Longhorns are everywhere

I've noticed this before but today was exceptional. On the way to and from the gym today, which is a mere mile from my house, I saw THREE silver Longhorn decals on cars. I did note that all three had Virginia license plates. I bet they are mostly grad students like me but it is interesting...until you consider that UT graduates thousands of students every year and then it doesn't seem so implausible to see THREE Longhorn decals in Charlottesville, VA.

Virginia Winter

I lucked out this year. Winter has been very mild and allowed me to adjust without completely freaking out about the cold. It's pretty chilly right now but we still haven't seen any significant snowfall. I consider this a good thing since the only thing that snow is good for is skiing and I haven't had the time to do that anyways. Although we did go snowtubing at Wintergreen which was pretty cool.

School is busy, especially with 18 hours on my plate. And, I spent a lot of the month of January doing work for my job. My bosses came into town on a speaking tour at Whole Foods and I was their guide. The month wore me out. Not to mention, the second weekend out I had my purse stolen at a popular college bar. The purse had my new camera in it and Peace Corps passport. It had my wallet and a million other little things but those things were the biggest. The camera was obviously a financial pain but losing the PC passport with all of the stamps of my wonderful journeys would have been sad too. Luckily, I woke up at 8 am and immediately started making calls. I left a message for the bar just in case it turned up...I didn't really think it would but I thought it was worth a try. I soon found out that whomever had stolen my purse had gone to a convenience store 5 doors down from the bar and bought $50 worth of something. Then, they went to Qdoba 3 doors the other direction and used my other credit card to buy a late-night snack. College student? I think so.  A couple hours after I filed my police report, the bar called. They had my purse! I was soooo happy. I asked if my camera was in it. They checked the random little pocket it was stored in and confirmed it was. Thank G-d for random little pockets thieves don't think to look in. So, my wallet was gone but I got my passport and camera back. Not bad.

Since then, I have been laying low doing lots of school work. We are overwhelmed with group projects this semester so those meetings take up much of my time. I did go wine tasting yesterday for the first time. It was great. I went with a small group of girls to Keswick, Jefferson, and Blenheim (Dave Matthew's) Winery. Dave's place was hands-down the prettiest. All the wine we tasted was really good but his views and the tasting room were phenomenal. Even at this time of year when everything is dead, it was beautiful.

Other than that, just working and then working off my stress with frequent trips to the gym and hot tub. One of the best things about UVA is definitely the giant hot tub next to the Olympic-size pool, right near my favorite ellipticals.

Future events: Dominican Republic for spring break! I'm pumped. Then, going to the Clinton Global Initiative University Conference in DC. And, of course, waiting to hear about internships. I'm hoping to wrap up that search sooner than later...

First Semester Wrap-up

Wrote this for the Batten Student Blog...I guess I'll post this to my own blog too...

I just finished my first semester at Batten…my first semester of grad school. My best friend asked me after my last final if I felt more like a “master.” Obviously, it was completely sarcastic but looking back I definitely have learned a lot. I KNOW my writing has gotten tons better (no blog writing doesn't count...this is casual). I definitely know how to engage someone on the economic wisdom of certain policy interventions. Before this program, I definitely did not know what paternalistic altruism is or why I should care about it. I’ve learned how to write a history-based opinion editorial. I always enjoyed reading them but actually feel like I could write a solid one.  I met with some of the top officials in the immigration policy world through the podcast series I recorded for my "Changing Context of Policy" class.  Batten sent me to an Edward Tufte workshop on graphical presentations that was amazing. It’s been sort of a whirlwind.

I love Charlottesville. I love Virginia. It’s like nowhere else I have ever lived. After growing up in Texas, Americorps VISTA in East Los Angeles, and Peace Corps in El Salvador, UVA is quite a change but a nice one. I love the smallness of this town. I can be anywhere in five minutes but it still has everything I want. I love the cool weather, beautiful leaves, crisp air. I can get to DC in two hours…a trip I have made at least 15 times this semester. I go for work or we went up at least 5 times for class projects but every time it’s so easy. I absolutely love DC. But, I am always glad to get back to Cville. First, I will likely spend a significant amount of time after grad school living in DC, so I am not in a rush. Second, it’s so much more affordable to live here than DC! Third, DC would be incredibly distracting to me if I lived there during school!!

Nerdy as it sounds, I cannot wait until next semester. At the Holiday Party, I met the professor teaching the Congress class in the spring. He’s a super-Hill veteran and totally convinced me my education will be incomplete without his class. Hilarious. I have never had a professor talk me into enrolling in their class before. I am also taking a Spanish to English Translation class, which I am super pumped about. What I am not so pumped about is the prospect of 18 hrs!! I intentionally took NO electives my first semester in order to re-learn how to manage my time. I feel like I can handle some electives now. We’ll see!

