coming up for air

beautiful things often happen
when you don't know anymore

i've never worked for a cause where it's two steps forward, three back...every single time...

until now.

snow is magical.

my computer is sick.
with the equivalent of the swine.

30,000

'i cried myself
to sleep
last night...
for the world' -ss

'i have seen the others and i have discovered
that this fight is not worth fighting' -d

i love watching my mood change right before my eyes.
i was tired, irritated and sassy before i even stepped out the door this morning.
but my lebanese grandfather made my day.
and so
i'm making big plans
that involve law school.

i have some sort of sick obsession with listening to one song over and over for days, weeks even. i can't explain it and that's what makes it so freeing.

"she was the one to hold me
the night the sky fell down
and what was i thinking when the world didn't end"

thanksgiving was full. of love and food and laughs. just as it should be.

friendsgiving was beautifully cliche and madly us.

december is knocking and i'm running to open the door and twirl in the snowflakes.

sometimes it just feels so right to tell the people that mean something,
that they mean something.

i cannot tell you how much i loved this film...

it's the weekend. and it's november. and it's amazing.

i'm well rested and back to normal. and the sun is shining and everything is yellowish. and the leaves are crunchy.

i've had my morning mocha and i've been productive.

i'm working on research on the Iraqi Economic Sanctions and it makes me not believe in our government. they're just people i guess, but it seems to me, that they're pretty incompetent people. confession: i didn't vote. i'm exercising my right to disprove of democracy.

i just caught a glimpse of my goals for 2009 and i've got some work to do before jan. 1st!

if i ever needed an extra hour in my life,
it's this weekend...

life has a way of being deliciously depressing sometimes

beyond the sky

beyond all telling...

with his hand

he'll wipe away the tears

that stain

our eyes...

-fo

i wonder all the time about all these details that don't matter: the politics of the world. there will always be war and poor and suffering. and so i fill the time with such things while i dodge destiny. and maybe i've been pretty good at hiding for a while now. and maybe it will never find me. but at the end of the day, in my dying breath, it will be there. staring me down, like i'm the deer and it's the headlights.

i cannot think of life using the word 'career'. i don't ever want one of those. ever.

technology has hurt us more than it has helped us.

people should smile more. just a little more.

music is powerful. it does not need translation.
i need translation. sometimes within my own mind.
and that's when you know,
you're crazy

tonight's the night the world begins again,
and there's hope in every new day...
there's goodness
and bravery
and righteousness
and there's you and me
starting over
all over again...

ambition was her death.

i think a lot about the things i want to remember, that are worth remembering.

today i took a cat nap. literally. ella the cat joined me.

i have a newfound obsession with T.I.. Honestly he is talented. plus he named one of his sons Messiah Y'majesty...

right now, the word opportunity keeps resurfacing and bouncing through conversations. and hand in hand with opportunity is the question of equality.

i think that americans have a false sense of opportunity. we fool ourselves into thinking that every person has the chance, of a lifetime, to prove themselves and create something better. we deny the reality, that is our class system. we aren't all middle class. over 80% of americans will classify themselves as middle class. we are confined but just brainwashed into thinking that opportunity is equal.

and trust me. it has hit me hard this week. we aren't equal. we are capitalists. and that's okay i guess. but it's high time we recognize it instead of living in this mirage.

i believe that everything happens for a reason. but because i believe this, i have to come to terms with the fact that the reason might be that i was an idiot.

i pretty much live at this bookstore in nw dc called politics and prose. and everytime i'm there i think about how amazing it is that i can read. i can learn about whatever i want. it's really beautiful to be able to soak in the world, for better or worse.

some people in this world really suffer. and it's too easy for me to forget that when i'm just living. and the ironic part? i want to dedicate my life to those who suffer. and i still put it in the back of my mind lots of times.

but then again, problems are always forgetable with distance and time.

everything is forgetable with distance and time.

this never gets old...

i had the most amazing week!

i'm offically interning at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq...
and i'm working for an amazing professor...
and i got to bike ride in the woods...
and my friends are beautiful,
especially in the rain...

and so
from the only socialist you know:
happy labor day

i was aching for deepness and now that i have attained the conversations that
really matter, i just want my mind to stop hurting and running. life is funny like
that though, we always want what we used to have. simplicity.

as i'm internship shopping, i keep telling myself that it's the small things that
matter. every decision is important. one small thing can change the course of
a life.

indecisiveness will be my death.
or an overdose on cheese.
it's a toss up.

i am feeling very inspired to be pure of heart...

i like d.c. far more than i'll ever let on...

i guess it's just one benz too many...

if i were a politician i'd outlaw fancy cars and watches. they're just silly. oh and the politicians too...

what is it about late night that makes me think? is it the silence or the darkness that tunes out all of the life and lets the real world settle and come into focus?

my plans never work out. long-term, that is. and I’m always disappointed in the end. and I sometimes get nervous that I will die disappointed. and what a terrible state that would be to end in.

