im confused.

im really confused by something. im not saying this in a sarcastic way at all, so if someone or multiple people can explain it to me thatd be great:

the bailout failed because the votes in congress "the opposition included 133 Republicans and 95 Democrats, while 140 Democrats and 65 Republicans supported the bill." (nytimes)

but the mccain campaign released this statement:
“The bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country.”

but the majority of people opposing the bill were republican. i really dont get it. im going to try to read more but can someone explain this to me? please?

a plea.

ive never felt this desperate and helpless before. even though the last election was probably one of the worst demonstrations of american bipartisan politics i have ever seen from both democrats and republicans alike, i still didnt feel this helpless because there was no beacon of hope (both candidates were pathetic in my eyes, so it was almost like a dead vote). now, finally, there is hope. the only problem is will the rest of america be able to recognize the strength in the democratic ticket in time rather than be mystified by the fairy dust mccain's campaign has thrown into the air...namely sarah palin? i am a woman, and as a woman having sarah palin a heartbeat (let alone a 72-year-old, POW traumatized heartbeat) away from running our country literally makes the blood drain from my face. its official...im scared. after reading a bunch of articles (from liberal, conservative, and independent sources) over the past month i cant help but be completely confused by why a larger number of people are now supporting the mccain/palin ticket. im not trying to disrespect anyone's opinions because to be honest though my views for the country are more inline with the obama/biden ticket i think mccain himself is a very strong and capable candidate, but sarah palin is not. if mccain weren't so old with a history of trauma and cancer i would feel a little more at ease, but that is not the case.

so im begging whoever stumbles upon this blog to please think about things more clearly instead of following the hype. if you still want to see the country with a mccain/palin presidency, i understand. but please figure out exactly what that means. i cannot imagine many americans supporting an america where you or your daughter/sister/mother/wife cannot choose what to do with their bodies if/when they are violated in the worst way possible, no matter what your religious beliefs are. humanity is part of every religion, and taking this right away from women is inhumane.  

thank you. 

cuentas

[1] today i received a lecture by two nuns on how i needed to take care of my stuff without warranting it except for the fact that im white, blonde and light eyed and therefore stick out like that one sesame seed on a poppy seed bagel. i didnt know whether to feel grateful or annoyed. i chose a little of both. 

[2] i hate needles yet i have officially gotten two stuck in me in one week, but i must say the clinic in medellin is MUCH cleaner and friendlier than the one in new york.

[3] yesterday i went to parque botero and la feria de libros (english translation: big ass book fair) with mariana, a trainee from brazil and arturo, who is from what i could translate with my wilted spanish a monk (yes i have a friend who is monk...im that baller). we had SUCH a great time! the atmosphere was amazing and there were so many events like a strange parade type thing (people were on stilts, which is one of those things in life that always makes me laugh my ass off) and a concert. and i got along with mariana and arturo so well and im finally starting to be able to show my personality that i have in english through my spanish! its just such a good feeling. 

[4] im becoming much more patient here. like i was supposed to start work today but i dont have my cedula (a residency card) which i need in order to officially work and i may not have it until tomorrow, yet im not frustrated or upset. its just something i have to deal with and so im going with the flow.

[5] if you cant tell, i really like making lists. theyre easier to follow. this may continue of the next few months.

list numero dos

[1] the concept of "far" in medellin is VERY skewed. i took a 10 (maybe 12 with traffic) minute taxi ride last night thinking it would take me forever because one of the aiesecers told me that i was "very" far away from where they were going. i guess after having lived in the suburbs of new york for most of my life where the closest thing for you to eat is located at least a 5 minute car ride away i dont think a 10 minute taxi ride is far at all. 

[2] the way aiesec is run here is way more efficient...and fun. i went to my first asamblea yesterday and i felt the aiesec passion i only feel at conference or retreats, even though it was just a normal weekly meeting. it made me miss the old aiesec days with my lc, especially those days when we were just building the lc and couldnt help but love each other. 

[3] colombians LOVE cheesy 90s pop music (such as backstreet boys) about as much as i do :)

[4] as in ecuador, colombians take picture of everything...i mean EVERYTHING. it makes me appreciate the small things a lot more :)

[5] the "missing of the familiar" as i am now calling it (because its not homesickness, and its not really culture shock, but it seems to come the first couple of weeks as it did in ecuador too) hits me most when i just had a really fun time and return to my apartment and am by myself. its evil. 

[6] i think ill be happy here. especially once i start forming some strong relationships, which i can totally see happening with a few of these aiesecers.

success!

i finally figured out how to make the hot water come on in this shower! this should be a good day. well...maybe.

list of things to say

(1) today i got to see where im going to work...and its absolutely beautiful. like i mean a gorgeous house that is divided into offices with a gazebo and like 5 salons. not only is it beautiful, but the people are SO friendly and personable. its about an hour commute, which is definitely a pain, but honestly from the looks of it its totally worth it. to work in that amazing office and then be able to live literally 7 blocks from the center of the city...i couldnt have asked for a better situation. 

(2) i rode on the back of a motorcycle for the first time...and im in love. jesus (him and his girlfriend natalia are the ones who picked me up from the airport and are kind of like my aiesec mommy and daddy) gave me a tour on his "moto" yesterday and i absolutely positively fell in love with it. my goal now is to find a temporary boyfriend with a motorcycle (i know mom and dad are shitting their pants right now, but dont worry its perfectly safe).

