The Latino List

Here it is! I told you it was coming. 

These are the songs I have been obsessing over lately... or just enjoy listening to. It's pretty eclectic. Enjoy!

Corazon Sin Cara- Prince Royce

Electro Movimiento- Calle 13

A Dios Le Pido- Juanes

Clavado en un Bar- Mana

Eres- Cafe Tacuba

Lamento Boliviano- Enanitos Verde

Salsa- Buena Vista Social Club

Lo Que Paso, Paso- Daddy Yankee

Nada- Zoe

Dame Otro Tequila- Paulina Rubio

No Me Digas Que No- Enrique Iglesias (ft. Wisin y Yandel)

El Amor Que Perdimos- Prince Royce

Earthquakes, working, hair coloring and packing

In a nutshell that sums up what has happened recently. 

Well, that plus taking care of my mother. 

Mom and her pink cast at work

The past week or so I haven't posted much because, honestly, there hasn't been all that much to say. I was at home taking care of Mom, who didn't leave the house for almost a week, or I was at work. That's all. Well, there was one night of going out with friends and then another of a going away party that some people from Vaquero's had for me, but other than that, nothing. 

This week has been a little more eventful, however. Besides working at Vaquero's, I have been taking Mom to work at the Statehouse and have been looking around for some cute shirts to take to Spain. No luck on the latter. But I did have a hair appointment today! So that's eventful. I went a little darker with the color, but only because I made all my hair the exact same color, something that hasn't been done in a very long time (if ever). 

Showing off the new "all brown" hair color 

Next I need a tan to help my pasty white skin become more "Spaniard-friendly".  I'm hoping to be able to go to the pool one of these days, but it seems like I'm always being called to do something and never really have the time. Maybe that will change at the end of this week? Who knows. But probably not.

I still have a lot of laundry to do in order to finish up some of my packing. I should probably get started on that right this minute, but I'm not. Sue me.

Everyone at OWU has started back to school, which makes me feel like an old fart because I know I will never be going back with them. That sucks.

I have been wasting a lot of time on my tumblr account, which is pretty much a collection of pictures that I re-blog from other people. These pictures are things I like, things I find interesting or things I find inspiring. There's nothing really to it other than I press "re-blog" and wham! pictures are posted on my page. It's like a lazy version of doing this blog.

I have also been making a lot of latin music playlists. I'm sure some of my favorite lists will be featured on here soon so you can see what I mean. I have been doing this in order to get in the "spirit" of the spanish language. Because, you know, I was ever out of that spirit...

There was a earthquake in Virginia today, and apparently the aftershocks have been felt all over the East coast and even here in Central Ohio! I didn't notice anything, but then again, I was driving most of the time and probably wouldn't have. Some people down at the Statehouse said they felt it on the third floor, and my Facebook news-feed is full of people talking about the event. Apparently they've evacuated a lot of buildings in D.C. and NYC in order to protect people against aftershocks, but from what I can tell, everyone is safe. This earthquake is big news, especially since there is also a hurricane heading right for the East Coast as well --- hello hurricane Irene.

And, that's the updates for now! Sorry I haven't been more eventful.

Waiting on Mom, hand and foot...

...well, maybe just foot.

Mom got foot surgery today for her two heel spurs that the doctor said were large and had already ripped part of her achilles tendon. Crazy.

Snapped while hanging out pre-surgery

The good news is that Mom is all good and out of surgery, although she is still a little loopy from all the medicine. The best part was when she asked me if they had taped her eyes shut because they felt weird. The bad news is that I am slave keeper for the week, meaning I am Mom's bitch. And it's funny that when you're home taking care of someone, all of a sudden all these things happen in the house that need tended to as well. How convenient, right? 

Oh well. I guess it's my duty to do something around here that's not just waiting to go to Spain.

I wish vintage luggage was lighter/cheaper

Last week I looked all over the web and at many stores in order to find the perfect luggage for my upcoming trip to Spain. I finally settled on a lightweight upright blue set by Calvin Klein that will hopefully last a very long time. I really wanted something that would be durable, clean, and light enough that I can focus most of the weight on what's inside the bag, rather than the bag itself. However, I have always had an affinity for vintage luggage sets. I just think they look so great and are filled with lots of character. The downside, however, is that they are usually heavy and don't have too much storage space. For a car ride, though, these would be more practical and definitely have the "flare" that I love.  

Tell me these don't make you want to pack up and go away. 

why do I love this song so much?

It's completely inappropriate, doesn't really say anything interesting, and is full of a bunch of hipster's dancing around being ridiculous. 

...that might be why I like it.

Lovin my new Michael Kors

I have been looking everywhere for the perfect raincoat. I used to wear my black Northface raincoat, but then I decided that looks too "college girl hanging out at the Lacrosse game" and had begun looking for something that would work. Also, in Spain they tend to dress a little more "classic" and a little less "American-casual", so there was that too. We Americans really do dress pretty jenky compared to the rest of the world. Finally I found what I was looking for, thanks to Michael Kors! 

