DREAM ACT or NOT, undocumented students who have been in the USA forever, CAN OVERCOME their shitty situations.

I shared my story with a senator (about the DREAM ACT) over his website, which I want to share with everyone on my Facebook account:

I lived for 10 years in the USA, from the age of 12 to 22. Then I moved to Mexico (I left by my own will) knowing that I was not going to be able to come back soon. Still, I took the chance and finished my major in Mexico because I couldn't in the USA (even with a scholarship). I then won another scholarship (while in Mexico) to do my MA in Applied Linguistics in Georgia State University. During the time I was doing my major, I applied for and got a VISA to visit my relatives who still live in the USA, undocumented. I do not wish this last part to be shared publicly (on TV or radio I meant in the original message), as I fear that my relatives will be deported.

I have one brother who could have benefited from the DREAM Act but he is being deported as we speak. He is now in Atlanta and will be deported in a couple of weeks even though he arrived to the USA when he was 7 (he is now 23) and doesn't know Mexico at all. He is fortunate to have a brother who currently resides in Mexico City with a job and a bright career ahead of him, thanks NOT to the horrible lack of understanding that undocumented children from undocumented migrants get in the United States of America from many people. I can say that usually, "brain leaks" (people who have great potential but decide not to come back to their native country) happen in Mexico when students who study abroad decide not to come back to Mexico because of the situation here. I can probably be considered a "brain leak" that USED TO BELONG TO THE USA.

I no longer wish to be a US citizen (though I have great friendships and relatives in that country) but my brother who is in deportation proceedings right now probably thinks that his whole world is shutting down by being deported to a country which is no longer his: Mexico. All I can say is, if the DREAM ACT does not pass because people simply do not understand the current immigration situation in the USA, then the kids of immigrants CAN find a better life through education. If it isn't in the USA then in the countries which saw them being born. They will learn to love that country eventually, and will forget the USA, a country which is not thankful for the loyalty that these undocumented immigrants display in their everyday lives conscious or unconsciously.

The Eclipse

(Original title: El eclipse)
Author: Augusto Monterroso
Translated by: me

When friar Bartholomew Arrazola felt lost he admitted that now nothing could save him. The powerful jungle in Guatemala, implacable and immovable, had imprisoned him. Faced with his ignorance of topography he peacefully sat down to await his death. He wanted to die there, totally hopeless, isolated, with his mind fixed in distant Spain, particularly in the Abrojos Convent, where Charles 5th had once consented to descend from his eminence to tell him that he was confident of the religious zeal of his redeeming labor.

When he woke up he found himself surrounded by a group of indifferent-looking indigenous people that were preparing to sacrifice him in front of an altar; an altar that Bartholomew thought was the bed where he would finally rest from his fears, his destiny, from himself.

Three years in the country had granted him an average grasp of the native tongues. He tried something. He spoke some words that were understood.

Then, in him flourished an idea that he judged worthy of his talent and universal culture, and of his arduous knowledge of Aristotle. He remembered that a total solar eclipse would occur on that day. Thus, he secretly set out to use that knowledge to deceive his opressors and save his life.

"If you kill me," he said, "I can make the sun high above turn black. "

The indigenous people stared at him and Bartholomew surprised the skepticism in their eyes. He saw a small council convene and he confident but scornfully waited.

Two hours later Brtholomew Arrazola's heart vehemently spurted blood on the stone of sacrifices (bright under the dull light of an eclipsed sun), while one of the indigenous people impassive and calmly recited, one by one, the numerous dates in which lunar and solar eclipses would occur. Astronomers from the community had already predicted and written them down without the valuable help of Aristotle.

[Justice has been served lol]

Mes vacances de Noël

Mes vacances de Noël l'année dernière n'ont pas été les meilleures. Je suppose que je les qualifie comme ça parce que j'ai vécu au Mexique pendant presque cinq années avant de venir aux États-Unis. Avant cela, j'avais vécu dix années en Caroline du Nord, où ma famille habite de nos jours. Pendant ces dix années en Caroline du Nord le Noël était toujours ennuyeux. Je me suis rendu compte de cela quand j'ai vécu au Mexique parce que là-bas on fête le Noël et le Nouvel An comme si c'était la fin du monde! Je me souviens qu'au Mexique on se couchait au lever du jour suivant.

