Living the Life

my hands are pretty cold. might be because i am sitting up at some 9,000 feet above sea level. and yesterday i was actually on a train that at one point reached 15,000 feet. that is higher than any peak in colorado if i am not mistaken. oh yeah, and i didn't bring a jacket. boy, i'm smart. j is relieved to be outta the 'jing where we spent a good two and a half weeks or something...note to anyone traveling in beijing... beijingxan is the main train station and beijingxi is beijng west station. they are 40 minutes apart. when you are sitting in the middle of the beijing main station at 8:47 and your train is leaving from the beijing west station at 9:30 and the tickets are sold out for the next 10 days, you get a whole lot closer to God. it's also a good idea to tell your taxi driver to drive like he means it. we were the last people on the train... but we are here now and loving the mountain scenes, the people and our new pace of life so much different than the 'jing. everything is fabulous here in tibet...

In big cities around the world, it is common that crowded public transit systems become a popular venue not only for pick-pocketing, but also for molestation not exclusively victimizing females. Although I have heard many individuals both female and male talk about experiencing this firsthand, when asked what they did in response, I usually only hear something like "what could I do?"

The reality is that in general, Asians are very slow to instigate confrontation out of fear of losing face. Thus, while fear of reporting various abuse also occurs in the west, Asia has an astounding number of rape, abuse and molestation cases that go unreported.

Today, I was on a subway going into town during peak hours when a woman not more than 30 was molested by a younger man in a business suit near us. Despite the ridicule of onlookers, this woman took action in a way I have never seen any Asian woman do in my life. Lucky for her, we were in the front car standing about 10 feet from the driver's cabin, so she marched right up and began pounding on the door. Of course the driver and his assistant ignored her, but that didn't stop the woman. Shaking with the trepidation that was all too reminiscent of my own blow out incident with a man in a cafe in Kathmandu, she began shouting at the man for all those around to know what he had done. Whispers and hushed laughter surrounded her, but she didn't stop. She got right on the phone and called what I presume was the subway safety number posted on the window and reported the incident. By the time we got to the next stop, officers were waiting to escort the victim and the offender off of the car.

I was so proud of that woman for standing up for not only herself, but for all women who quietly accept atrocities.

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost

A couple of acts worth mentioning are on tour or going on tour... So, you might want to check 'em out if they are coming to your area.

****Ethan Durelle do what they do all around Tejas for their Talks to the Dark Tour.****

****Ryan Horne mostly livin it up in Georgia, but also some other states in the area. I especially loooooooove the song Gypsy Girl!****

****And last but certainly most definitely not the least... an iPod favourite that gets played on the regular, The Cobalt Season in random states scattered from the West to the East and then back again.****

The words Government and Prostitute have the same pronunciation in Korean... Interesting.

Don't tell anyone this... but this lil' feminist loves taking advantage of a little chivalry. J's been sleeping on a wooden "couch" (that's Asian style) for the last week while I sleep in a nice comfy bed. I am lovin' it.

So here I am... blogging again... but the stories from life in China will come in greater detail at a later date.

On the way to China. With J. Computer Problems that make you wanna just throw it out the window. Unavailable for a few weeks. Maybe. Nothing is ever sure.