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Meeting Tricia in Valencia

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:19:49 -0400

Tricia is one of my best friends. I met her in 1996 when she put in a request in the French Department at FSU for someone to babysit her son, Bryant (18 months old at the time) in French. I called her right away and there blossomed a wonderful friendship with her whole family.

I only took care of him for a year or so, before I received a scholarship to study in Paris for a month. But we promised to keep in touch and here I am, sitting on the terrace of her apartment in Valencia, Spain.

She is a professor of Dance History at FSU and teaches in Valencia for 6 weeks during the summers. Her classes ended on June 18th and decided to keep the apartment for an extra week before presenting at a conference in Barcelona the week of the 29th.

We’ve had so much fun going food shopping, watching a Flamenco show, going to the opera at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències where we heard the amazing Placido Domingo, perform, exploring Valencian graffiti, going to museums, taking tons of pictures of everything from buildings, to gargoyles, to our rooftop wires!

We keep trying to do this tourist bus, but keep getting distracted by our own company! To me, it makes no difference what we do. Simply being here in Spain is good enough for me! I’m the luckiest girl on Earth!

Pilgrimage...me?

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:20:32 -0400

In my last entry I just casually threw it out there that I’m going to embark on a 35-40 day Pilgrimage across the north of Spain. For most of you who know me, you know that I am NOT religious AT ALL. But most of you know, too, that I am in fact, spiritual.

The idea of this pilgrimage came to me after it was brought up three times in the past 2 months. First, when I was in Tamworth, the country music capital of Australia, I met a fellow (Australian) traveler who was going to do the walk with his father. He planned on finishing it in 35 days. He was so matter-of-fact about it, as if it was something you just do. He had just finished university, was traveling around his own country for 5 months and was taking a break from that for a “little” walk with his dad in Spain. I immediately felt like “hey, mom my is from Spain, and I’ve been to Santiago de Compostela, but I’ve never even thought about walking it...why not?” It was on my mind here and there ever since.

Then, as I’m driving along the east coast of Australia, I’m listening to their public radio and there is some expert on music, talking about this opera singer who had some health issues (I think) and decided to this pilgrimage. She took the opportunity to test the acoustics of the empty churches and sang some beautiful songs. He recounted the story of how it would bring her to tears to sing in these churches all on her own. THAT moved me. Not the tears part, but the fact that she was blessed with this operatic voice that she could hear on her own, on this special quest to better herself. Again, I wondered why I’d not thought of doing this walk, especially since I was planning on being in Europe for 3 months this summer. It stayed on my mind, although I didn’t actually consider doing it--I simply wondered why it had never occurred to me to do it. And decided that it was probably because the opportunity never came up AND because I’m more of an agnostic than anything else--I thought it was for the religious zealots.

The last moment came when I was in the Newark Airport, waiting for my connection to go visit my friend, Tanya, in Tennessee. I had finished reading the book I had and walked into Borders to find a new one. I wanted something that wasn’t too heady, but that was a page turner. I looked for John Grisham, Pat Conroy and picked up a few other authors that appealed to me. None of the books caught my attention. I thought “ok, whichever book I get will be one that stands out to me and is asking me to read it.” I came across Paolo Coehlo--the author of The Alchemist. I loved that book and thought that reading another book of his would suit my fancy. So I practically made my decision to read it before I even read what it was about. It’s called The Pilgrimage. I bought it and began to read it. Within 2 days I had finished it and decided almost immediately that I would seriously consider doing this walk myself. Why not!?

After a few weeks of doing some research on it, I decided that it was exactly what “the doctor ordered”. I had previously decided that I would give myself the summer of travels to figure out what I would do for work, where I wanted to live and how I’d continue my life after 10 months of travel. I knew in organizing my trip around Europe, (and based on my traveling experiences in Australia and New Zealand) that I would need some peaceful time to myself to get these thoughts straight in my head. When traveling from place to place, I would need internet access to organize my trips and that takes effort, time and some (sometimes annoying) preparation. The pilgrimage is for all intents and purposes, already organized for the pilgrims--from where to walk, to where to eat and sleep.

It was a practical decision to do this walk. I’d have my days pretty much organized without having to put much thought into it. I’d just have to WALK, which would give me the time to reflect on who I want to be when I grow up (and where.)

So that’s how I came to my decision. There was no light that shone upon me. I didn’t find God or Jesus. It is simply that the opportunity came to me, and I’m taking it!

I’ll be departing from St. Jean Pied de Port in France on July 18th. It’s a 747km (464 mile) walk along the Camino Frances. (see map above beginning in Roncesvalles) which generally takes 35 days through a passage in the Pyrenees into Spain. I’m giving myself 40 days, just in case, and if I complete it in 35, I’ll have a few days to visit friends and family not far from the finishing point. In 35 days, I’ll average 21 km (13.25 miles) per day. The days will probably begin around 7am and I’ll walk until about 1pm, leaving me enough time in the afternoon to discover some parts of Spain that I’ve either never seen or have only seen from the car as a child.

