California Work on the Road (pt 2) + Joshua Tree!

Posted on October 20, 2011 by antitouristtraveler under Uncategorized

The past few weeks have been really, really great. As you can see from the photos, I got to enjoy two more activities near the top of my so-called bucket list: Surfing and going to Joshua Tree National Park! I’ve wanted to learn to surf for at least a decade, and “painting” cacti for photos in Joshua Tree has been on my to do list for…well, about 10 years as well, I’d surmise. And to do this in addition to an amazing job? Yes, I feel pretty darn lucky. And after herxing on the Lyme meds again and getting sunburned beyond the point of pain, I decided to stop the medication. Ever since, I’ve been feeling great.

After some time near L.A. and at Laguna Beach, we went to out to Palm Desert, all around Orange County, and everywhere north and south. We’ve been taking the Send Silence Packing tour to so many schools, from community colleges to well-known CA establishments. No matter where we go, we have such amazing conversations with people. And college students aren’t the only folks who see the display and talk to us about mental health; no, we get have long discussions with parents, high schoolers, professors, and strangers. It’s truly amazing how meaningful this work is, and though I can’t take credit for it, I can speak to as many people as possible. Yes, I’m one of those annoying people who hands out fliers, but what I really enjoy is the conversations I have with people who feel comfortable sharing their stories with me.

As for travel? It’s been great, though I’ve done most hiking and exploring trips by myself. Lately I’ve been able to hang out with friends as well, so that’s been spectacular. And Joshua Tree? It was magical.

Brandon and I had hoped to camp on a weekend, but upon arriving at the secluded south entrance, a tiny sign was posted on a blinking gate. Road Closed Due to Flooding. Seriously? We weren’t happy, but during a rare two days off in a row during the week, we made our way over. We got an amazing campsite at Ryan, then made our campfire, eager to do some time lapses with the stars. Photography entertained the two of us for hours, and I ended up taking hundreds of photos. Amazingly many of them turned out! We drew shapes with fire, we took photos of fire reflections, we painted cacti, and we did star time lapses. I was so pleased with so many of the shots, but you can’t get a sense of how amazing the trip was. At one point, probably around 2:30AM, we saw a moonset. The colors in the sky blew my mind, and the bright beams of the moon were incredible. Even Brandon’s mind was blown…you just had to be there. After the moon set, the stars came out by the thousands. You could see the Milky Way. Planes left light traces.

We walked and whispered and crept into the desert at night (probably a terrible idea given that rattlesnakes enjoy nightbathing…) to get some shots of camp and whatnot. We painted cacti all in the desert, and I got some of my favorite shots of the campsites with fire light bouncing off of the giant boulders. It was really just surreal. At around 3:30, Brandon opted to go to bed…in the cab of the truck, naturally, playing video games on his warm computer to keep him from freezing. Hey, his words, not mine. So I shivered alone in my wee little tent. Having only one person in there meant that when high winds came through at 4AM, the tent went a-flapping all around me, sending noisy ripples throughout the layers all through the night. All through the night may be an understatement since I only slept a bit out of my 2 hours inside the tent. And even with 5 layers on, I was still freezing. At 6AM, our agreed time, I woke up Brandon and we headed out for a short hike. Already, purple and pink stripes were appearing over the mountains. We took off hiking (on a trail this time, and during daylight-ish) and I hopped up on one of the unique rock outcroppings to get a good view. It was…majestic. That’s the only word that can describe what it felt like to sit on boulders high above the desert and watch the sun come out, striking the next set of mountains with the brightest pink hue I’d ever seen.

UFO-shaped clouds appeared over various mountain ranges throughout the day, the apparent byproduct of crashing wind currents. Brandon caught a few photos of me jumping–so much fun! After packing up camp, we took off to a different section (one my friend Victor recommended) and explored around there. Though just 10 minutes away from our campsite, the rock geography was completely different, and really felt like a playland for anyone who enjoys boulder hopping and hiking. I took quite a few photos of Brandon for his own project. Based on just one night of camping, I cannot wait to go back! It was simply magnificent. Too bad it was cut short by a schedule and a hungry and impatient partner.

Previous hikes have included San Dimas, Palm Desert, and other little explorations. One of my favorite days was when I stumbled upon not just one, but TWO tarantulas! There they were, just climbing the mountain along side me. Crazy.

A friend from a travel site I frequently use took me to a nearby beach and taught me to surf last weekend. It was a dream come true, and as imagined, surfing is not easy. I keep thinking about how I could have done better by standing up over here, or paddling harder at that point… Still, I think I did fairly well for my first time–at least, that’s what everyone said (Though doesn’t everyone always say that?). Another friend and I went on several food tours (our own exploration, no guides/books, of course) throughout Orange County. They were amazing. Taiwanese bread and noodles, bubble tea, Thai mango sticky rice, Mexican enchiladas, Chinese pickled beans and veggies…there were many dishes we sampled, and all were pretty awesome. Or, in the case of the pickled beans and veggies, at least interesting.

A party this weekend convinced me of something I’ve been saying for years–that I just like the folks of California better! No, I don’t mean my east coast friends aren’t awesome; I mean that I have more in common with the folks out here. They surf, they hike, they camp, they eat, they explore, and they’re overall so easygoing. I found this to be true in Knoxville as well. It’s just different here, and I feel I connect with people here on a different level. Hmmm…

Well, this was a lot to fit into one post, and I apologize for the terrible writing. I just had too good a time during work and play to sit and write down my thoughts. Joshua Tree was so amazing that you’ll just have to go. And as we wrap up the tour, I’ll be sure to post one more time after I arrive home. Until then, enjoy the photos from the past few weeks!

Photos and Reflections on Working on the Road in California (Pt. 1)

Posted on October 4, 2011 by antitouristtraveler under Uncategorized

(Story below)

PHOTOS-Working on the road in California-Part 1

(1) A Filipino cook grills.

(2) Tell me that doesn’t look delicious!

(3) Foster’s Freeze, an old chain of ice cream and burgers. Looks great, but based on my dipped cone, I wasn’t all that impressed.

(4) Apparently we were staying on the ol’ ’60s main street in El Segundo.

(5) Ferris wheel blurring fun.

(6) Confetti eggs. The kids loved these!

(7) Giant slide.

(8) Papusa man. I wanted one of these, but by the time I had come back to get one, he was all out.

(9) Carnival outlook.

(10) Can someone please tell me what these green frosted fruits are?

(11) Girl on swing. This was just before I almost got arrested for taking photos.

(12) That ride that suspends you upside down.

(13) The best spicy crema corn on the cob ever. Chavella’s can’t even beat it!

(14) Hello San Fran.

(15) 14-year reunion with a childhood friend!

Striking a radice pose in a redwood trunk.

(16) Car traces in the city at night.

(17) Sketchy NorCal…instead of bringing housekeeping carts up to the first floor, they just take da buckets.

This. Don’t know how it happened, still, but it was fixed in a jiffy.

(18) This was somewhere around Bakersfield…when I maybe somehow broke the truck by doing (next photo).

(19) This.

(20) Which is the real one?

(21) A hummingbird at rest.

(22) Big redwood tree trunk.* *This photo meant only in part to immitate Radice.

(23) From the palm trees to the redwoods…Ahhh, I love being in the redwoods again! Couldn’t bring the truck in there, however…too windy, steep, and narrow.

(24) Brandon almost stepped on this little guy.

(25) Beautiful scales!

(26) I had to get a photo of this amazing tree…green wood and bright red flaking bark…so pretty!

(27) Vista during our hike.

(28) Coop cut in half by rock.

(29) These little lizards kept flitting here and there, but upon catching an actual photo of one, I noticed its beautiful coloring.

It’s been a while since my last post, but with good reason: I’m in California working every day of the week! Living and working on the road with Active Minds has been an adventure thus far, but not necessarily for the reasons I expected. So far I’ve been from San Francisco to NorCal, back to San Fran, down to L.A., and east into the desert. Work has been most definitely gratifying, and I feel I’m doing truly meaningful things. On the other hand, I’ve been sick on and off, haven’t gotten to explore nearly as much as I’d like, and feel it’s impossible to make it through a day without getting nitpicked for something…but more on that later. I guess this all comes with the territory of a 1-month job.

