So I write on the blog. Oh my gosh you guys. It is SO HOT right now. Liiike I can't go to sleep. It was really warm today, and I was lugging a huge purse around so I got real hot, but tomorrow it's seriously supposed to be like 90 degrees. Where did this come from??? I wanted it to be warm, but not that drastic of a jump! I'm going to have to find a place with air-conditioning to hang out at all the time or just get used to be in a constant state of sweating. It almost makes me want to cut my hair! But it's gotten so long and at least until I get back to the US, I want to keep it that way. We'll see. I don't look good w/ short hair anyways. It just gets hot.
I absolutely have to mention the play I went to see tonight, called Medea. IT WAS THE MOST BALLER THING I'VE EVER SEEN. It was modern, messed up, great cast, in spanish, great set and use of "props" (water!), i had a seat in the second row!, and it was just nuts. The main character was a woman who just freakin went crazy in her life, and it was so messed up but wonderful at the same time! haha I have to read it to go back and catch everything... oops. I got the plot, just not all the social commentary.
Oh! also epic. I may have made another kiosk friend! haha okay. so he works the kiosk on the street perpendicular to mine that I always go down to get the the larger street, Santa Fe which connects me everywhere. SO. I pass him like every day when I'm either on my way home at night or leaving, etc. [He works the night shift... it's not that hard to figure out. It's not like a keep a neighborhood watch of his hours haha]
And so this is bad but a couple times when I've wanted chocolate and I don't have any at home of course, I would go to the kiosk [basically a vending machine... gosh this makes me sound compulsive !!] and buy one. from this guy. So he knows who I am, and every time I pass he always greets me. The equivalent of, hey, how's it going? And I always just say good and keep walking. So tonight on my way back from the play, it was crazy hot and as I hadn't been to my kiosk in awhile, I decided to get a water. And he normally has this crazy curly huge fro going on, which is a bit much, but i swear you guys he straightened it tonight, and he SOOO looked like Michael Jackson HAHAHA. like he should never do that again. but regardless. [this story is so pointless, sorry]
where i'm going with this is that he asked me my name!!! HAHA and his name is gabriel. how precious. such a latino name, esp. with the accent on the "e." anyways. it's just, how many kiosk workers really ask people their names.... isn't it normally like, yes, sir, that gum will be 50 cents. so I think this is a sign that we are friends. the true test is whether he remembers or not. If next time I see him, he says "Hey, Emily," it's going to be official haha. I want him to be my little buddy, but gosh that probably won't happen. But at least it's nice to say hi when I pass. I'm totally satisfied w/ the friends i have, but I've realized it's really really fun to make new ones too. so gabriel. always gonna remember him. nice kid. He's probably like 17 and that would be upsetting haha
I really need a break. that sounds bad! but it's so true. I am just tired. I am ready for these papers to be over. I have 3 and 1 take-home written final, and 1 is sort of almost done. Deadlines just give me hernias. That's inappropriate and not true, but metaphorically yes. I am actually very very happy with the capacity of info that I have learned about the complexities of this country in such a short amount of time. I probably know more about the history of Argentina than a lot of people who live here. Okay, maybe that's not true, but it's a lot. And I love it. Because it's so messed up and complicated and brings up so many themes. Which makes it hard to condense into 15 pages of analyisis haha
Okay. I am like literally in the inferno right now. Supposedly there's a fan somewhere under my bed... Immabout to whip that out. Like, how do you not be hot... I need to find strategies. Starting with the fan.
Peace and happiness. No, something that sounds cooler... ummm... haha the ebonics translator says: peace an' happiness and shit. I'm sorry. It's a translation. NOT MINE. "ain't nothin but a g-thang" translates to: ain't nothin but uh g-thang an don't make me pull mah gat!
and with that. love. emily
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Emily, which translates to "girl who lives with cockroaches"
Also, did I mention there were cockroaches in my kitchen?? Yes. every night. they come out at night and scare the crap out of me when I go to get water. Only at night. Only in the kitchen counter/sink. SO NASTY. at least it's not spiders. then we'd really have a problem. I killed one tonight w/ the box of matches, and left it's half crushed body stuck to the side of the fridge. AS A MESSAGE TO THE OTHERS.
eww eww eww eww eww eww eww
eww eww eww eww eww eww eww
[no] me encanta.
(I started taking a picture for each blog so you can see what I look like right now and so I can be honest with you all about the state of my hair sometimes... hahaha) I hate to admit this, because I don't want to buy into it, but let's be real with ourselves, McDonald's is quite possibly the best/most useful + company/service out there. I have been to McDonalds about 100 times more frequently here than I have in the US, basically because I hardly ever go in the US. Why? Because it's disgusting. It's straight up nast. Like, I might go for an iced tea in the summa, but it is like "legit I only have $1.05 in my life right now so I'm forced to go to McD" status as far as I'm concerned. If you're gonna get a salad, let's be real: you go somewhere where they make salads. And their chicken sucks, which as we all know is my preferred meal anyways, so moral: I normally don't actually like McDonalds.
Let's just go with the stats: so far here, twice I have spent quite a cantidad of time at McD, both nights which ended up being waaaay fun. Once, I stayed there from like 12? to literally 6 in the morning. And there were SO MANY PEOPLE THERE!! It was awesome. You know why? Because it's 1)super chill 2)super cheap 3)recognizable 4)predictable (except when they're out of stuff, like nuggets...) 5)and no one is ever going to be like, excuse me, ma'am, you seem to have finished your burger. please step aside so someone else can sit there and eat theirs.
also to prove the superiority, I went tonight for a cup of coffee (because it's 5.50 pesos, compared to 8 pesos+ elsewhere and it's like 2x the size... also half the taste, but I don't care. also apparently I'm into math today...) and I took my computer to write a little informe, and big shock: they have wireless. Like perfect wireless. Which I don't even have at my house. I mean I have wireless but it cuts out and sucks much of the time. Entonces. Como me encanta McDonalds, aunque es el diablo de empresas. How I love McD, though it is the devil of businesses. Hurts so good, right?
Also, I am going to be buying my weight in jewelry soon. I stopped at a store today, I just want to take a picture. It has 3 walls lined with jewelry. I bought like 5 things. And I'm going back. I wanted to stop and touch every single thing. Which I sort of did... I am like a little girl, but oh my gosh. So much sparkle. Soooo many beads. This is a throwback to my childhood and how I loved making crafts. I love spring!!
And sidenote today was mother's day. I bought my host mom a book, because she loves to read. and I love to read. So let's read. That's about how much I care. It's just weird, because she's NOT my mom, but I do appreciate her. Hence the book.
K. I'm going to try and do, whatever it was I was supposed to do... haha basically a lot!
-"Remember, world peace!" -quote from sergio text. I don't understand either.
