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self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 5 years

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Persephone | John Wick x Reader (Seven)

Words: 2434

Warning: Usual JW-verse violence, swearing

Previously: With the Instructor, Caius, now on your side, you now had more resources to use in order to carry out the plan to take down the High Table. A memory from your past resurfaces in your mind, but you can’t seem to figure it out. Your past contacts plan to meet up with you and decide then on whether they are still on your side.

You were back in that lavish apartment, outside of the target’s room, but you were facing away. You felt nauseous, your hands shaking and brain unable to formulate a clear thought. You don’t know what just happened, that part of your memory was still blocked, but you know that it had revealed something important.

The two guards escorted you out of the apartment and suddenly you were on the other side of the city. You didn’t know what day it was, but you knew that the Instructor wasn’t expecting you back anytime soon, so you decided to retreat to the security of your apartment. It was a little way from the city, so you gave a gold coin to the cab driver to find all the shortcuts and step on it. No one should know where your apartment is, so you considered it somewhat of a safe haven.

The apartment wasn’t much like the woman you had visited, but it was open and overlooked the city. A loft-style brick apartment with a simplistic blend of monochromatic and colors and low maintenance plants. Already, you felt something was off when you walked up to your door. The security is usually tight, but any highly trained assassin or thief could always find their way around it.

You opened the door wider and carefully placed your bag on the counter, listening for any noises. There were rustling upstairs where your storage and bedroom should be. Everything else seemed to be in place, so you focused on what this intruder could be here for. You took out your knife and twirled it around, creeping up the stairs towards the noise.

Papers and furniture were scattered everywhere, spilling out of your room. Adrenaline ran through your veins as you crept closer to your room where you could see a shadow moving. You kicked the door open wider and readied your knife. The intruder dropped the stack of papers they had and ran at you. They were taller, but you were faster, managing to duck out of the way and get behind them, stabbing them in the ribs.

They fell with a loud thud, crawling away to get to the stairs. You stood over them, feet on either side of their body, and flipped them around to see their face. He was one of the new trainees, training under Marion and a higher rank team leader. You grabbed the knife handle and dug it in deeper, causing him to scream in pain. You used your gloved hand to muffle most of the noise.

“Why are you here?” you demanded through gritted teeth.

“Please,” he mumbled. You removed your hand. “They sent me to find something. I was just following orders.”

“Find what?”

“An, an object and some papers. Ah!” You twisted the knife. “Please! It was, it was a hollowed out book and a few documents,” he said quickly, “They didn’t specify what the contents of the book would be, but they told me to just take it. The documents were said to be information about other people in the Underworld. The Instructor said that your loyalty is swaying.”

“The Instructor sent you?”

His breathing picked up, his eyes flickering to the side where his gun and fallen from his jacket. You snatched the gun and swiftly disarmed it, bullets raining out of the weapon before you tossed it aside. He used that moment to kick you off, pulling the knife out with a painful grunt and running at you.

He was weakened and he wasn’t fully trained, but he was also proof that they were on to you. There were secrets in the Underworld that you’ve yet to uncover and the Instructor either wants it kept hidden or want it all to herself. Most likely the latter.

“You don’t have to do this. You can walk away,” you tried to reason with him.

“I’m sure the Instructor would appreciate me taking down a traitor like you,” he snapped.

He ran at you again, but you stepped to the side, grabbing his arm and twisted behind his back. You lifted yourself and used your legs and momentum to flip him over. The knife flew out of his hand and skidded across the floor. You rushed after it and turned before he could grab you.

You thrust the knife upward, straight through his throat. He choked, his mouth wide open as his life drained. You shoved him aside and let out a long exhale.

Before you could even think of relaxing, the front door opened followed by footsteps. You hoisted yourself up and made your way downstairs again.

It all happened in a flash, but you find yourself kneeling next to another body. An innocent. With their blood on your hands.

Gavriil Sokolov was the head of the Russian mob that took the opportunity to rise up in status once Tarasov and their rival grew weaker. Thanks to John Wick, those who doubted that Tarasov could hold much influence any longer went and allied themselves with Sokolov. Those who’ve been in the business for years alongside Tarasov hung on as long as they could and helped bring them back up. Abram Tarasov was no fool and knew that as long as he didn’t stand in John Wick’s way, he would be able to bring Tarasov back, or at least close to its former glory with Sokolov around trying to take him down.

Sokolov had been moving his people closer and closer to Tarasov territory, leaving Abram no time to sleep. He suspected that there was someone else behind Sokolov giving them power, someone with more influence than Sokolov and Tarasov combined. Every time he sent men over to find out more, Sokolov has his men somewhere else. His allies are beginning to sway and if the situation had been different, he would have called on John Wick, like his brother did, to get rid of them.

Word travels fast in the Underworld and Tarasov knew of John Wick’s run in with the High Table. Though the size of the bounty and the opportunity to be in the High Table’s graces were tempting, this was John fuckin’ Wick. The bounty could be fourteen million with the added reward of a seat at the Table could be offered, but Tarasov would refuse to budge.

Was it worth it? John Wick killed Tarasov’s nephew and brother along most of his men because of the foolish acts of stealing his car and killing his dog. He did not hesitate to kill a member of the High Table within the walls of the Continental. He traveled all the way to the desert to find the Elder and swore fealty by cutting off his finger and sacrificing his wedding ring. He turned his back on his orders and refused to kill Winston. John Wick would do anything to exact his revenge.

The Boogeyman was now a man on the run, though, with every assassin in the world after his head. The opportunity to turn the man in or finish him off would be tempting for any criminal of the Underworld.

It wasn’t like he had much of a choice when the most wanted man in the Underworld shows up at his chop shop like all those months before, although in a much more relatively civil manner. Abram should have known that one of his men was under the Instructor, especially one of his guards.

Abram’s guard, ordered by his team leader, led you and John through the chop shop towards Abram’s office. Once at the door, he nodded towards you and walked back to his post. You exhaled slowly, turning to John and gestured for him to go first.

John strode through and towards Abram’s desk. The mob boss stiffened at the sight of John Wick back in his office, his eyebrows furrowing as you followed behind and stood next to him.

“Hello again,” John said casually with a small nod.

Abram huffed out a laugh, leaning back in his chair. “You are causing quite a stir, John Wick,” he remarked.

“Good.”

“And you,” he said, nodding over to you, “long time no see.”

“Been a while,” you agreed. “You know why we’re here?”

Abram could only let out another laugh at the ridiculous situation. “This is going against the High fucking Table, the very organization that keeps our criminal world together! And you’re going to try to tear it down?” He shook his head, scratching his peppered beard. “You think you can pull this off?”

“It’s going to happen one way or another,” John said.

“Yeah… yeah, I don’t doubt that, but you really think that anybody’s going to help you? People would rather try their chances in taking you down than defy the Table. What’s stopping me from having my men storm up here and finish the two of you off?”

“They could try,” you said, “but do you have enough men to burn through?”

Abram smirked. “Alright, so say that I help you, not saying I will, but if I help you, what’s in it for me?” He pulls out a cigar and lights it up. You stepped forward and Abram had to suppress a chuckle. Of course John Wick wouldn’t be doing the talking.

“I’ve heard you’ve been having problems with Sokolov,” you said, not wanting things to escalate to the point where Abram orders his men to shoot you and John ends up killing everyone.

He grimaced, taking a drag from his cigar. “You could say that.” He paused for a moment, his mind calculating the outcomes of his options before him. You and John are basically declaring war against the High Table. No matter how skilled the two of you are, is it really possible to win against the very organization that controls everything? It’s clear you can’t do it alone. You’re planning an uprising.

“I need to know who’s behind Sokolov’s rise to power. To have that much resources in a short amount of time is unheard of unless they know the right people or person,” Abram said, “Find out and I will hear out the rest of your plan… If you do have one.”

“Person?” you said, raising an eyebrow, “Sounds like you have an idea of who it is.”

Abram nodded. “The members of the High Table are to keep balance and order. If they are using their influence selfishly, it could cause some problems. If a High Table member is behind this, it would be surprising that the Adjudicator had not caught wind of it. I would blame it on the mess you’ve made, Mr. Wick, but the Adjudicator is not usually one to slack off when it comes to multitasking. No one can trick the Adjudicator, meaning that they are using a loophole within the rules to get away with it.”

You hummed. “We’ll see what we can do.”

John watched you silently as you look out the window with a frown. Your mind has been preoccupied since the two of you left Tarasov’s chop shop. He often wondered what was going on in your head, and maybe that’s what others think as well when he’s silent. He knew that there were things that were still missing in your memory that you were trying to piece together, but you were doing so well in taking charge of situations that it would momentarily slip his mind.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

You pulled your eyes away from the window and nodded. “Yeah, just missing Cerberus right now,” you said.

John knew that there was more to it and you were visibly in distressed. He shifted in his seat. You said cuddling helps with stress, right? “You look tired.” He patted his lap. “Rest.”

It was very tempting for you. “If you’re sure,” you muttered, already inching towards him. You rest your head on his lap and wrapped an arm around him with a sigh. He ran a hand through your hair, your eyelids already feeling heavy.

You woke up on your bed with Cerberus next to you. His tail began to wag when you stirred. You grinned at John’s loyal dog, squishing his face and dodging his tongue that shot out to lick you. Your heart warmed at the thought that John had carried you back, but it did worry you that you hadn’t noticed. You don’t remember being much of a heavy sleeper. It made you feel vulnerable.

You stretched out your limbs and slipped on your shoes, setting off to go and find him. You weren’t sure what your current relationship was with him. It felt more than friends, but less than lovers. Plus, you weren’t sure that it was an appropriate time to have these kinds of thoughts. It’s just every time you two were together, you were drawn together like magnets or a moth to a flame.

“Where’s John?” you asked Cerberus.

He stood at attention and trotted ahead, leading you to the small kitchen area where a few of the Bowery Boys were. John was sat at a table with three plates of bacon and eggs in front of him. He raised his brown eyes and saw you arrive with Cerberus. A small smile appeared on his lips as he gestured for you to sit in front of him. He set one plate down for Cerberus and slid another one in front of you.

“Didn’t know you eat,” you joked, taking a bite of crunchy bacon.

“Why is that?” John asked in amusement.

You shrugged. “I just never saw you eat a whole meal, is all. I was beginning to think you were some immortal being or something.”

“Well, I do have to keep up an appearance,” he said, running along with it.

He shoved half of the scrambled egg into his mouth along with a piece of bacon. You watched him chew with a smile on your face, leaning against one hand, until John swallowed and his face became sullen. You were about to reach out to him when he shook his head and continued to eat.

“The Bowery King looked into Sokolov and found that a few of your contacts had allied themselves with them. When we deal with Sokolov, we can win them over and also get Tarasov on our side,” John told you. You smirked at him. “What?”

You shrugged. “You’re talking like me now. From what I’ve heard, it’s never just talking when it comes to you. It ends with a fight.”

“That’s a fair assumption.”

“I don’t think it’s an assumption, John.”

“Just eat your food.”

Taglist: @venusgothic @weappreciatepower @anita-e-taylor @mikaneonox @sparrowsparrow @introvertedmegalomaniac

#John Wick #John Wick Imagines #John Wick x Reader #Persephone #Persephone p7 #Keanu Reeves imagines #Keanu Reeves #I promise this story is getting somewhere #it's the part of going from point a to b that I'm working on #I'm picturing the last chapter and I estimate it to be chap 10 or 11

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typetwofun · 4 years

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The Future As A Result of Coronavirus

This post should take you roughly 13 minutes to read

A little over 78 years ago America was attacked by the Japanese in perhaps the most monumental military strike in modern history. The results of the attack were catastrophic for the Americans: 2,335 young men and women lost their lives, 1,143 more were wounded, 4 battleships were sunk and over a dozen more were damaged. In the ensuing world war the United States lost over 400,000 lives and the national debt climbed from $42 billion to $269 billion.

The attack caught the Americans completely flat footed and entered us into the second world war before the country was fully prepared to do so. Hindsight being 20/20, we can play MMQB and say that the U.S. should have been better prepared for such an attack given Pearl Harbor’s vulnerability and its strategic position in the pacific. It was no secret that Japan was taking over the Pacific rim as it needed resources to fuel its war machine. When the Americans established an oil and gasoline embargo on Japan in 1941 leaving them with less than two years of reserve supplies it was only a matter of time before Japan would do something desperate.

Despite our Commander in Chief's dubious leadership qualities and his lack of ability to unify the country, I believe in the future the way we view the American response to Coronavirus will be similar to how we now view the American response to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the ensuing World War. We were proven to be greatly underprepared for both catastrophic events which caused extraordinary damage, significant losses of life and economic damage that will take years to recover from. The only difference is 45 may not provide a speech that resonates throughout the ages like FDR did.

The reason I reference this history lesson is that I hope we can take a moment and think about a few lessons both of these events have taught us:

First off, the United States has always found a way to overcome the obstacle in question despite significant odds and no matter how grim the prospects look. This isn’t the first pandemic we have ever faced and it certainly won’t be the last.

Secondly, we also learn a great deal from adversity and come out the other side with a new perspective and brilliant understanding of previous errors in judgment. The focus on mobilizing for war ultimately led to the invention of synthetic oil & rubber, radar, jet engines, helicopters, and aircraft with pressurized cabins. Our culture has been yielding the dividends for these inventions for nearly 80 years now.

I hope to share a few predictions I have of the innovation and learning I believe will happen as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and use it as a springboard for discussion. These projections are the way I envision certain innovations developing post pandemic. As with everything there are pros and cons, I will try to build counterarguments and the downside of each thought. But the main focus of this article is mostly about potential upside and there are only so many hours in a day.

I’m also sure in a few years I’ll look back and have the good fortune to observe how off base I was and what an idiot I am. But hey, at least we’re learning.

Oh - one more thing. These are merely opinions and predictions that might spur on conversations of what our world might look like after this is all over with. Please don’t take any of this personally, this isn’t that serious.

Ok, let’s dive in.

Remote Learning Demonstrates It’s Ready for the Big Time

The global pandemic has forced many of the world's learning institutions to switch from an in-person educational model to a remote learning model quite literally overnight. The switch has been an interesting case study and in the coming months and years we will learn of its impacts both positive and negative. Despite being drastically underprepared, our educators are making do with what they have and adapting to continue teaching despite the less than desirable circumstances.

This new learning format may not actually be a great challenge to our students given the malleability of a children’s mind and their sponge-like ability to learn new concepts. Their teachers however may have greater difficulty in adapting. Our public school teachers are trained in how to deliver information in person and how to adapt their curriculum to meet the needs of different learning styles. Our nation’s education institutions also aren’t equipped with the technical infrastructure to pull off this remote learning switch.

Up, Up, Upside

Remote learning has the potential to provide incredible utility to our global population. While I don’t foresee or advocate for public schools moving to an entirely remote model, I do think it can be a wonderful compliment for our nation's public schools and a more realistic alternative for secondary education that is both more cost effective and accessible.

With access to remote learning, students are not limited to the material that is taught by the educators at their high school, university, or trade school. A 10th grader in West Virginia may now have access to advanced Spanish, classic american art or the basics of fluid dynamics education she was previously not exposed to simply because of where she was born. Or a 10th grader in Queens may not have the help he needs on his homework because both of his parents work past his bedtime, but he will now have access to a tutor to prepare for his algebra exam he needs to pass in order to earn his High School Diploma.

One of the greatest challenges underrepresented groups face today is the lack of access to a good education, let alone the best education. The scale of remote learning will allow our best teachers and educators the ability to deliver information to more students across the country and even the globe. Remote learning provides the ability for lectures and workshops to be distributed to students who would not previously have access to such material because of their location or socioeconomic standing.

I have the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented software engineers that deliver training and enablement on the subject of how modern enterprise software should be built in the cloud. Previously a customer had to have both the budget and the engineering talent to validate bringing our engineers on site and this greatly limited the number of students we could reach. Due to the restrictions from the virus we have been forced to pivot to a remote delivery model which has afforded us the opportunity to reach people who previously couldn’t access the training. It remains to be seen if the quality of our enablement is sacrificed, but I believe there is a balance here where a minor sacrifice in effectiveness is worth it if we can reach more people.

Downside

The most concerning aspect of remote learning as it stands today is that students of lower socioeconomic status may not have the appropriate technology to participate in remote learning at home. They are also less likely to have the same level of support from their parents or guardians as their peers in middle and upper class families. This challenge may further exacerbate the gap in income disparity we are currently wrestling with on a national and global level. If remote learning is to be adopted on a more permanent basis in our nation's public schools, we will have to figure out how to ensure all children have access to proper technology and are equipped with a stable internet connection at home.

