Category: freelance translation

Distracted

March 28 by Cassandra Johnson

I am in the Politics and Prose bookstore, in my now DC neighborhood and I wander to the back wall of the travel section.

The last time I was there, I picked up the Lonely Planet edition of Cuba, a book showcasing the off-the beaten-path places to see in the country which still are noted accordingly, and the ones which are not because of the ironic knowledge. Still I like both the tried and true and the little known.

Going back to the office was challenging after 10 days in Cuba, however this was never so real as how I felt after living in Peru and Bolivia.

Not being ready to be back in the US and facing off with the reverse culture shock I had been forewarned about, I realized I could temporarily transition back by staying in a traveler’s hostel before securing another DC apartment. I would also continue my search for desired NGO and/or development work which I was for now more certain I had the field experience.

Years ago, my horizon had been so broadened that I was ironically too open-minded about my own chances and how people would see me back in the States. The ready circumstances or chances I had to orchestrate the next steps was not how I imagined them to be. Perhaps my heart was just too much abroad. Perhaps, I was unfortunate not to get the chances I needed in time.

I did work. I became ill and after finally getting better in the ER and hospital, I leaned towards what was supposedly stable though dulling to my senses. Unfortunately, the work was similar to what I only wanted to do for a little time when I moved to this area years ago, before doing more with international development. I was at another non-profit trade association and unfortunately, I became skillful at the department in which I worked and my knowledge of the operations as I was inclined to do. I imagine most of us are inclined to master our day-to-day responsibility and what is expected of us, so I became proficient at those operations and once again unfortunately, my tenure geared more towards the inner workings of a trade association. Perhaps in a fortunate way, I had to seek out my own international endeavors and my life still mirrored the experiences I sought out during and after my college years. My friends were international and locally from different backgrounds and I was friends with those who represented the mainstream and my own minority background as well.

Perhaps seeking out my own development work here and disaster relief abroad has molded me into being more appreciative of what I have been able to do and kept me from being burned out. Now I get the chance to select from a second passion and do that as I travel. Still, I recall the confusion of coming back and trying to make everything fit and employers keeping me to the box that I submitted to as well because though the work was something to which I was acclimated and had many perks, this was not my first choice. I dedicated about 15 years to organizations that did not truly speak to me. Thank goodness for travel, cool coworkers, other interests on the side and a willpower, though delayed at times, which will not let go.

Progress. Weather Permitting.

January 31, 2022 by Cassandra Johnson
Image Credit by Mesym of Pixabay

Relying on my resilience to go the next route, especially as I am reminded there is a difference between contentment and complacency. Work on my own is good but it can be better, like other elements of life. They can be good. I cannot complain but they can be better. Therefore, hold me accountable to hitting the road virtually and otherwise doing what is truly required.

I can be gracious and want more, realizing a lot of us do not note how much we deserve or are capable of completing.

Life feeds us challenges in circumstances and people, not even so clever. We may even let them believe they are clever (picking our battles) and for me, navigating some of the gloom and those who just cannot bring themselves to believe in me is a challenge. I imagine the challenge this must present in a lot of people’s experiences. Even those who believe in mediocre accomplishments for you can detract from your natural fans and the support system you do have; those people who you may incidentally sometimes not notice as much, because there is no need to defend or prove yourself to them. I try to focus more on the supporters these days; the people who expect a lot and are impressed by what I’ve experienced, completed, and what the future may hold. Hopefully everyone has those people. They do not or refuse to know another version of you.

Was resilience taught? Maybe acquired. Mario Bros said a lot about me. Interesting. Oddly. Obsessively? Work followed by reward. I still believe in efforts and returns and enjoying the challenge (in a lot of instances) and the satisfaction of coming out ahead. Such a simple hard concept but I was driven to lean into it. The song I noted in the post You Are Here taught me this, but then again also maybe this was just another highlight to the ideology I was getting on how working hard pays off.

Of course, one learns differently and sometimes roughly of how the concept is not always true. Yet, the ideal theory seems to also work and how can we not have some faith in that. People with real talent become stars and athletes and star athletes. Movies and books teach us to identify with the happy honest outcome, keen on integrity, and we see the possibility. Hope is necessary.

So I’m turning over this level of achievement and the next pages require even more refinement even if there are some moments I temporarily feel defeated (naturally – thinking I have given in). Sometimes I just need a moment and then I’m hitting the pavement again in person and virtually mostly as it gets safer, putting myself more out there in my freelance and other work. Couldn’t I have infinite chances just so long as I can press pause and/or keep starting the level over. Oh sigh at not being Mario, perhaps, but I will work with what I got.😉

Any given day

DECEMBER 22, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

The familiarity of the unusual. I made fast friends with a couple at Machu Picchu after we had just been toured around by a guide who inquired if we wanted to be taken through the world wonder together. Going it alone and learning would have been fine but there was a nice touch to officially hearing history and stories from him and the other tour groups along the way. As her boyfriend took a hike there after the tour, the girlfriend and I sat in the cafe discussing our travels. I thought how nicely the day had been salvaged (see my agitated and first wonder of the world recap). After all, I was not supposed to be alone but I had lost my original official tour and hiking package earlier that day.

About a month in, I had a fairly decent idea of an agenda after Pisco, Ica (departing from my initial decision to stay there throughout my entire time in South America) and I was already in Cusco, Machu Picchu. I had a good idea of the cities and countries I wanted to find myself in, but I was saving room for spontaneity too and even delays. You have to expect delays and other possible issues as well.

I also realized I was not ready for my time to be limited. As I spoke with my tour buddy, she talked about Argentina. Her home country was now my invitation. She wrote her address and contact information so neatly. The thing about this time is how I knew her offer was not empty. She fully meant if I made it to Argentina on this volunteer and now backpacking mission, I should visit her and her boyfriend there.

How absurd if I happened upon this information now, right? How unreasonable if I tried to link up with them, but somehow someway in another world and time and perspective, life has taught me it can be uniquely surprising. I never even considered I would go to Cuba, especially considering the barriers, but I was there in several cities over ten days. It may not be entirely insane and normal to see the Argentinian couple again. I am still close to a lot of people, so it makes more sense to see them with detailed plans. So while I have no possible plans to recount those memories together with the friendly pair, I see their invitation as symbolic of the many people I have met and will continue to meet.

My international itinerary stays Argentina bound now for the moment, fully expecting it be part of some repeat visits as Peru has come to be.

No need to apply pressure. No need to take on too much anymore, similar to how some jobs expect you to be wholly self-sacrificing. (Oops sorry: the flashbacks)

No need to be under additional strain, especially not needing to live experiences as a check list per se. Check lists help me regularly but I am ruling out some practices which have shown up unnecessarily, at least where I can help it.

Life is not easy in a lot of ways, but we can also make hard work out of too many expectations and inner and outside pressures. We can do better and cheers to other avenues coming our way.

Then it’s gone

November 30, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

I was sad to leave Cusco but a big part of me was ready. The volunteer work I did during the weekdays there was so different from the work we did in Pisco, so I had some affirmation that I was drawn to the right place when I did my first volunteer work abroad and signed up to do reconstruction work in Pisco, Peru. (I felt I could have stayed for even longer).

I realized Pisco still seems like going back to a second home as I was able to finally revisit.

Reconstruction work was so different from my office job at the time. The work was different for a lot of us, and we wanted it that way. The work was also something people would not expect or recall I had signed up to do. Some people still forget. They think of gigs like teaching English and though I have been involved in ESL, there is something more innate in me when I look at natural disaster recovery. Still yanking at me is the empowerment of both the workers and those who have been struggling to overcome what is so seemingly daunting.

Perhaps because of some struggles I have had in my also knowingly privileged life in the US, I wonder about all the work people can do if they have a chance not to have to worry about meeting their basic needs and furthermore what can happen when they participate in the transition.

After work in Cusco and a lot of play and exploration of historic and beautiful surroundings, I was almost ready to come back to D.C. Almost.

You Are Here

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Discouragement is part of the territory. Sometimes pain is self-inflicted. Sometimes we consider ourselves not to be reaching enough of our goals fast enough.

There was an incredibly simple song I enjoyed in primary school. Beginning with “little by little”*, there was such a polite nudge and a naturally successful logic to the ending of “little by lot”

I have been known to overwork in some fashions, obsessively moving towards some ends. However, I have become wiser in avoiding so much additional strain. The bruises have their own lessons.

Life’s leaps have not been exactly what I would imagine them to be, but I am fortunate to have the freedom to test my limits.

Work has been my latest attempt but getting to work for myself took considerable courage and I need some more. Nothing is certain.

Imagining exactly what something is like before you try is not expected. Personally, going away to college was one thing. Moving to a city where I did not know anyone was another.

Liberation and fears are included with your steps forward. You get discouraged some days and on other days you see your dreams as plausible.

Experiences up or down can hopefully change us for the better. My stress and pains have prepared me a little more. Discouragement can also have a way of giving us more to consider. Can we get past our believed and true obstacles? Success is the reminder.

Traveling alone to another country was better than I could have ever invented in my head. The trips like the leaps sometimes feel so natural. I have had these nudges to continue going where my goals are shifting and the what-ifs torment me way more than what seems impossible.

Figuring out our own puzzles is reaffirming as well as just giving ourselves the chance to try.

And Again

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

I finally got the chance to visit my family again since lockdown. The visit was much needed. I first talked about the gift of getting to see them here. You May Go Home Again.

Now I just need to get there more often.

I need to get there as often as I plan to travel abroad again. Navigating this new world is tricky. I was at first uneasy about flying for the first time since the pandemic, but the airline and airport was pretty organized. It would be nice if we had reached a definitive goal in which we could all be sure or almost certain that we could not get ill, but uncertainty has lingered with us for what seems longer than 2 years. 2020 remains surreal to me. Life still feels adjacent because I think we may have also thought there would be a clear point when we could go without certain precautions, when cases would be mild. I imagine there could be a day when we see this but now the picture looks a lot more like adjusting to the new normal.

Being able to do more cautiously has been comforting. Knowing there is a lot to get through is daunting. Maybe life is not knowing exactly what we need to do next yet and figuring out our most responsible alternatives as we go.

Connection is needed and I am glad I got to do some more this past month. A variety of connection is needed, and better answers are welcome. We can be assured and admit what we do not always know. So I personally imagine I will keep making new decisions as I go. The path may not always be clear. The destination still calls us there.

Good Health

AUGUST 25, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

I think I have determined for me and some others, we may crave more variety than we know, hence the empty feeling of falling into a rut. What we may need is challenging work, a type of routine, dependability, spontaneity, vacation, and rest in different amounts depending on what drives us. Too much of one at any time has left us stuck, I am seeing.

Image Credit: Gerd Alrmann

We may crave variety more than we know while we also need stability. The wistful feeling of falling into some monotony while establishing a reliable routine became more apparent to me recently as routines became incredibly routine. I did not mind doing what was needed but I began to see how we all have to really take care of ourselves and have the proper outlets, entertainment, and recuperation.

In the natural flow of life, I found I seek comforts but also want to be challenged. I want to be pleasantly surprised, feeling safe with some place where I can continue to take risks.

Just when there has been enough rest and vacation, I actually find it nice to have the challenge of fulfilling work where I am accomplishing something.

Just when feeling like work is relentless and not wanting to deal with any stress that comes with communicating work politics and meeting proper deadlines, a nice getaway filled with idyllic scenery is a great touch or a staycation is a nice reset.

Within the layers, we can revel in a night out with friends dancing and laughing or a quiet walk outside with just a headset in tow. Working from a different part of my home office or mixing remote work with office work when I was still at my last company, I began to look forward to both and the change in scenery. Inserting some variety helped me appreciate the options. Distinguishing between what I prefer and what I do not like, which could also change, fit my big picture.

A healthy emotional state can be hard to maintain and should not be expected. We remember being “only human” and “there is no such thing as perfection” but those sentiments still seem rejected, striving in ways that sometimes are not perfectly attainable and forgetting some significant wins.

We still have a lot of possibilities for what life may bring and I would like to find my way by mixing it up. Variety, it’s true, is the spice of life*. Even in our interests, we should consider uncovering as much as we can.

A Way Back

JULY 30, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Waking up in Cusco. Waking up in Guayaquil. Waking up in San Juan. Really, I do not mind waking up in my current home in the US, but there is definitely a pull towards the places I have been and especially resided in for a while.

Photo Pixabay

I have enjoyed DC for the time I have been living here, and I miss my home state and family as well. What I also plan for is living, playing and working between all of the above. I am excited to finally get to travel in the coming month. Let’s hope.

Hopefully we will all be able to move about as safely as possible.

I moved to this new home base about 15 years ago but did not know if I would stay here permanently, Initially my love was more than likely for the idea of moving to another big city apart from the one I lived in during college. I guess I should use the term district rather than city although eventual statehood is the aim.

I knew living here would be another interesting experience for me with a different variety of opportunities. This would be living as that everyday adult who did not have to worry about finals anymore😊

I compared what was to come via my love of reading (and campus life) before I had stocked up on so many of life’s up and downs. I fully looked forward to what was to come but braced myself for some difficulties as well. They did come, but through my efforts, I know I am fortunate to have met and spent time with all the people who have happened across my life. I count myself as lucky that I know people from different parts of this world. When I was a little girl, I imagined traveling but did not know how much a reality this could be for me.

Expecting to continue,  I am a lot less the pessimistic optimist I used to be in which I was full of hope but careful to brace myself. Naturally, we do not want to be vulnerable, and life is far from perfect.  Many times I  was surprised when some goals were completed. Then I realized I was surprised at my surprise because I did not realize I had also been prepping all along for some milestones not to be reached.  I have become better. I am realistic but I am still hopeful and now a little braver about going for what I want.

I will still need to adjust to a lot. I am still just getting acclimated to working for just me and mindset is interesting when you have gotten so used to working for other people. Though I am a fairly disciplined person, the deadlines are what helps the most in my now  location independent workdays. They are needed.

So there is one question I still consider. Since I have only explored this somewhat, I wonder how good I will be at navigating working while traveling, especially with my old habits of working too much. I am inspired by so many of you. Typically, I am wondering what work I should be getting done next.

Then again, perhaps this is more the old me relating to the demands of someone else’s company, their clients or customers and performance reviews. Sure, there were likeable elements, but no denying how non-workdays are looked forward to by many employers and employees for a reason.

Currently, I still have pressure but a notably different push when completing assignments for an individual client or agency as I am doing now.

Well, there is no rush to figure everything out all at once. Just getting back out on my first trip after a long hiatus has me excited. I won’t be working. No hurry to get it right on this first time out. Just in a hurry to see my family again.

What May Come

MAY 31, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Soccer reminds me when I was green with inexperience and my efforts to absorb as much as possible, as quickly as possible.

I was a little late to the idea of playing sports in the name of school spirit and soon realized the tryouts were more so a reunion for everyone who had been playing on the local area club teams. Even players who didn’t know each other leaned into the familiarity of their similar past experiences. Their reaction to the others:  Sizing us up (good and/or bad) and keeping a log accordingly. Perhaps this is how a lot of life’s premiere meetings go.

Thank goodness for the maturity we can eventually give each other and ourselves to grown, though knowingly, the room for growth is not always promised. There are some lessons.

Before adding soccer, my interests were elsewhere and varied across the map. My drive towards them was also perhaps somewhat to the point of obsession. (In a lot of respects, I am still this way.)

Soccer was simply not to be my focus yet. Even falling out of the loop in my recent years) I note how once I decided to go out for the junior varsity team at 14…

…well let’s just say (as they say), some things, simply become etched in your heart for the duration.

How did my obsessions (or maybe intense focus is a better description) play out in my formative years? I think certain focus is needed in a time where we’re feeling both accepted and unaccepted, dealing with both the pressures of figuring out who we are and who we want to become while in some cases being lauded and in other cases being hurt. School can that fun challenging place. What makes us become who we are? We soon see.

My focus included losing myself in classical music practice and concerts (which lasted from 5th grade into college), falling in love with the globe very early on and what it would mean to travel and how I adored meeting and learning about the guys and girls who would venture to our high school from abroad.

Going from a smallish city to a massive college (Ohio State) meant I got to befriend and meet countless people from practically everywhere.

Learning to speak Spanish and all the activities this entailed, such as being Spanish club Secretary also called in a lot of my attention. More of my interests did not really seem to match my personality, yet we are all dynamic creatures, even if we too sometimes find it less demanding to fit ourselves into the box.  

I cannot include all the quirks and day to day activities nor all my hobbies in which I found myself drawn but I write all this to share another realization of how capable we are of so much variety in our lives. Our skills complement our efforts, and a good deal of our work can be psychological. The mindset we emulate for early ventures and what we decide we can do from both reinforcement and determination tug us forward or limit our trajectory. I was reminded of the naiveté I had when I first stepped onto the soccer field. Yet I was determined. Being a library nerd (ahem, it is not a bad thing), I checked out books for drills and Pelé’s autobiography. I was determined soccer wise but I would only make it so far. It was a hell of a way so I cannot look back on those moments feeling dejected. Disappointments intermingle themselves around our victories.

Sounds not quite the romantic underdog story but I remember the surprise when I did score on the seasoned players and how I became better despite the late start. The realization I could be a part of something for which I held a passion still leans into the dedication and willingness I can dare to embrace with a little or a lot of fallibility, whatever the case may be.

Thank you for taking the time to share in part of my at times cliché but needed journey. Until next time. 😊

Back to Back

APRIL 29, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

One step at a time.

I am gathering from people who I know personally and from those I do not know at all, how many of us imagined improvement on the other side of the pandemic lockdown.

I implemented some personal changes and likewise hoped to propel forward.

When faced with the challenge of being denied our normal everyday activities and having so much more time to reflect, there were to be some emotional, physical, or financial shifts. Like many, I hoped for the best. Of course, emotions ebb and flow and we went through the natural range of emotions.

I saw a lot of people who wanted to enhance their situations, whether those be emotionally, financially, or otherwise. They realized they were not in the right relationships, work environments, or carrying the right goals. Many people more readily focused on their entrepreneurial aspirations, especially with how apparent it became that income was not always guaranteed. Nothing seemed as guaranteed as before. We went through unimaginable events. Some parts of us became more resilient. Some relationships became stronger, and, in some spaces, work became more efficient.

I suspect there is some underestimation if anyone feels there was no personal shift. How could we help but be transformed?

Image Credit: Forbes

We are most likely not the same, though we may try to participate in the same activities.

Naturally, we will try to resume what we were doing and how we went about those tasks, but a question mark may now hang over our heads. We found out there were some of life’s elements we could do without and  we found alternatives to others. People wanted to start new relationships, grow old ones, create businesses, and enhance skills. I know a lot of us dreamed of doing so much once we got back to “normal”.

What is interesting is (as my one and only dating coach) was saying: We think more about what we would be doing if so much had not been taken away from us, and in that respect, we probably over imagine. How much more we would be engaging with people and living out our lives. How deeply we would have dug into our aspirations if only not for current obstacles and very real trauma holding us back. In a way, this is true. We have evidence of how really wanting something can drive us to making goals happen, eventually or initially.

I think we are fortunate, in a way, if future fantasies refuse to turn us loose. I am that way for better or worse. I am grateful for the current pleasant moments and all the people I get to enjoy and within that I am looking forward to how much more we will be sharing and how much more our lives will expand.

At times, we however find the reality of what we get buried in is trying to get through the day-to-day of making sure the bills are paid while doing work that can become challenging in not so good ways. Of course, the scenario is not always so, but days can pass by unwittingly.

As the time comes to start transitioning back to “normal”, we may want to look a little closer. Normal is okay in many ways but I am also finding it rather useful to challenge what is “normal” gradually and consistently. We have to question the status quo if we want to grow.

I am admittedly a bit overwhelmed about not being able to avoid some of the routines I had to do in my everyday life about a year ago. Therefore, I am even more compelled to challenge what is considered normal. Normal has a tendency to put people in a box. For example, you find employers or colleagues saying we do it that way because we have always done it that way and in the worst cases, you find what was considered “normal” being used to subjugate and oppress people.

I do not want to just go with the flow. Consequently, I am taking this one step at a time because I need to have questions. Many of us may have them. I am pleased to change some things little by little just as I finally shifted to being that self-employed freelancing individual who I long imagined I would prefer to be. What works for me is not what works for everyone and our goals and perspectives can shift. Self-performance review wise, as I previously mentioned, is something I can now enjoy. I am still digging in to embrace the rest of everything which is me.  My self-talk and advice to anyone who may be interested is to break your aspirations down into smaller steps. If you are feeling overwhelmed at any time, the full picture can be a bit much. I have heard this from a lot of influencers, so I am not sure exactly where it originates. I am glad for the reiteration because sometimes I forget. First things first.