I just listened to an excellent episode of This American Life on my car trip to DC. It was about Apple products and basically the working conditions in China. I am aware of much of what they had to say but somehow the presentation of it helped it to have a more profound effect on me.
Take a listen
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/454/mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory
And let me know what you think. I am curious what your initial reaction was and if it prompted you to make any changes in your life...to be honest I am thinking about making a few.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Drum Roll Please.....
Well I have spent a lot of time thinking of the last few weeks (and really much longer) trying to figure out what's next. I have been able to put a few things together and I officially have some sense as to what the next nine or so months are going to look like...so here goes:
One of my main goals in taking this "sabbatical" was to spend more time with family and I have been able to do just that. I have seen each of my siblings and their families along with getting some good quality time with each of my parents. I have also been able to spend some time with aunts and uncles and my grandma which has been wonderful. There isn't anything that can replace late night dance parties with Amelia, seeing a dinner and movie with my grandma, playing at the science museum with Rosie and Issac, watching State games with Collin, and various other experiences that I often miss living so far away.
January/February
I am continuing to spend time with family and take a two week spin to Washington, DC and Philadelphia to visit some great friends and probably paint a table or two with my friend Mali. I am also going to attend some family bridal showers and potentially take a quick trip up north to visit my sister.
March
My cousin, Lev, is getting married in Israel in March and I couldn't miss this opportunity to be a part of his wedding. I am joining my Aunt Kathleen, Uncle Mark, cousin Eva and her husband Jamison to see Lev get married and participate in the festivities. He is getting married in Jerusalem on March 19th in a traditional Orthodox Jewish wedding. I am very excited to go and also to see the country. My good friend, Janet, will be joining me for the trip. Janet is a friend of mine from the Lasallian Volunteers program. She volunteered in NYC while I was in Philadelphia and we got to know each other very well. We have been talking about traveling together for awhile now and this all came together. We will be visiting Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and many other place...and hopefully go to Jordan as well.
April
Janet and I will be in Israel for about two and a half weeks and then we fly to Paris and will make our way to Taize. Taize is an ecumenical community in France that welcomes people from all over the world year round to experience prayer and communion with God. Ever since I was introduced to Taize prayer, I have always wanted to visit the actual community in France...and I am finally getting the opportunity. Janet and I will be there for at least a week and potentially two. I will celebrate my 30th birthday in France which is kind of exciting. If you would like to learn more about the community and what they are about, you can check out their website here: http://www.taize.fr/en. I have included a video from their website at the bottom of this post which describes more about the community.
Late April/May through September/October
For at least a year now but probably longer, I have been thinking about moving closer to home and in particular Detroit. I told someone recently I felt Michigan and specifically Detroit whispering my name if that makes any sense. Combined with my Uncle Matt and my Grandma Lois passing away in the past year, I felt a need to be closer to home...that I was missing too much with my family and life is quite short sometimes. With all these thoughts in mind, I meticulously started following articles and blogs about things happening in Detroit and let the idea seep deeper into my soul. I recently visited Eva and Jamison for a few days in the city to explore and get a sense of the place. I was born in Detroit but have never really felt like it was home.
During my visit, I met with the owner of a local bike shop in the city and was offered a job working for them starting in mid April. I will work in the shop and help lead tours around the city from late April until they close in October. It is really a perfect opportunity for my to explore the city, get to know some people and really decide if I would like to make a more permanent move there. Only time will tell.
None of this is out of the blue although it might seem like it to some of the folks who read this. I have been thinking about moving to Detroit and this spring trip for awhile now and it all just came together in the past seven days. I have been waiting to post until I knew more specifics. I am both excited and nervous for the next part of this year but mostly excited. I get to have more dance parties with Amelia, watch more state games with Collin, catch a few more movies and figure out of me and Detroit are a good fit. It is really the first time in a long time that I felt these were the right moves and decisions...I mean I could totally be wrong and hate the bike shop and Detroit, but I will never know until I experience it. And I am pretty sure I will regret it if I never give it a chance.
More to come later and for sure I will try and blog while I am in Israel and France. On a side note, Janet and I have a layover in Romania...I am going to try and count it as visiting the country!
Here is the Taize Video:
Life at Taizé from Taize on Vimeo.
One of my main goals in taking this "sabbatical" was to spend more time with family and I have been able to do just that. I have seen each of my siblings and their families along with getting some good quality time with each of my parents. I have also been able to spend some time with aunts and uncles and my grandma which has been wonderful. There isn't anything that can replace late night dance parties with Amelia, seeing a dinner and movie with my grandma, playing at the science museum with Rosie and Issac, watching State games with Collin, and various other experiences that I often miss living so far away.
January/February
I am continuing to spend time with family and take a two week spin to Washington, DC and Philadelphia to visit some great friends and probably paint a table or two with my friend Mali. I am also going to attend some family bridal showers and potentially take a quick trip up north to visit my sister.
March
My cousin, Lev, is getting married in Israel in March and I couldn't miss this opportunity to be a part of his wedding. I am joining my Aunt Kathleen, Uncle Mark, cousin Eva and her husband Jamison to see Lev get married and participate in the festivities. He is getting married in Jerusalem on March 19th in a traditional Orthodox Jewish wedding. I am very excited to go and also to see the country. My good friend, Janet, will be joining me for the trip. Janet is a friend of mine from the Lasallian Volunteers program. She volunteered in NYC while I was in Philadelphia and we got to know each other very well. We have been talking about traveling together for awhile now and this all came together. We will be visiting Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and many other place...and hopefully go to Jordan as well.
April
Janet and I will be in Israel for about two and a half weeks and then we fly to Paris and will make our way to Taize. Taize is an ecumenical community in France that welcomes people from all over the world year round to experience prayer and communion with God. Ever since I was introduced to Taize prayer, I have always wanted to visit the actual community in France...and I am finally getting the opportunity. Janet and I will be there for at least a week and potentially two. I will celebrate my 30th birthday in France which is kind of exciting. If you would like to learn more about the community and what they are about, you can check out their website here: http://www.taize.fr/en. I have included a video from their website at the bottom of this post which describes more about the community.
Late April/May through September/October
For at least a year now but probably longer, I have been thinking about moving closer to home and in particular Detroit. I told someone recently I felt Michigan and specifically Detroit whispering my name if that makes any sense. Combined with my Uncle Matt and my Grandma Lois passing away in the past year, I felt a need to be closer to home...that I was missing too much with my family and life is quite short sometimes. With all these thoughts in mind, I meticulously started following articles and blogs about things happening in Detroit and let the idea seep deeper into my soul. I recently visited Eva and Jamison for a few days in the city to explore and get a sense of the place. I was born in Detroit but have never really felt like it was home.
During my visit, I met with the owner of a local bike shop in the city and was offered a job working for them starting in mid April. I will work in the shop and help lead tours around the city from late April until they close in October. It is really a perfect opportunity for my to explore the city, get to know some people and really decide if I would like to make a more permanent move there. Only time will tell.
None of this is out of the blue although it might seem like it to some of the folks who read this. I have been thinking about moving to Detroit and this spring trip for awhile now and it all just came together in the past seven days. I have been waiting to post until I knew more specifics. I am both excited and nervous for the next part of this year but mostly excited. I get to have more dance parties with Amelia, watch more state games with Collin, catch a few more movies and figure out of me and Detroit are a good fit. It is really the first time in a long time that I felt these were the right moves and decisions...I mean I could totally be wrong and hate the bike shop and Detroit, but I will never know until I experience it. And I am pretty sure I will regret it if I never give it a chance.
More to come later and for sure I will try and blog while I am in Israel and France. On a side note, Janet and I have a layover in Romania...I am going to try and count it as visiting the country!
Here is the Taize Video:
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Worth the Watch
You might be wondering what I am up to and doing next...well I don't even know yet. So instead of an update...you are being sent an incredibly cool video I came across online. I seriously would love to do a project like this.
http://blog.onbeing.org/post/15630698929/jeff-harris-4-748-self-portraits-and-counting-by
It is a neat video but also sad and strangely uplifting too.
http://blog.onbeing.org/post/15630698929/jeff-harris-4-748-self-portraits-and-counting-by
It is a neat video but also sad and strangely uplifting too.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Finally the Pictures
Well I finally went through my photos. Deleted some, put captions on others and tried to narrow it down...there are still a ton but hopefully you will enjoy them. If you are only interested in Machu Picchu photos they start about half way through. I tried to put notes explaining most of the photos.
Link to all of the photos from the trip:
https://picasaweb.google.com/mari.anzicek/SouthAmerica?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCM6az4vo1_iatgE&feat=directlink
Final Thoughts/Reflections/Information I missed posting about on the Trip
Link to all of the photos from the trip:
https://picasaweb.google.com/mari.anzicek/SouthAmerica?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCM6az4vo1_iatgE&feat=directlink
Final Thoughts/Reflections/Information I missed posting about on the Trip
- Spanish
- I relied too much on Bridget although she was great. I really should have spent more time learning some basic Spanish before I left. I learned quite a bit by the time I left but it would have made the whole trip a lot easier for me.
- Transportation
- You get used to hopping in cars quickly, using no seat belts and praying for your life rather frequently. There were only a few close calls but I think after awhile you get desensitized to it. I have really appreciated putting my seat belt on and being in control of the car since I have been back.
- Using the Bathroom
- It is like going to the bathroom anywhere else except you have to bring your own toilet paper, throw it away in the trash can and you don't often have a toilet seat. I only had to use a squatty toilet once. There were also a lot of rustic toilets which you had to dump water down to flush. Again there was nothing sweeter than walking into the bathroom in the Miami airport, sitting down without second guessing, having toilet paper provided for me and being able to flush with a push of a handle. Also, there was hand soap which is often lacking in bathrooms all over in Bolivia and Peru. Needless to say I used a lot of hand sanitizer while I was gone.
- Companions
- We were incredibly lucky and got partnered with some great companions on our tours. In the Salar, Colca Canyon Trek and our bicycle tour, we met people from all over the world traveling for varying lengths of time. We shared great stories, laughed until we cried and learned a lot about where everyone was from. I am confident in saying I feel comfortable visiting these folks in their hometown.
- The Incas
- I am still so amazed by everything the Incas accomplished. My mom gave me the book "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" for Christmas. I just finished reading it and realized we missed so much in our visit. Don't get me wrong. We saw a lot but there is just so much there. If I ever go again, I would do one of the various Inca Trail hikes. Getting off the main trails is essential to seeing some of the other ruins...it also costs a lot though. We made the right decision for rainy season and who knows maybe I will get another chance in the future.
- Preparation
- I would have done a little more research ahead of time. We did a lot from the seat of our pants and luckily got to see so much. It helped that we were not traveling during the busy season so we didn't have to plan too far ahead of time. We also ran into lots of people who helped us out and friends who had traveled before who gave us some great advice. I just wish I would have read up on the Incas a little more. Now I am just appreciating it more after the fact.
Overall, it was great trip. I would travel with Bridget again in a second. We had an amazing time and saw and experienced so much. I am inspired to learn more Spanish and about the cultures we visited. I hope everyone gets a chance to travel. If not out of the country, then around our beautiful country as well.
Change of Pace
I realized at some point that I never posted my final reflection from the bike ride this summer or any of our awesome photos. I know I am fresh of coming back from Bolivia and Peru but here is my reflection from this summer along with some links to photos.
I am working on going through the Bolivia and Peru photos so hopefully those will be posted shortly. Thanks for reading.
Summer Reflection
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/21363323/LVs%20Ride%20-%20Personal%20Thank%20You%20Letter.pdf
Summer Photos (Some of the best)
https://plus.google.com/photos/104120906655696580108/albums/5649751333728689137?authkey=COHm9rn3iqH19AE
I am working on going through the Bolivia and Peru photos so hopefully those will be posted shortly. Thanks for reading.
Summer Reflection
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/21363323/LVs%20Ride%20-%20Personal%20Thank%20You%20Letter.pdf
Summer Photos (Some of the best)
https://plus.google.com/photos/104120906655696580108/albums/5649751333728689137?authkey=COHm9rn3iqH19AE
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