Tag Archives: pandemic

Italy in the Rear View, Reminiscing to Fully Enjoy Travel: Part 3 of 3

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Teatro Alla Scala: Closed

In early March 2020, I found myself unwittingly in Milan as the pandemic lockdowns began there. I completed a three-week adventure through southern Italy, and Milan was the last stop on my way back to Japan. My former beau and I flew from Sicily to Milan on a Saturday, the last day domestic flights were allowed into Milan. Two days later, we were meant to fly to Tokyo. Those strange and glorious days left a memorable impression. Many other tourists had left Milan when the city-wide lockdown took effect. As we toured the city on bikes, Milan felt quiet and subdued. At that time, I had no idea that cross-border travel would become much more difficult. Three weeks after I arrived in Tokyo, the U.S. Embassy there sent out an ominous message asking Americans to either leave Japan or plan on staying in Japan indefinitely.

Take My Breath Away, Amalfi Coast

 

During this pandemic, then, I have been doing less suitcase packing and a bit more contemplation. I am grateful for my past adventures within this window of less moving. I mindfully re-live and rejoice in old travels. I am convinced that this capacity to feel gratitude is directly related to our ability to enjoy life in general. After my most meaningful trips, I am grateful for new experiences, intriguing trinkets, new human connections, and the chance to learn a new perspective. For me, this is the third way to enjoy travel fully. As I reflect and reminisce on travels past, I appreciate: (1) moments of surprise, (2) physical mementos, (3) human connections, and (4) perspectives gleaned. This after-adventure pause, with mindful gratitude, is a life-affirming practice.

Shortly after I returned to Tokyo from Italy, the Japanese began to take the pandemic seriously. I was asked to work from home. Social events went on hiatus. Restaurants closed early. Bars were completely shuttered; music venues went mute. With nowhere to go for a while, I reflected on my glorious Italian experience. I had planned well and found flow in my time in Italy. Now, I was in my third phase of travel joy: the remembrances.

 

1. Cherish Moments of Surprise

On this trip to Italy, I traveled with my British beau (the first boyfriend to join me abroad). On a few occasions, I observed our styles were different. I could eat at any time; he seemed never to get hungry. Eventually, Italian food broke his restraint. But our first (and only) spat during dating was based very squarely on the capacity to enjoy the moment.

Boat Joy

After insisting that we should watch the sunset from the island of Syracuse (as opposed to returning to our Airbnb so he could send emails), a tense yelling match ensued. Finally, we agreed. We would NOT leave before the sunset. After this, he bought me a truce-gelato, and we walked along an ancient bridge toward a marina in the old town. By pure luck, my eye caught a boat captain rigging a small vessel to take out into the water. I inadvertently smiled at the captain, and he smiled back. Then, he signaled us over to join his voyage. In retrospect, this unplanned boat ride was one of the highlights of our trip. After our domestic tension, a boat ride was just the salve we needed. The captain was taking another couple around the island and into a few caves. We luckily tagged along. This memory ended up being one of our favorite moments. It reminded us how important it is to keep the eyes and the heart open during travel (and also in life).

2. Momentos & Knick-Knacks

Over the years, I have moved between many homes and apartments. Carrying about your things is an excellent reminder that less is more. When I travel, I tend to pack light. As a minimalist, I have become much more selective about the trinkets I bring home. From significant to small, my main criterion is that the item is relevant to the local culture. Eiffel tower key chains do not meet my definition. In some places, a sticker feels more appropriate than a knick-knack!

No Pineapple on Pizza
Reading Materials
Feminist Health
Amalgamation

Naples Takes Art Seriously

One of my favorite things to pick up is local art. In Italy, there is no shortage of local arts and crafts. In Naples, hip street art adorns dilapidated buildings. Along a pedestrian path, we saw an artist selling her watercolor paintings. Both my boyfriend and I loved the style of her work. He purchased an image for each of us. Her work was unique, and I began to follow the artist on Instagram. This way, I could see the artist’s progression and keep a loose connection with our chance encounter.

Mermaid Floating in Frame

On the day before our return to Japan, I also picked up a pair of suede boots in Milan. Each time I wore them in Tokyo. I was grateful for the small splurge. Now that I am in Atlanta, I have framed my Napoli mermaid with blue and gold. In this small way, I remember my adventures. Both the boots and the art were chance purchases. Still, they have now morphed with meaning. It reminded me how lovely it was to prance around Italy before the pandemic changed our world.

 

3. Human Connections

“Do not talk to strangers” is easily the worst advice I have ever heard. Whether traveling, at a networking event or doing mundane errands, I love chatting with people. Many former strangers are now my friends. I believe each individual holds some unique perspective within them; it is a matter of talking through their reservations. Thus, when I travel, I become slightly more extroverted. I want to connect with locals and hear the inside scoop. In some instances, even after I have left a place, some of those human connections keep me in touch with an adventure.

Our Dinner Came from a Generous Heart

A caring stranger met us at lunch on our last full day in Milan. For our final restaurant meal in Italy, we went to a back-to-basics lunch café. Handmade pasta and simple ingredients with a classic feel were on the menu. As we chatted with the waitress, we learned we were her only foreign tourists in the last two weeks. We expressed our surprise about the lockdown and learned from her that restaurants in Milan would be closed after that afternoon. Our waitress inquired about the amenities at our hotel. She was genuinely worried about what we would have for dinner. On our way out, she gifted us dinner to go. She separately packed a container of pasta, marinara sauce, and fresh basil to prepare at our Airbnb. Her kindness and dedication left a warm glow. I followed her restaurant on Facebook afterward. Unfortunately, the café ended up closing down during the pandemic. But her act of kindness left long reverberations.

4. The Exchange of Ideas

The most important reason I love to travel is that I return to my `default` life with a changed perspective. For example, I learned a whole new way to live in Tokyo. For the first time ever, I found city living enjoyable! My quality of life was enhanced by being car-free. My lifestyle with a smaller home and more recycling was more sustainable. I left Japan eager to reform American car bloat and with a desire to promote pluralism through better design.

 

War Torn and Proud Naples

 

While my visit to Italy was much shorter, I still left with new ideas about thoroughly enjoying life. Naples, for example, was war-torn after WW2 and yet, it still holds on to the pride of its days of glory. Buildings partially destroyed stand tall. Graffiti, murals, and posters decorate and scream with fight and spirit. In the small town of Sapri, I noticed how couples walked the promenade in the late afternoon. They elevated the act of watching the sky change colors dressed in their Sunday best. In Milan, though restaurants were closed, Italians could not be separated from their pizza. A line of cyclists’ couriers waited for takeout orders in front of pizzerias.

Sweet Memories

This practice of keeping good memories in the front of our minds is a key to getting through tough times. Nostalgia, recollection, and appreciation can be a nourishing afterglow of travel. I have often noticed that good memories are essential for keeping us upbeat. In many moments, my moods ebb and flow. Having pleasant and meaningful travel memories makes looking forward to better days easier. Between frequently depressed people and those more resilient to the changing tides, I notice this capacity to reflect and enjoy the past. It is a practice I have keyed into and one I aim to hone.

 

Thank you for reading. May your travels also bring you sweet recollections.

Beyond the Great Resignation: The Wave of Organizing Workers

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I love the headlines I read about The Great Resignation. Leaving your job and sticking it to a bad boss has appeal. I should know; I have quit several jobs. For anyone resigning, though, the individual motivation can vary. Many employees are frustrated by inflexible work policies and mismanagement during the pandemic. On the other hand, the waves of recent resigning staff often have some financial resources, another position lined up, or are boldly taking the plunge to self-employment.

Power to the People

Fight Back

However, the option to resign is not in everyone’s hands. There is new hope for those who have to continue with a less-than-ideal employer! With rising labor shortages, employees have new bargaining power. A silver lining in the post-pandemic world is a slow-growing trend of employees organizing. The effort to improve working conditions is both inspiring and telling. There is no perfect way to go about creating significant changes. For the man in the arena, I have enormous awe and respect.  

In shipping, food and beverage, and even academia, people are working to improve employee rights. An eruption of discontent resulting from a classic imbalance between labor and capital is bubbling underneath the surface. Employees are fed up with picking up the slack for understaffing and inconsistent work schedules. Many feel quite literally like cogs operating under impersonal corporate controls. American wages have been stagnating since the 1970s. Meanwhile, the disparity in compensation between workers and their employers is widening.

