Hi there!
I haven't posted in a long time. This is for the usual reasons: I have other stuff to do, my life is pretty boring anyway, can't think of anything clever to say, etc. etc. But I still have almost an hour before I have to leave for my first class of the day (which is at 1pm, at an office only about 10 minutes away from my apartment), so I thought I'd check in.
After class yesterday, one of my students told me how much she likes my "creative" lessons, and that she thinks she's getting better and better at English every week. It's so nice to hear this every once in a while. Most of my classes work from ESL books, so all I have to do is take them through the exercises. This student wanted a one-on-one conversation class, so I have to prepare topics and activities every week. Sometimes I think I'm not doing a very good job, and I'm sure my students can tell I'm not a "real" teacher, so it's nice to get some positive reinforcement. She's a great student too, very committed, so it means a lot to have her approval!
I'm making slow progress with my housemates. They're really nice, but mostly only speak Spanish, so I've been pretty quiet/intimidated around them. We've had some short conversations recently, so I'm happy about that. I guess the solution is to hang out in the kitchen ALL the time and wait for people to come in. We don't have a living room or anything, so the kitchen is the only common area.
I should be getting paid this week. I'm trying to live frugally, but it will be nice to have a little extra. It's pretty boring to be poor, there's not a lot to do besides wander around, read, and watch 30 Rock reruns online. I think the BAFICI film festival is going on this week, and I'd love to check it out. It's not too expensive (I think), and I should be looking for cheap cultural activities like that.
I'm working on thinking less and DOING more. This is hard for me for many reasons. I'm coming back to the U.S. in May (May 20 to be exact), and once I made that decision, I started to check out a little bit, even though that's still almost two months away. I DO NOT want to waste my last two months here, I need to take advantage of BA while I have the chance. I'm getting really excited about the move to San Diego (and everyone knows I love making travel plans), but now is not the time to live in the future. At least I haven't been mugged in a few weeks, so I'm less apprehensive about going outside! Lol.
So that's me lately. How are you guys doing? I talk to some of you on a regular basis, but in general these one-sided conversations feel weird (and more than a little self-indulgent). Miss you all (unless for some reason you're in BA, in which case, hopefully I'll see you soon)!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
My 25
This note was really popular on Facebook a couple months ago. Time magazine even did a couple articles about it. It took me a long time to actually THINK of 25 facts about myself, and when I finally did, it seemed too late to subject Facebook to another '25 Things' post. But you guys are here by choice (I'm assuming... Boredom at least), so I figured I'd go ahead and post it here. How well do you know me?
Without further ado, 25 Random Facts, Habits, or Goals:
1. I really wish I were artsy. I try from time to time, but it never works out.
2. I hate the word 'guesstimate.'
3. I've only met 2 "celebrities" in my life: Zizi from "Salute Your Shorts," and the youngest brother from "Home Improvement." I'm not sure how proud I am of this.
4. My goal is to visit all 7 continents and all 50 states, but my dream is to travel all the time for the rest of my life and go absolutely everywhere.
5. I compulsively eat anything that is in front of me (or in front of YOU if you're nearby). I love love food, and I have 0 self-control.
6. If you're a cat person, we can't be together.
7. I have a REALLY long list of books to read before I die. At this rate, I'll need to live to about 160.
8. I LOVE infomercials, especially the beginning when the people can't do things.
9. I'm a (sort-of) vegetarian solely because the texture of most meat makes me ill.
10. I can't wait to move to Cali but I think it'll be hard living that far away from my family and friends.
11. Having an accent gets you 10 points, but being a musician gets you 25.
12. I will never stop searching for the perfect curly hair product.
13. I wish I were better at small talk.
14. I have been skydiving, and I have sung at Carnegie Hall. I'm not sure which experience scared me more.
15. I can wiggle my ears, roll my eyes all the way up, move my scalp, and fold my tongue into a ruffle. I'm basically made of plastic.
16. I can make a noise like a pterodactyl, but it's not an inside noise.
17. Whenever possible, I make a list. I love making lists of all kinds of things, and I love crossing things off.
18. I love matching. Not suit-of-purple-crocodile matching, but recurring colors, etc. It looks like you put in a little effort, and I like that. Argentines are generally very good at this, though there is often more polyester involved than I am comfortable with.
19. My earliest memory is of hearing the chorus to Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound." If the song had been "Late in the Evening" that would be a better story.
20. I've been to the mouths of two volcanoes: Mt Vesuvius and Mt Haleakala.
21. I think Dr. Pepper tastes like lipstick.
22. Two things can make me cry spontaneously: children with AIDS and 9/11. This has been a problem in history class and on the subway.
23. I have two extra ribs: one on each side. You can especially tell when I'm laughing.
24. I was once accused of calling in a bomb threat to the Tufts Medical School (I didn't do it, don't worry!). In a separate incident, our TiVo once called 911 by accident.
25. I think I was myself in a previous life. I get deja vu ALL THE TIME.
Without further ado, 25 Random Facts, Habits, or Goals:
1. I really wish I were artsy. I try from time to time, but it never works out.
2. I hate the word 'guesstimate.'
3. I've only met 2 "celebrities" in my life: Zizi from "Salute Your Shorts," and the youngest brother from "Home Improvement." I'm not sure how proud I am of this.
4. My goal is to visit all 7 continents and all 50 states, but my dream is to travel all the time for the rest of my life and go absolutely everywhere.
5. I compulsively eat anything that is in front of me (or in front of YOU if you're nearby). I love love food, and I have 0 self-control.
6. If you're a cat person, we can't be together.
7. I have a REALLY long list of books to read before I die. At this rate, I'll need to live to about 160.
8. I LOVE infomercials, especially the beginning when the people can't do things.
9. I'm a (sort-of) vegetarian solely because the texture of most meat makes me ill.
10. I can't wait to move to Cali but I think it'll be hard living that far away from my family and friends.
11. Having an accent gets you 10 points, but being a musician gets you 25.
12. I will never stop searching for the perfect curly hair product.
13. I wish I were better at small talk.
14. I have been skydiving, and I have sung at Carnegie Hall. I'm not sure which experience scared me more.
15. I can wiggle my ears, roll my eyes all the way up, move my scalp, and fold my tongue into a ruffle. I'm basically made of plastic.
16. I can make a noise like a pterodactyl, but it's not an inside noise.
17. Whenever possible, I make a list. I love making lists of all kinds of things, and I love crossing things off.
18. I love matching. Not suit-of-purple-crocodile matching, but recurring colors, etc. It looks like you put in a little effort, and I like that. Argentines are generally very good at this, though there is often more polyester involved than I am comfortable with.
19. My earliest memory is of hearing the chorus to Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound." If the song had been "Late in the Evening" that would be a better story.
20. I've been to the mouths of two volcanoes: Mt Vesuvius and Mt Haleakala.
21. I think Dr. Pepper tastes like lipstick.
22. Two things can make me cry spontaneously: children with AIDS and 9/11. This has been a problem in history class and on the subway.
23. I have two extra ribs: one on each side. You can especially tell when I'm laughing.
24. I was once accused of calling in a bomb threat to the Tufts Medical School (I didn't do it, don't worry!). In a separate incident, our TiVo once called 911 by accident.
25. I think I was myself in a previous life. I get deja vu ALL THE TIME.
Friday, March 13, 2009
TGIF
It's Friday the 13th (again)! So far, I haven't had any bad luck today, which probably means I'll be hit by a car in the next 5 minutes.
Classes are going well. oh yeah, did I mention I sort of gave up the search for a real job and took on some classes? Well I did. I have about 15 hours a week at the moment, way too few to make decent money but great if you like being lazy and having lots of free time. Which I do. I have some cool new students and a few great students I had before I left. My earliest class (once a week) starts at 10:30am. Not bad.
I have been informed that next weekend Argentina will go OFF of daylight savings. This means we will only be one hour ahead of the East Coast. Yay!
Something about a party on an island this weekend. Amazing?
The book I'm reading at the moment SUCKS, so I'm trying to finish it fast and move on.
I'm still scared of my Spanish-speaking roommates but I did manage to have a pretty good conversation the other day AND use the stove. Baby steps, right?
Speaking of steps, for those of you who don't follow my every move on Facebook, I stepped in wet cement on Wednesday while wearing flipflops. There's still some cement on my shoe AND foot (I have taken multiple showers since then, I swear!). That was just so totally predictable.
Don't you love stream of consciousness posts? I know I do. Starving, so I'm going to get a wrap at Pura Vida (NOT Poor Evita) because they're delicious, even though it will cost $1 million. Chau!
Classes are going well. oh yeah, did I mention I sort of gave up the search for a real job and took on some classes? Well I did. I have about 15 hours a week at the moment, way too few to make decent money but great if you like being lazy and having lots of free time. Which I do. I have some cool new students and a few great students I had before I left. My earliest class (once a week) starts at 10:30am. Not bad.
I have been informed that next weekend Argentina will go OFF of daylight savings. This means we will only be one hour ahead of the East Coast. Yay!
Something about a party on an island this weekend. Amazing?
The book I'm reading at the moment SUCKS, so I'm trying to finish it fast and move on.
I'm still scared of my Spanish-speaking roommates but I did manage to have a pretty good conversation the other day AND use the stove. Baby steps, right?
Speaking of steps, for those of you who don't follow my every move on Facebook, I stepped in wet cement on Wednesday while wearing flipflops. There's still some cement on my shoe AND foot (I have taken multiple showers since then, I swear!). That was just so totally predictable.
Don't you love stream of consciousness posts? I know I do. Starving, so I'm going to get a wrap at Pura Vida (NOT Poor Evita) because they're delicious, even though it will cost $1 million. Chau!
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