Heifer International

Went over to Heifer International's Outlook farm in Western Massachusetts today. It was interesting, very focused on using livestock to eradicate hunger and poverty. While I am partial to vegetables, there were some other benefits to farm animals like work power, wool, and space conservation. The best part of their program is re-giving; after H.I. donates an animal to a family in need, that family must give the animals first offspring to another family in need. They also have all these mock houses from different parts of the world their program benefits, such as Thailand, Peru, Guatemala, Tibet, Kenya, Poland, and Appalachia. Sustainable development, but in a different way than I'm used to - living creatures rather than materials.

Mexico

While not originally in our travel plans, I will be heading down to Mexico tomorrow for a little R&R on a cruise ship. Quite different from how Alison and I traveled, but I will still be looking for sustainable developments and spicy recipes.

I also published our first blook today! Woo Hoo! It's not the full blog book, that's still being edited, but a photography book I put together. With a hard cover and 72 full bleed 11" x 14" pages it should be pretty nice.

And as a final note, I've completely re-done my own website www.matthewmosher.us to be more international friendly, so check it out! I'm still working on my blog format though.

< design : eco...

photography

By matthew mosher

A Fabulous Lecture for Traveling Design Students

A transcript with notes of our RISD lecture on May 02, 2007 at 6:00PM in the Mason Building. Download our Power Point presentation.

Prep - Goal
-To research international sustainable design, different ways of living, and different ways of making.
-Motivation before and during
A goal keeps you going through the whole trip. It takes a lot of planing to do this, and your goal will keep you focused on getting throught the nitty gritty. Also while you're away you may feel lost or aimless at somepoint, this is a great time to review your goal and clear out any doubts or depresssion you may be facing.

Prep - Contacts
-Talk to people who have been there
-Make connections with people who are there
-Talk to professors
-Contact people in advance
When you first arrive in a new country it's great to know where you're going to be staying, especially if you know people in the area, so if you have any contacts try to plan around them if you can.

Prep - Support
-Plan in advance
-Get a grant writer
-Study part time, work part time
-Go either way
Ask organizations for support
If you decide to write a grant proposal your self, utilize the writing center during the entire process, not just for the final draft. There are people there that are more expereinced with grant proposals and will help you develope the porposal appropratly.
http://intranet.risd.edu/departments/default.asp?department=Writing_Center

Prep - Tickets
-Shop around
-Round the World
-We do not recommend STA
-Leave wiggle room
-Get travel insurance
-Get an international student discount card
While we never needed out insurance, some countries like India won't officially let you in without it. Our student discount card paid for itself in transportation costs alone, the admissions discounts were like a bonus. But remember if you;re going to a country like India you're not going to get a discount on anything. Try to get tickets that our refundable, when you're planing flights so far in advance it is probable that you'll change your mind or the world will intervene somehow before your travels are over.

Prep - Health
-Bring prescriptions and over the counter medicine with you
-Antibiotics, Nausea, Diarrhea, Fever, Malaria
-Get all vaccinations before
Medicines that we recommend: Antibiotics(more than 3 days supply), Imodium, Nausea, Fever, and Electrolyte mixture (the home brew is a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice, a pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar to a liter of water. The mixture should taste slightly salty, sweet and sour. Only sip the mixture.)
Make sure the doctor explains when to take what.
ASK QUESTIONS!!
For Example: How long do I take the Anibiotics for? What should I do if I get sick again? In what situation do I take each medicine? When do I call the doctor or go to the hospital?
http://www.passporthealthusa.com/

Prep - Moral Support
-Bring a friend
-Ignore those who doubt you
-Get a guide book
-Watch some local films
-Make it a big deal
While it is quite possible to travel alone having a friend makes all the logistics easier. It also saves a lot of money to travel with someone; double rooms are only marginally more than singles. Having a friend can make you less likely to talk to locals though and rely on strangers less, so know your style. And seriously ignore people who say you can't do this, what they are really saying is they cant do it.

During - Keeping in touch
-Keep a blog
-Keep a journal
-Email
-Post Restaunte
-No cell phone
Keeping a blog is a great way for people to keep up with what your doing, and if you're emailing you'll need to find computers anyway. Be warned, however, writing a good entry can take an hour, and putting photos can be challenging in some places. Many big cities have Post Restaunte facilities at their GPO, so if you need anything mailed to you, check it out.

During - Make friends
-Work exchange
-Culture exchange
-Volunteering
-Take breaks
http://www.helpx.net/index.asp
http://www.wwoof.com.au/
If you're traveling at all you've got to get to know the locals, so it really helps to spend some time in each place you visit, at least a week. Volunteering or doing a work exchange / homestay is a great way to get to know people and give you some insights to the local culture, but don't string all these experiences back to back. Give yourself a weekend here or there to relax.

