Neko

So, I’ve been on haru yasumi for a while now and I finally will get to do some traveling at the end of the month. I am going to visit Mt. Fuji and see it with my very own eyes! My fellow gaijin friends Esther and Grace will be coming with me and I couldn’t be more excited. We are going to spend a lot of time at the onsen and take as many touristy pictures as possible, probably posing with the peace sign—shamelessly!

They aren’t interested in going up Mt. Fuji, though. Oh, well.

It will be nice to get out of Osaka for a little bit :)

thetravelowl:

“Anything is Possible.” Outside of school house, Tortuguero, Costa Rica. August 3, 2011.

(via puravidacr)

I have a few things to do before I get on that plane. But mostly I should be packing. Today I got my suitcase out and laid it in the middle of the living room floor, hopefully the things that i want to take to the States will just crawling over and throw themselves inside of it. We’ll see.

My trip home will be a bit crazy. I am flying Kansai>Seattle>Atlanta>Tampa. Three flights! We’ll see how that goes.

I’m really glad that I will be coming back here.

I hate it when people I follow on Tumblr get in fights. It always amazes me that people get really heated over bad arguments. I hate seeing it on my dashboard. I’d love the get involved but I’m not about to clog someone elses dash with this nonsense.

The entertainment tonight was over a blog on tumblr that collects pictures of white people who go to Africa. Many would make assumptions about the intentions of people behind the camera and the intentions of the traveler. The blog that they were speaking of is a terrible blog, I’m not going to provide a link to it, but the argument wasn’t even about the blog- it turn into name calling.

This is just to say that it reminded me of something.

When I was studying abroad in Latin America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, & Cuba), I was always hesitant to whip out my camera for many reasons. I hated looking like a tourist, for one, and I also didn’t want to exploit those in my host culture. However, there is some proper documenting that can be done with photos like nothing else. My pictures weren’t going to be sold, they were going to be kept in albums so that I could remember the things that I learned and experienced while I was abroad.

So, there are many moments that I didn’t document through the lens of my camera because they were too delicate and I don’t regret it. Throughout my whole experience it was always something that I was careful of. I always asked before I took photos of people and as I became more sensitive to my environment I took less and less photos.

I realize that travel is a hobby for the rich. I am very thankful for all of that chances that I have been able to have in going abroad. Each country I have been to, I tried to make an effort to give back and make connections with people I meet there. In each case I have been successful. I think the world has a lot to teach me and I am grateful for it’s lessons.

Living abroad has taught be to appreciate life and that there are many more beautiful things to live for than success and personal advancement. I have learned to love the food that is put in front of me, to love the people that surround me, to participate in religious ceremonies that I may not fully understand, and to appreciate the ways that all people give and receive love and respect.

I remember that before my semester abroad I would often try to pretend that my family wasn’t wealthy in it’s own right, but let’s be real, my family is very privileged because we don’t worry about food, about clothes, about a home, etc. I remember one time I was with Meg and we were getting our almost daily “Coca Light” from the AutoMarcado. There was a beggar outside of the store. I gave him all my change that I had from buying my coke (which is a debatable activity, I know) and he said, in English, “God bless you, gringa.” I gave him enough for bus money, but I wasn’t worried about how much I gave him because it was so little and he treated it like gold, he looked in his bucket with complete surprise when he saw what coins I dropped. I remember getting on the bus and crying to Meg, because I’m emotional, and because I know how little that money meant to me and how much it meant to him. Actually, I can’t even guess how much it meant to him.

Written in my journal October 12, 2009- fresh from my stay in Nicaragua with my host family.

I don’t know why I decided that today of all days would be a good day to write… only because I don’t want to go to bed yet. I am starting to feel those changes that being in Latin America may do to you. For example: I am motivated to live a life that promotes justice for all people. I am becoming more of a socialist each day. I am thinking more deeply about how I contribute to poverty and racism & how the two specifically are issues of social concern Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I don’t think I will ever be able to really leave this place, I will have to come back some day. If not to CR than at least to other parts of Latin America. But I would make a special effort to see my Costa Rican family.

Here are some things that have been on my mind recently:
-How many belongings I have
-How being white gives you privilege
-Wasting food
-Spending money frivolously
-Having access to so many resources that most people don’t

I was thinking the other night, no matter what happens to me… whether I need medicine, surgery, a loan, aid… I will get it, somehow. I have had privilege from birth just by being born in America to a middle class white family. I am a woman which is a minor set back, if on at all. And I am so much further ahead, considering rights and such, than other women around the world. I hardly have any limitations. I would never hesitate to go to the hospital if I needed too, or get a loan for school, or anything like that, where as in other countries these are bigger and more difficult decisions.

My family in Nicaragua are very special people to me and they will always have a special place in my heart. Staying with them was a challenging for many reasons but they were wonderful to me. My mom, Claudia, was a very strong woman and she had given birth to 6 children! My dad was a construction worker and he worked such long hours that he was rarely home, I hardly saw him. My sibling were Paula, Rebecca, Javier, Julio, Luis, & Javiera. Luis was my favorite, we really got tight the last night and he was so upset when I left. I was upset too. Seeing him cry made me cry. The hardest part was knowing that I may never see them again. My heart feels so stretched and strained.

I couldn’t have asked for more in a family. I had the full Nicaraguan home stay experience for sure. The only thing I would complain about (not then of course, but now) was the amount of food they fed me. I was never ever even the least bit hungry when we were there. Ugh. However, the food that they overstuffed me with was exceptional, except the cheese. Ew. It’s farm fresh cheese… ya know, the stuff that squeaks in your mouth. Also, I ate sopa de Mondongo. Yep. Fortunately, I didn’t know what it was at the time.

Since Nicaragua, my thinking and passions have changed. I got a taste of life in a third world country—a different life, without privilege, without resources. I love Latin America. I have so much respect for people who live in these circumstances, they are strong and they deserve so much better. I want to learn Spanish even more so that I can understand their stories and fight for them. So I can live with conviction. My eyes have been opened to their reality and I want to tell their stories. I want my daily choices to be affected by the things that I have learned here. I want to live in solidarity- even from a distance.

This was my last meal at my three week home-stay in Palmares, CR. My host mom was the best cook in the world! I really miss home cooked Costa Rican food. Que rico! I miss the rice, the beans, the soup, the bananas, the pineapple, the mangoes, the avocados! The homemade fruit juices! Every time I try to recreate what I ate there, even something like Gallo Pinto, it’s never as good as it was in Costa Rica. I miss it all! Quiero volver a Costa Rica para ver mis amigos y comer su comida deliciosa!

The following is my travel-log from the move from New York to Florida. I felt like I should keep some kind of journal for the journey because it was an event that I didn’t really expect to see coming in my life. This past year, well really ever since my parents started talking about a move to Florida I have been completely against it, and I still am not entirely happy with this situation. However, here I am, I am going to give it a chance. Ugh.

Here is the log. Enjoy.

Wednesday. May 12, 2010

11:32 am- We have been on the road for about 3 hours already and we just crossed the PA state line a few moments ago. I have decided that I need to keep myself occupied, so, I will begin journaling as well as counting a few things:

• Cop Cars
• Mom’s cigarettes
• Breaks/Stops
• Different License Plates

There it is… I will compile the tallies in my finally entry. My mom has teared up a couple of time talking abut how she feels ad for leaving the goats and Frosty (never really Scrappy). I haven’t cried at all, which is really weird. I think I know that I will be back here (well, there, in NY) someday soon. Someday really soon, I hope. I still think my parents are crazy for doing this. We had to get two trucks to transport all of our crap to Florida. Our material possessions that mean the world to my mom are with us, but she still left some of the most important things behind—friends and family, I don’t know when she will realize this.

Also, on a lighter note, I don’t know how I made it to be 22 years old and I never hearing the song “Free Bird.” I’m a fan.

12:01 pm-We’re a ways into PA and I saw on Ontario license plate. I changed the GPS to British English and my mom complained. Then I threatened to change it to Spanish and she gave up because she wouldn’t know how to fix it.

1:50 pm- So we stopped on the side of the road because a tire blew on the trailer for the car. We had to wait 45 minutes (not too bad) for the Penske people to come and attend to their truck, we are at the 104 miles marker in PA- I don’t know what highway. We had just stopped for gas and then the tire blew… what luck. While we were waiting for the man to come bring us a new tire my parents decided to argue about whose fault it was—no one liked my suggestion of it being no ones fault. Nonetheless we will be getting back on the road soon. I am happy about this because the Semi’s keep shaking the truck that I am sitting in as they fly by.

3:43 pm- Buckle Up - Next Million Miles… Wow, Pennsylvania is so inspirational.

We are coming to Morgantown, PA (Hi Cassie!) on I-79S. There is always so much construction in PA, it never fails. Every couple of miles there is another work zone. Anyways, it’s raining now—actually this is nothing new, it has been raining off an on for almost the whole ride. As you may suspect, mom has been complaining about it for the entire drive. Let’s not forget Bob’s speeding because she loves complaining about that.

3:55 pm- Welcome to West Virginia.

I am having flashbacks to when I moved from Ohio to New York. It was scarier to move then, I had no control and I was leaving my father, who I was very attached to.

“Soul Sister” by Train just came on the radio, I love this song. Though it makes me with I had a man in my life—especially one that would write me songs.

I remember that I was so mad at my mom for bringing me to NY because in Ohio I had so many friends and I really loved the house I lived in and the school I went to and, well, I didn’t want to leave my dad. In fourth grade I had so much trouble making new friends in NY. I promised myself that I would never let her do that again…well, here I am.

I guess the goal is to make in to North Carolina before Sundown, or just after. I am so sick of my parents already. This could be a fun trip, but nothing it ever fun when people are fighting. Mom is still complaining about the rain and Bob’s speeding.

In West Virginia there are a lot of signs advising you on what to do in case of an accident—this worried me.

10:50 pm-We are spending the night in Virginia at a motel. We are heading out earlier in the morning. I am not very excited about tomorrow because mom is getting whiny about driving and I might have to drive that big friggin’ truck. We didn’t make it to North Carolina so Bob is a little panicky. The weather was too bad to keep going. We had stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner (one of their favorite places to eat) and when we got out to continue our trip, a crazy storm was starting to pick up. I was outside of truck helping Bob back out, and it began pouring, really heavy drops of rain so I ran back to mom’s truck, soaking wet. Except, I packed my rain coat, so the top of me was dry, waist down was not so fortunate.

We spent another hour and half on the road and then called it a night. We pulled into the first motel we saw—and it was a nicer one. However, I am freezing cold because they have the A/C on, it’s chilled to the bone from getting soaked by the rain. I am just not going to waste time complaining, I never want to rock the boat with these two when the water is already stirring.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

9:03 am- We got on the road this morning around 7:30. We woke up at 6ish, got ready and then went to Dairy Queen for breakfast and coffee. This trip could be mad fun if I wasn’t with my parents. I have been trying to make it fun, but they are just as about as agreeable as angsty teenagers. So, I have been extremely unsuccessful- everyone is set on being miserable accept me and the dog.

Moments ago we crossed the North Carolina boarder.

I would like to give myself a pat on the back for being the most prepared person in our family for this trip—I haven’t found anything that I forgot, except a pair of tweezers.

I am glad I chose my Birkenstocks for this trip—they are wonderful.

Cassie would be disappointed in my clothing choices today. I am wearing a read tie-dye shirt with my green filigree zippy that she likes with Birkenstocks. Translation: I look like a color blind hippie- with frizzy hair and no make up, I probably look like a man hating feminist, too.

10:40 am- South Carolina border conquered—potty break.

1:04 pm- Apparently we have 8 hours left on our journey to Florida and we are driving until we get there. There are palm trees lining up on the sides of the road, different types of trees than I am used to, more tropical. No pines, really, at least not like I’m used to seeing (Christmas tree types). No maples at all. The grass is dry, mostly stiff, burnt, and prickly looking. I am going to miss the soft grass that you can run around barefoot in up north. We are closing in on Orangeburg, SC.

