I like New York City. It was kind of brimming, radiating with energy and life. It's hard to believe it's been almost three weeks since we left there. Life moves on so quickly. I'm in Hattiesburg now, mostly chilling at Claudia's with her and Justin while Stan practices violin, then spending time with Stan whenever he's got it. ^_^ I like Stan. I like being here a lot...

This afternoon, Stan and I leave for camp in Canton. A week from two days ago we come back, then a week from yesterday is Preview Day at USM. I'm just the slightest bit nervous about that. I have to figure out what classes I'd like to take and stuff.

Anyways… I don’t know how much I want to write about New York. I mean, it feels so long ago now- I feel like it’s something I should catch up on later, when I’m looking back and shocked/appalled at myself for not having written anything. But… until that point, I think I’ll just kind of keep up with now.

This morning, as I have been sitting alone in what will eventually be my (and Ana Cristina's) room, I’ve been listening to The Prince of Egypt, and remembering how much I really like that music! It’s weird how much you’re capable of forgetting. No, I guess… It’s weird how much I’m capable of forgetting. ^_^ And kind of ridiculous. I wish I had a better memory. Maybe it's something I can work on and get better at. =] That'd be nice... I wonder how one goes about intentionally improving their memory.

There's either a really weird bird or a screaming child outside the window. It stopped now. I'm going to go with the bird idea. Seems more likely.

All we can do is nothing worth
Unless God blessed the deed;
Vainly we hope for the harvest-tide
Till God gives life to the seed;
Yet nearer and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled
With the glory of God,
As the waters cover the sea.

I remember this hymn from Nicholas Nickelby. It was beautiful. The one man singing it by himself in the street while the Christopher Plummer character reevaluates his entire life. It was a kind of intense moment.

Not the best moment to end on.
I decided I want to memorize the words to "Somewhere Beyond the Sea" and "La Mer." Same song, essentially, but in different languages.

No, it was definitely a child. I can hear it crying again, and it sounds pretty much the same, but more distinct. Kind of like it's closer, or just louder. And it went on for longer, so I could tell for sure.

Last night, when Stan was practicing with the quartet, I got to hang out with Claudia for probably an hour and a half to two hours, altogether. I definitively decided that I like her. She's been nice, and just... she just seems like a cool person to get to know. I'm getting excited about this fall! Oh, and she said she is going to France in the spring, too. So... it would for sure be amazing if I go then... I mean, it was already going to be amazing... but now... I guess now, not going would just suck that much more. I really hope it works out.

"I do believe we'll blow the wheels clear off this popsicle stand."

hehe

Tonight I looked up some lj users from the city I live in and read some of their posts. I was hoping something would strike my interest and make me want to write. Instead, it just made me feel weird. All those people out there who could possibly be reading each journal entry I write. It's a little frightening, but kind of exciting at the same time.

On to a completely different train of thought.
I want to talk about camping, because it turned out quite differently than I had expected it to. Particularly the way I felt about the Cowen family. Anyone who knows them will understand when I say they (the kids, I mean) have always been a little hard to get along with. And it always seems like there are so very many of them! There are five children, which isn't an incredible amount, but perhaps their excessive energy and awkwardness is what made the difference.

On the camping trip, though, I noticed some things about their family. First, and as I probably should have expected, the oldest boys were maturing. They were calm and civil, and could carry on normal conversations without their customary awkwardness. As related to their family in general, I noticed that there was great deal of love, kindness, gentleness, and respect flowing back and forth between the parents and the children.

In case you didn't know, I think I have always liked soft-spoken and quiet people quite a bit. And when those parents spoke to their children, the tenderness was almost palpable- it was incredible!

I'm sure there are other families that I have seen that have the same amount of love and respect for each other, but I was intrigued and delighted by the way this family showed it. If I ever have children, I would be so happy to be able to say that we converse the same way.

I've been meaning to write about that for quite some time. I guess it would be over a week now, since we got back from the camping trip last Sunday. That was a wonderful trip!

When I grow up... no... when I graduate, I want to live somewhere beautiful- near a lake or a creek or both, with fields somewhere near and a big tree I can climb. All of this would be perfectly satisfied if I lived near a park. And that would be perfect with me... but I just... I don't want to live in the middle of a big city without any grass or flowers or trees. But I don't want to live in the country, because gas is expensive. So... near a park is ideal, I suppose. Parks are lovely.

