2010 in Review

January 2010- Ringing in the new year with my best friends by my side. Looking forward to 2010 and all the adventures it brings.

February 2010- French Exchange students from Marseille, France arrive in the United States. Marianne quickly became another member of our family and we miss her dearly!
March 2010- Just 5 weeks after the French Exchange students came to Chicago, we were packed up and ready to fly off to France. Because of heavy snow (in March?!?!) our flight was delayed for 3 hours and we all were itching to leave. We said au revoir to our parents and flew off on a whirlwind adventure.

April 2010- A picture with a baguette...when in France...do as the French do! The baguettes were cheap and were plentiful. My first international trip included being pick pocketed, climbing the Eiffel Tower, shopping in the markets, eating crepes and much more.

May 2010- Working on a film for LTTV (Lyons Township Television), the television station at my high school. The film was a murder mystery with a twist. LTTV is my home away from home and I probably spend more time at school than I do at home.
June 2010- My younger brother, Josh, graduated from 8th grade and is now in the same high school as me (scary). We have 2 campuses at my school so I never see him. My little brothers are growing up too fast!
July 2010- This picture was taken at base camp of our backpacking trip to the Stanley Hot Springs in western Idaho. To read more about my trip with the Student Conservation Association please visit the post.
August 2010- After returning from my trip to Idaho and working as a nanny the rest of the summer a 4 day mini vacation to a friend's lake house was a must. 4 days filled with tubing, water skiing, swimming, kayaking, boating and soaking up some rays.
September 2010- Some of my best friends and I went to a Rascal Flatts concert the weekend after school started and had a blast. They are my favorite band and everyone enjoyed themselves.
October 2010- After being accepted to SCAD and having my heart set on attending my dad and I took a trip down to Savannah, Georgia to check it out. I fell in love with SCAD and the city that surrounds it. The opportunities available to the students are unprecedented and all the professors have worked professionally in the fields they are teaching. I can not wait to begin classes in fall 2011
November 2010- Yet another film in production in cooperation with LTTV. This was the first film that I produced, directed, and edited all by myself. The finished product ended up being over 8 minutes but because of the competition I was entering I had to cut it in half. To see Date with Cthulhu please visit my vimeo.

December 2010- With the year coming to a close I realize that this was a year of firsts. First time out of the United States, first time backpacking, first college visit, first college acceptance, and some of the first times I've truly felt alive.

"As a big 2010 came to its conclusion I felt purposeful and satisfied, but also on the verge of overwhelm. 2011 and 2012 will be even bigger - how can I maintain momentum without forgetting to live in the moment? This is the challenge and the opportunity of the year: to create sustainable growth in all areas while retaining a core sense of identity." -Chris Guillebeau

What am I looking forward to in 2011?

A possible volunteer trip to Haiti, graduating high school, spending the summer in Ghana, making documentaries, moving out, starting college, traveling to the ends of the world, pursuing my passions, and living every moment to it's fullest.

Meilleurs Vœux

Nejlepší přání

最良好的祝愿

Onnentoivotukset

Auguri

Parimate soovidega

ด้วยค

Best Wishes,

Rebecca Kuntz

Moments of Zen

12.23.10

[Zen]- To seek enlightenment by meditation in which there is no consciousness of self.

Hmm...meditation....yeah I can barely sit still for 5 minutes without having to get up and run a lap around the room. Even though I have never meditated, I have tried. Whenever I would sit and try to meditate I could never quiet my mind enough to sit and just feel my chest rise and fall. My mind races at a thousand times a minute and constantly jumps from one idea to the next, sometimes not even having time to complete one thought before moving to the next. Even though I never have meditated I can say I have felt zen. To me zen should be defined as follows:

[Zen]- A moment when one is at peace, when nothing else matters but being in that moment and feeling as though they are truly living.

It might be a bit wordy but I believe it gets my true thought across. Zen doesn't have to be sitting still, trying every possible way to make your mind shut up and just be. Zen can be found in a moment when your mind can't stay on one single idea for more than a second. The point is that zen depends on the person. Zen to one might be sitting in a yoga studio listening to a soothing voice try to talk all of the thoughts from your mind, but zen to another person might be found riding an almost broken down bus across the Sahara. I know I am in a moment of zen when I want to be nowhere else but in that moment, if someone were to offer me a million dollars in that moment I would refuse because nothing else matters.

As you know this spring I took my first trip abroad through the French Exchange at my school. I can't even begin to describe all the moments of complete zen I had while visiting the beautiful towns along the Mediterranean coast as well as the chic capital of Paris. My favorite moment of zen had to be when I was flying back home to Chicago from Paris. We had just reached the point when it was safe to remove our seat belts so of course there was a massive rush to the two bathrooms available to economy flyers. People were walking up and down isles, languages I could not understand were being spoken like buzzing bees, and flight attendants were pushing carts around with 30 different drinks, all of which I wanted to try. And with all this chaos circling around me, I was at peace. I knew that I was flying home to family that loves me, but I also knew I was speeding miles away from a second family. I was being torn in two separate directions. I was looking forward to going home and sharing millions of stories with friends and family, but every minute that passed a piece of my heart was being ripped from the country that captured it during the past two weeks. In a child's game of tug-of-war if one side pulls harder, the other side gets yanked away from the side where they started. If the sides were evenly matched it causes a freeze, no one winning and no one losing. France verses the United States, each wanting to win over the love of my heart. Going back and forth, one was winning, and in the next minute the other was on top. Something changed within me in an instant. The country war was snapped to a standstill. Both pulling equally, the two countries were evenly matched. They both hold family and friends near and dear to my heart, both have beautiful city and countryside, both I now consider home.

I have never felt more connected to myself or the world around me than when I was in Idaho this past summer for three weeks. Three weeks of no television, no internet, or even bathrooms and showers. During this time I realized how boxed in I felt in the "real" world. Every day I am constantly surrounded by walls whether they be the four walls of my bedroom, the endless white walls at school, and the invisible walls in my mind, blocking out all fear, danger, and the terrors of the world. Through my experiences in Idaho I worked, lived, and breathed nature, every part of it. I witnessed a moose crossing a stream near hot springs in the mountains, wolves howling me to sleep each night and even swimming in a waterfall The specific moment when I felt this unbreaking bond with nature was on our recreation backpack trip. We slept overnight at a campsite at the bottom of the mountain, falling asleep to the rushing rapids below. The next morning we packed only the necessities into our bags and started the six mile trek through the forest covering the mountain. After crossing two flowing streams we were about a half a mile from our destination of the hot spring and very hungry. We decided to stop for lunch before hiking the last leg to our site. We found this huge natural rock formation that we all could climb up onto and eat lunch and talk. I took off my pack at the bottom and climbed up to the top and ate lunch and laughed with my new family. I finished eating and decided to walk around the huge steps and enjoy the breathtaking views. I sat on the edge of a rock with a thirty foot drop below. With my feet dangling over the edge, I just sat. I sat and let the thoughts run in and out of my head as they may, and for the first time in a very long time I was at peace, at peace with myself and at peace with my surroundings. The walls both physical and mental were breaking down. I had finally knocked down the walls that stood between myself and nature, and also between myself and my thoughts. I felt as though all the fear within me was rushing away with the river below. Fear jumped off the cliff I was sitting on and waved goodbye as it went for a chilly ride down the river. The block that I felt between nature and I decided to walk itself back down the mountain, never to return. I stood up, feeling a lot lighter, because trust me those walls weighed me down, and ran back to my crew and suited back up to continue the final stretch to the hot springs. Standing at the airport in Lewiston, Idaho three days later, was the first time that physical walls stood around me in 21 days. After not having anything to block me in for three weeks, one would think that the feeling of claustrophobia would quickly set in, but no I had never felt so free. Free to live life to the fullest, because I knew that fear and danger were left on the mountain, never to return again.

Breathtaking Views

What is your definition of zen and where have you found it?

My Favorite Travel Videos 2010

12.22.2010

Seeing as this year is coming to an end I thought I would look through my Vimeo likes and YouTube favorites, and compile a list of 20 of my favorite travel videos. There are videos ranging from professional quality to ones shot on a cell phone camera. All though capture the beauty and grace of life on the move.

In no particular order:

1. A well edited short that takes an old idea and puts a new spin on it.

"Trashy Novel"

2. The lives of real-life Americans who have dared to live their dreams.

"Breaking Free [FULL]"

3. An insiders look into the life of Stuart Oates, a member of the Response Team for the international aid organization, Shelter Box.

"The Life of an Aid Worker"

4. Breathtaking visuals of a team trekking through Iceland's fields, glaciers, and pristine wilderness.

"Iceland"

5. What is the difference between hopelessness and hope?

"The Difference"

6. A man walks 4646 miles through China. Watch his hair grow as he encounters the most interesting situations.

"The Longest Way 1.0"

7. A very interesting look into the people and situations living in the Coral Triange, which has one of the highest rates of biodiversity in the world.

"People of the Coral Triangle"

8. Is our world becoming more connected? Or is it just drifting apart?

"DTJ 2010"

9. If you don't want to shed a little tear, then don't watch this short film. Winner of Vimeo's annual Best of Documentary Award this film captures the deep connections between master and dog.

"Last Minuted with Oden"

10. A girl returns home after several years to visit her ailing mother. Capturing the simplicty and beauty of a family relationship this 15 minute movie is a must watch.

"A Summer Home"

11. One of the best time lapse clips I have ever seen. It really drives home the meaning of America the beautiful.

"Timescapes: Death is the road to awe"

12. The terrible situation taking place in South Africa with young girls.

"South Africa's Pandemic"

13. How could I not include a video from the organization I'm interning with? This video from What Took You So Long is a short promo about their 1+1=11 documentary. In 2009 their traveled from Morocco to South Africa by means of only public transportation, filming non governmental organizations along the way.

"1+1=11"

14. Stories of children who live on the borders in Africa

"Flowers of the Frontier"

15. What would you do if you witnessed children being sold into slavery by their parents?

"The Touch A Life Foundation"

16. The end of the trip from Los Angeles to the Panama Canal by only public transit. See how the entire trip wraps up and Peter's final thought on the trip.

"In Transit Episode 26"

17. Follow the lives of 5 athletes in the Pacific Northwest during their individual seasons. Filled with heartbreak and joy, you will not be able to stop watching the episodes.

"The Season Trailer"

18. A portrait of Howard Weamer, a man, who for the past 35 years has spent his winters in Yosemite's back country. One of the best shot short stories I've seen.

"Winters of My Life"

19. Who can resit the cutest faces from Uganda?

"Kiarbo in 60 seconds"

20. What happens every 8 minutes? What can be done to stop the over taking of resources in Congo?

"Eight Minutes"

Does my generation have a role in America's future?

12.09.10

That was the question I recently had to ponder upon for the local Veterans of Foreign Wars annual Voice of Democracy Scholarship. After thinking long and hard, the audio link below contains my response. Do you agree or disagree? Comments are always welcome.

30 Gift Ideas for Travelers

It's that time of year again...when the weather turns brutally cold (in Chicago at least), lights are hung and lit, and we start writing a list of our most wanted items that we have been compiling in our brains throughout the year. So I decided to endlessly search travel companies for their highest rated and most liked travel gear to give you some ideas for that special traveler in your life.

Apparel

1. Patagonia Women's R3® Hi-Loft Hoody

Extemely warm fleece which can be layered under a shell jacket for water and wind resistance.

2. KEEN Venice Versatile Shoe

From beach running to mountain hiking this shoe adapts to it's surroundings.

3. Tavo Gloves

One of the first pairs of gloves that let you use all of your touch screen devices without removing your gloves.

4. Patagonia Men's Insulated Powder Bowl Jacket

I am a sucker for Patagonia, but who can resist this waterproof/breathable shell made from 100% recycled polyester that has enough pockets to fit millions of gadgets?

5. Columbia Silver Ridge Stretch™ Convertible Pant

Stretch, zip off style pants great for hiking and camping.

6. PACT Underwear

Cute underwear and helping the world? With every underwear purchase, money goes to organic cotton farmers and responsible businesses that are involved with making a positive impact in the world.

Books and Movies (this sections could be a list of 100 or more, anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with documentary books and especially movies)

7. Blingsight

Documentary film where Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.

8.The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World

Book when three friends at a crossroads in their twenties make a pact to quit their high pressure New York media jobs; leave their friends, boyfriends and everything familiar behind; and embark on a year-long backpacking adventure around the world.

9. No Impact Man

Documentary film which follows the Manhattan-based Beavan family as they abandon their high consumption 5th Avenue lifestyle and try to live a year while making no net environmental impact.

10. Best of Lonely Planet Travel Writing

From the first tentative steps of the young backpacker finding her feet in a London hostel, to the beyond-travel commitment of setting up house in Delhi, the 26 stories in this collection cover the globe and reveal a world of travel experiences.

11. 180° South

Documentary film which follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.

12. The Art of Non Conformity

"You don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to." is the main theme of this book. The ideas presented here are interesting, the advice grounded in logic and common sense, and, ironically, the outlook based in the same outside-the-box thinking that corporations are coming to adopt.

Outdoors/Camping/Hiking

13. GoLite Pinnacle Backpack

Very lightweight pack with a large volume that can be jam packed with gear and clothing.

14. MSR SweetWater Purifier System

Fantastic system, I used these when I was in Idaho and it removed all bacteria and parasites like a champ.

15. TraveLite Convertible Carry On

Both a backpack and a carry on item, great for avoiding the oh so annoying airline baggage fees.

16. Mountain Hardwear Kiva Lite Shelter

It is infinitely adjustable, can adapt to any terrain, and has no floor, which means you can cook in it, set up chairs in it, set it up over snow, then dig down to create an entire living room, sleeping area, etc. It can be set up high enough to fully stand up in, or half-buried in the ground for shedding snow or sandstorms.

17. Marmot Pinnacle +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular

One of the best 3 season sleeping bags around. Water-repellent, windproof, downproof nylon microfiber shell is ultra-lightweight, yet strong; Sarcophagus™ Shape increases comfort

Gadgets and Gismos

18. Wordlock LL-206-RD 4-Dial Luggage Lock

Approved by the TSA, so they will not use bolt cutters to inspect your bag. Uses words for the combinations instead of numbers for easy memorization.

19. SteriPEN Adventurer Handheld Water Purifier

Lightweight water purifier that destroys viruses, bacteria and protozoa in less than 2 minutes.

20. QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones

Amazing sound quality and drones out even airplane engines.

21. Sony ICDP620 Digital Voice Recorder PC Compatible via USB

Great for recording audio diaries, podcasts, or interesting sounds on the road.

22. iPhone/iPod Apps

You can even book last minute flights and find the best deals on the airlines travel apps.

Photography/Video

23. GoPro HD Helmet HERO Camera

Has been used climbing Everest and SCUBA diving in the Great Barrier Reefs

24. Flip UltraHD Video Camera

I own one of these and take it where ever I go. Can be used for quick video blogs or extended documentary shooting.

25. Canon 7D

The best and newest in digital SLR photography, and produces fantastic HD video. (Mom/Dad, got a couple thousand to drop for your daughters dream camera?!?!)

26. Joby GP3 Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Flexible Tripod for Digital SLR Cameras

This tripod can be shaped to fit any situation; hanging from a tree or attached to a skateboard to get the best shots.

27. Ballistix AURA PRO-TOUR

The Ultimate 2 Day Traveling Backpack for Laptop, Gamers, DJs or Photographers

Miscellaneous

28. Airline Miles

Can make great gifts for your favorite globe trekker. I'm sure they would appreciate racking up the miles to get free flights.

29. Round the World Tickets

Create your ultimate travel adventure with segments of your trip compiled onto one large itinerary.

30. Support

The last thing a traveler wants are family and friends that don't support their adventures. Even if you think they are the craziest person ever be a good friend or family member and help them with their journey, they probably have the same concerns as you do.