Soooo, I moved to Japan….

I took a chance, accepted the offer and now live in Japan!
I’m a week into my new life and have spent it navigating the required paperwork, figuring out how to get to and from work, learning how to drive on the opposite side of the road and looking for new digs.
One week in and i’ve figured out convenience store sushi: good; Japanese Fanta in cherry: bad.
I have not yet had the time to fully submerge into Japanese culture, but so far I have had some amazing food and tried a bunch of different fish and snack foods with food wrappers that I did not understand. I LOVE IT!

I came here for the job, of course. This is a great opportunity to diversify my resume and add a new experience professionally. On top of that, though, I came here to challenge myself. I saw a path I could have continued on in Iowa, but I didn’t want that. Nor will I ever. I knew my time in Iowa was over long before this job offer came along.
This is an opportunity to grow as a professional and as a human being!
I’ve met some great people so far. Most of them are co-workers, but if they’re anything like my amazing co-workers in Iowa, (which they are), I know I’ll be pretty happy in my new newsroom.
I am very stoked to continue to work in an industry I love, doing a job I love and now in a place where I will learn more about myself and about another culture.

I am desperate to learn the language and explore. My first week here has been about getting all of the proper documents in order that will allow for that to happen. The Japanese people that I have encountered have been both gracious and patient with me in spite of the language barrier. Not knowing Japanese makes things rather difficult, but I am happy to report that I have not been without food, shelter or help with getting to where I’m going.

It’s pretty humbling to see the way other cultures handle migrant workers in their country in comparison to how we treat migrant workers in America. Bureaucratically, it may be a difficult thing to become a Japanese citizen, but no one has been rude because I can’t speak nor read the language. And as far as I know, no one has told me to go back to my country. 🙂

I do feel at home here, though. The area where I live reminds me a lot of Cd. Juarez in the architecture and traffic but of course instead of road signs and billboards being in Spanish, they are covered in Japanese characters that I don’t understand. Oh yeah and also, the streets are very clean as I was forewarned.
It should be quite interesting to check out the area where I’ll be living once I get a pair of wheels. I can’t wait.

A few brief notes and observations I’ve made:
– In Japan, it is rude to hand your money to the cashier. Instead they put out a little tray, similar to the one the waiter uses for check in America, for you to put your bills and coins in. I’m told it has something to do with cleanliness. Peculiar thing is that they hand the change back to you (and not in the little tray).
-Coca-Cola tastes the same as it does in the U.S. just in case anyone was wondering.
-There is NO CHIPOTLE IN JAPAN. BUT, there are other American restaurants in case I ever get a hankering. I had McD’s one night when my friends and I were starving and it was the only thing open near the train station. Fries were the same, the cheeseburger tasted a little different but I think it was the mustard that caused that.
– You can buy Sake and beer at vending machines.
– Vending machines are EVERYWHERE! That is not a complaint; I love being able to turn a corner and get a coffee drink/beer/juice/soda/or water whenever I want.
-I have not had one bad piece of sushi AND I HAD SUSHI FROM 7-11 HERE!
-The public transportation system is as reliable as you may have heard, which for an chronically-late like myself is a curse. Hoping this will help cure me of it once and for all.
-Some produce is expensive here. like REALLY expensive. like, I bought jalapeños at $13 US Dollars PER POUND EXPENSIVE! (worth it).

fish carpaccio

First pic in Japan at Narita Airport

Beet and green tea ice cream from a vendo. It was weirdly tasty.

McDonald’s black Big Mac. Maybe next time.

These were delicious!

Sushi from 7-11.

Postville, Iowa ICE raid fifth anniversary

Five years ago today ICE agents raided a meat-packing plant in Postville, Iowa. At the time, it was the largest immigration raid in U.S. history.
Nearly 400 people were deported or simply fled the town during and after the raid. The town itself is still in recovery and the meat-packing plant, which is now under new ownership and name, has recruited Somali refugees to work there.

About a month ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Postville to help with the translation of an interview with one of the people involved in the raid. The woman we interviewed was an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala at the time of the raid. Her husband, also undocumented and from Guatemala, was deported when the raid happened back in 2008.
It was interesting to be in a mini-melting pot like Postville and to hear this woman’s story was pretty cool. Immigration is an issue that I pay a lot of attention to because my parents were also undocumented when they moved from Mexico to the U.S. in the 70s.