The Last Mile

If you have been waiting for the delivery of an online purchase, you probably have looked up issues about the supply chain. A top story there points to delays in delivery. Through the pandemic, it has become commonplace to hear about the conditions for workers at Amazon. For example, it appears that their staff regularly pee in cups. The best news on this front is that groups of Amazon workers are unionizing. Led by Christian Smalls, one group has organized without the help of old school union professionals. Smalls was initially fired for staging a walk-out at Amazon. Instead of accepting this fate, he managed an effective and historic response.

Tip Please!

Underpaid workers roll silverware for less than minimum wage in the restaurant industry. For them, unionization is an essential step in the right direction. Employers, though, are not huge fans. They rely on a culture of tipping which grows from a post-Civil War practice, to avoid paying a living wage. Starbucks is not a safe space for its own workers though many Americans consider it a favorite place to hide between work and home. Starbucks staff are unionizing for better work conditions. Along the way,  union organizers are losing their jobs. Howard Shultz has returned to Starbucks to fight off the moves to unionize; still, workers are staying firm on their demands.

TA for Free?

Well-educated academics are not immune to this trend. In the last few years, Temple University faculty have found support within the student body for better working conditions. Across the country, the standard is rising for universities. Recently,  an unpaid teaching position at UCLA created an uproar. It is a running joke that Ph.Ds are the free labor of academic institutions. A student union at Columbia thinks otherwise.  

In the past, unionizing was most readily associated with manufacturing work. For large multinationals, it was easy to quell unionization efforts. Thanks to globalization, and corporate-friendly tax policies, it was possible to send manufacturing work abroad. With mixed results, our American economy has changed. There is invariably some work that requires location-specific help. For example, staffing a café, physically delivering goods, or teaching in person requires a warm, local body. These are the places where union organizers are needed today.

A Brave New Way

An ideological shift is underway. Through radical imagination, we are beginning to see solutions. In addition to unions, there are other ample opportunities to balance the employee-employer relationship. I see growth in cooperative organizations, the power to technology to support self-governance, and the exercise of courage in imagination. Indeed, shareholder activism, organizing workers, and the rise of B corporations suggest that we all want more from our workplaces and our dollar.  

Welcome Back to America: Between Begonias & Construction

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“Where are you coming from today?” she demanded.

After so much anticipation on my return visit to America, the ICE officer’s tone was the opposite of what I expected from my first conversation. Going into secondary inspection immediately after arriving in America felt anticlimactic. After nearly two years of staying in the same country, I was so excited to visit America that I hadn’t considered any letdowns.

A tiny ikebana celebrating garden finds.

I explained myself to the lady: I have lived there (Japan) for four years. Ok. What do you do there? I am professor. What do you teach? Law. Japan is pretty safe, isn’t it? Yes, it is. Why is your bag so heavy? What is this? Pointing at my stacks of books. Do you have more than $10,000 USD cash in your bag? No. I wish. How much in yen do you have? About a $100 worth…. And then she looked through my carry-on purse too. She thanked me afterwards, as if I had any choice.

As I exited the terminal in Honolulu, I passed through the remaining lines without clear procedure and around clumps of confused people. I see already that I have become accustomed to Japan with her clear, demanding arrows to process human chaos.

“Where are you from?” is a loaded question. Do you mean “where was my body immediately before this?” “Where do I live now?” The origin of my ancestors? I often want to ask as a counter question, “What is it to you?”

Though I consider myself an open book, I have a special sensitivity to that question. I would love to think about this question, and could answer a sincere questioner with deep thoughts. However, most people who ask this question, “Where are you from?” are NOT actually interested in my origin story, my theory of self, or my immediate life situation. Some people are actually asking, in their own way, “What are YOU doing here?”

Thankfully, I stayed in the homes of friends and family during this pandemic. Familiar faces and a base of understanding! A few warm people can still show kindness despite valid fears about the pandemic. Inside these homes, I saw loved ones coming to terms with adjustments in their internal life. Realities have changed and attitudes with them.

And everywhere outside, everyone has new neighbors. In each place I stayed, from Hawaii, to along the western and eastern parts of Canada and the USA, residential home construction has accelerated. I found myself cautiously saving another great view in my mind’s eye in case it soon changes into a construction site. In due course then, I will get the chance to inquire, “Where are you from?” Except that, I want to hear all types of answers.