When I left Boston for New Haven after visiting N and K, my estimated time of arrival to NH was 9:50pm. After I realized I had accidentally entered into an alternate universe of Spanish curse words, bald police officers, Zoroastrian, "perfect" Nordic beauties, and why racial inequality is OK, I knew I was doomed to ride this bus until the end of time.
So I was pretty content for the first hour or so, because despite almost missing my bus to begin with (Boston traffic, kthnxbye), there was an outlet situated 4 inches from my right foot, so I could use my Droid as an iPod and not have it die on me. All was well in the world. After a brief stop in Providence, the bus arrived at Foxwoods Casino in CT for a supposed <1 minute layover. That's when doom started to kick in.
I had my headphones on, so it took me a while to notice that there was commotion going on at the very front of the bus. I was only 5 rows back, so I had a fairly good view after I tuned into the escandalo. The issue was very confusing, but from what I could gather, it was an older woman with a cane and her husband/caretaker VS the bus driver. This showdown apparently came about because she was being difficult and shouting "I'm disabled, you have to accommodate me," and wanted one particular seat that already had someone in it, and even though the bus driver offered her three other acceptable seats (one of which was the actual "seat for disabled persons" that she originally requested with her ticket), she refused and got quite belligerent. She and her husband started yelling things at the driver (and nasty things in Spanish, too), until the driver got pissed and started yelling back, that he didn't want them on his bus, that they had to get out. Well, of course, the woman refused to get off, citing her disability and the fact that she was Native American as cause for this to be considered unfair treatment, and so she didn't have to move (what does her ethnicity have to do with all this?).
Now the entire bus is watching as the bus driver storms off, muttering darkly, and the woman complains loudly to everyone in the vicinity about how this is unfair and she won't stand for it. Unfortunately for her, nobody on the bus is very sympathetic towards this woman who made a huge scene, yelled rude things, played the race card, and is also making us all late for whatever we have to do. The police officers that showed up after this weren't too sympathetic either. They asked the nearby passengers what really happened, so one lady (from whom the crazy woman tried to coerce a seat) started explaining that the woman and her husband had been really rude to the driver, who was just doing his job. She mentioned that the crazy woman had cursed at the driver in Spanish, which was immediately backed up by everyone else in the first 4 rows with a loud "MM-HMM!" Then the woman tried to defend herself: "No, nuh-uh, I did not curse at the driver. I said one thing in Spanish, I'm Mexican, you see [I thought she was Native American...?]. I didn't call him a bad word. I just called him a whore." o__O
WELL. Even though she obviously didn't do anything wrong (I mean, there's nothing wrong with calling someone a whore, right?), the big bald bodyguard-looking police officer made her get off the bus and she was forced to wait for the next bus, a 4:15am one from Foxwoods. By now, 45 minutes of our lives had been taken in a rather amusing showdown between this woman and everyone else (she yelled at various passengers that tried to reason with her) and then we finally hit the road again.
While this was going on and I still had my headphones in, a skinny middle-aged man asked if he could sit next to me. I sighed inwardly and moved my bag onto my lap. At one point that the crazy woman was shouting in Spanish outside, this man (despite my headphones) asked me if I understood what she was saying. I said yes, thinking that he couldn't understand and wanted me to explain. But he instead said, "Oh, really? Hablas español?" with a bit of incredulity in his voice. I didn't expect him to speak Spanish, honestly, so I responded, surprised, "Si, soy Colombiana" (my standard explanation, much to GBM's amusement). Turns out, this man is Peruvian (of immediate European descent, as he hastened to tell me), so we launch into a conversation in Spanish for the next 20ish minutes. He asks the usual: Had I gotten on the bus at Foxwoods? So, where? Was I going to New York? Oh, New Haven? What did I do there? What school? What? Yale? Really? You go to Yale?
If I had a TimeTurner, this is the point at which I would go back and change my answer to: "JK! I don't go to Yale. I go to Gateway Community College, so an arrogant snob like you won't want to enter into a 2-hour long intellectual conversation with me." Sadly, all the TimeTurners were smashed so I can't do that. So instead, my night took a turn for the worse. He took my admission of being a Yale student to mean he could embark on a power trip that I would maybe possibly kinda understand--despite the fact that he clearly thought I was stupid, I doubt he would have deemed anyone else on the bus acceptable enough to talk at.
Our conversation started in Spanish, but he would periodically translate words into English, especially after I admitted that no, I wasn't born in Colombia and was never schooled there. After that he continuously referred to me as American. He talked about his grand dislike for Choate, where he went to escape the dictatorship that was going on in Peru at the time. The one good thing that came from his monologue was the history lesson that accompanied it. He didn't like Choate because he was "bullied for not being a WASP" and nobody knew anything about Peru or cared to know anything about Peru. He actually applied to Yale (don't know if he got in...), but told me he's "always had problems reading quickly" so he didn't think he could take the course load here. He ended up going to Harvard (take that as you will). After studying Poli Sci for a bit, he left Harvard because it was too much for him and transferred to NYU (why would that be easier??), where he majored in Chemistry, because it was the most non-conflict major he could think of. For someone who couldn't handle Harvard, he was astonishingly arrogant and quite an asshole.