So I think I was just grumpy last night. It's actually not been a bad week, despite minor setbacks. And as far as camping is concerned... I'll just have to grab a couple of good books and I'll be set. And I've got my ukulele, which my mom wants me to bring, so I can print of a couple of songs and work on those, too. All in all, it's going to be a pretty good weekend, I think. Although... It's supposed to rain, according to this weather website. So I don't know if that's going to rule out tubing or not... that would make me sad. But not really sad, because I'd still be able to turn to my handy pack of books and ukulele music that I packed for such an occasion as that. Oh yeah.

I'm starting to feel restless and generally agitated.

Everything will be okay in a week and a half or so, but until then, I've got next to nothing to do, and all the time in the world in which to do it. I'm working at Kirkland's part time, so I'm catching back up in the world of sconces and chargers and orbs. There are only two new people since last summer- Sharon and Christina. Or Christine. I forget. But anyways. Sharon's nice and talkative and generally fits in at Kirkland's, I think. I've only spent half an hour with Christina, so I wouldn't really know.

Point... not been a good week thus far. And I've got a not-so-fabulous weekend ahead... A weekend camping, which is usually fun, but... I'm suddenly feeling a little apprehensive about the company involved. Usually all of the families can come, but this summer, there are so many people that can't that it makes me... yeah. Ugh.

I think I'm just grumpy. I should go to bed now.

I worked today! I feel so productive. I think summers are terrible if there are no plans or purpose involved. Spending excessive amounts of time with family tends to make me feel restless and imprisoned. Spending time alone makes me feel... lonely. But working, on the other hand, makes me feel much more alive and driven.

I started at Greenbriar today. Kristen said they have enough staff for the summer, but I'll be the substitute worker. Tonight was Kid's Club, which meant that about 25 kids- aged about four to nine- came to the clubhouse and had an activity-filled, pirates and fairy themed evening. Fantastic idea, I say. And it means we got to watch Peter Pan! I like that movie. The only problem with the evening was a kid named Jonathan, who kept kicking my ankles when we were playing soccer at the beginning of the night. Now they're all scratched up. >.<

But it was a good night. Tree climbing, pizza eating, craft making, treasure hunting... Fun for the kids- relatively easy for us. Of course, it made all the difference in the world that Kristen is insanely organized. She had practically every minute mapped out for us.

Ooh ooh tomorrow, I go see Jason and do paperwork for Kirkland's, finally. I need to write down a calendar on a notecard to give him... make sure he has, in writing, what times and days and everything, since he tends to forget things.

You know in Lost, when Sayid wants Shannon to translate Rousseau's piece of paper? A map or something? She figures out that the words on the page are the words to "La Mer," written by Charles Trenet in 1943, which was given English lyrics about three years later by Jack Lawrence, making it the song which has been stuck in my mind all day long, "Beyond the Sea." I really like that song.
On an entirely unrelated note, I found out today that I will be my family's cook/maid for the next three weeks. Lovely, isn't it? But on the positive side, it'll give me some much-needed practice cooking. Tonight we're having some onion-flavored potatoes and some pork (maybe? I think so...) roast with Greek spices. It smells good. Mom's not going to be home for another half hour or so, though, so we'll find out if it actually is good. I also made a cake last night. And the icing. The icing was good, the cake... good, but pretty much just unremarkable. And it stuck to the pan, which was frustrating. Thankfully I had planned on using icing, otherwise I would have been completely distraught, as opposed to normally distraught, which I was.

Oh. Here's the song. I like it.

Now today was a good day. Not too terribly long after I woke up, I was summoned to take Em to a movie. Dave had some of his friends over, so we just kind of skipped out. Because of some promise in earlier days of the week, (and the fact that I had zero moneys in cash) she paid for my ticket, meaning I got a free 3D movie trip. We saw UP. It was a good movie before it even started- they had one of those Pixar shorts, which was adorable. AND the movie was good. ^_^ As we entered the theatre, there was a boy who must have been around five to seven years old and was sitting a few rows in front of us. He turned around and asked us, incredulously, "are you seeing UP?!" We replied with a "yes," a little confused, and he continued, "Oh. I thought you were going to see "Drag Me to Hell," before turning around and facing the front of the theatre. He didn't turn to look at us again, and I have no idea why he thought we were going to see the other movie, but the whole thing was very unexpected and rather cute.

After the movie was dinner, and then ice cream. I've been getting a lot of ice cream lately! It's a little bizarre. (I've decided that I'll use the word "bizarre" as much as possible in writing, because it's one of those words that looks so... bizarre...) But it's gooood. Ice cream is good.

