A Work in Progress @aworkinprogressproject-blog - Tumblr Blog

In Retrospect

With my senior year of HS in session and with everything that has been going on, the documentary had been piled onto by my other priorities.

I recently just dug it up and decided to really focus on it, because it was nearing the end of the year and I thought it was time to get this thing done and posted, so that positive change could possible come as a result. Maybe in all the mess and chaos of other things and distractions, improvement and reform of other sorts and other time periods were put on hold, too.

We do call this summer's experience "A Work In Progress Project," but I now realized how much progress is really meant. It's a continual effort that doesn't stop for an event. Progress is hard. It's difficult to keep something going on for so long and so hard, like how some people probably can't even remember the new year's resolutions they made 11 months ago.

So, I dug this project back out, and I'm amazed at how much 4 months can bring to light. I am in the process of looking through all of the interview footage and I stopped because I realized something and had to post on this blog right away of this new progression.

I was extremely naive and unprepared. I could have gotten so much more from this experience had I really focused on learning Chinese instead of seeing it as a chore and an utter bore. Looking through the footage now, I see that I still can't understand every word Lipeng said.

And I remember telling my new Chinese migrant worker friends that they can come to CA and stay with me at my place if ever they came. How can they come? They can't even afford to live in their own apartment. How naive I was. How naive I still am.

More to come as I excavate summer's past.

-Hedy

#callmeshakespeare #shenzhen #migrantworkers #progression #retrospect

Goodbye

This was definitely one of those bittersweet goodbyes. We came to Dalang just to say goodbye to everyone we've met and made friends with this month.

Sleeping at 4am and waking at 11am does not do the body any good, so the whole time, I was pretty out of it. Seeing everyone and taking funky pictures and laughing together for no apparent reason made the whole process a lot less painful.

At 9:30, Micar, Jeremy, and I had to get back home. The two sisters walked us to the car, and I just had to attack them with my hugs. I kept saying, "I'll miss you so much! I'll come to visit next year!" And I meant it. I will try my hardest to come to Shenzhen again next year, if only to see the people I've met at Dalang and Shenzhen.

As I was getting into the taxi, I looked back and waved my hands at them. The older sister waved her hands a little and I turned back around to slip into the dark taxi.

I got home around 10:30 and I got a WeChat message from both of them. They told me to stay safe and to come back soon. There's no way I can stay away from here. Shenzhen has captured my heart.

So this technically isn't goodbye; I'll be back soon enough.

-Hedy

#shenzhen #goodbye

Liangzhen

Today was the second to last day we'll be in Shenzhen and we tried to make the most of it by heading over to Dalang to interview 3 girls about their situation. One girl, I had actually ignored after our first interview because I had forgotten how important she could be to our documentary. The other two sisters we met up with for the sake of meeting up. I had more questions to ask and more things to understand from them so we talked for an hour and a half and had dinner until 11pm, which caused Jeremy and I countless problems with getting back home.

Almost everyone at the school in Dalang knows that we're leaving in two days to get back to the States, so they actually asked us if this was the last time they would be seeing us. Being heartbroken about leaving, I said, "No. I'll be seeing you again tomorrow." So we'll be using our last day to just hang out with the new friends we've made this trip. I'm going to miss them so dearly that it hurts.

More to come tomorrow!

-Hedy

#shenzhen #missing #interview

The other side of things.

#shenzhen #interview

What an honor

Today was a pretty typical day for us, except that we met the leader of one of the worker's movement in China with Gui Jun. This man was chosen to represent his fellow workers against the company that they worked for. This company had decided to move to a cheaper place and needed to get rid of its workers. The workers didn't get enough compensation for being laid off, only about 20% of the original amount. Zhu GUI Jun represented the workers of the factory to fight for their rights and compensation. They publicly demonstrated until Zhu Gui jun was arrested and charged as disturbing the peace. He was sentenced 5 years in jail but only served one and had just recently been released. It was amazing being able to meet such a brave individual, who risked himself for a greater cause. The cause of his fellow workers, and his people. -Jerome

#leader #workersmovment

Before I came on this trip, I was dying to met a revolutionary. Or more a person who was/is a leader of workers' revolts and protests. I just had this humming desire to meet them and understand their passion. You must understand, they risk everything for a chance to have it just a little better. Their jobs and sometimes their freedom is at stake.

One man I met today was said to be a protest leader (a workers' representative). I expected him to be extremely serious, but I was surprised by his warm welcome and his extremely quirky smile. We didn't ask him anything too specific about the protests and stuff because, obviously, if we put the interview into the documentary and a certain someone saw and reported it, he would be in trouble. And might end up in jail again.

I talked with my dad this morning about the whole project and I feel like I have a better idea of what direction I want to take this documentary. I'm glad I got to sit down and talk with my dad. He's always away and we can't always sit down and chat whenever we want to.

My personal vlog video will be up sometime soon, including the collaborative vlog of all 3 of us! 3 days left 'til we're back in the States!

-Hedy

#Shenzhen #documentary #protest

Brian's Brain: The Midnight Hour

Welcome to the midnight hour! In 3 days, I'll be returning home to the United States, so the clock's winding down and we're not getting into crunch time!...

...well, "crunch time".

For the most part our footage is there, and we're heading out tomorrow to get a few more shots before we leave; Wednesday, I'll be back in Hong Kong, but Hedy and Jeremy will be out getting some more footage.

Once we're back in the states, it goes straight to cutting the footage, which will surely be the bane of our existence when suddenly it's 1 or 2 AM and we have class in a few hours.

But lately, I haven't been sleeping well. I really can't put a finger on it, but I feel like it's me trying to preemptively adjust to the time change, which would explain why I don't get jet-lag.

I should probably go to sleep now...

-Brain

Failing

Some things are worth failing for. In my perspective, the only way for a person to succeed is to fail. No matter how many times a person fails, as long as he learns from his mistakes, he will be one step closer to what he is aiming for. Failing isn’t bad, it’s just an outcome of the efforts put into something.

"When there is confidence, perseverance, and courage there is nothing in the world that cannot be done". -TzuChi Jing Si Aphorisms

I saw this while I was on the metro and it really struck a chord. As long as a person has the confidence in themselves, the courage to accept the fact that failure is always possible, the perseverance to keep trying no matter how many times he is defeated in his quest, that person is on a slow but steady path to success. To fully achieve success he must be willing to accept short- term failures, temporary defeats for the prize at the end of the journey. With each failure he must get stronger, learn more, and be ready to try his hardest at the next task.

As a person who has experienced failure, I know the feeling of despair and loss of hope that can just be too much at times. Sometimes I feel so defeated that I’m not sure if I can keep pushing on. However, it is the lure of ultimate success that keeps me going. The thought that if I can endure this, right here right now, I will be a smarter, stronger person drives me to try my hardest every day.p>

But one fear lies deep within my heart, one I have yet to overcome: The fear of not being able to adapt. The fear of not being able to learn from my own mistakes. The fear of being stuck in the past.

-Jerome

#Thankful

The whole internship experience, I think, has taught me independence by throwing me straight into the working world. I guess that's what internships teach us. Internships teach us what it's like outside the school gates, outside our hometowns. And they also teach us what we like and/or dislike.

I was extremely lucky in being offered this internship and deciding to take it on. I am incredibly fortunate because this is just the topic for me. I feel so passionately for the cause of bettering people's lives and environments because, had some things been different, I could have been born into a family with worse problems than mine has, or born in a place with less opportunities than those in the city I live in. And why should someone have to live in fear or in poverty?

This internship, also, has taught me to be more thankful. I was fortunate enough to be born into an amazing family, with a father who's story matches those of rags to riches and a mother who's heart could never stop loving or giving and a sister who's playfulness gave me my first best friend. I am also fortunate for being born in the United States, a place of freedom.

One of the most important things this internship has taught me is that one is not powerful. A whole lot of ones that band together is powerful. I had thought myself to be a capable leader when I came, but I see now that I have a long ways to go in becoming a great leader. Also, no matter how loudly one person can scream, a crowd of whispers makes a greater sound and has a greater effect.

We are nothing without each other. Whatever broken relationships I had back in the states, I want to fix. There is no need for all of this conflict, all this hate, all this indifference. For we couldn't have gotten here without each other, for better or for worse. But most likely for the better.

And so, I am thankful. For this opportunity. For what this city has to offer. For bringing me closer to people. For what I can offer this city. For the city's people; for their heart, their soul, their determination, their sacrifice. And for helping me understand. #thankful

-Hedy

#shenzhen #thankful #internship

CLAPPING!

The ICO iAction training day wasn't mundane at all. We got home from Valentine's Day at 12:12am and didn't sleep until 2 (because Eclipse was on). We woke up at 7 to head out and worked at the training event from 9am to 6pm. The first few hours were just talk and presentation, but the last few hours were physical and mental.

During the military training (physical) half, the simplest exercise made the greatest impact. The instructor asked us, "How many time do you think you can clap in 10 seconds?" Someone said 20 and I thought, "That's pretty reasonable." And then someone said, "Maybe 30." I kind of looked at him and tilted my head thinking, "That might be a challenge, but it can be done." The instructor whipped his stopwatch out and said, "Okay. I will give you 10 seconds. Count how many claps you can do in 3...2...1!" The empty courtyard filled with the echoes of claps erupting from our hands and I found myself counting 1,2,3...20,21,22...36,37,38...50?!51...52. "Time's up!" I looked up at the instructor and he said, "You see, sometimes we think we know ourselves and our capacity. But do we really?"

That really struck a chord for me. I like to believe that I'm very fair with myself, like I'll think, "Okay, I can do this." But maybe I'm still looking a little too close and focusing on what I think I'm capable of instead of what I really am capable of?

-Hedy

#shenzhen #military #clapping

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你是我的小牙小苹果。怎么爱你都不嫌多。 Directly translated to: You are my little little apple. I love you so much I'll never get enough. This, my friends, is the anthem of Chinese Valentine's Day 2014.

Enjoy!

-Hedy

#小苹果 #valentinesday

Valentine's Day and Lovey Dovely stuff

Tomorrow is an exciting day for us. It’s the first Chinese valentine’s day we will be able to experience. I know that back home in the states, valentine’s day is kind of a big deal for lovers to show their dedication and appreciation for each other. For those who aren’t in a relationship, this would be a time for them to hint and try to grab the attention of who they’re interested in.

Sometimes men will buy large bouquets of flowers, balloons, chocolates, stuffed bears to impress their girl. However, I’m interested to see what the case is here in China. Will people be willing to spend that kind of money on lavish gifts? Or dinners? What kind of gifts will they give? What kinds of places will people take their significant others? Why do people celebrate the holiday?

Although the central idea around this holiday is the same, there are always differences in culture, environment, and the thought behind a particular holiday or celebration. That is the case for Valentine’s day. Just because people do a particular thing the same way another people do, doesn’t mean the reasoning behind it is the same.

I’m not saying the intentions can’t be the same, rather that they don’t have to be the same.

Tomorrow me Hedy and Brian will be spending some time with some of our new friends who are students at a school. I hope we can make the most out of this!

- Jeremy

#valentines day #culturaldifferences #lovey dovey

Brian's Brain: Internot

To preface this, this post will contain heavy amounts of "first world problems".

Being around computers around my entire life, it really seems like I can't leave them alone, and while China has certainly made significant technological strides within the past few decades, the main lifeline for these advances has not.

Connecting to websites outside China seem like a nightmare; I can barely get on this website to post things for the blog or look at how we're doing. Additionally, uploading large files is a nightmare as well; one could wait 2 hours to upload a few photos and not have anything come of it.

Then again, there's only 6 days left until I come home. I'm looking forward to finally getting on Facebook and YouTube so all my valuable time can be wasted away.

-Brain

Rain

This was the first time I'd ever enjoyed walking in the rain. We heard the thunder and the rain pattering on the metal sheets of the gym ceiling while we played billiards, but as we walked out, we saw the soft silver beams coming down.

At first, I regretted not having brought an umbrella, but as soon as the cool beads kissed (maybe I used this word because tomorrow is Chinese Valentine's Day) my skin, I didn't care whether or not I got completely soaked or became uncomfortable. We tiptoed over the water puddles towards the subway to get home.

As I skipped along as a child, I realized why this is the first time I've ever enjoyed being uncomfortable and having my plans complicated. I let myself just enjoy it instead of worrying. This is going to be so uncomfortable. My shoes are going to be ruined! My hair must look crazy. This rain is seriously slowing me down. None of that!

Now that I'm typing all of this out, I remember a girl I had interviewed a few weeks ago. She told me, "After all this time, I'm starting to feel numb to it all." After constantly worrying about work and pay, she hasn't been able to think of anything else. After constantly doing the same things day after day, she can't see the difference between Monday and Tuesday, today and tomorrow anymore. The conditions have probably prevented her from fully enjoying the simple pleasures in life like walking in the rain and really feeling the rain.

-Hedy

#shenzhen #migrantworkers #rain

Brian's Brain: Supreme Writer's Block

I don't have much to write about this time. The only real thing that has happened the past few days for me was the English Class that we went to today, which Hedy and Jeremy taught at.

They did really well, considering the amount of time that they took to prepare (I was in Hong Kong with classmates at the time, so I felt that giving them the responsibility to lead a class would be a good exercise!). I'm very proud of their ability to teach the class, which was receptive and very attentive towards them.

Other than that, there hasn't been much. Chinese Valentines Day is coming up (August 2nd), so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what that's all about.

I'm also working on a new video short, hopefully things will be good (and coherent, unlike Waiting for Jerome and it's impending sequel).

-Brain

Inconspicuously teaching "Best Day of My Life" to a classroom full of Chinese English-learners. Jokes aside, it was a great experience being able to spread some love for the English language and music to these amazing people.

#shenzhen #youlian #bestdayofmylife #americanauthors #english

Writer's Block and the In Between

Truth be told, I have writers' block. Sure, there are plenty of things I could write about from today that stood out, or were important, but I'm stuck.

Maybe being stuck in between isn't bad, though? You get to see things from the middle; from an unbiased point of view. You see both sides with the same clarity and with the same scope.

But maybe it's not all that good either? The workers in Shenzhen are known as the "floating population" because they hop from place to place in search of work, of passion, of something more. Many of those I've talked to tell me that they don't feel much at home in this city, even though they want to and try to. It might be a floating feeling, as if they float above this place of possibility, but in their hearts, they don't quite belong. And so they float above. Between reality and imagination, the life they live and the life they hope for.

Floating has been thought to be euphoric and ethereal and uplifting, but maybe it's not as great as we all think. Floating between and above things; never feeling grounded or as if you belong. Floating from place to place, in search of something you've only heard of.

I hope those who float will one day touch ground and see heaven from below. To see the sky and the universe for what it is: a great expanse of possibility. And to feel connection down where the soil is rich and where the sky begins at one's feet. Because how can a plant grow if its roots aren't grounded?

-Hedy

#shenzhen #writersbloc #floating #migrantworkers

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