i love the rain most when it stops

On the way out the door to buy tickets to Manuel Antonio, I ask my friend Paige, "who all are we buying tickets for?". "Turns out, everyone bailed...homework". So it's looking like it is just the two of us for the weekend, on a beach. I'm stoked: Paige is a mellow Iowa girl who's also a senior in college. The fact that there will only be two of us might actually enhance the experience: it'll be pretty easy to hit the town in a small group. Also, Paige and I are usually the "responsible" ones of the groups, so this will be a nice break.

Yesterday I started writing my final paper for my Music & Society class. Today I had eight pages about calypso and its social and political implications finished. Things are wrapping up nicely here. I'm pretty excited to write my other paper about how happiness and country development are in no way related.

I'm excited to hit the beach, let's just hope I don't have to make another rescue! Paul-1, Men with leg cramps in the ocean-0.

Nothing much else new, sadly to report. We're starting to get out of the rainy season, so that means less rain on the walk home. I'm also in love with Chiky's, the cookies they sell her. It's probably the only factory food I eat in this country. Also, after thinking about it for a few months, I believe I'm going to be giving up (most) meet when I return. I'll hold out for low-carbon footprint alternatives; in other words, local, organic meat only. It's time we lower our ecological footprint as a people, and we've got to start somewhere. I'd start here, but it would be difficult to tell my parents to shift their appetites for me. Therefore, probably no Christmas roast beast for me :(.

Peace & Love

set you free

Well writing my paper is so not going to happen tonight, so I guess I'll write here. Shall we?

I step out onto the wet pavement shutting the gate behind. With a shout of "chao" and "hasta luego" to la familia I pop my ear buds in, ready for day. The music of the day will set the tempo for the two mile walk to school. I could take the bus, but I haven't in nearly over a month. It never rains in the morning, and I could use the excercise; I walk home too if I can beat the rain.

This morning's walk is a little tougher than the rest: over the shoulder I'm hauling the tent from this weekend and my heels bear evidence of blisters from hiking soaking wet through the rainforest of Rincon de la Vieja. My legs bear bruises as evidence of sleeping on pavement (we chose pavement over a second night in the rain with a leaky tent).

Spent the day researching about calypso for a paper due Wednesday, spending the night doing more research. Would rather be here --->.

Finally read Wuthering Heights as well as a book called Everything Must Change; something about the social revolution that this world could use. Both were eye openers; I wish Heathcliff and Catherine could have treated each other with patience and tolerance, and I wish the same for humanity.

Somewhere over dinner la familia says something along the lines that my Spanish has improved bastante. I crack off that I only pretend to understand them. They understand that my rants and threats are meaningless, I've told them dozens of times that I'm writing on my family review that I live with a bunch of crazies.

Someone reminded me today that Thanksgiving is coming. Now if I can find me some pumpkin pie filling...

Tomorrow I'm going on a field trip to learn about coffee. I promised my host mother I'd eat a pound of coffee before I returned to the house. Vamos a ver. This is what happens when your tent has a whole in the bottom of it.

leaves and kings

Don't cry for me blogspot.com, the truth is I never left you.

I didn't abandon my writing entirely, but life definitely caught up with me. Where do I begin?

This weekend was spent in Cahuita, Limon, a tiny calypso/reggae induced town on the Caribbean ocean. It stood under the guise of class field-trip, with sampling the music and the food listed as the agenda. We did both, and got in plenty of beach time as well. Me and my now good friend Arielle built a bonfire Friday night and the twelve of us plus our professor Manuel Monestel spent the night singing under the stars. As it turns out, if you mention "calypso" in Costa Rica, everyone knows you're talking about Manuel.

I can no longer spell in English. As I struggle with writing in Spanish I can now claim that I'm simply bi-lingually challenged, rather than proficient in just one. With only a month left (what??? you've got to be kidding me) most of my time is spent at school doing some research for the forthcoming papers that are do at the end of the program. Life is...tranquil.

I finally was able to get fingerprinted for Peace Corps last week, so now I officially get to wait. As a backup my friend Paige and I are starting our Costa Rican job search for next year (potential National Park Guide? yesss). I'm also getting frequent emails from Columbia about obtaining a Master's in "Climate and Society". Studying cultural and political implications of our changing climate is so very very tempting; but no school for me next year, I need a break. I'm slotting that process for 2011.

Please, if there is anyone out there reading this that has specific questions, please please email me, I'd love to talk to you.

Blood Bank II

These posts are excerpts from my journal from my rural stay. If you're looking to read them in order, start from two posts ago.

10/05
I turned on Bon Iver's "Blood Bank" and a wave of memories come flooding back to me. It was my song of the summer, I must have listened to it everyday on the Metro ride to work. Why does that seem like so long ago? I miss that faux-adult feeling. I miss catching the metro, walking to work, chilling with Nabil, Lavi, Isis, Alex, Liz, etc. I miss my PB&J every day for lunch in DuPont Circle. I miss walking south ten blocks after work so Annika could make me dinner, then stumbling pass the White House on my way to ChinaTown after a bottle of wine. Finally, I miss eating ice cream and watching movies with See-Yin as we both talk about how our day went.

