Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles
It’s been nearly 4 months, maybe more, I’ve lost count of the days and the weeks and the months. All I know is that in May I will be getting off the ship again and going on vacation to eventually come back. I know it’s been a long time of the dreaded blog updates but thankfully a proverbial fire has been lit under my proverbial ass. Let’s hope this is a small amount of good in a world of water. that eventually mutates into a speck of an island and then into a shrouded canopy of rainforest on a small island off the coast of Mexico where the ancient spirits live. But really it’s old man McGregor who wants the place to himself so he scares the locals away with pyrotechnics he buys in Mexico City each year around the Day of the Dead celebrations to bring back by canoe across the waves which the locals do not transit.
Let’s find out what’s going to happen next, shall we?
Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles | Tags: Belize, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Miami, Stage Staff, Tampa, World's Largest Cruise Ship
It feels like I’m getting back with an old lover. That is if I ever had a lover that I would get back with. Or if I ever had a lover.
I’m in Tampa Florida for two days to get the necessary articles of clothing back in my wardrobe and to feel better. When I left Freedom of the Seas in March I never thought I’d go back on a ship. I caught a cold in my last week in Mongolia along with 1/2 of the country. I flew for 28 hours up over Siberia, near the North Pole, over the Hudson Bay and finally to D.C. then to Tampa. All with a painful ear squeeze. My mother tells me I could have blown my ears out if it got worse.
It’s 19 hours since I landed in Tampa and my ears are still pressurized. I have a new package of sudafed and an Antibiotic to take for the next 10 days. I get on the ship in 3 days. Hopefully my ears will equalize by the time I get on the next plane.
If you aren’t updated. I’m going to be working on the Liberty of the Seas. I meet the ship on Oct. 22nd in Cozumel, Mexico. I don’t know if I have enough time on the island to get a platter of chicken fajitas but in two weeks I surely will try.
The most ironic thing is that I was excited to get back to a ship because many ships had a new home port of Cape Canaveral. I was pissed off at Miami mostly because I didn’t like the cuban sandwiches there. Liberty of the Seas however has taken over the route that Freedom of the Seas was doing. So it’s the same Itinerary most of the time. In addition to the itinerary I know there is also one week where we will go to Belize City, Belize and Costa Maya, Mexico. I’m excited about new ports. We’ll see if they are excited about me.
And I have to mention that the Liberty is also the World’s Largest Cruise Ship. It’s the same ship plan as the Freedom. It’s one year younger and I’m going on 8 months after I got off of Freedom.
Yep, I’m back with an old lover.
Filed under: Mongolia | Tags: Citynight magazine, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Mongolia, UB
My plans had been to stay in Mongolia at least for 6 months. But always with the idea of “Let’s see what happens.” Within the first month I was fired from a job because they couldn’t pay what they said they’d pay. I ended up without a job for another month. When I got a 2nd job in Mongolia I didn’t know I wouldn’t get another one and ended up with a single part time job. Then I realized that I wasn’t going to get a Work Visa anytime soon. I had about three different people working to get a work visa but it never seemed close enough.
I went to China to cross the border and come back to renew my Visa. I walked into the registration office with the intent of getting another 90 days and then within that 90 days switching to a Work Visa. They denied my request and gave me only 30 days. At this point it was a wake up call. I went online and requested to rejoin the Ship Life. They offered me the ship I wanted in January. The next day I decided to leave Mongolia within the 30 days. I requested a ship within a month and they said Oct. 22nd. A mere 7 days away. It took me about 48 hours and some talking to the parents and friends. I decided to take the offer, buy myself a flight to Tampa early so I can get over jet lag and buy some black clothes. I never knew I’d return to the ship as a Stage Staff again. But I will and now I have to pay the price of getting rid of all my things.
It’s nearly 8am Sunday in Mongolia. I meet the taxi driver at 8:30am outside of my apartment or rather my old apartment. I’m back in Tampa, FL just after Midnight Monday morning. The total time is about 26 or 28 hours but I gain 12 hours going back.
My first stop is the Chinese take out place a mile from my parent’s home. I’ll be ordering the boneless spare ribs lunch special. I might try to get on a bike to get there but it might be too dangerous if I don’t sleep at all within the next 24 hours. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I caught the radio cast of the Gator Football game and I wanted to try to start the decompression early from jet lag.
I will see all you good people in Miami,FL for the next 6 months. Get your Sundays ready.
I will be on the Liberty of the Seas. The sister ship of the Freedom of the Seas, the ship I was on for a year in 2008.
Please be patient as I hope to get a few things off my chest about Mongolia in the next month. I have to tell you about BTV, the tv station that hired me, brought me to Mongolia, and then fired me three times within three weeks. I have to tell you some scintillating details of my love life or lack thereof. And I will present you with the articles I wrote for Brian’s Citynight magazine here in UB, Mongolia. If you’re lucky you will get to preview the final article.
Filed under: Mongolia
Woke up this morning at 8am and I was late. I had planned on heading over to a favorite morning coffee bakery shop to sit down on the internet and listen to the Gator football game this weekend on radio online. In the last week I was supposed to find either an internet place that is open early or 24 hours or find a coffee shop. But A) never found a 24 hour internet place. B) woke up late and C) gotta go gotta go!
It’s a big game. The currently #1 ranked Gators head to Louisiana to play #4 ranked LSU. Most of the college football games are played from noon to 8pm which is Midnight to 8am my time. But this game starts at 7am my time. If I can get to internet somewhere I can listen to the game! I’m so excited.
But last night I left my headphones and cap at the club we had a Charity dance party at. This morning I wake to a slight snow cover on the ground and cars. It’s cold I’m headphoneless and I don’t even know where I’m going. But the gator football beckons me. I head out scarfed and with a half working pair of in-ear headphones I dig out of the bottom of my laptop sack. I stroll up to my favorite french bakery and it’s closed! Oh dear me! But I’m around the corner from Cafe Amsterdam, I have to go there. It’s expensive and I don’t like their coffee. Oh well. It’s what I have to do.
I walk up and order a chocolate croissant. Sit down in the back on a couch and strap in for a wile ride. I’ve been listening to the radio for a few minutes. It’s been exciting. An early cold morning here. actually not as cold as I thought when I first saw the snow. But my biggest problem is that I’m surrounded by ex-pats. This ain’t not local tavern. It’s an ex-pat haven. And an expensive one at that, which might be the biggest reason I don’t like this place. But I find it ironic that I complain about the expats while I listen to a college football game, how much more American can you get? It’s that self-loathing jew in my coming out.
Oh and the club that we do Saturday night events at is named Orange Club! If I stay there late at night and watch a gator football game (maybe one day) then It’ll be Orange and Blue!
Filed under: Mongolia | Tags: Andrew Cullen, Boston Hardcore, Mongolia, Photos
Are you interested in seeing Photos of Mongolia? Check out my friend Andrew Cullen’s great repertoire of photos. He’s a photojournalist, former Peace Corps Member that has stayed in Mongolia to work and takes fancy photos.
He shows off his photos from the countryside, an election campaign, and even family life. But my favorite photos of his aren’t from Mongolia. Their the Boston Hardcore scene. I don’t know why photos from other music scenes always look better than anything I’ve ever been a part of back in Gainesville. We had a great music scene but these other places always look more alive more intense.
Filed under: Mongolia | Tags: Countryside, Hall of Justice, Mollywood, Mongolian traveling, Mongolian winter, Mongolwood, moving, Xanajew
The Hall of Justice is now the Hallway of Justice. If the Justice League ever moved headquarters they would probably not move two doors down to a smaller place with less shelving. That coat rack, scratch that, cape rack, must be huge. They need a lot of space for their boots. More space than a two level plastic shoe rack. Is there a cape check girl at the entrance?
This week Brian and I moved XanaJew to another location. The three month lease ended at XanaJew so we found a last second apartment on the other side of the supermarket next door. If you do your math correctly you’ll know that we are now on the other side of one building. It took us two days to move, by foot, no taxi needed. But it’s a smaller place, with less cabinets and tables. But I like it a lot more. The first place was too posh for me. I like the New XanaJew. It has more personality.
The move took nearly a total of four or five, maybe a week including searching for a place a week ago, pushing back the deadline to sign a new lease with the old place, an afternoon of looking at the new place (for which I was at work and couldn’t go), then moving over the course of one afternoon and the entire next day. Then another day of moving furniture around the old place back to it’s original set up. Then three days of procuring funds to pay for 6 months rent up front. Then an afternoon of actually handing the money over. Finally we are moved in and setting the place up for success. We have to find a way to put all of our accumulated stuff in places or ways that fit with in the confines. It’s not as small as I keep alluding to but it really just doesn’t have the shelf space we were accustomed to in the first place. A new place, a new line of thought. This kind of thing puts wrinkles on your brain doesn’t it? Which is a good thing. Right?
The Cross Eyed Gypsy is going strong. Two parties into the season we have had two sizeable crowds for the circumstances. The first party, an Indie Party, we had about a total of 80 people over the course of 3-4 hours. Which is great and the party built to a nice energy around 11 or 11:30pm. I count it a success. Then on Saturday night we had our 2nd party, a Beatles Dance Party. Just in time we had a snow storm. Friday I was running around in my pants and shirt sweating buying some onions and carrots at the open air market set up for a month in the plaza outside my home. Then Saturday morning I wake up to a snow flurry. Over the course of the day it didn’t get colder but got windier and heavier. By 11pm Saturday night it was almost a blizzard. Not really a blizzard but lots of wind and lots of snow. That really drove the people into their homes and away from our party. But it still ended up being a great party. In total I would say about 30 people came. The party went well past midnight (normal closing time for bars) And ended up going till well past 2am. People wanted to stay and dance. At the best point I walked up stairs to hang out and I was the only one sitting down. All 15-20 people there were dancing, even the Mongolian friends of the owner. Even the owner, the big man himself, was doing the twist, or at least trying to. Next week might be better weather as already today it’s nice and cool out.
But just as we move to a new place, and right as Winter comes knocking on the door, I’m heading out to the countryside for the first time. I will be going on a 10 day whirlwind trip of 6 or 7 Aimags (states). Visiting such places as Hovsgol (a lake and most beautiful part of Mongolia), Hentii (Birthplace of the great late Chinngus Khan, you may know him as Genghis), And a series of other Aimags that nobody believes I can get to within 10 days. And for what price? Well ladies and gentlemen of my bank account overseers, This trip is completely free. What? What did you say? Did you say Three? Three hundred? NO, I said free. I will be filming the trip. About 10 men, I believe tour guides or travelers or well People, are doing this trip and I’m going along to film it for them. Our Friend in Darkhan, Jaocho, is letting me borrow a camera and he’s set this all up. He’s actually coming into town tonight to pick me up and I will start in Darkhan. I’ve been waiting for a chance like this and it just rolled up into the parking lot.
In sad news My harddrive crashed and I might not be able to finish a music video I’ve been working on. But thankfully I have one copy of a video that is too boring. That might survive and go into the graveyard of good ideas gone bad. But two bands are on the burners about music videos. I’ll get something done for them. And the weather is getting interesting just in time for this stuff. This is one of the bands: Mohanik that I really want to do a music video for. They are fun and nice guys. I seem to believe they have real personality. I saw it in some of their old videos and even in their stage presence. They do typical pop punk but it’s in Mongolia so we can have some fun with it. They have this video on youtube. It’s got more personality than most typical Mongolian music videos. Essentially shot in their backyard and probably in one of their grade schools they went to with a lot of children. At least it looks like they are having fun. I think some of the kids are doing the Macarena, some are doing the Pulp Fiction John Travolta dance while some, unbeknownst to themselves, are doing the Time Warp.
Until next time I leave you with this text message I received late last night from a girl that works at a computer store after I asked her if we can meet and where she lives:
“I can holly wood.”
I don’t remember seeing Holly Wood on the map of Ulanbataar, Mongolia. But for the film community here in Mongolia which is better?
Mollywood or Mongolwood or Mongllywood?
Filed under: Mongolia | Tags: Mongolian music. Mongolian underground music awards, Starfish, Sunderya
It’s been a big week inside the XanaJew Media Empire compound. Brian finished the latest Citynight issue. I have a three or four page spread. More comments on mongolia. Thankfully nobody will recognize me from the drawing of myself that is printed on the page.
We had our first party at Formerly Orange… or now known as Cross Eyed Gypsy. It was an Indie Rock Dance Party. I made an hour long video pulling together indie music videos and film clips. we played it two times before the party got hopping. In my opinion the party was a great hit. At least 80% of the people there I didn’t know which means it wasn’t just my friends. Over the course of the night I’d say we had about 70 or 80 people come and go. The club easily fits 50. 100 would be a really packed place. But thankfully if there are 100 or 150 people there then there’s also a downstairs four table restaurant that people can hang out in.
Next week we have a Beatles Dance Party. the door entry fee is a little bit more but we think it’ll be similar amount of people as more people talk and talk. I know I’ve been talking with everyone I come into contact with during the normal course of the day. From electronic stores to Phone company receptionists. you never know who wants to party hearty to the Beatles.
In the same vein as the Predator post, soon will be a Beatles Statue post.
Tonight are the Mongolian Underground Music Awards. Half awards show half performance. Many little new bands this year are playing. With Mongolian music still in it’s infancy, there are tons of new bands and this is their showcase. Most of these bands that perform tonight have been signed and are recording now but their previous material is mostly limited to compilations.
I get to video tape part of the show and will hopefully put together a music video for Sunderya. A female singer in a metal band. I’m still working on the final touches of the Starfish music video. I’ve been sitting on it for the last month with the hopes that it would turn out better than I thought. But soon you’ll see a youtubed version. In acutality I have made two music videos. One is very boring and a single slow shot. The 2nd is a better video of their photoshoot with Citynight. Expect those videos soon.
Filed under: Mongolia | Tags: Business, lawyer, litigation, Mongolia, suing
The reason you haven’t been privy to the now ongoing story of BTV is that we are in the middle of litigation. Actually to be honest we are at the start of litigation. Brian and I walked into the TV station office last week after four weeks of non payment and no communication from them. We talked with the director who said they had no money. At this point they have now broken nearly every single promise they’ve made to us. But I can’t go into is until I know how this will play out. I don’t want to find my blog as evidence #23 in the case against BTV. But many of our friends are up in arms about this. Both Mongolians and American ex-pats are on our side and we will soon be moving forward. As for you, You will hear the whole story… in due time.
Filed under: Mongolia
Today I was eating lunch, a hearty plate of four mini hot dogs splayed like my mom used to do, and a couple of scoops or rice along with some sort of pickles and peppers combination. The hot dogs were over cooked but it’s a school cafeteria, what did I expect? While finishing my meal and some teachers wandered in for their meals the P.E. teacher came over in his most outgoing of ways and asked me something. It took four teacher to get enough simple Mongolian and miming done so that I understood what he said. He asked if I played Rugby, Ping Pong, or Volleyball. I said sure. Why not? I’ll get rough and dirty with the teachers. They might rip me to shreds or hurt me beyond repair but I don’t want to seem like the little pansy on the side line. I’d rather be the pansy on the field playing the game.
Later I find out that it’s not playing against the fellow teachers. It’s playing with the fellow teachers against the area’s other schools. This weekend is a three day sports fest where all the teachers in the city come together and compete against each other. Oh NO! I don’t mind looking a fool in front of my fellow teachers but to have to compete with them against other schools I would feel like a complete failure if I let the whole school down.
I think I will be able to compete the Tug-O-War and that’s about it. I might be a good anchor or something like that.
I also find out later that I could play chess in this weekend of competition. Tomorrow I will ask more about this weekend. Maybe I can convince them to start a Thumb Wrestling competition. I’m pretty good at it.
Brian and I have a large Grand Opening party at the Cross Eyed Gypsy on Friday night. I’m not sure if I can make it anywhere on Saturday before noon.
We started today to work for the Creative Agency called Unit Creative. They have some very high profile clients and the Director actually read this blog last week. Hopefully she’ll come back for more as the days progress futher and further into the cold winter.
Speaking of Winter. I tasted my first 0 degree Celsius night. I was inside for it and didn’t really get it until the next day was bitter cold. But I fared well. It reminds me of my days in Chicago. Ah.. the beautiful autumn and then rolling into the Holiday season. I saw my first snow there in Chicago walking home with David Dong. I started to dance and spin around the little snow flurry that was happening. A week or so later it was warm again and then Winter crashed into the Midwest. Then I saw my first real snow. Late one night on the way to a local pub I had my first snowball fight. Derek, and some girls and I frolicked around happily throwing snow balls. Okay I was the only one actually frolicking but we were definitely having a snow ball fight. It ended with Derek accidentally picking up a large piece of ice and hitting me square in the right testicle. I blacked out for a few seconds found my lower half immobilized for about five minutes. I awoke out of the worst of the pain to everyone standing over me. There are pictures of it on Facebook somewhere. After laying in the snow to ice it down for a few minutes I limped all the way to the pub. Pain still coursed through my system from my toes to my eye lids for about an hour. I think I woke up in the morning still numb with a bit of pain. But it’s all good now, what a great night that was. I can’t remember anything else of merit happening.
Filed under: Mongolia
My stomach churns all morning. If I was only a little nervous yesterday about teaching and then didn’t have a class, today I’m doubly nervous. I arrive a 1/2 an hour before my noon class is to start. I’m too nervous to eat in the cafeteria downstairs. The door to the English Teacher’s room is locked. I ask around and find out they are at lunch. but that I can go hang out with the Mongolian teachers. I jump at the chance. It’ll help my Mongolian and their English. I sit down and just chill, try to talk to the Japanese Language teacher for a few minutes but I feel like I’m bothering her. She’s Mongolian, I have to repeat that, she’s not Japanese.
About 5 minutes before my class, at noon, I ask again about the rooms. If i have the correct rooms. The teacher brings me to the schedule on the wall and starts saying something in Mongolian. I look confused. She goes to one of the classes and pulls an 8th grader out of class to come translate for us. She tells me that the class times have changed this afternoon. My first class is now at 1pm. So I wait around another hour. The bell rings and I walk over to the class. There’s still a teacher in there. I wait a minute. then I wait another minute. Finally I decide to sit down. at the moment he comes out of the classroom and keeps the door open for me. And away my first class goes!
It’s 8th grade and it goes smoothly. I play improv games with them. They have a ball with Zip Zap Zop. And can’t pronounce it very well but at least they are standing speaking talking and having fun. I have them fill out cards of information for me about their favorite things. it starts the dialogue. I ask a question and they give the answer in English.
9th grade goes exactly the same but faster. Then 10th grade comes around and the entire class is three boys. It’s by far going to be the hardest. The games I have are for large groups so back to the drawing board I go for next week. They also want to be gangsters. The biggest problem is that only one of the speaks English and translates everything for the other two.
Thursday rolls around and I have three more classes. 4th grade is only 6 students but only 5 are there. For the first five minutes of class one little fat boy eat ice cream while the other kids tease him about being fat. But they laugh and play the games.
7th grade is more of the same and speak better English than the 10th graders.
My final class of the day was 11th grade. This group is all gangsters. When I play the improv game “Bang” with them they seem to sorta like it as gangsters but hate it as teenagers. This will definitely be my Dangerous Minds class. maybe we’ll do a production of Raisin In The Sun because they all want to be black. They give themselves English names of T.I. Akon, and D-Anti.
Each day the teachers get a meal in the cafeteria for 1500 tugrugs. about a single US dollar. Today was vegetable soup. Which turns out to be carrots and potatoes wiht Buuz (pronounced Boats) which are boiled mutton dumplings. It’s Mongolia.. everything has meat even the vegetable soup. I’m not sure at this point if I’m still nervous from today’s teaching or if it’s the soup that making my stomach churn.
After classes are done I decide to find some teachers to go chat with. I wander around looking for anyone and wind up in a classroom where a teacher’s meeting is taking place. I’m told I don’t have to be there but I stay anyway. Half way through one of the English teachers sits next to me to translate.
Here is what she said over the course of the 1/2 hour meeting.
-Don’t Lesson
-Acitivities Funny
(now here’s something that makes sense)
-Must curriculum
-Prepare reading materials
-Prepare class plan, test, materials
(now it gets out there again to end it all)
-Everybody will teach the lesson very funny.
I’m glad I got to sit through that meeting. But at the end I’m glad I’m just around. The Indian English teacher has not been around and they keep asking me where she is. I don’t know.
Over the course of the three days I spent in the school this week I’ve only worn two pants, two shirts and two ties. I just mixed and matched them on the third day. But I don’t think it’s a big deal that I don’t have a huge wardrobe. It’s going to get cold here very very soon, as in maybe tonight. So I will be wearing jackets and under shirts and all sorts of layers. I’ll just wear everything I own at once to stay warm. Today finally got chilly during the day and it’s wonderful. It’s wonderful until the smog starts to come around.
