Monday, December 29, 2008

I think we found a place to live!!!!!!



We searched for houses in Portland again today, and found three great prospects. I didn't realize that there were such great places out there. We looked in NW and SE Portland, but I think we decided on a place in SE near East Burnside, Stark, and Belmont. If you're not familiar with that part of Portland it's basically a great little area with funky coffee shops, great restaurants, and lots of character. Our place is a mile or less away from everything...grocery stores, movie theaters, bookstores, cafes, restaurants...all the places you need.

Oh my gosh!!!! I am so excited to show you guys pictures. We are just about to send the application in. My computer is tweaking out, so I am going to post this, but I will post more later.

Here's a picture of Danny's and I with Marcus and Angie at Vivace.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The snow has melted



Hey guys,
It feels pretty good to be back. With me being me there is always reflection. And with that comes some feelings of loss and feelings of thankfulness.

I miss the excitement people get when they haven't seen you for a couple days. I miss hearing Castilian spoken everywhere (when I first arrived in Cordoba I never would have thought that would be something I would eventually miss). I miss their passionate spirit, their grace, patience, Cordobes really know how to have a good time, and take life easy. There's not much anxiety. I miss their generous hearts. Their willingness to take a risk (even when they might look a little silly), and just their all around love and affection they have for one another.

Christmas went well. It was cool, because I felt like this year it was less about presents, and more about family. I like that. There were several contributing factors. The weather- a lot of family members were unable to make it to their desired destination because of the snow, so people became more thankful if their loved ones were able to be there. There was a new level of gratitude to be with our families this year because we haven't been with them for almost 4 months. It seemed like most people got a little more creative with gift ideas this year because of the economy taking a bite out of people's bank accounts. Several people just eliminated giving gifts all together, and some made their own gifts by hand. I like the simplicity.

Danny and I got a chance to hang out with our best friends Marcus and Angie last night. It was great to see them again. We would have seen each other sooner, but the snow wouldn't permit it. We got to see their adorable cat, Wilson. I think he is the cutest cat I have ever seen (Cover the ears of all the other cats in my life, so they don't hear that). We went to Vivace on NW 23rd, and had their amazing crepes. We had the number 7, which has nutella, chocolate, whipped cream, bananas, and toasted almonds on it. It was pretty amazing.

Danny and I were looking for apartments and we were in Portland all day, so we ate out 3 different times in Portland, and I could not believe how much I missed the food here. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant on Hawthorne, Cha cha cha. I had the Big Mama Burrito with their special enchilada sauce, and freshly sliced avocados...mmmmm. There is so much variety. I can understand a little more about part of the reason why Americans are obese. We have such easy access to food, it's incredible. It's so simple to get food here, with little effort on your part.

I like looking for apartments. It's sort of sad when you get see one that's amazing, and you fall in love with it, and then someone else gets it before you do. That happened to us a few times already. I guess a lot of people are out shopping for places to live right now. I know we'll find a place that suites us. We saw one place that was incredible, but it was a little out of our price range. We might be able to cut a deal with the guy. Since being in Argentina the highest priority for Danny is good grill/BBQ access so he can start having more asados. He's so thrilled at the idea of retrieving our grill from storage and firing that baby up!

Well, I better get going. I have to help make Christmas dinner for our extended family. They were unable to make it here before Christmas because of the snow, so we are celebrating today.
If you're in Argentina reading this- I am giving you an imaginary hug right now. There was a guy at Cha cha cha who was speaking in Spanish, and I got the biggest urge to go up and hug him, because it reminded me of being in Argentina.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


We made it back safely, and with no problems. It was amazing because SO many flights were canceled. We had a 30 min delay, but that's nothing. We sat next to a lady that had been waiting for a flight back to PDX since Sunday.

There was snow everywhere when we got back, so we built this snow goblin.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Flight number

This is for the Varner's and my parents, but our flight number is AS 563 from LA to PDX.

It is totally weird. We are in the airport in Chile, and I think about how far I have come since I was here last. I remember crying the last time we were here- from the culture shock, and the humiliation of not being able to order a sandwich. Now, most people are ordering their food, speaking English, and I am feeling really sad that I am not forced to speak in Spanish. We will still speak in Spanish to other people until we get to LA. And, I guess if there are Hispanic people in LA, we will talk to them in Spanish too. I want to really find a group of people to speak with.

