We arrived in Athens yesterday.  It was a very long day, and by long day I mean a 32-hour time from when I woke up in Boston to when I went to sleep in Athens.

We got on the flight and it was a humungous plane, may be the biggest one I have ever been on.  It had 3 rows of seats and the middle row had 4 seats.  The flight would have been just fine with the weather conditions and the take off and landing and all that, if it weren’t for the other factors that made it, well, awful.  There was a woman sitting in the seat behind me who was throwing up the last 4 hours of the flight, which made me want to vomit as well.  And on top of that, there was a person who was throwing up right when we took off sitting across from me.  So, this made the flight very hard to fall asleep on, which meant that I was awake for the entire 8 hours of the first flight.

It did have some perks though, through all the vomit:

–       We got to watch the sunrise out of my window (yes I had a window seat that I switched with someone for) and the sunrise was when we were flying over France!!! Cool, eh?

–       Once the sun was out we flew over the Alps and those were just amazing to watch.  I can’t remember the last time that I saw mountains look like that.  Probably never in person, actually.  I took probably 10 pictures of them out the plane window.

–       We got to land in Rome for an hour layover.  We also got to go outside to go to the second flight, and even though it was raining, we were in Italian rain.

–       Lastly, the food was not bad at all.  We got a free dinner and a free breakfast.  AND the wine was free.  I got 2 glasses.

The second flight from Rome – Athens was really quick and the view was so cool, even though I was already exhausted.  When we took off from the Rome airport, we flew over the river and over a harbor.  I took a few pictures of that too.  Oh, and also at our layover, I got an espresso.  Now I can say that I’ve had Italian coffee in Italy!

We arrived in Athens, completely exhausted.  I was gross from being on a plane for about 11 hours in total for both flights.  We stopped at the state house I believe, it wasn’t called the state house, but you get the idea.  Then we went to the hotel where I showered (which was an experience in itself with the tiny glass door and the removable shower head), amazing, and went on the Internet for the first time since being here.  I wanted to sleep, but there is no alarm clock in our rooms nor do I have my phone, so I had no way to set an alarm before we went anywhere.  So, unfortunately I stayed awake and let my roommate sleep.

We then all met up and all looked like death.  Everyone was so exhausted and you can just tell that some of us felt sick we were so tired.  We then took the metro a few stops and got off at a popular street to walk to the Acropolis and Acropolis museum.  It was beautiful, and so damn old.  (It was built several hundred years before Christ was born.)  At the museum, I thought that the tour guide was going to yell at us for showing no enthusiasm for what we were looking at.  Sorry lady, but we were pushing 30 hours of no sleep at that point.

We then went to dinner.  Greek food is amazing.  I love everything so far.  I took several pictures of the food because I could not believe at how much I was enjoying myself.  Their feta cheese is completely different tasting than the stuff in the US.  It is moist and full of so much flavor and not drenched in Greek dressing like I’m used to.  My sister would die for this cheese.  Their idea of a Greek salad is tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, feta, olive oil and olives of course.  Way better than any Greek salad in the US, trust me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner we took a bus back to the hotel.  At this point, it felt like I had been in Greece for a week already because of how long this day was.  To give you an idea, I woke up at 8:30/9:00am EST on 5/4 and went to sleep at 10:30pm Athens time on 5/5, but Greece is 7 hours ahead.  I was awake for 32 hours yesterday, longer than an actual day.

Sleep was great.  What I needed more than anything at that point.  This morning I woke up feeling amazing and ready to appreciate being here.  We got a wake up call at 6:00am and then went down for breakfast around 7:15.  Breakfast was so good.  I actually did not take a picture of breakfast, unfortunately.  Everything was so fresh, even though it was hotel food.  I had a bunch of coffee, black, and loved it.  It was raining slightly but we were getting on a bus a little after 8 to drive 3 hours to Delphi.  We stopped about half way there to get more coffee and move around.  I bought my boyfriend a present there at the shop and sat outside with everyone.

Delphi is so amazingly beautiful.  The ride up there was a little intense though.  The road was very windy and on the edge of a cliff as we were climbing a mountain almost the entire time.  I started to feel kind of nauseous so I closed my eyes for the last part of the drive.  I could not stop taking pictures.  I am obsessed with the mountains and the grass and the wild flowers that were all in bloom.  The sun came out of the clouds when we got there too.  We saw the ancient oracle, track where games and athletic competitions were held every 4 years (similar to the Olympics), and plenty of ruins.  We then took a tour of the small museum and then headed back where all of us slept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we are on a break for another hour then are going to go out somewhere to celebrate the last night of Carnival.  Tomorrow is the first day of Lent, known here translated as “Clean Monday.”  I will write more tomorrow!

Bye now.

 

I have been extremely busy lately preparing for Greece.  I am only going for a week… Why does it need so much preparations?  Well, for me its money that royally sucks.  This past week I was probably considered certifiably insane by my coworkers and management.  I picked up every little shift I could get to make as much money as possible.  I picked up closing shifts for people, I volunteered to come in to help with shipment at 6 in morning, and I worked just shy of a 12 hour shift on Saturday.  I even worked the forbidden day of the week: Sunday.  I always tell everyone at work that I am not available that day because it is Homework Day and I need to have the day off because I did better the semester that I was not working that day.  But, I worked that day, and a 9 hour shift even, mainly because of the time and a half.

Also, I got my itinerary for Greece… like over a week ago, sorry guys.

In just over a week I will be arriving in Athens, it is becoming so legit.  No dream anymore. You, Laura, are going to fly over the Atlantic Ocean for the first time and are going to be in Europe for the first time.  Last class, on Thursday, I got my printed copy of the itinerary and here it is for ya:

-Friday, March 4th: my flight from Boston leaves at 5:30pm and goes straight to Rome non stop and then to Athens.

-Saturday, March 5th: Arrive Athens.  On arrival we will be met, assisted and transferred by motor-coach from the Athens airport to the hotel.  Enroute there will be a bus orientation of the city.  Then check into the hotel, relax and enjoy some free time (YES!) before we gather for our welcome dinner in Plaka.  Overnight in Athens.

-Sunday, March 6: Breakfast. Today we will visit Keramkis, the Agora, the Acropolis and Areopagus.  Overnight in Athens.  (By the way, I don’t know what the Keramkis or the Agora is yet, so I can’t explain sorry.)

-Monday, March 7: Breakfast.  Today wil visit Delphi – the archaeological site and the museum.  Return to Athens for overnight.

-Tuesday, March 8: Breakfast.  Depart Athens early this morning.  Our first visit will be at Ancient Corinth, then Mycenae and Epidaurus.  We continue to Sparta for overnight.  (So Awesome.)

-Wednesday, March 9: Breakfast.  We visit the Acropolis and the archaeological site in Sparta.  Drive through Mt. Taigetos to Kalamata and on to Pylos.  Overnight in Pylos.

-Thursday, March 10: Breakfast.  Visit Nestor’s Palace and the castle.  Continue to Olympia for overnight. (Olympia is going to be killer.)

-Friday, March 11: Breakfast.  Visit Olympia – the archaeological site and museum.  Drive to Athens for farewell dinner and overnight.

-Saturday, March 12: Breakfast.  Transfer to the airport for return flight to Boston.

Ok, so on top of getting a copy of our itinerary we also got our boarding passes and a fancy little luggage tag.  Everyone was so excited when we got our little envelopes that we chit chatted about the trip for an hour leaving us two hours to have class — oh and we also enjoyed a few minutes of Greek pastries that our professor brought us.

Our professor asked if we had any questions after we went over the itinerary and all that.  I raised my hand and asked the most important question that I am sure that everyone was thinking: about the outlet situation.  You know, like plugs.  I knew that European outlets are different and I have to be able to Skype with my sister or else hell will probably break loose.  He did not even think about this, and said that he always carries around adapters with him here.  No but really I can get them at Radio Shack.  Thank goodness.

Like seriously, look at all the different kinds of outlets in that picture.  If I can’t plug in my computer charger then I can’t charge my computer then I can’t Skype or use the internet and then I can’t use my hair straightener or other wonderful things that America provides.  Also please note the Indian outlet, like seriously what the heck.

Ok, anyways.  When I went into work the other day for the 6am volunteered shift, not only was I very tired and probably talking nonsense more than usual, I was getting feed back of my future ambitions to these two shipment men I was working with.  They kept asking about school and when I told them my major, Global Studies and International Affairs, I got the typical “WTF?!” face that I usually get.  I told them that I was recently looking into going abroad to study human rights and environment issues after I graduate, if not before then.  They both looked at me like I was nuts.  One of them responded in his strong Spanish accent, “you are a citizen of the world!”  I was taken aback by this.  I have not even done anything yet.  I’ve only been out of the country to go to the Dominican Republic and Canada, but Canada I don’t really count.  And both of those trips were for vacation not for volunteer work.  Also it was quite the compliment that I hope I can someday fulfill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bye now.

