Archives for January 2017

Hate Won’t Make Us Great

January 29, 2017 By Caroline Peterson

My intention was to publish a post, What To Do In Havana, Cuba, but with the recent executive orders, this felt more timely.

America currently resembles a group of friends gently coaxing their inebriated buddy back to the table to prevent a fight. They’re embarrassed by his sudden, unnecessary aggression and are left walking him back to the table, raising one hand up in the air to the whole bar as if to say, “Alright! We’re alright. We know. We know. He doesn’t represent us. He’s a moron, but…*sigh*…he’s our moron.”

President Trump signed an executive order that barred refugees, migrants, legal residents and green card holders from 7 Muslim-majority countries, which in turn, triggered chaos and outrage. I won’t bore you with the statisticsÂ and facts about this unprecedented event, as that’s not what this little space of the interwebs is about.

I would like to, though, restate what I’ve alway believed in the deep, dark crevasses of my heart. Traveling can prevent fear. Fear of different religions, race and ethnicities.

I was lucky enough to grow up in Metro Detroit. Outside of the Middle East itself, Metro Detroit has one of the highest concentrations of people of Middle Eastern descent in the world. Before I even knew what Islam was, I found myself sharing pivotal life lessons as a kid and eventually as a teenager with many Muslim friends.

There wasn’t room for hate, these were my friends and on a very basic level – humans. I guess that’s what’s so hard to wrap my head around and man, traveling makes you conscious of that. It slaps you in the face with your preconceived notions and makes you aware of your privilege.

Traveling shows us that were are far more alike than different. No matter where I go, what corner of the universe I place my foot on, on an incredibly fundamental level – we all have the same common hopes, dreams, goals and priorities.Â

Think about that the next time you run into a divisive rhetoric.

The Women’s March on Washington was one of the most powerful and positive experiences of my life. I learned very quickly I wasn’t alone in feeling worried about our future, but that sort of energy brought about something different: hope.

Let us cling to hope. Let us resist hate.Â

I’d love to share a few of my favorite photos from the Women’s March.

I appreciate your time in reading this and hope it at least sheds some light on the current mood in America.

Why I March

January 20, 2017 By Caroline Peterson

Cruising at 32,000 feet currently, on my way to Washington D.C. for the Women’s March on Washington. Have a celebratory Angry Orchard in my hand and my laptop on my tray. This is my happy place.

So, why the heck am I marching? Why would I take precious PTO and travel one day after my birthday to exercise my first amendment rights?

Because it matters. Because I matter. Because you matter.Â

Like many Americans, I was reeling after the election. Stunned. This wasn’t so much a partisan issue as it was about electing a man who has made fun of minorities, people with disabilities oh and hey, 50% of the world, you know, women. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Sure, I’ve leaned left most of my life, but I’ve supported and voted for Republicans. I wasn’t as torn up after George W won a second term. I still felt the country was in safe hands, even if I disagreed with many, many policies.

But now? Well now, I’m worried. We’re a tweet away from a war. Honestly, think about that. Let that sink in. An elected official is using 140 character to put all of our allies on the defense and in return, our lives in danger. Dramatic? Sure. Realistic? Sadly, yes.

I get so bummed out seeing apathetic friends who find it easier to say, “Let’s not get political…” than read about and understand the very issues that now affect them because they chose not to vote or on a basic level, form an opinion. They’re angry now, but where were they 4, 8, 12, 16 years ago? It doesn’t need to personally affect you to be concerning. That’s a privilege so many are unaware they have. It’s frustrating.

You know what’s helped? Knowing that millionsÂ of other people feel the same way and have united together to show that we matter, our lives matter, our votes matter and they must be represented by the people elected.

I felt moved enough to book a hotel the moment I heard that this “women’s march” may actually be happening. I texted several of my fierce friends, invited my husband and called my sister. Turns out, they were feeling the same way and soon enough, my hotel room was full.

My grandmother, whom I’ve written about, was a card- carrying Republican. Her husband, the love of her life, was a card carrying NRA member. I know they would be sick about who is representing the party they held so dear. So, I found her high school graduation ring, grabbed mine and put it on a necklace I plan to wear at the march.

This is the bottom line:

The more I travel, the more I realize at the bottom of my gut how much we are the same. We have common goals, common dreams, common hopes for our children; we have far more common ground than not.

Fear of differences will not win. I won’t let it, by making sure my voice is heard.

If you don’t agree with me, that’s okay. I encourage intelligent discourse. I fully acknowledge that our diversity in both ethnicities and opinions is what makes this country so wonderful. I don’t want to lose that.

Hell, I was vice-president in 8th grade and put together a petition to make sure our end of the school year dance lasted just as long as previous years. (It didn’t work.) I look back on that feisty 13-year-old and wonder if she’s kept quiet over the years to oblige the status quo.

Well, she’s back.

She knows that hate won’t make us great.

That’s why I march.Â

How I Traveled To Cuba As An American

January 15, 2017 By Caroline Peterson

WithÂ travel restrictions slowly being lifted, lots of Americans are interested in heading to the land of mojitos, cigars, music that gets your hips moving and beautiful, wonderful, amazingly strong coffee. Ah, Cuba. A forbidden country for so many years as Americans, it’s easy to see why there’s such an influx in tourists.Â I was just there two weeks ago and wouldn’t hesitate to head back again.

My current recommendation? Go now. First and foremost, we ran into plenty of Americans while in Cuba. In my experienced traveler opinion, this will only increase and with such a tourist increase, there’s bound to be some complications and drawbacks. Second, and perhaps most important, we were asked by more than one Cuban what will happen once Trump becomes president. All of us sadly shrugged our shoulders and shook our heads. The fact is, no one knows how much longer this will last and my inclination leans more towards the relationship declining between our two great countries. While you’re still able to — Go!

So, how does one travel to Cuba as an American. I’ve laid it all out below:

How To Travel To Cuba As An American

12 Categories of Travel

“Travel to Cuba for tourist activities remains prohibited by statute. However, the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued general licenses for 12 categories of travel.” Â From The US Embassy in Cuba

These 12 broad categories are as such:

Visiting family
Humanitarian projects or to provide support to the Cuban people
Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments and certain intergovernmental organizations
Journalistic activities
Professional research
Educational activities by persons at academic institutions
People-to-people travel
Religious activities
Public performance, clinics, workshops, athletic or other competitions and exhibitions
Authorization to provide travel services, carrier services and remittance forwarding services
Activities of private foundations, research or educational institutes
Exportation of certain Internet-based services

We chose the bolded category. Earlier in 2015, the U.S. government made a significant change to the rules around people-to-people educational travel. Before the change, Americans were required to be accompanied by a sponsoring organization subject to U.S. jurisdiction. If you looked into that, which of course I did, it was really expensive. Now, we can organize our trips as individuals, as long as we had a full schedule of educational activities planned – and we did.

We were fully prepared to show the excel spreadsheet of our daily itinerary, including tours and guide names, in case any one asked. (And they didn’t.)

Perhaps I could have tried to use the journalistic activity category because of this here blog, but ideally I didn’t want to push the validity of this site. But I have 600+ followers on Facebook, Cuban immigration officer.

The categories are broad and my assumption is this is meant to be more welcoming, but you still need to state the purpose of your trip. You simply can’t go only to lay on the beach and drink Cuba Libres all day. And honestly, why would you? Â This country is full of absolutely wonderful things to discover and learn. It is up to you which category you feel you fall into, if any. Tourist travel to Cuba is still prohibited, so you will need to choose in order to get your Tourist Card.

Cuban Tourist Card

Most American-based airlines now fly to Cuba. While before, you’d need to fly to Mexico or the Bahamas first, now you can head straight to CubaÂ from your homeland. We flew from Miami, MIA, to Havana, HAV, on Delta Airlines. Even got upgraded.

Money shot.

You can get your Tourist Card at the airport before your flight. Once we got to the airport and since we weren’t checking bags, we asked an agent if we needed to get our Tourist Card prior to security or at our gate. She pointed us to a large table to fill out our form stating one of the 12 reasons why we were traveling.

Once filled out, even though we were checked-in online, we simply showed our Certification of Travel to Cuba paperÂ to the agent, she checked our passports and then gave us a Tourist Card to fill out. “Don’t mess up,” she warned, “If you fill it out improperly, you’ll need to pay for a new one.”

THE PRESSURE!

The Tourist Cards cost us $25 each.

Then we were off!Â We arrived in Cuba where they took the second half of the Tourist Card at immigration. I simply looked at the camera (wasn’t allowed to smile), was told I had beautiful eyes (duh) and then I heard that wonderful pound—BAM—as my passport was stamped. Next stop, Currency exchange.

Currency

As I’ve mentioned before, there are 2 types of currencies in Cuba: Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) and the Cuban Peso (CUP). While this may seem confusing, it’s not, because as a tourist, you won’t be using the Cuban Peso (CUP). The CUP is designed for Cuban citizens and the CUC for tourists.

$1 USD = $1 CUC

While this is great, there’s an extra penalty for converting US dollars in Cuba. It’s a hefty one too – 10%. So it’s really more like $1 USD = .$90 CUC…probably closer to .$80 CUC once you add in the exchange fees.

