Halfway There

I am officially done my first semester abroad here in England and am halfway through my year abroad. I have been so fortunate to have made the friends I have here and to have had so many amazing new experiences. Thanks to all the working and saving I've done the past three summers (and the fact that travel is cheaper here than in America) I will have been privileged enough to have already managed to explore ten different countries by the time next semester begins, and hopefully brings me to more of them. I have had so many adventures but the best part of everywhere that I have been is that I have been there with friends. I wish that we could all do this as a group, there were so many times when I saw or did something new and wished that you all were there with me. I wish I could've climbed a mountain with you Wendy, or gone all weekend partying with you Martin. I am so glad I have been able to see both Breigh and Chris this semester, I had so much fun exploring your cities (and I can't wait to show Chris around mine). My time here has been so full of change, both positive and negative, that I simultaneously wish you were all here having tea time with me and that we were all back at Dickinson for mac and cheese day (the best of all Dickinson days). I cannot even begin to imagine what a whole other six months here will be like but I also could not picture myself going home yet. I am only halfway through this adventure of mine, and it is constantly changing every day. Whether I have a week of travel or one of studying, I am always thinking of all the fun we would all have together if we were all here. So even though I look forward to the upcoming semester, I also can't wait to sit with you all in the caf next year.

it's a not goodbye kind of bye (wait that doesnt make sense oh well)

What better time to write than at 4 am in the morning while I pack to go back home? Yes that is correct I am leaving Argentina tomorrow and the feeling is bitter sweet. On the one hand I am more than excited to see my family and friends again but I feel as if I leave a piece of my heart mind and soul here in Mendoza.

This experience has been incredibly unreal from climbing mountains to pray to the Pachamama in Ecuador to stuffing my face with asado for countless meals in Argentina. I leave with a world of experiences that I am so grateful to have had and many new relationships with inspiring and genuine individuals.

I went abroad with the intention of experiencing a new culture and broadening my horizons and all that cliché stuff and along the way I’ve found a small piece of myself. I think I have to say that I have never been so proud to be Latina and I truly am lucky that I can connect to this vast and beautifully diverse region. I guess it’s been hard to write on here and now sum up my experiences simply because (as many of you know) the question “how was/ is abroad?” is quite daunting. It’s hard to encompass tubing down the napo river in the amazon, eating mountains of rice in Ecuador, walking an hour to get to school (NO ONE FREAKING COMPLAIN ABOUT HAVING TO WALK FROM GOODYEAR TO DENNY!!!), sharing mate, riding the bus to school that is so full I sometimes felt like I was going to fall out the door, building up the courage to move out of my first home stay and bonding with my professors family when no one else could take me in. We are so freaking small in this universe and it truly has humbled me meeting people who have each given me a piece of something new. It kind of feels as If life were a jigsaw puzzle made up of tiny pieces of events and people who have touched you.  Besides the Mendocinos who have welcomed me into their lives I also somewhere along the way grew an immense love and appreciation for each one of the 11 other Dickinsonians on this trip with me. I’ve been planning on studying abroad since high school and now that my first semester of it is coming to a close its unbelievable how fast time flies from my highest highs to lowest lows I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about this semester. Going home most definitely doesn’t mean good bye just simply an end of this particular chapter for now.

I love each and every one of you unbelievably so and I hope your semesters are also wrapping up nicely!!! As for those of you who will be in LA in the next three weeks I expect to see you!!!!!!!!! not a suggestion, it’s a demand!!!

It's 5 o' clock in the morning

It's 4:38 in the morning, I lied. I just finished watching this amazing indie film called "Stuck in Love." I cried so much. It's probably the most I've cried since watching Perks a year ago. I recommend this movie to anyone interested in writing and love, and writing about love. I discovered that I love Elliot Smith because of this film too. When you watch this make sure your door is closed. As I was watching the saddest part of the movie and bawling my eyes out, my friend from flat 6 drunkenly came into my room and tried to kiss me. Yep. So lock your doors, and hide your kids and wives every body because guys are just barging in during sad movies and trying to steal a sweet one from you.

I'm different (that and i couldn't think of a post title..)

