Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Grad School and First Dates (Other Peoples, of Course)

So I have all night to myself and I'm not really sure what to do. I'm just sitting here right now, staring unproductively at the wall. I've decided that I might as well be somewhat productive though, and update my eager blog readers on My Eventful Life.

The most exciting thing first - I received a call from the director of grad studies at SJMC (who happens to be my former undergrad advisor, nepotism (evil laugh)...) Anyway he called to say I was accepted to the master's program in mass communication! On top of that, he said that they all agreed to offer me a financial aid package in which my tuition would be completely waived, and I would get a living stipend in exchange for being a teaching assistant! Sweetness. So that's good news to the nth degree really. It's a blessing actually. Hopefully, God willing, I will start in September!

In other realms of my life I'm contemplating taking up a strange, but fun new extracurricular activity; first-date eavesdropping. On accident, I had the chance to participate in this sport last Sunday at Starbucks. I pretended I was reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, but really, I was listening to every word uttered by the couple to the left of me. My book was good, but their conversation was just too interesting! I mean, they kept asking each other these questions and I kept answering them in my head. For example, she asked, "What would you do if you could do anything for one weekend in Minnesota?" He responded, "A nice dinner, then maybe a movie, a glass of wine."

BORING! Please - there's so many better activities to participate in. Like what about a musical? Sneaking behind Minnehaha Falls in the dark? Or playing games at Chatterbox or raiding Cole and Jess' living room for a rousing night of "Mafia." I'm trying to think of what I would do if I could do anything. I think I need some more specifications - like who would be with me, how much money would I have, or is there a time constraint? Then I could provide a more fitting answer - she asked kind of a bad question. Not as bad as his answer. Note to self for my next first date.

Or someone else's first date if I'm going to start taking notes. In fact, I'm bored right now. Maybe I will go wander my way into the Duplex. That's supposedly the best first date spot in MN, and it's only a block from my house. SCORE.

Onward.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The Difference Between Me and the President

So Mark sent me this article on how Bush just completed this big arms sale with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia - and it got my wheels spinning. Originally it made me pretty mad because I'm not a big Saudi fan because of its oppressing theocratic government that gets away with drowning women in bath tubs because its America's largest middle easter ally.

OK but anyway for some reason that got me thinking of the separation of church and state - and the polarized outlooks each demands. For instance, chances are the arms deal with Saudi Arabia will benefit America, and most of the American people by ensuring stability and security of Les Aux Etats Unis. Now, as a governmental leader, isn't that what an American President is supposed to do? They are supposed to strictly protect the interests of the country and of the American people. Now here I am, getting angry with this decision because as a Christian, and a good 'ol civilian, God commands the exact opposite of me.

Instead of being called to protect myself, I'm asked to sacrifice my security, stability and whole life for the sake of others. That would mean telling Mr. King Abdullah here "Um, no way you're not getting those weapons until you stop killing 13 year-old girls for being raped."


So then - if government leaders are asked to do all they can to protect their countries, and Christians are asked to sacrifice their protection, um I wonder how that works when you are a Christian leader? Because somewhere, someone has to get the raw end of the deal - so to speak. Does this make any sense?

I'm tired.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The Devil Came on Horseback

You know - up until tonight, I thought Darfur was a city.

It's not.

I'm pretty embarrassed to admit this - especially since I consider myself fairly well-read and "informed." I mean, I do browse the nytimes.com every day. So, it's funny nothing in there has caught my eye. I've heard the phrase "Save Darfur" a million times, but was never quite sure what needed saving -until tonight.

Please watch the Devil Came on Horseback. Make it a priority.

I have the movie if anyone wants to borrow it.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Continuing Through Rwanda

7/22/08
OK this is picking up where I left off driving through Rwanda....

So while we were driving through the rural Rwanda all the townspeople just sat on the front porches of the little shanties they live in and stared. The kids would yell and wave enthusiastically as we passed by, continuously shouting "mzungu!" which means "white person." (I mean, seriously, can you imagine kids in the American suburbs shouting "black person," every time an African American was seen, I don't think that'd go over too well....) Apparently, the villagers in this countryside don't see white people at all. The children were just so fascinated with us!

The nearer we got to Goma, the worse the poverty became. Driving through Rwanda, some of the towns were cute, primitive, but cute. But now the towns are rust and dirt and broken tin - just ridiculously poor. It's funny though, in all the villages we drove past, whenever there was a meadow children were playing soccer.

We got to Goma around 6:30 p.m. It's a three-hour drive from Kigali. It's winter in Goma now though, so it was dark by then. Harper met us at the border and I was so excited to see her. Of course the border crossing was a big frickin' deal the way Africa likes to play it to be. I mean no offense, but is there anything I could really bring into Congo right now that would make the country worse off - no. I hadn't gotten my visa for Congo yet-but Harper pretty much took care of that for me quickly. But before that, we had to wait awhile to even cross the two feet from Rwanda to Congo because a Congolese soldier had gotten drunk and pulled the pin on a grenade and was waving it around. Lovely, happens to me everyday!

