Well, I did it! Five posts a week for all of February without getting bored of my blog! As long as I'm working at the hostel I think I'll continue posting frequently, and maybe when my parents come I'll let them write a few celebrity posts so you can hear about things from a different perspective.
I'm sure you've noticed that my posts have had various tones behind them, ranging from enthusiastic and content to cheesy and downright cynical. Obviously there are several positive points about San Ignacio and my life here, but also other aspects that I'm getting tired of. I find that often I lack the patience and "different is awesome" attitude that made me love my two years in Mozambique. And worse than that, sometimes I find myself participating in parts of the culture that I would normally not enjoy. The likely source behind my very sarcastic post yesterday was probably not the fact that people here do those things, but rather the fact that sometimes I find myself asking stupid gossip-oriented questions about other people or participating in Facebook threads designed to make my coworkers' exes jealous. There really is nothing else to do here.
So I won't be staying much longer. I've asked for a few days off next week to explore some other places in Misiones Province, and then I'll be working until my parents come. After they leave I've decided to go to Chile (which was my original plan when I quit my job) for a month or so, and then swing back through San Ignacio to say a final farewell and pick up my things. Then on May 14th its back to the US!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
The 2 hobbies of San Ignacio
It's that exciting time of year when Wake County schools are starting to post positions for next year!! The Open Jobs Listings get updated every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and I eagerly check each of these days to see what opportunities might be available when I return. I really CAN NOT WAIT to be a teacher again! I just hope I find a school as great at Creech Road!!!
My best friend here, Silvia, is pregnant. I've been trying (not seriously) to convince her to name the baby after me if it's a girl. I've started calling her belly Jesita, and in conversations about the future I refer to her future kids as "Jesita and her siblings." It's become quite a joke, and now whenever Silvia wants me to do something for her she says things like, "Jesita really wants some lemonade but it's all the way in the fridge in the back..." or "Jesita's really in the mood to listen to some classic rock..." And since Jesita's due in July and I'll never get to spoil her in real life, I have no choice but to spoil her now while I have the chance.
There's not a whole lot to do in San Ignacio, so the two main hobbies people have taken to are gossiping and engaging in various activities designed to promote interaction with members of the opposite sex. When I lived with the family that I used to babysit for, their neighbors across the street were always outside and kept track of when I left, which direction I went, how long I was gone, and (if possible) who I was with. Well soon after I started hanging out with my ex, Martin, they noticed that I also gained a little weight. Their expert eyes analyzed my weight gain, and having seen many pregnant women in their lives, they concluded that my little bulge was definitely a baby. That determination led to a debate over who the father might be, and these neighbors actually asked Ramon (the father of the girl I babysat for) if the baby was Martin's, or if I was already pregnant when I got here. And I only gained like 4 pounds, they just had nothing else to do so they had to make a whole story up to keep themselves occupied.
A common way to engage in interaction with a member of the opposite sex is to ask a friend to give you the number or a cousin/neighbor/coworker/etc who you don't know. You then text them and say something casual like "Hey, what's going on? I'm not sure who you are, but I found your number in my phone." The other person will undoubtedly be as bored as you are, so getting a response is quite likely. Since you already know everything about yourself you will probably have much more fun if you make up lies to answer any questions you are asked. Once you're sure the other person is hooked on the conversation, you might want to cleverly ask for a picture by saying something flattering like "Haha!!!!! You're really funny. Send me a picture so that when I dream about your jokes I'll know it's you." Eventually the conversation will come to a close, but make sure to tell ALL your friends and coworkers about it tomorrow because they will likely find it entertaining and undoubtedly marvel a the witty manner in which you responded at various points. And they may not have been lucky enough to have been blind texted yesterday, so this way they will have a story to tell all of their friends and coworkers.
If you're looking to chat up a guy while at the same time being sure to create plenty of gossip about yourself, a late-night convo with your ex is the way to go. This is a good option because if they answer the phone they are obviously alone, and if they are alone they are probably lonely and will therefore consider the possibility of getting back together. If you get back together the best way to announce this while pretending to be casual is by posting a photo together on WhatsApp or Facebook. This way all your friends will see it and know right away so that they can come running to you to remind you of the 78 reasons you had for breaking up 9 times already this year, and then after they talk to you about your ex/bf/gf, you can be sure they will talk to each other about you. An added bonus to this option is that it provokes jealousy in anyone who thought they had a chance with you. This guarantees that when you inevitably break up again, you will have ample choices of people waiting for you so you won't be lonely.
My best friend here, Silvia, is pregnant. I've been trying (not seriously) to convince her to name the baby after me if it's a girl. I've started calling her belly Jesita, and in conversations about the future I refer to her future kids as "Jesita and her siblings." It's become quite a joke, and now whenever Silvia wants me to do something for her she says things like, "Jesita really wants some lemonade but it's all the way in the fridge in the back..." or "Jesita's really in the mood to listen to some classic rock..." And since Jesita's due in July and I'll never get to spoil her in real life, I have no choice but to spoil her now while I have the chance.
There's not a whole lot to do in San Ignacio, so the two main hobbies people have taken to are gossiping and engaging in various activities designed to promote interaction with members of the opposite sex. When I lived with the family that I used to babysit for, their neighbors across the street were always outside and kept track of when I left, which direction I went, how long I was gone, and (if possible) who I was with. Well soon after I started hanging out with my ex, Martin, they noticed that I also gained a little weight. Their expert eyes analyzed my weight gain, and having seen many pregnant women in their lives, they concluded that my little bulge was definitely a baby. That determination led to a debate over who the father might be, and these neighbors actually asked Ramon (the father of the girl I babysat for) if the baby was Martin's, or if I was already pregnant when I got here. And I only gained like 4 pounds, they just had nothing else to do so they had to make a whole story up to keep themselves occupied.
A common way to engage in interaction with a member of the opposite sex is to ask a friend to give you the number or a cousin/neighbor/coworker/etc who you don't know. You then text them and say something casual like "Hey, what's going on? I'm not sure who you are, but I found your number in my phone." The other person will undoubtedly be as bored as you are, so getting a response is quite likely. Since you already know everything about yourself you will probably have much more fun if you make up lies to answer any questions you are asked. Once you're sure the other person is hooked on the conversation, you might want to cleverly ask for a picture by saying something flattering like "Haha!!!!! You're really funny. Send me a picture so that when I dream about your jokes I'll know it's you." Eventually the conversation will come to a close, but make sure to tell ALL your friends and coworkers about it tomorrow because they will likely find it entertaining and undoubtedly marvel a the witty manner in which you responded at various points. And they may not have been lucky enough to have been blind texted yesterday, so this way they will have a story to tell all of their friends and coworkers.
If you're looking to chat up a guy while at the same time being sure to create plenty of gossip about yourself, a late-night convo with your ex is the way to go. This is a good option because if they answer the phone they are obviously alone, and if they are alone they are probably lonely and will therefore consider the possibility of getting back together. If you get back together the best way to announce this while pretending to be casual is by posting a photo together on WhatsApp or Facebook. This way all your friends will see it and know right away so that they can come running to you to remind you of the 78 reasons you had for breaking up 9 times already this year, and then after they talk to you about your ex/bf/gf, you can be sure they will talk to each other about you. An added bonus to this option is that it provokes jealousy in anyone who thought they had a chance with you. This guarantees that when you inevitably break up again, you will have ample choices of people waiting for you so you won't be lonely.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Supervisor Expectations
Supervisors/bosses in the US are usually expected to do far more than simply oversee employees; they are often expected to motivate, reward, give feedback, boost morale, and ask for constructive criticism. Our employee/employer paradigm is set up to encourage two-way communication, and evaluations are completed and reviewed from both parties about the other. Superiors must earn the respect of those below them, and when they make mistakes they must accept responsibility and apologize. Simply being higher in the hierarchy is not grounds for bossing others around, and simply being lower does not mean you take orders. (With good supervisors, that is...)
That isn't the case in Argentina, and most certainly wasn't the case in Mozambique. Forget all that junk about motivating, rewarding, and boosting morale. Who cares about all that stuff? That's not necessary. Listen to the opinions and ideas of people below you? No. The only way to command respect is by not showing it so that others will fear you. Ok, that's a slightly exaggerated description of even Mozambique, but you get the idea.
I'll give you some real examples:
ARGENTINA
1. My boss has the cleaning women who clean the hostel rooms also clean his personal apartment for no extra pay.
2. They also wash and iron his clothes.
3. Usually I have my day off on Thursdays, but this week he told Silvia to tell me it had been changed to Wednesday. He asked afterward if that was OK, but he'd already made plans and it was obvious that I couldn't really say no.
4. There's no Employee of the Month of Shout-Outs program. Not that those are necessary, just pointing out the difference.
5. There are no evaluations of bosses or employees where I work. One of the women I work with didn't show up for work one day and no one knew why and everyone was pissed. When she showed up the next day she didn't give an explanation and our boss didn't even ask or say anything to her about it.
