Hi all. I swear I've been meaning to write an update but haven't been able to use my computer. The charger broke and my new one won't be arriving for about four more business days. It's annoying to have to type things on my phone.
Full disclosure: It's been a dreary few days. I feel like I might as well just be honest on this blog. School is going well and I am able to follow my classes in Spanish better than I expected. The teachers I work with are very nice and supportive and so they're very helpful as I ease into my work routine. I'm becoming more confident about navigating the city and going places. The work/school week always seems to go by quickly.
But then the weekends have been hard. If you've ever studied abroad alone/moved to a new place by yourself, you know it's hard being the new kid. I felt it when I was in Ecuador and I have to go through it again now. People are very nice; I really am making friends but it just takes time. I think I'm just about to the outside-of-school friend level with a few people so that's good. I can be quite shy and introverted so it's work fighting that impulse. I also have three-day weekends right now which I'm sure I'll love in the end, but they feel long to me now.
Today I've been stuck home from school, sick in bed. I'm really looking forward to going back tomorrow. I have things to keep me busy but I generally don't do well alone with my thoughts for too long; they usually drift back to home. A couple people in my life just started college and most of my friends from high school are starting their careers; I've just been feeling a little off-step about life. Classes at Webster started today and as I was throwing up this morning I couldn't help but wish I was waking up with Andy and the cats in our apartment and starting school at a place where I feel in my element.
What can I say, it's hard! I want to tell you that I'm partying it up here and just having fun but I won't lie. I'm still adjusting. I've done this before and I know it gets better. Someday, when I look back on my experience here, I won't hardly even remember days like these. But in this moment, they are a real challenge to overcome. Even though I know overcoming makes me stronger, whenever I'm actually in the overcoming process I think, damn, why did I not remember how hard this is? There's no way out but through it.
On a more positive note, I had some delicious food this weekend, the trees are budding and I can't wait for spring to arrive, and Andy's coming to visit me the week of Thanksgiving. That'll be here before I know it, right?
Hope to have sunnier things to say next time! Also I'd love to add some photos but my phone is being a pain about it so I guess they'll just have to wait.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Not the Post I Wanted to Write
I was planning on getting around to writing a post this weekend. I was going to write about how I enjoyed going sledding in the Andes and how my first week of school went quite well. But I'm not going to write about that today.
On Thursday I gave a presentation to the class about the American education system. It went well; I held peoples attention and they were interested in the topic. Afterwards about ten students stuck around to talk to me. How long did it take for someone to ask me about racism in the United States? About three minutes. We touched on school segregation and the Delmar divide before another class was coming in and I promised that we could revisit the topic in the future.
I think that there's a solid chance that of the about 100 students in this class, someone will have heard about what happened in Virginia today. I am looking at a very real possibility that I may be asked about it. My answer is not going to be some bullshit about how terrible this one event was, how bad hate and violence are, how we all need to unite and how all white people in the country aren't racist.
My job is to educate students about American culture, and my answer will be an absolute acknowledgement of the racial structures of power and personhood that are an integral part of the country. My answer will be about those who fight to maintain white power and privilege, those who fight to dismantle it in the name of what we are told America is supposed to be, and those who live as though there is no fight at all.
I know people who might just say that we don't know the full story, that it's about politics and free speech, that violence in any case is bad and no side is perfect. Critically, they might directly or indirectly deny that the United States is far, far from having dealt with racism. With the little bit of traveling I've done, the one thing I've learned most is how little I know. But one thing I can tell you: The rest of the world sees us, and they are not in denial.
On Thursday I gave a presentation to the class about the American education system. It went well; I held peoples attention and they were interested in the topic. Afterwards about ten students stuck around to talk to me. How long did it take for someone to ask me about racism in the United States? About three minutes. We touched on school segregation and the Delmar divide before another class was coming in and I promised that we could revisit the topic in the future.
I think that there's a solid chance that of the about 100 students in this class, someone will have heard about what happened in Virginia today. I am looking at a very real possibility that I may be asked about it. My answer is not going to be some bullshit about how terrible this one event was, how bad hate and violence are, how we all need to unite and how all white people in the country aren't racist.
My job is to educate students about American culture, and my answer will be an absolute acknowledgement of the racial structures of power and personhood that are an integral part of the country. My answer will be about those who fight to maintain white power and privilege, those who fight to dismantle it in the name of what we are told America is supposed to be, and those who live as though there is no fight at all.
I know people who might just say that we don't know the full story, that it's about politics and free speech, that violence in any case is bad and no side is perfect. Critically, they might directly or indirectly deny that the United States is far, far from having dealt with racism. With the little bit of traveling I've done, the one thing I've learned most is how little I know. But one thing I can tell you: The rest of the world sees us, and they are not in denial.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Hi Family, I'm Alive and Well
Hey, better late than never on the blog posts, right? I hope at some point to write all about all the cool stuff I did in Ghana (lots of cool stuff!). Hope is the key word there. Maybe I'll at least upload some of my pictures. I'm not great at this whole consistency thing.
Anyway, I've been in Argentina a little less than a week now! I was supposed to arrive Monday morning but ended up getting here in the evening after missing a flight. On that note I'd like to give an enormous shoutout to Gommy and Brian for coming through for me in my hour of need/in every hour of need I've ever had.
I really don't fly well so when I got here I was pretty much a mess. Thankfully I have a great host mom who has been taking excellent care of me. She's a retired math teacher and widow who loves to talk and joke and cooks good food. The house is really cute and I have the whole upstairs to myself with my own bathroom so I couldn't ask for more. Also, the bathroom has a bidet and I tried it for the first time today and I don't know why we don't have more bidets back in the US.
Tomorrow I'm going with my host mom's granddaughter up into the mountains to go play in the snow. We rented snowsuits and sleds. I look wonderfully ridiculous in my snowsuit. I'll try to get a picture.
School starts Monday! I'd write about it but I'm pretty nervous so trying not to think about that too much right now! I know it will be fine but I always anticipate the worst. At least I am always pleasantly surprised when everything works out in the end.
Till next time I'll leave you with two pictures: me in front of a big statue and the view I got on the phone with Andy today as he ate chicken nuggets in his car.
Anyway, I've been in Argentina a little less than a week now! I was supposed to arrive Monday morning but ended up getting here in the evening after missing a flight. On that note I'd like to give an enormous shoutout to Gommy and Brian for coming through for me in my hour of need/in every hour of need I've ever had.
I really don't fly well so when I got here I was pretty much a mess. Thankfully I have a great host mom who has been taking excellent care of me. She's a retired math teacher and widow who loves to talk and joke and cooks good food. The house is really cute and I have the whole upstairs to myself with my own bathroom so I couldn't ask for more. Also, the bathroom has a bidet and I tried it for the first time today and I don't know why we don't have more bidets back in the US.
Tomorrow I'm going with my host mom's granddaughter up into the mountains to go play in the snow. We rented snowsuits and sleds. I look wonderfully ridiculous in my snowsuit. I'll try to get a picture.
School starts Monday! I'd write about it but I'm pretty nervous so trying not to think about that too much right now! I know it will be fine but I always anticipate the worst. At least I am always pleasantly surprised when everything works out in the end.
Till next time I'll leave you with two pictures: me in front of a big statue and the view I got on the phone with Andy today as he ate chicken nuggets in his car.
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