tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70306012398102547172024-03-14T07:24:50.665-06:00From Mexico and Wherever Else I Go...Written while traveling South America (mainly Colombia) in 2010 and 2011.
This was my first blog, and I'm still adding to it, making it a bit more pro. See pics below for a quick view of some things I was up to.Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-40937975167545939482011-09-18T22:56:00.000-05:002011-09-25T12:40:37.720-05:00Keeping up with Spanish WITHOUT STUDYING: How not to Lose Your 2nd Language<b><br />
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<b>Some of the following ideas were borrowed from <a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Tim Ferris</span></a> and his <a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/category/language/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">language posts</span></a>. He goes into more detail there. I'm going to give the basics and my own thoughts and ideas on how to keep up with Spanish, though applicable to any 2nd language. </b><br />
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<b>Ever take a language class in school and 3 months later not remember anything? Yea that's common, and it's because most language classes in college and high-school suck. If you want to hold on to Spanish, whether you learned it from classes or traveling, and not lose your mind with boredom, read on. </b><br />
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<b>This is for those who already know the basics and have had some practice with the language. Some of the following will be specific to Spanish (Mexican population in US), but most of it is applicable to any language. If you are learning a language different than Spanish, you can find people in any big city who will want to learn languages, some sites to find a language exchange - we are so lucky that so many want to learn English - or a focused language group:</b><br />
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<b>In person:</b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><a href="http://www.couchsurfing.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Couchsurfing</span></a> </span></b><br />
<a href="http://meetup.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Meetup.com</span></b></a><br />
<a href="http://craigslist.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Craigslist</span></b></a><br />
<b>Online:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.sharedtalk.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">http://www.sharedtalk.com/</span></b></a><br />
<b><a href="http://www.livemocha.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">http://www.livemocha.com/</span></a></b><br />
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<b><u>Mexican Restaurants</u></b><br />
<b>If you want to learn Spanish, you are very lucky to be in the US. For Florida and states along the border, it's almost a 2nd language. Even in my small city of 50K people, there are many Mexican people running restaurants here. Make friends with them.</b><br />
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<b>Go to a restaurant when it's not busy and chat with bar tenders or waitresses who are probably a bit bored. Make sure to buy at least a few drinks or an appetizer and tip really well. </b><br />
<b>Go to different places to find those with whom you have chemistry and are willing to help you. Remember: they are someone to talk with, not a teacher. Start with:</b><br />
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<b>Hola como te va? Mira, yo no quiero perdir mi espanol. Esta bien que puedo tomar y hablar espanol contigo? Que bien.... </b><br />
<b>and talk about whatever</b><br />
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<b><u>Movies</u></b><br />
<b>Most DVDs are available in French and Spanish, just go to the menu and switch the audio or subtitles. I like using English audio with Spanish subtitles at first. After I get bored of that I switch to Spanish audio with English subtitles for listening practice. If you're really good, you can just follow the movie in Spanish without subtitles.</b><br />
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<b>"Watch loads of foreign-language movies on DVD. This technology is a great gift for the modern student as you can watch in the original language and see the translation at once. Then watch it a second time and put the subtitles in the target language too so you can catch the pronunciation and test your understanding."</b><br />
<b>- <a href="http://www.roadjunky.com/guide/180/teach-yourself-a-foreign-language"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">RoadJunky</span></a></b><br />
<b>Make sure you find good movies or this will become boring quickly. </b><br />
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<b><u>Other Media</u></b><br />
<b>"Comics are an excellent medium for language students as they’re pure dialogue and the pictures help you understand what’s going on. They’re also a fountain of slang and one of the most underrated art forms on the planet."<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><br />
<b>- <a href="http://www.roadjunky.com/guide/184/learn-a-language-books-movies-and-songs"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">RoadJunky</span></a></b><br />
<b>It is more difficult to find good foreign comics.</b><br />
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<b><u>Music</u></b><br />
<b>Find music in the target language and work on listening. Use internet to find lyrics in English. I found this: <a href="http://lyricstranslate.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">http://lyricstranslate.com/</span></a></b><br />
<b>Anyone know a better website that translates music? </b><br />
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<b><u>More Formal Studying:</u></b><br />
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<b><i>Youtube Videos</i></b><br />
<b>Look at many different users because it will take a bit of work weeding out the good ones from the bad. </b><br />
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<b><i>Really Boring but Effective</i></b><br />
<b>Go to wikipedia and search for the highest frequency words of your target language and focus on them to enhance fluency without focusing on unnecessary words.</b><br />
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<b><u>Mexican Spanish I've learned so far:</u></b><br />
<b>Mostly slang I learned from my Colombian friend from San Diego and a few visits to local restaurants. </b><br />
<b>Que onda guey (pron: way)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What's up man?</b><br />
<b>Orale, Andale pues<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cool, alright</b><br />
<b>Ay! No manches guey<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Stop fucking around</b><br />
<b>Ay! No chingues guey<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> "</b><br />
<b>Pistear<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> to </span>drink beer</b><br />
<b>Chelas<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>beer</b><br />
<b>Chingadera<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>silly, stupid thing</b><br />
<b>Saque ese chingadera de aqui!<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Get this idiot out of here.</b><br />
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<b>Swear words:</b><br />
<b>Chinga tu madre guey</b><br />
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<b>Keep a notebook or something else to write down important words and phrases. Study that when you want. That's all. </b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-11285319367141419762011-08-27T11:26:00.006-05:002011-08-28T13:27:39.210-05:00Moutain Biking Down Cotopaxi: A Fearful, Fantastic Ride<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u><b>Ecuador Journal Series</b></u></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>I wrote about my Ecuador study abroad, but have yet to post it. Since I am not traveling and have some time, I will post some of my best memories from that 2010 trip. This will make the blog chronologically erroneous and confuse the reader. Oh well.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>This was my first brush with death since I arrived in Quito. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Hindsight it wasn't that bad, but at the time, riding a shitty bike down a steep volcano, gripping the handlebars with frozen fingers, dodging cars coming up the other way, and avoiding the crater-like ditches on either side of the winding dirt road, was terrifying. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>It was my first time mountain biking and not a trip for beginners. After my 3rd fall, I realized it was just part of the game, picked up the bike, and started again. I was even able to enjoy it... after that first leg.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Earlier that Saturday morning, my classmates and I woke up early and met at the school for our first weekend trip of our new study abroad experience. The program directors decided to let us acclimate to the 9,200ft altitude of Quito by driving 14,500ft up Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, and then biking down. </b><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Our guides were the Flying Dutchmen, one of the best bike rental companies in Quito. Mo was our bike leader or guide. He and our other guides loaded the bikes on top of 2 jeeps and we drove outside the city, into the national park, and up the volcano. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>We got to the top (not the summit) which is kind of like a base camp where everybody unloads their stuff and preps for the ride down. Up this high, it was freezing. Snow was laying on the ground, and clouds were gliding past us. Getting pictures of the beautiful landscape below was impossible. I was the only one wearing shorts, and everyone thought I was crazy. A few hours later, when we were biking up and down hills in the mid-day heat, I didn't feel that crazy. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Mo went over some quick instructions on how to stay safe and use the breaks, and we started down the 1st leg into the clouds and on the steep road we just came up. The only thing to do was hold on tight and break enough so not to lose control. The jeeps followed the trail, one in front and one behind us. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>I started off more cautious than the others, and as a reward, was able to laugh at them as they got up from a fresh fall. </b><b>But I still went down about 5 times myself. One bad turn of the front wheel and I was done. Going around a curve too fast and I was in the dirt.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Eventually I got the hang of it and stopped falling. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Once we got out of the clouds, the vast natural beauty of the valleys, hills, plains, and rivers below became visible. We stopped and took many pictures along the way, including some O-H-I-O pics with this fantastic terrain as the backdrop. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>When I stopped alone to take pictures or get up from a fall, the silence was intense, like nothing I'd ever felt. Not hearing anything but the wind whistling around the mountain was peaceful in a way that I wished could last longer. But I didn't dwell on it much. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>I was cautious and the last one to get down, but still close behind the rest. Thomas and a Canadian girl who joined us had some experience and flew down, almost racing. We all took a short break and went on to the next trail. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>It was more pleasant but still risky. There were more plains but more potholes. Chris fell when a big hole snuck up on him and he couldn't avoid going over the handlebars. It was the worst fall of the day, but not terrible, just scratches and bruises. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>After another break we were on the 3rd and best leg. We flew down small grassy hills, going so fast that when we hit small bumps in the hills, the bikes would float a few feet in the air. The thrill was incredible. Probably the closest I'll ever come to the X Games. Riding past wild horses was also surreal. They were calm enough to let us take pictures of them, but stared suspiciously if we got too close. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>This trail wasn't all fun. Going uphill for a long distance required more determination than any workout I've ever done. The rising mid-day heat and cloudless sky didn't help. I was much more out of shape than my 160 pound frame let on. By the time we got to lunch, I wanted to not eat but throw up. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>We took a long enough break to recover and eat. I felt like I should smash on this food because because I had used so much energy, but I couldn't get much down. It was a weird feeling: to know that I had to eat but couldn't even though my stomach was empty and my body needed energy. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>The last leg for me was the most trying. The trail was littered with rocks, so fucking many rocks, and had a lot of downhills and odd turns. By this time, my arms and hands were dying. To keep the wheels straight and avoid falls, required force. The rocky, uneven road made it worse. The constant vibration of the wheels pounding over the rocks went up into my hands like a drill. My grip was so hard that at the end I had to shake and pry my fingers from the handles. A few times through this crazy stretch I should have fallen but just held on tight and rode through. Trusting the bike got me through without incident. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>The last 2km were purely mind over body. My legs were jello, and my hands were shot. But I pushed it and reached the end. The whole trip probably lasted around 6 hours. I don't remember how many total kilometers. </b><br />
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<b>I learned a little bit more about myself by going through this ridiculously long and enduring ride. Looking back and writing about it, I realize the pain wasn't important. What I will remember are the pictures I took, the people I rode with, and the feeling of finishing. They will leave the most lasting memories. The ones worth keeping. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-61263124386761246772011-08-16T19:10:00.000-05:002011-08-28T11:26:14.095-05:00Enron Guy Turned Petra Tourist Guide<b><u><br />
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<b><u>People on the Road Series</u> </b><br />
<b>Many times, I've heard travelers say that it was the people that made their trip great. In this series, I will write about the more memorable characters that I was lucky to meet and learn from. Some I knew for only a few hours, others a week or longer. </b><br />
<b>*I don't use real names.</b><br />
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<b>Brady is the guy that Karen and I ran into <a href="http://joefrom-mexico.blogspot.com/2010/10/hanging-out-with-karen-restaurants.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">here</span></a>. He was wearing sunglasses when he first approached us so Karen didn't recognize him for a sec and gave him a "Who the fuck are you and why are you touching me look." He quickly took off his glasses. </b><br />
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<b>She had talked about him earlier. All I remembered was that he was a Jewish (Hebrew?) studies grad who wasn't Jewish.</b><br />
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<b>We went to Hosteleria Santo Domingo (best Mexican City restaurant), got to talking, and turned out he's a bit of a bullshitter. Probably because he's got a good story to tell. Karen didn't like that he was bullshitter. I think what Karen secretly didn't like was that she couldn't talk as much as usual. </b><br />
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<b>Brady started out at corporate America: Enron, of all places, before they fucked up. During this time in his life, he said that he was an overweight depressed married man. </b><br />
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<b>Well, when his wife left him, he decided to do a total 180, selling everything and quitting his job to travel. </b><br />
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<b>I'm not sure where all he's been, but I know he's been to the Middle East quite a bit, Israel, Jordan and places around there. He put his Hebrew Studies degree to use by tour guiding in Petra. </b><br />
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<b>He was very energetic when talking about this place. It's one of the 7 wonders of the world. A city that is carved into a mountain. Built around 500BC by a tribe we don't know much about, you reach it by walking up 800 steps to a monastery in the mountain which opens up into the city. Here's a picture:</b><br />
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</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKc1TsW8PDoVzFFeIILYC2KTORGkW7BnvxshowJtFmIvJAYHbpJfkjkgDbzuIpYD1S8ZwHjecHbNscrGgEwtAQi55-_oV3Yby108_Fo3i1Rksn9KNtT0tr3fHZfUPzYA1urVztQQSeWZc/s1600/Jordan-petra-view-from-top-wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKc1TsW8PDoVzFFeIILYC2KTORGkW7BnvxshowJtFmIvJAYHbpJfkjkgDbzuIpYD1S8ZwHjecHbNscrGgEwtAQi55-_oV3Yby108_Fo3i1Rksn9KNtT0tr3fHZfUPzYA1urVztQQSeWZc/s320/Jordan-petra-view-from-top-wallpaper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><br />
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<b>He worked there for a few years before traveling through Central America to Mexico. Now he just <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.org/home.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">couch surfs</span></a> a lot and teaches English here. He meets a lot of people, mostly girls, doing this. I'm not sure what his long term plans were but he was living a sweet life at the moment. </b><br />
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<b>We BSed during the whole lunch and by the end karen just wanted to get away and show me some more cool places. </b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-91350435149499710592011-08-05T09:09:00.000-05:002011-08-07T09:11:28.810-05:00Lesson Learned in Negotiating Part I.<b>I'm bad at negotiating. I get sweaty palms and a guilty conscious, like I'm committing a crime by asking for a better price. But living and traveling in South America, I have improved. </b><br />
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<b>Nobody ever taught me the basics of how to negotiate. I never went to a store or car dealer to see how my parents haggle. I never thought it was a necessary skill. </b><br />
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<b>Since traveling, I've learned that it can save you money when buying souvenirs at a market or when selling yourself to a landlord. Sometimes you win big, sometimes you win small, and sometimes not at all. But it adds up and is a skill that gives back 100s or 1000s over time. </b><br />
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<b>In other countries, markets are loud and exciting with the dealing of sellers and buyers. Some merchants have crazy high prices because they expect others to bargain them down. Here not so much. We go into a store, pay the price, and leave, sometimes all without talking to anybody. Few of my friends have gotten good deals on TVs or used cars. </b><br />
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<b>The problem, I think, is looking at negotiating like a confrontation. A lot of people don't like it. Instead look at it like a game. Learn to have fun and embrace it. Everything is negotiable. It's your right to ask for a better price. </b><br />
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<b>Even though I'm still a student of this skill, I've learned some things. Part I is a story of when I was looking for a room to live in for the next 6 moths.</b><br />
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<b>For a few weeks, I had been looking for places to live, rooms in apartments or houses, near the center of the city. I was revisiting the apartment that was so far my top choice. There was a mother and a son that lived there.</b><br />
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<b>I had only talked to the son and was waiting for him. So the mother and I sat down and chatted about the apartment, Colombia, and other things. We talked for over a 1/2 hour, and eventually she asked me how much I wanted for the room, what was the maximum I would pay. </b><br />
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<b>If you're smart, you don't give a number, or maybe give a really low number. </b><br />
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<b>I wasn't smart. She was offering $250 per month, which was a good price for what I was getting. I blurted out $225 per month. She thought about it, gave me a few simple conditions, and agreed. Two days later I signed the contract for $225, saving $150 over 6 months. </b><br />
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<b>I may have been able to go lower. I'll never know. But $225 for a clean and comfortable room in an apartment with a doorman in the middle of big city was a great price for me. I got a good deal without really trying. </b><br />
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<b>What I learned from this exchange:</b><br />
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<b>- Know what you want going into the deal.</b><br />
<b>This is an obvious 1st step in any negotiation. Know what the item is worth or what you are willing to pay for it. Ask around, see competitors, look on the Internet. I knew I had a good deal because other rooms as nice as this one were $275-325 per month. </b><br />
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<b>- Know who the boss is. </b><br />
<b>Another obvious but at times overlooked step. Talk to the manager or the owner, the person who has the ability and willingness to negotiate. I didn't know that the mother, not the son, was the person to be talking to. I got lucky. </b><br />
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<b>- Offer other benefits so that a discount makes sense. </b><br />
<b>Take some time to brainstorm everything you can offer. I told her that I would clean up after myself, wouldn't have parties in the apartment, and would live for 6 months. Also, after talking with me for a while, she saw that I was a good person. These are all important things that landlords worry about. It's not all about the price. </b><br />
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<b>- Closing it.</b><br />
<b>You want to get to the point where the other person is about to walk away, but doesn't because it's still a good deal for them. I didn't reach that point here, but I was close. </b><br />
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<b>In the coming weeks look for Part II about negotiating in the markets.</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-86082625149542196102011-07-25T21:21:00.007-05:002011-08-11T19:11:37.819-05:00Ben From England<b><u><br />
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<b><u>People on the Road Series</u> </b><br />
<b>Many times, I've heard travelers say that it was the people that made their trip great. In this series, I will write about the more memorable characters that I was lucky to meet and learn from. Some I knew for only a few hours, others a week or longer. </b><br />
<b>*I don't use real names.</b><br />
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<b>Ben was my classmate from England that I wrote about in the post <a href="http://joefrom-mexico.blogspot.com/2010/09/school-week-2-and-banking.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">School Week 2 and Banking</span></a> during my CELTA days. His story was the banking part. Read it to get a background. I want to write more of his stories here. </b><br />
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<div><b>Obviously, his job sucked, and he was unhappy about losing other people's money everyday and getting chewed out because of it. He and a friend started talking about a backpacking trip to all the places they could think of. </b><br />
<b>At first, Ben was afraid of leaving a secure job with a good paycheck (supposedly, one of the most addicting things in life). Well, I guess it got bad enough that after a particularly shitty day he called the friend, and they decided it was time to go. </b><br />
<b>It helps a lot to have a buddy or relative, even just one, that you can go do crazy stuff with. It's easier to free yourself of the expectations of your social group. With a first follower you go from a lone nut to a leader. Or at the least, you are two nuts who have something in common. </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>They quit their jobs and went on year long trip from South America to Asia. They traveled to 79 cities in 1 year. <u>Quick math</u>: four and a half days for each city. They kept costs down going by bus, which takes multiple hours to travel between cities. 79 cities across 2 continents by bus, visiting each city for an average of 4.5 days. </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>The pace had the expected effect: after 10 months, Ben had a nervous breakdown on a 10 hour bus ride. It was a moment of, "I can't fucking do this anymore." I guess he could only go so far without the security of a place to call home. I doubt I could have gone 10 months. </b><br />
<b>By that time, he had been to Mexico and met a girl there. So he took the next bus back and spent the last 2 months there. </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>An odd story from Mexico City:</b></div><div><b>He and a friend were invited to a concert outside of the city by a local girl (not his girlfriend) they met at a bar. The concert was that night so they took her car. Shortly after leaving the city they were pulled over by police. He knew a little Spanish and his friend knew none, so they looked to the girl to get them out of it. But she was gonzo due to drugs or too much beer.* So Ben was left to use his limited Spanish to argue with two corrupt officers. </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>For a half hour, they tried to get a bribe from him. Ben just kept saying "No tengo," (I don't have) and tried to look honest. They went lower and lower on their asking price and became increasingly desperate. Towards the end, the police officers were pleading for just a few dollars. Ben stuck with "No tengo." They gave up and left with nothing. </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>I couldn't stop laughing when I thought about the same situation happening in the U.S. Two older policemen begging for money from a backpacker. </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>*I think she was in on the con with the cops.</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>A good story from Vietnam: </b></div><div><b>Many people told him bad things about Vietnam, but he and his buddy went anyway. It ended up being the best country they traveled through. One of the highlights was a mountain jungle motorbike ride.</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>They met a motorbike tour guide at a hostel and decided to go. The next day they splurged on a day trip, riding from village to village in the Vietnamese jungle. The best part of the trip was eating lunch in a more remote village that saw few foreigners. The curious village kids, who had never seen a white person, dared each other to touch Ben and his friend, screaming and laughing when they did. </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>I didn't know there were still places we white people hadn't invaded. </b></div><div><b><br />
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</b></div><div><b>After his year long trip he went back to England and later to the CELTA class in Mexico City. </b></div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-86673132853616717992011-07-16T20:49:00.006-05:002011-07-20T21:14:34.723-05:00Resilience<div><b>Part I. My Experience</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>Things go wrong. I'm a worrier so I freak about things. I did this a lot when I was traveling alone, and here's usually how it played out:</b></div><div><b>There's a moment of panic, of not knowing what to do, of being scared. There are thoughts like: </b></div><div><b>"What the fuck am I going to do?" </b></div><div><b>"Why is this happening to me?"</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>In the beginning, I had these thoughts a lot. Whether it was losing something important, a bus leaving the border with my stuff on it, or a landlord canceling my contract giving me days to move out.</b></div><div><b><br />
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</b></div><div><b>Each time, my wave of fear seemed to last shorter and shorter. I was quicker to accept the bad situation and figure out what to do next. Something I didn't realize until after repeating this many times, usually in Colombia, was that accepting the situation freed up my mind. Instead of worrying and wasting time, I was thinking and planning.</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>Part II. My Advice</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>I'm not an expert on irrational fears. My parents have a strangle hold on that expertise. But here's some things I tell myself:</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>Realize it sucks, but its never as bad as you think. It's about being brave, and believing that something is doable.</b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></b></div><div><b>Many stop themselves by saying, "I can't."</b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></b></div><div><b>Well, if that's your starting point then you aren't going anywhere. But if you start with "I can" or "ok, this is what I want to do, it might be difficult, but its possible", then the planning and the doing take over, and with some persistence you get it done.</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>“Danger – if you meet it promptly and without flinching – you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything.”</b></div><div><b>– Winston Churchill</b></div><div><b>(I imagine him yelling this after drinking much scotch.)</b></div><div><br />
</div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-89320920883978631292011-07-06T11:09:00.001-05:002011-07-25T17:44:56.161-05:00Free Restaurant Idea: Crepes & Waffles in the U.S.<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.lurecartagena.com/images/tour-gastronomico-curry-crepe.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Jumbo Shrimp in Yellow Curry and Spinach</span></a>, Thai Chicken, Pepper Steak, French Connection, Mushroom Fondue, and over 40 other kinds of crepes. </b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><a href="http://crepesywaffles.com/websiteftp/col/engl/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Crepes & Waffles</span></a> was the most popular restaurant I found during my travels and a personal favorite. Opened in 1980 by two college students, Beatriz Fernández and Eduardo Macías, Crepes started Zona Rosa, the center of the ritzy restaurant and club scene of Bogota, Colombia. Now, it is an international chain with over 70 restaurants, most of them Colombia, in 7 Latin American countries and Spain.</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>I discovered this Colombian classic during my study abroad in Ecuador because it was my host family's favorite restaurant, and I developed an undying love for it in Colombia, where it was the only place with ice cream that reminded me of <a href="http://www.handelsicecream.com/home/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Handel's</span></a>.</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>My mission for writing about Crepes is to find someone who can bring it to the U.S. Why it has yet to come to America is beyond me. It is just the kind of chain, like Cracker Barrel or Cheesecake Factory, that people love in this country. </b><b>Comparing Crepes to other domestic chains with similarly priced food, it's easy to see why I'm sure of its would be success:</b><br />
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<b>- Better quality and more visually appealing than IHOP.</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>- Does not remind you of a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz1cfwFmv1w&playnext=1&list=PL2902D78460BD106F"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">gas station bathroom like Waffle House</span></a>.</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>- Healthier and more diverse food than Denny's. No bacon sundaes here.</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>- It has its own niche: CREPES! What other restaurant is known for crepes? Nobody. </b><b>IHOP has mediocre pancakes, </b><b>Cracker Barrel has country comfort food, Denny's has artery cloggers, Cheesecake Factory has rich cheesecakes, and Waffle House has prison food. But nobody has crepes!</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>However, crepes and waffles are only ½ the menu. The other ½ is filled with all the sweet treats your repressed 6 year old self dreams of: chocolate, fruits, syrups, and creams are the ingredients they combine into dozens of fantastic waffle and ice cream desserts, like Banana Flambe or Chocolate Fondue.</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>To get a visual, take a quick look at their website <a href="http://crepesywaffles.com/websiteftp/col/engl/descargables.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">here</span></a> to see some of the whimsical dishes. Also, take a look a these marvelous desserts <a href="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/99/8c/6d/crepe-cleopatra.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">here</span></a> and <a href="http://www.duarte.cl/blog/monosblog/waffle.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">here</span></a>. </b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>I'll end with one last unique thing about Crepes: The majority of those who work in the restaurant are single mothers. In their own words:</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>"Crepes & Waffles believes in the responsibility that women have to the advancement of their homes, and considers fundamental, for the prepartion of foods, the touch of affection that women put in everything they make. Women at Crepes & Waffles are single mothers in its vast majority who see the organization as their second home."</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Their website mentions that the owners had a special vision when creating the restaurant. In addition to making the most diverse and best tasting food in Colombia, I believe that putting a priority on employing single mothers, a group that in all countries has the most worries about work, was a part of that vision. </b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>If you have money and want to make a lot more, invest in Crepes & Waffles and find a way to bring it to the United States, and everyone can experience what I rave about. </b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2766/4319881179_8f9f92abcd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2766/4319881179_8f9f92abcd.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-63480930869959629152011-06-26T09:58:00.001-05:002011-07-20T11:52:37.150-05:00Striking Back at Bogota Public Transportation<b><br />
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<b>I don't know how it compares to other big cities because I know very few, but for some reason Bogota public transportation just sucks. </b><br />
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<b>The buses are small and shitty, but at least you don't have to stand most of the time. They cost is 1400 pesos or about 75 cents. They should be much cheaper. 25 cents is more reasonable.</b><br />
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<b>With the Transmilenio, I usually don't get seats. It's a bus system that has its own lane throughout the city so supposedly it's faster. It costs a little more at 1600 pesos (85 cents). It's kind of like a subway except not below ground. There's probably a word for that but i can't remember it. </b><br />
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<b>I once liked this system because it was fast and easy until I started riding during rush hour where all common courtesy and human decency seems to go out the window. If you are trying to enter or exit, various amounts of physical force are the sole form of communication. If you don't push and shove your way onto a bus, you won't get on. People waiting for different buses don't move out the way when your bus arrivs and you need to get on. They just stand and seem ok with being pushed aside. Even when a bus is completely empty people will still push and shove like the doors just opened for the Black Friday sales. It's nuts and unnecessarily stressful. Probably the thing I hate most here. </b><br />
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<b>Recently I started releasing frustration by trying to knock people down as I exit the bus (haven't had much success) and by releasing as much gas as possible on the really crowded trains, standing shoulder to shoulder with people. Sometimes, it's so crowded that Im pretty sure the person behind me can feel the hot breath of my vile vapor. </b><br />
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<b>Digusting? yes. Necessary? no. Satisfying?... a little. I laugh inside. </b><br />
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<b>On taxis: </b><br />
<b>Being poor I took them only a few times. Sometimes, they will try to rip you off. I've also heard of some stories of the Millionaire's ride. They take you to ATMs and steal all your money. However, I've always had nice experiences with them. </b><br />
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</div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-56239883483427853602011-06-08T14:37:00.000-05:002011-07-20T11:08:18.985-05:00Security in Developing Countries: Need a Culture Shock?<b><br />
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<b>They take security much more seriously in Colombia and Ecuador than we do here. The only real culture shock I can remember was in Ecuador getting a sick feeling in my stomach when you going into a bank with a guard outside holding the biggest shotgun I've ever seen. Or walking past fully armed soldiers in a public square. Or driving by houses barricaded and wall tops of broken glasses. Like its a damn war zone. </b><br />
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<b>In both these countries (and most likely many others), when walking through an upper class residential neighborhood, it's not uncommon to find such things as: <br />
Security guards for each block<br />
Guard dogs for houses<br />
Barbed wire, heavy barricades, barred windows, broken glass wall tops<br />
Complexes were you have to get past a guard or doorman to enter the building. (more similar with us)<br />
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<u> About Colombia:</u> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span> One day I was walking to class and in this residential neighborhood, for some reason there was a soldier in full uniform with an automatic rifle on each corner for 3 blocks in every direction. Really weird, so I asked somebody walking by and they said that probably because there was someone really important they were protecting. <br />
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</span> A lot of protection for someone, and it was obvious protection. Not the <u>secret</u> service like protection were they are quiet and work in the background. These guys were in full view and send a message to everyone: </b><br />
<b>"Hey look how many guns we got. Don't even think about it."<br />
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</span> There's a lot of security here and with good reason. It doesn't happen often, but you can see some crazy shit on the news, videos of thieves robbing small stores with guns, in the middle of the day. The news here is a lot more graphic they show people getting shot which we would usually never see in the U.S. <br />
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</span> Everyone (and I mean it, no exaggeration) here has at least 1 story about getting personally robbed or kidnapped. The majority of my friends have been mugged at least once. 2 of my students were robbed at gunpoint. One in her own home, and the other on her way home in her new car at 11pm. She was carjacked while driving which was I thought was crazy. Luckily they only took the car, jewelry, and money from ATM. Other students were ripped off in various usually nonviolent ways. <br />
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Funniest Story I heard on this topic: My friend visited Venezuela and went to the local Burger King which had 3 armed guards, one with a shotgun. A FUCKING BK?!<br />
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</span>Its dangerous and petty crime is more common than other places, but take this post with a grain of salt. Having lived in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogot%C3%A1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Bogota, Colombia</span></a> for 7 months and had no problems, I don't think its any more dangerous than other big cities. </b><br />
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<b>You take certain smart precautions and don't slip up, and that's all there is to it. </b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-11713218833062893762011-05-31T10:47:00.000-05:002011-07-20T11:07:55.096-05:00About Spain: 5 cool regions and other things<b><br />
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<b>We talked much about the different regions of this cool country... </b><br />
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Overall advice from J: Do a road trip because the cities are so close, and be sure to visit Sevilla and Barcelona.<br />
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The <u>East</u> is Valencia where J is from. He said that they have great <a href="http://eatgoodlookgood.blog.com/files/2011/04/Paella1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">paella</span></a> there. It's a traditional Spanish rice with meat or seafood, mixed veggies, and different spices. Also, different places have different types of paella. You can spot it easily by the way it's cooked and served on a huge frying pan. I asked if he missed home and he told me no, Pittsburgh was better.<br />
Sidenote: the best restaurants in Bogota (besides <a href="http://www.andrescarnederes.com/dc/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Andres Carne de Res</span></a>) were Peruvian and Spanish, which usually had paella. <br />
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In the <u>Northeast</u> is Barcelona, 2nd largest city and probably the 2nd most popular tourist destination because there is tons to do and the beach and France are very close. It has an Italian influence because it used to be a Roman city so the food is probably pretty damn good. Also, the city's Champions League <a href="http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">soccer team</span></a> is one of the most popular in the world. J said this city was his #2 recommendation to visit. <br />
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Located in the <u>South</u> are places like Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla, with Sevilla being the best because it has the nicest people. He recommended that city the #1 in Spain. <br />
Background: some Muslims (or Moors at the time, Moorish Muslims?) took over this part of Spain way back and there is a some cool architecture that is different from anywhere else in the country. Churches and mosques seem quite content sitting next to each other. I can't remember if he said the food was more Arabic or not. He did mention there was a lot of health food there. <a href="http://food4davee.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/gazpacho-ice.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Gazpacho</span></a> is a cold tomato soup or drink. Some people drink it because it's usually popular in the summer when it's hot.<br />
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For the <u>North</u> there is a lot of<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> <a href="http://www.eatwild.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">grass-fed beef</span></a></span> which I would kill to try because of its supposed health benefits and tastes, and around here (Ohio) you have to buy a half a cow from a farmer because its not that popular or mass produced yet. <br />
Basically cows get to run around outside and eat grass like they are evolutionarily meant to instead of eating corn and antibiotics in factory farms that have other less optimal conditions. Supposedly this is why Argentinian beef is so damn delicious and why they don't eat anything else (they also stay fit, unlike us). This region is also home to Pamplona and the Running of the Bulls, <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IYXkMMD2BJo/TN9NV1JJq1I/AAAAAAAAALY/DxiK4K3VgbE/s1600/bull-running.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">EL ENCIERRO!!!!!</span></a><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>In the N<u>orthwest</u> there is great seafood including but definitely not limited to octopus (pulpo). Its also close to Portugal if you get bored of people speaking Spanish.<br />
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The capital and biggest (3.4 mil) city right in the center of the country is Madrid. It is the most "touristic" city I guess because of everything there is to see and the bullfighting. Also home of another crazy popular Spanish soccer team, <a href="http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/Home.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Real Madrid</span></a>. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><u><br />
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</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>You can drive to the beach from anywhere in 2 hours or less. That's awesome. And I think you can drive across the whole country in 4 hours or so.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<b>Other than the obvious Spanish, there are 3 other languages, all variations of Spanish. I think they are Basque, Catalan/Valencian, and Galician, with Catalan being the most used.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><b>The way some Spanish people speak is funny because they use a lisp ("grathiath" instead of "gracias"). The story is that way back there was a king who spoke with a lisp and didn't want to be a dork so he made everybody speak with a lisp. Unfortunately, I don't think that's really true, but its a funny story. How would he even enforce that?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<b>The current king is surprisingly part french (very small part), which is strange because there were many fights between Spain and France. Napoleon for example tried to take over by promising to go to Portugal but changed his mind and stopped his trip a bit short to take Spain. Somehow, I guess a Frenchman <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #003ead;"></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">snuck i</span></span></b><b>n there and now is part of the royal line. </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-35457866417887144102011-05-23T11:47:00.000-05:002011-07-20T11:07:37.806-05:00A Great Flight Home with J from Spain<b>I've been meaning to write this for a few days...</b><br />
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<b>On my way from Charlotte to Pittsburgh, it turned out the guy I was sitting next to was from Spain. He was coming back from a trip to the Bahamas. The only reason he went was because he got a deal, $700 for 5 days on <a href="http://livingsocial.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">LivingSocial</span></a> or one of those other <a href="http://groupon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">awesome deal sites</span></a>. I can't remember if he said that included air, but it probably did because Pittsburgh is a really busy airport.</b><br />
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<b>This was probably going to be my last chance to practice Spanish for a while, and luckily he was cool so we were able to talk in Spanish and English. From that conversation, I reckon I was about 85-90% fluent. It was probably because he had a really easy accent. Regardless, I feel like I'm bilingual now!</b><br />
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<b>Some new words I learned:</b><br />
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hecharlos fuera<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> kick them out<br />
fue genial<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> it was cool<br />
esta bien its cool<br />
se suponia ganar<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> it was supposed (they were supposed) to win<br />
<b><u>decidir</u><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </b>to choose / <b><u>decide</u> </b>(<b>How the fuck did I not know this?)</b><br />
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<b>I also taught him some Spanish slang from Colombia like "chevre" "bacano" which mean "cool". He said Spain doesn't really use a word for "cool", only say "esta muy bien," which means "It's very alright," haha lame. </b><br />
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<b>He was a researcher at Carnegie Mellon so his English was pretty good. His main problem with the language was the pronunciation. This is true for most people because in Spanish there are ~5 vowel sounds while in English there are ~20. This makes it very difficult for those learning to listen and speak well.</b><br />
<b>His friends would take full advantage of this when they were playing drinking games, making rules like: you must say "cheap,chip,sheep,ship" correctly when whatever precondition is met. These words are very difficult for Spanish speakers to differentiate, but its very important that they learn it or they get caught mispronouncing "shit" and "sheet."</b><br />
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<b>His research was really interesting. He was involved in using smart phones and their applications to help old people with Alzheimers. By using these phones they can keep track of what they need inorder to stay healthy. It acts like an external memory, reminding you of appointments, when to take pills, and other things throughout the day. </b><br />
<b>Big problem I think would be getting a senior to figure out how to use a smart phone. Also, I wonder what happens if they lose the phone. I didn't ask. Anyways, its an awesome way to use new technologies to solve medical problems.</b><br />
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<b>For an awesome video on this topic see this <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kraft_medicine_s_future.html">TED video</a> by Daniel Kraft. If you don't know what TED is, please go there now. It will blow your mind, many times. </b><br />
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<b><u>Cool Tech Product</u></b><br />
<b>He was reading a book on some digital reader, not kindle but some Sony product. The cool thing about it was that it had multiple dictionaries for multiple languages so he could read in whatever language and if he didn't understand a word, BOOM, look it up and learn it. This is s</b><b>o easy for learning/reading a new language. Excellent way to practice and learn a language. I'm not sure if all digital readers (e-readers??? what's the right term?) have this feature, but they should. Most excellent. </b><br />
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<b>He also talked a lot about Spain and I'll get to that next...</b><br />
<b><br />
</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-73389401639522472742011-05-16T15:15:00.002-05:002011-06-22T10:47:57.697-05:00Home Early<b><br />
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<b>Unfortunately, I had to come home a little early. </b><br />
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<b>I was planning on being back in September (DENISE'S WEDDING!) and staying home for a while. There were some places I had wanted to see in the time between now and then, but once I get filthy rich, I figure that I can always return and see other places.</b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>In the meantime I'm going to post some last thoughts I had about Colombia and the #1 city that people recommended that I go I to. </b><br />
<b><br />
</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-83974263017670704302011-05-02T17:21:00.002-05:002011-06-22T10:57:36.074-05:00Hungry but Low on Dough?: How to Find the Best Street (or Fast) Food Anywhere<b><br />
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<b>I finally found where the best street food is located. </b><br />
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<b>Instead of walking around randomly searching like an idiot, I actually thought about going to the busier places during rush-hour (where people are mostly to be walking around on their way to buses or the Transmilenio) and found that some of the best empanandas are very close to where I work ( a big bank tower that holds a ton of people). </b><br />
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<b>Normally, you can find empanadas and arepas anywhere and anytime, but most are just sitting in a box all day and then reheated when you ask for them. These are kind of gross, not fresh at all, and don't taste good. </b><br />
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<b>The best empanadas are sold by guys who sell them on bicycles that convert to street stands, they keep them in a cooler (or heater in this case) and serve them out of the box. It's funny that these guys look sketchy but their food is so much better than the restaurants and stores close by. My theory is that they cook them at home or at a restaurant close by and sell them where the most traffic is at a very cheap price. A good business plan, although I doubt they make much even though they're always packed. </b><br />
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<b>However, the very best street food, and this makes a lot of sense when you think about it, is close to universities. </b><br />
<b>You can get all kinds of different cheap foods with some unique ingredients. Recently being a student I know its the same everywhere. We like salty, greasy, hot foods at the cheapest prices (sometimes we'll splurge a bit for the most popular chicken, <a href="http://www.raisingcanes.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">CANES!</span></a>). </b><br />
<b>It was the same on High Street back in Colombus. Every block there were 2-3 fast food or fast casual restaurants. </b><br />
<b>In Colombia close to the universities, they use all kinds of different ingredients, trying to draw more students in, and for what you get its a great deal by how low the prices were. </b><br />
<div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>To recap: if you want a taste of the best street food cheaply and quickly, go where all the students are.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b></div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-75362773269711474482011-04-27T18:30:00.002-05:002011-06-24T12:11:19.512-05:00Bored: Don't Stay in One Place Too Long<b><br />
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<b>I've been here too long, almost six months I think, about 2 months too long. It's been too much time. I've been starting to do things I would normally do at home, like workout. Its awful. Haha.</b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>Teaching is getting a little boring too. </b><br />
<b>When you think about it, with a 1st language there's no learning anything new about the language, or anything interesting at least. When you teach other topics like science for example, there's always something new being researched or developed; or history in which there is different ways to look at things, for example why someone did this or how different events fit together in the narrative of an era. </b><br />
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<b>There's two problems I fell into here:</b><br />
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<b>1. Getting into too much of a routine with classes and preparation. </b><br />
<b>2. Teaching some classes with students who I don't have chemistry with. </b><br />
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<b>There's obviously plenty of things I could do to change up classes:</b><br />
<b>1. Making them more diverse and interesting (for me and the student) is not hard. </b><br />
<b>2. Ideally, I would find students that I like teaching and drop the ones I don't click with. </b><br />
<b>Those changes would take some effort and resourcefulness and they would work....</b><br />
<b>But why would I want to keep going, keep teaching. It's not a meaningful job anymore. It was a way to travel and it still is, but when you stay in one place too long, teaching becomes a job and then it sucks. </b><br />
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<b>Teaching was great. For a time, it was something new and fun. It served its purpose. I learned quite a bit, but now it's time to move on...</b><br />
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<b>I'm gonna take most of this month and May (IN MEDELLIN!) spending my time figuring out my options and what else I want to do while in this part of the world. Also figuring out when to go home and what I'll do once I'm back. </b><br />
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<b>Still not ready to return home yet, but I've thought a bit more about it than usual. </b><br />
<b><br />
</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-19167568354715072262011-04-16T11:51:00.002-05:002011-06-24T12:11:28.260-05:00The Girls Getting Booted and How Not to Be an Idiot with Roommates<b><br />
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<b>It's a bit sad because they were nice to look at, but not that sad because they weren't that interesting. Also, I got the feeling that they weren't adjusting well to being away from home and their families. I think they were either a little spoiled or just didn't know how some things in life work.</b><br />
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<b>They got kicked out for among a few things, being "slobs"</b><br />
<b>The owner of the house, my landlord, and head of the family I live with, Cecilia (a woman who's probably in her late 50s) is a neat freak and unfortunately these girls weren't used to cleaning up after themselves in a timely manner. </b><br />
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<b>I didn't witness most of what went down between her and the girls because I'm out of the house a lot or sleeping. I gathered most of this from what I was told from the brothers (the majority of which I didn't understand because they have difficult accents). I'm guessing after repeated complaints by Cecilia, it came to head when they got home drunk at 4am, she probably said something that they didn't like and the girls just exploded. When the girls were telling me the story, they said that they were surprised that I didn't get woken up by it. </b><br />
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<b>The only bit I did witness was when I was going to take a shower at night and they were moving out of the house. I was just about to turn the water on but stopped when the yelling began. </b><br />
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<b>From what I could understand basically Cecilia starts saying something and then says "relax, relax" to the girls, but you could tell she wasn't going to relax. I've become a lot better at picking up on voice tone and body langauge and it wasn't hard to tell that she was about to explode. </b><br />
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<b>And she did starting with "WHAT DID YOU SAY!" followed with "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" to "I'M A CHRISTIAN" and ending with something about prostitutes not being allowed in this house. I wish I could've seen it, but I didn't want to get dressed and open the bathroom door just to watch a shouting match. From what I could understand the girls were using some sarcastic politeness mixed in with a lot of swear words (groserias), none of which I was able to hear because they spoke too softly. </b><br />
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<b>Anyways after some back and forth and door slamming, they left.</b><br />
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<b>A Better Way to Deal with a Problem Like This:</b><br />
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<b>1. Try to resolve the problem</b><br />
<b>2. If you can't resolve the problem, you stay nice, and search for another place to live. After you've found a place, you quietly mention that you are moving out, but don't say when.</b><br />
<b>3. Leave a day or two later. The goodbye to the roommate is optional. </b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>Basically, don't give them an opportunity to give you shit about moving out, just stay nice and calm, find a place, tell them you are leaving, and 1 or 2 days later go, in silence without arguing or getting crazy. </b><br />
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<b>A good rule to follow is don't fuck with people that you live with, creates a hell of a bad situation. </b><br />
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<b>This story, among other things, is why I prefer girls that are older than me because young girls are really dumb sometimes. </b><br />
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<b>Sidenote:</b><br />
<b>Talking with a few of the brothers (sons of Cecilia) I also think there may have been some drunken liaisons with some of the cops that stay right next to their room. I thought this was pretty funny. This also could have contributed to why they had to go. </b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-85884532480428443232011-04-09T12:41:00.002-05:002011-06-22T12:39:39.373-05:00Partyin, Partyin YEA, Fun Fun Fun Fun...<div class="MsoNormal"><b>If the title appears stupid, it's because it is the chorus of the most recent worst song of all time, "Friday". If you want to waste some time, go check out the awfulness on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBB0i0z9X-k"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">youtube</span></a>, everybody else already has. I think she was an ABC talk show as well, crazy...</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The other weekend, I went to this huge market with Cecilia, the owner of the house (my landlord) who helped me shop while I carried stuff for her.</b><br />
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<b>The place was a maze with so many vendors, and you had to be careful walking around giant raw slabs of meat and avoid tripping over boxes of fruits and veggies that looked like they had just been picked or pulled from the ground. </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>When we got back, she went about cooking arroz campesino a huge cauldron of chicken, bacon, rice, hotdog, corn, carrots, and green beans. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEP3Gj7qt-sY_YOVmUikXFlcESNUxUtDd7HJuVkow2nho5XkRywUJ7DrRdJ7gESB37Xt2owm8Y5Zi18TnwbuWXYqpUVnUAsD-IZEltQCqis5OmTSK6-qxQYogY8RsQwLPLg_Lj_7pL8Y/s1600/254462_10150267738316203_654341202_9378435_6190285_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEP3Gj7qt-sY_YOVmUikXFlcESNUxUtDd7HJuVkow2nho5XkRywUJ7DrRdJ7gESB37Xt2owm8Y5Zi18TnwbuWXYqpUVnUAsD-IZEltQCqis5OmTSK6-qxQYogY8RsQwLPLg_Lj_7pL8Y/s320/254462_10150267738316203_654341202_9378435_6190285_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<b>She used to own a restaurant and is an excellent cook (even though Colombian food isn't great). I can't remember what business she runs now. </b><b>She made enough of this stuff for probably 40-50 people but only 20 or so were there. It was delicious. Although, I think I ate too much and got sick. Oh well. </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Parties at this house are really fun.</b><br />
<b>Because I'm so obviously foreign, there's a few different guys that like to make really funny jokes that would probably be considered inappropriate back home, but they are hilarious here. </b><br />
<b>Somebody else told me that their daughter was single. I replied that I was only interested in married women which made them go a little crazy laughing. They were also more than delighted to see me struggle at learning salsa. </b><br />
<b>As a foreigner here, I get a lot of attention and am probably going to miss it when I leave. <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Something about Colombians (and I bet many other countries) is that they are much more open sexually than we are. </b><br />
<b>They aren't afraid of talking about taboo topics like whorehouses, "loose" girls, and who's attracted to who; and the men aren't timid when talking about what kind of girls they like while in the company of other girls. </b><br />
<b>Going to parties, I still can't get used to it when we I just start talking about sex and related topics with people I barely know.</b><b>There's just a lot more freedom and no fear talking about their sexuality, very different from most Americans. </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>We talked and danced for the whole day. It was good. </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-13990537592873791192011-03-03T11:57:00.001-06:002011-06-22T12:53:46.428-05:00Avocados Smoothies and Crazy,Weird Hot Dogs<b><br />
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<b>In Ecuador my host mom made me avocado smoothies which sound disgusting but are actually really delicious with milk and bananas. </b><br />
<b>I made one and told my roommate Alex to try it out. He started GAGGING when I put the cup near his face. It was probably the funniest thing that happened all day. </b><br />
<b>I didn't know the thought of drinking avocados can produce a gag reflex. It was awesome. Next time I'm going to see if I can get him to throw up.</b><br />
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<b>At the corner market close to home, a</b><b> cute girl that works there asked me why I buy so many avocados. I told her for milkshakes, and she too was disgusted. So naturally I made one for her the next week, and she thought it was delicious and now gets me free stuff. </b><br />
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<b>If anyone wants to try it:</b><br />
<b>Throw 1/2 a ripe avocado with 1 banana and enough whole milk (tastes better than skim) together in a blender. Brown sugar (or honey) and strawberries are nice additions. </b><br />
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<b>The other day I got a little drunk and somebody talked me into eating one of the<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bk0YwnFe_xA/S2Gmhl9h94I/AAAAAAAAAYs/UOgMU5RBvLo/s400/hotdog.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">nasty hot dogs</span></a> </span>here. The the hot dog meat was nasty like any other would be, but the <a href="http://goodiesfirst.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/mexicana_hot_dog.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">toppings</span></a> were ridiculous. </b><br />
<b>I got one that was at least 8in by 4in. The nasty stick of processed pig wasn’t all that big, but the amount of toppings made it incredibly hard to eat. Some of the toppings I could make out: </b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>Shredded chicken, chips, mayo, bbq sauce, pineapple sauce, bean sauce?, cheese, ketchup, and 2 pieces of bacon (pig on pig)</b><br />
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<b>I'm sure there were more toppings, but I don’t remember. It was awesome, best hot dog I've ever had. </b><br />
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<b>WARNING: </b><b>Sometimes hot dogs aren't great so you have to go to a relatively nicer place. Don't eat the ones off the street, no matter how drunk you get, because they are really nasty and will give you problems.</b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-87618394960768828762011-02-20T11:54:00.003-06:002011-08-07T12:16:08.446-05:00Not Being Colombian: An Exercise of Gratitude<b>Or "Why it sucks being Colombian."</b><br />
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<b>My new roommates are great. Two of the nicest people I've met while here. Really cool guys that have time to actually hang out, talk, and teach me some Spanish. My last roommates were just not that friendly, which is okay. They were indifferent towards me. Nothing is wrong with that, but life is so much easier when you live with cool people that you can bullshit with when you get home and have time to laugh with you. <br />
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Anyways, talking with them (and many other Colombians), I easily notice that a lot of people in Bogota are unhappy about being in the city or living in Colombia. </b><b>I've met many people here who just feel stuck. They hate where they're at and its really difficult to get outside of Colombia without connections or money. </b><b>The visa process of leaving Colombia to go anywhere is way more difficult than it should be. </b><br />
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Hearing this over and over again really drills in the under-appreciated reality</b><b> of how lucky we really are to be American, and to have a passport that goes around the world without interviews and fucked up fees. We are a part of as Warren Buffet puts it, the "lucky sperm club", I think. A lot of people in the rush of busy lives forget this, and it's easy to understand why. This is not something that can be fully grasped by living at home, unless you have some saintly empathetic abilities to relate with other people on the other side of the world. </b><br />
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<b>I guess once you get used to something or novelty wears off, it can be very easy to forget how lucky you are or how many good things you really have going. There's gotta be a psyche term for that, but I don't know it. </b><br />
<b>Lately, I've been reading about how people who write down what they're thankful for, in </b><b>a gratification journal or something like that,</b><b> are overall a lot happier. </b><br />
<b> <br />
These new guys I'm living with are something to write on that list or journal. The other day I took them out for pizza because I had had a shitty week and wanted to relax, and I know they were low on dough, having problems with girls and work. Pizza and bullshiting always brightens up the day. So we smashed on a mexican specialty pizza with corn chips and avocado and other ingredients.</b><br />
<b>For one guy it was the 1st thing he had eaten all day. I think he had just been job searching all day and went to church for an hour or 2 and just didn't eat because he was so stressed out. If I hadn't gotten pizza he might've gone the whole day without eating, which is fucking crazy.</b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-85684303453343173482011-02-08T19:07:00.001-06:002011-06-24T11:22:42.816-05:00Getting Kicked Out and Ensuing Housing Adventures<b>Sometimes I don't feel like writing anything, I have become accustomed to most things here so I don't write about what others would see as odd or novel or cool. This week was a little different.</b><br />
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<b>Getting Kicked Out</b><br />
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<b>So I kind of got into a fight with my roommate and may have broken his nose. He didn't like that I repeatedly ate his leftovers and wouldn't shut up about it and when I felt too threatened I freaked and punched him pretty hard in the face...</b><br />
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<b>PSYCHE. I made that up. It's a lot more fun telling a crazy story like that than what actually happened:</b><br />
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<b>My landlord decided she wants to move back to Bogota, so I guess I'</b><b>m the odd one out and have to get out. She canceled my 6 month contract about a week ago and I've been looking for places ever since (found a nice one Saturday!). </b><b>Looking for houses has been very time consuming but at times also very interesting.</b><br />
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<b>Some of my experiences searching for places around the city:</b><br />
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<b>With about half the places I went to, I ended up talking with the people there for about 20-30 about things that had nothing to do with the place, more learning about Colombia and getting to know the other person, and I had some interesting conversations:</b><br />
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<b> I learned that Medellin (2nd biggest city in Colombia) milk and cheese is much better than Bogota's which is pretty damn good compared to US milk. </b><br />
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<b> I went to an apartment and someone passing by asked me if I wanted a room and showed me the place she was renting then asked me about classes with her and a group of students. When we realized it wasn't going to work out, she got me another contact who had another very nice room but cost too much, $250/month, hahaha I'm ridiculous at times. </b><br />
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<b>I met a really interesting Italian-American named Chris who I'll have to use a whole other post to write about, he's my new roommate or landlord.</b><br />
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<b>I visited a house in the dodgy part of downtown which at the time I was unaware of, and incidentally found out where they were hiding all the brothels, about 2 blocks of walking past half naked women and most likely some trannies at 1 in the afternoon was surreal and kind of funny. I guess I can cross that house off my list. </b><br />
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<b>Semi-funny Side Note: </b><br />
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<b>As I was leaving the apartment I got booted from, I really wanted to steal a bunch of food and things, but my conscience got the best of me. </b><br />
<b>All I took was some coffee and a 1/2 a loaf of white bread, which I don't even like. Yea that'll fuckin show em.</b><br />
<b>If I didn't feel so bad about it, I probably would've taken a lot more, the people that lived there, from what I could tell, were very rich and a little retarded. </b><br />
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</div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-30237441730958892832011-01-23T11:37:00.002-06:002011-06-24T11:34:07.351-05:00A Great Weekend<b>I've been busy and try to write down notes, but haven't written anything decent in a while.</b><br />
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<b>Weather's a hell of a lot better. Sunny and 50-70 almost everyday. I'm getting a nice tan, going from <u>very pale</u> to <u>medium pale. </u></b><br />
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<b>Work is getting a little crazy. I'm working 14-16 hours a week which is a lot (for me) when you have to prep for all those classes. </b><b>This weekend was good. I'm a bit sore though.</b><br />
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<b>Friday:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> There was a w</span>ork party, getting drunk with students was great, and then went dancing.</b><br />
<b>Learned that the Spanish verb "introducir" does not mean "to introduce" but "to insert", as in sex. </b><br />
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<b>Saturday: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> I went to</span> a picnic. I made a dessert that was like a banana mousse with strawberries. It was delicious but more of a soup than a mouse, very sweet. </b><b>Group salsa lesson at night and more dancing. I went with my new roommate who is kind of a hottie. Dancing is surprisingly a good cardio workout. The guy next to me was soaked and so was the girl I was with. I felt in relatively good shape. </b><br />
<b>There were a lot of <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Couchsurfing</span></a> people there and I was able to speak with a bunch of new people. </b><b>My Spanish is good enough that I can talk to about 80% of people at a bar and not worry about it (with a few drinks of course).</b><br />
<b>I now introduce myself as "The Best English Teacher Bogota". It gets surprisingly good responses.</b><br />
<b>I also now tell everybody the only reason I'm in Colombia is for the women. This is also gets surprisingly good reactions. </b><br />
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<b>Sunday: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> I w</span>alked around the neighborhood for an hour. I found some better markets and will probably save 25-33% on food costs. That's awesome because I'm really cheap. </b><br />
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<b>It was a lot of fun. Having weekends like these reminds me why I went out to travel in the 1st place, why I left home to do my own thing. </b><br />
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<b>I also have come to realize that dancing, if you're just willing to do it, is a much better social lubricant than alcohol. </b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-9682186901648990152011-01-23T11:33:00.001-06:002011-06-24T11:33:13.205-05:00Being Home = Weird<b>It was nice seeing everybody, but it was really weird being home and living at home. </b><br />
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<b>I didn't really adjust, and when got back to Bogota, it was weird again for like the 1st week. </b><br />
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<b>In addition to seeing everybody, eating as much as I did was awesome. I think I gained like 5-7 pounds, cool. </b><br />
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</div>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-84378625779505294052010-12-13T23:45:00.001-06:002011-06-24T11:42:14.617-05:00My First Real Home in Colombia<b>It is kind of awesome. I live with 2 brothers and their mom. They go to college here. I'm not sure what the mom does all day because they have a maid that comes to clean and cook lunch twice each week. </b><br />
<b>All really nice people. Although I think one of the brothers is addicted to online gambling. One day as I was going in and out of the place at various times, I never saw him away from the computer or wearing something different than pajamas. </b><br />
<b>It's an apartment in a big complex. There are doormen which is nice, a little extra security.</b><br />
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<b>The area is awesome. Within blocks are supermarkets (from small/cheap to giant/expensive), all sorts of fast food places and other small restaurants, all the major east side busy roads (Caracas and Septima), shopping (clothes, artisans, home decor) for blocks. It's pretty central to say the least and takes me a 75 cent bus ride for 15 minutes to get to work. Pretty damn good when you live in a city of 8 million. </b><br />
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<b>I pay about $220 per month which is maybe half my wages (working 8 hours a week, hahaha). So its kind of ridiculous (the good kind)</b><br />
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<b>I've spent a lot of time walking around a lot and always find cool new places: parks, restaurants, artisan stores, galleries, and bars everywhere.</b><br />
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<b>Right now, I'm really happy with what I've got, and as Christmas gets closer, I'm looking forward to being home.</b><br />
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<b>There are various holidays throughout the month, like yesterday everybody had the day off because it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I think like 95% of the people here are catholic so they have more religious holidays than we do. I stopped inside of a church on one of the busier downtown streets so I could at least say I went to church while here. It was a huge place and there were many people, but not as many as were out walking around outside. I think they go to church about the same amount as we do, not very much. </b><br />
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<b>My roommate and his friends walked all along Septima or 7th Avenue, one of the busier streets that closes for holidays and every Sunday (BICICLISMO!). It took him about 3 hours walking 50-60 blocks. I walked down it for about 20 blocks, and even though it was way too crowded, it was a so much fun because there were so many different street performers, vendors, and food.</b><br />
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The majority were guys dressed up as clowns telling jokes and being funny. I didn't understand much. There were also guys who dressed up as robots, statues, and famous people and just stood around waiting for people to take pictures or mess with them. They're like mimes except cool because their painted and have costumes on. The best one on I saw was some dude who was the <a href="http://www.moviemobsters.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/predator-yeah.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">predator</span></a>. </b><br />