MOZAMBIQUE
1. My Assistant Director asked me multiple times to draw large, colored posters of diagrams from the book or to type his tests from his handwritten drafts. It was not a choice.
2. My director tried to demand that I give him soccer balls another Volunteer had gifted to me. That was not supposed to be a choice, but it was right at the end of my two years so I said no, which caused huge problems and Peace Corps got involved. But that was a right that culturally he had.
3. The Governor's wife was a teacher at my school. I came up with a chart for showing various statistics, and she told the director it was her idea. When I commented that actually no, it was my idea, people told me not to be so hot-headed. Because culturally, it's ok for her to do that.
4. It's perfectly ok to call out people in staff meetings and insult them in front of everyone. Or for teachers to do the same to students.
5. Teachers can ask their students (or any kids, for that matter) to do various tasks for them: go to the market to buy something, take a message to someone, carry something for them, etc. It's not a choice.
That isn't the case in Argentina, and most certainly wasn't the case in Mozambique. Forget all that junk about motivating, rewarding, and boosting morale. Who cares about all that stuff? That's not necessary. Listen to the opinions and ideas of people below you? No. The only way to command respect is by not showing it so that others will fear you. Ok, that's a slightly exaggerated description of even Mozambique, but you get the idea.
I'll give you some real examples:
ARGENTINA
1. My boss has the cleaning women who clean the hostel rooms also clean his personal apartment for no extra pay.
2. They also wash and iron his clothes.
3. Usually I have my day off on Thursdays, but this week he told Silvia to tell me it had been changed to Wednesday. He asked afterward if that was OK, but he'd already made plans and it was obvious that I couldn't really say no.
4. There's no Employee of the Month of Shout-Outs program. Not that those are necessary, just pointing out the difference.
5. There are no evaluations of bosses or employees where I work. One of the women I work with didn't show up for work one day and no one knew why and everyone was pissed. When she showed up the next day she didn't give an explanation and our boss didn't even ask or say anything to her about it.
MOZAMBIQUE
1. My Assistant Director asked me multiple times to draw large, colored posters of diagrams from the book or to type his tests from his handwritten drafts. It was not a choice.
2. My director tried to demand that I give him soccer balls another Volunteer had gifted to me. That was not supposed to be a choice, but it was right at the end of my two years so I said no, which caused huge problems and Peace Corps got involved. But that was a right that culturally he had.
3. The Governor's wife was a teacher at my school. I came up with a chart for showing various statistics, and she told the director it was her idea. When I commented that actually no, it was my idea, people told me not to be so hot-headed. Because culturally, it's ok for her to do that.
4. It's perfectly ok to call out people in staff meetings and insult them in front of everyone. Or for teachers to do the same to students.
5. Teachers can ask their students (or any kids, for that matter) to do various tasks for them: go to the market to buy something, take a message to someone, carry something for them, etc. It's not a choice.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Argentina: the next Cuba
The Argentinian government has some interesting laws that I want to mention.
1. For the past year or two it has been illegal to exchange Argentinian Pesos for other currencies. If you want to travel internationally you have to request special permission from the government to be able to buy other currencies, and there's no guarantee that your request will be granted. This has created a large black market for foreign currencies here, which is great for travelers entering with dollars, euros, or reales (Brazil), but makes international travel even more expensive for Argentinians as the black market prices are significantly higher. For example, the official exchange rate for a dollar is about 7.5 or 8, and the black market is 10 or 11. So I get an extra 2-3 pesos for every dollar I exchange, and Argentinians pay an extra 2-3 pesos. When I went to Peru I asked if I could exchange my pesos, just to see, and the exchange booth accepted basically every money except Arg. pesos.
2. This prohibition on currency exchanging means that businesses can't buy international products (technology, cars, electrodomestics, etc). This is theoretically good for the economy I think (??), but the problem is that Argentinian products are often an unfortunate combination of inferior quality for a higher price. Also, certain items aren't available here. For a while the dentist didn't have any Novocane and couldn't get any, so people just had to deal with their toothaches, or get drilled without it. Or a friend needed to get a new part for his car, and had to go to Paraguay because that part wasn't manufactured in Argentina, and therefore not available for purchase here. While I guess it's good that they don't import everything from India and China, many people can't afford certain items, or when they do buy then they break after two weeks.
3. Not only is it forbidden for both individuals and companies to exchange their money to purchase foreign goods, but most international buying websites have either been blocked, or operate with various taxes/restrictions (some of which may have recently been lifted). So textbooks, quality cameras, car parts, Novocain, etc cannot even be shipped here reliably/legally/cost effectively.
Fun (true) fact: they have dogs trained specifically to smell dollars so that if someone wants to smuggle this illegal currency into the country, they will be caught, and when that happens it will be published on the news to try to discourage others from committing similar crimes.
1. For the past year or two it has been illegal to exchange Argentinian Pesos for other currencies. If you want to travel internationally you have to request special permission from the government to be able to buy other currencies, and there's no guarantee that your request will be granted. This has created a large black market for foreign currencies here, which is great for travelers entering with dollars, euros, or reales (Brazil), but makes international travel even more expensive for Argentinians as the black market prices are significantly higher. For example, the official exchange rate for a dollar is about 7.5 or 8, and the black market is 10 or 11. So I get an extra 2-3 pesos for every dollar I exchange, and Argentinians pay an extra 2-3 pesos. When I went to Peru I asked if I could exchange my pesos, just to see, and the exchange booth accepted basically every money except Arg. pesos.
2. This prohibition on currency exchanging means that businesses can't buy international products (technology, cars, electrodomestics, etc). This is theoretically good for the economy I think (??), but the problem is that Argentinian products are often an unfortunate combination of inferior quality for a higher price. Also, certain items aren't available here. For a while the dentist didn't have any Novocane and couldn't get any, so people just had to deal with their toothaches, or get drilled without it. Or a friend needed to get a new part for his car, and had to go to Paraguay because that part wasn't manufactured in Argentina, and therefore not available for purchase here. While I guess it's good that they don't import everything from India and China, many people can't afford certain items, or when they do buy then they break after two weeks.
3. Not only is it forbidden for both individuals and companies to exchange their money to purchase foreign goods, but most international buying websites have either been blocked, or operate with various taxes/restrictions (some of which may have recently been lifted). So textbooks, quality cameras, car parts, Novocain, etc cannot even be shipped here reliably/legally/cost effectively.
Fun (true) fact: they have dogs trained specifically to smell dollars so that if someone wants to smuggle this illegal currency into the country, they will be caught, and when that happens it will be published on the news to try to discourage others from committing similar crimes.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
My parents are coming, my parents are coming! / BINGO
Exactly one month from today my parents will be arriving to visit me on their first trip to South America! I'm pretty excited about this, maybe more so than my dad, who agreed somewhat hesitantly after a bit of convincing to join my mom. But buses here have bathrooms, toilets here flush, and toilet paper is an expected accessory, so all should go well.
They'll start off visiting me here in San Ignacio for two days so they can see where I live, meet my friends, go hiking in Teyu Cuare Provincial Park, and maybe go for a paddle in kayaks in the Parana River. After that we'll go to Puerto Iguazu so my parents can see the stunning waterfalls while I cross the border to Brazil, since my 90-day tourist visa will be about to expire. When they come back from the falls they will be hoping that I have been allowed re-entry into Argentina since technically I should have to wait 90 days before coming back. Then it's off to Salta and Jujuy provinces in Northwestern Argentina to see some museums, parks, mountains, pueblos, canyons, markets, and other attractions. This will (I think) be their first time in high altitudes (2500+ meters), so hopefully they're not as negatively affected by that as I was. But just in case, I still have my coca leaves that I smuggled back here from Peru, which really did help me. (When I was leaving Ecuador the security screeners found them, told me I couldn't have them, then put them back in my bag and zipped it back up.)
I have been thinking of preparing something special for their visit: an Argentina Bingo card. This is an idea that has origins dating back to 1994 when my parents made the bold decision to drive from PA to WI with a 7-year-old and 5-year-old - a 16-hour trip!! As my mother made thorough preparations for this daunting drive, she had the foresight to purchase some items of car entertainment for Emily and me. As this was back before the era of iPads and other such devices, she purchased a book of kids' activities, designed to keep children occupied specifically while on long road trips. One of the activities in this book was Car Bingo, a game that had pictures of things one might commonly see while in a car (school, church, post office, bike, etc) arranged on a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid. As you saw these items you could color them in, all the while hoping to see all 5 items constituting any one row or column. These books must have kept us occupied, because my parents repeated this decision year after year.
Fast forward to 2011, Maputo, Mozambique. My friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Greg, was about to receive a visitor, Travis, from the US. Receiving American visitors was always an exciting experience for Volunteers, so we decided to make a list of all the things that Travis should see/do/eat/etc while in Mozambique to ensure that he get the most of his adventure. While in the process of making this list, the image of Car Bingo flashed before my eyes, and I immediately knew that the only way to make Travis's visit truly memorable was to take all of the items on the list and arrange them on a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid. Travis had a remarkable trip, due almost entirely to the joy this bingo card brought him, and he knew that he would somehow, someday, have to bestow upon me the joy of my very own travel bingo game. But when? Where? HOW?
