Week Nine: Foiled Plans and Spontaneous Happenings

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Seriously Edinburgh?

Monday wasn’t exactly the best. My Starting to Write class met at the Scottish Poetry Library for class, which would have been cool, if my body hadn’t decided to rebel against me half way there. I walked the rest of the way anyway, only to not be able to actually find the place once I got where Google told me to go, which was when I realized that checking on three separate occasions to make sure you have your instructors’ cell (mobile) number right doesn’t do you any good if you forget to bring it.

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I did run across this though, so the trip wasn’t a total bust. I’ve seen several examples of sidewalk chalk advertisement, but this is the most elaborate.

We made up the linguistics class we missed last week on Tuesday, and since I didn’t have anything immediately following class like usual I was able to go over to a friend’s flat for lunch. We ended up discussing her dissertation, which was on Scottish advertisement in print. I was rather surprised that I was able to help and provide insights despite having no background in communication or advertising.

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Since we were having linguistics on a different day, we had class in a different room. Which was, of course, more pleasant than the room we normally have.

Since I’m a student at Napier as well as WOU right now, I got called to Napier’s version of an advisor meeting, which they call Personal Development Meetings. Turns out they have a graduate program for creative writing that seems to address all the reasons I avoided majoring in writing to begin with, despite it being my current goal career. Depending on how stressed out the future makes me, I might end up considering grad school.

Genre Writing had class at the National Portrait Gallery, so of course it was raining and awful and I felt miserable. At least I recognized the building when I got directions off Google, so even if I couldn’t make it to class, I can at least go on my own and try to make up something.

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I was wondering what this building was…

And then Sunday was St. Patrick’s. Overall, pretty much the same as in the states, just without as much gaudy decorations. Which isn’t to say the gaudy decorations were entirely absent. Are felt Guinness hats a thing in the U.S.? ‘Cause they’re a thing here.

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I went with another friend from linguistics to Malones, an Irish bar, seen here in the daylight. The music, lighting, and overall feel reminded me more of a club than a bar, which was strange given both what night it was, and the fact that the architecture and set up were very pub/bar. All of the pictures I took on the actual night ended up blurry because my camera hates me.

Week Eight: Life Continues

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Crocuses make me happy, okay?

My linguistics professor got sick this week. None of us figured this out until someone thought to check Moodle (they use Moodle here too, which I had not been expecting.) We were forty minutes into class at that point. It wasn’t a waste of time for me, since I got to use the opportunity to ask people about their various experiences in school before now. The general consensus was high school was not pleasant.

I took the opportunity to actually go into the shops I pass everyday to get to campus or down town. I focused on the gift shops, and really didn’t find much of a difference between them and the ones in the states. They do however differ markedly from the shops in Old and New Town, particularly Prince’s Street, in the obvious absence of tartan.

I encountered several instances of Daffodils for Marie Curie, which is a fundraiser for Marie Curie Cancer Care, a UK charity that provides care for terminally ill patients. I took the opportunity to donate on several different occasions and as a result I now have two daffodil pins. I haven’t worn them, but I’ve continued to see people with one pinned to the outside of their coat.

I worked my way through the rest of the National Museum of Scotland’s new building, which is the part dedicated to Scottish through the ages. The top floor was dedicated to the last century, and they had a video of native Scots talking about different aspects of being Scot, like what they like best about the country, what they like least, how they would describe themselves, and how they think others would describe them. They talked too fast for me to take notes like I would have liked. Anthropologist problems.

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This obviously isn’t from the 20th century. Everything about it’s existence confuses me. Just… why?

The rest of my pictures didn’t go with any of the things above and more or less stand on their own.

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I am slowly becoming addicted to these sandwiches, and all they are is cheese and tomatoes. And bread. But that’s sort of a requirement for a sandwich.

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The most common piece of intellectual vandalism I’ve run into. I’ve found it in several locations in different colors and it makes me smile every time.

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I had to.
For science.
I feel like I’m going to regret this.

Life is… Normal

SAM_0781 [Fish ice cream and approximately 55 cents, because I’m rich!]

I’ve now gotten into some semblance of a routine as far as school and the rest of life goes. I have class starting at 11am most days, and going until either 4:30pm or 6:20pm. The classes tend to move back and forth from the extremes of “I’m falling asleep and need a coffee between every class because it’s so terribly boring” to “wow, am I really this stupid?! How do I not understand ANYTHING today” (the 2nd one is all of my Japanese classes). The classroom experience alone has managed to surgically remove some of my overconfidence, which is good (I guess?). There is some homework, but it’s not overwhelming and most of my time is still free, for better or worse. I participate in some of the social events at school, but otherwise my free time is taken up in much the same way as it was at home. Someone sends me a message or stops by my dorm room and asks if I want to go work out/go drinking/go explore and I either join them or occasionally just stay in and study. If no one seems to be taking initiative then I’ll do it myself, such as with my planned group trip to the park this Sunday to play football (AMERICAN FOOTBALL) and frisbee. Side note- Amazon.co.jp is amazing, I paid $3.50 in shipping for same day delivery of a football and a frisbee!

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I have generally enjoyed my sessions as a chat leader quite a bit, even in some situations that I was expecting to dread. Most chat sessions go really well, regardless of which ‘level’ I am helping. The levels are beginner, intermediate, and advanced. There is also a video chat session with the other Aoyama Gakuin campus as well as elementary school and junior high sessions. So far I’ve done 2 beginner sessions, 1 intermediate, 1 advanced, 1 video chat, and 1 elementary school session. The elementary school session was the one that most terrified me beforehand, but I actually ended up enjoying. The chat room coordinator walks the chat leaders over to the elementary school, and we each get assigned around 10 students. For the 40 minute session we play games and try to keep the students in English mode. For the first session we ended up playing hangman for a while, and the students were pretty good at guessing zebra and purple and a few others (they guessed purple based on the number of letters in the word, they didn’t actually guess any letters). Then they wanted a difficult one so I chose… TURQUOISE!  They got all of it except the Q and couldn’t figure it out, and then I had to find an object in the room that was turquoise so that they would believe that it actually is a color. After that we played a game where we spread a bunch of picture cards on the floor and I would call out the names of the objects on the cards and they tried to grab them the quickest. The time flew by and just as I was struggling to come up with a 3rd game, time ran out. Saved by the bell! But it was a lot of fun so I don’t dread the elementary school sessions anymore (and they scheduled me for more so I guess they thought I did alright too).

I haven’t been able to do as much exploring as I’ve wanted to, but here are some pictures from the large Meiji temple I went to:

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The temple and the giant park that it’s part of is definitely one of my favorite things that I have seen so far in Tokyo. While walking through the open fields of the park it was easy to forget you were in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world, although the skyscrapers on the other side of the trees do take a little bit away from the illusion. In the forested areas of the park you can’t see anything except forest and I was easily able to keep the illusion alive there.

SAM_0717[Vaguely aware that I’m in Tokyo at this point]

SAM_0719 [Yep, now I think I’m in the middle of nowhere]

I’ve done a lot of walking around but my picture taking has slowed down considerably since I originally came to Tokyo. I had a student in one of my chat sessions ask what surprised me most about the cultural differences I’ve experienced and I had a very hard time answering him. I think that I had just put myself in a very open frame of mind before I came and after I arrived, because nothing really surprises me at this point, or it’s such a minor surprise that I quickly forget after it happens. I’ve found that people are people everywhere you go, and I get along with most of them pretty well. Any cultural differences seem to be at a fairly inconsequential level.

SAM_0785 [The view from the roof of a Keio University building, towards 川崎市(Kawasaki City)]

Oh! and the building across from my dorm room has a creepy sun design on it with eyes that light up and then dim again in a continuous cycle as it starts to get dark. That was ‘fun’ the first time I noticed it.

SAM_0800[Yep, certainly not creepy at all, thanks building designer!]

Let’s talk about…SEX!

Well, I knew coming into this internship I would be having conversations regarding sex and let me tell you, WE ARE, everyday…or so. Prior to coming, I felt that I was pretty comfortable with my sexuality and talking about it, but I won’t lie, I was a bit timid talking about my experiences or general thoughts regarding sex. For example and no pointing any names, we’ll have in-depth conversations about anal sex, oral sex, S&M sex, heterosexual sex, homosexual sex, trans womyn/men sex, straight men with gay men sex, sex positions, sex in theaters, sex in saunas, chat rooms to find people to have sex, and so forth; quite fascinating!

Some of these topics I have talked about openly with friends back in Oregon and we joke around or what not, but the difference I have in general noticed is the openness everyone has when talking about the various areas. Some of us might make it clear that we would probably not have “this” kind of intercourse or “that” kind. However, at the end, everyone acknowledges that sex is natural and normal for humans and we really have no right to judge anyone for what is socially accepted because sexually is something we all find pleasureable in different manners. It is very diverse and needs start transitioning into not being such a taboo subject where there are “specific” spaces to talk about. Based on my experience, the only spaces I have had conversations about sex are in two courses I took at Western (Human Sexuality and Sociology of Gender), with some close friends, and one or two of my sisters/nieces. I have only once mentioned sex to my parents with the reason that I went to get tested and wanted to start a conversation regarding being responsible and getting a check up. Still, this conversation did not go far because my parents are still getting use to my sexual orientation and gender identity, but that’s another another topic that is for anyone day.

