Full Circle

Almost two months ago, I sat in the same chair at roughly the same time of day writing the first post on this blog. I vividly remember, how excited and how nervous I was at the outset of this trek to the Muslim world. I embarked on this adventure not knowing what I would find, and left not wanting to leave.
Sitting here in suburban Los Angeles it is hard to believe that I was there less than a week ago. However, I obviously was and am much the better for it. The seven weeks I spent in Maldives were a whirlwhind. During that time I experienced the life of the people, and became familiar with how another country views the world. Through covering the many economic problems in the country I learned that the rising cost of living around the globe is having a much bigger effect on this tiny country than it is on my own.
My time in Maldives also showed me a glimpse of what it must have been like in the U.S. more than 200 years ago, getting to see the events like the ratification of the constitiution, and observing the problems the country faces on the road to democracy.
Being in this country proved to me that the right to vote, something many Americans take for granted, is indeed important. It showed me that despite cultural diffrences, people arround the world are still people.
Still, there is no one thing that I can put my finger on as the most important experence I had in Maldives. I enjoyed life in the counry as a whole, and those are the most important memories that I will carry with me., as I go in with my regular day-to-day life

On the Return to the US

Upon my arrival back in the United States, I realized that I had grown used to things that are different in Maldives. It took me a few days to get used to non-military time, cars that drive on the "wrong" side of the road and English units of measurement again. When I first arrived in Maldives I found all of these things to be very diffrent. It wasn't until I got home that I realized how much I had come to take these aspects of life in Maldives (and other countries) for granted.
I also missed going to the office and reporting stories every day, and the time spent with my new friends on the other side of the world.

Singapore Birthday

We left Maldives on my birthday and had to spend another day long layover in Singapore. So we went into town and had lunch at Raffles Hotel to celebrate. Also at the table was our boss, Terry Anzur, and Gary Ponticiello, the programming producer on our team. His birthday was two days before.

Last Day

Today is our last day in Maldives. We came into the station to say good bye to everyone. At first it seemed like business as usuial, but as the time for us to leave drew near it became more and more apparent that it was not. The news staff invited us to a traditional Maldivian meal of masuni (a tuna, chili and coconut mixture) and roshi, which are similar to tortillas. Afterwards I was presented with a DVD of all the reports I had done and a letter of recommendation from the news director. Shortly thereafter it was time to leave. We said our good byes.Close friends hugged the breath out of me! Then we had to go to our hotel room to pack. It was sort of sad. I really don’t want to leave Maldives. But if my life must move on, this was a good way to end my time in the news room. Thanks to all helped me on the job, and gave me this send off. I shall return!

Cultural Conduct

One cultural facet that I think deserves its fifteen minutes of fame. In Western culture it is customary for men to shake hands with other men and hug women that you know. However in Maldives it is exactly the opposite. The men hug the other men and shake hands with the women! Needless to say this took some getting used to. I am told that really devout Muslim men don’t touch women (other than their wives) at all and kiss other men on the cheeks by way of greeting.

Vilingili trip

It has become rather evident that I will not be able to visit any inhabited islands outside of Male while I am here. So I called JD, one of my friends from the news room, and we went to the suburb island of Vilingili. The island is supposed to be the closest thing to an inhabited island near Male, except that it has some paved streets and one or two three-story buldings. Old dhonis (traditional boats) litter the beaches . The lifestyle is supposed to mirror that of the other inhabited islands, in that it is really slow and laid back. Traditional Maldivan rope chairs seem to be strewn all over the island for anyone who wants to take a nap. After about an hour there, we felt ready to fall asleep so we came back to the city.

Recognition

I was eating breakfast at the hotel restaurant when the chef came out to speak to me. She wanted to talk to me about the reports I had been doing. The chef watches the English news every night, and wanted to commend me on my work. Also in recent days many school groups have been coming through the news room. The boys and girls are brought in in separate groups. While the girls are very quiet, the boys seem to enjoy running arroud getting everyone's autographs, inculding mine.