Anywho, a great workaround is to bring Canadian dollars or Euros. There is not an extra penalty for those currencies. You can go to your bank prior to leaving and request it or, if you’re lucky like us, have one of your friends who is in Europe traveling bring back Euros and then pay her back.

Boo-yah.

Â American credit cards will not work in Cuba. It’s essential that you have enough cash.Â Your budget is personal, but I would allocate at least $100/day per person. It may be excessive, but you don’t want to be left without any cash to get around an island that does not recognize your credit cards.

Accommodations

We stayed in an amazing AirBnb and if I were to go back to Cuba, we’d use AirBnb again. For one, you can pay with your US-based credit card prior to leaving and for two, you really get to experience the culture from a local perspective.

It’s hard for me to share this wonderful place since I don’t want it to be booked the next time we go, but Antonio was so wonderful, it would be a shame not to share the love: El Paseo Penthouse

How To Travel To Cuba As An American — Our lovely bedroom with A/C!

You can also stay in places called Casa Paticulares. These are privately owned Bed & Breakfast houses. We have heard that since they are private, not government owned, the accommodations are a bit better. Very often, you’ll get breakfast and interact with the owners.

Additionally, you can stay in government owned hotels or major non-American resort/hotel chains. The latter will cost you a bundle and, due to the infrastructure, you will not be getting the 5-star experience that comes in the price tag. US-based hotels are now making their way to the island, with a Starwood property just opening this past month.

Pre-planned Tours

While I will post in more detail about our tours, these are the 2 tours we took and I would highly recommend each. Don’t expect a good internet connection in Cuba, so you need to book these prior to arriving. Additionally, it’s important to have it all laid out if you choose theÂ People-to-People travel category.

Cuba Tours with Jorge

Havana Tour Company

Again, I highly recommend traveling to Cuba. It’s left a footprint on my heart that is hard to describe. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot them my way below!

Long Distance Marriage: 6-Month Check-In

January 9, 2017 By Caroline Peterson

Hard to believe a little over 6 months ago was one of the saddest days of my life. The one that consisted of waving goodbye to the hubster, quietly shutting the front door, silently sitting in my now emptier living room and crying, while simultaneously stuffing my face with any food within 10 feet of me.

Thus began our long distance journey together.

When we found out in that bittersweet moment on Match Day that the hubster would be doing his ER residency in Michigan, we knew we needed to set up a game plan. That plan was to see each other at least once a month and at the end of 6 months, we’d do a check in to see how we’re feeling about the 1500 miles between us.

So on a warm evening last week, while the hubster was in town, we took a walk around our golf course and discussed how we’re feeling. Now, I won’t go into the nitty gritty because hey, some thing are private, but all-in-all, we’re doing well.

Even if we lived together, we’d rarely see each other. This always seems to blow some people’s minds, but for me at least, it’s reassuring. We both work long hours, sometimes on opposite schedules. That 10-15 minute phone conversation I have with him on my way home? It would be the same if we lived together.

We actually visit each other more than we thought. An unexpected injury, hurricane and days off in a row meant we saw each other once every 3 weeks usually.

Accept how tired he is. The hubster point-blank has always needed more sleep than me. With 12-14 hour shifts, up to 11 days in a row, when we did talk, the conversations were dull or he actually fell asleep. I mean, I know I’m not thatÂ boring… The times we did see each other, he often fell asleep on the couch or in bed while I was working. I try my best to understand. (This past Friday though, when my job let me work remotely so we could be together and he fell asleep on the couch…nuh-uh….mama wasn’t having it. GET UP!)

Have something planned on the horizon. We try to have our next time together planned prior to the current one ending. We have a trip to Cancun coming up (!!!), plus another vacation to plan maybe when he has time off in June. It makes the time go by faster.

Know there will be bad months. December was pretty awful. He was in the ICU and I think both of us underestimated how grueling it would be. Add in that I was tying up loose ends working long hours on holiday campaigns, getting holiday ~~shit~~ gifts together for relatives, and trying to plan a trip to a third world country and, you know, basically it was a giant disaster. We both made assumptions, both were in bad moods (him more so than me, of course. *adjust halo*) and both ended up agreeing that if we knew we were going to be rushed or in a bad mood, to call and catch up another (better) time.

Please know we didn’t come to that conclusion in as pretty of a fashion as it sounded. It was more like, “Mmmmkay, how ’bout I talk to you when you’re human again? kthanxbye.”

The time we do spend together is better spent. We both talked about how actually making time in our calendars to see each other for days at a time, is quality time. Sometimes it’s sitting on the couch watching a movie, but I know the time is limited so I appreciate it more, I guess.

TravelingÂ connects us. Every time I travel with the hubster, I’m reminded why I love that man so darn much.

â€œI have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them, than to travel with them.â€ – Mark Twain

I’m oddly sentimental about things that used to annoy me. I went into the master bathroom this morning and the toilet seat was up. Awwww, the hubster was here. He left me a pile o’ laundry that smells like him and, you know what, I’m okay with it.

Our summer home is now where I live. He leaves all his shorts and golf gear here until about Mid-May when the snowbirds head back up north for the summer. I also usually get a text before he comes to take a picture of what’s in the closet to she doesn’t overpack. Ha.

Goodbyes aren’t getting easier. Sure, I’m adjusting to the time away from each other, but saying goodbye sucks. Pit of your stomach, want to roll over and go back to sleep sucks. I hear that won’t change. Weeeeee.

So that’s it from the home front. Looks like we’re in for another 6 months of long distance love. Buckle up!

The Re-Entry Process & My New Intentions

January 5, 2017 By Caroline Peterson

After nearly every international trip and cultural exchange, I go through this re-entry type-process back into my daily routine. It’s more than reverse culture shock, this is walking back into your routine with new a perspective, an appreciation for the things you have and a mental note of what’s truly important and needed in your life. In my post-vacation glow, I yearn to not get sucked back into my mundane routine of just “trying to get through the day.”

Cuba, oh you guys, Cuba taught me so much. Not that other countries and experiences haven’t, they all have offered their own, unique perspectives. But, Cuba…

I was without any sort of social media connection for 5 days. Lies. I signed into FitBit and used 3MB so I could join my weekly Workweek Hustle Challenge with friends because I knew I’d have tons of steps walking around Havana. Oh, and maybe I signed into FB once too. Basically, I just cost myself $14 for 7MB of data use in Cuba. Mad problems.

After 5 days, when I got back, I didn’t want to sift through hundreds of emails. I didn’t want to check into work. I didn’t want to see how many Likes something got. I had no desire to “keep up” with the daily trends because, guess what, I survived without it! The earth still revolved around the sun without me checking to see if a project I busted my ass for had client feedback yet.

I know this seems petty and perhaps superÂ first world problemsÂ (although, I hate that phrase after traveling to more than a few third world countries), but the first step in addiction is admitting you have a problem, right?

I need to shift things aroundÂ and it’s going to start right meow.Â

Sometimes, after trips, I go through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and unfollow anyone or anything that doesn’t add value to my life, doesn’t educate or motivate me in some way, shape or form. Additionally, I also seek out to learn more about the places I just set foot in, so I’ll follow those accounts.

But, I want to do something more and now is the time of year people start making resolutions. But here’s the thing, I’d rather not have them be resolutions, but be more-so like cutting the chord to shit that doesn’t represent me but just fills an empty void.Â

Rip that mundane Band-Aid off.Â

I’m riding Cloud 9 after an incredible vacation where I learned so much and I want to make sure it continues. So, here it goes.

Operation: Achieve Lifestyle Shift

Actually use my Rosetta Stone and improve my Spanish

I could not believe the Spanish that came out of the cobwebs of my brain while we were in Cuba. The same happened in Spain. My Spanish teachers would have been both proud (and maybe a bit embarrassed – conjugating is hard!) I want to ride this post-Cuba wave and really soak up the 2nd language that I know, at least well enough to hold a decent conversation.

Stop recording Bravo & MTV reality TV shows

This is perhaps, sadly, the biggest change for me. I updated my DVR settings and deleted reoccurring series. It was that simple. Some people are often surprised that I watch these mindless TV shows, but I do and I don’t want it to take up any of my time anymore. They are great for getting your mind off the day, but perhaps I should focus more on making sure I don’t need a day to get my mind off of?

Make my blog a top priority

Guess what takes a backseat when I get busy? Oh, that’s right, this here bloggy-poo. It’s so, so, so common amongst bloggers with full-time jobs. But if I ever hope to make a living off my writing or this site, I need to show more, do more and share more. Which leads me to the next item.

Do not feel chained to my desk

I rarely take a lunch break. In Q4, I rarely left before 7. As many people in marketing know, that’s the name of the game when the time calls, especially as a copywriter. But now it’s a new year and I’m going to make it a priority to have a better work/life balance and go eat my lunch at the damn beach at least once a week, okay?

Realize that people are sometimes just shitty people.

Stop trying to assign intentions to their behavior or make excuses for them. Some people are just self-centered and will somehow make the conversation about themselves. Some people are not really interested inÂ listening to you. Some people will only talk, text, visit, call or write when it’s convenient for them. Some people are just hurt and behave like aholes. I need to accept this more and move on.

So, muchas gracias, Cuba! Here’s to a more intention-filled life.

Do you ever experience a reawakening after traveling? What about your New Year resolutions?

Hate Won’t Make Us Great

Why I March

How I Traveled To Cuba As An American