One thing I hope families and individuals can practice more is to not be after to open up, when they are comfortable to do so, and talk about sex. Whether it is talking about the many types of sex, the importance of using condoms, the positivity that sex brings, the nature of sex, and one of the most important, an integral sexual education in and outside of learning institutions.

When I first arrived to Argentina, VOX had presented an investigation regarding Argentina’s Integrated Sexual Education N26.150 law passed in 2006 where every school has to cover sexual education, but has not been truly enforced. They conducted a survey with 13 questions regarding emphasis on HIV, differences between sexual orientation/gender identity, if participants knew there was an Integrated Sexual Education law (ESI), what material was covered in the ESI, etc. and went to various schools/parks and got students (152 participants)/teachers (96 participants) to fill them out outside because VOX was not allowed in the classrooms. There were lots of results and here are a few I felt stood out. There were more teachers who received trainings to cover the material that felt they where not competent enough to cover the areas required in the classroom. Roughly 28% of students did not receive an integrated sexual education while 72% did. Out of those #’s, 44% felt they did not learn much. Some topics students wanted to talk about in an integrated sexual education include violence within relationships, sexually transmitted infections, prevention, and human sexuality. There is a complete PDF file with the data from this investigation for anyone who would like a copy, just hit meh up!

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Members of VOX Asociación Civil presenting the Integrated Sexual Education data.

Currently, we are working on a new investigation regarding HIV/AIDs and health within young adults ages 15-30. Some questions within the survey include have you every gone to get tested for HIV, did you receive any professional counseling prior to the examination, how often do you use condoms during intercourse and oral sex, what do you consider the most effective manner for prevention programs, etc. Currently, we have been surveying at el Paseo de la Diversidad which is next to the Paraná River as well as distributing surveys to other organizations. I am not sure the total number of surveys we have collect, but Team Yellow which is myself and Federico, a member of VOX, have gathered quiet a bit a numbers, ha! But so has everyone else hehe :).  I have been enjoying this investigation because it gives me the opportunity to interact with the locals, practice my spanish, be out in the park and enjoy the scenario while staying productive. I hope within the next few weeks or before I leave, we closely look at the responses and generate a presentation from the data collected.

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Camilia, member of VOX Asociación Civil, Grupo Jovenes, and RAJAP Red Argentina de Jovenes y Adolescentes Positivos.

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First day of surveying.

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Federico posing while a group fills out the HIV/AIDs survey.

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Some of the folks who collected surveys the first day out at El Paseo de la Diversidad.

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Federico and I surveying at El Paseo de la Diversidad.

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Contains a condom and list of sexually transmitted infections.

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I’m always up to model for the camera.

I understand that everyone has different views on sexuality and I respect that. Everything I wrote has been based on my experiences and understandings.

Week 3 in Mexico!

So this is officially the end of week 3 and week 4 is about to start. EEK! My program is almost half over!!!!

So week 3…o my goodness. It’s been great =) Sunday was great- I slept in and relaxed myself for the week ahead. I don’t know why, but I’m exhausted here. All the time. Some people say that it’s the sun. I feel like it’s all the Spanish, plus the culture, plus the sun… =p It’s life!! I’m still working on my tan though. My shoulders and face are ok, because I’ve been burned a  couple times =p but my feet have yet to get the amazing sandal tan-line =(

The week went by pretty great. Like usual. I walked to school with my friends everyday and back again. 5 Miles everyday. It’s great. I hope my legs thank me for this later. haha School has been ok. It’s getting better at times. Sometimes it’s still boring. But I’m working hard. Getting good grades on tests and things =) In my communications class we did a lot of activities! Usually that’s the hardest class to get through because it’s just all talking, but we had fun things!!! Monday we played a hardcore game of trivia. It was pretty intense haha  but it was fun =) Then on Tuesday we went to a “tianguis” (flea market) on the other side of the city. There were new things, old things, probably stolen things, fruit, food and there were puppies too! Our teacher told us to make sure our bags were in front of us at all times. It was a super crowded place though, so I understand the reasoning. It was neat to see, that’s for sure. Then we went on a bus tour around the perimeter of the city. That was really eye opening to see just how big this place is. 2 million people. There are all sorts of neighborhoods. Poorer, richer, scarier, safer. I saw lots of things around the city tour, and it’s so different on the outskirts than it is in the middle of the city center.

