It's always hard to believe another year has come and gone. 2010 was interesting and mostly productive for me, with a few major milestones. I don't think any year is free of stress, and 2010 marks a lot of changes for me with the deteriorating health of some family members and the loss of several others. However the time spent recalling the significance and impact of their lives has brought our family closer and served to remind us all that each day is precious and best spent to the fullest.

I spent much of this past year gathering resources and building forward. I started by finishing off one major project!

I graduated! Done and done!

Graduation granted me the time to really focus on business, and I feel that I made some significant steps forward last year. Jus and I moved a bit south, and I expanded my range out into New Jersey, Long Island and CT. Some of it was successful, some was not. One thing that is very cool is that my new van gave me the freedom to travel and avoid costly hotel stays. My dad and I build a very cool platform in the back, complete with a trapdoor, so that I am able to sleep on an air mattress during my shows. It's so liberating I can't even tell you!

We also built a new website (SoasaDesigns.com) and while it's not really finished it's still a vast improvement on the old one. Sometime this fall I also started selling through Artfire.com and I think that I will be happy with that change in my life.

On a more personal note, this year I grew my first solo vegetable garden! It was an INCREDIBLE experience. I don't know where I'll find land to plant one this year, but I will certainly be trying to find some! If anyone knows a place I could put in a small garden in the Goshen area, please tell me!


2010 was a good year. I have learned and grown more than I expected, and I think that I can make 2011 awesome with a little focus and determination.

Argentina: Retrospective

1. It's a plan!, 2. Old Man Plant, 3. Zorro with his tools, 4. Can't help myself..., 5. My view, 6. Onion, Carrot, Garbanzo Bean Soup!, 7. Mom and Me at Casa Rosada, 8. Packing up, moving out, 9. All bundled up, 10. Cacti!, 11. Glad I Wasn't Driving..., 12. Ninja!, 13. "Little Bird, Big World" Inspiration

Argentina is the single biggest topic of my year, and therefor deserves her own post! This isn't to say that nothing else happened since I left Argentina, but I think it's safe to say that the bulk of my excitement took place during those 5 and a half months (or really, during the last month). I learned to weave, to cook, to speak Spanish, to identify birds (in Spanish!), and to have faith. I taught Federico (the man at the hardware shop) to make hula hoops! I learned to party, I learned to navigate, to observe, and to take things as they come (though robbery is hard to let go). I learned that friendly knitters are universal but good yarn is not. I learned that I can feel at home in another land. I learned to slow down and then promptly forgot in the instant my plane hit the tarmac...we're just not a mellow people!

Looking back, Argentina has had a profound impact on me. Some lessons have been forgotten, but I am left with a profound need to go back with awareness I have now and see what new lessons await me!

SA Sunday: Purmamarca, Jujuy, Argentina

You can thank The Buenos Aires Broken Hearts Club by Jessica Morrison for inspiring this installment of South America Sunday. That and the fact that I finally have free time again with classes over...

I'm picking up from where I left off in Tilcara, Jujuy.

~~~

One of many beautiful scenes we encountered

From the journal:
6 de Julio, 2009 written on a colectivo en route to a then unknown location between Salta City and Cafayate, Salta, Argentina.
...From Tilcara we took a day trip to Purmamarca to see the Cilla de Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors). Though the town is tiny the 2km walk around the "hill" was VERY impressive. We took tons of photos! We met a lovely family from Michigan who were very friendly and had really adorable children! We paid 40 pesos and took a remis (a car for hire) up to Las Salinas Grandes (Salt flats on the road to Bolivia). The ride totaled 3 hours and I would estimate that we were at the salt flats for 15 minutes. Totally worth it though! The flats were incredible. It was like another planet. I could hardly see because of the sun reflecting off the huge white landscape. It looked like snow...
...Back in Tilcara I learned the danger of combining guilt and Fernet con Coca when I nearly cut off a dreadlock to give to a man I had mistakenly insulted the day before. I am grateful and forever indebted to Ashley for putting a stop to the madness...

Purmamarca's backyard. Are you jealous? I am.

Town is a generous word for Purmamarca (though who am I to talk, coming from where I do) but it has a treasure in those hills. The hills were ridiculous. Every corner we turned yielded more perfect photo ops and elicited more oohs and aahs. It never got old. I think we could have walked around the route 3 more times without getting bored! Remarkably, we only encountered two or three other people on our walk. A car full drove by, and a little boy was sitting under an overhang selling trinkets. I think he had a slow day...It is incredible that the area is not more heavily populated.

A salt ridge at Las Salinas Grandes

We were late getting to our remis for our trip to Las Salinas, and unable to find a restroom, we begged the driver for some direction. He promptly knocked on the door of the house we were outside of, and they let us use their toilet. I was incredibly grateful that I spoke Spanish at that point. It was awkward.

My very own nativity set

Never inclined to miss an opportunity to shop, Ashley and I scooped up some treasures in the decidedly more pricy market around the town center. Frankly I am beginning to wonder if all of Argentina has conspired to make it impossible to catch a bus without waiting for hours near a market. The result was this lovely nativity set that is currently residing on top of my TV.

Quinoa salad and tamales...mmmm

To pass the time we also had a delicious and remarkably healthy meal at a lovely (I think the only...) hostel in town, right across from the bus stop (El Cardón, I believe).

In short, Purmamarca is a fabulous day trip! Don't spend the night there though...there isn't enough to do besides shop!

For more photos please visit my Flickr album: Jujuy
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SA Sunday: Tilcara, Jujuy, Argentina

View from the ruins, overlooking the valley
From the journal:
5 de julio, 2009 Hostel Terra Oculta, Salta City, Salta, Argentina
...The second stop on our journey was Tilcara, about an hour south of Humahuaca. It is a bit bigger and decidedly more touristy. Though our hostel was cheaper (a mere $25 pesos) the rest of the town was more expensive. We showed down some lovely fried empanadas and delicious treats from Mama Pacha, our new favorite shop in all of Argentina. Our first evening there we picnicked in the plaza with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, grilled flatbreads and pumpkin alfahores [how posh!]. It was very pleasant, though we were eventually frightened away by some wild and reproductively intact dogs...


Cacti in the botanical garden
We flaked a little bit in Tilcara, opting not to do the recommended hikes because our potential guide was trying very hard to rip us off, and we didn't find him all that pleasant to begin with. We spent a couple of nights in the Pena right in the plaza where we saw the two groups you see pictured. We were aware that it was the tourist bar, but we made a couple of new friends there and thus kept going back. It was there that our trip really began. We forged a little community for ourselves in the three nights that we stayed and by the time we left we were able to walk through the town and greet people as if we lived there.


Alpaca cria rolling in the dust
We spent a morning in the Pucará Ruins, which are reconstructed pre-columbian ruins. We thought the fake pyramid at the top that was dedicated to the archeologists was pretty funny. We passed an hour or two in the attached botanical garden laughing at the alpaca cria and the "yerba buena" before wandering back into town...


Dancing in circles


View of the kitchen decor at Hostel Tilcara (though you can't see the dried frog he had hanging in the window)

