Let’s go to Japan! / 日本にいきましょう！

Posted on March 24, 2013 by pricemv

Oh boy… T-minus 2 days before I leave for Japan.

I’m definitely nervous about finally leaving to start this 5 month long experience. Most of my nervousness revolves around my lack of knowledge about the language. I have taken two terms of Japanese in college as well as a limited amount of self-study. This all puts me at the level of *maybe* a five year old Japanese kid, cue the nervousness. Luckily my school in Japan, Aoyama Gakuin University (青山学院大学), is kind enough to include English instructions along with all Japanese instructions and will be providing me with a tutor who will be able to help me learn Japanese as well as register for classes and adjust to life in Japan. We’ll see how much that all helps, especially because my first two days include a stay at a hostel that apparently doesn’t have any English speakers at all… straight into the frying pan. The rest of my nervousness stems from just the basic concerns like making friends, not getting hopelessly lost in the largest urban/metro area in the world, money issues, etc.

seriously, Tokyo is freaking gigantic

Part of the reason that I chose Japan was because the culture is very different from the United States. I’m definitely nowhere near an expert on Japanese culture, although I have done a large amount of research. Japan is much more of a homogenous society than the United States, with about 98.5% of the population being ethnically Japanese. I think that, partially due to this factor, the Japanese tend to be much more community driven and place less importance on individuality and “freedom”. For example, in the US, no one bats an eye when someone is having a fairly loud conversation on their phone while riding a bus. In Japan, having a phone conversation while on public transportation is considered rude and you’d be likely to get some stares. Asian cultures in general have been interesting to me for a long time, and getting to experience one for myself was an opportunity I couldn’t allow myself to pass up. There is so much history, and so many differences, in the region compared to what we have in the United States.

I’ve always been something of a chameleon and have been used to being able to at least somewhat fit in no matter what I’m doing. This experience is probably about to turn that whole thing on its head. Being in such a homogenous society as part of the “out group” is going to automatically mean that I’ll be treated differently and will be acting differently than I usually do. The life of a gaijin (foreigner) will be a very new experience that I’m simultaneously excited and scared shitless about, to be brutally blunt and honest.

-Casey

Arrival to Argentina/VOX Asociación Civil

Posted on March 22, 2013 by pricemv

Hola todxs,

I am finally in ARGENTINA!!! After a full one and a half day of traveling from Portland to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Houston, Houston to Buenos Aries, and Buenos Aries to Rosario, I made it to VOX Asociación Civil (A.C.).

(Bus station in Buenos Aries, Arg.)

Let me take you all back two days from today, March 20th 2013. I left Monmouth at 6am with no prior sleep in hopes of sleeping during my flight(s). My flight from PDX to LA was 2 hours and went by quick; I actually slept the during the whole flight. LA to Houston was 3.5 hours, but it too was quick. This flight along with my next flight from Houston to Buenos Aries had T.V.s for every seat with access to movies, T.V. shows, music, and games. My flight from Houston to Buenos Aries was the toughest one. I had never been on a flight that was 10 hours!!! I brought a quilt, neck pillow, charged laptop/iPod, book, and had the T.V. movies available for me, however it did not help me much with being in a tight space for such a long period of time. Luckily, I was able to sleep half way through the flight and woke up an hour before landing.

(Somewhere in South America ha!)

Once we landed in Arg. (March 21st), immigration/customs took a good hour or so. After showing my documentations and examination of my belongings, I walk through the sliding doors to a large group of folks yelling taxi’s, omnibus, etc. I had planned prior with VOX A.C. for them to pick me up, but with no phono service or wifi available, I was about to bust a mission and look for Camila & Julio; two individuals whom work with VOX A.C. and are part of Grupos Jovenes. Surprisingly, I was able to find less than 5 minutes after my search. My first reactions were relief and excitement. After traveling for so long, I wanted to finally arrive and see some familiar faces.

At the airport, we went to buy some bus tickets. While waiting in line, I met a young lady from Boston, Lauren, whom was meeting up with her friend in Buenos Aries. She knew very minimal Spanish and asked for both mine and Camila/Julio’s help. After telling Camila/Julio where she was trying to get, she joined us and came along on our mini adventure. We got the tickets, got lost for about 30 minutes, and eventually found the bus and left the airport.

(El omnibus que nos llevo a la capital)

The bus ride to the capital seemed quick, even though it was a 30-45 min. ride. We talked about VOX A.C., shared personal stories, saw lots of high buildings, and we even drove pass La Casa Rosada (Presidential Palace). After getting dropped off at one of the bus stations, Camila, Julio, and I made our way to another bus station while Lauren got a taxi and went her way.

(Snapshot while on the bus. Buenos Aries, Arg.)

We walked several blocks to get to the bus station and note, we had all of my belongings. I was a little nervous walking the streets with my stuff because folks had told me prior to arriving to not have valuables visible due to picketers and in general raising your visibility. Thankfully, we quickly made our way through the crowded side walks and busy streets and bought our tickets to Rosario.

(Forgot the name of this park in Buenos Aries, oops!)

Within 30 minutes of purchasing our tickets, we got on the bus and left Buenos Aries which by the way was another 30-45 minutes just to leave the city. During the bus ride, I practice my first “siesta” (nap after lunch) though I am not sure if it truly counts. All three of us slept for a good hour and a half or so. Once awake, I observed the land and thought how much it resembles parts of the midwest; very flat, green/yellow colors, and parts cloudy. Upon arrival to Rosario, I remember seeing the Rosario Casino, a shopping center, lots of old, vintage looking buildings with a little modern twist, folks driving motorcycles, many small cars driving very fast in-between lanes, and people walking as the sun set.

At the bus station, we got a taxi and made our way to Entre Rios, the street where VOX A.C. is located. This was about a 15 min. drive. When we arrived, Guillermo, the President of VOX A.C., along with a few other individuals were waiting and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I am not going to lie, I was very nervous at this point because I finally was here and it truly hit me; I had a surreal moment.

The first night, Julio and César, another member of Grupos Jovenes, stayed with me. One thing that I have been wanting to try was yerba mate and this finally came true! They served the tea in a traditional mate. Yerba mate definitely is a new taste that I am going to have to get use to. It was quite bitter even though sugar was added. Still, I got one thing check off my bucket list while in Argentina.

(Yerba mate)

Afterwards, we walked around the city for a bit and went to the grocery store to find food to make back at the office. Ironically, we decided to make a Mexican dish, Pollo ala Crema which is my favorite. We ate, listened and exchanged music, had many conversations ranging from the history of the LGBT community to politics to philosophers to pop culture, etc. Note, I am a “native speaker,” but there were times when I had no idea what they were talking about. I let them know however and they would explain things in another manner and slow down when speaking. Also, Julio knows English which helped a lot. By this time, it was around 1 am, Friday March 22nd. We would be waking up early this day for a presentation VOX A.C. would conduct at 9:30am. After unpacking a few things, taking a necessary shower, updating my Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook, I called it a good night and went up to one of the rooms. Thinking that I would be able to fall asleep because I was tired, that did not happen. Argentina is four hours ahead and I was still use to the time zone in Oregon. I laid for about an hour until I fell asleep and eventually woke up at 8am to the busy city of Rosario.

Meño

Two weeks left….

Posted on March 18, 2013 by pricemv

2011-01-24 17.01.06

Two weeks left. How can three little words hold so much power and emotion? I am not naïve to the reality that time fly’s when you’re having fun and all that jazz and I am sure words that I will write in following paragraphs will not be unique from other study abroad students/interns that are wrapping up their own adventures. Regardless though, this experience is novel to me and these thoughts and emotions never previously experienced.
Thankfully, it’s not yet time to divulge all the mixed feelings on returning home and I can focus attention to the present and recent past in South Africa…

Concerning work: Pop culture can be incredibly fascinating and I have learned so much at one small seed concerning the use of wordpress, interviewing, social media managing, and office etiquette but as much as I enjoy my work with one small seed I felt the need to do some side freelancing with supernews. Supernews is a citizen generated news publication that focuses on promoting a positive South Africa and looks to stories that inspire and engage socially and politically. This is the kind of stuff I like. I recently just published my first story on the Out of Africa Childrens Fund Hospice on the supernews site.

Before I could write a proper human interest story, I wanted to get personal with the organization and those involved. Because the organization is going through a remodeling, I was able to do some manual work cleaning and organizing and built credibility with the founder Kim Highfield. As we worked closely and went about daily activities together (she even gave me a haircut), I became privy to information concerning non-profits and was able to gain an insider’s view of operations. Today I set up a twitter account for the organization and will continue to participate in any activities the hospice is involved with.

Currently I am in communication with a Kwaito dance group called Sowetos Finest. The group is made out of five guys from Soweto and has a mission of engaging youth to strive for a better life. All members come from townships and know the struggle that young people face when making choices for a better life. Because of the distance from Cape Town to Johannesburg I won’t be able to interview them face to face but will be able to communicate using the handy dandy internet. I am excited to see what this story will look like.

