New Photos!
Alright, I'm trying this out, I hope it works. Comment if you can't access it. These pictures will be posted on the site eventually but with all the stuff going on now, this is a better solution.
Posted at 01:53 PM on October 23, 2002 | Comments (1)Fresh wind
I'm sitting here munching on my Huehnergeschnetzeltes (I don't think I will ever get enough of this dish... chicken breast chunks with mushrooms in a creamy sauce... nothing spectacular, but just yummy.), trying to make up for all the standing and walking I did today. When did my sedentary life turn into all this physical labor?! Oh, but I like it.
I drove some more tractor today and helped the kids pick pumpkins... oh they are just so cute. Children are really funny. The teachers are too...
Every now and then someone takes a guess at where I'm from... only one person got it right, but I think he was Serbian, so he really got an advantage because he knew my name.
I had people guess... Polish, Slovak, Scandinavian (!), but actually never German. Today a teacher says to me after I handed her a honey sample: "Oh, thank you! And how do you say that in Lithuanian?"
Hm, how did she come up with Lithuanian! Out of all the "Slavic" possibilities! Is Lithuanian Slavic at all or is it more like Finnish? I don't even know. I'm just amazed how people are so self-confident with their guesses... not that I mind, but if I wasn't 99% sure of an accent, I would never guess, I would just ask. Lithuanian? What does a Lithuanian accent sound like? No idea.
I worked at the cafe today for the first time. It was good. I think it's going to be fun. Turns out half the staff are teachers. Plus there is a girl my age from Venezuela working there! I am so lucky... I get to speak Spanish! Chevere! She also lives in the same apartment complex. Too bad I'm leaving... Never thought I'd say that! She has a college degree too. People you meet serving lattes...
Anyway, my back hurts. Still, I am happy with the current developments. It feels good to have some control over life again.
Being...
Have you ever thought how great it would be to be able to have the perfect amount of self-confidence? Just the right balance... being completely aware of your strengths and weaknesses and be very comfortable with them. Comfortable to the point that you never wish to be different and never compare yourself with anyone. Also, nobody could ever intimidate you and you would never feel humiliated and never feel the need to put other people down. You would just - be - yourself and it would come naturally. You wouldn't have to keep yourself in check because you would just know who you are and what you can do and what you can't.
Also what if you could always find the right words for the right person... you would know how to deal with others and communicate yourself perfectly every time and get your point across just the way it is in your head.
Ah. Wouldn't that be just great? Sometimes I think that's the one thing I would wish for if I had a wish to pick. Finally... stop the self-doubts, the insecurities, the anger and hurt, the arrogance too.
I know this can never be, and I know why. But wouldn't it be nice?
Be careful what you wish for...
So I'm sitting on the sofa on wonderful White River Road with three sleeping pugs on one side and repetitive work process (=crafty crafts for non-German speakers) on the other. Also I'm enjoying a nice view of colorful trees and cute little squirrels. They create a lot of drama - so they have to be thoroughly barked at every hour or so. "Trading Spaces" is on TV. It must be my lucky day.
Actually we seem to have non-stop lucky days recently. It's almost scary. For so long things seemed out of our reach, out of our control. I was getting so good at dealing with what I had, living in the present and all that "coping"-crap and now I feel overwhelmed with all the plans coming true one by one.
First of all Lincoln's job was a great relief, as you all know. It means though that we have to stay in Valparaiso for quite a while more, but luckily the past 6 months have helped overcome our aversion to it, so we don't dislike it quite as much anymore. I am not spending my life here, I can tell you that much, but for now it's not a bad solution. I guess I might draw some inspiration from my highly cultural self clashing with the rather plain surroundings. :) I'm just joking, I'm a "Naturkind" after all, right Kathrin?
My orchard duties are going to be over by the end of the month and I was wondering what was going to be my next occupation. Not surprisingly Valparaiso is not an international melting pot and multi-language skills are not often remunerated. So that means I will have to create work for myself, which will take some time. In the meantime it looks like I can continue my part-time experience at a newly opened coffee shop. Yay! I was thinking I might be able to smuggle in some "real" coffee into this country in addition to "real" crusty rolls. We'll see how that goes, but I'm excited anyway. For now nothing's worse than sitting at home... waiting. Sarah, if you're reading, I just want you to know you will be my role model! :)
I have more news, but frankly, it will have to wait for another day. If it's too much for me to write, it's too much for you to read. Trust me.
Posted at 03:46 PM on October 17, 2002 | Comments (3)Quick, look!
I added a new section to the LINKS/ ! Check out my brandnew Ebay listings... I spent the last weeks doing all this stuff, so you better honor it by taking a look.
:) I had a lot of fun doing it, so hopefully someone will enjoy having them.
I plan on another more thorough update, but for now this will have to do, because I just spent over an hour on this computer, clicking around on Ebay.
GOOD NEWS!
Make sure you read what Lincoln has to say...
I'm fine....d!
My nose is stuffed and sore from all the kleenex-attention. I shouldn't complain, I haven't had a cold in a long time, but still... who needs a cold? So I'm not going to work because yelling and sitting on a tractor in the wind is not conducive to cold-elimination. I would've liked to go though. On the other hand, it's probably better to sit at home and assist the best husband through the awaiting of the worst.
I managed to do a whole quilt-wallhanging-top today. I am so fast, it's amazing. I have several items ready to put up for sale, so everybody stay alert.
Otherwise I had another "first" yesterday. Someone managed to insult me by calling me "European". Ok, let me explain. Not that I'm ashamed to be European but the person in question used "European" to describe a set of (negative) qualities that could obviously best be expressed by that word. So instead of being called "@#)%(*&^!" I was called "European". It's a strange feeling. I didn't know it could be used that way. Usually people at least specify, like, let's say... "you smell like a... European" or "you drive like an... Italian". But simply "you are European" is new.
Oh well, I know what my problem is... see I'm not Republican (for anyone who doesn't know me, I am not fond of any political party so far) and partly this is because the country I'm from does not have a Republican party, which is in itself probably indicative of a problem. If Republican is the way to go in any case, what do all those disadvantaged people do whose country doesn't provide them with the correct way of thinking? Stupid foreign people. No wonder everyone wants to live in the U.S of A.*
*For the record, this is to make fun of ignorance, not the U.S. in general. I like the U.S. After all my favorite person is from there. :)
I get it, but...
Alright, lady, don't call your child "Armani"! There is just no possible justification in this world for that. Would you want to be called "Gap"? How about "Target"?
I understand there is a necessity for different, original names... but "Armani"? Oh no. If you are Italian and that is your last name you can carry it with pride... any other circumstance? Nope. When your little girl gets famous and walks down the red carpet, do you really want to hear Joan Rivers yell: "Oh here is Armani in Armani!" You would die of embarassment. Better be prepared. Anybody correct me if I'm wrong but Armani is not a first name, not even in Italy. No reason to give your child this name. You're still not sure? Call me. I'll tell you.
ANNOUNCEMENT!
My handsome husband has a site of his own! Visit www.souzek.com/lincoln ... MANY MANY times!
:)
Posted at 07:54 PM on October 03, 2002Issues
Oh boy. Unemployment and money worries make you mad and grumpy, also you feel very sorry for yourself. That said I will proceed to complain...
I was about to post about my lack of girlfriends, but then I went to one of these message boards I read and now I switched to "I'm SO mad" from "I'm SO sad".
It's an easy transition. Very smooth. Don't you worry about me.
I just have to say how upset I get by people who think along their "party line". (Lincoln you can go skip the next few lines, as you've heard this from me way too often.) This attitude of: "I'm xyz (fill in: republican, democrat, vegetarian, moron...) and therefore my opinion is xyz and I don't have to think twice about anything because my affiliation speaks for me and has it all figured out already."
I have seen this logic followed into the most ridiculous issues! It works like this: If your party of preference recommends healthy nutrition and advises against excercising, you will eat healthy yet you will avoid strenous activities. It doesn't matter that maybe both are related and are bound by a certain logic, because you are one of "those, that eat right but won't move". You're in that group. You're part of that big and lovely brotherhood of people who think alike. Now, isn't that comforting? It also takes care of that painful struggle for a unique identity. It helps you determine who you are, for everybody to recognize. Why bother with painfully trying to figure out what you can stand for and what not? Join the group, the group will tell you who to be!
Alright. I'm done with this part.
Now back to feeling sorry for myself. Lincoln was mentioning about having friends over for grilling. It's a great idea, but it'll be a group of guys again. Nothing against guys, but I need girlfriends! I'm surprised I haven't turned into a "dude" myself. With all that college-guy-flair around me, you'd think I just melted with the surroundings. Didn't happen. I want to do fun girl stuff. Watching movies without terrifying screams and realistic gun fights. No space ships and cool gangster moves. Give me unrealistic relationships, pretty happy endings, predictable feel-good-plots. I want to eat too much dessert and someone to make me feel good about it. I want to talk about other people and their relationships. For a LONG time. I want to criticize other women on tv. I need to go dancing...! Or just do it in my living room feeling silly. I need some girlfriends.
Alright, don't send me emails and comments now, how everything will get better... I know that and I believe that, but tonight is the night to complain!
Posted at 08:35 PM on October 02, 2002 | Comments (4)It's time for...
... a quilting entry again! This is the second block of the wallhanging I'm making. It's called the Ohio Star. I'm half done with the third and last block as well, so that should be here as well soon.
Oh and I realized my last post was my 50th already! I'm pretty cool... so many posts! Congratulations to me! :)
Posted at 10:41 PM on October 01, 2002