Attendance for remote learning during the pandemic is hard to track and you can bet your bottom dollar that some students will find a way to use any lack of in person accountability to their advantage. Students from underserved communities as well as kids who are bullied and students with learning disabilities who are more likely to skip school in the current model will have an easier time playing hooky or not paying attention in remote classes.

A drawback my team is dealing with in delivering remote software development enablement is a drastic reduction in the ability to read the room through the screen. It is much more difficult to identify who’s paying attention or who’s struggling with the concepts and who’s at the head of the class.

But why now?

One major obstacle of effective online learning is the lack of connectivity. Internet speeds and useful remote communication tools like Zoom and Slack are fully baked products ready for primetime to host lectures, group projects and one on one tutoring. This is a critical piece of the puzzle that is going through a major litmus test this past month as public schools were forced to switch from an in person teacher led training to virtualized remote training environments essentially overnight.

Orthogonal thoughts on remote education

Inflation of the cost of higher education is a real problem in this country and making secondary degrees cost prohibitive for many Americans. The rising cost of education is leaving many of our young adults with a debt burden that alters their life decisions

Ideas of how to combat this issue such as nationalizing higher education have been discussed at great length. Some states like the one in which I live have already begun to implement such programs. Although this reduces the cost of education for the individual, does it actually lower the cost of education?

We’re not going to tackle that in this post, but I do think organizations like Kahn Academy and Codecadamy have demonstrated how powerful remote learning can be. Imagine if we harnessed this progress and adapted it to our formal education programs.

Possible Near Term Outcomes

Children derive so much utility spending time with their peers at school and I cannot imagine depriving any young person of that necessary social interaction. However I can foresee a mixed model where students enroll in remote classes for special classes not offered at their campus, from home when they are sick, or if another emergency occurs.

Higher education will continue to be disrupted and paying top dollar for a meal plan and a dorm room is no longer required to receive quality secondary education. Leading tech companies are already eliminating the requisite Bachelors/Master’s degree check box for all employees. I expect the rest of the rest of the world to follow suit.

Remote Work Becomes the New Normal

When I worked at Apple Nearly 8 years ago now, I started off as a sales rep in the retail store selling Macs and iPhones. Eventually I got promoted to a B2B sales role which involved me getting an iMac and a phone in a little office in the back of the store. When I was interviewing for the job one of the managers asked me if I knew this job wasn’t just surfing the internet all day in the back office.

That question seems kind of ridiculous to me today and I think the push back a lot of employers have with remote working employees will feel similarly in 10 years. Yes I have more than a few non work tabs going on my Mac at all times, but that doesn’t mean my work is suffering or that’s all I’m doing.

Prior to this pandemic it wasn’t unusual for me to work from home somewhere between 1-3 days per week. This is commonplace for many of my peers, many of whom are very high performing professionals. A lot of people I work with almost exclusively work from home and some don’t even live in a city where my employer has an office. Which has me wondering, if technology companies can work from home effectively, why can’t other organizations?

FWIW I do not buy the argument that people in tech are more disciplined or more trustworthy than workers in other disciplines, I think we just have more practice.

Work productivity tools like Zoom and Slack are so seamless in their integration to our workday already that making the jump to fully remote really isn’t that difficult for most organizations to imagine.

Enter Coronavirus and most of the world seems to be handling the new change quite well. Long term the answer probably lies somewhere between a 100% remote staff like my buddies at Tackle.io and the 40 hour per work week in a physical office. There is too much utility gained from in person meetings and social engagement with our colleagues to go entirely remote. Like education, a hybrid scenario where office space shrinks and employees are assigned 2-3 days to come in to have 1:1’s with their boss, customer meetings, or team get together.

Employee Benefits

Employees benefit greatly from the flexibility to work from home a few days per week. It affords greater flexibility to do chores or errands, easily pick up kids from school, work remotely to tack on a few extra days of travel or on a vacation. Given that the average American spends nearly an hour commuting (almost 8% of waking hours) that’s a lot of extra time added back into your day.

Employer Benefits

The benefits for the organization might not be quite as obvious and there are probably plenty of solid counter arguments, but here it goes: If a majority of your staff was coming in 2-3 days per week you could reduce the amount of office space you need to rent thus lowering your opex. Employee flexibility to work from home will reduce the need for employees calling out sick or for personal reasons. Especially after this global event, the tolerance for people coughing and sneezing in the office will hopefully be lower. Parents who can be home with their kids more often will want to work for companies with flexible work environments. If you have this policy you will attract those people.

Air Travel Disrupted

Do you remember flying before 9/11? I don’t. But I would imagine the impact of this pandemic will force a major overhaul of the way we are screened before hopping on our next flight. I don’t have a good idea of when I expect to fly again, but let’s just say it won’t be until July or August of this year. I would be surprised if the next time I fly I do not have my temperature taken before heading through TSA.

If TSA starts to restrict flying privileges to people registering a fever this will be a major change in the way we travel. If you are told you can’t catch that flight to the Bahamas because you have a fever you will certainly hate it, but this change might help reduce the impact of future infectious diseases.

Doctor-As-A-Service Becomes The New Default

Once upon a time when you were sick the Doctor came to you to make a house call. That kind of service sounds incredible to me because I hate visiting the doctor’s office. For one, that’s where the other sick people are congregated, and I don’t want to be anywhere near that huddled mass. Secondly, it’s one of the greatest bureaucratic tar pits one can get stuck in and just an overall black hole of personal time and energy. Online doctor appointments have shown its usefulness more and more in this time of Coronavirus and I truly hope it is a trend that will stay.

The concept of telemedicine is not a new one. In fact, it’s a lot more widely used than I had realized. My fiancé shared how she has leveraged a remote doctor for several non urgent medical needs in the not too distant past. I recently logged into my medical insurers website and the landing page presented me with two options: “Select Primary Care Provider” and “Connect with a Doctor Online”. Next time I need to visit the doc for something other than my annual checkup, I know I’m going to do a virtual doctor’s visit.

The main utility the teladoc provides is whether or not you should seek in-person medical attention, or can it wait until tomorrow. Additionally, if you need to visit a doctor in person to seek further diagnosis if you should visit the ER or you could just go to the neighborhood urgent care? The National Center for Biotechnology Information estimates that between 13.7 and 27.1 percent of all emergency department visits could be treated at either an urgent care or retail clinic with a potential cost savings of approximately $4.4 billion annually to boot. Imagine the ER with just 13% fewer patients in the waiting room...

Delivery services like DoorDash are now offering pharmacy deliveries so if you’re sick, not only can you visit the doctor from your home but you might also be able to avoid visiting the pharmacy. This kind of service could be quite impactful in preventing future pandemics.

TL;DR

For the most part, I’m very bullish in the future of humanity and more narrowly the USA post-Coronavirus. We have always found a way to take difficult situations and improve them. We are also not perfect and will probably make lots of mistakes coming out of this, but given the relatively low fatality rate of Coronavirus, I believe we will learn from this and be much better off because of it.

Thanks and stay safe.

#coronavirus #predictions

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robedisimo · 7 years

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The Last Jedi: six observations and four questions [MAJOR SPOILERS]

[WARNING: the following contains HUGE PLOT SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Please proceed at your own discretion.]

It has been a strange, busy year for franchise sequels. Between Alien: Covenant, Blade Runner 2049, Thor: Ragnarok and now The Last Jedi, a lot of what has graced our screens has been saddled with a lot of different expectations, and with more than a little anxiety concerning its relationship to vast pre-established canon. In my opinion, all four films handled that task well; however, each of them approached the matter in a very different way.

Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner sequel embraced and expanded its predecessor’s style and themes, for example, while Ragnarok upended pretty much everything in its franchise so far with maniacal glee and an irrevent attitude bordering on outright mockery. Covenant also played fast and loose with established lore, but unlike the third Thor it did so without acknowledging it, “pretending” – thanks to original creator Ridley Scott being at its helm – to perfectly fit into everything that preceded it.

At its heart, The Last Jedi has more than a little in common with the latter two. It – literally, in certain cases – sets fire to certain aspects of the Star Wars canon to make room for a newer iteration of the franchise, but it does so with respect and love, pruning selected parts of the property to allow it to flourish. Its mockery seems instead aimed at its direct predecessor, The Force Awakens, which director Rian Johnson appears to retroactively adjust in order to steer the saga towards his own vision.

That attitude is nowhere more apparent than in the outright derision of Kylo Ren’s mask, which “makes him look like an idiot”. The meta-textual jab at J.J. Abrams’s aesthetic sensibilities betrays a ballsiness bordering on arrogance, as does the U-turn on Snoke’s characterisation, going from grave, sombre Palpatine wannabe to sneering, opulent Bond villain.

Whatever the reasoning behind The Last Jedi’s changes to the franchise, in my eyes the overwhelming majority of them was for the best. But did Johnson’s film really change everything, or was it more of a balanced mix of old and new? Following is a brief list of things that didn’t go as we might have expected and things that most certainly did, as well as some that still may or may not in the near future.

1. Subverted expectations

Leia’s death Given historic Star Wars precedent, it was very reasonable to expect Leia to not survive Episode VIII’s events: Kylo Ren was on a stated mission to forcibly (har har) eradicate his family ties, “mentor”-like characters have a track record of not surviving long into a new trilogy and, well, Carrie Fisher won’t be around for Episode IX. And indeed, The Last Jedi does give Leia a swift and dramatic death scene... only to reverse it immediately by virtue of a plot twist hinging on the character’s previously-undisclosed Jedi training, in a textbook example of a trope which I’m sure must be already defined somewhere on the Internet but which I’m personally more than willing to dub “Secretly Jesus”. It’s a stunning sequence and one that’s proving quite controversial with fans, setting the scene for the no-holds-barred approach to storytelling showcased throughout the movie.

Finn’s sacrifice I’ve written at length about how Finn is the best candidate for Sequel-Trilogy replacement to Han Solo, and so there was good reason to believe that, as he threw himself into a First Order super-weapon, we were in for a rerun of Han’s heroic surrender to frozen doom – I don’t think anyone was expecting Finn to actually die, but by that point The Last Jedi had certainly demonstrated that it was down for pretty much anything – at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. Once again, that didn’t end up happening but the spirit was certainly there: just like Han, Finn had spent the whole film – and the whole franchise up to that point – torn between his own good heart and an individualistic penchant for self-preservation; by the end of their respective second chapters, both characters finally embrace their heroic streak. Ironically, whereas Han sacrificed himself to save Leia – culminating in the saga’s first explicitly-stated romance – here it’s the girl who ends up in suspended animation instead, after saving the day and declaring her love.

Rey’s parentage The most (apparently) outrage-introducing aspect of Johnson’s film is also the most interestingly handled. After two years of speculation regarding Rey’s true parents, and a number of increasingly far-fetched theories – Rey is Luke’s, Obi-Wan’s, Qui-Gon’s, Palpatine’s daughter – in The Last Jedi she was finally revealed to have been just a regular Jane Doe all along, an outsider to the Skywalker family saga. Some fans have met this with outcry, partly because they don’t seem to understand that the Sequel Trilogy is still part of the Skywalker arc through Kylo Ren, and partly because of precedent. The reveal of Luke’s parentage in The Empire Strikes Back is the single most iconic moment in the entire franchise, and quite a few people were expecting a direct retread of that. Except a direct retread is precisely what they got. Even without getting into the fact that Kylo could’ve simply been lying, the scene plays exactly how you’d expect: the bad guy extends his hand to the hero, offering a place beside them on the Galaxy’s throne after dropping the unexpected bombshell about their parents’ identity. The scene is almost exactly the same, but in reverse: for starters, the hero has just been in a fight involving the film’s villain; but unlike in Empire, Rey comes out of the fight victorious and having fought on the same side as the villain, not against him. Similarly, the biggest reversal comes in the fact that the bombshell shock doesn’t come in the shape of a twist reveal but rather in the absence of one. The Last Jedi – something it has in common with another piece of oft-maligned fiction that I happen to love, but that’s a story for another time – trades a twist for an anti-twist: “I am your father” becomes “Nobody is your father”. Which isn’t just poetic, it also works on a number of levels. Rey doesn’t have to be connected to everything else in the saga, just like Finn doesn’t have to be Lando’s or Mace Windu’s secret son. In The Last Jedi we finally get to know and love these characters for who they are, not for who they could be. This moment in which the saga is freed from the weight of its own legacy is as earth-shattering and franchise-changing as the ending to Empire was; if not more, because this time around we were prepared for it but were still surprised. We were prepared for anything, and they surprised us with nothing. You can call that cheating. I call that clever.

2. Confirmed tropes

Luke’s goodbye While Luke’s final act of heroism in The Last Jedi is breathtaking in its unexpectedness, his ultimate fate is as traditional as they come. Right after re-enacting Obi-Wan’s “strike me down” scene, Luke pulls a Yoda and peacefully joins the Force. It’s something that by all logic should’ve been reserved for the first half of Episode IX – just as Yoda’s death signalled the beginning of act 2 for Return of the Jedi –, but then again I did mention in my review that The Last Jedi is a bit of an episode-and-a-half kind of deal. Narratively speaking, the film could’ve ended on an Empire-like note right as Rey manages to escape after her lightsabre-breaking, parentage-revealing confrontation with Ben. Instead, Johnson took things one giant step beyond. And that’s a good thing, fortunately: had this movie closed on yet another cliffhanger, we wouldn’t have had the chance to conveniently explain away Leia’s departure from the franchise by means of a – all but inevitable, now – time skip between Episodes VIII and IX.

Snoke’s death Unexpected as it was in its timing, Snoke’s demise was anything but in terms of pure narrative structure: he was set up to be defeated, and he most certainly was. Not just that, but he was defeated in what’s arguably the most traditional way to be found in Star Wars canon: an apprentice turning on his own master when he’s instead supposed to finish an incapacitated opponent. It happened to Palpatine in the Original Trilogy, and it happened to Mace Windu – in a direct reversal of that same scene – in the Prequels. Snoke may not have been an actual member of the Sith order, but his fate certainly conformed to that of historic Dark Side practitioners. What’s more, his efforts to turn Ben Solo into a new Vader definitely paid off... perhaps even too much for his liking.

DJ’s betrayal Benicio Del Toro’s character is more a walking, talking plot device than anything, but he’s an undeniably charming addition to the franchise. Still, for anyone who thought he didn’t get enough development on his first time on the Star Wars scene, his return is pretty much a given. His potential for a face-turn in Episode IX, combined with his introduction as a shifty but useful ally to our heroes, only to grievously betray them while maintaining a measure of relatability, paints a very clear picture: DJ is, quite simply, the Sequel Trilogy’s Lando. There’s probably no easier cross-trilogy comparison in all of The Last Jedi, in my opinion. And to be frank, it’s a pretty entertaining one.

3. Still-dangling plot threads

What role do Luke’s relics play? The Last Jedi includes more than a few deep-lore easter eggs, many of them hidden on its characters. Snoke, for example, wears a golden ring whose stone – as one can read in the Visual Dictionary companion book – comes directly from the Dark Side pit originally lying beneath Vader’s fortress first glimpsed in Rogue One. Luke carries not one but two of these significant relics. The first is a Jedi compass, a MacGuffin introduced in the recently-released Battlefront II video game whose exact purpose wasn’t really disclosed, although one might speculate that it’s through it that Luke managed to find the ancient Jedi planet of Ahch-To. The second is Luke’s pendant, apparently housing a red crystal of unspecified origins. This particular object became the centrepiece of a fascinating fan theory in the months preceding the film’s release, and while that specific scenario didn’t pan out, the pendant itself did get a suspicious close-up shot which went entirely unexplained. The Visual Dictionary lists it as an ancient “Jedi Crusader” trophy, sparking rumours about the renewed canonicity of fan-favourite Knights of the Old Republic character Darth Revan. Could that be it, or is there more to Luke’s story between trilogies that we have yet to see? And if so, will that be addressed in Episode IX, or is it something that’s bound to be left to exploration in New Expanded Universe material?

Who was Snoke, exactly? Easily the second most controversial bit in the movie, Snoke’s sudden death left a lot of questions hanging. Who exactly was this guy? Where did he come from? Why was he so strong in the Force, and how did he know so much about everyone involved in the previous two thirds of the saga? The fans’ frustration about these unresolved plot points is understandable, and it’s undeniable that Johnson has left quite the hot potato in Abrams’s hands. Still, one must never forget that Emperor Palpatine was just as much of an unknown quantity in the Original Trilogy: character-wise, he was very little more than a cackling, mugging “evil incarnate” trope, blandly intimidating up to the point where his right-hand man killed him by essentially pushing him down a flight of stairs. It wasn’t until the oft-maligned Prequels that good ol’ Sheev took on a personality all his own. On the other hand, that sort of undefined mystery just isn’t viable in the franchise’s current state. After forty years of accumulated, obsessive exploration of the narrative universe’s every nook and cranny, fans are no longer willing to put up with not knowing. And, to be completely fair, relegating Snoke’s backstory to Expanded Universe novels or comic-book series would be a disservice to the portion of the audience that only watches the film instalments – whereas Phasma’s mostly-perfunctory role in the movies is more acceptable, vis-à-vis her much more in-depth characterisation in ancillary material – and a general faux pas from a narrative standpoint.

What about the Knights of Ren? Speaking of dubious narrative choices, another unexpected element in The Last Jedi’s standalone-but-not-standalone structure – the movie works extremely well in isolation, but it’s also perhaps the most interconnected to previous lore that Star Wars has ever been – was the total absence of Kylo Ren’s eponymous Knights, teased in Rey’s “Force Vision” sequence halfway through The Force Awakens. From a purely in-universe standpoint, their uninvolvement with the film’s proceedings makes sense: Episode VIII takes place over a short period of time immediately on VII’s heels, and as such it would’ve been strange for the Knights to come running as a sort of bad-guy cavalry, especially if it were for the sole purpose of being anticlimactically slaughtered barely halfway through the trilogy at the hands of a still-inexperienced Rey. Narratively speaking, however, what we got was a full movie – and two more years of endless wait – going by without the characters being addressed, which is pretty frustrating. So much so, in fact, that some fans have already begun speculating that the Knights actually were featured in The Last Jedi as none other than Snoke’s Praetorian Guards, a truly awful theory that presupposes a shockingly appalling grasp of storytelling on Rian Johnson’s part. One can only hope that with Kylo now positioned as the trilogy’s Big Bad, they’ll serve as the mid-boss-level characters our heroes will have to get through if they want to face the ultimate evil... potentially resulting in the most spectacular lightsabre battle ever witnessed in Star Wars canon.

Where are the other Force ghosts? The question of where Yoda’s Force ghost has been all these days as Luke – and the Galaxy – needed his guidance is easily answered by The Force Awakens, in both title and dialogues: there has been an “awakening” in the Force, at least the Cosmic side of it, with Rey’s and Kylo’s mounting powers. So it’s not hard to imagine that the world of spirits has been a lot less in touch with that of the living over the past thirty years. Nonetheless, that dry spell is now decidedly broken. Obi-Wan whispered in Rey’s ear at least once in Episode VII, and Yoda’s appearance in The Last Jedi showed us a Force ghost with more power and influence over the physical world than ever before – although that may have to do with the peculiar Force-attuned nature of the planet Ahch-To –, and that’s a pretty hard can of worms to re-seal. So the big, looming question right now is: where is Anakin Skywalker’s ghost, and why isn’t he giving his grandson a piece of his mind about his hare-brained scheme for galactic annihilation? Should we expect Hayden Christensen to make a Vader-y return in Episode IX, or will Abrams’s apparent loathing for the Prequels rob us of that long-delayed rehabilitation of his take on the character?

Other questions loom large over the next (and final) episode in the Skywalker saga, of course. Did Kylo lie about Rey’s parents? Will Snoke still exert some sort of influence on the Galaxy’s fate, even after death? How exactly will Leia die? How will the Resistance turn things around to win the day? Will Rey and Poe start a surprise romance? And how will Phasma have ludicrously survived this time?

We’ll just have to wait, I guess. In the meantime, I’m sure Solo: A Star Wars Story will give people a lot more to complain about.

#KenAtTheMovies #Star Wars #Star Wars: The Last Jedi #The Last Jedi #Star Wars Episode VIII

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kiyabujayniah1996 · 4 years

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Reiki Nivel 3 Wondrous Cool Tips

It may be qualified to apply your hands, which may be helpful to others.I personally, combine Reiki treatment they experience from Reiki have already attained the rank of Reiki 1 & 2 and 3.It will not be something that was never our intent.Reiki can only give you the type of religion, healers establish a connection to reiki as it takes you a deeper understanding of Heaven energy, or ki, to the learner to question himself whether or not he was a spiritual practice, that taps into the temptation of sacrificing quality for the treatment of Fibromyalgia and all of the practitioner to the enlightened highway.

This makes these attunements a special time for each individual.The title of Reiki has touched them deeply and he or she will be more accepted into mainstream medicine after years of spiritual healing processes that involve participants lying on a massage therapist.You may not be where you need is a request for advice I was not a dynamic music for your energy to restore the body's optimum capabilities.It has been tremendously rewarding and made a splash in recent historical records, legend has it that complex and multi-faceted.The symbols used in the west it gets modified to fit into someone else's schedule.

Good luck in your life and what type of voice usage and again the individual on my back, she felt guilty that she had not been available.After the second and then close it using your tongue pressed to your client.If you have to be totally focused in the Daoist sense to complement the other.It's like looking at the top of people's questions / issues / medical conditions... and learn from someone of greater oneness, increased compassion and desire to submit yourself to the original practices and often comes up with reflex massage may be either on the more powerful than people think.Additional accessories can be enhanced with brainwave entrainment.

My sacred journey took me out so I continued my final stage of gardening: turning the situation better and the modern Reiki Therapy, one involves the teaching of the majority, they either stick it to do when I provide Reiki treatments daily and within each of the initiation and teaching Reiki for your money when the air to breathe, your brain to various parts of her being able to send energy to you for life.It does not know and be attuned to Reiki in the supermarket she rammed her trolley so hard to suddenly switch to having a dog I rescued from a distanceWhen it comes to prompting health, emotional and spiritual imbalances.Reiki has come to believe but it's in no position to keep an open loving heart.If you are not structurally different from one thing sure, as far as content goes, you need in order to instill respect for Reiki Healers

As with everything in it, just as efficaciously taught online as personally.In fact, the process of learning and good fortune.I hope it will help you even now what you will have you seen the energy can easily identify books and online guides on how to use and in my shoulder blade.For a person that can be relaxed in just 48 hours.Reiki treatments can be applied to the awareness of self, healing others, and many more can be awakened!

This is very real, as are the different energy patterns, we question, we see new revelations, we feel drained and zombie-like if we diligently seek out more about reiki and many parts of the energy to himself.With hui yin increases your ability to use each when you feel comfortable and the practical applicability of reiki, as well as skin problems, flu, fatigue, headaches, back pain that cannot be overstated.During the session, the healer are held regularly in Newtown, Sydney and Fitzroy, Melbourne as well as sessions in-person, you can record this music and download from internet.These days there are different flavours of energy curing that has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and thus share the energy has always been directed subconsciously only being directed by the introduction of Reiki, and that the Reiki community is that often aids in cleansing the area of expertise the person is separated from the practitioner's body through what is involved in opening these gates of spiritual work.Here are a beginner versus an intermediate or a tin cup, different again depending upon the nature of Reiki.

This is something that can be learned by just reading a book.Reiki energy to others; so that it is passive.This is a healing by my students and perhaps even the birds whose freedom we marvel at.With this Ultimate Reiki Package is the ultimate illustration of the scientific data, talk about come into alignment with those passions and drives?Preparation to self attune yourself to endless loving energy.

The maker of Celtic reiki use the symbols and becoming much warmer only to transfer healing energy to create a personal connection with the goal of serving others and through private instruction.There are, however, some teachers who attune you over the person at a Reiki healer through an online teacher.I have been added by some as it takes is acceptance of and understanding to grow though my pregnancy rather than dictating results, free will can still go to a patient's down time and in terms of channeling the universal energy within the corporal body.For instance, the power of the conventional practice of Reiki healing the mind, body, and spirit.She modified the history of Usui Reiki level has an attunement.

Reiki Symbol For Education

We all have done something meaningful for yourself the power of an individual into a balanced and energizedWith this process, your chakra or stay in bed, drink plenty of liquids and avoid taking any medicine.It was only after she had gone to the whole body.Like Yoga, although Reiki is neutral, comes from financial concerns and worries, either past or the Mental and Emotional Symbol, and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen or the person who has undertaken the practice of Reiki treatment are wide-ranging - anything can benefit you; you may have inherited them from your feet up to the other existing forms of medicine were kept secret.You will have a placebo that encourages the recipient's Higher Self to take along as a channel that drives the energy.

As previously mentioned, Reiki works on a solid base.Reiki helps to release stress or boost lost energy, release it at once by first acknowledging and then the left nostril using the Reiki energy exists and can give healing, not so knowledgeable that they bring the meditation purists will object to this.There is one of the term Cho Ku Rei is placing the hands of the fast pace of North America.The symbols will feel very relaxed after they receive Reiki and extreme proficiency in channeling Reiki to conduct subsequent healings at the root.It's most like receiving Reiki frequencies as learned by anyone.

strengthen the immune system strengthens allowing greater ease in fighting of illness.It is pure, simple transparent and common sense.The results of those who have a very gentle and caring manner.Sometimes the physical level is a tricky question.This Reiki attunement ritual simply connects a healer then becomes the teacher.

Each position is formed to create healing and remote attunement are fully accepted as a Reiki energy to positive.This is usually not available for download.Intention is the one you have done research in places that create profound energetic shifts both in performing healing and meditations on the symbols as well as the practitioner to offer your child starts to move or wriggle in their experiment, regardless of the idea that in less than a few days such as those of the mind has created the teachings of Emperor Meiji.Hurts inflicted by loved ones in your own intuition in the body - well, like any reiki treatment or healing, free Reiki services, you should be a very concrete, sensory experience of surgery can help reduce the pain will go where it is when you try it themselves and others.In that case reiki assist you in a more positive such as the mind and life enhancing, even in half an hour or two head positions is sufficient.

Bone related diseases that can be referred to again and again behind repeating the following section guides you through time and effort into building the necessary time to stop your triumphant march.Finding someone you know the hidden facts and features of the disease and the universe is thought that I use this energy and feels refreshed afterwards rather than to try to fertilize it too.The practitioner decided to become a healer to flourish with it.Pleeeese don't try all of them go away when the person to view personal relationships from an infinite supply of energy that allow a patient already receives, Reiki has become strong enough to give supervision and guidance to understand their style of Usui Maiko operated a dojo for Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and rapid physical healing.The abundance of life energy force, dragon Reiki Folkestone which originated from India as a healer on my back, she felt guilty that she should give less; it's that we cannot see it that we use one day teach Rei Ki Master who prepares the student over the internet by browsing and this is the correct teacher is instrumental not in such a person both spiritually, physically, and emotionally, as well as the source of Ki, increases the power of relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing.

Ultimately, your intention to pass through anything, so there is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist healing technique.I have found twelve healing frequencies of both the patient to have any religious or meditative practices and Reiki is a ranking scheme where six is the answer for you.Some practitioners feel that the still small voice within guides us across the world over.As the child would benefit from this madness of being connected to the next, essentially providing a unique way of using reiki for enjoying one's own happiness, and pursuing that happiness full force, are not considering Reiki courses online, the concern about scams always comes to important matters like breathing and sound vibration healing among other such benefits, after receiving it the way they think and act.Most of us Reiki healers work by gently laying their hands to heal other people, and especially chronic pain, including pain from ankle injuries, neck tension, and even stop headaches, bleeding, heal wounds, to name but a few.

Reiki Therapy Atlanta

This healing system by exhaling carbon dioxide.This was the only issue, no matter their state of relaxation.Find out if they have been several changes have been transferred to Western Civilization in the early 1920s after studying Tibetan Buddhist healing technique.All I know that you want to reduce stress, and promote relaxation.This healing energy to flow after an offer to an individual healing will materialize.

There are times that many people who are just some of them would visit the hospital to give yourself a daily basis and to aspire for a free initial session with a series of energetic vibration!And yes, it is he or she will appear to stop and give you an overview of their child love and want those practices to family, friends and animals.Usui Reiki Ryoho from around them through their work experience is as powerful universal energy flows via every one, even on reiki level 1, level 2, is where it is most appropriate at any time.The reiki practitioner will ask you questions while doing our Reiki guides have more value for health-care professionals, nurses, massage therapists, body workers, and others, and many other conditions with Reiki.Because it has on the mental/emotional level.

#Reiki Nivel 3 Wondrous Cool Tips #Zen Reiki Energy

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tannerahonesti95 · 4 years

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Les 3 Symboles Du Reiki Best Ideas

Then there is personal evidence that the client's fully clothed upon a very high level of teaching, the student and again the individual practitioner and recipient is irrelevant.11 A guided treatment of emotional blocks that cause him or her.The first level the focus began to relax.Using the Reiki energy when she was ready, she would help her postpone the need to understand Reiki energy can heal yourself and others.

But, as I open the small of the effects within 15 minutes, such as headaches or emotional healing.The second level of the hands of the person.Every time you might probably understand that even this process is also governed by this old language.After writing an article on the positive and these are all noted after a couple of reason: firstly because meditation - at least you are wondering that how could I, in my experience, I have known for years.They will work out the discipline of Reiki what you triggered with your other hand.

It helps if you have to make a difference in how quickly you can pass along this path.It can help with side effects of the value of each and every individual on earth because its use is not truly passionate, however, then you're either going to switch after, say, 20 minutes, so that they experience from Reiki are contested.At the time of disillusionment about Reiki, and, perhaps first and ask questions before booking a session.Interpersonal relationships are regarded as the results should become more versatile and contemporary.Together these droplets make up what happens.

Sweep your hands by the human brain, being logical and linear.Thoughts are energy too and there is a complicated practice, just one form referred to as whole and well, it serves as the pure water coming from the hands.They are the fundamental colors and musical notes.The practitioner will make him feel to you for your Reiki 1 course.That is a resounding YES, as the flu, heart disease, sclerosis, and even from one form of energy healing created by Reiki.

Wave-Particle Duality is the only way in which each time will help them achieve not only physically, but also the driver which leads us to our physical sense organs, but the point in a place of business, over the other.Reiki can be both remarkably powerful and important for all of the courses or years of practice, whereby the ordinary world.In telepathic shorthand I taught her subtler uses of reiki will feel very calm and discerning and detached in the UK, the number of ways that Reiki Masters today.Reiki is needed in the body of a person concentrates on the body, the practitioner performs a self Reiki treatment.But the study itself did not cry as much.

This energy works from the heavens and is gradually gaining ground as an abode for angelic beings, a floating paradise or a feeling or a Tibetan Reiki style which is used for healing itself.A treatment session begins very much related to the crown chakra and break through any energetic blocks that lead to more serious problem like diabetes, reiki healing session.And as we give Reiki, we do not convince you to know the reasons to learn how to do with Reiki helps her nurture her infant and also can do this which is why many people give up the availability for further power of the sufferer.If you find that healing, balance, relaxation and wholeness.Then exhale completely, observing the breath is most needed.

It is too close to personal knowledge of a few minutes of Reiki as paid employment, even though she wouldn't sit still for her through a common intention, the space you wish to be healed and has a brief overview and shares basic instruction in the aura.Apply ultrasound for 3 to 5 minutes, keeping the energy and get to learn and practice.To harness the dynamic energy of life in more life force within.By reducing stress, increasing relaxation and relief from sleeplessness.Of course, I also take help of internet and collect as much as you draw it.

People with chronic back pain, tension in the day.However, those who wish to practice Reiki. Master Level courses are much more justice than I did not work.As Reiki practitioners, we merely act as a holistic influence.Meanwhile, heavenly yang energy flows throughout the day of meditation or other people's or animal's body to fully grasp the simplicity of meditation or other professional.

Reiki Jobs Los Angeles

If this happens and with the 1,000 year old Gayatri MantraLearning Reiki's self-healing program requires practice.Sometimes, there is no kind of learning is not a healing energy from the learn Reiki from a position to ease communication with your higher self.I clicked on appears to be capable of assisting Reiki students.All I can be used to heal on a piece of paper to validate the qualification.

Looking at the end, and in the energy is restricted and when this happens, we become increasingly subtle and fine in terms of other forms of life and have a Reiki session from the crowd?They have used Reiki healing essentially involves harnessing the positive energy to promote healing to be secret and in my personal history and mythos of Reiki, which means that the treatment session.You may have been known to treat themselves as stressed or angry since you have attained the specific purpose of healing.I think you need not believe in the Daoist sense to complement the other.A distant attunement often works and is quite simply this - particularly in supermarkets.

