Winter Holiday 2008

I am back at home, and have been for the past three weeks. Its been a little awkward, since I don't know what to do around my folks. My parent reunited (they never split unofficial, but were giving each other the silent treatment), but I am still having issues with their dilemma. I have kind of kept distant, but in the next 2 days, I will be far away in Ethiopia...so space is no concern. Some good things have happened these past three weeks. I spoke to PAM! yeah! She has been absent from my life for a long time, but we finally spoke. It was a relief to hear her voice. We did not actually meet up, but I heard her voice. Another cool thing is I found a long lost gift. I knew I always had it, but now I know I have it...it relaxes me to know that it is always close by. haha! Finally I have made numerous friendship bracelets. About 3o. My hope is to make on for every orphan at the Layla house in Ethiopia. I have 120 to go...yikes! I have also been keeping myself busy with all the scholarship, and internship essays due in February. And since i will be gone till April, I have been doing it all now. almost done!!!!
The internship in Ethiopia is exciting. I am finally getting out of here...far away. It has been 6 years in the waiting. I can't wait to leave and see the world. I will have to through three airports...and I hate airports. After the Denver airport experience, which was after 9/11 I feel watched and watched for my every step. I am dreading this part of the journey. However, I am excited about the Layla House. I know I will make the most out of the trip. I am trying not to have expectations, so I can just thoroughly enjoy my time with the kids.
My friends from college have been oh so very nice. Rachel send me 3 mixed CDs with some of our favorite music...very thoughtful! I am sure it will be a great pleasure to listen to on the 16 hour flight. I know will miss the Cougs (jenny, rachel, amelie, anna and caitlyn) but I need this journet to regain perspective on my being, my goals and identity. It will be helpful to have this new experience.
Anna has connected me with a family friend in Addis Ababa name Alula (alex). He sounds very enthusiastic about meeting up with him and his friends. He seems like a very genuine guy. I am excited what he has to show us about his home country!!!!
Its been a very up and down holiday season. It snowed 1 ft. Trapped in the house. Christmas was just another day, and tonight (new year's eve) will be just another night, but day after tomorrow...i will be on my way out...out of salem, out of Oregon, out of the USA, and to a new and unkown culture....its finally here...yeah!!!!!

A Lost Soul

Last night I came upon some sad and horrible news. A friend and high school mentor had passed on. He wasn't a close friend, in fact other than being Thespians and Peer Mentors we never really hung out. But we had good times...laughing, playing around the basement of SSHS with all the other peer mentors and acting on the Theater stage. We had good times together. He, Ben Gerling, was a jovial, upbeat and a kind hearted soul. I remember him being super nice and welcoming to everyone, and was all ways the heart of the party. Whoever he was with, he made them smile...including me. His passing was in May... We weren't in touch other than facebook, and I didn't really hang out with him since our lives took different paths after high school. But I have to say, that this news has impacted me deeply. I remember hearing about through the grapevine, but thought it was just an absurd rumor. But now, I know its the truth. I think I was not ready to deal with it earlier, since it hits close to home. Knowing that such a inspiring person can be in such trouble and pain and no one knew...including me. His departure isn't unnoticed, and his presence will always be with us...always. He was an active man...ROTC-airforce, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and was senior at Oregon State, just a few weeks shy of graduation. A man of his word and lived what he valued...a man that everyone should srtive to be. His absences just makes me a little more confused, and more of a lost soul.

Ben- I shed a few tears, cried a little stream, but in the end I came out smiling...just i always did when I was with you...it always has been smiles, and everytime I think of you, it will be just so. I am blessed and thankful that I had the chance to be part of your life. Om Mani Padme Hum!

An Eventful Weekend

It has been a fantastic weekend. Quite stressful, but yet eventful. I help raise 1250 dollars for the AIDS treatment cause in Rwanda, in honor of Worlds AIDS Day. I wrote 27 pages for three different classes, and crocheted 3 hats. Also taught Amelie how to crochet. It was legitimately a productive weekend. Now I am done with finals, and have four months of interning in Ethiopia ahead of me. No paper, no exams and no homework...just working in my passion. I can't wait...hopefully my check from Bill Gates will come before i leave...or i am pretty screwed. woops!
All i have left is to pack up and move out of 1518 Kincaid...and say bye to all me friends. SAD!

Seperation...Divorce...

The title suggest something legal...but right now its still informal. The house is silent...ama on one end listening to the oldies of India/Nepal, and on the end Buwa tweaking his resume for future jobs. And Raj, in the middle of all things, just as clueless as I last saw him. Something happened, and no one is talking. Awkward, yet emotional. I don't know who to talk to, or even what to do. Legal action will never be taken, that would blasphemous to the culture, but yet its already damaging the atmosphere. They talk but to me and not each other. I have probed and poked, but not a word. Silence pierced the air like a thousand cymbols clashing in untimely manner creating a constant, unavoidalbe ringing behind all the facades. All in all it wasn't a too bad of a Thanksgiving.

I mean i did have fun with the fam. We made food...pizza, cheese cake, pecan pie, couli flower, rice, chicken (my fav) and whole bunch more. I crocheted, watched a lot of movies, and hung out with Raj. I shopped in the store we own. Since it is closing I was able to pick out whatever I wanted...15 scarves, 3 trousers, 5 skirts, and a pouch full of sterling silver and jewled jewelery. I hugn out with Raj, after the longest time of his constant NOs. We watch Transporter 3 together...it was nice to have him around. It was an unoffical dasai, christmas, and birthday combined. I also got the trench coal my folks bought me...i like it...a lot....

but... there was a silence through out the whole holiday. And yet it causing a lot of noise in my paranoid mind. Two weeks from now I will be back home, and I hope the silence will have passed. It will never be legal, but its still there, presenting and unfolding itself uncomfortably. I don't know what to do if it doesn't heal by then...I love them - all of them...and I don't know what to do. At the moment I am back at college...living a different life. Its an escape, but yet I feel guilty for having this escape. Its an escape none of them can have. But yet...I wish they experienced it too. But life isn't what we want...hopefully in two weeks, I'll have what i want out of life - noise.

Am I Hormonal?

These days I have been taking things a little personally. I have broken down into tears three times in two weeks. Generally I can go a month without shedding a drop, but lately it hasn't been the case. Maybe this part of my maturity growth spurt that I have been waiting for. Generally, I am a little immature and funky with the peeps, but I have realized that I am trying to hide behind my-not-so-funny humor. And in that realization, I have become vulnerable. My friends, love them to death, have never had to face a serious issue about me. I have been there for there ups and downs, break ups and so on...but I tend to try to keep things light hearted. There is always the joker in the group, that gets a rude awakening...and I think that is me. Every little thing people say to me I feel like I take it personally, especially when the talking is behind my back. I know that people gossip in a sorority. Its the naturally order when a 100 girls live under one roof. But to have an issue with me and not discuss it with me justs hurts. I know I am messy, I know I am all over the place, just ask me to clean and I will. I know its not their duty...but to discuss it when I am not in the room just hurts. simple as that.
Also, when my really close friends call me out, in PUBLIC, because generally that is funny, it is not FUNNY. I have a face to maintain...yeah i may be goofy and crazy but I have boundaries. It may be joke amongst us, but to others and new acquaintances...its not that funny. And then to say SORRY five seconds later isn't funny.
Then this weekend, I helped put together a party...and I was left hosting the event when the people of the house, and my dear friends abandoned ship. It wasn't to bad...but I was left by myself. I thought I was gonna hang with them all night. I feel like when I have put my all into their ups and downs, the can put a little into my downs too.
I guess my attitude is changing...and I wish it wouldn't be this hormonal...haha! Maybe I should be taken a little more seriously. Just because I don't have boy drama or issues, doesn't mean I don't have insight, opinions, or emotions.

IT MATTERS!

From my last post, you can see that I am a little preoccupied by my identity. It doesn't bother me to keep it inside, but when I try to give my completely white friends an insight by sharing my feelings I feel they should give me respect by listening. I am not asking them to relate, but to hear me out. I am there for their troubles, their issues, their dilemmas. But the minute I turn a little serious, and am not my normal obnoxious self...I am not given the time to be heard. Last night Jenny(my bosom buddy) and I had very therapeutic talk, that enabled me to open up and breathe. She has a calming and insightful way about her, which always centers my thoughts. But then today I am shut up-ed with a single sentence by another friend...the sentence being..."that doesn't matter."I was telling my friend about how my abroad experience in Ethiopia is going to be different from the other blond , blued eyed intern. And her response - "that doesn't matter," without letting me finish. Are you kidding me!!!!! It matters to ME!!!! It matters when the your identity, race, ethnicity, whatever it is called is in the color of your skin. It matters when your skin color shapes the interactions and the relationships that can grow or not grown from the first encounter. It matters when you walk into a room full of blonds, and leave because of a subconscious distress. It matters when someone says, "Oh, I have a guy friend who likes Indian girls." Excuse me, can guys only like Indian girls or none at all....and I AM NOT INDIAN! It matters when you can feel isolated, different and detached because of it. It matters when feel like an outsider in the place one calls home and it does matter when you have no one to share it with.
So do not tell me "that it doesn't matter?" BECAUSE IT DOES!!!

