Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

An excellent quote by Mary Oliver. You know what I plan to do? LIVE IT.

Another year of school gone by, and people continue to ask me what I want to do when I 'grow up' and I continue to respond with a shrug and a nonchalant 'I don't know.' Why do I have to plan it now? While the instability of not planning things ahead of time often leaves me frustrated and not experiencing all that I had originally hoped for, I am often left with experiences that I never would have been able to dream up in my own mind.

Like going to Buenos Aires and Santiago this summer. Back in January I had no intentions of jumping a plane by myself to go to a place where I know no one and know very little about the area, but it sounded like an adventure I couldn't miss. Now as I sit here looking at flights, hostels, etc., the reality of it all sets in and it is a little scary.

Scary in a good way. The way in which every time I overcome an unfamiliar obstacle while there, I will have a huge rush of pride and confidence. The way in which I have no idea what to expect, allowing me to be open to whatever may lie ahead. The way in which I might actually figure out whatever it is I have been needing in my life lately.

That being said, if anyone has any advice for me on travelling in South America (especially cheap travel between countries), or specifically any info on Buenos Aires or Santiago, OR knows of anyone that lives there or will be there in June and would like to give a traveller a dose of real Argentinian/Chilean culture, I would love for you to hook me up.

All I want is the wind in my hair
To face the fear but not feel scared.

Wild horses I want to be like you
Throwing caution to the wind, I'll run free too.

-Natasha Bedingfield "Wild Horses"

Por favor, que alguien me ayude

Just throwin this out there since I feel like this might be right up some of my fellow aiesecers' alleys:

Does anyone have any ideas about any current controversial issues in Argentina (possibly related to its past dictatorship) that would serve as good topics for investigative research?

I would really appreciate if anyone can help me out with this by tossing out some ideas since I am not too up on my Argentine current issues and woiuld like to find an interesting topic for a very involved project.

The most wonderful time of the year

Debatable.

Christmas parties have taken over my life. No complaints there, I'm lovin it. I even got to see Santa and Buddy the Elf real, live, and in person. How many college Christmas parties have THAT much spirit?

However, I wish I could figure out how to magically turn my two page paper into four, since I'm completely out of things to say. Four pages, really not that long, yet I have already done a thorough literary critique and barely broke onto the whiteness of page 3, not to mention page 4 which is still nonexistant. If only I could ramble on pointlessly like this in my paper... I would have a solid 4 pages of ramblings.

About to be really poor. Anyone want to sponsor me for our end-of-the-year banquet tomorrow night? Just thinking about the payments I have to make within the next month makes my head spin. Of course, as I'm sitting here thinking about how poor I am my work shift for tonight gets cancelled. Turns out everyone else is just as poor/bogged down with finals as me and they don't want to go to the bar and throw their money away to me. Sad story.

I apologize for my whining. I just had to type out everything that was in my head so it quits crowding out the brilliant ideas that I need to enter my mind in order to finish this paper.

Ordinary People

People amaze me.

I started, erased, and restarted this post several times already and reverted back to my original first sentence, since that is what provoked me to write it in the first place. How often do we open up and share our lives with others? Are your best friends the people that you go out and have a crazy fun time with, the people you see on a daily basis, or the ones that you can not see for long time spans and then sit and do absolutely nothing with except talk for hours on end? Perhaps they are one and the same, in which case you should consider yourself very lucky.

I feel like there are a number of people in my life that I do not know, not because I don't want to, just because the effort hasn't been made. Sure we may go out together, we may have class together, we may work together, we may go to AIESEC meetings together, but as I'm sitting here thinking about my life, I can't help but wonder what they might be thinking. Then I realize I'm clueless. I don't know a thing about their pasts and their lives outside of the atmosphere that I know them in. I have no clue what has shaped them into the person that I know them as.

It's surprising what you might find out by actually taking the time to get to know people. I know I personally am someone very guilty of getting so wrapped up in my own life that I don't stop to think about what others around me might be going through. Maybe they are needing someone just as badly as you are, and just maybe you could be there for each other! Such a simple concept, yet so easily overlooked.

It always goes on and on and on

After a weekend of extremes, I am more than ready to return to the ho-hum of everyday life. There were ups and downs, yet somehow the line between them is so thin that I can't really sort through the confusion.

I do know one thing for certain: I am (and am pretty sure I always will be) my daddy's little girl.

The parents came down for the weekend to go to the game with my aunt and uncle from Madison and wound up scoring 50-yard line seats for $25 from one of Joe Paterno's relatives who apparently isn't really into football games--he prefers basketball?! (Everyone who knows me understands how absurd I think this is, being that I find basketball incredibly lame and devote all of my Saturdays to football.) So obviously, the rest of the afternoon was spent watching the late games at Brats with my parents, aunt and uncle, and cousin and I was reminded of the great satisfaction I get from bonding with my dad over football.

I have always looked up to him--he is one of the hardest-working people I know with an extremely approachable demeanor and eyes that sparkle with his kindness and patience. I have him to thank for my big brown eyes and dimples (all three of them), which are my favorite traits about myself, and my sweet tooth/love of ice cream. His endless support makes me think that I can achieve anything I set my mind to, yet he has never been disappointed in me for failing to do so. Being in his presence reminds me of where I came from and where I have the potential to go. But most of all, I am reminded that everything in life turns out alright as long as you have those people--family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, whoever they may be--that love you and will stick by you no matter what.

And I think that regardless of how old I get, how independent I see myself, or how far away I may be, when something goes wrong--whether it be a broken heater, a failed exam, a sore throat, a ticket from the police, or a disagreement that leaves me in tears--I will still pick up the phone and call my dad because not only is he always capable of making it all better, but he will make it his priority to do so, even if it means ignoring all reasonable advice and driving two hours through a blizzard.

The key to happiness...

Never let your happiness depend on anyone else, because they then have the ability to lock it up and throw away the key. No good. If you keep the key for yourself, then every day when you wake up you have the choice to make it a good day or a bad day (right Beck?) I personally like to stick with the good days.

So after much thought, I am definitely planning on doing the Salaam program next summer. It attracted my attention when I initially heard about it, and I have become increasingly interested, mostly after hearing personal testimonies from Lynn, Burbs, Brett, and Williams. RoKs also had a lot to do with making me realize what a great opportunity it is and how there is really nothing standing in my way, so why not go for it? What finally sealed the deal was hearing Kaitlin speak, because her reason for going last year is exactly the same as mine: I know nothing and I am curious. The only way to truly understand it is to live it. Like everyone else, I have misconceptions regarding things I am unfamiliar with, not due to ignorance, but moreso just a lack of exposure. Luckily, I am blessed with the opportunity to change this. I want to see the truth.

It was goo-ood, oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh

Who knew that a power outage and some random Spanish memories could lead to my first tears shed in quite some time, and the first time EVER that I have laughed til I cried? A todos que conozcan a Alcala de Henares, viva el Can Can! (But not really, I prefer the little dives, although Can Can is apparently one of those memories that everyone can relate to, whether it happened to you, you know the people that actually were there, or you just know the scene so well that a few words create an incredible visual.) Crazy when people you have never met before know the exact situations and emotions that are provoked by such a simple concept because they too have been in your shoes. Small world...