Out of the Blue : A blog by L.A. Miller

My Growing Years - Band with Phyllis

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 21:19:00 +0000

Today is the celebration of life of my junior high BFF, Phyllis (1961-2015).

Phyllis and I reconnected on FB two years ago. I asked her if her parents ever told her I stopped by the house a long time ago. Thinking back, it was just after my mom passed away in 1989. Her parents had moved and lived near my parents' house in West Hills. They never told her! I sat in their living room having probably the longest conversation I ever had with them in my life. I know I would have wanted her 411, but for some reason I didn't get it from them.

In junior high, we were inseparable after meeting each other in West Valley Youth Band, Jr. For some reason mom decided I needed to be in band. I remember the day we went down to Canoga School of Music. Out came a glockenspiel and we brought it home. I didn't question why, it was something I could play since I had played the piano. I didn't have to taken lessons. Phew! I was a year ahead of Phyllis, but because we were in both band and orchestra, we saw each other daily. I was playing the flute (band) and the oboe (orchestra). Not to mention we shared lockers (with many others) and hung out in the band room before and after school.

Fast forward to last August, when I was able to nail down some us time in Seattle, we discovered that we both ended up studying graphics art in college. However, our roads, leading up to that weekend, were completely different. While I had my share of angst going into high school, eventually she dropped out. I didn't know that. (Maybe I did back then, but forgot.) I knew she went to cosmetology school. I remember visiting her at Montgomery Ward in the mall, where she studied. That must have been in 1978, since I went off to SFSU the next year.

When I visited Phyllis' parents, I learned she was up in Washington and owned her own hair salon. As time passed, every once in awhile, I would search the Internet looking for her. I am so thankful she found me. I'm thankful that "Gysin" is still a rare last name and if people want to find me on Facebook, they can. (Our last name was always mispronounced and/or misspelled.)

I knew Phyllis was in remission when we got together. There was a part of me mourning, but for our past. I brought our junior high yearbooks (fading rapidly) and my Slam book. We had so much fun going down memory lane. In the Slam book, she put down someone else as her BFF. She laughed and said we must have been fighting. Oh, junior high girls can be cruel. Probably! But our fights ended quickly, "in a fight in 2nd period, then by fifth period BFFs."

Phyllis mentioned her favorite band was Chicago. There it was in the Slam book from 1974, her favorite band, Chicago. All these years her love for Chicago never waned. I appreciate that she re-awakened my love for Chicago. It was a soundtrack to my growing years. When I went to see them in concert this year, I was thinking of Phyllis.

Today I think of Phyllis and how much joy she brought to my growing years. She said I was the same sweet Laurie, she too. She was a gentle soul. Phyllis, I love you and am thankful our paths crossed in junior high.

P.S. In 2011. I wrote about Phyllis in a blog entry, click to read more.

7 Years Later - Remembering Mr Gysin, Mr. G, Lloyd Henry

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 07:17:00 +0000

Devery, Kathi, and Laurie, at Lloyd Henry's Memorial Service on January, 17, 2009.

Here it is seven years later on the eve of the anniversary of my father’s passing. I have the honor to share, with her blessing, what has remained hidden up until August this year. My dear friend, Kathi, had a memory to share at my dad’s memorial, but we didn’t have time provided for friends to share. She pointed this out to me in her email and we were aware of this when we planned his service.

Kathi stood next to me as I spoke about my Dad at his memorial. She was my rock/support and helped me get through the wavering parts. She was there again this last August at the WHCC Music Reunion, when I started to cry, as I made a botched attempt to tell everyone I wanted us to get together for the right reason.

Kathi and I met when we were in fourth grade, when the twenty year legacy of my parents as Ministers of Music began at Woodland Hills Community Church. Here’s her memory…

Good afternoon. My name is Kathi Mowers-Moore and I am so very thankful for the opportunity to be here to share in the celebration of Lloyd's most wonderful life.

My first memory of Mr. Gysin, Mr. G., Lloyd Henry, was of him walking into Smith Lounge here at WHCC on the first day of the elementary school (4 - 6 grade) choir practice upon the Gysin's arrival to church. Birdie was working with us as a new choir and I have a vivid memory of practicing a song about Zaccheus. Lloyd popped in with his booming heart, voice and laughter joining into song with us. I will never hear that song without thinking of this first moment when my life became eternally blessed by the Gysin family. That day I met Gary, Birdie, Lloyd and Laurie who would become one of my dearest friends and soon after I would meet the rest of the family; Randy and Jeff. From that day on, the Mowers, Ayers and Gysin families would become intertwined forever.

You see, the Ayers, Gysin and Mowers parents were the leadership of the youth activities of the church: Kathy and Dick Ayers with the Junior High Group; Bob and Jeanne Mowers with the High School Group; and Lloyd and Birdie coordinating all six choirs and all musical productions of the church. It was very simple: Sunday was church day. After Sunday school and church (sometimes us kids would ditch Sunday school and walk to the grocery store), my brother Scott and Doug Ayers would end up either at the Ayers or Mowers house and Laurie and I would end up either at the Mowers or Gysin house for the hours between church and youth group. We would then come back to church with whichever family we were with and Doug, Scott, Laurie and I would be squirreled away in the Kindergarten Classroom here at WHCC while our parents were busy with youth group activities.

Through these many years, Lloyd and Birdie always welcomed me into their home and hearts as one of their own and I have great recollections of waking up in their home to song; hearing breakfast cooked to song, hearing Birdie call us from the front porch in song; always song and hugs and laughter. Lloyd and Birdie always trusted us and celebrated us being kids: I learned how to roller skate by careening down the hill near their home on roller skates and Lloyd patching me up afterwards.

During my teenage years, Lloyd became a rock, a center of gravity for so many of us. We always knew that we could return to that rock, either from a hard week at high school, a hard quarter at college, a new love or a broken heart, to be consistently greeted by a hug, a tight squeeze and a big kiss on the cheek.

As both Laurie and I went off to college and into our adult lives, I often would return to Lloyd and Birdie, that center of gravity, ever to be held close in love. Ever interested in both sharing updates of their lives and hearing of my own.

Lloyd was probably the first person that joyfully debated Theology with me; laughing with me about important and divergent perspectives of scriptures. I thank him for these discussions and debates and return to them in my head regularly.

Lloyd and Birdie were two of the first people who I introduced my future husband Bill to and I was so appreciative that Birdie was able to join with her entire family at my wedding the summer of 1989.

