Marveling

Earlier this year and late last, in preparation for Black Panther, I tried to watch all the MCU movies I could.

From the Avenger movies, I've never much cared for Iron Man or Tony Stark. I finally got around to watching the first of the Iron Man films, and while it was decent, I still didn't care enough to go on to watch the second or third. (They were also unavailable on Hulu or Netflix, while #1 was on an airplane flight.)  I guess I just don't like the spoiled brat rich guy as hero, just like I've never particularly loved Batman.


I watched Guardians of the Galaxy and its Volume 2 with some friends, and they're the perfect goofball flicks to watch in an unserious mood. In all honesty, I wouldn't have watched them on my own, but I've grown to like the MCU so I'm glad I've gotten a better picture of it... even if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 on ABC was its worst, and I don't entirely love storylines stuck in space. Guardians were funny and enjoyable.

The Thor movies were all amazing. I thought I'd seen the first two when I made plans to see Ragnarok in theatres, but a quick Wikipedia read made me realize I hadn't. Luckily, both 1 and 2 were available on plane trips. I love the humor that floats on the surface of larger, darker themes about heritage and legacy. Of all these new-to-me MCU movies, the Thor series definitely wins. I'd watch them all again. Plus, who doesn't love Norse mythology? I'll go off and binge-watch Vikings now.

And then... Black Panther. So many critics, scholars, activists, and comics fans have said almost everything about it, from every angle. Parts of it made me uncomfortable (the made-up language, the made-up cultures, the black liberation character being innately violent and the "necessity" of his death), but I accept that the power of the story is rooted in part in a pan-African tribute, that generation trauma is a very real part of the post-colonial experience and diaspora, and that as a superhero's origin story there are basic formulas films follow. Besides, it's sci-fi. And it's also possible to love and dislike and critique and adore something all at the same time. The power of black representation, a strong storyline (with kick-ass, intelligent, independent females!), and great action sequences make it inspiring and immediately beloved. Since its theatrical release, Black Panther has since come to Netflix, and I have already re-watched it twice.

My 9-year-old nephew is also a fan of all things Marvel, in that obsessive way that children learning about things are. A few years ago I swear he memorized the gazillion Pokemon characters, which I didn't realize have like three different iterations each, and suggested I read his thousand-page Pokemon encyclopedia to educate myself before browsing through his Pokemon card collection. Recently, I mentioned to him that I was trying to watch a lot of the Marvel superhero movies and series spinoffs. He proceeded to quiz me on the gazillions of minor characters that he is learning about... in a comic book encyclopedia, which of course he suggested I read. I doubt I will reach his level of nerdery: I don't really care to learn the intricacies of how every timeline and character fits together in some intergalactic scheme.

But I warned Mi Hermana that she probably has a future Comic Con devotee in the house...

Deep like the rivers

2018 started off with a trip to New Zealand and has continued to be amazing in terms of travel:

Niagara Falls ~ Canadian Falls

• Niagara Falls with the Michigander nieces and nephew. We drove from Detroit and stayed on the Canadian side. It was good to be there in the off-season: the town itself is super touristy and reminded me a lot of a family-friendly version of Las Vegas. In early April it was uncrowded so I can only imagine how jam-packed everything would be during peak season.
  
  Mi Hermana and I really wanted to ride the famous boat on the river up to the Falls, but the boat tour only operates in late spring and summer. Besides, the Niagara River was frozen -- frozen! My Northwest brain was so fascinated by a frozen river-- and boats couldn't get in the water anyway.
  
  The Falls themselves (both Canadian and American) were stunning, as were the cheesy tours that brought you closer to the water. The butterfly conservatory was unexpectedly enjoyable for me -- I didn't realize we'd actually be walking around in a heated room with thousands of butterflies flitting around us. Mi Hermana and I also sampled many, many local Niagara wines.
  
  On the way back, we stopped at an Underground Railroad museum in Ontario. I really liked reading the stories of former slaves who made it to freedom in Canada and had to create a new life, build communities, and fight for rights. It was... interesting and awkward to observe the vastly differing reactions of kids ages 6,8, and 10. The 6yo thought everything was fun and games; the 8yo monopolized the history doctoral student/museum staffer's time with questions about everything under the sun, indicating a slow awareness that human history is not just; and the 10yo in full tween mode kept saying loudly she'd studied this in school.
  



Peyto Lake, Banff 

• I went back to Canada in August with old college friends, this time to Jasper and Banff National Parks. Unfortunately, most of British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana was blanketed in smoke from wildfires, so we couldn't really see the world-renowned mountains and glaciers surrounding us. Nevertheless, we went hiking and canoeing and kayaking and swimming and whitewater rafting. When we caught glimpses of the Rockies, though, it was definitely gorgeous. Will have to go back.
  
• This summer I also attempted to summit both Mt Rainier and Mt Adams -- Rainier for the second time, Adams for the first. On Rainier, I got further than I did on my 2015 attempt, and did it sans anxiety attack! Our group didn't end up summiting due to unsafe conditions but I'm wildly happy about our trip. Will definitely try again, and soon.
  
  On Adams, we probably should have camped halfway up instead of trying to summit in one day. We made it an impressive 1700 feet short of the summit, though. It was very long day. But now we know, for next time!  

And yet, she persisted

The eldest niecester is now in the double digits, officially a tween.

I've read all manner of horrible studies that show this is when the gender gap can start in school: girls start to take less of an interest in STEM, sports, etc. She already claims she doesn't like math, despite being good at it; and she already refused to join a new soccer team when they moved out of loyalty to her old team but also because she says she doesn't like running anymore.

Yet La Primera Sobrina has all the makings of a future activist to make her parents and tía proud. (Aside from being vocally enthusiastic about the possibility of a female president during the '16 campaign, when the family decided to watch the Star Wars movies, she demanded that they watch Rogue One first because it had a girl as the protagonist.)

So aside from getting her Hidden Figures on Blu-Ray for her birthday, La Mas Cool Tia Del Mundo went on a bender to get ideas for girl-power, age-appropriate books for her. I looked to A Mighty Girl for my inspiration; most of the time their suggestions are excellent, but sometimes they aren't.

I got Sylvia and Aki without actually reading the description; I assumed it was a book about friendship between two girls during WW2 and that the focus was that one of them was Japanese-American and incarcerated. OOPS! Turns out, yes, that's a tiny part of the story, which is based on a real-life friendship between two girls in the '40s, but also more importantly, the real-life Mendez v Westminster case out of California. Mendez was a father's (eventually successful) attempt to desegregate California schools so that his kids didn't have to walk a longer distance to go to the Mexican-only school; it was later cited in Brown v Board of Education that achieved the same goal of integration, this time nationwide.  I was unintentionally trying to highlight her Asian American heritage but accidentally ended up showcasing how important her Mexican American heritage is. TOTALLY amazing book for La Sobrina, given that she is one (and "only" half) of the Latino kids at their Michigan elementary school.

Next up was Women Explorers. I, for one, was inspired by the true tales of women who travelled alone, went mountain-climbing when society told them they shouldn't, and took off to be adventurous.  HOWEVER, every single woman highlighted was either European or white American (even the Mexican heroine), and most of them were also upper-middle class if not outright wealthy. Sacajawea didn't even make a token appearance. I nixed it for La Sobrina on that basis alone. It was inspiring, yes, but didn't deviate from the pre-Third Wave feminist mentality that women's history is by default white women's history.

I also nixed The King's Equal for being too stuck in the tired Poor Girl Changes Royalty theme.I normally approve of Katherine Paterson, but this book was really disappointing. Basically, there's a conceited prince and a beautiful, intelligent but poor villager. They swap places for a year when he becomes king; it changes him, and his obviously future queen did a great job running the kingdom, so they get married. Blah.


Because the kids loved Newsies, I thought We Were There Too might keep the spark of children's activism alive. I, for one, enjoyed it. But I think it is a little dense reading for kids. And most of the "children" whose stories are told throughout American history are actually teenagers, which I thought La Sobrina and her younger siblings maybe wouldn't find as relatable. Where Women Explorers failed, however, We Were There Too had stories from a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as socioeconomic classes. It highlighted everything from strikes to helping their families during war, and wasn't intended to be about activism so much as just showing that kids were part of American history too. The only problematic piece was that the first third of the book (early United States history) relied on European settlers' accounts, so the stories are obviously somewhat self-selective, especially in regards to how Native Americans are presented. Part of that is also a larger conversation about the nature of history as a discipline itself: reliance on first-person narratives leaves out oral traditions or conquered cultures who were very much "there too"...

And though A Mighty Girl didn't suggest it, I loved loved loved loved LOVED Wonder Woman. Mi Hermana thinks the niecester might be old enough to watch it, and I agree. I'd read all the reviews of women going to see the film in theatres and breaking down and crying during parts of it, overcome by the rare portrayal of a powerful, bad-ass lady on screen.... I did not expect to do that myself! And yet I did, towards the end, at the moment the goddess Diana finds and channels her inner mental strength to save the world. I don't tend to like DC universe comics or movies as much as Marvel, but this is the one exception. Yes, there are problematic parts: not enough ethnic and racial diversity, the issue of sexy superhero outfits for women alone, some stereotyping of the villains. Still, it's a movie I'd watch and re-watch in the company of kick-ass lady friends, my niece, my she-roes, and anyone else who is down to topple the patriarchy!

Kia ora, meri kirihimete

It took a little over 5 years, but I finally visited La Otra Hermana in New Zealand. The youngest neffy is now 5, and I've only ever met him over Skype; they're expecting a fifth baby, and I don't want to make a habit of having nieces or nephews I've never actually hugged.

Mt Ruapehu, Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Over the Kiwi Christmas holidays, the fam made sure I tried the NZ foods -- the traditional and apparently controversial pavlova, Anzac biscuits, fluffies, oka, paua fritters, Tim Tams, and assorted lollies.  The kids all love feijoas, which I've never had and wanted desperately to try, but they were out of season. Feijoa-flavored candies had to suffice.

Mt Ngauruhoe aka Mt Doom from LOTR,
Tongariro

85% of my trip was for seeing the family; I had grand plans for hiking the rest of my time. I had to be a bit flexible, because all the Great Walk huts were booked for all the multi-day hikes I wanted to do. But I managed to head north to the do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (SO BEAUTIFUL) and west to do a small portion of the Te Araroa trail.

Emerald Pools, Tongariro 

Kapiti Island from portion of the
Te Araroa trail

Marlborough wine country,
South Island - I biked 36 km!!!

I spent New Year's Eve in Wellington! My third NYE outside Seattle, my second outside the States, my first in the southern hemisphere. The national museum of NZ also sated my Great War obsession, with an incredibly detailed and moving exhibit on Gallipoli.

I had planned on hiking around the northwest part of the South Island, but rental car agencies had a 7-day minimum. I didn't want to spend too much time away from the kiddos, so I hopped on a bus, then rented a bike and cycled around Marlborough, New Zealand's most famous wine region. It was a good backup plan, got me on a bike for the longest period of time since fracturing my elbow falling off one 20 years ago, and made me embrace the relaxed Kiwi way of life. Plus, the wine tastings were amazing.

I also managed to get some serious quality time with the two neffies and two nieces. They've grown so much since I last saw them in person! Of course I knew that from talking to them on Skype, but still. I spent time with each of them individually:

Ropes course!
Slightly scary but fun!

• 9-year-old nephew and I went to a ropes course, where he proceeded to go fearlessly across every obstacle. I definitely had to get out of my comfort zone to keep up with him and make sure he was OK; as long as I didn't look down, I was fine.  He wanted to do each one first, except for one zipline where you hang by your arms 50 feet above ground. I had to gulp down my own nervousness and prove to him that it was fun! And doable! And not deadly! When he finally did it, he had such an adrenaline rush that he immediately exclaimed "That was amazing! Let's do the whole course! We can do it, Auntie! We can do anything!" I guess you can, if you conquer your fears.
  
• 5-year-old neffy and I took a 45-minute train ride -- his first time ever on a train! He was very excited. He got to order and pay for our tickets, and once on board he kept wanting to switch our seats every few minutes.
  
