Poësie: Is my klasse te moeilik?

Dit wil blyk dat my poësie klasse 'n reputasie ontwikkel het, dat dit te moeilik is. Die eerste jaar wat ek 19de eeuse Romantiese poësie gegee het, was my klas 60 studente groot. Die volgende jaar het die getal geval na sowat 25 studente. Die eerste jaar wat ek 19de en 20ste eeuse Amerikaanse poësie aangebied het was daar sowat 20 studente in die klas. Vanjaar het ek 10 studente geregistreer, maar slegs sewe het vandag opgedaag. Indien daar teen Vrydag minder as sewe studente is, gaan die klas gekanselleer word. Indien daar minder as twaalf studente is, word my salaris vir daardie klas negatief aangepas. Die "pay cut" is nie wat my ontstel nie, maar indien die klas gekanselleer word gaan ek regtig telleurgestel wees. Die letterkunde klasse, veral die poësie klasse, is wat my regtig opgewonde maak as 'n Engelse lektor. Dit is die klasse wat ek die meeste geniet en wat vir my persoonlik van groot waarde is. Die letterkunde klasse is wat maak dat ek eerder by hierdie universiteit werk as by een van die groter universiteite in Korea waar ek slegs taalvakke sal aanbied. (Gewoonlik word letterkunde vakke in Korea deur Koreaanse dosente aangebied, maar by my universiteit word die "foreign teachers" gebruik nie net vir taalvakke nie, maar ook vir akademiese geletterdheid en letterkunde.)

Van die kommentaar wat ek in die verlede gekry het, is dat my klasse vereis van die studente om te dink. O wee! Tog net nie dit nie! Inderdaad, ek verwag van hulle om te dink . . . Party studente het gekla hoedat hulle nie gewoond is om vir hulleself te dink nie; in die Koreaanse opvoedingstelsel word memorisering, nie kritiese denke nie, hoog geag. 'n Poësie klas wat gedurig van studente verwag om die teks te interpreteer en motiverings te verskaf vir hulle opinies is baie uitdagend -- en blykbaar vir party te oorweldigend. Maar daar was ook party studente wat hierdie selfde argument geneem het, en dit nie as 'n onoorkombare berg sien nie; maar 'n geleentheid vir groei. Een van hulle het op 'n keer vir my 'n wonderlike kompliment gegee.  Hierdie is 'n handjie vol, maar waardevolle studente. En dit is vir hierdie groepie vir wie ek hierdie klas sal gee, al is daar net sewe van hulle.

Vandag het ons gesels oor wat poësie is en waarom dit van waarde is om poësie te leer. Beide is waardevolle vrae wat ek dalk in 'n essay wil omsit, miskien vir pypaanlyn of een of ander, ander publikasie.

Mmm

"How can they go to war with terror, when it's war that's terrorizing?" -- K'naan

Stellenbosch University Choir

A better established gospel song than Linking Park's "The Catalyst" is the classic gospel song "Amazing Grace."

In the video below it is performed by South Africa's Stellenbosch University Choir.



The Stellenbosh University Choir was crowned best choir in the world during the World Choir Games in Shiaoxing, China, last month (July 2010).

Yet it is still those old time gospel and rhythm & blues singers like Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson that really gives me goosebumps with their renditions of this gospel classic. 





And since I'm listening to Willie Nelson again, here is his version of "Amazing Grace":

Linkin Park Sings Gospel

The latest single by Linkin Park "The Catalyst" has elements of a gospel song to it. It is saturated with a sense of sin, condemnation and damnation. The lyrics confess "the sins of our tongue / the sins of our father / the sins of our young." Condemnation is symbolised by "living under a loaded gun." It is not something we can outfight, outmatch, outdo or outrun. We cannot save ourselves from our sins. We feel overwhelmed by them -- being in a state of damnation, wondering if our only future is burning "inside the fires of a thousand suns?"

But typical of a gospel song, there is a solution: "God bless us everyone" beseeches the song, for it is only God who can "lift me up / let me go"; i.e. save me, from my sin.

