A Trip to China

A friend of mine, who is homeschooling her children, has decided to take them on a "trip" to China.   I decided I might just enjoy going there too, I will be looking into what it will take to make that trip "by mouse".

The Outside Boy

I was looking for a book to read. Something that would be fairly quick to read and NOT a romance. I'm not big on reading romances. Anyway, I was looking through what they had to offer at Dollar General and came across a copy of The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins for only $3. That was right down my alley. It was good reading and in my price range. (I generally just go to the Friends of the Library and get books there.)

But, to me, the book was more than a story. It opened up my eyes to a whole segment of the population (from their viewpoint) that I had never thought much about before. I was familiar with the thought of there being gypsies, but I suppose I put them in the category of people in history-- not present day enclaves.




When I finished the book, I began my online research of Irish Travellers, beginning with Wikipedia. (Where would I be without Wikipedia?)

It was the Irish Travellers that I made an effort to find out more about.

Irish Travellers are a very small minority group in Ireland, constituting less than 1% of the population. Their numbers currently stand at approx. 23,000 people in the Republic and another 1,500 in the North. There are also an estimated 15,000 Irish Travellers in England, Scotland and Wales and 7,000 in the U.S.A.

Travellers are an indigenous minority, documented as being part of Irish society for centuries. Travellers have a long shared history and value system which make them a distinct group. They have their own language, customs and traditions.

Irish Travellers




There are five segments to this series.    If you're interested you can continue finding out more by finding them on YouTube.


But as I "researched" (googled), I learned that there are "Irish" travellers in this country too.... and they have a tarnished reputation.

Earth from Above

Today on Facebook someone posted this link to Earth from Above.  It was fascinating viewing, but the picture that most intrigued me was the one of the Favelas in Rio de Janeiro.   First, because I had no idea what a Favelas was.   So I went to dictionary.com and looked it up.  Then I went to Google images and did a search for favelas.   And I began to work my way through the images reading what they had to say. Some of those images showed what the dwellings looked like somewhat better than the original photo I saw in Earth from Above.

This one is from Smart Travel Info.

Secondly, because I am intrigued by how so many people live such completely different lives than anything I've come close to experiencing.    

Smart Travel Info suggests that no trip to Rio de Janeiro is complete without a trip to the favelas, but warns that this is a tour that should only take place with a guide who knows the area well.

On my travels through Rio, I found the Favelas to be one of the most intriguing and emotionally arresting places in all of Rio. I encourage all who are traveling to this amazing city to take the time to take a tour up into these widely misunderstood cultural hubs of Brazil, and you will see that not all that is said about them is true.

 Other information from Smart Travel includes:

Few people have had the chance to see the intricacies of a social structure that balances on the edge of the machete, and understand the true nature of the people that live there. From this side of the looking glass their world appears base and brutal, but if you step through and look from the other side, you will find that the majority of people are out to make an honest living, yet cannot afford the bustling metropolis that is downtown Rio. They move here because they do not have to pay tax on their houses, they have access to free electricity and water, and they have nowhere else to go. Most of them are not interested in purchasing drugs, nor are they compelled to, as long as they follow the rules under the strict hand of the drug lords, who will not tolerate theft or violence amongst their own residents so that the paths for trafficking between them and the outside remains open and clear. In fact, it is often heard that the man who shakes your hand in the Favela will be the man who robs you on the streets of Rio. If you are a tourist visiting one of the many Favelas close to the city, firstly, always take a tour guide with you to ensure your safety.

Global Informal Settlements provides information and a video about the development of favelas.

I also went to You Tube and found a series of videos on the favelas that were called Favela Rising: Brazilian Documentary  There are 10 segments to the documentary.  I didn't watch them all.   This is the first one:

Then there was Wikipedia's description and history.