Nu drar vi.. snart hoppas vi i alla fall! Flyget är tydligen försenat på grund av att planet har fått flygförbud och Norwiegan måste ta in något annat plan. För se hur det blir med det hela..
Vi ska mellanlanda i New York och spendera nyår samt 2014s tre första dagar i staden. Sedan tar vi en Greyhoundbus mot Kanada och Ottawa. Om vi nu kommer iväg vill säga..
Vi är två mångfaldsstudenter, Hanna & Johanna, som ska plugga i Kanadas huvudstad Ottawa under vårterminen 2014.
Att Hanna valde att studera en termin utomlands var för att hon sedan länge har velat bo i ett annat land. Valet föll på just University of Ottawa för att hon ville få bredare perspektiv på till exempel genusfrågor samt förbättra sina engelskakunskaper. Johanna valde samma universitet i en förhoppning om att lära sig franska då universitet är tvåspråkigt samt att hon inte visste mycket om Kanada och var därför nyfiken på att ta reda på mer om världens näst största (till ytan) land.
I bloggen tänker vi skriva om både skola och fritid. Våra återkommande ämnen kommer med största sannolikhet handla om träning, vegetarisk mat och vardagliga betraktelser! Häng på!
Hanna & Johanna
Receiving a newsletter from a store, fashion label, human rights group and whatever you have sign up for to get a one-time-extra-discount and whatever you have sign up for when rushing through the streets of a busy city and got stopped by some teenager to sign something for a good cause, via mail is rather common. These constant mails, call them spam, inform you about important discounts or new arrivals or even if you should sign some petition to save the world from its utter evilness (means from us). However, after a time the inbox is filled with these kind of mails and it’s a mystery how some of the stores go you mail address. However, after a time the adverts just land directly in the bin and the attention is captured just by the tagline. Thus, the other day I got the weekly newsletter of some fashion label I used to buy my clothes from, I was about to delete it when I saw the headline:
‘We Know What Girls Want, We Know What Guys Like’
Well, I thought to myself ‘really?’ you know what I want, that’s interesting, so yes I clicked on it and voilà…
Obviously they didn’t know what I want, but I guess it’s a nice tagline to upset people like me. Hoping to be FINALLY enlightened in ‘what I want’
Nevertheless, my personal desires aside, I also noticed something else and I am pretty sure that I wouldn’t have noticed it some months ago.
Before I went to the University of Melbourne, before I took a class in Gender Politics.
Yes, this text will address feminism. So don’t stop reading. In fact, I was convinced to do it. When I first started studying the course ‘Sexual Politics’ at Uni Melbourne I thought
‘Why should I engage in this class? I AM a woman, I am naturally a feminist, I know what it is about!’
My friend showing provokingly her unshaved armpit and our courseliterature
Also, I had a quite strong belief that many so called feminist are totally against men, in a mystical sphere of overanalysing and self-pitying ; basically, that they are somehow crazy. In fact, if you type in ‘crazy feminist’ on Google images you will be surprised how many memes and pictures are ridiculing that movement. However, a friend of mine said that it wouldn’t hurt to attend the course and she believed that I should go. Another thing that stroked me when I discussed it with her was something that some people would undeniable call a female reaction.
I was scared. I was scared that I might find out that feminist are not crazy, that they have a point, and that I not just belonged to the biological sex which is supposed to be weak, but also that I wasn’t doing anything against it, that I was laughing about jokes which were sexist, but hey ‘it’s just a joke’, that I was one of the girls which laughed with the guys when a sexist joke was outspoken and that I judged the girls who weren’t, that I looked at them and said:’ what a prude’.
I do have the strong but strange feeling that many women do feel like this, and that so many men don’t what to have the feeling of being ‘the evil one’ maintaining the system.
How stunning it is, how personal feminism is; as nowadays the decline of state-identity men and women tend to search for another identity-pool which is mostly to be a man or to be a woman, thus the theory (which was widely supported in the 60s) is instead condemned by ridiculing it, or by claiming it is too extreme. The radical voice is always the loudest, so in which theory don’t you hear about the radical views first?
Back to the newsletter I got the other day from the fashion label; the ad suggested that girls want:
Make-up
Hand- Bags
Nailpolish
Nailstickers
a hair straighter
Shoes
Trendy clothes
Feminine watches
and a book about fashion.
Guys liked (notice how the brand knows what girls want whilst they just know what guys like)
A pencil case
Shoes
Clothes
Two wallets
A case to put your eventual writings in it (uh wait, that could be something for for me but ahh.. no. that not what I would want.)
