Five days to go and I'm still waiting for a visa. I am supposed to be picking it up Friday morning so hopefully I will be posting a very ecstatic blog on Friday afternoon... In the meantime I am trying to devise creative ways of packing things so that they will be smaller than they actually are and not break.
On Monday I am supposed to fly out at 5ish in the afternoon. We will be in Bangkok later that night where we have a 12 hour stopover at a motel with beer garden and pool. mmmmm. As that will probably be my last brush with luxury (actual toilets) for a while I intend to make the most of it. We arrive in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, China on Tuesday afternoon where we will spend a couple of days. From there we will fly out to Lijiang, a bit further north, before taking the final (6-8 hour) bus trip out to Yongning and Lugu Lake. Scott will be coming with me for the first month so that I have someone to speak English to. I will spend six months in that neck of the woods becoming proficient in the local language and collecting exciting and groundbreaking data about language maintenance in an area that was completely inaccessible to non-Chinese peoples just 10 years ago but now swarms with 60,000 tourists annually. That's the plan, anyway.... First I need that visa!
The minority language I plan to work on is spoken by upward of 30,000 people who are usually known as Mosuo. They are mostly famous for not getting married. They are matrilineal, the idea being that you continue to live in your mother's home for your whole life and never marry. A woman has her own 'flower chamber' and might permit men to come and visit overnight if she likes them. Any children will be raised by her, her mother and aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters. Accordingly, men are responsible for raising their sister's and niece's children, but not their own. If you are interested in learning more about this culture, check out an autobiography called "Leaving Mother Lake" by Namu and Christine Mathieu or watch Michael Palin's "Himalaya" on Saturday, 11th of December at 7.30pm. Or you can just read my blogs.
I'm not sure how often I will be able to update them as that depends upon whether the village I am living in has electricity and internet connection.
Well, till Friday- Zaijian
5 comments:
Yay!!! Got the comments working...
dan@signposts.org.au
Okay Dan,
Why doesn't it say that "notes from a linguist on the road..." thing on my blogspot? It's listed under Description in my settings. Any hints?
I will add it in. Hang on.
Done - your wish is my command.
Picked up your comment. Thanks.
That's a fascinating insight into the 'Mosuo'
All the more reason to look forward to the holidays. I intend to stick with your blog. I hope you can keep posting.
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