National Geographic Shoutout: November, December & January

I had fallen a little behind during soccer season of staying up to date on reading my monthly National Geographic.  That was partly because I started to watch more television and Netflix offerings, but alas I have recommitted myself to reading through the articles and admiring the photographs that grace the pages of this esteemed monthly publication.

Over the past two months I've read the November, December and January issues.

The November issue had articles about storm chaser Tim Samaras and his untimely death doing his research this past May. A return to a reef in Papua New Guinea after seventeen years, the conflict and social divide present between northern and southern Nigeria, and the unique and picturesque coast of Norway.  The article about Tim Samaras was the one that hit closest to home. I remember growing up in southwestern Ohio during the summers and waiting for severe weather to roll through. As a family we used to sit on the front porch or in the living room watching the sky darken, the winds gust, the rain fall and the lightning strike. It was always a sight to see the power of a storm. When tornado sirens would sing we would head to the basement to ride out the storm. Well, all of us except my dad who always seemed to find his way outside to look for a funnel cloud and continuing to watch the storm rage.  I always wanted to stay as well and watch the natural show, but mom rarely let me till I was older.

Decembers' issue chronicled the first part of a 21,000 mile journey that Paul Salopek is undergoing to follow our ancestors path out of Africa to the southern most tip of South America. This is a scheduled to be a seven year journey that will be on foot, except when crossing oceans and seas. This issue also looked at the comeback of the cougar population in the USA, the use of lasers to create digital records of the wonders of the world including Mount Rushmore, Atlantic walruses, and tumbleweeds. I really enjoyed reading the cougar article and how one cougar has made his home in Griffith Park in Los Angeles as well as the tumbleweed story. The tumbleweed is just that it's a weed that was brought over from Russia. The article told the story of how the author had bought some land outside Santa Fe and started squaring off against this invader. It reminded me of what turned out to be one of mom's favorite past times; pulling weeds from her flower bed and the sidewalk. I don't know if she'd have the stamina to fight the good fight against a tumbleweed infestation, but I'm sure she would at least try if she needed to.

And that brings us to this months issue:

January enlightened me to how a native tribe in the wilds of the amazon have been able to adjust to the modern world around them in ways that suit them while also fighting for their land and maintaining their unique culture. This issue also had articles  about guest workers in the gulf states of Oman, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, Komodo dragons, the Sochi, Russia area that will be hosting the Olympics next month and a group of rock climbers doing "deepwater soloing" on the coast of Oman. 

The two human interest stories in this months edition are what I found most interesting. I really enjoyed reading about the "Kayapo" tribe in Brazil who have fought the Brazilian government, development of dams, logging companies, and oil interest to maintain their way of life and cultural heritage. They have had to find a balance of learning how to navigate the modern world while staying true to their traditions and heritage.

I also found the article about guest workers very interesting. I was shocked to see the amount of people who leave their homeland and families for years and years to make more money to send back to their families, so that they can have a better and more comfortable life back home. The article focused on a woman from the Philippines who is a guest worker in Dubai and her husband. They have four children. The two older children live in the Philippines with her sister. The sheer number of guest workers in Kuwait, Qatar, and the U.A.E is staggering. In the U.A.E and Qatar nearly 89% of the population are guest workers from other countries. And of those guest workers they send billions of dollars back to their loved ones in their countries of origin. In the U.A.E for instance the 7.3 million non-citizen population sent 20.3 billion dollars home in 2012. I completely understand why the guest workers make the decisions that they do and the sacrifices that they make for the ones they love. But, I also cannot imagine how difficult it must be to be so far from the ones you love for so long with little to no contact. I fractionally know how this feels as I live on the other side of the country from my parents with a weekly phone call and a yearly visit. and I still miss being able to see them and spend time with them more regularly.