photos

here are a few photos that i've taken so far...

this is from the plane... a woman used the light of the window by which to read so that she didn't disturb fellow travellers.

























this is the place where i've been staying for the past few days in hampstead. that's guiseppe, "the crazy italian", who actually just got up from spending 4 hours laying out in the sun.
























i just thought this was funny. i also think it's funny that the tube train i get on to leave hampstead and head toward central london reads "this train is for cockfosters". i know, mature.

this photo was taken in hampstead of northern london. it's a very posh and beautiful area of the city. there are extremely old and huge homes made of stone and brick.

runs, parks, and used car salesmen

It's Sunday and I slept until 11am. I most definitely would have slept later had it not been for my host waking me up to drink tea. Jet lag hit me in a big way, but I'm not so far off that I'm needing to sleep during the day here.

We went for Indian food last night on this street referred to as Brick Lane where people who work at these restaurants try to hustle you into eating there with promises of bottles of wine and free appetizers. It was quite entertaining to feel as though the food I was about to eat was being sold like a used car. Of course we went to the one place that didn't need to stuff it's chairs with seduced customers. The food was phenomenal and considering the Indian population in London, there's a certain expectation of quality that can't be beat anywhere but in possibly India itself.

It seems that the "thing to do" in the city on the weekend nights is go to the pubs first and eat second. The pubs are only open until midnight and the restaurants are often open later. The clubs are open until about 3 or 4, but it's more a beer drinking town than anything else. I keep thinking about the fact that I participated in a pub tour along the Thames. I was extremely entertained by the bartenders and often put them to the test by requesting their favorite beer. The brew is a bit sweeter and lighter than it is in the states. The temperature leaves much to be desired, but there are pubs with refridgerated kegs.

The photo posted above was taken by my current host, Jason, at Harrods where we marched around trying on insanely expensive threads, completely enteratained by the population that visits the bizarre department store of expesnive jewels, fine chocolates, expensive clothing, a market, silver furniture, and an Egyptian stairwell. The decor is extremely elaborate and I can't say enough about the prices. The hat I'm wearing was "209 quid", aka £209, aka about $400!!! The fake fur was £1500 and the gloves, about £30. Seriously. I really wanted that hat and looked for the rich Spainaird males that could afford to shower me with such gifts. To no avail I never actually walked up to request their kindnesses, and therefore failed in my mission.

I've been staying in Hounslow, an area just near the Heathrow airport. The planes are loud and frequent and the area is largely populated by Indians. It reminds me a bit of Brooklyn as the more affordable area in which to live in a very expensive city. Everything is a short tube ride away. The best purchase I've made was the "oyster card" that allows me to jump on and off the tube all over the city. It's also usable on the double decker buses that I got to experience last night on the way to Brick Lane.

Yesterday was great! I went for a run to explore my surroundings, acclimate to the temperatures, and get over any sort of fatigue I may have been experiencing. I love the painted messages near the cross-walks for the silly "sods" that fail to remember which direction the cars happen to be traveling in this country. "LOOK LEFT" or "LOOK RIGHT" seem to be the most popular. I passed by a tagging that read "Sod OFF"... I thought it was funny. Perhaps this is how I'll overcome my cursing issues on the Ultimate field.

After the run, I got ready and headed to Hampstead Heath for a walk through the park with Nick, a friend of mine that I met 5 years ago in Seattle. It was great to see him and to visit such an incredible park that spans for miles and is enjoyed by many. There are several hills from which there are incredible views of the city and the land kite surfers that ride off-road skateboards pulled by the force of the wind. Nick and I walked around Hampstead to view the amazing homes once lived in by famous individuals responsible for such attrocities as The Christmas Card. There was an actual plackard indicating this, right next to the garage door on which it read, "Don't even think about parking here". Well, "May Your Holidays be filled with Cheer" as well sir. Before heading off to meet Jason and his housemate, Matt for Indian food, I enjoyed an americano at a lovely cafe where Nick told me crazy stories about Adrian Sherwood and all of the interesting music producers with whom he's worked. In a fading business in which he's received very little credit for his work, Nick has decided to pursue his pilot's license in light of the recent marriage and instant family that's joined his life.

The weather is getting a bit warmer, time to head out for another run.

** erinn

letters to my brother...

