Peruvian livin'

Hello all,



I am currently in Cusco, Peru...tomorrow morning we are setting off for a 3 day excursion to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. it is probably the most touristy part of the trip so far...I have seen so many gringos here in Cusco...And people are usually impressed/surprised to hear that I can actually speak Spanish. This trips has brought me through the South of Argentina, Central Chile, Northern Argentina, Bolivia, and now Southern Peru...all in one month! We are having an amazing time, and so far (knock on wood) no problems or lame places.



Right now we are planning our Christmas and New Year's Eve activites...although it is hard to get into the spirit of the holidays without the usual commercialism and cold weather. I am a bit sad to not spend the holidays with my family, but I guess ther will be times that we cannot be together, but next year will be wonderful and I will appreciate more than ever!



So, I have had some observations/realizations on this trip...I will share some...



-There are a lot of people travleing from the England, Ireland, and Australia. It seems that Americans do not travel as much as I thought (At least to South America)...but the Americans that I do meet tend to be pretty cool.

-Not all foreigners say they dislike the United States, but tend to have a few negative generalizations (Americans are not that friendly, tend to stick to their group, don't want to make new friends, act like things should be easy for them, hold the same expectaions for things as in the United States, etc.)

-I have realized that, I am not just an American...I am an amazing human being, and I happen to be a United States citizen, and that is a wonderful thing...In other words, I have nothing to be ashamed of...people may not like my country, my culture, my president...but that doesn't mean that they don't like me...I am an individual (obviously), although I am a product of my environment (US culture), I am not a stereotype, nor am I to be blamed for things out of my control, and if people cannot understand that, then perhaps they should examine themselves as well...

-I have realized that I love my country more than I thought...we have beautiful things to see, friendly people and a great philosophy for living. Given, we have made mistakes (knowingly and unknowingly) and done terrible things, but you would be hard pressed to find a country without skeletons in their closet...Wow, I really sound very Pro-America...Oh well, It is about time that I start standing up for my country instead of hiding behind all of my opportunites and taking my life for granted!! I am Proud to be American in more ways than not and that feels astonishingly liberating!

I am thankful for this opportunity to be away from home to see how much I truely do value it!

Future plans...

So I shall impart my precious plans for the next few years...This is obvously not definitive...as I have not applied to the positions nor bought plane tickets, but this is my plan as of now,a nd I can see no reason why it wont come to fruition...
Okay, so I am currently traveling in South America for 4 months...Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Uruguay....then back to Buenos Aires for 4 months to take more classes...Im thinking French, Portuguese, International Business, International Relations, and possibly an art class.
Post South America...
I will return to the United States of America in July 2008 and spend approximately 4 months in Iowa City, with the exception of a few trips to visit friends and/or family in Chicago, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Boston, and Southern California (This is the only way I can stomach an entire 4 months in Iowa)...So I plan to work at the Office for Study Abroad and some other currently unknown place until late December 2008 in order to pay off this trip and save for the trip to come...Okay so after Christmas 2008, I plan to fly to London and work there for 6 months...I want to work in an international business firm or an embassy to get a feel for things before choosing an emphasis for grad school...I also want to take little trips to Northern Europe (Scandanavia, Germany, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, etc.)
Post London...
InJuly 2009, I will come back to Iowa City to see my family and friends and work for 2 months before my next trip back to Europe...I want to teach Englsh in Spain for an academic year (9 months)...So from September 2009 to June 2010 I will be in Spain...After that, I dont know yet...Perhaps I wil go live in Central America or go to grad school and/or law school...So apparantly I have only planned 2.5 years in advance...lol!