I know life can be so tough, And you feel like giving up, But you must be strong, Baby just hold on...

Read this if and only if you have the @ blues. What are the @ blues, you ask? You'll know them when you have them. If you don't have them, then stop being so God damn curious, close this document, and save it for another day. Alas, if you do unfortunately have the @ blues, then take a few deep breathes and read the following thoughts slowly. Think about each one before moving on to the next. Read twice, if need be. Then, (and this next part is important) stop worrying, close this document and with it, close all those negative thoughts from your mind. Best of luck.

You are an amazing person.

The first point is incredibly true - that's why it got the much-envied spot at the top of the page. It deserves to be read again.

You have a TON of almost as amazing people who want you to succeed and are willing to help you do so.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of wisdom.

@ can be tough at times – very tough. But getting through the tough parts is what makes you stronger.

You have the ability to get through all the tough parts. Even the really, really, really tough ones.

You love this organization. A lot. This much: *stretches arms as far apart as they will go* Quite possibly more.

Being angry just shows that you're passionate. You wouldn't be pissed off if you didn't really care how things turn out.

It will look better in the morning. It always looks better in the morning. If it's morning right now, then take a nap and call whenever you wake up 'morning'.

At the end of the day, @ is just another student organization. Some things should always come before it, like loved ones and classes.

Let me say that again: Classes come before @.

Remember why you joined this organization, way back in the day. You weren't a dumb ass. Keep those reasons in mind.

Call up a non-@ friend to vent. If you haven't realized it already, these people outside of the organization are gold.

Re-read your old sugar cubes. These are even goldier. Remember all of the good things (friends, memories, skills, means of procrastination, etc) that this organization has given you.

@ is about developing people into leaders. Leaders have strong beliefs and are willing to stand up for them. But sometimes getting a bunch of people together who all have strong beliefs can be problematic. If this is a problem for you now, then it means that @ is doing its job.

There can be more than one right answer.

There's some mysterious good luck charm surrounding all things @ that ensures that everything always manages to work out. Trust in the mysterious good luck charm.

Keep an open-mind. That's kinda the point, right?

Don't let the stress get to you. It's already getting everyone else. Be unique and tell it to fuck off.

@ dances have certain healing powers studied by scientists in the Netherlands. You'll probably start seeing the infomercials any day now.

Don't sweat the small stuff. And remember that it's all small stuff.

Trust in your fellow @ers. They're smarter than they look. And often more reliable than they seem.

Be patient. No one ever created world peace overnight.

Good judgment comes from bad experience. And a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

You're supposed to screw up. It's Ok. Really.

Remember the whole 'peace and fulfillment of humankind's potential' tidbit. You aren't struggling for nothing. In fact, you could probably argue very successfully that there isn't any other reason as good as this one to struggle for.

...thanks Nisha :)

você fala português?

If I hadn't already started learning Spanish, I probably would have ended up in Brazil after I graduated. As I took Latin American studies classes throughout my senior year, I focused nearly all of my research, papers, etc. on Brazil. As I am promoting the Buscando America exchange program to Colombia and Brazil, I can offer first hand advice and knowledge to answer just about any question that someone can come up with about Colombia. Coordinating the program with those in the country is so much easier when we can communicate in Spanglish to achieve the same goal. It's definitely time to dive further into Brazilian culture (especially if there is a chance that I will be there this summer....). Capoeira and Portuguese? Por que não? Yesterday was probably the first time that I turned cartwheels since I was about 12.

After winter must come spring, everything is everything...

After a rough start to the week, things have smoothed themselves out and I'm ending the week on a much better note. I was reminded that nothing great is ever easy. Spring has arrived to New York, I have started running again (excellent way to start the day, after our early morning meeting was canceled at the last minute), this lady is coming to visit me tonight, and this lady is moving back out to New York in a few weeks. Life is good...

We'll always have Paris...

Before Colombia, there was Paris. Despite my strong connections, personally and professionally, to Colombia, who I am today goes back several years before I ever even dreamed of South America. The place where it all started - my love of languages, traveling, cosmopolitan cities, wine, coffee, art, architecture - one of the finest cities in the entire world... PARIS. I was browsing through pictures of one of my best Colombian friends who is currently studying abroad there and the memories came flooding back to me. Each shot that she had captured was so incredibly familiar, as if I had seen it only yesterday, and yet it seems as if it were a dream. I get goosebumps recalling those five months with some of my best friends in the world, five months that challenged me, and changed the course of my life forever...

Si ayer tuviste un dia gris...

After a week of tensions, threatening to escalate to unsurmountable levels, in which Ecuador, Venezuela, and Nicaragua severed diplomatic ties with Colombia, leaders of the region came together yesterday, in a passionate and emotional summit, which ended with Uribe, Chavez, and Correa shaking hands. I breathed a sigh of relief that the news I had been watching so closely all week had finally smoothed over...

I can't wait to be back in Colombia. Less than two months...

Excuse me too busy you're writing a tragedy...

"Ofende al pueblo colombiano que algunos de nuestros vecinos sigan creyendo que las Farc representan los intereses del pueblo. Mi país reclama que las cosas sean llamadas por su nombre: Las Farc son una mafia narcotraficante, que para nada representa los intereses del pueblo colombiano", dijo Ospina [El embajador colombiano].

Despite Chavez's and Correa's decisions to line the borders with Venezuelan and Ecuadorian troops, Colombia has held their ground that not a single solder will be sent toward either country. Colombia has no interest in starting any kind of regional conflict. At the OAS meeting in DC yesterday, Colombia accepted that it had violated the sovereignty of Ecuador (the organization stopped short of ordering sanctions) and apologized for crossing the border without informing the Ecuadorian administration. While the operation that killed Reyes and other members of the FARC should not have played out as it did and Colombia should be forced to acknowledge that, what about the support that Ecuador and Venezuela have been providing to the FARC, both in monetary terms and in allowing the rebels refuge across the border in foreign territory? The overwhelmingly positive steps that Colombia has taken over the past few months have been unnecessarily complicated by foreign intervention from neighboring countries, with whom Colombians have no intention of starting a conflict. Colombian people have seen way too much conflict in their lifetime; the fact that Chavez is throwing around threats of a South American/Andean war is disgusting.

mi querida pais, estoy pensando en vos...

The headlines are scaring me. There is way to much going on. I can't even keep up with it all or process what has been going on over the past few days. Talking to friends down there only makes me more worried. Saturday's news had everyone rejoicing, only to turn very, very sour 24 hours later as more was revealed. The threats being thrown around are all too real, and I'm afraid to see what will develop in the next few days...