Costa Rica Travel Surf Expat blog for Norm Schriever

Your November 2016 Postcard From Norm!

10/26/2016

Goodbye and thank you, USA!

On November 8, I’m headed back to the Philippines. (Yes, I’m flying out on Election Day.) No wonder why the flight was so cheap! I’ll get on the plane in San Francisco mid afternoon and won’t land in Manila, get through customs, take a taxi to my hotel, check in and get to my room to turn on CNN and see who won the election until about 30+ hours later!

This trip back to the states has been amazing – starting with visiting family on the East Coast and then hanging out with homies on the West Side. I'm truly grateful that I was able to visit Connecticut, Maine, Delaware, New York, Nevada, California and North Carolina in the span of just four months, but hanging out with YOU is always the highlight of my time in the U.S.

Thanks so much for all of your support, love, and friendship, and see you next time!

The physiology of old friends

Did you know that 98 percent of Americans have at least one close friend, according to a Gallup Poll? In fact, the average person now has 9 close friends (down from 10 in 1990).

We all love to hang out with good friends, old friends, and good, old friends (the best kind). But you may not have realized that there are tangible health benefits to keeping an engaged social circle.

Called “Friendfluence,” some of the health benefits of being around good friends regularly include:

Live longer
Lower stress
Stronger immune system
Better overall health
Lower rates of obesity
Lower instance of dementia
Better relationships
Spicier love life
Advanced learning & development
Better life choices
Higher net worth
Ease of coping with trauma
Boost happiness, confidence, and sense of purpose

So next time you see them, thank your best friends for improving your health as well as making you feel good!

Purchase with a purpose; hand-sewn bow ties from Kenya

I'm honored to sit on the Board of Directors of Willow Tree Roots, a great international charity that focuses on empowering poor women through social entrepreneurship. One of the programs we run in Kenya allows disenfranchised women to sew and sell these beautiful custom bow ties, as well as many other great clothes. Check them out and order something for the holidays!

A Requiem For The One Love House

Since I’ve been visiting Sacramento, I couldn’t help but reflect upon my old crib in East Sac, 5031 D Street….aka “The One Love House.” It was a really special place because of all of the great people that came together as a community there for the various charity fundraisers, business mixers, art showings, neighborhood events, concerts, and yes, parties.

I found these old Before and After photos and wanted to share them. Did you get a chance to come kick it at The One Love House? I’d love to hear your stories, favorite memories, and hopefully see your photos!

Gold Status Customs strikes again!

Boom! Pow! Zam! The best custom sneaker company on the planet, Gold Status Customs (which happens to be the brainchild of my nephew, Ryan) strikes again with these hand painted Hawaiian floral design Nike Cortez!

Hit him up if you want to get your own original pair of hand-painted sneakers!

Email him or follow @GoldStatusCustoms on Instagram.

Cuddling a dinosaur?

I was lucky enough to cozy up to a real life dinosaur at one of my friend’s house – or at least the closest living creature to real dinosaur DNA. The New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) is a direct evolutionary descendant of dinosaurs and one of the rarest animals on earth. In fact, they’re so rare that very little comes up about them on Google. As of a year or two ago there were only 12 on earth but they’ve been repopulated up to about 50 now.

This guy (named Rocker) was super chill and just loves to cuddle anywhere it’s warm – this time on my shirt.

I'd love to offer you a free book!

Since you're so awesome, I'd love to offer you one of my books for free. Just Email me at hi@NormSchriever.com with the title you want and I’d be happy to send you that ebook.

What’s next?

For the next six to eight months, I’ll be living, working and playing in the Philippines among some of the nicest islands in the world. In fact, Cebu, Boracay, and Palawan in the Philippines were just ranked 3 of the top 5 rated islands on the planet for 2016 - and have the nicest people in the world (ranked by me!).

I love having friends visit so I can play tour guide so please stay in touch and mi casa es su casa!

-Norm :-)

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What to Pack For a Year Abroad: 2016 Update

10/26/2016

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For a self-proclaimed minimalist, I have a whole lot of crap. So as I get ready to fly out to southeast Asia for another year abroad, I wanted to give you an update what exactly I’m packing. This isn’t just about having plenty of clothes – having the right gear can literally make or break your stay abroad, keeping you comfortable, prepared, and, in some cases, safe.

I’ve posted blogs in the past with a rundown of what I brought. So assume I have the same stuff (and more), either packed and ready to go on the plane with me or in a big bag left with friends in the Philippines. This blog will cover just the additions, changes, and notable items I’m including in my trip this year.

If you’re packing for a trip abroad, whether one week or one year, I hope this helps – and feel free to contact me for advice any time.

-Norm :-)

What I put it all in:

How do I carry all this stuff around? This year, I upgraded to the LL Bean White Mountain backpack. Last year, I went cheap and bought a backpack online that was made in China. It only cost $65 or so but you get what you pay for, so within months the zippers were breaking and the seams started to rip.

But this LL Bean bag holds a huge amount of things (70 liter capacity), is super comfortable to carry around, and incredibly durable. There are endless side pockets and storage spaces and you can even pull off the backpack lid to use as a fanny pack for day hikes.

This Cadillac of hiking bags only cost me $199 and I’ll probably have it to use for decades of travel.

You can check out this White Mountain pack or all of LL Bean's cool stuff here.

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The Putumayo record label brings you music from the world.

10/10/2016

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Maybe you’ve seen their CD covers, the first thing most people recognize about the Putumayo label. Bold, dynamic, and colorful, each album represents a different genre of international music, like Afro Cuban drums, Latin jazz, or Celtic women singers.

But few people know the full story behind the culturally vanguard record label with a name hard to pronounce. In fact, Putumayo was the brainchild of one man, Dan Storper, a world traveller and cultural enthusiast. Storper collected indigenous clothing on his travels and later sold it in developed countries, a passion of his as far back as 1974. That year, he was traveling in Colombia and explored the grand Putumayo River. Which flows south from Colombia along the border of Ecuador and Peru before finally flowing into the Amazon in Brazil. In 1975, Storper named his cottage clothing and handcrafts company after the river, a name that stuck until he sold the company in 1997. But in between he was busy with his real life’s work, using the same name when he founded the Putumayo music company.

The origins of that musical adventure are a story of serendipitous wanderlust, as well, but this time far closer to home. In 1991, Storper was returning from a trip to Bali and stopped through San Francisco. In Golden Gate Park, he stumbled upon a group of musicians making enchanting music, the Nigerian band, Kotoja. Storper was so enthralled by the music and noticed a crowd forming, so a light bulb went off. Why not “collect” music from the different regions and countries he visited like he collected handcrafts and clothing?

Using the same name - Putumayo, he released his first work in 1993. Fast forward twenty plus years, and Putumayo has become the established musical brand among “Cultural Creatives,” a sociological term used to describe 50 million North Americans and millions more around the world who are passionate about culture, travel, and the arts. Each CD focuses on a specific country or genre, like the Caribbean, Asia, or South Africa,) and they try to bring upbeat music that’s “guaranteed to make you feel good.”

The decision to represent each CD with such celebratory and recognizable artwork has become the calling card of the music label, and we can only speculate if it would have survived at all without that universal visual appeal. Every CD cover is painted by British illustrator Nicola Heindl. Her art has been described as both, “funky and modern,” which speaks to Putumayo’s self-described mission, to connect the traditional with the contemporary. They certainly do that with genres as diverse as Australian aboriginal music, American Cajun songs, and Arabic beats (one of my favorites.)

Putumayo products now sell in 3,000 book shops, gift shops, cultural retailers, and specialty stores in the United States. They distribute CD’s to more than 80 countries and have 10 offices in 6 countries. They’ve steadily expanded, adding the Putumayo World Music Hour syndicated radio program in 2000, an extremely popular Putumayo Kids division in 2002, and converting their whole musical catalog to digital formats in 2011.

Dan Stroper and Putumayo doesn’t develop new bands and act as a traditional label as much as they discover existing talent around the world, and then compile and distribute them to mainstream markets. Along with musicologist and longtime Putumayo researcher Jacob Edgar, Dan Stroper and his staff have a catalog of over 30,000 songs they’ve discovered and assembled. They narrow down to the top dozen or so for each album based on company listening events and feedback, sets up royalties with the local artists so they’re well compensated, and then releases the music.

But the company, named after the Quechua (indigenous Indian) term for that South American river, has brought far more than commercial channels to the international community. By connecting cultures, many of them indigenous or from impoverished nations, they spread good will and raise awareness for places and people otherwise unknown in mainstream U.S.

Putumayo is deeply involved with empowering the communities where they find their music. To date, they’ve donated over one million dollars to worthy charities and non-profits around the world. Putumayo uses music as a platform to garner awareness and support for organizations that aim to make a difference in the regions where the music originates.

Per their website, Putumayo.com:
We are pleased to support the following charitable organizations.
ACCION International
Global Exchange
Global Fund for Women
International Rescue Committee
Mercy Corps
Music Maker Relief Foundation
Oxfam America
Pan American Health and Education Foundation
Population Services International (PSI)
Seva
Slow Food
The Said Foundation
Wildlife Conservation Society

So next time you see a rack of brightly-colored CD’s with a funky name, pick one up and give it a try. Just by pressing, “play” You’ll be experiencing the joy of music as an introduction to so many people and cultures around the world.

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The video trailer for The Queens of Dragon Town

10/1/2016

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What is the new book "The Queens of Dragon Town" all about?
Check out this short video trailer, and go to http://ow.ly/YbUQp on Amazon to get your copy.

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Your October 2016 Postcard from Norm!

10/1/2016

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Why I love Sacramento
I lived in Sacramento, California from 2003-2011 before moving abroad, and it still is one of my favorite cities and I make it a point to come back and visit every year. A lot of Sacramentans and outsiders put their own California capital city down, but I think it has a hell of a lot to offer. Escaping the traffic, rat-race mentality, sky-high prices and, frankly, snobbery, you might find in San Francisco or Los Angeles or other major cities, it’s pretty laid back and fun extremely fun.

Not only is the location perfect as you can drive to majestic Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Napa Valley, etc. all within 2 hours or so, but I’ve also read that it’s the most racially diverse city in the country. Awesome people, great weather (except for a few 105 degree + hot spells in the summer) incredible food, arts and culture, plenty of outdoor activities like hiking, boating and wine tasting, charming neighborhoods, a real community feel, and now, the nicest downtown basketball arena in the world for the Sac Kings.

But the best part of my visits is always seeing my old friends here. I always appreciate the love I feel when I come back to Sacramento!

I’m going back to college in North Carolina?
My 18-year old nephew, Colin, just started attending Wake Forest University in North Carolina this fall. I couldn’t miss a chance to visit him so I flew all the way cross-country just for a weekend to check out Wake Forest and say hi. It was really cool seeing him and being back, but boy-o-boy has North Carolina (and college) changed!

It's actually not my first time at college in North Carolina. My freshman year in college (100 years ago) I attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Ok, so it was 1990, not 1890, but back then, Charlotte was just a sleepy little city and UNCC didn’t offer much socially for this Yankee, so I transferred north of the Mason-Dixon line to the University of Connecticut for my sophomore year. But I learned a hell of a lot and always appreciated the North Carolina sunshine and hospitality.

The controversial video trailer for The Queens of Dragon Town
After publishing my latest travel memoir, The Queens of Dragon Town, in February, I intended to put together a cool video trailer to show people what the book is all about. Well I got super busy (including co-authoring another book) so it took me more than six months, but I finally finished!

It wasn’t without controversy, as I had to take down the first video I posted and redo it because it had too many scenes that could get me in trouble with the government of Thailand.

You can watch the video here (or click on the image) and I hope you read the book and love it.
But be warned – don’t watch if you’re easily rattled by real life!

My First Raiders Game
I got to attend my first ever Oakland Raiders football game, which was definitely interesting! You hear horror stories about how rowdy, drunken, and downright dangerous their fans are, but the good news was that everyone was friendly (and rowdy and drunk). Then again, I made sure I was wearing a borrowed Raiders jersey, while the brave guy in the Atlanta Falcons jersey might have had a slightly more challenging experience.

My other impression is that Oakland Colisseum is a dump – by far the worst stadium in the NFL. There are unofficial plans for the Raiders to move to Las Vegas soon, and it’s not hard to see what they’d want to.

The $23,000 sneakers
I took a day trip into New York City with my sister and nephew Ryan, who's a “sneaker-head” that loves creating his own custom kicks. We checked out a lot of sneaker shops that have rare and high-end athletic shoes, including many styles that regularly cost $800, $2,000, and even $10,000.

But check out this pair of sneakers that actually cost $23,000. I was shocked but it's true - the Eminem x Air Jordan IVs come with a modest price tag of 23-large!

Quiet heroes: Kate Hutchinson
When Australian Kate Hutchinson came to Cambodia on holiday years ago, she was shocked by the lack of help for women that had suffered abuse and sex trafficking. So she started an amazing non-profit called Connecting Hands that runs The Connecting Hands Cafe in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, rescuing women and girls from abuse and trafficking and giving them safe housing, medical care, education, valuable skills and a way to make money working at the cafe, and helping them reintegrate into society. As the girls thrive, they have huge smiles on their faces and love Kate like a mother!

Kate works tirelessly to keep the non-profit running and help "her girls," never asking for any thanks or fanfare for herself.

So this month, let's all recognize Kate for being our Quiet Hero! Check out the Connecting Hands Cafe and say hi to Kate on their Facebook page!

What's next?
I'll be back in Sacramento, California for most of October, working and meeting some new clients, seeing old friends, and hopefully taking a couple of trips to Lake Tahoe and Southern California. On November 8 - Election Day - I fly back to The Philippines to settle in for another season living in Asia!

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Your November 2016 Postcard From Norm!

What to Pack For a Year Abroad: 2016 Update

The Putumayo record label brings you music from the world.

The video trailer for The Queens of Dragon Town

Your October 2016 Postcard from Norm!

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Norm Schriever

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