Cer ti fied.

So this past weekend, I drove home from ACL at 3:30 in the morning to complete my final weekend of training and receive a certificate of completion from the Oxford Seminars TESOL/TESL/TEFL program. "What does this mean?" you ask.

I ask myself the same question.

But you know, there was a reason (or multiple reasons) why I chose this particular certification.

I thought about just doing it online for half the price, but then I'd be...doing it online. And how credible is that, really? I also considered another Houston course, which was less expensive but was more hours of credit. Hm. Then I looked at where it was being held, and it ended up that it was in a hotel somewhere. That just seems slightly sketchy to me. The only one remaining was the Oxford course - only 60 hours, but it was also held at a reputable university and offered free job placement assistance upon completion.

Just in case anyone looking to get into the TESOL business runs across this, I'll tell you how the class ended up being. First of all, my classmates (9 others) were all very smart and genuinely nice. Our teacher was also very intelligent and had a lot of experience teaching abroad. I felt comfortable in the setting and with all the people.

The class ended up being, as the Oxford Seminars title suggests, more of a seminar than an actual instruction course. We spent our time discussing how to behave abroad, what to expect as far a job offers, the kinds of things to stay away from, etc. We talked briefly about learning styles and how to teach (book info), but it was mostly common sense or, as my teacher put it, "something we were going to learn anyway." Many times, our conversations devolved into rather morbid topics about the state of the world, but I usually felt we were discussing things worth discussing. We had to give two practice lessons, one alone (10 minutes) and one with a partner (30 minutes), and we were evaluated by the teacher and our peers. We also got a crash course on English grammar.

Basically, I learned that we'll probably have to teach from a book, which will outline the lessons for us. I also learned that unless you're a complete dumbass or are not ready to move your life to another country, you'll probably be okay and learn everything you need to know as you go.

In the end, I'm really glad I chose to go through Oxford Seminars. It might not be as many hours as some courses, but it was actually pretty fun and did a lot to prepare me mentally. I had a great teacher who told it like it is and gave us a ton of helpful information and resources. I had great classmates who were kind and supportive of everyone. I really do feel like I'm ready to begin looking for my future job. I sent an email to the teacher placement service to tell them I'm ready to start; my top three countries of choice are: Argentina, Peru, and Mexico.

Wish me luck! :)

Adventures in the Kitchen: Salsa Verde

Vee's Salsa Verde

So I followed a recipe I found online, but the end product was less than satisfactory. I started adding stuff that I felt it needed, like I always do. What resulted was one of the best things I've ever made IN THE HISTORY OF MY LIFE. I was so impressed with myself. Haha. Anyway. This stuff is the shit. And it goes on everything! Tacos, chicken, fries, crackers, scrambled eggs, baked potatoes...the list goes on. Please make it, and enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 Qt water
9 Whole Tomatillos (large, tomato-sized)
10 medium cloves garlic, whole
3 chiles serranos (vary according to preference for spice)
3 Tbsp + 1/2 cup white onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, with a bit of stem
3 Tbsp heavy cream
3 Tbsp chicken bouillon /caldo de pollo powder
juice from 1/2 a lime

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add tomatillos, 4 garlic cloves, chiles and 3 tbsp onion. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Drain and let cool. Meanwhile, puree remaining garlic cloves in a molcajete or food processor, adding salt to taste. Add cilantro, 1/2 cup uncooked onion, and blend. Add tomatillo mixture , cream, bouillon, and lime juice. Blend to desired consistency.





I <3 tomatillos.

Adventures in the Kitchen: Cilantro Lime Rice

Sticking with my Mexican theme...

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 large lime (juice and zest)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a skillet, melt butter and add rice. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes (add water if necessary). Add cilantro a few minutes before the rice is done. Fluff with fork and serve.

Good in burritos...very Chipotle-eqsue!

Grammar Lessons from the Future English Teacher: Installment 3

Today's lesson will be: The Correct Use of "I" and "Me."