Winter break will be focused on applying to internships, working on some Virginia Policy Review stuff, and planning an event for Batten Council. Should be a busy break!

Calling Home

Just called home to El Salvador. I had been putting it off for months, dreading what I would hear. My abuela in El Salvador was on the verge of dying last time I called down so that played into a big part of the delay. I finally called mostly because I needed to get the number of one of my girlfriends who walked to the States shortly before I left. She is living in NYC now and I want to check on her when I head up to the city in a few weeks.

In El Salvador, phones get ruined, lost, or stolen all the time. The average PCV goes through about 3 phones in 2 years so you can imagine how many phones the people there go through. I heard before I left El Salvador that they were about to run out of phone numbers. The cell phones there are mostly pre-paid and you don't register them so companies have no idea which numbers are inactive. I guess they are gonna have to figure it out soon.

Anyways, suffice it to say I had a hard time getting a hold of my host mom because none of her phone numbers worked anymore. I did manage to locate her son's phone number though and got through. Happily, her family is doing great including her mother. But, the women who gave me Cleo and was always helpful to me while I lived in my community had died of sudden heart attack. It made me so sad to hear. She was an awesome lady. I lived in the same house with her son and daughter-in-law so I saw her all the time. And, of course, I loved her because she gave me one of the little joys of my life.

It's weird to call back to El Salvador. The world there doesn't stop moving just because I am not there but somehow it feels like it should. I do want to get back if only to hang out with my host mom. I miss her. A lot. I miss the pace of life too. Its horrible to say that now because when you are there the pace is exactly what can drive you insane.

The Uniqueness of UVA

At UVA, they always talk about what Jefferson would think or want. Everything from leaving a gate open in the garden to calling campus "grounds" is considered sacred. While you definitely do some eye-rolling in the first few days here, you start to buy into it. It's cool to be in a place with traditions that are hundreds of years old.

UVA does have its quirks. For instance, the bus drivers are students. Yes, the guy sitting next to you in class could very well be the bus driver. My neighbor, it turns out, dropped me off at my bus stop yesterday. It's a bit bizarre.

Less quirky and actually quite wonderful is how close everything is. To go out downtown, hop on the free trolley. Want to eat, head to the Corner. Nothing in Cville is more than 10 minutes away. I like never needing my car. I love walking to campus. Oh, that's another thing. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. Even when it's raining, I love it. Reminds me of El Salvador...

I really like my classmates and classes are interesting....mostly. It's very clear that the curriculum they developed had a ton of thought behind it and I will leave here with a set of skills I never would have acquired otherwise.

This weekend is my first football game- WAHOOWAH! I'm pumped. I was playing beach volleyball right when I got here and heard the band practicing. The cheerleader in me started jumping up in down. Hopefully I won't throw my horns up when I am excited ;)
Games here are super southern ie. guys wear coats and girls wear pearls. I don't think I am going to conform. That's not football to me...we'll see how it goes.

Home is where my things are

Renaming the blog. I wasn't particularly fond of the last name but as I was driving to Charlottesville last night to meet the movers who would be arriving at 6 am this morning I remembered how I always say that home is where my things are. If you have talked to me recently you have probably heard me express my concern that I can move places with little attachment for where I am at the moment. I find myself not wanting to be any place for too long. I spent a year in LA, over 2 in El Salvador, 6 months in Austin, and now am moving to Charlottesville. I can make no commitment beyond Charlottesville because I know I am temperamental and as much as I am in love with (the idea of) living in Virginia, it probably won't last. At least I know myself a little.

Just having my worldly possessions which can fit into exactly 17 boxes, 2 suitcases, and a cat carrier is enough to satisfy me wherever I am.

Last leg of the trip

Well I made it to Virginia finally. I could not be more tired. It was a very rushed drive but by far the prettiest leg of the trip.

I opted to leave Cincinnati by way of the Appalachian highway and skip the major interstates. This route took me through the heart of the Ohio River Valley, West Virginia, and Maryland. Along the way I saw some very interesting things. First, I saw prisoners in Ohio dressed in black and white prison stripes. They were cleaning trash off the highway. I guess I knew they wore bright pink in Arizona but I had never actually seen this get-up in real life. The next thing I saw was what I thought was a tractor on the side of the highway. Then I saw horses and I thought how weird that the tractor got stuck and was pulling it with horses. Then I realized it was a wagon and what I thought was the top of the tractor was actually a young man. It was an Amish guy in overalls and everything! After that I kept looking for an Amish town but couldn't see one. When I reached a coal-mining town in West Virginia, I saw a different kind of poverty than I am used to and was reminded just how much that state struggles with it.

The drive was so beautiful. It reminded me that there is so much to see within our borders. You don't have to leave it to see gorgeous landscapes. Not to discourage foreign travel, but it seems like we don't appreciate domestic travel as much as we should.