1 More Day!! Can't Wait!

My last day.... I must do so much stuff. My flight leaves at 8am tomorrow. I cannot wait... as usual filled with anxiousness and anticipation. I want to leave already.
Today the day will be filled with cleaning, packing, last min. errands and tonight I have class. Last night I was at least able to sleep 7 hours since it has finally cooled off here.

Alright.... I will try to update while in the RD but no guarantees.

Annnnnnnnnnnoying!!!!

I find it annoying that people (many of them) when I talk about the Dominican Republic a few , days, weeks, emails, conversations, mins, etc. later ask me a follow up conversation about Costa Rica.... what is the deal? I do not get it. They do not even sound alike... are in very (well kind-of) different locations.... WTF. Today it happened twice.... when are you going to Costa Rica again??? or whatever.... UMMMMM.... an hour from NEVER. I have never been to Costa Rica.... nor any other coutry that has two words that rhymes with Costa Rica. Is CR soooooo much more well known then DR??? Help me out on this one..... GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

AND what about PUERTO RICO.... at least that is much closer in spelling.... Its not like it say PR and they say CR..... no.....DR sounds very different people. Get with it!!

:/

5.5 days left....

I leave on Thursday morning... and will be in Santiago, DR by dinner time. I would be there early if American Airlines had more daily flights to STI instead of SDQ... but no.... apparently that's not possible. I have about a 4.5 hour layover in Miami.... but that's ok as we know i love to people watch... especially 'latino people watch'!! ;)
It is really hot in Mpls this week.... supposed to get hotter over the weekend... they say 95. So, I have officially 'moved' over to my parents air conditioned house.... so, as not to suffer in my apt. that is so HOT HOT HOT.
I couldn't figure out what to bring for a few people... so, I decided that I will make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and some brownies as a yummy gift.
I am trying to find a hat or something baseball related for W but since I am cheap and poor... Target is not really meeting my needs on this one. I'll check the prices at the mall over the weekend. Besides that I am all set for gifts... I cleaned out some stuff and am bring several zip-lock bags of make-up and other randoms stuff that I have that I never used.
Tomorrow morning I think we all (my fam, my aunt's fam and grandma) for breakfast at the Original Pancake House. Tomorrow night I will probably go out with L.... to the movie 'Knocked Up'.... fun fun fun.

Alright... enough babbling... Chau!!!

Not Malaria... thank GOD!

I do not have Malaria. I have hepatitis A.... :( Which sucks as it just has to run its course and no medication that I can take for it. Though she offered to prescribe me some nausea medicine. She thinks that I would have contracted it in the DR.... which is quit possible. So, for now I'm just here.... getting thru. it. I leave next Thursday morning.... only 1 more week until the madness and until I get to see W. Though he said he was going to skip work to pick me up at the airport I told him 'NOOOO'.... we'll see if he listens. By the time that I get to the neighborhood, he would be getting home anyway.

I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July....

Chau!!

Malaria?!?!

I've been sick for weeks now.... I thought it might be one thing but it has been confirmed over and over again that it is not that. I have been getting sicker but only for half of each day..... I have been trying to ignore it. I thought I may be loosing my mind. Something normal is not going on. Some symtoms are getting more severe... and not good. I thought it was the temp changes, the food change, lovesickness, etc.... but I cannot rationalize what is going on in my body anymore. I need to see a Dr. as if it is what I suspect it is either malaria or some sort-of paracite... it needs to be treated NOW as it is serious and I am supposed to leave in 9 short days and need to be stable, health wise or I think my parents would committ me to ensure I don't set foot on a airplane now. Hopefully I am ok... and can see a dr. today.... and I don't loose too much dinero in the process. At this moment I do not have health insurance... I will see what I can get from the state as I have 'no income' and won't technically until late Dec.

Boringness

I've been feeling down the last few days.... probably because I don't have too much to do right now. I go back to RD on the 12th.... so, I am not so paitiently counting the days. I have been talking too much on the phone to W. About every other day... sometimes everyday. Yikes!

There is really nothing going on in life.... I am taking my grammar class.... my mid-term is due tomorrow at 5pm... and as I am sure you can guess. I haven't even started it yet. I have slept a lot this weekend. Last night I went to a friends house and we watch my Sanky Panky DVD.... which is always interesting.

Besides that.... I have no big plans for the next 10 days. Just cleaning, hanging out, finishing up class and walking around the lakes to stay tan. Maybe we'll go to LPB next Fri, or Sat if we're up to it.

Alright... that's all.... CHAU!!

mis pensamientos...

It's almost 1am.... I went to the movie 'Mr. Brook's' earlier this evening with some friends and was terrified beyond my comfort level. I was supposed to go out to night for a friend of a friend's bday bar-hopping kind-of thing... but i decided to clean.... yeah... so, i'm sure you can guess how i feel about this person if i choose to clean my apt. over them. Actually they aren't that bad... just someother chicks that were going to be there drive nuts... well, more than usual.

I am tired.... should prob. go to bed.... but just keep listening to music and cleaning... beleive this is not my natural behavior. I usually do every thing in my power to avoid cleaning/organizing/etc.

I have been doing lots of thinking about life lately. So, many people are stuck in the status quo or trying to fulfill it. They don't want to (CANNOT) go against the grain and do something that is not 'ok' with the publics idea of 'ok'. I am thinking about some things.... some decisions that I have made or am going to have to make it the weeks to come. Generally... I think way too much. I think about shit and never do it.... mostly because I am scared of what will happen but I'm sick of being one of my own victims and letting my fears and doubts take control of me and what I do with my life... because i want to 'be normal'. Though I have known for years that there is no such thing as 'normal' and that there is no reason should want to be like everyone else. So.... I will continue to think... though a certain individual close to me says that it is ok to think but i need to let some of my thoughts out and talk about them.... or i will go crazy. I agree.... i do need to talk about some issues and stop doubting the things that are going on around me and that i am seeing, feeling and experiencing as it is cutting into my life in a negative way.

Ok... must stop babbling.
Buenas noches....

Quick Update on La Vida

Sorry for not updating.... I've been busy... very very busy!! ;)

Life right now is good. I'm taking a short summer course on English Grammar (sooooo much fun.... NOT!) and then I'm headed back to the DR. Santiago (the 2nd city) for the 6.5 weeks... should be interesting!!! Oh... and I have to give props to Amity... I will be visiting her in Cabrera. AND CARO??? & KARLA??? Any chance you will be en la tierra caliente this summer??

I have been having problems with my stomach lately (more than usual) and now have headaches because my lack of caffeine. It has been hot here and the lack of air conditioning in my apt and car has been a bit overwhelming at times. At least today it is a little cooler.

I am now 'officially' in a relationship. As opposed to unofficially..! :/ We will call him 'W'..... but he is in no way related to GW Bush the 43rd nor can he vote for him as he is a dominicano.

That's about all that's going in life. I am counting the days until I go back and that's about it.

I start student teaching in the Minneapolis schools on Aug 27.... and will be officially done with it and license will be pending with the state on Dec. 14th. I teach 12 weeks at a diverse urban high school on the South side and then will be places 3/4 weeks at a Spanish Immersion elementary school. AND then I am DOOOONNNNEEE!!!! And maybe headed to the DR to work!?!? Right, Amity?

Next week, I get to (read: was forced to) chaperon one of the two AFS buses to D-day. Yes... another year of AFSers has finished their year as exchange students and have to go home. So, I get on the bus 9pm on Monday... we get to Chicago early AM and then I volunteer all day and the bus leave Chicago for Minneapolis Tues at 4pm. It will be fun.... more than 700 kids going home.... there will be a lot of emotions flying... I remember what it was like to go home... I did not want to go... I couldn't even imagine going back.... and when I did arrive 18 hrs later days and months of major reverse culture shock followed. I do not think I ever recovered fully!! ;)

Alright... that's it for now. I'm headed off to dinner with Lena... we found a Colombian/Peruvian Res. en el barrio.... and we have to discuss the possibility of attending a Juagares (w/ secret guest Juanes) concert on July 1st. Oh... and I must remember to purchase a ticket to my future president's campaign kick-off on the 29th... yes, Barack Obama.

La vida...

I'll be in the DR until June 6th-ish.... I will try to update but no garentees that I'll have internet access or electricity in the 'barrio fino'.... (i.e. da hood, the ghetto, etc)

Besides that everything is good... a little high strees as all the loose ends weren't tied up but hey.... I will be back in less than a month and can attend to things then.

Chaucito y besos a todos!

Chain Smoking Neighbor

The chick that lives below me is a chain smoker... up until last Friday she just smoked cigarettes... but on Friday night when I arrived home early (before bar time). I walked into the building to the smell of pot... I thought maybe I was just really out of it but as I enter into my apt... which is above hers, with shared vents I was bombarded with the certain odor of marijuana. Lovely. What is really funny about it is... she and whoever she was with got silent when I got home and didn't talk for a long time... like a half hour... I think they were scared... Muuuuahaha...!! But being the nice neighbor I am... I didn't really care and was exhausted and drunkish... so, I was about to pass out anyway.

Now tonight she is standing on the front step... outside this time smoking cigs... which is annoying.... but again... I just shut the window. Hopefully, when I have friends over again at 3 or 4am... she won't come up and pound on my door and scream like crazy.... like last time. It was actually comical as she apologized to me a few days later.... but imagine dealing with Brazilian guys, that just yell at her and say... 'she just needs a good f##k' and to go away. Again... funny.

Alright... I have some work to do... and later some international phone calls to make via skype!! Yay.