New York City

A city you step out into the streets and feel surrounded by people. Well, because you are, but I feel this impulse to run around and hug everyone. People exist. They aren't just mad drivers in LA traffic, they're human and all so so different.

Bars close at 4am, some adjusting there, but makes the weekends seem much longer. Well, I guess they are - adds a good chunk of time to your awake-ness.

It's been raining. It is wonderful. Just like the people - it exists. Weather and change and mother nature exists. I love sun and blue skies, I do, but I also love rain, snow and wind. So what? I want it all.

Maybe I'll get annoyed by it, but for now I welcome the humid mist blurring my glasses and puddles making my feet soggy.

Karen's loft has always been a haven for visiting circus performers and friends. And it doesn't stop now. I'm in the upstairs guest attic room, but people still come and go down below, including Karen. If only the walls could talk.

Hawaii for 1 1/2 days

Missed a few posts about travels this past year...but here I go again...

Arrived in Hawaii on May 2nd from LA after packing up my room (my favorite).

The couple on the plane next to me asked if I was going for business or pleasure. I said business, and couldn't help but smile, for I really meant pleasure, but feel beyond lucky for being able to say the former.

After my usual excruciating plane ride ridden with fear, we landed to a breathtaking view out the left windows. I have never seen a tornado (or in this case a waterspout) in my life and there were two, so so close. For some reason I felt no fear.

Then, I met my boss at the car rental, and due to the green shirt and red hair I was told to look for, climbed into a...strangers...car and took off down a highway in Honolulu. Like what any production job or travel adventure feels like, I picked up where I left off with the last person and we casually chatted as we maneuvered in a horizontal downpour full of lighting and car shaking wind.

Reminded me of my first on location film shoot in college. I'd convinced the Producer I knew what I was doing as a Script Supervisor and was picked up in a car full of guys and took off to some cornfield town to stay in a hotel for a week. You just act natural and carry on.

The rest of my day and a 1/2 in Hawaii was a few meetings and doing some work on the balcony of my hotel looking out to the bluest ocean. Met the rest of the crew and scouted the location we would return to film at in a month. Not a bad start to a job, to say the least.

As I took off from Hawaii, I remembered as a 5 year old - 21 years ago - I flew back from Hawaii & vowed never to fly again. It took me about 10yrs to fly again. I feel like this is one of those markers of growing up. One may be stubborn, but we shouldn't be scared to change our minds, it's worth it!

3,000 feet up

We hiked El Morro today. Josh and I do this hike most trips. El Morro is the only mountain that peaks out of this jungle area we're in. The view is spectacular of everything around. (Thanks to Josh's fancy phone app tracker...) 8 hours later, 3,000 feet up, and about 15 miles we made it. I'm tired. The hike is always a reminder that we're in the jungle. Vines, huge trees with crazy roots, lots of bugs.

The day before though was a huge day of construction, cement was poured and Josh and I ran around like crazy with our two cameras, nice to feel like we're actually capturing a complete story, rather than one that might come together over the next 5 years.

Sunday

Everything is a big event here. The papers were signed to get the road from Moyobamba to Yantalo paved. Something that has been talked about since the first time we arrived 4 years ago. Luis was a main event and three journalists followed him around with cameras...as did Josh and I.

Josh and I spotted our favorite kid today, a little girl, Rosalita, who isn't so little anymore. She remembers us and we have massive amounts of video footage of her. We met her and her sad eyes in the police office on our first visit and later learned she and her brother had basically been abandoned. Seeing some of the other kids that used to follow us around, all so much older, makes me kind of miss them holding onto every part of me as they swarm after us around town. Filmmaking means you
have to hide behind the camera sometimes - a balance between personal connections and a safe distance in order to observe. I think I like it there, in the middle.

We had lunch at a meeting with Luis. It was more like a company picnic Peru style. Winston, an older relative of Luis's who owns an amazing restaurant, brought me special veggie food. SO nice to have people looking after you...especially when they're good cooks!!!

perfection of Peru

Got up early early this morning for a potential interview with the future mayor. I always feel bad saying, OK let's be ready to leave at 7:30, but just know we might not leave until 10:30. Oh Peru. The interview didn't happen...maybe later. Did another interview and then stopped at a tiny airport where Luis plans to land "his plane"....the plane was donated to the Foundation by

Wings of Hope. That's right, Luis got a plane and pilot donated. This is what I have to keep up with. IMPOSSIBLE, but amazing. He also thought I said we were meeting friends to go out tonight and he got all excited and wanted to come....no Luis, we're meeting friends in the morning for a hike, not to go to the club.

(PHOTO: Luis y Milagros - an amazing friend here who is learning English, but it doesn't matter b/c our charades conversations are the BEST)

After a quick stop at the construction site we're spending a day of perfection at the hotel with food and the coldest beers in the world. I can't help but find perfection here.

Meeting tonight with the Engineer, which will last 3-4 hours....I'll sneak out probably half hour in, I already made Josh and Annah sit through a meeting over drinks for an hour and a half the other night. For them just sitting and staring at some guy talking in an unknown language, for me pretending to pay attention and ask questions when itseems appropriate so it sounds like I know what is going on. Strange how good I am at that.

(PHOTO: Wuilman's interview. I think my favorite person in Peru, we bonded over making fun of each other in English / Spanish and haven't been serious since)

Peru for trip #5

Decided to re-start this, since I'm on the road again....not that I haven't been. I'm in Peru for my 5th here! Amazing to realize.

First though, I'll do a quick re-cap of where I've been since I wanted this blog to also be a record for myself of where the hell I've been.

December-January - Europe for circus

? - 3 days in Florida at Disney World for a Job with Josh

? - 4 days-ish in Chicago for a quick job acting as an excuse to see friends

June - 3 days in Canada for Cirque du Soleil filming & 2 weeks in

Vermont for amazing nothing. Of course with a stop in NYC.

Now I'm back in Peru where the second I stepped on that flight to Lima I could smell it. 5 hour flight to Miami, 5 hour flight to Lima, 5 hour layover, and 1 hour flight to Tarapoto we were stepping off the plane and were hit with the humidity and green surroundings. Waiting for our car to Moyobamba we chatted with one of the moto taxi drivers and he knew of the clinic being built, even commenting on how many volunteers from all over the world that had been showing up. Basically....everyone knows what Luis is doing!

We arrived to 22 volunteers, 3 of which we had met from a previous visit, which was a complete surprise. It hasn't rained for awhile here, which means the electricity goes in and out (electricity is hydroelectric). It went out our first night. Luckily our hotel had a generator, but it still meant water was hard to come by. After two days of travel I was ready for a shower, but all I got was 10 seconds of strong cold water, turn off and wait 5 minutes, turn back on for a 10 second spurt. Basically you better have that soap all ready! I was rather frustrated but after drying off I couldn't help admit that was the best damn show I'd ever had - anything to get travel grossness off.

The next day in the morning we filmed a pathologist dividing blood samples in her hotel room. We had actually interviewed her in Milwaukee - her story is Luis walked into her office 2 years ago, laid out the clinic plans, pointed to a room, and said, 'I need a lab, can you help me?' This is her second trip here and she is the head of the some-day-to-be lab in the clinic. Nothing like an early morning lesson on blood, a whole populations different reaction to drugs, and a new serum from sea horses that could possibly keep blood samples longer in the hot jungle. Oh how I love my "job". Then, we took the bumpy ride to Yantalo where construction on the clinic has finally started! holes, foundation, tall towers, workers with hard hats! All very exciting.

new blog for this trip

Had to start a new blog specifically for my Europe circus filming. Follow where we go & see videos & pictures. I'll try to keep it updated...but not going to try to do both blogs.

GO HERE for Europe trip Dec 10- Jan 31st

http://worldcircusculture.blogspot.com/