Selfless Selfie

I'm different, yeah I'm different I'm different, yeah I'm different I'm different, yeah I'm different... 

Well I figured I should actually start posting regularly now, considering the holidays are right around the corner and content will start to increase and I will have no idea where to begin with how stuff is going..... Hmm OH I've been keeping my hair short this semester, this selfless selfie does not prove that but take my word, also i wear hats now, hats are cool. other than that I guess I can start off by saying that the work in the LGBTQ Services Office is hectic but rather enjoyable, never a dull moment in Landis house. Though I wish Paula would bring the kids around more often this half of the semester but I get to see them every other day as I walk to class because that is walking time, of course Aleah is in the stroller. I probably will never see here walk; getting use to the idea that Paula is leaving has not been the easiest, I can't get my head around the idea of not having Paula at our Senior Year PPR or running the usual events of ODI or SD. Actually, I can't seem to imagine how our senior year is going to be at all, now that we are well into the semester I can start to see how the next generations are going to to shift the atmosphere on campus, and it's neither better nor worse just weirdly different. WE NEED MORE WEIRD PEOPLE!!! but the good kind of course, we already have the hella creepy weird people here.... 
I really can't say much because I'm boring, other that

Oh Derek!!

this semester I've gone  to one too many a parties that I doubt I've had a weekend to just stay in and relax.. ALSO contrary to popular belief *cough* *wendy* *cough* No I am not just staying in my bed watching Teen Wolf. However, that would not be a bad idea in any way shape or form because who doesn't want to stay in and see Derek and Stiles build the best bromance ever.. or simply just look at Derek.. I mean look at him..
All I need is a beat that's super bumpin! (For me to back it up and dump it!)

Okay now I'mma need you guys to post more or else... 

Slow down, grab the wall
Wiggle like you tryna make yo ass fall off
Hella thick I wanna smash 'em all 
Now speed up, gas pedal 

It's like La Gasolina only a bit more direct on the sexualness yet the allusion to a car/gas is lost. I mean if this song is not inspiration enough for you guys to post more I have no clue what would be.

I miss you guys, write a post soon please!

