12.17.2013

East-West train, day 2

woke up to a transformed landscape 
and this is why I love taking the train
for moments like this 
waking up to a darkened land 
I don't even know what state I am in 
falling asleep to Texas scrub bush
waking to my dear plant friend 
chapparal (larrea tridentata) 
that which I've been writing about 
dreaming about 
carrying with me 
ever since I left the USA
and returned 
chapparal, yucca, and prickly pear 
the land has flattened 
and the scrub bush rolls all the way to the horizon 
where mesas touch the sky 
as we roll on through the day 
clouds gathering at the cliffs 
strong sun warming my snow-frozen bones 
the mesas grow 
we plow through some mountains 
in our metal bullet train 
my eyes close 
to enjoy the sun through my eyelids 
scrub bush begins to include more sage brush 
and now it changes into junipers scattered through the landscape 
larger yuccas raising their arms to greet the sky 
tall dried out flower pods nodding to the wind 
in the wake of 
passing train 
I sit cross-legged next to a large window
sunshine beaming on my body 
listening to the resplendent hum of the train 
and the music of the sounds around me: 
people's voices
"it's beautiful,
it's beautiful..."
a woman behind me is talking about colleges 
I see the mountains looming larger 
this landscape of my dreams 
the love affair hidden in my heart since I first arrived 
and left
and arrived again 
a come-and-go sort of love 
that is perhaps not physically present 
but is always felt in the heart
I feel this with you, oh Desert
and, Taiwan 
and, New England... 
and, with so many places! 
this is my plight as a traveler 
my gift as a traveler 
to be always in love
with the entire world 
yet also always feeling 
a certain reminiscence 
for that which is not here 
well, I am here now 
landscape rolling by, 
train sounds, sunlight, 
warmth of body and mind, 
heart singing,
soul soaring
headed from East to West, 
around and around
there is a Path
I can't quite see it 
but I know it's there
dipping and diving 
under the trees and bushes 
of my imagination 
yet also in front of me 
as I run through the forest
of my mind 
remembering small foot paths
of deer
large American deer
small Taiwanese deer 
and coyote 

sunset sky 
rainbows stretching across the 
darkening landscape
we've been rolling all day 
the morning passed by quickly, 
dreaming about herbal concoctions 
doodling into my notebook while listening to 
blaring electronica on headphones 
afternoon passed by quickly 
talking to another artist
composing a book, just starting on his cross-country trans-global travels
inspired
infused by desert essence 
magic 
now, evening 
monoliths unseen outside of the window 
i will wake to california
my home state 
even before the sun rises 
i will land in time to 
hear the morning birdsong 
roll across the land 
and greet my parents
with a smile 
brighter
than even the sun 
and climb my mountains of youth
to greet the rising sun 
or at least setting--- we'll see how the day goes--- 
with arms upraised and chest wide open 
but for tonight
landscape rolls by 
we are almost into arizona 
almost all the way across the country
3.5 day journey
fellow trainmates become familiar faces 
each heading to their own homes 
for the holydays 
blessings
abunDance


