After I came back from traveling, I found it even easier to approach strangers and take time out do things I would have considered ridiculous. But it's been good for me.
This morning, at around 8 am, I was outside the apartment taking Madden (the dog I am dog-sitting) out to empty his bladder. After he peed, we walked around for a bit and were about to head in when a young man approached us. He was wearing plain black vans, black pants, and an inside-out solid black tee. He came to me and did not try to elaborate too much or win me over. All he said was, "Hey brotha, I lost my job at P.F. Chang's a while ago and I was wondering if you could spare a few bucks so I could get something to eat at Del Taco." I had Madden with me and did not have my wallet, so I told him I would be back in a bit and take him to eat. I took Madden in, fed him, put him in his crate for a nap, then grabbed my wallet and went down.
The man (still waiting outside) introduced himself as Andrew, and he began to tell me his story. I know people in need often butter up their stories, but this guy was real with me. He did have a hard time, and he was unfortunate, but he had the right attitude and didn't try to push his limits in getting something out of me. When we got to Del Taco, he even refused to get anything more than three of the cheapest tacos on the menu! He only spent $1.77 despite my efforts to buy him more, and as I listened to his story, I was again reminded how amazing people can be. Andrew had gotten his car stolen, lost his girlfriend to another man, gotten fired from his job, been evicted from his apartment, and lived on the street for a while. He used to have a stable life but it had crumbled and now he had nothing, but he wasn't giving up. He was not on the street begging but, the way I saw it, he kept his dignity and was working to work his life up from scratch all over again, even if he did have to ask for a little help. He told me, "I refuse to give up. I had a lot back then and I have nothing now but I'm praying hard and things will get better." What a trooper.
Coming back from traveling, I've seen and learned a lot. Back at home, the next step in growing has been applying my lessons to real life but it's really hard to apply every little thing right away. Meeting Andrew has been a great reminder for me (while I've been in the States) that lives do not adhere to the same pattern. One person's life can be so different from another, but because we choose to associate ourselves with like-minded people in similar environments, we tend to forget this. Just because we feel secure and always have what we need doesn't mean our lives couldn't have been any other way. We are so lucky, but it's so damn hard to feel blessed when we've been comfortable all our lives. We all have so much that everything has come to mean so little. Andrew cried and hugged me when I gave him twenty dollars (he asked for 5 so he could get deodorant and a t-shirt). How many of us can appreciate 20 measly dollars that much?
Taiwan
,
I finally made it to Taiwan. I put up with back to back red-eye flights (8 hours and 5 hours), no sleep, and lots of rude Asian families, but I finally made it.
Let me deviate from my train of thought for a bit to elaborate on the annoying Asians. Every line I stood in (I'm counting about 10) was filled with large groups of Asians. There were tour groups with matching neon polo shirts, families with way too much luggage, old people, young people, and for some reason a lot of people whose genders I could not determine. Oh, and a ton of old ajushis who kept making lugi noises. Every single one of these groups seemed to hate me! They all would just cut in line and push me around to get past me. I mean, seriously, I can't understand how they have no shame. Do I look like I want to be pushed or wait longer in line than I have to? I'm slightly embarrassed and guilt-filled to say that I elbowed some ajumas back when I had enough, but seriously. It's annoying. And then I was writing in my journal on the plane and this dude next to me kept staring at my face, then reading what I was writing, then staring at my face, etc. Finally, I was like, "Can I help you?" but he just gave me the death glare and kept on staring. I was kinda cornered in the window seat so it got really awkward and I just stopped writing. I hadn't eaten since last night (with the time changes it had been roughly 24 hours) and I was starving, sleepy, and physically drained from walking around with my 19.7 kilogram backpack. But I pressed on because I wanted to see some of Taipei before I called it a day! Ugh so annoyed.
Okay back to my arrival in Taiwan.
Upon arrival, I paid for my room and headed out to FINALLY get something to eat... but I had no more money. Just some loose change and American dollars. So I set off to find an ATM, which took about 30 minutes. I was getting hungrier and hungrier, but I was really excited to eat all the cheap street food that I was passing by... I just needed money... but I had forgotten that my bank doesn't let me withdraw from two different countries on the same day. Earlier this morning, I had used my card to buy a bottle of water in Malaysia and now I was suffering for it. Just a freaking bottle of water! So then I went to find a bank or currency exchange center. I found both in the next 45 minutes. Both were closed. Now I was miserable and hungry and I didn't know what to do. Then I went into super brainstorm mooooode!