During - Transportation
-Book in advance
-Ask locals
-Don’t stress out
-Expensive
-Consider getting a vehicle
Tickets, be it plane, bus, or subway, were by far our greatest expense. Buying early certainly saves money and peace of mind, but is not always possible. If you're going to be in one place for a long time consider getting a car, motorbike or bicycle, in the long run these can save you heaps on public transit. Having a vehicle is also nice if you're doing work exchange so you can get away during your off time.

After
-Have something lined up
-Summer job
-Residency
-A place to think
It's quite overwhelming to come back from a trip like this, so having something lined up when you return is very calming, and searching for work / whatever right away is the last thing you want to do.

Reasons for Traveling
-You’re not tied down
-Experience other cultures
-Experience other ways of life
-See variations on what you do
-Don’t get stuck
Getting stuck is tricky. You don't want to get stuck permanently in one of the countries you visit, we almost got stuck in Japan. But you also don't want to get stuck your home country either. Keep traveling!

Traveling Resources

Visa
http://projectvisa.com/

Australia
Art/Design
http://www.windgrove.com/ee/index.php
http://www.marcustatton.com/

Environment/sustainability
http://www.wildmountains.org/
http://www.tasmaniatogether.tas.gov.au

Japan
Art/Design
http://www.kohseki.com/
http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/eng/index.html (RISD has an exchange program with this Art school)
http://www.takumijuku.com/english/index.htm (Traditional Japanese woodworking school)
http://w3.kcua.ac.jp/ (Art/design school)

Cultural Exchange/volunteering
http://www.kcif.or.jp/en/benri/01_01.html (Kyoto, Japan)

Language exchange/volunteering
http://www.klexon.net/

Japanese Language study
AJALT Japanese for busy People
Pimsleur Language Tapes
Rosetta Stone Language Software

India
Volunteering
http://sambhali-trust.org/ (Jodhpur, India)

Art/Design
http://www.shunya.net/Text/Blog/LeCorbusierChandigarh.htm (Chandigarh, India)

Meditation Retreat
http://www.tushita.info/
http://www.dhamma.org/

Sites related to Bhuddism
http://www.buddhanet.net/
http://www.dalailama.com/
http://www.fpmt.org/

To print, click the "Traveling Resources" title, which will open this post by itself, and then select print from your file menu.

Being Back

We arrived yesterday. We managed to stay awake all day (except for a 2 hour nap that I took). Matthew's parents greeted us at the airport with tears, welcome home signs and flashing lights. We spent the rest of the day settling down and answering many questions about our trip. It was intense, but I really enjoyed it. The day made me feel like there are people that really care about us and what we have been doing.

Although I am not coming back to a specific home (I will be traveling from Boston to Providence to NYC to Aspen Colorado) I really feel like I have arrived home. I can feel spring in the air of the USA. Everything looks different but so familiar. The bathroom is one of the nicest rooms in the house instead of the grossest! There are no cows on the streets and no stray dogs. But on the other hand, when I walk around here I am not easily reminded that there are a lot of people that are starving in the world, or that what we consider a hard life is nothing compared to others. The reminders are helpful so that we are motivated to change and to encourage change around us.

Back in the USA

We're on the plane. I really don't feel like I am returning to the United States, but that the US is the fifth country we will visit. My perception of America and my life there has changed so much since we left, there's no way I could return to the same country, the same life. My journey does not end, but continues anew.

We made it back safely. Breath.

21 hours

So it is 12:41 am. We are leaving today in about 21 hours. We are finishing final preparations. Kind of getting nervous and excited. I just can't believe that this is actually happening. We are getting ready to start a trip that we started planning over a year ago.

24 hours

So as it turns out Sara from the STA yesterday was just crazy and we were able to get the Osaka tickets she wouldn't sell us at a different STA on the UCLA campus just down the street. By this time tomorrow we will hopefully in the air and on our way. I wonder a bit if ditching Thailand so quickly was a mistake - it could have been an opportunity to capture the spirit of change there - but this way we will get a better sense of Australia and Japan, which was really our intent. I just hope we don't miss some of the "sustainable by force" we may have found in more developing countries.

On a side note I completely agree with Alison about LA. Having been here for the past week it is amazing how spread out everything is. You need a car to get anywhere and there are no trains. Because of this peoples' cars are a huge status symbol and I just feel like everyone is competing, or struggling, to get above everyone else. It's rather sad actually.

Ketchup Face

We went to get our tickets changed yesterday. We got a refund on the Thailand tickets and then wanted to get flights to Japan only to find the STA here in LA couldn’t get anything for us. The woman helping us, a Ms. Stern, was very difficult to work with so we ended up leaving. Hopefully we’ll be able to get something in Sydney or online. Given the situation we had just dealt with involving STA's wrongdoing in booking our inter-Australia tickets, they are not ranking very high in our book right now. The problem we realized today is that with out going to Thailand it will be the dead of winter for our entire time in Japan, if we go there in January. We have no warm clothes…

In other news I emptied half a bottle of ketchup into my ear at dinner last night.