And then, then, then! I headed to Rosalie's house. AND I found it. I only needed directions once I got to the neighborhood, and I don't feel the least bit bad about that. It's a confusing neighborhood.

I look like a junkie, because I had a check-up on Tuesday, and they had to draw blood, which I almost spelled "blud." I really need to spend more time reading and writing... I'm losing my skills... Point: I have a bruise on the inside of my elbow.

Rosalie and I went to the pipe and I learned how to drink honeysuckle!!! I'm really excited about that, actually. I'd always thought it was kind of cool how it worked, but now I know how! It made me happppyyyy! And then we played Mexican Train =). One of the best games I've ever played, actually. (So thanks, Marian.)

When I got back home, I played ukulele while Mom played guitar and my grandmother played the dulcimer. The instruments weren't tuned to each other, so I worked on that for a while, breaking a string of my mom's dulcimer after having tuned it to the wrong note by her direction. Even after I tuned them (which I probably didn't do as well as I should have), they didn't sound so hot together. And playing with the dulcimer is a little tedious, since it can only play a few chords.

But then Stan called and I left and everything was better, quite drastically better, actually. I remembered what a fun day it really had been, and how wonderful my life really is. *sigh* And now, as my eyelids are slowly closing in peaceful contentment, I bid you goodnight, and wish you as happy a day tomorrow as mine was today.

That would be weird.

You wanna hear something sad? I'm sleeping on a couch on my birthday. My grandmother's in town, so she gets my room (which is just fine), and I'm supposed to be sleeping on an air mattress in Em's room. Only, I didn't have the foresight to prepare the air mattress before everyone in the house went to bed. Now I would have to set it up alone and in the dark, while trying to be as quiet as possible. So, to avoid the stress, I'm sleeping on the older of the leather couches downstairs in the piano room, which, by the way, is considerably creepier than the living room, perhaps due to the fact that I'm not used to being in here. There's one of those incense things in here, the oil with the sticks, you know? And it's giving me a headache. I'm going to move it, I think. Also, there's this tiny bug that keeps crawling around the screen, because it likes the light. I've shooed it away twice, and it keeps flying back. I guess I'll just put up with it until I go to bed, which will be soon, since I'm exhausted and it's pretty late.

It feels like maybe changing decades should feel weirder than it does.

Today Stan and I went to the mall, and Old Navy. He got some khakis and a few shirts, and I got a pretty white skirt. I like it a lot. Shopping's pretty fun. AND we ate Chinese while watching Forbidden Kingdom, which was pretty much fantastic. I'm feeling kind of down tonight for some reason (probably the hormones), though, so I think I'll just go on to sleep. I've been writing much more often, so I feel entirely justified in going to bed earlier-OH! another thing. About those ukuleles I've been looking at- the guy at Willis music (Brad something- one of the managers. If you go there to buy an instrument, hang around for a while first, then ask him what it costs as if you didn't see the tag... he might take something off the original price) said he'd give me the one I wanted for a hundred less than it said on the sticker thing! It's a beautiful instrument (isn't it?!), but I wasn't really thinking I'd go for it if it was the original price, since it's just beauty that makes it stand out, really. Well, that, and it's a little to play than the ones at DW Sound. We were concerned about one of the tuning pegs, because it wasn't seeming to work so well, but it turns out that it's pretty new, and it's got new strings and all, so that's why it kept losing it's tune.

Anyways, the point is that... I'll have a beautiful ukulele in a few days. Yay!

Also, I did this Mary Kay hand thing that I'd gotten for graduation, and now my hands feel amazing. For serious. If you see me in the next few days, you should ask me to touch them. I'll only be a little weirded out. =)

So over the course of the last few months, I've become increasingly concerned about what's gonna happen to me when I die. Having decided that I'm not entirely sure whether or not Christianity ("the confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart God raised him from the dead" part) is true (an accurate depiction of reality), it's become a little more difficult to figure out what's going on and what will go on and what I should do, big-picture. So... okay. Example. I do know there's a creating, potentially sustaining God figure out there, k? But, I'm not sure he can completely belong to any one religion. So which one is he? I mean, talking to Lana throughout the year, talking to Shachar last year, going to mass with Stan and his mom, and talking to him about life and love, going to the Orthodox services with Marian in January, having post-church talks with Marie... there are so many similarities, and such minimal differences- names, church traditions, genealogies, dates- the details, really.