The day I was offered the Active Minds job as an on-the-road worker for Send Silence Packing, I started feeling sick. I had head fog, no appetite, nausea, and dizziness, all of which are very unlike me. It took several visits to different doctors and a self-diagnosis, but I finally got a doctor to diagnose me with Lyme Disease. Goodness knows that after watching my mother suffer through it twice for the past 16 years of my life (as well as seeing my good friend currently going through it), I knew how much damage it could do. 3 days after that diagnosis, though, the same doctor called, said my test was negative (which means nothing in Lyme speak–negative is often still positive), and said to stop medication. 9 hours later, my family brought me into the ER. It was a scary moment, as I’d never had reason to be admitted to the ER in my life. I remember lying on the couch, feeling really sick, and mouthing words but having nothing coming out. I started writhing and crying (yeah…not exactly like me at all), and my mother told me they were taking me in.

After waiting 4 hours in the ER so stupid drunk kids from local colleges could detox and free up some beds, I was finally admitted and stuck with an IV. I can call them stupid because I would never do anything so dumb as to ruin my body and not be able to take care of myself while simultaneously taking away hospital beds from people who truly need them. So after 4 hours of sitting, moaning, and shivering in the waiting room until after 3AM, I had my blood taken and told that even though I was negative, the doctors said I had Lyme and was having a herx. This was one week before I was to leave for California, so you can imagine how afraid I was that I wouldn’t get to go. And believe me, I wanted this job more than anything! It was simply terrible timing, but hey, at least I was able to come out, right?

Since then, I’ve had little appetite, and have gotten sick twice. Brandon, my road partner, probably thinks I’m nuts and faking it or something, but there’s nothing I can do about that. Even after watching my mother go through Lyme for so many years, there’s no way to understand it until you experience it. Same with so many things in life, right? But really, small things can set off a reaction in your body. I’ll suddenly feel like vomiting and collapse into fitful sleep for several hours. I’m on a medication at the moment that makes me super susceptible to sunburn, so I’m supposed to avoid the sun. Remember that part about working outdoors in California? Yeah…my hands, nose, knees, lips, ankles, and other odd splotches of skin have very red blotches that burned almost immediately. So now, going near anything icy, hot, or sunny immediately produces a painful burn that radiates all over my body. Just typing this, my hands are in pain from the monitor’s heat. Yep, Brandon must think I’m a complainer, but there’s no way he can understand the pain I’m in just standing in the sun for 5 seconds, or experience how hard it is to sleep when the bed sheets cause friction and the a/c creates cold breezes, causing pain all across my body. But what am I to do, not work? I love what I’m doing, so I try to stay in the shade and smile through it, complaining as little as possible.

Besides the pity talk, how about speaking of the awesome aspects of this trip? I’ve gotten to see parts of California that I’d never go to visit on my own. We found Chico to be out in the middle of nowhere, but full of friendly people and an overall very Ithaca-like town. We saw endless brown hills, rice fields, walnut orchards up the wazoo, and much more. We spent time exploring San Fran (not new for me, and it’s not my favorite city, but still enjoyable), then headed down south. We’ll be taking route 1 up on the way back, but for now we had a time crunch and had to drive down quickly on the most dull road known outside of Nebraska. There were orchards, and there were brown hills. That’s it. I also seem to have broken our truck while driving down near L.A., for we had to get a quick fix the next day. But that’s another story for another time!

