Tango List Final

So the trip is over. There are some things I did not manage to do. I never sent the post cards that I wrote, I did not get to visit every city in Argentina, I missed going to Uruguay, I still have not skydived (do to financial reasons). With everything I missed I learned a lot along the way. Setting goals is good. Writing about the things you do makes them that much better. The most important lesson I have gained from everything is that you must keep the sense of adventure alive in yourself. No one is going to take you out there you have to get out there and do it yourself. That is what makes a place yours. For now on I have a new perspective that I am going to take with me to New York. I'm going to approach every place like I did Argentina - with an adventure's spirit. After all what makes an adventure is not what you do - it is the attitude you approach it with. Happy Trails!

Ok...back to the real world

So I'm back in the United States. The past couple of days I have been hanging out with my cousin in Houston, TX. I have been awaiting word on how I'm going to get money and where I go from here. Everything is working out well. Today I found out that I will start a job in New York about 40 minutes north of the city. I'm really excited about this new possibility. I think it comes at a perfect time for me, a perfect time of my life and right after a really great experience. I will be working with a life long friend and mentor and I'm sure we will do great things together. I can only imagine the places I will go. Speaking with him today he already has lectures planned in Chicago, West point, and New York City. I would love to go camping in the spring in upstate New York, Canada, on the Coast. If anyone is in or around New York consider this an invitation to visit for a couple of day. Just let me know a couple of days in advance so I can clean the place up ;)

Packing (15 days)

I started packing today. I have about two weeks before I have to go to the airport but I wanted to get a jump on the packing. I got a new duffel bag in the mail for my birthday so I tryed some pre packing to get some kind of idea what I could bring along. Looks like I will be pushing the limit of my baggage allowance. I'm afraid I will be forced to do something that everyone advises aginist: packing too much

I have given some thought to this and here is the issue I can never get over. I have to weigh (no pun intended) the inconvience of carrying extra items around with the price it would cost to replace the same items in the place I am going. Now this noramlly shouldn't be a very big issue except I have two things two things to consider: I am traveling internationally and I have a very limited budget. So replacing things is more expensive or impossible and the price of everything is subject to exchange rates and transaction fees. If I were going to California for example I could pretty much guess the price of a warm blanket. You cannot do this internationally. Some things are not avaliable, high quality items could be exponintally more expensive, and american products sometimes bring double the price. So that super warm fleace blanket that is perfect for some many things is forced to take up room in your bag (or attached to it).

While I was packing my things I started to think of all the moves I have made in the past 5 to 7 years and it is really amazing. Here are a list of some of the places I have moved to and from...not to mention all the packing it took.

Warner Robins to Athens
Athens to Dorm 1, 2, 3, 4,
Valencia, Barcalona, Madrid Back to Athens
Athens to Valdosta
Valdosta to Alabama
Alabama to Fort Worh
Fort Worth to Houston
Houston to Argentina
Argentina: Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rosario, Usuhuia, Califate
Argentina to New York
New York to Tennessee
Tennessee to Brazil

I am so tired of moving. I don't mean going to other place, I love that. I am tired of going from one place to the next with all the things I own stuffed in little boxes or in my backpack.

So....I have some settling news, A few days ago I got an e mail from the Dallas city schools about a teacher certification program I applyed for a few months ago. They have processed my application and my transcripts have been approved. So I guess this would kinda but like the pre approval phase of the process. I still have a ways to go but this is a good first step. The job, if it get it, is teaching bilingual elementry children PreK - 4 the grade. The pay is very good, full benfits, retirement the whole nine yards. Even better is if you are approved for the program and complete the training you are garenteed a job in the Dallas ISD. The down side would be that I am obligated to teach for one full school year in Dallas and I am not allowed to select my school assignment.

I'm gonna go of it if I am offered the opportunity. If only to save me from moving for one full year.