I am nostalgic, but I don't wish to be back in the past. This summer was one I'll never forget, and I'm glad it is that way. I have probably grown more in the past six months of my life than in quite some time. The world has turned on its head and yet in some ways I am more sure of myself than before. I have gained new friends, and have failed to keep old ones. I recognize that I am where I am now do to the hard work of others (mom, dad, friends, family, and anyone who has ever taugh me something) and yet I often fail to recognize them. Well world, thank you for being here and thank you for offering so much.

"Well I met you at the blood bank
we were looking at the bags
wondering if any of the colors
matched any of the names we knew on the tags..."

10/08
I think yesterday was about what kind of physical toll my body could take. For starters, I was pushing the wheelbarrow up a hill when my feet slipped out from under me, and the wheelbarrow came down on me. My lower back is kind of ache-y and I was spitting blood for a while but I'll survive. All in all I bled probably five times yesterday. Once was when I was cutting down an orange tree with a machete and a thorn went through my thumb to the bone...ouch.

I've been growing out my mustache. I was curious to see what it looked like and there's nobody here I need to impress (Amelia and Isabel have been keeping a safe distance). It's all there, except some of it is black and some is blonde, so I've essentially got a calico cat on my upper lip. Whatever keeps the girls at bay, other than my boorishness and bad grammar.

10/10
Ultimo dia. Holy cats and dogs. Yesterday was absolutely fantastic: spent the morning planting semillas and in the afternoon Yoni, Heinard, and I rod our bikes to the border. The trip probably took about forty-five minutes and took us through absolutely beautiful countryside. There were volcanoes in the distance and river as well, along with cattle and grandiose trees.

on our way to the carnival

So as it turned out I made last minute plans and spent the last three days in Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean side. Because of this, I was unable to write more from my journal. Phew, I have a lot of catching up to do. I'll have to keep my journal entries brief. Oh, and while I'm writing this, my host sister is snogging her novio on the couch behind me; hilarious. "Oh Marlo, eres perfecto, eres mi mundo, eres guapisimo." She didn't actually say any of this, that was just the play by play I was giving to my host-mom in the kitchen.

9/30
Somewhere between planting cacao semillas with monkeys howling around me as well as drinking from coconuts while grafting cacao trees I think to myself, "how the hell did I get here?" When I spotted a tarantula crawling across the floor of the bar last night I knew that I had gotten into something special. That thing was bigger than my fist. Might've been bigger than my face, but I was going to find out.

Last night I swear Edwin said we were going to the bank. I was definitely confused as it was about eight. I asked Amelia, who was giggling, to clarify and eventually I gather we were going to the bar.

I'm sure that there has to be a certain level of comfort to let another man ride on the back of your motorcycle, and I guess Edwin and I have reached that point. Anyway, the bar we went to is in Pataste, about a ten minute bike ride away.

I had the assumption that this would be a quick, cordial, event. Something Edwin was doing to be nice and probably because he thought I was bored or something. To keep a long night's worth of stories short, I had only two things on my mind that night: when is this man who is half my size going to drop? and how much money is in my wallet?

Sometime later in the night one could have caught me with the stupidest grin, riding on the back of a motorcycle home, once again wondering how life had taken me to this place.

10/03
Edwin took me to a fiesta last night; it was someone's birthday as well as a reunion for a farmer's coop he belongs to. At one point I was talking with a tica who knew a little English and a German who knew bits of English and Spanish. It was a bizarre cultural experience to say the least. Last night was also a good example of how at times my Spanish can be great and at others I can hardly speak at all. This accompanied by the fact that I'm boring in English makes me a social outcast sometimes at parties. If I'm boring in English, I must be a dread in Spanish.

I did meet a man who has visited both Kansas State and Iowa State, for agricultural programs...small world.

10/04
After breakfast I helped clear the field for the game today. In as few words as possible it was such an incredibly amazing, awesome, foreign experience. All of the men in the area got their weedwackers out and then out of nothing appears a futbol field in practically the middle of nowhere.

The game was intense, with the ages of the players ranging from 14-50. And to add to the experience, practically the entire time it was downpouring. I was allowed to play (against the neighboring town) because I'm not a registered team member, but there were certainly countless jokes about sending me in. I was invited to play in a less formal game next Sunday though (for some reason they think I'm good at futbol).

you're so far around the bend

Somewhere along the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica is a boy wearing a Boys' State Kansas t-shirt.

Somewhere in this house, sitting at this computer is a boy wondering what the hell just happened in the past two weeks.

For starters, there simply aren't words to describe everything I felt, learned, experienced in the past two weeks. Unfortunately, there aren't pictures that capture everything as well. I can say however that every night that I spent in Pataste de Delicias, just like every night I spend here in Santa Marta, I went to bed wondering how I ever got to where I am now, how anyone could possibly be this fortunate, and how am I ever going to repay the world back.

The following are a few excerpts from my journal while I was gone (I'll post more later).

9/27
Yesterday I arrived in Upala where I was picked up by a sister whose nose comes to about my elbow and whose accent I could not pick up at all. We hitched a cab to Pataste, which cannot really be described as a town because it consists of one dirt road with maybe ten houses spread along it for a kilometer. Most of these houses are occupied by my family, the Arista Silvas. As it turns out, Hilario, the patriarch of 82, had fifteen children, many of whom have children of there own.

