What a Difference 5 Years Makes…

…or not. Because based on these pictures (both taken at the Pantheon in Rome Italy – but 5 years apart) I haven’t aged not one bit. If I keep this up I’ll be the flyest 50 year old you’ll have ever known! No, but really, why do I not look at least one month older in that second picture?! I mean, it’s been half a decade!

The photo to the left – October 2006, HU student, two months into my study abroad experience in Italy (which was my first time out of the US), one of the few people who are actually using Skype already, my only cares in the world were a) I hope we don’t miss our train back to Milano and b)I hope it rains during Homecoming so I don’t feel like I missed anything (I’m sure it did), memories of hostels and overnight trains.

The photo on the right – January 2012, 5 years, 5 moves, three jobs, an engagement (and subsequent disengagement) and half a master’s degree later, my job is paying for me to visit these places (i.e. no more hostels!)

What a difference 5 years makes! You NEVER know where this life or your travels will take you. Who knew that this one journey during the Fall of 2006 would actually end up changing the trajectory of my life COMPLETELY! People always say studying abroad is a “life changing experience” but in my case it literally was. Studying abroad planted the seed for me to first start encouraging others to study abroad, and then to travel in general, led me to volunteer for a nonprofit called the National Center for Global Engagement, and ultimately led me to quit my well-paying corporate job to go back and start that Master’s Degree in International Education. And all of that somehow has gotten me to the point where I am today, as a coordinator for diversity in a study abroad office for a campus of 35,000+ students. Crazy! But perfect…

Most people like to say, “Think outside the box” but like the motto of our office, I’d like to say “Think outside your borders.” Your life’s passion and calling may be waiting for you just on the other side of a passport stamp. I’m not saying you may begin to work in the travel industry, but seeing different ways of life really opens your eyes and your heart to all that is possible out there. You don’t have to be limited to 40+ hours of misery or even mediocrity. The world is yours forreal – it’s just up to you to go out there and see it!

Let’s see where 5 more years gets me. So far it’s looking pretty good!

 

Respect and Honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King in New Delhi, India, 1959.

 

(Dr. King’s dream wasn’t limited to U.S. soil. You don’t have to be limited either. Dream bigger.)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Travel Anthology Project

Here’s an open letter I’ve shared with friends who I know have studied abroad. Based on the initial interest and some feedback I’ve received, I can already tell this could be a multi-volume project. So I’m opening up submissions. The letter pretty much speaks for itself. If it speaks to you, add your e-mail to the contributor list. If it doesn’t, just promise to cop the book when it’s published at the end of this year.

Hey friends,

If you’re getting this, that means I’m aware that you have either worked, studied, lived, or traveled internationally. Also, you probably know that I am all about encouraging others to broaden their world view and have some international experiences of their own. That said, I’m interested in writing a book. Moreso an anthology. I’d like to collect stories about experiences that we have had internationally and publish them as a way to not only preserve them, but to show others that we do travel and to spark their interest in this world of ours. Those stories about getting lost and stumbling upon that dope nightspot, the moment you and hour host family just clicked, how you and your new foreign boo argued daily but didn’t even speak the same language (oh – that was just me? ok), the first time you realized you were no longer a “tourist”… etc. etc. etc….  

So, what do you think? I know not all of us are writers, but I know that we all have a story to tell. I would be more than honored to have you as a part of this experience! I envision this book in the hands of college freshman at Howard, in the AUC, at big state colleges; being read in Book Clubs all over the nation; being shared among young professional circles; being required reading for local high schools; and most importantly as plane reading for a group of black young adults’ next big trip. Remember how everyone use to pass around The Coldest Winter Ever in high school? Yeah, that viral. 

If you are at all interested in being a part of this experience by contributing either a short story, drawing, photo, poem, recipe, whatever, please enter your e-mail in the contact field below. Also, I only know so many people so if you were abroad with others or know of others who could also be a part of this please feel free to share this message with them.

Looking forward to hearing back from all of you!

Love,

D.

Add yourself to the Contributor list here. Then be sure to check out the submission details on the Call for Submissions page.

Name(required)

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Where did you study abroad?

How I Ended Up At Church on a Wednesday Night… in Rio

This post could very well be titled “Musings on Living Like a Local” but I think going to church while visiting Rio adds some WTF value, no?

