Here we are again! Blog time! Cannot even believe that I am writing yet again from Madrid, Spain. A quick update to anyone who reads this and has no idea why on earth I am in Spain:
I applied on a whim to a job posting I saw on Idealist back in late March for English Language and Culture Assistants. I didn't hear a thing and actually I had even forgotten that I applied until June when I got an e-mail saying I had been hired. I thought it was a little fishy at first, but after talking on the phone with one of the recruiters I decided that this is my life and the opportunity I had more or less been looking for so, why not! And if I got there and it wasn't real..well then I would just travel around for a month or two or so..and then come back home. Rough.
Three months later (and not without a few bumps in the road) I have arrived to Madrid! And I am NOT LIVING WITH A FAMILY!! If anyone remembers anything about my posts last summer, you will remember that by the end I was quite decided that I was done with host families. I am so, so excited to finally be on my own in another country. It's going to be a totally new experience.
Here on the end of my second day (almost the start of my third) I'm just amazed at how the mind works. I am not going to lie that the whole week leading up to my departure I became more and more nervous and started to second guess my decision. I even felt like I didn't want to leave when the morning came to get on the plane. Not to mention the fact that I was going a little crazy thinking about all the things that could go wrong between the airport and attempting to get to my apartment all alone. But, everything worked itself out beautifully - one of the other assistants in the program met me at the airport. We managed the taxi together (and the luggage) and I was able to get into my apartment no problema. And already today I feel absolutely no jetlag (well...I guess it is 2:30am..and I am wide awake...I guess I'll get back to you on that tomorrow), I've already re-established myself with the metro system, and I feel completely at home. No worries. No second guessing. Now we just have to wait and see AFTER classes start! :) But it's truly amazing how we can psych ourselves out over things unknown. Deep down I think I knew I would be fine once I got here, but the waiting is truly the worst part because up until the point when you actually ARE fine, you can really go crazy convincing yourself that everything and anything will go wrong.
Also, I was able to meet up with my friend Camila tonight. She was in my very first group of international students when I was a Peer Guide and now she is living in Spain studying and doing an internship in Madrid for a few more weeks. It makes me so happy to be able to see people who I have not seen in years (3 in this case) and still feel like not all that much has changed. And I am so thankful for these opportunities because I have said "We'll see each other again.." way too many times and although in my heart I know it's true, it's so hard knowing that that could mean months or it could be years.
All in all I am very content and antsy to get out and meet people and do things.
Hasta la próxima!
"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." - Thomas Paine
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Delayed Thoughts from March
I wrote this post over a month ago and for whatever reason, it never got posted. I'd rather it not just go to waste, so I am posting it now :)
Since Mondays are basically the only day of the week that I have any free time after 3pm, I had a long list of things that I wanted to get done. FINALLY I got my paycheck from work (since my boss had been in the hospital for 15 previous days with no one having a clue how to run/manage her business) so I quickly went to pick that up and decided to head to Festival to get a few groceries for the next 2 weeks before Spring Break. There is a stoplight near Festival where quite often I have seen a man who holds cardboard signs saying things like "Cold, could use extra sleeping bag" or "Need work", or something like this. I am not for certain if he is completely homeless, but my gut tells me so. Yesterday I saw him with a sign that said several things, but the only thing that I could read said "Hungry". I wondered how many people were driving past trying to avoid looking at him or simply pretending he wasn't there. So I decided that I would pick some things up while I was getting my few groceries and give him a small meal on my way back home.
Originally I thought I would just buy some kind of pre-made deli sandwich, but then once I was in the store I got way more into this good deed of the day than I had previously planned. Festival has a really nice deli and a sort of "buffet" section with hot meals and soups that you can put in to-go boxes and pay for at the checkout. So I start looking through the options and began critically thinking about what would be the best types of food to eat without a table or easiest with just plastic silverware. I mounded up a huge section of mac & cheese with ham and three chicken strips. On my way to the silverware I saw peanut butter and chocolate rice krispie treats, so I grabbed one of those, too. At the checkout, I bought a bottled water and an extra apple. I put it all together in its own bag separate from the other stuff I bought. I got in my car and headed back towards the stoplight. As I got closer I saw the light turn red and I quickly unbuckled so that I could do a fast "Chinese Fire Drill" type action once I got up there. I saw a guy standing at the light, but when I got there it wasn't the same guy, just some pedestrian waiting to cross the street. I thought "Dang it! He couldn't have gone far!" I mean, he had a whole bundle of things with him like sleeping bags and his cardboard signs and I'm sure some backpack or something so I started looking down the streets to the left and the right, but he was no where to be seen. For a minute, I considered driving around the blocks until I found him, but then I looked at my already empty gas tank, thought about the rest of the things that I had to get done in just a few hours, and reluctantly decided that the moment had passed. I am a terrible human who bailed on following through with a good deed.