As our lives have carried us away from Woodland Hills, returning to the center of gravity and love of Lloyd was always a homecoming; whether it was arriving for Christmas to find Lloyd's famous fruitcake or attending midnight Christmas service welcoming any moment I could have with the family, or hearing through my parents updates on Lloyd, he always has been and always will be dear in my heart.

I am thankful that both of my children, Mikayla and Travis have been held in the loving arms of Lloyd. I am thankful that through Lloyd I met Laurie who I will always hold close in my heart.

I will be a better person if I remember to love as grandly as Lloyd always loved each of us. In Lloyd's last Christmas card to me he shared what I find to be a great reminder to us all. He said

"Before I forget, please have the finest each day and be healthy, wealthy, wise and busy."

Thank you

Reconnecting with Friends in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 23:40:00 +0000

1979 at the H.S. Holiday Party

When I was in SF this last weekend, instead of going to take more dance classes on Saturday, I wanted to connect and reconnect with friends. I got to meet two DNA cousins, in person. Yay! As luck would have it, I was also able to reconnect with my friend, Jim. There was a bit of confusion about where to meet, in the City or East Bay, but we got it all sorted out.

It was nice to catch up with Jim. Not thinking about it until we met up, we have been friends since 11^th grade. Though both our families were involved in WHCC, Jim didn’t join the youth group until high school. We remained good friends throughout the years. He went off to Saint John’s College in Santa Fe. After a one year stint in L.A., I ended up at San Francisco State. During holidays and summer breaks, we always reconnected.

Then our lives took off. At some point in there, we had lost touch and he admitted he had lived a summer in Marin County, and never got in touch. Gasp! Yeah, still won’t let him forget. But, throughout the years, we have stayed in touch. I was at Jim’s wedding. Jim was at my wedding. Then for many years I'd be in Berkeley, visiting Aubry, Bob’s son, and never drop by to say “ hi.” So, I guess I am just as guilty.

No matter, it so much fun reconnecting with friends from my youth. It is my WHCC friendships that have been the strongest in my life. We have followed each other around…. I am thankful for our time together. Recently, Jim was down for the WHCC music reunion. (We really do need to work on getting more of our PF pals to join us—3 years [2018] and counting.)

Jim and I were trying to figure out when he took a car load of girls (we were girls back then) to the beach. (I wonder how he explained that one to his parents.) It was Senior Ditch Day! I wasn’t sure if it was Spring Break or Senior Ditch Day. (I’m not sure how I pulled that off because my parents never let me miss school.) I’m still not quite sure how we were able to pull anything off without cell phones, still scratching my head.

For some reason John A.'s name came up. Today, of course, I remember, we went back packing with YAF one summer in the Eastern Sierras. (I think there are pictures somewhere.) I remember getting horrible blisters on my feet. Quite a few of us did, actually. And, Jim, John A., and I, got to sleep out under the stars. I remember that. We were on the ground. (You couldn’t get me to do that today, I know what crawls on the ground in the night.) I also remember swimming in the lake and hanging out on a log.

Lately I’ve been referring to the guy I was with from 1980 to 1989 as a loser. Nice, huh?!!! Yet, I wouldn’t change those years because they have lead me to today. I guess nobody wants to be “that” person. I know, I don’t want to be that one girlfriend that was a loser. So, I need to be gentle with my words. Ha! ha! Anyway, I explained to Jim that there’s this huge gap in all my photos. I need to go in and scan those years. It will take time. (I definitely feel a blog post coming.) Jim mentioned he got some old slides from his dad. He started converting them to digital. He said that photos with people in them are more interesting. I guess, for me, being in the moment and capturing a sunrise or cloud, just fulfills me for some reason. (And, sometimes, people are not cooperative.)

Thanks, Jim, for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I’m looking forward to more visits in our future. Thanks for the ride to the airport!!!

Trying to Find Myself - Part 2 (of 2)

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 13:08:00 +0000

This Gilda Radner quote has been a staple throughout my life. She lost her life to cancer the same year as my mom. It reminds me to embrace all that life throws at me.

To say 1989 was a harrowing year, that's an understatement. If I didn't look at my 1989 calendar, I would think I wasn't there for my mom. Yet, I was there!!! She passed away on Tuesday, September 5 at 6:50 a.m. at home. I was there.

When I decided to make the move to Los Angeles I arrived in November. The month before, I survived the Loma Prieta Earthquake on October 17, at 5:04 p.m. The World Series (Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants) game 3 was on television and it seemed as though everyone was crammed in The Good Guys! conference room. Read more about this at: There Will be at Least One More BIG One in My Lifetime.

Fast forward 2008 at my Dad's memorial service. Someone asked me if it was easier to lose someone quickly or to know they are going to die soon. I was speechless. There's nothing that prepares one for death, except knowing that we will all go eventually. For me, I don't want to suffer. It’s the quality of life, not the quantity.

I learned so much about what I did and did not want in my life that year. While painful, I had to let go of many things, not just my mom. 1989 was a pivotal point in my life and it changed me forever. Life--delicious ambiguity!

Trying to Find Myself - Part 1 (of 2)

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 02:58:00 +0000

When I meet people for the first time and we share family history, I find myself telling people I was only 29 years old when I lost my mom to cancer. I add that I feel bad that I was too busy trying to find myself and I hope I was there for her, but I was living up in Northern California at the time.

Just after my return from a weekend in San Francisco at the beginning of May, I was thinking about my mom. Has it really been 25 years? The night before she passed away, she said something to me that has stayed with me throughout my life. Though I laughed it off when we were talking, she was right. She knew me too well. I just wish she were here so I could tell her, "you’re right."

1989 defined me in many ways. I was living in Santa Cruz and after two and a half years decided it was time to move back to the Bay Area and make a go at an almost decade long relationship (that I let go of the same year). Now as I look at my Sierra Club Engagement Calendar, I flew or drove to Los Angeles nine times that year. I averaged a visit once a month—February 18, March 25, April 22, May 13, June 3, June 19, August 19, September 2, and November 4. June 19 was significant because I stayed for an entire month.

I left the beauty of Santa Cruz and Jonathan Peck Typographers in March 1989. I had started a new job in South San Francisco at The Good Guys! in their advertising department. After four months, they let me take a month leave to be with my mom in Los Angeles. It was during this leave I developed a freelance relationship with GTS (June 29) and was later to be my place of employment of 10 years from 1989 to 1999.

