Catching up...

In order to catch up to where I am I have to go back. So I went to Aveiro, Portugal for a week after my program was over. It was a really nice and friendly there. Loved the sweets.

And then I traveled to France with my friend Marine and her father. 12 hour car ride.

We're getting closer!

Bom apetite!

A French desert other than a crepe.

Mash potato maker, we need one of theses in the States.

So I had a really amazing time in Poitiers, France with my friend Marine and her family. It was great to get away from Portugal and the city traffic etc. she lived in the country which was great and relaxing for me. We went to the center of the city it was really nice and close knit.

The little Norte Dome of Poitier

Vans and a UCLA back pack, I thought I was in Cali for a second.

We went to this club that had a open mic of artists fridays and saturdays, this night it was mostly reggae but I really liked it. I really enjoyed the saxophonist.

And then I went to Paris France for a few days

Me and the Eiffel Tower

up close

I had a really great time in Paris France. Past all of my expectations. Its a such beautiful black city I must say and the food is amazing! Next time I go to visit I will have to learn more french words.

I went to the Norte Dame

This was probably one of the best moments of traveling to Paris for me

Famous author Richard Wright use to live in this apartment building

France in general was a very great and humbling experience for me. I appreciate the people, the food and the historical buildings. I hope to come back soon.

Pieces

I’ve been feeling inspired lately. By others, to share more. So things I want to talk about that I haven’t talked about during my experience in Coimbra Portugal.

So here are some pieces:

I was walking around Coimbra one day with a good friend and he pointed out that these

They used these in the past to either hang slaves up or chain them in a line.

Living in a country where the history of slavery existed and was very prevalent it never seemed to leave my eyes as I walked through the city.

Another piece I want to share-->

So in this very popular mall called Doce Vita in Coimbra were I go frequently. They had an art exhibit of President Obama. When my friend told me I was surprise and said stop lying why would they have an art exhibit of a President of the U.S. here in Coimbra of all places? I mean maybe they would have one of the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff, she is the first female president of Brazil. Anyways, I was curious and wanted to see it so we went down stairs and sure enough on the floor there it was. As I walked around the pictures, I was shocked and affected by the images and the negative messages spread.

I didn’t find any of the cartoonish funny

Majority of the pictures had him depicted as a slave or had some connotation to slavery.

Unfortunately my camera died that day so I couldn't capture them all. But they have a website for more information (http://www.cartoonvirtualmuseum.org/i_galobama_f_i.htm)

I know art is a freedom of expression and everyone is entitled to say and share whatever they would like. I guess I just wondered why there were none that expressed positive messages? Or perhaps those artist weren’t chosen.

It was crazy to me that when I had read that the pictures were from all over the world. Canada, Brazil, Japan, Hungary, Russia,Unites States, just all over. And they all shared the same the same sentiment: a negative image of President Obama. To think that this is spread all over the world, this is not how I want people to know my president or think of him. I mean in the states I remember in the political section they would have a political comic sketch but those as well were never really funny to me. They elongated his nose, or gave Obama big lips and pictured him eating watermelon. I remember even seeing a cereal box created called Obama O’s. It’s interesting to me that people in the US want to say/think America is in a post racial era since President Obama is the first black president (but being a black person in power, will not magical change hundred years of institutionalized slavery thats been embedded throughout the US), but there’s nothing post-racial about making racialize jokes/drawings at the past/present. Double lives=double lies.

and another one--->There was a store in Amsterdam that made me laugh

What's left

So I took a trip one time to Conimbriga, Portugal. One of the largest Roman settlement in Portugal and one of the best preserved. (for more information http://www.quintadoriodao.com/eng/out/conimbriga.html)

I went with the woman in charge of my program in Portugal. She said it was must see place and that people really treasured. The lady kept telling me, "Oh this is so beautiful, oh look at the detail, ahh it's so historical it was built such a long time ago…” As we walked through I was silent.

All I could think about the whole time was “who built this?” “Who were the people that were forced to build what so many admire?”

This was also something I seen there, it reads: House of the Swastika was the home of a relatively wealthy family. It's construction goes back to the 1st century AD...yadda yadda

After this trip I began to look up more about the history of the swastika symbol because I am unfamiliar with it. I found out that the symbol was used 5,000 years before Hitler used it. The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika, which means “good fortune” or “well-being." The motif (a hooked cross) appears to have first been used in Neolithic Eurasia, perhaps representing the movement of the sun through the sky. To this day it is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Odinism. (Information from www.ushmm.org)

This also caught my eye, it is in-door and out door fountain and garden. For .25 I placed in a machine near the fountain and watched the water actually spring up in action.

Moving Forward

I know its been a while, but things got pretty busy for me. Going home for the holidays, nights in London, studying for finals, packing, saying goodbyes, moving, becoming stranded in Portugal because waiting for papers from Brazilin embassy, and getting ready for France. Yeah, I am bless through it all. I wouldn’t trade my worries and problems in for the world. It's funny how when we are going through something in life we think we are the only ones going through it, or we have the whole world on our shoulders. And then we act all surprise when we get through it like we haven’t tried the whole time to get pass it, like we are surprised in ourselves that we actually made it through. Funny right? I’m sure it's not funny during the time we are going through one, but it is.

I feel I am at a good place in my life. I am finding time to just reflect. With reflection comes growth.

I must admit it was hard to say goodbye to everyone in Coimbra Portugal, harder than I had attended. I may not have enjoyed the location of my 6 months but I will not forget the friendships I made in that short amount of time. I guess in leaving I felt like I was selfish for allowing them to let me enter their life their hearts, knowing that I would only leave in February. It hurts me to know that I’ve met people who have just been genuinely nice and amazing to me, just because they choose to. It takes action and work to be someone’s friend.

With all this time on my hands I am learning to relax, allow the days to come and drag out. Get so tired with doing nothing that at 7 pm you are yawning from nothing and being alright with that. That has always been so hard for me, but my other life back on campus in Madison is completely the opposite, so busy I am scheduling me time and when I will be able to eat with friends. I’m across the ocean and my life has literally switched from the hectic business with school and extra things to the long days of nothing. I currently have no classes until I get to Brazil, but that won’t be for a few more weeks. So for now I am enjoying this little break.

Well trying to.