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That Ginger, Anna

That Ginger, Anna

Tag Archives: traveling

Things Change but Life Remains the Same

12 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Personal and Fun

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city, growing, live, New York City, noma, NYC, sadness, traveling, twenty something, washington heights, writing, young adult

Hey everyone…keeping with tradition I completely abandon this thing when I get busy and boy have I been busy.

Let’s catch up, shall we?

So, if you’ll remember, this time last year I became homeless after my boyfriend’s religious community ousted me. Shortly afterward (like days), I went to Israel for a month before returning to slog through 6 months of unemployment while sharing an apartment with 5 other people in Washington Heights.

Other than a few reviews of Italian History presentations, a response to 13 Reasons Why, and a plea to help a friend in need, I have written nothinggg.

I will say now, this has been the hardest year of my life. No exceptions. Harder than any short stint of annoyance or major life shifting event (and I’ve been through some doozies). Hard. But maybe we always think that? I know during each of the previous difficult times in my life I thought that was definitely what would do me in. There was no way I could survive the hurt or sadness or anger or whatever emotional reaction a situation evoked. I simply wasn’t going to make it. But I did. I am this time too, day by day.

But this year has been such a prolonged state of sadness and anger and confusion and yearning like I haven’t experienced since I was 19. It took me almost 4 years to fix all the different parts of me that were broken that time. This time I really don’t know how long it will take. Certainly, longer than a year.

I keep hoping and being reassured that things can go back to the way they were but I know that’s impossible. And I honestly don’t want to go back because back there I was vulnerable to this pain and now, despite having to endure it, I can’t be surprised again.

cropped-img_2882.jpgI found a new career, I get to use my education daily, I have 3 side jobs (that’s 4 jobs total, hence the lack of writing), I have a safe place to live that’s mine, I have acquaintances, I have a routine and a budget, I am dependent on no one for anything, I’ve matured spiritually. I’ve recovered financially from my stint of unemployment and have been able to keep saving and making progress on my student loans (my biggest accomplishment this year). I found a fun place to hang out once a week after work where I can relax without worrying about spending a million dollars or people being mean to me. I have a lot to be thankful for in the sense that my life right now is calm and the only person who can screw it up is me. I am at the mercy of no one and while that is extremely lonely it is also comforting beyond measure.

My biggest problem and source of discontent this year has been impatience. I’m constantly waiting and wondering if things will return to how they were before the rug was ripped out from under me last year or what direction my new life will take. I know now that I am unwilling to allow myself to be hurt again or hurt anyone else and I certainly, certainly won’t ever depend on someone again, even if I fall in love. So, I’m in a holding pattern just waiting for the universe to push me wherever it wants me to go.

Things are finally turning around and I’ve been able to meet some really cool people and let loose a little bit. I’m excited to have some fun, get to know some new people, have some adventures, experience some romance, improve professionally, learn some new skills, and explore this crazy city some more.

I’m going back to Texas for Thanksgiving and then I have the entire holiday season here in NYC to work and find some cool things to do. I am going to MAKE myself write regularly because I really do miss it and I am planning on starting back up with my movie reviews and I definitely want to go to a few concerts. My resolution for 2018 is to go on another trip overseas, so we shall see! As usual, follow me on allllll the things @thatgingeranna and stay tuned for some upcoming independent lady adventures and less melancholia!

As usual, if you have any recommendations for things to do in NYC, drop them in the comments below! Talk to y’all soon! 😊

Currently Reading: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

Currently Watching: LOVE (for the 3rd time)

Currently Listening To: RAI 2

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Have a wonderful week! ❤

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3 Down, 1 To Go: Day Trips, New Friends, and Learning!

03 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

blog, daily life, ein karem, female travel, ginger, haifa, israel, jerusalem, judaica, judaism, learning, middle east, religion, shapira, tel aviv, that ginger anna, thatgingeranna, thatgingerISR, Travel, travel blog, travel writing, traveling, twenty something, writing, ישראל

First: Happy 2017! I hope everyone had a great Christmas or a good Hanukkah and a wonderful New Years Eve.
Second: Check out my previous (one/two/three) posts from Israel!

Sunday began my last week here in Israel. I have been staying at the Mash’abei Sade Kibbutz for the past three weeks and have taken five day trips: one to Jerusalem, two back to the suburbs of Tel Aviv (Shapira and Holon), one to Haifa, and one to the Dead Sea. I’m going to make a separate post about the kibbutz itself and my final week here, so in this post I’ll be writing about a few of my day trips.

I’ll say it again: my IG is amazing right now, so follow me!

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Last Monday (12/19), my friend and I took the bus from Mashabei Sade to Be’er Sheva. I created yet another security dust-up when I tried to take a picture of the Kosher McDonald’s sign and Señor Mossad at the entrance to the bus station confronted me and made me go through all the pictures I’d take over the past day. Embarrassing! At Be’er Sheva we transferred buses and headed for Jerusalem. It turns out it was the day of a huge protest outside the Knesset and we went straight to the Israel Museum, which is within view of the Knesset. A guy here at the kibbutz told me it had something to do with agriculture. There were hundreds if not thousands of people with pickup trucks, flags, shirts, signs, and everything else marching to the Knesset. It started raining so I couldn’t get any good footage, but it was the second time I’ve witnessed a protest overseas (the other was in Spain).

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The museum was so interesting. There is obviously a HUGE collection of Judaica from various Jewish communities around the world. So, as I mentioned in a previous blog, prior to getting to know members of the Jewish community in the Bronx, I had an extremely ignorant and monolithic view of Judaism. My dad was stationed in Iraq and Egypt and I took classes in college about Islam, and I was raised in a Christian family (Protestant and Catholic) and took classes about the Reformation in college too, but I never knew any Jewish people or took any classes about that religion. My friend’s family migrated (see also: WALKED and rode donkeys) from Afghanistan to Jerusalem in 1935. Millions of other Jewish people from countries that were transitioning to Muslim rule also migrated to Israel. It turns out there were native Jewish populations all across the world that I had no idea about. Seriously, when someone mentions Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, etc. I only imagine those populations as completely Muslim (excluding my knowledge of the Christian community in Iraq), but it turns out those countries and many others had Jewish populations too. My friend’s family is originally from Mashhad, Iran but after some “issues” in the 19th century they migrated to Herat, Afghanistan with other Persian Jews who created a sizable Jewish community there. The Israel Museum has models of synagogues from India and Africa, numerous costumes and pieces of jewelry, and various pieces of religious paraphernalia from hundreds of Jewish migrants who came to Israel before and after 1947. Seeing these colorful costumes, I never would have guessed they belonged to Jewish people. I told my friend: the ideas of Jewish people promoted in movies and on TV are very sterile, European, and “black and white” (literally) so seeing all the colorful clothing, huge headdresses, jewelry, and other accessories were arresting and eye-opening. The Jewish diaspora is so much larger and diverse than I ever knew. The Israel Museum also recently opened a Goya exhibit which was amazing to see-although insanely crowded. There is also a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden that provides wonderful views of the city and a path to the Bible museum where you can view the Dead Sea Scrolls (got yelled at again in there for taking a picture;there were no signnnnns saying you couldn’t…), the world’s tiniest bible (a nano copy that’s almost invisible to the naked eye), and the Aleppo Codex (which was sad to see considering the current situation there-there’s no telling how much history has been lost, on top of the loss of life).

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After touring the museum, my friend’s friend picked us up and we drove to Ein Karem. HOLY. MOSES. This area is my favorite so far! SN: Haifa>Jerusalem>Tel Aviv #sorrynotsorry We drove down into the valley past Mary’s Spring and the Church of the Visitation. He and his friend grew up in Shapira, an immigrant neighborhood in Tel Aviv, and the friend was born in Afghanistan. He made Afghan pilaf with chicken, raisins, carrots, and rice. His girlfriend came too. She was a really nice lady who traced her roots back to Poland. After our delicious meal and some wine, three of us drove back to Ein Karem proper and walked around a bit. Unfortunately, the Church of the Visitation was closed but I got to see Mary’s Spring and we walked all around and saw some beautiful buildings!

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The next day, my friend’s friend dropped us off at the Jaffa Gate to the Old City. I got to go to the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, tour the Jewish Quarter, and see SANTA ON A CAMEL!

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I (very uncomfortably) took some pictures/Snaps from the Wall and a few of you asked me to explain what’s going on there, so here’s my attempt: The Wailing Wall aka the Kotel aka the Western Wall is a pilgrimage site for observant Jews. Wayyy back in the day (around 515 BCE-63 BCE), Jews had their main temple (the second temple, as the first was built and destroyed too) near the site of the Western Wall and it was also destroyed. Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock were built on the original site of the temples and Jews aren’t allowed to visit, but the Wall is a surviving exterior wall to the former temple area (aka the Temple Mount which is important to Christians, Muslims, and Jews). Here Jews carry out daily prayers, mourn the destruction of the second temple, and otherwise conduct worship.  Jews in the diaspora also pray in the direction of the Wall. *I’m not going to get into the political issues surrounding the current location, but from the destruction of the first and second temple-before the time of Christ-until 2016 (like, literally last week), there are stilllll very heated disagreements about this location and which religious group has rights to it. So, read about it and decide for yourself. Currently, the Western Wall is split into a men’s section and women’s section since Orthodox Jews, similar to other religions (Muslims, super Baptists, etc.), do not believe in the mixing of the sexes during certain activities. Men use prayer shawls and Tefillin, while the women dress in modest clothing, cover their hair, and use holy books to recite certain prayers. Both the men and women sway their bodies in a rocking motion while praying, often touch the wall, and back away from the wall rather than turning their backs to walk away. You can also write requests on pieces of paper and stick them into the wall. If you’re interested, please read more because I know veryyy little about the various periods of Jewish history and the current contentions surrounding the area. It’s a fascinating topic though and I will write more about it as I learn!

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I also went to see the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which was really mind blowing too. There was also a group of Muslims from Pakistan touring and a Jewish group too, so it was amazing to be in the church with Jesus’ tomb, Nuns, Muslims, and Jewish tourists. The tomb area was empty so it was special to be able to have some time to pray and see the tomb alone.

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After the Old City, I walked to Mea Shearim-a neighborhood for ultra-orthodox Jews in Jerusalem. My friend’s family lived there before their house was blown up in an attack in the late 40s, when they moved to Tel Aviv. We visited two Afghan synagogues, bought some candy, and had a little lunch. It is a SUPER interesting place to see, but I don’t know if I would suggest walking through the area if you aren’t with someone from there. My friend told me to cover my hair because sometimes they will yell at women that aren’t dressed modestly and there are posters up all over the place condemning those who aren’t Haredi. Several Haredi men put their heads down, averted their eyes, turned their backs, and even stepped off the sidewalk when passing. There was also a car driving around with a loud speaker announcing a funeral, which was surreal (video to come). If you do go, don’t point your camera at people either because I was told that’s a no-no too. Again, it’s a fascinating place and like no where I’ve ever been or ever will go. Before learning about Judaism, I thought every Jewish person was Haredi, so it was interesting to see just how diverse the Jewish populations are in Israel and in the diaspora now that I know people from different sects.

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Lastly, we went to the big market in Jerusalem, Machane Yehuda. I had a delicious beer at a stall owned by an Iraqi-Israeli man and his father for the past 50+years. SN: A huge number of Mizrahim or Jews from the East (my friend says this term can be used as a point of pride or in a deragatory way since Jews from the East were often looked down upon) are from Iraq! Then I walked around and surveyed all the amazing stuff. At one point I was looking at some dry goods and I hear, “HEY GINGER!” Of course, I turned around immediately. It was a merchant from a stall across the market trying to get my attention; I laughed and he laughed and everyone laughed. It was hilarious. I stopped and got some schnitzel (thinly fried chicken) and french fries and then we headed back to Ein Karem. Jerusalem was amazing, but getting back to Ein Karem was an adventure. My friend’s friend told us the wrong bus number so we wound up all the way on the other side of the city, then took another bus and rode it to the end of the line, had to get a taxi to take us down into the valley, and then we had to walk to his house. We headed back to the kibbutz the next morning, but I will definitely go back to Jerusalem one day!


For my second trip, I went back to Tel Aviv to stay with my friend’s other sister and I visited Holon and Shapira. My friend was invited to the monthly meeting of Afghan Jews in Tel Aviv and I am so stoked to say the host agreed to let me film and take pictures. As I mentioned in the last blog, I cannot get video footage off of my DSLR and onto my iphone or ipad to edit, so I’ll have to put together videos from this trip when I get home, but it was such an AMAZING experience. The meeting is meant to allow Afghan Jews to practice speaking the Dari dialect of Persian that they spoke before migrating. I listened to some readings from a new book about Afghan Jewish heritage, met a bunch of new people, got to watch one of the men lead the lighting of a Hannukiyah SN: did you know the candelabras used for Hanukkah AREN’T called Menorahs?! (I didn’t!). The specific candelabras for Hanukkah have 9 places for candles and are called Hannukiyah (singular) or Hannukiyot (plural).

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The following day was my 28th birthday and we met up with the guy we went to have dinner with in Tel Aviv during the first week (who is also part of the Iraqi-Jewish diaspora). He is a master baker (like fr fr…he’s certified by the French government and was on Israel’s national baking team) and is now the head chef at a bakery in Holon. He took us on a behind the scenes tour of his bakery, then we went up to his office and he made handmade pizzas and we had some whiskey, balloons, and I even got a flower crown a la SnapChat, hahaha! After the tour, it stormed like MAD (hail, lightening, torrential rain, and thunder), but my friend’s family came over to celebrate Hannukah and they brought a cake for my birthday. The last day in Tel Aviv was short because it’s a long ride back to the kibbutz, but I got to tour the Shapira neighborhood and learn a lot about the former communities that inhabited the area (and take awesome pictures). The architecture was so interesting and like many areas it is undergoing intense gentrification which is sad. My friend hadn’t been back to his childhood home in decades. Randomly, the current renter was home and let us in! He said the current owners plan to demolish it when/if he moves out. As a military brat, I often dream about getting to go back to visit my old homes, so it was special to get to accompany someone visiting their childhood home after so long.

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SN: If you are planning on coming here for the holidays, you should stay in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Most of the Christian holidays are only celebrated in Jerusalem/Bethlehem/Nazareth/Tel Aviv-Jaffa. From what I’ve been told, Bethlehem and Nazareth are not that safe so, yeah. NYE or “Sylvester” parties are mainly restricted to Tel Aviv/Jerusalem or private homes (make some friends, yo). Ya see, Jewish New Year was a couple of months ago and Christian New Year isn’t a big thing here-like at all-outside the main cosmopolitan areas. The kibbutz I’m at did have a bar night on the 30th and I think a university in a nearby city hosted a party with trance music, but public transportation in the middle of the Negev desert is impossible. So, I don’t have any cool stories from the holidays, but just be aware if you come here for that purpose that you need to plan far in advance, figure out transportation, and realize that this is obviously a Jewish country that largely follows the Jewish calendar.

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P.S.S: Per transportation: in the  areas of the Negev I’ve visited, the last busses are around 6 PM daily (obviously, you can get a later busses from Be’er Sheva, but for instance the last bus from the Dead Sea to Be’er Sheva is at 6 and the last bus entering the kibbutz from Be’er Sheva is at 6…). In the ENTIRE COUNTRY, public transportation shuts down Friday afternoons just before Shabbat starts and doesn’t resume until after Shabbat is over (early Sunday mornings and maybe late Saturday nights in the metropolitan areas, I believe). This means if you are planning weekend trips, you need to be where ever it is you plan to stay before the sun goes down on Friday. This also means if you want to go out Friday nights or travel anywhere on Saturdays you need to have some cash and be prepared to pay for taxis both ways.

My next post will cover my last week in Israel, including my two favorite day trips so far: Haifa and the Dead Sea! I am headed back to a town near Tel Aviv for my last weekend here, but I still have two more posts waiting in the wings so check back soon…

Talk to you crazy kids then!

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“I’m on Top of the Worlddd”-The Dude That Couldn’t Fit on the Piano

03 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Personal and Fun

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

blog, enjoyment, film noir, fulfilment, girl, graduate student, happiness, happy, Italy, life, living, movies, noir summer, peace, personal, shellys cabaret, simple, single, student, Travel, traveling, WODW, woman, world, write or die wednesdays, writing, zen

Yeah, it was “king” but whatever 😝

WODW

This week’s prompt asks us to recount a time when we were on top of the world!

Two things came to mind: hiking the Haiku Stairs in Hawaii as a kid (physically on top of the world) and a recent blog I read from last year.

NOT MY PICTURE

A week ago (thanks to that freakin’ Facebook flashback-which I both love and hate) I read a blog from my trip to Italy. I had experienced the definition of my perfect day, but I had forgotten about it until Facebook reminded me. I reread the blog and it made me excited all over again, but also sad that that day was so phenomenal and so great and I had already forgotten about it. I really was on top of the world. It was one of my many fantasies come to life and that does not happen often. Nevertheless, I started thinking and I am on top of the world anytime I have a good moment.

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I am high maintenance in some ways (I hate gross smelling places, I hate rude people, I hate public embarrassment, I like organization, etc.) but being happy is not one of them. I am happy sitting at home watching Netflix all day, happy going to see/experience new stuff, happy going to work and handling things correctly, happy watching a good YouTube video, happy going fishing, happy when nothing bad happens. I try to act chill and I do like doing chill things, but I am a very passionate person. This means I can get really mad and sad sometimes, but it also means simple stuff can make me really happy and make me feel on top of the world. I get overly excited about stuff and nerd out pretty hard. I really, really love many things: wine, I Love Lucy, hiking, snorkeling, clothes, books, cheese, chick flicks, farms, cows, accents, languages, movies, music, other cultures, food, etc. So anytime I get to do anything involving things I love, I feel on top of the world.

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That’s a a bubble of cheese, with potato in it…aka Heaven…aka Frico

Today, I went to the library and checked out a compilation of Walt Whitman poems. I opened it and saw that one of the poems in Leaves of Grass is titled “To a Historian” and I got a little giddy since I study history. (I also nerded out because Noah reads Whitman to Allie in The Notebook and on her first day at Sarah Lawrence her professor writes out Leaves of Grass on the board and my boss’ son works for that university…this is why I have no friends LOL) Anyway, this is just an example of the kinds of things that can make me feel on top of the world—even if it is for a short period.

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The last time I was on top of the world for more than a few minutes was Monday! I slept in, cleaned my apartment, talked to friends, cooked, did dishes, washed and did my hair, laid out my clothes for tomorrow, did my nails, worked out, had a glass of wine, watched Gossip Girl and The Bachelorette and I started a new free online class about film noir. I accomplished all of my goals, got to rest, got to learn something new, and got to prepare for the week without any anxiety or looming deadlines. It was a chill day, but I was motivated and accomplished things, so I was really happy and relaxed. It is summer break!

SN: If you like classic movies or films noir, I encourage you to check out that free class. It takes like 5 minutes a day to participate. TCM and Ball State University organized it and it lasts 5 weeks. The professor provides a short clip and introduction to a film every Monday through Thursday for the next 5 weeks and on Fridays TCM airs each film in its entirety. You chat with classmates and other viewers via Twitter (#NoirSummer) and the TCM message boards. If you want to participate fully in the class, you can take a few quizzes and a final assessment and you get a certificate! Definitely something fun and free that gives you an introduction to film history/analysis!

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I could obviously spend two paragraphs describing some fantasy day on the beach with a man drinking, listening to music and eating good food. Or walking around Rome and going back to an apartment to watch old movies and smoke cigars, but through many disappointments I’ve learned that if your fantasies are the only things that put you on top of the world, you’re going to be miserable for a big part of your life-which kind of sucks. I am not going to lie and say my expectations never get in the way of being on top of the world. I am a normal female being and I do create ideal situations in my head that I wish would happen and usually don’t, which leads to anger and annoyance, but I do work hard all the time to try and be happy in everyday situations (like getting a Whitman book from the library).

That being said, situations like in my blog from Italy, when I am traveling and meeting new people and doing exciting things, put me on top of the world for a much more prolonged period of time than checking out a book-obviously.

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When was the last time you were on top of the world? Hopefully it was more exciting than cleaning and watching TV, haha! Well, I guess the better question would be how often are you on top of the world?

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An Adventurer Adventuring for Adventure’s Sake

04 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Personal and Fun, Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

adventure, adventurer, adventuring, army brat, blogging, bronx, curiosity, david rodigan, food, hawaii, italia, Italy, New York City, NYC, openmind, Reggae, shellys cabaret, the bronx, Travel, traveler, traveling, twentysomething, WODW, world religions, write or die wednesdays, writing

So, one great thing about being an Army brat is the opportunity to meet so many people that you otherwise wouln’t have the opportunity to get to know.

My dad was stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii from 1997 to 2003 and I made several friends during that time. One of the girls I got to know was from Texas and we hung out for a few years when we both lived there. We lost touch, but 5 years later when my dad was stationed at Ft. Hood, she happened to see him at the PX and we were able to reconnect. Several years later when I moved to Texas I was able to hang out with her again and I would go down to her house once every other month or so to catch up. During this time I got to know her older sister a little better and a few summers ago I was invited to her birthday party (you guys may remember that I stayed with her for a week in Aversa last summer, during my Italia in 40 adventure). We all went to a waterpark and I got to meet all of my friend’s older sister’s friends. Over the next several months I went down there several times for other parties and got to know a few new people each time. One of the people I met was a fellow Masters student and blogger, Shelly! 

It just so happens that Shelly aka Shelly’s Cabaret and one of her friends hosts a weekly writing prompt called “Write or Die Wednesdays.” It is open to all bloggers so feel free to link up and contribute! 



Adventure!

#writeordiewednesday



I’ve meant to contribute for months now, but I always worry that I won’t have anything interesting to contribute. 

Today is the day! 

“This week’s prompt is the word ADVENTURE. What has been your greatest adventure? What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done? Have you ever been on an emotional adventure? The writing possibilities are endless!”

While I would have to say that my greatest adventure has been my move to New York, I live for adventure. I’ve always loved hiking and traveling. By the grace of God, I got to take a 40-day backpacking trip to Italy last summer and loved every minute of it-despite traveling alone-and would do it again in a second.

My dream job would be documentary filmmaker or a photo journalist for a travel magazine. I love learning about people and having new experiences whenever I can.

This move to New York has definitely been my biggest adventure because everything in my life is completely different than it’s ever been. While I grew up in an apartment in a culturally diverse area in Hawaii, I was with my family and had a security blanket in my parents and pets. Here in New York I am completely alone, so everyday is an adventure. I never used public transportation (outside of traveling) in my life before moving here, so even going to work and having to map out my route and be able to adapt to route changes and delays is crazy for me. One of the big reasons I chose to live in the Bronx was because I knew it would be a big adventure. I encounter new cultures, languages, and religions everyday. 

Just today I was riding to work and saw a man on his balcony participating in a prayer ritual. He was rubbing his upper body with what looked like an ashen cloth and putting his hands up behind his head. He repeated this process several times before I drove off. I live a couple of blocks from several masjids and I see bearded men walking to prayers every Friday working through their Misbaha as they go along. There are african hairbraiding shops, bodegas, and various ethnic restaurants on every corner.

One of my favorite things about myself is my sense of advendture. A week or two ago, the Write or Die Wednesday prompt asked, “Who are you when you are in your element?” While I have many answers to this question, I would definitely say I am an adventurer at heart and my lifegoal is to go on as many adventures as I can.

I have to admit, when I was younger I was much more adventurous! I was a SUPER tomboy until about 10th grade and I was a daredevil in elementary school. I loved going fishing, skateboarding, building forts, swimming in the ocean, hiking with my dad, driving my four-wheeler…I don’t really know where that fearlessness went, but now I do worry about hurting myself and embarassing myself, which I never cared about in my younger days. I know high school stripped a lot of my self confidence away, so I really stopped trying to live outside the box. I had a crazy year in 2012 and had several of my security blankets ripped away at work and school, so I have slowly been getting back to being true to myself and going on new adventures.

I started Geocaching a few months ago and that has also inspired several recent adventures. It’s a global scavenger hunt of sorts and it is a great way to explore new areas!

Another adventure I’ve started since moving to New York is my job. I am a companion to an elderly woman with memory problems, so that is a challenging aspect of my life that requires adaptation on a daily basis. It’s such an interesting and rewarding job and I’ve been able to meet dozens of people that have really helped shape me as an individual these past few months.

I’m very adventurous in other ways too. I like learning new languages, watching foreign films, trying new foods, and listening to new types of music. I think trying new foods and branching out to different genres of music is one of the easiest ways to be adventurous in your daily life. 

I would highly suggest trying out Tunein and listeing to radio shows from around the world.

One of the best memories I have from a time when I decided to be adventurous was in 2009 on my way to Italy. I was flying from London to Milan and sat next to an older British guy, wearing a bright purple sweater over a red and white plaid button up. We struck up a conversation and he asked me to guess his profession. I guessed that he was a dentist or lawyer and it turns out he was a Reggae DJ. We talked the entire flight and I didn’t think much of it until I got home and Googled him. It turns out that it was none other than David “Ram Jam” Rodigan from BBC1! 3 years later I tuned into the BBC because I heard an advertisement for a Reggae program and he was the DJ! He’s worked with Bob Marley in the past and many other famous Reggae and Ska artists! 

I think a few of the keys to being adventurous are confidence, faith, and openmindedness. You have to be confident that trying new things will lead to fun memories and good experiences and you can’t close yourself off to things that are outside of your comfort zone. I think leaving my comfort zone is the the biggest difficulty for me. Once I make up my mind to leave the house and actually go out on an adventure, I’m never disappointed. Another big part of being adventurous is being able to find the fun in unexpected circumstances. This is a hard one for me too because I am not the most spontaneous person. I like spontaneity and I can roll with it if I am in that mindset, but I do get frustrated when things don’t go according to plan. 

Anyone can have adventures-big or small-with a little confidence!

What’s the best adventure you’ve ever been on?


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Italia in 40: Day 39…Pizza, Gelato and Puzzles!

19 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Travel

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

backpacking, budget travel, college travel, europe, european, female travel, iphone, italia, Italia in 40, italiain40, italiano, Italy, photography, solo travel, Travel, travel advice, travel photography, travel tips, traveler, traveling

Today was my last full day in Italy.

I got a new bellybutton ring. I got my bellybutton pierced when I was 17, but I probably haven’t worn a bellybutton ring since I was 19. I saw some cute ones and they were only 6 Euros!

I took the subway to Flaminio and walked to Piazza del Popolo. I sat and watched people for a while and then walked down Via di Ripetta to Tavola Calda da Simone e Mirella.

I got 2 pieces of pizza, a water, and a beer for 6,50! I walked back to the Piazza and sat on the steps of Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli and ate my pizza, but I felt weird about drinking beer on the steps of the church, because I’m a weirdo, so I walked into the Piazza and sat and watched the street performers and finished my drink. I took some cool pictures and video and then I walked back down Via del Corso. I got some gelato: coconut and chocolate and walked down a little bit and found a place to sit. I ate my gelato and go some sun and then I stopped back into Alcott. They had a sign that said they had new arrivals, but those new arrivals didn’t include my shorts…sad face…I almost got a t-shirt, but changed my mind.

I kept walking up Via del Corso and went into a couple of churches, including a church with a HEART in it. One of the little chapels had all kinds of pamphlets about life as a Catholic and Catholic doctrine. I took a few because since I am a convert there are lots of things that I didn’t learn in RCIA or topics that I was never told the official stance of the church. I gave a donation since I took several pamphlets and saint cards. I took some pictures of the church and then left.

I walked down Via delle Carrozze to Piazza di Spagna. I stopped and bought some more postcards and souvenirs for friends, but I couldn’t find a post office ANYWHERE. I am praying I see one tomorrow on the way to or at the airport. If not, I will have to mail the last 3 postcards I have from the U.S.

After walking around Piazza di Spagna trying to find a post office, I walked down Via del Babuino and stopped at Difronte A to have a couple of glasses to Prossecco and just relax and enjoy the afternoon. I walked into a couple of shops and wanted to buy some stuff, but refrained. I made it back to Piazza del Popolo and took some more pictures. I wanted to go up to the top of the hill bordering the piazza, but there were tons of people and tour buses up there, so I just walked around some more. I started walking back toward the metro, but then I found an awesome little shop under the portico of the arches leading into the piazza. It had lots of souvenirs and typical stuff like that, but also awesome cool books and PUZZLES! I got two puzzles-one of one of my favorite paintings by Gustav Klimt and one of my mom’s favorite paintings. I wanted to get some books, but it’s already going to be hard enough to get these puzzle boxes back.

After getting my puzzles, I went back to my apartment. I wanted to go back to Blind Pig or get dinner somewhere, but I still had a crap ton of groceries to eat that I bought earlier in the week. I ate some cheese, tuna, crackers, and salami. I won’t lie and say it was delicious, but at least I didn’t waste all the money I spent on food.

I had a little wine, packed my stuff, bagged up my trashed, got the food I was going to eat for breakfast, threw out all of the trash I’ve accumulated, and laid out my outfit for tomorrow. I have to check out of my apartment at 10, but I don’t have to be to the airport until 1:45, so I might stop at a cafe or something. If not, I will go straight to the airport and check in for my flight and check my bag, but then leave and go eat or do something before I go through security.

Thank y’all so much for reading. I will reveal my next series tomorrow…be READY, it’s going to be CRAZY! 🙂

 

 

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