That's Right, I'm Famous Now

That’s Right, I’m Famous Now.

I started this blog as a way to communicate with my family and close friends when I traveled to Germany for an exchange in my sophomore year of high school. For those who have been following me on my journeys, you would know that I am pretty much the funniest person ever to write on Blogger and that I travel way too much. Never would I have guessed that I would be detailing my summer after being in a local newspaper (four times, I was on the front cover twice), appearing on national television (twice), going to Denver and New York, and meeting, yes, Jennifer Lopez. How did all of this happen? Let me recount to you the story from my 100% unbiased point-of-view.

Abuse of Power

Before I get to the juicy parts that the press ate up and readily publicized, you must know that there was a lot of build-up to graduation that started on day one of Freshman Year. Always the rebellious kid, I knew that Lutheran High’s dress code would not suit my personality and would add to my feeling of being trapped while coming to terms with being gay. I had my first run-ins with the administration when I would choose to wear non-offensive printed shirts (which are banned) that had simple brand logos like Aeropostale (yes, I wore Aeropostale in a past life, but I am a changed person now, so back off). I would also wear shorts on designated “jeans days” and be forced to go home to change. Why not simply follow the dress code you ask? I was always hesitant to follow the dress code because what I wear affects my sense of self and it is not healthy to force children to fit a mold and to not explore who they are at a time in their life when they should be encouraged to try new things. Throughout my high school career, I submitted multiple dress code proposals to the administration and requested to speak with the Board of Directors, but was denied. I would later find out that this denial to speak with the Board of Directors is illegal and actually may cause Lutheran to lose School Choice if they do not change their ways, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Anyways, Lutheran High’s overall intolerance towards non-LCMS Lutherans caused controversy in theology classes and left many members of the student body feeling disenfranchised. I would eventually come to mature beyond identifying so closely with my beliefs, but to a young high schooler, being attacked simply for disagreeing is traumatizing. I speak of Lutheran’s intolerance of other Christian denominations because it is a prime example of how they do not just discriminate against people like me, they regularly go out of their way to make many members of the student body feel backed into a corner.

Another time when I butted heads with the administration was in my Junior year of high school when I tried to join dance team. Although I was not overly passionate about participating in dance, I saw it as a way to get to know my classmates better and to do something that was never done before in order to blaze a trail for people less bold than me. Before showing up to the first practice, I had asked the coach if it would be okay for me, a boy, to join the dance team. She said yes, of course, and that she would be more than happy to foster inclusivity at LHS. However, the principal, Al Holzheimer, showed up to the first dance practice to tell me that I would not be allowed to participate on the LHS dance team. When I asked for a reason as to why, I was not provided with one other than, “That’s just not the way we do it here.” It is also important to note that the administrators, Paul Gnan and Al Holzheimer, both watch the dance team’s performances with a little bit too much intent if you know what I mean. Since they did not provide me with any logic or reasoning, the only explanation that I have for not being allowed to do dance is that I would have ruined their fantasy of an all-girls dance team. Well, that and their deep-seated belief in the necessity of gender roles. But I guess we’ll never know for sure since they are incapable of finding even half-way rational reasons to justify their prejudices.

I could go on about how the administrators and staff at LHS consistently attempt to justify their prejudice through their interpretation of the Bible. But I would encourage you to ask any non-Lutheran LHS student for yourself to see that I am not the only one who has been subject to cult-like isolation and intolerance.

The Juicy Part

As you are probably thinking, I was waiting for just the right opportunity to speak up for the cornered students at LHS. I should also mention that I made it my goal Freshman Year to be number one in my class no matter how hard I would have to work. I made this my goal because I knew that I would be another voiceless shadow if I did not set myself apart in some way. As such, I worked hard, took as many advanced courses as I could, and made it to the top of the hill so that I could finally give an address to the school at graduation.

Yes, I planned to come out in my speech. It was important for me to be able to share my story about what it was like to be a gay student at LHS and how I have grown as a person because of it. However, the executive administrator, Paul Gnan, called me to his office on the Monday of graduation to tell me that he was “concerned” about me giving a speech because of my “track record”. Mind you, I was the valedictorian. I also happened to be an Eagle Scout, an exchange student (read the rest of my blog XD), and the captain of the Forensics Team.

Being the good student that I am, I had already written a rough draft on the Sunday before I was called to Paul Gnan’s office. He had given me the deadline of Wednesday to submit a copy of my speech so that we could discuss it and make any changes necessary. I submitted the speech on Monday night. It was not until Wednesday morning that I was called to his office to find out that I would not be allowed to give a speech at graduation because they did not trust me to say what I had written in front of me, no matter if we worked together to write a speech to their standards. Of course I was willing to take out the one paragraph where I talked about my experience as a gay student at LHS, I simply wanted my message to at least reach the administrators who made my high school experience so miserable.

That Wednesday, after school, my mom and I sat with Paul Gnan and Al Holzheimer to reason with them as to why I was not being allowed to give a speech. It was in this moment that I decided to record the conversation. I, and other LHS students, have been subject to their harassment for routine matters and I wanted to document it so that there would be proof that they are, in fact, terrible people. In the recording, the administration treats me and my mom the same way that they have treated countless other families who have tried to reason with them. They argue in circles and give no option other than to leave so that they can claim that they were “walked out on” when really they are backing people into corners and using intimidation techniques found only in Iraqi prisons. Classy. Towards the end of the “conversation”, I threatened to expose the administration to The Sheboygan Press if they did not provide one good reason that I couldn’t give a speech. They could not, of course, and I met with The Sheboygan Press the day before graduation that following Thursday.

It was at this point that my parents stopped supporting me because they did not want me to speak up about my situation. Being of a very conservative sect of Christianity, they do not support me for being gay and they did not want me to be known for it because they think that it is inherently bad, which I understand because I thought that once too. I am sure that they will eventually come around.

