Labradoodle: part labrador, part poodle

Lessons Learned

I had assumed that, since I had mastered bus routes in both England and Nicaragua, I could handle the Twin Cities transit system. Turns out that I had not quite made the distinction between rural routes and the urban ones. For example:

+ Always check to make sure you are going in the right direction (or you end up in the Minneapolis U of M campus rather than the St. Paul capitol building).

+ Turns out that buses from multiple routes can stop at the same bus stops. Therefore, determine that you are not only on the right side of the road, but also boarding the #3, not the #62L which takes you to a strip mall on the south side of Rice St.

+ Asking people for help does not result in a blank stare or the phrase, "oh...I was hoping you could help me..."

Every time I'm on a twin city bus, I imagine what a Nicaraguan might think. The buses aren't old schoolbus models, the air doesn't reek of fresh onions or cheese, and I have yet to spend any amount of time jammed next to the driver because there's not even room to move, let alone available seats.

The price of a ride may be an issue, but you can always ask for transfer tickets. The climate might be worrisome for some, but they all have fully functioning heating systems. There is one downside: no snacks. Every bus driver on the country routes I took had deals with women selling corn on the cob, cornbread, juice, water, candy, cigarettes, you name it. They would get on a stop, walk up and down the bus to sell their goods, then get off at the next one and do it all over again. I got the feeling that it was one big intricate dance, played out day after day, with the exact same characters each time, and if I could stay for just a bit longer, I could figure out the pattern. That's really all I wanted to do during my research project--figure out the patterns. But I highly doubt they would let a frail looking, pale gringa in on their dance.

I won't miss the music. Clear Channel may broadcast worthless music, but at least the drivers preserve our eardrums.

Real life.

I'm starting to learn how to cook again. How to pour milk from a carton rather than an industrial stainless steel cooler. That spaghetti needs a full pot of water or it will congeal into a singularity of gluten--not exactly the thank you present I wanted to give Dennis and Molly, family friends who are letting me sleep in their basement while I live in the twin cities.

I've also been drinking more cran-grape juice, but it tastes too much like communion, so I feel that I will soon desist.

The capitol is a lot like an episode of the office. Well, no one is quite as embarrasing as Michael, but Andy is here. Dwight too.

Spare Time

I do college backwards. I'm busiest at the beginning of the semester, worried about homework, scheduling out how I will proceed writing papers, making sure I do all my assigned readings and making complete notes. Then the end of semester arrives, and I'm done. I'm ready to spend an entire day picnicking, but all my friends are freaking out about their projects, presentations, and final exams. I would like to feel superior to them, but really this just adds up to missing out on all the fun for the entire semester. I am so out of sync.

Yesterday was the first real spring day. I wore flip flops and everything. I spent the morning in the most efficient budget and finance meeting this campus has ever seen. Then I went out to play Ultimate Frisbee. At first, I wasn't that excited. But as I started running around, catching and throwing the frisbee, it was excellent. It is important to note that I caught the frisbees. And I was also able to throw them to other people who were also able to catch them. Not bad. The BSEO house had chili and brownies, so I went over and caught up with some friends who live there. (The brownies were excellent. The chili looked good, but it had steak in it, so I did not partake)

I spent the rest of the day reading about dragons out on the lawn with some friends. It was warm out, and the sunlight looked great. I didn't have a camera on me, which is disappointing. None of us went inside until it was impossible to read and we were starting to get goosebumps. Some made spicy nachos, to general celebration.

Puddles and Worms

They're everywhere. Stretched out, crisscrossing, rivers of wormy flesh. The air smells like dead worms. It's excessive.

The quads are pools in miniature. The earth has absorbed all it plans to.

I spent most of today wishing to go back to Thailand. Eat a bowl of pineapple-fried rice. Go talk to some monks during their English hour.

Or England. Walk a mountain ridge with sheep for company and a map that isn't helping.

It's odd to think that classes will be over next week. The weather is perpetually March-like. But May will be fun. I'm hoping to live in the twin cities and work with my state senator as some sort of intern. I can explore dinkytown, grand ave, Hmong restaurants, the art park. Ahh....the art park.

Vagina Warriors

Highlights of Superlove in New Orleans:

+ Tambourine Lady. A member of the Mahalia Jackson Choir who can play the tambourine with more spirit than I ever thought possible. Very inspiring, and definitely a show stealer.
+ Jane Fonda
+ Eve Ensler
+ Slam poet Alix Olson
+ Poet Lenelle Moise
+ Excellent speakers who brought attention to women's issues in the Congo, Native American populations, New Orleans, the Middle East, etc.
+ Yelling "cunt" in four different languages in the New Orleans Arena during the Vagina Monologues production
+ The giant bra ball in the entrance to the Superdome (photo to come)
+ Throwing plastic bead necklaces to passersby on Bourbon Street
+ Chugging hot and sour soup at the entrance to the Arena after being told we couldn't bring in food, bottles, or very large backpacks
+ Sensing my political leanings shift even further to the left

Not really.

I meet at 4:00 today to talk to Karla, cook for the Field Station, about being cook's assistant. I'm the only applicant, so I'm fairly certain this is going to work out. My suitcase shall contain as many books as possible, my swimsuit, bug spray, and running shoes.

Life is monotonous. Study breaks cease to be justified. The thermometer refuses to rise past 54. Solution? New Orleans. I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Seriously. It's the 10th anniversary of the play Vagina Monologues, and it's going to be big. It's a 2 day extravaganza of vagina love. A bit overwhelming. The time is long overdue to actually look at the schedule of events and figure it all out.

But most of all...I hear spring is actually happening in Louisiana. I'm bringing flip-flops.

Other news? I spent the last two weeks thinking about the possibility of taking another semester abroad, this time to Washington D.C. Eventually, I decided to stay here for my final year. I want to get more involved with the environmental group on campus, and find one to volunteer with in the Cedar Rapids area. I want to go to Dr. Bob's WC orientations, and meet all the freshmen consultants. I want to live in an apartment. Work with the DFL as the election heats up. Take my last Honors class with Professor Burke, a legend of a History teacher. Essentially, there's more to accomplish at Coe, and I need more time to do it. So, Washington DC will have to wait until after college. By then, I'll hopefully have enough sustainable development background to have a fighting chance for a paid internship.

Ok, I won't bore anybody with my 5 year plan. I'm just going to put this D.C. idea behind me and start planning with Liz how our apartment will look next year. For those who don't know, it was extremely difficult to get the on-campus housing you wanted this year. The freshmen class is apparently huge, so many rooms were reserved for them. The apartments were crazy competitive this year, to the point that many seniors are looking into off-campus housing. It's nuts. So my two bedroom apartment with just one other roommate is prime.