After the drunk grenade incident was taken care of, we crossed, got my visa, and then had to wait some more because Harper was trying to convince "customs," not to check our luggage but yet she didn't want to bribe them again. So as Harper was negotiating with the soldiers, I found my self on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the dark, waiting for Harper to bribe the police so we can take our luggage hassle-free, and I thought to my self. "How the hell did I get into this situation." OK my hand hurts from writing. I will continue later.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Cross-Cultural Revelation

Ok. I found the following article in my daily news search. This is the headline:

Handshakes can spread germs

Really? Had no idea! Thanks for informing me! So can sex spread AIDS then? Huh.

Oh, but wait, it gets even more informative.

DEAR ABBY: The standard form of greeting in the West is a handshake. But this can lead to transmission of germs.

Being from India, I use the standard form of Indian greeting by holding my palms together, which is very hygienic. (By the way, many South Asian countries have the same custom of greeting.)

You might consider passing the word along because I'm sure your readers could understand the benefit of such a gesture - particularly during the cold and flu season. - SUNITHA IN KUWAIT

Well thanks Sunitha! Next time someone tries to shake my hand, I will quickly avoid the gesture by pressing my hands together. When they look at me weird, I’ll just tell them it’s a more hygienic greeting.

Please.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I always appreciate a good cultural lesson, and attempts to perpetuate cultural understanding. However, I am a little confused as to why Sunitha here thinks he/she can simply change a deeply embedded culturally practice through a DEAR ABBY LETTER.

Oh my, the state of our world.

In other news. I have discovered one great – no amazing – thing about winter: Your car can double as a refrigerator. I love it. I’m being completely serious. See here’s the thing; I hate grocery shopping, but I dislike being at work even more. So grocery shopping actually looks like a positive experience when the clock strikes noon and I need to give my eyes a break from the blinding LCD screen. I run to Super Target, and can leave all perishable and non-perishable items in the car until it’s time to go home! Woohoo. I love when Mother Nature solves my problems for me.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Nicely Said Cooper, Nicely Said

So I just started reading Cooper Anderson's book called "Dispatches from the Edge," and I just had to share something he wrote in the first chapter. It highlights my feelings regarding New Year's Eve splendidly - even though this year wasn't actually that bad.

"I've always thought New Year's Eve is proof that human beings are essentially optimistic creatures. Despite hundreds of years of pathetic parties and hellish hangovers, we continue to cling to the notion that it's possible to have fun on that night. It's not. There's too much pressure, too many expectations, and too little bathrooms."

Perfect! My thoughts exactly. Anyway, the rest of the book is pretty somber - but good.
I don't even have any adventures to speak of this New Year's Eve. It was pretty fun, thanks to my old crew from H-Town and Tessa. We spent the night trying to be randoms in peoples' pictures. At the end of the night, I took a taxi home. The driver had an accent and so I asked where he was from. He said "Africa."

Man, Americans must present themselves as pretty stupid if taxi drivers think that "Africa," is a specific enough answer! I laughed and said "Oh - but what country?" He said Ethiopia. I told him I'd been to Africa and he was thoroughly surprised.

I guess rightly so. A white girl in a tight black dress coming from a party in a downtown penthouse doesn't exactly scream third-world traveler. Anyway, he said that he wanted to go back there soon. He missed it, and liked it better. Funny how much home impacts us.

Then he dropped me off. I went home and fell asleep, welcoming the new year. When I was little, I never thought about being alive in 2008. My imagination only took me to 2004 - the year I was finally able to step into a bar.

Anyway, happy new year - five days ago:)

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Things I am really freaking sick of

I am so sick, of so many things now that I want to scream at someone. So I'm going to scream at this blog. Here are a few:

I am so flipping sick of hearing about the presidential candidates. AHHH. I don't care what their children are doing, I don't care what they did when they were teenagers, I don't flipping care what state they were in today, or what they said at dinner last night. SERIOUSLY. By the time the stupid election is actually over - I will most likely be so sick of hearing about the ostentatious horse race that I will be teetering on the verge of anarchy.

Number two: I don't care how controversial this is but I am sick of Al-Qaeda blowing people up. I am supposed to be a loving Christian, and I do wish they would become better people and stop this. But guess what, when you kill yourself and 2,000 other people - there will be no VIRGINS awaiting you. WHY CAN'T WE JUST LIVE IN PEACE.

Number three: Why does it matter if the tiger at the San Francisco zoo was taunted. Who cares, it killed someone. I don't need an update every hour on the status of a dead Tiger. Flip.

Four: I am sick of advertisements. I don't want to buy your stupid product! Why? Because it's worthless! Uh. I almost blew up today because I was driving by and saw a Caribou ad that said Caribou was "refreshingly honest coffee." HOW THE FLIP IS COFFEE HONEST??? I didn't realize it could lie. Oh wait - that's because it CAN'T. It's either coffee, or not. I'm not going to buy your coffee because it's honest -mainly because I am not mentally handicapped. Seriously, I am sick of advertising BS.

Five: Note to the media: There are bad things that happen in this world. DO YOU NEED TO DRAMATIZE THIS! It's not your duty to make them sound WORSE. Imbeciles. Omigosh, seriously, if you're going to report something, report it don't frickin sensationalize it. I can't continue because I am getting to mad at the media that I need to take a nyquil and go to bed.

But just to show you how annoyed I am actually getting - for once in my life, I am actually ridiculously sick of hearing about Britney Spears. I don't care where she was, or who she's marrying, or what time she did or didn't arrive at court.

AND TO THINK I AM GOING INTO THIS CAREER. Maybe I should give that a second thought...