Global LGBT acceptance in the eyes of a drag queen

The loud music, flashing lights, exquisite over the top costumes, and incredible makeup was a lot to take in for a first time drag show attendee.  With stuffed tissue paper in my ears to adjust the sound to a more bearable noise level, I sat back and enjoyed a two hour cabaret performance unlike anything I could have ever anticipated.

As a tourist in Thailand coming across a ladyboy, or transvestite, is an everyday encounter.  A book by Genny Beemyn titled, Transgender History in the United States says a transvestite is an individual who is, “Overcome with a feeling of peace, security and exaltation, happiness and well-being . . .when in the clothing of the other sex.”

Because ladyboys are so accepted in Thai society they live normal lives, have good occupations and are rarely discriminated against.  This acceptance of the LGBT community might have something to do with the country’s predominately Buddhist values of reincarnation and equality.  However, Chiang Mai local Jennifer Leeper has a different opinion on the topic.

“It is a complicated and touchy subject,” she said, “ladyboy culture is so huge and common because it is glamorized in Thai society.  Take Cabaret shows for example- the performers are celebrities.  It’s like a long living fad.”

Whatever the reason behind the vast and growing ladyboy community might be, it is eyeopening to see how accepting people are of people unlike themselves in another country.  Personally I would have to say that Thailand is far more advanced in the acceptance of the transgender community than the United States.

I had the privilege of studying abroad in Thailand with my friend Richie Kelly who is a third year Business Administration major at Cal Poly.  Kelly, is very involved with the drag community in San Luis Obispo and has participated in many shows put on by both companies in the Santa Maria area as well as through the Cal Poly Queer Student Union.

Unfortunately, due to political issues, Kelly says Cal Poly stopped putting on drag shows; however, him and a friend are currently in the process of forming an on campus club that would be able to reinstate drag shows and serve as a safe space for any student interested in drag.

In the video below, Kelly sheds light on how the acceptance of the LGBT community varies from country to country and the significant role drag plays in pushing for change here in the United States.

The reality behind the “perfect” photo

An article by travel blogger Nikki Vargas published in the Huffington Post touches on the rise of the anti-travel bloggers and what to expect.

Vargas describes this movement as, “A trend marked by female bloggers who don’t care if their hair is blow dried straight before hiking to Machu Picchu, who don’t give a damn if their makeup is flawless when learning how to surf in Mexico, who write about social responsibility and important cultural issues over posts about what’s in their carry-on bag.”

These female bloggers despise the travel bloggers that place a higher emphasis on capturing the perfect photo, then focusing on the social, cultural, and economic issues taking place all over the world.

I have to admit- I am a sucker for those “perfect” travel posts and often find myself more consumed with taking photos than enjoying the present moment.

In a follow up blog post, Vargas pokes fun at some of her travel photos and gives the reader insight into what it really took to capture that perfect image.  Below is my favorite example.

 

“Oh dear reader, I can’t begin to tell you how utterly annoying it was to capture this particular travel photo. First off, this is a sponsored post for a campaign I had signed up for via my blogger network. The night before the campaign was due, I realized in horror that I had to post my photo by 10am the next morning. At 11pm, I grudgingly changed out of my pajamas, put on make up and asked my wonderful boyfriend to please assist me in the taking of this photograph.

Now, because it was nighttime, my boyfriend (who is a filmmaker) had to use his fancy set lights in order to provide sufficient lighting for the photo. Setting up the lights required moving furniture and setting up the equipment. Then, in order to capture the necklace (which was the main point of this sponsored post), my boyfriend and I spent the next half hour trying different angles until we finally got this photograph. By the time this photo was taken, I was aggravated, exhausted and sweating from the set lights. Of course, looking at this picture you would never guess at the inconvenience it caused,” she said.

Behind every flawless travel photo there are countless other shots capturing the small imperfections that the reader never gets to see.

My little taste of Thai

Chicken pad thai is an American favorite when it comes to eating Thai food in the United States but believe it or not, pad thai is not as common as one would think it would be in Thailand.

While studying abroad, I searched all over for a restaurant serving my favorite Thai dish.  I soon came to realization that it was only offered in mainly tourist restaurant locations.  It is an Americanized Thai meal that Thai locals know tourists will be on the lookout for.

I did happen to take a cooking class at Chiang Mai University in Thailand that taught us how to prepare the dish. It was definitely a trip highlight.

Regardless of whether or not pad thai is authentically Thai, it is still delicious and one of my all time favorite dishes.

How to make chicken pad thai (in 25 Seconds)

 

TripAdvisor’s halt on ticket sales to animal attractions spotlights elephant rescue centers

TripAdvisor is to cease selling tickets to animal attractions where tourists come into physical contact with wild or endangered species. Such animal attractions include but are not limited to elephant riding, tiger petting, and swimming with dolphins.

TripAdvisor has also said that it will only continue to sell tickets to certain attractions once animal welfare practices are reviewed and deemed acceptable.

“At the same time, we want to celebrate those destinations and attractions that are leaders in caring for animals and those in the tourism industry who help further the cause of animal welfare, conservation and the preservation of endangered species,” TripAdvisor’s CEO Stephen Kaufer said.

Chiang Mai, Thailand’s Ran-Tong Elephant Save and Rescue Center is amongst one of the many animal attractions hoping to make TripAdvisor’s approved list.

At Ran-Tong the elephants are rescued from being used for logging or from cruel camps where they had to carry a seat on their backs. Taking care of elephants is extremely costly which is why Ran-Tong implemented a tourist attraction aspect to bring in revenue.

Elephant tour guide and caretaker Tawatchai Manorak says that riding the elephants bareback does not hurt them but that tourists are only allowed to ride the elephants after spending three hours bathing and bonding with the elephant. The elephant then has to lift its leg to allow the tourist to climb up and ride it. If the elephant does not consent, no ride is given.

 

Shay Klauer (right) and I at Ran-Tong in Chiang Mai, Thailand where we met elephant caretaker Manorak in person and spent the day with the elephants.

 

A Q&A session below with Manorak shed light on the animal welfare at Ran-Tong’s Rescue Center.

Q: How are your elephants trained?

A: Actually all adults were trained before because they were born in the camps or the villages somewhere in the northern region of Thailand so at Ran-Tong they train them like a pet for example- asking them to do something then giving them treats.

 

Q: What is that relationship between the elephant and the trainer like?

A: I feel like the elephants are not only their pets but they are like a very important part of their life because they are working together, listening to each other and being a family so for me they are like friends, siblings or more than that.

 

Q: Do you use heavy chains on the elephants?

A: To be honest, at Ran-Tong we are using chains sometimes but lightweight ones because we are only using them for safety. Not only elephant to elephant safety but also elephants to tourists or the local farms or villages nearby.

 

Q: How large is the elephant’s habitat at the rescue center?

A: Now I’m not very sure about large of the property exactly but the whole space is by far enough for the elephants to not feel crowded.

 

Q: Would you say your elephants are happy at the rescue center?

A: I can say they are happier than many camps I have seen before especially in my own village where they treat the elephants very badly. The elephants need people because all of them were around people originally so they are used to getting food or love from us unlike wild elephants.

 

Q: What makes Ran-Tong Elephant Rescue Center a better choice and different from other elephant centers?

A: Honestly I never ever say Ran-Tong is the best but it’s just better than the other camps because of the way we take care of our elephants, how much food we feed them a day, and our efforts to help more elephants that are treating very badly.

 

 

 

 

 

Why going green overseas is more important than ever

Shalyn Klauer (left) and I supporting local families in Cambodia by eating in their home restaurants.

Many have heard the quote, “Take only memories, leave only footprints.”  This quote is the reality of current travel- on one hand tourism brings economic success to the area but on the other hand it often diminishes the beauty that that location once held.

In an article by Nicki Vargas, founder and editor of the popular blog The pin the map project, Vargas discusses sustainable tourism.  Her list of tips on how to practice greener travel are listed below.

• “Aim to minimize your impact on the local environment by recycling, avoiding litter, being conscientious of your water use, electricity use, etc.

• Support small businesses by buying from local artisans and shops rather than chain retailers.

• Get to know the destination you are visiting, connect with locals and in turn you’ll be inspired to respect the local culture and customs.

• Educate others about sustainable tourism! Use social media and your respective blog to highlight destinations, local communities efforts and spread the word about greener travel.

• Consider group tours that support local communities and support a destination.

• Likewise, consider hotels that are eco-friendly and make an effort to minimize their impact on the local environment.

• Collect remaining change and local currency from your trip and donate it to a nearby cause,” Vargas says.

I experienced the benefit of practicing sustainable tourism firsthand while in Battambang, Cambodia.  In Cambodia many of the businesses, hotels, and restaurants have been taken over by immigrants and bought from the Cambodian people.  My study abroad group and I made an effort to stay at the few Cambodian owned hotels left in the country and eat at the local people’s restaurants out of their own homes rather than the chain restaurants.  My favorite meal of the trip was the traditional Khmer meal I ate on mats spread out on the floor of a local family’s home.

Travel is a beautiful thing that should be treated as such and as tourists, we can help keep the world greener by taking small steps to practice sustainable travel.

Click here to take The pin the map project in partnership with United Nation’s pledge to practice greener travel.

 

 

Students reflect on the November Paris attacks of 2015

Cal Poly students in Paris one day after the November terrorist attacks.  The Eiffel Tower went dark in memory of the more than one hundred victims who lost their lives.

In a restaurant in Paris less than two miles from the bombing at the Bataclan, four Cal Poly female students tried to remain calm while on an emergency lockdown during the November 2015 Paris attacks. One of these students, Nicole Madsen, made a phone call to her panicked parents in the states hoping it would not be her last.

“They locked the doors, they turned off all the lights, and shut the blinds. You could only leave if you lived nearby,” she said as they sat stricken.

When students study abroad they should be prepared for terrorist attacks. On this particular trip to Europe the students were prepped on what to do in case of an emergency situation but Madsen said she was not prepared.

Madsen noted that, while she and her friends were panicked during the lockdown, the rest of the restaurant seemed to be at ease until people realized what was going on.

“When the news report came out with how many people died, the entire restaurant went completely silent. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, she said.”

Soon after the restaurant was put on lockdown, the President of France closed the borders and declared a State of Emergency. Madsen and friends received immediate emails from their study abroad program asking them to respond with where they were and if they were safe.

“I remember responding that we were alive but on lockdown two miles from the bombing and whoever was on the email kept following up with us, checking in to make sure we were okay,” she said.

Madsen and her three friends were on lockdown for 6 hours. In that time she was able to make phone calls to friends and family and get herself into survival mode. She said she was focused on finding a safe way home and letting people know she was safe. Once it was announced that the police had the situation under control, they were able to leave.

“A lot of taxi drivers turned their meters off to get people home safely for free but we paid ours because he was risking his life. The four of us ducked in the cab the whole way home,” she said.

After reflecting on her emergency lockdown experience, Madsen said she had wished she paid more attention during the first day of classes when the students were taught emergency protocol while abroad.

“They taught us what to do on the first day but everyone was extremely jetlagged and not paying attention. You always think it won’t happen to you but it did to us and we weren’t ready,” Madsen said.

Anthropology professor Stacey Rucas has taken students on five Cal Poly study abroad programs and shed light on some of the efforts to prepare students for traveling abroad.

“Students have to attend sessions and do online lessons with video tutorials that instruct them about the political state of events in places they are going. They then have to answer quiz questions on what they watched,” she said.

Rucas also said that if the study abroad program is directly through Cal Poly Global Programs, the professors reside by the students and all excursions are done as a group to ensure safety.

“In Thailand, I live with students in the dorm on the same floor.  We go to classes together and travel together as a group with vetted service providers,” she said.

Even though there are always students with safety concerns Rucas reassures that safety measures are taken.

“Safety is greatly monitored.  I have daily contact with students every day of the program.”

 

 

 

Jolie film will shed light on Cambodian genocide of 1975

This photo depicts the Angkor Watt Ruins in Siem Reap, Cambodia as  of 2016 where the Khmer Rouge invaded in April of 1975.

A Netflix original film, ‘First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers’, directed by Angelina Jolie is expected to be released by the end of 2016.  This war film based on the heartbreaking memoir, “First They Killed My Father” by Luong Ung a Cambodian author and survivor of the Pol Pot regime will depict the war crimes and mass genocide of the Cambodian people from 1975 to 1979.

The Communist Party of Kampuchea, better known as the Khmer Rogue, invaded and took control over Cambodia in April of 1975.  During the Khmer reign anyone with an education, a government position, or an inability to completely hide their intellect and succumb to the Khmer Rogue was killed.  They sent non farmers to learn how to work in brutal conditioned working fields better known as the killing fields.

The Washington Post featured an article titled “Why the world should not forget Khmer Rogue and the killing fields of Cambodia” and further described the killing fields as,

“The sites where people were killed and buried…Those being killed were often hit over the head with clubs in a bid to save bullets. The Khmer Rouge’s attempts to create a completely self-sufficient agrarian society led to thousands of deaths from starvation and overwork, and a lack of imported medicine led many others to die unnecessarily from diseases like malaria.”

At the end of 1977 Vietnam and Cambodia were clashing and eventually the Khmer Rogue fled to the west where they received aid from China and Thailand.  In 1982 Vietnam helped create a new government in Cambodia- The People’s Republic of Kampuchea.  The Khmer Rogue lived on until 1999 when all of its leaders had been killed or arrested.

Prior to my trip to Cambodia this past summer I knew nothing about the Khmer Rouge takeover and the estimated 2-3 million lives that were killed due to the war but I quickly learned so much about this beautiful yet heartbreaking country in the short week I was able to spend there.

In addition to taking a class on Cambodia, our study abroad group was given a local tour guide to show us around the country all week. Upon arrival our tour guide told us that the Cambodian people are still recovering and dealing with the repercussions of the war.  Many current adults suffer from mental illnesses due to living through the Khmer Rouge regime as children so although the war is a crucial part of Cambodia’s history, our guide advised against discussing it with locals.  I was not planning on talking about it… until I met Sam.

It was 98 degrees fahrenheit and I was sweating bullets in my long sleeve shirt and linen pants which were required temple attire when I saw her.  She was standing smiling at her coconut popsicle booth and something about the heat and her endearing smile made me rush over.  Within a few minutes of talking to her she told me she was a Khmer Rogue survivor and lost both her parents in the killing fields and that she would never be able to get married because she did not have parents to pay her dowry.  I was speechless.  All of a sudden what I had been learning in class became far too real for me and at once I felt her sadness, her pain, her suffering and yet her bravery and hope for sharing this part of her life with a complete stranger.

Sam is just one of the many faces of Cambodia that I will never forget.  Even though she has experienced far more pain and suffering than anyone I have ever met, she still smiles and is hopeful for a new future for her country.

Travel is a luxury: plan accordingly

Many would argue that the number one issue with traveling is cost; however, there are many ways to budget and financially prepare for travel as best expressed in an article by EducationDynamics LLC titled Creating a Budget for Studying Abroad which states,

“Traveling is one of life’s luxuries – and luxury doesn’t come cheap. Whether, you’re traveling abroad to study or you’re traveling for pleasure, you’re bound to run into a few financial hurdles along the way. But if you make a plan – and stick to it – it may be possible to see the world without going broke.”

The cultural and intellectual growth gained from studying abroad is worth every penny spent but here are 6 basic steps to budget properly:

“1. Calculate your big picture number

2. Convert your currency

3. Figure out your needs

4. Get a student ID card or ISIC card to get discounted prices abroad

5. Figure out your wants

6. Manage your budget”

Understanding these basic steps and implementing them both before and during your travel will ensure a well managed budget and a happy traveler.