Well, I made it to Colonia with the help of 3 doses of meclizine. I took one dose at 9 before my vertigo attack, another nearly six hours later, at 3 and then a third for good measure right before I boarded the ferry at 6. I thought that last one would knock me out and I´d wake up at the other end of the journey on an empty ferry, the captain shaking me to wake me up, but that didn´t happen.
The trip was very smooth. I thought it would be rough. I took the rapid boat, which took one hour as opposed to 3. Raul told me the fast boat would be a rough ride because it rides above the waves. Maybe it is the other way around. My return trip from Montevideo is 3 hours. I booked first class since it was only $30 extra, hopefully it won´t be a choppy return.
My hotel is an old inn, but not as luxurious as I had imagined. I thought I had a jacuzzi in my room. I have a shower that is barely separated from the rest of the bathroom - not even a tub. Oh well. It is rustic, with stone walls, antique furniture and wooden shutters. I´m in the lobby now, which is very quiet and smells nice. It´s a little cold.
After arriving I went out for walk and to scavenge up some food. I settled on a place that had other people sitting at a table, thinking they were there early for dinner. I didn´t want to be the first. Turns out the place was closing. Oh well. Anyway, I asked the waitress for a recommendation and she recommended a chivita, which is a local speciality. Raul and Gonzalo told me about these. I thought it was a sandwich, but instead, what I got was a piece of beef with a fried egg on top. The beef was on a bed of french fries and had a side of lettuce and tomato and some potato salad. That plus water cost me $20! Wow, I was shocked when she told me the price.
Tomorrow I´ll go out and explore a little after breakfast. I´ve decided I am going to just take a meclizine every six hours until I can get this meniere´s to calm down again. Maybe this is a phase. Colonia seems laid back and I think there will be some nice plazas where I can sit in the sun and just hang out.
Right now I am going to go brush my teeth and get in bed and read a bit of my guide book. It has been an exhausting day.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Missed the Boat
And the drama continues....
I was really excited about my trip today. I was all packed and pretty much ready to go. I got up early, blogged, watched the new Tina Fey skit of Sarah Palin and took my time waking myself up this morning.
At about 9:00, I decided to start with the shower and bathroom activities. I noticed that my sideburns were extraordinarly bushy looking and was trimming them, trying to decide whether or not to shave them off or just trim them down. With my head slightly tilted to one side, suddenly I felt something shift inside and began to feel a little wobbly.
Not wanting to take any chances, I suspended the grooming and took a meclizine. I was feeling funny. It was a funny feeling I was familiar with. In the past, I thought this funny feeling was due to low blood sugar, or a bad night's sleep, or other unknown causes. Now I knew what it was and hoped the the meclizine would race to the rescue in time.
Thinking a warm shower would help, I probably did the wrong thing here and got in the shower. The water did feel good, but standing did not. My legs were feeling weak and like they would give out from under me. I didn't wash my hair, but instead grabbed a towel, and ran dripping wet to my bed, got under the covers and watchted as the room began to spin.
I tried focusing on my breathing. But the room still spun. It is not a spinning around and around that happens, but like a camera panning to one side repeatedly. And so it went, to the right to the right, like a follow up to that Beyonce song.
Every time I moved my head, I could feel myself descend one step closer to hell. But I had so quickly flung myself into bed I was not really comfortable. Plus it was not comfortable staring at the one spot on the ceiling I had decided to focus on. I tried closing my eyes, but that made me feel like I was falling and it didn't feel good.
I lay there with my eyes open, trying to focus on my breathing, wanting sleep so badly to escape what was happening to me, but like a torture subject, being forced to stay present with every unpleasant sensation.
It was too late.
I ran to the bathroom and fell on the floor in front of the toilet. My breakfast, including grapefruit juice came rushing up.
I don't know what causes the vomiting. Today I didn't feel the hot, sweaty, wet mouth sensations I normally feel before this happens. I just knew that if I didn't make it to the bathroom on time I would have more than spinning to deal with.
After vomiting, I collapsed with my head on the toilet seat because I didn't know what else to do.
Eventually I made my way back to bed.
I had an 11:30 reservation for the Buquebus to Colonia - the ferry that would take me across the river to my mini escape. It was 9:15.
I was not sure if I would be ready to leave the apartment in an hour to catch a taxi to the pier.
Thoughts spun through my head now that the other spinning would stop. Should I just cancel the whole trip? Then what would I do? I had to go to Uruguay at some point. What was to say next week would be better than this week? As long as I took meclizine long before any hint of vertigo started, I knew I would be able to make it to Colonia and have a reasonable time there. It might even be better for me to be in a different environment to distract myself. Lord knows, I've spent weeks in this apartment just staring at the ceiling. The past few weeks I have only left to go to the supermarket or to class twice a week (when I could) and have done little else.
I got up and through the fog of the final spins and the beginning effects of vertigo, I logged on to my copmuter and changed my reservation for the ferry until the next available time - 6 this evening.
I crawled back into bed and slept, strange dreams of a world where dogs roamed wild in packs invaded my desire for a peaceful escape from what was becoming a living hell.
It's now a little after 2 and I am up and the spinning is gone. I feel weak, I feel scared, and I feel unsure about what my life is going to be like. Nobody seems to understand what is going on with me, myself included. I have some friends who brush this off. You'll be better ok. I have others who sound alarms and encourage me to go home. Leaving here doesn't seem much of a solution though, it only seems like an escape to something else, but not to wellness.
I've been trying everything. My diet has practically no salt. And yesterday was no exception. The only salt I took in was a little that might have been in the small slice of pizza I had. I am not doing too much. I am not under stress. I was feeling very good, and yesterday felt great. I've been doing affirmations and getting treatments. And then today.
So,I am going to attempt to go forward with this trip to Uruguay. If I have to, I will take meclizine every 6 hours as directed by the label. Maybe I'll get used to being tired all the time. I'm already pretty tired most of the time anyway, so it's just a minor adjustment. If I need to stay in my hotel and rest the whole time, at least it will be a different environment. If I'm able to get up, I'll be able to sit on the terrace of my hotel and see the river or order room service.
I know people who have illnesses that are far more debilitating. My fear is that this is going to continue to get worse in spite of all of my efforts to regain my health. Blogging about it seems to be the only thing I can do that in any way helps me to feel better. I'm not sure why that is.
Well, in a few hours I'll be boarding that boat. I'll take another meclizine soon, to be sure I don't have another attack, and to make sure I don't get sick on the boat. Until then, I'm going to go lie down on the sofa and rest some more.
