I´m here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I´ve finally made it to BA! I had an eleven hour overnight flight. It wasn´t too bad. I watched "Almost Like Heaven", had a fairly nice little dinner of cheese ravioli, bread, salad, cake, grapes, and cheese and crackers, and a couple glasses of red wine (complimentary from the male steward *wink). I enjoyed checking out the digital map to see where we were and watching all the beautiful city lights go by below. Then I spent the rest of my time trying very had to sleep. I got lucky and had no one sitting next to me, so I was able to spread out a bit. But, I still didn´t get alot of solid sleep.

The CEA rep, Gabby, picked me up from the Airport and brought me to my hostel. It didn´t look like that much from the outside. I could tell she wasn´t very happy about leaving me there. But, inside, it is really nice and cool. It´s huge and very Europen looking, it´s tall and narrow with an inner courtyard, lots of tile and plants, and eclectic touches. The elevator (which I discovered after trekking all my things up to the third floor) is even one of those old fashioned ones that you have to physically open the gates too. They have lots of amenities for young budget travelers (including free internet). They also have daily activities. I already missed today´s free Spanish lesson. But, tomorrow, there is a walking tour at 11 a.m. So, I think I´ll do that. There are lots of people around in the common areas and American punk music is coming from somewhere. My room is cute and cozy. It has two bunk bes, but I am the only one in there so far.

I haven´t seen much of the city yet. It doesn´t seem quite as modern as I was expecting, however, I am in love with all the old European architecture. Gabby said that this is an older part of the city, so I´m sure I will see more modern parts. I am glad that I have plans tonight, because, I am surprisingly feeling a bit intimidated about going exploring right now. It´s two thirty now. I am really hungry. So, I think that I will go out and try to find something to eat. Then, I think I´m going to come back here and chill and have a small nap. Then, I´ll get ready for my date. Ben is coming to get me at 9. But, the rooftop bar opens at 7, so once I´m ready I can just go up for a couple drinks. So, I don´t think that I´ll do much exploring today, but I´ll do that walking tour tomorrow.

I am supposed to move in with my host family Friday afternoon. Then I have orientation on Saturday all day. On Sunday, they are taking us out to a bar or something. Monday is testing. On Tuesday classes start. I will have Spanish language classes from 9 30 til 2 30, Monday through Friday for the next month. Gabby says that they will have activities and trips planned for us three times each week. That´s alot more than I expected. Hopefully the other people in the program are fun to hang out with.

Anyways, that´s about it for now. I´ll write tomorrow and tell you how things are going. By the way, the weather is perfect. It´s a cooler day, so it isn´t terribly hot. It´s kind of like Spring. Also, I just remembered that I have to get some local currency. I was planning to go to the ATM at the airport, but I forgot. Well, I´d guess that I´d better go out and do a bit of exploring before my nap!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH . . .

I am leaving tomorrow! TOMORROW!!! Actually, technically, today, since it's 1 a.m. I have had a fabulous weekend. It's just hitting me that I'm actually off for four months!!! I feel like I'm just going on a quick vacation! I'm mostly(?) packed. I really can't think of anything else to bring, but I feel like I'm missing some important stuff. Oh well, I'm closing the suitcases tomorrow and whatever I don't have, I'll buy or live without. I have had such a fabulous time while I've been home. I haven't done and seen everything I've wanted, but so what. I had a great time!!! I can't wait to snap back into myself at my best. I love myself when I'm traveling. I've felt a little of that slipping lately. I'm a bit nervous though. This is very different than SAS. I'm just showing up completely by myself without much knowledge of the area, local language, or program I'm participating in. But, I have lots of cute dresses!!! It's going to be great! And, kudos to me, I already have a date for my first night in town with a very adorable British expat. Are you surprised?

Two Days to Go!!!

Well, after four hours of pacing back and forth, I finally got a call back from the registrar. The lady in charge was able to take the graduation certification off my records. Then I talked to financial aid and they are working all the loan stuff out for me. So, disaster averted . . .

I've had a pretty fun week. Trying to connect with as many people as I can and drink as much tequilla as possible!

I'm getting really excited to go to BA!!!

I'm having a slight panic attack . . .

No sooner do I begin to get really excited about leaving on my trip, put my clothes in a suitcase, go shopping for odds and ends, than the shit hits the fan.

