Life. Both here and there are life. Inside and outside of the cubicle is life. Both are three dimensional and tangible and photographable. But outside the cubicle, outside the country the travelers you meet are excited about life. They are interested and interesting. Here, on the inside of Los Angeles sky scrapers, on the fifth floor of the 801 Tower people are not excited about life. Here they seem to be a different breed. Instead of the excited and exciting, they are the bored and the boring. It is Friday. I see people I used to see everyday. Now I notice their puffy and strained faces. Recovering from hangovers? Swallowing toxic boredom causing allergic reactions? Am I being harsh, and cruel and judgmental? Or is it these grey walls, the daily monotony of email and phone call just suck the life out of people and the people here endure it for money. Some are not the bored and boring: they are the beautifully makeup-ed and gym obsessed, their endorphins are going and their ambition stimulates them in the fluorescent lit, machine humming place. But whether bored or beautiful all gorge themselves with Complaining and Gossip.
No one realized I was coming back today. After exclamations of welcome and hugs, they comment on my tan, my smile, how relaxed and healthy I look.
How do I stay impervious? Will I be able to resist toxic gossip and complaint? Will my tan, smile, health disintegrate under the computer screen glare?
(My friend answered the question: Yes. In about 4 months you will be at grad school. Poetry).
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Home again, home again jiggity jig
Feliz Pascua a todos! I am back in Los Angeles.
1. As I looked out the window of the airplane as it was landing in LA it was so wierd... I couldnt believe i as back to the place that two months ago i left, slightly afraid that i might never return...Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, Mexico all had laid ahead of me, mysterious and unknown and now they were all behind me, still mysterious but a little more known. Moments of my life had been lived there and now were memories.
2. So i like to think LA has pretty good Mexican food, but let me just tell you, Mexico has REALLY good Mexican food... and its everywhere! yum yum.
3. My overdramatic description of altitude sickness. Cusco is 3,300 m (10,800 feet) above sea level. ::: Every cell in my body ached for sea level, something we had never known we loved so dearly. Altitude with its invisible hands pulled on my insides, my head pounded, and as though we were underwater, we moved slowly.
4. The Inkans were crazy... obsessed with BIG rocks, trapazoids, the sun, moon, winter and summer equinox, perfection and effeciancy. Thier irrigation canals still function today. Thier structures have outlasted the Spanish constructions through many earthquakes. The staved of spanish for 30 decades of war until their last king was finally killed.
5. On ruins... something so wonderful about seeing the Inkan ruins, including Machu Picchu and having read the tour books, bits of Che Guevarra's interpereations of the place, and listening to our many opinions of the different tour guides is that there is still so much UNKNOWN, hypothesis. Leaving room for your own interepretations. Che saw all the buildings as fortresses of warrior civilizaition. Ronaldo (a tour guide) pointed out the storage houses, the temples, the housing structures, the faces carved into to the stones. I saw amazing perfection. Rock upon rock perfectly fit together outlasting wars, earthquakes, the stupidity of the spanish who let amazing temples be rock quarries, etc. Inkan hands touched where my hands now touch. It makes me feel connected and yet so disconnected from the not that long ago past.
6. Diego and Marlena. These two Uruguayans (Father and Daughter) were doing the inkan trail short version and we met them on the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. The father helped me understand south america a little bit... he said that he was taking his daughter on this trip, as he had done with his son when he was her age because it was important to their understanding of the world. Argentina and Uruguay in many ways have turned their back to the rest of their continent. looking to Europe instead. All the indigenous were killed. Everyone is of Italian or Spanish decent. Therefore, to see and connect with the rest of thier continent, to learn that all people though culturally different are all really the same, he takes his kids traveling to other countries like peru. They were really warm and kind, giving us kisses good bye and email addresses. What does this point of view have to say about our north american lives?
7. My two new favorite groups and songs are (sorry that they sound so offensive)... Te quiero by Nigga. and Lo que paso paso by Daddy Yankee...both of these musical masterpieces can be found on Youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thw0WQSn7_8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij3n4Ui217k (watch this one first, its my favorite)
8. In the US of A... my mom and I went to grocery store yesterday. We walked to the Cost Saver Market that is a block away from her house. We were speaking spanish the whole way and continued to speak spanish in the market that was full of people: black people, indian people, filipino people, latino people, and even white people. We told the bag boy in spanish that we brought our own bags and didnt need any more. The indian manager in his wonderful south asian accent said. "They are going green". Ahh yes, Los Angeles.