You can read more about the Postville raid here.
I also made an interactive timeline for The Gazette to go with the story.

The Gazette: Cedar Rapids eatery pairs Mexican restaurant, bakery

For this article I secured an interview with a Latino business owner who none of the business writers were previously able to obtain because of my Spanish-speaking ability.
The story behind this restaurant is really great and an example of what the cliched “American Dream” is really about. It is a story that may have gone untold and is probably one that will be overlooked but in the end it is one I’m happy I was able to tell. Also there are some great photos to go along with this story (that I didn’t shoot)!!

The Gazette: Cedar Rapids eatery pairs Mexican restaurant, bakery

By Denisse Rauda

One easily can find family-owned Mexican restaurants in any given section of the Corridor. But what about a family-owned Mexican restaurant and bakery?

The concept is not new to other parts of the country and is common in Mexico. And in Cedar Rapids, customers of El Super Burrito and Lupita’s Bakery are greeted by a wooden and glass pastry case as soon as they walk in the door — just like those they would see in the bakeries of Mexico, its shelves filled with pink and yellow, cinnamon sugar-dusted traditional Mexican sweets such as conchas and empanadas and cakes such as tres leches and flan.

Read more from The Gazette here…

Podcast for The Gazette: ClusterFlunk founders ‘always knew’ they wanted to start a business

For this podcast, the managing editors gave me a lot of freedom and trusted me with allowing to use my first stab at making an audio recording here. Originally this was an assignment for a multimedia class I’ve been participating in with a couple of the reporters in the newsroom, but they liked it and let me use it!
I chose this startup as my subjects because it’s a relatively new one and also, probably the most important part, this is a student startup. The two students A.J. Nelson and Joe Dallago had an idea and went for it. These guys are pretty bold and ambitious. Think “The Network” but without the twins, socks and sandals combo, and also less drama (i hope).

Business 380 podcast: ClusterFlunk founders ‘always knew’ they wanted to start a business

By Denisse Rauda

University of Iowa students A.J. Nelson and Joe Dallago said they always knew they wanted to start a business together.

After mulling around different ideas, the two decided that, with Dallago’s knowledge of websites and Nelson’s knack for business, a tech start-up would be a good fit.

Read more and listen here.

I’m in the business of business

Since as of the last…oohhhhh… 3 years or so my blog has become more of an occasional update, touch base for no one but myself, I plan on continuing the trend. Well, at least for today.
I’m going to try and make this as quick and painless as possible because I know no one but me is reading. Maybe some 20 or 30 years from now my descendants will find this of some interest or it will make someone’s life easier when they’re trying to map out a family tree.
In the past year since the last time I filed an update a few things have occurred. I left my position as a web editor with the El Paso Times in September of last year when I accepted a new position as a digital editor (pretty much the same job, different name) for The Gazette a newspaper in Iowa.
I never imagined I would ever get to leave El Paso no matter how hard I tried, but I did! AND never, ever would I have imagined I would wind up in the Midwest, definitely not in Iowa, but here I am!
I’ve been here about 6 months now and it’s been pretty weird. I don’t know what to make of it all yet. Life goes by pretty smoothly here and drastically slow during the winter months. Snow is not really my favorite meteorological phenomena, but enough of that.
The job.
What about the job? My superiors trust me and that’s nice. So far I’ve made a podcast and written a small feature. My job is primarily about the business section, which I knew a little about, but it’s been pretty cool to challenge myself to grasp the concepts and stories that come across my desk plus figuring out who the audience is online and how they want to absorb our content. I’ll post the podcast and article in the following posts.

Everything’s different and has changed but I’ve met some interesting people. And if I considered myself “independent” before, year-ago-me had no idea all the things I would have to learn! It was a tough decision to make to up and leave but I made it and I’m pretty glad because I wasn’t very happy in El Paso anymore.

I’m back! …kind of…

It has been exactly 682 days since I abandoned my poor blog. Not having at-home internet access and not being sure if my current job would allow me to blog has really kept me at bay.
Luckily my apartment’s close enough to downtown that my laptop can catch a little bit of the city’s free wifi, so that I may at least do a little work on my side projects without having to trek to a Starbucks or what not.

