Win win.

The Middle East loves packaging.
Like when you go to the grocery store in America, the goal is to get as many goods into one bag as possible without ripping the bag or crushing the bread. Here, the philosophy is to use as many bags as possible so the items never come in contact with one another.

Today I bought two bottles of water, a little juice container, a can of soda, and a bag of jellybeans (it's been a stressful week). He pulled out a bag and started putting the water in, first one bottle as then the other, and I said, Oh, you can put everything in the same bag.
Meaning of course for him to put everything in the same bag.
He smiled at me and said, I know. Then pulled out a smaller bag, which he then filled with my junk food. When he was done, he handed me only one bag.
See? His smile said. Everything in the same bag.

Right. I said, and smiled. Everything in the same bag, and we used two.

Nizwa

Last night at dusk.

I'm ba-ack.

I kind of hate to make this announcement. It's presumptuous on at least 10 levels and I'm uncomfortable with presumption on at least 20. Yet, here I am. But not because I presume anyone is reading this, or that anyone who is cares (although if there are, they probably do. And, hi! Thanks for sticking around.). Rather because, you know, this blog is for me. It was conceived as a way to keep people in touch with the awesome months of travel I planned (er, "vaguely notioned")) after graduating from college years ago. But always always it's been for me. It's been fun for me. It's been contemplative and reflective. It's been an outlet. It's been my journey.
And on that journey, I wandered into a new place, an unexpected kind of scary place, and stopped writing. It wasn't a conscious decision. I kind of put everything on pause while I figured myself out again.
Which I haven't finished, of course, but I made it out of that scary, bewildering place. What a difference two years makes.
------
Last I wrote, I was headed to New York for my birthday (24 woooo). And then I never wrote again. (You were all like, did she make it? Was BoM as awesome as everyone said it was? Did she at least get some cake?? Yes. Yes. No :( ) I don't really know what to say except that it changed me. I came back completely rejuvenated (probably from meeting all the BoM cast members. Boo ya!). The stress I had been carrying over the last two years , that has been weighing me down and filling me with anxiety--I figured out how to deal with, how to overcome it. I realized that the life I had been living was not (at all!) the life I wanted to be living. I headed in a new direction.
And it was kind of tough, as new trails tend to be, and so my thoughts were deeply contemplative and introspective--far too weighty for this 'blog fodder'. Sure filled up some journals though.
At the end of that year, I moved into a new apartment. I worked less. I traveled a whole lot more (in retrospect, far too much. I am so tired of traveling.), and llved , to the best of my ability, the life I wanted to live. I took more, greater chances. I made my best efforts to give back ( and forward) the love that my friends had shown me. I, finally finally, made plans to leave.
And at the end of it, I left. Me and my several suitcases (talk about bag fees hot damn!) moved to Cairo. For four months I studied Arabic. Finally! And on the side I started writing articles for gooverseas. I met awesome awesome people. I worked to keep up valued relationships across the distance and the despite the crappy Internet connection. I got a new job, this two-month summer gig I am doing this very moment. I moved to Oman. And in just four weeks--four little weeks!--I'll land in Houston and my 9 years in the Middle East will be done. I'll start all over again, this time with more vague notions but a much better sense of direction. And, significantly, a partner. A man. I'll tell you about him sometime. Probably :)
I really have no idea what's in store. I'm just excited to be here writing again. It feels like home.
-----
The other reason I hate announcing I'm back is that it implies I am back, a consistent blogger (um which I never have been), writing here. Truth is, I don't know if I am. I want to. I intend to. But I have learned that I make a much better blogger when my expectations are low. So, maybe I'll see you around.
And maybe I won't.

(But I really hope I do.)



* *i just realized it's been exactly two years since I stopped blogging. What does that mean? Oh, mysteries of the universe. I do love you.

24 hours....

You'll never guess where I'm writing this.

Delta Flight 68 to JFK. Wi-fi on board. Seat 6A.

A window seat in first class. To New York--the greatest city in the world!

I just got served cranberry juice in a glass. (A glass!)

In my headphones is this song:

(well, the whole soundtrack, but this song happens to be playing).

In 24 hours, I will be on Broadway, hopefully seeing the fine Andrew Rannells himself belting it out. (Oh my, I love him.) And if not him, he'd better have on hell of an understudy.

I know that the tone of this post is not successfully conveying the sheer excitement that is freaking boiling in my stomach, so let me just say it straight out: I'm so excited.

I am so. excited.

I'm flying to New York! First class! For my birthday! I'm going to see a broadway show--and not just any show, but the freaking sold out show of the century!

*eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

The Saddest Little Birthday Girl

I've been working a lot of overtime again, so my life is back to the computer. I'm feeling the need to update, though, so here's a little gem I uncovered a few days ago. I wrote it last year in response to an email from a friend who invited me (and others) over for some chocolate cake. But, not just any chocolate cake. She is *famous* for this chocolate cake. And because I was going to Kansas City for a conference, I couldn't go and partake of her famous deliciousness.