I am tired, but I don’t want to sleep. I just want to think, to plan, to find my bearings and set my path once again. but once again, the clouds are protecting the stars and perhaps me, from the dangers of knowing where I am and where I’m going.

apologies for the neglect of my baby (that is my blog) since getting my act back together in cleveland. it's just been really full. yeah, full is the best adjective, not busy, but full.

so i'm back at the factory, working with fluffies, slickwick, tow motors, palate jacks and poison packs. i know i shouldn't, but i do really like working. i hop on the ten speed, put in my honest eight hours, eat meat and potatos and sleep.

family and friends are wonderful. really really wonderful. it is like nothing has changed but everything has changed. and it's all still wonderful.

in light of my need to start studying for my finals (which i'll take my first week back in dc) and my need for some clearly defined down time, i'll be taking a break from the blog. i need to think about it's direction (was this just a travel thing) to see if i'll continue and add other fascets interest... just need to let that slow cook in the old oven for a little while.

thanks for reading...

i'm back. and it feels strange. and everything is wider....

‘it’s like forgetting the words, to your favorite song’ –rs

this week I have been very wrapped up in me. and now, I’m understanding that that was a very bad thing to do. my exams were ‘suspended’ due to the swine flu outbreak here. but instead of taking it as it was, I got angry at the situation. I demanded to change my flight and go home early. but now in retrospect that was a premature decision. and so, I got angry at myself all over again for making a mistake (but this does not make me a child, merely human). and throughout all of this, I forgot the big picture (which may in fact, make me a child).

everyday the lives of six billion people play out. dreams are crushed, love is found, new beginnings start, beautiful things die, but hope survives. I forgot that what happened this week in my small life means more than just ‘I hate this situation and I hate how I handled it’.

but the moon, my dad, and the girls from the ludo reminded me. there is a lot more going on than my stupid exams. so what if I have to take them in septemeber, I’ll do fine. in fact, it will most likely be a blessing in disguise (as most things are, or end up being). we all learn way more outside of the classroom anyway, but in that respect, I can’t help but feeling like I failed my ‘life final’ to this experience.

it’s not easy for me to admit that I was scared by this ‘sickness’. the idea that one small little particle can end a life just made me feel tragically fragile. all I really wanted was to go home, but not because home is safe. home may not be a perfect place, there may be a pandemic there too, or civil unrest or death or uncertainty, but it is home. and it is where my small life, in that small acre on Glenallen Avenue, feels safe.

and so, I apologize for my behavior. but know I never meant to cause you trouble or do you harm. I just forgot that the moon shines and that bad things are going to happen, and how we deal with those things are what defines who we are.

mate and gripe



It's officially finals season! I'm up at ungodly hours of the night, thinking deep thoughts instead of reading the GIANT MOUNTAIN of paper that I need to conquer in the next week... And along with these deep thoughts, I have my MATE! ahaha, you pronounce it ma tay, not mate. So it's a delicious argentine custom in which you take dry herb and poor it into a special mug that has a straw with a filter at the bottom. Then, you poor in warm water and drink through the straw! To me it tastes a lot like green tea, but much more fun. "Taking mate" is quite a process and there are a lot of rules... Normally you drink it with a group of people and lets just say, it would literally take a lifetime to get every little thing perfect. But, I've become quite the expert, so when i get home (two weeks!) just say the word and I will personally teach you about the rewarding mystical beauty of mate! In other news, "LA GRIPE" aka swine flu has become quite the issue here in BsAs. The city has declared a state of health emergency and everyone is laying low at the moment. To me, people seem to be making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be (but it might be that I'm in 'that' stage of my life). Just eat your fruits and veggies, take your vitamins and don't take mate after others or greet people with kisses (interesting to look at the cultural variables that play into pandemics)...

