University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2013 Antipodes: Ways To See The World Brenda Sallee University of Central Florida Part of the Creative Writing Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Sallee, Brenda, "Antipodes: Ways To See The World" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 2968. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2968 ANTIPODES: WAYS TO SEE THE WORLD by BRENDA SALLEE B.A. Western Carolina University, 2007 Graduate Certificate Multnomah University, 2009 A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2013 © 2013 Brenda Sallee ii ABSTRACT This thesis is an examination of the geographical oddities of my past, the process of transitioning between worlds, and the kinds of relationships that survive those transitions. In a world where I can fly from Atlanta to Beijing non-stop in fifteen hours, I sometimes convince myself that geography no longer matters. I was born in the tropics, raised in the arctic, and became a dual citizen of the same two countries twice. I could distinguish gunshots from fireworks by age five and have ridden the Trans-Siberian Railroad in both directions. I have milked a water buffalo and played Tchaikovsky’s piano and been interrogated by a Maoist by firelight on the top of a mountain at the far western edge of the earth. I have seen the Louvre and the Hermitage and the highest point in Iowa and The Pit, the outhouse that connects directly to Hell. I sometimes believe I can go anywhere. See anything. Befriend anyone. But I deceive myself. Some places are so far away, it takes years to settle, to adjust, to reach a level of familiarity where the world outside your window, and the people in that world, no longer shock you. I have seldom stayed that long. The transient life does not get easier, but you can get better at it. I have gotten better at it. Distance is a matter of perspective and convenience and desire. The farther two places, or two people, or two lifestyles are from each other, the subtler and more intricate the connecting lines. My contentment and sanity and relationships depend upon deciphering those lines. This is the story of what I’ve learned. iii These stories are dedicated to the people who lived them with me and dare to be my friends anyway. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With gratitude to Mom, for distinguishing genres. Dad, for letting me believe the bulldozer was huge. Abby, for insisting on hugs. Grandmom, for all those Clif Bars. Grandma, for coming back to us. Ruthie, for staying family. Bethany, for simplifying my options. Jewel, for being confident when I wasn’t. Amy, for caring enough to wonder. Eunmi, for jumping. Eventually. Fran, for sharing the journey. Heidi, for the Reese’s and Pop-Tarts. Especially the Reese’s. Brian, for remembering Kool-Aid. Santosh, for making a place in your heart. Nirmala, for patience. Asmita, for not letting me take the hotel. Deepak, for being both scary and kind. Becca, for mastering my dialect of Foreign. Namrata, for trekking in sparkles. Pratik, for not telling me how scary you were. v Umesh, for going back. JDeeH, for accepting sentences beginning with conjunctions as part of our story. Jenny, for not tattling on me to the elephants. Natka, for saving all of our lives. Laurel, for being open to new normals. Chris, for braving Rolpa, even after Dang. Tuan, for not mistaking adventures for inconveniences. Bridget, for laughing along. Kedar, for offering a helping hand. Just that once. Madelienne, for being stubborn Velcro. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Disclaimer .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 CONTOUR LINES ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Premise ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Family Matters ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Contentment ....................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Coming Back ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Expectations ....................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Intersections ....................................................................................................................................................................... 36 ANTIPODES .......................................................................................................................................................... 37 Orientation .......................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Plausibility........................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Storytelling .......................................................................................................................................................................... 44 Hype ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 47 Once ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Want ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 51 Inevitability ......................................................................................................................................................................... 52 PROJECTIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 55 Faith ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 56 Devotion ............................................................................................................................................................................... 66 The Simple Life .................................................................................................................................................................. 69 Communion ........................................................................................................................................................................ 74 vii Polite Conversation ......................................................................................................................................................... 82 Foreign Conversation ..................................................................................................................................................... 83 Kathmandu Fitness Club and Spa .............................................................................................................................. 84 Causes of Death ................................................................................................................................................................. 87 Possibilities ......................................................................................................................................................................... 94 LEGENDS ............................................................................................................................................................... 95 Game On ............................................................................................................................................................................... 96 How to Buy a Bus Ticket in Kathmandu .............................................................................................................. 100 What Trekking is Like ................................................................................................................................................. 104 Trekking: An Illustrated Primer 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