****************************************************************************************

Dearest [friend],

This was a truly sad email to read for I am a long-time lover of Chocolate Cake. On my 5th birthday, I ate my cake straight out the oven--no frosting, not even any sprinkles. Just pure, delicious chocolate cake.

I didn't get half-way through before my mother, who had so lovingly baked this cake and left it on the counter to cool, so sharply scolded me for doing so and promptly booted me out the door. I found this to be most offensive as I had admitted No Such Thing. She knew, though. "A mother always knows," were, I believe, her exact words before locking the door behind me. And so, there I was, newly 5 and left--forced out!--to fend for myself on a New Jersey cul-de-sac. What was I to do but wander to the neighbors' homes soliciting for more of that warm, savory deliciousness that had been so unkindly taken from me? And, as Halina and Jen well know, I've been doing it ever since.

I am deeply saddened that I won't be partaking of your famous chocolate deliciousness. I rather enjoy chocolate cakes--at least, I think I do.

Actually I haven't had one since that fateful birthday. (It was my punishment, you see. It would have been cruel, but shortly thereafter I discovered Baskin Robbins' Peanut Butter 'n' Chocolate Ice Cream cakes. Last year was the first birthday in AGES that I didn't get one of them on my birthday.). To actually be *invited* to eat one? Wow. 5 year old Anna is speechless with delight. So is nearly-23 year old Anna (almost).

You may remind my mother of this incident should you feel so inclined. I think the bitterness of it will complement nicely the divine sweetness of your chocolate cake. And, since I can't be there in person, I would very much like for my sneaky five year old self to enjoy it for me. (Please, be sure to put extra frosting on her slice.)

I'm leaving Friday night. I hope to throw myself a birthday bash while I'm in Utah. (Utah is my native land, you know.) Perhaps someone there will offer to honour my 23 years with a decadent chocolate cake of their own? I can only hope (before begging, pleading and otherwise manipulating it out of someone).

Happy caking,

Rayzzle

***********************************************************************************************

This year, I will once again forgo a cake (I never did succeed in persuading one of my beloved Utahns to feed me cake) because I'll be in NEW YORK CITYYYYYYY.

I'm leaving for Canada Thursday. I haven't traveled since January.

I'm so excited.

Things I've Accomplished...

...And Many More I Haven't (yet)

My last year of college, I lived with two (super awesome) girls. We had a blog. Naturally, it was super awesome, too.

One day, October 21, 2008 to be exact, I wrote a post titled: 30 Before 30

I intended to make a list of 30 things I wanted to accomplish before turning 30, but I only made it to 25 (you'll see why).

I was thinking about this list the other day and decided to dig it up and see what kind of progress I was making.

Let's have a look, shall we?

1. Graduate May 2009. Check!
2. Anna, don't fail math. B+. boo YAW.
3. Make it back to Yemen. dangit!
4. Master Arabic. Not yet, but have an action plan in motion and a goal to be proficient by the end of 2011.
5. Read all the books on mah list (which has grown to include Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls and Wicked. Thanks, Megan! :) Will address this in another post.
6. Go to Grad School, ya bum! Got accepted! Will go in another year or two, I'm thinkin.
7. Go Skydiving. Did iFly this summer! Now for the real thing...
8. Get SCUBA certified Wanted to do it this year. Spent all my money in Egypt instead. But I still got time!
9. Then dive in the Red Sea and Australia. See above.
10. Make it back to Guatemala, Egypt twice!, Italy, Jordan , Lebanon, Oman (Salalah) August?, Turkey November? and Mexico July?.
11. And while I'm at it, see North Africa (Morocco, mostly), Russia, Hungary, Switzerland, Spain--aw heck! All of Europe, Kenya, Australia, Brazil, Honduras, Beliz, CUBA so that I can be just like Matt. Whoa. I'm way behind on this. But! Did add Germany and France to my list of European countries :) (new total: 17!)
12. Live in New York. 2012 goal!
13. Spend some time as a professional writer of some sort. Or have writing be part of my job. OR! Just make some sweet moolah for blogging. Really, any combination of money and writing would be *great*. Done quite a bit of writing for my current job. Not exactly what I had in mind when I wrote this, so I'm not crossing it off, but it's been accomplished.
14. Spend an extended period of time (read: more than two weeks)traveling abroad solo. See: Summer 2009
15. Maybe stop talking so much about travel. Yeesh. So for #15: develop new interests! like Quilting!
16. Work in DC. For a human rights organization. Hm...
17. Live outside the country! For a few years. Bada. BING.
18. Hike all around Southern Utah (Canyonlands, ZION, Bryce, Arches) Only did Arches. And it was before this post was written. Doesn't count :(
19. Take up surfing. Even for a day. Oo fun!
20. Oh yeah, um, get married. TDH, that's all I ask. Okay, and smart and funny and interesting and adventurous, too. But that's a topic for a different post :) haha. going to get this as close to 30 as I can...
21. Eat lunch at the top of Half Dome. Oh California. I have big plans for our reunion.
22. Watch the sunrise over the Empty Quarter. Totally must do this year!!
23. Eat Nutella on French Bread while looking up at Mt. Rushmore. This will be fun, but before I'm 30? Not so sure.
24. Road Trip the entire length of Highway 1--So Cal to Canada. Woot! (hey...sounds like a good post-grad vay-cay! Huh huh?) Okay, maybe not to Canada. But all the way up the California coast, then Oregon and Washington and ultimately wind up in BC. Heading up to Vancouver in May, but not by way of Highway 1. Boo.
25. There I go with the traveling again. Um, maybe I should take a break and think things over when I'm not ITCHING TO GET OUT of this great little city I call "home". Hokay, see ya next time!

Completed: 4 of 25

Progress: I have a long way to go.

Analysis: I am totally getting there, though. I really wanted to travel, and look at me! Living in Dubai, spending my leave galavanting across Egypt, heading to Canada (country #18! woohoo!) this summer, GETTING PAID TO TRAVEL. I've done so many cool things since writing this list, and still have plenty of time to finish it off. If I weren't so strict, I could have crossed off a few more things even.

All in all, I'm pretty darn proud of my accomplishments and look forward to the rest!

A Quick Brag (or: I'm Kind of a Big Deal) (Again.)

Encounters with Sheikh Mo and Barack Freaking Obama.

Guys, I know I suck at blogging these days. Actually I have like 3 drafts that I've never finished, and several cool stories I never even started! I'll get to those one day. Tonight, I'm just here to brag.

I spent the weekend visiting long lost friends in Abu Dhabi. Tonight, one of these friends and I drove out to a sports bar on a Yas Island to watch the Chelsea-Stoke match (draw!) (also cricket was on. Does anyone even understand that sport? I mean, besides the UK, Australia, and the billion+ inhabitants of the subcontinent?), and afterwards we sat along the harbor talking. In fact, see this purple structure center-right? We were sitting (bottom left corner) looking across the water at it when a man stopped a few meters away and interrupted our conversation.

Excuse me, he said.

I looked up and saw a stylishly-bald fellow in a pink dress shirt who looked kind of like...

My friend* was immediately on his feet. Mr Zane! Wow! How are you? And shook his hand. I was just thinking maybe he didn't look familiar after all when my friend turned to me and said, Rayzzle! This is the guy from Titanic!

And I was like, What?

And then I said, WHAT?

And do you know what? HE TOTALLY WAS! And there was my friend, standing with him like he was some old friend and pointing him in the direction of whatever hoity-toity place he was looking for.

Only then did I get on my feet--he was gone by now--and my friend was like, Can you believe that was Billy Zane?

I was like, I can't believe you even know who that is.
We were both like, That's the closest I've ever been to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Isn't that crazy? Such is the glam life I live over here in the UAE. My weekdays are spent handling paperwork for royalty (<--yes, that is an allusion to a story I will not be publishing here EDIT: two stories) and my weekends are spent running into celebrities I can't recognize.

Life is good.

Brag brag brag.

*I'm not being intentionally cryptic here. No wait, yes I am! But only because I've recently decided not to use real names here and it being the wee hours of the morning, I'm not witty enough to come up with a good alias.

Where I've Been

So, it's been a while since I blogged. That's because it's been a while since I did anything. I mean, I did have a fantastic, fun, amazing, delicious, WONDERFUL trip to Egypt at the start of the decade, but I think everyone reading this is my facebook friend, and so you have already seen the incredibleness that was that trip.

Since then, I have been here:

This is my desk where, in a standard weekday, I will spend the better part of 9 hours sitting here, emailing, meeting with students, emailing, doing secretarial stuff, emailing, and a little more emailing.

It is also where, for the last (slightly more than a) month, I have spent the better part of 12 hours a day scrambling to stay afloat amid a rising tide of---well, everything.
I knew before the semester began that it would be crazy. Last semester I worked 2 nearly 60-hour weeks at the start of the semester and it was only me and 8 students. This year it was supposed to be me, 11 students, my boss, and a new & improved orientation program. I was prepared for 2 exhausting weeks.

Then, the Egyptians revoluted (woohoo them!) and we had a bunch a bunch of emails from partners and non-partners asking if their students could come here. And, since I am in charge of all incoming non-degree-seeking students, I had a lot of extra work to do. Our numbers doubled in just 5 short days and now, a full 4 weeks (+ a little) later, I'm nearly back to my cushy 9 hour day :)

My workspace is quite orderly now. Cluttered, sure, but the important thing is: you can see my desk!
You can also see my collection of sunglasses (to the left), my toys (on the computer), my speakers, and the music that's playing (800 points to whoever names the song that's playing) (also, I don't watch videos during the day, but they are playing in the background. Realplayer is so awesome!), and the Best Bulletin Board since the one before it (below).

Like how I've arranged it? I have the three most important, most frequently used reference documents prominently displayed, and surrounding them is happy travel awesomeness. Genius!

All the postcards were given (or sent!) to me from abroad. Starting at top left, we have Nepal, below that I'm not sure (probably the US, actually) (it's a normal card, not a post one), the UK, top right column: Sri Lanka (just arrived today!), China, India and Malaysia.

