running my butt around the northeast: random notes

i love bike culture. i'm super excited about my new schwalbe marathon tires. the bike shop guy was incredibly nice. and all these things make me happy.

new york. washington dc. new york. vermont. new york. boston. new york. wisconsin. africa

that's a lot of places to go in 3 weeks, huh? especially after not being back for 14 months. the crisp winter air keeps me refreshed though.

it feels nice to be in boston again. it feels more like home than new york. i have lots of new york pride, but new york is depressing to me when i'm there. my parents' home in queens is too far away. i can stay in chinatown with my aunt, but all my stuff isn't there. it's like i can't be settled.

boston is nice because there's not many people on the streets. the buildings are red brick and cute. central square has that alternative feel. the bike shop is a nice walk. mit is down the street. toscanini's is a warm, safe haven. the charles river is right there for a run or walk. boston has a lot of open space to breathe. that is, if you're not studying at mit. boston just seems personable and friendly and community-like.

now that i'm no longer a student at mit, i feel motivated on mit campus. how ironic! all these amazing people here-not just in technology, but also public service. being on campus inspires me to get involved, be ambitious, and make a change.

but it's a bit different now. after 14 months on the road i've grown. i know what i need to do now. and i'm relieved to see that MIT will always be my home.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Wild West

The adventures of me continues...

 

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"Don't DO that! You never hitchhike on your own, especially a young woman. It's so dangerous. Very, very dangerous. Have you seen the movie Wolfe Creek? You don't even know how many people go missing every year." As I stood there with my thumb out, I could feel volunteer firefighter lady's scolding eyes upon me; her words echoeing on repeat through my ears. I watched the cars pass by, and my thoughts were filled with all the terrible things that could happen to me. One horrific situation after another flickered before my eyes, when finally, my mind was so muddled with terrifying visions. I put my thumb away. I stood there looking really pointless on the side of the road outside of Broome.

Over 1500 miles (2500 kms) from Broome to Perth, down the west coast of Australia. That's like going halfway across the United States, from Boston to Iowa. It was a long way to hitchhike. Many things could happen to me in 1500 miles. The thought was daunting.

But the road was calling me. It felt right. I just knew I could do it. And Good Judgement [my trusty buddy] was going to be right beside me all the way. So I stuck my thumb out again. Loud and proud. And I started singing: 'I'm headed down south to the land of the pines, thumbin' my way to North Caroline…[I mean, Perth]' The cars passed by and I smiled to each of them. A Greyhound bus rushed passed, and I chuckled at how boring traveling on Greyhound must be. I couldn't contain my excitement for my very own newest adventure! Down on the corner, out in the streets! Willie and the Poorboys are playing, bring a nickel tap your feet! Classic Creedence Clearwater Revival had kicked in.

A few minutes later, I turn around to see the Greyhound bus blocking up the entire highway. What in the world is it doing? It was making a U-turn. Not an easy task for a big big bus on a small small road. Silly bus driver, must've forgot something in Broome. The bus gets back on the road and makes a right turn—again, creating a minor traffic jam because I remind you, it was a big big bus on a small small road. Nope, silly bus driver just missed the turn. A few moments later, the bus emerges from behind the bushes, and was charging towards me again. To my utter surprise, the bus screeched to a halt in front of me. The driver and his Greyhound supervisor opened the door and made a friendly wave: Come on!

My heart stopped. What?! No Way! Greyhound picking up hitchhikers! And that gigantic traffic-blocking 360-turn…all that was just to pick me up! So I hopped on. From that moment, I knew, that nothing is ever impossible. And Greyhound, is so not boring.

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The bus left me at the roadhouse, where they turned off to head North. I swung my backpack on, and skipped along to the road junction. Rollin' rollin' rollin' on the river… Except there were no rivers; only me and my backpack in the hot, dry, red outback. But I was so free…If only I could do cartwheels! I would do cartwheels under the big arrow to Port Hedland!

In the distance a vehicle emerged; the first car in awhile. It was an old Wicked Campervan. I rolled my eyes: just another group of party backpackers. I was sure they would just carry on…

But, they stopped! I was greeted by three bright young smiles. 'Where are you going?' 'South. Where are you going?'

'Perth. We can take you!'

Just my second ride out of Broome, and I had a ride all the way to Perth! This hitchhiking thing was far easier than I expected. Too easy, mate!

In fact, they weren't 'just another group of backpackers.' They were three PhD students on a study break. Two Czech guys (Tom & Jerry) and a Mexican girl (Ikerne). Studying computer science, international relations, and human migration, respectively. I was more than impressed.

'You know, I would never have the patience to do a PhD,' I confessed. I thought about how long ago it was since I finished the studying thing. It seemed so far away.

