NYC: Touch-down in Brooklyn, Part II

I’ve been here a little longer now and beginning to settle in. I’m navigating my way around the city better and due to the project work I’m doing here in terms of the workshops, studio work, visiting galleries and meeting autistic artists - I’m getting to see quite a bit of the city. Which, when I’m not getting lost – is lovely!

So. I’m in New York; this great, amazing city - part of America, this *mighty* land - yet it doesn’t feel so ‘great’ at times… and this is something that’s been gnawing away at me each day since arriving. It comes to me in bursts. Little things that continually get me thinking that living standards aren’t so fantastic here. I mean this at a personal level by the way, for your average American - or businesses and large corporation - the story is very different. And these are my comparisons to the UK/Western Europe.

Firstly, people don’t seem to have as many rights here. I mean their private healthcare system lends itself to its very own blog post, but I’m also referring to consumer rights and employment law. Their maternity pay and leave is minimal, and holidays aren’t easy to come by. I thought the UK had a minute number of public holidays! And you can totally forget about minimum pay here. And other basic rights: if you’re fired, you’re fired. And even though you’re paying private healthcare insurance, not everything is covered. For instance, you still have to pay for a mammogram (in the hundreds) or to give birth (in the thousands). How does that figure…?

In terms of consumer law, there’s a real lack of price transparency, and I’m noticing this a lot when I do my grocery shopping. You have to be really careful not to get ripped off! There are a lot of small, local, grocery stores. And often goods aren’t labelled in price. And where they are, you still have to check that it’s being priced through correctly at the till. It’s also really normal for my local greengrocer to change its prices on almost a daily basis – as it is for me to be charged $2.50 for a pepper, instead of the $1.50. And yes, that is the price for one pepper! Food is considerably more expensive here – and this is taking into account the not-so-favourable exchange rate. But you want to hear the worst of it? It goes off really quickly! Apparently, food standards overall are considerably lower than in Europe and in terms of the lack of price transparency – this is excused by saying that you weren’t ‘forced’ to buy the product and that you always had a choice in the matter. And no, you can certainly not get a refund easily(!)

Yes, the infamous $1.50 pepper, which I was initially charged $2.50 for

Another aspect, is the fact that it’s really uncommon to have a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer (or at least adequate outdoor space to dry your clothes) in your apartment. Now, I’m not against going to a launderette in any way – my last art project was all about washing, after all! But by not having these utilities, and with food shopping being that much more difficult – it takes up a lot of your time. Time away from leisure and relaxation. And surely that’s a sign in itself of lower living standards? It’s odd, it feels like we’re back in the 90s or thereabouts; a real drop that I just didn’t anticipate.

With no dishwasher, the washing up gloves are always at the ready! 

And yes, the food portions are notoriously huge. But why though? And why in New York, a more progressive state? And why so, more importantly, when people can’t and don’t finish them?! It makes you continue to pick at your plate when you’re far past the point of being full, and then you end up carrying a doggy-bag around with you for the rest of the evening. Smaller portions (healthier and more manageable) while charging slightly less (better for the consumer and the business wouldn’t lose out) being the solution? It’s an interesting one and will continue to plague me for the rest of my time here, I’m sure!

So, these have been my latest nit-picks as I continue to get to grips with the city! It’s a busy time, and I’ll speak more about the work that I’ve been doing in my next blog posts – I just didn’t want these initial impressions to become the norm, and for me to then forget about them!

Do stay in touch on social media too by the way through my handle @mahliaamatina – I’m posting most days on what I’m up to and continued observations on this fascinating city! Thanks for reading 😊

NYC: Touch-down in Brooklyn, Part I

I’ve been here in Brooklyn, New Yok, a short while now and it’s blown me away in terms of the number of impressions it has made on me. The initial one is quite simply the size: it’s a HUGE city! I always knew it would be big; American style XXXL and all that. But it’s only when you get here and start to navigate your way around the city, that you realise how quickly exhaustive it can all become, as you apply your London or other ‘big city logic’ to New York. It doesn’t quite work on the same level. I’ll let you know how that develops though, as it may just be the initial settling in period for me.

