Well, I have made it back to the cold, cold North and am spending the weekend with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins in my grandparents' house in Wisconsin. The temperature is about -5 F (-20 C) and it sure feels like it. We went bowling today and the 30 seconds it took to walk from the car to the building just about melted my face off. It's a bit nippy.
Finals are over, grades are in, perfect GPA maintained. KaCHOW.
But the big excited news is that I officially have a job for next summer! I will be a Research and Development intern with Land O' Lakes in Arden Hills, Minnesota (pending a drug test, of course). It will be for 12 weeks, and I will be living near some relatives for the summer. I don't know what type of project I will be working on, but anything is bound to give me the inside look at the food industry, so I'm excited. I know you must be thinking, but how is this going to end hunger? Um, it's not really going to. But it's money, experience, and the company has international development projects that I could maybe work with in the future. And it's a co-op so they really keep the farmers in mind. I will update you along the way.
Still planning a trip to Costa Rica in May, and I can't wait until that. Beaches. Ahhhh.
Peace (and Happy Holidays)
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Twas the Night Before Finals
[I thought this was appropriate...]
Twas the night before finals, and all through the college,
The students were praying for last minute knowledge.
Most were quite sleepy, but none touched their beds,
While visions of essays danced in their heads.
Out in the taverns, a few were still drinking,
And hoping that liquor would loosen their thinking.
In my own room I had been pacing,
And dreading exams I soon would be facing.
My roommate was speechless, her nose in her books,
And my comments to her drew unfriendly looks.
I drained all the coffee, and brewed a new pot,
No longer caring that my nerves were all shot.
I stared at the notes, but my thoughts were muddy,
My eyes went ablur, I just couldn't study.
"Some pizza might help," I said with a shiver,
But each place I called refused to deliver.
I'd nearly concluded that life was too cruel,
With futures depending on grades made in school.
When all of a sudden, our door opened wide,
And Patron Saint Put-It-Off ambled inside.
His spirit was careless, his manner was mellow,
All of a sudden, he started to bellow.
"On Cliff's notes, on Crib notes, On Last Year Exams.
On Wing-It and Sling-It and Last Minute Crams."
His message delivered, he vanished from sight,
But we heard him laughing outside in the night.
"Your teachers have pegged you, so just do your best,
Happy Finals to All, and to all a Good Test."
(Twas The Night Before Finals by Andrew Hund, 1993)
Twas the night before finals, and all through the college,
The students were praying for last minute knowledge.
Most were quite sleepy, but none touched their beds,
While visions of essays danced in their heads.
Out in the taverns, a few were still drinking,
And hoping that liquor would loosen their thinking.
In my own room I had been pacing,
And dreading exams I soon would be facing.
My roommate was speechless, her nose in her books,
And my comments to her drew unfriendly looks.
I drained all the coffee, and brewed a new pot,
No longer caring that my nerves were all shot.
I stared at the notes, but my thoughts were muddy,
My eyes went ablur, I just couldn't study.
"Some pizza might help," I said with a shiver,
But each place I called refused to deliver.
I'd nearly concluded that life was too cruel,
With futures depending on grades made in school.
When all of a sudden, our door opened wide,
And Patron Saint Put-It-Off ambled inside.
His spirit was careless, his manner was mellow,
All of a sudden, he started to bellow.
"On Cliff's notes, on Crib notes, On Last Year Exams.
On Wing-It and Sling-It and Last Minute Crams."
His message delivered, he vanished from sight,
But we heard him laughing outside in the night.
"Your teachers have pegged you, so just do your best,
Happy Finals to All, and to all a Good Test."
(Twas The Night Before Finals by Andrew Hund, 1993)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
It's the... Eye of the Tiger, it's the Blade of the Pig!
Finals are here.
Fortunately, I already had an A+ in my food chem before our optional final, so I didn't even have to worry about that one. My one credit lab class for quantitative chemistry left me with yet another A+, and of course I received a satisfactory in my Step Aerobics class (take that, Dad). My dairy final project was finished before schedule and the written test took about 25 minutes. Meat science, although I hadn't been too well in that class, was easier than expected, I hope to pull off an A. We came up with a lot of little mechanisms to help us remember the concepts (WIRE FOCHEL, blade of the pig, gases/aroma, goofy things really...).
What's left? Statistics and Quantitative. When? That's right, not until next Monday and Tuesday. Terrible schedule this semester, but I'm sucking it up.
But hey, let's talk about my least favorite subject ever: Politics! Blagojevich, Illinois' Governor got himself in a little bit of trouble. I felt bad that I knew absolutely nothing of his past problems and that this scandal showed me how corrupt Illinois turned out to be. But he gave us hand's free tollways, you are saying to yourself. And perhaps that's the only good thing he's done for us Illinoisans. Oh well. That's really all I have to say on that subject.
I will be applying for a Hunger Award that has just been created at NC State. And guess who gives it out to the winner...? Former President Bill Clinton! I'll be putting extra effort into that, that's for sure.
Peace and Love for all during this holiday season.
Fortunately, I already had an A+ in my food chem before our optional final, so I didn't even have to worry about that one. My one credit lab class for quantitative chemistry left me with yet another A+, and of course I received a satisfactory in my Step Aerobics class (take that, Dad). My dairy final project was finished before schedule and the written test took about 25 minutes. Meat science, although I hadn't been too well in that class, was easier than expected, I hope to pull off an A. We came up with a lot of little mechanisms to help us remember the concepts (WIRE FOCHEL, blade of the pig, gases/aroma, goofy things really...).
What's left? Statistics and Quantitative. When? That's right, not until next Monday and Tuesday. Terrible schedule this semester, but I'm sucking it up.
But hey, let's talk about my least favorite subject ever: Politics! Blagojevich, Illinois' Governor got himself in a little bit of trouble. I felt bad that I knew absolutely nothing of his past problems and that this scandal showed me how corrupt Illinois turned out to be. But he gave us hand's free tollways, you are saying to yourself. And perhaps that's the only good thing he's done for us Illinoisans. Oh well. That's really all I have to say on that subject.
I will be applying for a Hunger Award that has just been created at NC State. And guess who gives it out to the winner...? Former President Bill Clinton! I'll be putting extra effort into that, that's for sure.
Peace and Love for all during this holiday season.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
ECUADOR
This one's a doozy.
Day 1: We arrived Sunday night, very late, and after a few hiccups in the customs process, we found our driver, Roberto, who took us to the HOJO!!! That's right, we stayed in a Howard Johnson in Quito.
Day 2: Monday, we woke up for a city tour. We were able to see the "centro historico" commonly known as Old Town. Cathedrals, big plazas, the presidential palace... reminded me of Lima and sometimes even like Cuzco. It was about 60 degrees, so I had a sweater on, but remember, we were at the equator so the sun was brutal. I bought a scarf just to cover up my neck (and then ended up wearing it for the entire trip, but hey). The cathedrals were, of course, gorgeous. I always get that feeling when I walk into one like, if I had grown up here, I would have been more religious. Ecuador is 98% Catholic. Yeah. Our tour guide, Carla, was very sweet, and very impressed that I was able to speak Spanish, as have been all our guides. At one point in time we went into a little shopping center and there was this old man, with a beret on, who would sketch us as we were listening to our guide. Then, of course, charged us $1 if we wanted to keep them. They were pretty funny drawings, so I'll see if I can scan it in or something.
My favorite part though was going to El Panecillo (The Little Piece of Bread) which was up on a hill/mountain and had a giant statue of the Virgen. There were some metal outlines of a donkey and Christmas trees that all lit up, and the view of Quito was breath-taking. It is such a dense city, especially compared to San Jose. Everywhere you looked there were houses, buildings, churches. It was really amazing.
Then we headed North out of Quito to La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World) which of course is the equator. Now, when I think of the equator, I think of desert, hot, arid, not a whole lot of anything. But in Ecuador, it was cold, windy, mountainous, lots of trees, basically the exact opposite of what your intuition tells you. We were led to the equator and learned of the "forces," or lack there of, that are characteristic of the equator. For example, if you step off of the equator, even just a meter or so, and try to pry apart someones fingers it is almost impossible. Step on to the equator, try it again, and their fingers spring apart as if they had no strength. Try the same experiment only this time try to push their hands down from above their head. Doesn't work, unless you step onto the equator. It was crazy. I felt so weak!! And of course, on one side water flushes down in one direction, on the other side the other direction, and right on the line, it goes down straight. Whoa is right.
Sam bought an Indiana Jones hat at a little market, and fell in love with it, which basically killed our chances of fitting in because anyone wearing a hat like that (along with Crocs) basically is screaming, "I'M A TOURIST!!" Oh well. At least he didn't get too sunburned.
We got back to the hotel around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and I got ready to see THERESA!!! I was so excited to meet her family and see where they lived. I left the hotel at around quarter to six because dinner was at six and I figured that the eight or ten blocks that separated us wouldn't take much longer than 15 minutes. Wrong. An hour later, I arrived at her condominium complex and was enthusiastically greeted by the guard who announced that the extranjera had arrived. T and her host mom came down and I received my second enthusiastic greeting. YAY! We had the most amazing dinner, complete with jugo de mora, and I just sat back and took in the subtle differences between Costa Rican and Ecuadorian Spanish. I also saw just how much that family was in love with Theresa, and it made me a little jealous that I hadn't been just the second student that my family had hosted, instead of #67 or something like that. But I could see that Theresa was in love with them too and that's all that mattered. We decided to go back to the hotel and either go out to bar or just chill there. Well, a huge similarity between CR and Ecuador is that when it rains, there are no taxis available. So we waited for about an hour and then decided to go into the rain and find our own. Of course, we found one within 2 minutes, made it to the hotel and had a drink with my parents. And then it was time to say goodbye to T. And we never took a picture together!! Too bad. (Te Amo, T!!)
Day 3: Tuesday was the beginning of our Galapagos adventure. Our plane actually made a stop in Guayaquil before landing on the island of Baltra. So a little precursor: My mom had pestered Allie and I to read up on the Galapagos before getting there so we understood its uniqueness. But of course, Allie and I were being stubborn and refused to look at or read anything. So when we landed the plane in the middle of the desert, we both looked at each other a little bit confused. Weren't these islands supposed to be tropical? There was no vegetation whatsoever except some dead-looking grass and cacti. Rocks EVERYWHERE, and no fauna to speak off. We took a bus from the airport (after being filmed by some Japanese film crew in the customs area... awkward) to the ferry dock and crossed the channel to the island of Santa Cruz, which we would call home. As we drove from the north tip to the south tip with our very friendly and incredibly polite guide, Daniel, we noticed an extreme change in environment: We started off in the desert, like I said not much to see. Then all of a sudden, we saw mountains and once we crossed over them it was a tropical paradise, with low-hanging clouds and a lot more vegetation. We learned that the only "native" mammal on the island is a little mouse, and that most of the vegetation came to the islands via seeds carried on birds or just by the wind or sea. Because if you think about it, nothing is native.
