Reaction to Patricia McCormick's "Sold"

Last Monday I went to a coffee shop downtown and started reading Sold. I sat there and read it until the end, and a few parts had me in tears. I left the shop and walked around downtown for awhile, and the story was heavy on my heart. After reading about Lakshmi's struggles, I felt ridiculous for my current worries about what I'm doing after college, my worries about grad school, my worries about finding a job I love. I suddenly realized how privileged I was to even have these thoughts at all. Unlike Lakshmi, I have a voice. I have opportunities and options. The world is open to me. This book put that in perspective for me. It also made me feel helpless, just as I felt when I first started researching human trafficking. What could I do to help girls like this? So I went home and went to Google and found a link by the US Department of State called "20 Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking", which includes a link to a site that gives you a quiz to see how many slaves "work" for you (your "Slavery Footprint.") The quiz asks questions about what I'm spending money on, what electronics I use, what kind of food I eat. The results told me that with my lifestyle, I essentially have 46 slaves working for me. It really made me think about where I'm putting my money. I went to the store yesterday and it dawned on me that I never think about who's behind these products I'm buying. I vaguely knew about sweatshops, but reading Lakshmi's story put a face to one of the many children being exploited in the world and made me stop and think twice before buying.

What really touched me when I read Sold was seeing little moments of kindness interspersed between the horrors of Lakshmi's time at the Happiness House. Harish, the boy who gave her a pencil and taught her how to read and speak the language, was a beautiful example of the small kindness that can exist in a place like this. When he left, I was in tears. The man who comes in and holds her also moved me to tears. Yes, he's a paying customer and supporting the system, but just treating her like a person and holding her was so different from what she was used to that I was very touched when I read it. Lakshmi doesn't know intimacy of any sort -- the act of hugging and comforting is absent in her world. So to see someone hold her for just a moment was incredibly moving.

The boy who brought Lakshmi tea was another person who showed kindness in the story. I appreciated that the book didn't paint all men as being bad. I think it could've gone that way; Lakshmi could easily start to hate and distrust all men, but she accepted the kindness of these few boys. I think the book did an excellent job at showing how even in the midst of humanity's worst actions, humanity's best and kindest actions can still show through. Lakshmi mentions,

"And so I consider a world so ugly that a child would be maimed for life to fetch an extra rupee or two. And another world full of brides and marigolds, rain machines and white horses" (168)

The world is full of awful, atrocious things, but also full of goodness. However, I do want to point out that what this quote also brings up is fantasy. The world of brides and marigolds she's talking about is from a TV program. So she experiences a hellish world where she is raped daily, but she's also being exposed to this fantasy about weddings and love. These girls watch soap operas by day and are raped at night. I think of Monica and her fashion magazines and realize how much pop culture truly is escapism. It gives us a plastic, sunshiny look at the world to distract us from reality.

I loved this book because it opened my eyes to something that I gave little thought to before. In my mind, human trafficking was something far away and foreign. But this book put a face on the issue that I can't shake out of my head. I think about myself at Lakshmi's age. I was a young thirteen, very innocent and naive. I saw myself in her naiveté and realized how lucky I was at that age to have been surrounded by people who always wanted the best for me. The horrifying reality of what these girls go through is hard for me to stomach. I don't understand how people can treat children like this and it breaks my heart.

Nepal, India, and Human Trafficking

I knew very little about Nepal and India before this assignment. I've studied India's art history and have always wanted to see the Taj Mahal in person. However, I never really looked into the current issues going on there. As far as Nepal goes, I knew Mt. Everest was there, and that was about it. Because Mt. Everest is located in Nepal, I knew the area receives a good number of visitors each year, and local Sherpas are the guides on expeditions. My exposure to these countries has been limited, and it's something I don't realize until I'm given an assignment like this. My goal is to become more informed once this class is over.

The main religion practiced in Nepal is Hinduism, followed by Buddhism. These two often intersect. Hinduism is the primary religion practiced in India as well, and it too has been shaped by Buddhism as well as other religions. Nepal is a much poorer country than India. India has a thriving film industry, a rich literary history, and is an emerging force in different industries within the global economy. India has a caste system in its society, which is a means of social stratification. In the past, people of low castes had a hard time moving up in the system, but now there seems to be an effort in the work environment to hire people of low castes along with people from higher castes.