It's the Best, I tell you! (Also, feel free to send me a postcard anytime!) (I will display it prominently and proudly)

On the far right, we have my Year in Yes calendar:

It has a whole column devoted to "Favorite Words"! And a space to write the Things I loved this month. And sprinkled throughout each months are little special occasions and holidays liiiike:

Plan a Solo Vacation Day---which I am doing now.

Yesssssss!

So, you should all get one. It's awesome. Plus, the blogger, Ms Sarah Von, is so ridiculously cool that I donated to her cause and got cool things in return! I'll tell you about that in a minute.

Right now, it's time to introduce you to the First Bulletin Board of Awesome:

That green thing at the top is my (un)official name plate. It says Annabeans. It was wrapping paper for the stickers (get to those in a minute), but I liked it to much to throw away.

Once again, this bulletin board is more play than work. Sorry, did I say play? I meant, What the heck is all the crap?

I hung this up in honour of that one time the chancellor corrected my grammar. It's my favorite comic ever.

Above it hangs my little gift from Sarah Von. As I was saying, she is spending several months volunteering her way across Asia (started a few months ago in India and is currently in Laos. Click here to read about it). I can't find the post now, but if you donated some money, she would send you something cool. This little bag has a bracelet inside, and that postcard from Nepal? From Sarah :)

Those frogs, however, I've had since Jr high. And I still love them ♥

Speaking of adorable things I love, LOOK AT THESE STICKERS:

I nearly die from Cuteness every time I see them! ♥ ♥

And last but not least, my two favorite sticky notes ever:

The yellow was written on a particularly tough day last semester. :)

The pink was waiting for me when I came back from lunch one day in the Fall. It says, Pls find out the number of this hot girl in my marketing (401) 1400 clock session. First name Fatima! Thx, Tobi.

Sure Tobi. I'll get right on that.

Ask...

...and ye shall receive:

Happy Valentine's Day!

♥

3 Days of Rain

**But first, a little Wednesday wisdom: When breaking the seal on a new bottle of water, be sure you aren't squeezing the bottle. The water may spill out alll over you. And your couch.**

I'm not big into New Year's resolutions. Or small into them. Or, really, into them at all.

I did, though, commit to doing a few things better this year. One of those is taking pictures. I have a friend who's doing a photo-a-day project for 2011, and I thought that was an awesome idea! But it didn't come to me until the 10th, and by then it was almost midnight, so my first picture looks like this:

I call it 'unpacked!'

That is the (flattened) duffel bag I took with me for my two-week trip in Egypt. Those are the fuzzy blue socks I wore around the ship because I forgot to bring those grey slippers. D'oh!

Aaaand I forgot again the next day, so I got this picture, taken well after midnight (but whatever. It still counts!)

Unfortunately, it's not what I was going for. I've never seen fog like that--just wisps, snaking through the air. It was eerie. I took this picture and ran inside.

Ah, look! A picture taken during the day:

And what a beautiful day it was.

One morning this week, the sky looked particularly amazing. This picture doesn't quite capture it, but it's the best I could do while driving...

...an activity I am not practiced at, I swear!

This was yesterday afternoon:

It's been raining all week.

Last night, Halina and I went to the mall. We ate Thai food until I had to unbutton my pants, and then we spent an hour digesting in Border's.

And then, when we were good and ready for more gorging, she introduced me to PinkBerry.

It's no SpoonMe, but it is delightfully aesthetic.

Tonight, I am excited because Halina saved me an empty Mayonnaise jar.

I am not a fan of mayonnaise, but I am a fan of bread, and I am really freaking excited to try making my own SOURDOUGH!

I have more pictures, but they are on my phone. One day, I might get around to uploading them.

In the meantime, I plan to do a whole lot more exploring around Dubai, and hope to bring you many wonderful pictures of the city and the people in it. It's my last year here. It's about time I did some exploring.

The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr

is one of my heroes. My all-time favorite speech EVER is I've Been to the Mountaintop. I'm sure I've heard it well over a dozen times. It's just to powerful and beautiful not to listen to over and over again.

I'm sorry I missed his birthday celebrations yesterday, but his message is relevant--and crucial--across all days and times and so I figure now is as good a time as Monday to dedicate this post to him. May you take it to heart.

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Returning violence for violence multiples violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

And to leave you with his final (publicly uttered) words:



I get chills every time I hear them.

Welcome to 2011

Wow, we are already over a week into the new year. Time just flies on by, don't it?

For reasons I can't put my finger on, I am really looking forward to 2011. I think it's because I did a lot of self-discovery last year and you know what I found? I'm freaking awesome. You know what else is freaking awesome? Life. Life, and me, and my freaking awesome life ROCK. 2010 taught me that there is a me-shaped hole in the universe and I am having one hell of a time filling it.

I hope you will too.

You-shaped Hole**

Sometimes the world feels inhospitable.
You feel all the ways that you and it don’t fit.
You see what’s missing, how it all could be different.


You feel as if you weren’t meant for the world, or the world wasn’t
meant for you.


As if the world is “the way it is” and your discomfort with it a problem.


So you get timid. You get quiet about what you see.


But what if this? What if you are meant
to feel the world is inhospitable, unfriendly, off-track
in just the particular ways that you do?


The world has a you-shaped hole in it.
It is missing what you see.
It lacks what you know.


And so you were called into being.
To see the gap, to feel the pain of it, and to fill it.


Filling it is speaking what is missing.
Filling it is stepping into the center of the crowd, into a clearing, and
saying, here, my friends, is the future.
Filling it is being what is missing, becoming it.


You don’t have to do it all, but you do have to speak it.
You have to tell your slice of the truth.
You do have to walk toward it with your choices, with your own being.

Then allies and energies will come to you like fireflies swirling around
a light.

The roughness of the world, the off-track-ness, the folly that you see,
these are the most precious gifts you will receive in this lifetime.

They are not here to distance you from the world, but to guide you
into your contribution to it.

The world was made with a you-shaped hole in it.
In that way you are important.
In that way you are here to make the world.
In that way you are called.

**by Tara Mohr. Her complete book of awesome poems can be found here, and I do recommend a read.

A Reflection

In September, I posted a quote from The Book Thief. It's one of my favorite quotes from the book, but it's incomplete. Actually, the complete quote is this:

I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race--that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.
None of those things, however, came out of my mouth.
All I was able to do was turn to Leisel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said it to the book thief and I say it now to you.

"I am haunted by humans."

I am haunted by humans.

Most of the time, I see us like this:

If the history of humanity were the clinical case history of a single human being, the diagnosis would have to be: chronic paranoid delusions. a pathological propensity to commit murder and acts of extreme violence and cruelty against his perceived "enemies"--his own unconsciousness projected outward. Criminally insane, with a few brief lucid intervals.

--Eckhart Tolle

It's deeply cynical, and I'm not proud of it, nor am I soothed by it for it omits the human propensity to do good, and the incredible talent of joy.

How can humanity be both criminally insane and compassionate? I wonder this all the time, and consequently find myself talking about it all the time. Conversations about delusional, selfish humanity, that exploits young girls, and works to exterminate entire races. The humanity that abuses animals and betrays loved ones. I can't help but marvel at its cruelty.

A few weeks ago, it came up with my roommate and we shared stories of maids and enslaved migrant workers, and about the elephants she saw being beaten in Sri Lanka. I told her that the night before, I had a dream about rescuing a cat from a sadistic cat-torturer. It was only a dream, but I was disturbed by it because I knew it was also a reality. From the comfort of our living room, we looked out over humankind's depravity.

Later that afternoon, I went to Ikea. The conversation was still fresh in mind as I stood picking through sheets.

What size is my bed, anyway? None of these say 'single'. Does Ikea really expect me to know the dimensions in centimeters? I wondered. And why am I even bothering with sheets? I already have sheets! And a bed. Some people don't even have a bed, and I'm stressing about sheets.

My rationale argued back. The point isn't to deprive yourself of sheets; The point is to live so that everyone can have a bed with clean, non-scratchy sheets. Not buying sheets won't make anyone else's circumstances better, including your own.

Okay, but what color? And threadcount? Do these even have threadcount? Ugh. Threadcount. Can't I just be grateful for the sheets?

I wandered to the next aisle, still unsure of my mattress size, the color I wanted, and why I was even bothering.

A toddler with big rosy jowls and a smile like sunshine waved at me from her cart.

Hi! Her whole face was a smile.

Hi! I returned the wave, and her grin gave way to a fit of giggles. She excitedly waved again. Hi!

She was so excited, I couldn't help but giggle, too. I'd never seen someone so happy to be in Ikea!

I lifted a pack of sheets so it covered my face, then moved them quickly away again. Hi!

Oh, how she laughed!

And in the middle of that busy Ikea, surrounded by (surely) ill-fitting sheets, I did too.

How could I not?

One minute I'm guilty over buying sheets, and the next I'm laughing with a stranger. Isn't that just like humanity?

Her mom came up then and together they began walking to the aisle I had just come from. She looked past her mom, to me, and waved again.

Ma Salaama! (In Arabic, 'goodbye' is actually '[Go] with Peace'.)

It stunned me. She looked Asian, and too small to be able to speak.

Her mom turned to me and laughed a little. Yeah, she says 'Salaam aleykum! An Arabic greeting that translates to, Peace be upon you. Sometimes she gets mixed up and says, 'Ma salaam aleykum!'

Amused, I smiled at both of them, then lifted my hand and waved goodbye to the girl. Ma salaam aleykum! Goodbye! I called after them.

She waved back. Go with peace!

She was beaming.

I beamed, too.

_____


I am haunted by humans. And as I think this, another line from The Book Thief comes floating back to me: I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.

Hmm.

