The Blessing of Improvisation

Good day my Inner Blog Circles! I feel as if it’s been a while since I’ve written to you all personally. Much has been going on behind the scenes. Let what I write here be an encouragement to you. Interestingly enough, the very topic of what I’m about to share is a mirror reflection of what I am currently undertaking. I will share what I am up to soon enough as it is still in the beginning phases. But for now, I want to write about something I feel that many of us have had to do this year at one level or another: Improvise. 

Whether it was with your primary method of generating business, fine-tuning your processes, or creating another avenue of income, these are adjustments most of us had to make. We have long term goals and expenses to be covered. After all, life still goes on in spite of whatever adversity may come against us. The question to be posed is one that we all must face…

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Perhaps, it’s just minor tweaks. Maybe it’s a complete overhaul. Or it’s simple as facing our worries and fears. Whatever it is, what we are going to do about it is often based on the root factor: Improvisation. To spare you the Captain Obvious Webster’s Dictionary definition of “improvisation” with “The act of improvising”. The definition of improvising is to “1: to compose, recite, play, or sing extemporaneously 2: to make, invent, or arrange offhand the quarterback improvised a play 3: to make or fabricate out of what is conveniently on hand improvise a meal”. The key parts of the definition that stand out are “to make, invent, or arrange offhand” and “to make or fabricate out of what is convenient”.

Perhaps you’ve had to put the breaks on other plans and begin basing your growth off of what is currently working for you in the present moment. What you had envisioned last year had to be put on hold while you have forged ahead with what has been helping you make it through this difficult 2020. And not only have you relied on what’s been working for you, but you’ve also expanded upon it. Maybe boosting a specific skill on your resume or even off-shooting a newer service in your business. Whatever you’ve had to change or create on the fly, be encouraged that you have an ability not to be taken lightly. And that is the ability to improvise. To change things up accordingly when the going gets tough. 

Let’s face it, it takes a lot less effort to sit down and feel sorry for yourself when life and career don’t go according to plan. It’s easier to just throw in the towel when another setback occurs and it looks hopeless in the clouds of uncertainty. But instead, draw strength from wherever your source of energy is whether it be God, personal confidence, or those whom you are close to who lift you up. Read more online on how to reinvent yourself. Think outside the box. There’s no shame in having to improvise and take things in a new direction. Many people have been drastically impacted by the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 Crisis, so you would be no different than millions of people who have either seen a decrease in their income this year or even have lost their jobs. We’re all not only just trying to make it through this, but also still complete our long-term life and career goals. If you’re anything like me, you can’t just accept losses or failure to fulfill those goals. One way or another, the resolve to succeed by all principled means must still burn.

RETROSPECT: MY FAVORITE COLLEGE PROJECT

Hello, my Inner Blog Circlers! I hope you all are continuing to stay healthy and safe despite the chaos of our current world. It’s during times like these in which we should remember the good moments, whether it be personal or professional. Perhaps you have a fond memory of a project or endeavor that you completed which you knew stretched your limitations. You learned new skills and capabilities you never realized you had. I can attest to this sort of thing, with a project that actually happens to be on in my portfolio. It was what we could call a “flex” in modern slang that all the kids use today. We will take a moment of Retrospect to My Favorite College Project.

It is the “Psychedelic Picture”! This project was the one that stands out to me the most, even after 9 years since I completed it. It wasn’t even a project that led to any direct monetary compensation. I can remember working on this like it was yesterday. I can even recall my early thoughts on it, the steps on how I made it, and the twists and turns that took place during its creation.

The project was assigned to my class, Digital Illustration during the winter quarter of my final 6 months at my college, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. *Side note: Because I get this mentioned to me anytime I refer to it, I will write about why The Art Institute of Pittsburgh closed and my thoughts on it next month. Anyhow, my teacher for the class Mr. Hassinger assigned us the project of doing a digital-based illustration using a person in it. We could choose any artistic style we wanted. I can remember how I wanted to go in a different direction, than my typical illustrative touch, which was primarily realistic with exact colors, shapes, proportions, and tones. I wanted to do something more experimental while maintaining the integrity of my style. I chose a classic psychedelic style. I knew it wouldn’t be easy and it would stretch my creative muscles, but that was the part of the challenge that motivated me the most.

First, I selected one of my friends from college to be my “model” for this project. I just had him sit in a chair in a studio at the school and use different poses. He gave me some great looks to choose from until I selected the seated position as he is in thought while holding on to something. I took that picture into photoshop and began playing with different filters and effects. I had completed some elements of the background while I was finalizing the colors and proportions of my model’s figure. At the same time, I opened up Adobe Illustrator and began digital sketching of shapes. This is where the tricky part of this assignment began. It was the fact that I was basically feeling my way throughout the project, with no clear direction on what the final product would look like. It was similar to being lost in a thicket in the woods, trying to feel your way to a particular destination. It had to be this way. This is an image that had to look like it wasn’t of this world, with little conscience coherence. And the best part of this whole thing is that there were absolutely no drugs involved in the making of this project (there’s my honest disclaimer).

At one point, I randomly took my “pen tool” in illustrator and started randomly clicking shapes and bam! I had come up with an uncommon shape. It was the rainbow-colored figured that kind of resembles DNA strand part. I took the shapes, multiplied them together, reversed the colors out on each link of the strands, pulled them into photoshop with my figure and the background, and began to create complex links all over the picture. It then dawned on me that the links need some source. I went back into Illustrator and created the plant-looking spouts along with a grainy green patch so make it look as if the strands were coming from the plants on this bar, appearing to reflect itself on a water-like surface but not at the same time. I had created something that was far outside my norm. Before I finalized it, I showed it to another friend of mine for a once-over critique. He loved it but did say it was still a little too clean to be pure psychedelic. He suggested some sort of parchment paper overlay with low opacity to make it look dirtier. I tried that idea and it worked. I feel even now it gives the viewer an even greater sense that they’re in some sort of dream.

I would’ve preferred to just use the picture itself as my final work of art, but when my teacher saw it, I realized I wasn’t done yet. He said, “How are you going to apply it?”. He meant, how would I use the image in a real-life setting. I then chose to use it on a magazine spread. It would be a fictitious article on the negative aspects of using LSD, hence the name “The Other Side of LSD”, under the cover of “Interpreted History as indicated in the top right corner. There it was. My work of art was complete and I aced that project with an A.

I have such a sentimental holding to my “Psychedelic Picture” not so much because of the grade I received, but because it pushed me beyond whatever creative limits I thought I had into another realm (no pun intended) where I realized I was capable of even more than initially thought. It was wild, out of the ordinary and a fun project to behold. I feel like I need to go back to this project periodically when I feel my creative energy is waning, just to be inspired and encouraged. There wasn’t a money incentive into this piece of art. It was purely and simply just about art. I would encourage anyone to do the same if there was a particular college project related to what they do now for a living that was their signature work of art. And that concludes my Retrospect: Favorite College Project.

Much Love

Joe Gardonis

The Origins of How I Ended Up In The Graphic Design Field (VLOG)

Hello friends! Anyone who knows me best knows when I share anything personal, there’s a message to be received. Here I am sharing about the very beginning, where I my art career was essentially born. Watch my blog below where you will hear my story. ENJOY!

VLOG! My Biggest Petpeeve About My Industry

Yep! As part of being in my Inner Blog Circle, you get access to more" “from the heart” content. In this vlog, I share about what irks me the most about my profession., and it’s not what you think. Watch below to hear my grievance which starts off with a brief message about unity.

Where I Get My Energy From?

Happy Staying Healthy! Or least I hope and pray you are. It’s times like these when I believe we are being taught to be thankful for what we do have and to maybe never take anything for granted. Particularly the normal life things we once enjoyed, before the Coronavirus Crisis hit us. It makes me reflect a great deal on the few special experiences I’ve enjoyed during my life.

Many of those involve traveling to places that involve nature in some sort of aspect, many of them are spiritual experiences such as my dedication to God and baptism, and some include bonding and funny moments with my closest friends and mentors. We all have a source from which we receive our energy. That energy can be what drives us to work, provide for our families, take care of our loved ones, or even just live. I know for me that aside from my faith, I receive my energy from a couple of very noticeable places: The company of those I love and being out in nature.

The heart of who I am is a people person. Like any normal human being, I have my moments where I get annoyed and frustrated with people. But at the end of the day, I do love people. Due to the fact that I tend to be the kind of extroverted person who has an element of being introverted/needing alone to time recharge here and there, I tend to feel more myself with one or two people at a time. I like to zero and focus whoever I’m with on an individual basis. When I’m with those I love, I feel energized. And it doesn’t really matter what we do. For me, it’s about quality of time, not restricting to a need for activities. We can do fun outdoor things or we can just enjoy ourselves at a coffee shop or restaurant in the city. Even the thought of spending time with them is exciting for me.

My old friend from High School, Steve and I at a sports bar/grill in 2007. I love old throwback pictures.