• The 7- and 8-year-old nieces both wanted to do our nails, get frozen yogurt, and go shopping at the mall, and they wanted to do it together. I probably could have handled them one at a time, but two small girls could run very quickly down the mall hallways, talk at the same time to distract me, and gang up on me to convince me to buy them new nail polish colors, a toy, and a hot beverage. It was exhausting, but fun. 

I really did not want to leave -- both because there's so much more to explore of New Zealand, and because it broke my heart to leave the kids.

Already planning my next trip, hopefully in 2-3 years!

Bending toward justice

About a year and a half ago, my cousin and I went to see a local production of Rap on Race. We erroneously thought it was a rap, as in hip-hop performance, about race in America. Turns out, it was a short play based on an actual recorded conversation between James Baldwin and Margaret Mead. Oops! It was still very thought-provoking and highly relevant, just not what we were expecting.

But I've thought a lot about both our misunderstanding about the nature of the event and the Baldwin/Mead conversation itself (fraught with its own misunderstandings), especially in light of all the recent BLM actions, NFL national anthem protests, and Confederate statue debates.

Today being MLK Day, I figured it was a good time to catch up on some of my media endeavors.

Though I dislike horror movies, I wanted to see Get Out. I read all the spoilers so I already knew the "surprises" ... because I can't overstate how much I really, really, really hate horror movies. But this wasn't so much a horror film in the now-traditional slasher sense as it was a fantasy-commentary on the treatment of black bodies in white America. Having read all the reviews and analyses, I also appreciated the role of the one Asian character in the film, who is actively complicit in racism ... specifically taking part in the stand-in for a slave auction. A stark reminder about the "Model Minority" trope as yet another embodiment of anti-Blackness, indeed. There's a lot to unpack in Get Out; I feel like watching it a second time would need a film club-level discussion, because it's not something you watch for funsies on your own.

As a mixed kid (as well as a former ACLU employee and current board member), I've long known about and pseudo-revered the Loving v Virginia Supreme Court case. So I had to watch Loving. Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton were amazing as the titular couple whose illegal marriage paved the way for future interracial couples to tie the knot -- like my aunt and uncle one year after their landmark case, another aunt and uncle the year after that, my own parents a decade later, and so on. Some of the most poignant parts of the film were quiet scenes of the Virginia landscape, where two poor individuals could easily fade into the chasm of time and tradition. I loved that the film underscored how the Lovings weren't political at all, weren't trying to make a radical statement about race relations, weren't looking for publicity. They really just wanted to stay under the radar and have their marriage recognized by the state they both loved and considered home. The whole film was a moving reminder that history is frequently shaped not by big names, but by ordinary people who just want to live their lives in their own way, in private.

Lastly, Hidden Figures was amazing. I knew bits of the story of NASA's Katherine Johnson, since President Obama honored her a few years back and she made the news. The movie was great: kick-ass nerd women fighting both racism and sexism in the '60s. (The film mainly focused on the sexism, though: mentions of the era's Civil Rights struggles were always in the background but rarely directly mentioned, except in relation to segregated facilities.) It was the perfect movie to get for my 9-year-old niece, who was so gung-ho-girl-power for Hillary in the election and who was devastated in the aftermath. (I also read somewhere that 4th or 5th grade is when girls start to lose interested in STEM classes, partly due to social cues about what girls "should" be good at. So I figured this could potentially encourage a love of science as well.) La Sobrina came up with the idea of boycotting the Pledge of Allegiance at school until the Muslim ban was overturned; it didn't pan out, but for a while Mi Hermana had to have an unexpected civil disobedience discussion with her elementary-school kids, about how there could be social consequences from other kids that didn't agree with them, but that she'd support them if they truly wanted to do this to stand by their Muslim classmates. They didn't, in the end, but their righteous anger gives me hope.

Today, of all days, I think of my nieces and nephew growing up Scottish-German-Filipino-Mexican in a largely Arab suburb of a majority-Black Detroit... and I think that maybe --just maybe-- that arc of the moral universe can be bent a little more toward justice in my lifetime after all.