We somehow got onto the topic of his dislike of Freud and Einstein and their influences from Nietzsche. And by "we," I mean "he" because I quickly realized that even when I wanted to challenge his views in what I thought was gonna be a spirited intellectual exchange, he would shut me down and actually cut me off, saying, "Wait, I'm not done yet." This is around the time he switched from Spanish to English, because I'm convinced he thought I couldn't handle the Spanish because I wasn't born in Colombia, especially since he would translate random things for me, insisting he didn't know how much or little I knew. Even in English, he would define things like "overwhelming" and "haughty" (WTF). Why the hell does he think I'm getting a Yale degree? Sure, when he asked me things about philosophy, I knew pretty much nothing, but that's because I'VE NEVER TAKEN A PHILOSOPHY CLASS. It's not inability, it's lack of exposure. He thought I was dumb, so I was banned from talking for the rest of the TWO HOURS.
His next goal was to explain his three-fold reason for why God exists. Now, he was not a radical religion preacher dude. He was a radical intellectual. This man really knew his history and philosophers and things like that, and some of what he was saying I found really interesting. But then a larger part of what he was saying was absolutely ridiculous.
I don't remember reason number 1, but when I remember I'll edit this post.
Reason number 2 is synchronicity. The idea is that you can have two separate events that occur at the same time without any causality between them, but with an underlying meaning in common. The example he used was the 6th century BC, when Lao Tzu and Confucius and Zoroaster were founding Taoism and Confucianism and Zoroastrianism respectively (at this point I managed to ask if Zoroaster didn't come earlier, because I thought he proceeded these other organized religions, but he just said, "no"). According to Greyhound Dude (GD), these men didn't know anything about each other, didn't know the other existed, let alone held beliefs that would turn into major world religions, but they all started to happen around the same time. Surely the chances of this happening without a common design are too small to be coincidence. So someone must be controlling these actions, so there must be a God.
I don't believe that there was no influence between these religions or that it's as simple as they all got the idea one morning at the same time. I think it's way more complicated than that and I think I believe in coincidence, but his theory of synchronicity is interesting from an academic point of view. That wasn't the ridiculously radical part.
In talking about this, he explained that Christianity in particular was almost perfect. But of course, there have been many false prophets throughout the course of history, people who do more damage than good and are led by Satan. His first example? Muhammad. "What is now Iraq used to be Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization. And look at what 1400 years of Islam has done to that region of the world--they were once a great people and now they are at the bottom. These people don't know how to cooperate or communicate, they're just violent and destroy things." WTF?!
Speaking of perfect, he moved onto his third reason: God must exist because perfect beauty exists. And what is his idea of perfect beauty? Nordic people. Blonde, blue eyes. "When people cut the crap, that's who everyone thinks is the most beautiful in the world. They are our ideal of perfect beauty. Now, I don't want you to think I'm defending the WASPs in everything, no no. I acknowledge that they are more beautiful than any other people, but I'm not saying anything good about their intelligence. They're incredibly stupid." WTF??! He was convinced that every Nordic (and therefore beautiful) person was completely lacking in intelligence. He used extremely offensive terms like "pack of idiots" and adhered to "dumb blonde" jokes, finding support for them in a German phrase that translates to "little dumb blonde one." Just because another language has a phrase for it doesn't mean it's true. He also insisted that God made people with beauty, with brains, or neither, but never with both. He would laugh cruelly, saying, "if you were to show me someone with beauty AND brains, I'd think it were Christ incarnate; it's just not possible." I could not believe what I was hearing. He continued, saying men only found blonde women attractive, meaning he found me both unattractive AND stupid, which I did not appreciate. But every time I indignantly started to say something to counter him, he would cut me off and tell me he wasn't done yet. I wanted to throttle him.
It only got worse when he moved back to Christianity. "The only thing missing from Christianity," he said, "is the concept of karma." He believed in infinite karma, not too much on a meritocracy basis but more of a "everyone will get to be reincarnated as everyone/everything at some point" kind of mentality. And he used this to explain why racial and gender inequality was a stupid thing to be concerned about. According to GD, "It makes no sense to care about inequality. If you have less than me in money, power, whatever, relax. You'll have more than me in the next life. And if you're a woman now, there's no need to try to make men and women equal. Relax, you'll be a man in your next life." Relax??? There were SO many things wrong with what this man was saying, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise. It was so frustrating, and he was so convinced he was completely right about everything and so unwilling to listen to me at all. Coupled with the fact that he thought I wasn't intellectually worthy and actually just downright dumb and also unattractive for being a brunette, this was not a pleasant conversation.
I finally saw Union Station and could have cried from relief. As I got up to get off the bus of doom, GD said, "well, I hope we meet again." To which I replied, "Yeah, maybe in another life." But he insisted, "No, in this one." And then I ran away.
It is now 3 in the morning and I have to get up for work in about 4 hours, but I wanted to get all of this ridiculousness down before I forgot everything. That left me without time to analyze anything, but I'm still kind of flabbergasted that someone could think these things and try to shove these extremist thoughts down my throat. I hope you, oh lone reader, have thoughts on this experience, because it was honestly one of the weirdest things that has ever happened to me, and I still don't even know how I sat there and actually let him continue for so long. Thankfully, my really chill NH cab driver brought me back to reality in the best way possible, further securing New Haven taxi drivers in their spot within my favorite people in the world list (after Yalies).