Another great source of energy for me is being out in nature. Whether it’s riding a bike trail, exploring the woods, or laying on the beach, nature is part of my love language. I am just awestruck when I think of how amazing the terrain, trees, rocks, water, etc. seems to be so perfectly formed. I particularly remember, when I was riding my bicycle up at Redbank Valley Trail in New Bethlehem, PA which is located in Clarion right along Redbank Creek which is the divider between Clarion and Armstrong Counties. It’s a trail that runs along the hillsides in the Valley of Redbank Creek. It’s the simplicity of the beauty of nature that recharges me, whether I’m in the sticks of Western PA or the tropics of Tahiti.

And lastly, the other source of where I get my energy is what I would call my “unsung hero”. I get energized from music. I love to listen to music while I work. It provides great background noise for me. Some people can’t concentrate as well with background noise of any sort, but I find myself more into what I’m working while music is playing. It’s as if the emotions listening to music can release that help me channel that energy into the tasks to do. What do I like to listen to during creative moments? Worship music definitely is a top choice of mine. However, I also enjoy a good movie soundtrack. My 2 favorite movie soundtracks are Braveheart and Top Gun. 

My three main sources of where I get my energy from are what works for me. I know that everyone is different in their own unique way. I find it very awesome that there really isn’t another copy of anyone else. That we can all be ourselves. There’s an old saying, “No one else can be you.”, and I find that to be very awesome. Where do you get your energy from? I’d honestly love to know! Feel free to leave comments on what ticks for you! Stay tuned for more personal and public content from me to come!

Much love 

Joe Gardonis

FIRST VLOG! What Do I Love About Being a Business Owner?

Good day!

I know this has been a challenging time for all us. It can be heard to keep the drive going during a moment of slowdown and even full-blown shutdown. Perhaps you will remember your passion for why you got into your job or became a business owner. Watch my first ever vlog below to see and hear what I love about my job!

Recognizing When You’ve Been invested Into

Hello Inner Blog Circle! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I sure am enjoying this early spring we are having in March (minus the Coronvirus pandemic). You might have gotten the impression from me that I like warm weather, from me sharing about my Tahiti Trip. This post I will be sharing is from my recent short trip to Florida less than 2 weeks ago. It won’t be about my day to day adventure. But it will be about a very special, feel-good moment in which I reconnected with an old mentor from years past. I look forward to my story inspiring you if you have either been mentored or been the mentor. 

It was late Saturday evening and I had arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I had never been to Florida so this was a new experience for me. I was looking for a nice affordable weekend getaway to a warmer climate as I had been putting in many hours before on major projects. I checked in to my hostel around 11:30 pm, so as soon as I got into my bed, I fell asleep quickly and slept in fairly late. I was preparing myself for what would be a sentimental and somewhat nostalgic day. I was going to meet up with a man who was a mentor to me when I was in late high school, early college era. He was the pastor of my church’s youth group. Some of what I am about to share is what you might call a “religious” experience. For me, it’s reality and I can’t help but be thankful for how my life changed. So please don’t shy away from this part. I encourage you to still have an open mind and spirit, just as you do when it comes to the business and life realms.

Now that I got my little disclaimer out of the way, when he first met me, I was a very insecure, and directionless teenager. But due to the prayers of my family, friends, my old youth pastor and what I believe God himself did in my life, my depression and securities left me, and I received love and direction for my life. Chad is my mentor’s name. Pastor Chad/PC to me. He was my youth pastor as a teenager and my leader after I graduated from high school and allowed me to become a youth leader in an awesome youth ministry that touched many young kids’ lives and raised up several big leaders (not including me). So for the first time since he and his family moved from Pittsburgh over 8 years ago, he and I were going to reconnect. I was driving from Ft. Lauderdale in my rental car to Lake Worth, where the church the pastor’s at is located (Journey Church). It was about a 45-minute drive so I had to budget my time appropriately. What helped was his church has 4 services every Sunday, which made it easier to connect with him and his family. 

Finally, after a somewhat long drive, I arrived at his church campus and parked my car in the lot. I spotted him standing outside the front doors of the church along with his wife and 2 young kids, greeting people as they came in. I walked up to him and we all embraced after 8 long years of not seeing each other. I couldn’t believe how much their kids grew up, with their daughter Arianna being 10 and their son Judah being 5. The last I saw Arianna in person was when she was 2 and I had never met Judah before, so it was slightly surreal to me to see them after following the family grow up on social media over the years. 

After we met up, Pastor Chad and I set out to grab a cup of coffee at the nearby Starbucks. During the car ride there, we began to get caught up with life and ministry and our conversation continued in Starbucks. He shared his thoughts on church and ministry in a way that actually pleasantly surprised me. And I’m sure what I shared surprised him as well. I feel like I was quite wide-eyed and cheesy-grinned the whole time because I couldn’t believe I was sitting at Starbucks in South Florida with my old youth pastor. 

We then headed back to the church where he was leading a men’s small group. I got to meet the other guys in his group, hang out and provide input during the group. He also had a special announcement to make with the guys about his role, that hadn’t yet publicly told the church yet so I got be in for that as well. He then asked me, “You hungry man?”. “Yea you?,”  I replied. So we then went out to a nice restaurant by the lake in Lake Worth, where he told me that had great seafood. We continued to get caught up on people back home in PA that were a part of the youth ministry we served at, and even more details about our lives. I anxiously gleaned in more about his newer up and coming position in another organization. I shared with him how much his investment into me meant after a time of realization which I’ll share in my final point to this post. After our time at the place, he then drove us around the area to show me notable places like Rod Stewart’s house and the house where President Trump stays when he comes down to Florida. He then dropped me off back at the church campus where my car was and we then parted ways. But before we did, we embraced out of gratitude for the precious and rare moment of reconnection. I got in my car in awe of what just took place.

Now in my last segment of this blog post, I want to sum up my whole experience that goes back to the title of this post “Recognizing when you’ve been invested into”. As I stated earlier, he started being a youth pastor to me when I was in high school, and then was my leader when I became a youth leader after high school since I still lived in the Pittsburgh area, I was able to help out. But the truth is, I didn’t realize how much I learned from Pastor Chad while I was a leader. Obviously I was much younger when I started, 18 years old so there was a maturity curve for me to overcome. But it was all the in’s and out’s and even the pressures that come with being in church or any extensive organization like he was with us leaders and then the kids. I saw how he handled and ran things within the ministry but I don’t think I appreciated it to the fullest until I had my opportunity to lead a church youth group in a very similar role to his. I was a youth leader at my previous church for almost 4 years like a youth pastor. I got to see a group grow in numbers and the kids grow spiritually. But I also got see a team of great leaders grow which is always important in any organizational setting. I can honestly say there wasn’t a time during the season where I questioned if I could really do the job. And that is no way a brag on me. No, I’m giving credit to how much I learned from watching and serving under Pastor Chad from years before. He deserves that credit and my gratitude for his example and personal investment into me so that I could live the life that I would want to live and lead others in the most positive way. It was then during my Florida trip that I did something which I believe is a necessary principle in life: Recognize when you’ve been invested into.

Stay tuned for the next sharing of another unique experience from my trip to Florida!

Much Love

Joe Gardonis

TAHITI: DAY 8

October 22, 2019, was here. Officially my last day in paradise before I was boarding a plane to take me back to Pittsburgh. Back to normal life. I awoke around 8 am, did my normal routine of getting breakfast but I also took an early lunch with the few items I bought at the grocery store the night before, due to having to be checked out of my room by 10 am. I was able to stay in the lobby area of the hostel until I was ready to get to the airport. My flight wasn’t leaving Papeete for San Francisco until 9:15 that evening so I had plenty of time to kill, by reading, hanging out by the bay and walking around the streets, taking in French Polynesia one last time. I packed my bags and clothes, double and tripled-checked my areas around my bed to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. So then I went down to the lobby to watch videos on my phone, text, read books, and anything else I could do to fill the time and space.

During that afternoon, I had most of the time occupied while texting a friend while I waited in the lobby of the Mahana. But when I wasn’t talking to her, I took a walk down to the park by the bay with the sun shining brightly, sitting under the palm trees reading. Despite how much time I was able to shave off until around 4 pm when I was planning on getting my taxi ride to the airport, it did seem like I was waiting forever. I reflected a lot on my trip and all that I experienced during that week.

Finally, at 4 pm had I arrived, I was waiting for the hostel when I informed the workers at the front desk that I was going to be leaving. They were kind enough to call a taxi to come to pick me up. I remember texting my friend back in Pittsburgh about how I was “getting all the feels” with my taxi on its way. I wanted to get to the airport earlier so I could get something to eat for dinner there before I boarded my flight. And I could only take waiting in the lobby doing nothing for so long. The taxi had arrived, I got my bags, wished my farewell to the workers in the hostel and headed out the door. Right as I was loading up the taxi with my bags, Fred whom I met the night before, walked up to me and asked if I was leaving, which I said “yes”. He wished me farewell and wanted to stay in touch, should I ever come back to Tahiti. I got into the cab and then we were on our way to the Faa’a International Airport to begin the first big step in me getting back home.

