The Plage

I’ve never exactly been a geographic nincompoop, so I was surprised to emerge from the winding streets of Paris onto the Beach.

Hundreds of people were enjoying the warm Saturday afternoon, stretched out in lawn chairs and canvas hammocks and children were racing around barefoot on the hot sand.

Did I mention that we were in Paris?

“The Plage” is a project put together by the city of Paris to bring a free seaside to the city, begun in 2002. Installed along the north bank of the Seine River, Parisians (and undoubtedly many tourists as well) are enjoying summer beach life without ever leaving the city.

It’s a Seine-side holiday!

Ranging from a kids BMX course to misting areas, and wooden lawn chairs with umbrellas to oversized trampolines, the Beach is a great way to spend a chilled-out day in Paris. There is a lending library, a free swimming pool with scheduled activities, evening concerts, and plenty of ice cream vendors.

The only drawback is that after a few hours of sunbathing, the cooling view of the Seine just isn’t enough and the misting tent seems a poor substitute for a refreshing ocean dip. But hey, at least we didn’t have to leave the city to find a taste of the beach!

For the last few years, the Paris Plage has added a sustainability component to their installation: recycle containers are prevalent and visible, drinking of tap water is emphasized through the use of fun drinking fountains, previous years equipment is reused each year, and even the beach sand is recycled! Some educational programs are also scheduled throughout the Plage summer.

The Paris Plage runs along the Seine from the Louvre to Pont de Sully, and from Rotonde de Ledoux to the former Magasins Généraux. The Paris Plage is open from July 20th to August 20th.  

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A Day at the Beach

On our last day in Alexandria, we went to the beach. I was feeling rather risqué in my mid-calf length skirt and high-necked t-shirt, with a shawl draped loosely around my hair and shoulders. This is a pretty standard outfit of mine, and happens to be the second favorite out of my three. Though a bit wild for wandering the streets of Cairo, this naughty little number caused even more of a scene at the beach. But why?

Obviously some one had been here before. Expectations and assumptions had been created in regards to foreigners at the beach. All eyes were upon us and people tittered at our presence even more than usual. I could only imagine the conversations: “Hey! Look at those foreigners! Maybe they are going to strip off their clothing and run around like lunatics in bikinis and speedos!”

I felt no sadness in disappointing the locals: they didn’t get a show from us. Some very tame basking in the sun (fully clothed), and a brief toe dabble in the crisp sea.

A few couples played in the waves, the women wearing lycra three or four-piece suits that covered their entire bodies. Most wore head veils as well.

Several paces down the beach, a large older woman suddenly charged into the water, breasts swinging wildly under a floating pink floral muu-muu. She plunged into the sea, crashing headlong into the waves, laughing hysterically. Her joy could not be contained, and the infectious and boisterous laughter presented itself as a gift to those within earshot.

As we sat in the sun, watching the waves, I watched a young woman walking along the beach. Of the one hundred or so people at the beach, she was only one of twenty that actually braved the chilly Mediterranean water. She pranced along the edge of the sea, delightedly self-conscious, listening to the tinny music of a cell phone that she carried in her hand. Long, balloon pants clung tightly to her legs with the dampness of salt water, and the layering of three shirts covered fair skin from neck to wrists. Her hair and neck were free of scarf or veil, and she was visibly enjoying the feel of ocean breezes upon her scalp and neck. The young woman held her head high, flipping her braided pigtails about in the wind, and occasionally looking up to smile at the bright sun. She walked the beach, eager to be noticed, and relishing the freedom of a bare, wet head beneath hot sun and strong winds.

The veil or headscarf (hijab) of Muslim cultures is a heavily debated topic. Did you realize that its origins are cultural in nature, and not a result of Islamic teachings? Many Westerners consider hijabs to be an infringement on the rights of women, a form of oppression, and see it as an indication of female subordination. However, is this viewpoint shared by Islam, the “owner“ of this cultural practice? An Islamic text that I read while in Alexandria described the wearing of hijab by Muslim women to prevent harassment and to distinguish themselves from others, as a form of protection. The text relayed that it is important for believers to wear clothing that communicates modesty and reserve in the situations in which they find themselves.

I remember reading a passage in “A Thousand Setting Suns,” written by Khaled Hosseini. Set in Afghanistan, the principal character was discussing her feelings in regards to wearing a burka. She stated that she enjoyed the invisibility and anonymity afforded by her burka. She felt safe from the stares of men, the dirt of the city, and felt comfortable in her veiled camouflage. I certainly remember wishing for a similar camouflage in India, so I can understand the sentiments.

