The Thing About Blogging...

Is that it's addictive. Maybe I've written about that before but that's another thing about blogging, I don't always recall what I've written (but maybe that's just me). When I get into the vibe I'm blogging all the time but mostly in my head. I think of exciting topics and witty titles. Usually I don't get as far as actually posting them online. That's the mommy syndrome of being needed 24/7 but that again is a whole different story.

Things That Make Me Go Aaargh!

Public complaint over breastfeeding in public, especially after the fact. Oh come on, when did breast milk become equated with other bodily fluids/solids? Why would babies, who are completely dependent on others for their survival, not be allowed to feed in the same surroundings as other human beings, ie. kitchen, living room, restaurant, or cafe? A baby care room, or bedroom, why not. But a toilet, especially a public one, is as disgusting in thought as in practice. I can't believe Finns are so estranged from (human) nature that breastfeeding, namely the location for, is under debate. A couple of days ago, a group of moms in Helsinki organized a flash mob of breastfeeding at the central railway station. Not an event I would necessarily join since I have no interest in public feeding per se, but reading people's online comments about the event made me, well, angry. I can understand, and agree, with people's wish to avoid bare boobs everywhere but when it comes to the most fundamental need of a baby... let's just put it this way that fundamental needs for survival come before societal preferences. Especially here in the developing world, you cannot expect - or ever want to suggest - that mothers would go feed their babies in public toilets or 'out of public view' (what is that anyway, a dark alley!?). First of all, encouraging poor mothers to breastfeed is crucially important. It saves lives! Breast milk is always clean. It is always properly 'mixed' ie. it's not dangerously diluted with filthy water. It's (usually) always available. For free. It saves money and it saves lives. Now, as great as breastfeeding is, public toilets (or any sort of toilets) are not the place to take a baby here (nor elsewhere). First of all, it's usually horribly hot so the liquid you're providing your baby with is only enough to balance out with the amount the baby's losing in sweat while feeding. Secondly, toilets are filthy, especially here in the tropics. Thirdly, there aren't many public toilets around in the first place. Fourth, dark wet spaces attract disease carrying mosquitos, including ones that spread potentially lethal malaria and dengue. Aargh!! To answer your possible question, yes, I've breastfed in nasty toilets here and elsewhere. And each time I come out feeling the greater fool for succumbing to social pressure (usually of my imagination, only). It is such a fundamental issue. Babies first!

Death of Cambodia's Grandfather King

Two nights ago Cambodia's former king Norodom Sihanouk passed away at the age of 89. Sources say he died of a heart attack in Beijing where he had been living for years receiving treatment for cancer. His body was flown back to Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon with thousands of people gathered along the capital's streets to pay their respects to their respected king. 

www.guardian.co.uk 

www.newyorker.com

Orange Ghost Town

Phnom Penh is almost eerily quiet as the country celebrates P'chum Ben, one of its most important Buddhist festivities. Basically it's a 15 day period where families remember their loved ones who have passed away and pay their respects to ancestors. This coming Monday and Tuesday are public holidays so most people spend the long weekend out of town, in their native villages (locals) or at a holiday destination (foreigners). Throughout the two weeks, families visit wats, or Buddhist temples, and give offerings of food to the monks. On every street corner you can see ready-made offering hampers, filled with everything from soft drinks to cookies. It's easy enough buying one of those pastel-colored cellophane-wrapped baskets but many families also cook full meals to give to the monks. It's quite a sight at the wat to watch tens of monks in their orange robes sitting on the floor eating, while the women who have cooked sit against the walls watching. Most women dress in traditional silk skirts and lace shirts. It's a visually inspiring scene.

This year we're spending P'chum Ben very quietly ourselves. After all, the most relaxing break is the easiest break and staying at home can't be beat on that front! ;) So relaxing... making no plans whatsoever. This morning the boys, the dog, and I took a long walk in the quiet neighborhood, admiring butterflies. Brown, orange, and yellow butterflies, all over. Beautiful. As my older son says, "sun colored."

Orange. The sun. Appreciation. Family.

Political Activation

A part of me wishes I could vote in the upcoming US presidential elections. Simply because I have made my choice over candidates and currently follow the presidential as well as vice presidential debates with (moderate) interest. Another congruent argument for my vote is that US presidential elections impact the world. Shouldn't we all be heard about what we have to say about the potential leader of the world's superpower? As a member of the human race I have something to say about what happens in my backyard, let's just put it that way.

There is truth, and a point, in confessing that I followed my own nation's presidential race with the same amount of interest. Not fervent, not even diligent. Being an anthropologist, participant observation would probably be the best fitting term. I observe (as opposed to e.g., lobbying) and I participated (cast my vote into Finland). Looking back at how the last elections went in Finland, I missed out on quite a bit by not being in the country at the time. There was nearly unprecedented public activism that the second runner-up stirred during the last days before the voting. I'm sure the hype affected the votes of quite a few, in favor of the guy who, despite that, didn't win. Anyway, the world will seem different if the next years are Obama years or Romney ones. Even though I can't vote for one or the other, this time I'd like to be a bit prepared. I want to know at least the basic facts about these candidates, and read a bit about their personal stories. Who are they?

I felt proud when Finland elected Tarja Halonen, a woman, as president in 2000. I felt elated when I watched Obama's inauguration ceremony in 2009. It was a Tuesday, January 20. (I just checked!) I remember sitting on our old blue couch with my first born son, only 2.5 weeks old, in my arms and thinking he has been born into a special time in world history. The first black president had just been chosen to lead the United States.

So with a touch of personal history at play I look at these US elections with some emotion. I don't have a sense of who Mitt Romney is yet. And Obama and I go a long(er) way ;) And now that I hear he, Obama, is on his way to visit my city of current residence (Phnom Penh) next month (!!), I'm pretty excited for team Obama. I then noticed with self-cycling interest that I take criticism against the man a tad personally! Whoever's going to blame the President better have their facts straight, is all I'm saying.

Until I realized it's not my vote. If the American people want to elect the reincarnation of Walt Disney, it's their fundamental right to do so. How would I feel and react if my, say, Chinese friends told me that my favorite Finnish presidential candidate was a joke? Probably with a "it's none of your business" reply. So follow elections with interest - yes. Get all wound up in emotional debate with American friends - no. To back my decision, I did not comment on a friend's strange anti-Biden Facebook comment. Though I'm still tempted to...!

Anyway, the actual difference between the real-time presidential decision-making may not end up being so huge between Mitt and Barack, a source of mine says. Romney's not Bush after all. And my focus is mainly on foreign policy, anyway. My Republican friends may have a reason to be fed up with Obama's national issues, I honestly don't know.

Should I know? I don't even know that. But what I do know is that none of us, not one of us on Earth, should downplay our power to influence. Caught in the middle of the day-to-day grind, it's so easy to focus so closely on what is immediately in front of us that we don't look up and see the larger picture. Sometimes all it takes is a glance at the horizon, a short daydream, or the decision to go ahead and try.

It doesn't have to be party membership or even a visible public role. But human interaction always involves a degree of power and influence, over our children, towards our friends, our neighbors... The key, I think, is to think about how we do that. What do we want to pass on to our kids on the daily scale, what is the legacy we want to leave on the "horizon" scale?

Dream Team

I have several things in common with two of the world's most influential people. Firstly, I'm a person ;) I live in the World. Not influential though. Or influential to a limited degree (more on that later).

Who are these two persons of influence? Two men - unfortunately, since I'd love to claim this link of influence to at least one woman (will have to work on that and search harder).

Barack Obama and Jim Yong Kim. Respectively, the president of the United States (as I hope you are aware) and president of the World Bank (you really should know this one too).

What do we have in common?

Jim Yong Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. I lived in Seoul as a kid!!
Jim Yong Kim is an anthropologist (and a physician). I have a master's in anthropology too!! (He has a PhD.)

So exciting!









Going on to Obama.

Barack Obama lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, as a kid. So did I, as a teenager!
Barack Obama's mother was an anthropologist...







See? We are the Dream Team ;)

Down Under