Headphones
A watch
2 books about hobbies
1 comic
… well, of course it could be claimed that there is no difference and of course it could be said that this choice of products is based on demand, but then again:
That’s not the point is it? The point is that girls just want something which includes looks, whilst guys like something which includes action, includes reading something with content (not just plain picture of how you are supposed to look), having something which has an actual purpose: headphones-to listen to music, writing utensils, a wallet to put all themoney in which is earned.
Clearly, as a girl I wish to have more choice and my choice to study feminism brought me closer to this wish.
Since July I am wandering through the majestic campus of the University of Melbourne. Surprisingly, my time here at University will soon be over and I have one last challenge to master:
The examination period (a little thunder would fit remarkably after this sentence).
The courses have their final exams in November and the students here are becoming slightly nervous. If not to say: they are panicking! Every morning I witness hysteric students at the university libraries, struggling to maintain a good position in front of the doors so they can get a seating place in the library with access to a plugin. I witness angry comments at the universities Facebook page condemning all students which are ‘blocking’ precious plugin access while just reading or making notes, seating at a plugin-place without using the plugin is not tolerated easily. I witness threats, like spilling holy Latte Macchiato over fellow students to get access to a university computer. I witness how every screen is structurally checked if fellow students are on avoidable pages such as Facebook, Twitter or their email account, and in case they are: loud protests are heard from the help-desk that ‘the twats can check their Facebook at home! I NEED THIS COMPUTER’
Yes, the examinations period is indeed a state of emergency; where the students mutate to zombies with dangerous coffee-cups. I have to say the sign ‘no drinks allowed’ gets a totally different meaning during this period. Also, when I talk about students becoming zombies I don’t mean the harmless zombies struggling to keep their eyes open; slurping from computer to printer. NO. I talk about the horrible dangerous once, being smart and aggressive like you can see in Marc Fosters World War Z or Francis Lawrences I am Legend. As they are reacting extremely aggressive to noises and are avoiding the sunlight; also they like to gather in groups and breathe simultaneously whilst studying with maniac eyes.
Unnecessary to say that as a Swedish student I am not really used to this collective amount of stress at one place; having my exams evenly distributed at the end of each month. However, even though I am slightly irritated by the change of behaviour of my fellow students, I found it even more surprising that after an approximately 3h working session they take a nap (!) In Uni. Wherever they occupied their belongings, students fall asleep. It seems like the effort they put into snatching a seat in the earliest hours is so vast that they simply cannot leave their place, not yet to say that the effort in itself is rather tiring. Of course this totally contradictory behaviour of falling randomly asleep triggers the other students’ anger, who are still searching for places to work at. Hence, the hands holding coffee-cups are scarily starting to tremble when passing one of the sleepyheads. It seems to be a vicious cycle. Nevertheless, after the nap I found it even more astonishing to see how the person just forgets it and continues to work in a total serious manner, as if the dribble spot does not exists on his or her shirt. I would say: this is commitment, and since studying is always so extremely prized for its ‘best time of your life’ and it’s ‘you will never ever have so much fun’, I feel there is also a need to congratulate all students for their unbelievable strength in stress-coping.
Unfortunately, this wonderful conference had to come to an up. After a hectic day in Jakarta and some last workshops. the last day was made of all of our presentations. All the participants in the Global Terrorism Program were divided into 8 groups and we were assigned to present, in front of the whole assembly, what were the conclusions we could draw from the conference.
My group, composed of Chinese, Americans, Indonesians and I (French-Italian-Swedish) focused on explaining why different forms of terrorism required different solutions. After spending so many hours discussing issues like right-wind radicalism, Islamist extremism, lone-wolf terrorism, terrorism in Scandinavia and the consequences of death penalty, it seemed like an obvious end to our learning: speaking of one solution that would eradicate terrorism sounds inadequate and inappropriate.
But this conference, that gathered so many nationalities and different opinions, proved one point: citizens, at the grass roots level, have an enormous responsibility in their shoulders in the fight against terrorism: striving to oppose all the prejudices and false preconceptions that still are wrongly associated to some ethnic groups or religions. As Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a French-German MP of the European Parliament would put it: “Multi-culturalism, tolerance and acceptance for every individual, regardless of religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation are the real barriers against terrorism”.
The second conclusion that I would stress on at the end of this conference is all the love, friendship and care that I´ve received in so few days. In approximately seven days, I´ve met so many wonderful human beings and new friends. They have taken care of me like almost no one has ever done it before. And I wonder now how to give back what was freely given to me.