I am currently staying in a house which is about fifty meters from the main house, where everyone gathers to eat, watch t.v., etc. I also discovered that I kicked my sister, the one who picked me up, out of her room. Great. This sister, Isabel, happens to be 33. I could have sworn that she was my age or younger; perhaps there's something in the water. I only know her age because my uncle/brother-in-law Omar has been incessantly trying to get me to marry her since minute one. Omar assured me that not knowing much Spanish was not a problem, all I really need to know is "amor, quiero comida" (love, I want food). She is cute, and very helpful; but she could also be my mother.

I thought things couldn't be more awkward until Omar gave Isabel some cash and sent us to the bar. First dates are awkward enough when you a) know the person b) know what they're talking about and c) didn't just meet them two hours before. It looks like I'm going to have my hands full while I'm here. On my way to bed Isabel let slip that Omar said that I should plan on sleeping much tonight. Oh dear lord.

And that's pretty much life. I wish I was an extrovert, but I'm not. Hell, I wish I was an introvert; maybe I wouldn't feel as bad about not being an extrovert. I'm just sociable enough to recognize that I can just be plain awkward.

it's all in the pavement

I have a little bit of a head cold. Major bummer since I'm leaving tomorrow for two weeks of farm life. I'll be fine though; just need some sleep. I received a heaping nine hours last night. My host-mom made me a hot lemon drink and sent me away.

Today I had an exam and a dramatization. In as few words as possible, it has simply been a long week. Things are looking up though: I had to call my rural-stay family yesterday, and although I could not really hear them through the static, I think they know I am arriving on Saturday. Either someone is meeting me at the bus stop or I am taking a cab deep into cacao country. How's that for flying by the seat of your pants? I'm sure I'll figure it out when I get there; just don't get lost in Upala.

raining on me

How can I take my life experiences, my opinions, and what I'm feeling right now and add some allegory with a dash of wit and turn today's blog into something heartwarming and enlightening. Oh profundities, how you allude me. I guess I could just write about what I have been up to, but where's the fun in that?

I have my health, a little cash, and a lot of time. Currently, that makes me one of the most fortunate people in the world. Only Rush Limbaugh's pharmacist could be happier. (Okay, so the joke is dated, but I'm really fishing for laughs here. Also if you Google image "talking head for the republican party" you get pictures of fish and Rush Limbaugh; what is Google trying to tell us?)

I'm going to Nicaragua in two weeks. I found out that my rural stay will be on a small cacao farm about 3km south of the border, or something along those lines. Anyway, I'm walking to Nicaragua. (Note to self: find out if that's legal or not.) I decided this rural stay was a better option as the family in Cahuita tends to speak some English, and I'd prefer to be immersed in Spanish. Also, the program director picks our stays for us (that helped my choice). But this was definitely one of my top picks: the family ranges from ages 3-82, there are several of them, and I'll get to try my hand out cacao farming.

I went zip-lining this weekend. Independence Day is tomorrow. In ways, zip-lining is a lot like Independence: flying by the seat of your pants, not knowing how hard you're going to land. Did you see what I just did? I took something trivial like zip-lining and compared it to the grandeur of establishing liberty and freedom. Magical (*gag).

Okay, so nothing profound today.

Timing is Everything When You've Got Nothing But Time

Currently between classes; this morning our professors sent us to the University of Costa Rica to interview students out in the commons area. I don't like talking to strangers in English, much less Spanish but I somehow suffered through. I actually did pretty decently, I was able to get my point across at least.

Currently listening to Big Mistake by Tim Fite. But I'm trying to cut back on listening to music in English...but it's an addiction.

Possibly a trip to Monte Verde this weekend in the works: five of us camping on the mountainside. Awesomeness.

I'll be your black bird darlin', hanging on your telephone wire

I think the man who runs the buses on my street corner might also be working at the tienda on the street. The wouldn't be so intriguing except that he might be doing both at the same time. Anyway, I saw him sitting in the store while no one else was there. Perhaps he was just guarding it. But anyway...

My host-mother told me yesterday that as it so happens, "Ms. Costa Rica" is single, twenty-one, and an old friend of my host-sister. Note to self: exploit, exploit, exploit. I mentioned this today in grammar class (don't ask why, I'm sure it was somehow relevant at the time) and my teacher told me that Ms. CR lived in the same neighborhood as herself. Naturally, I asked what Ms. CR was doing this weekend. I'm waiting to hear back.

As if Costa Rica wasn't small enough, I told my family that I was going to Jaco for the weekend yesterday. Ten minutes later, my mother is on the phone with a friend getting a house for me and two friends on the beach; we'd be staying with a friend of a friend. Turns out though, all twelve of us students are traveling to Jaco, so we had to go for a different house. Either way, it's going to be a pretty cheap stay.

As far as money is concerned though, it is easy to spot the two separate cultures that exist in Costa Rica: there is tico Costa Rica and there is tourist Costa Rica. Tico CR means spending only $40 for a weekend of fun; tourist CR could be close to $400. I'm thinking about taking my individual project to Cahuita on the Caribe side in a month to explore this battle further. I'll have two weeks on my own on the beach...oh sigh. That's not a guaranteed trip though: I could end up in Heredia or Guanacaste, but I will still make my project tourism-based. In those cases I'd be excited to see what it's like in a part of Costa Rica that doesn't see tourism: pure sweetness.

Yesterday for lunch a friend and I decided to try some down-home Midwest-American food. Long story short, I had a hot dog with ham sprinkled on top of it with ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. I can't begin to describe how delicious and disgusting it was. I haven't made up my mind yet, but I might have to go back. I was being conservative anyhow: my friend had his dog wrapped in bacon.

I turned a few heads in class today: we had to sing a popular song and I busted out the baritone pipes that I usually only use during Christmas Eve service. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: they weren't turning to see who had the angelic voice. I can sing I swear! Los maestros raised there eyebrows at least.

Tomorrow we're taking a tour of San Jose, then off to Jaco. I'm glad I'll have some time to relax. In reality, I'll try to use the time to get some homework done. But hey, there's good surfing too.

Acoustic Version

I've got to make this short and quick. I just finished writing an essay about how the pace of life plays a key role in cacao farming. Anyway, I'm off to a store because I need to purchase newspapers for tomorrow.

I'm thinking of hitting up the Pacific side this weekend. I need to get the beach out of my system. Option B is if we can get tickets, the ACM students are going to try to make the World Cup Qualifier: Costa Rica v. Mexico. Ticos vs. Tacos...ha.

¿Comó le fue?

I just listened to my host sister spout off some Billy Jean by Michael Jackson: hilarious. Currently I'm sitting at the table with a pile of homework.

Instead of taking the bus home I walked with the other students to their neighborhood. Then I got lost trying to find my house, but only for about five minutes. As it turns out, the other eleven students live pretty close to each other. I'm about a mile away. But in the barrio, it feels a lot farther.

I don't think I'm in the "special needs" class at school, but I'm definitely not in the advanced group, so I really need to start cracking on Spanish. I probably won't be on the internet much for the next two weeks- the less English the better. It would appear that I am always tired, I am always about a half-step behind, and I constantly worry. But I try to keep in mind I'm in Costa Rica, mistakes are inevitable, and my Spanish is improving rapidly. I'm trying to do a little extra work on the side with the Spanish books I brought. I really, really, really want to make the most of my time here.

Tomorrow we have class as usual but then Friday we are going to Guápiles. We were fitted with rubber boots yesterday for wandering around the jungle and the cocoa plantations. I believe we are staying in Guápiles and then later checking out volcanoes somewhere near Cariblanco or Quesada, I can't remember. I'll be back sometime late Sunday.

I'm coming down off of my initial Costa Rica high: it's starting to hit me that I'm in a country where I do not know anyone, trying to learn a language I hardly know. But I am calm: I can't ask for a more patient family, and I'm pretty sure that it would be damn near impossible for me to not learn Spanish while I'm here. I'm excited for the future, and relishing the small accomplishments: I can comprehend most of what's on the television. Can I get a woot?

Que es esto???

What? You want me to go where with what? No comprendo, estoy confudido. Sometimes I've just got to hedge my bets and simply nod and smile. Nodding and smiling didn't work? Try it one more time, just to make sure. No? Uh oh, tenemos una problema. Now it's time to make words up.

My first few days haven't been bad in San Marta (cerca San Jose). Despite the difficulties speaking, I'm having an amazing time. Como se dice "freaking awesome" en Espanol? My host family is fantastic: they're patient, kind, and only make fun of me occasionally. Es fantastico. My host sister is my age super nice, considering communicating with me is like communicating with an annoying cousin. Ella es muy muy linda. No, I'm not going to translate that, because it's embarrassing.

I have grammar class every day for three hours, and otras clases in the afternoon. Estoy entusiasmado. This weekend we are traveling to the Caribbean coast to stay on a cocoa plantation. Chocolate? The Caribbean? Warm weather? Must be awful.

Paz, amor, y pantalones,
Paul

Take Your Time (Coming Home)

I am tired. I slept in, got up, didn't accomplish much today, but still, I am tired. Ok ok, so I'm a little bit anxious and so I think that is what is wearing me out. I'm waking up at 3 a.m. to drive to KC. From there I'm taking a flight to Chicago. From Chicago I head to Houston; Houston to San Jose. It's kind of a round-a-bout way to get to CR, but it's what's cheap (I guess).

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. I have been so caught up with the GRE and Peace Corps that I have pushed thinking about this trip clear out of my head. Now that the other two things are done, I don't feel like I'm well prepared. I've packed my bags, checked everything off my list, but still it seems as if I'm forgetting something.

I do know I forgot one thing: somewhere in there I should have learned Spanish.. woops. The next few weeks will be interesting- hopefully I'll get better at miming things.

Barlights

I don't have a lot to say, so I'll let someone else say it for me:

Now all the barlights are blinking in time
to Mexican music, it's taunting the pavement
and for the first time,
in a long time,
I feel alive.
fun.