So…let’s do a quick updating for those of you not reading:

I graduated in June 0f 2009. I left for the summer to D.C. to intern as a video production intern for the U.s. Dept of Veterans Affairs. I came back in the fall of 2009 and worked for a nonprofit named Latinitas,  where I was their Multimedia Designer/ Press secretary under a 3 mo. contract. After my contract ended, I remained a volunteer with them and helped to edit their content and at their teen reporter meetings.
I was unemployed for probably a month or two, then I found a job working at a customer service call center which drained my life and brain. That job was pretty shitty and I had never in my life apologized so much and on a daily basis. Life seemed unbearable then and I only took solace in the fact that I had met a great guy that understood exactly what I was going through as a post-grad with an irrelevant job himself. I didn’t make a lot of money but what I did make allowed me to pay the bills. But man reading back to the last blog entry, I could definitely remember the disappointment and the disillusion I felt with the state of things back then. But I knew something was bound to change for better or worse.
Turns out I only stayed in that miserable call center for only about two more months after that blog entry. I left for a position that would truly mark the beginning of my career.

No longer would I be in my field as an intern or under contract. I wasn’t even going to become the reporter I had dreams of becoming, I completely skipped all of that and became an online editor.  My skills, like those of the industry, had transcended and I had enough experience in multiple areas including reporting, editing,  video editing and social media platform moderation (thanks to all those internships and volunteer opportunities i took) to be the perfect candidate for such a position. I can really say it worked out brilliantly, so much so that now, nearly 2 years later I am still here, working for the web, and getting better and better at it everyday. I love my job and what I have learned so far. This step has taken my life in a different direction than i expected to be in 2009 when i graduated and even the year after when everything had seemed so dreary.

It feels nice to be able to reminisce back and think that despite nothing being the way I thought it would be, I am still pretty happy with the ways thing turned out.  I have many goals that still need to be accomplished and I still want a lot more for myself, but I no longer feel like I am heading in the opposite direction of working towards those goals.

And before anyone thinks I am getting too comfortable in my life here, I am always ready and open for a change. I may not know what the next week, month or year has in store for me, but whatever it is I am ready and waiting for it.

OH and I’ve also taken up boxing  so I’m ready to fight for it too ^-^

My..My how fast this year has passed.

It sure has been a very long time since I laid fingers to keyboard on this here little blog.
It’s a strange place I’m in right now. Rather than be inspired, and excited for each new day, I find myself more and more disappointed.
I see others enjoying the fruits of their labor and celebrating the opportunities they’ve worked so hard for while I spend hours on end behind a computer speaking to angry customers and apologizing for the mistakes of others..
This isn’t what I went to school for.. All those essays, the tests, and studying—for this? Really?
It is a difficult place to be in. But I have no other choice but to keep on trucking while I keep my eye on the prize.
All those plans from a year ago seem like those of some naive little child with a skewed view of the world.
Now I’m a jaded, burned, and unhappy worker of the world.
I am grateful for what I have but cannot understand why I put myself under such stress to be “successful.” What a farce, a joke, a stupid thing to say–to be successful— what does that mean?

On this side of a year ago it definitely does seem like a bad time to be out of school. What will I do? where will i go next?
why am i here?

Time is passing by real quick and believe me I’m working on it.
Despite my joy that time is flying because I want nothing more than to forget the unpleasant moments of 2009, I keep getting further and further from being a recent grad.. But I need something to work with!
I don’t want to get caught up in something that has nothing to do with what I’ve wanted for myself.
Conformity seems to be the word of the century.. I’m expected, specifically by the older generations, to have a job and keep it forever no matter how unrelated it is to what I want and what i worked towards in college.

This is the pain of the one-year-old degree holder…

Something New and Music!

After a few weeks of doing my own thing, doing a bit of writing, blogging and volunteering on the side, I realized how fast time has flown. I am relieved to announce that I am once again employed (whoo)! Although for a few days there were rumors that my previous position would once again be available due to a new grant the non-profit would be receiving, this was unfortunately not the case. Turns out that I had to be a single mom to meet the requirements for the new grant- go figure….. well whatever the case is, I’m still happy to help them out and work on projects regardless of the pay cut. I’m all for the empowerment of women and from experience- I’m all for starting to instill these values as early as possible.
Anyway… another reason why I felt the need to write a blog entry on my dusty blog (boo! I need to get on it, I know!) is because one of my favorite times of year will roll around come Monday. Yes ladies and gents: it’s South by Drive By (SXDX) week again! You know where bands trekking the interstate on their way down to Austin music fest, South by Southwest (SXSW), decide to grace us with their musical talent at local venues here in El Paso?? Yes that’s the one. I had a great time writing a few entries regarding this annual gift our prime real estate location affords us and I’m psyched to get on it again.
Though economic disparity has hit the entire country, no less El Paso, this humble little lady blogger is still a bit sad about not having the cash flow to head out to Austin to see SXSW for herself.
Having never been to SXSW myself, (believe me, i know…it’s depressing to even read back to the previous statement), I am definitely going to make the most of this coming week and head out to some great shows.
And when I speak of El Paso’s economic woes, I refer to the sudden, slightly-expected closures of some of the venues that hosted some of the bands. (See: Zeppelin’s Underground). But I’m sure this will not be a major setback, central location will just have to be adjusted I suppose.
But no matter what….. SXDX week here I come and I’m taking everyone with me!!! whooo  🙂

I Wish I Could Beat Myself Up Sometimes

Urghhh… sometimes I can’t help but feel like a failure!
This grad school application process has me going crazy and pulling my hair out- literally! On top of this, I’m currently dieting, so you know the lack of nutrition and comfort foods is weighing on me (if you can pardon that pun).
I’m worried about school, work, or the lack thereof, money, vanity, career…. and the list goes on.
Today, I received some feedback on an article I submitted last week. Let me first begin with, I rarely receive feedback on my articles. I ask for it when I submit articles to others, but I usually won’t hear about it until it is published and they are pleased, which surprises me, but doesn’t make me feel like crap. With that said, today I received somewhat surprising feedback. I needed to hear it, and in retrospect, I’m not really that surprised that my work might of been subpar. These past weeks have been crazy and with my employment out the window, my organization has too blown out.
I’m one of those worriers. I freak out with even the smallest amount of criticism. My perfectionism tends to kick in a little late. There are times where I cannot stand staring at the same article, essay, or research paper I’ve been working on for weeks, so I force myself to finish and hit ‘send.’  I cover my eyes, say “Please God, let this be brilliant, and let no one say otherwise.”
That is my flaw– after a while, I hate that thing I’m working on so much, I kill it. I do not realize then, that sometimes by doing so I am killing myself and my credibility.
I need to be more aware and realize that I’m not allowed to make stupid mistakes– I’m not a flipping intern anymore!
Although…. I’ve applied for a few internships, I’m a college graduate, I need to start acting like one and suck it up!
It’s a difficult reality, and I know I have my work cut out for me in the coming months.

I mean, come on, I want to go to Columbia. Seriously? and I need to “watch organization” in my articles! I have another thing coming if I’m still making these rookie mistakes. Ughh… I’m really disappointed in myself and in my writing right now…
I’m hoping this is just a bad day.

*******

A year ago… i made a mistake. Who would’ve known that trying to do well in school could put you in bad environments that would drag out a year later??? I wish i could just forget…

I Remember This Place

Here we are again….back at square one not even a year after I graduated from college. My contract ended with the non-profit I was working for, so I am on the prowl for another job.
Good news is I already sent one application to my first choice for grad school.  I am confident in what I’ve accomplished, but I’m still crossing my fingers I get in.
As of now I will continue as a mentor for teen Latina reporters for Latinitas, Inc. I am still freelancing for Su Voz Latina Magazine. We’ll see if anything more permanent, occupation-wise, comes up.
I feel awful because my parents don’t really understand. My mom has worked at the same place for 20 years and my dad, recently retired, did pretty much the same.
Getting a job to them has meant something hardcore, only seen in older generations. To them it’s waiting in long lines, going to factories, submitting applications, and asking for friends to give them a heads up and to put in a good word when they applied.
How does this work out if none of your friends are in the business you’re seeking to get into?
Being the only one in my family to have graduated from college is not what it’s cracked up to. The honeymoon is over and the expectations are weighing on my mind and soul. a little on my heart.
My aim is to do important, life-changing, and thought-provoking work. I refuse to settle for any less than that. I’ve worked really hard and want to continue to work hard towards something meaningful that will make an impact.

And no… I don’t mean going back to work at the coffee shop…although-giving someone their morning coffee is important. haha. but no.

This year remains blank, but I hope to fill it soon with good things, which would include grad school! yeah!W