I forgot about Painting!!

In my last blog I forgot to mention that we would be painting the school, which is interesting because its what took up almost all of our time. Let me fill you in...
OKay so, I was elected the head director of the painting project, by which I mean I pretended to know how to paint stuff, and Hatch and Nibbs pretended to listen. Anyway, my nickname for the week was 'Painter's Son' and let me just say this, I represented Broadbent Painting hardcore... BY which I mean I was a perfectionist, and often had to remind myself that having walls with drips on them is not the end of the world...
But this experience was not so much about self-discovery. Rather, I gained a lot of insight into my father. Now, we all love Dave. He is a silly man, and his sense of humor is unlike anyone I know. But after painting for 4 hours straight, in an enclosed room, with no mask, I began to understand the secret to his goofiness. Paint fumes! Nibbs sang, Hatch danced, and I managed to dance, sing, and have an ongoing monologue... It was incredible.
Painting does not seem like a very exhausting activity. You move a roller, or pull a paintbrush along a board, and the paint sticks. And a few days later you've got a house with a fresh coat of paint on it... But it is not that easy... There are corners, and crannies, nooks and nodules, highs and lows, and it is all far from easy.
Painting is also very, very messy. At the end of everyday we would all be covered with splotches of paint. Sometimes they would appear in places that seemed impossible: in an armpit, in the middle of your back, on the inside of my hat. And how do you clean paint off your body when in Cambodia? Why Gasoline of course. And it works, incredibly well, though the gasoline fumes mixed with paint fumes is... Well, it was pretty bad.
Here are two pieces of advice if you ever decide to paint something:
1. Get different rollers for the different colors of paint. We neglected to do this, and as a result, the inside rooms (which were supposed to be white) ended up having a cloud-like appearance to them. It turned out well, and the patterns are actually kind of cool, but... we got lucky.
2. Make sure you buy the same color paint if you run out. Luckily, we finished the first coat of one room, before we had to buy our second bucket. The second room turned out to be an eggshell white, which also turned out to be kind of cool. But still, I wóuld recommend making sure you buy the same color.

Backpack!!!

I would like to take a second to imbue onto you a very important lesson I learned this past week: When in Cambodia you should make sure you do two things if you don't want to lose anything. First, you must always remember to keep an eye on your belongings, and never let someone else take care of it, even if you know them well. Second, make sure it is always in a safe place, (the roof of a car is not a safe place.)
I failed to do both of these things and as a result some lucky Cambodian person has a brand new back pack, equipped with a roll of duct tape, an infrequently used retainer, two pens (one of which is broken), two bracelets (óne with Ellie, the other with Harry embroidered in it), a bottle of Ibuprofen, a chinese cell phone with a cambodian SIM card, and a Camera chock full of pictures of someones trip to CHina...
Oh yes, I lost my backpack. And oh yes, my camera was in it... And why of course, it was put on the top of the car, and later fell off on to the road... And no, I did not find it... But gosh darn it! I was doing so well this trip...

The next period of no-blogging

Tomorrow we are headed back to the plantation to finish the project. And once again I will be in the middle of the Cambodian Jungle with no way of updating you guys on my trip. So, let me leave yuo with a few thoughts and an outlne of what we have left to do.
The walls will be tackled simoultaneously as the windows and doors. It will probably take us two days.
After the walls are up, and we can official say that the school is done we will begin the process of clearing the area around it, and marking it with a fence. The fence will be comprised of meter high cement pillars, spaced thirty meters apart. Its function is not so much to keep people out, but to mark the schools land so that people don't try to sell it. It has happened before.
While we are doing the fence, some of our helpers from the village will also be building an outside play area for the kids. It will be a pretty simple structure with a roof, and no walls. It will allow the kids to play in the shade.
In finale we will build two more things. A small Buddhist Shrine, which teh cheif of the village sees as a necessity, and a sign.

A couple thoughts:
- 2 more weeks! I will be home in just 2 weeks. I know it has been hard, but the three month Ben Broadbent drout is about to end! I can't wait!!!
- I am feeling better, much better. Of course I do have a feeling that my sickness is on a 36 hour cycle. Hopefully not...

Stay Golden, Ponyboy.

The Haircut

So this morning, after the haze of the new haircut feeling I have noticed a couple things about my hair:
1. DO you remember Eddy from 'Step by Step'? He was the goofy next door neighbor... Well, with my new cut, I could totally have stood in as his double.
2. My Chops. I respect sideburns, and I envy those that can pull them off. But I can't. Mostly because I still can't grow a legit beard. And anyone who has grown a beard remembers the days when they had those random bald spots, under their chin, beneath their jaw, etc. Well, one of my bald spots is right in the place where my right side burn is supposed to start. It looks pretty silly. UNfortunately I had to shave them off... Super bummer.

My Cambodian Thanksgiving

Well, it wasn't as bad as I had feared. It was actually pretty good. And that is all because of a Cambodia cooking angel.
Patrick, Nibbs, and The Hatch ran into her when they were in Phnom Penh for an NGO conference (Pippo and I stayed back at the PLantation to hold down the fort- or rather, build it up). Anyway this woman is married to na Frenchman, and is an incredible cook.
Breakfast:
Banana Pancakes and Cereal! Booyah. Wheaties has nothing on that.

Lunch:
Standard Noodles. But they were extra delicious.

Dinner:
Fried Chicken. Like KFC style. MM MM gooood. Mashed Potatoes (aka Mashed deliciousness) and CEREAL!!! BOooyaaahh.

At dinner we sat around and said what we were thankful for. We were all thankful for the experience, and for sharing it with good people. I was also thankful for the ability to drink legally! Booyaaaah!!!

And I do apologize...

It has been more than a week since I last blogged, and much has happened. The school now has a cement floor raised 2 feet above the ground, a tin roof, and 20 desks to fill it. It may not sound like a lot, but let me tell you, it took a lot of work.
The floor
I don't know the perimeter of the school, but its pretty big, and it took a lot of sand to raise it 2 feet up. To get the sand we dug the ground up near the school. The holes are real big, and real deep. And when it rains, they will be ponds. And when the rain stops, they will be mosquito factories... We carried the sand in baskets from the holes to the school. The kids helped a lot with this. "Buon" they would scream as they hurled their baskets at my feet. I would give them three big scoops "Muy...Bee...Bi" and then a tiny fourth scoop "Buon!" They thought it was great.
It took us 5 days to get the level high enough with the sand. The next step was the cement. And since cement dries, we had to do the entire floor in one day... We started at 8 am as we always do, had lunch at noon, came back at one, and worked until 9pm... Yes, 9 pm. My job was to mix, and then shovel the concrete... I did that for 10 hours.... I still can't straighten my pinky... But we got the job done, and it was fun, because around 7 everyone came out to watch. It was like a party. A very tiring party... With lots of cement, sand, and gravel...

The roof-
The roof was done by the village cheif and a few other skilled workers. They were like monkeys, climbing, swinging, and laughing the whole time. It was pretty incredible to watch.

The Desks-
It took us 3 days for the desks. I had a lot of practice with sawing, and I can almost cut straight. Although, it is getting harder and harder to stand upright. Everything I do, (carrying sand, shoveling, sawing, eating, sitting)is done slouched over, and my lower back is getting P.Oed. But enough complaining. What was fun about sawing is that it provided ample time for christmas carol singing. Travis, who I call Hatch (because he is really good with a hatchet) doesn't like to sing, and Clarke, whom I call Nibbs, (She nibbles at her food) has to be in the christmas spirit, and so... It is mostly just me, singing away and loving every minute of it. Nibbs does like to sing Frosty the SNowman, but we can't remember all of the lyrics...

Here are some of my thoughts about the last week or so:
- There is no need for steel-toed boots, or hard hats while doing in construction in Cambodia. In fact, there is no need for pants either. We wear sandles to do the job, and on our heads we wear soft hats, for the son. I do wear pants, but many of the locals walk around with towels rapped around their waists. And there hasn't been a single injury yet. (Knock on wood)
- Cereal! We have cereal, and oh it is good. Smacks, Honey Bunches of Oats, Special K... There aren't words to describe how good it tastes.... But oh it is goood.
- Milk! Yes! And it is so good... Was so good. You see, instead of a fridge we have a big red cooler. To make it cold, you put in ice. Well, the water that makes the ice is not clean water, and the ice itself is dragged around some pretty nasty places. The ice melts and the cooler is filled with this gross water. In the cooler is our milk, and the cap is loose, and the water goes into it, and our milk is contaminated. And I pour the milk into my bowl of cereal, and I can tell that it has been contaminated, but I have to try it. I take one bite, ONE bit, and it is gross, but I swallow. What is one lowsy bite going to do. Hatch wanted me to eat the rest, Nibbs forced me to dump it... Well, one lowsy bite can do a lot. I have been sick now for two days. I woke up in the middle of the night after eating the contamined bite shivering uncontrollably. I couldn't fall asleep. When I did sleep it never lasted more than 10 minutes, and every time I woke up, my fever was worse, and my stomach was getting more and more ready to rid itself of the evil milk. I prayed that I would get better. This is not the way I want to go home. IN the morning I felt better, though really hung over. I took some advil, and rested during the morning shift, and by the afternoon I was back to sawing. And I thought I was good, better, but oh no, no sir. We came to Sihanoukville today so to use the internet etc. I was fine all morning, and then I got sick, and it wasn't any fun. Nibbs is sick too, sicker than I am. She stayed at the Bungalow. Í'm going to surprise her with the lyrics to Frosty the Snowman...
- My first haircut by someone other than my mom! This is huge for me, and my mom. It was a pretty enjoyable experience. He gave me side burns. Yeah, I'm pretty fly now.

I have much more to tell you, but Hatch is getting impatient. So long for now!

26 days...,Second Day on the Job...

So today we finished our project at the nursery. I did a lot of sawing and learned two things about my self.
1. Crew has impacted me far more than I had thought. Today, when I was sawing, I did power tens. I actually had Clarke cox me through the last log I had to cut. I made her say "Don't give up, Central is two seats down!"

2. I am horrible at sawing. Speed isn't the issue. Its the whole sawing straight so that the end is flat that I have trouble with. I am so bad at it that there were actually a couple of times where the wood I had cut was angled to the point that we couldn't use it... By the end of the day I improved, but still... if you need something sawed, and you want it flat... I'm not the guy to call.

But the job is done and we're leaving tomorrow to go back to the plantation, where we will begin our renovations/construction on the school. I can't wait.
Hope all is well in C-town and beyond...

Also, I might not be able to blog for the next couple days... I will do my best to get back to town so that i can, but it is an hour drive, so its unlikely.

First Day on the Job

Today we began working on the nursery. I'm still not entirely sure what we are building for them. This morning we put in the frame for a floor. And by ''we'' I mean Travis and Pippo. Clarke and I did help, but there were only a few tools, so many times we were just getting in the way.
So... instead we played with the kids, which was a lot of fun.

Update on that, I now have a signature move when playing with kids. I would like to give a shout out to my big brothers (oliver/alex) for teaching me it. Basically, you turn your hat around like a cool cat from the 90's, and pull the back down over the tip of your nose. Making sure that it is properly in place you then pull the hat down so that it fits snugly on your noggin, thus giving you a pig nose. Warning! Do not attempt with a fitted hat.
A. You'll break your nose.
B. You won't be able to see, and you will probably end up stepping on one of the kids heads. An accident like that will surely ruin your playtime, and possibly reputation.

Moving on... It is that time of year where the kids that are still in school (God bless their souls) are starting to hope for a snow day, and all of the older folks are beginning to complain. I know how it goes. Well for those people, and all others who enjoy beautiful beaches with warm water, and a waiter to fetch you whatever your sun-burned heart desires, I am living your dream. As I told you before i am staying in a bungalow in Sihanoukville, 2 meters from the ocean. At night, I fall asleep to the sound of waves breaking on the shore, and in the morning I wake up with a nice refreshing dip in the ocean. yes, it is paradise. And its so strange to swim in ocean water that is not lip-bluing cold., And by strange, I mean wonderful.


Unfortunately we will only be here for one more night. We will go back to sleeping on the wooden floor of the plantation, being woken up at 6am by a rooster, eating food loaded with MSG, sweating profusely at all hours of the day and night... And you will be the lucky ones. but for now... *Evil cackle*
Well, so long for now.

Cambodia!

Well, I have been in Cambodia for five days... I think.
Its a really interesting place, very poor, dirty and flat. The history is absolutely horrifying, which makes the culture, people, and area strangely intrguing. There is much to say about Cambodia, but first let me tell you what I have been up to.

My first few days I stayed in the Ökay Guesthouse. It was okay. Patrick, CLarke (another volunteer) and I had a few meetings with some local people in Phhom Penh. One of our missions here is to find someone who we think can run the orphanage/childrens center/school that we hope to create here in Cambodia. So far we have had a few interesting leads...
Travis, and Pippo (both volunteers) arrived two days after Clarke and I. Pippo is an Italian engineer, and he is going to help plan the GR children's home and help us to fix a school in one of the areas we visited. Travis was Global Root's first young volunteer. We left Phnom Penh when they arrived and drove four hours to a plantation owned and operated by a friend of Patricks. His name is Heat. How cool/ironic is that? Anyway, we looked at a peice of land they (Patrick and Heat) both own to see if it would make sense for us to build our children's home there. We have yet to come to a conclusion.
Five minutes from there is a school that we also visited, and plan to support. It has no walls and a roof that is in very poor shape. In total about 70 kids live in the surrounding village, but currently a little under half of them attend the school. We hope to increase that number.
We just arrived in Sianoville, where we wil be staying for the next week or so. We are right on the beach in some pretty beat up bungalows, and it is sweet.
I will update you further on what we will be doing in the next few days soon.

Stay tuned dear friends.

Cambodia

Hello Everybody.
I do apologize for not blogging in the past week or so. I have been very busy/I have been in Cambodia, and I have had trouble finding internet.
Cambodia is hot and muggy, but nice.
I'm not sure if this is inappropriate for this blog, but Cambodian girls are pretty cute.
Oh yeah, we did the play at the orphanage a week ago, and it was fantastic.

The kids loved it, and did not disappoint. I met a group of people who were staying in Shangri La for a week or so, as they made their way to Tibet. They came to the play, and fixed the basketball hoop (I slam dunked it off). It is all video taped, so be looking for it in theatres near you... but not really.
I will write more later.
Hope all is well.

A regular...

There is so much to see in Shangri La, and I have had a chance to do some sight seeing. But, i have also become a regular at two of its restaurants/cafes. Noah's cafe and Marco's (aka Helen's Pizza).
I eat breakfast at Noahs. Its warm, and the milk tea is very good. The waitresses speak little English, and so they don't disturb me. (I am not a morning person.) They do smile though. I must look like a lunatic, or at least like I am very lost. Other people also smile, when they come in, because I am always at the same table, doing the same thing, drinking milk tea. They too must feel a bit sorry for me. But I think its practical. I have tried many other restaurants (if I were to right this blog later I might also have to include "The Compass," which is another restaurant I am beginning to frequent) but they aren't as warm, and their milk tea is so-so.
Depending on whether or not the kids are in school, I either leave Noah's a little before ten, or a little before noon. If they aren't in school, I make the 40 second trek to Helen's Pizza for lunch. It is my opinion, my very biased opinion, that Noah's and Helen's are in a sort of competition. Noah's has the atmosphere, but Helen's has Marco and thus good Italian food. I go to Helens for lunch because Achu (helen) is very nice. (Marco hasn't been around for a week or so- he had to go to HK to renew his visa, and he is Italian, so he had to stop along the way to meet with old friends, drink wine, and speak too loudly). I have to account for my not eating breakfast there, and so i tell her that i was playing spy over at Noahs. I will sit and talk with Achu, until about 5, when I head to the orphanage.
Who gets the pleasure of seeing me again for dinner depends on whether I ate at the orphanage. If I don't eat at the orphanage, I go to Helen's for dinner. If I arrive around nine Achu, Aca (Achu's nephew), and the other woman (Her name didn't rhyme as nicely) are usually preparing their own dinner, and so they ask me to sit with them. It is always good, and always free. If I did eat at the orphanage, then I am far from hungry, so I head to Noahs. I order a milk tea, open my laptop, and rest in the assurance that their won't be any conversation between me and the waitresses to interrupt my work.
It may sound boring, even perfunctory, but I love it.
Besides I am headed to Cambodia next, and I am almost sure that they won't have Milk tea.

Let us hope...

We can stand because we have legs, talk because we have mouths, but we need hope to act and faith to endure. And to change the world, we need one another.

The Play cont...

So it has been a week since I gave the kids their scripts. It has been a grueling process, saying each word a hundred times, taking thirty minutes to an hour with each kid to learn each individual line, but alas the lines are learned. There are of course the few stars that I mentioned in my previous blog, but every kid takes his/her role very seriously, and they are all doing extremely well.

Yesterday and today I worked with the stage hands to show them when and how to move the set to create the different scenes, etc. I spent only about an hour or so yesterday, and I was afraid that they would have forgotten what and when they were supposed to change the set. But once again, I underestimated these kids. They did have a few slip ups, and they were a little late, but they remembered! I was so impressed.

Also, today we began the “acting” party of the play. They can each read their lines well enough, but they speak them in a monotone, without movement, or emotion. Well, that is beginning to change. I now have a few of them fake crying, snickering, and growling. It cracks them up. It’s really quite funny.

The moral of this blog is that these kids astound me. Everyday I am impressed by how much they retained from our brief encounter the day before, and how quickly they pick up new ideas and actions.

Its so sad to think that if Tendol had not found them they would have never had the chance to show, to prove, to use their incredible abilities. But they can and they do, and it is wonderful.

And you all helped make it possible. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

The play...

On Patrick’s advice I have begun a play with the kids. Its a combination of Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks. I gave the kids the script on Wednesday and a few of them have already memorized their lines. I went out to collect supplies for the set, etc. and when I returned much of the forest and the path were already created. They are all so eager to learn, and they stand around listening as I teach the other kids their parts. The girl I chose to be Goldilocks, La Zhom Ya Zhom (The spelling is wrong, but you get the idea) has learned her lines and the lines of the three bears. She has also begun to sound out words by herself. The boy I chose to be Baby Bear, his name is Jah Shua (again, the spelling is wrong) knew his lines by heart before the end of our first session, and he has actually begun to teach some of the younger kids their lines as well. When I met with the Mama Bear, and the Papa Bear they already knew their lines!

Do not fret, I will videotape the performance. It’s gonna be good…

Finally Photos

Beautiful Children

Dedicated Volunteers



I am well and missing you all Ben

The hardest thing...

The question that always seems to wrap its cold hands around the throat of my thoughts, and strangle them till there is nothing left but discouragement, is How? In a practical world, this is a practical question. You must work, and work hard if you ever want to achieve anything. It is not false, that statement, but I believe we often interpret it in the wrong way, and we work in the wrong direction.

I do believe that we all strive for happiness, but through our efforts I fear we often miss that goal. We become bogged down with the past, contemplating our mistakes, while at the same time we tell ourselves that it will all be better tomorrow, that the future holds promise. We keep making “mistakes,” because our minds eye is looking ahead, while our feet are trailing behind. We don't notice the root sticking out from the ground, and so we trip, and fall. When we get back up, brushing the dirt from our pants, we look behind us and think about how clumsy we were, and how obvious the root was, and our foot slips on a rock, and we fall once again.
To be truly alive and happy, we must break this cycle. We must forget all of our mistakes, our misgivings, and the myriad faults that riddle our character, and just be our selves. We mustn't worry about the past, or contemplate the future, for we are already where we want to go. To be happy we must acknowledge this truth, but it will not be easy. We must work, and work hard.

A story…

A story…



I have now been in Shangri La for four days. The kids at the orphanage are absolutely wonderful. The older ones take care of the younger ones, and they all seem to cling to each other. They are a family…

It is a surreal experience, working with these kids. I often forget that many of them are without a mother and father, and their incredible struggles are impossible to see behind their bright smiles. But during an interview with Patrick, another GR volunteer, one of the kid’s horrific story was described in all too vivid detail. I wish I could recount to you exactly what was said, but I was not present for the interview.

Here is the summary that I obtained from Patrick during our ride home.

As a small child this boy was abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods. He lived among the trees for four years with no other company. When he was found by Tendol, the woman who created and continues to run the children’s home, he was too wild to attend classes.

The same kid schools me in basketball everyday at the orphanage. He is older now, and has some pretty good moves. He is happy here, with Tendol as his mother, and the other kids as his brothers and sisters… Its impossible to tell by looking at him what he has gone through, but he has suffered more than many of us will in a lifetime…

We are so fortunate…

I am in Shangri La

I am in Shangri La, I think I might come to live here someday. Its absolutely great. They have the perfect combination of tibetan culture, and modernized world. This town has actually become a sort of backpackers paradise. A good many people speak english, cafes with comfortable chairs/couches are a plenty, and the people seem pretty nice... Its great. But weird how much I am liking china. I cannot wait to go to college so I can study chinese.

There is this pizza joint called Helen's Pizza like 5 minutes from where I am staying. The owner is a chinese woman, whose english name is Helen, but it is her husband who has made the place. He is about as italian as can be. He talks too loud, all the time, in english with such a heavy accent that the only way I know what he is saying is because of his facial expressions and body movements. I honestly cannot hold a straight face when I talk to him. The food is excellent, and Marco always makes sure that you are eating the right combinations and drinking whatever best compliments the meal. He almost kicked me out when I ordered tea with pizza. It is such a welcome albeit strange sight to see a pure bred italian in China. But it works. He seems to change the people that come in. He calls everyone "my friend" and he always remembers names. He sits down with people to make sure they are enjoying their meal, and when someone leaves he stops whatever he is doing to yell "xia xia" a hundred times and shake their hands. And the people, whom you have never met, will say goodbye to you, or tell you to enjoy your meal, or smile and wave. When you enter Helen's Pizza, you become family... You gotta love it.

Diseased Mountains

Flying from Kunming to Shangri La I sat in a window seat. I am beginning to rely like flying. Airports I hate, but flying, especially during the day, is something different. The view from plan during my flight was incredible. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the green sheet of the ground was wrinkled with mountains. It looked like some giant tractor had crossed over the land long ago, and the trees on the mountains were covering up the tread marks. It was incredible. But then as I admired the lay of the land I noticed that many of the mountains appeared to have a rash of some sort. Blotches of red and yellow... I was horrified. And it got worse. The tips of the mountains began to gray. Something was sucking the blood out of these magnificent hills. And what is that white stuff? They looked as if they were freezing... I had forgotten about winter. And oh, how nice it feels to be cold again. That may sound strange, but the smell of winter is comforting. I feel at home.
And Shangri La is beautiful. Its so high up that the sky seems to have a back light. I have never seen so much blue. Am I still flying?

Hong Kong is incredible

I am on the 35th floor of an apartment building and the view from my bedroom window is absolutely nuts.
I mean, Yangshuo was pretty, and the mountains were pretty fantastic, but there is something that is just so welcoming and beautiful about Hong Kong.
Maybe it is the perfect balance of commercialism and the environment, maybe it is the fact that almost everyone here speaks at least a little English, or maybe it is the comfort of seeing a Lamborghini, followed by a Rolls Royce, and a set of two or three Porches.
Its great to say the least. the family that Rick has set me up is also pretty spectacular. They have been extremely welcoming and kind. They have two sons ages 13 and 11. It made me realize how much I missed my little brothers...

My trip here was pretty easy, the MTR, no big deal, and the rest was easy sailing thanks to some directions that I got from my host mom.
I did have to buy a 24 hour wifi membership in the train terminal before I jumped on the MTR, but it only cost like 3 bucks, so no big deal.
Gail's blog today was perfect. you have no idea...
I love/miss you/hope all is well.
I'll write more tomorrow.
Ben

China

China
Its a strange place. It seems to be in its adolescences, going through growing pains. For instance, on any given street in Yongshuo you can find four types of vehicles. There is the motorcyle, very common, and prefered by most locals. There is the volkswagen, and the square van which has seven seats, but with the addition of some wooden stools and benches doubles its carrying capacity. And then, there are trucks, that have no front. The engine is exposed. There are no doors, and the steering wheel can be anything from a bicycle handlebars, to two planks of wood. In Pin lu, Rickshaws are very common, but they all seem to be homemade. Like a metal box on wheels with half a motorcycle sticking out the front.
The houses really show how much of a developing country China is. If they are painted, they are only painted on the frontside. And they always seem to be crumbling. It may be the fact that I am in the country(ish)side, but everything has a thin layer of dust covering it.

Oh america

I picked up a newspaper the other day that was in English. I had not realized how much I was missing. In America I never really tried to hear the news, but somehow I was always aware of the things that were happening. Its strange to feel so disconnected. Whats even stranger is that I miss it.

Culture Shock

There have been a few things that caught me off guard during my stay in the village. Now, I was surprised by these things, but not offended. In fact, I indulged in many of them myself.
-The trash can is the ground.
-Farting is done loudly. And yes, it is still funny, but I was usually the only one who laughed... Awkward.
-The men walk around with the bottom of their shirt pulled up so that their bellies hang out. (This is actually pretty comfortable)
-The Chinese love, and I mean love, like they practice, Karaoke. Its very funny. But I guess that isn't really culture shock. Its more of culture surprise!
And thats really it. I mean, the food is different, but you get used to. These are things that really caught my attention... Mostly the karaoke... and the farting...

Next Phase with disclaimer

Memo from MOM,,,,I am attaching this disclaimer, the details may be wrong. I am in fact doing all of those things, but where and when I am unsure of. During my phone conversation with Rick he gave me a lot of information. I wasn't able to grasp most of it, I was stuck on the fact that I am going to meet a walking buddha!

Ben

I leave for Hong Kong on the seventeenth. I'll stay there for three days. Then I am flying to Kunming. From there I will be going to Shangri La, unless Kunming is in Shangri La. I don't have a map handy, so I might sound somewhat clueless... Which, I am... some what.

I will be doing a couple things in Shangri La, both of which made my heart stop and my hair stand on end when I heard about them. The first, I will be working on a boat. Teaching and assisting. Whom am I assisting you ask? Well, the boat that I am going to be on is a hospital boat, and I will be working with doctors to care for the kids and the orphans that they picked up from the streets. Some of these kids were put onto the sex market at the age of twelve. Its absolutely disgusting, and atrocious what these kids have gone through.
I told one of the staff members at the Snow Lion(where i am staying for a couple of days) about these kids and she began to cry. Those tears, I realized, are one of the reasons I am here. It is that feeling that we all experience when we hear about the horrible things that people live with that is driving me.
It is that indignant voice that rises up from within the deepest part of our selves that I am listening to. I keep telling people that this is not my journey, but ours. It comes off sounding like BS, but it is the truth. I am here for everyone who feels angry at the nastiness that seems to plague our wonderful world. I am here to walk the walk, for you, for me, for those people who cry when they hear about the prostitution of an eleven year old.
The second, during my time in Shangri La, or Cambodia, or Tibet... Wherever it is I am going, I am going to meet what the Tibetans refer to as a "walking buddha." Basically what that means is that he is considered to be a reincarnation of a lama. He was born enlightened. And I am going to meet him. The Dali Lama witnessed his birth after having a vision!!! And I am going to be talking to this guy!!!

And you should hear about the guy that is going to be my guide during my time in Shangri La. He is a nomad. When he was young he was taught by someone who followed his tribe in a van! that man then took the smartest of his students into the city to take the high school the examination. They all passed! But, they weren't allowed to continue their education because they didn;t have a certificate from a school! BS, I know. Well, he knew that he needed an education. So, he trekked over the Himalayans, almost died from elevation sickness, arrived in the Tibetan retreat in India, had to run away from the Chinese police that were waiting for him at their gates to intercept him and climb over the wall. Then, after getting his education he snuck back into china to find his tribe. Soon thereafter Rick met him... I mean, come on, this is nuts!!!

So off I go....

What a funny funny family

Its a strange phenomenon. I do not miss my family. Now, that is not to say I don't think about them. I do, more often than I had expected to. And what is even stranger is that being apart from them has allowed me to take an outsiders perspective on the "Broadbents".
I blogged a while ago about the "College Collage" that i was not going to receive. Well, my Nana and mother were probably hurt worse than I was by that realization. So, they put together, with the help of my siblings, what I, in my love for alliteration, termed as the "Cross-cultural Crossword Collage." Basically they took a book of crosswords and put pictures on some of the pages and attached some notes. I know that description doesn't do it justice, but you get the point.
Anyhow, whenever I look at it, a different person from my family seems to stand out to me.
Max attached a writing piece that he must have written for english. He may seem like some dopey skateboarder kid, but his writing reveals his true self. He is creative, and smart, and I'm not sure he realizes it. I am so excited to see how he progresses, and to witness that moment when he realizes his ability and he truly begins to flourish...
Sam almost mad me cry. He told me that he looked up to me, and he signed his letter "your rapping brother Sam, aka Jigsaw." What a cute kid. We used to call him "Tony!" because he looked italian, and now he acts italian. He is probably the Broadbent that loves the idea of our family the most. His heart is as big as anyone I have met, and when he finally finds out how to use, the world will know his name.
Ellie... Oh Elle. I often wonder whether or not she is just me, in girl form. She is not as shy as I was, or nearly as self-conscious, but her sense of humor, is unmistakable. Her letter instructed me to miss her the most which in some ways I do. For instance, I have taken video, or pictures of all of the animals that I see, because I know she will love it... But man, what a goof. She wants to be a veterinarian, and you know... I have a feeling that she will be someday.
My dad, under a picture of us at dinner, where his face was the only straight one (Max, Sam, and I were all wearing ridiulous expressions), he said, and I quote "Dinner won't be the same without you. Enjoy the Rice! Love ya." Even now it makes me chuckle. This is the essence of my dad. Short, sweet, and oddly hilarious.
That is all I will say for now, my mom and Nana would both take three whole pages to describe, so I will spare you.

Getting ready

In Yongshuo

I am in Yongshuo again, “licking my wounds from my time on the countryside” as Rick says. But they are not so much wounds, though my head still hurts from trying to absorb it all.

Maybe there are some wounds, some gashes in my mind, that are leaking thought and passion. And I suppose you could say I am licking my wounds if you are thinking about them in that sense- trying to get every last drop of understanding… I think it is more like the steam that escapes the rice pot… Of course, that might just be because I am hungry.

The rest of my trip is going to be amazing. I will post the specifics as soon as I can get them in written form from Rick so I know that I am not making anything up, or confusing what I am doing where.

I will be in Yongshuo for another couple of days. The comfort of a hotel is much appreciated, and the pleasure of being able to talk to the staff has not escaped me. Of course I was not in such a bad situation during my stay in the village. Yes, there was no internet, and no one in my family spoke English, but I slept on a queen sized bed, in an air-conditioned room, that had a surround sound stereo system and TV…

Ah well, the next portion of my trip will be less comfortable, which I am excited about. That may sound strange, but I mean, how am I supposed to gain any deep understanding, or glimpse the cause of suffering if I am comfortable?!

Alas, I may be biting my tongue in a week.



More to come, though maybe not tonight.

I'll send the postcard tomorrow.

An afternoon stroll...

There are stray dogs running around all over town. They all have scars or at least a disfiguration of some sort. What is even sadder is that there are also stray puppies running around. I see them all over the place. This sight is made even stranger by seeing people walking their buffalo! Maybe they are bringing them to feed somewhere, or to lay in one of the ditches so that they don’t get hot, but occasionally I see someone and there buffalo, a rope tied through its nostrils just walking around. I can’t help but imagine that they are out for an afternoon stroll… In short, buffalo are not as cute as puppies… Though I am sure they taste better.



Ben

My Family (in China)

The family I am staying with is great, though I get the feeling that they are trying to fatten me up, for some big “Ben Roast” where I will be the main course.

I wouldn’t know if this were the case, I can’t understand anything they are saying. For all I know they could be talking to eachother about what I would taste like, or what kinds of herbs and spices they should use when they cook me…

There is a grandmother and grandfather who both live in the house. The grandmother never leaves, and the grandfather seldom does, although they are always doing work around the house or in the garden. The grandmother is the cook. The grandfather does most of the garden work. The father and the mother are both very nice as well, though loud and a bit overbearing. The father is constantly wearing a big silly grin. Of course I am happy I know him, he is a pretty scary looking fellow. The mother is nice, but she screams a lot… about 73% of the time that she is talking. What is said is that I’m not entirely sure how many kids they have. I know they have two sons. One is in the army, the other is 7 and is home from his boarding school for the break. I also know they have a daughter, I am sleeping in her room. But other than that I am not completely sure, there are always a lot of people walking in and out of the house, and I have no way of deciphering whether it is someone who works for the family, if they are just friends, or if they are related by blood.

It’s all very confusing. My family owns many small businesses, and they are pretty wealthy, that is compared to the rest of the village. I am pretty sure that the mother does something with clothing, she has a room full of needles, thread and plastic diamonds and other sparkling accessories. She ais also the accountant/financer. I often find her with a few of what I presume to be the managers of their stores punching away at a calculator, counting money. The father is a fisherman, I’m pretty sure. Maybe he does more than that, he does leave often for the entire day, but I have never accompanied him on any of these trips so I can only speculate. (maybe he is a hitman? A mob boss? I have an active imagination)

I wish I could understand what they say, so I coul talk to them, so we could have a relationship. I suppose it is enough with body language, but oh how I long to find out about them, to understand them, to truly meet them.

Someday I will come back to China after studying Chinese in college and will return to this house. I will show up unannounced. I cannot wait. I look forward to that day almost as much as I do the day I actually go to college. Oh yeah, which reminds me.
I have to start applying!!!

Oh the harmonic…

I cannot tell you how nice it is to have. I am not very good at playing, to be honest, but it satisfies my musical thirst. When I begin to miss something, whether it be my friends, family, or piano, I take my harmonica out of its case, close my eyes and play. The kids love it, and I let them all have a turn playing it. I laugh when I think about how they will remember: the big, tall, white American, who’s Chinese speaking ability went as far as saying boo (no) and no further, who played a harmonica whenever he walked and wasn’t listening that pink Ipod of his. I hope they think fondly of these memories of me, I know I will think fondly of them.

What I miss most:

What I miss most:
- My bed.
- The English language.
- Laughing because I understand.
- My piano.
- Borders.
- Hanging out with my friends.
- The fall weather.
- The stillness of the church
- Coffee!!!

