I slept in today till about 10 or so, and then I was lying in bed half asleep, half deep in thought till 11am. It’s been a long week and it feels like it’s been ages since I was last able to sleep in, and the wake up half-asleep and just stare into the blankness of my ceiling. I was lost in thought. You ever have those moments? I do. Always. And I never remember them. What I do remember is waking up to “Blue” by Eiffel 65 and thinking, have you ever stopped to think about the lyrics in the songs you listen to every day?
“Yo listen up / Here’s a story about a little guy / That lives in the blue world / And all day and all night and every thing he sees / Is just blue like him / Inside and outside / Blue his house / With a blue little window / And a blue corvette / And everything is blue for him / And himself and everybody around / Cuz he ain’t got nobody to listen to / Blue are the words I say and what I think / Blue are the feelings that live inside me.” – “Blue” by Eiffel65
The message I make out of this song intrigues me. The song almost reflects this little blue guy who’s able to affect his environment because how he feels on the inside. Maybe I’m over-analyzing this whole song. But, when I heard this song, I felt somewhat energized. We can change the world around us…even if it’s to make it…blue. XD
Anyway. I miss having the long side of my bed up against the wall. I miss waking up cuddled against the wall, with the slightly opened window letting in the cool breeze and the warm California sun. But being able to be in a daze in bed for an hour, helped me recover from all these happy memories, helped me to not get sucked in them too deeply. I haven’t completely lost myself this past overwhelming tsunami of Castellano and Argentine culture.
So this is how I started my last day of week 1. Lazy Sunday. You know the song “Sunday Morning Call” by Oasis? It would completely describe how I feel about this past week: slightly out of place, but still okay. I’ve decided that my Sundays for the next 21 coming Sundays will be day of recuperation, reflection, and re-determination. Oh, and also, days to commit for SGI [Erika went to the kaikan today, and apparently they’re having an exhibition next weekend].
I’m completely over-analyzing my situation here in Buenos Aires. I met up with a couple of people for a homework assignment in our Castellano orientation and met Argentine college students, both studying abroad like me and locals. I was asked this: why Buenos Aires. The first answer that I thought was obvious was for studies. So, clearly, I came here solely for the film track, even with the possible 50% chance that I might not be able to take it because the credits may not be transferable.
But, that didn’t stop me.
It made me wonder, though. Outside of studies, what was my reason being here. Up until this past year as a sophomore, studies came secondary to everything else I did. Have I learned to be more conscious about my academics? But, still, I’m in a completely different country, and all I could answer was to study. Hypothetically, I could study film anywhere, and I just found the open opportunity here. I think it’s time for me to explore Argentina, to whole new level, as a porteña.
I almost had a good dialogue with a Brazilian who’s studying at UCA, but my inability to fully communicate orally completely drained it. We were first talking about the differences between cultures and how they’re perceived from outsiders. And then, pinpointed Japan and the U.S. in particular and asked me why she sees so many people of the Asian race only marry within their race, even when they live in a place like the U.S or Argentina. 1) I was completely stumped, and 2) when I tried to describe the cultural difference between the U.S. and Japan, she couldn’t understand.
But, it’s okay. I’m happy I understood what she said.
We were all sitting in one of the park lawns of the ferría I went to yesterday. I just love it there. I think that’ll be a place I go to every weekend to just chill and talk, while walking around the vendors’ stands, browsing around.
Anyway, we were there in the first place to take 10 pictures for our “scavenger hunt.” I think I took some good shots, some maybe questionable. It’s much easier to take pictures when you have sources that’ll work with you, the way you want it to. It was fun, even though it was FREEZING out. I think it hit about high 30s ish. I may be exaggerating, but it was so cold, I couldn’t feel my fingers or the camcorder in my hands.
Yea.
Week 2 is starting… wow, already a week has past. I’ll step it up. Reach out to more people. Connect. Go out to some café and just lounge around. While talking to my mom [I called her today], I realized, I’m in a city that doesn’t sleep. I need to take advantage of that. When in Argentina, do as the Argentines do.
“And in your head do you feel / What you’re not supposed to feel / And you take what you want / But you won’t get hope for free / You need more time / Because your thoughts and words won’t last forever more / And I’m not sure if it’ll ever work out, right? / But it’s okay, it’s alright.” – “Sunday Morning Calls” by Oasis
End - Week 1: Settling In
Showing posts with label Week 01: Settling In. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 01: Settling In. Show all posts
Day 6: Morning With the Dead
Despite going to bed at 5:00 this morning, I woke up before my alarm clock. I love how I can still do that. It’s very convenient. So, I showered…in HOT water [YAY] and got ready to go meet Erika at the cemetery a few blocks from where I live. When I got there, I didn’t know where the entrance was, so I walked around the area for a good 5-10 minutes, looking, when I found a small opened door that showed parts of the cemetery. I “snuck in” and started looking around. I was followed by two cats for a while. They looked really scary. I think cats all over the world look different, just like people do. It’s interesting. Aww… I miss mis gatos.
Anyway, I sat in the center area where we were supposed to meet. It’s crazy some of the graves that were in there… Well, all of them were pretty crazy, all grandiose with statues and glass windows and stuff. Crazy [I’ll post pics later when I have a good internet connection]. I really like it there. It’s the one place that I didn’t hear too much city noise [for example, in my room, on the 9th floor of the building, you can hear every thing from the streets as if there’s no wall]. I think I’ll study there…if it’s allowed.
