Twenty-Three

What is age but a number? Especially when you’re like me and everyone seems to think you’re 6-8 years younger than you are (trust me – it’s not much of a compliment when people don’t treat you like an adult at my age). But there is something so special about the passage of another year in life that people go out of their way to wish each other a happy birthday. On the surface, it seems rather superficial. It’s a reason to have a party, to buy into consumerism and individualism, to celebrate ourselves. Yet there is something to be said for the opportunity birthdays give us to reflect on what we have accomplished over the past year. For me, 23 was a year for remembering who I am, and I hope that 24 will be a year for becoming who I want to be.

Finally getting our master's degrees!

23 was a very challenging but rewarding year in my life. I have accomplished many significant goals in my life in the past year – things I never in my wildest dreams thought I could achieve. At the beginning of 23, I successfully defended and submitted my thesis as the final requirement for my master’s degree (a semester and a half late) after much struggle and hard work. But right after my defense, I got to see The Killers in concert – a band I have been waiting what seems like my whole life to see. Thus, my year started off both difficult and exciting. In the winter, I was looking for a real job, but for the first time in my life I had the time to travel. It was really difficult for me to ignore the call of the world! Especially when I was finding dirt cheap airfare like $149 roundtrip tickets to visit Alicia in the Virgin Islands and $500 tickets to visit Peru with my amazing roommate, Katrina. I finally got to live the life I have always wanted to live this year. I have been so blessed with the opportunity to have so many friends all over the world which has allowed me to travel, and not just as a tourist.

 

I think my biggest accomplishment at 23 may have been completing the Disney World Marathon this past January. While I may not have finished with the best time, running a marathon is not something I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I could accomplish. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, right up there with finishing a Master’s Thesis, but I’m glad I did it. Life was by no means easy for me this year, but after all I pushed myself through this year, I know I can do hard things. And that knowledge, that belief is valuable.

The Baths at Virgin Gorda, B.V.I.

I am so glad I had the chance to try new things this year, like having Cuy (guinea pig) for dinner at a Cuscanian family’s home and bouldering (sort of) in the Caribbean. Even dipping my toes into academia with my Sociology degree was insightful. This past year has taken me to places I could ever only dream of in the past, and now that I have had so many amazing life experiences, I have come full circle to start my career in urban planning. It’s crazy how it all worked out, getting the job at Eagle Mountain through a phone interview I did while sitting in Charlotte Amalie with Mary near the beach, starting the job the day I got back from visiting Peru and then North Carolina for Trish’s wedding, then getting the career at Lehi, a city which Frank Gehry had once designed a building for! Cities are in my blood! It’s what drives my passion for both travel and planning, and my desire to both experience and change the world somehow. And this year, being 24, I get to start doing just that. I have an amazing career opportunity ahead of me in addition to several major (and cheap) trips planned which will allow me to see more of the world and get in touch with my mom’s side of the family in Thailand. 24 looks very promising so far and I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for me.

I spent the last moments of my year as a 23-year-old doing something I haven’t done in months: running. I don’t often feel like running, but tonight I did. I felt so alive in the brisk autumn night. As my iPod sang to me this evening:

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broke wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Life will always bring heartache and disappointments but once you can learn to pick yourself up and make something of what you've got, life truly becomes beautiful.

That's My New Philosophy

Life has really been super crazy hard, yet awesome this year. I haven't had too much time to think much about anything besides two things: My master's thesis and traveling. Aside from the stress of changing my thesis a second time this summer and trying to meet the deadlines for a December graduation since then, I haven't given myself much time to do anything except visit the people and places I love. And I'm okay with that. In fact, I think I may have my priorities all mixed up. For some reason, school has never come first in my life. And right now, I care more about figuring out how I can visit friends and family and see more of the world at the same time.

This year I have traveled more than I ever have before. I have been to twenty something states (if you count driving through a few) and three new countries. And next year, I hope I can travel even more. I feel like I didn't truly get to enjoy my travel experiences with this thesis hanging over my head, but next year I'll be free to fully experience wherever I may go. Hopefully I can even get a job in the travel industry so I can continue being involved with travel for my work as well.

It is so important to me to experience life. I want to see for myself what the world has to offer instead of read it in books or analyze it on a computer in SPSS. And it's such a sad prospect to think of experiencing life alone. Thus, I use the excuse of visiting friends and family to travel. I thoroughly enjoy getting together with people who have been a part of my life at one time or another. I am a sentimental person (hey, I'm a girl after all!), and it's so refreshing to remember the people and places that led me to where I am now. With all the people I've known and places I've been, the opportunities for travel are endless with this rationale.

In short, my goal in life right now as I am graduating and have not yet found a career is to enjoy and experience life to the fullest. I want to do everything I can to maintain my friendships all across the world while making new ones all the same. And once I finish this blasted thesis project soon, I hope to start a travel blog full of my experiences and any tips I've learned along the way. This will be my way of sharing my travels with even more of my friends who aren't able to come with me.

Traveling is my passion. It involves cities, history, geography (and even a little sociology). It is the essence of both people and place coming together. I really hope I have the opportunity to travel throughout my life, but for now, I'll do as much as I can while I have the time and (some of the) means to do so.

About Me

I don't really have time to sit down and write a well thought out post these days, so I guess a short one will have to do. I apologize that this is also a departure from the more academic theme I've tried to make, but hopefully this may help others better understand me when I do make my more academic arguments. Here's a list of things I have learned about myself so far in 2012:

1. Through taking a picture of something I've experienced each day this year, I have learned that it is much easier to document and remember what happens in my life through one or two short sentences each day (which are the captions for my photos) rather than the detailed journal entries I love to write but never have time for. It's also better than the short lists of random words I use to define my day which I write on sticky notes hoping they will jog my memory when I finally have time to write.

2. By taking pictures everyday, I have also realized that the highlight of my life these days really consists of food (seriously, almost half of my pictures are of things I've eaten or places I've eaten at!), school work, hanging out with Nate, and admiring the scenery. I never knew food was such a big part of my life before!

3. I always knew I get anxious when I have to call somebody on the phone, but I really don't like sending out emails either! Especially because I've always had bad luck with technology.

4. I came to the sad realization that the older I get, the more I realize that I don't like everyone I meet.

5. I have a very unique life background based on a very unlikely combination of my race and ethnicity, my religion,  my experiences growing up in Hawaii, my experiences traveling the United States and parts of the world, the random jobs I've had in dozens of different industries, the eclectic mix of friends, acquaintances and colleagues I have, and I could go on and on. I think a lot of people don't understand me because of it, but I like to think it helps me relate to others better as well.

6. I also realized that I love to exchange stories about life perhaps a little more than most people would be comfortable with. In short: I talk too much :P

7. I do enjoy a good TV show, but no matter how many shows and movies I have on my list of things to watch, I really do think it's the biggest waste of time.

8. I feel guilty for having so many Facebook friends, but I really do love them all! I'm not just a "friend collector" but I am genuinely interested in their lives. And I do go through delete people I don't feel like I would ever talk to again and stuff like that, but I still have so many people I care about that I want to keep in touch with. Because I have lived, worked, and traveled around in so many places I do know a lot of people. I love being able to see where people are at and meet up with them whenever I travel. That's been the most valuable thing about Facebook for me. And after all, it's supposed to be a social network.

9. I am starting to realize that I am a gift giver. That's one of the things that brings me so much joy in my life.  I am pretty good at saving my money, but when it comes to Christmas and other celebrations, I love having an excuse to spend money on the people I care about. If I see something that reminds me of a close friend or family member, it takes a lot for me to not make that purchase.

