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Monday, July 28, 2008

Ignorance......

I attended a seminar the other day where the speakers where the top earners at a leading wholesale distribution company - one lady proceeded to speak of how she expanded her business in mexico and the people she helped there. She then proceeded to mimic a mexican accent (to everyone else's amusement), explain how she had to remove all her jewelry while traveling to avoid being mugged (like we have no muggers here in u.s.a.) and that the person she sponsored had to conduct business literally under a table at a restaraunt while the rebels were invading oaxaca! She also went on to say that she had been offered pidgeon or iguana to eat and was surprised when she tasted a dish to find that it was worms and grasshoppers.....all this "hardship" she had to endure to grow her business to where it is today and be the success that she had become....Her tale was not done respectfully but in jest to get a laugh out of the audience. Why do people feel they have to make fun of what they do not know or understand? if mexico is such a third world country as she made it out to be, with rebellions and the like then why are their immigrants denied help and legal status when it is given to other countries such as el salvador, certain places from africa, etc. (of course this is another topic, i digress.) Her speech gave only emphasized that she helped that person for her own monetary gain and not out of the kindness of her heart, which is what she would have everyone believe. If only that person knew how she had been mocked and made fun of in front of thousands of people....this woman also showed how ignorant she really is and lacking of understanding for the culture and environment of others. I recently came across a wonderful web site (www.postcrossing.com) where you can exchange postcards with others from all over the world!! Through this site you can communicate and learn about others, their likes, dislikes, hobbies, their cities, families....it is such a wonderful endeavor....i equate this effort to be what perhaps those that started the olympics wanted for their endeavor - to learn about others, communicate and have others go away with new understanding and friendships.....check it out....

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Trust....

Ok, my youngest is almost 17. I've trusted her enough to allow her to go out with friends to movies, out to eat, etc. Last night i get the feeling she went to a club instead of out to eat and a movie with friends which is what she told us.....How to find out the truth without being accusatory? How to approach without breaking that trust? And today she was out all afternoon and not answering her phone....i've grounded her for that. Growing up in my family, my sisters and i were NEVER allowed to go anywhere. Not even to a sleepover NEXT Door. My parents were unfamiliar with this American custom of slumber parties and didn't trust us out of their sight...or as my mom explained it, it's not that they didn't trust us, they didn't trust what might happen or other people. Regardless if they had been our neighbors for years...i didn't want my kids to grow up suffocated and gave them the freedom to experience much more than my sisters and i ever did. They were in scouts, went to sleepaway camp, slumber parties, even went on school trips (band, etc.). I think i did well in not giving them too much freedom, but definitely more than we had. The older ones (now 24 and 21) did good and have not become "a statistic" (i.e. high school dropouts, teenage pregnancy, single parenthood). Both have graduated high school, are still single and attending college, one has a full time job, the other part time....both on the road to becoming mature and hopefully well rounded individuals. And at 46 i've yet to become a grandmother and that's fine by me. They have plenty of time for these responsibilities. Back to this youngest child....she will be a senior in high school this year, we'll have to buckle down to keep her on the straight and narrow.....I pray for strength to say no and stick to it and for all our teachings to come to her mind when we are not around her....

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Always Learning....

Today I created this blog! More technical but not as hard as I thought it would be thanks to Blogspot....I don't know if I'll ever get up to date with all the technology but I believe in always learning...even my mom who is 70+ took a computer class this past summer. She still works part-time because otherwise ..."que voy a hacer en la casa?" She is a school lunch lady and they have done away with time cards and employees have to submit and track their time on computers. So even she has to get with the times....she has come a long way for someone who had never experienced anything new when she first came to this country with my dad as newlyweds back in '62, not knowing the language or what would happen in this new country away from what they were familiar with and their loved ones. She is stronger and more adventurous than she gives herself credit for....