In Between Worlds, Cultures,and Lifestyles...

The election of Barack Obama as the future president of the USA, with the combination of Comparative Tribalism (better fitting title would be Cultural Identity) class I have been taking has made me question my identity. I am between worlds, cultures and lifestyles. I don't fit the picture of America's daughter; I don't have blue eyes, or blond hair. But I also don't fit the picture of my heritage; the obedient, dutiful daughter of Nepalese parents. Between the two I have found a path that I lead my life on. But yet I need a definition. I crave an identity, but none fits. Society has not created one for me. So where do i fit in the art of taxonomy? Who are my people? Do I have any?
Living on both sides of the world, i feel that both sides are my home, and at the same neither is mine to claim as home. I am an insider and yet and outsider in the same breath. This could be an over dramatization of my emotions, but yet I feel strongly, since it pertains to my being. It pertains to every stolen silence, every conversation, every interaction and every private moment, it clouds my thought. With the recent election, the identity of Americans has been pulled inside-out. With the first black-white president ready to take the throne, America seems to finally be represented with some cultural authenticity. Black or white doesn't represent the races, and ethnicity's of all America, but it is the start of recognition of the true American identity. The election of mixed-race present w/ more pigment than any of his fellow predecessors isn't contrived, or forced like a Safeway advertisement on a semi-truck. But is a celebration of genuine acceptance of what America really is. Obama's struggle as a black kid in Hawaii, or as white kid amongst his black friends shows the struggle America's identity. But with his election all isn't not calmed. I am still conflicted...am I American or Nepalese...or both...can I be both. The world is changing...and I am somewhere, still in between worlds, cultures and lifestyles. I am sorority girl at college, whose friends are American by the picture definition, but at the same time I am a descendant of Nepalese forefathers, a Hindu follower and cultural practitioner of my parent's homeland.
I was told today that I am obsessed with my cultural identity. But how can I not be. It surrounds me all the time. Walking down the street I have been called terrorist. Entering a classroom I am the ONE student of color. At airports or at international borders, I am watched or checked thoroughly before I show the officer the proof of my US citizenship - my passport. Each time I enter the sorority house, I am visually reinforced with the images of the picture perfect American girl. There are no mashed potatoes, a fat turkey, or a Thanksgiving grace during Thanksgiving. On Christmas there is no tree, presents, eggnog, or chimes from Santa's sleigh bells. At the same time, I am considered a foreigner in Nepal. I surprise my extended family in Nepal with my ability to speak Nepalese. There is no formal Dasai/Diwali celebrations. There are no cousins or blood relatives within a 1000 miles of me in all directions. Every death of a family member is just another tally mark of a family member I didn't get to know, and will never know. "Who was I, who shed no tears at the loss of his own?" Simply put, I am just here, between worlds, cultures and lifestyles.
Do you still think its not reasonable to be OBSESSED with my identity. When I try to share my thoughts and emotions with friends, I am told to be exaggerating my feelings, but they don't understand...they can't understand...unlike me, they can at least pass as a picture of the American dream, the dream my parents are still working for.
Obama's face is beginning to put the wheels of American's cultural identity in motion. But, at the same time, I still meandering between worlds, cultures, and lifestyles...one thing is for sure..."My identity might begin with the fact of my race, but it didn't, couldn't, end here. At least this what I choose to believe."

"A New Dawn"

That the heading of many newspapers today...here in Eugene and in Europe. Its the banner for the presidential elect OBAMA! Finally, a hopefully president who can bring the USA back to the forefront in the global sphere. He has broken boundaries and barriers to get there. Half white, and half black, Obama is perfect picture in my mind that symbolizes USAmerica's people. i am beyond excitement and words...however, in preparation for my intern in Ethiopia, I am having a horrible reaction to the yellow fever shot I had yesterday. Added to my cramps, my physical body is lethargic, in pain and screaming for rest...and my mind is racing on and on about OBAMA. Its was 349 to 147 electrol votes win by OBAMA. No contestation! It surely is a new dawn!

The Month of September!

So, its been an entire month since i last "blogged." I know, I know...blogging...but I guess its now one of my things! haha! Anyways, a lot has gone down this past month. First off, I moved from Eugene back to Salem. The first week I roamed around the house and cleaned up the garbage I had collected throughout the last two years. My dad came and picked me up, and he has Mitsubishi Jeep kind of car... and the entire back including the backseats wear jam packed. There wasn't a pocket of breathing air or ability to move my arms or my legs. I had to watch the lamp while balancing a basket on my lap, and making sure my long board doesn't roll onto my head. Anyways, I got home sorted trash from treasure and cleaned up room. The next week I went to CAMP, not as a counselor but as a CAMPER!!!! The camp was LEADERSHAPE at Camp Collins. It was held by the UO and 60 other students attended. It was the time of my life...everyone was super chill, and genuinely interested in each other. We broke down each others barriers and became friends and compadres. Not very often do you gain 60 friends who want you to succeed as a leader, an individual and a human being. IT WAS FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!!!!! Anyways, there is a reunion on OCTOBER 7th, MY BIRTHDAY!!!! I know its going to be pretty sweet! After that I went back home, and lulled around the house even more. But then September 22nd I boarded a mini bus with my family(Ama, Buwa and Raj) and drove up to Seattle to board a CRUISE!!!! PARTY!!! However, on the bus, my dad was trying (a little to hard in my opinion) to be the bus comic! ugh...His act is to talk super loud and make egotistical jokes the target women and my mom. They aren't so bad...some of them are genuinely funny...but he is so LOUD! Sometimes I think he forgets that there are other people who want to sleep or focus on something else. But as we boarded the Ship things got better (per say)...The cruise overall was pretty fun. We went up to the Vancouver Islands in Canada. Stopped in Nanaimo and Victoria. We did the whole tourist thing and partied on the ship! Day 4 (which was Day at Sea) I was sea sick...but also saw Killer Whales (orcas - spelling?). That was the highlight, other than hangin' with the fam. We definitely played 20 hands of cards (oti and kali budi). Anyways 5 days later the cruise ended I moved back down to Eugene for the beginning of SCHOOL! I moved into the sorority and settled my belongings. All the other girls ("sisters") moved in a week ago and were working on recruitment. I am so OUT OF THE LOOP! while other girls are working on conversation, posture, and rotation groups...I get the exciting job of holding the door open. I know I shouldn't be critical, I mean Martha the coordinator has done fabulous a job, everything is great, but holding the door is pretty mundane! oh well! Its part of being a sister! and i truly love it. The past two days being in Eugene has been very sweet...reunion with old friends and seeing old faces was the highlight in the last two days! I hung out with my girls...Rachel, Jenny, Caitlyn, Anna, and Amelie. Played frisbee, eat thai food, meet up with Kathryn, unpacked and settled in...All in all it was an eventful month. Tomorrow is the first day of a new school year...and i will be a junior. YIKES...crunch time...I gotta get my shit together! haha!

The Most Spectacular Day of My Life!

Well the day entailed:

• being hit on by this amazingly hot guy at work, who saw my art work and called me "the artist" (when I mean hot....I mean HOTTTT!)
  
• seeing him on the street 3hrs later, and still calling me "the artist"
• seeing my high school crush, who rejected me on facebook, but I didn't acknowledge him (harsh I know, but he was cold first)
• doing art - 3 portraits!
  
• reaching half way into my book - Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger
• making a new friend while catching up with an old friend
• figuring out my thesis...well, not exactly but an outline idea of it!

So, its only 6:20pm and I am going to the movies...so it can't get any worse!
Did I mention the cute guy who called me an artist! AHHH I am in heaven!
Tomorrow will have high expectations! haha

This Boy...

