My Life in Words & Pictures
WHO I am is based on WHERE I've been, WHAT I've realized, & WHEN I opened my eyes to WHY I do things and HOW I should live.
Now because I am truly a multi-tasker, I wanted to hit different locations during this summer trip, Netherlands crossed my mind, particularly Amsterdam. I wanted to start "easy" wherein there will be no language barrier but the possibility of a huge culture shock - I love being uncomfortable and challenging myself to keep my composure! I set my eyes on Amsterdam and I now need to search for what country to visit in the African continent. I began my research & found out that I may not have the skills for Madagascar being that I don't even enjoy camping. It was supposed to be on the rugged outdoor side so I am going to pass on that. Next up was Egypt. My bestfriend & I have long planned to visit this place but (1) she got pregnant - I am not mad because I love my godson - and then (2) there were some lingering political unrest in the area. I am now down to South Africa but as I was about to Google things, I decided to ask my friends on Facebook if they had any recommended parts of Africa. There were several people who suggested Morocco! I mean, I know that it's towards the northern part of it & not in the heart of the continent but after a quick search, it became my top contender with all its amazing photos. So I finally had my start location (Amsterdam) & my second location (Morocco). I knew that I wanted to hit 1-2 more places but had no idea where to start. Since I haven't made up my mind yet, I decided to just search airfares. As I searched, I noticed that most of the flights had a layover in Spain & Portugal. I've been to Barcelona, Spain but I've never thought about Portugal so ding-ding-ding! I found my 3rd location! I have now completed my plan of starting my trip in Amsterdam, then flying down to Portugal, and then heading out to my final destination of Morocco. By the time I was booking my flights, I kept seeing Iceland all over so guess what I did? You are right about that! I have decided to squeeze in almost 20 hours in Reykjavik. Now, since I am doing this at the beginning part of the trip, I've concluded that I might as well do the same towards the later part of the trip - I have chosen a 15-hour layover in Barcelona! At this point, I've maximized my locations & will lock my plans down. My trip was set from July 4th to July 18th, 2008...14 days...5 different countries...Alone.
As if traveling out of the country alone for the first time is not challenging enough, I decided to set more limitations for myself - I will now stay at hostels FOR THE FIRST TIME and only bring a BACKPACK! I do not like spending so much money on lodging anyways being that I never really have the intention to stay in. When I was younger, I've taken so many knick-knacks & things with me when I travel. However, after a very horrible decision to travel heavy to Europe in summer 2012 (story in another blog maybe), I swore off big luggages! This time around, I brought only 5 shirts, 3 shorts, 2 light dresses, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shoes, 1 bathing suit, & the essentials. In every hostel I stayed at, I chose the bottom bunk so that I could hang the set of clothes that I hand washed daily. The above picture shows you everything that I took with me, nothing more & nothing less. I had intended to live simple, easy, and minimalistic for the next half a month-ish of my life! This was a challenge I set for myself, and the end result is yet to be discovered, whether I am out of my mind or what I've decided to accomplish is truly doable. Now, let's start with Reykjavik, Iceland... Iceland airport is neat and easy to navigate. When you arrive from an international flight, you would have to go downstairs for the arrival section where you can claim you luggage. Upon exiting, you will immediately see the sign that says "Welcome to Iceland" and underneath that is where you buy your shuttle or bus tickets to head out to central Reykjavík. If you’re coming back to the airport, just get the roundtrip tickets as it’s good for anytime. When you arrive at your hostel or hotel, go ahead and schedule that transportation back, because they would have to call the bus company to put you on the list.