So classes have now started back up again for the semester.  This is both good and bad.  Good because my classes are all very interesting so far and bad because I hate the stress of the workload, already.

Greece is coming so quick.  I can’t believe it.  I secretly went on a few of my friends’ pages on Facebook, whom I know have been to Greece before, and creeped on their Greece pictures.  Got me VERY excited.  The place is just gorgeous.  The beaches are the opposite of Cape Cod beaches, but in a good way.  My class for this trip, In the Footsteps of Thucydides, only meets once a week and we’ve only had one class so far.  The work load per week for this class is challenging.  I mean hundreds of pages of reading per week.  Ridiculous.  The professor warned us right away that it would be a challenge, but we would only meet before the actual trip.  So, after spring break, the class will not meet anymore and we just have to write a 20-page paper as our final assignment due at the end of April.  Insane.  It is going to go by so fast.  I mean, we leave the first week of March which is just over a month from now.  Holy Cow.

The first class that we had we just watched a 3-hour long documentary about ancient Greece.  This was all very interesting, but also boring because I was tired and sitting down for 3 hours was kind of torturous.  He told us (by the way, we are only 10 students in total) that we would be visiting all of the sights that are in the film.  I was super pumped by the end of class, but also wanted to go home and go to bed.  (The class is from 6-9 pm, Thursdays.)

Here is a picture of the Acropolis in Athens which I learned all about in that documentary.  Way more interesting than I thought, actually.

I also have been getting excited for my India trip.  That class started last week as well.  I am rather obsessed with it and have only been to one class because he cancelled it this week because he had to go to a seminar or something.  We were assigned to watch Gandhi this week.  I watched it yesterday and I definitely did not hate it, it was very good and I suggest that you watch it before you die.

I wish the class met two times a week like it said when I first registered for it, but sadly it only meets on Tuesdays at 8 in the morning.  This is my least favorite day and my least favorite time for a class.  Oh well.

The first time that I had class I got super excited and set my alarm to the ungodly hour of 6:30 am.  I made coffee, ate cereal, got fully dressed, and even put make up on.  Oh, and I did my hair.  And I even had time to watch the news for about 15 minutes.  Rewind 2 years and I would have woken up at 7:50 am to get up and go to a class that started at 8.  Can you tell I was excited this time around?

This is my third time having this professor and I just adore him.  He is kind of a tough-ass when it comes to grading, especially quizzes and tests, but he is a very nice guy who wants everyone to gain not only a knowledge of the subject he is teaching but also a respect for it.  I took World Religions with him then Hinduism and now India: Religion and Culture.  He introduced me to my love of the Hare Krishnas – you should look them up.  Taking these classes have even made me question if I could ever associate myself with a religious practice.  Probably not, but he made me question it definitely.

We talked about general and broad history of India on our first class and when he asked for any questions about his lecture, the questions were not related at all.

One was: “Where are we going to be staying in India? Are we going to be in hotels?”

Another was: “How hot is it going to be when we are there?”

This was funny to me, but I was very interested in the answers.  The answer to the first question was that we would be staying in hotels the whole time, with air conditioning (YES!!), and almost everywhere that we will visit will have air conditioning as well.  And it will be very hot, was the second answer, but not as hot as it would be if we were in the north (which is closer to the equator) which is around 120 degrees in June.  Holy Dear Jesus.  Ahem, Krishna..Shiva, ect.

Here is a picture of a map to give you a better idea of where I will be going.  One of the cities we will be is on the west coast called Chennai, it is depicted on this map with a red dot.  We will also go to a couple other cities, one of which is in the mountains not too far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know much more of the trips as of right now, but I will definitely keep you posted on the details the more that I find out.

Bye now.

Ok, so I know that it has been a long time since I have written a new post, but I have been busy.  You know, finals, college student… You will understand, right?

So my last post was about how it was officially Christmas season, well now that season is officially over.  I worked last on Christmas Eve and so the next time that I go back, the annoying music and last minute shoppers should be gone.  Key word, should.

A post that I had before that was partly mentioning Africa, the grand and mysterious continent.  I had also said some interesting words (or at least they are interesting to me) about the Congo rainforest.  Well, I was reading the New York Times this morning on what is going on in the world and I came across an article about the Congo.  Cool, right?  Maybe, maybe not to you.  The article was talking about a university that is there that is now offering a program for students on the environment.  It also mentions that the rainforest in the Congo is the second largest in the world after the Amazon and is suffering from deforestation, so what not a better place to study the environment then here?

