Greece Is the Answer

I grew up in Europe, and Greece was one of the places I had always wanted to visit but never did. I remember hearing about the bankruptcy in the country and the crisis afterward, and so watching this documentary was very informative to me.

Greece is part of the European Union (EU), which consists of 27 different countries. The European Union is a union of 27 countries that help each other out economically and politically. Trade between countries is very valuable. When Greece went through its financial crisis, the European Union bailed it out with a large loan. This was the first time the European Union did this, and it stopped Greece from defaulting on its loans.

The main language in Greece is Greek, which makes it an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages.

According to the documentary, one of the main issues that the people in Greece seem to have a problem with is the middleman taking all the profits they could potentially get from all their hard work. Many groups have started to cut out the middleman and get products to consumers on their own. This way, they can still make a living, and people can afford their products. This smart thinking is letting people live off their small, meager incomes after the major financial crisis that crippled the country. Actors have started to allow citizens to bring food to their shows instead of money to pay for a ticket. This way, the actors donate the food they collect to the local orphanages without help from any NGOs (Nongovernmental organizations).

This was a hard documentary to watch, as I could only find 3 key terms listed in the reading this week. I really enjoyed the documentary as it showed the citizens picking themselves up after a devastating crisis that ruined their economy. They seem like strong, resilient people who can make a big difference and bring their country back from financial ruin in the years to come.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTcuLUFE77U&t=13s

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Amazon Rainforest Risks: The Tipping Point

    I had to choose a documentary to watch, and so I chose the Amazon Rainforest Risks: The Tipping Point. I am very interested in climate change, and from the list of documentaries available, this one caught my eye. I have known about the rainforest and that climate change is affecting it, but I had no idea to what degree. I enjoy watching documentaries and watching a lot of them on my own already, and so I really liked this one. It was very educational, informative, and easy to follow. 

    One of the key terms from the reading this week is global connection. Global connection is when people/things come together from all over the globe to work together. I really like how the documentary brought scientists together from all different countries and backgrounds to gather data on the rainforest. They all know the challenges that the rainforest is up against, and they want to work together to discover and help fix those challenges. They know that this crisis is not just confined to the Amazon, but it affects us all globally.

    The second key term I thought of was global environmental change. This means the changes in the environment that affect the entire globe. This documentary was all about climate change and how it was impacting the Amazon. Because 25% of the medication in the world is made from something found in the Amazon, it affects a lot of people if the rainforest disappears. Our entire ecosystem also relies on the Amazon to balance the carbon dioxide in the world. The entire Earth relies on the Amazon for this, and most people don’t even realize that.

    The third key term I found was vulnerability. The reading this week states that climate change will affect people differently as it is not distributed equally around the planet. The people who live on the banks of the Amazon River will be affected differently than those of us living in the United States, for example. As the Amazon rainforest dries up and diminishes, it will produce less fruit for the people living there to harvest, sell, and eat. This will affect them a whole lot more than us further away. Their risk is a lot higher than ours, as it will directly affect their livelihood. It will be a lot harder for them to recover from changes to their livelihood than for us in the United States.

    The takeaway from this documentary to me is that no matter where we live on the planet, climate change will affect us one way or another. It could be close to home, like those living along the banks of the Amazon River, or it could be that it will affect our air quality in Utah with a decrease in carbon dioxide. The global connections that climate change creates are large and far-reaching; no one is immune to the ever-changing world we live in. I need to do my part to be part of the solution and not the problem. I need to make sure that I am not contributing to the greenhouse gases in excess, but instead try to lower my carbon footprint.

Link to short documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwsI3JyO-t0  

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Island of the People: World Medicine

When I think of indigenous people, I never really think about Canada, but more like New Mexico and the areas around there. It was very interesting to see a documentary about the indigenous people living much farther north. It was cool to see the island of Haida Gwaii represented on the Physical Geography map in the textbook so that I could really picture where it is located.

Maritime Polar winds reach the island of Haida Gwaii, which makes it cold and dry in the wintertime. They get a lot more moisture because of this, and that could be why a lot of herbs and trees can grow there that provide them with a lot of medicine and food.

European diseases such as smallpox devastated the Haida people. Before they came in the 1700s, there were over 8000 Haida people living in the area; now there are just over 500 left. The European settlers deliberately brought blankets with the smallpox virus on them since they believed the indigenous people to be less than human.

Because of migration into Canada from other nations, the indigenous people were relocated or moved to make way for the new settlers. They treated the indigenous people terribly, even though some of them had lived there for hundreds of years before them. NAFTA helped facilitate the great migration pattern that brought many new people to Canada.

The Haida people who are left are trying hard to keep some of their culture alive by teaching their language to the locals. They have an oral culture, and so many of the things like medicine and their history are only told from generation to generation and not written down. The Haida people teach the younger generation to keep their traditions alive.

Because of new technologies and energy production, the lands that the Haida people live on are in danger. They need to protect their land so that it can continue to grow medicine for them and future generations. The culture of the indigenous population teaches them to respect everything around them, including the land they live on. They thank the trees before they harvest a branch, and they do everything they can to protect their forests and lands from being taken advantage of. Since they rely directly on the Earth, that is one of their main priorities.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeQSrU--pNw

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Outback: Deserts and Life

Everyone in my family has been to Australia at one time or another in their life except for me. My parents lived there for a long time, and some of my siblings were even born there. I still have aunts, uncles, and cousins who live there as well, but I have never visited, and so it is at the top of my bucket list of places to visit. So, when I saw this documentary as one to watch for this week, I was really excited.

Australia is a very large country/continent that is only inhabited along the coasts and not much in the middle. The climate is so very diverse in different parts of the country. Temperatures in the outback can reach very high, and that is probably why the outback part of the country is not populated as much as the rest. Australia’s best-known climate is the outback, which is a semi-arid to arid climate in the interior. (pg 460 of our textbook) I thought that it was pretty cool to learn that the climate itself is called Outback. I thought that it was just the name for the inland part of the country.

The indigenous population of Australia is called the Aboriginal people. When settlers first came to Australia, they didn’t realize that the country was already inhabited by Aborigines who lived inland, deep in the desert. New settlers didn’t take the indigenous people into consideration when they started testing nuclear bombs in the desert without regard to those who were living there. The Aborigines were forced to move to keep safe from the blasts. Today, the Aborigines have areas that were created just for them where they could keep living their lives the way they were used to.

 Climate change is also affecting those living in Australia today. The extra heat is affecting the animals that the Aborigines hunt, which is making it harder for them to keep up their way of life. Storms that hit Australia have also become more severe and shut down parts of the Outback for days. My family, who still lives in Australia, has noticed that they have had more frequent flooding by the coast and more wildfires than normal in the Outback.

I enjoyed watching this documentary as usual, since documentaries are my favorite type of movie. I learned some more about the Outback and how different the weather can get there.

Link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zabh2

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Bali: They Paved Paradise

I enjoyed learning about Bali as I didn’t know too much about the place before. I knew it was a tourist destination, but it was sad to see how much tourism has destroyed a beautiful culture and land so much. I have friends from Indonesia, and the food is amazing, but that is all I know about Indonesia, the culture, religion, and the people.

Tourism is described as short-term travel for the purpose of recreation and relaxation. Bali is a very popular tourist spot, but it was not always that way. Before tourism took over the small island, it was occupied by farmers and lots of fields full of rice. In the 1970s surfers started coming to Bali as word spread that it was an amazing place to surf. It is now in the top 6 places on earth named best for surfing conditions. Back in the 1970s, there was only one 5-star hotel on the entire island, and now there are 41 (at the time of the documentary). Big resorts have taken over many of the rice fields, and slowly, they are destroying the livelihood of the natives in Bali. They use up a lot of the water that is needed for agriculture. The tourists also bring with them more pollution, sewage problems, cooking oil accumulation in the water, and a garbage problem on the island.

Hinduism is the main religion in Bali. The farmers believe that water and the rice, combined with their religion, appease the Gods to keep the fields green and producing for them. The greedy developers are buying up more land used for rice to build resorts and tourist destinations. The developers are also encroaching on religious sites on the island, which are supposed to be off-limits to them. The politicians are looking at the other way as developers take more land for tourism.

The locals try to give the tourists authenticity when they perform traditional dances and show the tourists the culture from their own perspective.

I can see the good and the bad when it comes to tourism. The people in Bali want simple tourism and not big business. They want to be able to protect their island while still being able to show others their culture and customs. I have noticed an increase in visits to the National parks located here in Utah during Covid and how that has impacted the parks. The trash left behind by people who do not normally hike or visit parks shows me they have not learned the etiquette that accompanies someone who is fond of the outdoors. The increased traffic and full parking lots have also been a slight frustration to many, as well as the increase in inexperienced hikers who now travel on paths they really shouldn’t. Simple tourism sounds like a much better answer, but with the number of people wanting to travel and sightsee, that would be impossible in a lot of places.

Link: https://documentary.net/video/bali-paving-paradise-is-mass-tourism-destroying-the-island/

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

The Himbas Are Shooting

    I had a list of documentaries to choose from, but the professor recommended that I watch The Himbas Are Shooting. I really enjoyed this documentary, even though it was not in English, and so I had to read subtitles the entire time. After a little bit, it didn’t even feel like it was in a language I could not understand, as I was so enthralled by it. I really had to pay attention and could not look away, or I would have no idea what was going on. Seeing how the Himbas live, and having it be portrayed by them, was very eye-opening to their culture and way of life.

    The first key term I thought of when watching this documentary was language. I remember reading that there are over 1000 different languages spoken in Africa. The reading also stated that the two most important cultural experiences in Africa are language and religion. 

    The second key term I thought of was pastoralists. A pastoralist is a sheep or cattle farmer, and the Himbas in this documentary had cattle and were very proud of them. They mentioned that they must move their herd because of the dry conditions, and so maybe they are a type of transient pastoralists. Their homes are easy to move and create, and so they could move their village depending on the weather and season. My favorite part of the documentary was when they showed their eco-friendly dwellings with central heating, and it made me want to live in one myself.

    The third key term I thought of was HIV/Aids. The reading explains that HIV/Aids runs very rampant in Africa because of cultural practices such as polygamy and promiscuity. You can see a little of that in the documentary, as men have multiple wives and/or girlfriends.

    Hollywood and the entertainment industry portray cultures in Africa in a very different light than the Himbas did in their own documentary. It was very honest, fun, entertaining, and educational to see the world from their perspective. I was able to see what life would be like for them and how the world is changing, but they are trying to hold on to the same traditions they have had for generations. The government wants to take away the land that they have lived on for many years, when this is all they know.

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Cultural Identity Essay

    I grew up in the Netherlands and lived there until I was 17 years old. At the time of this essay, I am 45 years old, and my old country looks a lot different now than it did when I lived there. I have not been back since I left in 1993. Growing up, there were a few immigrants in my school from North Africa or the Middle East. As time went on, more immigrants arrived in the Netherlands. When I was younger, I remember being in a classroom with almost everyone looking and sounding like I did, but as I changed, so did my surroundings. My parents were very inclusive, and we had neighbors of different backgrounds and nationalities in our home all the time. It was not strange for me to see people from different countries and backgrounds talking and interacting with my parents. My dad had a really good job, and we were well off. As I grew up, his status in his company grew, and we made more money and could afford nicer things. My parents did not flaunt their wealth, and so I never knew how much we had until I was a lot older. I had friends who grew up with nothing, and friends whose parents were very rich; we all got along. Emphasis was never on money or status in my family, and so I never placed it on them either.

    My parents converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and so we were in the minority when it came to religion. Growing up, we probably had about 5000 people in the entire country who were members of our church. I was the only “Mormon” at my elementary school, middle school, and high school. It was hard as people didn’t know what kind of religion we practiced, and so I was ostracized a lot growing up. As of 2022, I am still a member of this church and have found my own path in practicing this religion. Growing up in the 80’s I never thought too much about gender identity and sexual orientation. Europe is a liberal continent when it comes to identity, and so it was normal to see all types of people around me. I was raised to respect everyone, even if they were different from me, and so that has never been a problem. My oldest daughter came out to me as bisexual when she was 16 years old, and I was able to understand her and love her because of the way I was raised. Her father was born and raised in Orem, Utah, and so he had a completely different view on how he should react, and so he did.

    I moved to America when I was 17 and have lived here ever since. I have unfortunately not been able to go back to Europe since then, but I hope to one day soon. I got married here when I was 23 and was in an abusive marriage for 20 years. I divorced in 2019, and I am finally able to be myself again. I was manipulated into thinking and acting differently than when I had been raised, and unfortunately raised my kids with less tolerance than I had grown up with. My oldest daughter is very tolerant as she belongs to the LGBTQ+ community, and I am glad I did not mess her up completely. Unfortunately, my other daughter takes after her father and is not as tolerant of differences. My life for 20 years did not match what I had been raised to believe, and I am working hard to change back to the person I was before that. As a child, I was able to travel a lot all over Europe since my parents made good money. I have seen so many different places and enjoyed so many different cultures that I want to go back and experience it all over again. While I was married, I was not able to travel at all and had lost myself for a long time. Since my divorce, I have put many miles on my car and have seen places I have been waiting to see. I took a cruise and have plans for many more trips as soon as Covid allows it.

