First Weekend

Twas a long weekend of orientation.  I spent much of it sitting in a room listening to people ramble on about safety, the transit system, and academics.  I may have had my eyes closed, but I swear I was listening!  I wasn't nodding off, I was simply nodding in approval of their ideas...

Anyway, I haven't had much time to do anything other than obligatory school prep, but today I managed to walk around a bit with my camera.  I definitely got to see some cool stuff.  Here are some pictures!

This was just on a wall off  the street.  Pretty sick.

Congress

This was awesome.

Tomorrow I have my first day of class.  I'll be taking a Spanish class, an Argentine History class, and an Argentine Literature class for a total of 9 credits.  Not bad for a 6 week time period.

Unfortunately I have to leave my Starbucks to eat some dinner (it's 9:10 PM, almost dinner time here...)  Perhaps I'll write a real post tomorrow or the next day providing more information about my experiences here.  I'm also in the process of uploading a bunch of pictures to Flickr.com so that you can all see the stuff I choose not to include in the blog.

As promised earlier today, a few pictures.

Me at the airport.  I set my camera on a chair and took a picture of myself.
It's ok, I was the only person there.  No one saw.

My room.

Marble guy bursts out of the base.

Diglet's cousin?

looks like Banksy

In the park.

Angry Jesus.

He Llegado, Finalmente

Well, I finally made it.  The plane trip ended up being all right because I had the whole central row to my self.  I laid out, spanning three chairs, and slept a bit.  Travelling here was quite a headache.  I left my house at around 1PM on Wednesday, and I arrived at my apartment around 12:00PM Friday.  It was a long trip that I'm done thinking about.  No airports for quite a while, and I'm glad.

Now I'm sitting in a Starbucks.  I actually don't really want to drink coffee right now.  I came because I wanted to get on the internet, and this Starbucks is right around the corner from my apartment (which doesn't have WiFi).  Anyway, there was a pretty cool guy working here that I'll probably get to know as the weeks go on and I continue to patronize the place for its internet access.

People here dress well.  It's like the New York of South America.  Tons of beautiful people (juustttt kidding Anna :) ).  More than any other Latin American place I've been, this city seems to be the most 'westernized.'  Aside from the crumbling fringes of the city, it could probably blend in to the United States.

Of course, I've only seen part of this behemoth.  It's a truly massive city with numerous neighborhoods and a complicated transit system to navigate.  Nevertheless, I have been impressed with the art and architecture that I've seen.  The parks are filled with statues and abstract structures which rival Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. in both quantity and quality.  Many of the important buildings boast the classic Greek columns that lasso my intrigue with their elegance and power.  I'm going to walk around after writing this and take some pictures of places around my apartment (though I won't wander too far--I can't get lost today, I have to meet with my school soon).

That said, I don't currently have any pictures to post because I left my camera cord in my room.  Expect photos as soon as tonight or tomorrow morning!

Stuck in Atlanta

Webcam picture.  Better quality photos will come once I get my
other bag which contains my camera cord.

Hey Guys,

Well, I'm stuck in Atlanta, Georgia.  My flight here from Chicago was delayed last night, which caused me to miss my flight to Buenos Aires, so I've been in this airport for the past 14 hours or so.  As it turns out, the night wasn't too bad.  After being shuffled around by some janitors a few times, I found a relatively uninhabited niche where I was able to get a good 5 hours of shut-eye.

I've never lived in an airport before, but I think I could manage surviving here for quite a while if I had a change of socks.  I took a sink shower in the bathroom this morning, but I don't have any new socks to put on, which grosses me out more than I would have thought.

Anyway, there's plenty to do here.  Lots of people-watching and media.  I've watched more hours of CNN in the past 12 hours than I can recall watching in my whole life.  Some of that Tornado footage from Joplin really struck me last night--a lot of crying parents searching for their children.  Reminds me to appreciate my safety and the safety of my family.

I've also done a lot of reading, and I am steadily coming to the conclusion that Neal Stephenson must be some kind of genius.  I'm reading Snow Crash right now, and from the first chapter I knew that he and I must flow along similar brainwaves (not that I'm a genius or anything, he's able to formulate sentences in a way I only wish I could).  Pick it up this summer if you like playful fiction with a bit of sci-fi influence.  Otherwise, check out Cryptonomicon, especially if you're into math, computers and/or WWII history.

(Along that note, does anyone know if the book Anathem is any good?  It's at the bookstore here, and I'm contemplating a purchase.  It's a daunting 1000 or so pages though, so I'd like a reliable recommendation before I dive into that investment of time/money.)

Physically, I'm pretty sore from lying awkwardly all night and slouching all morning.  That's just something I'll have to accept as a symptom of my situation, I suppose.  Comfort and tranquility are not really in the cards.  I slept through a blaring TV last night which kept talking about Oprah, and this morning while I was trying to nap, a cute little 3-4 year old girl fell (or jumped, I'm not really sure) on my face.  For now, I've given up on the sleep issue and paid $7.00 for WiFi for the day.

I'm anxious to get to Argentina, but I'm not really looking forward to the plane ride, which I assume will be agonizing after such a long day of sitting around.  It'd be nice to get some exercise, but my back is starting to hurt from lugging my bags around while I wander the concourses, and I can't just leave them somewhere.  After all, we're dealing with a Code Orange here, and all unattended bags are subject to annihilation by the airport police.

Well, it's about time I head back to Dunkin Donuts for the second time this morning.  Won't be my last time, either.  Only 10 hours until my flight, I gotta make sure I'm close to the gate so I don't miss it. More when/if I make it to Buenos Aires!



"Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world. If I moved to a martial-arts monastery in China and studied real hard for ten years. If my family was wiped out by Colombian drug dealers and I swore myself to revenge. If I got a fatal disease, had one year to live, and devoted it to wiping out street crime. If I just dropped out and devoted my life to being bad." 

 -Neal Stephenson

Last Night at Home

Well, I’m still in the Falls, but I want to write a quick post before I commence my summer separated from all you wonderful people —abroad in the chaotic world beyond my doorstep.  I’ll also use this opportunity to outline my goals for this blog so that you might know what to expect in the coming months.  

Right then.  Oftentimes I begin my personal journal with a brief reflection of how I arrived at my present location, physical or otherwise.  I anticipate that most of my blog posts will mimic this introduction, as it settles my mind, and helps to orient me in the direction I wish to lead myself.  Just so, here I sit. 

Minutes ago I said goodbye to my younger brothers, Dan and Joe, as well as my Dad and Step-mom.  I have returned for the last time to this house on Woodview Drive.  Almost immediately I logged on to Facebook, and I am now sprawled in a chair, an image many of you should be able to envision. After all, I possess a shameless tendency to shift downward into awkward poses when seated for more than a few minutes.  I do it when I’m alone as well; it’s not just for attention!  Indifferent to my embarrassing contortions, the house around me stands like an old friend, holding innumerable memories of my childhood in each of its nooks, and yes, even its crannies. 

Why am I all sentimental about my home, you ask?  Nay, it is not merely a traveler’s tears, wept for a temporary farewell.  It is, quite seriously, my last night here—ever.  I will not be coming back to this place when I return. 

Over the past semester, my Mom has been working to sell this home of over 15 years, and, finally, someone is buying it.  Consequently, I’ve spent the past week here, gutting my room of all the things that made it my own.  The Lord of the Rings posters, shelves upon shelves of books, the ol’ rubik’s cube, AcaDeca medals, clothing, periodic tables, homework, drawings, Pocket Comics booklets, song lyrics, swords, rocks, fossils, photos, keepsakes from grade school, magazines, CDs.  I can hardly call my room mine anymore.  Indeed, when I leave tomorrow, it won’t be.

So here I sit, here I sit. 

I’m not unhappy about moving.  I’m not upset, or angry or disappointed.  It’s just one of those things that nostalgia likes to strangle you with for just a few moments before it lets you move on.  I guess tomorrow I’ll be making that move.

It was a great week finally being home. (Two meanings to the word 'finally'; see what I did there?) I saw a lot of people I didn't expect to see, 100% of them pleasant surprises. Good friends and teachers from Menomonee Falls and elsewhere are responsible for making me the person I am, all inspiration and determination, and I am glad I managed to see some of them once again.

Tomorrow I will embark on the longest journey I have ever been on, and I will be the farthest away from home I've ever been.  Argentina, I think, will not form me.  It probably won’t mold me or define me.  Instead, it will plant seeds of interest and ideas which, I hope, might align me more closely with a future suitable to this goofy brain and body of mine.  I remember Jeff Haubenreich speaking at my high school graduation, repeating the words, "take a healthy risk."  I often think of that phrase, even in the small decisions of everyday life.  But I am sitting here now feeling fortunate that I am capable of taking leaps like this, into the fog of foreign lands and distant from the comfort of friends.  It is from these risks that I intend to significantly magnify my knowledge and appreciation for the world in which I live.

Spanish language, new friendships, unanticipated insight, music, literature, introspection. These are the things I hope to gain, though I know more awaits.

I’ll try to get better about keeping things concise as I go along, so if you found this to be tedious and melodramatic, or simply too philosophical, don’t give up on me just yet. Once I actually start doing things, I'll probably spend less time ruminating dreamily over my purpose in life and more time telling awesome stories.  I hope you enjoy reading me over the next few months—so much adventure and madness to come!  I'll miss you.

Travel Plan for Tomorrow:
Breakfast with Molly Mangan
Finish Packing Up
See Johnny Brodish, Emily Pohl
Leave Menomonee Falls at approx. 1 PM
Leave Chicago to Atlanta
Only a 50 minute layover in Atlanta…a bit nervous about that
Leave USA
Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina the next morning

A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.

-John Steinbeck

Eager to get out of the Falls