Choice

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
- Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain


I love this quote, because traveling seems to kill the little silly things that don't matter much but become such a big part of your everyday life, while at the same time, it seems to exaggerate and solidify the things that are most important to you.  And once you've disposed of the unessential items you'll have much more time for the things you love.

For me, the most important thing a person has is: CHOICE.  The ability to choose what you do, what you believe, the way you react, the way you think, and the way to change your situation if you've chosen not to be complacent with it.  So often we choose to take the entitlement mentality that is based around the mindset that we are victims to our situations. 

I've been doing it quite a bit lately, but then I remember even though something may happen that's out of my control, I still have the choice to complain about it, deal with it, change it, or remove myself from the situation altogether. Maybe it's inconvenient and takes a little time and work, but nothing comes easy in life for anyone.

There are some people in this world who have not been taught that they have the power to choose the way they live their lives.  Some think it's all given to them and they are therefore entitled to it as well as anything else they desire while others think there's nothing they can do to better their situation and everyone else is to blame for it.  Both are false.  Anyone can do anything if they have at least 2 of 3 things:

1. an education (and I'm not just talking about the schooling kind)
2. a desire
3. a strong work ethic

Don't let anybody tell you any different, even yourself.

Argentina is the place for doppelgangers

If you want to find yours then head on down to Buenos Aires!  They say that there is at least one other person in this world that looks like you and apparently they all live here. 

Seriously not a week goes by that I don’t see someone and think “what are you doing here?” and realize it’s not who I think it is but instead is a complete stranger.  Or I meet someone and can’t stop staring at them because I feel like I’ve met them before.  Only to soon realize that they just remind me of someone because they look and act scarily similar. 

I’ve compiled a list of my friends who have “been in Argentina” in the past year:

Ben Kessler (you have a salsa-dancing, flannel wearing clone down here)

Peter Hall (Equipped with a North Face vest, fratastic shirt, and the same hairstyle, I’m still pretty sure it’s actually you)

Willie Dale (your long lost, brown haired, brown-eyed brother with extremely flat feet)

Blake or Andy?

Alex Nicholson (in this case, your doppelganger is an expat as well.  Same hair, same nose, same humor, and same manner of walking – only British)

David Guetta

Blake Rustmann (a brown haired, big-headed version – only smarter ;) )

Katherine Lagow (wait, that actually was you)

Sarah Casey (American-born, Spanish speaking, freckle faced, Argentine living version)

Harry Potter (real-life version)

Aaron Nicholson (same ginger beard and all)

There’s definitely more, I just can’t think of them off the top of my head, but I’ll update as I remember.  Also, I really need to start taking pictures because it’s ridiculous how similar these people are.

Wait a second...

So if a christian says something derogatory about a certain type of person it's hateful and unintelligent (which I agree, it shouldn't be done considering it goes against everything Jesus taught) yet when other people say something derogatory about Christians it's not hateful and not ignorant?  And aren't they the ones preaching about being more open minded to other people's beliefs?  I see a double standard here.

Valuable lessons from Rhodes College

It's 6:30 AM in Argentina and I can't sleep, so what better way to pass the time then to reminisce about Rhodes College and the wonderful things I discovered from its diverse social scene.


1. The Gold Medallion Shoe
I may not know the name of these shoes (I literally got the picture from googling "gold medallion shoe"), but I do know one thing about them, the girls at Rhodes College love the shit out of these things.  They had them in every style imaginable: neon, plaid, heels, sparkly, etc.  And they wore them with their dresses, they wore them with their skirts, and they even wore them with their Nike shorts - so of course they had to have at least 3 pairs each to coordinate with their various ensembles.  Because why would anyone pay 20 bucks for a pair of old navy flats when you could pay 70 for the same ones with gold medallions glued to them?

2. The North Face

Another thing people at Rhodes loved was to give the appearance that they had been mountain climbing recently.  And by that, I mean they loved The North Face.  And I'm not talking any North Face, I'm talking about the Denali jacket.  I have never seen this jacket so many times as when I went to eat lunch on the first day of fall at Rhodes College.  Bust out your power sweatshirts everyone! And if you didn't have one when you started at Rhodes, you had one when you left, because who would be caught dead wearing a Patagonia?  Don't get me wrong, I think it's a good jacket and a good brand, but I doubt that most people who were wearing it didn't actually know what the name "The North Face" even refers to. 

3. Nike Shorts
Apparently these shorts are a staple to any college girls wardrobe.  Even if she has never gone on a run in her life.  Which is fine, they're comfy and fashionable and can be paired with gold medallion shoes and North Face Jackets to turn any bad day into a stylish one!  No but really, these shorts are everywhere.  I had the old version of these shorts for soccer practice when I was younger and didn't even realize the gold mine of a fashion statement I was sitting on until I got to Rhodes.  I busted those babies out as soon as I caught on!  Although they weren't quite as cute as these neon pink tiger stripe ones on the right here so I had to invest half my paycheck in a more updated version.  And quite frankly, for as cute as they look, I can't help but be disappointed about the poofy section in the front near the elastic line.  Does anyone else have that problem or did I just buy the wrong season of Nike shorts?

4. Sperry Topsiders

These shoes have a fashion niche that spans generations.  From my mom having her own pair of the beloved boat shoes to my younger sister's praise of  their wardrobe versatility, these shoes have are tale of the ages that makes everyone a bit nostalgic for the feeling of the ocean's breeze flowing through your hair.. Comfy and sophisticated, you can even buy special nude color-panty-hose-type socks to wear with them so they don't get stinky.  Or, if you want to see a variety of the different styles I advise you not to walk by the ATO and Kappa Sigma frat houses.  The RAT would be a better bet because apparently the only reason people dare to brave the questionable cuisine there is to show off the new additions to their wardrobe.  It's like the whole J Crew catalog just came to life. So, if you're the type like me who buys them because their comfy and about as close to owning a yacht as I will ever get, then I recommend the bluefish 2 eye version. 

5. Rainbow Sandals

God bless California Surfers for teaching us that you don't find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but instead, theses little bundles of leathery delight. And I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the first 2 blister filled, calloused weeks of breaking these babies in is totally worth it.  For just $40 bucks and bearing this slight 2 week grievance your feet are rewarded with a bliss that is molded to the contour of your feet and makes you feel like you're walking on pillows.  Just don't let them get wet otherwise it feels like you're walking on sticky floor type pillows.

6. Longchamp

I'm going to be honest and say that I didn't know the significance of these either until my friend brought me a $2 Shanghai knockoff last year.  But I do remember that EVERY girl at Rhodes College had these.  If not the first semester, they soon learned to ditch their North Face backpack for this more feminine tote that can function both as a book bag as well as a purse.  I was a little amazed and appalled to find that they cost upwards of $115.  I'll stick to the Shanghai specials, especially since nobody seems to be able to tell the difference.

7. Croakies

Don't let the name deceive you.  Although it might scream redneck I can assure you that only the most fratty of frat boys will be found sporting these.  And that is pretty much every single one at Rhodes College.  Just wander past the library on a Friday evening and you'll be greeted with a slew of men dawning these along with their Columbia vest on top of a collard shirt (paired with J crew critter shorts and Sperry's of course).  Before Rhodes I thought Oakley dominated the sports eye-wear market, only to find that there is a whole other realm of sports out there I wasn't aware of.  And they all seemed to originate on the thresholds of frat houses. The original founders probably had something to do with a mix of frat houses and duck hunting, but now I'm pretty sure the wearers of said eye wear would rather hunt for a pledge to make a beer run than a duck. Be sure to get the attachment so they don't fall of your head!


List 2 will be coming soon.  Here are a few teasers: Ugg boots, the entire J crew store, and anything Kate Spade. 

It's been awhile

So I've been a terrible blogger lately. It's been over 2 months since I last updated. To be honest though, I haven't really felt up to writing lately because I work online about 10 hours a day and being on the computer anymore than necessary isn't that appealing. But what needs to be done, needs to get done!

So to recap a bit, I went to the beach with Facu and his family. They have a house there with a grill and it was so nice to escape the big city and just enjoy the ocean. Especially since there weren't a ton of people there since it was chilly. His mom made homemade fried calamari one night which was wonderful. With just a little bit of lemon and salt and we were all set. Nom nom nom...

I think the best part of the entire trip though was when we went out to a bar one night with some friends and they had a special going on for unlimited beer for 3 hours for 30 pesos. And that my friends is the equivalent of $6.83 USD. Oh what fools! They told that secret to the wrong group of people too. Why pay 24 pesos for one beer if I can pay 30 for infinite beer? And then, to make the night even better, the bouncer was from none other than the greatest city in the world: Dallas, Texas. AND THEN, if you didn't think the night could get any better, oh it did. This random German Shepherd just strolled into the bar and plopped himself down on a couch like he owned the place. And of course we took a picture with the celebrity before he was quickly shooed away:

The rest of the weekend we spent failing miserably at fishing, but at least we tried.

Facu Fishing

Facu's Dad fishing

And then this week was spent getting back into the swing of things. Facu's birthday was yesterday so I made some chocolate chip oatmeal raisin walnut peanut butter cookies since he doesn't really like cake. Nom nom nom.

Yes, that is a triple decker cookie stacked with layers of dulce de leche!

Anyway, that's all I've got going on at the moment, but hopefully I'll have some stories after my first soccer game this weekend! Got my cleats ready and everything (my mommy polished them for me before she sent them). I'll let you know.

Bridget

Pinamar beach

My new crib

I have officially moved into the city. For the past 2 months I had been living outside it in Quilmes where the beer is made. But now I'm a city dweller! I'm living in the home of a good friend of Facu's that's in a really nice part of the city called Retiro. I'm next to the train station and a few touristy places and the most important thing...a Starbucks. I'm getting a little tired of this instant coffee thing so the fact that there's 2 within walking distance is incredibly convenient. And there's also 3 grocery stores within 2 blocks as well as some fruit ladies that sit nearby selling produce to people that walk by. 

But of course this is Argentina (TIA) and 4 days after I move in to this awesome place, there's a story all over the news about some French photographer getting killed in the park down the street. Seriously? He apparently went for a walk yesterday morning and was taking pictures of some nature in plaza San Martin (a relatively safe place - during the day) when some rando tried to steal his camera. Of course the frenchie said no, and proceeded to tackle the man to get his camera back which is when he was then stabbed in the chest...6 times. The poor guy was on vacation here and just wanted to take a few pictures of some trees. At least he kicked the thief's butt. Although if he hadn't done so he would probably still be alive.

I don't understand the way people can warrant taking another human's life for something as insignificant as a camera. Btw the criminal was caught and is now in jail. Lucky for him the photographer wasn't a Texan, because then he would have pulled out his gun and shot the thief and got his camera back (in the leg of course so as not to kill him).

Anyway, mom and dad don't worry I'll be smart so I'm safe. Also I'm not french and I don't have expensive things...except the phone I'm writing this with. But I'll be careful. Okay I guess I should give a tour of my new place.

shared living room

my bathroom...Jacuzzi tub!

shared kitchen

my giant bedroom

my living room/work space

It's beginning to look a lot like Summer

This was my first Christmas away from home so I figured I'd make I might as well make it as nontraditional as possible and spend it in the southern hemisphere. 

There were a few things a bit different for me being in Argentina.  For starters, it's summer here, which might be normal for Argentina, but not for us winter Christmasers who bundle up in sweaters with cocoa and coffee to watch Home Alone marathons on a regular basis.  Another things is that, like New Years Eve is for us, Christmas Eve is the biggest night of the year down here.  So we celebrated by dressing up and having an asado (barbeque) around 10:30 pm and cracking open a bottle of champagne to go watch the fireworks outside.  They were going off like crazy all over the city - it was like the 4th of July when I was a kid, before firework control to effect. Some guy in the villas (slums) was even setting them off as well, Facu said "he probably didn't eat tonight, but he's setting off fireworks."  Which is pretty amazing and sad at the same time since they probably didn't much to give, yet they're willing to give what they did have to share the celebration of Christ's birth with everyone.

About 12:15 AM on Christmas morning!

After the fireworks finished, we all went back inside to open presents from "Papa Noel" (Santa Claus).  Us foreigners were really surprised because we usually open presents after everyone wakes up in the morning, but this was really neat doing it this way because then you can enjoy the rest of the day with your friends and family.  So we sat around and some more people came over for dessert and then around 2A.M. we headed out to a Christmas party at a friend's house. 

When we got home the next morning (!), I changed into a skirt and tank top, strolled downstairs and got ready for another asado with Facu's dad's family.  He is one of 7 kids so they all came over with their kids and it reminded me a lot of Christmas with my family since there were tons of people in the house.  They set some tables up outside for lunch and then we all went inside and exchanged more gifts.  Everyone was so friendly and welcoming to us confused winter celebraters and it was a lot of fun. And even though I missed my family and friends at home quite a bit I'm really glad I got to experience and appreciate celebrating a little differently this year.  I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I cannot wait to see what this next year has in store.

Fruit Pizza for the Christmas BBQ

Skyping with my family later

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