I was really excited about my trip today. I was all packed and pretty much ready to go. I got up early, blogged, watched the new Tina Fey skit of Sarah Palin and took my time waking myself up this morning.
At about 9:00, I decided to start with the shower and bathroom activities. I noticed that my sideburns were extraordinarly bushy looking and was trimming them, trying to decide whether or not to shave them off or just trim them down. With my head slightly tilted to one side, suddenly I felt something shift inside and began to feel a little wobbly.
Not wanting to take any chances, I suspended the grooming and took a meclizine. I was feeling funny. It was a funny feeling I was familiar with. In the past, I thought this funny feeling was due to low blood sugar, or a bad night's sleep, or other unknown causes. Now I knew what it was and hoped the the meclizine would race to the rescue in time.
Thinking a warm shower would help, I probably did the wrong thing here and got in the shower. The water did feel good, but standing did not. My legs were feeling weak and like they would give out from under me. I didn't wash my hair, but instead grabbed a towel, and ran dripping wet to my bed, got under the covers and watchted as the room began to spin.
I tried focusing on my breathing. But the room still spun. It is not a spinning around and around that happens, but like a camera panning to one side repeatedly. And so it went, to the right to the right, like a follow up to that Beyonce song.
Every time I moved my head, I could feel myself descend one step closer to hell. But I had so quickly flung myself into bed I was not really comfortable. Plus it was not comfortable staring at the one spot on the ceiling I had decided to focus on. I tried closing my eyes, but that made me feel like I was falling and it didn't feel good.
I lay there with my eyes open, trying to focus on my breathing, wanting sleep so badly to escape what was happening to me, but like a torture subject, being forced to stay present with every unpleasant sensation.
It was too late.
I ran to the bathroom and fell on the floor in front of the toilet. My breakfast, including grapefruit juice came rushing up.
I don't know what causes the vomiting. Today I didn't feel the hot, sweaty, wet mouth sensations I normally feel before this happens. I just knew that if I didn't make it to the bathroom on time I would have more than spinning to deal with.
After vomiting, I collapsed with my head on the toilet seat because I didn't know what else to do.
Eventually I made my way back to bed.
I had an 11:30 reservation for the Buquebus to Colonia - the ferry that would take me across the river to my mini escape. It was 9:15.
I was not sure if I would be ready to leave the apartment in an hour to catch a taxi to the pier.
Thoughts spun through my head now that the other spinning would stop. Should I just cancel the whole trip? Then what would I do? I had to go to Uruguay at some point. What was to say next week would be better than this week? As long as I took meclizine long before any hint of vertigo started, I knew I would be able to make it to Colonia and have a reasonable time there. It might even be better for me to be in a different environment to distract myself. Lord knows, I've spent weeks in this apartment just staring at the ceiling. The past few weeks I have only left to go to the supermarket or to class twice a week (when I could) and have done little else.
I got up and through the fog of the final spins and the beginning effects of vertigo, I logged on to my copmuter and changed my reservation for the ferry until the next available time - 6 this evening.
I crawled back into bed and slept, strange dreams of a world where dogs roamed wild in packs invaded my desire for a peaceful escape from what was becoming a living hell.
It's now a little after 2 and I am up and the spinning is gone. I feel weak, I feel scared, and I feel unsure about what my life is going to be like. Nobody seems to understand what is going on with me, myself included. I have some friends who brush this off. You'll be better ok. I have others who sound alarms and encourage me to go home. Leaving here doesn't seem much of a solution though, it only seems like an escape to something else, but not to wellness.
I've been trying everything. My diet has practically no salt. And yesterday was no exception. The only salt I took in was a little that might have been in the small slice of pizza I had. I am not doing too much. I am not under stress. I was feeling very good, and yesterday felt great. I've been doing affirmations and getting treatments. And then today.
So,I am going to attempt to go forward with this trip to Uruguay. If I have to, I will take meclizine every 6 hours as directed by the label. Maybe I'll get used to being tired all the time. I'm already pretty tired most of the time anyway, so it's just a minor adjustment. If I need to stay in my hotel and rest the whole time, at least it will be a different environment. If I'm able to get up, I'll be able to sit on the terrace of my hotel and see the river or order room service.
I know people who have illnesses that are far more debilitating. My fear is that this is going to continue to get worse in spite of all of my efforts to regain my health. Blogging about it seems to be the only thing I can do that in any way helps me to feel better. I'm not sure why that is.
Well, in a few hours I'll be boarding that boat. I'll take another meclizine soon, to be sure I don't have another attack, and to make sure I don't get sick on the boat. Until then, I'm going to go lie down on the sofa and rest some more.
Off to Uruguay
Well, I am off to Uruguay for my mini-vacation in the middle of what seems like a vacation but really isn't. Vacations are fun and special and relaxing and exotic and uplifting, living in a place for more than a few weeks begins to become living in a place with all of the ups and downs that that brings. I am really glad I came here and I know there will be lots of things about Buenos Aires that I will miss when I am back in my comfort zone in SF, but right now I am really looking forward to a little break. From what I've been reading and hearing from people about Uruguay, it is one of South America's best kept secrets.
First I am taking a taxi to the Buquebus pier to catch a boat to Colonia del Sacramento - Colonia for short. Colonia is a World Heritage site and is a small port town with cobblestone streets and Portuguese colonial architecture. Gonzalo, the guy who puts seeds in my ear, loves Colonia. When I told him I was going, he got so excited, I got excited.
I had an opportunity to go to Colonia last year when I was here, but it was winter, and I would have had to go with the kids who were part of the program I signed up to study Spanish with. It didn't seem like my idea of fun and I would not have had any place to escape from the elements if I got cold.
This time I am arriving on Sunday and spending the night Sunday and Monday and on Tuesday I will take the bus to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
I'm excited about the place I am staying in Colonia, which is called Posada del Virrey. It is an inn in a beautiful old building and the rooms have stone walls. It looks totally luxurious and is really the kind of getaway spot I am craving right now. I am looking forward to strolling the old streets of Colonia, finding a nice sunny cafe to hang out at, and just relaxing.
In Montevideo, I will be staying at the Balmoral Plaza Hotel, which doesn't look as special as Posada del Virrey, but it is also half the price. From what I hear, Montevideo is like Buenos Aires 50 years ago. Raul told me he loves Montevideo, and Hernan also raved about it. For them it is an escape from Buenos Aires with a laid-back retro feel. Both Gonzalo and Raul have told me that Uruguayans are very friendly.
