Día del Amigo

Today is Friend Day in Argentina... so Happy Friend Day, friends! I adore the idea of a Friend Day, and apparently so do the Argentines. It's a very popular holiday here, so popular, in fact, that supposedly the restaurants and bars all fill up, you can't get a reservation anywhere, and the cell phone companies become so overburdened that it can take hours to get a message through. Now that's what I call a holiday!

Also, according to the locals, Friend Day was chosen to be celebrated on July 20th because it is also the day we crazy humans first landed on the moon back in '69. The ironic thing about this for me, of course, is that it was an American who first made it to the moon, and yet it is the Argentines who appear to be celebrating it. Huh.

I vote that we start a Friend Day in the United States, only it seems fitting that we should celebrate it on one of Argentina's obscure holidays... personally I vote for December 8th, aka Immaculate Conception Day (Día de la Inmaculada Concepción). Yes, Immaculate Conception Day, indeed. Because nothing says "friends" like unwanted pregnancy.

The Votes are IN

Thanks for voting on my future, everyone, in last week's "Where Should Erica Live in 2010" blog poll! If this were a reality show, right in this moment, they'd be whisking me off to... ITALY!!!

Yes, it appears that vast majority of you people want me in Italy. And although most of your reasons seems selfish (you want a free place to stay there!!!), I'm still listening and considering carefully your opinions. Which is why I've started researching how I can realistically make any of these options work. Ugh, it's making my head spin. Getting a visa and a job in both Italy and Brazil has potential to be a total nightmare.

Check out this article, written by a guy from Boston who went and lived in Italy to tach English. It's optimistic, but quite daunting. Am I really ready to take all this on?

I'm not sure. I'm just thinking out loud.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who voted! And kick myself a little bit for allowing you to vote anonymously, because now I have no clue who voted for what, and that's annoying. Le sigh.

Final tallies, out of 46 total votes, are:

NYC: 4 votes (8%)
Brazil: 9 votes (19%)
Italy: 18 votes (39%)
Mexico: 6 votes (13%)
Argentina: 9 votes (19%)

What will become of me???

The eternal question-- where will I end up?? Those who know me best can attest that this is a very tough question for me. I just really, really, really don't know. And although the "not knowing" is what can make life exciting, it's also what makes it a bit scary.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what to do next year. I don't need to decide yet, but it's nice to get the ball rolling in the decision-making section of my brain.

I've also been thinking a lot lately about travel, and how I've got the bug big time. I'm 28 years old, and I'm not getting any younger. I feel like now is the time. I have a lifetime goal of visiting every Spanish-speaking country in the world. I am in South America! I want to write more... I want inspiration. I want to explore. I want to climb Machu Picchu, and relax on the beaches of Colombia. I want to learn first hand how to say "what's up" in every Spanish-speaking country's local slang. (For example: Cubans say "Qué bolá?" which is unique to them. I find this sort of thing fascinating.) I want to travel like I mean it.

It's true that I tend to change my life plan almost every day, but I have yet another tentative one I thought I'd just throw out there for you to comment on. I'm thinking:

1. Work my various teaching jobs in Buenos Aires through November, which is more or less when the regular school year ends.
2. Spend the month of December traveling around Argentina-- it's a huge country! I want to explore Patagonia for a few weeks, and also head north to Salta. For Christmas, maybe I'll head back to BsAs, or lounge on the beach in Mar de Plata.
3. Spend January and February living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A couple of my lady friends down here and I are talking about renting a place there, and well, I'd be crazy to pass up the chance. I was thinking I could spend the summer there for those 2 months, and enroll in some Portuguese classes. It's high time I learned a 3rd language. Plus, it's like a dream to be in Rio for Carnival!!! Yesssss.
4. Head to Peru and climb Machu Picchu in early March. Take my time. Contemplate a culture that allows its people to pee and poo in the streets. Eat some quinoa, and take some amazing photos.
5. Head home for a visit in the United States from late March-April... yay! I'll hit up Boston, Westport, and Philly, so no one feels left out. Plus, I'll be there for Christie's, my mom's, Natalia's, and my birthdays, and I may even be able to make it to Amanda and Joe's wedding!!!! (see?? I didn't forget you guys.)
6. Move to... WHERE??? At the end of April... to continue teaching.

This is the big question mark, people! WHERE?! Hence the big poll I've set up at the top of the blog. PLEASE VOTE. I am really, genuinely interested in your opinion. Let me explain the choices:

1. New York City-- I'm just not feeling ready to fall back into the rhythm of Boston or Philadelphia. I'm sorry! But I could use a new adventure, and I figure NYC is between my two "home" cities, between the 2 sides of my family (my mom is in MA and my dad is in Philly), and could be a happy medium for heading back Stateside. However, I am not totally sold on this idea. Oh man, the thought of moving to NYC actually scares the living &*$# out of me, but in theory I'm willing to consider it.

2. Brazil-- I'd looooove to live in Brazil! I hear it's amazing, and the people are just so damn likable. The only problem is the visa situation-- I'm not sure I can get one. :-/

3. Italy-- I think a lot about moving to Europe! And although Spain is tempting, I think I might like to try something new. To everyone's surprise, I am actually half Italian (thanks, Dad!) and speak a minimal amount of Italian. It would be an incredible experience to live in Italy for a while, improve my Italian and experience such an incredible culture. Not to mention, eat eat EAT!

4. Mexico-- Most of you know that I left my heart in Mexico years ago. I'm not finished with Mexico, and my soul knows it. Sometimes I dream about living there again. Sometimes it seems like the most obvious choice. Mexico is one of my favorite places in the world. Perhaps it is my destiny. I can't explain the draw, but I must go back soon. Perhaps not now, but soon. My love affair with the Pacific Coast of Mexico has not yet ended...

5. Stay in Argentina-- I've had my ups and downs, that's for sure. But I've also spent some serious time and energy creating a life for myself here, and I get sad when I think about leaving all of this. My life here isn't perfect, but it gets a little better every day. I've made some very special friends here, and I have some of the best roommates a girl could ask for. I like teaching, and I've finally learned to support myself. I feel myself changing a little bit more every day. Living here is not easy. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. Yet I've grown so much, and gotten so much stronger. I know myself now better than ever. I could see myself here for another year.

Please help! If you are taking the time to read my blog, I probably love you and will really value your opinion. If you vote, it's anonymous, but feel free to leave a comment to say what you voted for and why!

It's not snowing

Greetings! Today is not only a day off of work for Argentina's Independence Day (for which our famous world's widest road "Avenida 9 de Julio"--12 lanes in all-- was named), but it is also my first official day off the cleanse! Woo hoo!! I made it 30 whole days, and i feel excellent. I'll be celebrating with some yummy Korean food at my new Korean friend Jessica's house, and maybe a little bit of wine. :-) But yes, I need to be careful not to fall back into old bad habits...

Today also marks the 2nd anniversary of the first snow in Buenos Aires since 1918. Yes, 2 years ago today, the city received a white dusting of snow.. the kids went nuts and all ran outside to play, and some people touched snow for the very first time. Today, it's certainly not snowing (it's quite nice out, actually) but it is a cool little anecdote, I think.

This year, we don't have snow, all we have is.... swine flu. Blahhhhh.

Teacher

My students call me "Teacher." They say, "Hi Teacher!" when I walk into a room, and they shake their heads disdainfully and say, "Oh, Teacher..." when they disagree with one of my many ridiculous opinions. (For example, it bothers my teenagers tremendously that I listen to reggae music.) They even send me emails to cancel class beginning with "Dear Teacher..." as if they'd forgotten my name or something.

They are, of course, translating directly, because in Spanish they generally call their teachers "Profe." However, I can't help but be swept back to Quaker boarding school at Westtown, where we called our teachers Teacher Tim, Teacher Anne, and of course Profe Rick and Profe Juan... it makes it feel like, I don't know, like I'm really a teacher, and not just some crazy redhead that comes stumbling into their office every morning speaking in tongues!!!

The vast majority of my students are great. I've fallen into a confusing, rigorous, but wonderful schedule with some very awesome people. And it's quite exciting sometimes to teach managers, executives, even presidents of major companies, and think, ha ha! Here I am, chatting with the president of XYZ Company about their family and personal life, when everyone else in the office is probably afraid to ask! Because once students reach an intermediate level, they really just need to talk and talk and talk, and what better way to do so than to get to know each other?

Sometimes we even become friends. My student Paola, who actually was forced to quit my class a week ago due to new work restrictions, has become a good friend of mine, and just found out she's pregnant! It's been exciting to be there for her through all this exciting [terrifying] news! We chat on the phone a lot, and enjoy long strings of email exchanges in Spanglish.

Sitting in a room chatting with these people for a couple of hours a week has really been a huge part of my experience here. My students teach ME so much. I've heard teachers say that before, and I always thought it sounded really stupid and cliche, but turns out it's true. My students taught me how to prepare and drink mate... they taught me how to say all sorts of naughty words in "Argentine"... they taught me about the real rules of dating in Argentina (not that I've had the chance to practice!)... they taught me about family life, social life, being a teenager in BsAs, living in the campo, getting married, hating Chileans, and how to prepare chocolate cake layered with dulce de leche. Where would I be without them?

The first couple months of teaching here I didn't love it. I didn't even like it. And yet I had gotten myself into a head space of "OMG I have to teach, I have to make this work, I have to learn to like this!!!" and it was making me miserable. But these days, I've fallen into a rhythm, I'm learned to take it easy, I've learned to be flexible, and I've learned to read and understand the needs of each individual. Basically, I'm becoming a good teacher!

On Monday at one of my business classes where I teach 2 students, my boss came in and did an observation. She sat in the corner, furiously taking notes as I taught them, and all of us were nervous. What could she possibly be writing about so furiously?! At the end of the class she asked my students Gabriela and Guillermo, "Do you like the class?" and they both nodded enthusiastically. "We love Erica!" they said. And then my boss asked, "Do you feel you are making progress?" and they both responded more or less, "Yes, we feel like we've really improved, we're more confident, and we can speak more fluidly. Erica is an amazing teacher."

Well I just about lost it, I was so happy and proud. In the past, that moment would have been about ME, feeling good because I had gotten a compliment. But in that moment, it was about THEM-- I was thinking, "What perfect sentence structure! Great use of the second conditional! Such fluid speaking!" and I felt like a proud mother.

In teaching, I have also rediscovered my love of writing. I looove writing, which is why I'm crazy enough to keep up this blog. Most of my friends here think I'm nuts, or at least extremely disciplined, to write this blog all the time, but for me it's not a chore, but rather it's something I enjoy. It's a release. It's a pleasure. I just wish I had more time to write every day.

I've also taken on a new project, which is that I'm translating part time for a company that translate children's stories from Spanish to English, and that's been quite fun for me. They even let me name characters! (Can someone think of a great name for a wizard??) It's validating to know that my Spanish is at a level where I'm being trusted with these translations, and it's also fun to develop this new skill. I wish they had more work for me!

I realize more and more each day that this was the right decision. I am not cut out for the Boston 9-5 lifestyle. My time working at AAC and living in Boston was incredibly valuable, and I learned so, so much from the experience, however it just isn't ME. I'm just different, and I both fear and love that about myself. Each day is an adventure, and honestly it's exciting and fun and thrilling in one regard, and tiring and lonely in another. Sometimes I wish I were like other people and could just sit down and work and get married and start pumping out babies while I pay off my mortgage. But that, honestly, is my idea of hell on earth. But being creative, adventurous and independent while simultaneously having stability? Well, that is just heaven. And it all starts by finding what I love and doing it.

I'm getting closer.

Slight feelings of guilt

Was I unnecessarily harsh in yesterday's blog? I dunno. But I keep toying with the idea of deleting yesterday's post, which means my sub-conscious is having some sort of regrets about my obvious dismissal of what is supposedly a "health crisis."

Here's the thing-- okay, so you can DIE from the swine flu. And 26 people in Argentina already have. But of the couple thousand total infections, the fatality rate is only around 3%, hardly what I would call an "emergency."

I will now contradict myself several times as I attempt to explain my opinion. Enjoy the train wreck.

Argentina's health care and general infrastructure, especially in the provincias outside the capital, are not so good, especially compared to the services you can get back in the US. I sometimes forget that I'm a privileged American, and that my opinions, however much I hate to admit it, probably stem from that. So a flu that I consider easily curable and no big deal, perhaps for the poor people living out the the sticks of Argentina is not such a small thing. My deepest regrets for talking smack.

HOWEVER, my opinion is that there are 2 ways to deal with this. You either 1) decide that this is not a big issue, do nothing, and not worry too much unless the problem worsens, or 2) you decide that this is a big issue, and you take immediate, hardcore action, and stop the thing before it really even starts. Duh.

Mexico City opted for option #2, and more power to them! It seems to have worked. People there had one long week of inconvenience, boredom, and lack of street tacos, and then they went back to living their lives. For a short time you couldn't go to a restaurant, club, movie theater, school, nothing, but at least the problem was dealt with.

Argentina, however, is taking what I would consider to be half-assed action, something hovering dangerously between options #1 and #2. They are closing schools for the month of July (tacking on an additional 2 weeks to their already-planned 2 week winter break), but not closing anything else. Wait, how does this help? So basically we can still go get swine flu on the street, at the nightclub, at the theater, at a restaurant, wherever, and only the schools will close down. Meanwhile, all those kids who now have a month off of school will be hitting the streets and clubs (teenagers can do that here-- wish I'd grown up that way!), spreading their swine flu all over town. Dirty kids!

I just don't think this makes any sense. One month of half-assed action that probably won't accomplish anything, versus, say, one week of hardcore action that could potentially make a big difference. Or, nothing. That's my vote.

PS. Don't forget to wash your hands!