last day of class...

at washu... this year... until who knows when and where....

bittersweet some might say... i dont know... i guess it just started to hit me a few minutes ago... i just want to stay here.... i just want a job offer in stl... i just want to stay around and continue growing in this place... i just know the end of my time here is not now... i just want my parents to understand that i NEED to stay here for me, for a change..... i want them to trust that part of me...

btw.. if you or someone you know works at the medschool or barnes and knows about a job opening... i'll take it...

Whats up with me?

So a real post for a change...

Life is good right now. Less than 50 days for graduation and the alumni association has decided to keep a countdown in the middle of bowles plaza to let everyone know that the class of 2006 is leaving... or perhaps to make sure we actually go away... thankfully i never go around that area, so im not constantly reminded of the tiny detail that i still don't know what im doing after May 19.

Yeah. I still don't know. Staying here for spring break paid off in the sense that i got 2 interviews from the work i did during that time. One, a phone call with a company in PR. The other, my best interview experience so far: at Barnes Jewish. To give you a hint of the awesomeness of this experience, I got to lear all about the benefits of working at BJC which include taking classes at WashU... and i got in some scrubs and went to the operating room where a Puerto Rican surgeon was performing spinal cord surgery. Coolness.

I'm not talking about classes because that's boring.... CSU is over for me. "They let me go." Bigtime relieve. Carnaval is this Fri and Sat.... It has me crazy... but it will be over soon enough.

But the largest contributors to my state of happiness right now are my amazing friends. Janaki... Im just so lucky to have her. Elise is so amazing...

From an away message...

Pick her up and pretend you're going to throw her in the pool, she'll scream and fight you but secretly, she'll love it. Hold her hand while you talk. Hold her hand while you drive. Just hold her hand. Look her in the eyes when you talk to her. Protect her. Tell her stupid jokes. Tickle her, even if she says to stop. Slow dance with her. When she starts swearing at you, tell her you love her. Let her fall asleep in your arms. Get her mad, then kiss her. Tease her. Let her tease you back. Stay up with her when she's sick. Kiss her forehead. Let her wear your clothes. Kiss her in the rain. And when you fall in love with her, tell her.

New Favorite Poem

Thought I should share with you, my dear imaginary audience... my new favorite poem.. Claudia Romeu recited it tonight at the Latino Symposium... and after reading it again when i got home... i realized that it in fact has some resemblance to my life right now... Enjoy.

Rima IV

by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

the English Version..

Do not say that, treasure depleted,subjects lacking, the lyre sits silently:

There may not be poets, but always there will be poetry.

While waves quiver excitedlyat the kiss of light;

while the sun paints shameless cloudsin fire and gold;

while the air holds in its lapperfumes and harmony;

while in the world there is spring,there will be poetry!

While the discoveries of science do not reachthe sources of life,

and the sea or the sky holds an abyssthat resists calculation;

while ever-advancing humanitystill doesn't know where it's going;

while there is a mystery left for man,there will be poetry!

While we feel joy in the soulwithout our lips smiling;

while we mourn without tearsclouding our eyes;
while the heart and the headbattle continually;

while there are hopes and memories,there will be poetry!

While there are eyes that reflectthe eyes that gaze into them;

while lips respond sighingto lips that sigh;
while two souls in a kisscan mix confusedly;

while one beautiful woman exists,there will be poetry!

Highligts from DC and Harrisonburg

• i got to drive through the Appalachians
• we underestimated our trip times by: 2 hours, 1 hour, 3 hours
• i saw my godmother cuddled and drank with her
• i went to the model united nations 4 years too late
• chipotle made me sick
• We wasted nearly an hour walking around the campus of GWU looking for a bar and met the sons of two argenine diplomats....
• We discovered that everyone in DC speaks Spanish, everyone.
• An "unidentified object" (read bomb threat) at the Holocaust Museum split up Janaki and my friendship forever . . . and then I made a joke and things were back to normal.. and then we talked about how good it felt to survive this confrontation
• we were nearly blown away by the wind at the base of the Washington Monument
• we crashed the linconln memorial
• I met Becca
• Becca took us to the top of Reddish Knob, and I thought it was weird being on the top of a mountain and not being able to see the ocean...
• I was exposed to the wonder that is warm cookie dough
• I fell in love with Kings and now i want to play it every day
• We found the edge of the Universe/inspiration for Final Destination/Bermuda "Triangle" near the edge of Virginia. It was scary.
• I tought Janaki very useful Spanish/Puerto Rican words, such as "hookiar" and "pendejo" and "puta can can can can can can"
• We drove in the mouth of a wolf and i did not know where to put myself
• We nearly ran out of gas twice and now hate Southern Illinois . . . estupidos.
• We almost crashed into a car 1 exit away from Wash U

