Letter of Action

Letter of action

Dear Dr. Agriss,

       In light of what I have read and discussed in this Global View of Children’s Literature class, I cannot view the world entirely the same way. Though I thought I was aware of a lot of conflicts and issues going in the world today, (reading the news often and being an advocate of a few organizations) I came to realize this quarter I barely had begun to scratch the surface of the many diverse and life changing conflicts that children have faced throughout time. When I came to this realization my views changed a lot. I realized that if I claim to love and care for all children the world, I must do more to make a difference in my world. Though I do support several organizations such as UNICEF and Compassion International, I still feel there is more I can do to be an advocate for the children of the world. I feel like my biggest goal in life is to be in support of human nature by ensuring everyone has access to what they need to have happy and healthy lives. This class helped me realize how big of an undertaking that is, but by join together with many people with the same life goal, it isn’t too far out of reach. I plan, in every arena to support and advocate for the rights and safety of children. I have already planned to volunteer regularly wherever I can to help children. The Big Brother and Big Sisters organization is one I have been looking into very seriously after I graduate and settle in one spot.

        To be able to just make a difference in one child’s life is probably one of the most rewarding experiences I think a person can experience and to have the chance to do that in my spare would be incredible. I have made contact with Keith from the Big Brother Big Sister program in Spokane to start the process of making that happen. However, I still want to be involved in global issues with children. I want to advocate for children by informing my family and peers about these global issues facing children. Social media makes sharing these global concerns a lot easier. I want to let everyone around me know what is going on and how to help, as I myself take action in aid as well. Another way I want to promote advocacy for children is to promote education for the children in my life of global issues and to be culturally aware. I want to use resources like literature and the internet to expose children to cultural issues going on in the world in a way that is developmentally appropriate for them.

           To remain in ignorance to the conflicts and issues of children around the world is to do them an even greater injustice. In America it is very easy to hide in our privilege and security and never face the daunting knowledge of what these children are facing, but it is so important that we as teachers learn and respond to these injustices, to not only fulfill our commitment to the service of children, but to lead by example for others around us. I am glad this class changed my views in that regard. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

Alison N. Sims

Graffiti Wall Art

My piece has some pretty obvious statements within it. We use so many euphemisms when we talk about difficult things in regards to war. One of these is causalities of war, meaning people who lost their lives in a war zone. I wanted to show what that means in the lives of individuals. I made the words of casualties of war white and the background black because the euphemism of casualties of war makes a complex issue look so black and white. I made the relationships names of the people in regards to their relation to other people in their community in red because it shows that the issue is more than black and white and it represents the pain these families endure with their loss. The members of the community I used was children, toddlers, women, etc.. I had them start from letters from the euphemism casualties of war because they make up what that euphemism really means. Red, black and white are typically used in resistance art as well. I think that is usually because black is usually the color you think of when you think of death and red is the color of blood both of which are very much involved wherever there is conflict. I wanted to show that there is a lot more than just black and white to any war conflict and the effects reach everyone involved in a personal way. All of the books we read dealt with involved how a conflict personal effects an individual and all those around them-- with Kampung Boy it was how industry effects families, with Sold it was how the sex slave trade effects an individual, with Crossing the Wire it was how the US immigration policy effects a family and with A Long Way Gone it was how war effects an individual. All these conflicts effect each individual and each family differently, that is why I wanted my piece to reflect the individual impact conflict has on people.

A Long Way Gone

This was by far the hardest book for ms to read. The sheavoness of it and the gore. I have a weak stomach and way too many  sections  were too much for me. I had to skip parts. It was very eye opening even though I  have been very aware of the stories of child soldierss,  it was totally different to read a full account. The amount of time he spent alone and in fear has to tear a person apart and then to have to be brainwashed and turned into a killing machine is another thing entirely. I have to admit, I would never have survives in his shoes. I would have given up and just waited to die. When they capture him I cried like a baby. It makes since that they got them all so addicted to drugs so they would be desensitized to their crimes. I still felt anger towards the main character though for how cold and inhuman he becomes. I think that more than anything would be why I would rather die than live to become one of them. They take away all that makes you human, which to me is worse than death. They kill their soul. To think that he was only 12 years old. That is way too young for a 12 year old to even read let alone go through. I would not recommend this book for anyone under 17 at all. I think when I was 17 was actually when I first discovered that this was going on. It is so shocking and horrific to think people would do these horrible things to anyone, let alone children. I did find it really interesting that UNICEF is what found him. When he is so enraged at even them trying to help him, it just shows how far he transformed into this monster.

Sierra Leone civil war

What I find the most disheartening about this war is that so many people lost their lives in this war and I had no idea it even happened, even though the United States was in it. It also seems interesting to me that the United States supported the civilians, makes me wonder how much the diamond rich region was a part of that. It seems like America loves to make sure their products are protected. It does seem like the revolutionary side had more followers. It does make me happy the United States supported them. I just wish we would have got involved sooner. I wonder how that would have made an impact. I think the UN does need to always be involved when a standing government is killing its own citizens. Government should always represent the people of that territory. I am interested to find out how the book ties in with this and I am glad I actually found out that something this horrendous happened to these people. To live in ignorance of it is to do these people who suffered from it a huge injustice.

Revolution is Not a Dinner Party

I do think this book was a lot more appropriate for younger children, aside from the writer trying to kill himself. I do think it did represent what was going on at the time well. How everyone was giving her family a hard time for being bourgeoise. When she faces off with her teacher I was shocked she got away. It just shows how when things are in turmoil in a country people look for scapegoats to blame when they are suffering just like the Germans with the Jews. Even when her father is helping people no matter who they are as a doctor and they demote him anyway and eventually send him to a work camp. Of course he was going to save that writer, it is in his nature. I was glad he was ok and made it back to the girls. You can only think of how bad things must have really been for some of these families. It is really sad what people will do all because of misguided hatred. I know that we are suppose to look at how this is reflected in our own society. I can only see extremist hating people without even knowing them. Aside from maybe Westboro Baptist Church, but I hate them for what they do, not who they are in general. I don't hate them for being baptist or anything. I still wouldn't mistreat their children. I would try to educate their children, but not by being mean to them and threatening to cut their hair. We are not a nation in turmoil though, so there lays the key difference. You have to wonder who we would blame if things went south here. It isn't like we are immune or above it. We blamed all Asia Americans for being spies in WWII. During the Great Depression we blamed the president and the rich blamed the poor and the poor blamed the rich. Where there is turmoil there is blind hatred. I have to wonder if our economic market crashed again if we would blame ourselves or would we blame the Chinese for stealing our jobs or whatever. In 2008 when the market tanked we blamed the housing market and contractors, but financial analyst facts kind of back that one. It just makes you wonder if we have learned enough to stop blaming people for our problems. I would hope that we have learned that it only leads to more problems.

Chinese Revolution

I think the outcome of the Chinese Revolution would have been a lot different had it have taken place a while after WWII, had other countries got involved. Everyone had already used all their resources for the WWII and didn't have the resources to help the nationalist party, though the U.S. did let them accept the Japenesr surrender which gave them weapons, and I am sure that added to the bitterness between the Chinese and Japanese. I am not going to lie I am really pissed because I already wrote this and it somehow got deleted so I am here trying to rewrite it all again. If I was in China, after watching the horrors of WWII I would not want a communist party in my country, but back then I am sure it was hard for them to have access to all that went on in WWII. It makes you wonder how things might have been different if the U.S. hadn't have just got out of a world war and could have offered more support, though I feel like the communist and nationalist party were both not really looking out for the best interest of their citizens. The U.S. just kind of let it happen and then faced off with China in the Korean War which kinda of leads me to believe that might not have happened if the U.S would have got more involved in China sooner. I think it easier to say what if now in retrospect, but the U.S was not ready right after WWII. It does make you wonder though how things would be different for China, the US and the world.

U.S. Immigration Policy

I will be honest, I have never read the U.S immigration policy until now. I knew some of the basic restrictions, but that is it. I guess when something doesn't effect you and your family directly you don't really look into it, which really is an ignorant way to live. I am glad I read it because I will be working with the public at large and I am sure I will meet families that this policy directly is effecting. I found it interesting that the government is ok with you immigrating here if you have your bachelor's and two years experience in a field we deem needed. Like we will let you become a citizen if you offer something we need and are skilled. We need people who will perform less skilled jobs though. Farmers are freaking out now that they have made them have to provide social security numbers for every worker. I see ads on Craigslist all the time by farmers looking for people to work in their fields and they have to say they have to have a social security number to hire them. They also have to pay them more to work which put a new strain on farmers. Undocumented workers are ok with working for less because they still typically make a lot more than they would back home. It is also interesting that if you have immediate family members here you can get your citizenship, but it sounds like that is still a line and a very long process. I feel that you still have to consider many of these "aliens"- people and families probably don't speak English and don't know how they might qualify for citizenship, so they just come illegally and hope they don't get caught. I have heard of several programs to help people with their citizenship but it has to be hard for then to get in contact with then. They would have to talk to other families from their culture who have been through it. There just seems like a lot of ways for people and families to get caught up in a this bureaucratic bull crap that permanently effects their lives. If really isn't fair. I am interested in what our guest speaker has to say about it.

Borders Project- Kosovo Indendence sources

New York Times- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/world/europe/18kosovo.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/serbia/kosovo/

NATO report- http://www.nato.int/kosovo/history.htm

World Book-https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html

Wall Street Journal-http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/pearl123199.htm

The Guardian- http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/22/kosovo-independence-un-ruling

Zee news-http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/kosovo-establishes-international-court-aims-to-deal-crimes-of-serbia-war_926725.html

U.S. Department of State-http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/100931.htm

Prezi presentation-http://prezi.com/m3tcyi3wevib/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Crossing the Wire

Crossing the Wire was an interesting novel. I have had a lot of experience with these kinds of stories growing up in Pasco, which has huge population of Hispanic migrant families. It is hard to hear how their families are torn apart by these borders. Hobbs gives a pretty accurate account of undocumented peoples travels across the border as compared to what I have heard around where I am from. They pay these people to help them across and they are trusting them with their very lives. Just like in the novel Sold it is so easy for these people to be exploited in their position being in poverty and being undocumented. I also thought it was interesting how people did not want to help him because they were undocumented. I know that is a huge issue in Tri-Cities. A lot of people are extremely prejudice and do not what to help Mexican migrant workers at all and are extremely against them being here. People don't realize though that them working in the fields for our farmers makes their groceries expensive. If we did have these workers who are working for less, the farmers would have to increase the price of their product to make a profit, so we would be paying more. I think people who are extremely against undocumented workers don't even think about that. It helps both them, their families and our families here. We should have regulations to protect them and some kinds of controls and limits, but it should be more open than it is now. In Crossing the Wire we see all of the repercussions and stress that these borders put on Victor and his family. Rico ends up not even being able to stay even though he endures though all the way through the trip, because it is not exactly a welcoming culture to come into. I thought it was also interesting that they ended up in Dayton Washington. I have been there a couple times. didn't really think of it as being a place that migrant workers worked very often. We have a lot of migrant workers in Pasco and all over Tri-cities in the apple orchards and grape vineyards. I know that they recently changed some regulations so know farmers have to have a social security card number for all their workers which has made it really hard for these families to find work here even though they might have been working in fields here for years. It is not fair that they families have to face this kind of oppression here when they are providing a service for American families that is so crucial to us. What these families have to go through to survive is awful. And I am sure an American family facing the same strife would do what Victor did to make sure his family would have a fighting chance.

Sold

When I heard we were reading Sold I was pretty ecstatic since Patricia McCormick wrote Cut, which was one of my favorite books in high school. I knew she would write an unbelievably believable account of something she has never experienced personally and it rings true with Sold. The details of Lakshmi's hometown os spot on with what I read about on Nepal. Lakshmi's house is made from cow dung and mud. They are mostly agricultural people and the majority practice Hinduism which is what Lakshmi and her mother practice (especially since she is named after the Hindu God). What I read on the cuisine was pretty accurate to the book as well, since they ate a lot of rice and lentils which are common there. When the step father came into the novel I could tell he would be the one who would sell Lakshmi into the sex slave trade, especially when he made the comment about girls being like goats you don't miss them when it comes time to make stew. This book is probably the saddest I have ever read besides Kite Runner. The chapter called the calendar was extremely sad, the this is when they bury their children chapter. When Lakshmi got sold, her travel was exactly how I read it usually happens. She was sold by someone close to her and transferred amount people in the town then taken across the border into India by fake papers she never sees by someone who tells her to claim he is her husband. She ends up in India or what sounds like India, a country that she doesn't know the language of, lessing her chances of escape. At the end when she says in English who she is it is such a liberating act for her, that her boldness and her learning despite extreme opposition set her free. I wish Patricia would have put in whether she ever got to see her mother again though or her going back to visit her hometown would be. Would she be received as Monica was received in her hometown or would she be happily welocome back. Somehow I think her mother never knew she was being sold into the sex slave trade because she taught her how to be a good maid, not prostitute. I also found it interesting that the Americans that came in could speak her specific dialect, which seems like it would be pretty rare, but if that was their job and they knew that most girls come from her rural place in Nepal, it isn't that much of a stretch. It also broke my heart that Anita closed and locked the door ensuring she would never be rescued, I am sure her fate would be to eventually get sick and be out on that streets to starve. I am also hypothesizing from what I read that the virus Monica gets is HIV which can't be cured so Mumtaz throws her on the streets as well. It is destined to happen to all the girls unless they escape when they have to be with so many random men every night  until they are too sick to be of use. So incredibly sad, especially since you know that almost exactly everything in this book really happens to these poor young girls.

Nepal and human trafficking

Nepal is a small country in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and is bordered by China and India. 81% of the population practices Hinduism, even Nepal has a sacred place in Budhism as the birth place of Buddha. Over 76% of the workforce is employed by agriculture. They grow tea, rice, wheat, sugarcane, jute and tobacco. It is also common for them to have such animals as water buffalo and to sell the meat from these animals. Most rural houses are made from bamboo framework and walls of mud and cow dung mix. Soccer, or football is the most poplar sport, but cricket has gained popularity there as well. The most popular cuisine is dal bhat which soup served on rice with spices and curried vegetables. Another popular cuisine is momo which is sticky buns, with or without fillings. Nepal was ruled by kings and they still celebrate holidays the revolve around them such as the king's birthday etc. Nepal is considered by the US to be a tier 2 country in regards to human trafficking. As many as 5,000 to 10,000 Nepali women and girls are trafficked each year for the sex slave trade between Nepal and India. Nepal is 157th out of 164 on list of human development index between countries which translates to meaning they have a big issue with inequality between people in Nepal. The victims are typically that of unprivileged girls and women who have little or no edication and a indigenoious people. The traffickers tend to be the victims on neighbors, relatives, even parents. They pass the girls along by even obtain fake documents for the victim to cross the border, but then withhold them from the victim so there is no way for them to get back. There are also very many different native languages spoken in Nepal which makes it very uncommon for any of these to speak the language of the country they are taken too.

Narrative on my culture

The items I picked for my museum are pretty specific to me as a girl in the northwest United States. The first item I picked was an orchid. I love flowers and nature in general. This also represents my love for hiking and being outside. I think in the Pacific Northwest getting outside and getting into nature is very much in our culture. There are hiking clubs, companies like north face, REI and biking clubs all centered around being outside here. I am very much into that culture here, by hiking, biking and just being outside in general. The second item I picked is the book, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest". If there is one culture I definitely consider my self a part of it is book reading culture. I LOVE to read. I have read almost all of classics in US culture. If given any free time alone you will find me outside reading a book when the weather here allows. The third item I picked is my Naked 3 eyeshadow palette. This is an item specific to US feminine culture. Urban Decay, the make up brand marked this item pretty hard in one of my favorite stores, Sephora. It is my favorite make up item thus far. A lot of my friends have it too, so that kind of led me to believe it was a part of a culture I am in. The fourth item I picked is my iPhone, of which I am typing this on right now. iPhones are pretty big in the US culture right now. The are undoubtably the most popular cell phone in the US. The fact that everyone has a cell phone here is specific to the culture in most developed countries. I use this thing for everything, directions, cooking recipes, phone contacts, music and etc.. I think most people in the US would have a hard time going back to the pre smart phone era, I know I would. The last thing I picked really isn't a thing at all, my dog Sandra Dee. She is my family here in Spokane, so I am definitely part of the dog owner culture in the US.

Kampung Boy

I am not going to lie when I picked up this book I couldn't believe my prof had us by a comic book as a textbook, and a $20 comic book at that. Then I read it, in less than an hour and I LOVED it. It is such a light hearted, but very real seeming account of a boy growing up in Malaysia. The celebrations, customs and education. I noted their rituals for births and circumcision. They are very community orientated people. Every ceremony involves the whole town. I noted how important and ritualistic bathing in the river is to their culture. Almost every ceremony involves bathing. The birth they sing while the baby is cleaned and then rocked to sleep. The circumcision includes the whole town and then bathing before the procedure. All very different from American culture. We do not celebrate circumcision and it usually happens at birth, not at age 10. The whole circumcision honestly even made me cringe and I am not even a boy! I also noted that he was not allowed to leave the house until he was three, that would be terrible! In America most kids still get to play outside a bit. I guess there are a lot more dangers in Kampung than there are in US. I also noted how everyone took payment in so many forms. His teacher could be paid in rice, chickens, firewood, etc. there was no one way someone could be paid. If I tried to pay my tuition in rice or chickens the university would just laugh. Clearly very different cultures. It was also interesting to note that just like school in America you can see different strengths in children, how some are good at art like him and bad at math or vice versa. They have similar subjects and everyone is different. When it got to the end and her had to leave for school, I felt so sad for him! To leave his town and his culture for the city. I wanted the book to continue to see where it lead him.

4/2 Research on Malaysia

Issues in Malaysia

1. Disputes of land and maritime with Indonesia has been an issue for a while. All the way around Malaysia has had a variety of disputes over boundaries with other countries mainly in the straits between the coutnry. Violence in South Thailand has made Malaysia want to more closely monitor their border to prevent terrorist activities.

2. Human trafficking is also an issue in Malaysia. It is seen as a destination and a transition country for human trafficking. Immigrants that willingly come into the country are pushed into forced labor and debt bondage. Women and children are vulnerable the sex slave trade. Immigrants are extremely vulnerable and their children that are not given birth certificates since they have no actual records of them existing, it is easier for them to be taken and completely erased. 

3. Racism/discrimination is also an issue in Malaysia, as there are different cultures in Malaysia, but the active government is more biased to the majority, which is Malaysian Islamic. They recently banned the word "Allah" for anyone non-Muslim to use which has stirred conflict between Christians and Muslims in the area. Several churches and mosques have been desecrated, one church was even recently firebombed over the tensions.   
4. There is also an issue of children not being birth certificates, or ones stamped with "foreigner". Without a normal birth certificate these children are not able to attend government schools.These children are stateless, and there is no way to even prove they exist, let alone belong to Malaysia. This issue ties in the human trafficking issue as well as it is easier for these people to be taken and completely erased since there is no real record of their existence. 

5. Children in poverty is also an issue in Malaysia. In some places like Selangor the child poverty rate is only  2%, but is as high as 31% in Sabah, so there is a huge disparity between member states. Stateless children (no birth certificate/ foreigner stamp) are more likely to be victims of extreme poverty. 

6. HIV/AIDs in Malaysia is a fast growing epidemic there with 10 new infections everyday, all together 91,362 cases of HIV infections and12,943 AIDs related deaths from 1986 to 2010. 

7. Secondary education in Malasyia is not mandatory, thus only three quarters of secondary school aged children do not attend school. This presents a lot of risks for these children since illegal drugs and poverty are also an issue in the country. Sixty-five percent of a users of illegal drugs in the country did not complete secondary education. These children are also at a higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDs. 

In 1995 Malaysia did sign the Covention of the Right of the Child, so children are protected under that, which should ensure children the right to a birth certificate and public record of their existence, but this is still a prevalent issue. 

http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/17983_malaysia-adolescence.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html

http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/aids.html

http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/campaigns_rights-issues.html

http://thediplomat.com/2014/02/old-malaysian-issues-are-new-again/