This is from my original facebook post, I just thought everyone should read it ok sorry.
I had literally never witnessed full on racism irl until about a month ago. So I'm at a very packed pub with my friend who is travelling here from Tokyo, Japan, and we go to the bathroom upstairs and I notice there is quite a drunk man outside, whom decides to drunkly greet me(whatever) then he started to speak Italian to someone who seemed to be in a toilet in the ladies bathroom. shook it off, but whilst I'm in the bathroom I hear him say "alright mate" several times in a really forced English accent outside. my friend, who speaks very little English, didn't understand and told him so. The man proceeded to talk to him and said "what are you? From fucking Japan?" And now I noticed he actually had a very strong Italian accent, my friend said "yes I am from Japan" and then the man started calling him several racist names. I got out of the ladies room in fury and said "what the hell are you doing mate?" and he went raging, asking me if I'm from "fucking turkey" and that I shouldn't question what he is doing. I said to him that the man he is talking to is my friend and he shouldn't be rude. And that I was born and raised in England so if he wants to be racist even more im not the right person as technically he is in "my" country. He started to get closer and started shouting abusive words to me really loudly (which got alot of peoples attention) and as I walked down the stairs starting spitting towards me. I was then greeted by a bunch of drunken men groping me and calling me "beautiful" which even made me angrier. But I called the manager and told them what happened and they went straight upstairs to throw him out. I hope they taught him a lesson, we left as soon as we could. I cannot believe that stupid drunken racism like that is actually happening. My friend thanked me and said I was very brave, which made me feel awesome as a female who can stick up for herself and others around her. I could've just not said anything to him, but there's nothing more i hate than I racist or sexist. I'm glad the bar managers were black/mixed race aswell, probably would've scared him for life that he was being racist in a "non white" persons pub and that he should think twice before thinking that pubs are all run by white conservative men. What a douche bag. --feeling drunk.
COUCH-SURFING
Whilst I was away in Australia earlier in the beginning of this year, I got told through word of mouth about a site called "couch surfing", - at first, just hearing the name, it sounded odd to me, "couch.. surfing?" huh, what? - but turns out it's one of the best sites a non-luxury traveller/backpacker could know about.
Couch Surfing is an online space to meet and interact with other travellers, and ultimately, have a place to crash when travelling.
Here's a brief, you are either hosting/ looking for a host, and you put down what country you are doing so in. Then, if you are hosting, someone from another country who is travelling comes and stays at your place or on your "couch" for however many days you have discussed for free, and vice versa. Now this may sound a little odd. Having a place to stay for free? At a strangers? Wouldn't that be a little.. risky/dodgy? Well, the whole point of Couch Surfing is to exchange language, knowledge, culture, travelling tips, and etc. It's by no means an accommodation or hostel provider, it's strictly for adventurous people who love travelling.
After Australia, I knew I was going to be travelling alot, so I thought I would join. Since then, I've met some really nice people who also travel. I haven't hosted/stayed with a host, but I have met travellers for drinks/hang outs (it gives you the non-hosting/non-travelling, "I can hang out" option on your profile) - and actually it has been really useful to me, as it has given me the chance to finally meet a few Japanese people I can actually converse with, who have by the way taught me more about Japan and living there than any other biased site (and as you know I've needed reliable non-biased information for my move) - I've had a great experience and made new friends/connections, making my life as someone who is travelling solo often easier.
What I really like about the site is that it's completely 100% travelling related, you can see all the countries someone has visited on their profile, and so can other people, you can put down countries you want to visit, and countries you will be visiting in the future, along with a date and description. There are also language/cultural meet ups.
I would certainly recommend couch surfing to anyone who is interested in meeting other cultural people/if you are travelling. It's an interesting experience and can be useful to anyone.
PS- I think I'm the only 17 year old on that site, I'm sorry I should really be 27.
Happy travels.
Couch Surfing is an online space to meet and interact with other travellers, and ultimately, have a place to crash when travelling.
Here's a brief, you are either hosting/ looking for a host, and you put down what country you are doing so in. Then, if you are hosting, someone from another country who is travelling comes and stays at your place or on your "couch" for however many days you have discussed for free, and vice versa. Now this may sound a little odd. Having a place to stay for free? At a strangers? Wouldn't that be a little.. risky/dodgy? Well, the whole point of Couch Surfing is to exchange language, knowledge, culture, travelling tips, and etc. It's by no means an accommodation or hostel provider, it's strictly for adventurous people who love travelling.
After Australia, I knew I was going to be travelling alot, so I thought I would join. Since then, I've met some really nice people who also travel. I haven't hosted/stayed with a host, but I have met travellers for drinks/hang outs (it gives you the non-hosting/non-travelling, "I can hang out" option on your profile) - and actually it has been really useful to me, as it has given me the chance to finally meet a few Japanese people I can actually converse with, who have by the way taught me more about Japan and living there than any other biased site (and as you know I've needed reliable non-biased information for my move) - I've had a great experience and made new friends/connections, making my life as someone who is travelling solo often easier.
What I really like about the site is that it's completely 100% travelling related, you can see all the countries someone has visited on their profile, and so can other people, you can put down countries you want to visit, and countries you will be visiting in the future, along with a date and description. There are also language/cultural meet ups.
I would certainly recommend couch surfing to anyone who is interested in meeting other cultural people/if you are travelling. It's an interesting experience and can be useful to anyone.
PS- I think I'm the only 17 year old on that site, I'm sorry I should really be 27.
Happy travels.
SO LIKE, WHERE YOU BEEN?
So yo girl has been away for a while, (and when I say away, I mean home, not travelling - cos if I was.. you'd know the deal) - since Australia, my life has been a mess, from health problems to remodelling our whole house to anxiety from studies and having no $$$.
But here's the main deal, I'm not travelling till April (surprise, surprise) so expect tons of more posts about music, reviews, skateboarding and err'thing in between until then! Expect lots about the clothes I have been purchasing, being a part of/the internet music scene, lots more advice and all kinds of other cool, rad shit.
♡ LOVE, YUNG GURL.♡
But here's the main deal, I'm not travelling till April (surprise, surprise) so expect tons of more posts about music, reviews, skateboarding and err'thing in between until then! Expect lots about the clothes I have been purchasing, being a part of/the internet music scene, lots more advice and all kinds of other cool, rad shit.
♡ LOVE, YUNG GURL.♡
THE CULTURE SHOCK OF BEING BACK HOME
Disclaimer - This is a sad (but cool) post.
And whilst it is nice to come back to my family, bestfriend and dog. It is also nice to come back to where I am in my comfort zone in regards to fashion, might sound shallow, but all my clothes are here and cold weather is what I know how to work best. The first week I sat around coffee shops alone just reading, although I am sad to be back home, everyone always has to have a home and mine happens to be in London. It doesn't mean it has to be this way forever, and even though sometimes I wish I never went to Australia because when I think about it I start over-thinking my whole life and London, I am glad because not only have I experienced the time of my life but also it has shown me a new light and perspective in travelling and how everything is temporary, I am not one bit attached to where I live or my surroundings, and I would leave for anywhere, in a heartbeat. As I said in my 'love for travelling' post, the traveller isn't fixed to any society, but just a part of the world. And although I have been involved in various groups, the musicians, the skaters, the whatevers, I am not really a part of any of those as much as I am just an individual girl who travels.
Sydney helped me appreciate our London culture a little bit, our slang and our electronic music, and even though I would change it no doubt, I am proud to be from London, always. Sydney helped me understand the balance between city and nature. Sydney helped me realise how much I love people and the world. It pushed me to keep travelling, work, anything can happen. All my doubts about Japan left as soon I came back, and I continue to pursue it. And although it's hard to deal with culture shock/holiday blues, whatever you want to call it - it's worth the experience you had in those one or ten countries whilst you were travelling. Bring back everything you learnt and apply it to your surroundings.
FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT 2014 SO FAR
Happy New Year to you all, I hope you guys have had a good first two months of 2014 and I hope you had a good 2013 too. Even though I don't have this whole "New Year, New Me" perspective, I think that this year will be a good year as more things are happening. Such as more travelling, etc. And if anything, I just hope to make it a productive and eventful year, especially because this is the last year before I officially become an "adult" (although I will forever be repping cartoon mobb) ♡
DANCE MARATHON AT THE FALLS -So literally the first day of 2014 and my birthday were amazing. A 6 hour dance marathon at the falls festival with a fellow dancer, Sophie. I can't describe how amazing Hermitude in the rain and Flight Facilities were.
SMOKING MONKS -
Strangest smoking monks at the airport, I couldn't figure where they were from as they were so multi cultural however they seemed a little rude. (There's a story behind why I think that) I was hoping I could talk to them and gain some knowledge on their religion but never mind. They seemed quite polite and quiet at first, until one of them came in and started staring at me, then they all laughed A guy stood up for me and said "why are you staring at her? what's so funny" (my hero lolz) - I don't know why I found this so interesting, I basically got bullied by a bunch of monks :( 2014 HOPES: MORE TRAVELLING -
<--- met up with dad in abu dhabi and all there was 2 do was drink lol
[photos by yung gurl & crew]
CATCHING UP WITH LOCALS: (EVENT) "BOXING DAY ROAST" // MY FIRST TRAVEL MISTAKE
Location: The Argyle
Date: 26th Dec, Boxing Day
DISCLAIMER: So alot has happened since I originally wrote this post, and alot has gone wrong in regards to this post. So let me just go back to the beginning...I had spent all night drinking and dancing with my Aussie's, and met some awesome people, exchanging business cards/e-mails all night. I had left all my business cards with the contact info of the artists that I had briefly interviewed in my purse and these were essential to my post, however I left purse back at our place in Sydney and I only realised 50 minutes before my flight whilst trying to buy some last minute gifts at the airport. So basically, long story short, apart from flying without any money/credit card until arriving in Abu Dhabi where I met up with my dad who was also travelling, I also came back home with no contact info for this post. But I thought, it's okay, I'll just postpone it further, I'll get Maddi who is back in Sydney to send me the content of my purse! So I did so, and a few days later, an envelope arrived, with some cash, a credit card, my ID...and no info cards. I messaged Maddi about it and well, she had thrown them away. Accidentally ofcourse. So, moral of my dragged on story, don't leave your purse at home when you leave for the airport! My first travel mistake, ever.
NOW: I'm just going to try and sum up the whole night with the very little information that I have, and huge apologies to those of you who I spoke to that night, I know I said this post would be up a month ago, and that I would have all this detailed information. But since I have no one's e-mail, I can't provide that information for anyone. However I will continue to do this post!
______________________________________________
I hope you all had an awesome Christmas and Boxing day. I spent mine with some welcoming rain, cheap booze and Aussies. I'm always grateful that I get to meet artistic and culture oriented individuals all around the world, and I recently had the chance of meeting some dudes and dudettes from Sydney. Although I got quite a Brick-Lane (blukku, blukku) feel from all of it, I'm a little convinced that Sydney may have the arts and culture thing down way better than we do back home.
FASHION & STYLE
An urban fashion enthusiast, he works for Primo Magazine and damn do these dudes have style. Although the crowd was very mixed at this event, the majority of guys were under the urban/skater look influence. (You know, reverse 90's cap, loose, graphic tee) I guess you could say that's the look in (slightly underground) fashion right now for males amongst most Western countries today (I'm certain it's popular in France, US, UK, and Australia rn). But ofcourse, depending on the crowd. If you go to a skate park in London, you will always find guys dressed like this, but defiantly not in the mainstream fashion of London. So even though most of the Sydney dudes rock the bleach blonde mid shoulder length, beach look, they also got the fresh as, major city look going on too, and they pull it off.
ART
I think most of us can agree that street art culture is very much alive in Sydney, and I was very inspired and impressed when I encountered this lovely lady's art at the Argyle. (Who's name I didn't even get!) Had the honour to meet her and exchange info, however, you can guess what went wrong. Unfortunately I can't provide contact details but her art is 100% worth sharing! What I really liked was that she had only half way started this piece when we had arrived, and this photograph was taken when completed, so we watched her work in progress, cool as.
MUSIC
Sydney's music scene is beautifully broad and varied. But what I love is how much they love our music! These guys have a huge love and respect for UK garage, grime, d&b, and dubstep. Being in Sydney made me appreciate music that originated from us more than actually living in the UK. The night was occupied by a couple of D&B Dj's, who I didn't encounter. And apparently the guys from Garage Pressure a Sydney based radio that hosts garage music and more UK based music. (Check them out!)
I ended up chilling and talking to the dudes from Corner Store Superheroes, check them out on soundcloud here. At first when I heard one of them rapping, I genuinely thought they were from the UK. However, when I spoke to them, I learned that that was not the case at all, and that sometimes a "UK accent just comes out". Check them out!
I apologies again for any disappointment, if you have some info, contact me me via twitter.
[photos by yung gurl]
Date: 26th Dec, Boxing Day
DISCLAIMER: So alot has happened since I originally wrote this post, and alot has gone wrong in regards to this post. So let me just go back to the beginning...I had spent all night drinking and dancing with my Aussie's, and met some awesome people, exchanging business cards/e-mails all night. I had left all my business cards with the contact info of the artists that I had briefly interviewed in my purse and these were essential to my post, however I left purse back at our place in Sydney and I only realised 50 minutes before my flight whilst trying to buy some last minute gifts at the airport. So basically, long story short, apart from flying without any money/credit card until arriving in Abu Dhabi where I met up with my dad who was also travelling, I also came back home with no contact info for this post. But I thought, it's okay, I'll just postpone it further, I'll get Maddi who is back in Sydney to send me the content of my purse! So I did so, and a few days later, an envelope arrived, with some cash, a credit card, my ID...and no info cards. I messaged Maddi about it and well, she had thrown them away. Accidentally ofcourse. So, moral of my dragged on story, don't leave your purse at home when you leave for the airport! My first travel mistake, ever.
NOW: I'm just going to try and sum up the whole night with the very little information that I have, and huge apologies to those of you who I spoke to that night, I know I said this post would be up a month ago, and that I would have all this detailed information. But since I have no one's e-mail, I can't provide that information for anyone. However I will continue to do this post!
______________________________________________
I hope you all had an awesome Christmas and Boxing day. I spent mine with some welcoming rain, cheap booze and Aussies. I'm always grateful that I get to meet artistic and culture oriented individuals all around the world, and I recently had the chance of meeting some dudes and dudettes from Sydney. Although I got quite a Brick-Lane (blukku, blukku) feel from all of it, I'm a little convinced that Sydney may have the arts and culture thing down way better than we do back home.
FASHION & STYLE
An urban fashion enthusiast, he works for Primo Magazine and damn do these dudes have style. Although the crowd was very mixed at this event, the majority of guys were under the urban/skater look influence. (You know, reverse 90's cap, loose, graphic tee) I guess you could say that's the look in (slightly underground) fashion right now for males amongst most Western countries today (I'm certain it's popular in France, US, UK, and Australia rn). But ofcourse, depending on the crowd. If you go to a skate park in London, you will always find guys dressed like this, but defiantly not in the mainstream fashion of London. So even though most of the Sydney dudes rock the bleach blonde mid shoulder length, beach look, they also got the fresh as, major city look going on too, and they pull it off. ART
MUSIC
I ended up chilling and talking to the dudes from Corner Store Superheroes, check them out on soundcloud here. At first when I heard one of them rapping, I genuinely thought they were from the UK. However, when I spoke to them, I learned that that was not the case at all, and that sometimes a "UK accent just comes out". Check them out!