We arrived at the airport, I retrieved my bags, paid the driver and we both wished each other farewell. As you see in the pictures, there are no door entrances or windows to the airport which of course showed me in a small way how different the whole experience there was. So I sat down for about an hour or so in the middle of the terminal, reading (which I had no other option because you’re only allowed a half-hour of free wifi in the airport). After the time had passed I decided to get something to eat. And what did I chose? No other than the McDonald’s Royale Double meal. Yep, there was another McDonald’s in Tahiti. It turns out there are only 3 McDonalds on Tahiti and I had gone to 2 of them. I sat in the courtside of the airport and quickly ate that meal as I was fairly hungry and anxious for the check-in time which was soon to come. (Side note: Even as I write this, it’s like I’m reliving my exit including the feelings of leaving).

After some time of more waiting, I had seen the check-in lines open up and people beginning to get in line. So I decided to get up and see what the line was for it and it turns out it was for my flight. So I got in line to check-in myself and luggage. As I was standing in line I got my passport and ticket ready as they had attendants going around checking passports in advance to expedite the check-in process, The attendant checked my itinerary and saw it was good so I proceeded forward in line. I was still pretty far back as behind me were an American couple with a baby. I couldn’t help but strike up a conversation with them about where they were from, where they were going and how their little girl was doing with the travel. It turns out they were from San Francisco area so they were getting off there, their little girl did surprisingly well with the 8 and 1/2 hour trip the first time around, and they actually had friends in the Pittsburgh area. What a small world! I had made brief friends with them before I was about to check-in. I was held up by a couple of middle-aged ladies who seemed to be waiting on something. One of the ladies who were in their trio had run-up to the line because she must’ve forgotten something. The funny part about this is that when I first arrived in Tahiti the week before, those were the same ladies who held things up at the currency exchange office in the same exact fashion! Take about Deja Vou (pardon my French).

After they finished checking in and I did too, we walked into the waiting area where the gate for the incoming flight would be. It was like a little mall area with a few stores around. The other cool feature was the fact that as you see in the pictures, the courtyard area that is outdoors featured a lounge area without any doors or windows. And after a while of waiting, the plane had pulled up to the gate. My way home had arrived. And then about a half an hour before the official take-off boarding had begun, so I got in line when my time had come. I gave the attendant my ticket and proceeded to walk out the gate. Again, the small difference between getting on a plane in America and Tahiti had come up: No jetway. The entrance to the plane comes up walking up the stairs to the door. I boarded the plane and braced myself for the reality of leaving the land that I had prepared so much and so long for. The paradise that really lived up to its reputation and Instagram images. All of it was concluding. I lived the dream and I was headed back “home”. To simplify the way my trip home went, I left Tahiti at 9:15 pm and arrived in San Francisco at 8:30 am the next morning October 23. After a near hour and a half layover in SF, my next flight went to Denver, Colorado. And then after a 3-hour layover, my flight to Pittsburgh began and I landed in the ‘Burgh safe and sound at 10:30 pm, arrived in my apartment at almost midnight, took a shower and passed out until late the next morning. The Tahiti Adventure was completed. I came back browner, more feeling of accomplished, yet very jet-lagged, and with all my belongings that I went there with.

Back to normal life. For me though, life had become normal for me in the South Pacific. Waking up in the 80+ degree heat and sunshine, surrounded by palm trees and the ocean had grown on me. It is odd to say that in the light of how different the culture and environment was to what I had grown up in. But I am the kind of person who can eventually and easily adapt to their environment no matter what. And that’s what I had done in Tahiti, despite the language barrier and arriving there without knowing a single soul before then. For as much as I missed my friends and family back in the States, it was as if the small remote islands in the middle of nowhere became “home” to me. I loved the people, the weather (a surprise there, right?), the scenery, and the culture. I couldn’t believe that trip became a reality. I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate it. It was a childhood dream of mine to travel the world. I can say that I believe going to Tahiti was the beginning of living that childhood dream. I got hit with the Travel Bug and I intend on doing a lot more exploring this big, gorgeous world as time goes on. Thank you for sticking with me during the Tahiti adventure. I can’t wait to share more exclusive content with you in my Inner Blog Circle. Not just traveling adventures. But even more personal stories of high points and hardships in my career that helped shape how I got to this point. Thank you!

Much love

Joe Gardonis

TAHITI DAY 7

Here we are! Day 7 in Tahiti is about to be retold. Every time I look at my pictures from the paradise of the South Pacific Ocean, I can’t help but be thankful for how blessed I was to explore this side of the world and take it all in. Not everyone can/wants to travel, particularly 6000 miles away from home, so it causes me to appreciate my adventurous nature and what I encounter along the way. 

My Day 6 in Tahiti was composed of going to the church, driving around the island, discovering the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen, and connecting with people from all over the world with different opinions, ideals, and backgrounds. Day 7 would be my last full day in Tahiti so I had a few more things to do before I began preparing myself for the transition back home. If you read the blog post of DAY 1, you may have recalled a part in the post where I was on my way to Tahiti from San Francisco and was talking with another Tahitian named Alfred. Now Alfred informed me about the Papeete Market which was a huge market area where a little bit of everything was sold from food, clothing, souvenirs, and other Tahitian items. He specifically told me about how Monday is the day in which most of the deals are initiated. I had made note of that because Day 7 was Monday, and I wanted to make sure I checked out the Papeete Market. 

I awoke that day early in the morning but not as early as before. Perhaps my body was finally adapted to the place I called home for that week. No more jet lag. And even better yet, my pink eye was finally cleared up. Praise God! I was finally 100% for the time since Thursday. That morning around 10 am I walked over to the Papeete Market, which was only 1 block over from my hostel, to see what they had that I could take home for souvenirs to my loved ones. It was somewhat of a cloudy morning which provided a cooler difference in temperature from the very hot and humid sunny days that I had grown accustomed to. I went over to the market which was very vast, filled with many booths and spaces of merchants selling their products. I walked around to look at things that caught my eye for souvenirs that. The merchants were very friendly. In fact, I can remember ordering an item from one of them, and then they gave me an extra added item to take home.

I left the market and proceeded to walk over to a couple of other shops in Papeete. I was walking down the sidewalk of Rue de l'École des Frères de Ploërmel which is the main street going through the city when I stumble upon a performance by several men with guitars and ukuleles. They performed so well as you can see in the video that I had to slip them a few francs. I stopped at the other stores around the area and then went back to my hostel. Of course, being it was my last day, I had to help myself remember where I stayed by taking pictures of the hostel, specifically my room, the sayings on the walls and the flags.

The early afternoon had arrived. The skies finally cleared up and I decided to take a walk to the beach where it all began. I arrived at the beach to land in the Tahiti signature black sand, bake my skin a little more, jog along the shoreline a little and enjoy the water with my snorkeling mask on. I mean, again, I found myself in awe that I got to experience the paradise so far away. God was good to me and I gave thanks for it all. Then I saw some clouds coming in, headed for Papeete so I knew it was time to go back to the hostel. Low and behold at the halfway point of my over a mile and three quarters walk back, it started to rain. I placed my towel over my head so my clothes and belongs in my snorkeling mask bag wouldn’t get wet. I arrived at my hostel and relaxed a little longer before it was time for me to eat dinner.

Before I ate, I wanted to get some more pictures of the unreal sunset over the bay from the Place Vai’ete across from my hostel. The rain and clouds had cleared out and the scene was set for some really good images of the glory of nature. I arrived by the bay around 5 pm, waited for a few minutes before Evelina walked up to me. She was the American girl from DC who arrived at the Mahana Hostel the day before. She asked “Waiting for the sunset?”. “Yes”, I replied. We began to talk some more as we both waited for the sunset to arrive. It turns out she hated Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins (no surprise that it came from someone from Washington DC and yes she is a Capitals fan, and a Detroit Red Wings fan). She expressed her comparison between Tahiti and Hawaii, how similar they were, minus the language difference. We had talked for some before the sunset finally arrived and I don’t need to say much more about those, as you see in the pictures below. 

So then we decided to walk around the park and see all the different food trucks. She said she was going to the get Crepes at the one food truck which I agreed to get some with her as well because hey, who doesn’t love Crepes. We ordered our selections and let me tell you, they were soooo good (mine at least!). The kind I got had cocoa beans and banana’s in the middle with the French whipped creme on top as you see. It was so filling and satisfying. After we were done, we began walking back to the Mahana when she asked if I could walk with her to the grocery store nearby, which of course I agreed to. I wanted to get a couple of items for myself as well for lunch tomorrow, but also remember that Papeete is like any city where a girl/woman wouldn’t want to walk by herself, especially in areas she’s not familiar with at night. So I found a store a couple of blocks away from the hostel, picked out our items and walked back. We went back into the dining room on the top floor, sat and talked with the other people there.

A guy named Fred had arrived, so I decided to strike up conversation with him. He explained to me that he was from Switzerland, originally from France and he had moved to Tetiaroa recently. Tetiaroa is another atoll 2 hours boating distance from Tahiti. The unique thing about the atoll was it contained “The Brando” luxury resort which is located on a private island legendary actor Marlon Brando had purchased from the time he fell in love with Tahiti during the filming of “Mutiny On The Bounty” where he also met one of his wives who was a local Tahitian. And Fred was a chef there. He gave me and other people in the room, pens from the resort with “The Brando” engraved on them. 

