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Wednesday, September 27, 2006

New York and Philadelphia

Just so you know, the following thoughts will be completely unorganized, unlike my luggage, which is slowly taking on an organization of its own. Sadly, said organization is accompanied by an ever-increasing weight. I'll make mom take a picture of me with all my luggage tomorrow morning. Everything I hear from Peace Corps reiterates that we will have to carry our own luggage. Apparently I'm very confident in my luggage-carrying abilities. It's all mental...right?
I must mention that my final weekend in New York City was fabulous, despite my unfounded fears. You see, I was positive that my friends would not, in fact, organize ANYTHING in the way of a send-off for me and I was, to say the least, disappointed. Let's just say that I complained to the people who actually HAD organized something that I didn't think I was getting a darn thing. Thankfully, all my friends are used to laughing at me for being a bit of a jerk every now and again, so nothing was out of the ordinary there. And what, precisely, did the aforementioned friends organize, you ask? A LIMO RIDE AROUND THE CITY! Very posh. Even when we stopped at the liquor store in my old neighborhood ("Ay mami") to buy my favorite wine (it's pink and tastes like juice...'cause I'm SO high class), the limo radiated glamour...or so I thought.
In the end, I couple more teary good-byes, mostly because Bonnie cried and, thus, I cried and, thus, Tyler cried. All the whimpering was more or less demolished by some dude who rolled up and asked us if we would move so that he could park behind my car. Awesome.
Since my departure from Manhattan, I've been running around like a crazy person (seriously, crazy people run around a LOT) and participating in America's favorite pastime: shopping. At malls, no less. I figured it was the American thing to do before I left. Even though I mostly shopped at H&M, which is Swedish, I felt very American every time they scanned my MasterCard.
Now, it's off to a fancy good-bye dinner with my Mom and Aunt Claire before I FINALLY force myself to stop packing and watch Everything is Illuminate (first a book, then a movie, then the inspiration for the name of my blog...all set in Ukraine) before attempting to sleep. Riiiiight.
Thankfully, Washington D.C. is still in America. I can envision last-minute runs to Wal-Mart for adapters already. Hopefully I'll update everyone before I go international.
Oh, oh, and I went back to my old school to say good-bye to everyone before I left. It was great to see everyone, especially the 8th graders, who will remain cute little 6th graders forever in my memory. They were HUGE fans of the Ukranian hip-hop music I played for them. Huge, I tell you.
OK, I think that's enough.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Virginia Beach, 9/15-9/19


My grandpa is cooler than yours.

The above statement was one of many lessons learned in Virginia Beach last weekend. Other lessons include:
* A little wine goes a long way.
* Dessert isn't only for after dinner.
* My family thinks it's really funny to humiliate me in any way possible.
* If you just smile and nod, they'll eventually stop.
* My grandma really likes Deal or No Deal, even if Howie won't let anyone touch him.
* Fishing is fun...at least in theory.
* Sand in your crotch can really get in the way of fun (just ask Uncle Hal).

I think that's about it. It was good to see the grandparentals and my Uncle Hal and Aunt Cheryl before I ship off. I even got to see my cousin Brian and his finacee, who are in the fifth circle of hell - also known as simultaneously gutting and re-finishing your new house and planning a Jamaican wedding - but smiling all the way through it. I'm sure both the wedding and house will be spectacular - power of positive thinking and all that.
So, there were some teary good-byes with Grandma and Aunt Cheryl - the second in what I'm sure will become a much longer list.
Only 8 more days until I fly to D.C., and I have to say that I'm READY to go, even if I'm not, you know, packed and all that. Although I did get my Pennsylvania driver's liscense today - holler!

Las Vegas, 9/9 - 9/12


Great-Grandma: So, what do you think of Las Vegas, Alison?
Me: It's hot.

And it was. I'm talking walk-a-mile-in-the-dry-heat hot. Dry heat? I was sweaty.
I did, however, get a chance to experiment with public transportation in Las Vegas. Let's just say it was less than superb, which is why I had to walk aforementioned mile. Twice. Once to the Elvis-a-Rama museum that was CLOSED when I got there. How the King could do such a thing to me, a devoted fan, will elude me forever. (The sticker-laden crosswalk signal merely added insult to injury on the way home.) Then again on the way back from visiting my great-grandmother. In a skirt. While people drove by in cars and whistled. It was good "I don't blend" preparation.
At least I got to cement my theory that New York surpasses all other cities on the merits of its public transportation system. Oh, the subway. How I will miss you.
Other than transportation-related surprises, I enjoyed experiencing my friend Pete's new haircut live and in person, being assured that I was "a good woman" by a particularly gregarious cab driver (knowhatimean?), elucidating the finer points of Justin Timberlake's sophomore album (obviously, some people are just jealous because they had totally given up on sexy), and noting the herd mentality that seems to prevail in the social structure of vegas (really, everyone dresses just like their friends when they're out there...it's freaky).
And, of course, there was the poetry. That took up a lot of time.
Got to visit my great-grandma, who's doing well and is not the least bit worried that I'll have to take cold showers. Thank goodness for some I-grew-up-on-a-farm-on-Long-Island common sense. It's about time. Oh, and I was happy to note that assisted living is freakishly similar to college - wine at lunch, football parties, people gossiping about who fell down yesterday... Let's just say it doesn't sound all that bad to me.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

America's Dairyland, 8/31-9/5


Mmmm, ice cream. For some reason, it just tastes better in Wisconsin. So, it's really probably best that I don't live there and only go to visit for limited engagements. Because really, who can turn down ice cream? No one I'm related to, that's for sure.

Thankfully, ice cream is on my Ukranian vocabulary list - Morozivo, accent on the second "o". I'm hoping it will be so good that I'll completely forget about hot showers and be enveloped in a dairy-induced haze.

The fam and I truly saw everything the bustling metropolis of Appleton has to offer - from a Packers game to a paper museum, from painstakingly-precise mosaic crafting (that you unfortunately left in the back seat of the van...did you spot it yet, Jessica?) to delicious home-cooked steak dinners (cows are good for more than just milk products, you know). AND I finally got to see High School Musical with Jessica (talk about cheese...). What more could you ask from a visit to the place that's kind of like your home because your family's there, but, then again, not really your home? How about some handy investment advice that kind of scares you a little? Oh wait, I had that too.

Ah, Wisconsin, land of plenty. Especially when it comes to dairy products and white folks.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

the second city, 8/26 - 9/31
















Due to the request of my grandfather, all of my posts from this point forward will feature "capitalization when necessary". Ah, grandpa. Where would I be without you?

Although much ground was covered in Chicago, I believe my own personal highlight was the tour of Hemingway's birthplace when the "tour guide" (I use the term about as loosely as possible) showed me a picture that she "thought" was Ernie's uncle, but she really wished that they "labeled these things". A wealth of knowledge awaits those who take this particular tour. It was amusing at least, and it gave me some hope to know that Hemingway was also a product of the suburbs.

Strangely enough, Frank Lloyd Wright also lived and worked in the same neighborhood (Oak Park, that is) and designed quite a few of the houses there. And, of course, I was all about the architecture action after reading The Fountainhead voraciously a week before. So, that was fun.

And of course I got to see my beloved friends Lauren and Lance, who are currently in the throes of the struggle for educational equality. Keep up the good work, kids. I look forward to one day returning to the warm embrace of your futon. Hopefully your bathroom ceiling won't still be leaking by then :)

Before I end this, I must mention the coolest bean ever. I have pictures of my own taking that will one day soon be posted, but until then, I hope the one above will do.