I remembered that I had an old lamyun sitting in my bag from back in the Gold Coast. It had been sitting there for about a month just waiting for an emergency. This was definitely an emergency! So I ran back (not really, I walked... I'm just trying to stress the urgency I felt at the time) and cooked my lamyun and ate it all. That's all I've eaten for over a day now, but at least I won't die of starvation. Tomorrow morning, I can withdraw money again!
Traveling moral of the day: Always carry emergency rations. And also, avoid Asians in airports.
Let me deviate from my train of thought for a bit to elaborate on the annoying Asians. Every line I stood in (I'm counting about 10) was filled with large groups of Asians. There were tour groups with matching neon polo shirts, families with way too much luggage, old people, young people, and for some reason a lot of people whose genders I could not determine. Oh, and a ton of old ajushis who kept making lugi noises. Every single one of these groups seemed to hate me! They all would just cut in line and push me around to get past me. I mean, seriously, I can't understand how they have no shame. Do I look like I want to be pushed or wait longer in line than I have to? I'm slightly embarrassed and guilt-filled to say that I elbowed some ajumas back when I had enough, but seriously. It's annoying. And then I was writing in my journal on the plane and this dude next to me kept staring at my face, then reading what I was writing, then staring at my face, etc. Finally, I was like, "Can I help you?" but he just gave me the death glare and kept on staring. I was kinda cornered in the window seat so it got really awkward and I just stopped writing. I hadn't eaten since last night (with the time changes it had been roughly 24 hours) and I was starving, sleepy, and physically drained from walking around with my 19.7 kilogram backpack. But I pressed on because I wanted to see some of Taipei before I called it a day! Ugh so annoyed.
Okay back to my arrival in Taiwan.
Upon arrival, I paid for my room and headed out to FINALLY get something to eat... but I had no more money. Just some loose change and American dollars. So I set off to find an ATM, which took about 30 minutes. I was getting hungrier and hungrier, but I was really excited to eat all the cheap street food that I was passing by... I just needed money... but I had forgotten that my bank doesn't let me withdraw from two different countries on the same day. Earlier this morning, I had used my card to buy a bottle of water in Malaysia and now I was suffering for it. Just a freaking bottle of water! So then I went to find a bank or currency exchange center. I found both in the next 45 minutes. Both were closed. Now I was miserable and hungry and I didn't know what to do. Then I went into super brainstorm mooooode!
I remembered that I had an old lamyun sitting in my bag from back in the Gold Coast. It had been sitting there for about a month just waiting for an emergency. This was definitely an emergency! So I ran back (not really, I walked... I'm just trying to stress the urgency I felt at the time) and cooked my lamyun and ate it all. That's all I've eaten for over a day now, but at least I won't die of starvation. Tomorrow morning, I can withdraw money again!
Traveling moral of the day: Always carry emergency rations. And also, avoid Asians in airports.
Travel Update: Australia
,
I've been in Australia for a while, but I haven't shared much about what it's been like. So, here goes. I go to a lot of museums because they're free, and they have a lot of interesting stuff here. Did I mention that they're free? That makes a big difference. Australia costs a fortune to stay in. I've been eating a lot of junk food to save money (sorry, Umma) and staying in the crappiest hostels. The one I'm at right now has the most disgusting bathrooms I've ever been in. They constantly smell like condensed urine (I don't know if there's such a thing, but it's really pungent) and more than one stall has human poop on the floor. They don't clean up very often. Their "security" is a joke. It's a huge hostel so late at night security roams the halls and stairways. But they don't do anything. Except wait outside the girls shower room, acting like they're patrolling... but I think they're just gross old dudes looking for some skin. But on the plus side, I've gotten to stay in lots of random locals' homes for free so I'm not always stuck in these nasty hostels. Yay for hospitality! Australians are all really laid back, but they're also really scared of America. Apparently our "right to bear arms" law really freaks them out. They seem to think that every American is a gun totin', trigger-happy madman that's going to shoot them if they ever visit. I'm trying to change this image whenever I meet Australians, but it's not easy.
Food here is whatever. Well, it's good and very diverse, but there's not much that's really Australian except kangaroo steaks (not that special, its like a buff version of a cow) and Vegemite (yeast extract, similar to Marmite). The stuff that is pretty good is from other places (they have pretty good Asian foods all over) and it's generally overpriced. Like everything else in this country. But that's because they all get paid a lot. Minimum wage goes up as you get older, and I met 18 year olds making nearly $20 an hour, saying that was pretty normal. So in the end the tourists are the ones that get screwed over. But I do like the fact that plumbers and electricians aren't looked down on here. In America, I always felt that these vocations were not quite seen the same as medical practices or law. But here, they're not looked down on and they make bank. Apparently, Australia is a bit short on hairdressers as well, so it's easy to get a working visa if you apply as one.
My favorite things about Australia are it's laid-back culture, the accent, and the sky. True, Australia is really expensive and the lodging is gross, but people are laid back, happy, and hospitable. It feels great. Although I wouldn't say Australia makes it to the Top Vacation Destination list (not saying it's not amazing, but as a vacation destination I think other places are more action-packed), it is one place that I wouldn't mind living. I feel really comfortable and I enjoy the atmosphere. People just don't seem that stressed. The accent is also a major plus because it's a lot easier to understand than heavy British accents, and it's way hotter. Seriously, I want to marry random girls I see (then hear) on the street because they sound so cool. Last, but not least, is the sky! No one else I've met seems to notice this, but I think the sky here is really gorgeous. It's really blue, but it kind of changes shades as you look higher and higher. The clouds are also really vivid and fast-moving, so cloud watching is actually a really cool thing to do here. I could take a picture of any random building and it would be beautiful simply because the sky is so magnificent here.
Australia is a nice place to wander around since the cities aren't too crowded and there's plenty of nature. Parks, gardens, and random green patches in the city are all very common. Venturing outside the city provides even more wildlife. There are lots of natural reserves, beaches, and parks in the suburbs and beyond. I highly recommend Australia for anybody who doesn't want too much of a culture-shock (it's like America... but still different), but at the same time wants to see a different culture over a longer period of time without a language barrier. If you stay here for several weeks, you'll start to see little differences that make you really notice aspects of American culture that you probably took for granted. Also, the weather is awesome. No cold!
Food here is whatever. Well, it's good and very diverse, but there's not much that's really Australian except kangaroo steaks (not that special, its like a buff version of a cow) and Vegemite (yeast extract, similar to Marmite). The stuff that is pretty good is from other places (they have pretty good Asian foods all over) and it's generally overpriced. Like everything else in this country. But that's because they all get paid a lot. Minimum wage goes up as you get older, and I met 18 year olds making nearly $20 an hour, saying that was pretty normal. So in the end the tourists are the ones that get screwed over. But I do like the fact that plumbers and electricians aren't looked down on here. In America, I always felt that these vocations were not quite seen the same as medical practices or law. But here, they're not looked down on and they make bank. Apparently, Australia is a bit short on hairdressers as well, so it's easy to get a working visa if you apply as one.
My favorite things about Australia are it's laid-back culture, the accent, and the sky. True, Australia is really expensive and the lodging is gross, but people are laid back, happy, and hospitable. It feels great. Although I wouldn't say Australia makes it to the Top Vacation Destination list (not saying it's not amazing, but as a vacation destination I think other places are more action-packed), it is one place that I wouldn't mind living. I feel really comfortable and I enjoy the atmosphere. People just don't seem that stressed. The accent is also a major plus because it's a lot easier to understand than heavy British accents, and it's way hotter. Seriously, I want to marry random girls I see (then hear) on the street because they sound so cool. Last, but not least, is the sky! No one else I've met seems to notice this, but I think the sky here is really gorgeous. It's really blue, but it kind of changes shades as you look higher and higher. The clouds are also really vivid and fast-moving, so cloud watching is actually a really cool thing to do here. I could take a picture of any random building and it would be beautiful simply because the sky is so magnificent here.
Australia is a nice place to wander around since the cities aren't too crowded and there's plenty of nature. Parks, gardens, and random green patches in the city are all very common. Venturing outside the city provides even more wildlife. There are lots of natural reserves, beaches, and parks in the suburbs and beyond. I highly recommend Australia for anybody who doesn't want too much of a culture-shock (it's like America... but still different), but at the same time wants to see a different culture over a longer period of time without a language barrier. If you stay here for several weeks, you'll start to see little differences that make you really notice aspects of American culture that you probably took for granted. Also, the weather is awesome. No cold!
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