Fast forward to 2012, Oklahoma City. I was honored to be the Maid of Honor in the wedding of my friends and fellow Peace Corps volunteers, Greg and Megan. Travis was also honored to be one of the groomsmen. As I arrived at the rehearsal the evening before the event, Travis approached me with a huge grin on his face, and a piece of paper in his hand. And on this piece of paper was a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid, filled with items related to OKC. Oh the joy!! I knew in this moment that for the rest of my life I must take advantage of any and all opportunities to spread the joy of themed bingo cards to all those who are close to me.
Fast forward to 2013, throughout North Carolina. Due to my ingenuity and clever ideas, bingo cards became the staple element of enjoyment on special occasions: Birthday Bingo for Crystal and Bachelorette Bingo for Anna. With these fantastic bingo cards we quickly became popular at various bars, as strangers crowded around us to help us complete random tasks, and bartenders gave us free drinks if there were on the magic 5 by 5 BINGO style grid.
Fast forward to 2014, Argentina. GET READY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!
They'll start off visiting me here in San Ignacio for two days so they can see where I live, meet my friends, go hiking in Teyu Cuare Provincial Park, and maybe go for a paddle in kayaks in the Parana River. After that we'll go to Puerto Iguazu so my parents can see the stunning waterfalls while I cross the border to Brazil, since my 90-day tourist visa will be about to expire. When they come back from the falls they will be hoping that I have been allowed re-entry into Argentina since technically I should have to wait 90 days before coming back. Then it's off to Salta and Jujuy provinces in Northwestern Argentina to see some museums, parks, mountains, pueblos, canyons, markets, and other attractions. This will (I think) be their first time in high altitudes (2500+ meters), so hopefully they're not as negatively affected by that as I was. But just in case, I still have my coca leaves that I smuggled back here from Peru, which really did help me. (When I was leaving Ecuador the security screeners found them, told me I couldn't have them, then put them back in my bag and zipped it back up.)
I have been thinking of preparing something special for their visit: an Argentina Bingo card. This is an idea that has origins dating back to 1994 when my parents made the bold decision to drive from PA to WI with a 7-year-old and 5-year-old - a 16-hour trip!! As my mother made thorough preparations for this daunting drive, she had the foresight to purchase some items of car entertainment for Emily and me. As this was back before the era of iPads and other such devices, she purchased a book of kids' activities, designed to keep children occupied specifically while on long road trips. One of the activities in this book was Car Bingo, a game that had pictures of things one might commonly see while in a car (school, church, post office, bike, etc) arranged on a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid. As you saw these items you could color them in, all the while hoping to see all 5 items constituting any one row or column. These books must have kept us occupied, because my parents repeated this decision year after year.
Fast forward to 2011, Maputo, Mozambique. My friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Greg, was about to receive a visitor, Travis, from the US. Receiving American visitors was always an exciting experience for Volunteers, so we decided to make a list of all the things that Travis should see/do/eat/etc while in Mozambique to ensure that he get the most of his adventure. While in the process of making this list, the image of Car Bingo flashed before my eyes, and I immediately knew that the only way to make Travis's visit truly memorable was to take all of the items on the list and arrange them on a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid. Travis had a remarkable trip, due almost entirely to the joy this bingo card brought him, and he knew that he would somehow, someday, have to bestow upon me the joy of my very own travel bingo game. But when? Where? HOW?
Fast forward to 2012, Oklahoma City. I was honored to be the Maid of Honor in the wedding of my friends and fellow Peace Corps volunteers, Greg and Megan. Travis was also honored to be one of the groomsmen. As I arrived at the rehearsal the evening before the event, Travis approached me with a huge grin on his face, and a piece of paper in his hand. And on this piece of paper was a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid, filled with items related to OKC. Oh the joy!! I knew in this moment that for the rest of my life I must take advantage of any and all opportunities to spread the joy of themed bingo cards to all those who are close to me.
Fast forward to 2013, throughout North Carolina. Due to my ingenuity and clever ideas, bingo cards became the staple element of enjoyment on special occasions: Birthday Bingo for Crystal and Bachelorette Bingo for Anna. With these fantastic bingo cards we quickly became popular at various bars, as strangers crowded around us to help us complete random tasks, and bartenders gave us free drinks if there were on the magic 5 by 5 BINGO style grid.
Fast forward to 2014, Argentina. GET READY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Mate: a photo how-to
To start with, lets identify the materials we will need to make mate:
These things are all readily available everywhere in Argentina, or at the Farmers' Market in downtown Lancaster, and hopefully somewhere in Raleigh. Here you can buy mate in packages similar to how we buy coffee in the US. The gourds can be made from actual gourds, natural wood (different types can give different flavors to the drink), or fake made-to-look-like wood material. Really nice ones have a glass interior. The exterior can be natural, painted, metal, or leather (or fake leather). The bombilla is made of metal - a metal straw connected to a hollow bulb with little holes to serve as a filter. The straw part can be decorated with gems, flower decorations, crosses, or anything else, or it can be plain like the one in the picture.
To prepare mate:
When you first fill with water, let it sit for a few minutes to fully moisten the yerba. If you are pouring the mate, etiquette dictates that you would drink the first serving since it is often bitter and a little cold. Then you would pour another serving for someone else to drink. You would continue serving people in a circular fashion (including yourself) until the finish the thermos. Some people have nice leather case specifically for the purpose of transporting your thermos and mate supplies all together.
Terere, the cold version of mate, uses the same bombilla, but instead of using a gourd you use just a regular cup, and you exchange your hot beverage thermos for a cold beverage one. Mate and terere are both best enjoyed outside in the company of friends!
(I realized near the end of this post that the tile could easily be misinterpreted if by "mate" you inferred the meaning in English...definitely not a photo how-to on that subject!!)
To start with, lets identify the materials we will need to make mate:
 |
| El mate / the mate gourd |
 |
| Yerba mate / mate leaves |
 |
| La bombilla / the drinking straw |
 |
| Package of yerba mate |
 |
| Pour the water almost to the top, stick the bombilla in the empty side and turn upright. |
 |
| Pour the yerba into the gourd |
 |
| Fill about halfway, then tilt the gourd so one side is empty |
 |
| Carrying case for mate |
 |
| Pouring spout on thermos |
 |
| Portable terere set |
Terere, the cold version of mate, uses the same bombilla, but instead of using a gourd you use just a regular cup, and you exchange your hot beverage thermos for a cold beverage one. Mate and terere are both best enjoyed outside in the company of friends!(I realized near the end of this post that the tile could easily be misinterpreted if by "mate" you inferred the meaning in English...definitely not a photo how-to on that subject!!)
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Fan Mail
I have my first reader question! Anna from Raleigh wants to know what I've been doing in terms of exercise/fitness activity.
Well, Anna, thanks for your question! The answer is not a whole lot, unfortunately. When I had my babysitting job I was running several times a week, and going to the gym once a week as well. And chasing after a 1.5-year-old for 6 hours a day!! But my current schedule doesn't really lend itself to exercising in this climate. I finish work at midnight, and it's often about 1am by the time go to bed, so I wake up at 9 or 10, and by that time it's way too hot to go for a run. The gyms here don't have AC, so that's not really an enticing option either. Sometimes I do some crunches, pushups, and stretches in my room, but not nearly as regularly as I usually hope to. Maybe I'll start again tomorrow...
I have also had some reader comments!! Sudha from Raleigh commented that she's not really sure if she gets what mate is.
WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????
Clearly I have not devoted enough of my posts to explaining this topic. Friday's post will remedy that situation. Look forward to it!!!
And finally, Karen from Raleigh suggested that I not buy a house any time soon so that I can continue taking trips whenever I please. You're invited on my next one, Karen!!!!
And to everyone else, send me any comments or questions so that on days like today when I have nothing else to write about I can at least have something to respond to.
Well, Anna, thanks for your question! The answer is not a whole lot, unfortunately. When I had my babysitting job I was running several times a week, and going to the gym once a week as well. And chasing after a 1.5-year-old for 6 hours a day!! But my current schedule doesn't really lend itself to exercising in this climate. I finish work at midnight, and it's often about 1am by the time go to bed, so I wake up at 9 or 10, and by that time it's way too hot to go for a run. The gyms here don't have AC, so that's not really an enticing option either. Sometimes I do some crunches, pushups, and stretches in my room, but not nearly as regularly as I usually hope to. Maybe I'll start again tomorrow...
I have also had some reader comments!! Sudha from Raleigh commented that she's not really sure if she gets what mate is.
WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????
Clearly I have not devoted enough of my posts to explaining this topic. Friday's post will remedy that situation. Look forward to it!!!
And finally, Karen from Raleigh suggested that I not buy a house any time soon so that I can continue taking trips whenever I please. You're invited on my next one, Karen!!!!
