Kyoto: variety pack

Kyoto: Kiyomizu temple and Gion area. Kyoto is where Kazuyo (my friend and Bradford dorm hallmate) is from. I was there bringing to life many stories shared in the Revis Barber kitchen. I think it's pretty fair to say Kyoto is the cultural heart of Japan. It's the old capital city, before Tokyo.

Kyoto, Japan: a mountain temple, Ohara Sanzen-in, and a hillside cemetary

Osaka, Japan: On Tsukasa's day off, we went to Osaka. I like the interactive food culture in East Asia. Here we are making takoyaki (spelling?) - balls of batter and veggies hugging pieces of octopus. I showed a surprising aptitude for making the little things with the equivalent of an icepick. Ask Tsukasa - mine were better than his. Ha. Then we went to Osaka castle. You also see: Glutinous rice balls with sweet syrup and green tea; The god of commerce, which is Osaka's patron; This crazy place where you pay for the opportunity to just hang out with dogs. You know, pet them, throw a ball. Poor urbanites.

Kobe, Japan: I was sad to say goodbye to Mariko in Tokyo, but then happily I met Tsukasa in Kobe! (For those who don't have the privilege of their acquaintance, these are more Bradford folk.) 1) Doesn't it kinda look like a doll house? Parts of Japan are just SO neat and clean. 2) Temple 3) After you get your fortune, you can tie it to the trees at the temples. My fortune was something random, but surely deeply meaningful and profound (I can't really remember). 3) Okinomiake once again. 4) SEE - everyone likes Tabasco 5) Dumplings! 6) Kobe near the port 7) Strange and cute, there were at least 10 photographers enjoying this "living picture frame" 8) Kobe Tower and, in the foreground, a young rock band.

Tokyo: 1) Heather and Hello Kitty, a Japanese creation and obsession 2) I now dare any Westerner (who has not lived longterm in Asia like Mark and Tim) to challenge my chopstick skills! 3) We visited an art exhibit at UN university 4) I didn't see any sumo wrestlers in person, but here's a very nice pic at the train station near the sumo stadium 5) food, art - can you tell me the difference? 6) Here's where I make fun of Japanese people for loving to be naked. We went to the public baths, more crowded and less modest than the ones I visited in Istanbul 7) called a Super Bath because families and couples alike can run around commando between baths eating food and playing games! 8) Busiest area in Tokyo - Shinjuku; here's the intersection in front of the most profitable Starbucks in the world...ready, set... 9) ...Go 10) I can't really explain. But just to say I was just walking around a clothing store, and the person behind me is a real person with a LOT of make-up, and this is like a 'normal' part of some Japanese youth culture.

As much as I'd like to just surprise you folks in the U.S., especially Louisiana. I think it's only fair to let you know - I'm coming home! I've got some time in the UK first, then I fly to Washington, D.C. on May 7th. I stay there until May 29th when... I fly to New Orleans. Start up a roux somebody. XX

Tokyo (and Chiba and Shinurayasu): 1) My first Japanese pagoda 2) Asakusa temple 3) plus Japanese schoolgirls 4) Dinner with Mariko's family at her house in Chiba 5) My first Okonomiyaki, and Mari-chan made it! 6-8) The next day her dad celebrated tea ceremony with us. I really like the taste of the traditional green powder tea 9) Mariko's adorable nephew Takuto 10) Dinner in Shinurayasu at Mariko's school friend Shibako's house 11-12) Yes, more karioke. You don't know what you're missing. In Japan and Korea, you can rent a small room all to yourself. My brother says it's not as much fun as embarassing yourself in front of a whole bar. Both situations have their advantages, just sing!

Tokyo, Japan: 1) Still at baggage claim and Mariko hands me her phone with Tsukasa on the line. The two of them are a tag-team, crack-jack planners, and I was well-cared for from the moment I stepped off the plane. 2) Dinner with Mariko's Microsoft friends. 3-6) We woke up at 4 a.m. to make it to the famous Tsukiji fish market. This is tuna bidding. And a cute, old man decided I needed to dress as a tuna bidder for a photo. 7-10) Still at the fish market, breakfast could not be fresher. Really, this was probably the best sashimi I will ever have. 11) Even Hello Kitty likes Tsukiji. Look closely and you'll see her rubber boots and the motorized fish-cart vehicles that will RUN YOU DOWN if you're not careful, hehe.

Parting thoughts, Philippines: I spend about 6 weeks in Mindanao and exactly 2 months total in the Philippines. It was exactly what I wanted. I got to visit fabulous Bradford alumni, and I got to see and experience peacebuilding programs such as the types I wrote about in my dissertation. Plus, I got to eat mangos and see the ocean and met beautiful people. And I fit in pretty well insomuch as, well, for example, the CRS staff liked me simply as evidence that short Americans do exist. I had a moment of - what if I'm supposed to stay here. But seeing as no one actually offered me a job, only suggested that I stay...Wow, it was a good time, and I'm grateful to everyone I met. End of an era - I left behind my copy of Lonely Planet's "SouthEast Asia on a Shoestring."

Bantayan Island, Visayas region, Philippines: I left Mindanao and decided to have 3 days at the beach before leaving the Philippines. Now I'm just making you jealous. x

Zamboanga: Sr. Celine works in Lower Calarian, another neighborhood that is one of the poorest in Zamboanga. She gave me the tour starting with Silsilah's kindergarten classroom. When we opened the window, this was the view - the man fixing his boat, kids swimming, and the boy with his kite. This day was one of my favorites. The highlight was a conversation that I had with an Muslim elder who is a member of the neighborhood's "harmony council." Sr. Celine and I stopped to say hello outside the man's house and before I knew it chairs appeared for the three of us to sit in a vacant lot across the street. One of the first things he did was compare me to Fr. Sebastiano (who founded Silsilah) saying, "You're not afraid to come to these places." Soon there was a circle of children around us as well as an outer circle of young men who spoke so loudly about me that I had to lean forward to hear the gentleman speaking to me. I don't enjoy the celebrity quality of being foreign in the Philippines, but this was actually a very amusing situation. Perhaps because I enjoyed my white-haired friend so much. We talked about religion, of course. A bit about America's relationship to the Philippines. And my marriage prospects. After advising me not to settle for anyone who is not as educated as me, he said that he thought that if I found the right man it would not matter if he was rich or boy. Then he asked me with a grin, if I found the man to be the right kind of man, would I marry a Filipino? My response, "Yes, of course," met with loud cheers from our sizeable audience. And from the right side, shouts and pointing - "Here he is, this one, this one!" ..........Other two pics: Karioke is really under-appreciated in American culture, in my opinion; it's fun and good for the spirits even when, as here, you really don't know the song. Next is part of my 'despedita' (spelling?) or going away party; oh how I miss Filipino mango! It's the best in SouthEast Asia. Oh, one more random thing. I met an Iraqi in Zamboanga. How often do the non-uniformed American and Iraqi get a chance to chat war over a cup of Nescafe'? In the Philippines?

Santa Cruz Island, Zamboanga: I was a very lucky girl and many of the staff were jealous because not everyone gets to visit the school that Silsilah built on Santa Cruz Island. It's a famous spot in the water; Filipino lore has that it is an uninhabited island frequented only by marauding kidnappers. You are now in the privileged group that knows this is not the case. 1) Like a real island! 2) Fascinated by the color and clarity of the water 3) Ging is my faithful guide during my time with Emmaus. A saint for all the translating she did, for the constant need to explain my presence and answer random questions - How old is she? Does she have brothers and sisters? 4) Classroom 5) Ging talking with the principal. The rest are self-explanatory, except maybe the pink sand! ~ An effect of pulverized rare organ-pipe coral.

Zamboanga: Silsilah activities are a mix of education (about dialogue) and social services. 1) One of their preschool classes 2) Added to the list of small transportation modes in SouthEast Asia is the pedi-cab 3-4) A housing resettlement. Two communities, one Muslim and one Christian, were at different times relocated here by the goverment because of either fire or reclamation of private property by its owner. 5) A tiny women's co-op based in a building on the Emmaus site. A totally staged picture. We were straining ginger in the process of making tea powder. My hands burned the rest of the day.

Zamboanga: I only had 2-3 days with PAZ, then I moved to visit the Silsilah Dialogue Movement (Muslim-Christian). I had met one of the two priests there when I was in Manila, and he invited me to stay with them for (at least, he emphasized) 2 weeks. Silsilah does have a lot going on, so you're only gonna get highlights here, I'm afraid. Silsilah is very different in character from Catholic Relief Services so I able to experience some of the differences in religious peace organizations that I'd written about in my dissertation. 1) The main Silsilah space, called Harmony Village, is like a retreat center; there are many buildings - offices and accommodation - and an adjacent organic farm; I just liked this doorway 2) A second space is the Emmaus Dialogue Community - where a few lay consecrated (it's complicated) women live and work in one of the poorest parts of Zamboanga. 3) The laundry building at Emmaus where I amused one of my hostesses to no end with my amateur scrub and wring efforts. 4-5) My bed - I was used to the mosquito nets, but found the complete lack of cushion noteworthy.

Zamboanga: First, I visited Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ). Among other good stuff, PAZ started Mindanao Week of Peace, which grew from a local to a regional event including all of Mindanao. 1) A banner in their office - that's a map of Mindanao - cool, huh? 2) PAZ symbol - see the cross and the crescent 3) My host was PAZ administrator Sr. Emma. This is the church that is attached to her convent where I stayed for a night.

Zamboanga, Philippines: The next invitation that I accepted was to visit Zamboanga City. A CRS staff member was going anyway to visit some program partners, so I was lucky to be able to take the flight with him. 1) City square with signature sails displayed now in smaller form as banners 2) Fort Pilar shrine where Our Lady of the Pillar has been honored for over five centuries. The peace people here are proud that it is a place visited by Muslims and Christians (because many Muslims have great respect for Mary, and this place is a strong symbol for the city) 3) A small mosque, but my favorite; I passed it almost daily. 4) I like windshield shots; note the rearview window decoration - some form of which is in every Filipino car and taxi 5) Zamboanga has a great coastline, parts of which are well groomed for relaxation and local (and some hope soon international) tourism.