There is, of course, some preparations involved in this quest. I have to leave the good majority of my stuff behind, I’ll have to buy some good walking boots and I need to practice carrying around 10-15 pounds on my back for extended periods of time. I think I’ll be fine. There are loads of resources at pilgrims’ disposal. And I’m using any I can get my hands on. Below, I’ll put links of websites I’m using. I’d love to hear from my friends about their thoughts on my walk, or if you guys (and gals) have any experience with long walks, any advice, or in general--just what you think of this “lil’” adventure I’m taking myself on. I’ll be sure to post my thoughts on the walk after I’m done with it as I won’t be carrying my laptop with me.

http://www.caminomaggee.blogspot.com/
http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/planning.html
http://www.caminhodesantiago.com/plan3.htm
http://www.ourcamino.com/
http://www.americanpilgrims.com/camino/practicalities.html
http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/pilgrim-hostels/
http://www.americanpilgrims.com/camino/route_overviews.html
http://www.americanpilgrims.com/resources/web_resources.html

3 month European Vacation

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:46:08 -0400

I couldn’t bring myself to stop traveling just yet! My friend, Colman (who I met in Paris 12 years ago) was getting married in Paris the 2nd week of June and so I thought I’d start my travels there and then figure out the rest. I bought a roundtrip ticket for 90 days, going back to the states on September 8th. I knew I’d be going to Electric Picnic in Ireland (a pretty famous music festival) in early September. So the first 12 days and the last 10 days were pretty much figured out right away. I knew I’d be playing it by ear and taking opportunities as they came--always in the spirit of seeing new places, trying to meet up with friends or friends of friends and maintaining a backpackers budget.

It took me about a week to work out what I was going to do because it occurred to me while I was still in the states that I might want to do the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage in Spain (a 500 mile walk done over the course of about 4-6 weeks). The more and more I thought about it, the more and more I wanted to do it. So, I decided that before heading on a pilgrimage, I should spend some time in Amsterdam (makes sense, right?) I’ve always wanted to go and that’s what I’m doing-all the things I’ve ever wanted to do!

How lucky am I to have a friend who is teaching in Valencia, Spain and has an extra room in her apartment!? The beautiful Tricia, invited me to come stay for a week with her and explore the city together. Clearly, I accepted without hesitation. (I’m in the airport now, waiting for my flight to get there!)

At Colman’s wedding, I was lucky to meet some GREAT people, who I got on really well with. Some of them invited me to go visit them where they live. I told them I would! Where else was I going to go? I got an invitation to Toulouse, to visit Col’s sister-in-law and I got one to visit Louise a fun Irish girl who is married to a nice Italian guy--they live in Milan. My friend, Eleni, from NYC, is Greek and always spends her summers there. She invited me to go spend time with her and her family. I can’t wait!

Little by little, my plans have been forming. I get to see Tricia in Spain, new friends in Italy (maybe even Filippo from Australia!), Eleni in Greece, Sandra in Toulouse, myself in Spain and then I get to go to Ireland to visit my dear friends from Australia and go to Electric Picnic together!

As of today, June 22nd, my travel plans are as such:
June 22-29 Valencia, Spain
June 20-July 2 Amsterdam, Netherlands
July 2-8 Italy
July 8-14 Greece
July 14-15 Paris, France
July 15-18 Toulouse, France
July 18-August 26/28 Pilgrimage beginning in St. Jean Pied de Port, France
Sept 4-6 Electric Picnic.

Oh! I’ve also been invited by a really nice (cute) guy to Scotland. I am seriously considering it, but I likely won’t organize for some time.

I’ve decided not to take my laptop with me on the pilgrimage. That’s 4-5 pounds that I can do without. I am going to try to carry less than 15 pounds total for my 500 mile walk. I specify this because I won’t be updating my blog much for about 40 days from mid-July to he end of August. I will try to be better about updating it while I’m not on the pilgrimage.

:)

Back in the states & Operation Visit Friends

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 07:30:50 -0400

Although it’s Sunday, June 28th, I’ve dated this entry June 9th, the day before I left for Europe because I never did put in an entry about my travels to visit my friends.

The plan was to start in California, head to Oregon, then up to Seattle, Vancouver, back down to LA, then to Detroit, Cleveland, Murphreesboro, Atlanta, Palm Coast, Tallahassee, NYC.

I did most of this trip, except for Seattle, Vancouver and Atlanta. I also added NJ to visit my grandmother for a day.

The friends I saw in California were my family and friends of Tammy and Andrew’s at their wedding. That week was so much fun! We were able to catch up in a way we had never done! A full week of family and friends after my Australian adventure was perfect! We ate together, danced, stayed up talking every night, shopped, and more than anything, laughed A LOT!

From Santa Barbara, I rented a car and headed up to San Francisco. I had all these plans to explore the whole city on foot. Well, as it turns out, it was pouring down rain 90% of the time I was there, so I took it as a time to plan my travels around California--where I’d stay, how I’d get there, what I wanted to see, etc. I did, of course, get the opportunity to see some of the places I wanted to. I did drive around the whole of the city, which with the weather was good enough.

And, I did meet some cool people at the hostel, an Irish girl, who just so happened to not only know my friends Lorraine and Rob in Australia, but lived with them for some time (such a small world!) Another guy I met was this OLD hippie. I thought he could be anywhere from 55 to 75. It turns out he was going to turn 61 on May 9th! We talked a lot about the marijuana laws in California. He was a certified medical marijuana “dealer”--very interesting how liberal it is in California!

From San Francisco, I went to Klamath in northern California. It has been my dream to visit the Redwoods ever since I can remember. When in Australia, I decided to do a trip around the states, I thought I’d “give myself” the Redwoods as my 35th birthday present. It was definitely a highlight. I loved every second of it. I took more pictures that I can even deal with in a deal (3491 in one day!) and met a cool group of people who were on a photography class final project trip. I asked Tom, the teacher, if he’d allow me to tag along during their trip to take pictures. He was gracious enough to offer me pointers on photography and did allow me to tag along. So very cool!

After a couple of days in Klamath, I drove up to Portland, Oregon to visit Keri and Kerry--my first of several trips to see friends. What a great time we had! Keri took me around Portland, we went to a microbrewery and listened to live music (what I wanted to do for my birthday) and caught up on 9 years! What a trip to see someone after so many years!

My last day in Portland, May 11th, I had to decide whether or not I’d go up to Seattle and Vancouver or start heading back to Los Angeles for my flight to Detroit on the 18th. I realized that I would have definitely been able to do those 2 cities, but it would have been more of a “check off my list” kind of thing and the quality of my time there would have been compromised, so I decided against it. Instead I headed to Ashland, the Shakespeare Festival Capital of Oregon.

It was here that I considered going back to school after my travels are over and began some serious research into universities. I’m keeping on ongoing excel spreadsheet of these schools and programs to make my decision while here in Europe. Of course, I had to see a Shakespearean play--Macbeth is what was showing. I had never seen nor read it, so it was a nice way to end my Oregonian excursion.

From Ashland, I went to Yosemite National Park for just one day and 2 nights. I didn’t feel very good when I was in the park, so my plans to hike around were short-lived. I mostly drove around the park and took lots of pictures. I was a bit disappointed, but I didn’t feel like it was only a “check off the list” kind of day. It was beautiful and awe-inspiring.

I headed to Joshua Tree National Park where I stayed with a friend of a friend of a friend in a gorgeous house just a mile from the entrance to the park. What an amazing feeling to be driving through the Mojave Desert! I took advantage of my 2.5 days there as thoroughly as I could. I watched the sunset over the park, the sunrise over the desert and drove around almost the entire park. I could have used another day to explore a bit more, but feel completely satisfied with all that I saw. I was sooooo very happy to be there!

On my last day of my Californian voyage, I stayed with Priscilla, one of my sister’s best friends and caught up on several years of life, love and adventures. She was gracious enough to make this GORGEOUS dinner that I still crave today!

I flew into Detroit on Monday morning, May 18th to see my wonderful girl friend, Jenny and her beautiful family! She has a one year old who she is still nursing, so didn’t pick me up from the airport, but sent a car service to wait for me at the airport with a sign saying MONICA VIDAL on it! How fun! Even though I didn’t get to her house until about midnight, we stayed up chatting for a couple of hours. We had SO much fun together! I played with her beautiful children, had dinners with Sean and her and the kids, walked around Detroit and mostly got caught up with her after 5 years of not seeing her. It felt like yesterday since we were studying for our exams in grad school and as if a day hadn’t gone by--we picked up right where we left off!

I rented a car from the Detroit airport to go see Steve Brown. a wonderful soul I met in Tallahassee in 1998. I met his amazingly sweet children, Maverick, Trixy and Zane, his stepson. What fun we had catching up on life, loves and adventures as well. I’ve never met anyone so selfless as him! He wants everyone around him to be happy and successful and does anything he can to encourage and help them to meet their goals. I was there for a very short time, but I got my Steve fix and feel all the better for it!

I drove back to Detroit to take my flight to Nashville, to see Tanya. (on the way there, I got a speeding ticket! grrrr. He says I was doing 86 in a 65mph zone! Oh well!)

Tanya and John have a beautiful little boy, Graeme, who was sweet enough to allow me to feed him and play with him. I even changed his diapers a few times. Fun! :) I think Tanya is one of the smartest people I know--truly! She has always inspired me to be smarter and seek information. To be in her presence for a few days was a true treasure.

I was going to head to Atlanta, to see my high school friend, Cindy and meet her adorable children, Cooper and Teagan, but it dddn’t work out because some things came up for her and she was unable to have me come. So, I changed my flight around and headed straight to Jacksonville, Florida, where I rented a car and went directly to Tallahassee. I wasn’t even sure I’d have the time to go there, so not going to Atlanta was a blessing in disguise. I stayed with my hilarious and wonderful friend, Vilma. I caught up with friends I hadn’t seen in YEARSSSS. I even got to see the Youngs, who I used to babysit for, had dinner with them and played Guitar Hero with the kids. So fun!

On the 30th of May, I headed back to the Jacksonville airport to drop off the car and pick up the one I had originally rented to head to Palm Coast to see my folks and high school friends. What a joy to see everyone! We had a Cuban BBQ (pig roast) in our backyard the next day. All my friends and their children came over. I was able to catch up with my parents’ friends, too!

It was so great to be with my parents and Rosana for a full week. My mom made us fresh juices every morning and we drank loads of coffee every day. I downloaded CD’s I’ve been wanting to download since my travels began (portable professor) so I’d have them on my travels in Europe. (history of religion, greek history and philosophy) AND I was able to practice my teaching skills by teaching my mom how to use her computer--tricks and shortcuts, excel, etc. So fun to be there with them!

I went back to NYC on Friday, June 5th. Wow! My apartment was so different! I had left it in November in a different state--so a renter could live in it without my personal effects impeding on their privacy. What difference to be in my place, but it not really be mine. That night, I went out for “catch up” drinks with my NYC friends. It was so fun to see everyone and I did get a chance to catch up with all of them, albeit briefly, except for one person--Sara. I still feel bad about it, but I know when I get back, we’ll have enough time for brunch and stories.

I used my time in NYC to spend as much time with Itzy and Beatriz as possible. AND to work on my computer, uploading, downloading and backing up. I spend a lot of time at the Apple store getting answers to my questions (that I had been accumulating since my last visit to the genius bar in Sydney) and to workshops. Such a great service!

I left for Europe on the 10th, missed my flight and caught a flight a couple of hours later (with “only” $250 penalty). And here I am!

All in all, my Operation Visit Friends was a huge success. I got to see the quotidian life of my friends with their families, we caught up on years of life and promised each other that we wouldn’t let so many years pass before we saw each other again.

I’m the luckiest girl on Earth to have the friends that I do and the ability to see them!

I love my friends and my life!

I have the absolute privilege to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Medard!

Mon, 4 May 2009 14:07:51 -0400

I’ve been teaching and doing presentations in front of large groups for at least half my life now and get nervous once in a blue moon. Well. there must have been a blue moon the weekend of May 2nd because I did feel my nerves. I practiced several times what I’d say--reinforcing with Tammy the morning of the wedding. I was more nervous that she was! My aunt, Tamara (aka Tomato) was also a bit nervous about her speech. Needless to say, emotions were on the surface all day.

Tammy treated us to getting our hair and make-up done by professionals. I’d never had my make-up professionally done before and let me tell you, it really was a treat. I asked Rachel to highlight my eyes (which I think are my best feature) and have fun with it. She did, too! :) She made them a smokey, green and even added extra eyelashes to the ends. The before and after pictures are a good indicator that make-up really does do wonders for one’s appearance. Seems like a simple and obvious thing to write, but as someone who doesn’t do up her face every time she leaves the house, I can appreciate it even more.

Once we started to take pictures at City Hall, the nerves subsided. It was a beautiful, sunny, mildly windy day--maybe 60 degrees fahrenheit. It was the perfect weather for a rooftop ceremony and cocktail hour.

The wedding was to begin at 5:30pm and I was to be on the roof with Andrew and his groomsmen (Jon, Michael and Carlo) at 5pm. I was still a bit nervous--I didn’t want to make any mistakes! How could I? Here I am, “The Rev” (for the very first time) at my cousin’s wedding and although all eyes were on the happy couple, all ears were on me--a tad bit intimidating.

I’m happy to report that it went very well. I would have changed 2 things (ask me about them if you’re interested), but they were slight and I’m sure it was too noticeable.

Watching Tammy walk down the isle with Javier made me so happy and proud of her AND to be up there “manning” the ceremony. She gets to the alter and basically does a more lady-like version of Arsenio Hall’s fist-pumping, arm-waving WOO HOO. It was hilarious and so spontaneous! It occurred to me at that moment that there were a total of 62 people who were close friends and family and there was zero reason to have butterflies in my stomach. The butterflies found a flower to relax on and the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Thank you, Tammy and Andrew for the absolute privilege (and honor) of pronouncing you husband and wife!

The “REV”

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:05:23 -0400

Last year, my cousin, Tammy, got engaged to the nicest Aussie you could ever meet--Andrew! Just before they got engaged, they spent Christmas and New Years Eve in NYC and I tried to spend as much time with them as possible, since they live in Australia and since I really wanted to get to know this new guy. :) We had so much fun. Dinners, drinks, walks around NYC--the best time! Andrew and I hit it off immediately and became quick friends.

On their way back to Australia, they stopped in Hawaii for several days and Andrew proposed marriage to her. We were all so excited because their love is obvious to anyone who spends anytime with them.

A month or so later, I get a phone call from Tammy who says she has a question to ask me. Basically, she said that their wedding planner suggested it might be nice to have a loved one be the one who performs the ceremony and that they thought about it and wanted ME to be the one who marries them. Wow! NEVER EVER in my life have I been speechless. The emotion overtook me and I couldn’t respond. I tried, but nothing came out. What an honor! Finally, I regained my speech and, through tears of humility, I wholeheartedly agreed.

So, on Saturday, I will be the Reverend Monica Vidal performing the Medard ceremony. I’m thrilled, to say the least! I’ll add another post with my thoughts of how it went!

Yay!

good for the soul, mind and body

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:11:01 -0400

In keeping with the reflective mood in my last days of my oceanic journey, I did an hour and a half of hatha yoga (with the ocean playing as the soundtrack), had an hour massage and took care of my insides. Great Day. I told the masseur exactly what was bothering me, and he had the perfect touch--got right down to it. He worked with my breathing (whose momentum I got from yoga that morning) to work out my kinks and I only flinched a couple of times. The breathing worked! Imagine?! Amazing! I’m going back for more tomorrow before my drive back to Sydney (800 km) and the (hopefully) Jenolan Caves to see some stalagmites and stalactites.

So happy.

Last 100 hours on Australian Adventure

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:43:13 -0400

I spent the afternoon on the beach in Byron Bay today, 4/19, taking photos of footprints in the sand and as the sun was setting, watching surfers running into the water looking for the perfect wave. I felt peace and tranquility. I also felt a sense of contentment with myself and with my travels. The sand beneath me and the waves crashing ashore, the feeling of 5 months of travel caught up to me. I have to say it again--the universe conspires in my favor. I am the luckiest girl on earth. I have seen scenery whose descriptive words I’ve yet to learn. I have met people from so many countries: Australia, Ireland, Israel, Germany, France, Viet Nam, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Indonesia, England, Wales, Scotland, New Zealand, Holland, Poland, Norway... Making it a point to learn something from everyone I met, I’m walking away from Australia with some knowledge (and added curiosities, i.e. more questions) about Aboriginal cultures, cricket, real estate, quotidian life in most of these countries, rugby, Southeast Asia, photography, history, geography, language, communication, country music, rock n roll, trees, botany, animals, symbolism, art, birds, kayaking, astronomy, poetry, science fiction, wine, talk radio, TV and a myriad of topics that make me realize there are so many more questions to ask.

Sitting here , 4/20, on the veranda of Byron Bay YHA, the wind is strong, as is the sun. The clouds sweep by in all shapes and colors, sometimes having me dash for cover. I realize that these last 100 hours are for me to absorb the last 5 months, take in a few more lazy hours on the beach, feel that sun and the wind, listen to the birds, watch other travelers do their thing, make some healthy meals, drink loads of water before my 13 hour flight to LA and think about what these travels have done for me and my betterment. They are also to be passed with thoughts of my next adventures, which will take me through The States and Europe until September.

It seems that ending an adventure like this would takes someone back to “reality” and to that “mundane” life that people lead. My hope is that my travels keep me committed to not ever leading a mundane life--even when I’m not traveling.

Australian Curiosities

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:21:58 -0400

My lovely sister, Rosana, inspired me to write this entry. Before coming to Australia, she had a blog entry (http://web.mac.com/rosanavidal/www.rosanavidal.com/Blog/Entries/2008/8/21_What_I_like_about_M.html) about things she likes about Melbourne and Australia. The picture she used is of an electrical outlet for safety and to conserve energy, there is a switch to turn the outlet on or off. I thought it was such a smart entry that really highlighted some of the things that stood out to her. This is a thanks to that entry and of course, thanks, Ro! :)

Australians have diminutives for so many things I’d never even think of before coming here. Like I’d say ‘stache for a man’s moustache or when I smoked, I’d say cig for cigarette. Here, though, there are way more than I’d even consider, even for people’s names! Here are the examples I remember. If you’re reading and have any more examples, please feel free to add to the list by adding a comment! :)

• moustache: mo
• breakfast: brekkie
• cigarette: ciggie
• flip flops: flippies
• sunglasses: sunnies
• chewing gum: chewie
• school kids: schoolies
• Tasmania: Tassie
• Freemantle: Freo
• Timothy: Timbo
• Damian: Damo
• Monica: Mon
• Mosquito: mozie
• Biker: bikie
• Truck driver: truckie

A few other things I’ve noticed that are different from what I’m used to:

“Movember”: (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache-growing charity event each year that raises awareness and funds for men’s health. (http://www.movember.com/)
It’s refreshing to see a movement to improve men’s health. Most of the time, awareness is raised for women’s health, but not for men. It was very cool to see guys having competitions with their friends and colleagues to see who’d get the best “mo”! It seemed that everyone was participating in this charity. Even burger shops were giving away free burgers if men were growing their mo’s! I like that.

Mailmen: They ride either bikes or scooters that have bright orange panniers and wear super fluorescent yellow jackets down the sidewalks to get the mail to the neighbors!

Bike commuters: I took the picture above from Rosana’s collection of photos from Melbourne. Thanks, sis! People seem to be more aware of the kinds of impacts we have on the environment AND also seem to be more efficient about incorporating sport into their life. Sounds like a great place to live, doesn’t it? :)

Decaf Coffee: Almost impossible to find.

Regular Coffee: and Espresso Surprisingly deliciousssssssss!

Ketchup: Yes, ketchup! For a country who just beat the US for the most obese nation, they sure make you pay for it. Ketchup is not free. That’s right, whenever you eat a burger or have chips/fries (whatever you call it), you have to pay for the condiments. I think it’s absurd, but it’s a great way of making extra cash.

Beets: Also known as beet roots here, are everywhere! Even on their burgers...’nuff said.

Public Toilets and Showers: They’re everywhere.

Street names change! Carlisle turns into Inkerman and Commercial turns into Malvern. These aren’t names you can easily remember to begin with, then on top of it, you have to remember which street names change and to what! They change from suburb to suburb. It’s not the most uncommon thing ever, but it sure is confusing. I practically pulled out my index cards and quizzed myself before I went out so I wouldn’t get lost!

The names of things are different here!
• Capsicum: Bell Pepper
• Beet roots: Beets
• Courgette: Zucchini
• Dim Sim: Dim Sum
• Chips: French Fries
• Crisps: Potato Chips
• Car Trunk: Car Boot
•

The last 2 aren’t that odd. We’ve all pretty much known these expressions from British English, didn’t we. Or did we? Either way, it takes a sec to get used to these tiny differences, and reminds us that we’re not in Kansas anymore. :)

Ok, I absolutely LOVE Australia, BUT the internet connection here is enough to drive anyone insane! I didn’t realize I was spoiled with my internet connection in NYC. AND the internet connection I have in my NYC apartment, thanks to Celina Polanco, is a slower speed (for half the price) than the default one we get when signing up. The only time I noticed that it was slower than I had liked was when I was downloading a movie (something I’ve done 2 times in my life!) In Australia, even “Wireless” has wires. I, too, don’t understand. Ask Tammy and Andrew-maybe they could shed some light! My ONLY real gripe with Australia (besides not offering me a “haussie”--as Emer Cleary refers to hot Aussies) is the internet connection. It should be a no-brainer, but it isn’t. Oh well, I guess you can’t have it all, right?

Oh! Here are a few more I just remembered!

Screw top wine bottles: They are so common here! I’ve only ever needed a corkscrew once since I’ve been in Australia. In the states we consider screw top wine to be cheap wine. NOT so at all here! I’ve bought bottles of wine more expensive than some corked bottles and they were lovely.

Drinking Alcohol: Most places have a line on a wine glass so the server knows how much to serve. For cocktails, one is only allowed to have an ounce of spirits in the drink, and they are ALWAYS measured! No wonder they drink so much here--it takes many more drinks than it does in NYC to “get that feeling”! Drunk Driving is called Drink Driving. While the blood alcohol level in NY is .01, it’s .05 in Australia!

Table Service: Living in Manhattan for the past 7 years, I’ve grown accustomed to a certain level of service in restaurants. One of those services being that the waiter or waitress comes to the table, takes your order, you eat, then when you’re (seemingly) ready, they bring you the bill. In Australia more often than not (unless at a nicer than average place), you must go to the bar/counter, order your food, pay for it, they give you a number on a stick that you put on your table, the waiter or waitress brings you the food when it’s ready. Other times, they’ll come take your order, but like in a Greek Diner in NYC, when you’re done, you go to the counter to pay for it. I’m so not used to it. It’s just a curiosity--no complaints on my part!

Overall, Australians are much more similar to Americans than any other foreigners I’ve met. They watch the same TV, read the same magazines, drink and eat the same (although Aussies eat way more fish, than I reckon Americans do.) It’s so very similar here! Tammy once described Australia as a “cool America”. I agree! :)

This L indicates a LEARNER is driving

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:53:17 -0400

So, I’m at the APPLE store in Sydney right now and I’ve just found out that all the crazy frustration I have gone through for the past 5 months since I’ve been in OZ regarding uploading my blog and all of my pictures was totally unnecessary! I just learned about MobileMe Gallery! I am certain I’ve seen pictures of Chris Bremer’s and Janene Neal’s on mobileme and had no clue that I had access to that.

I should have a big fat L sticker on my laptop so everyone knows I’m fragile and can’t go above a certain brain speed limit. Jeez! I guess it’s good to know I’m still LEARNING. :)

So, as soon as I have my pictures uploaded to the mobileme gallery (a whole ‘nother story) I’ll update the username and password for anyone who wants to access my photos.

The next leg of my journey...May 4-18th, 2009

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:22:26 -0400

Three and a half more weeks in Australia and then back to the states for 6 weeks. This map points out where I’ll be for the 2nd and 3rd weeks of my travels. This is “the plan” for now, anyway. Tammy’s wedding is May 2nd and I’ll be in Santa Barbara from April 24th-May 3rd (10 days) spending time with family, laughing, drinking, eating, catching up--what we do best, really. Then, I hit the road and it’s off to Los Angeles, Joshua National Park, San Francisco, Redwood National Forest, Eugene and Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Vancouver, British Columbia and then back to Los Angeles to get on a flight to Detroit, Michigan to start the 4th and 5th weeks of my trip in the states--Operation Visit Friends! Can’t wait! :)

This is a reminder to myself!

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 20:42:45 -0500

Traveling around New Zealand has been sort of like its roads--sometimes easy to drive and sometimes so rough, I found myself so white-knuckled, I’d have to get out and stretch my legs (and hands!), but mostly absolutely beautiful. I have now been on my own for about 18 days. I didn’t really make friends while traveling (kind of hard to do when sometimes driving 7 hours a day) and I missed my friends and family. I wanted to be around people who would appreciate all of this scenery with me! I have even gotten mad at myself for not appreciating the fact that I’m traveling (like I’ve always wanted to do!) and seeing the world...even if it is on my own!

My friend, Sean, sent me a message on Facebook yesterday stating the following:

“Monica, as we trudge through winter here in Detroit (-2 degrees today) I am struck by the turn your life has taken. Following along on Facebook I see in the past month you have been hang gliding, glacier hiking, beach combing, partying, tanning and I also notice numerous pics of you beaming next to some hot dude. Almost never the same one. It has been great fun watching it all and it just reminds me what a zest for life you have. I can't wait to see what you get into next. Sean”

That message was a godsend! It reminded me what a zest for life I have!

Then, I get a message from my mom about my hang gliding pictures stating:

“Your dreams have become a reality.
How many times did you have a dream that you are flying?
QUE AFORTUNADA ERES !!!!!!”

She’s so right! I am living my dreams! And yes, I’m so very fortunate! :)

More to come...

Tree Hugger

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:27:10 -0500

The yellows and pinks and purples and blues and oranges! Wow, the colors along the side of the road double the time on the road for me! I can’t help but stop and take photos. I might have more photos of flowers and trees than of anything else! I’ve always appreciated a pretty flower or a natural color, but not like this. I seem more open to it, more in tune with it. Fine! Call me a hippy—I don’t care. I’ve always been a tree hugger! (I just don’t wear birkenstocks!)
I just wrote this to a friend in an email—here I am the luckiest girl on earth to be walking around the world for a few months seeing all this amazing scenery, meeting new people, getting to know new cultures and I still find myself longing for companionship. I am very happy alone—most of the time. But the truth is that it seems it would be so much more enjoyable to experience these things and take in the scenery with someone else. There I am—putting it out to the universe—I need a travel partner—a man to carry my suitcase (just kidding!)—someone to say “holy shit, take a look at that! It’s GOT TO be more enjoyable when you can share a new place with someone else. So there you are, universe--you know what to do... :)
Like I wrote above, I’m happy alone. I would rather be alone that poorly accompanied (thanks mom, for that!) It seems that talking about these new places and recapping the day’s events reinforce the memories. Am I nuts? (well, yes, but that’s besides the point.)
Enough rambling for one night. I have updated all the albums and comments through January 20th. I have loads of photos and “thoughts” to add from the past 6 days. I’ll eventually get to them (hopefully this week).
Look forward to whale and dolphin watching, heaps of pix of the scenery from the road, wine tasting, bike riding through the Marlborough Sound...

Kaikoura

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:10:59 -0500

This was one of the activities I was most looking forward to! I had never seen whales in the wild and imagined it would be one of those things that would take my breath away. I envisioned a whale jumping out of the water on its side and creating a wave that would rock the boat. I also pictured that its tail would go back into the water the way you see it in all the postcards. That’s not exactly the way it happened. It WAS impressive to see the whale (whose name apparently is Taki), I don’t want to downplay it. But, you know how, when you create an idea in your mind about something, and you talk it up to yourself, and you get excited and look forward to it and put all this thought-energy into it? And it never comes out the way you think of it? Well, that’s what happened. The whale came up to the surface. It was awesome  (in the true sense of the word--it inspired awe!) It did not, however, jump out on its side and it didn’t show its tail, really. The tour guide said he had a “lazy tail”. Honestly, if I hadn’t worked it up into what was to be the highlight, I think I would have been happier about what I saw.

The dolphins are a whole other story. They were so playful and cute and there were SO many of them! I loved every second of watching them. If you’re really interested, I have about 100 more pictures of them. Let me know and I’m happy to show them to you. :)

How can I not write about these places?!

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0500

I’m just putting it out there. I’ve had anxiety about writing for yearrrrrrs now! I promised myself last year that in 2009 I would tackle my anxieties about it. If I can pick up and leave NYC in less than 3 weeks time to come to another country to “check it out”, I can certainly get over this silly fear of putting pen to paper, or finger to keyboard.

And what better opportunity to do so? I’m traveling through Oceania, taking loads of photos, experiencing new cultures and seeing things I’ve never even thought about; even thinking about things that I’ve never thought about--like sea kayaking and bungee jumping and (don’t worry mom and dad, and beatriz and rosana) jumping out of airplanes! I have to write about all of this.

I am treating this sort of like a diary/journal--if I can get better at writing while doing so and if I can amuse some friends and make them feel like they’re closer to me by reading these pages, and if I can be the sisterhood of other people’s traveling pants (that one’s for your, Chris Novacek!), then so be it--I’ll conquer my fear of writing and accomplish all those other things, too! :)

Where have I been the past 2 months?

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:48:02 -0500

Here I finally am again, on January 20th updating this blog. It was supposed to be fun and easy and then it turns out that the first month I was here, it was impossible to upload, so I gave up. Until I went to the Apple Store in Sydney, that is!

They “fixed” the problem. It turns out that Australia doesn’t allow use of Port 25. Right. I didn’t understand either. They sorted me out and here I finally am again. And it’s fun again, too!

This is definitely a work in progress so any suggestions anyone has, I’d greatly appreciate. Please email me at monica.vidal@gmail.com or send me a message right through this blog. Thank you! :)

Special thanks to Chris Bremer for helping me figure out that if I use my little grey arrows, my life will be much much easier! :)

I have added a “few” more photos and will be much more consistent with this blog now. It’s now January 24th and I’m in Kaikura, New Zealand. I”ll be back on tonight to add more stuff and to edit what I already have up. Yay!

Happy browsing. :)

Sydney Harbour

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:47:35 -0500

Again, torrential downpours kept Rosana and me confined to the Opera Bar. We sipped on Aussie beers while it poured down rain after we were lucky enough to get a few (hundred) pictures of the opera house.

The Great Ocean Road

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:39:28 -0500

It was so cool to spend a few days with Brendan in Oz, a friend from NYC along with his friend, Jay and my sis and cousin. It had been raining for the previous week, basically and Tuesday, the 25th of November was supposed to be the warmest day (like 60F) so the guys rented a car and we joined them on a trip to the beach. We were sure we’d see the same beach as the last scene in Point Break, but it turns out it wasn’t really filmed in Bells Beach. We still saw some amazing scenery and actually got some sun when we walked down what seemed like 100 steps to get to the sand. What a beautiful day--we were so glad to have taken advantage of the first warm day!

Wine Tasting

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:34:26 -0500

The first weekend I arrived, Tammy, Andrew, Jenni, Itzy, Rosana and I packed into a car (Andrew was so nervous!) and we went to a vineyard in the Yarra Valley. It was the rainiest day both Jenni and Andrew said they’ve ever experienced in Melbourne.

the universe conspires in my favor!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:46:43 -0500

I am just sure of it--the universe totally conspires in my favor! Marisa, captured in this small clip, is showing me her good luck dance that she does whenever she leaves her apartment or goes on a trip--it’s her roommates doing, but it’s very “her”. I posted this clip here because I feel as if my life is all about happy dances. And now, here I am on my way to Australia.