And to everyone else, send me any comments or questions so that on days like today when I have nothing else to write about I can at least have something to respond to.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Do you ever get homesick?
I had some interesting questions from some people staying at the hostel yesterday about traveling, loneliness, and homesickness, on this trip and others I've taken. My trip to Spain/the rest of Europe was one giant party, with a few classes during the week. I was with the same group of Americans pretty much the whole time, and it was only for a few months, and I was having way too much fun to get lonely or homesick. My experience living in Mozambique was quite a different one, but much like living here, there I was just a normal person, and since I had friends, a job, secondary activities, and a boyfriend, there wasn't much reason to be homesick or lonely. Also, the vast majority of my friends had moved away from Raleigh, and the job I left in Conference Services wasn't one that I would be going back to, so I didn't have anything specific to miss (other than electricity, AC, chocolate, honesty, monogamy, cheese, and things like that...).
Here I also have a job and friends and a normal life, so I'm not lonely, and I'm perfectly happy here, but there have been various times where I ALSO would like to be back home in Raleigh (aka where I've been homesick). And it has nothing to do with being in San Ignacio, it's all about NOT being in Raleigh. Or to put this quantitatively, I'd say my level of satisfaction with both San Ignacio and Nacaroa would be about a 7-8, but my level of dissatisfaction due to NOT being in the US was about 0 when I was in Moz, and about a 3 now. I think this is due mostly to the fact that I have a much clearer definition of where I want my life to go now. My core group of friends have all moved back to Raleigh (or nearby), I had a job that I would love to go back to, Emily moved to Raleigh, I wouldn't mind having a relationship without an expiration date for once, I had various hobbies and activities that I enjoyed - basically I had the life that I would currently like for my future.
So why would I give all that up to come to an unfamiliar continent with no specific plans where I didn't know anyone all by myself? Well, I always wanted to do something like this - buy a plane ticket and just let life fall in to place. (Because life DOES just fall in to place if let it.) SO was it worth it giving up a very happy life to pursue a crazy adventure? The answer is YES, because this crazy adventure was something I always dreamed of doing, and I always would have regretted it if I had been content to just be happy. Pursuing your dreams, if they really are your dreams, is always worth it.
Here I also have a job and friends and a normal life, so I'm not lonely, and I'm perfectly happy here, but there have been various times where I ALSO would like to be back home in Raleigh (aka where I've been homesick). And it has nothing to do with being in San Ignacio, it's all about NOT being in Raleigh. Or to put this quantitatively, I'd say my level of satisfaction with both San Ignacio and Nacaroa would be about a 7-8, but my level of dissatisfaction due to NOT being in the US was about 0 when I was in Moz, and about a 3 now. I think this is due mostly to the fact that I have a much clearer definition of where I want my life to go now. My core group of friends have all moved back to Raleigh (or nearby), I had a job that I would love to go back to, Emily moved to Raleigh, I wouldn't mind having a relationship without an expiration date for once, I had various hobbies and activities that I enjoyed - basically I had the life that I would currently like for my future.
So why would I give all that up to come to an unfamiliar continent with no specific plans where I didn't know anyone all by myself? Well, I always wanted to do something like this - buy a plane ticket and just let life fall in to place. (Because life DOES just fall in to place if let it.) SO was it worth it giving up a very happy life to pursue a crazy adventure? The answer is YES, because this crazy adventure was something I always dreamed of doing, and I always would have regretted it if I had been content to just be happy. Pursuing your dreams, if they really are your dreams, is always worth it.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Settlers of San Ignacio
If you have never played the game Settlers of Catan and are completely unfamiliar with the concept this post might not make much sense.
When I was in Mozambique some other volunteers and I came up with the Settlers of Mozambique version of the game. We changed the commodities, thief, longest road, largest army, etc, to create a themed version of the game. Even though we never actually finished making our version of the game, we had a lot of fun deciding which changes to make, and the changes all reflected the reality (or our perception) of Mozambique.
If I were to make a Settlers of San Ignacio edition, here is what it would entail:
First, instead of making settlements and cities, you would make asados (cookouts), which you could then upgrade to fiestas.
Commodity cards -
Mate
Meat
Ice
Sound system
Fernet (an alcohol that is popular to mix with coke)
To create an asado you would need one of each of the following: mate, meat, ice, and sound system.
To upgrade to a fiesta you would need 3 fernet and 2 ice.
Instead of building roads you could become friends with neighbors at adjacent vertices for the price of 1 mate and 1 meat. You could then compete with other players for the most popular card worth 2 points.
Instead of buying development cards you could buy WhatsApp messages for 1 fernet, 1 ice, and 1 sound system. These messages would most commonly award you a stray dog, which you could accumulate to form the largest pack, which would be worth 2 points. The stray dog could also be used to scare away the Foreigner and move it to another spot. Other WhatsApp messages might award you victory points (nightclub, beach, swimming pool, Jesuit ruins, etc), or they might award you a boat trip to Paraguay to pick up any two commodity cards of your choice. Additionally, the car card might award you two free friendships, or the lazy ex card might allow you to steal all of a specific commodity from other players.
And, as always, the first to 10 wins.
When I was in Mozambique some other volunteers and I came up with the Settlers of Mozambique version of the game. We changed the commodities, thief, longest road, largest army, etc, to create a themed version of the game. Even though we never actually finished making our version of the game, we had a lot of fun deciding which changes to make, and the changes all reflected the reality (or our perception) of Mozambique.
If I were to make a Settlers of San Ignacio edition, here is what it would entail:
First, instead of making settlements and cities, you would make asados (cookouts), which you could then upgrade to fiestas.
Commodity cards -
Mate
Meat
Ice
Sound system
Fernet (an alcohol that is popular to mix with coke)
To create an asado you would need one of each of the following: mate, meat, ice, and sound system.
To upgrade to a fiesta you would need 3 fernet and 2 ice.
Instead of building roads you could become friends with neighbors at adjacent vertices for the price of 1 mate and 1 meat. You could then compete with other players for the most popular card worth 2 points.
Instead of buying development cards you could buy WhatsApp messages for 1 fernet, 1 ice, and 1 sound system. These messages would most commonly award you a stray dog, which you could accumulate to form the largest pack, which would be worth 2 points. The stray dog could also be used to scare away the Foreigner and move it to another spot. Other WhatsApp messages might award you victory points (nightclub, beach, swimming pool, Jesuit ruins, etc), or they might award you a boat trip to Paraguay to pick up any two commodity cards of your choice. Additionally, the car card might award you two free friendships, or the lazy ex card might allow you to steal all of a specific commodity from other players.
And, as always, the first to 10 wins.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Why stay in San Ignacio?
San Ignacio : Argentina : : a small town in rural Kentucky : United States
Why on earth would I choose San Ignacio, if that's the case?
To answer that question, let me go all the way back and explain why I wanted to do this trip and what I wanted to get out of it. I wanted to have an adventure, make new friends, improve my Spanish, and learn about a new culture. I specifically wanted to be in a relatively small town because I think it's easier to meet people in this setting, and without a car it's also much easier to get around. In small towns there isn't much to do, so people sit around and talk a lot (while drinking mate or terere), which is a great way to practice my Spanish, even if the conversations can be a bit gossipy. Also, cultural traditions are often better preserved and kept alive longer in small towns. And even though this often means higher rates of "traditional opinions" about gender roles, marriage, people of other races, etc, it also often means a slow-paced lifestyle, hospitable people, and more opportunities for experiencing something different.
I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life in San Ignacio any more than in a small town in Kentucky (for example), but I am really enjoying my experience here, and I'm really glad that this is where I ended up for 6 months of my life. People often ask why I don't travel more within Argentina or neighboring countries, and the answer is I don't really want to. When you travel a lot you meet other travelers and speak a lot of English and have the same conversations over and over (what's your name, where are you from, how long are you traveling, what do you do, where have you been, etc). Like I mentioned in a previous post, that's fun for a short amount of time, but then it quickly becomes exhaustingly unfulfilling. I have a theory that the most interesting thing about anywhere in the world is getting to know the people who are from there. Waterfalls and mountains and ancient ruins are all beautiful and interesting, but they're not sustainable ways to pass extended periods of time. I really like just staying here in San Ignacio, where there's nothing to do but drink mate and sit around and talk. For now.
(Keep this analogy in mind as you read my blog; many places in Argentina are far more developed both in thought and in lifestyle than San Ignacio.)
Why on earth would I choose San Ignacio, if that's the case?
To answer that question, let me go all the way back and explain why I wanted to do this trip and what I wanted to get out of it. I wanted to have an adventure, make new friends, improve my Spanish, and learn about a new culture. I specifically wanted to be in a relatively small town because I think it's easier to meet people in this setting, and without a car it's also much easier to get around. In small towns there isn't much to do, so people sit around and talk a lot (while drinking mate or terere), which is a great way to practice my Spanish, even if the conversations can be a bit gossipy. Also, cultural traditions are often better preserved and kept alive longer in small towns. And even though this often means higher rates of "traditional opinions" about gender roles, marriage, people of other races, etc, it also often means a slow-paced lifestyle, hospitable people, and more opportunities for experiencing something different.