So anyway, yes, it’s a big place, but what else? Well the neighbourhood I’m living in; Crown Heights, has this intense population make-up of Jews and Afro-Caribbean’s. it’s such a contrast of behaviours I’m seeing between the two, as they live harmoniously, side by side. And the other neighbourhoods too - like in many cities, I suppose - change very quickly and are similarly made up of distinct ethnic groups. But here in NYC it feels far more striking. When I visited Brighton Beach, for instance, it was an area full of Russians and Ukrainians. To the point where Eastern European was the prominent, if not only cuisine available. They were the only languages I could hear (occasionally punctuated by English) and the signs were bilingual – in Russian and English. It was quite an extraordinary sight and feeling to witness, as I imagined them arriving into the area and then expanding to occupy it over time. Well, at least I’ve found my haven for dumplings, sautéed cabbage and potatoes, should I crave it!

My closest subway station that connects me to Manhattan and beyond: Franklin Avenue 

The area where I live is highly gentrified – you have the usual array of bars, cafes and restaurants and even museums and a botanical garden nearby 

On the whole, and despite the size of the city, I’d say it’s definitely a friendly city. I’m used to averting my eyes from people as I revert back to my ‘London ways’, however I’m always pleasantly surprised when someone greets me with a ‘good morning’ or a simple ‘hello’. And to be greeted is refreshing. A simple sign of humanity. But naturally where a city is friendly, it also has its brutally rude moments. I’ve known someone to quite literally be *shoved* out of the way at a subway station, as their ticket didn’t swipe through the first time round. I’m always surprised when I hear stories like this. It makes me reflect on what happens to a person to take this course of action; to feel this sense of entitlement over and above another human being. How and when did it start? Was it a one-off moment of impatience or are they always like this? My fascination with human behaviour! But overall, I would say it’s a friendly place, where people will smile and try to help you find your way 😊 I know I’ve been helped plenty!

And did I tell you that New York is an artist’s paradise?! My soul has been thoroughly cleansed and revived here, for there’s art and culture happening on each and every corner! And that’s one of the absolute *joys* of living here: there are pop-up galleries, one-off shows and performances – stuff that you happily and spontaneously walk past and pleasantly discover. Because that’s the only way to do it. Otherwise, you’d spend your life looking up every art and cultural event, and that’s time that no one has! And you’d never find it all anyway. For there’s always a new mural going up, an exhibition coming down, a musician setting up somewhere, a performance art piece taking place in this actual moment… So, the simple and best way is just to soak it all up and enjoy it – a very mindful approach to life, art and culture itself…

Brooklyn Museum – 5 floors of amazingness! It’s free on Thursday evenings, so no prizes for guessing where I am on a Thursday night!

New street art, I recently discovered – like I say, there’s art on every corner!

So those are my initial impressions, but there are many others that I’ve been jotting down, so do come back for Part II of this blog later this week! Until then 😊

The local streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn

The traditional sign of America, seen in all those American movies, (as well as in Guatemala!) - the yellow school bus

Neurodiversity and the Arts - Arts Council Funding received to go to New York!

I am tremendously excited. For just a few days ago, I found out that I was successful in my funding application for the Arts Council’s ‘Developing your Creative Practise’ (DYCP). This is a new piece of funding, which started earlier this year, and gives artists of all forms the opportunity to try something different with their practise - and to ultimately have the opportunity that they wouldn’t otherwise have.

How did I get this, and what were the steps I undertook to create the proposal? Well, this blog will run through my process and hopefully make it clearer to those of your who are also looking to apply for similar funding. One that I would totally encourage, by the way!

So firstly, my artistic aim is to ‘create arts led advocacy work around neurodiversity that openly translates a positive message in impactful yet accessible ways’. I feel that by identifying your goal in the long-term is a great place to start. I then researched and found that to get closer to this objective, I would need to: build new relationships, receive mentorship and collaborate with other autistic artists - in a place that is progressive and leads the way in terms of the neurodiverse arts scene.

