Noise

The rambling bands play late into the night.  A brassy awakening as they stumble down the street in-step but off-key.  Their sound slips down the chimney becoming amplified and resonant between the handmade bricks stacked with plaster. I lie parallel to the street on my raft of slumber as the shrieks of youthful abandon interrupt the obvious flow of this quiet town.  Hours later, before the sun stretches to the horizon, the blackbirds chatter as if to nag it home to warm their nests. 

At seven, the bells one block from my bed remind sleepers there are places to kneel and renew, and if the listeners forget, they ring twice more each half hour, countering the call from Peter’s dreaded bird.  A descendant of this bird sits on the wall of our house, screaming his own praises until the neighbor’s broom restores the silence. 

The paved cobblestone remind me I am in Mexico, as nothing sounds better on cobblestone than a man on a horse.  The shoes of the beast smack the pavement proudly—the same sound as a child bragging his good deed. As the farmers leave to the fields, herding their animals for a day of grazing, the early commuters join the symphony of what is morning—shuffling their old sandals along their respective paths, murmuring pleasantries.

The abrasive calls of the garbage collectors soon overpower the softness of the dawn.  “Baaasura!” said so loudly and fast the word is indistinguishable shouting to my stupor.  As the trash men pass, the gas men follow, in a large rattling, highly flammable truck.  For such noise, my dreamy imagination puts a young man astride the propane tanks beating an empty canister with a stick—a hero warning the town of the imminent downfall of a household without. 

Sleep can no longer distract me from the world outside my bedroom.  I shake off my blanket of unconsciousness and join the living.

The tiger and the girl

They told me it was a tiger.

Lying there still in the hot sun.

It made many people stop.

I put up shop where the cage was parked.

With my back to the door that caught the sun.

I am the girl who sells the milk candy between colorful rice paper.

Every day I must sell enough to pay for the bus home and then some.

So I put my stool next to the animal with my basket on my knee.

I got to look at that tiger all day.

We both baked next to black metal barriers.

That tiger was from the circus that came to town.

The men are supposed drive his cage around to advertise.

But they parked illegally and went to drink beer.

The tiger was tired from the heat and went in slow motion.

Sometimes it raised its eyes to look at the people.

It didn’t do much, just sort of waited for the day to be over.

I could tell that tiger was me.

District Federales

In town they simply say you’re going to Mexico, and Sunday away from the international research center, they were right. I was jostling shoulder to shoulder with Mexicans as we wove around the crowded corners and packed streets. The sun politely showed itself through the polluted haze to brighten the colors of the countless awnings, which shaded street vendors’ wares.

The numerous selections of taco stands made me wonder how a person chose which place to sit. Was it the quality of plastic chairs? How fresh the limes cut upon on the table looked? The talent of the cook quickly chopping the meat as it sizzled on the flat grill? Strangely, we were in a square with a high proportion of marzipan sellers. Little, round women rolled colorful dough nonchalantly in their hands while watching their afternoon telenovelas on small televisions under their tables. Clusters of almond candy carefully grouped into miniature fruit displays. Some people stood in line behind steaming vats of corn. An experienced man would thrust a stick into the cob, swirl mayonnaise around the ear, and sprinkle contrasting chili powder on the thing, before handing it to a waiting a hand in one smooth motion

Latin music embeds itself into a pattern as people shuffled along taking their afternoon strolls, and this time it was accompanied by the smooth scales of a bee-boppin’ saxophone. I rolled my head around attempting to locate the noise, and the view surrounding me is diverse: middle-aged mustachioed men holding the hands of their grandchildren, well-dressed women wearing stylish heels, alternative teens with gauges big enough to frame the person’s face behind him. Across the street, I find an old couple who look like they belong together, the way only two people who spent their lives with each other can. The woman with soft wrinkles and a faded red dress leaned against the graffit-ed wall, her eyes closed and her head craned; her face facing her husband’s face. His lips were pursed, carefully around a tenor sax, and from there the melodic sounds sprung and drifted. It was an instance of pure romance—the old hat at his feet was forgotten between them—they lived for this and the moment lived for them.

An active witness to this scene was the performer next to them; a wooden box with a man atop it posed in a tight spandex Batman costume flexing his built-in muscles.

An Ode to the Food of Ecuador

I come from a land of factory food,

Where people oft not walk but waddle.

The lack of flavor came across quite crude,

So at my birthplace I did not dawddle.

A refugee for taste, it became my quest,

To find a cuisine with something more.

I traveled fervently without rest,

Until, finally, I discovered Ecuador!

No friend told me of this new found Eden,

Too afraid my learning might protest.

But O Sweet Mercy! upon this heathen.

What my gut so easily profess.

Fruit so strange in its name and look.

Some made into juice thick with mora [blackberry]

The tree fruit granedilla my heart it took!

The vivid color and fresh¬picked euphoria.

Ceviche breath made from tears of heaven.

Popcorn bobs on top like happy boats.

Underneath swims the bounties of the seas seven.

Such a light meal, my palette dotes.

Verde o moroche empañada,

Stuffed with meat or queso, your desire.

After I demolish it my appetite is nada.

Covered in thin salsa sets my lips on fire!

And with the fruits and breads and meats,

The soups to fill the coldest soul.

Any new dish, I´m happy to greet.

O mountainous country my stomache you stole.