So I am ending my first month here at UEA and I have many mixed emotions. While I am still glad I am abroad, I have found both pros and cons to my life here. The campus itself is full of ugly concrete buildings that, despite being only 50 years old, are already shabby and disintegrating. There are two mysterious smoke stacks that resemble a miniature three mile island and I have to assume the entire college was originally built as a internally complicated and maze-like structure to act as a prison for children, based on appearance and function alone. On the other hand the lake and the Broads lie behind the college as well as Earlham park lining its left side, and a seemingly unacknowledged pasture of cows, sheep, and ponies that appear to fend for themselves on the either side of the marsh. The town of Norwich is very pretty and a short bus ride away. There is a castle, cathedral, and forum juxtaposing the many shops and the marketplace. In the Village we are all very close together. We must use a microwave for an oven and the fridge space is limited. My room is cozy but I have decorated it with pictures and your faces and lined the shelves with books and food. I am finding cooking and shopping for myself, although I apparently do so in away that mistakes me for a mom. Their is a maid who is nice but all things considered I'd rather she didn't enter my room room ever, weekends being a respite from her early morning pop ins to empty my trash and ensure I am still alive. All of my flatmates are nice enough but I am having a deja vu of freshman year since they never invite me to hang out and interactions are always tinged with awkwardness. Individually we are usually fine, however, and I do hang out with my one flat mate Deji. Since coming here I feel as though I am growing away from the Dickinson group, finding only conflict and unnecessary drama when I spend too long with them. Even just being near them now has begun to annoy me, which is a shame because they are nice people and we could've been fine. I mostly hang out with Aaron since I never have issues with him. I wish I could see Mika, Brittany, Celeste, and Sarah more (Brandon too) but I think are schedules conflict a lot, I'm glad the 7 of us are going to Paris together in a few weeks. Traveling is what is exciting me the most, but is also extremely stressful. Between my bank thinking I am an identity thief every other transaction and my limited budget and time, I am stressing over tickets and hostels and timing. It'll be worth it though to visit everywhere I hope to. I am already officially going to Scotland, France, and Spain this semester and if it all works out I will add Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Whales and more before the spring (when traveling will be much more limited due to money and classes). I like my classes subjects however the teaching style here, of lecturing, is very grating and I know one day I'll disagree so much that I'll yell out and they'll never be able to stop me there after. My one class Indigenous Culture Indigenous Art is interesting, although a little too art heavy, but the teacher is a bit too intense, but nice. The students are nice for the most part, 2 of my new good friends are in it. My other class Gender and Development is interesting but I have three teachers: one too aggressive, one I think is offensive, and one who may be a unicorn for all I know or have seen of him. We talk about feminism and women but never in a way as progressive or radical as I would like. I miss the days of Stephanie Gilmore. I am excited for my classes next semester though and I think they will be good. Sometimes I miss you all terribly, but I am making new friends and new experiences here. I am in a lot of clubs, at least I suspect so everything to do with UEA is terribly big and unorganized. I am growing to like the Feminist society here, although they are not what I am used too, and am also involved in Stop the Traffik(charity to stop human trafficking), Conservation and Wildlife Society(ecology is super cool guys), Pride (LGBTQ group on campus), Student Minds(counsel peers with eating disorders), Headucate (teach kids about mental illness), and a few others. Everything costs money here: food, parties, alcohol, campus activities, and everything else we take for granted at Dickinson. I didn't really like Dickinson until last year but now I miss the campus, the people, and even unbelievably the food and parties. Don't get me wrong, it's great that there are so many socials and dances here, the drinking age is ideal, and the food tastes better as well, but I miss the triumph of just walking into places for free. One thing that has been great is that I am finally finding time to read for fun again (although maybe I should start actually doing my readings for class soon). I have gone through books in a way I have truly missed during the business of my life in America. If any of you are looking for a book I thoroughly enjoyed rereading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Shakespeare's plays, and reading The Fault In Our Stars and The Art of Racing in the Rain, I look forward to more as I already have another 3 lined up. Movies and TV are also a regular, although this is no surprise, although I can't seem to get anyone to go with me (which is what I miss about you guys, you always watched them a drop of a hat and enjoyed them with me, that's true friendship right there). As I travel to visit some of you, and know the rest I won't see for a while, I just wanted to write this to say I miss you and want to here all about your adventures as well. So please write your own posts here on our blog soon! Love you guys!

Goodbye London, Hello Norwich

  Wendy don't despair, keep the long posts coming I love them and you! I miss everyone too but I'm not really the type to get homesick as much as the occasional person or moment sick (I have also managed to avoid the illness going around our group). I am going to try and fit my last 2 weeks of London into this post since I am leaving tomorrow for Norwich and so hopefully starting all new adventures (until i have to return here for 10 days of spring break). I love London but I am afraid I'm ready to go, everyone smokes everywhere here and drives very fast (the cyclists are the worst), I also am done living in a hotel and ready to have my own space (no matter how lovely my room and roommates are).
We have been moving almost constantly since we arrived here which is exciting but very tiring as well. This time spent here in London has mostly revolved around: 1. Tours (walking, double decker bus, and even boat) of different parts of the city, museums and important buildings and landmarks, and even Harry Potter. 
2. Food! There is such a variety of types here in the city that reflects the diversity of culture and citizens here as well. I have had everything from a full English breakfast to paella to sandwiches to sushi and still so many other options remain. 
3. Plays have been almost constant, I have seen 5 (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Billy Elliot, Midsummers Night Dream (in the Globe!!), Private Lives, and The Pride) in the last 2 weeks as well as 2 movies (The Way Way Back and What Maisie Knew, phenomenal go see if you can, not counting the movies I watched in my computer) and I still wish I could go see more.

(this is my new best friend btw, nbd)

 

 London hasn't been all fun and games, we have assignments every day, but for the most part it is just that, a lot of fun. I have seen Egyptian tombs and African modern art, illegitimately Aaron married on the London Eye, went to church twice in the 2 most famous churches in England, danced to a bagpipe cover band and the Beatles in concert, drank a lot legally, stalked Sherlock Holmes and saw real life famous people, was hit on by british people (too much), partied at a few gay bars and clubs consecutively, joined firefighters in laughing at the mayor during a city hall meeting, explored a torture chamber in the Tower of London, saw old friends, was saddened by a library of jailed books, had long discussions on feminism and racism and rape culture (so nothing new there), missed 2 jewish holidays in this christian country, bought more than i should for myself and family holiday gifts, finally went to Diagon Alley (i am a wizard), skyping what feels like the world, teaching my roommate to steal and executing other debauchery, and having tea time with a Tony award winning Lighting Designer from the West End and Dickinson College  (im hoping to work with him if I can). So yea overall I am not sure UEA is ready for the ball of procrastination that I am bringing to campus, guess I just have to join lots of clubs and buy a cat =)
             
                           
                                                        (this is diagon alley btw, be jealous you muggles, Hogwarts here I come)

<3 love you guys!
(Sorry I suck at formatting, blogs are what I have Martin for)

sorry about the length of this post, i just had so much on my mind

Hi guys!!!!

Okay I really should post more often because I go through like a million emotions in one week, but it’s so hard to post every week. Maybe I’ll put myself on a rewards system, one post = one empanada for Wendy! As a result this post might be long. (Just finished it’s long, sorry!)

Okay so I’ve been hesitant to post because most of your programs just started and you are in this initial high stage of being away, experiencing the world, feeling grown up, independent, and  frankly just filling your lives with all these experiences where in that moment you feel infinite. I on the other hand am now going into my third month abroad and I still love it but my emotions have started to fluctuate like a woman going through menopause. So two weeks ago I was convinced I was going to move out of my host mom’s apartment because I spent the weekend being fed raw cabbage and liver pâté. I was so hungry and so ready to pack my bags! And then there was the incident that I went clubbing and lost my house keys. When I realized I had lost them I spent about 20 minutes outside crying and then rolled up my skirt, pushed my way back in, got on my hands and knees and crawled on a dirty grimy alcohol filled floor- through crowds of people- to look for those damn keys. It was a huge low point especially because I got all these cuts and bruises from crawling on that club floor. And now to top it off I drank tap water this week (which before you all go judging me and saying… YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DRINK THE TAP WATER. THAT’S THE FIRST THING THEY TELL YOU AT DICKINSON ORIENTATION. I’ve been drinking from the tap since day one and nothing has happened) but this time I got sick and I’ve been in bed for 4 days now. It sucks!!! I’ve had a 102 degree fever, nausea, dizziness, body aches and I can’t keep any food down. So as a result I’ve gotten really home sick by this point, and I still have two and a half months to go. There are times where I really wish I could just be at home or at Dickinson with all of you guys sharing some of Christopher’s “kick the cold out of you” chicken soup while watching the proud family. I think it’s a combo of a bunch of things that are making me home sick.

Also classes here, SO BORING!!!! Okay that’s a lie I really enjoy one of my classes called “ideas politicas y sociales de America.” it’s taught by this older woman who is so nice and she incorporates feminist ideas, indigenous ideas, mestizaje all into political movements of Latin-American!!! But besides that class most classes here are very “practical” which makes sense because the structure of education is much more rigid and it is a large university so the whole liberal arts learning is not a thing. So you’re not going to find a class called “globalization’s effects on marginalized communities and sustainability” (although that isn’t a real class and has little meaning to it, you have to admit that title would probably appear in the course catalog at Dickinson and be cross listed with like 5 different departments), yea that doesn’t exist here. You pick a “Carrera” (literal translation is career, but it’s like a major) and you don’t take classes outside of that major.

But I’m done complaining. One thing I do find very cool here is the level of awareness students have, the level of passion… every 20 minutes an activist group will come barging in to promote their cause, hand out flyers and leave. Last week, one of the groups that came into my class started a debate and the whole class became this huge debate, the professor ended up leaving, granted we only had 30 minutes left of a 5 hour class, but still I was shocked! So that’s been my experience so far in class, it’s pretty entertaining since the topics themselves can be a little dry at times. On Tuesday, the group that came in to distribute flyers was to remember 9/11, not our 9/11 but Chile’s, which was the day Salvador Allende (democratically elected president of Chile) died after being overthrown by a Us backed military coup that brought Pinochet into power; a dictatorship that was responsible for the torturing of about 40,000 people, over 3,000 deaths and still 1,000 people who disappeared. It was interesting to spend this 9/11 thinking not only of the American lives that were lost, but also thinking of the lives lost due to other tragic events in history that of course have had US involvement.

Moving on… sometimes my conversations with my host mom get a little intense. She is a very sassy opinionated woman and for the most part we agree, like the USA’s “American Dream” is this gilded image propagated by so many and to so many people around the world and how in reality the amount of discrimination in the US is unbelievable. So we have very cool conversations, especially because it’s just me and her, but yesterday we started talking about religion, which led to race, which led to race being the only part of your identity because it’s found in your DNA (AHHH), which led to race being a social construction, and I don’t know how this happened because I got so tongue tied and tired of talking, but somehow we ended up talking about the queer community. It was a very rough conversation to have, but at the end of it I went to go take a shower and when I came back out she told me there was a TV show talking about everything we had just discussed. I told her “wow, they should give us a show and pay us” she laughed and all the tensions dissolved.

On a completely different note, I’m teaching English to Huarpe students. Well some of them are Huarpe and some of them come from a similar rural area, but do not identify as Huarpe. There is a program at the university here that gives scholarships to students from rural areas. These areas are far out in the desert and tend to have poorly funded schools and communities where the level of literacy tends to be lower. The ones who get the scholarship to come have to spend their first year taking intensive courses to prepare them for college level work and it’s hard in several ways. One, they have to uproot and leave home for a large city where they don’t know many people,  and two they can get very discouraged by the other students who have been to private schools their whole lives and had the best of tutors. It almost reminds me of posse but reversed, instead of going from urban to rural it’s the other way around and instead of spending 6 months in pct (pre-collegiate training) plus with a writing tutor, they spend a year trying to “catch-up”. So one of the classes they have to pass their first year is an English class so I’m helping them in their pre-college year to prepare for that class. They are all so energetic and damn do they work hard, they all have ganas (desire).

I’m so sorry this post in annoyingly long, and I don’t even care if any of you read it, but it has made me feel so much better writing it all out! I hope all of you are having those infinite moments, abroad or not, I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THEM!!! You are all so selfish you keep your moments and thoughts to yourself : p

Jk.

 SENDING SO MUCH LOVE TO ALL OF YOU!!  

 oh and i went rappelling last weekend before i got sick, it was awsome!!  :) 

so far so good!

hello again!

All these posts about move in day and Dickinson visits are making me so sad and nostalgic. You all know I’m the first in line to say Dickinson is not an easy place, but damn do I miss it. Somehow it really does grow on you and that's mostly because of the beautiful people you meet there, such as all of you guys! So yea I’m super nostalgic right now.

Okay, Jessica I just want to say... you go girl! Which sounds like something my mother would say but dying your hair and three new piercings that's just fierce and awesome. So Argentina... I arrived three weeks ago and Professor Ruhl was here to greet us, which was unbelievably comforting to see a familiar face. Mendoza is so much bigger than Cuenca, Ecuador so it has been a bit more overwhelming trying to navigate the city. Example, yesterday I got lost going to cross fit so I was wondering around for about an hour.

Also my host mom, quite the sassafrass. Her name is Margarita and it’s just me and her. We live in this little apartment (like you take 10 steps from the kitchen and you’ve reached the end of the apartment) but the view and location are spectacular! I’m right in the middle of the city and I can see part of the Andes from my room so it’s breathtaking!!! She’s a lot of fun to live with because she is kind of spunky; she isn’t married and doesn’t have kids but she loves to hang out with her girlfriends, do yoga, she drinks this retro Japanese water, is spiritual, and burns incents around the apartment while she listens to music. On the down side she has a really strong personality so she can be very critical. VERY CRITICAL! She’ll call my group stupid and Americans dumb (which we can be) and she only picked me because I’m Latina (I’m still deciding how to feel about that). Most of the time she is in a really good mood so it’s a lot of fun living here.

We got here three weeks before school started so I haven’t been doing much besides watching tv, eating, going to cafes just to get out of the house, and exercising on occasion… which is fine for three maybe four days, but now two and a half weeks of that is a little much. That being said I am really excited to stat school on Monday, maybe I’ll make friends! (Oh I sure hope so I’m actually really nervous for school).

But not to worry I have done exciting things like I went on a desert trip, skiing in the Andes and fell A LOT, and …..

Today, I took a two hour drive to go repelling down an old mine. I got up at 7 am, bundled up and headed out to the Andes to go visit an old mine. A little history for y’all, the mine was first created when the Jesuits came to Argentina; then it was taken over by a Spanish company and they mined for silver and led (which you can still see on the walls); after the Spanish a British company took over the location up until 1980’s- ish when they were kicked out of the area due to the Guerra de las Malvinas (aka Falklands war). Anyway now that you’re all briefed on where I went I can tell you all about my adventure into the mine.

So there are 4 levels, when we first got there we had to put on these gloves, get down on all fours and crawl into this itty bitty tunnel on the side of the mountain and once we crawled for about 10 meters there was enough room to stand and walk around. In the mine we had to be harnessed while walking because randomly there are these big holes that you can fall into. And then we repelled down to each level going further and further underground and once we got to the third level we couldn’t go any farther because the fourth level is a scuba diving excursion. To sum it all up IT WAS SO MUCH FREAKING FUN! After the mine they made us food and we ate like three plates of meat! Argentina is very well known for their red meat (but I have the one host mom who apparently doesn’t like meat so I don’t get much of it) so when they started grilling I went all for it. I think I had about 4 sausages, 2 small pieces of steak and three ribs. Is it possible to be drunk off meat? Because I’m pretty sure that’s what I felt after that meal! Well that pretty much sums up my three weeks in Argentina so far and I’ll keep you guys updated!

I MISS ALL OF YOU SO MUCH and send all my best wishes and love!!!!

Hectic Orientation...

So as no surprise this year's orientation is hectic, at first glance it was rather strange and difficult to see these students as anything more than kids. Though as the time with my orientation group passes I start to see them as promising peers and hopefully this will set the tone for the years to come. I've gotten a general reaction from other OAs that this class is much quieter though I'd like to hope that it's a class that is much more prepared to listen than those before them. They seem much more concerned with what is actually being presented during orientation though as compared to some of the guys from my last orientation group that is a considerably low standard.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program, I've invited the other people that you suggested Jessica so now it is on them to accept our request. I've also added a subscribe function on the side bar to send a notification email to your preferred account when ever we post on this page, that's the main issue i found with the page. (hope it works)

Also I just wanted to say that I saw Paula's baby before all y'll... I win?
And I'm certainly in that picture in on the left side.. you see the one who's head is covered by the sign.. yeah that one.

I Survived and Miss You All!

Hey everyone!

   I've wanted to post for a while now but this is the first free moment I have found all summer. I liked all of your posts though, I wish I was off with you instead of working all summer. I have one week left to relax and then I am in packing mode for the next week until my plane takes me to London. I am happy to be done with these crazy camp adventures and all of the bees (I am currently on steroids and antihistamines for a wasp sting I got on the last day of camp, it was somehow in my pants in a building). The children are awesome for the most part though and I feel bad because they think I'll be back but I really can't do it again next year, it's time for me to try new things. Instead I am going to work at one of two camps that are actually interested in having me or maybe get a real person job or internship. Because here's the thing, I love the kids. The good, the bad, the troublemakers and leaders alike. I go to camp for the kids every year. Even ones that I don't like at first all grow on me eventually, I have come back every summer of the past 3 years because the children needed and wanted me to. So now, unless camp does a one eighty, I plan on closing this chapter of my life and moving on to other jobs. I already have 2 positive responses from camps located in Carlisle and I plan on expanding my search for internship opportunities as well, despite the fact that I'll be searching from England. I am sooooo excited to be leaving for England in a week and a half! Im hoping to see and do as much as possible while I'm there, I'm trying to start fresh though, new year and open minded me, so I have spent the remainder of my teenage years (20 in 10 days!) with a lot of sudden unplanned choices that I can justify away with my age. Thus I am leaving with a new hair cut and color, 3 new piercings, and a fresh brain. I'm still working out fitting my life into 2 suitcases and a backpack. Also I will be visiting Dickinson if any of you are in the area at the time. I also hope I can see and hear all about your experiences this upcoming year as well :) I miss you guys! Write more posts <3

(Also how do we add more contributors? I want to add Breigh, Chris, and Alejandro, plus anyone you guys feel we left out!) 

