Museum display

Crossing the Wire

After reading “Crossing the Wire, I found myself thinking of all the different struggles and emotions one must go through in trying to find something better, especially for a 15 year old boy. Victor, the main character, shows so much determination throughout the book that made me think about how hard am I willing to work? He goes through so much in order to want to help out his family. He tries to cross the border and ends up getting kicked off a bus,  hopping a train and trying to make it through the desert but gets caught and deported and yet tires again. Even with the first time he hears all of these rumors of what America is like and either how scary it is or how great it is.

He becomes friends with many acquaintances and they are what keep him hopeful. One important companion was Miguel. He did all he could to help Victor learn what it means to travel back and forth… even after he had no desire to help him in the first place. One conversation that I think gave Victor hope was the one about the states.

[Victor] “What is it really like in the States?”

[Miguel] “You’ll have to see for yourself. It’s impossible to explain. It’s so different, it’s like another world.”  

[Victor] “Is it good? Is it bad?”

[Miguel] “It’s both.”  

This conversation stood out to me because it gave Victor a hope of what to look forward to; a chance to make a difference for his family. It struck me to find out that many of the characters in the book were wanting into the states in order to help make money for their families. They do not have as many opportunities to work and the options they do have do not pay as much. It is interesting to think about, maybe give a new perspective.

“It is, if you are willing to work hard. In the states, it’s possible to start from the ground and reach the top of the tree.” Miguel is talking about opportunity if you are willing to work for it. It was interesting to me to hear about Miguel’s friend Hector and of his life. He grew up in America but as not born there. He went to school in America and played football in high school. He had no other home other than America and yet because he was not born in America he was deported. It made me think of how I would feel if I had been taken away from all that I knew. I mean I moved my senior year in high school with out much of a choice and I still have no idea how that would feel. I was taken away from friends and family but to think that Hector was taken away from everything he knew and sent to a place that was not his home where he had never grown up. That would be scary.

The struggles this 15 year old boy faced is incredible and I could not even imagine giving any kid that much responsibility. I do not know many 15 year olds that could handle it. 

Sold

            Reading “Sold” has opened my eyes to a much bigger problem than I had thought. I knew human trafficking was an issue but never have I been so involved in a life of one’s example. In reading this book I have experienced so many emotions at one time that I never thought a book could bring at one time: anger, sadness, hatred, and even hope. Her life in the beginning was that of a child but by the end it was as if she was transformed into such a different person.

            I was not sure what to expect in the beginning. Lakshmi, the main character, just had so much desire for her home and family. She wanted to do all she could to put a roof over her family and to be there to love them. Her hope for a tin roof to be proof of a hard working father, family children, and the home will be warm and livable even for a baby. Lakshmi has so much desire for her family she is willing to go and work in the city for her family in the city. “I see a tin roof” she says when wanting to work.

            Just the view of children is shocking to me. Lakshmi does not see herself as much. She is told that “a son will always be a son, they say. But a girl is like a goat. Good as long as she gives you milk and butter. But not worth crying over when it’s time to make stew.” The loss of a daughter is nothing more. Women in this country are not seen as anything more than a tool to use to their advantage and nothing more. Even her stepfather does not see her as anything more. Her stepfather sends her to “the city to earn her keep as a maid.” All Lakshmi can think about is that she will help her family to get a tin roof.

            She goes through many transitions of people until she gets to her destination and it is not at all what she was told. She is sent to this room to be with a man and runs away. Lakshmi ends up getting tonto trouble but it is not long until she cannot hold out. She ends up having to sleep with a man and once it is all done she looks into a mirror and says “You have become one of them.” She realized that she is no longer her own. And throughout the rest of the book she does not see herself as anything else. It makes me angry and sad to read about this 13 year old girl, gone 14, to lose herself and not have any control of her situation. She no longer has a say. And to know that this is happening to a 13-14 year old girl is sad. The book even brings in about a girl, younger than Lakshmi, who is brought in but gives up and hangs herself. The amount of sadness and anger it takes to feel dead.

            By the end of the book I was ready to be done. It seemed as though there was no hope for this girl until 3 occurrences of Americans arriving. She had lost all of her trust in people an had no idea of what to believe. The men wanting to come and help her, she was so numb to everything she had no idea and the strength she had to run down once they came back for her to state who she was. She had been reminded of the person she was and desired for them to know. She held on to herself and I nearly broke down. I felt as if her life had only just begun. 

Nepal-Human Trafficking

Nepal, The Federal Republic of Nepal, is located in South Asia with a population of about 27 million people. It is the world’s 93^rd largest country by land mass. 81.3 percent of their religion practiced is Hinduism. Buddhism is linked with Nepal and is practiced by about 24 percent of a mixed population of people. Some of their population attributes their religion to both Hinduism and Buddhism. Their country has been run by a monarchy and is unified with small kingdoms until the communist party stood up against the government and agreed on an interim government.

            Their government is divided up into three powers: the executive, legislative, and executive branches. The country is also divided up into fourteen zones and seventy-five districts. Each district is headed by a chief. The government is headed by socialists with right wing parties.

            Nepal’s government is dealing with a big issue of human trafficking. Human trafficking has become a big issue in the country including sex trafficking and forced labor. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines human trafficking as "the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation." Mainly women and young girls are forced into these forms of labor but not limited to.

            The right against exploitation specifically prohibits the trafficking of persons. Nepal also has three domestic laws in place that address girl trafficking and forced child labor, including the Labor Act of 1992, the Human Trafficking Control Act of Nepal of 1986, and the National Human Rights Commission Act of 1993. This defines what human trafficking is within the country and allows for strict laws. However, they have a hard time enforcing them. First, governments and society tend to judge the woman guilty of prostitution and minimize the trafficker's role in this crime. Secondly, government police officials are often corrupt; pimps maintain close relations with police and politicians in connection with their trafficking activities. Thirdly, few survivors press charges, reflecting that survivors have little trust towards law enforcement mechanisms or mechanisms are ineffective to bring the survivors to report.

            In India, many people are still trafficked despite the laws and are hard to enforce. People are put into positions where they are forced into many situations: sex, labor, marriage. Children are forced into these situations also. Being sold into many situations and ar subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups. 

Kampung Boy Response

            When I first began reading Kampung Boy, a graphic novel, I was not sure what to expect. I cannot remember the last time I had read a graphic novel and I had no idea of what to expect; I was not sure if I would even enjoy it but I found this story intriguing. At first, when I hear graphic novel I think pictures galore and little caption boxes kind of like comic books. However, I found that it was more than just pictures and captions on a page; it was an illustration of a person’s childhood growing up in Kampung Village in Malaysia. This story is an autobiographical describing Lat’s, the author, childhood experiences while in this small village.

            The novel starts off with Lat describing what his birth and early life was like. Before any of us can even remember what it was like when we were born, Lat uses descriptions from his mother to describe what his early years were like. Lat describes the traditions and rituals of the time to draw you in as a reader so that we may understand what is going on during this period of time. Although Lat may not be able to remember what happened, we can trust that he is giving us an accurate description of the events that occurred. While reading this novel I found that the author takes you back through time to describe his childhood experiences growing, playing, making friends, and learning about who he is. He shares his experiences, in detail, of how growing up was as a toddler. My favorite experience he shared was when he “loved to look out of the window because that was the closest he could get to the surroundings outside the house.” And the best part was when he would stick his head out too far and the cartoon showed him being stuck between two posts.

            The curiosity he shared was all the way through the story. He shares many of his experiences and dreams and admirations through words but also the pictures. We are given a chance to see a life through more than only words and only pictures. The cartoons add more to the story. They give perspective using more than words but audiences. It attracts more than just one audience which is great and useful to allow for your story to be heard.

            At first it was hard to follow but once I got to age 10 it was rather clear. It is not hard to tell that the book goes through time but as the story progressed so does Mat. He was Page 74 he was nine and page 95 he was 10 years old. The progresson went as experiences came to Mat. At age nine he got a new brother and age 10 he had to be circumcised. He shares his experiences. The end of the book is him leaving the village to go off to a boarding school and he shares his feelings through his art and articulates it with words.

            This novel, though a graphic novel and not what I was expecting at all, was really great. I enjoyed being able to read and see a child’s life and gave the story a new life. Usually I think of picture books and novels but never the two put together but I think Lat did an amazing job. 

Malaysia

            Malaysia, population of about 30 million, is comprised of 5 ethnic groups: 50 percent Maley, 24 percent Chinese, 11percent Indiginous  also known as Orang Asal, 7 percent Indian, and 8 percent other. The Maley and Orang Asal people are granted Bumiputra status which means “son of the land/soil”. This has led to a racial discrimination and classification of class. In all, most of the population is made up of about 60 percent.

            The government in Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy with a national and state government. Their government has similar houses, such as, A House of Representatives and a Senate.            The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur and it is the biggest city in the country.

            Education in Malaysia is broken up into five different sections. The first is non-compulsory Kindergarten education. The second is for students to take six years of compulsory primary education which goes from ages 7-12. Primary education is broken up into two different types of schools: national primary in the language of Malay and vernacular using the language of Chinese or Tamil.  Third part is optional secondary education which goes from ages 13-18/19.  Most of secondary Sciences and Mathematics had been taught in English up until 2009 when the government decided to go back to using Malay. On top of secondary public and private schools, Malaysia has Religious Secondary School, Technical School, Residential Schools, and Junior Science colleges. During the final year of secondary, if students choose to partake, is to take the Malaysian Certificate of Education exam so that they may enter into the set of schooling in Pre University. Pre University is a 12 month program for students to be in in order to get in to a university. There are only 10 percent of schools to which students of non Bumiputera students can enter into. After Pre University, continuing students may be able to enter into local universities also known as Tertiary schooling. Comparatively, students in American schools must go through 13-14 years of schooling in order to get into a community or university school. Oddly enough, it is required for students to begin junior and high school but they do have the option of dropping out. In Malaysia, students can choose to enter into secondary education but is not required of them.

            Along with education, the Malaysian people have different culture. One of which includes Holidays and Celebrations. Their holidays are either federally public holidays or observed by certain states or observed by particular religious groups. A few common national holidays they have are to commemorate the independence of the Federation of Malaya and Malaysia day to commemorate the federation. They celebrate 4 different independences that they had had over their years.

            Malaysian education system is a very interesting system. Instead of grades they go through forms in which they need to pass in order to move on. Government plays a big role in education. Many of the holidays are followed and observed by certain people. The people in Malaysia seem to be very separated and there is a cultural diversity among the people. They are not united but separated.