Talking about “chat”

 

Photo: A boy holding out a small bunch of “chat” at the market in Dire Dawa.

My first experience of chewing “chat” (a kind of leaf chewed by many people in East Africa and Middle East) when I was in Ethiopia was awful. I resisted trying it for a long time albeit hearing locals bragging about the many “feel good” effects it brings to one’s state of mind.

I finally gave in when I visited Harar, known for its top quality “chat”. Selling at about USD5 for a huge bunch of fresh young leaves, it’s a huge bargain for those who have to pay USD28-50 outside of Ethiopia.

Anyway, I read on the paper recently about a proposal to impose a more severe law against the importation of “chat” into the United States of America. 28 states  have passed a bill on the possession of “chat”, punishable by up to 1 year of jail sentence and USD1,000 fine. This has given rise to a lot protest from Eastern African immigrants. Many of them have argued that “chat” is like coffee to the Americans. “Chat” by the way, is legal in countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya.

This is what the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of USA claimed. “It is not coffee. It is the same drug used by young kids who go out and shoot people in Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq. It is something that gives you a heightened sense of invincibility, and when you look at those effects, you could take out the word ‘khat’ (in certain countries, it is called khat) and put in heroin or cocaine.”

When I read this, I couldn’t help but laughed out loud. I mean, you have got to be kidding me, right??!! As far as I am concerned, while living in Ethiopia for close to one year, I have not even once witnessed any young or old kids going out and shoot somebody.

I am sorry but I think the DEA was probably on heroin or cocaine when he said this. He should first investigate whether those school kids in America who went ballistic and started shooting up their peers and then killed themselves were on “chat”, heroin or cocaine.

I am not promoting any intoxicant (“chat” contains alkaloid cathinone, a chemical structure to amphetamine but about half as potent) but I doubt that it is as harmful as what the DEA claimed.

“Chat” is not just a substance used to create that “high” people often talk about. It is a cultural practice that bonds the community and create fellowship. I wonder if the name “chat” itself is synonymous to chat because it makes you chatty. I’ve been told that it enhances one’s concentration level and at some stage, you may even gain some sort of spiritual alertness. That’s part of the reason why people often gather in a group and chew for hours because it allows them to engage in intense conversation, which often range from politics, religion and life. Many students chew “chat” to help them concentrate during exams.

My own experience of “chat” was nothing out of the extraordinary. A few friends and I gathered in a room rented out for “chat” chewers. Two of them were Ethiopians and hence they were able to guide us on how to achieve “nirvana”. The room was dark (apparently when you chew, you become sensitive to light) and cozy with carpets and rugs thrown on the floor. Teas and drinks were served regularly.

So there I was, pretty excited about my first flirt with “chat” and I thought the ambience was right to strike my first deep conversation but sadly, it never came. After chewing for hours and hours, it made me nauseous more than anything. The leaves left a bitter taste on my tongue and I kept gargling my mouth with water right after I spat out the dark green remnants of the leaves. You’re supposed to chew on the leaves until all the juices are completely drained, swallow and then spit the pulp out.

If anything, I was getting sleepy and my jaws hurt from all the chewing. Yet, nothing intelligible came to my mind. I was even more quiet than normal. Well, I was taught not to talk with my mouth full! I looked at my friend and asked whether it was working for her and she nodded vigorously. She said that she could feel a cold chill running up from her spine to her head. Apparently, that is another side effect of “chat”.

I looked around me and everyone else seemed to be happy and relaxed. One of the Ethiopians who was normally quiet had started to loosen up and none of them looked like they were going to shoot anyone.

I checked my spine and head, nothing…… I didn’t become more chatty on the “chat” and I didn’t feel any sensation that I was supposed to feel. So, there and then, I decided to break up with “chat”.

What’s happening in Cambodia on 7 January?

So I have been in Cambodia for three months and realised that I don’t really write much about this country. I guess the only reason is because I haven’t really travelled much within the country itself. Nay, that isn’t really the main reason.

The main reason is that for the three months that I have been here, probably half of it has been some sort of a holiday; whether public or self-declared. When I am on holiday, I don’t usually do anything but laze around all day. So one can’t expect anything to happen by just lazing around.