Also this week I am focusing on interviewing local South Africans about their thoughts about the country they live in and incorporate their answers in my video when I return. Because I want answers to be genuine, diverse and meaningful to me, those I interview are people I have built a relationship with for the last 8 weeks. I love the stories I hear- especially the women’s. The more I talk with women, I realize how strong they have to be. South Africa is very patriarchal and although those from Africans and British decent enjoy equality and freedom, many Xhosa and those from tribal heritages still are subject to male superiority. Despite the oppression and objectifying, the women remain incredible mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and friends.

Another amazing women has come back into my life…my sister! Because she has been living and working in Australia, I haven’t seen her in nearly a year. She is visiting for the last two weeks I am here and the chance to share the sights, sounds, and people of Cape Town with her has been incredible. She lived in Ghana for 6 months and had made assumptions on South Africa because of her African experience. Every day she is surprised by the stark difference in countries.

It’s going to be such a challenge to make conclusions about my time here because there are no broad generalizations I can make or stereotyping aloud when describing South Africa or my experiences here. Every day is so different, every person so unique, and every feeling original that it makes writing summaries extremely difficult.
Thankfully I have a few more weeks to collect my thoughts. Home awaits but I know I am not ready to leave.

Heather

My sister Sarah is here visiting me from Australia! first time I had seen her in 10 months!

At the top of Lions head we ran into Cirque du Soleil performers here in Cape Town for their show!

Lions head!

South Africans love their rugby!

Super rugby! Cape Town (Stormers) beat New Zealand (Chiefs) and the crowd was electric!

Sarah and I at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden watching the foreign film City of Gods

Wine and fun at the South African Museum watching live art

Wine tasting in Constantia. Such amazing history and information about wine!

Our amazing guide to the world of wine!

Spent the night in the car to get to our adventure destination in Port Elisabeth

Fastnacht aka. Carnival German style.

Posted on March 13, 2013 by pricemv

Rosario, Argentina-Introductory Post

Posted on March 10, 2013 by pricemv

Hola Tod@s!

My name is Emmanuel Macías, a senior studying social science with a focus in sociology and Spanish minor. I am an east Oregonian native (Hermiston), first generation Latino, and the youngest out of my siblings. This spring term, I will be interning with VOX Asociación Civil in Rosario, Argentina!

There are many reasons why I chose this site. One of the most important reasons is because I want to have a professional work experience related to advocacy and social justice work within the LGBT community. As an openly gay Latino and advocate for LGBT, student, farmer workers, DREAMers, etc. rights, I knew this would be an opportunity of a life time. One of my sociology professors has worked with this non-governmental organization and was able connect me with folks in the organization. After doing my research of VOX and seeing how visible and active they are, I knew I had couldn’t let this slip away.

Another reason I chose Argentina is because I would like to strengthen my Spanish and learn more about the culture and history of the country. I am a native speaker (family is from México), however I am in need of sharpening up my spanish. Though I am able to communicate with folks, I truly want to build my confidence and be able to have critical and effective conversations with folks all in Spanish.

I have taken many courses throughout my time at Western and most have been focused on Latinoamérica. Whether it was about the Cuban revolution, Zapatistas in México, or the dictatorship regime in Argentina during the 1980s, expanding my knowledge on the history, culture, language, geography, etc. of Latinoamérica is important to me. While in Argentina, I hope to get a better sense of where people stand post the dictatorship and economic recessions they had faced. I want to get a glimpse of the natives in the Northern parts of the country. I want to see how the LGBT community differs from the U.S. and Arg. I want to learn how to dance Tango, try mate, asados, cafe con leche, etc.

I am going into this experience with open arms and hope to soak every thing in. This is a 10 week program and I hope to take full advantage of the opportunities and challenges that come my way. Upon return, I will be graduating and looking for a job, YAY! This internship will hopefully, more or less, give me a better understanding of what my life will look like within the near future.

I plan to blog as much as possible so look out for meh y’all!

Saludos,

Meño

Week Seven: Rose Street and Random Bits of Life

Posted on March 10, 2013 by pricemv

This week saw the start of my favorite season of the year; crocuses.

I don’t care what anyone tells me, crocuses is a legitamate season. A lot of them have been planted along the meadows area, so whenever I walk into the down town area I end up smiling.

My only class this week was linguistics since my writing classes both had a reading week following what was basically the midterm. The presentation in liguistics went fine as far as I can tell, though it was a little short. I don’t have a communications background so I had to rely on my partner to take charge of that aspect, which was slightly complicated by the fact that I seem to be one of the few people in the class who really gets linguistics.

