Back to Work

The chaos of the move disrupted everything. Now I am trying to go back to some projects - my memoirs for last summer, learning Japanese and about Japan.

These things get easier the longer I work on them, somehow, so I knew that I needed to start. I read the first few pages of a book I bought used, called Japanese Inn, last night. It told me about a semi-legendary Japanese beach called Miho's Beach - I want to look it up, and if anything doesn't work out this summer it's maybe another possible destination. You can see Mt. Fuji from the beach, so I know it's not crazy far away from other things we're doing. Miho's beach is supposedly still beautiful today, with it's black volcanic sands, pine groves, and view of Fuji, but in older days, when it had white sands, it was more beautiful yet. So beautiful, in fact, that the legends say that an angel descended from the heavens to dance on the beach, and left her feathery robe on the branch of a wind shaped pine. While she bathed, a fisherman found it, and wouldn't give it back unless she danced for him. She danced the celestial dance as the heavens provided the music, and afterwards vanished into a mist...

My memoirs. Today I brainstormed all the important points I want to cover about Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, and my first day with the host family. I also touched up a lot of bad spots in earlier entrees. Hopefully, by next Wednesday, I'll have Costa Rica done up until the Host Family stay begins, and also do a few entrees of Finland. It's probably unrealistic to have even a rough draft completely done by the time I go to Japan, but it would be nice to get close, because I'm going to have a lot to say about Japan, too!

It's funny, because these days a day doesn't hold much. I get up, I run some errands, I maybe read some, clean a lot, cook, go to bed. So when I'm reading what I did in a single day in my memoirs, it's unbelievable! One day, I started with a hike through a cloud rainforest, then went to a hummingbird sanctuary, then there was a long drive south down the mountains and along the coast, and we went to a club that night and danced after seeing spider monkeys and sloths at our hotel.

I think what's amazing about Vacation is that you expect things to happen - a year goes by in your 'grey' ordinary life and you have to think to realize how much really happened - as it happens it's just life. But on a vacation you're ready and anticipating life to happen. And of course, it does.

I head each entree with a date and a title, often a location. I also say the day of the week. I almost took them out, at one point, then I remembered why I included them to start with - why I like them there. It's odd, but Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - it's so pedestrian, that it almost ties the unreal world of the trips with the real world I move in every day. Saturday, ha! And to think, ordinarily I would be working at the library all day. Sunday, that's church! No, wait, Saturday was the rainforest, Sunday was San Jose - or something like that. ;) All of this subconscious, of course.

What I Did Over the Break

It's kind of funny that the more free time I have, the less I blog. Even if I have just as much to blog about, it's as if I often blog as a stalling tool. :D Haha. Well, so lets have a summary of the dry period:

I swam a few more times in the lake. :D
I saw Christmas come and go, with a bit of angst.
We went to Branson and had some unseasonably warm weather.
My Catalan class was cancelled, which I was not at all happy about.
It's 2009 now, hurrah!
I went to Arabic Church once, but they don't do food anymore (losers), and I caught up with Olivia there.
I've studied a bit of Italian and a bit of Norwegian, but otherwise haven't used my time wisely.
I may have a nice new penpal (though Liisa is now and forever first and foremost :D)
I didn't get the R.A. position, but I'm not horribly upset about that.
I'm excited about next semester, especially starting Journalism classes, and learning a bit of Thai from Kanchana and Chaowalit.
I'm excited to meet the newcomers to Laws.
I'm worried about German class.
I'm peeved at Jorge for writing on almost everyone's walls except for mine during the break.
I'm angry with my own dreams - why are my conscious and unconscious warring?
I didn't make a New Years reflection over the last year post, so I might do essentially the same thing come my birthday.
Lucia and I beat Bjarki and Alberto on Geochallenge. :D
Stephanie told me all about her new boyfriend, Jack.
It's about 75% sure that we're going on the cruise this summer.
The recession is scary and is leading to more crime here at home.
We're weathering it okay so far.
I failed at sending Christmas cards, except a late one to Liisa, so I'm now planning on groundhog day cards.
Lucia and I got way ahead of ourselves planning a trip to South America when we're twenty one.
I have really, really neglected Faroese. :(
I discovered that I can concentrate and get a lot more done in Mizzou than here. Oh well.
I had a wonderful evening with Stephanie, Smith, and Lucia. :D
I had some seriously cool moments where I intuited languages.
I read a very interesting and funny (no, seriously) book on the history of English.
I read Lucky Child, essentially the sequel to First They Killed My Father.
I spent a lot of good time with dear little Tidbit. :D Who is doing very well, btw, though she's gotten very white around the face and paws.
I worried about the Costa Rican earthquake, which happened right by my family, though they seem to be safe.
Sra. Altadonna showed me a clip that came up on one of the instructional CDs in Spanish class one day, where a boy looking very much like Jorge, and was named Jorge, introduced himself and his friend Miranda from the United States. Which was too funny, except that she doesn't know that the two of us aren't going out any more. Well, I guess we're still friends. I guess. Except that his old and new girlfriend is being about 90-100x more friendly than Jorge.
I got together with Laura T. here in St. Louis, and I ran into Phil at the mall.
I bought two pairs of jeans, ZOMG. (And I found out that for skinny jeans, I wear a size 1 petite. Not a size 0. ZOMG I need to become anorexic lol)

And that's... about all... for a whole month. Not very good. XD

Fun Times Begin Today

5 hours.... Austin arrives, I meet him for the first time!

1 day.... Tomorrow is my gradation party!

6 days.... Arrive in Costa Rica!

27 days.... Arrive in Sweden!

29 days.... Arrive in Finland!

42 days... Arrive in Norway!

80ish days.... Move into Mizzou!

Countdown! :D

Sort of, Kind of Official

So, this is how the whole thing started:


First I was just going to go on a little trip to Costa Rica with my Spanish Class...

But then, right as I started getting excited, it looked like that trip was going to be cancelled.

I was joking when I asked Liisa if I could visit her in Finland...

But then suddenly I wasn't.

And then the Costa Rica trip didn't get cancelled.

And I made the only possible decision.

I would do both.



-----



I started working hard, making money, learning Finnish...

I was at the table eating breakfast when my dad asked me, "Would you rather go to Italy or Costa Rica?"

That was poorly phrased.

The trip would start out in Italy, then it could go anywhere.

We worked out a plan - we'd go from Turin to Barcelona through the south of France and the Pyrenees, hitting Cannes and Monaco on the way.

Then Dad wanted to add in Venice.

Then Mom realized how close Switzerland was.

We've already mentioned how bad I am at making choices...



-----


Anyway, I chose both.

All Three.

Everything.


--------
Six Weeks, Six Countries, Six Languages,* One Arrogant American, One Really Big Suitcase

666...


But anyway, so it begins.


* 666 ???
* Six Weeks - Two in Costa Rica, Two in Mediterranean-Alps, Two in Finland
* Six Countries - Costa Rica, Italy, Switzerland, France and Monaco, Spain, Finland
* Six Languages - Spanish, Italian, German, French, Finnish, Swedish

It's Official, Pictures

...I was just going to go on a little trip to Costa Rica...






...I asked Liisa if I could visit her in Finland...





...We'd go from Turin...




...to Barcelona...







... through the South of France...







... and the Pyrenees...






...hitting Cannes and Monaco on the way...





...Add in Venice.

... realized how close Switzerland was.

Speaking in the Subjunctive

But tell me... what does one pack for a trip that begins in Costa Rica, winds its way through Italy, France, Monaco, and Spain, and ends up in Helsinki, Finland?

I'm going to need a hell of a suitcase...

And that may not even be rhetorical...

Racquetball

So, I've really enjoyed playing on the Racquetball team. It's been really stressful at times, downright annoying at others, but by and large it's been fun, and it's one of those things that you can only experience once. It's the classic high school sport, and I feel like I've come far enough with it that I want to finish.

My mom thinks I need to call it good enough and quit, but she's hated Racquetball from the beginning. Now that I can drive, I think it's none of her business. But she's really angry that I'm playing again. :(

Anyhow, I told Mark that it's a tentative yes for next year, and that I want to see how the summer and the first few weeks of the season go before I commit myself to the nastier bits such as State later in the season. Junior year was hard, but Senior Year is a lot easier. Also, I am not going on the Nationals trip. I'm willing to do Rolla or something, but I've got Costa Rica and Finland to think about, so a Racquetball trip is out of the question. :P Sorry, Mark!

Summer Goals

Full Time Job

A Mi Nueva Familia Tica...

I wrote this letter to introduce myself to my host family in Costa Rica, who I will be staying with for a week next summer. I'm so excited!

¡Hola a mi nueva familia tica!

Me llamo Miranda, tengo diecisieta años y vivo en los Estados Unidos. Nací en Boston, una ciudad grande con mariscos maravillosos y mucho nieve en la costa del noreste. Ahora vivo en San Luis, Missouri, en el centro del país. Missouri es un estado agradable con cuatro estaciones distintas. En el invierno aquí, es frío y hay hielo y un poco de nieve, pero la primavera viene temprano y es mojada y ya bastante caliente. En el verano es todavía mas caliente y me gusta ir a la piragua y nadar en los ríos abundantes de Missouri. En el otoño todo el follaje cambia sus colores y parezca muy hermoso.

Tengo una familia pequeña, con una madre, un padre, una hermana menor, y una mascota. Mi madre trabaja en la casa. Ella está un gran aficionada de la música y de crear álbumes de recortes. También ella puede arreglar nuestras vacaciones muy bien. Mi padre trabaja como consultor; es decir, él ayuda a otras firmas para que ellos resuelvan sus problemas y funcionen mas eficientemente. Mi hermana menor tiene catorce anos y puede estar tonta y molesta. Siempre está hablando por teléfono celular y solo le gusta la moda y los chicos. Nuestro perro, Tidbit, es un dachshund miniatura, o un perro de salchicha. Ella es adorable y muy amigable.

Mi familia pasa mucho tiempo al fuera. Creemos que el excursionismo es muy divertido, y también nos gusta usar las canoas a explorar los ríos y lagos de Missouri. Cuando estamos en casa, todavía pasamos el rato al fuera en nuestro patio trasero, escuchando a música y no sentando alrededor de una fogata.

En la escuela soy un estudiante relativamente bueno, y el presidente del club de la escritura creativa y del club de leer. Me fascinan los libros y me gusta a escribir mucho, pero mi interés primario es con los estudios internacionales. En la escuela estudio español, alemán, y latín, y estudio otros idiomas en mi tiempo libre. En la universidad estudiaré la lingüística, y probablemente el negocio internacional. ¡Sin embargo, también estoy pensando de simplemente enseñar los idiomas extranjeros, porque ya soy harta de matemáticas!

Mis cosas favoritas son películas, chocolates diferentes, libros, y nuevos tipos de comida. No me gusta solamente a probar las comidas nuevas, pero también a aprender prepararlos. Conozco algunas recetas españolas, egipcias, y tailandesas tradicionales, y deseo siempre aprender más.

No soy una persona extremadamente atlética, pues mi altura es un metro y una mitad, y mi peso es cuarenta uno kilogramos. No obstante, he jugado en el equipo de Racquetball de mi escuela por tres años y, durante el año próximo, estaré en el equipo superior. No sé si ustedes conocen Racquetball en Costa Rica, porque no es muy popular en los estados unidos, pero utiliza una raqueta como en tenis y se juega dentro de un cuarto blanco y pequeño. Los jugadores tienen que conocer como la bola va a rebotar dentro del cuarto con sus muros altos. Creo que es un juego divertido e interesante.

Trabajo en la biblioteca de San Luis algunos días después de clases cada semana, y cada sábado por nueve horas. También soy una niñera regular por varios niños, especialmente en el verano. Me parece importante a tener mi propio dinero porque me gusta comprar muchos libros y necesito pagar por peregrinaciones espectaculares, ¡cómo esta a Costa Rica! La mayoría de las muchachas de mi edad están muy interesadas en hacer compras para las ropas, pero compro ropas solamente cuando absolutamente necesito ropas nuevas.

Como mencioné antes, me fascinan los otras idiomas y culturas del mundo, y por eso voy en el extranjero tanto como es posible. Cuando tenía catorce años, mi familia viaja a Alemania, los Países Bajos, Bélgica, y Francia. Eso era la primera vez que había estado fuera del país, ¡y que increíble! Despues, he viajado a Curacas dos veces en las vacaciones, a Grecia y Alemania con mi padre cuando él esta en negocio, e a Italia con mi clase de latín. La segunda vez que fui a Alemania fue maravilloso porque había estudiado por un año la lengua alemán y podría comunicar un poco con la gente. Hasta que viaje a Costa Rica, sin embargo, no habré nunca utilizado mi español con hispanohablantes auténticos. He estudiado español desde que tenía doce años, y por eso me excita mucho la oportunidad de practicarlo. Porque quiero estudiar en otros países en la universidad, no puedo esperar a ensayar la experiencia y vivir con ustedes por un rato con este programa.

¡Costa Rica suena increíble también! Traigo a mi casa algunos libros de la biblioteca sobre Costa Rica y he estado leyendo sobre el país. Respeto de veras la actitud que su país parece tener hacia la protección de la ecología y de la educación. ¡Siempre estoy interesada a conocer más, y no puedo esperar para ir allí y ver el yunque y el volcán!

También deseo conocerles ustedes. ¿Cuáles son sus intereses y como es su vida diaria? ¿Hay niños en la familia? ¿Cuáles son sus intereses? ¿Qué creen ustedes que debo saber sobre Costa Rica antes de que venga? ¿De que cosa son los ticos más orgullosos? Espero que ustedes puedan escribirme por el correo electrónico o convencional y que podamos familiarizarnos. No puedo esperar a conocerles y a pasar una semana como un parte de su familia. ¡Gracias por recibir a un estudiante americano!

No Light at the End of the Tunnel! :D

I've overcome part of the problem. School and Trieschmann still suck but I'm starting to see the light of the end of the tunnel by... not thinking about the light at the end of the tunnel.

For the last few weeks, I've lived in denial that any teacher could be so demanding, any schedule so crazy, any schoolwork so stressful. Each week I told myself it was the worst week of my life, and if I could just make it to the weekend...

This did not work. Weekends are almost as stressful as weekdays, and then you jump right back into the week in the blink of an eye.

But what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, and I'm starting to cope... Although I am still always so tired, and dizzy... I just want to sleep, and the allergies don't make things any better. I have more essays to write than is imaginable: IN, IP, Personal Essay, Health, Costa Rica Trip, Comparative Government...

So on and so forth... but I'll live or die and that will be the end of it...

At the very least a few assignments let me think, have some time for reflection. Like Trieschmann's poem assignment, due the day after her essay assignment, due the day after a whole bunch of IP paperwork... but of course I feel so tired and depleted I trip over all the words and my meaning is hidden in the overgrowth...

The memory of Italy is such a beautiful and distant flower in my memory... :D But I think of it when I'm beginning to write... And as long as I write in Italian, it's almost easier, as mangled as it is, for just a moment, before I have to translate...

"Alla Villa Adriana
Ho perduta la mia voce..."