10. My ideal career choice would be something in the travel and tourism industry. I have always had a plan for what education or job I wanted to get somewhere in life, but I never felt very strongly about any particular career path in the past; I would be happy with whatever job I ended up with and I would be able to learn to do my job the best I could. My past career goals were always to achieve more broad, general end. I wanted to be a diplomat to influence education policy somehow. I wanted to work for UNESCO to  work with historical places somewhere. I wanted to work for an NGO to help people in need across the world. I could never think of any one particular job that would make me happy in the past. These jobs were all a means to an end. I wanted to be a positive influence in the world and I needed to have a career path, but I didn't think any of these would be so much fun or make me particularly happy in my personal life or anything. I mean, a job is a job. However, the more I study tourism in sociology and the more I want to travel and see the world, the more I am beginning to realize that I would have so much fun with a job that allowed me to do research relating to maps and travel schedules and cultural reports, not to mention the most amazing benefits that come with it all. If I can find a way to fit urban planning and sociology into such a career, that would probably be my dream job.

The Year of the Dragon

2012 is off to a great start. This year will be the year to make things happen. This year will be the year that dreams will come true. I don't know what it is about the new year, but something is definitely in the air, and it seems that I'm not the only one who feels it.

While 2011 was a very productive year for me, I'm not sure that it was the best it could have been. The last 4 or 5 months of the year passed so quickly - moreso than I've ever felt time fly before. It was as if the minutes, hours, days, and weeks slipped by unnoticed until they were absolutely gone. However, at the same time I simply couldn't wait for 2011 to be over and done with. I had many wonderful opportunities and met many amazing new people, but something just seemed to be lacking in the quality of time I was using. Yes, it was exciting for me to publish a book in March and to successfully present my research at several wonderful conferences in amazing cities. I started running which is a miracle since I never ever thought I would ever become a runner in my entire life. I can't believe I ran four half marathons, including one at Disney World in Florida! And that gave me the opportunity to visit the Harry Potter theme park in Universal Studios. What a dream! And I was able to visit more than 4 new cities, which was my goal for 2011. I went to Seattle, Portland, Boise, Calgary, Edmonton, and Orlando, and I'm so glad I finally had the chance to use my new passport I've had for a while.

On another note, I was not able to keep up this blog as regularly as I had hoped to. I do actually have dozens upon dozens of half written blog entries, but in the last part of the year, I found it difficult to finish them thoroughly. If I hope to continue this blog as an effort to keep up my writing skills, I think I need to start writing shorter posts.

After reviewing my resolutions for 2011, I have several things I hope to accomplish in 2012. As a continuation from last year, I do hope to stay more active. I want to continue running as much as I can, and I want to travel to at least 4 new cities, which definitely includes Chicago (where the 2012 Rural Sociological Society conference will be held in July), as well as 1 or more new countries. I really need to get out and see the world, especially Europe, like I always dreamed I would. In the past, every time I planned a trip my travel buddy would bail on me. This time I am determined to get there no matter what. Airline fees are only going to rise in the future, and I have enough friends in different places that I should be able to get around even if it's by myself. I am utterly determined to get to Europe! I have also already purchased a handful of tickets to attend several events at the summer Olympics in London this year, so wish me luck in finding a way there!

The most important thing I must accomplish in 2012 is to graduate from BYU with my MS degree in Sociology. I need to focus my writing efforts on my thesis project daily (rather than on a blog haha) and hone my statistics skills in order to finish. This will be the greatest challenge of the year.

With the exciting nature of events to come this year, especially regarding my travel plans for the year, I hope to have many new adventures as well. This is my last year living in Utah as far as I'm concerned, and I really want to take advantage of all the magnificent things I can do here. So my ultimate goal is to try 10 new, fun things here in the West/Rockies. I hope these things will include learning to ski, white water rafting, hiking the Grand Canyon, and attending at least one showing at the Sundance Film Festival.

I realize that accomplishing all these things will probably take both a lot of time and money, so this year I'll have to work harder than ever and take more risks in my life. And I'm willing and ready to do that. I have a certain clarity this year about what I want, and I'll do whatever I need to do reach  my goals. This year I am decisive (for once)! I'm so excited to see where this year will take me. Hello, 2012!

Building Strong Communities on Cultural Foundations

TO:  Kathy Kolnick, Professor

FROM: Beatrice “Tippe” Morlan, PPD 417 Student

DATE: February 23, 2010

SUBJECT: Building Strong Communities on Cultural Foundations

Thais are a historically marginalized ethnic group here in America. One could call them a “minor” minority whose members do not conform to the typical Asian American stereotype.  They are the most heavily trafficked ethnic group within the United States according to the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report, and Thais do not have enough political clout to raise very much awareness of these and other struggles they face. The United Way estimates that 50,000 or more Thais living on the West Coast are undocumented, and this has fostered a sense of transiency and lack of community among most of them living in America.

Institution building through understanding the history of Thai Americans is greatly helping the community to build a stronger sense of solidarity and pride (Abbott and Adler 1989), something that has been needed for a long time. Ever since the official designation of Thai Town in 1998 by the Los Angeles City Council, community members have had a concrete place to call their own, a place to rally around in Los Angeles and a place to teach and learn about the history of their community. The Thai American “group identity” grows stronger each day with increasing education and awareness being exchanged between the Thai and American cultures (Abbott and Adler 1989). The historical analysis of 

Thai Town improves understanding of the transnational Thai American culture allowing community members, politicians, and many others to more easily recognize and respond to their needs.

The federal designation of Thai Town as a cultural tourist attraction in 2008 through the Preserve America white house initiative was a “critical decision moment” for Thais as it enabled the community to better serve its members through increased funding and services. This project is paving the way for future policy options through increased awareness on a national scale and access to funds to support community-based initiatives (Johnson and Schaffer 1985). It is so essential for ethnic groups to learn of and identify with their history, especially within the context of the places they reside. This allows them to function more successfully as a part of a larger community. Without such awareness, it can be difficult for others to understand the role such ethnic groups have in society as well. This is why cultural tourism within our own country is a critical tool for using history to expand people’s knowledge of and interactions with one another.

As a Thai American, I am grateful to be so involved in my culture now that I have found my place in Thai Town, Los Angeles amongst others like myself. I have been fortunate to have a role in Thai American history through my involvement with the Thai Community Development Center working on many of these initiatives. My understanding of my own culture and its place in the context of American cities is just beginning to grow as I work to improve the conditions of the Thai American community in any way I can.

Look what I found

I was going through several of my old journals today, just the ones from the past few years, reflecting on how I've grown and who I've become since starting college and my adult life. And after finding this poem I wrote while bored at work one day, I realize that I need to brush up on my vocabulary! (Although I think I was studying for the GRE at this time, to be fair). And really, I need more art, adventure, and creativity in my life. I mean, after all who doesn't!

Friday, June 12, 2009

The city stands a mile high above
and Man has made his Babylon today.
To reach the heav'ns, to prove perfection's lie
- an ephemeral state of seeking out
the higher faster stronger ways for all.

Pedantic airs, occluding love and worse:
ignoring nature's diatribe to Us,
the World - Our human taciturnity,
a non-response to the dear mother earth.
Oh, fate and destiny will have revenge.

Man lives, a microcosm of all life.
Eternity all emotion consumes.
To love with no reciprocating force,
One man stands high above adversity.
What pain, what anguish shows us now, the Way.

But one Man makes all hearts to suffer more,
that one Man, he can't Love to save a life.
How One man loves, one Man cannot, He loves,
but not one Girl. Attenuated here
she falls away, for ignorance is bliss.

one Girl stands high above the city miles
and miles into the sky. She now looks down
to see one Man, but Oh, she sees the World.
Come down to meet One man who teaches Love.
one Man and Babylon have been destroyed.