Me giving a talk at my autism-friendly and multi-sensory exhibition ‘Around the World in 80 Washing Lines’ 

In terms of the arts and neurodiversity, the United States is considerably advanced and progressive. For instance, it has more art centres and galleries that work with and support neurodiverse artists. Additionally, there is a higher concentration of neurodiverse artists based in the US, especially in/around the state of New York. My findings highlighted that New York City would be an ideal location and base to implement this step change in my working practice.

So, with my goal and location identified, I set to work in terms of researching and identifying potential opportunities. These included, for instance; meeting with influential people (who I emailed and set up meetings with), visiting neurodivergent arts centres (again emailing them to explain I’d be visiting) and the chance to lead workshops with autistic artists (also organised upfront) – all of whom I hope will be my collaborative partners for the next chapter of my artist career. I also researched and found artists who were willing to be my mentors during this time – both an exciting and rare opportunity. You may notice that I emailed and told these people/organisations that I’d be coming to New York. And that’s another key – believing you’re going. This way, the relationship builds regardless – and you’ll already be gaining.

One of the best pieces of advice I have to anyone applying for Arts Council funding is to attend a one-to-one surgery session in your area to meet with an ACE representative to talk your project through with. Having the chance to ask questions that are specific to your project is completely invaluable. You get to hear what the counterargument might be and where your focus should lay – especially when there is a strict character limit to adhere to. This, I believe, has been pinnacle in me writing a strong, focused application.

I also find it helpful to give my form to one or two other people and get their opinion. But just make sure it’s someone who understands you in terms of your artistic goals and your work. And of course; to come back to your application after a few days, or even weeks, after working on it. Like with my paintings – there’s nothing like a fresh set of eyes! Plus, with the way our minds work, they’ll always be thinking and working on the application in the background – very helpful while you crack on with everything else you have to do as an artist 😉

And finally: always get feedback if you don’t receive the grant. Even with this DYCP application – you can still phone up and ask - because it’s this feedback that will enable you to come back stronger next time round. This is what I did last year when I was initially turned down for funding for my #80WashingLines project. And I came back with a mightily amazing application the second time round - and received the funding!

So, let’s see where this opportunity takes me. At the very least it will set me on a journey of exploring my art practise within the context of collaborating and connection-making – all in a direction that is different to my typical art practise, yet still key to my art messaging. I’ll be writing up my findings in regular blog posts, so do please keep coming back to see how I’m getting on.

Until the Big Apple! 😊

Guatemala Beckons!

Hello! A quick hola to say that we’re no longer in Colombia and are now in Antigua, Guatemala for the next few weeks – and then back to the UK!

It’s been a really interesting time in Colombia and since my last email, we’ve had a trip up to the Caribbean coast which took in Santa Marta, Tayrona National Park and Minca. Quiet possibly the muggiest and humid place I’ve ever experienced – just taking a few steps involved dripping with an insane amount of sweat(!) It was a lot poorer in these cities too, which was quite a shock – we felt for the first time we were actually in a developing (or poor) country, and it really contrasted with the relative wealth of Medellin, where we’d been previously been living. The smell of urine in the streets wasn’t uncommon along with a far poorer infrastructure. Interestingly, each of the cities were notoriously on the ‘Gringo Trail’ so hearing English was immensely common – something we just weren’t used to anymore. To add to the mix, there were plenty of snakes, tarantulas and other treacherous bugs to keep the adventure going, though after camping in an extreme thunderstorm, being invaded by an ant army and avoiding termite invasions, I was quite ready to return to Medellin :D! The sea was of course beautiful and the area itself very distinct – especially Minca: this gorgeous mountain town in the heart of nature, where we took the most incredible and unforgettable scenic walks – barely bumping into anyone. 

Me hangin’ out, quite simply 😊 In Minca

The beautiful town of Jardin: colourful, quaint, perfect

What a fabulous array of colourful plants, forming the ‘indoor garden’ part of a café, no less!

