The Power of Travel

by Ajia Meux

I didn’t leave my home state until I was 18. I flew from San Francisco, on a six-hour flight, to Honolulu, Hawaii. The water, sand, people and food of Hawaii were breathtaking. I caught the travel bug.

Xunantunich Mayan Ruins, July 2011
Photo Credit: Ajia Meux

I didn’t leave the country until I was 30. I flew from Newark, New Jersey to Frankfurt, Germany and stayed for two whole weeks. I navigated the transit system, traversed Deutschland culture, and learned enough German to order from McDonalds and Starbucks.

Since then, I’ve been to Mexico, Jamaica, Belize, Guatemala, Bahamas, Japan, China and France. I have come to learn that this world is really big and everyone is just trying to find their way in it. There is power in learning new things and being able to master living in what is not comfortable. All of this is what continues to fuel my desire to travel.

My first hotpot experience in Shanghai, China, 2012
Photo Credit: Ajia Meux

What do I want to be when I grow up? At nearly forty, I’m still not one hundred percent sure of that answer. What I do know is, whatever I choose to do, I need to be able to mix IT and travel. I need to sit on a beach and hammer a proposal out for a client. I need to mix business with learning a new language from a native speaker. I need to conduct webinars at a local restaurant, eating local, indigenous foods. I need to be able to look up at same moon in different places all over the earth knowing that I am part of something bigger than myself. 

Contact Information
Ajia Meux
ajiameux@ou.edu
www.tallandloud.com

For me, a new Puerto Rico

by Ajia I. Meux

My birthday, San Juan 2013
Photo Credit: Ajia Meux

I went to Puerto Rico in 2013, for my thirty-fifth birthday. We rented a villa which sat directly on a beach, rented a car and partied in old San Juan. That was my plan – to drink, beach and eat with friends and my trip went exactly according to plan.

When I returned to PR in January of 2017, having read When I was Puerto Rico by Esmeralda Santiago, I landed with a completely different perspective of the island. Santiago’s descriptive narrative of parts of Puerto Rico that I never even thought to think of resonated the most during this class experience. Her descriptions were so vivid that I had a running account of her life and what it meant to be in Puerto Rico from a native person’s perspective. Her account of standing on the side of the road, in the rain, I imagined what it was like when there were no highways with American signage. I imagined being a teenager in my own country and having an imperialistic experience – being aware that things were changing around me, having no control and no explanation. I imagined the constant power struggle of a person caught between being an adult and a child.

Three Kings Day Festival, Juana Diaz, P.R., 2017

Photo Credit: Ajia Meux

Santiago’s book and the trip back to PR gave me a new perspective of a place known primarily for its food, music and beaches. I have become a tour guide, of sorts – offering suggestions on places outside the norm to visit. Where you can have an “authentic” Puerto Rico experience, like one can get in Caguas or Ponce. Or the enormity of Three Kings Day. I’m excited for my third time back, when I can rent a car and navigate El Yunque by myself.

Contact Information:

Ajia I. Meux

ajiameux@ou.edu

www.tallandloud.com

Community and Diversity in a Small Town

by Ajia I. Meux

Brick-lined streets in downtown Antioch, Calif.
Photo credit: Ajia Meux

My mother moved to Antioch after I graduated from high school and had left for college. I have never seen it as someplace other than “where my mom lives.” When tasked with seeing Antioch as a travel destination, I did not believe there would be any takeaways. The city is overshadowed by more well-known parts of Northern California – namely Oakland and San Francisco. The tourism industry is virtually non-existent and, based on the conversations with locals, they appear to prefer it that way. Their communication mechanisms are still pretty primitive: websites are outdated and businesses still communicate via flyers. In addition, over the last twenty years, the city has been riddled with crime and have had issues with local their government.

The Cannery Lady Statue in Downtown Antioch
Photo Credit: Ajia Meux

Walking around downtown and speaking to those that make up the fabric of its downtown arts district, however, gave me a different perspective of this suburb outside of San Francisco. In experiencing the city in this different way, I found a localized beauty, which lies in its historical preservation. Through its monuments, including the Cannery Lady, which celebrates the history of nineteenth century canneries and fishing areas that operated in Contra Costa County, and the historic El Campanil Theater, I learned that Antioch has a strong sense of community and commitment to diversity. The markers, murals and business owners I spoke to all communicated that Antioch is a city of inclusion built on the back of hard-workers and immigrants. When I return home, I plan to continue to experience Antioch in this way, patronizing  small, local businesses over large corporate entities.

Contact Information: 

Ajia I. Meux

ajiameux@ou.edu

www.tallandloud.com

Eclectic Relaxation

by Ajia I. Meux

Sandalwood sticks

Photo credit: www.freshdesignpedia.com

Every morning, shades open to allow for natural sunlight, highlighting the warmer textile tones in the room. Black walnut and mahogany wood are paired with mismatched patterned throws – Inca, quatrefoil, and chevron – in similar color palates. The yellow sofa, with its broken arm and normal wear and tear, provides comfort when weary after a hard day’s work. Its color brings out the creamy undertones of the runner from India that sits atop the black walnut bar table. The gold and browns from picture frames containing smiling family contrast the dark wood and wicker baskets. Blue and red speckles from a throw tie in all the colors of the room, making it feel homely; an eclectic sanctuary.

Philodendon leavesPhoto Credit: Ajia Meux

The room smells of sandlewood and baked sweet potatoes; fresh brewed coffee and a faint hint of chocolate. Affirmations adorn the walls at every turn – Be Fearless, Do Your Best, Amore. The three potted plants, once in different stages of their life cycle, have been reduced to one – a single philodendron. It has emerged as most tenacious surviving varying temperatures in the house and stands a lively green in the sunlight. Books from different life stages line shelves, providing clues to the owners history – Impeach the President, The Godfather, The ColdestWinter Ever.

The culling of different textures, fabrics, patterns and scents works together to create a space of contentment and relaxation. It may seem counterintuitive that these contrasts work together to create calm, but it acts in just that way – a safe place in a world that in chaos.

Contact Information:
Ajia Meux
ajiameux@ou.edu
www.tallandloud.com