The 10th anniversary of this LJ was a couple of months ago, holy crap. Not that I've really been using it the past few years. Despite this blogging fail, I've decided to try again and start fresh:

Wonders of Wanders, my brand new travel blog!

Yes, the name is totally a rip off of BBC's Wonders series presented by Prof Brian Cox. Because I have a giant crush on him. Only one post so far (about the GISHWHES weekend in a haunted Scottish castle) but hopefully I'll be better at updating it.

Life-update-wise, I was asked to star in a werewolf movie in China. So I'll be doing that for the next couple of months, lolol. Most random thing EVER.

That is all.

2012 was the most amazing year of my life, so I felt it would only be fitting to make like the countdown ball on NYE and bow out by dropping from the world's highest bungee jump platform (233 meters / 764 feet). Happy new year's, all! :D

Recently (or something) I turned 21, and now I will be 26 in three days, what?

Not that this is a bad thing. Not being like the Chinese people around me (btw I've moved to China -- travel/life update soon), I don't think it will be the end of the world if I'm not married and about to become a mother in four years. In fact I think it might be the end of the world if I am married and about to become a mother in four years; I'd much rather be a "leftover" as they call single, 30+ women here. But all of that is neither here nor there.

The point of this post is actually to say that the Art Creation Foundation for Children in Jacmel needs help. And I'm not above using my birthday as an excuse to ask for it. :P

As you probably know, I went to Jacmel, Haiti with Random Acts both this year and last, and it has become one of my favorite places in the world (which is saying something). A large part of this is because of the kids at the ACFFC.

These kids had little to begin with and many lost even that in the earthquake two years ago. But they laugh and love and try to share everything from their songs to their art to their food and water with you. I've never met happier, more vibrant children. They're like that because of the ACFFC.

You can read about the ACFFC at their own website or at RA's H2H site.

And also at this photo website put together by Vanesha, one of the Hope to Haiti volunteers. Most of the pictures have comments from Judy Hoffman, the director of the ACFFC, telling stories of each of the kids. Some might break your heart - like the little girl who thought surely there must be a mistake when she first joined the ACFFC and began receiving three meals a day; shouldn't that extra food go to someone else instead? - but they're also hopeful and will make you smile.

The ACFFC is about to lose their current house, and if they can't raise enough money to move into a new one, who knows what will happen to them? The house they hope to buy is perfect for them and would be a permanent home, and nothing would make me happier than to see them be able to move into it (short of perhaps winning the lottery in which case I would just buy the house for them and continue to travel forever). You can see a photo of their dream house at the bottom of this page.

I would be so grateful if any of you are willing to donate however much you can spare to help this cause.

Here's the link: http://www.crowdrise.com/anewhomefortheacffc/fundraiser/tracyloowho

Thanks. ♥

( South America is my new favorite continent.Collapse )

I'm thinking Florida and Haiti will have to be a separate post later. In the meantime, I've been convinced to join Pinterest. Made a pinboard of some of the cool places I've been to, mostly with pictures from photographers much better than myself. If nothing else you may enjoy looking at all the pretty!

http://bouncingbabynames.com/

( The adventure continues!Collapse )

Back in Lisbon now! :D I have a day-long layover here, saw some friends, had some drinks, headed to South America in a few hours to spend 5 or so weeks traveling around the continent with a good friend (a.k.a. Brazilian1 in my Eurotrip posts). Life is good. Except for the part where I have a 10 hour flight tomorrow. Oh well.

( Some of this is from over two months ago so let's see how well I still remember it...Collapse )

Just got to Rome! Actually between Dubai and here I also traveled around Turkey for a couple of weeks, then Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia, but it's 4:30 am so those will be in my next post. Hopefully it won't take another two months to write it up. T_T

A very belated happy Valentine's Day and thanks to n_isfor_neville, ohmiya_sg, angel_kink, harper47, effervescent, rogueslayer452, anathema91, starlitshore, brihana25, and wook77 for all the glass hearts! They are very decorative and festive. ♥ I think at the time I was floating lazily about the backwaters of South India in a tiny boat.

Been traveling for almost a month now and had some crazy times. ( Pics and things!Collapse )

Spent the weekend at a friend's vacation house in Ericeira, a little town on the beach an hour or so north of Lisbon.