What? I'm going to Costa Rica? What? When will I finally tell myself this? Truth is, I'm more concerned about the Peace Corps and the GRE (but you already knew about that). The game plan is this: finish the application by the end of the week, study hard, hard, hard until next Thursday, and then sometime next week pick up Spanish. Plus I need to pack. I have got this under control.
(laughs quietly while he leaves the room)

we're coming home again

A couple of days away from DC and I'm already starting to forget what my computer looks like. I must admit, it has been nice to get out of the office. So where have I been? Let's recap:

A little over a week ago my parents rolled into DC to see their second oldest/first in heart son. The required site-seeing commenced and I stayed busy tagging along with mom and dad and seeing the sites. One of which I had not seen before was the Basilica in DC, which happens to be the largest cathedral in the western hemisphere (who knew?).

All in all, those last few trips were a good way for me to say goodbye to DC. I'll definitely miss it.


Somewhere in there I managed to get the flu/a stomach virus/food poisoning and so I drove fifteen hours across the country feeling not the best and roughly three days eating very little. But it seems that I have survived and so all is well.

I was able to spend a day and a half in Mount Vernon to catch up with friends and say some more goodbyes. It was good to be there because it reminded me that there are a few reasons for wanting to stay in Mount Vernon this year. But in a way this makes leaving more fun: something to come back to.

Then I chopped my hair off and headed home.

And here am I. I have spent most of today reading GRE material (very exciting I know). I now officially have less than two weeks until I leave, which means I have less than a week until I should probably start thinking about it.

I wish I had an entertaining story to tell, or some hot topic to get preachy about, but I guess my brain is tired. I've been meaning to put up short stories that I've been floating around in my head, but I haven't managed to put the pen to the paper yet.

Catch you in a few.

this is the start of something new

Tonight is my last night in DC. I have to keep this short since I am leaving in about six hours. But long story short, having my parents here was a really great time. The downside was that I was really really sick last night (allergic to parents perhaps? hmm). It's incredibly hard to describe how different I feel now than at the start of the summer. My perspective has surely changed.

Well, I'm driving to Mt. Vernon tomorrow, where I'll spend a few days. After that, I have to conquer the GRE and a few applications. I'll try to give a "real" update soon.

Paul

Good food, good music, lots of sun, a beach, wild ponies, and a few friends. Wow, I had a pretty sweet weekend.

Before I get into this weekend, I completely forgot to write about the best part of last weekend. See-yin, Lauren, and I were invited to the Ambassador of Slovakia's house for a barbecue. There were only seven of us there in total including the Ambassador and his wife, all thanks to Lauren's uncle, Tom. The Ambassador was a very kind gentleman with children that are a little older than me. It was exciting to find out that he is well acquainted with the Czech community in Cedar Rapids. Also, the entire time I was taking mental notes on "how to become a diplomat".

This weekend See-yin and I went to Assateague Island. It's about a three hour drive there and two hours back (go figure). Since this was my last real weekend in DC we thought we would mix things up a bit. In other words, it was a nice change to get out of the city and just have a day of relaxation. I finished my book, Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride.

See-yin and I made it back to College Park in time to go to a house party that my fellow interns were attending. In a way it was our last hurrah and a chance to say goodbyes in good fashion.

Currently I am working on my essays for my Peace Corps application. I'll be sending them to friends in the next day or so for review; I'm inching closer and closer to completing it.

I am absolutely stunned that tomorrow I will be starting my final week of work. My parents are arriving Thursday. I will certainly be glad to see them! I am still not sure of how many stops I will be making on my way back to Kansas. I know that I will definitely be stopping in Mt. Vernon, but we'll see how much energy I have for travel.

Well, it's time for me to get back to work: I have quite a lot on my plate in the next few weeks :).

"walking the dog"

It's been quite the week. Let's work through this backward so I don't miss a thing: Today I had a pretty successful day at work, simply crackin' away at some country reports I'm doing. I like how every project I have ends in "report": makes me feel important. I came home straight from work today so that I could get some reading and writing in as well as (hopefully) working on my Peace Corps application as well as doing some graduate school research. I was delayed on my walk to the Metro station, however: it's raining cats and dogs outside!

Yesterday I went out for sushi with Annika after work. It was potentially the last time I would see her before I left for Costa Rica. I think for both of us it's quite the shock to see summer slipping by so quickly.

Tuesday See-yin and I made a trip to Georgetown after work. She had never been and so I went with to show her around. Georgetown, for the most part, just makes me feel pretty poor but it was nice to walk around a different part of DC for a change. I think I have already developed this sense of nostalgia when I wander about. Mostly, I think it's because I know I'm leaving soon and I will be sad to go. On that note though, I am ready to be home to take a break from my break.

On Monday See-yin and I watched a movie called The Wackness. The highlighting line of the film was "you see the wackness when all I see is the dopeness". I had to think about it, but I actually understood what that meant. In other words, my movies are telling me to chillax.

This brings us to the weekend. My good friend Lauren flew all the way from Chicago to visit See-yin and I. On Friday See-yin and I took her out to see the monuments by moonlight. We also saw the movie, 500 Days of Summer. Currently, it's my favorite movie of all time. I won't tell you what the theme of this movie is, you'll just have to see it yourself.

On Saturday the three of us drove up to Baltimore to see the Inner Harbour there as well as Artscape, which happens to be America's largest free arts festival. It was very fun to see all of the artists' booths and we spent the day hopping from different food vendor to vendor getting free samples. Artscape also hosted a concert in which Cake, one of my favorite bands, played. And you know me, I weaseled my way pretty much to the front of the stage.

So that's where I leave off: it's been a week. I have I grown up any more? Probably not. I have I learned something new? Most definitely. Am I excited for next week? Always. Do I know what it brings? Psh. If I've learned anything from Margaret Atwood it's "why predict the future? We often cannot change it, so why suffer twice?" I'm starting to think Atwood can be grumpy. I'm going to say we cannot predict the future because everybody already knows I'm twice the fun then anyway.

New music: Fun.

"Sweeter than this"

I think right now is a great time for me to appreciate the things that I can do now that I won't necessarily be able to get away with later in life. I hope that I can appreciate my youth now without getting lost in that fountain of youth chase that many of us seem to get caught up in. You know what I'm talking about: "oh, I wish I could be young again", "youth is lost on the young", and "please make my face plastic so I can look like I did when I was sixteen".

Maybe the last one is an exaggeration, but I think I could argue successfully that our culture has an obsession with staying young. Anyhow, the purpose of this blog is not for me to create a list that I can look back at mournfully while sighing, "those were the days". Rather, more than ever, right now I feel like I'm on the stepping stones of adulthood (although I still contend that I'll never truly grow up). And while I'm excited to embrace new changes, I'm also starting to come to the realization that I cannot simply do everything there is to do in this world. Short of planning meticulously each hour that I have left to live, I am certain that some things will be left undone (goodbye learning twelve languages, visiting every country, fathering two football teams- so they can play each other, starring in an Oscar-winning performance alongside Natalie Portman, and fighting that hobo in NYC). The list goes on.

Although I refuse to plan out the rest of my life- I think that perhaps the most fun we can have sometimes rests in the unplanned- I have been thinking much about what I do what to accomplish. I think I'll post a more comprehensive list later but right now I'm settled at an advanced degree, multiple years living abroad, and writing at least one book, for the future.

Anyway, enough of the future. What follows is a list of things that make me incredibly appreciative of where I am now and how far I've come, as well as super excited for the future:

1) I just ate a whole pot of mac' and cheese, plus four hotdogs. Cheers to metabolism.

2) I can wear flipflops around town and people don't think (I think) that I just forgot shoes today.

3) When I wear t-shirts inside out, it makes me look edgy, rather than cheap when it comes to laundry.

4) I can sing in public places and not get carted off.

5) The music I listen to isn't uncool...until tomorrow, when I start listening to different music.

6) Aside from obligations to friends, family, the IRS, and a few others, I have no obligations. Feel like spending a few months abroad? No problem. Want to stay up all night talking about how much Glenn Beck sucks? Sounds like a plan!

This last one really gets me. I try every day to not under-appreciate the liberties I have.

Anyway, as far as updates: work is still going well. I figured out today that I've been working on TPP reports, which is a little too close to TPS reports. Furthermore, I'm supposed to be stapling them and putting them on my boss's desk. Yes, my life has turned into the movie, Office Space. No, I refuse to come in on Saturday.

I know that it certainly sounds ambiguous as to what I've been up to recently, so if you want to know more about what's going on in DC, just shoot me an email or a question in my comment box.

New music: Katie Herzig

"I'm a half-hearted fool..."

I was all set to start this post with, "There's a major flaw in plans", but I believe I've already started down that path before. But the fact of the matter is I had forgotten, when I made the comment in my last posting that I wanted to finish six books this summer, that one of the books I had purchased at the used book store was a copy of Norton's Anthology of American Literature. It's sitting at around 3,500 pages and in reality, has around 200 works in it. But I'm excited- there's a lot in there that I haven't been able to read yet. I think I'm going to start The Turn of the Screw. This morning I started The Ides of March.
My two coworkers were replaced by a Russian grad-school student named Svetlana. Born in Russia and raised in Israel, she speaks a half-dozen languages. I swear, monolingualism just isn't cutting it anymore. I don't even bother telling people in the office I speak kindergarten-level Spanish although my boss did find out today that I do know Spanish. She was carrying a hefty stack of what looked like Spanish legal code. As she shifted the pile from one arm to the other she hinted, "I might need you later." She looked a little too excited when she said that. But I'm excited, I could really use the practice.

A friend took me out for Sushi tonight. My chopstick skills are about as good as my Spanish but I'm not complaining; it meant one more meal I didn't have to cook for myself.

The weather today was absolutely phenomenal: it was hot but somehow the air was still crisp, like fall. Yeah, yeah, I've resorted to talking about the weather, but walking around the city today was a fantastic expierence.

Currently listening to The Hush Sound.

Grazed Knees

Epic fail: not scratching in the dirt for forever. I haven't written anything in over a week not for a lack of activity but for a lack of words to describe them. Regularly, I've been getting home in the dark hours of the night, passing out, and then waking up early for work. In other words, just completing the cycle. Between this and the last post I've traveled through Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. I've crossed over the Brooklyn Bridge, wandered through Times Square and Central Park, and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In terms of work, the report I was working on was published and displayed for ambassadors as well as State Department officials (but that's the boring part of my past week). I have also gotten really sick (then better).

My daily life has become somewhat routinized but not in a necessarily bad way. I have been waking up in time to catch the train into work, where I spend long hours staring at a computer, interjected with short bits of goofing off with my coworkers. When I leave for work, however, I have decided to quit taking the nearest Metro stop home. Instead, I usually spend a couple of hours walking around the city just checking out the sites. Sometimes I plug my headphones in and pretend like I'm in a movie.

This weekend my friend from school, Annika, and I decided to throw our own fourth of July celebration of sorts. We went to the store and bought twenty dollars worth of red wine to make sangria. For those of you not in college, that's five bottles of wine :). It might have been the largest gathering of Iowa college students in DC: five of us from Cornell showed up to watch the fireworks.

Today I cut work a little early so that I could go read a book in the park (hey they're not paying me, and besides, it was nice out). While I was there I saw four undercover cops corner some guy on a bench. I think it was a drug bust. Anyhow, I made sure to mouth the words "soooo cool" to one of the officers to let her know that I was enjoying the latest episode of Law & Order:DC and also that I would be willing to step in if the need ever arose. As it turned out, the need didn't arise so I continued reading my book, Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire. If you have read any Abbey then you'll have a little bit of an idea of how smitten I am with myself reading his works in the middle of DC.

I am running out of food; there's no way to deny it. It's looking like I will have to make a shopping trip this weekend. This past weekend I stopped down at the Eastern Market to pick up fruit to pack with my lunches. The market is definitely one of my favorite places in DC. It's basically a flee market, arts and crafts fair, and meat and produce market, with live music. Old stuff, food, and art are practically my three favorite...-I'm searching for a word here, I'm going to go with "staples" followed by "smells"- in life.

Someone stole my bike. I've thought about this for a few days though, and I cannot really bring myself to be upset about it. I actually figured that it would happen eventually, and really, it probably benefits me more to walk- I could use the excercise after sitting in the office all day. I just hope that the bike finds a good home, and helps someone out. I also don't want to run into the person with the bolt cutters that they would have needed to break my lock.

So what else is new? Now that summer is over halfway done for me I feel more obliged to look to the future. I need to start looking at GRE exam dates, and applications for graduate schools. I also need to finish that Peace Corps application that I started four months ago. I definitely need to crack down and re-learn some Spanish.

Well, I'm going to finish Solitaire tonight. I promised myself I would read at least six books this summer and I'm only at two.

Dirt and Dust

So I think I might be getting older. That just so happened to be one of those ever-so-'profound' thoughts that ran through my head just a few moments ago. I don't know what it is, but I definitely think I am older than yesterday. What a sham: I want my money back. Speaking of profundities (what??? Great Scott! profundities is actually a word- I thought I just pulled that out of my...); anyhow, where was I? Oh that's right: profundities; while I was putting apple-butter on my bread today the question occurred to me, "Can you put apple-butter on bread that has already been buttered?" The question still haunts me.

In other news, can you tell I have been reading a punctuation (not a grammar) book on my to and from work? Look at me rock those semicolons!

As far as work goes, today my boss called all of us in declaring, "We must have these spreadsheets done as soon as possible." To which I responded, "I did mine yesterday." She gave me an appraising look, told me to start working on the charts and maps, and then I left promptly left early for the day. Life is great when you are not getting paid to work. If you haven't already tried it, I suggest giving it a whirl. (Thanks mom and dad.)

A few days ago, before I was about to leave work and hop on the train, the news flashed and said that there had been a devastating crash on the red line- the line I take- in DC. I knew that the trains would be backed up so I took the time to wander around Dupont Circle, up and down Connecticut street, and through the park so I could people watch. Eventually, I did catch a train home. If I had not been on my computer checking the news, I may not have known about the accident at all; I certainly wondered if the people riding with me had learned of it. In the two and a half weeks I have been here, there has been a hate-based shooting and now a devastating accident. While I know certainly that many people have been affected by these deaths, but sometimes it chills me to think about how efficiently we, as a population, rearrange after these tragedies.

While my body is in DC, my head has still been firmly rooted in Iran these past few days. Check out Nico Pitney's blog on huffingtonpost.com. He's provided probably the best coverage of the events going on in Tehran and in the surrounding area.

I'd like to end with some haiku:

I am trying hard
to write intelligently
"intelligently"

Hey, I thought it was pretty good. Don't think about it too hard.

"No more grey today, we gonna celebrate"

Breaking news: some young intern flips his bike while riding home from the metro station. Several bruises and scrapes have surfaced as a result of the incident, with a small Harry Potter-esque laceration across the forehead. The biggest casualty of the day: pride suffered a tumble from its seemingly indomitable position. The question has been asked, "was the pant leg rolled up or left dangling at normal position?" This author refuses to answer in risk of further embarrassment.

Yes, I managed to somehow flip my bike on a seemingly flat piece of pavement, flying well over my handlebars and landing mostly on my chest. Fortunately, my bag flung up and provided a cushion between my head and the ground. My life did not flash before my eyes but I do remember thinking, "I really hope nobody is watching." My wish was granted: no one was watching (I think).

Aside from embarrassing myself yet again, I have been having a great experience in DC. Currently for work, I am analyzing the State Department's recently published Trafficking in Persons report. All I can say is that I know what you did in Burkina Faso so watch out.

My roommate, See-yin, moved in on Thursday night. While I definitely have enjoyed the solitude, it should be nice to have another friend around.

I wore green yesterday. No, I am not lowering myself into announcing my wardrobe every day, but yesterday it had particular significance. While the official reports from Iran say that only maybe a dozen or so persons have died in Iran in the past week, it is not hard to look through that veil and see the hundreds of people who have gone missing all because they have chosen to express their opinion. Ahmadenijad and Khamenei have torn a rift through Iran by their indifference to the needs of their people. Therefore, I wore green yesterday.

Green, being the color of the supporters of Mousavi, has in ways, now become the color for freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of choice- simply put, freedom- in Iran. The past week I have spent glued to my computer watching what will unfold next for a country that has shown that it is ready for that freedom. Perhaps what is most remarkable is that Mousavi is not even considered a reformist candidate. Mousavi is what we would consider a "moderate". But while he does not represent perhaps an overhall of the system, he does represent the peoples' ability to choose. And now, when their choice has been so blatantly taken away from them, many in Iran have decided that it is time for a change.

I was disappointed that I saw hardly anyone in DC answer Mousavi's call to wear green on Friday, but perhaps that will change when more people become more aware of the deaths that are occuring in Iran. Hopefully, someday, we too can learn to appreciate the freedoms for which long ago we have fought. Iranians, after all, are not like Americans- they have not sat by quietly and watched an election be robbed from them (*2000 cough cough).

I have said my peice. Allahu Akbar.

Song of the Day: I love the Rain Most, Joe Purdy

"aint this just like the present, to be showing up like this"

There's a flaw in my travel plans. Although I get from A to B quite well, and quite quickly considering the distance, I forgot to account for the absolute geeky look I pull off while riding my bike to the Metro Station. Why might you ask? Two words: bike chain. The bike chain on my bike might be the best source of humility I have ever met- in order for me to make it to the Metro Station quickly AND without grease stains up and down my pants, I have to roll one pant leg up. Today, I considered briefly stuffing my pant into my sock. Fortunately, that is still beneath me.

But there I am- one pant leg rolled up exposing a surprisingly hair leg and whatever putrid-colored, calf-length sock I could find that day. Like I said, pretty humbling when you're rolling up past the local college kids.

In reality, I try to pretend all day that I'm not one of the 500,000 interns running around this city but there's just something about the khakis, messenger bag, and 16 year old looks that just give me away. I still try to hold myself to a better standard than others- I pretend to scoff like the locals at the people who pull their travel guides out to consult maps: "psshhh, that dude is loooost". (I make sure to only pull mine out when nobody is looking.)

Two songs got me through the day: Blood Bank by Bon Iver (www.myspace.com/boniver) and Blessed by Brett Dennen (www.myspace.com/brettdennen).

Andrew Jackson, all I'm asking..

I broke down today and ended up just dumping Lysol on the bathroom floor. There's a stink in there that I just can't seem to search out. Perhaps the worst thing about it is that I have absolutely no idea what the smell is. Or maybe worse, that I have no idea where it is coming from. I think it's the bathroom, but at sometimes I swear it's simply emanating from all parts of the apartment. Anyway, I went out and bought more air fresheners.

The place I'm living in- I won't call it home until it smells a bit more like me- is a decent graduate housing building. It's at least in a fairly safe neighborhood, and nobody has shanked me on the way to the metro stop yet. Anyhow, it's what you'd expect of neglected graduate housing- it's an apartment version of the freshman dorms poor first years have to suffer through. At any rate, I've attacked the bathroom and my bedroom with Lysol, two sponges, a scrubber, some ajax, and various other toxic chemicals. I'm crossing my fingers that nothing's growing on the wall anymore. I'm not complaining by any means though- $300 in D.C. is a steal.

I'm interning with a group called The Protection Project (www.protectionproject.org). My job? I'm helping compile a manual to train persons assisting human trafficking victims in Qatar. What does that entail? Well, that's not nearly as glamourous- I sit at a computer and search for previously used manuals that I'll eventually compile to create a super-duper-awesome manual.

Really, when I think about it, I'm not in D.C. for the internship. Granted, it's an amazing opportunity, and definitely will help me in the future but just being in the city is a fantastic time. A few of my fellow interns seem to forget that they are allowed to enjoy themselves, while a few others constantly have the look of "why am I here?" Several of them are diplomats' kids, several are from other countries, several are Georgetown law grads- overall it's a pretty incredible mix of talent....maybe I'm one of those people with the "why am I here?" face.

I miss friends and family, but I'm enjoying the opportunity to be on my own in a new place. It gives me time and space to simply think- and I often get lost in all of the monuments, buildings, people.

This posting is getting long so I'll cut it off.

Song of the Day: Jacksonville by Sufjan Stevens. http://music.aol.com/song/jacksonville/6704799
Special prize to the person who guesses why.