Here is the article if you want to read more than my interpretation of it:

Also speaking of Africa and that previous post I had made, I have made friends with those girls that I mentioned.  (Oh, and to correct myself, Isabelle is from Rwanda and Sade is from Nigeria and the other Isabelle is from the Congo.)  After our Africa class one day a few weeks ago I started talking to Isabelle about Rwanda and asked her to tell me something nice about her country since all I hear are nasty things from the genocide in the early 90’s.  She told me that in Rwanda holds pretty much all the remaining gorillas because of how endangered they have become and that many Westerners come to see them because of how famous they are.  She also gave me an article that she was going to share with the class but did not get the time to.  The article was very interesting and I wish that I had a way to find it since she only gave me the printed copy.  I learned that the people of Rwanda are doing many economic things in order to strengthen their country.  From this article I learned that Starbucks is the number one importer of Rwandan coffee beans.  So, naturally, I arranged to have a Starbucks date with her and we invited Sade from Nigeria, too.

I was very excited about this.  I just wanted to chat with them all day about their countries.  Although learning about the economics of Rwanda and the gorillas was interesting and useful information, I just wanted to know what she did from day to day there, what they wear, and what her house and neighborhood looks like.  These facts are vital for my brain to be able to picture where they live and then to remember the place forever.

Both Isabelle and Sade told me that in Africa that women don’t usually expose their chest area in low cut shirts because it means that you are “asking for it.”  They both laughed at this, I was a little bit surprised because of how hot it is there and how I would most likely be wearing tank tops and low cut shirts every day.  Strike one for Laura.

The three of us stayed in Starbucks for four hours chatting!  The employees probably hated us for all of our laughing.  My laugh is loud and obnoxious to begin with when you get me going, but Sade’s laugh was giving me a run for my money.  We didn’t care though.  We were having a great time, and it made me think that this is what is must be like where they are from, people just meeting each other and chatting just because.  Or maybe I am just naive and think that this is how people socialize outside of the city.

After our three-way date, Isabelle went out of her way to get me a sample of Rwandan coffee that her friend makes in the South End.  This was the nicest thing, I thought it was so considerate.  No one does stuff like that anymore.  Damn selfish Americans.  The sample was big too, the same size and amount that I paid almost ten bucks for in Starbucks for their holiday blend.

Sad part about this is that Isabelle is transferring schools.  Although she will be at a kind of annoying commute if she wants to come visit Sade and me in the city, I know that she will do it, because that is just the person that she is.  (You would be able to tell too if you met her.)

Sade is staying though!  I discovered that she is a lot older than I thought she was.  She is 27 and lives with her husband in an apartment.  Crazy.  She also told us a few stories about how she slipped up with racist comments when she first moved here.  In Nigeria, she told me, race is not something that is sensitive like it is here.  Black Africans are the majority and all other races that live there are the minority and try to fit in when they are there so, being here, is a very different experience.  She thought she was giving a Chinese man a compliment when she was first introduced to him by saying that he looked just like the Chinese man that lived in her apartment building.

Hanging out with them was very refreshing.  You know how people nowadays will just blow you off or just not respond when you try to contact them?  As annoying as that is, especially since it seems to be a growing trend, I did not feel that way when I was with these girls.  They were respectful of our friendship and loved to chat and be there as if they had nothing else better to do.  It made my heart smile to have made friends like them.

They both invited me to visit them and stay with them in Rwanda and Nigeria.  I very much want to go to Rwanda someday because of how interested I am in the lifestyle and what the place must look like.

I found this picture on a website about Rwanda’s parks and reserves. Amazing.  Some day I can try to make that happen.  Hopefully.

 

Bye now.

Being December 1st, it is officially Christmas season.  Thanksgiving has passed, Black Friday has passed (yes I am identifying it as a holiday) and at work they started playing their famous holiday soundtrack.  It is the same songs every year that I’ve worked there with the addition of a few new hits.  By the way, this is my third holiday at Gap, three seasons of the same music.  There is just something about working in a mall that gets you so much more ready for the holidays than anywhere else.  You are ready months ahead of time for what you are supposed to dress like for winter.  The shipment called “Holiday 1” comes just after Halloween if not before then.  The mall then gets super decked out (ha ha like my Christmas pun) with music and decorations around Thanksgiving, when most people haven’t started their shopping yet.  The mall that I work in, for example, has about ten-foot wide ornaments that are hung from the three-story ceiling on huge ribbons for everyone to see in the wide open, middle area of the mall.  They are huge and look light weight, but you never know.  I would not be surprised if one of those things could kill if they became unhooked from the ceiling and plummeted onto someone on the first floor.  These are everywhere, along with other mini decorations and fake snow.  Its kind of ridiculous actually.