Greyhound, I hope we never meet again, in this, or ANY, lifetime..
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
My Little Crew
I just got back from my first training session as a Senior Interviewer! I was really looking forward to this since this is my job for the entire summer and it's something that I always knew I wanted to do here. I mean, just being in the office today and seeing the receptionists, the admissions officers I know, L my boss, and a particularly fly fellow RC JY (he goes by first name-last name usually anyway) really solidified why working in the office is one of my favorite things--there's so much genuine Yale energy and camaraderie (TOTALLY had to look up the spelling of that word, English fail) and it's just a place that makes you feel grateful and smile about it, especially since the focus of the entire office, student workers and staff alike, is to make the Yale dream come true for others, just like it did for us =D
And let's be real, I really needed something to focus on that are NOT my thoughts. They are not my friends right now.
Also got to have lunch with Dean Brenzel (love. that. man.) and he remembered me! Seriously, it was very cool getting to hear insider info from The Man himself. There are only 6 of us, 4 guys, 2 girls; I think it's going to be interesting in a challenging way that me and the only other girl, C, are the only people of color. I mentioned this to G, and she was like, "how did that happen??" but I think it's a good way to, after 3 years of Yale, come to the realization that while my closest friends (and shit, most of my friends in general) are minority students, there ARE other people who are not like us. It's like the reverse of what most students have to deal with when coming to Yale, I'd assume, and something that I'll really really have to keep in mind as I interview potential members of the Yale Class of 2015. Just like I wouldn't want some WASP-y kid immediately judging and dismissing a kid from El Barrio, I shouldn't write off a kid who's 238507th generation Yale from Andover. This will be interesting.
But aside from being a professional woman in my cute business attire (except when giving tours, shudder), I'm also a Big! I mentioned my Summer Buds reading program briefly, but I actually had my first day on Tuesday (and will go in again tonight), and met my assigned Little, Asha. She's about 10 years old and attends a New Haven public school and I've been raving about her since I met her. She came really late, about halfway through the session (I occupied my time by playing Apples to Apples for the first time!), but as we filled out a form about our favorite books and goals for the summer, I realized she had big plans for herself for such a Little person. She's done some modeling gigs, loves fashion (she said she really liked my outfit that day, which means I'm gonna have to step my fashion game up for these 4th and 5th graders lol), and has even worked somehow with ALICIA KEYS. Right?!?! She's so soft-spoken but also animated when she talks about where she'd like to go (Japan!) and the things she wants to experience. She's 10 years old. MAN, if some of us had some of that drive. I hope to steer that drive toward her reading, though, since she does need help in that area. I'm really glad we connected well right off the bat, because that should make my job of building her reading confidence and fluidity a little easier.
I've also decided maybe it's just babies that I don't like, because they don't really have many redeeming qualities. They're not that cute (except for Asian babies!!! gahhhh hahah), can't be witty, and just kinda poop everywhere. But these Littles were a riot. I got to Slifka before anyone else so that the coordinator, Ali, could explain things to me, so when the first batch of Littles came, I started talking to them, and before long I had a small circle of them around me, my crew haha. When they realized me and the coordinator of the program shared the same name, they were like, "One of you has to be Allie #1 and the other Ali #2!" And, BY THEMSELVES, they decided that they would solve the problem of who would be which in a very diplomatic way--whomever was older would be Allie #1, obviously. Turns out that for once in my life, I was NOT the youngest person around (I mean, besides the Littles), so despite not being even remotely in charge, I was deemed Allie #1.
I don't think Ali #2 was very pleased with the outcome. But hey, kids will be kids...
And let's be real, I really needed something to focus on that are NOT my thoughts. They are not my friends right now.
Also got to have lunch with Dean Brenzel (love. that. man.) and he remembered me! Seriously, it was very cool getting to hear insider info from The Man himself. There are only 6 of us, 4 guys, 2 girls; I think it's going to be interesting in a challenging way that me and the only other girl, C, are the only people of color. I mentioned this to G, and she was like, "how did that happen??" but I think it's a good way to, after 3 years of Yale, come to the realization that while my closest friends (and shit, most of my friends in general) are minority students, there ARE other people who are not like us. It's like the reverse of what most students have to deal with when coming to Yale, I'd assume, and something that I'll really really have to keep in mind as I interview potential members of the Yale Class of 2015. Just like I wouldn't want some WASP-y kid immediately judging and dismissing a kid from El Barrio, I shouldn't write off a kid who's 238507th generation Yale from Andover. This will be interesting.
