first Austin update
So, I’m finally here is Austin. I begin my internship at API a week from tomorrow (can’t wait – they have already been more than amazing/accommodating/welcoming!)
I figured I’d share with the world some of the discoveries I’ve made in the first 24 hours of living in Austin.
Austin is SUNNY. and has lots of sky scrapers. My eyeballs are burning just looking at this picture.
I finally ate at a Sonic. It was as good as any other fast food restaurant. It was good, I just think all the hype is funny. Kinds reminds me of Burgerville. Certainly a novelty fast-food place (does using novelty + fast-food in a sentence seem like an oxymoron to anyone else?)
Our hotel has Texas-shaped waffles. Impressive.
Austin has a ton of apartments. A TON!!! I think I could probably start showing units, I now know the drill. Austin apartments are also quite different than Eugene apartments. I don’t think I’ll have bums outside my new place =/ Maybe I’ll start tracking armadillo. Or maybe the acouchi (thank you Putnam County Spelling Bee for teaching me the spelling AND definition of that word!)
There is a wide selection of taco stands. And cupcake stands!! (see the cupcake on top on the right??) I’m also following a frozen banana stand on Twitter, but I have yet to find it…
Austin street lights are sideways (or maybe Oregon lights are sideways). I also learned that if I take I-35, I will end up on the other side of Texas…if I take it the other way I will end up in Mexico. ¡Quizas me voy a Mexico! o quizas no..tal vez)
There are lots of weird/cool/quirky things I can take pictures of at a moments notice. At some point I will be learning the significance behind it all:
As we are so close to Mexico…freaking amazing Mexican food!! This pastor plate was to die for. And has also equated to three meals. YUM!
I’M STILL HAUNTED BY 111!!!!!! So in our hotel room there is a bible, like every other hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Well, this particular bible was found like this. I walked in the room, and found the bible open with the page folded up to Psalm 111!!!!!!! What does this mean?!!? I am going between feeling completely freaked out, to being positive this 111 consipracy could be a good thing. I don’t know, but I don’t like not know what the deal is. Any ideas??
Well, that’s it for now – more to come from Austin I’m sure. Awesome city. I’m glad I ended up here (thanks Deb/Marc for making this happen!!)
mexperience reflection
“¡Bienvenidos a la ciudad de México! En un rato, vamos a . . . “
What the hell is going on? And what the hell are these people saying? Why am I the only white person on this airplane?
Nothing anyone says about studying abroad can prepare you. Jump in, face first. Mess up. Love it. Hate the barriers. Love the barriers. Love the freedom, hate the free time. Time that allows you to reflect. Reflections on everything that was once familiar. Familiarity is a foreign concept. Conceptions, realities, everything is different.
Leaving everything & everyone at home is hard. It is more difficult to realize everything you thought you were, you perhaps are not? Maybe not everything, but alot of things. Find a part of yourself you never knew was missing. Take away everyting familiar – family, friends, money, food, school, language, plumbing, music, culture, religion, your house, your car, your stuff. Your life. Now, try to figure out who you are.
Welcome to the test we call life. There are no cheat sheets. It’s sink or swim. Figure it out quick. Be confused & scared and then begin to live. Love your new friends, hate your old friends. Forget everyone. Miss your old life. Miss your old friends. Embrace new friends. Live new lifestyles. Love it. Hate it. Learn.
The best time of my life. Minimal responsibilities. New culture. Exploring and appreciating things I never knew. Disconnected from technology. Connected to life. Finding that sweet spot we sometimes call balance.
What do you do when you step into a world where suddenly you are the minority and you don’t understand. surreal. blurs. Did I really get into a car from the bus station with a Mexican couple claiming to be my host family? Who in the world is this random family I will be living with for four months? …and how did they end up some of the most amazing people I’ve met in my life?
Mexico feels like home. One of them. Amazing and caring people. Beautiful culture. Rich history. Spirit, expression and passion. Time. Less is more. Ignorance is bliss?
If you aren’t scared or uncomfortable, you aren’t learning. Be uncomfortable. Get over it. Love the experience.
cultural anthropology: The United States of Mexico
To fulfill my final few credits, I was enrolled in an International Communications course. Exciting yes, because international communications is certainly an avenue of my career path I see myself exploring. However, the structure and focus of this course I knew did not align with my interests. So, I created my own class.
I’m really excited about this – I’m working under Professor Gabriela Martinez, who specializes in media culture, globalization, and the effects and impacts of the economic, social, cultural and political arena of Latin America.
So, the course I designed for myself relates to the communication and cultural anthropology of Mexico and the United States. I am studying the elements that have, and continue to impact the convergence of the cultures of Mexico and the United States in order to develop a more thorough and accurate foundation of knowledge through a variety of perspectives such as: historical, social/cultural, economic and political.
I started the course with a holistic investigation of globalization trends that have defined history and are shaping international relationships and communication. Once I have this foundation, I’ll focus my study on how globalization has and is directly affected Mexico, the United States and the communication dynamics between the two countries.
Pretty exciting, huh?? At least for me! (=
Anyway, I think the most exciting part of the course are the books I’ve selected to read! (anyone else know of my book obsession?)
Tribes by Seth Godin
The World Is Flat by John Friedman
The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens and the Nation by Leo R. Chavez
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
“They Take Our Jobs!” and 20 Other Myths About Immigration by Aviva Chomsky
“Ex Mex” by Jorge Castañeda
I also have a list of movies I plan to watch at least a few of:
La Ley de Herodes
Amores Perros
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Nosotros los Pobres
Uds. los Ricos
Pepe el torro
Oh yes, and one of the other greatest things of this course is that it will be conducted and my work will be produced in both Spanish and English. Perfecto, no?? Creo que si!
expecting the unexpected in Mexico
Unas de las razones que me disfrutaba viviendo en Mexico – cada dia, nunca sabia que va a ocurrir. Como esta desfile que encontremos durante nuestra caminata a la UAQ:
en ingles:
I think one of the reasons I enjoyed living in Mexico so much, was because on a daily basis, I never quite knew what to expect. Such as this parade that we randomly encountered when walking to school one day: