded to continue to Sydney. Safe to say, after about 36 hours in transit I feel like I can handle anything else the traveling life throws at me.
One of the books I took on the trip was about Captain Cook's explorations, and the trip down here gave me even more appreciation for his accomplishments. It was an agonizing day and a half in transit and when I landed and heard the English language again, it made me realize how powerful the British Empire must have been to sail to and set up a colony all the way down here. It also made me appreciate what it meant for the American Colonists to overthrow such a powerful government.
On my first full day here I scheduled an interview about four hours after I landed. That's not something I would do ever again. The professor I spoke with was incredibly compassionate for my jetlag, but needless to say, she didn't see me at my best. I headed to Bondi Beach afterwards, bought a delicious mini vegetable pizza, and ate it while watching the waves. I then headed sluggishly back to the hostel.
On my first non-jetlagged day I headed to the harbour to see the opera house, the Harbour Bay Bridge, and the ever-charming Taronga Zoo. They were all amazing sights, and I recommend everyone see them. But I have to say, the zoo caught me off guard. It was way cool. My favorite section was the Australian walkabout where I got to see some of the best local animals including kangaroos, koalas, and venomous snakes. And after staring at the inside of a cabin for the better part of two days, it was rather nice to be in open air and walk along the snake paths and listen to singing birds instead of the humming of the engines.
Sydney is a much more accessible city than Buenos Aires or Rio, though it's not without its faults. I'm impressed by the wide sidewalks, the curb cuts, and the sound indicators at the intersections. If you're operating a tram (stroller) or wheelchair, I would advise against using the subway, unless you're the kind of person who gets a thrill out of riding over the massive gap between the train and the platform.
I finished my last interview today with Every Australian Counts, an amazing campaign that was extremely successful in raising awareness over disability related issues and pushing for new legislation. They modeled many of their strategies from the Obama campaign. Though they had a limited budget, they were diligent about polling and subjecting their campaign materials to market research, a technique which appears to have been effective. There was also something special about meeting a small group of people who brought about big change. After learning that less than 10 people were able to push the government to triple the amount of money it would spend on people with disabilities, my summer feels pretty unproductive.
I'm brainstorming a way to spend my last full day here before heading to Singapore. As of now I'm leaning towards a beach walk and a return to Bondi to buy another schnitzel burger. I don't think there was anything particularly Australian about it...but damn, it was good.
One of the books I took on the trip was about Captain Cook's explorations, and the trip down here gave me even more appreciation for his accomplishments. It was an agonizing day and a half in transit and when I landed and heard the English language again, it made me realize how powerful the British Empire must have been to sail to and set up a colony all the way down here. It also made me appreciate what it meant for the American Colonists to overthrow such a powerful government.
On my first full day here I scheduled an interview about four hours after I landed. That's not something I would do ever again. The professor I spoke with was incredibly compassionate for my jetlag, but needless to say, she didn't see me at my best. I headed to Bondi Beach afterwards, bought a delicious mini vegetable pizza, and ate it while watching the waves. I then headed sluggishly back to the hostel.
On my first non-jetlagged day I headed to the harbour to see the opera house, the Harbour Bay Bridge, and the ever-charming Taronga Zoo. They were all amazing sights, and I recommend everyone see them. But I have to say, the zoo caught me off guard. It was way cool. My favorite section was the Australian walkabout where I got to see some of the best local animals including kangaroos, koalas, and venomous snakes. And after staring at the inside of a cabin for the better part of two days, it was rather nice to be in open air and walk along the snake paths and listen to singing birds instead of the humming of the engines.
Sydney is a much more accessible city than Buenos Aires or Rio, though it's not without its faults. I'm impressed by the wide sidewalks, the curb cuts, and the sound indicators at the intersections. If you're operating a tram (stroller) or wheelchair, I would advise against using the subway, unless you're the kind of person who gets a thrill out of riding over the massive gap between the train and the platform.