When we arrived in Puerto Ayora, we seemed to have finally hit civilization. With the exception of two little towns, Santa Anna and Bellavista, there was no one on the island. Only about 3% all the islands is inhabited by humans. Anyways, our hotel, El Gran Hotel Lobo del Mar (lobo del mar literally means Wolf of the Sea, but to us English-speakers, it's a sea lion) was beautiful and right on the ocean. You could see the little port from our balcony and most of the town was concentrated on the same street as our hotel, Avenida Charles Darwin.
We settled in our very cute rooms, and then headed to eat a quick lunch. It wasn't quite quick enough, but we managed to make our way to the docks at about 2:00 for the Bay Tour that we were scheduled for. Our guide Marcelo would be beautiful, as Allie and I decided, if he were 6 more, and 6 less.... 6 inches more and 6 years less. Our boat captain, or might I say dingy captain (the boat was tiny) was very nice and in addition to our family, a friendly Spaniard went with us. We saw boobies and crabs and pelicans and friggots and iguanas and all kinds of animals. We made our way to a little island and there we were able to snorkel and... swim with the sea lions!! They were so cute and they were around us in the water. The Spaniard told us that they are usually more playful than they were with us, but I had a couple swim right under me, so I was pleased.
On our way back towards land, I got sick. Seasickness is something I have never experienced before, not even on that boat we took to the Great Barrier Reef. I've never felt the sensation of wanting to rip out your stomach so badly just to feel better again. We landed in a cove and set out on a hike to see sharks in a grotto and iguanas on the other side of our island. The landscape was amazing, with cacti trees and not much else inland and lots of black lava rocks on the coast. The land iguanas were all piled on top of each other in order to share heat (remember, they're cold-blooded) but Allie and I thought they looked like they were on acid and just got done with an orgy or something.
We saw some mating sea turtles in another little bay area, and then made our way back to the port before the sun set. After showers at the hotel, we went out and tried our luck at the Hernan cafe which we had learned was one of the only places to buy pizza for young Sam. It was pretty good, although the service was slow as always is the case in Latin America, and Aaron was highly disappointed with the banana split he ordered, especially considering it took 50 minutes to make.
Day 4: Wednesday we were able to set sail in a bigger boat = less seasickness for Ellen. Our boat ride was upon the Santa Fe, with guides Carla and Yasmini or something like that (it was a guy). We headed toward North Seymour island which was to the East of Baltra. There we were able to hike through the mating grounds of boobies and friggot birds. Friggots are the birds where the males are able to puff up their red turkey-gobbler thing in order to attract the females who circle overhead. Every so often you would see a burst of red through the bushes, so it made for a good scene. There were sea lions, of course, coming out of the ocean to rest and dry off on the rocks. These animals are so tame that they come up right next to you, bark, and then move on because they know that all we do is snap their photo. Sam and I had a good time exploring that day and we were even able to go into the ocean for an unexpected snorkel trip. I opted out of snorkel gear and flippers and decided to see if I could swim in the ocean by myself. Let me tell you it was hard but very invigorating. I almost made it the entire way to the boat, but they pulled us into the panga so that we wouldn't hurt ourselves trying to get by the engine.
Next, we headed to a beach on Santa Cruz to hunt for flamingos. We never saw any, but the water was really nice to wade in, and we watched as Sam and Aaron had yet another snorkeling excursion.
Made our way back, showered, and tried an Italian restaurant which is where I'm pretty sure I got sick. Their idea of gnocchi is not what it should be, let's just leave it at that.
Day 5: Thursday was the early day. We had to be at the port at 5:30 am! We would be setting sail for four hours in order to get to Isla Bartolome. On the way there, the water wasn't too choppy and we were able to sit out on the front of the boat and goof off. They had breakfast for us, and the crew took a special liking towards me because of my Spanish abilities and my helpfulness with clearing dishes.
After a very long ride, we arrived at the island. Bartolome is an inactive volcano and is made completely of lava rock. The only living thing on the island was... cactus. There were some penguins swimming around the coast line and sea lions up on the rocks, but the island was not where they lived. The hike was on wooden stairs, but still a hike because of the incline. It was very VERY windy (Aaron lost his hat), but at the top we were rewarded with a great view of the interesting land mass that was the island.
Again there was a snorkeling option. I opted out... I didn't want to see any fish [shiver shiver]. On the ride back, the water was unfortunately very rough, and only after we were all soaked from water splashing on the boat did we move inside. I, again, was seasick and spent the remainder of the ride laying down on the floor of the boat in the fetal position attempting to sleep it off. Luckily I was able to sleep, and the ride seemed a lot shorter after that.
Showers again, followed by dinner at The Rock. And then we realized it was Thanksgiving! We had a can of cranberry sauce with us, but ended up not even eating it. How sad.
Day 6: Time to go back to Quito. BUT FIRST! We woke up a little early to go to the Charles Darwin Research Center on Santa Cruz island so that we could see land turtles and of course, Lonely George. Here is the tale of Lonely George. Lonely Gorge, or Solitario Jorge in Spanish, is the last known individual of the Pinta Island tortoise species. He has been labelled the rarest creature in the world, and is a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos and internationally. His island was decimated by the invasion of goats, goofy, I know, and so his relatives slowly died. He is approximately 60-90 years old and in good health. Just recently some eggs were fertilized by one of his female partners however, on November 11 2008, the Charles Darwin Research Center reported that 80% of the eggs showed weight loss characteristic of being infertile. However if the other 20% do hatch, they would not be purebred Pinta Island tortoises. So the search continues.
Back in Quito, the parties had started honoring the founding of Quito. It was a pretty crazy night, but we somehow got to a local mall, found Sam some McDonald's and then settled down in a Mexican restaurant where I attempted to drink a coctail named Sexo, Pudor, y Lagrimas (Sex, Modesty, and Tears) which was named after a movie/song that Marco introduced me to. It was gross as it consisted of gin, vodka, tequila, methol, and lime among other ingredients. I didn't have more than a couple sips before I just put it to the side.
Day 7: Boo, time to go home. Leaving Quito was so different. Their security is much tighter than I have ever experienced at any airport, let alone one in South America. After the 5 hour plane ride, we landed in Atlanta where we rushed to get our bags so that Allie could make her connecting flight. Everything worked out fine, and I was the last to leave ATL due to weather problems both there and in Raleigh. I landed, was driven home by a very interesting Morrocan taxi driver, and went to sleep.
------
I feel like I'm missing a lot.... Be sure to look at my photos, because I think that will fill in a lot of blanks.
Peace.
Day 1: We arrived Sunday night, very late, and after a few hiccups in the customs process, we found our driver, Roberto, who took us to the HOJO!!! That's right, we stayed in a Howard Johnson in Quito.
Day 2: Monday, we woke up for a city tour. We were able to see the "centro historico" commonly known as Old Town. Cathedrals, big plazas, the presidential palace... reminded me of Lima and sometimes even like Cuzco. It was about 60 degrees, so I had a sweater on, but remember, we were at the equator so the sun was brutal. I bought a scarf just to cover up my neck (and then ended up wearing it for the entire trip, but hey). The cathedrals were, of course, gorgeous. I always get that feeling when I walk into one like, if I had grown up here, I would have been more religious. Ecuador is 98% Catholic. Yeah. Our tour guide, Carla, was very sweet, and very impressed that I was able to speak Spanish, as have been all our guides. At one point in time we went into a little shopping center and there was this old man, with a beret on, who would sketch us as we were listening to our guide. Then, of course, charged us $1 if we wanted to keep them. They were pretty funny drawings, so I'll see if I can scan it in or something.
My favorite part though was going to El Panecillo (The Little Piece of Bread) which was up on a hill/mountain and had a giant statue of the Virgen. There were some metal outlines of a donkey and Christmas trees that all lit up, and the view of Quito was breath-taking. It is such a dense city, especially compared to San Jose. Everywhere you looked there were houses, buildings, churches. It was really amazing.
Then we headed North out of Quito to La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World) which of course is the equator. Now, when I think of the equator, I think of desert, hot, arid, not a whole lot of anything. But in Ecuador, it was cold, windy, mountainous, lots of trees, basically the exact opposite of what your intuition tells you. We were led to the equator and learned of the "forces," or lack there of, that are characteristic of the equator. For example, if you step off of the equator, even just a meter or so, and try to pry apart someones fingers it is almost impossible. Step on to the equator, try it again, and their fingers spring apart as if they had no strength. Try the same experiment only this time try to push their hands down from above their head. Doesn't work, unless you step onto the equator. It was crazy. I felt so weak!! And of course, on one side water flushes down in one direction, on the other side the other direction, and right on the line, it goes down straight. Whoa is right.
Sam bought an Indiana Jones hat at a little market, and fell in love with it, which basically killed our chances of fitting in because anyone wearing a hat like that (along with Crocs) basically is screaming, "I'M A TOURIST!!" Oh well. At least he didn't get too sunburned.
We got back to the hotel around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and I got ready to see THERESA!!! I was so excited to meet her family and see where they lived. I left the hotel at around quarter to six because dinner was at six and I figured that the eight or ten blocks that separated us wouldn't take much longer than 15 minutes. Wrong. An hour later, I arrived at her condominium complex and was enthusiastically greeted by the guard who announced that the extranjera had arrived. T and her host mom came down and I received my second enthusiastic greeting. YAY! We had the most amazing dinner, complete with jugo de mora, and I just sat back and took in the subtle differences between Costa Rican and Ecuadorian Spanish. I also saw just how much that family was in love with Theresa, and it made me a little jealous that I hadn't been just the second student that my family had hosted, instead of #67 or something like that. But I could see that Theresa was in love with them too and that's all that mattered. We decided to go back to the hotel and either go out to bar or just chill there. Well, a huge similarity between CR and Ecuador is that when it rains, there are no taxis available. So we waited for about an hour and then decided to go into the rain and find our own. Of course, we found one within 2 minutes, made it to the hotel and had a drink with my parents. And then it was time to say goodbye to T. And we never took a picture together!! Too bad. (Te Amo, T!!)
Day 3: Tuesday was the beginning of our Galapagos adventure. Our plane actually made a stop in Guayaquil before landing on the island of Baltra. So a little precursor: My mom had pestered Allie and I to read up on the Galapagos before getting there so we understood its uniqueness. But of course, Allie and I were being stubborn and refused to look at or read anything. So when we landed the plane in the middle of the desert, we both looked at each other a little bit confused. Weren't these islands supposed to be tropical? There was no vegetation whatsoever except some dead-looking grass and cacti. Rocks EVERYWHERE, and no fauna to speak off. We took a bus from the airport (after being filmed by some Japanese film crew in the customs area... awkward) to the ferry dock and crossed the channel to the island of Santa Cruz, which we would call home. As we drove from the north tip to the south tip with our very friendly and incredibly polite guide, Daniel, we noticed an extreme change in environment: We started off in the desert, like I said not much to see. Then all of a sudden, we saw mountains and once we crossed over them it was a tropical paradise, with low-hanging clouds and a lot more vegetation. We learned that the only "native" mammal on the island is a little mouse, and that most of the vegetation came to the islands via seeds carried on birds or just by the wind or sea. Because if you think about it, nothing is native.