My layover was only a total of 19 hours so I was unable to explore as much as I would’ve liked. The city center is really nice and full of shops and restaurants. I didn’t do much shopping except for a cap that has a penguin and the word Iceland on it. It was cute. I must say though that the food is extremely expensive. I paid about $20 for fish and chips from a street cart so imagine how much it would be at sit-down restaurants. Then for the evening, I had a typical tempura maki sushi that cost me $35! It was crazy. Haha. Their coffee was priced about the same as ours though, but the shake I got at the airport was close to $10. The next day, I followed the bus schedule for the airport ride back. The bus arrived a bit early & I was picked up at 2:15 AM (supposedly at 2:30). Upon coming back, be aware that airport doesn’t really open until 3:30 AM so if you get there earlier, you will have to sit on the floors & wait. I didn’t exchange any cash during my stay. I paid for everything using my credit card. Anytime I approached a store or restaurant, I made sure I doubled-checked first. The upside is I got to keep my Euros for my other trips & I didn’t get charged extra for withdrawing. The only downside is I was unable to buy those small mementos at the flea market & the small cute pop up shops around the city. In conclusion, I like that my trip didn't require me to learn any new language & that the public transportation was easy to figure out. This part of my trip wasn't as planned as I would like it to be. It would've been nice to have seen the outdoors. My visit to Reykjavik, Iceland was too short that I'm probably better off going back one day. =)
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The first main part of my trip is Amsterdam and man, was it a culture shock for sure! Let’s start with the simple part of flying. I usually use Hopper to buy my flights. When I’ve set my mind on a trip and the dates, I log on and watch the airfare. The app will normally let you know when it’s a good time or if you should wait. It took me about 10 hours from LAX to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). At the airport, I noticed that it had a good amount of entertainment facilities such as shops, restaurants, venue for games, movies, massage & spa, sleeping spots, and spots to buy some books. The staff is friendly and helpful and it seems that the whole airport is arranged better as it flows more than the airports we have in the USA. I don’t personally like renting cars when I travel so I do my research and figure out its public transportation. For this trip, I went with the I Amsterdam City Card 3-day pass and then decided to get a day pass for the other day. I decided to do 2 days of going with the flow and 2 days of planned events so I will just work around my fare tickets. I took the train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal Station and then walked to my hostel. I arrived before my check-in so I ended up just chillen. One of the employees was busy cleaning and as she approached my side, she asked me if I could move a little bit. We ended up clicking and becoming friends. By the end of her shift, we exchanged info and agreed to meet up on her day off. Hostels in Amsterdam are pricey and I ended up going with Tourist Inn due to its central location. The receiving area is really nice but small. They served free breakfast on a daily basis but it ends at 9:00 AM. There was no curfew whatsoever but after 10 PM, you'd have to use your room key to get in. There was one shower area and 2 toilet rooms on each floor. All facilities were cramped and not cleaned as often as I would want it to be. I ended up staying in a co-ed room with 6 beds. I had one female roommate from the States who I ended up going out with to explore the night scene. There was 1 guy from Australia, another 1 from Asia, and another American guy that slept above me. We were all quiet and somewhat had different schedules so we didn't get in each other's ways. The only gripe I have is how loud the guy above me snored! He was a really nice dude but I struggled sleeping on the nights that he was there. In my opinion, if he slept that loud on a regular, he shouldn't stay in hostels. Hahaha. I guess his snoring never woke him up so it doesn't matter much to him. One evening, I sat up irritated then as it turns out the other guy across us was already staring down the snoring guy. We both decided to just semi-suffocate ourselves to sleep with pillows on top of our heads. My new friend, Noemi, decided to take me to most popular attractions of Amsterdam - the canals! The canals were gorgeous and everywhere and it’s definitely something that stood out to me. So the cool thing is that the canals weren’t merely for aesthetic