It is cloudy and cold wintery day here in Buenos Aires. Imagine thanksgiving weekend weather…

It has been a beautiful week. Yesterday was my official last day of classes here in Argentina! Which honestly was just happy. It feels like I’ve been going to class forever (aka the longest semester of my life!), but maybe it’s because there weren’t any ‘vacations’ and because I did not miss one single class the entire semester (can you tell I’m way proud of that)… I am completely done with one of my three classes (we had our final exam on Tuesday and I turned in my final paper yesterday). Now I have one week off until my other two exams and then a week to relax before getting on a plane.

So strange to think that my time here is slowly coming to an end. My time here has gone by a lot faster than, say, Nigeria. And I’m trying to figure out why. The possibilities are endless really. Maybe I was better prepared. Maybe I have all the creature comforts here. Maybe living with a family has made the difference. Maybe it’s the good internet connection. Maybe I’ll never know. But in the same way, I don’t really feel like I’m living in a foreign country. It has become normal. I sleep in, I study, I drink lots of coffee and tea, and I’m a homebody. I’m still me, even though I’m here. And that makes me glad. And while sure enough, I’ve changed a little I’ve only become a little bit more like me. A little bit more like the person I’m becoming.

Right now I’m sitting at ‘my’ café on the corner of Villate and Maipu. It’s about a 15 minute walk from my house and it’s on my way to and from class. Every day I sit at the same seat, and sip my coffee and watch the world drive by. Some turn right, or left, or go straight, and some run the reds. Some days the café is bustling with activity and people, other days it’s just me and the baristas at times. Yesterday the Argentine SWAT team was here taking a break from protecting the president’s house. Today I was the innocent bystander who got hit by a packet of sugar aimed from one server to another. I laughed, although I think they were very embarrassed… There are some other regulars. One man, easily in his late 80s who comes in all bundled up, faded red scarf, plaid hat, corduroy pants and loafers. He has a coffee and read Clarin (the news paper) and often dozes off. Sometimes acquaintances come in and he tells them to sit down and they talk for a while. This café has a great vibe of being a place to run into people. It’s nothing fancy. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It reminds me of a really strange Chinese restaurant: fish tank, old posters of food, curtain rods with no curtains, tile floors, milky green walls, Coca-Cola window shades and a plasma for the soccer games of course. There’s something about it that while seemingly ordinary, is unbelievably special. And I guess I just think that life is kind of like that. Some things seem ordinary and plain, but when you take a closer look you realize that those small moments make all the difference, they make the everyday worth living.

For example

The aforementioned man is now playing hide and seek with a little boy (the son of one of the owners of the café). Precious.

Side note: I need your help! There’s an AU study abroad photo contest that I’m thinking about entering… But I am horrible and picking, so I would love to hear what your favorites are from Argentina! http://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.boss

Have a great weekend! For fun: This video is amazing props to NYU talent, one take-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PglfNDepTyQ

“See how the lilies of the field grow… if that is how god clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you?”

There will always be a special place in my heart for you Lily. I remember the day your mom told me she was pregnant. I was the third person on the planet to know you were coming (first your mom, then dad, then me). I went jumping around my dorm in Nigeria. And now here we are, exactly nine months later, ready to finally meet.

There is something beautiful about babies that I never used to understand. And now that I’m older, I think I get it. A baby is everything untainted. It is innocent in all forms, dependent, it is humanity’s best shot at newness. Babies are sunrises. A beautiful sense of freshness. They are the day, before all of the mistakes. They are life, lived simply. And you Lily? You are about to be the first morning light that touches our faces.

By ‘our’ I am implying the family that you’ve been gifted. You’ll like us. And we’ll like you. (I mean there are a few whackos, but don’t worry, hopefully you’re genes will be alright). Everyone is so excited that you’re here. Especially Ben. I call him my boo. He’s your brother. And then of course there’s Nina and Papa, your grandparents. And then there’s Grami, your great grandmother. She’s really happy about you. I think when you get older (grams in her 80s now) there’s no greater joy than watching your family continue to grow. So just as Grami held your mommy, she’ll hold you. And no doubt, there will be tears. Then maybe, if you’re lucky, she’ll give you five dollars and a coke and double stuff Oreos. I mean, only if you make a good first impression.

It guts me that I won’t be there to see you right away. I’ll be by your side in 25 days. And we can play and cuddle and make funny faces all day long. I promise.

Okay, love. I just wanted to say hi. I just wanted to greet that soft morning light that made me open my eyes and faintly smile. Good morning Lily. I love you.

And I can’t wait to watch you grow….

happiness is:

free hugs








an old man with a sign saying 'free hugs'









a little old lady in a yellow shirt
with a horrified look on her face...

1. monedas and mcdonalds- the epic battle
   
   
   let me begin by telling you a little story.
   
   main character= me
   timing=second day in Buenos Aires
   setting=the corner of juramento and cabildo (imagine times square)
   conflict=monedas (coins)
   
   to ride the bus here you need coins. alright, not too complicated. or so you would think. but as it turns out there is a shortage. as in, the city of buenos aires does not have enough coins to meet the high demand of coins. so in a classic example of elementary economics, the people hoard their coins and only worsen the situation (note the stock market in the past year). So on my second day here I had no idea and after class I went to the nearest store by the bus stop and asked for change. of course they said they didn't have any. Thirteen shops later, I knew something was up. Finally a cute old man had pity on the poor foreigner.
   
   although this was a dramatic experience for me (visions of being stranded in Belgrano for the night), the battle is epic. the best way to beat the system is going to the bank, however like all banks, they have strange and inconvenient hours here so sometimes that's just not an option (and even so they'll only give you 5 pesos worth of coins at a time).
   
2. be prepared for a shocking statement.... mcdonald's here is actually not gross! when my friend came to visit, she really wanted to go. I really wanted some breakfast (not common here to eat out for breakfast or have a 'big breakfast') but leave it to mcdonalds to bring the breakfast sandwich to the world. i was impressed, not as greasy and tasteless as in the US. the 'mccafe' is popular here. as in business people will meet there. shocking. i had a chocolate chip muffin, apple, coffee (straight up), and a egg mcmuffin sandwich. MCNIFICA! oh globalization and capitalism... so appetizing
   
   

my favorite flowers are yellow.

on friday, I went to volunteer at the ludotecas (visit www.potencialidadesweb.com.ar) just like any normal friday afternoon.

but the kids were exceptionally rowdy: wrestling, jumping, wanting endless piggyback rides (I mean the usual). when I left I was feeling particularly drained. after the commute back to olivos, I stuck my hand in my coat pocket to grab my keys when I felt something kind of gushy, something foreign that should not be in the pocket of my clean winter coat....

I found a bouquet of dandelions.

those little cuties left me a surprise
and it made me remember that it's not in vain.

tango in the streets... oh buenos aires

I have never been comfortable in cemeteries. I mean, for obvious reasons...

But, there is something to be said for looking at our own mortality. Today I went to the cemetery in Recoleta which is very well known (for unknown reasons). Most people know it as the final resting place of Eva (Evita) Peron, although frankly most people think of Eva and start singing Madonna therefore I tend not to trust the opinions of 'most people'. So, while visiting the cemetery was on my list of things to do here, I wasn't very excited about it.

But, I was delightfully surprised. This cemetery is built right in the city and is a concrete jungle of unique mausoleums and famous names. It is huge and while it is a big tourist attraction, it's big enough to not feel up to your neck in 'extranjeros' (foreigners). We just wandered around with no map, noting beautiful names, abstract designs, and strange coffins. And of course, I picked the one I would like to end up in (not pictured)...

After asking various workers, we found Alfonsin. He died in March and was the first democratic president in 1982 after 60 years of military led governments. Affectionately called 'The Father of Democracy', his presidency was the beginning of a new era of freedom in place of fear. He was well loved and well respected and the fresh flowers I found at his grave were a testament to that.

Here's to:

looking at life and appreciating it

at the moment, i'm laughing. at myself actually. and at what is to be, this update.

1.) the students at my university all talk with their hands (girls specifically). which, i kind of like. but the girls who do this have very nice hands: thin, boney, long. so today, i caught myself talking with my hands. which was sort of like catching yourself in a bikini, when you know it's not a pretty sight.

2.) people wait in orderly lines for the bus. so on the street, at a stop, you may see five people just lined up. but, near the highways at rushour, there are lines of at least fifty people. the bus won't stop unless you hail it (pointed finger and arm straight out). so the bus comes and the people get on. but if you're in a small line, men always let the women get on first. the front of the bus is for the elderly and children and elderly with children. but if their aren't seats and there aren't elderly, they're fair game. there's not a whole lot of 'seat sacrifice', but on occasion. to get off the bus you have to ring a buzzer so the bus driver knows to stop at the stop (the first time i rode the bus, i freaked out because i couldn't get it to stop and therefore ended up walking like five extra blocks). tons of funny things happen on the bus. i rather enjoy the communte.

3.) by my house there are a lot of security guards. as in, old fat men hired to sit around in a little box at a corner/intersection and listen to soccer games on the radio. on my five block walk to my cafe i pass three. if anything the sheer excess of incompetent security makes me want to steal something. like maybe a cat. or a car. something.

4.) superpanchos. footlong hotdogs for 2.50 pesos (like 70 cents). toasted bun, mustard or mayo (i opt for mustard only) and a nice dog. i think i would like to open a restaurant of street food. all the perks of good eats on the street, but, with a chair. and table.

5.) a friend from cleveland is visiting this week! she gets here on friday and stays until the following saturday. excited to a.) see her b.) speak english and c.) be reminded of home

buenas noches

happy saturday

yesterday was the most amazing day that i have had in buenos aires. i went with students from a community service group at di tella called accion social to a library/school after school program. we got off the bus, and literally it was another world. now, i'm not saying that these kids are from 'poor' backgrounds, but comparatively speaking, let's just say it was 'imprecionante'. basically i got to play with kids, which is pretty much my forte in life. i had a giddy smile on my face the entire time. One tiny girl named Lulu, with dark brown hair in pigtails and a heart so big i was surprised that it could fit in her little body, stole me from the getgo. why is it that the children that have the least (by worldly standards) are the most happy?

i have been reading a book called 'cold tangerines' by shauna niequist. if you are looking for something deep and life changing, but an easy artistic read, give it a look. you won't be sorry.

what i'm listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw88xaU5uLg&NR=1

'if you are what you say you are, have no fear'

i think that if everyone danced for five minutes everyday, the world would be a much happier place... give it a try

i've been thinking a lot lately, about nigeria actually. about everything that happened there. the other day i was walking down the street and i got a wiff of nigeria. I can't explain what the smell is exactly, but it sent me into a whirlwind of memories in that split second. i got thinking about my friends, about the colors, the kids, the heat, the stars, the bugs, the way it made me feel, the way it changed me. for the better. i think i thought i could put that experience into a nice little box, tucked away on some safe shelf in my mind. honestly, i made an effort to isolate my time there from everything else, to make it easier to transition back to 'my life'. which was wrong. but justified in my situation. so here i am. a box of messy thoughts in my lap and i don't really know what to do with them.

it's kind of like a summer night when you catch a firefly and it's there stuck inbetween your palms and while you want it to be free, you don't want to lose it's beautiful light. so you stand there with your eyelashes tickling your hand as you watch it and wonder.

there are somethings that you just can't ever forget, even if you wanted to. and those small things mean the most.
i think

Spanish Word of the the Day: Parrilla (pronounced, par e ja)

and guess what it means? that's right. GRILL

Most of you are aware that Argentina is known for it's amazing red meat. And yes, I can firmly say that, it is indeed amazing. And the funny part is that I'm not a huge advocate of meat-eating, but here in Buenos Aires it's just so good. And what will you find on the parrilla? Asado, which is a really chewy rib (pictured above). When you buy meat here at the supermarket, it's really red (which may sound stupid because it is in fact, red meat) but honestly, it just looks more like real meat than what I'm accustomed to. Also, there isn't ground meat here in the stores. And I love that there is no ground meat (I like knowing that the meat came from one single cow, not a mix of god knows what). I asked my host mom about the Argentine secret to good meat. At first she said it's a national security secret, but after begging she told me that the cows here aren't permitted to walk long distances on the ranches because it makes their muscles too tough. And here we thought free range was a good thing.

Beef: it's what's for dinner (and lunch) (and breakfast) (and afternoon snacks)

Fact: voting in Argentina is obligatory

At first I was pretty much not a fan of the idea, because I believe that voting is a personal decision and responsibility and therefore it is just as much a right to vote as it is a right to choose to abstain from voting. But once I found out that you can vote 'blanca' which means you show up to the polls but just turn in a blank ballot… I couldn’t find fault with the system.

Perhaps people chose not to vote out of sheer laziness. But that makes me wonder, Do we really want everyone to vote? I mean, there are many uninformed people in the world, who could care less about politics. Perhaps it is better that such people aren’t at the polls just randomly picking names…

“Without Participation, There is No Democracy” - a wall on my walk to the bus stop

congreso. my favorite building in buenos aires. period.

today I had an 8 am class
afterwards I went walking in the city...
The japanese garden here in
Buenos Aires was beautiful,
lots of giant fish,
and green plants
and unique sculptures,
and wonderful friends
from Japan, Poland and the Czech Repub...

Jack Johnson says 'who needs keys when we've got clubs'... And I would most definitely agree with him (especially considering doors and locks just don't like me). But I must admit that I love the antique style here in Buenos Aires. So here's to unlocking something special today!

Hola!

Today I went to a craft market at a local park in Belgrano. Lots of hippie crafts, jewelery, leather, and glass. I love just walking around here, sitting on the grass, thinking my thoughts, listening to the gentle hum of distant tango music and bus engines.

Is this the classiest Blockbuster you've ever seen?

Well, I thought I'd share with you the benefits (or curses) of globalization. Here in Buenos Aires we have Walmart, Starbucks, and of course McDonalds and Burger King. Now, I'm not telling you this because I think that the expansion of private enterprise is evil. Buenos Aires is among the most modern cities in the world, and therefore has become a prime location for American based companies to spread their 'services'.

In general, Buenos Aires is a city full of immigrants (comparable to NYC) that bring with them their different tastes and cultures. Sunday dinner here consists of very authentic Italian food, Sushi is all the rage momentarily, and Chinatown is quite authentic (and by authentic I mean that everything sold there is not-authentic). In 1900, BsAs was 50% straight off the boat immigrants! And thus, when taking role call in my classes I noticed that literally all the names are European... Bamballi, Vinardi, Brown, Edwards... you name it, it's here. So, there you have it. Come to Buenos Aires and you'll feel right at home, no matter where you're coming from!

Dear friends:

In effort to compensate for my lack of communication, this is about to be the most amazing post ever!

Okay, so first you need to click on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4tF8H9LSJ8 to listen to music while reading...

Got it? This song is like everywhere here. the other day i was walking on a busy street and a school bus of elementary kids were all singing it... happy

I just finished my midterms yesterday. They were challenging, mostly because they were in class essay types (spanish of course). I kind of feel like a 6th grader going to college. But they are done, and I feel good about them, and now I have the next 10 days off school (well sort of)! 10 whole days. ahh so beautiful. I have a very long list of things to do/visit/accomplish/read/eat... which I will be very dilligently sharing with you. Everyday. So get excited.

Classes have turned out to be very interesting. When people ask me what I study here, it's easy. I'm studying Argentina! I'm taking a History and Literature class which goes through all of the notable argentine literature and it's complementary historical context. Perhaps the most well know latin american writer is Sarmiento. he wrote a critical work called Facundo in 1845 and he later became president of beloved Argentina in the 1860s. I'm also taking Argentine Foreign Policy. We spend half the time discussing meat in this class (chilled vs. frozen) and the importance of meat in economic relations with the rest of the world. To me, this is funny but here meat is no laughing business! My last class is just for exchange students and covers Peron (controversal president of the late 40s and 50s). Most of you are familiar with "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"? Well, the musical Evita is about Eva Peron, his wife. Peron created a sort of "Welfare State", semi-fascist, Catholic, anti-american in words, pro-american in most actions. He was a leader of the working class, tight knit with the unions and Eva created a role of social projects including schools, hospitals ect. I'm holding out on a definative opinion about him until the end of the class.

The weather here is starting to cool off. Boots are in the store windows. Leaves are on the ground. But I mean, it's still like 65 degrees outside. Mentioning degrees, let me express my frustration with Celcius. I mean it's just confusing. To me. And same with millitary time. To me. While both methods are easier, they are harder when you're brought up using good old Farenheit and 'civilian' time.

In other news: I officially have a place off campus for next year in DC! My sister is having her baby shower this weekend! Swine Flu has not reached Argentina (which is good, because people here tend to FREAK OUT about things that there is no use freaking out about). My little sister here, Paula, had her 3rd birthday party last weekend... there was a giant inflatable slide= amazing. I found a hotdog joint, 4 pesos, all the toppings you can imagine (including fries on top)!

BBC has made me very angry this week. They did a special series on the Nigerian Police force: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8023067.stm . And let me just say, I am in no way condoning how the Nigerian Police operate. I have been on the other side of one of their AK-47s and trust me it's not a fun place to be. But, in most places in the world it is common knowlegde that the police are not your friends. They merely operate to the advantage of the highest bidder. So, I am up set that BBC chose to highlight Nigerian's incompetencies considering the irony that most of Nigeria's problems can be easliy tied to the imperialistic explotation they recieved for over a hundred years courtesy of the UK. I do not think that this BBC article helped those suffering in Nigeria, it merely made a story and hurt Nigeria's image when it's just trying to find it's identity 40 years after independence. Sorry, that was a little ranty, but honestly am I being completely ridiculously biased? hope not...

see you tomorrow!

my weekend: