I got my own printer! For most of you, this may not mean much. But for those who remember my Office Space entry, the shared printer was getting uber frustrating. Alex (the other Alex, I'm not referring to myself in the third person...yet) really pulled through and mentioned to the attorney that calling the office manager to ask her if we could print, then walking around the corner to pick up every document we print, was really getting in the way of our productivity. Said and done--within an hour or so, there was a printer installed in my cubicle (no office yet, I'll post on that later).
Hooowwwever, I'm a little anal on organization and layout. I had gotten comfortable with how I had set up my desk, and the extension cord didn't reach to where I ideally would have wanted the printer. So I had to apologize for being a high maintenance attorney, and I [very nicely] asked for an extension cord so I could move it to the complete opposite side of my desk. With a little hustle and bustle, the printer was where I wanted it, and now I'm off to prove that I deserve a raise!
*sorry for boring you on my printer status, and the many
So back in 2006, Erika, Brooke, Sarah and I had the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime. A couple of our spots included Lima, Peru, and Machu Picchu. In Lima, we were fortunate enough to stay with Will's family, who were sooo amazing. I should tell you that we all took a chance on Will. Friends were shocked and extremely concerned when they asked where we were staying in Peru, and their answer: "We're staying with some guy's and his family that Alex met online...that she's never met before." Yeah....that didn't go over very well with people, and I honestly don't blame them. But I'm glad we went on faith alone and proceeded to stay with Will and his family. Will and his friend, Alan, picked us up from the airport, and accompanied us on our following trips to the airport when we flew out to Cuzco. And his mom made some amazing food. I may be using the word "amazing" too much in this blog, but I mean it every time I use it!
Here we are with Will on a tour of Lima. His sister, Mawi, actually majored in some sort of historical architecture of Lima, so she gave us an amazing tour of the city ;)
Jump to 2009: I still keep in touch with Will. Granted, I'm kind of a terrible friend and I don't actually talk to him often, but we chat online every now and then, I update him on my life, he tells me about his promotions and employee of the month awards (felicidades willy!), and he also tells me about all of his amazing trips. I seriously want to be like Will and explore every inch of this country, just like he's explored so much of Peru. This brings me to the original purpose of this post, which was to share some pictures from Will's recent travels. Without further ado:
Here is Will in Playa Azul
And this one is amazing, of the Peruvian jungle:
I'm gonna work on convincing Will to give me some travel tips, hot spots, etc., so I can share with you guys :)
In the spirit of Christmas, I'm sharing with you a movie that everyone should watch at least once during the Holiday Season. I'm sure most of you have already seen this movie before, but I'll be honest and tell you that if it wasn't for marrying into the Armstrong Family, I probably wouldn't even have known about it, or caught all the jokes in movies, TV shows, etc., about the leg lamp.
Here's a little trailer for A Christmas Story:
I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Christmas, sharing it with those you love.
I owe this musical discovery to Kitty, who has now moved to better and greener pastures and is living with her hubby in Spain. Gracias, Kitty! Chambao has an amazing voice, I hope you all enjoy!
I'm pretty sure it started after law school began, when I was too busy to watch the news at home or read a newspaper, and still wanting to know what was going on with the world. At some point, while driving, I got fed up with having to continually scan the radio stations to find something good (even though Jeff might say my music standards are still pretty subpar). And so, to get my fill of current events, and prevent the continual station scan, I landed with news radio. I think a few years ago I would have felt lame about listening to NPR and KNX 1070 more frequently than any radio station. I guess self-confidence is one of the few good things about growing older!
So for those regular followers, I wanted to give you all a quick update on things. As I knew would happen, now that I have a full time job I haven't been able to write on here as much as I'd like. I'm starting to make notes of ideas I get for things to write, whenever they come to mind, which means endless stickies which might not make sense when I read them a couple days later.
So if you remember from my last blog, I wrote about the new lady that had started working at my office. Well, after discovering her perpetual lateness (every day since she started, and I'm not talking about 5-10 minutes late, I'm talking about an hour to an hour and a half late), she was promptly let go. Crazy, but it makes sense. Anyhow, there's another new girl that's doing some side work, and she seems like a really nice girl. She's a pretty girl, and she's 18, which means all the boys in the office are riled up. She seems to be taking it pretty well though!
As much as I want to go into detail about everyone at my office, and share all the exciting characteristics and traits of each of them with you all, I figure it's only a matter of time before they track me down on Facebook, which will eventually lead them here, so I'd rather play it safe :)
Anyhow, while I may not be able to update as often, I don't want to leave you guys hanging, so if you enjoy new music, one of my best friends Sarah has started posting regular music videos on her blog. Sarah has always been a source of new amazing music for me, so I hope you all enjoy her video blogs!
