A Walk to San Diego Old Town

It was roughly 7 kilometres from where I am staying to Old Town in San Diego.  It is a sunny but cool 25 degrees Celsius today, making the walk rather pleasant.  

Along the way, I realised many of the maples have already turned red, and fallen.  

San Diego seems to have quite a few Jimsonweed trees.  The flowers do look like hanging trumpets And they are poisonous.  No wonder some call them Devil’s trumpets.   In Chinese, it is 曼陀羅.  It is said that the toxins can attack the nervous system, and cause hallucinations, damage to the nervous system, and in severe cases, death.  It is said to be the model for 情花 in Jin Yung’s 金庸 novels.  

There are many elegant houses along the way.  Many of them in Spanish styles.  A common 2 bedroom house in a nice residential neighbourhood can cost easily a million US dollars.  Houses that are bigger, near the ocean, etc., costs multiple millions.  

Along the way, there were quite a few homeless people.  One of them ate at the same bench at the lawn in the middle of Old Town where I finished the Armenian sausage wrap that I had for lunch.  Most of the time, he was talking to himself.  When he finished, he picked up all the trash, and drop them into the garbage can, before walking way.  His clothes were old, but not dirty.  He had a big bag, and a medium size backpack.  

At the Old Town, there are many houses built in the older styles.  But I was told most are modern constructions, currently used as shops and restaurants.  Here, one can learn a bit of San Diego history, as well as Mexican culture.  Such as the tradition of the Day of the Dead, when people remember the dead, with pictures and the favourite things that belong to the deceased. I was told it was supposed to be warm, not scary.  

All in all, an enjoyable walk.  

La Jolla Cove

La Jolla Cove is one of my favourite spots in San Diego.  If I jump into the Pacific from here, and swim due west, I will end up in Tokyo.  If I just my route slightly southwards, I  can reach Shanghai, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or the Philippines.  That is, if I don’t drown or get eaten by a shark.  Looking out into the Pacific, it is hard to imagine that such a gigantic ocean can run out of fish.  But, apparently, that is what is happening. Such is the impact of the appetite of billions of humans on nature. 

For now, there is still plenty of animals in and around La Jolla.  We saw one of the laziest sea lions on the beach.  While some of them fight or play in the water.

There are plenty of pelicans, on the rocks. 

And in the sky.  

A colony of cormorants on an island off the beach. 

Squirrels are curious but weary.  

If you open your hand, pigeons jump on your hand, even if you not not holding any food.  It seems they are not very smart.  Or simply too trusting of humans.  

There is plenty of lives in the tidal pools.  

One of my favourites are the sea anemones.  

The grab your fingers eagerly with their tentacles.  Perhaps thinking of it as food.  Fortunately, they are not very forceful.  They tickle rather than hurt you. 

The first animal that we saw this time was actually a rather friendly bulldog. 

It really is a lot of fun to come here. Apparently a lot of people think so too.  Hence the houses are terribly expensive. 

IARSLCE in San Diego

San Diego is a beautiful city, with mild weather, plenty of sunshine, long shoreline, and expensive houses. 

The University of San Diego is a beautiful Catholic university.  With elegant, well-planned buildings surrounded by plenty of open spaces and trees.  On a hill top with unrestricted views in all directions.  

We are here to attend the IARSLCE (International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement) annual conference of 2024. With 200+ people attending. Mostly Americans, with a few Asians, Europeans and South Americans.  Our PolyU team, with 6, is one of the largest, is presenting 4 papers.  

Here we are meeting with many old friends, and more new ones.  We presented two of the papers today, and both are well-received.  Tomorrow, we present two more.  

Most of the IARSLCE conferences are held in the USA.  This makes it difficult - logistically as well as financially, and for some, politically - difficult to attend.  This is particularly acute for the people in service-learning, when SL is by nature not a money making field.  

But we do feel a need for is in the Asia-Pacific Region, to be connected to the global community.  Hence my mission, as a member on the Board of Directors, is to build a better, stronger connection.  Hence the setting up of the Asia-Pacific Community of Practice, and the organisation of the APCoP conference in Hong Kong in December.  

More to follow.  

Hong Kong - Bird’s Eye View

Returning to Hong Kong from Taiwan, I happened to sit at a window on the left hand side to the rear of the plane, on a clear sunny day, in mid afternoon.  I have not seen Hong Kong from this perspective for some time.  We were landing from the north east, so we were flying across much of the North-East New Territories and North-West Kowloon.  

The first place I recognised was Sai Kung. With little white leisure boats dotting the harbour.  

Soon we crossed the mountains and passed over Shatin.  With the straightened Shing Mun River splitting the old “new” town, the huge oval of the Race course dominating the scene.  I could barely made out the building where my family lived for 7 years, near the MTR station. The Central Park where our children roam. The hills that our children climbed. 

We crossed some of the highest mountains in Hong Kong and flew over the Shing Mun Reservoir, the source of the Shing Mun River.  It is surrounded by dark green forests, yet so very close to the edge of the city.  