And... okay, there was a "Muslim's Daily Adhkaar" in our room that Lana didn't know she had or something, and I looked through it. It's got some pieces of the prayers in it, and, as I was reading it, I realized that their Allah sounds a lot like the Christian God- All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Powerful, Creator, Lord, and Sovereign- all of these things are written in the book, and all of these things apply to both of them. The only problem, really, is that both are supposed to be worshiped exclusively...

But what if that just means that you are only to worship the God. Not... not only worship one of these churches' gods, but only worship God- in other words, not all of those other things people get caught up in. The most popular examples in church are money and popularity, but there are tons of things that work in that gap. It makes sense.

And... same general train of thought- I was talking to Grace sometime throughout the year, and she said that it's only really here, in America, that religion is thought of as anything other than some kind of a cultural link.

[I should have taken more time to talk to the girls about important things. Don't you hate that? The 20/20 hindsight stuff?]

But, to the point of all of this.

No matter what, I believe there is a God out there, and I believe he made all of the beauty I've been able to see in my life, and all the beautiful things I may never see. So, it really is only fair for me to do what I can, as far as I can, in helping this God. Not that he particularly needs me or anything. But one more person... it can help things spread, you know? I just need to figure out exactly what I'm spreading, I guess.

Anyways, it's late. I need to sleep and think and sleep some more.

*sigh* but today was so good, I don't really want it to be over.
Ha! That was stupid. Tomorrow can be just as wonderful! I don't know what I was thinking.

The good times go by too quickly, you know?

I think I need to grow up a lot. I don't like it. I don't want to grow up, even though I recognize the benefits and occasional necessity.

I haven't written since school let out. (so much relief... just to be done with it for a while- to not have anything that I have to do- to not have deadlines- to not have lists and responsibilities and duties! I welcome summer with open arms!)

Today was fantastic! This morning, after not getting out of bed until around 12:20, I walked to the duck pond with Stan and fed the ducks and geese. Geese really are bizarre- they would get so very close to us, and they hissed, too, showing the inside of their strange-looking beaks. I touched the back of one of them as it was scaring off one of the ducks. But, better than the geese, there were ducklings! Stan and I walked over to the cement ditch thing for the drainage tunnel at the end of the lake, and there were two ducklings and a mother just chilling down there. The ducklings were just poking around, finding food and such, but the mother looked a little distressed. Stan and I walked around the back of the pond, and saw another mother with seven ducklings. They must have just hatched, because they looked no bigger than a duck's egg must be, and when the mother was standing, they could all fit underneath her.

When we returned to the hole-thing, at least fifteen minutes later, I think, the three of them were still there, and the mother was even more stressed out than before. We decided to rescue them! So we crossed the road and entered the tunnel from the opposite end, then walked through it to where the ducks were. The mother freaked out, of course, but we were able to get the two ducklings back onto the pond part.

It was such a nice little trip!

And then we came back and had a little snack and watched the new Dragon Ball Kai episode on Stan's computer. Then Em's soccer game, CiCi's, and then... oh, Ratatouille. We watched Ratatouille.

=) I really like summer!

I think I might go by Kirkland's sometime next week and see about a job, particularly if I haven't heard back from the Greenbriar by then. Mom said she had talked to Jason and that he's more than willing to let me have my job back, and Nick said the same thing, especially since Howard might not be there this summer. Either way, I'd be willing to see if they're interested in having me back off and on throughout the summer. But Andrea's not going to be there... she had to go and get a real job... stupid college grad...

I like being at home. Hanging with Dave and Em and the parents... I mean, Dave's been studying a lot, finals and all this week, but still. He's a funny one. And Emily's just insane, but in a good way. I like them a lot.

And my birthday is this weekend. XD
And I might be getting a ukulele. Fun, huh?
And Stan's here.
And everything's wonderful!

There are a great many things that make me happy, and, since I've got a bit of time before Philosophy class (NOT on the list), I figured I could make a list! I could use a list of happy things. Of course, at the top of the list, there's my lovely, wonderful, thoughtful, awesome boyfriend. Everything else is just... whatever I think of, not in any particular order or anything, since I'm not going to take the time to organize it. It's too much trouble, and I'll want to reorganize it over and over and over, if I do try to put it in order. Anyways... I'm sure I won't have time to finish it before class, but I'll give it a good start now.

• Stan!!
• speaking French
• zoo animals- duikers, tigers, almost any kind of large cat, fennec foxes, prairie dogs, etc... there are a lot...
• frothy orange juice
• tree-climbing
• softlips vanilla chapstick
• petting baby rabbits
• dressing up
• México
• this video
• cloud-watching
• horseback riding
• taking pictures
• my exciting friends
• having written a full page of text
• butterflies
• almost any kind of cheesecake ice cream- Bop's, Coldstone, Marble Slab, etc...
• watching good ice skaters and dancers
• hearing people speak French and Spanish with their natural, beautiful accents
• the name "Felix"
• long, bright, flowing skirts
• happy dresses

1. First thing you wash in the shower? my hair

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? yellow. but... there's a red one that's pretty fantastic, too...

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? of course.

4. Do you plan outfits? Not usually. Sometimes, though, if I have to be somewhere in the morning, I put some clothes out the night before.

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? sleeeeeepy

6. Whats the closest thing to you that is red? my alarm clock

7. What was the last dream you remember having? Last night, I dreamt I was outside at some church. Someone I knew was getting married or something. It was pretty nice dream, though. I was just walking around in woods outside the church at dark. Okay, sounds a lot creepier than it was... it was pretty nice

8. Did you meet anybody new today? Not really, no. There's never much of an occasion for meeting people.

9. What are you craving right now? water. My throat hurts. And I want my suitemates to stop locking the f'ing bathroom door. And I want it to be summertime.

10. Do you floss? nope. Not unless there's floss readily available for some reason.

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? patch. kids.

12. Are you emotional? probably. Usually

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? nope. Usually I get to 100 and then I count by 100's to a thousand... but that's probably only happened once or twice.

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? lick it.

15. Do you like your hair? sometimes. it's a little rebellious.

16. Do you like yourself? I guess so. I'm pretty okay with me.

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? yeah, sure, why not?

18. What are you listening to right now? absolutely nothing. The fan's on, though.

19. Are your parents strict? nope.

20. Would you go sky diving? hmmmmmm maybe with the right motivation.

21. Do you like cottage cheese? yep. I actually almost got it at the caf yesterday. Hmm.

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? I guess it depends on how you define celebrity. I met Chris Rice a couple of times.

23. Do you rent movies often? when I'm at home, knid of.

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? probably. I don't want to look, though. The room's a wreck.

25. How many countries have you visited? 1. Ohhh sad.

26. Have you made a prank phone call? yeah, in middle school a few times.

27. Ever been on a train? yeah! But I don't remember it.

28. Brown or white eggs? i have no idea

29.Do you have a cell-phone? mhmm

30. Do you use chap stick? oh yes.

31. Do you own a gun? ummm no.

32. Can you use chop sticks? yep

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? probably Lana and Reika... =)

34. Are you too forgiving? I don't think so... I don't know. I guess sometimes I am. But when people are sorry I feel bad for them and can't not forgive them, usually. I don't think that's a problem, most of the time. Unless I say it and don't really mean it.

35. Ever been in love? yes.

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? I don't know. It's a Saturday, so... yeah. I just don't know.

37. Ever have cream puffs? yeah. too sweet

38. Last time you cried? this weekend. =)

39. What was the last question you asked? "what?"

40. Favorite time of the year? probably spring

41. Do you have any tattoos? nope

42. Are you sarcastic? occasionally

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? nope

44. Ever walked into a wall? mhmm

45. Favorite color? blue! and yellow, I guess, sometimes.

46. Have you ever slapped someone? yeah. But not in the face.

47. Is your hair curly? when it feels like it.

48. What was the last CD you bought? wow, really? I have no idea...

49. Do looks matter? sometimes.

50. Are you afraid of anything? yeah, sure.

51. Is your phone bill sky high? nope

52. Do you like your life right now? it's pretty great, but getting better...

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? if i'm really really really really tired, I can. But no, not by habit.

54. Can you handle the truth? yep.

55. Do you have good vision? yep.

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? Yes. I easily dislike three people.

57. How often do you talk on the phone? a few times a day.

58. The last person you held hands with? hahahahahahaha Reika... yesterday in Publix. She wouldn't stop scratching her mosquito bite... and... hahahaha yeah...

59. What are you wearing? a blue shirt. some pants. no shoes.

60.What is your favorite animal? in real life (animals I would actually have as a pet), probably dogs. But I love horses and duikers and monkeys.

61. Where was your default picture taken? in my room.

62. Can you hula hoop? sometimes

63. Do you have a job? kind of. It's over now, for the year, but I have some potentials lined up for the summer.

64.What was the most recent thing you bought? my food at the caf yesterday.

65. Have you ever crawled through a window? probably... but I don't remember ever having done it... I'll have to do that sometime!

I just wrote a very long entry about the Kirov Ballet's recorded performance of Don Quixote, with links to outside pages and everything. I posted it, and only the first line showed up. This entry would have constituted at least a full page of text in a Word document, no doubt about it. And now it's gone. And I am angry. And sleepy. BUT if I go to bed now, I won't remember any of what I had written, come morning. So screw sleep for another twenty minutes or so, I'm going to write again. But this time I'll have a back-up plan- save it to my computer or something ingenious like that. It's only just barely after eleven, so what've I got to lose, right?

Right. I'll be brief.

So tonight, Ellyn and I watched a recording of the Kirov Ballet's performance of Don Quixote for Spanish class. I always forget how much I really like watching ballet. The women are just so beautiful, and the clothes, and the emotions, and the movements- it's all just a little fantastical.

Here's the synopsis, courtesy of wikipedia, but summarized by yours truly:

The plot is taken from two chapters in Cervantes' novel. It concerns the unsuccessful attempt by the rich and foppish Gamache to marry the beautiful Kitri, who in turn is in love with Basil, a young barber from her village. Kitri wants to marry Basil, but her father desires that she wed the much older Gamache. Kitri and Basil hatch a plan; he pretends to commit suicide by supposedly stabbing himself at the wedding ceremony. His "dying" wish is that Kitri marry him, thus presumably leaving Gamache free to marry her after Basilio's "death". Of course, after the ceremony is performed, Basil miraculously "revives", and Gamache can do nothing except watch the two lovers happily go off.
Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza are only marginally involved in the storyline, although Quixote mistakes Kitri for Dulcinea, and his famous attack on the windmills (from an earlier chapter in the novel) is shoehorned into the main plot.

So, when we watched it... well, in the first act, they're all (Kitri, Basil, Gamanche, and Kitri's father) in the market square in some city. Before her father and Gamanche show up, though, Kitri and Basil are happily dancing around the square, she with her fan, he with his guitar, and her dress is lovely and flowing. For some reason, I had the feeling it was supposed to be set in Barcelona, but I'm thinking now that it's probably not.

But the dresses are really lovely! All of the women wear these ankle-long skirts that spin out to perfect circles when they twirl. It made me want to wear nothing but dresses and skirts for the rest of my life, and then to learn how to dance.

The combination of the Russian and the Spanish influences was interesting. There was a "dream" sequence, where some unknown old man dreams he's in a forest- the girls there are much more ballerinaesque. They are wearing their nice little tutus; and they're all lined up; and they make those impressive geometric patterns on the stage while being perfectly in form.

The part after the dance was set in a tavern, back in Spain again. There was a woman who looked like she was supposed to be a belly-dancer, but she didn't belly-dance, she just did some crazy weird moves with her arms and shoulders. She looked a little bit like a Jasmine figure, but that was mostly just her pants, I guess. Her arms were so incredibly fluid and just... pretty impressive. That's the end of my inadequate descriptions for the night, though. I'm exhausted, and there's no way any of this is coming out as well as I had thought, or as it did the first time, and that's just frustrating me, and it's driving me insane.

Goodnight, everyone.

For Spanish 220, I have to do a cultural portfolio, which is due a week from today (yesterday, technically). I'll go in and have my final conversation with Ellyn in front of la profe, in which we will discuss the various cultural experiences we have had over the past semester. (Even though I'm way more than ready for the semester to be over, it still seems incredibly odd that it is almost over.) I've interviewed Fernando, gone to two Latin American Symposium events, and had email conversations with Taylor and Jonathan about this year's Mexico trip. I need one more thing to put in the portfolio. Ellyn and I will probably watch a movie (sometime tomorrow {today} or the beginning of next week) and then discuss it, since we're both in need of something more.

But the reason I'm doing all this is because I've finally finished the part where I translate the conversations with Taylor and Jonathan into Spanish. That was tedious. But here it is, to (1) prove that I've been productive, and (2) make me seem cultured to anyone happening across my lj page.

Yeah, so the second one doesn't really matter. But why not, right? Here it is.

Questions are in colored text, Taylor's answers are italicized, and Jonathan's are in bold.

¿Porqué fui tú a México?

Ya fue allí cinco veces. Amo la gente ambos allí y quien viaja con mí. Quiero difundir el amor de Cristo a la gente allí.

Fue a México una vez antes de eso y amé la gente allí mucho. Ellos son más simpáticos y felices en general. Y, pues, el ambiente es maravillosa.

¿Ya habías visitado a una país hispanohablante?

Sí.

Pues, como ya dije, fue a México una vez.

¿Hablas español?

Un poco, sí.

Hablo el poquito que aprendí el año antes de eso, pero no, en general, no.

¿Cuáles son algunas cosas que observaste como diferente de la cultura en México?

Nadie no esta estreso. Coses termina cuando ellos termina. Nadie no tiene prisa, y nadie no tiene una agenda.

Observó que casi una de cada tres casas era una tienda. Y observó que las casas no eran tan bueno como las casas de los Estados-Unidos.

¿Qué aprendiste sobre de la gente de Xocempich?

Es como la ultima pregunta, pero más de eso. Nadie no tiene que trabaje mucho, porque nadie allí no necesita nada más de la comida, una casa, y asistencia sanitaria básica. Eran muy relajados.

Yo aprendí que la gente allá abajo es muy trabajadora y no tiene tanto como nosotros en los Estados Unidos, pero sin embargo ellos están personas muy felices. También, casi todos saben jugar fútbol y tienen facilidad para lo, aunque esté un pastor de treinta años.

¿Visitaste a las ciudades cerca de Xocempich?

Sí, visitemos a Piste y Chichen Itza, tuvimos escuela Biblia en Xcalacoop, y visitemos a Playa Del Carmen.

Nosotros atravesamos Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Piste, Xcalacoop, y otros lugares. No sé los nombres de las otras ciudades.

¿Puedas descubrir el viaje a Chichen Itza?

Sí, era muy fantástico. Ted nos dio una visita turística magnifico, y él nos explicó mucho de la historia. Nosotros no podíamos subirlo – Ellos habían decido de conservarlo, y por eso nadie no subirlo. Tenía mucho calor y había de la gente en todas partes. No había mucho escrito de nada allí. Si quieres aprender de las cosas, necesitaría una guía.

A Chichen Itza, no había las pinturas o los artefactos como en un museo, pero nosotros podíamos ver los construcciones actuales. Además, poder experimentar los efectos de los ecos y grandes sonoros de la construcción es algo que no experimentemos en un museo de los Estados Unidos.

¿Qué observaste de las tiendas que era diferente de las tiendas en los Estados-Unidos?

La gente allí necesitaban vender cada cosa. Cada venta les ayudaba luego en el día, por eso ellos eran muy agresivos acerca de las. El cambio de la moneda extranjera era muy interesante: más o menos 16 pesos para un dólar americano. Típicamente, ellos nos daban un precio en pesos, y sí necesitábamos saber el precio en dólares, ellos hicieran la matemática a favor de sí mismos.

Casi todos los precios eran negociables. A diferencia del caso aquí en los estados, los turistas normalmente hacen trueques en las tiendas. La mercancía era buena, pero dependía de la tienda. Unas cosas eran tan comunes que habría un buen acuerdo, diferente de allí en los estados- como vainilla pura, por ejemplo.

¿Recomendarías una viaje a México para los turistas?

Sí, es bueno para la cultura, y para un tipo especial de turistas. Los cenotes cerca de Piste y Chichen Itza son muy divertidos, pero no nos llevó mucho tiempo explorarlos. Para los turistas, recomendaría dos o tres días en Playa del Carmen, dos o tres días en Piste y las aldeas de alrededor, y uno o dos días para hacer turismo- Valladolid, etc.

Xocempich es un lugar magnifico si usted quiere familiarizarse con la cultura. Es muy básico y las personas son muy simpáticas. Pero si usted quiere ser turista, Playa del Carmen y Cancún son mayor para usted. No tengo mucha experiencia en ningún otro sitio en este región.

¿Lo pasó bien en la viaje?

Enormemente.

¡Lo pasé muy bien en la viaje! Era uno de los viajes mayores de mi vida. Recomendaría que usted vaya allí.


And that's the end of that. Ten not-so-difficult questions, and way to many "normal" vocabulary words. I'm still working on learning the basics, like "my sister has curly hair" and "you're a penguin." I don't know where that one came from, actually... I don't even know how to say "penguin," come to think of it... I should go to bed now.

No quiero hacer mi portafolio cultural hoy. No me gusta la tarea, no me gustan las redacciones, no me gustan las pruebas. Estoy aburrida y cansada y enojada. Yo querría dormir. Me falta mucha el sueño. Y no puedo esperar el verano. Pero… hay solo dos semanas antes de que el semestre terminará. Puedo hacerlo. Sí… sí puedo.

Lana just told me we have sixteen days left. I have sixteen days as a student in Birmingham. Sixteen days until I go home for three months. We've got sixteen more days of BSC. I have sixteen days before I'm a USM student. We have sixteen days as roommates. I have sixteen days to write a sociology paper, write a spanish paper, finish a philosophy paper, take three finals, write a french paper, and finish my spanish portfolio. Oh man. It's going to be a long sixteen days.

I wonder what's going to happen next year. I mean, I'm going to be in Hattiesburg, taking classes at USM, seeing Stan on a daily basis (yes!!!!), living with Claudia and Andrea, etc, etc, etc... but, aside from the basics (and even some of the basics), I have no idea what I'll be doing. I need to get a job, and I need to find a way to have food, and I need to figure out how to pay for school, and... I feel like there is so much I have to do before I go there.

Money, money, money. I want to study abroad next spring. How am I going to be able to do that when I can't even pay for next semester in the states? Maybe I need a real job. I mean... all of the money I have gotten from phonathon this semester went for gas or application fees, and... ugh. I need a real job.

I have to have some kind of a draft turned in to Sociology on Friday. However... if I'll be out of town on Friday, which might be the case, there's really nothing I can do but to finish it tonight. So I should work on it. But I'd rather write on livejournal, which I haven't done in a bit over a week, so... I guess it's about time. It's just- it's been kinda busy, and I'm sick, and the school year is winding down, so there's a lot of stuff going on. Example: Thursday is Honors Day, so I'm singing for French class, and then for Spanish class, and then reciting this poem for French class, and... yeah. Here's the poem, actually.

« Rue de Seine »par Jacques Prévert

Rue de Seine dix heures et demie - le soir - au coin d’une autre rue - un home titube …

un homme jeune - avec un chapeau - un imperméable - une femme le secoue …

elle le secoue - et elle lui parle - et il secoue la tête - son chapeau est tout de travers - et le chapeau de la femme s’apprête à tomber en arrière / ils sont très pâles tous les deux - l’homme certainement a envie de partir …

de disparaître …

de mourir …

mais la femme a une furieuse envie de vivre et sa voix - sa voix qui chuchote - on ne peut pas ne pas l’entendre - c’est une plainte …

un ordre …

un cri …

Tellement avide cette voix …

Et triste - et vivante …

Un nouveau-né malade qui grelotte sure une tombe dans un cimetière l’hiver …

Le cri d’un être les doigts pris dans la portière …

Une chanson - une phrase - toujours la même - une phrase - répétée …

Sans arrête - sans réponse …

L’homme la regarde ses yeux tournent - il fait des gestes avec les bras - comme un noyé - et la phrase revient - rue de Seine au coin d’une autre rue - la femme continue - sans se lasser …

Continue sa question inquiète - plaie impossible à panser

Pierre dis-moi la vérité - je veux tout savoir - dis-moi la vérité …

Le chapeau de la femme tombe

Pierre je veux tout savoir - dis- moi la vérité …

Question stupide et grandiose - Pierre ne sait que répondre - il est perdu - celui qui s’appelle Pierre …

Il a un sourire que peut-être il voudrait tendre - et répète

voyons calme-toi tu es folle

Mais il ne croit pas si bien dire - mais il ne voit pas - il ne peut pas voir comment - sa bouche d’homme est tordue par un sourire …

il étouffe - le monde se couche sur lui - et l’étouffe - il est prisonnier - coincé par ses promesses …

on lui demande des comptes …

En face de lui …

une machine à compter - une machine à écrire des lettres d’amour - une machine à souffrir - le saisit …

s’accroche à lui …

Pierre dis-moi la vérité

It's such a tragic poem! Everything sounds so much... more... in French, though- it somehow sounds more intense, more sad, like more of a tragedy, in French. Maybe because I'm paying a little more attention to it when it's in French.

One of the songs we're singing for choir has a really melancholy vibe to it. It's about how pretty ladies should be careful when they're picking their guy, because men have a way of running off. It's not like that's anything like my life, which is why I usually like songs. But even the alto part by itself is catchy and really calming, which rarely happens. It's really beautiful.

Did you know that there are about 300 million people living in America, and 6.7 billion in the world?
That's kind of a lot. It's a little crazy.

Oh... here are the lyrics to that song:

Come all you fair and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men,
They be like stars on a cloudy morning,
First they appear and then they're gone again.