Crowdfunding: Penny for Your Thoughts?

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:05:00 +0000

Crowdfunding is not going away and more people are using it. People, not entrepreneurs, are using it to pay for their weddings, hobbies, and travel plans. Though nobody is forcing you to hand over a penny, if you do, think about whom it benefits.

The type of crowdfunding, to which I refer, is a way of acquiring money through donations, philanthropy, and sponsorship, where there is no expected financial return. (Crowdfunding, 2014, para. 1)

I agree with Holly Baxter, “Crowdfunding is excellent when it’s done well. It allows creative individuals with little more than a penny to their name to get their work into the public domain….” (Why Celebrity, para. 6) The initial purpose of crowdfunding was to help struggling entrepreneurs bring their vision to fruition. Those using it for their own personal funding have lost their way.

It is when those with “no pennies” choose such a lifestyle and expect others to pay their way; such a choice concerns me. If a campaign benefits my community or makes the world a better place, I will support the project. However, with the exploitation of crowdfunding on the rise, I choose not to donate to projects so people can live freely off my donation.

Remember, when it comes to crowdfunding, nobody is forcing you to hand over a penny, but when you do, think about whom it benefits. Let us use crowdfunding wisely. Vote with your wallets, but also think with your brains.

References:

Baxter, Holly. (2014) “Why Celebrity Crowdfunding has Little Appeal,” The Guardian. Retrieved from
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/19/dev-hynes-puppy-burnt-kickstarters-charity-cases-blood-orange

“Crowdfunding” (2014). www.crowdsourcing.org. Retrieved from http://www.crowdsourcing.org/community/funding/7

Spontaneous Gestures - Part 3 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:26:00 +0000

(Continuation of Part 1 & 2)

McClave concluded her discussion of gestures by delineating their different dimensions: “In a nutshell, that is what gestures tell us, the manual gestures.” She then went on to explain, “We also looked at head movements, because it turns out that people move their heads in predictable ways in American culture.”

One example of head movement showing meaning was when people said anything that was inclusive such as “all,” “whole,” or “completely.” There would be a lateral sweep of the head on the word. McClave hypothesized this happened because with the earth’s gravity, many things are arranged horizontally.

McClave showed us video clips from a study conducted at CSUN with four of her graduate students. They set out to prove that the head sweep was worldwide, not just in America. They analyzed head movements of Arabic, Korean, and Bulgarian speakers. In addition, to rule out the influence of Hollywood, they studied the people of Turkana, a group of nomadic pastoralists in northwest Kenya. McClave concluded, “The data is showing around the world; we can’t claim it’s universal because no linguist would ever try to do that, but we can claim we’re seeing it all over the world with no exposure to American culture, to television or anything else. We’re finding this sweep, lateral sweep. What does this tell us? We hypothesize that humans can conceptualize something that is absent or even abstract as being positioned in space. This has amazing implications for ASL because this is exactly what ASL it still does. It positions something abstract in space and then makes the sign for it, sets that it up and then keeps pointing to that same space to represent that entity. Well it turns out, and by the way, everyone thought this was peculiar to sign languages. Sign language made this up. Turns out we’re all doing it. What probably happened, again the hypothesis is, signers are incredibly observant; they are watching you like no one else because they need every clue they can get for communication to be successful. So, it means that maybe what happened was signers? saw all of us doing this, were able to pick up on the nonverbal and then use these nonverbal cues that hearing have in order to grammaticize in ASL. Just a theory, but I’m sticking with it at this point.”

Another thing they discovered in their study of people around the world: speakers moved their heads or make gestures for each individual item on a list. McClave showed us more video clips of these examples.

McClave discussed intensification—lateral back and forth head movement—with us. Research by Chuck and Candy Goodwin and Manny Schegloff, at the University of California at Los Angeles, found that lateral head shakes mark assessments whether good or bad. Linguists assumed the origin was something with a negative comment. McClave postulates a different origin. She explained her hypothesis thusly, “The lateral sweep is to show an array of objects. Remember? We said, well, if it sweeps you’re going this way. Well, if you intensified something, there is more if it, right? So, then if you’re going back and forth, there’s just more and more to see.”

McClave continued, “. . . this is more evidence that we conceptualize abstract or absent entities as position in space, how the mind is actually working. By the way, this fits beautifully with theories from Berkeley where George Lakoff said that we think metaphorically, basically all of our thinking its metaphoric. So, this fits beautifully with this. We are positioning things in space, again supporting these theories. We also find that this relates to ASL. We found speakers showing image sizes depending on the head movements, the size of the entity. And by the way, what ASL does this too. If you’re giving something to a tall person in ASL you go up. If you’re giving something to a short person in ASL, you’re going down, to a child.” She then demonstrates giving something to a short person but looking up, explaining that it is ungrammatical in ASL to do that.

The last topic discussed was back-channeling—giving cues to a speaker that we are listening. Back-channeling was first noticed by Victor Yngve at the University of Chicago in 1970. It is assumed the listener back-channels when he or she feels like it. However, McClave discovered going over her data, speakers nod when there was nothing to nod at. She started to look at the listener. She commented, “The minute the speaker went down like this, within one second the listener would back-channel.” They found this in other languages.

McClave closed with, “What did all of this tell us? It tells us in the gesture world, we need to rethink utterance. To depend only on speech, you have no idea, really what, whether you’ve gotten the thought. A lot of the information is coming across on the gestural channel and we’re finding out that people, even though they are not aware it, are responding to it.”

Spontaneous Gestures - Part 2 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:03:00 +0000

(Continued from Part 1 of 3)

McClave reiterated that gestures are connected to the thought expressed. She micro analyzes at one-thirtieth of a second because video goes by at thirty frames per second. She and her team, “. . . found the gesture will line up with the co-expressive part of the speech, but, it always either precedes it or comes right down on that beat where that speech is co-expressive.”

Early misconceptions about the relationship between gesture and speech were that gesture translated your speech. McClave clarified, “The gesture researchers realized that we see features and gestures that never were in speech. Therefore, it can’t be possible that it’s translating the speech because it was never there to begin with in the speech.”

McClave commented “. . . the listener picks up the gesture and no longer knows how that information got to them, through the gesture or through the speech. It only becomes totally integrated the mind. We’ve done enough experiments on this to find that people are paying attention to the gesture, incorporating into their understanding of the interaction and no longer able to tell you what came through the gesture medium what came through the speech medium.”

