Magical and Mysterious

For the past couple of Months I have been complaining about the travel that is required for my work. Traveling for work is vastly different than traveling for pleasure. There is not much time to explore and the time you are given you rush to hit the highlights so that you can say you "did" that location.

India, while amazing, wasn't something that I got to enjoy. I loved the culture and I loved the experience but in truth, I can only appreciate the experience in hindsight. I was working with a new team on a project with a tight schedule. I also wanted to maintain a budget but the people I was with wasn't concerned about the cost of our excursions. In all it became more stressful than I anticipated.

Shortly after returning home I had the stress of learning to live with a new roommate. Now there hasn't been any problems. In fact, I think that living with her is pretty easy as we seem similar in a lot of aspects, but there are always going to be bumps in the road as you get used to the way someone else lives. For example, I make a mess... often. I usually don't clean it up right away as I want to enjoy dinner or whatever activity I have completed. This usually means I need to let people know A) that I intend to clean it and B) apologize that it hasn't been clean yet. But this doesn't fly with Megan. No the impossible has happened. She couldn't care less. AND She just cleans it cause it needs to be cleaned, and I don't have to apologize (just so long as I don't take advantage)...... I could learn a lot from this girl.

Then as soon as I got use to the routine at home I was getting into a car, driving the 2 hours to Newark Airport, to take a 11 hour flight to Buenos Aires for another tightly scheduled Audit. I have been waiting on CPA scores, striving to get work done, waking up early to drive the hour to the location, and then studying late cause I still don't know if I have passed my last exam. All in all I feel like I have had all thrusters on full with no chance to recharge. Added to it was a weekend off to Iguazu Falls. One of the most majestic falls in South America and one of the 7 wonders of the world. In short, upon my arrival I was utterly exhausted and in no mood to be a tourist. If I could have been in my room at home with my copy of the hobbit I would have been much happier. O, I also forgot to mention that to save costs, I was sharing a room with my coworker and as an introvert this means no alone time to recharge.

Yesterday we scheduled to take a boat tour at the bottom of the falls and headed to the tram that would take us to the top of the Main falls named Garganta del Diablo or Devil's Throat. We walked about a half mile over rusted bridges above a fast moving river and entered I entered into Middle Earth.

We had been griping that the day wasn't clear but honestly at that point it didn't matter and I preferred it to be overcast. With the roar of the water you couldn't hear anyone else unless you yelled because you were literally looking over the edge. The mist rose up to shroud everyone and I was by myself. All alone in a crowded place, I was able to be by myself. I didn't have to listen to anyone and I could barely see anyone else. The falls masked the people and you could take in the majesty and mysteriousness that the view held. It was absolutely breath taking. Here I was able to reset. I took some pictures and then just marveled. I let everything else fade away and just be. I took in the wonder that was before me and I felt like I was somewhere else. Somewhere magical and mysterious. I expected to see Aslan looking at me from the opposite bank or to see Elves and Ents making plan.

As I headed back towards the tram and our boat ride at the bottom of the falls, I knew I wouldn't forget that experience.

Celebrating not two but three births in London

I am notoriously a planner. I obsessively plan things. It is not a want or a desire but a burning need that if left unfulfilled puts me into a mild panic attack. OK it might not be that bad but my family can attest to my need for order. I have a budget each month that I update every time I make a purchase, I planned out my month long trip to Europe down to the last plane, train, and hotel. Oh, except for the last one... where we got robbed… so I can say that experience is on my side.

Now my need to plan often clashes with my sisters need to be unencumbered and live in the moment. As I mentioned in this post it one time coalesced into a huge argument on the streets of Dublin. Luckily in the years since that post she has learned to cope with my need to be “a mom” and I have learned to sometimes let Katie (and now John) do their own thing and follow along. This is how I recently ended up in my skivvies on the banks of the Yadkin River in NC at 3 am one morning trying to swing off of a rope swing into swiftly moving swollen flood water. I had memories of Bridge to Terebithia running through my head during that “adventure”. But that is a story for another time.

So needless to say when it came to planning to celebrate Katie’s birthday (and to some extent mine) when we met up in London after my audit in India, I had the who’s, whats, and whys nailed down. Well almost. I had decided to see a play, that we would spend some time at the very touristy Ice Bar, and the next day maybe have high tea at some posh restaurant. That is until about 3 PM on an Indian afternoon when I realized that while my gift to Katie would have been fun and she would enjoy it, it wasn't the best I could do. So for her birthday I got her nothing.

That is right, nothing.

