Parts of Week One in Lima

When I was traveling around Perú and Chile, I ended up having less time to post than I was hoping. Here are some pictures that I had intended to upload almost a year ago. Glad I'm finally catching up! :)

Park for lovers.

Brisas de Titicaca

Cuy, or guinea pig. Yes, they eat these here.

Some of the students at Huaca Pucllana.

An outside sandwich stand. They were delicious!

A tunnel made of water - at the park of fountains.

La Plaza de Armas.

Beautiful church

An old mansion in central Lima. This blue one was my favorite.

Inner courtyard of a museum.

Fountain in the center.

Famous church in the city square.

Welcome Blogger 2013

To all mothers, and especially my own:
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
I love you dearly, and hope that it was a fabulous day.

-----------------------------

And I think that it is finally time to make my comeback!

Although it has almost been a year since I've seriously blogged, it has been on my mind for months. After Japan, I spent several months traveling to see family in the U.S., and then took a two-month hiatus to the beautiful countries of Perú and Chile in South America. With less time and access to the Internet than expected, I was hardly able to keep up with my past blogger self.

With several more transitions, first to Croton and then to Brooklyn, with new jobs on my plate - I'm back and ready for action! The move and hectic schedule of settling in has died down, and I am ready to start focusing on writing again... blogging about places, people, and things that cross my path in this journey called life.

Hopefully I will be able to keep up with my ambitious goal of rekindling my blog. If not, please forgive me and know that I had good intentions. Encouragement from readers is one easy way to stay on task, so keep up with me and nag me when I'm MIA!

So here we go! Let's hope that I actually have things to write about now.

First day "back on the job," and I took a short outing around Park Slope and Prospect Park, armored with glove and ball! Nothing better than a game of catch with a new mitt, followed by a walk around the park and quiet reading time with a book and coffee. I say that today was well spent.

NYC Subway Map. Yup.

Completely empty subway station?

Everyone else enjoying Mother's Day, too.

The famous NYC brownstones. 

Perhaps this is a Japanese Red Maple.

And who doesn't love a hot dog stand.

The new mitt. New ball too if you can believe it.

Kafka on the Shore - Murakami Haruki

Awesome color combo - and so in season.

Some plants in the window to keep away the bugs. Apparently, herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil and mint, help repel mosquitoes and flies.

~ L

Completed 2013 Calendar

Here are my last two 2013 Calendars - featuring Santiago, Chile and Lima, Peru! All photography was taken by me while I spent the months of October and November, 2012 traveling around the two countries.

If you see any photos from my calendars or blog that you would like to be made into a personalized calendar for 2013, please make a request! I would be happy to make a calendar specifically for you!

Happy shopping and may the holidays be merry and bright!

Santiago, Chile Calendar 2013

Lima, Peru Calendar 2013

Don't forget to take a look at the lulu.com shipping guidelines, and be sure to order in time for the holidays if you're giving lulu products as a gift.

Order before December 14th and you can redeem the lulu.com 20% off coupon!

-Lana

Current Projects

Well, hi!

Sorry it has been so long since I've written. I'm finally back from Japan and South America, and have settled temporarily into a quaint little apartment in a small town in New York state. My goal is to eventually make it closer to or in New York City, but until full-time employment finds me, I'll be here.

Currently I'm working on a bunch of little projects, some of which I'm paid for and some of which are volunteer. Selling things online, for example on ebay or lulu, is one of said projects.
Here is my first calendar for 2013, exhibiting photography that I took in Cusco, Peru.

Enjoy!

Cusco, Peru Calendar 2013

           

The first step of a new adventure - South America! Lima, Peru

Here I am, on my next journey in lands completely foreign to me.  Not only is it my first time in South America, but it's also my first time below the equator.  It isn't very cold during the day in Lima, even in winter, but it does get pretty cold at night and I'm thankful to my friend Becca for warning me about that.

I was pretty worried about my trip to Peru yesterday, and stumbled across a few problems early on.  I woke up at 4:00, and "assembled the troops" - aka the parents - so that they'd be ready to go by 4:30.  I hadn't done any packing for this trip until the day before, since I spent all of August traveling around to FL, OH and MA.  I woke up at 4 am nervous that I had made the wrong decision about what to pack.  I filled one small carry-on size duffel and a messenger bag.  I was worried that my stuff wouldn't make it to a connecting flight if I checked it, so I prepared in order to bring everything on the plane with me.  In retrospect I see that it would have been fine, but that's for later.

We left for the airport at what seemed to still be the middle of the night, and made it more or less on time.  We even found the right terminal at JFK, which can be a challenge as those who have ever flown out of there may know.  As soon as I walked through the doors, I knew it was going to be a hectic day.  There was a line for the Avianca counter that wrapped through the tape and all the way down the hall.  Of course all of the other airlines were completely empty.  I had to go to the bathroom, but I was afraid that the line would just keep getting longer and that I needed to check it.  Not until I was ON the line, did I realize that the flight was delayed by an hour.  There were already twenty new travelers lined up behind me.  After this point however, everything went pretty well.  The airline told me not to worry about the delay and transfer until I got to Bogota, Columbia, and they would take care of it from there.  Luckily the flight out of Bogota to Lima was also delayed, so I made it without trouble.  Now I wish I had just decided to check a larger bag, but I would have been worried about it all day if I had. Plus I also have another layover in Lima in a few weeks, and one in Bogota again on my way back to NY so I guess there's still a chance that I'll arrive somewhere and have nothing to wear for a few days.

When I got to Lima the prearranged Taxi Driver was waiting for me, and we had a pleasant ride through the different neighborhoods in Lima on our way to my host-family's house.  He spoke only a little English, and I spoke only a little Spanish but we had a very successful time communicating.  Some people just have a knack for knowing how to speak to a non-native speaker.  He was great at gesturing and inserting all the right English words at the right time.  Also he used very slow and simple Spanish.  He works for the ECELA language school, so I'm sure he's had lots of practice speaking with people of all different levels.

I sat and chatted with the host family for a few hours after arrival last night, and met their niece who's also fluent in English and French.  It was great getting to know them but a little frustrating realizing how little Spanish I remember from six years ago.  I'm really looking forward to starting class tomorrow so I can start picking things up again.

My host mother is about to take me on a walk to see how to get to school, but I will post some photos when I have them.

Ciao!

Lana

Last AJET Connect Article for me!

In May I submitted my last Rosie article to the AJET Connect Magazine.
Here is the link!

May AJET Connect 

AJET Connect Homepage

Welcome Back! - Spring Vacation Travels 2012

Hello all, and welcome back to Kitcher's Cafe!

Here is a short slideshow of some pictures that I took while on a 1-week vacation in March.  Two friends from High School (now all three of us living in different places) managed to get some well-deserved time off to make the trek all the way to Japan!

We started in Tokyo, making our way south to Kyushu by shinkansen, visiting Fukuoka and Nagasaki, then making our way back north with a stop in Nara.  It was a great time, and helped me see the beauty of Japan again through fresh eyes!

Take a look at the flickr album, and post any comments about the locations or pictures in the comments section below!

Also, take a minute to look at my new store on Zazzle - KokoRosato.  I have added a few preliminary items, and will be updating more as time goes on.  I'll post again when I have some new products for sale.

 See KokoRosato at Zazzle

Browse other gifts from Zazzle.

All of the products in my store were created using original photos taken by me.

-LRK

Happy looking!  Happy shopping!  Happy spring!

February 2012 AJET CONNECT

The February issue of CONNECT is out and available for download!  You can access the magazine by going through the AJET website, or by clicking this link directly.





February 2012 issue of AJET Connect (11.5 MB PDF)

I have a two and a half page article entitled "Just Another Face" featured in the culture corner, pages 24 through 26.


Also, vote for my photo (photo #7) in this month's photo contest!  You can visit ajet.net/photos to submit your vote.

Please post any comments about the article here!
Happy reading, and many thanks.

Lana
 

Jane Eyre - Book Review

Please note: There may be spoilers here.  I will be sure to write any spoilers in PURPLE with brackets { } so that you can avoid reading sections that may give away parts of the book.

I have recently finished reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.  I was inspired to read it for three reasons.  The first reason is that I always hear this book mentioned in popular culture such as on TV or in movies, and as I was not required to read it in school I always wondered what it was like.  The second reason is that it seems people who have read it either really like it, or really hate it and I wanted to know first-hand the causes of this split.  The last reason is that recently I've been thinking I should read some of the "classic books" and discover for myself their greatness.  It is funny too, that so many of the classics mention other classics and famous authors within them!  The more I read, the more I want to read!

I've read a few books written in older English, and they are usually very difficult for me to understand.  I thought that this book was going to be similar, but I was happily surprised to find that the English used in Jane Eyre is actually quite simple and easy to follow.  The book is long however, and may be a deterrent for some hoping to read it.

I saw the recent Jane Eyre film before I read the book, but I wouldn't recommend doing so.  Actually, I wouldn't recommend it for any book.  If you see the movie first, I think you'll be less likely to enjoy the book.  You already know what happens, and you already have the director's interpretation of the story and characters in your mind.

{Just by viewing the trailer, I thought it would be a ghost story of sorts.  Towards the end we figure out that it is not a ghost story and ends up being a classic love story; the tales of one girl's life.  I enjoyed reading about the time period and learning about the story and characters in more detail, but it might have been a better experience to go into it with a blank slate.}

All in all, I thought it was an pleasurable read.  Towards the middle the plot lagged a little bit and it took me some time to read through it, but it's no wonder that the classic has remained popular and withstood the test of time.  If you have a lot of time and are interested in reading some old literature, I would recommend this book.  If you're looking for a light and quick novel that can be finished in a matter of days, save this one for a different occasion.

Happy reading!

Next up is The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Check the "Read Read Read" tab for the next book review, coming soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY (slightly belated) THANKSGIVING! I hope it was a good one. Although we didn't have the day off here, I was able to have a large Thanksgiving-style dinner last Sunday evening with a bunch of other English teachers in the area. Also, we had the day off on Wednesday due to a Japanese national holiday so it was a good week all in all.

To top it all off, I finished my NaNoWriMo novel last night at 50,121 words! I've updated my "NaNoWriMo 2011 participant" badges to the "2011 NaNoWriMo winner" ones. Anyone who crosses the 50,000 word finish line is a winner. Towards the middle of the month I was feeling less motivated, but I got a final burst of motivation triggered by comptetive spirit and I finished. The novel needs a lot of work, but perhaps someday it will turn into a published short story. For now, it is just a rough draft and will probably stay that way for some time. I think I'd like to do some planning throughout the next year and write another novel next November. Hopefully I'll have time to think up a fun plot-line and some interesting characters before then.

Here is a very short blub from my 2011 NaNoWriMo novel:

H&F

Sometimes I wonder if I could change things still. Even now.

There are light-brown stains on the index and middle fingers of my right hand. My hair is brittle from dye. I try to tease it for volume but it’s pretty useless. The cheap cloth of the uniform I’m wearing is wrinkled and discolored from overuse. It hangs loosely on my frame. Cigarette burns, beer stains, and oil marks from the dirty men who grope me as I walk through the isles form a visible pattern on the blue fabric, like they’re part of the design. God I hate this job. I hate those men. I hate their smoke and their money and their crude language, and everything about them. The people who come before the doors even open and stay until we kick them out are the absolute worst. Where do they get the money to gamble all day? Every day the same people come. They’re as addicted to pachinko as I am to not coming to work.

------------------

All for now. Good night!

November Articles

The November issue of AJET Connect magazine is now out!  In this issue I have two articles featured.  One is a full two-page article, and the other is a one-page column by "Rosie."  I have also  submitted a photo for the November photo contest.  I hope you will enjoy reading this month's articles!  They aren't perfect, but I'm happy to be writing and getting my work out there!


Screenshots:

"The No Impact Experiment" -LRK, PDF pg 15

 

"A Word to the Wise" -Rosie, PDF pg 54

"At Home in Serenity" -LRK, PDF pg 57

Here is the link for the direct download, and here is the link to access the section on the AJET website http://ajet.net/ajet-connect/.

And on a different note, I'm up to 9,451 words on my NaNoWriMo story.  Although I know it isn't a very good story, as in this case quantity as more important than quality, I am still tempted to post it on lulu.com when I'm finished.  If not for anyone else, I think I'd like to own a hard-copy of the story at least for myself.  It can be a reminder of this accomplishment of November 2011.  Also, if I ever do National Novel Writing Month again, it would probably good to have a physical copy of all of he work I've done from the past to keep track.

A day mostly well spent I think.
Good night Tokyo!

NaNoWriMo

Good morning!  Even on non-work days I find it difficult to wake up late.

My hopes for this fall/winter are to stay inside, read as many books as possible, study for the JLPT, and figure out what I want to do with my life once I leave Japan in approximately nine or ten months.  I have the study and leisure books already prepared, but I don’t really have enough information on job hunting.

Last night I met up with a friend in Kofu.  She is also in the process of trying to make a career change, so I asked her to bring along the books she has regarding employment.  We talked a lot about our interests, and what kind of markets cater to them.  She has been talking to various career coaches and had a lot of useful information to share with me.  The main book that she’s been using is called Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0.  I’m also interested in learning a little about this on my own, so I looked online only to discover that there are about 20 different versions of this book, all geared towards different needs and occupations.  For example there are some that focus on using technology, some for using social media, for entrepreneurs, writers, and the list goes on.  There are a few that I’m really interested in reading, but I was unable to find any copies that were cheap enough to be worth my while.  I also checked the e-libraries and couldn’t find them for free for the kindle.  I’ll either have to suck it up and buy some of the ones I’m interested in, or find equally useful information for free on the Internet.  I’ll consider this a little longer before I make a decision.  At this point, I'm trying to avoid buying anything new because I’ll have to spend a lot of money to bring it back with me to the US.

Lately I’ve been trying to expand my writing ability, so I’ve been doing some volunteer writing.  I mentioned this in my last entry about the AJET online magazine.  For those of you who guessed that my nom de plum is “Rosie - the advice columnist,” you’re right! I’ll be writing the advice column monthly, as long as there is an interest from the editing staff and readers.

In addition to article writing, I found out about this event in November called NaNoWriMo.  It stands for Nation Novel Writing Month.  From midnight on November first to midnight on December first, a group of individuals from all over the world will make a pledge to dedicate the month of November to writing a novel.  Each person will attempt to write 50,000 words, or approximately 175 pages, in 30 days.  The purpose is not necessarily to walk away with something you can publish on December 1^st, but to write for the sake of writing.  Many people who want to write often let doubts get in their way of ever sitting down to the task.  “I’m not good enough, I don’t have enough time, and I don’t know what to write.”  The deadline constraints of this event force people to write as much as possible, creating a writing flow that is important for practice and idea generation.  The point is to get people away from using excuses, and simply WRITE.

I will be participating in next months NaNoWriMo.  Anyone can join (as long as they have access to the Internet), and there are various communities within the event to help motivate one another with the task at hand.  Although my schedule is busy and  I may not pass the 50,000 word finish line, I figured it was still a good chance and opportunity, so I'll give it a try.  Ultimately, anyone could make this a project for themselves at any time of the year, but having a community going along through the same process at the same time as you is integral to getting the job done I think.  Getting inspiration and motivation from others is often important when trying to push yourself toward a seemingly unachievable goal.  Every year people “pass the finish line,” so perhaps I will join them either this year or next!  Also, maybe the work I produce this month will eventually be turned into a novel.  You never know!  Check out the website if you’re interesting in the program, and please let me know if you decide to join in!  I have put a “participant’s badge” at the bottom of my website.  I’d love to share this experience with you!  We can share ideas, story lines, and encourage one another along the way!  I will try to keep my word-count up on my blog during November to let you all know if I’m making any progress or not.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about/whatisnano

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about/hownanoworks

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/dashboard

http://blog.lettersandlight.org/

2012 Calendar - Japan

Buy my 2012 Japan calendar at lulu.com!

2012 Calendar: Japan


http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/japan-calendar-heisei-24---2012/11678041

2012 Calendar - Thailand and Cambodia

Buy my 2012 Thailand and Cambodia calendar at lulu.com!  I will also try to make a 2012 calendar for Japan as well.

2012 Calendar: Thailand and Cambodia

http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/thailand-and-cambodia/11343412