i just got laid off, now what?

I was laid off last week on Wednesday.

Day 0 - State of Shock
I had a feeling there was going to be lay offs, but I just didn't think I was going to be a part of it. Admittedly, I wasn't completely satisfied or fulfilled with my job, but it was good enough. I was getting paid well and I finally felt comfortable with what I was doing.
It was sad. It sucked. Yet, I was okay with it.

Day 1 - I am worried.
I was not worried that I wouldn't be able to find a job. I was worried about what I was going to do next.
I still need to weigh my options and I need some time to settle before I figure out what I am going to do next.
I do not want to make any rash decisions. So, I am going to soak in my emotions and see how the week plays out.

Day 2 - This is exciting!
Yay, I have options! Instead of seeing these options as a goliath of a decision, I'm taking it as time to explore! Trying to take this worry cloud and change it to excitement! See what I really want to do next and what makes me happy.
Being in my upper 20s, I don't want to just jump into anything. I am giving myself the freedom to relax and choose my next step. I feel so mature...yehahahah

I've decided that everyday til I find a job or am in my next move, I am going to post what I did that day that was meaningful.

Meaningful Action of the Day:
I finally visited my friend Mark's place in Brooklyn (whoop, Crown Heights!). He has lived there for a little over a year and I haven't seen it. I know, I know....BAD FRIEND! yehahaa
It's super cutesy with baby blue painting and great details off the Nostrand 3 stop.
Plus, I got to check out and eat at Gloria's. Oxtail with callaloo and mac&cheese on top of rice w/ beans...SOOOOOOOOOooOoOOooOO yummy!! Must visit again! Gloria's and Mark's that is!!! yehahahah

you got some seoul.

korea. korea. korea. how do i describe thee.

party. party. party.

yehahaha

5 words: food. party. drinks. spas. games.

Food 

Janet took the lead and ordered up the food for us.

We ordered a ton of fish and fresh seafood and feasted.

I will remember Korea for the cheap eats.

Food and drinks are so cheap.

It would cost $25 - $30 to be completely drunk and full! WHAT A STEAL!!!

Party

And we went out. We went out a lot.

We went out every night to the wee hours 

and partied the only way TTN knows how.

This was at Boys  Noize. Ahh yes, the cube!

This may have been the night of Polar Bear shots (SO GOOD), 

me wearing a cool bow, and making a grand entrance 

via cart. yehahahah

YES!

Drinks

Ok, maybe this order should be reversed.

We drink and we drank plenty.

Drinking is cheap out and about!

A bottle of soju is something ridiculous like $2

a bottle a 7/11. Don't mind if I do.

We mainly drank at bars. No need to pre-party.

That's me at the wine buffet.

Yes, I said it. Wine buffet.

Yippeee!

Spas

So, I don't have a photo of us at the spa.

Didn't want the camera to fog up.

Biking in Gyeongju.

They are wonderful and what a steal.

I think it was something like $15 for as long as our heart desired.

And they are clean and beautiful.

Yes, loved it.

We had one crazy night where we snuck into the hotel spa in Busan.

We snuck in through the stairs and used the spa in all it's glory.

To make a long story short, 

Janet and I got caught underneath the lounging chairs.

How did we fit, who knows?

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

That was us biking around in Gyeongju. It's so pretty there! Rent bikes and explore this cute town!!!!

The palaces, the history, oh so much to learn!

Of course, not everyone were as fabulous as Janet and I are on a bike, so everyone else went tandem. yehahaah. So much fun!!!! A lot of people go when the cherry blossoms are blooming. I saw a photo and it looks magical.

Games

I love carnival games. LOVE THEM.

And Korea loves them too. 

There are carnival games all over the place.

And we played. I wish the States had them 

everywhere you went.

Nothing like drinking and winning!

Culture and Tourism

We also spent a of time touring all the different neighborhoods.

Itaewon. Hyewa. Myeondong. Insadong. Hongdae. Gangnam.

And a bunch of other places. Luckily,  my friend, Janet, was living there 

and she speaks Korean. It made it a lot easier to get around. 

I didn't have to think much where I was, but was able to just follow the crowd.

We also made it to the DMZ. Learned a lot!

It's crazy to think about. To live next to  another country where you have to prepare in case of invasion.

It definitely opened my eyes.

It was my first time to spend an extended amount of time in a more developed Asian country. I was in Taiwan, but only for a day.

Hoping Japan is in the near horizon!

no big deal.just a quarter life crisis.

Manu, Amazon, Peru

When I think about a moment when I was happy and I mean truly truly happy...I always thinks back to a moment when I was at the beach, diving, hiking, on a river, or anywhere in nature really. It's a time when I thought of nothing. Where nothing could bother me and nothing ever did bother me. I appreciated it for what it was. I thought of nothing else, but what was in front of me. I saw what only was that. And that was that.

And now, I have a 9 - 5 job. What I look forward to are the weekends when I could just sleep, rest, and hang out. Why? Shouldn't life be more than just weekends and bottled experiences?

Life is constantly around me, but I do not see it for what it is.

This is not to say that a 9 - 5 job is the sole reason for my discontent. It's really any piece of my life where I do not accept things for what they are.

I love traveling, but even then there were moments where I wanted to use my brain more and establish some sort of routine.

So, what to do? What to do? I feel like it's a big conundrum. Can someone just solve this for me?

yehahaha. 2013 here I come. I am creating my To Do List. My Goals. My Passion Projects. And doing things that make me happy and comprise each piece of me.

Yippeee!

the daily grind

That's right folks. I am in New York.

I made the move from the beaches of California to the rivers of Manhattan in July 2011.

I've lived here for a year and a half. Yet, it feels like I just got here last week.