Alors, quand je suis allé chez mes parents, qui habitent encore en Caroline du Nord, je me suis tellement ennuyé parce que comparé au Mexique on n'a pas beaucoup fait ni la veille de Noël et le 25 décembre ni la veille du Nouvel An. Bien sûr on a mangé de la nourriture mexicaine spéciale que ma mère a heureusement preparé pour son fils le Mexicain le 25 décembre, mais la veille de Noël on n'a rien fait (actuellement tout le monde habite aux É-U dans ma famille, sauf moi). Peu avant la veille du Nouvel An on avait pensé acheter de la tequila, des raisins et du cidre pour fêter l'entrée dans la nouvelle Année. Quand le jour est finalement arrivé, j'ai décidé d'animer la nuit en mettant de la musique et en servant du cidre.

Je pouvais voir que ma famille amait bien cela parce que ça fait très longtemps qu'il ne vont pas au Mexique, alors peut-être qu'ils ont senti que le Mexique était arrivé chez eux. Aux É-U les gens se couchent très tôt et je n'aime pas cela. Je prefère mille fois passer le Noël et le Nouvel An au Mexique qu'aux É-U. Pourtant, puisque ma famille habite aux É-U, j'adore passer du temps avec eux. Cette année sera ma dernière année aux États-Unis et il me semble que je vais passer Noël et le Nouvel An 2010 au Mexique. On va bien l'arroser!

El gato de Sèvres

El coleccionista de cerámica, sintió que el corazón le daba un vuelco. Al pasar frente a la pequeña tienda de antigüedades –en realidad de baratijas, según la había catalogado al primer vistazo- observó que un gato escuálido y roñoso bebía leche pausadamente en un auténtico plato de Sèvres, colocado en la entrada del establecimiento.

El coleccionista llegó hasta la esquina y después volvió sobre sus pasos, aparentando fastidio e indiferencia. Como quien no quiere la cosa, se detuvo frente al escaparate de la tienda, y paseó la mirada desdeñosamente por el amontonamiento de cachivaches que se exhibían: violines viejos, mesas y sillas cojas, figurillas de porcelana, óleos desteñidos, pedazos de cacharros supuestamente mayas o incaicos, y, en fin, las mil y una menudencias que suelen acumularse en tiendas de esta especie. Con el rabillo del ojo, el coleccionista atisbó una vez más el plato en que sorbía leche el gato. No cabía duda: Sèvres legítimo. Posiblemente del segundo tercio del siglo XVIII. Estos animales –pensó el experto, refiriéndose a los dueños, no al minino-, no saben lo que tienen entre manos...

Venciendo la natural repulsión que le inspiraban los gatos, se agachó para acariciar al gato. De paso examinó más de cerca la pieza de cerámica. El coleccionista se dio una palmada en el hombro: no se había equivocado. Sin lugar a dudas, Sèvres, 1750.

-Michito, michito –ronroneó el coleccionista, al ver que se acercaba el propietario de la tienda.
-Buenas tardes. ¿Puedo servirle en algo?
-En nada, muchas gracias. Sólo acariciaba al animalito.
-¡Ah, mi fiel Mustafá...! Está un poco sucio, pero es de casta: cruce de persa y angora, con sus ribetes de Manx. Observe usted que cola tan corta tiene. Eso lo distingue.

El gato, efectivamente, tenía sólo medio rabo, pero no por linaje, sino por que había perdido la otra mitad en un pleito callejero.

-Se ve, se ve –dijo el coleccionista, pasándole una mano enguantada por encima del lomo-. ¡Michito, michito mirrimiau...! Me encantaría tenerlo en casa para que hiciera pareja con una gatita amarillo limón que me obsequiaron. ¿No me lo vendería?
-No, señor. Mustafá es un gran cazador de ratones y sus servicios me son indispensables en la tienda.
-¡Lástima! –dijo el coleccionista, incorporándose-. Me hubiera gustado adquirirlo. En fin, que tenga usted buenas tardes.