The song has numerous biblical and apocalyptic reference worth further exploration. Apart from its intriguing lyrics, the song is a successful--typical Linkin Park--song, with a beautiful blend of traditional "church" instruments like the organ and piano, mixed with modern synthesizers, electro beats and electric guitars.

Placebo -- Take Two

Placebo came to Korea last year August. I missed them then. I just got the wonderful news that they will be in Korea again this year -- in October. This time I will not miss them, God-willing -- come hell or high water! This will is bound to be one of 2010's great highlights for me. Can hardly wait! (You can book a ticket Interpark.)

My favourite song by Placebo is undoubtedly "Protègi Moi". Another favourite is probably "Meds". It's the first time hearing the acoustic version below.

"Still I Rise"

My favourite poem in English is Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise." I can still remember the first time I read it and the feeling of empowerment it gave me. Every time I read it again it has the same effect. Maya Angelou does an excellent recital of it in the video below.



I also love how Ben Harper put it to music:

Willie Nelson

While I was in Pohang, staying over at a hotel, I watched a Larry King interview with Willie Nelson. It just reminded me why Willie Nelson is such a beloved musician and person. It's amazing to think that at 77 he is still ceaselessly touring and performing around the world. That he is an activist for various causes makes me like him so much more. Especially his public questioning of the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 and saying that the Twin Towers were imploded, is something only a handful of people-in-the-public-eye are willing to do. (Another celebrity to question the official 9/11 report is Charlie Sheen.)

The song "Satan, your kingdom must come down" in the YouTube-video above is from his latest album Country Music. The song below, "Gravedigger", is from his 2007 album, Moment of Forever -- originally by Dave Matthews Band.

Nog twee jaar in Korea

Die universiteit waar ek werk het besluit om my kontrak vir nog twee jaar te hernu. Ek het gister my nuwe kontrak gaan teken. Dit beteken dat ek verseker is—onvoorsiende omstandighede buite rekening gelaat—van ’n goeie werk vir nog twee jaar. In ’n tyd waar die wêreldekonomie aan garingdrade hang, is ek dankbaar vir so ’n goeie werk. ’n Soortgelyke universiteitspos in Suid-Afrika sal my nie soveel voordele bied as my huidige werk nie.

Ek is tans besig met wat ek wil doen met my lewe vir die volgende paar jaar; naamlik om in die akademie te werk as ’n lektor. Ek het ander toekomsdrome, maar vir nou is ek, vir ’n redelike mate, besig met wat ek tans in my lewe wil doen. Selde kan ’n mens so ’n sentament kwytraak; so ek is gelukkig.

Ondanks is ek tog reeds besig om ernstig te wonder oor my toekoms. Ja, ek is vir nog twee jaar in Korea, maar besluite wat ek nou neem sal beïnvloed in watse rigting my lewe ’n paar jare later gaan neem. Byvoorbeeld, ek wonder of ek met ’n tweede meestersgraad moet begin in ’n ander rigting of moet ek voortgaan met my doktorsgraad in my huidige rigting. Elkeen van hierdie keuses kan my lewe in die toekoms eiesoortig kleur.

FC Seoul & Vuvuzellas

This past Saturday night I went with some friends from my Taekwon-Do gym to watch a soccer match – us cheering for FC Seoul. This was the first time for me to attend a soccer match. The closest I came to soccer was when we sometimes played it in school during the Physical Education class or when rural kids played it on makeshift dirt soccer fields around the farm where I grew up. Since I’m not much of a fan of sports involving balls, the only time I watch any ball related sports is when a big event happens like during the recent FIFA World Cup, and even then I only watched very selectively, never caring to stay up to watch the games that occurred at the dead of night.

So what is soccer in Korea like? Well, while Taekwon-Do is officially the national sport in Korea, the sports with the greatest fan bases are baseball and soccer. If I remember correctly, I was told that the Seoul World Cup Stadium can seat 30 000 76 000 people. The stadium was half full on Saturday, definitely over 10 000 21 000 people, mostly packed with home supporters from Seoul. One could tell that people generally took it quite seriously – fan songs were known by heart by most of the spectators and a general spirit of serious fun pervaded the stadium. My friend Chanyang mentioned that if he were to have grown up in a country like England he would definitely have been a football hooligan.

