Travel Journal
Ainsley Dunn
Travel Route:
North America:
United States:
History/Geography:
The United States was founded on July 4th in 1776 after migrants moved from Europe seeking a new life in America. They founded an original 13 colonies which later turned into 50 states known today. The population is roughly 323 million people with all different ethnicities and languages since there is no official language in the US. The currency is in US Dollars and there are all different climate types ranging from cold, hot, wet, dry, etc.
Culture:
The United States is known for its republic democracy and good education or job opportunities. They provide free education from ages 5-18 in public schools and offer some of the best universities in the world. One of the best things about America is that it is a free nation with laws to protect rights of citizens such as freedom of speech and religion. The US is a great place to live if you are interested in improving your quality of life.
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
Lydia Davis is a famous American short story author. She also writes novels and books, is an essayist, and is a translator from French and many other languages. She takes her inspiration from the poet Russell Edson and uses his techniques of free-writing, vivid explanations, and expansive vocabulary. Her first collection of stories was published in 1976 but she did not reach the peak of her career until 1986 when her 4th story collection was nominated and collected many awards for their amazing breakthroughs in literature. Lydia Davis still continues to write groundbreaking stories and novels today.
Explanation of Story:
The House Behind is a story about people who live in a divided community into a front and back house. The front house is where the wealthy, high-class people live and the house behind is where the poorer, lower-class people live. There had always been a tension between the houses as there typically is in a socially divided house, however this tension greatly grew when a man from the back house murdered an innocent young woman from the front house. He might have done this out of hatred for people from the house behind but most likely out of the realization that his life will never be as nice as the young and beautiful woman’s. The murder set tensions between the two houses and changed the ways that people acted towards one another. The story talks about the murder itself but also the aftermath of how the residents reacted and changed.
Story:
“She probably said something casual about how soft the evening was. If she hadn’t spoken, his fury might not have been unleashed by the gentle sound of her voice. But in that instant he must have realized that for him the evening could never be as soft as it was for her. Or else something in her tone __ something too kind, something just condescending enough to make him see that he was doomed to remain where he was __ pushed him out of control. He straightened like a shot, as though something in him had snapped, and in one motion drove his knife into her throat.”
Famous Place Visited:
I visited Disneyland on the west coast of the United States in California. There I stayed for 3 days and played around on the incredible rides at the amusement park. I met Disney Characters in the park and went on rides all the way from thrilling roller coasters down to simple spinning enjoyable rides.
Here’s an image of their best roller coaster “California Screamin” which I enjoyed myself most on.
My Hotel:
I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. The rooms were big and spacious with excellent room service. I spent most of my time at the pool shown below and lounging about on the pool deck in the nice warm and sunny weather.
Meals:
While I was there I had many great meals in the Rainforest cafe as well as many other small restaurants in the park. At the cafe I had a typical American meal consisting of steak, grilled shrimp, and sides of coleslaw, fruit, and french fries. Everything was cooked well and while the service was slow it was definitely worth it to sit in the amazing views of the cafe and have a delicious meal.
Saint Lucia:
History/Geography:
St. Lucia, an island nation in the Caribbean, was first discovered in the late 15th century. While the Spaniards were the first to inhabit it, the English took control in 1815 to develop their sugar plantation. In 1979, St. Lucia became a fully independent country even though they still consider Queen Elizabeth II their queen. It is a small island only about 600 sq/km covered in volcanoes, mountains, and some valleys. The capital city Castries has only 15,000 people.
Culture:
English is their official language and they have a parliamentary democracy government. Their major exports are fruits (especially bananas), clothing, and natural minerals. Their major religion is Catholicism at 67% of the population and their next most popular is 7th Day Adventist at 8.5%. There are many legends that the island was named when Columbus spotted it on St. Lucy’s day, when however it was really named by the Spanish who first landed there after St. Lucy of Syracuse herself.