El coleccionista hizo ademán de retirarse.

-¡Un momento! –lo llamó el propietario-. ¿Cuánto daría por el gato?
-¿Cuánto quiere? –le devolvió la pelota el coleccionista, maestro en el arte del trapicheo.
-Cincuenta pesos.
-No, hombre, qué barbaridad. Le doy treinta y ni un centavo más.
-Ni usted ni yo: cuarenta morlacos y es suya esta preciosidad de morrongo.

El coleccionista lanzó un suspiro más falso que manifiesto político, sacó la cartera, contó los billetes y se los entregó al dueño de la tienda. Este a su vez los contó y se los guardó en el bolsillo. El coleccionista, siempre aparentando una sublime indiferencia, señaló el plato con la punta del bastón.

-Imagino que el animalito estará acostumbrado a tomar su leche en ese plato viejo, ¿no? Haga el favor de envolvérmelo.
-Como el señor disponga –repuso el anticuario-. Sólo que le advierto que el plato cuesta diez mil pesos...
-¡Diez mil pesos! –aulló el coleccionista.
-Sí, señor. No sólo es un auténtico Sèvres, 1750, sino que además me ha servido para vender trescientos veinticinco gatos desde que abrí mi modesto establecimiento...



Autor: Marco A. Almazán (1922-1991, escritor y diplomático mexicano)

The Sèvres Cat

The ceramic collector felt his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Upon passing by the small antique store---actually a trinket store as he had already labeled it in his head when he first glanced at it---he observed a scrawny and dirty cat drinking milk slowly in an authentic Sèvres plate that was placed in the entrance of the store.

The collector went up to the corner and then turned back trying to appear annoyed and indifferent. Reluctantly, he stopped in front of the store window and looked from above his shoulder to see all the junk being displayed there: old violins, chairs and tables with missing legs, porcelain figurines, faded oil paintings, pieces of supposed Mayan or Incan pots, and the infinite amount of trinkets that usually pile up in stores of this type. From the corner of his eye, the collector glanced once more at the plate the cat was sipping its milk from. There was no doubt about it: a legitimate Sèvres, possibly from the second third of of the 18th century. "These animals---thought the expert referring to the owners rather than the cat---don't know what they have in their hands . . ."

Overcoming his repulsion towards cats, he bent over and pet the cat. While he was at it, he examined the ceramic piece more closely. The collector gave himself a pat on the back; he was not mistaken. Without a doubt, a Sèvres, 1750.

“Kitty, kitty,” called the collector when he saw that the owner of the store approached him.

“Good morning, can I help you with something?”

“No thanks, I was just petting this nice kitty.”

“Oh! My loyal Mustapha . . . ! He's a little dirty but he's a purebred: a Persian and Angora mix with Manx features. Look at his very short tail. That's what distinguishes him.”

The cat did in fact have half a tail, not because of his lineage but rather because he had lost the other half in a street fight.

“You can tell, you can tell,” said the collector, rubbing the cat's back with his gloves on. “Kitty, kitty, meow! I'd love to take him home to be the partner of a little yellowish female cat that I got as a gift. Would you sell it to me?”

“No, sir! Mustapha is a great mouse hunter and I cannot do without him in the store.”

“What a pity!” said the collector, standing up. “I would have liked to have it. Anyway, I hope you have a good day," the collector motioned that he was about to leave.

“One moment!” the owner called him. “How much would you give for the cat?”

“How much do you want?” replied the collector, a master in the art of bartering.

“50 pesos.”

“Are you kidding me? I'll give you thirty and not a cent more.”

“I tell you what, 40 pesos and this wonderful feline is yours.”

The collector sighed in a very fake fashion, took out his wallet, counted his money and gave it to the owner of the store. The owner, in turn, counted it and put it in his pocket. The collector, still pretending to be indifferent, pointed at the plate with the tip of his cane: “I suppose that this little creature must be used to drinking his milk fom that old plate, right? Please wrap it up for me.”

“As you wish,” replied the antique dealer, “Let me just warn you, though, that the plate costs ten thousand pesos.”

“Ten thousand!” cried the collector.