Chanyang was actually the reason for my soccer outing. He is leaving for the United States tomorrow (Tuesday) to continue his graduate studies. As a last farewell he invited his friends to enjoy with him one of his other (non-martial arts) passions, namely soccer.

An alarming thing about Saturday night’s soccer outing was the number of vuvuzellas! These South African blow horns were practically given away and now even I own one. Of all the cultural assets to have come out of South Africa and permeate the world, how regrettable that it should be vuvuzellas. It was nonetheless ironically satisfying to see something South African so widely accepted in my host country. Before the World Cup very few Koreans knew anything about South Africa apart from Nelson Mandela; some didn’t even know who Mandela is. The World Cup has changed that and even exported some cultural heritage – unfortunately vuvuzellas are not the most culturally rich of an export item, nor does South Africa benefit much from it apart from its iconic association. The real – financial – beneficiary is China, whom is the main producer of these plastic instruments of cacophonic pollution.

Thailand -- Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund

Image Source

One afternoon while in Thailand we visited the Thai Elephant Center for Conservation in Saraburi Province, which is part of the Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund.

It was quite an interesting visit as we learned more about the Asian elephants and the relationships and conflicts between elephants and humans in Thailand. I was pleasantly surprised that this elephant-related visit should be part of our program. I was under the impression that our visit would be focussed solely on the health concerns of people; however, this visit to an animal conservation centre brought a delightful extra dimension to the trip.

The director of the centre gave us a presentation on Thailand’s elephant history and human-elephant conflict. He also discussed the various programs they ran on educating people – particularly the Thai youth – about elephants, saying that as the elephant is Thailand's icon, it is imperative that the next generation be educated on this representative animal. This includes a series of booklets, known as the Elephant Curriculum, that they publish to educate children on elephants, covering a whole array of elephant related topics such as elephant evolution, elephant physiology, elephant behaviour, elephants in religions, wild elephant conservation and the mahouts (traditional elephant trainers).

Finally we went on a fifteen minute elephant ride. Honestly, having grown up with horses I’ve never really seen the appeal in riding on an elephant and after having done it I still prefer horse riding. Nonetheless, I guess it is a unique enough experience with one sitting so high up. An elephant also moves quite differently from a horse.

In the photo is John and I. His mother is a doctor at our university and a researcher in Nutrition. She presented the session on Malnutrition during the Health Education Trip.

Don't Be a Dick / Love

Image Source

A friend and I were talking the other day about religion, Christianity in particular. He stated that he understood and pretty much agreed with the basic tenet of Christianity as “Don’t be a dick.” I’ve never heard it summed up exactly like that, but it does seem to reflect pretty much what Jesus taught when he said:

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (Luk 6:31)

Or in modern English, “Do to others as you want them to do to you,” which is, of course, the Golden Rule and very similar to the Silver Rule that states that one should “not do to others as you would not have them do to you”; or as my friend put it: “don’t be a dick.”

Contemplating on the matter I think the Golden / Silver Rule, although a central theme in Christian teaching, is not the core of Christianity. The central message of Christianity is better defined as love. Jesus summed it up as:

. . . you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: you should love other people as you love yourself. On these two commandments hang everything in the Bible. (Mat 22-37-40)

Notice how the Golden / Silver Rule forms part of this summary – you should love other people like you love yourself, in which case you would “do to others as you want them to do to you” or “not do to others as you would not have them do to you.” This summary is based on love and centred around God, because “God is Love” (I John 4:16). This, I think is the true central point of Christianity – God is Love. That nothing we do or don’t do will increase or decrease God’s love for us. God loves each of us unconditionally and if we are followers of God we ought to reflect such unconditional love to others.

Of course there is more to Christianity than this, but God is Love is the core principle from which all else sprouts.

Sweet Jane

A friend and I was speaking about marijuana the other day. It made me think of all the different versions of The Velvet Underground's song "Sweet Jane." My favourite is probably the cover by Cowboy Junkies (second YouTube-video below). I first heard it about 16 years ago (!) on the excellent soundtrack of Natural Born Killers.