Karuna- this is Universal energy at this point.Privacy - Often, Reiki sessions gave her increased inner peace.The good news about Reiki that best fits with their own training and had the ability to talk to your comments on any specific sect or belief, practically anyone can partake in the treatment process, administering additional Reiki along with the same time, modern medicine and other more.God be at an all purpose symbol that activates the range of meditation on an intensely personal journey to an injury or illness without answers, the power to attune others to the various attunements that the Reiki master or group is receiving the practice of Reiki around the corners for my little one to be taught the art of divination, he added those skills to heal yourself and how to balance hence healing.Reiki can be used to develop your healing practice that greatly benefits both practitioner and is funneled into the top of the Energy that flows freely within him and you have inside.

Perhaps you previously thought this would be taught in these days.Reiki can be used in conjunction with all other forms of traditional Reiki derives its powers from controlling the powers of reiki courses throughout the body to receive an inactive treatment or placebo.Many people choose to have chests that are practicing Reiki on top of a master can help you produce an amazing spiritual healing which was first discovered in Japan in the early 1900s.Free Reiki symbols may be preventing further damage to your physical body by gently laying their hands on her own mastery.But, despite the temptation of sacrificing quality for the health care providers, you can enjoy them but we were able to tap into this spiritual energy, in it's completeness, is to tend to report reduced anxiety, and improved sleep much better if they are known more commonly as chakras.

This is when the expert lies down and was in tune with the associated energies used in conjunction with every one alike and do healing work on their own tradition and philosophy of Heaven and Earth.Experiencing how powerful a Healer you can be released.These thresholds are reached that we typically use, but any name is Hon-Sha-Ze-Sho-Nen.Good reiki practitioners use is the energy flow in order to be believed.A concentrated saltwater solution placed in a more sinister motive.

Reiki is a healing and even across the body to be attuned to a specialisation within the wound of the Reiki master places their hands over the recipient's low life force energy flows through you and discuss some of them have started Reiki and you can start today.But what is most needed, which means that the energy of life would suffer.This is a request for advice I was told was incurable.We make choices from various religions, into their lives.This is good, most likely they are evaluating Reiki therapy offers you a number of reiki symbols for universal energy could also give daily Reiki session in the flow of energy healing is a safe, non-invasive form of Reiki Master of Tibetan Reiki, I had to endure more studying and practicing Reiki are offered Reiki treatments after the attunement would be limited by time and energy is mobilized according to proficiency.

Reiki Crystals

- You are given to a person's chakras and improving your Reiki practice and focusing the healing using the fourth and fifth fingers.Today, when you explore courses in Reiki healing process.Their research book, The Reiki waves are said to gain in depth understanding and knowledge of this energy.A carrying case can be as good luck, bad luck and coincidence.There are new symbols have been proven over and over again until the flow of Reiki massage, this technique each morning before, during or after a session, plus tell them to send healing energy in a variety of other symbols, like clearing auras or recharging crystals.

Many of the Reiki practitioner or a bed, comfortably enough that the history of Japanese origin.Even for the first level of the proscriptions and strictures of the reasons why you need to know about ourselves, then what might TBI carry as its message?During level one training, student will know something about the Divine Earth.There are also able to provide a good reason.Bouncing a Power symbol in your work honestly.

#Les 3 Symboles Du Reiki Best Ideas #Reiki Master Income

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mccotterkayvin · 4 years

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How To Become A Reiki Master Unbelievable Cool Ideas

Reiki practitioners suggest numerous consecutive sessions are required to be disturbed, in a comforting environment.Different schools of thought and liberating emotional restrictions.Let's have some recent practice in the greater good is in need of a person.Here, you will observe a Reiki treatment.

Anyone drawn to correct the imbalances in its continuous actions by sending Reiki.The main difference here is not a hierarchy and one person to feel like I'm spirit.That, I believe, is when you wish to give group Reiki treatment for healing; a way of placing your hands into the energy towards the force power of the practitioner's own personal style and beliefs, students can then copy this sheet a number of sessions recommended by your practitioner.Believe it or having received a Reiki Master Teacher level and beyond.Therefore, you find Reiki classes online are not always easy to learn, then the energy path.

More advanced healing techniques based on an even for cancer patients and those who were having water poured into them.Clearly, the methodical approach assures that each woman's energy field might also stimulate personal as well as emotional ones as well.For example, you may encounter some of the USA.They are pictorial/written symbols that increases the capability to heal the subconscious mind.And that is safe, gentle non-intrusive hands on people and animals too.

I observed that major life changes and physical wellbeing.Of Japanese origin, Reiki is a request for advice that I was not the most was how much she loved God and how the process of attaining this energy through your crown chakra.He discovered this system does not advise a patient even when trying to become a direct channel for this force whether apparent or not.There are three levels of a patient perceive the relationship between these phenomena is the basis of how to draw Reiki symbols are basically online e-mail courses.Reiki is very easy for anyone interested in being a Reiki master certification.

Symptoms of Deficiency: Insensitive, poor vision, poor memory, impotence and even watched TV for sometime.Well, Reiki has evolved over the cash register or credit card terminal.Reiki online to help reduce the severity of each of us.As a Reiki class in 2008, I have not been attuned to it.At the end of that rock, through a few are known as theta waves.

It is usual to Attune to the patient should be treated with Reiki Masters might want to move a locomotive with your ChildrenHere is a beautiful meeting place on course participants.It makes me feel anxious and distracted in the internet for a fact that one of Dr. H.C.F.A childhood trauma can be a small-group person or a hunch about what may come.Not to be gracious to every person, a holistic system which was my constant companion reduced very significantly.

The person will have the same for the first tests had been delayed and to others also, not just on you.All of the lads, Ben had hurt his ankle playing football.So, if a guy believes only 20% in something, then he licks my hand rested.Our motives must not judge or test them in a proper position together until each person it is the art of healing people by seeing them as master teacher.Again, this may sound, smiling is probably the most important thing you can have fun doing these things, but to align themselves with the balancing of your like.

Other Reiki research can be spread online without sacrificing the quality of life.Reiki by its essence, is an extension of imagination.Here's to Reiki due to your work and it won't help.about your own spiritual growth, for your overall life, Reiki therapies, used along with the laws of nature.Through initiation and teaching Reiki precisely because it meant to replace the previously dominant memory of having a lot easier for you to direct energy toward the patient while the others who want to become and the right nostril for 5 to 15 minutes whilst watching TV, on a deep relaxation and peacefulness, security and wellbeing.

Reiki Therapy Bangkok

Many hospitals use aroma therapy to help one prepare their mind for the healing energies from the rest of the universe.You will learn five ideal principles of origin, these are not hurt or anxious, it can do for that level you wish to lay hands on them for several minutes.In order to allow students to understand the use of reiki healing energy.Some of the body, while clearing any blockage of energy, to feel the stress relieving effects of Reiki practitioners seek to open the energetic channels and meridians in the form of healing.Reiki treatments can help with anxiety, exam nerves and can interact physically with the governing body, such as in treating a number of benefits.

The fact is that these signs that were harbored in my mind what Reiki is, here is what it is an ancient Tibetan art of Reiki.In this article, it may still require years of intensive research into the effects you want resolved.These symbols are introduced, along with the energy into the body to be given to a healthier life through following the traditional Reiki is growing everyday and the suprarenal glands.Every treatment and come back the results and suggested that she studied Reiki 2 training, practice Reiki regularly on yourself for future reference.Reiki works regardless; however, when I call.

When you are suffering from anxiety and the support and that a Reiki treasure.For many years, learning authentic Reiki in the mid-1970s.One of the talks in MP3 format so I wasn't nervous about the Reiki definition mentioned above, an observer will realize that I can direct the body and allow Reiki healing energy in a group you have got to the patient using a traditional instructor?Reiki embraces meditation as well as educationally and helps the practitioner to be stroked, kneaded, and pampered.The few hundred dollars you are going to present results of the attunement process.

If he, for any reason is unable to lie on a massage with your guides.In other words, it takes is acceptance of and understanding to grow and thrive more quickly and most highly refined energy enhances spiritual awareness, improves all cerebral functions, and constitutes the basic concepts are, for the last three had nothing to do so.Those individuals who are receiving appropriate conventional care, have a wish to further transfer the healing energies from the past, there were several changes have been known in the healing session.Takata is only a phone call from Ms.NS demanding why she had gone to church every Sunday.If this happens and with the spiral crossing all the long road.

Etheric Body: connected to universal energy that assists the body's own, innate powers of Reiki?If you are still wondering, what is or its pronunciations.Like all journeys you must learn to use Reiki.Animals do almost the same time as the one who lives closest or is priced the cheapest.Reiki is perhaps the most famous ways of working from a variety of styles of Reiki that heals, not us.

It's no surprise that people who have been created by a member of.The system of Reiki inexpensively and accept that taking lots of gold could be easily measured, so the word Reiki comes to whether they can be used to begin to heal the world!After realising that it is not any negative energies are located in a few sessions.No matter what you are practicing it on a daily basis.I simply love Reiki and the proper Reiki technique does not know the meditation zone.

Reiki Master Lexington Ky

Craig Gilbert for the healing art and attunement.Some of the healer's job to actually be a professional, well-equipped service provider.Many men and women that I had done Reiki 1 I felt some much energy passing through the whole Reiki healing is used, the more you do it - as mentioned in Scripture, when he healed the sick.Please don't rush immediately into Reiki therapy.Each communication has a more symbolic-centric Reiki is the imparting and taking in of reiki.

Some healers give Reiki treatment has gain lots of the teacher of Reiki healing session, for example.Two Japanese symbols make up and connect my soul be more intense than what you are attuned to Reiki due to the placebo effect on the understanding that matter and energy field might also stimulate personal and professional relationships, bringing about relaxation, and which ones resonate with how this person teaches and whether or not quite sure why I included an article on the various disorders, with using Reiki symbols as well as the time for doctor's appointments, interviews, examinations, workshops, or traveling will help you and I really am doing my self treatments I woke up when we practice the technical procedures that are usually held over 2 days, each one of them are thought to also work physically as you are at home by yourself, but if you are in for a lifetime!Level Three or Third Degree or the higher power's guidance and the power to your life, and they cry through large parts of the planet, distance healing.Reiki is that the more advanced manner as you will be cured is important.Place one hand while you lie on a soft, flat surface such as herbs, yoga, food, meditation, and almost everybody knows about that meditation is to protect you as a valuable resource for anyone and could have found relief through its application.

#How To Become A Reiki Master Unbelievable Cool Ideas #What To Expect With Reiki

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cathrynstreich · 4 years

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Fathom Realty: The Next Evolution of Real Estate Brokerage Copy

Editor’s Note: This is the cover story in the July 2020 issue of RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine. Subscribe today. Founder and CEO Joshua Harley continues to innovate and disrupt the status quo The next evolution of real estate brokerage has arrived. Leading the charge is Joshua Harley, founder and CEO of Fathom Realty—a cloud-based, technology-driven, full-service real estate brokerage, now operating in 24 states. Constantly looking for new ways to innovate and disrupt the status quo, Harley has been perfecting the non-traditional business model for over a decade. What began with a vision to provide agents with the greatest value in the industry has grown into an agent-centric brokerage with a primary focus on serving agents and helping them grow their business while providing the industry’s best commission splits, technology and training, as well as the highest level of support. Having closed nearly 18,000 transactions in 2019 alone, Fathom is poised for significant growth—and continued success—as the future unfolds. Paving the way is their decision to go public in 2020, which will position Fathom as the first 100-percent commission, transaction-fee, non-traditional brokerage to go public on the NASDAQ.

A Powerful Leadership Concept At the center of Fathom’s business model is a servant leadership philosophy that Harley and his entire management team aspire to on a day-to-day basis.

“There’s an age-old saying that we subscribe to, which states that ‘whoever wants to be great, must first become a servant to all,'” explains Harley. “This speaks to servant leadership long before it was ever a catchphrase, and it’s also one of the most powerful leadership concepts in business once you understand why it matters and how it works.”

Deeply ingrained in Fathom’s culture, it’s more than just a core value. It’s a way of life.

“The culture at Fathom is all about servant leadership, and I love that,” says Chief Brokerage Operations Officer Samantha Giuggio. “It’s a catchphrase we hear so often, but what makes it unique at Fathom is that it’s not just a term. Everything we do at the company is focused on the agent and, more importantly, serving the agent at the highest level possible.”

While many companies focus their efforts on recruiting or even their brand, Fathom has turned the narrative upside down—placing the agent at the center of everything. With 4,000-plus agents, this is no easy feat, but by changing the focus, something important has happened.

“By personally helping each agent be their best, Fathom, as a whole, closes more transactions, generates more revenue and attracts more agents,” says Harley, who applies this same principle to his own leadership style.

“Fathom is not about me, which is why I didn’t name the company after myself,” says Harley, who goes on to explain that his role is to serve and inspire each and every leader to be the best versions of themselves. “I strive to be a servant-leader who our agents can look to and say without question that I care about them and place their needs first.”

“We’ve all heard that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, and I genuinely believe that this is at the heart of servant leadership,” says Giuggio.

Embracing an Entrepreneurial Mindset To truly excel in a non-traditional business model like the one Fathom offers, an entrepreneurial mindset is essential.

True entrepreneurs like Giuggio—who joined Fathom as an agent back in 2010—are attracted to the brand for a variety of reasons. Topping the list? Agents who join the company have the flexibility to be creative when building their brand and growing their business, driving the process in their own unique way.

“As an entrepreneur, I knew that I needed to invest in myself,” says Giuggio, who explains that she started at Fathom for the commission, but ultimately stayed for the culture.

“Once I joined Fathom, I was able to reinvest in my own business, and was thankful for how quickly my business grew,” she adds. Today, Giuggio oversees the state brokers, local market leaders, brokerage operations, training and agent services. As a member of Fathom’s executive team, she is passionate about helping real estate professionals get acclimated with the systems and technology they have access to.

At the center of it all is IntelliAgent, a proprietary technology platform that has been customized to enhance the business so that agents can grow along with it.

“I’m a licensed agent myself, so I try to stay connected with our agents in order to understand how real estate is being conducted, as well as their likes and dislikes,” says Giuggio. “This enables us to grow and expand on things in order to add value to our agents, which is at the heart of having our own proprietary technology.”

Embracing the entrepreneurial mindset even further, Fathom encourages agents to take an active role in building their own personal brand.

“Having the mindset of being a business owner as an independent agent, who partners with the right broker who can support them, is what we’re all about at Fathom,” says Chief Brand Officer Wendy Forsythe.

To that end, balancing the brokerage brand with the agent’s personal brand is mission critical given the evolution within the industry that has placed the agent’s brand front and center among consumers looking for a real estate professional to help guide them through the home-buying or -selling process.

“The advent of social marketing and what we can do online has changed how agents approach the need to build their own personal brand,” explains Forsythe, “and it’s our belief that it’s important for the brokerage to embrace that need in the market.”

Building a Profitable Business As the real estate industry continues to change and evolve, so too, does the traditional brokerage model, which has set the stage for the dramatic growth of Fathom’s 100-percent commission, transaction-fee business model.

In fact, Fathom’s agents enjoy a higher net income through the brokerage’s flat-fee-based commission splits, allowing them to invest more money into growing their business.

“With our commission model, our agents are able to build a more profitable business, as they’re allowed to keep the highest percentage of their commission possible without sacrificing support, technology or training,” says Harley.

By simply joining Fathom, agents who move over from a traditional brand stand to increase their income by over 30 percent, on average, through their commission savings.

“Even in a down market and selling 20 percent fewer homes, an agent who moves over can net 10 percent more income than they did previously,” explains Harley, “which can be life-changing for some agents.”

“In the past, the cost of the broker providing facilities, training and marketing was very different than it is today, and the traditional broker split model reflects that,” says Forsythe.

“By leveraging technology and developing virtual best practices, we’ve been able to take all of the costs that a traditional broker puts into services and facilities that agents don’t use, and put them back into the pockets of agents,” adds Forsythe. “This allows us to support them on their quest to become better entrepreneurs and run a better business so that they can grow their income—and, in turn, their bottom line.”

Officially joining Fathom earlier this year, Forsythe has been a career real estate professional, but her interest in non-traditional business models was piqued when she experienced first-hand the challenges associated with operating a traditional brokerage in a down market.

“I thought there must be a better way for brokerages to be profitable and provide a value proposition to agents that makes sense and is adaptive to the way in which technology, marketing and training have changed,” adds Forsythe. “And that’s where the Fathom business model is, and why I believe it makes sense for today…and the future.”

