goodbye - we're off to dubai...

I can’t believe I haven’t written anything since last January. I guess my life has been so consumed by becoming a resident teacher that I have yet taken time to record my life! And honestly the only reason I have time to write is due to the fact that I am home from school because I tore my acl in the classroom in Sept and I had reconstruction surgery 4 weeks ago.

What a sad fact…I had to have surgery to find time to do something I love. ;(

Anyway, lately I’ve been productive cleaning out the house and packing unused items up. Why? You might ask…well it’s my way of throwing out some “good karma” out into the world in hopes the universe will help aid our decision about Chris’ upcoming interview with Emirates Airlines. For those who are outside the airline realm, Emirates is a beautiful & luxurious airline that operates international flights out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

I am fortunate enough to have flown on them twice. So, when Chris brought this idea to the table back in June I of course was "onboard" immediately and obsessively. For those that are not as close to me, when I say obsessed I mean obsessed. When I get something in my head I need to know all I can know and nothing gets in the way of my obsession until I move on to my next fix ~ Sad but true.

Ever since Chris and I met in 2002, our life has had a centralized theme…TRAVEL. We met because of it and we live for it. We never turn down an opportunity to get out and see new places. However in the past year we’ve been limited because of my teaching residency. We were planning on making up for the lack of travel this summer by subletting out a house in Amsterdam for a month. Then Emirates came along…now we must get prepared for the possibility of living in Dubai.

Dubai of course is not our first choice in international destinations. But it is a very interesting city full of many different cultures, new architecture, worldwide appeal and opportunities.

We leave tomorrow for 6 days ~ 2 days of travel (15 hour direct flight from jfk), 3 days of an interview, and one day of pleasure (I have a stand-by ticket ~ so fingers-crossed). Time will tell, but until then I’ll continue to prepare for a big move in hopes Emirates likes us and we them.

Stay tuned for more details.

trains held together by roaches...

let me just start by saying first class in this country is totally different than what my western mind had expected and i did not have huge expectations...

allow me to tell you about our first class train ride....

first, we check out of hotel in kolkata and head off to mother teresa's house called the "mother house". it was a simple building filled with much love. her tomb was large and covered in flowers saying "jesus is love" and behind the tomb a sign saying "i thirst". we were given charms for love and protection, which we later needed. we then continued on the the zoo. i know, i know...a zoo??? but please remember the great love sarah shares with nature and i am of course always game. so, we get there and the only animals that are truly on display are US!!! we leave within minutes agreeing it wasn't our brightest idea and go to our favorite internet cafe until our 7 pm ride to the train station.

now, our biggest fear so far on this trip is kolkata taxi drivers ever since we were almost killed at least 5 times the first night of arrival. so we enter this cab with already psyched out thoughts and hugging one another. the traffic was very bad, which we later figured out was due to the ending of the work day and along with us...EVERYONE is heading to the train station and i mean EVERYONE. bikes, cabs, rickshaws, barefoot workers and buses so long & continuous they look to be the train.

india houses 1 billion people but my eyes overwhelmed & in wonder counted at least 2 billion going to the kolkata train station.

getting there with 20 minutes to spare, we notice much of the same activities taking place in the station as on the streets, there are dogs, cows, women carrying produce and people occupying every inch of space.

we board our train relieved we have made it in time, find our beds in the indian version of first class. we chat among ourselves wondering about the other 1 billion passengers also boarding lesser classes of space on the train?

how do they do it? such strength, such limited space, and such chaos.

we were not alone in our cabin...we were greeted by cockroaches and creepy peeping tom's (and not of the average curious indian fashion) ready to join us...yuk.

we then decided in unison that we would not be sleeping on this train ride. but rather we worked as a team killing roaches all night and monitoring the curtain for intruders. we then realized that the train does not have a system of announcing arrivals whether by intercom or by person. now on top everything we worry about missing our stop in varanasi.

14.5 hours later we exit the train starving because we disposed of all our snacks to keep the roaches away and tired because we have been up or 27 hours.

we immediately agree the next train ride we already have booked to agra, which mind you is longer and of a lower class of cabin is now going to be avoided at all costs!!! we immediately book our airfare. we just can not fathom doing it again. looking at one another we are proud to have tried but have agreed the indian railroad has won!!!

my awkwardly beautiful place....

as most of you know sarah and i are in india. we flew into delhi and caught up on some rest and then 2 days later boarded a plane for kolkata or better known by the west as calcutta. delhi was not for me. although kolkata is my new found love.

tonight, we head off to varanasi (holy city on the ganges) for a few days by sleeper train. this should be a an experience. although. we've managed incredibly well thus far without hot water, with drivers more interested in watching us from their rear view mirror then doing their job, the always lingering smog in delhi and being female in a male dominated country.

the poverty is numbing at times. however, we push on and help where we see fit. india has a way of cracking egos, doubts and needs.

but, it does feel refreshing to be without normal routines and schedules of home. however, i do miss the smell of clean clothes and sheets. i also miss chris. hearing his voice yesterday helped to relive some of the home sick feelings that were creeping in. sarah is a delight to have around for many reasons like, her love of researching the historic sites, cities and wildlife. she is also very organized and i am finding myself trying to keep up. my bag is now way more organized then before i left on this journey.

yesterday, we found ourselves enjoying the food and sites of kolkata. we even manged to buy some clothes to replace smelly articles in our bags, however towards the end of our walk we found we were losing our voices from constantly telling merchants, "no thank you", "please stop following us" and "no we do not want to go to your store". but all in all the city of kolkata is close to the name it calls its self "the city of joy". i know i have experienced joy here. and plan to return again with chris.

some pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sstorklipglossfool/

2 blondes (one real & one assisted), 2 planes & 2 weeks in india

so in 9 days sarah and i'll be flying to india to explore, discover and fall in love with the beautiful settings of the unknown.

we planned this trip many mouths ago and it is finally just around the corner. i've been there once before when i was a bit younger and a bit more naive. i wonder if the past seven years of finding myself will add to the experiences and moments in the most beautiful place i've ever laid eyes on?

sarah is by far the best travel companion one could ask for...she's creative, practical, resourceful and fun. i look forward to our adventures together traveling from new delhi to kolkata. we've refranined from planning too much, because we desire for the adventures to unfold for themselves. however, the taj mahal, varanasi, the ganges and a couple bird & animal sanctuaries are on our list.

if anyone has any advice, comments or suggestions, please pass them on.

can't sleep...

something is keeping my eyes open and my mind turned on...

the submarines

i stummbled upon this group on my drive home from work last night on a broadcast of KCRW's "mourning becomes eclectic" program. after, one song i was hooked. i bought the album within minutes of signing on to my computer. please check them out, you won't be disappointed.

here's some lyrics

Darkest Things:

The more delicate the task
You find the shakier the hand
You try to undersand and fight it
All that you need
Has brought you to your knees
Trembling with greed still you fight it

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find when you've been searching
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

When you're alone would you put your hands
Through the camera lens to reach her?
Behind the screen does she call your name
When you hear it through the stream
Do you fight it?

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find the light you bring
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

So here we are
Lovers in the room breathing oxygen
Still you fight it
Well come move my hands
I will not breakdown
Or turn into a pop-up advertisement

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find when you've been searching
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find when you've been searching
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

I'd have waited a lifetime for a sign
Only to fall apart when love arrives
But we're coming home
We're coming home
We're coming home

where's olive?

"one of those rare movies that brilliantly mixes laughter and heartache to engross you in every obstacle the characters face"

just go see it!!!