Back in the U.S. of A.
Dec. 12th, 2009 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shah_of_blahHello LiveJournal! My lurking days are over. I have returned to the motherland, by which I mean the US. Oh my! Now, it’s not really my style to talk about real life here in the ether. You may have noticed this trend. But, this being something of a special occasion, I thought I would post, not a summary of my semester abroad—as that would be impossible!—but a collection of highlights/anecdotes.
-Shah goes hiking with five friends, meets altitude sickness. Throws up on side of mountain. But still makes it to the top! (Huchuy Qosqo, in case you’re interested)
-Shah sings karaoke, is henceforth known as “Psycho Killer”. Later, Shah sings karaoke again, this time in Spanish! (“A Dios Le Pido,” though I’m not really much of a Juanes fan) And this time is accosted by an extremely inebriated woman who can’t find the bathroom.
-Shah goes traveling for a week with three friends: J, B, and K. First they go to Lake Titicaca (as my host-grandma said, Lake Titicaca belongs to two countries; the Titi belongs to Peru and the Caca to Bolivia) and Shah becomes mysteriously ill on a remote island (Amantani). Eats very little for the next 2 days. Next, they go to Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world! Despite lingering illness, Shah and Co. hike down into the canyon. Spend the night. Only J is feeling deathly at this point (she has a frakking heart condition—certainly made hiking with her interesting), Shah starts dry-heaving, and B has a wicked combination of projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea. They rent three mules for the next morning (that mulero was a total son of a bitch, and I was really not feeling well enough to argue properly). K hikes out of the canyon on her own, while the rest of us ride these mules—two of which HATED each other, and were dubbed Caesar Mule and Brutus Mule. (FYI: these have both been verbed. To Caesar Mule, is to maintain the lead even though you may not deserve it; Brutus Mule, on the other hand, is to try to take the lead even on narrow, steep mountain passes). That night, in the hostal in Cabanaconde, J and K got absolutely trashed (which is a whole other story, really) and B got absolutely sick and Shah spent three hours sitting with her in the bathroom until she felt capable of moving without spewing from either end. The following day, they discover that all of the buses back to civilization are sold out because apparently you’re supposed to book these things ahead of time, who knew, and end up sneaking past the police checkpoint to illegally get on this bus to Arequipa. Shah rode the whole 5 hours sitting on a blanket in the cabin, on top of the engine. Pretty sweet actually. J and B go back to Cusco, while K and Shah have a relaxing day and night in Arequipa. Which included going to the movies and seeing Death at a Funeral. (Cusco doesn’t have a movie theater, you see, so we had to take advantage of this rare opportunity)
-Shah has one really epic weekend in which she celebrates Halloween (Saturday), Día de los Santos (Sunday), and Día de los Muertos (Monday). And she writes a research paper (which she gets an 18/20 on! Frak yeah, I am an expert on Incan origin myths, which is to say I have some idea what I’m talking about).
-Shah and her 11 classmates (it’s a very small program) hike the motherfrakking Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The trip takes four days and three nights. On the second day alone, they hiked up and climbed back down two different mountains, and all of this at some high altitude (couldn’t tell you what as I still don’t get the metric system). The whole thing was exhausting and agonizing and the most physically challenging thing I have ever done—but it was also exhilarating and unbelievable, and felt so goddamn good when we made it to Machu Picchu on the fourth day.
-Less than a week after Machu Picchu, Shah and Co. are sent on a service project (because we are volunteers in addition to being students) to a remote mountain community that involves hiking up yet another mountain and camping out one night in the community. One night of nonstop rain, a rainguard that won’t stay on the tent...and waking the next morning to find that A) the shirt and sweatshirt I had slept in were soaked through, B) my sleeping bag was soaked through, C) my jacket which I had used as a pillow was, you guessed it, soaked through, and finally D) my backpack and most everything in it was, well, soaked. I worked on the project all day in my pants which were miraculously dry, a tank top which had been the only dry thing in my backpack, and my raincoat. No bra, as that was wet too. Returned to Cusco that afternoon freezing, carrying a lot of sopping stuff, and absolutely covered in mud.