I rang in the new year laughing violently about cows. This is a conversation to preserve in my LJ forever:

Friend, who is Portuguese: I'm so jealous you're going to India! I've always wanted to go to India, it's a huge dream of mine.
Me: Yeah? Why India?
Friend: The cows!
Me: Huh?
Friend: The cows!
Me: The cows...?
Friend: Yes! The cows. I love cows.
Me: ...Okay... yeah, I guess there are a lot of those in India...
Friend (with great enthusiasm and conviction): Exactly. I don't have any cows in my life, so when I'm on vacation I like to see cows.
Me: ...
Friend: Just during vacations, though. In the summer. I wouldn't want cows the rest of the year.
Me: ...
Friend: ?
Me: But why cows?
Friend (very earnestly): I don't know, I just love cows!
Me: Right. Okay, great.
Friend: It's like when I was in Palermo, cows everywhere! We only felt safe in two streets, but it was great, all the cows.
Me: Wtf. Admittedly I have never been to southern Italy but Palermo is a big city, I'm pretty sure it's not overrun by cows? Everywhere but two streets?
Friend: Really, Palermo is full of cows in the streets! There's no organization.
Other friend, who had been listening with equal bewilderment until this point: OH I KNOW WHAT SHE IS TRYING TO SAY. CHAOS.
Me: OH. OH MY GOD I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING NOW.
Friend: Yes, cows...?
Me: CHA-OS. Cows are the animal! Vacas! Vacas everywhere in Palermo!
Friend: OMG. NO WONDER YOU KEPT GIVING ME SUCH WEIRD LOOKS.

We laughed for like twenty minutes straight, well into the new year, it was amazing. Most hilarious English fail of the year. Second most hilarious was the time a girl from Colombia was concerned about a baby and wanted to suggest we wrap it in a shawl. What came out was a casual, "hey btw, should we rape this baby?" Uh NO I can think of a few better things to do with my Sunday afternoon, thank you, where did this idea come from? Wtf? Third most hilarious was Chinese people painting Portuguese flags. There are supposed to be tiny castles on it and I guess they were told to paint "mosques", but instead they painted a bunch of mosquitoes on all the flags, lololol. We were so confused, like, WHY ARE THERE MOSQUITOES ON THE FLAG OF PORTUGAL?

There were so many more great moments, like the time a friend kept telling me about this huge, scary, furry bird, until I realized he was talking about a bear. And "I prefer cake with much density about chocolate." The same guy had never seen a tampon before we found some in a store and tried to convey this to me by saying, "I am meeting with the tampon."

Anyway yes, that was 2011. Here's to spending more quality time with non-native English speakers in 2012! :D

What did you all do? I hope everyone had an excellent new year!

ETA: HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THIS GEM, a Brazilian friend once said, "I prefer this [packet of olive oil], it comes more!"

1. Why so fugly, LJ? The changes have fucked up my layout too. :|



2. All my life I've written French guys off as being overrated. Now I am nursing a mildly pathetic crush on one after having spent last weekend with him and lallipoo in Paris. FML. On the bright side, at least he's not actually Parisian. And he's only half French.



3. History lesson of the day! I texted my friend (who is from Rio): Marcus, why is your city called the River of January?
   
   Marcus: Bcs portuguese arrived or founded it in jan and when they saw the bay they thought it was a river or at that time the words for bay and river were the same. Since they were pt i think that they thought it was a river lol



4. Also I attempted to quit my job. The conversation took place in the break room and went something like so:
   
   Me: So, after the snowboard trip at the end of Jan I'm gonna go to India.
   Boss: India, really?
   Me: Yeah, I've always wanted to go to India and this seems like a good time...
   Boss: *drops something on the floor and goes to retrieve it*
   Me: ...since my friend is getting married there.
   Boss: Did you know, this colleage of ours vacationed in India once. I think he went by himself.
   A different colleague: *joins our table* He has a girlfriend now.
   THEN THEY GOSSIP ABOUT THIS GUY'S LOVE LIFE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. Until we are joined by several other people.
   Me: fml.
   
   Later I made my boss understand that by "going to India" I meant I'm not coming back and he got sad and asked me to consider taking a leave of absence, aww. ♥



5. Thus far I have an Indian visa and tickets to Austria, Milan, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, and Chennai. After my friend's wedding in Chennai I guess I'll travel around India for a few weeks before heading to China/Tibet. Thennn I am contemplating Nepal, Turkey/Greece, Serbia, Italy again, Brazil, Peru... etc. But don't know yet and am open to suggestions! TELL ME WHERE I SHOULD GO. :D



6. Have a most excellent holiday week and EAT ALL THE THINGS. I miss you guys. ♥