Quixotic Queries

Feathers, Bus Rides, and Pujato

2010-05-28T06:19:00.000+02:00

Well, I am down to the final stretch. Ten days until I turn in my final paper, thirteen until my birthday, and seventeen until I am home. I just had a bit of a panic attack when I realized I only have 10 days to write 20 pages in Spanish! Oh dear! I am currently in Pujato , the small town I stayed in around Easter. I arrived here Wednesday morning from Asunción, Paraguay and I'll head back to Buenos Aires this Saturday.

Well, let´s see, I basically have two weeks worth of B.A. updates since my last email. In that time I finished up with classes, took my final, and spent a lot of time with my friend Elise. Elise, one of my new friends in Buenos Aires, was returning to the U.S. before I get back from traveling...so we ran all over the city in the time we had left together. Friday night the 9th we we met up at Plaza San Martin with some other friends to watch a free outdoor acrobatics performance. It was amazing. The acrobats slid between multiple-story buildings and dropped white feathers over the crowd watching from below. I was told later that 1.5 tons of white feather were used. There were so many feathers it looked like snow...at the end people started throwing feather snow balls! I got completely covered in feathers! The following Wednesday, Elise and I explored a new neighborhood in B.A. The thing that struck me about this neighborhood on the south west side of town was that for once I was free of the sea of multiple story buildings. There were some tall buildings, but on average I could see the sky. It had an oddly small town feel about it that was a nice break. Wednesday, I went over to a pot luck at her house and brought the brownies from a box that have become very popular with her friends. And Thursday I finally made it back over to Elise´s by like 1:30pm to have some banana-chocolate chip pancakes and then go buy silly hats in her eclectic and artsy neighborhood of San Telmo.

So, that gets us to the ever-fun 16 hour bus ride to Asunción. They always play the strangest B and C rated movies on these overnight buses. One of the ones they played was a kung-fu movie that involved a guy trying to rescue his beloved baby elephant from some mobsters. In the morning I was then serenaded by what my friend next to me called the Barry White of Argentina...and that was giving him credit. Anyway, I went to Asunción with a girl from my study abroad program so that I could do research for my paper. My topic is the fight against agrotoxics and the women´s movement in Paraguay that has the strongest voice against them. I got three interviews when I was there and think I have enough material to work with now for my paper...I just need to get going on it! Besides work, I also had the most entertaining bus ride of my life while in Asunción. This past Saturday I went with my friend out to the countryside and I knew when we got on the bus and saw that the driver´s chair was a lawn-chair bolted to the ground that it was going to be a great ride. As I sat at the back of the bus, it was like a watching a show. First came all the people hauling on potato sacks and giant baskets. Then the couple that loaded a washing machine on. I thought I was going to have a wall of stuff built up around me. On top of all that commotion, at every stop multiple vendors got on. They sold everything from fruit to socks to cokes to English workbooks to t.v. antennas. I don´t know how they were able to move for all the people on the bus. Oh, and towards the end of the ride my friend and I realized that everyone in our back section of the bus were either family or friends. They all knew each other and chatted or shared drinks. I think that bus ride is what I will remember Paraguay for. Well, I hope that is what I remember Paraguay and not for the food poisoning it gave me. Sunday night I got my first case of food poisoning and ended up sleeping part of the night on the bathroom floor. I was in bed all day Monday, had to miss an interview and of course was unable to do any work on my paper. Today my stomach finally stopped hurting...but I am still sleeping a lot. I am still feeling a little weak and now have a stuffy nose, but am happy that my stomach has calmed down.

I arrived in Pujato this Wednesday after another very fun bus ride from Asunción. I figured I´d be the only American on the bus, but I ended up sitting a row behind a kid from Portland. Since I got to Pujato all I´ve done is sleep and eat. It´s a terrible thing to have an upset stomach here...even though I explained that I had food poisoning and all my host stay mom is like ¨you should eat, you should eat!¨ She understands, but food is just what they do here. For example, for lunch today there was a thick veggie soup. Great. Then there was a soy milanesa (think country fried steak, but thinner and with soy inside) with tomato and melted cheese on top and a salad. Oh, boy, I was fine with just the soup...but it is impossible to explain the idea of ¨I´m not hungry, but it all looks delicious.¨ So after lunch all I could do was go back to bed and sleep for literally four hours. I have got to find another way to deflect...or get up the energy to go running, which is I think more than my body can take right now.

I guess I´ll try to get one more update out before I head home, but forgive me if you don´t hear from me until I am back state-side. I have a lot of writing, a lot of packing, and a lot of goodbyes to do in these last two weeks.

Pujato, Porte Alegre and Paraguay

2010-05-01T01:24:00.001+02:00

First of all, my apologies for the unacceptable lapse in my correspondence. In the last month most of my free time has been taken up by traveling. At the end of March I spent a week in a small farming town in the breadbasket, the province of Santa Fe. I then had two weeks back in Buenos Aires before heading to Porto Alegre, Brazil and then Asuncion, Paraguay.

I. Santa Fe
In the small town of Pujato I felt so welcomed and at home. Everyone is related or friends with everyone else in town...I met so many cousins of so-and-so. I stayed with a family of Italian descent. See photo attached of me and my friend Cata with our homestay mom and dad. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen either drinking mate or eating homemade alfajors, cookies with caramel filling and coated in chocolate. Partly to avoid turning into a roly poly and partly to make room in my tummy so I could eat more, I jogged or biked around town almost everyday, which was a great way to see the town and the people. While in Pujato I got to ride in crop cultivator, watch a cattle auction, and see cheese made at a small dairy. My dad pointed out that I could have done all of those things back in Missouri, but I'm pretty sure that small towns back home don't have dance clubs that are still going strong after day break. I don't know quite how I did it, but I went out with some girls from the town to a dance club until 8:30am and then had breakfast, took a shower, napped, and then went to Easter mass. I hope to go back to Pujato in the next month or so...the homemade alfajors are calling to me!

II. Buenos Aires
Once back in Buenos Aires I had two field study visits to "villas miserias." These villas are poor neighborhoods in Buenos Aires that were built by immigrants when they couldn't find a place to live. These neighborhoods often suffer from a lack of public services and infrastructure. The villas are not shanty towns, as I had imagined, they have buildings that are multiple stories high built out of bricks or concrete and have little corner stores and restaurants. The villas are often seen as an eyesore and nuisance, but they have been a part of the city for over 50 years and continue to exist because the government has been unwilling or unable to deliver the necessary services. It is unbelievable that people are living in these conditions less than 10 blocks from the most expensive restaurants of the whole city in Puerto Madero.

On a lighter note, in the two weeks before Brazil I went to a play done completely in the dark, an independent film festival, and a drum circle performance. The play in the dark was the coolest theatrical experience I've had in at least a year. It was really cool because the actors incorporated sounds and smells that helped the audience imagine scenes from places like Africa to China. At the film festival I watched a Chilean film called "Navidad." It took me about 15 minutes to get used to the accent, but finally I was able to get into it. The film was about three teenagers who end up spending Christmas together and at the same time are trying to figure out who they are. The cinematography was really good even if the plot was a little unimaginative. If you are interested in watching the trailer its http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ospkB6qmdUE. The drum circle was a really cool performance of like 20 drummers and was attended by a large portion of the hip 20-somethings in the city.

III. Brazil
So after a week in Porto Alegre, Brazil I've concluded that Portuguese is like a sing-songy french with a few Spanish words thrown in from time to time. I think my idea of Brazil was probably completely based on what I know about Carnival in Rio, so as a result I was taken a back when I didn't see nearly naked women sambaing down the street. Funny how what shocked me most was the fact that Porto Alegre is just a regular city about the size of KC. While in Brazil I had two field visits to groups fighting for land rights in a country with one of the most unequal distributions of land and wealth in the world. One group, the quilobolas are afro-descendants seeking recognition of their right to their traditional lands and the other group the MST, are landless farmers who are pressuring the government to find them a place to live. I was impressed with the community and spirit of the quilombolas and the determination and strength of the MST.

The highlight of my time in Porto Alegre was probably the soccer game between one of Porto Alegre's teams and an Ecuadorian team. From where I was sitting I not only really enjoyed the game, but also watching the die-hard fans in the standing only section jumping in the thousands, waving flags, and singing through the whole game. I am really glad the Brazilian team won, because I don't want to know how the crowd would have reacted to a loss in this game that serves as something of a qualifying round.

At the end of my time in Brazil, my study abroad group went to Iguazu waterfalls. I had already been with Aunt Gloria and Uncle Chris, and I was really glad for that because the most captivating trail was closed this time because the water level was so high.

IV. Paraguay
Although it is true that Paraguay is very poor and has many problems, I was fascinated by the sense that history was being made before my eyes. Because Paraguay was under a dictator from 1954-1989, in many ways the society has just re-started. We had a visit to a museum on the dictatorship that is only a few years old and is still being put together. After seeing some of the cells where people were tortured, a man who had been tortured and then helped discover the files that cataloged these abuses gave as an impromptu talk. I don't think I realized that I was in the presence of an important figure in Paraguay's history until I saw the same man in a photo on the wall at the achieve of the torture files.

Paraguay, like Brazil also suffers from terrible inequality of the distribution of land which has contributed to the villa in Asuncion. It bowled me over to see that the 5km long villa is built up against the back side of the Presidential Palace and Congress. I don't know how government officials care bare to look out the window and see the suffering they are failing to end. Like one of the coordinators of my program said, she didn't understand how people in the villas in Buenos Aires could say they were better off than they were back home until she saw the villa in Asuncion. The villa is built in part on top of a dump and was permeated by the sickening smells of burning putrid meat, trash, and pigs.

I haven't 100% decided, but I think I will be going back to Paraguay to do a case study for my research project. I think I am going to study a social movement called CONAMURI that was formed 10 years ago to fight for the rights of rural women and Indians.

V. The End
Hats off to you if you made it through this e-mail. I promise that the next one won't be quite so long. So yeah, I have a lot of work to do this week as classes end Friday. I have a final next week and then about 3 weeks to investigate and write by 20-40 page research paper...boy, oh boy! The good news is that I have to turn in it before my birthday, so hopefully I'll get to relax and enjoy the big 21 and my last few days in Buenos Aires.

St. Patricks and Social Movements

2010-03-25T03:42:00.000+01:00

I've been taking advantage of whatever free time I have to hang out with friends from Rhodes and Buenos Aires.

Last Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day and also the birthday of a guy on my study abroad program. As a group we decided to go to an Irish pub called the “Shamrock.” Apparently St. Patrick's Day is a relatively new tradition in Buenos Aires...but in the last several years it has really picked up in popularity. I had heard that the Irish pubs in town get packed early, so I was a afraid we weren't going to be able to get in, but the rain must have scared some would-be revelers away. Not long after I arrived at the pub, Will, a guy I had Spanish with at Rhodes found me in the crowd. We caught up and he invited me to an "asado" or barbecue at his apartment that weekend.

Last Thursday I went to a potluck at the apartment of Megan, another friend from Rhodes. Megan's apartment was very international, she had guests from France, England, Germany, and the US. It was really strange to be out numbered by the French while being in Argentina. I retreated to the kitchen with my wine to help make pizzas. Pizzas here are different than the pizzas back home. The crust is more bread-like and the cheese is creamier cheese. They also are known to put on weird toppings like corn, tuna, or potato chips. Megan's birthday is tomorrow so I'm going to go out with her and some friends for dinner at a Thai restaurant.

Friday I went with the program to meet with a mother from the Plaza de Mayo. The "Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" is a group of mother who joined together to demand justice for their children who were "disappeared" by the military dictatorship. The Mothers or "Madres" remain an incredibly influential and respected group. The Madres believe that it is there job to do the good deeds in which their children believed. Thus, the Madres continue to work with the poor, homeless, and workers unions.

Friday night my homestay brother who is 26 invited kids from my program over to the apartment and then to go out. My homestay brother invited a friend over which was nice...its always exciting to meet Argentinians. We all bonded over the music we like and then discussed how the social norms in Buenos Aires differ from those back home. I've noticed here that guys and girls run in very different circles. A girl either goes out with her girl friends or is attached at the hip to her boyfriend. Here there don't seem to be friend groups with girls and guys. The Argentinian guy's explanation of why that is sounded like the dubbed version of a Billy Crystal line in "When Harry Met Sally."

Saturday I actually did some homework and then when over to the asado at Will's apartment. It was a fun night, we all ate, talked, went out, and then at 5 am started watching "Braveheart." Now, that last part may have caught you by surprise...the "Braveheart" bit..well, what happened was that Will and his roommates had been quoting it in Scottish accents all night long and since I had never seen it we finally ended up watching it. I am proud to say I made it to the end of the and walked back with a friend of mine to the subway at 8 am to go home and sleep!

Today was a national holiday, so I didn't have classes. I took advantage of that to sleep in and then go to a vegetarian restaurant. After stuffing myself with tofu I went to the Plaza de Mayo to see the marches. On this day 34 years ago the military took over the government and began the period of the worst oppression in Argentina's history. So today is not a holiday in the sense of celebration, but instead is meant as an opportunity to remember the 30,000 young people who were disappeared by the military. The Plaza de Mayo was packed with tons of different political groups, their banners, and their drums. There were the Peronists, the Communists, the Socialists, and tons of other groups I didn't even recognize. There was so much energy in the Plaza and I felt goosebumps when I heard the chant "30,000 present, now and forever!"

Next week the program travels to the interior of the country to stay in a farming town called Rosario. Apparently the town gets really excited when the program comes...last year the group's arrival made the front page of their local newspaper. I am excited to get some different perspective and to go on some bike rides. After our time in Rosario we are supposed to have a little time to travel, and if I can get my act together, I want to go to a city called Cordoba.

Homestay, Classes, and New Friends

2010-03-12T23:28:00.000+01:00

It's the end of the first full week of classes. I've settled into my homestay and am starting to get to know the group and kids from B.A.

I met my homestay mom exactly a week ago. My study abroad program had a little welcome event at the school and then we hauled my suitcases to a taxi. My host stay mom is about 65, she is tall and slender with shoulder-length graying blond hair. She has a son, 26, and daughter, 29. Her son lives at home while he finishes his industrial design degree. He works and has a nice girl friend, so I don't see him too much, but we went and got icecream the other day, so that was fun . Her daughter lives in town and is an English teacher in an elementary school. I met her the night of the welcome event and she was exhausted as it was the first week of classes for her.

Last Saturday I met up with a girl who goes to the University of Buenos Aires. I met her in the airport in Kansas City as we were on the same flight to Buenos Aries. Her name is Antonella, and her grandmother is good friends with a teacher from my elementary school. Small world. I went out to her house and met her friends and did my best to understand all the slang terms. In Buenos Aires the night starts very late, so we didn't even go out until 2:30am. I had to have a cup of coffee before we went because I was yawning so much. We went out to what are called "boliches" or dance clubs. The next day Antonella's grandmothers came over and one of them gnocchi, an italian pasta dish. It was delicious. After Antonella and I caught a train back into town and went to the small Chinatown.

In the morning I have a seminar class and in the afternoons a Spanish class. The morning classes on the history and economics of the region have been very interesting. We learned this week about how the increased production of soy in Argentina and other South American countries has been causing both health and economic problems. The Spanish class has been frustrating as it involves a lot of busy work. I've talked to the program director, so hopefully I won't get stuck with that for the rest of the semester.

Today a girl from my group and I went to the MALBA, the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires. I really enjoyed it. It is a manageable size and despite the sort serious name of the museum, the art is all modern or contemporary. I got to see a Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera piece. The muesum is not too far from my school, so I hope to return. I also walked down to the Law School which is very elegant with huge columns. Right next to it is a nice park that has a sculpture of a flower that is really tall and done out of shinny metal.

Tonight the study abroad group is trying to go out. Tomorrow night I am meeting back up with Antonella, the girl from Buenos Aires. Hopefully I'll have had a nap to prepare for the night!

Mendoza, Iguazu, and Colonia

2010-03-03T19:26:00.000+01:00

A lot has happened since I wrote. In this time Aunt Gloria, Uncle Chris, and I went to the wine country in Mendoza, Iguazu waterfalls, and the small Uruguayan town of Colonia. And now, I am writing to you from the small polo resort just outside of B.A. where my study abroad program is having its orientation. Orientation has been a lot of presentations about expectations and culture-shock, but since I've been here for a while, I'm ready to get on with it. I've met, and mostly know the names of the 11 other people in my program. They seem nice. About half are from small liberal arts schools. They are also mostly from the coasts. To the East...Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Florida. To the West...Washington and California. One girl is from Minnesota, but I am the only person holding down the mid-west...I'll do it proud, I hope! I find out about my host family tomorrow and move in Friday.

So, back to my travel log...two weeks ago today I was getting ready to go to the wine country in Mendoza. Mendoza is in the west of Argentina, very near the Andes. It's dryer climate was a pleasant break from the humidity of Buenos Aires. We went on an all-day wine tour of four wineries. That day we tasted a lot wine, especially Malbec, the dark red wine the region is known for. A part from the wine, a highlight of the tour was realizing that a guy on the tour was a physicist who worked with the atom smasher. The next day went on a tour of the Andes and on top of mountain 4,000 meters above sea-level, I got to put a toe in Chile.

Back in Buenos Aires we went to some crafts fairs, met up with a friend of Laura's, and went to the Evita museum. A week ago right now we were on out way to the water falls in Iguazu. Iguazu is at the north of Argentina, right on the Brazilian border. We took an overnight 17-hour bus to get there and back...and I'm not sure I will ever quite be forgiven for putting my aunt and uncle through. Our first day at the falls it rained all day, but we still took the boat tour that took us right up to the roar and mist of the falls. The next day was gorgeous, we walked the trails and saw tons of butterflies. I had 3 butterflies land on me...one stayed on my hand until I passed it off to another person.

