Lull

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step."

Lao Tzu

...

     I finally got to travel again. It may have not been to any "new places", but it was full of new experiences and at the end of the day that's all that counts.

     I wish I had more funny stories to tell. But then again, my life can be a bit monotonous, specially so during the semester. But then again, when it's fun, I am enjoying too much the moment for me to stop and write. I try my best to keep save the memories for later. It's just frustrating how all the details gets lost as time passes. Still, I prefer old memories written down without perfect details than to stop living for a second.

     I've heard so much about Ballard's Farmers Market. There is something about local fresh food that makes me warm and happy on the inside. Food alone makes me happy. You know how guys say "Bros before h***"? Well, I prefer "Snacks before naps". I love both snacks and naps, just as a guy loves his bros and... ladies (stop degrading women for owning their sexuality). Sorry, I got sidetracked. Back to the market... 

     It was a cold, windy day. Just as I walked near the Market, I could smell so many things. The whole street was filled with tents and people looking for things to buy. In the market could find tulips, to beers, cookies, vegetables, wines, clothing, painting; all locally grown or made. In the sidewalk you could find performing artist. Kids singing in a chorus, some men writing poems, violin and guitar sounds filled the air. Sadly, I had no money to waste, so I couldn't try any of the delicious looking food available. But I can't wait to go back and try some!

     The Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon, WA was blooming during my visit. It seemed like a nice sunny day when we left Seattle. Although people always say that it's constantly raining in Washington, I've found that to be an exaggeration. Yes, it does rain (more like a drizzle and less like actual pouring rain). No, it's not always. I've seen many beautiful days in Washington. When we got to Mount Vernon about an hour and half later, the weather was not as pretty. It was drizzling, windy and cold. So happy I took my coat with me that day. Still, the tulip fields were beautiful. There were acres and acres of tulips of all colors, mud and people. I am not a big flower fan, allergies and everything, but I fell in love with a red tulip with white borders. We walked around the fields for a few hours, took some nice pictures and left half an hour later. The view was worth the drive. So, if you ever find yourself in Washington during April and want a nice slow day, this is the perfect way to go.

     I don't remember where I left my (white) Storm Trooper lego figure! I need to stop taking Lego's from a 5 year old. In my defense, he had 3 more and he didn't understand the awesomeness of Star Wars. I know it's my responsibility to guide them to the dark side, but I had no patience. Add to that the fact that they actually shoot out a Lego piece. I had to. I needed to. I lost it.

     I'll take some space to talk about long distance relationships. You are welcome to skip this part if you like. It's been something going around my head now that I get closer to my one year mark. So far, I've learned that long distance relationships are more complicated than "normal" relationships. It's not just the distance, the time difference, the extra effort on communication and the lack of physical contact. It goes farther than that. Weekends seem eternal. Sometimes Netflix doesn't even cover, and come one, we all know Netflix covers up everything. Sure, I have amazing friends. But when it comes to hangout, it's not so easy. Those who have a significant other usually do couple activities (double dates and such). Those who are single obviously love doing single stuff (drink, flirt, FLIRT, repeat). In my case, I can't do either (I can flirt, but then again it gets boring). It sucks to find yourself having a bottle of wine with your mom and her boyfriend (mom always being there for me). It's not that I don't like to spend time with my mom, nor I am saying I want out of the ship. What I am trying to state is that it gets hard. Incredibly hard. And, being honest, yes, sometimes I want to burn the ship. Still, in the end, when you get to see that special person, you forget about the whole ordeal and know all of it has been worth it.

Quick points!

• I wore a dress to class. That's as close as I get to feeling girly.
• The next day I wore a flowery skirt and shirt. What's happening?
• Summer temperatures started creeping into Puerto Rico. It is like a constant sauna here. How do people expect me to let my hair grow long in this weather?!
• I discovered that, superhero as I am, I have an sworn archenemy.
• I really dislike not going to class for unreasonable reasons.
• Less than a month for the Puerto Rico ComicCon!
• I am jobless. I want an iWatch. I can't have everything I want. Or can't I? Nope. I was right.
• That Star Wars "The Force Awakens" teaser... 
• Nothing like free ice cream. Specially if it is a Strawberry Cheesecake cone from Ben&Jerry's.
• I need to stop advertising places, food and other things on my blog. I am not getting paid for this!
• Netflix Marvel's Daredevil is so good. (There I go again...)
• You should all watch What We Do In The Shadows. Such a good comedy.
• I went to a cabaret on date night. Guys, if your girlfriend is not the jealous type, you should totally to that with her. It's a whole different thing where you'll both have fun. Maybe it'll end up sparking something new...
• Game of Thrones is back!
• Why are there so many quick points this time?
• A friend is asking me to call a number and ask for dwarfs. Apparently people find them amusing and a bar wants to pay some to be just be there.

“去哪儿旅行不重要，
重要的是跟谁一起旅行”。

(:

Algid

There is more than road to get where you want to... 

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
                                                                                             - Dylan Thomas
...

It's pretty hard to keep a blog when you have no internet in your place...

     I always try to find time to write. I like keeping my memories unaltered and young. That's one of the main reasons I have this blog and a diary. I even make notes on my phone about thoughts I have throughout the day. But then again writing takes time and should not be forced. I admit, after more than a month I am a bit rusty with the whole writing thing. I shall review this post several times before I publish it to make sure everything is written correctly. I apologize in advance for the errors. 

What I enjoy the most about being human is
having the capacity to change, learn, grow

     Winter break in Puerto Rico is usually over a month long, so it gives us time to enjoy moments with family and friends, rest and travel. As I've said so many times, I simply adore travelling. My winter destination: Seattle, WA. Although I've been several times to Washington State, I always find something new and entertaining to do. This time around I went ice-skating, to the zoo, hiking, watched movies on IMAX, to the art museum, visited a graduate school campus, and just walked around the city. Do I even have to say I slept my other days out? It was some nice vacation with spectacular free home-cooked meals. It was a nice break from the day-to-day hectic life that I have back home during my semesters.

Survival mode

     The whole idea was to get to Seattle on Christmas day. I had arranged flights, made deals with people and everything so that I could get there at midnight. The day of my departure I noticed I'd left some important things back at my apartment (hiking boots, toothbrush, other stuff), so I left for the airport early. A few minutes out of the house I noticed I had left my apartment keys at my car, and just as I was about to turn back, I get a strange call. It was the airline. My flight had been delayed, which meant I would miss my layover in Miami and wouldn't make it to Seattle until late the next day. I was about to loose my cool real badly. I asked about earlier flights and, to my good luck, they had one that left in less than 2 hours. I had to be on that flight. There was a small problem though. I was 45 minutes away from the airport and still had to stop at my place. I had to decide: get to Seattle on time and buy whatever I required there, or not get to Seattle when planned and save up that money. Then again money comes and goes, good memories last a lifetime. I am glad I decided as I did. It was wholly worth it. 

It's hard to get up on ice

     It was not my first time seeing snow, but it was my first time having a one-on-one moment with it. I did not have gloves nor boots made for it. Somehow I expected the snow to be less cold than it actually was. My hands were freezing, but it didn't stop me from making snowballs while feeling the cold pain all the way to my bones. The trail to the Big Four Ice Caves was not easy for my Keds, my body or the people around me who couldn't help but to fall every 5 seconds. That constant falling made the 1.1 mile hike to where the caves were situated feel eternal. Once I got to the ice caves I didn't want to go back. Part of it because it was incredibly beautiful,  the other part because of how long the way was with a person constantly falling besides you. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching him struggle to keep up. It was one of the most adorable and funny thing I've ever seen happen to him. But the sun was setting and we were in a soon-to-be-dark forest walking. What if a bear came out of nowhere?!

