It's so easy, when life gives you lemons, which it undoubtedly will do from time to time, to get down on yourself and start wondering, "what am I doing wrong?" I think we are all conditioned to immediately think that if we were only smarter, more attractive, more active, or better at whatever seems to be our hang up at the time, that these bad things in life just wouldn't happen to us...and that we could coast along in this little bubble, feeling good and content indefinitely.
The more I get out and spend some time exploring the world, the more I meet people from different countries, different walks of life, and different mindsets and beliefs. I have been so fortunate to meet people who constantly challenge my world and expand my understanding of life, purpose, adventure, and interpersonal relationships, while encouraging me to not get down on myself, but to dream big. It has been smashed into the back of 12 passenger vans, hopping the Burmese or Malaysian border, sleeping outside of train stations with squatters, or climbing rocks in Flagstaff, Arizona that I've met unexpected people who have dropped "truth bombs" on me. (Zach, my old debate partner and I used to love to talk about truth bombs or pieces of knowledge that, when told to a listener, are devastating to the listener's argument or world view - definition borrowed from urbandictionary.com). What is amazing and unbelievable about this world is that anyone has the ability to drop bombs of truth - truth bombs, if you will. That is sort of a side note, but the moral is that not only does each person in this world have the ability to be a teacher, but that this world is filled with incredible people who we should seek out to enrich our lives. We should never stop learning or pursuing the "ah-hah" moments when our world views are expanded or challenged, and we should be open to the right types of bombs - truth bombs that is.
It has always been my belief that - "Life is too short not to surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you". The reality is that we are products of nature and nurture; children in the sense that we are growing and learning constantly in an alien world. It is okay to be selfish when it comes to who we choose to spend our time with. I'm not a 40 year old trying to make it work for the kids. I'm a 20 something who is trying to find myself and strive for something more.
Positive and passionate people inspire positivity and passion in your own life. They help you challenge the mundane by inspiring you to seek out your potential - mostly because they tend to have some sort of awesome plan/project going on and that type of energy is infectious! It's all about the swagga and I am a firm believer that if you are struggling to find your "swagga" or one's own unique style or personality that sets them apart from anyone else, (again, thank you urbandictionary.com - in fact Urban Dictionary might be the only word source I choose to reference from this point forward :) haha) the easiest thing you can do is think critically about the people you are surrounding yourself with. Do people around you bring positivity and passion to your life? That means in all senses - do people add drama to your life with negativity or do they encourage you to push the boundaries and explore the possibilities? Do you do that for other people?
When life gives you lemons, you can be down on yourself or you can listen to Atmosphere and "paint that shit gold". It can be a time to be down or it can be a time for you to grow. The great thing about filling your life with people who bring out the best in you is that they tend to encourage you to take each road block as an opportunity to head a new direction...or hurdle! - who knows. I believe that if you're feeling like you've lost your swagga and want to get it back, you have to think about what type of life you want to live and then if people around you are conducive to living passionately.
Life is too short not to surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. It can be one person who makes you want to be a better person or a new group of people who encourage you to grab hold of opportunities you might have otherwise been afraid to reach for. I try to be a positive person and be someone who encourages others, but I know that I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for a little bit of swagga/truth bombs learned from/dropped by amazing people along the way.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Junip
Jose Gonzales has been a influential artist to me because of the beauty in his voice and of course his undeniable talent with a guitar. His solo career is amazing, but I recently rediscovered Junip - a Swedish band Jose Gonzales is a part of. The band also includes Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn and is incredible for raining days or just chilling out because of the softness of their harmonies and the "indie folkness" of their style. I can't get enough of these guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7yaHnUPJLE
They recently were at Bonnaroo, a festival in Manchester, Tennessee, and I hope people get to check them out at festivals in the future. As great as Jose Gonzales is on his own, Junip is a great transition in his musical career.
Speaking of amazing festivals though - the live music scene in the United States right now is unreal. Sure, I imagine there are always great bands and great festivals regardless of what year it is, but I am dying over the lineups for August 2011 alone -
Hard Summer in Los Angeles, California
Outside Lands in San Francisco, California
Pacific Festival: Oak Canyon Ranch, Orange County, California
They look incredible - so if you are on the west coast or anywhere near the west coast for the remainder of the summer - go shake your ass in some neon short-shorts to Chromeo for me. Epic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7yaHnUPJLE
They recently were at Bonnaroo, a festival in Manchester, Tennessee, and I hope people get to check them out at festivals in the future. As great as Jose Gonzales is on his own, Junip is a great transition in his musical career.
Speaking of amazing festivals though - the live music scene in the United States right now is unreal. Sure, I imagine there are always great bands and great festivals regardless of what year it is, but I am dying over the lineups for August 2011 alone -
Hard Summer in Los Angeles, California
Outside Lands in San Francisco, California
Pacific Festival: Oak Canyon Ranch, Orange County, California
They look incredible - so if you are on the west coast or anywhere near the west coast for the remainder of the summer - go shake your ass in some neon short-shorts to Chromeo for me. Epic.
Balanced diet: that's like ice cream with a cherry on top?
What the hell does it mean to have a balanced diet, really? I mean, if I have a side salad with my salmon, obviously I'm healthy, right? Welllll, not necessarily. We all hear about the importance of having a balanced diet, but what gives? It is starting to sound more like a catch phrase than anything else.
About 2 weeks ago, I started paying my calorie counter account some attention in order to see what I was actually eating, how much I was eating, and if I was getting everything that was necessary for my body (This is part of the whole get strong and climb hard kick that I'm on).
I was baffled by the holes in my diet! After 2 weeks of coming up short in Vitamin C, Iron, Potassium, Fiber, and other minerals that you don't necessarily think about when perusing the isles of the local grocery store, I decided it was time for me to do some research.
I've been a "pesci-vegetarian" or "pescetarian" now for 3 years. This means that I omit poultry and meats from my diet, but still eat fish, eggs, and dairy products. Many pescetarians will exclude eggs and dairy completely, but I've seen the ugly face of an enchilada without cheese...let's face it - that's one step I'm not willing to take. The root - "pesce" or fish, is the main focus of the diet and helps satisfy your body's need for omega 3s, fatty acids, and protein. However, after being a semi-vegetarian for 3 years now, I'm realizing that I'm increasingly making choices that are all vegetarian. So, then the research kicked in which reminded me of all of the environmental impacts of aquaculture and the global impact of our cultures demand for meat (fish included).
Thailand is a predominately Buddhist nation, where one of the tenants of the devout is a strictly vegetarian diet. Making the switch to "vegetarian only" is something that is relatively easy here and is something that personally, has been in the back of my mind for some time. Coupled with the growing detriment to the oceans - seeing that first hand here in an island environment - I see that things really do need to be changed and unfortunately, as we put more of a demand on the fishing industry, the selection of specific fish has pushed entire ecosystems to the brink of collapse and led the majority of fish species to extinction. This has been an ever increasing problem and is something that many pescetarians are unaware of - thinking only of the deforestation and energy wasting practices of meat production (Check out Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser if you need a little update on the dark side of meat production in America). It is important to stay informed.
So, I'm going vegetarian. But, even for those who are hanging onto a hamburger as they read this, having a balanced diet is important for all of us, no matter what type of eater you are -tarian suffix or not. There is a lot more that goes into it, but hey, we only have one body in this life - we might as well try to treat it right and give it the things that it needs to be the best that it can.
Balancing your diet is not just a catch phrase, it's a life choice and sometimes, it is hard! But, what the hell - I'm going to keep working at it - my body is a temple, damn it! haha....that needs an offering of fruit n' veg...along with cookies n' cream. :)
About 2 weeks ago, I started paying my calorie counter account some attention in order to see what I was actually eating, how much I was eating, and if I was getting everything that was necessary for my body (This is part of the whole get strong and climb hard kick that I'm on).