I apologies again for any disappointment, if you have some info, contact me me via twitter.
[photos by yung gurl]
FLYING OVER AMSTERDAM DURING SUNSET: FOR THOSE WITH A LOVE FOR TRAVELLING.
I've been away for a month, and in a blink of an eye I find myself back somewhere familiar. Back to the place which marks the significance of my travels. Like all other transits, Abu Dhabi International Airport tells the story that I have made it half way between my home and where I was only yesterday. Except this time I'm not going to Sydney, India, or Tokyo. I'm going home. But just being here, amongst you strangers with homes, memories, and potential futures makes me feel somehow alright to be done with my travels early, because I know I'll be back, half way, in transit, once more. Travelling is what makes me feel human, real. Travelling makes me feel like a citizen of the world, rather than one of a city or town. I am not fixed to any society, I am just a part of the world.
To roam airports and cities all alone, to see people of all kinds from all over this little planet gives me the most beautiful, sonderous feeling combined with desperate and continuous wanderlust. For every flight there is a Veronica I got to know in ten hours, she has been to Thailand, Bali. There is a Michael who is constantly travelling to Poland to visit his family from Sydney, who I got to know in fourteen. For every hour spent in a strange and foreign airport I learn something new about myself.
So if you are filled with wanderlust and you're young, wise beyond your years, had a little taste of the world and now only craving to see more of it like me, keep finding ways to travel no matter what, and never give up.
2014
LEAVING SYDNEY
8.15 am
Disclaimer- This is a sad post.
I haven't slept well all night, I woke up around 4 am and started packing my things in advance, I leave for the airport around 1 pm today. I was determined to finally write up an essay which is already over-due by a day but I have now concluded that I'm too tired to actually do anything substantial with it. I packed my things to the sounds of strange bird-calls, cool air coming through floor no.10 in the apartment I'm staying in the North Shore. I'm tired, and a little bit hungover, and it is then when I realise that actually, half of my trip I have been either drunk, stoned, or exhausted. And although I have been in awe so many, many times during this whole month, (beautiful vivid stars camping up north, swimming in a waterfall, kangaroos..) I still feel as though I never took a moment just to, well, be. You know, to take a breather and let a simple moment just sink in and stick. I guess that's what happens when you have a busy schedule and can't even fit in all the things you want to do. But alas, I am more than grateful that I even experienced Australia. (Even if I didn't go to Bondi or see a Koala)
Disclaimer- This is a sad post.
But how do I feel about leaving? I'll tell you. Terrible. I don't know if it's being irresponsible and bitter towards reality, education and work, or if it's simply not being bothered to endure the London winter ahead, but I don't feel homesick one bit. I must admit, at the start of my trip, I was a little homesick, but now that I've gotten so used to Sydney and met so many new, beautiful people, all I want to do is stay. I've gotten to know people, made friends, found appreciation and love for electronic music again, fallen in-love with the city, and now I have to leave, back to the other side of the world. Plus I'm leaving cheap sushi, the guy I have a crush on, and all the potential I had there behind. What do I have in London? What is there for me apart from my bestfriend, mum and my dog? I don't want to make this a rant about how much I hate London, so I'll just say that I'm genuinely going to miss Sydney and all of Australia greatly.
There is never enough time for any traveller to see everything and finish without untied strings, but what what the traveller can do is try his or her best to experience to the fullest.
BEACH TALK #4: MANLY BEACH
"Manly Beach is a beach situated among the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. From north to south, the three main sections are Queenscliff, North Steyne, and South Steyne"
Following up my intensely rushed "things to do before I leave" list, we decided to take a visit to Manly beach. It was my aunt who suggested we go to Manly, just to see not only the beach but also the suburb. So we took a ferry out to the suburb of Manly on a sunny day, the journey itself was a great for a tourist such as myself as you get to see alot of the sights such as the famous Sydney opera house to the Harbour bridge from a great point of view. ----->
The journey was about half an hour, until we were greeted by Manly. The suburb itself was quite busy, as it is a good place for tourists, the high street was occupied by tourist, clothing, food shops and everything in between. I also noticed there were alot of long-borders/skateboarders, (and female ones, yay!) which is something I like to see. After shopping at Cole's for a picnic, we made our way to the beach where we relaxed and ate before heading into the sand. Finding a spot in the sand was a little bit hard as there was so many people. There was also "safety announcements" being held that day, it was quite annoying as it was only safe in the tiniest section of the water between the flags, but rather safe than sorry! I couldn't keep up with the waves in the beach, either falling over each time a wave hit or having to worry about my bikini top. It was quite the opposite of a relaxing day at the beach. As much as I wanted to have fun and spend some time in the water I couldn't really even take a second to breathe, although it was quite fun.
The rest of the day we just hung around on the sand, tanning and what-not. It was quite the day. All in all, Manly seems like a tourist-friendly town with alot of family-friendly attractions.
[photos by yung gurl]
Following up my intensely rushed "things to do before I leave" list, we decided to take a visit to Manly beach. It was my aunt who suggested we go to Manly, just to see not only the beach but also the suburb. So we took a ferry out to the suburb of Manly on a sunny day, the journey itself was a great for a tourist such as myself as you get to see alot of the sights such as the famous Sydney opera house to the Harbour bridge from a great point of view. -----> The journey was about half an hour, until we were greeted by Manly. The suburb itself was quite busy, as it is a good place for tourists, the high street was occupied by tourist, clothing, food shops and everything in between. I also noticed there were alot of long-borders/skateboarders, (and female ones, yay!) which is something I like to see. After shopping at Cole's for a picnic, we made our way to the beach where we relaxed and ate before heading into the sand. Finding a spot in the sand was a little bit hard as there was so many people. There was also "safety announcements" being held that day, it was quite annoying as it was only safe in the tiniest section of the water between the flags, but rather safe than sorry! I couldn't keep up with the waves in the beach, either falling over each time a wave hit or having to worry about my bikini top. It was quite the opposite of a relaxing day at the beach. As much as I wanted to have fun and spend some time in the water I couldn't really even take a second to breathe, although it was quite fun.
The rest of the day we just hung around on the sand, tanning and what-not. It was quite the day. All in all, Manly seems like a tourist-friendly town with alot of family-friendly attractions.
[photos by yung gurl]
CATCHING UP WITH THE LOCALS: KOMECHI KYOHOI
We met Komechi whilst coming back from Oxford St, Sydney. We were welcomed by his shy yet friendly presence, and ended up conversing with him for hours. Unfortunately, Komechi does not have a website at the moment, however he promised he would work on it. [Photos by Yung Gurl - Art by Komechi Kyohoi]
BEACH TALK #5: MALABAR, LONG BAY
"Malabar Beach located as part of Long Bay is within the Eastern Sydney Suburb of Malabar and is a medium size beach with slightly course sand that is easily accessible by public transport and also has available parking. Whilst not as well-known as Bondi or Bronte it does offer a good place to fish, scuba or snorkel as well as their being barbeques to cook your catch."
The last beach I officially visited in Sydney/Australia. On our way to Bondi a few days before my flight, we got a call from our friends, claiming they are at Malabar beach for a barbecue, and before we knew it, Bondi was cancelled and we head out to Malabar. We hung out on a quiet sandy beach, lying down on towels, smoking, hanging out with random dogs, swimming and fishing. It had quite the romantic/relaxed feel to it. There wasn't many people there and it was a quiet, reserved area, with a grass/children's play area and a barbecue close by. We sat on a picnic area and had a stereotypical Aussie BBQ then proceeded to hang out by the water and also did some rock adventuring (which I'm terrible at) The water that day was really warm and serene, the water surface itself quite rocky. All in all I would say it's 10/10 for couples. That is all.
[photos by yung gurl]
AUSTRALIAN ROAD TRIP/FALLS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL
Falls Music and Arts Festival: December-Jan 2013/2014 Review.
