What Just Happened?

One moment I'm wasting away time in a foreign country, sleeping entire days away. The next, I'm waking up early and on time to work 3 days in a row. I credit being back among some of my dearest friends, sharing an awesome apartment during a wonderful summer.

Or maybe it's just a fluke :)

Also, name change. Again.

Update: For those who didn't know, I'm staying with lovely friends Marcela, Nguyen, and Hai Xi until their 4th roommate Darren comes back. Ginormous apartment near Davis. Sweet!

Requiem for a Lost Summer (almost)

And I can only blame myself. I had more money and more acquaintances in BA than I did last year in Barcelona. I had a ready-made family who were awesome beyond words. Even my internship had potential. But I chose the easy route and wasted it all away. Not to entirely discount the fun I've had with the friends I've made here, but there should be more to an international experience than clubbing. So, yes, the work I've done for my internship wasn't challenging, a bit boring, and pretty useless to the organization. But I could have done more, put a little more into it, instead of jumping on any excuse to slack off (I've feigned sickness so many times this summer). As for the rest, I have no excuse. The exchange rate made money so much less of an issue, I had people to explore with, I've had friends who have been here before. I had a family who was more than willing to give me tips on where to go and how to get there. And now with only one week left, I feel like I've cheated myself out of what could have been the best experience of my life.

But you'll notice the almost in my title. I still have one week left in Argentina. Not enough to turn everything totally around, but at least to start making amends. And then I have nearly a month in Boston. With a "real" job and most of my closest friends. And yes, the shame from these past 7 weeks. I can't let myself waste it again. The "real world" is fast approaching, and if I want my last semester to be the best it can be, I need to shape up before then. I've failed, but I'm not failure.

Viva la Patria

Long live the motherland. That's how la presidenta Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner ended one of her pre-election speeches. Which is a perfect segue into discussing the enchanting quirks of this paradoxical country.

Let's start with swine flu. (I'll insert here that I feel qualified to opine on this because I was a victim of the Harvard Commencement Swine Flu Epidemic in early June 2009.) Argentina has the 3rd largest amount of cases of swine flu and everyone is freaking out (I saw so many face-masks on my way to work today). They cancelled two weeks of school, adding them to the traditional winter recess, so kids here get the entire month off, lucky bastards!

Now let's move on to politics. Legislative "midterm" elections were held on Sunday and CFK and her husband (and alleged power behind the throne) Nestor Kirchner took a beating. Still, this country is far to into personalistic leadership (though as an Obamaphile, perhaps I'm not exactly one to talk). However, robust and sustained party-building would do a lot to strengthen political institutions and finish consolidating a still-young democracy. At least there hasn't been a coup. (Too soon?)

Oh yeah, and Buenos Aires is awesome. I rode a horse for the first time in my life; it was great! And slowly, ever so slowly, I feel myself becoming more of the person I want to be. Life is good.

Third Time's the Charm, Right?

To become fluent in Spanish, that is. Starting my second week in Buenos Aires, which would make this my third summer in a row a Spanish-speaking country. What to report? I'm the oldest person in the DRCLAS group. Unsurprising for a "super-senior". What is surprising is that I should actually feel it. Not to belittle the amazing sophomores whom I've met, liked, and befriended, but hanging out with them sometimes makes me feel old. Perhaps it's because this is my 3rd international experience, and for many, this is only their first. And I'm also a little jealous of them; they have so much to do with their Harvard experience. I hope they take full advantage of it!

My host family is the absolute best I could've wished for: so nice and welcoming, yet also flexible and able to give me the distance a 22-year-old needs. And they both are great cooks!

And that leaves my internship. It just began today, but it wasn't exactly an auspicious start. I was in the office for an entire hour, where they showed me around, told me I'd be working in an entirely different part of the organization (institutional development) than what they had told me last week, and then gave me some reading material and saw me out the door. I also go in for only 4 days a week, 4 hours each day. Good thing I'm not relying on a paycheck for them, but I don't know what I'm going to do with all this free time. I also hope I do get something meaningful out of this, not just for my resume, but on a personal level as well.

Cautiously optimistic.
Ciao.

ps. I still need a place to stay in Cambridge (as close to Harvard as possible) for the month of August. A comfy piece of floor will do. Let me know :)

Summer Plans, 2009 Edition

Mr. World Traveler is at it again; I'm going to do an internship in Buenos Aires, Argentina! Made possible by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) and the Office of International Programs (OIP). I'm getting $3900 in grants, woot!

I'll be working with CIPPEC, a non-profit, think-tank-like organization focusing on "growth and equity." Tiniest drawback is that I'll have to learn Argentine Spanish. I think this will be a fabulous opportunity, and hopefully will help me get into the foreign service.

Daily Accomplishments

Who knows, this might become a regular thing:

1. Finished Personal Narratives for the foreign service officer selection process

2. Got accepted for the DRCLAS internship in Buenos Aires this summer

3. Finished taxes

4. Almost through financial aid application

Left on the almighty to-do list? Finish cleaning my room, catch up on readings, and write an unexpected paper. Oh, and have fun; it's spring break after all!

Almost Done

"The hours pass through my hands like grains in a sand-glass."
(I think that's from a poem I read, not sure.)

But yes, faithful readers, this chapter of my obviously thrilling life is sadly coming to a close. Barcelona has been enlightening, if not exactly a "blast." True, there were extremely fun moments, but those mostly happened in Madrid and Pamplona, not here. And there were valid reasons, financial limitations being a top one. Still, while this summer pales in 'collegiate' fun compared to Madrid last summer, I can say it was all worth it. Why? Because I can dream again, cheesy as that sounds. Harvard almost killed that in me. In high school, all I had were my dreams. Aspirations for my future, of college in the big East Coast city, of an actual gay community, real relationships. And those were all realized (except for the relationships). Plus, I met incredible people who I am so lucky to count as true friends.

But college isn't where life ends, and halfway through Harvard, I started losing my way, losing my dreams. I didn't know where to go from there; I didn't know what to do with my life and make of myself. But I rediscovered that in Barcelona. No, my internship was not perfect (there were a lot of days I had nothing to do). But 90% of my memories this summer are connected to my job. It was fun. I learned a lot: about Spanish politics, about living independently, and most importantly, I learned how to dream of my future again. I know I want to join the foreign service; I know I want to be a diplomat. And though I may demure when people ask me about my post-college plans (either because it remains only a possibility or because it may seem geeky), I am quite sure this is what I want to do. I can see a path now where before there were only abstract ideas (grad school! Capitol Hill! Wal-Mart!). So Barcelona will always be special to me, because it birthed a new me.

But, profound finding-myself moments can only last so long. So after walking out the consulate tomorrow evening for the last time, I will spend the weekend souvenir shopping, packing, and cleaning my room. Then Monday I catch the overnight train to Paris and from there its homeward bound. This summer has passed quickly, but it's not over yet.

A Breakthrough...I Think

Ah, sorry peeps. I know it's been forever since I wrote last. And since I'm obviously the most intersting person you've ever known, I'm sure, you're all dying to know what I've been up to.

So, a week ago I started working at the great devil known as Wal-Mart as a cashier, and surprisingly, it hasn't been as bad as almost everyone said it would be. I have had very few rude customers. I like to think it's because I'm such a nice person myself, but that's probably the ego talking. But seriously, if the whole "being a diplomat" thing doesn't work out, I may have a future in customer service.

Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you all that I may have finally figured out what I want to do with my life. If this internship in Barcelona doesn't crush my dreams, I think I may want to work for the State Department. I think it may be the only job that pays me to travel all over the world and do politics. So this newfound purpose or direction in my life is really the topic of today's memo; this break has been good for me.

Let me explain. The first couple of months I was home, I wasn't entirely sure I was doing the right thing. I still debated with myself that maybe sticking Harvard out would have been better. Plus I was supposed to be working, that was the deal I made with myself, to not leech of my family. But, the extreme laziness and apathy that totally destroyed last semester was still very much in play. And so the cycle continued.

Until a couple of weeks ago, for some yet unknown reason. My trip to Barcelona is like 97% a sure thing. I'm now a member of the American workforce. (I just got my first paycheck today!) I may have figured out what to make of myself after college. Maybe it's just me, but I think this qualifies as a breakthrough. Now, I just can't get complacent, because I think that's how the cycle starts. I feel entitled to rest on my laurels (going to Harvard, etc.), I get lazy, the consequences of being lazy catch up to me, I get upset at myself, and then I start to not care. So, as my friends, please, don't let me brag too much. Remind me I'm not as perfect as I sometimes think I am.

The good news is that I won't have to take the fall off too, which was always a last resort. I can't wait to see you guys in September (and some of you even sooner, if you're staying in Boston for the summer, maybe.) I miss you so, so much and I wish you could be with me on this journey, but hopefully, I'll return to you a better person.

Besos!

Goin' to Barcelona!

I've known for a couple of weeks that I'm going for sure to Barcelona this summer (expected to leave around June 5 to spend a couple of days in Madrid) and I've been going crazy the past few days thinking of everything I need to do. Partial checklist:

• Find somewhere to live (apartment ads in Spanish are very confusing)
• Get insurance (stupid State Department requirement)
• Get a flight
• Get money for a flight (which is why I start working at Wal-Mart next week)
• a shitload of other things

So please, please, if you have any suggestions for making this process easier, please let me know.

Love and kisses!