A book backwards

Just today, a polish guy suggested to me that I read some book (it doesn´t matter which one) backwards. Not word by word just page by page. According to some Ph.D somewhere, it´s an interesting processes and forces the brain to change up its day to day processes. We discussed it for a while, and I´ve decided to give it a try even though I´m worried about ruining a great book. To hedge the risk, I´m going to read the book Clarissa in Pôrtugues; If reading the ending first wrecks the whole deal, I will have at least picked up some vocabulary.

And if the book is ruined, it´s okay. This city is drowning in bookstores. Most everybody has read whatever it may be that I´m reading, and they ask for bookreportesque information and opinions. That´s good stuff.

My year´s biggest activities don´t begin for a while so I´m going to head out this weekend and go hike around a big lake located more or less in the center of Uruguay. I´m planning on going for a swim...and now that I think about it...a good buddy of mine taught me to swim freestyle backwards. At first I thought it ridiculous but it became a very nice way to cool down after hard workouts and a technique and body position exercise. Now I wonder if there are any other things that could be enjoyed backwards?

The good news or the bad?

Do you want the good news or the bad first? I see a lot of hands for the good. And good it is!

I just arranged for an apartment for the year so I will be able to move out of the hostel and into an apartment! I haven´t described the hostel situation so nobody knows just how good this news really is. Every day 5 new people throw their packs onto the floor and take a bunk in a 12x12 room. The heat gets stronger every day and the room has been through a smeltering season of dirty travelers and feverishly sweaty sleepers. The fan above cannot be used due to the horrid squealing it makes as it swings back and forth but sometimes the baking oven that the building becomes after a day´s sun will push a soul to put up with even the most horrid noise. The fan´s disturbance of the peace disappears later because of the drunken revelry of party goers and returners that probably keep even you up. In the heat of the night (And some of you just started singing I bet), there is always one person that is willing to help you, he makes the fan disappear; the house party fades away; and that one person is pleased as punch to saw logs all night in the bunk above.

So now you are ready for the bad news. Due to el carnaval, I cannot move into the apartment until the end of next week. Ouch. =)

Attention. Censored.

This entry was not appropriate for audiences of diverse creeds, races, nationalities, and weak stomachs- as I would now describe mine :P so it has been censored. But they say that what doesn´t kill you makes you stronger. I will let everyone know in a while of my state, either buff or dead.

great answers to wrong questions and an identity crisis

Adjusting the the accent here is an interesting task. Case in point, I was along the beach to find a place called Kibon ( a kind of outdoor concert hall slash tent where a lot of people hang out on the lawn) and a guy about my age shouted out at me !ey ua ashuda! I reacted like most people here in the city do when approached by a weirdo or stranger, and I said no, gracias, and I continued on my way. After I thought about what he said, I realized he had asked for una ayuda, some coins or money or whatever, and I had told him inanely something to the effect, no but thanks for asking :)

Another great example. Picture me dressed nicely, sitting outside of the University of Montevideo. In an affluent neighborhood, If I´m wearing nice pants and a collared shirt I can pass (barely) for an Uruguayo. A truck driver delivering some kind of construction materials pulled up in a noisy truck and yelled vozodequi!? I hadn´t heard well because of suprise and the noise of the engine so I assumed he was asking me for directions; it was my first time in the neighborhood so I didn´t have any clue, and I told him so. I shouted !Saber!, he laughed and went on his way. I then racked my residual memory and understood his question, !¿Vos sos de aqui?! Are you from around here? And I answered, !I have no idea!

Two great moments of language aquisition skills, and maybe for the next time I will know where I´m from =D

Lost in time...and space

Alright, I´ll have you know you are very lucky to find a second diary on the same page as the first. We were almost looking at a different website for every entry. It took a while to figure out how to be myself instead of one of my followers. Check this out! Can you guess what I found??????????? Ñ) Now if I could only find the colon and semicolon to make smiley faces ÑP.
Does anyone know what day it is? I forget about every 15 minutes. Lost in Time

I just sent out a mess of emails to people that are renting either apartments or rooms, and my phone is ringing off the hook...I´m very popular ÑP
I´ve been hit with several questions from a few people. How am I getting around? Is the country boy finding his way alright in the big city? Well, I´m finding my way alright, and how I get around answers itself...in circles ÑD. I decided the first day I would just walk in a straight line and then turn back. I quickly turned a few corners to check things out and quickly became completely comfortable being lost. I hopped on a bus for the first time today, and everyone quickly knew I was a noob. I tried to pay the driver like one would on the city buses in Guatamala and I forgot the little ticket that comes out of the little machine. A normal person would pay the person sitting behind the driver and then pick up the ticket. What does one do with the ticket? And why is it important that it be picked up? Nothing and it´s not!, but you should still pick it up! I asked Ñ)

So tomorrow the plan is to use my newfound knowledge and get somewhere I need to go rather than to wherever the bus takes me. I have a meeting tomorrow, Saturday, with the university director. Really? On a saturday? Can´t be. Looks like I´ve got a better idea how to get around in space but I´m still completely lost in tiiiiiiiiime.

First full day, where is the question mark_

Hey everybody, Matthew asked me to start a blog, so here goes, there´s a first time for everything. I made it alright. I left at about 7 our time from Dallas and showed up at Buenos Aires at around 5. I tried to stay busy or to sleep (turned out this didn´t happen, I wasted my sleep on the flight to Dallas) I think the flight was a ritual leading toward adulthood =D It turns out playing video games all night just isn´t that fun anymore!

After I found I had to change airports and spent a couple hours looking for my bag which had dissappeared, I decided to erase words like tired, dirty, headache, etc. from my vocabulary so I hopped off, and I felt great! very well rested, smelling of flowery meadows, not to mention more flexible than ever =)

A few guys from my host Rotary club showed up at the airport. It was great to have a couple smiling faces to greet me. I discovered that some flight stewardesses just aren´t that nice, and others are. An example, one told me You go to Montevideo, not punta del este, in a tone of voice that said Scram buddy. An example of a nice one and a word to her, Thanks for the extra oatmeal bar =D

I´ll update this page every once in a while and maybe even make some improvements like fotos and such as soon as I figure out how to take care of myself. !Ciao! As a last note, the keyboards are set up in spanish, and I never have been able to figure out how to make a question mark. Where it could it be_