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
Derek Walcott, born in 1930 in Castries, St. Lucia, was a well renowned play and poetry writer. Both of his grandparents were descendents of slaves and his father died at a very young age and this took a strong influence on the way he wrote. After studying at Saint Mary’s college, he moved to Trinidad where he worked as a theater and art critic. He first debuted with his 25 Poems at only age 18 but began to receive recognition with his next set of poems which wrote about the history and post-colonial stories of his homeland in 1962. Shortly before this he founded the Trinidad Theater Workshop where he wrote several of his plays. Since Walcott was a mix race of African, European, and Dutch, he found himself fitting in all around the world as he began to travel, teach, and write. He wrote his most famous piece Omeros in 1990 and shortly after became the first African American poet to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Poem:
“Love After Love” by Derek Walcott
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
Explanation of Poem:
This poem speaks about how to focus on self devotion after a long relationship. It starts out in the first stanza by talking about how you will be happy coming home and seeing yourself in the mirror as a changed person. Then in the second it says you will offer hospitality, to others or to yourself. How you should revert to faith and to yourself and rediscover who you are. Then in the third you need to take back what you don’t know about yourself from the other person. Take down all the memories of your significant other and forget the past, so that you can move on in the future.
Second Historical Poem:
“Ruins Of A Great House” ~ By Derek Walcott
Stones only, the disjecta membra of this Great House,
Whose moth-like girls are mixed with candledust,
Remain to file the lizard's dragonish claws.
The mouths of those gate cherubs shriek with stain;
Axle and coach wheel silted under the muck
Of cattle droppings.
Three crows flap for the trees
And settle, creaking the eucalyptus boughs.
A smell of dead limes quickens in the nose
The leprosy of empire.
"Farewell, green fields,
Farewell, ye happy groves!"
Marble like Greece, like Faulkner's South in stone,
Deciduous beauty prospered and is gone,
But where the lawn breaks in a rash of trees
A spade below dead leaves will ring the bone
Of some dead animal or human thing
Fallen from evil days, from evil times.
It seems that the original crops were limes
Grown in that silt that clogs the river's skirt;
The imperious rakes are gone, their bright girls gone,
The river flows, obliterating hurt.
I climbed a wall with the grille ironwork
Of exiled craftsmen protecting that great house
From guilt, perhaps, but not from the worm's rent
Nor from the padded calvary of the mouse.
And when a wind shook in the limes I heard
What Kipling heard, the death of a great empire, the abuse
Of ignorance by Bible and by sword.
A green lawn, broken by low walls of stone,
Dipped to the rivulet, and pacing, I thought next
Of men like Hawkins, Walter Raleigh, Drake,
Ancestral murderers and poets, more perplexed
In memory now by every ulcerous crime.
The world's green age then was rotting lime
Whose stench became the charnel galleon's text.
The rot remains with us, the men are gone.
But, as dead ash is lifted in a wind
That fans the blackening ember of the mind,
My eyes burned from the ashen prose of Donne.
Ablaze with rage I thought,
Some slave is rotting in this manorial lake,
But still the coal of my compassion fought
That Albion too was once
A colony like ours, "part of the continent, piece of the main",
Nook-shotten, rook o'erblown, deranged
By foaming channels and the vain expense
Of bitter faction.
All in compassion ends
So differently from what the heart arranged:
"as well as if a manor of thy friend's. . ."
Explanation of Poem:
Ruins of a great house is a poem about a slavery descendent who is wandering around an old British plantation. He is originally mad because it reminds him of the rough past his island and his ancestors had due to the overrule of the British. But after a while he begins to reference a sermon that states “no man is an entire island of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…” This points out that even though St. Lucia, his hometown, was overruled with slavery and hardship, that Britain was once a colony ruled by someone else and have faced the same fates. And while he realizes this is not an excuse, he begins to remember that they were also once in this position and he should try to not be so angry about the past which has already happened.
