Don’t Even Try to Escape the World Cup

Let me start off by mentioning that the country that I am living in (Ecuador) did not qualify for this year’s World Cup. That being said, talk of soccer is still heavily present in every conversation and every inch of this country. If there’s not a game being played at the time, there will be conversations surrounding yesterday’s unbelievable game, or the anticipation for tomorrow’s game.

Got somewhere to go? You don’t even have to worry about missing the game when you leave the house, because it will be broadcasted on the radio in the car on your way over. And I can say with certainty that it is being shown at your destination. If there is a television showing the World Cup, you will find people flocking to watch, even if they are not customers. Everyone is invited to take part. And surprisingly, I have never seen anyone turned away from watching even without a purchase.

Conversational Music

“I need you,” newfound friend Javi asserts.

“Why do you need me?” I demand.

Javi: “Para cuidarte, amarte y estar a tu lado” — to take care of you, love you and be by your side.  His words sound lovely but remarkably familiar. They come directly from music lyrics.

Tinged with sexism, many of my conversations with Dominican males took a — romantic turn.  Out of nowhere, men love me, need me and miss me. One suggested that I make him “feel brand new” — straight from a 1973 Stylistics hit song. We listen to merengue and bachata music, traveling to daily excursions on our chartered bus. Sometimes, the lyrics are in English, unmistakable. Hence, I know the source of Javi’s quixotic lines.

Music profoundly impacts Dominican discourse.

New Experiences in Thailand

To say I was under-prepared for this journey would be an understatement. I wasn’t under-prepared in the sense that I didn’t know how to navigate airports by myself or travel in another country alone. As cheesy as it sounds, I was under prepared for the amount joy and pure fun that would happen on this program.

My first impression of Thailand was that it is more industrial than I imagined. A lot of the movies and pictures you see of Thailand are of the gorgeous beaches and thick jungles. Which is true — there are many beautiful beaches and being in the jungle here feels like you’re either on a movie set or on another planet.

In Colombia, Eating My Way to Peru

Warm welcome from the Cálico Cat Café in a district within the large city of Bogota, Colombia called Chapinero. Chapinero is an urban neighborhood flooded with academic youth and artist. In fact, one of the more influential artists in my life, sculptor Doris Salcedo resides in this charming town.

As I sit and enjoy a delicious Mochameowlatte and the chilly weather here in Bogota (very different from the heat I’ve been experiencing living abroad in Costa Rica), I am reflecting and sharing with you all of the delicious tastes I’ve had these few days. I have started and ended this trip to Colombia at the Cálico Cat Café, a café and restaurant that houses cats in need upstairs. They allow the public to enjoy the company of these kitties as well as adopt them if it’s in your interest. I love a good coffee shop but one that offers something beyond a polite buzz is even better.

The great taste at my first stop in Colombia set the bar high for my taste buds — and not once on this trip was I disappointed.

A Rough Start … and a New Favorite Hangout!

Greetings from Macau!  I want to start this post by reviewing some of the complications I faced while coming to my exchange program. First, I was stuck in Seattle, as one of my connecting flights in China was canceled. Even worse, I couldn’t get the flight company, Juneyao Airlines, to book me a new fight nor give me a refund! This forced my hand to pay 1.5 times as much as I originally paid just to ensure I would arrive in Macau on time from Seattle, taking a rather large chunk out of what little I had saved/borrowed for going abroad.

Gaining the acceptance of China’s ‘loving youth’

Like an outsider entering a tribe, I have spoken with them, shared stories with them – and in return I have been invited to join them.

Getting the Celebrity Treatment

Mosquitos. Everything and everyone is covered in mosquitos here, ha. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but certainly something that I took note of the second that I entered my dorm.

Release Your Expectations

We all do it. We make expectations for how we want certain things to turn out, on a small and large scale. Well, I’m no different. I had high expectations for my adventures abroad in Southeast Asia from the day I got accepted to Thammasat University. Here’s why I think it ultimately hindered my experience – and why we should all let go of expectations and appreciate the journey for everything that it is.