Spanglish with Isabel

So, I've decided to make my own Spanglish/Puerto Rican Dictionary. Enjoy.

babysit
Lorena tiene babysitting por la noche.
bonche (bunch)
me falta leer este bonchesito.
break
Dame un break!
bill
Lo unico que me llega por correo son billes.
carpeta (carpet)
Tengo que limpiar la carpeta.
checkiar (check)
Tengo que chequear si tengo algo que hacer.
cheri (cherry)
Yo puedo hacer un nudito con el palito con la cherry.
cheesebegel (cheesburger)
Dame un cheesebegel plain.
clickear (click)
clickea aqui para visitar mi site.
diler (dealer)
aquel tipo es un diler de drogas.
eskipiar (skip)
voy a eskipiar mi primera clase
freezel (freezer)
mete la carne en el freezel.
ganga (gang)
voy a hanguiar con mi ganga.
likeo (leak)
tienes q arreglar el likeo del techo.
lockel (locker)
en highschool tenia un lockel.
mapial (to mop)
tengo que mapial la cocina.
palking (parking)
palkeate alli.
pari (party)
vamos pa'l pari del sabado.
pompiar (pump)
tengo que pompiar a isaura.
ponchal (punch)
Poncheame el ticket del palking.

to be continued.... all feedback welcome! :)

and this is how my last semester of college started

I got back one day late to school.... That saved me a few hundred dollars, which is always good.

It is good to be back. Sometimes, I get this random revelations and suddenly the place where i'm standing, the room i live in, the people i meet... everything and everyone gets a different meaning... sometimes i think it is cool, but it is starting to happen more, and more often.. then i think is weird.

had a job interview for a really cool position, in a really cool company, in a very cool city, that requires traveling to very cool places and learning very cool things. i'm really excited about it. cross your fingers so i get called back!

i'm taking some cool classes. i enjoy spanish and anthro... prob stats is a pain and kinetics... lets not even talk about it.

carnaval auditions were the last week or so... craziness...

i'm going to DC with my roommate in 2 weeks. so excited for the road trip... im going to see my godmother there.. and the lincoln monument.. yes, if you haven't noticed i'm obsessed with the lincoln monument.

ok... enough for now.....

Happy New Year and Winter Break Recap...

It is what everyone is talking about... how crazy, uncontrolled, ridiculous was the winter break this year.... and everyone blames the governor and the economy (btw... we have salestax in pr now). To me this break wa the first time since 2002, that i mad a conscious choice of enjoying my time at home. of course, gaby and dave helped a lot... those 10 days gaby was here where the best ones... so.. here's my recap....

the first few days were very relaxing... i read memoirs of a geisha, slept, spent christmas with the family... just what i wanted

gaby got here the 28th... the original plans were to hit the bars as soon as she got out of the plane.. but my mother fell in the grocery store before even meeting here and almost went to the hospital... but we made it to san juan... and after an antisocial start... i clicked with the bartender and got a few free shots for the group. of course we went back to the bar the next day.... and what should have been a $40 tip, was on the house....

my parents anniversary was on dec. 30th... 28 yrs... it was a great party with an eclectic group of people but everyone seemed to have a very good time... and i saw people i had not seen in a very long time...

with gaby i went to museums, castles, rum distilleries, the rain forest.... but the best part was the day trip to an island of the coast of fajarde... where a fisherman thought that a little plastic bag that we had with sugar was cocaine.... been laughing with that story for a few days now...

and of course we went back to the bar 2 more times... the last time.. they opened the kitchen just for us, we ordered 2 appetizers, had 2 beers, and 5 drinks... and were charged only $10.00.

and at the bacardi tour... the bar tender with pretty eyes would not let me leave the place without preparing me 'his drink' for free.... it was december 31st and i had a hungover before 5pm.

very ironic. im not an alcoholic... and drinking is not part of my routine... but in 10 days i maneged to drink every day, most drinks were free and paid for friendly bar tenders without any favors... jeje.. i spent more money on parking than drinks this break....

gaby left and i spent an entire weekend sleeping and watching movies at the beach house since my original intention of spending time at the beach had to be changed due to weather conditions... i read two more books: sisterhood of the traveling pants and the devil wears prada and enjoyed a few days of cable television.. becoming obsessed again with the shows i've always loved but never get to see at school... tlc, bravo, abc family, animal plante, tbs.. and of course the novelas at univision.... sooo good!

and finally... i went shopping and bought my first suit.... applied for jobs... and now im only 5 more closer to be a professional.

and even though im going back one day after i should... the break was over before i knew it..

wicked...

So, to the left is me and my girls: monica, sasha, gaby and denise... it's halloween in december... the alas semi-formal... im the wicked witch of the west bc my new obsession is wicked and musicals in general.

Dave is in St. Louis this weekend... I wish the other isa was here too... but... i'll see her in a couple of weeks....

I've been crazy busy... last week with my design presentation, writing that biomaterials paper....
so i've been bad to myself, my friends, and the family. I'm sorry...
But on Thursday, i had razzles!!! Razzles... from 13 going on 30.. they are both a candy and a gum... razzle red...

ok.. back to being logical... my friends never stop to amaze me... i just want to be with them forever and.... it breaks my heart leaving them... ahh lets not thing about graduation ok!

i have a couple of thoughts in my mind... i've always been told that people dont like to hear my advice or my thoughts bc they are negative or not 'sugar coated' like americans like to say... i dont know how to deal with that... i just say what i would want to hear... unbiased... simple.... straight.... and it is ok to accept people's offering too.. specially if you know them and you know they reallly mean it.. like a ride home when its cold... an honest answer when you ask how are you... i too tired to get deep.. but that's what has been on my mind...

"lots of x's and o's"
(lena, sisterhood of the traveling pants)

chicago....

Growth was AMAZING. Things no one should ever forget:
*To love is to choose.
*Live your passion and commit to life.
*Believe in the power of prayer.

Now the good stuff. Chicago. I drove up with Sasha and met her awesome family. I met up with my cousin, my aunt, and my brother there. It was so good. The picture on the top is my brother and me in front of the Hancock Building. We went up there and it was beautiful to see the city and the suburbs from the observatory. And It felt so right walking around the city. Living there for a few days. I just know that's the place I have to be after WashU. I know it. I have all I need there. The family. The friends. The city. And the enthusiasm to find a job... and an apartment. But I already have the roommate. right isa? At least for the summer.... :-)

besos, abrazos, mimos y halagos

just to check in...

quick blog.

growth is this week... i've been giving giving giving of myself to this retreat.... today was a day full of selfless moments... the only moment when i needed someone... when i was waiting for the shuttle and i didnt get an efficient response... it was very frustrating.. and perhaps selfish...

i cant wait for friday... on friday i will want it to be sunday.... on sunday, tuesday.... and then chicago.... and im gonna want to stay there... bc HELL WEEK will be waiting for me at washu...

i hate it when the little bumps that make life harder, come all in the same week...

but after all this is over... i'll be back... hopefully...

but hey.. next semester: 8 credits... 4 day weekends... ahh....

lots to do

OVERWHELMING!

Worst week ever ahead of me. If praying is your gig, sent lots of them this way.

I'm questioning lots of things right now.

I feel like I've never had so much to do, so much people counting on me for stuff...and so much desire to do everything in life.

I love my friends. A lot. A love me time too. Here's a picture of some of the most important people in my life right now... At least the ones that are here with me... i like this picutre bc it was taken at sisi's bday. a costume party. it has a lot of personality... it really represents who we truly are... there's something about looking at each individual in it and how they make the big picture... try it... take a look at each person in it and im sure you can tell something about their personalities.

hasta luego

lets go irish

so.... my weeks have been very productive... with every minute scheduled... my days are 14-16 hours long..... and finally, fall break comes along.

i drove up to chicago with rekha, dave, and alex. friday night we went to a chicago style pizza restaurant (i can't remember the name, but it's across the street from the sears tower). there we met with more washu students and dave. after dinner rekha, dave and alex went to u of i and i stayed with juan and dave. we went to duffys (not the same duffys we have in clayton) and ordered drinks.... i had a creamy nipple and red head sluts.... i dont get why people give drinks these funny names... i guess they name the drinks when they are drunk.. ok, im not making sense.... back to the story... :)

we decided to go to notre dame on saturday for the football game with BYU. my first football game, including TV. I didnt know anything about football before entering the stadium... absorbing the energy from the crowd.. specially the students who had their own show with all the songs...... i doubt i could have handled such a big school... but that spirit is something we're lacking at washu and what a pitty it is... i guess i'm irish in spirit now. to get there we took the coach bus. bad experience, but an experience anyway. another story for my book. =)

uh! and i found out my father's dark secret. he used to play right guard in highschool... but got kicked out of the team when he took his helmelt off and started to hit someone from the opposite team... ohh well....