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<b>And as you can see he did a pretty damn good job. </b><br />
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<b>The best street show I saw was done by a salsa dancing school with its best students and teachers dancing for people. The girls were smoking hot and the costumes were really flashy. They looked great and the dancing was pretty intense. Each couple would dance for about 2-3 minutes and they danced really fast and did a bunch of crazy tricks. Many of the tricks were the same you'd see in swing dancing, others were just wild salsa combinations. </b><br />
<b>I was waiting for somebody to crash and burn, but they were all great. I was surprised to see that level of talent performing on a street corner, but I wasn't surprised by the size of the crowd that had gathered to watch. My friend said something to this effect (can't remember the exact words):</b><br />
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<b>"Lots of people come to Colombia, see all these gorgeous women, and wonder how they end up with average Colombian guys, then you see them dance salsa and it all makes sense." </b><br />
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<b>Most of the street food sucked. The burgers and hot dogs are way worse than those in the U.S. absolute shit (but the toppings are more interesting, more on that later). Other street vendors have candy and sweets that are pretty good. </b><br />
<b>Arepas are also awesome street food, they're like Hispanic Hotpockets. They're made out of cornmeal I think and they put meat and cheese and whatever else inside, grill it, and top it with butter and salt. Very delicious, not very nutritious. </b><br />
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<b>For some of my classes during this month, we talked about holidays and how I missed Thanksgiving. According to my students, New Years is a holiday very similar to Thanksgiving. Families get together and turkey is a main dish. New years eve also "boring" because you spend most of the time with family, not going out with friends and getting drunk like in U.S. or Europe. If you aren't with your family for New Years, people tend to look at you weird. </b><br />
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<b>Also, many times when people visit the US they buy a lot of stuff because, believe it or not, designer and brand name clothes are 2-3X more expensive in South America. Generic clothes, however, are much more cheap ($5-10 for nice dress shirt for work). </b><b>So they do a lot of shopping while in U.S. </b><br />
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<b>After one recent visit to America, one student's mom brought back 8 boxes of various things, in one of those boxes was a turkey (dead I hope) because she thought American turkeys were the best turkeys (or at least better than Colombia). We laughed about this for a while.</b><br />
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<b>And I got sunburned the other day. I'm pretty sure that is the 1st time it has happened in December. Also I don't miss snow at all.</b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-16574791728238396802010-12-05T16:41:00.002-06:002011-08-07T12:08:15.267-05:00Moving On Up and Chef Dom<b>About 50 streets up North to be in the center of the city. </b><b>I finally found a place I like in a great area with good people at a decent price. I also got a bit of a discount because I'm a nice guy. </b><br />
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<b>I'm a bit sad leaving the area around my hostel and the people at the hostel. Most that worked there were really cool and the surrounding area while a bit dangerous (the hostel across the street was robbed by 4 guys with guns 2 days before I left) was a great place to stay. It's a great place to meet other travelers and see historical or touristy stuff in Bogota. </b><br />
<b>The only thing I regret about my stay in this area is not eating at more restaurants. There's so many great little restaurants and shops that I didnt get around to. </b><b>Trying to save money, I cooked most of my own food. Its a good way to save, stay healthy, and meet people because many people in the hostel cook. The coolest guy I met while cooking in the hostel kitchen was this guy from England who was going all out, making some awesome food.</b><br />
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<b>We got to talking and it turns out he was unemployed for 2 years and watched cooking shows for a majority of that time. Whatever he saw and learned paid off because he's one of the best unpaid cooks I've ever seen. On various nights he's made naan bread, chicken wraps, homemade gravy and mashed potatoes, and spaghetti bolognese. It's all restaurant quality stuff and difficult to relate in this post how amazing it was. </b><br />
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<b>Each night he cooks for 4-5 people at a time usually 4-5 thousand pesos a pop ($2 - $2.5) which is what most bland Colombian lunches cost in this area. He spends about 2-3 hours each night making dinner, but loves doing it. </b><br />
<b>It's worth the time because the food is so good. Hell, you spend that much time cooking and something good better come out. He doesn't have any recipes with him (all memorized) but does carry around a spice box which is kind of nerdy. But you wouldn't hate on him if you tasted anything he cooks. </b><br />
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<b>He could easily take orders at the hostel and pay for his stay, but "that would take the fun out of". I guess he likes being unemployed. </b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030601239810254717.post-43208963626816231512010-11-29T21:28:00.003-06:002011-08-07T11:24:00.911-05:00Why Hostels Suck and My First Classes<b>Wow, it's been more than 2 weeks since I posted anything. Time is kind of flying right now. I've been spending most of my time working and looking for a more permanent room or apartment. It's something I think about a lot because this fucking hostel is starting to get to me. </b><br />
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<b>I woke up to go to class the other day at 7am, and there was a puddle of water outside of one of the rooms. It rains a lot in Bogota, and the hostel has a small courtyard through which water can come in. There are also a few small spots the roof leaks here. So I stupidly thought it was water.</b><br />
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<b>When the girl who works nights told me the story about the previous night, yelling at some drunk guy (it's a safe bet to say he was either America or Australian) to stop peeing, I couldn't stop laughing. Theres 5 bathrooms here, are you fucking serious, guy? Come on now... At least I wasn't woken up by it.</b><br />
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<b>The other morning I woke up at 4:30am to 2 drunk Americans debating about politics quite loudly. What the fuck? Who does that? Honestly? I can understand getting drunk and spouting off your political opinions, but at 4:30 in the fucking morning. Why? At least people don't steal my food, and if they do, its usually leftovers. Nobody eats things that are uncooked.</b><br />
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<b>Most people in this hostel spend time seeing the city, getting drunk, watching movies, and playing ping pong (there is a bar and pong table here) which is awesome if you are just traveling, but it's difficult to deal with when you trying to find something a bit more permanent (at least in my case).</b><br />
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<b>They have been going good. I usually go into the class with an outline of what I want to get done and work around that, trying to get them to talk as much as possible. Usually we get off topic and have some interesting conversations about things. </b><br />
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<b>Last class: We talked about a lot of differences in culture between the U.S. and here. Norms about marriage and dating and holidays. It was a really cool class and I learned much.</b><br />
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<b>Note: These are upper class Colombians so most of this has to be taken with a big grain of salt as it doesnt apply to everybody that lives here. Also, most of these observations are true in multiple Latin American countries.</b><br />
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<b>The majority of students that go to University, live with their parents. Where in the U.S., you get shipped off to a dorm, here you live at home or in a shitty version of a dorm called a "cupo".</b><br />
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<b>Its normal for a 25 year old unmarried person to live at home. They have no reason to move out unless they get married. Staying close to family is more important here than in the U.S. This 28 year old guy that works at the bank and has lived at home for most of his life says when he talks to his mom about moving out. She says, "Why? What's wrong?"</b><br />
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<b>Some men don't know how to cook or do laundry because their mom takes care of it all for them, and when they get married, the wife takes care of it. There is not much sharing of household duties, the woman does all of it or they hire a maid to do it.</b><br />
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<b>In the U.S., almost 1/2 adults say they've lived with a boyfriend or girlfriend but were unmarried. In Colombia that number is more likely to be around 5-10% because it's really looked down upon to do that (as it once was in the U.S.). It's a very conservative culture at least when people are sober. </b><br />
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<b>Another 20 something woman said that if her father found out that she lived with her boyfriend while overseas, he would've disowned her. I told her that if she didn't do well in class, I would tell him. Unfortunately, her English wasnt good enough to understand the joke so the other guy translated. She wasn't happy.</b><br />
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<b>I think most of this comes from families staying together because it's more economically feasible to stay together. Now that more people have more money, it's becoming more common, but it's still the exception to move out and get your own place. </b><br />
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<b>Also, there's a big problem with teenage pregnancies. Girls 14-15 having kids and at 20 having multiple kids. My students knew about Sarah Palin and we talked a bit about her daughter being a speaker, advocate. or whatever the hell she is about abstinence even though she's already been knocked up. They also found this odd.</b><br />
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<b>It sounds like the same kind of problem we have in the U.S., but then they mentioned that a lot of people here who can't afford to pay for condoms or pills which I'm somewhat sure isn't the case in the U.S. So it makes sense that there would be a lot of teens getting pregnant.</b><br />
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<b>I think Colombia needs Bristol Palin more than America does. Lord knows she would be much more popular among the male population, another interesting topic. Not the male population per se, but their fascination with foreign girls, although its the same vice versa. Hopefully I'll get to that later</b><b>.</b><br />
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</b>Joe Antenuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025369198182489134noreply@blogger.com1