Eventually, of course, they discovered that it is not necessary to hang onto anything, to rely on anything. There is nothing to rely on because you are IT. It is like asking the question ‘Where is the universe?’

Where is it in space? Everything in it is falling around everything else, but there is no concrete floor underneath for the thing to crash, because the space goes out and out forever and ever and has no end.

What is it? What else could it be?

Of course, it is you.”

—Alan Watts

Getting some long-shot job applications out next week. And regardless of the job I end up with, this year is going to be interesting. That’s pretty much the only thing I’m sure of. I was looking through my pictures from South America, reading some travel blogs, sitting with the envy I have over friends moving to different places or starting travel adventures, and I realized that honestly, what has always made me happiest was when I was planning a trip or out on one. So now the key is finding that job that works in this way. It’s possible. So I guess the real key is me GETTING one these jobs. Mmmm. And if it doesn’t work out, I still have to make a move, and I’m a bit torn between returning to South America or going towards a new unknown. I like unknown things too. Thailand? Korea? Nepal? I have ruled out Antarctica finally. At least for this next year. Maybe later on. I change my mind approximately 10 times every day.

Inspiration:

Time is Nothing // Around The World Time Lapse from Kien Lam on Vimeo.

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

I finally caught up with a dear friend from Chile last night and now I’m missing people and places like crazy, and unrealistic plans are going off - somehow giving me some much needed direction again. We (aka I) get so caught up in the day-to-day problems, anxieties, and stresses, but really, here are the ones that count:

Family and friends moving on from jobs and places that aren’t right anymore, starting their own business, getting arrested multiple times for standing up for what they believe in, getting engaged and marrying their loved ones, coming out as homosexual or bisexual and awaiting the sometimes difficult acceptance, having kids and beginning the never-ending job of a parent, beating leukemia and successfully recovering from chemotherapy, overcoming the pain of divorce, death and loss. No matter what, making it work out even when shit’s tough.

Beautiful courageous souls, you’re the ones that make everything more worthwhile. I hope to be so lucky to be just a bit as strong as you.

We’ve got  all these massive world problems relating to economy, wars, politics, disasters, it’s a bit depressing. What can you do really? I still hold to the common factor - People are what matter the most, they always will be, and that’s something that you can impact in any given moment.

For 2012… Nothing is a waste of time or energy when it’s for these people you love. Super cliche!!! But seriously… make it count.  As a kick off to the new year, I now have 2 requests.

1. Please consider donating to my friend Marisa’s marathon fundraising – benefiting cancer research. I’m grateful to know some who have survived this awful disease, while also knowing a ridiculous number of people who have suffered, and here I am, only 24. Our world is small, tiny, and and I think we all know someone with this story, but it doesn’t make each individual count any less and I also look forward to the day when I don’t know anyone with cancer.

2. I can’t believe how quickly I followed Sam’s recommendation, I think a record of a few hours later? (although film before book)… One Day, by David Nicholls (thanks as always!!). So quoteable of course because I’m a cheeseaholic, but besides the best ones she’s already told you all, this one stuck with me – simple and true.

“Call me or I’ll call you, but one of us will call, yes? What I mean is it’s not a competition. You don’t lose if you phone first” 

You know we all run out of time in the day and put it off, but a phone call is the easiest thing we can do. And way better than a text, Facebook post or email. Makes me want to delete Facebook and boycott texts again… but real human voice or in-person contact is infinitely more meaningful. Even just to say hi, you don’t need some big news or anything, because man, even when it’s been a while, these people, they just get it don’t they? And personally, I love hearing about the funny looking lady you rode the bus with or boring factoid you learned about potatoes. Safe to say I’ll probably be making a round of calls soon. If you don’t hear from me, well, it just means I must not really like you! Ha! I kid. :)

Happy New Year!

xoxo

― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Great book. Less security, more crazy. I like the sound of that.

*Listening to South Korean radio is considered a grave offense in North Korea – a crime worse than murder. Getting caught means facing punishment for three generations: not only endangering yourself, but also your parents and your children.

*North Korean border guards are instructed to shoot anyone trying to pass, but many accept bribes and allow people to wade through or walk across frozen waters.

*Defectors suffer severe consequences upon their return, from sentencing at prison camps to death by firing squad. North Korean authorities interrogate defectors for their crimes and motives for defecting, and are particularly brutal toward those suspected of coming into contact with South Koreans, religious groups, or other foreigners.

*Nearly 80% of North Koreans who flee are women. Eight or nine of every ten of these women are then sold by trafficking gangs who approach women along the border areas to lure them with promises of finding food, shelter, and jobs in China. North Korean women are not technically considered victims of trafficking, however, because they cross the border voluntarily.

Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it – Roald Dahl

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES

Then listen close to me–
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.
-Shel Silverstien

7 year old’s homework:

STAR!

We just had a great weekend, the best in the while, in FRANCE! First time crossing the border and we got to go with our very own personal tour guide. Paul, another teacher from my academy is from Bayonne, so we stayed there and also visited Biarritz and Anglet.

We only saw a little of Bayonne, but it seemed really quaint with a cozy old part of the city, so Europeanesque. We stopped in Anglet to check out the beaches there and since surfing’s really popular, basically every other place you see is a surf shop or school. Mmm another goal perhaps? It’s been a while, but why not? I miss that type of environment. Something about beaches and surf makes people friendly and chilled out. It also made me miss Fuel TV and the plethora of free swag… Maybe whenever I do return to the US, California will be an option once again. Most of Saturday, we were in Biarritz which is a pretty posh city.  You could tell it was a touristy place, full of restaurants, cafes, and shops, and very clean and well-kept. The best as always was walking along the coast and seeing some gorgeous views, and then we treated ourselves to what else – CREPES!

This was all in the Basque Country region of France, and I was told it wouldn’t be very different to here, but I actually thought it was quite different!! Maybe it was more similar to San Sebastian but compared to Vitoria… or maybe it’s just an initial impression. There were a few places with names in Euskera, but I still felt like everything was more French than Basque. After talking to people too, it seemed like as a language, Basque isn’t really common, in comparison to the trilingual movement here where everyone has to learn Basque and English in the public schools. Those we were with had a mixture of varying levels in French, Spanish and English, but I only heard a few speaking Basque, and they were from the Basque country of Spain. All that said, this is just from a weekend and a small group of people, but interesting anyways!

On the first night there we ended up in the most random place. We went to a bar in the old part and ran into people from different parts of Spain, England, Scotland, the US, and France. Everyone was really open to chatting and you could go from speaking Spanish to Basque to French to English and then some German even since we were with 2 German girls too. Super international, huh? There were some language assistants that are doing a one-year teaching program in France, similar to the program here in Spain and the one I did in Chile. And surprise - I didn’t meet one person that was criticizing me for being from the US! (Actually come to think of it, no one spoke to me in Chinese either! However, I did learn a few more phrases in Chinese though.) Out of everywhere, I suppose France is one of the countries that is supposed to hate us the most, but I didn’t have that feeling at all.  I guess that’s always an assumed part of talking about the economy, politics, and social systems, but I’m so happy that for once it wasn’t a fight, but an interesting discussion and comparison. And I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I liked the French too! So HA to all those stereotypes!

I also loved trying to remember my French vocabulary, and let’s just say it’s rather depressing that after 5 years of study, I can only remember random things like chien (dog) or gateau (cake) or chausettes (socks) haha but I occassionally could follow conversations and understand the gist, just not participate. Makes me want to start studying French again though! But I’m going to work on getting a solid Spanish level first still. Our friend invited his friends from school over for a dinner party on Saturday night and so again, we had a lot of practice communicating between French, English and Spanish. It was the first time in a while that I met such a solid group of people that you can get along so well and right away. Nothing but delicious home-cooked food, great conversations, and best of all, non-stop music making and dancing! I can’t wait to have a house of my own full of random objects from around the world, and INSTRUMENTS!! Piano, guitars, drums… no TV. And now after some spectacular jam sessions, my next investment is a drum. So fun. Anyways, hopefully they will be visiting us in Vitoria in the next few weeks, but otherwise unfortunately our link will be moving away to Nicaragua!!! And Paul’s friends also have plans to go travel together in Peru and Ecuador, and another is moving to Uruguay. So incredibly jealous… More and more hints that push me towards a move back to Latin America.

So from all this, I’m inspired once again to save up and get out. I want to visit other people I met from traveling before along with going to new places. I swear, you always have the best chats with complete strangers. Perhaps a big trip around Europe is in the works for the summertime. In the meantime, weekend trips here and there will definitely have to be planned. Nikki and I are trying to organize some kind of small excursion over the holidays in December and January too. I love the places, the food, and I loooove the people.

Oh also, it was Eleanor’s first birthday this weekend! She’s gorgeous as ever and I’m still sad to think of the day when I will be leaving, whenever I finally make that decision this year, but I plan to plant pictures around the house so she can’t forget my face.

A long-overdue update of pictures from this trip and others, and Eleanor of course, will be coming soon.

And let’s talk about how 2011 is almost over… what?

Can you coax your mind from its wandering 
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision 
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course? 
Can you step back from you own mind
and thus understand all things?

Giving birth and nourishing, 
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue.

—Tao Te Ching