So by that time, it had gotten late and it was time for all of us to go to bed. I went back to my room, laid in my bunk and tried to sleep. But I couldn’t. All I kept thinking about was how the next day I was going home, and all that I had experienced. It had been an adventure for the ages. A dream that I didn’t want to wake up from. I will continue to share my thoughts in Day 8 before I leave out the boring details of the super-long flight home. Till next time! 

Much love

Joe Gardonis

TAHITI DAY 6: PART DEUX

Hello! You have reached the second-half of my Day 6 in Tahiti. As I stated previously, due to passion and details in expressing what I did that day, I had to split this up into 2 parts. 

Continuing with me leaving church and hopping into my car to drive around the island, the one little mistake I made before this goes back to my hotel. I was so focused on trying to make sure I went to the right church, that I forgot to look on the maps on my phone where to find the waterfalls of Tahiti. I wrote them down in a list on my phone but I didn’t look up how to get to them. And because I had turned the data off on my phone, I was not going to be using GPS while I was driving. Never the less, I was on the main highway that goes around Tahiti, headed for more wide open, tropical-country side terrain. While I was hoping to find the waterfall, I was actually happy about driving aimlessly around the island, seeing parts of it I hadn’t witnessed yet, due to me being in the city for the most part. I saw other beaches that had higher tide than the one I walked to back in Papeete. The beaches also had rock formations, which again, was different than what I had witnessed. I hadn’t even seen many rocks on Moorea. But I will say that the more, wide open, houses further apart and farms on Tahiti reminded me of Moorea. It turns out all I had to do was drive a few miles down the coast away from Papeete. 

In the meantime, I had driven a good distance of the island (about a third of the circumference), and I had yet to find a waterfall or even obvious direction to it. Then I felt like I might have passed a road that led to it. Then I turned around to try to find a way to get to it. I sure hoped I was right as I would’ve been very disappointed to not find it as it was a big reason why I even got the rental car for the day. I kept my eyes open for direction while not being distracted. Driving around Tahiti was not difficult at all. You drive on the right side of the road and most drive moderately, not too fast and not too slow. 

When I was a little more than halfway back to Papeete, I noticed a couple of cars coming in the opposite direction of me make a turn onto a small side road off the main road we were on. It was my left turn to make so I felt I like I should make that turn to see where the road led to. So after a brief distance up that road, there was a small parking lot. I felt like I was on the right track to something good. I parked my car, changed out of my dress clothes from church, and changed into my shorts, swimming trunks, plain white t-shirt, flip flops, got my phone and personal items, got out of the car and proceeded to walk up the hill of the lot. There was a short bridge that went over a shallow stream that I walked across to a narrow pathway that went up a hill. Walking up that hill, I reached the top and turned a short corner only to stumble upon the spectacular. Lo and behold, I discovered the most beautiful waterfall I had ever witnessed! Move over Niagara Falls, I’ll take a 300-400ft tropical island waterfall any day! See the videos below. The first one was my reaction when I found it. The second one was pure bliss sounding of water crashing into the pool and the close-up view of course.

I was so amazed by what I was getting so experience in person. It was as if I had a deep spiritually profound encounter with the natural world. It made me appreciate this world and it’s magnificence even more so than I already had. “We truly don’t deserve the beauty of this world, God!”, I kept repeating to myself. Call me weird and crazy, I don’t care. I’m not one for signing especially when there are other people around but I quietly sang a couple of praise songs. I can specifically remember looking at the time on my phone, knowing I had to start heading back to town and the airport to return my rental car but it was as if I physically couldn’t leave easily. I just didn’t want to leave the waterfall. But after some debate with self, I got up and walked back towards my car down the hill. Before I got to my car, I came across the info display sign for the falls and discovered its official name, “Faarumai Waterfall”. 

For me, if the Faarumai Waterfall was the only reason I came all the way out to the middle of the South Pacific, it was well worth it. The day just kept getting better and it was like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from. But then it was back to reality as I was driving back to the Papeete and realized that I needed to stop and put gas in the car before returning it to the airport. I found a gas station to stop in the city and a worker pumped the gas for me. Again, it was another culture shock as I can’t even remember the last time I went to a gas station in America where the workers pumped it for you. I hadn’t needed my car filled up that much as the Citron was a very fuel-efficient vehicle. The worker finished pumping the gas, I went inside to pay, got back in my car and was back on my way to the airport. I had reached the airport, returned the car, got a taxi to take me back to the Mahana Hostel so I could again rehash the highlight(s) of my trip on this beautiful Sunday. 

That evening I got out the remainder of my leftover chicken and rice with Lemon sauce out of the fridge in the hostel dining room to put it in the microwave to eat. I sat down to eat and ended up engaging in a long conversation with a man from France named Guillaume. It was another interesting ordeal chatting with him, as he was very fluent in English and we covered an array of topics like traveling (he traveled to numerous countries around the world on 2-3 hour quick trips), his views on America (particularly its cultural treatment of guns), church, languages. We did disagree on some things but it was the beauty of the dialogue. We managed to respectfully disagree without losing our cools. We chatted for almost 3 hours until finally other people arrived in the dining room and talked with us. For me, it changed even more because I met two different Americans. That was the first time I met more than one American at a time during my stay in Tahiti. They were a guy named Rick, from Hawaii and a girl named Evalina from Washington DC. 

The whole dining from was like a mixed melting pot because a couple more people joined us and before I knew it, we had 3 Americans, a couple of French people, a Colombian, an Easter Islander and a native Tahitian (my friend, Laihanna). Altogether, there were 3 different languages being spoken. Everyone had an interesting story to share. What all that meant to me was how we as humans come from all different backgrounds, countries, cities, cultures, lifestyles and more. Yet, our humanity is what we have in common, and we should look to build our connections from what we have in common while learning as much as we can from our differences. 

There concludes my Day 6 in Tahiti. It was memorable for many reasons. I would call it the highpoint of my trip, out of all the different moments and experiences I partook in while soaking in the remote, South Pacific islands. On to Day 7 in the next post. 

TAHITI DAY 6: PART 1

Another day of memory-making in the South Pacific was here, Sunday, October 20th. The clothes I set aside to wear for the first half of the day were set along with the extra change of clothes I was packing were ready. I had my early breakfast at the hostel, got showered up and dressed to go out, get a taxi that would take to the airport so I could get my rental car. I was renting a car so I could drive the island of Tahiti to explore. I arranged to pick up my car in advance at 7 am that morning because I wanted to ensure that I would be able to make it to the first part of my Sunday Adventure day, and that was church. To be honest, for as much planning and preparation I did for the whole trip, I was not able to find out for certain what time church was at “The Edlise Evangelique De Polynesie Francaise”. I had seen a couple of videos was what their services were like and read online other people’s experiences so I really wanted to go there. 

So I left the hostel, walked one block down the street to the nearest taxi stop, got the cab that took me to the airport and went to check-in. The check-in line was painfully slow, and I was really concerned that I wouldn’t make it on time. And there, over a half-hour later, I filled out the rental forms, got the keys and walked out with one of the attendants to my rental car. The car was a compact, French brand. I had never heard of it and when the attendant was explaining the basic functions to me, it was all another small culture shock for me. I got in the car, turned it on and drove out from the airport parking lot to head back to Papeete. Oddly enough, I kept hearing the car dinging every time I hit a certain speed. I could not figure out for the life of me what it was and it was bugging me. I arrived back in the city and looked for the specific parking lot near the church so I could leave my car and walk to it. 

After driving around a couple of blocks trying to locate the lot, I finally did. I parked the car in a corner and it was when I turned it off, I realized why it kept making a dinging sound: I was driving with the brake on. I felt really stupid about this because I thought about how much I must have burned up those brakes. But then again, the attendant didn’t tell me that the brake was on nor mentioned how the car would indicate that the brake was applied. In any event, I was about 2 blocks down from the church so I decided to walk over to it to see what time the service was. I walked up and saw that I was about an hour early, so then I decided to kill some time.

It turns out that I parked across the main highway from what looked like another park, next to the bay. The name of the place was Paofai Gardens and when I walked over there, I was totally not disappointed. The place featured plenty of palm trees, park playsets, tennis and basketball courts, but also beautiful gardens, right by the water. “This whole place is too good to be true!”, I said to myself. And next to the water were some boats on sandy shores and some giant, black rocks. I found a bench facing the ocean right in front of those rocks and sat there just to continue to be in awe of the Tahiti experience. 

Some time was passing and I saw the time was coming for the church service to start so bid adieu to the Paofai Gardens. About to experience what church in Tahiti was like, I quietly got excited as I walked towards the front door. There were many people talking in predominately white clothing outside and as I walked past them, we greeted each other with “Bonjour!”. The men wore white dress shirts and navy blue pants while the women wore white dresses with navy blue bowties and white hats. I knew this before I came there, so while I didn’t own blue pants, I wore a white dress shirt and grey pants. Once inside, I walked up the stairs to next to the front, to get up to the second level on the church. It turns out that’s where most tourists sat too, so it worked out conveniently as I also got a grand view of the service and congregants below. I sat right next to the organ player for the service so it was quite fitting that I video as much of the service as I could without being too much of a tourist. It was quite a treat because although most of the service was conducted in French, English (for the reading of Psalm 121) and native Tahitian were also spoken/sung. The videos below will give you an even greater idea of why I wanted to check out this place.

