#6, # 81... ECUADOR!

So Emily and I left on a plane for Ecuador on Thursday morning, exactly 24 hours after I finished my last final.  Wednesday consisted of hurrying around like crazy... and then sleeping and hopping on a flight.  I have to say, though, leaving didn´t really feel right.  I felt so selfish, getting out of Nashville right when the city was in desperate need of help.  And instead, I´m fleeing the country do to something that I want....it felt weird.  I also think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I had barely any time to process the fact that I was leaving.  My life the past couple of weeks had been study, essay, study, essay, shower, study, sleep, essay, pack, essay.. etc etc.  So when I was suddenly on a plane to South America, it felt MORE than surreal.

BUT!! On the plane, I accomplished #81 on the list... Catcher in the Rye!! Fabulous book, wonderful quotes.  I honestly laughed out loud more than I should have.  Poor people sitting next to me on the plane... I must have appeared 100% insane. 

And then we landed in Quito, took a taxi to our hostel, checked in, ate some food, and PASSED. OUT.  So tired after the past few weeks.

We woke up yesterday morning, feeling refreshed, and decided to take this thing called a Teleférico to a point about 2/3 up the way up a volcano. So to say I completely did #6 (hike another mountain) is kind of a lie.  We also barely made it... and I´m not exaggerating.  We were in such a rush to get out that morning that we threw on Target sweatpant capris, tshirts, and grabbed a sweatshirt. We put a pack of crackers in our backpacks for lunch, and ate a handful of cereal to get out while it was still sunny.  I mean, the hike was only supposed to be 3 hours each way! No big deal, right?!

Mistakes.  Mistakesmistakesmistakes.

I mean, granted, we were only hiking 1/3 of the way up, but it was well over 4000 meters high.  Lonely Planet says numerous times to not attempt this hike before you´ve acclimated to the altitude in Quito for at least a few days.  We figured 12 hours was a enough, right? Wrong. Just for comparison sake.... Mt Washington is about 2,000 meters above sea level.  We were climbing to 5,000.  Rutrohh.

Mistake # 3.

We get off the Teleferiqo (which is like a chair lift) and immediately take off up the hill.  I guess I shouldn´t call it a hill? Because it is a mountain.  A rocky, ferocious, dormant volano.  I´m even willing to call it unforgiving.

We couldn´t catch our breath, and were immediately surprised at how much the altitude was hindering our ability to hike.  So we took it slow (and I mean BABY steps), and kept going up and up.  And everytime we thought we we got close, we´d see another peak in the distance that we needed to get up over.  And then the clouds starting rolling in, and the wind picked up.  We were hiking through clouds, with zero visibility, trying to follow the path as we ascended. 

Then we lost the path.

And we were scrambling on rockface, on the side of volcano.  At this point, we were a little more than 2 hours into the hike, but a combination of dehydration/no food/little sleep/little oxygen made me feel so weak and shaky that every little step felt like h*ll.  We finally got back on the path, and saw the REAL top of the volano. We (somehow) kept going.. kept going... and got there just as even thicker clouds rolled in, completely obscuring our view of the crater.

Wonderful.

We turned around at just the right time, though.  As we started to go back, we ran into another group that was with a  guide, and the guide told us that about 9 people die on this summit every year, because they attempt to climb without enough clothes, water, food (..sound familiar?!?!), and they get lost in the clouds.... oh.  So basically, overambitious people like me.  Good to know.

Getting down was okay, once we got through the cloud cover.  I´ve never felt that type of exhaustion, though.  At one point, I had to just stop and wait, because I was convinced I was going to throw up. 

But we made it! We got back down to the Teleferiqo stop, and drank a Coke and ate a sandwich, letting the feeling flow through our bodies again.  There was some guy from the UK there who clearly wanted to strike up a conversation, but I was so exhausted that I couldn´t even form words.  So I reaffirmed the stupid American stereotype.  Wonderful. 

Moral of the story:  altitude is a beast.  Eat before you hike.  Bring food and water when you hike.  Wear pants. Bring gloves.  Be humble.


I love Ecuador already....

#15: Things Falling Into Place

I've always joked that my three majors aren't a result of overambition (or even plain ambition...), but indecisiveness.  And it is really not a joke, but the plain truth.  I really like psychology, Spanish, and political science.  I couldn't decide which was more important to me.  So I chose them all .... without knowing how they'd amalgamate, but just hoping that someday they did.  
And for years, they remained separate entities.  I studied US elections, abnormal psychology, and Spanish literature of the 1800s; everything remained compartmentalized.  I was frustrated - putting effort into a triple major just seemed more nonsensical and less worth it as time wore on.  Nothing felt right.  I attended classes, took exams, wrote papers - and wasn't enjoying it, I was simply going through the motions.  Things didn't fit.
I've realized that this has FINALLY changed.  I've written a few recent papers that have shown cohesion between all of my majors.  I just finished a Spanish research paper on the effects of the intended audience on politicians' rhetorical complexity.  I drew upon my time in Chile, the Spanish language, psychological measures of complexity, political volatility in elections.  I never expected that it would be Spanish linguistics that provided the outlet for my three majors, but it did. Now I'm working on a research paper that shows the effects of education on voter participation, especially in nationalized immigrant communities in the US.  Things have clicked.
I've rediscovered how wonderful it is to hand in work that I'm proud of, rather than just assignments I've completed.  I feel like these assignments have re-lit a fire under me.  Things make sense.  I'm passionate in what I'm doing again.
I lost faith in the fact that things work out the way they're supposed to.  Even when things get tough, and seem as nonsensical as they had recently, I need to remind myself that I've never been entirely screwed over in the past.  So today (and yesterday), I'm thankful for this reminder.


Oh.  And this weekend, I also (#17) wrote a letter AND! (#20) did my laundry! WAHOO!!!

#57: Watch The Shawshank Redemption

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I watched this movie in one sitting. And confession: I completely, completely loved it. For some bizarre reason, it just makes me want to go to prison and sit back and watch what happens (just kidding, parents...). [[I'm not actually kidding, though]]

I also kind of want to go carve out all of the pieces for a chessboard. I'm really not picky on the rock type, though...

Some of my favorite quotes:

"The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry." -Brooks

"I guess it all comes down to a simple choice: you can get busy living, or get busy dying."- Andy

"That's all it takes, really. Pressure and time." -Red

"I have to remind myself that some birds just aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone." -Red

Moral of the story: good movie. Those were two hours very well spent.

#15: Jump the can.

I know I don't have a hard job. I'm lucky to have the job that I do: I get to learn how non-profits work, be involved, AND play with kids. What's there NOT to love?

But at the same time, it can certainly be discouraging. I put a lot of effort into this program (most of the time), and the returns aren't always there. Kids are nonparticipatory, they backtalk, they fight with each other. And I'm reminded of the fact that I'm a college undergrad trying to do something about the effects of continued poverty. Riiiight....

Today, though. Today was a good day. And it was good because the kids had a game that I had never heard of, jump the can. They all knew it and loved it. They were regulating themselves, deciding what to do next. I essentially sat back, and watched my kids engage themselves in an activity in an incredibly peaceful manner.

Today was worth it.

#15: Today I'm thankful for....

Antibiotics and understanding professors.

Enough said.

#15

Today, I am thankful for Nashville springs and the perpetual sunniness that I feel like we've had for a while. Sure, allergy season is TERRIBLE this year, but at least it's nice out. Imagine how much worse it would be if allergies were horrible AND it was cloudy/rainy/cold?!?!?!?

#15: I'm Thankful for VISITORS!

#15 on my list is to recognize at least one thing every day that I am thankful for. And today (okay, I guess it was yesterday, but I'll count it for today), I am thankful for VISITORS in Nashville!

Usually, living 1000+ miles away from my family is fine. I’m used to it at this point. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t bother me at times. I realized that this year, I’ll have spent about 3 weeks in MA in a calendar year—- not much time at all.

Which is why it’s always SO WONDERFUL when visitors come into town, and I can see family members and friends in Nashville. This lovely spring weekend that visitor was my Uncle Mark, one of my mom’s brothers. We spent lunch together this Saturday, and it reminded me of how nice it is to see familiar faces.

But seeing people from home also reaffirms the fact that I am supposed to be here, for some reason. I still don’t know what that is; I might never figure it out… but regardless, today, I feel sure that I’ve made the correct decisions in my life with regards to the college I’ve chosen and the traveling that I’ve done. I feel confident it will be worth it.