Meeting Pentok

On Wednesday night we finally met the members of Pentok over a traditional Tibetan dinner. We met Mama S, head of the organization and a professor at Qinghai Normal University. We also met L, C, Elvis, T Fishy and T Bear (students and former students of Mama S's involved with Pentok). Most of us are in our early twenties, and we had a great time talking about our different cultures and upbringings. It was immensely satisfying to finally meet in person everyone who we have collaborated with throughout the year. Their kind attitudes and passion for education and sustainable development left us confident that we are in good hands.

On Thursday, June 17th we met with the members of Pentok at Mama S’s house. Over the course of two hours we alternately hammered out the logistics of our project and played with her beautiful two-month old son. On Monday, June 21st we will leave with T Fishy to spend a month in M village and the nearby township. It takes about 5 hours by public bus to reach X county town from the capital Xining. At X county town we must hire a car to drive us to M village. T Fishy warned us that the road is windy, narrow, and treacherous, and that we will be lucky to arrive in the village alive (or at least on time).

In the village we hope to spend time meeting people, getting to know the area, and acclimating to the altitude (~3700m!). We will meet with village leaders to discuss the management of the shop, the selection of potential mechanics, and the involvement of villagers in the implementation of our project. Working closely with villlage leaders in planning all of these aspects of the project will be vital for the sustainability of the shop. We also hope to talk with them about the possibility of using a percentage of the shop’s profits to fund educational scholarships for village girls. Pentok has already started a scholarship program for girls in M, where 2000 RMB/year can fund one child’s education and living expenses in the nearby town.

Outside of the village in X county town and neighboring townships we will visit other motorcycle repair shops, look for mechanics to train M villagers, and hire construction workers to renovate the building. According to Elvis and Mama S, the rainy season begins in mid-July. During this time transportation to and from the village will be difficult, so we hope to have construction and mechanic training underway before then.

Go USA! Boo Lakers!

Crazy Train

On June 14th, we boarded a train bound for Xining. The ride took 24 hours, which we spent in a hard sleeper car with several other bunkmates. A hard sleeper car consists of around 10 compartments, each with six beds stacked in columns of three. Although our 24 hours of card playing and reading were relatively uneventful, David managed to find a new admirer. We found it hard to resist her silky black hair, round brown eyes, and playful sense of humor. At the tender age of four and a half, she showed no qualms flirting with David in front of her mother. Isn't she cute?

Caption: My dad's pretty, but you're even prettier!"

We also enjoyed watching the changing landscape. We fell asleep passing through flat green fields and woke up to jagged yellow mountains. A friendly old Chinese man talked to Jesse the entire time, explaining the country and the scenery. Jesse quickly learned the phrase "Wo bu ming bai," meaning "I don't understand."

We arrived in Xining into the welcoming arms of Sara's second cousin. With short black hair and no taller than 5'2, her personality and booming voice immediately caught our attention. After running errands and walking around the city, she and her husband took us out for hotpot. We dipped countless courses of lamb, beef, and vegetables into spicy broth simmering over a stove in the center of the table. In addition to the more common entrees, we also cooked chicken feet, kidney, winter melon, and some unidentifiable squid-like strips. We ate and drank far more than recommended considering we just arrived at altitude. Still, we're ready for what tomorrow may bring! Also, thank you Jess and Sophie for taking care of the blog while we are gone (it is blocked in China). You guys are awesome!

Next up: Dragon Boat Festival and meeting with Mama S and T Fishy from Pentok to discuss the project.

P.S. Thanks again to Annie for preparing delicious food for our train ride. Also, let us know via email or by commenting on our blog if there is anything you want to know more about!

Caption: From top to bottom: dinner, lunch, breakfast, snacks

Sightseeing

On June 10th Jesse arrived in Beijing, and our adventure began! It started when the airlines lost Jesse’s bag. This prompted a string of phone calls to four different countries (China, Japan, U.S.A., Singapore) in three different languages. Eventually a stork dropped the bag off at Sara’s house, two days later.

Our first outing in Beijing was to the Forbidden City. This is the former palace of the emperor during the Ming and Qing dynasties and lies at the center of Beijing. The day was full of walking, subway riding, old sights, and great food. It also marked the start of our search for the elusive zigzag popsicle. In the evening Sara’s mom Annie treated us to traditional Peking duck.

On Saturday, June 12th, Sara’s dad Jon took us on a Great Wall hike. Unlike the popular portions of the wall, which have been artificially rebuilt, the section where we hiked is secluded and unrestored. Despite a foggy day, we had a fun hike with great views, and enjoyed homemade fried rice on top of one of the towers. This particular stretch of the wall is located in the town of Gubeikou, where the wall is part of the daily scenery. Historically, this town is an example of the Great Wall’s futility since it is where the Manchurian army swiftly bribed their way past heavily guarded gates. This marked the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing rule. Zigzag popsicles were still nowhere to be found.