As much as I do love the winter time, the snow, and the cool weather, I do not like the big uproar that is Christmas.  There is so much waiting and preparing leading up to just one day and then it is over, out like a light.  Then it is February and you realize that you haven’t taken the tree down yet that you spent so much time working on.

Since my room mates and I are only going to be together for about two weeks of the Christmas season (and by that I mean December) we decorated our apartment early to enjoy it.  Here’s a picture of our living room:

The winter fashion this year is very adorable though, I must say.  Being girly, I enjoy sparkly things.  There are many articles of clothing that definitely do sparkle.  One of which is a pair of gold flats that look like Dorothy’s red shoes from the Wizard of Oz, but gold.  I wear them all the time and just want more and more sparkly things.  I am obsessed and you should be too.

There is this one song that plays every year during holiday that I just can’t figure out why Gap feels the need to play it.  It does not resemble Christmas at all.  It is that annoying yodeling song from the Sound of Music.  I grew up with that movie on frequently because my mom and all her sisters are obsessed with it.  They quoted it, sang it, and referenced it every chance they got at family events.  With my family being all split up now, that is something that I almost miss, but not yet.

For some reason though, every time that song comes on, the customers scream out with joy and excitement.  I just do not understand this.  It is one of the most annoying songs I have ever heard, next to a song that I heard on a commercial the other day for some kind of insurance.

For those of you who love the Sound of Music, here is a taste of what I have to hear every 8 hours or so when the soundtrack repeats itself.

Another winner is the annoying Gee Wiz, It’s Christmas song.  I couldn’t find the exact version, but this one is very close.

Now if only school would hurry up and get over with (20 more days, including finals), I can finally enjoy all that is Christmas along with all the other shoppers.

Bye now.

There are so many places that I want to go.  And there are so many things about the world that I want to know.  Why can’t I just do it all right now?  A Grand World Tour.  Just me.  If only I wasn’t in school and wasn’t broke and wasn’t afraid to travel the world by myself.. Ya..

The more I go to my Cultural Geography class, the more I like the world.  I don’t know what it is about cultures and the strange environments that are so provocative for me.  I learn something about Africa that the average person wouldn’t know and I get all tingly inside.  Or, I find something on the internet about a small island north of Australia and I feel that I need to call my boyfriend right away to tell him even though he probably would not be all that excited about it.  And at work, one day my boss kept saying how many credit cards have been opened in different languages over the walkies just for fun and I taught her how to say a few numbers in Chinese.  It excited me beyond belief that she was actually impressed that I knew that.  I mean, its not her fault, she’s somewhat new and doesn’t know that I studied Chinese all last year like everyone else knows it, but still.  It made my heart swell that I impressed someone and taught her something.  (By the way, the number was three and its “san” in mandarin Chinese.)

Rain forests especially attract me.  Maybe because I have never really been in one.  The specials on Discovery Channel and NatGeo on insects scare me, but just the sight of the trees and waterfalls makes me question if it is reality or not.

This picture is in Borneo, which is in the southern part of the South China Sea near the Philippines.  Just breath taking.  It just looks so full of life and so pure, there is nothing like that near me now.  I’m lucky if I walk by a tree in this city.  And sometimes, yes, it does rain in Boston, but that is about all that this rainforest and this city have in common.  Great.

In my class, we also talk a lot about cities and city structures, mainly in the United States.  That I do not care for one bit.  So boring.  I would much rather learn about the culture in cities around the world.  Everyone already knows what cities look like in the United States.  But, a city by definition is just a densely populated area, so show me a different city, say in Russia or India or some place that people haven’t heard of.  Sheesh.

I am also taking a class called Themes of Africa.  Although the class is excruciating to sit through (mainly because the professor is sort of new at this whole teaching thing), the material that we learn is very interesting.  No one talks about Africa.  You don’t learn about it in high school.  It is as if the West is ashamed at what happened there and therefore it should not be taught.  Or its like a dark storm cloud is always over the continent and all you hear about is the AIDs epidemic or blood diamonds.  Why?  Africa is such a cool place.  There are three girls in my class who are from Africa and are studying at my school.  One from Nigeria, one from the Congo, and one from Algeria I believe.  They all have lots of input into the class discussions and compare it to present day where they are from and it is just fascinating.  I mean, yeah sure we discussed the slave trade in my class, but we have covered so many other events in way more detail that I bet you not many people have even heard about.