What I've Been Up To

1. Work. So much work.

2. Travel.

3. Doing 2 for 1.

4. Halloween, for which I did not dress up.

5. Achieving Parallel Parking Victory!

6. Touring Philadelphia (see #3). It was fantastic.

7. Falling back in love with the US. I've decided to move to DC or New York. In 2012.

8. Visiting my BFF in Atlanta, and buying a brand new computer (because during number 7, I left my computer on the plane. Sha-WING!). Other fantastic highlights: fall in Atlanta (WOW), trying every flavor at Wonderful World of Coke's tasting station (we made a suicide of all 60 flavors. YUM)

9. Finding a heart-shaped radish leaf.

I have pictures for all of these and I was going to post them, but man, posting pictures is a pain, so Imma just ...

10. go to bed before 10. It's what I do these days and boy howdy do I adore it. I will give you a much more interesting (and visual!) update soon.

Much love,

This Little Ray (of SUNSHINE! :D)

So Legit

Hey! Remember that time I tried to parallel-parked?

Well, this weekend I went out with some friends for some delicious, authentic, affordable Asian food (YUM) in Dubai. Like most urban areas, Dubai has few parking options and so I went with the only one I had: to park parallel busy urban road.

DID I SUCCEED?


*ahem*


Front wheels:


Back wheels:

I KNOW!! Such exactness! Such perfection! Such parallels!

I was made for the city.

Another Thought

"If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life?

It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth."

Mitsugi Saotome

I've been thinking a lot about the purpose of life lately, and about the purpose of Death, too. I have nothing to say about this quote except that it resonates with me. Life is meaningful because of love, and you can't have love without each other.

But, the cost of love is hate and misery and tragedy--and people bring these things about, too.

Is that our collective purpose in living? For Harmony?

Dutch: It's The Way To Go

I once knew a Dutch kid named Marco. I did not like him.

A combination of my senior year with Marco and several layovers in the Amsterdam airport led me to conclude several years ago that I did not like the Netherlands, nor its tall, skinny, jerky, smoking people.

An unfair judgment, I know. I knew it then, too. But until I met a Dutch person I liked, I was determined to look upon Hollanders with disdain.

And then this July I attended a conference in Prague. 80+ students from over 30 nations around the world gathered for a week of leadership activities, and one night of culture-sharing. The first act of the night was a tall, skinny, non-blonde named Yori, who explained a bit about the bizarreness Dutch National Anthem, and tore off his shirt while singing it. I can't remember why he did, but I distinctly remember agreeing with him that, yes, that is not all that's strange about the Dutch.

The next day, I got to talking to him in one of the activities . I didn't mention my prejudice against his people, but I did bring up the Amsterdam airport, and--more importantly--that Holland is home to the best peanut butter in the world.

Ah, Calvé Pindakaas!

What? Yes! You know it! They used to sell it in Dubai, but now I can't find it anywhere and I loooove it.

Well, I can send you some!

I got a very nice email a few weeks later apologizing for the delay, but his parents had eaten the pindakaas [peanut butter] intended for me (see? it really is the best!) and of course that delayed the sending somewhat. But no matter. It's in the mail and should arrive in 8-10 days.

Sweet! I thought. And then I left for Europe and forgot all about it.

Until today.

It came!! All 2 jars and 20 (!) Euros of it.

I still think lowly of Marco and the Amsterdam airport in all its toxic secondhand haze, but overall, I'm feeling very kindly toward the Dutch.

Very kind indeed.

My only problem is: What to send back?

(more Dutch awesomeness.)

A Thought

I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race--that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.

--The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

I LOVE FRANCE

I had every intention of telling you about how freaking wonderful Munich is, and how beautiful the weather was, and how much I enjoyed walking along its quaint little streets. Oh, and how well organized, easy, and efficient its underground is! And how everyone just assumed I was German, until I had to reveal I wasn't in order to pay for my soft Pretzel (mmmmmm). I have great pictures for you, and great things to say about Munich. But right now, all I want to talk about is how much I LOVE Paris!! I love it. All I've done is wander along its streets, stopping every now and then to snap a picture. I love cities. I love wandering around cities. I love wandering around Paris. I love, love, love this city!

I have so many great things to say and pictures to post that I hardly know where to begin! How about with today? Highlights:

I ran into an acquaintance from Salt Lake City! A guy from my ward whom I didn't know well. He was standing outside a store with a camera around his neck.

I have this game I play when I travel--it's especially fun in Europe--called "Spot the American" and whenever I correctly identify someone as 'American', I win! It seems like a boring game that would get old fast because of course it's always the fattest, loudest, worst-dressed people that are the Americans (sorry, fellow citizens, but these Europeans are a slim, stylish bunch) and spotting them is like spotting a kool-aid stain on a white polo. But I don't spend much time in touristy areas (read: places with lots of Americans) and so the game maintains its appeal.

So, I spotted the American loitering along the sidewalk and then realized that wasn't just an American--that was a UTAHN. Whom I KNEW. But how? And what the crap was his name?

I stopped right there on the street, not 5 five feet away, and pointed directly at him.

"You." It was all I could say, since I couldn't remember his name or how exactly I knew him.

For a second he looked alarmed, and then recognition dawned and he said, Yeah, I do know you from somewhere--as though he was answering some unasked question.

And then I remembered! A roommate of a friend from the ward. (I still couldn't recall his name.)

Yep. That was it.

Turns out he was on vacation with his mom! SLC flights directly to Paris, you know. Oh, and his name is Steve.

I never get tired of these small-world incidents.

_________

I visited 11 Rue Jacob today. I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but it's haunted. I know that because I've listened to this story 13 times (iTunes play count!) and decided it made a much cooler landmark than the Eiffel Tower, which I didn't visit.

_________

I ate a fabulous French lunch today. It was expensive and fancy and had an entree AND a main course. (Who even knew an entree wasn't a main dish?) Anyway, it was superb, expensive, downed with Evian, and didn't cost me a cent. Bada. BING.

__________

That's why my job is awesome. It pays me to travel to cool places and eat lunch on other universities' dimes.

___________

It also gives me a per diem--a daily allowance--for food and transportation. I haven't wanted to take the time to sit down and eat a proper meal (too much to see!), so instead I've just bought lots of ice cream. If you learn only one word in French, learn this: glaces.

Mmmmmmmm.

___________

I still haven't eaten a croissant :(

____________

I visited Notre Dame today.

It's so beautiful.

____________

Tonight, my pre-dinner gelato cost a fortune (3.50. EUROS!) but it was chocolate and raspberry and shaped like a flower! A scoop of chocolate in the center surrounded raspberry petals. I'm so sad I didn't discover that place last night.

____________

I'm really proud that no one speaks English to me. It means no one assumes I'm American. In my book, if you can pass for local in TWO European countries, you are a legit traveler.

(This rule doesn't apply in the Middle East.)

___________

I have work to do now. The rest of the week is work and travel and business meetings, and then it's back to the office.

Hm. Come to think of it, I think I'll just take a bath instead. I won't get another vacation until November and I think I need to take advantage of this night.

Plus, I went to Sephora tonight. That bath cube ain't gonna dissolve itself!

More to come,

Paris Paris Paris!

Finally! A Post About TRAVELING!

I am typing this from a wee hotel room hotel in Munich, Germany. Tomorrow, I will be typing from a (hopefully much less wee) room in PARISSS!!! I am so excited. Want the full details of my European tour?

View Europe September 2010 in a larger map
Weeeee!

I spent Thursday preparing for the trip by eating the rest of my food (chicken, homemade soup (!) and zucchini pasta(yum!)), packing and shopping. Yes, it is important to buy new clothes if you are going on a business trip to Europe. It is also important to borrow from your awesome roommate's stash of business attire and designer bags! And to adopt her too-small heels. Yeah!

When you fly internationally, you should be at the airport 3 hours before your scheduled departure. I never, ever break this rule. It often means I have a good 1-2 hours of empty time at the airport, but better empty time in Duty Free! than not enough time at check-in! I always say.

My flight (to Munich vai Paris) was scheduled for a 1:45 takeoff Friday AM and so a 10:45 airport arrival would leave me with plenty of time for check-in, duty free browsing, and my traditional buying of the Jelly Bellies (they're like 2 bucks at the airport! I buy a pack or two every time I fly and while eating them, tell each little bean how it was made and the cool state they are from.)(Just kidding. But wouldn't that make a great story for the person next to me? 'So how was your flight?" "Dude, I sat next to the craziest lady!' haha) Uh, so I don't remember where I was before that parenthetical tangent.... Oh right, so I thought I was leaving at 1:45 but I checked my itinerary around 10 PM (I had just finished packing my suitcase for the 8th time. Only one carry-on suitcase for 8 days!) and realized it said: 0045! oh no! WHAT HAD I DONE?

I was like, Roommate, I got the time wrong!

She was like, What's the rush?

I was like, 3 hours!

She does not believe in that rule, I learned, and so we pulled up to the airport just after 10:45 (I live 10 minutes away) and it was a MADHOUSE. You know how it is traveling in the US around the x-mas holidays? It was like that. (because it was the start of the Eid holiday and everyone and their mothers, brothers, and children were leaving the country!)

I waited 45 minutes to check in (You never have to wait when you're 3 hours early!) and then the lady asked me about my carry-on and was like, Uh, I'll need to weigh that.

It was overweight by 1.6 kg and she was like, You can check it.

And I did, even though inside I was like Nooooooooooo! I really hate checking bags. I packed a carry-on sized suitcase just so I wouldn't have to! But really, what other option did I have?

That was bad, but not as bad as the next thing she said to me: The only seat available is in the middle.

WHAT?? (Because my travel guy always books me an aisle seat!)

You need to make your seat selection when you reserve, she scolded.

I was like, But my travel guy always books me an aisle seat! Is that really my only option?

And she said, Well, let me check.

And 10 minutes later: A window seat. bada BING.

VERY IMPORTANT TRAVEL TIP: BE NICE. Always. Even when you're freaking out because you arrived 2 hours early instead of 3!

This lady volunteered to find me a better seat (middle seats suck! especially on international flights!), and when I was in Prague in July, I was allowed to take on my overweight carry-on because I asked nicely. My mom's colleague has gotten upgraded to business this way several times. Nice, folks, is not over-rated.

I made it to my gate just under an hour before take-off, and so I rewarded myself with Jelly Beans :)

Slept all the way to Paris, even though I was in the bulkhead. Do you want to know how I feel about the Bulkhead? Let me quote fellow short-person David Sedaris:

He was at the front of the cabin, in a single bulkhead seat, and I recall feeling sorry for him, because I hate the bulkhead. Tall people covet it, but I prefer as little leg room as possible. When I’m on a plane or in a movie theatre, I like to slouch down as low as I can, and rest my knees on the seat back in front of me. In the bulkhead, there is no seat in front of you, just a wall a good three feet away, and I never know what to do with my legs. Another drawback is that you have to stow all of your belongings in the overhead compartment, and these are usually full by the time I board. All in all, I’d rather hang from one of the wheels than have to sit up front.

Taken from this piece, which is SO FUNNY. It also appears in his book, When You Are Engulfed In Flames (of which I have a signed copy. boo yaw) as Solution to Saturday's Puzzle.

Thank you, David. I hope I run into you while I'm in Paris this week!

So, I slept uncomfortably, but I wasn't in the middle seat! (haha. I accidentally typed 'middle east' first.)

I arrived in Paris and they don't have a train to take you from terminal to terminal so I walked FOREVER to get to my next gate. It turned out okay, though, because I had a 3-hour layover :)

Then I slept all the way to Munich.

At the airport, I picked up my luggage and found a money exchange, and then had to figure out how the heck to get to my hotel. Would a taxi know the address? I asked the lady at information.
She said, Yes, but of course that is ridiculous, you silly little American, because a taxi will be 60 Euro and you can get there on the train for 10! Then she shoved a map at me and started helping the next person.

Germans, I hear, can be a little brusque.

I paid for the taxi, because 1 it's not my money 2 I don't know how to use the train!!

****This part is, uh, a little on the 'adult' side. Under-18 year olds: ye be warned!***

As we all know here on this blog, I have a talent for attracting, ah, 'interesting' taxi drivers. Turns out that in Germany, they're a little more interesting than in Jordan.

This man never asked me to marry him, never demanded I sit in the front seat with him, and really never made me feel even a little uncomfortable. This is significant considering our conversation, in which he revealed that if he could 'to change' he would be German woman because girls can have--how do you call it?--'one-night stays' with many men--hundreds even!--and it is okay. A woman can approach a man in a disco and ask for a night and he will not say no. No man will say no to this! But if he goes to a woman in a disco and asks for a night, she will tell him, No! You are crazy!

I said, Well, you can say no! You don't have to say yes just because you were asked.

He said, No, you not understand me.

What he meant was: He wants to be able to sleep with any woman he asks. Men can't. But women? The woman have options! Except not a woman in Africa and Arab and these places. They are with man one time and get killed! No, I want to be German girl.

I said, No, it's not okay for a woman, either. If a woman sleeps with many men, she gets a bad image and she gets called bad names. (<--Broken English is an important skill to master, if you are one to travel a lot.)

He said, Maybe in US, but not in Germany.

(I guess German doesn't have a word for 'slut', or any of the other degrading-exclusively-to-women words like 'ho', 'bitch' and 'whore'. I wonder if it also missing words like 'pimp' and 'player'?)

He said, Why don't you have boyfriend?

I said, Why don't you have a girlfriend?

He doesn't want a girlfriend. (Just the one-night stays), and marriage is for much later.

When I told him I had friends my age who already had two kids , he could not believe it. I tried to explain that for some people marriage and kids brought much greater happiness than one-night stays. He couldn't believe that either. But maybe when he is 35 or 40. For now, just the one-night stays.

I changed the subject to talk about Munich. He said I was very near--how do you call it?--downtown and asked me what I wanted to do. I said, I have a meeting, and then I want to sleep. (I slept on both flights, but was still soooo tired!)

Alone?

Yes. I just want to sleep, and just sleep.

But is Friday! You are nice girl! You can go to disco and downtown. Why sleep alone? You can call me even!

haha. No, I really just want to sleep.

He told me of an American woman he spent a week with (he even showed me her business card). She cried when she had to go home. I asked him if he was sad, too, when she left. He said yes, but that he tells women he is just want the sex, not uhhh...

A relationship? I volunteered.

Right. My English is not so good. I didn't learn in school.

What? But I thought everyone in Germany speaks perfect English! How did you learn, then?

He smiles. 'Women.' He told me I will learn better from a man. A man from a woman and a woman from a man--this is the best way. A man from man or woman from woman--not good.

Or, I could take a class! That's another good way.

He just chuckled.

We arrived at my hotel. The meter read 62.70 (!!).

He wished me a pleasant stay as he handed me my luggage, and though he may have thought me a terrible waste of a Western woman, electing to spend the night alone in a hotel when I could so easily spend it with a stranger(!), he didn't indicate it. Just shook my hand and went on his way.

***********

Now I am off to see the city. I would leave you with a picture, but my computer is being funny and won't let me upload any :(

Ah well. Hopefully I can post more when I get back!

Much love,

This Little Traveler