"Wait and See" Is Not an Option

Yesterday I was walking through the park with my kids, picking up colourful leaves and saying hello to passers by when one of them asked me where my accent was from. I told her it was British and her immediate reaction to that was to ask me what I thought of the elections. My response was easy: “a pile of steaming dog poop”. She looked at me and with defiance in her eyes and voice said “well I voted for Trump”. I told her to have a nice day and continued along our way, as I was not going to give her what she wanted. It just made me really, really happy that the park was full of people from all different backgrounds, because that is what the US is for me, a diverse, rich and beautiful country.

I’m devastated. I freely admit to it. I’ve watched with a close eye the unfolding of this election from the sidelines, wondering if the people would do the right thing, and elect the right person to run this country. It dawned on me months and months ago that Trump wasn’t the joke most people were saying he was, and that with every passing week he was gaining in popularity. What surprised me the most was that with every disgusting comment on Mexicans or Muslims or women or the LGBT community he STILL kept getting brownie points. It honestly appeared like it was a farce, that it was all a joke and that he was really just making sure that Clinton won the election by a landslide, but I knew it wasn’t.

Around 7pm on Tuesday evening I was bathing the kids and took a glance at the polls that had just started to come in. It was right then that I realised that he was going to win. I burst into tears in the bathroom and then immediately tried to pull myself together in front of the kids. All of that anxiety that had been building up over the past 8 months landed on my chest and felt like a ton of bricks. Once the kids were asleep I tried to relax but every 20 minutes or so I refreshed the polls and checked my friends’ Facebook statuses, knowing that the inevitable had happened. The US population had voted for Donald Trump to be their next president.

So yes, I’m devastated. My first question was how on earth could anyone in their right mind actually vote for this person?! Well, apparently lots of people. And then I started to worry about my children and my partner and my friends. Trump’s rhetoric has given a lot of people a voice, has legitimized a lot of hatred against immigrants, people of colour, women and the LGBT community. And this has already started to show in reactions all over the country where people are being attacked, called ugly names, taunted and threatened. Children are calling each other racial slurs at school, and fights are breaking out between people of all different creeds and religions.

So please, first of all, people, stop telling us that it’s time to accept it and just wait and see what he’s going to do, because it “may not be that bad”. Please stop telling us that we are just promoting the fear by sharing stories of friends and strangers who have been threatened or attacked. It’s easy to say that when you actually have nothing to fear. But some of us do. Some of us walk around the neighbourhood wondering if everybody who passes us by is a Trump supporter. Some of us walk through the supermarket wondering if that person staring at us has a problem with Mexicans. Some of us legitimately worry about sending our kids to school because they don’t know what they will hear from other kids when they are there. Trump may not have caused people to start thinking this way, but he made it OK for them to act on their thoughts.

I moved to this country because I wanted to be closer to my family. I fell in love with how diverse and beautiful this nation is, and for the most part of the past 12 years lived in the bubble that NYC is. I now live in California, and while California is pretty “safe” and progressive, I still don’t feel as safe as I would in NYC. In NYC you just “blend in”. Not so much here. I’ve written about these fears before (here and here), and now that they are becoming reality, and I need to figure out what we need to do to move forward. But I really want people to stop trying to delegitimise these fears. And if your immediate reaction is to tell people that this has always been around, or that there are just as many attacks on white people then you need to stop and listen to yourself. The first step is to admit to the issue and not to try to make it less awful than it is.

Telling me that this isn’t Trump’s fault but that the major divide in this country is the issue is incorrect. Of course this divide exists, but people like Donald Trump make it even bigger. His disgusting rhetoric and the ongoing acceptance of his words has made it OK for random humans to start going after other humans and attacking them, physically or verbally. So no, let’s NOT pretend this isn’t happening and let’s NOT turn a blind eye to what is going on. And don’t talk to me about love and happiness and peace and Namaste and acceptance BS. I’m teaching my kids about love and equality so that hopefully all of these isms can be eliminated for once and for all, but I refuse to teach them to sit back and accept what they cannot believe in. I’m sorry, I can’t find enough love in me to accept the fact that this country wants a racist, misogynistic bigot as a president. I don’t WANT to look past the fact that people can so easily dismiss all of the disgusting things he has said in the past. You can’t just pick and choose and whitewash the rest: that just makes you a hypocrite. So stop telling us to let go of our anger and our fears and our stances. It’s NOT over. It has just begun and I will NOT be keeping my mouth shut.

I can’t get over the fact that a significant percentage of the voting population either believes that Mexican immigrants are all rapists and drug dealers and that there should be a ban on Muslims entering this country or pretends that they never heard that said. Do you understand how that rhetoric is translated by your average Joe who happens to be a tad racist? That anyone who looks slightly Hispanic or who may possibly be Muslim is now an easy target. What is going to happen when Trump’s cronies start going after our wombs and our reproductive rights? When they start reversing gay rights bills that we have spent years fighting for? When instead of standing together to bridge the divide people start to retract into their communities because it’s the only place where they feel safe?

You want anti-establishment? Then start at the bottom and work your way up. You aren’t happy with how the company is run? Instead of waiting on the sidelines for the presidential elections get involved in your local communities. But don’t tell me that Donald Trump is the way forward for this country. Don’t tell me that his rhetoric wasn’t misogynistic or racist, or that the media “just showed him that way”. No. All of those quotes that you’ve seen and heard come directly from the horse’s mouth. It’s been nearly a week and he hasn’t retracted any of those comments yet. He’s retracted some of the policies he said he was going to change but none of racist crap. And I know that not all of his supporters are racist asshole white men, but to vote for someone and not acknowledge what he stands for is just plain ignorance. It is your democratic right to vote for who you want, but it is also my democratic right to not have to sit down and accept it.

Luckily I still have the right to say what I want right now, and I also have the ability to get up and leave if I don’t want to be here anymore. I have no idea how my rights will have been affected by this time next year and I’m not sure I want to stick around to find out. I fear for my partner and my kids and their rights. Maybe you think I am overreacting or a pessimist, and that’s fine, that’s your right. But no country is completely protected from dictatorship, no matter how many freedoms you have. It just takes one wrong move to knock one domino down, and who knows what the consequences will be when that happens.

(And don’t even get me started on climate change… Although working on reversing that starts at home).

Sacramento Chalk It Up Festival 2016

Chalk It Up is a three day festival held in Fremont Park, Sacramento every year to help raise money to fund children's art education and activities in the area. There are sponsored (paid) squares and community (free) squares, music, vendors and food, covering the entire park. We went on the first day and I was impressed by how much talent there was compressed into one small area! It's a fantastic way to raise money for a great cause and gives all kinds of artists and kids a place to showcase what they can do. You can see all of the photos HERE.

California State Fair Highlights!

You can find my first state fair post with photos from the first week HERE, and a full photo album from the entire fair HERE. I can't pretend that we managed to see everything but we did get to see and experience a lot, even though the temperatures soared way over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the last weekend! If I had been alone it wouldn't have been too much of an issue, but with two small children we had to work our way around the hottest times and places and find shade whenever we could. All in all we really enjoyed the fair and I can't wait to go back next year! Here are my main highlights from the 17 day event:

The Petting Zoo: We went there nearly every day. I only wish that it were a little bigger because it could get a little crowded at times, especially where there were too many adults inside. Luna absolutely adored being with all of the animals, especially the baby goats and pigs. I loved how sweet all of the animals were, even the deer who try to eat your clothes, and how happy the children (and adults) were inside. 

The horse racing: This was my favourite! The anticipation, that short moment when the horses fly by, the roar of the crowd when the winner crosses the line. It was so much fun to photograph too, trying to get them all in the frame before they are gone. I do wish that the races had been earlier in the day though, mainly due to the heat!

The fairgrounds: I'm not a big fairground ride person, I usually feel like I'm going to die and that takes away any fun for me. However, I LOVE walking around, the lights, the smells, the happiness and watching all of the rides in motion. Cesar tried the newest ride, this insane spider-like contraption that holds you upside down high in the air before whipping you down to the ground and back up again... He loved it. Luna screamed at it and I took photos of him high in the air, arms and legs spread out in glee and a look of pure happiness on his face.

The pony rides: Mainly because Luna loved it SO MUCH. I think she has developed a pure love for horses thanks to the pony ride and won't stop going on about it! Trigger was her favourite little pony, he was sweet and made funny faces. We are now going to look for a place where she can start taking lessons.

The FOOD: SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM. Even for a vegetarian there was loads. My only regret is that I didn't get any funnel cake or churros! 

The exhibitions: I really enjoyed walking around all of the different art and photography exhibitions/competitions. It was wonderful to see all of the amazing work that children and teenagers had produced. So many talented artists! I may enter the amateur photography contest next year for fun. 

Special mentions: the incredible motocross guys, the adorable lamas and sheep and goats, the music, and the skilift. 

All in all we had huge amounts of fun and next year I will be making to-do lists so that I can do much, much more! 

California State Fair 2016

A week into the California State Fair already and still so much to see and do, and most definitely eat. This is my first year living in Sacramento and also my first state fair ever (NYC is a fair in itself I suppose), so I was really looking forward to covering the events and going as often as possible - and I think we have already accomplished the latter in the first week! Every day when we come home I say that I can't wait to go back again, especially because it's so super family friendly and the girls really seem to enjoy it.

There is an awesome petting zoo full of adorably friendly goats, sheep, lamas, chickens, ducks, pigs and deer (that love to eat your clothes when you aren't looking) as well as other animals. There are also pony rides and you can even try your hand at milking a goat or a cow. The kids fairground is pretty spectacular with a great array of attractions and games, but be advised that all of the attractions, apart from the carousel, are only for kids of 36 inches and above. Over the past week we have spent a lot of time over by the horses, watching some competitions as well as some shows (although I want to see the Clydesdales as I keep missing them), and paying a visit to our friend Lazarus, the wonderful rescue horse. 

Over on the racing track there are 7 or 8 horse races through-out the day over the weekend, and it was so cool to watch the horses and their jockeys trot by, all riled up ready for the race, and then speed past us again, so focused and concentrated on the finish line. Some of the races are so fast that my camera had trouble keeping up and I can't wait to go back and take more photos from different angles. Maybe even place a bet too?!

The "adult" part of the fairground is amazing! Huge and full of some insane rides that I will never try even if you paid me. Yes, I am a wimp. Although I did promise Cesar that I would go on the Magnum with him next week, so there is that... And one of the big wheels! And I went on the pretty swings the other day, luckily without realizing how I would actually feel on them! I might try the ski-lift out though as I bet the view is spectacular, especially at the end of the day when the sun sets behind the largest Ferris wheel. I've always loved the lights, the sounds, the smells and the general atmosphere of a fair, and I could walk around for hours just enjoying myself.

There are some wonderful exhibitions (one of my mother's photos was actually placed in the Fine Art division with a merit), stores to walk around and a ton (literally) of food to try! I was worried there wouldn't be many vegetarian things to find, but no issues there! I still need to find a vegetarian corndog though, and maybe try a deep-fried something or other too. You can actually grab dinner and go and sit on the bank and watch the crazy motocross guys perform their insane moves while flying through the air, or run over to the diving pool and see some guys dressed as penguins dive from an 80 foot high pole. Both events take place three times a day every day and are worth watching more than once.

I still feel like I have SO much more to see and I can't wait to get back there again. My advice to all is to bring some comfortable shoes, wear light clothing, bring sunblock, hats and sunglasses and stay hydrated. There are loads of places to sit in the shade and relax but it's Sacramento so it gets really hot during the day. I also think it's a good ides to bring cash. A lot of places take cards and there are some ATMs around, but I found it was just easier to have cash handy for the rides and for the petting zoo. And if you want to go on as many rides as possible without breaking the bank, go on Tuesday (July 19th) as all rides are $2. 

I'm working on a collection of photos, but in the meantime here are some highlights of our past week at the fair! You can check out the California State Fair website for more information on daily events and their Instagram feed for some cool photos.

Photography: Western States Horse Expo 2016

Horses have always fascinated me, these beautiful, beautiful animals in all shapes and sizes, trainable but still completely wild, or perhaps unpredictable, capable of understanding and caring, and literally bearing the weight of mankind. I was lucky enough to be able to accompany my mother to the Western States Horse Expo a few weekends ago and had the chance to photograph all different types of horses, from stunning Friesians, beautiful gypsies and sleek Arabians to an array of rescue horses as well as slightly trained wild horses, with many, many others in between. (I'm not too keen on the words "breaking in", so I'm just going to use trained instead). I learnt a lot over the weekend, both about horses and my own photography, take aways to improve and things to focus on over the next couple of months. I would now love to go out and take some showjumping and dressage photos, and also shoot some wild horses somewhere. The girls loved the expo too, and I have to say that the mini horses that Parelli were giving out at the entrance were an amazing touch - Luna refuses to be separated from her "horsey" and he goes everywhere with us!

I will let the images speak for themselves (a selection below and the full album HERE), but I want to mention of few notable organizations that I feel should have more coverage. Hope 4 Horses is a formidable horse rescue center in the area, as well as the awesome wild horse program that is in place at the Rio Consumnes Correctional Center. Imagine Pitbulls and Parolees but with horses instead of dogs. Horses seem to have an incredible ability to heal and love. They really are formidable and amazing and deserve our utmost respect.