A Jaunt to Newport

Mansion #1. A bit austere, but impressive nonetheless...

At the start of the Newport, RI Cliff Walk

Walking Cliffside

It was a lovely post-St. Paddy's Day in New England. With temperatures in Providence climbing into the 60s, Spring Break, warm weather, and beach time seemed near. While hanging out with friends in the great Irish pubs of Providence (an Irish population and region of the country like no other) was awesome, the prospect of seeing something new was even more exciting. Every grad student facing a final midterm needs to get out of town for a while, I say.

I headed to Newport, RI with a friend and fellow Public Policy classmate today for the Newport Cliff Walk -- a 3.5 mile stretch of trail lined by mansions running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. Besides escaping the stench of last night's beer in the streets of Providence, it was fun to :

1. Get out of Providence

2. Walk alongside the ocean

3. See Newport! Famous playground of the wealthy and influential from the Gilded Age!

And what topped off the day? A slice of fresh grilled balsalmic and tomato pizza from a pizzeria on Thames Street. It more than made up for getting lost and adding 2.5 miles onto the walk.

Planning on a post-spring break return trip with mi madre in two weeks! More pictures to come. Ciao.

Not so Vegan...but still an admirer!

Yep. I've eaten meat.

It started last Sunday...I found I was craving a chicken sandwich on honey oat bread from Subway after attending church...and it was delicious. Until that moment, I had been feeling pretty weak -- I don't think I was consuming enough food to keep up with all the running I've been doing. So I caved.

And I continued to. Last week was an odd mesh of skipping class due to a nasty cold and feeling slightly nauseous because I re-introduced meat. But that meat and selective dairy, combined with yoga, made me feel perfectly healthy and balanced today.

However. For the people completely committed to the cause, I applaud you. I have yet to form strong ethical ties to the diet, which I feel hampered my committment.

So there you have it. I thought I would announce it for reasons of transparency (and so my mom doesn't text me tomorrow asking "you went vegan?!!" when I am actually not). :) Love you, mother!

Nothing else new. Just studying a lot for an economics exam this week. I will blog again when I feel I have something worthy of posting (will it be about Kony 2012? Internship plans? Or other world wide events? You shall see...).

Until then. Au Revoir.

Going totally granola: Hello 2012

Dearest reader (if there are any of you still out there),

In the odyssey that is post-collegiate life, I've had a pretty amazing year and a half. But this post isn't about reflecting; it's about figuring out where to go next.

Some exciting news for this semester: I am finalizing plans for an internship in Cambodia for the summer for an international development/public health organization. Whew! One piece of stress that has been eating away at me throughout the academic year seems to be working itself out. I will keep you posted with more -- and of course blog from the heartland of SE Asia when June comes around.

When I started this blog, it was a travel/sports/food-related outlet for me. This corner of the blogosphere gave me the platform I was looking for to ramble on about my particular passions (gymnastics meets, fun food and faces seen in distant states, and my perspective on lovely New England culture). From there, it turned into a travelogue, enabling me to share my exploits with family members back home.

When I returned to WA, I was feeling unenthusiastic about continuing the blogging. I felt that from now on my life could be purely professional, my lack of traveling for the year wouldn't be as interesting, and that blogging was a bit narcissistic. To be honest, I thought, who would genuinely be interested in what I have to say?

However, a few revelations on achievement, lifestyle, and friendship have recently altered my beliefs. After hearing about my friend Natalie's adoption of a vegan lifestyle and running exploits, I've seen firsthand the impact that lifestyle can have on one's life (See Nat's blog: http://willrunforveggies.com/). And after years of gymnastics looking solely at calorie and portion control, the benefits of a vegan diet seemed fascinating. It's a wholesome approach to healthy, hearty eating that places health, well-being, and saving our environment above all else. The diet is linked to significant decreases of cancer, diabetes, and heart problems. Doubting? I recommend taking a gander at The China Study.

Also, Given the warm New England winter we've been having, I think it's safe to say that we've altered our environment and that global warming is a reality. The Earth probably needs all the help it can get.

So, at risk of going totally granola, I've been experimenting with a meat-free diet. In most cases, I've tried to be 100% vegan (although certain school-sponsored meals and events have involved cheese eating). I figured this would pair well with training for my first half-marathon, to run with Natalie this May.

I could instantly see the difference plant-based energy makes. Although I weigh about the same as when I started experimenting a few weeks ago, my stamina has increased tremendously. I think it's safe to say I've embarked on a journey and I can't wait to see where it leads.

SO. As I enter the 3rd month of 2012, I'll be re-working this blog to be a vegan-friendly, sports/running, travel, and adventure blog. I'll be entering this year with some long-lost athletic goals (which my my life has been devoid of after ending 17 years of gymnastics in the spring of 2010): run a half-marathon, train for longer runs, expand my yogi knowledge, and eat like a vegan champ! The least of which may result in getting my athletic mojo back.

There you have it! Look for some changes to come. I'm still learning - maybe you can learn along with me? As those wildcats in High School Musical say, "We're all in this together." Damn. Too late. I said it.

Happy 2012! Some glorious moments are in the works!

Love,

Keels

Cambodia Haunts

It's finally that time of the semester. My human rights class has stumbled on the topic of human trafficking. It is research paper season. Time to look back at Cambodia.

This time, I'm reading about Cambodia's history from a grad carrel at the Rockefeller Library. The mahogany desk bordered by sober rows of metal bookshelves is a decidedly different setting from the temporary desk I had at the Phnom Penh Post. Gone are the sweeping views of Phnom Penh along the Tonle Sap River. But the hum of the fluorescent lighting is the same - and so is the thrill of research.

I wish I'd discovered one of the books I'm looking at, Sex Trafficking, Human Rights, and Social Justice, when I was writing my feature on the Cambodian Prostitution Union last year. The impetus for writing the feature was my fascination with the concept of fighting sex trafficking and rampant prostitution by empowering the prostitutes with peer education and a support system. This non-judgmental approach excluded them from Cambodian and U.S. funding - the first, because prostitution was outlawed in 2008, the latter because the U.S. passed a law in 2002 that forbade funding to groups that did not directly denounce prostitution.

The book summarizes the resulting problems succinctly: "Pressures to generate arrests and locate undocumented "trafficked" sex workers spur law enforcement officials to crack down on brothels, rather than more hidden sites of labor exploitation. As new policies target undocumented workers, more and more migrants subject to forced labor and exploitation are ignored because the policy only focuses on trafficking victims within the sex industry. 'Combating sex trafficking while ignoring other is equally injurious forms of exploitation' (Brennan 2008)" (Zheng, pg. 6).

Basically, in two pages the book neatly organized the issues I'd read about and had floating in my head all year. I find this encouraging in some ways. But even more so, it's making me realize that I have way more to learn, and that with more details, as always, the issue is about to get a lot more complicated...

Back in the WA

It's a bit ironic: now that my "Google AdSense" widgets are finally working on this blog, I've relocated from Guatemala City to my University Place, WA hometown.

Reasons? For a variety of reasons...it was a difficult decision because Olympika Gymnastics gave so much to me - the families, the coaches, the opportunity to see new things, and that ever-present sense of adventure shared by all the great guy coaches there.

What ultimately kicked me into gear to come home was the ever-present issue of safety. Although the city is way more developed than Phnom Penh, Cambodia, high crime and extortion scared me enough to come home (97.8% of murders go unprosecuted; gated communities with high fences with barbed wire and 24-hour security guards are a must for safety). When my neighbors were held hostage until the husband delivered US$1,000 and my neighborhood continued experiencing gang-related robberies, I got to thinking. The constant vigilance (after 3 months in Cambodia) tired me out and had me pondering steps I could take to advance my career in terms of summer jobs and internships elsewhere.

So now I'm home - looking to freelance, and on the prowl for summer PR/Communications internships or short term jobs (preferably with an international focus) before I start studying for my Master's at Brown this fall .

So that's what's new! I will miss the opportunities to see more and further my Spanish, but for some reason I'm appreciating my family and friends back home more than ever. I hope to hold onto the friendships I made in Guatemala and return for a backpacking trip someday.

Life is short, and I felt the need to make a decision quickly. I want to say thank you to Guatemala - thank you to Kent for giving countless car rides to Safe Passage and the gym (I owe you!!!), to Bob for showing me the essence of Guatemala (so that I could appreciate the freedom and wild, diverse beauty of the country), to Raul for showing me what it means to have true passion on the job every day, and to the families and girls of the gym for always welcoming me with a smile on their face and a nice place to stay.

Thanks, Guate. It was an experience I'll always remember.

Third world country? Some time in the sun in Monterrico

We hopped into an assortment of Land Rovers and Toyota Excursions, plopped the kids in the backseat, and loaded the cars with tons of food (crusts for pizza, mangoes and apples, pasta, and tuna, lettuce and bread for sandwiches) to last the weekend.

We sat for one painstaking hour in city traffic, waiting to get out. We stopped by Mcdonald's on the outskirts of the city, then zoomed past toll roads, farm lands, and gas power plants.

But when we arrived to a beautiful cluster of white beach condos, we knew it was all worth it.

It sounds like an average American vacation in the states. It could have been a trip in New Jersey to the "shore", or in New Hampshire to Rye Beach. From the Coronado Cays to the oceanfront for a picnic in San Diego, CA. Or even our two hour journey to Ocean Shores from Tacoma, Washington.

But no - I was with a bunch of families from the gymnastics gym in Guatemala. And we were headed to one family's beach condo in Monterrico, Guatemala.

Black volcanic sand. Palm trees. A gigantic pool that snaked under bridges and into every corner of the complex's courtyard. Speakers playing Latino and American music. Headphones, a book, and a reclining lounge chair. Pure bliss.

Minus the sunburn still on my back. But other than that, pure bliss.

One of the gym coaches was like, "You didn't think you'd be getting this when you came to Guatemala, did you?" I laughed and shook my head. "Yeah, you show these pictures to your friends and they won't believe you're in Guatemala!"

No joke. the conclusion I've reached is that nice beach locales are pretty much the same everywhere. Sand, surf, and sun. Except for here (in comparison to places in the northern "Estados Unidos"), the water was pretty warm, and the waves were huge.

I'm grateful to the families here for welcoming us gymnastics instructors with open arms and treating us to just another weekend of family fun in Guatemala. Thank you, Guatemala, for showing me a good time. (And for the bonus tan!)

The magic of Pacaya

From the top - with Kent's mom. Volcan Agua sits to the right.

Lord of the Rings moment. Pacaya's crater in the background.

Pacaya from afar.

Creepy doll head on the way up. Lake Amatitlan in the background.

After a couple of weeks nary a post, I believe last weekend's excursion up Pacaya warrants some quality blog time.

I'd known I wanted to climb at least one volcano in my time here, and the Spring Break visit of the family my Olympika colleague Kent was the perfect opportunity.

Let me begin by saying that volcanoes are part of the mystical beauty of Guatemala. They surround the city, add perceived depths to area lakes, and provided terrain suitable for guerrilla rebels during Guate's 36-year Civil War.

They can be unpredictable, tempestuous, and passionate. Hmm. A lot like Guatemala.

The last volcanic eruption took place last May - during Olympika's own Copa Olympika gymnastics meet. Ash came pouring down, spewed from Pacaya, shortly followed by a torrential downpour (it WAS the rainy season) that caused mudslides and damage that still hasn't been completely fixed.

So we were going to climb that very volcano. YAY. Gotta experience the true Guate, baby.

And really, nothing about the climb was too arduous, intense, or rugged. It was an hour's hike up well-worn dirt roads with a Guatemalan guide (who spoke only Spanish) and looked to be in his early teens. But then again, he could have been older. Nutritional deficiencies often make older people look younger in the countryside and highlands.

Other people followed us from the base of the hike, peddling horse rides as an alternative to climbing via exercise/legs.

"No, gracias," I smiled as one boy nagged me for the 15th time about the benefits of climbing on horseback. "Me gusta hacer ejercicio!!" Good god. He didn't get the hint until we were like 10 minutes from timberline.

And that was when things got interesting. As we snapped photographs, I had this all-consuming feeling that I was in a Lord of the Rings movie, about to drop the ring into the crater looming above our heads. Seriously. I was looking for Smeagol, waiting for him to pounce on me any second, hissing "My precious...."

Luckily we merely trudged higher to the level wonderland beneath the crater. Beautiful photo ops, caves full of a heat that made them more like saunas, and random pits that would set logs logs on fire when tossed into their depths.

Pacaya. So this is what a volcano is like, up close and personal. The sun set as we slid along the shortcuts down hill, filling our shoes with lava ash and trying not to sprain ankles. Man, that guide liked to travel fast.

The lights of Guatemala City glittered in the background and I couldn't help but think: this is living. Volcanoes really exist. There are places that have sauna-like caves. And it's all there for the taking, if you're up for it. It just comes down to desire.

PS - KELLI and anyone else who visits - we will climb Pacaya! :)