Famous Place Visited:
In St. Lucia I visited Marigot Bay on the west coast of the island. It is surrounded on 3 sides by thick green forests and is lined with a soft sandy beach. Marigot Bay is known as a hurricane hole and protects ships during hurricanes. It is also a well known historical site where the French and British navies had many battles. The famous movie Doctor Dolittle filmed multiple scenes along these beaches. It is most popular for amazing snorkeling, casual sailing, and calm swimming.
My Hotel:
I stayed at the Marigot Bay Resort and Marina. It is a large resort right near the waterfront. It has deluxe rooms, a luxurious pool, and amazing views.
Meals:
At the resort I had Ackee and Saltfish which is the national dish of St. Lucia. It was a strange combination of foods, especially having bananas with fish, however I really enjoyed it and the flavors it compelled.
South America:
Chile:
History/Geography:
The Republic of Chile, commonly known as Chile is a large country on the west coast of South America. It has a population of over 17 million and covers almost the entire coastline. The official language there is Spanish and the currency is the Chilean peso. The capital Santiago is located in the middle while the previously heavily traveled Cape Horn rounds the bottom tip of the country. Chile gained independence from Spain in September, 1810. Originally many Incas lived there but in the late 1800’s many European peoples settled there.
Culture:
95% of people living in Chile are a mixture of native and European blood while the other 5% are strictly tribal or native Mapuche blood origins. Most of the population lives in the capital, however children in rural areas must wake up early to make their multiple hour round trips to school daily. This puts a strain on the amount and type of education they receive and the stress it can put on the children. Chile’s culture is centered mainly around their hispanic centers and traditions.
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
Pablo Neruda was a Nobel-Prize winning poet who lived between 1904 and 1973. His most popular works came mid 1920’s when he began to create moving and meaningful poetry. Neruda was a diplomat and was seen by many as controversial due to his affiliation with the communist party and his outspoken support towards Joseph Stalin. This was not a common thing for someone with his background and upbringing to be invested in. Although he moved in and out of Chile many times due to war, writing, and politics, he was later elected to the Chilean senate. Neruda died 2 years after being awarded the Nobel-Prize and while he died of cancer, there were rumors of being poisoned due to his political views. After investigation, it is now known that he was given an injection at the hospital that far worsened his condition but was not the only cause of death.
Pablo Neruda left a great impact on poets and diplomats of the time and still carries on his legacy today.
Poem:
Mondays are meshed with Tuesdays
and the week with the whole year.
Time cannot be cut
with your weary scissors,
and all the names of the day
are washed out by the waters of night.
No one can claim the name of Pedro,
nobody is Rosa or Maria,
all of us are dust or sand,
all of us are rain under rain.
They have spoken to me of Venezuelas,
of Chiles and of Paraguays;
I have no idea what they are saying.
I know only the skin of the earth
and I know it is without a name.
When I lived amongst the roots
they pleased me more than flowers did,
and when I spoke to a stone
it rang like a bell.
It is so long, the spring
which goes on all winter.
Time lost its shoes.
A year is four centuries.
When I sleep every night,
what am I called or not called?
And when I wake, who am I
if I was not while I slept?
This means to say that scarcely
have we landed into life
than we come as if new-born;
let us not fill our mouths
with so many faltering names,
with so many sad formalities,
with so many pompous letters,
with so much of yours and mine,
with so much of signing of papers.
I have a mind to confuse things,
unite them, bring them to birth,
mix them up, undress them,
until the light of the world
has the oneness of the ocean,
a generous, vast wholeness,
a crepitant fragrance.
Explanation of Poem:
Neurudo starts out speaking about how the days are becoming indistinct and time is no longer relevant. He then says that no one truly has names because names are just things. No one comes from a country because countries are all made up of things too, things that are not ours. Time is just an unnecessary measure. When we are born we receive our names, start naming things, start categorizing things, start segregating things; we need to stop.
Famous Place Visited:
During my stay in Chile, I visited Torres del Paine National Park. It has the most incredible views in the country filled with hundreds of scenic mountains and water front views.
My Hotel:
I stayed in one of the coolest places on my whole trip at EcoCamp Patagonia in the heart of the National Park. This cabin resembles how people would have actually lived years ago back on the land. It’s a log cabin built semi-teepee style and opens up to an outward facing view of the park. Waking up every morning to the incredible views started my day off right and became an inspiration for the rest of my travels and adventures.
Meals:
On the first night I had Pastel de choclo chile which is a sort of meat and vegetable pot pie and it was so delicious. Then for breakfast I had beef Empanadas which are small fried pastries stuffed with beef, eggs, and corn. They make a good food for all meals since you can fill them with whatever you want.
Argentina:
History/Geography:
The Argentine Republic, commonly known as Argentina, is a large country located in the southern part of South America. The spanish first arrived in 1516 and ruled for 300 years. In 1806 the British took over and soon after in 1810 Napoleon took control of all Spanish countries. Eventually they gained independence in 1816. Since the country is large it has a population of around 43 million people. The capital city is Buenos Aires which runs a republic style government. Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world and is bordered by Chile and the Andes Mountains.
Culture:
Unlike most Spanish countries, Argentina has a small population of native people and a large population of migrants from Europe making up 95% of all people. The official language is Spanish and the official currency is the Argentine peso. Almost half of the population lives in the capital city which is around 20 million people. Citizens are very well educated and the population an overall literacy rate of 97%. The most popular sport in Argentina is soccer.
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
Luisa Valenzuela, born in November 1938, is a monumental fiction and journalism writer. She is best known for blending magical realism and Latin-American writing styles in her best works. She began her journalism career at a young age in her teens. She wrote around the world and was even granted a fellowship for her travels. She left Argentina due to the political situation occurring there and began to influence her writing styles with views of current politics. She later returned to her home to settle down only taking a few trips to New York every now and then. Luisa Valenzuela remains one of the most influential writers to come from Argentina today.
Story:
“Obviously, protesting isn’t for me. But here behind bars I at least have my own place and it’s not as cold as they say. I’ve already written my name on the wall and an almost illegible comment on the police in general and Corporal Figueras in particular. Apart from that, I can only note that the shouting bothers me a lot-the moaning and groaning and those swear words in the night when one doesn’t know where they come from or why.
In the past I was a Spanish teacher in high school and so I know what I’m saying, or rather I know how to say what I’m saying. The screams in the night wake me up, and I feel the same healthy indignation as the man the suicide in the subway. I want to protest now too, but my mind is distracted by these grotesque drunks who share my lodgings but not my humiliation. The cries send shivers up my spine every night and it’s getting worse; I demand to be transferred to a penal institution like everybody else. Get me out of this infernal police station.”
Explanation of Story:
Who, Me A Bum? is a story about a homeless man who seeks shelter but is denied due to lack of space. He sneaks into the subway station during rush hour where he overhears the business people talking about the “inconvenient” man who committed suicide earlier that morning. Since he was a former school teacher who lost his job and home, he relates closely to the man’s choice and begins to protest against the businessmen and the suicide. He gets thrown into jail where he spends many nights and while he was in there he resented his inmates and the life he had been thrown into. But one day he gets released and he wishes he was back in jail where he didn’t have to fight for a bed, a meal, or even a warm place to stay.
Famous Place Visited:
In Argentina I visited Iguazú National Park which is a beautiful place with many waterfalls, mountains, and scenic views. Since I am a very outdoors person and have spent most of my time this trip outdoors in nature, I really loved this spot.
My Hotel:
I stayed at Melia Iguazu Spa and Resort in the national park itself. The rooms are beautiful and look out over the waterfalls and bushy forests. There is an amazing pool and great traditional food. This hotel was just perfect.
Meals:
For food I had Choripán which is a grilled chorizo topped with grilled vegetables and sauces on a baked bun. It was very good, one of the best things I’ve had on my trip.