Personal Space

Okay, one of my favorite professors posted this Freakonomics article on facebook, and I could not resist the urge to comment on it. A good portion of the American population has at one time or another flown in an airplane. And as times have gotten rough for the major airline corporations in recent years, it seems that someone brilliantly thought that decreasing the space between rows in order to add a few extra seats to sell for revenue was a great idea. I have flown a fair amount in my lifetime thanks to the fact that I grew up on an island smack dab in the middle of the largest body of water in the world with all my relatives residing tens of thousands of miles away, and I like to think that I know a thing or two about how airplanes have changed over the last twenty one years. And one of the biggest changes I have noticed is in the decreased amount of personal space alloted to each customer that rides an airplane (outside of first class, of course). I used to be able to comfortably rest my arms on my tray table and lay my head on them to nap on longer flights. But in the past several years I have not been able to do this (nor have I grown). And as this personal space has gradually been taken away from me and from any other normal patron of the airline industry, I have increasingly noticed and been offended by other patrons, particularly those sitting in front of me, who decide to recline their chairs, taking away even more of my personal space on those flights. And as luck would have it, it seems like the only person who decides to recline their chair in the area I choose to sit always happens to be in front of me.

Personal bubbles are real, people! And when you invade someone else's bubble on an airplane by reclining your chair, in order to retain a comfortable sense of personal space, that person then has to recline their chair, starting a chain reaction. This is where the Freakonomics article brought in the question of altruism.

I think the choice to recline one’s airplane seat is a great example of natural altruistic tendencies. Reclining one’s own seat increases his comfort, but only at the expense of the person directly behind him. Then, in order for that person behind to increase his own comfort level back to what it was before the person in front reclined back into his space, he must now recline back into the space of the person behind him at the expense of that person’s comfort, and so on. An experiment observing this behavior may be a better measuring stick of natural human altruism tendencies than the Dictator game or similar games since the behavior could be observed in real time and without the behaviors associated with knowing one is being observed in a laboratory.

Altruism is a natural human tendency. But selfishness is as well (i.e. survival of the fittest). And when individual capital is at stake, when a person has paid for their seat on a plane, does that make them feel entitled to that certain amount of personal space so as to get mad or irritated when someone tries to take it away from them? Is altruism sometimes lost in instances like this because we are fighting for something we paid for, a specific product we expected to receive? I think this definitely has a lot to do with it. Although sometimes seat recliners are just irritating on the basis of decreased personal space alone.


So then why is it that people are so particular about the atmosphere that they travel in? Sure, some plane rides are longer than others and it is definitely nice to be able to retain a comfortable amount of personal space when you have to sit in the same spot for 9 or 10 hours. However, I have seen these same selfish instincts kick in on all sorts of public transit having been a regular patron of the Honolulu and the Los Angeles Metro transportation systems for years and years and years. On the bus, people want to keep to themselves. Of course, if you strike up conversation people are more than willing to share a conversation or two with you in general; I learned this from an interactive transportation planning homework assignment I had to do for Mike Woo's class (former City Councilman in LA). But for the most part, people are happy to be left alone when they are in transit. They choose the seat or the spot that they view to be the best that they can get at the time they board the vehicle, and they plug in their headphones, read their books and magazines, or nod off in their own little worlds not expecting to be bothered by anyone else. And when they are bothered beyond the occasional casual conversation, it is irritation. Almost a violation of a social norm. But on buses, you can't recline your seats and invade someone else's space in that sense. It really takes a crazy person talking to an imaginary being (which has happened several times in my personal experience) to cause the kind of discomfort that the reclining of a seat causes on a plane. 


But knowing this, am I (or even are you) going to stop reclining your seat when the person in front of you pushes their seat down into your lap? Alas, I don't think I will. I won't be the first to do it, but because I was raised in this fine country full of individual rights and personal property, that tiny bit of space is mine by right when I purchased the plane ticket, so I think I will continue to reclaim my space by reclining also when (not if, but surely when) this happens to me again. I feel guilty, but what can you do? Where does the cycle stop? In such an individualistic nation, we are accustomed to having a certain amount of personal space, and without it life is uncomfortable. And boy does comfort mean a lot to us all.