I'm hoping most of you recognize the above quote from Office Space. Do you remember the frustration with which it was said? Because that is my frustration sometimes with the printer at my work. Except that the printer actually DOES have a paper jam...with every. Other. Page.
It's such a temperamental piece of machinery. Sometimes it prints, sometimes it gets jammed. You just never know. If copy machines weren't so expensive, and our office was going to get a new one, I wouldn't mind ending it's days the classic Office-Space way:
Jeff and I went out for dinner tonight, a date night if you will. It wasn't anything crazy, we just went to Chili's, ordered food, some drinks, and picked up a movie at Blockbuster. I should mention that my strawberry margarita gave me the WORST brain freezes I never even knew were possible. I'm not exaggerating--it was terrible. I almost considered not drinking anymore of my over-priced margarita. Almost.
Anyhow, after we picked up a few episodes of Entourage at Blockbuster, and some coffee at Gelson's, we got in the car for our mile-long drive home. And hilarity ensued. I seriously haven't laughed this hard in a long time, my abs are still recovering. I love being able to make a fool of myself, and seeing Jeff laugh as much as he did tonight.
So in the last two weeks, I've gone out to eat with some of the guys from the office twice. And twice have proven amazing as far as good company and lack of spelling...
I really think it's the only thing that has gotten Jeff and I through these last couple months. As you probably know from prior posts, things have been difficult for Jeff and I, but we've somehow managed. People always say that money is what tears marriages apart, and I guess I can kind of see why. Obviously Jeff and I are somewhat novice to the marriage idea (3 months today!!), but I'd like to think we've got a good thing going.
Even now that I started a job, it doesn't alleviate things overnight. We still have bills that are overdue (but getting paid day-by-day), and things we'd like to do but are unable to do right now. And Jeff won't be getting some of the money that he was getting from unemployment, so I think my income will basically even things out rather than put us over the top. But among all of this, there have constantly been things that keep me positive and hopeful (which is difficult to do, believe me). As rocky as things have been the last couple months with money, rent, bills, etc., the thing that always kept me hopeful was knowing that I have Jeff in my life, along with our friends and family.
This season, especially, makes me really happy. My mom and all my aunts came to our place last week, and it made me so happy to just sit around my apartment with them and catch up on everything. It made me realize how lucky I am to have the family that I have. On Tuesday, my mom surprised Jeff and I and bought us a Christmas tree, which was amazing. We had been holding off on buying it because we wanted to make sure all our bills were paid before we splurged, so it was soooo amazing to walk into our apartment on Tuesday after my first day of work, and find a Christmas tree all set up! (My mom called Jeff, so he went to her house to pick it up, then set it up at our place before I got home.) We also got to spend time on Tuesday with Jeff's parents (who cooked him a special birthday dinner: tacos!), and got to celebrate Jeff's birthday on Wednesday with all of our close friends. To top it off, Courtney came over to our place to help us decorate the tree, and we had hot chocolate after we were all done. It's amazing to share special occasions with those you love and appreciate. It makes me all giddy!
I know some of you reading this are still struggling, and the point of this is to simply remind everyone to be thankful for the good things we have in life. I know how easy it is to get down and out, but it makes life easier when you remember all the little-good things in life, rather than just the big-bad things ;)
Granted, I've only had a week to figure things out, but I'm still amazed at how my mom and aunts got so much crap done in a day. I mean, I'm working from 9 am to 6 pm, and when I get home, it's kind of late to get your day started at home, and I don't really feel like doing anything productive. It's all fine and dandy for now, Jeff and I are both big kids so we can pick up after ourselves and keep the house relatively clean. But how do you manage once you have kids??? There are so many things I want to do when I get home, and it's nothing crazy, just picking up little areas in the apartment, making a good dinner, etc., but it all goes down the drain when I walk through the door and feel like just laying down for the night.
Personally, I think 6pm is too late to get off work. I was told that once I was fully trained I could go in to the office earlier so I can get off at 4 or 5pm, which I'm looking forward to. It may only be an hour, but I think that hour will be my salvation to being more productive at home!
So I finished up my first week yesterday. It had its ups and downs, but overall I think it was a good first week. It's a little weird to find myself doing something I had never imagined, but I guess that's life: "uno pone, y Dios dispone." To give you a brief background, there are two girls in the admin office, one receptionist, an attorney, another guy who I think is in charge of general office administration (still not sure exactly sure what his role is), one new girl that started on Thursday, and then 7 guys that do all the grunt work.
First of all, I've always hated the learning curve at any new job. You start working somewhere you know nothing about, you don't know how they do things, what their system is, who does what, what you're supposed to be doing, etc., etc., etc. And on the other hand you're having a ton of information thrown your way, which makes things a little overwhelming. This place has been good about the latter, they're training me a bit slow, which I guess I should be gracious for! It's just frustrating not knowing how to do things, and seeing everyone else around me busy while I'm trying to figure out how to do one simple task. I'm looking forward to the next month or so being done, when I finally know what I'm doing and I don't have to be asking someone a question every five minutes....because I'm sure that's getting annoying.... :)
As to the other new girl that started on Thursday, I have a confession to make. I was a little upset she was stealing my "new girl in the office" title so soon after I started (on Tuesday). I was basking in all the glory of being the only girl in the back office and getting to know everyone, and then another new girl comes along! Silly, I know. But here's one thing I've learned throughout the years: I'm never the only one who feels a certain way, we're just too embarrassed or afraid to admit to things. So I'll admit it, I was jealous of the second-new-girl. But it turns out she pretty much keeps to herself, so I guess there was nothing to worry about...
Which brings me to the final point of this blog: I really like the people I'm working with. I'm still unsure about the actual job, but the people so far are great. They're all super mellow, joking around with each other and such. I'm still weighing where I fit in to the picture, but I can tell they're getting more comfortable around me by seeing how they're interacting with each other: the first couple days were a little quiet, but by Thursday they were back to their normal shenanigans. The other thing I love is that everyone (except for the main attorney) speaks Spanish, and I had forgotten how much I missed being around that. Growing up I've always had friends around me who spoke Spanish and I could relate to on a cultural level. After I graduate college and moved back home, I didn't have that connection anymore. It's been great to be able to speak Spanglish, listen to the guys make fun of each other in Spanish, and be able to use all the Spanish phrases in the book. I think this will help at home too, since I'll be in Spanish-mode all day, and maybe I'll be better about teaching Jeff some Spanish :)
I'm going to start my Charity of the Month column with an exception (typical lawyer-speak, huh?). From January forth, I will be focusing this column on non-profits and organizations. This month, however, I'm focusing it on an amazing individual (with a cool organization backing her up).
I met Alexis while volunteering at Public Law Center, where she has been a fellow for the past few years, heading up their AIDS/HIV legal clinic. She recently went to Rwanda as part of a legal team that created a manual with the purpose of giving Rwandan woman information about their rights, the rights of their children, and information on legal resources for families who struggle with land grabbing.
Alexis has firmly placed herself on my "Hero" list by what she has decided to do next: Alexis has become an International Justice Mission Fellow, meaning she will be flying to South Asia and working for FREE for a year to work on some pretty big issues:
"According to UNICEF, more than 2 million children are exploited in the commercial sex trade every year.Girls as young as 4 years old are sold into brothels where they are forced to perform sex acts for those who have no regard for their dignity.I am overwhelmed by these horrendous statistics, and yet so disturbed that I have no choice but to break through the silence and head into the fight.
As a Legal Fellow, I will help the South Asia field office bring justice to women and children who have suffered these horrible abuses of their basic human rights.The position I have been offered is unpaid, and I am responsible for covering all of the costs associated with my assignment.I have saved approximately $10,000, will be cashing in my life insurance policy and 401K, but I still need your help.I anticipate that I will need to raise an additional $10,000 to support my time in South Asia."
You can read about International Justice Mission here, and you can donate to Alexis here.
Not all of us are able or willing to make the sacrifice to take a year out of our busy lives and give it to such a worthy cause. I know we are all going through some tough financial times, but if you even have $5 to spare, I ask that you consider donating it to Alexis and the amazing cause she will be working for. We can all work vicariously through Alexis in combating the injustices of the world!
So I got a call back from the bankruptcy/immigration firm on Wednesday, and went in for a second interview on Friday, where they actually offered me a position. I took it. I start tomorrow (Tuesday) and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this turns out. It's not necessarily where I saw myself working, but it could be a good opportunity and it gives Jeff and I an income, which we desperately need right now.
On the lighter side of things, guess what they kept asking me? Did I REALLY speak Spanish fluently? No one really believed me, and I was basically begging them to just ask me something in Spanish so we could get the credibility issue out of the way. I got a tour of the office after the second interview (which was just an overview of logistics for the position, and an inquiry into whether I really spoke Spanish...) and they introduced me to everyone that works in the office. They're pretty much all Hispanic, and they all had the same Arrested-Development-ish question in their eyes: "Her?" I knew what they were thinking: there's no way this girl speaks Spanish fluently. I can't wait for tomorrow!
A couple years ago I set up this application on my gmail account that sends me daily emails about articles that come out online about Guatemala. Usually they're pretty uneventful news, and sometimes it's an article about something completely off topic, but the writer happened to throw Guatemala in there somehow. It was helpful, however, when I was writing my research paper for my International Law class on the Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), since I got updates about anything it was involved in and was able to incorporate them into my paper.
Today I opened the email thinking it would be just as uneventful as the weeks before, but I was sadly disappointed. There were several snippets about the vigilante justice that has been mounting in Guatemala. This isn't something new over there, but it seems to be escalating at alarming rates. I remember when Jeff and I were in Guate for Christmas in 2007, he saw a magazine article where two men had been caught (I forget what for), and the town made them fight each other for their lives...so one of them ended up killing the other, with the whole town watching and cheering. Jeff was shocked, but all my Guatemalan friends who were hanging out were immune to such [common] reports.
I'm sure most people in the United States are wondering what would make ordinary citizens take up action and become so violent and aggressive. The BBC recently reported on the bus driver extortion scheme that has been going on in Guatemala for quite some time now. Basically, gangs threaten bus drivers by making them pay a monthly "protection" fee, in exchange for not killing them. What this means is that gang members are pulling up to buses with dozens of innocent people, kill the bus driver, and then either drive off or try to rob a couple of the people on the bus while they're at it. Not necessarily something you want to see on your daily commute to work.
The problem with this is that no one is really stopping them. The government makes half hearted attempts that end up being more of a hassle than actually providing a solution to the problem. An example of this was the fairly recent enactment of a new motorcycle law. It appears that most murders being committed where being done by two individuals on a motorcycle: one would drive, the other one would shoot. So they enacted a law that only one person was allowed on a motorcycle. You can imagine how helpful that was. People who are in the business of constantly breaking the law and murdering people are not going to be held back by meager traffic laws. The worst part about this law was the inconvenience it caused people: motorcycles are a huge mode of transportation in Guatemala, with whole families being taken to work/school on a single motorcycle.
Other than that, not much has been done to alleviate the situation. I haven't heard of any sound legislation or changes to the system to catch the gang members responsible. In reality, many of the crimes in Guatemala go without ever being investigated or any action taken to find and punish those responsible (about 98% actually, if you can believe that). It's this inaction that leads ordinary citizens to take action into their own hands. NPR published an article detailing some of the recent acts of vigilantism, and the opinions of those who now feel safer in their towns because of it.
I can see why the people of Guatemala are frustrated, and I hope the government, the CICIG, and NGO's will take it upon themselves to install some law and order in the country. I know the CICIG has been trying for a while to clean out the police department (PNC-Policia Nacional Civil) in order to make them effective in enforcing the law, rather than breaking it. Until the citizens of Guatemala feel they are being protected by the authorities, they won't be able to keep them from protecting themselves, no matter how inhumane or barbaric these acts seem to us. This leads to the conversation of human rights and whether the victims of vigilante acts are being punished without due process of law...we'll save that conversation for a later time, since I have probably lost the attention of most of you already :)
Throughout the years I have been privileged enough to find out about some amazing organizations that do great work around the world. I've always wanted to spread the word around about who they are, what they do, and what they stand for. Lately I've been getting some comments and fan mail regarding this blog (keep them coming, they totally make my day!), so with a good following here it seems like the perfect opportunity to showcase these organizations.
My purpose in doing this is twofold. These organizations, for the most part, are working on pretty slim budgets, so any donations they can get are appreciated. My hope is that at some point you see an organization that touches your heart and decide you would like to contribute towards that organization. I know many of us don't have spare money lying around (including myself), so my larger purpose in doing this is simply to bring awareness to the issues being highlighted by these organizations. It always amazes me how much goes on in the world around us, and most people have no idea because we get busy with our lives and routines, and the news is too busy reporting on Tiger Woods and Lohan's most recent late arrival in court. My hope is that you will read about issues affecting people around the world through this humble blog of yours, and will be inspired to discuss these issues with your friends and family.
Keep your eyes peeled for a later post with December's "Charity of the Month."
(Also, if you know of an organization you would like me to write about, feel free to comment below or send a message to alexandra.m.armstrong@gmail.com).
I was driving down 1st Street in Santa Ana today, on my way to my first OC Hispanic Bar Association Committee meeting, and a familiar panic came over me.
I was taken back to my freshman year in college, leaving my cozy (ahem, small) Santa Rosa dorm at UCSB, and walking to El Centro for my first La Escuelita meeting. I knew what I would find when I got there. It wasn't anything new, and I was rather used to it, but it still made me nervous and slightly frustrated. As you can probably tell from my blog picture, I don't necessarily scream "HISPANIC!" or "LATINA!!" so, people usually give me the head slightly tilted, what-is-this-gringa-doing-here look when I attend Hispanic events/meetings/functions. So on my walk to El Congreso I'm thinking, "are they gonna think I'm Hispanic enough to belong in this group?" Once I got there, I had to sit in my seat patiently until my opportunity came to use my Latin accent, which doesn't usually happen when I introduce myself (Hanson and Armstrong as last names don't help my cause!). So I waited until I could say "mucho gusto,"un placer," "igualmente," or something else that lets people know I'm one of them, and not some crazy outsider who doesn't belong and they have to be cautious about.
I remember walking back to my apartment with my roommate Belveth sometime around my junior year in college, and talking about the difficulties that Latino's face because of their skin color. The argument was that I have it easier because I look white. I don't deny that. I agree that Latino's, and other minorities for that matter, have it harder sometimes because of their skin color. My argument, however, was that I suffered the same discrimination, but by my own culture. It may not necessarily keep me from getting a job or getting into a prestigious school, but it still hurts. I remember being in high school and always having Hispanic friends, but I was never part of their clique. We were friends from a distance, and that was enough. It was fine with me too, until my cousin transferred to my high school for her senior year. The daughter of a Guatemalan mother and a Mexican father, she had the Hispanic name and the Hispanic look. Within the first few days, she was in with the Hispanic cliques, and I started wondering if maybe they accepted her so easily because of how she looked.
And so it's been throughout the years, including the rest of my college years. Every time I attended a NAK or Sigma Chi party, or a La Escuelita event, I got the looks, and every time I had to say something to convince them that the white-looking girl actually belonged where she was. It doesn't compare to what other minorities have to face, but it still hurts to be excluded from your own culture because of how you look, and having to continually prove yourself to them.
So here I was, turning on Flower, with the same butterflies I had my freshman year in college. Thankfully once I got there no one asked why I was there, or why I was interested in volunteering with their organization, but that may be because I jumped on the opportunity to use my Hispanic accent when throwing out a few Hispanic names...and I did get the nod from the people around me: "You speak good Spanish" they said. "Fue un placer." "Igualmente."
I actually got another call from the legal firm that had contacted me for a job interview, and then said never mind because I didn't have bankruptcy experience. It turns out they don't really need someone with bankruptcy experience and they're willing to train, so they set me up with an interview. I went in today and was excited to find out that the attorney actually also practices immigration law (which is what I want to do). I think it went well, and it could be a good place for me. I'm a little nervous because it's a relatively new firm, but I gotta start somewhere. Should hear back from him in a week...we'll see what happens with my job search adventure!
I'm not usually one to sulk and brood over the negatives in my life: I like keeping things happy, cheering people up, and minimizing the trials and tribulations of my life. But it's hard to remain positive when this general mood affects not only yourself, but so many people around you. I have several close friends in mind who are going through the same things that I am, feeling emotionally drained and not really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sure this is caused by a variety of things in each individual's personal life, but the common factor is the lack of money and jobs right now. Most of us have at least a college education, we're smart, good people, and it's not making a difference. This situation really starts affecting your self esteem when you've graduate from college, received a master's degree, and you can't even get a job as a secretary, assistant, or a position at your local retail stores. I'm at a point in my life where I thought things were going to finally start falling into place, not falling apart. Jeff and I were commenting on how last year we were broke and couldn't buy the gifts we would have liked for our friends and family, but comforted each other with the thought that this time next year, we'd be better off. I didn't occur to us that we'd actually be worse off than we were last year.
It's easy for people to try and comfort you by saying things will get better soon, but it's tough to take that in stride once you've been hearing it for so long and things haven't gotten better. Don't misunderstand, I appreciate the sympathy and encouragement from friends and family, and I really DO believe that things will get better, it's just getting harder to remain hopeful that it's going to happen soon.
A common conversation I've been having with friends is the centuries old question of why bad things happen to good people. Personally, I don't think I'm a bad person: I'm sure I've offended people at some point in my life, but I doubt it was anything major; I've worked hard thus far in my life to get the education I have, I love and value my family and friends, and I try to appreciate all the things I do have in my life. I'd like to think I have pretty good karma. So why are things so difficult right now?
I'm reminded of a writing class I took in college where we discussed the Book of Job from the Bible. Job was a guy who did everything right, and was being tested by God time and time again, and he was asking God why this was happening to him. I just hope things turn out as good for my friends and I as they did for Job: he made tons of money, had beautiful children, and lived way longer than any of us really care to live.