-Shah and friend have one really awesome night out. Does not include any particularly juicy stories, but did involve the following: hamburgers, strawberry cheesecake, being molested by already inebriated other friend, and dancing to some pretty fabulous music which includes El Amor (Tito El Bambino), Largate (Los Hermanos Yaipen), Mi Abuelo Se Ha Muerto (Bareto), Al Fondo Hay Sitio (theme song of my novela), and Cotton-Eyed Joe. Best of all, creepers were at a minimum.
-Shah’s parents come to visit. They bring (at Shah’s request) Goldfish, candy corn, and both seasons of Flight of the Conchords on DVD (after Shah and friend spent months re-enacting their favorite parts for others).
-Shah and classmates put on a play for professors and host families. Based (well, vaguely) on the Incan myth of los hermanos Ayar (aka Pacariqtambo myth, upon which Shah wrote a paper) it is called “Los Hermanos Gringo,” which should give you an idea of the general tone of the piece.
-Shah attends her host-brother’s First Communion and subsequent party. Somehow missed the memo that these communion things were really excuses for the adults to get drunk and have crazy dance parties. So, First Communion by the numbers:
the mass: approximately one hour
the party: approximately eight hours
the liquor: two bottles of whiskey and eight bottles of pisco
exams Shah had the next day: two
memories: innumerable
-Shah leaves Cusco, very upsetting, goes with friend K to see the Nasca lines (spectacular) the Paracas beach/desert/poor man’s Galapagos (excellent) and then Lima. Spend three days bumming around the city. Watching a lot of TV. Going to see 2012 (highly enjoyable) and just generally chilling out.
And now I am back in the U.S., have a million and one things to catch up on, and am choosing to start with LJ because it beats unpacking.
In other news, something DREADFUL has happened. So I was really trying to concentrate on this plotfic when suddenly one night I started a new fic. While I was trying to sleep, no less (it was one of those times where you write in the dark because you’re too tired to get up and turn on a light). Worst of all, it needs a plot. I can’t handle two plotfics at once! I can barely handle one. Frak. And I really want to write it too. Goddamn. We’ll see.
Upcoming Posts (in no particular order):
-My Starbuck playlist
-My wishlist (it’s never too late for wishlists)
-A photo post. Because as “Los Hermanos Gringo” says, “un viaje a Perú sin muchas fotos es muy tonto. Nadie va a creernos sobre las cosas fabulosas que veamos.” (Translation: a trip to Perú without many photos is very stupid. Nobody will believe us about the fabulous things we saw.) I have a strict no-photos-of-me-on-the-LJ policy, but most of my photos are of mountains/trees/ruins so I think I can find a few decent landscapes.
-My inevitable TV post about everything I have missed in the last three months
-My end-of-the-year fic review! I am ridiculously excited for this. And it will be on my 2-year LJ anniversary.
My TV to-do list:
-Watch all aired episodes of Glee (even the one I watched in Spanish, because I’ve just got to figure out this one line that made no sense)
-Watch season 2 of T:SCC (having other nerds in the family is so useful because my dad has already bought this on DVD)
-Watch all aired episodes of Dollhouse
-Watch Katee’s Big Bang Theory episode (I saw Trucco’s on the plane)
-Watch new season of The Office
-Watch the three DW specials I’ve missed
-Watch the new season of Dexter
-Rewatch Arrested Development...
As you can see, I lead a busy and exciting life.
-Shah goes hiking with five friends, meets altitude sickness. Throws up on side of mountain. But still makes it to the top! (Huchuy Qosqo, in case you’re interested)
-Shah sings karaoke, is henceforth known as “Psycho Killer”. Later, Shah sings karaoke again, this time in Spanish! (“A Dios Le Pido,” though I’m not really much of a Juanes fan) And this time is accosted by an extremely inebriated woman who can’t find the bathroom.
-Shah goes traveling for a week with three friends: J, B, and K. First they go to Lake Titicaca (as my host-grandma said, Lake Titicaca belongs to two countries; the Titi belongs to Peru and the Caca to Bolivia) and Shah becomes mysteriously ill on a remote island (Amantani). Eats very little for the next 2 days. Next, they go to Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world! Despite lingering illness, Shah and Co. hike down into the canyon. Spend the night. Only J is feeling deathly at this point (she has a frakking heart condition—certainly made hiking with her interesting), Shah starts dry-heaving, and B has a wicked combination of projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea. They rent three mules for the next morning (that mulero was a total son of a bitch, and I was really not feeling well enough to argue properly). K hikes out of the canyon on her own, while the rest of us ride these mules—two of which HATED each other, and were dubbed Caesar Mule and Brutus Mule. (FYI: these have both been verbed. To Caesar Mule, is to maintain the lead even though you may not deserve it; Brutus Mule, on the other hand, is to try to take the lead even on narrow, steep mountain passes). That night, in the hostal in Cabanaconde, J and K got absolutely trashed (which is a whole other story, really) and B got absolutely sick and Shah spent three hours sitting with her in the bathroom until she felt capable of moving without spewing from either end. The following day, they discover that all of the buses back to civilization are sold out because apparently you’re supposed to book these things ahead of time, who knew, and end up sneaking past the police checkpoint to illegally get on this bus to Arequipa. Shah rode the whole 5 hours sitting on a blanket in the cabin, on top of the engine. Pretty sweet actually. J and B go back to Cusco, while K and Shah have a relaxing day and night in Arequipa. Which included going to the movies and seeing Death at a Funeral. (Cusco doesn’t have a movie theater, you see, so we had to take advantage of this rare opportunity)
-Shah has one really epic weekend in which she celebrates Halloween (Saturday), Día de los Santos (Sunday), and Día de los Muertos (Monday). And she writes a research paper (which she gets an 18/20 on! Frak yeah, I am an expert on Incan origin myths, which is to say I have some idea what I’m talking about).
-Shah and her 11 classmates (it’s a very small program) hike the motherfrakking Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The trip takes four days and three nights. On the second day alone, they hiked up and climbed back down two different mountains, and all of this at some high altitude (couldn’t tell you what as I still don’t get the metric system). The whole thing was exhausting and agonizing and the most physically challenging thing I have ever done—but it was also exhilarating and unbelievable, and felt so goddamn good when we made it to Machu Picchu on the fourth day.
-Less than a week after Machu Picchu, Shah and Co. are sent on a service project (because we are volunteers in addition to being students) to a remote mountain community that involves hiking up yet another mountain and camping out one night in the community. One night of nonstop rain, a rainguard that won’t stay on the tent...and waking the next morning to find that A) the shirt and sweatshirt I had slept in were soaked through, B) my sleeping bag was soaked through, C) my jacket which I had used as a pillow was, you guessed it, soaked through, and finally D) my backpack and most everything in it was, well, soaked. I worked on the project all day in my pants which were miraculously dry, a tank top which had been the only dry thing in my backpack, and my raincoat. No bra, as that was wet too. Returned to Cusco that afternoon freezing, carrying a lot of sopping stuff, and absolutely covered in mud.
-Shah and friend have one really awesome night out. Does not include any particularly juicy stories, but did involve the following: hamburgers, strawberry cheesecake, being molested by already inebriated other friend, and dancing to some pretty fabulous music which includes El Amor (Tito El Bambino), Largate (Los Hermanos Yaipen), Mi Abuelo Se Ha Muerto (Bareto), Al Fondo Hay Sitio (theme song of my novela), and Cotton-Eyed Joe. Best of all, creepers were at a minimum.
-Shah’s parents come to visit. They bring (at Shah’s request) Goldfish, candy corn, and both seasons of Flight of the Conchords on DVD (after Shah and friend spent months re-enacting their favorite parts for others).
-Shah and classmates put on a play for professors and host families. Based (well, vaguely) on the Incan myth of los hermanos Ayar (aka Pacariqtambo myth, upon which Shah wrote a paper) it is called “Los Hermanos Gringo,” which should give you an idea of the general tone of the piece.
-Shah attends her host-brother’s First Communion and subsequent party. Somehow missed the memo that these communion things were really excuses for the adults to get drunk and have crazy dance parties. So, First Communion by the numbers:
the mass: approximately one hour
the party: approximately eight hours
the liquor: two bottles of whiskey and eight bottles of pisco
exams Shah had the next day: two
memories: innumerable
-Shah leaves Cusco, very upsetting, goes with friend K to see the Nasca lines (spectacular) the Paracas beach/desert/poor man’s Galapagos (excellent) and then Lima. Spend three days bumming around the city. Watching a lot of TV. Going to see 2012 (highly enjoyable) and just generally chilling out.
And now I am back in the U.S., have a million and one things to catch up on, and am choosing to start with LJ because it beats unpacking.
In other news, something DREADFUL has happened. So I was really trying to concentrate on this plotfic when suddenly one night I started a new fic. While I was trying to sleep, no less (it was one of those times where you write in the dark because you’re too tired to get up and turn on a light). Worst of all, it needs a plot. I can’t handle two plotfics at once! I can barely handle one. Frak. And I really want to write it too. Goddamn. We’ll see.
Upcoming Posts (in no particular order):
-My Starbuck playlist
-My wishlist (it’s never too late for wishlists)
-A photo post. Because as “Los Hermanos Gringo” says, “un viaje a Perú sin muchas fotos es muy tonto. Nadie va a creernos sobre las cosas fabulosas que veamos.” (Translation: a trip to Perú without many photos is very stupid. Nobody will believe us about the fabulous things we saw.) I have a strict no-photos-of-me-on-the-LJ policy, but most of my photos are of mountains/trees/ruins so I think I can find a few decent landscapes.
-My inevitable TV post about everything I have missed in the last three months
-My end-of-the-year fic review! I am ridiculously excited for this. And it will be on my 2-year LJ anniversary.
My TV to-do list:
-Watch all aired episodes of Glee (even the one I watched in Spanish, because I’ve just got to figure out this one line that made no sense)
-Watch season 2 of T:SCC (having other nerds in the family is so useful because my dad has already bought this on DVD)
-Watch all aired episodes of Dollhouse
-Watch Katee’s Big Bang Theory episode (I saw Trucco’s on the plane)
-Watch new season of The Office
-Watch the three DW specials I’ve missed
-Watch the new season of Dexter
-Rewatch Arrested Development...
As you can see, I lead a busy and exciting life.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-12-12 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 06:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-12 08:32 pm (UTC)Oh, and add "Community" to your "need to watch" list. Trust me, you will like it...it's HILARIOUS!
no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 07:04 pm (UTC)Community, huh? I'll look into it. Don't know anything about it...
no subject
Date: 2009-12-14 04:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-12 09:14 pm (UTC)(btw, looking forward to some new fic of yours, I am excited to hear that you are writing two stories --are they Kara or K/L centered?)
no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 07:18 pm (UTC)Yes well, I have no idea when these stories will be ready...especially the second one. But Kara definitely plays a central role in both! The first, the plotfic which I've been working on for ages, is pretty much gen but Kara and Lee are at the center. And the second one is majorly K/L. Majorly. But don't get too excited--I've only written one page of it so far. And if I do write it, it promises to be quite long. I may need a copilot for this one.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-14 09:16 pm (UTC)I am glad to hear about your new stories! And I don't mind waiting... Maybe you are not a very prolific author, but your prose is fantastic. I love how you write Kara and how well (and beautifully) written all your fic is. I am happy to know that you are writing new stuff :)
no subject
Date: 2009-12-15 05:46 pm (UTC)And thank you for your kind words--it means a lot! I still haven't had a chance to really sit down with the second story and ponder my options, so it's all very much up in the air.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-15 08:39 pm (UTC)Jaja! Entonces tienes el mismo problema que yo con el inglés! (las proposiciones y los phrasals verbs son un auténtico HORROR ;P ). De todas formas, pregúntame lo que quieras si alguna vez tienes alguna duda :)
no subject
Date: 2009-12-12 09:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-12 10:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 12:27 am (UTC)Just your highlights were hilarious and awesome to read about. But I'm so glad your back! We missed you round these parts!
**hugs**
no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 11:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-14 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 05:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 11:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 09:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-14 03:54 am (UTC)I'm sorry you got so ill sometimes but on the other hand now Shah knows mountains!!!! And you seem to have had some kick-ass experiences! As in really memorable and wonderful! Yay, you!
You have so much to do! Yay, wishlists! Yay for watching Dollhouse! Yay for FIC!
As you can see, I'm really happy you are back. :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-12-15 06:50 pm (UTC)Definitely memorable and wonderful...and really, I was only sick once whereas some of my companions, uh, had it a little worse.