I was baffled by the holes in my diet! After 2 weeks of coming up short in Vitamin C, Iron, Potassium, Fiber, and other minerals that you don't necessarily think about when perusing the isles of the local grocery store, I decided it was time for me to do some research.
I've been a "pesci-vegetarian" or "pescetarian" now for 3 years. This means that I omit poultry and meats from my diet, but still eat fish, eggs, and dairy products. Many pescetarians will exclude eggs and dairy completely, but I've seen the ugly face of an enchilada without cheese...let's face it - that's one step I'm not willing to take. The root - "pesce" or fish, is the main focus of the diet and helps satisfy your body's need for omega 3s, fatty acids, and protein. However, after being a semi-vegetarian for 3 years now, I'm realizing that I'm increasingly making choices that are all vegetarian. So, then the research kicked in which reminded me of all of the environmental impacts of aquaculture and the global impact of our cultures demand for meat (fish included).
Thailand is a predominately Buddhist nation, where one of the tenants of the devout is a strictly vegetarian diet. Making the switch to "vegetarian only" is something that is relatively easy here and is something that personally, has been in the back of my mind for some time. Coupled with the growing detriment to the oceans - seeing that first hand here in an island environment - I see that things really do need to be changed and unfortunately, as we put more of a demand on the fishing industry, the selection of specific fish has pushed entire ecosystems to the brink of collapse and led the majority of fish species to extinction. This has been an ever increasing problem and is something that many pescetarians are unaware of - thinking only of the deforestation and energy wasting practices of meat production (Check out Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser if you need a little update on the dark side of meat production in America). It is important to stay informed.
So, I'm going vegetarian. But, even for those who are hanging onto a hamburger as they read this, having a balanced diet is important for all of us, no matter what type of eater you are -tarian suffix or not. There is a lot more that goes into it, but hey, we only have one body in this life - we might as well try to treat it right and give it the things that it needs to be the best that it can.
Balancing your diet is not just a catch phrase, it's a life choice and sometimes, it is hard! But, what the hell - I'm going to keep working at it - my body is a temple, damn it! haha....that needs an offering of fruit n' veg...along with cookies n' cream. :)
Haikus
Ceiling fan, light breeze
Out the white window I look
Sing bird, teach me zen
Lights out, candles lit
Making dinner, peaceful night
Let's not pay the bill
Young love: like having a
learner's permit, legal
but still dangerous
Severed limb: my body whole,
but my sister silent -
phantom pains
Early morning run
past monks, golden robes - bare feet
do I move too fast?
Out the white window I look
Sing bird, teach me zen
Lights out, candles lit
Making dinner, peaceful night
Let's not pay the bill
Young love: like having a
learner's permit, legal
but still dangerous
Severed limb: my body whole,
but my sister silent -
phantom pains
Early morning run
past monks, golden robes - bare feet
do I move too fast?
Oh shit, how did I become responsible for a child's education?
If you knew me as an angsty 17 year old in high school... - I don't even want to paint a picture for you, because it wasn't a pretty as far as academia was concerned. I definitely gave teachers a much harder time than they deserved and I tended to think it was much more important to socialize and work on not being in class as much as possible. If I would have spent even a fraction of the time that I did trying to ditch class on actually doing some school work...well the "what ifs" are endless. At the end of the day I had a blast in high school and I am lucky as hell that, low and behold, Speech and Debate was my forte and NAU wanted me to debate for them. Talk about a 360 degree turn from attitude-y, lady man-on-top-of-a-mountain (mascott was literally a "Hilltopper"), to overachieving lady lumber jack (another school mascott - you gotta love mascotts in mountain towns, but at least in college my mascott had a weapon, not just an accomplished grin).