That’s right. The perfect harmony in the signing you heard was not a choir or a recording. That was the whole congregation of the people in white signing that. I knew that the whole congregation sang in that fashion from videos I saw on Instagram from the church and it was amazing to witness it in person. After about an hour and fifteen minutes, the service concluded and we all went on our merry way. I walked out in awestruck of the amazing church service I experienced and headed back to my car. My Sunday in Tahiti was amazing and I couldn’t wait for the next part of my tour, so I got in my car and proceeded to find the next phase of the adventure: Finding a tropical waterfall on the island away from Papeete.

Due to the fact that this is only about half of my fun-filled Sunday in Tahiti, I will be continuing DAY 6 PART 2 in my next post for my INNER BLOG CIRCLE which will be sent out Friday. PART 2 will feature my top highlight of the trip and making more friends from around the world. Stay tuned!

TAHITI DAY 5

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The roosters decided to work their magic in the early morning hours Saturday, October 19th 2019 on Moorea island. And yes, I got to be the fortunate recipient of their morning cheers. I was awoken momentarily from my slumber by the roosters calls. Honestly, I wasn’t even that annoyed about it. It was the first time I was woken up by rooster crows and it happened in Moorea. How many people can say that? The simple things give me gratitude when I think about my experience in French Polynesia.

I shortly fell back asleep and woke up around 6 am. My right eye actually started to feel better. It was still red but wasn’t irritating me as much. So I put some more drops in from the pharmacy in Papeete to continue the healing process. I got ready and went to the kitchen area at the other cabin on the lodge to get some bananas to eat. They were smaller bananas and perhaps it was just in mind, but they seemed to taste more like they came from a tropical jungle. Anyhow, I got my clothes and bags ready as I was looking to get back on the ferry to Tahiti for around 12:30 pm. The taxi driver that took me to the lodge from the day before gave me her business card, so I called her to pick me up from the lodge and take me back to Vai’are, the port where the ferries came in and out of. Eventually, the taxi showed and it turned out she actually called one of her other taxi driver friends to pick me. He was very friendly and conversational as we headed to the port.

So finally I arrived at the port and then walked around trying to find where to put my luggage at so it could be loaded onto the ship. I had a little trouble at first finding a loading palette to put my bag on and I wasn’t the only one. A guy asked me where it was, and he actually asked in English too. Eventually, we were directed to the right spot. In the meantime, I asked him if he was American and he responded with yes. We introduced ourselves to each other. His name was Adrian and it turns out he was a freelance photographer on a work project that happened to bring him to Tahiti. We walked up to the top outdoor deck on the ship, sat down and continued to chat about our work and businesses. As you can see, the weather was a little dreary and actually rained a little bit that day. But as the ship pulled out from port in Moorea, it moved away from the rain. There was a nice cool wind blowing from the ocean that wasn’t too overpowering.

Back to the conversation between Adrian and me, he told me that while he was American, he had a place in Mexico with his girlfriend while maintaining his primary residence in Los Angeles. He was in Tahiti on a photoshoot for a magazine in which his stay and trip were fully paid for (future business goals for me). We talked about our business goals, our travels, our frustrations in business and the blessings that have come forth through our endeavors to go into business for ourselves in our respective fields. I think back to that moment and wonder what the chances were that I would run into an American at that place and time who is also in the creative industry. Finally, our ship arrived at port back in Papeete and we exchanged contact info to keep our connection. I got my bag and walked back to the Mahana hostel all safe and sound. 

It was around lunchtime and I was hungry so I decided to get out and walk around town a little bit to see where I could eat. After some time of walking around the blocks and not really settling in a place I wanted to eat, I did the overly predictable American thing, I went to McDonald’s. Yes, there is a good ole Micky D’s all the way out in Tahiti. I waited in line which was a great opportunity to explore the menu. It turns out they have different terminology for some of the items. I ended ordering a meal with what would be the “Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese” in The States. In Tahiti, they call it the “Royal Double”. I took my meal to go, went back to the hostel and ate it there. While I was livin’ and lovin’ the Tahiti dream, there were little moments and here and there where I got homesick, so it was actually satisfying to get a taste from home. 

Finally, sunset time was about to hit so of course, I had to go to my favorite hangout spot by the bay and then go to the eat more at the food trucks. I went back to the truck that I discovered my first night there, got my enormous amount of fried chicken, rice, lemon sauce, and bread and felt like I was living the life right by the ocean with the lights, palm trees and cruise ship in the background. As the first time went, I ate about half of my meal and got a box for the rest of it to take back to the hostel to finish another night. I put my food back in the fridge and went back out to walk around the city some more. 

Tahiti, while incredibly beautiful and glamorous looking, is by no means perfect either. Some people have mixed feelings about not being a fully sovereign country because of France. It’s expensive to live so many people really aren’t just barely middle class, they’re poor. In Papeete, there were some homeless people on the street corners. Right next to my hostel, there was a man sitting and waiting for passerby’s to give him something. I decided to give him some Francs I had that evening. He gestured to me thank you with his hands as he could probably tell I was a foreigner. I know there’s that constant tension between helping the poor and not potentially contributing someone’s drug or alcohol problem, but at that moment I decided to give something. What he did with that wasn’t my responsibility. It was humbling to see that even in a paradise like Tahiti, there was a back-down-to-earth element to it that most people would never even see.

I got back to my room and began plotting my next day which would be Sunday. I had a lot planned for that day. I was going to rent a car, go to church, and drive to find a waterfall. I spent my time studying the way I would drive to find the church and the main road to get around the island since my data was turned off on my phone. Anytime I would use the internet while I was away would be while I was on wifi. I couldn’t wait for Sunday because I know I would get to experience more things that are all part of the Tahiti experience. 

Join me for Day 6 to come!

TAHITI DAY 4

I was very excited about my Day 4 in Tahiti because it was Friday, and it was the day that I was going on the ferry to Moorea and stay there for the night. Moorea is where the good snorkeling spots were and I was anxious to see what the island was all about. But there was another issue that came up that put a nag in my trip.

“Why do I feel like there’s a ton of tear water in my eye?”

That’s what I asked myself in the early morning hours in which I randomly awoke. It felt like there was a pool of tear water in my eye and I didn’t feel like I was able to open it very wide. I was tired so I didn’t bother to get up and check it so I eventually drifted back to sleep.

I woke up again around 6 in the morning and my right eye was irritated and very teary. I got up and went to take a look at it. It was pretty red and looked like my eyelids were a little swollen at the ends. Yep. As much as I was in denial about it, it seemed I came down with some case of pink eye. Wonderful right? Go on vacation in Tahiti and then get pink eye. Well, it was what it was. I walked down next door to the pharmacy to get some sort of eye drop to clear up my eye. I was looking around in the store and I was not sure what I was looking at entirely because all the labels were in French. One of the ladies working at the store noticed me looking around, she asked me for English or French. I answered “English” and I asked her about eye drops. As soon as I said that she noticed my right eye and then called me to the counter where she pulled up different solutions and offered them to me. Even in the moment of pink eye, my economical mindset was simply just thinking about the most cost-effective eye dropper. I ended up picking one that was good for clearing up bacteria because after reading about the different types of pink eye on my phone back at the hostel, I believed mine was more bacteria/allergy-based. She was able to tell me the instructions on how to use it which I appreciated as the label was on the little dropper bottle was in French. 

I went back to my hostel, put the 2 drops in my eye, waited about an hour or so for my eye to feel better, and then I decided to go upstairs to breakfast. There were a few people up there including the girl from Bora Bora. I didn’t want to call attention to my eye so I kept my head down and didn’t talk much. I ate my French bread, drank my coffee and then she got up to go. But before she left, she offered me a small sample size eye drop after noticing my eye. I tried to tell her I already had drops but she kindly insisted on giving them to me, so I accepted. I thanked her a couple of times as I was once again struck by the hospitality of the people in French Polynesia. So on top of using my own dropper and then her drops, within a half-hour after breakfast, I felt my eye get better and clear up a little bit. So then I went back to my room, there was another young woman in my room and we said “Bonjour” to each other. I was minding my own business for a little bit, was headed out the door to go get some water from upstairs and then she asked me, where I was from. I told her Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in America. Side note - I must say that it felt good to tell people that because I’m very positive that I would probably be the only person from Pittsburgh whom people in Tahiti would ever meet. Anyhow, she told me she was a native Tahitian from Faa’a (another city on Tahiti where the international airport is located). She and I ended up talking for a little while. She knew some English, so we were able to get fairly engaged with each other. She was very down to earth as she talked about her family in Tahiti and how she had family in Chicago in America. I finally told her about how I was going to Moorea later and then she introduced herself to me as Laihanna. Then she gave me a brochure with the ferry departure times to and from Moorea. I had made another friend and experienced great Tahitian hospitality again.