We got back from Iguazu this past Friday and that night we went to a tango show with live music. Saturday we went to Colonia, Uruguay by a high-speed ferry. The town was originally established by the Portuguese in the late 1600s and from the on was fought over by many countries. It has been declared a World Herritage site and has been beautifully restored. Kind of like New Orleans, the town has architectural reminders of its diverse pasti...there are streets paved in the Portuguese way and streets paved in the Spanish way. Aunt Gloria, Uncle Chris and I enjoyed trying "clerico" with out lunch. Clerico is a wine and fruit drink similar to sangria, except that it is made with white wine.

The last two days of Uncle Chris and Aunt Gloria's stay we did just a little more around town. We went to a street called "El Caminito" in the La Boca neighborhood. The street is known for its colorful houses and is usually on the cover of any Buenos Aires guide book. Monday, as Aunt Gloria, Uncle Chris and I were walking back to the apartment, we had to stop because of a motorcade and cops blocking the side walk. I was wondering who it could be when Hillary Clinton, wearing a peacock-blue pant suit, got out of a black Cadillac and walked into her hotel.

2010-02-20T17:00:00.003+01:00

I went to the historic San Telmo Fair today. My aunt, uncle, and I explored the booths with antique irons and artisan mates before meeting up with Megan Colnar, a Rhodes graduate and Watson winner.

Bievenidos a Buenos Aires

2010-02-16T19:18:00.000+01:00

I arrived in Buenos Aires on a Sunday morning to an unabashedly humid summer day. My aunt and uncle and I then got a cab to our apartment which is just a block from the iconic Obelisk on the Ave. 9 de Julio.

We kept a pretty low profile Sunday, we bought bus tickets and went to this Italian place near by for dinner. Today we went to the city center. Walked around the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada, the pink version of our "White House." Then we walked down to the port area to look at the famous bridge designed by Calatrava: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puente_de_la_Mujer. We also toured a ship from the 1900 that is docked on near there. For lunch we went to what a guide book said was the best steak house in town, and while I didn't eat any of the meat...Glori and Chris said it was delicious. Apparently the meat is all brought in from the restaurant's own ranch. Oh, and don't worry, I didn't go hungry! After we walked back to the station and on the way stopped by the Cathedral Municipal. The Cathedral took about 100 years to complete and is the 6th on the same place.

Otra vez mas

2010-01-16T04:54:00.002+01:00

I'm a month out from going to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I leave February 13th and won't be back in the states until June 15th. That will be the longest I've ever been away from home and without seeing family. In trying to get ready I don't think I've really realized how hard that will be. I think what has helped is that I am going down with my aunt and uncle. Also, I'm going to be with a group of kids as a part of my study abroad program.

Since I have a little extra time before I start my program I am going up to Chicago and then down to Memphis to visit some folks. On the way back home I'm going to stop in St. Louis and Columbia. I'm mostly packed for that, I hope the bus ride to Chicago is tolerable. I'll just pretend like I'm back in Spain on a bus there. Why is it that mass transit here seems scarier to me than mass transit in a foreign country? I don't see why that should be.

Finalmente

2009-08-07T20:04:00.002+02:00

Today's Basque word of the day is "lasai" : take it easy

Well, I arrived Tuesday night to the hair-curling humidity that I call home. Mom, Dad, Mark, and two of my friends met me at the airport. I am really happy to be home, although I am sure my parents would debate how much time I actually spend at home...since I've been back I've either been riding bikes or hanging out with friends.

PART 1: BILBAO
The last week in Bilbao was nice, I met up for the last time with several people I had come to know in town. I tried a blue cheese flavored ice cream with a girl from Oberlin College and had pintxos (tapas) with a guy from Germany. The people at my office threw me a going away party with tons of Iberian jamon (ham).

The journey to Paris was a bit nerve racking. I had to take the local bus to the border . . . which gave me an hour less to get to my train. Despite this, I was still able to jump off the bus and pick up some sweaters I had left in a town 3 weeks ago. The bus driver stopped to go into the dispatchers office. I hurried across the parking lot . . . dragging my fat, fat, fatty, fat, fat suitcase . . . and met up the very lovely woman who brought me my sweaters. We exchanged double kisses and I then ran back to the bus hollering at the driver to not leave. "Where you on the bus before?" "Yes" "Why did you get down?" "I lost some sweaters." "..." "I can show you my bus ticket. " "What?" "I have my bus ticket." "Just get on the bus."

PART 2: PARIS
Two friends from Rhodes met me at the train station in Paris. One of them, Ben, is in Paris for a year studying philosophy and french. The other, Halley, was in London for a summer program on creative writing and had some to Paris for the weekend. Saturday, Ben and I snuck on Halley's group's guided tour of Paris, we then walked around Notre Dame and explored the Latin Quarter. Sunday we went to Versailles . . . which was overwhelming in people and grandiloquence. That night we went up to Monmartre and looked out at the city. Monday, Halley and I went to the cemetery where Oscar Wilde is buried. That afternoon after not being able to sneak into the Louvre I watched Happy Days in French. That night, Ben and I were at a park near his house and I could hear a trumpet player so I followed the sound to see three guys walking down the street making music and collecting coins tossed down from windows. Tuesday morning I climbed the Eiffel Tower as far as they would let me and went to the Rodin Museum and then met up with Ben to go to the Musee d'Orsay. Wednesday I went to the Louvre and took a nap in the ancient Greek section. Oops. I also went to the Saint Chappelle. I walked up the spiral staircase and it was like walking into a story book. The walls are entirely stained glass and cover the history of Christianity. That afternoon I went to a photography exhibit of Henri Cartier Bresson. Google him. I did a presentation about him in my high school photography class so I was thrilled to see his work. That was my favorite museum in Paris. I then decided it was a good idea to walk the 45 minutes back to the Louvre and run through ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in search of the code of Hammurabi. After I went up in a Ferris wheel in the Tulleries garden and got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle.