Contrary to popular belief, you DO NOT ALWAYS USE "I." THIS IS VITAL, PEOPLE. PAY ATTENTION.



This sentence is correct: Lexie and I are going to the moon.

The reason this sentence is correct is because Lexie and I are the subjects. However, if we were the objects, YOU CAN'T USE "I."

This sentence is incorrect: The goat kicked Lexie and I.

NO NO NO NO NO. It's easier to see if we remove Lexie: The goat kicked I. Would you ever say that? No. No you wouldn't. You would say, "the goat kicked me." So don't say I if you're the object of the sentence. If you do, I will kill you. I will. Don't think that I won't. I'll come after you.

This sentence is correct: The goat kicked Lexie and me.

A special reminder for my Facebook friends aka the largest known source of incorrect grammar: If you are captioning a picture, DO NOT say "this is so-and-so and I." That is WRONG. Say instead "this is so-and-so and ME." Ok? Ok.

***So remember, if you are ever in doubt, just remove the other person and figure out what you would say if you were only talking about yourself. It's not difficult. I know you can do it. I have faith in all of you.***

Adventures in the Kitchen: Poblano Soup

I love spicy things.

Cream o' poblano is one of my favorite soups, so I thought I'd try it. I altered the recipe I found, because it called for canned poblano peppers (ew) and not enough cilantro (of course). I also thought it needed cumin and garlic, so I added those too. Here be my final recipe:

Poblano Soup

Ingredients:

6 tbsp butter
1 white onion, sliced
3 fresh poblano peppers, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2-3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp cumin
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
shredded jack cheese (to top off)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a pot; fry the onion and garlic. When the onion begins to turn clear, add the poblano. Fry for about 5 minutes. Set this mixture aside to cool. Keep the heat on and fry the tortilla strips in the leftover butter. Salt these and set them aside on a paper towel. Take the poblano/onion/garlic mixture and puree it with the chicken stock and cilantro until it's relatively smooth. Return the mixture to the pot and heat it up again. Add cream, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla strips on top! Nom.

*On a side note, you may want to wear gloves while slicing the poblano peppers. I didn't, and my hands burned for about 24 hours. You've been warned.

**On another side note, the fried tortilla strips are one of the best things I've ever tasted. Ever.

Adventures in the Kitchen: Guacamole

Now that I've graduated and am once again living at home while I wait for the TEFL ball to start rolling, I've found myself with quite a bit of free time. One thing that I did a lot at school (but not quite as much as I wanted to) was cook; now seems like a good time to start it up again. I've somehow convinced my parents to let me have a grocery budget, so I've decided to peruse the internet for fun recipes and share all my kitchen adventures. Lucky you.

This first one though, I've been making for a while and is nottttttt from the internet. A Mexican friend initially taught me how to make guacamole, and I've since tweaked it a little bit. I know it's not technically "cooking," but I've been told it's pretty good and have been asked how to make it, so here it is. Measurements are more estimates than anything, but I tried to be as accurate as possible and pay attention to how much I was using this time. So, here it is:

Vee's Guacamole! I hope you like my happy cilantro garnish.

Ingredients:

2-3 large avocados
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 jalapeño, diced (keep the seeds for more spice)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 large lime
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp salt (at least!)
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder


Directions:

Peel avocados and mash them with a fork. As soon as you've done this, squeeze the lime over them (this keeps them from getting brown). Mix in all other ingredients, and add more salt/lime juice if needed. Mmm tasty. Now go get some chips.

Grammar Lessons from the Future English Teacher: Installment 2

First thing.

To everyone who shows up on my Facebook newsfeed: STOP USING "YOUR" WHEN YOU SHOULD BE USING "YOU'RE," AND STOP USING APOSTROPHES FOR PLURALS. YOU ARE IN COLLEGE, PEOPLE. MOST OF YOU HAVE GRADUATED. JESUS CHRIST.

Now, that's out of the way. If you missed the first lesson, never fear. Here it is: Clicky click.

Due to popular demand, I'm going to make a whole post about homophones. For those of you who missed this day in FIRST GRADE, homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently. I know, really confusing.

Here is a very helpful website, if you're having trouble with confusing words (not all are homophones - Thanks, Sharon):

http://homepage.smc.edu/reading_lab/words_commonly_confused.htm

There are a ton, but I'm going to focus on some that I feel are the most common. Let's revisit the most annoying ones (to me) first, because somehow people are still making mistakes after my first post. I mean obviously everyone read it, so I don't know what's going on.

your vs. you're

Once again, "your" signifies possession. Example: That is YOUR bad.

"You're" means "you are." The apostrophe is REPLACING THE 'A.' Example: YOU'RE a d-bag.

I don't know how to make that one much clearer.

Another that I've already addressed but needs to be mentioned...


it's vs. its

It's = IT IS. Use "its" when talking about something inanimate possessing something else.

Example: IT'S really sad that the food has lost ITS flavor.

I know this one is really super hard because "its" is possessive and omg there is no apostrophe, but GET OVER IT AND REMEMBER IT.

Now, the one that everyone couldn't believe wasn't in the first post...


they're, their, there

Oh shit, now there are three choices. What do we do? We take a breath and think about it for a millisecond before we write it.

"They're" means "they are."

"Their" means relating to them (adj).

"There" means "in that matter, respect, or relation" (adv).

Example: THEY'RE getting more food for THEIR platypus over THERE in the pond.

accept vs. except

"Accept" is a verb that means "to receive willingly."

"Except" is a preposition that means "but" or "with the exception of."

Example: I ACCEPT all of your flaws, EXCEPT the fact that you have poor grammar.

than vs. then

Technically not homophones, but they might as well be with the way we speak in the US. No one knows how to use them correctly anyway.

"Than" is used to indicate difference (conj).

"Then" means next or consequently (adv).

Example: I use correct grammar more often THAN you do; I am going to make a post about it, and THEN I expect you to try harder.

whose vs. who's

Whose means "of or relating to whom or which esp. as possessor or possessors" (adj).

Who's is a contraction of who and is.

Example: WHOSE clothes are these? They belong to that guy WHO'S skinny dipping. Let's hide them.

Okay so these are the ones that everyone usually screws up. Let me know if you think of any more good ones, and I'll add them.

Please please please visit this website, and make sure you understand all of the words on it.

Grammar Lessons from the Future English Teacher: Installment 1

Okay. I know that most of you who read my blog don't need this little reminder. However, on the off-chance that someone is perusing the internet and happens to find themselves here, I need to get some things off my chest. I find it astounding how many people, especially people who have graduated from college, have no concept of a few basic grammar rules. If you are a native English speaker, you have no excuse for not speaking and writing correctly. Please pay attention.

My personal pet peeve: misused apostrophes

Apostrophes are used to signify possession (and missing letters in contractions). For example, "This is Vanessa's pet peeve." "Rock 'n' roll, dude!" (Both the 'a' and the 'd' are missing, so put a freakin' apostrophe where they should be).

Apostrophes are NOT used when a word is plural. For example, you would NOT USE AN APOSTROPHE in this sentence: "Jeez, Vanessa has a lot of pet peeve's." Wrong. That is so wrong that it makes my retinas burn. The correct sentence is "Jeez, Vanessa has a lot of pet peeves."

In a subcategory of this one, if you are signifying a plural possessive with a plural word that ends in an 's,' you place an apostrophe after the 's' but DO NOT FOLLOW IT WITH ANOTHER 'S.' For example:

"Whose eggplants are those?"
"Those are the girls' eggplants."

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SAY: "Those are the girls's eggplants."

The ONLY time you would have a word that ends in 's' followed by an apostrophe and another 's' is if the word is NOT plural. Example: "No, that is James's eggplant."

