Through My Eyes

Dear humans, 

Posted by Alyx Michele on November 10, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

There are so many reasons why I travel the way I do…and then write about it. One of which, however, is to show people that a lot of places are really nowhere near as bad as the media and others make them out to be. I see that this might be harder than ever to do, but I’m up for the challenge.

In the environment of hate that Trump fueled and fed on with his rhetoric, I will not stop traveling and writing. It only motivates me to do that much more. 

This is NOT about his policies so I don’t want to get crap about my being against everything trump. I’m not against everything. However, I will say that I AM against the way he openly spoke/speaks about people, and am fearful and ashamed that there are others who truly feel that way too. The environment of hate that has not only been more exposed but also promoted is something that we should all be afraid of as it’s detrimental effects will last far longer than the next four years unless we all come together despite everything.

I’m not saying everyone who voted for him feels that way and I am not one to make assumptions. Deep down everyone has their prejudices to at least some extent, but that doesn’t mean we have to speak or act accordingly.

Im not assuming all Trump supporters really support all that stuff he said, and I hope people don’t actually assume the same of every member of a particular gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. 
I will be involved in trying to prove those horrid generalizations wrong…and also the assumptions other places are too dangerous to go to let alone travel there alone.
I’m not going to stop being friends or family with anyone even though I don’t fully understand their choice or how much of trump they actually support. I don’t hate anyone. That’s not what we as a country or even the world needs right now, not that it’s ever useful. Hate is deconstructive, regardless. 

I invite people to travel with me and actually see the world and what it has to offer. Spread love, spread joy, spread acceptance.

Dear America, 

Posted by Alyx Michele on November 10, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes. Tagged: , , , , , , . 4 Comments

I know this post is different than what I normally do, and I will go back to my normal posts after this and the next one. Disclaimer: I don’t speak or think ill of those who supported any of the presidential candidates. I have friends and family who voted for each of them. While I may not agree with someone’s choices or why they made them, that doesn’t make me love anyone any less. If anything it heightens that because we need love now more than ever. This post is my being upset with the system in general, which isn’t news. The next post will be about people and how we treat each other. Then I’m done and will go back to my travel related posts. And so, without further ado, let’s get to it. 

An idea. Whoever gets the majority of the vote, whether I support that candidate or not, should be president. The people vote, the votes are counted, and such is that. That is democracy. This is a weird twisted I don’t even know what.


I have tried extremely hard throughout the whole thing to keep quiet about how I feel about everything. But I can’t do that anymore. This is not about a specific party or specific person, this is about our country as a whole and who actually decides what happens to it. 
Yes we could use a change to the system but what happened throughout this recent election process was not quite what I hope people had in mind. However, what happened is what happened. We cannot change or deny the issues that have been exposed. How people generally deal with conflict, controversy, and fear of the unknown and fear of the different. 
We can stand together and fight for what we believe in as we always have. 
The key is to stand together. “United we stand” doesn’t really seem to be the case here unfortunately, in light of all the hatred (not directed at just one party by the way). 
Right now it is more apparent than ever how divided we are. Right now the statement “divided we stand, united we fall” is a more accurate description of the situation. And fall we will, unless we as individual human beings regardless of party come together and do what is right for the country, and for all of the people who make up the country. 
Everyone has friends who are people of color, lgbt+, women, men, immigrants, hard workers, lazy a$$es, people of all sorts of psychosocioeconomic backgrounds. They are our friends! 

We are all people.
At the end of the day we are all humans. Every single one of us. No matter the race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other experience of life. We are human beings and deserve to be treated as such, AND it is also our responsibility to treat others as such also. Treat others the way you want to be treated should always be top priority. No exceptions. No excuses.
On the note of a change…how about a change to the existence of the electoral college. Even members of the electoral college are unhappy with the existence of the electoral college. I know it is not that simple and other adjustments need to be made as well. Yes change is scary. It always has been and always will be as we are typically creatures of habit. Side note: completely wiping out everything that has been done the past eight years is not a humanistic approach at all. Why can’t people just build off of what their predecessors have done, rather than discrediting everything without close examination of the pros and cons and how doing so will affect not only this nation but how doing so will affect the entire world?
My thoughts of what democracy is or should be have always been that people discuss all sorts of sides, opinions, stances (hopefully supported with extensive research and consideration), and then people vote for what they agree with and/or believe in. The votes are then tallied up and then whoever person/whatever proposition received the most votes is who/what takes effect. 