Tom laughed. 'Patience? We're not actually patient. Really, we're just procrastinating from the real world. You know, a real job, a house, a family.'

Then Tom asked, 'So America. What's a very American saying?' I thought for a moment. These questions about culture are hard sometimes.

'Like totally awesome dude!' We all laughed for a long time. Night eventually fell upon us, so we stopped at a rest area. The sky was clear, the wind was breezy, and the kangaroos were hopping about. As we laid out the tarp, mattresses and pillows under the starry sky, Ikerne smiled at me and said, 'It's nice to have another girl around.' Jerry pulled out his guitar and serenaded us with Czech folk songs. And with a deep sigh, I fell asleep between the stars, sweet dreams, and my new friends.

'This world is like SO totally awesome!'

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It seemed too simple to go all 1500 miles to Perth in just two rides. I wanted to meet more people on this epic adventure. So as heartbreaking as it was to leave my PhD friends, I left them after four days.

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I walked up to the rest area with my backpack. There were two guys already sitting at the table. I nodded to greet them, and strolled away to find a good tent site. I walked around for a long time, as there were ants everywhere, and these ants are no good: they chew through your gear and bite you. But I must've looked quite lost.

'Are you alright?' A voice startled me from behind. A young guy [English, from his accent] was standing there with a beer in his hand. 'Hey, yeah, I'm just looking for a good spot,' I replied.

'Where did you come from? Because you just, like, popped out of nowhere. I mean, one minute there's just a road, and the next, there's this random girl walking with big bags. I've heard of people biking or roadtripping around Australia, but walking? Like, what the hell? You must be superwoman or something.'

I burst into laughter. 'No no no. I've been hitchhiking, and the guy dropped me off at the Roadhouse across the road.'

'So you're not like, a witch or something. You're real. You didn't perform some crazy magic. Because the closest town is more than 60 miles (100 kms) away.'

'No, I swear I'm real. I'm sorry I scared you.'

'Nah, we were just making sure you're alright. We were just like, what's going on? You look one way down the road: nothing. You look the other way down the road: nothing. But you are here. Weird.'

That's how I met Ben. In the end, Ben and Stefan took me all the way from the Minilya rest area to Perth. Almost the whole time, they just smoked and drank beer. There was a simplicity in their lifestyle that I admired and enjoyed. Just beer and cigarettes, and everything was all good.

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And so I made it to Perth. Nearly 3000 kms in 14 days. A brand new hitchhiking-on-my-own record for myself. One that will be hard to beat. Who knows if I'll ever go that distance again? All I know is, this time: Mission accomplished!

"Find out what you want; find something you really care about. When you know what you want, the rest follows. But don't just drift into something because it offers security. Security is never worth a damn. We're meant to live, and to live, means to live dangerously, half on the edge of trouble, half on the edge of achievement." –Hammond Innes

Bama Ngappi Ngappi

Greetings friends!

I will be returning to the USA (New York) on Wednesday December 18, via Los Angeles. If you are around Los Angeles, I have a 7 hour layover there, so I would love some company! Let me know if you are around. I can't wait to see you all!! Big giant smiles!!
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Burri Koman: One fire. Bama: the Aboriginal people. Ngappi Ngappi: coming together. Burri Koman Bama Ngappi Ngappi, they say.

The red and orange flickers within the concrete bricks. Smoke dances away into the palm trees above. Fish, crab, damper, and a large pot of hot water sit atop the one crackling fire. Their home is a mere shelter; a washed up piece of corrugated iron supported by four timber poles. Four ripped mattresses lie on the floor beyond the fire, where the uncles are lounging. 'Coo-wee!' I suddenly hear. Uncle is calling me. 'Coo-wee!' He shouts again. 'Ya have a feed yet, Minna?'
'No, not yet Earl.'
'Come, Minna, Uncle Palo say we need ta take care of ya. Ya have a good feed.' His fingers make an eating gesture.    

 'Our people. We cook over de fire, ya know? Ya cook over a fire before? A wood fire. Id get der flavor, you know?' He places a whole footlong fish in front of me. I sit quietly, waiting for the others to join in. Uncle looks at me curiously: 'Have a feed, Minna.'
'Please, I can't eat this all by myself!'
'Na na na, yar our guest. Dat what Uncle Palo say. Say look afta Minna. You know we de mob. We all broders and sisders. We goddo wut Broder say.' All the uncles urge me to eat the gigantic fish.
'Thank you,' I reply and reluctantly take my first bite. 'Please eat,' I plead as all the uncles stare at me eating alone. 'It's happier when everyone eats together.'
'You 'right, Minna. This is our Law. Guests always first' Uncle smiles. 'My-ee Boo-gan. Means good feed.'

