Hello from Alausí, Ecuador

Yesterday was another fun day in Quito. We rode the Teleférico to the top of the mountains again (spectacular and breathtaking views of Quito and the surrounding mountains and volcanoes), and then went to Mitad del Mundo - a monument on the equator. Today was a 7 hour bus ride, crammed full of people, from Quito to Alausí, far south of Quito but still in the Andes mountains. We were just dropped off on the roadside of the PanAmerican Highway high above the actual town and had to walk down, luggage and all, into the central area too look for a hotel. Alausí is a very small town set deep within a small valley surrounded immediately by towering barren mountains. It really resembles a wild west sort of town. Tomorrow morning we will catch a train here that will take us through the ¨Nariz del Diablo¨ - the Devil´s Nose - which is supposedly one of the most spectacular train rides in the world. Afterwards, the train should return to Alausí. Then, Friday evening, we will have to either return to Quito, or find a bus to Guayaquil, because those are the only two cities that have international bus terminals (apparently) with service to Peru. The bus ride from Guayaquil to Lima is around 24 hours, and therefore would be much longer from Quito to Lima. Another option would be to return to Quito and then fly from there to Lima. We´re still looking in to all the options.

Hello from Quito, Ecuador

My brother James and I arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, late Monday evening. We are staying in a Hostelling International youth hostel. So far in our first full day here we have seen the colonial and historical center of the city, Plaza de la Independencia, a few cathedrals (one of which we climbed to the top of one of the towers for a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding city), and rode the teleférico (cable car) to the top of a mountain - probably over 10,000 feet. Quito sits in a valley at over 9,000 feet in the Andes mountains, and is surrounded by several snowcapped volcanic peaks. It has been quite cool here compared to Alabama, in the mid-50s to low-60s. Tomorrow we may visit a monument on the actual equator and some other sights. We´re heading south out of Quito on Thursday, but don´t know yet specifically where to. But we do have to be in Lima, Peru, by Sunday.

New York City

Well, I just got back from a jaunt to New York City yesterday. My youngest brother was doing some auditioning for various things, so we stayed in his hotel room. We left early Sunday morning - July 2 - and got back yesterday afternoon. This was my third time there. Monday we took a cruise all the way around Manhattan Island and saw many interesting sights including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, United Nations, the many bridges, as well as the general scenery of Manhattan. Then we looked around in Central Park - specifically Strawberry Fields. That evening we met for dinner and went to a fancy Mexican restaurant. The guacamole prepared right at the table from fresh ingredients is delicious. That night we all went up in the Empire State Building.
Tuesday, Independence Day, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chinatown, Little Italy, and then saw the fireworks show from Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan Island.
Wednesday we went on a tour of the United Nations - something I've always wanted to see as I've had an interest in the organization for some time. We also saw the Museum of Natural History, which was absolutely spectacular with all its rooms and displays from different regions around the world.
Thursday we rode the train back out to Long Island and flew home on Southwest Airlines.

Also, Thursday evening, one of my Aunt's friends from Thailand - but Chinese - was cooking Chinese food for my other brother and some of his friends, so we went as well. All the dishes were quite delicious!

My other brother and mom get home from NYC this afternoon.

Now I have to get ready for another trip. Monday morning, one of my brothers and I leave for Ecuador, with subsequent travel to Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico - in all totalling about five weeks. I'm extremely excited!

More on Geographic Illiteracy - Another Op-Ed I Wrote

Well, here is a link, if you're interested, to another op-ed I recently wrote, which was published today:

May 04, 2006 - Geographic Knowledge in America is Severely Lacking

Be forewarned that it was written rather hastily in order to get it published in a timely fashion. This was particularly the case after all the news the other day on the disturbing findings of the National Geographic survey.

In response to certain "anonymous" comments made about my views on migration and immigration to the United States, I would like to refer back to two op-eds I wrote a while back:

( March 26, 2006 - Debate on Immigration Should Consider Underlying Issues )
( December 20, 2005 - Enforcement-Only Immigration Bill Ignores Underlying Issues )

Perhaps these will help to clear up a few things. But, at the very least, if I cause one to pause and consider something from a different angle or perspective than what they are used to or familiar with, then I feel I have succeeded in my original intent of writing these.