Thinking about it now, I wish I would have just done a quick loop around a couple blocks to find him, but it is just so easy to let these kinds of things affect us for just a moment before we turn back to focusing on our own lives and personal dilemmas. A lot of people use the phrase "Well, it's the thought that counts" which could easily apply to this situation. Why do we even say that? It's not because we actually believe the thought really counts. It's to make ourselves feel less selfish or guilty when we didn't follow through with something. The only things that really count are the actions you do that have real, positive change or effect on others and the world.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Girl Scouts are like, totally radical, dude.
Well, apparently it's a lot harder to keep up on this thing than I thought! But the strangest part is that I have had so many ideas running through my brain about what I want to write about, I found myself avoiding this thing all week long just because I didn't want to have to start sorting through them all and making a decision on where to start. I actually found myself having a hard time falling asleep last week because I was laying in my bed counting Blog Titles instead of sheep...
I don't know how many people reading this were ever in the Boy or Girl Scouts, but growing up, being part of the Girl Scouts was actually a huge part of my life from about age 6 until 13. Maybe it was the fact that the older you got, the more colorful and "cool" your vest had the potential of becoming, or the fact that I had a never-ending rivalry with another girl in my troop and I just HAD to have more badges than her......oooor maybe it was just those damn cookies...but it was a pretty big deal.
The reason this has been on my mind is that I recently had to write a reference for a friend who was applying to be a camp counselor at a GS camp near the D.C. area. It brought back so many memories of all my summers at Camp Ehawee, and I started to feel nostalgic. I think I almost convinced myself I was writing the reference from a tent in Sacagewea during "Me Time". And then this morning, I saw this article from Addictinginfo.org:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/02/22/indiana-republican-rep-says-girl-scouts-are-bent-on-communism-lesbianism-and-destroying-america/
The headline reads:
I think I have finally figured out what it is about these kinds of Republicans: They spend so much time blaming the "destruction of America" on the LGBTQ community, "socialists" & "communists", Obama, and Planned Parenthood not because they actually believe any of this, but because they want to make as many distractions as they can before people start to say "Hey.. wait...a...minute....YOU'RE DESTROYING AMERICA!"
Whoa, sorry. I did not want this to become a political rant because I really do enough of that on my Facebook page, but this article infuriated me. Really hate to burst this guy's white, elitist and heterosexual bubble, but I don't have a single memory from my 8 summers at camp involving the development of communist ideals, activities trying to convince me I liked the other girls in my camp session romantically, or anything having to do with changing my religious beliefs (in the article, he makes an argument that only 3 of the 50 Girl Scout role models have Christian backgrounds...therefore implying that they are the only true role models). I can tell you what I did get out of those summers:
Leadership skills
People skills
Communication skills
Development of my hobbies and interests
Survival skills
Sunburns and embarrassing tan lines from wearing socks with sandals
Physical (not emotional) scars
I don't know how many people reading this were ever in the Boy or Girl Scouts, but growing up, being part of the Girl Scouts was actually a huge part of my life from about age 6 until 13. Maybe it was the fact that the older you got, the more colorful and "cool" your vest had the potential of becoming, or the fact that I had a never-ending rivalry with another girl in my troop and I just HAD to have more badges than her......oooor maybe it was just those damn cookies...but it was a pretty big deal.
The reason this has been on my mind is that I recently had to write a reference for a friend who was applying to be a camp counselor at a GS camp near the D.C. area. It brought back so many memories of all my summers at Camp Ehawee, and I started to feel nostalgic. I think I almost convinced myself I was writing the reference from a tent in Sacagewea during "Me Time". And then this morning, I saw this article from Addictinginfo.org:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/02/22/indiana-republican-rep-says-girl-scouts-are-bent-on-communism-lesbianism-and-destroying-america/
The headline reads:
Indiana Republican Rep Says Girl Scouts Are ‘Bent On Communism, Lesbianism And Destroying America’
I think I have finally figured out what it is about these kinds of Republicans: They spend so much time blaming the "destruction of America" on the LGBTQ community, "socialists" & "communists", Obama, and Planned Parenthood not because they actually believe any of this, but because they want to make as many distractions as they can before people start to say "Hey.. wait...a...minute....YOU'RE DESTROYING AMERICA!"
Whoa, sorry. I did not want this to become a political rant because I really do enough of that on my Facebook page, but this article infuriated me. Really hate to burst this guy's white, elitist and heterosexual bubble, but I don't have a single memory from my 8 summers at camp involving the development of communist ideals, activities trying to convince me I liked the other girls in my camp session romantically, or anything having to do with changing my religious beliefs (in the article, he makes an argument that only 3 of the 50 Girl Scout role models have Christian backgrounds...therefore implying that they are the only true role models). I can tell you what I did get out of those summers:
Leadership skills
People skills
Communication skills
Development of my hobbies and interests
Survival skills
Sunburns and embarrassing tan lines from wearing socks with sandals
Physical (not emotional) scars
Friendships - In fact, I met one of my best friends from middle school at camp when we did a Biking session at the same time. Later, I moved to her hometown and she was one of the only people I knew, which when you are entering the 6th grade can be a huge relief since I think I speak for all of us when I say middle school is a bitch - especially for girls....(because we're bitchy). Here we are :)
I remember, Kye, the counselor who carried me from the pool house to the nurse's office when I stepped on an earring that got lodged into the heel of my foot.
I remember that Mork was always there summer after summer keeping everything running like clockwork.
I remember Thudd, the canoe guy and one of the only male counselors and how all of us girls would swoon whenever he came into the mess hall-- yep, whole lot of lesbianism going on there.
I remember Thudd, the canoe guy and one of the only male counselors and how all of us girls would swoon whenever he came into the mess hall-- yep, whole lot of lesbianism going on there.
My favorite counselor was Goldie, and I remember that she was from Cashton.
I learned how to make pudgie pies and banana boats, and I learned the difference between wood ticks and deer ticks.
I learned how to make pudgie pies and banana boats, and I learned the difference between wood ticks and deer ticks.
I remember that while I got along with almost everyone, there were a handful of crazy girls at camp too, and I'm certain it had nothing to do with their sexual orientation or political ideologies. I went on a Houseboating session my last summer at camp and that was when I first learned that people will make up a lot of stories about themselves when they are starving for attention. Another summer, there was a girl that needed some serious mental health evaluations who tried hitting another girl in the back of the head with a flashlight. Later in the week, she also ran around swinging a broom at the rest of us. Like I said -- there was some cause for concern.
Girl Scouts most definitely made me become a different kind of person than I would have been had I never participated, but contrary to this Indiana senator's skewed and bigoted belief, by no means did it form my sexual identity or convince me that communism is great. Like all other human beings, I didn't choose to be straight and there's no way that singing camp songs or learning how to canoe was an attempt to brainwash me into believing that capitalism is evil and societies should be classless.
Now that I think about it, Republicans do a good enough job convincing me of that on their own.
Now that I think about it, Republicans do a good enough job convincing me of that on their own.
Friday, February 17, 2012
The 2012 Intro
Quite a handful of people out there are legitimately concerned that the world will end in 2012. I figure then I have no time to waste but to start sharing all the gems in this brain of mine before we are all obliterated. I have less than a year to become a blogging sensation!
Seriously people, the world is not going to end in 2012. The Mayans were pretty genius when it came to their mathematical and astrological advances, but they probably were in the middle of building the next calendar when Spanish conquistadors showed up. Let's just say, they had bigger problems. What really prompted me to revamp my blog was the fact that I used to write a lot. I have a plethora of Facebook notes where I shared silly and embarrassing things that happened to me with my FB community. I haven't written one in a very long time (not because embarrassing things don't happen to me anymore, but mostly because they are now almost all related to the influence of alcohol and even I'm too embarrassed to shamelessly embarrass myself). My FB notes page has accumulated webs of Charlotte size proportions. But when I traveled, it seemed I always had a will to write and a story to tell. My everyday life isn't anything special, but as I get closer to the end of my college career, I begin to fear the juices in the creation side of my brain are going to start running dry if I don't keep them to good use. My goal is NOT to make this my public "Dear Diary" because that is just....well to put it simply - Awful. Dreadful, in fact. No one wants to read that. I don't even want to read that.....
"Dear Diary, today I woke up to the soft clanging of a silver spoon against a porcelain bowl. I could only assume it was the early morning ritual of Rachel Perry, quietly consuming the luck of the Irish, (or Lucky Charm's in layman's terms) before she embarked on her day. I forced myself back into a slumber, desperately wishing to return to my dreams of human-size penguins and talking dolphins....."
