#8: 11/13 - 11/20

Jack Hietpas, O Pindo, Galicia, Spain: This is the view from the top of Mount Pindo, where I climbed to after work yesterday with two friends (fellow English teaching assistants.) In the center of the picture, at the end of that inlet, is Corcubión and Cee, where I live. After weeks of nonstop rain and gloom, we’re getting a badly-needed run of sunny weather this week.

Sarah Luther, Silver City, Milwaukee, WI: This was a particularly nice fall moment on my walk to work this past week. It feels like a whole world. Somewhere to get lost. I have been thinking a lot about bugs and other small creatures this summer after many of our trees were cut down for a construction project, and now this fall as the landscape changes.

Kate Miller, Manhasset, NY: Smashed a guitar shot a music video ate Korean barbecue saw old friends stop motion animation been home for over a week why is it so hard to leave the house? the city is scary and too loud and too crowded and too bright but I can’t see the stars at home either and I really really really miss having a cat in my lap and even compliments make me cry because this feels like a different sort of time warp? Maybe my body just doesn’t really understand how time works? Probably since my memory is really bad and the passage of time is confusing in my head and being in a transition period this big makes it even more confusing because I feel like an entirely different person but the only thing anyone can see that’s different is new metal in my face and a big tattoo on my back and a little one on my finger that I scratched off and everything feels way too familiar and I’m writing this out mostly because I feel numb and I know these feelings are in there somewhere and normally I would have big scream in your face feelings but they’re not doing that now and I sort of want them to because otherwise I just feel a little like a zombie. I need to go walk to a really big rock late at night. 

So sorry for using this as a journal entry! I have no justification for doing so! It was kind of an accident. All my love to everyone <3

Gillian Waldo, Milwaukee, WI: On Thanksgiving Eve, the sky was ecstatic. I had things to take care of, but I ran across the street to the arboretum and stood in the parking lot to take in the last blush of the sunset. It felt hopeful.

Elm McKissick, Massachusetts: I’m not one for the traditional thanksgiving spread, so here’s the meal’s highlight (and the only thing that I contributed) — rolls! 

Andrew Swant, Silver City, Milwaukee: We put in a new toilet this week! Once we had the old toilet removed I stuck my phone into the hole in the floor and took this beautiful photo. Looks like a cave or a subway tunnel. The hole in the right comes from our bathtub.

Amy Hietpas, Rogers Park, Chicago, IL: Discovered a tiny Sicilian street food cafe in Chicago this weekend - a few blocks from Anna’s. Amazing arancini. I loved this little lemon crowned woman.

Aditi Kapoor, Margate, UK: I’ve been getting a lot into seafood! Growing up in Delhi, I never had much but living in Dublin and London has really made me appreciate being by the water, and eating its little fruits. We recently went to Margate with my fellowship and me and my friend Felix escaped our trip to get a bunch of oysters. £1.5 each and they came with Tobasco and shallot vinegar. Sublime. Just so sensually delicious; not to forget the sounds of the waves crashing in the back as we were eating them. It was so beautiful. It’s really all about the simple pleasures of life.

Britany Gunderson, Caledon, ON, Canada: Mel and I are on a road trip and visited our friend Frani in Toronto. She took us to the farm she woofs at called Mount Wolfe Farm. It was a dreamy place, tucked away, with a rich generational history of women running the farm/property. I fell in love with it! We collected eggs from the chickens then made a meal together.

Melanie Holterman, ON, Canada: Brit and I were stopped at the Canadian boarder heading to Toronto, which is apparently unheard of by most Canadians. We aren’t sure what made us suspicious but they found pepper spray in the car, so Brit signed a receipt showing that the pepper spray would be confiscated and destroyed. It’s my first time in Canada so they said they’d go easy on us. Welcome to Canada!

#7: 11/6 - 11/13

Jack Hietpas, Cee, Galicia, Spain: On Saturday, the rain finally let up enough to permit an afternoon of walking around and exploring. My first stop was an abandoned shipyard just a five minute walk from my apartment. I see the structures all the time from afar but I’d never climbed over the fence to take a closer look. It’s an eerie, unsettling spot and I didn’t stay for too long. I need to learn more about its history.

Kate Miller, Manhasset, NY: Hello from Manhasset, New York, for the first time in the postcards series. I’m home, and everything is weird. I don’t have many photos from this past week but I was in Ciudad de México where I reunited with my parents, and then home on Friday. I did come home at the best time of the year, at least; all the trees are fiery orange and all the sunsets are bright pink and purple. But I feel a little insane and I sort of don’t know what to do with myself. Everything is the same here and I am different. 

Melanie Holterman, Milwaukee, WI: Beyoncé's manicure.

Gillian Waldo, Milwaukee, WI: Went to the protest organized by PSL Milwaukee in solidarity with journalists in Gaza. It was good to see people in the streets, and we marched to the Journal Sentinel building. There was a nice percussion section, and it was unseasonably warm for November.

Elm McKissick, Portland, ME: Visited my dad this weekend in Portland ME. The trip included MANY trips to the various goodwills that are around him. One of the stores had this picture. Freaky! And kinda funny! I’m choosing to believe this scene is a still from an amateur stop-motion production. 

(We didn’t buy — my dad thought it was too weird to hang)

Britany Gunderson, Windsor, ON, Canada: I got to attend Media City film festival in Windsor, Ontario this past week. It was a great festival with super solid programming and the most filmmakers I've ever seen in attendance. We went to the Phog Lounge bar every night after the screenings, where they had ceiling tiles painted by various people. I kept catching myself looking at the ceiling, drifting from the conversations.

#6: Week of 10/30 - 11/6

Jack Hietpas, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain: Walking around the car-free medieval center of Santiago de Compostela, where I spent this past weekend, I came across an organic food co-op called Legumia. It was the perfect place to stock up on spices, something I’ve been in desperate need of (the supermarkets around here don’t carry much more than salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika.) It was also the most hardcore Galician place I’ve been to so far. The woman working there was kind and helpful, but only spoke to me in Gallego. Not only were all of the labels written exclusively in Gallego, they were also spelled differently from the conventional spellings. For example, the word “comiño” (cumin, or “comino” in Spanish) was written “cominho,” following Portuguese spelling rules. I learned that there is a movement to adopt Portuguese orthography for the Galician language, as a way of rejecting the influence of Castilian Spanish and connecting to its shared heritage with Portuguese (both languages are descended from medieval Galician-Portuguese.) 

Andrew Swant, West Bend, WI: My sister Sarah and my partner Sarah and I went hiking on the West Bend segment of the Ice Age Trail to take in the remains of the fall color. In this photo they are looking at a seed pod with gabillions of tiny seeds inside. 

Lydia Milano, Merchantville, NJ: In the spirit of relaxation, I am sharing a picture of Heidi. My parents adopted her last March, and she is very settled in. Her favorite place is by the kitchen table.

Gillian Waldo, Chicago, IL: Went down to the Thompson Center this week to document it before its facade is demolished. Once a city office building, it was recently sold to Google and the city approved their decision to demolish the facade and replace it with a sterile, white design instead. People knock it for being postmodern, but it was a building that really served the public. It was a place you could go to mail a letter, wait in line at the DMV, catch a metro train, and get a slice at the Sbarro in the food court downstairs. It was not a government fortress, but a place people could hang out, especially in the winter. The openness of the design was supposed to reflect its use - transparency and serving the people.

Elm McKissick, Richmond, VA: This past week I visited my friend Dray in Richmond, helping them install an exhibition they had curated at their school. Here they are, on the night before the big opening, hugging the vinyl text that we had just spent so much time getting right. It was great to be there with them, super proud of the work they’re doing. 

Amy Hietpas, Shorewood, WI: I was headed home on Maryland Ave this week -- because even after 2 years (or more?) of the road being closed, I can't seem to remember to reroute. But lo and behold! - a shiny new road that looks days away from being ready to roll. Simple joys. I wonder if Riepenhoffs share my excitement...or if they will miss their traffic-free (but muddy!) life...  

Sarah Luther, Walkers Point, Milwaukee, WI: This week I got to experience "Deep Lake Future" an immersive art installation that opened this summer. It's a collaborative exhibition created by over 30 local artists. Every element was considered — space, movement, lighting, sound, narrative... It was so fun to be transported into a wild dreamy underwater environment. I went with a group of teens from our school - and they even thought it was cool!! ;)

Kate Miller, Oaxaca, Mexico: Finished out three and a half months away with Dia de los Muertos in Oaxaca (and then a brief trip to Ciudad de México, but Oaxaca was the real finale). I spent the weekend looking like a virgin about to be sacrificed. There was a really beautiful cemetery party with far too many close calls with candles on the ground and a long skirt, and some extremely festive Mexican music; somewhat unsettling and also a huge privilege as a person from the US to see such a joyous celebration and open conversations about death. Really cool. Then there was a town-wide party with 4 different comparsas (marching bands) and some of the scariest costumes I’ve ever seen. A shocking amount of occult imagery for such a Catholic country (or maybe that isn’t shocking?). Either way, very wide range of amazing celebrations.

#5: Week of 10/23 - 10/30

Jack Hietpas, Corcubión, Galicia, Spain: This is a collaboration between two of my third grade students, Xoel and Emma. I came up with a Halloween-themed activity wherein the students had to write a description of a monster using colors and body parts vocabulary, then make a drawing based on a partner’s description. It seemed like they all had fun, and the drawings turned out awesome! These two got the most into it and wrote the most detailed descriptions for each other (I told them they only had to write three sentences.) Teaching young kids is not something I ever imagined myself doing, but I’ve mostly been really enjoying it so far. 

Elm McKissick, Somerville, MA: Here are some goats! While walking in the woods kind of near my house (that I guess links up with a farm?) I found these cute goats and a bunch of chickens. Super sweet! Though they’ve got the strangest eyes. 

Melanie Holterman, Milwaukee, WI: Ren and I made pumpkin coconut bread! After, we danced and she taught me Cumbia. I think Ren is wonderful and I tell her often. 

Liyan Zhao, Riverwest, Milwaukee, WI: First snowstorm of the season this week. The power in the whole neighborhood goes out for a few hours. I'm thankful I have an emergency weather radio with a bright flashlight built in. Outside in the darkness, I see a spooky procession of small silhouetted figures marching in line led by a taller silhouette holding a lantern, and I remember that it's Halloween.

Kate Miller, Mazunte, Oaxaca, Mexico: Started out my (relatively) short Mexico journey in a beach town in Oaxaca called Mazunte. We stayed in a precious little airbnb beach bungalow and drank a lot of micheladas (beer with savory sauce, pictured) on the beach and may or may not have stolen a deck of cards from our hosts. Horrible of us. Mazunte is filled with hippy Europeans and has a lot of vaguely Buddhist (culturally appropriative) wellness centers and retreats. Lots of incense and essential oils. The beach was stunning, though. There was also a brief foray into a nude beach, which made me feel like a little naked baby. Kind of cute, very cool, very liberating. (Feel free to edit the nude beach part out of the blog for your parents, if you wish). 

Karuna Vikram, Cambridge, UK: Nights passing by here so quickly! Yet every night has been so different!

Gillian Waldo, Las Vegas, NV: We stumbled into the Las Vegas Pinball Museum after filming its mammoth sign out front. One of the only places we visited that didn't feel like a trap. Just a warehouse of old pinball machines with handwritten note cards taped to the sides of them, annotating the make, model, and history of each. The 60's machines were dusty and not always functional, but the illustrations were stunning.

Britany Gunderson, East Side, Milwaukee, WI: I didn't take many pictures this week. We had a big snowstorm on Tuesday and I think that caused me to stay inside for awhile, even after the snow was gone. Patches, my cat, helped me get some work and research done. As it gets colder and darker, I'm looking forward to slowing down and more inward moments.

Aditi Kapoor, Wicklow, Ireland: This past week was incredible! I missed my graduation at Trinity College Dublin (where I once studied) because of visa issues but funnily my visa got approved in time for all my other friends’ graduation so I went to Dublin on a whim to see them! It was sublime. I got to see all the families I had seen previously on FaceTime and got to celebrate in real time with all my friends. I don’t care for Halloween so it was also a perfect excuse to travel and latch onto whatever my friends were doing. It rained the entire time I was there, which if you’ve lived in UK/Ireland is typical, but we got a beautiful day when I was visiting Wicklow (a town right outside of Dublin) to see my friend Eliza. Here’s a bad photo of what the water looks like there. You can usually swim but alas, I didn’t have the right clothes. Next time though. I highly recommend everyone goes.