 July 28th
I’m writing this journal at 8 AM Austrian time which means
its 3 AM here in Weston. I guess you could say I’ve been preparing for the
time change (the truth is I’m completely nocturnal, especially lately). I’ve
been so caught up in my daily life this past year that I haven’t thought too
much about my exchange, but now that it’s a week away I find it hard to
sleep; I’m so anxious. It’s finally hit me, in a week I will move to another
country, leaving my home behind. I will be saying bye to the sea but I will
be welcoming the Alps. I feel a mix of nervousness and excitement.
I was talking to my German friend the other day and he
told me the only thing I could really pronounce perfectly was Ich libe
dich. I all of the sudden pictured myself lost in a dark alley in Vienna
and only being able to say "I love you" in German. Not being able to
communicate scares me!
July 29th
Actually its 30th but its 3 AM Weston time, but for me the
day starts when I wake up. I went to the Sawgrass Mall (the local 88 acre
shopping center) today to return some shoes, got completely lost and ended
up helping a complete stranger find a dress for her first business meeting
in N.Y. I spent 4 hours at the mall, bought clothes, and when I finally
found the shoe store it was closed. After this odyssey today I realized that
I have bigger fears to face than claustrophobia on the plane, I mean I got
lost finding a shoe store at my local mall and I KNEW HOW TO ASK FOR
DIRECTIONS! Oh and I even had a map, which by the way I had no idea how to
read. If I were texting I think this would be the time to write LOL in bold
letters!! Ahhhhhhh!
July 30th
Making a list of thinks I will definitely miss
1.) snuggling with Tommy ( my doggy)
2.) Taco Bell! Oh and My Mami’s food (Ajiaco, Paella,
Empanadas, Picadas…)
3.) My MOM’s kisses and beautiful smile
4.) My Dad's corny but deep and sage advice.
5.) Maybe my brother
6.) My best Friends Jo Jo Aka Jay, Kelly Ann Marie Antoinette
(inside joke), Sarah, and Miloxxx
7.) Latin Parties!!! Salsa, Merengue, Vallenato, Regetton.
8.) American Parties!! Electro-house music, Hip-pop,
Guitar-hero
9.) Listening to old music with my family and hearing my dad
sing at the top of his lungs.
10.) Church
11.) The Beach; swimming under the fresh water while you feel
the warmth of the sun tingle your skin.
12.) My Guitar ( I’m not sure if it’ll fit)
Things I will definitely not miss
1.) My JOB specially one of my managers
2.) Bowling
July 31st
Trying to fit my life in two maletas that are supposed to
weigh 50 but currently weigh 53.
Oh and it turns out I’m going to need an adaptor cause my
straightener doesn’t work over there. So I have three options A.) Have an
Afro all year long B.) Buy a new straightener C.) Pay 100 for an Adaptor
kit. I still haven’t decided, but I will soon.
August 1st
My host sister called me we talked for like an hour, it
really is too bad I might not see her when I get there. She is leaving the
10th of august for the U.S.
I was hoping my visa would have come by now and although I
usually completely positive I’m starting to become a realist like JoJo
always insists.
August 2nd
My friend had a going away party for me, but I’m not sure
if I’m going away. I was informed that the Austrian Embassy requires me to
have a U.S. Visa six months after return. I have Visa I-94, which expires
three months after my expected return; however, my green card is expected to
arrive anytime now. They are processing July 2007 entries and we are October
2007. The explanation is complex and irrelevant so I won’t get into it, but
here are my options: A.) get a six months visa and file an extension once in
Austria. B.) Talk to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman so that my green card
arrives sooner C.) Go to Brazil, because it doesn’t require a visa from
Colombian residents. D.) wait and pray.
The problem with all of these options is that regardless
of what is done, I’m afraid I won’t get to Austria in time for the language
camp. At the moment I have only made one resolution and that is not to
stress, because it is 9 AM Vienna time, and all I can do at the moment is
have faith; plus I’m having another Going Away party tomorrow and have to go
to bed. I should cancel it but I can’t really remember everyone I invited
and calling everyone to cancel would take too long.
