| DISPATCHES |
Postcards from Galway City, Zadar, Kanazawa, London, and Beijing |
Traveling to a foreign country not only means visiting its museums but also exploring every single corner of it. Throughout the summer, five Yale students conquered the world and observed the beauty of its landscapes, the development of its cities, and the changes in its societies. The following postcards from Britain, Ireland, China, Japan and Croatia demonstrate the diversity of the world.
City of Delights
by Jared Zichek
(Galway City, Ireland)
Welcome to Galway City, Ireland, the fastest growing city in Europe. Located on the beautiful western coast of Europe, Galway is attracting investment from all over the world and continually sets records for the number of tourists that swarm through the streets. It symbolizes the European Union’s potential for prosperity.
Though lacking the sophistication of London, the romance of Paris, or the size (and griminess) of Dublin, Galway City combines commercial and bohemian elements, with Mercedes Benz taxis driving through streets full of buskers (street musicians), performance artists, and endless streams of tourists that come to enjoy a thick, frothy pint of Guinness in a Galway pub. Working as a youth hostel this summer, I observed not only Ireland’s biggest industry - tourism - but also its beautiful landscape. The success of Galway’s tourist industry lies in the city’s proximity to some of the most breathtaking countryside in the world. North of Galway is Connemara, a gorgeously rugged region crisscrossed by stone walls and ruins dating back to the time of the Famine. To the south are the Cliffs of Moher, the sheerest cliffs in Ireland and among the most beautiful in Europe. Fifteen miles west of Galway Bay are the Arran Islands, a tiny island group made famous by Irish authors and contemporary documentaries for its ancient, untouched landscape.
Besides its beauty, Galway is deservedly considered the art center of Ireland. Numerous galleries are sandwiched between the storefronts on the narrow, winding medieval streets. The Galway Arts Festival, held annually in late July, has rapidly gained prestige and attracted the talents of artists from all over Europe, as well as celebrities such as Angelica Huston and Peter O’Toole. In the month of August, the city hosts the Galway Races, the equivalent of the Kentucky Derby, to which Irish (and increasingly, Germans) with an itch for gambling have been coming for nearly a century.
Beyond the medieval heart of Galway, one sees the economic engines that drive this city at full speed. Several computer software firms, including Microsoft, have set up shop in Galway and the rest of Ireland. Publishing houses are also major players in the economy. Perhaps the most interesting new employer in the area is the film studio built by Hollywood schlockmeister Roger Corman, famous for his B-movies that rarely meet with critics’ praise but always make a profit. The film industry has been attracted to Ireland because of the incomparable beauty of the country as well as a special tax break incentive engineered by the Ministry of Culture, making production costs considerably lower than in countries such as the United Kingdom. Another tier in Galway’s economy bears mentioning: subsidies from the European Union. Wherever one travels in the Republic of Ireland, one is certain to see signs erected at public works projects expressing gratitude for the generous amount of money received from the European Union used to finance the revitalization of Ireland’s infrastructure. As one of the poorest countries in the Union (second only to Portugal), Ireland has been one of the largest beneficiaries of subsidies. It is still rather underdeveloped and carries an unemployment figure in the double digits, though this number has been steadily decreasing during the last five years. Galway has used the subsidies to build roads and new government offices for the Galway City Corporation (council). Although the Union will soon cut the amount of subsidies, hopefully one of the most enjoyable places in Europe can still continue to prosper.
Of Economic Recovery and
Political Troubles
by John Mihaljevic
(Zadar, Croatia)
A great number of tourists came to Croatia last summer, just one year after the end of its war of independence against its Serbian neighbor. The country is experiencing a solid economic recovery spurred by a booming tourism industry. Croatia’s Adriaic coast, which boasts well over a thousand islands, used to be a mecca for millions of tourists each year before the war. With lasting peace a real possibility, the number of foreign visitors approached prewar levels for the first time this year. The inflow of foreign currency as a result of the boom in tourism increased the central bank’s stock of reserves, thereby strengthening Croatia’s economy. Good economic news, however, is also good political news in a country that sees itself as the victim of recent Serbian aggression. Accepting the many shortcomings of the peace agreement signed in Dayton, Ohio last year was easier in a positive economic environment.
It would nonetheless be illusory to assume that the political problems in Croatia and Bosnia will fade away for economic reasons. If major provisions of the Dayton peace agreement continue to be violated by the Serbs without any adequate response by the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR), the entire contractual framework could fall apart. Serbian war criminals Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic, are still in charge when, according to the Dayton accords, they should have left the political scene and faced trial before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
The Bosnian Serbs are also violating the principle of free movement within Bosnia, another crucial provision of the peace treaty. Muslim and Croat refugees have been repeatedly attacked and even killed while attempting to visit their prewar homes that are now in the hands of the Karadzic regime. As a result, most refugees fear returning to their places of origin, effectively cementing the status-quo of ethnic cleansing. The Serb strategy regarding the elections is simple: keep the non-Serbs from returning to their home towns by denying them the right to vote. So far, this strategy seems to be paying off.
In doer for the fragile peace in Croatia and neighboring Bosnia to hold once the international military force leaves the region, the United States needs to lead the international community in punishing those displaying utter disrespect for the Dayton peace accords. The troublemakers are anything but hard to identify. They are still found in Belgrade and Pale.
The Making of a World City
by Beatrice Chen
(Kanazawa, Japan)
Tucked behind the Japanese Alps and facing the Japan Sea lies the best-kept secret of Japan, the city of Kanazawa. Known to the Japanese citizens as "Little Kyoto," Kanazawa has successfully incorporated history and nature into its urban design.
The history of the city dates back to 1546 when it was only a small village run by the Buddhist Ikko sect. Maeda Toshiie, the leader of the second largest clan in feudal Japan, took over the small Buddhist village in 1583. Under the rule of Maeda, Kanazawa became an important industrial, administrative, and cultural center of Japan. Since the feudal era, Kanazawa has developed into a thoroughly modern city while preserving the legacy of Maeda Toshiie.
Today, the historic castle town of Kanazawa exists harmoniously with its modern-day counterpart. Samurai houses dating back to the feudal times can be found in the alleys right behind the city’s largest department store. Between stretches of roads and rows of houses are ricefields that run on for miles. Kanazawa is truly a city where the past greets the future. In a society where a respect for culture and tradition is so deeply ingrained it is not difficult to find relics of history amongst the modern buildings. What made Kanazawa stand out, however, is the passion of its residents for their hometown. Its population seems to enjoy living in the city.
Perhaps the only facto preventing Kanazawa from becoming as well recognized as Kyoto is its geographical disadvantage. A lengthy train ride between Kanazawa and the nearest international airport in Osaka discourages many overseas visitors to make this worthwhile trek. In 1984, the City of Kanazawa Cultural Conference was held in order to remedy this situation and also to discuss ways in which Kanazawa could garner greater international recognition. Since the conference, the local government has been guiding its population towards the realization of the Kanazawa World City Concept. Soon, the Hokuriku Shinkansen (Bullet Train) will run through the city, allowing a significant reduction in travel time to and from Osaka. in addition, the promotion of Komatsu Airport as an international airport will attract more overseas visitors.
The development of Kanazawa has also been aided by several international exchange programs which reflect the success of the World City Concept. Almost all of the local families have played host to foreign visitors and many have been eager to do it again. From personal experience, I found the people not only willing to learn about foreign cultures but also very enthusiastic when given the opportunity to show the world their beloved hometown. It is the passion of the people that has facilitated the process of transforming Kanazawa into a World City and that has made foreigners willing to discover this little-known treasure of Japan.
It’s All in the Numbers
by Helen Kim
(London, England)
Mid-August is a stressful time for British 18-year olds. It is the time when they find out the results of their A-level exams, those tests which, with recommendations and essays, determine which universities they will go to. The day the results are posted is one of glee for high scorers and, for the hapless, the beginning of a desperate scramble to get into any university - respectable or not. Listening to and reading the news reports in London, I was struck by the percentages the news anchors reported.
A-level examinations are taken after two years of concentrated study on usually three subjects of the student’s choice. Until recently, they were a one-shot deal, testing all the knowledge the student had learned over two years. With the recent introduction of modular A-levels, a system in which a student may take A-levels at several points during the two years and retake them if inclined, some politicians and educators say that the exam results do not accurately reflect the ability of the students. They point out the incredible rise (from 68 to 86 percent) in the percentage of students passing A-levels over the past 15 years.
Modular exams are not the only aspect of A-levels that sparks controversy each August. Eight different examination boards in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland compete to get as many students as possible to take their exams. Because schools can choose to take, for instance, the London Board’s exam in English and the Oxford Board’s exam in mathematics, schools shop around to find the "best" test for their students. Thus, boards have strong incentives to make tests easier or to lower grading standards to create better results and attract more schools. Ensuring consistency in grading is extraordinarily difficult when different boards have different syllabi, questions and exam lengths.
Optimists argue that perhaps the percentage increase is indeed a reflection of improved preparation and better schools. They often point out that the proportion of students continuing on to higher education has nearly doubled in the last six years and credit the government’s goal of increasing the percentage of 18-year olds going to university from 15 to 30 percent. The present goal is to push it up to 40 percent by the turn of the century.
These were the percentages that arrested me. That 86 percent of A-level examinees passed is remarkable. But that only 40 percent of all 18-year olds even take the exam is even more astonishing because that means that only 32 percent of all 18-year olds in England and Wales have the credentials to go to a university. Over two-thirds of this year’s 18-year olds will not attend university at all. Here, in the U.S., the college degree is deemed so essential in getting a good job that I never questioned my going to college when I was in high school. This assumption is not universal among American high schoolers, but for many students in the U.S., college is a kind of breather, a time in which to grow up before facing the real world, a time for students to form bonds across social divisions.
My initial reaction was to applaud the British government for encouraging more young people to go to university. But am I being elitist thinking that hairdressers need to learn Shakespeare in order to lead happy lives? Or am I being elitist in thinking that they do not? A British newspaper columnist pointed out that is almost everyone received a degree, as in the U.S., then it would have no value. As I celebrate Yale’s number one ranking in this year’s US News and World Report college guide, the issue of British education leaves me wondering what that means.
The Happy News
by Alex Williamson
(Beijing, China)
The writers at China’s state-run English daily, The China Daily, have a difficult job: They must put a generally positive and unswervingly pro-PRC spin on all the news that they report. any mention of the deadly flood that gripped the south of China this summer were hidden within the heroic accounts of brave villagers successfully holding back the flood waters. Coverage of the Olympics was just as slanted. The China Daily is probably one of the few papers that had the guts to report that the U.S. Olympic basketball team feared the Yugoslav team. The rest of the world’s papers probably concentrated on the U.S.’s thirty point victory over Yugoslavia.
With a few exceptions, one could discern how the government of the PRC felt about the many issues by reading The China Daily. China’s economic reforms was one notable exception. The paper carried lots of articles that praised output increases in various sectors and touted the advantages of investing in various regions. Economic development has been state policy for some time, so such articles were not surprising. Articles that criticized the excesses of capitalism, however, were unexpected. Many articles pointed out the virtues of state-run enterprises and others derided the excesses of American-style capitalism. The plurality of views on capitalism is refreshing but also raises questions about the Chinese government’s commitment to economic reforms. Many Chinese students seemed no more certain about free markets than their government. They worried about rising crime rates in urban areas and increasing economic dependence on foreigners. One was even worried that capitalism would bring higher divorce rates.
Perhaps this is because China’s brief experience with the free market hasn’t been altogether positive. High inflation gripped the Chinese economy during the early 1990s and large income inequalities have emerged between the coast and the interior. In addition, social problems have arisen: The cities are swelling with unemployed farmers, corruption is rampant, and crime is rising. This summer, China saw its first bank robbery.
The China Daily never missed an opportunity to report the conviction of a corrupt official or the public execution of a convicted felon. Operation Strike Hard, the Chinese government’s draconian effort to look tough on crime, also received plenty of coverage. The China Daily’s Communists superiors may not be of one mind on capitalism but they clearly despise some of its effects. This could explain why the Chinese government has yet to privatize its state-run industries. Such a move would deprive many workers of their good-paying jobs with generous benefits. Privatization could also lead to foreign ownership of industries that many Chinese feel are vital to China’s security. When asked about privatization, most Chinese asked, "How would you like it if foreigners owned your railroads?" The China Daily never seemed to have an answer to this question, so it is unlikely that the Chinese government has one either.
| Mr. Zichek, BR'99, is a student at Yale College. Mr. Mihaljevic, DC'99, is an economics major. Ms. Chen, TD'98, is a history and international studies major. Ms. Kim, SM'97, is a history and English major. Mr. Williamson, TC'99, is a political science major. | 
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