Our Fridge Is Smelly - This is my whiny post.

I am still alive. Contrary to rumors you may have heard (Anne!) It's been crazy here for a while of course. I battled a day and a half of a high fever - 103.6!, a mugging (in front of my apartment- it sucks because I lost my camera but with the stories I hear I'm just glad to be okay) and almost having our gas shut off (the gas man was in our apartment and only left because I had just paid the outstanding bill from march - when we werent there? - whew. Oh and also now our fridge is broken. It smells bad. I took my food out. Oh yeah...I also got pooped on a second time. Not as bad as the first time, just a smidge on my shirt. But still! Seriously. Pigeons were on notice. They are definitely dead to me now. Anyway so the Brazilian saying that getting pooped on by a bird is good luck is definitely not true, because hours later I was mugged. Ha! I disproved your theory, Brazilians. I know I can laugh about it all now, but at the time I was pretty upset. Not only about my camera but about the safety and poverty issues here. There is just such a great divide between rich and poor here but they are all intermingling constantly in the streets and on the beaches. Our coordinator Rodolfo told us to expect this. I pass several homeless children sometimes just on my way to and from school. You know to expect crime and poverty but its different when its literally on your doorstep. I havent been in a complete bubble all my life (Columbus campus isnt that great either, people.) but its still a little shocking.

Anyway despite some minor setbacks I am alive and kicking and not worse for the wear. Tomorrow I fly out to meet my friend Alicia in Buenos Aires. She is studying there too. Check out her blog in my links. She would be proud to know I practiced my Spanish last night with my two new friends from Peru, their names are Carrrrrlos and Niiiiko. They just arrived two days ago and live only a block away. They are here to practice kickboxing. So my next post will be in Spanish for all of you.