away from America « ususbaby.com Blog

Archive for the ‘away from America’ Category

Weekend Rewind

Monday, November 26th, 2007

Life is of course better after the last self-pitying post. In fact, I’d say I had a pretty fabulous weekend.

So what did I do this weekend? Well, here are the Top 10 highlights…(all thumbnail photos can be clicked on for the full-size version, too…)

Friday Morning
1. sprained my ankle-I am a complete clutz and honestly cannot do anything else while walking. I was trying to read a billboard, but unbeknownst to me, the sidewalk ended. But I didn’t. A good 2-3 stair drop later, and my bad ankle (old basketball injury) was in the worst pain I’d had in years. As I’m crawling — literally — toward the rock wall, I look up to see two older men just staring at me. They’d clearly seen me fall but offered no help or questioned if I was OK. Heck, they weren’t even laughing. But nevertheless still staring! Completely annoyed at them, I’d nearly collapsed against the wall when three college students rushed up to see if I was OK. They carried my bags and helped me back to the office. Yeah for friendly young’uns! Oh, yeah, and I also got to try some local Khasi home remedies on the ol’ ankle too. Did they help? Well, the pic above is taken the next day, and you can still see a bit of swelling, but the pain was gone. Either way, though, local meds are always fun!

Saturday Morning
2. computer came back to life-After a run-in with a local software guy, the computer had been worse last week, and I feared his self-implosion. And a way-too-long Thanksgiving Day conversation/search with the family turned up no disc that I needed to save him. Luckily my Yankee ingenuity and the old computer science guy at the office were able to figure out how to get Sonny back up and running. Yeah, so we’re friends again. And I can upload pictures on him for the first time in a month…including this fun one from a “sacred forest” last weekend.

Saturday Afternoon
3. ate a Khasi lunch-We went to the team leader’s house for lunch. Her mother had made a traditional lunch in memory of her mother’s death. Such yum food!

Saturday Evening
4. picked up my salwar suit-After choosing the cotton material last week and taking it to a tailor, my first Indian outfit is ready for the workshops this week. Yeah!*
5. ate dinner at a photographer’s house and found out what my name means-His mother made a delicious Muslim-Indian spread for a group from Impulse. And if you’re thinking my plate looks a little sparse in the pic, don’t worry. This is only my first serving of three. While eating, I also found out why so many Indians pronounce my name “Jana.” Apparently my name is a term from Persia or the Middle East that is frequently used in India now and pronounced that way. And Jayna actually means horrible foot rot. Just kidding. It is a term of endearment that means “my precious one” or “beloved.” Aw…sweet, no?

Sunday Morning
6. woke up by 7:34 a.m. phone call-If you know, me, you’ll know that any phone call that wakes me up is usually NOT a highlight. BUT this call was to tell me that the Tigers were up 14-0. Definitely worth waking up for. Thanks, Hez. And right after we hung up I got a text with the half-time score (still 14-0), too. Thanks, sis.
7. checked my e-mail-The Internet is MIA at the office since Wednesday, and there is only one cyber cafe I’ve been able to find in this city that opens before 10 or 11. But at that one, I got to check my e-mail and get the e-mails, drunk Blackberry messages, and ususbaby comments with game updates and messages that people back home were thinking of me. Yeah! It is honestly so nice to feel loved and remembered while I’m away. Especially when it’s for things like Tiger football and hot dogs. Thanks y’all.
8. the Tigers won-Of course the whole reason I went to the cafe so early was to check the MU-kU score updates. I nearly beat my head against the wall refreshing Yahoo! sports in the game’s last 20 seconds. But Missouri came away with the win. And if you’re wondering what I’m doing in the picture…obviously, it’s after the game, and I’m listening to the Missouri Waltz on my iPod at the cyber cafe. Obviously.
9. saw my first in-theater Bollywood movie-Om Shanti Om isn’t just any Bollywood movie, either. It’s the country’s biggest seller of the year. Things to note about the theater: the entrance fee was Rs. 30 (about $.75 USD); a Kit Kat and sour cream and onion chips were Rs. 15 (about $.38 USD); people smoke inside; and people spit betel juice on the floor. Things to note about the movie: it has great music (will be buying the soundtrack soon); the leading woman is drop-dead gorgeous and new to the Bollywood scene; the bad guy is just as hot and apparently a famous model; but the leading man is — I’m sure a wonderful person but — a bit of a butter face but a good dancer.**

