Fiji, p.2

Above,top to bottom: My flight to Fiji on the morning of Jan. 4th at 5 am, Nadi International Airport,Fiji; I met many helpful people along the way, including Elisabetta, a Kiwi teaching in the U.K. who was on holiday in Fiji. We shared a cab to the beach and swapped travel stories; I crashed several resorts and took full advantage of free amenities, including water, baggage drop and towels, but not suntan lotion. I got quite burned despite hanging out at the Sheraton, Radisson and Westin hotels: A view of the golf course near the Westin hotel- the disparity between the resorts and rural Fiji was striking in cleanliness.

Full gallery on Flickr

Layovers are boring, unless it's in Fiji

From top to bottom: This is the WRONG ticket counter, January 2nd; the view from my Air Pacific flight at 4 am over the Pacific Ocean on January 4th; the Fiji islands from my airplane window at 4:30 am on January 4th; the countryside surrounding Nadi International Airport, January 4th; Gerald, the friendly Fijian flight attendant who taught me basic fijian words.

Full gallery on Flickr

"You're not on this flight," said the young lady at the ticket counter. "Did you print a boarding pass?"
"No."
"Well, you're not on this flight," she said.
Now one hour and 41 minutes before my supposed departure from Los Angeles, and I don't have a flight. Thumbing through my passport, she typed my name and smiled.
"Ah, you're now on Air Pacific, terminal three."

Sprinting down the sidewalk, backpack over my back, another bag over my head, I nearly knocked over a cart and a small child to make it to the Air Pacific counter. Filled with Chinese, Indian and Korean travelers, I easily shouted my way through the crowd and pushed past everyone with my height. The german woman at the counter seems skeptical of me, the sweat dripping down my face and the bag she says is too big.
I quickly reorganize my belongings to her satisfaction, and with one hour and five minutes remaining, she said "do you have your departure ticket from New Zealand?"
"Yes, but it's online."
"I need a printed copy. There's a printing station down two levels on the other side of this terminal. You have ten minutes."

This time, I did knock someone over, but I made it on my flight to Fiji.

I just sent this email out, it goes for all reading this!

Hello family and friends,

I am sending this brief mass email to rekindle old friendships and create new ones by telling you about two incredible things happening in my life. First, I would like to invite you to pray and donate to help a charitable cause I helped start in May to support a Ukrainian orphanage and the Catholic Church's fight to end human sex trafficking. Secondly, I leave in one week for a trip around the world, and you are cordially invited to join me and my companions.

The Pysanka Children's Home in Potelech, Ukraine is run by Sr. Romana Musenko, an inspiring 33-year old nun who is starting her own orphanage. When I met her in 2009, I was humbled by her youthful optimism, determination and the harsh reality of Ukrainian life: over 200,000 Ukrainian children roam the streets every day with no place to call home. Coupled with a $14 billion dollar sex industry that is thriving in Ukraine and the human disaster of orphan trafficking quickly takes shape. Sister Romana's model of family-style, Catholic orphanages is not just a step in the right direction, it is the model the rest of Ukraine should follow and we believe the right answer to human trafficking.

Since May, we have raised over $11,000 to help finish the orphanage by publishing newspaper articles, speaking at Catholic churches in the Rockford, Illinois Diocese and selling artwork in Toronto. This means the nuns have raised over $200,000 US total, but still need approximately $50,000 more. We have sent all the money we can before Christmas, but all help is deeply appreciated. Please keep the sisters and the orphans of Ukraine in your prayers, and if you feel inclined to give you can make checks out to UCEF, and write in the memo "Sr. Romana." 

Donations can be sent to:

Matthew Matuszak

Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation

2247 W. Chicago Ave.

Chicago, IL 60622-4828

On January 1st, I leave for Auckland, New Zealand for a trip around the world with my best friend, Tim Malone and his brother, Daniel. You are invited.

This is an open, collaborative trip, meaning anyone can join at anytime. Of course, we don't expect you to quit your job, buy a plane ticket and fly across the Pacific Ocean to embark on the trip of a lifetime(like us). But if you are so inclined, or you have a week, month or year of vacation, consider sending us an email and joining up. 

The catch is if you join, you have to post your photos, videos, and stories online so they can be geo-tagged. Then we will patch your trip together with our trip and map out where you were with us on our blog and Google Maps. We'll do the same with the next person, and the next, and . . . .  Soon, it will be like you went around the world with thousands of other people.

The patchwork quilt we are making isn't made of a lot of money-we aren't especially rich at this time in our lives and plan to work our way around the globe. It's not made of hotels or first class seating- we plan to couchsurf, WWOOF, and help along the way, avoiding air travel as much as possible. And it's not about living vicariously. We are inviting you to join us, or to contribute in your own way by living life beautifully everyday and posting your story for others to be inspired. That is, after all, the title and theme of our blog, Life is Beautiful.

If you are in this email, then I am thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers. God Bless and Merry Christmas!

-- 

Mike Rudzinski

Photojournalist

mikerudz@gmail.com

www.rudz.net

Skype: rudz1985

The journey begins: my last day at work

Above: My clap out was great but bittersweet. The world awaits!

Below: Me with my Soviet hat outside Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL after my last day at work. Thanks to Jahan Rodriguez for taking the photo.

Technology

So I just discovered this nifty new feature from Windows Live that enables me to draft my blog entries on my pc instead of having to log in to Blogger online to do so, and it is making me extremely happy! Humans are funny creatures in that sometimes the relative ease of use encourages us to do things more often and more consistently, but as I began to think this morning, I have been remiss in posting a new entry to what was intended to be a regularly updated blog, and from here on it may prove more so. But what with finding two jobs each, and juggling the hours in order to save some cash for the New Zealand foray upcoming, we have not taken a good amount of time to reflect on this forum in such a way as to transmit this information to you. Even now I must race off to mass at noon on a Monday as I was not able to make it there Saturday or Sunday since I worked all day both days. Now, however, we have one bicycle, which facilitates transportation from one place to the next, and I am much more motivated to go out and do things, because it does not cost any money and it is great exercise and a good way to get to the know that city.

Now I continue this post almost four days later, because I must admit that I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Technology can be used to improve our lives in so many different ways, including efficiency, and an ability to “be” in multiple places at the same time. I am the first one to admit that I have used Skype to be present for a meeting for a second job, meanwhile I was still supposed to be working at the first. Technology is an aid, is a tool. But just as your good ‘ol hardware store tools such as hammer and saw can be used for the wrong purposes, can be misused and abused, so can the new technological tools that we have at our disposal be misused and abused. It is simply that the nature of the misuse and abuse, and their affects that have changed dramatically. Now before the thought enters your mind as to the irony of these statements being written in a software program that facilitates posting to a blog on the internet, whose existence is in some ways only justified by the readers who have spent enough time on the internet by then to actually take the time to open the blog and read it. In other words the idea that I am propagating the very misuse and overuse that I am condemning, I will be the first to say that the use of technology, like anything else is good in moderation.

Think about the tools of antiquity. What was the reason for their creation? Why did we create the modern hammer rather than continue to use the traditional stone on stone method? I would venture to guess that it had something to do with efficiency, and the speed with which a task could be completed. Now these kinds of tools, when used correctly and appropriately, were used to build dwellings, that in turn eased the lives of the people who first created the tools. Tools are meant to facilitate our existence and the fulfillment of the true needs that each one of us has. Technology is no different. As long as it remains a means instead of an end in and of itself, I believe technology is good, and will continue to play a positive role in our society. However, when it begins to dominate our lives, then it becomes unhealthy because it is interfering with the very lives that it was intended to help. Perhaps there is no way out from the social-networking and blogging craze, but I think that if we consider this point, we can stop ourselves from simply desiring and then sitting and admiring the hammer, and instead use the tool for what it was intended. I remember receiving a hammer for Christmas a few years back, and holding the cold steel in my hand and practicing its swing only fascinated me for so long. Ultimately it came in using the tool for its intended purpose that true satisfaction came through.

Thus, let us make wise use of this new tool before us called technology. Let us use it for the purpose that it has been developed, rather than letting a tool control our lives. Let’s get together with the friends on whose Facebook walls we write, or use the “event” feature to set up a time to get together and talk about our lives. Use Meetup.com to gather a group of people interested in doing the same things as you. Blog about things that are important to you, and then send the entry to someone on whose life you think it will have a positive and needed impact. And last of all, use email wisely and sparingly. I have been the first one to break this rule, but have learned that the more sincerity and honesty you pour into your words the better.