    I have lots of family in the Netherlands and Australia, and I am dying to visit them again. I work full-time now and go to school full-time, so I don’t have a lot of time for friends. My ex-husband never allowed for friends, and so I have slowly been making new relationships, mainly with co-workers. I work in the education field, and so most of my friends are also extremely busy and don’t make a lot of money to travel either. I have an older sister whom I am travelling with as she is divorced as well, and we make a lot of good new memories together. I grew up in the Netherlands and served a mission for my church in Finland. The experiences I had there have definitely made me into the person I am today. My tolerance for all things is different, and my acceptance of all comes from living in those places. I embrace diversity and think it is a very important part of life. Since I still have family in the Netherlands and Australia, I believe that it is keeping me connected in a sense with a different culture. I see what my family and friends post on their Facebook accounts in those countries and can experience some facets of their lives this way.

Currently, I am a history and political science major and love to read and learn new things. I am constantly looking forward to seeing what is happening all over the world. Reading is one of my passions, and I love reading biographies to see how others grow up. I have read many books about people who have escaped communist China or the Taliban in the Middle East. The more I read, the more I can empathize with others around me and know that I am not the only one who may have a hard day or year. I have many places I want to travel to on my bucket list. When I graduate with my degree, I want to visit Machu Picchu. It is scary for me as I have never traveled out of the country by myself, and I don’t speak Spanish. I am trying to learn Spanish so that it won’t be so scary, and hopefully, I will have some more experience with traveling alone when the time comes. Mount Fuji is another place I want to see in my lifetime, and I would also love to walk the streets of Paris and Venice again. I could name a million other places and things I want to experience, and hopefully, I can cross some of my lists soon.

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

TED Talk with the Prime Minister of Bhutan

    I watched the TED Talk with the Prime Minister of Bhutan because its subject matter pertained to how the country is carbon neutral. I really enjoyed the talk and how he described how a country as small as theirs could have all its ducks in a row when it comes to global warming. 

    One of the key terms from the reading that came to mind when I watched the TED talk was modernization. Bhutan is a very small country with only about 700,000 citizens, and the Prime Minister called it underdeveloped. The people living in Bhutan are very humble and seem to work hard to make their lives happy. The government has done a lot to modernize the small country and to keep it carbon neutral. The Prime Minister stated that free electricity is provided to rural farmers so that they can modernize their farms and don’t need to burn wood to cook their meals. The government also makes sure that all lights are switched to LEDs and cars are electric. The government is also completely paperless in its dealings and is planting more trees. All these things let me know that the country of Bhutan is modernizing and keeping up with the rest of the world.

    The second key term from the reading that came to mind is International Development Assistance. This assistance would be provided to underdeveloped countries that would need a loan to bring them relief of sorts. When I think about Bhutan and how the country is run so efficiently, I don’t think they would need any assistance that is out there. The way the government has set things up, the country can sustain itself forever. The Prime Minister, in his talk, exclaimed that Bhutan is not carbon neutral but carbon negative. Because of the protected forests in their country and all that they are doing to lower their footprint, they create more energy than they need and can help others out with it. As an underdeveloped country, they can help other countries out with their energy needs.

    The third key term is mental maps. The reading explains that mental maps are maps created by those people who live in the country and know the ins and outs of it all. The Prime Minister, in his talk, showed a map of Bhutan with a 72% forest cover. Because of the knowledge of the land, the people there were able to connect the forests together to create ways that all the animals in Bhutan are free to roam in those protected areas. With the knowledge of their own country and the need to protect the land and animals, they were able to create new maps to show which areas are protected. It would be amazing if we could somehow link all our national parks together in a way to protect them all better as well.

    I love TED Talks as they are usually so powerful, and that is why I picked this one to watch. I was amazed to see that a small country like Bhutan can be such an inspirational leader to the rest of the world what it means to be mindful of the environment. Their ideas and implementations are a good blueprint that other countries could follow to also get closer to becoming carbon neutral. I love the idea that the Prime Minister ends with calling Earth for Life, where we all need to come together to protect our planet forever, so we can keep our resources.

Link to TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lc_dlVrg5M  

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Globalization Photo Essay

Africa South Of The Sahara

Ecotourism (nature-based tourism industry) is very large in Africa because of all the wildlife parks that are available there. Here in Utah, we also have ecotourism with all of the beautiful outdoor parks you can visit. Utah is home to 5 National Parks as well as many State Parks. I am an avid hiker and have visited all 5 of Utah’s National Parks and many of the State Parks.

Cassidy Arch is located in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Insolation is exposure to the sun’s rays. The part of Africa closest to the equator gets the most insolation. Southern Utah is very dry and hot, especially during the summer. The insolation is very high there at that time as well, making it feel like you could be in the African desert, the Sahara.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Southwest Asia + North Africa

We are told about the origins of urban living in this chapter and the development of cities. The first cities are believed to have been found in Mesopotamia after the first agricultural revolution.

Purchase my first home

Nonrenewable resources like oil were discovered in this area in 1938, and many wars have been fought to have the power over these resources. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was established in 1965 to help regulate it all. 50% of the world’s crude oil comes from this region, with Saudi Arabia being the lead exporter.

My new car (which needs oil)

South Asia

Outsourcing began to grow in the 1990s when big companies outsourced labor to this region, where workers would do the same thing for a cheaper wage. The job I held as a graphic designer was outsourced to India, and I lost my job here in the United States because of this. 

I had just had surgery on my foot and was at home when this happened.

The Provo River starts up high in the mountains and runs all the way down to Utah Lake. The river is fast in certain parts and slows in others. Over time, the river has eaten away the soil in some parts and has even had roads collapse and fall into the river. When the speed of the river increases, it erodes the landscape around it.

Kayaking on Utah Lake

Southeast Asia

The first world religions that spread in Southeast Asia are Hinduism and Buddhism. Many sacred temples and sites are found all over this region.

Ice bath after meditation and breathwork

Tourism is short-term travel away from home with the intent to relax. Southeast Asia is home to some of the best tourist destinations, with its beautiful island destinations. Over 65 million international visitors travel to Southeast Asia each year.

Cruise in 2020 (right before COVID)

East Asia

Migration in East Asia is a very interesting topic to study. China has a system called the Hokou system that tracks where every citizen lives. The government keeps track of everyone with this system and knows if they are in an urban area or an agricultural area. If you live in your Hokou, you get government support; if you move away from the assigned area, you are on your own.

Becoming an American Citizen (2018)

More than half the world lives in Asia. Because of this, East Asia had a one-child policy for a long time. This created a massive gender imbalance as boys were preferred over girls, as they could work and take care of their parents as they aged. Because of the policy in 1979, 400 million fewer children were born while this policy was in place.

I have 2 kids (both girls)

Europe

Born and raised in the Netherlands, I saw the polders described in the book firsthand. Many windmills dotted the landscape that I saw daily as I rode my bike to school and back. Some of the windmills help pump the water that would otherwise overtake the country, as it is under sea level.

Me in big clogs when I was little, playing tourist.

Growing up in Europe, we traveled to a different country each summer for a few months' vacation. My favorite was Italy, and I was able to visit Venice. The book talks about Venice and how it is slowly sinking. The tides bring in high water, which they call acqua alta. The entire city is built on water, and you can make your way around the city by either walking or taking a boat.

Feeding the pigeons in Saint Mark's Square

South America, Mesoamerica, and the Caribbean

I went on a cruise and was able to visit some ruins left behind by civilizations in Mesoamerica. These particular ruins were what was left from villages that had been created by the Mayan people who inhabited this region long ago.

Tulum, Mexico

The ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) brings lots of rain to the Amazon, which is in this region. The Amazon gets year-round rainfall, which creates this tropical rainforest. The rainfall creates lots of beautiful vegetation that supplies many things we all use around the world.

Cave tubbing + floating down the river in Belize

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Kumbh Mehla

    I watched the documentary about the pilgrimage that millions of people take every 12 years to bathe in the Ganges River in India. I had a hard time choosing which documentary to watch, but I really enjoyed seeing how people worship within the Hindu faith.

    The film showed how the water level recedes, and an entire village with electricity and plumbing is erected for the ritual bathing where water used to be. You can see this new temporary village from space, as it is enormous and will house millions who travel there for this ritual. During the filming, a monsoon arrived and flooded some of the areas that had become dry on the banks of the river. The monsoon season in South Asia is between May and September and can bring enormous amounts of rain in a short period of time.

    The Ganges River is very important in India. It is a sacred place for Hindus all over the world. Hindus believe that the water flowing in the river is flowing from heaven to purify them. Every 12 years, a massive pilgrimage to the Ganges River is attempted by millions of people so that they can bathe in the holiness of the river.

    The act of washing themselves in the holy river is called Ablution. People will travel from all over the world to take part in this holy undertaking. The documentary follows worshipers from America as they travel to India for the holy festival for the first time.

    Hinduism started at the Indus River around 4000 BCE. Of the 1 billion Hindus in the world, 90% of them live in India. Hinduism is the 3rd largest religion after Christianity and Islam.

    You can tell that the pilgrimage to the Ganges River is a very big deal to Hindus, but also to other religions around the world. A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey for anyone, and so a lot of people of different faiths also travel to the Ganges River to take part in the holy festivities. I enjoyed learning more about this religion and some of its practices.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUC-dTWuS_A  

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025