--
 ~~~~~~~
  
Jiling . 林基玲 
  626.344.9140 / 607.262.0302

American trains, Asian trains

TRAINS: Cross-cultural comparisons 
(between USA, Taiwan, China, India) 

"Where are you going?" 
"Los Angeles." 
"Where'd you come from?" 
"New York." 
A brief pause, as he realizes the extent of my journey then, "Wow! You're going cross-country!" 

That's right. 
I am currently rolling through eastern Texas on the second day of my cross-country train journey. I've been staying put for most the past year in New York state, but spent most of the past 3 years rolling around Asia via plane, train, bus, car, bike, foot, boat, and thumb. This trip makes me remember (and miss) my Asia travels, and make mental comparisons between Asian and American trains. I want to share some of these cross-cultural train-travel thoughts/ memories with you. 

It costs almost the same to travel via the train here in the USA than it costs to take a plane. Sometimes, it even costs more- depending on how much luggage you have. I decided to take the train from NY back to CA partially because I wanted to see the gorgeous scenery of the USA, but also because I didn't want to go through the hassle of packing my bags down to 50 pounds a piece, with only one check-in and one carry-on baggage, and a whole crazy slew of inspectors patting me down through electric doors. Here in the USA, you only get one choice of the train: the Amtrak. And, it's pretty nice in here. There's a carpet on the ground, it's clean, pretty quiet, and you get a whole seat to yourself, which feels like a sofa, and it's pretty easy to claim a whole two seats to yourself (as I've done), and stretch out across both seats. In fact, as I am typing this, I am sitting across both seats, with my legs stretched out, both tables pulled out with my notebooks lying on top, my computer plugged into the wall (eat seat row has two electric outlets!), and facing the window, watching the dry gorgeous Texas scenery roll by. Luxurious? Absolutely. Ofcourse you pay for it, with an expensive ticket. 

Thailand didn't have a train. You can take the buses everywhere though, and they are cheap and convenient. 

Taiwan, China, and India also have excellent bus systems. Their train systems are splendid, as well. The USA is supposedly a first world country. We can afford to each have our own personal vehicles, often times more than just one vehicle each, and drive ourselves around, causing traffic jams, increasing pollution, and enjoying our "freedom" that we have filled with lives too busy to really enjoy. Returning to the USA, I am horrified and disappointed at our lack of public transportation. I hope that changes soon. I am, for the first time since the summer of 2007, getting my own car again. It feels like I am succumbing to the system. I am doing it, so I can stop relying on other people, and facilitate wildcrafting herbal medicines and getting jobs that require me to travel distances. If I could though, I would prefer to live as I did in Taiwan: primarily travel around via bike, and take public transportation as needed. 

Let's talk about Taiwanese trains. 
You get a selection: cheap and slow with many stops, or more expensive and fast with few stops. Both trains take you around the country. It's a small island. You could bike around the whole thing in 2 weeks. And it takes that long not because of the distance that needs to be covered, but because of the mountains that compose the entire thing. There's an awesome train travel plan that is especially catered to foreigners, where you can travel around the etire country for one set price (not bad), with unlimited stops. The slower trains are like USA subways, with long boards that run under the windows, where people sit side by side, often packed together, sometimes with standing room all packed together as well. America has "disabled" signs, specially designated areas for "disabled" people to sit. I didn't see these in Taiwan. Instead, every public transport vehicle has a specially designated area for pregnant women, children, and elders. On the more expensive trains, everyone gets their own seat, much like all the Amtraks do, here in the USA. 

There's are cheap trains and expensive trains in China and India, too. It matches the huge gap between the wealthy and the poor. 

I've never seen the sleeping cars on the American trains. I looked into their prices once upon a time, balked, and never looked again. So, I don't remember how much they cost, but I do remember that it's way past my price range. 

I never got onto a sleeping car in Taiwan, because there are no overnight train trips. Most train travel takes just a few hours there, never more than a day, unless you are getting off and coming back onto the train. Beautiful little island. 