I have no illusions that technology is going to go away any time soon, I merely question how we go about using it. This is the question that I wanted to share with you. And thus if ever you wonder why I have not updated Facebook, or blogged recently, or replied to your email, it is for this very reason; I needed a break from technology. Just as the carpenter at times needs a break from his hammer, and so sets it down and has some lunch, or devotes himself to another task that seeks the same end as the hammer. Most things in moderation, and life will become both more simple, and more rewarding. Let us use well the tools that we have been given, for they are gifts to improve our lives, and were never meant to become our lives.

Love the Australian Accent!

It has been a couple of weeks since the last post, and thus well past time for another update. As of late I have realized that you are what ultimately matters in all of this. No matter how many places we go, or how many new people we meet, you are the ones who are at home supporting us, and patiently awaiting our arrival. And let me assure you, that in that time there will be much joy and celebration!
To be honest, I have gotten a bit backlogged with the Hawaii post, simply because the experience in total was so rich and chock-full, and I don’t want you to miss out on any of it! Thus now I want to give you a brief overview on what is happening in Australia, and the Hawaii post will come when it is ready.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Andy and Lindsey were gracious enough to rise at the crack of dawn in order to take us to the Honolulu Airport. It was not without some measure of trepidation that we completed the standard flying procedures and made our last phone calls to the mainland. We did not know what exactly we were getting ourselves into, but we had a plan.

The plane took off without incident, and then a 16 hour flight filled with watching movies with no headphones, bothered reading, and intermittent sleeping. It was a bit long. However when we landed at Sydney and whizzed through customs, I knew that we were going to be alright! I had even ripped my customs form, but they still took it! Aussies were amazing from the first customs official I met in country. From there several people initiated conversation both on the transfer bus and in the terminal, assuring us that we would find work and would enjoy our time in Melbourne. Four hours laid over, we sat down to write and journal, and then realized that without a watch or cell phone, we had no idea what time it was. Needless to say that we had crossed several time zones and had only a vague idea of what day it was. Eventually we decided to wander down to our terminal, and it was there that the flight attendant practically yelled at us – “Final call for boarding!” – we had barely made it!

A short jump flight later we made it to Melbourne, collected our $80.00 checked bag without incident, and proceeded to find an ATM and something to drink. Now this next story needs a preface. When I first arrived to Lima, Peru, I took what I considered a courageous step and ventured out to buy a newspaper one fine morning. It was not until I returned, bearing my 8 sol (Peruvian currency) newspaper, that I realized that the edition was one week old, and the exchange rate – 3 sol = $1USD. Thus I had spent roughly $2.60 for a week-old paper. Thus it was with some measure of skepticism that I realized that the man at the store had charged us $5AU for a bottle of Coke. It was really good – real sugar instead of corn syrup – but not good enough to cost that much. So I went back and demanded a refund of the overpaid money, which I received. Only later did I realize how much the prices are inflated in Oz, and given the fact that I had purchased the drinks in the airport, the prices were probably correct. The shopman did mention that he was giving me the “employee discount” when he refunded me some money. Oh well!

The bus ride from the airport to Kings Cross Station went without incident, and then we found ourselves in a bind. We did not know north from south, today from yesterday, had no watch, no map, but luckily the Aussies are inordinately helpful, and one pointed us in the right direction. What seemed like an hour walk later, we arrived to Melbourne International Backpackers’ Hostel, only to find that the checkin was closed. Luckily it was to open an hour later and so we went to a restaurant next door and sat down to some wonderful kebab Arabic food. The owner showed us some real hospitality, and afterwards pointed us in the right direction toward Corkman Irish Pub, the hostel we hoped to stay in for the rest of the week. His directions were perfect, but that did not stop us from getting completely lost the following day. Nonetheless, we finished our food, checked into the first hostel (Corkman would not check us in past 8pm, and it was already 11pm). We found our room and settled in to the six bed place, used the internet to inform everyone we were safe, and only then did we realize that we had completely lost Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010. According to my PC it was already 1am the morning of Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010, and so it was that we lost a day of our lives that we will never get back. Within a couple hours of learning this however, two Englishmen returned to remind us that we were still very much alive. One repeatedly said “Good night Americans,” and would chant, “U-S-A, U-S-A” until he finally passed out. Oh what a night!

Thursday, November 4, 2010
We awoke fairly early as we had to be out of the hostel by 11am. With everything on our backs and still suffering from jetlag, we began our voyage. It carried us all over Northern Melbourne, but never to the hostel that was literally a 5 min walk from where we started. Eventually we found out, found the Corkman to be pleasant, and signed on and paid for a week. It is a hostel with three bedrooms of 10 or so beds each, with a kitchen, small common/TV room, laundry room, and three communal bathrooms. The pub below offers specials to those who stay in the hostel, including free dinner to those that pay a week up front. We haven’t claimed this yet, and I am very much looking forward to it!

We initially purchased an electric converter for the Australian/New Zealand outlets, a watch, some spray deodorant, and some gum at a place called “The Big W” a subsidiary of “Woolworth’s.” You may have heard of it. In fact a good number of the places from the states seem to have a corollary here. Burger King has become “Hungry Jack’s” although McDonald’s is the same name as always.
So anyway, we spent the rest of the day seeking out the State Library and the Global Gossip Center where we used up the rest of our internet from the night before. Internet over here is definitely not as readily accessible as in the States due to the fact that every place charges per minute rates. I find that I kind of like it though, because my access is then limited, and I feel obligated to finish what I am doing, get off, and do something else.

We then proceeded to buy groceries at Aldi, which is the same here as it is anywhere else, except that I could not find salsa and tortillas. Now there is rice and lo mein noodles everywhere, but the Hispanic population here is notably small. Nonetheless, we have the found the food overall to be very good. Did not take long after this to prepare a quick dinner back at the hostel and hit the sack.

Friday, November 5, 2010
So began our job search. The State Library of Melbourne is one of few places that offers free wireless internet, so we checked it out and were able to find some job possibilities on a site called gumtree.com. Yes, this is where everyone finds everything in Australia it seems, and so we did find quite a bit of good things right off the bat. We also updated our CVs and sent off some emails to various places. We have not looked into the postal service yet, so be patient with us if we have promised you a postcard. Everything in its proper time! ;)
We spent most of our day there, though in the afternoon our new friend Ian accompanied us to the phone store, where we purchased our first foreign cell phone. $30 for the phone, and $30 for a month’s worth of prepaid service. I really like the way that phones work over here, and that they are often times transferrable from one country to the next.

We then wandered the city, searching shop windows for job ads, and finding a few. Ian dropped a few resumes, but we did not, as we did not have any printed. Later we returned to the Library and printed some, then made a fruitless journey to turn them in, though we did find a café that was in need of some help and applied there.
Returning to the hostel, we ate, chatted with the folks there present, and then headed off to bed.

Saturday, November 6, 2010
The big day. Heading to the State Library once again, I saw an ad for “The Coffee Place” and called. Wayne picked up almost immediately and invited me to come in for an interview on Sunday morning at 11am. “No problem,” I said, shell-shocked at the prospect of landing a job in a foreign country.
So the rest of the day became a game. We returned to the hostel, got some late lunch, then proceeded to experiment with the 5-month-old bikeshare system now installed here in Melbourne. It worked splendidly! Essentially, you dip your credit card and receive codes for up to 2 bikes, that you then type in to the console securing each bike, and pull the bike out. You then have 30 min to make it to another station and check the bike in, or extend for another 15 min to reach another station. As long as you only spend 30 min between each station, you only have to pay the daily fee of $2.50. This fee allows you to check out a bike as many times as you want from any console throughout the city. So we would frequently bike from one station to another, more scenic station, drop the bike, then walk through a tourist area to find a third station elsewhere, pick up a bike and continue from there. Only when a police officer informed us that it would be a $140 fine if we were caught biking without a helmet did we decide to spring for the $5 helmets at 7-Eleven (the exchange rate at this point is roughly $1USD = $1.02 AU, so essentially the same, although the purchasing power of the Aussie dollar is generally a bit lower).

