I’m here to improve my German.

Pure and simple. That’s my main goal during this phase of my solo travel.

A few of you had asked. Hence the concise answer.

When it first came to me that I wanted to come spend some time in Germany to improve my language skills, I thought that I would pursue an Arbeitserlaubnis, or work permit. I’d been told that it’s difficult for a foreigner to find a job here, so earning a certificate for teaching English as a second language seemed like a good idea, a good way to get my foot in the door. It also fit a side goal of mine—to improve my English language skills. But there remained this nagging thought that if I were to do that, I’d be speaking English all the time (while teaching, obviously) and that I wouldn’t get to do what I really wanted to do, which is improve my German.

Okay Susan*, I thought, maybe you’ll just have to do that for the short term until you find something else. Okay, I replied, I can do that.

But after I returned home to Kaua‘i (after 5-months in Asia), I realized that I also want to spend some time on island just being and not working a zillion hours a day (on projects for other people like Tony and I did for many, many years). What would it be like to have time to enjoy the island? (Yes, I imagine many of you have the very same question in the back of your heads.) So I decided that I’d stay in Europe for the 90-days allowed (without requesting a special visa).

“But what about work, sj? What about earning a living? Won’t you eventually have to go back to work?” you ask.

Well, I have faith that it will reveal itself in time. I’m on what I’m calling a sabbatical.

According to my computer’s dictionary, a sabbatical** is “a period of paid leave granted to a college teacher for study or travel, traditionally every seventh year : she's away on sabbatical.” I think it fits. At one point in my life I was actually on track to be a college professor. As far as the “paid” part goes, well, let’s just say that a surprise inheritance arrived at exactly the right time to fund this dream of mine. Yes, I am a very lucky girl; I’m also very, very appreciative.

“Okay, so you’re spending the 90-days allowed in Europe. You’re main focus now is to improve your German. How are you going about that? Are you taking classes?”

Yes and no. I’m not attending formal classes at a school, but I am doing lessons on a cool web site I found called babbel.com. My goal is to spend at least three hours a day (like I did in Lyon 3-years ago) doing some type of “focused” study. I’ve been fairly loose with this and am allowing it to reveal itself. For those of you know me well, you know that I’m the type of person who generally starts a project, sets her nose to the grindstone and doesn’t raise her head until the task is done. I’m doing that in an albeit freer way. For example, an hour of conversation with a German native can count as an hour, and no, I’m not literally timing it. I’m just noticing that it’s somehow getting done each day. Watching movies in German also “counts.” Yes, I’m enjoying myself!!! And why wouldn’t I? Every single day I awake with a smile on my face. I’m so happy to be here; I’m so happy to be alive and on this journey of life!

“Okay, so you’re having fun. Where all are you going?”

That too has slowly been revealing itself. I originally thought that I’d be staying in one place for most of the time. I initially booked a room for a month in Berlin. I envisioned that I would become part of a community; perhaps do some volunteer work with a theatre company. But I’ve slowly been realizing that part of this journey’s theme is variety. While in Asia this past summer, it dawned on me that I was learning to be completely “at home” wherever I was. We all know the expression, “home is where the heart is.” Well, it’s true, and as I live more and more firmly rooted in my heart space, I find that I’m always at home.***

As far as the specific places I’ll visit (or have visited), here’s an outline for the moment:

-       Düsseldorf – Tony and I exchanged our home with two different German families. After Tony returned to Hawaii, I was able to stay a few nights longer in both beautiful apartments. : ) Yes, nice!

-       Hamburg – So many people had told me that this is a beautiful city, and as you saw from my photos (http://tvjuice.com/hamburg2/), it is. I really enjoyed my visit and would go back in a heartbeat. A very nice lady I met when I went swimming even invited me to stay at her place should I return! Yes, the magic keeps happening.