So, this past year I've been hanging around campus...doing the usual - taking classes, being a sorority girl, and chillin' with my peeps. But lately, I have been noticing this boy! He is not my type...actual just the opposite. Anyways, I see him everywhere. I am not sure if I have a crush on him....but since I see him at every corner, and my mind can't help to think about who he is. I could just go up to him and ask his name... and be the stalker we all are on Facebook.com. It really is that simple, but I think i like the anonymity. Its this weird thing of imagining his personality and who he is. He probably is just the opposite in real life, and I don't want to be disappointed. Maybe till we official meet, I'll have to just have to enjoy the mysteriousness. haha!
But the other day I was out on a bike ride on the Fern Ridge path. I usually go out till West 11th past the target region, but as I was 20 minutes into the ride I saw him. He was on his road bike zooming off in the opposite direction onto the other side of the forked path. He didn't see me because of this big shrub..bush...tree. But I saw him. Within the possibilities of choices, my biked changed directions, following him onto the nearby street. I followed...cough cough...stalked this boy for ten minutes...completely legit - I was on a bike ride too, right? Anyways, we parted ways...alas. Actually the truth is that the light turned red when I reached the intersection. It was God and all his mighty ways of saying STOP! RED LIGHT! haha! I guess boys are still red lights. haha! anyways, it made my evening till the next time I see this boy...

Home Sweet Home?

My summer classes just finished...hoorah! I procrastinated to the last minute...I turned in my research paper five minutes before the deadline...phew! But now that I am free, free as a bird to fly high, I am just busying myself with friends and books. I probably should clean the apartment though. My roommate, Alison, moved out without even letting me know. I mean her stuff is still here, I am sleeping on her futon since my mattress in back breaking, but she hasn't set foot in the apartment in over a week and half. She's back home and Portland...hope all is well, really!
But last week was average... stress from my own procrastination, and work! I went to the beach- Florence,OR and it was beautiful. There were these sand dunes that were fun to jump around in. Later my friends and I made a sand castle...well, we attempted to make a sand castle. We ended up digging a massive hole in sand to get access to water, and then tripping in the hole non stop!haha! Good 'Ole Mo's is where we picked up some grub and headed back to E-Town! Its was beautiful day all in all. This week...has been stressful, as mentioned earlier due to my expertise in procrastination. But this past Thursday, I was relieved from my academic work. Now, all I have is work, and the hopes to finish two books - Shantaram by Gregory Roberts and Tirstan by Gottfried Von Strassburg. i just think the author's name of the latter book is amazing. I wish people still had names like that - Gottfried Von Straussburg...sounds very important and educated. People are now Chris and James...what happened to to the Thaddeus, Theodores, and Bartholomews of our generation. SAD!!! Anyways, the book is the epic age old story of Tristan and Isolde...Romance!
This past Wednesday, there was an HC photo shoot for new brochures and pamphlets. Students in the area came together and poised in awkward situation with professor's pretending to carry on a dialogs. I was in a few scenarios, but the best was with the new science prof. Sam. She had this massive horse femur in her hands, and we had to pretend to be intrigued by this massive calcified structure. Anyways, I was trying to help by asking question, so it didn't seem out interaction was to contrived. My question was - When horses break their legs, why is it such a big mishap, why do they have to put the horse "down"? Well, she answered the question, and then said, "Does anyone else have stupid questions?" CAN YOU BELIEVE THE PROFESSOR SAID -STUPID QUESTION...ugh! I am never taking a class from her.
Anyways, I have two weeks of nothing but work. Babysitting and my front desk position. I think they'll be fun and relaxing. After that, I will be going home for the month of September, to spends so quality time with my folks. I am a little worried...I tend to get bored in that town and can become quite cranky...But I guess I'll make the best of it! Towards the end of the month, I am going on a cruise...so stoked about that! It will be the perfect refresher before college starts all over again!

California Bound

So...life has been exquisite lately! Friends, fun and San Fran! Even though I am sitting in my overheated apartment sweating off marbles...I still am having a blast. I am behind on my school work...but yet, I have had such an amazing time this past week! Everything seems so enjoyable! It began with the random book club admires of Twilight I met randomly. We just read the series cover to cover and devoured every romantic moment, and wished the Edward Cullen was real. UHH!! if only! But then after nights of debates over Twilight (which I have to admit can be embarrassing) I was invited to go to SAN FRANCISCO the next day. An impromptu road trip...I am in! It was a blast! Even though gas was the main expense I still enjoyed the bay area and the perfect weather. The agenda was filled with the normal tourist spots, but SAN FRAN is a city to remember... HAIGHT & ASHBURY, FISHERMAN'S WHARF, PIER 39, THE CHOCOLATE SQUARE, THE GORGEOUS ARCHITECTURE + GIRLFRIENDS = A freakin' awesome time! We just explored, people watched and took a $5 boat ride! I managed to moon the other tourists with my Marylin Monroe move, when my skirt blew up! YIKES! and was accosted by a drug dealer...sketch. But that just added to the hype of being in a big city....as bella would put- DAZZLING! haha...inside joke! The nights were filled with yummy feasts provided mr and mrs Godfrey....yumm...mohitos...amazing too!
Lately I have been procrastinating! Well, in all honestly I always procrastinate...but now its the point where I have to get the work done...ughh! Damn...so comes the end of the blissful week and a few days in the library...oh i should make an ode to college!
Anyways, I cashed a few checks lately...so I no longer have five bucks to my name, and I found a new favorite movie...Dangerous Beauty...from the same producers as my other fav movie - Legend of the Fall. Romance...Scandal...Drama...True Love...tickles me funny! haha

This is for Anna!

Chapter 30...thats right!

"Oh. My. God...Oh My God You Guys"

So, life in the good ole' Eug is pretty sweet so far....even though I have been spending too much money...its taken a toll on bank account, and even my parents have gotten on my case. YIKES! So, I am trying, but not really succeeding at conserving money. But all in all life has been pretty chill... My daily routine just consists of me competing with Anna on how far we've read in to Shantaram, and chillin', maxin' and relaxin' with her. The daily grind continues with school and work. I got an "A" in both of my classes the last session. woo-hoo! My GPA shall rise! yeah baby! My course this session (INTL 431) is taught by this really gregarious dude from Santa Monica, so its super cool...we talk about what is the American culture! I think that is a very very lengthy subject. Anyways, my days go by pretty fast, nothing to strenuous but nothing to dull...but last night I watched the season finale of The Search for the Next Elle woods for the Legally Blond Musical on Broadway...it makes me wish that i was blond, blue eyed lady, with amazing pipes to burst out into a song...But that role would also require me to be white...so thats out the window...I'll settle for playing Jasmine in Aladdin. haha as if! in any case, I am in love w/ musicals now! "Oh my god. Oh my god you guys..." has to be my favorite line at the moment.
Other happenings include - loving the screening Batman : A Dark Knight, and enjoying Cafe Yumm. Plus, I have an interview there, and I might get a second job...just to make up for my crazy spending. I am also planning a picnic for the Pi Phi ladies...but lets see who shows up...doubt many ladies will show up...since they are mostly out town, state and country. Pi phizzle!! My folks are out at Tahoe for a little R& R - and an interview. I hope my dad gets the job there...It would be so much fun down in TAHOE. The slopes, the lake,me, a cup of cocoa, the view...now thats what i call a life! haha! Don't get me wrong - I still love SALEM! So till next time - laters child!

Ps- I have pretty much got the official word -I am going to Ethiopia for winter term! Adios Eugene!

Maturity!

So, I just turned in my application for my Internship abroad, and I have to say it was very exciting to get the ball rolling on my future adventures. However, when I was with my Internship coordinator, she opened up my recommendations right in front of me. Seeing the evaluation lay right in from of me, my integrity went out the window and my human flaw - curiosity took over. Then I noticed that my instructor for my international class ranked me as "mostly mature" for all my categories. mostly mature - for all categories - SERIOUSLY! I know I am not as classy, or elegant as I could be...but, not even one category could be marked as "mature". I know its one evaluation...but I can't help but think why? Am I that unexperienced? Just because I don't have a degree from a super-uber hippie school, and have knowledge on everything relating to developmental ideologies, and every historical fact while being a film buff...who knows every off beat but cool film....doesn't mean I am not mature. I am either super annoyed, therefore venting or I am jealous of my instructor's knowledge. I don't even think I make sense...but the "mostly matured" just made irritated me...I guess, since I dedicated an entire paragraph to it on my blog. Anyway, the progress on my application began today. After turning it in, I got a phone call, letting me know that I have an interview this upcoming Friday! YEAH! Finally, I got the ball rolling on my abroad adventures.