As loyal American citizens, we woke up at 2:30 a.m. to watch the U.S. play England in the World Cup, despite being tired from our hike. Soccer has always been very popular in China, even though they never qualify for the World Cup. It really is an international sport. We have also been watching the NBA finals. While racism towards black people is prevalent among Chinese, basketball starts like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have huge fan bases here. At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games, Kobe received the loudest cheers from the crowd, even more than the most famous Chinese athletes.

A visit to Beijing would not be complete without sippin’ Tsingtaos on a pedal boat in Houhai. While we didn’t meet any mermaids, there were plenty of Speedo-clad old men swimming to and fro. Houhai is a lake in downtown Beijing. It is surrounded by bars and restaurants and is popular among locals and foreigners alike. At the end of the day, with an apocalyptic storm brewing, we went to Sara’s friend Annie’s house and finally consumed some zigzag popsicles with delight.

Caption: David, Annie and Sara at a pool bar in Houhai

Thanks to Sophie for the yummy butterscotch cookies. We enjoyed watching Sara’s mom devour them with a spoon. Also, thanks to Jon and Lucy for showing us a good time and for letting us play the most amazing arch top guitar ever sculpted. Finally, thanks to Annie for her hospitality and gourmet cooking, and for helping us plan and organize our trip.

Next up: 24-hour train ride!

Is this the wheel?

You may be wondering whether any of us know anything about motorcycles. Unfortunately, the answer is no. However, as liberal arts graduates we are lifelong learners and excellent problem solvers. So we talked to everyone we could find who knew anything about motorcycles and mechanics, and eventually made a trip to Peninsula Harley-Davidson!

At PHD Andrea, John and the rest of the guys in the shop showed us around. Starting from the basics we took a look at tools, different kinds of bikes, and different products used to keep bikes maintained.

First off, we saw the workbench:

These tools are all pretty standard, and the M shop will probably need at least some of them. Luckily most are hand tools and require no electricity, which suits our purposes well. Not only that, but it turns out that a whole lot of motorcycle repair is just using your head to find a solution, even if you might not have exactly the right tool. For example, this bike seemed to need a screw driven into it, so Andrew and John make it happen (Note: I'm pretty sure you wouldn't actually want to do this):

We also learned that regular preventative care might be the single most important service the shop can provide. To that end, PHD even had some donations for the M shop. You can never have too much cable lube! Thanks guys!

Getting Started

For all those reading our blog, thank you! Soon the three of us will be meeting in Beijing and heading to Qinghai province, and we hope to keep you all posted.

As a bit of background, all three of us have been friends since we lived together during freshman year in the Lewis & Clark international dorm. With post-graduation life looming, we wanted to travel together for the summer while doing something worthwhile. In September of last year we decided to apply for a 100 Projects for Peace grant. One hundred of these are awarded each year to undergraduates who design projects promoting peace in some form in the world. We wanted to work in China, so Professor Keith Dede put us in touch with Pentok - an organization specializing in small-scale development projects in T communities. In collaboration with Pentok members, who live in the area and are intimately familiar with its needs, we crafted a project proposal. In March of 2010, after months of hard work and lots of advice, we were awarded $12,500 to help establish a motorcycle repair shop in a small rural village in western China.

So now we've graduated and are off to China together! Starting in Beijing, we're taking the train west to Xining, the capital of Qinghai province. Mekou village, where the shop will be located, is southwest of Xining. While working, we will be between 2,500m and 3,500m above sea level.

During our 2.5 months in Qinghai, we will collaborate with Pentok, Elvis (a university student from M village) and the rest of the people living in M to help establish a functional mechanic shop in the village. Our goals while working together are as follows:

1. Renovate a pre-existing building in M village to house the repair shop. This will probably involve buying supplies and transporting them to the village, as well as hiring workers.
2. Outfit the building with necessary tools and equipment.
3. Help arrange for two villagers to apprentice in mechanic shops in larger towns, so that they can return and run the motorcycle repair shop in M.
4. Have fun, always be listening to those around us, meet cool people, and learn a lot!

As excited as we are to travel, it is also important to us that our project fulfills the goal of promoting peace. On the T Plateau motorcycles are a primary means of transportation. When broken, they must be transported by truck to larger towns for repairs. We hope that easier access to mechanic facilities will save time, and maybe money, while bringing extra income to the village. We also hope that such a business will make it easier for villagers to send children to school (a motorcycle trip away). Currently schooling is rare in the village, in part because families are unwilling to risk damage to motorcycles resulting from constant trips to the closest school. Thus we hope to promote peace by providing a needed service in M village that will make the lives of villagers easier, as well as by providing easier access to education for those families who are interested.

We've put some interesting links in the sidebar, including a link to our full proposal, so check it out if you have time! We are so excited to soon be on our way, and hope to update as much as possible. Please keep in touch, either via email or by commenting on our blog, and we will try to do the same!

Best,

David, Sara and Jesse