Anyways, graduation went as planned (without the valedictory speech), and it was difficult to think about anything other than the article being published the following week. Looking back, I wish that I had stared Mr. Gnan directly in the eye when I shook his hand and said something edgy like “watch out” or “I’m coming for you”, but I really just wanted to get across the stage and never set foot on LHS soil again. It had been a long four years. The following Thursday, about a week after graduation, the article was published in The Sheboygan Press with me on the FRONT COVER looking very disgusted. I love that picture. From there, I learned very quickly why celebrities hate media people so much.

Read about me in The Sheboygan Press here, here, here, and here

Yes, It’s Illegal

Again, being such a good student, I made sure to do my research so that I could also expose Lutheran High’s illegal use of tax dollars through the School Choice Program. For those who do not know, Wisconsin School Choice allows for tax dollars to be allocated to private schools to supplement the tuition costs of designated students. As such, schools that participate in the program must follow certain guidelines. Lutheran high has broken three of these guidelines (one of which is a bit petty). The first major violation is the school’s refusal to let students speak with the board of directors. When I submitted my second dress code proposal, I requested to present it to the board of directors and was denied because that was a service that “LHS does not provide”.

The second major infraction is the school’s Theology requirement. Within the School Choice Program, schools are not allowed to require participating students to take theology if they have written permission from their parents. This is not something that was stated in the LHS Student Handbook at the time, nor is it a practice that has ever been enforced. In fact, the administration has threatened to expel students for wanting to not take theology classes (I call them republican reeducation classes), attend chapel, or participate in any other religious ceremonies. This abuse of tax dollars will either cause Lutheran to lose significant funding or force them to change their approach to education.

The third, and most petty, of infractions is the clause about anything posing a threat to the health or safety of students. I don’t know how else to say this, but the school is really fucking cold. Students (myself included) would bring blankets and winter coats to class just to keep their fingers from numbing to the point of not being able to write or type. Being two obese men, the administration probably thinks that the temperature is just right, although the student body would beg to differ.

The reason for which I find it important to direct as much attention as possible towards School Choice is that I believe that making noise and making change are two very different things. I would also encourage you to write your state representative and senators, asking them to add Title IX to School Choice to prevent further discrimination with tax dollars. I could have easily complained to The Sheboygan Press about not being allowed to give a speech, but that would have directed all of the attention towards myself and not towards making a difference. So don’t feel bad for me, be excited that someone cares about making a difference and leaving behind a better, more tolerant school.

Tammy Baldwin, Tony Evers, Trip to Madison
The weekend after the Sheboygan Press article was published, I almost went insane. That Saturday, I happened to be working a double shift and was contacted by four local TV news networks. During my break, I arranged to speak with WISN12 at a park near my job. Though the people with whom I spoke were relatively nice, they had the attitude of publishing a story for themselves without any real meaning. At this point, I decided not to speak to any other of the local TV stations because I 1) did not have the time and 2) did not want to play someone else’s game. I also did not see the platform of local TV as being the best way to make my story heard.

That same Saturday, during my break, Senator Tammy Baldwin gave me a phone call. She didn’t really have anything to say other than that she appreciated my hard work in high school and ability to take a stand. But you already know I had a thing or two to say to her. First, I told her about my concerns with the Wisconsin School Choice Program and asked her if she had any resources for me, which she said she would put me in contact with. Second, I recommended that she propose a nation-wide ban on conversion therapy to protect people like me from their potentially emotionally abusive parents. The next Monday, I received a call from Governor Evers who also wanted to congratulate me for speaking up. I made sure to also tell him about Lutheran’s abuse of the School Choice program which concerned him enough to put me in contact with the Department of Public Instruction.

About a week later, on June 13, I found myself on a trip to Madison, the Wisconsin state capitol, to meet with Scott Jones, the Chief of Staff of the DPI, and Carolyn Taylor, the State Superintendent. The purpose of the meeting with Mr. Jones was to discuss the School Choice policy as it is written and to communicate exactly how Lutheran has broken specific clauses. Though the DPI is not able to change the policies, they are able to enforce them as written and potentially remove Lutheran from School Choice. He was also able to inform me as to how I can go about recommending an anti-discrimination clause be added to School Choice.



Mr. Jones encouraged me to contact my conservative state representatives first and then move on to other, more liberal municipalities when they most likely ignore my requests. I have not gotten around to it yet, but I plan to contact Senator Devin LeMahieu and Representative Terry Katsma about both adding an anti-discrimination clause and banning conversion therapy in Wisconsin.

WISN, BuzzFeed, TODAY Show, Time Magazine (and others)
As previously mentioned, WISN12 was the first of many media outlets to contact me about making my story heard. At this point, I found it important to discern between which outlets would be the best to make my story heard and which ones would be a waste of my time. I chose to speak to WISN because I was curious about how they would frame my story, how they would phrase the headlines, and how the reporter would treat me. I was interviewed by Caroline Reinwald the Saturday after the story came out in between shifts at work (I worked 12 hours that day). The segment aired that night on the ten o’clock news. Not being a fan of TV news in the first place, I did not like the way my story was edited or the attitude with which the reporter treated me. It is hard to understand why people dislike interacting with the media until one has actually had to deal with it themself, but this first experience showed me how I would have to play the game moving forward. I learned that media people think they are giving you something when really all they want to do is take from you and use you to better their own career or network. From this point on, I decided that I would be the one using the media and that I would not let myself be used.

Watch the WISN interview here

As such, I declined to be interviewed by TMJ4, CBS58, and FOX6. Not to mention that I had almost no time in between my job, grad parties, and getting ready for college. Nonetheless, the requests via Messenger continued to roll in and I had to decide who would best present my story. Two days later (Monday, June 3), I took a call with Julia Reinstein from BuzzFeed to further publicize my story. The article she wrote gives a more personal look into the situation and is very accurate according to what we discussed. I also found the phone call somewhat funny because I knew that I was on speakerphone when I heard people gasp when I said that I made a recording. Though I realize that BuzzFeed is not real news, I appreciated that they did not press for details that I did not want to give. In other words, they respected my privacy and did not sensationalize my story.