It's funny, I was just in Cordoba today, and when I was there with people from Intel I spoke in English. I am sort of regretting that. I am getting bugged with how much English I am hearing. Everyone is talking in English. Why am I bugged with this? I speak in English. That doesn't seem fair to my own language. I am still in Chile though, I feel like I should be hearing Spanish.

We met a friend on the plane from Peru, and it was really fun to chat with him (in Spanish). I cannot tell you his name, I have never heard it before. He wrote it on a piece of paper for us, but I can't remember because it was long and very different.

I love how people we meet want to continue to keep in contact with us. I love to be relational with them. When we meet people here, and talk for 20 minutes- it feels like I have known them for a really long time. The depth is reached quickly. I hope, as a culture, that will always remain the same. I am going to head out now. I am excited to see you guys, and go sledding. We are still in our summer clothes, so we have to adjust quickly!

Alberto



I guess I am posting a lot today. We just say adios to Alberto, and his son-at the butcher shop. Here's a picture of him and Danny.

Please pray for us

I know I asked for it before, but please pray for us for a safe flight and to arrive tomorrow- as scheduled. I would really love to spend Christmas with our families, not in the airport :)

If we got stuck it would be in LA, and the bright side of that would be that we could say 'hey' to our friend at the Venice Beach Hotel. Remember, the Bas Rutten look alike? I bet he would be happy to see us again. As much as we would love to see him too, we would rather spend Christmas with our loved ones.

Leaving today, a little reflection

I have a list of all the different nuances about Cordoba, and I have intended to post them on here, but just haven't done it, but now is the time. I apologize in advance if anyone gets offended- it's all in good fun.

-There's a bomb that goes off at least on a weekly basis from a protest. People protest here ALL the time because their wages are so low. For a few days the garbage men protested, and it was not pretty. Everyone puts their garbage in bags and places them on the sidewalks, it's not just like that 'on garbage day', everyday is garbage day, but they don't have bins, so when the garbage men protested it got really stinky.

-They mop their sidewalks every morning. When I walk to school people are outside of their business mopping their section of the sidewalk, what a novel idea. Along with this one, they are very fastidious about cleaning their windows.

-There's always a fresh pile of dog doo on the sidewalk everyday. Well, lots of them. The sad thing is, you know pretty soon there is going to have a foot print in it. Which is something you see quite often. They don't have laws about cleaning up after your dog, or even having your dog go someone besides the side walk, which leads me to the next nuance.

-There are stray dogs everywhere-hence the dog doo. Danny and I had never seen a dog with testicles before we came here. All the dogs we've encountered in the states are neutered, but it is rare to see a dog that is neutered here. Bob barker would have a hay day!

I have more written down, but I should go pack some more. I will write more when I get home. I am sad to leave, but happy to see people at home. Just to let you know I am going to continue the blog to let my Argentine friends know how things are going for Danny and I in the states, and for people in the states to know as well. I still have more to write about our last weekend here, and of course, the rest of the nuances. We are so thankful for the opportunity to come here, and for the people we have met along the way.

I have built relationships with our laundry lady, Pablo-the man we bought our glasses from, our butcher-Alberto, and his family, our house cleaner, The maintenance man in the building, people from Danny's work, Sergio and his friends-from the bookstore, teachers, and students from school... Each one of those people have changed and effected me. They all will be missed.

The city of Cordoba (nuances and all) will be missed. Even the people I didn't know. I walked to school, and I would pass by a security guard every morning, the people washing their sidewalks, I would look in the window of a meat shop called 'Angus', and see what the guys were up to in there, the men waiting for their van to fill with passenger (I never knew what the van was for), the people who would stand in the doorway of their shops and look out at the passersby. They were my regulars, and they gave me comfort. I knew I could count on them being there each morning. I will miss my path to school.

We are going to finish with all of our tasks here, then swing by Intel to drop off our keys, and say bye again. We will be on our way soon-and I still can't believe that we are leaving. I cried when I arrived, and now I cry as I leave, but for very different reasons.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

View of Cordoba


We hung out with our friends yesterday, and this was the view from the pool area of their apartment. Absolutely gorgeous, we never knew Cordoba was so huge, you should have seen it. I will tell you more about it later.

Leaving tomorrow :(


Here's our itinerary again.

We'll be taking off from Argentina on December 22nd 6:35pm. We leave Santiago, Chile @ 10:35pm and arrive in LA @ 7:05am. Then we arrive in Portland @ 1:20pm on December 23rd.

Please pray for us. I heard the airport closed down yesterday, so I am a little nervous. And the flight from L.A. to Portland was canceled today, and that's the same flight we're going to in two days. Please pray that it goes smoothly. Thank you! I am excited to see you all!

*This is Sergio, my friend who owns the bookstore. My stupid camera is broken again, so my pictures are taken with the my phone.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Flor y Fanny


This is a picture of both my teachers. Florencia is on the left and Fanny is on the right.

Intel Party

Today was the last day of class for me, and the last day of work for Danny. I shared my feelings about this yesterday, and it was kind of the same thing today. The great thing was that I got to see Florencia again before I left. She went to Brazil for vacation and I didn't think I was going to see her again. So, I got to say goodbye again. My current teacher, Fanny, made earring for me for a Christmas present. I thought that was the sweetest thing. Both Danny and I are a little mopey tonight. We can't believe we are leaving. There's a possibility that we will return. Oh, how I would love that!

We went to the end of the year party for Intel. It was a lot of fun, of course. Some of the people who work at Intel performed some live music for us. I don't think I have mentioned this previously, but there are a lot of musically talented people in Argentina. Especially in the province of Salta. 'Folklorico' is there passion, and there is typically a guitar in every household. Evidently, everyone in Salta knows how to play the guitar.

We left the party at around 2:30am, and I felt like we were 'retiring early.' I am constantly amazed at how late people can stay up here. It's been over 3 months, and I still cannot wrap my head around how they can continue staying up so late. We arrived home a little before 3am, and more people were out on the streets at 3am then there are during the middle of the day, or at least in our neighborhood. I guess right now I am being very Argentinian. It's after 11:30pm and we have still not eaten dinner. We will go out pretty soon.

Today, we went out for some beers and appetizers after Danny got off work, as a final send off. We tried cow tongue, that was descent, but I probably won't eat it again anytime soon. Danny tried cow stomach, but that was too far for me. I have seen that hanging in the market, and wondered what it was, and felt squeamish just looking at the texture.

Apparently they eat/use every part of the cow except for the colon. We were sitting with a guy that lived in a farm area 'el campo', and he has eaten every part of the cow. If you are someone who gets grossed out easily- don't read the next line. In the farm area they cut of the cows head, skin it, drill a hole in the top of the scull and wrap it in aluminum foil and cook it over hot coals. They actually bring the whole cows head to the table! Oh my word. We better head out to get our food.

***I recorded the Intel band playing, but the sound quality on my camera is really bad, so I didn't put it on here, but I put a little clip of everyone enjoying themselves, and dancing. Sorry, for the sound. BUT...The good news is, my camera works again!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Goya y Dalí

I forgot to tell you. I went to the museum yesterday, Mueseo Provincial de Bellas Artes Emilio Caraffa.I have told you about this museum before, they have rotating exhibits. They were showing the work of Fransisco de Goya, and Salvador Dalí. How cool is that? I have seen the most famous artists in the shortest period of time, it's crazy. It's my favorite when I see work that I recognize. It's so much different to study a work of art in a book compared to seeing it up close and personal.

The work was mostly Goya's printmaking prints, and their were a few pieces of Dalí's work, but it was a new take on Goya's prints. So, it was essentially the same thing, but with minor alterations. He added 'Dalí' flare. I cannot remember the name of that, I think it starts with a 'D'. That's going to bug me. It might be 'appropriate.' Anyway, it was a really great thing to be able to see. I know some people from Argentina read this, so if you like either of those artists, or art in general it will be showing until January 3rd at Mueseo Provincial de Bellas Artes Emilio Caraffa.

Revelation


So, I was at school today, and my class ended and it finally hit me FOR REAL that we are leaving, and tomorrow will be my last class. I decided to journal about my feelings after my teacher left, but in Spanish. I was trying SO hard not to cry because I knew someone could walk in at any moment, and it's hard for me to talk in Spanish (all the time, but especially) when I am caught off guard or really emotional.

For instance, today, I was walking to class and a truck started backing up and a women was standing with her back to the truck and the truck wasn't paying attention, and I could see that he was about to hit her, and all I could do was yelp out a loud noise and throw out my hands. No words came to my mind. The truck ended up hitting her but it wasn't going that fast. I don't think she really got hurt, just mostly startled, and angry that the driver wasn't paying attention.

Anyway, back to the classroom. I wanted to take pictures of the school to remember it, but my camera is not working- so, I had to use my phone to take pictures. ***Side story***Danny and I went out to have drinks and empanadas with my library friend Sergio two nights ago, and I wanted a picture with him, but my camara stopped working right then. But, Danny took a picture with his phone, so at least I have some image of him. Bad timing, huh? ***end of side story*** So, I walked out of the classroom into the patio area where I like to sit and watch the birds during my break, and I just burst out crying. There are so many memories I have, in such a short amount of time. It really breaks my heart to think I might never see these people or this place again. How can that be? They are now a part of me, and I am a part of them. I want to figure out a way to take it all with me.

I don't know what our future holds, but I hope we can return here one day. This is going to be hard. We have to say all of our goodbyes in the next couple days. I am going to be a wreck. We are going to a Christmas party for Danny's work tonight. I am excited about that.

The picture: This is where I sit and watch the birds. They live in the avocado tree in the middle of the patio. They fly down all the time to pick up fallen sticks to make their nests. They have brought me a lot of comfort and fascination.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Weather challenges

It is SO hot here! It is supposed to be 96 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius), and it feels like it has reached that point. I was eating lunch with Danny and I was sweating underneath my eyes. The pit of my elbows were dripping sweat-that's how hot it is. Now I am indoors with the air conditioner on, all the lights off, and the shades pulled. I had plans to go visit different places around town today, but I am going to lay low for a while.

So in 6 days we are going to be returning to the United States. I am super sad, but also excited to see my family and friends. I feel like the time has gone by so quickly. The weather is drastically different there. It's forecasted to be in the mid-90's all week here. In West Linn, Oregon it is currently 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and snowing. That's over a 70 degrees difference. How crazy of a transition is that going to be? Honestly if you have any tips for how to acclimate to different climates in a short amount of time- please let me know: My e-mail: liz.varner@gmail.com.

So, I thought of a fun little idea. I am going to take pictures of some of my friends I have met, and post them on the blog. Like our butcher, my bookstore friend, our house cleaner...I want to remember them. I know they will be in my heart, but it's always fun to look back on them in a picture too. I might do that today. I am trying to figure out a way to not be as affected by the heat. Maybe I can dump water over my head before I go out. Oh, I got it. I remember this trick from volleyball. I'll put ice in a Ziploc bag and place it on my veins. That usually helps.

Can you believe Christmas is 9 days away! I don't know how it feels (festivity wise) in the states, but it does not feel like Christmas here. I felt more festive when I made cookies and Christmas cards for people. I had a lot of fun doing that. K, I am going to head out. Chau!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

One week left :(


Friday night:
We both LOVED The Nutcracker. It was really lovely. Whenever I go to those sort of events I always get amazed with what the human body is capable of. Bending, twisting, twirling around endlessly on the tips of ones toes. I now know why I am not a ballerina. They sure do look beautiful though. Graceful and elegant. My favorite part was when the dancers acted like dolls. That was amazing. I couldn't stop laughing when they carried them off stage-they looked just like dolls.

Saturday: Chill out day

Sunday: We went to Alta Gracia to see the 'Che' Museum. Ernesto “Che” Guevara. People here are crazy about 'Che.' I won't go into the long history about Che, but he was an Argentine Marxist Revolutionary and a guerrilla leader as well (among other things). He worked alongside Fidel Castro in his 26th of July Movement. You may have heard of the famous movie (and book) titled “Motorcycle Diaries.” It's about his journey through South America. He was a well traveled guy-it's kind of amazing actually. He rode 4000k all around South America on a road bike with a little motor. That was his first journey, but his second one is the one the movie is about, and that's on a real motorcycle, but it broke down along the way...Okay, I am rambling on about it. I always find it fascinating when people are so fixated on the life of one particular person.

