Travel Oops: Surfing the Soup

Posted on February 14, 2013 by sglaser

A nose enema of salt water surged through my nasal passages and then rushed out through my nostrils taking mucus with it in a salty, snotty blob. While I rose up in the ocean foam, my oversized rash guard billowed and water flushed through the too-big wetsuit I was wearing.

The leash attached to my ankle tugged my leg as the surfboard caught another wave without me. Another small water wall came by and knocked me off balance and cold water flowed through my suit once more.

This battering did not matter, however, because I had stood up on a surfboard. Although the experience only lasted for less than one minute, I had ridden a wave before another one slammed down and churned me up. It was short but awesome and I wanted to do it again.

In fact, it was January 6, 2010, and already I had fulfilled my New Year’s Resolution, which was to try surfing, a sport I had always wanted to learn. Aqua Camp, in Santa Barbara, CA, had inspired me. My parents enrolled my sister and me in the program during the summer of 1980.

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The Travel Ahh…Outback Roads and Vehicles

Posted on February 5, 2013 by sglaser

The Red Soil captivated me every time I saw photos of Central Australia. The Outback was the place I really wanted to visit in Oz during my first school holidays as an exchange teacher. Uluru, of course, was a must on the list. Just getting there, however, proved to be almost as surreal as seeing Uluru’s spiritual grounds and the monolith itself.

One minute I’d look out the car window transfixed by the soil and its various shades, and then the next I’d see some wacky vehicle that looked like it drove off the set of The Hangover 3. The Stuart Highway didn’t disappoint either since you’d definitely see the hard core, badass Road Warrioresque machines.

Northern Territory

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Travel Teacher Oops — “I came to hear The Outsiders, Miss.”

Posted on January 30, 2013 by sglaser

A bowl of grits © sashafatcat

If an American from the South had heard my bogus southern accent, that person probably would have thrown a bowl of grits in my direction or doused me with sweet tea. My Australian year 8’s, however, didn’t particularly detect the lack of authenticity.

They actually seemed somewhat engaged as I read them The Outsiders, so I drawled out the dialogue and got my y’alls polished up real good.

Painting by Roelant Savery

It’s not every day that you experience a victory in education. In fact, a VE day can be pretty elusive, like looking for a rare bird or any endangered species. When I was an exchange teacher in Australia, finding success was like searching for the dodo. Non-existent.

I felt like such an incompetent teacher, and every time I talked to my Australian counterpart, Dash, who was teaching my American classes, his updates deflated my spirits even more.

“Ah, yeah! Steph, we had a breakthrough today in Senior English; Madelynn* read a poem, revealing the abuse and torment she experienced as a child,” he e-mailed me one day. “It was the first time she’d told anyone. The event was so cathartic that we all had a good cry.”

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Travel Ahh…Seeing Wildlife in the Wild

Posted on January 28, 2013 by sglaser

I’ve always liked zoos; in fact, I was a junior zookeeper when I was in seventh grade, living in Santa Barbara, California. However, nothing quite compares to seeing animals in their natural habitat — in the wild (albeit some are in wildlife preserves.) The photo of the hippo (above) and the other photos of African animals were taken by my dad in Tanzania. I think they are fantastic and I feel as if I’ve seen the creatures myself. Someday I will get to Africa, until then, I’ll look at photos.

The other photos are various pictures I took on our travels.

Tanzania, Africa. A mother lion and her cubs.

Tanzania, Africa. An elephant herd.

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Travel Oops: The Unfortunate Photo — “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!!”

Posted on January 24, 2013 by sglaser

Sydney, Australia, The Opera House. I love this picture, but this is one of those photos I’m sure my son, Eddie, will look back at and go, “Really, Mom? Why did you dress me that way…what were you thinking?!” We actually hadn’t meant to have him wear the Down Under shirt. We had limited clothes that we were wearing in Sydney because we didn’t yet want to disturb our massive suitcases that we packed for our year-long adventure in Adelaide. Eddie, who was 4-years-old at the time, did not want to pose for the photo in the first place. He did, however, like the orange color of this shirt that we had purchased for him the day before.

All we needed was Paul Hogan to photo bomb this and say, “Hey, America, visit Australia and let’s put another shrimp on the barbie!” (I recently saw the old ad in which he says something to this effect and consequently, misleads a few generations of Americans to repeat that phrase, thinking it as authentic.)

The Travel Ahh…Alleyways and Side Streets

Posted on January 13, 2013 by sglaser

Side streets and alleyways often exude mystery. What’s around the corner or what will I find? Danger? Intrigue? Side streets and alleys often have a negative, managing connotation and are associated with dodgy activities. Perhaps, that’s the appeal. The photo collection of alleyways and side streets here is not particularly threatening — especially since the photos were taken in the daytime. However, each alleyway and street offered something interesting.

The shot above and the following two pictures I took in Melbourne, Australia. I was lucky to be traveling with Amy, a dear friend of mine who is an excellent photographer, and she inspired me to appreciate beauty in even the smallest detail.

I really like this shot above because you can see Federation Square — perhaps the opposite of an alleyway — A cheery meeting place with heaps of activity.

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The Travel Ahh…Bridges

Posted on January 7, 2013 by sglaser

I love bridges. They are artistic, functional and symbolic. Just the idea of connecting two places along with a way to further travel is enough reason for me to appreciate bridges. It must have started for me at an early age because grew up in Eden Prairie, MN, USA. It was the town with the Graffiti Bridge, after which rocker Prince named his 1990 movie and album. The following are photos from my travels, and the majority are pictures of structures found in the United States, Europe and Australia. One of my travel goals is to take photos of bridges in Africa, South America and more from Asia.

Above is the Hood River Bridge that spans over the Columbia River from Hood River Oregon and White Salmon, Washington.

Prague, Czech Republic. Prague has the bridges — here’s the Charles Bridge, which is sort of sandwiched in between two other bridges. It is a very recognizable landmark.

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Travel Oops: The Unfortunate Photo — “Is There a Snake in Your Pants or Are You Happy to See Me?”

Posted on January 3, 2013 by sglaser

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. I’m here with my dad and a python who was getting a little too friendly at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre. For some reason, it chose my crotch and the top of my thigh as a secure anchor for its wanderings.

From the look on my face, you may think I was enjoying this a bit more than necessary. Actually, I had a lot of nervous energy going…especially since the snake decided to live up to its cousin’s name and become a boa around my neck.

Travel Oops: “Someone smashed a window, Miss! And he’s right there!”

Posted on December 26, 2012 by sglaser

After local troublemakers invaded Le Fevre and punched the principal as he tried to get them out of the school, the entire staff was on high alert. First, the assailants had broken a window and then charged into the main building to “bash” a year 12 who had slept with one of their girlfriends. They brought knives and knuckledusters (brass knuckles).

Having a school lockdown situation was nothing new to me since I came from the US. I was now in Australia as an exchange teacher. Word on the street with my year 11’s was that the derelicts weren’t finished. Another massive bashing was on the way.

Two weeks earlier, at nearby Henley High School, students had given their uniforms to some hooligans from another school. Consequently, the intruders, who had major grudges, stalked the Henley halls unnoticed. They kicked the crap out of a student, who again, had slept with the wrong girl and then unwisely publicized it on Facebook.

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Travel Oops: The Unfortunate Photo —Is that Vomit in the Viewfinder?

Posted on December 20, 2012 by sglaser

With digital cameras, it’s so easy to delete photos with mistakes or unwanted shots. Sometimes those pics can be gems, however. At the very least, they may be a reminder about a funny incident or the challenge to get the photo in the first place. So Travel Oops has a new feature: “The Unfortunate Photo!”

Melbourne, Australia (above). I really wanted a family photo with a cityscape of Melbourne in the background. We chose a bit of an awkward spot in terms of getting several buildings in the shot. My friend Anne took the picture and was definitely intent on getting the right angle.

Unfortunately, with that angle, she also inadvertently included a pile of barf, which we had almost stepped in moments before. It caught my eye after I picked up the developed shots, and now it’s really the only thing I see when I look at the photo. It cracks me up each time.