To Human is to Connect

In my last post I was in beautiful Vietnam. Over a month has passed since I've been back home and only recently have I felt like I've readjusted to my regular life. The trip was only 2 weeks long, but the experience of the journey and the impression it has made on me is probably stamped upon me forever. I did so much in those two weeks that I feel like I was there much longer (and I have about 5 Facebook albums filled with pictures to prove it, and I STILL haven't uploaded all of them!).

seriously, that's too many damn pictures

From Saigon to Hanoi, and so much in between I built homes, danced with local dancers in a jungle around a roaring bonfire, spent a weekend in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in my life, a city so full of lights and floating lanterns that I had to convince myself that I was truly awake and not dreaming during my time there. I swam in the South China Sea, so warm, blue and calming. I took a 15 hour train ride from Central Vietnam to the capital, Hanoi, where I was able to take in Vietnam's coastline, mountains, rice paddies, villages, cities and temples. I kayaked through jutting rock formations rising up from the depths of the ocean in Halong Bay, a smattering of over 3,000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. I spent time the last leg of my trip in Hanoi, which was as cold as Oakland, where I met up with friends of friends who showed me around town and had the opportunity to take photos in an orphanage for developmentally disabled children, many living with the effects of Agent Orange. It was great, beautiful, overwhelming, it was all of that.

Oh Vietnam, you are SO beautiful

Yet I was happy to come home, I missed my bed, I missed my cat, I missed knowing my way around a place. I missed my friends and my life. Getting back to my life was like trying to jump onto a treadmill already on full speed. Is it possible to feel like you've lived a few lifetimes in a few weeks? Because that's seriously how I have been feeling since I left for Vietnam! Back in the Bay Area, I practiced then performed for this year's Yoni Ki Baat, the South Asian Version of the Vagina Monologues, where we performed the show three times in one weekend.  I am continuing my training at the New Leaders Council, where I am working on an important fundraising event we are hosting to support next year's class (the fundraising event is on May 9, by the way, and you can buy tickets here...see I'm doing my job!). And now I have filed my papers to run as a delegate for my congressional district for the 2012 Democratic National Convention (to vote for me, you need to be part of the 13th Congressional District in CA i.e. Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Part of San Leandro, voting is on April 29, between 2-3pm at SEIU UHW HQ - Oakland 560 Thomas L Berkley Way Oakland, CA 94612). I don't usually hear of Bangladeshi Muslim girls running for stuff, so I thought I'd quit complaining about how women don't get politically involved and actually do something. Even if it is small, it's a start. A start to what? I really have no idea, but hopefully good, meaningful things.

Is this considered voter intimidation? Is it working?
 Coz I really want you to vote for me

So was this post an outline of my life? Maybe, I think there was supposed to be a deeper meaning in this. There is actually and it's this: since I have returned I have changed. I feel it, it is subtle but it is there with me in every thought. It is this feeling, this deeper understanding of connection. That is what I learned in Vietnam. I was able to build homes with people without speaking the same language. We gesticulated, laughed and shared, all without having a common tongue, or even a common culture. What we did have in common is that we were human, and we had a shared goal...to build that house. And we did it and we became friends, even if we couldn't say it.

So that colors everything I do.  I have always believed that human beings are more similar than different, but this experience has only expanded and informed that belief. And it is coloring every action and thought I have had since coming back. I felt this connection when I was at a Tibetan prayer vigil to pay respects to the victims of the tragic Oikos University shooting in Oakland.  Everyone was chanting, with monks leading the chant. Tears were flowing and people were praying in unison. It was a Buddhist ceremony, where everyone prayed to the departed's soul, since it is believed that if someone departs the world in violence their soul gets lost. It was in essence, a soul-calling or soul retrieval ceremony. In this ceremony, one I had never experienced, I still felt connected in this human element of grief, of understanding loss and tragedy, beyond religion, or language or physical appearance.

Tibetan prayer vigil for the Oikos University tragedy

I feel as if something shifted and deepened deep inside. The world can be an ugly place and people can do ugly things. I can still be jaded, angry and even depressed at times at the state of affairs around me, yet I never deny that I am a part of it all. The good and the bad. Regardless, I feel this stronger bond to my humanity and the humanity of others. So travel and see people, try to learn about people and relate to them. Because as much as we see skin color, borders, socioeconomic statuses, race, religion and all of those divisions, above all of that we are human, and that is a truth that cannot be denied.

aaand that is my truthiness for the day...

Greetings from Vietnam

Central Vietnam

I'm in Vietnam! I've been here since last Saturday, after a surprisingly fun plane trip on Cathay Pacific (I think I watched four on flight movies). The Habitat team and I landed in Ho Chi Minh City, otherwise known as Saigon and then headed to Central Vietnam, where we would be building.

ahoy Hong Kong! too bad I couldn't step out

What to say? There's so much! I can say that Ho Chi Minh City surprised me, the only experience I've had with an Asian city is Dhaka, Bangladesh and that city is CRAZY. Though I love Dhaka, it's insanely overcrowded, dirty and completely chaotic ( to be fair, last time I was there I was 12, so maybe things have changed!). Ho Chi Minh City is pretty clean and people actually follow traffic laws. It's a great city to walk around with food stores EVERYWHERE.

Saigon in the evening

Near our hotel was a fairly large park, where people came out en masse to take outdoors aerobic classes (which I think were free) and large groups of men and young boys were kicking around hackeysacks and shuttlecocks. This probably explains why I haven't seen any obese people in Vietnam, the food is so healthy and everyone is so damn active! I think the states can take some pointers, the public parks in HCMC are pretty amazing and they even have public exercise machines that anyone can use!

taking a picture of boys playing  right before getting bonked in the face

The food is amazing, as I'm sure most people know, I can eat pho 24/7, the street food has been more impressive than the restaurants so far, and I can't get enough of tropical fruits, it reminds me of Bangladesh!

Ho Chi Minh City was fun, but the central countryside of the Quang Nam province is breathtaking. I've been told that Vietnam is beautiful, but even that was an understatement. When we first got here we were able to visit Marble Mountain, huge outgrowths of Marble that were turned into gorgeous temples and shrines for worship.  The shrines and Buddha statues are built into countless hidden caves, it was easily of the most beautiful places I've visited, I felt like I had traveled through time. It was also a hiding place for the Vietcong during the Vietnam War and even today bears the bullet holes from the conflict.

Shrine carved out of Marble Mountain

The area I am currently blogging from is astounding with large lush rolling mountains framing bright green rice paddies that go as far as the eye can see. Amongst the paddies you can see farmers with conical hats leading huge water buffalo, it's just like the paintings and books described, except this is real!

The scenery is amazing, but it's the Vietnamese people that have impressed me so much during my trip. Everyone is super friendly, and unlike people that may come to Vietnam as tourists, I was lucky enough to be part of development efforts with Habitat for Humanity, where I worked directly with a family to build their home in the countryside in the city of Hiep Duc.

working hard to build homes

The family has been so warm, welcoming and appreciative. Our group and the family, including their extended relatives have manages to become close and build this house together despite cultural differences and almost no language communication. The youngest son of the family is a riot, and always comes up to us with a huge mischievous smile on his face.

After building 2 days ago, we decided to play volleyball with the locals, and the entire neighborhood came out to watch us play. Vietnamese and American were on the same team, and we laughed, shouted and kicked ass at Volleyball, while some Habitat team members ended up getting bombarded with children, who wanted piggy back rides and their pictures taken, with the requisite peace sign (every kid throws up a peace sign when i take their picture, it's hilarious and really cute).

The son of the family we biult with

And last night was  pretty crazy finally to my team and I's last night in Hiep Duc. Government officials threw what can be best describes as a mini concert where our Habitat crew and locals had a on stage cultural echange of music, singing and other talents. A teacher and local government officials sang songs in Vietnamese, while Roberto and I did a capoeira demonstration, our team leader Janet led the crowd in a stirring rendition of "head, shoulders, knees and toes", and our entire team came together for an acapella version of "Eye of the Tiger".

dancing around the fire

The pinnacle of the night was when cultural dancers (whom I think were indigenous) has us  join them in a dance around a huge bonfire. All of this was unexpected, I don't even think our team leader knew about the bonfire dance. While the fire was still raging, we were asked to join in a ceremonial drinking of rice wine with locals and Vietnamese government officials. Drinking rice wine out of a huge vat with a government official across from me with a raging bonfire behind me was probably one of the most surreal moments of my life...and it was awesome.

chugging rice wine with government officials

Today is our last day in Hiep Duc, I will be sad to leave, I know that we will miss the families and they will miss us. We bonded, sweating while digging, laying bricks, and making mortar can do that. I am grateful for Habitat San Francisco's involvement in Vietnam. Our chapter gives more money to Vuietnam than any chapter in the world. Not only do we take trips to build homes here, we provide $100,000 in donations with each trip. $100,000 can build many more homes in Vietnam than can ever be built in the US with that money. It is good to know that the contribution of so many of my friends who have helped me fundraise is helping to make the building of homes for families in Vietnam a sustainable cause.

Our Habitat for Humanity group, from SF to Vietnam!

Off to the historic city of Hoi An, then to beautiful Halong Bay and then Hanoi. I can't wait.

Oh and also

I love Vietnam!!

A Warm N' Fuzzy Fundraising Story

Asking for money is probably one of the most awkward experiences I can imagine. I was the little girl who never sold the most girl scout cookies, who didn't sell anything from catalogs that my elementary schools had students hawk out, I just didn't want to ask because it is AWK-WARD

And 6 months ago I decided that I wanted to go to Vietnam to build homes for rural families in need with Habitat for Humanity. That's all well and good, but it meant that I had to raise 2500 to go there. 2500 dollars...to be raised by the girl who hated hawking girl scout cookies, easily one of the most sell-able products in history.

I felt overwhelmed with the undertaking, and though it's a great cause, I almost immediately regretted taking it on. I was overwhelmed about raising the full amount and petrified of the potential rejections that were looming in the horizon.

I know, my mantra should have been to think positive, but I'm a realist, and the amount was daunting. I looked at other members of Habitat who had taken on this task. Many were board members who were successful and self-funded, or had connections to other successful people who could donate. Habitat staff and Americorp volunteers that went last year often had their parents chip in. I love my parents, but that was not a possibility in my case.

This led to a lot of tossing and turning at night wondering how any of my goals were going to be accomplished regarding this trip. I knew it was a good cause, I helped with Habitat in college, and Roberto is currently working with Habitat through Americorp (it is through him that I joined the effort). I wanted to help and have the experience, but getting there would be a journey for sure.

Journey?

And it has been. However, instead of a crushing horizon of rejection, I received wave after wave of support. This support was not given in huge donations by rich folk. It was given by my best friends, friends new and old, from different coasts, countries and even by people I had just met. To say I was surprised is an understatement; I was floored. Most of my friends are in the same boat as me, working in the non-profit sector or in the early stages of their careers. It was emotional for me to see them give anyways,  as they wholeheartedly supported me from the beginning.

Together, my friends and I can accomplish anything...

I was touched by the ideas that friends came up with to support me. My good friend Brennan offered the idea to donate one of her yoga classes to this fundraising effort. She worked hard to put a class together and it was a success as friends and co-workers came out for yoga for a cause. Another friend of mine is a self published author who offered to set up a book sale and donate the proceeds. Seriously, I have awesome friends.

Also, while on the other side of the country on the East coast, I re-connected somewhat randomly with an old contact from my university I had lost touch with. I spoke with him briefly about my passion for human rights and about this trip. Afterwards, I flew back to California to find out later that he had donated hundreds of dollars to this trip.

Recently, I was flying back from a conference in Washington DC (see prior blog entry) and ended up sitting next to a young Army ranger who had just finished his basic training. We ended up talking for the entire trip (5 hours! but if you know me, this fact won't be surprising; hence the name of this blog) and exchanged contact information. A week later he let me know that he also wanted to contribute. My jaw dropped at the amount and tears came to my eyes. I was so surprised and touched, not just by the money, but by the kind note of support he included with his donation.

And that is really the point of this post. This experience was strangely enough, not about the money.  It was about the coming together of my personal community, of my network to wish me well and invest in my effort to go abroad to help others. THAT is what is amazing to me. Many of my friends were unable to support monetarily, but sent me e-mails wishing me well and encouraging me. Every positive word and genuine sentiment strengthened my resolve and filled me with gratitude.

Yes, that means YOU!

I will be leaving for my trip on February 24th and will be in Vietnam till March 10th. Deep in my heart, I feel as if this undertaking will only widen the doors of my commitment to making the world a better place. It is a commitment that is the foundation of my life and it is empowering to now have the opportunity to experience the act of helping in a country on the other side of the globe. I do not have that much international experience, growing up, my family did not have the money to travel, not even to my parents home country of Bangladesh. But I have always dreamed of experiencing the world, its people, its cultures, sharing in its triumphs and tragedies. I want to experience humanity, because for me, I look past language, geography and even cultural differences to see the connections within, the connections that are so much stronger than many of us realize.

I do know the names and backgrounds of two of the farming families we will be helping. I cannot wait to meet them and work alongside them to help them build their new home. If they are comfortable, I hope that they will let me take their pictures and share their story and the story of their community with the world.

Click here to check out the Habitat Vietnam site =)

Vietnam will be a very new and exciting experience for me. Though I will be there for 2 weeks, I hope to take in this experience as richly as I can. I am in the process of connecting with some non-profits on the ground who may allow me to photograph with their permission. With their blessing, I would want to share the stories of human rights work happening on the ground in Vietnam.  Roberto and I are also hoping to use this build trip as a stepping stone to perhaps even orchestrate a build in Bangladesh, my parents home country, along with the NJ based development non-profit (Em)Power. We are sharing connections with this exciting group so this trip may open amazing new doors of opportunity for us to have a greater impact on the world.

I will be sure to share my experiences with you all soon (barring any internet connection issues). THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone for their kind words, monetary and spiritual support and encouragement. You all rock, and I cannot wait to pay this kindness forward.

THANK YOU so much, with your help, I will soon be on my journey (sans 80's hair band)