I used the time off to actually make it to Rose Street and the surrounding area. All the highlights are visual so I’m just going to put my commentary in the captions.

They had these mosaics at every entrance from the crosswalks. All of them were slightly different.

This was down a road that seemed more like a “local people live and work here” kind of place over the doorway of one of the buildings. I can’t even begin to interpret what this is supposed to be. Secret society? Summoning ritual?

I’ll admit, I didn’t think there was anyway to keep pay phones relevant in our current technological climate. Well played city of Edinburgh, well played.

There’s your classic spray paint tagging going on, but there’s also a lot of either encouraging – “SMILE!” – or intellectual vandalism in the city too. The intellectual/encouraging stuff also tends to be written in chalk. Encouraging, polite, intellectual vandalism.

I also got a chance to stop by the library, which is closer to my flat, and I thought their method of identifying genre in the young adults section was really clever.

I also spent the time looking around shops that had caught my attention in some way earlier. The most striking item for sale ended up being in the grocery store.

Literally the size of an ostrich egg. I asked one of my classmates the following week and apparently they’re just a hollow chocolate egg that sometimes has stuff inside it. We’ve got giant chocolate rabbits, so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised.

Then there was this one the walk back from the grocery store.

This was posted in the window of a shop that’s either now for sale or undergoing construction. Don’t put advertisements on the windows? Either way I’m going to avoid the place in case I flypost by accident.

And, finally, I got to meet our vacuum cleaner.

I can’t decide if he’s cute or terrifying…

A Familiar Green: Dublin, Ireland

Posted on March 10, 2013 by pricemv

Can I go back already? I absolutely loved Ireland. Two days of great people, food, pubs, and scenery is not sufficient. We spent Saturday walking around Dublin; we saw a few pretty churches, lots of little pubs in the bustling Temple Bar area, and went to the Guinness Storehouse.

Beef & Guinness Stew for lunch- SO hearty and traditional.

Many churches throughout the city

The Storehouse was awesome and huge- seven floors! The ground floor introduced the beer’s four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast), and info about the brewery’s founder, Arthur Guinness. The other floors covered the history of Guinness and on the seventh floor there was a bar, Gravity Bar, with fantastic views of Dublin. The best part, though, was being taught how to properly pour and serve the beer from the tap. Our instructor even taught us how to make the foam/head of the beer into a shamrock shape. After all correctly pouring our pints, we were given a certificate. I really liked Guinness to be honest, but I was in the minority, as most of my friends did not!

Barley- a key ingredient in beer

Awesome view from the top of the storehouse!

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

On the last day, we took a half-day tour to Malahide coast and castle- about 35minutes north of Dublin. The early morning views of the coast were beautiful. Once we got out of the city and to the coast & countryside, Ireland really began to remind me of the beautiful Pacific Northwest back home.

The Malahide Estate and Castle date back to the 12th century. The estate began in 1185, when Richard Talbot, a knight who accompanied Henry II to Ireland in 1174, was granted the “lands and harbour of Malahide”. It was home to the Talbot family for nearly 800 years between 1185 until 1976. We toured the inside and saw original, fully-furnished rooms with ornate paintings, furniture, and other interesting pieces. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos. But, the outdoor photos are plenty beautiful themselves!

36 Hours in London

Posted on March 10, 2013 by pricemv

This past weekend was a whirlwind of a trip! Three of my girlfriends and I crossed the pond over to London for a quick 36hours and then hopped over to Ireland for two days. Exhausting. But amazing.

Leaving my house at 3:30am, I met the girls at the Barcelona airport bright and early for our 6am flight. We arrived in London at 8am and the crazy day began from there. After busing from the Stansted Airport (about an hour out of the city), we dropped our bags off in our hostel in the hip area of Camden Town. Our hostel was above a bar/restaurant and was filled with young people from all over. We cashed out later on the food and drink deals given to travelers staying above- a great deal indeed where the British pound is worth more than the euro and a lot more than the U.S. dollar.

Deciding to get the real Londoner’s experience, we decided against a tour bus & opted for the subway system, known as the Tube, to get us to the sites. After a few months of mastering Barcelona’s metro, it’s great feeling confident navigating subways worldwide now! Bring it on NY. We rode the London Eye, a big ferris wheel-type thing with great views of the city. We saw Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey (where Diana’s funeral was held). We also made our way to Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace. About 10miles (really!) of walking later, we wrapped up the day with dinner while chatting with locals and listening to Open Mic night in the bar below the hostel.