Brazil - The United States of South America

Well I wanted to write a post about the place I'm going. Not really for me, more for the people following along my little vourney so they will have an idea of the culatural backdrop.So here is a hodgepodge, a smattering, a pulpurii of facts about Brazil.Brazil is not unlike the United States in many ways. Geographically Brazil is the size of the United States (minus Alaska). Brazil is rich in natural resourses (natual gas, oil, dimods, timber, cattel, coffee). One thing to keep in mind in much the same way the US varries greatly from one region so too does Brazil. The majority of Brazil's populations is concentrated along the cost and in major cities centers. The typical imagie of people living among the tropical rainforest as subsistance farmer is simply not the case. Brazil is among the world leaders in develop economies as evidenced by the fact that Brazil was the only country that did not slip into recession during the recent economic downturn. By and large Brazil operated more independly than any other country in South America. Brazil does not depend of forgin oil. Not only is Brazil one of the world leading produces of oil - 90% of the cars in Brazil operate on biofuel. Think about that. Imagine not only an oil independent U.S. imagine producing a surplus - this is the reality in Brazil and this is a large reason Brazil has one of the most stable and productive economies in the world. Socially Brazil is a very diverse coutry. The mega city of Sao Paulo (approaching 20 million) is the economic center. Rio de Janiero the cultural/turistic center and Brazillia the administrative center. Rio recently won the 2016 olympic bid but I will save that for another post.


Rio 2016

Portal Rio 2016 | MySpace Video

Brazil is unique in its social/racial composition. Brazil truly does have influcences for all over the world. Through out its history Brazil has been influced by Europeans, Africans, Asians, and Indigious populations. All these peoples have mixed both socially and racailly to creation a population that is both tolerante and diverse. Equality remains a prolbem.

Brazilians speak Portugese. On a very basic level Spanish and Portugese are similar. However on a mico level Portugese is quite different in pornunciation, structure, vocabulary - everything. Suprisingly Portugese do not frequently learn Spanish dispite the shared Latin base. English is the most commonly studied second lanuage. Here is where I come in. There is a desperate need for English teachers in Brazil. In order to keep pace with the economic growth business frequently hire native English speakers to teach Brazilian busness people to both lanuage and culture. As Brazil becomes a growing econominc power, regionally and globally, the demad of English teachers has outpaced supply. I hope to land a job working for a company teaching exectuives on the verge of business trips. If not there are many oppertunities to teach english to students both privetly and in lanuage schools.

The amazing thing about Brazil is its uniqueness unites the country. Brazil's unique culture and lanuage and huge geographic resources serve as a base for solidarity. Brazil is distincte from the neighboring Spanish speaking countries both economically and culturally. In this way Brazil reminds me much of the idealic United States. Brazil is doing it own thing much is the same way the United States did its own thing. The results look promising. Brazil is defently on the rise and has ambitions to become what the U.S. once was - a political and economic powerhouse.

Not all who wonder are lost

Well I guess I'm just not one to stay in the same place for very long. The road is calling me, and I must have free nights and weekends b/c I have to anwser. The whole reason I started this blog over a year ago was to force me to think about the places I go and to "stop and smell the roses." Well I can say, I have learned to do that - maybe too good. I was thinking the other day about travel and I started to wonder if travel is a natural thing? Is moving from place to place something natural to humans? Is it possible that the hunter and gather's of history passed on a travel gene? I think it is possible. Travel is part of life and I think it will be forever - like food and water for the mind and soul. Let me tell a story to make the point:A couple of weeks ago I quit my job at Crackel Brarrel b/c I had earned enough to go to Brazil and I was tired of waiting tables. It is hard to be motivated after you know your only goal for a job is complete. Well I went to talk to the mamager, Janice, to tell her I wasn't coming back. We had a long conversation about travel, working in a resturant, and Brazil. Well in the middle of the conversation she said to me "I have never been anywhere." She said it like a confession. Like she was telling me she wasn't really complete - well that is how I heard it. I felt so sad at that moment. Not b/c she hasn't traveled but b/c she could never know what she was missing until she traveled. Somehow at that moment in the resturant, with all the sounds of food cooking and plates moving around the kitchen, all I heard was slience realizing how empty my life without travel would be.Travel must be innate to humans. If not the poor little cavemen would have just stayed in the same spot when all the animals, berries, and nuts dryed up.

Passed my test & Lost dog

Well I passed my test! The results are finally in. It took an excruciating 4 weeks but it is official. I scored high enough to qualify for a teaching job in all of the states that this test is recognized except Hawaii. Hawaii qualifications are a little higher but I doubt I will be teaching there. Other than the big island I am able to accept a teaching position basically anywhere in the country and I am one step closer to full certification. The only major steps I lack now to becoming a full fledged bonded and certified teacher is the job and one years experience. I have been applying for positions as I come across them on the internet with no luck. Hopefully with the passed test out of the way I will be extended a job offer. I will keep everyone posted. As much as I would hate it, if I'm not offered a job this year then I will for sure be in good position for the 2010-2011 school year. Well today the dog got away while daddy and I were in the store. Of course we didn't realize this until we got home. By the time we went back out it was dark the stores were close and there was no sign of the dog. After much searching and being questioned by a police officer we found the dog. Everyone was so happy to have the dog back. I really took the whole situation to stop and appreciate what I have. I have been pushing pretty hard to do better for my self and I'm proud of the things I have done. But today at the end of the day I'm just glad for all the things I already had.

Tales from the road

Well I have been out on the road the past few weeks. My biggest trip was to Chattanooga to take my Spanish Content Knowledge exam. I took the exam and I feel pretty good about the result. I'm not sure if I passed or not but I can say for sure that I was the strongest Spanish speaker in the room. Some of the other people already had teaching jobs and were taking the test for the third time. So if I can just be a little better than them I should be ok. On the other hand the test was difficult and I'm not entirety sure how it will be scored so there is a chance that I will be taking it again. One way or the other I will pass it. I have also been working my but off selling signs to make an extra buck. Let me tell you that has not been easy. The heat is a killer. But I have sold about 8 - 10 Spanish speaking places over the last couple of months and they almost all complement my Spanish. So I'm happy about that. When we are out on the road we have been camping out at state parks. That has been the highlight of the trip. The Tim's Ford State Park on the Duck River is amazing. All the campgrounds back up to a fantastic river. In the morning with the sun is coming up the mist off the river makes for an amazing view. If you ever are in Tennessee and want to camp I can't think of a better camp ground. A couple of days ago I got a e mail about a teaching job but the same day I got another saying the job was filled. There were multiple positions so I'm going to call later this week and inquire. The job is going to Spanish speaking homes and helping the parents transition their children into the English speaking school environment. I think the job is perfect for me so maybe I will get lucky and they will have a spot for me. The best part of the job is I work for the board of education and only have to work 200 days out of the year plus it is in Knoxville. We will see if anything comes of that in the next few days.

Easter Weekend

Easter has come and gone. Leslie, Kaleb, Scott and Sara all came to visit. It was nice having family around for the holiday. We did all kinds of things. The dog got lost, power went out for the better part of a night, we went skating twice, hunted Easter eggs, found the dog, hit some golf balls....All together is was a fun time.I worked the floor at Cracker Barrel by myself for the first time Easter night. I did fine - I actually enjoy the service aspect. All the side stuff takes some getting used to. Once I learn where everything is and how everything is done I should do fine. I had two tables and made 30 bucks. That is not bad. I'm sure I could have done much better if I had one more table plus I had a couple of groups stay for quite a while. Next shift I will work on getting my guests out faster. I'm shooting for 50 dollars a shift on weekdays and 100 on weekends. My co workers say this should take about a month. If I can get there then I will be making almost the same as N.Y.

Whatcha gon do, when they come for you

Over the past few weeks I have had and interesting series of events involving me, Ches, my dad, and various vehicles (mostly untagged, uninsured, or using improper plates). Had this just been one incounter I would not have thought anything about it and moved on. If I had only had two encounters maybe I would have thought it was a strange coincidence. I had my third run in with the law last night that was pretty much the breaking point. The back story is. My dad has several cars some run correctly others do not. The combined list of problems include: No reverse, driver side door will not open from the inside, driver side door will not open from the outside, no insurance, no tag, incorrect tag, busted headlight, no power steering, seat beat does not work, gas cap will not open, trunk will not open, fork needed to operate headlights, exhaust leak, window does not roll down all the way...and the list goes on. Needless to say not one of the cars is without its problems. So we have to choose between 1) a legal car that does not work correctly or 2) a simi legal car that works better. One day we were in Pegion Forge Tennessee when a motorcycle cop pulls up next to us at a stop light. I tell Ches to pull away slowly so he does not get a look at our tags. Well the cop pulls away so slowly that we have to go ahead of him. He runs our tags and pulls us over. We were lucky to just get a ticket for impropwer tag considering the circumstances. The next incident came when Ches and I was driving another car with improper tag to Chattanoga. I was slightly speeding (about 73 in a 65). Lucky for me there was a red Honda civic in the lane next to me with a bike on the roof. The cop got behind me but did not run my plates and then went after the Honda. Last night was the worst of all. I was driving from the house to the skating rink to watch Kaleb. The car had no power steering and the transmission did not work very well. As I was pulling into the turning lane the car died. We were close enough to the skating rink that we could walk over and get my dad. By the time we got there and back there was a cop car was already behind the car. He started asking questions about the tag, who owned the car, who was driving... I told him the truth: I don't know who owns the car. About this time my dad comes walking up and Rachel pulls up (her car is illegal also). She jumps out of the car and shuts the dog inside. The dog manages to lock the doors from the inside. So now the current situation is: We have one broke and improperly tagged car, the other is also improperly tagged and we are locked out. Long story short. The cop was nice to let us go. Ches found a stick and unlocked Rachel's car. 5 minutes after the cop left the car that broke started working good enough to get home. I'm getting to old for this.

I know my floods!

Last night everyone was passing the time having a good time. Ches and Daddy were talking about old times when someone mentioned the "Big flood" in Macon. Right night Macon is receiving a lot of rain and some place are flooding. Some years back, when I was in elementary school, there was also a flood in Macon. There was no water, bridges broke, power was out - quite an ordeal at the time. Well Ches and Daddy got to disagreeing about the actual date of the flood one says 1992 the other 1994. They go back and forth for awhile until Ches decides to ask the person on the phone. Well she (who was also in Macon at the time) said it was in 1994 and the reason she knew this was b/c her daughter has a shirt that says "I survived the flood of 1994" . Daddy was not convinced and begin to offer evidence in the form of personal testimony of how he was living in Tallahassee FL. in 1994 and the reason he moved there was because of the flood in 1992. So he asks: how could I experience the flood in Macon in 1994 if I were living in Tallahassee? After much joking at daddy's expense Ches and I begin to come up with possible scenarios as to why there was a two year discrepancy between when Daddy remembers the flood and when it "actually" happened. I would like to share those with everyone:Daddy is referring to another flood which he called "the big one" and everyone else only remembers the most recent minor floodThe flood of 92 was so bad that it has been wiped from collective memory All the towns historical records (and t shirt making operations) are incorrect - daddy has resolved to remedy this problemThere is a break in the Space time continuum (a la Back to the future) and we are actually living in an alternate future based on the same event in time.Daddy's memory is so accurate that is actually referring to the start of the flood in geological time. Because as he said "I know my floods!" All of these theories are possibilities and daddy is looking into correcting the situation right away. If anyone has any input of the flood in Macon in approx. 1992~1994 please let me know. :) We must have laughed at Daddy for an hour at his refusal to accept that the flood was in 1994. I'm still not sure he is convinced.

Welcome to Cracker Barrel

I got a new job at Cracker Barrel. I have never been so happy to work in a restaurant. Growing up in and around a restaurant I would have NEVER pictured myself working in one as a "Grown up." When it all comes down to it I feel comfortable in a restaurant and I was thankful when I got hired. Right now I'm am just about to finish up the training phase. Most of my days so far have been doing paper/computer work. I got my uniform and smock. Most workers in Cracker Barrel have smocks that say their name and have between 1 and 4 stars depending on there level of experience. Well my smock has a patch that says "Rising Star." Basically every where I go in the store for the next month people will know right away that I am the new hire. Actually this practice of placing the stars on the uniform is based on very strong psychological principles. The stars are reinforces. Cracker Barrels entire HR approach is based on behavioral observation and reinforcement. I can't wait for my first day of serving. I'm sure I will have so many blogs to post about what happens with me and my co workers. Come visit :)

TN

Around 4 A.M. thanks to some quick driving by Ches we arrived in Athens. The trip wasn't really over b/c we still had to return the rental van. The van took some damage along the way. I wan't really worried b/c I paid the 6 dollars insurance. As it turns out the damage was there when we received the van. You might notice a black roof rack bar at the rear of the car. That bar was supposed to be attached at the front. Someone bent the rail system and the bar had been hanging lose the entire trip. I told the rental people everything was fine so no worries.It felt good to be in TN again. This place is comfortable. Daddy and I stayed up and talked about the trip. Around 8 A.M. we headed for Knoxville to return the van.

Baltimore/D.C

We left Philly and made it to Baltimore. We looked for a hotel for a while at the fabulous Baltimore Travel Center (bus station). Rather than spend 90 dollars on a room for 5 hours we decided to sleep in the van. Just a little side note: In my opinion Baltimore is a complete waste of a city if you ask me. I have only been there twice but I can say that I have not seen one thing to make me ever want to go back.First thing in the morning we headed for D.C. with hopes of seeing President Oboma (no such luck). Washington was cold, windy, and overcast when we arrived. Most of the monuments were under maintenance. The reflecting pool and WWII both had no water so the photos turned out less than impressive. Never the less it was great to walk around the national mall and see in person some of the views. I stood where MLK gave his I have a dream speach. That was a great feeling. And I got to see the Obama White House in the first months. Washington really has a unique engery that I appreicate. Of course there are the govermental elements. Mixed in you could feel the implied history and then there is the sturcture of the city. By being on the ground you can really tell that Washington has a particualar layout that is powerful and subtle. I would have never know this feeling exactly without experiencing the city first hand. I really enjoyed that part of being in the Nation's Capital.Around mid day Ches and I went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This was my favioate part of the entire trip. I just loved everything about this place. There were so many things. I saw the Hope Dimond, A huge head from Eastern Island, amazing fosils, stuffed animals of all kinds. This place was just fantastic. Ches and I were lucky to go on a Tuesday b/c the butterfly exhibit is free. I took some cool photos and Ches met his dream girl. While we were looking at the butterflies one landes on a girl's head. Ches was nearly speachless. I took the chance to snap some photos from my camera and with the girl's camera. Ches said he is going to find a girl like the "butterfly girl."We left D.C. feeling cultured and excted for the last half of the trip. It wasn't long before he hit Northern Virgina and it felt like home. The people were more Southern than Northern. Ches and I had an amazing dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and sweet tea. On the advice of an elderly man at the meuseum we decided to take the Blue Ridge Parkway for the view. That ended up being great advice. We saw great views, wildlife, and an amazing sunset over the vally. The scenic route took an extra two hours or so but it was well worth it. Around sunset we set out on the last leg of the trip.

Philly

Before we could even make a start of the long trip South we hit a chemical spill. This had to be the worst type of delay at the worst possible time. All the happy feelings of being on the road, all the spirit of adventure was sucked out of the trip the minute that truck flipped. There were EMT's, firetrucks, police, and chemical control clean up workers weaving through traffic. The entire process took at least 3 hours and the cleanup was not finished when we left. When we finally got to Philly it was already midnight but we decided to stop anyway. Despite the fact that it was late and the city was empty we still had one of the best nights of the entire trip. Philly is one of my favorite places. I would trade Philly for N.Y.C. any day. There is a cultured fell to everything. All the buildings are classically styled and there is an artistic flair everywhere you look in the center. I can only imagine what the city would have looked like in the daytime with all the hustle and bustle. We went looking for any place we could to eat a Philly cheese stake. We ended up in an amazing black bar in downtown Philly. Right away we felt like we were back in Georgia. The place was fantastic. There was a D.J. spinning, really friendly staff, and the bar itself was amazing. The waitress must have told the cook that we were visiting and wanted Philly stakes b/c they were absolutely amazing with all the trimmings. The cook came to our table later on with a proud smile on his face and asked if we liked the stakes.After dinner we talked to the D.J. and he agreed to let us mess around on his D.J. equipment. He and Ches played around for a bit and I took pics. After dinner we ran up the Rocky stairs, and fooled around downtown for a while. The whole night seemed like it would be a bust after the chemical spill but it ended up being a highlight of the entire trip. My only regret is that we could not visit the art museum, it is said to be one of the best.

Goodbye N.Y.

After both losing our jobs Ches and I decided to spend one more day in N.Y.C. before we left. This trip was a little different than other trips to the city. We both knew that this would be our last trip for a long time - if ever. So this feeling of finality set the tone for entire trip. We caught the early train into the city so we could spend as much time in New York City as possible. The first stop was Central Park. We saw some interesting sights including a guy skating on roller blades using ski poles to help him along. There was a singing group making absolutely beautiful music. They were singing harmonious sounds under an enclosed pedestrian bridge. The enclosure amplified their voices and was very impressive. After central park we headed for the Museum of Modern Art. I was excited to go b/c I knew that this museum housed some of the most well know pieces of art in the world. I was not disappointed. Along with having a who's who of modern artists, there was also an impressive collection of architecture design exhibits, and sculpture. I loved the MoMa and recommend it to anyone going to N.Y.C. After MoMa we headed to Ground Zero. We did not see much but I was happy that Ches convinced me to go to such an important place. We caught the train to Wall Street. There were only tourists b/c it was Sunday but the buildings made for nice pictures. We also saw Trinity Church and the Franklin Library. We ended the night with dinner at Applebee's in Times Square. We met this really nice waitress. She is one of 6 girls in her family. She told us her dad wanted one boy. He said he would give it one more try and then she was born. Times Square was cool but I did not feel sad leaving. New York overall has been disappointing and so I did not feel any attachment to the city. I was happy to have one last day in the city and I would not be suprised if it is my last.

Quit my job/Back on the road

Well that was short. I quit my job in NY. The company was making cuts and rather than be the next one on the chopping block I decided to leave. Ches and I pack up our things (he left also) and decided to head back down south. Where the grass is greener, the people are friendlier, and the sky is not cloudy all day. With last pay checks in hand we rented a mini van, boxed up our things, and set a course for N.Y.C, Philly, D.C., The Virgina Highlands, and finally in Tennessee.I have to say it is kinda a humbling experience moving home from New York, the world capital of business, after only two months of work with little more than the little pay I received. I was surprisingly happy with the situation. I have a whole new found respect for my way of life and I'm glad to have seen the things I did. So with that we set off. First stop Philly.

New York, New York

So I have been in NY for three weeks now. I like it. The weather is something to get used to but I'm not bothered by it. I got snow boots and a nice fleece and they work well. Most of the time I spend working. My company is super cool. Everyone is real young. The CEO and COO are mid 30's. There is a real energy and drive that you can feel in everything. The company is not as developed as some other so I get to have my hand in a little of everything. People actually come to me for things that are going to affect the company's development. Last week I designed an advertisement that is going to appear on movie screens before the movie comes on. Before that I was working with HR files for the entire company. I really enjoy the variety. There is never a boring day. After my first week the owner bought me a battery for my laptop without batting an eyelash. That was almost 200 bucks. The next day he paid to send me to NYC and meet the Doctors at 4 dental practice plus lunch plus spending money. He said I did really well and I'm going to go back to the city to interview each Dr. and put their profile on the website. It don't get much better than that. Now if I can just get a 401K going I will really be doing well.

Snow Day

It snowed today. The street and road was lined with snow. It was really pretty. Walking down the street my coat turned for navy blue to white. While I was walking I was thinking how much I liked the cold. I hope I still like the cold weather after winter is over. The snow slows things down. I wished I had a camera to take some photos.