March 27, 2005
Walking in the Country of the Rings
We had a wonderful week exploring the south island of new zealand. It is really like another country. There are beautiful mountains like mount cook, glaciers, Fjordland with waterfalls and more adrenaline based outdoor adventure possibilities than I thought possible. Of course there is the Lord of the Rings film attraction sites that you can visit. What a beautiful country!
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March 26, 2005
Super Heroes!
Chairman Mao once said that you are not a hero until you have climbed to the top of the Great Wall. We arrived and looked in amazement at the Great Wall that spanned the craggy rugged mountain cliffs. Winding its way through the valley in a serpentine fashion from the farthest corners of the range. The path was steep and uneven. We started on our way to the top with a slow steady pace expecting to stop two thirds of the way from the top, look at the scenery and make our way back down. With ever awe-inspiring views calling us forward, we couldn’t stop until we had reached the very highest tower. We awarded ourselves the title of “hero” when we had arrived at the top. More deserving of this title were mom and dad. They steadily pursued their way to the top despite aching joints with much more wear and tear on them then ours. To them we attributed the title of super heros. They made it well beyond the point where countless people many years younger than them had turned back in exhaustion. In my eyes, mom and dad are super heros in many other ways.
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March 17, 2005
Faces from the Past
Faces from the past laid on the table before me. I studied the over 100 year old photographs attempting to discover how these faces have affected me. Laying before me were photos of my grandfather, great grandfather and great grandmother. This was my first glance at my ancestors. This generation knew well war, famine, and fleeing from an ancestral home to survive a wave of political change. These faces passed on their values to my generation and their hopes and dreams for a better life are realized in my own life.
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March 15, 2005
Chinese Food
Rob and I eat a lot of Chinese food. We eat it out, we eat it at home, we make it from scratch. We have even gone to other cities with the goal of spending as much time as possible in the Chinatown. But nothing has been as good as Chinese food in China. The food there is so delicious that even when you’re full you still want to eat more. There is a lot of tradition and symbolism behind food in China.
Following is a list of some things you may not know about Chinese food.
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March 09, 2005
Do you eat dog?
To prepare for the trip, Erica asked my dad to teach us some Chinese language phrases. Erica thought it would be a nice gesture to speak to our relatives in their native tongue. Dad taught us some basic phrases like hello, its good to see you and this is delicious. An important phrase that we learned was I am full which translates to I have had enough. This was an important phrase to know because at most meals the host would continue to offer you food until you said that you were full.
Our family was thrilled to hear Erica talk in Chinese. My mom and I do not speak Chinese although it is expected that would know how to. So in the spirit of adventure, we also tried out the Chinese phrases. At the end of a particularly large meal, mom decided to try out “ I have had enough”. “Moa sayk gao,” she said and smiled at dad and my uncle. Uncle and dad got this horrified look on their face. Erica intervened and repeated “ I have had enough”. Dad got a big grin on his face and told mom, you just said “I had dog!” The phrase “I have had enough” and “I have had dog” are so close that the only difference is how you pronounce the last word which is the same.
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March 05, 2005
Bicultural Emergency Medicine
Well its back to the old grind for me. I started working at Tauranga Hospital’s Emergency Department. One of the things that is different about Tauranga compared with Launceston is the dual cultural aspect of New Zealand. About 20% of the population of the north island is of Maori descent. Maori patients have different cultural beliefs that need to be respected. Maori patients don’t make strong eye contact because it is considered challenging and disrespectful. Maori people belive their head is sacred so they do not appreciate being touched on the head. One should never sit in the place where one would eat or place their head. Those are the differences that I have worked out so far, but I have cultural training this week.
In the worst case scenario, a doctor would stare directly into the eyes of a maori patient after patting all their kids on the head and sitting on the pillows and table that was storing their lunch. I guess it seems silly that you could violate all the cultual taboos in the same encounter but I have found it hard not maintaining eye contact with patients thus far.
Posted by at 05:36 am | Comments (1) | Permalink
March 03, 2005
Kia Ora from New Zealand
Kia Ora (hello in Maori) from New Zealand. We have finally gotton back on the internet since leaving Australia and touring around China. We had a wonderful time exploring China. After a rocky start in New Zealand we are settling in to our new place in beautiful Mount Mounganui. A new job, new chuch and culture are a few of the challenges we face in the near future but its all part of the adventure. Do we look a bit more Kiwi already?
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