When we arrived in Puerto Ayora, we seemed to have finally hit civilization. With the exception of two little towns, Santa Anna and Bellavista, there was no one on the island. Only about 3% all the islands is inhabited by humans. Anyways, our hotel, El Gran Hotel Lobo del Mar (lobo del mar literally means Wolf of the Sea, but to us English-speakers, it's a sea lion) was beautiful and right on the ocean. You could see the little port from our balcony and most of the town was concentrated on the same street as our hotel, Avenida Charles Darwin.
We settled in our very cute rooms, and then headed to eat a quick lunch. It wasn't quite quick enough, but we managed to make our way to the docks at about 2:00 for the Bay Tour that we were scheduled for. Our guide Marcelo would be beautiful, as Allie and I decided, if he were 6 more, and 6 less.... 6 inches more and 6 years less. Our boat captain, or might I say dingy captain (the boat was tiny) was very nice and in addition to our family, a friendly Spaniard went with us. We saw boobies and crabs and pelicans and friggots and iguanas and all kinds of animals. We made our way to a little island and there we were able to snorkel and... swim with the sea lions!! They were so cute and they were around us in the water. The Spaniard told us that they are usually more playful than they were with us, but I had a couple swim right under me, so I was pleased.
On our way back towards land, I got sick. Seasickness is something I have never experienced before, not even on that boat we took to the Great Barrier Reef. I've never felt the sensation of wanting to rip out your stomach so badly just to feel better again. We landed in a cove and set out on a hike to see sharks in a grotto and iguanas on the other side of our island. The landscape was amazing, with cacti trees and not much else inland and lots of black lava rocks on the coast. The land iguanas were all piled on top of each other in order to share heat (remember, they're cold-blooded) but Allie and I thought they looked like they were on acid and just got done with an orgy or something.
We saw some mating sea turtles in another little bay area, and then made our way back to the port before the sun set. After showers at the hotel, we went out and tried our luck at the Hernan cafe which we had learned was one of the only places to buy pizza for young Sam. It was pretty good, although the service was slow as always is the case in Latin America, and Aaron was highly disappointed with the banana split he ordered, especially considering it took 50 minutes to make.
Day 4: Wednesday we were able to set sail in a bigger boat = less seasickness for Ellen. Our boat ride was upon the Santa Fe, with guides Carla and Yasmini or something like that (it was a guy). We headed toward North Seymour island which was to the East of Baltra. There we were able to hike through the mating grounds of boobies and friggot birds. Friggots are the birds where the males are able to puff up their red turkey-gobbler thing in order to attract the females who circle overhead. Every so often you would see a burst of red through the bushes, so it made for a good scene. There were sea lions, of course, coming out of the ocean to rest and dry off on the rocks. These animals are so tame that they come up right next to you, bark, and then move on because they know that all we do is snap their photo. Sam and I had a good time exploring that day and we were even able to go into the ocean for an unexpected snorkel trip. I opted out of snorkel gear and flippers and decided to see if I could swim in the ocean by myself. Let me tell you it was hard but very invigorating. I almost made it the entire way to the boat, but they pulled us into the panga so that we wouldn't hurt ourselves trying to get by the engine.
Next, we headed to a beach on Santa Cruz to hunt for flamingos. We never saw any, but the water was really nice to wade in, and we watched as Sam and Aaron had yet another snorkeling excursion.
Made our way back, showered, and tried an Italian restaurant which is where I'm pretty sure I got sick. Their idea of gnocchi is not what it should be, let's just leave it at that.
Day 5: Thursday was the early day. We had to be at the port at 5:30 am! We would be setting sail for four hours in order to get to Isla Bartolome. On the way there, the water wasn't too choppy and we were able to sit out on the front of the boat and goof off. They had breakfast for us, and the crew took a special liking towards me because of my Spanish abilities and my helpfulness with clearing dishes.
After a very long ride, we arrived at the island. Bartolome is an inactive volcano and is made completely of lava rock. The only living thing on the island was... cactus. There were some penguins swimming around the coast line and sea lions up on the rocks, but the island was not where they lived. The hike was on wooden stairs, but still a hike because of the incline. It was very VERY windy (Aaron lost his hat), but at the top we were rewarded with a great view of the interesting land mass that was the island.
Again there was a snorkeling option. I opted out... I didn't want to see any fish [shiver shiver]. On the ride back, the water was unfortunately very rough, and only after we were all soaked from water splashing on the boat did we move inside. I, again, was seasick and spent the remainder of the ride laying down on the floor of the boat in the fetal position attempting to sleep it off. Luckily I was able to sleep, and the ride seemed a lot shorter after that.
Showers again, followed by dinner at The Rock. And then we realized it was Thanksgiving! We had a can of cranberry sauce with us, but ended up not even eating it. How sad.
Day 6: Time to go back to Quito. BUT FIRST! We woke up a little early to go to the Charles Darwin Research Center on Santa Cruz island so that we could see land turtles and of course, Lonely George. Here is the tale of Lonely George. Lonely Gorge, or Solitario Jorge in Spanish, is the last known individual of the Pinta Island tortoise species. He has been labelled the rarest creature in the world, and is a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos and internationally. His island was decimated by the invasion of goats, goofy, I know, and so his relatives slowly died. He is approximately 60-90 years old and in good health. Just recently some eggs were fertilized by one of his female partners however, on November 11 2008, the Charles Darwin Research Center reported that 80% of the eggs showed weight loss characteristic of being infertile. However if the other 20% do hatch, they would not be purebred Pinta Island tortoises. So the search continues.
Back in Quito, the parties had started honoring the founding of Quito. It was a pretty crazy night, but we somehow got to a local mall, found Sam some McDonald's and then settled down in a Mexican restaurant where I attempted to drink a coctail named Sexo, Pudor, y Lagrimas (Sex, Modesty, and Tears) which was named after a movie/song that Marco introduced me to. It was gross as it consisted of gin, vodka, tequila, methol, and lime among other ingredients. I didn't have more than a couple sips before I just put it to the side.
Day 7: Boo, time to go home. Leaving Quito was so different. Their security is much tighter than I have ever experienced at any airport, let alone one in South America. After the 5 hour plane ride, we landed in Atlanta where we rushed to get our bags so that Allie could make her connecting flight. Everything worked out fine, and I was the last to leave ATL due to weather problems both there and in Raleigh. I landed, was driven home by a very interesting Morrocan taxi driver, and went to sleep.
------
I feel like I'm missing a lot.... Be sure to look at my photos, because I think that will fill in a lot of blanks.
Peace.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Who needs tradition anyway?
This will be a short post, just wanted to say that my hell week has come to an end. Four tests later, I'm thankfully still alive, have not contracted any illness, and am in the midst of packing for my trip. I am so excited it's absurd, I want to leave now, and just thinking about it makes me giddy. I get to speak Spanish, get to see one my bestest girls, and get to go to the beach... and I've NEVER liked the beach!
However, our trip is kind of ruining one of my most cherished days of the year: Thanksgiving. Ok ok ok, yes I'm so extremely lucky to jet-set to another continent, yadda yadda, but c'mon! No turkey!? None of grandma's pies!? How am I going to survive? Rice and beans just won't do the trick. I feel like I'm going to be missing one of the only living traditions in our family, and that makes me kind of sad.
Perhaps the sea lions, giant turtles, and blue-footed boobies will take away the sting.
Peace.
However, our trip is kind of ruining one of my most cherished days of the year: Thanksgiving. Ok ok ok, yes I'm so extremely lucky to jet-set to another continent, yadda yadda, but c'mon! No turkey!? None of grandma's pies!? How am I going to survive? Rice and beans just won't do the trick. I feel like I'm going to be missing one of the only living traditions in our family, and that makes me kind of sad.
Perhaps the sea lions, giant turtles, and blue-footed boobies will take away the sting.
Peace.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Anticipation Bites
This week, I'm looking at four tests, one of which is 40% of my final grade (ok, it's my P.E. class, but still). I have meetings, lunch dates, book club, and even a Study Abroad orientation to help out at on Saturday. I have so much to do, so many good grades to get, and I can't wait until it's all over.
You know why, right? That's right. Latin America is a-knocking. I will be making my way to South America to the beautifully unknown (to me) country of ECUADOR. I get to see one of my amazing friends, Theresa, her city (Quito), and then we will be going over to the Galapagos Islands for a couple days to take in the sun and enjoy nature in its purest form. I am quite excited to go back to speaking Spanish, drinking cheap beer (I think they even have Pilsen down there), and of course PIROPOS! Haha I think I am one of the only women in the world that appreciates piropos and their cultural significance. It just doesn't happen here!
Anyways, the anticipation is going to kill me. Procrastination is at its highest, and I just can't seem to focus. I just want to blow off everything and leave now, but of course, tests are calling and I can't abandon my schoolwork even though it is oh-so tempting right now. I know it's basically going to be a roller coaster this week, going down down down before I can get to the top again. Man, you just gotta love metaphors on life.
Last thought: what do Ecuadorians eat for Thanksgiving? I'm thinking rice and beans, no? I'm bringing a can of cranberry sauce just in case. Props to Theresa for the genius idea!
Peace Folks.
You know why, right? That's right. Latin America is a-knocking. I will be making my way to South America to the beautifully unknown (to me) country of ECUADOR. I get to see one of my amazing friends, Theresa, her city (Quito), and then we will be going over to the Galapagos Islands for a couple days to take in the sun and enjoy nature in its purest form. I am quite excited to go back to speaking Spanish, drinking cheap beer (I think they even have Pilsen down there), and of course PIROPOS! Haha I think I am one of the only women in the world that appreciates piropos and their cultural significance. It just doesn't happen here!
Anyways, the anticipation is going to kill me. Procrastination is at its highest, and I just can't seem to focus. I just want to blow off everything and leave now, but of course, tests are calling and I can't abandon my schoolwork even though it is oh-so tempting right now. I know it's basically going to be a roller coaster this week, going down down down before I can get to the top again. Man, you just gotta love metaphors on life.
Last thought: what do Ecuadorians eat for Thanksgiving? I'm thinking rice and beans, no? I'm bringing a can of cranberry sauce just in case. Props to Theresa for the genius idea!
Peace Folks.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Generation O
Well, I guess it's pretty much required that everyone with a blog write something about our new president. So here it goes...
Tuesday was fun! I ate sushi (not so fun) with a bunch of friends and watched as Obama became the president-elect. The place went all crazy, lots of cheering, almost no booing, it was a good time. And the ice cream tempura made my night. Watching McCain's concession was pretty inspiring - he delivered it quite eloquently and I appreciate that. And of course I was jealous of all the people in Grant Park (so close to home!!) who were watching Obama give his first speech as our president-elect. It was pretty powerful.
And then Wednesday happened. Why oh why did I pick a southern school? (Rhetorical question.) I walk to my second class of the day through our Free Expression Tunnel, a place where students express themselves in graffiti. Standing outside of it is Dr. Stafford, our vice chancellor for student affairs, and about 5 police officers staring with disbelief at what had been written over night.
"Let's shoot that n***** in the head."
"KKK will rise again."
and so on. I live among the bigots of our nation. North Carolina did eventually go blue, but 66 counties were red and only 22 were blue. And guess what? All those 22 counties go to UNC and I get stuck with the other 66. It was very hard for me to see such blatant racism, because frankly, I never really thought it existed in a such a harsh manner. I see people with confederate flag apparel, which makes me sick, but it's "their culture" whatever that means. It's just a pitiful excuse to let it keep on happening. It's impossible to believe that people down here just think it's right, let alone ok. If you know it's wrong, don't use the excuse that "it's how they were raised" because that's just shoving the problem under the table and allowing their hatred to continue and grow. It's gross.
(Obviously still a beginner...)
Peace.
Anyways, campus police acted swiftly, and by the time I came back through the tunnel (after about 50 minutes) the entire tunnel was painted over white. There was a large letter from Student Government condemning the actions. Here is what it said: http://students.ncsu.edu/sgims/documents/files/499/SL_Resp_to_Hate_Speech.htm
Our chancellor also made a quick statement: http://www.ncsu.edu/about-nc-state/chancellor/speeches-and-writings/free-expression/index.php
All of this sparked a need for a Unity Rally that was held on Thursday. I attended part of it, and was impressed by how quickly student government put everything together.
Our chancellor also made a quick statement: http://www.ncsu.edu/about-nc-state/chancellor/speeches-and-writings/free-expression/index.php
All of this sparked a need for a Unity Rally that was held on Thursday. I attended part of it, and was impressed by how quickly student government put everything together.
So, that's my election story. A true blue girl in a battleground state. Luckily the students who wrote all that crap on the wall turned themselves in. Their apartments/dorms were searched and it was determined that there was no real threat to Obama. Well, no offense, but obviously. They are just some college kids from Bumblefuck, NC, who think they are invincible and that free speech includes hate speech, which it obviously doesn't. I actually de-friended a couple people on Facebook after seeing what they wrote about our new President. They all said they are "afraid for our country." You know why I'm afraid for my country? Because of the crazy people like them who allow racism to live on. Again, it's gross.
And I'm done ranting.
On to more important things... like my future. Ha. Well, I had another interview on Friday and another one is coming up tomorrow for internships in the food industry. I'm still debating if that's what I really want, but with the looks of the economy, any job that pays may be worth it. I still would really like to do something abroad, more related to hunger, but it may not be an option. Oh, and I have decided to add a crop science minor. That's right. Even more classes. Yippee. But I think it will be a "tool in the toolbox" to have, to agree with my mentor. Let's hope that it takes me somewhere exciting.
And something completely different. I've been fooling around with Photoshop, finally after about a year of never using it. Here are some things that I've done with some Costa Rica photos. They make me happy :)
(Obviously still a beginner...)
Peace.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Grannys and an Altima
This past week was anything but uneventful. Three tests from Mon-Thurs did not help my precarious health conditions, however I did receive the two test grades from the previous week and I was extremely happy with both. Thursday I was rewarded with a new car. My dad came into town to scope out the dealerships, and after some visits, we decided on a brand new Nissan Altima. We chose the base model (without a radio) since I am a minimalist, right? And to save a few bucks, of course. We'll wire him up with a sweet radio soon enough. I've never driven a new car before and it was crazy to see the odometer read a simple "49." I'm in the midst of trying to name him, because I've always named my cars (Ruby, Amy, Luisa, etc). This is my first male car, however. I've started that poll at the top of this blog, but nobody seems to want to vote. I wanted to name him something Italian, but I'm thinking Manny might be the winner. Let me know what you think.
Then, this Friday was of course Halloween. Although I didn't go out on the 31st (dead tired from the week's events, no pun intended), Aprellna made their apperance at Jason's annual Halloween party. The softball team had decided upon the Peanuts characters and their outifts were true to the characters. Shauna, April and I had been tossing ideas back and forth about what we wanted to be, but after a trip to the Salvation Army, it was clear: Grannys. We couldn't pass up the amazingly tacky Christmas sweaters that were $4.99. We floured our hair, found some glasses and goofy earrings, and came out 50 years older. We won 2nd best group costume at the party and won one of the infamous rubber chickens! Quite an honor.
This week should be less painful than last, and I'll be looking forward to getting healthier as well as catching up on some long-awaited and deserved sleep.
Then, this Friday was of course Halloween. Although I didn't go out on the 31st (dead tired from the week's events, no pun intended), Aprellna made their apperance at Jason's annual Halloween party. The softball team had decided upon the Peanuts characters and their outifts were true to the characters. Shauna, April and I had been tossing ideas back and forth about what we wanted to be, but after a trip to the Salvation Army, it was clear: Grannys. We couldn't pass up the amazingly tacky Christmas sweaters that were $4.99. We floured our hair, found some glasses and goofy earrings, and came out 50 years older. We won 2nd best group costume at the party and won one of the infamous rubber chickens! Quite an honor.
This week should be less painful than last, and I'll be looking forward to getting healthier as well as catching up on some long-awaited and deserved sleep.Peace.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Where'd my finger go?
I finally have some time to write, and finally have the physical ability to as well. Let's go back to last Saturday.
I volunteered to work two shifts at the Dairy Bar at the State Fair scooping ice cream that the food science department here on campus produces in the basement of Schaub. I went with two of my friends who are also budding food scientists and fought our way through the throngs of rednecks waiting in line for giant turkey legs, fried macaroni and cheese, and frozen cheesecake on a stick. Everything went as *smoothly* as is possible during fair time. We were surprised that with the cold we still had no down time between scooping orders of cookie dough, cherry vanilla, and butter almond. Then, as the new shift was coming in and we were able to take a little break, I was a little clumsy... I was trying to move some ice cream from the very bottom of a tub so that we could replace it with a fresh one. I lost my grip and sliced my finger on the metal rim of the ice cream bucket. Well, it was no slice... more like I lost a chunk of skin. It wouldn't stop bleeding for a good 15 minutes or so and was making me super woozy. Knowing me, I'm surprised I didn't pass out. Well, we put about three bandages on it, gloved up again, and scooped for another three hour shift. After helping close up, we were finally out at about quarter til midnight.
Woke up the next morning and took a shower. I was too afraid to take the bandaids off, so I waited until I was out of the shower. And it started gushing again. This time I did have to lie down on the couch so I wouldn't faint. I decided that I would get the mother's opinion, and of course with my mom, everything needs to be looked at by professionals. Kelly was kind enough to take me to the emergency room. I felt silly for going for a little cut, but knowing my travel plans, I figured it was better to go get it checked out rather than have it rage with infection and ruin my trip. The doctor was less than thrilled with my "laceration" but told me that since I hadn't come in the night before he wasn't going to give me stitches. I wanted a stitch! He said to just watch it for signs of infection: will do.
I had kept it wrapped up until last night. I took off the bandaid and it felt like there was no feeling all the way around the knuckle that was sliced off. So I decided to let it air out and let the blood level out today, but I still have limited feeling in that finger. I wonder if I hit a nerve or something... Good story for the grand kids I guess.
In other news, the second round of midterms are killing me. I have come down with a killer sinus infection, but luckily have antibiotics now to ease the pain. Every time I sniffled in, my face felt like it was going to explode. Now at least the pain has subsided a little.
In Costa Rican news, Margarita's newest entry made me cry in the middle of the library. I miss that life soooo much, too, it's absurd. The second that one of these silly food industry companies offers me a position, I'm buying that ticket for May and I swear I'm staying there for a good three weeks or so. Oh, Marco Vinicio is a debt collector. That's right. He's the one that calls you up and tells you that you're past due. What a laugh. He also thought that I cut off all of my fingers when I explained what happened and was almost yelling at me for being such a klutz. Tehe.
I finally have some things to look forward to: 6 days until I get a new car (crossing fingers); 29 days until I leave for Ecuador; and about 2 or 3 months until I can finally apply for the Peace Corps. I love countdowns. They give me hope. And I need a lot of that right now.
Peace.
I volunteered to work two shifts at the Dairy Bar at the State Fair scooping ice cream that the food science department here on campus produces in the basement of Schaub. I went with two of my friends who are also budding food scientists and fought our way through the throngs of rednecks waiting in line for giant turkey legs, fried macaroni and cheese, and frozen cheesecake on a stick. Everything went as *smoothly* as is possible during fair time. We were surprised that with the cold we still had no down time between scooping orders of cookie dough, cherry vanilla, and butter almond. Then, as the new shift was coming in and we were able to take a little break, I was a little clumsy... I was trying to move some ice cream from the very bottom of a tub so that we could replace it with a fresh one. I lost my grip and sliced my finger on the metal rim of the ice cream bucket. Well, it was no slice... more like I lost a chunk of skin. It wouldn't stop bleeding for a good 15 minutes or so and was making me super woozy. Knowing me, I'm surprised I didn't pass out. Well, we put about three bandages on it, gloved up again, and scooped for another three hour shift. After helping close up, we were finally out at about quarter til midnight.
Woke up the next morning and took a shower. I was too afraid to take the bandaids off, so I waited until I was out of the shower. And it started gushing again. This time I did have to lie down on the couch so I wouldn't faint. I decided that I would get the mother's opinion, and of course with my mom, everything needs to be looked at by professionals. Kelly was kind enough to take me to the emergency room. I felt silly for going for a little cut, but knowing my travel plans, I figured it was better to go get it checked out rather than have it rage with infection and ruin my trip. The doctor was less than thrilled with my "laceration" but told me that since I hadn't come in the night before he wasn't going to give me stitches. I wanted a stitch! He said to just watch it for signs of infection: will do.
I had kept it wrapped up until last night. I took off the bandaid and it felt like there was no feeling all the way around the knuckle that was sliced off. So I decided to let it air out and let the blood level out today, but I still have limited feeling in that finger. I wonder if I hit a nerve or something... Good story for the grand kids I guess.
In other news, the second round of midterms are killing me. I have come down with a killer sinus infection, but luckily have antibiotics now to ease the pain. Every time I sniffled in, my face felt like it was going to explode. Now at least the pain has subsided a little.
In Costa Rican news, Margarita's newest entry made me cry in the middle of the library. I miss that life soooo much, too, it's absurd. The second that one of these silly food industry companies offers me a position, I'm buying that ticket for May and I swear I'm staying there for a good three weeks or so. Oh, Marco Vinicio is a debt collector. That's right. He's the one that calls you up and tells you that you're past due. What a laugh. He also thought that I cut off all of my fingers when I explained what happened and was almost yelling at me for being such a klutz. Tehe.
I finally have some things to look forward to: 6 days until I get a new car (crossing fingers); 29 days until I leave for Ecuador; and about 2 or 3 months until I can finally apply for the Peace Corps. I love countdowns. They give me hope. And I need a lot of that right now.
Peace.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The View from Kenya
I just got back to my apartment after a nice 5-day break from school. I was able to make it back home and see my family and our lovely new kitchen. I didn't even feel like I was in my childhood home because of the drastic changes that had been made: beautiful new hard-wood floors, granite counters, a bar, dozens of new cabinets, two (!) ovens, and even a fancy-schmancy warming drawer. My mother's dream kitchen, I hope.