3-4th of August
Today was the “going away party”; which because of my visa
situation soon turned into a different kinda party. 30 close friends came;
we danced so much, talked so much. After they left I couldn’t get much
sleep; I tossed and turned in bed. I looked the clock and realized it was
6:30 so I just woke up to see the sunrise and go roller-skating to get some
Jumba Juice. When I got home I ate the raisinets my friend brought me for
the plane ride ( I promised her I wouldn’t eat them till my fight but I
couldn’t resist). I felt so ungrateful, because here I am watching a
beautiful sun-rise, eating chocolates, having fun with friends, enjoying my
family and I want to leave. It's 7 AM now and I’m supposed to be on a plane
on my way to Austria but I’m not! L
Its 7 P.M. now and I’ve slept a total of 2 hours. I’ve
called and emailed everyone who could possibly help me. Starting with
Theresa from Bokoff-Kaplan, who is now on my speed dial; but as it turns out
she had a little inconvenience; she had gone into labor (congratulations
Theresa!). I drafted my options and called Mr. Kalter, terrified that my
trip would be canceled; I talked fast, as to avoid getting an “I’m sorry
this just didn’t work out”, out of the other side of the phone. Thankfully,
neither Mr. Kalter nor Bokoff-Kaplan gave up.
So after eating what was left of the 11 oz of Raisinets, I
started to make calls. Since my dad was feeling very ill today I had to step
up and do everything by myself. I called Congresswoman Wasserman and sent
her a letter in hopes of expediting my immigration process. I called my
lawyer and asked him to write a letter explaining my status and providing
evidence that my green card is being processed. I called the Embassy and
spoke with Mr. Passler (the person who denied my visa) and explained my
situation. He was very helpful and after faxing him the I-94, my lawyer’s
letter and of a copy of the form I-485 receipt he suggested I go to
Washington D.C. this Wednesday for an Interview. So with the help of my
dad’s credit card I bought 2 round tickets, reserved a hotel near the
Embassy and rented a car.
Incredibly Mr. Al Kalter was able to find a host club and
family in Brazil in matter of hours, just in case things don’t work out. The
only problem (sarcasm) is that I would have to travel to another country and
back to Brazil every 3 months. So I would not only visit Brazil but 4 other
countries in the course of the year! Like my Great Aunt says, God writes
straight on crooked lines. I have faith that everything will work out for
the best. If I end up going to Rumbalicious Samba land I’ll be more than
happy, and if it end up being in enchanting Vienna I’ll be happy too. (It's
one of those Win-Win situations Mark Trowbridge lectured us about in the
RYLA camp, and I thought this moment would never come.)
August 5th-7th
So where do I start…a lot of things have happened over
this past 2 days. We landed in D.C. at 9:30 PM, after being lost for an hour
we got to the hotel. My brother, who is the manger at the Hilton, did an
amazing job hooking us up with the Alexandria Hilton hotel Penthouse! The
room was the same the only differences really was that you needed a special
key to put in the elevator to access our floor level; and that right next to
our room there was a 2 story observatory-library-living room. My dad went
straight to sleep after we ate. I instead wandered around the hotel and
ended up finding a beautiful grand piano right next to the unoccupied ball
room. I played the piano for a while, and then went to the gym. I also meet
this Russian girl, and an Italian guy who I stayed up talking to. The next
day we went to the Embassy and we were told that it would take 3 more weeks
for my visa to get stamped, and there was still the possibility that it
wouldn’t work out. After talking to Mr. Al Kalter, I had to make a very
stressful and difficult choice- To wait a year to go to Austria or go to
Brazil. Although, I had my hopes up with Austria (I was learning the
language, I was excited about the music high school I was attending, and
about the horse stable that was going to 2 blocks from my house, I couldn’t
wait to see the Austrian alps covered in snow and flowers in the spring
time), till the last moment I had faith that everything with my Austrian
visa would work out, but I couldn’t wait a year because it would throw off
my plans to attend Dillard for the performing arts my senior year, and my
plans for college. I am extremely sad I will not get to meet my host family
who have been so kind and have taken the time to make sure everything is
ready for me. They’ve sent me pictures, letters, and we’ve even talked on
the phone. Although I will not get to meet them this year, I hope that
someday we will!
We stayed in D.C. for 4 more hours after the Embassy, in
which I got lost walking though the embassies, meeting people, and taking
pictures, while my dad worked. An hour after this decision Congresswoman
Wassermann’s office called me to inform me that they had successfully
accelerated the I-131 process so that I could travel care-free. However this
does not change anything with Austria.
I’m in the plane back home right now, it is so beautiful
you can confuse the sky with the sea and it feels like a dream.
8th of August
So I’m going to Brazil, just when I thought I was starting
to learn German they switched the language on me. I had to call my host club
and family to let them know I’m not going to Austria, it was heart-breaking
once they were able to understand the news. At the same time I have to write
my Brazilian host family and club to let them know I’ll be there Monday.
There is this Indian mythological queen that represents destruction-hope,
when I studied her in school I couldn’t understand how destruction could
bring hope to people, but now I do. When one door closes another one opens.
Anyways I’ve got less than a week to hang out with friends so got to go.
Departure day
So I’m passing through the Amazon at 3700 meters of
elevation. I got on the plane at 11 P M and its now 6 AM.
Will, the other exchange student and I didn’t get to sit together, but
it’s still nice knowing that am not doing this totally alone. 4 months ago
my mom asked me if I would be ok without her; my response was, “Are you?” It
all hit me at once when I was doing the check in, that I will not be able to
hug her this year anymore. I started crying like a baby and went back twice
to hug her, hoping to make up for the year that I won’t.
I’m on my last connection flight right now, and can’t
believe I’ve survived so many hours of flying. Our first connection was Sao
Paulo. Paradoxically the first thing we hear when we get off the plane is
Madonna’s Material Girl song; ahhhh I can’t escape that song even in Samba
land (No offense to Madonna fans). Getting my baggage checked in again was
beyond frustrating! After about 20 minutes, I finally understood that the
lady was charging me for extra baggage 98 dollars. The lady asked me for ID
so I gave her my drivers’ license, which she never gave back, but after
another 20 minutes of failed attempts at communication I just decided to
move on. Then I tried to get a hold of my mom, who hadn’t slept waiting for
my call. This was also a challenge and an expensive one to say the least. I
ended up paying 4 dollars to talk to her for literately 30 seconds.
Afterwards we went outside to take pictures and waited in a store that had
massage chairs. Then it was time to say bye to Will and hi to 2 other
exchange students, one from Mexico and the other one from Chicago. The one
from Mexico had become friends with a group of folk dancers, who gave us a
little demo, so cool.
So I’m finally in my new home. First impressions:
beautiful, warm, and welcoming people! I thought my host mom was my host
sister. When I met them I really only knew one word in Portuguese, which is
obrigada, thank you, so I said it over and over and they all laughed
with me. I started talking in a mix of Spanish and English and somehow they
understood. Their home is gorgeous; it has a pool and a cute puppy. Ah Tommy
I miss him so much, I almost couldn’t fall asleep last night. Before I went
to bed we had Pizza and it turns out that here they use a fork and knife for
that. And yes, you guessed it, like a true American I grabbed with my hands
at first.
Eu primer dia de colejio
My first day and my alarm clock doesn’t ring! I start
walking toward the house of the person who is taking me to school while
buttoning my vest and they are outside waiting (ahh, how embarrassing). When
I get to school I’m not sure where to sit so I take the first chair, and
then Enrico, last years intercambista from Bahamas comes towards me and
saves me. He greets me with a relieving hug that calms me. I sit with the
inbounds (there is 1 guy from Denmark, 1 girl form Norway, and 1 American
girl). The Norwegian girl and I joke for the first 2 periods… My Biology
teacher is crazy! He makes airplane noises, and has Einstein’s hair. After
biology we go to break, and I get stuck in the restroom! Yes, you read
right; the door to the restroom would not open, and I’m kind of
claustrophobic. So I try to jump over the door by stepping on the toilet
paper holder, and fall into the trash! Two girls go get help and I finally
get out of the restroom. After that I have the pleasure of explaining to my
art history teacher and 100 students why I’m so late to class. Talk about
breaking records; most possible embarrassing moments in a day! All in all I
think that given the situations, I handled it very gracefully.
I went walking this afternoon in my neighborhood and I met
this really cool girl who invited me to a churrasco(BBQ) tomorrow.
The churrasco Friday was so much fun! I learned how to
dace Sertenegio. It ended at 3 AM but I went home at 10 PM, because I’m just
getting to know my host family and I’m not too familiar with their rules
yet. My family is composed of my host mom and sister who is 16, the grandpa
stays with the family 3 nights a week and the mom's fiancé stays over the
weekends. They are very nice, polite, and sweet, but I sometimes feel like a
strange visitor. It’s the feeling you get when you are using something that
is not yours. I guess that’s probably the thing I miss the most about my
parents; that feeling of unconditional love, knowing that no matter how bad
you mess up they will always be there. I miss having that kind of trust,
where you talk about everything and people tell you their secrets and you
tell them yours.
Sunday there was another other churrasco, with all my host
sisters’ friends. They rented the club house, bought drinks meat and played
funky. Funky is kind of dirty or so I found out. I was dancing and singing
the lyrics with out knowing their meaning; when I found out what I was
saying I stopped. There are some other miscommunications between Portuguese
and my native languages. Most people understand when I speak in Spanish and
I understand what they say in Portuguese 85% of the times. In the churrasco
Friday night I asked in Spanish if there was a buseta (bus) that would take
me to the mall and they all started laughing hysterically. I found out that
buseta (bus) in Portuguese it means vagina. Oh another misunderstanding is
that the OK sign with your hands in the U.S. here is an insult. I know now
... |
Juliana
Cardona