But aside from being a professional woman in my cute business attire (except when giving tours, shudder), I'm also a Big! I mentioned my Summer Buds reading program briefly, but I actually had my first day on Tuesday (and will go in again tonight), and met my assigned Little, Asha. She's about 10 years old and attends a New Haven public school and I've been raving about her since I met her. She came really late, about halfway through the session (I occupied my time by playing Apples to Apples for the first time!), but as we filled out a form about our favorite books and goals for the summer, I realized she had big plans for herself for such a Little person. She's done some modeling gigs, loves fashion (she said she really liked my outfit that day, which means I'm gonna have to step my fashion game up for these 4th and 5th graders lol), and has even worked somehow with ALICIA KEYS. Right?!?! She's so soft-spoken but also animated when she talks about where she'd like to go (Japan!) and the things she wants to experience. She's 10 years old. MAN, if some of us had some of that drive. I hope to steer that drive toward her reading, though, since she does need help in that area. I'm really glad we connected well right off the bat, because that should make my job of building her reading confidence and fluidity a little easier.
I've also decided maybe it's just babies that I don't like, because they don't really have many redeeming qualities. They're not that cute (except for Asian babies!!! gahhhh hahah), can't be witty, and just kinda poop everywhere. But these Littles were a riot. I got to Slifka before anyone else so that the coordinator, Ali, could explain things to me, so when the first batch of Littles came, I started talking to them, and before long I had a small circle of them around me, my crew haha. When they realized me and the coordinator of the program shared the same name, they were like, "One of you has to be Allie #1 and the other Ali #2!" And, BY THEMSELVES, they decided that they would solve the problem of who would be which in a very diplomatic way--whomever was older would be Allie #1, obviously. Turns out that for once in my life, I was NOT the youngest person around (I mean, besides the Littles), so despite not being even remotely in charge, I was deemed Allie #1.
I don't think Ali #2 was very pleased with the outcome. But hey, kids will be kids...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Atentados, or Shots on Goal
So I've had a topic for this blog post in mind since last night, when I got extremely worked up about something and ranted to my mom for like 20 minutes. I logged onto blogger, ready to furiously type away about my problems and opinions and complaints concerning this topic. But I decided to first check out the blog of a friend, K, for the first time, and I felt my anger and sense of injustice subside.
Let me explain.
N brought to my attention a few days ago the possibility of a new HBO mini-series about Latinos, centered on this "famous" (to be fair, it may very well be famous, I just haven't heard of it) book by a Mexican author. The email that her family received, from someone I don't know, was pleading with whoever read the email to send letters to HBO, saying that we as a Latino community NEED this mini-series, that we NEED to have this opportunity to educate Americans and other non-Latinos about our culture and our traditions and our people and our language, etc.
So I agree that not enough people know enough about Latinos/Hispanics/Latin-Americans (I have no problem with any of these terms, so I'm sorry if you do). I'm ALL about educating others, teaching them about the difference of our countries and the beautiful things that make them up. Y'all know me! And you know that just by virtue of knowing me, you probably know more about Colombia than you ever thought you would.
So I get upset when the very people who are "trying to educate others about Latinidad" fall terribly short. Let me point something out. Though "Latin America" does not have strict boundaries, between the Caribbean, North America, Central America, and South America, there are at LEAST 20 countries and possibly as many as 40-something (depends on what you count as Latin-American, but I'm steering clear of that argument, it's not what I'm concerned with right now). Basically, there are a lot of countries.
So tell me how there are Americans who are convinced that there are only Mexicans, and no other type of Latino. Tell me how I've been asked before if we speak Spanish in Colombia. Tell me how Ugly Betty,
which was completely based off of the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea
, stars a Mexican protagonist. Whatever media network shows Ugly Betty decided that Americans would find it easier to deal if the protagonist was of an ethnicity they recognized, so Colombia was out of the picture.
The problem isn't Mexico; obviously it's not their fault. And the problem isn't the people who ask questions seeking for honest answers; they are trying to find a solution, and I sincerely hope they continue to do so. The problem is that not enough is being done, or at least done correctly. You cannot make a TV show about, say, only Puerto Ricans and claim you are fixing the problem of ignorance that exists about Latinos! They make up an important part of Latinos, but do not equal Latinos. Just like Africa is a CONTINENT (easily forgotten) and should not be used as a blanket term sometimes, so too are the countries of Latin America incredibly diverse and deserving of recognition. I'm not even saying there should be a TV show on HBO about Colombia (though that would be pretty baller). I would LOVE to see something mainstream about Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Panama. Countries NOTHING like what non-Latinos picture because all they've ever been exposed to is three or four of our countries, if they're lucky.
I think it's great to showcase positive, wonderful things about "common" Latin-American countries that usually get a bad rap (God knows there's too much negativity in the media related to beautiful countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico). But in that case, it should be clear that that is what the goal is. Why should any one country be the voice and face for all the other 39 countries when there are many solid differences in culture, food, traditions, etc? Hell, even the language, even if it remains Spanish, varies drastically across the Western Hemisphere.
HBO, make the TV show. But know that you are not necessarily representing all of the Latino community. As impossible as it may be to do this, until you start telling us and showing us non-mainstream places, places we've never heard of and REALLY educating non-Latinos (and Latinos!), you won't show who we are. Half-assing an attempt is not good enough at this point. Go hard or go home.
