Owls* are one of the oldest species of animal still around today. Fossils of owls date back as far as 60 million years ago. Depictions of owls are found in cave paintings and throughout their existence have been part of human legend and folklore all over the world.
Many cultures view owls as ill omens, others venerate them for their wisdom, beauty, and/or their prowess as hunters.
Pre-Incan and Incan cultures worshipped owls, for their wisdom and superior skill, and were often depicted in their pottery and textiles. This is why I'm including the owl in my logo. The one I'm using is a Moche** sculpture of an owl warrior. A symbol of strength (not just physical but also mental and emotional)
**The Moche civilization populated the northern coast of Peru between 200BC - 800AD. They are the largest and most represented Pre-Incan culture in Peru. You can learn more about the Moche people here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moche
Yesterday, I moved into a small room on the third floor of my parents' house. It's a modest size, 3x4 meters. Plenty of room to live and sleep. I wake up in the morning, stretch on the roof, walk downstairs, squeeze oranges and share moments with my mom and dad. Though these moments have been plentiful in the past 2 weeks, we've only shared a few in the past 3 years.
It's been challenging to live with my parents again. But that's why I moved back, right? To challenge myself, in many ways. The past 3 years were spent migrating from one end of my emotional self to the other. It's been a long and trying journey, that continues today. This is a different challenge though, because I chose it. And though I miss my communities spread through out the US, I feel good about my decision.
My daily struggles seem oddly similar, like deja vu: language is bewildering, a different culture to get accustomed to, new smells, tastes and traffic patterns.
Next weekend is the last Baile Crunk*. It's also my going away party. I'm not sure how to best deal with all the sadness I'm feeling about leaving my community in Philadelphia, and all the small communities I have in other cities across the US (mainly DC, yea I'm looking at you pals!!). I feel like I'll probably be crying all next weekend.
It's been such a wonderful experience to put on this party with Shoog. It's been so awesome to see so many people come out, dance and get sweaty with us every month! This party has really helped me work a lot of things out in my life. I wish it wasn't ending.
The last year and a half has been amazing and challenging. I've learned a lot about myself... now I'm moving on to the next stage in my journey. I've felt ready to take this next step, but now that it's so close, I'm doubting my preparedness, LOL. What's it going to be like to live with my parents again, for the first time in almost a decade? What's it going to be like to live in a place completely different from what I know? What's it going to be like to move somewhere where I do not have a community... or a support network?
In a few weeks I will board a plane with only two bags, my bicycle, and my memories. I'm not sure when I'll be coming back. I just hope that the connections that I've made continue to be as strong as they've ever been. I would not have gotten through the last year without my amazing friends! I will definitely miss you all dearly!
So what's the best way of saying thank you?... I just hope that all the energy that I'll be putting on my final set expresses all my emotions and gratitude!!!
keep dancing! love, me
*Baile Crunk is a monthly dance party I throw with my roommate Shoog.
Some changes are going to be happening to my blog. I've decided to combine my music blog (tothebarricadesradio.blogspot.com) with this blog. So this blog will be comprised of pretty much all of my interests, not just politics and UFO's.
Anyways, I haven't added a new entry in a while. I've been really busy spending time with friends and various other tasks. I'll be posting a new entry soon, but mostly I've been working on mentally preparing myself for a new journey.
Though I will have some relative comforts once I embark on my next move, mainly a nice paycheck for 8 months and a home to live in, I'm unsure of how everything is going to play out. I'm scared to leave my community (and comfort zone) behind, I'm scared of starting a new life in a place both familiar and soooo unfamiliar to me, I'm scared of not being strong enough to help pull my parents out of the rut they are in... I'm scared that I may not be strong enough to carve out a whole new life for myself in a place vastly different than the world that I am accustomed to.
What is goodbye going to feel like? hopefully more like a: see you next summer.
This entry is a tribute to every one that thinks I look like Jaguar Paw**.
I found this yesterday while looking for a Caifanes*** music video and I thought it was kinda hilarious.
Note: Apocalypto is a really gory and graphically violent film, some of the clips might include some blood. Watch at your own risk! :)
Through my experience navigating these awkward interactions, where I'm being told that I look "Indian," I've come to realize that a lot of people must be unaware of mestizos. Mestizo is a term used specifically in the former Spanish and Portuguese empires to describe a person of mixed Indigenous and European heritage . I know that me posting this will not stop random muggles**** from stopping me on the street every day to tell me I look "Indian" or ask me if I'm "Native," but whatevs, if anyone reads this and was unaware and now isn't, that makes me feel good! :)
*Los Dioses Ocultos (the occult gods), is a really good song by Caifanes!
**Jaguar Paw is the main character in Apocalypto, an historically inaccurate film about the fall of the Mayans. I would also like to mention that the actor who plays Jaguar Paw is of Comanche ancestry, native to present-day: New Mexico, Oklahoma, and parts of Colorado and Arizona. I, on the other hand, am Peruvian, native to the Andean region of South America. I'm of mixed Incan and European ancestry. We do not all look the same, for reals yall!
***Caifanes is an amazing Mexican rock band from the 80's. Some of their material still lives on in the current band Jaguares, formed by the lead singer and drummer of Caifanes.
****Muggle is a term used in Harry Potter to describe persons who lack any magical ability and were not born in the magical world. I'm sure you can deduce how I use the term, so I will not explain it here. :)
Last week, Tim Wise went on CNN to talk about racism and the health care debate going on right now. There's really not much that I can add. Tim Wise is completely on point and articulates his argument really well.
Here's a follow up to the video, where Tim Wise responds to some hate-mail. Also on point!
The same rhetoric discussed in the video also creeps into the immigration reform debate. White xenophobia rears its ugly head and people must be vigilant or these "illegal aliens" are going to take over the country. It's funny how white folks band together at any hint of a threat to their power, even when it's not in any way changing the power dynamics of the systems of oppression in place. People of color and poor people are simply not allowed access. That's some white paranoia!
Dehumanization, which marks not only those whose humanity has been stolen, but also (though in a different way) those who have stolen it, is a distortion of the vocation of becoming more fully human...
Because it is a distortion of being more fully human, sooner or later being less human leads the oppressed to struggle against those who made them so. In order for this struggle to have meaning, the oppressed must not, in seeking to regain their humanity (which is a way to create it), become in turn oppressors of the oppressors, but rather restorers of the humanity of both.
This, then, is the great humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well. The oppressors, who oppress, exploit, and rape by virtue of their power, cannot find in this power the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves.
Only power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both.