In Turkey, Tunisia, and Tajikistan, all Muslim-majority countries, the wearing of a head coverings has been banned in government buildings, schools, and universities. France has also banned the wearing of hijabs in all educational facilities. Does this seem fair? Who has the right to decide that wearing head scarves is discrimination, that it impedes the rights and freedom of women? It amazes me that people in the world fight this tradition and custom - the motive behind this custom has become so distorted.

Please feel free to share your own thoughts, ideas, or knowledge.

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"Do You Need A Shoe?"

It seems that every beach on the planet is a graveyard for solitary shoes. Where do they come from? Garbage dumped into the ocean? Tsunami’s and natural disasters that wash the contents of  villages, towns, and cities into the sea? Strong winds and unexpected sneaker waves?

What happens to all of those lonely shoes, the ones that clutter the beaches of the world?

While on the island of Ko Mak in Thailand, we met a Swedish couple who came up with an idea of what to do with all those lonely shoes. They created an art project, titled “Step-by-Step.“ They collected over two hundred shoes and tied them onto and from a coconut tree that leaned precariously over the warm waters off Ko Kood.  Ewa and her husband were in in Ko Mak for 10 days, on vacation from the chilly Sweden winter, and began their project in the final three days of their stay. Their project was inspired by a similar concept that they saw on Bamboo Island in Cambodia several years before. Decorative elements (in addition to shoes) were scavenged from the beach, including plastic flowers, burly sea-rope, and the title of the project (“Step-by-Step“) written on a wooden plank and hung with frayed rope.  The first shoe that began the project was sassy. It was gold. It was called “Zha-Zha.” She was the beginning of their fantastic project.

As we learned from the ‘Step-by-Step’ Giving Tree, there are many ways to affect change some of them direct, some indirect. This is our Top Ten List of Service Projects for Beach Cleaning:

#1. Start with Something

Instead of complaining try fixing something.; the world is waiting for your help. We can all make a contribution to making our world better and cleaner. If you need a reason to clean a beach, just watch children playing in the surf. Look at how much they enjoy the water, the waves, the sand. Do you want your children, your niece, your cousins, your friends children and their grandchildren to visit beaches where trash washes up on beaches and floats inside the waves? Try picking up a few pieces of trash. People will look at you funny; they are jealous. People wonder, ‘Why is this person so confident that they can make a difference in the world?’

#2. The tools for your project are in the trash

Every time we clean trash we find some useful things in the surf. When we were once stranded on a small island with little water and not enough food (it turns out we hired the town drunk to shuttle us out to this island) we found fishing line, net, hooks and lures and broken buckets which we used to catch bait, then fish, then keep the fish alive until soup time. But, there are also tools for cleaning trash, plastic bags are one of the most common forms of ocean trash. Don’t worry if they have holes in them, you can tie knots in the bags and they can carry trash. If you run out of bags, there is fishing line and rope which can be used to lash the trash into moveable piles of rubbish.

#3. Involve the immediate community

When you are cleaning, people will spontaneously smile and thank you for what you are doing. It may not have occurred to people that this effort is something you would take on. Rather than only focusing on your work, engage people, offer explanations for what you are doing, ask people if they want to help you. The Step-by-Step project not only made a statement about how we can each contribute to the care of our planet, but it also served to clean up the beach. Some of the mobile-style strands of shoes were removed, as they blocked the beach path during high tide. However, these shoes removed from the project were taken off the beach and thrown away. Sometimes our project can evolve into a sustained effort.

#4. Make your statement heard

The ‘Step-by-Step tree had a nameplate or title hung from it on driftwood. Just the name ‘Step-by-Step’ had such a powerful force. There was the idea that we have to take many steps to make an impact on cleaning the oceans and the beaches. Publish/Advertise your work to make your project continue to grow. This about who might want to see your project. Take photographs. Contact environmental organizations, the government, and the local press of TV, newspapers, or internet and tell them what you did, why and how you did it, when and where.

#5.  Have fun

Remember that you are at the beach. Have Fun!! If you get hot wade into the water, swim, or go snorkeling. Pulling trash  out of the sea is very rewarding. Not only do you stay cool and enjoy the water, but you help the living creatures have better lives. And oftentimes cleaning the beach can help you to make new friends!

#6. Combine work and learning

Cleaning beaches and oceans can be quiet and meditative work. Even if you do this work with friends or children you are likely to find your group spread out and individuals working alone. This will be a very good time to think about better ways to do a project, how to involve more people, and, most importantly, how to find alternative ways to stop pollution and trash from getting to the beach at all. We have seen many clever ways to get people involved. Trash cans that were shaped like empty logs, pandas and other animals with open mouths, 100 liter recycled barrels that were painted in art contests were but some of many ways we have seen improvisational and artistically attractive ways to get people involved. As a child in the USA, there were campaigns to change the ways people behaved toward our planet, Smokey the Bear told people how to prevent forest fires while Woodsy the Owl had a song the he sung that said ‘Give a hoot don’t pollute, we can make a better day.’ We have also largely stopped boats from letting go waste into oceans and rivers.