A big ol’ bag of zip.

Or really you could say I gave her a basket of opportunity. Or rather a purse of opportunity. I managed to find a small clutch in India for Katie’s birthday (funnily enough I got a great clutch from her as a bday present as well). I filled it with different activities we could do and she could pass or do any of them. There were things like “ride any of the tubes for 15 minutes, get off that stop and wonder around” or “Go into the first Irish bar you see, talk to the third person to say hi, make friends” or “sing God Bless America in front of the Buckingham Palace guards followed by God save the Queen” (we don’t want to mean). Of course being the non free spirit that I am I had to get ideas from some people but I think that is OK. And of course there were blank slips in there where Katie could come up with anything she wanted to do.

The only thing I had planned was the hotel because as I said experience in that area had indicated that no planning meant getting robbed. But other than that it was up to her what we would do, where we would go, how we would get there, and how long we would do it. Heck I didn't even ask her what time we would be going to Oxford. Didn't look at one train schedule. (OK that is a very blatant lie. I checked the train and bus schedule. I couldn't let go of all my habits) I just go along for the Katie ride and she could have free reign of London (although don’t tell the queen that).

The funny thing was that Katie HAD planned out some of the things. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that. Sometimes my planning anxiety reared its head, but not much with a plan in place by Katie.

We started off hopping on a bus headed towards we hoped was the south bank. After picking a random stop we hoped to find ourselves at the Old Vic. And we did. We saw a play called "The sweet bird of Youth" and to be honest it was a Gatsby-esque play so not a very happy one. With the exception of Kim Cattrall, the acting was very good and the story interesting if a bit slow. 

 

Before hand we managed to find what was purported to be the only "real" mexican food in London but we were a bit disappointed. But with drinks and Nachos you can never go wrong.

 

The next day we braved oxford street shopping in the middle of high tourist season followed by a walk through Hyde park which took longer and was hotter than expecting. It was great but we had to stop at TK (yes K) Maxx and buy some fashionable London dresses. We made our way to the Victoria and Albert Museum where we had the best lunch. I dk if it was because it actually is the best spot or if we loved it because we got to cool down and enjoy people watching but we LOVED our impromptu mid afternoon locale.

Then we headed of to Harrods. Surprisingly Katie had not yet been there yet. For the next half hour I heard more than once "NO ONE TOLD ME IT IS LIKE A SHOPPING DISNEY LAND". We found the fake snow, the harry potter display, and Katie ran into some of her students from Oxford.

That night, Katie was gracious enough to let me go to the ice bar or as she puts it "Paying £12 to lock yourself in a freezer for 45 minutes". It was a rediculous waste of money but now I can say that I did it. And to be honest, I had fun making fun of ourselves. Giggling with Katie in sub 0 temperatures was worth it.

 We ended off the night with Katie's "one true birthday wish" - Sheesha.

We ended our stay in London with the announcement that Kate Middleton was in Labor in the hospital a 5 minute walk from our hotel. I didn't really want to go but at my sisters enthusiasm and insistence we trekked the 7 block walk to St Mary's Hospital. There we were interviewed by the NYT, a french newspaper, and had a radio interview with the BBC on why Americans were interested in the Royal Family and the birth of a Royal Baby.  After that, I couldn't deny that going to the hospital was a bad idea.

BBC requesting an Interview

After we visited the Hospital we were off to Oxford. I had a great time in London and I can't wait to go back when Katie is there again in the spring!

I think that it had been the best joint birthday party we have ever had, if you don’t count the Pocahontas party. 

Paradise

So this past weekend I got to spend 3 amazing days in the Maldives. For those of you who don't know the Maldives is a group of Atolls (circles of Islands) that is basically paradise on earth. The Maldives boasts something like 120 islands. None of them are longer than 5 miles and many are way smaller than that.

We stayed on a resort island own by the Sheraton. It was amazing. When we arrived they had a tiny yacht waiting to take us to the Island. On the way the dolphins played in the boat wake, which apparently is a rare treat. The beauty of the islands was stunning. The water was so clear and the beaches were so white.

After settling into our rooms we all went to the beach. Unfortunately the first day was a bit overcast but we didn't care. But favor smiled upon us cause the rest of the weekend was gorgeous. 

On Saturday I went scuba diving for the first time ever. It was a truly amazing experience. Four of us went to have our introductory session. We had an intro video on hand signals and how to continuously breathe otherwise our lungs would explode. And got fitted with out gear. Wearing 4 weights on a belt, a heavy tank, and all those tubes I couldn't see how I wouldn't just sink to the bottom of the ocean. But it turns out that a body is pretty buoyant. 

Unfortunately two of our group couldn't equalize (It's like popping your ears on the plane. It releases internal air pressure and you can't dive without it. It would be like trying to continuously get the rings on the bottom of a 12' foot deep swimming pool). It was down to just my manager and myself. On our training dive to get us acclimated to the experience and proper technique we saw manta rays and eagle rays and plenty of fish. We we only underwater for about 20 minutes but I was hooked. We scheduled our first dive for early afternoon. I was so excited to get to see reef life.

The actual dive was amazing. Our max depth was 11.5 meters or around 40 feet. I think the most surprising thing is that you don't realize how deep you are until you look up. We saw a reef shark, moray eels, a napoleon fish, an octopus, and a ton of fish.

Napoleon fish - That isn't me but I needed a person to show size

The best thing happened at the end. I had another 20 minutes of swimming air but my swimming buddy/manager had run out of his swimming air and needed to ascend. We needed to stop at 5 meters depth and wait for three minutes to allow our bodies to adjust to the new pressure. Our dive instructor was looking at his watch and I was looking at the sea life below. My manager kept on trying to get my attention but I wanted to see all that I could before we surfaced. I finally turned to see what he wanted me to see. There was a wall of silver blue fish extending from the surface to the top of the reef. It had formed a half circle around us. It was one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen. if we had still been on our dive we would have missed it because it was above us. Suddenly I wasn't angry that we had to surface sooner than I wanted.

Our last day the sun came out and the view was even more breath taking. We tried to get as much sun and sand in before we had to leave that afternoon. It was an amazing weekend and I can't wait to go back (although to a cheaper resort).

It only got this crystal clear and blue on the last day

View from my room

India week 2

There are so many things to talk about that I don't know where to start. Should I focus on India? Working with a new team? How I got sick this past weekend? Maybe I will skip the last one.

India has finally decided to show me what monsoon season is. Contrary to popular opinion formed by the movie Jumangi, Monsoon is not a long thunderstorm that lasts days. In fact it is quite the opposite. It is heavy intense rains that start suddenly and end just as suddenly and there is definitely not enough rain in those 3 - 4 minutes to cause a house to fill with water (sorry Interscope) and no lightning or thunder. There isn't enough time.I have learned to recognize when a storm is about to hit. The winds pick up dramatically and you can see the clouds grow darker rapidly. Here are two pictures I took at the resort we were at last weekend. If I could show you the time stamp you could see that they are about 2 minutes apart.

Not gonna happen

This quick occurrence of rain is a major pain in the ass. One minute you are enjoy your weekend in the pool and then you feel the difference in the air as the humidity rapidly rises. Twice I had to jump out and run for my nook and purse on the deck and book it to the relative dryness of the hotel terrace. Another time a coworker and I were looking at souvenirs from some locals on the beach and had to run back the half mile to the hotel, sure we were going to get soaked. Unfortunately we had not paid them for their goods yet and waited for us patiently on the beach while we exchanged some of our currency at the hotel. Fortunately it was one of the few times the rains didn't open a can of whoop ass on us and they remained dry. Below is a picture of the two very nice woman and a very pushy woman (far right) who let us try on their Saris. We didn't end up buying any of them.

All in all it was a great weekend. But now I have to get back to doing actual work. I leave you with a picture of me in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately I didn't realize at the time that I was back lit. Oh well I will take what I can get.

Well, I am in India

About a month and a half ago my senior looked to me and a coworker and said "We need someone to go to India." Even if I hadn't wanted to go my coworker's wife is pregnant and I knew there was no way that they were going to send a soon to be brand new father on travel that would take almost a full 24 hours to get home. Luckily, while India has never been high on my to do list, it has been a place I wanted to see.

So now, I am in India. It is my third day here and I can say that every day brings new insights. 

The very first thing that I noticed about India was the lack of lights. Which makes sense seeing as how it is a developing country but for me it was startling. Bangalore is the third largest city in India (behind Mumbai and Delhi) but on landing you only see groups of lights. Small clusters as opposed to seeing a sprawling city laid out by power grids that you would normally see flying into New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia or any other city in the US. To see how little lights there are check out the images as from space. The thing that blew my mind is that India has around 4x the amount of people but is 1/3 the size of the United states (including Alaska).