It's v. its: "It's" literally means "it is." If you don't mean to say "it is," DO NOT USE "it's." Examples: "It's really annoying that people don't understand this." When talking about an inanimate object owning something, use "its." Example: "That painting has lost its color."

When talking about a family and pluralizing their last name, DO NOT USE AN APOSTROPHE. For example: "The Coopers are coming to get you." WRONG VERSION: "The Cooper's are coming to get you."

On this note, if a last name ends with an 's' or a 'z', you pluralize it with 'es.' Example: "the Joneses" or "the Sanchezes."

So let's not get apostrophe happy, okay? Okay.

The most common: your v. you're

"Your" signifies that you OWN SOMETHING. For example: "Your grammar skills are terrible."

The contraction "you're" literally means "you are." So. If you mean to say "you are," you had better use this or I will come rip out your uvula. Got it? Example: "You're in need of a grammar lesson." This goes along with the whole apostrophes replace absent letters thing. The 'a' in 'you are' is missing, and therefore it is replaced with an apostrophe.

Are you still with me?

Moving on.

A lot

"A lot" is two words. Period. "Alot" is not a word, so don't ever write it. Ever.

To v. too

"To" is a preposition. Example: "We are going to the park."

"Too" is an adverb. Please use it as such. "That chinchilla is too expensive." "Too" is also used to say "in addition." Example: "We need to buy a sugar glider, too."

Well v. Good

If someone asks you how you are, the correct response is "I'm well, thanks." NOT "I'm good, thanks."

You do things well. Things go well.

That song is good; you sang it well. This meal is good; it is well-made.





I could get into a whole list of other things that people write incorrectly, but we'd be here all day. So. Please bookmark this entry. Come back to it. Reread it. And for the love of GOD, if you don't know how to spell something, please look it up. Google is at your disposal.

I'm sure I will have another installment of grammar lessons. I'm thinking comma usage needs to be next. Stay tuned.

Step 2.5

Thanks to the incredible generosity of my parents, the step between 2 and 3 is complete, and I am registered for a TEFL certification program:

Dear Vanessa Cooper,

Thank you for registering with Oxford Seminars. We are pleased to confirm that you have successfully enrolled in the TESOL/TEFL certification course #9556, being held on Sept. 19, 20, 26, 27, Oct. 3, 4 in Houston (University of St. Thomas).

Hooray! It seems far away but I'm sure it'll be here before I know it.

Euro Trip 09

In an effort to confine a three week trip across Europe within the boundaries of a blog entry, I'll stick to two pictures per city.

Big Ben (London)

At Stamford Bridge (London)

The Cathedral (Cádiz)

My new tattoo! ...se hace camino al andar. (Cádiz)

Templo de Debod (Madrid)

Valle de los Caídos (Madrid)

Eiffel Tower (Paris)

Arc de Triomphe (Paris)

Manneken Pis (Brussels)

Around the corner from our hotel (Brussles)

Paddle boating on the canals (Amsterdam)

I amsterdam sign.

"Enjoying" our free pint of Guinness at the storehouse (Dublin)

On top of the world (Wicklow/Dublin)

In other news, step one of my Steps Toward Argentina is complete, and I'll be returning to Tea for Two this fall in order to save up to move. Hooray! The rest of my planned steps are as follows:

2. Move home to Houston
3. Take TEFL course
4. Find/get hired for job in Buenos Aires
5. Moooove

Graduation

I am officially an alum of the University of Texas at Austin.

In other news, I am leaving for Europe in 2 days. Will try to keep blog updated with current shenanigans.

Having a bad day?

Here's a pick-me-up:

So close, yet so far.

Woohoo, teh blog is revamped with new layout. And now,

THINGS STANDING IN THE WAY OF GRADUATION:

1. Thesis
-Introduction
-Conclusion
-Edits (WHERE ARE MY ADVISERS?!)
-Formatting
-Bio
-Table of Contents
-Binding
-Signatures (AGAIN, WHERE ARE MY ADVISERS?!)

2. Cine paper

3. Corridos project

4. Human Sexuality exam

5. Cine final

6. Corridos final

In that order. That's it. Six things. We are on the home stretch, people.

Update on progress soon.

Rio de Janeiro Recap

Again, if you've seen my pictures on Facebook, these will be repeats. Favorites from Rio!

We saw a samba show on our first night. So many colorful costumes and a lot of beautiful dancing, though the snotty Argentinian women on our tour detracted a bit from dinner. Haha.

Cristo Redentor: One of the "new" wonders of the world and one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring works of art I've seen.

We rode cable cars to the top of Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf).

This is the view of Cristo Redentor from the top of Pão de Açúcar.

Some of the many public telephones - OI!

Stopping for a snack at one of the numerous juice bars. They had every kind of juice you could think of! I think we annoyed them by asking for the names of all the different kinds of fruit on display.

In front of the Estádio do Maracanã, the 2nd largest stadium in South America and where the Brazilian national team plays.

Rio was beautiful! Everything was so green. We had a great time relaxing and managed to navigate a country that speaks neither English nor Spanish, even occasionally understanding some Portuguese (which I am pretty proud of). All in all, a great trip. I am very much looking forward to returning to South America.

Buenos Aires Recap

First I would like to comment that posting this was a pain. Aside from all the formatting issues, this entire post has been erased and redone three times. Thanks, Blogger. Anyway.

Ideally, in the future I'll be posting pictures as they happen. On a trip, however, it's nearly impossible to do this, so apologies for the delay. If you've seen pictures on Facebook, you'll have seen these already. Apologies for that too. BUT, here are favorites from Buenos Aires!

This is the Obelisco, seen up there in the top right of my blog. It was built in May 1936 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first founding of the city. Also worth mentioning is the fact that it wears a giant red condom on World AIDS Day. Attaboy, Obelisco.

This is the Flor, given by the architect to all the women of Buenos Aires. It closes at sunset and opens with the sunrise.

This is the Casa Rosada, the Pink House. Like the White House, but pink. Really. Worth noting: Argentina has a female president.

This is me tangoing spontaneously in the neighborhood of La Boca, known for its colorful buildings. Also home of Boca Juniors, a very well-supported and successful soccer team and the favorite of Diego Maradona.

This is Lexie and me posing with the traditional Argentinian asado, sort of a barbecue with a bunch of different kinds of meat. This particular asado was at Soledad's house (she's an acquaintance of Andrew's) and was the best meal we had the whole trip!

This is Soledad and her family! They were very kind and fed us all kinds of Peruvian and Argentinian food - we were stuffed to the gills!

This is the tango show we went to at La Ventana. Lots of great music and singing, plus a great dinner that we had to try to stuff down after eating way too much at Soledad's house.

I took this picture while walking around the market in San Telmo. Most of the tourist-y streets in Buenos Aires feature some type of musician or band playing music for the passers by.

This is Sarah and me at La Bombonera after watching Boca Juniors win! It was great to see Riquelme play. The stadium is called La Bombomera (chocolate box) because it looks like one from the air.

This was our gaucho day. We spent the morning and afternoon riding horses and taking in the countryside on la Estancia de Dos Hermanos. The white mane and ears in this picture is my buddy Comanche. Up ahead are Mataco, Gallego, and Luna. We also got to eat another delicious asado at the estancia. Note to self: Do not gallop on horse with camera in pocket.

This is Sarah and me on the BA pub crawl, funnily (or predictably) enough started by Americans.

This guy is one of the Ositos de Paz. They are a collection of painted bears from countries around the world, hanging out in a circle in the Plaza San Martín. They all want world peace. This is Miss (Mr.?) Argentina!

All in all, a great city! I had a blast, and I have never met so many nice people in my life. Even the taxi drivers were amazing. I actually began to miss it as soon as we left...I've definitely decided that Buenos Aires is my destination. Now begins the process of job hunting (assuming I get my thesis together and actually graduate from college). Wish me luck!