I feel like people go to Florida to die—just like dogs run away from homes when they know they only have a few hours left.

4:05 pm- We were stopped on 95 for about 20 minutes because there was a motorcycle accident à there were two passengers on the bike and they had to be airlifted to the hospital, I hope they make it; most motorcycle accidents on the highway are fatal.

In the meantime, I learned that I prefer the windows down to having the A/C on.

Since it was mad hot while we were just sitting there, I changed from my jeans to my shorts in the cab on the truck. No one saw, at least to my knowledge.

We made friends with a man driving a big red semi since he was stopped next to us, he let us cut in front of him because we stuck on the on ramp. My mom jumped out of the car and offered him the rest of her sandwich from Subway, he turned her down. Haha.

4:18 pm- We just entered Georgia. “Sweet Caroline” came on the radio and I thought of the time when Cassie and I serenaded Kelsey with this song… well the multiple times, because it was k in our heads for days. Also, we were singing that song by Outkast with the line, “She needs a golden calculator to divide.”

I miss my roomies. A friggin’ ton.

I just saw a gas station called “El Cheapo.” HAHA!

6:26 pm- We just crossed the Florida border. Ugh.

8:01 pm- Stopping in St. Augustine, FL for the night because they were tired of driving. We are at the Quality Inn and they have free wireless!

Friday, May 14, 2010

9:20 am-We got on the road around 8:40 this morning, we only have about 3 hours left to drive. Mom’s pissed at Bob because he gave away this huge bottle of whiskey to one of the people that helped us. He mentioned something about it and mom wigged out—apparently it was a really cool bottle and mom wanted the bottle, I just it looked like a window pane and she wanted to turn it into a lamp. She bought it with him from the Canadian border, the woman has everything else and she is mad about this. Like I said earlier, she left so much more in New York and Ohio and isn’t even mad about that. I would be.

This morning I actually got to take a shower (rather than taking it at night). Got to do some grooming—shaved the legs, plucked the eyebrows, put on some eye makeup—I feel like a million bucks.

I’m wearing shorts again with my purple v-neck long sleeve tee… good thing too because mom keeps the A/C on mad cold all the time. Light blue cami underneath and of course the burkies… Cassie would be a little less ashamed of being seen with me today. I wish she were here.

9:40 am-

Lonely? Confused? Angry? Depressed?

Jesus is still the answer.

What? I feel like the well-meaning that came up with this one didn’t think it all the way through. With out the Christian assumption that everything in life is happy-go-luck when you are walking hand-in-hand with Jesus, this sounds like Jesus is the one making me miserable. I’m sure the people who created this sign had good intentions, however, I feel like these things shouldn’t be on billboard ads.

I guess I will write more about my morning. The hotel fed us, I had biscuits and gravy with fruit and yogurt. Mad me think of all the good times I had in West Virginia, which is where I first had biscuits and gravy, actually. I grabbed a tour guide book from the front desk that was in Spanish. Learned a few things, like that St. Augustine has the oldest fort in the US, it’s a Spanish fort of course.

10:21 am- We are now driving through Orlando. Getting closer.

10:23 am- “Free Bird” came on the radio, again. Irony?

6:50 pm-I have been at Jimmy’s house all day waiting for my parents to get back from the house. They went to the closing and left me at a friend’s house. Luckily I have the three little doggies to keep me company. We got in the Lakeland around noon—mom and Bob went and got us all lunch. I meet Heather (Jimmy’s daughter), she’s nice. Anyways, I still haven’t seen the house but I am afraid that I am going to hate it. I feel like it’s going to be mad small and that there will be no place to but all of mom’s stuff. I just learned today that my mom’s putting all of my stuff into storage, like all my bedroom furniture.

I guess I should be happy that I have a place to hang my metaphorical hat. Whatever.

I feel like this will cause me to journal a ton this summer. So be it.

Anyway, the final tally:

Cops: 39

Mom’s Cigs: 47

Breaks: 8

Plates: New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Alabama, Mississippi