Nomad / Katy's 21 Fest May 2008

US Airways 5906

Depart:	6:21am morning	Chicago, IL Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)
Arrive:	9:10am morning	Charlotte, NC Charlotte Douglas (CLT)

US Airways 1806

Depart:	11:30am morning	Charlotte, NC Charlotte Douglas (CLT)
Arrive:	1:29pm afternoon	Guatemala City, Guatemala Guatemala City La Aurora (GUA)

Economy | Airbus Industrie A320 (320) | 3hr 59min | 1547 miles

Total duration: 8hr 8min | Total miles: 2137 miles

Saturday, June 7, 2008

US Airways 1807

Depart:	2:25pm afternoon	Guatemala City, Guatemala Guatemala City La Aurora (GUA)
Arrive:	8:14pm evening	Charlotte, NC Charlotte Douglas (CLT)

Economy | Airbus Industrie A319 (319) | 3hr 49min | 1547 miles

Change planes. Time between flights: 2hr 6min

US Airways 1788

Depart:	10:20pm evening	Charlotte, NC Charlotte Douglas (CLT)
Arrive:	11:22pm evening	Chicago, IL Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)

Economy | Boeing 737-400 Passenger (734) | 2hr 2min | 590 miles

Total duration: 7hr 57min | Total miles: 2137 miles

what your heart's beating for

Hours today spent in advisors' offices, staring at DARS reports, and comparing time tables; has boiled down to this: I can graduate next May, but my senior year is going to blow. If i follow the plan i'd been set on since freshman year I could graduate in may with two degrees and would only have two, 12 credit easy semesters to coast through while battling seniorities. If i take this route i'll have only elective classes left, and therefor my classes will actually be enjoyable.

So why Katy do you say next year will blow?

Well my dear friend, in the past year education has become my refuge in study and work. Focusing research in Ecuador on Educacion Pre Escolar/Preschool Education, realizing the only area of econ classes I've taken for the past three years that I've actually enjoyed has been education, leading classes all summer; and absolutely loving my Ed Policy class this semester has made me wish I'd realized this earlier. Tacking on an Ed Policy certificate seems to be the most natural step in the world for me right now, except the small detail that it will cause me to have two 18 credit senior year semesters.

To coast through Senior year is looking pretty beautiful right now, but on the flip side, learning about education policies and bilingual education seems even more beautiful!

And when it comes down to it, this is life.why coast through it? Might as well go at it running up hill to build up lung capacity and strength so you can flex those big beautiful muscles to the world.

the eyes shout what the lips fear to say

I've been pondering about when fear is justifiable. I went into my summer in Guatemala knowing big general themes about the problems the country faces such as having one of the highest inequality rates in the world, gang problems, civil war in the 80s, high levels of poverty, etc; but I didn't know too many specifics. I went into the summer saying..alright, I'll be okay. I have Guatemalan friends there, they're okay, they'll help me, I'll be okay.

Within hours of being there, I was being lectured on what zones of the city I could not enter, what to do if i did find myself there, how i couldn't take buses...the list went on. The mom of the aiesecer who's house I stayed at the first night told me over breakfast the next morning how afraid she was that I was going to be living in the city (they lived in the outskirts), and how violent the city was. I was terrified.

When I moved into my first house, I was told I could (and would have to) walk to work, and the women I lived with walked me there the first day. She said walk with a purpose, only in the day time, and on the more populated streets. I held my breath for 20 minutes every morning when I sped walked to work, with the mind set of "I'm going to get robbed, so don't freak out when it happens."

Within my first few weeks of work, I learned of co-workers who had been robbed at gunpoint blocks from work and within my 3 months in Guate sat patiently twice while friends described to me 'what had happened to them that weekend'- one being involved in a kidnapping and the other being a victim of humiliation and extortion from the police.

While all of this was happening around me, my fear i had in the beginning was very much still there...but it was masked by a growing love and appreciation for the country and its strong culture. The people, the food, the funky twist on the Spanish language, the colors, the smells. I loved it. I cried randomly my last week there. I cried more frequently my last 24 hours. I cried consistently my last 30 minutes. I cried during my connecting flight to Ecuador. It was like my summer was stuck in my chest like a big knot and it was fighting for time to stay still.