Greetings lovely friends!

oh how i miss all of you and it's only been a little over a month!Well i figured i would post now that my abroad adventures have officially started. so i left the states a week ago, but I just got to Cuenca, Ecuador today. My host family consists of two parents, Maria and Giovanni, and three sisters, Belen (28 years old), Paz (25), and Cati (17). They are very sweet people and the girls are really funny. I think the youngest one is quite rebellious and probably the main cause for her dad's gray hair.

So for the past week my Dickinson abroad group and i have been traveling across Ecuador from Quito to Cuenca which are both on the spine of the Andes but on opposite sides of the country. My week has consisted of going to the middle of the world (aka the equator line) where you can see all the stars because you can see the stars on both hemispheres it's beautiful! eating pollo y arroz, visiting small indigenous villages and learning about music, weaving, agriculture, and of course eating some more!

i think the best part of the week so far has been the amazon jungle trip. We stayed there for about three days and we didn't rough it at all lol. yes, we didn't have electricity but we had these amazing three course meals. oh, Dickinson. it was absolutely amazing though; we did a lot of hiking. we we're basically climbing up the side of a mountain, well in my case crawling, and then it started to pour on our hike. It was quite a beautiful moment! we also found some ayahuasca and our guide (Macro) was telling us all about how they use it in his tribe and the one and only time he has ever tried it. Personally, it sounds terrifying but he also described it in a way that made the experience strangely beautiful, especially compared to tourists who try it and don't understand it's use and such. We visited Marco's community, called Tiyu Yaku, and learned all about making this caffeinated drink, how to make chocolate from the cocoas, and how to shot these blowgun darts that paralyze animals (it's safe to say that i suck at it and no one should trust me with paralyzing darts). the kids in the village learn how to aim them at like age 6, which is crazy because the blowgun that you put the dart in was really heavy for my little noodle arms. Tiyu yaku was a beautiful community with amazing people who had such passion for their culture and keeping their lives very connected to the land. i swear sometimes i wonder why we live in a world that abuses and destroys so much of what we are given on this earth.

Well i should go to bed since i have class tomorrow at 8 am and a 45 minute walk to class! it's also super cold down here (alpaca socks are becoming my best friend). I hope you guys are all doing well and Mika i was laughing so hard at your description "wannabe beyonce", i'm sure your hair looks good! Miss all of you and you are all so near and dear to my heart! take care and post!!!!

Dyed My Hurr

Sup yo? So I dyed my hair yesterday. I wanted a brownish color, so my mom was like "buy light blonde, since your hair is really dark and all, it'll come out brown." Makes sense, right? So I did that, and maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it came out too light. I look like a wannabe Beyonce or something. I'm gonna leave it for a few days, maybe I'll get used to it. But anyway, you guys haven't been posting! :( I miss you all a ton. Please let me know how your summer's are going! I'm looking forward to reading your posts. LOVE, Mika xoxoxo.

Hey guys! Thanks for inviting me, Martin. I really like this idea. Things have been pretty interesting since I've gotten home. Home is always just so weird. My siblings are in high school and middle school and they're in their "bad ass" phases, and I'm just so over it. My friends are the same, though some of them don't talk to each other anymore, which puts me in a weird position, and I'm just like "errrr." But on the bright side, I start working at Penguin on June 3rd, so that's exciting. I'll probably post up pictures in the future! I miss you all. I hope you guys post frequently.

Blogity!!

As the next 2 semesters approach and we each venture off and explore the world or remain on campus... As Jessica L. once purposed, I made this blog and invite each of you to post whenever you feel is appropriate to simply continue our bonds and connections. (Just to place where each of us is geographically  or just in life) I guess I'll start us off with the first summer post, YAY Cali beaches (sorry to rub it in Jessica, but the West coast is the Best coast).
So see you all together senior year (I hope) until then do post (don't be a stranger),
Martin Alvarez.

“Our Lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past, and present and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” - Cloud Atlas