I want to especially thank Sindy, Azizah, Tiara and Haqqi, students at Parahyangan University in Bandung that took me out every single day, made me discover every of their preferred corners of Bandung, made me try delicious dishes and immersed me into the Indonesian culture, teaching me traditions, words, ways of living. Your attention to me is a priceless gift that I´ll always remember. Our discussions, our laughs, our differences have made me a richer human being.
I want to thank all the members of the Organizing Committee of the UNPAR International Student Conference 2013 for the awesome work they´ve put in into fixing every single detail of the event. All students, they woke up far before us and went to bed far after us just to make sure that we´ll enjoy our time. You all rock 🙂
I also want to particularly thank Anas, Merve, Mickael, Martin, Tejas, all my new International friends from every corner of this planet for being here for me. You all made me a better man!
In one word: Just go to UNPAR International Student Conference 2014! 🙂
Trying to sooth both body and mind, mine and Sofia’s last two days in Hiroshima were spent walking through Saijo. With our new friend Nadja from another seminar group, we found that Saijo is amazingly picturesque with its traditional houses and calm atmosphere. To my great joy, the last evening included shabu shabu, my absolute favorite dish in Japan. It’s a type of fondue – you cook meat, vegetables, dumblings, noodles (really whatever you want, this particular restaurant had many options) in a delicious broth.
Also, Saijo is known for its quality Sake, and offers everybody free samples at all of their traditional breweries. We obviously took advantage of this, and found ourselves buying home a nice and unexpectedly affordable bottle each. The man in charge of the boutique insisted on showing us English information videos, so at this point we can also account for the production of traditional Sake!
Tasting some sake
We also got a final piece of Japanese crazyness, when we explored the top floor of the otherwise quiet youme house. We were met by some sort of an arcade, with a mix of a never ending noise from the machines and a parade song about the Rilakkuma bear; pink machines filled with candy; and running children. Thanks to the kind people at the hotel, we could calm our nerves at their spa after we had checked out. So our last hours in Hiroshima were spent in the bath and the massage chair (very violent against our calves! We figured they’re just too big, much as the rest of us have been here in Japan).
Rilakkuma wearing a watermelon. A picture really does say more than a thousand words!
The dreaded trip home (Hotel –> Saijo station –> Hiroshima –> Tokyo station + long wait –> Narita airport + long wait –> Helsinki airport –> Copenhagen airport –> Malmö) went surprisingly smooth. As Tokyo station closed when we arrived, and we were pretty much thrown out of it, we got to experience night-time central Tokyo (incredibly calm) in an overprized tapas place and some sort of night café that people went to just to make time pass until the first train starts to run again. Needless to say, we had absolutely no problem sleeping on our flights!
Home again, I can only say that this has been one of the best experiences I’ve had. Both Tokyo and Hiroshima have been absolutely incredible. As regards the INU Summer School, I have no doubts in recommending anybody to apply! It’s quite amazing actually, to have the opportunity to get a scholarship to go to Japan and to meet such great people. It is incredibly intense – not a whole lot of rest! And not a whole lot of spare time, which is the reason I’m writing my last post from home! But the intensity is good, since so many great experiences are crammed in to one week. When we were on the plane going home, I asked Sofia: “for how long have we been gone?” and she answered:
“I don’t know, three months?”
And that’s not because it was boring or too much, we were just able to experience so much. Thank you INU, Malmö University and Hiroshima University. And thank you Japan!
Last night in Tokyo. Tired, a bit lost – and happy.
Following the sightseeing of the past few days, our schedule focused more on the academic part for the rest of our stay. We continued to discuss our papers in our little group, discovering a vast range of topics. We discussed everything from the concept of humanitarian intervention to the subculture of boy love in Japan (young girls who fantasize about male homosexual love). These discussions were paired with lectures from Magnus Ericson and Catherine Kevin. Catherine’s account of comfort women in Japan was new for most of us, sparking a discussion on the aspects of war that aren’t strictly geopolitical.
Alongside the lectures and paper presentations, there were constant preparations taking place for the UN role-play, which would take place on the last day of the course. Assigned with two influential actors, the USA and Saudi Arabia, the master students were in constant negotiation with both each other and the rest of the seminar participants. Dragging our tired selves home one night, we went in to a Sushi place next to Saijo station. Even though the chef smiled approximately two times during our entire visit, he sure made some excellent sushi! Coupled with Japan’s delicious plum wine (served in tiny, tiny wine glasses), we could not have been happier.
Brazil, China, India, Japan, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, The United Kingdom, and USA waiting to start negotiations.
The UN role-play took place on what (I heard) was the hottest day in Japan for the past 100 years! No wonder we were short of breath after a quick stop at the campus’ kiosk. After all countries presented their interests, we started debating and voting for amendments to the draft on Sustainable Development Goals. It was interesting to see just how important lobbying is in this type of situation; the final arguments for the amendments didn’t seem to matter as much as the deals made behind closed doors.
After the handout of diplomas and an excellent good-bye party (Hiroshima Uni staff deserve praise!), we headed off to celebrate our ‘graduation’. The mood was bittersweet, as we knew we had to say good-bye pretty soon. Nevertheless, we managed to scream our way through a long session of karaoke, murdering Clapton’s Leila and Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart.
On the 6th of August 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped over central Hiroshima city. Amidst all our adventures, it becomes easy to forget that this is the reason we are here. During the past two days, the city of Hiroshima has displayed an exceptional spirit of solidarity – trying to remember the victims killed by the A-bomb – as well as to spread the message of peace to the rest of the world.
The people of Hiroshima have also shown that not only is this a time for locals to come together and remember the day of the bomb, but it is also a time to convey an understanding to others of what happened that day. Mr. Keijiro Matsushima, one of the survivors of the A-bomb (a group called Hibakusha), told us the story about his life in Hiroshima and that fateful day when the place he called home was obliterated. Needless to say, this was an incredibly unique experience that will remain in the memories of all participants. We were impressed by Mr. Matsushima’s gentle manners and lack of resentment, as well as his candid account of the misery caused by the bomb.
Mr. Matsushima
Japan’s Prime Minster, Shinzo Abe
Following Mr. Matsushima’s speech, the next day demanded an early awakening for all of us, as we got up to participate in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony. Speeches from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the mayor, UN representatives and the Children’s Representatives were coupled with the release of peace doves and the dramatic sound of the Hiroshima Peace song performed by a children’s choir and orchestra.
On a happier note, the day carried on the island of Miyajima. In the intense heat, we strolled amongst the wild deer, walked through a Samurai temple, and snapped an abundance of pictures of the Itsukushima Shrine.
That, however, would turn out to be nothing in comparison to the amount of photos produced during the Lantern Ceremony later that night. It is held annually to remember the victims of the A-bomb. As the sun set on the river running through central Hiroshima, hundreds and hundreds of lanterns were lit, shining against the backdrop of the A-bomb Dome (one of very few buildings that actually remained after the attack).
The A-bomb Dome during the Lantern Ceremony
Today was the first day of the Student Seminar on Global Citizenship and Peace for us undergrad students. We started this week off with a special emphasis on peace, spending two days commemorating the tragedy of the destruction of Hiroshima caused by the atomic bomb on August 6th 1945. I write my first blog post with a certain blend of awe and exhaustion.
As part of our reading assignment, we had to read Hiroshima by John Hersey, which was published in the New Yorker one year after the bombing; a whole edition dedicated to the documented story. Naturally, I had started to read this a few weeks ago, but in a certain sense I didn’t quite feel properly prepared for it. I was mentally occupied with work, planning the practical details for this trip and I felt like I needed to give this piece of literature the respect and time it deserved. Therefore I read the rest when I took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hiroshima yesterday. As I sat in the airplane-like seat, facing no one and sitting side by side with my fellow passengers, I couldn’t help shaking with muffled sobs. As anyone would, I imagine. First of all with the intense feeling of the human suffering that occurred. Which is unfathomable in its seemingly unending horror. But then, also this other dimension: of unity in the most trying of times, the strength of the people of Hiroshima and the power of reconciliation. It felt eerie to be taking this superhuman train into what was once a nightmare scenario for so many people, now an international symbol of world peace. I just felt purely overwhelmed that I was not only going to attend the Memorial Ceremony, but also to be in the presence of a Hibakusha, a survivor and direct eye witness of the destruction in 1945 and blessed with the privilege of hearing his account. Although I’d been imagining this for a few months, I just still couldn’t believe the reality of it.
So today, after a brief introduction to our course and a Japanese language session for the most essential phrases taught by a very passionate language student, we met inour Country Groups to get acquainted. We then took off to the Chamber of Commerce where we heard the personal account of Mr. Matsushima who was only 16 years old on that fateful day. Despite having told his stories many times in the spirit of remembrance and sharing, he still spoke with clarity, humour and compassion. His English was very impressive, which I was told he had taught himself so that he could also be able to share his experience directly with foreigners. He kept repeating how lucky he was to have survived, as many near him, essentially meters away, unfortunately didn’t.
Afterwards, we walked through the Peace Memorial Park, where the Atomic Bomb Dome mysteriously and symbolically still stands tall despite being very close to the epicentre of the explosion. It was a crowded area and animated with music from across the river. It was strange to imagine how close to the epicentre this area was and I spoke with many students who were equally touched. Farther along we entered the Peace Memorial Museum alongside students of all ages from all over Japan. There was loads of information on the history of the war, the technicalities of nuclear energy, the details of the destruction. This was enhanced by items found in the ruins. I think that a lot of visitors saw one or two things that they will personally never forget. It got to me when I saw the completely burned, disfigured and rusted little tricycle that belonged to a 3-year-old boy who apparently always biked around. He died as a result of his burns, and was buried with this beloved tricycle, until it was dug out about 40 years later and given asa donation to the museum.
In this sense, it was an intense day for all of us. Walking the ground that once burned 3000´C, retracing history with the help of Mr. Matsushima, shaken with images of human suffering. And at the same time, it was also the first day of our seminar and we were eager to get to know each other. All day was spent talking to new people. I listened eagerly to many stories; of how women are treated in Japan, how WWII is taught in American High Schools, and what it’s like to work and live in Cambodia.
I’m sure everyone else felt overcome with emotion and information just like me, because when we came back to our area around 8 pm and went shopping in our local 7/11 for a quick dinner, all the other students I met were also sort of staggering around. Now I sit here on my bed exhausted and worried whether I’ll miss my alarm tomorrow. In order to be at the Peace Memorial Ceremony, we are all meeting up outside at 5.50. I better drift off before I get too excited.
PS: I should perhaps add that I highly recommend anyone to read Hiroshima, if they haven’t had the chance already. The full text is available online.
10 PM, August 5th 2013
– Sarah
Mr Matsushima surrounded by INU students
Teaching the new generation about the destruction caused by war – the Dome can be seen in the background.
Another image from the museum of the totally flattened city
We mingled with Scarlett and Bill in the Tokyo Park Hyatt where Lost in Translation was set
After very nearly deleting the e-mail from the international office in Malmö, dismissing it as spam (the subject was: ‘CONGRATULATIONS’), I got an excited, correction over-excited call from my course friend (and real-life friend) Caroline proclaiming that we both got INU Summer School scholarships to go to Japan. Japan! Wow. The country conjures up contrasting images of traditional houses, powerful geishas, delicate temples and incomparable green nature onto a backdrop of colourful anime, cutting edge technology and competing neon signs. Which Japan would we find? We headed to Tokyo a week before the school started to find out.
Cute (evertything in Japan aspires to be cute or Kawaiii) hints on how to behave on the metro
Landing in a city of 14million when you’re used to 300,000 strong Malmö you’re mentally prepared for chaos and being permanently lost. But we found that although the metro map looks like colourful spaghetti and there are multiple railways companies owning various lines on the metro, everything is amazingly logically planned. Most signs are in English, colour coded and numbered.
Commuters
If you ever find yourself lost and can’t speak Japanese then gesture where it is you want to go and the upmost will be done to make sure you get it! Form what we experienced Japanese people are very private and great lengths are gone to not be an inconvenience to others for example
no-one pushes or shoves on the metro, no-one coughs, space is made for everyone with minimal touching and there is absolutely no loud talking on the trains. Maybe it’s these principles that make it possible to have such a high concentration of people without it spilling over into chaos?
Smiles all round in Ginza, Tokyo’s playground for the rich and fancy (and us for a night).
Not knowing Japanese many of our experiences happened by chance. We adopted the habit of just pointing at random things on the menu and hoping for the best (all yum!). Much of the action if hidden from street view in Tokyo either underground (cooler and saves space) or up high in department buildings. So if you can’t read Japanese you can’t read the billboards advertising what’s inside but nothing stops you from taking the steps down to see what yummy restaurants can be sampled there, or going up to find men playng betting flipper in a trance (Pachinko). Fancying a cocktail in late night Ginza we acted on the ‘press a random button in the lift’ tactic and ended up in a bar- where the staff were as surprised to see us as we them! After initial excitement and confusion we all got into some old fashioned karaoke (we murdered Country Road), we all exchanged details and mingles with the suits and kimonos.
Tokyo is a sensory overload with music blaring, bright colours and many new things for a Malmö accustomed brain to take in and understand. But maybe understanding shouldn’t be the objective- go with the flow, press the lift buttons and if you get lost there will most likely be a Japanese person who will politely help you out.