* * *

I'm now reading an article called 'Out of the underworld" focusing on Guatemala City, Los Angels and San Salvador and the gangs there. Outrageous stats of the homicide rate in each of the cities in 2005 my the hair on my arms stand on end. A paragraph describing Villanueve, a suburb guate, flashes a warm summer night into my head of getting lost in my friends car after a trip back from the beach. Tattered houses and sketchy characters walking down desolate streets remain in my memory...but nothing like the memory of the absolute fear that paralyzed my body for the 15 minutes we spent driving around trying to find our way out. According to this article gangs pull in $100,000 a week in Villanueve.

As small droplets of the fear I once had leak back into my veins;j a thought, i think I've tried to ignore, creeps back into the open: The feeling of relief I had when I sat in Panama City Airport waiting for my plane to Ecuador. Apart of me was relieved to be leaving, because leaving meant i was still in one piece and I had survived (dramatic i know) a summer in central america.

* * *

With 4 weeks of unemployment on the horizon before I'm due in NYC in June, amongst a variety of other factors (ridiculously cheap tickets!)- I'm presented the opportunity to 'dar la vuelta' around guate and el salvador for a couple of weeks. Visit friends, see places i didn't before, soak in some sun, and do some much needed traveling with a good friend after she finishes up her undergrad.

When is fear justifiable? Is it the easy way out to keep a memory a memory...for fear that revisiting the place- will only taint an experience I don't want changed?

$2 pitchers, sorting mail, smoke rings, and couchpotatoing

My spring break 2008 is leaps and bounds different than my extended-take a week off of school and go to mexico for 16 days- spring break last year. It's crazy to see how much can happen in one year's time. I'm also really thankful that I blog a lot. Yea some posts are worthless...but reading past thoughts, experiences, and feelings realllly brings you back. It helps you not forget the details....

I've been working, working, testing the multiple fake ids i now have (im a walking violation), and relaxing as much as possible. The next couple of days i think i'll have to switch gears and do some studying and coffeeshoping, but I'm okay with that.

I want my roomates to cut it out already and come home also...

From Guatemala City to New York City...

Dear Katherine,

I am pleased to offer you an operations coordinator position at the New York summer institute. This has been one of the most diverse and competitive pools of candidates in the history of Teach For America’s summer institute. Working at the institute is an exciting opportunity to enhance your impact and to further your professional development. This position begins full-time on June 21st(a travel day) and ends on August 6th...

kiss me. i'm Irish.

No one cried, no punches were thrown, no one threw up, and no one fell asleep early.

You wouldn't have thought we were all together again in Milwaukee on st patties day weekend.

And just when ya think you're right back in the swing of things.....

"Hey guys, i got this new beer! It looks so good with lime and salt!! (referencing Miller Chill)
"Oh... you missed summer didn't you, Katy."

[Channel 4 News] Venezuela's tanks mass at Colombia's border

It pains me to watch this.

paz porfa?

“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.”

If you ever forget how big @'s network is please take the following steps:

1) type in 'aiesec' into the search box at youtube.com
2)watch cotton eye joe and la ritma vuelta in probably on every continent.

If you ever forget how ridiculously aweosme @ Madison is:

1) type in 'aiesec madison' in to the search
2) watch praise you a la mifflin

If you ever forget how hilarious sara sadek is:

1) watch this video. try to keep your eye on the red shorts if possible. But don't blink, she's a quick one.

I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier

The past 48 hours have been especially challenging for me and everyone who lives with me because i think we were all just directly or indirectly part of a revolution.

sip.

It’s through relationships with different people and witnessing other people’s lives that young people really begin to understand the importance and value of their own choices in their lives.

-kathrin hahn
one smart lady.

hace tiempo

shout out to this blog. dont' know her, but she's hooked up with my host family down in el ecuador.

miss them. a lot.

...

Side note: i just called a big BITCH by some lush in ogg because i wouldn't go into the elevator to key her up with the set of elevator keys i don't have.

i was also blamed for someone's possible death tonight.

Oh, Ogg overnights, how I've missed thee.

syntax error

sara: Where you drunk when you wrote that post?
me: i should have been.

and its 11:03 and dude now owes me 3 beers.

Its such a loss for the good guys

being in aiesec either adds years to your life, or takes a few away. I'm not sure yet which that is, but if it does infact takes some away, i know the ones you have left would be left better off.

When you want something to work so badly, its really frustrating to see something not succeed. With the talent pool in @US, people who i know have the capacity run a business, start a social moment, or design a new product- why does it seem that we have our feet in cement.

I know we are doing pockets of really great things, awesome, life changing, blowing shit up things...but still, why can't we work as a cohesive unit in the same direction with one vision?

Looking at other successful non profits, what makes aiesec- at least in the us, not able to work with each other properly. Everyone's @ is a little different- and there for our aiesec work across the nation clashes and maybe that why it seems to me we have our feet stuck in cement.

a la gran putchika.

woooaaaaah.

I just spent at least 20 minutes wondering why my paper on word was full of red scribbly lines. Normally when this happens i have to change the language setting. Well i did that about 30 times over and over....trying to set the language to Spanish. Why wouldn't it recognize the language?

This is an English paper.


I gotta go.

putting the cult in CULTure

@ Illinois is pretty much amazing.

it helps that numa numa is my fav of all time- high knee jumps ladies and gents!

For Molly

What is wrong with this picture?
I spent 20 minutes arguing with anyone with power, fighting to stay. I think i even tried to vibe the bouncer. I called on Mr McKim to try and talk to them...but he couldn't convince them to let me stay. So what did the bouncer do? Take my beer and give it to him to drink.

go figure.

in rare form...

@ road trips may have to be added to the top couple things you should do in aiesec- Becuase no matter where you go, or what you do, or who you are with, its going to be ridiculously amazing. or at least ridiculous on all levels.

We started off the weekend knowing it would be an adventure. And looking back on it, everything we did follows the essence of what an adventure is...

ad·ven·ture: (noun) a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.

Making a rash last minute decision to leave at 1am Friday morning in the middle of a snow storm- no worries, I was all over making the right choice on when to leave and was even calling the hot line help for roads in Illinois. We made it after 18 hours and a couple set backs. It all added to the excitement.

There was rowdies love all over the place with miami ohio and illinois holding it down and international delegates were not few to be seen and the energy was off the walls.

I was deemed to be the responsible one with the madison sausage fest i was traveling with.

Good decisions were made by all parties, especially when i decided i'm smarter than the bouncer at the club that the conference went to friday night and ended up getting physically kicked out at midnight.

The seshs were pretty sweet on sat and madison participated.....in whatever form that we could. The party sat night was shorter than expected but the troops stayed out well into the night surrounding 3 hobos and having a good time.

I was sober sally sat night so i could hall ass at 6am back to madison sunday morning. And ooooh sunday morning was the cherry on top of a fabulous weekend.

The alarm goes off at 530 am, and after Ioana rationalionalized outloud for 10 mintues why we should sleep in for 10 mintues, 540 came and went and i went to find the two charming fellows that would end up sleeping until LOUISVILLE in the back seat.

I found kevin on the pull out coach in the other room and proceeded to attempt to wake him up. After about a minute of KEVIN WAKE UP..without opening his eyes and laying on his back, he started a slow fist pump in the air. I just sat there watching him wondering what the f is he doing...until he ended it with one strong steady fist pump into the air, fist extended fully and said out loud "we can solve the problem."

Well he sure did solve the problem, within 3 minutes of him being awake he had found Mr Jason Hall who's first words were "i blacked out when i dropped my pants."

We finally got into the car, raging lushes and all, and stopped at McDonalds to have ' 1000 waters ordered' and for the lady to be told ' she is 996 waters short.'

We made it to Madison, 19 hours later with no voices and feeling like we might stop functioning at any given moment.

ro@dtrips = @dventures

fist pump.

I just drove 38 hours for a roks.

hell yes it was worth it.