It doesn’t seem like it has been two months since my last update. I won’t apologize for living my life but will thank those of you that have been a part of my adventures since my last post and those of you that have been patiently waiting for this email in your inbox. Navigating the balance between remembering not all of my friends and family are on Facebook is a healthy reality check to stay on top of updating here and I will try to update more frequently. This website is a digital archive for me to look back on when this journey takes a different turn and considering my love/hate relationship with Facebook, I should focus more here. All of that being said, my last post was heavily focused on passport stamps!! I am proud to say that since then, I have added Malaysia, Thailand and Japan to the list. By the end of this year if everything continues on track, I will add two new country stamps to the pages of my passport. Those of you on Facebook have already seen my album of pictures from Phuket, Thailand. It was a very short trip but a lot can be done in 48 hours including a lot of much needed self care.
Since moving to Singapore, I’ve been battling with a bout of reoccurring upper and lower respiratory infections. It’s been hard to describe exactly how annoying it is to have a doctor place you on medical leave when all you would rather do is work to take your mind off of feeling crummy. They said it can take some people six to twelve months to readjust to a new environment. I am slowly learning that health is wealth and getting healthier has been a small aspect of what I hoped to do while living here. As of this week, I’m down 23 pounds since I moved here. A lot of working out at OrangeTheoryFitness has paid off and when I am not suffering from these respiratory issues, I’ve been feeling much better! My back and knees not withstanding, it’s been great feeling supported with my new fitness family as I rebuild my muscles and give my heart the workout it’s been needing.
During my return week in California Labor Day weekend, I logged an astonishing amount of miles. Planes, legs and automobiles carried me 17, 718.3 miles. Singapore to Tokyo = 3,294 miles. (More on Tokyo in a bit) Tokyo to SFO = 5,151 miles, Vallejo to Anaheim for Disneyland Marathon weekend = 820 miles roundtrip. My powerful badass self logged 19.3 miles during the two day weekend in the happiest and hottest place on Earth Labor Day weekend. San Francisco to Singapore= 8,434 miles. This doesn’t include some of the miscellaneous driving I did that I didn’t even track. It was a busy week and although I got to spend brief moments with a few friends and family so many people were sad we couldn't connect. I knew in advance I would only stress myself out trying to everyone that alluded to even wanting to see me while I was in town. And as it was, I hardly slept while I was back. Other than my post half-marathon heat stroke recovery day, I averaged about three hours of sleep a night. I wish I could blame it on the jet lag but every so often my insomnia kicks in and I am doing the most erroneous things at three am when the rest of the people in my time zone are fast asleep. The lack of sleep alone probably has not helped me stay healthy. A few people weren’t surprised that I ended up sick again, as I literally landed, dropped my bags off at home and headed back to work. I’m working on the delicate work life balance formula and working out has been one outlet, sadly I haven’t quilted a thing since I’ve moved here. I’m adding getting the converter to that list of things to do. The irony is that when I am home so much of my time has been spent working out, or with new friends that I haven’t returned to some of my favorite hobbies like writing and quilting.
However, I’m working on the two new hobbies that have been dormant: travel and adventure. More specifically, seeking to have a better understanding of humanity and cultures that make up our world’s vibrant landscape. I’ve been toying around with the idea of how smiles are not only free but the universal language of happiness. When violence has been at a high and protests erupted after one of the many senseless cop shootings on an unarmed Black man in the states, I can recall a Facebook video of a Black man holding a sign that simply said “Free Hugs”. A part of larger campaigns that have popped up all over the world, the message is simple. Kindness is not only free but speaks volumes in connecting strangers in this larger woven tapestry we share called life. One significant thing I have noticed while living in Singapore is that people don’t always smile when you look at them. Maybe it’s me but an observation I will have to reflect more on at another time. Last week on Facebook, I watched a video of Black Lives Matter protestors being given the opportunity to speak at a Pro-Trump rally. Now, while everyone didn’t agree with everything that he said, the fact that a conversation was able to be held with someone of a completely opposite ideology in a peaceful manner speaks volumes to hopefully improving race relations for those in attendance and touched by the video. I digress, back to kindness and the power of conversation. On my way back to California, I made the decision to leave the airport and see something…anything during my eight hour layover. With a little help from an airport employee, I was shown the kiosk to buy my transit card and the map to head to Shibuya Crossing. After the seven hour flight landed, I was almost discouraged from leaving the airport because it had started raining. But, I couldn’t miss the opportunity and I am glad I pushed myself outside of the safety of the airport. I can now add being on a crowded Japanese commuter train as something I have experience first hand. Luckily, it got crowded as my stops progressed and I already had a seat! I finally made it to Shibuya crossing after getting a it turned around but was so happy to see the intersection I have seen hundreds of times from others online. I could actually see it with my own eyes and that feeling as I have been traveling has been priceless. I stopped to pick up Tokyo Bananas which are not what they sound like at the recommendation of one of my coworkers and the desert reminded me of a mix between a twinkie, a banana and something else I can’t quite describe. It wasn’t bad! I didn’t explore any further for fear of missing my flight and being stuck in Tokyo due to traffic or something else I couldn’t control. On my train ride back to the airport I was chatting with a family from The Netherlands that had spent three weeks exploring all of Japan. They shared a few tips and smiles. During a stop I finally got a seat and smiled and struck up a conversation with a guy wearing a Lagunitas brewery t-shirt. For those not aware, Laguintas is a beer company that has roots in the Bay Area so imagine my surprise to see it on a shirt thousands of miles away. The wearer of said t-shirt is Fernando. And he also was heading to the airport to wait for a friend of his coming on a later flight. With tons of time to kill and me recommending he try the Tokyo bananas as well he and I continued our conversation over a very traditional Japanese meal. Having lived in Germany, but being from Chicago and of Latin descent, I uncovered he speaks four languages with Japanese being his most recent. I would never have known he was a novice to it as he ordered for us and explained how he’s taught himself Japanese and what he has fallen in love with the country. Imagine my surprise when we pay and he says he is paying for my sake and enjoyed the conversation. I honestly feel that I enjoyed it much more than he ever could have. That level of kindness and hospitality to a stranger isn’t always found abroad or a part of the stories that are told. Solo women travelers are always reminded to be careful. Don’t trust strangers. I tend to think I have a pretty good gauge of people and that spirit of discernment has usually been accurate. All of that being said that I really am trying to see the best in humanity one person, place and experience at a time. I hope my travel and work calendars allow me the opportunity to see more than a few hours in Japan as I keep hearing amazing things about it and want to explore more of it.
Speaking of exploring, I’ve hardly mentioned my trip to Phuket, Thailand. Other than the fact I got some much needed rest and relaxation. Other than that I was able to spend a day at the PHuket Elephant Sanctuary. A rescue facility for former elephants that suffered a life of being forced to work for human benefit. It was tough to watch videos of how they’ve conditioned the elephants to do some of the things we see as extraordinary but they do it based on coercion. That’s no way to live. So the Sanctuary takes the money raised to buy elephants back and free them so that they can try and live the way God intended them to. It honestly reminded me a lot of slavery. Down to the chains that they wear at a lot of the sites where elephants are used to carry us up hills and such. It’s back breaking work even at their size and makes me think of all of the times my curiosity may have gotten the best of me and not allowed me to think about the feelings of the animals. Freedom is priceless. Not living in the states and truly being on my own has opened me up to all of these new thoughts and feelings I’ve allowed to lay dormant. I’m honestly trying to help leave this world better than we’ve found it. But, collectively we have a lot of work to do.
Two days ago, I returned from Kuala Lumpur. Seeing the Petronas Twin Towers is another landmark I can check off of the list. Luckily, the travel Gods smiled on me as the weather was great the early afternoon that I arrived and I could explore before rain rolled in that evening and washed me our most of Thursday. But, mission accomplished. As I reflect onthese last few trips I think I’m reaffirmed that moving to Singapore has really allowed me to live the life I always dreamed of. Even if some of my trips are shorter than others, traveling has helped me fill in my own map in my mind of all of the places my heart has desired to see. Now I can have a 360 degree authentic experience of what it really looks like, how it smells, what theweather feels like and the energy buzzing around. Attitude and atmosphere are everything and you can’t fully appreciate a place by staring at a picture or watching a video online. You won’t possibly smile at a stranger and end up chatting over Katsu and Sake while learning about how expensive vegetables are and other nuances of a country you have only read about online. I’m not sure if it’s the political climate in the states or just my new Facebook groups, but it seems so many of my friends are traveling the world more. I love it. I think we are all better for it. Even in the not so ideal experiences that can and have occurred to some, I don’t think any would trade those experiences for staying behind at home and letting the world continue to revolve and pass them by. The best thing we can do is invest in ourselves and our collective world as best we can.
Well, that’s enough for now. I will add some photos for those of you not on Facebook to see some of my adventures in the past couple of months. Until next time, be kind to a stranger and do something just for you.
Here’s to your next adventure!
The Elephant Sanctuary in Phuket and monkey hill.
konnichiwa!!!
another half marathon in the books...
Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.