How gorgeous is this town?! I could have stayed forever 😊

A fantastically detailed chair that had been hand-painted – another joy of Jardin

A cool and quirky old café/bar in Jardin – this small town was full of surprises!

Tayrona National Park in all its splendour

Me by one of the beaches within Tayrona National Park, which runs along the Caribbean coastline

We’re not especially sad to have left Colombia. It was certainly beautiful and wonderful to visit all the different pueblos – breath-taking at times, but at the end I think the noise levels and pollution became a bit much. We’re especially noticing this now that we’re in Guatemala – even Guatemala City itself with its notoriously wild and dangerous reputation was peaceful in comparison! We thought it was something we should ‘just get used to’ in Colombia, but actually there was something quite at odds in people’s attitude to making noise. There was this sense of ‘this is my house, I can make as MUCH noise as I like’ – there was never any consideration or sense of respect as to how it could be disturbing a neighbour (even those a whole block away!). Upon speaking with Colombians, they all seemed unhappy with noise from the street and from fellow neighbours. Restaurants and bars were equally loud – blasting out music and competing with venues four blocks away – to the point where you’re sat somewhere and can hear music from several different places - but can’t make a single one out! Least to say that we went out of our way to avoid such places – or simply cooked at home! Because of the FARC, I don’t feel people can tell one another to keep the noise down (they could have a gun after all) and I don’t think anything will be changing anytime soon – it felt too far too inbred in their behaviour.

Some final observations: it’s common for Colombians to have an indoor garden/patio in their house, maybe even with a mango tree(!); often Colombians in Medellin don’t feel safe living in the city (we had one friend who was involved in an armed burglary on a bus); Medellin is the only city in Colombia to measure its pollution levels, but then takes on very short-term measures to reduce its levels when they become too high – namely to move certain model or year made cars off the road; noise pollution on the other hand has no bounds with people making as much noise as possible.

The outstanding views from the top of the ‘Rock’ (aka El Peñol) in Guatape, overlooking the tremendous lakes

Some last-minute sight seeing at a palace in Medellin!

Guatape

We’ve been in Antigua for a week now and it could not be more different! We managed to avoid the volcanic eruption from Fuego and after various delays and 3 planes, make it here ok. It’s ancient and colonial, touristy, walkable, expensive and convenient. A great base for our last month to simply relax a bit and enjoy – and get ready for the UK.

Here are some photos from the beautiful Guatemala:

Checking out the ruins, of which there are plenty in Guatemala!

Me in the central square area

A neighbouring town we visited close to Antigua, ready for its festivities

A Guatemalan bus, aka an old American school bus!

 

The joy of being in a city that’s surrounded by volcanoes – such spectacular views

The streets of Antigua, Guatemala

A view from a rooftop bar in Guatemala

I hope to see you when I’m back. Thanks for reading! xox

Beyond Medellin and the Venezuelan Crisis Explored

Hello, Hello!

It’s been 3 months now since I’ve been away now, so definitely time for another update! We’re settling in a bit better now; the new flat is waaay better than our previous one, plus I feel I’m beginning to get into a bit of a rhythm with Spanish lessons each day and the odd swim at the local pool – the pool being outdoors with views of the beautifully defined green valley. Oh, and it’s free to use and Olympic sized, no less! I still feel my Spanish has a long way to go, but at the same time, I sense that I’m making some kind of progress in terms of being able to understand a little of what people are saying (always helpful!)

My local, Olympic, size pool that looks upon the valleys

After visiting various sites around Medellin, we’ve recently been taking trips outside of the city to the countryside and beyond. So far we’ve visited Santa Fe de Antioquia, Santa Rosa and Manizales, and I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how incredible the countryside is! With mountains and valleys in abundance, it makes for the most beautiful scenery imaginable... and Colombia is so VAST and green, beyond belief! I think the vastness was what struck me initially: how simply humongous the country is. Not to mention magnificent, majestic and magical… if I’m going to go all out with alliterations(!) The hills are so steep and they’re literally *caped* in luscious vegetation, canopies and trees aplenty. And then the waterfalls! These are so rapturous and raging and help reflect the greenery further. It rains a lot in Colombia, so the vibrant richness of the green hue is amplified to every extent. Going away outside of Medellin has altered my view on Colombia completely…

Santa Fe de Antioquia - a beautiful colonial style town not far from Medellin

Me getting ready for the spa!