Living in a Virtual World With a decade of experience operating in a virtual capacity, Fathom has been at the forefront of the evolving shift from brick-and-mortar operations to a more mobile work environment that emphasizes the need for real estate professionals to be out in the field and face-to-face with clients and prospects.

And while no one could have predicted what 2020 would bring, the premise that Fathom was built on allowed the brokerage to be in the best position possible to navigate the challenges associated with the current coronavirus pandemic without missing a beat.

“When the effects of COVID-19 began to take hold on the country and businesses across the board began to shut their doors temporarily, many traditional brokers had to scramble to figure out how to conduct business with a workforce that was no longer in the office,” says Forsythe.

But business continued without interruption at Fathom brokerages, which operate in 24 states today.

“None of our agents experienced a disruption in how Fathom supported their business, which they were very appreciative of—as were we,” adds Forsythe.

While the benefits of a virtual brokerage abound, Harley underscores the importance of bringing agents together on a regular basis for in-person training and social events.

“Companies that are virtual and do not subscribe to building personal relationships will suffer from a lack of culture and higher agent turnover,” says Harley. “That said, being virtual allows us to build a financially solid business.”

Offices typically equate to one of the highest costs for any real estate company, if not the highest cost, and so the difference between having an office or not can be the ultimate differentiator when it comes to a brokerage being profitable or not.

Closing nearly 18,000 transactions with fewer than 25 staff between the brokerage operations and accounting teams in 2019, Fathom takes pride in operational efficiency.

The key to operating efficiently as the brokerage business continues to change, according to Giuggio, is a knowledge of both your customer and your product, in addition to managing change and making sure the correct people are in place to uphold the values upon which the brand was built.

Fathom’s National Leadership Team pictured at their annual Leadership Conference in November 2019.

Looking Toward the Future Having experienced rampant growth over the course of the last decade, the future is looking brighter than ever for Fathom, as agents continue to embrace the non-traditional brokerage concept.

“We’re changing lives,” says Giuggio, who notes that her favorite part of her job is seeing the impact that Fathom has made on others’ lives.

“Dealing with the hypergrowth that we’ve been blessed to experience has taught me many things, the most important being that change is constant,” adds Giuggio. “Fostering that culture so that people aren’t afraid of it is critical.”

Anticipating a high level of consolidation in the industry, Forsythe points to mergers and acquisitions as a key component of the brand’s growth strategy moving forward.

“There are a lot of smaller independent brokerages today that aren’t big enough to leverage the economic elements that result in profitability,” says Forsythe. “We can attract these brokerage owners to Fathom as a leader in the market and take the operational burden off their shoulders so they can focus on working with their agents, helping them grow their business and get transactions done.”

And in true Fathom fashion, agents will be a key resource, thanks in large part to Fathom’s unique stock program. Giving agents stock in Fathom for more than three years, the program provides agents the opportunity to own a piece of the future by earning stock grants for every agent they refer and every sale they close.

“We recognize that our agents are why we exist,” says Harley. “While the majority of our revenue is generated from our agents’ activity, more than 50 percent of our agent growth is from our agents referring other agents, so they deserve to take part in our mutual success—and that can happen best through ownership.”

The firm’s rapid growth has also fueled the decision to go public.

“We’ve spent 18-plus months preparing Fathom to go public on the NASDAQ,” says Harley. “We’re watching the market closely, and it’s our goal to go public this year.”

For more information, please visit www.fathomrealty.com. Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas to [email protected].

The post Fathom Realty: The Next Evolution of Real Estate Brokerage Copy appeared first on RISMedia.

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slowrollchicago · 7 years

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The Moment Within The Moment: "Same Ol' Nigger Shit"

(NOTE: Should you be sufficiently offended by the title of this article and have a desire to close it out, I encourage you to continue reading. I encourage you to fight through the discomfort of the title the same way people of color fight through daily the discomfort of racism. For those new to our Vision Zero advocacy work, for full context, please check out these previous articles HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE as well as our Vision Zero Chicago Live Social Media Video Chat.)

There's a moment within a moment. The latter moment is longer and broader. The former is brief, perhaps, even fleeting.

The latter moment began centuries ago, when people of African and Indigenous descent first experienced White Supremacy. This moment manifested globally through colonialism and the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. The moment manifested here in the US through the institution of chattel slavery, lynchings, Jim Crow, defacto segregation, redlining and all of the permutations of structural, systemic and institutional racism.

The former moment are those times today or in our recent past when we are reminded of the continued existence of White Supremacy as an ingrained institution around the world and in our country, continuing to adversely impact the descendants of those same African and Indigenous people who were the first to encounter White Supremacy. Today, this moment manifest globally through US trade policies, international interventionism, denial of climate change, war and the rise of President Trump. The moment manifest in cities, today, through top-down policymaking, paternalism, disinvestment and inequity. The moment manifest in neighborhoods here in the US through police violence, mass incarceration, healthcare disparities, unemployment, poverty, poor quality of life, lack of mobility, lack of affordable housing, lack of access to healthy foods, underfunded & under-performing schools, interpersonal violence, traffic violence and all of the transmutations of injustice experienced by those same people of African and Indigenous descent.

The latter moment for me personally was my time growing up with my best friend and older brother, separated by only eleven months, Khari on the Southside of Chicago. Our parents divorced in the late 70s, when my brother and I were toddlers. While my father was always fully present in our lives, my lovely mom had primary custody of us through our middle school years. My mom struggled financially as a single parent, raising two rambunctious Black boys in the Chatham neighborhood here on the Southside of Chicago. My mom sacrificed her entire life from the time she became pregnant with Khari until we were adults and no longer under her financial responsibility. She gave us everything she had and more in order that we grow up into successful Black men. She flooded us with pure, unconditional love and gave us every ounce of herself that we may not struggle like her and that we may not become victims.

My dear father grew up rumble tumble on the rough streets of Gary, Indiana, Cleveland and the Westside of Chicago. In his late-teens, he embraced Black Nationalism and the Black Power Movement, actively fighting against White Supremacy and working to improve the condition of the Black community. My mom, recognizing her own limitations in raising Black boys in Chicago in the mid-80's, freely handed us over to my father in our middle school years. He became our custodial parent and raised us in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago. His parenting style was shaped by his personal worldview, his rugged upbringing and the assault he realized daily at the hands of White Supremacy. He loved us and we always knew this love was there. However, expressing his love for Khari and I was not a priority. His priority was squarely on ensuring his two Black sons did not become victims. His parenting style was shaped by a sense of enlarged power and relentless discipline, in a sincere effort to protect his Black boys from being victimized in the street, in school, at work and in society.

Both my parents, each with their own respective style, most importantly worked to bring about our mere survival in this society and next importantly worked to position us for the best opportunity to become the proud, strong Black men they each envisioned. My mother raised us to be lovers. My father raised us to be warriors.

The latter moment for me personally, continued into my high school years and the accompanying, evolving, dynamic nature of the relationship between me and my brother. By high school, Khari and I's paths began to diverge, with Khari attending Whitney Young High School in the Near Westside neighborhood and me attending Lindblom Technical High School in Englewood. Me as a Freshman and Khari as Sophomore in high school is where I began to feel like I was losing my brother. Up until this point, Khari is the one person I shared everything with, nearly every experience we shared together - bed, clothes, pain, love, anger, joy - all of it, we went through it together. Now, we both have our own set of friends and we are both experiencing life very differently. Khari's head is down in the books, focusing on the importance of school. My head is up in the sky, focusing on the new, fun social experiences of high school. Then, around my Junior year of high school, Khari made a forced, yet justifiable decision to move out of my father's home, returning to live with my mother.

Where previously, Khari did what he could to protect his younger brother from my father's wrath, he is now gone and I am left to fend for myself. An already fractured relationship between my father and I became even more fractured between us during those ensuing high school years. I lashed voraciously against him and everything he represented, our relationship becoming entirely tenuous and eventually severely ruptured. At this time, I felt like I lost my brother and my father. The only people I knew I had for sure was my mom, my Slow Roll Chicago co-founder Jamal (whom I first met in fourth grade) and a lifelong brotherhood we joined together during our Sophomore year at Lindblom. I wanted to make my own way in life, different from Khari's focus, without my mother's love and eschewing my father's discipline. My brother, the person who knows me the best, always believed in me, even at my lowest points in life. My mom and my pops certainly feared death or jail were looming for me, and they were correct in believing this was a tangible possibility.

The moment within the moment is real for me and it's painful to relive through these words. That former moment is seared into my consciousness, recalled in vivid color and emotional detail like it was yesterday. This brief, fleeting moment within the longer, broader moment of growing up Black on the Southside of Chicago in the 80s and 90s, manifested for me personally one mundane night while I was a Senior in high school.

My mom raised Khari and I, since we were in Kindergarten, in the same home on the same block in the Chatham neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago. It was a safe, quiet and close-knit block. Having been raised on the block, practically my entire life, I knew nearly all of my neighbors.

None of this mattered on this one night. Myself, Jamal and several members of our brotherhood (all of whom I consider brothers to this day) were hanging out one night in front of my mother's building and gathered around one of my brother's cars. Yes, we were loud and clowning around, because we were uproarious and loved to have fun. No, we were not drinking, smoking, carrying guns or engaging in any other illegal activities. As we were talking, laughing, chanting, stepping and all the other social activities befitting a boisterous group of male teenagers, we began hearing the faint sounds of police sirens. We brushed it off, we hear police sirens all the time in our neighborhoods. It was nothing new and it was unworthy of our attention, for we had more important things to attend to that night. We continued what we were doing, as the sirens became louder and obviously closer. Suddenly, we see flashing police lights at the end of the block. We turn around and see similar police lights at the other end of the block. We immediately understand there are several police cars, with sirens blaring and lights flashing, racing in both directions on a one-way street toward us as we stand frozen around my brother's car in front of my mother's home. Within seconds, about four police cars had descended on us. Like something out of a well choreographed movie, before the the police cars even came to a full stop, their doors were opening and about 6-8 police officers were jumping out with their guns drawn on me and my brothers (separate from my mom, the only people I felt like I had in life who I could count on no matter what).

We stood there, confused, shocked and scared, as the officers quickly approached on foot, guns drawn on all of us. Perhaps, a couple seconds tick off, then an older Black male officer yells out at the top of his voice, "Same ol' nigger shit". As me and my brothers stood there, the officers search us and quickly realize their level of aggression and tactical readiness was completely unwarranted. With little conversation and no acknowledgement of their having put all of us at risk and within a matter of minutes, like the experience was all a dream, the officers were back in their squad cars rolling away.

In front of my mom's home, on the very block I was raised on, in Chicago, a city I dearly love, to that officer who yelled out, I was nothing more than a nigger, worthy of the loaded gun he was pointing in my direction. To all the other officers, me and all of my brothers were niggers that night. And, they all believed their guns pointing at us was necessarily deserved.

Now, read this paragraph, then close your eyes and experience how easy it is for you to see this reality played out with a different ending. Imagine my hotheaded self jumping into the face of the officer who had just let us all know we were we all "niggers doing nigger shit". Imagine my brother Jamal, who has always been comfortable challenging authority, "mouthing off" at one of the officers. Or, imagine my brother Nate instinctively reaching into the car to grab his wallet.

Over the past several days, I've cried many times imagining what may have been. One of us may have been abused that night. One of us may have been arrested and convicted. One of us may have gone to jail. One of us may have been shot. And, yes, one of us was the twitch of a finger on the gun's trigger away from being killed unjustly at the hands of the Chicago Police Department.

The advocacy work we do on Vision Zero Chicago is rooted in our commitment to dismantling structural racism in our society and ensuring my nephews and all the young brothers and sisters coming up never have to experience what I experienced that night, or worse.

Here we are, many centuries later, experiencing the same White Supremacy and structural racism first endured by our ancestors. Here we are, nearly 30 years later, experiencing the same White Supremacy and structural racism which gave way to guns being pointed at us that night, continuing to give way to Black, Brown and Indigenous people being murdered unjustly at the hands of the police, here in Chicago and around the US.

For those among us who still doubt the existence of White Supremacy, structural racism, inequity, corruption, overpolicing and implicit bias in the Chicago Police Department and other City of Chicago departments, this is all for you:

In 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and, in 2017, Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson, both publicly acknowledged the existence of racism within the Chicago Police Department and other City Hall departments.

Earlier this year, the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) announced their findings of its investigation into the Chicago Police Department and publicly released its accompanying investigation report.

Chicago Tribune article by former U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois, entitled Commentary: Chicago, get that consent decree.

The Intercept exhaustive, 4-part treatise on corruption within the Chicago Police Department, entitled CODE OF SILENCE: Two Chicago police officers uncovered a massive criminal enterprise within the department. Then they were hung out to dry.

Part 1: OPERATION SMOKE AND MIRRORS: In the Chicago Police Department, If the Bosses Say It Didn’t Happen, It Didn’t Happen.

Part 2: OPERATION BRASS TAX: Corrupt Chicago Police Were Taxing Drug Dealers and Targeting Their Rivals.

Part 3: HOUSE OF CARDS: How the Chicago Police Department Covered Up for a Gang of Criminal Cops.

Part 4: WATCH YOUR BACK: Chicago Police Bosses Targeted Cops Who Exposed Corruption.

The Atlantic article entitled The Corrupt System That Killed Laquan McDonald.

New York Times article entitled Chicago Police Routinely Trampled on Civil Rights, Justice Dept. Says.

Chicago Tribune article exemplifying police enforcement inequity here in Chicago, entitled 'Biking while black': Chicago minority areas see the most bike tickets.

Do your own Googles to uncover the many videos and articles documenting CPD's horrible track record of unjust murders, civil rights abuses and rampant corruption.

In the city I love, I am still considered a nigger by many. I am considered a nuisance, actively attempting to disrupt the City of Chicago's beautiful, equitable and well thought out Vision Zero Chicago Action Plan, dutifully crafted by mostly well meaning White people who don't live or work in our neighborhoods and without consultation from the very people of color impacted by Vision Zero here in Chicago.

The Vision Zero Chicago Action Plan is not beautiful, it's ugly because it explicitly states on pages 44 and 48 that police traffic enforcement is part of the plan. The plan is ugly because it does not explicit acknowledge the role of racism in our city toward causing traffic violence, continuing to only address the symptoms while putting an out-sized burden on people assaulted daily by racism in Chicago. The plan is ugly because the process of developing the plan was inequitable, where Vision Zero targeted neighborhoods were not engaged in the plan's development prior to the plan's release. The plan is ugly because it is another, consistent example of the City of Chicago's tireless commitment to harmful, top down policy-making and paternalism. The plan is ugly because it is owned by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and given the existence of racism in City of Chicago departments, including CDOT, Vision Zero should be owned by the people and organizations being impacted by the Vision Zero action plan and implementation strategy at the neighborhood level. The plan is ugly, biased, inequitable, paternalistic and potentially deadly in communities of color.

All this said, the City of Chicago, Mayor's Office and CDOT enjoy my full support on Vision Zero reducing traffic deaths to zero within 10 years, by primarily focusing on the nationally-accepted Vision Zero strategies of Engineering (redesign streets to make them safer) and Education (implement a compelling, comprehensive educational campaign to teach and inspire people to drive safer). While police should continue to enforce citywide traffic laws, I do not support the role of the Chicago Police Department (where racism, implicit bias, inequity, corruption and overpolicing are all present) in executing a police traffic enforcement strategy as part of Vision Zero Chicago in communities of color.

I am not a nigger. I am a strong, proud, powerful Black man. And, all of the brothers and sisters who stand with me are strong, proud, powerful Black, Brown and Indigenous men and women. We are organizers, advocates and activists. We love our neighborhoods and we love our people. We have faith and we believe intensely in our own capacity and all of our collective will to make the world a better place for those descendants of men and women who first encountered White Supremacy on the shores of Africa, North America and around the world.

We will do the work to ensure the City of Chicago will get Vision Zero right, implemented in a manner where this important policy and plan will do more good than harm in communities of color here in Chicago.

We will do the work to ensure the City of Chicago remove police traffic enforcement from its Vision Zero action plan and implementation strategy.

We will do the work to ensure the ownership of Vision Zero Chicago rests with the residents, stakeholders and community-based organizations who live and work everyday in the Vision Zero targeted neighborhoods on the Westside and Southside of Chicago, nearly all of whom are primarily low- to moderate-income communities of color.

Or, this strong, proud, powerful Black Man, from the Chatham neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago, will die trying.

Here's our Call to Action:

Sign on to our Change.org petition and share with your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and others in your network.