After we got back to the school we had to meet some new people from the school and eat food. It was super fun. We met the student council of the university that we’re attending and tlaked to them for like an hour =) Then we ate pizza together. yum yum yum! aaaaaaand after….they taught a bunch of us how to ‘basic’ salsa! That was so fun, but wow, I’m not a good dancer. I just laughed histerically most of the time, but I had a lot of fun. Now I just need to attend every Wednesday to dance class, and then I’ll be ok =p

On wednesday we had our first oral exam. Pretty intimidating, but I ended up doing pretty good =) She asked  some questions, then I had to talk about a topic for like 5 minutes. I’m glad it’s over. Only 3 more to go! But it was a great day because we got to leave school right  after our test was done, and me and a friend went to the mall to Chili’s and the movies! The food was sooo good. Not legit Mexican like we usually have, but a taste of home every once in awhile is a good thing =)

yummy burger and fries

yummy burger and fries

fooooood

fooooood

Then we watched GI Joe part 2. Epic. The theater was so clean and comfortable, and the best part was that on Wednesday’s the ticket prices are super cheap so we paid 5 USD  for a 3d movie.

Thursday was a relax day. Back to the grind =p Friday and Saturday were super fun. My friend and I went into the city center to hang out, we got some drinks, and we met some really nice girls. They gave us their number, so I’m thinking that we will have to hang out soon! And then on Saturday our group went to a football match. Like a legit, in Mexico, soccer game where football is like church. It was sooooo fun! Crazy fans! Our team won, there was so much energy in the crowd. It was great. Lots of security, which makes sense because people get really into it here. Only one fight that I saw happened literally right behind me. That was kind of scary, but it broke up fast. The policia got involved. It was super fun. I’m so glad I got that chance to go. That’s definitely one of the once in a lifetime chances that I’m glad I took.

all of the hardcore fans

all of the hardcore fans

the stadium!

the stadium!

ticket for the football game!

ticket for the football game!

After the game we all went out dancing at a Cuban music club. It was fun…but I really need to learn how to dance hahahha

Life is so good here. I love everyday. It’s almost over though! Part of me is excited to get home to my family and friends, but I’m in love with this culture. Hoping that it all works out ok. =)

Mexican life, week 2!

So I’m playing catch up on the last 2 weeks. I covered week one, finally! And now, I’m on to week 2 =D

After the crazy busy weekend of clibing a mountain =p all I wanted was to relax the next day. I slept late, and it felt glorious. But there was a problem-the time finally changed here =p We ‘sprang forward’ and the whole day I was lost. I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out what time it really was. I went to a huge market with a friend and we walked sooooo much. We were going to meet at noon to go, buttttttt, the time changed. So she was ready by eleven, which really was noon, and I was late because I thought she meant the real noon. It was a confusing time. But we walked around this open air market and there were so many things to buy! Clothes, shoes, make up, meat, fruit, veggies, bascially anything that you would ever need. That was fun. There were so many people.

But honestly the day dragged on for what seemed like forever because none of my clocks were right, and my internal clock was wrong too. The bright side, I was able to meet the kids of my host parents that night! They have a son and a daughter, both in their 30s and married. But the daughter just had their first grand baby. So everyone is excited all the time when she comes over. And rightly so. She is adorable!

But because of the time change, I got to bed late, and none of my clocks were right, so I was actually late waking up and wlaking to school. But luckily I arrived on time =) not a good way to start week 2, but things could have been worse. Week 2 was met with a lot more understanding of the language, but a lot more confusion at the same time. We had a lot of homework in our classes, but most of the work is done at home with our families. That’s really where I’m learning the most Spanish. They are helpful, and they correct me when I’m wrong. Which is a lot! hahaha but that’s ok. That comes with the territory of learning a new language. I’m ok with being wrong. Because I know that I don’t know the language. =p

We had an adventure around the city for one of our classes during the week. Each of us had to learning about a ceratin location in the city, lead the group to it, and talk about it for about 5 minutes. Yikes. Our first prezzie in just the second week. It went well. We got to see lots of the city. It’s really beautiful.

part of the city of Queretaro

part of the city of Queretaro

I love everything about it here, and I think that’s because it’s so different. Yes, there are parts of Mexico that are dangerous, but wehre I am, I feel fine. I see a lot of homeless and poor people everyday. And that really makes me feel sad inside. Because I know that I can’t help them right now.

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people on the streets selling things

There are always people on the side of the streets selling things. Things that they made, things that they are trying to resell, or sometimes things that are stolen are also being sold. I wish I could give money to all of these people down here, because they really need it. The dollar is a lot strong than the peso, and everything is priced at at least half price. which is crazy when I think about it. But to these people, they are barely getting by. It’s just really eye opening to how other parts of the world are. I’ve seen poverty before. This isn’t what is surprising to me. It’s surprising to me that no one does anything about it. Mexico shares a boarder with the US, but we do nothing here. It just really makes me want to talk action. People have always been my passion. It makes me really sad to see them suffer.

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the busy, beautiful city

I’ve walked all over the city center and near my neighborhood multiple times with a couple people. It’s great. There are so many new things. I love it here. The city is huge, and there are people. It’s great. I can’t believe that I’m in the middle of week 3 right now, ironic as I’m supposed to be writing about week 2, =p but the time is both flying by and feeling like it’s been 3 months. It’s crazy here. But I really like it. This upcoming week has a lot to offer me! It’s a secret what’s going on this weekend, but I’ll update soon!

La vida en Mexico, week 1

So, I’m a little behind in my blogging because it’s been kind of hard to find internet down here. Nevertheless. My first week!

My first week was met with so much anticipation and excitement. After arriving in the country, it really started to sink in that I’ll have to speak Spanish everyday that I’m here. Boy, did my head hurt. The first week was all about learning new things. I learned about the bus system, the taxies, the schools, the culture and the language.

After arriving at my new house on Saturday, March 30, everything changed. It was really exciting, even though there were some problems even that first day. We all took taxies to our houses, but my family hadn’t arrived home yet. Only I didn’t know that until I got there =p and no, I didn’t have a cell phone on me…it was a little scary at first, but I live in a really nice neighborhood and so I just parked it under a tree and waited for them to come home about 30 minutes later. Being met by my new host mom and dad was something else. All in Spanish. My brain was fried.

I was pretty burned after that first day. now i wear sun screen everyday!

I was pretty burned after that first day. now i wear sun screen everyday!

I couldn’t even concentrate on what they were saying. The sun had drained the life out of me and burned me to a crisp. But they fed me and gave me my bedroom. I slept so well that first night. I think about 15 hours. It was glorious. And I definitely needed it. This life is crazy!

The entire first week I spent just trying to get used to everything. The heat. The cars in the city. The crazy drivers. The food. And the language.

my first meal in Mexico. tacos with carne asada!

my first meal in Mexico. tacos with carne asada!

There are so many cars here. And busses, and taxies. But everyone drives like a maniac. It’s pretty crazy coming from Oregon where people always have the right of way. Here is not the case. I haven’t seen it, but I’m pretty positive that the cars won’t stop for you =p so the moral of the story is, walk as fast as you can across the street! I’ve been in the busses a few times. It costs a total of $.50 to ride it. Not bad. I should be riding everyday considering I live so far from the school. But the busses feel like they are held together with duct tape. haha Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but they scare me. So I walk about 30-40 minutes to school every morning with a friend.

there is a lot of traffic. everyday.

there is a lot of traffic. everyday.

In the first week I went to school everyday, talked Spanish everyday, walked everyday, and did new things everyday. That’s a lot for just the first week. I was completely tuckered out. But there was a big trip planned for the weekend! Our group was going to Bernal. It’s a little town about an hour away from Queretaro with a monolith. Yes, we went hiking. In hundred degree weather. haha we all just about died. But it was fun. In Bernal we ate traditional food after the hike.

gorditas in Bernal!

gorditas in Bernal!

agua de jamaica. (water flavored with hibiscus.) it's soooooooooooo good!

agua de jamaica. (water flavored with hibiscus.) it’s soooooooooooo good!

The mountain at Bernal that we climbed.

The first week was a lot to take in. The hardest part was the language and just getting used to it. The teachers try to talk slower, but the families and normal people talk really fast. It’s hard to keep up sometimes. But that’s what the frist week was all about. New culture. New people. The people here are great. Most that I’ve met are really nice. But the culture is very different. This is a conservative city. So we stick out when we wear dresses, skirts or shorts. And because we stick out, we get cat-called…a lot. Everyday there are eyes always on us. Cars always honking. Men always yelling. At first it was startling. But I just ignore it. There is nothing I can do, and they are really harmless. It’s the machismo. It’s just the culture. It’s funny though, that this is a conservative city where they don’t wear “scandalous clothing” but there are always couples everywhere just going crazy and making out. haha it’s a little ironic. But it’s just the way it is I guess =p

I really enjoy it here so far. I have another week to post about. So stay tuned!