I had no idea that human trafficking was such a huge problem between these countries. I was shocked at the numbers: 10,000 girls being trafficked to India each year. Oftentimes the traffickers are cooperating with local police or authorities, so the system is very corrupt. There seems to be a stigma around girls who have been sex workers, because if they make it back to their families, they will most likely be rejected. These girls have a very difficult time going back to normal society and often go back into the sex industry because they have no other options. The idea of purity seems to be valued; sleeping with a virgin girl is believed to cure HIV.

When I learned about the magnitude of this problem I felt overwhelmed and helpless. It is happening on such a large scale. What can I possibly do with this information, besides trying to calm the sick feeling in my stomach? How does this become a part of human society? Why are little girls put into the sex industry, and how is that possibly accepted? These girls' lives are being taken away from them. Some will know nothing else but this cruel reality. I am so glad that there are survivors speaking out and making this issue more publicly known. People need to know about this.

Museum Display

Artifact #1: Airplane tickets and postcard

            I’ve had a passion for travel since I was a little girl. I remember being a kid and going overseas to Serbia to visit my grandparents. Traveling was just a part of our family life. My father had a sense of adventure and love of nature that he shared with my brother and I. He would take us to parks every weekend, and since we lived in California, he would take us to the beach, where we could walk along the rugged coastline. After moving to Spokane we still went hiking as a family and took quite a few road trips. This all fed my own sense of adventure and I dreamed nonstop of traveling on my own. Last summer I took a two-month solo trip to Europe, which was incredible. And just a few weeks ago, over spring break, I went to Ireland with a few friends. Travel is something I plan and budget for constantly. It’s essential for my well-being and happiness. It’s my number one passion.

Artifact #2: Photo of me and my family in Serbia, 2007

            My parents moved to the US from former Yugoslavia in 1986, a year before I was born. I grew up speaking Serbian at home, eating Serbian food, and going to a Serbian church. My childhood was permeated in Serbian culture even though we were living in the US. Once my brother and I started school, we began to lose our language a bit. As of now we are much more comfortable speaking English than Serbian. I basically have the vocabulary of a Serbian child right now, although I still understand it fluently. All my grandparents and one of my two uncles still live in Serbia. I saw them for the first time in six years last summer. They mean a lot to me and I hate that airplane tickets are so expensive because it makes it difficult to visit often. It was really tough on my parents in the beginning to be so far from everyone, especially in the 1990’s when NATO was bombing Belgrade, the city where my family lives. I’ve grown accustomed to having a distant family because it’s all I’ve ever known, but the Serbian culture will always be a part of me, and my family is always close to my heart.

Artifact #3: Orthodox Christian Icon

            I’m not religious but I grew up going to an Orthodox Christian church. My parents were never particularly religious either, but I think going to a Serbian church in Los Angeles helped connect them to a community. It was always more of a cultural thing for us, to go to church and connect with our roots. In Spokane we went to a Greek Orthodox church, and that community became our extended family. They were a support system in a place where we had nobody else. I grew up dancing at their Greek Festivals and celebrating holidays with that community. The Orthodox church will always be a part of my life because of this.

Artifact #4: Anne of Green Gables book

            I remember the exact day I got this book. I was 9 years old and had a passion for reading. One of my favorite things in the world was to go to the bookstore with my mother. I remember the excitement I felt when she told me to pick out a book. I saw the redheaded girl on the cover and knew this book had to be mine. Anne of Green Gables was the first series that truly made me feel a passion for the written word in a way I had never felt before. I read all eight books in this series by the age of 11 and I knew I wanted to be like Anne. It was the first time I had connected with a fictional character so deeply. I honestly owe my passion for writing and reading to this book, because it was this book that made that passion come alive.

Artifact #5: My first digital camera

            My dad bought this camera for me the year I left for college. My dad is an amazing artist who has a natural eye for photography. He always had a camera in his hand when we were growing up, and I would constantly sift through his photographs in admiration. I always had a vague interest in doing my own photography and I enjoyed playing around with my film camera, but it wasn’t until I got this digital camera that I started to really experiment with it and fall in love with the art. I used this camera up until 2013, when I finally invested in something a little more advanced. My obsession with photography goes hand in hand with my love of travel. I am mostly drawn toward landscape photography, and have recently started working on more portraiture and cityscape as well. As an avid reader and writer, I find that photography is a great tool for me to step outside my head a bit. It helps me appreciate the beauty around me.

Kampung Boy Impressions

I really enjoyed Lat's Kampung Boy. The illustrations were endearing and I found the storyline relatable even though it takes place in quite a different environment than I'm used to.

This story describes the childhood of a boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s. Before reading the text, I had vague ideas of what rural life in the area might be like (for example, the river bathing didn't surprise me) but I knew nothing of the area's economy or forms of education. It was interesting to read about the tin dredge and rubber, as well as the Muslim teachings at school. I was cringing at the circumcision scene because they waited until he was ten years old to do it. But he described it like such a normal thing to do that I realized this is just a part of how his culture does things. I also found the rituals around birth fascinating because they're so different from ours. I'd be curious to find out how these things differ around the country. In an urban area, for instance, I wonder if there would be less of a religious influence in daily life.

Overall, I found that I was finding commonalities with the main character instead of finding differences, because more than anything, this is a story about childhood. I related to how he would run off and spend all day outside with his friends (I used to do this a lot), I related to his tendency to sit alone, I related to his curiosity and wonder about the world around him. These were all aspects of childhood that I had directly felt and was able to see anew through his eyes. At the end, when he leaves his village, he is leaving behind that childhood. It brought me back to the day I left for college. I too am the oldest child in my family, so I was the first to move out. I moved to a new city on my own and felt this yearning in my heart for home once I realized things would never be the same again. I would never be living under one roof with my family the way I used to. It's a realization that we must experience to move and to grow into adulthood. That last picture of him waving goodbye to his family was quite moving for me, because I was the first child in my family to do the same thing.

This book brought back many fond memories of my own childhood, even though I come from a very different background. I love the illustrations and the insights into a culture I knew so little about.

Malaysia

When starting my research on Malaysia, I realized my only reference point has been the recent disappearance of Malaysia flight 370. Because of the recent news surrounding the plane, and it’s supposed whereabouts, I had an idea of where Malaysia is located on a map (Southeast Asia), but that was the extent of my knowledge.

Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy. The king is the head of state, an elected monarch chosen every five years from a hereditary line of rulers. The king’s role is largely ceremonial. The head of government is the prime minister. Malaysia protects freedom of religion, although Islam is its official state religion. I was interested to find out that race plays a significant role in politics, as many political parties are ethnically based. 

Malaysia’s ancient Malay culture has a strong influence on the country’s culture today. The Malay are the largest ethnic group in Malaysia, and are predominantly Muslim. Chinese and Indian cultures have also had lasting effects on the society. For example, a Malay wedding ceremony will incorporate elements of Hindu ceremonies from India. These three cultures (Malay, Chinese, and Indian) are the largest ethnic groups in the country, but are accompanied by numerous indigenous cultures as well. There is an open-door policy during religious festivals: although Malaysia has many different religions and cultural traditions, during religious festivals they are all quite open to members of other cultures attending. Each race is encouraged to keep ethnic names and languages and to practice their own religions, as well as to respect the beliefs and practices of others. Diversity seems to be a something that’s encouraged and celebrated here. 

I looked at a few tourism sites to get a feel for cultural customs a Westerner might have to get accustomed to when visiting Malaysia. Since the majority of the population is Muslim, a visitor will see women wearing head scarves. When visiting religious places of worship, it’s important to dress conservatively and be prepared to take off your shoes. Dressing conservatively is recommended for areas outside the big cities, and taking off shoes is customary before entering people’s homes as well. The food in this country is quite varied, and offers up a mix of different cuisines to satisfy a variety of palates, from traditional cuisine to pizza and burgers. I also found out that the possession of legal drugs has a mandatory death penalty.

I was pleased to find that Malay women are among the most emancipated in the Islamic world, and they often hold prominent roles in academia and business. As a woman, I was interested to find out how other women felt while traveling solo in this country, and in most cases I found that solo female travelers felt quite comfortable in this society, while stressing that it’s important to follow custom and dress conservatively. Through my research, I’ve started thinking Malaysia might be a place I’d like to visit in my travels one day. Not only do females feel comfortable traveling here, but the country is rich in cultural/religious sites and beautiful jungle scenery.