For more photos please visit my Flickr album: Jujuy
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SA Sunday: Humahuaca, Jujuy, Argentina

Burro in a plaza in town

From the journal:
5 de julio, 2009 Hostel Terra Oculta, Salta City, Salta, Argentina

...We flew into the city of Jujuy [on June 30] but were unimpressed and decided to move straight on up to Humahuaca. We enjoyed it there, though I did a shameful amount of shopping, It was a very small town nestled between mountains (as these northern towns are) that was remarkably cold at night in contrast to the desert heat during the day. I especially enjoyed our hostel, Posada del Sol, which was a fair ways out of town and very peaceful. We had a delicious breakfast there of breads and spreads and tea, served in beautiful red earthenware. Both nights we had lovely Irish roommates, the first a young man and the second two girls our own age [all heading up to Bolivia]. I felt at peace there for the first time in weeks. I think I could have stayed much longer...

Sweet relief from the sun in the tamale shop

The truth is that in Humahuaca there wasn't much to "do" once the gifts had been purchased and we had seen the noontime holy cuckoo clock. For that reason I wholly enjoyed it. We laughed at the sight of dogs running around on rooftops. We wandered around and stared in awe at the views which were unlike anything I had ever seen before, having never left the east coast of the United States. We sat in the square and ate mandarinas, four for a peso, while identifying new birds for my list. We went to bed early, and got up early, a routine which was strange to me, but came naturally during those days. One afternoon we took a walk up to a mirador, a look-out point, that we had been told about. Though we had no idea where we were going we were joined by a dog who never left our sight the entire walk up and down. We ate some tamales and sampled the traditional "locro", a stew that I can't honestly recommend, as it is very greasy and gave us both indigestion.

In this manner we passed two nights in the small town of Humahuaca before catching a 4peso bus to Tilcara...

King of the Mountain, our walking friend

Mountain Worship

For more photos please visit my Flickr album: Jujuy
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28 days, 1200 photos

I was hoping to have my photos sorted out by the time I got home, but the reality of the situation is that I took HUNDREDS. They all need a little tweaking and a lot of them just need to be deleted, but I have to be careful with them because they represent my Great Adventure and I don't want to lose or ruin any! That's my WIP for this week. I'm planning to spread things out and post a new location each Sunday so that you can travel with me.

I cooked our first meal in our new apartment last night! I made pesto with basil from my Mom's garden. It came out pretty well! We have a gas stove, which was just one of the many added perks of this place. Justin did a great job finding it. Once this is posted I'm going to head out to the backyard and hula hoop with the chickens and goats!

Finally, I just wanted to give a little cheer for myself as this is my 200th post!

Image borrowed from The Market Guardian

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...Just another clown throwing fire at the sky...

This is a very special Music Monday! It's my first post from home! That's right, the trip has ended and I am back in New York. I would say the adventure has ended, but I have begun so many new friendships and I have changed so much that I know that Argentina is not done with me.



A Juggler Out in Traffic - Richard Shindell, from his album Not Far Now

This song is a special one. Shindell's music has always struck me but I feel a closeness with those songs he writes from his experiences in Argentina. On my last day in the city I was running errands and walking through my old neighborhood, remembering. I came to an intersection and found two young men juggling pins in front of traffic. They finished their routine and I was happy to see the number of hands reaching out of car windows to offer change. I smiled, remembering this song. Two blocks later I came across another juggler who seemed to just be learning. He finished his routine too late, and the light turned before he could pass his hat. It occurred to me that there is an art to what they do, beyond their talent. On my way home I took the Subte and to my delight my favorite group of street actors just happened to be in my car. I gave them a smile and one last token. They don't know how much they light up my day, how much people appreciate the relief and amusement that they offer to the city.

I am thrilled to be home, and there were times that I felt strong resentment towards Buenos Aires but I am finding that all I can remember are the good things. I'm grateful for this song as a moment to recall the city I called home for those short but powerful five months.

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Border crossing...

We made it! Customs was scary. There was a girl on our bus who didn't claim the two apples she had in her bag for a snack, and she got dragged off into a dark room and questioned, then charged a $214 fine, US dollars, for the two apples. The view was incredible though.



After 8 hours on a bus and in customs we arrived in Valparaiso, a city on the ocean that really lives up to its name. It looks like paradise. Every single person we encountered told us to take off all our jewelry and be very, very careful. So we did....but we were nervous. So far, so good. We are now in Santiago for the day, and this evening we are getting on another 13 hour bus for Pucon, in the south.





We made it to Pablo Neruda's house while we were in Valparaiso. We are pitifully bad at seeing museums, so we were quite proud of ourselves.



You can find a few more Chile photos ::here::

Shall we go to Chile today?

That was the question posed at breakast this morning.

The answer? ¨Yea I guess that´d be alright.¨

Hah, such a hard life we´re living!

I´ll write from Chile, pinky swear!


P.S. for some reason every time I view my blog it´s all in black and white. Anyone else having this experience?

Moving South...Salta, Moldes, Cafayate...

Thank you all so much for your comments on my last post! They were lovely to read:)

We arrived in the city of Salta on Sunday, and we found it quite overwhelming. I was sick and we had decided to just move on in the morning. That night we met up with some friends from UCA, and they told us about their next adventure, and invited us along! That´s how we ended up in Moldes, Salta, in a lake front cabin with peacocks and hammocks, canoes and a dog named Tyson. It was truly wonderful. We stayed two nights, went white water rafting, and took a boat trip across the lake to see some rock-paintings!


Home sweet home...


The crew


View from the road...


A funny sight we saw...


Off we went...


Rapids!


I also watched birds! A Kingfisher!


I promise that once I´m home I´ll show you more pictures and perhaps share some bits from my journal. This is just a sort of preview!

SA Sunday: Ashley, I don´t think we´re in Buenos Aires anymore...

Taken from the Mirador (viewing point) that we think we found in Humahuaca, Jujuy, Argentina. We´re still not sure we found the right place, but the view was great and it was really windy!

How many of you didn´t belive that I would post today? I didn´t. Please excuse any typos or strange letters, I have a line growing behind me to use the computer. I wanted to share some photos of the beginning of our trip! For more photos check out my Flickr page. They don´t have titles or descriptions yet because the internet out here is pretty slow. Also, I hope you like my outfit, because I only have two!



In Humahuaca we stayed in a WONDERFUL adobe Hostel called Posada El Sol that we highly recommend. Here´s the view from our bedroom door. Homey, right?



It´s the desert! It´s blistering during the day and freezing at night. Look! Cacti! Cactus? We were hiking to the "ruins" in Tilcara, Jujuy, Argentina.



This was taken from a view point at the Hill of Seven Colors. It was incredible! Purmamarca, Jujuy, Argentina.



On our way up to visit the Salinas Grandes. It was SO HIGH. I´ll find out how high soon!



At the Salinas Grandes. That´s all salt! I couldn´t see, so I look like a dork.

I have to run now, becauase the line is huge. Click through an image to get to a few more photos. I promise m,ore news soon!!

I don't need a passport to walk on this earth...

This song is called Hello Bonjour and is available on Michael Franti and Spearhead's album Yell Fire!

I think Michael Franti says it all. I'm leaving really really early tomorrow. I'm so sad to say goodbye to my new friends, but excited to make new ones! Ceci and my Argentine "Banana FoFana" family threw me a "surprise" party (the surprise had to be aborted when I made plans to go out this evening! As for Banana FoFana, I'll explain that another time!). I'm putting (parts of) Michael's lyrics below so you can read through them. I'm not packed, and I'm leaving in about 7 hours. I'm sorry this is late!

This video was filmed in Ireland. Pay special attention to 0:09 - 0:13. That blue and yellow flag? Boca Juniors, baby! Argentine soccer...what what!

___

I don't need a passport
To walk on this earth,
Anywhere I go cause I was made of this earth
Im born of this earth,
I breath of this earth,
And even with the pain I believe in this earth, So
I wake Up every mornin and Im steppin on the floor,
I wake up every mornin and Im stepping out the door
I got faith in the sky,
Faith in the one,
Faith in the people rockin underneath the sun
Cause every bit of land is a holy land and
Every drop of water is a holy water and
Every single child is a son or a daughter of the one Earth mama and the one Earth papa, So
Don't tell a man that he can't come here cause he got brown eyes and a wavy kind of hair, And
Don't tell a woman that she can't go there because she prays a little different to a God up there
You say you're a Christian
Cause God made you
You say you're a Muslim
Cause god made you
You say you're a Hindu and the next man a Jew
Then we all kill each other
Cause God told us to NAH!

-Hello, hello!
-Bonjour, bonjour!
-Hola, hola!
-Konnichiwa, konnichiwa wa!

....complete lyrics available ::here::

___

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SA Sunday: Packing up, moving out

Packing up, moving out, originally uploaded by Soasa Designs.

I was going to show you a photo of my packed backpack for our trip, but all of my laundry is still wet, so my bag isn't packed. It's causing me a good deal of stress. Instead I'm going to spend the afternoon reading through some travel guides and packing up my suitcases to put in storage!

I've decided that I can't bear to leave my second BsAs hoop behind. It's my Project Spectrum hoop and it's perfect. I've doubled it up and hopefully it will travel home safely in my suitcase. Cross your fingers for me!

We are in the midst of refining our travel plans, and I have to admit I'm feeling some anxiety. I just feel like we don't have enough time! Maybe I set my heart on accomplishing too much. We're off bright and early Tuesday morning, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to take a deep breath and just let things roll forward. We'll get to what we get to, I suppose. It's going to fly by so fast! I'll try and keep you updated as things change!

SA Sunday: Lechucita Vizcachera - Birdwatching

Lechucita Vizcachera, originally uploaded by Soasa Designs.

I spotted this Burrowing Owl while my friends and I were at a polo club outside the city of Buenos Aires. I couldn't believe how close it let me get!

I've just finished my birdwatching class at UCA, and I'm so pumped about how it went! I'm very sad to say goodbye to my professor and my classmates. We were a small, tight-knit group, and we had a lot of fun together. Yesterday we saw some incredibly cool birds, including a father and son pair of Rufescent Tiger-Herons, a whole mess of Monk Parakeets, a Golden-Breasted Woodpecker, and the silly looking Guira Cuckoo (Looks like he's got bad bedhead, right?).



This is a portion of my list of birds that I've identified from Argentina and the US. It's growing, hopefully forever! I'm very excited to take my book with me on my trip and see what else I can find! You can click the image to see it more clearly.

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Thinking of you...

Thinking of you..., originally uploaded by Soasa Designs.

Hi Dad!

I had my friend take this photo for me in Mendoza, Argentina while we were touring the vineyards. I couldn't believe it when I saw the John Deere! I had to give it a hug. It made me think of home and of you. I love you! Happy Father's Day!

On the road again, goin' places that I've never been...

This post isn't going to be just one song, but rather a bunch of songs that either directly relate to travel, or make me want to travel, or that I've always thought of as travel songs!



On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
I know it's kind of cheesy, but what better song to follow my travel map?!



Box of Rain - The Grateful Dead
This one isn't exactly a travel song, but I love these lines and think they fit this situation:
Walk out of any doorway
feel your way, feel your way
like the day before
Maybe you'll find direction
around some corner
where it's been waiting to meet you



Traveler's Prayer - Billy Joel




Che Guevara T-shirt - Richard Shindell




Crocadile Man - Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer
Wouldn't you know it? Whoever recorded that festival, I owe them a great deal.

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SA Sunday: It's a plan!

It's a plan!, originally uploaded by Soasa Designs.

Two weeks from Tuesday my friend Ashley and I will embark on our cross-country adventure! We will be flying up north, then busing down through northwestern Argentina, into Chile, and then down and back into Argentina. This map shows our plans! The towns I hit are the "major" towns, or rather, our base camps. There are great places to see surrounding all of these areas, and we may end up spending some time in those as well! We're very excited, and trying hard to come up with a feasible budget plan for this. Ashley just bought her plane ticket to Jujuy, and I'm working on getting mine as well!

If you'd like to see the map larger so you can actually read some of it, click here!

From the top:
Jujuy, A
Salta, A
Tucuman, A
La Rioja, A
San Juan, A
Mendoza, A
Santiago, C
Valparaiso, C
Vildavia, C
Osorno, C
Bariloche, A
El Bolson, A
Buenos Aires, A

We're very excited! I'm not sure how consistent my blogging will be, but I promise to do my best!

Don't forget that my Etsy Discount Offer is still available, until this Thursday!

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I'm so glad I was in the Colombia section

I'm so glad I was in the Colombia section, originally uploaded by Soasa Designs.

Yesterday a friend of mine and a friend of hers planned to meet up for some gift shopping in Recoleta. Her friend arrived in a tizzy and said that her friend had 3 tickets to the Argentina vs Colombia World Cup Qualifying game, and would we like to go? $100 pesos each! Practically free, as soccer games go. "Of course!" we shouted. "Let's go!" she said. Game started at 6, and it was 4:15 already.

It wasn't until we were in a cab and positive that we were headed in the right direction that we found out we'd be sitting in the Colombia section because the tickets belonged to the girlfriend of the friend of the friend of my friend, who is Colombian (say that three times fast!).

We were a little nervous, because secretly we were crossing our fingers for Argentina, and we didn't want anyone to find out and beat us up! The truth of the matter is that after 10 minutes in the stadium it was clear that Colombia is SO MUCH MORE FUN than Argentina. We didn't hear a peep from the Argentine fans, but Colombia was all over it!

Game ended Argentina 1 : Colombia 0. After it ended security kept us up in the stands for about 45 minutes to let all the Argentine fans clear out. I've never been to a big sporting event. Is that normal? I can see the sense in it, but at the same time it was really late at night and we were cold and hungry!

The whole thing was a blast. I have lots of video, and I'm going to try and sort it out and piece it together a bit, even though the quality is pretty mediocre.

Because I don't know enough about the teams to give any real commentary, here's someone else's opinion!

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WIP: Bariloche or Bust

WIP: Bariloche or Bust, originally uploaded by Soasa Designs.

(It's really WIP Thursday morning now, but I figure if I haven't gone to sleep, it's still Wednesday! Thanks for nothing, UCA.)

I'm ending my big trip(which I promise to write more about soon) in Bariloche, Argentina, which is down in Patagonia. It's gonna be cold, especially considering it'll be late July, and I want to see all the outdoor sights! I'm trying to get some socks together so that I don't freeze!

This is my first foray into two at a time socks, and only the second time I've begun toe up socks (the last project is languishing in the closet, at the moment). So far I like it and find that it seems to move the process along, although one negative element I've encountered is that my first attempt was too large. Ripping back 2.5 inches on each sock really hurt. I had to start knitting right away after ripping because I was so afraid I'd just stuff them in the closet too!

I'm using this pattern from Silver with a 1x1 rib twisted on the purl, which I highly recommend, and Ballet from Fiesta, which I don't really recommend. It's soft, but SO splitty, and frogs like a nightmare.


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Canción Sencilla - Simple Song

I have been meaning to write about Richard Shindell since I got to Argentina, but it wasn't until I started Music Monday that I found a way to bring him up. I first heard this song on "Vuelta" which was the first album he released after moving to Buenos Aires. Though I have always loved this song for it's simplicity, it wasn't until I revisited it today that I was able to understand not only all of the words, but also the sentiment. Vuelta means a number of things, including "turn", "return", "journey", "voyage" and "change", all of which are things I am experiencing here, on my adventure. I can't speak for Shindell, but after spending a lot of time with this song (while compiling all the lyrics for the above video) I am beginning to feel as if this is a love song to Argentina, to his new home. I can't say I share his unconditional love, but this is what I strive to feel towards this country. Right now, this is how I feel about my home, in NY.

I've been talking for several weeks (ok, months) with my best friend Amanda, who is currently working in New Orleans, about whether or not she will be coming home. She told me today that she is back in NY for the week, to think about whether to stay in NOLA or not. She tells me all she can think of is New Orleans. It's home to her now. She could sing this song to the city, and mean every word of it.

A note about the subjunctive: Subjunctive is a conjugation in Spanish that can be used in the past, present or future to imply doubt, uncertainty, or flexibility. It's sort of the difference between stating something as fact (I know) or stating something as opinion (I think). When Shindell refers to the fascinating, impenetrable mystery that he doesn't need to understand because his love is certain, that's what he's referring to.

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