March 29, 2003
more on the war.

from my journal that i am keeping.

28 march 2003
location: the road along the beach, walking back into the central harbor
area, mytilini, island of lesvos, greece.

another interaction, at the swimming hole. a man says "george bush not so
good, americans not so good either. bush is greedy." i tell him i don't
like bush, the war. i am not like bush. i am hurt by his statement about
americans. i have on my peace sign w/ a dove t-shirt. we talk back and
forth, i do't want him to think all americans are like bush, i want him
to know i am not like bush. finally with a translator helping he says
"you are good girl."

stupid bush. stupid americans. no, we are not good, we are greedy. the
greeks are packed into their island. small streets and cars, no SUVs. i
don't know what many americans would do if they had to live like
this.

it is a shame that i question whether to be in the closet about my
nationality. it is bush and his followers who hve made me do this. more
closets. right now i am ashamed to be an american-- more than any other
time.

------

on another note. my thoughts on this. people are talking about how awful
sadaam is and what he has done to his people. i understad what an awful
man he is.. but all of this, my thought last night is that the world
people don't want any more war.. maybe its just the greeks and
americans? anyhow, i do't have it with me-- my book about gandhi's
philosphy, but each day i am here, each day i believe stronger ad stronger
that we must work towards non-violence. that the world must. we have to
stop all suffering. this can't go on.

Posted by brooke at 11.07.14 AM

thwarted!

sent as an email to friends and family...

so, its saturday and i have been in mytlini since wednesday. i'm
desperate to get out, see more. so, i plan to go to thermi. thermi is a
not very much visited fishing village, but it is the home of hot springs,
thermal spas, that the goddess aphrodited or artemis is rumored to have
used.

i wake early this morning after falling asleep last night at 9pm. early =
4am. the figure skating world championships are on. for once i don't
need to know any greek to watch the tv. well, watching that, a movie, and
2 soaps from the us that i'd never watch at home.

the bus to thermi is to leave every 1/2 hour starting at 7.30. i make it
there for the 8 o'clock bus. while waiting at the bus station i meet a
woman, she speaks no english, i speak no greek, but i do remember a weeee
bit of german, so we speak some in german. she says i speak good german
for only bieng able to speak bischen (little). i realize that i should
have gotten that german-english dictionary. last night i was asked
"sprichst du deutsch?", so i'm thinking people here learn english or
german.

so. my trip to thermi. i am going just for the spa. there is nothing
much else to see there. i am desperate to get out of mytlini. on the way
to thermi i see a sign for the roman aqueduct. i think "hey, i should
rent a motorbike and go see the aqueduct." but i'm focused on the
spa. big time.

i get to thermi, after passing the spa, and walk down. its closed till
may. so, there i am, sitting on the side of the road, not sure what to
do. my only choice-- head back here. and then i think "rent a motorbike,
go to the aqueduct."

i get back to mytilini, and i try to rent a motorbike. no luck. then the
car-- they'd sell me insurace that would cause me to be fully responsible
if i'm in an accident, this is because i don't have an international
license. the greek drive like maniacs. i debate. nope.

so then i think " the gulf of yera! the bus will go there, to the
hotsprings there?" no.

so here i am, one more day in mytlini. until noon tommorrow, when i will
head across the island to molyvos for a night and then down to skala
eressos for 2 days. then back to mytilini and hopefully across the
channel to turkey. i don't care about travel restrictions, i'm going to
turkey. i'm desperate. either that or i'll take an early ferry to
athens, but from what i hear about athens the three days i've got planned
in enough. well, all this ferry stuff is based on weather. and turkey is
based on whether people are scared or not, at least thats what i was told
by a travel agent. people are scared to go there.

greece is certianly not london or the usa. things are so old here. its
hard to believe unless you've been here. a cross between western europe
and ... somepalce i've never seen.. maybe it s like eastern europe.

anyhow. there is more to say. but i do't have it right now. i'm taking
pictures, but probably not of things people would be interested in, things
i am interested in. tommorrow at 8am is service at the greek orthodox
church. i might go. i went there yesteday and took pictures.

i think thats it. a long with these emails i'm sendig out i am also
keeping a written journal. it has become my best friend. recording my
thoughts, my ups and downs. my place where english reigns. yes, i now
get it how hard it is for people to come to america and not speak our
language. i can understand why non english speakers seek out other
speakers of their language at home. i never realized the power of
language until i had none.

Posted by brooke at 10.47.27 AM

March 28, 2003
more war journaling.

its been three days here and my hatred of george w. bush only becomes
greater.
yesterday i looked across the agean and saw turkey. i am told i
shouldn't go there by the embassy. so close and yet so far, and this is
because of this war. i also hear that british airways has stopped flying
into the middle east-- i am flying british airways.

the people i talk to here are concerned for the children. yes, i tell
them, so am i. the news here shows stuff from al-jezzera, abu dhabi, and
sky news. along with their own. skynews is in english. i read the
bottom, bush will do this for as long as it takes.. i wonder *what* is it
that it takes? the pictures from al-jezzera and abu dhabi show pictures
that i am sure the american mass media is not showing. they won't, they
don't want to put faces on "collateral damage."

the tears i have felt in my throat since last wednesday came out last
night as i watched the pictures. i didn't need to understand the greek to understand what i was watching. i now believe that all the americans who
are for this war need to come this close too it, including w. maybe its
just because this is my first trip abroad, but i really feel closer.. so
much closer.

the greek people. i talk to them and they say "the children," yes, they
are all concerned about the children. what about the children. i echo
them over and over. no, the pictures i see.. so many children.

there are military cars and ships in the harbor. i ask what they are
for, a nd now one answers. i will go to skala eressos and meet the women
from sappho travel-- a brit and a greek - they have helped me immensly, i
hope they will give me a straight answer to that question.

i have learned to read the words iraq, baghdad, moscow and wahsington in
greek. i picked it up really fast. i have too. and i have registered
with the embassy, somethi8ng i wouldn't do if it weren't for this.

yesterday i walked by a school, there was a banner there, i don't know what it said but it had a peace sign on it. i am taking pictures of all
the peace graffiti. maybe i will email the pictures to w. maybe he will
hear then.

my thoughts are of my own safety, but they are also for the safety of the
iraqi's. i'm homesick, but they are loosing their homes and their
lives. yes, when i come home my dedication to this cause will be even
greater.

yes, i hate w. bush for this war. it only continues to grow. i talked to
a man yesterday and he says bush is a fool. i tell him that he is up for
reelection in 2004, he says "too long from now." i agree with him. he
says they don't hear us, i tell him to have faith, that someone will hear
our crys for peace.

so, thats it from here today. do't loose faith. the greek school
children certianly aren't. they are out again today.

may peace be in all your hearts.

Posted by brooke at 12.01.34 PM

March 26, 2003
in other news.

webmail for brooke@rivervision is being a bitch. if you know my other email addy and you want to email me, feel free. i've emailed support and lets see what happens.

more later on my other adventures. like my hotel room with the balcony that opens up to a busy lane below. i'm off to find a market and then maybe go for a swim in the agean later.. if not tommorrow.

Posted by brooke at 01.28.57 PM

anti-war notes from london, greece and seattle.

i am writing from a cafe in mytilini, island of lesvos, greece. just minutes
ago i joined a march of school children against the war. i was walking back
from putting my feet in the agean and there they were, marching, chanting words
i didn't know, but figured that they might marching against the war. they
were, and luckily i had my peace button w/ stop the war now! on it. i said
peace, they clapped. they asked if students in the states were doing what they
were, they didn't think they did, i told them they were.

i was talking to a travel agent here in mytilini about the war, she too was
against it and thought bush was not very smart. she couldn't imagine that the
people of america could elect a man like george bush. i told her we didn't.

and yesterday in london. i got several compliments on my "wage peace" button,
one that i got from a woman on thursday. i finally gave it too a street vendor
who was ever so nice to point me in the direction of a great bookstore. i
also got to talk to a woman in the bookstore, she told me about michael moore.
i need to find the text of the speech.

and finally. sunday night i stayed at the green tortoise hostel. i roomed
with 3 aussie women. one told me that all they hear there is that all
americans are pro bush and pro the war. i set her straight on that one. oh
yeah! and i also sat in vigil with some folks in seattle for a little while
before i had to leave.

i thought i wouldn't wear my buttons, but well-- i'm not going to take them
off. they are too important. i need to make a statement. plus i'm enjoying
wearing them and complete strangers saying "i like your badge."

okay. i've only got a limited time.

peace to you all.

Posted by brooke at 12.53.49 PM

March 24, 2003
seattle, again.

its a dollar for 1/2 hour. i had to check my email, hoping to hear from my ma. not yet.

anyhow, i shared a room last night with three aussie women. i love the aussie accent and last night i got to hear a lot of it. well, not a lot, but more. i also had the chance to do some translating.. english but their slang is different than our slang. fun though.

i've been doing a lot of thinking about travelling and how folks are so scared to do it these days. but i'm in a hostel full of people who thats what they do, they travel. no fear, at least none that one can discern. its kind of a big deal, because our media is full of "people are afraid to travel!" well.. that certainly isn't the case in this place. and i'm hoping i won't see any fear on the faces of my fellow travellers this evening.

i'm sorry i don't have anything profound to say. i just say. and i'm addicted to the web and i wanted to get some of my thoughts here, instead of in my tiny journal.

i've got a beautiful journal that i bought back in eugene. a cheap little thing, but beautiful blue with a stork and the sun on it. its small.

what else? i just had a thought that has now fleeted. goodness. i hate it when that happens. one minute in the next second out.

anyhow, the next 2 days are going to be ick? i dunno. a mixture of ick and absolute delight. i hope.

i also hope that there are storage facilities at heathrow for my big pack. i want to go into london but i don't want to lug that thing around with me. i won't go far if that is the case.

what else? i think thats it for now. i'll be in touch. i am too attached to this medium not to be. plus i get homesick and this is a way to touch bases.

oh yeah! i brought my soromundi cd with me. it was a last minute decision. soromundi is the lesbian chorus of eugene. i can't tell you how comforting that was last night when i was getting overwhelmed by my travelling. i can imagine that it will get lots of playtime.

and now i'm off. hopefully next time you hear from me i'll be across the country and then the atlantic.

peace to you all.

Posted by brooke at 09.02.52 AM

March 23, 2003
in seattle.

hi all. blogging from seattle. its kinda surreal. i rode up on the train. let me just tell you that trains are the way to go. fuck the flying if at all possible. you can walk around, and the scenery.. well, i've *finally* seen the puget sound!

its also rather surreal cause i'm in a hostel. i'm not used to all these people being around. and they all know each other, and i.. well, it would take a couple of days.. i'm bummed that i'm not staying in any hostels in greece. a much better way to meet people. forced socialization. and i'm shy.

i'm also way fucked. i had to ask how to get here to the hostel and the directions were really simple. i'm so fucked when i get to athens. i don't know the language. i've already realized that i'll be glad when i get home, cause i won't have to think so hard just to read signs.

but i'm psyched. glad to be going overseas for the first time. this is such an adventure. i get to walk around seattle tommorrow, hopefully get to rei to get a rubber tip for my walking stick. i've actually got a note for the stick, cause screwed my foot up last week and i'm afraid it's not fully healed.

anyhow. i'm way out of shape. i'm realizing that. and my bags are waaaaaaaaaaaaaay to heavy. but hopefully they'll lighten up as i use things in it, like the food.

okay. i've only got 30 minutes. luckily no one is emailing me.. HAHAHAAHAHA

may you all be at peace.

Posted by brooke at 05.57.53 PM