Filed under: Culture, Home | Tags: Bolivia, chavez, CHILE, Husband, morales, racist
I have a Monday wrap-up of news from home to Bolivia today.
- Bolivia-seems to be quieting down. This follows the pattern since Morales was elected. The next flare-up will probably be in December when Bolivians vote on the referendum of Morales’ new constitution.
- Venezuela-Chavez played ‘me, too’ and expelled the US Ambassador to show solidarity with Bolivia. In a speech to his supporters, he said “Shithead Yankees, go to Hell!” Nice touch, huh? He immediately followed that line with “We are a dignified people.” He also offered to send troops to Bolivia in event of a coup attempt. He was rebuffed by an Army General who said Bolivia won’t tolerate interference in it’s sovereign affairs.
- Chile-Thank you Michelle Bachelet for bringing Evo Morales to Chile to discuss issues with Unasol-Union of Nations of South America.
- Home-we had our first hurricane here at home. Ike’s remnants hit 81mph, enough for category 1 status. We received absolutely no rain, but the wind. Oh, my the wind. People are without power in a wide area, roads are closed because so many trees and power lines are down, and schools were closed. Our new roof held up perfectly, hurray! We lucked out with just a few small branches down, and a portion of our stockade keepthedogsintheyard fence blew over. The wind ripped a 4×4 post out of the ground in pieces.
I’m of the age where I was proud that Hillary Clinton got so far in the Presidential race. I supported her wholeheartedly. She reminds me of the class secretary; someone you don’t necessarily like, but know will work diligently until the job is done perfectly. I like her, always have. I think she’s smart, tough, and raised a lovely daughter. Her husband is a dog who squandered his brilliance. I believe she loves him slightly more than she resents him and his wandering penis.
Sarah Palin is the best person John McCain could find for his Vice-President? If he needed a woman to energize his ticket, what about Carly Fiorina or Olympia Snowe? He chose ‘a woman’ not the right person. He chose ‘a woman’ the way George H W Bush chose the dreaded Clarence Thomas. (still bitter over that one.)
McCain is 72 years old, has had several skin cancers, and some disabilities from his POW years. It is only realistic to expect his running mate to be ready to govern in case of an emergency. How thoroughly was Palin vetted? I’d bet not much.
I agree her minor children should be offlimits. It doesn’t matter that she’s a working mother. I don’t care about her eyeglasses, hairdos, clothing, former tv hosting jobs, or pagaent history, or her tacky shoes. OK, I slipped there. The shoes bug me.
I care that she uses her personal email account instead of her state email to conduct state business. I care that her ‘celebrity snowmobile racer’ husband is CC’d on official state business and sits in on private meetings. I care that she is a religious fanatic, opposes abortion except to save the live of the mother, supports abstinance only sex education, I care she hires unqualified cronies, and fires qualified people she doesn’t like. I care she doesn’t believe man causes global warming, or polar bears are not endangered. I care that she lies so much that people will begin to believe them-bridge to nowhere? I care she says nuke-u-lar. I care she has no foreign policy experience. I care she didn’t have a clue what was The Bush Doctine. I care she asked about removing books from the public library. I care that she’s not freaking qualified!
Does she remind anyone but me of Linda Tripp? I think she looks like her.
I wore a sari last week for the first time. I offered to help someone share her Indian culture at an event. (International Night at a conference. Different cultures each had a room with food and decorations.)
I was a greeter, and spent my time welcoming guests by sprinkling rosewater, applying sandalwood oil, and ‘bindi-ing.’ (not all at once.) I was also supposed to put my hands together and tip my head while greeting them with a “Namaste,” but I couldn’t figure out how to hold my gift and put my hands together at the same time. I tried to be graceful. Next to the two Indian women, I felt like the klutzy ‘gringa.’
- ‘Bindi-ing’-I offered bindis to women, and applied them to their foreheads. If they asked what the ‘dot’ was called, I replied “Bindi, just like the Crocodile Hunter’s daughter.” We had the traditional red dots, and fancy, sparkly ones. They were all self-adhesive. It was fun sticking them on people. (A handful of men wanted them as well.)
- Rosewater-The rosewater was in a beautiful sterling container that looked like a cross between a perfume bottle and salt shaker. I shook it on people like priests do at Easter.
- Sandalwood oil-A blueberry sized drop of oil lasted for 3 hours. The oil was in solid form, and was held in a gorgeous sterling cup and saucer with the tiniest little spoon. I dabbed the back of the spoon in the oil, and rubbed the oil on the back of the guests’ hand. They were supposed to rub the tops of their hands together to warm up the oil. It smelled really good and earthy.
Back to the sari. It was so pretty. I didn’t expect to wear a sari; it’s not my culture. I had a plain black wrap dress to wear. ( I just wanted to help set up, and blend into the background. Duh. Black isn’t going to blend in an Indian room.) When my friend asked me if I wanted to wear a sari, I hesitated. She brought several with her for women to wear. She pulled one out that matched my hair and complexion, and unfolded it. I didn’t realize how long the fabrics were. Wow! She wrapped it around me, over my capris. I walked back to my hotel room, and unwrapped it in front of the mirror.
A sari outfit has three parts. The sari, a small shirt called a ‘choli,’ and an underslip. The sari is tucked into the petticoat. The underslip closes with a string tie, and is ankle-length. I had a short Spanx slip in my room, so I pulled that on. I thought the Spanx slip was strong enough to hold up a zillion yards of fabric, and thankfully, I was right. The choli that was with my sari was way too small, and I didn’t want to wear a midriff muffintopbaring shirt. I brought a Ralph Lauren stretchy wide neck shirt that looked like a choli-purely by accident. It also matched. Score! I got dressed, and went back downstairs to the Indian room.
My friends were so amazed that I dressed myself! They were so proud of me. I guess it’s not easy to correctly wrap a sari, and I did it all by myself. I felt like a little kid who remembered to put my underwear on under my clothes. Husband told me I looked pretty, and I received a ton of compliments. I felt pretty. My friend let me keep the sari as a gift. It was so generous and unexpected. It was a night to remember.
Lots of inf on Wiki, including 11 different ways of draping the sari fabric. Here is a blog about fashionable saris called Saree Dreams.
The New York Times is catching up to Newsweek-about six months later. Remember I wrote about “Ponceo” in March? The Times published an article Friday about teen sexual behavior in Chile. What a shocking trend! I think it’s gross, but I’m old. I don’t like drinking after other people, I certainly don’t want to make out with 3 different strangers in a club who have been making out with other random people. ick.
At least they got it right with Fotolog. I never see any articles about it. Fotolog, a photo-sharing network created in the United States, took off in the last two years in this country. Today Chile, which has a population of 16 million, has 4.8 million Fotolog accounts, more than any other country, the company says. I thought it was a Chilean company, since it seems almost everyone has Fotolog in Chile. I don’t know anyone who isn’t Chilean or lived in Chile that uses Fotolog. There are over 15 million Fotolog accounts, yet less than 350,000 here in the states.
Bolivia hasn’t been in the news much lately. That’s changed this week. Morales has declared the US Ambassador “persona non grata” and ordered him expelled from the country. The charge is ‘supporting the opposition.’ Ambassador Phillip Goldberg was accused of ‘conspiring against democracy.’ (This from a president who wants to steal distribute land to poor people.)
Santa Cruz is all fired up again. The Federal government wants a lot of the gas tax money from the state. The state thinks they should have more of a voice in how the money is spent. Cruceños broke into a regional tax office, government run ENTEL phone company, and a government run television station. As always, the opposition wants greater autonomy and more control over spending the natural gas income. Morales wants to give more money and land to the poor indigenous people. What one side calls ‘land reform’ the other side calls ‘theft.’ Racial conflicts are a big part of the problem, too. The poor indigenous population is uneducated, supports Morales, and outnumbers the educated citizens of Santa Cruz who are of mixed race.
I have three students in Santa Cruz this year. I’ve spoken to two parents in the last day reassuring them their children are fine. The kids are with savvy, well-connected families who understand the problems and will protect them if needed. My kids don’t understand Bolivian Spanish that well yet; they don’t get the nuances of conversation or news reports. (Bolivian television news isn’t sanitized like it is in the states. If there is a traffic accident, they’ll show the victims and pieces parts, not bodies covered by a blanket.) My kids called their parents to tell them not to worry, so of course the parents are worrying.
If all hell would break loose, my students would be evacuated to Chile. They’d be driven over the border. I don’t think it will come to that. I think this is just another flare-up and posturing.
| What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Midland
“You have a Midland accent” is just another way of saying “you don’t have an accent.” You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio. |
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| The West |
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| The Inland North |
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| Boston |
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| North Central |
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| Philadelphia |
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| The South |
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| The Northeast |
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| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz |
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And yet, I’ve been told I have an Appalachian twang. Maybe I’ve been watching too much tv.
Filed under: Depression, Exchange Students, Inbounds Inbounds, Outbounds Outbounds | Tags: bored, Culture Shock, Depression, homesick
How is your student doing? If you are a FES abroad, how are you? Is life good?
Physical Self-Are the headaches going away? Are you getting enough sleep, but not too much? Has your stomach adjusted to the food? How is your weight-stable, or are you gaining/losing weight? Are you getting enough exercise?