Emily
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
real life.
you know how everyone has a smell? when i walk into my room, i smell me. and it smells good. i hope it doesn't smell bad to other people. HAHAHAHA
i also just finished one of the hardest 24-stretches of my life. it's so true that one day you are on top of the world and the next literally you can be wiped out on your back, but it's okay. i got up. and apparently, i smell good. haha
sometimes blogs are random. just keepin' it real.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Keep it real.
6 octubre 2009
soooo. I was thinking. (figure 1: me right now, so it's like we're talking.) Today i got really embarrassed during class because i couldn’t explain an idea i had, and i hadn’t prepared it before i said it, i just started talking WHICH I NEVER DO! And it turned out that the prof. Didn’t follow. And oddly enough, unlike EVERY OTHER experience like this in my life, my impulse wasn’t to freak out and be embarrassed. I did that a few minutes later of course because i’ve taught myself to do that! But it was kina of wonderful on many levels: 1. I saw that there is a tiny place inside me that says it’s okay to mess up, don’t get bogged down by it, 2. I practiced speaking spanish in front of a group and a native, which is ALWAYS scary for me, and 3. I MESSED IT UP, WHICH IS GREAT. I’ve decided i have to do this more often. I absolutely HAVE to mess up more. This is why i really don’t like to talk in class at all, which has been difficult in honor scholar classes where the nature of it is to discuss and not have everything figured out beforehand. So i really hope this is a step in the right direction: being wrong and being okay with it. I am so absolutely terrified of ever saying any remotely insignificant thing wrong because i immediately get uuuuber embarrassed and want to go crawl in a hole and cry. But i have to TRY more. And that’s much more important. I can’t spend my whole life crying because i said “la día” instead of “el día”, which is day 1 spanish but i STILL do that. I think that it’s okay to be wrong, just as long as you know you are wrong! Haha and understand how to fix it. I’m not suggesting it’s good that i’m making errors, but that it IS good for me to make them and recognize them as such. THE ONLY WAY TO LEARN, FRIENDS. I’m so used to getting 20/20 on all my assignments from elementary and middle school (and to some extent high school… before the academy, let’s be real) that i still haven’t gotten over the whole “missing one point=death.” Because really, i’m no where near being a 19/20 on speaking spanish, so let’s be honest with ourselves: we need to set more realistic goals here.
So here’s the goal: if i’m not embarrassed at least 3 times a day, i’m not trying hard enough. Think about that for whatever you’re trying to make happen but just isn’t going right, because that’s exactly where you need to be! If it’s not really complicated, why do it???
Also, goal 2: if i could go 1 day without random men making comments about me on the street, that would be a good day. But maybe i should just stick to realistic goals… or this could fall under the being embarrassed category!! such is south america i guess.
Keep it real.
Emily
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Quick thought.
I feel like I might have turned into a bit of a yuppie because I really like taking cabs now. It cuts out the thinking process, trying to find a bus stop, waiting for the bus, having change for the bus, and the subway doesn't run after 1030 at night, but let's be honest: I take cabs during the day. I also do this because I have this deeply ingrained fear of being late, most likely with origins in middle school where it was sacrilege to step in the door after THE BELL rang. Middle school is pretty much the root of all my problems! haha but I don't like to be late.
soooo here's the thing about taking cabs: it's not that expensive here, and you ALWAYS meet someone interesting. okay, not like "meet" and exchange numbers (WEIRD) but talking to a person for 5, 10, 15 minutes and only that gives you a remarkably large perspective into their life. It's catching them at the most banal moments, during their job. So lots of them like to talk to you. One guy (on my way to see King Lear, which was amazing!) told me he had been married to a lady from the US, but she left and went back. His point was that he likes Americans. EXIT TAXI. I had a really great conversation with another guy (on my way to class... that's really lame, but I was late!) who told me about his son who was my age and going to the same university as me, etc. Stuff always comes up about how we like Buenos Aires, and sometimes they are enthusiastic and sometimes they think it's such a fast pace of life. (after I tell them I'm from the country haha) Which I can understand, because they are constantly encountered with people in a hurry, but really, they never are going anywhere! Just being dictated by other people.
But before I recount every taxi driver I've had (which would be embarrassing because it's a lot haha), I have to cronicle this man from today. I was on my way to get my visa (for being a temporary resident here instead of just a tourist=baller), and this man was just a kick. He asked me what I was studying, and I told him castellano (what they call spanish...) and history and his response was "mentiras." lies. and I was like, no, that is actually what I am studying... and he went on to say, no, history is nothing but lies. And I didn't really know what to say, because I am assuming he doesn't think WWII never happened... so in my horrible spanish I said something like, well, it's always a construction of the truth, but ultimately something did happen a certain way. And he went on to tell me that 80% of what children learn in school is lies. I'm assuming he meant concerning history, because otherwise we'd be really confused about our lives.
And I don't really have a conclusion here, but if "history is just one thing after another" (thank you history boys-movie) it's very difinitive in it's own right. We just mess it up.
Well. more on this later. Then cabby asked me about Obama. Oh gosh. I told him that I think he was the best candidate for the job and I don't support him blindly, but with everything there is to deal with at the moment I can't say he's doing a poor job. Cabby approved. Then he said something about Bush, and we arrived at destination.
So maybe taking cabs isn't such a bad thing. I might have to keep experimenting...
soooo here's the thing about taking cabs: it's not that expensive here, and you ALWAYS meet someone interesting. okay, not like "meet" and exchange numbers (WEIRD) but talking to a person for 5, 10, 15 minutes and only that gives you a remarkably large perspective into their life. It's catching them at the most banal moments, during their job. So lots of them like to talk to you. One guy (on my way to see King Lear, which was amazing!) told me he had been married to a lady from the US, but she left and went back. His point was that he likes Americans. EXIT TAXI. I had a really great conversation with another guy (on my way to class... that's really lame, but I was late!) who told me about his son who was my age and going to the same university as me, etc. Stuff always comes up about how we like Buenos Aires, and sometimes they are enthusiastic and sometimes they think it's such a fast pace of life. (after I tell them I'm from the country haha) Which I can understand, because they are constantly encountered with people in a hurry, but really, they never are going anywhere! Just being dictated by other people.
But before I recount every taxi driver I've had (which would be embarrassing because it's a lot haha), I have to cronicle this man from today. I was on my way to get my visa (for being a temporary resident here instead of just a tourist=baller), and this man was just a kick. He asked me what I was studying, and I told him castellano (what they call spanish...) and history and his response was "mentiras." lies. and I was like, no, that is actually what I am studying... and he went on to say, no, history is nothing but lies. And I didn't really know what to say, because I am assuming he doesn't think WWII never happened... so in my horrible spanish I said something like, well, it's always a construction of the truth, but ultimately something did happen a certain way. And he went on to tell me that 80% of what children learn in school is lies. I'm assuming he meant concerning history, because otherwise we'd be really confused about our lives.
And I don't really have a conclusion here, but if "history is just one thing after another" (thank you history boys-movie) it's very difinitive in it's own right. We just mess it up.
Well. more on this later. Then cabby asked me about Obama. Oh gosh. I told him that I think he was the best candidate for the job and I don't support him blindly, but with everything there is to deal with at the moment I can't say he's doing a poor job. Cabby approved. Then he said something about Bush, and we arrived at destination.
So maybe taking cabs isn't such a bad thing. I might have to keep experimenting...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
dang it.
This is going to be short, but I have to document this day because I finally broke down and joined a gym... and I went tonight, and oh my gosh. there were like 30 men who all knew each other and were chatting with the trainer, and it was like I walked in the navy seal training center hahaha. the machines are old and extremely no frills. this is the basic, you do 5,000 push-ups every morning and eat egg whites kind of deal. maybe not, but it felt like it!! there were 2 little tvs with soccer on, and the machines are in kilograms so i have to figure out weights... oops. good news is they offer classes, so i can go to those, but i'm kind of scared of that too because it's not like i will magically get into shape just because i'm being instructed haha. sooooo. i paid for it so i have to go, right?
also, iguazu was so baller. i should go into more detail on that, but i have a paper to write haha on the way back in the bus we got stopped 3 times by patrol people and once a dog sniffed for drugs. that was kind of different. the dog looked like midnight! haha and was really uninterested in looking for drugs. kind of a slow mover... has nothing to do with the falls haha. also, i saw tat yesterday! and we were supposed to hang out today after my class, but he never called=bad move. and that is really not relevant to the blog, it's just in general i don't understand why guys do that/why it is such a hard concept to grasp. it's like not a big deal apparently, but it's really annoying. if you're a man, take note!! and if you're a girl, please back me up on this haha okay not all the time i'm not a hater, but let's be real. more than necessary. communication, caballeros.
it's starting to get warm thank goodness. i hope this lifts my spirits! i love warm weather. so pleasant. okay. peace.
emily
also, iguazu was so baller. i should go into more detail on that, but i have a paper to write haha on the way back in the bus we got stopped 3 times by patrol people and once a dog sniffed for drugs. that was kind of different. the dog looked like midnight! haha and was really uninterested in looking for drugs. kind of a slow mover... has nothing to do with the falls haha. also, i saw tat yesterday! and we were supposed to hang out today after my class, but he never called=bad move. and that is really not relevant to the blog, it's just in general i don't understand why guys do that/why it is such a hard concept to grasp. it's like not a big deal apparently, but it's really annoying. if you're a man, take note!! and if you're a girl, please back me up on this haha okay not all the time i'm not a hater, but let's be real. more than necessary. communication, caballeros.
it's starting to get warm thank goodness. i hope this lifts my spirits! i love warm weather. so pleasant. okay. peace.
emily
Monday, September 7, 2009
...wait, what?
this is really not pensive, but i just have to include here that i saw a mom helping her maybe 3-year old son pee on the sidewalk today. like it was off to the side... but i really just can't get over that HAHAHA like really??? you are probably less than 100 feet from at least 3 bathrooms! like, we do that in the country, but really?? that poor child. he's gonna go to school and pee in the middle of class and be like, what? hahaha it's like ridiculously hilarious as well as extremely odd... and i can't get over it!
on a less disturbing note, this weekend i am going out of town to iguazu falls, which i really have no idea what it's going to be like except there are going to be a lot of beautiful waterfalls haha. we're leaving thursday night, taking an 18-hour bus ride (really. that's nuts!) and will arrive on thursday. i am going with 2 guys and 3 other girls, the "americans" if you will, and we hang out all the time so i'm really glad we're all going together. it will be tons of fun. i'll try to actually take pictures, something i have neglected doing so far... but yeah. then we'll get back on sunday i think and hopefully more relaxed and maybe even a little tanner : )
also, i saw tat today. haha very briefly because mondays are crazy for me, but yeah. what do i say. he's still sweet : ) he's going 5 hours outside of the city tomorrow to see his fútbol team play... psycho. these people don't mess around.
also! i got to go through some flyers/posters for events put on by the madres (or other human rights organizations around the world) at my pasantía (internship) and it was really impressive. if you like history the place i work is the proverbial pot of gold, so i'm really enjoying it.
chau, amores!!
emily
on a less disturbing note, this weekend i am going out of town to iguazu falls, which i really have no idea what it's going to be like except there are going to be a lot of beautiful waterfalls haha. we're leaving thursday night, taking an 18-hour bus ride (really. that's nuts!) and will arrive on thursday. i am going with 2 guys and 3 other girls, the "americans" if you will, and we hang out all the time so i'm really glad we're all going together. it will be tons of fun. i'll try to actually take pictures, something i have neglected doing so far... but yeah. then we'll get back on sunday i think and hopefully more relaxed and maybe even a little tanner : )
also, i saw tat today. haha very briefly because mondays are crazy for me, but yeah. what do i say. he's still sweet : ) he's going 5 hours outside of the city tomorrow to see his fútbol team play... psycho. these people don't mess around.
also! i got to go through some flyers/posters for events put on by the madres (or other human rights organizations around the world) at my pasantía (internship) and it was really impressive. if you like history the place i work is the proverbial pot of gold, so i'm really enjoying it.
chau, amores!!
emily
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Okay, so. I'm having a thought. A mix of my experiences/things i am reading have spurred this, of which i will explain... I have been considering the structure of my life in the US and what I am used to; basically my vocation (calling if you will) has always been student, so therefore i go to class, study, and am evaluated on my academic performances. however class and studying time doesn't take up all my time; obviously i am used to an enormous amount of leisure time, during which i watch movies/tv, talk with friends, go to the theatre, go out to eat, etc.
so i was just thinking what my life would be like if i didn't have leisure time. i'm sure meg/alana would have more insight into this than me based on classes with mac, but what would it be like to honestly only have time for work?? to not have the money to go to a café and get coffee and medialunas (croissants). to NEVER go out to eat. make your own jelly. not have a microwave. not have a coffee machine. all these things seem so basic and obvious. in college, EVERYONE has a digital camera. EVERYONE has a laptop. why wouldn't we have all these other things??
sorry if i'm not explaining myself, this obviously isn't super organized, but it's something to consider. for example, i am reading a book called "boquitas pintadas" for my program spanish class, and i really hate the format but it has some good stuff in it haha the author goes through each main character and describes what they do on the same day, and it's really interesting. an upper-class female character wakes up leisurely, has coffee and toast with butter, doesn't work, and goes to the theatre with her mom that night. another male character is woken up by his mother (laaame) and is served breakfast in bed while complaining the food isn't warm enough the whole time, and he doesn't work either. another male character doesn't even have an alarm but wakes up really early because he works construction, and he can't even find any bread in his house so he goes without breakfast. and there's more, but just comparing the structure of their lives, down to what they eat, what time they get up, whether or not they work, it really affected me thinking about what my own "normal" was.
aaaand, of course to parallel this, i actually could apply it to tat! haha i get really frustrated because he ALWAYS tells me he has to work and i feel like he can never hang out. i started to worry that he was brushing me off, because if a guy keeps saying, oh i can't meet today oh i can't meet today you start to think oh my gosh he might not want to see me. but on tuesday i think it was he of course said he had to work, but this time he invited me to come have dinner at his restaurant so we could still see each other. so i went and he served me, which was precious of course. and watching him work, i realized, oh my gosh, this guy works really hard. he was running around trying to make sure everyone was happy, trying to talk to me when he could, and i don't know. it just hit me that, wow, he really does just work a lot. i just have so much free time i don't know what it's like to have his life.
i always feel bad when i have to tell people i can't do stuff because i feel like i have to do homework or whatever, but this poor guy has no choice! it's just really made me think, i should be committing myself to MY work with the same dedication. of course i'm still going to see movies/go to shows/restaurants because i love it and i have the ability to do so, but i almost wish i wasn't so spoiled because then working more would be natural.
back to reading! this has been a long break...
emily
so i was just thinking what my life would be like if i didn't have leisure time. i'm sure meg/alana would have more insight into this than me based on classes with mac, but what would it be like to honestly only have time for work?? to not have the money to go to a café and get coffee and medialunas (croissants). to NEVER go out to eat. make your own jelly. not have a microwave. not have a coffee machine. all these things seem so basic and obvious. in college, EVERYONE has a digital camera. EVERYONE has a laptop. why wouldn't we have all these other things??
sorry if i'm not explaining myself, this obviously isn't super organized, but it's something to consider. for example, i am reading a book called "boquitas pintadas" for my program spanish class, and i really hate the format but it has some good stuff in it haha the author goes through each main character and describes what they do on the same day, and it's really interesting. an upper-class female character wakes up leisurely, has coffee and toast with butter, doesn't work, and goes to the theatre with her mom that night. another male character is woken up by his mother (laaame) and is served breakfast in bed while complaining the food isn't warm enough the whole time, and he doesn't work either. another male character doesn't even have an alarm but wakes up really early because he works construction, and he can't even find any bread in his house so he goes without breakfast. and there's more, but just comparing the structure of their lives, down to what they eat, what time they get up, whether or not they work, it really affected me thinking about what my own "normal" was.
aaaand, of course to parallel this, i actually could apply it to tat! haha i get really frustrated because he ALWAYS tells me he has to work and i feel like he can never hang out. i started to worry that he was brushing me off, because if a guy keeps saying, oh i can't meet today oh i can't meet today you start to think oh my gosh he might not want to see me. but on tuesday i think it was he of course said he had to work, but this time he invited me to come have dinner at his restaurant so we could still see each other. so i went and he served me, which was precious of course. and watching him work, i realized, oh my gosh, this guy works really hard. he was running around trying to make sure everyone was happy, trying to talk to me when he could, and i don't know. it just hit me that, wow, he really does just work a lot. i just have so much free time i don't know what it's like to have his life.
i always feel bad when i have to tell people i can't do stuff because i feel like i have to do homework or whatever, but this poor guy has no choice! it's just really made me think, i should be committing myself to MY work with the same dedication. of course i'm still going to see movies/go to shows/restaurants because i love it and i have the ability to do so, but i almost wish i wasn't so spoiled because then working more would be natural.
back to reading! this has been a long break...
emily
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The tale of tat and other adventures
Classes STILL haven’t really got going yet, so this was pretty much my last week to relax all I want before I have to study hard. Last night I went out with some people from the program and I met a girl from London!! Studying abroad here. She is in a class with my friend angelica, and she is so sweet. I also met angelica’s host sister, who is 34 and lives at home, and we spoke Spanish together. She was kind of indie and plays the drums apparently haha. I love meeting new people, and just going to a restaurant, sitting outside with a group and talking for hours. It’s such a fun way to pass the time. We should do that more often in the US.
My human rights class met this week, and we met the teacher’s aid, manuel who is working on his doctorate here. It’s so weird because at depauw we don’t have any grad students, but this upcoming week the professor isn’t even going to come to class, manuel is going to teach. He seems cool. Once again, love meeting new people. I’m so weird haha
ALSO, this week I got SICK. Well, not really, I just got a bad dolor de garganta, pain of the throat thing. So I had to go to the HOSPITAL to see a doctor! I was so scared to go. Walking into a hospital in a foreign country, not knowing where to go. And of course I went by myself… great idea. But, it all turned out alright. It was the hospital aleman, and just like the Germans (as my host mother told me) it was extremely clean, precise, organized, and austere haha. I talked to the doctor in Spanish (kind of bad but oh well) and he gave me an antibiotic and a scrip for ibuprofen. So, all in all an good experience in trying something new in the language.
But let’s be real, this week gets a lot more interesting than a hospital visit. However like any good “news” report, the title tempts the real story, and after boringness we have it. TAT. Okay. So last Saturday me, angelica, michelle, casey and scott went to a restaurant where there was supposed to be a live tango show during dinner, so we were like score this will be fun. So part of the way through our meal, our waiter changed from a lady to a man who spoke English to us, so we all assumed it was because the restaurant people were trying to cater to our needs. But this guy keeps making comments, and near the end of our meal he was like, so where are you all going tonight? And we didn’t know, so he comes back with a list of places that he thinks are good, and he hands it to me haha and of course, it has his phone number on it, and he’s like, if you ever want to go, just call me. And he also says I have beautiful eyes. The standby. Oh! And we dub this guy “tat” cleverly because his arms are covered in them. Tat.
So when we go to leave, tat is standing at the door holding it open, and I’m the last one to leave and tat is like, oh you have to get used to the argentine ways and does the side kiss thing they do here. It’s not actually a kiss, like a greeting or goodbye. Sooooo when we left, everyone I was with was like find out if we’re hanging out with this guy. So I texted him, and as it turns out ol’ boy had been working hard all day and offered to take me to lunch the next day!! How precious. Like really. Precious.
So like a nice guy, he actually followed through and took me to lunch on Sunday. And he paid for it all. And I met one of his friends who stopped by, se llama (named) diego, who works in a classy restaurant in Puerto madero, a really nice area of Buenos aires. And it was good. And tat is extremely nice. His parents live in Virginia by DC, and he is Mexican-chilean-american so his English is really good. So after lunch we walked around San Telmo, which has an outside fair on Sundays every week.
So then on Wednesday, he took me to my first futbol/soccer game here! And once again, he paid for it. It was river plate against lanus, and tat is a diehard river plate fan. That was such an experience… it took forever to get in, and we had to switch lines multiple times because the police were being jerks and singling people out. Like I think they saw that me and my friend angelica were foreign and literally pulled us out of the line because of that, even though we were really close to the front. Jerks. But, so we eventually got in, and these people are freaking nuts. It’s so much more intense than anything I’ve seen in the US. They have songs for their teams, and no joke they did not stop singing THE ENTIRE GAME. There were about 3 people in the amount of space one person should be! And people were leaning on me, using my shoulder to hoist themselves up past me, it was ridiculous. Also, 90% of the crowd were males and 10% were women and children haha. Why you would ever take a child there I have no idea! It probably makes people move out of your way easier I guess. But we went with him and two of his friends from work who didn’t speak English, so we spoke some to them. And sadly, river plate lost. Only 3 goals the entire game! Soccer is so different. 1 us, 2 them haha and everyone in the crowd was wearing a jersey or jacket or hat or something from their team. It’s diehard. I’m really glad I didn’t try to go with just Americans, because we would have gotten eaten because we don’t know what we’re doing haha
So yesterday I also hung out with tat haha he had to go to work though so we just walked around a little before he had to go. He’s an extremely nice person, smart, intuitive, treats me like a princess, and proof that nice guys do exist haha. Some of the guys in Argentina make me wonder… but yeah. How lucky am I? I have made great friends in the program, have tried so many new things, and am hanging out with a really nice guy. Oh, and his name is Sergio haha not tat.
Off to shower and then dinner with the Americans. Maybe I’ll meet another waiter HAHA just kidding. Tat, I didn’t mean it : )
Shout out to alana for reading this!! Haha love you guys
Emily
My human rights class met this week, and we met the teacher’s aid, manuel who is working on his doctorate here. It’s so weird because at depauw we don’t have any grad students, but this upcoming week the professor isn’t even going to come to class, manuel is going to teach. He seems cool. Once again, love meeting new people. I’m so weird haha
ALSO, this week I got SICK. Well, not really, I just got a bad dolor de garganta, pain of the throat thing. So I had to go to the HOSPITAL to see a doctor! I was so scared to go. Walking into a hospital in a foreign country, not knowing where to go. And of course I went by myself… great idea. But, it all turned out alright. It was the hospital aleman, and just like the Germans (as my host mother told me) it was extremely clean, precise, organized, and austere haha. I talked to the doctor in Spanish (kind of bad but oh well) and he gave me an antibiotic and a scrip for ibuprofen. So, all in all an good experience in trying something new in the language.
But let’s be real, this week gets a lot more interesting than a hospital visit. However like any good “news” report, the title tempts the real story, and after boringness we have it. TAT. Okay. So last Saturday me, angelica, michelle, casey and scott went to a restaurant where there was supposed to be a live tango show during dinner, so we were like score this will be fun. So part of the way through our meal, our waiter changed from a lady to a man who spoke English to us, so we all assumed it was because the restaurant people were trying to cater to our needs. But this guy keeps making comments, and near the end of our meal he was like, so where are you all going tonight? And we didn’t know, so he comes back with a list of places that he thinks are good, and he hands it to me haha and of course, it has his phone number on it, and he’s like, if you ever want to go, just call me. And he also says I have beautiful eyes. The standby. Oh! And we dub this guy “tat” cleverly because his arms are covered in them. Tat.
So when we go to leave, tat is standing at the door holding it open, and I’m the last one to leave and tat is like, oh you have to get used to the argentine ways and does the side kiss thing they do here. It’s not actually a kiss, like a greeting or goodbye. Sooooo when we left, everyone I was with was like find out if we’re hanging out with this guy. So I texted him, and as it turns out ol’ boy had been working hard all day and offered to take me to lunch the next day!! How precious. Like really. Precious.
So like a nice guy, he actually followed through and took me to lunch on Sunday. And he paid for it all. And I met one of his friends who stopped by, se llama (named) diego, who works in a classy restaurant in Puerto madero, a really nice area of Buenos aires. And it was good. And tat is extremely nice. His parents live in Virginia by DC, and he is Mexican-chilean-american so his English is really good. So after lunch we walked around San Telmo, which has an outside fair on Sundays every week.
So then on Wednesday, he took me to my first futbol/soccer game here! And once again, he paid for it. It was river plate against lanus, and tat is a diehard river plate fan. That was such an experience… it took forever to get in, and we had to switch lines multiple times because the police were being jerks and singling people out. Like I think they saw that me and my friend angelica were foreign and literally pulled us out of the line because of that, even though we were really close to the front. Jerks. But, so we eventually got in, and these people are freaking nuts. It’s so much more intense than anything I’ve seen in the US. They have songs for their teams, and no joke they did not stop singing THE ENTIRE GAME. There were about 3 people in the amount of space one person should be! And people were leaning on me, using my shoulder to hoist themselves up past me, it was ridiculous. Also, 90% of the crowd were males and 10% were women and children haha. Why you would ever take a child there I have no idea! It probably makes people move out of your way easier I guess. But we went with him and two of his friends from work who didn’t speak English, so we spoke some to them. And sadly, river plate lost. Only 3 goals the entire game! Soccer is so different. 1 us, 2 them haha and everyone in the crowd was wearing a jersey or jacket or hat or something from their team. It’s diehard. I’m really glad I didn’t try to go with just Americans, because we would have gotten eaten because we don’t know what we’re doing haha
So yesterday I also hung out with tat haha he had to go to work though so we just walked around a little before he had to go. He’s an extremely nice person, smart, intuitive, treats me like a princess, and proof that nice guys do exist haha. Some of the guys in Argentina make me wonder… but yeah. How lucky am I? I have made great friends in the program, have tried so many new things, and am hanging out with a really nice guy. Oh, and his name is Sergio haha not tat.
Off to shower and then dinner with the Americans. Maybe I’ll meet another waiter HAHA just kidding. Tat, I didn’t mean it : )
Shout out to alana for reading this!! Haha love you guys
Emily
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
what a beautiful day!!
oh my gosh. i feel so lucky for a really dorky reason, and i love it!!
so today, right, this morning a lady from our program had invited us in the human rights concentration to listen to a tribunal for crimes committed during the military dictatorship here during the 70s. basically what happened is the long-standing stable president (peron) died in 1974 and in the absence of a solid government, the military took over, instituting a "national reorganization process" where they basically sought to eliminate students, activists, and their families in order to wipe out resistance. it has many but not all characteristics of genocide, and many human rights violations were carried out by the police/government.
ANYWAYS. so i went to a trial today and got to listen to people's testimonies against a man who went to their houses and took their relatives away, many of who died in camps. so this man is just sitting in the courtroom! and 8 people testified. one of them was present when a cousin was taken, one had her sister taken, etc. but the most impressionable were two that both had their parents taken, and they were about 6 or 7 years old at the time. imagine! 10 policemen coming to your home and taking your parents away, when you are 6.
when the man was talking, he said he had lived on arenales 1300, and i almost died, because i live at arenales 1242. that makes it so real. literally where i am living--in the not so distant past--police were forcing their way into people's apartments just like mine and taking their children/parents/cousins/sisters/brothers, never to be seen again.
some of them cried, and especially for those that were young, when they got to a certain point of telling their story, it's like they felt the emotion of the moment when it hit them that they would never see their family again, and today i saw them experience it again. it was just unreal. i've studied this so much at depauw, about victims and trials and the complications with prosecuting the perpetrators, and here, 30+ years later, it's happening, and i got to see it. what a historic moment, you know? this is huge. it's as if i were in the same room with a SS officer, listening to his victims' family members talk about what he did. and in many ways what happened here was actually modeled after the holocaust in germany; from what i've read, the military in many ways modeled itself after hitlers.
so. i got to see how memory is constructed. and that acts of genocide or "politicide" create suffering that has no closure, and that should not be memory's goal. and to think, i could have passed any of these people on the street. there's of course many more, i only heard from 8. more lessons: everyone is dealing with something. i would probably never have known, just talking to these people casually, what their experiences were or how they have survived them. so think about that next time you meet/talk to, well, anyone. you probably can't imagine what kind of suffering has passed through their heart and remains with them. it's always amazing to me how people can still have such beautiful lives after experiencing pain. i think it just strengthens your spirit, so you have more to give, and these people gave me something today. so. it was a beautiful day.
-em
so today, right, this morning a lady from our program had invited us in the human rights concentration to listen to a tribunal for crimes committed during the military dictatorship here during the 70s. basically what happened is the long-standing stable president (peron) died in 1974 and in the absence of a solid government, the military took over, instituting a "national reorganization process" where they basically sought to eliminate students, activists, and their families in order to wipe out resistance. it has many but not all characteristics of genocide, and many human rights violations were carried out by the police/government.
ANYWAYS. so i went to a trial today and got to listen to people's testimonies against a man who went to their houses and took their relatives away, many of who died in camps. so this man is just sitting in the courtroom! and 8 people testified. one of them was present when a cousin was taken, one had her sister taken, etc. but the most impressionable were two that both had their parents taken, and they were about 6 or 7 years old at the time. imagine! 10 policemen coming to your home and taking your parents away, when you are 6.
when the man was talking, he said he had lived on arenales 1300, and i almost died, because i live at arenales 1242. that makes it so real. literally where i am living--in the not so distant past--police were forcing their way into people's apartments just like mine and taking their children/parents/cousins/sisters/brothers, never to be seen again.
some of them cried, and especially for those that were young, when they got to a certain point of telling their story, it's like they felt the emotion of the moment when it hit them that they would never see their family again, and today i saw them experience it again. it was just unreal. i've studied this so much at depauw, about victims and trials and the complications with prosecuting the perpetrators, and here, 30+ years later, it's happening, and i got to see it. what a historic moment, you know? this is huge. it's as if i were in the same room with a SS officer, listening to his victims' family members talk about what he did. and in many ways what happened here was actually modeled after the holocaust in germany; from what i've read, the military in many ways modeled itself after hitlers.
so. i got to see how memory is constructed. and that acts of genocide or "politicide" create suffering that has no closure, and that should not be memory's goal. and to think, i could have passed any of these people on the street. there's of course many more, i only heard from 8. more lessons: everyone is dealing with something. i would probably never have known, just talking to these people casually, what their experiences were or how they have survived them. so think about that next time you meet/talk to, well, anyone. you probably can't imagine what kind of suffering has passed through their heart and remains with them. it's always amazing to me how people can still have such beautiful lives after experiencing pain. i think it just strengthens your spirit, so you have more to give, and these people gave me something today. so. it was a beautiful day.
-em
Monday, August 10, 2009
three weeks out!
it's been awhile since i've written, and i have so much to say! i have gone to a lot of new places this week... i saw el fantasma de la opera on corrientes two weekends ago, which was awesome. i went with three other girls from the program and we bought cheap tickets, but when we got there we were able to bribe the usher into moving us up closer! haha love south america. apparently that's custom... i'm glad i have it practically memorized because it was in spanish and the translations aren't exact, so sometimes it's hard to catch, esp. if someone's singing! it was beautiful, though. pictures to come. and the masquerade scene was my favorite. ahh that show is awesome! i hope i never stop going to stuff like that. it's always so much fun.
aaaand yesterday i went to san telmo, which is a HUGE outdoor fair thing where an entire street (defensa) is lined with people selling crafts and stuff like that. weird, but i saw some guys from wabash there... depauw's rival school. that was so twilight zone! haha i saw some of the same people i saw in january, selling in the same spots! the nice man who sold me the beautiful glass art clock (? how to describe it...) was there, and we talked with him and his wife. the two girls i was with both bought one, so now we all have one from this same guy. that's cool for him to have such an influence, his art is being displayed all over the world!
okay, this was a long weekend so i have so much to tell... friday night (i think haha) i went with a girl named kari to a bar that was pretty cool. we didn't go until like 1 or later and after a while there was a drag queen, which was the funniest thing ever because she was talking in spanish! hahaha it was at least 10 times funnier, seriously. then we danced, but the music here is not like in the US, it's more like, how do you say, mariachi band. i miss my chris brown/sigma chi mix haha. when they choose to play american music, they always pick stuff that we actually don't listen to which is hilarious. oh! and everywhere is playing michael jackson. EVERYWHERE. haha last night i went to a jazz bar with a girl named angelica, and they were playing michael... yeah. but last night we met some paraguayans and they live really close to me, so hopefully we can hang out sometime. two of the three spoke really good english, so it wasn't hard to understand them, obvi.
so, now for saturday... saga. i went shopping with kari for boots, because they are everywhere and she wanted some, so literally the first store we go to the shoe salesman is like, hey, you guys want to hang out with me and my friends tonight? so being the americans wanting to meet argentines, we were like yes, actually. saga. so we MEET at 145, take a cab to this club, and there are a ton of people in line but it's not moving. so we meet his friends who for the most part don't know any english at all=fun, but after waiting for like an hour for this line to move, we decided to go somewhere else. (we did get to talk to other people in line though... i love argentines! haha they are so nice. people are happy and friendly here, which is cool) so we go this somewhere else, and it's packed. like sick packed. and all the guys there are extreme creepers. the music was better, but oh my gosh. creepers. so long story short, on my way home in my cab, i heard a beeping sound and didn't know where it was coming from, and i realized it was my watch. to wake me up. haha yeah, it was like 730. i went home and ate breakfast haha
at some point i need to write more thoughtful things than just what i did... yesterday i talked to my host mom for awhile during dinner, and i need to remember what she said because it's really insightful about what argentines think about their government. it's really sad, actually, because she said that in their government, for her it's a problem of morality: like they are just out to improve their lives and their own gain, and they have little respect or insight into how to improve the country. and from what i've studied about lots of recently developed nation-states in africa, that same corruption exists. i don't understand, how could a person with a strong national identity be proud of who they are if they are screwing their people? and it could be much worse, but what the people see is their politicians vacationing in other countries (why are they leaving?) in huge houses (unnecessary luxury considering the economy) and neglecting the issues. it's like they're too proud to admit they have a problem... estela (host mom) said christina kirchner (female president of argentina) said to obama that argentina doesn't need a plan b. as in they aren't in that bad of a crisis. but yet the country was practically bankrupt in 2001, and is still recovering from that setback. it's arrogance, and potentially very dangerous arrogance. the problem is the people who suffer are not the politicians, but those in the provinces, and even in buenos aires. estela had to move just before i came to a smaller apartment down the street because she could no longer afford the other one. and let's be real, this one is small. it's enough and i'm not complaining, but people are definitely feeling it here. the US is hurting, but it's amazing to see how much we effect the rest of the world. the argentine peso is 4 to 1 (USD) which makes it cheaper and in our favor, but it's really hurting them, considering it used to be 1 to 1 in 1989 i think when they dollarized the peso and made them equal.
SO. all in all, a lot of things going on. pretty much everything interests me, so i find it hard to keep to one topic! haha but really, i'm trying to learn as much as i can everyday. i'm trying to live on less: less stuff, being less needy, whatever, and i'm so proud of how many amazing places i've already been, and all over this city. when i hear about something, i go straight to investigating where it is and how to get there. that's an amazing feeling. knowing i have the ability to go anywhere and do whatever i want. very metaphoric, no? story of my life : )
okay. enough for now. had to catch up! thanks so much for keeping up with me. i've made friends here but of course i miss my friends in the US dearly : ) and my dog hahaha for some reason, everytime i leave home, i just really miss my dog (this is totally a sidenote... but it's a blog, what did you expect??) i think it's because you can tell she misses me. when i come home, she sleeps in my room and when i sit on our couch she sits by me, and she's just my buddy i guess haha so yeah holla to my girl midnight!!! HAHAHA
thanks for the
love. emily
aaaand yesterday i went to san telmo, which is a HUGE outdoor fair thing where an entire street (defensa) is lined with people selling crafts and stuff like that. weird, but i saw some guys from wabash there... depauw's rival school. that was so twilight zone! haha i saw some of the same people i saw in january, selling in the same spots! the nice man who sold me the beautiful glass art clock (? how to describe it...) was there, and we talked with him and his wife. the two girls i was with both bought one, so now we all have one from this same guy. that's cool for him to have such an influence, his art is being displayed all over the world!
okay, this was a long weekend so i have so much to tell... friday night (i think haha) i went with a girl named kari to a bar that was pretty cool. we didn't go until like 1 or later and after a while there was a drag queen, which was the funniest thing ever because she was talking in spanish! hahaha it was at least 10 times funnier, seriously. then we danced, but the music here is not like in the US, it's more like, how do you say, mariachi band. i miss my chris brown/sigma chi mix haha. when they choose to play american music, they always pick stuff that we actually don't listen to which is hilarious. oh! and everywhere is playing michael jackson. EVERYWHERE. haha last night i went to a jazz bar with a girl named angelica, and they were playing michael... yeah. but last night we met some paraguayans and they live really close to me, so hopefully we can hang out sometime. two of the three spoke really good english, so it wasn't hard to understand them, obvi.
so, now for saturday... saga. i went shopping with kari for boots, because they are everywhere and she wanted some, so literally the first store we go to the shoe salesman is like, hey, you guys want to hang out with me and my friends tonight? so being the americans wanting to meet argentines, we were like yes, actually. saga. so we MEET at 145, take a cab to this club, and there are a ton of people in line but it's not moving. so we meet his friends who for the most part don't know any english at all=fun, but after waiting for like an hour for this line to move, we decided to go somewhere else. (we did get to talk to other people in line though... i love argentines! haha they are so nice. people are happy and friendly here, which is cool) so we go this somewhere else, and it's packed. like sick packed. and all the guys there are extreme creepers. the music was better, but oh my gosh. creepers. so long story short, on my way home in my cab, i heard a beeping sound and didn't know where it was coming from, and i realized it was my watch. to wake me up. haha yeah, it was like 730. i went home and ate breakfast haha
at some point i need to write more thoughtful things than just what i did... yesterday i talked to my host mom for awhile during dinner, and i need to remember what she said because it's really insightful about what argentines think about their government. it's really sad, actually, because she said that in their government, for her it's a problem of morality: like they are just out to improve their lives and their own gain, and they have little respect or insight into how to improve the country. and from what i've studied about lots of recently developed nation-states in africa, that same corruption exists. i don't understand, how could a person with a strong national identity be proud of who they are if they are screwing their people? and it could be much worse, but what the people see is their politicians vacationing in other countries (why are they leaving?) in huge houses (unnecessary luxury considering the economy) and neglecting the issues. it's like they're too proud to admit they have a problem... estela (host mom) said christina kirchner (female president of argentina) said to obama that argentina doesn't need a plan b. as in they aren't in that bad of a crisis. but yet the country was practically bankrupt in 2001, and is still recovering from that setback. it's arrogance, and potentially very dangerous arrogance. the problem is the people who suffer are not the politicians, but those in the provinces, and even in buenos aires. estela had to move just before i came to a smaller apartment down the street because she could no longer afford the other one. and let's be real, this one is small. it's enough and i'm not complaining, but people are definitely feeling it here. the US is hurting, but it's amazing to see how much we effect the rest of the world. the argentine peso is 4 to 1 (USD) which makes it cheaper and in our favor, but it's really hurting them, considering it used to be 1 to 1 in 1989 i think when they dollarized the peso and made them equal.
SO. all in all, a lot of things going on. pretty much everything interests me, so i find it hard to keep to one topic! haha but really, i'm trying to learn as much as i can everyday. i'm trying to live on less: less stuff, being less needy, whatever, and i'm so proud of how many amazing places i've already been, and all over this city. when i hear about something, i go straight to investigating where it is and how to get there. that's an amazing feeling. knowing i have the ability to go anywhere and do whatever i want. very metaphoric, no? story of my life : )
okay. enough for now. had to catch up! thanks so much for keeping up with me. i've made friends here but of course i miss my friends in the US dearly : ) and my dog hahaha for some reason, everytime i leave home, i just really miss my dog (this is totally a sidenote... but it's a blog, what did you expect??) i think it's because you can tell she misses me. when i come home, she sleeps in my room and when i sit on our couch she sits by me, and she's just my buddy i guess haha so yeah holla to my girl midnight!!! HAHAHA
thanks for the
love. emily
Monday, July 20, 2009
Primer día en Bs.As.
20 julio 2009
ya estoy tomando notas.
He notado una cosa que puede ser una tópica o tema para un ensayo que es muy interesante, y eso es: aunque hay una crisis económica acá y las personas faltan plata, recursos, y una manera que vivir como una estrella, hay una fantasía con la mercancía y el consumo. Mira: en este barrio, el barrio norte, que recoleta también y entiendo que es uno de las áreas mas ricas de la ciudad, ya está muchísimas tiendas muy ricos, y en el otro lado hay una tienda de juguetes o cosas viejas (como en los tiendas de “24 horas”, en paquetes viejos y dusty). Todos de esos tienen signas (signs?) dicen “reducido” o “corta 20, 30, 40 porcentaje” y eso es porque en realidad, la gente no puede pagar para esas cosas. Yo tampoco! Es una fachada. Es la misma cosa con el gobierno, como le dijo Estela, mi anfitriona: nadie tiene confidencia en el gobierno de Argentina porque los políticos dicen algo y no lo hacen. Hay una sospecha porque los políticos tienen mucho dinero disponible a viajar por cualquier lugar, comprar coches elegantes y ricos, comprar casas como castillos, y decirle a otros líderes del mundo que Argentina no está en peligro. Pero si nos vemos la gente, están sufriendo y ellos “blame” la falta de un gobierno con fuerza y poder en el sentido de proveer para la gente y no por sus mismos.
ya estoy tomando notas.
He notado una cosa que puede ser una tópica o tema para un ensayo que es muy interesante, y eso es: aunque hay una crisis económica acá y las personas faltan plata, recursos, y una manera que vivir como una estrella, hay una fantasía con la mercancía y el consumo. Mira: en este barrio, el barrio norte, que recoleta también y entiendo que es uno de las áreas mas ricas de la ciudad, ya está muchísimas tiendas muy ricos, y en el otro lado hay una tienda de juguetes o cosas viejas (como en los tiendas de “24 horas”, en paquetes viejos y dusty). Todos de esos tienen signas (signs?) dicen “reducido” o “corta 20, 30, 40 porcentaje” y eso es porque en realidad, la gente no puede pagar para esas cosas. Yo tampoco! Es una fachada. Es la misma cosa con el gobierno, como le dijo Estela, mi anfitriona: nadie tiene confidencia en el gobierno de Argentina porque los políticos dicen algo y no lo hacen. Hay una sospecha porque los políticos tienen mucho dinero disponible a viajar por cualquier lugar, comprar coches elegantes y ricos, comprar casas como castillos, y decirle a otros líderes del mundo que Argentina no está en peligro. Pero si nos vemos la gente, están sufriendo y ellos “blame” la falta de un gobierno con fuerza y poder en el sentido de proveer para la gente y no por sus mismos.
Chrisssss
July 19, 2009
I am sitting in Atlanta airport waiting for my flight to Buenos Aires. On my flight here from Indy, I sat next to the nicest lady in the world. She was from North Carolina and was reading a book in German. She had gone to Europe after she graduated and she worked in Germany for 6 months. When she got there, she couldn’t work so she had to travel for 2 months before she got a job. Can you imagine? That would be an unpleasant surprise! Planning on going to work and finding out as soon as you get there that you can’t. So it could be worse.
Both of my flights are on time which means I will get to Buenos Aires at 8 tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to the stupid croissant on the plane. That’s the usual breakfast.
I have seen a lot of people who look like students that could be in my program, but I don’t know them. There are two girls waiting right now who look like they could be in it, and another girl sitting across from me, but who knows. There are lots of chances they are doing something else. But still. It’s kind of exciting thinking we might be going the same place.
Right before I left, I was so scared. I had hyped myself up for the first few moments I would be alone, but I kind of broke at the last second. I think it was because I talked to my brother Stephen on the phone, and he took me through my first flight even when we went to Spain so I wished he were with me again. But I left my parents, walked to security, and this lovely black man named chris saw that I had been crying and said something like, “hard to say goodbye?” and I said yeah because I wouldn’t be back until Christmas. So he pulled out a Kleenex box and put it on his little counter, and said he kept those for occasions like this. So I figured if I didn’t know anybody, at least I had chris. I wanted to hug that poor man! That’s probably against security guidelines, though, so I didn’t.
And thank goodness Indianapolis is so chill: it was super fast to go through security, maybe like 10 minutes. And then I was walking through the terminal by myself. I walked past the glass art, and in that tiny little transition hall to concourse A, I took my first steps of this journey.
A few peanuts and a sweet tea (ATL USD1.92) later, I am feeling pretty good. I got my lamb Ella, my traveler’s checks, and a whole lot of optimism for what lies ahead. Or beneath, considering Argentina’s location. Hehe. Scary movie, that one.
I am sitting in Atlanta airport waiting for my flight to Buenos Aires. On my flight here from Indy, I sat next to the nicest lady in the world. She was from North Carolina and was reading a book in German. She had gone to Europe after she graduated and she worked in Germany for 6 months. When she got there, she couldn’t work so she had to travel for 2 months before she got a job. Can you imagine? That would be an unpleasant surprise! Planning on going to work and finding out as soon as you get there that you can’t. So it could be worse.
Both of my flights are on time which means I will get to Buenos Aires at 8 tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to the stupid croissant on the plane. That’s the usual breakfast.
I have seen a lot of people who look like students that could be in my program, but I don’t know them. There are two girls waiting right now who look like they could be in it, and another girl sitting across from me, but who knows. There are lots of chances they are doing something else. But still. It’s kind of exciting thinking we might be going the same place.
Right before I left, I was so scared. I had hyped myself up for the first few moments I would be alone, but I kind of broke at the last second. I think it was because I talked to my brother Stephen on the phone, and he took me through my first flight even when we went to Spain so I wished he were with me again. But I left my parents, walked to security, and this lovely black man named chris saw that I had been crying and said something like, “hard to say goodbye?” and I said yeah because I wouldn’t be back until Christmas. So he pulled out a Kleenex box and put it on his little counter, and said he kept those for occasions like this. So I figured if I didn’t know anybody, at least I had chris. I wanted to hug that poor man! That’s probably against security guidelines, though, so I didn’t.
And thank goodness Indianapolis is so chill: it was super fast to go through security, maybe like 10 minutes. And then I was walking through the terminal by myself. I walked past the glass art, and in that tiny little transition hall to concourse A, I took my first steps of this journey.
A few peanuts and a sweet tea (ATL USD1.92) later, I am feeling pretty good. I got my lamb Ella, my traveler’s checks, and a whole lot of optimism for what lies ahead. Or beneath, considering Argentina’s location. Hehe. Scary movie, that one.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Day Before...
This is my first experience blogging and I hope it's not too boring, but it will give me an excuse to speak english! Today is the day before I leave, and I am pretty much ready. I feel like I should be rushing around, but instead I went to make a Build-a-Bear this morning (sooo presh! she's a lamb named Ella) and am going to just hang out for the rest of the day. I am staying with a lady named Estella in Argentina, and I hope she doesn't have 50 kids. The whole transition thing is going to be the hardest... once I'm there, it will be easy(er). I am so excited to be taking this huge change on and can't wait to see how I adapt to life in Argentina!
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