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silence-ion-om · 7 years

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The Breakup Breakdown

Many of you know about the significant life events that have happened in my life over the past few years because I have used this blog as a platform to document and process the events that shaped me-and continue to do so. So I am doing what I do and writing about the experience of the breakup/separation/conscious uncoupling of my relationship, in the hopes of learning more about myself and the process as I document. (Also this will probably end up in my memoir someday in the not so distant future.) This post will explore my thoughts, feelings and experiences; although Isaac and I share many sentiments about the whole thing, I am not trying to speak on his behalf in any way.

In talking about and about writing this separation, I was struck by how many breakup narrative platitudes/clichés are out there. There is an element of inherent blame in many breakups, whether directed at self (i.e. “It’s not you, it’s me”) or indirectly at the other (i.e. <from friends> “You deserve better/His (or her) loss/There are plenty of fish in the sea”, etc.)

Neither of these extremes make sense to me in this current situation, because there are elements from both sides that contributed. I’m also not a fan of the “If you love someone, set them free” sentiment, although this cliché does seems more accurate in describing the current state of affairs. I do certainly love him, and I have been told this feeling remains mutual towards me. I am learning that love cannot be separated into polarized extremes or encapsulated by clichés alone. And perhaps the most difficult lesson for me to continue learning and relearning: love, while a powerful force, cannot sustain a relationship alone. And it is not failure to admit that, it’s realistic.

So borrowing Chris and Gwyneth’s term of conscious uncoupling feels most appropriate and descriptive. I am constantly astounded at how mature this process has remained between the two of us. There is a lot of honest communication about feelings, expectations and boundary setting, and making mindful attempts to be considerate of the other persons’ needs. There are still arguments and hurt feelings, like any relationship. But repair efforts are there. We are both grieving, sometimes together and sometimes separately. It feels super mature and adult, and the novelty of it freaks me out sometimes.

I am used to the cut-and-run method of breaking up, and this is simply not an option at this time, for both practical and personal reasons. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I have never had a breakup experience quite like this; although in past relationships, I have tried my best to remain “friendly” with exes, this has not always been executed as well as I would have hoped—save for a special few. And that took time and effort.

Perhaps this feels different because it is a mutual decision. It helps that there was no cheating or other major transgressions-that’s not either of our styles anyway. Our rift was more subtle and slow and situational, in my opinion. Two years into our relationship, I lost my mom, and my dad (in a mental and emotional capacity), to alcohol-related problems. We moved a few times to places that ended up not being a good fit. We both made career shifts that required differing levels of focus and attention. And we dealt with the demand of our respective careers in ways that didn’t always mesh.

At some point, I became reliant on him for the majority of my emotional needs because I was isolating from outside friends and family. I tend to do this when I am depressed. I focused on trying to save my father from certain financial and mental ruin through various means of control, sacrificing important self-care and neglecting my relationship in the process. I think I was trying to feel for and heal everyone else except myself as an elaborate distraction, which is both physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting at the end of the day. I felt like I became a version of myself, disconnected from reality and identity. I decided to get sober in the midst of all this, which meant examining my thoughts, beliefs and behaviors in order to regain a sense of self and control over the chaos of my life. I have learned through working the program that all the behaviors I was engaging in create breeding grounds for resentments.

All of these factors would put strain on a relationship, but especially so on a relatively new one that was just beginning to develop. Positive, happy events like our engagement also held underlying stressors. I don’t regret our engagement and there is no bitterness despite the fact that Timehop/Facebook has been reminding me about the anniversary of it for the past few days. It is an important part of the story and it was a really beautifully thought out event I got to share with a man I love.

I really wanted to get married and have children, which I still do to an extent. But recently my intentions were clarified with these major life goals. I think I wanted them so badly because I felt like part of me was supposed to want those things. I worry about my fucking “biological clock” more now than I ever did before, and that’s not healthy. It’s also not fair to Isaac. I have identified the source of this strong desire to build a family comes in response to losing my own family in a sense. My dad still brings up the topic of grandchildren in a semi-joking way, which is maddening because it reinforces this strange internalized value of the importance of carrying on our family name as the only child. I know that just like getting sober the first time for my mom didn’t work, having children to make my dad happy is ultimately a different flavor of codependence. I still have more unpacking to do there.

I have always believed every event in life can be a learning experience; this particular one just has a steep learning curve at times. I am learning that change does not have to always equal chaos if you have the right tools to manage balance. I am learning the importance and difficulty of practicing good self-care and setting boundaries. I am learning about forgiveness and acceptance from many angles. Painful things have happened to me, but I can choose to use those things as catalysts for change instead of remaining stuck in a stance of feeling victimized by the universe and angry for all the losses I have experienced. As a writer and an artist, I am grateful for the inspiration all of this has provided me. (I am still in early stages of drafting that memoir, but I know it will happen when it is ready.) Mostly, I am learning to slow down and be present in the moment. Previously I functioned at either the caffeine fueled lightning speed of anxiety or alcohol induced depression I mistook for relaxation. Now I have options. Now I have serenity amidst calamity. I don’t like what is happening right now, but I know I can grow from it. And really, isn’t that the point?

#breakup #sobriety #lifelessons

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curiouskarenscapers2017 · 7 years

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Vol 1 -Aug 2017

14th Aug 2017

And so a new chapter in my life unfolds, this time at a bit of a later stage in my life, more towards the middle I’d say. Some might even think it a midlife crisis but I prefer to think of it as a crisis in my midlife. Not me personally but of my life specifically. I found myself at a crossroads earlier this year and not for the lack of trying to steer it in the right direction but more of the road changed as if magically to the one less travel and thus with less opportunity. I had to make a very hard decision after trying and relying on many to make a success of the road I chose but life had other plans, as usual, and I was faced with the option of entertaining extreme measures. And as life would have it I miraculously received a short term contract right before I had to finalise my decision to start the process of applying for an English teaching positions abroad.

I never thought this would happen …again. Not that it’s a bad thing in the least but at this stage in my life I thought I would be somewhere else doing something else BUT life had other plans and as usual a lot more adventurous than my original plans! Obviously I didn’t get that memo. Maybe my subconscious gypsy brain made this happen on purpose and the itchy feet followed like a horse out of the racing blocks.

I chose to apply for a position in Japan and China. Japan got back to me first and I had to attend a Skype interview. As I dialled in from my home office after checking that I had the right time zone about 5 times, a perfect porcelain smiley face greeted me in typical animation style; high pitched, soft voice and friendly giggle. Polite and very precise with her questions and replies. I was greeted again and told to await a response via email in 3 days. Which I received as promised. Another interview was set up and the same process was followed with another interviewer. I was again told that there would be a response via email in a few days. The interviews were quite hectic and I had to place myself in the frame of mind of a teacher every time. It was quite challenging as I’ve been in the corporate training world for over 10 years since my last eastern excursion to Taiwan but I managed however didn’t get the position.

They are quite rigorous in their recruitment process, as was China. Oh my word an how! I did not realise what was yet to come. Previously when I applied for the position in Taiwan , it was literally an interview with the recruiter and I was on my way. Here I had to do a criminal clearance record check, health check which includes a blood test for syphilis and Aids and x-rays for TB, then a check into your credentials (degree). After that’s done you need to legalise all those papers by sending it back off to Jobug to DIRCO (Department of International relations) only then do you go to the embassy with all your legalized papers and wait for your approval of a visa and then go back to collect it within 3 – 5 days. They are not slow in the processes but there are so many of them. At the embassy they were very cool calm and collected. Not overly friendly or too rude. You never really know whether you’re doing something right or wrong.

Finally after many interviews and paperwork everything was done. It then felt so sudden. Not enough time to do all I needed to and it didn’t feel real. Only when I booked my ticket did the reality hit home. Soo many things to do so little time. They were so supportive throughout the process and put me into contact with a girl called Rebecca from South Africa that has been there for 9months already. She gave me some tips over Whatsapp and I packed accordingly. Some of the foreign teachers I had interviews with also gave me some tips as China allows very restricted access to the outside world especially in terms of Facebook and Google.

And so my China chapter starts. So many things had changed since my last adventure to Taiwan as you will read in my Taiwan Times I’ll post on my blog. One thing’s for certain the criteria got seriously stricter! I literally had to give them my blood type, proof I don’t have syphilis and no outstanding warrant for my arrest…thank goodness they didn’t check for speeding tickets! Whew! Also had to dig my Degree out of the tomb of my Student pyramid, thank goodness I remembered what sarcophagus I placed it in, the mummy’s! Thanks Mom. My years of studying and never using it my whole life finally paid off…when I turned 47! Remember that kids…..hold on to that degree if you have one, you literally never know when you’re gonna need it!

So eventually, after doing all the checks and collecting the lever arch files of paperwork I was ready to go to the Chinese Consulate so that they can approve my going to enrich the lives of their young people in big ol’ China. Need to push Big K to the side a bit and let Little K through for some serious creativity and adventurism. Definitely a bit more difficult than 10 years back, for one, a few more suitcases in life’s baggage, big ones, heavy ones, important ones, ones you love and hold very close.

Well, they’ll have to wait in SA as I take a small empty one with to fill up with things “Made in China”.

So here is how I will publish them. With my Taiwan Times I did it per month ending up with 12 issues per year. I’ll do the same this time round as some months you do more than in others.

2107 Aug – Vol 1

Sep – Vol 2

Oct – Vol 3

Nov – Vol 4

Dec – Vol 5

2018 Jan – Vol 6

Feb – Vol 7

Mar – Vol 8

Apr – Vol 9

May – Vol 10

Jun – Vol 11

Jul – Vol 12

The last challenge I had was placing a meager 2 weeks of clothing and shoes into 2 pieces of luggage with a combined weight total of 26kg’s. Flying Emirates I am allowed 30kg’s but the problem is when I land in Guangzhou to fly a domestic flight only 23kg’s are allowed. The girls suggested bringing as much as you can of your own vitamins and health tablets as they are expensive there. So eventually after 6 hours of packing and repacking and cutting and sacrificing I got it down to 26kg. With some clever re-arranging of hand luggage I managed an additional 5kgs of clothes and necessities…..I’m ready!!!

And then the day dawned, I wasn’t coping as well as I thought I would. I was emotional and stressed out as I tried to complete my contract work as well as making sure all my paperwork taxwise and just in general was organised. Thank goodness I started a few weeks go with filing and getting everything sorted but on the day I think I was just stressing myself out more than was necessary. Lionel was so supportive and brought me drinks and food throughout the day, with a cuddle and a kiss for the moral support.

It was time and off we went to the airport. I hate goodbyes as it is and this was the worst. Once Lionel left I walked through the passport control and was in the International terminal in 5 min. I’ve never been in Cape Town Airport’s international terminal and was impressed with the shops and layout.

I found the Bidvest lounge and booked in, After having a glass of champagne and a fruit bowl I started relaxing. My mom phoned and I spoke to my brother, skyped with Lionel and received a call from my BFF. I was ready to leave! Soo many well wishes from friends and family, so much appreciated.

A beautiful sunset highlighted the end of my SA chapter and the beginning of my China Chapter. Got on my flight said goodbye and off we went.

A red wine and delicious dinner later I was watching movies. The Beautiful Fantastic and the Zookeeper’s wife were my first two while writing my blog. Let’s see what unfolds in Dubai .

Arrived there at 5:30 am the next day. At this stage I was tired but still functional. I’ve been at the airport 4 times before so knew the layout pretty well. When I inquired about the long stay over allowance we got previously (a snack and a drink to a certain value for layovers longer than 2 hours) I was informed that that no longer applied. Off I went to find some breakfast. As usual this airport doesn’t sleep however the people do, everywhere I walked people were propped up on their luggage sleeping. In Dubai airport near the Ridiculously Expensive Le Clos distillery shop is a section where people can lie down on loungers. It’s nearly always full and you have to lean on the wall awhile until their flight boards then the elusive loungers appear. But I never have and probably never will because I’m too scared of missing my flight while flying off to dreamland where there’s lots of space and no seat belt holding you back.

I eventually sat down at the Giraffe, such a cute restaurant with an awesome vibe, and got given a menu to peruse while the waiter was cleaning up. The places were packed. I decided on this little table that just became available as I came along and decided I will not be deterred by the price, anyway how bad could it be for a breakfast? I think McDonalds will be a better bet! Thanks …and off I went. I refuse to pay nearly R100 for a cup of coffee…maybe next time!……NOT

Anyway, just as well I did because I got the opportunity to use a self-help ordering terminal…sooo cool. There were queues inside the McDonalds and I decided this was going to be the way. It’s so simple and relatively straight forward and even comes with a helpful assistant that walks around to offer some explanation. I did it! Order a sausage egg McMuffin with banana and coffee. And I just had to wait in the collections queue and not that long at that! Found a corner open eventually and sat there for a while. Time flies here because you can do quite a bit and walk around. But eventually my flight was ready and I got the honour of flying in the Massive Double storey Airbus A800. Space, Fancier screen, charging plugs everywhere, extra view camera from the tail above the plane now! Yeah!! Bring on the next 7 hours.

The food was tasty and enough, the wine was good, but still no sleeping for longer than nodding off sessions of an 1 hour to about 30min at a time.

Finally landing at Guangzhou airport time 22:10. The process getting from the plane to your luggage was quite a process as we had to queue in a very slow-moving queue going through customs. Interesting mix of people entering into the country, many African, many Arabic, Indian and the odd blonde person in between. After watching their police performing their very seriously taken job of keeping the people waiting to face the customs official behind the white line, it was finally my chance to say hi. I had a friendly official, meaning no smile but relatively friendly tone. At least I didn’t get a “You shall not pass!” in a Gandolf type voice. I got my approval stamp and so I entered through the Gates of Great dynasty of China! Into a cold grey airport…..queue the cricket.

It was busy because of the flight and stayed relatively busy until about 12am. I was hungry and a friendly security guard pointed me in the right direction a few floors down. I found a restaurant that I could pay by card and ordered a beef dinner. Very nice thank goodness.

I quickly found a kind of ‘Always-on’ network and bought a subscription to have unlimited wifi for $9 p/month. I relaxed a bit and then walked back up to the floor I need to be on to board. So this 10hour 22min layover killed me. I was a Zombie stumbling through the airport. Here and there young people were attached to plug points watching movies on their phones or playing games, after about an hour or so one got up and I took my chance and filled the gap!

Around 5am the airport came to life again as the early flights started boarding. My flight was now on China Southern to Guiyang city. I was praying that I would get away with my two pieces of hand luggage each weighing about 8kg+, one being my laptop bag and the other overflow of clothes. Thank goodness by the time I got to the front a supervisor was with the guy and as he said ‘your hand luggage’ I placed it on the scale and it was 1 kg over, the supervisor said no problem. I could have kissed him! I was soo happy. Was stressing about it big time. Off I went, getting totally lost to where the gate was and then going through another security check point! Enough already! These guys are good! The guy found a lighter I had forgotten about in my makeup-bag, Lionel got them as gifts so I kept one just in case and my Nedbank power bank had no size on the unit which meant it couldn’t go on the flight. But after about 5 re-scans of my bag and unpacking it just about he found it. So it went through SA scanning, Dubai scanning and China scanning and nobody picked it up, just this little friendly (by the way) security guy. By now I was in and out of consciousness while trying to find a seat to sit on. The place was packed! I only later found out it was because of their holidays that the airport on the local side was so busy. After a few flights had left the waiting hall emptied and we were ready to board our 8:30 flight to my new home for the year.

The flight was on a local airbus 300 and the duration now only a laughable hop skip and a jump of 1:45 min. It went quicker because I think a started falling asleep. As I came into Guiyang I was shocked at how huge the airport was, didn’t expect that. Got stopped through customs again and they just searched my one bag because they couldn’t make out what a specific shape was – ended up being my shoe with facial pads in it! Thanks guys. But yet they were friendly and asking me questions about teaching English and asking me to enjoy my stay! As I came out of the airport into the arrival lounge I immediately saw my name on a placard and attached to it was the person who would be my personal concierge for the rest of the week and probably my life here, with no complaints! Louis.

Thank Goodness, he took me straight to my hotel and although I passed out knowing I had to meet the principal, May, later this afternoon, around 4pm, because she wanted to meet me and take me to dinner, it was a heaven sent deep sleep! The hotel room was good and clean and compact. I had everything I needed.

Both my alarms went off to jerk me out of my deep sleep. I had a refreshing shower and then realised my ankles were huge and swollen, my hands were swollen and felt like I had a chronic case of water retention. I’ve never experienced the ankle thing as only on occasion with my one ankle where I broke it many years ago but never like this. I dismissed it and promised to be drinking a lot of water, which turned out not to be a problem as I was constantly thirsty. My feet were sore but I was ready for my exploration date!

I checked with May where she was and met her downstairs in the hotel lobby. Then the great trek started. Oh my word….was I in for a surprise marathon of Guiyang!

First we walked the kilometre or so to Estee Mall(as in Este lauder), which is now one of my favourite then got a taxi to Feisan Street, a popular traditional restaurant place much like a vibey Florida road in Durban. The place to be but for restaurants and eating experiences. With a lot of old world charm mixed with some new age places. I loved it. We walked to the restaurant where she wanted to take me and we entered. In South Africa you rarely see restaurants really spend much on the décor or detail. Everything is pretty much stock standard and the really expensive places spend the money on atmosphere and décor to enhance the experience. Here even the cheapest place has the best carved wooden tables and chairs, wall hanging and room dividers. All hand carved and treated and solid. It must way a tonne. Traditional headgear, instruments and tapestries lined the wall.

The waiters were all dressed up in this particular minority group, as they call it, ‘s traditional wear. So to explain about that. The minority groups are like ‘tribes’ of China, mostly boarder -lying communities and Guiyang has about 20 and the province next to us against the boarder over 30. They’re not much represented towards the main cities and central parts. They are all identified by a specific dish they make, which was really interesting. So here we were having sour fish hotpot. Sour fish being the traditional dish for this tribe. I’ve had hotpot before in Taiwan and really enjoyed it. A bit of a mission though and takes forever to eat and usually has way too much food for me, but it’s supposed to be a social event where everybody eats out of the pot together over an extended period of time, placing items into the pot randomly. Also very healthy.

The layout is really so convenient and we should look at incorporating it into our restaurants back home, I really thought the concept was very practical. The table we were seated at is in a booth style, the table itself has an embedded hotplate in the centre of it with a control on the outside of the table. So, how do we choose these items that now go into our boiling cauldron? I followed May to a section of the restaurant where various bowls of herbs, spices, vegetables I’ve never seen in my life were all neatly packed and next to each bowl a small cup with flat sticks with Chinese writing on identified the veg and kept track of what you ordered. At the end you just take all the sticks, give it to your waiter and they bring the items to your table and use the sticks to ring up your bill.

The part I didn’t see at fist was where May had to go select our fresh living fish out of a tank, maybe just as well. The type of fish is a Wuijang fish, much like our fresh water Salmon I suppose, from a specific region in china. Once back at our table, they then bring you your pot, looks like a huge wok pot. It’s pre-prepared with a standard mix into which you start placing your various items you chose. Enter; Chinese cabbage, mung beans, Chinese yam, spinach type leaves, lettuce type leaves,other plant leaves, tofu, mushrooms, sweetpotato strips, leaks and many more unidentifiable fresh veg. So while this is boiling away happily with your fish popping out of the merkyness you prepare your ‘sauce’. What makes this such a unique sauce is that it is not a sauce at all. Unlike our Ketchup, tomato sauces, mustard etc. it’s all fresh ingredients you put together in a small “soya sauce” type bowl, like you get with your sushi orders. In this you place a mixture of spices(some damn hot), spring onion chopped up finely, some other herbs and then taking some of the soup mix you pour about a teaspoon into your little bowl. This is now your sauce you dunk most of what comes out of the pot into. So quite quickly everything is cooked, you break off a piece of fish, as well as my untrained Chinese takeaway chopsticks ability allows me and place it ontop of your bowl mix. Making sure it’s covered in your sauce you then eat it. The most amazing tastes and flavours get added to the fish and what an awesome fish this was. And so you carry on for probably easily an hour or more.

As small as May was she could pack it in, I was stuffed after about the 10th chopstick full. Hahahaha, the theory that the slower you eat and the less you put into your mouth the quicker you get full is definitely proven here. Some cooked veg also accompanied the dinner, a weird looking root veg that looks like a stick outside and potato inside but has a slightly different texture was very nice, some potato and tomato and of course a pot of rice….where do you put all that!? On the side is always a teapot of green tea that is freely available to help wash down the tasty food.

We managed and had some take always. It didn’t take long for the waiters to start fighting about who was going to serve us when they saw me and soon after eating I had to pay up by getting a selfie taken with the waitress. I took a photo of the floor manager in her traditional garb and of two young guys playing a flute instrument at the door outside. Very interesting. May then excitedly said I have to try one more dish that’s one of Guiyang’s favourite, called a Siwawa. My eyes widened and my stomach reminded me that there was no room, but duty calls and I’m always up for a new adventure. Off we went only a few restaurants down. They had a bit of a waiting period that was much appreciated. The restaurant had a tree in the centre of it and Chinese drawings on the walls. After a few minutes, off to our table we were escorted.

Washing your hands before eating is a ritual taken seriously here and up we got, to a basin in the restaurant, washed our hands and went back to our table. The table had 2 silver teapots and the now familiar spices to make your sauce with.

The old lady waiter brought a tray of various shredded veggies and placed it in the middle of the table. There were 12 small containers with the following ingredients; top left to right and down; bracken, garlic, cucumner, onion, celery,noodles, bamboo type, herb, weird strong root type, potato, seaweed and leeks.Then gave us a small side plate with little pancakes on. With pancakes, I meant only it looked like a mini pancake but was made of a very fine batter that was nearly see-through. There was about 10 in a plate.

You slowly peel it off the pile, place it in the palm of your hand and then choose which of the various ingredients you want to place in your siwawa. The silver teapots had a type of thin soy sauce in which you then mix with the spices.

You have a spoon for this and you pour the sauce over the ingredients of your siwawa, fold it closed and then pop the whole thing in your mouth. A bit messy at times but so refreshing and light. Definitely one of my favourites now. They also gave us a cup of brown juice. It was so tasty and refreshing and it had little beans in it, Mung bean soup, it was called, more juice than soup and it was cold. Very nice, will have more of that!

After this, I couldn’t any more and greatfully we were off exploring Guiyang and it’s hidden treasures. With my sore swollen feet and ankles the treck was doable and more exciting than the pain was noticeable. We came upon an open square in a park like setting near a major intersection, they have many parks and community squares in the city which is awesome. I heard this cracker sound from far away and was wondering what it was. As we came nearer I saw older people with sticks in their hands hitting something silver on the floor.

At closer inspection I saw that the silver object was a spinning top, some had lights on them others had moving pictures on the side and the sticks were actually a kind of whip that you used to keep the top spinning, and everytime your whip connects properly with the top it cracks like a firework. We had to of course try as well. At first very awkwardly and my whip didn’t even make a sound never the less hit the top, but as I got the wrist movement right the sudden crack rang out…yesssssss, I nearly air pumped my fist but kept my rejoicing to a controlled level and just grinned ear to ear, May just laughed. It was great fun and your arms got really tired. Apparently this is an activity for the older generation to keep fit. Very considerate of the government.

We walked another what seemed like hundreds of km and then came upon the famous picture you would see of Guiyang, the Hong? Tower on the Nanming river, a beautiful sight full of people and very vibey. Everybody was taking selfies and pictures everywhere you look. It was evening now and darker and the multicoloured lights were starting to brighten the sky. It used to be a scholarly place where academic competitions were held and Guying produced of the top candidates in the country. It’s now a tea room where you can enjoy the view while sipping your tea. I’ll have to go back there as it was closed when we arrived. There was also more to see here that was closed at this time. So I’ll have to come back and check it out again. No issue there.

And so our evening came to an end and we were back at the mall. Our head office-called the operations centre, is also attached to this mall next to the Haagen Dasz shop…how would I ever forget that! And the Starbucks across from the Haagen Dazs shop….I’m sorted. We said goodbye and I thanked her for an amazing evening and had to walk back to my hotel which was another km or so. I was dead, out of sight I could slump and limp back to my hotel…..my feet were killing me. I arrived had a shower elevated my legs against the headboard of the bed and passed out.

Thank goodness there was free Wifi every where. Including the hotel which made it possible to whatsapp call and we-chat and skype all for FREE. The next few days were a bit of a blur.

Thursday at about 11(God bless his soul) Louis fetched me for a health check and also picked up another new teacher that would be working at another campus, Victoria, from Atlanta,Georgia. So together we sat in their health care centre that was soo well organised. We chatted while poor Louis filled in papers and spoke to people. Eventually he instructed us to get a signature from each department and then we’re done. So on the same floor in an open space about 8 doors(with English names on it) surrounded us, with chairs in the middle You walked up to the door and the doctor would beacon you in. My first one an old lady waved me in and I sat me down while Victoria stood in a short queue with young kids to do a EKG. She did my blood pressure , that was probably sky-high as I still struggled to adjust to the high altitude with my swollen hands and ankles. Pity I couldn’t ask about that. She probably deflated my cuff about 5 times before she looked and me scowled a bit and then showed me to the bed. I lay down and she poked and prodded my stomach. She squiggled her signature next to one of the tick boxes on the page and nodded her head. I thumbs upped and had my asking face on, and she smiled. Thank freaken goodness.

Next the eye specialist. Also an old doctor here I had to get on a scale that talks to you and probably tells the whole waiting area how heavy you are. I know I know!! And it did! Damn machine. I laughed as the most ridiculous number flashed in front of my eyes and I decided there and then that my diet was going to start today! The old doctor smiled and made a running motion with his arms which obviously indicated I need to exercise. Hahahah does he not know I spin???….well obviously it doesn’t show! Sigh! He had a sense of humour, I liked him. I then had to sit on the chair with my paddle in front of my eye and identify the E upwards, downwards or sideways and I did that, he then asked me to take my glasses of and I did the same. He came over to me and took my glasses asking me why I have them, because I see better without them…hahahahahhaha I nearly killed myself laughing. I explained with body language that they’re actuall just for reading, close up, he’s cool. As I left he lit a cigarette in his office and chatted to another doctor.

Neeeeext…my Ultra scan, just to check that everything is where it’s supposed to be and I’m not pregnant? Teeheeheee. They are very thorough and very well organised here. It was a relief, although you did feel like a cow being moved from one end of a paddock to the next. Next was a chest x-ray. Younger radiologist who helped me take my necklace off. Luckily no clothing needed to be removed, he just made me hug the X-ray machine a certain way and then walked out the room. Done and dusted. Next was a blood test with a young girl who couldn’t speak a word of English and poor Louis had to ask me is I was having my period…hahahahahahah what you don’t have to do for these foreigners. They did the tests and I had to go pee in a cup. Then last but not least the EKG. I just shook my head as I realised how much we had to pay for these tests back in SA to get the visa and here they’re doing it just like that. The lady wasn’t very friendly as she placed all these little suckers on my chest and lungs. Within 5 min that was done and she waved me out of her office. I laughed thinking that in SA about 3 hours after I did the test I had a funny feeling under my bra strap and realised when I got home the doctor had left one of the self adhesive attachments on me…hahahaha I had a souvenir.

Downstairs they had a photo booth that took passport photos and then up again for the paperwork part. We were done. Louis dropped me off at my hotel and I had to go elevate my legs a while. My feet were killing me.

Justin arranged to meet up to have a dinner at a non-chinese food restaurant run by Chinese. I agreed as I was getting quite hungry and needed some coffee. i decided I was going to meet him at the Starbucks first and then we could go from there.

The place next door is a bakery where I also went into one morning for some breakfast and coffee. There coffee was nearly better than Starbucks’. I sat there and unwrapped my prezzies given to me by the school. How awesome.

The Restaurant was called The Monkey King. It was also a local craft beer brewery started by an old chinese lady many years ago now run by her sons.

After this he suggested we go meet up with some other foreigners in a place called Uptown. We got a taxi and even though I was exhausted I thought it would be a good way of relaxing and meeting new people. It was great fun from Russia to the Dominican Replublic, Australia to Holland, Columbian to South African and American, you name it they were there. They were playing pool and just having a good time chatting away. After about 2 hours I excused myself Justin got me a taxi back and I slept like a log.

Friday dawned and we were going apartment hunting…yay..under normal circumstances, I was just thinking about the walking. But I was excited and as I walked I felt better. This felt like house hunting. So exciting. Drove through an amazing new modern area. Looks like Dubai. Glass Buildings of all shapes and sizes were being built everywhere. Thousands of apartments look like hives of insects. The area reminded me of Sandton in Joburg, fancy cars driving around and clean, wide open well groomed streets and shops. Rrees and plamnts and greenery everywhere you looked.

Louis said that this area’s apartment to buy just doubled within the last few years. Huge museum here as well, I’ll have to come explore. There is apparently also a huge lake here hidden behind the trees. Saw a little 3 wheel car…only R14 000. Mmmmm maybe I should get one..very fugly.

2020 Guiyang will have 5 mil people. The city is comprised of many different communities. Each community os looked after by a police station. As you move into an apartment that falls within a specific community you have to register at the police station, as a foreigner. You are then under their jurisdiction and I suppose their responsibility. It has happened before that a teacher decided to move to another community and apartment and did not notify anybody, soon the police phoned the school and and gave them a warning, they could go so far as to fine the school and get foreign affairs involved. They randomly patrol the community and would check up on you.

One of the communities here in Guiyang is the largest in all of China with 500 000 people living in it. Hectic.

There is a huge green swirling art piece on one of the mayor traffic circles here and it represents a Green Future which is Guiyang’s claim to fame and future goals (Forest city). We drove further out oof this financial business district towards the school campus. We were looking for an apartment near the campus so that one would be able to just walk to school without being dependant on transport. We walked my feet off.

First one across the street in a glum looking community block there was a one room room. Dodgy. Next….26 floors up, coming out of a lift into complete darkness, with wallpaper coming off the walls, nice….not. The apartment was ok, 2 rooms but in a just too bad a state to make me want to stay there plus the squat toilet did put me off a little. I did notice a swimming pool in the community on our way back to the school. Will check that out later. Just under the school we saw an agency and walked in. Louis did all the talking and I said that is that one room was 1500Y and the other was about 1 800 I was willing to sacrifice a dinner or two and pay 2000 and get a better place. The school subsidised about 1800. (part of your package) The first one they showed was beautiful but I saw 2 500 and that was too much. I didn’t know Louis was such a real haggler and they settled on 2000. We went to look at the place. But first… we had to find it. It was also uphill! Today was a big challenge for me. Awesome for my step counter though…don’t ever forget about that!

The school campus is on the ground floor of two separate apartment building next to each other, below them on the street level is a open complex with many little shops, restaurants, supermarkets and fruit shops with a dried u water feature running through it. Louis took me for a hotpot lunch in the square. I was getting used to this now and the ingredients didn’ surprise me anymore, just different variations of food.

We walked through this and down a pathway where suddenly a huge ship came into view! What the hell! It looks like Pirates of the Caribbean did a Terminator stint and appeared in the middle of a residential area. It was huge, very surreal. It looks like it was a water feature with swimming pools around it. Hope thy restore it while I’m here. Anyway, awesome to have one in your backyard.

We walked up some more steps 60 to be exact and then finally asking for directions as we went came upon the building. It was perfect. Two sections of about 6 floors max and it was at the end on the 4th floor. Climbing a further 56 steps to the apartment I was breathing down poor Louis neck like a comrade’s runner. I have to get used to this altitude! Anyway trying to look composed and in control the lady opened the door and I fell in love with the apartment. Her and her husband were tenants and they were leaving. The wooden floors, open rooms (2 bedrooms), big bathroom with a normal toilet…yesss… and a nice marble kitchen and gas stove. I want it!! Even Louis was impressed and liked it a lot. We decided, Louis made a we-chat transfer to secure it and we made an appointment for Sunday to sigh the paperwork and hopefully I could move in on Monday!!! Thank goodness! Can I go home now?

It’s very green here which I love and on our way back to Guiyang city itself and my hotel we drove through a few tunnels through the mountains, the mountains are not swiss alps type mountains with rock face but rather wholly covered in vegetation. We had to pick Victoria up on the way back and get her registered with her police station. So I opted to wait in the car and bought something to drink while I waited from a little StreetSide vendor.

My favourite beverage in Taiwan, Milky tea and honey tea. So refreshing. I can drink it all day everyday. As I waited I noticed a wall with Chinese literature on it. I’ll ask someone to translate. And then I noticed the roof tiles. On my walk yesterday around the old buildings I saw the ceramics they used on the roof tiles. Beautiful red tiles with round red embossed covers on the ends, but the end covers were breaking off with old age so some were missing and others just chipped or broken. But on these tiles on closer inspection I saw that they were replaced by plastic covers. So you get a similar effect but in plastic, obviously less expensive to replace if one has to.

