Two Homes and One Heart

I am very much a list writer and I think that says a lot about my personality. I never want to miss out on anything and I think every little detail is important. I also have a shoddy memory, so my habit of list writing comes in handy for this reason, too. Lists make me feel more secure and I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that overwhelms my being when I cross off items (maybe that's a bit melodramatic). Sometimes when I am feeling unproductive, I add items that I have already done just so I can cross them off. Maybe that's pushing the purpose of a to-do list, but I am okay with that. I made a list of things that I want to do before I leave Argentina. I do not know if I will accomplish everything, but maybe I will accomplish more than if I hadn't written a list at all. Anyway, here are some of my last Latin American ambitions:

*Tour the Casa Rosada - the government house in Buenos Aires where President Cristina Kirchner lives. I hear that you can take pictures at the balcony where Evita Perón gave her famous speech.

*Attend more tango classes, and maybe even a salsa class! What place to learn Latin dance other than Latin America?

*Go to barrios in Buenos Aires that I haven't already been to. In particular: La Boca, where there are really colorful houses and street fairs; Once, where they sell a million products of sketchy quality for a miniscule price; Olivos.. I don't know what's exciting about this barrio, but maybe I will find out.

*Go to the Xul Soler museum (a famous artist) and Museo de la Memoria in Belgrano. I hear they both "valen la pena ir" (are worth going to).

*Visit the Cementerio Chacarita (Chacarita Cemetery); I hear it's bigger and cooler than the Recoleta Cemetery and there are lots of tombs of famous dead people of which I would be familiar.

*Go on a graffiti tour.

*Find out if the Beatles museum really exists and if so; get on that.

*Visit Salta and Jujuy in the far North of Argentina. See the land covered in salt and the Seven Colored Mountain!

*Drink mate with amigos.

*Read Spanish and Argentine literature and learn more about Argentine history.

*Watch Argentine movies such as: Nueve reinas, El secreto de sus ojos, Luna de Avellaneda, El tiempo de valientes, el Hijo de la novia.

*Try to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. I cannot believe I am missing the last midnight showing in the US! I've gone to all the rest of them. In costume. I guess being in Argentina is the best excuse I can think of for not going; nonetheless, I am distressed. I will try to see it here or right when I get back.

*Make one last effort to study hard for the Psychology of the Personality oral exam next Wednesday. It seems as though studying will be the last thing I want to do with all of these other exciting ambitions..

*See as many friends from the US and Argentina as possible before leaving.

*Attempt to find a massive quantity of alfajores to bring home and share the happiness.

Well that's all, folks! Who's going to keep me accountable?

One last note: After giving my final presentation in my IFSA Argentine music class yesterday, we all sat around and talked until time ran out. Everyone talked about when they were going back to the States and what plans they had for the summer. One boy Craig piped up and said he wouldn't be going back. We asked him if he was planning on staying a THIRD semester in Buenos Aires (he had already stayed a year), and he said that he had decided to stay forever. That's right. FOREVER. He decided to finish his schooling at the universities here and then find a job, form a family, and qué sé yo (who knows). This shocked me and I forgot that people actually decide things like that sometimes. I think the reason it came as such a surprise to me is because I can't imagine staying here forever. That's not true; I guess I can imagine it and I have, because it's hard not to imagine what your life would be like anywhere that you have grown to know and love. However, I also know and love the United States. Much more than the country itself, I love my friends and family. I have an extreme unbreakable tie to them and while living in Argentina or another Latin American country sounds exhilarating, I can't bear the thought of leaving everyone I love forever. For a while I wondered if this meant that my experience in Argentina wasn't as fulfilling as his, but then I rethought this notion. I talked to him after class and realized that, like so many other things, it's all about the comparisons you make. He was not happy with his life at home and never really felt comfortable or like he could freely be himself, and here he has found happiness. He said "and that's what it's all about, right?" He is absolutely right. I have found happiness with my friends and family at home and also happiness here, but I feel an internal pull to go back. Craig has finally found somewhere that has embraced him with open arms, and he is taking this magical opportunity that was presented to him to better his life. I am so delighted for him and also realize how lucky I am to love my life back home. But who says you can't have two homes? "Home is where the heart is" and my heart is here now, too. And I know it will still be here, embedded in all the new places and faces that I have grown attached to, when I come back to visit in the future :)