Yeah, no.
Anyway, my point is that I'd just like to get in touch with my thoughts again. And there is some kind of shameless satisfaction in sharing them with other people. If you choose to follow my ramblings, may the force be with you. :)
Seriously people, the world is not going to end in 2012. The Mayans were pretty genius when it came to their mathematical and astrological advances, but they probably were in the middle of building the next calendar when Spanish conquistadors showed up. Let's just say, they had bigger problems. What really prompted me to revamp my blog was the fact that I used to write a lot. I have a plethora of Facebook notes where I shared silly and embarrassing things that happened to me with my FB community. I haven't written one in a very long time (not because embarrassing things don't happen to me anymore, but mostly because they are now almost all related to the influence of alcohol and even I'm too embarrassed to shamelessly embarrass myself). My FB notes page has accumulated webs of Charlotte size proportions. But when I traveled, it seemed I always had a will to write and a story to tell. My everyday life isn't anything special, but as I get closer to the end of my college career, I begin to fear the juices in the creation side of my brain are going to start running dry if I don't keep them to good use. My goal is NOT to make this my public "Dear Diary" because that is just....well to put it simply - Awful. Dreadful, in fact. No one wants to read that. I don't even want to read that.....
"Dear Diary, today I woke up to the soft clanging of a silver spoon against a porcelain bowl. I could only assume it was the early morning ritual of Rachel Perry, quietly consuming the luck of the Irish, (or Lucky Charm's in layman's terms) before she embarked on her day. I forced myself back into a slumber, desperately wishing to return to my dreams of human-size penguins and talking dolphins....."
Yeah, no.
Anyway, my point is that I'd just like to get in touch with my thoughts again. And there is some kind of shameless satisfaction in sharing them with other people. If you choose to follow my ramblings, may the force be with you. :)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
A Series of Unfortunate Events
It seems that my bad luck in board and card games against Patricia followed me on my travels outside of Spain and manifested itself into other small, unlucky, and slightly hilarious events.
First of all, I almost broke the small bath tub in my friend's apartment. The bathroom is teeny tiny. Imagine the smallest closet in your house and then imagine it with a toilet, a washing machine, and a bathtub. There's no sink, so I was brushing my teeth over the tub when I leaned a little too hard on the edge (apparently) and the entire thing flipped on its side in this tiny little room. I fell along with it and ended up inside of it on the floor. I thought for sure I had just broken the damn thing and I sat there for a good 30 seconds contemplating all the options, but mostly just shocked at the situation. When I heard Sash come out of her room (after hearing the loud crash) I got up and opened the door. The look on her face didn't ease my nerves about probably having to find some store and buy a new bathtub. She said "Quick shut the door so my grandma doesn't see!" She lives with her grandmother who is a bit nervous, but luckily also forgetful, because after we managed to flip the tub right side up and make sure nothing was damaged, she had already forgotten that she heard the noise as well.
Then on my 3rd day, I woke up with a bit of an annoying scratchy throat which in 24 hours had turned into an impossible-to-swallow-without-flinching sore throat. I had my first foreign doctor experience to get some antibiotics so that I could get better and not be laying in bed the entire trip. I went into the office, she looked at my throat, pushed on my jaw so hard that I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. Then said I had swollen tonsils (thanks PhD..) and an ear infection. So I started some amoxcicillin and a week later finally felt better.
On Thursday night, Sash and I came home from her boyfriend's house tired and ready to pack our bags for the weekend trip to the lake when I opened the door to her room and noticed little black pieces of...something...all over my suitcases and the floor. When she came in the room I pointed it out to her and she, again, made a face that did not tell me this was something she had seen before and said "Oh my gosh we have a rat." But the amount of stuff on the floor, TV, computer, and shelves suggested that it wasn't A rat, but a family of rats. I thought "Oh my God is it in my suitcase?? Am I going to have to claim 'mysterious Macedonian rat' when I go through US Customs?!" Then we looked up at the wall and saw where there had been a white cover there was a hole. No, it was not rat shit on the floor, but soot. It had been really windy that night and apparently a gust came down through the chimney and blew the cover off the wall and left black soot covering the room. So we cleaned the room bottom to top and then finally packed for the weekend.
And then the cherry on top, our first day at the beach in Ohrid on Friday, it rained. It hadn't rained there in weeks. But the rest of the weekend was beautiful and we were able to go to the beach, see some of the city, and relax under the sun.
Tomorrow morning I am off to Sofia, Bulgaria to spend the last 5 days with my friend Dessi, who was in my international student orientation group last Fall, and also with my friend Danail who I worked with in Wisconsin Dells. Then it's HOME HOME HOME and I can't wait to see my family and friends and the last few weeks of some Wisconsin summer sun.
A few pictures:
First of all, I almost broke the small bath tub in my friend's apartment. The bathroom is teeny tiny. Imagine the smallest closet in your house and then imagine it with a toilet, a washing machine, and a bathtub. There's no sink, so I was brushing my teeth over the tub when I leaned a little too hard on the edge (apparently) and the entire thing flipped on its side in this tiny little room. I fell along with it and ended up inside of it on the floor. I thought for sure I had just broken the damn thing and I sat there for a good 30 seconds contemplating all the options, but mostly just shocked at the situation. When I heard Sash come out of her room (after hearing the loud crash) I got up and opened the door. The look on her face didn't ease my nerves about probably having to find some store and buy a new bathtub. She said "Quick shut the door so my grandma doesn't see!" She lives with her grandmother who is a bit nervous, but luckily also forgetful, because after we managed to flip the tub right side up and make sure nothing was damaged, she had already forgotten that she heard the noise as well.
Then on my 3rd day, I woke up with a bit of an annoying scratchy throat which in 24 hours had turned into an impossible-to-swallow-without-flinching sore throat. I had my first foreign doctor experience to get some antibiotics so that I could get better and not be laying in bed the entire trip. I went into the office, she looked at my throat, pushed on my jaw so hard that I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. Then said I had swollen tonsils (thanks PhD..) and an ear infection. So I started some amoxcicillin and a week later finally felt better.
On Thursday night, Sash and I came home from her boyfriend's house tired and ready to pack our bags for the weekend trip to the lake when I opened the door to her room and noticed little black pieces of...something...all over my suitcases and the floor. When she came in the room I pointed it out to her and she, again, made a face that did not tell me this was something she had seen before and said "Oh my gosh we have a rat." But the amount of stuff on the floor, TV, computer, and shelves suggested that it wasn't A rat, but a family of rats. I thought "Oh my God is it in my suitcase?? Am I going to have to claim 'mysterious Macedonian rat' when I go through US Customs?!" Then we looked up at the wall and saw where there had been a white cover there was a hole. No, it was not rat shit on the floor, but soot. It had been really windy that night and apparently a gust came down through the chimney and blew the cover off the wall and left black soot covering the room. So we cleaned the room bottom to top and then finally packed for the weekend.
And then the cherry on top, our first day at the beach in Ohrid on Friday, it rained. It hadn't rained there in weeks. But the rest of the weekend was beautiful and we were able to go to the beach, see some of the city, and relax under the sun.
Tomorrow morning I am off to Sofia, Bulgaria to spend the last 5 days with my friend Dessi, who was in my international student orientation group last Fall, and also with my friend Danail who I worked with in Wisconsin Dells. Then it's HOME HOME HOME and I can't wait to see my family and friends and the last few weeks of some Wisconsin summer sun.
A few pictures:
Statue of Aristotle in Thessaloniki, Greece
Mountain overlooking Skopje, Macedonia
Matka, Macedonia. Absolutely gooorgeous!
Enormous lake in Ohrid, Macedonia
Saturday, July 30, 2011
So Long and On To The Next One
Writing to you from a small apartment in Skopje, Macedonia! I officially left Spain Thursday afternoon. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to fit all of my stuff plus what I bought while I was there in one large and one small suitcase. I feel pretty proud of that accomplishment. We'll see how I do on August 15.
My last weeks in Spain felt like ages since I was definitely ready to move on. The English classes got lazier as the month went on and my last week there they were almost non-existent. My family planned a nice dinner party with the neighbors and some friends on my last night which was a really nice way to go out. The highlight of the night was a quote from one of their friends, Lola, who was in love with my hair.
"What is this called that I'm doing...planching?"
"No, braiding.."
"Ahh! Raping! I'm raping your hair!"
I was laughing so hysterically that it took me a minute or so to contain myself so that I could explain to her what she had said.
Thursday morning, I woke up early unable to sleep and finished packing. Before I walked out the door, I went into Patricia's room to say goodbye to her since she was still in bed. I waved and said "I'm leaving!" and went to shake her hand. She grabbed my hand and when I tried to walk away she wouldn't let go. I felt for the first time like maybe I really did connect with her and that maybe she really did like me! I decided to think of it that way instead of looking at it as she probably just wanted me to help pull her up out of bed since she had a tendency of doing that.
I arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece just after 7:30 and found my friend Aleksandra happily waiting for me. Her boyfriend, his brother, and the 2 of us went back over the border of Greece into Macedonia to stay the night at her boyfriend's family's small summer house, then yesterday we went back to Thessaloniki to spend the day. I suppose when people hear you say "I'm going to Greece!" they imagine you walking along the beach all day long and taking pictures of houses built alongside the sea. But Thessaloniki doesn't really look that way. It is along the sea, but the beach was pretty far away and the houses are farther inland. We spent the day walking around the city and going in shops. It was a good taste of Greece for the first time and now I am definitely looking forward to the day when I can go back to see Athens and other typical Grecian cities.
From Thessaloniki, we drove back to Skopje, Macedonia which is where Aleks is from. She lives in a small apartment with her brother and grandma who does not speak any English. I finally feel like I am experiencing something new since Spain didn't feel much different, at least not where I was living, and I was able to communicate in either Spanish or English with almost everyone I met. I've been told that the whole apartment building will be talking about the fact that there is an American staying here and that when we go out in the city, people will probably stare at me.
I'm really excited for the next couple of weeks but I am also very ready to be home again and to get back to my normal routine. And as I write that I can already feel myself eating my words.
My last weeks in Spain felt like ages since I was definitely ready to move on. The English classes got lazier as the month went on and my last week there they were almost non-existent. My family planned a nice dinner party with the neighbors and some friends on my last night which was a really nice way to go out. The highlight of the night was a quote from one of their friends, Lola, who was in love with my hair.
"What is this called that I'm doing...planching?"
"No, braiding.."
"Ahh! Raping! I'm raping your hair!"
I was laughing so hysterically that it took me a minute or so to contain myself so that I could explain to her what she had said.
Thursday morning, I woke up early unable to sleep and finished packing. Before I walked out the door, I went into Patricia's room to say goodbye to her since she was still in bed. I waved and said "I'm leaving!" and went to shake her hand. She grabbed my hand and when I tried to walk away she wouldn't let go. I felt for the first time like maybe I really did connect with her and that maybe she really did like me! I decided to think of it that way instead of looking at it as she probably just wanted me to help pull her up out of bed since she had a tendency of doing that.
I arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece just after 7:30 and found my friend Aleksandra happily waiting for me. Her boyfriend, his brother, and the 2 of us went back over the border of Greece into Macedonia to stay the night at her boyfriend's family's small summer house, then yesterday we went back to Thessaloniki to spend the day. I suppose when people hear you say "I'm going to Greece!" they imagine you walking along the beach all day long and taking pictures of houses built alongside the sea. But Thessaloniki doesn't really look that way. It is along the sea, but the beach was pretty far away and the houses are farther inland. We spent the day walking around the city and going in shops. It was a good taste of Greece for the first time and now I am definitely looking forward to the day when I can go back to see Athens and other typical Grecian cities.
From Thessaloniki, we drove back to Skopje, Macedonia which is where Aleks is from. She lives in a small apartment with her brother and grandma who does not speak any English. I finally feel like I am experiencing something new since Spain didn't feel much different, at least not where I was living, and I was able to communicate in either Spanish or English with almost everyone I met. I've been told that the whole apartment building will be talking about the fact that there is an American staying here and that when we go out in the city, people will probably stare at me.
I'm really excited for the next couple of weeks but I am also very ready to be home again and to get back to my normal routine. And as I write that I can already feel myself eating my words.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Lessons
Dear Reader,
Here I am sitting outside, feet up, contemplating life.
Don't I sound so philosophical. But let's be honest :
I'm sitting outside because I feel extremely awkward in the house while the housekeeper is cleaning.
My feet are up because I'm elevating my fat cankle to try to keep the swelling down.
And I'm not so much contemplating life as I am staring at the white curtains over my head thinking that someone should clean off the bird shit.
I digress.
And I confess that this post will most likely not be as entertaining as others in the past. I don't know if it's because I really don't have any stories or if it's because the mood I'm in isn't allowing me to think of any nor give them a funny twist. So I guess, I'm about to get serious.
As the end of my time in Spain approaches like the Ave (a Spanish high speed train), I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I've learned/come to realize.