Poot…poot. An engine sputters into sight. Aunties pull up in an old car. It must be low tide. Dem aunties come to crack oysters. As I follow them over the oyster covered rocks,
the eldest auntie looks at me, 'Where you sleep?'
'Over there in my tent Elder Auntie.'
'Over dere?! Why you over dere? Dem crocodiles come here. You look out fer dem crocodiles.' Crocodiles in the ocean? Never heard of that before. Thought crocodiles were only in rivers and swamps.
'You move your tent, so dem uncles see you. You over dere, dem crocs get you.'
I walk over to the other aunties, eager to learn their cracking technique. Auntie Carey tells me carefully, 'You listen to dem old people. Dem old people know.'
'Dem crocodiles! Dem crocs!' Elder Auntie repeatedly echoes, her hands flaring at the shoreline, where the crocodiles live, but do not make their appearance today. 'Dem crocs!'
Auntie Carey continues, 'Our people live off the land. And dis how our mothers and grandmothers taught us. Dis our Law. It's different from white man law. We listen to our elders and dey teach us. Dey tell der stories and sing songs. Like my father. He taught me how to look at the sun.' Clunk, clunk, crack; clunk clunk crack; there reveals a white oyster only as big as a thumb. 'Only take the white ones, the clear ones aren't ready yet,' and Auntie places the oyster into her jar.

For the next two days, the Uncles drive me around the community. The first thing seen: the police station. At the school, children are chasing each other during recess. At the gardens, elder aunties and uncles are passing on knowledge of plants and trees. The community hall is decorated with xray paintings, didgeridoos, and turtle shells; the voices echoing are the legends that surround the hills and shorelines, where dem old people were. They take me to the hills and shorelines to visit their ancestors, the rocks that lay atop.

I look curiously at the uncles who have taken time to share their community, 'And what do you do when I am not here?'
'We making a building over there. You know, so when de mob come we can sit down. But the council don' want approve it. We waiting for few weeks now.' Uncle Earl stares intently at the stack of building materials, and tips a tin of beer into his mouth. His eyes move slowly across to the shoreline. 'You know, dem white men wanted to build a resort over dere, and the council approved it in couple o' days.'
'You can teach others many things. You have taught me many things.'
'Dat mean we havedo leave. We cand leave. We da mob. We goddo look after dem brodas and sisdas, and de land dat our grandfaders gave us.' He takes another mouthful of beer.
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I shift uncomfortably in my seat. There is so much to learn. The fruits, the trees, the land, the stories, the songs, the old ways. It doesn't have to be this way. My heart burns as I search frantically for something to say that would stop their drugged and drunken state. Fists, dope inhales, smashes, screams, shoves, shouts, bottle shatters, louder louder louder…and shrieks! shrieks of fear, violence rattling through my veins; ringing out through my ears, fingers, intestines, toes, stronger stronger stronger…and smash! Into my brain, and tearing my body into rips of anguish. I slam my eyes shut and let out a giant scream. Except no one can hear it. The tears stream down, but no one can see them. I dare not let them see it.

It's just a nightmare! I open my eyes but it is not a dream. The uncles and aunties stagger in limps of lifelessness; marijuana smoke hovers in and out between their dazed, half open eyes. The alcohol, the drugs have poisoned them. Even they know that. But while everything around them falls apart, at least they have each other—the mob.

Burri Koman Bama Ngappi Ngappi. This is the fire that gives them hope. The fire that wakes them up every morning to gather wood. Some of the uncles are half breeds and some full breeds. But they are all indigenous peoples. And we are all one fire.

On the Road Again

I never seem to stumble across the right times and places to write thoughtful emails anymore, so I am now resorting to a brief summary of my travels. I hope this will fill some of the void that I have left you all with.

 

After picking and packing kiwifruits for a month to earn some money, my travels led me to the Taranaki Environment Center. I hoped to learn about building self sufficient technologies, such as recycling wastewater and simple food processing. But when I arrived, I found my direction completely changed.

 

July 3               Lifting my head, Mt. Taranaki towered before me. I continued along through town. Even when I could not see the grand volcano, it engulfed me with its majestic presence. Mt. Taranaki: Ruler of the North Island's western cape. The surrounding region is Taranaki, and the people here live by this mountain. This is their mountain. They are governed by this mountain, and come together by this mountain. This: is what I have come to know as community.

 

My time in Taranaki was about community—people setting aside differences to build relationships. Relationships between people, food, and nature. Sharing resources, skills, and knowledge to help each other. Organizing community initiatives: youth conservation groups, carpooling networks, seed saving networks, abuse helplines, growing community gardens and orchards. Ever since then, I have been on a mission: a mission to discover how ordinary people (including convicts, handicapped, teenagers) can come together to live self-sufficiently. This mission led me to Waiheke Island, a Transition Town (www.transitiontowns.org). Here, even the old granny who didn't think could do anything about the future, seems to be involved in becoming more self-sufficient. My discoveries? Well, we might just have to have a cup of coffee when I get home in December.