The sleeves roll up, it's fancy-but-not-too-fancy, and I can wear it on the way to the gym on or on the way out for the night! Perfect! 

Chicago

Jack engaging in the "typical activity"

So last week I went to Chicago in order to get my Spanish visa, which is good I guess. I also didn't get delayed at all, unlike the three hour one of last trip, which is also good I guess. I arrived in the afternoon on Tuesday and from there went to Jack's house, where we hung out and I took a little nap. And by little, I mean like two hours. After waking up and getting somewhat ready, Jack and I headed downtown in order to meet up with one of my friends from high school, Sam. Sam showed us his amazing engagement ring, which he has already given to his soon to be wife. Exciting! He also took us out to his work-friends' happy hour for a drink, and then back to his favorite hangout spot at the Seneca Hotel-- where literally everyone knows his name. We partied until we finally went back to his house, watched a TV show or two while drinking Sam's incredibly strong concoction of "god knows what", and passed out on his couch. In the morning Jack and I headed down to Michigan avenue, oh wait, no, Sam lives off Michigan avenue--- swanky mofo. But we did go walk around!

Walking up to Navy Pier

We even took a trip down the river to see Navy Pier, which was amazing but would have been more amazing if it wasn't raining. Oh well! After boring Jack with my obsession with shopping at Anthropologie, we made our way to the Consulate of Spain. I waited in line, maybe 15 minutes, and finally was called up to the front in order to get my Visa. At first the guy told me that he couldn't find it, but after I insisted it had to be there, he finally dug through passport by passport in order to find mine. Of course, it was located somewhere at the bottom of the stack.

babys going away!

So my boss at work, Alfedo (who many people call, "Baby") and his brother Ramon are taking their families and heading down toward Guadalajara. I will really miss them, and know that El Vaquero will be making some changes now that they're gone. However, nothing will be as sad as when I leave for Spain (jokes jokes! I'll be back when I finish in December and still can't find a job, I'm sure). All jokes aside, our new manager, David, is very nice and I am sure will do a great job running the restaurant. I finally uploaded the pictures from the huge going away party on my facebook, and so I decided to at least dedicate a small post to them on here in appreciation for all they've done for us at Vaquero's. 

...and if all this fun doesn't excite you enough to come in and grab a margarita, or two, or three, at Vaquero's, then maybe this super attractive picture of the bartenders will (minus the sweaty one): 

29 days and counting...

It's August 2nd, which means I only have to wait 29 more days until my Spanish adventure begins! I can't even begin to describe to you what that means for me. We will leave here on August 31st and arrive in Salamanca on September 1st, after taking a quick stop in the Philadelphia and Madrid airports. I assume that night is when we will meet our host families and get a first look at the place we will call home for the next four months. We filled out a quick questionnaire which asked us our opinions on living with children, pets, having food allergies, etc., however, our host families are going to be a complete surprise until we arrive. From there, we will have the weekend to explore and take a few group tours of the city, and then we begin in our "cultural immersion - pre-real-classes class", which I assume is similar to the one we had in Guanajuato but will be a few weeks shorter. These classes are only Monday-Thursday (I think), so there will be some extra time to travel/do whatever. I am so ready to get back in a culture that lives slowly and meaningfully. Sometimes I feel too stressed out here in the United States because everyone lives in a constant state of hustle and bustle, although right now it's summer time and I am used to a more relaxed lifestyle.

I got my visa this past week when I went to Chicago, and am now completely "listo" to pack my bags and head to Spain. The Spanish consulate in Chicago is very nice and although it is bureaucracy and makes you jump through a thousand hoops, they were helpful and patient. This is something one of my friends says is a miracle because apparently other consulates are not-- tisk tisk Italian consulate of Detroit.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with the doc to check everything out and get a prescription filled before my travels begin. After that---I could literally pack up and leave.

I'm not really nervous at all because I have already studied abroad once, and for a longer period of time. I also have gotten to the point that I feel pretty confident in my Spanish and hope that people in Spain will understand my "Mexican slang". Hopefully I will quickly adapt and begin using some of their slang, but I hope to God I don't pick up that hideous Spanish lisp. Grathias. Ew.

I'm bringing my cannon and should probably bring a smaller camera, and have to pick up another cloth bound/recycled paper journal (I'm very particular about journals), but other than that I am good to go! Everyone keeps asking me when I'm leaving --even more so than before-- and while I keep telling them it's a month away, I keep wishing it was a couple days away. I'm ready. Powell is boring because most people are gone, and the people that are still here are leaving soon for school/jobs, so I will definitely be ready to be social again once August 31st arrives.

Then comes the next question, what's next after Spain?

...and we all know I don't have an answer for that.