PART 3: LONDON
Thursday I took the chunnel to London. I walked around from Westminster to Buckingham Palace and then met Ben at the train station. He, I and Halley then all met up across from the Globe Theatre and set our in search of Harrod's. We got lost a few times but finally found the mini-Las Vegas. It has themed rooms and one of the escalators was was done up like an amusement park version of ancient Egypt. Friday we went to Portobello Road, a market street, and then to the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. After a cheap 4 pound indian lunch, Ben and I went to the Tate Modern . . . which was awesome. That night we met up with some other kids from Rhodes who came up from Oxford. Saturday we went to Covent Gardens, a photography exhibit, the Imperial War Museum, had a picnic in the rain, and saw some stand-up comedy. Sunday we went to another market on Brick Lane, and then the National Gallery. I then went with Ben to the train station and we exchanged "see you in 12 months" before he caught his train back to Paris. I went back to the National Gallery and outside was a steel drum band competition and a guy teaching the dance to Thriller. Needless to say I joined in the dancing. Monday I went to Westminster and the Victoria and Albert Museum which had a cool exhibit on modern design inspired by fairy tales. That night I went to Old Vic, a famous theater where Lawrence Oliver performed and Kevin Spacey is now artistic director, and saw Shakespeare's "Winters Tale." Tuesday I went to the airport as cheaply as possible, taking the tube and a 7 pound train and it was smooth sailing back to Kansas City.

PART 4: THE END
I have about 2 weeks at home and then its off to Rhodes . . . and the research paper I have to write for the internship. Eww, gross. This semester will be crazy with that, applying to study abroad in Buenos Aires, 3 intense classes for my major, 2 radio shows, my on-campus job, and my penchant for getting involved in environment and human rights action.

This summer has been very different. I have a hard time believing that I was in Europe. It was totally unreal before, during, and after. Its more like its something that happened to someone I know. Memory is a funny thing that way. Humans just really don't have the capacity to understand distance and time. I was in Europe for nine and a half weeks. My friend Ben will be there for another twelve. I was just half a world away and returned in a day. We are like children in that things happen to us and we are no more prepared for that then they are.

Familia

2009-07-16T13:14:00.002+02:00

Today´s phrase of the day is "Garagardoa nahi nuke" : Can I have a beer?

My family arrived the 3rd and we have been running around ever since. Mark´s hair is poofier than when I last saw it and Laura´s about 12 inches shorter.

Saturday we went to Burgos which is know for its cathedral. There is a medieval clock with a sort of marionette-looking man on top. For every time the bell rings on the hour he opens his mouth as though he had just had dental work, very slowly and only barely. He is nicknamed “papamoscas” or “fly eater.”

Sunday we went to San Sebastian. In the morning we walked around the house and museum of Eduardo Chillida, a basque sculpture, who did massive abstract works usually out of steel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elpeine.jpg. In the afternoon we walked along the crescent shaped beach called La Concha.

Monday we had a nice lunch in the Casco Viejo, the old city. Then we took the metro up to the only UNESCO World Heritage site, a suspension bridge.

Tuesday we went to the wine country, La Rioja. We had an awesome winery tour and then went to the over-and-above wine museum with the world´s largest collection of cork screws. Through the day we bought 12 bottles of wine.

Wednesday we went to Gernika, the town from the famous Picasso painting. There is a peace museum and the seat of government next to what remains of the ancient tree under which the Basque lords held council http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gernikako_Arbola.

Thursday the other four went to the Guggenheim. Then with hair blowing in our faces we took Christmas card pictures. Okay, gang, look for someone who is too slow to run away and ask them to take a picture. The girl with the bike would have been perfect. That one is moving too fast. You ask, no you ask. Stop nagging. Uh, perdona, excuse me, would you mind? Click. Click.

Friday we set out for France. I was the map reader. We made it, but no one is very fond of Irún as a result. 1 Km to France. I don´t want to go to France yet. Traffic Circle. I think that was our turn. Is this going to put me back on the autopista? City Center this way. N1 that way. We´ll just turn around and go back and see if that was the turn. Trafic Circle. We can´t still be 1 Km to France. I don´t think you can go that way. I guess you can go that way.

Friday afternoon was the tour d´graveyards. Basque graveyards are highly cared for. Flowers, momentos, nicnaks. The churches have wooden balconies and ships hanging from the ceiling. We saw 3 graveyards in the course of the afternoon.

Saturday we went to markets in St. Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz. Yummy strawberries and pasteries. In Bayonne we bought chocolate at a store that looked like a pretty, pretty, princess perfume store. Then we had a picnic in a park. It was nice to have the whole family sitting in the grass in France eating bread and cheese.

Sunday we went to the coast and then returned to Bilbao. Laura went back to Memphis Monday. Yesterday we went to Vitoria, which has a cool art museum. One piece is photos of 100 pairs of underware with the names of 100 important artist superimposed. Dega´s underware was a tutu. There was another exhibit with a room filled with 3 inch tall clay statues of people. Then we went on a tour of the cathedral under going a 300 million euro renovation.

One week left in Bilbao then on to Paris and London. Crazy.

Cubierto y Caido

2009-07-02T12:57:00.003+02:00

Today´s word of the day is "komunak" : toilets

Bilbao a Bordeaux

2009-06-26T14:22:00.004+02:00

Today´s word of the day is "eskerrik asko" : thank you

Due to the massive nature of this post, I have divided it into sections for your reading pleasure.

I. Journey Bordeaux: Bus and Train through Green Hills and Fields

Well, last week was mainly spent getting ready for my weekend trip to Bordeaux. This time a week ago I was in transit. First I took a bus to Irún, the Spanish border town. As I got down I asked the driver where to catch a taxi to Hendaye, the French border town, and he told me to just climb back up and he would take me. I was ready for at least a little bit of red tape that comes with crossing boarders. At least a terse French soldier to ask for my passport. But no, I don´t even know when exactly I entered my second ever foreign country. There wasn´t even a “Welcome to France!” sign.

I had a little bit of time before my train left so I walked around Hendaye. I saw a war monument there. Not sure which war, probably WWI. It is a pretty lazy little town. I got the 4:00pm train to Bordeaux. The train hugged the coast so I could see the ocean now and again. The country side is very green and there seems to be a bit of logging. All the houses are white washed with red roofs.

II. Weekend in Bordeaux: Churches, Wine, Music, and Fireworks

I met up in Bordeaux with Ben Freed who came down from Paris. We spent most of the weekend dopily smiling at each other due to our extraordinary glee at seeing each other. We´ve both been kind of on our own in Europe, so it was treat to meet up. The first night we went to a corner café and then walked along the quai and through the center of restaurants in the old city.

We did a lot in the time we had there. Mainly because neither of us where able to sleep past 7:00am both days. Saturday we took a guided tour of the city. Good thing we left early to find the tourism office because we got all turned around. Then we went to the Museum of Modern Art which was redeemed by the Keith Haring painting on the wall of the elevator shaft. We walked along rue St. Catherine, the longest shopping street in France, and maybe Europe. That night we had the classiest meal ever, a particular treat since both of us have not eaten out much since being in Europe. The night ended with the dance festival and fireworks along the river. The closest thing I´ll get to the 4th of July.

Sunday we were the first to climb the 231 steps of bell tower of St. André to look out at the 8 churches that stick above Bordeaux’s sky line. Next we went to the Museum of Beaux Artes. After we went walking through the different gardens and plazas on our way to see the Roman ruins of the city. We wound up the trip by the quai listening to French children sing at the festival.

III. This Week: Portugalete, San Sebastian, and Oviedo

Tuesday, I met up with a the cousin of a friend and we walked across this world heritage suspension bridge that connects the town of Potugalete with the other bank. On my way back to Bilbao I got to see all a flood of teenagers streaming out of the subway heading to beach to celebrate midsummer or what is called the Bonfires of St. John. It’s one giant party on the beach that coincides with the end of the school year.

Wednesday, I went with a woman from my work to conference in San Sebastian. Very pretty beach. Can´t wait to go back with the family when they arrive in a week.

Tonight there is something at the Guggenheim and tomorrow I am going to Oviedo. Oviedo is about 3 hours to the West and the capital of the Spanish region of Asturias.

IV. The End: Boy, Emily writes too much.

Bailando y Burbujas

2009-06-14T15:10:00.004+02:00

Today´s word of the day is "zubi" : bridge

Friday night I went to the symphony. It was Mahler´s 5th. The director was an astonishingly short man from Japan. His arms moved like a nutcrackers--stiff and in unison as if he had lost the ability to use his elbows. He was also a loud breather, an increasingly growing disease among conductors. Its hard enough following the music when you are having thoughts like: "what should I do after this?" and "I wonder how many of the old people are here because they really want to be or just because its what old people are supposed to do?" and "why did I knock down that kid´s tower of blocks in pre-school?" Then I get to feeling so guilty because I know I am not paying attention. The movements come and go and I don´t pick up on re-occuring themes. I close my eyes and I listen better, but then I remember that I came to watch the symphony. I look at the musicians and wonder "do they have day jobs?" and "does the last row of violins feel lesser than the first?" and "coat tails are silly."

After the concert I walked along la ria starting at the Guggenheim. Along the way I saw preperations for Bilbao´s 709th birthday party. On the opposit bank were sculptures that looked plants and had lights. Then there was a film projected on the ayunatmiento. I think I met the artist, she told me to come back tomorrow for the real show. I walked on past another light sculpture and then two painted hot air baloons. I sat down outside the opera where I stage was set up and got to see the practice for Saturday´s show. It was like cir du soleil, but better. There were girls flying and two did gymnastics in bowls of water.

Saturday I had a bit of a mad dash to reach the noon tour of Biblao out by the Guggenheim. I met a girl from Belgium and another from Australia. We ended up sitting and talking for awhile and then Megan, the one from Australia, and I went to the beach. She has traveled a lot, all over Asia and Latin America. It was really nifty to sit on a beach in Spain with an Australian and hear stories about traveling. I asked her about "Flight of the Conchords" and apparently, her brother was roomates with Brett´s first cousin. Yeah, she´s met them. She told me that the women in Brett´s family are very accomplished ballet instructors, so that whenever there is a dancing show on TV, the boys all love to critique. Also, apparently Brett´s family is mixed New Zeland and Australian, so that´s why Australians have accepted the group´s humor.

Met up with the Henagers for the evening of festivities. Basque a cappella included. Yeah, I know. Walking back to my dorm there was also a crowd of people dancing in a giant circle . . . the band included. It was an upbeat traditional sounding music, heavy on the tuba and drum.

Doing laundry for the first time. So far so good. The only hard thing was trying to get enough .50€ coins. Tried buying fruit to get some change, but no luck. Asked a girl in the dorm and then finally a guy was able to make change for me.

Ever get the feeling you are wasting time? I just had an overwhelming sense of that. Maybe its because it is kind of grey and rainy. I am going to go read some of "The Sun Also Rises" and worry about when I need to check my dryer full of clothes.

Dos Decadas

2009-06-12T14:10:00.003+02:00

Today´s word of the day is "zorionak" : happy birthday

Along with going to the bank and looking up information on Bordeaux I need to practice my lines. Ah, and don´t forget this show will be staged in two languages so your script also includes "Soy veinte." I´m twenty. I´m twenty. I´m twenty . . . Then the cameras are rolling and there´s a momentary pause while our hero forgets to take the safety off. Dead at high noon.

Sirimiri y Miss Sellers

2009-06-09T22:06:00.004+02:00

Today´s word of the day is "euri": rain

Bilbao gets a lot of rain, especially in the winter, which is why it is so green here. Well, had I not known this I would have used my Nancy Drew skills by noting this little machines at the entrances of many buildings, including my bank. These contraptions allow you to slip a plastic sleeve on your umbrella so you don´t go getting everyone´s knees wet. In addtion to the sleeves, you get to put everything though a metal detector, through which an umbrella look like the fossil of a prehistoric bird-dinossaur. Another sign of all the rain is that most of the baby strollers also have a clear plastic cover that pulls down to protect little Fulanita or Fulanito.

I hear it is torrential in KC today. I spent some quality time yesterday standing under a number of awnining as it just came down. I had an umbrella, but I liked just watching and waiting and avoiding the possibilty of my eye being poked by another umbrella coming at me down the narrow streets. It was actually very fun because standing right next to me would be three other people plus a stroller with backs to the wall of a men´s clothing store. awnings. If I lived here I bet I would have an alternate route to work that would allow me to go under the widest. On my way back to my dorm, after the rain, I saw my first rainbow in about a year. I just stopped and watched it, I wanted to point it out to people because no one seemed to care, but maybe they are common here. I don´t know though, I don´t think they would ever stop noticing them.

Speaking of rainbows . . . the color maroon is quite popular for hair here. Closely followed by electric pumpkin, and finally various shades of purple. These are not the usual suspects, not punks or people who ran out of dye. They are usually fully put together people who made a choice to do that to do that. And the thing is, with the exception of the traffic cone orange, it doesn´t look all that bad. But, I still imagine these women looking in ther mirror and having the thought "ah, yes, I think I want to look like I am out of an cartoon."

Igual Internacional

2009-06-09T21:57:00.002+02:00

Today´s word of the day is "kaixo aspaldiko!": long time no see

Any time I tell some here where I am from they imagine the wide open prarie. I try to explain that there is some of that, but that I live in a city. But there are lots of cows, no? Why, yes, but there are a lot of cows in your country, too, it is sort of like that. At least some mayors of the region, who I met at a meeting, now know that people from Missouri draw the line at being considered from Kansas.

It is a comfort to know that politics is politics. Whether in Spain or the U.S. it comes down to votes and money. I sat in on a meeting on the topic of innovation in the municipalities in the region. Some of these towns still do stuff by hand, which is quaint and not bad in and of itself, but has economic consequences. The first thing that one of the mayors said, a mayor of a big city and is highly in favor of innovation, was "how does this get me re-elected and does it cost me anything?"

Saturday I spent time with a professor from Rhodes and his family. We went up to hill to look at Bilbao and it was very cool because rain was passing over part of the city and not others. I went to the Guggenheim on Sunday. There´s a room with these huge rust-red steele sculptures. Some of them are huge sheets on end and rolled up into curls so you walk in and around and around til you get to a big open center. I did a little dancing in one of them. That was my favorite room.

Apetito Atrapado

2009-06-05T21:39:00.003+02:00

Today´s word of the day is bai : "yes"

So it has been exactly one week since I´ve been in Bilbao. Usually, this is where someone would say "gosh, it´s just flown by" well, in my case it has crawled along like walrus out of water. Oh, that is a species of giant lumbering adjustment, oh, and please, do not feed the animals, it only encourages them. So, my week circled around the one simple goal of feeding myself. Imagine an episode of Nature or the cable equivalent. It´s shocking how much of my life was spent worrying about my next meal.

First attempt. Our subject timidly enters and with apparent focus stares at the items listed on back board. Our friend continues to stare long past neccesary just to avoid having to make eye contact with anyone. Finally she makes the ever so dificult request for a salad only to be thwarted by the two and a half hours until normal Spaniards even think about eating.

Second attempt. Later that night, our now downtrodden and hungry friend goes out on the prowl again. She paces by a corner bar with lots of people and music. Backward and forward. In an attempt to approach by stealth, our subject pulls out her cell phone and slides it open and close for effect. Finally subject makes her move. A beer and a pintxo (a finger food that pretends to be more). Good. Subject breathes a sigh of relief and then discovers the ham on her food. Trying to pace herself, our hungry and nervous little friend eats her food quickly. But, one crucial mistake, as she tries to pay for her meal she uses the international symbol for "fill ´er up" by lifting the empty bottle and finds herself with another beer.

Our friend tried to cheat the system by grocery shopping, but that can only do so much.

The third attempt. Chocolate shop.

Fourth attempt. El Corte Ingles, the end-all, be-all department store of Spain. Decent success, though jaded by the fact that this a relatively tame environment and not really part of the wild.

Fifth attempt. Worst salad ever. See below for more

Sixth attempt. Pacing past 4 restaurants. Entering, exiting, cursing. Return to El Corte Ingles to eat lunch at 3:45pm.

Seventh attempt. Tonight. Falafel sandwich. There´s a donor kebab place on the street which is pretty sketch. It was brightly colored, which attracted our young friend. Sucessful falafel sandwich with a lot of veggies overflowing from two pieces of bread.

I don´t know, but I guess I don´t pass for Spanish. They guy at the kebab place knew I was English-speaking. When I was finished he asked in Spanish if I liked my meal and I responded in Spanish that yes, very much. Then, he, in english with a british accent said "It was lovely, no?" I said "what?" and he repeated himself and said "isn´t that what you say?" and I said "oh, umhum, yes." He asked if I was from England and then I had to explain that I was from the US, from Missouri, and he asked if it was big. He was from Morroco.

Well, good news is I think I am over the hump of finding food. There are a couple places I know I can go and I afew that look promising. So, hopefully this will be the last post dedicated only to food.

¿Ensalada Española?

2009-06-02T16:54:00.002+02:00

Today´s word of the day is zaldi : ¨horse¨

I had long known that the Spanish do not know how to make a salad. But for some unknown reason I decided to go the salad route today. What a bland waste of euros. Note to self: make my own salads.

Sabado en Sandalias

2009-05-31T01:12:00.003+02:00

Today´s word of the day is ¨barkatu¨: sorry

Today I ambled around Bilbao with the goal of getting a feel for the city and finding some toilet paper. A river runs through Bilbao, so I followed the board walk North as I knew I would eventually run into the Guggenheim. Snapshots from my explorations:

1. Team kayakers who chanted ¨E-T-A¨ followed by something in Basque. Terrorist kayakers? Hmm.
2. A man playing a gaite . . . the Basque bagpipe. I don´t know whether it was him or just the way it sounds, but it sounds more like a duck than a bagpipe.
3. It´s just plain disorienting to hear English music here. There was a man playing ¨Amazing Grace¨ on a trumpet outside the Guggenheim. Likewise, I heard non-descript 80s music, Simon and Garfunkel, Santana, and Lady Gaga while shopping.
4. I love Spanish children. I saw several over the course of the day and they are somehow universal in their kid-dom and thus less intimidating than adults. I walked behind this little boy who was making ¨vroom-vroom¨ noises as he glided a tin-foil car along the side of a building and it made me smile.
5. I´d be an okay gumshoe. I was sitting on a bench eating a snack when I saw one person and then another walk by with an ¨El Corte Ingles¨ bag. So, I went in the opposite direction. Then I saw another person with a bag so I imagined where they had come from and worked my way to ¨Gran Via¨ or Broadway. Jackpot: Zara and ¨El Corte Ingles.¨
6. The quest for toilet paper is an awkward one. I found the bookstore version of ¨El Corte Ingles¨ and while in the restroom I suddenly realized that I should just take some toilet paper incase I coudn´t find any. I was very proud of myself. I also figured the big ¨El Corte Ingles¨ had to be near . . . and sure enough it was a few blocks down. Once in the store, however, I didn´t see it in the pharmacy area and then realized I didn´t know what it was even called. I settled for asking for paper towels . . . I figured that would be in the same area, but that only led me to tissues in the¨perfumaria¨ section. I finally found the grocery store on the 6th floor and almost did a little skip when I found the aisle. I was down right giddy.
7. Packaging in Spain has a cartoonish character. Especially the candy.
8. Mr. Clean is ¨Don Limpio¨ . .. and you better believe I bought it.
9. I am intimidated by restaurants, especially the neighborhood-looking ones. I haven´t eaten at one yet. I´ll make this a goal for tomorrow.
10. Without people to talk to, my interior voice has become very loud.

Bienvenidos a Bilbao

2009-05-30T23:56:00.007+02:00

Today´s word of the day is ¨bilatu¨ : search

I arrived in Bilbao yesterday after the run around in the Madrid airport. In short: My flight out of DFW was delayed so I missed my connection from Madrid to Bilbao. My shoulders are still sore from lugging my carry-ons, one of which was a lovely 25lb and sans wheels, all over that airport. I now know way more about the Madrid airport than neccesary. Anyway, I finally got a plane and was bumped up to business class which had the added bonus of 3 bocadillos and water out of a real glass. Classy, right?

As I glanced out the window as the plane into Bilbao landed my thought was ¨its so green.¨ This may only mean something to those of you who have been to Madrid and know what a dry wasteland it is. As I came around the curve into Bilbao I was suddenly greeted by the Guggenheim cresting infront of city. The thing that gets me about Spanish, and I supposed all European cities, is that all the building are equally tall and squished together. So it´s like . . . no city, no city, no city, BAM city.

I am staying in a so-so area of Bilbao. There are a lot of Afircan and Arab immigrants, who, whether rightly or wrongly, are considered trouble makers. I wouldn´t have thought to brush up on my Arabic before getting here, but it might not have been a bad idea.

Nada en la Naderia

2009-05-28T09:55:00.002+02:00

Today's word of the day is "the day after tomorrow" : biharamun

I leave tomorrow morning for Bilbao. I arrive in Bilbao around one p.m. on Friday. My one checked suitcase is fifty pounds on the dot . . . so there will need to be some shuffling. I feel pretty good about getting everything into one, all be it large suitcase, and two carry-ons.

Tonight I went to a show at the Uptown with Brigid to see Blind Pilot + The Decemberists. I can't believe I got away with going out the night before I leave. It was worth it--the best show I've ever seen. Pictures and limited video available on my facebook. Best acoustics--surround without deafening. Plus the venue, a refurbished theatre is perfect with its bright colors and statues. The best part was when Colin Meloy asked the crowd and members of the band in the crowd to reenact a confrontation between the British and a sultan. The result was those on the floor riding piggy-back with one side on horses and the others on camels. I rode a camel named Brigid.

It's funny that I've known about this trip for months now and yet have no better grasp on the fact that I am leaving home than I did before. Sure, it is coming along the horizon, but it will never actually get here. It's this asymptotal relationship. You'd think it would become more real . . . it has been just the opposite. The packing process was oddly impersonal. I know I've been getting someone ready to go, but that someone is not me. For this reason I am not really concerned because I don't understand the implications. Perhaps I should be scared. I wonder how long it will take me to realize I am going to Spain for the whole summer. I don't think it will be real even once I am there. I'll let you know if I ever have a light bulb moment.

What an adventure this will be.

Vacilando al País Vasco

2009-05-07T09:09:00.000+02:00

Today's word of the day is "amaze": harritu

It is finals week, so what better time to make a blog for this summer?

This summer I have an eight week internship in Bilbao, Spain where I will be working for the Association of Basque Municipalities (EUDEL) which works to support the autonomy and interests of towns in the Basque Country.

I have a lot of packing to do in the next month. From dorm to home and home to Spain. The fun hasn't even begun. I type this now as I look around at my thoroughly lived-in looking dorm room with baskets of clean laundry at the foot of my bed, books stacked jenga-style, and three umbrellas that have collected at the base of my desk due to a weeks worth of rain. Very soon, however, in a whirlwind of activity, I will fly from this homey little nest to the resounding silence of cinder block walls. The echoes at the end always get me.

Words cannot express the prospect of being home. I haven't really had time to think about it until just now and I suddenly get a dopey smile at the thought of the Plaza, the Park, and most of all, my people. I get two weeks and then it is off to Bilbao. After my internship I plan to travel to Paris and London for a few days before coming home in early August.

I think I will blog some in Spanish and some in English . . . but I don't quite know how that'll work out. At the very least we will all learn some basque together.