Read the story on BuzzFeed here

Just before the story went live on BuzzFeed, I was contacted by the TODAY Show and arranged to be interviewed by Alex Ficquette at Milwaukee Pridefest on Friday, June 7. I will get to my experience at Pridefest in a minute, but working with the TODAY people was pretty much the same as WISN. The only difference this time was that I was going to be on national news and people were flying in from New York and Chicago to meet me. By this point, I was getting pretty sick of telling the same story over and over again, but I knew that it would not be the last time. As for the actual interview, I was not in the right mindset to be reflecting upon graduation because I was getting ready to give a speech. As such, I do not think the interview with the TODAY Show is the best place to hear my story.

Watch the TODAY Show interview here

Read the article on NBC here

The next day, Saturday, June 8, I spoke with Jasmine Aguilera from Time Magazine because she was writing a story about the continued censorship of high school graduation speeches across the country. I’m sure there is good reason to censor some speeches, so I do not necessarily believe that this is a new phenomenon like she makes it sound. I nonetheless was excited to be talked about in one of my favorite magazines and seized the opportunity.

Read the article in Time Magazine here

Outside of the previously mentioned networks and written press, I did not speak to anyone else. As such, the articles published by LGBTQ Nation, Pink News, Newsweek, Huffington Post, The New York Post, and Yahoo News are not original sources and could contain false information, sensationalization, or misrepresentation.

Throughout all of this, my friends helped me to set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for my tuition. It’s funny how all of the media people who I talked to acted like they wanted to help me, but when I gave them the actual opportunity to make a difference in my life by promoting my GoFundMe page, they ignored it. As such, I plan to graduate with a minimum of $50,000 in debt from my undergraduate studies at Northeastern, even after the financial aid and scholarships that I have worked hard to obtain. I could speak here about the nepotism and fraud that the Kohler Foundation Scholarship enables, but that’s a story for another day. Regardless, I still have not lost hope of graduating without debt and I will hopefully find part-time employment in Boston and I will continue to apply for scholarships.

You can help pay for my tuition here :)

Milwaukee PrideFest
As I previously mentioned, I was offered 4 VIP tickets to Milwaukee Pridefest which started on Friday, June 7. I was also offered the opportunity to accept the Valor Award and give a speech at the opening ceremony, which I gladly took. Of course, my unsupportive parents did not let me drive myself to the festival, so I had to find some friends to share my tickets with. Once we arrived, I met up with the people from the TODAY Show who filmed the interview and also the speech that I had written for the ceremony. Let me just say that I somehow managed to write a 6-minute speech in between shifts at work, talking with press people, and getting college stuff out of the way. So even if the speech isn’t as dramatic and prepared as I would have liked it to be, it was a feat that I was able to get it ready in just three days.

After giving the speech, Chris Abele, the Milwaukee County Executive, announced that the LGBTQ Victory Fund would be sending me to World Pride in New York City. Though I may not entirely agree with the existence of political action committees (PACs), I was overwhelmed by the opportunity and eagerly accepted the invitation. For context, Victory Fund supports the election of LGBTQ persons in local, state, and national elections to increase representation of the LGBTQ minority. I believe that Mr. Abele saw potential in me to work within government one day and to continue to fight for change on an even bigger scale. Though I do have a gift for public speaking, I do not think that I could become passionate about civil rights full-time nor would I want to. I see the strong LGBTQ people that have come before me, who have fought for the rights that I now get to enjoy, and am inspired by their courage to speak up and commit themselves to fighting for change.

Though the United States may still have a ways to go when it comes to guaranteeing rights to minority communities, our diversity will continue to push us to the forefront of social issues. For example, I have faith that conversion “therapy” for minors will be banned whether or not I choose to commit my life to eradicating it. The best I can do is share my story and give others hope who may be experiencing situations like mine. To those who feel trapped, do not hate the people that make you feel put into a box, but show them the tolerance, acceptance, and love that they never showed you. You are better than them. You are stronger than them. And you don’t need their validation to be free.

Watch my speech at Pridefest here

Denver and The Daily Blast
Three days after Milwaukee Pridefest, I found myself on an airplane to be interviewed live on Daily Blast Live (DBL) in Denver, CO. Of course, I had to have a friend from my church take me to the airport since my parents were unwilling to support any publicity. DBL contacted me via Messenger the previous Monday on June 3 just after I had been in the Sheboygan Press and on WISN12. So the next Monday, on June 10, I was off to Denver to be on national TV.

The overall experience was a bit stressful as I had to be interviewed three different times during the day since the show is broadcasted live. Below, I have included what I think is the best interview in which I went over the most information to inform people about my story and where I chose to direct the attention of the viewers. However, my crazy 20 hours in Denver gave me insight as to what it is like to work in TV. It was interesting to observe the casual atmosphere of the studio and to interact with the opinionated reporters off-camera. I was also able to learn a bit about how the show has taken an alternative approach to reporting by letting people react in real-time with the reporters to make the stories more relevant. The coolest part of the experience was noticing the potential that the platform of the show has. If you ask me, DBL has a deficient marketing capacity and must either put its show on more platforms or create a unique platform to make it more accessible to viewers.

Nonetheless, you can watch my interview on DBL here

New York
After a few weeks of trying to keep track of everything that was happening, the trip to New York officially went underway on Wednesday, June 26. Let me say that it was surreal to be traveling to the place where the gay rights movement started on a paid trip, with two friends, just to celebrate Pride.

I did have to make a few appearances, however, at events where I got to mingle with influential supporters of Victory Fund. The first event was that Wednesday night at a private dinner club where there was a reception with members on the Victory Institute’s Board of Directors. I was a bit awkward at first, but as I got to talking to people, I began to realize the importance of having elected officials who are LGBTQ. I was also inspired by the successful LGBTQ people who are a part of the Victory Institute because I could see myself in their shoes one day. At the same time, my eschewal of a political career was solidified because I saw that changemakers don’t have to be on the front line. I saw powerful gay women and men that had made for themselves successful careers that not 20 years ago would have been impossible. In other words, I don’t have to spend my life fighting for human rights because others have already made the sacrifice. I get to enjoy the luxury of choosing what path to take because of groups like the Victory Institute.

On Thursday, Danika put on her “Tiffany’s Outfit” and the three of us went shopping. Even stingy Klohie dropped a few hundo on a vintage 20s dress. I, for one, did my research beforehand and came prepared to order a new pair of glasses from a boutique I found.