I’d been in Rio for over a week. And thanks to Couchsurfing, I felt like I lived there! For most of my trip I stayed with a new friend, Aline, at her apartment in Botafogo and thanks to her I’d been doing things in Rio I absolutely never thought I would do while on vacation. Not extremely crazy things though. Quite the contrary – very regular things. Add in some sight-seeing here or there and I really got the hang of Rio. Like I could give someone directions or tell when my taxi driver was taking the “long” way. Here are some of those “regular” things that really made my trip memorable:

I caught at least one bus every single day. And I’m telling you, catching the bus in Rio is no easy feat. I swear to Jesus catching the bus is like hailing a cab as a black man in Manhattan. Just because it is a “bus stop” does not mean the bus stops. No, when you see your bus coming you have to practically stand in the street and flag it down – and then hope the driver stops. And you’re lucky if he stops all the way. The minute you put your foot on the first step you better hold on for deal life – because he is taking off! And the same thing for getting off the bus. I saw one too many people jump off of a slow-moving bus. Anyway, catching the bus without any Portuguese skills was a real achievement, especially when you add the fact that I actually reached my desired destinations. No need to clap for me, I rewarded myself with some churrasco’d carne pretty frequently.

The juice guy knew my order. It only took a couple days, but I acquired a favorite juice bar in Ipanema. First of all, there are approximately 79,453 juice stands – in Ipanema alone. So to find a favorite, again, was no easy feat. I’m addicted to the abacaxi (pineapple) juice in Rio. Actually, I’m addicted to all juices when they aren’t processed and I can watch you make them straight from the fruit. But nonetheless, every day on my way to Portuguese class I’d get abacaxi juice. And then during the break I’d get another abacaxi juice and some pao de queijo (“best cheesy bread things you’ve ever tasted” is an understated desription). Every single day. By the 4th or 5th day he was either happy to see me come again or was just tired of hearing my busted Portuguese. I’m gonna go with the former – but either way he was picking out a pineapple before I even had to say a word!

I went to church. I’d just gotten back to Aline’s crib. One of her friends was there to meet me. So we’re sitting there chillin out and escaping the quick rain shower when Aline calls and tells us to meet her at church. Ummm what? I’m on vacation. (Lord, please forgive me and my ignorance – ha!) After I tried to tell Aline that wouldn’t make sense because 1)again, I’m on vacation and 2)the service is in Portuguese!, I realized that it actually might be an enlightening experience. It’s yet another way to immerse myself in the culture of Rio and really see how they live. Really shake off that tourist aura, you know. But I’m gonna tell you one thing – besides the Portuguese and the songs with the Latin beat (yes, they were slick samba-ing at church) – there were moments when I felt just like I was at a Pentecostal church in Alabama. Alleluia! Even though I couldn’t understand all of the words, I could really feel God’s presence and understand the Brazilians’ praise. Eye-opening experience about the world of believers. It helped that I already knew what some of those verses were in English. I kinda knew what the message was about. Oh and another thing that I loved about Brazilian churches, a lot of them had a garage door opening so that the service could be heard on the street and people could just walk right on in – or not and still get the Word. It really makes me want to go to the worship services of other areas where I’m visiting. So next up, London. I’ll be praising the Lord all proper and such (stereotypes are bad). Get excited!

Couchsurfing is really helping me experience life as a local in new cities. It’s probably the best part of the organization (even better than getting a free couch I’d say).

How do you know you’re living la vida local when you’re far from home?

I wasn’t at this service. But peep this little girl. You don’t know what she’s saying but you know she’s on FIYA for Christ.

A Little Reflection Anyone? 2011: A Year in Review

Well, well, well… here we meet again holiday season. Funny how every year I sit and wonder how in the hell did you arrive so quickly. And this year is no different. Except it seems like you arrived a little quicker than normal. At any rate, the end of any experience, or designated amount of time calls for reflection – and reflection can be useful in many ways. So let’s take a look at what went down around the blog in 2011 (and then look at where we’re going in 2012):

• *Tap, Tap, Tap* Is This Thing On: How you start something is how you end it right? Well the 1st post of the year came in April. APRIL! Terrible right? I started the year neglecting Vai Via – and ended it the same way. Of course there are valid reasons for both cases of “neglect” and this post announced my enrollment in grad school!
• Introducing: The 15 Day International Travel Challenge: This was the highlight of the summer! This challenge was a lot of fun and most importantly got a few other bloggers in the mix. From favorite places, to favorite foreign songs and movies, to advice to others who are thinking about traveling – this challenge really gave everyone a glimpse into my travel mind from a much broader perspective than just studying abroad. (It also proved that I can be a regular poster if I really want to – I posted every single day for 3 weeks!)
• Howard University Students Experience South Africa: This is simple. I got to share two of my loves – my alma mater and study abroad in one post. These students’ observations and the way they write about their experiences though their blog is just insane!
• Discovered While Traveling: The Secret to Happiness: The title says it all. I discovered the secret to happiness. And you don’t have to travel to put the secret into action. It’s pretty awesome. You’re welcome. (I went to Brazil!)

And, finally, one of my favorite posts of the year -

• On This Episode of “The Best Week Ever”: I got my dream (right now) job. And this post is announcing the job just one week in. And what’s funny is that as I re-read this post and feel all the giddiness of that first week – I recognize that I still have that giddiness damn near every day at work! I try not to talk about my job every day on twitter and facebook but the excitement in this post really sums it all up. I still love my job! The other special thing about this post is that I was recognized by goabroad.org as the Blog of the Week! And I didn’t even have to pay them to say all the nice things they said. Check it out! (There were quite a few other posts – but these are just the highlights.)

So what about 2012? What’s going to happen next? Well, all of 2012 will be devoted to one masterful, gianormous, amazing, cuh-razy project! Of course it’s study abroad-related. I’m not announcing it quite yet, but you’re gonna love it! The blog will continue to be a mix of my musings on travel and study abroad in the grand hopes that more of “us” will get our passports and embark on our own adventures. I’ve been somewhat torn between whether I want the blog to be about study abroad or about travel in general, and I know focus is good sometimes. But for me right now, I’m deciding to do both! Once one becomes more dominant, then so be it. But until then, inspiring you to get out of the country by any means necessary whether you’re in college or work a 9-to-5 is the M.O. of Vai Via. The only thing that’ll be different – more pictures, less time between posts. Thanks for stopping by – see you in 2012!

(Oh and I knocked off one of my Bucket items in 2011! I’m going to aim for at least 2 in 2012.)

My ABC’s of Travel

I am not one to back down from a challenge. So when Naomi of Kansan Girl Chronicles (and one of my newest Twitter friends!) tagged me to her post – I just knew I had to go ahead, bite the bullet, and get to writing. But I like challenges anyway, so here goes!

A: Age you went on your first international trip:

Twenty. Fall semester. Junior year. Changed my life. And I could drink there so it led to a pretty anti-climatic 21st birthday 10 days after I returned.

B. Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where:

Kubuli! From Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean. We won hella cases of Kubuli during Divefest (we lost a canoe race because our boat capsized smh).

C: Cuisine (favorite):
Man. I like food. Like a lot. Like all of it. Italian is one of my favorites. But the spices of any island food – Jamaican, Eastern Caribbean, whatever – make me weak! And then let’s not even get on Thai, Japanese, and Chinese. Yeah, I just like food.

D: Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why:
Least favorite: I can’t think of a “least” favorite. If I didn’t enjoy it I must not remember it. Wait – does Tijuana count?

Favorite: Capri, Italy. I feel like I talk about this alot. But here, read this, instead.

E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”:
Inter vs. AC Milan at San Siro stadium – wow. Then that weekend we went to the Alps. Just wow all week long.

F: Favorite mode of transportation: 
My blue suede shoes (or whatever is on my feet at the moment). I’m a fan of walking to explore a new place. Although I’ll never pass on the opportunity to cruise around a little island in the Mediterranean on a yacht.

G: Greatest feeling while traveling: 
Landing in a new place. Breaking through the clouds as you disover a new skyline (or coastline) from your window seat. Then those first steps out of the airport. What a freakin rush!

H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to:
Vegas in July. Why didn’t anyone warn me? (This doesn’t have to be international does it?)

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where: 
Virgin Airlines – or maybe it wasn’t the service and I was just woo’d by the funky fresh fly planes (well looka there – a double entendre first on Vai Via ).

J: Journey that took the longest: 
Driving from Memphis to Cali and back again. Love will make you do some crazy things!

K: Keepsake from your travels: 
Jewelry. Or the pashmina I got from Italy like 7 years ago. It’s my absolute favorite and so much thicker and prettier than the ones you get here. And it still gets compliments!

L: Let-down sight, why and where: 
Mona freakin Lisa. I mean, really. Why? Why is this piece famous?? The most exciting thing about the Louvre the night I visited was the lighting.

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel:
Residential summer camps in high school!

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in: 
The one in Capri? Or maybe one of the W’s. I’m really bipolar and can’t decide whether I like modern/chic or shabby/chic. Or even classic/beautifully historic.

O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?:
Kids. And old people. And couples. I guess just people. 

P: Passport stamps, how many and from where? 
I have NO idea how many. But I do know that the customs guy in Panama last month stamped on top of one of my other stamps and I really felt violated! I was like what?! ALL these pages in here?! And you just tried to mess up one of my memories?!? #rude. Mexico, Dominica, Netherlands, Italy, London, Chicago, Brazil – didn’t get any Europe stamps because I was traveling from Italy. Womp.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where: 
I don’t remember the absolute quirkiest but the most recent quirky would be at MASP in Sao Paulo. Just look at this picture and you’ll see why:

R: Recommended sight, event or experience:
Get on a plane and see something you’ve never seen before. Done!

S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling: 
Food. I spend way too much money on food and wine. But then I don’t wanna pay for a taxi smh.

T: Touristy thing you’ve done: 
Liquor factory tours. They’re soooo gimmicky. Bacardi Factory in Puerto Rico and Heineken “Museum” in Amsterdam.

U: Unforgettable travel memory:
I haven’t forgotten a thing!

V: Visas, how many and for where? : 
Italy for school and Brazil because America is tripping and they’re just practicing reciprocity. But at least I’m good for the next 10 years! World Cup what up?

W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?:
I fell in LOVE with chianti while staying on a vineyard in Italy. It was like bottomless mimosas except – it was wine. And it was free. But whatever was in that sangria in Barcelona – whew!

X: eXcellent view and from where?: 
The view of Rio de Janeiro from the Christ the Redeemer statue. Or the view of the statue from down in Rio.

Y: Years spent traveling?: 
10? 15? 20? I don’t know. Do family reunions count? I think we went to Ft. Lauderdale when I was like 9. And my dad lived in Chicago when I was 5 or 6. 

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?
San Siro in Italy. CRAZY. FANS. Although most recently in Brasil I practically got accosted about my favorite Brazilian soccer team at least once a day. And if I didn’t answer “right” boy did they have some words for me! But that’s cool because I didn’t understand them anyway

On This Episode of “The Best Week Ever”

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” -Confucious

It’s only been a year and a half since I left my corporate job (and California), where I was making great money, but professionally bored. During the day I’d take care of business, and at night I’d volunteer for a start-up high school study abroad organization creating manuals, strategizing, researching, etc. – for free. And I didn’t mind. Because ever since I went to Italy during my study abroad at HU, I’ve made it my life’s mission to make sure more people that look like  me are able to have similar experiences. But this post isn’t about that (click here for that post). This post is instead about how I started a new position this week. A position that reminds me of that Confucious quote above. And I’m constantly thinking “Someone’s actually paying me to do this?!” As the new Coordinator for Diversity and Semester Programs at the University of Maryland, I’ve talked to classes of underrepresented students about going abroad, learned an insane amount about the background administration work of my two programs (Rome and London!), met with the financial aid and scholarships offices about how we can make study abroad more financially accessible, tabled at the Unity Welcome student org fair and met some amazing student leaders on campus (and Testudo of course), [insert more amazing stuff here], [...here], and [...here]. I just feel ridiculously blessed and almost want to cry. I don’t care what you Debbie Downers say, this is not a honeymoon phase! If it were, then my team wouldn’t be as awesome and happy as they still are… and they’ve been around for years! If you know me you know this is what my life’s calling is. And I can’t wait to make a tremendous impact on this campus! (Did I mention that I’m still in grad school. So far, so good. Just keep me in your prayers .)

You have to go here to figure out the other reason why this was the best week ever. No really, click it! I’ll wait. Did you see it? Vai Via is the GoAbroad.com Blog of the Week! Again, I feel so blessed to have my site recognized by a resource such as GoAbroad.org. I have used GoAbroad dozens of times when searching for programs, advising other students, looking for information for school - so for them to have noticed little ol’ me. Humbled! It makes me want to write more regularly!

(Ok, so if you didn’t really click it the first time, here ya go. I know how y’all are!)

Best. Week. Ever!

Traveling Pretty (or How I Hiked Sugarloaf in a Sundress)

“How in the world did you fit three weeks of clothes into that duffle bag?” Sundresses and sandals my friend. A pair of jeans is only half of an outfit but still takes up the space of 3* sundresses! So, yeah I do it mostly because I know I can bring like 50. But also because ummm they’re cute? I don’t like to be “that tourist” traveling through the airport looking all frumpy – that’s the number one way to spot the Americans in the international terminal.

Yes I hiked up here in a sundress. And sandals. Keep your judgement and give me a drink!

Besides, the photo ops are better. And you can go from sightseeing to the bar without skipping a beat.  And if you bring a sweater you can go to church too (a post about that later).

Traveling pretty is great – until your Couchsurfing host lets you know that it costs damn near $50 to ride the tram to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. Say what now?! But all hope is not lost – there is a way to hike up the mountain and you get the very same views plus a little workout in – for free! Great. I’m wearing a sundress and Havaianas. And so is she. Well, we decide to do it anyway. Because we’re geniuses of course.

Are we there yet? No. Well, let's stop anyway.

I really thought it was going to be an easy hike. I saw people taking their kids up, others taking their parents. Everyone who was coming off the path was full of spirits and some were even laughing. Duh! Because they were coming down! (Insert Homer Simpson “Doh!” face here.) Yeah going up was another story. It definitely wasn’t the worst hike I’ve ever done. Far from it – it’s just the sundress and sandals combined with the week of eating nothing but steak, cheesy bread snack things, and more steak wasn’t really a good prep for a Sunday morning hike. It was pretty fun(ny) though! I’d definitely do it again – in tennis shoes. The views of Rio de Janeiro were unbelievable, the weather was perfect, and it’s actually a great place to just hang out and maybe relax with a good book (or a boo ).

*Not scientifically proven (i.e. I totally made that number up).

The view of Flamengo Beach and Centro Rio de Janeiro from Sugarloaf

Discovered While Traveling: The Secret to Happiness

I’ve now been in Rio long enough for me to finally sit down and take a breather. In the past few days, I’ve started Portuguese classes, attended a music festival, visited Christ (the Redeemer), been to two different beaches, been to the movies, had some amazing dinners, walked (a lot), met a ton of new friends, and just explored whatever and wherever my little heart desires.

Besides the fact that I’m always happiest when I’m near beaches and 80 degree weather, I really think I’ve discovered the secret to happiness. Every single morning I wake up and I do two things. I promise if everyone practiced these two things daily, we’d be so much happier! It’s really quite simple and for the life of me I can’t figure out why people only do these two things while they’re on vacation.

So basically, every day when I open my eyes and thank God for the opportunity to experience another great day in this thing called life, I do these two things:

1. Ask myself “What do I want to do today?” What will make me happy? Sometimes it’s a whole list of things, other days it may be just one thing that needs to happen to “make my day.”
2. [Insert answer to #1 here]. <— Do that.

So much of our life is spent doing what we think we should be doing, or what we think we have to do, that we often prioritize that above what we really want to do. And that’s pretty damn sad. Every morning here I ask myself the question above and then make it happen and I just realized – I should do this everyday! Why is it just restricted to days spent traveling? When I visited the Christ the Redeemer statue, I couldn’t help but realize how happy everyone was to be there. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t understand a single word out of their mouths. I understood their smiles, the squeals, the energy.  Even before we got up the mountain to the statue, people were excited just to be on the tram. And I know they’ve been on trains before. It’s because they’re just eager to be doing whatever the hell they wanted to do that day. And I can’t be mad at that. On the contrary, it makes me very very happy!

Is she smiling so hard because of Jesus?! Or Vacation?! Hmmm...

How Can American Music Be Better Outside of…well, America?

(Brazil starting tomorrow! I’ll try to keep you updated on my happenings. First up is the Back 2 Black Music Festival, all about promoting black culture through live music, presentations, discussions, and more!)

Ummm, not quite *this* intimate...

I don’t know how this happened, but I’ve easily been to more live music events on vacation and while living abroad than I have here in the U.S. Well, I guess I do know how it happened. I prefer live music – even American – when I’m traveling. I don’t know if it’s because the venues tend to be smaller (er, more intimate?) or because tickets tend to be cheaper (depending on the artist of course), but if I find out an artist I even remotely like is going to be in a city that I’m going to – you can bet money on seeing me in the crowd. I don’t know how true this is, but I always feel like I have a special connection with the artist up on stage because noone else is American! Don’t judge the shallowness, ok? But I’m pretty sure this is why I’ve gotten asked to hang out with the band and go back to their rooms (no, I didn’t go!) and why I’ve gotten pulled onto stage numerous times (yes, I did).

Artists make most of their money touring right? And their international following is sometimes more obsessed with them than fans here (read: Kelly Rowland).  Or it may be that they’re not as well known abroad, hence the smaller venues and lower ticket prices. All I know is that I’ve seen the Roots twice – once in Paris and once in Milan, both in venues with less than 250 people – and I know I wouldn’t have had the same experience had that show been here. And besides, there’s just something so sexy about being blocks away from Elysee Monmarte while Blackthought rhymes about it.

That said, I’m super excited about Brazil starting this weekend. 1) Because it’s Brazil! and 2) Because I’ll get to see some of my all-time favorites at the Back2Black Music Festival. Check out the entire lineup here - but I’m most excited about Seu Jorge (legend!) and Aloe Blacc (soon-to-be legend!). So for your Friday Listening Pleasure, please enjoy the sounds of Aloe Blacc and Seu Jorge – I’ll see you men on Sunday!

Am I making this up? Does anyone else feel like their live music experiences are different when abroad?