Back From Peru

Peru was amazing! Having a vacation is awesome. It was definitely hard to come back and I didn't really want to. Well, does anyone ever want to leave their vacations? I don't think so...unless you lost everything and really can't come back. Actually, on my back at the airport in Lima, this guy at the counter next to me lost his bank card and didn't have enough money to pay for the airport tax so they couldn't issue him his plane ticket. I wonder whatever happened to him.

I wish I were an explorer or something. Actually, I rather be a world photographer. I just want to travel the world and photograph it. Not sure who will buy it, but that is my dream job. So why am I not doing that? Well, I am kinda...slowly building up my portfolio of pictures from around the world. I think I'm going to go to Italy next or India. Anyways, can't believe I saw a SLOTH! There were also Uros floating islands, Machu Picchu, and the freaking Amazon Rainforest. I can't believe that I was finally there.

We rode this little boat to Monkey Island where there wasn't any type of security at all. We just jumped out of the boat and walked up the sand and into the jungle where wild monkeys were hanging out. We had to rush out after the alpha monkey came out though. You don't want to upset an alpha monkey, you just don't know how they'll fight you. Hmm..what would I do if a monkey were to attack me? I think I would probably try to kick it first, but it'll probably just jump on me, so kicking would be no use. I would probably have to bite it or something. Why am I talking about this?

I am way overdue on all of my phone calls to my friends up North. I'm sorry. I'll call and answer all e-mails soon.

Currently listening to Somewhere Else by Razorlight


Colca Canyon


Taquile Island


Cusco


Madre de Dios

Hola From Peru!

Right now Im on the 6th floor of a hotel in Puno. Sasha and I arrived to Peru about 5 days ago. I have been taking DMG, one in the morning and one at night, to prevent altitude sickness, but I still get headaches on the back side of my head...or maybe they are from all the bus rides, Im not sure. Sorry for the lack of apostrophes here, the keyboard here is a little bit different and I just cant seem to figure out how to use it.


It seems like most places that Ive been so far always have a square infront of a church. The first day was spent in Lima. Its definitely different to travel with a tour group instead of on your own. Everything is already taken care of from bus rides to here and there, but your time is limited and you are on someone elses schedule instead of your own. People here are very friendly so far, but I have been warned to carry my purse in the front and to watch where Im going.


Already, there are over 600 pictures on my camera. Everything here is so fastinating to me from what people wear to the architecture of each town. Poverty is also very visible here and I cant believe some of the landscapes that I am seeing here, which express how little I know about this country. I wish that I could upload the pictures now, but that will just have to wait until I get back.

So Much Fun at the Hollywood Bowl

Finally, I was at the Hollywood Bowl or what many Angelenos refer to as the Bowl. It started out with the New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara ( most excited for) then Death Cab for Cuties with the LA Philharmonic. To top it off, they ended the show with unexpected firework. This venue is awesome because it's completely outdoor and you can bring whatever you want to eat and drink there. The weather was perfect and no mosquitos were in sight. I don't know why I waited so long to go here. I love the whole picnic scene before the show.Can't wait to go back. Let's go!


That's Tegan and Sara


Behind Me

Shoo Weird Neighbor, Don't Bother Me!

A couple of weeks ago, one of my guy neighbor started greeting me when he sees me walking to my car in the morning. He keeps asking me the same question about whether or not I fixed my flat tire. And of course it's fixed because my flat tire incident happened about two months ago. He's obviously is not a good listener or has a very bad memory. Ok, I sound mean here and I guess he's just trying to be friendly or wants to get to know his neighbors better or something.

Anyways, the other night I got home quite late around 2 or 3 A.M. It was completely dark and my front light was out. While walking to my door, I thought I heard someone but didn't stop to pay attention. When I got to my door, I heard a guy saying something like, "Oh, it's you. I'm just walking home. What's your name again?" It took me a while to realize that he's the same neighbor, but what the hell? I was so weird out by this.

Everyone should know not to approach a stranger when it's late and dark. Also, it's not like my place is on his way. Why don't people know when it's appropriate to say hello to someone or not? When it's dark and someone is trying to open the door, just leave them alone. I thought I was going to get attacked by someone or something. Man, you don't even know of all the ways I was thinking of how I could defend myself before I realized who he is. But still, I have no idea who he is other than where he lives.


Yummmm
Bottega Louie, Los Angeles, CA

On the Way to Fresno

The Saturday after the Day of the Decision on Prop. 8 on May 10th to be exact, there was a rally/march in Fresco for the Meet in the Middle 4 Equality campaign. I shared the bus organized by the Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) with 54 other riders from other orgs. (such as Bienestar, The Wall, Love, Honor, Cherish, Somos Familia, Honor Pac, Stonewall Young Democrats, Rainbow Pride Youth, and Gamba Adisa Quilombo). Several people have gone to Camp Courage so they decided to share their amazing stories with us.

So why meet in Fresno? Well, the gap between Yes vs. No on Prop 8: Same-sex Marriage Ban was about 4.4% or 526,095 voters, which is basically a size of a town like Fresno. It was time to unite outside of our safe zone and spread awareness that the queer communities and allies are everywhere and that Civil Rights is not something that people should be allowed to vote on and take away from others. It's discrimination just like how interracial dating/marriage wasn't allowed before, immigrants couldn't own lands or become citizens, womyn couldn't vote, the color of your skin determined where you sit on a bus, taxation without representation, Foreign Miner's Tax, etc. "This Too Shall Pass."

Before that Saturday, I really thought that we would be celebrating in Fresno. On the Day of the Decision, I rushed to work trying to listen to the hearing on the radio, but I was too late. Everywhere online were already displaying the headline "Court Upheld Prop. 8." That made me really sad and upset. I didn't feel like working at all. I am glad to hear that at least the court recognizes the 18,000 couples that have already gotten married, but it's completely unfair how much rights differences that people now have within a year time span.

Sadly, I have waited way too long to share their stories...so all the details are not as clear anymore, but I'll try my best to summarize them.

One man's story was about how he never thought that he would fall in love with someone who's HIV+, but he did. His partner lived in Mexico where HIV/AIDS medicines and resources are not as accessible than in the U.S. Because same-sex couples cannot sponsor their partners to residency, this man wasn't able to help his partner to better medical care here, which would have most likely extended his life. Unfortunately, his partner passed away last year. This is why he's fighting. Please support United American Families Act.

Another man shared a story about how when he was younger, he always wanted to grow up, be happy and get married. His mom always told him that anything is possible in America. Now that he's older, he realized that what his mom told him isn't true because he can't get married. Ok, there's more to this story but the point is that the idea of growing up and getting married is the root to every fairy tales. Why can't everyone have the same rights to express their love in marriage? Why have all of this hate and create barriers between one another?

One womyn shared that her parents sent her to "straight" school after they found out about her. Obviously, it didn't work. Her parents should ask for a refund.

Another person shared his coming out story. At first, he kept waiting for a good time to come so he could tell his mom. But the economy crisis came instead so he kept on waiting. Finally, one day he took his mom out to a casino where she won some money. She was so happy that he though that maybe this is the good time that he has been waiting for so he decided to tell her. His mom said that she knew and that she's happy that he finally told her.


"Hope will never be silent"--Harvey Milk

Traveling with Someone New

This year, my friend S and I decided to travel together to South America. We have been talking about it since college. Over the weekend, I came into a realization that we had a few differences in our ideas of a vacation. So I advise you to ask yourself and anyone who you'll be traveling with, these questions before you decide to do anything. This way, it's clear from the start what both of you want and expect from the trip.

1) What is your idea of a vacation?
2) What do you plan to do and not do?
3) How do you like to travel? Bus, Train, Walk, Hitchhike, etc.
4) How adventurous are you while traveling?
5) What's your budget for food, hotel, etc.?
6) How much recovery time do you need after the trip?
7) How much time will you have to prepare for the trip?
8) What can you help plan for the trip and by when?
9) Will you have time to help plan the trip?
10) Do you prefer to explore on your own or go with a tour group?


Day of Decision Rally, Hollywood, CA.

Do You Have an Expiration Date for Your Friendship?

I can still remember that phone conversation clearly. It must have been about 5-7 years ago since then that I felt completely confused and disappointed about a certain friendship.

After being away in college for a year, I made a phone call that summer to an old friend from high school. I knew that I should have tried to make an effort to keep in touch with her sooner because we were quite close before. But a friendship takes two and that was our first phone call. I remember that I happily shared things with her about my first year in college, but when it came time for her to share, she went quiet. She simply said that she felt like I was now a complete stranger and that it would be too much to explain. So what can you say to something like that? I was speechless. I apologized and told her that I'm sorry that she felt that way and how things turned out. Inside I felt like part of me was crushing. I never thought that her idea of friendship would be so different from my own.

Sure, time can weaken a relationship, but I don't think that it can completely erase the experiences and memories with someone into complete strangers. Or at least this is how it is for me. Life takes you to different places and you get lost sometimes with certain people. But when our paths do cross again, these moments make me happy that we've found one another again no mater how long it may have been. And even if our paths were to never cross, I would never think of them as a complete stranger. I would say that was my friend from .....whatever that is.

Maybe I'm just low maintenance when it comes to friendships. I don't need to constantly hang out or talk to someone on a weekly/monthly/etc. schedule. And if you need this from me then it would probably annoy the hell out of me that you'd even expect this unless you're going through tough times or something then I would of course be there for you. We'll talk and hang out when we can.


Friendship in the middle of the Dessert