I'm looking forward to this little escape. I will be sure to take a meclizine before getting on the boat, even though I've been vertigo free all week, I am not taking any chances.
I'll try to blog while I am there, just to keep up with recording the adventure and will also post some pics. I'm not bringing my laptop with me since it doesn't look like I'll have internet in my room, but I am sure I'll find computers. It will also be one less thing to lug with me.
I also updated my photo blog with some new pictures. Be sure to check them out!
Be back on Friday in time for my Arabic class. Chau!!!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
A "Dynamic" Class
Today I went to the Department of Alumnos because I was absent last week and had to explain the reasons for my absence. Ybti asked me if I had a doctor's note. (!!??!!) I went down and told them my teacher sent me because I was absent. They checked my file and told me I had missed two classes (that is supposedly the limit) because I missed the first day of class. I told them I was there the first day of class but she did not pass the list, which was true, but somehow other students had signed. I remember there were 12 of us on the first day, but there were not 12 signatures on the list I was shown. The girl in the window told me I had to tell the teacher to write a note vouching that I was there on the first day of class and I did not sign. Apparently, my word was not good enough!
Class was pretty much more of the same. Ybti bounced around from one thing to another. First she taught us the numbers, when she realized we didn't know them. What she doesn't understand is that her teaching us something is very different from us learning it. So, even though she wrote the numbers on the board and went around the room and had us each say one number, I can only tell you that seven is sabat because I remember the Sabbath and five is hamza, because that is the letter that looks like a zero that I thought was ha and then thought was tamarbuta and now I think is both, in addition to being five!
I am learning, but I think it is in spite of Ybti and not all thanks to her. I feel like her role has become one of inducing me to ask questions, which might be a good thing, even though I wish her role was more of a positive than negative one.
If you look at the little sample of Arabic script I posted here, you can see that there are these little marks above and below some of the letters. These are the vowel sounds i, u, and a. They can change a consonant like b to bi, bu or ba. I learned this from the website I am going to to clarify what I missed in class.
So today as we bounced from numbers, to the store to the restaurant to saying, "is this a book?" and I copied from the board, I began to notice that Ybti was not always putting these little marks, which to me are essential to trying to figure out how to say a string of letters. If there are no vowels, then something like sbt makes no sense to me, but when you put the vowels in there and get sabat I understand.
I asked Fernando, the guy who was sitting next to me blissfully copying things down in perfect Arabic writing because he already knows how to read and write in Arabic, why Ybti was not putting the vowels. He answered me, but the room was noisy and he was on my left side - bad for hearing, especially another language - so I didn't understand his answer. I responded, "it is to confuse us". And confuse us it did.
The nice thing about this class in comparison to last night's is that I am NOT the lowest student. There are other students who are more confused than me. Not that this is a competition or anything, it's just I don't like being the one who is obviously confused and then have the teacher continously point it out (as she did last night). I still am not stressed about last night's class, or even today's, but I am really trying to understand this situation and think about how I as a teacher might do things that put my own students in similar situations. I know I have done things that have left some students out and taught to the higher level students rather than the lower ones. I know that it is a real challenge to teach really low levels, especially when they don't have the skills they need to reach their own understanding of things.
Here I am in this class with a master's degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages, along with experience studying several other foreign languages and some strategies and resources to understand things on my own, yet, this class continues to be a challenge, mostly because it bounces all over the place, there is no focus, no clear objectives and the teacher allows several outspoken students to set the agenda. I hope that when I see that deer in the headlights look, or when I see a student looking extremely frustrated or lost, I will remember this experience and try to think about how I can help.
One of the most interesting things that happened today was that I overheard Ybti tell Fernando that last night's class was dynamic. She sort of posed it as a tag question. "Last night's class was dynamic wasn't it?", to which of course, he had to respond "yes". I thought it was kind of comical, since I did not think the class was dynamic at all. I had a student last semester who every time I gave them evaluations to see how things were going, wrote that he wanted the class to be more dynamic. I did all kinds of things in my class, but it was never dynamic enough for him. So, here, this class, which was total confusion for me, was being described as being "dynamic". I think she thought it was dynamic because there were students in the class who could read and write Arabic already. Since the class is supposed to be "phonetics" and a phonetics class is supposed to help us LEARN how to read and write, they shouldn't be there, but anyway, I guess for Ybti, it is nice to be able to see some students who are not totally confused like those of us in her Saturday morning class.
In spite of all of this struggling though, I do like the class. I like Arabic writing, and what little I have learned of the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation is interesting. Also, the students in my class are really nice.
Friday, October 3, 2008
No Method to the Madness
Tonight I had my first class of Arabic phonetics, whatever that is supposed to mean. Ybti told us it would help us to read. CUI (Centro Universitario de Idiomas) offers these little extras along with the regular classes. For Arabic, we get phonetics. For Italian, there is a conversation club, but only for students at level 3 and higher. There are a ton of English conversation clubs and I think there are also some films for some of the classes. The school was buzzing with activity tonight when I showed up for the class.
Last week I went, because Ybti assured us we were having class on Friday, she even said the date, the 26th. Four of us showed up, but she didn't.
Tonight when I got there, there was another class in the room we were supposed to be in. I saw Ybti in the hallway and she led me into a different classroom. She had me sign in and I saw a note highligted with yellow saying I had to report to the department of students. I asked her what that was about and she said it was because I was absent last week. I asked her what I had to do and she said I had to tell them why I was absent. Geez!
There was a bit of confusion about our room because some other students started coming into the room we were in which is not the room we were supposed to be in and asked if it was the English Conversation Club. Eventually, the class that was in our assigned room left and we moved there.
In the regular Arabic class I am in over my head. Most of the other students already can read and write some arabic. I and the other older students are the only ones who are struggling with the alphabet. But it is supposed to be Arabic 1. There is no lower level.
She told us that this class was supposed to help us. Well, if I was over my head in the other class, this new class is Hurricane Katrina and the levees are breaking and I'm stranded on the roof with a sign that says "save me", but since I can't write in Arabic, no one can read it. It could potentially be a very horrible situation, but I am consoled by the fact that I am planning on taking Arabic 1 when I return to San Francisco and will then be the one who has a little experience and knows the alphabet.
To make matters worse, this phonetics class is not just for the Arabic 1 students, it is for all Arabic students, so there were students in there from level 2 and up. Not many, but enough to make the class lean even more away from my level and to a higher level of difficulty.
And to make matters even more complicated, when I reached into my bag for my glasses, they were not there. Ugh!
Still I persevered. I dutifully copied everything from the board and tried to write the phrases in roman letters as well and then write the Spanish pronunciation. I think the only thing that saved me is that I've been living like a monk lately and this morning my cute chripractor did an adjustment on my neck that released something and I felt so relaxed and blissful I didn't really care that I was the lowest student in the class and I was completely lost on top of being half deaf, and partially blind.
First Ybti put the alphabet on the board and then she wrote some words in Arabic - they were he is and she is. From there she wrote some sentences, like he is a student. She was going really fast and I was doing my best to keep up. She had a book with pictures and phrases such as "he is a student", "this is a door" and she passed the book around. One older guy from a higher level read some phrases and she wrote them on the board. I copied them.
The book got passed around to the other students, all of whom were able to read. Then it arrived at me. I told her I didn't have my glasses. She was about to offer me hers, but I knew that wouldn't work because I have an astigmatism and my prescription is very specific. I held the book at arms length and fortunately, there were single words and not phrases. I read the first one, "bab" which means door. That was easy, but I was proud of myself. That was the level I should have been at.
I don't recall what happened immediately after that, but then she said we were going to practice a dialogue. It was 'in a restaurant' - there was so much that was new - like everything. The word for waiter and customer, even the expressions, such as good day (sabah al ha-ir) were different. So we had to learn these new expressions, write them and we were going to practice them.
The older guy from the higher class read the dialogue. Ybti wrote it on the board. I copied.
At one point in the conversation the waiter asked the customer what he wanted to eat. The guy who was reading it said "carne asada" - well, it wasn't carne asada it was whatever grilled meat is in arabic. Actually I learned meat - it is laham (I think that might be where the English word lamb comes from, or if not, the association made it easy for me to remember). Ybti went around and asked everyone what they wanted to eat.
We have not studied this.
I tried my damndest to think of some Arab food. The only thing I could think of was baba ganoush, but I was sure my pronunciation was not correct. I blanked. I was just looking at an Arab menu yesterday when I passed by the libio-siriano (Lebanese-Syrian) Club that has a restaurant with what looks like a fabulous buffet (along with Arab cooking classes). I was trying to think of schwarma, but I blanked. I am sure I looked like a fool, but I don't really care. I know that this class and the Saturday class are too high for me and are poorly taught, and I am doing my best.
It was crazy walking home in Friday evening rush hour traffic, but I made it, stopped at the supermarket and little produce shop and whipped up a pot of chicken morrocan style (my version anyway). It is now finished simmering and I'm going to eat a little before I get ready to skype with my friend Diane.
Tomorrow I go back for more Arabic torture.
May you have a luminous evening.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I'm Pretending It's Still Thursday
It's after midnight, so it's officially Friday, but I'm going to cheat and change the date when I post this (if I can), so that this post will be for Thursday.
I wasn't really in the mood for blogging this morning. My computer was running slow and I had a hard time watching the Daily Show and checking out Common Dreams and the Huffington Post. I didn't attempt anything else because I was ready to throw the computer out the window.
I decided to go out for lunch after I brought my laundry across the street. I wanted to check out this little corner restaurant that has caught my eye several times. I was thinking of going there last night after returning from my conversation exchange, but it looked kind of formal with candles and all and I wasn't dressed appropriately. Today I went and looked at the menu and saw that they have kind of a fixed menu. It might be interesting but I decided to go elsewhere.
It was a beautiful, warm, spring day so I went to this row of restaurants that have outdoor seating. I settled on one that had a daily menu with 7 different options. It was kind of a mistake. I looked longingly at the next restaurant that was an Italian grill. I had been to the same restaurant in another location with Hernan and had a nice piece of salmon and a really yummy desert that we shared.
Well, this restaurant I went to, Campechano or something like that, was nothing special. I have to admit, I am tired of the same old menu choices. Don't Argentines want variety?
I got a piece of grilled chicken and wanted a salad. It was listed as one of the side order choices. But the waiter confused me by telling me something I didn't understand about the salad. It turned out a salad bar was also included. But it didn't say that on the menu. I have never seen a salad bar in Argentina, so I was a bit surprised. I had to tell him I didn't understand, and he explained again. I still wasn't sure I understood.
The other two side order options were french fries or squash puree. They don't get vegetables as a concept.
I got the french fries, and fortunately, they were not salted.
First I got this little appetizer that was kind of like a piece of quiche and a side of some pickled eggplant. It was ok. It came with a basket of stale bread (I wonder if they just keep putting the same basket out over and over again). I was waiting for the waiter to give me instructions on the salad bar, but he never did. I was sitting outside so I didn't know what to do.
I got my entree and the chicken was not bad. The unsalted fries were greasy, and I dind't finish them. The desert was this really sweet thing that I think was flan with dulce de leche in the middle covered with a syrup. I love deserts, but I only ate half of this.
I couldn't wait to leave.
I think this restaurant, and the others in this block, might be nice places to go with friends for drinks and snacks, especially on warm weekday evenings when it might not be crowded. I didn't really enjoy the experience so much, first because the food was not that special, and second, because it was kind of hot and there was very little shade.
What was interesting, was that there were three police officers patrolling this block. One was standing guard outside of a building across the street. The restaurants all face a little park with a playground and there are rows of apartment buildings on the other side. I wondered if someone important lived in this one building that seemed to be guarded, and if this was a high crime area. It was very conchetta, and the people who were eating at these restaurants were fairly well heeled.
The other thing that started to bother me was the smoke.
I have noticed that a lot of women smoke. I asked Raul last night if he thought more women smoke than men and he said yes. I thought it was a way to keep from gaining weight, since everyone seems so body conscious, but Raul told me it is because women have very difficult lives. He said they are always falling for men who are irresponsible, have wives, can't commit to a relationship, etc. He said they build castles in the clouds. I thought this was an interesting interpretation and have decided I'm going to ask more people what they think - first if they think women smoke more than men, and second, why.
I spent the rest of the day at home. I just was not feeling like going out. I guess I'm conserving my energy for Uruguay next week where I won't have the luxury of staying home and cooking and raiding my refrigerator every hour. I enjoyed watching some movies, just relaxing and finally watching the Vice Presidential debates.
I actually enjoyed the debate. I thought Joe Biden was good. I thought Sarah Palin did better than everyone expected she would. She got on my nerves with her little folksies - 'you betcha!', and didn't answer some of the questions, she twisted the facts, but at least she made some coherent sentences. That apparently has become our standard for our leaders. After watching her with Katie Couric, I wondered, as I think many did, if she would be able to answer any questions.
And that was my day. Nothing special. Still feeling kind of blah about everything. Still frustrated that simple things like ordering in a restaurant are not always simple. But healthwise, I am doing ok and have had another vertigo free day. That is something to celebrate.
Just a little stretching and affirmations and then time for bed. If I think of anything else, I'll just hafta get back to ya!
I wasn't really in the mood for blogging this morning. My computer was running slow and I had a hard time watching the Daily Show and checking out Common Dreams and the Huffington Post. I didn't attempt anything else because I was ready to throw the computer out the window.
I decided to go out for lunch after I brought my laundry across the street. I wanted to check out this little corner restaurant that has caught my eye several times. I was thinking of going there last night after returning from my conversation exchange, but it looked kind of formal with candles and all and I wasn't dressed appropriately. Today I went and looked at the menu and saw that they have kind of a fixed menu. It might be interesting but I decided to go elsewhere.
It was a beautiful, warm, spring day so I went to this row of restaurants that have outdoor seating. I settled on one that had a daily menu with 7 different options. It was kind of a mistake. I looked longingly at the next restaurant that was an Italian grill. I had been to the same restaurant in another location with Hernan and had a nice piece of salmon and a really yummy desert that we shared.
Well, this restaurant I went to, Campechano or something like that, was nothing special. I have to admit, I am tired of the same old menu choices. Don't Argentines want variety?
I got a piece of grilled chicken and wanted a salad. It was listed as one of the side order choices. But the waiter confused me by telling me something I didn't understand about the salad. It turned out a salad bar was also included. But it didn't say that on the menu. I have never seen a salad bar in Argentina, so I was a bit surprised. I had to tell him I didn't understand, and he explained again. I still wasn't sure I understood.
The other two side order options were french fries or squash puree. They don't get vegetables as a concept.
I got the french fries, and fortunately, they were not salted.
First I got this little appetizer that was kind of like a piece of quiche and a side of some pickled eggplant. It was ok. It came with a basket of stale bread (I wonder if they just keep putting the same basket out over and over again). I was waiting for the waiter to give me instructions on the salad bar, but he never did. I was sitting outside so I didn't know what to do.
I got my entree and the chicken was not bad. The unsalted fries were greasy, and I dind't finish them. The desert was this really sweet thing that I think was flan with dulce de leche in the middle covered with a syrup. I love deserts, but I only ate half of this.
I couldn't wait to leave.
I think this restaurant, and the others in this block, might be nice places to go with friends for drinks and snacks, especially on warm weekday evenings when it might not be crowded. I didn't really enjoy the experience so much, first because the food was not that special, and second, because it was kind of hot and there was very little shade.
What was interesting, was that there were three police officers patrolling this block. One was standing guard outside of a building across the street. The restaurants all face a little park with a playground and there are rows of apartment buildings on the other side. I wondered if someone important lived in this one building that seemed to be guarded, and if this was a high crime area. It was very conchetta, and the people who were eating at these restaurants were fairly well heeled.
The other thing that started to bother me was the smoke.
I have noticed that a lot of women smoke. I asked Raul last night if he thought more women smoke than men and he said yes. I thought it was a way to keep from gaining weight, since everyone seems so body conscious, but Raul told me it is because women have very difficult lives. He said they are always falling for men who are irresponsible, have wives, can't commit to a relationship, etc. He said they build castles in the clouds. I thought this was an interesting interpretation and have decided I'm going to ask more people what they think - first if they think women smoke more than men, and second, why.
I spent the rest of the day at home. I just was not feeling like going out. I guess I'm conserving my energy for Uruguay next week where I won't have the luxury of staying home and cooking and raiding my refrigerator every hour. I enjoyed watching some movies, just relaxing and finally watching the Vice Presidential debates.
I actually enjoyed the debate. I thought Joe Biden was good. I thought Sarah Palin did better than everyone expected she would. She got on my nerves with her little folksies - 'you betcha!', and didn't answer some of the questions, she twisted the facts, but at least she made some coherent sentences. That apparently has become our standard for our leaders. After watching her with Katie Couric, I wondered, as I think many did, if she would be able to answer any questions.
And that was my day. Nothing special. Still feeling kind of blah about everything. Still frustrated that simple things like ordering in a restaurant are not always simple. But healthwise, I am doing ok and have had another vertigo free day. That is something to celebrate.
Just a little stretching and affirmations and then time for bed. If I think of anything else, I'll just hafta get back to ya!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Italian Class
Blas is really loud. He likes to yell in class. It's a kind of funny thing. I wonder what would happen if I started yelling like he does when I return to my classroom in San Francisco. He doesn't yell at us, but he yells. I wish I could record it because it is hard to describe - imagine the sterotypical Italian saying, "hey, what's a matta for you?" with gestures and everything. That is Blas, except that he is Argentine.
Well, today we had pretty much the same class as we've been having, but the students are beginning to relate a little more to each other. He still calls me Reeshard and he still calls on me in ways that embarrass me. Matias still makes funny jokes that make Blas laugh. I guess this is the way things are going to go from now on. The only difference being that some of the quieter girls are beginning to speak up more. It's nice because they are the ones who seem to be serious about speaking Italian and when they speak, they speak in Italian. I guess some learning is taking place.
Today we discussed the third of Aesop's fables that we read. I tried reading it and had a hard time understanding what it was about because I didn't understand one of the key words - volpe, and I wasn't in a mood to guess. Turns out a volpe is a fox. I entered the entire fable into an online translator and volpe was translated as vixen. That didn't help me. But the translation did help me to understand the rest of the story, more or less.
I ran into Matias in the bar at school and asked him what a volpe was. He told me it was a fox. I still didn't recognize the fable though - it was about a fox that didn't know what lions were.
Matias is a nice guy, and he's very funny in class. Blas kids him and says that he "faccia tosta" - I am not sure what this means, but I think it means bullshit.
Anyway, I sat and spoke to Matias before class with my coffee (and donut today). He works in a hotel in Palermo and was just coming from work straight to school. He said he has to speak English at work but also there are Italians and French so that is why he is studying Italian.