#7. Take some breaks

Breathe, get shade, bring water, watch the sunset and sunrise. Taking breaks remind us why we want the beaches to be clean.

#8. Review your project

Ask yourself what you are doing, can you be more effective, can you involve more people? How?

What would have happened if you  started with no plan? How do you learn just from inspiration?

#9. ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’

I have taught classes for a long time in the USA that ask the important question, ‘Why are we planning and not taking action?’ Then I learned that many projects take a different approach. They learn from their mistakes, but do not wait to have a complete plan before they try it. Instead of using the old practice, ‘ready aim fire’ they say ‘ready fire aim.’ ‘Ready Fire Aim’ means, if you want to take an action, go ahead and do it, then learn from what did not go as you planned, learn from your mistakes, and the next time make your aim better. Cleaning beaches may seem simple. However, when you have begin your project you probably do not know everything. For example, you may not find that when you pick up trash you have followed the best route, perhaps a zig-zag cleans a beach better than a straight line. Waves do not bring trash to beaches in straight lines, so why would a straight line clean a beach?

#10. Remove your trash

Your job cannot be finished until you  can get the trash off of the beach. However, if you re lucky you will pick up so much trash you cannot carry it all away. When the ‘Step-by-Step’ artists first brought back their shoes to the ’Giving Tree’ they left it above the tree. In the night the tide was high, so when they returned they found much of their work had washed back into the sea. If you can’t carry all the trash off the beach, always move it very high above where you think the ocean cannot possibly reach.

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How 'Bout dem SAINTS!!?

Yesterday we abstained from email, facebook, and the internet in general (except for a blog facelift that you might notice) until 8:30PM when a re-run of the SUPERBOWL was aired at the local sports bar. What a game; what a team; I am so happy for the city of New Orleans - I know how much the big win meant to the people and culture of our dear home (we know that you all are still partying....). GEAUX SAINTS!!!

The superbowl victory followed right on the heels of the recent mayoral election: congratulations Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, we look forward to the positive changes that you will bring to New Orleans. As New Orleans Carnival season season Mardi Gras moves into full tilt, we wonder...

Could it get any better?

Believe it or not...YES! Tomorrow morning we leave for the beaches of Ko Chang, Ko Mak, and Koh Kood.

Leaving the laptop and packing light for a ten day trip, but our bag still seems overly full (cooking supplies, seasoning, tent, sunscreen, repellent, swimsuits, sleeping bags in lieu of sleeping pads, first aid kit, etc.). Lightweight packing remains a fantasy. This also means another medium length separation from our blog and sharing our stories with you (but we may get crafty a few minutes prior to our departure and attempt to "pre-date" blogs that may publish in our absence? stay tuned...).

Volunteer update: our volunteering concept has always been informal, and continues to evolve organically as our journey unfolds. We knew that by not signing up with a "service organization" and instead, carving our own path of exchange, service, and volunteer-ship, our opportunities would be unique, varied, and probably outside the bounds of the expected or known. So, instead of immersing ourselves in the structure of a (usually) foreign-sponsored organization or group, experiencing "service" within a bubble of comfort and familiar and homogeneity, our service has other forms.

We talk, we listen, we garden, we share, we discuss, we recycle, we plan, we learn, we share ideas of green, we experience, and we always strive to remain rooted in the culture we are visiting, while still sharing pieces of the culture we are from.

Last night, Nathan was up late, discussing business development, green and sustainable construction practices, East  and West relations, and the stewardship of new forms of tourism and development, such as eco-tourism and volunteerism. He and a friend reviewed architectural, engineering, and land use plans for a 500+ acres eco-resort under preliminary development for Koh Kood Island. The concept of service is one which applies daily  in our lives while traveling. Writing and maintaining blogs is one continuity of service which we rely on; so, being away for more than one week will mean returning to pre-blog forms of note keeping, journals, scribbles on napkins, memory.

With just eleven days left in Thailand, we thinking ahead to our next destination: India. Now would be a wonderful time for YOU to give us your ideas, suggestions, contacts, etc. Three days in Calcutta will be followed by nearly one months traveling from Delhi to Mumbai over land. You can check out our itinerary map for specific dates. Thanks for your ideas and tips and thoughts.

Back in a few with sunburned photos and sandy stories.

xo

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