Of the Moment

Of the moment // 9.14.18

2433

At the time this blog post goes live, I’ll be in Japan! This is probably the most nervous, excited and overwhelmed I’ve been for a trip in a looooong time. I usually don’t do too much trip research or crazy itinerary planning, but I have been deep in friends’ recommendations and Eater articles and Instagram holes every night for the last few weeks. And I still don’t have a super clear plan of what we will do, other than eat a lot of good food and drag David along for a few early mornings at temples. I’m worried that we won’t do enough and we will do too much, and that age-old traveling fear, that people won’t understand us and that we will get lost. Alas: we’re doing it!

I haven’t been to Asia since 2012, and it’s wild how much in my life has changed since then: I have a job! I’m married! I have a dog! I’m not staying in the cheapest hostel I can find! I remember being SO nervous about traveling to Asia for the first time. I was 23 years old, which feels so incredibly young in retrospect. It was really the first time I went anywhere other than Europe and Australia, aka a place where I couldn’t just blend in with the locals as long as I didn’t open my mouth. I was also traveling by myself for an indeterminate amount of time, right after quitting my job and therefore giving up an opportunity to get an extended work visa for Australia and I really wasn’t sure what would be next. I did ridiculous things like hop on the back of a motorcycle with a stranger for three days through rural Vietnam, something I can barely comprehend at this stage of my life, but something I’ll never forget. That’s always the funny part about nerves like this before a big trip: sure, they exist. But what life and travel has shown me over and over again: if you push past them, if you understand it will sometimes be uncomfortable and scary, you get some of the most incredible experiences.

Podcasts

I recently discovered Bodies, which is basically a women’s medical mystery show. It’s thought-provoking and very thoughtfully done. On a much lighter note, Squarespace binge-released Casting Call: it’s basically an American Idol of podcast pilots. Hosted by Jonathan Goldstein (host of one of my other Gimlet faves, Heavyweight), it’s hilarious and really fun and I can’t wait to finish binging and vote for my favorite.

Reads

To follow up on my diverse book recommendations, I tore through A Place for Us. Written by an American woman of Indian descent, it follows an Indian-American family from childhood through adulthood. It’s an exquisitely written account of mostly everyday affairs, from the different perspectives of different family members. I loved the glimpse into Muslim traditions, and was so moved by the ending.

Shows

I know I am very late on this, but I just discovered The Great British Baking Show and what a delight! It’s a food competition show set in the UK–basically, exactly what it sounds like–but all of the characters and hosts are just so likable and the whole vibe is just so uplifting and good-natured. They’re also all insanely talented bakers, and I’m so inspired to whip out my KitchenAid after every episode–even though I know that I do not have the patience to concoct half of the creations!