Tsuen Wan and Tsing Yi Island.  So densely populated.  With the multiple bridges linking the two.  I remember walking across at least one of them.

Ting Kao Bridge, one of those linking Tsing Yi Island to the mainland.  With its distinctive shape.  I had “run” across it on one of those annual Standard Chartered Hong Kong Full Marathon Runs.  

Tsing Ma Bridge, on which I had run several times.  It had looked so massive up close. Yet so slender from a Bird’s Eye View. I could even see the “Noah’s Ark” on Ma Wan Island, one of many similar “Arks” across the world. 

North Shore of Lantau Island, with DisneyLand faintly visible in the distance.  

And the man-made island that is the traffic exchange just in front of the airport.  Just before landing in Hong Kong International Airport. 

From the Bird’s Eye View, Hong Kong looks as beautiful as ever.  In fact, it is looking vibrant.  There are more and more tall buildings.  More interconnected with visible, beautiful bridges, and hidden tunnels.  More land has been created, to accommodate the growing population.  From a distance, it looks peaceful and welcoming.  It even brings back many pleasant memories.  My wife is waiting at home.  

Once we land, however, the reality hits.  While we are landing, many more are leaving, or have already left.  Many are leaving, not for studies, jobs or adventure - the normal, innocuous reasons for departing.  But because they do not like the place anymore, do not feel they belong anymore, do not feel safe anymore , do not feel welcome anymore.  

 

Uniservitate

Returned yesterday from Taiwan after spending less than 48 hours there.  To give a workshop on the “Global Research Agenda Exercise” to an Asia-Ocenia regional meeting of ~50 people from Uniservitate.  Uniservitate is an international network of Christian Higher Education Institutes (CHEIs), whose mission is to institutionalise service-learning.  Uniservitate has its roots in Latin America, particularly Argentina. 

The meeting was held at Fu Jen Catholic University, with participation coming mainly from Philippines, Taiwan, India, Australia.  Some of them I have met earlier.  I speak, specifically, on the “Global Research Agenda Exercise” being conducted by Professor Andrew Furco, on behalf of IARSLCE (International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement”.  

Catholic Universities are some of the most ardent among the numerous universities all over the world doing service-learning.  In the Philippines, I have already met many people from Ateneo de Manila, Santo Tomas, De La Salle, …, all of whom have extensive programs practicing service-learning in one form or another.  

Uniservitate is only a few years old.  However, it has grown very fast, and has already become very active.  Several projects had been given awards this year, at the meeting at Fu Jen.  One taught indigenous youths in the Philippines digital story telling, to help them advocate for their rights.  Another provide pro bono law assistance in Australia.  And there were more.  

Many of them are now striving to institutionalise service-learning, to embed SL into the core academic programs, to conduct rigorous research, to create more impactful projects.  Precisely what we have been trying so hard to do for 20 years.  It is so exciting to meet people with the same mind, to share experiences, to encourage each other.  We will surely meet again, some other time, some other place.  In the mean time, we all work hard, knowing that we are in good company. 

Mid-Autumn

At Mid-Autumn, we Chinese like to celebrate it as a festival.  People book tables at restaurants to have a big family feast.  Housewives buy chicken and fish to cook a big meal for the family.  People buy and send each other mooncakes of all sorts.  Adults watch and children play with lanterns.  People eat all sorts of fruits: star fruit, persimmons, …  It is supposed to be a time of harvest, a time of plenty.  While the full moon signifies fullness, completeness, family together.  

It would be perfect if it were true.  Unfortunately, for many, the reality is nothing of the kind.  I am reminded of a student who has been admitted to our university, who is still stuck in Gaza, internally displaced from her home, but cannot get out of Gaza because of the blockade.  Even she does get out, she will be safe, but separated from her family.  Then there is the rest of the 2 million still hanging on in Gaza.  What kind of Mid-Autumn are they living through?

Of course, the war is still raging in Ukraine, with no end in sight.  What about the Rohingyas, persecuted both inside and outside Myanmar, for whom no place is safe?  The rest of the Burmese, stuck in a civil war itself?  For several years in the middle of the 2010s, we had been sending teams to Myanmar each year.  Things were difficult, there were poverty everywhere, the education system was severely underdeveloped, but there was hope for the better.  Now, we dare not send our students there.  We don’t know what is happening with many of our friends there.  

There is also Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Tibet, …, and more.

The situation is far for ideal where we are.  But at least we can still have food (pretty good food at that), work, go to school, meet with friends, travel, talk with friends and family at a distance, dream for the future, … 

Yet, even where we are, and a lot more elsewhere, families are divided, and broken.  People are silenced,.  Many are in jail, some because they made mistakes, but there are also many who should not be there.  Many are hurt, and dead.  Many are in poverty, sick and in distress.  While we celebrate our good fortune, I cannot get rid of the feeling that the world is suffering, that all is not well.  Those of us who profess to believe in God may ask “God, don’t you care?”  I suspect that God is asking us the exact same question.