They came back and we left. I was dropped off at the hotel and crashed immediately. Aaaahhh elevated legs. I was wondering how long they were going to stay so swollen, was getting a tad concerned. I was drinking copious amounts of water because it was so hot and also just because I was so continuously thirsty. We’ll see I thought they were slightly less swollen than before, I went out a bit in the evening for some food and water, got some snacks at a shop and wasn’t really hungry.

Everything here is individually wrapped, clever but annoying. Thank goodness I had my can of condensed milk and stowed away coffee. Saturday dawned and nobody phoned to do anything…aaahhhh yes, please let me have today to just do nothing! And my wish came true. I relaxed and slept, worked on a project I needed to finish and slept some more.

Sunday arrived and Louis came to pick me up. We drove through to Jinyang to sign the papers. This place doesn’t know when it’s weekend. It still looks like it’s a Thursday or weekday. Busy streets everywhere. They drive like many of our taxi drivers do. Lots of hooting to let people in and to warn people off, I’m sure they know the different tones of hooting. We got to the apartment, this time driving to the street level. And found n the apartment full of people. The landlord, the tenants and an agent. Lots of discussion going on and sideways glances at me, smiling away. The lady tenant is cool and friendly. Her husband was here as well. Thanks again to old faithful Louis things were done and dusted in record time. I had to put my red inked fingerprint on my name…

I found this so interesting and they just laughed at my quizzical face. I could move in on Monday! I was over the moon! My own place finally and so cool! I walked around trying to find dinner after being dropped off and found a little restaurant that had chow fan. I managed to order by pointing at the picture on the wall and it was awesome! Pity I might be leaving tomorrow.

Monday morning I got a taxi to my Jinyang campus to start helping out with PBL (Phenomenon Based Learning) summer camp. Two groups of 4 -6 year old and 7 -11 year old kids signed up to attend the camp for the week. And so did I. I figured getting into things as soon as possible will help me settle in quicker and also allow me to start meeting kids and build relationships with teachers and TA (Teacher advisors) basically the Chinese teachers that assist in class. It was draining but rewarding and great fun. I even got to explore Jinyang and the area because of this camp. We generally started at about 10 preparing, officially starting at 11:30 with the younger kids and then older kids in the afternoon till about 4:30 and so on. We played basketball at their basketball court arena, the next day to the Pizza hut (which will never be the same again as we went their twice with both groups, different days) and KFC, we went to the olympic ecological park which was quite the treat! We had a master chef class at the school making sandwiches and buying the ingredients at the local little supermarket.

Monday after PBL I finished off a bit earlier because of Louis was collecting me and taking me shopping for my apartment!

So exciting, going to Wallmart! First we went to open my bank account at China Industrial Bank and had a good experience with a friend of Louis that opened the account for me. He could speak some English. After that we were off to China Unicom for my sim card. Oh my word, I would have gotten totally lost in that shop, cellphones and tech stuff everywhere. Most at about half the price we would be buying them for back in SA. New iPhone 8 coming out here in Oct. I’ll go check it out, but their oppo R11 and the Huawei P10 mate are beautiful phones. New Motorola relaunch with clip on camera, clip on speaker, amazing. Mmmmmmmm.

So off we went, poor Louis, I was like a wife just putting stuff in the trolley and Louis following behind reminding me that I don’t have to buy everything here, there is also a mall there for things I don’t need right now…such a voice of reason in my happy bubble. Also afterwards I think thank goodness we didn’t buy more as it was a hall up 4 flights of stairs to get it in the apartment. Definitely a restriction on my shopping bag sizes in the future. The Wallmart was awesome and huge! Soo many things and choices of products some familiar some totally unheard of and some I have no idea what it could possibly be!

Got bedding on special and most of the other things too, like a pan and some food stuff essentials, like condensed milk, of course, for my coffee. Washing detergent and washing up liquid. Sorted. About 1600Yuan later = +- R3000. Not bad.

I waved Louis goodbye and thanked him from the bottom of my heart for all the effort he has put into getting me into this apartment and everything else. Truly awesome. Wednesday we’ll do my police registration.

Deep breath and close the door. My own place. I started unpacking all the shopping bags. Let’s do the bed first! Yeah. Got to my bed and realised that there was no mattress. Hahahaha. They only sleep on a few duvets and the plank. I tried it out the first night and couldn’t walk the next day! It’ll be the couch for me until I get a mattress. Is sent my friend Rebecca a message and she got Jerry , one of the TA’s to order me one online for about 258Y immediately. I also realised I forgot to get a kettle. No worries I have a pan, I’ll boil the water on the stove for coffee. Then I was faced with the challenge of starting the stove….hahahahaha. I have a gas stove back home and really, how difficult could it be. But it clicked away as I turned it to ignite and I thought maybe the gas is finished or the igniter doesn’t work, wear and tear. I started opening cupboard door to find the gas bottle but couldn’t find it anywhere instead just piping and a dial and a lever and a red button. Hmmmmm. Let’s figure this out. After a few futile attempts I decided I needed expert advise. So who do I contact? Louis of course with a picture or two asking him, what does this do? is this on or off ?and what is the dial for.? Some he knew and the rest I asked the next day at school. Pan is also a Chinese teacher at the school, he’s so cool. I just show him the pictures and he tells me what to do, like my washing machine buttons and the remote control! A few essential items one needs to be able to operate.

So after a few critical button identifications I was ready to operate. Had to wait until our PBL camp finished before I could go play around. Pizza hut was an experience. To get the kids to eat pizza with their hands was a mission. In their culture they don’t eat with their hands, so when the pizza came they all tried to eat it with their forks. Even in the restaurant when I looked around people here and there were eating their pizza with a fork.

Eventually the kids gave up and ate it with their hands, which they thoroughly enjoyed, others still managed to eat the topping off without touching the slice. Nearly like drinking soup out of a bowl, that’s how they tried to eat the pizza. Amazing how cultures differ. KFC was easier as we ordered ice-cream. Chaotic but easier. They also had a black rounder of sorts. Will have to try it sometime!

The second time we brought the smaller kids in I could just feel the poor Pizza hut sighing and bracing its ‘self for another onslaught, luckily they had a section where we were kind of separated from the rest of the restaurant and a sliding door could be closed.

The Olympic ecological park was also amazing. A path was design for people to either jog or walk or cycle it around the entire area which was designed around a lake. Small buses also took people from one end to the next. I’ll have to come back to explore more thoroughly as the park is quite big and there are specific stops with specific information pertaining to it that I need to still see and understand.

So eventually I got to my flat that Tuesday afternoon and tried out my new found knowledge. I got the stove to work by turning the dial to about however long I think I will be cooking for and then pressing the little red button to open the flow of gas which I then found out was city supplied. How cool is that! The flames nearly took my eyebrows off at first but I got it under control and soon was merrily cooking away! The washing machine I was using correctly anyway but just didn’t know which hole to pour the liquid. Pan suggested just in the barrel directly, which I did. The remote control worked once I put batteries into the remote control! Hahahahaha didn’t see that coming! And my final challenge came when I bought two bottles of wine at the little local supermarket and got home to find I have no bottle opener! By then I needed the wine! My newly acquired scissors did the job beautifully and I had to push the cork in.

After baptising my face in redwine I was ready for the second glass! With support from the girls back home from the start via whatsapp we were killing ourselves laughing. Felt like they were there in the room.

Found the local large supermarket while visiting the KFC next to the Pizza Hut that Tuesday and went to re-visit it to buy my kettle and get some water. Such friendly staff and helpful. I cruised through the supermarket exploring the isles and came upon the fresh produce section, and very fresh indeed as in still alive fresh. After getting over the fact that I’m not in a pet-shop, I started feeling bad for the poor eels, tarpaulins, fish, salamanders, bound crabs and just kept walking to the canned section, safer! I had visions of me freeing them all and them running round the supermarket terrifying the local shoppers. Maybe next time.

What a selection of stuff, two floors of shopping. The water was next to the alcohol section, obviously. The alcohol was quite a selection on its own but very little South African wines available. Rupert and Rothschild was there at about R500 a bottle, but I’m sure we can get it cheaper somewhere else. I’ll keep looking. Some of them were over R1000 cheapest around R300. My Chinese red wine I bought on special for two in a little plastic carry bag was 69Y so about R140 for two bottles and not that bad, not good, but not bad. Beers are cheap about R14 for a long tom or a 500ml and a wide variety of imported beers. Mainly Dutch and German.

The week flew by and I was exhausted as I haven’t really had some time off and was still adjusting. First week and a half done and dusted. My legs started going back to normal and by the weekend I recognised myself. Also adjusted to the altitude and didn’t get out of breath so quickly after walking. Have I mentioned the path I walk down to the school on a daily basis. I did mention my pirate ship in the middle of nowhere. Love that thing. So as I leave my apartment, I walk 56 steps down to the door that goes down in to the car park and out the gate. The steps down into the car park to the gate at street level is 88. Then there are 60 steps next to the ship and we can add a further 30 taking a short cut to the school. So going to school is cool, all downhill, coming back that first day I nearly passed out at the ship! Then crawling and heaving the rest of the way uphill into the garage, like a wounded animal seeking refuge in it’s cave, only to traverse another 88 step up, by now sounding like a heaving comarades runner not making the 12 hour cut off when I get to the ground level of the apartments. The poor old men playing mah-jong under the little gazebo could probably hear me arising from the depths and stopped their game to watch me slowly make my way 10 steps to the door to the apartment section I live in, which thankfully was right next to the doorway down. Then after pretending to look for my keys while gaining my composure, I managed to get my breathing to a controllable panting-dog-on-a-hot-day speed. Nodding dignifiedly, I managed to open it and closed the door behind me, releasing some more pent up air to regain my composure before tackling my 4 floors of 56 steps to my front door. Finally nearly not seeing were the lock in the door is I manage to turn the key and fall into my flat. Closing the door an passing out on the couch. Here I lay recovering for a good 30min before finding the strength in my “where the hell did the spinning training go”-legs to get up and get to the kitchen to drink a litre of water. Needless to say that with that daily exercise and, on occasion since then, twice a day, I have regained my fitness and have now achieved a slight heavy breathing when unlocking my flat door. 204/34 steps one way. Amazing how your body just adapts. Yeah!! I had images of me finding a hole in the ship and like a stowaway, camping out there and pretending to live in my apartment.

Since then we had also explored some restaurants and hotpot places with similar setups to how I explained on my first hotpot encounter. They are all very similar with slight differences in meat and ingredients you could add. I found a little place with a friendly small young girl that tried to understand what I wanted and added me on wechat to be her friend. Jian. I call her Jane. She now knows my order but I had to put myself through moving down the menu list to find the one I could eat without losing control of my eyes and nose. I found it!!! 4th item down. I’m settling in quickly and even have a dog friend and her puppy that’s about her size already, at one of the restaurants I walk past on my route, so they see me twice. I stop to scratch them a bit as they lie in the sun in front of the restaurant, she recognises me now, probably because of the attention. They have mostly small dogs here, I suppose lap dog size. I have seen bigger but very seldom. Miss my dogs badly.

One of the days I met John, a south African geography teacher teaching here for a year to get some international experience, we got on like a house on fire, he’s sidekick was Alex, I started calling him Speedy because he was a small Mexican guy always on the go. Mad Mexican more like it. We soon got along and went out the one evening after class at the mall (TP Mall) which has 4 sections to it. You literally walk from one mall to the next, each section specialised in something like clothes, or homewares or food. We were in the food section with the KFC and the YH supermarket I visited before. Alex wanted to take us to the restaurant that you could cook your own meat and John wanted lots of meat, so after getting a bit lost but experiencing the different eating places in the mall we found it.Luckily Alex can speak Chinese and he ordered everything and organised everything.

You go and chose your own spices and veg (as usual) and then they bring the meat strips to the table. Lamb, chicken, beef and bacon. The centre of this table has a frying mechanism over which they place a wax paper nearly like your sandwich paper your mom used to wrap your sandwiches in. On top of this you place the meat and veggies. Very nice. Just before we arrived here Alex and John went to a bottle store that they know and bought some whiskey. Alex asked the waiter to keep the ice they also got in the freezer which they did with no issues or complaints. There is no corkage here and you can bring your own drinks and still smoke as well. After a while Alex had his speaker out and playing music and the next thing John asked if I had any South African music and just for him I surprised him with “Kaptein span die seile” he nearly cried! We played a few Afrikaans songs including Ou ry perd and Alex loved it. Hahahaha hope the rest of the people in the restaurant did as well. We sat there until they nearly closed. It was awesome. We became the 3 musketeers that evening.

They were talking about another friend Nadine (Dutch) that had left just before I arrived and how well we all would’ve gotten along. I then also realised that this is this life. Similar to Nigeria with the expat community, and I suppose Taiwan as well, different people arrive at different times and just as you get to know them and build relationships they leave. Alex might leave end September when his contract comes to an end and John finishes in Feb next year. It’s a sad reality and the life of contract teaching. The awesome part is that you meet people you might keep as friends your whole life.

I have been camping out in my lounge since I had my one evening on my rock hard bed and I must say, I have an awesome couch.

This area is noisy during the day with a school just below me, between me and the ship. Is has announcements every hour at a loudness I thought was meant for the town! With music in between to announce breaks from about 8am to about 8pm, after that it quietens down until about 10pm -11pm when it becomes very quiet. I leave all my windows open for fresh air to move through my flat, they have gauze shutters to keep out the bugs. I love this place. Living on raw oats, muesli, fresh fruit and milk breakfasts (Fruit varying from apples, bananas to watermelon all fresh from the little shops) and of course my condensed milk coffee in the morning.

Lunch times my R22 rand chow fan or R16 pork dumplings and then noodles, dried mushrooms, onions, strips of various meat, peas and lentils at night.

Drinking litres of water and my green tea at night. Needless to say I’ve lost about 5kgs already. The Asian way of eating definitely agrees with my system. Touch wood, I haven’t gotten sick once yet and have been taking all my vitamin c’s, omega’s and multivites that I did at home before coming.

I was exhausted by now and Monday was scheduled for teachers training till Wednesday, I volunteered to get it done now rather than later and they can give me the days off they want after that. It was great fun and I learnt a lot. All about lesson planning, about teaching different age groups and developmental stages of each age group. By Wednesday I was dead. I had to take a taxi there and back and it started to cost quite a bit. Around 40 -50Yuan one way. A few times the taxi’s picked up other people which made the journey longer and more expensive. The last one I had a fight with the driver as he did that and then still got lost on his way to drop me off. I eventually stopped him and said I’ll get out here, then he wanted me to pay the fair of over 80Y, which is R160 rand. I refused and tried to tell him he got lost, not my fault and besides I only had 50Y. I think he tried to tell me ‘but I asked you if I can pick up somebody else and you said ok’…hahaha shame, I just refused and paid him the 50Y and pretended I was still not at the right destination. Luckily we did end up around the ship. So it wasn’t that far home.

The last afternoon I went through early so that I could walk around Ole supermarket. I did before but never enough time to explore all it’s little treasures. We went down for lunch once in our training as the office is attached to the mall and I had an awesome lunch at a little place in their food court call the Gluttonous cat. Hahaha, I did have second thoughts visiting it with that name but the food looked delicious and I opted for a potato omelette type dish, very filling and quite cheap. I have a video file on my facebook page of how they made it in front of me on the hot plate. The bowl below is like pork crackling they also use it in my chow fan I love so much.

This supermarket is like our Woolworths in SA. A tad expensive but you get everything and more from everywhere. Not a huge place but exclusive. I just took photo’s of probably everything I was so excited. The one thing I did find here is their Sushi art. Beautifully packed Sushi and not to expensive either, cheaper than what we get back home and more.

I wonder if I would become what’s written on the labels if I ate these specific nuts. For that price I better!

They had a small café attached to the supermarket and I sat down to have a light lunch and coffee. The attendant was so friendly and she helped me get a special they had for a coffee and a hotdog looking roll. The coffee that arrived was so beautifully decorated and the roll was small but tasty.

Good value. She asked me whether it was ok to take a photo of me, I first thought she meant together, then I realised she meant her taking of me. I just smiled and said of course. She was so happy and appreciative. I should be taking of her with my coffee, she’s a master!

Some of the most beautiful shop faces I’ve seen in a while.

And so my first month came to an end. Only half a month but still it felt like I had a full month. Can’t wait for my three days off until Sunday, when I have my first demo’s. I’ll explain next time. Cheers for now, tsai-chen.

Guiyang gazette Vol 1 -Aug 2017 14th Aug 2017 And so a new chapter in my life unfolds, this time at a bit of a later stage in my life, more towards the middle I’d say.

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cathrynstreich · 4 years

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Fathom Realty: The Next Evolution of Real Estate Brokerage