Longing

Even though development is fast, there are still people in large parts of Asia who live without access to electricity

If people do not have electricity they cannot watch television - and then they don't know what is 'in', and what is going on in the big cities.

The big difference between countryside and the cities

Therefore there is often a huge difference between visiting a village in Asia and visiting an urban area.

In the countryside, dragons made of thin paper float over the flat house roofs where women dry the clothes they have washed, and they also dry their fruits there. In the evening, maybe the eldest person in the family tells one of the old stories he himself learned by heart as a boy.

In the big cities, on the contrary, many places resemble Western cities. You may find young people talking in cell phones, surfing on the internet, and using a large part of their money to abide to this season's fashion. The heartbeat of a big city is much quicker than life in the countryside. On the other hand, there is also much more pollution, noise and many more smells in the big cities.

Exercise:

• Take a walk in your town or your local area and notice any sound, any smell as well as other sensations. Write a story about your walk.
  

Hong Kong, photo: Susanne Pascal.

Girl carrying fire-wood. Photo: Torben Nissen

Hong Kong, foto: Susanne Pascal.