I’ve blogged about the changes coming to Imported Chocolate before, so I’m sure all of you who have been reading the blog know that Imported Chocolate will be moving! Yaaaay!
Because of this, Imported Chocolate will be on Hiatus for the next 10-14 days (maybe less ) while I continue to get things set up at its new home. The next post I write after the hiatus will include a link to the new blog. Two days after that post the re-directing will begin, which means anytime you come here, you will automatically be directed to the new blog.
I can’t wait to welcome you into Imported Chocolate’s new home! Ta Ta for now!
As some of you may know my first time traveling was at the age of nineteen to Paris. It was the first time I had ever travelled or been in an airport. I stayed with friends my first five days, but I had also booked a hostel in advance for my last two days in Paris. Everyone told me I couldn’t travel without experiencing a hostel.
At my core, I am a very nervous person. So you can imagine the horror my imagination created over and over again during the days leading up to my stay at the hostel. I had requested an all girls room if possible, but of course, travel being the unpredictable thing that it is; I was told I would have a unisex room when I arrived at the hostel. I looked around at the men twice my age sitting in the lounge and hoped and prayed I would not be put with them. They were scary strangers to my nineteen year old brain. Luckily, the guys in my room weren’t much older than me and were respectable. There were two other girls with me too, so I ended up making friends and having a ball!
However, just to keep it real, a hostel does not fit my personality. I need a space to come back to alone so that I can reflect and write. I can feel overwhelmed sometimes if I spend the whole day hanging out and don’t take anytime for myself.
But I have to say Hostelle has changed my mind! Hostelle is the first and only all female hostel. It’s located in Amsterdam. And just look at how pretty it is!
I can so see myself writing in this beautiful creative space. I plan to check it out when I do the European trip that I am planning next year! I’m thinking all cities should have hostels like this!
What do you think?
I give a big thanks to Frankie Benz for sharing this on the No.Madness Travel Tribe Facebookpage!
NOTE: Photos found via Hostelle. I do not own any rights.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Pssst *waves you over* I work a 9-5. Yup, that’s right. Until my dream of becoming a full-time writer comes to fruition, I still have to get the bills paid. This is why I have to be very strategic when it comes to planning my travels every year. I go into detail about how I do this in the short E-booklet I am working on.
I plan to travel twice in 2012. I’m going somewhere big—which I will announce after New Years— in August and to Barbados in September or November. I usually travel on my birthday, but I *puts on godfather voice* got an offer I couldn’t refuse, which resulted in my vacation plans being moved further down in the year.
It’s not hard to travel every year even if you don’t get paid well. It’s actually simpler than you think. The key is to save. Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re probably thinking “I head this before,” but it’s not just about saving. There is a strategy, a method to the madness.
Save a Smaller Amount Over a Longer Period of Time:
I don’t want to spoil the E-booklet so I will give you another example. one that is appropriate for this time of year.
I was spared from the Christmas stress this year. By the end of November, all the gifts were wrapped and under the tree and I was finished with everything that needed to be done leading up to the holidays. I even managed to get some decent gifts for myself under the tree which included a Tiffany’s ring. Not once was I stressed about spending money and not once did I empty my pockets only to find lint balls and cartoon flies.
How did I achieve my stress less Christmas you ask? I saved $880 dollars for Christmas. Going back to what I said about strategic saving, I saved $40 dollars twice a month for 11 months, starting in January of this year and ending in December. This resulted in my $880 total.
I use a similar system for my travels which I talk about in my E-booklet.
Cut Back on Expenses in Areas You Can Afford to:
I don’t believe in spending a lot of money on clothes. However, this does not mean I wear cheap stuff. What it does mean is that I get the good stuff for half off. I NEVER pay full price for anything unless it’s rare and I really want it. For the most part, I shop at stores like Beacons Closet. In Beacons Closet you can find designer items brand new with tags! I bought my $300 designer bag new with tags for only $15 at Beacons Closet.
I also love Beacons because everything is one of a kind there. Once you find something you’re the only one walking out with it. Last Call by Neiman Marcus and 15dollarstore.com are two more of my favorite places to shop.
Like I said I’m not cheap, but I like a good deal, though I tend to go into girly splurgearella mode when it comes to coats, jewelry, luxury food and sometimes shoes.
Another way I save is by axing the cable. When you think about it…do we really need cable anymore? You can get your news and watch all your favorite shows online now. So why have an extra bill? Cut the cable if you can do without it and keep the World Wide Web. You will save exponentially! Keep you bills to a minimum. I only have four!
So these are some of the ways I save to allot myself more money for travel. I know this post became a bit of a ramble, but it’s something that came to my head so I thought I’d share.
P.S.
I know I have been a little quiet on the blog this week. I hope you’re not looking at me like this
Besides working a 9-5 and blogging on Imported Chocolate, I am writing my first fiction novel. It’s for Young Adults and a completely different genre than what I write about here and it has been kicking my but as of late. But I am almost 200 pages in! I just wanted you to know that I haven’t forgotten about you.
I’ll let the video below and link to the story explain it. I wouldn’t be able to do this powerful story justice. I will be sure to buy my whistle. The video and this organizations mission made me cry.
La Apuesta is an online web series staring my Argentine sister Eugenia. Readers of my old blog will remember how dear Eugenia is to me and that she played an important role in my Buenos Aires journey. Eugenia makes her first appearance in next week’s manuscript leak. I love this girl! She is such a phenomenal actress! Eugenia is the beautiful waitress that first appears in video one. You should be able to recognize her in the second video.
It’s so nice to hear the Argentine accent in these videos (I love the way they sing when they speak); and see the familiar sites and sounds— especially the bravado Argentine men possess. I miss Quilmes Cerveza (beer) it’s one of my favorite beers. I’m sad to say I can’t understand a lot of what they’re saying anymore; I still can’t believe at one point I understood almost everything that was said to me in Spanish while living in Buenos Aires. But if you don’t use it— you lose it. :0(
To find out more about La Apuesta visit the website
I hope everyone is having a fantastic Halloween! For the next two weeks I will be leaking stories from the first chapter of my “Hola, Morocha” manuscript. Readers of my old blog may remember these stories. However, these are the more polished versions. First one up is “Rough Landing!”
Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for this months giveaway!
Rough Landing
I thought this experience would be easier than going to France, but I bamboozled myself. My flight was less emotional, yes; less tearful, yes; and getting through the airport more of a breeze, yes. However, Paris was a much easier city to navigate. More people spoke English in Paris, which spoiled me and made the experience less difficult. I started my trip on September 6—yesterday.
My mom and my brother drove me to the airport. Upon leaving the house we were all in chipper moods, even taking pictures together. Until my five-year-old niece started hugging my leg the way an environmental activist wraps herself around an endangered red wood and burst into tears. I almost made it out the door without crying, but my niece caused a domino effect of emotions between my mom, brother, sister, and me. We regained our cheer as we loaded my luggage into the car.
As we drove along the highway, my brother’s new stereo system serenaded us with Maxwell as the wind from the open window drummed in our ears. This was the second trip to an airport I’d taken in my life. My first time at an airport was when I was hopping a flight to Paris three years ago. That trip was the opposite of this one. On the drive it was also my brother, mother, and I, but unlike the lively, excited chat that went along with this ride, the first time there was dead silence. I was nineteen years old then.
When I saw the top of the airport, my stomach felt as if it were flipping itself inside out. A plane was taking off in the distance, which gave me a jerk of emotions. Even so, I was able to hold in my feelings. I parted with my mom and brother at the gate and a nice baggage check agent outside the airport doors helped check me in. The serious expression on the ticket agent’s face intimidated me, and I thought to myself, “Uh oh, I got a live one here,” but I realized he was just focusing and doing his job. He even put me on an earlier flight so that I would not miss my connecting flight.
My check through security was quick and easy. A male security guard asked if he could look further into my carry-on. I said sure. He wore rounded eyeglasses almost as round as his nose. He had a beige complexion and had a little stubble growing in on his chin.
“Where are you going?”
“Argentina,” I replied.
“You going to college or something?”
“No, I am going to write the script for my documentary, write some short stories and travel around.”
“How long you going for?” he asked as his hands shimmied through the bottom of my bag. I sort of felt bad answering his questions. I thought I might get in trouble for distracting him.
“Six months.”
“Wow!”
He was done with my bag, and now that things had shifted a little out of order, I had to push my books back in for them to fit. He laid his hand across my bag to help me zipper it closed.
I thanked him and began to walk away when he said, “I got to buy some more gum anyway.”
And he began to walk with me. He turned toward his partner and gave him a look to which his partner replied, “I got you.”
Then came the shocking question: “Are you rich or something?”
I laughed. “No, far from it, but hopefully that will change. I am just traveling right now and doing my thing.”
“That’s what’s up,” he said and raised an amazed eyebrow.
After asking him a question about currency exchange, I made my way to my early flight. Ten or twenty minutes later, I boarded. I was greeted by a hobbit’s shoe instead of an airplane. I am five foot four, but the airplane made me feel as if I were one inch away from playing basketball. It was like being the bullet inside the chamber of a gun. I spent my time while waiting for takeoff amusing myself by watching each new passenger boarding the plane; people tucked in their necks as they attempted to make room for their shoulders and bags.
After landing in Washington, I boarded my flight to Argentina, which felt like the longest flight and worst butt cramps I ever had in my life! I entertained myself with a little of the in-flight movie, but for most of the flight I tracked its status by watching the little plane with the red line trailing behind it make its way across the places on the static map. When the little plane hit certain parts of South America, I would look out the window to see if each country had its own, unique cloud formation. The highlight of my flight was watching the sunrise. It was like an act of creation. The black arc that stretched across the sky with slim lines of light on its edges reminded me of the photograph you see in biology books of the sperm cell making its way into the womb. The sun appearing over the horizon was like a baby’s head emerging from its mother at birth. This to me signified my new life and the experiences I would have in Buenos Aires.
Once my plane landed, I made my way to immigration. As I glided up the escalator, I noticed the airport began to resemble a mall. Tall, model-type men and women dressed in black stood side by side, holding cologne and perfume. When I saw them, I remember thinking it was way too early to try to convince people to buy fragrances, so I just walked past them.
Clearing immigration was the easy part. Now I had to
Find my luggage; and
Find my friend’s father who was kind enough to go out of his way to pick me up.
I stood by the luggage carousel and watched the bags go around with the same anxiety parents have watching their child go around a carousel at an amusement park. After trying to convince myself for what felt like an hour that my bag did not get left in Washington, D.C., I saw my luggage make its way around and grabbed it. I headed straight for the exit and shoved my things through customs. I then headed through sliding doors. When they parted, there was a line of people like at a wrestling match, holding signs and cheering. I was scared that I would not find my friend’s father, Norberto, and I began to feel like a child looking for her parent on the first day of kindergarten. Then I caught a glimpse of a sign with familiar letters and was happy to see a sign with my name. A tall man with square glasses, a kind face, and the essence of a teddy bear met me with a warm greeting.
“Hola, Jen, and welcome to Argentina.”
I knew this was my friend’s father. He assisted me with my suitcase, and we headed to the car. As we drove along the grass-framed highway, Norberto introduced the city to me. I was able to see the outskirts of Buenos Aires, which reminded me of the rough parts of Brooklyn—maybe a little rougher. Everything was dust colored and gray, and the houses stood close together like hugging shacks. Soon we reached Capital Federal, which is what the city of Buenos Aires is called.
Once we reached Palermo, the neighborhood I would be living in, we drove around so that I could get to know it. A huge billboard of High School Musical on Ice stood above Plaza Italia. When I saw this, a flash like that of a camera went off in my mind and filled my head with images of my little niece performing pieces from High School Musical 2, which had just premiered before I left for Buenos Aires. Her little voice echoed in my memory, and I began to feel my first homesickness pangs.
Norberto pointed out little shops to me that were called locutorios. The word locutorio was written in midnight blue capital letters over a mustard green sign. I noticed on some of the locutorios an extra piece of the sign stuck out and was the shape of a small window. On it was the image of a telephone. There was a locutorio on every other block like the delis and bodegas in New York. He explained to me that the locutorio was where I could use the Internet and buy phone cards to call home.
We reached the building to my new apartment. Norberto gave me the keys to open the front door so I would know how to do it myself. The lobby of the building was small, and two elevators with gray doors stood straight ahead of us. To the right was a dark brown, spiral staircase. Norberto approached the elevator and pulled on a handle attached to it. The door to the elevator folded open like an accordion, revealing a second door that resembled a gate. The second, gate-like door to the elevator folded open as well. Once in, we had to close both doors in order for the elevator to start moving. We rode the tiny elevator, barely big enough for two people, up to my apartment.
I opened the door to a studio with a dorm-room feel. The curtains were drawn. Norberto walked over to the curtains and presented me with a balcony. With the tug of a string on the side of the balcony doors, wooden blinds began to lift, and the balcony was revealed. A single wooden bench sat on the balcony as the leaves from the weeping tree painted their shadows (in the shape of baby toes) on the bench. Everything else in the apartment was small, beige wood furniture that included a desk, cabinet, and drawer.
Norberto walked me into the kitchen. He explained to me that everything here ran on gas, not electric. So if I wanted to make the water warm for the kitchen and bathroom, I needed to light the calefon. The calefon sits above the sink and looks reminiscent of a mini version of the stove Hansel and Gretel used to fry the witch. Once you light the calefon, turning the dial marked “C P M” determines how hot the water gets. To light the stove, you turn the gas on and then light it with a lighter or match. This was when culture shock began to hit me.
After a demonstration of the water we realized it would not shut off easily, and in the bathroom water was leaking everywhere. Norberto said we must call the portero of the building, Nestor. We went outside to the front of the building and rang Nestor’s buzzer. He told Norberto he would meet us at the apartment. A few minutes later Nestor arrived. He was short, with medium-length, jet-black hair; dark eyes; a Super Mario Brothers mustache; and a friendly, warm smile. Nestor did not speak English, and I did not speak Spanish. So after a translation from Norberto, I was told Nestor would be back later to fix both the kitchen and the bathroom. Norberto left with Nestor, and being alone for the first time in my flat, I missed my family.
The first thing I wanted to do was call my family and tell them I was all right. I punched in the numbers on the phone card I had but was told over and over again that the number I was dialing was incorrect. I could not understand what the recorded voice was telling me I was doing incorrectly, so I hung up, frustrated, and began to unpack. I figured by the time I finished this task, the phone card problem would disappear. After I finished unpacking, I picked up the phone and tried again, to no avail. So I swallowed my pride and dialed the number Norberto had left with me in case I needed to reach him. A woman picked up, and I did not know whether to attempt broken Spanish or speak in English. I tried English first.
“Hi, may I speak with Norberto?”
Silence, then, “Hallo.”
I decided to try Spanish: “Yo, uuuuh, soy amiga de Maria Fernanda.”
“Aaaaah, Maria’s friend.”
“Sí sí.” I replied.
She began to speak in Spanish and I could not understand her, but I tried to speak again.
“I need help trying to cal l – llamarle mi familia.”
“No entiendo. I don’t understand,” she replied.
After a few more words in Spanish, she said, “He will call you.”
I thought the woman must have been Amelia, my friend Fernanda’s mother and Norberto’s wife.
Hungry, but too afraid to go out and order food with my broken Spanish, I climbed into bed and put the covers around me. I decided I would wait for my call from Norberto. Even though I had two covers wrapped around me, I shivered uncontrollably and began to feel cold bumps prickle my skin. I heard a buzzing sound and thought it was the buzzer to my door before I realized it was my phone. I quickly answered it and was glad to hear Norberto’s voice. I explained to him my problem and began to try to solve it by reading the back of the card to him in Spanish. He explained to me what it said and that he felt the information was confusing and telling me the wrong thing to do. He said I could go to the locutorio and ask for a cabina to call the United States. He said, “I will cross my fingers, and if it does not work do not hesitate to call back.”
As soon as I hung up the phone with Norberto, I realized my quest to the locutorio would be my first venture outside of my apartment on my own. When I came to this realization quick, sharp flutters moved through my stomach. I took two slow, deep breaths to try to exorcise the butterflies. A little frustrated, I headed out my apartment door with my wallet, a sample phone card, and my green Jansport backpack (my only purse at the time).
As I approached the front door of the lobby, the vibration from the pounding in my chest traveled and turned into warm pulsating in my ears. As my hands pushed the lobby door open the pulsating grew a bit stronger. As a new kitten loosed from its cage emerges cautiously into its new environment, so did I. I walked down the street, memorizing landmarks to aid me in my direction deficiency. The leftover winter wind mixed with the breeze of spring coming to claim its turn passed over my skin and made its way through my hair. The smell of earth left the evidence of past rain. My hands were quivering the whole time.
Well aware of the warning that there were not many black people living in Buenos Aires, I began to see and feel the stares. Nothing insulting or uncomfortable, but just looks of wow, something new. One guy walking his dog exclaimed something in Spanish, as if he’d found the long-lost wonder of the world. Another man, with the appearance of Cap’n Crunch (minus the costume), let out an
“HOLA!”
Three construction workers walking by began to talk among each other like high school boys and looked back. I figured I might as well get used to it. I entered the locutorio. An abundance of candy shaped in the figure of a hill, yet neatly placed in shelves, greeted me. The atmosphere of the locutorio reminded me of the inside of the little marts at American gas stations and airports only more intimately lit and elegant. The scent of newly packaged candy and paper was in the air. I looked toward the back of the store and spotted booths with telephones and knew those were the cabinas.
I walked up to a woman behind a counter that mirrored the one in the front, but instead of candy there were phone cards. As I parted my lips to begin my broken Spanish again, I heard the words “AND ACTION!” in my head. I fumbled through my mind for any Spanish words to communicate that I needed a cabina to call the United States. Amazingly, the woman behind the counter understood me and pointed me in the right direction toward a cabina. After no success, just busy signals, in the cabina, I mimed “no funciona” with my hands to the woman and showed my sample phone card. I bought two and headed back to my flat.
I attempted to call my family, with the same results. I did not want to bother Norberto again, but with no Internet and his number the only working number I could call, I had no choice. I dialed the number, and Amelia picked up again. I muttered the word “Norberto,” then the line went dead. I tried again, and Amelia put Norberto on the phone. I told him what had happened and gave him my calling card number so he could hear what was being said and could translate. He called back and told me that it said I was putting in the wrong number. I studied the card harder and realized I was dialing the number on the card as if I were in the United States. I found the number to call from Buenos Aires and tried my mission again. This time I moved a step farther. There was a quick chime sound then the card company announced itself, “Llamada directa,” and told me to put in the PIN.
“Yes, one up.” I thought to myself as I moved one step closer to success. But I did not get farther than this. The card was not connecting to the US number, even when I dialed 001-1212-[phone number]. I tried over and over, for an hour. I gave up and decided to try to take a shower, then I realized that with the water dripping and not shutting off completely in the kitchen, I did not want to attempt turning on the shower.
I decided that instead of just sitting and doing nothing, I should go play with the knobs. The shower turned on fine—the water was just cold. I was curious about a second bowl like the toilet, sitting next to it, and I wondered what it was. I turned a knob attached to it, and water squirted in a big burst onto my face. Thank god mainly my glasses and hair got most of the attacking water.
I went back to my covers, feeling defeated, belittling myself and saying how dumb I was to be afraid to ask for food to buy, so I could stop my stomach from eating itself. I pulled out a card my friend Miriam (who had also spent some time in Buenos Aires) had written to me before I left. When my eyes scrolled across the part that said, “Take in the good and the bad. It’s all a part of the experience,” I burst into tears. I lay back down and then something came to me out of nowhere. Take out the 1. Dial 001-212. I ran to the phone, went through the process of using the phone card, and tried my family’s number again, this time taking out the 1. It was a success! The number began to ring. When I heard my mom’s voice on the other end, my eyes began to grow warm and to brim.
“Mom, I have been trying to call you for like two hours now.”
“Hi Jen, are you ok?”
I was explaining everything and realized my mom was strangely quiet on the other end. I realized my card had cut off. When I tried to get my mom again, I was just met with busy signals. I knew I was doing everything right, so what could be the problem? After half an hour I tried again and got through. My mom comforted me and said, “Just get something to eat and try to take a rest and shower.”
I explained to her that I did not want to miss Nestor’s knock on the door. So I opted for making a warm cup of tea and calling it a day, but first I would try to shower in some way. I washed up as best I could in cold water. When I was done, Nestor knocked on the door. I was a little embarrassed to be in pajamas but figured he would not care. Nestor was very respectful and asked for permission to enter the apartment. We laughed at each other, as we could not understand each other well.
He went into the kitchen and began fixing the knob on the kitchen sink. As he did so, he tried as best he could to explain to me what did not work and what he was fixing. I stood by the kitchen door, watching, as Nestor struck up a conversation. I understood a bit of his questions in Spanish, like, “What is your name?” I told him my name was Jennifer. He then asked
“¿Estudia en universidad?”
I replied with my incorrect Spanish, “No, no estudiar en universidad aca.”
When I tried to explain I was a filmmaker, the conversation did not fare too well. So we just chalked it up to not understanding each other. After Nestor left, I began to make my tea but forgot I had to light the stove myself. On one of the several nervous attempts to light the stove with a lighter, I pulled back a roasted thumbnail that looked like the top of a toasty, browned marshmallow. My phone rang during this process, so I abandoned my stove and ran to the phone. It was a Spanish tutor a friend had recommended to me. She too spoke little English, and with another frustrated attempt on my part at speaking Spanish, we arranged for private lessons.
I hung up with her and went back to operation light the stove. I was not going to let something as simple as making a cup of tea defeat me. I turned the gas on once again, and with a few flicks of my lighter the top of the stove was lit.
“Yes, Scooby Snack!”
The phone rang again, but when I picked it up it shut off with a busy signal. I called my mom and asked if she had tried to call. She told me no. I kept her on the phone and used this opportunity to tell her the water was now fixed and that I was able to light the stove and was about to have tea. She told me, “This will make a stronger woman out of you.”
She was right. I came here to challenge myself, to grow outside my comfort zone. I was going it alone. To have all this happen to me on my first day in Buenos Aires made me thankful for the introduction. I’d rather it be frustrating now. Many times throughout the day I reminded myself that this was not the script I wrote when I fantasized about this trip over and over again. Then I thought, Well, I will rewrite it and get it as close to the script as I can get it to be. I am not going to let me get in my way. I have tons of challenges ahead:
Buy something to eat for the first time.
Pay my bills.
Go to an ATM.
Get my hair blown out.
Learn Spanish.
Make friends.
Connect to the Internet.
Ride the trains.
Take the bus.
Go grocery shopping.
Everything, whether it was small or large, became a challenge, but one that could be mastered. This experience could change me for the better; it had already started, the moment I’d sat down and spent the last three hours writing this.
When I was a little girl, my teacher read a book to the class I was in about an old house in Paris covered in vines where twelve little girls (who walked in two straight lines) lived. I fell in love with the smallest one — Madeline. I wanted to be just like her. I wanted her coat and her little hats. In the story, Madeline had to have her appendix removed, which left a scar on her stomach. She stood proudly on her hospital bed in her spotted pajamas and showed all her boarding house roomies her scar. I remember the look on her face: head held high, eyes closed with a look of defiance on her face. Madeline was strong and a survivor with an imagination similar to mine, and that’s why I loved her.
After my teacher was done reading the story, she showed us the Madeline doll. She lifted the dress slowly to stomach level and revealed three black stitches on the doll’s stomach where the appendix would have been. I was so amazed at how detailed the doll was made. Seeing the scar on the Madeline doll brought Madeline to life for me and I knew “I had to have that doll.”
The story stayed in my head for the remainder of the school day, and when we were released, I ran home and gushed to my mom about this “Amazing little girl named Madeline who lived in this cool city called Paris! And she had a cool scar on her stomach and I want the doll, Mommy Pleeeaseee!” My mom, being the most wonderful and bestist (and yes I am aware “bestist” is not a word) mommy that she is, took me all around Manhattan searching for the Madeline doll with “the” scar. We found tons of Madeline dolls but none had a scar. And she HAD to have “the” scar. So my mom bought me the Madeline book instead.
I still own my very first Madeline book. Its home is my bookshelf. It’s old with tattered edges and a disconnected spine, but it’s still perfect to me and I love it. I never did get that doll — birthday hint to you, Mommy if you’re reading this.
When I was still young, but slightly older than I was when I discovered Madeline, I fell in love with another French heroine from a children’s book. She was a red headed little girl named Mirette. She lived in a boarding house owned by her widowed mother, Madame Gateau. The boarding house was home to Acrobats, jugglers, actors and mimes. One day she saw world fameous high-wire walker, Bellini walking on a high-wire and begged him to teach her. He refused, but Mirette tried to learn on her own anyway and never gave up even though she fell a few times. Bellini saw this and finally agreed to take her on as his apprentice. In the end she restored courage to her instructor by joining him on the high-wire he was afraid to return to. In that moment, Mirette became one of my heroes. I still own this book as well.
So I guess it’s safe to say my fascination with Paris and everything French started when I was small and this was my long way of telling you that. When I was 19, I finally made it to Paris. It was the first time I ever traveled, entered an airport or had been on an airplane. I went by myself without knowing anyone or French. I was scared, but I will never forget the wonderful experience. Here are the songs that were on my mixed CD (yes I said CD) when I traveled to Paris.
“Maps”- Yeah Yeah Yeahs: I love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! And this is one of my favorite songs by them. “Maps” was the perfect song to have on my Paris CD. I knew I would have to use a map when I arrived. However, I don’t like looking like a tourist so I keep map usage to a minimum when I’m traveling and rather ask for directions instead.
“Ouija Board”-Morrissey: … Don’t ask. Lol!
“Across The Universe”- The Beatles: Travel Playlist staple!
“Rue des Cascades”- Yann Tiersen: Yann Tiersen is one of my favorite composers! And this is one of my favorite songs by him. My favorite part is at 2:39 when the traditional French accordion sound kicks in!
“Losing Grip”- Avril Lavigne: I was going through something with an older man at the time, which is the perfect reason to run away to Paris, right? Teen angst. Gah!
“At Last”- Etta James: Love this song!
“Eternal Flame”- The Bangles: My sister and I used to sing this to my mom when we were little. This song will always make me think of my beautiful mommy! Love you!
“Across The Universe”- Fiona Apple: Love this version too!
“Bang Bang”-Nancy Sinatra: I Loved Kill Bill at the time! Girl Power!
“Twisted Nerve”- Bernard Herrmann: Another goodie from the Kill Bill soundtrack!
“Fade into you”- Mazzy Star: I love love love this song! It was one of my favorites when I was a teen and always made me swoony!
“Talk Show Host”- Radiohead: Radiohead is one of my favorite bands, and I loved this song the moment I heard it in one of my favorite movies in the world— Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.
“Tears of a Clown”-Smokey Robinson
“Poetry”-Tamia: I was heavy into spoken word poetry at the time.
“The Freshman”-Verve Pipe: An oldie but a goodie! And one of my favorites.
I love Coldplay! And I can’t wait to buy there new album this month! I‘ve been salivating for something new from them for ages; and I’m not disappointed with their new song “Paradise.” I love it so much I’m putting it on the playlist for the big trip I’m taking next year. It’s the perfect song for the destination (I will announce it in January) I will be going to. The lyrics are perfect for every wide eyed wanderer. I hope you enjoy the song and video as much as I did!
1. Who She Is: Jessica Dell is a quirky California native that resides in Los Angeles. She’s obsessed with Italian culture, works at a boutique hotel, and practices photography in her free time. She writes about her travels abroad on www.mypeacelovetravel.com.
2. Imported To: I’ve been to almost every southern state in the US. I road tripped! I’ve been to Jamaica, Italy, and France.
3. Imported Wish List: I want to go everywhere! But my top four places at the moment would be the Dominican Republic, Australia, Greece, and England.
4. Inside My Imported Chocolate Box: I have to have cute clothes. I really enjoy dressing up abroad! I have to have tons of make-up, several pairs of shoes, a journal, my ipod, and a camera.
5. Top Five Places I Recommend You See:
1. Portovenere, Italy- It’s a small, coastal town. I’ve had some pretty memorable moments there.
2. Montmartre in Paris, France- If you sit on the steps underneath the Sacré-Cœur, you’ll get a beautiful view of the Parisian skyline.
3. Golden Gate Park in San Francisco- Such a beautiful park! Feels like you’re in the woods at times.
4. Any of the beaches in Southern, California!
5. Las Vegas!
6. First Three Hours In A New Country/Place I: Eat! I love good food. Usually I’m hungry by the time I land.
7. First Three Days In A New Country/Place I: Take tons of pictures, go sight-seeing, check out the nightlife, meet tons of locals.
8. How Do You Mane Tame Your Hair When Abroad: I wear braids— very easy to maintain. And I never wear braids back at home so it’s fun and something different.
9. Chocolate For Your Thoughts On Women Of Color Traveling: I think women of color traveling is awesome! Go for it! A lot of times you might end up in cities where you are just about the only woman of color! It’s a great learning experience for both you and the locals as well.
10. Chocolate For Your Thoughts On Women Traveling: Get out there and travel! It’s a wonderful experience! Be open-minded, be brave, and be confident!
11. Best Imported Moment: I’ve done a lot of things and met a lot of people during my travels but the best moment ever would have to be my last night in Paris. Francesca (other half of MPLT) and I sat in front of the Eiffel Tower past midnight one evening. We had an early flight the next morning but we didn’t care. We were the only people there. I kid you not. Not a single person was in sight. We ate brie and camembert on baguettes with wine as we cried our eyes out. I think we shed tears of pain because we were sad to leave, but we also shed some tears of joy because we both couldn’t believe that out of all the people in the world that know of the tower’s existence, we were the only people there! It was amazing.
12. How Do You Make Your Dream Of Travel Come True: I’ll keep it real, I’m a recent college graduate with enough bills to keep me lusting far more than wandering. But every now and then I’ll get the chance to travel and when it comes to making my dreams of traveling come true, I do just that. I dream. I’m always daydreaming of traveling. It’s my passion. Once you’re passionate about something, everything just starts falling into place. You start meeting the right people and you start making (or saving) the right money.
NOTE: All pictures are Jessica’s own. I do not own any rights.
If you’re an Imported Chocolate of the moment, or know one, I would love to profile you! Email me at jennifer@imported-chocolate.com
Before you read any further, grab a cup of your favorite hot chocolate, coffee or tea. Do you have it? OK. Now read on :0). Hot Chocolate with a Local will be a recurring post where I sit down with a guest and chat about travel over a delicious virtual cup of hot chocolate. I created this series to bring you real advice about travel around the world. Today we catch up with the lovely Jai Kensey— Travel Extraordinaire and a woman after my own heart!
Imported Chocolate: Hi Jai!
Jai: Hello! How are you?
Imported Chocolate: Good! How are you?
Jai: I’m great!
Imported Chocolate: Thanks so much again for chatting with me over a virtual cup of chocolate!
Jai: No worries. This is exciting! I’m actually in the car headed to a Jewish baby’s circumcision. Lol! My bf is Jewish… very random, right?!
Imported Chocolate: Oh wow! How cool is that! You have a Jewish BF!? I had one of those! Jewish men are awesome! And it’s not random at all!
Jai: I know, I feel weird because I’m excited about witnessing this! Lol. But it’s cool…their culture is very interesting. Anyhoo, sorry about rambling.
Imported Chocolate: I didn’t get to witness and baby circumcisions, but yes, the culture is interesting! You’re not rambling at all! We’re chatting over a cup of hot chocolate, remember? Lol! Is you’re BF from Australia?
Jai: Yeah, he’s from Australia. He’s actually first generation. His family is from Singapore. They are Sephardic (Middle Eastern decent) Jews, not Ashkenazi Jews (European). I met him here at a concert. We’ve been dating for about eight months now…he’s going to Cali with me in Nov for a visit.
Imported Chocolate: AAAAAW! Was it love at first sight? I want to move to Australia even more now! *puts hand on face and looks up at heart shaped bubbles* Le sigh.
Jai: Lol! Actually no… we became friends first. Then it turned into a relationship after hours of chatting on the phone. Yes, move to Aus!! You’ll love it!
Imported Chocolate: That’s always the best way to start a relationship! Ok, now my main focus will be to make everything happen so I can move to Australia! First question. What part of Australia do you live in?
Jai: I live in Sydney, in Bondi…beautiful location.
It’s one of the most famous beaches in Australia. I’m very blessed to live there.
In North Bondi You meet people from all over the world and people just seem happy in Bondi…so laid back. It’s ALWAYS packed with People surfing ALL the time there is a HUGE surfing culture here. It’s very picturesque. I walk every day on the coast line.
Imported Chocolate: Oh, I’ve heard of Bondi! I was told Sydney is like La and Melbourne is like New York. Since I’m a born and bred New Yorker, I’m leaning towards making my staple Melbourne with visits to Sydney. How are Sydney and Melbourne different in your opinion?
Jai: Hmmm, I think Sydney is LA with a bit of Chicago and a bit of NY. You get the best of all three in Sydney. I feel like Melbourne is more artsy/funky. It’s not as busy (especially compared to NY). But it’s cool place, not a beach culture like Sydney. But, you can live in the city of Sydney, but have the luxury of going to beach (beautiful beaches at that!) when you want to. Melbourne is pretty dope, though. The music scene is good. It’s culturally rich…where the yuppies go. Art is EVERY WHERE in Melbourne!
I love that part about it, but Sydney has heaps of museums and pop up galleries every where too. People are usually pro Melb or pro Syd…never in between. I love architecture, and Melbourne has that.
Beautiful buildings…reminds me of DC— the vibe too.
Imported Chocolate: Artsy and funky are my things! Yuppies not so much. Hmmm maybe I should live both places— A few months in one and a few in the other. How far apart are they?
