photography exhibit exposing the horrors of bullfighting
playing charades in spanish class :)
we prepared typical ecuadorian dishes for class :)
this is the part where i get to ramble on about random things that have occurred since my last installment. so i´ve been having trouble with my visa. well its not really me thats been having trouble, rather immigrations inability to effectively ink and stamp. so i already paid a pretty penny to have a piece of paper express mailed here so i wouldnt have to pay 200 dollars for...?? not sure. and apparently one number on the stamp they put on my passport is illegible because there wasnt enough ink. this is somehow my fault and ive had been chasing the illusory gods of immigration around the city for days. yesterday i was ghost-hunting with sergio, the lovely fellow at CIMAS responsible for security, and for some reason he thought it was necessary to run everywhere, jajajaja. all i could manage to say was en serio?? the altitude still makes me out of breath, or maybe im out of shape. no its the altitude :)
so this whole living with a family has been a beautiful learning experience. pretentious me thought 'bah, ive done this before. piece of cake.' but it definitely has been challenging. everywhere i go i am asked a million questions about my exact plans, who i will be with, where they are from, their cell numbers, address, their family history, i have to draw a pedigree, etc. presently, the best way ive figured out how to deal with it is to smile and say, 'soy un pájaro libre' which means, 'im a free bird.' im not so great at making specific plans, part of how i feel my way through the world. the best part about the pajaro libre is that its kind of a joke, yet i am still getting my point across. all about the smiles. my family is very loving and i know they just dont want anything aweful to happen to me.
spanish class has been pretty great. our teacher is the sweetest lady and is never too proud to explain to us all those awkward words/mannerisms/phrases that gring@s tend to awkwardly use (my favorite yet is the verb 'introducir' which really means to insert, but gringos often use it instead of the proper verb 'presentar.' just imagine saying to someone 'let me insert joe to you.' uh huh.) we have a small class, only 7 of us, and much of the time is spent giggling. remember that part i told you about reverting back to 5th grade? well it might have gotten worse since then, pretty soon i will be a 4 year old. but when you learn a new word in a different language, like 'cheap' for example, it suddenly becomes incredibly funny to say something like 'laura is cheap.' i think it has something to do with the sense of accomplishment of being able to make something resembling a joke in a different language...trust me it is actually funny. seriously. for realz.
in other news, i met up with some couchsurfers for the first time the other night! we all met at a bar, listened to some sweet live musac, and then headed off to a salsa club. i love salsa but ive been having mixed feelings about my experience there. let me just say that machismo has got me down a little. call it machismo blues (my next hit single). i must admit, i miss the playful and free nature of swingin in seattle. alas, i am determined to find my shmancing niche in this city.
i stumbled upon a bookstore yesterday with pictures of all the hummingbirds and orchids and butterflies in this country. i couldve cried. soon i will head north to the cloud forests and experience the great moisture that allows for so much diversity of life. as for today, im going to mosey on over to the botanical gardens and see if i cant befriend some orchids. hopefully the language barrier wont be too restricting.
well, whoever it is i am writing too, i will try and post some videos i have been taking soon (woot virtual home tour, get pumped).
sending and receiving love from the universe,
lala
mi amore!! wrong language, i realize, but what does it really matter? gets the right message across. song numero uno took up the perfect amount of time for me to drink in your blog entry and i am now listening to song numero dos as i type this now. ooh, i am so happy you are happy. things sound quite lovely over there. oh we should go an adventure sometime, together, if you would so desire. roam around some distant place. you're most likely going to come home speaking spanish, so i won't be able to understand what you are saying, maybe i should brush up on a few words. that dan kid is learning spanish for fun at the moment so maybe i should join him. though i must say, if i really were to learn a language i'd probably want to continue with italiano!! run off and eat some delicious pasta in italy. i've always wanted to go.
ReplyDeletedid i tell you? i must have? that i went to swinging in vienna recently. oh yes, yes i did because i also remember correcting myself for spelling swinging wrong, two times in a row.
when you come back we should celebrate by going out to seattle and dancing it up. you should talk to mike brasino, because i know after a year in spain he picked up qutie a few salsa moves. we were at century i think and he asked me "hey laura, can i try something really quick?" and 30 seconds later i had done the most intricate twists and turns and felt so graceful and yet didn't even really know what quite had happened to me... it was wonderful.
keep writing dear friend. it always makes me day a little brighter to read a new post from you.
sending hugs your way my dear.
My dear Pajaro Libre, wonderful to read the latest installment. It sounds like things are going well - the cloud forest sounds fantastic - can't wait to hear all about it. And what's better than orchids, hummingbirds and butterflies- 3 of my favorites?!! Nick is off at the end of the Feb to spend a week with Pete in Paris - watch out France! Looking forward to the next chapter... con amor, Jenny
ReplyDeleteThe meal looks delicious.
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