I have now spent 4 nights in my own bed. It's nice to be back in my own nice, warm bed but my house somehow became a disaster in my absence. I guess unpacking a 50 pound bag on top of the mess didn't really help things. And the fact that we are between seasons and that I need to pack away shorts/capris/short sleeves and dig out pants/long sleeves/sweaters isn't helping much either. But that is nothing compared to the great 2 weeks I just had.
Anyway, as I likely finish this blog - as my travels are now over - please refer to my blog to stay on top of my life.
Ya know, cuz I'm like Paris Hilton when it comes to exciting lives. :)
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
So Close Yet So Far Away (Thanks, Hall & Oates)
(Written in 2 parts: on Monday in airports & Thursday night at home)
I am far from home.
I am even farther from South America.
My apologies to all of you for the lack of posting since I left Sao Paulo. We were at this nice hotel in Buenos Aires for the completion of the trip, and despite paying about $10 a day for internet access, it didn’t work worth a bleep.
Incidentally, this will likely be my last post to this Latin America blog, since I am no longer actually in Latin America.
Buenos Aires was by far my favorite city of this entire trip. Argentina is a close 2nd in the “Erin Carrasco award for best country she has visited thus far in her life,” not far behind Spain. The other cities visited on this trip, although completely worthwhile and I am very fortunate to have seen what I did, do not hold a candle to Buenos Aires. I think I have a new found love for “Don’t Cry for me Argentina.” (Which I actually tried to locate the “Evita” soundtrack on my iPod last night on the flight, but was unable to find it. It might be one of the 1,000 other cd’s I have yet to upload to my iPod. Maybe I could hire someone to do that for me. Oh yeah, that’s right – I have bills to pay.)
It took forever & a half to get to the hotel from the airport, but we were right on Avenida 9 de Julio which happens to be the widest street in the whole wide world. I think Talia and I ended up counting the lanes yesterday and there were at least 16. Anyway, it’s like the center of the city which was awesome. The hotel was nice – I got checked in right away & went up to my room to eat (I was starving) and to get settled in. And for those of you who are wondering – it was a club sandwich – and yes, it had eggs. After eating, I could even unpack a little as I would be staying a whole 3 days at the Hotel Panamericano. During the time in which I was stuffing my face and unstuffing my suitcase, Kathy the Lindener’s leader, got her carry-on bag stolen. Apparently, she stepped away from it for all of like 30 seconds to help someone, and some old man walked right off with it. This would be an unimportant fact of the trip, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Kathy’s laptop, projector & all her jewelry were in this bag: including new pieces obtained from the D.R. She was a trooper about it though, I think it had to do with the fact that the hotel apologized by giving her an umbrella that was about my size and that she could in no possible way take back to D.C. with her.
I digress.
Anyway, 4 of us went to a graduate workshop at Fulbright the afternoon of our arrival with this wonderful woman named Norma Gonzalez who was actually a Fulbright student in the US herself. The meeting was pretty much pointless, other than the fact that the building she was housed in was gorgeous and had like 20 foot ceilings. I was also amused by her top lip as I swear part of it stuck to her teeth when she talked. I couldn’t quite figure it out, but it was intriguing, none the less.
Upon my return to the hotel, Audra told me that they had made reservations at the tango joint that evening for 6. For $85, you got a ride to and from the hotel, dinner, wine & a show. Now, this was a bit of a dilemma. My p-card will pay $50 for dinner: but absolutely no alcohol. Not to mention, I wasn’t very sure of the repercussions of putting more than $50 for a meal on that card (although I will likely find out soon from the dinner in Sao Paulo). So that left putting it on my debit card. I wasn’t sure how I could justify spending my own money on this…but on the other hand, when would I ever be in Argentina again and see a tango?As you can see below, the tango won.
I am far from home.
I am even farther from South America.
My apologies to all of you for the lack of posting since I left Sao Paulo. We were at this nice hotel in Buenos Aires for the completion of the trip, and despite paying about $10 a day for internet access, it didn’t work worth a bleep.
Incidentally, this will likely be my last post to this Latin America blog, since I am no longer actually in Latin America.
Buenos Aires was by far my favorite city of this entire trip. Argentina is a close 2nd in the “Erin Carrasco award for best country she has visited thus far in her life,” not far behind Spain. The other cities visited on this trip, although completely worthwhile and I am very fortunate to have seen what I did, do not hold a candle to Buenos Aires. I think I have a new found love for “Don’t Cry for me Argentina.” (Which I actually tried to locate the “Evita” soundtrack on my iPod last night on the flight, but was unable to find it. It might be one of the 1,000 other cd’s I have yet to upload to my iPod. Maybe I could hire someone to do that for me. Oh yeah, that’s right – I have bills to pay.)
It took forever & a half to get to the hotel from the airport, but we were right on Avenida 9 de Julio which happens to be the widest street in the whole wide world. I think Talia and I ended up counting the lanes yesterday and there were at least 16. Anyway, it’s like the center of the city which was awesome. The hotel was nice – I got checked in right away & went up to my room to eat (I was starving) and to get settled in. And for those of you who are wondering – it was a club sandwich – and yes, it had eggs. After eating, I could even unpack a little as I would be staying a whole 3 days at the Hotel Panamericano. During the time in which I was stuffing my face and unstuffing my suitcase, Kathy the Lindener’s leader, got her carry-on bag stolen. Apparently, she stepped away from it for all of like 30 seconds to help someone, and some old man walked right off with it. This would be an unimportant fact of the trip, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Kathy’s laptop, projector & all her jewelry were in this bag: including new pieces obtained from the D.R. She was a trooper about it though, I think it had to do with the fact that the hotel apologized by giving her an umbrella that was about my size and that she could in no possible way take back to D.C. with her.
I digress.
Anyway, 4 of us went to a graduate workshop at Fulbright the afternoon of our arrival with this wonderful woman named Norma Gonzalez who was actually a Fulbright student in the US herself. The meeting was pretty much pointless, other than the fact that the building she was housed in was gorgeous and had like 20 foot ceilings. I was also amused by her top lip as I swear part of it stuck to her teeth when she talked. I couldn’t quite figure it out, but it was intriguing, none the less.
Upon my return to the hotel, Audra told me that they had made reservations at the tango joint that evening for 6. For $85, you got a ride to and from the hotel, dinner, wine & a show. Now, this was a bit of a dilemma. My p-card will pay $50 for dinner: but absolutely no alcohol. Not to mention, I wasn’t very sure of the repercussions of putting more than $50 for a meal on that card (although I will likely find out soon from the dinner in Sao Paulo). So that left putting it on my debit card. I wasn’t sure how I could justify spending my own money on this…but on the other hand, when would I ever be in Argentina again and see a tango?As you can see below, the tango won.
It was a great experience, we had a wonderful time.
The next day was a relatively pointless school visit. I say this because the main counselor who puts on the college fairs was away at NACAC, so someone else was in charge. I likely talked to 5 students. Not very worthwhile.
After the school visit, I went to the grocery store and bought a few things, then took a nap. At 7:30 the group met in the lobby for our “farewell dinner.” It wasn’t a delicious dinner, but it was a nice one with the remainder of the group, one last time. We said our goodbyes in the lobby that evening and went to bed.
On Saturday, I woke up to a beautiful, warm sunny day. But I wouldn’t really know this when getting dressed, since my 2nd floor room looked out at another building, and some type of heating & cooling system. It was beneficial to me in that I didn't wake up with the sun, but it was terrible not being able to see what the day looked like.
I set out at 11 am with Kathy, Nicole & Talia to head to Recoleta. Recoleta is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires - there are a number of high end stores (Cartier, Louis Vuitton, etc) and also an amazing plaza & cemetary. You're probably thinking, who calls a cemetary amazing? Look at this:
These tombs are huge - altars, fireplaces, stained glass, doors, basements, staircases, marble, etc. We even saw the grave of Evita Peron. Please check out my pictures on my Facebook or My Space...I am trying to get them uploaded elsewhere too.
Afterwards, we had lunch, did some shopping and saw "La Casa Rosada" which is the equivalent of our White House.
I concluded the beautiful afternoon with a bottle of wine & a filet mignon with Reesa at an outdoor restaurant down the street. It was the perfect last night in Buenos Aires.
The next day, I did a bit more shopping, ate a burger @ the hotel with Talia (yes, they offered me an egg on it...and ham too!) and headed to the airport. Our flight sat on the runway for TWO hours in Buenos Aires, but we were eventually on our way and I obviously made it home safely.
All in all, it was the trip of a lifetime. The experience of a lifetime. And I would do it all over again, no doubt.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Eggs: I try not to eat a lot of them, because I've had a history of high cholesterol since I was 19. I know, who has high cholesterol at 19? Only me, apparently. I like to blame it on the cafeteria food at WMU where I was prone to eating egg bagels at 7:40 before leaving for class.
I don't believe that South Americans know much about high cholesterol. I've been in this country for 8 night so far, and I've seen eggs all over the place. At the breakfast buffet in all of our hotels, you can request a made to order egg meal. On hamburgers, there is a fried egg. Today on my club sandwich, there was an egg. I like to think that the saying of South Americans is "when in doubt, egg it out" you know, as in "pimping" it out. Seriously, eggs on a hamburger?! Who does that? My other thought is that "clubs are safe." Club sandwiches pretty much everywhere involve meat, bacon, lettuce & tomatoes. You just need to be careful of the egg and additional toppings, apparently.
The overnight flight last night (rhyme, rhyme, rhyme) was ROUGH. I had 2 benadryls, and a red wine and still found it hard to fall asleep. I'm telling you, it's the leg factor: I need somewhere to spread these little monsters! I sleep in a queen size bed with an 80 lb dog at home, I'm used to having to compromise my space. But having to recline just a tad and find space for your legs on an airplane? Practically impossible! By the time we got to Sao Paulo this morning it was 5:30 (5 hour flight & a 2 hour time loss) and I was beat. I got to the hotel, had breakfast and slept until 2:oo or so. Luckily, there was nothing going on until 6:00 tonight when we had the reverse fair.
A reverse fair, you ask? That is where the universities go around and talk about themselves to schools & companies such as Education USA. It was a good experience, but the whole highlight of this trip was meeting the Sao Paulo Education USA person. Guess where she lived for a year in 1980? F-f-f-f-f-Flint town! What a small world! Her husband was going to Kettering at that time...it was great to talk to her about the changes in Flint and the growth of UM-Flint.
After the reverse fair, 8 of us went to a restaurant for dinner. The type of restaurant was a churrascarias which is basically a buffet. They have stations: salads, appetizers, meats & deserts. You go to the grill and order your meat cooked the way you like, and they deliver it to you. From what I've heard from Reesa, in most Brazilian cities the wait staff brings it around on swords and cuts it right in front of you. Here, the salmon & lobster was incredible. We also drank the typical Brazillian drink, the caiprinha which is made of limes, sugar cane & rum. T'was hard to handle at first, but once it was stirred a little, was much easier to throw down.
It was a great night filled with laughs & good food. I cannot tell you how in debt I am to UM-Flint for sending me on this trip. It has provided lasting memories, an eye opening opportunity for me both personally & career wise and a location that I likely never would have seen otherwise. I still cannot believe I am here sometimes. I have become all that more passionate about my job @ UM-Flint and about international recruitment. Si, se puede! :)
Oh, and I am a hot mess over Portuguese! On paper, totally like Spanish. Spoken? A gigantic French-sounding mess. Ay, ay, ay!
I don't believe that South Americans know much about high cholesterol. I've been in this country for 8 night so far, and I've seen eggs all over the place. At the breakfast buffet in all of our hotels, you can request a made to order egg meal. On hamburgers, there is a fried egg. Today on my club sandwich, there was an egg. I like to think that the saying of South Americans is "when in doubt, egg it out" you know, as in "pimping" it out. Seriously, eggs on a hamburger?! Who does that? My other thought is that "clubs are safe." Club sandwiches pretty much everywhere involve meat, bacon, lettuce & tomatoes. You just need to be careful of the egg and additional toppings, apparently.
The overnight flight last night (rhyme, rhyme, rhyme) was ROUGH. I had 2 benadryls, and a red wine and still found it hard to fall asleep. I'm telling you, it's the leg factor: I need somewhere to spread these little monsters! I sleep in a queen size bed with an 80 lb dog at home, I'm used to having to compromise my space. But having to recline just a tad and find space for your legs on an airplane? Practically impossible! By the time we got to Sao Paulo this morning it was 5:30 (5 hour flight & a 2 hour time loss) and I was beat. I got to the hotel, had breakfast and slept until 2:oo or so. Luckily, there was nothing going on until 6:00 tonight when we had the reverse fair.
A reverse fair, you ask? That is where the universities go around and talk about themselves to schools & companies such as Education USA. It was a good experience, but the whole highlight of this trip was meeting the Sao Paulo Education USA person. Guess where she lived for a year in 1980? F-f-f-f-f-Flint town! What a small world! Her husband was going to Kettering at that time...it was great to talk to her about the changes in Flint and the growth of UM-Flint.
After the reverse fair, 8 of us went to a restaurant for dinner. The type of restaurant was a churrascarias which is basically a buffet. They have stations: salads, appetizers, meats & deserts. You go to the grill and order your meat cooked the way you like, and they deliver it to you. From what I've heard from Reesa, in most Brazilian cities the wait staff brings it around on swords and cuts it right in front of you. Here, the salmon & lobster was incredible. We also drank the typical Brazillian drink, the caiprinha which is made of limes, sugar cane & rum. T'was hard to handle at first, but once it was stirred a little, was much easier to throw down.
It was a great night filled with laughs & good food. I cannot tell you how in debt I am to UM-Flint for sending me on this trip. It has provided lasting memories, an eye opening opportunity for me both personally & career wise and a location that I likely never would have seen otherwise. I still cannot believe I am here sometimes. I have become all that more passionate about my job @ UM-Flint and about international recruitment. Si, se puede! :)
Oh, and I am a hot mess over Portuguese! On paper, totally like Spanish. Spoken? A gigantic French-sounding mess. Ay, ay, ay!
To be or not to be Portuguese
(Written last night while waiting in the Bogota airport for the 9:30 flight to Sao Paulo)
T’was a long day, just like was expected. We had four school visits with our day beginning at 6:40 and ending a little after 6:00. I just had a nice glass of red wine & 2 benadryls so that I will hopefully sleep my little heart out on the way to Sao Paulo.
Bogota is absolutely beautiful. I could kick myself for not charging my camera battery last night. We went up the mountains to this school that was literally at the top. The ride there & back was totally from a movie with bad bumps & the bus actually getting stuck more than once on the way down. F-Dawg (a colleague from Linfield College) had to get out and guide the bus driver. Anyway, the view was TO DIE FOR. You could see all of Bogota from the top of the mountain and it was simply breathtaking. Like I said, my camera battery died earlier in the day, so I got no pictures of this. The view alone made all the hassle of changing from Bolivia to Colombia and waking up at 5:55 am, totally worth it.
I never felt unsafe in Bogota, as you may think since there is a travel warning against this country. The only disheartening sight was about every 50 yards in the busier parts of town, were military police full on with machine guns. Earlier in the day, F-Dawg was trying to take pictures and was told that he could very likely get his camera taken away from him for doing this. Even going through the airport was not bad; there were not drug dogs or something that you might think you would see, as in a movie. At dinner though, we were all talking about “Maria Full of Grace” a drug movie if you have not already seen it. These girls swallow balloons stuffed with cocaine and take them into foreign countries. Ay, ay, ay.
The school visits were good – nothing absolutely noteworthy, but quite a bit of interest at the second to last school. They asked great questions! At the second school of the day we ate a typical Colombian lunch of a soup with 3 types of potatoes, chicken, capers, corn & avocado – it was very good.
At this time a week from now, I will be home. The thing I miss most about home? Not eating out at restaurants for every meal; I want a nice home cooked meal! That means you & pork chops, mom J I also miss my dog & cats. You see all kinds of stray dogs here and being the animal lover that I am, I just want to pet & feed them. Luckily, I haven’t acted on that urge.
There is a girl on this trip that totally reminds me of Raj, the hotel roomie from heck when I stayed in Salamanca. From her mannerisms to her know-it-all-ness, to her pickiness about food, I think I have not liked her very well from the beginning because of her similarities to Raj. You can take the girl out of the catiness, but you cannot take the catiness out of the girl.
Okay, I think that is it. I cannot wait to be in Brazil J
T’was a long day, just like was expected. We had four school visits with our day beginning at 6:40 and ending a little after 6:00. I just had a nice glass of red wine & 2 benadryls so that I will hopefully sleep my little heart out on the way to Sao Paulo.
Bogota is absolutely beautiful. I could kick myself for not charging my camera battery last night. We went up the mountains to this school that was literally at the top. The ride there & back was totally from a movie with bad bumps & the bus actually getting stuck more than once on the way down. F-Dawg (a colleague from Linfield College) had to get out and guide the bus driver. Anyway, the view was TO DIE FOR. You could see all of Bogota from the top of the mountain and it was simply breathtaking. Like I said, my camera battery died earlier in the day, so I got no pictures of this. The view alone made all the hassle of changing from Bolivia to Colombia and waking up at 5:55 am, totally worth it.
I never felt unsafe in Bogota, as you may think since there is a travel warning against this country. The only disheartening sight was about every 50 yards in the busier parts of town, were military police full on with machine guns. Earlier in the day, F-Dawg was trying to take pictures and was told that he could very likely get his camera taken away from him for doing this. Even going through the airport was not bad; there were not drug dogs or something that you might think you would see, as in a movie. At dinner though, we were all talking about “Maria Full of Grace” a drug movie if you have not already seen it. These girls swallow balloons stuffed with cocaine and take them into foreign countries. Ay, ay, ay.
The school visits were good – nothing absolutely noteworthy, but quite a bit of interest at the second to last school. They asked great questions! At the second school of the day we ate a typical Colombian lunch of a soup with 3 types of potatoes, chicken, capers, corn & avocado – it was very good.
At this time a week from now, I will be home. The thing I miss most about home? Not eating out at restaurants for every meal; I want a nice home cooked meal! That means you & pork chops, mom J I also miss my dog & cats. You see all kinds of stray dogs here and being the animal lover that I am, I just want to pet & feed them. Luckily, I haven’t acted on that urge.
There is a girl on this trip that totally reminds me of Raj, the hotel roomie from heck when I stayed in Salamanca. From her mannerisms to her know-it-all-ness, to her pickiness about food, I think I have not liked her very well from the beginning because of her similarities to Raj. You can take the girl out of the catiness, but you cannot take the catiness out of the girl.
Okay, I think that is it. I cannot wait to be in Brazil J
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Fotos
Here are some recent photos:
This is the view from my hotel room in Bogota. As you likely read in the post before, I didn't get out to see or do much, however the view in & of itself was beautiful. Fortunately, there was sun & warmth here, unlike in Lima!
On Saturday morning we took a tour of Pachacmac, some Incan ruins. Supposely, these are supposed to be the next best thing to Machu Pichu. Apparently, archeological things such as this are a total waste on me; I was tired & ready to leave quickly after seeing this - the first of quite a few stops @ the site. One good thing, is from the top you could see the Pacific Ocean. It was quite a windy, cold & gray day in Lima. They only get 3 inches of rain a year, and it is cloudy most days. 
This is my table at the Roosevelt school, in their auditorium. The actual fairs @ night are in nice ballrooms, so this is just a taste of what the school visits are like. This picture didn't come out too well because I was practicing on taking pictures on a flat surface, without a flash.
Remember how I told you in Guayaquil we went to the Santa Ana neighborhood, and there were 444 steps to the top? If you look in the lower right hand corner of the steps, you will see a number. Here we were about halfway; in the 200's. Off to Brazil this evening - I can't wait! It's surprising that I am even relatively enthusiastic, considering I had to wake up at 5:55 this morning.
The return of my sleep
What is more appropriate when sitting in a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia than to watch a drug movie? I put “21 Grams” on, but once I actually sat down to watch, realized it was in Spanish. There’s something about Spanish subtitled films that I don’t like…it’s probably because the lips are totally out of synch.
The hotel room here is just simply not up to par. The hotel we had in Lima was incredible. Here, I have a queen bed, wood floors, a couch that I swear was reupholstered from something my grandma owned in the late 70’s, and artwork which I’m certain is made out of rubber bands. But, there is a rear washer on the toilet & down pillows. Luckily, we leave this hotel at 8 am tomorrow.
We arrived in Bogota around 2 am last night to the disgusting smell of burning garbage. I was once again unable to sleep on the flight…it’s getting old. I’m totally tired, but it’s like I can’t relax enough to fall asleep. It’s likely something about having to sit upright & not being able to stretch my legs out. I may be only 5’1”, but my legs enjoy their space! By the time we checked in & were finally able to relax, it was close to 3:30. Everyone was talking about getting up this morning and going to see some sights at 11. I was undecided if I was going to do this.
When my alarm went off at 10:15, I decided against it. I just was not willing to get up & get myself going for another day. I have absolutely loved my first week on this trip, but it is a fast pace – having a day to do nothing, is essential. Not to mention I didn’t feel like converting any money over to pesos either. I had a leisurely morning, ordered a hamburger for lunch and spent the day napping and (finally) finishing up inquiry cards.
Tonight, I went with Reesa, Kathy (Lindener director) and Pascale to have dinner with the Education USA consultant. We went to this Caribbean restaurant, where I tried sea bass; it was spectacular! I am now back in my room and preparing to go to bed relatively early as we have to be out of here at 6:40 tomorrow morning for a school visit, and will be checking out at 8:05.
Tomorrow night we head to Brazil; it is a 6 hour flight. You can bet I will be taking some Benadryl with me; I am not staying awake for a 6 hour flight! I am looking forward to Brazil, as I have heard it is beautiful and has some awesome food.
With each passing day, I am becoming more & more confident with my Spanish skills. At first, I was totally out of it. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily culture shock, but it was like re-teaching myself everything, as I have hardly used Spanish for 4 years. I went from using it on a daily basis for 5 years, to not using it, period. It’s made me realize how disappointed I am in myself for allowing it to flounder. Anyway, it’s getting better and I am finding myself using it much more. I had a long conversation with the jewelry counter lady yesterday in Spanish. She asked me if I was from New Jersey? I’m sorry, do I have big hair?Speaking of hair, I’ve been plucking white hairs (they aren’t even gray anymore!) daily. I thought this was a good idea, until I realized that if I keep plucking them, I will soon go bald.
Oh, and for the record – they totally have Juan Valdez coffee shops around here.
The hotel room here is just simply not up to par. The hotel we had in Lima was incredible. Here, I have a queen bed, wood floors, a couch that I swear was reupholstered from something my grandma owned in the late 70’s, and artwork which I’m certain is made out of rubber bands. But, there is a rear washer on the toilet & down pillows. Luckily, we leave this hotel at 8 am tomorrow.
We arrived in Bogota around 2 am last night to the disgusting smell of burning garbage. I was once again unable to sleep on the flight…it’s getting old. I’m totally tired, but it’s like I can’t relax enough to fall asleep. It’s likely something about having to sit upright & not being able to stretch my legs out. I may be only 5’1”, but my legs enjoy their space! By the time we checked in & were finally able to relax, it was close to 3:30. Everyone was talking about getting up this morning and going to see some sights at 11. I was undecided if I was going to do this.
When my alarm went off at 10:15, I decided against it. I just was not willing to get up & get myself going for another day. I have absolutely loved my first week on this trip, but it is a fast pace – having a day to do nothing, is essential. Not to mention I didn’t feel like converting any money over to pesos either. I had a leisurely morning, ordered a hamburger for lunch and spent the day napping and (finally) finishing up inquiry cards.
Tonight, I went with Reesa, Kathy (Lindener director) and Pascale to have dinner with the Education USA consultant. We went to this Caribbean restaurant, where I tried sea bass; it was spectacular! I am now back in my room and preparing to go to bed relatively early as we have to be out of here at 6:40 tomorrow morning for a school visit, and will be checking out at 8:05.
Tomorrow night we head to Brazil; it is a 6 hour flight. You can bet I will be taking some Benadryl with me; I am not staying awake for a 6 hour flight! I am looking forward to Brazil, as I have heard it is beautiful and has some awesome food.
With each passing day, I am becoming more & more confident with my Spanish skills. At first, I was totally out of it. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily culture shock, but it was like re-teaching myself everything, as I have hardly used Spanish for 4 years. I went from using it on a daily basis for 5 years, to not using it, period. It’s made me realize how disappointed I am in myself for allowing it to flounder. Anyway, it’s getting better and I am finding myself using it much more. I had a long conversation with the jewelry counter lady yesterday in Spanish. She asked me if I was from New Jersey? I’m sorry, do I have big hair?Speaking of hair, I’ve been plucking white hairs (they aren’t even gray anymore!) daily. I thought this was a good idea, until I realized that if I keep plucking them, I will soon go bald.
Oh, and for the record – they totally have Juan Valdez coffee shops around here.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Piscos & brujas
*Recapping Friday in Lima; it is now Saturday night as we await the flight from Lima to Bogota, Colombia. Word to your mother, Juan Valdez.
T'was an early morning in Lima. We had to be on the bus by 7:30 this morning to make it to Fulbright. I was up & ready to go, minus one big thing: my huge (71 pound) box of materials was missing. It was supposed to be delivered Thursday night, but never was. So I got up in the morning and made my way to the lobby, grumbling to my fellow Lindeners (yes, it is a word) about it. Well, turns out no one else's boxes made it to them either. Now I can understand mine not making it, because I don't know that many of the baggage boys (Yes, another technical term) are man enough to carry that box.
Anyway, Kathy our Lindener leader put the smack down and got the rest of the boxeses put on the bus before we left. We proceeded to the Fulbright Commission, where I was disappointed to see there was no UM-Flint stuff on file. Yeah, that's likely because UM-Flint had nevere been there before. I'm a pioneer, y'all! Anyway, we had breakfast, a "mock admissions" session with a few counselors and then headed to our next stop.
The majority of the day was spent at the FD Roosevelt school, a school for those who are "rich" as one of my fellow Lindeners said (and she's from Peru). The juniors were exceptional, but the seniors were just so-so. But you figure, by the fall of your senior year, most kids have figured out where they plan to study. We had a typical Peruvian lunch (don't ask me what other than white rice, because I couldn't tell you. Oh and passion fruit pudding) and bought some jewelry (a silver ring for me). Then it was back to the hotel in the early afternoon for another fair.
The fair went well - not as exciting as Guayaquil, but much more comfortable for me, and still a number of inquiry cards. And yes, I'm still behind on getting those in. Tomorrow, I promise.
After the fair, a group of 6 of us went to this faboulous Peruvian restaurant. Gabriela, the Peruvian girl ordered us this fantastic appetizer plate with all kinds of stuff. She asked us to sample the meat & chicken which were on skewers. Again, fantastic. It wasn't until after we all had swallowed those items, that she told us it was COW HEART. Yeah, I ate cow heart. It wasn't bad, but I didn't eat any more of it. I did order this great plate called "El Gran Brujo" or "The Great Sorcerer". It was beef tenderloins, black beans & rice. It was tasty. We washed it down with 2 bottles of wine (Melbac is INCREDIBLE) and the typical Peruvian drink of Pisco. It's this super tart margarita like drink. It was a good night filled with new friends, and lots of laughter.
*TODAY* (Our flight is delayed, so I'll keep going)
Last night, I was SO tired (Erin? Tired? NEVER!) so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up this morning for the cultural activity: a tour of Pachacmac. The tour left at 9:00, I was up at 8:34 and made it down to the lobby in just enough time. The sight wasn't that phenomenal (pics to follow when I unpack my camera cord) and it was quite a brisk day. I'm glad I went, but I'm also glad that I got back in enough time to take a nap before we had to check out at 3.
At 3, Reesa, Audra and I had lunch in the hotel and then went to the markets downtown to do some shopping. Shopping, we did! I bought some things for myself, Chase, Clara, my dad & a few others. I figure I have 3 more cities to go to, so I didn't want to go overboard! There were so many beautiful Alpaca things! I spent more than planned, but my name is Erin and that is my game.
Finally, we are at the airport. I bought a few more things (including a pair of undies for myself that has a llama on it. For those of you who don't know, I have a bit of obsession with buying underwear. It's like a past time) and am now waiting for our flight which is delayed.
Let me mention, that I am sore as a mother trucker from having to carry that box yesterday - mostly my upper body. And for the record, I left a TON of stuff behind at the hotel when it was time to check out. I had to pack enough to take to Bogota, but the amount I left behind was likely 30-40 pounds. Ay, ay, ay.
I would also give anything to have my back scratcher right now. I could sooooo use a good back scratching.
Paz en Bogota,
Erin
T'was an early morning in Lima. We had to be on the bus by 7:30 this morning to make it to Fulbright. I was up & ready to go, minus one big thing: my huge (71 pound) box of materials was missing. It was supposed to be delivered Thursday night, but never was. So I got up in the morning and made my way to the lobby, grumbling to my fellow Lindeners (yes, it is a word) about it. Well, turns out no one else's boxes made it to them either. Now I can understand mine not making it, because I don't know that many of the baggage boys (Yes, another technical term) are man enough to carry that box.
Anyway, Kathy our Lindener leader put the smack down and got the rest of the boxeses put on the bus before we left. We proceeded to the Fulbright Commission, where I was disappointed to see there was no UM-Flint stuff on file. Yeah, that's likely because UM-Flint had nevere been there before. I'm a pioneer, y'all! Anyway, we had breakfast, a "mock admissions" session with a few counselors and then headed to our next stop.
The majority of the day was spent at the FD Roosevelt school, a school for those who are "rich" as one of my fellow Lindeners said (and she's from Peru). The juniors were exceptional, but the seniors were just so-so. But you figure, by the fall of your senior year, most kids have figured out where they plan to study. We had a typical Peruvian lunch (don't ask me what other than white rice, because I couldn't tell you. Oh and passion fruit pudding) and bought some jewelry (a silver ring for me). Then it was back to the hotel in the early afternoon for another fair.
The fair went well - not as exciting as Guayaquil, but much more comfortable for me, and still a number of inquiry cards. And yes, I'm still behind on getting those in. Tomorrow, I promise.
After the fair, a group of 6 of us went to this faboulous Peruvian restaurant. Gabriela, the Peruvian girl ordered us this fantastic appetizer plate with all kinds of stuff. She asked us to sample the meat & chicken which were on skewers. Again, fantastic. It wasn't until after we all had swallowed those items, that she told us it was COW HEART. Yeah, I ate cow heart. It wasn't bad, but I didn't eat any more of it. I did order this great plate called "El Gran Brujo" or "The Great Sorcerer". It was beef tenderloins, black beans & rice. It was tasty. We washed it down with 2 bottles of wine (Melbac is INCREDIBLE) and the typical Peruvian drink of Pisco. It's this super tart margarita like drink. It was a good night filled with new friends, and lots of laughter.
*TODAY* (Our flight is delayed, so I'll keep going)
Last night, I was SO tired (Erin? Tired? NEVER!) so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up this morning for the cultural activity: a tour of Pachacmac. The tour left at 9:00, I was up at 8:34 and made it down to the lobby in just enough time. The sight wasn't that phenomenal (pics to follow when I unpack my camera cord) and it was quite a brisk day. I'm glad I went, but I'm also glad that I got back in enough time to take a nap before we had to check out at 3.
At 3, Reesa, Audra and I had lunch in the hotel and then went to the markets downtown to do some shopping. Shopping, we did! I bought some things for myself, Chase, Clara, my dad & a few others. I figure I have 3 more cities to go to, so I didn't want to go overboard! There were so many beautiful Alpaca things! I spent more than planned, but my name is Erin and that is my game.
Finally, we are at the airport. I bought a few more things (including a pair of undies for myself that has a llama on it. For those of you who don't know, I have a bit of obsession with buying underwear. It's like a past time) and am now waiting for our flight which is delayed.
Let me mention, that I am sore as a mother trucker from having to carry that box yesterday - mostly my upper body. And for the record, I left a TON of stuff behind at the hotel when it was time to check out. I had to pack enough to take to Bogota, but the amount I left behind was likely 30-40 pounds. Ay, ay, ay.
I would also give anything to have my back scratcher right now. I could sooooo use a good back scratching.
Paz en Bogota,
Erin
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Another day, another city
I am now in Lima, Peru.
But let me re-cap yesterday. We had a tour of the city at noon and it was quite hot out. We took a bus to the Malecon 2000 and it is a very pretty boardwalk along what's pretty much a gross brown river (a la Flint river). It goes on for a few miles and has shops, botanical gardens, restaurants, etc. We took a nice tour of much of the Malecon, and also stopped a the park with the iguanas. Yeah, iguanas = gross. Reesa and I were talking about what would you do if you were sitting at a park bench and one rubbed against your leg? It totally gave us both the heebie jeebies.
After the tour, Reesa & I decided to venture out for lunch. Our tour guide was saying how they had just finished the red crab season, so it was the main special in most restaurants. We asked the concierge where to eat, and he referred us to this little seafood & steakhouse place a few blocks down. This restaurant turned out to be super nice - and fancy too. I ordered a cream soup with red crab in it, and salmon. Both were good, but nothing to write home about. Reesa had ceviche which is a speciality of Ecuador. It's like cold soup of onions, cilantro & hers particularly was octopus. I tried octopus - if my mommy could see me now! Yeah, I take that back - she would totally be grossed out. Anyway, it was a bit chewy but once I got over the idea that it was octopus, it wasn't bad. I ended the meal with a $25.08 tab - I'm sure I'll have to pay the university the $.08 since I went over the $25 lunch budget :)
The first fair was from 6:00-9:00 and the turn out was great. The students were very eager and interested. At times it could be a bit overwhelming, but the pace was steady and it was a great first experience for me. I've even had one student already follow up with me which is awesome!
After the fair, Reesa, another girl named Pascale and I decided to go out on the town. There is a place called Santa Ana which is right down from the Malecon and is a huge tourist attraction. There are - get this - 444 steps to get to the top of this hill where there is a cutesy lighthouse, but better yet a BEAUTIFUL view of the city. It was amazing - it was hard, I will admit that...my legs felt like jello coming back down! The view was priceless; it stinks though because my camera didn't get any good shots of it. We finished the night with dinner at a restaurant on the hill.
This morning there was a school visit to an English speaking private school in Guayaquil. I was super impressed when I saw these kids uniforms - sweat pants! They were able to wear polo shirts or t-shirts with the school logo in red, white or blue and sweat pants. They looked so comfy! I was totally jealous of the comfort factor, but I was totally rocking my new UMF polo too :) Anyway, their interest was nice, but not all that sincere or "hot-to-trot" - they are only juniors & seniors.
We had lunch at the school and then headed to the airport. I was overweight (I knew it would happen sooner or later!) and was prepared to pay, when they let it slide. Thanks, LAN airlines! Anyway, the flight to Peru was fine complete with seat TV's with remote controls. I watched "Gilmore Girls". Once we landed, customs was a breeze (it's seriously a crap shoot. You press a button and if it turns green, you're fine. If it's red, they scan your bag!) and we headed to the hotel.
The hotel room is BIGGER THAN MY APARTMENT. The bathroom is like the size of my bathroom & kitchen together. I'm lovin' it (but not in a McDonalds sort of way).
Tomorrow we have 2 high school visits in the day and a fair tomorrow night. The group has proven to be a riot. There are 13 girls, 2 guys and the majority are within my age range. Everyone meshes well together which is so crucial when you are travelling like this!
Okay, enough babbling. I'm going to try to get to bed at a decent time tonight.
It's safe to say I'm not homesick yet. It's hard to believe I'm nearing the end of my first week!
XOXO my lovelies,
EEC
But let me re-cap yesterday. We had a tour of the city at noon and it was quite hot out. We took a bus to the Malecon 2000 and it is a very pretty boardwalk along what's pretty much a gross brown river (a la Flint river). It goes on for a few miles and has shops, botanical gardens, restaurants, etc. We took a nice tour of much of the Malecon, and also stopped a the park with the iguanas. Yeah, iguanas = gross. Reesa and I were talking about what would you do if you were sitting at a park bench and one rubbed against your leg? It totally gave us both the heebie jeebies.
After the tour, Reesa & I decided to venture out for lunch. Our tour guide was saying how they had just finished the red crab season, so it was the main special in most restaurants. We asked the concierge where to eat, and he referred us to this little seafood & steakhouse place a few blocks down. This restaurant turned out to be super nice - and fancy too. I ordered a cream soup with red crab in it, and salmon. Both were good, but nothing to write home about. Reesa had ceviche which is a speciality of Ecuador. It's like cold soup of onions, cilantro & hers particularly was octopus. I tried octopus - if my mommy could see me now! Yeah, I take that back - she would totally be grossed out. Anyway, it was a bit chewy but once I got over the idea that it was octopus, it wasn't bad. I ended the meal with a $25.08 tab - I'm sure I'll have to pay the university the $.08 since I went over the $25 lunch budget :)
The first fair was from 6:00-9:00 and the turn out was great. The students were very eager and interested. At times it could be a bit overwhelming, but the pace was steady and it was a great first experience for me. I've even had one student already follow up with me which is awesome!
After the fair, Reesa, another girl named Pascale and I decided to go out on the town. There is a place called Santa Ana which is right down from the Malecon and is a huge tourist attraction. There are - get this - 444 steps to get to the top of this hill where there is a cutesy lighthouse, but better yet a BEAUTIFUL view of the city. It was amazing - it was hard, I will admit that...my legs felt like jello coming back down! The view was priceless; it stinks though because my camera didn't get any good shots of it. We finished the night with dinner at a restaurant on the hill.
This morning there was a school visit to an English speaking private school in Guayaquil. I was super impressed when I saw these kids uniforms - sweat pants! They were able to wear polo shirts or t-shirts with the school logo in red, white or blue and sweat pants. They looked so comfy! I was totally jealous of the comfort factor, but I was totally rocking my new UMF polo too :) Anyway, their interest was nice, but not all that sincere or "hot-to-trot" - they are only juniors & seniors.
We had lunch at the school and then headed to the airport. I was overweight (I knew it would happen sooner or later!) and was prepared to pay, when they let it slide. Thanks, LAN airlines! Anyway, the flight to Peru was fine complete with seat TV's with remote controls. I watched "Gilmore Girls". Once we landed, customs was a breeze (it's seriously a crap shoot. You press a button and if it turns green, you're fine. If it's red, they scan your bag!) and we headed to the hotel.
The hotel room is BIGGER THAN MY APARTMENT. The bathroom is like the size of my bathroom & kitchen together. I'm lovin' it (but not in a McDonalds sort of way).
Tomorrow we have 2 high school visits in the day and a fair tomorrow night. The group has proven to be a riot. There are 13 girls, 2 guys and the majority are within my age range. Everyone meshes well together which is so crucial when you are travelling like this!
Okay, enough babbling. I'm going to try to get to bed at a decent time tonight.
It's safe to say I'm not homesick yet. It's hard to believe I'm nearing the end of my first week!
XOXO my lovelies,
EEC
So this is what they are talking about
I'm tired. I will try to write tomorrow (we have to leave the hotel at 8:15 am, have a high school visit, and then leave for Lima in the early evening). But here are some of the things I saw today here in Guayaquil:
Part of the Linden tour group (or at least their backs & rears) on the city tour today.
Part of the botanical gardens located at the Malecon 2000, which is like a boardwalk along the river.
A beautiful cathedral which was part of our city tour. Is it just me or do churhes in North America totally lack the architectual beauty of th churches in Latin America & Europe?
Part of the Linden tour group (or at least their backs & rears) on the city tour today.
Part of the botanical gardens located at the Malecon 2000, which is like a boardwalk along the river.
A beautiful cathedral which was part of our city tour. Is it just me or do churhes in North America totally lack the architectual beauty of th churches in Latin America & Europe?
My name is Erin. I don't do iguanas....there was a park across from the cathedral that was filled with these babies. People were hand feeding them - they were in trees - they were just chillaxin'. Needless to say, I zoomed from afar to get this pic.
More pictures to come. It is now 1:00 am and I have to be up at 7:00. 8-hours-of-sleep-loving-Erin is gently weeping.
But oh how it's worth it :)
PS - for your UMF peeps - the fair was GREAT. I will email you all tomorrow with more specifics, but TONS of MBA inquiries. Got like 23 cards in total. The only downfall was the total over abundance of materials that Sam packed. I think a good 250 brochures (the UG "travel piece") will be tossed. Oh, and the fact that I felt like a total failure in not offering much financial aid.Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Can I bring you home with me?
After finally arriving to the hotel last night, I was feeling, well ummm...gross. I don't think I smelled per se, but I was feeling rough. As I mentioned, I peeled off my clothes and jumped in the shower. I couldn't bare the thought of putting these clothes back into my suitcase to possibly wear again, so I decided to have them laundered. Thanks, UM-Flint :) Anyway, I sent my cardigan, jeans & tank off this morning to be washed. I also sent my UMF polo and khaki pants out because I lack an ironing board in my room. And anyone who knows me knows that I don't pack worth a sh*t and all of my clothes need to be ironed, prior to wearing. Otherwise I look like a college frat boy who smelled his dirty clothes, prior to picking them off the floor and wearing the dirty mo' fo's again.
Anyway, I am in love with this. Did I mention the boy who picked them up was cute?
Anyway, my stuff came back all beautifully tonight and I almost wish I was spilling stuff on all my other clothes so that those could get washed too. But then I remember that I bought a Tide stick and I should really try to get these spills out myself.
And my cabin boy - I'll use the cruise term for lack of a better term - came in and turned my bed down when I was at dinner. *Love* I even have a chocolate on my bed. It's dark chocolate, want me to bring it back to you Kathy? :)
Speaking of dinner, I swear Daniel Pearl was sitting behind me. Same hair and glasses - totally. But considering that I watched the movie and they found his body, I'm doubting it was him.
My day, you asked?
Reesa and I met for lunch at 11:00 and walked down the street to a restaurant. Let me mention first, that my hotel is beautiful - but I swear that it smells like damp carpet. Not fond of that. Anyway, we walked down the crowded sidewalks for 2 blocks and dodged many cars (no crosswalks!) and passed the US Consulate. We ended up at a little restaurant - I had rice w/ shrimp...a good dish, sans the peas. Drank a warm Coke (no ice for me...yet) and it cost all of $5!
After this, Reesa had a few appointments, so I went back to my room to lounge. At 3:00 we went down to the pool and enjoyed a drink in the HOT sun. Seriously, hot - I'm sure the equator plays a part in that! Anyway, I ordered a mojito - it was great until I realized there were ice cubes in the glass. I drank it anyway - I figure this is a nice enough hotel that they likely boiled the ice, but I'm willing to take the chance! If I don't write tomorrow, we will know that my bowels thought otherwise.
Dinner was at the Patio in the restaurant - had filet mignon cutlets, veggies & potatoes with a pistachio ice cream dessert. T'was yummy.
It's 8:37 our time now and I'm pooped. I think my lack of sleep yesterday is catching up to me.
Tomorrow will be more exciting - I am going on a tour of the city, as well as participating in my first Linden fair. I will post tomorrow evening, should time & energy allow! Wednesday afternoon we head to Lima, Peru.
And for any of those who care - Bolivia has been removed from the itinerary. We are now going to Bogota, Colombia. Holy cocaine, Batman :)
Anyway, I am in love with this. Did I mention the boy who picked them up was cute?
Anyway, my stuff came back all beautifully tonight and I almost wish I was spilling stuff on all my other clothes so that those could get washed too. But then I remember that I bought a Tide stick and I should really try to get these spills out myself.
And my cabin boy - I'll use the cruise term for lack of a better term - came in and turned my bed down when I was at dinner. *Love* I even have a chocolate on my bed. It's dark chocolate, want me to bring it back to you Kathy? :)
Speaking of dinner, I swear Daniel Pearl was sitting behind me. Same hair and glasses - totally. But considering that I watched the movie and they found his body, I'm doubting it was him.
My day, you asked?
Reesa and I met for lunch at 11:00 and walked down the street to a restaurant. Let me mention first, that my hotel is beautiful - but I swear that it smells like damp carpet. Not fond of that. Anyway, we walked down the crowded sidewalks for 2 blocks and dodged many cars (no crosswalks!) and passed the US Consulate. We ended up at a little restaurant - I had rice w/ shrimp...a good dish, sans the peas. Drank a warm Coke (no ice for me...yet) and it cost all of $5!
After this, Reesa had a few appointments, so I went back to my room to lounge. At 3:00 we went down to the pool and enjoyed a drink in the HOT sun. Seriously, hot - I'm sure the equator plays a part in that! Anyway, I ordered a mojito - it was great until I realized there were ice cubes in the glass. I drank it anyway - I figure this is a nice enough hotel that they likely boiled the ice, but I'm willing to take the chance! If I don't write tomorrow, we will know that my bowels thought otherwise.
Dinner was at the Patio in the restaurant - had filet mignon cutlets, veggies & potatoes with a pistachio ice cream dessert. T'was yummy.
It's 8:37 our time now and I'm pooped. I think my lack of sleep yesterday is catching up to me.
Tomorrow will be more exciting - I am going on a tour of the city, as well as participating in my first Linden fair. I will post tomorrow evening, should time & energy allow! Wednesday afternoon we head to Lima, Peru.
And for any of those who care - Bolivia has been removed from the itinerary. We are now going to Bogota, Colombia. Holy cocaine, Batman :)
View to a kill
Views from my room:
You can see a pool in the distance - to your far left.
Hills in the background - likely the sight of the picture I posted on here last week.I slept relatively well in my king sized bed last night. Lucky for me, a "Sex and the City" marathon was on last night so I got to watch Carrie & the girls again before falling asleep.
I'm meeting Reesa for lunch at 11:00 - then we will see where the day goes :)
Monday, September 15, 2008
I'm here - I'm grumpy - get used to it
I made it. I am officially in Ecuador. I'm sitting in my room sipping a Coke (it's sad when it's safer to drink Coke than the water!) and eating a granola bar. Thanks for recommending that we bring those, Linden! I had dinner on the plane around 5:00, but find myself hungry again. I think it's because in merely 2.5 hours, I will have been up for 24 hours.
For those of you who know the real Erin - the "I need at least 8 hours of sleep each night and take naps as often as humanly possible" - you are likely impressed. As am I!
I (semi) willingly admit that traveling for 16 hours makes for a long day. I was so hot, annoyed and gross by the time I got to the hotel, as soon as the bag boy left I stripped down and jumped in the shower. Good thing it was a quick shower (I hadn't even unpacked) because I may have gotten carried away and starting singing in the shower. A strict no-no in South America - can't take the chance of getting H20 in your mouth! Becky B used to say in college "no one likes a sober Erin" - I think we could change that to "no one likes Erin when she drinks foreign water and is on the toilet 24/7." I don't dare find out what that would be like.
Anyway, I'm babbling. I'm here - I have a day of nothing in front of me tomorrow. My Linden "buddy" is already here and left me a note at the front desk. We are going to have breakfast in the hotel tomorrow & go exploring. My first impression of this city is it's a bit like Mexico - colorful buildings and a bit dirty. But it was dark out.
Oh, and I swear my cab driver drove like 80 on the main roads. I was certain I was going to end up on the Channel 12 news tomorrow as "UM-Flint Graduate Advisor killed in freak cab accident in Ecuador." Did I mention I couldn't figure out how to put the seatbelt on?
Speaking of TV, I'm watching Letterman. How American is that?!
I promise I will have more exciting things to report tomorrow.
For those of you who know the real Erin - the "I need at least 8 hours of sleep each night and take naps as often as humanly possible" - you are likely impressed. As am I!
I (semi) willingly admit that traveling for 16 hours makes for a long day. I was so hot, annoyed and gross by the time I got to the hotel, as soon as the bag boy left I stripped down and jumped in the shower. Good thing it was a quick shower (I hadn't even unpacked) because I may have gotten carried away and starting singing in the shower. A strict no-no in South America - can't take the chance of getting H20 in your mouth! Becky B used to say in college "no one likes a sober Erin" - I think we could change that to "no one likes Erin when she drinks foreign water and is on the toilet 24/7." I don't dare find out what that would be like.
Anyway, I'm babbling. I'm here - I have a day of nothing in front of me tomorrow. My Linden "buddy" is already here and left me a note at the front desk. We are going to have breakfast in the hotel tomorrow & go exploring. My first impression of this city is it's a bit like Mexico - colorful buildings and a bit dirty. But it was dark out.
Oh, and I swear my cab driver drove like 80 on the main roads. I was certain I was going to end up on the Channel 12 news tomorrow as "UM-Flint Graduate Advisor killed in freak cab accident in Ecuador." Did I mention I couldn't figure out how to put the seatbelt on?
Speaking of TV, I'm watching Letterman. How American is that?!
I promise I will have more exciting things to report tomorrow.
Mas despaaaaaaaacio
My whole life I lived thinking I don't look Mexican, period. As a kid (up until about 14 actually when I started attending OLG) I figured most Mexicans were dark haired & had a medium skin tone. Although I have the hair color, I totally lack the skin tone. If you've ever seen my legs in April when they have not seen sun for 6 months, I like to think of the song "She Blinded me with Science" playing in the background...but substitute science for legs, natch. Anyway, I guess with my dad being Mexican, I didn't realize all the other Hispanics out there - Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Spaniards, etc.
So why do people naturally think I can speak Spanish? When I'm in Flint, this never happens. I mean, do you ever hear people in McDonalds speaking Spanish? No...we don't have a huge Hispanic population. But throw me in O'Hare and it's like I wear a sign on my forehead that says "this girl has a degree in Spanish!" Who sits next to me at 6:00 this morning at the gate but a lady who I assume was from Spain. I was busy cursing this laptop & trying to keep to my grumpy self. But she smiles at me and starts talking to me in Spanish. OF COURSE SHE TALKED TOO FLIPPIN FAST - she was straight out of Telemundo! Anyway, I asked her "como?" because I didn't really understand and then she started talking in broken English. I liked it that way. I don't want to give away the notion of my mad Spanish skills when it's way early. And let's face it, I don't use them often.
When it gets time to depart, one of the gate worker people says "If there is a passenger that speaks Spanish, would you please report to the desk?" The Spanish lady practically threw me up against my will. But you guessed it - I stayed put. Later, she was freaking out because it was 8:05 and we were supposed to be boarding but we weren't yet. When they called the first people (ya know, Admiral's Club, anyone by the name of John, people who have bags way too big for the overhead bins) she pokes me and I just blurted out: "Estan llamando los numeros ahora, por grupo." Ooooh, that came out before I even had to think about it. I still got those skills - I just like to keep them in my head.
I'm sitting in Miami now, after a fine meal of Pizza Hut. Why do I get stuck in the concourse that has crappy food?! I have more than 2 hours until boarding begins for Guayaquil, and I am going on about as much sleep. I slapped down $16 on one of those cute little pillow things, but it just wasn't working on the last flight. I caught myself jump one time - you know, when you first fall asleep - and that pretty much embarassed me enough to keep me up.
And by the way, if you want to learn Spanish - move to Miami. Everyone speaks it here - I swear I have heard more Spanish than I have English.
Welcome to your trip to Latin America, Erin :)
So why do people naturally think I can speak Spanish? When I'm in Flint, this never happens. I mean, do you ever hear people in McDonalds speaking Spanish? No...we don't have a huge Hispanic population. But throw me in O'Hare and it's like I wear a sign on my forehead that says "this girl has a degree in Spanish!" Who sits next to me at 6:00 this morning at the gate but a lady who I assume was from Spain. I was busy cursing this laptop & trying to keep to my grumpy self. But she smiles at me and starts talking to me in Spanish. OF COURSE SHE TALKED TOO FLIPPIN FAST - she was straight out of Telemundo! Anyway, I asked her "como?" because I didn't really understand and then she started talking in broken English. I liked it that way. I don't want to give away the notion of my mad Spanish skills when it's way early. And let's face it, I don't use them often.
When it gets time to depart, one of the gate worker people says "If there is a passenger that speaks Spanish, would you please report to the desk?" The Spanish lady practically threw me up against my will. But you guessed it - I stayed put. Later, she was freaking out because it was 8:05 and we were supposed to be boarding but we weren't yet. When they called the first people (ya know, Admiral's Club, anyone by the name of John, people who have bags way too big for the overhead bins) she pokes me and I just blurted out: "Estan llamando los numeros ahora, por grupo." Ooooh, that came out before I even had to think about it. I still got those skills - I just like to keep them in my head.
I'm sitting in Miami now, after a fine meal of Pizza Hut. Why do I get stuck in the concourse that has crappy food?! I have more than 2 hours until boarding begins for Guayaquil, and I am going on about as much sleep. I slapped down $16 on one of those cute little pillow things, but it just wasn't working on the last flight. I caught myself jump one time - you know, when you first fall asleep - and that pretty much embarassed me enough to keep me up.
And by the way, if you want to learn Spanish - move to Miami. Everyone speaks it here - I swear I have heard more Spanish than I have English.
Welcome to your trip to Latin America, Erin :)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Packing & "civil unrest"
It's about 10:30 pm. My bags are packed. (1 giant suitcase & a smaller rolling case - unfortunately, I'm totally prepared to pay overweight charges, just starting out!) All I have to do in the morning is get up, brush my teeth, wash my face & throw my make-up bag in my suitcase. Oh, and ya know get dressed and stuff...my brother will be here at 4 AM (!) to pick me up. Here is Libby yesterday afternoon, checking my bag out...
I seriously think in the last 3 days that I have done at least 12 loads of laundry. From bedding (fresh for my return) to clothes to every last detail, I am very happy to be stepping away from the Kenmores for 2 weeks. But I will be making great use of them again upon my return.
On Thursday night I got an email from the Linden tour leader saying that there is "civil unrest" in Bolivia & that they are watching the situation very closely. Should it not be in our best interest to go to Bolivia (after all that visa work!!!) we will either go to Bogota, Colombia or Rio. I have not heard from her again, so hopefully no news is good news.
I need to get in bed. I have a 15 hour day filled with flights & layovers - can't wait.
Wish me luck :)
I seriously think in the last 3 days that I have done at least 12 loads of laundry. From bedding (fresh for my return) to clothes to every last detail, I am very happy to be stepping away from the Kenmores for 2 weeks. But I will be making great use of them again upon my return.On Thursday night I got an email from the Linden tour leader saying that there is "civil unrest" in Bolivia & that they are watching the situation very closely. Should it not be in our best interest to go to Bolivia (after all that visa work!!!) we will either go to Bogota, Colombia or Rio. I have not heard from her again, so hopefully no news is good news.
I need to get in bed. I have a 15 hour day filled with flights & layovers - can't wait.
Wish me luck :)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I paid how much?!
I no longer have to worry about becoming Tom Hanks in "The Terminal", sans the bad accent of course. I now have my passport back, and my visas. The above visa in all of it's fanciness if for Brazil. I have been graciously accepted into their country for 90 days. It only took like 4 overnight packages, $200+ dollars, a dozen or so emails, 2-3 faxes, and a fax from Brazil inviting me there to get this document. Behold it's power!
This is my visa for Bolivia. It only took a few vaccines and approximately 15 business days to get this baby in my possession...like 30 less than it's Brazilian sister! Bolivia, what is so great about you that I need a visa to get into your country? I'm really eager to find out.Oh, and don't let the $60 and $85 notations fool you. This cost way more than that!*
*And for the complaining record. I did not pay for these documents - the ISC did.
Muchisimas Gracias, ISC.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
T-6 days
So it's now 6 days until I leave for this trip. I'm in full-on list mode:
-Things I need to do at my house before I leave. (As in a clean house when you leave will hopefully make for a clean house upon your return. I haven't quite figured out why I am washing all my bedding before I leave, though...)
-Stuff to finish up at work before Friday afternoon
-What's left to buy
-What is needed to pack...all of these things are slowly being compiled on my ironing board (cuz we all know I don't use it that much)
-Other things that I need to accomplish in the mean time
-Things I need to do at mom's house (I'm staying there for the week watching her geriatric/non-stair climbing pets while she lives it up at White Caps Cottage for the week. Don't ask)
-Addresses for postcards
-What clothes to pack
-Most importantly - what shoes to pack. Packing lightly to me, means at least 5 pairs.
I leave at 5:45 AM on Monday, and will be flying until 9:10 PM (8:10 CST) when I arrive in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Look at how pretty this town is
and I'll be there for almost 2 full days...what a whirlwind of a trip this will be!
Hasta pronto,
Erin
-Things I need to do at my house before I leave. (As in a clean house when you leave will hopefully make for a clean house upon your return. I haven't quite figured out why I am washing all my bedding before I leave, though...)
-Stuff to finish up at work before Friday afternoon
-What's left to buy
-What is needed to pack...all of these things are slowly being compiled on my ironing board (cuz we all know I don't use it that much)
-Other things that I need to accomplish in the mean time
-Things I need to do at mom's house (I'm staying there for the week watching her geriatric/non-stair climbing pets while she lives it up at White Caps Cottage for the week. Don't ask)
-Addresses for postcards
-What clothes to pack
-Most importantly - what shoes to pack. Packing lightly to me, means at least 5 pairs.
I leave at 5:45 AM on Monday, and will be flying until 9:10 PM (8:10 CST) when I arrive in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Look at how pretty this town is
and I'll be there for almost 2 full days...what a whirlwind of a trip this will be!Hasta pronto,
Erin
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
T-13 Days
My adventure to South America begins in 13 days. I can't believe it! It seems like when we first started discussing this trip, that it was ages away. But it has slowly crept up on me and I feel like I should have done more to prepare for it, like:
-Actually reading a WHOLE book in Spanish, rather than reading a few short chapters in a book. But, I do know what I'm reading, which is moving in the right direction.
-Read up more on each city, other than what restaurants/shopping places/foods/drinks to try and/or see.
-Practiced my Spanish speaking skills. Hello, I have a grandma & grandpa who speak Spanish as their first language!
-Did a dry run of packing my suitcase. Because we all know I will try to pack every thing but the kitchen sink for a trip that will last 2 weeks. The clothing changes alone each day are astronomical!
But, I must admit, a number of things have fallen together for this trip:
-I have been vaccinated against typhoid & yellow fever. At the expense of $343, no less.
-I now have 4 UM-Flint polo shirts to wear - in a variety of cutesy colors & 2 different styles :)
-Bought a Frommer's guide book on South America
-My visas will FINALLY be done this week. For those of you who have heard me b*tch about this over the last month, this is a feat in & of itself!
-My Linden bag: I like to call it the $10,000 bag...because it cost about that much to go on this trip.
-My UM P-Card. Will make dining and other things so much easier while abroad.
-Established a frequent flyer account
-Bought a travel alarm clock because the one I used in Spain has disappeared. Or more likely it's crammed in a drawer and I just don't care to dig through that mess to find it. But if I did, I might find other helpful things.
The rest is just the details, I suppose. It will be a hectic 13 days I'm certain, but will be worth it 20 times over once I actually get to South America. At this rate, the thing I am most concerned about is getting from the airport in Guayaquil, to my hotel. There's nothing like arriving in a foreign country by yourself, and trying to get to a new place in a foreign country, by yourself.
-Actually reading a WHOLE book in Spanish, rather than reading a few short chapters in a book. But, I do know what I'm reading, which is moving in the right direction.
-Read up more on each city, other than what restaurants/shopping places/foods/drinks to try and/or see.
-Practiced my Spanish speaking skills. Hello, I have a grandma & grandpa who speak Spanish as their first language!
-Did a dry run of packing my suitcase. Because we all know I will try to pack every thing but the kitchen sink for a trip that will last 2 weeks. The clothing changes alone each day are astronomical!
But, I must admit, a number of things have fallen together for this trip:
-I have been vaccinated against typhoid & yellow fever. At the expense of $343, no less.
-I now have 4 UM-Flint polo shirts to wear - in a variety of cutesy colors & 2 different styles :)
-Bought a Frommer's guide book on South America
-My visas will FINALLY be done this week. For those of you who have heard me b*tch about this over the last month, this is a feat in & of itself!
-My Linden bag: I like to call it the $10,000 bag...because it cost about that much to go on this trip.
-My UM P-Card. Will make dining and other things so much easier while abroad.
-Established a frequent flyer account
-Bought a travel alarm clock because the one I used in Spain has disappeared. Or more likely it's crammed in a drawer and I just don't care to dig through that mess to find it. But if I did, I might find other helpful things.
The rest is just the details, I suppose. It will be a hectic 13 days I'm certain, but will be worth it 20 times over once I actually get to South America. At this rate, the thing I am most concerned about is getting from the airport in Guayaquil, to my hotel. There's nothing like arriving in a foreign country by yourself, and trying to get to a new place in a foreign country, by yourself.
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