andrina1901-blog

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Wild, Week #4 Blog

Since I was in the final chapters of, Wild, and it seemed fitting, I chose to visit a park like before, only this time I decided ventured out to one completely different. This incredible park is called Comanche Lookout Park and has a lot of history to it that was unbeknownst to me before I arrived. I am actually surprised I have never heard of it before as it is a short distance from my neighborhood by expressway, not to mention it is historic. The whole park is almost two hundred miles and has a four mile trail. Since I went on a Tuesday, I noticed there weren’t many kids, but there were older people, elderly especially. I assumed they used this trail to exercise primarily, but the way they were walking was almost like they were also just enjoying the scenery. Most were in pairs and were very conversational toward each other as they walked. It is really interesting to think that the four miles felt like an eternity to come to an end for me, but Cheryl Strayed would hike across states! Needless to say, it was too long for me to complete considering my physical endurance level was not nearly that of someone who could go the whole four miles, in the heat mind you, and survive. I tried talking to myself as Cheryl did with, “You can make it to the twentieth tree” and “okay, you can make to the fortieth tree”. After the fortieth, I was done. Good thing, the park also offered a tower, which is looks like that comes to mind when you think of a Medieval castle. Even climbing the stairs to this tower could get you winded. It was a steep climb, but the tower had a great view of the park. It was not comparable to the 6,000 foot hike To Timberline Lodge as in the book, but it was more stairs than I have climbed in a looong time. While there were no rattlesnakes, bears, or llamas, there were a few dogs accompany their owners on their walk. What I liked most about the trail is in the middle of the park, you feel as if your in a forest or wooded area because you cannot see the the expressway, nearby neighborhood or parking lots. I can see why people choose nature activities to clear their mind because it does allow for a break in our busy lives and where we can actually hear ourselves think. 

[andrina1901-blog]

Wild, Week #3

Another trip to a local park is where I decided to come and reflect this week. There is definitely something about the outdoors or, nature in general, that gives you a conducive environment for achieving clarity. I guess it has to do with the fresh and open air and no technological distraction aside from what you bring, allows you to achieve a head space to calm down or deliberate on an issue that has you perplexed for a resolution. 

Like the character in the book, Wild, I too lost a father to an illness and found the need to reflect on how I still feel even after a year later. His death was also sudden in the sense from the time he got sick and after several trips to the ER over the course of months where the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong- he deteriorated in the meantime. He too was eventually put on hospice and died two weeks after being placed. 

This was just last year and I have since planned to at least take a small road trip to clear my head, but it rarely comes to fruition. I’m like the author in the sense that it takes several stages of planning before I end up actually travelling as opposed to getting up and going. I take every precaution to ensure safe and cost effective travels that it takes the spontaneity out of it. So, a trip to a local park at a time, when there not many visitors, is the next best thing. 

Another similarity the author and I share is, I also have siblings I rarely speak to other than family events and even then we barely converse. Like Cheryl’s brother Leif, my sister rarely visited my father before he passed, yet cried she didn’t have a chance to say goodbye.  

As i sat on one of the swings, gathering my thoughts at this park and deciding where i wanted my blog to go this week, it came to me. The hike was merely a test of endurance and will. She recognized she engaging in risky behavior (casual sex, an unplanned pregnancy, heroin, and hitchhiking to the Trail) and the hike was her way of testing and sharpening her physical and mental endurance in an effort to gain order in her life. It was  which required sharpening her discipline and determination. She could then use what she learned about herself along the way and apply it to her own life. Cheryl’s sentiment that proved her attitude was changing is when at Crater Lake, she compares how the lake was once the result of ruination, but over time even it could transform into something of beauty.

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #11 Blog

The closest I came to exploring my surroundings this week, was a trip to my local library. As I looked among the selections of fact based book on countries such as Asia, Egypt and even Italy in the spirit of this weeks text, I realized as much as I would love to embark on a spiritual journey that takes me abroad to some exotic locale, as many people seem to do during a major life change, the truth is, adventures closer to home can also be fulfilling (as well as less costly). The closest connection to the reading occurred when I wondered into the self help section and saw books on how to rekindle the fire, move past an affair or simply tips to improve, a marriage. This reminded me of the many nights I also had dialogues running in my head, just as the author did, to be given a sign or even know for certainty, what the ‘right’ decision should be in my own marriage. Not to mention, the many self helps books I checked out, in the hopes that one would offer advice that really resonated with me to firmly stand by a decision to stay or go. When the time came, I was also the one who chose to leave and no matter how justified my reasons, I felt the guilt of giving up. The thought of choosing to be happy over ‘for better or worse’ felt selfish, but I too needed to live my truth. However, in the end, I chose me. The closest thing I came to a bold, out of the norm, life- altering, ‘adventure’ is when I move out of state and then back to Texas after close to 5 years gone. After I came back, there was somewhat a period of rediscovering my hometown, especially since many historic buildings had been renovated. However, the most surprising and disappointing revelation came when I learned that many people I reconnected with did not have any grand adventures to tell, like I did. Most of their time was spent doing the exact same thing they always did in those five years. In my case, as in the book, it took a major life change to kick start my boldness to move to a new state and another life change to move back. I believe this is due to the fact that in life changing events, especially those about loss such as divorce, death, loss of job or even self, we start to realize that nothing lasts forever and if we don’t keep ‘moving’ in some way, it will make it that much harder to accept what is and take the necessary steps to moving forward. Travelling, for many fulfills, a hole these events cause by creating a distraction while also stirring up inspiration for what comes next.

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #9 Blog

As I sit here in this Starbucks cafe, as I try to think of a connection on the reading to this quiet room full of patrons who most appear to be here alone,  my attention immediately focused on the people busy on their laptops. I wondered if  they were here working on an school assignment? Or how about, a work project or could they be looking for inspiration for their next novel such as in the book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Days? Better yet, are they working on a school assignment based on this same book as I am? I doubt it, but you never know. First occurrence of the book that comes to mind after observing my surroundings is, that of the author mentioning that he lives in “fantasies” and with that he has led “terrific lives”, but only in his “head”. His entire sentiment was that ‘life’ was happening all around him while he spent his time daydreaming and avoiding reality. He mentions this realization hit him when was in a cafe in Boston and man, his wife and two children enter. The infant starts crying and instead of being annoyed, he see the mother console her and he is in deep thought. This also became something I pondered on mainly because I on the other hand am already a mother and a mother trying to wrap up her schooling and parenting at that, which means I am naturally engrossed in reality. My mind also turns to that of the character Marcus, the art student who talks about “humans being alive  for purpose of a journey.”  I also found myself centered back to those focused individuals on their laptops, with their serious faces and fast typing. I imagined what part of their journey were they trying to start, improve on or enhance by being on their computers.Were any of them revamping the ‘ole resume to start a new chapter in their life? Were they merely ordering a product online that would simplify their life or could they be catching up on current events- political or celebrity related. In any event, I tried to guess who was actually engaging in computer related activities that were going to improve their lives by taking steps necessary toward better opportunities or those who would use it as a distraction to avoid their reality. I, myself, have done both, but at the end of the day it was satisfying to say, that this particular day would be used for the latter.  

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #8, Blog #2

Engaging our cities, friends and lives with a “road trip mentality” opens you exploring and learning new facts about a person or place because there is no sense of rushing, but “taking in” or simply “being” in your surroundings. Ideally, such a mentality would allow you to become more exploratory and notice things you never noticed before, possibly due to the feeling of freedom from the day-to-day.

A trip to the park over the weekend, reminded me of a specific scene out of chapter twenty-nine in the book. It was during the time Tschick and Mike found themselves at the dump site, which was surrounded by woods and the autobahn. This park happened to be located next to an area of undeveloped land, with untrimmed trees and branches so long, you would have to maneuver through them to avoid getting prodded. As I wondered in this area, away from the park itself, I noticed that even the time of day I went, shared a striking resemblance to the description Mike uses when he called the sun “sagging” atop the trees since I could clearly see the sun descending as well.

Additionally, I found the contrast of going from a public space where children were abundant, as were visuals of civilization, such landscaped grounds and vehicles in the parking lots, to a section that offered the illusion of a forest, interesting. It had a very nature-esque, feel to it, a setting that is also present in the story when they go camping.

The possible downfall of a “road trip mentality”, is that is an effort to relax or while in an adventurous mood, obviously you might overlook some safety measures in midst of it all. One constant worry I had was that of my daughter suffering an injury while there. Considering how high the slides and that half the structures are made of metal, I was slightly on edge, repeatedly reminding her to “be careful”. I felt bad that my constant side line comments might have putting a damper on her playtime, but I’d rather that than the damper of a hospital related emergency. This fear of an accident and the accident Tschick endured, that caused him to suffer: a contusion, hairline fracture, which would require a foot cast and crutches, bore similarities worth mentioning. Whether it’d be worry or an injury, these are prime examples of how an adventure can go awry, but one can never be too careful. This brings me to my next worry when in a public place that reminded me of the reading. I also can relate to Mike’s dad’s sentiment in Chapter forty, about being raised to not trust people or the danger of talking to strangers. Therefore, I did my best to balance taking in the moment to enjoy my time with her and mindful of her safety, with making observations about my surroundings.

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #7 Blog

In the first fifteen chapters of, Why We Took the Car, I have to admit I was not enamored with the storyline up to that point. Yes, I felt sympathetic toward the main character, Mike, and his school predicament of never being noticed, his infatuated with Tatiana and being crushed at not having been invited to her birthday party, especially after spending three months creating a portrait of her favorite artist. I was even surprised at all the mention of entertainers or actors from the United States, such as Beyonce, Salma Hayek Megan Fox and The White Stripes. Other than that, the story was from the point of view of a middle school boy having feelings of teen angst, who appeared to be critical of others by referring to Lutz Heckel and his father as "..a tub on stilts", refers to Kellenbach as "stupid", considering some teachers to be "assholes", and even criticized Tschick initially, yet wondered why he had no friends. If it weren't for Tscick's interest in him after realizing that he is an outsider to, I think his summer would have definitely been spent alone.

As for the travel aspect of the book, the best visualization and warm feeling I got was when, Mike describes what makes his road trip with Tschick so different from any other he has taken even with no spectacular destination planned, other than find Tschick's Uncle. The difference was he did not have the distraction of adults and their conversation dampering the experience and he actually got to take in the city as he mention how colors seemed brighter and noise were amplified. I think what also made it memorable was the fact that he, thanks to Tschick, did give Tatiana the drawing he made after all, Also, they were doing something bold and daring with taking this car. This brings back so many memories of me at that age with my friends, after I just got my license and my own car. I felt so free and the music coming out of MY speakers sounded better than any others. I can relate that it became my personal space away from everyone and I enjoyed just being out by myself driving around too.

It was no surprise to read that given Tschick's opinion about maps, they would find themselves lost and in a few jams. It was endearing to read how Tschick tried to teach Mike to drive, which along with camping in the mountain, trying Risi Bisi, being separated from each other and yes, even encountering the crazy bus stop guy made the trip memorable. It was almost easy to overlook Tschick as a bad influence with his car stealing, license plate switching self, because he had some good qualities as a friend.

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #6 Blog

Both the movie and the short story shared the main character, Walter Mitty, "zoning out" and imaging themselves in scenarios where they are a hero or rebel of sorts. For the short story, it would have been nice to have it play out the way the movie did, however, I did like how Walter became multiple characters in the short time he and his wife were on their weekly town trips. I especially, like him facing a firing squad in the end and felt it was a way of him realizing that these fantasies were not going to continue considering his wife's suggesting him seeing his doctor about his episodes.

In the movie, although Walter Mitty, does have the fantasies as the short story Walter, he actually does get to see some adventures play out as in the trip to the Greenland, Iceland, Himalayas and Afghanistan. This is what I would have like to see happen in the first story because I got the sense that Walter, being married and whose life was limited to the tedious day-to-day life, would have needed the real life adventures more. I also feel that the movie, Walter, happened to travel as he was trying to locate Sean and might not have traveled otherwise.  

The movie and story are both relatable though in the way they make you see how stuck in routine many people become, myself included, and only dream about traveling or being someone else. Other than money, which is a necessity to traveling, unless you are like Steinem's dad, time seems to be the next biggest obstacle. I have told myself by the time I graduate high school or in college I would like to travel or do something 'noteworthy' and then it becomes as soon as my kids are in high school or college. Now, I am more than likely going to wait until a later date to do any significant traveling, especially if I were to travel abroad. So far, I have visited a few states within the country, but even that took planning and was spread out over a decade. In the meantime, I'm sure I'll get to a point where I just up and go and give little thought into planning for fear I might put it off- or think too much about the time and money issue. After all, it's like they say, "Life happens when your busy making plans."

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #5 Blog

Steinem's memories of her childhood reminded me of what seems to be a universal feeling of children as they are growing up, myself included, and that is that they wished their family was different. For some, that means that they wished their mom or dad was less strict, or could afford to wear better clothes. For others, their wish for difference are much more drastic in nature, it would make some of the other complaints seem trivial.  This would include abuse, being raised with an alcoholic parent or feeling neglected. In Steinem's case, she just didn't want to travel as often as her father would like and would like to have seen how the other half lived because we all have this notion that the "grass is greener" in other family's yards. I for one, would have loved to travel and have parents like hers, who were not abusive or neglectful on purpose or through no fault of their own, such as Steinem's mom when she she suffered a nervous breakdown. It was actually an uplifting feeling to read where she had started looking back fondly at how her and her dad would share moments you just knew no other kids could say they were having. This would include those moments they shared at the casino, movies and her dads knowledge of the best ice cream shops around. Compared to how I grew up, I appreciate her dad's idea about the perks of being your own boss compared to making someone else rich as a mere employee. However, Steinem's fathers idea of making money, was a little too risky for me and he was really taking a gamble relying on their antiques being sold to fund their trips. I have to wonder if there were times, despite their gimmicks, where they had no luck and were plain stuck for hours, if not days because of this. Of course, if I was a child, this would not be of concern to me, but as an adult and parent, this would be the scary downside of being your own boss. In the end, there are always going to be parts of our childhood we can appreciate and those we could have done without. More traveling is one that I would have loved to incorporate into mine.

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #4 Blog

After reading, Travels with Charley, I realized this novel more than that of a man's rugged traveling experience with his furry companion. It also gives the reader a glimpse into how states were differed from one another and how some were dealing with the national issues during that time in history, most notably racial divides. The way Steinbeck describes the reluctance he had to visit the South implied he had an idea what to expect. He states the South as being, "...a limb of the nation, it's pain spreads out to all America." This must've been a cause for anxiety if he also considers himself a person not big on emotional pain and violence.

Not to mention, him growing up in Salinas, California where apparently racism wasn't as prevalent and personal memories of one black family, The Coopers", while growing up made this especially difficult. The Coopers were about as far from the stereotype placed on black people he had heard about and because of his experiences he was, as he puts it, "a failed racist."  This also brought to mind, my middle school years, and how for some reason, the friends closest to me were either black or biracial, neither one appearing so different or being a cause for concern. Yet, what was an emotional read for me was him explaining how no amount of media coverage could have prepared him for the "Cheerleaders" who he witnessed belittling small ("mite"), defenseless black children.  This immediately gave me flashbacks about my initial reaction, when I first learned about segregation. I remember the famous picture of students walking into Central High in Little Rock Arkansas after the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional, in my textbook. Of course, at the age this information was first introduced, I had no idea what it all meant, although I remember feeling sad after the lesson was over because in my young brain, all I saw was how mean people are.

A section of the reading that was memorable, was his talk of Texas, specifically and ironically, the state he desired to visit the least in the south, was the one he couldn't avoid because his wife and him had family there on both sides. The way he describes Texas is very accurate in the sense that it is a state that seems to connect to something or another and thus brought up in conversation more often than not.

Moving on to to a lighter conversation between Steinbeck and Miss Brace in Maine, I had to laugh when they are talking about George. Not only was this cat seen as worthless, but it was mentioned that George was in fact, female. This added a light touch to the novel, a nice break from the heaviness, that is until he begins to speak of George and say, "...if there ever was a familiar, an envoy of the devil, a consorter of evil spirits, George is it." He then proceeds to tell of "...the mysteries of the coon cats", in such a manner that I actually wondered here, where he might be mentally, nevermind the Bad Lands.

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #3 Blog

After completing the readings for, On the Road, I came to the conclusion Dean's behavior to constantly move around as not being solely due to the counterculture movement of the time, which was rejecting traditional values as the way to live. Considering he was just out of reform school, the question of just how much structure or traditional he had to begin with or how he was raised came up. He also appeared to be naturally adrift and traveled at a constant pace. As I read further, I learn from a story Dean tells on route to New Orleans, about his father being passed out in a boxcar and him not seeing him for months because he missed getting on. It is here I am a little more convinced in his case, he had been a nomad since a very young age. Although, despite his upbringing, he is described as being seen as enthusiastic about life and making the best of this freedom, which was also viewed as irresponsible and questionable in the process. Initially, his lifestyle of being wild and free ultimately appealed to Sam. This was especially since Sam was at a point in his life where he felt less than content and needed a major change of pace. I can see how Sam's desires to travel in combination with Dean's spirit and being like an ideal tour guide, it made for vividly memorable ventures worthy of writing about.

It was interesting to read about their trip to San Antonio and had to laugh at their overall notice that there basically Mexicans everywhere. It was obvious that they were no doubt now in the minority compared to other areas they traveled. Nevertheless, this is very accurate considering how close Texas is to Mexico. To this day a majority of San Antonio's population are Hispanic with most being of Mexican descent. What was also accurate is Sal's description of sweating buckets! This has always been my most negative aspect of living in San Antonio- the heat and humidity.  .

As someone who as also visited a few cities in Louisiana such as; Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, I can relate to how Sam describes the smells that hit you the closer you get to New Orleans in particular. Although, in this case, he describes one of the smells to be that of the people. While a colorful description, I cannot corroborate was one of smells that stood out for me during my visit. In addition, I particularly found the debate between Bill and Sam on bars, and which one to visit, interesting. This is because the bars in the French Quarter are now known to be a hot spot for tourists and have been for a long time now. Yet, Bill describes them as being "dull" and basically unsavory to say the least.

[andrina1901-blog]

Week #2 Blog

The scenic and thrilling, yet dangerous high-altitude adventures of Humboldt in a foreign country, minus the high-altitude due to my intense fear of heights, is the type of experience I always envisioned for myself at least once in my life. So far, I have lived in Texas all but 4 years of my life when I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico as an adventure. I chose New Mexico because I visited it on vacation and loved the scenery. The mountains were very picturesque and added a lovely background to any outdoor picture. I loved the vibrant culture abundant in Old Town, the red and green chili popular and a staple on the food, not to mention the four season weather changes. I would also visit Santa Fe, which is just as lovely and was the art Mecca of it's state. The architecture alone on many of the houses and buildings were works of art that carried on the adobe pueblo style of it's past. I had just lived in San Antonio so long, I got used to it, as most natives do and did not appreciate certain elements that it had to offer that New Mexico, did not. It wasn't until  two years after moving to New Mexico, I started to miss the certain style of Tex-Mex food I had grown used to, but remembered fondly. I also missed the grocery store I primarily shopped at, HEB, and the custom food choices they offered. Now that I have been back in San Antonio about 3 1/2 years, I feel like I am rediscovering this city. This especially true when two days before this past Christmas, my children and I visited Rivercenter Mall downtown. This is a place I had not been to since long before I even moved to New Mexico. I was surprised to see that it had been updated, yet was very much the same. The original stores and features that were missing, were replaced by those that equally represented the history of the downtown area such as a picture of what the original Rivercenter mall used to look like when it first opened. As we descended down the escalator toward the food court, although most of the food companies names were different, I still remember that first whiff of delightful aromas hit my nose from the foods being made and served.  Those smells brought to mind when I was younger and would look forward to going to the food court after shopping and exploring were complete. As we stepped off the escalator, we noticed all different types of people, mostly in the Christmas spirit with smiles and shopping bags hanging from their arms. We even traveled down the Riverwalk from the mall and also noticed just how different a lot of the restaurants were, but many originals were still left standing. One thing I noticed immediately was that although, the weather was quite chilly, people were still opting to eat outside. It was as they were oblivious to this fact and had looks on their faces as if the weather was of no matter. I felt a tremendous amount of nostalgia that day and because my children were with me and no memories of visiting this mall when they were little, they were also rediscovering it with me. I can only imagine to those new to visiting the San Antonio downtown area are taken with the same aspects that make their stay enjoyable, but as a native, I can say that once you live here, those memories never leave.  I have since decided that San Antonio will remain "home" to me, but I still would love to ultimately travel abroad and learn about new cultures and traditions. I also look forward to coming home with stories of my adventures and bring home souvenirs as a reminder of my travels, while never forgetting to appreciate where my first adventures began.