About an hour ago, I get a phone call from my financial aid department stating that they won't be able to dispurse my student loans because I graduated in December. I was supposed to graduate in December. But, I didn't. I post-poned it. I've been working with people at school to get together this study abroad for the past couple months. So, I called the registrar. Sure enough, they went ahead and posted my graduation back in December.

I explained the situation to the lady who heads graduation. She is going to see what she can do and get back to me. I hope she calls soon. I'm having a slight panic attack. I'm trying to stay calm. I know that I'm going to Argentina no matter what. I might have to take an emergency loan. But, however I need to do it, I'm leaving on Monday as planned.

Wow . . . Thursday Already . . . I Can't Believe It!!!

I cannot believe that I'm really leaving for Buenos Aires in four days. It feels like a dream. Here's what's been going on:

I finally got my meeting at school taken care of with the head of the foreign language department. Classes are approved and signed for. Unfortunately, I won't quite have enough for a Spanish minor, and I'll still be four credit hours away from my 150 hours that I need to sit for my CPA. I'm thinking maybe a summer session in Spain? I am going to wait and see how much I like studying Spanish first. But, that's a possibility.

I got my passport back from the Argentinian consulate. After a month and $40 worth of fed ex costs, it came back exactly as it left me, no student visa. Apparently, the Argentinian goverment in Argentina is screwing something up this term, so we're just supposed to go to Argentina without the visa. U.S. tourists are allowed to stay up to 90 days with the visa that you get when you fly in. So, we just have to leave the country before 90 days is up and come back. It's just a hop skip and a jump across the border to Uruguay from Buenos Aires.

CEA is also giving me a little bit of a run around on my student loans. I thought that I had everything settled with them. My school is supposed to dispurse the money to them when it comes. Period, end of story. Wrong. Now they want me to verify this, AGAIN, with my financial aid office and tell them when. Whatever. I'll do that today. Shouldn't be a big deal. Just thought it was handled.

I've gotten most of the clothes that I'm planning to bring laid out on my floor. I think I'll pull out the suitcases and actually pack today! I have so many cute little sundresses and romantic tangoish dresses that I'm bringing. I can't wait to wear them!!!

My car damage was appraised to the tune of around $3,000. I broke her good. She's being fixed right now.

Besides that, just been out and about shopping and visiting with people. I cannot believe that I'm leaving so soon. I feel like I should be so much more prepared to leave the country for almost four months. But then, I can't think of that much more that I really HAVE to do.

That's all for now. It's almost 1 p.m. I'm going to go watch Days of Our Lives, do some packing, then get showed and dressed. I have a date with my cousin to go see Tristan and Isolde at 4.

Best wishes everyone!
Amber :)

Oh, What a Weekend . . . Shopping, Ditches, and Tequila

Saturday morning/afternoon I woke in a haze - my head was pounding, my body hurt, and the events from the night before were a little blurry. I felt like I had spent the night in a ditch. Oh wait, I did. Literally!

Lets start with Friday - Well, Friday, I was supposed to babysit for my little cousin Adrienne. I'd been babysitting for the past couple of days. It was fun. But, after a couple days of it, I wasn't disappointed when Wendy called to cancel me for Friday. I was babied out and had been thoroughly reminded why I won't be having children for many many years. Not to say that I don't adore babies, particularly Adrienne, I just can't handle them full-time right now. So, with my day suddenly freed up, and still feeling a little unloved, I decided to seek some therapy through shopping. And, I shopped, and shopped, and shopped. I have no idea how much money I spent, but I really really got ridiculous. I just bought whatever my little heart desired.

After my big day of shopping, I headed home to pack and get ready to go down and visit my SAS friend Patti at Bradley University for the weekend. It's about two and a half hours from me. Well, it poured my whole way there. When I was about twenty miles from her apartment, the rain turned to hail. I thought to myself, "Man, it would suck to get into an accident right now. I'd better slow down and be careful." Of course what happens the next moment - the wind picks up my car and I start swaying, then before I know it, I'm fishtailing across a lane of traffic praying that I don't go into the ditch. And then it happened - I went into the ditch and hit a tree on my passenger side. I was just completely stupified for a minute. I couldn't believe I had really driven into a ditch. fIt was scary and funny at the same time - it's such a bad cliche. Just then, Patti called to see where I was. I'm sure she was surprised when I said, "In a ditch."

I trekked out in the sleet and mud in my heals to see what damage there was to my car. It was dark, so I couldn't see too much. But, the side of my car was smoking and the ground effects on my passenger side were broken and battered. I really didn't know what to do or exactly where I was. I thought for a minute that maybe I could just drive my car out of the ditch and be on my way. No such luck. It turned on and allowed me to back away from the tree, but then it got stuck in the mud. So, I called the number on my roadside assistance sticker (which was expired). The lady was very friendly and said that a tow truck would be there for me in half an hour.

After two hours of sitting in the ditch and several rescue attempts by various teams of firefighters, paramedics, and police officers, a tow truck (not the one I had called) finally showed up and towed me to a shop near Patti's apartment. I had hoped that maybe the damage was only cosmetic and I'd be able to drive it home, but it turned out that my passenger side tire was in pretty bad shape, which made the car undriveable. So, I left my car at the shop and the tow truck driver was nice enough to drive me over to Patti's. It was midnight before I got there, but I was running on adrenalin and dying to start partying. So, after chugging the biggest, strongest drink in my life and telling my sad story of being stuck in the ditch for two hours, we headed out to the Peoria bars. Since it was a shitty night out, the bars weren't very crowded. But, we had a good time anyways.

On Saturday, I spent a lot of the early afternoon on the phone figuring out exactly what I was going to do with my car. I ended up deciding that I was going to have it towed back to Chicago and have my insurance adjuster look at it there and have it fixed there. It was going to cost me $400 on top of the $175 that I'd already paid for the previous tow, but I figured that it was the best solution. Well, my step dad just insisted that he would come and tow my car home for me. So, it ended up that I just had to rent a car carrier and he and my cousin came down and got me on Sunday.

Saturday afternoon we had lunch, Patti gave me a tour around campus, and we watched Coyote Ugly (which I loved!!!). Then we started drinking again and getting ready to go out. Some of Patti's friends came over and we all went out. Much tequila and fun was had! And, boy did one of Patti's cute engineering friends make me feel more loved - enough said. Another awesome thing that happened Saturday night is that some of our (Patti's and mine) close SAS girlfriends from California got together for a party and we talked to them on the phone late at night. I talked to Noel and Lauren. It was so so so nice talking to them. I was so excited! It makes me miss them so so much though.

Sunday morning came much too quickly and again I woke up feeling like I had been in a ditch the night before. Only this time, it was really just the liquor. My step-dad and cousin showed up and we had lunch and drinks before heading back home. It was actually really nice. I just curled up in the back seat with my pillow and blanket and took a nap. Before I knew it, we were home. My uncle, who does body work, came over and took a look at my car. He said that it doesn't look like I did too much more than $800 worth of damage. It's almost a shame that I already filed a claim with the insurance considering I have a $500 deductible.

Overall, the car in the ditch thing was not a big deal. It could have been better, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse too. I handled it completely calmly and didn't let it ruin my weekend at all. I was sad to leave Patti so quickly. I felt like I barely spent any time there at all. I wish that I wasn't leaving for Argentina so soon. I'd love to go back and visit her again. It was so nice to see her.

Speaking of Argentina . . . . ummmm, I'm leaving a week from tomorrow!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I am so so so so so so so so not even close to ready. I might be able to borrow a car this week. Otherwise, that's going to make it extra fun to try to prepare. The Argentian consulate still has my passport, I still need to work out things at school, haven't made much progress on packing . . . Haha. I think it will be fun this way - not having it all perfectly planned. Just going with it . . . I think things are about to get interesting!

Well, tah tah for now . . .

12 days to go . . .

Ahhhhhh . . . Where has the time gone? I'm no closer to packing or getting back my passport from the Argentinian consulate then I was when I wrote last. Haven't quite finished the things that I need to finish at school. Haven't started working out. Just been spending my time sleeping, drinking, and partying pretty much. Well, I did finish three books last week, so I guess that was something (Angel's and Demons, Harry Potter, and The Constant Princess). I've tried on the packing a bit, but it's overwhelming. Still having a bit of a hard time with the being newly single part of my life. Quote of the day - Should I smile because we are friends or should I cry because I know that's all we will ever be? I miss my relationship alot, and it's still hard. If you can't tell, my attitude is a little on the glum side today. Well, I'll cheer up soon enough. I've really been generally having a fabulous time since I've been home. I just seem to write when I'm feeling bad. I don't think I'm going to go out tonight (although I was asked on a date tonight-turned it down-but at least I was asked-It's a good start in the right direction), but probably tomorrow and then I'm going to visit my SAS friend at school this weekend, which will probably be the perfect medicine for me. Time is flying! I'll update again soon.

18 Days to go . . .

Ok, so I get an e-mail from my CEA study abroad counsellor today. Here's how it starts . . .

Hi Everyone!!!
So, are you all packed?!!

What? Haha. Packed? I haven't even thought nearly that far yet. I really can't believe it's coming up so quickly.

I've been having some trouble with getting my student visa. Apparently you have to be on a list that the Argentina Consolate in Argentina wires to your local office. Well, apparently this hasn't yet been done. So, supposedly, we're supposed to be on the list next week. But, as it turns out, we are now being persuaded not to bother with the student visa. As long as we pass in and out of the country (which can be easily accomplished) before 90 days, that will give us another 90 days in the country. After I spent all that money fedexing my darn passport to the consulate, I'd better get that visa. If nothing else, just to decorate my passport.

We were also given our housing assignments today. They really didn't say much - just the names and address of our family. It looks like I might be living with just one person, a woman I hope, or maybe a hot Latin American man (kidding dad). I was kind of hoping to live with some kids my own age, but I'm not going to worry about it since I haven't even seen where I'll be . . . I'll be in Buenos Aires. I'm sure I will be able to suffer through whatever the arrangements are *wink*. That's something that's much different than SAS. I really knew pretty much what to expect with my living arrangements on the ship. This is so different. I'm actually going to have to leave the building that I live in and figure out public transportation to get to school. Bizare . . . Well, if it doesn't work out, I'll just find some hot latin man to shack up with (again, seriously kidding dad).

Now, back to this packing list. This is the suggested clothing list that CEA sent.

Clothing/Dress
_____ Pajamas
_____ Lightweight robe
_____ Slippers/shower shoes (most floors are tiled, not carpeted)
_____ 2 pairs of jeans
_____ 2 pairs of slacks
_____ 2 nice outfits (skirts, dresses, or nice pants)
_____ 4 Short sleeve shirts/blouses
_____ 2 Long sleeve shirts/sweaters
_____ All purpose jacket
_____ Bathing suit and beach towel
_____ 1 pair comfortable walking shoes
_____ 1 pair nice shoes (Note, most clubs will not let you in with sneakers.)
_____ 1 pair sandals/Tevas/Birkenstocks

Ok, yes, I do think this might be a smart wardrobe if you were going to be backpacking. However, I cannot imagine that any student in the city they call "the Paris of Latin America" is going to be wearing the same four shirts for and two pairs of jeans day in and day out for three months. If you remember right, I felt that I underpacked in the clothes department for SAS. I'm not planning to pack heavy. But, I'm definitely bringing more than four every day shirts. I guess I really should get going on this packing junk . . .

As for what I've been doing the last few days - mostly just hanging out. I finished reading Harry Potter and started on another book that I got for Christmas. It's dawned on me that I really don't have much time left here, so I've been trying to make dates with everyone I haven't seen or haven't seen enough. My next 18 days are filling up quickly. Still not feeling terrific, but I'm perservering and trying the kill the germs with liquor every chance I have. *wink*

Even though there are people I'd like to see and things I'd like to do, I am ready to get on the move again. I feel all the great things that I think I've added to my personality starting to drain in my hummm drummm life. I see old parts of myself that I thought I'd moved beyond starting to creep up. I think that it's just due to having no real purpose and having such a drastic change in pace recently. I need to get back traveling to bring my best self back out. After all, that's where I am happiest . . . on the road . . .

Tah tah for now! Keep your fingers crossed on the visa for me!

Only Three Weeks Left!!!

Since it's technically Monday, January 9th, I am leaving for Argentina in three weeks from today!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I can't believe how fast the time is going. I've accomplished alot, and yet, there is still so much more that I want to do before I leave. I feel all the "I should have done this and that with the month I've already been here" anxiety coming up lately. But, I dispel it quickly and take action to accomplish something more. That is something that I've been noticing I've gained thus far in this process of travel and enlightenment. I have so much less anxiety and concern for perfectionism and control. And, I love that. It's something I've always struggled with. And, it was one of things that I hoped to overcome with this journey.

I had a fairly relaxing weekend. I went out a bit. But mostly I bummed around. I finished reading Angels & Demons and am 300 pages into Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which I have been saving to treat myself with forever. I also really dug into organizing my bedroom so that it's in good shape to leave for three months unattended. Wow, will it be nice to come home to a bed and a room this time. I've been a little sick, but I hope it will pass and move on.

I did do something simply remarkable on Saturday evening. And, I'm not afraid to publicize it for everyone to read. And, I'm also not afraid to be impressed with myself. I'd be impressed with you if you did it! I went to the movies by myself. Yep. And, I'm really proud of myself and think I'm just fabulous for it. I didn't feel well, didn't particularly feel like doing something big or having to talk to anyone, but I wanted to get out of the house for a little while. So, I went and saw Cassanova and got myself a kiddie popcorn and a diet coke. It was very freeing and a total step in my newly single young woman life. I knew I had people to call to go out with. But, I just wanted to do something on my own. And, even though it was Saturday night, and I'm "supposed" to be doing something big, I am totally happy with my decision. And, guess what, there was a really cute girl maybe a couple of years older than me at the most, sitting by herself in the row right in front of me a couple seats over. Anyways, I wouldn't have done it any other way. It was fabulous!!!

NEW AND IMPROVED FEATURES OF THE BLOG
*I'm sure you have all noticed the change in the title of the blog from "Amber's Semester at Sea" to the current title above
*I am also in the process of putting my pictures under the SAS Pictures link. This is part of my "OMG, I have to leave for Argentina soon" ambition. I have alot done. I will have alot more soon. They will all be up before I leave on the 30th.
*I am now allowing comments at the bottom of my entries. For a long time, I disabled this feature at the end of my entries. You are free to leave comments by clicking on the comments link at the end of each entry if you'd like.

Another week . . .

So, another week has gone by. It seems like I haven't done anything, but that's not true. I've actually done quite a bit this week.

Let's see . . .
Sunday - had my brother's family birthday party; visited with my relatives
Monday - went out to dinner and a movie for my brother's birthday
Tuesday - got a new cell phone; went to school and took care of some things there; visited my dad and grandma and had dinner with them
Wednesday - went downtown for a lunch with my recruiter at the accounting firm I'm starting with in the fall; visited with some relatives and a new member of our family from Vietnam until late in the evening/early in the morning
Thursday - watched Days of Our Lives; went to school and worked out; went out with some friends/cousins for Thirsty Thursday and partied til 4 a.m.

So, that's my week in a nut shell thus far. It's been an nice week - a good combination of just chilling, accomplishing things, and fun. I still can't go to sleep before two or three in the morning. I tried with all my might to go to bed at midnight on Tuesday night since I had that meeting on Wednesday. But, it didn't happen. I didn't go to sleep until around 3. Then, when my alarm went off at 8 a.m., I remembered why it was so great being able to sleep as late as you want. I guess I'm not in such a rush to end this time anymore. I've kind of decided to stop worrying that I'm not making enough use of it and just embrace the slower pace again.

I don't have any big plans for the weekend, but I'm sure it will fill up fast. I'm going to take my brother and his friends to the mall today, work out, and get together for dinner, etc. with someone tonight. My focus for the next three weeks until I leave is to get myself in better shape, spend more quality time with more people, and read more.

So, that's what's going on here . . .

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!!!

Boredom Is Setting In . . .

The holidays are done. I've visited with people. What now??? I can't imagine sitting around here for another 27 days. I also can't really establish myself since I'm not here for long enough. So, I'm just kind of hanging out waiting for the next big thing . . . What ever will I do with my time? I hate wasting it. Once I start working again, when will I have another month to do whatever I want??? I also have developed complete ADD (well, that kind of happened at the beginning of SAS). I can't sit still enough to concentrate on something like watching T.V. (can you believe that the only T.V. I've watched since I've been home for over three weeks has been a couple of episoids of Days of Our Lives), reading a book (still working on Angels and Demons), or even e-mailing my SAS friends. I feel like I should do something big with my time. I'm feeling really restless to get going again . . . If anyone has any suggestions, please forward them on . . .

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year everyone! I had a great time out partying with friends last night. I got home at noon. On the negative, I lost my cell phone last night. :( I am going to try to get a new one tomorrow. We had a birthday party for my little bro this afternoon. I couldn't wait until it was late enough for me to pass out. I've been exausted all day. However, now it's almost 11 and I'm wide awake. Go figure!!! Hope everyone's year is off to a great start!!!