Happy New Year! As today marks the beginning of a brand new year, I thought it would be fun to do a recap of the best of the blog in 2014. 2014 brought many adventures with a trips to Cuba, Ethiopia, Bolivia, New York, Washington DC and several visits to Arizona. It was a whirlwind year in which I was somewhere other than home for over a total of 8 weeks.
My blog has grown in maturity as January marks the fourth year anniversary since I timidly wrote my first post. Looking back, I had no idea what I was doing and the first several months of posts were more like a travel diary than a blog. Yet these were the posts that kept me going and today as my blog has matured more into what I want it be. I look forward to what the new year will bring and can’t wait to get back to my regular posting. Wishing you all a wonderful 2015 filled with joy, adventure, peace and love. Thank you for following me along.
In my element
Ooh Aah Point
A before the hike selfie down the Grand Canyon to the Ooh Ahh Lookout Point November 2014
Jaime Perez of My Travelouge kindly nominated me to participate in a virtual blog tour. The challenge asks that I give readers an inside peak at my blog through the framework of answering four questions. What is my workflow process? What am I working on? How does my work differ from others of its genre? Why do I write and create what I do? I thought it was an interesting challenge that would force me to reflect on my blogging and also gain insight into how other bloggers I enjoy reading create and sculpt their blogs.
Workflow
For me, the first thing I need is inspiration. An idea. Something that makes me want to drop everything and write. Since I am a travel blogger, I usually try to organize my blog around an event or a trip. In fact, the concept of thirdeyemom all began because of a memorable trip: My hike along the Annapurna trail in Nepal in 2010. If I am not writing on a specific place, I look for inspiration and ideas through reading books, current events, photo challenges and social good campaigns. For the most part, my blog is organized around series of stories about trips I’ve made and how these experiences have impacted my life.
I bought this small painting for my home.
During a trip, I take tons of notes documenting my journey and snap as many photos as possible. I also research a destination before, during and after my trip by reading travel books, non-fiction and fiction books on the place, and I also search the internet for missing information. I soak up as much as I possibly can while I’m there and then wait until I return home to begin blogging. The most recent series I’ve written on include Ethiopia and Cuba.
I have been in Ethiopia as an International Reporting fellow for a little over a week now and it has been an amazing, eye-opening trip so far. I have learned so much about this beautiful landlocked country of 90 million people. I have been warmly welcomed into their lives and have enjoyed the curiosity of the children at my blond hair and light skin. I am sure I will have stories and photos to share for months.
In the meantime, I would like to give you a snapshot of Ethiopia: The beautiful countryside, the warm geniune smiles of the children, the mix between tradition and modernity that encapsulates every aspect of Ethiopian life.
I arrived early Sunday morning into Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, after a long haul flight from home. My day began Saturday at 3 am and after two fights totaling 16 hours I found myself in Africa’s highest capital Addis Ababa which translates into “new flower”.
Street shots of Addis Ababa
The earliest people living in the Shewa region surrounding Addis Ababa date back to the 9th century and are believed to be the Gurage people. Over the centuries the Somalis and Abyssinian kingdoms laid claim to the land, followed by the arrival of the Oromo in the 1500s. The actual city of Addis Ababa was not founded until 1886 when Emperor Menelik II decided to move his military base from Mount Entoto to the vast fertile plains below of Addis Ababa.
Today, Addis Ababa is Ethiopia’s largest city with an estimated population of over 3 million people and is a magical place where tradition and modernity are intertwined in unexpected ways. Walking down the busy streets of Addis Ababa you can see high rises and western hotels reaching towards the sky juxtaposed with dirt sidewalks, donkeys leaving the market and undeveloped slums. It is a place filled with contradiction. Looking outside the window of my newly built luxurious western hotel lies one of many slums slightly hidden behind corrugated tin fences and walls. Men in well-tailored suits sit outside in a chairs along dirt sidewalks getting a shoe shine. High rise buildings are going up alongside a pell-mell of depressing slums. Everywhere you look is something that makes you scratch your head and wonder.
