Great News!

Although I have been keeping track of my travels via blog for over two years, I have only recently made it my goal to use my travel expertise to help others in a public forum. Since January of this year, I have had several pieces published online. It's a feeling that I know will never get old. This is exactly what I want to do with my life, and I can't believe how many opportunities have already come my way.

I was accepted to the Go Overseas writing corps program back in December and have since had one article published and two in the works. The first is about how to How to Volunteer in Orphanages Abroad and the potential drawbacks, one is about must try food while studying in the United Kingdom, and the last is 7 tips to teaching in India. I hope to work more closely with Go Overseas in the future as there is a lot of potential for growth.

The other website I have had an online affiliation with is Pink Pangea. So far two of my articles have been posted, No Regrets in India and most recently How to Defend Yourself Against Assault in India. I have also recently applied and been accepted for the role of Foreign Correspondent. This means over the next few months while I'm traveling in Thailand and southeast Asia, I will have to submit 1-2 articles a month about my experiences. This is a HUGE step in the right direction for me and I couldn't be more excited.

I'll be sure to keep everyone updated as I pursue these leads!

Playing Dress Up

Every little girl loves putting on their princess dresses, their mother’s heels and make-up, and prancing around make believing they are Cinderella. Or perhaps they prefer throwing on their father’s oversized fishing hat and go traipsing through the woods pretending to be Indiana Jones on a great adventure. My personal favorite as a child was taking my doll, dressing her in every article of clothing she owned, attempting to do the same to myself, and then relocating the both of us to the bitterly cold Alaska on an arctic excursion. The point is, there is something deep down in all little girls who grow up to be adventuresome women that is curious about living other kinds of lives. They best express these inclinations through dressing up, creating new identities, and living them out in their make believe worlds.

As a woman, I have discovered that this tendency is not only alive, its thriving. One of my favorite aspects of traveling to new places is entirely immersing myself in to that culture and atmosphere. This is absolutely not achieved in a week long vacation. To fully understand, appreciate, and embody a new environment, you need to become part of the location you are traveling in, and this takes time.

During my three month study abroad semester in London, I donned my khaki colored trench coat, stylish tall boots, black satchel, and Burberry umbrella (most fortuitously found in a bar because, no matter how enthusiastically you adopt a new identity, money doesn’t grow on trees) as I walked to class down the rain soaked streets, or navigated London’s underground on the tube. I loved snuggling up in my oversized sweaters and pea coat on my train rides to Dover, Windsor, and Oxford. 

While working for seven months on a ranch in Montana, I galloped around on horseback in my jeans, flannel, and authentic cowboy boots. I mastered the two-step in my simple country dress. The switchbacks and mountain trails became familiar underneath my sturdy hiking boots. I watched the sun disappear behind the peak of Emigrant Mountain while I reclined on my front cabin porch in my overalls, PBR in hand, the smell of horses in the air.

India, well, India was the most fascinating place to recreate myself, and also the most necessary. As a white woman, I already stood out significantly, and wearing local clothing was one way to assuage that, even if it was just a little bit. I reveled in the ability to walk into a fabric store stocked end to end with the most beautiful colors, embellishments and designs, my only trouble being unable to choose just one. Once my cloth was chosen, after hours of deliberation, I took it to the local tailor to be measured and fitted. One week later I walked out of the shop wearing my aqua colored sari, feeling more beautiful than I ever have in my entire life. Even though I could never assemble the complicated folds and pins without the help of at least five hen-pecking Indian women, I loved wearing my sari to Indian weddings and festivals.

I am currently residing in San Diego, California and am entirely receptive of its beach bum and hippy vibe. I love my long, flowing, brightly colored dresses and skirts. My hair is blond, my skin is tan, and my feet are rough from my nearly constant shoeless state. My bikini is constantly in tow, prepared for the impromptu beach session, and my wet suit hangs in my backyard, ready to catch the next wave.

So you see, anybody can put on different clothes, but the attitude that goes along with this is what’s most important. Attire is only one avenue to adopt your new surroundings, but for me its the easiest to attain and most enjoyable.

Nerd Alert

I've only just recently read the Lord of the Ring books and seen the movies, and I'm proud to say I've become a pretty big fan. I love the whole adventure aspect, and stepping out of the safe comfort zone of the Shire, and jumping headlong into the vast unknown on a dangerous quest full of surprises.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began

Now far ahead the Road has gone

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it withe eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

-The Fellowship of the Rings, JRR Tolkien-

I just watched the newest movie, The Hobbit, and actually got chills as I watched Bilbo contemplate the snug security of his hobbit hole, and then throw all precaution to the wind as he chases down his companions to join them for a journey that he knows next to nothing about. All he knows is that if he were to pass up his chance, he would always regret it. 

An Instance of Returning Home

There's a lot of information, articles, and blog entries about reverse culture shock, how to readjust to life after living abroad. But no one really mentions how to cope with how much home has altered in your absence.

No matter how many times I leave home and then come back after an extended period of time, I am still always shocked, bewildered, and a bit annoyed about how much has changed. I mean, my home is my constant, my one homeostatic realm in the midst of all my chaotic, whirlwind movements around the globe. How dare anyone think they have the right to change that?

Home sweet home, the Severn River in Annapolis

Obviously, I know how selfish and entirely impossible this is. But nonetheless it's still a problem I encounter every time I come home, and there's always a period of turmoil where I feel I just don't fit in, that home has moved on without me. And in a way it has. There is so much that I miss while I'm gone, and that is above and beyond the worst part of my vagabond lifestyle. I miss so much that sometimes I don't feel like I have the right to come back and expect people to make room for me in their lives after so long, only to run away yet again.

So is there a solution? Not one that I have found yet. It's just something that I, and all travelers, have to deal with and accept. Time can't stand still while you're gone, and it shouldn't. All you can do is enjoy the moments at home you are present for.

My baby sister's prom

My middle sister's 23rd birthday

A friend's baby is getting so big!

Two graduations!

Visits with old friends

Run or Dye

A few weeks ago my roommates and I participated in a fun run called Run or Dye. It's a 5k race that consists of different colored powder being chucked at you at various checkpoints throughout the course. The perfect way to bring out your inner child while getting a workout.

Feeling Nostalgic

Even though San Diego is still new and I am constantly being stimulated and energized by the thrills of living in this coastal city, my travel bug never fully lies dormant. Below is an article based on an old blog post from when I was volunteering in India. I've revamped it in the hopes of submitting it to a blog site or magazine. Thought I'd share it here.

Learning to Surrender

India and I have a very clearly divided love/hate relationship. During my three month volunteer stint in a small provincial town called Hunsur, located in the state of Karnataka in Southern India,  I encountered multiple incidents daily that challenged, shocked, provoked, and mesmerized me. I had my fair share of both the vexing and euphoric moments that impacted my life, highlighting the sharp contrast that defines India. I lived for the sights, smells, and sounds that I knew only India could provide, and was thrilled to be living in a place that launched me out of my comfort zone. But the more frustrating incidents I endured, combined with my somewhat neurotic love of efficiency and order, radically altered my feelings toward my temporary country of residence at the drop of a hat. It took me a while to understand why culture shock was slapping me in the face every day; I was fighting India, and I refused to believe that I couldn’t win.

Just because something is different than what I’m used to, doesn’t make it wrong. This  became my mantra, but I quickly realized it’s a lot easier to believe than actually practice. I found myself getting annoyed, angry, and disheartened at things both trivial and heartbreakingly serious. Everything from the hour long bus ride to my volunteer site on a mostly deteriorated dirt road, to the 3 rupee bathroom fee they only made foreigners pay, to insect infestations and animals perpetually roaming the streets, to the barely existing regulations and teacher involvement at the school for tribal children I volunteered with, to looking into the childrens’ eyes and knowing that in all likelihood they would never know life outside their small village, grated against my preconceived notions of how the world should work. Looking back, I realize how vain and self-important I am to think that I hknew what it took to make a perfect world.

While in India I read Gregory David Roberts’ Shantaram, a mostly autobiographical book about an Australian escaped inmate who comes to live in the slums of Bombay. Chapter by chapter this page turner opened my eyes to how futile it is to adhere to my western mentality while living here in India and expect to get through one day without screaming. India has existed for over 5,000 years and will most likely not change to suit my preferences. And it shouldn’t change, because that would also mean altering the characteristics that I find irresistible.

Getting frustrated with a particular practice, belief, or ritual is a waste of time, and time is scarce.   Shantaram indirectly offers advice on how to cope with the subtle nuances as well as the gaping disparities between India and my comfortable life at home.  The incentives for accepting this advice, as well as for accepting the beautiful mess that is India, are plentiful and supreme.

Needless to say, I was never able to achieve enlightenment and fully accept the variances and frustrations that plagued my every day life. I don’t think any amount of time spent in India would allow me to completely come to terms with the injustices I witnessed. But when it came down to it, it had been entirely my decision to volunteer and reside in a rural town with little amenities, and I had done it willingly. I also knew that in a mere three months time, I was free to return to my comfortable home with all its American luxuries. So what possible right had I to complain?

Traveling to a new place will always inherently contain a certain amount of adjustments. But it’s up to the traveler to decide how much time they want to spend fighting to fix a culture before they can embrace the serenity that comes with integrating yourself into a culture. I can guarantee that it will hurt, but the treasures that you gain will be so worth it.

“Try to relax completely, and go with the experience. Just... let yourself go. 

Sometimes, in India, you have to surrender before you win.”

Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts

New Home

I moved! To an even better location than before. I live in a house with three other people, have my own room, and am foot steps from the bay. I couldn't be more thrilled with this next chapter of my San Diego life.

my cute little green house

view from my driveway

my backyard patio