Day #3 - Travel Music

Day #3 of 30 days of Indie Travel
Music and travel memories often go hand in hand. A song can inspire our explorations, or it can take us back to a specific place and time. Tell us about your travel playlist and what it means to you.


My music is always super upbeat. I study to Mika and LMFAO. It's the same when I travel, with one addition. I love to listen to music in the language f where I'm going. So far most of my travel has been to places where I speak the language, at least somewhat, making that much easier. This is going to get more difficult as I head to Korea. Do I really want to listen to KPOP?


For Chile

For Egypt

And for the Egyptian Revolution

Day 2 - I've got some catching up to do.

Day #2 of 30 days of Indie Travel
Change can be exciting and bring new joys into our lives. But it can present challenges that frustrate or annoy us. How has travel changed you in the last year? Did you welcome these changes or resist them at the time, and how do you feel about them now?


Change. I have no idea where to begin. How I've changed in the last year. A year ago almost exactly I was about to embark on a trip that would make me realize some things about myself that were kinda painful, and I realized some things about the people I thought were my friends that were just as painful. Even more than a world traveling change I've changed how I see people because I was really hurt by the people I considered my friends and I think that's made me a bit more reserved about who I want to have around me. 
That was just the change that happens to be exactly a year ago. 
I've also learned that I can handle myself when I've been robbed while traveling alone in a foreign country. That has given me the confidence to trust myself. And I learned from the mistakes that caused it in the first place.
That confidence helped me to dodge a creepy guy following me through some back alleys in a country where I didn't speak the language and to (mostly) keep my cool while doing it.
I've come to realize the importance of standing up for what you believe in.
I've learned what it's like to have a sister, even if she's not technically mine.
I've realized just how much I love to teach, to travel, and to be a photographer.
I've changed in so many ways.

30 Days of Indie Travel

I came across a 30 days of travel blogging challenge called 30 Days of Indie Travel, which has a different blog prompt for every day of November. I'm not too far behind, so I'm gonna give it a try.


Day #1:
What were your travel goals last year? Did you accomplish them? What travel goals do you hope to accomplish this year?


This time last year I was on a train from Cairo to Luxor. I had accomplished pretty much everything I could have hoped for as far as travel for the year: I was 2 and a half months in to what was supposed to be a 10 month stay in Egypt.


My goal was to learn Arabic and Middle Eastern Politics, and have the time of my life. 


In Egypt I saw ancient temples and tombs in Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel, watched the sun rise over Saudi Arabia and bathed in the Red Sea in the beach town fo Dahab, and saw and climbed inside the Great Pyramids of Giza, and learned so much about myself.


I also had the chance to travel over the winter, and spent most of January in Istanbul, Spain and Morocco. On these trips I was forced to learn some lessons about myself as I struggled to make the most of my trip after being robbed about a week in.


Upon my return to Egypt I got a lot more Middle Eastern Politics than I bargained for. A whole revolution full of Middle Eastern politics and the chance to be a part of history. The events of my last week in Egypt will probably be the most memorable of my life for a long time.


What I did not accomplish was the second half of my year. I did not learn as much Arabic as I had hoped, and I did not get to take the journey to Jordan Lebanon and Israel over my extended spring break. I never went to the Egyptian Museum, the Black and White Deserts, the Siwa Oasis, or St. Catharine's Monastary. These are on my list for when I can go back.


This is not to say I did not get something in exchange for what I missed out on. After being abruptly torn from my  barely month-old lease on the apartment I was just starting to call home for the second half of my year, I got to dash through Paris, had a brief week to see some friends an family, and then was whisked off to Chile, where I spent the next five months.


In Chile I had so many amazing experiences, gained a family I will never forget and friends who can't be beat. I got to drastically improve my Spanish and make friends with all kinds of locals, something I never got a lot of a chance to do in Egypt with my limited Arabic. I traveled from the mountains of Patagonia to the desert of Atacama, the driest in the world. I saw abandoned mines in Iquique and learned about the modern-day lives of indigenous peoples in Temuco. I saw two of Pablo Neruda's three houses, all filled with the most amazing collections of oddities and explored the costal cities of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar.


So did I accomplish the goals I had for myself at this time last year? I'd say yes. And so much more. What I've accomplished and learned about myself and the world in the last year is so far beyond what I could have expected.