Moving on, this past Sunday I went to the Oregon Country Fair out in Veneta, Oregon; which is 13 miles out of Eugene. It was the most hot, icky, mushy, and sticky day I could have chosen to go to a fair and rub up against everyone else. The fair is held out on Ken Kessey (author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) grounds, and is shaped in this one mile shaped giant 8, or from a horizontal view would be an infinity sign (thank you Zach). The heat was so compact and cinching, that the dusty covered with straw, had to be watered every 40 minutes, to keep the dust from overtaking the air...hence the musty smell from the wet hay. On top of that the people there...some of the people had slept over there for three days, which filled the air with lovely aroma of SWEAT! no...eew. Then being a country/hippie fair, everything was exotic, from food, to incense to art....basically the fair was combination of overwhelming smells, which by the end burnt out my olfactory sense. But I loved the people watching...from little kids dressed up as pixies playing recorders, or older topless women with painted boobs and crazy costumes of the hippie peeps. I loved watching, but I am sure I looked like a sore thumb with my OREGON t-shirt. But I had a sweet time. Plus, I was with Jenny... and we always have a good time, even if I hated the smell. On the way out, we saw a full on exorcism. SCARY!!! This lady was speaking tongues...shaking...and shouting while holding onto two other people. They were all with closed eyes and connected with their hands. I didn't enjoy that. Nightmares!!!!
This week is the last week of class for this summer session, so I have finals on Friday! Not cool. I have to get my act together and play the role of diligent student...and get the study guide done! BEFORE FRIDAY!

But other than that, its been the usual...School, work, sleep, and Anna-banana! Last night I hung out at her place with her pops, and we talked about the fun of work places. Sounds like he was a little bit of a rebel and trouble maker at his work! Oh, the good ole' days!
I talked to my pops today, and he let me know that I have an entire 5 dollars in the bank! So, that means till the 1st of August which is a whole two weeks away....I am broke! SAD!

Reelin' in the Good Times!

Its been while, to be precise - one month, and a lot has happened. Where to begin. Rewind to June and the last day of finals! It was the day that roommates moved out. Cardboard boxes were scattered everywhere, dust bunnies hopped around the missed Apartment P # 174 and one by one my roommates left for summer. One went back to Hillsboro, the other to LO and to internship at KINK radio station, and the last to Columbia Univ. NY! And me,
I was stuck chasing those dust bunnies around the apartment in good ole' Eugene. I knew that, being the last one to pack up and leave, I would have more cleaning responsibilities, but in the end I made about 20 trips to the dumpster (and this isn't an exaggeration), and spent 10 hours or more packing my junk and getting the apartment cleaned up. But now I am guaranteed to get the $300 deposit back to pay for my August rent. haha! The viscous cycle of paying rent, gotta hate it, gotta love it! So I too, picked up my random collection of pop culture, and moved across the river into my new abode...which in a sentence is dungeon, since it has horrible lighting, no furnishings, and a window in which the people from the hallway can see in! My life would be on display if I didn't keep the shades down. Since its only three months, I didn't bother with any furniture...just a weirdly shaped mattress to rest my eyes on and to dream another dream. My current roommate, is super chill, and sweet, and the perfect roomie for the summer. She too, is taking classes and working, so we are both pretty busy.

As for classes, I am taking Evolution of Human Sexuality and International Development. The first class, is pretty interesting since we delve into why humans invest so much in mate selection and sex!!! But i have to say, I know now more than I really wanted to know. I guess I liked somethings left up to the imagination. But somethings...cough...childbirth...cough... shall be branded into my brain for awhile. Its all natural but do I really want to replay it in my mind....Nope...since one day I will have to fit a brain through my canal too...AGGH! In my International Studies class more than half the student is international students, who get lost in translation, so everything is repeated twice. Plus there is a guy who looks like a Simpson character and MUMBLES at everything the instructor says. He is the kid in every class that thinks he knows everything already, and has to comment on the instructor's info. Oh god...shoot me! Its only 4 weeks...thankfully! But I like the subject, which makes the class tolerable.

Work is the usual, but my free time is pretty sweet. Its basically consist of my favorite past times...sleeping or hanging out with my peeps. This summer, Anna - my Latin lover and free spirit and I have been chillin' at her crib and hangin' around town. Our new addiction, well at least my new addiction is Cafe Yumm. Yep, I pretty much eat everything out of bowl because of that place! haha. love it! We checked out the Olympic Track and Field Trials out a few times. Walked around the festival and danced away 4th of July to Samba Ja at the trails. I saw Galen Rupp, Andrew Wheating, and Kara Goustcher make it to Beijing...by saw...I mean on the big screens on the turf fields next to the stadium...aka...the fan zone. I wasn't cool enough to get in the actual stadium. Some lady approached us and gave us tickets randomly one day, but since she already went the tickets were useless. But all in all, I saw some great muscular bodies, and worked on very needed tan! jk!

As for my folks up in Salem, they are just doing the same ole' business. But I hear the are going to Reno, NV and then over to Lake Tahoe soon! That should be an adventure! Wish I could tag along, but once again I'll be cracking the books for school! All in all summer has been... AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Better than I expected!
Here's quick list of adventures:

1) Moved apartments - sad =(
2) Had Prince Puckler's...guilty pleasure
3) Watched Hancock - one bad ass superhero
4) Went on two hr bike ride - when the sun was at it's peak - crazy idea
5) LEARNED TO RIDE MY BIKE W/OUT HANDLEBARS - sweetness
6) Finished eight credits in 4 weeks - love it
7) Explored Saturday Market
8) Became INFATUATED w/ Cafe Yumm...yumm...yumm..yumm
9) Hung out w/ new friends around a fire pit...toasty
10) Witnessed the Trials...muscles and all
11) Maintained my Sober Summer policy...hardcore
12) Got a proposal and declined (thank you ama and buwa)...amen
13) And relaxed with Anna Banana!!!!!!!BOMB!

I know...its been pretty nice compared to last summer...but even though I don't live with cats anymore...I still have a dislike for them...a few exceptions for calicos, gingers, and overweight felines...but they still freak me out!

Till Next time - Laters

PS- I think I am going to Ethiopia for an Internship next winter!!!!!!

The age old DEBATE!

My world revolves around a handful of people! My girlfriends, and my folks up in Salem. Together they make my crazy cool life! But... in some random moments I wish my extended family came to the rescue. However, from what I hear, the Pacific Ocean is a pretty big to fly over...well these days its more expensive to fly over. Its been seven years, not a word, not a letter or a face. I carry their biological imprint, but have more of a environmental influence. Nature vs. Nurture. The same old debate! I choose Nurture, cause thats when My Sex in the City girls can have a night out on the town, or when my folks go crazy in playing card games, and where I can just be me! SWEETNESS! and Nature can go get LOST!!!!!!!!!!!
I am not trying wallow and be emo about life, but when you are blocked out...for no reason, when you extend your hand...all I have to say is KARMA!

STRESSED!!!!!!!!!!!

So, its finals week - therefore I am stressed 24/7. I may seem relaxed on the outside, but one little thing will make me burst like a Mt. Saint Helens. Well maybe a more active volcano will do a better job in describing my stress level. However, I have somehow managed to pull off the procrastination and survive this dreaded week. Board Games, Indiana Jones, and chocolate have been outlet. Unfortunately the chocolate hasn't done wonders to my booty. Oh well! Its finals week, I don't need to just justify my eating habits. Speaking of eating habits, this summer while in school I am going to eat healthy. It going to be all about the greens! I love salads, I just am lazy in preparing them - but this summer that is all going to change! I am already mentally getting myself psyched for it - so I know I can do it! But till then, I'll piled under a stack of textbooks...trying to make sense of my academic career!

Juno and Wicked - the philosphy of my life!

My friend from Ecuador, who left when I posted my first and only blog in the past nine months returns home today. It seems that nothing too interesting happened in her absence since I've unconsciously forgotten about the "Blogspot.com". 9 months later, and i still can't say rhinoceros correctly and have checking balance of 20 dolla' bills you. Thats an improvement, I guess.
Its weird, the whole world has changed - Nepal is now a democratic nation with a communist majority, Castro basically relinquished his power to nepotism, Obama is the skinny orator who has a big chance of winning the US throne, and Norway has become the richest per capita state in the world - due to untapped Oil resources (hint,hint...President Bush!) And yet, here I am, 9 months later still in the same little bubble I have created for myself. A niche that at times I take for granted or even get complacent in. But do I want change. Do I like change? I always pride myself on being accepting and open minded, but if I fear change, I am not really accepting person then. AGHHH! I am so indecisive too. Just pull the bandage, quick and dirty - just like baby moses! Baby steps for me! For Rachel- I am going to try defying gravity. Close my eyes and leap!!!! lets see in another 9 months - till then, its all baby steps!