Articles by mgedwards

The New Silk Road

Today I read about a landmark agreement that went into effect a couple weeks ago.  The Asian Highway Agreement went into effect on July 5, 2005.  The agreement, signed by 32 countries, including North Korea, will spur the development of a 141,000 kilometer highway network spanning Asia from Turkey to Japan, crossing through all 32 countries that signed the agreement.  The agreement was negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP).  A more comprehensive highway plan will be released in 2006.  The project was originally proposed by the UN in 1959, but it was shelved due to the Cold War.  The project is ambitious and fraught with immense potential and potentially disastrous pitfalls.  If completed, it would be the world’s largest highway network.  It would also constitute the first major effort to spur trans-continental commerce in Asia since the development of the legendary Silk Road linking China to Europe.
 
A trans-Asian highway network would benefit isolated, landlocked nations such as Uzbekistan and regions such as Xinjiang Province in China that lack adequate transportation infrastructure.  It would also help break down political barriers, notably between North Korea and South Korea.  It’s assumed that traffic transitting North Korea would be restricted and heavily monitored, yet it would still be an important step in linking North Korea to the global community.  The highway network would promote trade between non-traditional trading partners such as Mongolia and Kazakhstan.  It would also give South Korea a land-based link to the rest of Asia.  Currently, the tense border between the two Koreas prevents South Korea from importing or exporting goods overland through North Korea.  South Korea is essentially an island, although it is in reality the southern portion of a peninsula.  A functional highway through North Korea would help restore that reality.  Just as a bridge from Copenhagen, Denmark to Goteberg, Sweden linked Scandinavia to the rest of Europe, so also would a trans-Asian highway open South Korea to ground-based commerce.  Currently, South Korea’s land-based commerce either terminates at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in Kaesong or at Geumgang Mountain in eastern North Korea.  Neither is more than 50 miles north of the Korean DMZ.
 
A trans-Asian highway would also open up a Pandora’s box of potential pitfalls.  For one, it would likely promote the freer movement of traffickers and terrorists in Asia.  For years, Panama has refused to build a link between the North and South American portions of the trans-American highway primarily due to fears increased illicit activity, namely drugs and paramilitary activity emanating from Colombia.  To many Panamanians, stopping illegal activity trumps the benefits of a trans-American highway.  Asia’s lack of adequate vehicle infrastructure has impeded the flow of illicit activity.  A trans-Asian highway would also be an easy target for terrorists.  Asian oil pipelines are a favorite terrorist target, and this highway would be as well.  The risk to human life while driving through large areas with inhospitable climates and hostile driving conditions would be significant.  Imagine driving your Fiat from Italy to China and worrying about a flat tire, overheating, or a personal attack while driving in the middle of nowhere.   I don’t think if I had an opportunity to drive the entire highway I would do so, particularly through central Asia (then again, maybe I’m crazy enough to try it).  I think flying or taking the train would be much safer alternatives.  In addition, a trans-Asian highway would require extensive environmental engineering, likely contributing to environmental degradation.  It’s interesting to note that the UN is spearheading a project that so obviously adversely affects the environment on a grand scale.
 
Nevertheless, it appears that momentum is building for the highway network to be built.  While it’s too early to tell whether early momentum will result in the completion of this ambitious project, it’s important for United Nations and the 32 nations that signed this agreement to minimize these potential pitfalls.  If the highway is ever completed and functional, it would likely take more than a decade to complete.  It will be intriguing to see what the UNESCAP will put forward as a plan in 2006.  No matter what, I hope they will have the foresight to build gas stations and rest areas every 50 kilometers; otherwise, there will be many an unhappy visitor with an incapacitated vehicle stranded in the middle of Mongolia.

Bilingualism

Happy Bastille Day to any French readers who stop by World Adventurers!  How about that…an American who wishes the French well.  It seems to happen less frequently nowadays.  Well, most Americans forget that if it weren’t for the French, we probably would not have won the American Revolution, and the French sold to us about one third of our country in 1803.  And of course America since 1803 has often come to France’s aid.  It’s a shame that we have neglected our common heritage and that our relations are strained now.  Maybe someday we will find more common ground.
 