Sunday Afternoon
10. watched traditional Indian dancing-This dance performer wasn’t doing dances traditional to this area but from the mainland. I’m up in the air on whether or not I liked it. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed going to the performance and seeing something different. But would I want to watch it over and over? I’m not sure. But, he did have a tough act to follow coming after the Bollywood blockbuster and all.

*Pics and more outfits will be coming, I’m sure.
**Stay tuned for more on the movie.

Oh, and although it’s not actually a part of the weekend…the Tigers are now No. 1 in both the AP and BCS. Grrr! Yeah, I’d say that’s definitely a highlight of the year.

Posted in *India, away from America, food/beverage, media, sports | 2 Comments »

So Flippin’ Homesick and Annoyed

Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ugh. What am I doing on my favorite holiday? Sitting in a smokey Internet cafe that’s playing 80s rock. NOT preparing a turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and apple pie…what I love doing and have been doing (or helping do) every Thanksgiving since I was like 5. I mean, I even got to do it when I was stuck in LA and was sharing it with others than my own family. Why am I still not doing it here, then, you ask? Well, for starters, they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here. Obviously. But I can’t even spread my own holiday cheer as
1) they don’t have turkeys
2) they don’t have ovens
So making anything but mashed potatoes and gravy is impossible.

But being out of America for Thanksgiving isn’t the only thing that’s making me miss the good ol’ US of A. No. I also know I’m going to be missing my birthday and Christmas, both days of which are meant to be spent with friends and family (and if you’re like me and plan them right, you can even spend half the day with the special people of the East Coast or Midwest and the other half with the wonderful people of LA). Don’t get me wrong. I’ve made friends here, and the others at the NGO have been wonderful about opening up their homes and families to me. But, you know, it’s just not the same. As much as I hate winter, I love this time of year in the US because of the time with my close friends and family.

Besides missing my friends and family, though, I’m also missing my computer discs, which, too, are in Missouri. Somewhere in the 11 boxes of stuff I shipped to my parents’ house are the discs that I need to keep my computer from committing suicide.

Then, there’s also the fact that I don’t feel much like a traveler anymore. Not only am I seeing much less of this area than I did of others, but with my savings quickly dwindling, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay on the road for the last two months of my planned year away, so I don’t have that feeling of looking forward to the next place that had been propelling me forward when I’d get homesick or lonely before.

And couple all of this with Missouri football, and I could literally cry. Honestly. When I was checking the scores/BCS standings/AP rankings after last weekend’s games I got completely misty eyed. Four months ago, who the eff thought Missouri and “BCS title game” would be breathed in the same sentence? But after last week’s upsets, it’s a definite possibility. And missing the big game against kansas this weekend, is literally killing me. I mean, I can’t even watch the game anywhere here, and the Internet cafe doesn’t open until probably the third or fourth quarter, so not even Gametracker is an option. Grr!!!

And honestly, what could be better than playing in the BCS title game? Keeping kansas out, of course. And is it bad that I’ve even considered not keeping my “you can’t live off your parents’ money” savings (what should be my first couple of months’ rent and living money) and spending it on tickets to New Orleans and a game ticket if the Tigers were to play on Jan. 7? Probably, huh?

So, yeah, I’m definitely hoping to get/expecting calls/text messages sent from Arrowhead Stadium (or your living rooms if you’re out of MO), with updates on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Sigh.
Missouri football

Posted in *India, away from America, holidays, sports | 9 Comments »

All Maid Up Here

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

morning tea

Planning my trip to Korea, my American friend wanted to know the dates I’d be staying at her apartment, so she could let her weekly house cleaner know. As soon as she sent off that e-mail, she sent another saying how weird she felt writing about a house cleaner and that she hoped I didn’t think she was being snobby.