It's late. I better head to bed.

I made chocolate chip cookies today. A whole lot of them. I didn't know what to give people for presents. I wanted to give them something different from what they already have in Argentina, and then I thought, 'chocolate chip cookies!' I have not seen them here, and they like sweets, so I figured that would be a good present. I made little Christmas cards too. I had a lot of fun doing it.

I heard it snowing in Portland! How fun. Go sled for me!!!!!!!!

Friday, December 12, 2008

The Nutcracker


Hey. Well, I am super excited because Danny and I are doing our first Christmasy event. We are going to see the Nutcracker. I know it's a ballet, and somehow Christmas is involved...and that's about it. I am assuming a nutcracker will show up at one point as well. Apparently, I saw it when I was a little kid, but I don't remember a lick of it. I suppose it has to be good because they keep playing it over and over again every year at Christmas time. Nevermind, that theory just got flushed away. They bring fruitcake back every year, and we all know what that tastes like.

I hope you are getting in the Christmas spirit. Man, can I just say that I miss Christmas music. I haven't heard it here. I heard something that could have resembled it in the mall, but it wasn't anything I have heard before. I know people can get tired of Christmas music really fast, but I just love it. It's so upbeat. I even worked in a deli where they played the same music everyday, and I didn't tire of it. I think I have a high tolerance for repetitive music. I used to make my brother so mad when we were kids because I would buy a CD and get obsessed with one song, and I would play it through out the house continuously. My dads the same way as me. I just can't get enough of a song if I really love it.

Here's a picture I took at our hotel (in Iguazu). Butterflies are called 'Mariposas' in Espanol.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Cataratas III



I decided to chose writing to you guys, instead of doing my homework this time. I will be brief because I should do my homework soon.
Saturday: We arrived and checked in a hotel called, 'Rio Tropic.' I would highly recommend this hotel. It was beautiful, and intimate in the set up. Only ten rooms, a beautiful pool, and breakfast every morning with fresh squeezed orange juice from their own orange trees. They have a various types of oranges trees, so every morning you get to try orange juice from a different type of orange. The owner, Remy, is super nice and helpful too. So, during the day we went to The national park in Iguazu, Cataratas del Iguazu. This is the home of the widest waterfall system in the world. It consists of 275 falls that stretch for 1.67 miles. We saw a monkey, lizards, a family of coatis, and of course tons of beautiful waterfalls. We took a speed boat to view the falls. It was exhilarating.

Sunday: We went back to the park, because it definitely needs to be viewed in two days. We went on a jungle walk, and saw a toucan. Sadly, I was unable to get a picture, but it was still great. We saw a raining tree. Have you ever heard of raining trees? It rained continuously- I know this sounds weird. It wasn't raining anytime that day, it continued on for hours, and it was only a specific type of tree that did it. We can't figure it out. At the end of this trail was a hidden waterfall with a little swimming hole. We took turns standing underneath it. It was amazing, we felt like we were in our own little world. The most breath taking of it all was The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo). It measures 490' by 2300'. The video is of Garganta del Diablo. I have to go get to my homework now. Love you!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Cataratas II



We took a boat ride to see the falls.

Homework and library friends

I am going to be good and do my homework instead of post about the falls. I want to, but I know I should do my homework now. I talked to my library friends again. We talked for about 3 hours. Some in English, but mostly in Castillian! Choppy of course, but still fun. Sergio (the guy who owns the bookstore) gave me a present. He gave me a book to practice Cordobeses. Which is like the specific words and sayings that people use in Cordoba. Certain provinces have their own way of saying certain things, and this one was about how Cordobes speak. I was so happy to receive it! I had so much fun talking with them again. I got to meet Segio's sister, and Rene (the guy from before) was in there too. There was a new guy who lived in Detroit for a year and half, but is from Argentina who was shopping for books, and he overheard us talking and he translated a little bit. We laughed a lot, and had a great time. Need to do homework! Chau!

Cataratas


I like this verse:

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done."
-Ecclesiastes 11:4

I tend to want to wait for the perfect conditions, but they rarely ever come. This was a good verse for me to hear.