That is not the case in this country who claims to be so great with the best system of democracy in the world. Whether or not that is the case, we still have a lot of progress that can still be made.
While I understand the reason behind the existence of the electoral college when it started, I disagree with its existence now. Things are different now because things do indeed change all of the time. Social Darwinism. People vote, people decide.

 To quote Monty Python’s Life of Brian, “we are all individuals!” That is trumped (pardon the word choice) by the electoral college for the second time in 2000 and the fifth time in presidential history. The popular vote doesn’t always win. But the people are the popular vote. I thought the people decide, not some small portion of them. 

The electoral college’s purpose is not really necessary anymore. Some people want to be progressive but others don’t and that is understandable. 
A lot of the people I’ve talked to are/have been voting for whichever candidate and basing their decisions on what they think a party has been based on for so many years. But that has nothing to do with how we can change and grow as human beings in a changing and growing world. The world is changing and we should adapt to it (socially, psychologically, economically, environmentally, etc). The two party system perpetuates that. 
You shouldn’t vote a certain way just because of the way you’re expected to by who or what you associate with. You should vote based on your own personal and EDUCATED opinions. Opinions validated by objective nonpartisan and scientific research. (Global warming for one example. Saying it’s a hoax created by China is just stupid, sorry).
The parties’ stances don’t seem to be malleable enough to change at the rate required to transform our society into one of love, acceptance and progression. One in which we don’t jump to insults, violence, human rights issues, and other acts of hatred. That only comes from the population and their opinions on specific issues that should not all just be decided by one person or one party. We the people, ALL of the people, should be able to and should decide what kind of environment and world we live in. 
But people’s opinions and choices don’t matter all that much when the final decision comes down to an extremely small percentage of the population. 
I don’t think many people realize that when they are voting for president, they are not actually voting for president. They vote for the electoral college representatives who then make their own personal choice of what they think is best. So then what’s the point? Let’s bring the point of voting into action and let the people actually decide. Ending the existence of the electoral college won’t reduce the amount of deeply rooted hatred that exists in people it exists in, but it will make our country’s process for choosing leaders a much more truly democratic one.

When Life Gives You Lemons…

Posted by Alyx Michele on September 24, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes, Travel Life. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

…Always make sure to have sugar on hand. That way you actually have lemonade, not just lemon juice. Why does no one specify that in “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” Lemonade requires more than just lemons…or you are still left with a sour taste in your mouth, you just did more work to stay right where you are.

Anyway! The reason for this post is to announce that unfortunately due to adulty circumstances, I will not be going to Antarctica this year. Even if I ask for early Christmas/birthday money, I would barely be able to scrape by to go there for just a few days. It would have worked but between having to pay $1000 dollars for car repairs and my phone disappearing (requiring me to buy a new one), I will have to postpone Antarctica for another time. I will definitely be going, don’t ever doubt that, I just feel like it would be wise to save that for a later date, so I have enough time to save up for a substantial trip there.

That being said, I am not just going to stay home over winter. I have yet to do a tropical relaxing experience involving drinking sugary alcoholic beverages out of a coconut with a cute fancy umbrella. That changes this year! Whether it will be Hawaii or Belize or somewhere in the Caribbean, that is next on the travel agenda! Even still, I can guarantee that I will not only be relaxing because come on, this is me we are talking about. There is so much to go see and explore everywhere, and while beaches and sunsets fit that category, so do other things like swimming with whale sharks and visiting ruins. 🙂

Why mope around when you don’t meet your New Year’s Resolution? Well…for one thing, setting a timer on goals isn’t really the most effective way of achieving them. It took my three New Year’s Resolution periods to get over my bird fear. Some things just can’t be rushed or forced. They will happen, just not always in the time you expected or hoped for. That doesn’t mean give up. I don’t give up. I tried the assuming the worst thing years ago, and that didn’t work out for me. Honestly traveling changed that. Traveling just changes everything, but for the better! I will be traveling this December, just somewhere else more manageable due to life circumstances. 🙂

Stay tuned for the announcement of the next official travel plans.

Does Traveling Alone Ever Get Lonely?

Posted by Alyx Michele on August 27, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes, Travel Life. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

No. It doesn’t. If anything, it is quite the opposite.

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Photo Credit: Craig Duckering

This is a question I often get from people only who have not ever traveled alone, but I feel it is important to discuss. Traveling alone is perhaps one of the best ways of not being lonely. If you crave social interaction, opportunities are endless! Often times, it just takes a simple “Hello!” and you have met a potential long term best friend or even soul mate. All you have to do is be open to new things and new people. Sit down somewhere, strike up a conversation, and see where it takes you! You never know who you are actually sitting next to unless you engage them. Besides other travelers like myself, I have ended up talking to an inventor, CEO, multiple war veterans, a Holocaust survivor, etc. They may even show you how they live not just through their words, but through a tour of neighborhoods you wouldn’t get to see otherwise.

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Kliptown, in Soweto, Johannesburg. Yes people still live here, and are more lively than the wealthier areas.

If you are too shy to initiate a conversation with someone, that’s okay. Another door into interaction is just by reacting to something those around you are doing. Perhaps the couple at the table next to you said something so ridiculously funny that you can’t help but laugh. They will at least look over at you, make eye contact, and invite you to come sit with them at their table and join the conversation…or kids who don’t even speak your language could invite you to play a game or two.

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Traveling alone doesn’t mean you’re alone. Traveling alone means you have all the freedom in the world to make new friends. Friends who, no matter what their first or second language is, will always be there for you whether you need a place to stay when you’re in their native country or just a virtual shoulder to cry on…or to sit on.

to support you no matter from how far

Thanks, Jackson!

A benefit of traveling alone is not feeling obligated to be social when you prefer time to be introspective, or when you are just completely annoyed and unimpressed by the people around you (particularly in the morning! haha). Don’t get me wrong, traveling with friends and/or family is great, but it’s a different experience because you might not always have access to those antisocial moments that keep you and everyone around you sane. Unless there is beer or wine involved, of course. Those help! 😉

On the other hand, if you travel with the right person who understands you need time for yourself and uses that time for themselves too, it can be a close to perfect pairing! With that, each party can either relax somewhere by themselves OR can go out and meet new people to later introduce to the other party…then you have an actual party!

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Photo Credit: Leonardo Ramirez, Festival de Belen, 2015 in Iquitos, Peru

The only uncomfortable thing I have experienced alone is being in the hostel room all by myself because I may or may not still be a little afraid of the dark. Will that stop me from spelunking in caves, camping deep in the wilderness, ghost walking in areas known for their horrific pasts, etc? Uh NO! I wouldn’t pass any of that up for the world! Fear, schmear…reminds me of bagels.

 

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Mmmmm bagels!

Okay I got off track, sorry…back to business.

Traveling with friends and/or family is a great way to learn about people you’ve known for a while in a new way, while traveling alone is a great way to get to know yourself in ways you can’t otherwise experience.

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To new beginnings!

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To new heights!

 

unda da sea

To new depths!

You never know how far you can take your life, or how far your life can take you unless you get out there and do! Traveling with others is enjoyable, but it is a different experience altogether. When you travel alone, you only have yourself to hold accountable for doing or not doing something (except the weather…often times yes you can blame the weather…especially in Cape Town). Being the only one pushing yourself to experience things like jumping off the tallest commercial bridge bunjy jump in the world and dive with Great White Sharks is way more empowering than doing something simply because someone else wants to. There is no one else. This is all you. You did this and you are great for that!

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All things said and done, although it may feel like it at times, nobody is ever truly alone.

 

I’m back!

Posted by Alyx Michele on August 22, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes. Tagged: , , , , . 3 Comments

Hello? Yes, hi there, I’m alive. I know it’s been a while and I’m sorry. I will start posting about South Africa and everything else on a regular basis soon. I am working on getting back on track with balancing my schedule. First my excuse was that my tutoring job became much more time (and energy) consuming when I added other subjects, and then…well…I ran out of excuses. So it is time to knock that off and get back into it! I have been back from my latest big trip, and so  the time has come for me to start looking into the next one: Antarctica! By the end of this year, I will have gone to every continent! Yay!

Anyway, I hope all is well with everyone! I will be sorting the the pictures and videos from South Africa this week, and plan on getting my first post on that trip out this coming Saturday! Have a happy week!

Best,

Alyx

The Light at the End of the Tunnel…Oh Wait, That’s a Train!

Posted by Alyx Michele on March 24, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

“Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you were supposed to be?” -Danielle LaPorte

“And are either of those people who you really want to be?” -Alyx Michele (me), in response to above.

I can easily travel by myself, and I have been doing so, obviously. However, I have always found a way to occupy myself in order to avoid the self-reflections required to open and sort through the issues in my “mental box” that have been locked for many years. Whenever I would acknowledge the presence of the box, I become Brad Pitt in Se7en for a split second asking “Ah what’s in the box?” and just as quickly decide, “Nope, just kidding I don’t want to know right now.” And the box continues to exist ignored. Lot’s of things go in, but nothing comes out. Well, they need to. The box has needed to be dealt with for a long time in order for me to truly understand myself and become the person I want to be.

I  spent all of college focusing on academics and the surface issues (residual effects of my parents’ divorce and body image issues mainly), rather than spending my time and energy chasing boys and what not. If I didn’t spend my time and energy on “me,” I would by no means be the same person writing this today. I can say that I am proud of the person I have become, and am excited to continue growing into the person I want to and CAN be. Life is a work in progress, how we see ourselves and the world is a work in progress, the world itself is a work in progress.

The only thing blocking me from the final frontier of progress is my avoidance of opening the Pandora’s Box of my past experiences and thoughts. Until a few days ago I was kind of freaking out about the fact that I will finally be processing all of this stuff now, but not anymore. After a few conversations with a friend (mainly her knocking sense into me haha), I wrote a list of the things I at least think are in the box so I know what things to start with during the processing and reflecting. The list wasn’t actually as long once I condensed it into themes, which were not surprising either. And all of the themes really just contribute to the question of what I really want for/out of one main aspect of life. Honestly, I feel that most of the work is already done, simply by that. I put the list away and will not be looking at it until I am on the train, and will continuously condense and cross things off as I go through and think about everything.

Thinking is good. It helps with the creative and learning processes with everything, but this time those exercises will be geared towards those pesky, shelved internal issues that have been put on the back-burner for so long. I have discussed before that I feel the best way to learn about one’s self, and the majority of my maturation and self-discovery process has occurred whilst traveling. And so the time has come. Just me, a few train rides, my thoughts, and random strangers (some of whom will most likely become lifelong connections).

After a long conversation with a dear friend, I feel much better about the situation. I think. We will see when the time comes. But as she said, “You’re the only one who can do it and address it and fix it. It is directly tied to how you feel about yourself and your life, so it will be what you make of it.” She is exactly right. I am going to find out a lot of information about who I am today, and how exactly my past experiences have affected me at various stages of my life.

When we receive information of any kind, there are two main choices: take action or ignore. I am choosing to take action: make any necessary adjustments, set reachable goals and achieve said goals. Ignoring problems does not make them disappear or easier to deal with. It just makes dealing with them that much harder if/when you decide to do so. But it will be much more worth your while to actually deal with them, otherwise the person you really want to and CAN be will never become a reality.

That being said, I am still very excited for this trip and look forward to seeing some friends and family I haven’t seen in a while, as well as witnessing some awesome landscapes. This will be a good trip and I will definitely be much closer to the person I want to be, as that always happens when I travel. I highly recommend others do this or something similar as well! 🙂

Well, I am on the first train now! Stay tuned for my writings on the food, scenery, interactions, and everything else!

Pushing Past Your Expectations is Easy When You Don’t Expect To

Posted by Alyx Michele on February 26, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes, Travel Life. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Today, a coworker and I went on a hike as we had planned since the beginning of the week. Neither of us have hiked in a while, so we figured an easy ranked hike of 3.6 miles in a nearby county park should be a good place to start. I wouldn’t rank this hike as easy, due to the high amount of steep inclines, but it was still doable. The scenery and company was worth every second. We even saw a frog! (Although she isn’t too fond of frogs). We saw more birds (my arch nemeses) than frogs though so good for her. Ha!

 Anyway, we were hiking along our merry way not paying attention to how long or how far we’d been hiking. We stayed on the trail…well A trail. It just happened to be a different trail than the one we started on. We were uhh well umm  hmm seeing what else the park had to offer? We felt good enough to extend our trip? Okay fine we got lost. We ended up hiking 3 more miles than what we set out to do, and we survived. I took calcium magnesium so I don’t wake up to the soreness due to lactic acid build up. As we hiked three extra miles, the duration of our trip was extended as well….past sunset….when the park closes.

 

city vs where i was standing-my spot wins

And so after some laughs, some snacks, some phone calls, and a $45 parking ticket, a police officer came to unlock the gate so we could drive home.

 

Hacienda Trail, Almaden County Park

Life is never boring around me, I’ll say that! I cannot stress enough how important it is to be prepared for anything…so even if it is a short hike, I always bring food, water, water filtration system, flashlight/headlamp, and first aid kit. Sh!t happens. Be ready. It’s character building.

 

just keep hopping, just keep hopping

Morals of the story:

1. Don’t doubt yourself, just do it. Go that extra mile…or 3..

2. Always be prepared. #GirlScouts

Just Be Nice!

Posted by Alyx Michele on January 27, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 Comments

“Being nice and generous, which is what we’re all supposed to do with one another…that’s the point of being a human…Kindness is something we all should have, and we need more of that out there.”

-Ellen at 2016 People’s Choice Awards

There are many reasons that go into why Ellen consistently gets picked for these awards. She has many great points, and we know it. Let us all now do something about it! Sharing compassion with the world is easier than people think! Even the smallest gesture could go a long way. Be compassionate to people even if they don’t look like they need it. Many people put up a facade of being fully put together, hiding that they may need support for something. Sometimes all it takes is a simple smile and “Howdy!” Sometimes offering a helping hand lifting boxes or whatever mundane life activities one may be doing. Sometimes even hugging a stranger (use your judgment) or acting silly in public to make someone laugh is not only kind, but it’s also fun! If you are naturally a goofball, you might as well make use of that characteristic as a skill to lift everyone’s spirits! Taking even a few seconds or minutes out of your routine to help another person with theirs is doable and wonderful! 🙂

Adjustments 

Posted by Alyx Michele on January 24, 2016
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When things aren’t the way they used to be. Nothing about life is constant. Not finances. Not friends. Not even family.
Sometimes the change is good, making relationships stronger and life more wholesome in general. Sometimes situations and/or people change, and not adjusting appropriately will potentially lead to the demise of one’s self esteem, confidence, and overall quality of life. Sometimes decisions about how to adjust to change are met with way-too-long inner battles.