purposes or as a tourist attraction, they were also meant for maritime traffic and transportation of goods, products, and people. Some parts were a bit smelly and the water wasn’t clear. However, all in a all, it’s definitely a sight to see! We also went to their gay district and the nearby neighborhoods and roamed around the maze of old beautiful buildings. If you have children under 18 years old, it is essential to have a serious conversation if this district would be a place that you would like to visit. As an adult, it didn’t bother me much and I just took the day as a learning experience and an introduction to the different mindsets of people and cities collectively. I would say that the Red Light District is not a place to visit for everyone. Do your research first to find out if it is a tourist spot that you would like to see. Don't say that you have not been warned. =) The next day, as recommended by my partner D, I visited Old Holland. It was outside the main city so it was a very different vibe. It was about a 40-minute bus ride, long but a peaceful one. I decided to visit this location because I only had 4 days in Amsterdam but wanted to see as much of the traditional Dutch culture. Some find it slightly artificial but I found it beautiful. Here, I saw smoking chimney stacks, spinning tails, clogs, wooden shoes, and small cheese shops. Zaanse Schans gave me all the windmills that I've been wanting to see. I got there late afternoon so there wasn't much crowd that I had to deal with. My next stop was to visit Muiden Castle and I enjoyed the scenery during my 20-minute walk. This attraction didn't amaze me as much so if you ask me, you could totally skip this. Additionally, I wish I had gone when it wasn't as hot though because that sun wasn't fun at all. My final spot outside of the city central was the Bloemendaal Aan Zee Beach. It seemed to be an upscale area with its long stretch of sand that had rows and rows of restaurants. I decided to have my early dinner there before heading back home. The cool wind was amazing and if you visit, I would recommend that you rent a bike and and ride around. The next day, my new friend introduced me to Kyra and we decided to tour more of the city. I enjoyed more some local snacks and checked out some museums, more canals, the millions of bikes that were everywhere and, of course, did a boat ride in the canal! By the end of the evening, they took me to check out the night scene and I'd say that it was quite typical like how it would be in the States. For this trip, I mainly used my credit card Capital One Venture since they don't charge any international fees. If you happen to have a checking account with them, it will also be to your benefit because they don't charge any ATM fees as well! If you plan on traveling internationally sometime soon, I would recommend that you open a checking account with them. Just like how I had arrived, I simply took the train from Amsterdam Centraal Station back to the airport.
Amsterdam was definitely enjoyable for its city buzz and vibe. I enjoyed the bars and restaurants that were found everywhere. Since I don't normally rent cars, I found the location of my hostel to be very near everything. Public transportation in Amsterdam is superb and quite easy to figure out. This is one of the main reasons why I was comfortable traveling out of the city for about an hour to visit its rural areas. I recommend that you also rent a bike and tour the city this way. Finally, if you have more time, make sure to take advantage of the various counties nearby. Europe is an amazing place to visit due to the fact that you can hit so many other cities within a trip. The closest place to visit would be as follows: Duisburg in Germany, Bruges in Belgium, and Lille in France. Check out the European Rail Guide website for more information! Next stop...Portugal! Things have been weighing on me for a couple of days. Lately, my social media has been bombarded with political posts about #BlackLivesMatter & I've been hard on myself trying to figure out more way to participate. I've donated, I've made my stance, I've had healthy debates with people from the opposite end, I've checked on my friends, I've reconnected with people from my past, & I almost protested. I couldn't do the latter part due to my family's request of staying put for now. (They were concerned about my safety due to Covid & the riots that have been overly played by the media.) I am not much of a non-fiction reader but I've seen many of the recommended films even way before all of this happened. I'd say that even though the 5 schools that I've worked for had mostly White staff members, my exposure to diversity is huge with my students, my set of friends, & my travel experience.