Of course I didn’t, but her nervousness is pretty representative of middle-class, middle America (but in her case, Hawaii)…the places where housekeepers and nannies aren’t common. Where stay-at-home moms are really stay-at-home moms and don’t also hire a housekeeper, nanny, and a chef to assist them.

But I knew that wasn’t the case everywhere. The East and West Coasts, as well as many places in the South have middle-class neighborhoods where every house has a cleaner and nanny. And I knew that domestic workers in Asia were pretty common too.

However, I guess I’ve not really experienced it first-hand so much until my arrival here in India. As the office is providing my room and a living stipend, they also take care of so much more for me. Honestly, I do nothing for myself. There are girls who manage the office and wash all the dishes as well as cook any foods we might request (and who are mighty good cooks, I should add). There are two women who come every Monday to do the laundry and clean up the bathrooms. There are even two girls who come every day between 11:30 and 1 to serve us piping-hot morning tea…and then come back at around 4 to collect those dirty cups and pour us more hot tea in fresh cups.

Part of me wants to feel bad that these women/girls must do domestic service for the classes above them. But the other part of me knows that the city is swelled with people who aren’t working but had to come here because it is one of the few “safe” cities in the North East; so hiring these women/girls means they’re able to make a living away from the violence that is prevalent in many other places.

And then the other part of me is just happy that I can be lazy about cleaning up after myself. While becoming addicted to tea in the meantime.

Posted in *India, *South Korea, away from America, food/beverage | 4 Comments »

Welcome to India!

Monday, November 5th, 2007

In just one week, both you and your computer will contract viruses. Congratulations, and enjoy your stay!

Posted in *India, away from America | 4 Comments »

That Would Have Been Scary!

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

Halloween 2003

My second full day in Shillong — my home in India for the next three months — nearly came and went without my realizing what day it was. Without the witch and pumpkin window clings or the aisles and aisles of candy, I’d nearly forgotten it was Halloween. Luckily, though, the complete lack of October 31st paraphenalia meant that there was no “sexy nurse” to remind me why I dislike the holiday so much.

But even though Halloween is my least favorite holiday, I have to say it was a bit spooky not having any signs of our country’s most-debated school celebration around, and as I’ve been reminded a few times lately, Americans (and Canadians) must have the only devil-worshippers; we’re the only places that really celebrate said occassion (apparently Day of the Dead isn’t big in Asia, either). So when my lack of love for Whoreloween comes up, foreigners are usually pretty surprised. “But didn’t you send me a picture of you and your friends on Halloween?” enquired Aussie Alex. Uh, no, Alex, that picture was the centerpiece of one of the infamous C by the Sea Christmas/Hannukah cards. Clearly. (If you open the above picture link, imagine getting this as part of one of those Sam’s Club photo cards with the message, “Merry Christmas. Seriously.”)

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve celebrated Halloween — see above photo of me and some fellow first-year teachers all excited at a Halloween celebration — but I just really could do without it. And nearly did this week. To which the saddest part of my near-miss was realizing I’d almost forgotten to ring in the next season with the Mariah Carey “Merry Christmas” CD as I’ve done since my first Halloween at college. Luckily, though, I caught on just in time. Whew.

Posted in *India, away from America, holidays, media | 2 Comments »

This Part of My Trip I Call…

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

Melaka

…Little Europe. Cities can have a Little Italy, Little India, or Little Saigon. So, my trip, I’ve decided can have its Little Europe (what to others is known as “Malaysia”).