McClave showed us a video clip and pointed out, “Now, before this, linguists were working which is working with audio data. They would ask “Guess?” jeans? He’s talking about Guess? jeans.” However, it’s not what he’s talking about, she continued, “He’s talking about the logo across his shirt. So, now, you if you ask an interlocutor what he said, he’d say ‘yeah, they were wearing this logo across their shirts’ . . . .”

After showing us several video clips, McClave responds that linguists started to realize there were different dimensions of gestures—iconic, metaphoric, abstraction, deictic, and beats.

In a video clip, we saw a woman using an iconic gesture when she’s “holding a child.” Another clip, we saw a man describing something abstract by using his own body to show location (self-marking).

We’re shown a metaphorical gesture in another video clip. McClave notes, “So, if you know something about sign language this will be interesting. He’s going to talk about the shine in a little child’s eye. That’s not a physical things, so, he’s going to gesture for it.” She stops the video and says, “So, he’s doing something very close to ASL and there’s more about the connection with ASL and gestures later.” In the fourth video clip, the speaker refers to “the cycle of life.” After we see the speaker sweep her right hand to the right, McClave comments, “Here linguists love this. Why? First of we got one metaphor in speech. “Cycle of life,” a metaphor. We’ve got a different metaphor on the hands. The body coming out with two simultaneous metaphors. . . .”

McClave pointed out, “The deictic dimension, linguistics divide into concrete and abstract pointing. Concrete means you’re actually pointing at somebody that is right there with them or is something in the environment. But it turns out much like ASL signers, hearing people point at things that are not there at all.”

In another video clip, McClave noted that a man points to someone not there when he says, “So I’m gonna ask this one lady.” McClave interjected that, “He’s going to go over to his left. In fact the head moves first and the point goes to left. This is amazing if you know ASL. ASL has grammaticized the same thing. Which leads us to believe, to postulate, maybe ASL is based on the observation of hearing people. But nobody knew hearing people were doing this when they started to do the linguistics of ASL.”

Beats were the last dimension of gesture described. McClave asserted, “It was originally assumed that beats emphasized particular syllables. That when you wanted to emphasize a syllable you came down on a beat.” However, she discovered that the beats occurred on unstressed syllables and during silence, manifested in rhythmic patterns. Therefore, if you have to come down on the tone unit nucleus, the thought is already in the brain—the whole utterance is build up around the word.

McClave mentioned Brian Butterworth, a researcher in England. He claimed gestures happened because we are looking for the right words. She noted, “Those gestures happen but they’re very rare. . . . So, based on the evidence I've shown you, David McNeil of the University Of Chicago has put forth a theory of how we actually think. He calls it the Growth Point Theory because we can predict that the gesture will match up with the word that is semantically related to. And then there’s a predictable timing relationship. He hypothesized that probably this word and this image were a unity in the brain to begin with. And that what’s within your mind and then you go and build up your utterance around this thought, basically.”

Next we watched a video of a woman discussing a location in the O’Hare Airport. McClave described how the woman’s utterance is build up around the image in her mind using the Growth Point Theory.

Spontaneous Gestures - Part 1 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Sun, 01 May 2011 22:19:00 +0000

On March 30, 2011, I attended a presentation presented by the CSUN Linguistics Club, “I Know What You’re Thinking: What Spontaneous Gestures Tell Us About Language and Thought,” by Evelyn McClave, Ph.D.

Dr. McClave is currently a professor of Linguistics and Deaf Studies at California State University at Northridge (CSUN). She is  fluent in American Sign Language and has done linguistic research as it pertains  to Deaf Studies.

The lecture focused on McClave’s research on gestures, particularly on as she explained, “. . . spontaneous gestures that hearing people make and don’t even think about what they’re doing. They are beyond the level conscious of recall.”

These gestures do not have any conventionalized forms. She ruled out emblems—the “thumbs up” gesture to represent approval or the index and thumb touch to form the “okay” symbol. McClave explained, “What I am looking at are these unconscious gestures and the basic assumptions we make are the same assumptions all scientists make and, number one, there are underlying patterns waiting to be discovered. Sure enough, we have found them. The second assumption that all of us make is that our body movements are not random. Believe it or not, we can actually predict what kind of body movements you’re going to make usually in certain circumstances.”

Early observations in the gesture field were made during the 1980s. Describing the first work by Adam Kendon, one of the top authorities on gestures, McClave said, “Speakers gesture, not listeners. So it tends to be the person talking who is moving his or her hands. Not the person/people who are listening.” She continued, “. . . gesture and speech are semantically coherent, co-expressive.” McClave demonstrated the gesture of holding a baseball bat but referred to a tennis match. She explained if this were done, the speaker would correct himself in the direction of the gesture, not the utterance—the gesture is always right.

McClave reiterated that gestures are connected to the thought expressed. She micro analyzes at one-thirtieth of a second because video goes by at thirty frames per second. She and her team, “. . . found the gesture will line up with the co-expressive part of the speech, but, it always either precedes it or comes right down on that beat where that speech is co-expressive.”

Education to Help Save Great Apes – Part 2 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:18:00 +0000

This is a summary of the second part of Sarah Etheridge's presentation at Pierce College in the Great Hall of the Student Community Center on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

In the second part of Ethridge’s presentation, she focused on education where we live—what she is doing at College of the Canyons. Every semester when the topic of primates and bushmeat hunting came up in her Anthropoly classes, because people didn’t know much if anything about either, she decided to add information into the curriculum. She felt information was left out about the real world and how it affects us every day. When students come into an Introduction of Anthropology class, she feels they should leave with this knowledge.

Etheridge developed a ten question anonymous survey on conservation. Eleven out of one-hundred-seventy-four high school and college students in the Southern California region did not know of bushmeat. The reason most students knew about chimpanzees was through television, film, or medical testing. Many of them did not make the connection that primates would benefit through ecotourism. Almost everybody thought apes were intelligent, but, they did not make the connection that apes would probably suffer if they were kept in a cage because of that intelligence.

In Etheridge’s findings from the survey, she felt people did not understand the information. She had an informal discussion with her students about the results and why this might be the case for their thinking.

In the survey, Ethridge shared, she used ten common animals in Africa and Asia, all of which could benefit from conservation, but specifically targeting great apes. Chimpanzees are the animals most pursued for food, yet people put water buffalo because they think it is the closest thing to a cow. (Two out of one-hundred-and-seventy-five said chimpanzees.) The question asked, “What animal comes to mind for animal testing?” Everyone answered, “Chimpanzee.” On the topic of ecotourism, people wanted to see elephants and lions in the wild. People were not automatically connecting ecotourism with apes and other primates.

Another question asked, “What animal would you think of suffers being in a cage?”

The typical answer was a very large body animal.

She questioned, “When you think of a gorilla or chimpanzee, what kind of cage do you see?”

The response was, “The ones with the bars.”

She then asked, “If you’re putting a giraffe in a closed cage that‘s open, it’s just kind of boring, or the most intelligent animal in a little tiny steel cage, what doesn’t sound right about that?”

Etheridge concluded her presentation with, “It was that question that led them to realize that if they realize chimpanzee are intelligent, it’s that intelligence that is going to lead to problems if they are in those conditions.”

As a result, Etheridge feels there’s a benefit to push for a change in the curriculum—present current issues facing primates thus bringing primates into our real lives.

Education to Help Save Great Apes – Part 1 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:14:00 +0000

Sarah Etheridge, currently a teacher at College of the Canyons, California, did her in-the-field research in Africa and Borneo. Her lecture was the second anthropology lecture of the 2010-2011 academic year at Pierce College in the Great Hall of the Student Community Center on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

Etheridge’s presentation was in two parts. The first part she defined bushmeat hunting and her work in-the-field regarding the concerns towards primates. The second part covered her research on the current curriculum at College of the Canyons regarding the education of bushmeat hunting. (Refer to Part 2 of 2 to posted at a later date.)

Through her research, Etheridge has discovered, more often than not, people do not know what bushmeat hunting is and how it affects primates (specifically great apes, chimpanzees and orangutans) and what can be done do to stop it.

Bushmeat hunting is humans killing any animal in the forest for food consumption. However, humans no longer hunt primates primarily as bushmeat for food but for profit. Because there is little supply of these primates in the forest, they are in high demand. Plus, hunting primates means a higher return for (little) time and energy expended.

How does this impact primates? Unlike other animals, primates take a long time to mature (as many as fifteen years) and they have long interbirth intervals—one offspring every five years. Bushmeat hunting is the number one threat to great apes. Often times the mothers and their offspring are targeted, because babies can be sold to pet trade, biomedical facilities or zoos. This is why we may see these animals become extinct.

Etheridge emphasized that we were not judging people who hunt. Often people do not hunt because they love to hunt but are forced to because of their economic situation.

Another concern regarding bushmeat hunting is the logging industry by Westerners. Sometimes primates are hunted just to make a statement to warn loggers that they will do what they want in their own community. This makes conservation of the primates much harder.

A few other issues are the entertainment, pets, and biomedical industry. First, she emphasized that primates used for movies and commercials are usually infants and cannot be trained with positive reinforcement. Therefore, they are trained with negative reinforcement (which is basically abusive). Case in point, an audience thinks it sees the look of a smiling, happy chimpanzee, but in reality, it is an unhappy, fear-driven, threatened animal. Next, those who keep chimpanzees as pets (because they are cute) have trouble because they are hard to control and they are strong. In their natural environment, a chimpanzees want to jump, climb, rip and scream. This behavior is not good in a home. In the end, they spend most of the time living in a cage or wearing a shock collar to be controlled. Lastly, the primates used in biomedical facilities come from the wild or are breed at the facility: often twenty to thirty to a cage or kept in a cage the size of a closet for their entire lives. They are not enriched with toys because they need to be kept in a sterile environment. Genetically, chimpanzees and humans are ninety-nine percent the same but that one percent is very different. Ultimately, that one percent difference creates all sorts of problems. Plus, there are other factors such as fear, stress, previous testing, and previous diseases.

The point of sharing this information, Etheridge explained, is to open your eyes and see primates in a different way and be informed. As consumers, help the cause. If you are buying furniture, ask if the wood is from a sustainable forest? Do not buy products that use primates—pictures of primates on greeting cards, in entertainment or for advertisements. A possible solution is to work with sanctuaries and eco-tourism to see these animals, where the profits of such visits generates money for conservation. But, the biggest solution Etheridge asserted is education.

In Etheridge’s in-the-field research, she learned that with the increase of “quality of life” (age, education and income) in an area, the more chimpanzees in the area. Therefore, she feels we should help the people where the primates are indigenous so they are our allies.

Tribal Dance Jam Interview on Tribal Dance Nation

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:39:00 +0000

Keli of Tribal Dance Nation asked me if I’d be available for an interview for her blog. She is planning to attend Tribal Dance Jam on Saturday, January 29, 2010, at REMO Recreational Music Center and wanted to share with her readers what to expect.

I met Keli, an Arizona resident, last summer when the TDJ Collective performed at Venice Beach Music Festival. She had just completed the weeklong American Tribal Style (ATS) General Skills (GS) and Teacher Training (TT) with Carolena Nericcio of FatChance BellyDance in Highland. I was facilitating a performance by the TDJ Collective (named after Tribal Dance Jam) where dancers from all over the area come together to perform without a rehearsal—100% improvisation. Keli, along with two other dancers joined our performance.

To my surprise, the interview was not on paper but on video. We coordinated our schedules and via Skype we chatted with each other.

The interview is in two parts. Keli refers to the event on her blog as “L.A. Tribal Dance Jam.” That happens to be a combination of the event and the name of one of my bellydance troupes. My troupe name is L.A. Tribal. The name of the event is called Tribal Dance Jam.”

Interview Part 1 of 2

Interview Part 2 of 2

Mock (yeah) • ing (yeah) • bird (yeah) • yeah (yeah)!

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:27:00 +0000

In 1974, Carly Simon and James Taylor’s, “Mockingbird,” hit the pop charts. I can see my friend Phyllis and me standing out on the front lawn of her parent’s house on Shoup Ave. We’d crank up the stereo and belt out the song at the top of our lungs, alternating between who’d sing Carly's or James’ part.

Phyllis’ parents were not home during the afternoon. I learned later that she was what became a term called “latch-key kid.” We met in youth band during the summer of 1974. Then we discovered we went to the same junior high school. We were inseparable.

Another favorite pastime of ours was baton twirling. Yep, we would spend hours on the front lawn trying different routines together.

I wanted to be a majorette since as long as I can remember. I would spend my allowance on a baton from Karl’s hobby store in the Fallbrook Mall. The problem--it would get a dent in the metal and in no time at all be endered useless. I must not have shown promise because a professional baton was never an option.

Anyone who remembers West Valley Youth Band will remember w e had a junior and senior band. The senior band had Nancy Rupender(sp). She was a phenomenal baton twirler, letting the baton twirl as she let the thing fly (sometimes two) in front, behind, and up above, as she herself performed multiple turns, flips, and cartwheels.

Phyllis and I were just happy we didn’t get a dent in our batons. Those mockingbird days are long gone. High school pulled us apart. I went to El Camino and she to Canoga Park High School.

I hope when Phyllis hears “Mockingbird” by Carly Simon and James Taylor, she pauses and reflects.

The Year of Living Scared

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 07:27:00 +0000

When I worked at Design & Type in San Francisco, the company took us on a river rafting trip. It was my first time down the American River with wild rapids. I had a blast. Now, fast-forward 10 years. A huge group of us from work at GTS in Commerce went river rafting. That time I was scared.

As a young adult I admired my friends who traveled to far away lands. I had one scare in Tijuana at the age of 16 that altered any wanderlust. I went with the church youth group leaders, along with another youth, to scope out a possible location for a work camp. When we were at the border they pulled us aside, and even with an American driver’s license, it took much convincing that I was an American citizen.

Not knowing the language has always scared me. But this year, to celebrate my 50th birthday, of all places, I went to the place of my birth. I made an attempt to learn the Korean language, but, lost interest after the sixth class when I realized, even if I could read Hangol, I wouldn’t know the meaning. I did, however learn how to say, “annyeong haseyo!” with a slight bow.

Learning sign language all over again has been quite scary. I’m scared to talk to Deaf people. I’m scared to sign with Hearing people who know ASL. I know my ASL is more Contact sign (a way to "bridge" the gap between native ASL speakers and native English speakers).

To step it up a notch, after taking ASL2 and Conversational ASL at Pierce College, I enrolled in the ASL/EIP (American Sign Language/Interpreter Education Program). I just completed five classes (11 units) this Fall semester. I loved every class but I was also scared the entire semester.

2010 was the year that “do one thing every day that scares you,” by Eleanor Roosevelt, was felt every day.

Pumpkin Pie

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:10:00 +0000

In a moment of pure desperation, I picked up a pumpkin pie while cruising the aisle at TJs. I knew it was pathetic. Nothing tastes better than homemade. I don’t cook.

For many years, my birthday and pumpkin pie were synonymous. That’s because my birthday landed on Thanksgiving every now and then. Even if it didn’t, it was celebrated on Thanksgiving.

I can still see the impressions the birthday candles made in the pie. But, at some point in time, I rebelled. I remember complaining (gasp) that I had to have pumpkin pie every year for my birthday. The following year appeared an angel food cake with whipped cream frosting.

Audism affects everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:19:00 +0000

(Excerpt from NorthEast Florida Association for the Deaf website.)

In all my years of school, I have never cried in class; that is until last night. About a month ago, our ASL teacher had us read and sign an agreement that we would not use our voice in class. Over the past month, I’ve witnessed students using their voices, not to mention, text messaging (don’t get me started) and not paying attention.

I have felt frustrated with my talking classmates. Why? Despite their proficiency in signing, they insist on talking, as if following rules doesn’t matter, ignoring the teacher’s request. Often times, I would feel the urge to do something about it. But, I’ve learned, through experience, it’s better for me to stand back and just observe.

My ASL teacher is Deaf. (Yes, that’s a big “D.” Meaning she is “culturally/linguistically” deaf. Small “d” is “audiological/medical.”) She has repeatedly asked us not to use our voices in class. The agreement we all signed noted that if we used our voice we would be sent out of the classroom and we’d have to request to return with an apology. Part of me was frustrated that there wasn’t any follow-through on the part of the teacher. She knew people were using their voices. I attributed this to her being too nice. But, if she didn’t follow-through with the agreement, what was the point of having it in the first place?

Last night, my teacher’s weeks of tolerance finally ended. At the beginning of class she asked what respect meant to us. The room became silent. Finally. I sat there and listened. Her emotions ranged from anger, sadness, and disappointment. I was ashamed. I was equally embarrassed that my talking classmates put our teacher in this position.

Most of all, how can we be part of the Deaf community if we don’t respect those who are willing to share their beautiful language with us?

November 11, 2008 - Veteran's Day

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:32:00 +0000

I was there, with my Dad’s companion of fifteen years, when my dad took his last breath. On Veteran’s Day, it will be two years. Unlike other holidays, this holiday remains November 11, rather than on the closest Monday or Friday, and thus lands on any day of the week depending upon the year. Most of us will have the day off.

The last days of my Dad’s life started the weekend of Halloween. He loved the fall-- changing seasons--Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. He was not feeling well but stirred up enough energy to participate in The Gardens Halloween costume contest. Those photos are the last ones we have of him.

Something not often shared between friends, what exactly happens when a loved one is taken off life support? My Mom, when dying of cancer was able to come home from the hospital to live the rest of her days. She died in 1989. As her time neared, we knew it was soon because the nurse had trouble getting her vital signs. My Mom was physically weak but coherent. She never became unconsciousness; she knew she was dying.

Dad passed away at the VA in Westwood. He had been unresponsive for three days before his companion and the family understood what the next step should be. The time between taking him off life support and his last breath lasted a couple of days. Unlike what Hollywood portrays, it doesn’t happen in a one-hour episode.

Someone at my Dad’s memorial service asked me if it is harder to lose one parent or both parents. I have to say, at the time I thought it was an odd question. Yet, I think about that question every now and then.

When I lost my Mom, I was too young to really understand how much I’d miss her. I was still trying to find myself. I’m just glad I was able to spend as much time with her as I was able to that last year. There was a twenty-one year gap between my Mom’s death and my Dad’s.

Losing my Dad was not something unexpected. He was ninety years old and had lived a full life. I attribute this to the fact that he remained very active and for fifteen years was in a fulfilling relationship.

Death is a part of life. We can’t avoid it. It’s how we live that matters most. To me, it’s the golden rule.

