:: Tears of the Moon ::
If my life could be a song, it'd be Plumb's Real, which starts off with "Look at me, twenty-three, beautiful sight to see tonight." Which is, incidentally, my age last year. But the lyrics still apply. Do I get life half the time? I don't. I'm just struggling to get by. In the meantime, I write, I read, I observe. This journal is what it feels like.
:: Thursday, August 10, 2006 ::
So it's been two months, eh?
What have I been up to?
I spent most of July preparing for The Trip: I went to the US for a client visit, a cousin visit, and a site visit. It was a hectic two weeks, but it was everything that I could've packed into a US visit.
I went to Iowa, where the client was based. Saw a farm, had an authentic US barbecue, ate S'mores. Saw a real farm, with REALLY tall corn stalks. I actually saw apples on an apple tree. Picked some apples and had the thrill of my life feeling the fruit snap off from the branch and smelling apples from the tree. I've always smelled apples the way they come off the grocery box, never fresh from the tree. I saw farm trucks with wheels bigger and taller than me. Saw farm machinery that cost roughly the same as a mortgaged house, and a granary as tall as a four storey building. Went and had real ribs. Went to Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works. I watched a real baseball game!
Kit and Brenda in Bath and Body Works in Iowa!
Went to Chicago to visit Ate Jinky. Went to museums (King Tutankhamun, Leonardo daVinci, Dinosaurs, NASA, Robots, Insects), saw Wicked! and watched Cirque du Soleil. Bought many books. Had dinner at the 96th floor of the John Hancock building, went to the Navy Pier. Went to Hard Rock Chicago. Went to Millennium Park and immersed myself in Frank Gehry's amazing architecture. Got to see the (big-ass) fountain, and the Bean. Took pictures of the cityline from the edge of Lake Michigan.
Kit in the Chicago Museum!
Kit near the lake in Chicago!
Kit in Hard Rock, Chicago!
Went to Amherst to visit our site there. Had a two hour delay from Chicago (O'Hare) to Buffalo (due to the heatwave, then sudden rains), so I went straight to the office instead of checking in at the hotel (Mariott Buffalo). Met up with everyone I normally just communicate through email with (Fulfillment, Training, Quality, other departments and Hollie's backups). Went to Anchor Bar, where they (said they) made the original Buffalo Wings. Went to a real bar, since someone was getting married. Went to Niagara Falls, and met Brian!
Kit in Niagara Falls!
Kit in Niagara Falls again!
Kit and Hollie!
Got myself an armload of new books, a new telescope, about two years' worth of perfumes, a week's stock of candy, and a lifetime of memories. Now that I've done it, I want to come back. I've gone through long-distance travel on my own, the farthest distance from my family and the longest time away from them in my life. I think I can do this again.
By the time I was waiting for my flight back to Manila (Buffalo then a four-hour layover in Detroit), I still couldn't believe that I've been there. Across the world. On the other side, where they work day and I work night. It's a true learning experience to see how people are outside your comfort zone. I've always grown up around people who have the same culture and values as me, that I took it for granted. I took for granted that everyone spoke Filipino, and suffered a little bit when I had to speak in fluent English with each person I encountered in Iowa. I was glad to see my cousin in Chicago, coz I got a break from all that English - haha. Then back to the groove in Amherst.
Very glad.
And one more thing: ZERO JETLAG! YEAH!
:: D said @ 6:09 PM [+] ::
...