Cambodia is a country that allows me to laze around A LOT. The last time I checked the 2009 Calendar of Public Holidays, there are about 22 national holidays in a year here. Apparently, it is one of the top 5  countries in the world with the most public holidays. Unlike Malaysia, where there are three major ethnic groups and hence most related festivals are being celebrated every year, Cambodia is rather homogenous.

More than 90% of Cambodians are Khmer. Minorities include Vietnamese, Chinese, Muslim Cham and other indigenous people. Christmas, Eid and Chinese New Year are not celebrated here. The only religious celebrations are those related to Buddhism. The rest are the King’s birthday, King’s coronation, post-Khmer Rouge related events (Paris Peace Accord, Independence Day, Constitution Day), International Women’s Day, International Children’s Day, International Human Rights Day, so on and so forth.

You can say that Cambodians love celebration. Well, who wouldn’t except if you are an employer who is concern about your staffs’ productivity level. Anyway, there is one particular national holiday which has sparked some controversies here and is to take place tomorrow.

7 January is the anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime. I am still confused as to whether this is a national holiday or not because some organizations declare it as a holiday while mine don’t. (Damn!) Well, you see, opposition parties have voiced that 7 January is also the anniversary of the start of the Vietnamese occupation in Cambodia. They are accusing the ruling government led by Prime Minister Hun Sen and his CPP (Cambodian People’s Party) party of using this day to assert and advance its political agenda.

A mass gathering has been organized for tomorrow’s celebration at the Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh. Rumours have been going around that CPP has paid students to carry flags, banners and posters bearing its logo at the gathering. When asked whether this is indeed a manipulation by the ruling party, its spokesperson firmly said, “This is not a CPP celebration. It is a celebration for all Cambodians.” However, when questioned why are there going to be only CPP’s posters and banners all over the city, the same spokesperson quickly replied, “Don’t worry. We’re not using even 1 riel from the state fund for this event. It’s 100% from our party’s coffer.” Errrr….I think the opposition party might have a point there.

Last Friday, three bombs were found in the city; one outside the Ministry of Defence, the other two were somewhere around the Independence Monument on Norodom Boulevard. Luckily, they were detonated on time and I did hear the blast from the detonation but was oblivious to it. This apparently occurred around the same time last year and most likely planted by the same people who would like to destabilize the government.

What made me wonder though was how three bombs were discovered so easily and taken care of so quickly. Hmmm….could it be the work of the ruling party itself?

Well, I can just foresee what I will be doing tomorrow. Going to the rally will not be one of them. What’s that? Oh yeah, I have to go to work. Damn! But above all, what I have learned from living in politically unstable countries is, don’t be a hero or “kei poh chi” (busy body). Curiousity can kill the cat.

*Sigh* Life can be so difficult here.

“Your Mommy and Daddy are dead because you’re adopted”

Last Sunday, I went to a nearby restaurant cafe called Le Jardin for brunch. This  place is known for its child-friendly environment (and ice cream) in Phnom Penh and I can understand why. It has a lovely garden with huge jackfruit and frangipani trees giving ample shades in the tropical heat of Cambodia, a small replica of a traditional wooden house serving as a toy house and slide, lots of  low tables, chairs  and a sand pit.

I had resisted going to this restaurant despite the fact that it is less than a stone’s throw from my apartment, mostly thinking that it would be filled with children running all over the place while being screamed and chased by their parents.

Well, Sunday’s experience changed my mind about Le Jardin. It is not just a fun place for children, but also a pleasant restaurant for adults. They have set up those metal comfy sofas with wide mattresses filled with cushions in various shapes and sizes all over the garden. Food and drinks are served on low wicker or rattan coffee tables. The breakfast menu offers a range between continental, English, Canadian and those who are health conscious. Since I have a weakness for good coffee, I am pleased to know that they do serve a good strong cup of black coffee.

Anyway, while I was enjoying my English breakfast, I couldn’t help but overheard a conversation between a group of children playing at the sand pit. There were about four or five of them and judging from their built, they are probably between 5 to 10 years old. All of them were Caucasians except one girl who looks Asian.

They all seemed normal enough except that two girls started arguing with each other. It was between the Caucasian and Asian girls. Let’s call them Samantha and Raksmey. Sam was telling Raksmey that her Mummy and Daddy are dead. In response, Raksmey shouted back at her, “MY MOM IS ALIVE! MY DAD IS ALIVE!” in perfect crisp British accent.

I was appalled and waited for some parental intervention but the mommies were obviously too busy chatting to hear all the ruckus. What was even more worrying was the fact that the rest of the Caucasian kids were ganging up on Raksmey, judging from their body language; 4 Caucasians standing on one side and Raksmey facing them alone on the opposite side.

As a third party who didn’t really know what was happening, I could only observe and observe I did. So whatever I am going to write now is purely based on my observation and analysis of the situation.

Samantha looks like a bitch in training from her whole body language. She tried again and again to provoke Raksmey, including telling the latter that she too was dead. Anyway, in the end, Raksmey just left the group and went into the toy house. She didn’t come out until the bunch of bullies left the restaurant. I looked around to see where her parents were and it turned out that a Caucasian lady sitting a distance away, busy tapping into her laptop, is responsible for her.

Then, I realised that Raksmey was crying alone in the toy house. I wasn’t sure whether she knew I was watching but she retreated from the house, wiped her tears off and went back to presumably her adopted Mother.

This is my analysis of things. She must be an adopted child. Judging from her British accent, she must had been adopted since she was really young. Those kids were ganging up on her because she looks different from them and her parents. Raksmey probably doesn’t know she is adopted and most likely doesn’t think she is different until these kids constantly make fun of her.

Adoption is a common thing in Cambodia. White couples with Asian-looking children are common sights here. My husband and I are even thinking of adopting a Cambodia child at some stage.

From this experience, I just realise how difficult it must be for adopted children with parents of different ethnicities. They may be loved and treated “indifferently” at home, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will  when they are at school. Kids are mean and it is hurtful to take in remarks such as those uttered by little Sam. Imagine being told your parents are dead when they just had breakfast with you and dropped you at school.

I think, adoption takes more than just taking a child from an orphanage and treats him or her as your own. It takes a lot of preparation; psychologically and emotionally for both parents and child. Couples who are planning to adopt should learn as much as possible about the psychological, social and cultural aspects of adoption.

Many adoptive parents try to conceal the real identity of the child, thinking that it will spare the child from getting hurt. However, I do believe that it is against the interest of the child, especially if he or she looks different. Sooner or later, the child will find out in a less than desirable circumstances; such as the one being told above. It is better to provide the child with full information in order for him or her to be well-informed and prepared.

As for the parents of those ignorant children, it is important to sensitize them on adoption (especially if it is a common social practice in the environment they live in). Above all, children at that age should be taught that all human beings, regardless of skin colour, religion, culture, sexual orientation, disabilities, economic background, etc. are all equal.

It is no wonder that this world is becoming more and more hostile. I think we can make a change if we make the effort to educate our children from the moment they are able to verbalise thoughts. It is as much our responsibility as theirs in creating a peace-loving world.

Innocent civilians are not the enemy of Israel nor Palestine

As I am writing this, Palestinian civilians are being terrorised by air raids and bombings by Israel as the latter started its military offensives in Gaza. How many more civilians, especially children will die today?

Tension between the two have started before the new year in which medical officers estimated a death toll of 385 and more than 800 wounded in Gaza at that time. The casualties have probably escalated way more by now. In Gaza, basic food supplies are depleting much faster than aid coming in, power cuts are affecting the territory and hospitals are struggling to cope with the high number of casualties.

Many have condemned the aggression committed by Israel but Hamas, the democratically elected government of Palestine since 2006, should not go unblemished. The tension has started as soon as the 6-month cease-fire agreement expired between the two nations last month and Hamas intensified rocket attacks from the Gaza strip. Both governments have been pointing fingers at each other while no serious efforts have been made by the international community to extend the cease-fire agreement.

While there can be no justification for what’s happening right now,  the international community has much to be blamed for this mess. For a start, there has been no effort made by the Bush government to revive the peace process. Ehud Olmert’s government failed to halt settlements and give Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas from the Fatah (Hamas’ sworn enemy) the support he needed. Bush refused to press Olmert to enforce a politically viable solution. Same goes to the other Arab leaders which never did enough to boost Abbas or persuade Hamas to cut its ties with Iran.