I was born in Anaheim, California but I moved to the Philippines to complete the latter portion of my elementary, my entire high school, & all of my college years. Upon graduation, I immediately moved back to the USA to be with my retired US Navy father. In 2001, I lived in Northern California with him and met his 2nd wife and kids. One of my step brothers is half-Black. He introduced me to many other Black people and I made my own group of friends as well. They told me their stories then & I didn’t understand it much. I eventually moved to a city with mostly White people. When my bro would visit me, he would often get to my house late. He told me stories of getting pulled over a lot for driving in our neighborhood, just driving. I believed him being hassled because my bff and I, as brown people, get stared at at our local super store. Additionally, we would constantly get placed in the back of the restaurants we ate at - this is not an exaggeration. At school, I ended up getting mainly Black students on my caseload. Countless of them have shared with me how hard it was to be born to their family because they get harassed a lot, for no valid reason. I formed a hiphop dance club and ended up with mostly Asian & Black students - we got along and we did well. We danced to music we all enjoyed and did moves we all understood. One day, I got spoken to by the staff regarding my kids causing some chaos during performance. The chaos they described was simply some of the audiences getting “hyped” up with our performance. Admittedly, some of them got off their bleachers (but immediately stepped back when asked to). Drama was starting to brew between the dance club (my kids and I) and the dance team (mainly from the cheer team). I told my kids to just focus on what we do and keep enjoying what we have. I told them to not respond to any comments & speak to me immediately for any issues. We continued to do well as a club that other schools would check us out. We were slowly becoming one of the highlights of the events. Then eventually, apparently, there was some trash talking that happened from one of the dance team members towards my dance club kids. Again, I told them just perform & don’t worry about it. The next day, I was called and spoken to by the staff again. The “rowdiness” of my kids were brought up once more. This time around, I was asked to require passing grades for my performers. I didn’t understand why the grades mattered when their duties to the club involved performing and entertaining. Many of my kids actually started to behave better in their classes, esp during practice day because they knew that I didn’t want any of them getting stuck in detention hall when we have to practice. But I had to follow protocol. I spoke to my kids and broke the news that they now need to have passing grades in order to perform. Many of them were upset. Many won’t be able to perform. They’ve shared with me how dancing was the only thing that made them want to come to school & now it’s being taken away from them. When I told them about the rowdy comment from the staff, they didn’t understand because GETTING HYPHY is the point of a dance club. I didn’t understand it either because my friends and I (outside of work) would get hyphy as well. Eventually my kids told me that they knew what this was about. I didn’t agree with them out loud but I also had an idea on what this was about. The club officers and I volunteered to help out anyone who needed academic assistance, but the club was never the same again. Subtle things like this happen a lot to certain groups of people...it is so small right? But after 5 plus years of knowing their culture and being emerged in their culture (both kids and adults), I started to see things differently. I had one freshman who got in trouble and was sent to a restrictive school who would visit me yearly on my birthday to greet me, with an escort & everything. He skipped one year & when he came back the next year, he told me that he was sent to jail because a cop mistaken him for another black kid who was committing something illegal. I’ve heard so many stories then that I, too, get nervous around cops. Of all the many times I got pulled over for speeding, I would put my hands on the dashboard and ask permission before I move. I even told Donina Ramirez to do the same thing (she didn’t understand why btw)! Don’t get me wrong here, I know cops are there to protect us but the stories of my friends and kids were engrained in my head & that’s just me being their teacher or being friends with them. Now just imagine if I truly went through what they went through with all these hurtful stereotypes, generalizations, and racism. I eventually left that school for 3 main reasons - (1) my bff who lived in Southern California needed me, (2) my dad passed away, and (3) one of my favorite students who was trying hard to change his path, got shot (by accident) over the summer. He wasn’t a bad kid. He didn’t have bad parents. He was Black. So to end this, I know everyone’s life matters. I’m a person of faith so I believe in that. But some people have it worse in general, simply due to the color of their skin. The movement is not about them taking what is yours. It is not about them ignoring your needs. It is about them being treated unfairly for so long and them simply asking for the SAME COURTESY AND RESPECT (easily given to others) to be thrown THEIR WAY AS WELL. I know that this is supposed to be a travel blog. Don't worry, that is still my plan. However, I will warn you now, that from time to time, this will be a venue for me & my thoughts. After all, WHO I am is based on WHERE I've been, WHAT I've realized, & WHEN I opened my eyes to WHY I do things and HOW I should live. |