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Amy O' Connor <AmyOConnorAU>

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	The Western Mystique meets the Cuban Reality	Il y a 385 jours
	Think of Cuba and you think of Fidel Castro, Revolution, Communism, Missile Crisis, US Embargo… No commercialism, no luxury products, no broadband internet – all in support of a sustainable, moneyless system. However, there seems to be one fatal flaw in Fidels great vision. Greed - the basic human instinct to want more and to want what one does not have. As tourists fly in by the handful, with their designer clothes and bursting wallets, the Cuban people want a slice of the cake, making the pursuit of Materialism more desperate and damaging than in the Democratic world. On an average wage of 12 cuc per month, people are forced to cheat the system to survive and with the hotel bag boy making 4 times the amount of a Doctor, the tourist is the obvious target to cheat. Every hour you are tricked, cheated, ripped off. I do not blame the people, I blame the system – but the ability to rely on the kindness of strangers is noticeably absent and sorely missed. One must question – does Fidel realize the reality. Has he been sheltered by surrounding himself with Yes men? Is he so caught up in his perfect vision that the line between the dream and the reality has become distorted, even invisible? All questions with an unattainable answer. It seems that even love is lost in the system. I met a woman - a Doctor who fell in love with and married an American man in Cuba. Work as an Engineer dried up for her husband and they were left with no choice but for him to move back to the United States to financially support them - without her. As a Doctor, she is legally required to stay in Cuba for 5 years post graduation. The system has punished her for going into a noble profession, for abiding by the system. Out of protest she now refuses to work. The result - both her knowledge and her love have gone to waste. I met a man - young, good looking but on an almost impossible plight to find love. He explained that in a society where 70% of the women are protitutes, relationships are driven by the pocket rather than the heart. To him the love that we share freely in the western world is an urban myth. Despite the tales of woe, the way continues to be the way as a product of fear. Out of the 2 million people that live in Havana, 500,000 are Police – Police that will lock you away for so much as speaking out against the government, against the regime, the regime that feeds off the fear of the people. So the absence of independence and freedom continues to stifle free will. Its worth noting that the world on the surface is far less grim. Classic 1950 American cars, mustachioed cigar smokers, horse and carriages and incredible colonial architecture – a run down empire of its previous Spanish Rule. Cuba is certainly not without its many charms. And there appears to be some small signs of change. 1 year prior, Cubans could not stay in hotels, bathe in foreigner designated beaches, access internet outside of educational or professional purposes or even have a mobile phone contract in their own name (some cheating the system by get foreigners to sign up for them). These restrictions have now been lifted. Today the gentleman with whom I am doing my home stay was able to get a mobile phone contract for the first time in his long life. However, I am convinced that this freedom gained represents nothing more than a token gesture to appease the people. Cuba has inspired me to write again. The culture shock, a different place, a different world. Not a place that I would like to live in, but there is something magnetic about Cuba, perhaps it is its mystique, the plethora of questions left unanswered. It has been the perfect travelers final destination.
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	No pressure, no cry...	Il y a 388 jours
	Jamaica is the 4th largest island in the Caribbean, has the 7th largest harbour in the world and has more churches per sqaure kilometre than any other country. Interesting facts aside, the city centre of New Kingston was not as expected. So many people yet a great deal of space (a little like Australia in this respect). Houses, through small and slightly more delapidated than Brazillian houses, are surrounded with comfortable amounts of space for children to play in and families to grow their own produce. Though very polluted and run down, it´s British origins mean that in a lot of ways it was very commercial, being able to buy little luxuries like Bounty chocolate bars and Ribena that I can get back home. On the familiar side, the beach front was exactly how I had romanticised Jamaica to be like. Dreaded Rustafarians, chilling in little makeshift bars along the beach, eating seafood, smoking and bouncing to Reggae tunes in the warm Caribbean sea. The people of Jamaica have a great lifestyle - relaxed, happy, free.
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	I was sailing in the Caribbean	Il y a 391 jours
	On a sail boat in the crystal blue water of the Caribbean, wind in my hair, sun glowing on my face, in the distance clear blue skies meet soft green mountains in a picture so perfect you would swear it was a painting... Sailing away to my very own Caribbean island to laze on for the day - my perfect paradise. Sitting on the shore as the waves lapped by my feet, reflecting on the journey almost 6 months on and it still feels surreal. The places I have seen, the opportunities I have been given, the wonderful friends that I have made and the sense of belonging I have got from being a part of the Gap Year family have made this past 6 months the most fulfilling time in my life. I couldn't ask for anything more in my life. Thanks to Herbal Essences for providing me with my paradise moment! http://www.bebo.com/herbalessences
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	The Big Apple!	Il y a 397 jours
	Amy and Lewis took a fantastic helicopter ride over New York city. If you're interested in a helicopter ride over New York go to: www.libertyhelicopter.com I want to be a part of it - NEW YORK, NEW YORRRRRRRK!!! The bright lights of time square, the cocktails of the Hard Rock Cafe, the endless shopping at Macys and the singing to Grease on Broadway... All topped off with the best part of the Gap Year yet - getting to tear up NYC with my bro from downunder - the one and only Lewis! He is one of my favourite people to meet on this Gap Year journey - he is hilariously funny, always laughing, not afraid to be himself - he is exactly like he is on the videos. And with less than a month to go, it has been so nice to hang with an old friend and reflect on what an incredible journey we have had on the show. Can't wait to see the rest of the gang in London!
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	A little help from my friends...	Il y a 405 jours
	Perhaps the best part of travelling is the people you meet along the way - sharing travelling stories, learning from one anothers experiences, laughing and crying together through the most exciting period in our lives. Never has this been so true than in Rio. i have been lucky enough to meet some of the most incredible people in this most incredible place. Of course there is the infamous Bruce and Charlie - the two I travelled with for nearly 2 months, ending our roadtrip together in Rio. From love advice to a trusty shoulder to lean on after one too many beverages, these boys had it all. Almost like big brothers to me now, I will never forget them. To continue the wave of wonderful guys from the UK, Dave and Neil shook up my wonderful world with way too many games of 'Fuzzy Duck' (seriously, that game gets bloody hard when you're on your seventh Caipirinha...) - the Mellow Yellow bar has not been the same since your departure! All the way from Cali, a round of applause for Berton and Dante Street ("Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Dante Street"). With the ability to make me laugh until tears rolled down my cheeks, they are hands down the coolest guys I have ever met from the States. Dana, Anna, Alice, TULIOOOO and the amazing gang behind the bar at the Hostel. Never did I expect to become so close to the staff of a hostel, but they are amazing. Such crazy kids, always laughing and taking you in like a local. Laura, Lauren and Helen - now here comes triple trouble! From singing Abba on the way to the Lapa street party, to perving on beautiful Brazilian bodies on Copacabana, to shaking our booties like a local at the Favela Funk Party, I loved these girls so much that I have extended my stay in London at the end of the Gap Year to go on a girlie roadtrip with them. And last but certainly not least we have Di, Nat and Apes - the beautiful Aussie girls that I kidnapped to join me in Ilha Grande for the most fun filled three days I have had in Brazil. When the video goes up on Monday you will see that it is impossible not to love these girls with all your heart. Getting up to good old Aussie antics, it was just like being back home. Thank you so much to every person that has befriended me on the Gap Year journey- the memories will not be forgotten.
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	Salt water wells in my eyes	Il y a 414 jours
	If you're interested in language classes in Brazil go to: www.cactuslanguage.com or BridgeBrazil: http://www.bridgebrazil.com/ Rocinha Favela - the largest shanty town in Latin America with over 300,000 inhabitants. Entering the Favela there was signatory gang graffiti on the walls above burnt out cars, set alight and left to perish on the side of the road. I felt uneasy - you could feel the world change in just one streets distance - but my yearning to learn of this world overruled my fear of the unknown. Day care centres with tarps for roof, twelve year old boys holding guns their height gaurding and dealing big bags of drugs in full view on the street, boys of the same age with died hair imitating drug lords getting high at designated drugging stations. I was told that these 24 hour drugging stations were designed out of respect for the young and the elderly - to keep the trade and the habit away from innocent eyes - yet ironically it is the youth that are running the trade, supporting the habit... And I saw all of this with my own unsuspecting eyes. Despite appearances, their world is ruled by order - a bizarre mix of organised chaos. The three small banks inside the Favela are the only three banks in the whole of Rio to never be robbed. With the drug trade aside, crime is very low as the punishment is too high. Break the social rules layed down by the drug trade heirachy and you could loose a limb or, at worst, be ´microwaved´ - that is, forced into a small enclosed space and burnt to death. It is the unspoken torture of the unspoken world... Despite rationality, perhaps sensibility, I am overwhelmingly drawn to this world. These people in poverty appear so happy. Their lives are free from economic pressures - no rent, no water bills, each power pole wrapped in hundreds of wires to tap into an unlimited illegal supply of electricity, and those smart enough to avoid the wrath of the drug trade debt trap live peaceful lives with only the occassional gas bill to worry over. It is the only place in the world where the poor hold a ´moral title´ over the cities most prime real estate - views of the jungle and the ocean with the cities richest living in masions literally a stones throw away from the outskirt of the Favela. The richest and the poorest neighbours, yet worlds apart. Those in Rio who have the fortune of viewing the favelas from the outside are not proud of the standard of living inside the favelas, nor the fact that the favelas are a direct consequence of political lies, corruption and fake promises. The government, the authorities, turn a blind eye, yet the people do not. They have a lot of compassion for their predicament. Yet the situation is helpless - the cause is without resolve or recourse. And it is for this reason that my eyes welled and my heart melt when I held the soft tiny hand of a little boy whose big brown eyes gazed desperately into mine - as if he knew that without this love and compassion, even if it was from a stranger, his life would be grim. Without the drug trade, he may be left with no future, no where to turn, and so the vicious cycle continues. I realised that love and support really is their only saviour.
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	Oh Rio, Cidade Maravilhosa!	Il y a 419 jours
	After a lifetime of dreaming about it, I am finally in RIO BABY! It is incredibly surreal - every time I stop to remind myself I´m in Rio I get goosebumps and my heart flutters a little I arrived as the sun began to rise and wake the city from its slumber - casting its first rays for the day over Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer. Talk about a dreamlike introduction! It is everything I thought it would be and more. The beaches are incredible - soft sand that soothes your feet, the most refreshing blue water and some of the most beautiful men and women you could ever see. You can buy anything and everything from the wandering Brazillians that trace up and down the beach, occassionally singing out their sales pitch - beer, cocktails, cheese, prawn kebabs, biscuits, the trusty packet of Doritos, jewellery, sarongs, dresses, glasses - even tattoos! And as the sun sets behind the mountains, reflections of yellow, pink and purple cover the sand and the hussle of the day fades away. Favelas appear on the north side of most mountains - shanties on top of one another in a mish mash of organised chaos until the floods come to sweep them away. And when the night rolls in, the streets come to life - thousands of people drinking Caipirinhas, dancing the Samba, turning strangers into amigos. Despite the vast differences in appearance, Brasil and Australia are remarkeably similar. The beach culture, the BBQ culture, the mateship and the kindness of strangers elevate both countries to a special place in my heart.
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	In the middle of nowhere	Il y a 426 jours
	Trekking out in to the middle of no mans land, camping by a fire under the stars, embracing a simple, primitive life where it is just you and the land. Surprisingly, nothing could have been more satisfying. Sitting by the most serene salt lake you could imagine, I watched the sunset over unknown land and in a rare moment, my thoughts were completely empty. In that moment life felt incredibly beautiful, surreal, untainted. I felt liberated by the freedom of the Pantanal - even invincible, wrapping myself in 4 metre Anacondas, catching Alligators with my bare hands, standing in Caiman and Snake infested swamp up to my hips fishing for Piranhas. It is a wonderful thing to push your limits, even have no limits. And I questioned how we managed to complicate such a wonderfully simple existence. For trips and tours in Brazil go to www.ecologicalexpeditions.com.br or www.pantanaltrekking.com To experience what Amy experienced in the Pantanal, email Isreal at Ecological Expeditions - ecologicalisrael@gmail.com
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	The Gap Year - behind the closed screen...	Il y a 433 jours
	Most of my blogs entail a poetic recollection of my thoughts and feelings on the country that I happen to be in. Not this one… It’s time to give you the Gap Year behind the closed curtain… or should I say, behind the closed computer screen. I present you with the run down of the infamous team at HQ. First off, despite popular belief (and rumours spread by Anthony Peters that the office consists of Ian and Sean playing computer games) there does exist a real team of 20/30 odd peeps bringing the show to your pretty little viewing eyes. Let’s start at the top with Richard T (Head of Production) – the big wig – for a top gun he is really personable, knew exactly who I was, where I had just come from and I’m sure he would have just as personal an approach with everyone in the office no matter who they were – that is, when he is actually in the office and not jet setting around the world on his next diving holiday. Pasa (Head of Digital Media) aka Pasa the Slasher - is the coolest cat in the house. Aside from looking so damn good in his Colgate Profile pic it’s scary, he is officially the Gap Year quiz junkie. So much responsibility for someone who only graduated from high school last year… A little secret, he is the Queen of Gap Year gossip – so much so that he would not leave me alone until I simply made up some juicy goss on the travelers love lives. (P.S. Georgie thinks you’re hot). Charlie (Executive Producer) and I go way back to the Sydney auditions where it all began and where all us shortlisters fell in love with him and his custom made blue and yellow nikes. And as the brainiac who created and developed the Gap Year idea, we all owe him a massive hug and kiss (tongue optional). Sean (Executive Producer of Digital Media) is one sarcastic, sharp mo fo. He is Mr Fix it on call 24/7 – the man who can fix anything from your nightmare with Final Cut Pro, to hardrive malfunctions on your laptop, to that leak in your kitchen sink (that’s it ladies and gentlemen, a true gem that is sure to win over the mother in law). Daniella (Series Producer) is women’s power personified. She is kick ass cool , has killer hair and is a woman in control (mess with this one and you could loose an eye). When I grow up, I want to be just like her! Lucy Lee (Producer), apart from having the coolest name ever, is responsible for my dressing like a goose or looking generally like a goose at each sponsorship challenge (hmmm actually I think I may have a lot to do with that one…). Alastair (Producer) aka the blag king – the poor bugger gets to research the world’s best holiday destinations and then watch us soak up his hard work with a cocktail in hand. Your day will come soon Al. In the meantime my infinite gratitude will need to be satisfaction enough (so sorry - love your work!) Jacqui (Production Manager) is one busy little chicken. She has the impossible job of managing our never ending spending spree. Given I have 100 pairs of shoes back home (and I suspect PD Chris has more) she has definitely got her work cut out for her! Margaret (Production Coordinator) is on standby 24/7 to save Liz and I from our own blonde moments (believe me, there are a lot of them…). She is constantly on top of it, sorting out flights, accommodation and laying out my clothes to wear the next day. Thanks Margaret, you’re a life saver, we’d be lost somewhere in the Amazon by now if it weren’t for you! Laura (Production Coordinator) is the sweetest thing in the whole of the UK – I genuinely believe she would be incapable of hurting a fly. Beautiful in a modest way and humble in her work, she is the loving, caring mother of the office. Robbie (Edit Producer) is the voice… not John Farnham, but the voice of the weekly highlights show. I got him to say my name in that sexy voice over voice repeatedly for an hour – thanks for entertaining my little pee brain. He really is a big teddy bear, dedicated to work and his appearance (seriously, I’m not sure who took longer to get ready in the morning, he or Georgie…) Gareth (Editor) is Robbie’s editing side kick. He is the catch up show king who is locked away in the basement each week (actually, no one is really sure if he is man or myth…). He is an editing machine who can churn out an edit in the time it takes to say Go Go Gareth’s Magical Gadget Hands. Ian (Assistant Producer) – the man… the mystery… he is the one that you have all, either directly or indirectly, come to love and adore. He is the one that approves (or disapproves) your comments, takes the piss out of poor unfortunate souls (somewhat of a Gap Year Ursula) and spends the remainder of his waking hours coming up with witty one liners for blog titles. Only someone that bloody intelligent could be that damn witty – congratulations and thanks for the daily entertainment. With hair down to his ankles you would never guess he was a skinhead in a previous life. Henry (Umm not sure of his title, for name sake, lets call him Mrs Symes) is Ian’s witty side kick. I think they were playing footsies under the table at the Doritos Collisions after party – awww, how cute… Tara (Personal Assistant) is the beautiful Aussie bombshell who you may have seen bust a move in Colgate Max White Pacha night video (very hot girl). You can’t help but fall in love with this little wild child, she is just so friendly and down to Earth – just how an cool Aussie chick should be. Linzi (Researcher) aka the Topshop Queen – helped calm my nerves before my Doritos Challenge – thanks lovely lady! Daina (Researcher) has recently become my saviour, organising tango lessons and god knows what else. Another sad case of organising incredible activities for others whilst being stuck behind a computer - I definitely owe both you and Al a drink when we get back to London! To those at the office that I have not mentioned, I am either yet to get to know you better (hence having no material) or have possibly the worst memory in existence (for those of you who fall in this category I am eternally sorry and will buy you a drink come November)! But from what I have heard you are all equally as ace as the others (I must have heard that from a real kiss ass… haha jj) What remains to be said is that every single one of them is as Sound as Ministry (ok, not quite up with the witty literacy genius of Mr Symes) – they are the friendliest production team who work hard and play harder (collectively they would fill an AA meeting). They’re my Gap Year family and I love em to bits! P.S. Thanks to Doritos for bringing the whole HQ gang together at the Doritos Wrestling match - we all had a great (and slightly drunken) night - rumour has it that half the office didn't make it in until lunch time the next day - tut, tut, tut.
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	What a ´wonderful´ world...	Il y a 438 jours
	Sitting in a cafe, trying to regain the little bit of soul that I lost amonst the craziness of our first week in Buenos Aires, and we were approached by a little girl - no older than 5, the sweetest little face you could ever see. Scoffing down a piece of bread like she hadn´t eaten in days, her little hand appeared in front of us, holding 5 pencils for sale. Before I could process what was happening, a local friend waved her on in Spanish. Not being able to take my eyes off her, she moved on to the next table and approached some tourists. Naturally taken in by her sweet nature and bitter prediciment, the gentleman reached into his wallet to find her some change. In the second that he looked away, she stole the food on his plate. Right from underneath his nose. Shocked, the gentleman didn´t know what to do. Taking advantage of the fact that he did not get angry at her, she grabbed another piece of bread from the table, the coins out of his hand, and ran off outside where her father was waiting for her. She proudly handed her father the prize she had taken, at which point they sat right there on the footpath outside the cafe and feasted on the reward. I have never felt so many emotions in 30 seconds. Sorrow for the poverty they have had to live in, anger that a father could make his daughter work in that way, guilt that a 5 year old can have such a different upbringing, shock that a child can not afford to understand the difference between right and wrong... Leaving the cafe with these thoughts in my head, I walked through the night streets and watched as families scavanged through rubbish heaps, collecting cans, bottles, cardboard, anything of value - leaving behind a scattered mess of remains over the footpath and street. Life works in funny ways.
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