On Friday, we went to the famous Camden Market. The market was full of souvenir shops, cool clothing, handmade jewelry, and many other cool crafts. Later in the afternoon we headed back to the airport and were off to our next destination: Dublin!

The London Eye:

Gorgeous views!:

Big Ben:

Westminster Abbey:

Buckingham Palace:

Hyde Park:

Camden Town:

To Central Spain: Toldeo & Madrid

Posted on March 10, 2013 by pricemv

A little over a week ago, my program brought us on a weekend trip to Toledo and Madrid. Both are very old and traditional cities in Central Spain, rich with Spanish pride. Toledo has been a religious hub over the centuries for Christians, Muslims, and Jews alike and the remnants of the warring religions now stand in peace together throughout the town. Though it was rainy, we ate a great lunch and then headed out on a tour and made the best of it. Our tour guide, Javier, learned English from an Irish man and made for a very entertaining tour. He ended up guiding our tour of Madrid the next day too.

Madrid is different from Barcelona is just about every way; the two cities represent two contrasting cultures of Spain: Madrid prides itself on strong conservative, traditional social and political ideologies, while Barcelona abides by a liberal, progressive way of life in an economically prosperous and Catalan region.

The contrast between the two cities was very apparent; those we met at bars, on the street, and even our tour guide gave numerous, not-so-subtle jabs at Barcelona and the Catalan way of life. Just as my Catalan professors direct towards those in Madrid! Nothing compares in the U.S. to the hundreds of years of war, social, political, and economic conflict between the two regions. Very interesting! Madrid is a beautiful city and is home to the Spanish royal family and Real Madrid (FC Barca’s number one rival and one of the best futbol teams in the world). But I’ll be honest- I was happy to arrive back to Barcelona 🙂

Posing in front of the Palacio. This is the symbolic home of the Spanish Royal Family.

Cool food market

Biggest skillet of paella I’ve ever seen!

The Spanish love their cured jamon (ham)

Javier, our guide, took us into a convent cloister. The nuns sell little cookies to the public but don’t show their face.
The money/cookie transaction took place in this lazy-susan thing. Awesome tour surprise.

Javier, our awesome tour guide for the weekend!

There was a huge protest during our trip. Thousands of unemployed, unhappy, and fed up citizens of Madrid
protested the streets and occupied the main plazas throughout the city. Police were everywhere!

Near the famous Prada Art Musuem

Parque de Retiro (Park of Retirement)- absolutely beautiful. Reminded me of Alice in Wonderland!

Antes de morir (Before I die..) street/community art in Madrid. Very Inspiring.

A Leisurely Wander & Tour

Posted on March 10, 2013 by pricemv

With no plans for this mid-February weekend, my friend Emily and I decided to wander. One can never wander enough and this beautiful city of Barcelona is never short of sights to see.

On my daily commute to school along Passeig (avenue) de Gràcia, I pass two of Antoni Gaudi’s great architectural works. So Saturday, we decided to take a closer look. Gaudi is the 20th century’s Catalan father of modernism architecture. Gaudi’s works are very distinct and individualistic and the majority are scattered throughout Barcelona. I live next door to the city’s most famous park, Parc Guell, designed by him. I’ve never seen anything like it and photos will be up soon. I also plan on visiting La Sagrada Familia, a large Catholic Church that he died while in the process of designing.

Below is Gaudi’s Casa Batlló built in 1877; from the outside the façade looks like it has been made from skulls and bones. The “skulls” are balconies and the “bones” are supporting pillars.

Below is Gaudi’s Casa Mila (La Pedrera), constructed between 1905-1910. Architecturally it’s considered an innovative work for its steel structure and walls- the façade is self-supporting.

After strolling Passeig de Gràcia, we decided to finish the day exploring my neighborhood. Below are photos of my beautiful home-stay here in Barcelona.

I was having problems with my pervious Senora (she wasn’t exactly kind or warm…) and was placed with another girl from my program, Stephanie, in a new home-stay. I now live in a beautiful HOUSE (a rarity in Barcelona) on the outskirts of the city. Though the commute is long, a bus ride and 2 metro rides to class every morning, it is more than worth it here! Two sisters in their 60s, Teti and Carmen, have been hosting students from all over the world for nearly 30 years (Teti has been an avid yogi for nearly as long!). They are so bubbly, warm, and genuinely caring- I couldn’t be any happier. Along with Stephanie, I live with a girl from Chicago, a girl from France, and cute little dog named Chati. They feed us great, and maybe most impressive, I now wake up to one of the best views around of this beautiful city!