1) Those personality tests really don't lie
Freshman year I took a 1 credit "career exploration" course along with a bunch of other lost and undeclared UWEC newbies. We took a lot of personality tests. I didn't really need to take one to know that I am an extroverted person, but there was always one question that stuck out to me :
"Do you get energy from being around others?" (or some variation of that). I never really knew how to answer it because I never considered where my energy came from. But one thing I was certain of was that I wasn't particularly a fan of being alone. But not until this summer did I really understand that my energy does in fact come from other people. I have spent the majority of my days here very secluded from other people. My human interaction has mostly consisted of 2 painful hours everyday of English lessons with 2 very spoiled teenagers. Most days I have absolutely no energy or motivation to do anything, so it becomes a vicious cycle. I need people to feel alive, but I spend so much time alone that I lack even the energy to go out and be with people, which is what I need! Getting the picture? I also realized that the reason the question was difficult to answer was because until now, I have never been without close friends and family nearby or without a group that would become my close family and friends (here's looking at you, CRSA 10).
2) Host families are great...
...But I have outgrown them. Maybe it's my American upbringing, but this summer it's been made very clear to me that I just simply cannot handle a lack of independence at any level. Whether it's buying my own groceries, making my own meals, going where I want to go and not having to say that I'm going, or just the choice of not having my bed made everyday (well I don't make it, the housekeeper does). I felt the same with the first host family go-round in Costa Rica, but I just thought it was due to the circumstance I was in, living alone with the abuelita. But no. I realize now that I was raised to be an independent person and it's not something that I can switch off. Nor do I want to.
3) I am never having kids
Seriously. I know I always joke about this, but now I really think it's official.
Okay, I'm being a little dramatic. These kids really aren't the worst that they could be. However, they are disrespectful, unmotivated, and have no sense of responsibility. Not to mention they are beyond spoiled....which I have already mentioned. But whose fault is that? The parenting here certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Last weekend, I went to visit a famous city with some of the other tutors that are here on the same program. We spent the majority of the time venting about our kids and comparing parenting tactics. Empty disciplinary threats and disrespectful kids (from ages 5-18) were common themes of discussion. So maybe I will have kids, though at this point it's seeming unlikely, but at least I have learned some things about how not to parent.
4) The importance of social skills
More specifically, how to talk to people that come from different places than you and who have different personalities. I know that one of my weaknesses is that I struggle to respect the view points of other people when they are different than mine, especially on points such as gay rights, politics, and other issues surrounding social justice. At the same time, I think one of my strengths is standing by what I believe in. So finding the middle is something I have wanted to improve on for a while now. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because on the weekend trip with the other tutors, I found it really interesting the group dynamic considering that we were all from different parts of the U.S. The Midwest dominated (represent!) with 3 of the 7 of us being from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Two others live and work in South Dakota, but are originally from Minnesota as well. Then we had both coasts with Massachusetts and California. It was clear that our personalities were not all destined to click right off the bat, and it was also the first time many of us had met. It was a good challenge to know how to act around each other, how to carry on conversations, and even how to make decisions. Even though there were some times when you could cut the tension with a knife, I really enjoyed the weekend for the experience that it was. I couldn't think of another time when I had been with that many people in differing stages of life from various parts of the country.
5) The future freaks me out
It didn't really sink in to me when school got out, but this is my last "official" summer. I actually have to start to think about what I'm going to do after this school year, which I absolutely hate. I am a here and now kind of person, so thinking into the future tends to give me anxiety. I'm also not a fan of planning. Basically, this situation is everything I dread in life. So what next? Good f....g question.
In 13 days, my bags will be packed, I will say farewell to the suburbs, and I will be on a plane heading to Thessaloniki, Greece. From there it's 2 weeks in Macedonia and Bulgaria, visiting some very good friends. This is the part of my trip that has given me something to look forward to and kept me going when those damn English classes make my hair fall out.
And despite this trip not being everything I had hoped and dreamed, I still love to travel and want to see the world, and I still am aspiring to be an expatriate (see Facebook profile, about me section). There are a lot more things that I have learned here and there about myself, and I'm not done yet so I know there are more lessons to come in the last month I have away from home.
Here I am sitting outside, feet up, contemplating life.
Don't I sound so philosophical. But let's be honest :
I'm sitting outside because I feel extremely awkward in the house while the housekeeper is cleaning.
My feet are up because I'm elevating my fat cankle to try to keep the swelling down.
And I'm not so much contemplating life as I am staring at the white curtains over my head thinking that someone should clean off the bird shit.
I digress.
And I confess that this post will most likely not be as entertaining as others in the past. I don't know if it's because I really don't have any stories or if it's because the mood I'm in isn't allowing me to think of any nor give them a funny twist. So I guess, I'm about to get serious.
As the end of my time in Spain approaches like the Ave (a Spanish high speed train), I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I've learned/come to realize.
1) Those personality tests really don't lie
Freshman year I took a 1 credit "career exploration" course along with a bunch of other lost and undeclared UWEC newbies. We took a lot of personality tests. I didn't really need to take one to know that I am an extroverted person, but there was always one question that stuck out to me :
"Do you get energy from being around others?" (or some variation of that). I never really knew how to answer it because I never considered where my energy came from. But one thing I was certain of was that I wasn't particularly a fan of being alone. But not until this summer did I really understand that my energy does in fact come from other people. I have spent the majority of my days here very secluded from other people. My human interaction has mostly consisted of 2 painful hours everyday of English lessons with 2 very spoiled teenagers. Most days I have absolutely no energy or motivation to do anything, so it becomes a vicious cycle. I need people to feel alive, but I spend so much time alone that I lack even the energy to go out and be with people, which is what I need! Getting the picture? I also realized that the reason the question was difficult to answer was because until now, I have never been without close friends and family nearby or without a group that would become my close family and friends (here's looking at you, CRSA 10).
2) Host families are great...
...But I have outgrown them. Maybe it's my American upbringing, but this summer it's been made very clear to me that I just simply cannot handle a lack of independence at any level. Whether it's buying my own groceries, making my own meals, going where I want to go and not having to say that I'm going, or just the choice of not having my bed made everyday (well I don't make it, the housekeeper does). I felt the same with the first host family go-round in Costa Rica, but I just thought it was due to the circumstance I was in, living alone with the abuelita. But no. I realize now that I was raised to be an independent person and it's not something that I can switch off. Nor do I want to.
3) I am never having kids
Seriously. I know I always joke about this, but now I really think it's official.
Okay, I'm being a little dramatic. These kids really aren't the worst that they could be. However, they are disrespectful, unmotivated, and have no sense of responsibility. Not to mention they are beyond spoiled....which I have already mentioned. But whose fault is that? The parenting here certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Last weekend, I went to visit a famous city with some of the other tutors that are here on the same program. We spent the majority of the time venting about our kids and comparing parenting tactics. Empty disciplinary threats and disrespectful kids (from ages 5-18) were common themes of discussion. So maybe I will have kids, though at this point it's seeming unlikely, but at least I have learned some things about how not to parent.
4) The importance of social skills
More specifically, how to talk to people that come from different places than you and who have different personalities. I know that one of my weaknesses is that I struggle to respect the view points of other people when they are different than mine, especially on points such as gay rights, politics, and other issues surrounding social justice. At the same time, I think one of my strengths is standing by what I believe in. So finding the middle is something I have wanted to improve on for a while now. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because on the weekend trip with the other tutors, I found it really interesting the group dynamic considering that we were all from different parts of the U.S. The Midwest dominated (represent!) with 3 of the 7 of us being from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Two others live and work in South Dakota, but are originally from Minnesota as well. Then we had both coasts with Massachusetts and California. It was clear that our personalities were not all destined to click right off the bat, and it was also the first time many of us had met. It was a good challenge to know how to act around each other, how to carry on conversations, and even how to make decisions. Even though there were some times when you could cut the tension with a knife, I really enjoyed the weekend for the experience that it was. I couldn't think of another time when I had been with that many people in differing stages of life from various parts of the country.
5) The future freaks me out
It didn't really sink in to me when school got out, but this is my last "official" summer. I actually have to start to think about what I'm going to do after this school year, which I absolutely hate. I am a here and now kind of person, so thinking into the future tends to give me anxiety. I'm also not a fan of planning. Basically, this situation is everything I dread in life. So what next? Good f....g question.
In 13 days, my bags will be packed, I will say farewell to the suburbs, and I will be on a plane heading to Thessaloniki, Greece. From there it's 2 weeks in Macedonia and Bulgaria, visiting some very good friends. This is the part of my trip that has given me something to look forward to and kept me going when those damn English classes make my hair fall out.
And despite this trip not being everything I had hoped and dreamed, I still love to travel and want to see the world, and I still am aspiring to be an expatriate (see Facebook profile, about me section). There are a lot more things that I have learned here and there about myself, and I'm not done yet so I know there are more lessons to come in the last month I have away from home.
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