***
And to think that K's blog made my writing less aggressive! What he really did was remind me how similar the plight of Latin-American is to that of Africa. How the relative obscurity of our respective homelands lends itself in the media to only coffee and cocaine, bombs and terrorism. We are the lucky ones that know how much MORE there is to discover, but like he said, it's up to us to show others what we've always known. We have a tough road ahead of us, but every little bit of enlightenment that we can facilitate is another heart won over for Colombia and Ghana.
Let me explain.
N brought to my attention a few days ago the possibility of a new HBO mini-series about Latinos, centered on this "famous" (to be fair, it may very well be famous, I just haven't heard of it) book by a Mexican author. The email that her family received, from someone I don't know, was pleading with whoever read the email to send letters to HBO, saying that we as a Latino community NEED this mini-series, that we NEED to have this opportunity to educate Americans and other non-Latinos about our culture and our traditions and our people and our language, etc.
So I agree that not enough people know enough about Latinos/Hispanics/Latin-Americans (I have no problem with any of these terms, so I'm sorry if you do). I'm ALL about educating others, teaching them about the difference of our countries and the beautiful things that make them up. Y'all know me! And you know that just by virtue of knowing me, you probably know more about Colombia than you ever thought you would.
So I get upset when the very people who are "trying to educate others about Latinidad" fall terribly short. Let me point something out. Though "Latin America" does not have strict boundaries, between the Caribbean, North America, Central America, and South America, there are at LEAST 20 countries and possibly as many as 40-something (depends on what you count as Latin-American, but I'm steering clear of that argument, it's not what I'm concerned with right now). Basically, there are a lot of countries.
So tell me how there are Americans who are convinced that there are only Mexicans, and no other type of Latino. Tell me how I've been asked before if we speak Spanish in Colombia. Tell me how Ugly Betty,
which was completely based off of the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea
, stars a Mexican protagonist. Whatever media network shows Ugly Betty decided that Americans would find it easier to deal if the protagonist was of an ethnicity they recognized, so Colombia was out of the picture.
The problem isn't Mexico; obviously it's not their fault. And the problem isn't the people who ask questions seeking for honest answers; they are trying to find a solution, and I sincerely hope they continue to do so. The problem is that not enough is being done, or at least done correctly. You cannot make a TV show about, say, only Puerto Ricans and claim you are fixing the problem of ignorance that exists about Latinos! They make up an important part of Latinos, but do not equal Latinos. Just like Africa is a CONTINENT (easily forgotten) and should not be used as a blanket term sometimes, so too are the countries of Latin America incredibly diverse and deserving of recognition. I'm not even saying there should be a TV show on HBO about Colombia (though that would be pretty baller). I would LOVE to see something mainstream about Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Panama. Countries NOTHING like what non-Latinos picture because all they've ever been exposed to is three or four of our countries, if they're lucky.
I think it's great to showcase positive, wonderful things about "common" Latin-American countries that usually get a bad rap (God knows there's too much negativity in the media related to beautiful countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico). But in that case, it should be clear that that is what the goal is. Why should any one country be the voice and face for all the other 39 countries when there are many solid differences in culture, food, traditions, etc? Hell, even the language, even if it remains Spanish, varies drastically across the Western Hemisphere.
HBO, make the TV show. But know that you are not necessarily representing all of the Latino community. As impossible as it may be to do this, until you start telling us and showing us non-mainstream places, places we've never heard of and REALLY educating non-Latinos (and Latinos!), you won't show who we are. Half-assing an attempt is not good enough at this point. Go hard or go home.
***
And to think that K's blog made my writing less aggressive! What he really did was remind me how similar the plight of Latin-American is to that of Africa. How the relative obscurity of our respective homelands lends itself in the media to only coffee and cocaine, bombs and terrorism. We are the lucky ones that know how much MORE there is to discover, but like he said, it's up to us to show others what we've always known. We have a tough road ahead of us, but every little bit of enlightenment that we can facilitate is another heart won over for Colombia and Ghana.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Will Never Get Tired of my RB Playlist
More reasons to plan, to have purpose for the rest of the week. And what could I possibly look forward to more than a dentist AND doctor's appointment in the next three days? At least Friday means I will have my new Droid (!) and will be watching the opening game of the FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA 2010!!! I will be rooting for pretty much every Latin American country (and Spain), the US, Japan, and South Korea. When they start playing each other, things will get interesting, haha. But aside from wanting the US to win (they won't), I'm 100% behind Honduras because their coach is Colombian! I'm such a sucker for motivational, inspiring sports stories and events, especially because I know what it's like. Seriously, the USA's Star-Spangled Banner can bring me to tears. There's just so much in something like this, the world's biggest event for the sport of soccer--ridiculous amounts of determination, social and financial and emotional struggles, thirst for glory, fear of disappointment, months and years of physical preparation, and a feeling of representing the very best your country can possibly offer, hopefully good enough to be the best. I love the World Cup =]
Only 6 days until I return to NH to really start the summer! I don't know if that's been very clear, but I'm currently home in NYC because I don't start training for my summer (and fall) job until June 17th. So while June 13th sounds like a long ways away, especially since before it has to come Mexico VS S. Africa and Uruguay VS France and a seminar thingy I'm doing with my dad on Saturday, "six days" makes it sounds a LOT sooner. My roommate J (this might be too difficult actually, because the boyfriend is also J...hmm) has been in NH for a few days and says it's like living in someone else's house. I think that will be great for me. Ever since starting college, my time home from school consists of my mom questioning my ability to get off the couch and me marveling at my semi-permanent vegetative state. What happened to my energy? To my random desire to race people while walking on the sidewalk? I love being outdoors and I don't like sitting at my computer watching sytycd (=P) for hours on end; so then why can't I stop this cycle? My only guess is that my apartment in Queens has become a refuge from the manic world of Yale to the point that I shut down entirely. Which means a change of scenery, something that doesn't seem quite as much like home, will be a very welcome change.
Nothing excites me more than the prospect of a summer's worth of cute business attire and dressing up in general (except maybe for the fact that NH is mad humid in the summer...). I think it's so funny that I think that pretty much everyone looks better when they're dressed-up and making a serious effort to look good (like for a formal, or screw, or something), especially guys. But when I've mentioned this to guy friends, they're like "ehhhhhhhhhhh, not all girls look better...". Why is that??
Damn it when errands are actually errands and not adventures! I've always said that I really need a secretary. Just think, I wouldn't have to spend hours taking care of emails or making spreadsheets or updating my gcal or cleaning my desk (I have very particular ideas of what my secretary should do lol). I'd be able to devote so much more time to actually being with pollitos, or dancing, or talking to prefrosh, or being in class. If anyone is interested in a part-time job, I pay in hugs.
Allie is not my real name.
Yale, out of all the things it's given me, has made me hyper-aware. I will most likely expand on this in a later post, but I took the R today and overheard some conversations that made me think too much. A group of three girls behind me, talking with that oh-so-familiar New York Latina attitude accent, about who was cheating on who and how "that bitch was crazy" to take "that ***** back." And then across the aisle were two Hispanic boys, talking about credits and not studying for finals and having to take yet another year to finish.
And I sat between these two groups in my bright pink Yale hoodie, thinking, I bet they hate me for everything I represent, for having opportunities they don't, for living in a castle, for leaving my problems in the form of my neighborhood back in NY while I head off to NH and the rest of the world.
They weren't even looking at me; those guys were too busy checking out the group of girls.
Only 6 days until I return to NH to really start the summer! I don't know if that's been very clear, but I'm currently home in NYC because I don't start training for my summer (and fall) job until June 17th. So while June 13th sounds like a long ways away, especially since before it has to come Mexico VS S. Africa and Uruguay VS France and a seminar thingy I'm doing with my dad on Saturday, "six days" makes it sounds a LOT sooner. My roommate J (this might be too difficult actually, because the boyfriend is also J...hmm) has been in NH for a few days and says it's like living in someone else's house. I think that will be great for me. Ever since starting college, my time home from school consists of my mom questioning my ability to get off the couch and me marveling at my semi-permanent vegetative state. What happened to my energy? To my random desire to race people while walking on the sidewalk? I love being outdoors and I don't like sitting at my computer watching sytycd (=P) for hours on end; so then why can't I stop this cycle? My only guess is that my apartment in Queens has become a refuge from the manic world of Yale to the point that I shut down entirely. Which means a change of scenery, something that doesn't seem quite as much like home, will be a very welcome change.
Nothing excites me more than the prospect of a summer's worth of cute business attire and dressing up in general (except maybe for the fact that NH is mad humid in the summer...). I think it's so funny that I think that pretty much everyone looks better when they're dressed-up and making a serious effort to look good (like for a formal, or screw, or something), especially guys. But when I've mentioned this to guy friends, they're like "ehhhhhhhhhhh, not all girls look better...". Why is that??
Damn it when errands are actually errands and not adventures! I've always said that I really need a secretary. Just think, I wouldn't have to spend hours taking care of emails or making spreadsheets or updating my gcal or cleaning my desk (I have very particular ideas of what my secretary should do lol). I'd be able to devote so much more time to actually being with pollitos, or dancing, or talking to prefrosh, or being in class. If anyone is interested in a part-time job, I pay in hugs.
Allie is not my real name.
Yale, out of all the things it's given me, has made me hyper-aware. I will most likely expand on this in a later post, but I took the R today and overheard some conversations that made me think too much. A group of three girls behind me, talking with that oh-so-familiar New York Latina attitude accent, about who was cheating on who and how "that bitch was crazy" to take "that ***** back." And then across the aisle were two Hispanic boys, talking about credits and not studying for finals and having to take yet another year to finish.
And I sat between these two groups in my bright pink Yale hoodie, thinking, I bet they hate me for everything I represent, for having opportunities they don't, for living in a castle, for leaving my problems in the form of my neighborhood back in NY while I head off to NH and the rest of the world.
They weren't even looking at me; those guys were too busy checking out the group of girls.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Preciosa
*transcribed from my "Life's a Trip" journal*
Oh, Starbucks, I have betrayed youuuuu.
So I gave up delicious taro boba/bubble tea in lieu of a coffee shop. The closest Starbucks in this part of Queens is a little out of the way from where I am now, so this was the next best thing:
Coffee shops make me feel like a real, live college student, not the 16-year-old I am according to popular belief. They make me feel purposeful, reminiscent of Japan Allie, who would spend hours at the local スターバー hoping to learn kanji via a combination of flashcards, osmosis, and sheer luck. They make me feel like an old young person, a chic-er version of myself who sits alone at a window-side round table, scribbling surely brilliant prose in a small notebook while occasionally sipping my over-priced Mocha Congelato (what even IS that??).
So here's my attempt at brilliant memory retrieval, aka international flair (kinda)!
I got back last night from four increíble days in Puerto Ricoooooo! What started as a casual conversation over dinner at Pepe's near the end of the school year with the 3 pairs of roommates (in all our infinite cuteness) led to flight-booking a mere 3 days later, when I should have been studying for my Stats final, hehe. It was the vacation that G.A.G.A. needed very very badly. And honestly, we could have gone somewhere completely random, like Wisconsin, and because I was with Big A, GBM, and GF, it would have been an incredible trip anyway.
It reminds me of how I always marvel at the fact that I have more female friends at Yale than from the rest of my life put together (despite an all-girls school). Seeing the positive, caring, brilliant, crazy, hilarious women I surround myself with, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Pero qué Isla del Encanto! =] Because of my favorite Puerto Rican N and her badass-ness with DB and her insistence on learning more about PR (inspiring--I'm currently working on my Colombian geography!), I've developed such an affection for this island, and am so glad I finally got to experience it. I am always very aware that The Universe is very happy with me 99% of the time and am grateful that I've been so lucky in so many things =] But I feel like God himself vacations in Puerto Rico and was therefore in a great mood during our trip because not only are all Puerto Ricans very attractive (almost as hot as my bf lol), but they're all so nice! More than nice, buena gente. We were treated SO nicely and really got to enjoy things as locals and not foreign Americans (and a Kenyan hehe) because of it.
I am not a tourist. I am a global citizen and traveler.
There are so many similarities between people and places across the world and yet sometimes it's hard to believe we have anything in common with others. Puerto Rico reminded me soo much of Brasil, to the point where I think I annoyed the crap out of the rest of G.A.G.A., but I couldn't help marveling out loud at how familiar things felt to me. At different times, PR was like Cancun, San Andrés, Pereira, Quito, Curaçao, Rio de Janeiro, Pipa Beach in Natal, and even Montevideo.
Willemstad, Curaçao:
Natal, Brasil:
San Andrés Isla, Colombia:
I see friends' photos on facebook and read their blog posts and lament a little that my summer is not taking me farther. It's easy to feel New Haven is dull when others are in Buenos Aires, Madrid, Mumbai, and China's Forbidden City. I long to see things I've only seen in pictures and on the Food Network (they do a fair amount of traveling for food, you know!). I'm such a sucker for new experiences, just for the sake of novelty. I sometimes fear I'm not living my life big enough. And yet I do it to myself, not wanting to get out of bed sometimes when I'm back home.
These exotic, far-off locations are a tease, a reminder of how much LIFE there is out there, waiting for me to come track it down. I might mumble a little when I reply "New Haven..." to inquiries about summer plans, but I hope NH holds a lot in store for me, too, I just need to live a little to find it.
♥
Oh, Starbucks, I have betrayed youuuuu.
So I gave up delicious taro boba/bubble tea in lieu of a coffee shop. The closest Starbucks in this part of Queens is a little out of the way from where I am now, so this was the next best thing:
Coffee shops make me feel like a real, live college student, not the 16-year-old I am according to popular belief. They make me feel purposeful, reminiscent of Japan Allie, who would spend hours at the local スターバー hoping to learn kanji via a combination of flashcards, osmosis, and sheer luck. They make me feel like an old young person, a chic-er version of myself who sits alone at a window-side round table, scribbling surely brilliant prose in a small notebook while occasionally sipping my over-priced Mocha Congelato (what even IS that??).
So here's my attempt at brilliant memory retrieval, aka international flair (kinda)!
I got back last night from four increíble days in Puerto Ricoooooo! What started as a casual conversation over dinner at Pepe's near the end of the school year with the 3 pairs of roommates (in all our infinite cuteness) led to flight-booking a mere 3 days later, when I should have been studying for my Stats final, hehe. It was the vacation that G.A.G.A. needed very very badly. And honestly, we could have gone somewhere completely random, like Wisconsin, and because I was with Big A, GBM, and GF, it would have been an incredible trip anyway.
It reminds me of how I always marvel at the fact that I have more female friends at Yale than from the rest of my life put together (despite an all-girls school). Seeing the positive, caring, brilliant, crazy, hilarious women I surround myself with, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Pero qué Isla del Encanto! =] Because of my favorite Puerto Rican N and her badass-ness with DB and her insistence on learning more about PR (inspiring--I'm currently working on my Colombian geography!), I've developed such an affection for this island, and am so glad I finally got to experience it. I am always very aware that The Universe is very happy with me 99% of the time and am grateful that I've been so lucky in so many things =] But I feel like God himself vacations in Puerto Rico and was therefore in a great mood during our trip because not only are all Puerto Ricans very attractive (almost as hot as my bf lol), but they're all so nice! More than nice, buena gente. We were treated SO nicely and really got to enjoy things as locals and not foreign Americans (and a Kenyan hehe) because of it.