So, after graduating from NAU with a degree in political science, I went to work for the Arizona Democratic Party doing community organizing based out of Flagstaff for the midterm elections. I was focusing on the Ann Kirkpatrick for congress campaign, but also split my time working for Terry Goddard, Chris Deschene, and the rest of the democratic ticket. Although it seemed like the right "next step" for a recent graduate from a low key environmental grass roots organizing background, I hated life doing it. Sure there were upsides, but there are glaring differences between issues work, meaning passing bills and reform measures, and putting all of your hopes and dreams behind a single individual, working your ass off to get said person elected or reelected. Furthermore, it certainly doesn't help when, as the Democrats saw that first week of November, you get face-crushed. It was devastating. If you sort through posts from a couple of months back on my livejournal, there are a couple "hating the world" entries which were added in the week following the midterms and the end of my job, where I lay in bed all day, watching Dexter and not wanting to get up. You go from working 18 hour - force that peppy smile on your face each minute of phone banking - days to unemployment and disappointment. It is pretty earth shattering telling your community members that despite your best efforts, they will now be represented by a dentist. Solving gingivitis and lowering..I mean, increasing the...(wait, does he even know what he is talking about or is this another episode of The Muppets?) minimum wage...who needs that anyway?
A little bitter, but that's the way American politics go. We like to keep it simple and when simple doesn't really make sense, well if we throw enough money behind it - then simple sells. I'll drink some tea to that.
I peace-d out. I knew there were 2 things I wanted to do with my flashy piece of college officialness and that was use that piece of paper for something and then travel. 1.) I participated in the democratic....umm process...and will only return to "feel good-ers" like Greenpeace in the future, for love and support of course. I'm over politics in the Grand Canyon state - sorry Arizona, I was only like you when I was more interested in boys than English 101, but I matured and actually like education now. You should try to grow up too. P.S. racial profiling is kinda f-ed up.
2.) I knew I had the travel bug...bad...also proven by posts of bucket lists and all of the repetitive gush sessions including me thinking about leaving for Thailand, getting ready to leave for Thailand, arriving in Thailand, and still not being able to believe that I'm still living in Thailand. I figured out a way to travel and here I am, teaching English to high school students at a government school in Phuket, struggling with getting students to give a damn about social studies which, oddly enough, is what I ended up getting the opportunity to teach. Yes, I'm teaching social studies, global education, religion, and english for presentations - public speaking. Smile. It is as though I fell into the perfect job. Now, I get to travel and teach students about all of the stuff that made me angsty and anti-establishment in the first place with speech writing as the cherry on top. I love it. It's totally full circle, but now that I'm on the other side of the classroom roles, I feel like the disinterested 17 year old from my past helps me connect with all of these amazing kids. We talk about industrial development, peace and reconciliation across religious lines, the implications of global culture on the environment - just really sweet stuff. If you ever feel like you need to get away from it all and you want to do something with that pesky travel bug that you just can't shake, get a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate and make an impact on a student's life. It is amazing. It's a great way to see the world, it gives you a job, and in my case it kills two birds with one stone - I get to travel and use my degree all at once.
I still love high school, not just because of the shenanigans and tomfoolery I partook in as an angst-y 17 year old, but because of the lessons that I learned then and the love of education that I have now. For better or for worse, I've been on both sides and I'm sorry to all of the teachers I drove crazy with my behavior, but in this crazy world that continues to teach lessons in circular ways - thank you for hanging in there with me, I'm now a better teacher because of it.