Why “Little Europe” you ask? Well, have you ever been to Melaka? If not, let’s just say the city definitely still shows it’s Portugese/Dutch/British heritage. Most of the city’s draws are the Euro-influenced architecture from the city’s past. (One tourist spot that isn’t Euro, however, is the shop that sells shoes — now banned — used in Chinese foot binding. Horrifying…)

And well, back in KL, my ever-so-integrating host was, as previously mentioned, French. As was his roommate. As were her coworkers (well, she did work for the French embassy…). And all their friends I met, too. So it was tout francais tout les temps — or all French all the time for you non-French speakers. And they were all tres (very), tres French. Well, you know, except that they did shower every day and not one of them smelled! (Which we actually did discuss…)

On Friday night we went to a going-away party for one of the Frenchies. The whole time we were there I kept thinking of the movie “La Boum,” a really low-budget educational language film set at a party I saw in 7th grade French class. In said film, the party goers danced to imaginary music and had super-social French conversation like, “My name is Marie.” “My name is Thomas. Where do you live?” “I live in Paris.” Oddly enough, the conversation skills I learned from “La Boum” didn’t come in handy at my Little Europe party. But I did recall enough early-language skills to be able to reply “I don’t speak French” when someone struck up a convo.

And if you knew me in LA, you might remember my frustrations with not speaking the language. While cocktailing in Marina Del Rey, I’d tried to small talk a two-year-old French-speaking girl. All I could remember of my nine semesters of French was “Comment appelle tu?” After nearly five years of French lessons, how is it that all I can remember is “What is your name?” Well, OK, I actually do remember a few other things from French class…like how annoying my high school French teacher was when she reprimanded me in front of the entire class for not wearing pantyhose to prom (um, hello! pantyhose do not look good with certain open-toed shoes…and when your date is a third-generation pig farmer, I don’t think one’s lack of hosiery is going to gross him out). I also remember that my college French 1 teacher was Lebanese and had a hairlip…causing him to get this gross foam out of the side of his mouth while speaking French (but not while speaking English, interestingly). My French 2 teacher from the Ivory Coast had a gap in his front teeth. My French 3 teacher looked like an elf and always seemed to get rosier cheeks than usual when he would get annoyed at the sarcastic musings of me and my partner Jenny R. Hmmm…so I’m beginning to think if I’d spent less time finding faults with my teachers (what? me find faults in others?) and actually truly learning the language, I’d have known when the company I was keeping this past week was talking about me (and perhaps about how I smelled).

But when the Frenchies would fall back to their home language I just tried to improve on what little French I still have or used it as my excuse to zone out and daydream, which I do regardless of what language people are speaking around me.

This past week, my daydreams often left me wondering if I should later try living in a francophone country in Africa or Europe (something I’d been half-heartedly considering since I finished Teach For America and decided a job with the UN would be fablous), so I can actually re-learn the language. Hmm…good question. If I did, do you think I’d be able to find a “Little New York” or “Little L.A.” there?

Vincent, me, and Remi

Posted in *Malaysia, away from America, language | 2 Comments »

Bali? No…but Hi Anyway

Friday, October 26th, 2007

Pulau Tioman

In two days, I’ll be in India. Excited? Of course. But spending the next four months land-locked and not seeing the ocean makes me a little squeamish, I have to say. It’s definitely the longest I will have gone in nearly the past five years without seeing the big blueness of the sea…and after four years in LA and seeing the ocean every day, it’s pretty scary.

So with my last chance of spending time with sand and surf dwindling, I had a wonderful guy I’m staying with in Kuala Lumpur dites-moi (coincidentally, he is French) a good place to go for some beach time.

He sent me to a special island called Pulau Tioman, off the east coast of Malaysia. So me and my one-hundred-and-one pounds of fun made the six-hour bus jaunt and two-hour ferry ride to the island. And if you’ll excuse and expression I use, the island was gorgeous! Even though monsoon season threatened overhead the first day, the rains held off enough to help me lose a bit of my flip-flop tan.

Because the island takes so long to get to, it’s still pretty remote. Much more quiet than most islands I’ve been to in my lifetime. Definitely no American fast food chains here. Instead, most restaurants are just little huts on the beach. Eating my noodle dinner while watching the waves break was definitely an enchanted evening and just what I needed.

Oh, and I forgot to mention one of the coolest parts of the island…it’s also the filming location of my second-favorite movie musical. If you haven’t figured out which one it is from the photos or all the incredibly cheesy clues, then you’ve got to be carefully taught musical appreciation like I was and shown this gem in 6th grade gifted class (yes, I was gifted…scary, I know).

If you still need another hint as to what movie it was, I’ll just say that I was super excited to find a man on a motorbike to chase down the bus after it made off with my bag. It had my ginormous Pureology shampoo and conditioner bottles. Not only are they impossible to find abroad (and seem to provide my fellow travelers with a good laugh), but getting them back also meant that I could wash (that man right out of) my hair.

*Yes, I know this post was probably as corny as Kansas in August…but what I can say? I’m Jayna. And I’m corny.

Pulau Tioman view from eatery

under the sea

Posted in *Malaysia, away from America, media | 3 Comments »

Um, Yeah…

Thursday, October 11th, 2007

movies

Traveling for me isn’t just about seeing bad foreign films, but it’s also about sharing our own country’s not-so-famous flicks.

Monday night, I was appalled to find out that none of my fellow travelers had heard of or seen the hilarious Office Space, one of four movies accompanying me on this trip. I mean, my friend Nina had seen Napoleon Dynamite while volunteering in Togo…how had these people, living in western countries managed to escape the smart Mike Judge film?

So, by the end of the night, I’d turned an Indian, two Norwegians, and a Peruvian into fans of the Initech flick.

I’ve also somehow convinced an English gal and Canadian one to watch She’s out of Control when it came on TV. If you haven’t heard of it, suffice it to say it’s a late 80s film starring Tony Danza.

And if my friend in Malaysia still hasn’t seen Zoolander when I get there, I have a feeling, I’ll be trying to convince him to watch it (and then have a walk-off later).

Posted in *Australia, away from America, media | 3 Comments »

The Great Ocean Road Trip

Friday, October 5th, 2007

One of the best things about taking the road trip was feeling like I was truly in Australia. No more American fast-food chains. No big shopping malls. No TV relaying the latest Britney saga. Not only was being on the road a bit of a break from all the city stuff…but even when I settled into the towns, it was still a relaxing time.

I got to see lots of wildlife (although I’d definitely wished I’d had a riding companion to be on nature lookout to spot the koalas in the trees while I drove), got in a pretty decent 11.3 km hike, and even got to see a bit of a brawl in a small town. What can beat that? All in all, good trip.

click on a thumbnail below to see the picture full-size
beautiful drive where there were lots of koalas

yeah…it was a bit windy/rainy that day

a cute little koala at Tower Hill

a momma roo and her joey

roo poo

pick me! pick me!

what a wallaby!

wind? what wind?

Posted in *Australia, away from America | No Comments »

Gratuitous-Jayna-Was-Here Photo(s) #10: Sydney Edition

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

Jayna Rust in front of the Sydney Opera House for travel blog ususbaby.com

Jayna Rust in front of the Harbour Bridge in Sydney for travel blog ususbaby.com

Last time I was in Australia, I’d convinced myself I didn’t care to see Sydney. From Americans and Australians alike, I’d heard it was much more Americanized than my study abroad city of Perth…and really, who travels half way around the world to be in a place that’s just like what’s outside my USA door?

Well, on my return to Oz, I figured — Americanized or not — I should visit the famed Aussie city…and see the Opera House from more than just the window of an airplane. So glad I did. I love this city! And its two most famous landmarks, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, have provided two awesome (and not American at all) activities here: I climbed to the top of the bridge (134 meters! photos below), and took a tour of the house.*

Really, I love this city. Good times.

*Helpful hint for Americans touring the Opera House (and as my friendly guide, Nick told me today there are many Americans who take the tour…): Book online for one of the early-bird tours. Not only do you save $10 off the cost of the tour, but you’re much more likely to get to see more…as concerts/operas prepare for the night’s events, access often becomes more limited after noon.

Jayna Rust in her suit for the Bridge Climb in Sydney

Jayna Rust on the BridgeClimb in Sydney

Posted in *Australia, away from America, gratuitous photo | 3 Comments »

ususbaby.com Blog