So after filling my one water bottle up with more water from upstairs, I realized how well it worked out that I was able to do that from a budgetary standpoint. I was told by my friend, Alfred on the plane ride from San Francisco that the tap water in Papeete was clean so I could drink it. The tap water outside the city was not the best for drinking but in the city it was fine. I spent most of the week filling up the same bottle I got from the airport when I arrived Tuesday evening, didn’t get sick so all was well. It was close to lunchtime, so I went back into my room to pack a few clothes, snorkeling mask and toiletries in my carry-on to get my ferry ride. Laihanna was there and before I left, she stopped me and told me she had a couple more things to give me. First, she asked about my eye and I told her it was ok and I was already taking drops for it. Then she gave me bug repellent and bronze-tan oil. I joked with her saying, “So what I am hearing is that you’re tired of my whiteness?”. She laughed and just insisted that I take it. I thanked her a bunch of times and then I left and she gave me a hug and cheek kisses. 

I was able to walk to the ferry in the harbor which was also really close to my hostel. I’m so thankful as I look back on it how I was able to stay in such a convenient location where almost everything essential was within walking distance. I arrived in at the ferry station, not really sure where I was supposed to check in at. I eventually found a family that was walking up the steps to the building and I followed them quietly. I had gotten there fairly early so I sat for a minute before I asked a worker where I can get my ticket for the ferry. He directed me to the booth, I ordered my ticket and then left my bag with the guys on the ground who were responsible for the luggage and walked back up to the point where I gave them my ticket to get into the passenger area. The big ship Aremiti 6 had pulled into the harbor, unloaded its passengers and then we were able to board. I boarded the ship and sat down next to a window inside so I could get a good view of the ocean. By this time, the initial relief from the eye drops began to wear off, and not only did my eye start irritating me again, but I also began to feel a little sleepy like I was actually getting sick. I was wearing my aviators the whole time too to hide my eye from people, and why not? Who doesn’t look cool with a pair of classic aviators on? 

Aremiti 6 finally departed, and I just kept looking out at the ocean, amazed at how blue the Pacific really is. Slowly but surely we crept closer to Moorea. Like Tahiti, Moorea also had very tall mountains with lots of jungles. After about 45 minutes, we landed on the island. Now for the fun part of getting off the ship, picking up my luggage and getting a taxi to take me to my lodge, I was staying at. I got off, managed to locate my bag and then waited along the curb for a taxi. A woman came walking up and asked me if I was waiting for a taxi. I responded, yes so she escorted me to her cab, loaded my bag into the trunk and I got in. I showed her where I was going and she gave me the password to her hotspot. The ride to my lodge from the port where Aremiti 6 landed was about 20 minutes long so I had plenty to see along the way for picture taking, which I did so. The ride around Moorea was breathtaking as the main road went around the island the coast, giving one a view of the beaches, clear water on one side of the road and then mountains on the other side. 

Finally, my cab, after one left turn off the main road onto a dirt path about a few hundred feet up, had reached the lodge I was staying. It was called the PainaPaopao Backpacker and let me tell you, it was different than Mahana Hostel back in Papeete. As you see in the pictures above, it was quite rustic. A country-ish tropical island feel. Slept under a mosquito net and had a gecko chilling on the ceiling of the cabin I was in. Also, there were chickens nearby on farms surrounding the lodge. For me it was a much more authentic experience. And better yet (thrifty travelers take note), it was only $33 for the night there! Meanwhile, I got settled in my room and laid down on my bed for a little while before I decided to head out to the nearest beach to snorkel. I wanted to snorkel closer to when the sunset would come over the corner of the island. 

About 4pm or so, I headed out. The only problem was that I wasn’t really sure where the nearest beach was. But I turned right onto the main road of Moorea and began walking. After about a mile or so, I finally realized that I wasn’t very close to a beach, so I decided to turn around and walk in the opposite direction. All wasn’t lost as I got some great pictures of the mountains and coastline of the island. I could tell it was getting darker so I was really hoping I would find a beach soon. By that point, I walked past the road that led to my lodge and further up the road was the luxurious Hilton at Moorea. This is the resort that had the straw huts over the clear water, that many people associate Tahiti/French Polynesia with. I walked up the parking lot and said, “Can’t a man dream about staying here?”. The rooms at the Hilton can be anywhere between $770-$1000 a night, hence why I didn’t stay there. So after I got done fantasizing about being in one of them straw huts, I got back on the main road and started walking further.

Alas! I saw a beach with some trees called, Public Beach Ta'ahiamanu. So I hopped the fence separating it from the main road, walked around to find a good spot to put my stuff down along the beach and snorkel. I had made it just in time before the sun went down over the island. I got on my gear and went for some time in the clear water. I did see a couple of small fish and some plant life along the bottom. I didn’t go out too far because I was by myself and it was getting dark, but it sure felt good to say that I snorkeled in Moorea with the sunset. Not many people were on the beach either so it was relaxing. I got out of the water, got my stuff, walked around among the palm trees for a bit and then headed back to my lodge. “I seriously can’t believe I made it out here! Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to take this trip!”, I kept saying to myself. I was just struck in awe of the fact that I was among the palm trees in the middle of October, 6000 miles away from home on a tropical island paradise.

It was a beautiful escape from my pink eye during that moment. Now I just had to make it back the lodge. So after about 2 kilometers (about 1.25 miles), it turns out Public Beach Ta'ahiamanu was making a left turn off the road from my lodge, not a right turn. By the time I arrived back, it was pretty dark. I actually needed to pull out my phone’s flashlight to figure out where the cabin for my room was. I took a shower, went into my room, looked through my pictures, read a book and the Bible and got ready for bed. It was around just 8:30 pm but I just wanted to wake up feeling better from the nagging Mr. Conjunctivitis did to me, now that the adrenaline was wearing off. There it was. I successfully traveled to another island in French Polynesia, got settled in on farm-like cabin, snorkeled at sunset and walked about 4 miles total, and all of that with pink eye. I’d say that I did well. Now to just get some sleep and wake up with a better eye. Day 4 in Tahiti was done. 

TAHITI DAY 3

Thursday morning, October 17, 2019, was here. Interestingly enough, I again woke up at 5 am that morning without setting an alarm to help me. It’s something unusual for me, as I require an alarm and a few snooze button hits to get me up in time back home in The States. Perhaps it was a combination of lingering jet lag and my body getting assimilated to the TAHT (Tahiti Time Standard time). Either way, I actually enjoyed being up before dawn with a full day ahead to enjoy the magnificent paradise I was in the heart of. 

6 am came and I was ready for breakfast and coffee upstairs. I felt more at home and began to talk more with other people at the hostel who were able to speak some English. Today was the day too that I would test out my new snorkeling mask, so I was anxiously waiting for the day to move ahead a little more so I could walk over to the beach at Parc Aorai Tini Hau, (and no I was not going back there hoping to see more women take their clothes off in broad daylight again. Get your mind out of the gutter). Finally, it was about 10 am and I changed my clothes, put sunscreen on, packed my mask and walked over to the beach. When I think about the walk to that beach, it was 2.6 kilometers from my hostel which means it was about 1.6 miles walking through Papeete, dodging oncoming traffic on narrow sidewalks sometimes with cars parked on them. But you know, when you’re traveling on a tight budget trying to not spend it all on taxi trips, who cares. Plus as the old saying goes “A little walking never hurts”. 

I arrived at the beach, placed my towel down and laid on the towel to work on my tan. I’m usually pretty pasty all year round so I wanted to take full advantage of the sunshine. After maybe a half-hour or so of baking under UV rays, I decided it was time to go in the water for a dip with my snorkeling mask. I put together the mask, placed it on my head and went in the water just to get a feel for it and how it should fit on my face to keep water out. It was so cool to have a full mask on while getting a more clear view of the underwater. I got another idea. Without a GoPro camera with me (again, a tight budget wasn’t letting me get one at the time), I decided to improvise. Along with the mask came this clear plastic pouch that was air-tight sealed so you can place your phone inside of it, making it waterproof. So I turned my video camera on, on my phone, placed it in the pouch, made sure I sealed it and took it in the water with me. Everything in me was hoping I sealed it tightly because it goes without saying what saltwater can do to a cell phone. After getting in the water and submerging it for a period of time, I came out of the water to see what kind of underwater footage I got. You can see the raw video below.

I went back to my beach towel, put away my camera and snorkeling mask and baked in the sun a little more. After about another hour or so, I picked up my towel, my mask, and other belongings and walked back to my hostel. When I put on my shirt, I began to look at my arms, felt itchiness on my shoulder/neck area and realized that I cooked myself a little too long. Yes, I was wearing sunscreen, but looking back I don’t believe the SPF (30) was strong enough for the sun in Tahiti. It clearly wasn’t as I looked a little like a lobster. I can’t say it bothered me much, because I was in Tahiti and how many people can say they were getting sunburnt in the middle of October? The fact I was in a location where I actually could get sunburnt made me happy. I arrived at the hostel and just took it easy into the afternoon in my bunk. 

I had my headphones and then I noticed to my right all the way across the room was a random girl sleeping. And this was another aspect of my trip that I wasn’t expecting: Co-ed hostel rooms. My naive, innocence about the situation came out as I had never been in a hostel before so I was not used to the co-ed factor. She then woke up briefly, looked over and smiled at me and I just gingerly smiled at her because I still wasn’t sure to make of it at that moment. I just kind of laid in my bunk minding my own business, until about late afternoon when I decided to get out and hang out at the park by the bay to catch the gorgeous sunset again. I went to the park, walked around to pick a good spot just to sit down and observe. I sat around for almost an hour just thanking the Lord that I was here. I like to people watch and sometimes it gets me in trouble as every once in a while someone catches me looking at them and it comes across like I’m staring at them. I noticed most people who look like they grew up in Tahiti or any Pacific island, the darker-skinned, dark-haired authentically,  beautiful people. And then I noticed people who looked like they were from France, light-skinned, French-speaking and equally as beautiful. I wondered how people even got to a place as remote as Tahiti or any of the islands in the Pacific Ocean thousands of years ago, considering the ocean is about 62.46 million square miles! That to me is truly a miracle. Oh, and I saw different kinds of birds in Tahiti too. See below.

Around 6 pm the sunset came in and it started to get darker. So I went over to a convenient store nearby got some off-brand Pringle chips in a can and walked back to my hostel to eat my dinner. I had leftover chicken and rice from the night before so I figured this would be a good meal for tonight. I began to eat and then I talked to the Colombian man who told me that he had gotten his certification for scuba diving. I congratulated him and as a small celebration, we shared a canned beer with me and a few other people present. It wasn’t just any beer. It was Tahitian beer as pictured below. It was a light beer and it was really good. Not too hoppy, not alcohol-ish, just right. I hardly drink at all, to begin with, but I appreciated the gesture from him. In turn, I shared my Pringles with everyone who was in the dining room at the hostel at that moment. There I met a woman from Croatia, who spoke very fluent English and another girl who lived in Bora Bora who spoke some English. Now I found the both of them have an interesting life story in their own way. The Croatian lady claimed that she had traveled to over 150+ countries around the world including Antarctica. And the girl from Bora Bora was born to parents from 2 very different places around the world, one from Uzbekistan and the other from South Africa. 

After eating dinner, I was sitting on the couch in the hangout area outside the dining room and then the girl who was sleeping across the room from my bunk earlier came over and sat down in the chair next to me. We formally introduced ourselves. Her name was Lena and she was originally from France. She was very pretty and had a great smile so of course, I didn’t mind talking with her. She asked me where I was from, I told her Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She had never heard of it. I told her how long my plane trip to Tahiti was and then she told me how long her trip from France to Tahiti was: 28 hours! I’m just like “Well, you have me beat on travel time!”. Soon the Colombian man, Helmerto, joined us to talk as well. After some time of chatting with both of them, they soon pointed out that they felt that I was talking too fast and needed to slow down. What struck me is that when I heard people talking in their different languages, I felt they were talking too fast too. It must have something to do with the way our brains process hearing different languages. 

So after a while, they decided they wanted to go out and drink, it was around 7:30-8:00 at night. I declined respectfully as I’m not much of a drinker to begin and surprisingly, I felt really tired. I typically don’t fall asleep until around midnight but here I was sleepy early. I feel that was my body still wiped out from the jet-lag of travel. They ended up going out and I stayed behind in my bedroom. I tried reading a book but I felt myself getting sleepier so I decided to just go to bed. Yep 9 pm, getting my old man status on, I was in bed. Day 3 in Tahiti was complete. And it was the first night I started feeling completely comfortable in my new surroundings. I was loving Tahiti. 

TAHITI: DAY 2

My eyes opened. It was still dark and I saw a bunch of people coming in and out of the room. It was as if they were packing their bags or something similar. I was a little disoriented but I could hear them speaking French. This didn’t exactly ease my personal discomfort about the situation I found myself in. I wanted to go home already! How could it be? I literally just got there. Being unfamiliar with my surroundings very far away from home was not something I was not prepared for, because I had never been in a spot like this before. At least when I traveled outside the country when I was a kid, I was with others and it wasn’t as far away. 

I finally looked at my phone and it was 5 am or so. Very early in the morning, hence why I had not yet seen the sun. I proceeded to lay in my bunk a little longer before I finally got up and decided to go to breakfast upstairs on the 3rd floor kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and it had a full set for people to cook, store utensils, tables and chairs to sit. The food being served was French bread with plenty of rich butter, jellies, and peanut butter. For me, I was trying to do the whole trip as economically as possible so French bread with butter in the morning became part of my routine. I sat among a few other men who were speaking French and just quietly enjoyed my breakfast with coffee. After I was done, I ended up meeting another guy who happened to be from Colombia and spoke some English so I talked to him briefly. I then went downstairs to the ladies working at the hostel and asked them about where I could get a charging port that fits the outlets in the hostel and they told me to go a store a few blocks down the street. So I waited until the time came for the store to be open. I walked down the Main Street of Papeete called “Boulevard de la Reine Pomare IV” (try saying that 5 times really fast) and I slowly began to smile more. It finally settled in that I was here! I was finally in the very place I planned for months to be in. The sun was shining. The street was lined with palm trees. It was hot and humid, just the way I like it. I was in Tahiti. I found the store, walked inside and then saw the outlet port I would need for charging my phone. I bought it and then walked back to my hostel. 

After waiting around in my room for my phone to fully charge, I packed some things in my bag and got ready to walk to the beach. I had looked up where the nearest beach was, so I figured today would be a good day to go out and begin to explore the tropics. I gathered my bag to carry personal belongings in, and proceeded to walk down the main road through Papeete to where I thought was the beach. I was pretty walking somewhat blindly, hoping to stumble upon a beach by my guess-stimations. I had a personal policy that my cellular data would be turned off during the time I was traveling so I would not be gauged for additional international phone service charges. This was why utilizing the time I was on wifi in my hostel was critical when I was trying to figure out where to go and how to get there. 

Anyways, I kept walking down the street, weaving my way past storefront after storefront. I kept looking around as I was walking because I was awestruck again by the fact that I was finally here, in Tahiti. I took a glance over to my right and I got a magnificent (magnifique) view of the mountains in the middle of the island, with clouds covering the tip tops of them. Continuing in my awestruck state of the land I was walking on, I finally saw some open area with small palm trees spread out and roofs for people to sit under. It was a park named “Parc Aorai Tini Hau”. I began to walk towards it and what looked like an open area where a beach would be. Lo and behold, there was a beach! It was the kind of beach I read and saw pictures of with its key feature, black sand. Due to the fact that Tahiti and many of the islands in French Polynesia were formed by volcanoes, black sand beaches are common, particularly on Tahiti. I sat down in front of a sea wall and observed the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I took it all in for a little while and decided to head back to the shade of the roofs that were right before the beach.

It was here that I had my first obvious encounter with culture shock. As I was sitting on the steps under the roofs, I was looking to my left when this woman probably in her late 40s or so walked up from the shore and sat down about 30 feet or so from me on the steps under the roof. I continued to just observe the beauty of the coast lined with palm trees and rocks on my left when out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of her proceeding to removed her bikini top. To be honest, it took me a couple of seconds to process what exactly was going on as I obviously wasn’t used to watching a middle-aged woman take her top off in plain public site like that. I turned my head as not wanting to stare like a perv. “Am I really seeing this!?”, I asked myself. I turned my head after 20 seconds or so, expecting a towel to be wrapped around her body. Nope. Her tata’s were still bare and out for all of the Tahiti to see, but I did see her looking like she was about to put a new bikini top on. So I turned my head and waited some more time for her to put that new top on sure enough she did when I looked over. However, a couple walked up to her. It looked like it could’ve been her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend. They looked like they were about in their early 20s. And then, the daughter removed her top in public site and put a new top on herself. Yep, I was clearly not in Western PA anymore. It was my welcome to Tahiti moment (and no I don’t photographic evidence of any of this occurring if you’re a guy and wondering).

Eventually, the three walked away and I was back to enjoying the beautiful nature of God’s creation on this side of the world. A few minutes later a man came down by me saying “Bonjour” as he sat down by me. “Bonjour!” I replied. He then proceeded to ask me where I was from. “Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in America!” I replied. He never heard of it before. I asked him if he lived in Tahiti and he said that he did although he was originally from France. I then observed that he was wearing a Vegas Golden Knights t-shirt, so being that I’m a big hockey fan, I asked him about his shirt. He exclaimed to me that one of his relatives lived in Las Vegas and he attended a Golden Knights game with them when he visited. I told him I was a Pittsburgh Penguins fan and I liked Vegas because they had our past goalie, Marc Andre Fleury. He said that everyone loves Fleury in Vegas and I agreed about that and how we miss him in Pittsburgh. We continued to talk about a lot of things like family, the weather in our respective countries of residence, Tahiti and more. He spoke some English and we were able to have a lengthy conversation. Finally, after a while, I decided I wanted to head back to the Hostel as I can tell I was getting a little sunburnt. We formally introduced ourselves. His name was Erwin and he told me was walking back towards the city too. So we continued to walk back and talk. We asked each other what we thought about the respective leaders of our countries (The president of France is Emmanuel Marcon) and gave our honest opinions and no I will not be sharing those here as there is a right time and place to do so and its not here. We reached where my hostel was, shook hands and he added me on facebook to keep in touch and told me that if I needed anything to contact him. Once again, I was impressed with the hospitality of the people of Tahiti. 

Later on that afternoon, right before the grand sunset of over the ocean, I went out to chill in the park across the Main Street through Papeete. The name of this park here was “Place Vai'ete”, which was a waterfront park and gathering spot right across from where the Mahana Hostel was. And the cool thing about this place was every night, food trucks would come out, with seating and lots of great eats. After taking a walk around from one end of the park to the other, enjoying the gorgeous sunset over the bay, 6 o’clock hit and the food trucks were ready to serve their respective delights. I decided to sit at one of the tables and immediately the waitress for the specific truck brought me a menu. I felt like I was in a dream paradise sitting in a park on a warm night facing palm trees and the ocean. I ended up ordering what would be my go-to meal of the trip, fried chicken with steamed rice and lemon sauce. The food came out and the chicken was piled very high off the plate. I was stunned at how generous the portion was, along with the amount of French bread they gave me. I couldn’t finish it all so I asked for a box to take home what was leftover of the chicken and rice. I was even more thrilled because I had a meal for another evening so anyway I could save money was a bonus.

By then, it was dark so I walked back to my hostel and begun to get ready for bed. I was genuinely surprised at how well I got around for it being my first full day and dealing with jet lag from 17 and half hours of traveling and 6 times zones. Up until that point in the evening, I felt ok. It was about 8 pm but I was sleepy so I went to bed early that evening. Finally, I began to get comfortable in Tahiti. Erwin was a real God-sent as he was a reminder that I didn’t have anything to fear as far as the people go. I fell asleep having made the most of my day, looking forward to the next day where I would go back to the beach and enjoy this beautiful paradise I found myself in, on the other side of the world.

TAHITI: DAY 1

Well hello there! Congratulations! If you are seeing this, its because you’re officially in the circle…my INNER BLOG CIRCLE. Here you will receive exclusive content that I will not be sharing publicly. ***I do ask that you not share this link with anyone else, as its again the INNER BLOG CIRCLE. If your friends, family, acquaintances want to join the circle, they can sign up for it in the same manner you did.

Now that I’m thru my disclaimer, we can now jump into what we all really want: My legendary Tahiti trip starting Day 1! I will share my first day of this adventure starting October 15, 2019 - ending October 23, 2019. I cannot say enough about how much anticipation there was to go to Tahiti. I knew it would be life-changing for me. Planning every single day in over a 5-month course in advance after many hours of research, I believe I had it all figured out and it would be a breeze. Boy, was I in for a reality check. Not that anything went really wrong on the trip because nothing did, but as the old saying goes “some things are easy said than done”. Without any further to do, let’s start the Day 1 summary!

DAY 1

Alarm sounds. It was 4:45am October 15, 2019. I gradually rose up from my couch and began to get dressed. I didn’t sleep much that night, as there was simply way too much brain activity with my mind already in Tahiti. I had already packed all my bags the night before so all I had to do was get my clothes on for the day and eat a little something so I could hopefully sleep on the flights without being held up by an empty stomach. My friend Patrick who is an Uber driver picked me up at 5:15am, taking me to Pittsburgh International Airport for a 7am flight to my first layover in Denver, Colorado. I live about 40 minutes or so from the airport so I basically had one hour to spare for my flight departure. “One hour?! Are you crazy Joe?!” you might be saying. I had acquired TSA pre-check which is essentially a background check for TSA. Upon acceptance, you miss all the long lines at airports and don’t need to take your shoes off. With all that, you are through security checkpoints in about 5 minutes. For just $80.00 for as many flights you go on for 5 years, you are through the airport much quicker and it takes the stress of getting on-time to your flights and not worrying about possibly getting a pat-down because you forgot to remove that one little item from your back pocket. 

So I got through the check-point as quickly as I was told I would after I got my boarding passes for my flights. I arrived at the gate for my flight and it was already boarding. Perfect timing. I got on the plane and flew away to Denver. Denver was my first of 2 layovers. My other layover being San Francisco. I arrived in Denver and what do you know, there was snow in the jetway and I felt a cold draft come in. “I’m so happy I’m going to Tahiti”, I said to myself as I walking as quickly as I could off the jetway. I only had a 38-minute layover in Denver as the plane to San Francisco was boarding just less than 10 minutes after I arrived at the appropriate gate. I boarded my flight to San Francisco which was just about an hour long. I arrived in SF with a 2-hour layover so I decided to get something to eat. I did what the average American would’ve done, got a combo meal from Burger King. I had a large drink so after I was done with the Sprite I ordered, I could fill the cup up with water as I was super thirsty. And what do you know, not long after I finished my meal, drink and then drank my water, I had only sat a few minutes when it was time to start boarding for the flight to my dream destination: TAHITI! I boarded the flight and happen to be seated, in the middle row of a Boeing 787, next to a Tahitian himself. 

Finally, the plane left San Francisco for the very big jump across the pond (Pacific Ocean) for 8 and a half hours. Needless to say, I had plenty of time to kill via sleep and making friends with a local before I even arrived in Tahiti. His English was ok, but as I assured him, it was much better than my French. French is the main language in Tahiti and honestly, I wish I took more time to learn it before I went. The gentleman and his wife, who was sitting behind us, were on their way back from visiting their son and his family in Arizona. He was very kind and began telling me things about Tahiti to do, visit and safety tips with the sun while I was there. He then gave me his number and told me if I needed anything, to call him. I thanked him tremendously and we formally introduced ourselves to each other. His name was Alfred, my first friend from Tahiti that I made. For a moment, I felt like I belonged, and I hadn’t even set foot there yet!

I tried to sleep on the flight but if you’re like me and always prefer your own bed, sleeping on a plane is not an easy task even if you’re tired. I kept drifting in and out of sleep, waking up mainly to eat the food being served on the plane and filling out customs paperwork for when we arrived in Tahiti. Finally after 17 and a half hours of total travel time, almost 15 of those hours being in the air, 2 layovers, maybe 3-4 hours of sleep for me through all that, we finally landed at Faa’a International Airport in Tahiti! Any exhaustion I had gone away after a massive amount of adrenaline kicked in. We all got off the plane going down a flight of steps since they had no jetways. Immediately I felt the heat and humidity of French Polynesia hit me and I was excited. We walked into the arrival area where we were all treated to a couple of gentlemen playing ukuleles and a woman dancing as you see in the brief video below. I knew I was in the right place. Finally got through customs without any issues, got my bag from baggage claim and began to walk out towards where the arrival signs were. 

But then I felt like I needed to double-check my reservation at the Mahana Hostel in Papeete (the capital city of French Polynesia where I was staying). I normally wouldn’t do this, but I printed out a copy of all my reservations for flights, hotels, rental car, etc. Of course, I had the emails on my phone, but the wifi at the airport was only good for a half-hour and I didn’t want to use data on international charges while I was there. I checked my print out and noticed my reservation was beginning Oct. 16th and of course it was 7 pm Oct. 15. I realized that when I booked online through the site I used for booking my flight and hotel, it told me I would arrive in Tahiti on Oct 16th, it meant East Coast USA time which was 1 am Oct. 16th, not Tahiti time. I was in a bind for a moment. I couldn’t stay at the airport overnight, but what if the Hostel was full? Where would I go? So I stopped, got my American Dollars converted to Tahitian Francs (almost a 100 Franc to 1 American Dollar ratio), got bottled water, and then finally got myself to just call the hostel and see if they were able to check me in a day early. Fortunately, they were, so I went outside the airport to get taxi to the Hostel and then I was on my way. After only about 10 minutes on the ride, the taxi pulled up to my hostel. The driver got out, helped me get my bags, I paid him and checked in to get to my room. 

Being in a hostel was a totally different experience for me, as I had never done it before. I just put my bags underneath my bunk, got out of my traveling clothes and laid in bed. There were a couple of other people in my room, and I asked one of them about the charging ports for my phone as I noticed my port I brought from America didn’t fit what they had. Immediately all the apprehension hit me. I suddenly was very uncomfortable. 

“Joe, what have you done?!” 

“You’re 6000 miles away from home in a foreign country by yourself. You don’t speak the language. Why did you do this again?!”

“You’re in way over your head”

“What if that guy across from you in the other bunk steals your stuff?”

These thoughts and more raced through my head. I had only been outside America just twice in my life when I was 13 and 14 years old. I went to Canada and Mexico. Fast forward 15 years later and I traveled by myself very far away. Hardly anyone in Pittsburgh would ever think of traveling this far by themselves to somewhere so remote. And of course, I was the “weirdo” who attempted it.  Pathetically, I began to feel homesick already. What was I going to do? I finally got myself to calm down a little and decided I was too tired to be anxious and I fell asleep….

To be continued on Day 2