Europe:
Spain:
History/Geography:
The Kingdom of Spain was founded in early first century B.C. Although there had been many travelers there from Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean since the dawn of time, they didn’t truly start to grow as a nation until they were conquered by the Romans. When Africa invaded in 711 A.D., they brought with them Muslim religion, medicine, agriculture, and new technologies and this is when Spain really began to prosper. Spain occupies almost all of the Iberian Peninsula and to the east lies the Mediterranean sea, and to the south lies the Gibraltar Strait which separates Europe and Africa.
Culture:
The population in Spain is roughly 47 million people all with different ethnic backgrounds. Their official languages are Castilian Spanish, Basque, Catalan, and Galician and their currency is the Euro. Their capital is Madrid and they have a Parliamentary Monarchy government. Most native Spaniards share a background of African, European, and Celtic but recently more people from Latin America have been working their way into the common ethnicity. People from Spain are heavily drawn to their roots of ancestry and eat traditional foods often and spend lots of time with family.
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
On September 1925 in Oviedo Spain one of the most iconic Spanish authors came into the world and his name was Angel Gonzalez. He is most known for expressive and bold writing that no other authors ever write. He used many influences from the Spanish Civil war in his writing. After working at the University of New Mexico for over 20 years, he was awarded the inaugural Federico Garcia Lorca International Poetry Prize. He was also awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Letters while serving for the Royal Spanish Academy. Gonzalez died recently in 2008 and will be remembered as one of the greatest writers to ever come from Spain.
Poem:
“The Future”
But the future is different
from that destiny seen from afar,
magical world, vast sphere
brushed by the long arm of desire,
brilliant ball the eyes dream,
shared dwelling
of hope and deception, dark
land
of illusion and tears
the stars predicted
and the heart awaits
and that is always, always, always distant.
But, I think, the future is also another thing:
a verb tense in motion, in action, in combat,
a searching movement toward life,
keel of the ship that strikes the water
and struggles to open between the waves
the exact breach the rudder commands.
I'm on this line, in this deep
trajectory of agony and battle,
trapped in a tunnel or trench
that with my hands I open, close, or leave,
obeying the heart that orders
pushes, determines, demands, and searches.
Future of mine…! Distant heart
that dictated it yesterday:
don't be ashamed.
Today is the result of your blood,
pain that I recognize, light that I admit,
suffering that I assume,
love that I intend.
But still, nothing is definitive.
Tomorrow I have decided to go ahead
and advance,
tomorrow I am prepared to be content,
tomorrow I will love you, morning
and night,
tomorrow will not be exactly as God wishes.
Tomorrow, gray or luminous, or cold,
that hands shape in the wind,
that fists draw in the air.
Famous Place Visited:
While in Spain I visited Sagrada Familia. It was so beautiful and had the most amazing views.
My Hotel:
I stayed at the Hotel El Palace Barcelona. It was very luxurious and so modern with aspects of older architecture mixed with new design techniques.
Meals:
I had Tortilla Espanola when I was in Spain. It was absolutely delicious and was amazing. The fresh veggies added a nice flavorful touch to the dish.
England:
While in England I was only there on a layover on my way to Morocco so I didn’t have much time to read up on all of the history sort of stuff. However while waiting for my flight I did read a fantastic poem written in England by William Shakespeare called “Sonnet XV”
Literature From Country:
Poem:
“Sonnet XV”–William Shakespeare
When I consider every thing that grows
Holds in perfection but a little moment,
That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows
Whereon the stars in secret influence comment;
When I perceive that men as plants increase,
Cheered and checked even by the self-same sky,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,
And wear their brave state out of memory;
Then the conceit of this inconstant stay
Sets you most rich in youth before my sight,
Where wasteful Time debateth with decay
To change your day of youth to sullied night,
And all in war with Time for love of you,
As he takes from you, I engraft you new.