I am not a tourist. I am a global citizen and traveler.
There are so many similarities between people and places across the world and yet sometimes it's hard to believe we have anything in common with others. Puerto Rico reminded me soo much of Brasil, to the point where I think I annoyed the crap out of the rest of G.A.G.A., but I couldn't help marveling out loud at how familiar things felt to me. At different times, PR was like Cancun, San Andrés, Pereira, Quito, Curaçao, Rio de Janeiro, Pipa Beach in Natal, and even Montevideo.
Willemstad, Curaçao:
Natal, Brasil:
San Andrés Isla, Colombia:
I see friends' photos on facebook and read their blog posts and lament a little that my summer is not taking me farther. It's easy to feel New Haven is dull when others are in Buenos Aires, Madrid, Mumbai, and China's Forbidden City. I long to see things I've only seen in pictures and on the Food Network (they do a fair amount of traveling for food, you know!). I'm such a sucker for new experiences, just for the sake of novelty. I sometimes fear I'm not living my life big enough. And yet I do it to myself, not wanting to get out of bed sometimes when I'm back home.
These exotic, far-off locations are a tease, a reminder of how much LIFE there is out there, waiting for me to come track it down. I might mumble a little when I reply "New Haven..." to inquiries about summer plans, but I hope NH holds a lot in store for me, too, I just need to live a little to find it.
♥
Friday, May 28, 2010
An excuse to not watch more TV...Adventure!
The word I've used most often in the past few weeks is "ADVENTURE!" While I've also used it as a euphemism for "errands" (to great avail ;D), I'm a firm believer in jumping into new tasks with enthusiasm. This summer, I'll be working full-time as a Senior Interviewer in the Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions and volunteering as a Summer Bud two times a week to help a New Haven middle school kid with his or her reading. I'll also be watching a ton of movies (gotta work on that super long and imaginary list of movies I've never seen but should have!), making lasagna and guacamole (among other things), visiting Boston, READING, and spending time with my favorite type of people--Yalies.
It's funny, because the only reason I'm staying in NH is because my original summer plans tanked because of my constant inability to follow a deadline. Nick reminded me recently of one of Light's suggestions (which I really appreciated last year as they funded my summer in Tokyoooooo:much love, Light Fellowship!), something which I feel I've lost not just in the blog world but also my life in general--set goals. I've said this to a few people, but I feel like I've lost a little bit of purpose, and along with that drive and motivation, since getting into Yale. Because Yale was THE goal for so long, and such an unattainable goal at that, I relaxed after succeeding.
But complacency has no place in a life full of adventure! I may not be going to an exciting foreign country this summer (except for Puerto Ricooooooo with my RB chicas for 4 days), but I have the perspective of a global traveler and a world citizen, something which I can use anywhere. I'm an explorer. As Joanne pointed out to me, New Haven is full of things to do, and things we can do together, things we've always wanted to do. Because with the threat of graduation in the forefront, it's time to turn to that bucket list of things that ensure I won't leave Yale College with (too many) regrets.
So, for the first time in a long time, some goals for myself:
-respond to emails/posts within 48 hours. use post-its and writing-on-hand as deemed necessary
-READ for fun (specifically Sura Sura and something I haven't already read)
-attempt to cook. don't give in to laziness! how else am I gonna learn? and I have plenty of willing guinea pigs =]
-keep up with the news (English and Spanish, if possible)
-remember people that aren't physically near
-remember how blessed I am
I may add to this list as I see how I'm progressing, but I think it's a good start.
Are you prepared, Elm City??
It's funny, because the only reason I'm staying in NH is because my original summer plans tanked because of my constant inability to follow a deadline. Nick reminded me recently of one of Light's suggestions (which I really appreciated last year as they funded my summer in Tokyoooooo:much love, Light Fellowship!), something which I feel I've lost not just in the blog world but also my life in general--set goals. I've said this to a few people, but I feel like I've lost a little bit of purpose, and along with that drive and motivation, since getting into Yale. Because Yale was THE goal for so long, and such an unattainable goal at that, I relaxed after succeeding.
But complacency has no place in a life full of adventure! I may not be going to an exciting foreign country this summer (except for Puerto Ricooooooo with my RB chicas for 4 days), but I have the perspective of a global traveler and a world citizen, something which I can use anywhere. I'm an explorer. As Joanne pointed out to me, New Haven is full of things to do, and things we can do together, things we've always wanted to do. Because with the threat of graduation in the forefront, it's time to turn to that bucket list of things that ensure I won't leave Yale College with (too many) regrets.
So, for the first time in a long time, some goals for myself:
-respond to emails/posts within 48 hours. use post-its and writing-on-hand as deemed necessary
-READ for fun (specifically Sura Sura and something I haven't already read)
-attempt to cook. don't give in to laziness! how else am I gonna learn? and I have plenty of willing guinea pigs =]
-keep up with the news (English and Spanish, if possible)
-remember people that aren't physically near
-remember how blessed I am
I may add to this list as I see how I'm progressing, but I think it's a good start.
Are you prepared, Elm City??
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