“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus
Anyone who lives in the Midwest or who has ever traveled to the northern quarters of the country, know for a fact that winter in Minnesota can be brutal. It is often a test of endurance, patience, humor, semi-hibernation and mental strength to survive it especially when it happens to be a winter like we are having this year. Countless days well below zero, dangerously cold, bone-chilling wind. Snow. Black ice on the roads. Days upon end where it never even reaches freezing. This has been one heck of a winter so far and it isn’t even half way over.
Winter can be stunningly beautiful after a big snowstorm. Lake Harriet.
So how on earth do we survive it? With skill, perseverance and conquering the power of the mind. That is how. Here are my top ten tips to surviving an extreme winter (Warning: Over 20 degrees farenheit for a low doesn’t count. We’re talking endless days below zero!).
Yesterday I participated in an interview with National Geographic Kids and Little Kids editor Rachel Bucholz to learn about the ins and outs of working for such an amazing organization. I have long been a fan of National Geographic’s magazines ranging from the popular yellow-framed bordered National Geographic to National Geographic Traveler, Kids and Little Kids. I love to learn about our amazing planet and being a National Geographic Kids Insider has given me the opportunity to get an even more in-depth view of all the fabulous things National Geographic is involved in.
Rachel has worked as an editor for over 20 years and has also authored several books. She currently works as editor and Vice President of National Geographic Kids and Little Kids magazine where she thoroughly enjoys inspiring children to become future stewards of our planet. As the nation’s most popular kids’ magazine, it was really fascinating to learn more about what makes National Geographic Kids so wonderful and keeps children wanting to read more. Here is what Rachel had to say.
What is your day to day job like and what do you enjoy most about being an editor for National Geographic Kids and Little Kids?
I started the practice of yoga this week and am realizing how much I need this right now in my life to balance my body, heart and soul. Today I’m dedicating my mantra to someone I love very much. My mantra is to never ever give up.
When life kicks and breaks us down, fight back and stay strong. The mind is a powerful thing. It is up to you to decide each and every day whether or not it will make or break you. Stay strong.
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any”. – Alice Walker
Author’s note: I have decided to start a new series called “Different Walks of Life” where I interview an interesting person who is either an artist, humanitarian, traveler or someone doing something awesome with their life. We all get tired of the 9-5 grind. So here is my chance to showcase different people and highlight their inspiring work.
Meet Doug Crews-Nelson, a Cartographer/Artist from Madison, Wisconsin, who is just beginning to promote his ingenious maps for sale. As Madison is my alma mater (I went to school at University of Wisconsin-Madison and met my husband there) of course I had to support a fantastic local artist whose work is fabulous.
A World View by Doug Crews-Nelson
Doug was kind enough to send me one of his maps and of course I had to choose the Paris Map (shown below) as Paris holds a special bond within my heart. I lived and studied there my junior year of University. The map is utterly gorgeous and I can hardly wait to frame it and hang inside my home. There are many more beautiful maps to choose from and this is only the beginning.
Yesterday as part of my new role as a National Geographic Kids Insider, I participated in a fabulous one-hour video call with National Geographic Kid’s photographer Kelley Miller.
National Geographic Photographer Kelley Miller
Kelley has one of my dream jobs: Traveling around the world and getting paid to take pictures! As someone who absolutely loves to take photos yet has never had any formal training whatsoever, I learned a ton from Kelley’s basic photography tips on how to capture nature, specifically animals in the wild. Normally, I prefer to take photos of landscapes or objects and haven’t really attempted to photograph animals in the wild. It looks like now I will have my chance!
Starting today through September 29th, National Geographic is hosting “The Great Nature Project” which is a worldwide photography project to share plants and animals from your world while celebrating the immense diversity of our planet. It is National Geographic’s goal to set a Guinness Book of World Records title for the largest online photo album in the world of animals.
So now you’re all ready to go right? Well, not without sharing the dozen tips I received from Kelley. In a nutshell, here are Kelley’s 10 top tips for photographing nature:
Be observant. Look around and really, truly look. There are dozens of amazing things in nature that are just awaiting to be captured on film. All it takes is a willingness to truly seek the photo opportunities out.
Make eye contact with the animals and smile. Seriously this sounds rather silly but it is not. Capturing an animal on film looking back at you into the camera is bound to give you a fabulous picture. Yet it takes patience and persistence!