I’ll explain more about the display in my next post, but for now I’ll mention that in my off time, I’ve been eating what I can and trying to enjoy the local cuisine. Last weekend I went to a very sketchy Latino Catholic fiesta. The carnival was full of, well, people who stared at the lone white girl with her camera, and amazing food opportunities, none of which I should have eaten. I did, of course. I was enjoying practicing with a borrowed lens, and had fun getting carnival ride light patterns and kids flying on the swings in the right focus with this newer lens. I REALLY enjoyed the things I didn’t understand–the picture bingo, the mysterious frosted green fruits in cups, the papitas, the fried skewers, the funny antics. I absolutely loved it all. Except for the almost getting arrested part. On my way out, a security guard stopped me and said something unintelligible. He then radioed in, got several other security guards, brought over a policewomen, etc. I was explained that a mother complained of me taking photos of her kids (perfectly understandable), and was asked why I was doing it. True, had I not stood out as being white, tall, alone, and with a camera, I never would have gotten in trouble, but I was brought to more guards and more policemen, where I explained I was happy to erase the photos her kids were in. I did understand, and apologized profusely, but thought it was funny that I was considered a threat (especially standing there with my half-eaten spicy crema corn on the cob in my hand).

The carnival, the exploration of ethnic food shops with foods from Fiji, Samoa, and Sri Lanka, the fun of exploring a foreign city near L.A., the massive and amusing food stores…it was all a delight for me to explore. I only wish I could have eaten more! I’m sure I’ll have no trouble stuffing myself in due time, but for now, I just wish I felt better and could go hiking and exploring everywhere. Thanks for listening to the rant, and do enjoy the photos, aight? Above is a list of what they are.

Enjoy!

Moving to California to Travel on the Job. Non-Profit Work, Here I Go!

Posted on September 13, 2011 by antitouristtraveler under Uncategorized

Exciting News!

I got a dream 1-month job. I’m absolutely thrilled to have gotten a job offer to work with the national non-profit Active Minds.

This isn’t your normal desk job, of course; no, this is pretty much the opposite. I’ll be working for a month on the road in California! At college campuses and public areas from San Francisco down to L.A., I’ll be working to change the dialogue on mental health. Specifically, I’ll be one of two road staffers working on a tour called Send Silence Packing. Send Silence Packing, or SSP, is the largest program of Active Minds, and this will be the 3rd tour project of theirs. I’ll be traveling with my tour partner (and pretty cool dude–read about the projects he’s working on here) Brandon, as well as the occasional staff memeber from Active Minds’s D.C. headquarters. You can check out the Road Staff section of SSP’s website to learn more, and I’d be so happy for you to follow the blog! We’ll soon be posting photos, video, and daily happenings.

Besides touring and display work, I’ll be writing daily blog posts on ssp.org, taking photos, interviewing attendees, filming and editing videos, speaking with the media, and more. We’ll be representing Active Minds on this project, and I couldn’t be more excited to work on such a great project that utilizes so much of my work experience.

This project works to change the dialogue on mental health. By working with their 350+ national chapters, they act as a necessary resource, trying to erase the stigma associated with mental health and suicide. This is a grave issue effecting 1,100 students per year in the U.S. We can all help prevent suicide by just talking about mental health and suicide–that is, speaking to friends and family, expressing concern, using free college counseling center resources, and not being afraid to talk about this important issue.

To demonstrate our point, we’ll be taking 1,100 backpacks on the road. All have been donated by supporters, and hundreds are the actual backpacks of lost ones. They have heartbreaking stories attached, and some still have posessions inside. These stories remind us all that the 1,100 student lives lost to suicide annually. isn’t just a statistic, but our brothers, daughters, friends, and loved ones. These lives CAN be prevented.

On a happier note, this job will mean a lot to me, and to be working with the terrific staff at Active Minds makes it even better. Why am I so excited about this opportunity? First off, I’ll be doing meaningful work. Psych was one of my majors in college, and I worked for a year with my school’s mental health and counseling center, concentrating on mental health and suicide analysis with local and national data. I did presentations and spoke to quite a few students about it, so I’m quite familiar with the area! Second, for years I’ve been searching for a kind of on-the-road job. I can see differen tplaces, meet different kinds of people, and explore on the side. Selfish? Crazy? Other people enjoy stability and peace of mind. I enjoy the unknown, and that means that I’ll be in a healthier state of mind to work, giving everyone better results. And third, how many times can I say that spontaneous trips, living on the road, camping with strangers, and having adventures has helped me get a job?

Today starts a new, wonderful adventure.