Hola Chicos!

so I have to be quick because I just stopped by the internet cafe on my way home from dinner.  Today was my first day of class, I only had one and then I watched hours of sex & the city before taking an adventure to buy my metro pass.  I got off  a stop early to see if I could find my way home.  Just when I was about to give up I saw the starbucks near our house that my roomie always goes to.  So I was just sitting there thinking to my self and I just started to smile. I´m here in a new place far from home, and although my first thoughts were about how much I miss my fam and friends, it was the greatest feeling to realize how much stress and work I left behind.  I have no meetings to go to, no kids to pick up and no homework so far.  It´s just me doing what I want and finally having an opportunity to just take my time!!  At home I am always late and I feel like my whole life I´ve had people rushing me because my pace is just ¨too slow¨.  What I learned from Buddhist walking meditation last semester is that once you´re actually given the chance to go as slow as possible, it´s incredibly hard to do.  I had to force myself to slow down and take as long as I wanted to drink my water.  Okay so here are a few things I´ve noticed so far.

1.  In Spain it´s cool to have a bad haircut.

2.  American music is everywhere, and I have actually heard Shania Twain´s ¨man I feel like a woman¨ TWICE.  But dont let that one fool you, it´s mostly up to date american music.

3.  Nothing ever starts on time.  They say the meeting is at 10 oclock and they will wait for no one, but what ends up happening is WE are the ones waiting around til 10.45.  In some cases like catching the last metro, this is a good thing. 

4.  Speaking of the metro you see a lot of weird things using public transportation.  Just tdoay I have seen countless couples making out, a pregnant woman consoling her crying friend, and two teenage boys snorting some kind of inhalent out of a sock. 

5.  Unlike Americans, Spaniards have a sense of humor about their culture.  When something goes wrong, like when the professor is trying to call a role that is partly alphabetized by first name and partly by last name and doesn´t have all the names, he just says....ahh classic spanish move.  Americans would probably blame it on someone else or make up excuses. 

There are probably way more things I´ve noticed, but between the walk over here and the coldplay blaring in my ear, I can´t think anymore.  I love you all and I would post my address so you can write to me, but I can´t remember my zip code.  So email may just have to do, although Í can never really check or read it because I dont have internet at my house and it´s hard to navigate otherwise.

love & ftbyam, adios,

jamie

Guess what guys?  I'm a feminist!  I'm sure you already knew that.  Lately I've been getting really fed up with people giving me such grief when I'm doing things on behalf of the Rice Women's Resource Center.  They say, why do you even need that?  why isn't there a men's resource center?  does that mean to hate men and are a lesbian? 

Seriously, what year is this and why should I still be putting up with this nonsense?  And to think I go to a liberal arts university where people are supposedly more PC and open minded.  I think the thing is that people just kind of forget that females are a minority group.  By the way, according to academics, "minority group" is not solely based on numbers, it's more about power and rights.  Like if I said I was raising money on behalf of the Black Student Association, or PRIDE or Hurricane Katrina victims, no one would dare make fun of me, but somehow it's still okay to opress women.  Anyway, here are some funny quotes I came across.....enjoy!!

PS you may also be seeing these in away messages.

"Feminism is the advocacy of political, economic and social equality between women and
men." 

- Feminist Majority Foundation

"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is:  I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat."

-Rebecca West, British writer, speaking in 1913

"I became a feminist as an alternative to becoming a masochist." 

- Sally Kempton, journalist

Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.
(Rev. Pat Robertson,
1992 Republican Convention)

"Feminism is a struggle to end sexist oppression. Therefore, it is necessarily a struggle to eradicate the ideology of domination that permeates 
Western culture on various levels." 

- bell hooks, author of Ain't I a Woman: Black Women & Feminism, 1984

"Feminism has fought no wars.  It has killed no opponents.  It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties.  Its
battles have been for education, for the vote, for better working conditions.. for safety on the streets... for child care, for social welfare...for rape crisis 
centers, women's refuges, reforms in the law." (If someone says) 'Oh, I'm not a feminist,' (I ask) 'Why? What's your problem?'" 

- Dale Spender

"I used to go on college campuses 25 years ago and announce I was a feminist, and people thought it meant I believed in free love and was available for a quick hop in the sack. ... Now I go on college campuses and say I'm a 
feminist, and half of them think it means I'm a lesbian. How'd we get from there to here without passing "Go"?

- Molly Ivins

"Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got."
—Janis Joplin

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." —Margaret Mead

"Feminists are just women who don't want to be treated like shit"

- (I can't remember who said that).

love & ftbyam,

jamie

Xanga is back apparently....I've figured something out.  When I have a ton of work to do and a lot of pressure, I get things done.  When I have a light workload week, I do nothing, nada.  Nonetheless I had a good day just bumming around.  I woke up and went to two classes, then came back and slept.  Woke up again, showered and had lunch.  Then I worked in the women's resource center on sending some emails and making posters.  I had to pick Evan up from school and stay with him for 3.5 hours, helping with homework and what not, while the Dell guy finally came here and fixed my computer, that was sweet.  I tried to go to this meditation service for one of my classes, but it was kind of sketchy and I chickened out when no one answered the door.  So I cam back to Rice to get dinner after I had already picked up a sandwhich at le madeline.  Turns out, I forgot tonight was a special dinner and I missed it except for the cookies.  So I caught the tail end of the Amnesty International meeting after making sure my computer was alive and then went to wiess coffee house night.  I cam back to pick up some things from the guys' room and ended up doing my homework/watching real world with farhan and justin.  There are funny, and it was nice just to have company.  I picked up a medical form that I need for my student visa from my master's house and then went over to Baker to watch the election results with some people I have met through various social action activities.  Finally I'm back here fiddling around on the computer.

So I know that was dumb, but it's just to give you (and me) an idea of how incredibly busy this semester has been.  Just yesterday I went to classes, women's resource center office hours, an NAACP event, and saw a documentary on cat calls on the streets of NYC. 

There's sooo much out there that we need to take advantage of and I hate that I am limited by time!!  I wish I could do/see so much more.  Therefore, whatever your interests are, you should get after them.  Now is when we have the freedom to engage in all these activities and we still have time to take chances and let those experiences help us better shape our decisions for the future. 

Maybe soon I'll slow down enough to fall in love and couple off like everyone seems to be doing.  yarggg.  For now I have many loves and passions that keep me going!

love  & ftbyam (regardless of what stupid people vote on),

Jamie

Isn't it interesting how we get so caught up in our own tiny lives and completely forget about the world?  Tuesday my biggest problem was whether or not I should buy this totally cute express bag or save up for some chanel sunglasses or a coach bag I've been eyeing.  Well, I was brought back to reality tuesday night at our amnesty meeting by hearing a refugee's story about her escape from Rwanda with her three kids.  Her speech was really inspiring.  Then today I watched the news and saw how badly mississippi and louisiana are doing right now.  Two friends at Rice have barely heard from their families and their cell phones do not work.  I tried two LSU friends and there's also no getting through.  So, Myra and I ate dinner with ther friend and boyfriend who both go to Tulane.  They can't go back to school and I got an email today saying that any Tulane students will be allowed to come to Rice for the semester.  I got back to campus and heard a woman speak who used to work for the Justice Department and now for the ACLU about the patriot act.  She is awesome and so inspiring.  Tomorrow I'm hearing Mayor Bill White speak and Friday I'm having lunch with the (rice) president to discuss John Roberts.  Wow, not to mention I'm in the middle of planning these two mentorship programs and preparing to go abroad.  It'll be amazing if I can get any actual school work done anytime soon. 

love & ftbyam,

jamie

Hey guys, I'm back at school and I'm actually enjoying myself a lot.  I've been going out, making new friends and seeing all the people I missed last year.  It's going quite well...knock on wood.  I actually just got back from a soccer game!  We won and I felt like an actual college student.  I'm going to go get a snack before tonight's party.  see yall tomorrow!

love & ftbyam, jamie