i finally saw ferris bueller's on saturday night after we got back from the game. football + ferris... that makes me at least two degrees more american... degrees is a funny unit. i wish everything: mass, distance and volume... was measured in degrees... (and intelligence, thank you! if you dont get it, you are not my roommate!)

today i heard back from philips. i have a phone interview next week! woot!

We need to have the corny stuff... otherwise we would never get to first base

This is a relfection on the past two days... It's in Spanish... if you feel brave, go ahead and read... The first part is about my first radio appearance at NPR. I talked about my experience in Guatemala and the immediate needs after T.S. Stan. The second one is about the best experiene of my life so far: having lunch with Carlos Fuentes (see picture). He's nominated to the Nobel Literature Prize this year. And the title to this blog is something the said today during lunch...

To see my name on the NPR webpage:
http://www.kwmu.org/Programs/Slota/archivedetail.php?showid=1875
To read Carlos Fuentes talk: http://www.signandsight.com/features/361.html

El lunes me invitaron a estar en un show the radio en NPR. National Public Radio. Tuve mis 15 minutos de fama. Literalmente. Hable sobre mi experiencia en Guatemala y sobre las necesidades que tienen luego del huracan con un amigo que fue conmigo en diciembre y con dos representantes de God's Child Project. Fue una experiencia bien interesante. Ir a la estacion de radio. Ponerse los headphones. Sentarse en una mesa con un entrevistador. Hablar por un microfono. Contestar llamadas telefonicas. El cuarto acustico. La ventana para ver a los productores. Y simplemente la oportunidad de que tanta gente me escuchara... que alguien pensara que yo tenia algo que decir, lo suficientemente importante para que fuera transmitido nacionalmente.... y que el tema es algo que me apasiona y con que me identifico. A la noche, repitieron el programa y me sente a esuchar mi voz en la radio. Que extraño. Que nitido. Nos van a mandar una copia del programa... Ya nos sentaremos juntos para que escuchen mi voz de nena chiquita y mi acento marcado... y obviamente... mi risa....

Ay mi risa. Hoy tuve la mejor experiencia de mi vida... sin duda la mejor. Carlos Fuentes vino a la universidad y nos dio su charla: Celebrando a Cervantes y Don Quijote. Despues de la charla, la directiva de ALAS fue invitada a un almuerzo con Fuentes. Para quien no sabe, Fuentes es uno de los candidatos al premio nobel de literatura. Probablemente cuando estes leyendo este email, ya sepamos si lo gano o no. Comer con el fue una experienca subrealistica. El hombre es sumamente inteligente y sabe tanto! Fuimos alrrededor de la mesa diciendo nuestro nombre, major, pais, etc. Despues de cada persona el tenia algo que decir al respecto... que relacionaba tu vida con la de el y con la del resto del mundo.... y eramos unos 10 o 12 en la mesa. Los temas de conversacion en la mesa variaron desde literatura, cine, ciencia, latinoamerica, idioma.... de todo.... era todo como un sueño. Una de los momentos que mas me hizo sentir en otra dimension fue cuando hablamos de la evolucion de los medios de comunicacion... como han cambiado de cartas a emails.... y nos conto que el tenia una carta de Garcia Marquez contandole que tenia una idea de escribir una novela... la cual pensaba llamar 100 años de soledad... con las primeras 15 paginas de la version original adjuntas pidiendo su opinion!!!!! Le preguntamos cual era el compositor mas interesante que habia conocido y nos dijo Casals... y yo como que... Casals es el padrino de mi papá! Y entonces nos conto cuando conocio a Casals en casa de Borges en Boston.... De lo buena gente que era, de lo chistoso y bien que hacia los cuentos..... Hablamos de la literatura; de como los libros tienen diferente significado para cada persona segun su experiencia y del momento en que lo lean. Que un libro puede significar cosas diferetnes para la misma persona cuando lo lee a los 18 y a los 30 años. Hablamos del idioma.... de que la misma palabra en ingles no significa lo mismo en español... del significado que uno le da a las palabras segun la experiencia. Que uno debe escribir en el idioma en el que sueña, insulta y tiene sexo. Eso estuvo comico... pero tambien estuvo comico cuando estabamos hablando de las cartas y nos dijo: "We need the corny stuff... otherwise we would never get to first base." Hablamos hasta de Harry Potter... que aunque el no lo ha leido, determinamos que el poder que tiene ese libro es q tiene a niños de 7 años leyendo libros de 700 paginas. Hablamos de Dan Brown y Paulo Cohelo... de como todos sus libros son iguales.. De mas esta decir que cuando llegue a mi casa, hice una lista de los libros que quiero leer y releer. Garcia Marquez, Kafka, Fuentes, Valdéz-Rodriguez, Austen, Dostovsky... creo q tendre un libro junto a mi cama (o en el baño) por el resto de mi vida... hay demasiado que leer, muchas historias para 'catch up' y una sola vida...