After we finished discussing Aesop, Blas told us to work in groups and write the names of three famous people on three separate pieces of paper. We were then to give the paper to another group. They would hold it up and they were to ask questions, or we were to give them clues and they had to guess who the person was (they were not to look at the paper).
This is a pretty classic ESL activity that I've used in one form or another (there are several variations).
The interesting thing about this was that it had nothing to do with anything we were doing in class. It was not related to the fable, nor was it related to the last chapter we just finished which was about food and ordering in a restaurant, or the upcoming chapter which is about hotels and travel. So we were supposed to ask questions or give clues about the person's occupation, nationality, appearance, etc., but we didn't have the vocabulary to do it.
It reminded me of when I first went to Japan and I had just learned about communicative language teaching. I understood it to mean that you put people in situations where they have to communicate and they magically begin to speak English. What I didn't get at the time was that they needed the language to do this. If we had been given some language first, this would have been a great way to practice it. Instead, we were very limited in the vocabulary we could use. Mostly we narrowed it down by determining if the person was male or female, boy or girl, alive or dead, Argentine or not and a singer or politician. Most of the people were Argentine and I had no idea who they were.
It was interesting for me to experience this activity that I am familiar with from the perspective of a student.
During our break the girls in my group started asking me personal questions. Natalia wanted to know if I had a wife in the US. They were kind of getting excited about this and firing questions at me that I didn't fully understand and didn't really want to answer. The problem in this class and my arabic class as well is that the acoustics in the room are very bad. There is a horrible echo. When everyone is speaking, and in this case, when Blas is yelling and everyone is speaking, I have a really hard time hearing. I knew they were asking about my wife, but it was too overwhelming for me and fortuntely, Blas called us back to start class.
He then made a comment that I was in a group with three women (who are all young and kind of hot). Ugh.
I remember at Mission Campus where I used to teach, there was a teacher who told us about this guy in her class, Jose. She was so upset because she told us that Jose told her that he was married and his wife and two children were killed in a car accident. This teacher, Olivia, told us what a good soul Jose was.
Another colleague, Suzanne, who has very good gaydar, told me she thought Jose was gay. I had Jose in my class the next semester, and I couldn't see it, but Suzanne insisted.
Then there was this guy named Oscar, who I knew was gay because I caught him several times outside of my classroom peering in and watching me teach and making eyes at me (my gaydar works if I am hit over the head). Suzanne told me that Oscar told her that he had been married and his wife and kids were killed in a car accident.
It was then that we put together the pieces and realized that these guys were telling people this story to get them to stop asking questions about their personal lives. Of course if it were ok just to say "I'm gay" and leave it at that, they probably would have. But in this case, rather than pretend to be straight, what a better way to get people to stop asking questions than to lie about a family tragedy.
Hmmm....it's tempting, but I don't know if I can pull it off.
Well, today we had pretty much the same class as we've been having, but the students are beginning to relate a little more to each other. He still calls me Reeshard and he still calls on me in ways that embarrass me. Matias still makes funny jokes that make Blas laugh. I guess this is the way things are going to go from now on. The only difference being that some of the quieter girls are beginning to speak up more. It's nice because they are the ones who seem to be serious about speaking Italian and when they speak, they speak in Italian. I guess some learning is taking place.
Today we discussed the third of Aesop's fables that we read. I tried reading it and had a hard time understanding what it was about because I didn't understand one of the key words - volpe, and I wasn't in a mood to guess. Turns out a volpe is a fox. I entered the entire fable into an online translator and volpe was translated as vixen. That didn't help me. But the translation did help me to understand the rest of the story, more or less.
I ran into Matias in the bar at school and asked him what a volpe was. He told me it was a fox. I still didn't recognize the fable though - it was about a fox that didn't know what lions were.
Matias is a nice guy, and he's very funny in class. Blas kids him and says that he "faccia tosta" - I am not sure what this means, but I think it means bullshit.
Anyway, I sat and spoke to Matias before class with my coffee (and donut today). He works in a hotel in Palermo and was just coming from work straight to school. He said he has to speak English at work but also there are Italians and French so that is why he is studying Italian.
After we finished discussing Aesop, Blas told us to work in groups and write the names of three famous people on three separate pieces of paper. We were then to give the paper to another group. They would hold it up and they were to ask questions, or we were to give them clues and they had to guess who the person was (they were not to look at the paper).
This is a pretty classic ESL activity that I've used in one form or another (there are several variations).
The interesting thing about this was that it had nothing to do with anything we were doing in class. It was not related to the fable, nor was it related to the last chapter we just finished which was about food and ordering in a restaurant, or the upcoming chapter which is about hotels and travel. So we were supposed to ask questions or give clues about the person's occupation, nationality, appearance, etc., but we didn't have the vocabulary to do it.
It reminded me of when I first went to Japan and I had just learned about communicative language teaching. I understood it to mean that you put people in situations where they have to communicate and they magically begin to speak English. What I didn't get at the time was that they needed the language to do this. If we had been given some language first, this would have been a great way to practice it. Instead, we were very limited in the vocabulary we could use. Mostly we narrowed it down by determining if the person was male or female, boy or girl, alive or dead, Argentine or not and a singer or politician. Most of the people were Argentine and I had no idea who they were.
It was interesting for me to experience this activity that I am familiar with from the perspective of a student.
During our break the girls in my group started asking me personal questions. Natalia wanted to know if I had a wife in the US. They were kind of getting excited about this and firing questions at me that I didn't fully understand and didn't really want to answer. The problem in this class and my arabic class as well is that the acoustics in the room are very bad. There is a horrible echo. When everyone is speaking, and in this case, when Blas is yelling and everyone is speaking, I have a really hard time hearing. I knew they were asking about my wife, but it was too overwhelming for me and fortuntely, Blas called us back to start class.
He then made a comment that I was in a group with three women (who are all young and kind of hot). Ugh.
I remember at Mission Campus where I used to teach, there was a teacher who told us about this guy in her class, Jose. She was so upset because she told us that Jose told her that he was married and his wife and two children were killed in a car accident. This teacher, Olivia, told us what a good soul Jose was.
Another colleague, Suzanne, who has very good gaydar, told me she thought Jose was gay. I had Jose in my class the next semester, and I couldn't see it, but Suzanne insisted.
Then there was this guy named Oscar, who I knew was gay because I caught him several times outside of my classroom peering in and watching me teach and making eyes at me (my gaydar works if I am hit over the head). Suzanne told me that Oscar told her that he had been married and his wife and kids were killed in a car accident.
It was then that we put together the pieces and realized that these guys were telling people this story to get them to stop asking questions about their personal lives. Of course if it were ok just to say "I'm gay" and leave it at that, they probably would have. But in this case, rather than pretend to be straight, what a better way to get people to stop asking questions than to lie about a family tragedy.
Hmmm....it's tempting, but I don't know if I can pull it off.
Tango or Death
Ok,this post was completely unplanned and unexpected, but that's the thing I like about blogging - I never know where it's going (even though I do compose some entries while I'm walking down the street before I get back to my computer).
Well, in this case, after watching the video of Yo Yo Ma playing Libertango and remembering how much I love seeing people play the bandoneón, I tried to find a tango orchestra with some good shots of bandoneón players really going at it. The bandeon is an amazing instrument and for me epitomizes the spirit of tango.
You Tube being what it is, I got lost for hours (maybe not really hours) and watched some great tango videos. I'd love to post them all, but maybe not today.
What I did find was an amazing short film that I know nothing about, but I am going to post it for several reasons.
1. It is entertaining.
2. It shows some the things I love about Buenos Aires and the people who live here.
a. The gestures
b. The way they will protest anything.
c. The way they speak truth to power (and power does not speak back)
3. It shows the passion of tango.
4. It is subtitled in English, so everyone can understand it.
A few weeks ago when I was in San Telmo I ran into two tango orchestras on the street. I imagine that this orchestra was playing on the street and didn't have a permit and that is why the police tried to move them away. I also imagine that the crowds were there watching the orchestra because this was San Telmo on a Sunday and there are always crowds. But I could be wrong about all of this. Anyway, enjoy the video (I can't embed the video, so here is the link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVm2YDCfutw
PART II
Well, I went back to You Tube and found this video which I am able to embed. It turns out my guess was right - the little protest in the above film takes place in San Telmo on Sunday. This film has some of the same footage as the above film but only focuses on the protest that rises up spontaneously as the police officer tries to get the tango orchestra to break up their performance. This is class Buenos Aires. I love it!
Well, in this case, after watching the video of Yo Yo Ma playing Libertango and remembering how much I love seeing people play the bandoneón, I tried to find a tango orchestra with some good shots of bandoneón players really going at it. The bandeon is an amazing instrument and for me epitomizes the spirit of tango.
You Tube being what it is, I got lost for hours (maybe not really hours) and watched some great tango videos. I'd love to post them all, but maybe not today.
What I did find was an amazing short film that I know nothing about, but I am going to post it for several reasons.
1. It is entertaining.
2. It shows some the things I love about Buenos Aires and the people who live here.
a. The gestures
b. The way they will protest anything.
c. The way they speak truth to power (and power does not speak back)
3. It shows the passion of tango.
4. It is subtitled in English, so everyone can understand it.
A few weeks ago when I was in San Telmo I ran into two tango orchestras on the street. I imagine that this orchestra was playing on the street and didn't have a permit and that is why the police tried to move them away. I also imagine that the crowds were there watching the orchestra because this was San Telmo on a Sunday and there are always crowds. But I could be wrong about all of this. Anyway, enjoy the video (I can't embed the video, so here is the link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVm2YDCfutw
PART II
Well, I went back to You Tube and found this video which I am able to embed. It turns out my guess was right - the little protest in the above film takes place in San Telmo on Sunday. This film has some of the same footage as the above film but only focuses on the protest that rises up spontaneously as the police officer tries to get the tango orchestra to break up their performance. This is class Buenos Aires. I love it!
Piazzola Was in My Dream
I had a funny dream last night. I was in a tango class - one of the beginning classes that I've taken here with all of the old people who I feel very comfortable with. There was one older guy, thin and quiet, who didn't really dance. He sat and observed, but wasn't confident enough to dance. One of the other students told me he was Piazzola.
Piazzola was a very famous tango composer - he composed some of my favorite tangos, among them Libertango - I'm putting in a video here of Yo Yo Ma playing it - I get goosebumps every time I hear it.
Well anyway, Piazzola was in my tango class in my dream, but he wasn't dancing. The other students and the teacher didn't know he was Piazzola. I only knew because someone else had told me.
He couldn't dance tango. He was instead observing and making all of these very complicated notes. I tried to help him out.
I don't remember what happened after that, but I thought about this dream when I was walking home from Italian today and thought it was quite funny. I wonder if these great tango masters - composers and singers like Piazzola and Gardel could actually dance this dance or if they just created the music for everyone. Anyone into dream interpretation? What do you think this dream meant?
Ok, here's Yo Yo Ma playing Libertango. Enjoy. (Check out the guy playing the bandoneón - the little accordian that is a characteristic part of tango music - I've decided that is next for me....)
Piazzola was a very famous tango composer - he composed some of my favorite tangos, among them Libertango - I'm putting in a video here of Yo Yo Ma playing it - I get goosebumps every time I hear it.
Well anyway, Piazzola was in my tango class in my dream, but he wasn't dancing. The other students and the teacher didn't know he was Piazzola. I only knew because someone else had told me.
He couldn't dance tango. He was instead observing and making all of these very complicated notes. I tried to help him out.
I don't remember what happened after that, but I thought about this dream when I was walking home from Italian today and thought it was quite funny. I wonder if these great tango masters - composers and singers like Piazzola and Gardel could actually dance this dance or if they just created the music for everyone. Anyone into dream interpretation? What do you think this dream meant?
Ok, here's Yo Yo Ma playing Libertango. Enjoy. (Check out the guy playing the bandoneón - the little accordian that is a characteristic part of tango music - I've decided that is next for me....)
Catching Up
I guess I didn't blog yesterday. I was too busy blissing out.
I remember when I was in Japan and our school was in the midst of a crisis - we were losing students and had no money. Someone said that the Chinese character for "crisis" was the same as "opportunity". I don't know if that is true, but I have come to believe that all crises are opportunities. This crisis on Wall Street is an opportunity for us to try to do something different, or for Wall Street and the ruling class to milk what's left in US treasury before Bush leaves office. My health crisis, was an opportunity for me to try to find a better way of living. I don't know what happened in Congress today, but I know yesterday I focused on healing instead of being sick.
I had an appointment with my cute, sweet chiropractor at 9:30. I can feel a huge difference in the mobility of my neck since my first visit with him, and he also noticed the difference. My neck is still a little sore, thus, I will continue to see him, and I think there might be a relation between the pain in my neck and my ear problems. After that, I went to Coto and bought some fruit and a nice piece of chocolate cake. I came home, put the fruit away and ate the cake and then went to the spa.
At the spa I had a facial by a woman named Monica. She was really sweet and complimented me on my Spanish (I remember her from the last time I was there). I don't know what she did to me. She kept putting on creams and then wiping them off. At one point she put a mask on my face that she said was made with gold. Wow! It felt so extravagant. She also gave me a really nice neck, shoulder, head massage. She said I was very tense and thought I was spending too much time going out late at night chasing boys or girls (she offered both options, which was kind of nice). I told her I don't go out. But I am tense for sure.
After the facial, I had a massage by Christian. He's the guy who did the facial last time I went to this spa. It was a wonderful massage. So good I am going to try to go back again just for massages (if I can get him). A massage alone is $40, yesterday's treatment with sauna, facial and massage was 170 pesos (about $57). At those prices I could go every week!
I left the spa and got a hankering for meatballs. At first I wandered the streets looking in restaurant windows trying to decide on where I could go for a nice lunch. But instead I went to the Disco, bought some ground beef, bread crumbs and a few other necessities and came home and ate the lentils I had from Monday and then made meatballs and a pot of tomato sauce. I had gnocchi while I watched Patito Feo, and had strawberries and cream for desert.
The meatballs and gravy (we call spaghetti sauce gravy)were really good. The gnocchi were ok, but I could taste the salt in them. I would have made my own, but it's a mess. The strawberries were really yummy. They are all over now and I paid about $1.50 for 1 kilo of strawberries. I have strawberries coming out the wazoo.
I spent the rest of the night just relaxing. Watching the Daily Show online, watching a little TV and then doing my Italian homework.
Ah, I almost forgot. I found some videos on You Tube yesterday for self-healing and also watched an interview that Oprah did with Jon Kabat-Zinn, and therein comes the opportunity out of this crisis.
My body does this amazing thing to me when I get out of balance in my life - it knocks me on my butt and forces me to wake up. When I am living unconsciously, it gives me no other choice, unless I want to life a life of intense pain and suffering. It's kind of a curse, but it's a good thing too. It seems that other people can live unconsciously and get away with it. I can't. If I get too stressed out, if I don't take care of myself, if I lose my center - I will end up paying for it with vertigo, hiccups, neck pain, insomnia, acid reflux, rashes... you name it, my body has thrown it my way. Sometimes it takes a while for me to recognize the signs, and often when I am in the midst of some unpleasant bodily reaction it is difficult to make any changes, but eventually I get the message that I need to do something different.
What I am doing now is really paying attention to how I am feeling and being really careful to not put myself into situations that are stressful - like a tango class. When I am in stressful situations that are unavoidable, like walking down a crowded sidewalk that is blocked off because of construction and is covered with mud and has piles of dogshit for good measure - I breathe.
So far this has been working well.
I remember when I was in Japan and our school was in the midst of a crisis - we were losing students and had no money. Someone said that the Chinese character for "crisis" was the same as "opportunity". I don't know if that is true, but I have come to believe that all crises are opportunities. This crisis on Wall Street is an opportunity for us to try to do something different, or for Wall Street and the ruling class to milk what's left in US treasury before Bush leaves office. My health crisis, was an opportunity for me to try to find a better way of living. I don't know what happened in Congress today, but I know yesterday I focused on healing instead of being sick.
I had an appointment with my cute, sweet chiropractor at 9:30. I can feel a huge difference in the mobility of my neck since my first visit with him, and he also noticed the difference. My neck is still a little sore, thus, I will continue to see him, and I think there might be a relation between the pain in my neck and my ear problems. After that, I went to Coto and bought some fruit and a nice piece of chocolate cake. I came home, put the fruit away and ate the cake and then went to the spa.
At the spa I had a facial by a woman named Monica. She was really sweet and complimented me on my Spanish (I remember her from the last time I was there). I don't know what she did to me. She kept putting on creams and then wiping them off. At one point she put a mask on my face that she said was made with gold. Wow! It felt so extravagant. She also gave me a really nice neck, shoulder, head massage. She said I was very tense and thought I was spending too much time going out late at night chasing boys or girls (she offered both options, which was kind of nice). I told her I don't go out. But I am tense for sure.
After the facial, I had a massage by Christian. He's the guy who did the facial last time I went to this spa. It was a wonderful massage. So good I am going to try to go back again just for massages (if I can get him). A massage alone is $40, yesterday's treatment with sauna, facial and massage was 170 pesos (about $57). At those prices I could go every week!
I left the spa and got a hankering for meatballs. At first I wandered the streets looking in restaurant windows trying to decide on where I could go for a nice lunch. But instead I went to the Disco, bought some ground beef, bread crumbs and a few other necessities and came home and ate the lentils I had from Monday and then made meatballs and a pot of tomato sauce. I had gnocchi while I watched Patito Feo, and had strawberries and cream for desert.
The meatballs and gravy (we call spaghetti sauce gravy)were really good. The gnocchi were ok, but I could taste the salt in them. I would have made my own, but it's a mess. The strawberries were really yummy. They are all over now and I paid about $1.50 for 1 kilo of strawberries. I have strawberries coming out the wazoo.
I spent the rest of the night just relaxing. Watching the Daily Show online, watching a little TV and then doing my Italian homework.
Ah, I almost forgot. I found some videos on You Tube yesterday for self-healing and also watched an interview that Oprah did with Jon Kabat-Zinn, and therein comes the opportunity out of this crisis.
My body does this amazing thing to me when I get out of balance in my life - it knocks me on my butt and forces me to wake up. When I am living unconsciously, it gives me no other choice, unless I want to life a life of intense pain and suffering. It's kind of a curse, but it's a good thing too. It seems that other people can live unconsciously and get away with it. I can't. If I get too stressed out, if I don't take care of myself, if I lose my center - I will end up paying for it with vertigo, hiccups, neck pain, insomnia, acid reflux, rashes... you name it, my body has thrown it my way. Sometimes it takes a while for me to recognize the signs, and often when I am in the midst of some unpleasant bodily reaction it is difficult to make any changes, but eventually I get the message that I need to do something different.
What I am doing now is really paying attention to how I am feeling and being really careful to not put myself into situations that are stressful - like a tango class. When I am in stressful situations that are unavoidable, like walking down a crowded sidewalk that is blocked off because of construction and is covered with mud and has piles of dogshit for good measure - I breathe.
So far this has been working well.
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