Text Messaging Dilemma

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:10:00 +0000

Last summer, when I mentioned to a Non-Deaf classmate in my Conversational ASL class that I don’t have text messaging enabled on my cell phone, her response was, “And you want to work in a field working with the Deaf?” At the time, I did not understand the role text messaging played in the life of a Deaf person. In fact, it never occurred to me at all until I started taking ASL classes, how does a deaf person call roadside service if their car breaks down in the desert? (This actually happened to my ASL1 teacher, who is Deaf.)

My cell phone, aside from making phone calls, has many of the bells and whistles that enable the Deaf to process the world in ways never imagined not that long ago. To name a few, I have applications such as Google maps, web access, e-mail access, and text messaging capabilities. However, the latter, is not included in my monthly phone plan. I observe non-Deaf students or friends text message during a class lecture or while gathered for dinner with friends. To me, their behavior removes them from the current conversation or environment. But, for the Deaf, text messaging is the opposite from isolation—it allows them to connect with others in their world.

How does wireless devices fit into Deaf Culture? Before, the Deaf (and some still) use TTYs, VideoPhones and similar technology, and/or Video Relay Service. Text messaging, exchanging brief written messages via a phone, has changed the way Deaf communicate. While text messaging wasn’t created for the Deaf, access to it has enhanced their lives.

What would Alexander Graham Bell think of his invention today?

Gray Matters

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:40:00 +0000

I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said once a week someone makes a comment about my (gray) hair. It’s interesting when a stranger says something to me. Sometimes they’ll be complimentary, and other times, I’m told, from a stranger no less, that I should dye my hair.

Along with the comments about my hair, I now notice the hair color of people my age and older, regardless of gender. I’m actually a little embarrassed to be flaunting my roots when I see ninety-year-old women still covering up their roots. It’s common for men to have gray in their hair. However, for women it’s different. We are suppose to hide it--“Does she or doesn’t she?”

In 2007, during the Thanksgiving holidays my hairdresser had to change my appointment. I was having my roots dyed monthly, but, realistically, I needed to have it done every three weeks. By the fourth week, I was doing a serious comb-over.

So, it was my fourth week and my appointment was rescheduled for after Thanksgiving, which meant I spent the holiday feeling very self-conscious about my roots and doing my best comb-over. It was during this time I saw the ridiculous amounts of gray I was hiding and decided to surrender. Why fight it?

My hair grows about half an inch each month. Depending on how I wear my hair, either I’m covered completely in gray (pulled back in a high ponytail), or it’s straight down and most of the gray is in front.

Some of my dearest friends tell me to cover my roots. They tell me it ages me. But, I am old. I’m proud of it. It certainly beats the alternative. Something happens in our forties. We work hard to be respected and taken seriously, and then fifty comes along and we’re ashamed to show our age? Not I!!!

About a month ago, I was chatting with a dance sister at Starbucks. A man interrupted our conversation to say that when he saw me he wanted to tell me how beautiful I was. Whoa, awkward moment! Yet, it’s those moments that make me smile, knowing that it’s okay to show your roots and be who you are.

Sugar the Shetland Pony

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:03:00 +0000

The other day we were looking for a park in the area. We had relatives with two kids visiting from Germany. We had just picked up one of their friends from the train station in Chatsworth. Where to go?

I knew of a few parks in the West Hills area. To get there, we drove west on Roscoe Blvd. and needed to turn south on Woodlake Ave. I remembered a shortcut to Woodlake Ave. Just before going up the hill on Roscoe, one can take a left turn (south) on Jonathan St. Not a big shortcut but the memories came flooding back.

When we were growing up, that hill was four blocks from our house. The hill had a long driveway that paralleled Jonathan St., which led to a house. The hill was home to Sugar the Shetland Pony and other animals. During my elementary school days, there were many times I’d either walk or ride my bike to visit the pony. On Sundays, I would nab a few sugar cubes from the church coffee hour, or a carrot, or an apple from the fridge to feed Sugar.

My eighth grade year in junior high, that hill (the intersection of Woodlake Ave. and Jonathan St.) is where my friend and I were pulled over on our bicycles, on our way to school, by a police officer. We had apparently rolled through the stop. Unbeknownst to us then, we had come to a California Rolling Stop. We got tickets. I rode on to school but my friend when back home.

The same intersection was the place where, I eventually learned, a boy I had a crush on in ninth grade, lived. Later, after high school, I recall driving my red VW squareback and stopping at that intersection on my way to a performance at the church. I had curlers in my hair and that same boy was out on the sidewalk. I wanted to die!

Looking back, there were many “I wanted to die” moments. Every time I saw that boy from the intersection, I wanted to die. He was in one of my ninth grade classes at Columbus Junior High. I think we spoke five sentences to each other on five separate occasions over a five year span. Yes, every time I spoke to him, I wanted to die. It was the crush I will remember from my youth.

The shortcut to Woodlake Ave. has gone through big changes over the years. Most recently the house on the hill has been removed and replaced with a huge fancy retirement home. The road that curves around the hill has been straightened a bit, perhaps to prevent a blind curve. I wonder how many others remember that shortcut from years gone by.

Doesn't know sh*t from Shinola

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:35:00 +0000

At my Dad’s memorial service on Saturday, January 17, 2009, when I got up to share my memories of Dad, I said, “I remember Dad taught me how to shine his shoes. He'd pay me 35¢ and I was thrilled.”

My Dad would say to me, “How would you like to earn some money?”

I knew exactly what he had in mind. He’d bring the shoeshine kit down from the cupboards in the service porch, place a bar stool in the middle of the kitchen, and sit down, hoisting a foot up on the little shoeshine kit. I learned much later in life, he made that wooden kit.

I was taught there was a system to polishing my Dad’s shoes. He’d select the color. First, one shoe up on the foot stool. Apply the polish. Shoe is lowered. Other shoe up, apply polish. Go back to the first shoe on the “last.” Use the brush with bristles. Alternating shoes, after the brush, was the fuzzy buffer and finally the big long rectangular soft cloth. It was rolled up when not in use. To use it, one would unroll it so both ends were exposed. Then rolling a little bit of each end, it was held in both hands. First, moving it swiftly back and forth across the top of the toes, the tip in front, each side respectively and then the heel. Sometimes I had a hard time with the heel and my Dad would help take over.

In an effort to clear the clutter, I’m going to make the wooden shoe shine box into a plant holder in the backyard. In researching what to do with old shoe polish, I discovered that shoe polish can go in the trash. Yes, some of these canisters are very old. Some of the cans have 33¢ painted right on the canister. Lincoln and Kiwi brand is now up to $4 a canister. I will empty most of the contents in the trash but keep a couple of the canisters to reuse for something else.

This is my Dad’s legacy he’s passed along to me. I will think of him often, when I look at the shoeshine box in our garden.

Wrapping Paper Woes

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:25:00 +0000

I’m cursing my parents right now! Why did they convince me into thinking that wrapping gifts was a creative outlet for me?!!!

Every Christmas, once I was old enough to cut and tape, I was the go-to person for wrapping presents. I loved wrapping presents. My brothers jumped on the bandwagon and before I knew it, I was wrapping their gifts for others, too.

I would come up with extravagant ways to tie bows. Now, I leave the bows off. But, I can be distracted by beautiful expensive ribbon.

Currently, I do the green thing and wrap everything in post product or recycled brown paper. I’ll enhance the brown with a strip of wrapping paper. Not only am I conserving on wrapping paper, I’m also helping the earth. Yay!

My curses are because of the way my parents treated wrapping paper. I remember many birthdays and Christmases where we were not to crinkle the wrapping paper so it could be (gasp) reused. Yep, reused. Which makes it hard (My husband would say for me—impossible) now, to toss away any scrap of wrapping paper or ribbon.

But my “tossing away” phobia continues with shopping bags of many different sizes–paper and plastic. Not to be used for a gift but used, eventually, somehow, someday. It’s horrible; I can’t recycle them–they need to be reused. Just when will that day come?!!!

When my dad moved into assisted living, he took with him the family wrapping paper and bows box. That box (see photo above) could always be found in the cupboard in my room at Burton St. (Check out the tape holding it together.)

That box is long gone (recycled). But, the wrapping paper habit still lingers on. I need to shut my eyes and just recycle the scraps or come up with a new system to keeping scraps. Ta-da! I think I’ll wrap them on used paper towel and toilet paper rolls.

Hey! I’m feeling really green today! Woes be gone!!!

Out of Sight

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:02:00 +0000

This is a photo of the left side of the closet in the blue room. Yes, when the door is closed, it's out of sight and out of mind. Sad but true. I want to change that.

Recently, the last week of June, a Facebook friend posted that he got a call from the “Oprah Network asking if I knew of someone who had issues with clutter that would like help with their problem on the show.”

I responded, “Yes, I know someone.”

Turns out the Oprah Winfrey Network is looking for families to be part of “Enough Already! with Peter Walsh.” I have the name of the casting director if there’s anyone out there who’s interested.

After giving it some thought, “nobody wants to be told they have clutter issues.” If my husband had any say, he’d nominate me. In fact, my husband is the guy you want to invite over when you say, “I have a clutter problem; can you help me?” He has systems down. My horizontal piles drive him crazy.

I first learned about Peter Walsh last September when I got a phone call for a job to help a woman organize her office. I had thought I should do a little research before taking on the task. The job fell through, but I acquired the book, “How to Organize Just about Everything,” by Peter Walsh.

Peter Walsh has office supplies exclusively with OfficeMax called “[IN]PLACE SYSTEM.” I’ve picked up a sample set and have learned that I need to use see through folders and containers. My problem? Out of sight, out of mind.

I want to declutter my life.

I think about my legacy. When I die, I don’t want to burden other people with packing up my junk. More importantly, I want to be freed from my clutter, so instead of thinking about it, everything is organized and I can find my keys. Old age and memory doesn’t make things any easier.

Part 1 – 8 Nights/9 Days Tour in Korea

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:44:00 +0000

I’ve been back now from Korea for over two weeks. It took almost the same amount of time for me to get over the jet lag. I had no idea it would be an issue. When we arrived in Korea, the only time change adjustment problem for me appeared to waking up early the first couple of days. The jet lag I felt being back home was physical exhaustion. I’d be awake and suddenly my body felt like it hit a wall.

The first part of my trip is documented in the form of a blog, along with a slideshow (courtesy of YouTube) of each day’s excursions. I’m glad I decided to write about my trip. It’s been fun to relive each day.

Many people have asked about my trip, of course. Looking back, I’m surprised about what I’ve chosen to share. Mainly, I talk about the food and the toilets. Ha! Ha! Consider that I’ve insulted an entire nation by not eating their food. The toilets? I had been forewarned, but, seeing is believing! Funny part, I really did need a manual but nobody wanted to talk about it.

Here’s where you can find details on the first part of my trip to Korea, referred to as the “8 Nights/9 Days Tour.” Out of courtesy of others, in most cases, names are not provided.

Welcome

Part 1 Blogs:

Part 1 Albums:

Part 1 - Photo Album

Now, I begin posting part 2 of my trip, which I will refer to as “On Our Own” in Seoul. We stayed in a Guest House (aka hostel) and visited with my friend’s family for six days.

Seoul Searching 2010

noreply@blogger.com (la_miller) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:06:00 +0000

A week before my trip to Korea I debated whether to take my phone/laptop. I was thrilled to learn I didn’t need a voltage converter for either my phone or my laptop computer. Yay, Apple! However, ATT was unable to provide a roaming package for Korea.

Instead of the phone and laptop, I opted to take my Canon 20D camera. Since I can’t speak the language, why not capture the trip through photos? My husband loaned me his Flip video camera, too.

I had my camera with me most of the trip. There were one or two days I left it home because I was more likely to draw attention. (Those are days I’d pull out the Flip video camera if I felt it was safe.) I kept all my money on me because nothing screams tourist like a big-ass camera. As it turns out, Korean-Americans don’t blend in. Our clothes are different. We tend not to be dressy, as I learned. Let’s just say, when we travel, we’re comfortable. In my case, very comfortable.

My trip to Korea was life altering. Each day, I asked the question, what if this was my life? I know I only saw a glimpse of the country. Visiting Jeju Island is like going to Hawaii. The entire island appears to be living off tourists. Our bus ride, up the eastern coast from Busan to Mt. Sorak and along the northern border, was just a sliver of how the Korean landscape looks and the people live. Seoul was both a sobering and wild experience.

Overall, I had no expectations other than I was scared to death because I didn’t speak the language. With the amazing patience of my friend, I asked question after question, and learned about the food, people, and culture past and present.

I loved every minute of my trip. I met some truly wonderful people along the way. Most of all, I am thankful for the Holts and my parents (Lloyd & Birdie) for believing that, "Every child deserves a home of his own."

My trip will be documented on a (private) website by the same name as this entry, Seoul Searching 2010.