Speaking of perfection. Here is a picture of Iguazu. I will, of course, be posting more later, but for now, I am going to go have lunch.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

We're back

We got back from Puerto Iguazu earlier today. It was a 21 hour bus ride, so long! I have to go run some errands, but I wanted to post this little guy. He came up to us while we were sitting on a bench.

The falls were amazing! I will catch you up later. There's a lot to show and a lot to say. I start classes tomorrow with a new teacher, and I am super nervous. I got to a really comfortable spot with Flor and I liked how we did things, but it will be good to have a different teachers perspective. Hasta Luego!

***The video is not uploading. I will look into it tomorrow.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Sentimental


I am feeling really sentimental today. I have been sentimental for the last few days, but this is the first day I have let myself cry about it. I am really going to miss it here. I had to say goodbye to a friend today, Diego. He has been a good friend to us here, and I am really going to miss him. He's going to visit the states next year, so I really hope we get to see him again.

I got sad when I was doing my laundry because I like doing my laundry by hand and hanging it to dry on my little rope. I took a picture of it to remember it. I know our time is not over yet, but I am preparing myself for it. We have 18 days left :(.

Tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my teacher, Florencia (Flor). She is going on vacation and will be back after I finish classes with a different teacher. She has been my teacher from the beginning, and I am going to miss her too.

I am not very good at goodbyes. I get really attached to people/things in my heart and it's hard to let them go sometimes.

The exciting news is, we are going to Iguazu Falls tomorrow. The falls can be seen from an access points in Brazil, Argentina, or Paraguay. We, of course, are going to view it from Argentina. Two thirds of the falls are within Argentine territory, so that's fortunate for us. I have seen the falls in pictures and in the Planet Earth dvd's. If you haven't seen Planet Earth you need to. It's an amazing BBC documentary series about different places and species all around the world. It's filmed and captured more beautifully then I have seen before. You can check out clips of it on Youtube.com.

Watch this clip of Iguazu to see what it's like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L8845utZI4 (This is not a Planet Earth clip, in case you were wondering.) I didn't watch very much of it because I don't want to spoil it. There's a Coldplay song to go along with it, so that always makes everything more enjoyable. I better start packing. Love you guys!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Mosquito war


Yesterday we saw 007:Quantum of Solace. I would not recommend it, but it was okay. I left sort of feeling like it wasn't over, and there wasn't really much of a message to it. I am not a movie critic, but that's my opinion. I like the Bourne Series much more. After the movie we walked to the Artisan's Market, and strolled around. It's always fun to see the things people create. I love marketplaces.

I know I am a Varner now, but I still have Griswold blood. And this is a type of thing a Griswold would do:

Mosquitoes absolutely love me here-it's ridiculous. I wake up with a new bite on me almost every morning. In Buenos Aires I woke up with 10 new bites. We have the most powerful repellent you can buy, but I haven't used it when I sleep because I am not outdoors. I started to get the hint that it doesn't matter where I am- the mosquitoes will find me. Apparently, you're not supposed to spray it indoors anyway, and it has all these rules (none of which I was aware of before using it). So, last night a mosquito kept buzzing around my ears waking my up. (BTW- I am a more sensitive sleeper here. A mosquito would have NEVER woken me up before. If you know me, you know how hard I am to wake up.)

Anyway, I get out the repellent and spray myself and go back to bed. He returned for another visit later and I sprayed the repellent on our sheets (which I also find out you're not supposed to do), and then I crawled back in bed to go back to sleep. He was back again, by this time it was about 3am, and I was so frustrated! I didn't turn on the lights, I thought I would spray myself even more with the repellent, just to get the stupid thing to leave me alone. I felt where the hole was on the sprayer, in order to avoid spraying myself in the eye, and turned it away from me (or so I thought). I ended up spraying A DIRECT SHOT into my left eye!!! I screamed in shock and pain, and ran to the bathroom. It stung so bad. I freaked out Danny, and he woke up in a panic and thought something was seriously wrong with me. I had to flush my eye with water for 15 minutes while Danny read the bottle to make sure I was going to be okay. I felt like a spaz-especially since the thought went through my head, 'point it away from you, so you don't spray it in your eye.' It was a lot of hassle, but I will say that the mosquito never bothered me again.