I finished my last interview today with Every Australian Counts, an amazing campaign that was extremely successful in raising awareness over disability related issues and pushing for new legislation. They modeled many of their strategies from the Obama campaign. Though they had a limited budget, they were diligent about polling and subjecting their campaign materials to market research, a technique which appears to have been effective. There was also something special about meeting a small group of people who brought about big change. After learning that less than 10 people were able to push the government to triple the amount of money it would spend on people with disabilities, my summer feels pretty unproductive.
I'm brainstorming a way to spend my last full day here before heading to Singapore. As of now I'm leaning towards a beach walk and a return to Bondi to buy another schnitzel burger. I don't think there was anything particularly Australian about it...but damn, it was good.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
The Long Haul
Soon after my apology for not blogging more often came an accident that prevented me from blogging at all, the crashing of my 3 week old computer. I've had to purchase a new one and now I'm back online. I also have newfound sympathy for my friends who refuse to own PCs.
That aside, the trip to Australia went about as smoothly as 36 hours in transit could. My flight from Santiago to Sydney was delayed for a few hours but the other passengers on the plane were lovely and I spent the extra time in the airport with new friends drinking fresh squeezed raspberry juice from the airport bar. It may have been the best drink I've ever had. (By regular standards, not airport bar standards)
It's been refreshing to hear English again, and my friends keep teasing me to speak in an Australian accent here and see if I can convince anyone that I'm a local. I've been too shy to attempt this yet. My Australian accent is my only party trick, and if I find out it's no good, there will be dreaded ill effects on my self esteem.
I will write more about my interviews and travels here in a later post. I'm wishing everyone a wonderful weekend from down unda!
That aside, the trip to Australia went about as smoothly as 36 hours in transit could. My flight from Santiago to Sydney was delayed for a few hours but the other passengers on the plane were lovely and I spent the extra time in the airport with new friends drinking fresh squeezed raspberry juice from the airport bar. It may have been the best drink I've ever had. (By regular standards, not airport bar standards)
It's been refreshing to hear English again, and my friends keep teasing me to speak in an Australian accent here and see if I can convince anyone that I'm a local. I've been too shy to attempt this yet. My Australian accent is my only party trick, and if I find out it's no good, there will be dreaded ill effects on my self esteem.
I will write more about my interviews and travels here in a later post. I'm wishing everyone a wonderful weekend from down unda!
Saturday, June 7, 2014
The Mother of All Flights
3 flights, a layover in Brazil the day before the World Cup, and almost 2 days in transit. What could go wrong?
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Linguistically Challenged
I'll begin with an apology for not blogging more often. I've gained a great deal of respect for the people who write regularly. The good news is that I haven't been writing because I haven't had a lot of down time and things have been pretty easy here in Argentina.
There was something refreshing about arriving in Buenos Aires. It's a rather secure city and I have a lot of independence here and freedom to explore. I also took a step up in my ability to communicate. In Brazil I was able to tell people that I don't speak Portuguese, and in Spanish I'm able to say....very little more.
Buenos Aires has a complicated bus system in which the fare varies depending on the passenger's destination. I try to just tell the driver that I'd like to pay the maximum rate in order to avoid the quick banter about destinations. This interaction can go one of two ways. I can ask the driver to charge me $2.70, pay, and move to the back of the bus, or I can ask the driver to charge me $2.70, have the driver ask me something in Spanish, give him a blank and confused stare in place of an answer, and then let him decide he's not going to get a proper response and will have to charge me $2.70 anyway. The second situation produces the same ultimate result as the first one, except I get to look like an ignorant and uneducated American who arrived in Argentina ill-prepared to communicate with anyone.
So Argentina is humbling, if nothing else.
About a week before I left, I was introduced to an attorney who worked on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and was able to introduce me to several activists in Argentina. After speaking with a series of contacts, I managed to arrange interviews with some wonderful activists here. When I tell people I've come to Argentina to study the way people with disabilities are being treated, people often advise me to not expect much. However, it's been quite interesting to see how organizations here have worked against government bureaucracy and a troubled economy in order to bring about change. This is no paradise for PWDs, but organizations here have used a lot of interesting models and to me, Argentina has reinforced that there is something to be learned from every destination.
A lovely highlight of this trip was a spontaneous trip to Iguazu National Park. The park sits on the border of Argentina and Brazil and is home to the second largest set of waterfalls in the world. I don't think enough North Americans know about it and I highly recommend a visit here. There are some things in life that pictures can't capture.
Do beware of the coaties, they look like a cross between a raccoon and a wolverine and they will summon their pack and charge at your food. I actually think the park has used them to their advantage in order to develop a very lucrative business model. They charge inflated prices at the park food courts and restaurants, then the customers go out to the picnic tables to eat their snacks. The coaties swoop in and grab the food, scaring the customers and eventually prompting one of the food court employees to come out with a coati scaring device (a plastic water bottle on a broomstick) which clears the picnic tables and gives other park visitors the mistaken impression that the tables are safe. So the people who have had their food stolen need to buy another round of overpriced snacks and other park-goers can feel a false sense of security eating in coati territory. And the cycle continues.
The hefty journey to Australia begins on Sunday. I'm going to get well acquainted with the Pacific airspace.
I look forward to spending the few days gorging myself on steak and enjoying the wonderful people here. To receive more regular updates follow me on twitter @MadelineList.
There was something refreshing about arriving in Buenos Aires. It's a rather secure city and I have a lot of independence here and freedom to explore. I also took a step up in my ability to communicate. In Brazil I was able to tell people that I don't speak Portuguese, and in Spanish I'm able to say....very little more.
Buenos Aires has a complicated bus system in which the fare varies depending on the passenger's destination. I try to just tell the driver that I'd like to pay the maximum rate in order to avoid the quick banter about destinations. This interaction can go one of two ways. I can ask the driver to charge me $2.70, pay, and move to the back of the bus, or I can ask the driver to charge me $2.70, have the driver ask me something in Spanish, give him a blank and confused stare in place of an answer, and then let him decide he's not going to get a proper response and will have to charge me $2.70 anyway. The second situation produces the same ultimate result as the first one, except I get to look like an ignorant and uneducated American who arrived in Argentina ill-prepared to communicate with anyone.
So Argentina is humbling, if nothing else.
About a week before I left, I was introduced to an attorney who worked on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and was able to introduce me to several activists in Argentina. After speaking with a series of contacts, I managed to arrange interviews with some wonderful activists here. When I tell people I've come to Argentina to study the way people with disabilities are being treated, people often advise me to not expect much. However, it's been quite interesting to see how organizations here have worked against government bureaucracy and a troubled economy in order to bring about change. This is no paradise for PWDs, but organizations here have used a lot of interesting models and to me, Argentina has reinforced that there is something to be learned from every destination.
A lovely highlight of this trip was a spontaneous trip to Iguazu National Park. The park sits on the border of Argentina and Brazil and is home to the second largest set of waterfalls in the world. I don't think enough North Americans know about it and I highly recommend a visit here. There are some things in life that pictures can't capture.
Do beware of the coaties, they look like a cross between a raccoon and a wolverine and they will summon their pack and charge at your food. I actually think the park has used them to their advantage in order to develop a very lucrative business model. They charge inflated prices at the park food courts and restaurants, then the customers go out to the picnic tables to eat their snacks. The coaties swoop in and grab the food, scaring the customers and eventually prompting one of the food court employees to come out with a coati scaring device (a plastic water bottle on a broomstick) which clears the picnic tables and gives other park visitors the mistaken impression that the tables are safe. So the people who have had their food stolen need to buy another round of overpriced snacks and other park-goers can feel a false sense of security eating in coati territory. And the cycle continues.
The hefty journey to Australia begins on Sunday. I'm going to get well acquainted with the Pacific airspace.
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