...and the rest
1.) I am going to stop stealing.
Like Katie said in her blog, I want to stop wanting. I steal things all of the time here and everyone knows. This weekend some of my friends took me aside and they said I should stop, because they don't want me to get into trouble in a foreign country. They are right. Stealing cannot be justified. Not even if you "only steal from large corporations." It is a violent act of force, of a war that cannot be won and will only perpetuate itself. As Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah said: "Be the change you want to see in the world." That's damn right.
2.) I cry about my parents, but I support the choices my father makes.
I cried today in class because (I have my period) people were talking about how older people shouldn't have jobs/ don't have to worry about money/ don't have to work if they don't want to/ only work at WalMart for fun. I was reminded of my father being forced into early retirement, of my arthritic mother working a factory job to pay for her insurance, and of my worries that I am helpless to help them. That loud, self-righteous boy in class was shouting about how social security and food stamps can provide for everyone. I am not sure if my parents qualify for food stamps, I actually don't think so. If they did, I still don't think they would get them. My father is very proud. He used to have a good job, he is respected by certian people. He wears suits during the weekdays and meets with rich people. He doesn't want food stamps. Even if I brough it up, it wouldn't be well recieved. He loves me and my mom so so much. He takes care of us. I do understand his feelings, though. I respect my father's feelings as a man and person. He won't have to stop being the individual that he is just because he has a family. My mother and I support him, a man who in his position still has dreams and still goes after them.
3.) My host family is like a real family.
I love them and I wish you could meet them. Emmanuel, my dad, has a big chipped tooth and is really tall and has glasses and is balding. He loves to play with the dog, they are best pals. He tries to make me laugh and we play with the dog together. Sabine, my mon, is way cute. She wears converse high-tops, is in better shape than I am (these are grandparents in their 60s, mind you), and she laughs, it sounds like a cute little hissy noise, and when I come home, she says "cou cou!" which means, hi! My host brother, Thibault is very nice to me. He is 17 and is taking his huge exams to graduate from high school, his "bac." He is going to study in Boston for a little bit this summer so he wants to learn english. One night when his parents were out of town, his girlfriend was over and he asked me if I had a condom. Uzebeck is the big black dog. He is my great pal, he knows my voice and he loves to play. He is afraid of thunderstorms and he sheds a lot.
4.) I have a lot more fun when I am on my own.
Everytime I have said that I "feel like I am in high school again," it is because I am being too self-conscious, caring too much about what everyone thinks of me. This is a very strage social situation that I am in. Very cramped social quarters with people who are all younger than I am. Cliques have developed, and so have hangovers, bar tabs, and other things I have cosen to start avoiding. I am a lot happier seeing France in the daylight with a clear head, and exlporing on my own.
5.) I have a couchsurfer to stay with.
When the program is finished, I have lined up a couchsurfer to stay with for almost a week. His name is Guilliame and he doesn't speak much english at all. He lives in Toulon, on the coast of the Mediterranean. I am really excited, but nervous, too. Now I just need to find someone in Paris to stay with for a while until my flight leaves!
6.) I got a haircut.
Really short. It looked bad at first, but I fixed it and now I really like it. They were sneaky and they charged me way more than I thought it would be.
7.) I am actually, kind of learning French.
I don't know it very well. But, I guess I am learning some things and that makes me happy.
Like Katie said in her blog, I want to stop wanting. I steal things all of the time here and everyone knows. This weekend some of my friends took me aside and they said I should stop, because they don't want me to get into trouble in a foreign country. They are right. Stealing cannot be justified. Not even if you "only steal from large corporations." It is a violent act of force, of a war that cannot be won and will only perpetuate itself. As Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah said: "Be the change you want to see in the world." That's damn right.
2.) I cry about my parents, but I support the choices my father makes.
I cried today in class because (I have my period) people were talking about how older people shouldn't have jobs/ don't have to worry about money/ don't have to work if they don't want to/ only work at WalMart for fun. I was reminded of my father being forced into early retirement, of my arthritic mother working a factory job to pay for her insurance, and of my worries that I am helpless to help them. That loud, self-righteous boy in class was shouting about how social security and food stamps can provide for everyone. I am not sure if my parents qualify for food stamps, I actually don't think so. If they did, I still don't think they would get them. My father is very proud. He used to have a good job, he is respected by certian people. He wears suits during the weekdays and meets with rich people. He doesn't want food stamps. Even if I brough it up, it wouldn't be well recieved. He loves me and my mom so so much. He takes care of us. I do understand his feelings, though. I respect my father's feelings as a man and person. He won't have to stop being the individual that he is just because he has a family. My mother and I support him, a man who in his position still has dreams and still goes after them.
3.) My host family is like a real family.
I love them and I wish you could meet them. Emmanuel, my dad, has a big chipped tooth and is really tall and has glasses and is balding. He loves to play with the dog, they are best pals. He tries to make me laugh and we play with the dog together. Sabine, my mon, is way cute. She wears converse high-tops, is in better shape than I am (these are grandparents in their 60s, mind you), and she laughs, it sounds like a cute little hissy noise, and when I come home, she says "cou cou!" which means, hi! My host brother, Thibault is very nice to me. He is 17 and is taking his huge exams to graduate from high school, his "bac." He is going to study in Boston for a little bit this summer so he wants to learn english. One night when his parents were out of town, his girlfriend was over and he asked me if I had a condom. Uzebeck is the big black dog. He is my great pal, he knows my voice and he loves to play. He is afraid of thunderstorms and he sheds a lot.
4.) I have a lot more fun when I am on my own.
Everytime I have said that I "feel like I am in high school again," it is because I am being too self-conscious, caring too much about what everyone thinks of me. This is a very strage social situation that I am in. Very cramped social quarters with people who are all younger than I am. Cliques have developed, and so have hangovers, bar tabs, and other things I have cosen to start avoiding. I am a lot happier seeing France in the daylight with a clear head, and exlporing on my own.
5.) I have a couchsurfer to stay with.
When the program is finished, I have lined up a couchsurfer to stay with for almost a week. His name is Guilliame and he doesn't speak much english at all. He lives in Toulon, on the coast of the Mediterranean. I am really excited, but nervous, too. Now I just need to find someone in Paris to stay with for a while until my flight leaves!
6.) I got a haircut.
Really short. It looked bad at first, but I fixed it and now I really like it. They were sneaky and they charged me way more than I thought it would be.
7.) I am actually, kind of learning French.
I don't know it very well. But, I guess I am learning some things and that makes me happy.