I've survived 2 abnormal hurricanes that hit Manhattan. Roamed the streets of New York unemployed. Worked at a non-profit and I am now at a start up. 

i left my heart in seville.

Have you ever been to a place where the moment you stepped foot, the moment you laid your eyes on the city that a piece of you was already there? I know sounds a bit dramatic, but those that have felt that know what I am talking about.

Seville, Seville, Seville in just a few moments it took my breath away.

I don't know why exactly. Perhaps the huge sidewalks, the tiny allies, the cafes, the trams, the cleanliness, the architecture, the Flamenco. It is hard to explain except the fact it was just magical.

To the right is the Flamenco show. There is a nightly performance for free! Hip hip!

The streets of Seville. So gorgeous! And even prettier in person! I was walking very, very, very early in the morning hence no one was there...

Plaza de Espana. This place has such gorgeous detail and tiles! To the right is art that lines the wall of the building. So pretty!

In Granada, you have to go to the Alhambra and in Seville, you must go to the Real Alcazar.

They both have the Islamic/Moorish influences, but in terms of which one is better than the other, I leave that for you to decide. Best word of advice: Bring your student id! Major discounts!!

Well, in all honesty...this is as much as I am willing to say.

I think the Alhambra is in such an awe inspiring location that you cannot help, but to be impressed. It is so vast and atop a hill. You have sweeping views and the mountains definitely help.

The Real Alcazar has such fine details and in such great condition. I cannot get over the designs.

And the gardens! It was definitely orange season when I was around. Fruitful trees make it all the better! So many pretty gardens in Seville to enjoy and relax.

The streets of Seville are also very cute. So many great nooks and crannies to get lost in.

I love the paint, the ground, oh gosh I think I am in love.

Are you a Berber?

I took a train from Asilah to Fes and I end up meeting a man on the train who owned one of the two tanneries in Fes. I wanted to stay at a hostel, but he recommended I stay

at a guesthouse. BEST DECISION EVER. I stayed in a traditional Moroccan house that is hundreds of years old in the medina.

I walk up the stairs and enter into the great hall. Really high ceilings! UUhhMAZING!

I highly recommend you stay at:

Dar el Ouedghiri

49, Oude Souafine, Akibt Sbaa, Douh, Fez Medina

email: Dar_lalafatima@hotmail.com

I ate some delicious Moroccan food. A savory chicken pastry!Some of the best food in Fes is made out of her kitchen.

That's the doorway into my room. Beautiful, right?

From there, one of the tannery workers picked me up from the guesthouse and wandered in the 40,000 plus streets of Fes.

Crazy, right?! I definitely would have gotten loswithout Touhammi. Well, my bodyguard really. yehahaha

I love getting lost in there.

To the left is a photo of Ahmed who I met on the train. He really took care of me and showed me around Fes (well, got Touhammi to do it).

Ahmed says I bring him luck. A bunch of Japanese came right after me and bought a bunch of goodies.

I left with a customized leather jacket, sandals, wallets, keychains, and a chair. Ya, I may have gotten overboard a bit.

That's a view from above the tannery. Cool!

And of course I had to look at some rugs! So beautiful! Gosh, everything is beautiful in Morocco.

Alas, my time in Morocco had to come to an end and I had to go back to Spain. Woe is me...yehahaha. Next stop, Seville!

And about the title of the post "Are you a Berber?" I got asked that so many times! I guess Berbers really know how to bargain. Plus, I guess I kind of look like a Berber. I didn't believe it until they showed me photos of famous Berber singers. Funny!

Rewind

Let me take you back to the beginning when I first started the journey into Morocco...

I am quite the lucky girl. I wouldn't really recommend a woman to travel on her own in Morocco especially if she didn't know French or Arabic. But I did. Yes, I did. Let me remind you. I traveled on my own throughout South America, Eastern Europe, and New Zealand. In an Islamic country, a female on her own is slightly different. I didn't join some grand tour, but I took all local buses, trains, taxis, and walked a long ways. And if you do travel on your own, plan it out! PLAN!

It just is a bit different being the only female in a bus. Or wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt and feeling that I still wasn't clothed enough. When I traveled in Egypt with my fellow female friend, there were so many other tourists there that I never felt like I what I was wearing was inappropriate or that I was out of place. (Well, except for maybe on instance, but that is a whole other story on its own).

I traveled from Algeciras, Spain to Ceuta (Spanish territory that borders Morocco) to then catch a bus to Tangier which takes about 45 min to an hour. If you travel from Algeciras to Morocco, make sure the ferry actually goes to the port in Tangier and not to Ceuta. Even though the bus is free to get to Tangier, it is just annoying and confusing. The bus drops you off in a roundabout. I was disoriented and did not know where anything was. The bus station is only on the other side of one of the roundabout streets. It literally is a 20 second taxi ride. Walk it! And try to ask the locals for directions. Or just check every street (there are only 4) and it should not be too far from the roundabout. It is small and a yellow building. I was tricked that it was further and I ended up taking a taxi. Lame.

Anyways, I was headed to Chefchaouen which I hear is a beautiful city with only white and blue buildings nestled in the Rif Mountains. I had my ticket ready to go, but the bus did not leave until about an hour and a half later. I got to the bus station around 4pm. I took the 2pm ferry and Morocco is an hour behind Spain. So, the whole journey from Algeciras to Tangier took about 3 hours. A lot longer than expected!

Back to the story...So, I met this 45-50 year old and 28 year old Moroccan men who were heading to Asilah. I wouldn't arrive in Chefchaouen until about 9:30-10:00 which is well into the night. I didn't have a place booked and I didn't have a map so I was even unsure about my game plan. I was convinced and worth the risk so I decided to go along.