Art speaks to me on many levels

     I have a love-hate relationship with zoos as with many other things on life. Who doesn't love to see "wild" animals up-close? But at the same time, who knows what happens behind the curtains? So many stories of animal cruelty in zoos have been out. I find it really hard to have a firm stand against it. Anyways, during my stay in Seattle I visited the Woodland Park Zoo because of elephant reasons. It was incredibly cold and rainy that day. Still, I get to see two beautiful elephants. Sad thing is I didn't take pictures of them. I really hope they are well fed and taken care of. Apart from the elephants, they had zebras, kangaroos, bears, penguins, hippos, ostriches, orangutang, owls and other animals I can't remember right now. The zoo in general is beautiful. The animals where pretty active considering it was cold and cloudy. I would advice you to go during summer though. A plus of going this summer will be the new attraction: TIGERS! 

I have a thing for large land mammals

     With Valentine's Day approaching, I decided to do something I've never done before. See, I am a firm believer that Valentine's is just a pathetic pretext for capitalism to have it's way by making us buy things we don't need for people who don't deserve it. Love and friendship are not things that you feed chocolate and cards once a year, but something you should care for every day. Still, I took it as a really lame excuse to  spoil my significant other. Although technically it will arrive before the actual day, in my mind it will still count as that first time I gave someone special a Valentine's gift. I'm so cheesy sometimes...

Frostbite: it's real

     Remember the whole "I will start meditating daily" thing? That ended up not work. I do try to live in the moment every day, but not in the form of meditation. I am guessing it has to do with the fact that I am not as organised in life as I should be. Eventually I am sure to get there. Meanwhile, I will let my mind fly moments before I fall asleep.

I am a person of habits, so... quick points!!

• The court viewing for the whole alimony thing will finally come to an end in a few days. I won't lie, I couldn't be more nervous.
• Any ideas for spring break?
• I need to officially submit my change of major.
• Got pretty nice grades last semester. I guess all the stress and wanting to crawl under my desk was totally worth it.
• I miss China. More so now that I can have a conversation about food with people.
• I want some Pho or Thai. I don't know if restaurants of the sort even exist in Puerto Rico.
• I did some research. There are a handful of Thai restaurants in Puerto Rico. The best one is far away from San Juan. I will make plans to go and will let you know how good it was.
• If the basic class of Chinese was hard, the second part is just... I just took a test and the translation part was something else.
• I want to go to back China so badly. It's such an interesting country and culture. 
• Been sick twice this semester and it hasn't even been a month of it.
• I use my Facebook as a memory timeline to write my post.
• That Seattle SeaHawks SuperBowl lost was heartbreaking. My jersey... it hurts.
• My car is a constant disappointment. I fix one thing, it breaks down elsewhere. I honestly don't know what else to do with it.
• I ate a snail (I am so sorry Gary!) and I liked it. The consistency felt like shrimps and mushrooms put together. It was a whole new experience. 
• I got some really cool StarWars leggings for Christmas (among other things).

Somehow I expected this to be a longer post...

(:

I consider myself a really lucky person.

Not because I have a perfect life,

but because I have amazing people in it.

Sunder

"Are you happy? Because that's all that matters." 

 ...

So jet lagged...

This post will take some time to finish. Headaches and other aches are kicking in. I am not happy with this jet lag.

Beijing

     Complications all over the Au Pair program. What the hell, complications since this whole trip started. I should've seen it coming. But I went for it anyways. Never seen myself as a quitter. I will not go into big details about why I am no longer doing the program. It's something a bit personal. But rest assured it wasn't because I couldn't handle the pressure. On the contrary, those last few days things seem to be really looking brighter. Had friends, the family wasn't pushing me around so much, I was pretty much getting used to everything there. But then misunderstandings here, problems there and everything pilled up, making me take the hard decision to head back home. It was not easy. I spent a few nights thinking it through. But in the end it was the wisest thing to do. I did make a fast stop before getting home.

     Saying goodbye to the girls was not easy. The last two days the girls asked me why did I had to leave and if I was coming back after that. They kept hugging me each minute and saying "I live you Valerie" or "I love you my baby". Yes, they had this weird thing where they kept saying I was their baby. I just went with it. The night before the oldest one started crying saying she didn't want me to leave. I've just been there for two and a half week and they were reacting this way. I was impressed.

     The morning of the day I left was a bit more relaxed. Woke up to help with the girls (yes, I decided to work until the last minute), got them ready for school and said goodbye. They both hugged me tight. The oldest started crying again and the host mother took some pictures of the oldest not wanting to let me go (which was a bit too much for my liking). I wont lie here, a tear or two may have came out. Those girls had been just a bundle of love when they were with me, their witticism was so funny. I came to grow affectionate towards them. But there wasn't much I could do, and the goodbyes had to be said.

Seattle & Portland

     Since I was leaving early, I missed him and Seattle was on the way home, we kind of decided I would stop there for a few days. There were no exact plans for the days I would be there, but things turned out better than if there was an actual plan. First night in the USA, and all I could think about was pizza. And so pizza it was. I didn't know how much I missed and loved pizza until then. I had a moment with that pizza that can't compare to any other moment with any other person in the world. So powerful. Food...

     Did a date on Portland. His idea, not mine, which was kind of exciting since in a old post I wrote I wanted to make a date out of a concert without him knowing it and... you understand. Let's just keep going with the story... While I was tempted to say no, he did say yes to me in Chicago, so why couldn't I do the same? This time it was dinner and movies. Dinner was perfect. We had some street cart burritos (Portland is really famous for it's street food. And now I can see why.) and then saw Edge of Tomorrow. It's nice to have someone to share your love for time-travel (sci-fi) movies and things. The movie is really good. Simple, funny, full of action and eye catching. I was fangirling inside.

    Actually... this trip was pretty much a big canned cheese. It was just us two having fun and being total goofballs around Portland, and I don't think you are really interested in that. Lets just say that the stop in Seattle/Portland created some amazing memories and marks a new stage in my life. And this is kind of more than you need/want to know. So, NEXT!

Puerto Rico (home)

     Slept almost 24 hours straight once I got home. The whole Chicago-Beijing-Seattle trip threw my body clock away. I am happy though. I did more than I could have asked for. Even if I couldn't go to South Korea like I wanted, I can't say I had a bad time. For me this past month counts as the whole summer. Even if I don't do much here in Puerto Rico for whatever is left of summer, I will say I had the best summer vacations ever.

     People all over have been impressed that I am back. The common comment is "Hey! Weren't you in another country or something?". I wish I could just reply "well, you see me here now. That pretty much means I am back. Just saying...", but the nicer version of me comes out and I usually say "Yes. I just came back." Then the questions of what happened start. I am lucky to have amazing friends who just help change the subject since they know that's something I don't want to think about. But they keep asking so eventually I've had to say "let's just not talk about that okay?". People...

      What else...? Oh! Once again I feel lucky. I got my old job at the library back. So at least I can make some money while I let my summer pass by. I am seriously considering getting another part time job for the summer. Something simple. Just want to make a bit of extra money and do something with all this free time I have. I'll probably see if I can find something when I go to the mall today.

...

      On side note, I really don't know what to do with the blog now that I am no longer an Au Pair. Should I just continue to use it as a kind of place to let my thoughts about those daily things come out or just let it be until my next adventure? Let me know what you think!

(:

Disposition

“I was thinking it would be easy leaving Africa and coming to the USA. I thought I would learn the language and then get rich! But after five years here, I still can’t even talk good English. I work 10 hours a day as a taxi driver just to pay for the basics. There’s no money left for anything else. But at least it’s not hot here in Seattle. I love this cold weather”

…

            I shouldn’t write feeling like this. I think the whole point of a fun adventurous blog dies when you are at the airport feeling like you left something behind. It’s a weird feeling you get when you have to say goodbye to great experiences, places and, above all, to amazing people. For some of us, heading back home isn’t as exciting as leaving home.

I am biting my nails again…

            This week we saw some wonderful things in both Vancouver and Seattle. Vancouver was the first stop. I threw my first snow ball (at my friend Jean and totally missed), tried to go snow tubing just to find out it was a children’s ride, hiked for 3 hours, went shopping, had a stranger try to kiss me, almost ran over someone, saw some gorgeous young homeless people and was just amazed by the beauty of the city and it’s utterly nice people. I hope I can live in Vancouver one day.

 

A shot of courage…

            Part 2 of the trip was Seattle. It was a more relaxing experience here. The only real big activities we did were The Seattle Great Wheel and the EMP Museum. On the way to the wheel, I saw the first ever Starbucks, not that I care much since I don’t like coffee. The wheel looked terrifying because it was set upon a large dock (for those who don’t know, I am dead afraid of fish). At least I had someone besides me who was as scared as I was, if not more. I want to pause to just give a honor mention to someone who made this day perfect: Salmon BLT; thank you for existing and making the ride worth it. Back to the activities. The museum I fell in love with. It had music, movies, sci-fi and everything pop-culture. I am a big fan of sci-fi, so you can imagine I just fan-girled all the way.

            It was a great week. Every second of it was memorable. But it’s time to head back to reality. A lot of schoolwork is waiting for me back home. Also, a lot of Au Pair papers to sign and send. I took a pause, now it’s time to resume normal life. But to be honest… I just can’t wait for SK to happen.

One last word... MAJESTIC.

Oblige

"You are smart, but soooooooo lazy! If you were more responsible, you would do so much better in school" - Every person I've met since college

...

     Tomorrow I'll be done with the last papers of the medical examination for the Au Pair Program. I need to wake up at 7am, get the different test results, take my Theories of Modern Politics test and then head to the doctor's office to get the papers signed. The nice woman in charge of my case is on holidays and I have a man doing my paperwork now. Feels weird since she and I already had a connection after all these months (or so I feel). I hope she gets back soon so she can answer all of my new questions. Just one more month until I am in Beijing. So excited and scared at the same time.

     It's funny how I love reading science fiction books, yet I can't sit through a chapter of any book for a class without taking ten bathroom breaks. I'm on my last weeks of class, which means there is a lot of pressure on us right now. Tests, essays, bonus point projects and such is what these weeks bring.  Actually, I have a test in less than 24 hours. I have read only the title of the theme, yet here I am writing this blog while I listening to Bach. I just love procrastination. Don't get me wrong, I have average grades (above average in Political Sciences), but I do accept I am irresponsible when it comes to school work. On the other hand, I am surprisingly responsible in my professional life. I always get on time, exceed in what I do and am never absent unless I feel really sick. Why can I be like that in school too?

     Apart from all the school work and Au Pair things, my mind is running crazy with the notion of leaving for Seattle/Vancouver on Wednesday. I haven't made my suitcase yet, or the laundry for that matter. Been procrastinating so much lately. Guess tomorrow will be a long day. I'll just go watch a movie now with a friend...

P.S. If you are reading this Monday April 14th, 2014 remember to watch the lunar eclipse tonight. It will be amazing. 

      

Progression

I'll try to post weekly until I am actually in Beijing.

"This will be hard. Physics is something that I can practice in any part of the planet. Law, on the other hand, has limitations." She said

"We can always come to an agreement. I can take the USA bar exam. We can live there. Be rational. Stop being so whimsical."

"But I want Canada, East Asia, Europe, not just one place! Can you really blame me for that?"

...

     I never thought that going to "work" (Au Pair is considered a cultural exchange) in another country would take so much paperwork. The problem isn't getting the papers, but the fact that Puerto Rican agencies are SO inefficient. Just to get one paper you have to wake up at 05:00, be in line by 06:00 and don't expect to be out before 13:00. A whole day wasted in one thing and I still have 10 more things to get. I guess there won't be much free time this week.

   Even when I don't want to, I have high expectations with my host family. When they made my weekly schedule, they told me I wouldn't have free weekends because they wanted to share their free time with me. They want to take me to famous places in Beijing like The Great Wall, Summer Palace and such. In some way it's really nice of them to want to spend so much time with me, but it will feel so weird for me. I am not really a family person. I like to spend a great amount of time alone, specially on the weekends. It will take some time getting used to. This is what I wanted, there's no turning back now.

     To be honest, as the departure day gets closer and closer, I get more scared. I don't really want to think about it, so let's skip that for now, at least until I get back from Seattle/Vancouver. That trip will be amazing. Knowing I'll be out of the country again with my closest friends makes me feel real fortunate. I'll take that trip as a my farewell party. I know I will just be 3 months in Beijing, but who knows what may happen? What if I find an amazing job in China and decide to stay?