He suddenly stops.
From the front of the lecture hall,
He looks
To me.
“Do you have anything
To add?”
My partner’s distant voice
Inquires.
In Spanish.
I tread into my
1st day of kindergarten.
Looking through the wet cellophane of my
Tear-filled eyes, I only recognize
My name in bulky letters on a celebratory label.
A breeze shifts the glossy
Alphabet cards hanging over the chalkboard
Together in time, a metronome
Behind the cacophony of voices,
Anxious mothers and soothing teachers.
I slowly shake my head.
Shaking to remove the option of tears.
Shaking to dissolve the threatening bile.
The politics class,
All the students turned in their chairs,
My friends nodding smiling
The Peruvians staring horrified.
That scene from The Princess Diaries.
Running out of class,
Going to get sick.
“I can’t.”
I should say it in Spanish.
Just to know
They know.
Sep 29, 2009
Blowin´ through the Jasmine in My Mind
It´s strike season, according to the locals. This means that not only the professors at UNSA are striking but also the administration! Which means we couldn´t get through the gate today. So, we vamos-ed to Lucy´s house.
She has a beautiful complex with a huge, fenced-in backyard, bordered by countless types of flowers. I was so happy when we had our Spanish class outside because being in the sun always lifts my spirits. While practicing the subjunctive and imparative modes, I gazed at the fruit trees, lillies and her pet monkey fighting with her Dachshund and just smiled. (Yes, she has a baby monkey named Toto and an adorable dog named Mushi. She also has a tortoise, but I swear it´s the spawn of Satan! It´ll bite your toes off, and it´s FAST! See FB for pics.)
Today´s weather was perfect for class outside but weird for Arequipa. I woke up to a partly cloudy sky. That´s already strange. But the longer I´m here and the closer we move to summer, the more clouds we´re having. My first month here, a cloud caused people to gawk and point at the sky. Today was gorgeous with a steady, cool breeze and a hot sun. As the day progressed though, the cloud cover grew until, at 4 in my taxi, it was overcast. It´s the 2nd completely cloudy sky I´ve seen here.
And then, joy of joys, it started to rain! As I walked from my taxi a block to my apartment complex, I felt something wet hit my face. I stopped in the middle of the deserted road and just held my arms out and lifted my face to the sky. Honestly, it was just a sprinkle, but it was still RAIN!
When I got in my room, I decided to make the wise life decision and take a nap. The room was gray, the breeze was blowing my sheer window curtain around and my bed looked SO comfy. When I woke up, this song was in my head. It´s not summer yet, but the mood of this song goes along perfectly with my day and how I´m feeling.
Read, listen, enjoy! (PS - Dad, I know you want to say SOMETHING about the chasms in my mind!) :)
Summer Breeze
See the curtains hangin' in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light-a-shinin' through the window
Let´s me know everything's all right
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' though the jasmine in my mind
See the paper layin' on the sidewalk
A little music from the house next door
So I walk on up to the doorstep
Through the screen and across the floor
Sweet days of summer -- the jasmine's in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day’s work
And you're waitin' there
Without a care in the world
See the smile awaitin' in the kitchen
Through cookin' and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
In the evening when the day is through
She has a beautiful complex with a huge, fenced-in backyard, bordered by countless types of flowers. I was so happy when we had our Spanish class outside because being in the sun always lifts my spirits. While practicing the subjunctive and imparative modes, I gazed at the fruit trees, lillies and her pet monkey fighting with her Dachshund and just smiled. (Yes, she has a baby monkey named Toto and an adorable dog named Mushi. She also has a tortoise, but I swear it´s the spawn of Satan! It´ll bite your toes off, and it´s FAST! See FB for pics.)
Today´s weather was perfect for class outside but weird for Arequipa. I woke up to a partly cloudy sky. That´s already strange. But the longer I´m here and the closer we move to summer, the more clouds we´re having. My first month here, a cloud caused people to gawk and point at the sky. Today was gorgeous with a steady, cool breeze and a hot sun. As the day progressed though, the cloud cover grew until, at 4 in my taxi, it was overcast. It´s the 2nd completely cloudy sky I´ve seen here.
And then, joy of joys, it started to rain! As I walked from my taxi a block to my apartment complex, I felt something wet hit my face. I stopped in the middle of the deserted road and just held my arms out and lifted my face to the sky. Honestly, it was just a sprinkle, but it was still RAIN!
When I got in my room, I decided to make the wise life decision and take a nap. The room was gray, the breeze was blowing my sheer window curtain around and my bed looked SO comfy. When I woke up, this song was in my head. It´s not summer yet, but the mood of this song goes along perfectly with my day and how I´m feeling.
Read, listen, enjoy! (PS - Dad, I know you want to say SOMETHING about the chasms in my mind!) :)
Summer Breeze
See the curtains hangin' in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light-a-shinin' through the window
Let´s me know everything's all right
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' though the jasmine in my mind
See the paper layin' on the sidewalk
A little music from the house next door
So I walk on up to the doorstep
Through the screen and across the floor
Sweet days of summer -- the jasmine's in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day’s work
And you're waitin' there
Without a care in the world
See the smile awaitin' in the kitchen
Through cookin' and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
In the evening when the day is through
Sep 28, 2009
Lookin On, She Sings the Song...
My fingers are itching to play piano! I've only had one opportunity while I've been here (more than 8 weeks!) to play a legit piano. My host sister, though, has very kindly offered me her "electric organ" AKA a Casio keyboard without a stand or pedal. And that's only letting me play about 2 octaves tonight. Oh, and sometimes, it gets cranky when you want to play more than one note at a time. Chords in both hands? Forget it!
Whenever I'm at the piano, I usually don't think. Normally, a certain song I've learned/heard before pops in my head and then I just let my fingers go! Most times, I zone out and play for so long that I have to twist my back in all different directions when I'm done so it'll pop and actually relax again.
One of my favorite things to do is to pick out pieces by ear that I've never tried before. Maybe "Wagon Wheel" or "I'm Yours". Last night, it was "Halo". (Of course, the whole song consists of just FOUR chords. Oh, Beyonce...)
But tonight, I want to play the ones from my books...which, of course, are thousands of miles away...at home by the piano bench. Some RENT or Coldplay or Elton. It's been so long since I've seriously played that the chords are starting to slip my mind! I just tried to play the following fave but the keyboard just wasn't cooperating. :(
I love this song so much that I almost had TINYDNCR put on my license plate. If you know me at all, you knew this song was coming to my blog soon!
Many of you readers don't know this, but I will always connect this song to my late best friend, Isaac. I'll never forget the time he sang, nay, caterwauled "Blue jean bourbon, L.A. laden" as I looked on in disgust. What the heck? The boy was totally oblivious! I could've slugged him for his blasphemy. Well, I was always impatient with that boy...
I've always related to certain parts of the song. (Mom's always said, for example, I'm gonna "marry a music man". That would be divine!) But mostly I like it because it's just a beautiful ballad. I 'bout died 'n went to heaven when I heard my man playin it LIVE last spring in Charlotte! *chills* I was definitely looking on, singing the songs, the words I knew...well...actually, I knew all of the words! Forget humming.
Go ahead now and reread the words because you probably already know this one. Give it a listen. And if you're near a piano, appreciate it!
I hope this video works!
Tiny Dancer
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard is not that bad
Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows the tune she hums
But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly slowly
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
you had a busy day today
Copying Mom
Today's Song(s) of the Day are by Matty Nay. He's such a great live performer that I bought both of his albums after seeing/hearing about him the 1st time! He's funny, sexy and talented.
I'm really jealous because my mom got to see him in concert this weekend AND get her picture taken with him!
So take a minute or 5 outta your day to read these lyrics while listening to the YouTube vids.
Much love from Peru!
Come on Get Higher
I miss the sound of your voice
And I miss the rush of your skin
And I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in
If I could walk on water
If I could tell you what's next
Make you believe
Make you forget
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard and drown me in love (2x)
I miss the sound of your voice
The loudest thing in my head
And I ache to remember
All the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said
I miss the pull of your heart
I taste the sparks on your tongue
And I see angels and devils and God
When you come on
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
Sing sha la la la
Sing sha la la la la
(Come on get higher, loosen my lips)
It's all wrong
(Faith and desire and the swing of your hips)
It's all wrong
(Pull me down hard and drown me, drown me in love)
It's so right
Come on get higher
(Come on get higher, loosen my lips)
Come on and get higher
(Faith and desire and the swing of your hips)
Because everything works love
Because everything works in your arms
Romeo and Juliet
A lovestruck Romeo sings the streets a serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like "you and me babe, how about it?"
Juliet says "hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window she's singing "hey la my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that"
Anyway what you gonna do about it?
Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
And I bet that you exploded into my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet
Come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame
Both dirty, both mean, yes and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
When you can fall for chains of silver
You can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers
And the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah
Now you just say "oh Romeo, yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him"
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said "I love you like the stars above, I'm gonna love you 'til I die"
There's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet
I can't do the talk, like the talk on the TV
And I can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything, but I'll do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you
And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and the bad company
Now all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Juliet, I'd do the stars with you any time
Gone
Love,
I'm aching to believe
Give me something real enough
Give me somewhere to fall from
'cause in the dark
I can't find my feet
Built my world on promises
Colorless and cold
I'm short of breath, I'm sure
Gone, let it wash away the best I had
Gone, and when I disappear
Don't expect me back, don't expect me back
Lost, sweetest things get lost
In the static far away
Painted pictures of you
I fold
Don't want to be holy then
Don't want to be sold again
The way I was with you
At its worse the heart is sober
At its worse the heart is cold, cold, cold
I'm really jealous because my mom got to see him in concert this weekend AND get her picture taken with him!
So take a minute or 5 outta your day to read these lyrics while listening to the YouTube vids.
Much love from Peru!
Come on Get Higher
I miss the sound of your voice
And I miss the rush of your skin
And I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in
If I could walk on water
If I could tell you what's next
Make you believe
Make you forget
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard and drown me in love (2x)
I miss the sound of your voice
The loudest thing in my head
And I ache to remember
All the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said
I miss the pull of your heart
I taste the sparks on your tongue
And I see angels and devils and God
When you come on
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
Sing sha la la la
Sing sha la la la la
(Come on get higher, loosen my lips)
It's all wrong
(Faith and desire and the swing of your hips)
It's all wrong
(Pull me down hard and drown me, drown me in love)
It's so right
Come on get higher
(Come on get higher, loosen my lips)
Come on and get higher
(Faith and desire and the swing of your hips)
Because everything works love
Because everything works in your arms
Romeo and Juliet
A lovestruck Romeo sings the streets a serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like "you and me babe, how about it?"
Juliet says "hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window she's singing "hey la my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that"
Anyway what you gonna do about it?
Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
And I bet that you exploded into my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet
Come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame
Both dirty, both mean, yes and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
When you can fall for chains of silver
You can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers
And the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah
Now you just say "oh Romeo, yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him"
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said "I love you like the stars above, I'm gonna love you 'til I die"
There's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet
I can't do the talk, like the talk on the TV
And I can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything, but I'll do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you
And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and the bad company
Now all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Juliet, I'd do the stars with you any time
Gone
Love,
I'm aching to believe
Give me something real enough
Give me somewhere to fall from
'cause in the dark
I can't find my feet
Built my world on promises
Colorless and cold
I'm short of breath, I'm sure
Gone, let it wash away the best I had
Gone, and when I disappear
Don't expect me back, don't expect me back
Lost, sweetest things get lost
In the static far away
Painted pictures of you
I fold
Don't want to be holy then
Don't want to be sold again
The way I was with you
At its worse the heart is sober
At its worse the heart is cold, cold, cold
Sep 27, 2009
A Song of Freedom
OK, yet another song. Seriously, if you haven't noticed by now, music = my joy!
Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to go for a 2hr sunset horseback ride. It was as perfect as they come - galloping down a dusty valley road with my arms thrown out to either side (yes, like Rose on Titanic), feeling the spray from a waterfall on my face, climbing a mountain just in time to see the sunset over the city - all for just the equivalent of $8!
While riding, I had this song stuck in my head. This is a typical "repeat" song for me. EVERY single time I listen to it, I get chills. Dunno why. Usually, when I listen to it, I feel like I could fly, it's so freeing and powerful.
The 1st half is very mellow and pretty. You'll probably think, "Ah, that's nice." But the 2nd half...I feel like it could pull my spirit out of my body and fling it to the wind! I HAVE to close my eyes every time. I encourage you to do the same.
Imagine riding a running horse. Or flying to a new place. Something that makes you feel completely weightless and full of rapture and anticipation. Enjoy!
This One's for the Girls
While I was working in my room yesterday, I had my entire iTunes library on shuffle. (It's good to do that sometimes, at least for me, because I tend to get in a song rut.) Then this song came on and so many images came to mind...Standing on my desk chair freshman year, brush in hand, pointing and singing to Mackenzie. And when Amanda came by and started dancing with us. Or the times when we were getting ready to go down to the Court. Or dressing up and doing our makeup before going out to eat one weekend night.
This tradition, as the great ones do, continued. There were many more times to come freshman year with Kenzie and I hopping on our beds, singing to a group like Hanson, with the window open for all to see. Yesterday, my window was open, and let's just say the neighbors probably thought I was on something. It's a good thing my mom wasn't in the house!
This song also brings back another memory, one from my childhood. I remember that this CD came out while I was in the 4th grade, and it was my 2nd CD (after Aqua, which my Uncle gave me one Christmas). And I remember being EMO to this. Savannah can be like this now...basically, it involves sitting with your CD player on the floor, and listening to a song on repeat and FEELING something powerful. Being pensive is a must. This song, along with a few others on this album, struck a certain chord within me. I REMEMBER sitting in my room, the doors closed, and wishing that, one day soon, I would have somebody like in the song. Someone to love completely and miss every minute. My other half. I was only about 9 years old, but dang it!, I wanted someone to LOVE! Very young and very naive.
So pick your pensive self off the floor, read the words for a refresher, grab a hairbrush, jump up on a chair or bed, and return to the joy of childhood by dencing like a loon and singing to this total 90s boy band song (think the Jo Bros a decade ago). Get it, girls!
(PS- Again, I couldn't watch the vid because my internet's so slow. Let me know if this doesn't work!)
A Minute Without You
Well I woke up this morning
And the night had been so long
It seems that I had had my mind on you
Well the day, it has begun,
And I can't get a minute,
Can't get a minute without you
You're always on my mind,
You're always in my head
And I can't live,
I can't live another day without you
Cause when the minutes seem like hours and the hours seem like days
Then a week goes by, you know it takes my breath away
All the minutes in the world could never take your place
There's one-thousand-four-hundred-forty hours in my day
I've been trying to call you all day,
Cause I got so many things that I want to say
I'm going crazy, cause all my thoughts are filled with you
There's got to be some way I can get through to you ohh
(repeat chorus)
I can't keep myself from thinking about you
It's because I love you, and I know that it's true, whoa
I'll call it desperation, can't you see it in my eyes?
That I want be with you until the sun falls from the sky
Sep 25, 2009
For When I Can't Close My Eyes
I had an amazing day. Slept in, visited fascinating museums (with lots of mummies!), rode a horse through the mountains at sunset, had crepes out with the girls, and I just got back from watching Gerard Butler's cute self in "The Ugly Truth"...your typical, predictable chick flick. Truly, a wonderful day.
But I can't go to sleep.
It's not caffeine. I'm not stressed.
I just can't stop looking out my window at the stars outside. Some are different, but they're becoming familiar. And the moon. That perfect crescent that's actually the same one you can see.
Perhaps I'm just pensive. What gal likes to sit alone in her room after watching a happily ever after? Throw on top of that a foreign place and a perfect day, which always makes you want to tell someone! And the fact that I can't get this song out of my head.
My mom sang this to me when I was little as a lullaby. It always made me cry. The part about "you can sing this song when I'm gone." Got me every time. I remember asking one time, "When will you be gone, Mommy?" I didn't like the answer, needless to say.
But this song has changed for me lately. It's certainly a song for any type of loved one, but to me, it's a love song now. Listen, whether it's tonight or during the day, hours or even days after I posted this.
Hopefully, now, I can close my eyes. Because it sure won't be long before another day.
You Can Close Your Eyes
Well the sun is surely sinking down
But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning round
And I still love you
(chorus)
So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, its all right
I dont know no love songs
And I cant sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When Im gone
It wont be long before another day
We gonna have a good time
And no ones gonna take that time away
You can stay as long as you like
But I can't go to sleep.
It's not caffeine. I'm not stressed.
I just can't stop looking out my window at the stars outside. Some are different, but they're becoming familiar. And the moon. That perfect crescent that's actually the same one you can see.
Perhaps I'm just pensive. What gal likes to sit alone in her room after watching a happily ever after? Throw on top of that a foreign place and a perfect day, which always makes you want to tell someone! And the fact that I can't get this song out of my head.
My mom sang this to me when I was little as a lullaby. It always made me cry. The part about "you can sing this song when I'm gone." Got me every time. I remember asking one time, "When will you be gone, Mommy?" I didn't like the answer, needless to say.
But this song has changed for me lately. It's certainly a song for any type of loved one, but to me, it's a love song now. Listen, whether it's tonight or during the day, hours or even days after I posted this.
Hopefully, now, I can close my eyes. Because it sure won't be long before another day.
You Can Close Your Eyes
Well the sun is surely sinking down
But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning round
And I still love you
(chorus)
So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, its all right
I dont know no love songs
And I cant sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When Im gone
It wont be long before another day
We gonna have a good time
And no ones gonna take that time away
You can stay as long as you like
Sep 23, 2009
All Was Golden in the Sky
According to Albert Camus, ¨Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is in flower.¨ I love this quote because, if you´ve read other posts, you know I love autumn more than any other season. But I want to revisit summer today with my SotD.
Probably to Amanda´s frustration, I only like Panic at the Disco´s ¨Pretty.Odd.¨ album. Basically because it´s less hard punk rock and more orchestrated like music from The Beatles. The whole album, to me, is great. One of my favorite songs is below.
After class, I came home around 1:30p and took a 2 hr nap. What finally woke me up was the sun shining in my eyes. The sun was actually behind our apartment just enough to shine on my mirror and bounce onto my bed, making a long trail up the sheets and up into my face. As soon as I was conscious, I stayed still with my eyes closed, the sun warming my body, my vision all white, and I heard this song in my head. It´s a tad trippy, but it´s beautiful to me. This will always be my song of two summers ago. Listen and read the lyrics, even if it isn´t in the middle of summer...
When the Day Met the Night
When the moon fell in love with the sun
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
When the sun found the moon
She was drinking tea in a garden
Under the green umbrella trees
In the middle of summer
When the moon found the sun
He looked like he was barely hanging on
But her eyes saved his life
In the middle of summer
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, all was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
Golden when the day met the night
So he said, "Would it be all right
If we just sat and talked for a little while
If in exchange for your time, I give you this smile?"
So she said, "That's okay
As long as you can make a promise not to break my little heart
Or leave me all alone in the summer."
Well, he was just hanging around
Then he fell in love
And he didn't know how
But he couldn't get out
Just hanging around
Then he fell in love
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, all was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
When the moon fell in love with the sun,
All was golden in the sky,
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of...
Probably to Amanda´s frustration, I only like Panic at the Disco´s ¨Pretty.Odd.¨ album. Basically because it´s less hard punk rock and more orchestrated like music from The Beatles. The whole album, to me, is great. One of my favorite songs is below.
After class, I came home around 1:30p and took a 2 hr nap. What finally woke me up was the sun shining in my eyes. The sun was actually behind our apartment just enough to shine on my mirror and bounce onto my bed, making a long trail up the sheets and up into my face. As soon as I was conscious, I stayed still with my eyes closed, the sun warming my body, my vision all white, and I heard this song in my head. It´s a tad trippy, but it´s beautiful to me. This will always be my song of two summers ago. Listen and read the lyrics, even if it isn´t in the middle of summer...
When the Day Met the Night
When the moon fell in love with the sun
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
When the sun found the moon
She was drinking tea in a garden
Under the green umbrella trees
In the middle of summer
When the moon found the sun
He looked like he was barely hanging on
But her eyes saved his life
In the middle of summer
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, all was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
Golden when the day met the night
So he said, "Would it be all right
If we just sat and talked for a little while
If in exchange for your time, I give you this smile?"
So she said, "That's okay
As long as you can make a promise not to break my little heart
Or leave me all alone in the summer."
Well, he was just hanging around
Then he fell in love
And he didn't know how
But he couldn't get out
Just hanging around
Then he fell in love
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, all was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
When the moon fell in love with the sun,
All was golden in the sky,
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of...
Song for Yesterday
Yesterday was not a typical Tuesday. After my afternoon seminar, about six of us (five girls and David, lol) went to a place near the Plaza in the Church of the Company called Cafe y Vino. Pretty easy to translate. So, at 4 in the afternoon yesterday, I was deciding which foreign red wine to try.
Warning: Mom, ya gonna get jealous.
Cuz what happened was the wine we wanted from Argentina was out. So the cute French waiter (happily married to a cute Peruvian girl...poo) offered us a Chilean or French wine for the same price of 43 soles. We wisely chose the French wine. (The name has slipped my mind...oops!)
Boy did we get a DEAL! That wine was the most delish I´ve had and was worth 95 soles! He gave it to us for half the price!!! So, I had a couple of glasses and snacked on some prosciutto and toast with cheese. It was perfect: a glass of French wine, a great view of the mountains and a seat on the upstairs patio of a 16th century church. I told ya not to be too jealous, Mom! :)
After going home for a quick nap, I met Kate and Kathleen at the mall a block from my house. They have a food court with AMERICAN food. A KFC, BK, Pizza Hut...heaven. Well, almost. I REALLY wanted a biscuit from KFC or onion rings from BK. You think they had ´um? Of course not. So, I settled for my tee-niny BK chicken sandwich. Tiny because Peruvians actually have sense and don´t supersize all of their food!
Then Kate and I left around 8:30 for a cool bar called Split. Here I found my fave drink...a Perfect Kiss. Look it up/try it! After that and a shared jar with the UNSA studens of a, sorry this is PG 13, Multiple Orgasm, we were ready to go dancing! We wandered the streets around the Plaza for an hour looking for somewhere cheap enough for all of us.
This is when the Song of the Day was sung. David, Kate, Ned and I sang Beyonce songs like Halo and Single Ladies the whole time. It was lovely, I must say. ;)
So here´s Halo. I sing this every single day because I love the lyrics and tune. I also like the music video because it does a good job showing the comfort level you come to find in a relationship. So READ the words, DANCE around the room and ENJOY!
PS - Amanda, I think this is our fave hottie in the music video. From Diary of a Mad Black Woman? Yowza!