The low price of the helmets was a nice surprise, and we rapidly made our way all around Melbourne, from the Docklands – where a nice Aussie man offered his tripod so that I could take a halfway decent picture of the night skyline – to the Yarra River walkway, to the Australian Center for the Moving Image museum, the city is incredibly beautiful, and I believe that we could not have picked a better place to begin our international portion of the world trip. After arriving here I have no doubt that everything will turn out better than we could have ever hoped!

Sunday, November 7, 2010
11am was the set time for the interview. After a series of confusing twists and turns that I do not want to get into here, we arrived to the place at 12:30pm at last, but Wayne’s smile was just as big as ever, and we walked out with 30 working hours for me the following week, and the promise that something might turn up for Daniel in the following weeks. He was even cool with us working for only 2 months. Toto we are definitely not in Kansas anymore. Any US employer would require that you stay for at least a year. Oh and the wage for a cook in the kitchen - $20AU per hour! We wandered the mall where the place is located, just south of the Essendon Airport, stunned and excited all at once. This is really happening!!!! It is possible!!!

So we returned to Melbourne, ate lunch, and Daniel intensified his own search at the State Library. Nothing as of yet, but we now have apartments on the horizon and many prospects for work for Daniel. We are looking forward to spending both Thanksgiving and Christmas in a foreign country, especially when it appears that we will have work to cover our costs. Plus, we will eventually get out to see some kangaroos, wallabys, and will figure out what a billabong is. I saw one noted on a map in a park today, and look forward to learning that and so much more while here down under! Life is amazing, and the Lord continues to bless us with so much. I cannot thank you all enough for your support in encouraging this journey, for I am finding what I could never have hoped for, but somehow needed in the deepest part of me!
Mass ended the day, and then a good pasta dinner back at the hostel, and we settled in for bed. More to come on our experiences in Australia! Once we get a more steady internet connection the posts will be shorter, but more regular. Love you all!

A time in San Francisco

Recharge. I think this one word adequately describes the time we spent in San Francisco from the night of October 12th to the afternoon of October 19th, when we departed SFO International Airport for a connecting flight through Seattle to Honolulu, Hawaii. San Francisco was a time of psychological and literal preparation taht allowed the journey to continue. It is an interesting reality that the journey had been as much external as internal up to the point that we arrived to San Francisco. We saw a lot of different things, meanwhile in the interior, I grappled with the reasons for and prudency of making such a journey in such difficult economic times. Perhaps some of you have asked the same questions while following or reading up on our journey. I admit that I have struggled to keep up with the blog because of this internal journey that has forced me to contemplate every move and think out every possible contingency along the way. For this reason, San Francisco turned out to be just what we needed. The first night, after a 9pm or so arrival, we sat with Becky, Tim, and Taylor and briefly discussed our reasons for making the journey. I came to realize that this is a dream and a hope that have lived inside me all the way back to undergrad, when my idealistic friend Mike Rudzinski and I set the groundwork for this very undertaking by discussing the feasibility of, and reading up on other persons' trips around the world. Flash forward to last night at the luau here in Hawaii - I had a great conversation with a man originally from Montreal, Canada (though he did not speak French). When I commented "C'est bien!" he responded "NO!" Regardless, his response to my description of our trip was to describe his own, undertaken many years prior when he had finished his undergraduate education. We discussed how much fear there is in the world today, or is it perhaps in the United States alone? I simply beg the question. There is so much to see in the world out there, why do we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to see it? And yet, my affirmation of my need to make this trip has been shaky at times, and I am grateful to all of you who have been supportive in encouraging us along. Sometimes there are things in life that we just have to do, and if we deny ourselves the opportunity, we will spend the rest of our lives thinking "what might have been" or about "the one that got away." There are a lot of songs about this actually. How many do we hear about people actually accomplishing what they set out to achieve, jumping off into the unknown of seeking to fulfill the dreams in the deepest places of their hearts? I am not saying that there aren't any, and if you think of some good ones please put some links in the comments section of this post.

My point in all of this is that SF was a time for a bit of sight-seeing, but more a time for reflection and an analysis of what we are doing, and I have come out able to say that I glad for the opportunity to do what we are doing. I am becoming a more confident person, able to confront my fears, and articulate my dreams and desires. Upon my return I have no idea what I will do, but I believe that the doors will open themselves to me. I believe that they have no other choice if we but have the fortitude to go after the deepest desires in our hearts!

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Thus we spent the first day lying around Taylor's basement apartment, reflecting on and processing all that we had beheld in the preceding days and preparing ourselves for the time to come. That night I also heard from long-time friend Kris Egan, who informed me that Fr. Ev Hemann, a long time friend and former pastor from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ames, Iowa, was in fact on sabbatical in Menlo Park, just south of where we were staying in Berkeley. Thus I got into touch with him and we coordinated a nice tour of SF for the next day.

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

This day, we got up early, around 7:30am or so, to walk to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station and catch the train from N. Berkeley to the Embarcadero station on the bay of the city of San Francisco. While there, we ventured out onto Pier 14 and enjoyed the sun rising gently above the surprisingly impressive skyline of "the city." In short order, the Toyota Avalon proudly bearing the cyclone-and-gold-colored STA1 license plate pulled up, and we were off for a whirlwind tour of the city. We saw the Coit Monument, the crookedest street in the world, rode on a cable car, climbed Twin Peaks (from which we could see the entire Bay Area), drove around pretty much entirely all day, and then lunched at a Chinese restaurant with Fr. Ev, and two of his friends who ended up being from Chicago and Australia: Fr. Vince and Fr. James respectively. Together they treated Daniel and I to lunch, and then we were off to see the gay neighborhood centered around Castro St. And from there we hit the train back to Berkeley, where we came in, made some eggs with avocadoes and hot sauce (a great combination by the way) and settled in for the night.

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Throughout this whole time, we were attempting to sell my Neon, and so we took some trips to car dealerships to see about how much we could get for it, which would in turn be leveraged against future expenses down the line. I was also fielding phone call responses to my Craigslist ad, which ultimately was the medium by which I ultimately sold the vehicle at the eleventh hour. The first call came after a day of sightseeing in Berkeley on that Friday night. I believe I received the call around 11pm, and the person on the phone asked me about the car and seemed pretty confident that it was exactly what he was looking for, however when he learned that "standard transmission" in fact meant a "manual" or "stick" transmission, he was fairly certain that it was not going to work out for him.

This is essentially what Friday consisted of - the car. We took a trip to Richmond, farther north in the East Bay portion of the greater San Francisco metropolitan area. We visited a place that bought cars and met a nice guy named Michele from Lebanon (if I am not mistaken). As it turned out, even he had made some trips to Australia, and so gave me some tips when I told him of our plans. He also made the first offer on the car, though I was ultimately able to settle later on a better price on my own. A very nice gentleman to be sure. As it turns out California is quite possibly one of the most inconvenient places in the world to have a car. I do not remember very well what the requirements were in New York City, as I am sure they are similar, however Cali requires a SMOG test, which the car owner has to pay for, before the car can be registered with the state, which also has to verify the environmentally friendly nature of the vehicle. Not to mention that the cost for doing all of these tests is astronomically more expensive than they would be in Rockford, Illinois. Though I have come to appreciate the beauty of other parts of the world, I will always recall Rockford as a very thrifty place to grow up. And just wait until I get back, because I have about a thousand ideas of how to make the area more interesting and I am going to slam them into place!!!!

After Michele's place, we headed to a nearby Dodge dealership, which manager did not make an offer, but gave me a similar value on the car to what Michele had said. We then hit up one last Honda dealership on the way back to Berkeley, where we encountered some good traffic, and thus got back to the house fairly late. No go there either without paying for a SMOG test and then registering the vehicle. I was somewhat bummed...

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

However the following day I received a call in the morning from Ulysses. I will never forget his name, I mean honestly how can you ever forget a name like that? We agreed to meet the following morning at Tim and Becky's place so that he could see the car, and he even knew that the car was a manual transmission. The whole plan ultimately turned out to be a no go, he never showed Sunday morning at the agreed 9am time. Life's like that. However I did receive a call later Saturday, after I had successfully toured UCal Berkeley's campus in an hour and bought the blue Cal hat that you see appearing in the pictures, and turned out to be a great topic of conversation later on. As it turns out, a team I really don't care about, played a game I never saw, in which they lost 48-14 to USC. It seems that everyone else in SF was privvy to this information, whereas I only liked the hat. Lead to some nice conversations though. Great times!

Later that night I received a call from a guy who turned out to be Nepalese, who was helping a friend of his, who spoke significantly less English, to buy a car. As they resided in Berkeley, we met them at a random ice cream stand and they took a look over the car. It was a pretty standard showing until the buyer's friend wanted to take it for a test drive. This is when things got interesting. I give him the key, he turns it, and nothing happens. The conversation ensues:

Me: "You need to push in the clutch while you turn the key."
Him: "The clutch?"
Me: "Yes, it's the the third pedal from the right."
Him: "There's three pedals?!?!"

Suffice it to say this ended in a good laugh for Daniel and I, but no sale.

One thing I forgot to mention is that earlier that day, after my whirlwind tour of UCal Berkeley, I drove up the mountain right behind campus, and after reaching a satisfactory summit, proceeded to journal, then walk away, leaving my camera behind. I then drove all the way back to Tim and Becky's place while it sat on a trunk overlooking the entire bay area. Oops! But if anyone tells you that people in SF or Berkeley are dishonest, I say boo, because when I got back to the top with my brother about an hour later, the camera had quite obviously been examined by someone, but had been left behind so that I could reclaim it. Thankfully so! I was hoping that I would at least lose it or have it stolen in a foreign country!

We then headed back and enjoyed the Marina where we met an interesting woman, who herded three dogs and told us the interesting story of her life. A mocking picture of the guardian monument, a walk out on the pier, some baseball played with sticks and pine cones, some pics, and a conversation with a 16 year old windsurfer later, we headed back to the house to enjoy a bbq rib dinner, with an amazing salad and some great potatoes that we purchased at the Berkeley Bowl, one of the most amazing supermarkets I have ever been to. Ah fresh fruit and organic produce, it does not get much better!

Dinner was amazing, then we exchanged some knowledge and books and settled in for our evening movies.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

After my car appointment never showed, we headed to a nearby church, where the pastor waiting outside asked us, "You do know this is a Spanish mass?" to which we assented and then entered for a beautiful sacrifice of the mass in a truly beautiful language. After 11am mass, well headed back and had a nice brunch of more avocadoes and eggs. We then headed into the city and drove all the way across to the Golden Gate Bridge (there is video of this that will be posted very soon). From there we headed to Muir Woods, where we hiked amid the amazingly huge redwoods or "sequoias" and then headed back down into the city itself. We then met up with my friend Diana Kirsanova-Phillips and enjoyed a traditional Russian dinner at the restaurant Sadko. I would highly recommend it, and I thank Diana for a splendid evening!

We headed back and enjoyed a relaxing evening at the house.

Monday, October 18th, 2010

This was the day I received the call that led to the selling of the car. A young woman by the name of Ty called and informed me that she was in need of a car to carry her and her three children across the United States to Georgia. She called me in the morning, and so I headed off to wash the car, and then waited for her bus to arrive at one of the BART stations. When she saw the car, she knew it was exactly what she wanted, and so decided to go for it, without requesting any of the SMOG or registration headaches that the dealers had needed done. She bought it, and after a brief picture and a text reading "blessings" she drove off in the car that had served me so well for a little under four years. It was a sad moment, and yet a pivotal moment for the journey. I had just invested more than just verbally in this journey, and there was nowhere left to go but onward, and this is where we still find ourselves now.

That night we walked back to Berkeley Bowl, bought the ingredients, and then cooked up a "last supper" of sorts to share with Tim, Becky, and Taylor. It was a hit! Even the brussel sprouts turned out really good, though the pork was a bit dry. We did our best and had a great conversation to top off a great stay in SF.

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

The morning consisted of making a run to the post office and bank, where we deposited some monies, sent off a package of stuff to Illinois, and a few postcards and letters as well. Then Tim gave us a ride to the BART station, we made our flight at SFO, and set off for Seattle, and then Honolulu to live in paradise....