que brutal.... que muchas bendiciones..... no hay palabras... gracias...

Forgiveness

So I've been thinking about forgiveness lately. Last week I had a great talk with a friend from the CSC that gave me a whole new way of understanding this word. When we forgive a person that we love, we do so that eventually we will look at them as the friends we love and not as the person who hurt us. When we ask for forgiveness we are asking a person we love to look at us as a friend they love, not as the person who hurt us. Does that make sense? It's all about trust and unconditional love. Forgive to make relationships stronger. Not to forget hurt, but to make us stronger persons, to learn. There are so many other things in my mind about this.. and the thoughts are not very organized... but i feel like i can see forgiveness through a different window now... i don’t understand everything, but i have some thoughts that i need to put together and make my own... and then a process of reconciliation with myself and my friends that will hopefully continue forever... this may not make sense to you but if you want to talk about it more i'm always here to do so. talking to people helps me a lot. and writing too.

Another thing i realized is that the same word may have a different meaning to me in spanish and english. im talking about the meaning we give words through experience.... it's very weird.

Anyway, life is good in general. Many projects for this semester and hard classes. I guess I will write more about everything going on as the semester develops... but it's going by so quickly... it's october already... and 51 degrees cold!!!! jeje

Oh! I went to Chicago for the first time about two weeks ago for Dave Bday (and to see Isa!). It's a beautiful city. Everything I expected and more. Can't way to go back next weekend. Yup... I'm going back... all expenses paid by Trio. =)

I finished my first job application last Thursday. I'm applying for an IT consultant position at Philips medical systems. I'm doing it more for the experience... although it is a really good opportunity and i wouldn't mind getting the job... i know the odds are low... but it's ok to dream, right? the job is in madison. i know. what is a puerto rican girl looking for in madison? but it's is a very weird exciting feeling to be ready to go out there and start a new life. im very happy.

ps. i love my friends. a lot. and i miss them too.

People are actually reading this...

Hello!!!

So the first two weeks of class have been... Intresting. I don't have class on Friday so that's good. I guess I like my classes, but you can ask me in a couple of weeks when things get better. I'm really excited to be taking a math class again. I like math. I'm a math geek. I'm thinking of joining the mathlees... but my friends say that's social suicide.

I'm also taking this personal finance class. The professor wants me to believe that i can become a millionaire by age 50. I don't buy this story. First, I'm one year late. According to him, I should have started saving $300.00/month when I turned 20. Second, I'll have a 40K dept after I graduate WashU. Third, I seemed to have the financial brain of a squirrel. Actually something inferior from the squirrel. Because the squirrels save food for the winter and manage their resources well. Last week I quitted my job in the lab with hopes of getting a TA job that I didn't get. I don't have job. I can't save $300.00/month (or buy food or anything!). My credit card/debit card expired in august. So I can access the little money I have in my account. Today I tried to pay for my groceries with a check but I didn't have my ID. They wouldn't sell the stuff. I wasted my time. Oh. I lost my student ID last monday. I'm taking a break from all financial decisions next week. Or maybe I'll get a new brain.

Ja! Earlier this week I vowed to stay away from Student Health. But, guess what! Today I fell on my way to mass. I didn't make it. Too bad because today I was getting blessed. I wish they had done that before I fell. Anyway... I had to call EST for the first time. I have a pretty nasty cut on my left knee and I bent my ankle. They cleaned the wound and bandaged my ankle. The worst part, the Police Officer who came recognized me from previous emergencies (think Bschool. Perhaps it's not safe to tell the story on a public blog). I think I'll have to change the title of my book. Now I think it should be called "I lost my teeth and my appendix in college: medical emergencies of a college student."

I never knew I was called 'little protege.' I guess I like that. I'm trying to make waterman proud. I have too many memories here, thats for sure (today's fall is on the list). But that makes it a little harder sometimes. And this weekend was... different. Eveyone is in their own place now. No adam, queens, or dave in town just because. No Isa! Tear. But in two weeks we want to go to Chicago for Dave's bday. Can't let go, can't let go. It's nice to know what we still would do for each other. One day trips. More sotries for my book? =)

ps...if you are reading this, here's the "abc.." so you can correct my grammar and help me learn english better...

Prueba de Puertorriqueñidad

Eres de Puerto Rico...

* Si te gusta decir wepaaaaaaaaa..
* Si todo lo bueno es "chevere"
* Si a cada rato dices "ay, bendito!"
* Si te refieres al frio intenso como "pelú"
* Si tú carro tiene "bompels," "mofle,""estaltel", "espoilel", "guaipel" y "cloche"
* Si cuando te da hambre, te sientes "esmayao"
* Si le pides la bendición a tu papá y/o mamá al saludarlos
* Si llevaste tu merienda a la escuela en una lonchera"
* Si sabes lo que es una "jalda"
* Si sabes que "fogón" es otro nombre para el horno, pero "enfogonao" es estar bien molesto
* Si te refieres a lo dificil como "un tostón" o piensas que "no es ninguna "cáscara de coco"
* Si has bailado "en una "loseta" en un "pari" de marquesina
* Si te han dado baños de alcoholado pa'bajarte la fiebre
* Si corriste "velocipedo" cuando chiquito
* Si a los zapatos grandes y feos los consideras "bodrogos"
* Si sabes lo que es "apestillarse" y tener un "coco" con alguien
* Si cuando te bañas, estas "esnu"
* Si usas "chancletas"
* Si alguna vez te dieron un "chancletazo"
* Si te "eñangotas" para bajarte
* Si sabes que "la yerba mala nunca muere"
* Si sabes que en Puerta de Tierra, Miramar y Santurce, los sitios se localizan por números de "paradas"
* Si sabes la diferencia entre el "pan de agua" y el "pan sobao"
* Si llamas a todo el mundo "nene" o "nena"
* Si alguna vez te han llamado "mi'jo"
* Si creciste con temor al "cuco"
* Si te dicen que bajes la voz cuando crees que estas hablando normalmente
* Si comes los pasteles de plátano con "ketchup
* Si para ti TODOS los cereales son "conflei", todos los pañales son "Pampels", TODAS las liquadoras son "osterizers" , todas las toallas sanitarias son "kotex'"
* Si te refieres al calzado deportivo como "las tenis"
* Si tienes por lo menos 30 primos
* Si te has comido un "limbel" o un "esquimalito"
* Si en algún momento antes de llenar el tanque, has corrido el carro "con la peste a gasolina"
* Si vas por la carretera y te encuentras con un "tapón de madre" y cuando pasas por el área resulta ser que es un simple carro "quedao" y un chorro de "averiguaos"
* Si has oido decir a tú hermana o tú prima que "le canto el gallo"
* Si dices que tienes "jeva" o "jevo", en vez de novia o novio
* Si cuando tu avión aterriza en San Juan te dan ganas de aplaudir o lo haces bien bajito
* Si te han visto la mancha de plátano
* Si sabes lo que es un "manganzón"

back in st. louie

Hoooola washu!!!!!

I'm back. last first day of fall classes: check!

After a small delay due to the hurricane, I got back on friday evening. Moving in was a nightmare. I live on a third floor, now elevator... and have more things than i need... it took us around 3 days to finish carrying everything up.

On Sunday, Gaby, Patry, Denise, Denise and I went to Columbia MO to visit gaby's sister Gery. We went to Chipotle. To me Qdoba is the same thing withouth 'carne frita'. We went to Mizzu and to the Devil's Hole. Beautiful. I felt I was in Puerto Rico. Never in the last 3 years in Stl i imagined that there was a place so beautiful in MO.


Been having meetings. CSU, TA training, ALAS... so it's fun. Classes are ok. I'm a little worried about my design project, but I trust things will come together in the end. And Denise (from Costa Rica) is in my Biomaterials class so that's awesome. And she invited me to her wedding next spring. whoa!! Taking a math class again: prob & stats. I'm happy with that. I'm back in the sakiyama-elbert lab.

My New Orleans family is ok. Last thing i heard is that the lost at least half of all their stuff. The don't know when they are going back, no money, no nothing. It's been really sad all this. Even harder when you know people that are actually going through this nightmare and all you want to do is be with them but you can't. I can't even begin to express how i feel about this whole situation. I was looking at MSNC's Week in Pictures. I could hardly tell the difference between New Orleans pictures and those of Muslim pilgrims who died in a stampede on the Tigris River Bridge, panicked by rumors of a suicide bomber among them or the pictures of giant waves in such africa that washed everything away. And everything was during the same week. One thing is for sure... nature is taking it's toll on us. what are we going to do?

Bored

Couple of things i just read in a facebook profile... (admit it you read them too! just like you are reading this!)
"Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, took away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away."
"buscalo. leelo. analizalo. aplicalo y que tengas buenas noches!" that one i may add to my profile.

Anyway, I'm bored... my brother is leaving on Friday... i suddenly wished i was leaving with him... but i'm stuck here for one more week... not that i'm having a bad time, but... i'm just B O R E D ! I sleep every day till noon and then i do nothing... the weather doesn't help either.. it rains every single day like a constant hurricane....

but that gives me time to think and daydream a lot... im looking forward to next year.. so many things i still want to do in st. louis... and applying for jobs!! yes... i feel so good that i know that's what i should do that i even look forward to do it... i talked to my parents i they don't mind if i stay in the states! it's not that i don't want to come home... but i like my life here to much to give it up and go back to the island... pr is a great place for vacation... you're all welcome to visit any time.. but after a week, at least for me.. there's nothing else to do... sad sometimes really... but yeah...

i have a couple of things on my mind too... i just got the awakening coordinator email and i really want to do it! but im doing so many things already... carnaval, csu, my design project, work, maybe TA... but this is really what i want and what im sure i need! i might need to wait until i get back to make a decision on this... but after i got the email i cant stop thinking and trying to figure our a way in which i can do everything and still survive my last 2 semesters of college... then i think on how much i enjoy not having time for anything... oh my.. im an overachiever!!! but "nadie es indispensable" and i cant have it all!!!! i'm just going in circles so i'm going to bed!

bunch of random stuff and harry potter!

my b-day...
I'm 21 now! yey! not very exciting here though... but i had a good time.. had dinner with the fam and close friends at hard rock... but then it became like a bar with too many people i know i felt i was in highschool again... so i left... i came home to read harry potter..

on harry...
i finished the 6 books in 20 days... not bad... i'm not going to talk a lot about this though 'cause you'll think i'm a freak... i'm a little obsessed with it.. i have an imaginary wand: dragon heartstring, ash, 7 inches... got i from ollivander's... and i'm even enrolled at hogwarts online... look!

be sorted @ nimbo.net

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Year 6) spoiler!
what are your thoughts on the note harry found in the horcrux... who do you think is RAB? I think it is Regulus Alphard Black, Sirius' brother... the letter was addressed to the dark lord so i must have been a death eater.. and the found a locket in sirius house when the were cleaning (HP4, OoTP). But then again.... the book says no one could have done that alone.. Dumbledore himself said it to harry.

on a more serious note...
what do you think is easier? to ask for forgiveness or to forgive? maybe it's because it is so hard to ask for forgiveness that you rarely get asked to forgive someone... at least that's how i feel...(does that make sense?) i had an argument with my brother the other night... it was our first argument in about a year and it was pretty big and in a somewhat public place... we fought about who was going to stay with the car that night... anyway.. it was pretty bad and i was very and i didn't talk to him the next day.. i stayed in my room reading harry potter (big surprise!). But at night he came into my room and asked me to forgive him... it was so simple to say ok... i strongly felt i was right the night before and he was wrong, i was offended and all that... and i knew it must have been pretty hard for him to just come into my room and ask for forgiveness.. but i didn't answer.. i just kept reading and ignored him until i got tired of him just staring at me and waiting for an answered.. that's when i asked him, not very politely to leave my room. Now, i was the one who was wrong.. but i didn't care.. i am a very proud person and i was hurting. i felt really weird feeling afterwards... i mean.. i usually forgive people with time.. i don't need to be asked.. i just forgive.. i dont usually hold resentment against other people.. i think... that's my thought... what do you think??