10. Last easter I was in France at a monastary called Taize listening to people say in over 7 different languages the Lord has Risen, he has risen indeed. It was here that I felt the freedom and the possibility to travel to latin america. It is wonderful to take note on this day, one year later, that dreams are possible. If I have learned anything on this trip, and I think i have learned a few things (including a little bit of spanish and hostelling etiquette), I have also learned is that God is kind and loving. sooo very very kind.
1. As I looked out the window of the airplane as it was landing in LA it was so wierd... I couldnt believe i as back to the place that two months ago i left, slightly afraid that i might never return...Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, Mexico all had laid ahead of me, mysterious and unknown and now they were all behind me, still mysterious but a little more known. Moments of my life had been lived there and now were memories.
2. So i like to think LA has pretty good Mexican food, but let me just tell you, Mexico has REALLY good Mexican food... and its everywhere! yum yum.
3. My overdramatic description of altitude sickness. Cusco is 3,300 m (10,800 feet) above sea level. ::: Every cell in my body ached for sea level, something we had never known we loved so dearly. Altitude with its invisible hands pulled on my insides, my head pounded, and as though we were underwater, we moved slowly.
4. The Inkans were crazy... obsessed with BIG rocks, trapazoids, the sun, moon, winter and summer equinox, perfection and effeciancy. Thier irrigation canals still function today. Thier structures have outlasted the Spanish constructions through many earthquakes. The staved of spanish for 30 decades of war until their last king was finally killed.
5. On ruins... something so wonderful about seeing the Inkan ruins, including Machu Picchu and having read the tour books, bits of Che Guevarra's interpereations of the place, and listening to our many opinions of the different tour guides is that there is still so much UNKNOWN, hypothesis. Leaving room for your own interepretations. Che saw all the buildings as fortresses of warrior civilizaition. Ronaldo (a tour guide) pointed out the storage houses, the temples, the housing structures, the faces carved into to the stones. I saw amazing perfection. Rock upon rock perfectly fit together outlasting wars, earthquakes, the stupidity of the spanish who let amazing temples be rock quarries, etc. Inkan hands touched where my hands now touch. It makes me feel connected and yet so disconnected from the not that long ago past.
6. Diego and Marlena. These two Uruguayans (Father and Daughter) were doing the inkan trail short version and we met them on the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. The father helped me understand south america a little bit... he said that he was taking his daughter on this trip, as he had done with his son when he was her age because it was important to their understanding of the world. Argentina and Uruguay in many ways have turned their back to the rest of their continent. looking to Europe instead. All the indigenous were killed. Everyone is of Italian or Spanish decent. Therefore, to see and connect with the rest of thier continent, to learn that all people though culturally different are all really the same, he takes his kids traveling to other countries like peru. They were really warm and kind, giving us kisses good bye and email addresses. What does this point of view have to say about our north american lives?
7. My two new favorite groups and songs are (sorry that they sound so offensive)... Te quiero by Nigga. and Lo que paso paso by Daddy Yankee...both of these musical masterpieces can be found on Youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thw0WQSn7_8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij3n4Ui217k (watch this one first, its my favorite)
8. In the US of A... my mom and I went to grocery store yesterday. We walked to the Cost Saver Market that is a block away from her house. We were speaking spanish the whole way and continued to speak spanish in the market that was full of people: black people, indian people, filipino people, latino people, and even white people. We told the bag boy in spanish that we brought our own bags and didnt need any more. The indian manager in his wonderful south asian accent said. "They are going green". Ahh yes, Los Angeles.
10. Last easter I was in France at a monastary called Taize listening to people say in over 7 different languages the Lord has Risen, he has risen indeed. It was here that I felt the freedom and the possibility to travel to latin america. It is wonderful to take note on this day, one year later, that dreams are possible. If I have learned anything on this trip, and I think i have learned a few things (including a little bit of spanish and hostelling etiquette), I have also learned is that God is kind and loving. sooo very very kind.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Week 8 *I think i am not that good at numbers
A list of short stories, unimporntant details and random oberservations.
1. At Cafe Tortina *the lodest cafe in Buensoa aires, the service was really poor, but i got a glass of wine because it cost as much as a bottle of agua.
2. Last night was tired. so tired. we had woken up at 5.30 argentine time *after 4 hours sleep( to catch our plane to lima. When i am tired i am grouchy and i dont want to deal with all the hard things taht come wone with entereing into a new country, culture. Hwever last night after eating the first spicy food since guatemala, bernice and i sletp in our lovely hostil with too beds and a fan and no crazy hostelers who dont like fans. we sletp for 12 hours. and wooke to a lovely breakfast of three kind of bread, strawberry jam and mate de coco.
3. Coco reminds me of my Latina American Drugwars class that i tok with laura koblentsx.
4. Ecuador and Colombian presidetns shok hands and said i am sorry. Bush only shakes hands.
5. Things I miss: my bed, and the i dont usualy worry about weather of LA. my family, my friends and being in a culture that I dont havet o continually question and guess to figure out why the restuarants dont open until 8pm. (in buenos aires dinner time is abput 10pm, due to the time change, i was able to keep up with the late night owls argetines) and sadly, my clothes... well just having a variety of clothes.
6. It surprises me that I miss the comofrt of knowing my culture. I think it has to do with the traveling vierses living in one place.
7. I am not quick. It takes me a while to adjust. Just when i had gotten use to the uber european feel of buenos aires, i am in lima, a place that feels much more like guatemala, yet still so different. I am excited to be hear, but sad that i aonly have 4 days in lima, and 5 days in cusco/machu picchu. and then only 5 days in mexico.
8. Traveling is a test of being present focus. What is in front of you, quick decisions and enjoying whatever the moment brings.
9. i have watched quite a few movies on my trip: Daughter of the Puma, Las Cruces, Reign over me, Martian Kid, Mi Mscota es un munstro. Not to mention this new love of futbol. i enjoy watching it on tv and it is always on tv.
10. Have you ever seen those cheeseyt calenderdars with little piscture of big water falls and verses of the bible. I know understand why the makes of those caldendars make thee them, but they do no justice to the grandeure of gods cration. Iguazu national park was amazing. breathtaking, easy reminder of Gods bigness and powerfulness. God gets to look at everyday, and he created this amazing amazing waterfalls that toook qutie a lot of work for me to get to. I am slgihty jealous of this attribute of God, getting to experience his creation so up close and personally. But in front of this beatukful marvoulous amazing waterfalls, i saw an old man angry push a 20 smething lady, when she unknowingly walked in front of the camera when his whife was trying to foto graoh him. It was very crowded at this particular time of day and at that particular vantage point. It was so saddenign. And i am not jealous of God who gets to experience his creation so fallen everyday.
11. I dont like bug bites.
12. In Peru I can understand the spanish here much better.! yeah! and i think its a good thing, because they speak less english here, i belieeve.
13. I can name all the south american and central american coiuntires. Here i go. Suriname, guianan, french guiana, argetnina, brazil., colombia, venezuela, ecausore, chile and peru, uruguay and paraguay, bolivia. Costa rica, guatemala, belize, panama, nicaragua, ecaudor, honduras. In all my years of a latina merican studies major, i never learned the names, but being here, reading the nes paper and traveling over and throught hem has tuahgt me what a map never was able to.
14. I saw a tranatula the other day in hour oom in iguazu. I couldnt think of the name or what to say so i yelled at berince, get on the bed, get on the bed. through team work and squigy like broom thing we got mr. T out the door.
15. There are soooooo many people in the world. Hostels really support that fact.
16. When taking a taxi in Lima: Only take the ones with licesnce numbers on the side, taxi sign on top and registration stickers on the widnow. Dont get in. Ask how much does it cost to get tosucha nd such. He will say a number, you say no, and a lower number. If he does not agree or he looks like a shady guy wave him on and try again. It cost 6 soles to get to barranca last night for dinner and 7 to get back. i am not that good of a bargainer. but these numbers were only 1 sol more than it should have been.
17. I can charge my battery camera in peru without a converter because it can take 240v.
18. You can drink that atap water in buenos aires, but not in lima.
19. This computer is on a dely and i can not see what i am typing for like a minute so sorry for all the typos.
20.Tenga un buen dia.
1. At Cafe Tortina *the lodest cafe in Buensoa aires, the service was really poor, but i got a glass of wine because it cost as much as a bottle of agua.
2. Last night was tired. so tired. we had woken up at 5.30 argentine time *after 4 hours sleep( to catch our plane to lima. When i am tired i am grouchy and i dont want to deal with all the hard things taht come wone with entereing into a new country, culture. Hwever last night after eating the first spicy food since guatemala, bernice and i sletp in our lovely hostil with too beds and a fan and no crazy hostelers who dont like fans. we sletp for 12 hours. and wooke to a lovely breakfast of three kind of bread, strawberry jam and mate de coco.
3. Coco reminds me of my Latina American Drugwars class that i tok with laura koblentsx.
4. Ecuador and Colombian presidetns shok hands and said i am sorry. Bush only shakes hands.
5. Things I miss: my bed, and the i dont usualy worry about weather of LA. my family, my friends and being in a culture that I dont havet o continually question and guess to figure out why the restuarants dont open until 8pm. (in buenos aires dinner time is abput 10pm, due to the time change, i was able to keep up with the late night owls argetines) and sadly, my clothes... well just having a variety of clothes.
6. It surprises me that I miss the comofrt of knowing my culture. I think it has to do with the traveling vierses living in one place.
7. I am not quick. It takes me a while to adjust. Just when i had gotten use to the uber european feel of buenos aires, i am in lima, a place that feels much more like guatemala, yet still so different. I am excited to be hear, but sad that i aonly have 4 days in lima, and 5 days in cusco/machu picchu. and then only 5 days in mexico.
8. Traveling is a test of being present focus. What is in front of you, quick decisions and enjoying whatever the moment brings.
9. i have watched quite a few movies on my trip: Daughter of the Puma, Las Cruces, Reign over me, Martian Kid, Mi Mscota es un munstro. Not to mention this new love of futbol. i enjoy watching it on tv and it is always on tv.
10. Have you ever seen those cheeseyt calenderdars with little piscture of big water falls and verses of the bible. I know understand why the makes of those caldendars make thee them, but they do no justice to the grandeure of gods cration. Iguazu national park was amazing. breathtaking, easy reminder of Gods bigness and powerfulness. God gets to look at everyday, and he created this amazing amazing waterfalls that toook qutie a lot of work for me to get to. I am slgihty jealous of this attribute of God, getting to experience his creation so up close and personally. But in front of this beatukful marvoulous amazing waterfalls, i saw an old man angry push a 20 smething lady, when she unknowingly walked in front of the camera when his whife was trying to foto graoh him. It was very crowded at this particular time of day and at that particular vantage point. It was so saddenign. And i am not jealous of God who gets to experience his creation so fallen everyday.
11. I dont like bug bites.
12. In Peru I can understand the spanish here much better.! yeah! and i think its a good thing, because they speak less english here, i belieeve.
13. I can name all the south american and central american coiuntires. Here i go. Suriname, guianan, french guiana, argetnina, brazil., colombia, venezuela, ecausore, chile and peru, uruguay and paraguay, bolivia. Costa rica, guatemala, belize, panama, nicaragua, ecaudor, honduras. In all my years of a latina merican studies major, i never learned the names, but being here, reading the nes paper and traveling over and throught hem has tuahgt me what a map never was able to.
14. I saw a tranatula the other day in hour oom in iguazu. I couldnt think of the name or what to say so i yelled at berince, get on the bed, get on the bed. through team work and squigy like broom thing we got mr. T out the door.
15. There are soooooo many people in the world. Hostels really support that fact.
16. When taking a taxi in Lima: Only take the ones with licesnce numbers on the side, taxi sign on top and registration stickers on the widnow. Dont get in. Ask how much does it cost to get tosucha nd such. He will say a number, you say no, and a lower number. If he does not agree or he looks like a shady guy wave him on and try again. It cost 6 soles to get to barranca last night for dinner and 7 to get back. i am not that good of a bargainer. but these numbers were only 1 sol more than it should have been.
17. I can charge my battery camera in peru without a converter because it can take 240v.
18. You can drink that atap water in buenos aires, but not in lima.
19. This computer is on a dely and i can not see what i am typing for like a minute so sorry for all the typos.
20.Tenga un buen dia.
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