Once back at the festival, people started gushing in like a flood, stalls were ready to sell, and people were ready to party. Our friends only arrived a day into the festival so we didn't really have much to do till they arrived. There was about 15-20 of us all together, and although my cousin and I had camped up on the very first few days in the "Vendor" camp area which was quite close to the festival, once everyone else arrived I relocated with all of our other friends in the "General" camp site area. Our set up was quite decent, a large gazebo and our tents camped up around it. (Our friends, in their 20's and Australian, have been camping alot so I was in good in hands) I hadn't been camping since I was really, really little so it was all pretty new to me, and I was pretty comfortable with all of it... apart from the excruciating heat in the morning. Seriously, it was like being slapped in the face by the sun every god-damn morning, and you couldn't help but wake up super early in the morning (and there's nothing to do at a festival in mornings but be hungover). So the 40 degrees northern sunlight, sweat, and sleepiness I could've done without. And being on the topic of heat, apart from the mornings, it was just generally, (well for me) way too hot - I literally did nothing all day when I wasn't working at the festival as I was too hot, but it was nice to experience it, sleeping under the gazebo all day wasn't too bad and plus I knew I was going to be back to London weather soon. The good thing is that we got cloudy skies on one or two days during the festival and even some rain, which ofcourse resulted in wet clothes but it was better than the heat!
GENERAL VIBE
So apart from the intense weather, the general vibe of the festival was great. The fact that it was over 18 was certainly a plus. You could find a wide range of different people there, from "brogan" Aussie's to hipsters to straight down to the mud hippies. Although there was loads of different people there, partying, and working at the stall, I was proved that everyone was about love and togetherness, it was refreshing and friendly. The festival was full of colour and so were the people in it. Tons of people dressed up every night in creative costumes and make up (our group of guy friends wore our dresses.. what a story that was). Working at the stall gave me the opportunity inevitably to meet loads of people, but even just in queue's for the bathroom or food I met and spoke to loads of lovely people who I will never forget. What I liked about the boys at the festival was that they were good-looking, yes, but mostly just really upfront (probably due to the alcohol) and I usually ignore it in London, but it's nice to get something different to "Oi my size, what you saying?" after going out for a drink, you gotta admit! I think the loveliest thing I experienced people wise at this festival was the fact that I wore my.. yes.. American Apparel red short-shorts, and I didn't get any disrespectful "what is she wearing" stares I would get back home on a sunny day in London. Because no one actually cared, everyone was having too much fun. It was awesome. And although I got some guys staring at my butt, followed by exchanging smiles with them, I didn't really mind. Because I wore them for myself, and it's, only natural for a guy to stare. Girls should embrace that a little more.
The first night of the festival was a good one, all our friends had finally arrived and we spent most of the day working at the stall with my co-worker and friend Boris, it was pretty chill and it was just like an introduction for the next two to three days. That night I somehow got lost after meeting up to party, I wondered with a thousand cigarettes between my lips for the whole night, quite peaceful but a little bit annoyed and impatient. A few people spoke to me but I really wanted to just hang out with someone I knew! And then finally I bumped into Boris, Rusty and Ben. Finally, people I knew! I gave them huge hugs, I was so relieved. We entered the village and came across a really odd German, two man- (well, one woman, one man) band. It was so odd at first, all we saw was a slightly overweight woman in a Kimono rolling around the stage and kind of, well, stripping. Then the whole crowd was intrigued and we learnt that their music was actually, AMAZING. Really comedic, catchy stuff. I only wish I remembered what they were called. Shout out to those guys for making our first night an awesome one!
STALLS
The food at the festival was very mixed and varied, at the main section of the festival, where we had a stall, there were huge lines at most stalls. However some stalls such as where two of my Japanese friends were working, they were more towards the camp area and thus didn't have that many sales during the day. I had tried abit of everything during my 4 days of being there, Chinese, Malaysian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. All of it was pretty, well, greasy and overpriced. (A standard meal being around $13) But still good for a hangover! The other stalls, such as clothes and other things, (shout out to our feather stall) were pretty cool and creative. There were alot of organic/recycled stores, loads of peace/cause advertising stalls and my favourite, clothes stalls. I purchased 2 items from a vintage store, it was 3 items for $30 and two for $25, I left with a high waisted leather skirt (which I think I've lost now) and a floral tie-up shirt (and one of the buttons have come off, cry 4 me). All in all the stalls were pretty interesting and cool, however not as good as I expected. Some clothing stalls seemed really forced in general as companies (I won't name names). I must say I loved working at the feather stall, doing drunk boys and festival girls's hair, getting to know people was awesome and I finally learned to do something crafty with hair!
FAVOURITE MOMENTS/THINGS
HEAT + PLUS WATER: It was hot as hell, but it was cool, cos we had all the water we needed. With high pressured taps for sunburnt people and water tanks for water for your water bottles, and the best, a water spraying tunnel by the main area of the festival. Man, running through that on a hot, dusty day is the best. The beach was 20 minutes away by car and it rained heavily twice, so although it was hot, we got alot of rain to balance it out! I only wished there was a lake/pool.
DANCING IN THE RAIN AT HERMITUDE: On a more personal note, I never felt so alive after dancing to Hermitudes music, live, under beautiful tall Eucalyptus trees in the pouring rain wearing alien babe make up and practically my underwear at the forest stage. Although we had only started drinking and were mostly sober and my dance partner wasn't there with me, it was literally one of the best moments of Australia.
THE LITTLE THINGS: The weird silent disco over the hill, getting bitten by ants, finding drugs on the floor and the trippy lights in the villiage.
MY BIRTHDAY/BLASTING INTO 2014 WITH THE ROOTS: Another beautiful moment, being with all of my friends with all these amazing festival people in the middle of a huge crowd, watching the 90's legends that are The Roots. They did an amazing NYE show and everyone went insane with happiness and concept. Afterwards everyone in my group sung a drunken happy birthday to me, I got bitten by an ant (for the second time) and then got a piggie back through the whole festival, followed by some more dancing with amazing people.
6 HOUR DANCE MARATHON: From Flight Facilities to Cat Empire to Rufus. I had literally never danced so much in my life. I did ballet until I was 14, and I dance at home whenever I can. But none of the clubs in London have done me justice (probably cos I've only mainly been to mainstream ones apart from a few trap clubs) - what made it great for me was being with Sophie, and amazing hoop dancer, we dance so similar and we just have the same love for dancing. It was so amazing being with her. Sophie, I hope we can dance again soon!
All in all Falls Fest was an amazing experience for me, it's amazing to me that the first festival I got to experience was one of the best in Australia, on New Years AND my birthday! Had an insane time, I will never forget the horrible heat in the mornings, muddy vans (RIP my only skate shoes), the dust whilst dancing and the how amazing showers/the rain felt. I will never forget all the good vibes and good people, and all the amazing music! I recommend it to any festival lover!
Road-tripping on the way back was amazing, between the drives we stopped over alot and conversed about 90's hip hop rappers with my friend Charlie. Eventually we joined our Blue Mountains friends and Sydney friends together, and even met some people from the festival, we all camped at a camp-site somewhere on the way back to Sydney. We had collected about 10 mattresses from the festival and blew them up, and placed them next to our tents. We had a barbecue and smoked a couple of joints all around a fire. We had guitars, a mediation singing bowl (which was so amazing) a harmonica, and an African drum. We sat around and made music under the stars. And this may sound cheesy, but I had literally (living the city under a cloudy UK), never seen so many stars in my life. It was so beautiful, I could stare at it for literally, hours. I was mesmerised. That night I encountered two beautiful web-spinning spiders (I forgot what kind) and a frog, which was also, pretty cool. There was also showers and normal toilets at the campsite, which was something I think, after the festival, we all had missed. The music of The Roots and Flume will always be a reminder of the festival and this whole trip for me!
view more photos via instagram: tomyummsoup
-I would like to point out this was the first festival I had ever been to, so it won't be a "correct" review...or whatever.
Artists/bands seen:
Bonobo
Flight Facilities
Hermitude
MGMT
The Roots
The Cat Empire
Rufus
Places passed/visited during road trip:
Byron Bay
Mullumbimby
Bellingen
Crystal Castle
The Big Banana (hahahaha)
Loads more weird and strange little towns that I can't remember due to weird Australian names
Places passed/visited during road trip:
Byron Bay
Mullumbimby
Bellingen
Crystal Castle
The Big Banana (hahahaha)
Loads more weird and strange little towns that I can't remember due to weird Australian names
_____________________________________
A ten hour drive from Sydney to the spectacular town of Byron Bay didn't make me any less excited for working at/experiencing the Falls Festival, a music and arts festival spread over three days, including the new years that boomed us into 2014 and my 17th birthday.
The festival was strictly 18+ however with a stall holder ticket and fakie (which they didn't even check as we were stall holders) there was no problem. We arrived two days early to set up my cousins Periwinkle Feather Extension Stall which I was working at, and spent the next two days in Byron Bay with some of our friends after setting everything up. Being in Byron Bay was like being in some sort of stereotypical American Spring-Breaker town. With an age range of 17-27, you'll find hippies, surfers, skateboarders and everything in between. All on vacation, or all for the festival. Every hostel, hotel and motel was fully booked. No vacancy, everywhere. Hot, humid air filled the atmosphere and any time, anywhere, everywhere you looked there was beautiful bohemian "party people". I regret not bringing my skateboard and 500d. I would've fit in pretty well. The beach town of Byron Bay is one of the best places to get away in Australia and meet some amazing people, surf/skate, party or just chill out. Our time there consisted of going to the best burger joint ever, drinking my first coconut, sleeping in a car, looking at surf shops, listening to flamenco and hanging out by the beach in the rain.
The festival was strictly 18+ however with a stall holder ticket and fakie (which they didn't even check as we were stall holders) there was no problem. We arrived two days early to set up my cousins Periwinkle Feather Extension Stall which I was working at, and spent the next two days in Byron Bay with some of our friends after setting everything up. Being in Byron Bay was like being in some sort of stereotypical American Spring-Breaker town. With an age range of 17-27, you'll find hippies, surfers, skateboarders and everything in between. All on vacation, or all for the festival. Every hostel, hotel and motel was fully booked. No vacancy, everywhere. Hot, humid air filled the atmosphere and any time, anywhere, everywhere you looked there was beautiful bohemian "party people". I regret not bringing my skateboard and 500d. I would've fit in pretty well. The beach town of Byron Bay is one of the best places to get away in Australia and meet some amazing people, surf/skate, party or just chill out. Our time there consisted of going to the best burger joint ever, drinking my first coconut, sleeping in a car, looking at surf shops, listening to flamenco and hanging out by the beach in the rain.
Once back at the festival, people started gushing in like a flood, stalls were ready to sell, and people were ready to party. Our friends only arrived a day into the festival so we didn't really have much to do till they arrived. There was about 15-20 of us all together, and although my cousin and I had camped up on the very first few days in the "Vendor" camp area which was quite close to the festival, once everyone else arrived I relocated with all of our other friends in the "General" camp site area. Our set up was quite decent, a large gazebo and our tents camped up around it. (Our friends, in their 20's and Australian, have been camping alot so I was in good in hands) I hadn't been camping since I was really, really little so it was all pretty new to me, and I was pretty comfortable with all of it... apart from the excruciating heat in the morning. Seriously, it was like being slapped in the face by the sun every god-damn morning, and you couldn't help but wake up super early in the morning (and there's nothing to do at a festival in mornings but be hungover). So the 40 degrees northern sunlight, sweat, and sleepiness I could've done without. And being on the topic of heat, apart from the mornings, it was just generally, (well for me) way too hot - I literally did nothing all day when I wasn't working at the festival as I was too hot, but it was nice to experience it, sleeping under the gazebo all day wasn't too bad and plus I knew I was going to be back to London weather soon. The good thing is that we got cloudy skies on one or two days during the festival and even some rain, which ofcourse resulted in wet clothes but it was better than the heat! GENERAL VIBE
So apart from the intense weather, the general vibe of the festival was great. The fact that it was over 18 was certainly a plus. You could find a wide range of different people there, from "brogan" Aussie's to hipsters to straight down to the mud hippies. Although there was loads of different people there, partying, and working at the stall, I was proved that everyone was about love and togetherness, it was refreshing and friendly. The festival was full of colour and so were the people in it. Tons of people dressed up every night in creative costumes and make up (our group of guy friends wore our dresses.. what a story that was). Working at the stall gave me the opportunity inevitably to meet loads of people, but even just in queue's for the bathroom or food I met and spoke to loads of lovely people who I will never forget. What I liked about the boys at the festival was that they were good-looking, yes, but mostly just really upfront (probably due to the alcohol) and I usually ignore it in London, but it's nice to get something different to "Oi my size, what you saying?" after going out for a drink, you gotta admit! I think the loveliest thing I experienced people wise at this festival was the fact that I wore my.. yes.. American Apparel red short-shorts, and I didn't get any disrespectful "what is she wearing" stares I would get back home on a sunny day in London. Because no one actually cared, everyone was having too much fun. It was awesome. And although I got some guys staring at my butt, followed by exchanging smiles with them, I didn't really mind. Because I wore them for myself, and it's, only natural for a guy to stare. Girls should embrace that a little more.
The first night of the festival was a good one, all our friends had finally arrived and we spent most of the day working at the stall with my co-worker and friend Boris, it was pretty chill and it was just like an introduction for the next two to three days. That night I somehow got lost after meeting up to party, I wondered with a thousand cigarettes between my lips for the whole night, quite peaceful but a little bit annoyed and impatient. A few people spoke to me but I really wanted to just hang out with someone I knew! And then finally I bumped into Boris, Rusty and Ben. Finally, people I knew! I gave them huge hugs, I was so relieved. We entered the village and came across a really odd German, two man- (well, one woman, one man) band. It was so odd at first, all we saw was a slightly overweight woman in a Kimono rolling around the stage and kind of, well, stripping. Then the whole crowd was intrigued and we learnt that their music was actually, AMAZING. Really comedic, catchy stuff. I only wish I remembered what they were called. Shout out to those guys for making our first night an awesome one!
STALLS
The food at the festival was very mixed and varied, at the main section of the festival, where we had a stall, there were huge lines at most stalls. However some stalls such as where two of my Japanese friends were working, they were more towards the camp area and thus didn't have that many sales during the day. I had tried abit of everything during my 4 days of being there, Chinese, Malaysian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. All of it was pretty, well, greasy and overpriced. (A standard meal being around $13) But still good for a hangover! The other stalls, such as clothes and other things, (shout out to our feather stall) were pretty cool and creative. There were alot of organic/recycled stores, loads of peace/cause advertising stalls and my favourite, clothes stalls. I purchased 2 items from a vintage store, it was 3 items for $30 and two for $25, I left with a high waisted leather skirt (which I think I've lost now) and a floral tie-up shirt (and one of the buttons have come off, cry 4 me). All in all the stalls were pretty interesting and cool, however not as good as I expected. Some clothing stalls seemed really forced in general as companies (I won't name names). I must say I loved working at the feather stall, doing drunk boys and festival girls's hair, getting to know people was awesome and I finally learned to do something crafty with hair!FAVOURITE MOMENTS/THINGS
HEAT + PLUS WATER: It was hot as hell, but it was cool, cos we had all the water we needed. With high pressured taps for sunburnt people and water tanks for water for your water bottles, and the best, a water spraying tunnel by the main area of the festival. Man, running through that on a hot, dusty day is the best. The beach was 20 minutes away by car and it rained heavily twice, so although it was hot, we got alot of rain to balance it out! I only wished there was a lake/pool.
