Travel Challenge: Day 8--A Favorite Food From Another Country

I'm a fatty and I don't care who knows it.

I love to eat. I love trying foods from different cultures and different countries. It makes me feel more connected to the place that I am visiting, rather than ordering "Americanized" food in a different country.

I've always loved Shepard's Pie. I first tried it at a tea house in, of all places, Kansas. I've been hooked since then, and when I finally went to Ireland and had authentic Shepard's Pie with Guinness, I died. As a birthday present, our bus driver bought me a recipe book of Irish foods. It's been thoroughly abused.

Photo via ifood.tv

Tortilla de patatas. I thought I knew about Spanish food before I traveled to Spain but I was sadly mistaken. Living with a family, I was able to eat typical Spanish meals and the day my host mom made tortilla de patatas, I kissed her. Seriously I did. A few weeks later, my friends and I had a dinner party and we made tortilla de patatas, but it didn't taste the same as it would from a woman who's been making it for years.

Photo via Chicho's Kitchen

 I had this in London and my mouth thanked me for it! I can't remember the name, but as you can see, I had carrots, a huge flaky biscuit/bread type thing, parsnips and beef with Guinness flavored gravy.

 Obviously I thought it was excellent! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to wipe the drool off my keyboard.
 

Travel Challenge: Day 3--An Adventure or Challenge While Traveling

My trip to Ireland was an adventure in and of itself mostly due to the fact that I hadn't experienced a country as pure as Ireland before and because of the lovely people who were in the group.

I always say that I don't have a comfort zone, but looking back on this particular trip, I can say wholeheartedly that Ireland threw me through a loop.

I've never been too much of a thrill seeker. I like to play it safe. I was content with staying at O'Brien's Tower on the Cliffs and fighting off the tornado winds (on an already cold day) that were coming our way.

However, my friends Laura, Emily and Lauren all suggested that we go to the other side of the Cliffs...and past this sign:

I may have appeared excited, but in reality, I thought I was going to faint. The further and further we walked the less people we saw, which in my book, isn't a good sign.
 

We started taking pictures, that I sometimes can't even stomach to look at because of how high up we were and how close to the edge of the CLIFFS OF MOHER we were.

We took pictures of us jumping.

We took pictures of us sitting as close to the edge of the Cliffs we could get.

We took pictures that created the illusion that we were thisclose from being one step away from our doom!

I can successfully say that Ireland gave me my first big adventure while abroad, but don't let the smile in the pictures fool you, these pictures show Naomi the "daredevil," but I was a quivering, teeth chattering, chicken.

What? You've Never Seen a Black Person Before?

I'm Black.

Whether it's been negative or positive, my skin tone has always caused quite the commotion when I travel. It's almost like I'm a celebrity.

People either look at me like I have three heads or worship the ground I walk on. Sometimes I want to scream at them and say, "HAVE YOU NEVER SEEN A BLACK PERSON BEFORE?"

Then I realize that maybe countries like Australia and Spain don't have many Black people and even if they do, maybe they don't know how to interact with them..Who knows.

"For you, 50 percent off because I just love Black people."

All I know is that whenever I travel I am either, stared at, whistled at or am the victim of a flash run (take a picture without me knowing until the flash goes off and all I see are butt cheeks and elbows running down the street), and I'd like to happily do without any of that.

I'm happy to take a picture with a local if they ask. I love having my picture taken!  It actually brightens my day when someone says, "Excusa...photo...you?" Just ask for my photo.

Apparently I Have a Signature Pose.....

Every now and then I go through my pictures on my computer. Last week, while deliciously on Spring Break at my Mom's I decided to relive my glory days abroad.

Instantly I was flooded with memories of good friends and I in London or at Il Duomo in Florence. Then I realized...in a good portion of those pictures....I do a specific pose.

At first I thought to myself, "wow, Naomi you have that same pose in two different pictures in two different cities in different years!" Then, as I continued to go through my pictures, the pose became more apparent.

My signature pose, is this:

London 2005 in front of the Buckingham Palace Gardens at age 15, aaaah so young!

Now usually I don't have an awkward looking face, but this is generally my signature pose and I ONLY do it when I'm abroad! In all of my other pictures from high school or college I don't have a pose like this. But when I go abroad it's a completely different story!

I do have a variation of this pose:

Florence 2009 on top of the Duomo

Here are just a few more of pictures from my trips that include one of the two poses!

Paris 2009 inside the ballroom in Musée d’Orsay

I love elephants! Paris 2009 before going in to the Musée d’Orsay

Just behind me ladies and gentlemen is our seating area! Rome 2009--The Coliseum

On the Thames River tour showing off Big Ben. London 2010

Here I am AGAIN showing off Big Ben like I own it. London 2010

Oh yeah, I think I'll just chill here in Bath, England. 2010

At the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. London 2010

Same pose different country. No biggie. County Clare, Ireland 2010

Ireland 2010 again. One arm on a rail showcasing the scenery behind me...you know like all the other pictures I have on here.....

After visiting Muckross Abbey in Ireland 2010. There just happened to be a deer in the area. See how I show it off?

I thought I'd show off this sign in Gaelic while was on Inis Orr in Ireland in 2010. I don't know what it says but I'm doing my signature pose so who cares!?

I wonder why I never do it while I'm in the states. Hmmm.....