Rio recap coming soon.

Home.

Have been back for 1 week. Still sick. Should go to doctor.

Pictures/recap soon!

Brasil

Ah Rio. So hot. And green. But mostly hot.

Tummy is grumpy. Cheer up, tummy!

Saw Jeebus and Pão de Açúcar. Brasil not cheap like Argentina, and taxi drivers not as nice. Wallet is sad. About to get sadder when I spend all my money on souvenirs at market tonight. Rio still pretty, and I sometimes understand Portuguese a little. This makes me happy.

I like juice. Ate açaí on Ipanema beach. Felt pretty touristy.

Don´t make me leeeaaaveeeeeee. :(

Adiós, Buenos Aires!

Lunch with Peruvian/Argentinian family was best meal of trip. Good Spanish practice.

Tango show was fun. Ate too much again. Eat too much every day. Food too cheap. All that working out for Brazil wasted.

Bought lots of things. Probably too many. Hard to resist though. Everything so cheap, including taxis. I like being driven around. Have been told that my Spanish is good. Each time has been followed by me messing up next verb. Maybe these are just attempts to get me to buy more things. It´s working.

Fútbol was intense. Took picture with Maradona look-alike, though only part that looked alike was hair. Lost sister at one point and was forced to spend 1st half thinking of best way to tell Mom and Dad that I lost their daughter at South American soccer match. Found her at half time. Boca won 3-0.

Gaucho day was fun, though the four of us were only ones there. Was hoping to meet people. Managed to lose camera in the yerba, but our guide searched and found it. Thanks, Alex. Never galloped on a horse before. Have video. V. sore.

Pub crawl after gaucho day probably not best idea, but fun anyway. Slept in sort of. Lunch at burrito place that was suspiciously like Chipotle. Tasty.

Last meal at Los Inmortales. Best thing about most meals is dessert. Why is ice cream so good here?

Love BA. :D Everyone so nice.

Rio tomorrow. Why am I awake? Must sleep.

24-hour time.

We really must remember about 24-hour time.

In other news, had steak. Mmm steak.

Tomorrow = city tour, lunch with real live Argentinian family, shopping, tango show?
Sunday = Market, Boca fútbol
Monday = Horsie riding, pub crawl with people from hostel
Tuesday = ?
Wed = flight to Rio

Bienvenidos a Argentina!

Have made it to hostel and successfully made reservations for Boca Juniors football match on Sunday. Hope we don´t die in football riot.

V. tired. Never can sleep on planes.

Hostel Suites Florida v. nice. Lots of people but no hand soap. Don´t know why.

Pizza everywhere. Also, loving how "llaves" now begins with shhhh. Hoping my Spanish skills shape up pretty quickly, although did teach Lex new word to describe how she feels today(cansada). Going on night walking tour now. More soon.

V

Departure Day

It has arrived! Leaving to get Potbelly mmm sandwich and then off to the airport. Ta ta for now.

V

Boa noite.

Leaving in one week. OMGWTF.

Have been trying to learn some Portuguese phrases for Brazil.

Oi, como vai você? Onde fica o banheiro?

Es más difícil que el español.

packing list (so far):
camera
film
charger
iPod
clothes
omg shoes
sunglasses
bathing suit
sunscreen
travel journal
bathroom things
monies
umbrella
address book (to send you a postcard)


What's missing? Comment. Now. Do it.




Days until departure: 8

I still need to...

buy:
camera battery
at least 6 rolls of film (Yes, I still have a film camera. I love it. So shut up.)
rain coat
suitcase locks
purse
flippy floppies
travel-sized everything
...a new dress? :x

find:
Dad's digital camera
200 more dollars

finish:
my thesis









Days until departure: 10

Visa.

Woo. Visas in hand. Glad to report that passport was not lost in the abyss. Am v. excited about tiny holographic Brazil.