My ride home from the airport today is, however, what I would like to discuss. For some reason, chatty taxi drivers allow for the most superb of anecdotes. My driver was from Kenya, probably in his 30s. He had decorated his car with terrible pictures of his wife (eyes closed, double chin, just poorly-taken photographs: she was quite lovely) and other relics from his home country. He started with the typical questions: Where are you flying from? Is the weather cold up there? So you go to school at State? What do you study? etc. He was very interested in food science, although was confused as to how that tied into saving the world. I explained my version, and he quickly caught on, though stated that I could not save the world without seeing it. Of course, my answer was that I had been to 17 (I think) different countries and did in fact consider myself to be as un-narrow-minded of an American as you can get. This impressed him greatly. He said that I should get a head start on internships so as to get into the working industry quickly. I told him that I had just applied for three this past weekend. Again, he was impressed.
We then continued with politics, of course, and racism, of course, and ended on globalization. He said that he had moved here 15 years ago at a time where every country in the world wanted to be like the famous "America," and when the American Dream still rang true. Now, although people are still greatly influenced by our country's goings-on, nobody seems to like us. He said that he even had trouble with his own family because he is now living in a country that nobody from the global world seems to like anymore. I Wonder Whose fault that could be? (PS. that was a hint...)
I am glad that I was assigned taxi cab #042 today, because it gave me a little more perspective on life. I am having an extremely hard time trying to determine the first step in my career and unfortunately have so many good-looking options, my stress levels are through the roof. (But at least I will never be a chatty taxi driver.) I know that none of the options will ruin my life, but I worry, a lot, that I might miss out on an opportunity that proves to be "the one" for me. Do I want to improve a food industry company by making them more aware of the world hunger issue? Do I want to start up and/or work for a non-profit organization that is fighting the poverty epidemic? Do I want to take the governmental route and see what organizations such as the FAO and WFP are doing along the same lines? Or should I just get my PH.D. and develop my own way to save the world? All I know is that I want to continue traveling, continue to understand the global problems that I wish the eradicate, and then, hopefully (crossing my fingers, toes, and eyes) the perfect opportunity will present itself and I will lap it up with all my enthusiasm.
Peace.
My ride home from the airport today is, however, what I would like to discuss. For some reason, chatty taxi drivers allow for the most superb of anecdotes. My driver was from Kenya, probably in his 30s. He had decorated his car with terrible pictures of his wife (eyes closed, double chin, just poorly-taken photographs: she was quite lovely) and other relics from his home country. He started with the typical questions: Where are you flying from? Is the weather cold up there? So you go to school at State? What do you study? etc. He was very interested in food science, although was confused as to how that tied into saving the world. I explained my version, and he quickly caught on, though stated that I could not save the world without seeing it. Of course, my answer was that I had been to 17 (I think) different countries and did in fact consider myself to be as un-narrow-minded of an American as you can get. This impressed him greatly. He said that I should get a head start on internships so as to get into the working industry quickly. I told him that I had just applied for three this past weekend. Again, he was impressed.
We then continued with politics, of course, and racism, of course, and ended on globalization. He said that he had moved here 15 years ago at a time where every country in the world wanted to be like the famous "America," and when the American Dream still rang true. Now, although people are still greatly influenced by our country's goings-on, nobody seems to like us. He said that he even had trouble with his own family because he is now living in a country that nobody from the global world seems to like anymore. I Wonder Whose fault that could be? (PS. that was a hint...)
I am glad that I was assigned taxi cab #042 today, because it gave me a little more perspective on life. I am having an extremely hard time trying to determine the first step in my career and unfortunately have so many good-looking options, my stress levels are through the roof. (But at least I will never be a chatty taxi driver.) I know that none of the options will ruin my life, but I worry, a lot, that I might miss out on an opportunity that proves to be "the one" for me. Do I want to improve a food industry company by making them more aware of the world hunger issue? Do I want to start up and/or work for a non-profit organization that is fighting the poverty epidemic? Do I want to take the governmental route and see what organizations such as the FAO and WFP are doing along the same lines? Or should I just get my PH.D. and develop my own way to save the world? All I know is that I want to continue traveling, continue to understand the global problems that I wish the eradicate, and then, hopefully (crossing my fingers, toes, and eyes) the perfect opportunity will present itself and I will lap it up with all my enthusiasm.
Peace.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
This little piggy went to market... and so did this one... and this one...
Today was our class field trip, for lack of better terms, to the Smithfield [Pork] Packing and Processing Plant in Clinton, NC.
Yippee?
I made it aware to my tour-guide, Shannon, that I had no intention of going to the kill room, and even the cut room might be a challenge for me. The first part wasn't so bad. Lots of cuts of pork, I'm used to seeing that, and it was pretty chilly so there wasn't any bad smell. Also, a lot of the employees were Hispanic and definitely hopped on the stereotypical bandwagon and stared at us (a group of all girls) as we walked by. Although, thinking back, they couldn't really see a whole lot of us because we were well equipped with boots, lab coats, helmets, hair nets/face nets, and earplugs. We sort of just blended in. Or so I thought.
We were led through mazes of machinery that was all manned by dozens of workers, cutting and sorting the meat. Like I said, the first part wasn't too bad. But then we entered the cut area. The head room was the first disturbing part of the day. Yes, that's right: The Head Room. And there's no A/C in this part of the factory, so I think you can imagine what it smells like. Actually, maybe you can't; it's pretty hard to describe the stench... Hundreds of heads being detached from pig's bodies were jammed onto spikes and then carefully destroyed by the line of people with super sharp knives. Ears in that pile, eyes over there, and don't forget about the snouts! We also saw the evisceration process and a machine designated to spit the hearts into a little vat of hot water. There were tubs of chitlins, livers, all that good "offal" stuff.
And then I stopped. I went and sat in the supervisors' office and had a nice chat with some of them, and even snuck a peak at the violations list. Some that were included were chewing gum, improper use of beard net, spitting on the ground, wearing music headphones instead of ear plugs, things of that nature. It was good to know, however, that one of the new supervisors had fainted on his first day when he went into the head room for the first time. It's good to know because now I don't feel like everyone is completely desensitized. It's pretty disturbing. I later heard stories about the kill floor: how they shave off the eyelids, rinse their dead mouths with Scope (I think the Scope part was made up), and the giant torches at every corner used to scorch off the hair. Yeah, glad I wasn't there.
It was a good experience, I guess. I'm glad someone is willing to do that work day after day. Although one of the guides said that a lot of times people show up to work for their first day and then never come back. I'm thinking that would be me...
In other news, I have no car. The entire brake system is shot, and it would cost a minimum of $2,000 to fix it. HAHA good one. I'll be getting a new car soon!
Peace.
Yippee?
I made it aware to my tour-guide, Shannon, that I had no intention of going to the kill room, and even the cut room might be a challenge for me. The first part wasn't so bad. Lots of cuts of pork, I'm used to seeing that, and it was pretty chilly so there wasn't any bad smell. Also, a lot of the employees were Hispanic and definitely hopped on the stereotypical bandwagon and stared at us (a group of all girls) as we walked by. Although, thinking back, they couldn't really see a whole lot of us because we were well equipped with boots, lab coats, helmets, hair nets/face nets, and earplugs. We sort of just blended in. Or so I thought.
We were led through mazes of machinery that was all manned by dozens of workers, cutting and sorting the meat. Like I said, the first part wasn't too bad. But then we entered the cut area. The head room was the first disturbing part of the day. Yes, that's right: The Head Room. And there's no A/C in this part of the factory, so I think you can imagine what it smells like. Actually, maybe you can't; it's pretty hard to describe the stench... Hundreds of heads being detached from pig's bodies were jammed onto spikes and then carefully destroyed by the line of people with super sharp knives. Ears in that pile, eyes over there, and don't forget about the snouts! We also saw the evisceration process and a machine designated to spit the hearts into a little vat of hot water. There were tubs of chitlins, livers, all that good "offal" stuff.
And then I stopped. I went and sat in the supervisors' office and had a nice chat with some of them, and even snuck a peak at the violations list. Some that were included were chewing gum, improper use of beard net, spitting on the ground, wearing music headphones instead of ear plugs, things of that nature. It was good to know, however, that one of the new supervisors had fainted on his first day when he went into the head room for the first time. It's good to know because now I don't feel like everyone is completely desensitized. It's pretty disturbing. I later heard stories about the kill floor: how they shave off the eyelids, rinse their dead mouths with Scope (I think the Scope part was made up), and the giant torches at every corner used to scorch off the hair. Yeah, glad I wasn't there.
It was a good experience, I guess. I'm glad someone is willing to do that work day after day. Although one of the guides said that a lot of times people show up to work for their first day and then never come back. I'm thinking that would be me...
In other news, I have no car. The entire brake system is shot, and it would cost a minimum of $2,000 to fix it. HAHA good one. I'll be getting a new car soon!
Peace.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! NO BRAKES! NO BRAKES!
My car has no brakes. That's right. No Brakes. And of course I just drove over 900 miles (I redid the math...) through the mountains with brakes that were about to burst. My car is peeing brake fluid now. Wow. Makes you think about luck and destiny. I'm glad that I only had to drive about 15 minutes home when I found out and that there was only three or four stoplights on the way, all of which were green for me. It was disheartening when my foot was all the way on the floor and still my car was accelerating down the hill. Not a good feeling in my stomach. And tomorrow it will be towed and the car guys can look at it and shake there heads. According to Curt, I'm a bad driver. Haha. I could have told you that.
Well, I am going home in three days. Yay! And I get to see our new kitchen!!
Not much else to tell.
Peace.
Well, I am going home in three days. Yay! And I get to see our new kitchen!!
Not much else to tell.
Peace.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
and 897 miles later...
This weekend, I drove over to the beautiful neighboring state of Tennessee to visit my dear Costa Rica pal. Our original plans didn't quite work out, but we had an amazing time anyways. I drove with Shauna in my good old trusty companion, Luisa, who hit her 60,000 mile mark on our way there right after we crossed the state line. She's old, but just hasn't been driven a lot. But she did great and lasted the entire way. Although, every time I got anywhere near 75 mph she started shaking: her way of saying, Ellen, if you do that, you're not making it home.
We arrived at our destination Friday night at around 9 pm and had a rip-roaring first night. Well, not really, but for me it was fun. Saturday started off with some pancakes and a multi-hour long video chat with our good friend Marquillos, and his extremely sketchy friend Diego. There were a couple power outages down in Costa Rica while we were chatting ("i need to leave right now i beleive because this can get burn...") and Marco was adamant that he would burn his hands if he continued to type so he would sign off, but the virtual phone would ring the second the lights came back on. We then went to see our friend at her gig at a coffee store in their hometown. She had a whole set and rocked it. We stopped by a big rock (it was more impressive than I just made it sound) and ate at a local Mexican restaurant. Then it was time for pee-wee football! I had never been to a high school football game, let alone a pee-wee one. Those parents are inSANE crazy fans. They all have shirts that say, "My Spartan is 88" or whatever their kid's number is. It's great. Brittney's little brother was playing (and scored a touchdown within the first two minutes of the game) and I met some of her hometown buds and family.