So, what did Erika and I do? We walked around a flea market thing that’s apparently held every weekend just right next to the cemetery. It was really cool. I bought…more than I had wanted, but I’m glad [got some of my souvenir shopping done and early too]. I was able to small talk with the vendors. They were all really nice. It reminded me of home, when my family and I went downtown to Centennial Park to look around at the street-side fair.
Something that profoundly hit me today was the amount of stray dogs and cat that just run around the city, and they aren’t diseased or anything either. They’re all healthy cats and dogs. In Buenos Aires, you have to watch where you step because dogs, both stray and owned, do their business where you step. The owners usually clean up after their dog, but still, there’s an unbelievable amount of crap to watch out for. Up until today, I thought owners were being irresponsible, but after going to the open market, there are a shitload of dogs.
Anyway, Erika and I ate and went to Alto Palermo where we walked around in the shopping mall. All the brand names were there. It was trippy…and hella expensive. Did you know they sell Quiksilver: Buenos Aires shirts? It was amusing to see. Oh, Barney was there, too. That was also amusing.
Afterwards, we were kind of clueless as to what to do, so we took out our Guía T, and found a park nearby. When we found it, it was amazing. I wished Aliso Viejo had one. It was so lively. I think it could even be as close to something that you see in the movies. There were kids running around playing, couples walking around and talking, street performers drumming, people feeding the pigeons, women sitting around in circles dialoguing. It was really cool.
After strolling around, we sat down and pulled out our maps. We were looking for the kaikan location on the map. XD We might go next week. I’m excited. On a different note, we [Erika, Kelsey, and I] will plan something good to send to Fran for the Buenos Aires board. Heheheh.
I think with every day that passes, I miss home just a little bit more. The other day, I saw a wii at Musimundo and I had a flashback of last month, where my life for a couple of weeks revolved around nothing but a wii. Aaaa, it’s intense, but it’s okay. I think meeting up with Erika helped me get out of the slump. I was able to connect in ways that I just can’t yet in Spanish.
We saw each other off, standing on opposite ends of the subway platforms, and then I was literally squeezed into subte car. I’d imagine that’s how a sardine would feel like if it were alive when it’s being stuffed in a can. It was definitely an interesting experience to be standing up against someone you don’t know and literally close enough you can feel their breath. Ahahah, I felt like such a country valley girl, who knows NOTHING about the cit-ay. XD
But I have to admit, life is getting slightly easier. Ever so slightly. It’s just a matter of maintaining this momentum and keeping the positivity flowing. …I’m so dead tired right now.
PS, [heard this from Erika] the Fall 2008 SA board is posted on Angel in the Study Abroad & International Internships group.
Anyway, I sat in the center area where we were supposed to meet. It’s crazy some of the graves that were in there… Well, all of them were pretty crazy, all grandiose with statues and glass windows and stuff. Crazy [I’ll post pics later when I have a good internet connection]. I really like it there. It’s the one place that I didn’t hear too much city noise [for example, in my room, on the 9th floor of the building, you can hear every thing from the streets as if there’s no wall]. I think I’ll study there…if it’s allowed.
So, what did Erika and I do? We walked around a flea market thing that’s apparently held every weekend just right next to the cemetery. It was really cool. I bought…more than I had wanted, but I’m glad [got some of my souvenir shopping done and early too]. I was able to small talk with the vendors. They were all really nice. It reminded me of home, when my family and I went downtown to Centennial Park to look around at the street-side fair.
Something that profoundly hit me today was the amount of stray dogs and cat that just run around the city, and they aren’t diseased or anything either. They’re all healthy cats and dogs. In Buenos Aires, you have to watch where you step because dogs, both stray and owned, do their business where you step. The owners usually clean up after their dog, but still, there’s an unbelievable amount of crap to watch out for. Up until today, I thought owners were being irresponsible, but after going to the open market, there are a shitload of dogs.
Anyway, Erika and I ate and went to Alto Palermo where we walked around in the shopping mall. All the brand names were there. It was trippy…and hella expensive. Did you know they sell Quiksilver: Buenos Aires shirts? It was amusing to see. Oh, Barney was there, too. That was also amusing.
Afterwards, we were kind of clueless as to what to do, so we took out our Guía T, and found a park nearby. When we found it, it was amazing. I wished Aliso Viejo had one. It was so lively. I think it could even be as close to something that you see in the movies. There were kids running around playing, couples walking around and talking, street performers drumming, people feeding the pigeons, women sitting around in circles dialoguing. It was really cool.
After strolling around, we sat down and pulled out our maps. We were looking for the kaikan location on the map. XD We might go next week. I’m excited. On a different note, we [Erika, Kelsey, and I] will plan something good to send to Fran for the Buenos Aires board. Heheheh.
I think with every day that passes, I miss home just a little bit more. The other day, I saw a wii at Musimundo and I had a flashback of last month, where my life for a couple of weeks revolved around nothing but a wii. Aaaa, it’s intense, but it’s okay. I think meeting up with Erika helped me get out of the slump. I was able to connect in ways that I just can’t yet in Spanish.
We saw each other off, standing on opposite ends of the subway platforms, and then I was literally squeezed into subte car. I’d imagine that’s how a sardine would feel like if it were alive when it’s being stuffed in a can. It was definitely an interesting experience to be standing up against someone you don’t know and literally close enough you can feel their breath. Ahahah, I felt like such a country valley girl, who knows NOTHING about the cit-ay. XD
But I have to admit, life is getting slightly easier. Ever so slightly. It’s just a matter of maintaining this momentum and keeping the positivity flowing. …I’m so dead tired right now.
PS, [heard this from Erika] the Fall 2008 SA board is posted on Angel in the Study Abroad & International Internships group.
Day 5: Cruella de Vile. And the First Night Out
Today was really long… and I JUST got back. It’s 4:42am and I need to wake up in 5 hours to meet up with Erika. W00t w00t. So first, sobre mi titulo. I was walking around looking for a Kodak shop to take my visa pictures and I’m waiting at the crosswalk for light walk signal to go off, when I see a lady with white and black hair EXACTLY like Cruella de Vile from 101 Dalmatians standing in front of a handbag store. Trust me, it surprised me so much… I was staring and missed my chance to cross the street. -__-;;
Second, for the first time since I’ve gotten here, every place I went to today has an Asian employee. I finally totally don’t LOOK LIKE A TOURIST! Quite fun, indeed. I’m slowly integrating myself with the city. I’m having fun, losing myself in the streets and somehow getting back to the meeting area on time.
I got assigned homework for my Spanish Castallano orientation AND Argentine history orientation. I like the Castallano one. I get to walk around with my 2 compañeras and do a scavenger hunt of the city with a camera. It’s gonna be awesome. I think I’m excited because I get to see the smaller details of the city, and not just look at the city as a whole. The Argentine history on the other hand, XP. That’s all I have to say.
The second meeting I had today was about how the academic system works here. Today, they only concentrated on the courses offered at the university I will NOT apply for, but it’s interesting to see how a public university works here. First off, public universities are free for Argentines. Second off, some courses don’t have final exams. There are three types of final exams: a mandatory oral exam, a 12-15 page paper [with little personal opinion], or no final [if the tests you took are higher than the average]. It’s interesting. I can’t wait to see how the other universities work, since all the others are private.
I realized today that “normal, non-Soka” students are very aware of the world around them. I was talking to one of the girls I was grouped with for the scavenger hunt, and she was talking about how she feels so lost because she didn’t buy the morning paper today and didn’t check CNN before she left. I need to get out of my bubble and start enlightening myself also.
One thing I thought I would never really take advantage of was the nightlife here. It’s been said that people stay up till 5am and wake up regularly at 7-8am. Well, I didn’t do so much as drinking [legal is 18 here], but my friend and I walked around a bit, waiting to meet up with her friend who had actually been studying here for a year. He recommended us this great Argentine ice cream place. OMG. It’s heaven. Dulce de Leche. Mmm, yum.
Oh so the reason we were out in the first place [at 11pm] was we were going to go see Batman: The Dark Knight subtitled. I preferred the Castallano dub, but I heard it loses the movie touch. But we had to wait 2 hours till the next showing, so we walked around, listened to some latino music, and almost got run over by a car…you know, stuff you do when you’re out at night.
We ended up going back to the theater and walked into the bookstore’s café. I had a nice dialogue, IN SPANISH, about university life. It was nice and nostalgic. T~T reminded me of Soka. I also bought a book called, Tsugumi, by Banana Yoshimoto. I’ve been looking for books by her since forever because she’s up there with Haruki Murakami in terms of contemporary Japanese novels, but American bookstores have limited things, so I’ve realized. Hopefully, I’ll be able to engross myself in this over the next few months.
Did you know that movie theaters assign you seats like an actual theater? I was impressed. And the seats are SOOOO comfortable. I could’ve fallen asleep. Anyway, I’m not much of a Batman fan, but the movie was intense and definitely one of Heath Ledger’s best performances. Mm… I think that’s all I have to say about that. You have to see it to actually know what I mean.
Aside from that… yea. A very matter-of-fact entry, nothing profound. It was just that kind of day. So yea. It’s late and I need to sleep. I get to see Erika tomorrow! Yay.
Btw, did I mention that I need to carry my bag of laundry 11/2 blocks from where I live to get it washed and dried?
Second, for the first time since I’ve gotten here, every place I went to today has an Asian employee. I finally totally don’t LOOK LIKE A TOURIST! Quite fun, indeed. I’m slowly integrating myself with the city. I’m having fun, losing myself in the streets and somehow getting back to the meeting area on time.
I got assigned homework for my Spanish Castallano orientation AND Argentine history orientation. I like the Castallano one. I get to walk around with my 2 compañeras and do a scavenger hunt of the city with a camera. It’s gonna be awesome. I think I’m excited because I get to see the smaller details of the city, and not just look at the city as a whole. The Argentine history on the other hand, XP. That’s all I have to say.
The second meeting I had today was about how the academic system works here. Today, they only concentrated on the courses offered at the university I will NOT apply for, but it’s interesting to see how a public university works here. First off, public universities are free for Argentines. Second off, some courses don’t have final exams. There are three types of final exams: a mandatory oral exam, a 12-15 page paper [with little personal opinion], or no final [if the tests you took are higher than the average]. It’s interesting. I can’t wait to see how the other universities work, since all the others are private.
I realized today that “normal, non-Soka” students are very aware of the world around them. I was talking to one of the girls I was grouped with for the scavenger hunt, and she was talking about how she feels so lost because she didn’t buy the morning paper today and didn’t check CNN before she left. I need to get out of my bubble and start enlightening myself also.
One thing I thought I would never really take advantage of was the nightlife here. It’s been said that people stay up till 5am and wake up regularly at 7-8am. Well, I didn’t do so much as drinking [legal is 18 here], but my friend and I walked around a bit, waiting to meet up with her friend who had actually been studying here for a year. He recommended us this great Argentine ice cream place. OMG. It’s heaven. Dulce de Leche. Mmm, yum.
Oh so the reason we were out in the first place [at 11pm] was we were going to go see Batman: The Dark Knight subtitled. I preferred the Castallano dub, but I heard it loses the movie touch. But we had to wait 2 hours till the next showing, so we walked around, listened to some latino music, and almost got run over by a car…you know, stuff you do when you’re out at night.
We ended up going back to the theater and walked into the bookstore’s café. I had a nice dialogue, IN SPANISH, about university life. It was nice and nostalgic. T~T reminded me of Soka. I also bought a book called, Tsugumi, by Banana Yoshimoto. I’ve been looking for books by her since forever because she’s up there with Haruki Murakami in terms of contemporary Japanese novels, but American bookstores have limited things, so I’ve realized. Hopefully, I’ll be able to engross myself in this over the next few months.
Did you know that movie theaters assign you seats like an actual theater? I was impressed. And the seats are SOOOO comfortable. I could’ve fallen asleep. Anyway, I’m not much of a Batman fan, but the movie was intense and definitely one of Heath Ledger’s best performances. Mm… I think that’s all I have to say about that. You have to see it to actually know what I mean.
Aside from that… yea. A very matter-of-fact entry, nothing profound. It was just that kind of day. So yea. It’s late and I need to sleep. I get to see Erika tomorrow! Yay.
Btw, did I mention that I need to carry my bag of laundry 11/2 blocks from where I live to get it washed and dried?
Day 4: NO Language Barrier is Gonna Stop Me From Studying Film. Nada!
So… I woke up early this morning…and couldn’t get out of bed. Okay, regardless of all the swimming I did this summer, it did nothing for my land-legs. I was SORE. Yesterday, I only walked about 8 miles, but wow… it was really sore. And, the hot water was still NOT working. Luckily, my host mom took me to her gym and they let me shower there last night [I walked back in my “WE WILL X THE WORLD” sweatpants]. Yep, people thought I was insane.
Today was…very boring. I only had three things on the agenda, one being a writing exam at 9am… It was okay. As usual, I took the entire hour and a half to write 400 palabras. After I turned it in though, I realized I used one of the idioms wrong, but oh well. They’ll just have to see my massive improvement by the end of the semester. XP
I bought a cell phone. It’s a Motorola serviced by the company Movistar [Moh-bee-star]. Getting it was an adventure, since I never bought a cell phone in person before IN ENGLISH. Pero, they activated it and everything. It was cool. I realized when I’m reading out loud, I speak much more fluidly. Hahahahah. -_-;;
Yea, anyway. Today was the first time I was able to go somewhere by myself and not feel so petrified. I went to Aroma [twice], a café on one of the main streets called Avenida Santa Fe and had lunch there [the first time]. I sat there and stared out the window, and I had this thought like a dinging bell: So, this is what it’s like for the international students [in 2010] who come to study at Soka…and they’re gonna go out and do it again when they study abroad. I have a much greater respect for them and completely erased my ignorant thought that they were just reluctant to speak the native language of the country they’re in. I guess it gave me some kind of hope. They’re English improved so much in one year, so if I make the effort, I should be able to also.
The rest of the day consisted of academic orientation where we got information on the 3 different tracks they offer here [human rights][diversity, gender & minority][film]. Yay. Alex and Mary WILL let me take the film track. I know… [which reminds me… the coordinator in charge of the film track looks like Mary]. The track is very interesting as the class will be theoretical film studies as well as a rotational observation period to write a critical analysis on. And I can take two other film classes within the film school.
What really got me was… I have to choose one other course in one of the 4 primary universities that’s offered in this program. One. Just uno. So, when I heard this, I thought, okay, it’s just one class. I can easily pick this out. What sort of interesting classes can these universities offer me? Apparently, A. LOT. What had left my mind when I first had this thought was, I get to choose ONE class out of FOUR universities. Yes.
So when I looked at the booklet they gave me… I chose 9 courses, all having to do with media and/or culture. At first I thought, how am I going to whittle this list down to ONE? I had to choose between (roughly translated):
- Arte y Cultura de la Modernidad / Art and Culture of Modernity
- Historia de la Cultura / History of Culture
- Arte, Empresa y Mercado / Art, Companies and the Market
- Publicidad e Internet / Advertising and the Internet
- Educación y Diversidad / Education and Diversity
- Cultura para la Paz y Derechos Humanos / Culture for Peace and Human Rights
- Representaciones Cinematográficas del Mundo del Trabajo / Cinematic Representation of the World of Working
- Los Mass Media y la Construcción de la Memoria Colectiva / The Mass Media and the Construction of the Collective Memory
- Teoría y Medios de la Comunicación / Theory and Modes of Communication
Pero, I don’t want to take a placement test for Universidad de Buenos Aires, so it’s looks like this now…
- Arte y Cultura de la Modernidad / Art and Culture of Modernity
- Historia de la Cultura / History of Culture
- Arte, Empresa y Mercado / Art, Companies and the Market
- Publicidad e Internet / Advertising and the Internet
- Educación y Diversidad / Education and Diversity
-Cultura para la Paz y Derechos Humanos / Culture for Peace and Human Rights
-Representaciones Cinematográficas del Mundo del Trabajo / Cinematic Representation of the World of Working
-Los Mass Media y la Construcción de la Memoria Colectiva / The Mass Media and the Construction of the Collective Memory
-Teoría y Medios de la Comunicación / Theory and Modes of Communication
Geh… I’m tired of looking at it. But, regardless, I’m trying to take a course that’s not offered at Soka in the areas of study I’m interested in. Soka lacks in the theoretical arts and mass media/communications, so I’ve found a greater purpose for being here, for myself.
Just as with any other art medium, I’m not gonna let my lacking Spanish-speaking ability get the better of me and distract me from my goal. I welcome distractions, but this is one I won’t tolerate. I’m beginning to feel the warmth of MMXDYNASTY with me. I knew in my head that I’m not alone because everyone else in 2010 will eventually study abroad also, but I no longer feel so alone, and I truly feel I can get through anything. I don’t have to wait till study abroad is over to be able to "get through anything." I can do it now.
If there’s anything I’ve been able to actually SEE in my life, this is it.
An opportunity to take another step towards becoming a film director.
Today was…very boring. I only had three things on the agenda, one being a writing exam at 9am… It was okay. As usual, I took the entire hour and a half to write 400 palabras. After I turned it in though, I realized I used one of the idioms wrong, but oh well. They’ll just have to see my massive improvement by the end of the semester. XP
I bought a cell phone. It’s a Motorola serviced by the company Movistar [Moh-bee-star]. Getting it was an adventure, since I never bought a cell phone in person before IN ENGLISH. Pero, they activated it and everything. It was cool. I realized when I’m reading out loud, I speak much more fluidly. Hahahahah. -_-;;
Yea, anyway. Today was the first time I was able to go somewhere by myself and not feel so petrified. I went to Aroma [twice], a café on one of the main streets called Avenida Santa Fe and had lunch there [the first time]. I sat there and stared out the window, and I had this thought like a dinging bell: So, this is what it’s like for the international students [in 2010] who come to study at Soka…and they’re gonna go out and do it again when they study abroad. I have a much greater respect for them and completely erased my ignorant thought that they were just reluctant to speak the native language of the country they’re in. I guess it gave me some kind of hope. They’re English improved so much in one year, so if I make the effort, I should be able to also.
The rest of the day consisted of academic orientation where we got information on the 3 different tracks they offer here [human rights][diversity, gender & minority][film]. Yay. Alex and Mary WILL let me take the film track. I know… [which reminds me… the coordinator in charge of the film track looks like Mary]. The track is very interesting as the class will be theoretical film studies as well as a rotational observation period to write a critical analysis on. And I can take two other film classes within the film school.
What really got me was… I have to choose one other course in one of the 4 primary universities that’s offered in this program. One. Just uno. So, when I heard this, I thought, okay, it’s just one class. I can easily pick this out. What sort of interesting classes can these universities offer me? Apparently, A. LOT. What had left my mind when I first had this thought was, I get to choose ONE class out of FOUR universities. Yes.
So when I looked at the booklet they gave me… I chose 9 courses, all having to do with media and/or culture. At first I thought, how am I going to whittle this list down to ONE? I had to choose between (roughly translated):
- Arte y Cultura de la Modernidad / Art and Culture of Modernity
- Historia de la Cultura / History of Culture
- Arte, Empresa y Mercado / Art, Companies and the Market
- Publicidad e Internet / Advertising and the Internet
- Educación y Diversidad / Education and Diversity
- Cultura para la Paz y Derechos Humanos / Culture for Peace and Human Rights
- Representaciones Cinematográficas del Mundo del Trabajo / Cinematic Representation of the World of Working
- Los Mass Media y la Construcción de la Memoria Colectiva / The Mass Media and the Construction of the Collective Memory
- Teoría y Medios de la Comunicación / Theory and Modes of Communication
Pero, I don’t want to take a placement test for Universidad de Buenos Aires, so it’s looks like this now…
- Arte y Cultura de la Modernidad / Art and Culture of Modernity
- Historia de la Cultura / History of Culture
- Arte, Empresa y Mercado / Art, Companies and the Market
- Publicidad e Internet / Advertising and the Internet
- Educación y Diversidad / Education and Diversity
-
-
-
-
Geh… I’m tired of looking at it. But, regardless, I’m trying to take a course that’s not offered at Soka in the areas of study I’m interested in. Soka lacks in the theoretical arts and mass media/communications, so I’ve found a greater purpose for being here, for myself.
Just as with any other art medium, I’m not gonna let my lacking Spanish-speaking ability get the better of me and distract me from my goal. I welcome distractions, but this is one I won’t tolerate. I’m beginning to feel the warmth of MMXDYNASTY with me. I knew in my head that I’m not alone because everyone else in 2010 will eventually study abroad also, but I no longer feel so alone, and I truly feel I can get through anything. I don’t have to wait till study abroad is over to be able to "get through anything." I can do it now.
“Traveler,
From whence do you come?
And where do you go?
The moon has set,
But the sun had not yet risen.
In the chaos of darkness before the dawn
Seeking the light,
I advance
To dispel the dark clouds from my mind
To find a great tree unbowed by the tempest
I emerge from the earth.”
-Daisaku Ikeda
If there’s anything I’ve been able to actually SEE in my life, this is it.
An opportunity to take another step towards becoming a film director.
Day 3: Three Strikes and You’re Out!
I am so exhausted that I could pass out any minute, so please bear with me.
You ever wake up one morning and you wonder where you are? I had that this morning. I woke up thinking I was in my suite room waking up to the window next to my bed and feeling the cold stagnate air around me. Ohhh, it was cold all right but not my suite room back at Soka. The house I’m living in doesn’t have central heating, and still, the hot water is not working. Crazy timing, right? I’m glad Soka’s weird weather habits prepared me for it.
I left to meet up with a friend in the same program around the neighborhood and had a little breakfast before we made our way to Plaza de Mayo which was supposed to be a 30-minute bus ride if we actually took the bus, pero we ended up walking down towards Circulo Italiano to find the subway and made it through there. We were 15 minutes late when we got there, but it was okay… So was everyone else.
I’m pretty sure it hit about 45-50 degrees-ish today. I couldn’t feel my fingers. It…was…FREEZING, and what better day to have a tour in the center of Buenos Aires? I was able to practicar mi español today with the other girls in my group. It’s difficult to explain Soka to other people, in Spanish [I suggest everyone learn how to do that first in their respective languages, cuz Soka is giving us the opportunity to expand our horizon. We should show our gratitude by spreading Soka’s name]. At some point or another, I didn’t know what language I was listening to and if I had spoken any lick of English today, all while I have all three languages racing through my head trying to piece together what the hell I’m thinking. I’m still confused.
On the way back to Circulo Italiano, we tried to get on a bus and ended up paying 90 centavos for going 1 block… ¿Por qué? Turns out there was some kind of protest [I dunno what…] in Plaza de Mayo y it was blocking the one road we were trying to take. So, we got off and power-walked the rest of the way so that we wouldn’t be late. I’m sure it was about…mm a good 25 blocks. And we were late again to the academic orientation.
Aaaa… For some reason after I got the orientation, I was really bad at Spanish. My stutter is coming back. ¿Qué horrible, no? I had to ask the academic coordinator about the film track and if it involves any art studio courses that Soka wouldn’t give me credit for… I was completely speechless when I approached her.
Strike Uno…
After this orientation, I had an oral exam…an “interview” con un professor. I freaked. And I was horrible. Literally, horrible. If you could imagine just trying to keep up with the other people in the program, this just brought my self-esteem level to hell. Agh… I know I could speak better than I did. I swear.
Strike Dos…
If you’re expecting the third strike, don’t count on it. I have to admit, I think my Spanish did improve on a microscopically small scale compared to yesterday. I have to give myself credit for that much. Tomorrow I have a written exam [where I know I can reclaim myself] and I’m gonna buy a cell phone. I’m not out yet. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
PS... I think I will get up extra early to catch up with my faith... x_x
You ever wake up one morning and you wonder where you are? I had that this morning. I woke up thinking I was in my suite room waking up to the window next to my bed and feeling the cold stagnate air around me. Ohhh, it was cold all right but not my suite room back at Soka. The house I’m living in doesn’t have central heating, and still, the hot water is not working. Crazy timing, right? I’m glad Soka’s weird weather habits prepared me for it.
I left to meet up with a friend in the same program around the neighborhood and had a little breakfast before we made our way to Plaza de Mayo which was supposed to be a 30-minute bus ride if we actually took the bus, pero we ended up walking down towards Circulo Italiano to find the subway and made it through there. We were 15 minutes late when we got there, but it was okay… So was everyone else.
I’m pretty sure it hit about 45-50 degrees-ish today. I couldn’t feel my fingers. It…was…FREEZING, and what better day to have a tour in the center of Buenos Aires? I was able to practicar mi español today with the other girls in my group. It’s difficult to explain Soka to other people, in Spanish [I suggest everyone learn how to do that first in their respective languages, cuz Soka is giving us the opportunity to expand our horizon. We should show our gratitude by spreading Soka’s name]. At some point or another, I didn’t know what language I was listening to and if I had spoken any lick of English today, all while I have all three languages racing through my head trying to piece together what the hell I’m thinking. I’m still confused.
On the way back to Circulo Italiano, we tried to get on a bus and ended up paying 90 centavos for going 1 block… ¿Por qué? Turns out there was some kind of protest [I dunno what…] in Plaza de Mayo y it was blocking the one road we were trying to take. So, we got off and power-walked the rest of the way so that we wouldn’t be late. I’m sure it was about…mm a good 25 blocks. And we were late again to the academic orientation.
Aaaa… For some reason after I got the orientation, I was really bad at Spanish. My stutter is coming back. ¿Qué horrible, no? I had to ask the academic coordinator about the film track and if it involves any art studio courses that Soka wouldn’t give me credit for… I was completely speechless when I approached her.
Strike Uno…
After this orientation, I had an oral exam…an “interview” con un professor. I freaked. And I was horrible. Literally, horrible. If you could imagine just trying to keep up with the other people in the program, this just brought my self-esteem level to hell. Agh… I know I could speak better than I did. I swear.
Strike Dos…
If you’re expecting the third strike, don’t count on it. I have to admit, I think my Spanish did improve on a microscopically small scale compared to yesterday. I have to give myself credit for that much. Tomorrow I have a written exam [where I know I can reclaim myself] and I’m gonna buy a cell phone. I’m not out yet. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
PS... I think I will get up extra early to catch up with my faith... x_x
Day 2: Study Abroad is a War Zone… within the Consciousness
Last night, I did gongyo and chanted with the lights out, in bed. I haven’t told my host mom that I’m a Buddhist. I think an eternity’s worth of worries, doubts, and hardships washed over me as I sat in my room, talking to people on Skype. I would’ve chanted all night if I could. But, instead I lulled myself to sleep with my mind deeply ringing, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
So, I woke up this morning to Micro’s “Yukiyanagi” and I thought, if I were truly myself, then I really shouldn’t have to make so much of an effort, because I know I can work hard and better my Spanish. This is the mentality I woke to despite how I felt last night
The first thing I’m told is, “Tengo mala noticia. We have no hot water. It’s never happened before, lo siento.” I was like what the fuck. Okay, let me backtrack. I left Sunday at 2pm. The last I had showered was that Sunday morning. It would’ve been 2 days… 2 DAYS if I didn’t shower today.
“Dot. Dot. Dot.” I know.
But I insisted, and so I did. A nice cold shower. It felt good, even though it was about 50 degrees outside. -__-;; So that’s how I started my day.
After my host mom escorted me to Circulo Italiano, which was a few blocks down, I was wondering what to do myself. I think in high school, outside of the friends I hung out with, I didn’t really talk to anyone. I’m bad with that kind of thing. I’m sure if I were to meet myself, I would think I’m insanely, socially awkward. But, I guess after the first part of orientation, it wasn’t so bad. I met with 2 of the …5[?] 7[?] people who are taking the film track. I also met with the people who live near me. It was a nice mix. And turns out, I’m not the only one who was the only one that came from their respective university. W00t.
Moment of the day: “Soka’s in Southern California.” “Oh, Duh, SoCa!” “Not Exactly.”
I went to a café with a friend, trying to speak Spanish, and had a ham sandwich. I learned and realized many things in the hour that I sat there, like:
- I can barely finish an Argentine meal, even if it’s a two sandwiches (with no crust)
- Even water comes in a glass bottle
- The check needs to be asked for in order to get one and tip is 10%
- My Spanish sucks
- Argentines are very kind and friendly
Afterwards, I walked to a nearby post office… It didn’t feel like a post office. It’s been a while since I’ve been in one in the States, but this post office was one of the most eerily quiet places I’d seen…even despite the city noise going on outside. It was like I was stuffed into a soundproof room. People were whispering, but I could literally not hear them. I swear I thought I had gone deaf. There were so many people waiting, so we ended up leaving. Back to orientation!
I learned about public transportation. I think I might buy a subway card. I realized it’s really convenient to live in the city, because, regardless of where you are, you are always close to everything. Hahaha. Orientation ended at 18:30. And that was it.
I had a better day, meeting people, getting to know the logistics of the program, and just general Welcome to Buenos Aires orientation. At first, I lost confidence, broke down internally, maybe even died because everyone could speak better than I could. Seriously, a quarter of the program (124 of us in total) studies Spanish as a major. These people actually study Spanish for their future, whereas I’m just here because luck brought me here, and into the film track.
But, as I met more people, there are just as many people here that are like me, and I was thankful, thankful because there are people here that I can grow with, on the same level. I’m glad I’m able to really hone my listening skills though. I was able to practice, through watching tv last night [I have a tv in my room]. Gotta start somewhere, right?
To all the people that’s ever given me a note/card/letter, I brought them with me and I read them every day. So, this is what it feels like to be drafted into the war and be so far away from all that you care for, fighting for something that you believe will benefit you and the world in the end. Study abroad is a war zone, a battlefield for human revolution. Still can’t believe the fact that I’m gonna be here for 5 months though. It’s unreal…it’s ridiculous… I miss everyone already. How will I survive it?
By the way, isn’t it great to know that I could be one of the 50% of girls in the program who could get robbed?
Yay.
So, I woke up this morning to Micro’s “Yukiyanagi” and I thought, if I were truly myself, then I really shouldn’t have to make so much of an effort, because I know I can work hard and better my Spanish. This is the mentality I woke to despite how I felt last night
The first thing I’m told is, “Tengo mala noticia. We have no hot water. It’s never happened before, lo siento.” I was like what the fuck. Okay, let me backtrack. I left Sunday at 2pm. The last I had showered was that Sunday morning. It would’ve been 2 days… 2 DAYS if I didn’t shower today.
“Dot. Dot. Dot.” I know.
But I insisted, and so I did. A nice cold shower. It felt good, even though it was about 50 degrees outside. -__-;; So that’s how I started my day.
After my host mom escorted me to Circulo Italiano, which was a few blocks down, I was wondering what to do myself. I think in high school, outside of the friends I hung out with, I didn’t really talk to anyone. I’m bad with that kind of thing. I’m sure if I were to meet myself, I would think I’m insanely, socially awkward. But, I guess after the first part of orientation, it wasn’t so bad. I met with 2 of the …5[?] 7[?] people who are taking the film track. I also met with the people who live near me. It was a nice mix. And turns out, I’m not the only one who was the only one that came from their respective university. W00t.
Moment of the day: “Soka’s in Southern California.” “Oh, Duh, SoCa!” “Not Exactly.”
I went to a café with a friend, trying to speak Spanish, and had a ham sandwich. I learned and realized many things in the hour that I sat there, like:
- I can barely finish an Argentine meal, even if it’s a two sandwiches (with no crust)
- Even water comes in a glass bottle
- The check needs to be asked for in order to get one and tip is 10%
- My Spanish sucks
- Argentines are very kind and friendly
Afterwards, I walked to a nearby post office… It didn’t feel like a post office. It’s been a while since I’ve been in one in the States, but this post office was one of the most eerily quiet places I’d seen…even despite the city noise going on outside. It was like I was stuffed into a soundproof room. People were whispering, but I could literally not hear them. I swear I thought I had gone deaf. There were so many people waiting, so we ended up leaving. Back to orientation!
I learned about public transportation. I think I might buy a subway card. I realized it’s really convenient to live in the city, because, regardless of where you are, you are always close to everything. Hahaha. Orientation ended at 18:30. And that was it.
I had a better day, meeting people, getting to know the logistics of the program, and just general Welcome to Buenos Aires orientation. At first, I lost confidence, broke down internally, maybe even died because everyone could speak better than I could. Seriously, a quarter of the program (124 of us in total) studies Spanish as a major. These people actually study Spanish for their future, whereas I’m just here because luck brought me here, and into the film track.
But, as I met more people, there are just as many people here that are like me, and I was thankful, thankful because there are people here that I can grow with, on the same level. I’m glad I’m able to really hone my listening skills though. I was able to practice, through watching tv last night [I have a tv in my room]. Gotta start somewhere, right?
To all the people that’s ever given me a note/card/letter, I brought them with me and I read them every day. So, this is what it feels like to be drafted into the war and be so far away from all that you care for, fighting for something that you believe will benefit you and the world in the end. Study abroad is a war zone, a battlefield for human revolution. Still can’t believe the fact that I’m gonna be here for 5 months though. It’s unreal…it’s ridiculous… I miss everyone already. How will I survive it?
By the way, isn’t it great to know that I could be one of the 50% of girls in the program who could get robbed?
Yay.
Day 1: "Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires"
I don’t know why even for a second I was thinking that Buenos Aires would be different from any other place. Okay, so aside from Japan, Argentina is my only foreign country endeavor, and to be completely honest, they don’t change much. Culturally, there may be a gap, but humanity hasn’t lost hope. People here are much nicer than Americans. Or maybe it’s the fact that I actually look foreign. *gasp*
Well, getting out of the plane was no problem. Actually nothing really was a problem. I think the only thing that surprised me was how people drive down here. And, you know, I heard stories about it, but to see it first-hand was a different experience. Lanes are nothing but a myth and the moment someone tries to cut in front of you, you’re so close you could reach out the window and touch the person’s face.
So, aside from that, I live in on 9th floor with an Argentine English teacher. She’s really nice and helped me to get settled pretty quickly. When I first got here though, I thought the housekeeper was my host mom. I was slightly confused for the first hour or so of my stay, but that’s okay. We had lunch, and people in those travel books weren’t joking when they said that porteños like to talk about current issues, much more than Americans do. I was also surprised how much my host mom knew about the governmental situation in the U.S. Props for being informed.
I think one of the least of my concerns revealed itself when I was realized how much I took for granted, just simple every day conversations. I knew conversationally, I’m not as proficient, but I had thought, I wouldn’t need to talk much. But I realized today, speaking is an essential need for communication. I guess speaking English makes you forget those things.
Aside from that, my first day here in Buenos Aires was nerve-wrecking, but also fun. I was able to talk to the program director in Spanish. To describe Buenos Aires, I would say that it is as wet as Florida when it rains, cold as California when it gets cold, smells like Tokyo, and everything else in between. I get to explore more tomorrow when I meet the rest of my study abroad U.S. amigos.
Well, getting out of the plane was no problem. Actually nothing really was a problem. I think the only thing that surprised me was how people drive down here. And, you know, I heard stories about it, but to see it first-hand was a different experience. Lanes are nothing but a myth and the moment someone tries to cut in front of you, you’re so close you could reach out the window and touch the person’s face.
So, aside from that, I live in on 9th floor with an Argentine English teacher. She’s really nice and helped me to get settled pretty quickly. When I first got here though, I thought the housekeeper was my host mom. I was slightly confused for the first hour or so of my stay, but that’s okay. We had lunch, and people in those travel books weren’t joking when they said that porteños like to talk about current issues, much more than Americans do. I was also surprised how much my host mom knew about the governmental situation in the U.S. Props for being informed.
I think one of the least of my concerns revealed itself when I was realized how much I took for granted, just simple every day conversations. I knew conversationally, I’m not as proficient, but I had thought, I wouldn’t need to talk much. But I realized today, speaking is an essential need for communication. I guess speaking English makes you forget those things.
Aside from that, my first day here in Buenos Aires was nerve-wrecking, but also fun. I was able to talk to the program director in Spanish. To describe Buenos Aires, I would say that it is as wet as Florida when it rains, cold as California when it gets cold, smells like Tokyo, and everything else in between. I get to explore more tomorrow when I meet the rest of my study abroad U.S. amigos.
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