-       Berlin – When Tony and I were here in December, we stayed up late one night playing charades in a bar. We laughed so hard that our stomachs hurt. That night I met a wonderful group of smart and funny people; they’ve welcomed me into their lives. I’m currently staying at one of the gal’s apartment! She’s so much fun, smart (yes, I know that I used those very same adjectives already, get the point?), industrious, and she has sooo many books! And even a bike that she’s letting me use. Yes, I am one very, very lucky girl. : ) I’ll be here for 2-weeks for sure, maybe a little longer. Some more new friends may come to Berlin from Prague for a weekend visit; I’ll keep you posted.

-       Geneva – During World War II, Tony’s grandparents took in a young man from what was then Czechoslovakia; they considered him family and helped ensure that he got an education. He’s been a professor at NYU in the Physics Department for years and is now on a year’s sabbatial at CERN. He’s invited me to visit him. Yes, I look forward to seeing him again (he came to our wedding in Tennessee years ago and gave us an awesome flaming orange le creuset pot that we still use almost every day!).

-       Karlruhe – One of our home exchange partners lives and works in this town. She’s invited me to visit her and has said that I can join her as she drives to various places for her work. How cool is that !?!

-       Strasbourg – I don’t know anyone there but have just heard from so many people that it’s a wonderful city. I’d like to experience it firsthand. I imagine that I’ll find a wonderful place to stay through air b n b or another type of connection.

-       Paris – I depart for the continental United States from Paris; I plan on spending 3-nights or so there.

Years ago when I studied at the Uni Bonn****, I encountered very few people who spoke English. Granted, occasionally I met a fellow student who wanted to practice their English but that was exactly what they did, practice. Now, so many people speak English. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve recently realized that the skill of bouncing back and forth between languages is almost as important as being able to speak different languages. Once while Tony and I were at the Weihnachtsmarkt in Düsseldorf, we met a French family. I had so much fun speaking to them in French; we even ended up having dinner with them. So, as you can see, the above itinerary allows me ample opportunity to practice all of this: German, French, and the back-and-forth-language-bounce®, henceforth called baflb.

Returning to the topic of what I will do once I return to Kauai, I have BIG dreams. I want to do a variety of things. I want to continue to learn languages. I want to continue to improve the languages I do know (and/or am learning). I’d like to have a few Skype customers who I assist with their English learning. I’d like to write a one-woman play and perform it. I’d like to do more acting. I’d like to get paid for acting. : ) I’d like to do some translating from German to English (and get paid for it : ). I’d like to go sailing. I’d like to hangout with Tony and Rocket Girl. I’d like to biking, hiking, stand up paddleboarding, etc. I’d like to do an occasional sound job on interesting projects. Yes, I’d like to do lots of things.

But for the moment, my focus is on improving my German.

And with that, I bid you all auf wienersehen,*****

-s j

* There’s been this gradual progression of my name shift. I’ve been called Susan since I was born. I always liked my name. Remember how at different times in life you’ve probably heard someone say, “I hate my name!”? I was never that person; I always liked the name Susan. Then, for various reasons, I wanted to start using my middle name too. I have a very good friend whose name is Mary Hunter. No, Hunter isn’t her last name, it’s her “middle” name. Friends call her “Mary Hunter” in one breath. Okay, I thought, people can say “Susan Jane” in one breath too. However, when signing emails, I found that I preferred to simply write “sj.” As I’ve gradually made new friends over the past year, they’ve come to know me solely as “sj.” I like the sound of it. What should you call me? Whatever feels the most comfortable to you. And as the saying goes, call me anything, but just don’t call me late for dinner! : )

** (noun) |səˈbatikəl|

*** When I returned “home” this past Fall, I had a most unusual experience (for me). As good as it felt to be on Kaua‘i, I also realized that I’d been “home” for a long while. When I think back on different places where I stayed while in Asia, I remember how comfortable I felt there, in my room, the space that had become my “home.”  Whether it was for several weeks or just a couple of nights, something had changed within me; I had truly found peace wherever I was.

**** Rheinische Friedrich Wilhems Universität

Uni Bonn

***** a nod to my husband : )

Jetzt geht’s los . . . oder . . .

Back on my “solo” journey . . .

Was? Was meinst du denn SJ damit?

Well, I mean that after having a wonderful month at home on Kaua‘i and then two wonderful* months of travel with my husband, I’m now on my own again.

Where’d I go during that time, you ask?

Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving with my sister and her family; Europe: Berlin, Prague, Nürnberg, und Düsseldorf, part of which we shared with my Mom.

Checkout the following links for photos of the Mother Chronicles: http://www.tvjuice.com/mom, http://www.tvjuice.com/mom2, http://www.tvjuice.com/mom3, http://www.tvjuice.com/mom4

Tony btw wrote some kick ass copy damit (that means “with it” in this instance; there’s something a little bit goofy and fun when a person mixes several languages around in one’s head; some things just sound better in one language over another).

If you’re still hungry for photos and story time, Tones and I also made a you-tube slideshow for our annual holiday greeting card. You can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doqK3GSSI5Q&feature=youtu.be

And finally, he also made a fun travelogue of his take on Düsseldorf. Bear in mind that my husband is one incredibly (and that’s an understatement : ), incredibly unique individual. That means that this is Düsseldorf as seen only through the eyes of Tonester.

You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G507CBXj4I4&list=UUM4mnLwlA8F59ct47Y8HnGg&index=1&feature=plcp

If you normally don’t like silly, it’s probably not your cup of tea, but if you’re the type of person who loves to see things in a different light, it’s for you. : )

And while you’re there, why not also check out some of his JazzBug stuff? It’s loads of fun. He’s in the adding kind of mood; so you may want to include his link in your list of favs, so you can easily visit it from time to time.**

Alright, so now down to the nitty gritty of this phase of SJ’s Journey.

Back in Spring 2010 when I had a most memorable dream where a clock in my oldest sister’s bedroom (in my parents’ house) began to say in a goofy-ass, over-dramatic voice, “It  i s  time; it is time; it is time . . .” I knew that (alright, I won’t state the obvious : ).

But I knew that I’d been “coasting” for way too long, and it was, a-hem, time to get “back on track” to matters of the heart.

And for me, that includes travel.

Where to?

My first thought was Germany.                        

Years ago I began to learn German while in Junior High School. A month-long trip to Southern Germany at the impressionable age of 14 sealed the deal; I was hooked. What had seemed like a classroom game became very real when I found myself in a country where people really did speak this jawohl language. I soon found a way to return to Germany and work as a chambermaid for the summer; next followed a year at the Uni Bonn.*** After that, I managed to somehow jump from Phys Ed major with a B.S. to German Lit. major with a M.A.

That same sense of adventure also led me Hawaii where for 25-years I worked with my husband in our own video production company. Yes, I managed to keep the German language in my life somehow, occasionally reading a book or watching einen Deutschen Film, but I felt like I’d never reached the skill level I’d wanted to reach.

Which is why I went to Asia for 5-months.

Das ist doch Blödsinn! Was meinst du denn damit?

Yep, it was a little crazy to first go to Asia to improve my German, but the short answer to a long story is CELTA. That’s where I earned my ESL teaching certificate, which may enable me to live and work in Europe one day. (For those of you new to this glob, try reading earlier entries to discover how all that went down . . . )

So, here I sit on the train from Düsseldorf to Hamburg. After 6-weeks of practicing switching from English to German and back again (thanks Tony and Mom for the great practice!), I’m now in the “let’s stay in German” oder “nur Deutsch sprechen und denken” mode of the trip.

Not quite sure how much I’ll add to my glob during this phase of the journey, but I do think I’ll choose the following moto (spoken by a wise old man), “Don’t be afraid to be stupid!”

Tschüß for now mes amis!

-sj

*That makes 3 wonderfuls. My grandmother used to always say, “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.” We Hyltons all do our best to say, “W³.”

