A Tucson Thanksgiving

The holiday's are the hardest time for someone living abroad. So this year I decided that with my Grandma Reva feeling low and me missing my family and friends more than you could know - It's TUCSON TIME.

It was over a year and two months since I'd been home. That's way too much time for a family girl like me! Then I thought, let me surprise everyone! A huge thank you to Drew Eary for keeping the secret and setting up almost all of the surprises.

After arriving and hearing my mother say a few too many bad words in shock of my arrival, I got my own surprise. On Thursday, Thanksgiving day, I found out that my master's dissertation results were a PASS.

My journalism British master's has been an absolute success and it was so special that I got to share my celebration with my family and friends in my Tucson home!

I can't thank all the people in and out of this video enough for the constant support. It's been a whirlwind of a year in England and it was such a blessing to be able to come home just as I left it.

Feel better fast, Grandma Reva!

Enjoy the video below family and friends! I love you all more than I could ever explain. Thank you for absolutely everything. 

A Tucson Thanksgiving from Amber Sumpter on Vimeo.

Isha's 12th Birthday!

Guys, I've fallen in love. Madly in love with a 12-year-old named Isha. Don't be too jealous, Troy!

She's the happiest and most vibrant person I've met and I'm almost obsessed. Okay, actually obsessed. The United Kingdom has beautiful cathedrals and history, but Miss Isha has moved back to Spain for school and I MISS HER. My summer love has ENDED. But Christmas is just around the corner and she's coming back to England for a visit!

Okay, get ready for adorable overload because here's a video of her birthday day spent at Thorpe Park. Enjoy! Love you and miss you, Isha!

Isha's 12th Birthday - Thorpe Park! from Amber Sumpter on Vimeo.

Amsterdam 2K14

Okay.

I'm going to start off with a beat of honesty here - I absolutely suck at blogging. I apologise for being so far and few between with these blog posts, but grad school has been killin' me.

HI NO, not an excuse I want to use. I'm making a public internet apology and a promise that I'm going to figure it out and get myself up and running with more frequent posts. YAY ENGLAND!

This past week I took a quick four day trip to the land of good times, Amsterdam.

Now we've all heard that people's most memorable moments about the city are the cannabis filled streets and girls with no clothes on that want to take your money, which is legal, but that's not what I got from it.

Amsterdam is the most vibrant and alive place I've ever been. It's a true component to my volunteer trip to the Dominican Republic from summer 2011. There's always something to do. Whether it's taking a canal boat ride, sitting waterside for lunch, or simply walking down one of their many breath taking streets, you'll find yourself gawking, well at least I did, at the well kept and architecture rich city.

After wandering through the Van Gogh museum and Anne Frank House to see some of the most famous pieces/places in the history of the world, Troy and I relaxed in the grassy park outside of the again famous, Rijksmuseum.

We then found ourselves finding a few surprises in the infamous Sex Museum. We also took ourselves through the Heineken Experience. And to top it off, we spent an entire day a bit outside of the city at a flower park. Literally, a park full of flowers called Kukenhof. Can I just live in this heaven of flowers?

It's incredible that in a few short hours on a train you're in a different country soaking in some of history's best.

England is the spot to be and I found true bliss in Amsterdam.

See the pictures below and have a look at my first GoPro traveling video. I think the GoPro cameras are one of the greatest late inventions and I'm so excited to have captured some of the funniest moments on film.

Blog back soon, I promised remember?
- Amber

Amsterdam 2K14 T&A from Amber Sumpter on Vimeo.

Follow me on Twitter - @ambersumpter

Déjà vu

It's like deja vu when I'm walking through Lincoln's High Street and I think "Hey, I remember that guy from high school!" Then I snap back to reality and realise, no I'm over 5,000 miles from Tucson - that's not him. But over the winter break, my memory was jogged with a few familiar faces.

First, I found my way to Paris, France. WOW! What a spectacular experience it was to ride the slanted elevator up the Eiffel Tower, take a Christmas Eve cruise on the Seine river, and get pickpocketed! Don't worry, we got our things back because Troy's Dad chased the 12 year old amateurs down and his wallet appeared quicker than I thought it would. But it was quite an experience to see some pickpockets in action. 

Not being able to spend Christmas with my family was tough, I have to admit. But I had the next best thing - the boyfriend's family. They were more than welcoming, I mean they did pay for me to tag along on their Paris family holiday, but it was different. Changes happen as we grow and mature, but I would have given up my spectacular Christmas in Paris to spend a few moments to be a part of my family's Christmas traditions.

Flower market in Paris

Seine river cruise with the lovely sister from anotha' mister

Paris, France

Where you at Quasi?

Christmas day at Notre Dame

Morning sun at the Louvre

The Louvre

Xx

My extended family for the holiday - The Bowman's

Second floor of the Eiffel Tower

Finally Paris has been checked off my bucket list. And as I couldn't make it all the way to Tucson for any of the winter festivities, someone came to cheer me up. My best friend! She flew across the Atlantic for 10 hours to ring in the new year with me. That was a TUB of icing on top of the holiday cake. Miss Chloe Wetzel, ladies and gentlemen - I could marry this one. 

Chloe and I spent nine days together taking a quick tour, actually galavanting through, Lincoln and London. I fed her mulled wine and English tea (which she's now obsessed with) as we climbed Lincoln's Steep Hill and made friends with the local Lincoln wildlife - swans. We spent time at the Lincoln Cathedral and the arboretum. Then, spent a few days in London for a quick tour of all the main attractions and finally, a trip to Lyceum Theatre. We saw The Lion King - second tub of icing on top of our multi-tiered cake. 

When I finally came to and realised that my university work was beginning to collect dust, it was time to get back to the grind. Winter 2013 and welcoming 2014 was quite a success with a few familiar faces to get me through the next few months. I love my Tucson family and friends, but London, you're still my obsession. The next step after grad school - HELLO, HIRE ME LONDON! 

Chloe in Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Arboretum 

Westminster Abbey 

English heaven!

Walking like the professionals did on Abbey Road

A short visit goes a long way. Xx

Follow me on Twitter - @ambersumpter

Man with Turban is not a Terrorist

Gap's Christmas Ad with Waris Ahluwalia

The Gap’s Christmas ad features Waris Ahluwalia, a jewellery designer, actor and Sikh man. It says “Make Love,” but was defaced in the Bronx New York subway station to say “Make Bombs.” The is probably because of the turban Waris wears on his head. The attacks of September 11^th still ring fresh in people’s minds. People who wear turbans intimidate and are most often mistaken as Muslims. This weekend I took the train to Grimbsy, Lincolnshire in search of the Sikh Gurdwara (temple) to find some of the people who make up the fifth largest religion. And yes, also wear turbans.

Karam Singh, one of the Sikh men I met this weekend, doesn’t speak English. The language barrier didn’t stop him from inviting me in immediately, never asking why I came. It didn’t matter, everyone is welcome in the Gurdwara – that’s a part of the equality of Sikhism. Another Sikh I sat down with was Boota Singh. He spoke some English, but what he told me is almost too terrible to repeat.

I showed the two men the defaced Gap ad and asked if they had ever been racially attacked. Boota said “When they see us across the road, they say Bin Laden". Karam asked in broken English “What happened here?” I didn’t have much to say after that. They had answered all of my questions.

The Sikh people are racially profiled as terrorists because of the pieces of cloth they tie on top of their head. Their religion requires equality in gender, the belief in one God and to tie their uncut hair up into a turban to show truthful living. They believe in the blessings they are given and share them with others – like the goody bag they sent away with me consisting of two apples and a heaping pile of candy and almonds.

I couldn't help myself. I ate one of the apples given to me by the Sikh's before snapping this photo of their kindness.

#firstworldproblems

Disclaimer: Before you read this, know that these are my opinions. You may not agree, but this is my interpretation of #firstworldproblems through personal experiences. 

Summer 2011, I ventured to the Dominican Republic with an amazing group of 24 individuals. That summer changed my life and my perspective about the way we, well Americans, live. International Student Volunteers is an organisation that gives students an opportunity to broaden their horizons through volunteer work and travel. But they can't take everyone along, and I'm referring to the individuals who need their mind opened to fresh opportunities, more than anyone.

Ever tweeted #firstworldproblems? Urban Dictionary explains the hash-tag as "Problems from living in a wealthy, industrialized nation that third worlders would roll their eyes at.”

People tweet “Broke a nail, out of toothpaste, flat car tire” and then add on #firstworldproblems. But are these truly First World problems that happen only in the first world?

I don’t think so.

We know there are poorer people in poorer countries, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t broken nails or flat tires in Africa. Think about #firstworldproblems through Teju Cole’s eyes.

He’s a Nigerian-American writer, and I think he got it right. "Yes, Nigerians struggle with flood or infant mortality. But these same Nigerians also deal with mundane and seemingly luxurious hassles. Connectivity issues on your BlackBerry, cost of car repair, how to sync your iPad, what brand of noodles to buy: Third World problems. All the silly stuff of life doesn't disappear just because you're black and live in a poorer country.”

And the winner for most insensitive tweet, “My cheekbones hurt from smiling and laughing all day” @FirstWorldPains. The person tweeting is saying that people can’t live happy and fulfilled lives because they don't live in a first world country? Not true.

I volunteered in the Dominican Republic summer 2011. I worked harder than I ever have before to cut through wood with a hand-saw, instead of an electric one, to build latrines sustainable for 10 years. This was the best summer of my life. I miss the new friends and Dominicans who taught me to appreciate and realise us ‘first worlders’ don’t have life all figured out.

Next time you tweet about First World problems, remember that your African pen pal might be missing the cord to charge his iPhone as well.

Follow me on Twitter: @ambersumpter

Here's a few photos from my trip to the beautiful Dominican Republic:

Dominican Republic honours the country's best baseball players

Franco, our fearless building leader. He never stopped smiling.

All smiles from the latrine builders!  

Power tools? Nope, powerful arms.

A woman and her best pal. 

Samuel, 2-year-old Haitian boy adopted by the Dominican family we stayed with. He loved photos, and was quite the photogenic type.

Jennifer's home.

That radiant smile. Jennifer knew nothing more than what she had. 

Peek-a-Boo

Puppy Dog Eyes

Finished Latrine.

The K-12 school for La Mina.

The loveliest ladies.