I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life in San Ignacio any more than in a small town in Kentucky (for example), but I am really enjoying my experience here, and I'm really glad that this is where I ended up for 6 months of my life. People often ask why I don't travel more within Argentina or neighboring countries, and the answer is I don't really want to. When you travel a lot you meet other travelers and speak a lot of English and have the same conversations over and over (what's your name, where are you from, how long are you traveling, what do you do, where have you been, etc). Like I mentioned in a previous post, that's fun for a short amount of time, but then it quickly becomes exhaustingly unfulfilling. I have a theory that the most interesting thing about anywhere in the world is getting to know the people who are from there. Waterfalls and mountains and ancient ruins are all beautiful and interesting, but they're not sustainable ways to pass extended periods of time. I really like just staying here in San Ignacio, where there's nothing to do but drink mate and sit around and talk. For now.
(Keep this analogy in mind as you read my blog; many places in Argentina are far more developed both in thought and in lifestyle than San Ignacio.)
Friday, February 14, 2014
Work
I work at the reception of a hostel.
When people make reservations I input them into our online system.
When guests come I accept their payment. (cash OR credit card)
When the phone rings I answer it.
When people ask me questions I answer them. (the same ones every day)
When the drinks in the refrigerator run low I put more in.
When it gets dark I turn on the lights. (I have jump because I'm too short to reach the switches)
When there are leaks I call the plumber. (I know him very well by now)
When there are bats in the bathroom I ask the waiter to remove them. (No way am I touching them!)
I wrote that at the level of a 10-year-old because my job responsibilities are mostly things that a 10-year-old with minimal training could do. My current job requires very little logical reasoning or critical thinking. Sure, there are moments, like when our online booking systems don't communicate and we get overbooked, when I need to use my brain to figure out solutions. But overall, I could easily be replaced by a robot or a child. That's not to say that I don't like my job, though. I have plenty of free time while I'm working to chat with guests, blog, drink mate with my coworkers, and play cards. It's fine for now, but it's not a career.
So what would my dream career be? you might ask.
Well the dreamy answer is a linguistic cartographer.
What on earth is that? you might ask.
That would be someone who analyzes regional linguistic patterns and maps them.
WHAT??? you might ask.
For example, on a map of the US you might put an red dot in places where people say "soda," and a blue dot in places where people say "pop," and places where they overlap would end up purple. Then you would analyze the map to identify historical, geographical, or social explanations.
Ooohhhh..... you might say.
So what would my REAL dream career be? you might ask.
AN ELEMENTARY ESL TEACHER in Wake County. I will, definitely, without a doubt, be back in the US in time to start working next school year in August. I love working with kids, and getting tons of hugs, and hearing random stories about their lives. I love feeling like I'm actually making a difference, teaching important life and academic skills, and being a good role model. Every time I see the cute little kids here in their adorable little uniforms I can't wait to be a teacher again!!!!!!
When people make reservations I input them into our online system.
When guests come I accept their payment. (cash OR credit card)
When the phone rings I answer it.
When people ask me questions I answer them. (the same ones every day)
When the drinks in the refrigerator run low I put more in.
When it gets dark I turn on the lights. (I have jump because I'm too short to reach the switches)
When there are leaks I call the plumber. (I know him very well by now)
When there are bats in the bathroom I ask the waiter to remove them. (No way am I touching them!)
I wrote that at the level of a 10-year-old because my job responsibilities are mostly things that a 10-year-old with minimal training could do. My current job requires very little logical reasoning or critical thinking. Sure, there are moments, like when our online booking systems don't communicate and we get overbooked, when I need to use my brain to figure out solutions. But overall, I could easily be replaced by a robot or a child. That's not to say that I don't like my job, though. I have plenty of free time while I'm working to chat with guests, blog, drink mate with my coworkers, and play cards. It's fine for now, but it's not a career.
So what would my dream career be? you might ask.
Well the dreamy answer is a linguistic cartographer.
What on earth is that? you might ask.
That would be someone who analyzes regional linguistic patterns and maps them.
WHAT??? you might ask.
For example, on a map of the US you might put an red dot in places where people say "soda," and a blue dot in places where people say "pop," and places where they overlap would end up purple. Then you would analyze the map to identify historical, geographical, or social explanations.
Ooohhhh..... you might say.
So what would my REAL dream career be? you might ask.
AN ELEMENTARY ESL TEACHER in Wake County. I will, definitely, without a doubt, be back in the US in time to start working next school year in August. I love working with kids, and getting tons of hugs, and hearing random stories about their lives. I love feeling like I'm actually making a difference, teaching important life and academic skills, and being a good role model. Every time I see the cute little kids here in their adorable little uniforms I can't wait to be a teacher again!!!!!!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Saltos de Tabay
Today was another exciting day. Maybe I'm not really just a normal person.
My friend/coworker/roommate Karina has a friend visiting from Buenos Aires, so we went another coworker to a park, Saltos de Tabay, that has some small waterfalls and a swimming area. We wandered around the falls, took some pictures, and then claimed our parrilla (grill) to have out asado (cookout). While the chicken was cooking we drank some terere, and then Karina took a nap while Marcelo kept an eye on the food, and Andrea and I went to play volleyball with some kids. We soon found out that playing sand volleyball on a scorching summer day near a river is not practical for several reasons. We burned our feet in about half a second, so we put on our flip flops, but that doesn't exactly equip you with the necessary mobility nor the necessary foot protection. After swimming the ball down and taking it out of the river for the third or fourth time, we decided to take our game to the spacious swimming area, which worked out much better. The cookout was absolutely delicious, and we still had time to play some more volleyball before we had to head back so that I could be ready to work ay 4.
Noteworthy occurrences:
I saw a traffic light today. It was the first one in a few weeks.
I also saw a lot of thongs today. They were not the first ones in a few weeks.
I talked to one of my former students from Mozambique on Facebook today!! He updated me that of the 8 or so 12th graders that were in my theater group, 5 of them are in college or nursing school and on their way to having meaningful careers and stable incomes. Two of them are studying to become teachers!
I also talked to friend from Raleigh on Facebook today, and she might come meet up with me in Chile in April!! (all others are also invited...!!!)
Goal of 5 posts per week met for the second week!
My friend/coworker/roommate Karina has a friend visiting from Buenos Aires, so we went another coworker to a park, Saltos de Tabay, that has some small waterfalls and a swimming area. We wandered around the falls, took some pictures, and then claimed our parrilla (grill) to have out asado (cookout). While the chicken was cooking we drank some terere, and then Karina took a nap while Marcelo kept an eye on the food, and Andrea and I went to play volleyball with some kids. We soon found out that playing sand volleyball on a scorching summer day near a river is not practical for several reasons. We burned our feet in about half a second, so we put on our flip flops, but that doesn't exactly equip you with the necessary mobility nor the necessary foot protection. After swimming the ball down and taking it out of the river for the third or fourth time, we decided to take our game to the spacious swimming area, which worked out much better. The cookout was absolutely delicious, and we still had time to play some more volleyball before we had to head back so that I could be ready to work ay 4.
Noteworthy occurrences:
I saw a traffic light today. It was the first one in a few weeks.
I also saw a lot of thongs today. They were not the first ones in a few weeks.
I talked to one of my former students from Mozambique on Facebook today!! He updated me that of the 8 or so 12th graders that were in my theater group, 5 of them are in college or nursing school and on their way to having meaningful careers and stable incomes. Two of them are studying to become teachers!
I also talked to friend from Raleigh on Facebook today, and she might come meet up with me in Chile in April!! (all others are also invited...!!!)
Goal of 5 posts per week met for the second week!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The First American Guests
Two days ago I welcomed the first American guest that has stayed here in the past 40 days since I started this job. And two hours after that came the second. And yesterday came the third! All traveling separately. How random! Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, has a saying that appears in a few of his books that goes something like this: something that happens only once might never happen again, but if it does happen a second time, it most surely will happen a third. Not 100% relevant here really, but I like that quote and writing this made me think of it.
I spent a bit of time with the first two Americans (the third was traveling with a group of Australians), and the first thing I did was offer them mate and show them how to prepare it. I figure the more people that drink mate in the US, the more accessible mate supplies will become!!
We talked about various things, but one point we touched on (only for a moment) was that a lot of our friends back in the US all think that our trips are really cool and say things like "I wish I could do that." Now I'm not sure if many people sincerely would like to travel for several months, or if that's just an automatic response, or maybe they wish that they wanted to travel, but they just don't, but feel like they should at least want to for some reason. But I bet that most people think that it would be cool to at least take a trip somewhere for a few weeks, whether in the US or to another country, but they never do for one of 2 very opposite reasons: either they are very focused on saving money and don't want to spend any, or they're not very focused on saving money and don't have any to spend.
A lot of my friends are savers, and for many of them paying cash for a new car or paying off a house in 12 years take precedence over buying or doing things for pleasure. Obviously avoiding taking on a lot of debt, or paying it off quickly, are good things to do, but at what price?