Saturday was full of dancing. Brit and I decided that we were going to learn the choreography to the Cafe Tacvba dance to their song Dejate Caer. The moves look really simple, but throw in some other variables (*wink*), and it took us a while to get them right. We video-taped every try, and I figure that I will put our best take up on my blog instead of Facebook or something, because, let's face it, who really reads this thing anyways? Here it is:
We arrived at our destination Friday night at around 9 pm and had a rip-roaring first night. Well, not really, but for me it was fun. Saturday started off with some pancakes and a multi-hour long video chat with our good friend Marquillos, and his extremely sketchy friend Diego. There were a couple power outages down in Costa Rica while we were chatting ("i need to leave right now i beleive because this can get burn...") and Marco was adamant that he would burn his hands if he continued to type so he would sign off, but the virtual phone would ring the second the lights came back on. We then went to see our friend at her gig at a coffee store in their hometown. She had a whole set and rocked it. We stopped by a big rock (it was more impressive than I just made it sound) and ate at a local Mexican restaurant. Then it was time for pee-wee football! I had never been to a high school football game, let alone a pee-wee one. Those parents are inSANE crazy fans. They all have shirts that say, "My Spartan is 88" or whatever their kid's number is. It's great. Brittney's little brother was playing (and scored a touchdown within the first two minutes of the game) and I met some of her hometown buds and family.
Saturday was full of dancing. Brit and I decided that we were going to learn the choreography to the Cafe Tacvba dance to their song Dejate Caer. The moves look really simple, but throw in some other variables (*wink*), and it took us a while to get them right. We video-taped every try, and I figure that I will put our best take up on my blog instead of Facebook or something, because, let's face it, who really reads this thing anyways? Here it is:
It's always sad to say goodbye, obviously, but it does seem that we live a lot closer than we do. I have seen her more than I have seen my dad in the past year, and that's kind of pathetic. I'm glad that we're able to find the time to see each other, and I hope it continues.
I did have a rather nice time driving all those hours (minus the necks and calf cramping) because I am in love with North Carolina's mountains! They are simply gorgeous. When we drove there, it rained the entire time and I felt like I was driving to Guapiles, CR, and that the beach would be just beyond the mountains. They are so pretty. A little nerve-racking to be driving through, but so pretty. I think I want to live in Asheville and be a hippy with a sweet house on the side of a cliff with no electricity and an outhouse in our backyard. That would be pretty much amazing.
I'll have to look into that.
Peace.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
ASB Italy 2009 - Wow
Today was the big day: I picked my team members for the Alternative Spring Break trip that I am co-leading next year.
Oh. My. Goodness.
We had 36 applicants that put us down for their first choice (there are about 14 different trips), about 15 as their second option, and about 20 for their third = 71 applicants in total.
We could only pick EIGHT.
And let me tell you this: We were there for almost SIX HOURS. We had to pass up a lot of good applicants because of various reasons, but we are so psyched for the ones we did pick. We are going to have the most amazing trip in the history of ASB and we're going to make it super cheap... how does $1800 sound? :)
Wednesday is reveal night; remember we don't know who we actually picked, we just saw their essays and student ID number. I can't wait to meet the people and put a face to the applications because they were seriously amazing. I feel bad that we couldn't pick more but asi es la vida. I think it was the most stressful thing I had done in a long time because I felt like I was fate and was determining the future for a lot of people. But no matter where everyone gets placed, they will have a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I hope they see that.
More life news: not much. 4 tests in 3 days = no sleep for Ellen. I wish I cared more. But right now, I'm writing on my blog instead of studying, so I think you can imagine....
Peace.
Oh. My. Goodness.
We had 36 applicants that put us down for their first choice (there are about 14 different trips), about 15 as their second option, and about 20 for their third = 71 applicants in total.
We could only pick EIGHT.
And let me tell you this: We were there for almost SIX HOURS. We had to pass up a lot of good applicants because of various reasons, but we are so psyched for the ones we did pick. We are going to have the most amazing trip in the history of ASB and we're going to make it super cheap... how does $1800 sound? :)
Wednesday is reveal night; remember we don't know who we actually picked, we just saw their essays and student ID number. I can't wait to meet the people and put a face to the applications because they were seriously amazing. I feel bad that we couldn't pick more but asi es la vida. I think it was the most stressful thing I had done in a long time because I felt like I was fate and was determining the future for a lot of people. But no matter where everyone gets placed, they will have a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I hope they see that.
More life news: not much. 4 tests in 3 days = no sleep for Ellen. I wish I cared more. But right now, I'm writing on my blog instead of studying, so I think you can imagine....
Peace.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Vegetarian at heart?
Today, I experienced a very rude awakening...
Sitting in my meat science class is usually a relatively painless activity: the teacher is entertaining, I'm learning about foods, and I'm with a lot of my friends. However, today's subject was very disturbing: Animal Harvest. Just the fact that the industry calls it "harvest" makes my stomach turn. They don't think of animals as living beings, but objects they created in order to produce food. Now don't get me wrong, because I love meat. I eat chicken and turkey and cheeseburgers, but I enjoy being naive about where my meat comes from. I don't need to see the torture instruments used in slaughter houses to render the animals unconscious. I don't need to see pictures of Babe the pig being prodded and electrocuted over and over just so he could move from one end of the barn to another. And I especially don't need to hear my professor explain, with every minute detail, just how economically beneficial it is to starve animals before they are killed and how it is extremely humane to put them all in a gas chamber before sanguination.
I was crying. I excused myself from the class and went to cry. But why?? I like meat! Here's why: no one should be numb to killing a living being. I was surprised at the lack of emotion in that classroom, just like killing thousands of beings is an everyday thing. Well, unfortunately it is. But that doesn't mean that we should enjoy looking at pictures of dying hogs. I think the other reason that it was particularly difficult for me was the fact that we were learning about hog slaughtering. Chickens... kill them as far as I'm concerned. Those are dirty, nasty, mean animals and I don't like them and I'm sorry if that is heartless, but I've had some pretty bad experiences with chickens. But little piggies!? I once was woken up in Nicaragua to the sound of a pig being castrated and it gave me nightmares for weeks. It sounded like a baby who had just been trampled on by hundreds of horses or something. It was awful. So that was probably another reason for my sudden emotional breakdown. And I don't really eat pork...
Moral of my story is: show some compassion, people. And know where the line is and how it can be crossed. I eat meat, but I want to know absolutely nothing about what happens before it goes into my mouth.
Irony: I'm going to a swine packaging plant in October. Yippee.
Sitting in my meat science class is usually a relatively painless activity: the teacher is entertaining, I'm learning about foods, and I'm with a lot of my friends. However, today's subject was very disturbing: Animal Harvest. Just the fact that the industry calls it "harvest" makes my stomach turn. They don't think of animals as living beings, but objects they created in order to produce food. Now don't get me wrong, because I love meat. I eat chicken and turkey and cheeseburgers, but I enjoy being naive about where my meat comes from. I don't need to see the torture instruments used in slaughter houses to render the animals unconscious. I don't need to see pictures of Babe the pig being prodded and electrocuted over and over just so he could move from one end of the barn to another. And I especially don't need to hear my professor explain, with every minute detail, just how economically beneficial it is to starve animals before they are killed and how it is extremely humane to put them all in a gas chamber before sanguination.
I was crying. I excused myself from the class and went to cry. But why?? I like meat! Here's why: no one should be numb to killing a living being. I was surprised at the lack of emotion in that classroom, just like killing thousands of beings is an everyday thing. Well, unfortunately it is. But that doesn't mean that we should enjoy looking at pictures of dying hogs. I think the other reason that it was particularly difficult for me was the fact that we were learning about hog slaughtering. Chickens... kill them as far as I'm concerned. Those are dirty, nasty, mean animals and I don't like them and I'm sorry if that is heartless, but I've had some pretty bad experiences with chickens. But little piggies!? I once was woken up in Nicaragua to the sound of a pig being castrated and it gave me nightmares for weeks. It sounded like a baby who had just been trampled on by hundreds of horses or something. It was awful. So that was probably another reason for my sudden emotional breakdown. And I don't really eat pork...
Moral of my story is: show some compassion, people. And know where the line is and how it can be crossed. I eat meat, but I want to know absolutely nothing about what happens before it goes into my mouth.
Irony: I'm going to a swine packaging plant in October. Yippee.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The hurricane... known as life
Well, supposedly Raleigh was hit by Hurricane Hanna last night... good thing I was having the best night of sleep in a long time and missed all the hullabaloo. Even though the physical hurricane didn't leave a mark on my life (or on my car, thank goodness) my life has become a hurricane of its own. My 18 hours of classes are catching up with me, and my new practice of not procrastinating and getting assignments ahead of time is slowly fizzling. Everytime I open up my assignment notebook, it is a flurry of tests, quizzes, homework, meetings, talks, events, activities, wow! Every day is packed full with something, and the weekends have truly become my only free time of the week, even though I'm still working on homework. We were supposed to go the beach this weekend and have some true down time, but obviously the hurricane, the real one, ruined those plans. But I'm enjoying not having to worry about what's going on tomorrow and what I have to get ready.
Something that just hit me: my life is so structured in the states. In CR I did what I wanted to, when I wanted to. There was no assignment notebook. There was no planning my life. I went with the flow, traveled when I could, did homework when I wanted to, and never stressed over deadlines. I recently have been put through the wringer with my schedule changes, and experienced some truly unnecessarily stress and I just flat out miss my carefree life in Central America. Not to mention my friends, family, and favorite hangouts. Just tell me one place in this country where I can slip under the bartender door and help myself or my friends to our choice of beverages... I got nothing, you?
Some hopeful news: as part of my GRASP application for my airfare to CR, I had said that I was going to give a seminar in the food science department about food handling practices in Central America given my vast knowledge on the subject. I talked with my mentor and decided that the perfect place to practice would be the Study Abroad Symposium. I am going to give a lecture about the differences in food storage and preparation and really try to inspire students and professors to do something about, especially from the educational point-of-view. If a couple of dedicated people educated the masses of Central America about the fact that although microwaves keep rats and flies away from food, they are not proper alternatives to refrigerators or freezers that would be amazing. And I have seen both extremes as far as economic status goes, from my spacious Costa Rican home to my dirt-floored, rotting shack in Nicaragua. Even my travels to Guatemala and Peru can shine some perspective on my audience, or so I hope. And that is what I will be working on independently this semester, hoping to give my lecture on Nov 17 (so if you're in the area, COME!). Obviously I will be working closely with my mentor to perfect the seminar, but I really hope to put a lot of Elena into the mix and make it a personable experience. I'm excited, if you can't tell :)
Oh, I have officially started working on the novel. We'll see how that goes...
PEACE!
Something that just hit me: my life is so structured in the states. In CR I did what I wanted to, when I wanted to. There was no assignment notebook. There was no planning my life. I went with the flow, traveled when I could, did homework when I wanted to, and never stressed over deadlines. I recently have been put through the wringer with my schedule changes, and experienced some truly unnecessarily stress and I just flat out miss my carefree life in Central America. Not to mention my friends, family, and favorite hangouts. Just tell me one place in this country where I can slip under the bartender door and help myself or my friends to our choice of beverages... I got nothing, you?
Some hopeful news: as part of my GRASP application for my airfare to CR, I had said that I was going to give a seminar in the food science department about food handling practices in Central America given my vast knowledge on the subject. I talked with my mentor and decided that the perfect place to practice would be the Study Abroad Symposium. I am going to give a lecture about the differences in food storage and preparation and really try to inspire students and professors to do something about, especially from the educational point-of-view. If a couple of dedicated people educated the masses of Central America about the fact that although microwaves keep rats and flies away from food, they are not proper alternatives to refrigerators or freezers that would be amazing. And I have seen both extremes as far as economic status goes, from my spacious Costa Rican home to my dirt-floored, rotting shack in Nicaragua. Even my travels to Guatemala and Peru can shine some perspective on my audience, or so I hope. And that is what I will be working on independently this semester, hoping to give my lecture on Nov 17 (so if you're in the area, COME!). Obviously I will be working closely with my mentor to perfect the seminar, but I really hope to put a lot of Elena into the mix and make it a personable experience. I'm excited, if you can't tell :)
Oh, I have officially started working on the novel. We'll see how that goes...
PEACE!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
I should have known
I should have known that the time would come when I would be in the United States, doing the whole university thing, and one of my friends would be in Latin America, living it up like we all should. And I'm jealous, upset, frustrated, and basically a Debbie Downer because of it. I don't want to be here. Don't get me wrong, I'm happier here compared to Chicago where I had my parents (and I still love them don't get me wrong) and zero friends. Thanks to technology I still "have" my parents, and now I have all of my friends. But some things just aren't quite fitting in like I thought they would once I got back. And I think you know what I'm talking about... actually, I don't really know what, but I thought maybe you could help me out...
I had a great weekend with Brittney/Plinko. I'm so glad she came to visit me, because I just had that itch to talk about nothing but CR. Scratched! But of course now, I want more, and I'm just going to have to wait. We had a little, ahem, get-together on Friday with a bunch of my friends, jock jams themed. The theme failed as Brittney and I were in 100% sports get-up and changed out as soon as someone showed up. Oh well, at least there are some photos as proof of our initial effort. Saturday we tried to go to a men's soccer game - rained out. That's something that just isn't the same.... it rained a butt load in CR but the rain here is different. It makes everything sticky instead of fresh and cool. I don't like NC rain. Anyways, we went to Pullen Park on Sunday and I was very impressed. I kind of wanted to steal someones kid so I could have an excuse to go on the carousel, but we ended up renting the little paddle boats and attempting to communicate with the wildlife with our duck-calls. Let's just say it wasn't a complete failure.
Now classes are back in action, my calendar is filled to the brim, and I'm not in Latin America. You do the math.
Peace.
I had a great weekend with Brittney/Plinko. I'm so glad she came to visit me, because I just had that itch to talk about nothing but CR. Scratched! But of course now, I want more, and I'm just going to have to wait. We had a little, ahem, get-together on Friday with a bunch of my friends, jock jams themed. The theme failed as Brittney and I were in 100% sports get-up and changed out as soon as someone showed up. Oh well, at least there are some photos as proof of our initial effort. Saturday we tried to go to a men's soccer game - rained out. That's something that just isn't the same.... it rained a butt load in CR but the rain here is different. It makes everything sticky instead of fresh and cool. I don't like NC rain. Anyways, we went to Pullen Park on Sunday and I was very impressed. I kind of wanted to steal someones kid so I could have an excuse to go on the carousel, but we ended up renting the little paddle boats and attempting to communicate with the wildlife with our duck-calls. Let's just say it wasn't a complete failure.
Now classes are back in action, my calendar is filled to the brim, and I'm not in Latin America. You do the math.
Peace.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Desiderata
"Desiderata"
-Max Ehrmann-
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
[LOVE IT]
-Max Ehrmann-
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
[LOVE IT]
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
it's the process that counts
Well, classes are turning out to be really good, just not in the right order... While I try to perfect my ever-changing schedule, my brain is being packed full of new info at a speed that I'm not too sure I'm comfortable with. I have finally been able to vocalize what is going wrong in my mind and I am open to suggestions from anyone who might have some.
University no longer appeals to me. Now don't get me wrong - education is still priority numero uno in my life, at least right now, but I am truly having trouble seeing the point of getting up at 730 every morning just so I can feel confused, anxious, or flat out bored in my classes. Nothing seems to have a point and I don't see where anything I learn will help me out in my future. And ironically, I'm in a lot of food science classes finally, but still nothing is sticking. It's all interesting, I guess, but for some reason, my outlook has changed.
If you knew me in my high school years, you wouldn't have known a day could come where I would rather see a movie than study to get an A on a test. I stayed home every night, unless I had a sports game, and studied. Studied, ate, and slept. That was high school Ellen. And I wanted to go to an Ivy League, Cornell, but obviously that didn't happen either, and by-golly I think I would be dead by now if it had. I'm out of gas and don't know how do fill up the think-tank.
Then I sat down with Shauna and sorted it all out. I finally weeded out all of the distractions and disguises and realized that the reason I am so unhappy is because I don't see where it's all headed. I've taken personality tests that say I am more goal-oriented and care about the final product. And that's how it's always been. I had everything planned out, all the i's dotted and the t's crossed in my career plans. And now, perhaps because of aging or traveling, I don't have a clue where I want to end up. I want to feed people, but how in the world is that going to happen? And then I realized something. Who cares? I don't care where I end up as long as I am happy along the way. Things will interest me, others will bore me. I need to stay happy and interested and think of life as a process and not a way to get to the finished project. There is no way that I can get through another semester, let alone 4, with the attitude that none of this information is of any use to me. It just won't work.
And just in case you were wondering, I have decided to start that novel finally. I'll fill you in as it progresses.
Peace.
University no longer appeals to me. Now don't get me wrong - education is still priority numero uno in my life, at least right now, but I am truly having trouble seeing the point of getting up at 730 every morning just so I can feel confused, anxious, or flat out bored in my classes. Nothing seems to have a point and I don't see where anything I learn will help me out in my future. And ironically, I'm in a lot of food science classes finally, but still nothing is sticking. It's all interesting, I guess, but for some reason, my outlook has changed.
If you knew me in my high school years, you wouldn't have known a day could come where I would rather see a movie than study to get an A on a test. I stayed home every night, unless I had a sports game, and studied. Studied, ate, and slept. That was high school Ellen. And I wanted to go to an Ivy League, Cornell, but obviously that didn't happen either, and by-golly I think I would be dead by now if it had. I'm out of gas and don't know how do fill up the think-tank.
Then I sat down with Shauna and sorted it all out. I finally weeded out all of the distractions and disguises and realized that the reason I am so unhappy is because I don't see where it's all headed. I've taken personality tests that say I am more goal-oriented and care about the final product. And that's how it's always been. I had everything planned out, all the i's dotted and the t's crossed in my career plans. And now, perhaps because of aging or traveling, I don't have a clue where I want to end up. I want to feed people, but how in the world is that going to happen? And then I realized something. Who cares? I don't care where I end up as long as I am happy along the way. Things will interest me, others will bore me. I need to stay happy and interested and think of life as a process and not a way to get to the finished project. There is no way that I can get through another semester, let alone 4, with the attitude that none of this information is of any use to me. It just won't work.
And just in case you were wondering, I have decided to start that novel finally. I'll fill you in as it progresses.
Peace.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Way to start off the semester
Well, I fail at school.
Being in CR completely ruined me and my educational/organizational skills. I did not sign up for two labs periods for this semester when I was registering for classes last semester in CR, which means I had to add an additional 5 hours of lab time to my already busy class schedule (18 credits) and now I have to be exempt from Park block, which I don't really like. I was a mess today, running all over the place, trying to enroll in the right labs; it was just not the right way to start off the semester. And I forgot a pen. The first day of classes and I don't bring a pen with me... AND I have a cold and it's not going away. How can I already have my annual sinus infection if I haven't even started school? What is going on?
The good news. I am in an online course: Dairy and Milk Products (bringing out my inner farm-girl) and I love it. I can do what I want, when I want, and the information that we go over looks really interesting. It basically focuses on the farm to table process for all dairy products, and our final project is picking a food and finding out exactly how it goes from farm to table. Should be great. My other classes look good so far. Chem 201 is tomorrow so that should be my scariest one I think. I hope not, but that's how it's looking. My stats "teacher" is a grad student and she is going to drive me Up The Walls if she says "so" or "uh" one more time. Step aerobics looks aerobtastic!
In 9 days, my maes Plinko and Guami are coming to visit me for the Labor Day holiday and I can't wait! I know I just saw them maybe a month ago, but now I'm in the south, they're in the south, it was just meant to be. I want to show them the apartment - small but great - and introduce them to my buddies. HIJUEPUTA MAES - QUE TAPIS SOMOS!
Being in CR completely ruined me and my educational/organizational skills. I did not sign up for two labs periods for this semester when I was registering for classes last semester in CR, which means I had to add an additional 5 hours of lab time to my already busy class schedule (18 credits) and now I have to be exempt from Park block, which I don't really like. I was a mess today, running all over the place, trying to enroll in the right labs; it was just not the right way to start off the semester. And I forgot a pen. The first day of classes and I don't bring a pen with me... AND I have a cold and it's not going away. How can I already have my annual sinus infection if I haven't even started school? What is going on?
The good news. I am in an online course: Dairy and Milk Products (bringing out my inner farm-girl) and I love it. I can do what I want, when I want, and the information that we go over looks really interesting. It basically focuses on the farm to table process for all dairy products, and our final project is picking a food and finding out exactly how it goes from farm to table. Should be great. My other classes look good so far. Chem 201 is tomorrow so that should be my scariest one I think. I hope not, but that's how it's looking. My stats "teacher" is a grad student and she is going to drive me Up The Walls if she says "so" or "uh" one more time. Step aerobics looks aerobtastic!
In 9 days, my maes Plinko and Guami are coming to visit me for the Labor Day holiday and I can't wait! I know I just saw them maybe a month ago, but now I'm in the south, they're in the south, it was just meant to be. I want to show them the apartment - small but great - and introduce them to my buddies. HIJUEPUTA MAES - QUE TAPIS SOMOS!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Freshmen
I just got back from a three day retreat in the mountains with the fresh batch of freshmen scholars. I am physically exhausted and have a gag-inducing bruise on my thigh that pulsates with each heartbeat. I never want to walk up a hill and am regretting leaving the corn fields and plains of Illinois to come back to the anything-but-flat south. And the bricks are going to be especially tricky.
But enough about complaining. I met some of the most amazing kids on this retreat. My fellow facilitators and I were equally impressed and content with the overall reactions between the new classmates. There of course were those who were super smart, some a little less considerate, and some that made me want to stop everything and join them in their endeavors sheep-herding in New Zealand. I hope that I "bonded" with a couple of them and really hope they take me up on my offer for coffee/dinner/chilling at the apartment but I guess I can't take it personally if they get too busy during their first year to come visit me. Hopefully I'll be seeing a bunch of them around campus because they are all so amazing in their own Parksy way.
I think that I learned something about myself as well and that's that I don't ever want to be loud. I know that's kind of a weird thing to learn at a retreat, but I really enjoy being reserved and witty and somewhat sarcastic. My height attracts enough attention and I don't need to be the center of attention during every conversation. I am an interesting-enough person to entertain those people who want to be entertained, but I don't need to go out of my way to make someone happy or laugh. I am perfectly content the way I am. It was hard to watch the newbies impress each other, and I hope they quickly learn that they are their own competitor. No one else cares. Only you care. You are your own worst enemy and it will only be you judging your every step.
Love ya 2012! KEEP ON JOURNALING!! (This blog site is free!)
But enough about complaining. I met some of the most amazing kids on this retreat. My fellow facilitators and I were equally impressed and content with the overall reactions between the new classmates. There of course were those who were super smart, some a little less considerate, and some that made me want to stop everything and join them in their endeavors sheep-herding in New Zealand. I hope that I "bonded" with a couple of them and really hope they take me up on my offer for coffee/dinner/chilling at the apartment but I guess I can't take it personally if they get too busy during their first year to come visit me. Hopefully I'll be seeing a bunch of them around campus because they are all so amazing in their own Parksy way.
I think that I learned something about myself as well and that's that I don't ever want to be loud. I know that's kind of a weird thing to learn at a retreat, but I really enjoy being reserved and witty and somewhat sarcastic. My height attracts enough attention and I don't need to be the center of attention during every conversation. I am an interesting-enough person to entertain those people who want to be entertained, but I don't need to go out of my way to make someone happy or laugh. I am perfectly content the way I am. It was hard to watch the newbies impress each other, and I hope they quickly learn that they are their own competitor. No one else cares. Only you care. You are your own worst enemy and it will only be you judging your every step.
Love ya 2012! KEEP ON JOURNALING!! (This blog site is free!)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
It's about time
And finally a happy post...
I'm back at school, with friends and no family. I am living in an amazing apartment - clean and my own room! - and I will be going into the mountains for the rest of the week on a retreat with some of the incoming Parks. It should be great because now I'm an upperclassman, not worrying about making friends, etc. I'm the cool one. Haha. Or not.
My morale is high, flashing my pearly whites more, and I'm even considering wearing my watermelon-colored pants out! AND! My maes from TN are coming to visit me for Labor Day holiday and that makes me so happy I could almost explode.
Life is coming together again.
And the end note: I'm going to write a novel. It's been a thought kind of rolling around in my head for a while and I think it's finally time to set it into action. I have more than enough material as you, my faithful reader, can vouch for. My adventures deserve a book, and I think it would be a good project. Who knows if it will ever be published, but that's just it - WHO KNOWS?!
I'm back at school, with friends and no family. I am living in an amazing apartment - clean and my own room! - and I will be going into the mountains for the rest of the week on a retreat with some of the incoming Parks. It should be great because now I'm an upperclassman, not worrying about making friends, etc. I'm the cool one. Haha. Or not.
My morale is high, flashing my pearly whites more, and I'm even considering wearing my watermelon-colored pants out! AND! My maes from TN are coming to visit me for Labor Day holiday and that makes me so happy I could almost explode.
Life is coming together again.
And the end note: I'm going to write a novel. It's been a thought kind of rolling around in my head for a while and I think it's finally time to set it into action. I have more than enough material as you, my faithful reader, can vouch for. My adventures deserve a book, and I think it would be a good project. Who knows if it will ever be published, but that's just it - WHO KNOWS?!
Friday, August 8, 2008
One more thing:
Never leave your house key on your key chain when you park valet. Your parents will be angry, threaten to change the locks, and make you feel really bad about your lack of street smarts. It might even make you cry when you think about it.
Do you now understand how badly I need to get out of here? Everyday, I tell my parents something else that makes them upset and in turn I feel like a complete failure at life. What happened to me being the poster child, the one that was always bragged about at every adult function? Everything I do these days is a let down. Since CR, I haven't been able to brag about much, and maybe my parents are just forgetting that I have a perfect GPA, full ride scholarship, saving them thousands upon thousands of dollars so they can redo their kitchen and take family trips to Ecuador. Maybe they just forgot about all of that. One thing is for sure... I need, need, need to get out of this house and back to school and get on with my own life. But first, I need to get a serious boost of endorphines because my self-esteem and general disposition has become borderline depressed.
Please make me smile.
Do you now understand how badly I need to get out of here? Everyday, I tell my parents something else that makes them upset and in turn I feel like a complete failure at life. What happened to me being the poster child, the one that was always bragged about at every adult function? Everything I do these days is a let down. Since CR, I haven't been able to brag about much, and maybe my parents are just forgetting that I have a perfect GPA, full ride scholarship, saving them thousands upon thousands of dollars so they can redo their kitchen and take family trips to Ecuador. Maybe they just forgot about all of that. One thing is for sure... I need, need, need to get out of this house and back to school and get on with my own life. But first, I need to get a serious boost of endorphines because my self-esteem and general disposition has become borderline depressed.
Please make me smile.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Fortunately, things can only go up from here
On hearing some very upsetting news about my health, I realized that I may not be able to look at certain aspects of life the same. My standards of traveling will never be the same, nor will safety, health, men, risk-taking, the list goes on. I guess there are just some things in life that make you really evaluate where you are, how you got there, and how to get out. I hate saying that I regret doing something, but I think there's a first time for everything. It's just unfortunate it has to be now, but I'll be the first to say, I regret some of the decisions I made in the past six months. And now, they will stick with me for a very long time.
But on the bright side, things can only go up from here. In less than a week's time, I'll be with friends that I haven't seen in over 8 months; the ones who allowed me to find a side of myself that I am comfortable with. All of my friends rock.
Peace.
But on the bright side, things can only go up from here. In less than a week's time, I'll be with friends that I haven't seen in over 8 months; the ones who allowed me to find a side of myself that I am comfortable with. All of my friends rock.
Peace.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Consejos para la Vida
I have decided to take a little detour from the conventional journaling and post some of the life lessons that I have compiled for myself. The first bunch is from a quote on the front of a diary I own, and the rest are some of my original thoughts.
"live with intention.
walk to the edge.
listen hard.
practice wellness.
play with abandon.
laugh.
choose with no regret.
continue to learn.
appreciate your friends.
do what you love.
live as if this is all there is."
- mary anne radmacher
Consejos:
"Maybe you need to love somebody in order to find out who you are and why you love yourself." - M.V.V.H. Listen to the advice you give others and use it in your own life. Talk more; tell people your ideas - whoever will listen. Someone will be interested and someone will help you. Speak slowly and enunciate. Be strong and don't let people tell you what to do, and think for yourself no matter how cool / fun / interesting something may be. Be comfortable with your life. "If I die, maybe someone will remember me." (M.V.V.H) Don't push things or try to make something happen because everything will happen that is supposed to. Destiny! Find faith. Learn to meditate. Don't forget people's names. Brush your teeth.
What not to do:
Never live alone, Ellen you can't handle it. Don't die alone. Find a place or a person that makes you feel safe - don't be unnecessarily afraid of life. Stress kills. Don't watch too much TV and never believe it. Don't fall for cheap tricks because of "love" (ie Elsa on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Believe the best in people, but don't be manipulated. Emphasis: It is so important to not push things. Don't try to make things happen if they are not supposed to or if it feels like nothing is going right. Forcing it won't make you feel better, nor will it improve the situation. This goes for careers and relationships. This is NOT saying that you shouldn't work had, because you should, just don't lie, etc to make things how you want them to be. DON'T LIE and don't do drugs unless you are willing to face the consequences. Never owe people money / Never get into debt / Never spend more than you make. Don't loan people money "out of the goodness of your heart" unless you are willing to never get a penny back.
That's all for now. More lessons when they hit me :)
"live with intention.
walk to the edge.
listen hard.
practice wellness.
play with abandon.
laugh.
choose with no regret.
continue to learn.
appreciate your friends.
do what you love.
live as if this is all there is."
- mary anne radmacher
Consejos:
"Maybe you need to love somebody in order to find out who you are and why you love yourself." - M.V.V.H. Listen to the advice you give others and use it in your own life. Talk more; tell people your ideas - whoever will listen. Someone will be interested and someone will help you. Speak slowly and enunciate. Be strong and don't let people tell you what to do, and think for yourself no matter how cool / fun / interesting something may be. Be comfortable with your life. "If I die, maybe someone will remember me." (M.V.V.H) Don't push things or try to make something happen because everything will happen that is supposed to. Destiny! Find faith. Learn to meditate. Don't forget people's names. Brush your teeth.
What not to do:
Never live alone, Ellen you can't handle it. Don't die alone. Find a place or a person that makes you feel safe - don't be unnecessarily afraid of life. Stress kills. Don't watch too much TV and never believe it. Don't fall for cheap tricks because of "love" (ie Elsa on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Believe the best in people, but don't be manipulated. Emphasis: It is so important to not push things. Don't try to make things happen if they are not supposed to or if it feels like nothing is going right. Forcing it won't make you feel better, nor will it improve the situation. This goes for careers and relationships. This is NOT saying that you shouldn't work had, because you should, just don't lie, etc to make things how you want them to be. DON'T LIE and don't do drugs unless you are willing to face the consequences. Never owe people money / Never get into debt / Never spend more than you make. Don't loan people money "out of the goodness of your heart" unless you are willing to never get a penny back.
That's all for now. More lessons when they hit me :)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Photo Essay Contest
No voting necessary, just feel free to read my "final" reflection on Costa Rica!
-Elena
Monday, June 30, 2008
Vote for #14 Que Vida La Mia: http://io.amigoslink.org/contphotocontest-voting.htm
HI ALL!
The first was taken in Panama in the Caribbean islands of Bocas del Toro and the second was taken in my small community in Nicaragua called La Palma. These kids are my cousins and you can even see my little brother's head popping up in the very back. They are the world to me and I would love it if you could help me out and VOTE!! I know I have two photos up, but if I am going to win, I can't have your votes split between two. So if you could please vote for #14 Que Vida La Mia, I would really appreciate it! Please vote at this website: http://io.amigoslink.org/contphotocontest-voting.htm!!
First order of business. Two of my photos have been chosen as some of the 20 finalists in a photo competition with Amigos de las Americas (the program that I went to Nica for the first time with) and Continental Airlines. On the line is two round trip tickets to anywhere that Continental flies in Latin America! So please log on and vote... July 1st till the 31st - an entire month to vote! And please: TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!! I was a finalist last year and I know that it takes a lot of people to vote in order for a photo to win. These are what my photos looks like:
"Tranquilidad"
"Que Vida La Mia"
The first was taken in Panama in the Caribbean islands of Bocas del Toro and the second was taken in my small community in Nicaragua called La Palma. These kids are my cousins and you can even see my little brother's head popping up in the very back. They are the world to me and I would love it if you could help me out and VOTE!! I know I have two photos up, but if I am going to win, I can't have your votes split between two. So if you could please vote for #14 Que Vida La Mia, I would really appreciate it! Please vote at this website: http://io.amigoslink.org/contphotocontest-voting.htm!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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