QotD: World Traveler, Rave tomorrow, Shinjuku Boys

Which countries have you visited? Which countries are on your list to visit?

I've visited several countries in my brief life, but I'd really like to visit more!! Some places listed here I have visited multiple times, some for short visits and others for extended stays, in order of first visit:

1. Iraq
2. Jordan
3. United Arab Emirates
   
4. Palestine/Israel (kind of, I got kicked out)
   
5. Syria
6. Lebanon
7. The Netherlands
8. Belgium
   
9. France
10. England
11. Japan
12. South Korea

I know it's strange but I have never visited Canada or Mexico, the two countries bordering the United States. One day though! I have been to airports in Germany, Austria, Ireland, and Sri Lanka, but those don't really count.

I'd love to be able to visit every place in the world, but nations on the top of my want-to-visit list are:

1. Vietnam
2. The Philippines
3. Malaysia
   
4. Indonesia
5. Thailand
6. China
   
7. Russia
8. Romania
9. Ukraine
10. Bulgaria
11. Turkey
12. Croatia
13. Iran
14. Afghanistan
    
15. Italy
16. All of northern Africa, from Morocco to Egypt
17. Colombia
18. Brasil
19. Bolivia
20. Jamaica
21. Cuba
    

Hopefully I will visit these places before I finish university. I plan to apply for a scholarship that is available to honors and grad students at UW which awards multiple winners 20,000 dollars to spend on a year of pure travel, no studying, but they must have a purpose for wanting to visit the certain nations they plan to spend the money on outside a desire to visit nations of their particular family background and first world nations. Since I have already visited my family's homeland multiple times (Iraq), I have many other places I'd like to visit. Most of the places I want to visit have some political history of particular interest to me, so I will try to talk about those interests in my essay. Who knows, maybe I have a shot?

Today I watched a documentary film named Shinjuku Boys about onnabe hosts in Shinjuku. It was made in 1996 and it was quite interesting. The opening scene shows one of the female hosts wrapping up her breasts, flattening them to prevent visibility. It reminded me of Shiki, the first host I met in Kabukicho when I worked there last summer. When we randomly met on the streets of Shinjuku, early morning after finishing work, she took my hand, put it on her breast, and told me that she was a woman, I could feel the tight wrapping beneath. I am not sure how I can explain how I felt at that moment, not disgusted, not shocked, just melancholy, she had this look in her eyes that was screaming at me, and I felt in a trance. It was bizarre, not bad but actually quite beautiful. I felt the same way today when I watched the onnabe hosts in Shinjuku boys talk about their personal lives and work. Thirteen years after its production, I wonder how these Shinjuku boys are doing today. Recommended to anyone interested in mizu shobai as much as I am!

After watching the film at the library, I went to a peace protest on campus where I ran into my Iranian friend who I haven't seen in 7 months. We have been trying to meet up but as this is the first week of class, we have both been busy. It's nice though because she attends UW now too. Protest was nice to be a part of, but I had to leave early because of class.

Tomorrow is Friday, I only have one hour of class. I am meeting Ai, my conversation partner, in the morning, and then after class I will be free at last! I am finally going to go raving! I can be Rolex again! I can pretend to be someone else and take drugs! I haven't gotten high in 10 days and with the political climate, I've gotten a little depressed. Ecstasy should do the trick. I am going with Gadget, I wrote about her last spring in posts about raves. She's my rave friend, but I think she is sexually attracted to me. A few weeks ago we had an awkward conversation when she asked me about the first night she took ecstasy.

"Hey, you remember the first time I took E?"
Yes
"Oh well I have a question about that, I am not sure about, I want to clear up."
Sure yeah?
"Ok well I don't really know if this happened but... did we make out? I have memories of it happening but I am not sure."
....No girl I don't think so.
"Really? Okay I believe you, it was my first time on E so I don't really remember."

I believe I posted about my fear that she might be a little to attached to me earlier in here somewhere, so it was quite awkward when she brought this to my attention. Anyway, she's a sweet girl and I am happy to get to see her.