The battles are only too long
because you try to push away the healthy solution…because it sometimes means letting go of something or someone you’re expected to hold onto.
People change, situations change, you change. Life is about adjusting to these changes, and deciding to take action on the solutions. Life is not easy, that’s not the point. The point is to learn and grow from every experience, every feeling, and every person. Sometimes you learn that the person you wouldn’t ordinarily give the time of day to has become your soulmate. Sometimes you learn that even family members have changed for good, but not in a good way.
Holding onto who people used to be only leads to heartache, self doubt, and the physical side effects of stress caused by these unfortunate revelations. Nonetheless, if you don’t feel right about something, there is probably a reason. If you pretend everything is fine, hoping things/people figure themselves out, and continue as if the status quo remains, you’re in for disappointment.
Take care of others. Take care of the world. But most importantly, take care of yourself…as long as your behavior isn’t consciously detrimental to yourself or others. There’s a reason you’re supposed to put your oxygen mask on before helping others with theirs…but don’t delay that process though, in order to help the others. I know it’s cliché, but if you don’t love yourself then who will? Not everyone is going to love you, but many will!! Don’t waste time on people who don’t make you feel cared for, wanted, and loved.
Regardless of who they are and what their relationship to you is, if you’re not happy and don’t feel the way you know you deserve to, do something about it. What makes you truly happy? Who makes you truly happy? Do those things with those people. ❤

Misadventures with Alyx: The Car Key Saga

Posted by Alyx Michele on January 20, 2016
Posted in: Through My Eyes. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

Thursday, January 14 was a fabulous day: clear blue skies, with just the right amount of sunlight, and a nice crisp breeze. Morning workout completed, delicious pre- and post-workout meals, with gourmet-style lunch and dinner also prepared to take for the long day ahead of me, followed by hanging out with coworkers at a really cool bar that has every game and console that has ever existed! What could possibly ruin this day? Honestly, even what did happen didn’t ruin the day because I luckily had a chunk of time that allowed me to take care of everything in a timely manner with more to spare.

I pull into the office early to get some writing done before my students start showing up, I check my painting in the back seat of my car to see if it is dry and ready for the next layer (it is!), I get out of my car, lock close the door, start walking away, and “Well Sh!t,” my keys are in my car. For the past I don’t know how long I haven’t been carrying a purse because it is so much easier to just have the essentials (Driver’s License, credit card, an emergency $20, and apparently not keys) hidden in your pocket. Needless to say, I didn’t have my spare key on me. It is in my purse. I knew exactly where it was in my apartment, too. My AAA card is also in that purse with the key.

Have no fear, awesome coworker is here! I borrowed K’s car to drive to my apartment to go get my spare key from my room, then drive back to the office like nothing happened. If the thought hasn’t crossed your mind by now, where do you think the key to my apartment was? If you guessed locked in my car with the other keys you are correct! Quick-thinking me knows that I can get the office to lend me the master key, that is once I get to the apartment. K’s gas light was on, so I put some more in and then continued on my merry way. (She paid me in a delicious watermelon moonshine cocktail drink thing at the bar later).

I arrive at my complex, park by my apartment, then walk to the other side of the complex to the office. I told them I locked my keys inside my apartment because, well, I don’t actually know if that sounds any better than in my car. They need my apartment ID, which is in my apartment somewhere temporarily buried in the midst of Iceland packing/partial unpacking. I offered up my Driver’s License for them to hold hostage instead. They obliged. I ran back to the other side of the complex, entered my apartment, got my spare key, then started running back to the office before stopping myself since I could just drive back to the office since it is on the way to the exit. DUH! I gave the office the master key back, they asked how it happened. If you don’t know me by now, just don’t bother asking questions like that because more often than not, even I don’t have explanations for some of my experiences! But it makes for a more entertaining life, if nothing else.

Lessons to learn: Don’t do that again, but if it happens, there are ways around using AAA sometimes! But…just don’t be in that situation.

If anyone is having a bad day, just remember to keep smiling because there is a silver lining somewhere, you just have to find it through cynicism-turned-sarcasm and light humor!