Dear Nathan,

I have arrived. I'm feeling quite loopy due to the lack of sleep on the plane and the extent of the flight, but it was quite nice. British Airways does not charge you for your food and despite the fact that I failed to phone ahead to request a vegetarian meal, they found an extra for me for both dinner and breakfast.

I wrote some notes in my journal after a couple of hours of sleep in an uncomfortable position:

Day 1: Somewhere over Greenland

I suppose I shouldn't question whether or not this adventure had already started. It seemed to have begun when I agreed to be the "official photographer" for OAR Northwest. Meeting them, getting to know their families and their girlfriends, experiencing the amazing amount of support and sense of community- it's all been an adventure. Now I'm on a British Airways plane on my way to England for 5 weeks. I've met people via the Internet on Couchsurfing.com who are willing and pleased to host me without much knowledge of who I am part from ta profile I created only 2 weeks ago. I'm pleased to have this opportunity to meet all sorts of locals that are also willing to show me around a bit. One gentleman from Australia is actually meeting me at the airport to ensure that I arrive safely. I'm so grateful for the kindness of strangers who's only intention is to meet people and gain further insights from individuals of all parts of the world. My kind plane pal has ensured that if he doesn't hear from me in the next day he'll send the police after this guy. I don't believe it'll be necessary, but it's a lovely offer. He's an interesting fellow. I still don't have his name, but he struck me initially as a bit too brazen and arrogant in regards to his level of intellect, but I realized he's just trying to survive like the rest of us although his path has been a bit more unstable. I noticed a scar that stretched from his right ear down to his neck. H has a dry and seemingly uncomfortable cough that causes him to wince and keep sentences short. Upon asking him if he was alright, he confessed that he had parts of his lung removed as well as part of his tongue. He wasn't bashful about showing me the now unique shape of it. I believe he had cancer growths removed. I would know for sure had his experiences not made him an expert on all of the medical terms with which he's been afflicted. He first found out about his condition a week before final exams of his last year in college. I asked him how the news affected his exams and he proudly proclaimed that he graduated first of his class. He gave credit to God and his firm belief in Christianity because he couldn't give himself credit. Now 28, he travels the world as a software engineer. He inspires me not to pursue his field of course, but more so that I don't want to wait until some major ailment affects my body beofre I start testing the limits of my talent's capacity. I feel very humble by nature, but I could stand to be a bit more brazen in the way I view my place in the world.

I love you Nathan... I'll send you my phone number as soon as I get one.

Love,
your sister

The View

Seattle. I took this photo yesterday and decided that I'd use it for this post today. After editing the image, which entails spotting out obvious dust from the sensor and enhancing the colors just a bit, I uploaded it to this very site. You'll see crazy oranges and bizarre shades of lavender and blue hues blanketing the city. I didn't do this intentionally, but now that it's up, perhaps it's appropriate to see Seattle from a different angle, or at least in a different hue.

I am leaving for the UK on the 27th. I have so many things running through my head and so many stresses taking over my daily habits that I feel guilty simply sitting down to reveal these thoughts to those few people who may read anything I happen to post here. I've never traveled to another country by myself before. Well, while I was still in college I visited my mother while she was living in Guadalajara, but she was there on the other side to make sure I arrived safely. There will be no family members, no friends I've known for years, no guarantees on the other side of the 9+ hour flight. There's something about the level of insanity I'm currently experiencing that makes this all okay. The challenge is simply getting to the starting line, or at least the gate at the airport. The next one will be arriving safely with at least one person awaiting my arrival. I've discovered a website, www.couchsurfing.com. I'm quite taken with the idea that someone created a site dedicated to promoting community and at the very least, a sense of it. Why just offer up a space on your floor or couch to host a person from another country or culture, offer to show them around, provide them with the opportunity to teach them something about yourself and your culture, share ideas, inspire more... I'm only a couple of days into it, but I'm completely fascinated. So far, there's one gentleman that has offered his place, but I've only contacted a couple of people so far. (I'll be safe Mom). Who knows who I'll meet and how they'll be able to help me on this adventure, but just the fact that the resource exists gives me hope that there are more people like me wanting and needing more out of daily life. We could be escape artists, soul searchers, insatiable wanderers, but we speak a similar language that makes finding each other feel as though we're that much closer to where we need to be.

I'm on a journey and I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences.