Surface Memories

Last week, after the last day of my last internship in college, I took out my Monroe. For those who do not know, a Monroe is a lip piercing that sits under and off to the side of the nose, kind of like beauty mark. After I took it out, I sat there for about a minute, felt like I was losing a part of me that I was not yet ready to let go of, cried a few tears, and promptly put it back in. Now, I’m either going to have to wait until the end of the summer, or just take it out long enough to do my substituting, then put it back in afterwards.

What does my facial piercing have to do with traveling?

I got it in Ireland.

In case you haven’t already noticed, I love memories. I love to talk about them. I love to recount funny stories about traveling or even everyday life. But most of all, I love the memories that I carry with me on my skin, on my body for people to see, and usually ask questions about. I love to tell the stories about them. It’s a win-win situation.

I have four tattoos (little ones) and one facial piercing. I used to have a different facial piercing, but that one ripped out and the story behind it isn’t that special, other than the fact that I got it on my 18th birthday because I had wanted one forever. (It was an eyebrow piercing and I thought they were “OMG SO COOL” the first time I saw one when I was still at an age in the single digits.)

Each time I change my body in some way, I do it with significance. Each tattoo has a special meaning to me. I can tell you what month and year and with whom I got the tattoo, and what the story behind it is. The same with my Monroe.

My Monroe. I love it so much. I have gotten so many compliments on it, and I have even had people, who tell me that they don’t like facial piercings at all, say that mine is the exception because it just fits. I look in the mirror and to me, it is so true. I take out my piercing and my face is just not the same at all. It is why I am hesitant to let go of it.

I got it with Niall in a little shop in Galway. April of 2010. I wanted a souvenir of Ireland that would always be with me. I went to Ireland thinking that I would get some sort of tattoo there that would symbolize my time: my family crest, a Celtic knot, a four-leaf clover, etc. I mulled it over and I just could not find something that my heart was set on, so I started to think that I wouldn’t get anything at all. Then I realized just how many people in Ireland have facial piercings and ta-da bright idea formed! Niall showed me a good place and viola, new piece of facial jewelry.

The only travel-related tattoo that I have is of my own design. I went to Tanzania from May through July of 2009. I definitely wanted something on my body to commemorate that. I definitely wanted it to say “Umoja ni nguvu” (unity is power). I definitely wanted to incorporate an AIDS ribbon. So I designed a bunch of different drawings, some with the outline of Africa, some without, some with the words on the ribbon, some with the words circling the ribbon, some with the words cresting over the ribbon. I experimented with sizes, with shading, with incorporating a whole planet, with no countries. After months and months, I finally decided on the design, and in January of 2010, I went with my little brother to the tattoo place that I go to by my house, and got it. It is beautiful and I love it and I love the questions it inspires.

Flesh memories. They consistently remind me of all I have done, and therefore, all that there is left for me to do. I would hate to be left with holes in their places.