I'm also a saver, and something I've been trying to do since I came back from Mozambique is spend more money on worthwhile things. My natural (learned) habit is to turn down most things that cost money - going out to eat ("I have leftovers"), a trip to the beach ("I have a lot to get done around the house"), buying a new camera ("everyone else will take pictures and give them to me"), etc. But I used to just turn all these things down without considering how much they're worth to me. Going to happy hour and catching up with friends, taking a ski trip and trying something new and exciting, or buying an expensive racquetball racket that just feels some much nicer to play with can all be worth the price.
Another point we (also very briefly) talked about was that no one ever thinks they have enough money. The more money you make, the more expensive things you want and buy, and more is never enough. I had a friend who got the job of his dreams a few months out of grad school and was ecstatic with his salary of $65,000, but one month later we has already talking about what he would do if he made more money, and how he would like his job more if it paid better. As a Wake County teacher I got pretty annoyed, seeing as how teachers with 30 years of experience make less than that, and starting teachers make just over half of that.
I have no conclusion for this post and its randomness other than to say that I hope at least one of the two Americans that drank mate with me gets hooked and takes some back to the US.
I spent a bit of time with the first two Americans (the third was traveling with a group of Australians), and the first thing I did was offer them mate and show them how to prepare it. I figure the more people that drink mate in the US, the more accessible mate supplies will become!!
We talked about various things, but one point we touched on (only for a moment) was that a lot of our friends back in the US all think that our trips are really cool and say things like "I wish I could do that." Now I'm not sure if many people sincerely would like to travel for several months, or if that's just an automatic response, or maybe they wish that they wanted to travel, but they just don't, but feel like they should at least want to for some reason. But I bet that most people think that it would be cool to at least take a trip somewhere for a few weeks, whether in the US or to another country, but they never do for one of 2 very opposite reasons: either they are very focused on saving money and don't want to spend any, or they're not very focused on saving money and don't have any to spend.
A lot of my friends are savers, and for many of them paying cash for a new car or paying off a house in 12 years take precedence over buying or doing things for pleasure. Obviously avoiding taking on a lot of debt, or paying it off quickly, are good things to do, but at what price?
I'm also a saver, and something I've been trying to do since I came back from Mozambique is spend more money on worthwhile things. My natural (learned) habit is to turn down most things that cost money - going out to eat ("I have leftovers"), a trip to the beach ("I have a lot to get done around the house"), buying a new camera ("everyone else will take pictures and give them to me"), etc. But I used to just turn all these things down without considering how much they're worth to me. Going to happy hour and catching up with friends, taking a ski trip and trying something new and exciting, or buying an expensive racquetball racket that just feels some much nicer to play with can all be worth the price.
Another point we (also very briefly) talked about was that no one ever thinks they have enough money. The more money you make, the more expensive things you want and buy, and more is never enough. I had a friend who got the job of his dreams a few months out of grad school and was ecstatic with his salary of $65,000, but one month later we has already talking about what he would do if he made more money, and how he would like his job more if it paid better. As a Wake County teacher I got pretty annoyed, seeing as how teachers with 30 years of experience make less than that, and starting teachers make just over half of that.
I have no conclusion for this post and its randomness other than to say that I hope at least one of the two Americans that drank mate with me gets hooked and takes some back to the US.
A normal day for a normal person
I think the majority of my posts this month make my life seem more exciting than it is. The first few were about the most interesting things I had done over the past few months, and then there was carnival, which was quite an experience, but not by any means a reflection of my daily life here. Today, since I'm just a normal person, I had just a normal day. I woke up and made fried eggs for breakfast, of course. There are about 7 old frying pans at the hostel, and for the past two weeks since I've been living here I've been trying to find one that my eggs don't stick to and burn. I kept forgetting which ones I'd tried and which ones I hadn't as I rotated through all of them trying to decide which one was best, and today I finally found one that is actually non-stick! I just hope that by tomorrow I remember which one it is...
After than I went to hang out with some friends who work at a stand in the arts and crafts market near the ruins. On the way there I stopped at the small grocery store that I often go to so that I could buy some juice powder for terere and to pay the 10 pesos that I owed from yesterday when I embarrassingly realized after ringing up everything I wanted that I didn't have enough money with me. At the stand we sat around and talked, and of course drank terere, and some other friends came by to hang out too. After an hour or two I came back to the hostel to eat lunch - leftovers from yesterday.
In the afternoon I hung out with my friend Silvia who works in the reception opposite me (she works 8am - 4pm and I work 4pm - midnight). I prepared some terere for us to drink, which involved trying to chisel/cut a block of ice frozen in a 2 liter bottle. My efforts at this were rather unsuccessful, so the cook in the restaurant here helped me out with his meat cleaver. Silvia is my best friend here and we were really excited to work together until we realized that meant that one of us would always be working, and we could never just hang out. Luckily I have my day off on Thursdays, and she has hers on Fridays, so we have a 24hr block each week to hang out outside of work.
After that I went to shower and get ready for my shift, and now I'm working, and when I finish at midnight I'll go to bed. And that's the perfectly normal life I have here.
After than I went to hang out with some friends who work at a stand in the arts and crafts market near the ruins. On the way there I stopped at the small grocery store that I often go to so that I could buy some juice powder for terere and to pay the 10 pesos that I owed from yesterday when I embarrassingly realized after ringing up everything I wanted that I didn't have enough money with me. At the stand we sat around and talked, and of course drank terere, and some other friends came by to hang out too. After an hour or two I came back to the hostel to eat lunch - leftovers from yesterday.
In the afternoon I hung out with my friend Silvia who works in the reception opposite me (she works 8am - 4pm and I work 4pm - midnight). I prepared some terere for us to drink, which involved trying to chisel/cut a block of ice frozen in a 2 liter bottle. My efforts at this were rather unsuccessful, so the cook in the restaurant here helped me out with his meat cleaver. Silvia is my best friend here and we were really excited to work together until we realized that meant that one of us would always be working, and we could never just hang out. Luckily I have my day off on Thursdays, and she has hers on Fridays, so we have a 24hr block each week to hang out outside of work.
After that I went to shower and get ready for my shift, and now I'm working, and when I finish at midnight I'll go to bed. And that's the perfectly normal life I have here.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Ice, Ice, Baby
Ice is a precious commodity here. In the suffocating heat of the summer, one of the few ways to combat the intense humidity is with an ice cold beverage. But refrigerators here don't come with built-in ice makers, and with ice cube trays you would have to implement an organized rotation to produce enough ice to satisfy the demand of a typical household. So the method of choice here is to use every disposable plastic container you come across, fill it with water, and freeze it. This applies to empty soda bottles, dulce de leche containers, yogurt cups, etc. If you use a 2 liter bottle, for example, once the water is frozen you can cut slices off as you need them. This is an art that I have yet to master, as cutting through a cylinder of ice requires a certain chiseling technique that is apparently acquired over time. Or, if you prefer smaller pieces of ice, you can hammer your frozen bottle and then cut the plastic away.
The principle use of ice is for terere, the cold version of mate. Most people have large, insolated cooler-thermoses, as this is the best way to make your terere portable so you can take it with you wherever you go while at the same time ensuring that it stays cold. It is also quite common to put ice in wine, even in red wine, and sometimes even in beer. Once I witnessed someone cut a partially frozen 2 liter bottle in half, pour our the unfrozen water from the base half of the bottle, and then fill the remaining space around the cylinder of ice with red wine. This plastic "wine cup" was passed around and shared among various people. A French girl staying at the hostel was present for this and she was absolutely appalled on various levels.
I'm not sure if an entire post devoted to ice is very interesting, so if anyone reading this has any questions or specific things you'd be interested in reading about post a comment or send me an email or message on facebook!!
The principle use of ice is for terere, the cold version of mate. Most people have large, insolated cooler-thermoses, as this is the best way to make your terere portable so you can take it with you wherever you go while at the same time ensuring that it stays cold. It is also quite common to put ice in wine, even in red wine, and sometimes even in beer. Once I witnessed someone cut a partially frozen 2 liter bottle in half, pour our the unfrozen water from the base half of the bottle, and then fill the remaining space around the cylinder of ice with red wine. This plastic "wine cup" was passed around and shared among various people. A French girl staying at the hostel was present for this and she was absolutely appalled on various levels.
I'm not sure if an entire post devoted to ice is very interesting, so if anyone reading this has any questions or specific things you'd be interested in reading about post a comment or send me an email or message on facebook!!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Carnaval
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| Male Carnaval attire |
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| Female Carnaval attire |
Here's how my first night of Carnaval went: I finished work at midnight and headed out to the center with some friends, coworkers, and guests at the hostel. We met up with some other friends and bought some 1-liter cups of beer the start the party. Then the parade started, and we watched the procession of dancers and musicians pass by, as the drunk men made obnoxious comments, and I thought to myself, "I can't believe it's legal for women to dance in these (lack of) outfits in public with little kids all around!!"
Video of the dancing and music of Carnaval - the previous paragraphs should have you prepared for what to expect. PG-13
Friday, February 7, 2014
A Day on the River
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| "El Penon" on the Argentina side of the river |
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| The Parana River as the clouds rolled in |
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| Terere |
Back at the house we prepared some fruit and terere to take with us on the boat. Terere is the cold version of mate, which involves using the same dried "yerba mate" leaves, putting them in a cup instead of a mate gourd, and pouring ice water or juice over them instead of hot water. Don't worry, I'll be bringing back plenty of mate supplies for everyone to try some, whether you want to or not!!!! My favorite type of terere is with mint leaves in the water.
So we set out on the small motor boat, and stopped in the middle of the Parana River for a swim, and then just hung out in the water and floated downstream with the current. At one point a large stream joins the river, which creates several little whirlpools, and the boat spun in circles various times passing through this part.
 |
| Paraguay - the forbidden land |
When we went back to the house Euge and I set out in one of the kayaks, and paddled upstream a ways to the little "beach" here in San Ignacio. Back at Guille's we had a little cookout, grilling some meat over the fire. And that's what I was doing instead of posting a blog entry yesterday :)
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Cost of Living Comparisons
In the US, Brazil, and Argentina the typical monthly earnings for a starting teacher is about 3000. But what is the difference between 3000 dollars, 3000 reales, and 3000 pesos? What can you get buy with this amount, how much can you save per month, what opportunities and purchases are possible or impossible?
As you can see, the 3000 pesos won't get you very far in Argentina. One night in a hotel would be 10% of your monthly salary, as opposed to less than 2% of yours in the US. And the cost of food - even basic food at a grocery store - is quite high in Argentina. In pesos: 2 lbs of flour - 9; 1 cup of yogurt - 6; 1 apple - 4; a head of lettuce - 5; 2 lbs of ground beef - 48. By the time you've bought food for you and your family there's very little left for the comparatively high-priced clothing (imagine if a pair of shorts cost 175 DOLLARS). A round trip flight from Buenos Aires to NY is about 18,000 pesos - half a year's salary just for the flight for one person. Technology, cars, and traveling are all basically available at the price in dollars converted to pesos. For example, a camera that costs 100 dollars in the US would be affordable to many Americans, but would cost 1000 pesos and therefore be unaffordable to the average Argentine.
Wow! 34 people read my blog yesterday!! I didn't know I'd be that popular :) And thanks to Karen for being my first and only follower!!!!
This is all obviously a rough estimate, all listed in the
local currency.
|
|
Raleigh, NC
|
Brazil (rough estimate)
|
San Ignacio, Argentina
|
|
Dinner in an inexpensive restaurant (think Olive Garden quality, for
example)
|
15
|
25
|
55
|
|
Price of a cheap but decent hotel room for 2 people
|
50
|
100
|
300
|
|
A pair of shorts
|
20
|
40
|
175
|
|
A 12-hour bus ride
|
75
|
115
|
450
|
|
Apartment
|
850 (1 br w/ living, dining, etc)
|
??
|
600 (a furnished studio bedroom w/ bathroom, no kitchen, dining etc)
|
|
A package of spaghetti at the grocery store
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
|
A small soda at a restaurant
|
2
|
3
|
12
|
As you can see, the 3000 pesos won't get you very far in Argentina. One night in a hotel would be 10% of your monthly salary, as opposed to less than 2% of yours in the US. And the cost of food - even basic food at a grocery store - is quite high in Argentina. In pesos: 2 lbs of flour - 9; 1 cup of yogurt - 6; 1 apple - 4; a head of lettuce - 5; 2 lbs of ground beef - 48. By the time you've bought food for you and your family there's very little left for the comparatively high-priced clothing (imagine if a pair of shorts cost 175 DOLLARS). A round trip flight from Buenos Aires to NY is about 18,000 pesos - half a year's salary just for the flight for one person. Technology, cars, and traveling are all basically available at the price in dollars converted to pesos. For example, a camera that costs 100 dollars in the US would be affordable to many Americans, but would cost 1000 pesos and therefore be unaffordable to the average Argentine.
Wow! 34 people read my blog yesterday!! I didn't know I'd be that popular :) And thanks to Karen for being my first and only follower!!!!
Monday, February 3, 2014
What am I?
I'm not a tourist. Tourists walk around with cameras and point and buy things and stick with their fellow tourists and don't even pretend to try to fit in. When I traveled around Europe I was a tourist, and because of that I have amazing pictures and unique souvenirs from various countries, but I don't have an understanding of the culture and I didn't have any eye-opening conversations with any locals. I like being a tourist for a week or two.
I'm not a traveler or a backpacker. Travelers and backpackers go from one place to another, see the sights, and do their best to speak the language and experience the culture, usually with other travelers and backpackers. When I traveled around South America I was a traveler, and because of that I learned a lot about various countries and have unforgettable memories of friends I've made from all over the world. But I don't know the stories of their lives, the dreams they have, how they met their significant others, or what they're worried about. I like being a traveler for a month or two.
I'm just a normal person living in another country. I have a job and a house and I earn money. My friends and I like to hang out and talk, go places, play cards, and have parties, and when something exciting or sad or frustrating happens we tell each other. When I lived in Mozambique and Argentina I was just a normal person, and because of that I have a decent understanding of these cultures. I can start to understand how people think, the origins of differences, and why habits that we deem unacceptable can be acceptable. I'm more aware of the joys and challenges of daily life in these countries, the hopes and fears that people have, and the US's role and reputation around the world.
I like living and working and just being a normal person. I like to speak Spanish or Portuguese instead of practice them. I like to earn the local currency and not convert everything to dollars. I like it when it becomes normal for live chickens to travel on public transportation. I like it when I really crave mate if I haven't had it for a day or two. But I don't like when everything breaks and nothing is on time. I don't like it when people give me different prices. I don't like it when corruption and cheating and teen pregnancy become normal to me. I don't like it when I miss birthdays and races and holidays in the US. I like to live and work abroad for a year or two.
I'm not a traveler or a backpacker. Travelers and backpackers go from one place to another, see the sights, and do their best to speak the language and experience the culture, usually with other travelers and backpackers. When I traveled around South America I was a traveler, and because of that I learned a lot about various countries and have unforgettable memories of friends I've made from all over the world. But I don't know the stories of their lives, the dreams they have, how they met their significant others, or what they're worried about. I like being a traveler for a month or two.
I'm just a normal person living in another country. I have a job and a house and I earn money. My friends and I like to hang out and talk, go places, play cards, and have parties, and when something exciting or sad or frustrating happens we tell each other. When I lived in Mozambique and Argentina I was just a normal person, and because of that I have a decent understanding of these cultures. I can start to understand how people think, the origins of differences, and why habits that we deem unacceptable can be acceptable. I'm more aware of the joys and challenges of daily life in these countries, the hopes and fears that people have, and the US's role and reputation around the world.
I like living and working and just being a normal person. I like to speak Spanish or Portuguese instead of practice them. I like to earn the local currency and not convert everything to dollars. I like it when it becomes normal for live chickens to travel on public transportation. I like it when I really crave mate if I haven't had it for a day or two. But I don't like when everything breaks and nothing is on time. I don't like it when people give me different prices. I don't like it when corruption and cheating and teen pregnancy become normal to me. I don't like it when I miss birthdays and races and holidays in the US. I like to live and work abroad for a year or two.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
How Travelling "By Yourself" Works
You arrive at the hostel relieved that you managed to successfully navigate the public transportation system without having anything stolen or getting significantly lost. Even though you're in Cuenca, Ecuador in the middle of summer, the 1800 meters of altitude make the weather quite pleasant, possibly even a little chilly if you're cold natured. You're staying in a 6-bed dorm, because that's the optimum choice for having just enough people to guarantee that someone else will want to do the same thing as you, but not so many people that you'll be up all night as people come and go. (A dorm is a rooming option at most hostels in which you rent a bed instead of a room. This means that you share a room with other travelers (strangers) and hope that none of them snore, steal, or are obnoxious in any of the many ways possible.) When you get to the room you discover that your Swiss friend, Sandra, who you met in Quito a few days ago, has already arrived, as planned. Together you set out to wander around the town, do some shopping, and take in the sights, along with a Canadian girl you meet at the reception.
For lunch you all decide to find a small, authentic restaurant that doesn't look too touristy. For just $2.50 you order the fixed meal, which includes a small steak, rice, beans, salad, soup, juice, and a banana. As you pay you still find it odd that the one and only official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar, but at least you don't have to worry about converting it to find out how much you're really spending. You go back to the hostel and take it easy for a while. The Canadian girl leaves; a Dutch girl comes. Later in the afternoon you go with Sandra and the Dutch girl to an ethnographic museum that has various exhibits of the tribes of Ecuador (past and present). Back at the hostel you make plans for tomorrow: there's a national park not too far away that sounds enticing. You also meet the other guests that will be sharing your room for the night: 2 college students from California, and a guy who you never find out where he's from because he's incredibly hungover, in addition to Sandra, the Dutch girl, and yourself. As is the norm at hostels, you invite your roommates to join you in all that you have planned. The 2 girls from CA want to go to the park tomorrow too; the hungover guy mumbles that he's hungover.
The next morning you all head out early, luckily mentioning to the girl working at the hostel where you're going, who advises you all to take much warmer clothing. You flag a taxi to the bus station, but the driver offers to take you all the way to the park for just $12, which is a much better alternative, so you accept. (A month later as you're writing this you discover that the SUPERBOWL IS ON TV HERE and the quality of your writing possibly declines as you cheer for Russell and the Seahawks.) As you arrive at the park, which sits at 4000 meters, you layer on all the clothes you brought, wishing you had more. But the scenery is absolutely stunning!! You walk up and down the hills, which is more difficult than usual due to the altitude, but luckily you have some coca leaves you smuggled from Peru, so you chew those, hoping you don't get altitude sickness like you did in Cuzco (even though you do later that night anyway). As you admire the lakes, rivers, mountains, plants, mud pits, and flowers with your new friends, you forget that you just met them less than 24 hours ago, because certain experiences are so surreal and magical that they transcend time, and in an inexplicable way it really has been more than 24 hours.
For lunch you all decide to find a small, authentic restaurant that doesn't look too touristy. For just $2.50 you order the fixed meal, which includes a small steak, rice, beans, salad, soup, juice, and a banana. As you pay you still find it odd that the one and only official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar, but at least you don't have to worry about converting it to find out how much you're really spending. You go back to the hostel and take it easy for a while. The Canadian girl leaves; a Dutch girl comes. Later in the afternoon you go with Sandra and the Dutch girl to an ethnographic museum that has various exhibits of the tribes of Ecuador (past and present). Back at the hostel you make plans for tomorrow: there's a national park not too far away that sounds enticing. You also meet the other guests that will be sharing your room for the night: 2 college students from California, and a guy who you never find out where he's from because he's incredibly hungover, in addition to Sandra, the Dutch girl, and yourself. As is the norm at hostels, you invite your roommates to join you in all that you have planned. The 2 girls from CA want to go to the park tomorrow too; the hungover guy mumbles that he's hungover.
The next morning you all head out early, luckily mentioning to the girl working at the hostel where you're going, who advises you all to take much warmer clothing. You flag a taxi to the bus station, but the driver offers to take you all the way to the park for just $12, which is a much better alternative, so you accept. (A month later as you're writing this you discover that the SUPERBOWL IS ON TV HERE and the quality of your writing possibly declines as you cheer for Russell and the Seahawks.) As you arrive at the park, which sits at 4000 meters, you layer on all the clothes you brought, wishing you had more. But the scenery is absolutely stunning!! You walk up and down the hills, which is more difficult than usual due to the altitude, but luckily you have some coca leaves you smuggled from Peru, so you chew those, hoping you don't get altitude sickness like you did in Cuzco (even though you do later that night anyway). As you admire the lakes, rivers, mountains, plants, mud pits, and flowers with your new friends, you forget that you just met them less than 24 hours ago, because certain experiences are so surreal and magical that they transcend time, and in an inexplicable way it really has been more than 24 hours.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
I'll be blogging again!!
I've decided to start blogging again. My goal is 5 times a week for all of February. So here goes...
First, to update you all on what I've been doing since my last post....I finished babysitting in early December just in time for a visit from my elementary school friend, Caitlin. We had a great time seeing Iguazu Falls, introducing her to all my friends in San Ignacio, and exploring Buenos Aires before heading to Peru. Despite some pretty bad altitude sickness my first night in Cuzco, we had an amazing time touring the Sacred Valley, excessively purchasing handmade alpaca garments, and drinking various fresh-made medicinal juices to cure our abundance of ailments (we both had minor colds/coughs in additional to her sunburn and lactose intolerance and my altitude sickness and inability to sleep). Being at 3300 meters it was moderately cold, making the Christmas decorations and lights feel natural and logical, in comparison to the awkward snowflakes hung from the lampposts in the 90 degree heat of Buenos Aires. Even though light-up llamas and inflatable alpacas replaced our traditional reindeer and snowmen, it was enough to put us in the Christmas spirit.
The trip just getting to Machu Picchu was, in itself, a quite memorable experience. Switchback turns up and down the steep slopes of the Andes, driving through clouds, going over the peaks of mountains and looking down off the edge of guardrail-less curves at the hundreds and hundreds of meters of trees, rocks, and rivers that we would pass through in a free fall to the bottom of the valley. Oh, and lets not forget the one-lane hand-made rail-less wooden bridge over the river/canyon that we crossed. But it was all worth it to be able see the famous Inca ruins, to see the mysterious blanket of fog that covers these ancient structures every night, and then watch it magically dissipate throughout the morning. It was almost overwhelming to observe the exactness to which each rock was shaped, imagine the effort put forth in transporting these rocks from one mountain to another, all the while keeping in mind that this was built without any type of machinery.
For our last night in Cuzco we celebrated an amazing week with an excellent sheep tongue dinner. Well, for me at least. Caitlin opted for something more normal, but clearly less memorable as I've already forgotten what it was. We also tried a traditional drink made from corn that tasted like juice, and regrettably never got around to trying guinea pig, a common meal there. As we boarded the plane to Lima with our last-minute tickets that we bought to avoid a 21-hour bus ride, we made a list of all the memorable moments of our trip, and lamented that is was about to end. But at least we still had a day and a half to enjoy the second driest capital in the world!! ...which unfortunately turned out to by quite poor, undeveloped, dirty, dangerous, and slummy, compared to the rest of South America. But at least we were lucky to get that last two beds in a hostel!! ...which also happened to be lodging a few sleazy guys whose first question was "Are you married?" All that I can really highlight about Lima is that we ate an amazing ceviche lunch!! ...which had giant portions and we could eat the leftovers for dinner!!
And then we went to the airport, played cards until Caitlin's 4am flight, and I slept on airport chairs until my 10am flight. But my adventure was still to continue in Ecuador...check back tomorrow to see if I've given up on my blog again, or if I'll actually tell you about Ecuador...
First, to update you all on what I've been doing since my last post....I finished babysitting in early December just in time for a visit from my elementary school friend, Caitlin. We had a great time seeing Iguazu Falls, introducing her to all my friends in San Ignacio, and exploring Buenos Aires before heading to Peru. Despite some pretty bad altitude sickness my first night in Cuzco, we had an amazing time touring the Sacred Valley, excessively purchasing handmade alpaca garments, and drinking various fresh-made medicinal juices to cure our abundance of ailments (we both had minor colds/coughs in additional to her sunburn and lactose intolerance and my altitude sickness and inability to sleep). Being at 3300 meters it was moderately cold, making the Christmas decorations and lights feel natural and logical, in comparison to the awkward snowflakes hung from the lampposts in the 90 degree heat of Buenos Aires. Even though light-up llamas and inflatable alpacas replaced our traditional reindeer and snowmen, it was enough to put us in the Christmas spirit.
The trip just getting to Machu Picchu was, in itself, a quite memorable experience. Switchback turns up and down the steep slopes of the Andes, driving through clouds, going over the peaks of mountains and looking down off the edge of guardrail-less curves at the hundreds and hundreds of meters of trees, rocks, and rivers that we would pass through in a free fall to the bottom of the valley. Oh, and lets not forget the one-lane hand-made rail-less wooden bridge over the river/canyon that we crossed. But it was all worth it to be able see the famous Inca ruins, to see the mysterious blanket of fog that covers these ancient structures every night, and then watch it magically dissipate throughout the morning. It was almost overwhelming to observe the exactness to which each rock was shaped, imagine the effort put forth in transporting these rocks from one mountain to another, all the while keeping in mind that this was built without any type of machinery.
For our last night in Cuzco we celebrated an amazing week with an excellent sheep tongue dinner. Well, for me at least. Caitlin opted for something more normal, but clearly less memorable as I've already forgotten what it was. We also tried a traditional drink made from corn that tasted like juice, and regrettably never got around to trying guinea pig, a common meal there. As we boarded the plane to Lima with our last-minute tickets that we bought to avoid a 21-hour bus ride, we made a list of all the memorable moments of our trip, and lamented that is was about to end. But at least we still had a day and a half to enjoy the second driest capital in the world!! ...which unfortunately turned out to by quite poor, undeveloped, dirty, dangerous, and slummy, compared to the rest of South America. But at least we were lucky to get that last two beds in a hostel!! ...which also happened to be lodging a few sleazy guys whose first question was "Are you married?" All that I can really highlight about Lima is that we ate an amazing ceviche lunch!! ...which had giant portions and we could eat the leftovers for dinner!!
And then we went to the airport, played cards until Caitlin's 4am flight, and I slept on airport chairs until my 10am flight. But my adventure was still to continue in Ecuador...check back tomorrow to see if I've given up on my blog again, or if I'll actually tell you about Ecuador...
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