Living near or in cities for the past four years has made me accustomed to the lights, sounds, and smells of a city. Bangalore fits none of these preconceptions. The lights are fewer, there are constant sounds of construction absolutely everywhere, the traffic is worse than LA (takes 1.5 hours to go 15 kilometers, don't ask me how far that is in miles), and it isn't near as hot or as pungent as everyone made it out to be. The heat has cooperated with us and been around 82 degrees. The humidity is no where near as bad as Atlanta in July and for a rainy season all we have had is clouds (knock on wood). The food has been spicy but I try to attempt some new dish at least once every meal, I fear even the smallest mosquito, and good lord is the city dirty. With constant construction and projects left half finished, the remains of those half buildings and the dust from the new buildings clutter the streets. I bet my dad would love all the material that has been left over to recycle (should have moved to India, Dad).

The best thing so far has been getting to know the people. I still can't understand the Indian head wobble (it is a thing, google it) and it causes some difficulty in understanding someone when I am interviewing them or trying to get information from them. But they are so generous and kind. And the colors that they wear are amazing. The saris here are absolutely gorgeous. They are mainly jewel toned and extremely ornate, with beads and gold colored threads. I can't wait to go buy myself one. The women love to discuss clothing (as does most women) but they are keen on telling you how they live, to share their culture. About learning to drive, how the bindi is more of a fashion statement now than a religious aspect, how gaining the middle class in India is hard but once accomplished could mean switching to the same job in a developed country bringing more comforts  that come with first world countries and more money to send home to support family.

So far, in my three days here I have been inundated with culture and I am loving it. This weekend I go to Goa where all the beaches are. Hopefully monsoon season will decide to delay a little longer so I can enjoy what the countryside has to offer (like elephant rides). Hopefully pictures will be up soon.

Sister Trips

My mom and her sisters had a wonderful tradition when I was younger. Every year they would meet up for a week, sometimes in a brand new city and sometimes down in Atlanta, and have a sister trip. It was a great trip that they got to spend time together as adults without the responsibility of taking care of kids and husbands. For a week they got to be just sisters.

Unfortunately for those not in the rankings of sister this equated to being taken care of by Dad for an extended period of time. Some of the funnier baker stories have come out of these times. My father is an amazing dad and I constantly feel blessed to have his guidance and love. But I also freely admit that he could never take the place of Mom. I know this due to experience. Many times while I was living at home and mom was gone we would get chicken broth soup for dinner. That’s right. Broth soup. Hot flavored water. One time dad got so adventurous as to try and make us quiche disregarding the fact that Kristen is a picky eater, I didn't like eggs, and none of the four Baker kids had ever had quiche before.

Those weeks of momlessness were filled with stress of food and carpool duty. After a while we managed to get it down with a minimal amount of fuss. By the time I went off to college we had learned that Wawa and Dominoes pizza were our friends and that the kids had to keep track of each other because we couldn't leave Kristen at church AGAIN.

The best thing about sister trips is that Katie, Kristen and I got to have our own. After I graduate college and was momentarily unemployed, Katie was accepted into a study abroad program in Oxford, England. The fates conspired and had Katie ending her spring term right around the time I would be finishing my tour of the European continent and Kristen had spring break. It would have been wrong not to take advantage.

At Tower Bridge with our friend Mia

Katie at her Fave tea drinking spot in Oxford

Come that March we all met up in London and had a very confusing and fun couple of days before heading to Dublin, Ireland for St Patricks day. I can honestly say I have never had as much fun on any trip as I did with Katie and Kristen in those cities. I had to pay a price for that fun though, in the form of an all out row with Katie on the streets of Dublin at 2 AM.

On the Ha' Penny Bridge in Dublin Ireland, March 17, 2009

I should mention that Katie and I, if you don’t already know, are no where near peas in a pod. I am more of a berry on a bush and katie is a wildflower in a meadow. As far apart as you can be. This often results in fights as we learn how to communicate with each other and realize that what we were thinking is not what the other is thinking. Luckily we had a very patient and understanding youngest sister who knows us both so very well she could translate for us.

“Jessica, Katie isn’t suggesting that we go to Bath AND London AND Oxford AND Belfast. She is throwing out different options as she thinks of them. Katie won’t have made a decision until she is boarding the train for the next city”

Traveling is such hard work

“Katie, Jessie thinks that you have made a decision regarding where you want to go next. She could care less WHERE we go as long as she can plan it out so that we aren't sleeping under a bridge”

We ended up spending the next day roaming around Dunlougahary (P.S. I love you anyone?) and then heading back to Oxford. Which as it turns out regardless of multiple plans and counter itineraries  you can still get robbed.

My last sister trip was with Kristen after her semester Studying Abroad was over. Kristen, Grandmom, and I met up in London, showed Grandmom the sights (including seeing Les Mis for the first time) and then shipping her off home while Kristen and I hit up Barcelona (the only city between the two of us that we hadn't both visited and wanted to). I got to use my smattering of Spanish and we learned that the Spaniards don’t start partying until 2 AM. Well past either of our bed times.

This year my sister Katie will be going back to Oxford to be a graduate mentor to those in the program that she was a part of 4 years ago. Maybe this will be another opportunity for a sisterly trip. Or even better, we include John and make it a Baker kid trip.

Either way if someone I know is over seas (I am looking at you Ali) I will find a way over so that I can experience all the cultures that I can before settling down.

What I am thankful for

November has always, at least for Americans, been a time where we can reflect on what we have and be thankful. Many people over social media, blogs, and vlogs, have been doing their day to day remembrances and I want to join in the fun. Unfortunately I can't be a daily blogger (sorry) but I can be a  one time blogger so here we go - The 7 things I am most thankful for.

1) My safety. Sandy and then Athena have shown me how blessed I am to have been spared even the mild inconvenience of a power outage. My heart hurts for those that have lost their homes and mementos. I wish I could do more than to send supplies and clothes. 

2) Amazing roommates. I am living with two of my good friends from College. It is great not having to get to know them on a base level. I have lived with Caitlin in the past and while it took some time to get used to it again we have hit our rhythm. Learning to live with Dana has been fun. While Caitlin and I are similar in many ways - Dana is the complete opposite from me and it has been a joy to get to learn new ways of doing things and getting to see the world the way that Dana does.

3) My Family of course :) I have always held that my family is one of the best out there (as I am sure many people do). I have grandparents that have nothing but pride in their grandchildren and simply enjoy watching us grow and become our own people. I have aunts and uncles that enjoy seeing their families and having crazy Dutch Blitz or Spades games. I have Cousins with whom I thoroughly enjoy spending time. Even though I am 4+ years older than all of them, age never seems to matter when we are together.

I have parents that have supported me and my siblings regardless of our actions and delight not only in their kids but in each other. They are my example of Happily Ever after. They make love real. Katie is my opposite in every way. Where I am reserved she is outgoing. Where she is spontaneous I am planned. We spark each other. In our youth these sparks became fights. Now in our adulthood they (mostly) mean a thorough adventure. Katie says we go and I find a way to get us there. Kristen is who I aspire to be. She is confident in who she is. She is quirky and fun and humble and outrageous. She frequently acknowledges her hate of spelling and then says that it instilled in her a knowledge that some things have to be fought for. John is the lynch pin of our family. He is truly spoiled. We didn't realize what our family was missing until he came along. He is fun and sweet and love sports and is so smart that he makes me sick. And popular. That kid walks into a room and everyone wants to be his friend. 

4) The boat that is my car. The Caddy has taken good care of me though you can't really same of me for it. It is a well made car and I don't think that I will need a new car for another couple of years which means that, hopefully, I will have enough saved up to just pay cash for a new one.

5) My Job. I got my job in the middle of the worst part of the economic downturn. Luckily I was a part of a program that was trying to get off the ground and it was spearheaded by the CFO. I had a job when people I graduated with were fighting tougher and tougher competition to get what jobs there were and the number of those jobs had dropped dramatically. Through that program I got to do something I love, auditing, and auditing has taken me to the west coast, Canada, South America, and Asia. The travel is tough and I complain about it some but some people never leave their home town and I feel extremely lucky to experience new cultures (biggest lesson I have learned: Argentines REALLY do not like that Las Malvinas are under the British Crown).

6) My Faith. And for so many reason and much bigger reasons than the one I am going to put here but if it wasn't for my faith I would be a push over. No really. I am a people pleaser to the extreme. If it wasn't for the faith that I believe in, and my need to actually defend and stand up for it, I might have compromised on a lot of issues that aren't even related to my faith. 

7) Penn State. College is where I decided to come into my own. I made friends with a ton of great people, lost a friend for a while, had a boyfriend, and shortly after graduation got a tattoo. Got an amazing education. Learned to have school spirit (never had it in middle school or high school). Most of all, I became Jessie. I was on my own and making my own decisions. I admitted my love of hip hop, country, sci fi, and other genres of reading beyond romance. Though I continue to grow, Penn State is where I stepped out of my parents house and started taking responsibility for myself. Those 4 1/2 years were amazing and I wouldn't trade them for anything.