Geographic Illiteracy

I just came across the following article, Study: Geography Greek to young Americans, and found it both interesting and disturbing considering the prominent role the U.S. plays around the world:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/05/02/geog.test/index.html

Here is an article about the same story directly from National Geographic:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/0502_060502_geography.html

The decisions and actions made and taken by the United States play a profound role and have a great impact in many local places and lives around the world. I think it might be important for U.S. citizens to at least be cognizant of who, what, and where is/are affected by the actions of our country.Here are the results of the actual survey/report:
http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/findings.html

and if you would like to test your own knowledge through a twenty-question sample of the survey questions, then go here:
http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/question_01.html

And here is an excerpt from http://www.worldhum.com/
"Where's Iraq?
Although we Americans are famously lacking in world geography knowledge, there has always been one surefire way we could learn a country’s place on the map: by attacking it, or at least intervening in its affairs. When that happens, our newspapers feature little regional maps with the country colored black, and our TV news shows offer up little glowing maps in the right-hand corner of our television screens. This is how we learned that Vietnam is a nation in Southeast Asia, and that Nicaragua is a small country in Central America. But now, sadly, even this extreme educational method is failing. Reports CNN: “After more than three years of combat and nearly 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Iraq, nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 still cannot find Iraq on a map, a study released Tuesday showed." The National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Study states that it coincides with the launch of the National Geographic-led campaign called ‘My Wonderful World.’
http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/
A statement on the program said it was designed to ‘inspire parents and educators to give their kids the power of global knowledge.’”

May Day - Specifically "National Day Without An Immigrant" Day

Well, I spent much of the day at World's Fair Park participating in the local events of the National Day Without An Immigrant. Across the nation, immigrant workers took the day off to congregate at various public places in support of real immigration reform. Everyone was asked to bring their own food from home so people would not have to purchase anything today.

http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/

I had a nice view of the turnout from a bridge before decending into the park. There were probably around 1,000 people who showed up - mostly Hispanic, with a few other immigrants as well as others like myself. My families were there, spread out on blankets on the grass eating in picnic lunch style fashion. At one point I was invited to sit with a family and they offered me some of their food. I ate a tamale (I think) wrapped in a corn husk with corn meal, beef, and sauce on the inside. It was very delicious. I also got a little Spanish practice in. Everyone was very nice.Throughout the day various Latin style music was played from a stage, and every now and then someone would offer a speech in spanish followed by english (or in english with spanish translation). There were many community leaders and immigrant's rights leaders who spoke as well as numerous local church leaders. One church leader who spoke really hit the nail on the head. His speech boiled down to the following statement/idea: If the almighty dollar can pass freely across borders (NAFTA/free trade) without papers or passports from one country to another, then we ought to give people - human beings - that same freedom. In other words, people should have at least the same rights that we give to dollars.

Throughout the day I think I only saw four anti-immigrant people (two couples) protesting the rally. One couple was standing across the street, waving an American flag and holding two signs which stated: "Secure Our Borders Now!" and "Immigrants Go Home!". The other couple walked right over and planted themselves right next to me, but I quickly moved away from them. They simply held one sign that read "Illegals are not Americans!". Well, in stating "illegals" I'm sure they were referring to the many Hispanic/Latino people coming to our country. But they tend to forget that anyone born anywhere within the Western Hemisphere is an "American". The Western Hemisphere is "The Americas". I told them that and they said that hadn't occurred to them but that they guessed they agreed with that and thought they should probably change their sign. They saw the t-shirt I was wearing which states "¿Dónde están nuestros derechos, dignidad y justícia para todos?" -- "Where are our rights, dignity, and justice for all?" They asked how could I possibly feel that way as someone who is from the USA. Well, for starters, I'm not a hateful bigot. I am a Christian. I'm educated about the whole thing. I understand the micro and macro economics of why immigrant workers come to the U.S. and why they are needed here. I understand that we are living in an era of globalization - in a global economy where every place is practically interdependent with most other places. I know that without immigrant workers (or any low-wage workers, due to the capitalist nature of our culture) we would be paying an exhorbitant amount for all of our food products (as well as many other goods and services), making rising gas prices the least of our concern. Immigrants definitely do not take jobs away from "hard workin' Americans" - on the contrary; research shows that in fact immigrant jobs create additional jobs. Research shows that immigrants do pay taxes, they contribute to the U.S. economy by buying and purchasing just like everyone else. On average, immigrants have a much lower default rate on loans than most Americans do. I could go on and on and on here. Documented or undocumented, the United States needs immigrant workers to contribute to its economy, helping to sustain our way of life. Most importantly, we are all the same - we are all human beings. This reminds me of a quote by John F. Kennedy: "And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal." - from President Kennedy's Commencement Address at American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963.Later, many other people also began to gather around the anti-immigrant couple to continue the civilized debate. That quote by Kennedy reminds me of another (I do like quotations), also from the same speech he gave:"'There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university,' wrote John Masefield in his tribute to English universities - and his words are equally true today. He did not refer to spires and towers, to campus greens and ivied walls. He admired the splendid beauty of the university, he said, because it was 'a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see.'" - from President Kennedy's Commencement Address at American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963.
http://www.humanity.org/voices/commencements/speeches/index.php?page=jfk_at_american
This may also be one of the many reasons why I am studying for a career in academia.

Well, at any rate, it was another experience I was glad to have been a part of - despite the sunburn I received. I hope to continue to participate in events such as this in the future, particularly in support of immigrant's rights and a real reform to our country's broken immigration system.