Neu Donau (New Danube)

With a few weeks left in Vienna and finally some sunny weather (after a month of rain and clouds), exams have come into season, and so, like any good exchange student, I've shoved my notes into a broken desk and donned my swimsuit for days in the sunshine along the Neu Donau. A canal carved from the dreamy azure river set to music composed so perfectly by Strauss. A flood control from the waterway that stretches into many European capitols I've visited this semester: Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade. The Danube. It is a wonderful place to enjoy summer. My friends and I have had our fair share of picnics and beach towel talks on the grassy bank. We've swam across, waving at the small sail boats that drift passed us, had algae fights, and the girls have floated in the five-pointed star fish formation. One or two of us may have jumped off the pedestrian bridge--after checking with the locals to know where to land of course.

I think my favorite thing about the Donau is the diversity. With a nearby mosque, there are plenty of women covered head to toe with at least three generations of their families gathered for immense barbecues sitting quite nearby a solitary topless woman lying prone and immersed in a good book. There are young people, old people, bikers, swimmers, dogs, and babies. The last time I was there, I got to see a fit older man roller-blading with Nordic walking sticks in his underwear. I'm pretty sure he was a wizard.

Vienna: an overview

There are a few things in life that I find necessary for happiness: access to good food, something to pique my curiosity, and people who laugh at my jokes. Fortunately enough for me, Vienna is three for three. It is an extraordinary city--it never takes long to get across town, the architecture is exquisite, and the weather is quite good. I have the liberty of a small kitchen which does its job, despite the electric burners, and complete lack of an oven. The cafes are as numerous as the stars, each with an infinite amount of calories temptingly wrapped up into parcels of pastries, chocolate, and cream. Up the street a ways is a Turkish market which provides me with fresh produce, sold to me by smiling men, fresh dates (the fruit, Dad), and a segue to all the other memories of peddler markets of past. But, what really makes Vienna incredible is the people I've become friends with. To list them by nationality reads like a bad joke or a NATO meeting: 3 Belgians, 4 Frenchies, and the smallest half Taiwanese-American I've ever met.

Together we take full advantage of our embarrassingly easy semester abroad. We have picnics that last until midnight, complete with tea candles and imported fromage. We "suit up" for 5 Euro tickets at the opera or the ballet. We attend outdoor concerts hosted by the city, pass out roses to strangers (http://www.projektxchange.at/), and teach each other the colloquial phrases of our native tongues then translate them to French (Let's bounce = rebondissons). We pass notes in class, go running together, and have movie nights. We have sleepovers, study groups, and swap clothes. We travel together to nearby cities for the long weekends and tease each other when our ethnic stereotypes come true.

A huge decision of whether you like a place is based very little on the landscape and the sights, but more about the experiences you have and the people you meet. I know this blog has been long on the descriptions of places and short on character development. So here is a list of major players (we're already planning a reunion).

Simon: My travelling partner, a Belgian studying agriculture who often relays tidbits of random knowledge. Best adventure together so far was the time we scaled Mount Lovćen in Kotor, Montenegro in the rain. On the way down we broke into an abandoned 14th century chapel (boarded up to keep out the sheep) and had a Brie, baguette, and trail mix picnic while soaking wet.

Tine: The most chill Belgian chick I know. With a voice that holds so much wisdom in its slow tempo, a closet that contains a funky/rocker wardrobe, and entire bag full of games, Tine is awesome.

Valerie: the final Belgian. She and Tine study food science at the same university as Simon. Very welcoming and always twice as prepared as she needs to be, Valerie offers the assertive logic dimension to our group. She never crosses a road, unless the walking sign is on. Most importantly, she is the only one of us that has an oven in Vienna.

Oriol: Only half French. The other half is Catalan--a fact he will point out with a typical Mediterranean temperament and usually accompanied with a hair flip. He loves Barca (Barcelona football team), sleeps most of the day, dances like a fiend, and has the most expressive eyebrows I've ever seen. Fits the classic bachelor behavior.

Louis: A Parisian with a halo of crazy curls, topped with a hat that would better fit a 10 year-old boy. He's a thinker, lover of the arts, an adventurer. We get into philosophical conversations but he never takes himself too seriously.

Clotilde: was the first person I met from the group. For me, she fills my idea of a modern French woman. She keeps a sultry accent, a mastery of English and German, and this Euro-businesswoman self-confidence. To complete the look, she rocks some black leather, ankle-length, heeled boots.

Coline: Mon petit chat (my little cat). A shy French girl. Concerned, warm, and enthusiastic. We share secrets and ride the night bus home together. When something is really funny, this big burst of laughter escapes her, which makes the funny incident, funnier. We'll be friends for a long time.

Sylvia: A perpetually cheerful vegetarian who grew up in Taiwan and moved to the States when she was 14. Sylvia is responsible for procuring a lot of the group's enthusiasm and provides quality entertainment with some stories of home, demonstrations of free-style running, and complete naiveté in the kitchen.

Janneke: My lovely Dutch roommate. Getting her masters degree in Greek and Latin (and Hebrew), she knows about six languages, which still impresses me. We cook together, combine our laundry, and have those sweet bedtime talks about our days.

Croatia

Honey in bottles of hues changing with the sunlight.

Too many graveyards.

Lavender wrapped in soft purple tulle, tied with a violet ribbon.

Waves of perms in the donated trams.

Where are the young people? Do they hide during the day? Do they sleep?

Nuns with thick glasses carry olive branches.

Easter sells fresh flowers. Leave them for the dead, place them at the altar.

Hills made steeper with grocery bags stop the old in their tracks.

I watch them trapped mid-step in time like the fruit in their liqueur bottles.