My son is really starting to talk.  For now he speaks primarily Chinese with some English phrases.  Most of his English phrases come from videos and DVDs he watches, especially from the series, "Thomas the Tank Engine."  (Yes, he’s still a "Thomas" fanatic.)  Both his mom and I speak to him in both English and Chinese, although she uses mostly Chinese, and I use mostly English with a smattering of stock Chinese phrases.  This is unfortunate, because we hear so often that in order for our son to grow up bilingually we need to segregate our languages so that his mom only speaks Chinese and I only speak English to him.  However, it’s so easy for both of us to lapse back into talking in whatever common language combination we find most convenient.  I wonder why it’s so hard to segregate languages and speak only in our native tongues at home.  I’ve given this some thought, and I came up with a few observations that might be interesting to mixed couples grappling with bilingual issues.
 
For one, I also want to practice my Chinese.  Speaking to a toddler in a foreign language really is a good way to improve your own foreign language skills if your own language ability is lacking.  My wife speaks fabulous English, so she does not need to practice her English.  Most bi-racial couples speak primarily in one language because one partner is typically not as fluent in the other language.  Still, those of us who do not speak the second language well often appreciate the opportunity to improve our language ability.  Our children give us that opportunity.
 
Secondly, I think there’s a natural tendency for social groups to deconstruct existing languages and create new dialects.  It happens worldwide.  The French spoken in Haiti is not the same as French spoken in Paris.  Groups tend toward linguistic commonalities, and families are no exception.  In our family, Chinese and English are both spoken, and as our son learns both language our entire family tends towards a common lingua franca.  For example, my son might say, "Mommy yao kan D."  "Mommy" means "mommy," "yao kan" is Chinese for "want to watch," and "D" refers to "DVD."  "D" is a word made up by our son because a few months ago he could not pronounce the word, "DVD."  So now his mom, my son, and I all say "D" in lieu of "DVD."  It’s the foundation of a new language.
 
Thirdly, he is still learning both languages.  Tonight I told him the English word "stimulating" for the first time.  As a toddler he has no idea what I mean by "stimulating."  Using standard English or Chinese phrases that all of us understands helps us all communicate better.  Still, in the long run this can be an impediment to his language learning.  At some point our son will choose one language (probably English) and will adopt it as his native tongue.  He will likely understand spoken Chinese and may speak it, but perhaps not very well.  And he never learn to write Chinese characters.  Of course that’s not what we want.  We want him to be fluent in both languages.  It will be better for him in the long run.  I’m convinced that everyone should learn a second language.  That’s why this week I started speaking to him only in English and encouraged his mom to do the same in Chinese.  Names such as "baba" (daddy) and "mommy" will still remain spoken either English or Chinese.  But it’s no longer "Baba shang ban," it’s "Baba goes to work."  I hope this won’t confuse him too much and will help him better learn both languages.

Helping friends in Seoul

Today we had dinner with some new friends and colleagues who just arrived from Beijing.  They will be in Seoul for a few years.  A family of three, they arrived last Sunday and are starting to settle into their new life here.  On Monday, I helped them check in, and we went out for lunch.  Tonight we had them over for dinner.  They’re a very nice family.  We’re glad they’re here.  Their arrival reminds me of when we arrived ourselves about five months ago.  Our own arrival seems so long ago now.  It’s hard to believe that our time here is almost one-quarter finished.  This family will be here for about four years, giving them plenty of time to settle in and enjoy Korea.  They appreciated our invitation and had a great time enjoying Chinese and Korean food that my wife prepared.  It was delicious.  We had a great time talking about Seoul and about their experience in China.  Their Mandarin Chinese is fabulous; in fact, my new colleague’s Chinese is almost flawless.  He speaks several languages, including Chinese, Japanese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  I can tell that he is very gifted at languages.  He will soon add Korean to his repetoire as he spends one year learning Korean before starting his new job.
 
I also had the privilege today of helping an old friend who’s working in Chennai, India.  He’s been there since late last year.  We met in Washington, D.C., before we left for our respective assignments.  He and his wife, who’s Korean American, came to Seoul in June so she could give birth to their first child in Korea (Chennai is not equipped to handle a western-style birth).  I’m very happy I ran into them today and was able to document their child as an American.  We may work together in the future in another location, and I am privileged to have the opportunity to play a small part in their child’s life.  We will also hopefully meet up soon for dinner before he departs for Chennai.  He has to head back to work, while his wife will remain in Korea with family until the baby is ready to travel to Chennai.