Riding the subway in New York proved to be a hassle at first, but the friendly New Yorkers were always happy to help us out when we asked nicely. It was also funny when we found ourselves always saying “sorry” and “excuse me” when we bumped into strangers because it instantly identified us as tourists who are obviously not from New York. I did appreciate, however, the fact that people never failed to be surprised when we said that we were from Wisconsin. If I had to describe each of our styles, mine would be straight european, Klohie would be grunge socal hipster, and Danika would be good but bad city queen. In other words, we look too cool to be from Wisconsin.

That evening, the three of us were running late and didn’t have time to go back to the hotel to change for the Pride Reception at Google. Nonetheless, we had an astounding view from the 11th floor of the Chelsea location and got to watch the sun set over the Hudson. The event itself was very crowded, but it was still cool to hear more about the impact that the Victory Institute has had in training politicians and getting them elected.

On Friday, we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum like good Americans and chilled on the Staten Island Ferry. It was ironic to notice Americans be annoyed by loud foreigners because it is normally Americans that are making all the noise when I am abroad. In the afternoon, we attended the wrong event in the LGBT Community Center, but it was nonetheless meaningful to hear the stories from older people who were actually at Stonewall. Then we made our way to Brooklyn to attend a Pete Buttigieg rally. Though I strongly believe that the next president must be a woman, I learned that Pete Buttigieg is very intelligent, even if he is a man.

On Saturday we attended the Book of Mormon from center fourth-row seats. It was hands down the best show I have ever seen and I could not stop laughing. It was definitely my favorite experience within the whole New York trip and it’s something that I will probably not get to do until I am financially enabled (so it may be a while). We spent the rest of the day exploring, window shopping, and acting like New Yorkers.

Sunday was another exploring and shopping day and then at night was the Pride Parade. The Victory Institute float was supposed to leave at around 6:30 p.m. but hadn’t left by 9:30. Since Klohie and Danika were tired and their feet hurt, we decided to give up and go back to the hotel. I was a bit pissed at them for taking away my opportunity to march in the parade, but I knew that this opportunity would not be the last. I also kind of wanted to go to bed and pack before our early flight in the morning.

Overall the trip was a priceless experience. Danika, especially, got to get out of the midwest and experience something that she otherwise never would have been able to. For me, the coolest part about being in New York during Pride was seeing all of the gay couples. I remember being on the subway and almost crying while watching two dads play with their daughter. In New York, it felt like I was normal. Though it may be a while before I get the chance to live in the big city, I was inspired to openly live my life no matter where I am.

J-Lo
While we were in New York, Jennifer Lopez’s publicist contacted me about giving me concert tickets. Being the snowflake that I am, I first had to google what Jennifer Lopez was famous for, but Danika, with her Mexican blood, was able to tell me all about her. It also turns out that Danika’s mom is a J-Lo superfan. Along with center second-row seats, we were able to actually meet J-Lo after the concert (it was July 4, the day after we got back from NY). Receiving the meet and greet tickets was when I realized that I was being used for publicity, but hey, if you’re going to give me $8,000 worth of concert tickets, I am glad to take them.

Much like any other media people that I handled, Jennifer Lopez put on a face of support, but could actually have cared less about me. For example, when I mentioned that I am going to graduate with much student debt, her support for me all of a sudden disappeared. Of course I wasn’t surprised, but I was disappointed that I was being used as a piece in someone else’s game.

Boston

Five days later, on July 8, I was on an airplane yet again to go to Boston for orientation. I quickly made friends whom I got to know better as orientation went on. But with everything else going on this summer, it still hasn’t hit me that I will be moving to Boston in less than a month. Even so, I can’t wait for school to start because I’ll finally be able to stay in the same place for more than two weeks.

New York (again)
That’s right, I went to New York twice this summer. This time, however, I was going on a service trip with my church (the one that doesn’t think gay people go to hell) to assist the urban poor. My group (group 3, the best group) helped out at a soup kitchen in the Bronx, a food pantry in Manhattan, a food pantry in Brooklyn, and a soup kitchen in Manhattan.

Even though I got covered in sweat almost every day from the heat, I enjoyed serving people in need. Until this point, my entire summer had been about focusing on myself, and I never really stopped to appreciate what I have. Even if my parents don’t accept me for who I am, I still have a home and supportive siblings. I have the opportunity to receive post-secondary education even if I will be in debt. And I have the luxury of not worrying about where my next meal is going to come from. Giving back to the New York community was fulfilling in a way that nothing else I do this summer could ever be.

Germany

Not long after coming back from New York (again) I left for Germany on July 28th. When I get back in a few weeks, I will write about my time here, but I would like to take a break from my hectic summer and chill out for a bit.

Nat

Dad Almost Arrested in China (Not Really)

Wednesday

After an exhausting day of diving, we decided to get up yet earlier to go diving once again. This time, we were taking a forty minute boat ride to the Kerama Islands where we would be doing not two, but three dives. It was setting up to be an exhausting day when we weren’t able to find the place where we were supposed to meet, but luckily we were able to contact them eventually and get the location. We stocked up an snacks and water at a nearby Family Mart, received a safety briefing and were off into the breeze.

Joining us on our dives was a Danish man who turned out to sadly only speak ein Bisschen German. On the ride, I also saw two sea turtles which apparently is a rarity, but sadly didn’t see a single one of the numerous flying fish that everyone else was seeing. The depth of the water was over a hundred feet and it was breathtaking to be able to see the bottom without even having to jump in. Once we got to the first dive site, we were all ready to get even closer to the nature that we were observing.

Josh and I were buddies on the first dive and descended straight to the bottom where we swam around a big rock, covered with coral and fish while we waited for everyone else. Once everyone was down, we kicked our way around as we explored the bottom of the ocean together. I was still getting used to maintaining buoyancy at this point and was experimenting how to use breathing to control whether I go up or down. I also had a lot of fun doing flips and swimming upside down, but I couldn’t seem to master the skill of bubble-ring making despite my constant attempts.

On the second and third dives, we swam through all sorts of caves, crevices and valleys that challenged our skills. One room, made accessible only by tunnel as it was too shallow to swim in at the surface, reminded Josh of Ariel’s treasure room from The Little Mermaid. We also saw tons of kinds of colorful coral and fish that sadly did not burst out into singing “Under The Sea”, but still swam around us curiously. The third dive was particularly special because we got to see a sea turtle which is something that my parents claim to never have seen in their 75 dives during their three years living in Okinawa. Josh also claims to have seen a shark “as big as Lily”, but we’re not so sure we believe him.

All of us took the opportunity to sleep and soak up the sun on the boat ride back as we were drained of all the energy that we barely had at the beginning of the day. My parents claim that sushi tastes best after diving, but in my opinion it is not very appetizing to eat fish after you have just been admiring them for their stunning beauty. I also think that the fact that we didn’t find a very good sushi restaurant played a factor, but you win some you lose some I guess. After dinner, we hit up another San-A to stock up on food and supplies. I found some Japanese brand deodorant and hair product that I guess is okay after trying, but it turns out that deodorant and hair product are really the same no matter where you buy them. 

Thursday

Although all we wanted to do was sit on the beach all day, my mom decided that we needed spend at least one day sightseeing. We started out by driving an hour down to the city of Naha where we saw a rebuilt castle from a long time ago, don’t ask me when it was built because I didn’t read any of the signs. If you ask me, it was the same as any other castle that I’ve been to, except this one was a lot more Asian and had a gorgeous view of the ocean. After picking up some quick lunch from a very enthusiastic man in front of a restaurant, we drove to a Japanese Navy bunker from WWII. It is famous for being the place where many peo[le committed suicide in fear of the Americans penetrating and was on mom’s “must-see” list. Despite being underground, the bunker was just as hot and humid as it was outside and we decided to move on to the next destination.

The next place we went to was definitely the least historically significant of any of the places that we visited, but it was definitely the most fun. The Ryukyu Glass Village was on my mom’s top-four-things-to-see list because she remembers going there while she lived in Okinawa and also was in search of a new set of matching water glasses. Definitely more important than World War II. My dad commented on how tourized it has become in the past 17 years, but still purchased some sake (Japanese rice wine FACT CHECK) in a sea blue, hand blown glass vase. There was also a game where we could pay ¥300 (under $3) for 5 ping pong balls that we could try to throw into various glass containers and try to win. Josh ended up winning three items, Lily got one, Bethany got one and I got a whopping zero. Feeling inspired, my mom picked out the water glasses that we were going to get and we hit the road before this tourist trap sucked away any more of our money. 

Just down the road, my dad remembered that there was a big war memorial for soldiers from all sides of WWII that we decided to check out before getting dinner. It was still very hot, but I learned that yet more people had committed suicide at this location by jumping off of the cliffs into the ocean. This time, however, it was the island’s native families and not the Japanese that were victims of fear. Throughout the war, the Okinawans often found themselves stuck between which side to side with and tragically paid the price at this location. There was also a museum that we chose not to go through as it was quite large and we are a family with four children.



Still kind of close to Naha, we hopped on the expressway towards our house and made the inevitable stop at Japanese McDonald’s. In my opinion, everything was very similar which I guess is the point of a franchise, except for the drink sizes. I think most Americans would describe them as being smaller, but I would describe American drink sizes as being larger. I guess you could say I’m a glass-is-too-big type person.

Friday

We decided to spend our last full day in island paradise on the beach and snorkeling. My mom got me up at 700 because she insisted that there would be good sea shells if we beat the other beach goers to the beach. So we took the two minute walk to the beach. We didn’t start out very well, but our discoveries eventually picked up in rate and I got to spend some “quality time” with my mother. Can’t beat that. At about 1000 we got back to the house to find that everyone else was still sleeping and nagged at them to seize the day. Quite some time later, my parents were ready to go to with me to find a dive shop where we could rent two sets of snorkel gear. After picking Josh, Bethany and Lily up at the house, we finally headed to the beach.

Josh and I started out with the snorkel gear and saw lots of urchins, starfish, fish and coral in the shallow waters. Eventually Josh gave up and my dad came out to meet me and we proceeded to go farther out to where the depth dropped and we could comfortably swim without having to fear damaging coral. Like a lot of what I’ve been seeing of the ocean, it kind of reminded me of Nemo. Once we got tired and cold, we headed back to the beach and found it difficult to swim in the shallow water as the tide had dropped almost a full meter in the time we were out. Next we walked to the German bakery which was also two minutes from the house to find some lunch. It was very German.

In the afternoon, everyone except my dad and I wanted to go snorkeling so everyone else stayed home and did nothing. This time, we drove to Maeda Point which was chock full of people diving and snorkeling, but quickly saw why it was so crowded once we went under the water. It was full of every kind of color of coral and fish and was extremely accessible at the perfect depth for snorkeling. I even got to see a lion fish that was flaunting its striped ribbons saying “don’t screw with me”.

At four, we returned the snorkel gear to the dive shop and headed back to the house to pick the lazy part of the family up for dinner. We were heading back to Naha to meet a friend from church who was stationed in the Marines in Okinawa with one of his friends. The restaurant that we ate at was called “Garlic” which had Bethany over the moon. It’s Sunday now and I’m pretty sure that our breaths still smell from three days ago.



After dinner, we headed north to American Village where we all got some famous Okinawan Blue Seal ice cream and said goodbye to our comrades. Then the family decided to split up and meet again in an hour after a last-minute souvenir and T-shirt hunt.

Saturday

Yesterday was mostly a travel day for us. We left the house at 930, hit up a San-A to get last second Kit-Kats, returned the rent-a-car and took a shuttle to the airport where we waited in our first queue of the day. In total, I bet we spent a good three hours of the day just waiting line for things. After boarding our delayed flight, we finally arrived in Shanghai where we had to wait in line for a very long time as there was only one customs officer who was approving people for layovers. She also made sure to look at every single page of our passports and verify that we were us by looking at our pictures and then at our faces at least three times. Luckily I didn’t have purple hair this time.

Oh, and by the way, you got click baited if you think my dad really got arrested in China. Do you really think that anyone would arrest this lovable creature?



All that happened was a security guard stood up when my dad bent over to get a receipt that he dropped. In America, that could mean "almost arrested".

After getting our luggage, Josh, dad and I decided that we wanted to go downtown to see the skyline at night which proved to be very stressful. First, we didn’t even know what ticket to buy until some lovely person who spoke fabulous English helped us out. Then, we stepped off the train into what seemed to be an endless crowd of people and tried to stay afloat as we swam down the river of people from the station to the view of the skyline. I don’t think the city was super crowded as a whole as it seemed like the side streets were pretty dead and there weren’t that many cars considering the amount of people. So I guess it’s safe to say that my initial impression of China was a false one as Shanghai is a glittering metropolis that has its bad neighborhoods, just like any other.

Sunday

Our Sunday was 38 hours long. One could also say that our flight only lasted for an hour even though we were in it for fourteen. When we got home, we found that our trampoline had taken down the power, internet and phone lines and that two trees had taken down yet more power lines and fractured our deck just hours before. Luckily, the insurance company will be covering everything and the electricity was back up this morning, but we will sadly not have internet until this Wednesday. It is also very convenient that two little angels (our grandparents) left food for us in the fridge so we are able to focus on cleaning the mess up.



Overall, this trip to Asia has shown me that people really aren’t all that different no matter where you are. I used to think of Asia as the “dark side” of the planet where phones come from and westerners aren’t supposed to set foot unless they’re “on business”. I know that this type of thinking came from a lifetime of being told that “China” is responsible for the world’s problems and I’m sure that plenty of people still think that way. This trip has torn down any prejudice that I had against the east and, if anything, has made me think that America is pretty far behind when it comes to being the leader of modernization. To me, China, Korea and Japan are no longer foreign countries, but places where I have been shown kindness, patience and love. As much as I feel like I have broken free of the “American mindset”, I can only come to the conclusion that I am pretty much as American as it gets.

BubblesdeBubblesdeBubbles

Right as we walked off the plane, arriving in Naha, we instantly felt waves of humidity hit us. It's hot here in Okinawa. Very hot. Once we got past customs, foreigner check, etc. Mom and Dad scrambled to exchange money. We were on a time crunch. Apparently, there was some new law that went into effect last week where we had to check into our air B&B before 7:00 pm. We arrived at check in at 7:20 more or less. In other words, we were late. Thank goodness the office was still open and we were able to obtain our keys, otherwise we would've slept on the street where homeless people feel the need to take a whiz out in public. Yum. 

I was expecting our air B&B to not be so good. When we pulled into the driveway, I still assumed that, but outward appearances can be deceiving. After stepping on a snail and a hermit crab, our family walked inside of the house and we were all impressed. There is a living room, a kitchen bigger than ours at home and four beds including a cot. The first thing I did when I stepped foot into the house was turn on the air conditioning. Everyone was sweating enough to fill the East China sea! Exhausted, everyone crashed on their beds and fell asleep once their face hit the pillow. 

Scuba diving  in Okinawa is just like watching Nemo. There are a ton of clown fish like Marlin, and  the bubblesdebubbles fish from the movie as well. (If you truly love Disney, you'll understand). Our family had two guides: Andrea and Pedro who both spoke English as well as a few other languages. They were really helpful and set up our equipment for us. To be honest, half of our family were a little nervous (terrified), not knowing what to expect, but once we got underwater that changed. Unlike Illinois where we froze our butts off and were practically blind, the water was really clear and warm. Andrea showed us lots of sea life, such as trigger fish, parrot fish, etc. The two dives were at the Sunabe sea wall. There was a ton of creatures, more so than the Kerama Isalnds in my opinion. We saw a couple of sea snakes there which creeped me out. Andrea also taught us how to make rings of bubbles using your fists. After these two dives, we ate at a ramen place which was amazing and we are determined to get enough punches for a free t-shirt. 

When we got back to the house, Nat dragged all six of us to take an adventure with him. After waiting half an hour for the white boy to rub in sunscreen on his back, we took a stroll down the road and into a beach where we swam for 45 minutes(ish). Josh, though, left early. I guess he wasn't feel adventurous. There were a ton of different shells and not to mention a lot of hermit crabs, big ones and small ones. After we were done feeling adventurous we walked home. Then all of us including Josh, hopped in the boxy Asian van and drove to a Japanese McDonalds. It smelled like sweat, but what can you except? 

The next 3 days (the next day) took place at the Kerama Islands. Now these were boat dives which required us to take a 40 minute boat ride. The boat dipped whenever it hit big waves so sitting on the front of the boat was really like an amusement park ride. I found out that I do in fact get sea sick. Andrea led us for the first dive which was pretty relaxed. for the next two dives, Pedro led us through tunnels and caverns where maintaing buoyancy was very important. While we were diving through these caverns, all I could think of was the Little Mermaid when she's singing about how she's spoiled but still wants more. While Pedro was leading we also saw a sea turtle which was probably the coolest thing we saw other than the moray eel maybe. Actually no. The sea turtle was the coolest. The eel was frightening. It's jaw slowly moved up and down.....*shiver*. Josh saw a shark which no one else in the family had seen too! Anyways. Here are some photos our guides took.

 

"There goes the fam" 

 

After our dive, we went to this sushi bar where Josh actually ate raw fish. Shocker. Mom got Yakisoba, a famous noodle dish from Japan. It was an interesting experience, picking our food off of a conveyor belt type machine. Let's just say we had a lot of plates after we were finished with our meal. After dinner, our family took a short walk to a Baskin Robbins and then drove home, tired. I still feel like I'm swaying from the boat ride. 

"This Danish"

That's it for this blog post I guess. Nat told me to tell you guys he's sorry he didn't post any when we were in Busan! 

Fake villages (and real ones)

Friday

Our Butts are on fire. Trying to enjoy an amusement park while your anus feels like acid is slowly dissolving it is not an easy task. Even though I thought it never would, it turns out that the 킴 치 (kim-chee) has finally gotten to me. But I am going to push through and not let a minor discomfort get in the way of my professional tourism.

Today we went to the DMZ. I didn't go in with the expectations that I'm sure many Americans would, but I was excited to have a view of North Korea. This was also the first time I have taken a multi-stop (except Great Britain) tour on a tour bus. I found it funny that the tour bus was filled with many white people as I recall Germans complaining that tour busses are always filled with Asians. The first stop was very touristy and didn't even offer a view of the DMZ which I found quite odd. The second stop; however, turned out to be a lot more interesting. There was a museum as well as a tunnel that brought us within 170m of North Korea. I learned that over four tunnels have been discovered where North Korea was attempting to reach South Korea for an attack. The one we got to walk down was discovered in 1978 on accident and is now triple blockaded and is the only way tourists get to enter the DMZ.

Next, we drove up a hill to an overlook where we were able to see North Korea through binoculars. There, we got to see the fake village that was built in the 50s to make it seem like the North was prosperous. It reminded me of The Interview when David Skylark discovered the fake grapefruit at the fake market and discovered that everything in North Korea was an illusion. 

After seeing the fake village, we got on the bus again to go to the train station that was built for the day that North Korea lets South Korean trains pass through. In my opinion, it is kind of unnecessary because no one really takes transcontinental trains anymore, but I'm pretty sure that it's also more of a symbolic gesture

After a stop at an Amethyst store (I'm sure the tour company is making big bucks off that one), we left the tour and got some quick lunch at a 7-Eleven. I also tried a red bean filled ice cream fish and a red ginseng Americano. For those who don't know, an Americano is simply espresso and water, but red ginseng is a traditional korean root that is often used to make tea. And it turns out that it tastes like dirt. Yum. 

Next, we all headed to Lotte World to discover that only us four children would be going in as the discount that we were hoping to get did not start until later. Based on a google search and my experience of the park, Lotte is a food brand kind of like Kraft, but they also have restaurants, grocery stores and department stores. I can also say that it is very Asian. I'm pretty sure that I used the term "very Asian" at least a hundred times throughout our visit to Lotte World.

There were many rides and we decided that it would be a good idea to eat lots of greasy food before going on the most daunting VR roller coaster.

After it got dark, there was a parade (comparable to a Disney parade) and indoor fireworks which completely freaked me out.

On our way to the outside part of the theme park, we passed a cute panda byt the Panda Express.

Saturday

Instead of seeing a fake village like the one we saw yesterday, today we went to the Korean Folk Village which is about an hour and a half outside of Seoul via public transportation. I guess one could argue that this was a fake village as well, but it was very much real in its depiction of historical life in Korea. 

By far our favorite part of the village was the public flogging square where we got to take turns using ancient forms of punishment on each other.

We also found the sign on this tree funny because we knew that we were supposed to rub our backs on the tree, but that wasn't what it was telling us to do.

After travelling back to Seoul from the Korean Folk Village, my mom claimed to have found a "cool" market to go to where I saw something that smelled absolutely rancid and just had to try. It turned out to be silkworms and I think I ate about one before finding the nearest trash can to throw them away. Best 2,000 won spent on the trip so far.

After splitting with the girls who wanted to go shopping, dad, Josh and I made our way to a stream to walk along to watch an apparently cool light show that my dad remembered from 11 years ago (it turns out it's not so cool anymore). On the way, Josh and I both got colossal Asian pears and discovered our first pit-toilet, which we DID NOT make use of. 

Pictured below is the stream that my dad wanted to find. It also turns out that it is the same stream that they filmed at in Josh and my favorite TV show, Sense8, when Sun was talking to Capheus (I don't remember about what).

This rainbow was also very Sense8 themed. I also found it odd, given South Korea's conservative stance on certain political issues.

After at least a mile of walking down this stream, we finally decided to catch the metro to go back to the guest house. I've just finished some spicy ramen and am calling it a night. 

Sunday

Today we went to church. I've also finally realized that I like going to church in other languages because it breaks me out of the Americans-are-the-only-emotional-people mindset that I never really realize I'm in. I've been realizing that people really aren't all that different no matter what part of the world you go to. At the same time, I've been realizing that people are a lot different no matter what part of the world you're in. From simply observing people on the metro, I have found that Stereotypes come from purposely searching for sameness rather than embracing differences. 

Yoido Full Gospel Church (the one we went to) is the largest in the world with almost half a million members. Instead of going to the English service, our parents insisted that we go to the normal service and listen to a translation. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures, but I get a good chance to practice my Korean reading by trying to keep up with the songs. 

After church, everyone except my dad and I got lunch at KFC. We opted for gas station sushi instead. 

The day only went down from there as my mom thought it would be a good idea to visit the town where Lily was raised for a year or so. After having to backtrack twice and three hours, we finally arrived at the dingy town of  Cheonan where there was supposed to be another "really cool" market. All it really was, was stinky fish and cheap clothes so we found ourselves leaving almost just as soon as we got through the market. We got back to the guest house in about half the time because I found the feature in Kakao Maps where I can find what specific train we have to be on. It was very frustrating to figure this out so late in the game, but we ended up finding the express train and making it back.

Although the latter half of today was a bit of a dud, I learned that sometimes you are lucky enough to find a gem and that sometimes all you end up with is peanuts, so prize the gem while it's within reach. 

Tomorrow we will visit the Raccoon Cafe, the hospital where Lily was born and see Young Seo again. For those that have been to Disney, it's a great big beautiful tomorrow!

Nat

Foster Mom and Other Asian Things

So far, my brother and I have spent around 30 000 Won on candy and other junk food (that's 30 dollars). I would say that about half of the stuff we have bought has turned out to be either completely disgusting or something that we didn't know we were buying. For example, my dad and I were at the grocery store looking for laundry detergent and a woman was freaking out at what we were holding. It turned out we were about to buy bleach and that all of our clothes would have been hipster-ified had the nice woman not set us on the right path. I also accidentally bought a big bag of cough drops because they looked like pear candy. oops.