So now for next year.


I've decided (during one of te breaks in writing this post, actually), that I will be accepting a job offer to teach English in Korea next year. I begin February 23rd. My goals for next year, then, are: 1.) To immerse myself in a culture that I am for the most part completely unfamiliar with, 2.) To travel to at least one other country while in Korea (hopefully Thailand!) and to do a lot of traveling within Korea, 3.) To learn Korean, 4.) To decide if living and teaching abroad is something I can see myself doing long-term, and 5.) If so, to figure out where to next.


I think those are good goals. 


Hopefully I remember to do these 30 days again next November and we'll see how they go.

I have a job?

I've been interviewing for positions in Korea for over a month now, and I am getting pretty close to signing a contract with a school. I spoke last night with the woman I would be replacing and It was a good conversation, I'm only still hesitant because I would be signing a contract so far in advance of actually starting work in late February.
For the moment it's seeming like Korea will be the next country on my list. From the Nile to the Andes to the Big Easy to... central Korea?

Seeking suggestions

I'm trying to make a list of things that I'd like to have/remember to bring with me for my journeys that would make life/packing easier. I've tried to separate into sections of clothing, tech, and general utility. Some of these things are clearly just something to remember, and others I need to look into buying, and that's where the suggestions begin. I would also love suggestions/additions in the general utility items to remember. Remember we're going for minimal packing, so combining things/ having multi-use items is important)'

Clothing

Stylish and comfortable walking shoes

Hiking footwear (possibly combinable with previous, but I need something somewhat stylish, and hiking and stylish don't mix too well)

Rain Jacket (brand suggestions?)

comfy-chic dress (horney toad's panoply has been recommended, but I'd love other multi-purpose suggestions)

smart layers (suggestions for utilitarian and attractive?)

Black V-neck Sweater (or similar - useful for anytime)

White button-down (when can't you wear this?)

Convertible pants (http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Women%27s-Ramesa%E2%84%A2-Convertible-Pant/OL3906,default,pd.html has been suggested, accepting alt. suggestions)

Walking sandals (Teva or similar)

Tech

Zoom lens - I just have to buy one, already have DSLR

Sony CyberShot DSC H100V (or similar, looking for snazzy features and compact size)

Audio recorder (inexpensive, digital)

Polarizer lens - Again just have to buy

Tech case - just bought one from Lowepro, let you know how it is when I get it.

Packing/General Utility

Eagle Creek Pack (I like the ones with the zip-off daypacks, anyone know of another brand that does this??)

Self-inflating mattress - looking into NeoAir at the moment, want comfort and low weight more than warmth.

Sleeping Bag

Pack cover - rain, rain, rain

Ziplocs

Air pillow (brand?)

Drylite towel (brand?)

Travel clothesline

Duct tape

pain reliever, allergy meds, tums, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, Neosporin, clothes detergent, water purification tablets, shake light/wind-up torch, baby wipes

Earplugs

Swiss army knife

Protein bars, peanut butter (other filling small snack?)

Game: uno, etc. (suggestions, preferably language independent?)

That's my list for now. I'm sure it'll grow.

Back in an English speaking country? What?

So I kinda failed at blogging while I was there, but I had an amazing semester in Chile and am now about halfway done with my last semester at Tulane (aaahhhhhh!!). And since I'm back in a boringly English-speaking country I am, of course, trying to figure out how to get somewhere else as soon as possible. My current top possibility is teaching EFL in Korea.

Sorry, I've been busy having fun

Things I've been up to:
I went to Patagonia (southern tip of the world) two weekends ago.I went to Temuco last weekend, also south of here but not quite so far, for a trip with my entire program.
I'm going to see Chico Trujillo next weekend.
I'm going to Fantasilandia tomorrow.
I had a paper from hell due yesterday morning.
I'm picking classes today for next semester, trying to graduate.
I met my tandem partner yesterday, he seems nice.
I had a field trip with my Human Rights class to a museum Wednesday, and I have to write a paper on a memorial and use some of the information from this museum, I think.
At the museum there was a video of some protesters getting beaten and I literally couldn't watch it.
I still get flashbacks when I see armored police vans on the streets of Santiago (luckily I don't see them very often)
I started my application for the Peace Corps, Teach For America and a Fulbright Scholarship.