Days until departure: 11

Our Trip to the Brazilian Consulate.

SOME SUITE IN SOME BUILDING IN HOUSTON:

Small Brazilian flag hanging in the window: Hello! I am the only indication that this is the Brazilian consulate!

Sarah and Me: *take two tickets that say ADMIT ONE (what, is this a state fair?) and sit down*

Everyone else: *waiting patiently in line*

Lady at the visa window: Number 73...73....number 73...Anyone? Bueller?

Some guy: *goes up to the window to turn in forms*

Lady at the visa window: [to some guy at the window] You have to pay $20 since you are applying for a third party.

Some guy: Cool. So where in Brazil are you from?

Lady at the visa window: Sir, I am not in the mood to be hit on right now.

Some guy: Wah.

Me: Oh no why doesn't the website say that I have to pay $20? I have Lexie's forms and no cash and omg what if she makes me pay omgomgomgomgomgomg!

Sarah: Dude, chill out. I have $20.

Some guy who has no idea what's going on: *cuts in front of everyone* Um, I just have a really quick question...Uh, my flight is next Friday...so like, what are the chances that I can get a visa by then?

Lady at the visa window: *audible sigh* Sir, it is going to take a minimum of 7 business days to process your request. As it is CLEARLY indicated on the piece of paper taped to this window AND the website AND should be common sense . *seethe*

Everyone else: *glare*

Some guy who has no idea what's going on: No but like, I tried to fill out the form online and and it didn't work. So since your stupid website doesn't work, you should make an exception for me and give me a visa RIGHT NOW OK?

Lady at the visa window: Sir, do you see all of these people waiting behind you? They ALL KNOW HOW TO USE THE INTERNET. And you're wasting their time.

Everyone else: *glare*

Some other guy that works at the consulate: *appears out of nowhere* Sir, do you have the rest of your forms? Do you have a photo? DO YOU HAVE YOUR ITINERARY???

Some guy who has no idea what's going on: Yes, I have all of that, it's right here.

Some other guy that works at the consulate: Okay, you're saying you have these things, but you're not showing them to me. I need you to show them to me.

Some guy who has no idea what's going on: They're right here! *waves papers*

Some other guy that works at the consulate: Okay, you're saying you have these things, but you're not showing them to me. I need you to show them to me.

Some guy who has no idea what's going on: *facepalm*

Sarah and Me: o_O

Lady at the visa window: *calls our number*

The visa application process: *is not as intense as I thought it would be*

My passport: NNNOOO DON'T LEAVE ME!!! You will never see me again if you leave me here in this stack of applications! Nooooooooooooooooo. Goodbye, cruel world.

Waiting in line:

Man hitting on visa lady:

First Post Whee.

Finally official! March 12th, Sarah, Andrew, Lex, and I will be headed to Buenos Aires. Can't wait to eat a steak. Hope I understand the Porteños and their silly accent. Jo quiero un pojo. No. That is a lie, but fun to say in Argentine accent. Really jo quiero un bistec.

Read a website that says Argentine women dress v. nicely. Will need to get pretteh clothes.

Then Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to see Christ the Redeemer, go hang gliding, lay on beach, take panoramic pictures, pay stupid amounts of money for things because we are tourists, etc. etc. Everyone in Brazil is a model, obviously, so will need to be in v. good shape.

Until then, lots to do. Need Brazilian tourist visas, which means paperwork, photos, a trip to Brazilian consulate in Houston M-F 9-12 (why?! why not normal business hours? WAH), and about $150. Right now have about $600 saved for spring break, which covers Brazilian visa, entrance fee to Argentina (reciprocated entrance fee for Argentinians to get into States. thanks, U.S.), and flight from Buenos to Rio.

Need more money since I don't want to sleep on the streets of South America. In a box.

And now for your enjoyment, a picture of a jet, much like the one we will be flying. Because there is nothing else relevant to this entry that I can post a picture of.



More soon.

V

Days until South America: 39