HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY ROSALYN!

Lunes 13 de Julio, 2009 9:58 PM

I don’t think that I have discussed the topic of the stature of the people here. They are all midgets. It would be pointless for them to watch Little People Big World, because they are all little people in a little world. And it’s not even how they are now, when we walk through the Mayan ruins, all of the entryways and tunnels are made for someone who is probably 4’ 10”. Even I, at 5’5” feel like I look down to everyone, including the men. The guys here who are over six feet must feel like freaks of nature.

That was just something I wanted to point out from dwarf land.

Nothing exciting about today. Spanish class. Home. Lunch. Nap. Eco class. Shop. Home. Now I have homework and sleeping. Such a strenuous life.

I’ve been thinking already about studying abroad again! I know, live in the moment, but I’ve just been thinking about it! I think Argentina would be sweet, but I don’t really want to live in a city like Buenos Aires. It’s way too intimidating. Another girl here was talking about how she’s thinking of going to Panama in the spring with FSU. I’ve looked at all the programs. I think I just need to talk with the advisor about experiences he has heard about with the different groups. I kind of picture myself going to Costa Rica, but it feels kind of cliché. I like the ideas of Chile and Argentina, but Costa Rica or Panama seem more conventional. And then there are the others like Peru and Ecuador and stuff. Any suggestions? To go in January, I have to be thinking now so I can apply in the fall!

I’m so beyond grateful to be able to study abroad. Not only once, but hopefully twice! This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I recommend studying abroad to everyone, it’s the best thing to do, ever. Just do it. Nike.

Thanks for the props on the pictures. There will be hundreds to come whenever I have better internet, and time, which may very well be when I’m back in Florida.

Martes 14 de Julio, 2009 4:50 PM

This morning before school, the maid told me that some guy who used to live with them was going to come over for lunch. I thought, “oh, cool! I’ll get to talk to some other kid in my house, sweet.” Well, he and his fiancé were weird and old and boring. He was learning Mayan and taught 7th grade Spanish, so I was scared to speak in front of him because I thought he was correcting in his head every word I say. It’s strange how I get so self conscious speaking Spanish in front of English speakers, but with the people who don’t know English, I just talk away.

I got up from a 1.5 hour nap. So sweet. I’ll probably study some for Spanish and hopefully someone will call me to do something tonight.

Tomorrow is ROSALYN’s birthday! I’m very excited about that even though she is in Bartow and I am here. So, if you even read this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSALYN!

This weekend we will be going to Rio Lagartos. I don’t really know what that entails. It’s just three days. It’s our last trip, just as ecology, because the next week everyone is going together to the south. That will be an 8 hour drive. We were talking about movies we need to rent for the drive like Little Princess and stuff. It was so funny having a whole long conversation about that movie a few days back. I’m so scared that I can see the end in 2 weeks and 1 day! But no countdowns. Just think about each day and when it comes it will come.

One thing to look forward to when I get back is getting a new cell phone! It will be weird to be home for a whole week without Kyle around. And then we will go to the beach for a few days, and then back to school. Real school. The kind where I’m stressed and studying all the time. Blahhhh. But then again, it’s the real school where I’m with best friends, and always around people, and it’s fun!

Today I sent out some post cards… I think. So we will see if they get somewhere, or if they forever sit in that box, because I have yet to see a mail carrier, and the box was dusty, and under a stairwell, but we will see. Cross your fingers.

10:41 PM

Two cultural discoveries I have made, but forgot to write about. The favorite subject of my father and dear brother. Toilets. Here, 80% of the time you go to use the bathroom, there are no seats on the toilets. This used to freak me out. I would panic and wouldn’t know what to do and would just wait until I got somewhere else, but now, I forget that that used to be an issue.

Second interesting thing about the toilet what I thought would bother me. No flushing of toilet paper. I though that this would freak me out, like putting used paper in the trashcan to sit for days until it gets changed, and at the beginning, I would accidentally, instinctively drop it down the toilet, but now, like when we are places like hotels where it’s OK to flush, we panic, not knowing how to handle the situation.

This week I have been having more positive feelings about my Spanish capabilities. Besides getting all intimidated by that Spanish-teacher-boring-guy who had lunch here today, I feel like I talk a lot at the house, and the Señora told me that she can tell I’m becoming for fluent. I feel like when I’m conversing, I don’t have to think of an answer in English and translate it, it just comes to me in Spanish! Another weird and sometimes annoying thing, is that when I am listening to my ipod, my mind translates the song into Spanish words while I’m listening to it. It’s crazy.

Thank you to all who have been complementing my writing. Thank you to those who actually read these, even though they are forever long. Even if you were lying, and just told me that it was entertaining because you thought I spent a lot of time on it, or really don’t read them but still tell me you liked them, thank you for the thought. That is what counts. I am also sorry that it takes years to read each novel long entry. They probably just seem good because I have extremely fun things to write about!

I have no intentions of publishing my writing, although isn’t putting it on the internet already making it public access? But I have a dozen or so journals or diaries and letters, over the past four years, which are less public, but I would like to make it known now, that when I die, or maybe I’ll decide just when I’m a little older, I would like them to be able to be read by friends and family or whoever is interested. It’s not that they are full of super secret spy stuff, it’s just that it feels like a lot of it is still happening, so it’d be weird to have current events be read like an autobiography of the past. To be honest, at the font of the journals I have written who was dominant during that time in my life in each notebook, so that that person can get around to reading it someday if they so desire. Put that in my will.

I’m not going to keep blogging when I get back home, that’s just too emo/livejournal. But when I hopefully study/live abroad again, I promise I’ll keep a tab for those who what to hear.

Miercoles 15 de Julio, 2009

Another blasted hot dog for breakfast. I'm outie to the west coast I think. Back on Saturday evening.