Explanation of Poem:
Africa:
Morocco:
History/Geography:
Morocco, a country located in the northwest part of Africa, is a smaller but very beautiful place to visit. The capital of the country is Rabat and the population is about 35 million people. From around 1912 up until 1956, Morocco was a divided nation into French and Spanish areas. There are only 2 smaller areas controlled by Spain today while more now just a part of Africa. Morocco is usually dry and warm however it gets very hot during the summer. It is famous for the Atlas mountain range and has the beautiful river Draa running through it.
Culture:
The official language in Morocco is Arabic but they usually use French for business purposes, and official currency is the Moroccan dirham. Moroccan culture is a mixture of Arab, native Berber, Sub-Saharan African, and European influences. The cities in Morocco are filled with gorgeous mosques and towers, market places, and popular old medieval sections of the country which have become a great tourist attraction.
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
Poem:
The Rising of Ashes [Before]~Tahar Ben Jelloun
Before
a long time ago
I lived in a tree, then in a cemetery.
My tomb was under an oak. Dogs and men pissed on my head. I said nothing. Little
mauve flowers, scentless, grew there.
I had nothing to say.
Today shovels picked me up and threw me in this well.
I pace the abyss.
I descend. I am suspended.
The ashes still smolder. They rise, surround me, then fall again,
grey dust that makes my body a sand-filled hourglass.
I crumble. I am old abandoned rock.
I am sand and time.
I am faceless.
I nourish the land and pour my words into the land’s blood.
I irrigate the tree roots in late spring.
I count the days and the deaths while
men carry their households on their backs.
*
This body which was once a word will no longer look at the sea and think of Homer.
It did not pass away. It was touched by a flash from the sky crushing speech and breath.
These crystals mixed in the sand are the last words pronounced by these unarmed men.
*
In this country the dead travel
as statues and flames
They wear eyeglasses
and stretch out their scorched arms for flight.
We say they became invisible
Left to offer the living the years that remained of their lives.
Thus only years litter the desert: a century, more.
Lives for the taking, as jackals gorged on lives tremble to say:
“Death is not fatal just as night is the sun’s shadow.”
Explanation of Poem:
Famous Place Visited:
In Morocco I visited Jemaa el-Fnaa which is a very famous marketplace in the culture central of the country. It was very busy there but I really got a true sense of the culture visiting here and got to try lots of new foods.
My Hotel:
In Morocco I stayed in Marrakech near the marketplace at Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech. It was so luxurious and had the most amazing views and custom rooms that fit all the needs of anyone staying there. My favorite part was the pool/water side beds.
Meals:
At the marketplace I tried traditional pastilla which is a sweet and savory moroccan pie consisting of meat, seasoning, and sometimes vegetables. It was very interesting although it was not fit for one person to eat as it was rather large.
Nigeria:
History/Geography:
Nigeria is a country located in African on the Gulf of Guinea. There are around 185 million people living in Nigeria. Nigeria gained its independence in 1960 and focused heavily on the their native culture and establishing themselves as a country.. Nigeria is also referred to as “the giant of Africa” not because of the size of the country, but because of the large population and the amount of money that Nigeria gains each year. Nigeria has some of the most breathtaking wildlife reserves, national parks, and other natural landmarks in the world
Culture:
and the official language is English
A large part of Nigerian culture is Nollywood, the Hollywood industry of Nigeria. Thousands of films are produced each year and hundreds of thousands of people audition to be in these movies. As for tourist spots in Nigeria, the most common places to visit include Yankari National Park, Zuma Rock, and Millenium Park. Although the sightseeing was the best part of the trip, I really enjoyed the food. The most common foods in Nigeria include spices and herbs with palm or groundnut oil to create scrumptious sauces.
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
Poem:
Explanation of Poem:
Famous Place Visited:
My Hotel:
Meals:
South America:
Chile:
History/Geography:
Culture:
Literature From Country:
Author Biography:
Poem:
Explanation of Poem:
Famous Place Visited:
My Hotel:
Meals: