Time flies and Lilly forgets to blog

Time has blown by. It is Wednesday night, and I return home to New York Saturday night. Please forgive my lack of blogging. I have so many thoughts that I have not even been able to journal properly the past couple of months.

I am in such a good place, so happy to return to New York City. For summer nights in the city, just chillin', legally drinking, looking cute and not worrying about too much (we'll leave the worrying for the semester and beyond). So looking forward to reading books for pleasure and sipping iced coffee and sitting in Washington Square Park basking in after-work sunshine. For hosting dinners and cooking and being happy and young and having fun. For journalling and hanging on to myself within the madness--and wonderfulness--that is NYC. I have been nothing but excited to go back, but then when I told one of my roommates that I am done with finals, she urged me to rest up now, because there is no sleep to be had in NYC. I guess we'll see.

My time in Buenos Aires has been slowly winding down, and I feel like I've had lots of closure in many ways. Last week we had our NYU-sponsored end-of-semester party, at which I gave a mini speech, I have turned in my last final paper, given my last final presentation, reflected with the administrators on the program. I made reservations today for our crew to have one last family dinner at the most famous steakhouse in Buenos Aires (La Cabrera), we have birthday parties lined up for the next few nights, I sort of began to pack up, have purchased most of my gifts to bring home... it is becoming real that we are leaving. I have been waiting for this moment basically all semester, but now that it has arrived it is bittersweet. The whole summer without these amazing folks that I have been with every day will be so bizarre. As D pointed out, it would be different if we were all going back to New York, but everyone's off to romping around the country or the world, so who knows how we'll end up in the fall. Regardless of what happens, I would never ever ever want to trade this semester.

This semester I became comfortable with using my Spanish...and picked up the pretentious Argentine accent, sadly. I traveled 2 hours out of capital twice a week to volunteer with an amazing co-op. I took all my courses in español and did pretty damn well. I went to Patagonia, saw glaciers and kayaaked on potable lakes. I went to Mendoza, Argentine wine country, and saw the beautiful Andes mountains between Argentina and Chile. I went to Iguazú and saw the most majestic waterfalls/nature of my entire life. I turned 21. I danced the night away in the middle of a golf course. I developed a taste for Argentine wine and learned that I really just don't crave red meat, ever. I had a mini anxiety attack and bought copious amounts of new journals and rings. I couldn't find pants in this country that fit me, and wasn't phased by it. I dressed more casually than I ever have since I came to New York. As the seasons changed, I reaffirmed my belief that I am an autumn girl at heart, not a summertimer. I made a new group of close friends, missed the ones at home so much my heart almost broke, and realized that I have two homes now--Oakland and New York. I fulfilled my wanderlust, for now. My head and soul are full from this semester's experience, despite my problems with the hidden poverty and the largely undiscussed colorism and eurocentrism, and I do not for one second regret any of the past four months. I have changed, although I am not sure how. I will keep y'all posted, 'cause one of my dear friends will have analyzed and pointed out every tiny change within the first night of my being back, as he did when I returned from Kazakhstan.

What I have taken the most from this trip is my Spanish, my friends, but, above all, my desire for roots and to stay in one place. Those of you who have been reading for a while know that my NYC friends think I have a problem: I don't know how to stay in one place. Well, friends, my heart is craving that stability. With you, of course. :)