Traveler Profile: novoarte

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New York City, United States

10 Best NYC Experiences. Period.

New Orleans, United States

Before You Go Guide to New Orleans

NYC, United States

Top 10 Tips for Navigating JFK

Puerto Rico

Top 10 Experiences in Puerto Rico

Mexico City, Mexico

Top 10 Tips for Navigating Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport

Havana, Cuba

Before You Go Guide to Cuba

Screen name:

novoarte

Age:

Gender:

Female

If you must know:

I'm happily married

Travel status:

Traveling now

Hometown:

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Currently in:

Mexico City

Expert Havana, Cuba

I began traveling to Cuba in 2003 and have made two trips a year since. My PhD work in Latin American Studies/Spanish Literature focuses on Cuba, and between these academic interests, my family ties there (husband is from Cuba and entire family lives in Havana), and an unending, ever-more complex love of Cuba, I'm happy to be consulted about all things Cuba-related, and Havana in particular, where I've spent the most time... and not as a tourist.

Matador Travel Writer: Articles (4)

Writer Bio: View Articles (4)

Julie Schwietert Collazo is a writer, editor, researcher, and translator who lives in New York, Mexico City, and San Juan. She has a BA in English and Women's Studies, a Masters of Social Work, and is working on a PhD in Literature at the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe. She is also a creative arts therapist. Recent work has included translations for the documentary "Punto de Vista" and the photographic exhibit, "La Boquilla." She is currently working on an article about the 400 Pueblos movement in Mexico and a documentary about romantic relationships between Cuban men and American women.

Traveling Next:

San Diego; the forbidden isle; Tryon, NC; Spartanburg; New Orleans; Puerto Rico; Colombia; Guantanamo (?!)

Favorite places I've been:

Every place I've ever been, but the top of the list: La Habana, Cuba; Sintra, Portugal; Fuzhou, China.

Places I want to go to:

Australia with my mom; Venezuela to check in on Chavez; China, to visit old friends; the house of Pablo Neruda...Suriname, Uruguay, Paraguay, the Uighur region of China. Everywhere, really.

About me:

I live back and forth between New York, NY, and Mexico City, and, until recently, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was a constantly fascinating contrast in internal reactions and external realities: blue skies vs. cold winters; freedom to be almost anything vs. colonialism internalized; 24/7 culture vs. globalization American style; fire escapes vs. windows with no glass and no screens.

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/collazo

Read more about novoarte

I'm fired up on:

I'm fired up on life and all its complexities. I'm fired up on good grammar and excellent writing and mostly true stories only slightly exaggerated. I'm fired up on travel, of course. I'm fired up on new spices and new combinations, on new colors, on new sounds. I'm fired up on finding a suitcase or backpack that is actually practical and simultaneously durable (if you know of one, please let me know). I'm fired up on making a difference in the world on the most intimate local level since larger efforts seem to confound me. I'm super fired up on marriage...mine, specifically.

Tunes I rock out to:

Ana Belen, Ani Difranco, Bebo Valdes, Johnny Hartman, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Bamboleo, Laura Pausini, Carlos Varela, Mario Frangoulis, Angelique Kidjo, Cesaria Evora, Joao Gilberto, Polo Montanez, Francisco Cespedes...

Travel style:

As if I lived in a place--getting as deep into it as possible. Learning as much about it and being as present as I can.

Quote:

"Podria decir que estas son cronicas de viaje, pero seria inexacto; son cronicas de estar." -Alma Guillermoprieto/ "You could say these are chronicles of travel, but that would be inexact; they are stories of being."

Sports I do:

Rollerblading; kayaking

Favorite artist(s):

Juan Antonio Picasso

Favorite books:

SOOO many. I have been deeply interested in memoirs recently.

Who I'd like to meet on my travels:

My best self. You.

I want to make a difference by:

Telling stories and being the medium through which others can find a voice.

Languages spoken, other than English:

Espanol; Portugues; Mandarin; learning German

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when:

I live there for an extended period of time and speak the language.

Why I travel:

To know myself better and to know the world better. To be challenged. To see with new eyes. To witness. To be able to tell meaningful stories.

Ideal place to watch the sunrise:

Anywhere. Just making it up that early is an accomplishment.

Ideal place to watch the sunset:

Over El Morro in Viejo San Juan, PR; OR from the Long Island City docks, with a stunning, unimpeded view of the entire Manhattan skyline.

Before I die I'd like to:

Speak more languages. Travel with my husband. Make sushi. Build a house with my own hands. Live in every Spanish speaking country for at least a year. This is a long long list.

Let's collaborate:

I'm always interested in a story. I also work as a freelance writer, editor, researcher, and translator (English/Spanish- Spanish/English).

My links:

www.collazoprojects.com

www.http://www.xe.com/ Currency Converter... If you can't find a country or a currency here, you should probably double check to make sure it really exists!

http://www.embassyworld.com/ This website claims to have "Absolutely All of the World's Embassies in a Searchable Database."

www.onebox.com An e-mail/fax/phone service all rolled into one. Makes sending and receiving from anywhere in the world easier.

http://www.worldmonumentswatch.org/ The world's most endangered historic sites.

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/ Where was this site all of my internet life?

http://www.howtocallabroad.com/ Just exactly what the URL says, and it's especially handy because it tells you how to dial foreign cell phones. Love this site. Thank you, thank you.

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by Dane | 2008/04/29

Thanks for the blog comment. I really wanted to convey developing-world travel to casual readers and travelers, which many Sunday Morning paper readers are. I'm new to the site, but I look forward to checking out other travelers' blogs and photos. It looks like you've been to some amazing places. I love DF. I hope you're enjoyig it.

by jgbrandt | 2008/04/28

Thanks for that Julie. I'm glad to see that the "seedier" parts are improving. I passed it along to my parents, who think I'm crazy for going to Ecuador.

by tanalita | 2008/04/23

Thanks for all your help! Be well. tan

by jgbrandt | 2008/04/15

Wow, that's pretty interesting stuff. I didn't even know about that. Thanks for the heads up. I'm definitely going to have to look out for that when I get down there. Maybe I'll even get to write about it if I find out enough.

Jon

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by JoshandCarol | 2008/04/13

Hi Julie,

Thanks so much for the link...it's amazing what people can achieve despite their disabilities. I heard of one guy running across the US with one leg! Incredible...Carol's situation is not as serious as the people described in the article, but she can definitely share the frustrations of having to deal with similar obstacles every day.
Saw you have been studying literature at school...I've written a few novels myself, but it's so hard to get them published. You almost have to self-publish these days...

Josh and Carol.

by Becky On The... | 2008/04/07

Hi! Thanks for the blog comment, that was a great trip with my mom. It was her first time in NYC. In fact, she took her first trip EVER outside of the U.S. last year at age 60. She just hadn't had the time before she retired, I was so happy for her!

Check back as I'll be updating more frequently, I've been doing mostly U.S. travel lately. I'm looking forward to reading through your blogs...looks like you've had a lot of great adventures!

by halmmhal | 2008/04/01

Hi novoarte
where are you going to be in Morocco? it is worth a visit believe me. you are welcome

by jgbrandt | 2008/03/30

Thanks a lot for the recommendations. I'll have to check them out before I leave.

Jon

by Rose | 2008/03/27

Thankyou for the welcome.

by jgbrandt | 2008/03/27

I'm not sure where I'll be yet. I might not find that out until I'm getting ready to leave. Yeah any information you have to give would be great. Thanks.

Jon

by jgbrandt | 2008/03/27

Hey. Just thought I'd let you know. I've decided to go to Ecuador. So I'll be heading there in September.

by jgbrandt | 2008/01/24

Lagos is a great little beach town in the southwestern corner of Portugal. Great people, great scenery. Everything about it is perfect. About a half hour down the road you can get to the cliffs where they used to think it was the end of the world--great for sunsets. Just a really nice place to visit.
-Jon

by jgbrandt | 2008/01/24

Thanks for the comment on my blog. I see you've been to Sintra. Did you ever make it down to Lagos?

by OurManinShan... | 2008/01/19

Thanks for the kind comment on my blog! Busy reading up on your advice about getting organized for writing in 2008.

I saw your interest in Havana and you would have loved the Taschen book on Cuba that I saw at an art cafe the other day.

Cheers,

Peter

by OurManinShan... | 2008/01/19

Thanks for the kind comment on my blog! Busy reading up on your advice about getting organized for writing in 2008.

I saw your interest in Havana and you would have loved the Taschen book on Cuba that I saw at an art cafe the other day.

Cheers,

Peter

by novoarte | 2008/01/20

Hi, Peter-

Thanks for your message. I saw that Taschen book-- yes, it was pretty incredible! Gotta say I haven't seen a whole lot of houses like those in Cuba! :)
Apparently, Taschen has a few books in that series, and I'm thinking I saw one for China-- just can't remember off the top of my head which city it was.
I'm looking forward to reading more.

Peace,
Julie

by Jay Martin | 2007/11/30

Thanks for the comment. Hope you are enjoying Puerto Rico.

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Cojimar

By novoarte | Location: Cuba | 05/10/08 | Pics: 2

We hitched a ride out of Central Havana to the seaside town made famous by Ernest Hemingway to research a couple of articles I’m working on. The driver barreled up a dusty road speckled with potholes, noting, “This is the best road in town,” and dropped us off on a forlorn corner, pointing...

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Malcriada

By novoarte | Location: Cuba | 05/08/08 | Pics: 0

My 14 year old niece and I don’t have the best relationship. Even since the first time we met, we’ve circled each other with instinctive caution. For me, she’s a malcriada: her mom and grandmother let her get away with everything. She’s a picky eater, so they let her eat cake for dinner. She...

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Making Meatballs in the Dark

By novoarte | Location: Mexico | 04/30/08 | Pics: 0

I love to cook. I just don’t normally do it. But with Francisco in New York, I’m left to fend for myself. Alone, my schedule and routine have become bizarre. I eat corn flakes at 4 AM while watching “Love in the Time of Cholera.” I make black beans and rice and eat the leftovers for lunch and...

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