Thailand -- Maikeedfai in Nakhon Ratchasima

The day after hour visit at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, during my trip in Thailand, our group visited an educational group focused on young children called Maikeedfai in Nakhon Ratchasima, headed by Mr Kui (his Facebook-profile). Maikeedfai is one of many small programs that gets funding from the THPF. Maikeedfai helps to get young children involved in healthy after school activities. They explained that most Thai children just go home after school and sits in front of the television the whole day watching TV or playing video games. Basically Maikeedfai has an after school care centre that gets children out in nature or involved in fun, healthy, and education activities.

 (I made the clay kitten and pony.)

After showing us some of the ways they keep children busy (like how to make bubbles, clay and other messy stuff) we departed to one of Maikeedfai’s other projects – Sex Education.

We went to a school where Maikeedfai had worked on Sex Education. One of the grades had prepared a play which they performed for us. The moral of the play was basically to wait, and if you have sex, to have it safely – use condoms. As is commonly known, the sex industry is lucrative in Thailand and children are tempted into it at an unfortunate young age. Part of the problem, we were told, are that parents do not educate their children on sex. A western man I spoke to who have lived in Thailand for about a decade told me that incest and molestation is also very prevalent in the rural areas, which just increases the problem of skewed perceptions of sex at a very early age among many Thai people – especially those coming from rural areas.

Thailand -- Thai Health Promotion Foundation & "Sweet Enough"

On the Wednesday of my Thailand trip (August 4th) our group visited the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF) in Bangkok. The vice-chairperson of the THPF, professor Supreeda Adulyanon, gave us a presentational overview of what the THPF is about. The Thai government has come up with an ingenious way to improve the health of its citizens by taxing cigarettes and alcohol and giving that sin tax directly to the THPF to apply to health promotion programs. If I remember correctly, 5% of every sale of alcohol is given directly to the THPF on a weekly basis. This ensures that the THPF has a continuous input of funds to put towards thirteen different “plans”:

1. Tobacco Consumption Control, 
2. Alcohol Consumption Control, 
3. Traffic Injuries and Disaster Prevention, 
4. Health Risk Factors Control, 
5. Health of Specific Group of Population, 
6. Health Promotion in Community, 
7. Children Youth and Family Health, 
8. Health Promotion in Organizations, 
9. Physical Exercise and Sports for Health, 
10. Social Marketing and Communication, 
11. Open Grants and Innovative Projects, 
12. Health Promotion through Health Service Systems, and 
13. Supportive Systems and Mechanisms Development for Health Promotion. 

Examples of these programs in action are advertising campaigns against drinking and driving, quit-smoking programs, school education programs to reduce the consumption of refined sugars, HIV/AIDS and safe sex education programs and so on.

The THPF attributes their success to the "Triangle that Moves a Mountain"-strategy. Basically it is the implementation of policy making based on scientific studies and motivated by social activism. For instance, they would provide scientific studies showing how advertising aimed at the youth creates young smokers. Then they would get social groups motivated against such advertising, which in turn will persuade the government to implement policies against cigarette advertising aimed at the youth.

After lunch Dr Pat Chatiketu, director of the THPF’s brand communication, spoke to us about one of the projects called “Sweet Enough.” This project focuses on reducing the amount of refined sugars consumed by children. You can visit the Sweet Enough website at Maikinwan.Com, although it is mostly in Thai. As part of the Sweet Enough campaign, they have a mascot called Noynoi – a little pink ant that prefers natural healthy foods over processed unhealthy foods. With an arsenal of Noynoi books, games, and videos they entertain and educate children in the ways of better health.

That afternoon we left for Saraburi to join the Seangwittaya Elementary School where they have implemented a No Sweet Food Project into their school curriculum, based on the THPF’s “Sweet Enough” concept. It was quite heartening to see such active promotion of healthy living amongst the children. We were treated a little bit like celebrities, which I though unnecessary – we’re only a group of university lecturers and students wanting to learn more about health education in a foreign country – but I guess it was a way for the school to show off and be proud of the great work they are doing.

Venice's First Female Gondolier

Some Sketches

One thing I really like about going on trips is that I take the time to do some sketching. During my normal daily routine I do not allow myself the time to just sketch a bit -- something that I spent hours and hours doing as a child. I guess going on a little holiday brings out the child in me again. ;)

A pastel sketch I made in a coffee shop while at Pohang recently. It was inspired by some fishermen I saw earlier that day.

Other doodling:

Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju City

On the last day of my recent trip to Gyeongsangbuk-Do (North Gyeongsang Province) in Korea I visited Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju City. Following are some pictures I took on the temple grounds.

Taeyang -- I'll Be There

Taeyang's latest music video alludes to Bram Stoker's Dracula, Werner Herzog's Nesferato and Michael Jackson's Thriller. It seems that the resurgence of the vampire genre is really embedding itself into Korean culture as well.

Thailand -- Street Musician in a Traditional Market

A blind street musician performs in a traditional market in Muaklek, Saraburi Province, Thailand, August 2010. His performance echoes solemnly, yet eerily cheerful, through the crowded market place, mixing with the local sounds of people walking, talking and bargaining in the late afternoon. Between the smells of raw meat, tropical fruits, fried foods, new clothes, leather and plastic produce, and elephant faeces, wafts this buskers surreal mix of electronic-traditional music. This is the sound of a rural Thailand; a Thailand far removed from the tourist's hotspots.

Watch and listen to his performance here and please cast your positive vote. If this video wins, it will mean a video camera for the Pyp-online project. You may vote for the video once a day until the winner is announced towards the end of next month.

Mmm . . .

"Marriage – what a weird concept: Two people meet, spark off an emotional explosion which is probably the most intense feeling they will ever have in their entire lives. They rush off to a church; swear they will keep it up forever. Then, when the steam of lust has cleared, they see each other’s black heads and nasal hear with postural clarity  and realized they are joined at the legal hip and are condemned to years of sullen compromise, bitterness, despair, depression, futility, and only if they are lucky the blessed release of an early death." -- Diana Trent (Stephanie Cole) in the BBC Sitcom Waiting for God.

Andre Kim (1935-2010)

The iconic Korean fashion designer (who was also Michael Jackson's personal designer) passed away a couple days back.

Andre Kim was probably the first famous Korean I knew the name of. He was so unique, standing out like a martian amongst Scotsmen, that one could not help but take note of him. I cannot say that I liked his fashion much, but I did appreciate him. So few Koreans in this overly communal society dare stand out -- and standing out was something Andre Kim excelled at.

Read a good post on the contribution Andre Kim to Korea's slow acceptance of "different" people at Scribblings of the Metropolotician.

PC-Bang in Gyeongju

The last couple of days has been quite interesting. Sunday night I made the sudden decision to go to Pohang. I got on a bus at Express Bus Terminal -- from where I wrote my previous post -- and arrived in Pohang around 2:30 am. The last few days have involved lots of travelling and sightseeing. Tomorrow will be a highlight as I will visit the Seokguram Grotto, something I've been wanting to do for a very long time.

So far I've taken many photos and even made some drawings. It seems that the only time I draw is when I'm on vacation -- like the drawing I made while at Gyeonpo, another coastal town. I will upload some photos and drawings when I return.

Tonight, after I got myself a room at a motel I went out to get dinner and stroll around the streets of Gyeongju, but soon found myself lost. I probably walked for an hour trying to find my motel. I must have walked in circles for a long time -- eventually I found it again, but instead of doing the wise thing and go home, I decided to find a PC-bang (Internet Cafe) to check my emails. Hopefully when I leave the PC-bang I will find the motel again . . .

Oppad see toe

Ek sit by die busstasie en wag vir my bus wat oor 30 minute vertrek. Ek was laat vir die vorige bus wat sewe uur vertrek het en het toe maar 'n fliek (Toy Story 3) gaan kyk om die tyd verby te kry.


Dit was my plan om hierdie week paragliding te gaan doen, maar dinge het nie so uitgewerk nie. Daar is twee hoofredes hoekom ek van plan verander het. Eerstens, ek het uitgevind van 'n noodhulpkursus wat vandag en volgende Sondag op kampus aangebied word. Noodhulp is 'n handige vaardigheid en is ook noodsaaklik vir krygskunsinstrukteurs en aangesien dit op kampus waar ek bly aangebied word het ek besluit om daarvoor in te skryf. Dit bots egter met die paragliding wat gewoonlik oor naweke geskiet -- dis die tweede rede. Vir paragliding moet ek veral Sondae af he.

So toe besluit ek sommer so deur die loop van die dag dat ek na vandag se noodhulpkursus my goed gaan pak en 'n bus gaan neem see toe. My destinasie is Pohang, 'n dorp aan die Ooskus van Korea. Die oossee is Korea se mooi see met blou water en sandstrande; die wessee is grys en modderig. Pohang is nie ver van die Seokguramgrotto wat ek graag wil gaan besoek nie; ek sal maklik 'n bus vanaf Pohang na die Gyeongju-stad kan neem. My plan is om vanaand in Pohang deur te bring, die dag daar by die naaste swemstrand te geniet en dan more aand of vroeg die volgende oggend na Gyeongju te gaan en vandaar die grotto te gaan besoek deur die loop van Dinsdag. Ek sal nog dink wat ek Woensdag gaan doen. In elkgeval, ek moet weer Woensdagaand terug kom omdat ek Donderdag 'n ander afspraak het.

Donderdag gaan die hoofkrygskunsklub waarby ek betrokke is na Ocean World vir 'n dag uitstappie en die aand hou ons 'n afskeidspartytjie vir een van die studente wat 'n paar dae daarna Amerika toe gaan om sy meestersgraad daar voort te sit. Dis nogals jammer dat hy weggaan; ons het almal by geheg aan hom geraak. Sy naam is Chanyang en buiten vir Koreaans en Engels praat hy ook Frans, Spaans en Duits en was hy dus 'n integrale deel van ons internasionale gemeenskap by die dojang.

Ek sien uit na my Pohang / Seokguram trippietjie. Ek wou nou al vir 'n geruime tyd die Seokguramgrotto gaan besoek en as ek dit nie nou binnekort doen nie is dit hoogs onwaarskynlik dat dit sal gebeur eens die semester begin het. Dit was eintlik my plan om verlede week al te gegaan het, kort nadat ek van Thailand af terug gekom het, maar sedert my terugkeer het elke dag gereen. Die weerdiens voorspel minder reen die volgende paar dae.

Ek sal weer skryf indien ek toegang tot 'n PC-bang (Koreaans vir internetkafee) kan kry.

(SA) Online Radio

Just over a year ago I visited the website of Vaal Community Radio (the local radio station for the Vaal Triangle, South Africa) and I nearly puked. The website was reminiscent of the very first sites dating 1996.

I'm glad to say that they have updated the website and now it looks like something from the year 2000. At least now the text is legible and they actually have a live streaming link.

For a list of some South African radio station that stream online, you can go here. The more famous South African stations are: 5 FM,  RSG (Afrikaans), Metro, Classic FM, 702 Talk Radio, SAFM. On occasion I also enjoy MK.

Speaking of listening to online music, I discovered this really cool site called Musicovery. It gives you four moods to choose from: energetic, dark, positive and calm (or anything in between). You can further refine your taste by unclicking certain genres.  It then comes up with a playlist of music to your taste. Some features (like forwarding, shuffling, and so on) you need to pay for, but if you just want to listen to some stuff that reflects your mood, Musicovery seems like an easy way to go about it and also getting exposed to some new artists.

Great Design

I am, among other things, qualified as a graphic designer. Even though am not actively involved in that field any more, I still have an admiration for great design -- not only graphic design, but any good design.

The furniture featured in the video below is truly amazing. I love how good design and good engineering can come together to create the ingenious solutions.



Furniture like these would work great in Asia where apartments tend to be quite small.

Ag, ek hou darem maar van katte II

Thailand -- Malnutrition

Image from Aangirfan.

One of the topics we looked at during the Health Education Trip to Thailand was malnutrition.

Malnutrition was defined as:

a state or disease caused by sustained deficiency, excess or imbalance of the supplies of calories, nutrients, or both, that are available for use in the body.

What I found interesting about this definition is that malnutrition is not caused only by a deficiency, but can also be caused by an excess. Forms of malnutrition is therefore not only under-nutrition or a specific deficiency, it could also be the cause of one nutrient which is in excess, i.e. over-nutrition.

Malnutrition can be classified according to its duration (either acute or chronic) and its causes, which could be direct or indirect. Direct causes may be because of an inadequacy or imbalance, or because the body is not able to properly utilize the food. Indirect causes are things like poverty, the environment, demographic and social / cultural issues.

Thailand -- Natural Remedies and Herbs

Image from A Mom in Red High Heels

The Health Education Practice Trip at the Mission Health Promotion Centre (MHPC) in Thailand includes a session on herbs. Most of the herbs discussed were plants indigenous to Thailand so it is not really relevant to us not living in South East Asia. I’ll just focus on some of the more common herbal and natural remedies discussed.

Many of the points mentioned focussed on cleansing the digestive track. One such a way is to start your day with a solution based on the juice of two freshly squeezed lemons and a teaspoon of healthy salt in a litre of lukewarm / room temperature water. Drink this first thing in the morning. This will flush your digestive system and cause bowl movement within a short time. Tea made of green papaya functions as a laxative and was also suggested as an intestine cleanser.

Another interesting cleansing concept, which I have not heard of before, is known as “oil pulling” – an ancient Indian natural therapy. In the morning, before breakfast, pour a tablespoon of cold pressed oil (e.g. sunflower, olive oil, sesame oil) in your mouth and swish it around in your mouth. The website Oilpulling.Com explains the process: “In the morning before breakfast on an empty stomach you take one tablespoon in the mouth but do not swallow it. Move Oil Slowly in the mouth as rinsing or swishing and Dr Karach puts it as 'sip, suck and pull through the teeth' for fifteen to twenty minutes. This process makes oil thoroughly mixed with saliva. Swishing activates the enzymes and the enzymes draw toxins out of the blood. The oil must not be swallowed, for it has become toxic. As the process continues, the oil gets thinner and white. If the oil is still yellow, it has not been pulled long enough. It is then spit from the mouth, the oral cavity must be thoroughly rinsed and mouth must be washed thoroughly. Just use normal tap water and good old fingers to clean.”

One of the main focuses of this session on herbs was consuming lots of chlorophyll. It is similar in composition than blood, but the base element is not iron, but magnesium. For this reason, chlorophyll is a powerful alkalinizer. Chlorophyll juice can be made by blending green leaves (e.g. spinach) in a food processor. This juice can be made more palatable with coconut or lime juice. Over the last couple of months I’ve personally started the habit of making “Green Smoothies.” I blend different greens with soy milk. I also add a banana or two to give it a “smoothy” consistency. I usually have a Green Smoothy as part of my breakfast.

A more common herb discussed was turmeric, which is an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and liver stimulant. I’ll definitely be adding more turmeric in my cuisines. They suggested adding it to my milk, but I’m not sure if I’m up for that.

A natural remedy I have never heard of before is distilled organic Wood Vinegar, which is good for fresh wounds, pimples, burns, mouth sores and skin conditions. On the Internet I found out that it can also be used internally, although we didn’t discuss internal uses at MHPC. It seems like a good remedy to have in one’s medicine cabinet, so I bought me a bottle.

Thailand -- NEWSTART

The Health Education Practice Trip to Thailand was not merely a vacation, but an educational excursion focussed on public health and included focus on natural health therapies as well as health education promotion. On the Monday, Tuesday and Friday morning of the trip we covered hydrotherapy, calisthenics, massaging, and diet—specifically malnutrition. In this post I’m shortly going to cover “NEWSTART”.

The first health workshop started with the idea that generally health is a choice. With time people either accumulate health or accumulate disease, depending on how they increase or abuse their vital force. The health philosophy at the Mission Health Promotion Centre (MHPC) in Thailand is based on the NEWSTART Lifestyle Program which strives to create homeostasis (correct balance) in the person. (For years now, I have based the Health Principles for my Taekwon-Do group on the NEWSTART philosophy.)

The N in NEWSTART stands for Nutrition. At the MHPC the menu is plant-based, focussed on whole grains, seeds, and nuts. The hard shells of nuts, it is believed, is an indicator that we ought not eat too many nuts at a time. Further emphasis is put on fruits and vegetables. Fruits, especially, helps with fighting off the aging process because they are high in anti-oxygens. Inflammation and oxygenation contributes to aging, so consuming lots of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxygen rich foods are important. Foods should not be refined or too processed, and be rich in fibre. Meat and refined sugar is avoided.

Exercise is important for the health of the whole body, especially the respiratory (lungs) and circulatory (heart) systems. Exercise should include stretching and resistance training as well as moderate aerobic exercise. At the MHPC we got up every morning around 5:30 and met at 6am for around an hour of brisk walking in the beautiful surrounding areas. By the time we got back, everyone was ready for breakfast at 7am.

Emphasis was also put on Water and the importance of hydration. Apart from other normal physiological processes, the consumption of deep fried foods, salty and sugary foods all contribute to dehydration. Juicy foods (i.e. fresh fruits) are important. And of course, regular drinking of water – six or more glasses a day is preferable.

The importance of Sunshine was discussed. Not only was the value of vitamin D highlighted, but also the effect of light on ones mental health.

Temperance means moderation in the good things and avoidance of the bag things, including negative emotions like worry, anger, hatred, jealousy, and so on, which all lowers the immune system.
The value of fresh Air was repeated. We looked at breathing exercises and also laugh therapy.

Rest and Relaxation was stressed, focussing on around 7-8 hours of daily sleep. Over sleeping is to be avoided just as much as under sleeping.

The last T, refers to Trust in the Divine.

Self-Portraits: Brazen

Ag, ek hou darem maar van katte

Thai Dogs

Thailand has some pretty ugly dogs. Many of them seem to be roving around wildly, and even in packs! The photos show some of the better looking dogs, believe it or not?!, that I saw during my trip.

Thailand -- Day One, Mission Health Promotion Centre

The Saturday evening before I left for Thailand I arrived home quite late. I still had some packing to do and so did not go to bed at all. Around 4:30 that morning I left for Nowon, an area in Seoul about 20-30 minutes from where I live. From there some friends and I were able to catch an Airport Limousine, basically a shuttle bus that commutes between the airport and certain stops in Seoul.

I was quite tired by the time the bus came but it wasn’t comfortable enough to nap properly on the way to the airport. At the airport we met up with the rest of the sixteen people whom went together on the “Health Education Practise Trip to Thailand.” The members included students and lecturers from the masters course in Public Health, some family and friends, and me. I went along as another representative lecturer from our university and because natural health therapies are one of my big interests.

On the plane I didn’t get much sleep either and the two hour van ride to the centre we would stay for most of the week was also quite uncomfortable.

At long last we arrived at the Mission Health Promotion Centre (MHPC), in Muaklek, Saraburi Provence. The MHPC was a wonderful surprise. We didn’t expect anything like this at all. It set in a lush tropic setting, with beautiful facilities. The air conditioned rooms were luxurious, the food delectable and the swimming pool lavish.

It has been years since I last had such a great time swimming. I grew up on a farm where we had a nice big swimming pool, as well as a natural dam, where I could swim to my hearts delight as a child. Having grown up with a private swimming pool, I’m somewhat spoiled with having so much water space for oneself. In Korea the public swimming pools are uncomfortably crowded so I haven’t had an opportunity to swim in a big swimming pool like this in years. The last time I was able to spend so much time in the water was in 2003 when I lived in a holiday resort that had a swimming pool, albeit not a very big one.

The MHPC focuses on healthy living and serves a completely vegetarian, nearly vegan, menu that uses very little oil. The food blazed with Thai herbs and flavours. I haven’t enjoyed eating this much in a very long time. Korean cuisine is rather bland compared to Thai food. There is also a grand variety of tropical fruits. Many of the fruits I had there for the first time, like custard fruit, durian, jack fruit, dragon eye, and others of which the names escaped me.