So, after graduating from NAU with a degree in political science, I went to work for the Arizona Democratic Party doing community organizing based out of Flagstaff for the midterm elections. I was focusing on the Ann Kirkpatrick for congress campaign, but also split my time working for Terry Goddard, Chris Deschene, and the rest of the democratic ticket. Although it seemed like the right "next step" for a recent graduate from a low key environmental grass roots organizing background, I hated life doing it. Sure there were upsides, but there are glaring differences between issues work, meaning passing bills and reform measures, and putting all of your hopes and dreams behind a single individual, working your ass off to get said person elected or reelected. Furthermore, it certainly doesn't help when, as the Democrats saw that first week of November, you get face-crushed. It was devastating. If you sort through posts from a couple of months back on my livejournal, there are a couple "hating the world" entries which were added in the week following the midterms and the end of my job, where I lay in bed all day, watching Dexter and not wanting to get up. You go from working 18 hour - force that peppy smile on your face each minute of phone banking - days to unemployment and disappointment. It is pretty earth shattering telling your community members that despite your best efforts, they will now be represented by a dentist. Solving gingivitis and lowering..I mean, increasing the...(wait, does he even know what he is talking about or is this another episode of The Muppets?) minimum wage...who needs that anyway?
A little bitter, but that's the way American politics go. We like to keep it simple and when simple doesn't really make sense, well if we throw enough money behind it - then simple sells. I'll drink some tea to that.
I peace-d out. I knew there were 2 things I wanted to do with my flashy piece of college officialness and that was use that piece of paper for something and then travel. 1.) I participated in the democratic....umm process...and will only return to "feel good-ers" like Greenpeace in the future, for love and support of course. I'm over politics in the Grand Canyon state - sorry Arizona, I was only like you when I was more interested in boys than English 101, but I matured and actually like education now. You should try to grow up too. P.S. racial profiling is kinda f-ed up.
2.) I knew I had the travel bug...bad...also proven by posts of bucket lists and all of the repetitive gush sessions including me thinking about leaving for Thailand, getting ready to leave for Thailand, arriving in Thailand, and still not being able to believe that I'm still living in Thailand. I figured out a way to travel and here I am, teaching English to high school students at a government school in Phuket, struggling with getting students to give a damn about social studies which, oddly enough, is what I ended up getting the opportunity to teach. Yes, I'm teaching social studies, global education, religion, and english for presentations - public speaking. Smile. It is as though I fell into the perfect job. Now, I get to travel and teach students about all of the stuff that made me angsty and anti-establishment in the first place with speech writing as the cherry on top. I love it. It's totally full circle, but now that I'm on the other side of the classroom roles, I feel like the disinterested 17 year old from my past helps me connect with all of these amazing kids. We talk about industrial development, peace and reconciliation across religious lines, the implications of global culture on the environment - just really sweet stuff. If you ever feel like you need to get away from it all and you want to do something with that pesky travel bug that you just can't shake, get a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate and make an impact on a student's life. It is amazing. It's a great way to see the world, it gives you a job, and in my case it kills two birds with one stone - I get to travel and use my degree all at once.
I still love high school, not just because of the shenanigans and tomfoolery I partook in as an angst-y 17 year old, but because of the lessons that I learned then and the love of education that I have now. For better or for worse, I've been on both sides and I'm sorry to all of the teachers I drove crazy with my behavior, but in this crazy world that continues to teach lessons in circular ways - thank you for hanging in there with me, I'm now a better teacher because of it.
Habitual Journaler
I've never attempted to have a blog because I have been in the class of writers that I like to refer to as "journalers". I have just posted a bunch of random things over the last 5 years in my livejournal account (http://pnykala.livejournal.com), religiously, mind you, but the majority of the posts have all been private with some slipping through the privacy filters every now and then because I believe that no one really ever reads my journal and therefore even if it is posted publicly, it is still essentially private. So, a lot has been documented over the years and in all honestly, journaling is a part of who I am. My first journal was actually a flowery notebook from a friend of mine for my 9th birthday. Yes, fact. Since that time, I have been journaling incessantly. My poor mom undoubtedly still has the stacks and stacks of notebooks that I've kept over the years stored away in plastic bins - only because my mom is a bit of a pack rat and doesn't ever really get rid of anything, but on top of that I'm such a holder of things with random emotional value...I won't say pack rat...that I've continued to burden my mom's garage with more and more "emotional baggage". Quite literally. Whatever, it will all be tossed or passed off back to me someday, but the evolution of my journaling ways led me to livejournal.com as a freshman in college and here I am today. Sweet, I know.
So this is my outlet and I think it is pretty healthy unless you consider the back breaking collection of boxes teetering in New Mexico, some sort of health and safety hazard. My mom's from Africa - and lord knows that the developing world looks at health and safety a little differently. (I've already electrocuted myself on 4 separate occasions here in Thailand - more than I did when I was a 2 year old shoving my fingers in light sockets. Oh and I have a "Thai tattoo". Yes, a "Thai tattoo" is something that all the cool kids in Thailand have. If you are visualizing some buddhist script of the nobel truths you are sadly mistaken. I'm talked about the tennis ball shaped circle on the back of my calf from touching the exhaust of a motorbike. It is one of the most fatal mistakes you can make, but unfortunately it happens to most motorbike riders, which is to say 80% of the Phuket population.)
Any who, off track a little there. I've decided to take my 5 years of mostly private journaling and start using my mostly public blog. We will see how much actually makes it to the public realm, but I'm going to make an attempt at it. This has been decided mostly because I find myself writing so many personal e-mails to friends and family abroad that I don't really need to journal my private thoughts anymore - they are all captured in gmail fashion, but as for the day to day memories and hopefully profound realizations that are neither suited for my mom nor the climbing boys, I'll try to place them here.
Hello official bloggers of the world, I'm making the bridge. And - sorry livejournal.com, but blogger.com is much more user friendly - I guess I'm abandoning you.
So this is my outlet and I think it is pretty healthy unless you consider the back breaking collection of boxes teetering in New Mexico, some sort of health and safety hazard. My mom's from Africa - and lord knows that the developing world looks at health and safety a little differently. (I've already electrocuted myself on 4 separate occasions here in Thailand - more than I did when I was a 2 year old shoving my fingers in light sockets. Oh and I have a "Thai tattoo". Yes, a "Thai tattoo" is something that all the cool kids in Thailand have. If you are visualizing some buddhist script of the nobel truths you are sadly mistaken. I'm talked about the tennis ball shaped circle on the back of my calf from touching the exhaust of a motorbike. It is one of the most fatal mistakes you can make, but unfortunately it happens to most motorbike riders, which is to say 80% of the Phuket population.)
Any who, off track a little there. I've decided to take my 5 years of mostly private journaling and start using my mostly public blog. We will see how much actually makes it to the public realm, but I'm going to make an attempt at it. This has been decided mostly because I find myself writing so many personal e-mails to friends and family abroad that I don't really need to journal my private thoughts anymore - they are all captured in gmail fashion, but as for the day to day memories and hopefully profound realizations that are neither suited for my mom nor the climbing boys, I'll try to place them here.
Hello official bloggers of the world, I'm making the bridge. And - sorry livejournal.com, but blogger.com is much more user friendly - I guess I'm abandoning you.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Things I miss from home...
I came across Burt's Bees the other day in Bangkok and I was elated. When I'm home, you would be hard pressed to find me without this guy...yes...Burt and I have a special relationship.
This stuff WITHOUT whitening:
I'm already ghost-like! I don't need whitening in my deodorant or bleach in my face cream. I should do a critique of whitening products in South East Asia today...western images of beauty being propagated predominately throughout the global south has these types of effects: whitening products. hmmmm.
I like to keep it spicy.
My heart can't beat without BASS
Red rocks, of course. I had the pleasure of climbing a route this weekend that ended with some jugs in red rock. I felt home.
This stuff WITHOUT whitening:
I'm already ghost-like! I don't need whitening in my deodorant or bleach in my face cream. I should do a critique of whitening products in South East Asia today...western images of beauty being propagated predominately throughout the global south has these types of effects: whitening products. hmmmm.
I like to keep it spicy.
My heart can't beat without BASS
Red rocks, of course. I had the pleasure of climbing a route this weekend that ended with some jugs in red rock. I felt home.
Whoever said Thailand isn't magic....
....hasn't been to Tonsai.
picture of the climbing crew by recent climbing partner and adventure extraordinaire: Carl Nagy
I just got back from a four day weekend trip to Tonsai. Tonsai is considered part of Krabi, part of the mainland, but like Railey, the peninsula can only be reached by long tail boat. It happens to have some of the greatest climbing in the world and therefore attracts climbers from around the globe. It just so happened that I ran into another Flaggstaffian there and got to gush about Martanne's and other great eats in Flagstaff and northern Arizona. His climbing partner, a girl from Tucson, happened to be at the same Ratatat show as I in September as well. It trips me out. It's such a small world and the people who are moving around traveling make this world seem even smaller. I've realized that we are all constantly on the move and the "travelers and teachers group" make this planet seem tiny. We just move around with one another and get ideas to go check out new places from each other and after awhile people are running into the same people at different places/different times, but connecting a web of contacts as they explore. This girl told me over the weekend that there was no reason to rush exploring and that she lived by a sailing quote that was something like: you don't abandon wind to go search for wind. She interpreted this to mean that you would know when it was your time to go and when you should just ride the wind and see where it takes you. I've found magic in Thailand. We will see where the wind beckons me to set sail.
picture of the climbing crew by recent climbing partner and adventure extraordinaire: Carl Nagy
I just got back from a four day weekend trip to Tonsai. Tonsai is considered part of Krabi, part of the mainland, but like Railey, the peninsula can only be reached by long tail boat. It happens to have some of the greatest climbing in the world and therefore attracts climbers from around the globe. It just so happened that I ran into another Flaggstaffian there and got to gush about Martanne's and other great eats in Flagstaff and northern Arizona. His climbing partner, a girl from Tucson, happened to be at the same Ratatat show as I in September as well. It trips me out. It's such a small world and the people who are moving around traveling make this world seem even smaller. I've realized that we are all constantly on the move and the "travelers and teachers group" make this planet seem tiny. We just move around with one another and get ideas to go check out new places from each other and after awhile people are running into the same people at different places/different times, but connecting a web of contacts as they explore. This girl told me over the weekend that there was no reason to rush exploring and that she lived by a sailing quote that was something like: you don't abandon wind to go search for wind. She interpreted this to mean that you would know when it was your time to go and when you should just ride the wind and see where it takes you. I've found magic in Thailand. We will see where the wind beckons me to set sail.
Monday, July 25, 2011
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's.....life coming in at 1,000 feet!
If you have ever been in an airplane, one of the most magical parts of the experience is flying in to a new city or country and being able to see the little houses, streets, and buildings stretching out below. It looks like little ant cars being driven around on little ant roads, crisscrossing across little ant cities. All these busy little ants scurrying to different places with different plans and different lives. Flying into Phuket, Thailand, my face was pressed against the glass, just as I would when I was an 8 year old, trying to see it all. Only below me this time, were islands stretching out beneath me as we crossed the sky into a region unfamiliar to me. Rivers crisscrossed through a green and expansive land mass, ocean carved the coastline, and slowly small communities seem to pop up in pockets. It was incredible and struck me as exactly how I imagined flying across Thailand would be – island filled, beautiful, and alien to a girl from northern New Mexico. It was surreal.
Thailand has been a nation that continues to stun me with its beauty, both in appearance and in its character. The people and the way of living in this country are unbelievable and it makes me wish that someone would have warned me about how much this country would shake my world view. If you have even experienced culture shock: the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes(thank you Merriam-Webster), then you know what it is like to have your mind blown. Here, this feeling never seems to go away, regardless of the time you spend getting to know the people and culture in southern Thailand.
I would never have been able to comprehend such a completely different way of being before stepping foot in this foreign land. Sure, I imagined that things would not be the same, but hey – I'm a worldly girl, right? I've eaten sushi and gone to Europe. This surely makes me ready for the unexpected!
False. Haha, to tell you the truth my nativity was summarized in this statement: “I can't imagine what I wouldn't love about Thailand – I love the beach, I love rock climbing, and I love Thai food.”
Well, I'm sure we have all moved to new places for more bizarre reasons or maybe it was the simplicity of my decision making that was what prepared me for the difference in consciousness that I would find upon my arrival. More on that later.
All in all, Thailand struck me as an incredible place from a 1,000 ft areal view and the beauty of the nation continues to amaze me, even with my feet on the ground. I'm beginning to understand that this place I've been calling home for the last 6 months has more to offer than what meets the eye. As a teacher in a foreign country, more often I'm the student, the child – face pressed up against the glass, humbled and enchanted by what I see.
Thailand has been a nation that continues to stun me with its beauty, both in appearance and in its character. The people and the way of living in this country are unbelievable and it makes me wish that someone would have warned me about how much this country would shake my world view. If you have even experienced culture shock: the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes(thank you Merriam-Webster), then you know what it is like to have your mind blown. Here, this feeling never seems to go away, regardless of the time you spend getting to know the people and culture in southern Thailand.
I would never have been able to comprehend such a completely different way of being before stepping foot in this foreign land. Sure, I imagined that things would not be the same, but hey – I'm a worldly girl, right? I've eaten sushi and gone to Europe. This surely makes me ready for the unexpected!
False. Haha, to tell you the truth my nativity was summarized in this statement: “I can't imagine what I wouldn't love about Thailand – I love the beach, I love rock climbing, and I love Thai food.”
Well, I'm sure we have all moved to new places for more bizarre reasons or maybe it was the simplicity of my decision making that was what prepared me for the difference in consciousness that I would find upon my arrival. More on that later.
All in all, Thailand struck me as an incredible place from a 1,000 ft areal view and the beauty of the nation continues to amaze me, even with my feet on the ground. I'm beginning to understand that this place I've been calling home for the last 6 months has more to offer than what meets the eye. As a teacher in a foreign country, more often I'm the student, the child – face pressed up against the glass, humbled and enchanted by what I see.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Oh turquatic.....not just a perfume!
It is absolutely true that we associate scents with specific moments and memories in our lives. For me, I would always go and get my make-up done for high school dances, prom, etc. with my best friends at MAC. MAC made this great perfume called "Turquatic" which I bought as an afterthought on one of these occasions. I ended up loving it - it was crisp and refreshing, you could wear it anytime, and it was perfect for summer. I love love loved this scent and I kind of felt like it was "my scent". Frequently, people would mention that they liked the scent and I liked that it wasn't common and so it stood out a little bit. I ran out of it after leaving the U.S. and heading out to Thailand. I wish I would have had the foresight to buy another bottle before I left, but I didn't and since then, I've been searching for it. Even this past weekend in Bangkok, I dragged my crew to the MAC counter to inquire about what fragrances they carried - no Turquatic. So, I got online today to look into ordering some and they are discontinuing it! Discontinuing! And I'm not around to get any moreeeee! Heart Break! haha, but seriously - this is depressing.
But in all seriousness - so many events/people happen in your life that you associate smells with in your memory. Not in a creepy "can I smell your hair" kind of way, but in a "this laundry detergent smells like my grandparents house" or "my ex-girlfriend used to wear this kick ass perfume that is now discontinued!"
haha. RIP Turquatic.
But in all seriousness - so many events/people happen in your life that you associate smells with in your memory. Not in a creepy "can I smell your hair" kind of way, but in a "this laundry detergent smells like my grandparents house" or "my ex-girlfriend used to wear this kick ass perfume that is now discontinued!"
haha. RIP Turquatic.
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