 

After a week on Waiheke Island, I bade my farewells to New Zealand, and went off to the Land of Oz (Aus). Aussie Aussie Aussie! Hoy Hoy Hoy! This is the infamous chant that brings together every Australian. I stayed three days in Sydney to visit my wonderful friend Susannah (How I met Susannah…that'll be another cup of coffee). Then to Cairns I flew, spotting the mesmerizing wonder of the Great Barrier Reef from above. There, I went Wwoofing on a cattle farm for two weeks.

 

Indeed, talking to cattle for a whole day proved to be a new challenge. But besides extended conversations with cattle, I was captivated by the spiritual manner in which my host worked. Whether we were in the forest, vegetable garden, or the paddock, there was a deep, thoughtful air of respect and finesse in everything he handled and did. The deep breath of air, the rush of smells, and the floating wind elucidated: The World is not Hard Science. It is also governed by a spiritual essence. Otherwise, how do you explain: Why do people sing? And meditate?  

 

My travels next led me to Yarabah, an Aboriginal community where I stayed for a week (Sorry, details next time). Since then I have made my merry way to the Red Center of Australia, Alice Springs.

So that's two months in a nutshell.

Until next time from the Outback.

Truly, Sincerely, now Down Under

MinWah

 

PS for those who don't know about my pictures and blog: miniwahwah.shutterfly.com  and   miniwahwah.blogspot.com

A Big Sappy Thank You

With my nine and a half month journey in New Zealand at its end, I cannot leave without dedicating a post to all those who have helped me along the way. Though, ‘helped’ is an understatement. Like an oasis in the desert, these people provided a head over my roof—I mean, a roof over my head, gave me lifts, fed me well, and donated things that I needed to continue my travels. All of that came simply from the kindness of their hearts, and often when I needed it the most…despite my lousy hair, clothes worn way-too-many times, really really wet and muddy boots, short notice, etc…

When I wasn’t working for money, or wandering through the wilderness (‘tramping in the bush’ as kiwis say), I was Wwoofing. I can hardly express my gratitude for the absolute awesomeness of the Wwoof program. If you can believe me, my Wwoof book became my bible. I left it behind once for a week, during which I was very very sad, and since have never let it leave my side. All my Wwoof hosts and the Wwoof NZ Festival gifted me with memorable experiences and improved knowledge of food production, engineering, and life. There’s no doubt that I will be Wwoofing for years to come, wherever I may be.

And of course, thanks to everyone I met along the way. It’s hard to express the impact that everyone had on me. Even those I only met for a few minutes had an effect on my thoughts, like someone making small adjustments to a sculpture, carving out who I am. When I felt lost, they kept me company, gave me faith, and reassured me that I would find my way. There’s nothing like that feeling when someone appears to help you out. There are great great people in this world.

oh the irony

everywhere i go, i can't help but laugh at the irony that life brings...

i lost my USB stick. i left it at the apple store yesterday, because i simply can't stop losing things. and yet, while i was walking away from the apple store this morning all distraught, this guy on the street was handing out pamphlets for free USB sticks. Dicks Smith Electronics had a grand opening store, and were giving away free USB sticks to the first 1000 ppl who wanted them. yeah, it's a bit sad that i lost all the random crap on my beloved memory stick, but i must admit getting a new one for free was pretty awesome. What are the odds???

the other thing is that the principles surrounding working on organic farms is completely opposite to nuclear engineering. organic farming is all about small scale, local, everything produced is returned to the natural cycle. with nuclear energy, it's always gotta be BIG...the bigger the more efficient. somehow i think there is a middle ground between the two. in our world now, we won't be able to be all out relocalization, or all out large scale, because being too local means you miss the bigger picture, and being too large scale means you miss the beauty of invidualism and diversity. maybe i'll find the answer as i continue along my journeys. (i've been telling ppl that i'm a mechanical engineer for all this time on the road...because a lot of ppl get all rattled up just hearing the world nuclear. and once they're rattled up, there's no end to their condemnations (is that a word?)).

one of these days i'll write a real post. i keep saying that, but really, it'll happen.

My last days in New Zealand are passing by...one by one. I don't even quite know what to do with myself. I'll be heading up to Northland soon for my last week, once I figure out my Aussie visa...

Man, traveling is really poop sometimes when you have access to like absolutely nothing. And you only have like 1 1/2 sets of clothes. And you're standing around like an absolute bum, not quite sure what to do...