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
Sep 23, 2009
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!
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