DANCING IN THE RAIN AT HERMITUDE: On a more personal note, I never felt so alive after dancing to Hermitudes music, live, under beautiful tall Eucalyptus trees in the pouring rain wearing alien babe make up and practically my underwear at the forest stage. Although we had only started drinking and were mostly sober and my dance partner wasn't there with me, it was literally one of the best moments of Australia.
THE LITTLE THINGS: The weird silent disco over the hill, getting bitten by ants, finding drugs on the floor and the trippy lights in the villiage.
MY BIRTHDAY/BLASTING INTO 2014 WITH THE ROOTS: Another beautiful moment, being with all of my friends with all these amazing festival people in the middle of a huge crowd, watching the 90's legends that are The Roots. They did an amazing NYE show and everyone went insane with happiness and concept. Afterwards everyone in my group sung a drunken happy birthday to me, I got bitten by an ant (for the second time) and then got a piggie back through the whole festival, followed by some more dancing with amazing people.
6 HOUR DANCE MARATHON: From Flight Facilities to Cat Empire to Rufus. I had literally never danced so much in my life. I did ballet until I was 14, and I dance at home whenever I can. But none of the clubs in London have done me justice (probably cos I've only mainly been to mainstream ones apart from a few trap clubs) - what made it great for me was being with Sophie, and amazing hoop dancer, we dance so similar and we just have the same love for dancing. It was so amazing being with her. Sophie, I hope we can dance again soon! All in all Falls Fest was an amazing experience for me, it's amazing to me that the first festival I got to experience was one of the best in Australia, on New Years AND my birthday! Had an insane time, I will never forget the horrible heat in the mornings, muddy vans (RIP my only skate shoes), the dust whilst dancing and the how amazing showers/the rain felt. I will never forget all the good vibes and good people, and all the amazing music! I recommend it to any festival lover!
Road-tripping on the way back was amazing, between the drives we stopped over alot and conversed about 90's hip hop rappers with my friend Charlie. Eventually we joined our Blue Mountains friends and Sydney friends together, and even met some people from the festival, we all camped at a camp-site somewhere on the way back to Sydney. We had collected about 10 mattresses from the festival and blew them up, and placed them next to our tents. We had a barbecue and smoked a couple of joints all around a fire. We had guitars, a mediation singing bowl (which was so amazing) a harmonica, and an African drum. We sat around and made music under the stars. And this may sound cheesy, but I had literally (living the city under a cloudy UK), never seen so many stars in my life. It was so beautiful, I could stare at it for literally, hours. I was mesmerised. That night I encountered two beautiful web-spinning spiders (I forgot what kind) and a frog, which was also, pretty cool. There was also showers and normal toilets at the campsite, which was something I think, after the festival, we all had missed. The music of The Roots and Flume will always be a reminder of the festival and this whole trip for me!
view more photos via instagram: tomyummsoup
[photos by yung gurl & crew]
12 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT SYDNEY: LONDON VS SYDNEY
- ASIAN CULTURE - I am obsessed with South-East Asia, and Sydney is full of great Asian food, supermarkets, shops, etc. Although I get so excited when I see an Asian supermarket near where I am staying that I end up looking super weird.
- GROOVY PLACES, CHEAP RENT - Back home coincidently all the areas where actual artistic, cultural, uni students live are super expensive. However in Sydney you can live in a suburb which is awesome yet affordable (for me anyway)
- BEACHES - This one is pretty self explanatory.
- HOT BOYS, HOT BOYS - Personally, I find the males here so much more attractive. And no, not because they are "Australian and mysterious" or whatever - I have my reasons, they are personal.
- AWESOME MARKETS - Places like Glebe offered me super cheap, wearable fashion as opposed to tacky, Wembley market trends.
- K-MART - We don't have one. 'Nuff said.
- SUSHI - For the love of all that is good, sushi. It's my favourite food and if I feel like eating it I have to travel 45 minutes away from where I live to get over-priced fish, or put up with Tesco brand which I don't even think can be classed as sushi. However if you live in Sydney you will probably have one or two on your local high street where they serve quick, cheap, amazing Japanese food. (My life sucks)
- REAL, LONG SUMMERS - No need to explain this one either.
- TRAVEL COMMUNITY - So many backpacking communities within the city, I find that most people from Australia (like me) have huge wanderlust. Unlike most people from London, who just want to get pissed on the beach at a hilarious, pathetic and completely uncultured holiday resort.
- ONE WITH NATURE - The trees and wildlife here are amazing. I feel so free and wild even in a city.
- NO SHOES? COOL - You don't necessarily need to wear shoes here because most people don't (and not just by the beach)
- LUST FOR LIFE - People I've met here all lust for either travel or new adventures. With so many outdoor activities, festivals and nature there is so much to do yet they are determined for so much more and I celebrate this greatly.
Although I will not miss the over-priced cigarettes, inconvenient buses and cockroaches..
CHRISTMAS
Merry Christmas to you all, I hope you have had a good one.
I spent Christmas Eve last night on Darling Harbour, it was pretty busy and crowded due to it's central location and because of the fire-works show that was planned. My night consisted of white wine spilling all over my leather satchel, after an hour of waiting finally watching the show, followed by sushi.
Here in Sydney I had an early family Christmas on the 22nd, (which was lovely).
I spent Christmas Eve last night on Darling Harbour, it was pretty busy and crowded due to it's central location and because of the fire-works show that was planned. My night consisted of white wine spilling all over my leather satchel, after an hour of waiting finally watching the show, followed by sushi.
This was the first time in my life (surprisingly) that I have spent Christmas away from London and my family.
Unfortunately the weather hasn't been sunny and hot like I had hoped, because then we could've stereotypically gone to the beach on Christmas. Instead, it's cloudy with mild rain... how boring.
Overall, this year it didn't really even feel like Christmas, and I wasn't excited at all. Maybe it's because of my age, or just being away from over-enthusiastic Christmas-loving London and all my friends/family. I think it may just be the excitement over Australia overshadowing the Christmas excitement, and I can live with that!
Merry Christmas from Yung Gurl.
[photos by yung gurl]
RANT: MOVING TO JAPAN CONFUSION
NOTE: I am not actually, officially moving to Japan any time soon: I've just been thinking about it on a serious note for some time now. If you are looking to read something about preparation for moving abroad, this is the wrong place. This is no way an accurate post on Japan or it's customs as I have never been. I'm just trying to make sense of some major confusion by venting.
WHAT IS MY PLAN?
If everything goes to plan, in just under two years I will have graduated from college with a music technology and English-teaching qualification, (and hopefully 1 extra English A-level if I can cop it) gotten into university (who knows where), and saved enough money to move to Tokyo.
WHY?
So I've always pretty much had a great interest with Japan (and no, not because of anime) - most likely because my dad lived there before I was born and I grew up hearing stories about the brilliant, unique culture and I was always surrounded by Japanese food, people, etc. As I grew older the dream started becoming a serious goal.
NOW FOR THE RANT:
I'm so confused. Until now I've had no doubts about moving to a completely new place. But as we get closer to 2014 I get closer to Japan and have started to do some early research just to make sure that this is the right choice for me. (I know it's pretty early, I have plenty of time, but I like to plan my future, and I need to save alot of money if I want to ultimately go through with this) The research and the things I'm finding are freaking me out. Now I know this is the internet, where stories and tales are exaggerated - however without actually visiting the place myself, I just don't know what to believe, and it's not like I'm hearing really bizarre, unrealistic things, but things that are certainly putting things in a new perspective for me.
I've always known that Japan is, well, a little 'weird', but I've always appreciated it's little quirks, in-fact I've found overly-convenient vending machines, giggling Harajuku girls and talking toilets quite refreshing. No doubt Japan's technology and even creative outlets are way more ahead of the West (IMO), and even though certain Westerners have a trouble adapting to even the basics of Japanese culture, I think I will be alright living alongside my favourite food and language. I'm a quick adaptor, and I love to be a part of a culture and make new friends, but doing some heavy research has made me re-consider alot of things.
My sources have been from real girls who live or have lived in Japan, you-tubers, bloggers and those who have just answered questions.
The Japanese customs are really strict and well-respected, growing up this was only a positive thing for me, as I only heard things such as "Japanese people are super polite" from my dad or "They either read or sleep on the trains, everyone is quiet" which is something I can definitely live with. And even recently discovering that you can't talk on the phone on trains or talk very loudly is something I can respect and live with.
But when I hear things like, "don't stand out" and "only use chop-sticks with your right hand" - that freaks me out. Although some say most foreigners will get away with making mistakes just for being a foreigner, one of the vloggers 'Gaijin' (foreigner) tips was genuinely "don't do anything different from the Japanese customs or else you will.." - and I quote, "be thought of disrespectful and look like a rude idiot" - and to us, these are simple minor things as small as placing chop-sticks on the table the wrong way round.
As a strong believer of individualism, I don't know how comfortable I am with these statements, but out of respect (or maybe just out of pure fear) I would try my best not to "stand out" and do everything right anyway. And even though things like chopsticks don't define who we are, I can't get my head around how "standing out" could be a bad thing and acting like a robot is a good thing. It's hard to learn about these "rules" when they have such great creative culture (including fashion) which breaks the whole "don't stand out" thing.
(Although, I do at this point feel as though I am underestimating my tolerance levels, I've visited strict on what you wear countries and I've been okay)
So my second problem (one that some may accuse as minor) is that apparently dating as a Gaijin girl is really hard. Sources have shown that most foreign women have a hard time finding a partner whilst living in Japan. At first, this was hard to believe, but then it actually started making sense. First of all you wouldn't believe how stupid, ignorant and idiotic some of the Western men living in Japan are on these forums. In-fact, I wouldn't even call them males, as they can't handle the "ego-istic bitches" that Western women apparently are. These so called "charisma men" aim to attract all the Asian women as they are more traditional and girlie to their appeal, (apparently) - and act like pricks when encountering Western females, and to their advantage Japanese girls are completely memorized and desperate to get into a relationship with them. Now obviously, that's not the attitude of all Gaijin guys, charisma men are usually guys who go to Japan as a form of escapism, and where back home they may not get any attention from females, in Japan they certainly do. On the other hand, Japanese men are a completely different story, and a complex one at that. To put it simply: they will stalk you to take pictures of you, and ask you to be hostesses, but won't date you. Wait, what? Apparently Japanese men are extremely attracted and slightly obsessed with Gaijin girls, (there is even something called Gaijin hunters) but they aren't interested in a relationship, ever. I figure that they are convinced that we are not traditional and that we are hard to handle or something (sad face). But in all honesty, if this is really the case, then that sucks. I'm not sure if this the majority or minority but there are definitely exceptions, many girls have happily been married to Japanese guys.
My third concern is safety - now although Japan is well known for being one of the safest countries, low crime rates in theft and what not, to the extreme where you can leave your iPhone to save your space at a coffee house. But on the negative side, crimes like assault and stalking go unreported and they are quite high. The Japanese police don't really care too much about certain things and plus as it is a Japanese custom to "ignore trouble" it is unlikely that you would get any help from anyone if you are being mugged or assaulted, unlike the UK/US. Foreign women often feel objectified in Japan, because of the stares and comments. But the problem is that the perverts and weirdo's assume that foreign women (as many don't speak Japanese) are easy targets. Property crime, theft and murder rates may be lower than most countries, but men assaulting women is a significant criminal problem in Japan, and the assailants are Japanese men. This certainly puts me off, for obvious reasons that I won't even explain.
SUMMING UP MY CONFUSION:
I feel like I'm suffering from culture shock even before getting to Japan. From hearing this to that, not knowing what to believe. But I've taken a massive breather from my research and all I can say is that I'm not going to back away from what I have always wanted just because I am a female. If I become a victim of what society wants us to be, then it will never make any improvements - and so with difficulty, I'm going to continue to do what I want, and that includes moving to Japan. If I'm determined to work hard enough to make it happen then it must be right. Every country has it's flaws, and I am to be tolerant of them. Recently I have met many people in Sydney (girls and guys) that have been to Japan before and all encourage me to do it, and have re-assured me that it's the right place. Whether I get there in the end or not, it's still going to continue to be my plan.
-Good Luck to all of you girls who want to move independently to a foreign place from Yung Gurl.
WHAT IS MY PLAN?
If everything goes to plan, in just under two years I will have graduated from college with a music technology and English-teaching qualification, (and hopefully 1 extra English A-level if I can cop it) gotten into university (who knows where), and saved enough money to move to Tokyo.
WHY?
So I've always pretty much had a great interest with Japan (and no, not because of anime) - most likely because my dad lived there before I was born and I grew up hearing stories about the brilliant, unique culture and I was always surrounded by Japanese food, people, etc. As I grew older the dream started becoming a serious goal.
NOW FOR THE RANT:
I'm so confused. Until now I've had no doubts about moving to a completely new place. But as we get closer to 2014 I get closer to Japan and have started to do some early research just to make sure that this is the right choice for me. (I know it's pretty early, I have plenty of time, but I like to plan my future, and I need to save alot of money if I want to ultimately go through with this) The research and the things I'm finding are freaking me out. Now I know this is the internet, where stories and tales are exaggerated - however without actually visiting the place myself, I just don't know what to believe, and it's not like I'm hearing really bizarre, unrealistic things, but things that are certainly putting things in a new perspective for me.
I've always known that Japan is, well, a little 'weird', but I've always appreciated it's little quirks, in-fact I've found overly-convenient vending machines, giggling Harajuku girls and talking toilets quite refreshing. No doubt Japan's technology and even creative outlets are way more ahead of the West (IMO), and even though certain Westerners have a trouble adapting to even the basics of Japanese culture, I think I will be alright living alongside my favourite food and language. I'm a quick adaptor, and I love to be a part of a culture and make new friends, but doing some heavy research has made me re-consider alot of things.
My sources have been from real girls who live or have lived in Japan, you-tubers, bloggers and those who have just answered questions.
The Japanese customs are really strict and well-respected, growing up this was only a positive thing for me, as I only heard things such as "Japanese people are super polite" from my dad or "They either read or sleep on the trains, everyone is quiet" which is something I can definitely live with. And even recently discovering that you can't talk on the phone on trains or talk very loudly is something I can respect and live with.
But when I hear things like, "don't stand out" and "only use chop-sticks with your right hand" - that freaks me out. Although some say most foreigners will get away with making mistakes just for being a foreigner, one of the vloggers 'Gaijin' (foreigner) tips was genuinely "don't do anything different from the Japanese customs or else you will.." - and I quote, "be thought of disrespectful and look like a rude idiot" - and to us, these are simple minor things as small as placing chop-sticks on the table the wrong way round.
As a strong believer of individualism, I don't know how comfortable I am with these statements, but out of respect (or maybe just out of pure fear) I would try my best not to "stand out" and do everything right anyway. And even though things like chopsticks don't define who we are, I can't get my head around how "standing out" could be a bad thing and acting like a robot is a good thing. It's hard to learn about these "rules" when they have such great creative culture (including fashion) which breaks the whole "don't stand out" thing.
(Although, I do at this point feel as though I am underestimating my tolerance levels, I've visited strict on what you wear countries and I've been okay)
So my second problem (one that some may accuse as minor) is that apparently dating as a Gaijin girl is really hard. Sources have shown that most foreign women have a hard time finding a partner whilst living in Japan. At first, this was hard to believe, but then it actually started making sense. First of all you wouldn't believe how stupid, ignorant and idiotic some of the Western men living in Japan are on these forums. In-fact, I wouldn't even call them males, as they can't handle the "ego-istic bitches" that Western women apparently are. These so called "charisma men" aim to attract all the Asian women as they are more traditional and girlie to their appeal, (apparently) - and act like pricks when encountering Western females, and to their advantage Japanese girls are completely memorized and desperate to get into a relationship with them. Now obviously, that's not the attitude of all Gaijin guys, charisma men are usually guys who go to Japan as a form of escapism, and where back home they may not get any attention from females, in Japan they certainly do. On the other hand, Japanese men are a completely different story, and a complex one at that. To put it simply: they will stalk you to take pictures of you, and ask you to be hostesses, but won't date you. Wait, what? Apparently Japanese men are extremely attracted and slightly obsessed with Gaijin girls, (there is even something called Gaijin hunters) but they aren't interested in a relationship, ever. I figure that they are convinced that we are not traditional and that we are hard to handle or something (sad face). But in all honesty, if this is really the case, then that sucks. I'm not sure if this the majority or minority but there are definitely exceptions, many girls have happily been married to Japanese guys.
My third concern is safety - now although Japan is well known for being one of the safest countries, low crime rates in theft and what not, to the extreme where you can leave your iPhone to save your space at a coffee house. But on the negative side, crimes like assault and stalking go unreported and they are quite high. The Japanese police don't really care too much about certain things and plus as it is a Japanese custom to "ignore trouble" it is unlikely that you would get any help from anyone if you are being mugged or assaulted, unlike the UK/US. Foreign women often feel objectified in Japan, because of the stares and comments. But the problem is that the perverts and weirdo's assume that foreign women (as many don't speak Japanese) are easy targets. Property crime, theft and murder rates may be lower than most countries, but men assaulting women is a significant criminal problem in Japan, and the assailants are Japanese men. This certainly puts me off, for obvious reasons that I won't even explain.
SUMMING UP MY CONFUSION:
I feel like I'm suffering from culture shock even before getting to Japan. From hearing this to that, not knowing what to believe. But I've taken a massive breather from my research and all I can say is that I'm not going to back away from what I have always wanted just because I am a female. If I become a victim of what society wants us to be, then it will never make any improvements - and so with difficulty, I'm going to continue to do what I want, and that includes moving to Japan. If I'm determined to work hard enough to make it happen then it must be right. Every country has it's flaws, and I am to be tolerant of them. Recently I have met many people in Sydney (girls and guys) that have been to Japan before and all encourage me to do it, and have re-assured me that it's the right place. Whether I get there in the end or not, it's still going to continue to be my plan.
-Good Luck to all of you girls who want to move independently to a foreign place from Yung Gurl.
FLYING TIPS
So I've finally gotten around to writing this post, a young girl can have many problems travelling alone, and flying comfort in economy class is one of them. Here are 8 of my tips for all you frequent or occasional long distance flyers.
- AVOID FLYING WHEN SICK - Take care of yourself before your flight, usually before travelling stress levels increase, especially if you have a busy life. This increases chances of getting the sick/falling ill, and trust me, it's really hard to fly when sick. So take care of yourself the best you can prior to your journey.
- KEEP HYDRATED - It's really important to keep cool and hydrated, invest in a travel cup for transits and arrivals/departures if possible.
- LOOSE/ADJUSTABLE CLOTHING - Scarves, big jumpers, sandals, beanies, it's all so good and to your advantage.
- CARRY GUM - Chewing gum is one of the best methods to help you from your ears getting blocked. (I saved a little kid from ear pain whilst flying once by giving him some gum, awesome stuff)
- POWER BANKS - Some flights may not provide you with sockets if short distance so invest in a little portable charger to always keep you entertained. (around £20)
- FLIGHT OVER 10 HRS? DON'T SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE - endure sleep deprivation for however long you can before your flight so you won't have to experience the painful boredom of staying awake.
- FLIRT WITH THE TICKET DUDE AT THE COUNTER TO GIVE YOU A GOOD SEAT - I'm not kidding, I do it every time. (And the award for the dumbest tip ever goes to... *queue fan fare*)
- KEEP YOUR CARRY ONS MINIMAL AND LIGHT - saves you leg space and makes things simpler.
BEACH TALK: SYDNEY BEACHES: #3 COOGEE
Coogee is a beachside suburb of local government area City of Randwick 8 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is also a part of the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. I really enjoyed going to this beach, it was after taking a swim in Gordon's Bay, a medium sized beach with lot's of food shops and a busy atmosphere. It was really nice to sit and watch the sunset with some friends, until a bunch of eager sea-gulls started pecking at our food. Although, it was pretty entertaining seeing them all fight over a French fry.
The car-parks were a little inconvenient as there wasn't that much space and it was pretty busy even though it was around evening time. Coo Gee seems like a family beach on first impressions, but there was a wide variety, from kids playing beach ball games to friends having Christmas picnics on the large grass area.
All in all I enjoyed my time at Coo Gee and it's a pretty relaxed atmosphere.
[photos by yung gurl]
CAN'T CONTAIN WHEN SHOPPING ABROAD
[ It's currently windy as hell here in Sydney.
I'm pretty happy that I got a Fuji digital camera for my early birthday/Christmas present 2 days ago since I didn't bring my main camera (500d cannon) on this trip. Instead I've been using my iPhone 4 and film camera (cannon) - which you can imagine isn't very practical as I've almost filled up all my phone storage and don't have that much time to develop my film. Although a Fuji digital camera isn't my ideal, it's quick and compact, so I guess I've found my new travelling camera! ]
bubble tea and stuff, earlier today shopping in Chatswood --->
Spending Christmas time in any city is great because all the sales are on and I love shopping abroad. And in addition to that, Sydney is also filled with beautiful markets that provide you with all sorts of items from cheap second hand clothes to crafted knick knacks. My cousin has a permanent stall at Glebe Markets, so I had the privilege of spending two full days there and bought tons of great pieces at remarkable prices as low as $2.
I must've bought atleast twenty items just for myself, and not forgetting to mention the bargain shopping I did for my bb's back home. Honestly, I couldn't contain myself. It was all so cheap, and so good! But I guess anyone can go a little over-board when clothing prices are comparable to cans of coke, but when it comes to $60 shoes, that's a no-no...however I went to Westfield in Chatswood today and exactly that.. oops.
What is it about shopping abroad that is so fulfilling? Is it the fear that you will never come across the exact same item again? Or does everything just look somehow, better when you're excited by new cities and atmospheres..
Well whatever the reason, I really need to contain myself.. only ten days into my trip and I really don't know how the hell I am going to fit all my purchases into my luggage in a months time..
bubble tea and stuff, earlier today shopping in Chatswood --->
Spending Christmas time in any city is great because all the sales are on and I love shopping abroad. And in addition to that, Sydney is also filled with beautiful markets that provide you with all sorts of items from cheap second hand clothes to crafted knick knacks. My cousin has a permanent stall at Glebe Markets, so I had the privilege of spending two full days there and bought tons of great pieces at remarkable prices as low as $2.
I must've bought atleast twenty items just for myself, and not forgetting to mention the bargain shopping I did for my bb's back home. Honestly, I couldn't contain myself. It was all so cheap, and so good! But I guess anyone can go a little over-board when clothing prices are comparable to cans of coke, but when it comes to $60 shoes, that's a no-no...however I went to Westfield in Chatswood today and exactly that.. oops.
What is it about shopping abroad that is so fulfilling? Is it the fear that you will never come across the exact same item again? Or does everything just look somehow, better when you're excited by new cities and atmospheres..
Well whatever the reason, I really need to contain myself.. only ten days into my trip and I really don't know how the hell I am going to fit all my purchases into my luggage in a months time..
[photos by yung gurl]
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