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I met Mr. Desert in Jaisalmer, a city in the heart of Rajasthan, where I planned to embark on an overnight camel safari.  He stood in the doorframe of the modest Sahara Travels, his striking blue eyes smiling a warm welcome.  His simple white dhoti provided the perfect backdrop for his most prominent feature: an impressive, well-manicured, and somewhat mind-boggling beard.

After a long day atop our camels, we 6 travelers arrived, sun-stroked and bowlegged but happy, at the campsite. In the quiet vastness of that place, we spread blankets on the still-warm sand and watched the sun disappear behind the dunes.  I decided, then, to ask Mr. Desert the question that had been on my mind all day: “Mr. Desert…how did you get your name?”

He smiled, his beard broadening in tandem, and we prepared to listen.  This was his answer.

Note: the music you hear in this piece is the work of Krishna, a street-musician I met in Udaipur, India.  He was kind enough to let me sit with him for hours as I attempted to learn his instrument, the ravanhattha.  When I abandoned that endeavor, he was kind enough to let me record his own expert playing.

-Catherine McCarthy, Thailand ‘09

Due to Penang’s ethnic diversity and its fame across Asia as a food paradise, we decided to interview an Indian man named Sam who cooks in the hawker center nearest our apartment.  The audio includes a prepared script explaining things about Penang and hawker food, with spliced interview material from Sam.

-Alex Ashby and Aggie Baik, Malaysia ‘09

“This I Believe” is a show on National Public Radio, which attempts to explore the most cherished beliefs of ordinary people.  In an attempt to better understand what my students believe in, I asked one of my classes to compose their own “This I Believe” segment.  I chose three students for this piece: One who believes she better understands love better from her parents, another from North Korea who understands the value of daydreams, and a third who believes that everyone is special.

Nick Sramek, China ‘09

The World Cup is taken seriously in Seoul. Despite torrential rain, hundreds of thousands of fans took to the streets for South Korea’s 2-0 match against Greece.

Even more people made it out for the Taegeuk Warriors’ match against Argentina. After starting with an inauspicious own-goal, South Korea lost 1:4. From my vantage point in the JoongAng Daily newsroom, it was not a pretty sight. Helping edit the final story, there were only so many synonyms for “slaughter” we could come up with.

But after the match, our sportswriter and I went toward Seoul Plaza, where earlier masses of fans had congregated.

Some were still there, and as they cheered, it seemed like they had already forgotten their loss. Ready for the next match or not, they lived up to one of the Red Devils fan boosters’ claim to fame, and kept on shouting.

-Andrew Siddons, Korea ‘09

In October 2009, I recorded an interview with a pair of Kurdish filmmakers in Korea for a film festival. Their film was called, “Herman,” and to quote from the Pusan International Film Festival’s synopsis: “1988, Kurdistan. Before the Iraqi government’s Operation Anfal began to massacre and suppress the Kurds separatist movement, two lovers were forced to be separated due to unavoidable circumstances…”

I wasn’t so much interested in the film they shot as much as how somebody from Iraqi Kurdistan gets over the last 30 years of that country’s history to make a film that’s showing at a festival thousands of miles away. I spoke with Hussein Hassan, the film’s director, and Mohammed Jano, the film’s producer, who interpreted for Hussein. (10:49, headphones highly recommended)

-Andrew Siddons, Korea ‘09

Despite being able to drive from one end of Singapore to the other in about 2 hours, I quickly found taking the bus required at least an hour to get anywhere worth going.  Usually, buses come every 10 to 15 minutes and need to be flagged down, much like a taxi cab in America.  Our apartment is about a 5 minute walk from several bus stops.  Each bus stop near where we live has at least 5 to 10 different buses stopping at it.

However, the bus system took me quite a while to get used to.  Unlike the bus stops in San Francisco, the bus stops here do not provide a map of the bus routes.  I tried looking for one online and the one available on Google Earth showed that there are so many bus lines crisscrossing Singapore that it forms too dense a network to be of any practical use.  The Singapore Transit Authority publishes a booklet every year showing all the bus stops and is available for purchase.  Alas, even with the booklet in my possession, I still managed to spend half a day getting on buses which took me the wrong way three consecutive times.  iPhone applications with Singapore bus routes have been invaluable in helping me get around.

Here is a clip of the sounds as I rode the bus.  The intermittent beep sounds are people placing their EZ-Link electronic cards against the card readers which are located at the front and side doors of the bus.  The card readers will display the amount of the fare and your remaining balance on your card.  It works on all buses and subway lines in Singapore.  Typically, a bus fare ranges from less than SGD $1 to no more than $3.

-Amy Hwan, Singapore ‘09

Singapore’s MRT (aka subway) is much easier to navigate than the bus system.  There are four main, color-coded lines: the North-South (red), the East-West (green), the North-East (purple), and the Circle Line (yellow).  The Circle Line is still under construction and I believe they will be building a stop near our apartments which will make getting around even more convenient.  The line I use most is the green line which is the East-West line.  It runs from the Changi Airport on the east coast of Singapore to west part.  It takes approximately 2 minutes between each stop.

Here is a clip of the sounds you’ll hear riding the East-West line from Tiong-Bahru to Tanjong Pagar.  One cannot help mimicking the British female’s voice which announces each stop.  I, like most Americans, was surprised by her use of “alight” which sounds so old-fashioned.  The multiple beeps indicate that the doors are about to close.  The usual wait time for a subway train is 4 minutes.  However, like all public transportation in Singapore, no food or drink is allowed, not even on the platforms.

-Amy Hwan, Singapore ‘09

Other than the public transportation system and taxis, I get around Singapore by walking a lot.  It’s great exercise.  I walk to the hawker center, I walk to the supermarket, I walk to bus stops, and I walk to work and back.  Walking is relaxing when the weather is nice, but most of the time, it’s blazing hot.  I carry an umbrella with me everywhere and use it on sunny and rainy days.

Here is a clip of a crosswalk signal.  You can hear the birds chirping.  The slower beeps indicate you need to wait for the light.  The faster consecutive beeps indicate you may now cross.  Crosswalks near the highway entrances are not placed on the corners which is rather inconvenient.  Jaywalking is prohibited, but I see people doing it all the time.

-Amy Hwan, Singapore ‘09

Con games at the Casino

Boramy

-Adam Flynn, Cambodia ‘09