Military Coupe in Thailand

I just heard on NPR today that while the Thai Prime Minister was at a conference in New York today the military staged a coupe and has assumed control of the country. I don’t know much more than that at the time, but I have a feeling this may affect out travel plans…

I’ve been doing much better with the Japanese, though, I’m a bit worried that thinking up stuff away from the tapes will prove much more difficult. I have found that the little lonely planet phrase books we got are very helpful in just being able to see how some of the words are phonetically spelt and understanding some of the more grammatical sounds.

Preparing to Leave the US

So. . . I have neglected the blog until now. I have been trying to read the books that Matthew had recommended to me, but my attention span is very short when there is so many other stimulus around. I am now in Los Angeles, staying with my brother until our trip begins on September 28th. The question that everyone asks me is if I will move to LA to live. They say that it is the best place to live.

Last night I went out to an Irish pub with at friend, had dinner and people-watched out of the window. As I looked out of the window all I saw was unnaturally tanned bodies in the latest fashions driving the newest SUVs. I wondered why people are still cooking themselves for a look when we are educated about skin cancer and why do people still drive these monstrous vehicles when gas prices are so high and in the midst of this war. Maybe this is a dismal out look but sometimes I just can't help it. The sense that I get is that this place is full of superficial people. In LA success is equivalent to money.

It seems very ironic that we have to fly out of LA it go to a place thats primary focus is community rather than money.

We are planning this trip to see other ways of life.

Another thing . . .

For Others that are traveling.

When you go to places like Thailand you need to get the typhoid vaccination. Most travel clinics will offer the oral typhloid vaccination that requires you to take a pill every other day for a total of 8 days. The catch is that the pills need to be refrigerated. The most it can be out of a refrigerater is for an hour. . .
. . . A quick story about me . . . I got the pills and on my way to NY the freezer pack melted. The next time I got the pills the outlet for the refrigerator in the woodshop went out during the night. So you understand my frustration. When I went to Passport Health here in LA, they informed me that I can get a shot for the vaccination. After hundreds of dollars wasted I find out that I could have gotten a shot! The difference is that vaccination will continue working for 5 years with the pills and the shot for 2 years. Also The Malaria pills are considerably cheaper at Costco Pharmacies!

Hydroponics

When we started this project we were very interested in Permaculture, but without funding it quickly dropped from our to do list, but when an opportunity came to check out the Indoor Gardener's Expo today, I figured why not. Firstly, I was amazed at how high tech hydroponics has become. In the mystifying presence of grow lights spinning above plants like a fan to plants revolving upside-down around a lit center I felt overwhelmed and quickly had to leave feeling as though I got nothing out of the whole experience aside from the knowledge that this would be far to expensive to ever implement in a rental apartment.

When I got home I figured I’d look into Make or some of the other DIY sites to see if anyone was doing hydroponics on a small scale, and I was happy to find the easy to follow lesson in the above title link. As it turns out, a simple 4-11 plant set up can be made from parts found at a local hardware store. Among the many benefits of hydroponics I think the greatest use for this farming system is in places where no soil farming is available because either the soil quality is to low, rocky, or acidic for crops, or there is no soil as there may not be in, say, an apartment window.

Definitely worth checking out and I’d love to hear anyone else's knowledge of or ideas for hydroponic farming.

A Better Plan

I was looking over a bit of our original grant proposal today:

“It is our intention over the course of nine months to visit three sites around the world that demonstrate community living through sustainable, environmentally friendly means because of necessity and choice. These sites include: Tasmania, Australia where permaculture, the science of diverse agriculture, began, Japan where the bases of design is multiplicity in use and space, and India where sustainability and spirituality are practiced due to economic necessity. From visiting these sites we hope to obtain information about sustainable technologies and ways of life that can be readily executed in the states.”

And realized how out of date it now is. So to clarify for those of you who will be following us in October, the current plan is a two or three month stay in Australia, then a two month stay in Thailand with a possible excursion into Cambodia, and ending in Japan for two months. That is, of course, if everything goes according to the plan that we have expertly laid out.

We are going on this journey to see how other people do the same things we do, but in different places and with different styles. We seek to learn more of our place in the world by leaving it behind us, and how we can change it when we return. I feel our goal is morphing as well, away from sustainable design and towards sustainable communities. Looking less at the objects themselves but more at how they are used. I wonder what is more important to different people, how something looks, how well it works, or what makes it work?

Peter's Valley

Last summer Alison and I randomly received a scholarship to the same course at Peter’s Valley in New Jersey. The course was titled “The Table – an elevated twig surface” taught by Clifton Monteith. We figured what the heck, it was mostly free and could be cool, so we went. Not only did we learn about willow furniture, but we also received first hand instruction in traditional Japanese lacquer techniques and got wise to some very exciting ideas. Clifton told us a lot about his son Matthew (not me) who had done some travel photography in high-school and was able to score a Fulbright from his pictures. After hearing this Alison and I looked at each other and said, “We’ve got to do some cool shit.” And that is how this whole journey began.