Don’t always frame your subject in the center of the picture. Instead, make the photos more interesting by positioning the subject off to a side.
Show animals in their natural environment as often as possible. The landscape and sense of space can truly give the picture a sense of scale and dimension for the animal. Also pay attention to graphic details.
Photo credit: Kelley Miller/National Geographic
Go for motion. If an animal is running, be ready and catch it on film in all its glory. Get as close as you can to the action. Timing is everything!
Pursue the personality of the animal. For example, we all love hippos basking in the mud or animals being playful.
Look for details and capture it. If the animal is a peacock, do a close up on its wings. Zoom in on a specific body part such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth. You’ll be amazed how much detail can change the entire feeling of a photo.
Try for different angles of a shot. For example, why not capture a bug on a leaf looking down on it?
Experiment with changing from color to black and white. Sometimes the details of the photo will be more striking without color.
Make the animal stand out. Use a simple background or a shallow depth of field. The subject will literally pop off the page!
Photo credit: Kelley Miller/National Geographic
If only I could take such incredible photos! There is so much to learn. But if you are like me you are willing to keep at it and keep trying. Well, here is your chance! You can participate in The Great Nature Project and be a contributor of the world’s largest ever online photo collection of nature and animals.
All information below is used with permission from National Geographic’s website: The Great Nature Project (www.greatnatureproject.org). To see more details, click here.
The Great Nature Project
The Great Nature Project is a worldwide celebration of the planet and its wonders. People of all ages are invited to appreciate nature by taking pictures of plants and animals in their worlds, and then sharing those pictures with the whole world. Together we’ll create a global snapshot of the Earth’s incredible biodiversity—and try for a Guinness World Records® title for the largest-ever online album of animal photos!
The Great Nature Project is one of the largest initiatives National Geographic has ever created, but we need your help to pull it off. So get outside, explore, and connect, and join us for a project as big as the world itself.
How to Participate
With the Great Nature Project, you can share the plants and animals in your world with the whole world. From the national park to the parking lot, you can grab your camera and document the wildlife you see. By participating, you’ll help National Geographic celebrate the amazing and diverse life on our planet. You can also help us win a Guinness World Records® title for the largest online animal photo album.
To join in, snap a picture of a plant or animal in your neighborhood, and upload it to a photo sharing site like Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, or National Geographic Your Shot,making sure to tag it #GreatNature. To participate in the record, add #animal to any animal photo.
The last two weeks have been extremely difficult. I found myself last Monday on an unexpected trip to address some very personal family matters. Throughout it all- the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the ups and the downs – I remembered one eternal thing: The power of being positive and how being positive impacts your life. How you view what comes your way can make or break you.
No matter how hard life slams you down against the ground, you’ve got to fight back. Life is all a matter of how you deal with the cards you’ve been dealt. Of course it is excruciatingly hard to remain positive when everything turns dark but I’ve learned throughout my forty plus years on this earth that you must. The power of being positive is the only power you’ve got against uncertainty and things you cannot change.
The most important thing I’ve tried to hold onto with all my might is the realization that no matter what —-you must never ever give up. The power of being positive will get you through anything and everything. No matter how hard life beats you up and knocks you numb to the ground. You’ve got to believe.
“Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth.” – Susan Taylor
Any trip to Delhi requires a stop at the spectacular Lotus Temple. Built in 1986 of pure white marble from the Penteli mountain in Greece, the Lotus Temple is a Bahá’í House of Worship where people of any religions can come to pray. What makes this temple so incredibly unique and awe-inspiring is its shape and form.
Inspired by India’s sacred lotus flower, the temple is composed of 27 free-standing marble “petals” arranged in groups of three to form nine sides forming a lotus flower. It is fitting that the temple is designed to look like India’s treasured lotus flower as the lotus symbolizes many important things in Indian culture: Long life, honor, and good forturne. Images of lotus flowers can be seen throughout India as engravings on temples, buildings and in art.
“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination or forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.” – August Wilson
Like most travel bloggers, I have been completely shocked by the tragic news of the death of fellow travel blogger Anita Mac. Anita Mac, the vibrant face behind the popular travel blog Travel Destination Bucket List took her own life.