Though we have been struggling knowing what says what, I have been trying to figure out the alphabet and how to read Korean. I have been learning firsthand why Korean people pronounce certain English sounds a certain way and that Korean has an equivalent to Denglish (Deutsch-English). I find it funny that my parents have been to Korea six times now and they never bothered to learn Hangul (the Korean alphabet) and here I am after two days, reading street signs and asking people what things mean. My tip: you have to take things for yourself and not expect that they will come to you.

Back to yesterday.

Yesterday we met up with Yoon and Young Seo who go to my high school! It was really fun to see some friends in a completely different place and to get led around by someone who knew what they were doing. We met them quite late in the morning at Gyeongbokgung Palace which is right next to the center of Seoul.

Yoon, Josh, Bethany, Moi

Then we went to an expensive traditional house that apparently cost the government $10 million to rebuild and got some lunch. Luckily, Young knew just where the best place to get noodles was and led us right there.

Then we went to Insadong which is an art/shopping district where Young also knew the best place to get some dessert.

Josh, Bethany, Mango Sunday, Melon Sunday

Next, we headed to Namsan Seoul Tower to get the best view of the city. Sadly, it was very humid, but I swear the sky was blue the day before.

Then my dad and I split up from the rest of the family because we wanted to walk down the mountain and get some fresh air. We accidentally ended up in Itaewon (another shopping district, of course) here we saw a few fellow Amis as there is a military base nearby. By then it was getting dark so we headed to a Homeplus grocery store to load up on supplies (and candy) and called it a night.

Today was one of the more important days of our trip as it was the day we met Lily's foster mom. I can't speak for Lily, but I think that seeing Lily happy and with our family gave Lily's foster mom a lot of closure and joy to see that her gift of love was paying off. She also showed her love to our whole family by beating my mom to the cash register at lunch by excusing herself to the "bathroom" in the middle of the meal. Josh and I found this funny because when my family visits my uncle in Texas, him, my grandpa, and my mom all race to the cash register at the end of every meal because they all want to be the cool guy who pays for everyone. Nonetheless, Lily's foster mom also insisted on buying us all ice cream and snacks for the rest of the day. All of the love that she showed to us makes me feel quite honored that she was the woman who took care of my sister.

Also, shout-out to our awesome translator, Sunwoo :)

After an emotional lunch, we headed to Ilson which is where Holt Ilsan Center is located and Ji-eun is buried. Before my parents adopted Lily, they were in the process of adopting a baby girl named Ji-eun who died from a seizure while my parents were there. They buried her on a hill behind the center and we went to visit it. We also got to talk to Molly Holt who is an amazing woman (definitely worth googling) that has so much love in her to give and is in the perfect position to do so. It also turns out that they are constantly in need of volunteers and Josh and I are both in need of an excuse to come back to Korea in the near future. So we'll see what happens.

After another forty minute bus ride, we met up with one of my mom and dad's old friends for dinner at a chicken place. Let me just say that we are doing quite a few things wrong in America when it comes to eating chicken wings and that Nat Werth is going to be coming back with some tips. For one, we used a plastic glove to hold the chicken so we didn't have to sacrifice our hand to the sticky greasy gooey sauce. I almost cried. AND there were lovely little buckets to put the bones so our plates didn't fill up with them while we were eating.

Since my dad talks a lot, Bethany and Lily went out to buy makeup while me and Josh went to raid the grocery store. I almost cried again when I discovered that there was a whole aisle dedicated to ramen noodles.

It's almost midnight now and tomorrow we're leaving at 7 to visit the famous DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). I'm curious to see how demilitarized it really is.

Nat

Goodbye China, Hello 'Home Country'

The sky is blue in Seoul! I'm not sure that that sentence would have ever had any meaning to me had I not almost suffocated from pollution in Shanghai. I'm not sure if the sky is always grey or if the air is always respritorally oprossive in Shanghai, but I don't think I want to stay long enough to find out. Look! even my hair is bluer than the sky!

Besides the downsides of being such a big city, Shanghai turned out to be very hospitable and we were able to find a lovely place to have Korean for dinner. It felt a lot like the time when I was in Berlin and me, Ryan and Grace decided to get Mexican for lunch. Because why go with the flow? We also experienced our first major language block as all Google products are blocked in China and we did not have the time to download the proper alternative translators. We ending up resorting to communication by pointing (luckily the menu had pictures) and my mom's obnoxiously loud why-can't-you-understand-me speaking.





After having our forearms singed by flaming oil (the use of oil is not common, says my mother), we headed back to our hotel on foot and called it a night at about midnight. This morning, we woke up at five, headed to the airport, and flew out of the smog-choked city.

I guess now is a good time to explain the title of this post. It started in February when I had to go somewhere else to get my haircut and I had to make a last-minute appointment. Girlfriend who was cutting my hair asked me about my summer and I explained to her about the trip that my family was taking to the Far East. I also explained to her that my mom was adopted from Korea as well as my sisters. After dealing with the often-asked-by-white-people "North or South Korea?" question, I then explained (this is important) that my brother and I are both biological to our parents and that ALL six of us are VERY American. Obviously girlfriend didn't get it and wished me happy trails going "back" to my "home country" after I had paid for my haircut. Of course I had mentioned that I had 1) never been to Korea and 2) that the United States is my home country, but what more can you expect from white people. Would I ever tell someone going to Germany "have fun going back to your home country"? No! Did anyone ever wish ME a good time going back "home" when I went to Germany? No! Nevertheless, me and my brother now have another inside joke and we enjoyed flying "back" to our "home country" today.

Though still polluted, the sky in Seoul is still blue and the air is not as oppressive. In fact, the train ride to our guesthouse was quite scenic and we got to see a lot of nature. Right in the middle of a 25 million people city! After maybe a half hour of down time we headed out to explore the Hongdae district that we're staying in. It turns out that we're staying in one of the trendiest districts in the city and that there is a cafe where you can pet raccoons and a cafe where you can pet dogs, both within walking distance. The Werth Family will definitely be visiting. Other than that, we found a place to get Korean BBQ for dinner again and it turns out that Korean food is better in Korea. What a surprise.

After dinner we checked out a bunch of stores and then came back to the guesthouse where half of us have already passed out.

Nat