Warm water flowing directly from the volcanoes. Who would have thought!

The stunning spas at Manizales

No photo could possibly capture the lushness of the green here. But I'll try!

Santa Fe de Antioquia is a small colonial town not far from Medellin, which is beautifully charming: lots of cobbled streets and cute town squares - we had a lot of fun ambling about. We were also there for the huge ‘Semana Santa’ week (Easter) which was the most *full-on* set of festivities I have ever seen! It was amazing to see the processions taking over the town in its entirety and to see Catholicism in Colombia. There was no running around hunting down chocolate Easter eggs and scoffing oneself silly! Nope, not here.

Semana Santa celebrations - just outside our flat!

The parade continues and just seems to keep getting bigger!

In Santa Fe and Manizales, we enjoyed the thermal spas – several small pools that collate hot water that flows directly from the volcanoes! Again, another example of the diversity of the land – this whole area was surrounded by volcanoes. It was literally the most beautiful and scenic spa experience I will probably ever have – it was amazing to lie in the warm pools with a drink and see the greenery all around and water flowing - in the most perfect of weather… 😊

In contrast to our fun travels, one of the biggest crises that has been taking place while we’re here (and in the last years) is the Venezuelan one. In a simple nutshell: Venezuela used to be a really rich country and has always been highly dependent on income from oil (it accounts for about 95% of Venezuela's export revenues). Having a socialist Government, they spent a lot of this money on helping social groups and those that needed the money: e.g. more than a million poor people have been homed. However, one could say the Government ‘put all their eggs in one basket’ and didn’t focus on the rest of the economy and its welfare. The problem: oil prices have *plummeted* across the world (less than 50% of their value from around 2013) and the Venezuelan Government has less foreign currency to buy goods (it has almost run out of money) and the country is now experiencing hyper-inflation of around 2000% of its prices (since 2014). The consequence is that there are severe food shortages, malnutrition, sky-high unemployment, horrendous protests and soaring crime and violence. Even Malaria’s back. The people of Venezuela are fleeing and with Colombia being next door, it’s one of the main countries that people are coming to (as well as other south and central American countries). NOTE: obviously it’s a great deal more complicated than that, and I missed out the whole change in leaders etc etc, but this is just a snippet to share.

It is all so sad though. People are fleeing with nowhere to go. They’re often trying to sell food in the streets or other practical items, and just generally trying, desperately, to make ends meet. I’ve also seen people with next-to-nothing on, barefoot, walking disorientated down the street and sleeping rough. Many are sleeping rough. And it’s simply getting worse. I know I’m noticing it more and more.

Anyway, that’s my news for now. 

Until next time!

Medellin, Colombia: Initial Impressions

So, I’ve been out in Medellin, Colombia for about 6 weeks now. Wow, what a time it’s been..! We stayed in an Airbnb, in an authentic neighbourhood, in an incredible flat, for an amazing price – but then decided to move to a far more convenient flat (in terms of being closer to the metro line, social meet ups, sports and generally being able to get about on foot to places), but are sadly living in a really not-so-great-place at anymore… doh! It’s not horrendous – just completely unreliable Internet; noisy walls (you can hear people speaking as if they’re right in your face) to dodgy electrics, sparseness and the occasional cold shower. All part of the experience, right..?

I’ve had lots of initial impressions on the city and country, so here goes: the people are short (the bathroom mirrors are in line with my chest); there’s always a child-sized toilet; you have to take toilet roll from the main stand into the toilet cubicle with you before using it; you need to put toilet tissue in the bin (like everywhere); people move slowly; people smile more; there are around 10 murders a week that take place in the city (down from around 10 a day a few years back!); they put sugar in bread (a lot) – and cheese; the local food is largely all deep-fried and served with a kilo of cheese - for good measure, clearly; people are health conscious from an exercise perspective (but not at all from a nutritional one – a very real and bizarre disconnect); the metro and transport system as a whole is relatively advanced and well run; the Colombians do not trust the police; there are a *lot* of Americans here; old Americans come here to retire; younger ones come over to work and travel; the Colombians are extremely friendly and helpful people; the taxi drivers drive like maniacs; Uber is illegal, but still in use (we have the app); the traffic is a bit crazy; there’s a lot of pollution; the city is set in a valley; people smile from a very natural and organic place (I suppose that would be from the heart?); hot dogs are the most consumed food by the locals wanting street food; the fruit and veg here is AMAZING (we try new ones each day); it’s hard to get a mobile phone network up and running as you effectively need to be a resident to get one; the streets are very clean; people vigilantly pick up their dog poo; there’s a large digital nomad community in the city; the Colombians wear sporty clothes – it’s not unusual to see a (beautiful) woman in a polo shirt, jeans and trainers; people are big on their beauty - there are barbers and beauty salons *everywhere*; a lot of expat restaurants are geared towards Americans (quarter pounders, heavy meat and all that jazz); foreigners are known as ‘gringos’; they get confused with who I am - I get stared at a lot, as a result of this confusion; as well as hot dogs, people LOVE their dogs *big* time – vets, pet groomers and shops are *everywhere* (built in between the human beauty salons); ‘tranquillo’ (it’s ok, chiiiill) leads the way; music is the king – it blares out from everywhere; some parts of the city look like what I imagine the US to look like (wide streets, big leafy trees, suburban-feeling; AC is not needed – the weather stays a perfect 28 degrees (approx.) all year round…

Here are some pics:

The central mid-town area in Medellin from a bridge

It's very common to see street vendors selling fruit - much to our delight!

Evolution taking place...

What's interesting about Medellin is that it's based in a valley, so all homes are built upwards, often not on the most stable of foundations. An amazing sight to see

The beautiful graffiti in 'Comuna 13' - an area now, on most occasions, safe to visit. It was previous over-run with gangs and was deemed far too dangerous to go to

Me in the botanical gardens. Open for free to the public, and absolutely beautiful!

Some of the stunning views across the valley, at disk - taken coming out of a metro station...

The view outside our apartment. Amazing how leafy and nice it looks, right?

Until next time! I’ll talk about the sites I’ve seen in the city (and beyond, I hope at this point).

Adiós Inglaterra!

And so. Tomorrow is the day! That I leave the eternal grey skies (ok, slight exaggeration) of the UK (Reading) for ‘la ciudad de la eterna primavera’ (the city of eternal spring) that is Medellin, in Colombia! I’ve been journaling in my diary for the past weeks so will be writing this up to share with you lovely people 😊

For those of you who don’t know, I’ll be leaving the UK to go live abroad and ultimately: have an adventure over the next year. This blog will track this adventure: before, during and after.

So one thing I’ve underestimated is the amount of prep that is needed! I’ve spent the last month running around like a headless being; organising all sorts from holiday jabs to banking - to car admin and mobile phone decontractifying (yes, I did just make that word up) to <yawn> yup, more banking. It’s completely boring, yet so crucial – to the point I think I’ll even write a blog post about banking alone!

I’ve had pretty mixed feelings over the past month; mainly in the form of stress (so much to doo!) to impatience (I just want to get there already!) to denial and hesitancy (why not just stay in Reading?!) – and a little excitement! Yes, you thought there may be a bit more of that, right..? Well honestly, it has not been primary emotion. It’s been largely: ‘let’s-get-this-done-and-then-move-on-to-the-next-task-and-oops-I-forgot-this’ – all while making my list that bit longer.

And now with less than 24-hours to go, the excitement is well and truly present. For real! I *actually* cannot wait! So, watch this space with more to come (while I head out to buy and sort out those last-minute bits and bobs and do my last min packing!)

Ciao for now and until Colombia!

Do I reeeally want to leave the splendours of Woodley behind...?