**The above ad was brought to you by makers of fine coffee.

***The official name is Rheinische Friedrich Wilhems Universität.

Friends met and made along the way . . .

Aloha Thailand!

Aloha my friends,

Thanks for hitching a ride on this leg of my journey. I've enjoyed having your company.

Where am I writing this? I'm in Tokyo's modern and amazing Narita airport at a lovely and free internet access "cafe." (That's in quotes because the only way I see to get coffee, or any other beverage, is via one of those automat machines--like you see at rest stops along France's highways where I drank many of them with Dad back in our month-long trip, with Mom and sister Hannah, in the Fall of 1999. And I don't have the local currency for making a purchase . . . but of course they've thought of a solution for that, I'm sure, but coffee's not on my list of beverages right now. The next plan of action is to sleep and try and get in sync with Hawaii's time and day zone . . . )

After about a 5 hour layover, I'll hop on the next flight to Honolulu. When do I arrive there? 10:20 a.m. on Sunday. What time and day is it here now? 7 p.m. something on Sunday. Cool how that works. Due to my frugal and practical nature, I don't arrive on Kaua‘i until Sunday evening (using HAL miles). So, I reckon I'll take a bus to the beach in Honolulu for a dip and a shower. At least that's the plan, I'm open to however it unfolds. This "live-in-the-moment-and-keep-my-eyes-and-ears-open-to-all-possibilities" (or litmakmeaeotap®) form of travel has served me really well the past many months.

In moments of daydreaming, I'd imagined that I'd write a "*SJ's streaming consciousness thoughts and rambles about SE Asia" kind of something. But, at the moment, I'm not feeling it, so I'm not going to. (Okay, some of you are groaning that I already have with my long going on about coffee machines in France and the trip with my family ages ago . . . ) Granted, I may change my mind (or not : ). That's part of the beauty of following my heart; when it comes, it just flows. If it doesn't, then I do something else. There's always something else.

Kay den, 'nuff of that.

Love and blessings to you all. May the light always shine on you; may you always be surrounded by friends (even when you're "alone"); may you feel peace and happiness from the top of your head to the tip of your toes; may you enjoy each and every day on your journey of life, the best darn gift each and every one of us has been given.

***Sat Nam.

-sj

With my gal pal, Chela, who gave me a ride to the Kaua‘i airport early one morning at the end of May.

I had a long layover in Taipei. Prospective English lesson clients? Maybe.

Class #100 at the CELTA English language teaching school in Bangkok.

During the horrible third week (while passing through and/or over the CELTA wall), we couldn't calculate how much to pay at lunch! And it was easy math!!!

A smart and friendly student from Japan on my right; Isky, the talented actor from Kuala Lumpur, on my left.

The winners of fellow CELTA student Suelin's very original and unofficial awards (SJ, Alvin, and Isky, short for Iskander).

Moi with my Bangkok Kundalini yoga instructor, Sunderta.

The 12 trekkers from Denmark, France, Taiwan, Spain, and the United States, who first met in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

My first pals at FLO: Rick, the cameraman; Emily, the troll; and Kate, the giant.

With one of my students while at the beach with FLO (Future Light Orphanage). Recognize him from the dinner out in Phnom Penh?

And with another wonderful FLO student (who recently graduated from high school and started her advanced education course this month).

The fun summer gang of FLO-fans one evening in Phnom Penh.

One of my favorite students . . . okay, who am I kidding, they were ALL my favs!

Dani and Andrew, fellow FLO volunteers, returning "home" after a fun "getaway" to Phnom Penh.

Some of my younger friends at FLO. (Enjoying an apple, thanks to many of YOU !!!)

She's the most natural teacher . . . and she's a talented artist; she gave me a cool going away card that she made.

My friend Dani stopped over in Phnom Penh for one night (after visiting Siem Reap and before heading to Ho Chi Minh). FLO's wonderful chef, and my dear friend, Chancy, and I dropped everything to join Dani for dinner. That was how I found the perfect restaurant for when I would later accompany eight FLO students to dinner in the city. Look up the Friends restaurant in Phnom Penh for more info.

Remember when I wrote about that amazing last day at FLO when many of us went to the Pagoda? The little guy on the right is the boy who took my hand during our walk to and from the temple. : ) Aren't ALL three boys vibrant!

Oh, what a special day that was!

And I love this shot too much to not include it in my "wrap-up." It embodies so much of what FLO is about.

Did I tell you about the storybooks that my older students made? They were as varied and as fascinating as the Ss. "Were there recurring themes?" you ask. Yes.
Making friends (or the wanting of friends). Giants (fighting giants, killing giants, running away from giants). Poor people (who need help, who I want to help but can't, who I hope to help someday, who I want to come to school with me, who have no food). And magical animals or people (who do all k i n d s of things!).
Yes, I think the storybook project was a success.

We ended up doing the second of two scavenger hunts early on the Saturday morning when I bid FLO adieu.  Why? There was a powerful monsoonal rain the previous afternoon. It worked out well; I was able to pass out all their learning materials (their notebooks, storybooks, tests, etc.) AND give them lots of prizes which I'd gathered. There were even enough lollipops for all the little kids who were hanging out with us. (Thanks Dani, Sean, and Kai!)

How very special it was to look these dear human beings in the eye and know that our bond is eternal. Just the right number gathered for a very personal, unhurried, and precious farewell.

And then I began my "travels" . . .

My new friends from Australia (by way of Ireland) and Canada (Laura, Nick, and Leta respectively). We biked together and shared a tuk tuk in Siem Reap (when visiting the many ancient temples).

Here I was with a beautiful young lady from Laos who was taking her visiting parents on an excursion.

The beautiful young couple from Israel (who found me in Hanoi somewhere and somehow early, early one morning) with our trek guide.

The lovely lady on the left made my delicious (and expensive by Vietnamese standards : ) coffee; she was the only "game" in the market (and she'll do well)!

I had planned to meet Nat (and her friend, Gerry) the previous evening for dinner, but I went to the wrong restaurant (I initially met them on the boat trip to Ha Long Bay). "If I'm supposed to see them, I will, " I thought to myself. And sure enough, I did! Yeah, I love those synchronistic moments too. : )

On the boat with the "cook" who made my dinner one evening in Hue (with her son).

Remember the "locals only" café in Hue I told you about? Here we are again.

I met these friendly childhood friends from London while touring Ha Long Bay; we ran into one another in both Hue and Hoi An. While in Hoi An, we decided to share both delightful conversation and a delicious dinner.

A few evenings ago in Bangkok, I met up with some of my fellow CELTA graduates; we ate at a place called Cabbages and Condoms. Yes, condoms. Look it up on-line; it's a cool place with a good cause (and a tasty restaurant). Yes, it was great to see them again. They've all gotten good jobs (yes, teaching) in Bangkok!

Michele, my longtime friend who with her husband, graciously shared their Bangkok home.

I spent all day yesterday at a Kundalini yoga retreat doing white tantric yoga; it was amazing. The exercises are done with a partner. Meet my new friend, Japnan; she's a beautiful young lady (my nephew Jo Ryan's age) from Taiwan. Being a self-motivated person, she has her own business and is able to work from her home. Good for her! And she has the most beautiful dark brown eyes. It worked out perfectly that the retreat took place on my last day in Thailand (and SE Asia).

That's me looking up at the ceiling of Bangkok's Sunvarabhumi airport early this a.m.; or am I really looking down? What do you think? : )

Aloha Thailand!




*One entry was going to be: Vietnames Airlines, the Big Save of SE Asia, i.e. short line, long wait (thanks Tones for that tag line : ) ; it's one of his classics.