I just got back from the lower deck of the train, where I just stood in the hallway, marveling at the silence and the beauty of the landscape that we were rolling by. Then, I noticed the silence. That's another difference between USA and China/ India trains. Here, there are no beggars. In China and India, the beggars, especially the skinny dirty children with haunted-yet-mischievous eyes, rush around the train. It's good to be careful wherever you are, but I didn't take major precautions as I went to sleep on this Amtrak American train. I just stuck my bag next to me. In China, India, and Taiwan, I'd sleep with my money purse on my body, my valuables under my head, and probably cuddle with my backpack, or somehow tie it onto myself or even the bed. 

In China, people spit everywhere. Even on the train. There's a "no spitting" sign on the train, but people don't pay attention to it. The cheap train has options. I took the cheapest option from Shenzhen (south China) to Shanghai (north central China), a 1.5 day miserable journey where I was packed into a car filled with people packed so tightly together that you literally couldn't move. To get to the toilet at the back of the train, you had to wade through people who were even on top of each other. It was mostly men in there. I felt like I was being stripped naked with their eyes. Perhaps they were just wondering, "What's a woman doing here?" Or maybe even, "Where's her husband?" But it was so uncomfortable. The person sitting next to me had long fingernails that were consistently in his nose. He wiped his boogers under the table in front of us, and it dropped onto my skirt. 

Traveling with my work crew and students in China, we'd take the second-class sleeper train. We had enough students and teachers to occupy two entire train compartments: a triple bunk bed on each side of the compartment, with one window and two chairs per compartment. The students stayed up talking all night long, and I was delighted to have such rich company. Returning back to Shenzhen from my worse-than-uncomfortable train ride up north, I took the second-class sleeper train back down, too. 

Dallas, TX! I'm going to allow for some distractions in this essay, and not edit it... skip the distractions if you like, but I'm writing this on a train journey, and part of the journey is... 

1 PM- I don't even know what time zone I am in. But outside my train window, I see yucca! And, the sage brush parade begins! I can smell them, in my imagination. I know this land, this smell... next stop, Fort Worth! 

One hour in Dallas. I ran around West End Old District. Felt so good to be in the sun, with my body moving, the feeling of freedom that comes from freedom from a confined train for 1.5 days, freedom from responsibility with no attachments besides all my bags sitting in the train far away, freedom from the cold snows of winter, having gone back in time, traveling south and west. And so, I speed-walked, jogged, jumped, and danced my way around town for an hour, smiling widely into the faces of strangers peering out of car-windows, touching plants that I recognize distantly but not specifically, and just having a grand old time for an hour--- and now, back into the confined freedom train that is riding me back to the land of my childhood! 

Back to trains--- I don't know what the most expensive first class ride on the China trains are like, for I never spent that money. But, I did catch one super-expensive pretty-posh ride north to south... that ride felt equivalent to our Amtrak here, but with less people on the train. Our Amtrak has all kinds of people on the train, including kids, all income levels, etc. Well, except for rich people. I don't catch rich people riding the train too often, unless they are dressed in disguise. It's interesting to me that the most expensive train ride in China is almost the same as riding our only train here in the USA. 

I love the Taiwanese train the most. I think it is cute. I think of Taiwan as cute: beautiful tiny island, sweet people, small bears, lush jungle forests, incredible diversity from top to bottom. But, ofcourse I am biased: I am Taiwanese-American. 

"What's the difference between Taiwan and China?" people often ask me. 
Well really, it depends upon who you ask. If you ask a Taiwanese person, then they will generally say that these are two different countries. If you ask a Chinese person, then they will probably say that Taiwan is a part of China. They might even go on to say that Korea, Thailand, and all the other little Asian countries belong to China, too. I don't understand politics so well, so I won't argue about any of that bit. But in my experience of having traveled over both countries, I can speak from personal (though biased) experience. Before leaving Taiwan for China, my relatives thoroughly frightened me with terror-stories of the worst sort: people being so poor in China that they stoop to do anything for money: the hotel workers will rob your room when you are sleeping or away, thieves will steal your organs to sell for the organ-donor market, and relatives will even backstab their own blood relations to get a bit of money. My relatives scared me with these stories primarily from personal experience, stories from fellow Taiwanese folks, and hearsay. None of these things happened to me in China, though I had fear, from all these stories. So, I'll preface my stories with my honest sharing that yes, I understand that I am biased towards Taiwan. I felt a lot more cozy and comfortable in Taiwan than China. I met both good and bad people in both countries, but in general felt like Taiwanese people were kinder and more genuine, and Taiwan is cleaner, more wealthy. China is still poverty-stricken in most places, and there is a lot of shady activity. They don't have environmental laws, so natural areas are covered in trash. I can go on... but won't. 

4:30 PM. Prickly pear patches starting to cover the ground! The trees have shrunk. Junipers starting to become the predominant tree. Golden orangish reddish earth. Sagebrush with large golden arms reaching up toward the bright blue dry sky. The earth is dry, rocky, familiar. I can smell the sweet dryness through the window, through the noses of my imagination and memory. 

Just saw my first jojoba bush of this journey!
Was that a creosote bush? 
The land is getting more hilly, more cliff like. I see mesas coming up. Welcome, desert. My heart opens for you. 
Just went over the "Brassis River." 
Huge vultures soaring in the sky. I can feel the wind through my wings and hair, too. What an amazing view, feel, smell!!! 
Hillside, mostly junipers now. Here we go! 
Mesquite! Fun  to play the "name that plant" game through the train window! Familiar landscape. I've missed you! 
Dry creekbed. There's still sumac here. Red berries, bright against golden landscape. 
Nopales are also bright red against the dry flat prickly pear pads. 

I am sitting up and taking notice now. We have left the confines of city and civilization, away from the choking smog and mess of cars and buildings. (What am I doing, getting a car again?! Hoping to work with the system, instead of always away from it... and create positive change.) Here, a hawk just soared into a tree, wings spread open in flight, downy feathers soft and fluffy, glowing into the sunset shining light. 

Back to trains! It is dark, now. I enjoyed the bright orange-sky sunset sky, casting a warming glow onto my face and right into my heart. Let's talk about Indian trains, now that it is dark... I remember taking several overnight trains in India. Generally, I like to take the top bunk, to keep away from the crazy crowds, to make people-watching easier (without getting watched back), and to protect myself and my possessions. The trains are always packed with people, and you need to book your ticket at least a month in advance to get a seat. Otherwise, you buy a hard-seat (third class) ticket, and just hope for the best. Like in China, I got a hard-seat ticket and was packed into the pews in a car full of men. Somehow, I felt even more uncomfortable among the Indian men than with the Chinese men. Perhaps because I could at least understand most of what the Chinese men were talking about, whereas I couldn't understand any of the Indian languages, besides "hello" and "thank you" in two dialects. (China and India were similar in another respect: there are so many dialects that it is hard to understand people, wherever I go. The primary dialect in China is Mandarin, and Hindi or English in India... but still, what a diverse interplay of languages!) To continue the story... I could not fall asleep or get comfortable in the hard-seat train, but was not ready to jump ship. I don't remember where I was going, but really wanted to keep going... so at the next train stop, I jumped out of the hard-seat area, and ran over to the sleeper train. I found myself a quieter compartment, where everyone was asleep already. Ignoring the cockroaches, wetness, and trash on the floor, I laid out my blanket and sleep on the ground between the train bunks. Not an ideal situation and very cold, but I did manage to fall asleep, not get kicked out, and get to where I needed to go. 

I liked Indian trains. I loved India. I love watching people come in and out of the train, the mass of humanity like a parade outside of the window, every train stop. The women wear bright colors and elaborate jewelry, their ankle bells and bracelet bells jangling around with every movement. Men and women walk around shouting "chai, chai, chai" and whatever else it is that they are selling. Cows, monkeys, and other animals come right up to the train. The whole thing seems chaotic yet once you get used to it, it makes sense. We rode for four days from Tamil Nadu (southern India) all the way up to Himal Pradesh (northern India). I developed heat rash on my back; it was so hot, and I had to wear a long skirt and t-shirt the whole way up, sweating and unable to change clothing, enjoying the journey, but glad when it was over. 

It's the end of the day now, and I am all train-ed out. Today was my first full day on the train. Tomorrow, another full day. The next day, I land in Los Angeles before the sunrise. I can't wait to change my clothes, stretch my legs, and go for a hike. 

If you have any questions about train travel in Asia or the USA, then let me know. I don't know much, but I like to make comparisons and notes, and have traveled extensively.

Happy trails!  


--
 ~~~~~~~
  
Jiling . 林基玲 
  626.344.9140 / 607.262.0302

12.16.2013

graduation

first to come, last to leave
Nishaan's been with 7song since January, 
I've been with 7song since April 
we both left this weekend 
I am so grateful for our teacher 7song 
and all the plant teachers 
our fellow students 
the community of Ithaca 
and all the lessons 
seen and unseen 
of this past almost-entire-year
completely-full-year
of my life
one of the best years of my life 
I have learned and experienced so much 
and am so excited and grateful to share it
take it forward! 
thanks, 7song and the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine!!! 


--
 ~~~~~~~
  
Jiling . 林基玲 
  626.344.9140 / 607.262.0302

12.09.2013

年底祝福






一轉眼, 一年就過去了。 祝你冬至, 聖誕節, 新年快樂! 這兒天天下雨, 下雪。 我周末就要離開了。 我在搭火車過美國, 從紐約的山區坐車到芝加哥, 轉車到德州,然後經過我最喜愛的美國南部沙漠美景, 回加州。拜訪爸媽兩個禮拜之後, 我要開車到科羅拉多州去。 我一月初在搬到科羅拉多州去新的藥草學校, 上高級組的藥草課。 這個課持續到六月底。之後, 我可能會繼續上新學校的藥草診所課, 一直到2015年4月。 看看,囖! 

你今年學了什麼? 我今年體驗和學了好多。 經過八年的流浪之旅, 這是我第三次留在一個地點這麼久的時間。 我在這兒交了許多朋友, 愛上了這裡的野外環境, 和陪著老師在教室, 診所,和森林裡深入了藥草學的秘密技術。還有好多我得學,哦! 今年, 我學了多說說笑話, 不要太嚴肅。 不管看病人還是交新朋友時, 都要打開觀點, 開放心胸, 和放鬆。 今年是第一次我真正這麼又勤勞又開心的工作。 真開心! 

最近, 感覺生活好忙哦。 開始新學校之後, 我還是打算每個初一用中文給你們寫信一次。 有可能信會越寫越短, 但想繼續保持聯繫和練習中文! 

祝你健康快樂,心想事成, 生活美滿! 
基玲

11.30.2013

September, October, November



video documentary of the last three months (前三個月的小影片): 

September: Equinox Botanicals (Ohio) fieldtrip with the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine (九月:去森林農場郊遊)

October: autumn fire back in Ithaca, NY (十月:秋天的美景)

November: welcome, Winter (十一月: 進入冬眠美夢) 

11.27.2013

gratitude 感恩

I love my family 
strangers in a foreign land 
this place has become home 

I love my family 
diverging skin colors
birthed from Earth
we are made
whole

感恩家人
感恩世界家人

11.03.2013

Colorado, next











Dear family and friends, (中文在底下!)

New moon blessings!
Most of the leaves have fallen, except for the golden beech leaves and evergreen needles that will hang on all winter. How does the landscape look where you are, now? 

I leave Ithaca, NY (home for almost a year) in mid-December. Living here, I've found a good balance between learning, working, and playing... and feel embraced by (and also in love with) the community of people and nature around me. I feel so blessed here. And it is time to go. 

I'm moving to Boulder, CO to attend the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism from January until June 2014, for their advanced herbalism program.

If you have Boulder connections, then please let me know. I'm looking for housing, a fulfilling part-time job, and like-minded/ like-hearted community there. 

I am also open to study/work/play suggestions driving between California and Colorado, and after Colorado too. 

Thanks for your input, regarding my previous email about massage and/or graduate school. I am still considering those possibilities. But first, more herbs! It's exciting to bring more focus into my life, studies, and work. Besides my herbal studies, I continue teaching yoga (challenging and fulfilling), and cultivating improvisational dance/song (my favorites). I hope to weave nature education back into my life again as well. And, I remain open to possibility, giving space for all the small birds to sing. 

Happy holidays! May your belly-oven be stoked with yummy nourishing foods, and your heart warm and full of daily blessings that radiate in all directions, bringing you light in this season of surrender and transition/ transformation. I wish you good health in all ways, always. Let me know if you have any herbal/ yoga-related questions-curiosities-insights (practice time!). Thanks for the inspiration and reflection that you bring to my life, you bright beautiful star!

Loving blessings, 
Jiling 

家人們好!
秋天葉子都差不多掉光了。只剩冬天的白天空, 天天送下來飄飄的雨, 有時毛毛的小冰塊。 快要下雪了。
你們那兒, 現在開起來怎麼樣? 冬天到了沒? 什麼樣的景象? 
我在十二月中要離開這個紐約州森林家, 回加州拜訪爸媽兩個禮拜。
2014年一開始, 就要搬到Colorado州去另一個學校, Colorado藥草學院。 我打算在Colorado上課從一月到六月。 之後, 再說! 我還在考錄研究所或是學按摩, 但一步一步, 慢慢來!
感恩你的祝福! 
祝你心想事成, 溫馨夢醒!:) 
Love, 
基玲

 ~~~~~~~
  
Jiling . 林基玲 

Ithaca autumn photos