Schedule

So, as you know I teach three classes a day, grades 1,2, and 3. Well, to give you a better picture I have put below my average school day schedule:

8:15- Leave home.
8:30- Arrive at school.
8:30-8:50- Kids prepare for class- doing some exercise, reciting lessons, etc.
9:00-9:40- Class. I sit in the office with the other teacher who is currently on break.
9:40-10:00- Free time.
10:00-10:40- Class. I teach the first graders.
10:50-11:30- Class. I teach second grade.
11:40-2: Lunch. Everyone goes home.
12:10- Arrive home.
1:00- Eat lunch.
2:00- Leave home.
2:15- Arrive at school.
2:20-3:00- Class. I take a break in the office.
3:10-3:50- Class. I teach third grade.
3:50-4:00- Free time.
4:00-4:40- Class. I take break in the office.
4:45-5:15- Walk home for dinner.
6:30- Dinner.
9:00- Bed!!!

During my “breaks” I usually study Chinese or will occasionally slip into one of the other classrooms where the kids are learning pinyin, which is another way to write Chinese other than with the characters. Those classes are somewhat helpful.
You may have noticed that my walks home from school take twice as long as the walk to school takes me. This is because on the way home I am usually playing with the kids- swordfights, harmonica jams, ambushes, etc.
The time between dinner and bed filled with a combination of listening to conversations I don’t understand and reading…

Ready, Set, Go

Okay, so we can all agree that Americans, in general, eat their meals rather fast. At least when compared to what I have heard about those European types, it seems Americans don’t take any time at all to eat their food. I thought it was safe to claim that Americans were the fastest eaters in the world… Well, I have some very disturbing news- the Chinese have been training, and we have got a lot of work to do if we want to catch up. Luckily, I have taken some mental notes of their techniques, which I hope can give us the upper hand. Here’s their equipment list:
- Small silver bowl
- Two chopsticks, no more, no less.
- One large, flattish spoon for scooping the rice out of the pot.
- One ladle for the soup in the Wok.*
I have detailed to you before the arrangement of the food, and what types are present: fish in the wok with the soup, vegetables in a bowl on one side, and some kind of meat in another. The table is low to the ground, and the chairs I believe I have told were made for preschoolers. Now, what I am about to describe to you was very hard for me to form into complete sentences. It as if it happened too fast to even form a complete thought about it. To avoid confusion we are going to assume that the bowls are already filled with rice, which usually happens before the race, excuse me, meal has begun… Now Get ready… CHU FEN!!!
1) Pick up bowl (note: it doesn’t touch table again until meal is finished.) Grab ladle from wok. 2) Scoop soup with fish. 3)Place/pour into bowl. 4)Stick tail of fish in mouth- chopsticks grab head-pull forward. 5) Throw/spit bones on ground. 6) Place bowl so that it touches lip, scoop rice with chopsticks into mouth/drink soup.** 7) Lower bowl, grab meat with chopsticks and place in mouth, (repeat three to four times- or as desired). 8) Grab vegetables place on rice. Grab rice/vegetables with chopsticks put into mouth.***
9) Repeat step 6 until bowl is empty. 10) Stand and walk to rice pot, two to three feet from table, scoop rice into bowl.**** 11) Return to seat and repeat.
Total time: 6-9 minutes.
You may have noticed I did not mention any drinks… Well, frankly, there is no time. You drink before or after the meal.
Also, wear as little clothing as possible. The heat of the food, combined with that of the air, combined with the heat produced by your muscles, can be lethal, or just make you sweaty and gross…

*The technique used with this ladle is of the utmost importance to master. The soup is extremely hot and if you mess up and spill some on your fingers… Well, all I can say is- welcome to the injured list, my friend. We can’t manage to win if we have a man down, so practice!
** The technigue here is something like reversed circular breathing. You blow out through your nose to cool the soup, and drink the soup/eat the rice through your mouth. Once this technique is mastered you will lose a good 4 minutes on your time!
*** Don’t forget to chew!
**** This is the only time for rest, so enjoy it.

Picture this :)

If a picture is worth a thousand words then when I return home I will have an epoch novel. But for the moment, I suppose I will just have to write a thousand words.

Highlights Yongshuo week two

Some highlights...
This last week I have been staying with a family in a small village just outside of Yangshuo. I teach three classes a day, grades 1,2,3. its a lot of fun, the kids are great. I have been reading a lot too, and am almost done with Atlas Shrugged, which has officially become one of my all-time favorites. Seriously, if you have the time look it up, its thick, but soo worth it.
Anyway, today is the mid-autumn festival. I am going to a barbecue later with my host family. One of the sons in the family I am staying with was recently married and more or less the entire village came to the ceremony, and pre/post parties. The festivities consisted of drinking lots of strong alcohol (the part in which I did not partake- I was playing with the kids in the sandbox) eating tons of delicious food, and playing card games. It was a lot of fun, and all of the village people (no, not the YMCA village people) were very happy to have me there... or at least I think.
In general, the food is good. Every meal is basically the same. There is a wok in the center of the table filled with some sort of broth, along with assorted fish, or meat. There is the rice in a big bowl that is set on the ground a few feet away from the table. On either side of the wok are usually two or three bowls of either vegetables or some sort of spicy beef. Its all very good. The chairs we sit in are very small, about the size you would imagine for a preschooler. The seat is no more than a foot off the ground! Very uncomfortable, but I have gotten used to it.
There are chicken and wild dogs running around all over the place, and cows lay on the side of all the roads. No one speaks English. But I get by with body language, barely.
The kids love it when I play the harmonica, so I have been doing a lot of that. I am currently in a town called Pin Lu, though that's not how its spelt. I have met a few people that can speak English, they both majored in English in college, and are extremely nice.
I went fishing the other day. Although it is not the kind of fishing we are familiar with. Basically what happens is we go out in a boat, find a spot where fish seem to be active. Take a bottle filled with some sort of explosive, light a fuse and throw into a spot where the fish seem to be. Then BOOOOM!!! The explosion kills every fish within a 30 foot radius. I think I may have told you about this before, so please forgive me if I have, it's just that cool. Other than that I haven't really been doing all that much. I spend my down time listening to conversations I can't understand, reading Atlas, and writing... Hopefully I can find a steady Internet connection so I can stay in contact.
Hope all is well!
Zai jian!

Mom is posting again

I asked Ben if this was what he thought it would be, Is it more or less, how does he feel? and of course all the other motherly questions, are you getting enough to eat, are you happy etc. you know the drill, as a Mom this is hard, and in the e-mail below I can hear weariness in his voice, it is hard to hear his questions and not be able to see him, hug him, reassure him,I have always in his entire life been able to touch him and now I can not I can only listen....

Ben writes

Its all real. Its all strangely familiar. It all is as it is, and that's what has perplexed me for the last couple days. Hopefully I can blog about it later, but here is the problem I am facing. These people seem happy, the kids are content, and who am I to judge what kind of life they should lead? Why is it important for them to learn English, and is my week of teaching going to make a difference in their abilities? What am I doing here? The answer will come in time, but I am too busy and have to go.
Know that I am fine, and that everything is good. The money situation is absolutely fine. A. I haven't been spending any money, and B. Rick is going to give me some of my funds whenever we meet, which will be infrequent and brief. I talk to him on the phone whenever I can, but I am unable to contact him, he has to call me.


All is well, i hope the same is for you,
Ben


love you

Mom is posting !

Ben has been unable to post from his current location so with his permission I will use his lastest e-mails as a post until he can.

I am so sorry that i have been out of to-uch this last week. I have been in a small village TEACHING and neglected to bring my computer because i figured there would be no internet... which there wasn't. I am sending this email to you from Yongshuo. But I am well! Do not fret! The teaching is going well, my family is extremely welcoming and kind. I am not hungry, in fact I feel i may be gaining weight. The family that I am staying with lives in a huge three story pink house. It sticks out like a sore thumb. The rest of the village is relatively poor, but not dismally so. I hope to move to a new area soon because i am too comfortable here.

The kids are great, my fellow teachers are very kind as well. In fact everyone in china that I have met has been extremely nice.

No one speaks english in my host family, and the english teacher at the school is just a step ahead of the kids we are teaching. I get by with the chinese I have learned and the language of teh body... Its all very good and exciting! I do not know my plan, or if i will be going to a new area soon.

It is the spring festival here so there is no school until the eighth. I will be leaving for hong kong on the 14th?
I will try to blog, but I am short on time. I love you, and I apologize for your frayed nerves. Give everyone my love.


Ben

My name in chinese means what!?

Here's my problem: Everytime I introduce myself to someone they laugh. At first I thought I had mispoken, but I checked with my teacher a hundred times, making sure I had the pronunciation correct, that i was saying the right phrase, at the right place, during the right time. I tried again and again, but they still laughed. What could I be doing wrong? I mean, I have come to terms with the fact that everything I say is going to be slightly wrong, and that few people will understand me well, and I would have let it go, but they were CACKLING, rolling on the floor, their faces red, their bodies convulsing with an overflow of hilarity.
What is so funny!? I asked, my voice calm, almost hurt sounding. The three girls I had confronted continued to giggle tremendously. They reminded me of when I was in fifth grade, and three of the popular girls had found a poem I had written. These girls had a secret, something they didn't want to tell me, didn't want me to know because it was so much funnier if i was clueless.
Finally, after much pleading, bribing, and down right begging I found the answer... Ben, in chinese means stupid. Every time I said "Wa shi Ben," what they heard was, "I am stupid."
I now go by Benjamin.

The Light Show

It is unfortunate that my camera is incompatible with my computer because there is so much life in the small city of Yangshuo, and in the mountains of Guilin. Yangshuo has become one of the hottest tourist stops in this part of China. Why? you ask. It is a combination of the mountains which loom over the cities small, crippled shacks, protecting them, guarding them from the insolent eyes of the superficial; combined with the unknowable fact that the mountains are not doing it as a favor, nor out of pity. They are rather returning the favor. The people that sit at the foot of these great, lopsided hills give them meaning. For what is beauty without someone to admire it, to touch it, to acknowledge and appreciate it? It is the strangest example of symbiosis I have ever seen but it is undeniably apparent.
The second reason it has become such a hotzone for tourists of all kinds is because of the light show directed by the extremely famous director Zhang Yimou. It is the pride of Yangshuo and the talk of all of China. I was curious to see what the fuss was all about.
The show was set on the Li river with the backdrop of the stolid mountains. But when the show began the mountains were anything but emotionless. In fact they were the stars of the show. They were lit from the bottom, so that they stood prominent against the blackened sky.They seemed proud, as if they knew that they had a meaningful role in the show, like a child wearing a cape and presenting a show to his mother. As the show progressed the color of the lights would change, and only a single mountain would be lit, as if during a solo... And everytime the lights change, or some new scene began, the whole crowd began talking and squirming, as if their excitement was almost too much. It was a spectacle I will never forget.

I am the legs, you are the heart

I met Rick today for the first time. I was sitting in a cafe, studying the notes my chinese teacher had given me, and he walked in. I stood, we shook hands, and exchanged pleasantries. "It is so good to finally meet you." But, the thing is, it didn't feel like we were meeting for the first time. I know it sounds corny and cliche, but what the heck.
He began talking to me about my trip, my journey and my mission. He told me that I will become his legs, that I am his second wind, that he believes in me...
He talked about having that "bone" in your body, that drive to stop at nothing, to face opposition head on and the ability to sacrifice "it all" for the sake of greater good... I have always wanted to feel that I would do anything for a cause, that I would have no fear of opposition or danger. It is everyones dream to have this kind of passionate intensity for something they believe in. And though I have yet to be tested, and have yet to experience true resistance there is something, deep inside me, something that hangs around my neck, and rests in my heart, that makes me absolutely 100% positive that when presented with a challenge, I will rise above it and surpass expectations. It tells me, in a soft, inaudible voice that given the chance I will risk everything to change the world, and to help those who have been forgotten. I know without evidence because this is my calling. I am on the right path, doing what is right for me, working to accomplish the goal set before me by forces beyond my comprehension. And I have the confidence to feel this way because of you...
Rick says that I will be the legs... Well, you all will be the heart.

There are no words

My mother asked me to describe how it feels to be here. I have tried to think of a metaphor, some hackneyed phrase, or an image that would properly describe the beatific scenery and people. I have come to the conclusion that there are none. It is too beautiful, too shocking, too wonderful. Words would ruin its majesty, limit its greatness, destroy its wonder.

I am having an absolutely wonderful time. I am still in Guilin, resting, learning, and preparing for my trip to Litang.

I have to keep pinching myself to make sure it is not a dream... I'm still not entirely sure.

P.S.
Due to my poor planning, my camera's card does not work in my computer, therefore I will be unable to put pictures up on my blog. The good news is, I have a video camera. I will try to get some video onto my blog as soon as I can.

The Eagle has Landed

I am in China! Finally! After a summer of fundraising, fourteen hours in a plane, three time zones, and a nervous taxi driver it is great to have finally arrived safely.

I spent the day in Shanghai getting to know Patrick , a fellow volunteer. He's French, speaks five languages, had never heard the phrase "jeezum crow," and manages the managers of the people that write the computer software for Ebay. He lived in France until he was 25, moved to the US for 14 years, and then to China in 2004. By my calculations he is 44, though he will never admit to it.

As far as Shanghai goes, the weather prevented Patrick from giving me a tour of the city, so theres not much to say. I did manage to eat some delicious food... and get a foot massage.

Tomorrow Patrick and I will go our seperate ways. I leave at 2:45pm for Guilin, and he will have already left for Ponquin (I might be making that name up) just a few hours earlier.

Patrick says that Guilin is one of the most beautiful provinces in all of China.

I have my camera with me, dont worry. Hopefully the weather will be nice.

The jet lag is starting to set in.

Wan an...

The collage, a family tradition...

It is a family tradition of ours, started when my Aunt first left for college, that everyone who graduates and goes to college gets a collage of pictures to hang in their dorm. You see its a "College Collage." Very witty, I know.

Well, needless to say, I was excited to finally get mine. I wanted to see which pictures my family members chose, to feel the wave of nastalgia wash over me as each picture brought back a special memory... But oh yeah, I'm not going to college.

If I had known I wasn't going to get a "College Collage" then I'm not sure I would have taken a year off. (I'm totally kidding... Well, mostly kidding.)

Alas, I must wait another year before this great gift will be given unto me... But gosh darn it! I really wanted that stupid thing!

Holy Guacamole- I'm going to CHINA!

It has finally set in. I'm going to China!

I'm nervous, excited, anxious, happy, scared, worried and a little apprehensive, all at the same time. Its the perfect storm of emotions, and I'm not sure there are going to be any survivors...

I just want to get there, and start doing work. I don't know if I can take the suspense any longer!

Oh man... Ohhhh man.

I'm going to CHINA!!!!! Can you believe it?!?

I got my Visa!

As I have said, getting a passport is never an easy thing, especially when you are trying to get a visa from the often neurotic Chinese government.

A few days ago I was notified that the Chinese government had delayed the processing of Visas. The process was so delayed that I wouldn't have received it until the 17th, I leave on the 16th. So, I had to take some drastic actions.

The Washington Passport & Visa Agency that I had been going through sent me back my visa on Thursday. That night I left for south station. My bus from South Station to NYC left at 1am, and I arrived in NYC at 5:30. At 5:30 in the morning I stumbled down 8th Ave and found one of the 20 or so Starbucks in NYC. I got a medium black coffee with a shot of espresso, hunkered down in one of the seats infront of the window, and waited for the sun to come out.

Around 7:00 am I left my safe haven, my home base, my salvation, my Starbucks and began walking. I set out with the intention of finding the consulate, just to see how long it would take, so I could better plan my day. Well, I went the wrong way... twice. And only after I head been walking for about an hour did I realize I mistakenly switched the starting and ending points when I typed the directions into Mapquest the night before. Simply put, I was walking away from my destination. Gotta love it.

I arrived at the consulate at 8:45, fifteen minutes early. The line wasn't too bad, and I took my place with only ten or so people in front of me.

The first time I went to the window the woman told me that I needed to list the specific provinces that I would be visiting in Sichuan and Yannan. Well, I knew I was going to Litang in Sichuan, but I was clueless as to my destination in Yannan. So, I wrote down Litang, and got back in line, hoping another one of the clerks wouldn't mind. She did.

Normally I would just call Rick Montgomery, the executive director, the man with whom I have been conversing, planning, etc. However, he is currently in China, and my cell phone can't make long distant calls... So, I called my mom, who called Rick, who told her a province that I could write down. Munking.

I went to the window again (the line was more or less gone) and... They accepted it! She slid me a slip of paper that said I could pick it up at 2:00 that day. If there had not been a window in between us, I would have hugged her!

I went back to Starbucks, bought another coffee with espresso to celebrate and read. I walked around for bit, searched desperately for a book store and failed miserably. At 2, I went back, got my visa, and speed-walked to the bus station. We hit traffic, and i didn't get home until midnight.

I got my Visa!

Better safe than sorry

I have always been told to "hope for the best and prepare for the worst." With that in mind my mother and I went to the pharmacy the other day to pick up some preparations for "the worst." Here is a list of the medications that I will be bringing with me during my trip to the far east.
- Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic)
- Robotussin (Cough suppressant/expectorant)
- Allergy medicine
- Immodium (anti-diarrhea)
- Ibuprofen
- Tylenol PM (to overcome my Jet lag from my 14 hour flight!)

We also got some Neosporin spray, and band aids! Better safe than sorry...

As I sat at the dinner table with my mother, siblings, and Korean exchange student, all of us ruminating on the rather delicious pot roast we just consumed, an interesting conversation began. I don't recall who started it, but it was focused around how my closest siblings somewhat despise me.

Harry and Ellie don't seem to care what I do, and Muffy and Alex are too busy. But Max, Sam, and Oliver (all of whom are within a few years of me) have somewhat hard feelings towards me. They think that I am favored, that I am better, that I am pompous because of what I am doing. They feel like I am fundraising to show them how much better I am, or to win the favor of my parents and peers.

First of all, my mother is the first to say that I'm not that great.

Secondly, I am doing this to include other people, not to separate myself. I strive to engender in others the same kind of passion and feelings of responsibility to help those who suffer that I have been blessed with. This campaign is not about a trip to China, or three months of volunteering. This is a movement. This is about us.

We all have skills that are unique and special. Some people are creative, musically talented, or mathematically inclined. Others know how to cook, to write, to speak before large groups of people. There are those who are good at hugging, who are empathetic, who are able to inspire. And everyone of these people is important. Everyone of their skills is necessary. The people that are at the forefront, those that are the leaders are no better than those who stand in the back and listen, and remember.

We are all here for a purpose. No one knows what exactly that purpose is, but it must have something to do with helping everyone else. By ourselves, as individuals our skills, our abilities are useless. We need others. For no one is good at everything. No one can change the world. That responsibility lies with all of us, and together, if we truly believe in what we are doing, we can move mountains, we can change the world...

So, do what you do, whatever it is, because you are perfect, because you are special, because without you, who is going to make the signs, or write the book, or hug those who need it most.

My itinerary (subject to change)

September 16 Leave USA
September 17 Arrive Shanghai
September 18 Shanghai, orientation with Patrick
September 19 Sat Fly to Guilin, 3 day training with Rick
September 20-30 Yangshuo, hilltribe village
October 1 Train to Guizhou, meet “Xiao”
October 2 Travel with Xiao to Miao hilltown
October 3 - 12 Miao Hilltown
October 13 Bus to Guizhou, train to Guangzhou
October 14 Train to Hong Kong, stay with Chin and Swee
October 15 Hong Kong sights
October 16 Fly to Chengdu
October 17 Sat Fly to Kangding, met by GR staff
October 18 Bus to Litang, met by Genden
October 19 - 29 Litang
October 30 Bus to Shangri La
October 31 En route
November 1-12 Shangri La Children’s home
November 13 Fly to Jinghong by way of Kunming
November 14 Sat Enter Thailand, meet Noy of Global Roots
November 15 – December 14….Laos and Cambodia
December 15 Fly home from Shanghai

It's starting to set in:

All of my friends are leaving or have already left for college...

And I remain, sitting in front of my computer, calling strangers for help, writing emails, and preparing for my 3 month long excursion to China.

September 16th I will depart on my journey, and three months later I will return. And all the things that happen in between will be great, and life-changing. But I have ants in my pants, and a pit in my stomach.

I can feel the page turning, and the truth that has loomed auspiciously on the horizon for so long is starting to set in: this is the beginnng of the rest of my life.

We did this!

So...

I have been on this fundraising campaign for the last 7 weeks or so. In those seven weeks, I have raised a total of $7,000!

In less than three weeks I will be flying to Beijing. After my first week of sight-seeing, visiting the great wall, all that tourist stuff, I will head to the orphanage in Tibet.

At the beginning of my campaign I made a goal of raising $50,000. Well, when i return from my trip on December 15th I will work for the rest of the year to reach that goal. After the response I got this summer I would be crazy to stop now!

When I come home with the kid's stories in my head, their smiles in my heart, their dreams in my hands, I want to be sure that you all remember that we did this! And we can do it again...

More to come soon...

Woe to the chinese government!

As it is, I am only able to get a one month visa. Because of this it will be necessary for me to leave China periodically during my stay in Tibet. It's actually not all that bad. I will be traveling to Hong Kong at the end of my first and second month. Hopefully during those times I will be able to do some sight-seeing and the like.

More to come soon...

Time is winding down!

Since I leave in under a month the actual preparations for my trip have begun!
Here's is a brief outline of my itinerary as of right now:
-Fly to Beijing Sept. 10
-Meet Richard Montgomery (Executive Director)- spend one week with him learning Chinese, sight-seeing, etc.
-9/18- Go to Litang, Sechuan and begin working with the orphans.
I will then spend the rest of my three month stay in Litang, teaching, and assisting the orphans as well as helping the supply missions that will be going to the orphanage.

My friends are all beginning to leave for college, and the reality of this next coming year is finally beginning to set in. I cannot wait!

Stay tuned for further updates on my trip itinerary, and plans...

Time is winding down!

Who do you see?

Here is a link to a slideshow of pictures... Please take a look.

These are the children, who have no family, who in so many ways have been neglected, but are finally being loved. You see it in their smiles, a hint of their troubled lives. Their eyes are burdened with hardship, filled with sadness. Yet they laugh, they hug, they are happy. They look familiar, as if we know them. Who do you see?

Ohh life!!!

What a pleasure, being alive.
What a blessing to be here, right now.
What an unfortunate event to take it for granted.
So don't...
If you are healthy or ill, happy or sad, facing any or all dualities, breathe deeply.
This is life.

Take a minute, smile at yourself...

Ohh life... Ohh life!!!

My first speech...

Today I had the pleasure of speaking at Grace Episcopal Church in Concord. And when I say pleasure, I truly mean it. During the peace, which was after I spoke, almost every single person came up to me and thanked me for my presence. Their smiles, and warm handshakes let me know I had made some impact on them. Whether or not my being there produces donations is really beside the point.

My speech was lengthy, and lacked the "kaboom" of an impact all speech writers look to achieve. But it was great to be able to speak before a group of people, and to express in so many words (too many words, really) all that I have come to believe about our responsibility to help those who are less fortunate.

I hope to speak at a few more churches, including St. Paul's, South Congregational, and Christ Church.

Moving Mountains Together

I would like to clarify the mission of my campaign, because it is so much more than simply trying to raise funds.

I decided to raise $50,000 for Global Roots because I want to do everything in my power to help these children. Yes, that includes raising money, but more importantly it is about inciting the intense passion, the excitement, the feelings of responsibility that I have been blessed with in others. Because that is the greatest gift I can give to these children- other people who care about them.

There are a myriad problems in the world today, and one person can't tackle them all. There needs to be other people that are just as excited, just as motivated, and commited to a cause, even if its not the same as mine. And if I can inspire this kind of longing to impact the world in just a few people, then I will in some way be helping thousands more than if I just kept my mouth shut and went on my trip alone.

Your donation will support not just me, or the children the money is going to help, but the belief that change can happen, that we have the power to make an impact on the world. I know I must sound like a broken record, but I want you to become part of my journey; so that it is not just me, but us, moving mountains together.

Whats disturbing is how powerful we can be, if we just believe...

I know we can raise this money. I know we can change the lives of these children.

I truly believe we can move mountains, but only if we do it together...

What about you? (If you believe leave a comment saying so.)

We can do this!

Today I... Sent letters to businesses, did more thank you notes, emailed the Bishop, got my Hep A vaccine, photocopied all of the checks, and then counted all of the money and put them in an envelope ready to send to Global Roots.

Yes, you heard right, I am sending out the first of the funds to Global Roots tomorrow! (For those of you kind souls who have donated, your receipts will be in the mail soon!) The total in the check was 3849.82! We are almost a quarter of the way there!

We can do this!

My Chinese Visa

I wouldn't be able to live it down if the reason I was unable to go on my trip was due to the fact that I neglected to get a chinese visa... My mom would literally kick me out of the house. So, not yet ready to be homeless, I have my application ready, but there is just one problem. In order to get my visa, I need proof of departure, also known as plane tickets.
Now for those of you who don't know, let me fill you in on the logistics of my fundraising:
- 90% of the money raised goes towards the projects in the field (not non-profit overhead)
- 10% goes towards my trip... to the projects in the field... So, I guess you could say that 100% of the money goes to the actual projects.

Heres the deal, I have less than 7 weeks to raise $20,000. But since it takes five days to process the request for a Visa I really only have 6 weeks.

I received six hundred dollars today from just two donations, so I have no doubt that we can do this. But those donations have to come in soon! Lets do it, if for nothing else but my Chinese Visa.

Just as you would if it were your hand on the stove...

We are all taught to love and respect our fellow human beings, just as we love and respect ourselves... But there is a problem, we are our own worst critics. We know all of our faults, our insecurities, our shortcomings, and whether we acknowledge it not, we hate ourselves for them. So how are we supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves, if we do not even like who we are?

The answer will not come from beating ourselves up, and telling ourselves that we need to love ourselves, that we should love ourselves. It will not come from being disgusted at our character flaws, and punishing ourselves for our bad habits. Punishment, hate, disgust will not lead to love. Only love can lead to love. Hate will only lead to more hate.

You must have compassion for yourself, flaws, and bad habits especially. Because after all it is those parts of ourselves that we dislike, those traits that cause us to suffer that need our compassion and love the most... If you have compassion for yourself, if you let go of those standards you judge yourself by (standards that upon closer inspection are generally ungrounded and untrue) you will no longer be disappointed in yourself! You will realize that you are perfect, that in this moment, this second you are right where you should, just as you should be...

The key is to love yourself, no matter what! Only then, only after you no longer disapprove of yourself in anyway, for anything, can you truly love your neighbor as yourself... And if you have compassion, then "their" pain will become your pain, and you will react accordingly. Just as you would if it were your hand on the stove...

On the highest Tibetan plateau

The biggest mistake I made with fundraising was not starting with a plan in hand. Of course this was my bad, as I am so kindly reminded by my mother every time the phrase "I don't know what to do next" slips out of my mouth. And sadly she is right, as she always seems to be... You see, without a plan there are days like wednesday, when I woke up at 9, worked till 7 at night, and yet still felt as though I hadn't made any progress...

So from now on I will start every blog off with a list of what I have done. Here goes...

Today I... Worked on my speech, wrote thank you notes, addressed letters, found contacts, responded to emails, contacted churches, newspapers, worked on this (my blog), counted the amount of money raised this week ($2,578) and half-listened to my mothers incessant nagging (which I am very thankful for, without it, I wouldn't get anything done... Or maybe I would just enjoy it more...)

It will all be worth it in the end when I have reached my destination, standing before a group of 80 children eager to learn, on the highest Tibetan plateau.

A Simple Gesture of Faith

I'm just an eighteen year old kid, who came up with this crazy idea to raise money for an organization that I believed would do great things with it. Everyday the mailman comes and brings one or two more letters, with a check and a few words of encouragement. Big and small donations come in from people I know well, or barely know at all, but each donation comes from the heart.

The greatest gift one person can give to another is faith. Every letter I receive represents someones faith in me, in the youth, in the future. Everybody needs something to believe in and I am so fortunate, so blessed, so incredibly happy to be able to be that something for even a few people. Every single donation I get matters tremendously to me, and the children I will be going to help. I received a five dollar donation from an eleven year old today! How wonderful!... The support I am getting from people is making this whole campaign worth it, making my struggles bareable, and making my feet not hurt so much.

I will never give up my dreams of helping the world, and bettering the lives of those who suffer. To waste the gifts that people have given me- their faith, their love, their support, would be the greatest sin I could commit.

Thank you all, so much, from the bottom of my heart, whether you have donated money, prayers, or a simple gesture of faith...

Thinking about whats important...

A goal is a wonderful thing. It gives you something to work for, it allows you to push yourself past previously determined limits and achieve things you once thought impossible. But, as with all things, there is a flip side to this coin. A goal can also be a burden, a deadweight attached to the foot of your dreams. If it is too lofty, or too great, if you are unprepared, or underprepared, it can cause you great pain and suffering... It is hard to admit when you are in over your head, to acknowledge the fact that you are only human and thus have limitations. But it is only a failure if you pretend to have control, and neglect the very real, and very saddening truth that there are somethings that are outside your grasp. It is only a failure if you allow your dignity to be injured, and you forget about what is important...

-$50,000 is a lot of money, but thats not important.

-Market Days was a failure, that doesn't matter much either.

-I have less than two months to raise more money than I have ever seen in my entire life- unimportant.

-There are children suffering tremendously, who face struggles I can't even imagine. Who have never known comfort, have never experienced the love and safety that we take for granted. That's what is important. Not the goal, but the reason, the drive, the aspiritation and belief that a young kid from a small town can make a difference.

I may be turning away from the goal, but I will never turn away from the dream. I will continue to fundraise but I will forget the number, and instead spend my time and energy thinking about whats important...

My feet hurt....

A human being can only be turned down so many times before the thought of giving up becomes the only reasonable solution. Ah but the optimists in the crowd wail, "this is where heroes are born," and "the struggle will make the accomplishment of your goal so much sweeter." But they have not walked up and down main street 200 times, they have not seen people pull out a wallet full of twenties to pay for a hotdog and then deny a simple donation of a couple dollars. Sure, there are a lot of people asking for money, and there are a lot of people in need, but what drugs do you have to be on to believe that by not donating to a worthy cause you are making the situation any better. I mean seriously people!...

So....Market Days has not been a success. The past two days I have spent close to 10 hours wandering up and down main street asking, no begging for donations. From those ten hours and the myriad of people I have asked I have raised an astounding $97.17... (If you didn't catch it, my use of the word "astounding" was sarcasm.)

I am trying to raise $50,000, and yet I just broke $1,000 dollars earlier this week... Yes, I am frustrated, I am angry, and depressed, but then I remember why I am doing this. I think about the children, about their plight, and their incredible struggles. Though it is not like a movie where all of a sudden I am re-energized and excited, it does strengthen my resolve to think about how unfortunate those children are. No matter how much this fund raising stuff stinks, I know that it can't compare to the incredible struggles of the orphans I am trying to help.... We are so fortunate, so blessed, but sadly we are all so selfish...

It will get better, but right now... My feet hurt.

Here come the funds da da da da...

As of yesterday I have raised roughly $1000 dollars. Though this does not sound like much, you must understand that I am just now beginning to fundraise. I have spent a lot of time on this project over the last month, but none of that work was going directly to raising funds. But now, I have my family helping out, and the donations are finally coming in.

I will be at Market Days today (thursday), tomorrow and saturday from 2-8. I will be the guy in the purple shirt with wings on the back, it will be hard to miss me. I will be handing out flyers that explain Global Roots, it's projects, goals, and my own campaign to riase $50,000. If you would like more information about my trip or Global Roots in general you should come down, I will be more than happy to talk with you.

Who am I?

Many of you have read the article in the monitor, or heard my conversation with Doris Ballard on Coffee Chat. But too few people understand my reasoning behind my campaign to raise $50,000. So here goes, a brief overview of my journey to the organization and the cause that will surely change the rest of my life:

My name is Ben Broadbent. In June I graduated from Concord High School. Ten months before that I was beginning the long and treacherous adventure of applying to college. This is where my troubles truly began.

Many people have doubts when applying to college. They doubt themselves, their abilities, their choices for college, major and all that other future-determining nonsense. Though I did have a fair share of this doubt, it was accompanied by another, greater sense of incorrectness and dread. I envisioned my life in college, the people I would surely meet and befriend. I thought about my classes, and the volumes of knowledge that I would absorb in pursuit of a major yet decided. But instead of excitement, I felt nauseous. I wasn't completely sure why yet, or whether I was actually just sick, but it nonetheless caused me to drag my feet through the application process, putting my mother on the brink of a mental break down.

Fast forward a month or so, it's now October, the air is colder, the night sooner, my mother even closer to insanity. The thought of college still sickened me, so I decided to forget about it and concentrate on school. In my Anatomy and Physiology class we were conducting a schaible. A schaible is a student led discussion about an article, book, or any similar material that a teacher decides to assign. Our schaible was on an article about Malaria, and for me this was a very good thing. A love for science is one of the many things I took from AP Biology, and Concord High in general. But this article was different than I had expected. As intrigued as I was by the incredible immunosuppresive abilities of Plasmodium Falciporum (the most deadly strand of the malaria virus) I was even more alarmed at the statistics that the article gave. Three out of every five children in Sub-Saharan Africa die from Malaria before their fifth birthday!... What!?!? Here I am worrying about college, about my future, and there are hundreds of thousands of kids the same age as my little brother dying from a disease that can be easily combated, if only enough people cared! How selfish would I be if I spent the next four years of my privileged life bettering my future, and my life when I knew of the horrific tragedies going on in the world...

Fast forward to April, my applications have been sent out; some of the stress is gone. I am having a meeting with my guidance counselor and hysterical mother. As we are talking about my college angst the "G" word gingerly slipped from my mothers lips. Aha! I thought. A GAP year, taking the year off, using my energy, my passion, for something and someone other than myself. That’s why I felt nauseous thinking about college, I wasn't ready, true. But I also had other, very important things to do. I needed to get active...

Another month slips by and its May. I am on the internet, finally excited about my plans. At this point I have been accepted at a number of colleges and universities, all of which I declined. It felt good, I was on my way. I was writing an email to the executive director of one of the organizations (Global Roots) I was considering participating in during my GAP year. What intrigued me was how sincere the organization seemed to be about helping people. It was a young organization founded in 2001, but that excited me too. (I was reading Three Cups of Tea, so I was all about helping the young up and coming organization.) A few weeks, a number of exciting email conversations, and three gallons of coffee later, I had a mission and Bingo was its name-o.

$50,000 or bust... There will be doubters, haters, and faithless opponents, but I say anything is possible. Bigger mountains have been moved, greater obstacles overcome, and far fewer cups of coffee have been drunk…. I’m ready and I hope you are too.

For more information abotu Global Roots check out website at: www.globalroots.org