When most people hear about the African Congo they think of something like this:

What a lot of people don’t know is that a lot of the Congo looks like this:

Cool huh?  I thought so.  I had no idea about this until the girl in my class that is from there told us about it in her slow, broken English.  She always talks about how it is the most beautiful place in the entire world.  If I was the one who told you that, it probably would not be all that convincing if all most people see in their minds when they think of the Congo is the first picture.  (Which I was definitely guilty of myself before taking this class.)

There is so much that I want to learn.  But what the heck can I do with all this cool knowledge?  Yeah.. I don’t know either.

Bye now.

Have you ever been so angry about something for so long that you just snap? Have you ever been just so fed up with something that keeps on occurring that you just can’t take it anymore and explode with yelling and screaming?  Yes, this happened to me the other night.

My room mate was the only one who would ever close her door without turning the handle so that it wouldn’t be a loud shut.  She has a plastic hook thats on her door wedged between the top of the door and the door frame.  Although it is harder to close than all the other doors in the apartment, the way that she would close that door sounded like it was slamming, no matter what time of day she would close it this way.  All the other doors in the apartment she would close without turning the handle too and it would sound like it was slamming even if she didn’t mean to.

Her boyfriend starting doing this too, even after I’ve spoken to him about it as well.  Then, the other night, he closed her bedroom door exceptionally loud and I snapped.  I ran out of my room and screamed at him to stop slamming doors from in the hall.  My poor room mate and I then began a fight and I was the only one who was yelling.  I was so angry that my hands were shaking.  She seemed so surprised that I was so upset, even though I pointed out that I have asked her to stop numerous times in a few different nice ways.  It may not seem like a big deal at all, but it was.  The way that she was closing those doors was so loud that all the way down the hall you would have been woken up by it when she came home from work at 1a.m. And then again in the morning when she would get ready for school.

She didn’t mean any of this of course, she is one of the nicest people that I’ve ever met, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

Naturally since then she doesn’t slam doors and wake everyone up, its such a sign of relief, you have no idea.

I then decided that I was too stressed out and needed a way to keep calm and collected.  I cannot remember the last time that I was that angry about something and have yelled at someone that way.  The last time that I probably did that was yelling at my mom and then having her yell at me the exact same way back.  Not a very healthy relationship, if you haven’t already noticed.

I have been thinking of starting yoga, if not in the mornings then in the evenings at home, not at a studio.  I found a few videos on YouTube and then one on iTunes for free for beginners, but I don’t have a yoga mat to do this on.  I have the hard wood floor in my living room to do this, just nothing comfortable to stretch on.  I asked my sister to get me one for Christmas.

I have also been drinking a lot of coffee lately, probably not so good.  I need more that one cup per day to stay awake the whole day, not because I’m a lazy person, but mainly because I don’t sleep well every night.

Yesterday, I was craving Indian food, so I went to Whole Foods right around the corner.  I bought more than I wanted, but don’t want to return any of it.  I was in the store and found my naan and my calcutta masala, but when I was going to leave I found a few more things that I knew I had to have.

I found a whole table on display on my way to the register that had teas and lotions.  The tea attracted me right away because it was a brand that was called “Organic India” which just has my name written all over it.  On the box, it said that it contained caffeine and it as made with tulsi.  I learned about tulsi when I took a course on Hinduism at school last year.  Tulsi is a sacred plant that Indians use for healing purposes and for holy rituals and it can only be grown in northern India.  I was immediately sucked into buying this when I saw that it was a deal of 2 boxes for $5.  Sold.

Then, when I tried making my way again to the register with my hands a bit more filled, I found the shampoo/conditioner/lotion area.  Bad news I tell ya, bad bad bad.  They had KissMyFace brand!  -Which is probably my most favorite gel to put anywhere on my body because of how relaxing it is.  I read about it all the time in magazines before I actually bought it last year for the first time.  I bought it in New Hampshire, the only place that I have ever seen it carried.  I bought some kind of relaxing, herbal scented shower gel that made my life so complete every time I took a shower.  When it finally ran out I was super sad and avoided using the last amount for a long time.  And here it is, right under my nose in my own city the whole time.  Damnit, Laura.  You should have known that!  I grabbed the shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel before realizing how expensive everything was.  My hands were completely stuffed and I saw an employee and asked her if they always carry this brand.  She said yes.  Thank the Lord.  I put all those things back and told myself that the second that I ran out of body wash (that I just bought a few weeks ago) that Whole Foods would be the first place I went.

BUT.. Then I found lotion.  I don’t know why I have this weird obsession with things that smell like grapefruit.  This place had a package deal of body lotion that was scented grapefruit and body wash.  It was not even close to being as expensive as KissMyFace so of course I bought it.  Such. A. Sucker.

The weird part was, even though I spent $70 on a bureau the day before, I did not feel guilty about spending $30 at Whole Foods.  And as a college student, I definitely fall into the stereotype of being poor.  I think my heart was telling me that it was okay to spend money on things that will relax my body and make my mind happy at the same time.  I think that in my heart I knew that I needed to treat myself for the health of my mind.  Usually I will buy the cheapest things possible and then move on and deal with it, even if it didn’t satisfy me.  This time though, everything changed.  I was buying myself one my favorite meals to make in my apartment, then tea with caffeine and perhaps holy powers to hopefully replace my addiction to coffee, then lotion that was scented in my favorite smell.  My heart told me that my tummy would be smiling, my body would be glowing and my mind would be alert, despite the cost.

Bye now.

There is something so binding and defining about where you feel home.  No one can take that away from you.  This can be good, but in mine and my sister’s case, it can be bad.

Most of my friends know that I did not have the easiest transition from high school to college.  No, it wasn’t living in a dorm with a room mate, or spending endless hours trying to adjust to the amount of homework, or even making new friends that was difficult; I was taken away from my home by force, in all literal ways you can think of.

My mom became “sick” and then sick turned to disabled.  She quit her job like an idiot and relied on her ex-fiance to pay her big bills and me to pay her smaller ones, also like an idiot.  This then lead to my house, my home, to be put up for sale.  I remember the very second I heard that my house was being put on the market.  I was in my ex’s room and had heard the news in a voicemail by my mom’s oldest sister.  I cried immediately.  My ex said to me “it’s just a house.”  You idiot, its not just a house if you know anything about my history.

A little history:

My mom was not in our actual house very often.  She was at her ex-fiancé’s house most of the time when she wasn’t waitressing.  She did not grocery shop, especially not to bring to our fridge.  That was my deal.  Nor did she pay the cable/internet/phone bill every month, which I took upon myself as well.  So, the house was figuratively not hers.  It was mine and my little sister’s house.  We lived in it.  We loved it.  We took care of it.  We went grocery shopping together and picked out things for us to eat.  We lived on our own before we were of age to live on our own.  We had my car and I had a part-time job, that was enough for us to get what we needed.  We were self-sufficient and were definitely more grown up than our mom.

So, when my mom’s childish actions brought the house to sell for quick money to her, it was forced out of our lives.  Every single part of that house was in our hearts and our minds.  It was the worst break up I have ever had.  To have to leave when we owned it was just not fair.  This was our property and we had kept it alive and clean and fed.  Why do we need to be punished when we did everything right?  Why must my sister live in a tiny-no-one-has-heard-of town with my dad and step mom?  Why must I live in the city where everyone is a stranger and there is no place of peace?

I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.  I just don’t understand why we had something taken from us that was so good, I don’t get that reasoning.  I think that now, the two of us, are in a transition state.  That we have loved and have been brokenhearted.  Now, we must suffer through this shitty middle ground until we are stable enough to create our own home.  A place like our first home, where we can do everything our way with the people we love and choose to live with.  We will create a place that we love.  No one can take it away.  We won’t have to rely on living off of our father’s money because we will have our own, and it will be enough, just like the first time.

I wish I could make people understand why it hurt so bad and still hurts.  We were punished for something we didn’t do.  It is not just a house.  It is something much deeper than that.  It is a symbol of the independence we had made for ourselves at such a young age.  We were exceptional to our friends whom did not even know how to wash their own clothes.  We were overachievers.  We were adults no matter what the law said.  Then we were stripped from everything we had taught ourselves.  Now we’re lost, but its getting better.  We will find home again somewhere.

Bye now.

Remember that one time that I said that I would try and give Boston a second chance?  Well, somethings have been happening lately where I’ve realized that I was way too general when I judged the people of Boston way back when.  Although this example is specific to my school and these people may have never lived here before going to school here, it goes along with what I’m saying.

Today, I was super hungry around 4pm.  I had not eaten anything since 10am and had walked to school, gone to class, and went to the gym without lunch somewhere in there.  So, when I went to the Muddy River Cafe to get a “snack” it ended up being two sandwiches and a fruit cup.  When I was still on the treadmill I took my iPod Touch off the USB to go on the internet and add money to my Fenway Cash JUST so I could eat something from school.  I added $10 so it would make my total amount just over $12, plenty of money to get a meal and a half.  When I went to pay for these things, there was a student working the register (which happens only half the time) and he only charged me for a meal swipe of $7, saving me $5.  I looked up at him after he swiped my card and said, “thank you so much.”  He knew what he did for me, he knew that he did something he wasn’t supposed to, but he did it to be nice.  He understands what it means to be broke and in college.  Although it is not a significant amount of money, it seemed like it was.

My life has been pretty crazy since I last wrote.  I have been swamped with midterms to study for, papers to write, books to read, classes to register for, and on top of all that I made time to see my boyfriend and work around 20 hours/week.  I spent many painful hours in the library, including two evenings where I stayed until closing time of 1am.

I have this one professor right now who is teaching a sociology course.  The class is super interesting because its cultural geography, which is what I’m all about, but her grading is not so nice.  I understand why she is so picky, it just is annoying and time consuming to get everything right.  Although she may be a hard grader, she is a very likable person and is very funny.  She did something that I thought was very moving this past week.

For my major, I have to take two classes (at least) that are at the 3,000 level (for those of you who don’t know Emmanuel’s class ranking, its a number that simply means “difficult”).  My only two options I had of those classes for next semester were another one of hers and one called the Cult of Mao taught by a teacher who can be directly compared to the Devil and no one would argue.  So, obviously not wanting to take the Cult of Mao, I had to do everything I could think of to take this 3,000 level sociology course next spring.  I talked about the course with her about the description, and we came to the conclusion that the description was not accurate and that it could count towards Global Studies majors (mine).  Then, I had to go to my advisor and fill him in with this.  THEN I discovered that online it said that I needed to take a prerequisite of a class that I have not taken.  I was heartbroken.  After numerous emails back and forth with this professor, she told me to just register for it.  This morning, I had to register for classes and I was super nervous that it would not work, but I realized that online she (or someone) had changed the prerequisite from SOC 1101 to “any other sociology course.”  Even though she may not have done this just for me to be able to get into this course, I felt that she had.  I wish someone was there for me to hug when I saw this.  It just seemed so personal and considerate that she was willing to not only work with me to get into this course, but to get anyone to have a better chance of getting in.

I can not even describe how happy this simple, even stupid, change in prerequisites made me.  It made me really appreciate the luxury of a small school where the classes are small and the students get to know their professors.  Maybe the $40,000+ per year is worth it afterall.. Maybe not.  But just for a moment.

In addition to trying to be more optimistic, I have been trying to go to the gym more often and get my body in shape the way I want it (and also release more endorphins to promote good moods).  I understand that I am not fat.  I get that.  You don’t have to tell me.  I just wanna be able to look in the mirror when naked and approve.  I’m almost there.  Also, I love my gym buddy, she’s been motivating me and our goals are very different yet very similar.  I highly recommend it.

I must say, even though Boston may be contaminated and dirty, it has gorgeous sunsets when it wants to.  This is a picture from one of the Northeastern University parking lots on the forth floor.  Just beautiful, no question.

Bye now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty clouds huh?  This is on Friday when I was waiting at the commuter rail stop for my boyfriend to pick me up.  I didn’t even mind that it was 45 degrees and windy, the sun was out and the clouds looked like this.  I got to lay down on the bench snuggled up in my winter jacket, wool gloves, and earmuffs for a half hour listening to music and eating lunch, peacefully by myself in the sun.

Anyhoo, I finally finished decorating my room last night, with the help of my much-taller-than-me boyfriend.  Finally looks like home, and by home, I mean Cape Cod of course.  I put up several decorations on the walls and picked up all the clothes off the floor and made my bed.  Perfection.  I didn’t do this just for the sake of it, I was hosting four of my girl friends from school for a few hours.  Then I lit incense that I got from the mosque the other night and turned on my christmas lights; all I needed was a yoga mat and peace would have been achieved.  Maybe I will invest in one of those eventually..

Peace is such an important concept, especially if you’re like me this week and have 2 midterms and 2 essays due.  This is also why I very much appreciate my Sundays.  I specifically told the Gap that I was not available Sundays.  Those are my days off during the week.  Homework Day.  Laundry Day.  Rest Day.  Peace Day.  Today.

Bye now.