Jai: Yeah, if you can do that, I would. They are about an hour flight a way. Not far at all. But what’s funny is it takes 10 hours to drive And flights are cheap! I prefer Syd I like busy cities. I Wish I could take the art culture for Melb, though and put it in Syd.
Imported Chocolate: Ok, cool! 10 hrs wow! Cheap flights!? Really?! How cheap? That always happens. I wish I could bring some Buenos Aires to New York. Then again, I like to keep them separated, because they are both special.
Jai: You can fly to Melb from Syd for less than $100! Every thing in Aus is far driving. The country is HUGE, but I believe 85% of the population lives on the coastlines of the country. That’s true…makes you visit. If they were all in one place, you’d never leave.
Imported Chocolate: Wow that is cheap! How long have you been in Australia and how much longer are you staying?
Jai: It’ll be a year in November. I’m not sure. My visa expires in Nov, so I have to decide on staying or going back home. I’m getting a feeling that I want to settle some where. I’ve moved A LOT. I’m 30 now, so I feel the need to have a place I can call home for a while, you know? I could live here, but I’m in a different place…where I want to do things with my nephews and the rest of my family…be around for things. I’m at a different place in my life. I’ve literally moved every one to two years for the past 8 years. I think I still want to travel, I just want a place to display my pics and things I’ve collected over the years, you know? Instead of boxes! Lol
Imported Chocolate: Totally understandable! What made you decide to move to Australia?
Jai: Australia has always been on my wish list. I have two mates who are from Australia who I lived with while living in Japan. We always kept in touch and it just seemed like a great place. Also, when ever I traveled I would always bump into Aussies. They’re everywhere! I just loved their adventurous spirit. They’re bred that way here…it’s part of their culture.
It’s common for people to take a gap year after high school instead of going straight to university. I loved that about the people, so I had to visit. Aussies make it a priority to travel the world and truly experience life before life takes over them, you know? I love that.
Imported Chocolate: Okay! I am falling more and more in love with Australia! You’ve been to Japan too!? Woman after my own heart! I noticed you said mates instead of friends how cool is that!? How were you able to make it happen? Did you do it on your own or were you working while in Australia?
Jai: It’s easy to love Australia. Yeah, I taught English in Japan. You pick up the Aussie slang very quickly. At first, I didn’t know what people were talking about. Lol. I worked while in Australia. After being here three weeks, I landed a contract position doing health and science public relations. Contract work is very common here (which I LOVE) — no strings attached…just do your job for x amount of months and leave. No hard feelings. It’s a very different working culture than in the states. I did a six-month contract, and then traveled for a month to Malaysia, Indonesia and Fiji. Then came back and started working for another public relations firm doing the same thing– health and science PR. I recently finished that role. Now I’m going to do a bit of traveling around Aus before I head back to the states in November. Before going, I just applied for jobs online and connected with my contacts there. It was amazing how the doors opened for me before going there. People in the States were introducing me to their friends there. It just confirmed for me that it was my time to go, you know? And it was the perfect time in terms of my job at home. I was doing PR for Sprint and they were going through a huge merger, so it worked out well. My old boss was very supportive. So I just picked up and left without a job. Crazy, but I wasn’t worried at all. I knew it would work out.
Imported Chocolate: What a blessed woman you are! Your story just made me smile! Women will be sooo inspired to travel after reading your interview!
Jai: Yeah, I’ve been very blessed. If I left Australia with $2 to my name, I wouldn’t regret it. I know this experience is something I’ll cherish forever!
Imported Chocolate: Beautiful!
Jai: And you can’t put a dollar amount to that. It’s always great when I see other women of color here (its spelled colour here). That was another thing to get used to! The different spelling! Lol.
Imported Chocolate: Beautiful Nope you certainly can’t. It’s priceless! Is it true there is a lack of color in Australia? I am always told this, but there seems to be a lot of diversity. Is it just that there are not a lot of people from the African Diaspora?
Jai: Australia does a good job of disguising its diverse population. People would be surprise to know that there’s an extremely large Chinese population here as well as Lebanese and Turkish. There’s a pocket of people from the African Diaspora, but it’s very segregated. You don’t see many in the city. Sydney is the type of place where if I walked down the street, I stand out. And I’m considered African because I’m not looked at as a “Black Women” (You know what I mean?) I’m looked at as African. And People within the African community here see me the same way. It’s interesting, they see themselves in us (African Americans), but it hurts that we don’t see ourselves in them (some African Americans). The Aboriginal is another community of colour. You don’t see many African Americans; I think we all know each other. And you don’t see many Aboriginals contrary to what most marketing outside of Australia tells us. It’s very unfortunate…same thing, different place. But I always say, I don’t go places to look for other African Americans. I’d just stay home for that.
Imported Chocolate: So true! It’s always good to travel to experience other cultures. So did you feel any initial culture shock in regards to your color when you first arrived? What was it like fitting in?
Jai: No, not when I first arrived. It’s really easy to “fit in”, but Australians have a very passive aggressive nature to them. Unlike Americans, they don’t really voice how they feel to you. This country is so rich with different cultures; it’s very common to be in a room with an Aussie, a Brit, an Irish man, a Lebanese person, etc. I don’t feel racism…I feel like it’s more of a territorial thing for Aussies. You know? The way we see race in the States is totally different. We associate people by colour…they associate people by where they are from. So we’re lumped into “you Americans, yadda, yadda” Not, “You black people, yada, yadda” Aussies LOVE their country, so to see an increase in immigrants taking jobs and what not (from what they say) is more of the issue. They are very proud people, the men are True Blue Aussies and they really hold that to their hearts. As long as you can adjust to their culture and not try to impose your beliefs/culture on them, you’ll be fine. If you travel, you have to learn to adjust.
Imported Chocolate: All good things to know! Speaking of men— what are Aussie men like in the romance department?
Jai: Hmmmm, it’s 50, 50. It’s so funny to me that no matter where you are in the world, women have the same complaints about men. LOL. There aren’t enough, they don’t want to settle down, etc. Dating for Black women in Syd is fun we’re “exotic” here And men are curious. Some of my Aussie girlfriends say men in Syd are players, they don’t know what they want, they don’t want to settle. I dated an African man when I first arrived…then I met my current boyfriend. There are PLENTY of hot guys here! (Whew Lord) But don’t come if you’re looking for a Black man. If he’s here, he’s probably taken. Most of the Black girls I know here are married to Aussie men or dating Aussie men.
Turkish men love us. I was just reading this article from Madam Noir about how men of other races make Black seem so beautiful. It’s true. They are so intrigued by the culture that they treat you like you’re the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen. It’s funny, though, in Syd, when men find out that I’m not African, they’re a bit disappointed. Lol— African in the sense that I’m not directly from Africa. You know what I mean?
Imported Chocolate: Oooooh Yeah! I date all types of men. I am an equal opportunity lover! Lol! I love Ryan Kwanten from True Blood! Oh, wow. That’s interesting about the African thing!
Jai: Yeah, being an African woman is more exotic. Not some girl from NY! Lol. Or Cali.
Imported Chocolate: I love when men appreciate the beauty and skin of women of color. Now let’s talk food
Jai: It’s true. Me too! Sure. OH the food here is AWESOME!
Imported Chocolate: What are the best dishes and what is this Vegemite business I keep hearing about?
Jai: Stay away from the Vegemite! Ugh! So gross!!! It’s a yeast extract. SO salty! I haven’t met one American who liked it. Even Obama said it was gross! Lol.
Because Sydney is a melting pot of cultures, you get food from all over the world. My favs are the Indian and Turkish dishes. Aussi is like America, in the sense that there’s no “Aussie food.” They are famous for meat pies (like pot pies) and they have little like Lamington cakes that are Aussie centric. Because Australia is under the commonwealth, there is a lot of blending (in terms of food) with the Brits but Aussie is very particular about FRESH food. There aren’t many fast food restaurants here. There are HEAPS of restaurants; the quality of the food is amazing, when compared to the states. Aussies pride themselves on home grown foods. There’s a huge livestock industry here. I didn’t know that before I arrived. I told my boyfriend when he gets to LA he can’t ask, “is this fish farm raise?” when we go to a random restaurant. LOL
Imported Chocolate: LOL. What do Aussies eat Vegemite with? And what does it taste like? Ah OK, I get it. Eeeew I hate pot pies but I am sure the ones in Australia are good though. Aussies should be healthy.
Jai: Most Aussies eat vegemite with toast, butter and cheese. They put it on other stuff too, though. But I’ve mostly seen people put it on toast. Some people use it as a vegetable stalk. It’s gross. Makes me gag, thinking about it. *me gagging* Lol! I just found out that there’s a vegemite teething thing to introduce Aussie babies to vegemite. Gross. Lol! A lot of Aussies are healthy…very out doorsy people
Imported Chocolate: Lol! Damn! That must be some nasty tasting stuff! Lol! Where are some places to go for day trips?
Jai: Hmm, you can go down south to Canberra (the Wash DC of Aus), I love museums so that’s nice for that. You can head north to Hunter Valley to visit the wineries. Australia is one of the main wine distributors in the world…not sure what number they are. A drive to the Northern Beaches is lovely too. Ugh, talk about beautiful! A trip to the Sydney Opera House is a must…I saw my first opera there, Carmen. There’s so much to see. Manly is another beautiful area. You take a ferry there…it’s a beautiful ride, with the Sydney Harbour bridge on one side and the Sydney opera house on the other. Manly is a beach.
Imported Chocolate: Yaaaay! Sounds like a lot of great things to keep busy! Did you see any kangaroos and Koalas?
Jai: Yeah, there’s always something to do here. The summer feels like a non-stop party. There are so many festivals on then. Aussie summer is America’s winter. Yeah, I saw a few roos while visiting an area called Coffs Harbour. You have to drive out a bit to see them. And I saw Koalas while on a trip in Melbourne— beautiful animals.
Imported Chocolate: I am going to make sure I see those beautiful animals when I’m there! How is the public transportation system in Melbourne? And is it true they have graffiti alleys? Oh and what’s the weather like there?
Jai: The public transportation system is great — in Melb and Syd. It’s very easy to get around in both cities. Melb actually has a trolley that goes around the city…it takes about 45 or an hour to get around the whole city.
Melb was very well constructed, so the city is easy to navigate…it’s in a square. The graffiti art in Melbourne is AMAZING!! It’s world renowned.
Graffitti artist from around the world travel to Melb just for that. It’s beautiful.
The weather in Melb is cold during winter and hot in summer…it’s very erratic, though. They say Melbourne is the one place you can have four seasons in one day. Sydney is BLAZING in the summer! The sun is SO strong here. Apparently there’s a hole in the ozone right above Australia, which is why the sun is so strong here. It gets cold in the winter, though. No snow, but cold and rainy.
Imported Chocolate: Wow! That’s pretty impressive that the trolley get’s around the whole city in 45 min! That hole in the ozone sounds really scary! We really need to get it together as humans when it comes to protecting the earth. I have some questions about living expenses.
Jai: Living here is ridiculously expensive! I can’t stress this enough…SO expensive. For one room, I paid $800 a month. They pay weekly here, so $200 weekly. Buying a house is almost impossible….for something nice you’re looking in the millions. A bag of chips and a soda, $7-8, but you get paid more here. The economy hasn’t been hit like the States or the UK. They’re doing OK, not great, but OK. And people seem to be okay paying the crazy prices. People go the US and Malaysia just to shop. Online shopping is very popular here because of the prices…the government is actually trying to enforce an extra tax on online shopping because stores are complaining about people not coming in to shop any more. There’s just no reason for prices to be this high here.
Imported Chocolate: Wow! Really? Wasn’t expecting that. So what’s the exchange rate like? Do you need to make Australian currency to survive?
Jai: That’s the ridicules part, we’re on par with the American dollar right now. We were at $1.10, but now I think we’re even. The Aussie dollar used to be weaker then the American dollar, but after the GFC, things changed. I think I lost $300 when I first moved here, but with the value dropping (on the Aussie side), I might lose out when I return to the states. I’m waiting for it to increase before I exchange.
Imported Chocolate: Wow. That sucks. I will have to do some careful planning. Was it easy for you to find an apartment? What kind of Visa did you need to live there?
Jai: Yeah, If it’s even, I’ll just go ahead and exchange before it decrease. Don’t want that! Yeah, it’s pretty easy to find housing. We’ll I wouldn’t say “easy”. The challenge is finding a place you’re comfortable with without seeing it! I found a girl online subletting her room in a share house. She had two roommates. We skyped, so got to see her place and meet her roommates. Sublets are very popular. Aussies travel, so they sublet very often. Also, a lot of travelers stay in hostels here. It’s very popular to do and affordable. It’s a matter of finding one that you feel comfortable staying in. I would read the reviews before staying. I stayed in a hostel my first two weeks in Sydney. The girl hadn’t moved out of her place yet. It was an interesting experience….took me back to my university dorm days. I’m on a 462 work and holiday visa…it’s a one-year visa. You can only work for one company for six months and then another for another six months. If a company sponsors you during that time, you get put on a 457 visa, which allows you to stay in the country for up to four years. To be sponsored (which happens a lot), the company has to prove that your skill meets the “skills needed” requirements and that you’re the most suitable for the job. I like the 462 because you get to split your time and experience working at a different place or even a different industry if you want. Employers here are very Visa Savvy. There are heaps of agencies also who work with you on obtaining visas—big traveling, immigrant culture. Once you’re sponsored, after two years, you can apply for permanent residency, which is the jack pot! Its the step before citizenship Imported Chocolate: Wow! Way more lax than the United States! Now here is the mother of all questions! Is true it’s impossible for a black woman to find someone to do her hair in Australia?
Jai: OMG SO TRUE!!!! UGH! You can find an African shop to braid your hair, but if you want anything else, good luck. There’s no such thing as styling here. I press my own hair and style it, but because it’s Sydney, you really don’t fuss that much over it. People are very relaxed here. But, when I get with my African American friends hair always comes up! I just miss sitting in my stylists chair and walking out feeling like a new woman, you know! For those who wear weaves, finding hair is impossible. A friend moved back to LA and at her going away party, her gift to another AA friend was a bag of hair! LOL. She got it from the States. Most of the time I’m in a pony tail. It’s so hot in the summer here, there’s no way a press and curl will last. And it’s too misty in the winter. We’ve had to coach people on how to put weaves in. I just had a girl email me today saying, “Word on the hair network is you know how to braid” LOL, You tell one person, you’re American and you know how to do anything, and they will be knocking down your door! LOL. All the salons blow dry straight….like the Dominican style. I went to a salon and they didn’t even have curlers…just a blow dryer and a GHD (flat iron here). I don’t have a perm, so the blow drying straight is a bit difficult for me.
Imported Chocolate: LMAO! THAT WAS GREAT! A bag of hair! I’m transitioning to my natural hair so this kind of thing is no longer a problem for me when traveling, because I do my hair myself now, but I know not everyone is natural. So I guess the gavel has fallen in regards to a woman of color being able to get her hair done in Australia.
What’s the fashion like there?
Jai: Yeah, Black women need to be prepared to do their own hair or try their luck with an Aussie stylist. Have fun with that! Lol. The fashion is very similar to the states. For clothes to be so expensive, I was surprised to see women dressed very high-fashion when I first arrived— mostly women in the city. People are more casual the closer you get to the beach communities or inner suburbs. Men in the city are in their suits and very clean cut. It’s a mix like any major city. It’s like NY. You see the business people mixed with people just in the city enjoying the day. But Aussie is behind one season, so we don’t get everything that’s in the states. A Zara JUST opened. Smh. They just got Gap as well…about a year or two ago I think. American TV is very popular here, so they follow the same trends.
Imported Chocolate: Cool! Where are some good places to eat, shop and party?
Jai: To eat, that’s hard. Every area in Sydney has a special place. Sydney has heaps of markets, so I always love those for food. Fresh food cooked right there. Family owned farms come out with their products. I love it– nuts, fruit, and cheese. I love the Bondi, Balmain, The Rocks and Fox Studio markets. You can buy clothes, shoes, second hand items and anything you can think of at the markets. To shop, any where in the city, Bondi Junction is a great shopping centre with five levels of shopping bliss. China Town in the city is great. Any Westfield Mall…there’s a new one in the city that is gorgeous. Sydney’s malls have all the designer stores you can think of, plus the food courts are AMAZING! Restaurant-style food. No trash. To party, The Ivy is beautiful and one of the most popular in Sydney. Melbourne is famous for its cool lounges. Oxford Street in Sydney is fun for partying. There are heaps of hole in the wall spots on that street. King’s cross is also party central in Sydney. Not my cup of tea, but that’s the “red light district” Sydney-siders LOVE to party! Heavy drinking culture.
Imported Chocolate: I heard the best clubs are in alleys.
Jai: In Melbourne?
Imported Chocolate: Yup.
Jai: There is a huge alley culture in Melb…cafes and stuff, so I wouldn’t be surprised. Let me ask my bf…He said it’s true. The best of Melbourne is in the Alley ways, he said.
Imported Chocolate: Wow! I want to go to an alley party for sure! How long is the flight from the US to Australia anyway?
Jai: We’ll it’s not IN the alley. The doorways of the spots are in alleys. They’re really cool and funky. It’s about a 16-17 hour flight I stopped in NZ I’m going there before I go home.
Imported Chocolate: Oh, ok. Lol! Wow. Sounds like a butt cramp flight. What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you in Australia?
Jai: A woman walked up to me, rubbed my face and said, “beautiful girl” that was the craziest. Lol. Out of nowhere. I was just walking. Oh, and I played a gangster from South Carolina for Discovery Channel’s Deadly Women crime reenactment series. Lol. My friend here worked for the production company and needed an African-American woman to play Leonie, the gangster. Hilarious! Let’s just say I’m faaaaaar from a gangster, so this is hands down the craziest and funniest thing I’ve ever done in my life let alone Australia. Lol. It aired in America, but hasn’t aired in Australia yet.
Imported Chocolate: Wow! A good compliment though! And what a cool acting experience! What advice would you give woman of color still on the fence about traveling?
Jai: I would tell them to stop thinking about it and just go!
And be open letting go to what’s comfortable…allow yourself to get lost in another culture. Letting go of what’s…
Imported Chocolate: Good answer! Any safety advice about living in Australia?
Jai: Australia is so safe, when compared to the States. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to still be aware of your surroundings, but Australia is like Mayberry when it comes to crime. It’s easier for someone from the States to adapt to crime here I think, than it is for someone come from Australia going to the States. They’re not as aware as most Americans in big cities. is that city Mayberry?? From TV?? Lol.
Jai: Yep, just googled it. Mayberry! Lol. From Andy Griffith. Lol.
Imported Chocolate: Ha ha! Too funny. Now the Andy griffin theme song will play in my head when I visit Australia. Well, that was my last question. You were amazing!
Jai: Lol. Awww, this has been fun! I can’t wait to see it! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Imported Chocolate: You’re very welcome! Thank you for sharing some virtual hot chocolate with me!
Jai: You’re very welcome! Have a wonderful evening! Cheers! xx
Imported Chocolate: You too my dear! :0)
NOTE: Have a cup of hot chocolate with me! If you’re a local or someone living abroad full-time — I would love to speak with you. If you would like to join me for a virtual cup of hot chocolate, please email me at jennifer@importedchocolate.com.
All photos belong to Jai Kensey. I do not own any rights.
Hey Everyone! I’ve blogged about the changes coming to Imported Chocolate before, so I’m sure all of you who have been reading the blog know that Imported Chocolate will be moving! Yaaaay! Because of this, Imported Chocolate will be on Hiatus for the next 10-14 days (maybe less ) while I continue to [...]
I cannot tell you how excited I was to discover this song and video this morning! I’m still getting over an annoying cold so I woke up with the Sunday blues, but then this little gem came into my life and from the moment the video began, the images filled me with so [...]
Michelin (yes, the tire company with the mascot who looks like the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters) has a new travel series called “Like A Local.” For those of you who didn’t know, Michelin is more than a tire company; they also publish maps and travel books under their travel brand Michelin Travel. And this time [...]
Winner 1: Jean Winner 2: CullenpotterGirl Winner 3: PVI Winners were chosen via random drawing. Congrats to the winners! Please send me your name and address to jennifer@imported-chocolate.com.
) while I continue to get things set up at its new home. The next post I write after the hiatus will include a link to the new blog. Two days after that post the re-directing will begin, which means anytime you come here, you will automatically be directed to the new blog.