Mental Self-Can you help yourself when you’re lonely, bored, sad, or homesick? Are your language and comprehension skills improving? If you take medication regularly, do you remember to take it? Do you have someone to talk to? Do you feel strong and confident?
Emotional Self-Are you crying for no reason? Do you get frustrated and feel like you just can’t think? Are you slowly distancing yourself from ‘home’ to your new home? Are you enjoying yourself?
If you need help, ask for it NOW. Don’t wait. It’s much easier to fix a small problem now than a big mess later. “Things will get better” isn’t always true. People want to help you. We all know this is one year-your year. You aren’t alone.
Filed under: Culture, Exchange Students, Inbounds Inbounds, Outbounds Outbounds | Tags: bored, Culture Shock, Depression, homesick
From last year: Is your student homesick, depressed, or bored? The students have been in their new countries, including the US, for 6-7 weeks now. They are over the initial culture shock, and they are able to communicate in their new languages. They should feel comfortable within their host families, and have new friends. Everything should be wonderful. This is supposed to be “The Best Year of Their Lives” But sometimes, it’s not.
It’s the second wave of culture shock. Their lives have become routine. What the students are doing now is what they’ll be doing for the next 8-11 months. The realization that they are living in a family with rules, the family sometimes annoys them, school is boring, and their lives are almost what it would be if they didn’t go on exchange. Except they’d be back home with their friends, families, and pets.
Solution? Keep them busy! The kids should have all sorts of activities going on. They should be playing some type of sports, or getting exercise of some type daily. The students should join clubs-Drama, Language, 4-H, Scouts, Chess, Swim team, etc. Most of the kids should not come home from school and stay all night. (Sparky, P, and Cle were all content to stay home often, but they were happy. They weren’t homesick or bored. Husband and I also didn’t expect them to be our little friends and stay to keep us company. Some host families want to keep the students all to themselves. That’s not healthy for anyone.) They are exchange students to learn the culture of their country. Let them visit with another exchange student, or invite one overnight. The student should see his counselor regularly. The exchange program should have activities at least once a month for the kids. The host family should plan activities with the student; they don’t have to be expensive-go for a hike, go fishing, or yard sale shopping. Take the student to a football or volleyball game, and permit (shove) them to sit with friends and go out with the others after the game. Take the student to help volunteer-She can coach younger kids, he can visit senior citizens. Anything to take their minds off of themselves.
I’ve been a bad Blog Tour participant. Let’s fix that now. I don’t want to drop out, but the topics aren’t ones that have anything to do with the blog. I don’t write about my life as often as most of the others. I’m not very introspective, either.
Aug 9-“What song’s lyrics so accurately describe you or a period in your life that you could’ve written it yourself?” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and “Only the Good Die Young.”
Aug 16-“Sacrifices-What has been the most significant sacrifice you have made in your life, to date? Why did you choose to make that sacrifice? Was it worth it? Do you miss whatever it was that you sacrificed? And would you do it again if you had to?” Can’t think of one. Sometimes, it’s advantageous to have a bad memory.
Aug 23-Looking back, what minor event in you life made a major outcome on how things turned out? Deciding to host our first exchange student was a whim. It’s now a huge part of our lives.
Aug 30-Do you believe that everyone has one true love? Has there ever been “one who got away” in your life? No. I’ve met a few people that I felt were soul-mates. It isn’t necessarily a sexual attraction. Based on that, I think people can have more than one true love.
Filed under: Exchange Students
We’re home from “vacation.” We missed the dogs a lot, and are thrilled to be back in our own bed. We packed swimsuits, and brought them home unused. We were at a resort with several swimming pools. Le sigh. Husband returns to work tomorrow, and we both caught colds.
Chef made it home safely. Husband almost has his computer back to the way he prefers.
My last student made it up to the states, and all but one of our students are here. The last one should be up within the week. I haven’t heard about any of our inbound students experiencing bad homesickness.
2 or 3 of our outbound students are homesick. One of the students realized she made a huge mistake in choosing her continent, let alone country. I’m not sure it’s possible to go from Feslandia to Festralia. Her parents are willing to pay the airfare, so we’ll see. She’s already moved host families once, and was supposed to move again. They’re also looking to move her to a different part of the country.
One of our inbound students has been playing on a high school team. We all got excited, and thought something wonderful happened. Nope, the kid was playing without state approval. Other teams can file complaints that an ineligible player participated. What a mess.
My inbound students’ parents are all still in the honeymoon stage. They think the kids are terrific, funny, and wonderful. Let’s hope it stays like that all year.
Wry Exchange 