Another? Cheapest place in SE Asia per my informal survey? Vietnam
(Also, didn't see nary a McDonalds or Starbucks in **Vietnam, did see one KFC there though, in Hanoi, right in a major tourist area and intersection. There are a zillion KFC's in Thailand and Cambodia btw; they L O V E KFC in those two countries!)

And another, it's very L O U D in SE Asia, even in the countryside. Sometimes at FLO (in the middle of nowhere really), it would be SO loud as the neighboring communities blasted out their this'es and thats with the wind. (That was one reason I loved Luang Prabang so much; it was quiet there; it felt so much more restful than in other cities.) "Okay, what about LA?" I can hear you ask. "And NYC? And Detroit?" (Detroit? I've never been to Detroit. lol Always thought it'd be nice to visit Augie and Rose though.) Alright, got it; we Americans have very loud places too.


Things like that is was I had been imagining that I'd write . . . but not now, maybe another time (or not . . . I'm not making any promises one way or another).


**Didn't see one KFC or chain restaurant in Laos, but I was only in Luang Prabang. Don't know about Vientiane and other areas.


***Sat Nam is similar to namaste, which most of you know.
The following was copied from a website I found: http://www.kundaliniyogablog.com/-2006-11-12-sat-nam-definition/

"The Mantra Sat Nam

Sat Nam is a mantra commonly used in Kundalini Yoga and amongst its practicioners. It is frequently repeated three times at the end of a yoga session. But what is the importance of Sat Nam, what does it mean.

I’ve heard the following interpretations for Sat Nam via my Kundalini Yoga instructors:

• Truth is my identity
• My identiy is Truth
• My True Self
• Truth is our identity

It has been called the process of naming ones self Truth. It can be used similar to Namaste, (the divine in me aknowledges and pays tribute to the divine in you.) Where the “Truth” is the divine.

Being one who likes to get to “Source” info, I decided to do some further research into the nature of Sat Nam. I made an assumption that Sanskrit is a rather root dialect and that “Sat Nam” in Sanskrit would provide supplemental information on the nature of Sat Nam.

I found this Sanskrit Dictionary, and looked up the words, Sat and Nam.

Sat

1. being
2. real
3. that which really exists
4. the real existent truth

I’ve seen it written that Sat means Be, or more apprpriately Be-ness. Which would be the essence of being. (HPB’s Secret Doctorine) I suspect some careful analysis would find an interesting correlation between Be-ness and emptiness. (For those of Buddhist faith)

but onward to Nam.

1. To bow
2. To submit or subject oneself

And so one is bowing to Truth, to Be-ness the essence of being.

And the active interpretation of Sat Nam emerges.

Sat Nam

H~"

And for those of you who read this far, this just came in today's "calendar" email from Julie Redstone:

46.

To experience God one must live in the present, 

for it is in the present that new experience arises.

Let go of thinking and be in the moment.

It is in each moment that God may come to you.

***

July in October

Hi Everyone,

You take a step back and then two forward . . .

I dug through my backup hard drive to find some shots from the three day/two night trek I took in July north of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We were a group of twelve from all over the world: Spain, Denmark, Taiwan, France, and the U.S.

Enjoy!

Taken in the hangout area at the first of the two "homestays."

The john.

Flushing system.

We 12 shared this large room.

It turned rainy.

! ! !

Stopped for a chat.

With this wonderful weaver.

And her friend.

Stopped by a school.

And a village.

Walked through rice paddies.

Swam in mountain pools.

Drank Chang and listened to the local musician (singular).

Breakfast.

I bought a few things from her.

Part of what we saw along the way.

The gang.

The 3 fun Spaniards.

Rode on an elephant; it wasn't nearly as nice as in Laos. This guy was hungry! And they wouldn't let him eat.

The last part of the trip was floating downstream on a bamboo raft; this group had WAY more fun than my group! We were much too calm and tranquil. : )

Off to a yoga retreat for my last 2-nights in Thailand and SE Asia.

Aloha,

-sj