(3) today im opening a bank account and getting my cedula (its like a residency card) with natalia and tomorrow jesus and natalia are taking me around the city a bit more...the city is big so its going to take a bit of time for me to figure it out so its going to take me a while to find my way through. 

(4) the weather is phenomenal. no elaboration necessary.

(5) my spanish is struggling a bit more than expected, but im not that worried. give me a few weeks and ill be good to go :)

(6) though im definitely feeling the culture shock (the thing i miss the most is having that comfort in the familiar, especially in familiar people), i feel more comfortable in this situation than i EVER did, even after 3 months, in ecuador. im really ready to meet the rest of the local committee of aiesec and some trainees. trainees are very easy to relate to because they know what you're going through.

ok thats it for now :)

first impressions

so after a lengthy 11 hour sleep (god knows i needed it) i can really write my first post from medellin :) i arrived at the airport in medellin (actually its technically in rio negro) at about 1pm, got my baggage and through customs just fine, and met two aiesecers (turns out they were fresh newbies...less than 2 weeks in aiesec) and one of their fathers who helped me get my luggage in the car. then we grabbed a bite to eat in the airport (i couldnt eat the food on the plane for multiple reasons, so therefore hadnt eaten since 9pm the night before), i changed some money, called my parents, and had a great conversation in my "im so tired i can barely speak" spanish. (fyi i love newbies because they listen to what i have to say and it makes me feel important :)) then we drove to the apartment where im staying. its the apartment of an aiesecer and her cousin, who are SO awesome and accommodating. (ps YAY NO HOST FAMILYYYYYYY) by this time it was 3pm, so i spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking, organizing, and talking to the cousin and attempting to nap (unsuccessfully so). then the aiesecer kelly came home with her boyfriend (both of them are super awesome and kelly is hilarious in one of those inappropriate ways that i really appreciate) and we went to get mexican food (go figure, mexican food my first night in colombia). after dinner we came back, i unpacked a bit more, and then passed the fuck out at like 9pm. 

so that was my first 6 hours in medellin. here are some soundbites about my experience:

(1) medellin is way more accessible than quito. 

(2) the temperature during the day AND at night is absolutely perfect. not hot and not cold, just comfortable.

(3) my apartment is baller. 

(4) culture shock hits you when you finally stop moving around. 

(5) "hot water" isnt really hot.

(6) ive got a lot of exploring to do.

ok thats it for now.

im here!

safe and sound. dealing with culture shock. and hunger. more to come :)

phew.

visa in hand, not without its fair share of last minute "shit im going to have to change my ticket AGAIN" drama. now enjoying my last 12 hours :)

i lied.

still no visa. new york misplaced my paperwork. i need to get it monday or i dont leave on tuesday. wish me luck.

never thought this day would come.

after i pick up my visa tomorrow its all official...i leave for colombia on tuesday. this process has taken so long i actually dont believe it, but yes its true. ive almost completely finished cleaning out my room at my parents house (which took RIDICULOUSLY long and has been more emotional than i would want), started packing, made one last trip to my favorite place in new york state and seen my brother for the last time. i also even picked up my 2009 moleskin planner (aka my source of happiness...i like planning and pretending to organize things) because i am not returning to the states until after the new year. 

with all that said lets hope this one doesnt blow up in my face in the next 6 days. at this point id probably hurt someone.

life has so much potential, potential that can only be reached when you tackle the obstacles that stand between you and your dream. the internal obstacles completely outweigh the external, and there's nothing worse when those internal obstacles transform into impermeable road blocks. when you take the time to sit down and think about these road blocks the thing you realize is that when it comes down to it, no matter how hard the obstacles become you always have a pulse. when those you know give up that pulse, you have a choice: either wallow and try and answer the unanswerable question or mourn the loss and vow to live your life never taking for granted your ability to breathe and put one foot in front of the other.

rip bobby. 

welcome to america.

i have to give all the credit to elise for finding this gem. i didnt know whether to laugh, cry, cringe or welcome the apocalypse. please notice the very pregnant bridesmaid.

oh and to the mccain campaign...just stop it already. you used that same fuckin expression last year and didnt get any shit for it. i actually respect your candidate and am approaching the debates with an open mind, but the campaign stance is slowly deteriorating that respect. stop with the low blows and focus on the real issues...its kind of pathetic already.

()

[] 7 years

update

it seems as if my visa issues have been worked out and i shall get my visa in the next 2 weeks. the issue was my paperwork "got lost on its way to bogota". this means i can go ahead and book my ticket. 

my problem is still the compensation for the 200 dollar change fee copa is charging me due to the "losing of my paperwork". im workin on it tho...

sanity has returned

i seem to be the person most of my friends turn to when their lives are full of drama and frustration, so ive become accustomed to giving this advice: you can't control situations, but you can control how you react to them. now that ive had a few days to get over the shit that was last thursday i realize i need to follow my own advice. 

so here is my reaction: im going to go on 2 road trips this week (one to boston with this chica and one to dc to visit this chico), finish the ridiculous cleaning process that is my room, sell the massive amount of clothes i have to consignment shops (to make a few extra bucks to make up to make up for the over $300 i have to pay to change my ticket), make one last trip up to ithaca, and visit the people in ny that i love.

and there you go.