Halo
Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound
I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now
It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out
Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace
You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
Hit me like a ray of sun
Burning through my darkest night
You're the only one that I want
Think I'm addicted to your light
I swore I'd never fall again
But this don't even feel like falling
Gravity can't forget
To pull me back to the ground again
Feels like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
The risk that I'm takin'
I'm never gonna shut you out
Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace
You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
Warning: Mom, ya gonna get jealous.
Cuz what happened was the wine we wanted from Argentina was out. So the cute French waiter (happily married to a cute Peruvian girl...poo) offered us a Chilean or French wine for the same price of 43 soles. We wisely chose the French wine. (The name has slipped my mind...oops!)
Boy did we get a DEAL! That wine was the most delish I´ve had and was worth 95 soles! He gave it to us for half the price!!! So, I had a couple of glasses and snacked on some prosciutto and toast with cheese. It was perfect: a glass of French wine, a great view of the mountains and a seat on the upstairs patio of a 16th century church. I told ya not to be too jealous, Mom! :)
After going home for a quick nap, I met Kate and Kathleen at the mall a block from my house. They have a food court with AMERICAN food. A KFC, BK, Pizza Hut...heaven. Well, almost. I REALLY wanted a biscuit from KFC or onion rings from BK. You think they had ´um? Of course not. So, I settled for my tee-niny BK chicken sandwich. Tiny because Peruvians actually have sense and don´t supersize all of their food!
Then Kate and I left around 8:30 for a cool bar called Split. Here I found my fave drink...a Perfect Kiss. Look it up/try it! After that and a shared jar with the UNSA studens of a, sorry this is PG 13, Multiple Orgasm, we were ready to go dancing! We wandered the streets around the Plaza for an hour looking for somewhere cheap enough for all of us.
This is when the Song of the Day was sung. David, Kate, Ned and I sang Beyonce songs like Halo and Single Ladies the whole time. It was lovely, I must say. ;)
So here´s Halo. I sing this every single day because I love the lyrics and tune. I also like the music video because it does a good job showing the comfort level you come to find in a relationship. So READ the words, DANCE around the room and ENJOY!
PS - Amanda, I think this is our fave hottie in the music video. From Diary of a Mad Black Woman? Yowza!
Halo
Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound
I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now
It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out
Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace
You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
Hit me like a ray of sun
Burning through my darkest night
You're the only one that I want
Think I'm addicted to your light
I swore I'd never fall again
But this don't even feel like falling
Gravity can't forget
To pull me back to the ground again
Feels like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
The risk that I'm takin'
I'm never gonna shut you out
Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace
You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
Sep 21, 2009
Nothing and Everything´s the Same
I had some fuuunky dreams last night! After a weird weekend and the stress of a paper, I was bound to. In one dream, I was super stressed about a math test I had back in high school in Mrs. Butts class. (shiver) In another, I dreamed that my host brother spoke to me for the first time just to say my parents were on the phone...and he hands me a mustard bottle/squirter. I, for some reason, find this perfectly normal and proceed to talk to my mom with my ear to the spout. She informs me, through some static, that her and dad are coming to Peru today. I ask her, ¨What about Reagan and Savannah?¨ and she says that they just want to stay with Grammy. I can´t believe they want to pass up a trip abroad, but I just reply, ¨ok¨. Then she starts to ask me questions, but I can´t hear her. My host bro tells me to turn the spout for better reception. At about that time, the phone bottle starts to beep. I mean, my ALARM. Basically, when I woke up, I thought for a few seconds that I had to study for a math test while preparing for my parents´ arrival. WEEEEIRD.
Some things are just FOREIGN here. The dialtone on the phone. Speaking Spanish all day. Working everyone down on their prices. People staring. The bizarre variety of fruits. The list goes on and on...that´s why I named my blog ¨Foreign On This Side¨. On this side of the equator, things are just different.
I also named it after one of my all-time favorite songs by Nickel Creek. And I´ve found that a lot of what the song has to say is true. Take me or leave me, I´ll still be the same. In Peru. In the States. It´s also true that I get scared. Will people understand what I´m saying? How am I going to write a paper in Spanish about Peruvian politics? Are things changing at home and school without me? Undoubtedly. But that´s part of being in a foreign place, I guess.
At the same time...everything´s the same. I still crave ice cream, chocolate, bread and spinach (in that order). I still need to listen to music everyday so I don´t get stressed. I need sunshine to be happy. I still write poetry. I talk to my mom about any and everything. I miss the same people I miss when I drive home from Davidson. I´m ME.
This week starts the second half of the trip. (I´m halfway done with the semester!!!) Today, I started a new Peruvian culture class with a kind, energetic professor. I´m turning in my first paper tomorrow. My girlfriends and I are now focusing on the details of our after-Davidson portion of the trip. My family knows what cereal I like, what´s the one veggie I don´t eat (kudos if you know that!), and that I sing in my room all the time. I´m used to Peru now. And I like it.
Unlike the song, though, I have plenty of reasons to go back home again. And I think that´s having the best of both worlds!
Again, my internet´s ridiculous so I can´t view this video and make sure it´s legit before posting. I hope this plays the song!
This Side
One day you'll see her and you'll know what I mean.
Take her or leave her she will still be the same.
She'll not try to buy you with her time.
But nothing's the same, as you will see when she's gone.
It's foreign on this side,
And I'll not leave my home again.
There's no place to hide
And I'm nothing but scared.
You dream of colors that have never been made,
You imagine songs that have never been played.
They will try to buy you and your mind.
Only the curious have something to find.
It's foreign on this side,
And the truth is a bitter friend.
But reasons few have I to go back again.
Your first dawn blinded you, left you cursing the day.
Entrance is crucial and it's not without pain.
There's no path to follow, once you're here.
You'll climb up the slide and then you'll slide down the stairs.
Some things are just FOREIGN here. The dialtone on the phone. Speaking Spanish all day. Working everyone down on their prices. People staring. The bizarre variety of fruits. The list goes on and on...that´s why I named my blog ¨Foreign On This Side¨. On this side of the equator, things are just different.
I also named it after one of my all-time favorite songs by Nickel Creek. And I´ve found that a lot of what the song has to say is true. Take me or leave me, I´ll still be the same. In Peru. In the States. It´s also true that I get scared. Will people understand what I´m saying? How am I going to write a paper in Spanish about Peruvian politics? Are things changing at home and school without me? Undoubtedly. But that´s part of being in a foreign place, I guess.
At the same time...everything´s the same. I still crave ice cream, chocolate, bread and spinach (in that order). I still need to listen to music everyday so I don´t get stressed. I need sunshine to be happy. I still write poetry. I talk to my mom about any and everything. I miss the same people I miss when I drive home from Davidson. I´m ME.
This week starts the second half of the trip. (I´m halfway done with the semester!!!) Today, I started a new Peruvian culture class with a kind, energetic professor. I´m turning in my first paper tomorrow. My girlfriends and I are now focusing on the details of our after-Davidson portion of the trip. My family knows what cereal I like, what´s the one veggie I don´t eat (kudos if you know that!), and that I sing in my room all the time. I´m used to Peru now. And I like it.
Unlike the song, though, I have plenty of reasons to go back home again. And I think that´s having the best of both worlds!
Again, my internet´s ridiculous so I can´t view this video and make sure it´s legit before posting. I hope this plays the song!
This Side
One day you'll see her and you'll know what I mean.
Take her or leave her she will still be the same.
She'll not try to buy you with her time.
But nothing's the same, as you will see when she's gone.
It's foreign on this side,
And I'll not leave my home again.
There's no place to hide
And I'm nothing but scared.
You dream of colors that have never been made,
You imagine songs that have never been played.
They will try to buy you and your mind.
Only the curious have something to find.
It's foreign on this side,
And the truth is a bitter friend.
But reasons few have I to go back again.
Your first dawn blinded you, left you cursing the day.
Entrance is crucial and it's not without pain.
There's no path to follow, once you're here.
You'll climb up the slide and then you'll slide down the stairs.
Sep 20, 2009
All Will Be Well
The new day dawns,
And I am practicing my purpose once again.
It is fresh and it is fruitful if I win but if I lose,
Oooooo I don’t know.
I will be tired but I will turn and I will go,
Only guessing til I get there then I’ll know,
Oh oh oh I will know.
All the children walking home past the factories
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true,
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
The winter’s cold,
But the snow still lightly settles on the trees.
And a mess is still a moment I can seize until I know,
That all will be well.
Even though sometimes this is hard to tell,
And the fight is just as frustrating as hell
All will be well.
Keep it up and don’t give up
And chase your dreams and you will find
All in time.
And I am practicing my purpose once again.
It is fresh and it is fruitful if I win but if I lose,
Oooooo I don’t know.
I will be tired but I will turn and I will go,
Only guessing til I get there then I’ll know,
Oh oh oh I will know.
All the children walking home past the factories
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true,
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
The winter’s cold,
But the snow still lightly settles on the trees.
And a mess is still a moment I can seize until I know,
That all will be well.
Even though sometimes this is hard to tell,
And the fight is just as frustrating as hell
All will be well.
Keep it up and don’t give up
And chase your dreams and you will find
All in time.
Sep 19, 2009
My Comfort
Even though my internet is too slow to load these YouTube vids so I can preview them, I'm gonna put them on here anyway and hope for the best. Read the words!!!
Love Song by Third Day
I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves.
How many times has he broken that promise?
It has never been done.
I've never climbed the highest mountain,
But I walked the hill of Calvary.
Just to be with you, I will do anything
There's no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away.
I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
All of those dreams are an empty motion.
It can never be done.
I've never swam the deepest ocean,
But I walked upon the raging sea.
Just to be with you, I will do anything
There's no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away.
I know that you don't understand
the fullness of My love.
How I died upon the cross for your sins.
And I know that you don't realize
how much that I give you
But I promise, I would do it all again.
Just to be with you, I've done everything
There's no price I did not pay no
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away.
Just to be with you.
and...
Love Song for a Savior by Jars of Clay
In open fields of wild flowers,
she breathes the air and flies away
She thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
in no simple language
Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat or a song on her lips
Someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call her and she will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray,
"I want to fall in love with You"
Sitting silent wearing Sunday best
The sermon echoes through the walls
A great salvation through it calls to the people
who stare into nowhere, and can't feel the chains on their souls
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat or a song on our lips
Someday we'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call us and we will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and we'll pray,
"I want to fall in love with You"
It seems too easy to call you "Savior",
Not close enough to call you "God"
So as I sit and think of words I can mention
to show my devotion
"I want to fall in love with You"
and one by some boys from home, Sagefool...
Reconciled
Hey you in the club
Drinking away the pain and
Thinking there's no love for you
Hey you by the street
Pulling up your skirt so anyone
Would see
You're dying to be free
I've never been angry with you
I've never turned away
No matter what anyone else might say
I'll never be angry with you
'Cause I remember the day
I gave my life to pay your crimes
Hey you all alone
Shooting yourself up with every
Substance that is known
Hey you in your room
Crying yourself to sleep
For the life of the little girl you let
Them take last week
I've never been angry with you
I've never turned away
No matter what anyone else might say
I'll never be angry with you
'Cause I remember the day
I gave my life to pay your crimes
Yeah, you're reconciled
Yeah, my justice has been satisfied
Hey you in the pew
Your heart's as cold as stone
But you keep all the rules
You keep all the rules
I've never been angry with you
I've never turned away
No matter what anyone else might say
I'll never be angry with you
'Cause I remember the day
I gave my life to pay your crimes
Your crimes, your crimes, your crimes
You're forgiven
Forevermore
Love Song by Third Day
I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves.
How many times has he broken that promise?
It has never been done.
I've never climbed the highest mountain,
But I walked the hill of Calvary.
Just to be with you, I will do anything
There's no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away.
I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
All of those dreams are an empty motion.
It can never be done.
I've never swam the deepest ocean,
But I walked upon the raging sea.
Just to be with you, I will do anything
There's no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away.
I know that you don't understand
the fullness of My love.
How I died upon the cross for your sins.
And I know that you don't realize
how much that I give you
But I promise, I would do it all again.
Just to be with you, I've done everything
There's no price I did not pay no
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away.
Just to be with you.
and...
Love Song for a Savior by Jars of Clay
In open fields of wild flowers,
she breathes the air and flies away
She thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
in no simple language
Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat or a song on her lips
Someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call her and she will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray,
"I want to fall in love with You"
Sitting silent wearing Sunday best
The sermon echoes through the walls
A great salvation through it calls to the people
who stare into nowhere, and can't feel the chains on their souls
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat or a song on our lips
Someday we'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call us and we will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and we'll pray,
"I want to fall in love with You"
It seems too easy to call you "Savior",
Not close enough to call you "God"
So as I sit and think of words I can mention
to show my devotion
"I want to fall in love with You"
and one by some boys from home, Sagefool...
Reconciled
Hey you in the club
Drinking away the pain and
Thinking there's no love for you
Hey you by the street
Pulling up your skirt so anyone
Would see
You're dying to be free
I've never been angry with you
I've never turned away
No matter what anyone else might say
I'll never be angry with you
'Cause I remember the day
I gave my life to pay your crimes
Hey you all alone
Shooting yourself up with every
Substance that is known
Hey you in your room
Crying yourself to sleep
For the life of the little girl you let
Them take last week
I've never been angry with you
I've never turned away
No matter what anyone else might say
I'll never be angry with you
'Cause I remember the day
I gave my life to pay your crimes
Yeah, you're reconciled
Yeah, my justice has been satisfied
Hey you in the pew
Your heart's as cold as stone
But you keep all the rules
You keep all the rules
I've never been angry with you
I've never turned away
No matter what anyone else might say
I'll never be angry with you
'Cause I remember the day
I gave my life to pay your crimes
Your crimes, your crimes, your crimes
You're forgiven
Forevermore
Summertime is just about gone...
Go to http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1018251/a/King+Mackerel+&+The+Blues+Are+Running.htm to hear pieces of the songs from this album. I grew up listening to all of these. I think I first heard it on PBS...
King Mackerel & The Blues are Runnin
Tide rolls in, tide rolls out
Summertime is just about gone
All that's left to think about
Is this fishin comin on
Who's got the latest information?
The Coast Guard, or charter boat crews?
Could be the kids down at the fillin station
Saying, "Buddy, have you heard the news?"
Hey, buddy, have you heard the news...
King Mackerel and the Blues are runnin
All along the coast
Talk about fishing
You can't give the fish away
Everybody's lucky
October and the moon is comin
But the clouds won't give up the ghost
Oh let the good weather hold one more day
Radio announcer's voice:
"Here on the Outer Banks winds are currently from the northeast at 10 to 15 knots. Coast Guard's lifted yesterday's small craft warning from Cape Hatteras to Cape Fear. Seas are running 1 or 2 feet above normal, though, so stay tuned to the Weather Channel. Ocean temperature off Hatteras, Ocracoke and Core Banks averaging 68 degrees. Air temperature probably won't break a high of 60...but it's a beautiful day all along the Carolina coast and, our reports are, the fishing is excellent.
King Mackerel and the Blues are runnin
All along the coast
Talk about fishing
You can't give the fish away
Every body's lucky
October and the moon is comin
But the clouds won't give up the ghost
Oh let the good weather hold one more day
Wake up! We're movin out!
Four-wheel drive will take us where we're goin, yeah
If it don't, we're missin out
You wanna be there before dawn
But when the sun is finally settin
And there's sand in everybody's shoes, yeah
The cooler's full of fish
There ain't nobody frettin
No it's, "Hey, buddy, have you heard the news?"
King Mackerel and the Blues are runnin
All along the coast
Talk about fishing
You can't give the fish away
Everybody's lucky
October and the moon is comin
But the clouds won't give up the ghost
Oh let the good weather hold one more day
You Must Forgive Me...
...because, first of all, I haven't been able to keep up with the Song of the Day. *BUT* I do have an excuse for yesterday! I wanted to post "King Mackerel and the Blues are Runnin" but it's not on YouTube by the original artists. I'll post the lyrics in a separate post so you'll know why it was the SotD.
You must also forgive me, as James Taylor says, because I have up and gone to Carolina in my mind the past few days. I'm not sure what's caused this change in my mind. I'm not necessarily homesick and miserable, just thinking of home a lot. If I wasn't seeing palm trees everyday, things might be worse. ;)
Fall is my favorite time of the year, and Davidson is my favorite place to spend it. It's the first place I've seen so many different types of hardwoods, and of course, they're GORGEOUS in autumn. Every time I see a wedding at DCPC and a bride taking her pictures by the ivy-covered well, I totally understand why. And there's little I like more than finding that perfectly crunchy leaf and stompin on it! I will unashamedly walk like a drunkard just so I can crunch every leaf on the path! I also love walking to the Union weekend afternoons and seeing our football team play. (I think we just played Campbell, the college from my hometown...we better've won!) I also love the way the sky looks in the fall. The light is changing from the intensity of the summer to the almost-white light blue skies of winter. I like how CookOut runs slowly become ridiculous because the nights are starting to get nippy, but heck, we're getting milkshakes anyway! Finally, I love that the days feel just right for a new scarf or cute jacket.
So, I'm not gonna lie...I'm pretty jealous of the people right now in NC, especially Davidson, experiencing this time of year. New books, pens and blank notebooks. Realizing you need a jacket when you run to the Court because it's getting colder at night. A late-night conversation with your best friend at the Outpost over an egg & cheese bagel (or nasty nachos!) Walking to class with the wind tousling your hair and the leaves swirling around you as they fall to the ground. Deciding spur-of-the-moment to road trip to Asheville to see the trees' colors. I could go on and on.
Please forgive me.
Because I'm here in Arequipa, Peru, just not satisfied with perfectly sunny skies and 72 degrees, day in and day out.
I want a thunderstorm! I want to sit by my dorm room window, procrastinating, and listen to the thunder and watch the rain come down on people running from Commons. I want to worry about that tropical storm in the Atlantic. Maybe it'll even hit, and families will raid the grocery store for milk and bread, as if we were to have an inch of snow. I want to wake up to a rainy day that makes me to bitch about walking up the hill to class, even though I have a perfectly fine umbrella and cute boots I like to show off anyway. I want to see a familiar night sky as I stand in line at CookOut, complaining about how I can't choose a flavor and how I need someone else to pick for me. I want BBQ and lima beans and hush puppies. With sweet tea and lemon. No more hot tea. I want to drive to Lake Campus with my windows down, sunroof back, O.C.M.S blaring, and I'm going just to see how the trees have already started to change. And I'll complain how the Penguin Palace isn't open.
Please forgive the list. I hope, though, that it encourages my friends and loved ones back home to TAKE ADVANTAGE of this beautiful time of year. Christmas songs have got it wrong. Autumn is the most wonderful time of the year. (at least to me) So go to Lake Campus, go to the mountains, watch a thunderstorm, watch the geese land on the pond, go on Fall Break with friends, make a leaf pile, participate in lively class discussions (cuz we certainly don't have them here), go eat some Bojangles and drive with the windows down. And think of me.
The ORIGINAL version
Carolina in My Mind
In my mind I'm goin to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin to Carolina in my mind
Karen she's a silver sun
You best walk her way and watch it shinin
Watch her watch the mornin come
A silver tear appearing now I'm cryin
Ain't I goin to Carolina in my mind
There ain't no doubt in no one's mind
That loves the finest thing around
Whisper something warm and kind
And hey babe the sky's on fire, I'm dyin
Ain't I goin to Carolina in my mind
In my mind I'm goin to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin to Carolina in my mind
Dark and silent last night
I think I might have heard the highway calling
Geese in flight and dogs that bite
Signs that might be omens say I going, going
I'm goin to Carolina in my mind
With a holy host of others standing round me
Still I'm on the dark side of the moon
And it seems like it goes on like this forever
You must forgive me
If I'm up and gone to Carolina in my mind
You must also forgive me, as James Taylor says, because I have up and gone to Carolina in my mind the past few days. I'm not sure what's caused this change in my mind. I'm not necessarily homesick and miserable, just thinking of home a lot. If I wasn't seeing palm trees everyday, things might be worse. ;)
Fall is my favorite time of the year, and Davidson is my favorite place to spend it. It's the first place I've seen so many different types of hardwoods, and of course, they're GORGEOUS in autumn. Every time I see a wedding at DCPC and a bride taking her pictures by the ivy-covered well, I totally understand why. And there's little I like more than finding that perfectly crunchy leaf and stompin on it! I will unashamedly walk like a drunkard just so I can crunch every leaf on the path! I also love walking to the Union weekend afternoons and seeing our football team play. (I think we just played Campbell, the college from my hometown...we better've won!) I also love the way the sky looks in the fall. The light is changing from the intensity of the summer to the almost-white light blue skies of winter. I like how CookOut runs slowly become ridiculous because the nights are starting to get nippy, but heck, we're getting milkshakes anyway! Finally, I love that the days feel just right for a new scarf or cute jacket.
So, I'm not gonna lie...I'm pretty jealous of the people right now in NC, especially Davidson, experiencing this time of year. New books, pens and blank notebooks. Realizing you need a jacket when you run to the Court because it's getting colder at night. A late-night conversation with your best friend at the Outpost over an egg & cheese bagel (or nasty nachos!) Walking to class with the wind tousling your hair and the leaves swirling around you as they fall to the ground. Deciding spur-of-the-moment to road trip to Asheville to see the trees' colors. I could go on and on.
Please forgive me.
Because I'm here in Arequipa, Peru, just not satisfied with perfectly sunny skies and 72 degrees, day in and day out.
I want a thunderstorm! I want to sit by my dorm room window, procrastinating, and listen to the thunder and watch the rain come down on people running from Commons. I want to worry about that tropical storm in the Atlantic. Maybe it'll even hit, and families will raid the grocery store for milk and bread, as if we were to have an inch of snow. I want to wake up to a rainy day that makes me to bitch about walking up the hill to class, even though I have a perfectly fine umbrella and cute boots I like to show off anyway. I want to see a familiar night sky as I stand in line at CookOut, complaining about how I can't choose a flavor and how I need someone else to pick for me. I want BBQ and lima beans and hush puppies. With sweet tea and lemon. No more hot tea. I want to drive to Lake Campus with my windows down, sunroof back, O.C.M.S blaring, and I'm going just to see how the trees have already started to change. And I'll complain how the Penguin Palace isn't open.
Please forgive the list. I hope, though, that it encourages my friends and loved ones back home to TAKE ADVANTAGE of this beautiful time of year. Christmas songs have got it wrong. Autumn is the most wonderful time of the year. (at least to me) So go to Lake Campus, go to the mountains, watch a thunderstorm, watch the geese land on the pond, go on Fall Break with friends, make a leaf pile, participate in lively class discussions (cuz we certainly don't have them here), go eat some Bojangles and drive with the windows down. And think of me.
The ORIGINAL version
Carolina in My Mind
In my mind I'm goin to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin to Carolina in my mind
Karen she's a silver sun
You best walk her way and watch it shinin
Watch her watch the mornin come
A silver tear appearing now I'm cryin
Ain't I goin to Carolina in my mind
There ain't no doubt in no one's mind
That loves the finest thing around
Whisper something warm and kind
And hey babe the sky's on fire, I'm dyin
Ain't I goin to Carolina in my mind
In my mind I'm goin to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin to Carolina in my mind
Dark and silent last night
I think I might have heard the highway calling
Geese in flight and dogs that bite
Signs that might be omens say I going, going
I'm goin to Carolina in my mind
With a holy host of others standing round me
Still I'm on the dark side of the moon
And it seems like it goes on like this forever
You must forgive me
If I'm up and gone to Carolina in my mind
Sep 17, 2009
Colca: Sunday
We got up bright and early Sunday morning...like 5:30 early. :( We had a quick breakfast of bread, jam and hot tea, and then we hit the road. We drove to a few lookouts over the canyon and also made a stop in a small town to give away some clothing.
Our host families had been putting aside clothing that they don´t use to give to some of the poorer families we encountered our trip. What was hard about the donation, though, was that it was direct (so no education...just temporary help) and there wasn´t enough to go around. That´s because, once one person in the town heard that there were 30 white people giving away clothes, they told someone else. And that person told someone else. Until the whole town is there in the square, waiting around people with only a few blankets left to give.
Honestly, the people on the trip were and still are divided about that service opportunity. Of course, it´s better to give than not at all, but was that the best way it could´ve been handled? Furthermore, the people in the town thanked US, not the people who deserved the credit. Tonight, the group is meeting to discuss the Colca trip with special attention focused on the donation.
After that stop, we drove to the next town where we ate lunch and saw a funny ¨Llamasutra¨ shirt. Unfortunately, no one bought it. If they had, I would´ve pointed them out and told my host mom, ¨Tacky. THAT is tacky!¨ since it´s still not perfectly clear to her. We´re getting there, one tacky Peruvian at a time! ;)
After we left the town, we drove for a while down PAVED roads (thank you Jesus!) And then we came to a high plateau (about 16,000 ft) and looked at rocks stacked on top of each other. There were fields and fields of these little rock monuments.
There was also a bathroom. Add it to the list of my faves. This particular water closet was a circular stone hut with a thatched roof. This means many cracks. Which means COLD since the wind was whipping up there on that plateau. There were actually two huts, but I don´t count one of them since there was a ring of, for lack of a better word, scat around the donation hole in the floor. So after I made ¨psssss¨ noises for Dr. Mangan´s daughter, Caroline, I entered the clean hut and did my business with knees knocking. Good gosh, it was cold! But, at least my hut´s floor was fairly clean. Nothing but dirt! :)
Feeling quite satisfied with my bathroom adventure, I hopped back on the bus, covered up with my coat and had David read our homework aloud to me. You see, we had an entire book to read that weekend and none of us had had time to do it. But finally, with the paved roads, we had time and the means to read without getting sick.
I must say, David has a funny British accent, so the time went by quickly. When he was tired, we switched, and I read aloud. Dr. Mangan was in the seat in front of us, and she just laughed. She knows the author of the book from college. She said she´d have to tell the author about our funny readings and that she should consider having us make an audiobook. ¨From Subjects to Citizens¨. By Sarah C. Chambers. Read by David Baker and Devon Weeks. (insert chime noise)
So, by the time we got home around 5p, we were thoroughly exhausted, glad to have done SOME homework, and ready for a nap! Now, I appreciate Arequipa so much more...it´s much easier to breathe here! There´s an obvious difference between Colca and Arequipa´s air supply. Actually, I´m still catching up on my sleep, I was so tired last weekend, but at least I´m breathing easy!
As for the song of that day, it´s a song I´ve had for a few years. It´s in Portuguese, so I don´t really understand it. Also, it´s a samba, which means it´s FAST. A few weeks ago, I recommended this tune to our group´s dance instructor. They actually introduced it last week, and since then, this song has been stuck in everyone´s heads. Tonight, at our dance lesson, we´ll be doing some quick grapevine kind of dance to this song. So enjoy, translate if you´d like and think of me hustlin to this for an hour straight tonight!
Magalenha
Vem Magalenha rojão, traz a lenha pro fogão, vem fazer armação.
Hoje é um dia de sol, alegria de coió*, é curtir o verão.
Vem Magalenha rojão, traz a senha pro fogão.. te te te coração.
Hoje é um dia de sol, alegria de xodó, meu dever de verão.
Te te te te te te
O calangulango, do calango da pretinha,
to cantando essa mudinha pra senhora se lembrar,
daquele tempo que vivia lá na roça com uma filha na barriga e outra filha pra cria.
Our host families had been putting aside clothing that they don´t use to give to some of the poorer families we encountered our trip. What was hard about the donation, though, was that it was direct (so no education...just temporary help) and there wasn´t enough to go around. That´s because, once one person in the town heard that there were 30 white people giving away clothes, they told someone else. And that person told someone else. Until the whole town is there in the square, waiting around people with only a few blankets left to give.
Honestly, the people on the trip were and still are divided about that service opportunity. Of course, it´s better to give than not at all, but was that the best way it could´ve been handled? Furthermore, the people in the town thanked US, not the people who deserved the credit. Tonight, the group is meeting to discuss the Colca trip with special attention focused on the donation.
After that stop, we drove to the next town where we ate lunch and saw a funny ¨Llamasutra¨ shirt. Unfortunately, no one bought it. If they had, I would´ve pointed them out and told my host mom, ¨Tacky. THAT is tacky!¨ since it´s still not perfectly clear to her. We´re getting there, one tacky Peruvian at a time! ;)
After we left the town, we drove for a while down PAVED roads (thank you Jesus!) And then we came to a high plateau (about 16,000 ft) and looked at rocks stacked on top of each other. There were fields and fields of these little rock monuments.
There was also a bathroom. Add it to the list of my faves. This particular water closet was a circular stone hut with a thatched roof. This means many cracks. Which means COLD since the wind was whipping up there on that plateau. There were actually two huts, but I don´t count one of them since there was a ring of, for lack of a better word, scat around the donation hole in the floor. So after I made ¨psssss¨ noises for Dr. Mangan´s daughter, Caroline, I entered the clean hut and did my business with knees knocking. Good gosh, it was cold! But, at least my hut´s floor was fairly clean. Nothing but dirt! :)
Feeling quite satisfied with my bathroom adventure, I hopped back on the bus, covered up with my coat and had David read our homework aloud to me. You see, we had an entire book to read that weekend and none of us had had time to do it. But finally, with the paved roads, we had time and the means to read without getting sick.
I must say, David has a funny British accent, so the time went by quickly. When he was tired, we switched, and I read aloud. Dr. Mangan was in the seat in front of us, and she just laughed. She knows the author of the book from college. She said she´d have to tell the author about our funny readings and that she should consider having us make an audiobook. ¨From Subjects to Citizens¨. By Sarah C. Chambers. Read by David Baker and Devon Weeks. (insert chime noise)
So, by the time we got home around 5p, we were thoroughly exhausted, glad to have done SOME homework, and ready for a nap! Now, I appreciate Arequipa so much more...it´s much easier to breathe here! There´s an obvious difference between Colca and Arequipa´s air supply. Actually, I´m still catching up on my sleep, I was so tired last weekend, but at least I´m breathing easy!
As for the song of that day, it´s a song I´ve had for a few years. It´s in Portuguese, so I don´t really understand it. Also, it´s a samba, which means it´s FAST. A few weeks ago, I recommended this tune to our group´s dance instructor. They actually introduced it last week, and since then, this song has been stuck in everyone´s heads. Tonight, at our dance lesson, we´ll be doing some quick grapevine kind of dance to this song. So enjoy, translate if you´d like and think of me hustlin to this for an hour straight tonight!
Magalenha
Vem Magalenha rojão, traz a lenha pro fogão, vem fazer armação.
Hoje é um dia de sol, alegria de coió*, é curtir o verão.
Vem Magalenha rojão, traz a senha pro fogão.. te te te coração.
Hoje é um dia de sol, alegria de xodó, meu dever de verão.
Te te te te te te
O calangulango, do calango da pretinha,
to cantando essa mudinha pra senhora se lembrar,
daquele tempo que vivia lá na roça com uma filha na barriga e outra filha pra cria.
Sep 15, 2009
Colca: Saturday
Saturday morning, the group took a 30 min bus ride to a lookout to view condors. My host mom had warned me, though, that the group was going too late to see any. Sometimes, people have to go as early as 5am to see them! But, we went around 8:30 anyway. But we saw them! A LOT of them. Our tour guide was amazed at how many there were. He said we were very lucky.
Even though they´re just huge vultures, they represent the Andes and even a god to some people. And, after one flies over your head, you can´t deny their majesty. I took many many pictures, but I can only share a few here. Again, see Facebook soon to see them all!
Afterwards, we went to an area of terraced farmland. Here, we caught a rare glance of a traditional planting ritual. For hundreds of years, farmers have performed this ritual. First, there was a marching band and a parade of dancers through the fields and even some fireworks. There was even a random man or two in a mask and cape who liked to come grab the ladies. (Of course, the one with scissors made straight for me and wouldn´t let me go for several seconds!) Next, we were handed small bouquets of flowers that included a piece of bread stuck on a stick. I assume it represented what was to come after the harvest. Then our group made our way into the middle of a dusty field.
Spread in the center was a traditional blanket with wine, local Peruvian drinks and (haha) a 2L bottle of Coca-Cola. The girls were instructed to form a half-moon on one side and to take a knee or seat. The men stood on the other side, also with bouquets, but they stood. (You certainly can read into traditional roles from how this played out.) After we were settled, each girl took a fermented drink mixed with dirt to each guy. Whenever someone received the cup, they first poured some drink on the ground for Pachamama, Mother Earth, at three corners of the blanket. Then they bravely gulped down the rest and shook the remaining drops out. The woman was then to take back the cup, return it to be filled again and sit back down.
About 5 native men and 5 women walked us through their ritual. The men looked like typical farmhands - sweaty, wearing T-shirts and a ballcap. Some women, however, had on traditional dress - several colorful skirts, a vest and hat with 2 long braids coming out from underneath. After the men had all taken a drink, the women did the same. Well, except we served ourselves. Also, all of the Davidson people faked drinking the mixture, but we did give some back to Mother Earth. Maybe more than the others. :)
Next, a woman came around with a shot glass and a box of white wine. This, too, was passed from person to person. Pour some on the ground. Throw it back. Smile and return until everyone was served.
At the end, the women were sent off the field while the men followed around a horse and plow to represent planting the field. When we finally left, the field had been cleared of the blanket and goodies, and the men had started planting. Later, we were informed that we were extremely lucky to witness this because it wasn´t a typical tourist thing. This was the real deal, and we actually had the opportunity to participate! My favorite part was when I threw back the shot of wine, and I saw a condor flying near the sun and snow-capped mountains in the distance, across the canyon.
Later, we lunched back at the hotel and then planned a scenic walk. Horses, though, were also an option. I couldnt resist. Lucy, however, gave us strict instructions to be back in less than an hour. Our guide obviously didnt care because we rode eight miles! I was so happy...horseback riding through the farmland we had visited earlier, racing David down dirt roads and going up up and up until we could see the whole valley. Needless to say, I got sunburned, sore and was quite late. But it was totally worth it!
That night, we had a birthday party, campfire and played games. We retired early, though, because the altitude was still making us all more tired than usual. With the combo of the altitude, walking up and down the farmland and riding, I slept like a baby!
What I was listening to that day...
The Only Living Boy in New York
Tom, get your plane right on time.
I know your part will go fine.
Fly down to Mexico.
Da-n-da-da-n-da-n-da-da and here I am,
The only living boy in New York.
I get the news I need on the weather report.
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report.
Hey, Ive got nothing to do today but smile.
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da here I am
The only living boy in New York
Half of the time were gone but we dont know where,
And we dont know here.
Tom, get your plane right on time.
I know youve been eager to fly now.
Hey, let your honesty shine, shine, shine
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da
Like it shines on me
The only living boy in New York,
The only living boy in New York.
Sep 14, 2009
Colca: Friday
My stomach jolted me awake bright and early Friday morning. After a literal run to the bathroom, I fell back into bed. Just I pulled my covers up to my chin, I turned to check the time. Shoot. It was 6:30. Time to get up.
Friday started on a bad note. And it didn't really get better anytime soon. I was to leave on a charter bus for Colca Canyon at 8, and I was already feeling bad. A cold, headache and a weird stomach...wonderful.
The group (all the Davidson people, some UNSA professors and the program director) met at Dr. Mangan's house. We ended up leaving about an hour late. This would become the trip's theme.
As soon as we got on the bus, Dr. Mangan and I said at the same time, "Crap. There's no bathroom!" You see, she had brought her two little children, Nicholas and Caroline. This was a huge inconvenience for her. And MY stomach was not settling down anytime soon.
The first hour was full of beautiful views. We left Arequipa for the first time in a month, seeing the three volcanoes from a different side and then the desert-like mountains and valleys outside the city. We also saw TONS of vicunas! (Google Image that if you have no idea what I'm talking about) Then we got to a sort of rest stop with bathrooms and snacks. Little did I realize this would be the last stop for several hours. And we had been given instructions to drink 2x our normal amount. Oh, and for added fun, we would be on dirt roads the rest of the way. (Imagine the path to my house for HOURS) Catch my drift?
So, about an hour later, between my stomach and full bladder, I felt SICK. Most of the bus by this point was desperate for the bathroom too. On top of the bouncy ride with no stops, we were around 16,000 ft above sea level. This equals heavy drowsiness, a bad headache and, guess what?, a weird stomach. And NO BATHROOM!
Finally, we got to town so small, "you could throw a rock from end to end". Seriously. Our guide informed our miserable bunch that there were bathrooms just around the corner. I shouted, "Thank you, Jesus!" and jumped off the bus with the others. What he forgot to tell us was that these "bathrooms" were actually two rows, facing each other, of three-walled rooms, without doors, with a hole in the middle of the floor. Yes, a hole. Surrounded by I-don't-want-to-know-what. So, when the girls (about 13 of us) saw the "bathrooms", we just laughed. But we were desperate, so we did what we had to do. Dr. Mangan had an especially good time with her daughter, who insisted on guards and a loud "pssssss" noise.
Back on the bus, I felt better. So I started to appreciate the view again. We were in a mountainous region like I had never seen before. Mountains so high you could crane your neck all the way back in your bus seat and barely see the tops. There was terraced farmland everywhere, and the sun finally decided to come out and stay out. With my iPod playing some favorite classical music, I was on a "mountain high".
We later stopped (waaay later...like 3p) for lunch and a photo op. Afterwards, more driving. And more. AND MORE. What should've taken 4 hours took us all day. After a stop at some awesome thermal baths, we drove for 3 hours in the dark to our hotel an hour away. I don't know why we were so behind schedule, but this was the longest day of my time here in Peru.
What saved the day were the amazing views. Especially that night. I couldn't see the canyon as we drove past it to our hotel, but I had never seen so many stars in my life! Look up at the North Carolina sky then double or triple the amount of stars and you are close to what the sky was like. As always, I could see Scorpio and the Southern Cross, but there were so many stars, familiar constellations were hard to find! You could even see the Milky Way, it was such a clear night and the air so thin. If it hadn't been for the view, Friday would have been quite a rough day indeed.
PS - see Facebook for all the pics from this trip! Coming soon!
Sep 10, 2009
Rock Me
Last night was too much fun! Seriously. So fun that many of us had a hard time staying awake during our classes this morning. (It didn´t help that our 1st class of the day, Art History, was at 9am...for two solid hours...in the dark. Yay PowerPoint)
We are all so tired today because last night was Kathleen´s 20th birthday celebration. The night went as follows:
9p- we students arrive at Lucy´s house and go to the 2nd floor apartment. We didn´t wanna keep the family up.
9:10- break out the Pisco! (Peruvian wine...tastes more like gin)
9:15- group Pisco shot in honor of Kathleen
9:30- start playing a Peruvian drinking game, ¨Hello Mr. J¨. A lot like Kings.
(I don´t play because I have a cold. Didn´t need to drink too much...)
10:00´- turns into ¨never have I ever¨. Too much fun.
11ish- decide to go to a hookah bar near the Plaza de Armas
11:15- find out it´s closed
Pause for STORY TIME!
As we wander down the sidewalks of downtown, thinking of where to go now, we end up linking arms. There´s about 10 of us, so we split into little groups, walking down the street, laughing and hugging each other. Some of it was to support the more *cough cough* intoxicated people. (I was definitely sober and enjoying every minute watching everyone else!) Next thing I know, David yells from behind, ¨Love attack!¨ or ¨Love hug!¨ or SOMETHING. Basically, he and a few other girls come running up from behind, still linked, and they engulf my group. Then the 7 or so of us chase the next group down the sidewalk and attack them. It was a moment I´ll never forget!
11:30- finally decide to go to a bar owned by several Peruvian guys we know well
Until 2 this morning, I danced and danced. And danced. With my girlfriends. With one of the bar owners for a while. With the boys in the group. We were the only people in this small, one-room bar, so we took over the place and had a blast! I finally left with David and Ned (Dr. Mangan´s younger cousin who´s the nanny for her kids). We laughed the whole taxi ride home and kept saying, what a night!
When I finally flopped on my bed at about 2:30 this morning, I remembered something funny from earlier. We had played the song ¨Wagon Wheel¨ back at the party, and David, Ned, Kate and I had sung at the top of our lungs. At any other time or place, it would´ve made me sad. I would´ve missed North Carolina and being at home, watching my daddy pick this song on the banjo on the front porch. But last night, this song perfectly captured how we felt! We were rockin out (if you can do that to Bluegrass) and were totally carefree! Listen and enjoy like we did...
Wagon Wheel
Headed down south to the land of the pines
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road
And pray to God I see headlights
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time stringband
My baby plays the guitar
I pick a banjo now
Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin' me now
Lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave
But I ain't a turnin' back
To livin' that old life no more
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me
Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly
Had a nice long toke
But he's a headed west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee
And I gotta get a move on fit for the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name
And I know that she's the only one
And if I die in Raleigh
At least I will die free
We are all so tired today because last night was Kathleen´s 20th birthday celebration. The night went as follows:
9p- we students arrive at Lucy´s house and go to the 2nd floor apartment. We didn´t wanna keep the family up.
9:10- break out the Pisco! (Peruvian wine...tastes more like gin)
9:15- group Pisco shot in honor of Kathleen
9:30- start playing a Peruvian drinking game, ¨Hello Mr. J¨. A lot like Kings.
(I don´t play because I have a cold. Didn´t need to drink too much...)
10:00´- turns into ¨never have I ever¨. Too much fun.
11ish- decide to go to a hookah bar near the Plaza de Armas
11:15- find out it´s closed
Pause for STORY TIME!
As we wander down the sidewalks of downtown, thinking of where to go now, we end up linking arms. There´s about 10 of us, so we split into little groups, walking down the street, laughing and hugging each other. Some of it was to support the more *cough cough* intoxicated people. (I was definitely sober and enjoying every minute watching everyone else!) Next thing I know, David yells from behind, ¨Love attack!¨ or ¨Love hug!¨ or SOMETHING. Basically, he and a few other girls come running up from behind, still linked, and they engulf my group. Then the 7 or so of us chase the next group down the sidewalk and attack them. It was a moment I´ll never forget!
11:30- finally decide to go to a bar owned by several Peruvian guys we know well
Until 2 this morning, I danced and danced. And danced. With my girlfriends. With one of the bar owners for a while. With the boys in the group. We were the only people in this small, one-room bar, so we took over the place and had a blast! I finally left with David and Ned (Dr. Mangan´s younger cousin who´s the nanny for her kids). We laughed the whole taxi ride home and kept saying, what a night!
When I finally flopped on my bed at about 2:30 this morning, I remembered something funny from earlier. We had played the song ¨Wagon Wheel¨ back at the party, and David, Ned, Kate and I had sung at the top of our lungs. At any other time or place, it would´ve made me sad. I would´ve missed North Carolina and being at home, watching my daddy pick this song on the banjo on the front porch. But last night, this song perfectly captured how we felt! We were rockin out (if you can do that to Bluegrass) and were totally carefree! Listen and enjoy like we did...
Wagon Wheel
Headed down south to the land of the pines
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road
And pray to God I see headlights
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time stringband
My baby plays the guitar
I pick a banjo now
Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin' me now
Lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave
But I ain't a turnin' back
To livin' that old life no more
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me
Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly
Had a nice long toke
But he's a headed west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee
And I gotta get a move on fit for the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name
And I know that she's the only one
And if I die in Raleigh
At least I will die free
Sep 9, 2009
Making It Better
If having an upset stomach yesterday morning wasn't enough, I woke up THIS morning with a cold. Lovely.
Today was one of those days where I just didn't want to get out from under the covers. In class this morning, my head felt like it was floating near the ceiling, a far-off balloon tied to my wrist. A mid-morning Coke brought it back closer, but I'm still feeling a little off. (After this post, I'll probably take a long siesta!)
In between classes today, some girlfriends and I were chatting about feeling sick. I said all I wanted today was MY bed, MY house, MY (sister's) dog, MY Netflix queue and MY family to take care of me. I wasn't in a mood really...I just wanted the comfort and rest of HOME. But then, I looked over the balcony to see palm trees waving in front of a snow-capped volcano. I decided to be happy. I would only be here 2 more months.
Sometimes, you just have to make the decision to not "make it bad". "Take a sad song and make it better." It can be really hard sometimes. Like when all of your loved ones are 3000 miles away and you only talk to them for little snatches of time. Like when things change and you feel no control. Or when you're sick and it's all you can do to focus on the words you want to say. There are PLENTY of ways we can focus on ourselves and wallow (or, like we say in NC, waller) in self-pity if we try hard enough. Heck, on days like today, I don't even HAVE to try!
This song randomly came on while I was listening to an iTunes playlist today. I've always loved this song. The build-up. The words. But, today, it took on a different meaning for me. Take time to watch the vid. Read the words. Take a break!
Hey Jude
Hey jude, dont make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey jude, dont be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey jude, refrain,
Dont carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Hey jude, dont let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey jude, begin,
Youre waiting for someone to perform with.
And dont you know that its just you, hey jude, youll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Hey jude, dont make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then youll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh.
Na na na na na ,na na na, hey jude...
Today was one of those days where I just didn't want to get out from under the covers. In class this morning, my head felt like it was floating near the ceiling, a far-off balloon tied to my wrist. A mid-morning Coke brought it back closer, but I'm still feeling a little off. (After this post, I'll probably take a long siesta!)
In between classes today, some girlfriends and I were chatting about feeling sick. I said all I wanted today was MY bed, MY house, MY (sister's) dog, MY Netflix queue and MY family to take care of me. I wasn't in a mood really...I just wanted the comfort and rest of HOME. But then, I looked over the balcony to see palm trees waving in front of a snow-capped volcano. I decided to be happy. I would only be here 2 more months.
Sometimes, you just have to make the decision to not "make it bad". "Take a sad song and make it better." It can be really hard sometimes. Like when all of your loved ones are 3000 miles away and you only talk to them for little snatches of time. Like when things change and you feel no control. Or when you're sick and it's all you can do to focus on the words you want to say. There are PLENTY of ways we can focus on ourselves and wallow (or, like we say in NC, waller) in self-pity if we try hard enough. Heck, on days like today, I don't even HAVE to try!
This song randomly came on while I was listening to an iTunes playlist today. I've always loved this song. The build-up. The words. But, today, it took on a different meaning for me. Take time to watch the vid. Read the words. Take a break!
Hey Jude
Hey jude, dont make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey jude, dont be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey jude, refrain,
Dont carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Hey jude, dont let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey jude, begin,
Youre waiting for someone to perform with.
And dont you know that its just you, hey jude, youll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Hey jude, dont make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then youll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh.
Na na na na na ,na na na, hey jude...
Sep 8, 2009
If Everyone Cared
Today´s Song of the Day fits perfectly with how I feel about what I´m currently studying.
Ever heard of Túpac? No, not the rapper, the guy whose name he took. Túpac Amaru was the last Inca. Then, two hundred years later, Túpac Amaru II enters the scene. How he´s connected by blood to the last Incan ruler is complicated, but he basically decides to lead a rebellion, ¨The Great Rebellion¨, against the ruling Spanish group in Peru in the late 18th century. He has some cool ideas, but he, like most of the world, fought violence and oppression with the same. Violence with violence.
When will that EVER solve ANYTHING?
Ultimately, the story has a gruesome ending...Túpac Amaru II, his wife, sons and other close followers are publically hanged, drawn and quartered. The execution lasted almost all day. It was refered to as a ¨show¨. (shiver) Today, many Peruvians revere Túpac Amaru and admire his brave efforts to overthrow the Spanish. A lot of that is because the class divide still falls down the line of Spanish vs. Indian...400 and some years after that line was first drawn by the original Spanish invaders! I can´t quite wrap my mind around a militant, violent HERO, but whatever floats their boat. I´d rather go the way this song recommends...again, read the lyrics! Peace!
If Everyone Cared lyrics
From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
And I'm singing Amen
Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
(I'm alive)
And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
When nobody died...
Ever heard of Túpac? No, not the rapper, the guy whose name he took. Túpac Amaru was the last Inca. Then, two hundred years later, Túpac Amaru II enters the scene. How he´s connected by blood to the last Incan ruler is complicated, but he basically decides to lead a rebellion, ¨The Great Rebellion¨, against the ruling Spanish group in Peru in the late 18th century. He has some cool ideas, but he, like most of the world, fought violence and oppression with the same. Violence with violence.
When will that EVER solve ANYTHING?
Ultimately, the story has a gruesome ending...Túpac Amaru II, his wife, sons and other close followers are publically hanged, drawn and quartered. The execution lasted almost all day. It was refered to as a ¨show¨. (shiver) Today, many Peruvians revere Túpac Amaru and admire his brave efforts to overthrow the Spanish. A lot of that is because the class divide still falls down the line of Spanish vs. Indian...400 and some years after that line was first drawn by the original Spanish invaders! I can´t quite wrap my mind around a militant, violent HERO, but whatever floats their boat. I´d rather go the way this song recommends...again, read the lyrics! Peace!
If Everyone Cared lyrics
From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
And I'm singing Amen
Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
(I'm alive)
And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
When nobody died...
Sep 7, 2009
Song of the Day
May sound cheesy, but I'm going to start posting a Song of the Day. Music is a huge part of my daily life. I feel like I'm going crazy after a day without music and/or singing. Every time I'm on my computer, I'm listening to something. Every taxicab I take, I'm tapping my toe to their music.
With each YouTube vid post, I'm going to include the lyrics. I have always been a person who listens closely to the words of a song. They speak and set the mood (duh) just as the music does. So, I encourage you to read the lyrics, too. You may think you know a song well, but read the lyrics...maybe several times. You may find (or feel) something new about that song!
So, the 1st SotD is one of my faves. Obviously, it's by Elton John (if you know me well, this is no surprise!) Nothing beats a boy singing while playing the piano.
"This one's for you..."
Your Song
It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
With each YouTube vid post, I'm going to include the lyrics. I have always been a person who listens closely to the words of a song. They speak and set the mood (duh) just as the music does. So, I encourage you to read the lyrics, too. You may think you know a song well, but read the lyrics...maybe several times. You may find (or feel) something new about that song!
So, the 1st SotD is one of my faves. Obviously, it's by Elton John (if you know me well, this is no surprise!) Nothing beats a boy singing while playing the piano.
"This one's for you..."
Your Song
It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
Sep 6, 2009
What´s Popular in Peru
Music:
1. ¨Calle Ocho¨ by Pitbull - This song was popular in the States this summer and it has followed me here. Everytime you go dancing, expect to hear this song at least once. And the people DO count with the song: ¨One, two, three, four, uno, do, tre, cuatro¨. It´s so popular, our dance teachers taught us a dance to it so we could look cooler at the clubs...I guess.
2. Anything from the 80s - My mom listens to the 80s station. Then I get in the schoolbus and crazy Rosita is jamming to the 80s. Most taxi drivers tune their radios to this station. These songs play in a lot of restaurants and shopping centers. I just don´t get it.
3. ¨A Pedir Su Mano¨ by Juan Luis Guerra - Go listen to it! It´ll make you either happy, want to dance or both. I actually knew this song before Peru and had it in my iTunes. Little did I know it would be played at every wedding reception across the road from my house and at every club.
4. Michael Jackson - enough said
Clothes:
1. Heels - The girls (like the guys) here are short. So, these help a lot. Boots are REALLY in style, too. Black or brown, ankle or knee-high...you have to have some.
2. Jeans - The jeans here for girls are TIGHT and all decorated. The pockets either have shiny thread or beading. They are low, too. Combined with the heels, gals always look ready to go clubbing here. I´ve never seen the locals wearing shorts, even though it´s over 70 degrees everyday. Capris aren´t popular either. Or khakis. There´s not much diversity. It´s so funny to compare Davidson fashion in the fall or spring to here.
3. Hats - The older, indigenous women can be seen with a little hat on their head. Young guys like to wear ball caps a lot. A Yankees cap would probs be cool.
4. Jackets - For the girls, their jackets, like their jeans, are tight. A lot of times, they´re pleather with a thick elastic band around the waist. Think biker jackets. For guys, zip-up hoodies are in.
Hair:
1. Girls - long. Sometimes streaked with bleach to make them stand out in a crowd.
2. Guys - sheesh. Sometimes a mullet, sometimes buzzed, sometimes longish (me likey), sometimes fairly normal.
Transportation:
I´m sure they don´t have car commercials on TV because hardly anyone drives. Taxi and combis (lil buses packed with people for only 25 cents) are the way to go. I personally take taxis because I can go about anywhere I need to on $1 (American). If someone DOES have a car, it´s a CAR. Tiny and foreign. I´ve seen very few trucks. I had to explain for 10 minutes to my host mom what a SVU is, so they def don´t have those.
Food:
1. ICE CREAM - This stuff is EVERYWHERE. Which means I´m always tempted, dang it! At every street corner and even in-between, there are at least 3 different brands of ice cream vendors with their little carts and umbrella. Sometimes, there is a queso helado stand. This stuff is AMAZING. Kinda like snow cream with cinnamon on top. Oh, and there are also ice cream stores if you missed the roadside vendor. And every little grocery store (and there´s at least 2 on every block) has a cart full of ice cream. I´m really in trouble here...
2. Chicken - There are so many places the vend and sell chicken! The streets here tend to have themes: the eyeglasses shop road, the shoe store road...the chicken restaurant road. And there are a BUNCH of these! The family restaurants here are always chicken-themed, too. Norkey´s, down the road, has a huge slide inside for children and a chicken mascot. Too weird.
3. Yellow - Whether it´s rice, potatoes, chicken, bananas, or just a sauce, there´s a good chance that each meal will have something yellow.
4. Milk - It´s from the Gloria brand, it´s in a box and not refrigerated before opening. Only afterward.
5. Fresh bread - It truly is fresh, every day from the corner store, so I´ve been spoilt.
That´s all I can think of for now. Now that homework I have to do... :)
1. ¨Calle Ocho¨ by Pitbull - This song was popular in the States this summer and it has followed me here. Everytime you go dancing, expect to hear this song at least once. And the people DO count with the song: ¨One, two, three, four, uno, do, tre, cuatro¨. It´s so popular, our dance teachers taught us a dance to it so we could look cooler at the clubs...I guess.
2. Anything from the 80s - My mom listens to the 80s station. Then I get in the schoolbus and crazy Rosita is jamming to the 80s. Most taxi drivers tune their radios to this station. These songs play in a lot of restaurants and shopping centers. I just don´t get it.
3. ¨A Pedir Su Mano¨ by Juan Luis Guerra - Go listen to it! It´ll make you either happy, want to dance or both. I actually knew this song before Peru and had it in my iTunes. Little did I know it would be played at every wedding reception across the road from my house and at every club.
4. Michael Jackson - enough said
Clothes:
1. Heels - The girls (like the guys) here are short. So, these help a lot. Boots are REALLY in style, too. Black or brown, ankle or knee-high...you have to have some.
2. Jeans - The jeans here for girls are TIGHT and all decorated. The pockets either have shiny thread or beading. They are low, too. Combined with the heels, gals always look ready to go clubbing here. I´ve never seen the locals wearing shorts, even though it´s over 70 degrees everyday. Capris aren´t popular either. Or khakis. There´s not much diversity. It´s so funny to compare Davidson fashion in the fall or spring to here.
3. Hats - The older, indigenous women can be seen with a little hat on their head. Young guys like to wear ball caps a lot. A Yankees cap would probs be cool.
4. Jackets - For the girls, their jackets, like their jeans, are tight. A lot of times, they´re pleather with a thick elastic band around the waist. Think biker jackets. For guys, zip-up hoodies are in.
Hair:
1. Girls - long. Sometimes streaked with bleach to make them stand out in a crowd.
2. Guys - sheesh. Sometimes a mullet, sometimes buzzed, sometimes longish (me likey), sometimes fairly normal.
Transportation:
I´m sure they don´t have car commercials on TV because hardly anyone drives. Taxi and combis (lil buses packed with people for only 25 cents) are the way to go. I personally take taxis because I can go about anywhere I need to on $1 (American). If someone DOES have a car, it´s a CAR. Tiny and foreign. I´ve seen very few trucks. I had to explain for 10 minutes to my host mom what a SVU is, so they def don´t have those.
Food:
1. ICE CREAM - This stuff is EVERYWHERE. Which means I´m always tempted, dang it! At every street corner and even in-between, there are at least 3 different brands of ice cream vendors with their little carts and umbrella. Sometimes, there is a queso helado stand. This stuff is AMAZING. Kinda like snow cream with cinnamon on top. Oh, and there are also ice cream stores if you missed the roadside vendor. And every little grocery store (and there´s at least 2 on every block) has a cart full of ice cream. I´m really in trouble here...
2. Chicken - There are so many places the vend and sell chicken! The streets here tend to have themes: the eyeglasses shop road, the shoe store road...the chicken restaurant road. And there are a BUNCH of these! The family restaurants here are always chicken-themed, too. Norkey´s, down the road, has a huge slide inside for children and a chicken mascot. Too weird.
3. Yellow - Whether it´s rice, potatoes, chicken, bananas, or just a sauce, there´s a good chance that each meal will have something yellow.
4. Milk - It´s from the Gloria brand, it´s in a box and not refrigerated before opening. Only afterward.
5. Fresh bread - It truly is fresh, every day from the corner store, so I´ve been spoilt.
That´s all I can think of for now. Now that homework I have to do... :)
Sep 4, 2009
Fridays
Friday equals sleeping in! Doncha just love being able to roll over, look at the clock and then roll back over and snuggle down deeper into the warm covers? I´m enough like a cat that I could lie in the sun and be in-between consciousness and dreams for hours!
My Fridays here in Arequipa are free, class-wise. YAY! Which means I can go all out Thursday night (see previous post, ¨A Typical Thursday¨)
Fridays, though, are not just for sleeping in. I get some homework done, catch up with my Facebook and (obviously) blog, AND I get to volunteer. That´s actually my favorite part of the day.
You see, I have at least three little boys (between the ages of 4 and 12) waiting for me at the Casa de la Mujer (House for Women) every Friday afternoon at 3. I walk about 15 minutes down the main avenue outside my apartment complex and go to this beautiful house run by several Catholic sisters. Once I get through the gate and into the house, I am POUNCED! Those lil boys can really give some big hugs! I usually have one or two hanging from my neck and one encircling my legs with his entire body. It´s a wonder how I don´t just fall down everytime! When I finally peel them off, we sit down in the small garden outside (it´s ALWAYS sunny) and do homework. Usually, the boys have to do some English homework, so I love helping with that. Maybe it´s drawing a comb and labeling it or just rewriting the word ¨cat¨. Sometimes they have an hour of homework, but other times, like last week, very little.
This is when we really get to bond. Last week, three boys were there. Two brothers, 5 and 8, and a separate 4 year old. They had little to no homework so they were crazy! We played Red Light Green Light, Hide-and-Go-Seek, Tag, a hand slap/counting game and even watched some American anime cartoon in Spanish. How I managed to play the games in Spanish, I´ll never know. Instructions and rules were certainly hard to talk about...not that they followed them anyway. All they really wanted to do was, as we say in NC, rassle (or however you spell that). They, as can be expected, got FLITHY. Dirty hands and runny noses. Nasty. So, the magical gringa (white girl)...me...dug out her mini bottle of hand sanitizer and gave them each a big drop in their black hands. I say ¨magical¨ because they ooohhed and ahhhhed over that sanitizer so much that I kindly said, ¨Would you like more? Because there´s more for you where THAT came from!¨ Little did they know that they were getting a GOOD cleaning!
When my three hours was up, I tried to make it to the door. Try, being the main part of that sentence. It´s hard when three little boys are clinging to your legs and are begging for another hug, tickle or spin. After about 10 minutes, I finally walked out the gate. When I turned around to look back at the house, three faces were pressed to the glass beside the door.
These boys, though, are not your typical kids. They come from an abusive home. The Casa de la Mujer is for physically, mentally and emotionally abused women and their children. Some stay for a few days, others a few weeks...some, longer. I don´t know from week to week which children I will help with their reading, will tickle or hug goodbye for the last time. So, today, I´m almost hoping those boys will not be there because then I know they have their own, now SAFE, home to return to.
Sep 2, 2009
What I Used to Wake Up to...
You need a friend
I'll be around
Don't let this end
Before I see you again
What can I say to convince you
To change your mind of me?
I'm gonna love you more than anyone
I'm gonna hold you closer than before
And when I kiss your soul, your body be free
I'll be free for you anytime
I'm gonna love you more than anyone
Look in my eyes, what do you see?
Not just the color
Look inside of me
Tell me all you need and I will try
I will try
I'm gonna love you more than anyone
I'm gonna hold you closer than before
And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free
I'll be free for you anytime
I'm gonna to love you more than anyone
Free for you, whenever you need
We'll be free together, baby
Free together, baby
I'm gonna love you more than anyone
I'm gonna hold you closer than before
And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free
I'll be free for you anytime
I'm gonna love you more than anyone
Sep 1, 2009
A VERY Friendly Taxi Driver
It's not unusual to have guys be ultra-friendly to you here. Heck, it's only unusual when they DON'T stare! And it happens every day to every girl on this trip. (I'm pretty sure it's just because we're white.) I could give countless examples of how forward the guys are here...they whistle, blow their horns, shout "Wow!", or just stand in groups and grin. But last night...well, let's just say my taxi driver was a bit more friendly than the average Peruvian guy. He won the creeper race to be sure...
Now, before I give you the dialogue, I'll first state that I have been in taxis with curious drivers before. Occasionally, with a group of other girls, we'll be asked: "Where are you from?" or "How old are you?" But that's about it.
Ok, so the story. (conversations translated from Spanish)
Approx. 8:30 last night:
Kathleen, Elisabeth and I flag a taxi from the Plaza de Armas in downtown Arequipa. It's a well-known company and very safe...so safe that we were told to program it's number in our cell phones. So we flag a taxi, hop in and start to chat in English.
Mistake #1. This always prompts the following question.
Ultra-friendly and too curious taxi driver: Oh, so are ya'll from the United States?
Us: Yup.
Ultra-friendly and too curious taxi driver: That's cool. Why are ya'll here?
Us: To study Spanish at UNSA.
U-F&TCTD: Nice nice. Your Spanish is pretty good. How long are ya'll here for?
Us: Through the end of October.
U-F&TCTD: Oh, not very long. Do you like it here?
Us: Oh yeah. It's nice that it's always sunny.
U-F&TCTD: Yeah, it is. So, how old are ya'll?
Us: Around 20.
U-F&TCTD: Cool.
We get to Kathleen and Elisabeth's house. I whisper, "Boy, he's curious!" and they wave goodbye and go into their respective homes.
Mistake #2. Continuing the conversation.
U-F&TCTD: So, you like Arequipa, huh?
Me: Yes.
U-F&TCTD: And you, too, are just here for a few months?
Me: Yup.
U-F&TCTD:(grinning at me in the rearview mirror)...So, you've got a novio o amorado (translation: boyfriend or lover)?
Me: Yes. Actually, we've been dating for 4 or more years.
U-F&TCTD: (not phased) Oh really? And where is he?
Mistake #3.
Me: In the States.
U-F&TCTD: (another grin) Ohh...so you want a boyfriend here, then?
Me: No no no no! (pause to think of why) My boyfriend is really the jealous type, you know...
U-F&TCTD: Ahhh, yes. But, you don't want a secret one for just a short amount of time?
Me: (counting the blocks til home) No no no! I'm not here long enough for that and I'm not looking for anything.
U-F&TCTD: Oh ok. So...ummm...what's your name?
Me: Uhh...
(my brain, for some reason, shuts down at this point with the effort of trying to make up this tiny lie)
uhhh...
What did you say?
U-F&TCTD: Your name?
Me: (ready now!) Lucy. It's Lucy. (This is actually the name of my middle-aged program director)
Getting close to home.
U-F&TCTD: Well, Lucy, it's really nice to meet you. You sure you don't want a boyfriend? (another smile in the rearview mirror)
Me: I'm positive. In fact, here's my stop! (I frantically dig out my change)
U-F&TCTD: (He gets desperate) Do those other girls have boyfriends?
Me: (my brain is too tired at this point) You know what?...yeah! They do! (rambling) You know, it's a funny thing, but all of the girls on this trip...hahaha...have long-term boyfriends! Hahahah (why am I laughing? This sounds SO ridiculous!)
Silence. We get to my corner.
U-F&TCTD: HEY! You want to be my new friend? Yeah, want to be my friend?
He continues asking me this as I shove the money in his hand, quickly mutter "Buenas noches" and quickly walk to my gate.
Now, just to clarify, I was nothing more than a tad uncomfortable. We were in a densely-populated area, with many lights, and I could've gotten out in case of an emergency. Yes, I was feeling like that white girl from the MadTV skit "Can I Have Yo Numba?", but I knew he meant no harm. If I had been at a bar or dance club, the same kind of young guy would've asked the same kind of questions. Besides, it was kinda fun making all that stuff up...and telling the story to the group later!
Now, before I give you the dialogue, I'll first state that I have been in taxis with curious drivers before. Occasionally, with a group of other girls, we'll be asked: "Where are you from?" or "How old are you?" But that's about it.
Ok, so the story. (conversations translated from Spanish)
Approx. 8:30 last night:
Kathleen, Elisabeth and I flag a taxi from the Plaza de Armas in downtown Arequipa. It's a well-known company and very safe...so safe that we were told to program it's number in our cell phones. So we flag a taxi, hop in and start to chat in English.
Mistake #1. This always prompts the following question.
Ultra-friendly and too curious taxi driver: Oh, so are ya'll from the United States?
Us: Yup.
Ultra-friendly and too curious taxi driver: That's cool. Why are ya'll here?
Us: To study Spanish at UNSA.
U-F&TCTD: Nice nice. Your Spanish is pretty good. How long are ya'll here for?
Us: Through the end of October.
U-F&TCTD: Oh, not very long. Do you like it here?
Us: Oh yeah. It's nice that it's always sunny.
U-F&TCTD: Yeah, it is. So, how old are ya'll?
Us: Around 20.
U-F&TCTD: Cool.
We get to Kathleen and Elisabeth's house. I whisper, "Boy, he's curious!" and they wave goodbye and go into their respective homes.
Mistake #2. Continuing the conversation.
U-F&TCTD: So, you like Arequipa, huh?
Me: Yes.
U-F&TCTD: And you, too, are just here for a few months?
Me: Yup.
U-F&TCTD:(grinning at me in the rearview mirror)...So, you've got a novio o amorado (translation: boyfriend or lover)?
Me: Yes. Actually, we've been dating for 4 or more years.
U-F&TCTD: (not phased) Oh really? And where is he?
Mistake #3.
Me: In the States.
U-F&TCTD: (another grin) Ohh...so you want a boyfriend here, then?
Me: No no no no! (pause to think of why) My boyfriend is really the jealous type, you know...
U-F&TCTD: Ahhh, yes. But, you don't want a secret one for just a short amount of time?
Me: (counting the blocks til home) No no no! I'm not here long enough for that and I'm not looking for anything.
U-F&TCTD: Oh ok. So...ummm...what's your name?
Me: Uhh...
(my brain, for some reason, shuts down at this point with the effort of trying to make up this tiny lie)
uhhh...
What did you say?
U-F&TCTD: Your name?
Me: (ready now!) Lucy. It's Lucy. (This is actually the name of my middle-aged program director)
Getting close to home.
U-F&TCTD: Well, Lucy, it's really nice to meet you. You sure you don't want a boyfriend? (another smile in the rearview mirror)
Me: I'm positive. In fact, here's my stop! (I frantically dig out my change)
U-F&TCTD: (He gets desperate) Do those other girls have boyfriends?
Me: (my brain is too tired at this point) You know what?...yeah! They do! (rambling) You know, it's a funny thing, but all of the girls on this trip...hahaha...have long-term boyfriends! Hahahah (why am I laughing? This sounds SO ridiculous!)
Silence. We get to my corner.
U-F&TCTD: HEY! You want to be my new friend? Yeah, want to be my friend?
He continues asking me this as I shove the money in his hand, quickly mutter "Buenas noches" and quickly walk to my gate.
Now, just to clarify, I was nothing more than a tad uncomfortable. We were in a densely-populated area, with many lights, and I could've gotten out in case of an emergency. Yes, I was feeling like that white girl from the MadTV skit "Can I Have Yo Numba?", but I knew he meant no harm. If I had been at a bar or dance club, the same kind of young guy would've asked the same kind of questions. Besides, it was kinda fun making all that stuff up...and telling the story to the group later!
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