Happy New Year and Greetings from Berlin, Germany! 2017 was the year that
I decided to leave Asia. This decision had been a while in the making – while
my apartment was in Bangkok, I spent most of 2015 in the Middle East and most
of 2016 in Europe (Serbia, Bosnia, and traveling in Greece, Middle Europe and
Portugal). I finally bit the bullet and closed down my apartment in Bangkok and
moved to Europe.
I knew at the end
of 2016 that I was definitely going to leave Bangkok but I still wasn’t sure to
where. Motivated by an inability to stand the 100% humidity and heat and awful
sexpats of Thailand (along with an uncertain status as I was on a tourist
visa), I wanted to take advantage of my British citizenship and EU passport
before the powers that be finally pull the United Kingdom out of Europe. The
allure of cheap Thai massage, jasmine flowers, and spectacular Thai food were
not enough to hold me in Asia anymore and I had vague thoughts of “putting down
roots” somewhere where gender equality and mild summers might exist. As a
freelance consultant, I often work from home or travel for my work so I’m
fairly free about where I can be based.
I came up with a plan to check out the cities that most appealed to me
and to spend 3 months in each one until I decided where “home” would be. I had also been in a bit of a depression and
deep funk in 2016 with the awful double whammy of Brexit and the Trump election[1].
I started to heal a bit when I was asked to speak at the anti-inauguration in
January with the Democrats Abroad in Bangkok where I spoke from my heart about
the terrors that the Trump administration was going to bring to women – both in
the USA and around the world. I took the next step in healing by returning to
Beirut, Lebanon (via Oman). Beirut is a beautiful and exciting city where my
friend Lina invited me to teach a class on Gender and Emergencies at the
Lebanese-American University for her Institute of Women’s Studies in the Arab
World[2].
It was very healing to be teaching energetic young students in Beirut as that
was where I was when the dreaded Trump election happened. I also got to enjoy
all the delicious Lebanese and Armenian food that Beirut offers and hang out
with my friend Tom who kindly let me stay with him.
In March, after a short
sojourn in Geneva for work, I headed to Berlin where I had rented a small (VERY
SMALL) apartment in a neighborhood called Prenzlauer-Berg. Imagine my surprise
and shock to find it did not come with internet! Although spring in Berlin is
beautiful and I loved being outside, I am a free-lance consultant so need
internet at home (plus as those of you who follow me know, I’m a social media
junkie). While looking for a new temporary apartment, I unexpectedly landed a
lovely apartment in Kreuzberg and he gave me a lease til March 15, 2018 so voila
– decision made (at least for 2017). I hope to stay in Berlin but the housing
market is very difficult so maybe the other cities may become options (Athens,
Lisbon, and Paris if you are curious).
After a great spring
and summer in Berlin (with travels to the UK to see Sarah marry Brett in
Stonehenge, in Tuscany to see Maria marry Philippe, visiting Toni, Joeri, and
Enzo to meet Yara in Bosnia, work trips with Kristine to Turkey, and amazing
days in my friend Christine’s flat in Paris), I picked up my trusty bike from
Amsterdam and spent it cycling around the parks and canal in Berlin having late
night picnics. I also signed up for some writing classes and finally started
writing (a long time dream)[3].
I’m really enjoying the move a lot. Being in a country with seasons again is
fantastic and I love the culture and vibe of the city. If only I could get a
permanent apartment!
2017 was also the
year I turned 50. I can hardly believe it myself. How can I be 50 when I still
feel 17 inside? Half a century of living deserves a big celebration so my dear
friend Adrienne Cox, who I met when I worked in North Carolina after the death
of my mother, flew out to join me on my adventure. After a fun night in the biergartens of Berlin, we flew off to
Moscow where I fulfilled a dream of seeing Russia for the first time. We joined
up with my friend Svetlana and her husband, Luca, and 4 others (Eva, Lora,
Jason, and Connie) and jumped onto the Trans Siberian Railway where we spent a
week traveling to and exploring Yekaterinaburg (where the Romanovs were
murdered) and Irkutsk (on Lake Baikal in Siberia). So much vodka, caviar,
Crimean Champagne, pelmenis, and “Trans Siberian bloody marys” were consumed.
Sarah and Svetlana’s
Trans-Siberian Bloody Mary recipe
|
Vodka
Train generic tomato juice
Pickle juice from the delicious Russian pickles
we bought at every stop
Sarah’s Tabasco sauce
Svetlana’s “spicy bear” sauce
Pour
into train proof – adult sippy cup and consume at all hours of the day.
|
After a week on the
train in Russia, Adrienne, I carried on with two girls (Lora and Eva) on the
Trans-Mongolian Express and headed to the capital of Ulan Bataar. We went down
a step from our first class Russia travel and ended up 4 in a compartment with
a Dutch couple who had very particular ideas about how the train compartment
should be organized. Henk and Marlena lightened up though when we brought out
our bottle of vodka and soon we were all friends. The Russian-Mongolian border
was an experience as we had 8 hours to cross so killed the time by traipsing
around through the small Russian town on the border and making friends with the
local drunks who liked to hang out by the train station. Eva lead a yoga
session on the tracks as well.
Mongolia was
spectacular – after one day checking out all the Genghis Khan monuments and
listening to some spectacular throat singing[4],
Lora and I headed out to the countryside to stay with a nomadic Kazakh family
in their traditional ger (known as a
yurt in Europe). It was freezing cold by the time we got there and we rode some
Mongolian ponies, had a lovely meal with the family, and gazed at the
spectacular Milky Way in the clear non light polluted sky. After playing an incomprehensible game with
some sheep ankle bones with the kids, there was some miscommunication and Lora
and I found ourselves sleeping in the yurt without about 15-20 people. It
wasn’t very restful but the next day we drank some mare’s fermented milk and
drove out to see some of the Gobi desert and to ride a Mongolian camel. We were
just coming in from our camel ride when who did I spot in the distance? Our
train buddy Eva and her brother! We had a nice reunion with some Genghis Khan
vodka by the campfire for the night. The next day, on the way back to Ulan Bataar
– we stopped into a national park where they are reintroducing the wild horses
(precursor to our domestic horses) and I got to sit in the wild and watch a
herd of them enjoy the sun with no fences or cages to be seen. Truly a
highlight of the year. (you can see more about them in a movie that Julia
Roberts produced called: Wild Horses of Mongolia[5]).
Mongolia is a spectacularly beautiful and wild place – one of the most special
countries I have ever been to. I highly recommend that if you get the chance, you
should go there. It has a spirit that is hard to put into words.
Lora and I bid
adieu to Eva and got back onto the train where we completed the Trans Mongolian
and headed to Beijing, China. We lucked out with some great train mates –
Barbara and Leo – two Italian punk rockers and we introduced them to the custom
of drinking vodka in the morning. All was going well until a horrific few hours
at the Mongolian-Chinese border where they locked up the toilets, turned off
the running water and the air conditioning and electricity, leaving us to
vegetate and stew in our hot compartments where I somehow managed to spill
KimChi instant ramen sauce all over Leo’s pillow on his bunk. Finally, we were
able to enter China and use the toilet! It was a world apart from Russia or
Mongolia and not at all what I expected
- clean public toilets in the train station, muzak wafting from the fake
neon trees on the train platform, and uniformed Chinese guards to escort us
around. We rolled into Beijing the next morning to rain and a cold front but after
a nap, we lucked out for the rest of the trip as somehow we had clear weather
and clear sunny skies without a hint of pollution. Lora and I visited the
Forbidden City (a bit dull), ate and drank our way through the hutongs/back allies of Beijing (with amazing
food like donkey burgers and jianbing[6],
Beijing Duck with my friend Lars from Bangkok) and met up with Barbara and Leo
to see Beijing’s craft beer scene. Lora encouraged me to be brave and hike up the
very very high and very steep Great Wall of China (instead of emulating the
Chinese and taking the cable car) and then I headed off to Shanghai alone on
the train (this time business class!). I fell in love with Shanghai – a perfect
mix of old and new. It was again, very different than what I expected – crowded
but not oppressive. The Chinese are amazing hosts- kind to strangers and their
food is spectacular. A highlight was a food tour I took through the French
concession where I sampled snake, hand-pulled noodles, so many different
dumplings, roasted lamb – and ended the evening drinking martinis in a
beautiful 1920’s style bar listening to the “Old Man Band” of jazz musicians
over the age of 80 play old jazz standards. I also learned about the 30,000 Jewish
refugees who fled World War II and were sheltered by the Chinese in Shanghai.
Very moving to go to the old synagogue and learn about Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld[7]
who was grateful to the Chinese and ended up serving as a doctor with Chairman
Mao in the Chinese Revolution.
I got back on the
train again to old Canton (Guangzho) where I got to meet up with my friends
Karen and Phillip who hosted me and showed me around this lovely city in a
monsoon, treated me to dim sum, and giggles with their kids. Finally, I jumped
on my last train and headed to Shenzhen where I unfortunately missed Nolan, my friend
from Goatfeather’s in SC, but rested my bones before hopping the border to Hong
Kong, getting on a plane to Bangkok, and packing up my apartment and saying
goodbye to dear friends in Thailand. Phew!
I lived in Thailand
from February 2011 in the same apartment so I had a very close relationship
with Khun Nee – my housekeeper who looked after me and my cat, Simon Le Bon.
She nursed me through my kidney operation in 2011, minded Simon through all my
travels, and cried and hugged me when he died and I brought home his ashes. I
will miss her – not just her immaculate housekeeping but her warm and caring
nature and all the sweet things she gave me and did for me (she often brought
me doilies, little animal figurines, pomelos, buddhas as well as ironing my
sheets and keeping my houseguests in line). She is an amazing kind devout woman
and treated me well. I’ll also miss my motosai
guys – the four men who provide motorcycle taxi service in front of Sethiwan
Residence. They always gave me free rides, cheered me up, and once even warned
me to stay inside during the Yellow Shirt protests on a night that got violent.
Wanchai, my favorite of them all, took me to the airport on my last day and
gave me a lovely Buddhist amulet to protect me in Europe. While I was, sometimes,
very lonely in Bangkok - the relationships I had with these lovely Thai people
will ensure that Thailand is always in my heart. I’ll also miss my great expat neighbors,
Kathy, Andrea, Richard, Jordan, and Rebecca, from Sethiwan Residence. When we
were all living there together, it was as close as I ever came to my dream of
making all my friends live in the same building a la Seinfeld. My other dear
memory will always be the Ottolenghi Cooking Club where I joined Vanessa,
Ramya, Momo, Andrea, Kathy, and others to cook for each other from Yotam
Ottolenghi’s cookbooks[8]
and post instagrams hoping to lure him to Thailand. I had the chance to meet
him in Berlin where I babbled about our devotion to him so keep the hope alive
Momo and Vanessa! It might happen! We will continue our cooking adventures via
our facebook page but it won’t be the same without the food in front of us.
So after almost two
months traveling again in Asia, I flew to Berlin (via Qatar!) but for less than
12 hours before I turned around and tried to fly to Brazil (tried because in my
fatigue I lost and then recovered my passport forcing me to stay grounded for
24 hours). I presented a few papers I wrote at the biannual Sexual Violence
Research Initiative conference in Rio and got to explore that fantastic city of
contrasts. From lying on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema to the amazing
street art and music, Brazil has it all. I loved it.
I then finally returned
to Europe to spend the rest of the year here. Well – sort of – I did a rapid
trip with my friend Devanna to Iceland to make sure I could handle winter! So
much for putting down roots! But autumn and winter in Germany are also lovely.
From bicycle rides through the golden leaves of the parks of Berlin to the cozy
glüwein fueled winter markets, Berlin has something for every season. Alyson
came to join me in December for a holiday and we headed to the Christmas
markets and the sites of Berlin before ending the year in rural Wales with my
friend Sandrine.
Even though 2017
saw the world being terrorized by ISIS, a never ending war in Syria and
Afghanistan, the expulsion of the Rohingya from Myanmar (and the death of our
love for Aung Sang Suu Kyi), the cheeto faced maniac who is currently serving
as president of the United States and the incompetency of the Tories
negotiating Brexit, it was, for me, a
very positive and fulfilling year, both professionally and personally. I
accomplished some great work (publishing a chapter of a book with my friend
Devanna[9],
putting out two publications with my work with UNFPA for the Whole of Syria
response[10]
and Women’s Refugee Commission in Lebanon[11],
co-authoring a paper with some amazing feminists and presenting in Brazil[12],
and working with UNICEF in Greece and Italy) and I made some great new friends
(you know who you are). And I moved to Europe. While I miss my little furry
friend Simon Le Bon, in 2017 I move forward hopefully into 2018 ready for new
adventures, houseguests, and fun! Please
stay in touch and let me know if you are coming through Germany! I’d love to
host you!
Much love,
Sarah
[1] For some of my immediate
reaction to the Trump election, see my blog at: http://screamsfromthepinkcollarghetto.blogspot.de/2016/11/cooking-to-heal-your-broken-political.html
[2] Check out Lina’s amazing
work at http://iwsaw.lau.edu.lb/
[3] Excerpts can be found on my
blog: http://screamsfromthepinkcollarghetto.blogspot.com
[4] Check it out for yourself
here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rmo3fKeveo
[5] Wild Horses of Mongolia
with Julia Roberts at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RzVQ988LDQ
[6] Check out jianbing here: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/jianbing-chinese-savory-breakfast-crepe.html
[7] For more on the refugees of
Shanghai, see http://www.china.org.cn/video/2015-12/12/content_37300684.htm
[8] Ottolenghi has several
amazing cookbooks but my favorites are Plenty and Jerusalem. An amazing mix of
mostly vegetarian Mediterranean food – run and get yours now! https://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/
[9] Sarah Martin and
Devanna de la Puente, Forthcoming 2018, Mind the Gap: Challenges and
Opportunities for implementing the Relief and Recovery pillar of UN Security
Resolution 1325. in S.E.Davies and J. True (Eds). Oxford Handbook of
Women, Peace and Security (New York: Oxford University Press). http://www.monashgps.org/single-post/2016/06/10/Oxford-Handbook-on-Women-Peace-and-Security
[10] Listen, Engage, and
Empower: A strategy to address the needs of adolescent girls in the Whole of
Syria. http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/unfpa-launches-strategy-syrian-adolescent-girls
and https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/wos_adolescentgirlstrategy_final.pdf
[12] Cofem: Feminist Perspectives on
addressing violence against women and girls, 2017, Eclipsed: When a broad
protection agenda obscures the needs of women and girls. http://raisingvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Paper-5-COFEM.final_.sept2017.pdf
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