Some political analysts have attributed Israeli’s full on retaliation against Palestine to the transitional government of the United States of America. With preparation for the outgoing and incoming of Bush and Obama respectively, the US is unable to enforce any strong measures towards the conflict. Hence, Israel is taking advantage of the silence and inaction of America to have a final blow on Palestine before Obama takes office.

Even then, many have speculated that the Israel-Palestine conflict will not be on top of Obama’s  priority  list as the latter starts his office in an already troubled country. Barack Obama has been accused for keeping silence  in his attempt to gain position with Jewish lobby in America by some scholars and political analysts.

In the end, whatever it is and whoever is to be blamed, innocent civilians are being killed, wounded and left homeless every single minute, just as I am writing now.

Israel and Hamas need to know that these civilians are not the enemy of either.

When Mars and Venus are being threatened

I had a long discussion with a friend awhile ago. She’s from one of those post-Soviet Union countries. Perhaps a little bit similar to Malaysia, we are from a generation where we still hang on to certain traditional values but unlike our parents, our lifestyles and mentalities have somewhat changed through influence from the West.

Before I proceed to share the discussion, I need to explain a little bit about my friends’ character in order to better illustrate the point of our discussion.

I see my friend as a modern woman who has her own career, in which she is very good in, sociable and forward thinking. She’s a mother of two young children but don’t expect her to be one of those moms who stay at home and forget about their social life.

I enjoy having conversations with this friend because she speaks her mind and basically, also a fun person to be with. However, there is something about her relationship with her husband which I don’t quite understand. When they are together, it is very clear that they play very different but complementary roles. It’s more or less like he is the chef and she, the sous-chef. Without each other, they will not be able to run a restaurant smoothly.

I guess you must be wondering which part of their relationship don’t I understand as it seems perfect. Anyway, I am not finished yet.

So, an incident happened one night when we were together. We were hanging out at a bar with our husbands and a man who was standing beside her started checking her out. She said something to the man which generated an unexpected reaction from him. He started turning aggressive and we were caught by surprise since we were busy chatting and did not really witness what was happening. To cut a long story short, her husband came to her rescue and finally, the man was ushered out by the security guards. Our night was nevertheless spoiled.

When I later asked my friend what had happened, she explained that she was upset with the fact that the man had the audacity to “give her the eyes” in the presence of her husband. I also observed that during the whole commotion when her husband was about to punch the man in the face, she remained in her seat. I told her that if I were her, I would have punched the man myself.

Then she quickly explained that she could never take such an action in her husband’s presence. It is her husband’s job to protect her and by taking matters into her own hands, she would be undermining her husband’s masculinity.

This is the part I don’t understand. I guess what really confuses me is the paradox between her individual and marital self. I persisted to ask her whether a woman should not be allowed to defend her own honour. Her response eventually generated into another long discussion about the change in man’s role in modern society.

According to her, part of the reasons why women have became the way they are; meaning more bold, bitchy, and out of line, is because of the way men are treating them; meaning more respectful, sensitive and understanding. She was referring to European men. She added that European men do not know how to behave like men anymore and hence, they are being stepped all over by women.

We have very differing views of course and I argued with her that I don’t agree with the way “non-European” men are treating  women. Putting women in subversive positions, treating them as objects, prohibiting them from having individual identities, etc. Are all these what define the masculinity of a man?

I proceeded to tell her that a man who treats women with respect, being attentive to their needs and understands what women want do not make them weak. Masculinity is not measured by how much power or authority a man has over women. It is measured by how he defends a woman’s honour and dignity. There is nothing honourable in treating women like possessions.

In the case of women behaving out of line, I wouldn’t blame it on men. I think it’s mostly due to the nature and personality of the woman in question. These women are just ignorant and lack manners. It doesn’t mean that if you are being treated nicely, you can be rude or mean.

I think that we have to start to understand that we no longer live in an era where women’s options in life were limited due to the lack of education and financial independence. Women are able to obtain the highest level of education and contribute to their nations. They are able to be independent and hence think for themselves. These qualities should not be a threat to men.

The only threat is when both men and women forget the fundamental principles of how to treat each other, as human beings and partners in life.

I don’t wish to be a millionaire. All I want is to see the polar bear.

Some of you might have wondered what do I mean when I put the title of this post on my profile (if you happen to have read my profile). For the start of this new year, I thought perhaps I should share with you the meaning behind this.

About two years ago, I went to the La Palmyre Zoo in France. I came across two polar bears and fell in love with them. I’ve always liked them but it was mostly because they look so cute and cuddly as soft toys.

Now, I love them because they are so huge and yet they look so harmless (although they are not when threatened and desperate). I love them because they are so graceful in the water with their huge paws paddling gently and long white coat floating around them softly. It is just one of the most breathtaking living things to watch.

But most of all, I love them because they are such strong animals with great endurance and the mother bears often sacrifice a lot for their cubs. I even heard that they have their own quarks. Apparently all polar bears are left handed.

When I was at the zoo, I couldn’t take my eyes off them, contented with just watching them swimming and basking in the sun. I was obviously captivated by them as very often, I would walk around to see other animals but disappeared along the way only to find myself back with the polar bears again.

Then, something happened which upset me. One of the bears started displaying some sort of disturbing behaviour. It had swam very close to the glass enclosure and started bouncing up and down; each time higher and higher. Somehow, I sensed that the bear was in distress and was probably trying to bounce out of the enclosure. He went on for a long time and didn’t stop even after I left because I couldn’t bear to watch that anymore. It would never have succeeded because the glass was much too high.

What angered me more was when a couple started rushing towards the glass to have their photos taken with the bear bouncing helplessly behind them. I know that they probably didn’t feel anything was wrong but for some strange reasons, I felt an inexplicable ache in my heart that tears came to my eyes and I don’t cry easily.

Fourteen years ago, I cried when I watched the opening part of The Lion King and it wasn’t even sad. One of my friends still tease me about this. Perhaps, I am in the wrong profession.

Later on, I started questioning whether it is ethical to have zoos where wild animals are taken away from their natural habitats for the viewing pleasure of people like me, and that couple. It was obvious that the polar bear did not belong to the zoo; far away from its home at the arctic where it lives, hunts and mates. I resolutely told my husband that we are not allowed to take our children to the zoo in future and he argued that it’s a good way to sensitize children about wild animals. I think the National Geographic and Animal Planet channels will do.

Right now, polar bears are one of the most endangered species. With global warming, ice caps are melting faster and faster every year which makes it very difficult for them to hunt on land. They are often forced to swim for ages to look for preys and many ended up drowning to death due to fatigue.

As they can no longer rely on traditional method of hunting seals swimming beneath the ice caps, they turn to walrus out of desperation.  The walrus, much bigger in number and very often larger than them prove to be difficult preys due to their huge and sharp fangs. So, many of them perish from starvation. This is the fate of the polar bears as the climate of our earth starts to change dramatically.

After learning and understanding their condition more, I start to do my part in preserving our environment. Although it’s not much, I am slowly trying to remember to take bags with me when I shop, turn off the electricity when I don’t need it and stop using the air conditioning at home.

My dream is to be able to go to the arctic one day to see the polar bears in their natural habitat. I don’t know when I will be able to do so or whether it will ever happen, but I hope it is not too late if I come around to it.

So, “I don’t wish to be a millionaire. All I want is to see the polar bears” is sort of a personal philosophy of mine. It’s not just about seeing the bears. It means I don’t think having lots of money is the most important thing in life but at the same time, I need to have enough money, good health and the right opportunity to be able to pursue my dreams. At the end of the day, having the opportunity to do something rare and profound in my life is what matters.

I hope you will start to do your part in preserving our environment so that these innocent creatures can continue to live. We have been sharing this planet together and why should they suffer because of us?

Do try to develop at least one environmentally friendly practice. Perhaps for a start, try to limit the number of plastic bags at the supermarket. I’ve noticed how cashiers at the supermarkets at home are very eager to use as many plastic bags as possible; often putting only 2 items in one bag when there are still rooms for a couple more.

This may ultimately be the best new year’s resolution you ever have.

I took this video at the zoo, thinking that one day I’ll be able to share this as part of a public sensitization measure.