el fin del año

2011 was an year of unexpected consequences. though my last post was rather nostalgic and sad about some things that happened, overall, i think it was a good year for me. i had a lot of new experiences, and though they weren't all good, i think some of the bests and worsts are worth mentioning.

Best Meal

cuy & papa en Patachancha, Perú

before

after

Worst Meal

alpaca ravioli - it was worth trying but alpaca and tomato sauce do not mix well

Best Party

carnaval

before

after

Worst Party

stoplight party

Best 24 Hours

literary reading, used books and records, diezyseis loco in Baltimore

Worst 24 Hours

the day after stoplight party

Best Teaching Experience

ROTC student telling me "every time I'm in drills I just can't stop thinking about anthropology things like rituals and stuff."

Worst Teaching Experience

the day i had 20 students present (out of 60) and no one would say a word

Best Student Experience

a departing hug from my stoic advisor

Worst Student Experience

writing a 40 page chapter of the dissertation and then realizing its useless

Best Moment of Triumph

interviewing Carmen Rosa (and buying a victory salteña afterwards)

Worst Moment of Defeat

Mr. Atlas telling me I need to bring a friend to help me translate

Best Protest

occupying IMF

definitely best protest music

Worst Protest

mineros on the Peruvian/Bolivian border, keeping me from crossing by land

Best Holiday Celebration

halloween dance party

before

after

Worst Holiday Celebration

fireworks on roof of adventure brew hostel (but at least it makes for a good story)

Best Chance Encounter

Carwil in Bluehouse

Worst Chance Encounter

the kiwi i hated

Best Paper I Wrote

"UnBoliviable" Brawls: Tourist Perceptions of the Cholitas Luchadoras

Worst Paper I Wrote

Buttering Her Up: Agricultural Politics of Princess Kay of the Milky Way

Best Surprise

New York visit

Worst Surprise

non-renewable visas

Best "Illegal" Activity

pool party after Dan's wedding

Worst "Illegal" Activity

overstaying visas

so there you have it....my year's bests and worsts. may 2012 have just as many memorable moments, because even the worsts were worth doing. i'm lucky to be able to say that though there were plenty of "worsts" they were all amazing, joyful, useful experiences. i've got no complaints...

la lista de musica 2011

people generally make top 10 lists this time of year to prove to the cosmos that they were paying attention and didn't let the year pass them by without notice. for the most part, they reflect on the past year and the new things that have brightened (or contentedly saddened) their days. and sure, there's a small part of the process that is aimed more at proving to the reader that the writer is cool enough to be on top of things and listen to the "right" stuff, and see the "hip" bands, and by paying attention to relevant music, is relevant themself.

this list lacks that second part completely.

i generally listen to pretty awful music. and its usually old (but not so old that its cool again). so i offer you this top ten tracks of 2011 list. but most were not released in 2011. instead this is my list of songs that will forever mentally transport me to a little honda civic, a south american hostel bar, or an overcrowded one bedroom apartment. these are the songs that will likely stir strong emotion for decades to come. these are the songs that made 2011 what it was for me.

extra special mention

if this is what marching band had been like i wouldn't have despised it so much.

10.

we drove from western north carolina to dc on an august sunday and when the highway was stubbornly slow we took the blue ridge parkway instead.

9.

its the one semi-hip song that made it to the list this year, but only partially because of its genius. i spent a decent part of the year wanting to rip my own heart out in a way that the strain and ache in this song capture well.

8.

i opened up a word document which i saved as "dissertation" and realized i was doing it. i was in bolivia. i was researching. i was writing. the days of reading and writing and begging and waiting were over.

7.

when the world feels like its crumbling around you, sometimes you need to feel a little bit like a ninja.

6.

if i were being entirely truthful this would actually be the german version, but half the enjoyment is singing along, which i am hopelessly incapable of doing unless its in english. there is simply no better song to pass a saturday afternoon.

5.

there are years that ask questions and years that answer. this one asked questions for which i was entirely unprepared. i don't recall exactly why or how, but somewhere along the way in our little flophouse, this got us through a plethora of feelings of failure.

4.

this was for the good moments. though not exactly the perfect mentality for someone trying to write a dissertation.

3.

at the very least it makes me feel like i'm not the only person who has felt this way before.

2.

i drove out of baltimore and in the moment it felt like this song was describing every relationship in my life.

1.

i don't think i'll ever listen to this song again without crying.