“Yes, sir. Not only is it an authentic Sèvres, 1759, but it has also helped me to sell three hundred twenty-five cats since I opened my modest shop . . ." [!]





Author: Marco A. Almazán (1922-1991, Mexican writer and diplomat)
[Translated by: the author of this blog]

¿De dónde viene el gendarme?

Para no perder la costumbre, hoy subo nuevo blog. Sin embargo, como no se me ocurre nada chido voy a contarles que "descubrí" la etimología de una palabra francesa en clase de francés el otro día.

Estábamos hablando de la historia que leímos para ese día en clase de francés y pues salió el tema de que había un gendarme y pues el gendarme sale de la "Gendarmerie." Hablábamos de armas también ...

Cuando de repente se me ocurrió que arma en francés es "arme" y lo de "gend" no es nada más y nada menos que "gens d'" o "gente de" por lo que los gendarmes son "la gente de armas"! Les gens d'armes o como se escribe en nuestros tiempos: un gendarme.

Yo sé que muchos se estarán diciendo...qué nerd! Pero bueno...soy de lingüística aplicada ehh La aplicación para el gendarme? Pues sirve relacionar el significado original con la palabra para que no se olvide nunca jamás la palabra francesa. Ahí está.

DREAMs

Hit by the acute economic crisis during Carlos Salinas de Gortari in Mexico and with the added pressure of a false accusation at his job, which those who know Mexico might sadly know that they often happen, my Dad was lured by “the American Dream.” My uncle knew that my Dad had a family of four to feed back home so his reaction was of course to help him come to the USA. Three years passed when my Dad realized that he had to go back to Mexico only to bring us to the USA. My older brother was 14, I was 12, and my younger brothers were 7 and 6 respectively. My little sister was born here. I went to middle school and high school, from which I graduated with honors. Deep down I was convinced I was going to work in something I did not like for the rest of my life, as my father was. However, my dad had always instilled in us that we needed to get an education. He and my Mom would always set themselves as examples of people who unfortunately could not get an education when they were young. "The world is in the hands of those who have an education," they said. I knew they were right but was not very encouraged by the situation in schools.

One day in my senior year my French teacher told me that I needed to go to college and that it was extremely important. I knew that but was ashamed of telling her I couldn't go because I was brought to the USA illegally. Even though it wasn't my fault, and I don't blame my parents either, being in that condition lowers your self-esteem and makes you want to be in the shadows. Thanks to my French teacher's insistence I received a scholarship that I could use in any university within the NC higher education system but I had to settle for a community college because I was not accepted at a four year institution. I really appreciated the opportunity and will forever thank my French teacher and my sponsor for opening a window of hope that would later make me stronger.

Not being able to transfer to a four-year college I took a decision that would impact my life permanently. I decided to go back to Mexico after ten years of never even DREAMing of going back. I thought: “I'm Mexican right? They have to accept me.” It was extremely difficult adapting to the system and everything was in Spanish. Add to that the fact that I was far away from all of my family for almost four years. It took a lot of motivation to go through college there but I finally did it. I got my Visa once in Mexico and can now visit as many times as I want. While at work in Mexico (I teach English at a high school and college) my boss posted an announcement for a scholarship to the USA. It was an MA in Applied Linguistics at a University in Georgia. I didn't even hesitate and applied for the opportunity. The process was expensive and drawn out as I had to go to Mexico City a couple of times, pay for a couple of very expensive exams and go through all the things that someone goes through when they apply to a college in the USA. It was all worth it in the end and I was accepted. I am basically now being paid to do my Master's Degree in a city that I love, Atlanta, close to my family.

The point being, never give up your DREAMs. Don't settle for less whether you are in the USA or elsewhere and do what you have to do. I strongly support the DREAM Act so that students who have been in my position don't go through all the difficulties that I had to go through and so that they are allowed to go to college paying in-state tuition if they graduate from an American high school in good standing. It is a great adventure but why do it when you DESERVE an education at your new home, the USA. These students are not looking for handouts from the government. They want nothing free. They just want an opportunity to fight for their aspirations and for their future as any other human being would.

--------------------------------

By CIR_DREAM2009 - 150 AP
Edited: 28 February 2009

Approximately 2.8 million students will graduate from US High Schools every year. Some will go on to college; others will join the military or take another path in life. But they will get the opportunity to test their dreams and live their American story. However, a group of about 65,000 students a year will not have this opportunity because they bear the inherited title of undocumented immigrant. These highly motivated individuals have lived in the United States all their lives and want nothing more than to be given the chance to become Americans.

The DREAM Act ‒ introduced by Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois and Rep. Howard Berman of California ‒ can solve this growing problem. Under the rigorous provisions of the DREAM Act, undocumented young people could be eligible for a conditional path to citizenship in exchange for completion of a college degree or two years of military service. Undocumented young people must also demonstrate good moral character to be eligible for and stay in conditional residency. At the end of the process, the young person can finally become an American citizen. The DREAM Act Portal hopes to turn this dream into a reality.

Source- http://dreamact.info/

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Preparaciones para Thanksgiving

Primero que nada, Feliz 20 de Noviembre para México. No sé si se diga "feliz" o no pero ya lo dije. Hoy hubo muchos desfiles en México por motivo de la conmemoración de la Revolución Mexicana y por supuesto que hubo puente en muchos lugares de trabajo y escuelas. Lo siento por mis exalumnos y compañeros de trabajo del IEST, ya que como es escuela privada no hay puentes. "Sorry for you," dijo Niurka.

En fin. Después del breve reconocimiento a nuestra patria, para los que somos mexicanos y para que vean que no somos elitistas (jaja eso qué?) paso a relatarles un poco de las preparaciones para Thanksgiving. Como muchos de ustedes ya sabrán, tenemos vacaciones de Thanksgiving aquí en GSU por cuatro días hábiles empezando el 24 del presente, que es un martes. Lo que nos da, incluyendo sábado y domingo, seis días, muy buenos eh! El día de Thanksgiving en sí es el 26 de noviembre.

Si estuviéramos en México ya se habría hecho un puentesote desde mañana sábado 21 hasta domingo 29!

Como el lunes todavía tengo una junta y doy clase, pues me iré en la noche a Carolina del Norte a pasar Thanksgiving con mi familia. Todavía no sé que hará mi mamá exactamente pero bueno algo haremos. Cabe mencionar que llevo mi buen montón de tarea por haber echado la weva durante el semestre, que no me lea el profe :s

Mañana sábado limpiaré mi departamento, o por lo menos mi cuarto, para dejar todo limpiecito antes de irme y prepararé mi maleta. Yo creo que el lunes me iré con todo y maleta a dar clase y de ahí me iré en metro a tomar mi autobús para Carolina del Norte.

Ya de regreso probablemente vendrán hasta acá a dejarme. Bueno, supongo que es un resumen bastante resumido de mis planes para este par de días. Si me da chance les pondré más sobre las vacaciones en sí. Nos vemos y Happy Thanksgiving a todos!

Happy Humpday!

Ok. My last blog was in Spanish. Today...English!

My title says it all. It's Wednesday! I got home today after my longest day of the week and my roommate said something that cheered me up. He said, "¡Qué bueno que ya es miércoles! Ya vamos de bajada." Which roughly translated means, "Am I glad it's Wednesday! We're now downsliding" . . . at least for the week!

I w0n't bore you telling you all the things I did since everything went as normal. It's always fun to tell when things go wrong or extraordinarily great. Today, none of those two was the case. What I am telling you, though, is that tomorrow some of my classmates and I are grabbing some pizza and beer to celebrate the fact that it's gonna be Thursday (last class for most of us), it's almost the end of the semester, and Yeji's birthday (a classmate of mine) was on the 31 of October. Besides, even if there had been nothing to celebrate I'm pretty sure we would have made something up. That's how we Mexicans roll!

That was all good things. On a more negative note, I do have to settle some matters about my transcript from Mexico and my registration here. I'm kind of worried because in Mexico if you wanna get anything done you have to go personally otherwise good luck or know the right person to help you out. I am hoping I do know the right person and she is helping me with that. I just have to be patient. I won't say much more cause I don't want to get upset about all the bureaucratic crap in Mexico. And no, my Mexican countrymen, I do not hate Mexico nor am I talking crap about it. It's my country, but I am free to express my discontent with some crappy things that we all know happen down there! I just don't pretend nothing happens! If you think I'm a malinchista, you're free to think and say whatever you want, just like I am free to think and say whatever I like! There.

See you guys in my next blog. Oh wait, I don't like to end up in a bad note. Like I said, today is Wednesday!!! Hells yeah!!! Ok now, laterz!

Fiestas Halloweenenses

El presente blog lo escribo hoy domingo pero en realidad hablo del 31 de octubre. Ayer tuve un día bastante productivo, como pocos, tristemente. jajaja Fui con una amiga a la tienda porque las munciciones en casa ya estaban bastante bajas. La tienda vendía un buen de artículos de la India y todo estaba muy chido con el pequeño detalle de que no tenían chile serrano, ni de ningún tipo que generalmente se usa en México. Yo hasta compré un par de aguacates porque tenía muchas ganas de guacamole. Y pues con las ganas no me quedé porque de ahí nos fuimos a la tienda que está a una cuadra de nuestro edificio. Ahí sí compré chile serrano para mi guacamole. Ya tenía siglos que no comía algo auténticamente mexicano y si lo preparo yo pues es auténtico automáticamente no?

Volviendo de la tienda Tere y yo nos pusimos a estudiar la study guide de la profe de lingüística. Si recuerdan, Tere es mi amiga del DF que también forma parte del proyecto en el que estoy. Ah y digo "study guide" porque se me da la gana. Es más tengo ganas de pochear jaja y voy a usar Spanglish para recordar viejos tiempos. Anyway, estudiamos un rato en uno de los cubículos que hay para estudiar en nuestro edificio. Ahí nos encontró Emine, nuestra amiga turca y quería ir a Target a comprarse algo de Halloween pero como no había suficiente tiempo para que fuera, volviera y luego irnos a Chamblee Station (en el metro) y de ahí que nos recogiera el organizador de la fiesta de Halloween, pues decidimos irnos temprano y acompañarla. So fuimos a Target y compramos algo porque la fiesta era de "traje".

Bueno, que les puedo yo decir? Estuvo muy divertida. Nos disfrazamos, acompañamos a los niños a pedir Halloween y empezó a llover. El tiempo de por sí estaba algo frío. Anyway, nos regresamos a la casa de nuestro profe (el organizador de la fiesta, que es Americano) y convivimos con sus parientes que son venezolanos. Era un ambiente super padre porque todos hablaban en inglés o español o ambos, entonces se hacía una revoltura muy interesante. Comimos lasagna, pollo, pizza, golosinas y bebimos modelo, corona, y otros líquidos embriagantes domésticos.

Finalmente decidimos irnos. Nos hizo el favor de irnos a dejar a la estación otra profesora del departamento de lingüística. Ya en la estación esperamos el tren y al llegar a la estación me despedí de Tere, Emine y Daniel porque me fui a pie a Loca Luna (que no está muy lejos) a seguir la fiesta con mis compañeros atlanteños de idiomas. Pasé por el barrio gay y era algo muy interesante ya que era como una pasarela de chavos, chavas, y chavos-chavas disfrazados de policías, brujas, magos, prostitutas, apaches, enfermeras. En fin, bastante variado el panorama.

Ya llegando a mi destino, me encontré a mis compañeros de idiomas y nos pusimos a bailar. Había concurso de disfraces y pusieron un poco de todo. Desde electrónica, house y hip hop hasta reggaetón, salsa y merengue. Estuve un poco decepcionado porque no pusieron bachata, pero bueno, no se puede tener todo en la vida. A la una de la mañada dice el presentador del concurso, "todos atrasen su reloj una hora, y la fiesta continúa". Como era de esperarse todos estábamos super contentos jaja porque tedíamos una hora más de fiesta. Qué bueno que coincidió el cambio de horario con esta salida. Al terminar la fiesta una compañera que pasa cerca de mi edificio me llevó a la casa.

Al día siguiente me levanté con una hambre y me hice una salsa mexicana de verdad. En fin, ahorita me voy a poner a hacer algunas cosas de la escuela porque realmente la semana empieza el domingo. Me siento tranquilo y con enegergía a pesar de tener que ponerme a trabajar y empezar la semana. Pero como dicen las malas lenguas de la buena gente, "y lo bailado quien me lo quita?"

(En la foto: Jennifer, Jennifer's brother, Jesús, Suzanne y yo)

Friday, payday!

Today I got paid! I was so happy to see my account today. hehe I bought my MARTA card this afternoon, which is a discounted card for using the subway and buses as much as I want in a month sold to students at GSU. I also called Mexico and had to deal with TELMEX, which is the only phone company in Mexico, clearly a monopoly. I so hope the government lets in foreing phone companies. I have heard about the terrible service and have gone through a few experiences myself. These people, or at least the one I've seen, think they're doing a favor to Mexicans, which they're not!

Anyway, today I had to call them and ask how much I owe them. Before coming here I wanted to cancel the service because I'll be absent from Mexico for almost a year and a half. They told me I couldn't because I first needed to cancel my internet service, return the modem etc, and I did. A week had to pass after that cancelation before I could cancel the actual phone service but by then I was already here. It just sucks how they do things. So, I am telling my cousin to cancel the service for me but I needed to get in touch with them to know how much I owe them. I was surprised to find fast customer service online through their tech support chat. Next step will be to call my cousin tomorrow and send her the money to cancel the service for me.

I also need to go to the bank and do other things I need to take care of but didn't cause I got up too late. :s But I did have time to go watch a movie with some classmates and then we went to get dinner. I had this pot roast subway which absolutely tasted like "barbacoa," the Mexican type. We walked to the place and on our way to the movie theater we went by a bunch of gay bars. As you might know we actually live in the Atlantan "Zona Rosa." A guy from a bar was like "hey, boy ;)" when I went past there. My friends were making fun of me. hehe It is actually the second time a guy hits on me in public. haha The other time happened in Tampico when a drunk guy pulls his head out of a taxi cab and yells "papasitoooo." I was like oooooooook.

We walked back to our place and had a lot of fun. Tomorrow there are lots of things going on. One, a professor invited us to his house for a Halloween party. Two, the same professor (he's really cool) got free tickets for the Rialto, which is having a Mexican Día de Muertos celebration, and three, my co-workers from MCL invited me to Loca Luna, which is a night club. Tomorrow they're celebrating halloween and it's latin night so they're playing bachata, merengue, salsa, cumbia, among others. The Pride Festival is also taking place tomorrow really close to here. I've never been to one and Tere, a friend and classmate from Mexico City wants us to go and check it out. The problem is, where should I go? The first three events happen almost at the same time and I still haven't made up my mind. So many choices, so little time. We'll see what happens tomorrow!

A cidade mais legal do mundo, o sea, La ciudad más chida del mundo

Curitiba, ciudad brasileña al sur del país en el estado de Paraná. Hoy estaba en clase de metodología y estaba hablando con un compañero brasileño acerca de esta ciudad. La primera vez que escuché hablar de ella fue donde trabajo en México. Había tres estudiantes brasileños precisamente de esta ciudad e hicieron una exposición de la misma.

Qué les puedo contar? Esta ciudad se ha ganado varios premios por ser una ciudad ecológicamente sostenible. Como el sistema de transporte subterraneo era demasiado caro lo que hicieron fue crear un sistema de autobuses súper eficiente. En tal sistema hay paradas especiales donde la gente sube y pagan dejando su ticket antes de entrar al autobús. Pueden hacer las conexiones que deseen sin pagar nuevamente. Más o menos es como el metrobús en el DF, si alguien ha tenido la oportunidad de subir. Es realmente como una mezcla entre metro y autobús. El autobús en sí cuenta con tres vagones conectados por un "acordeón" así que ya se imaginarán, es bastante largo y cabe mucha gente. Esto ha logrado que Curitiba sea una de las ciudades con mejor control de tránsito en el mundo ya que el 75% de la gente usa el transporte de autobús.

Además, ya que Curitiba es una de las mejores planeadas ciudades del mundo, cuenta con un excelente servicio de salud y un sistema de recliclaje bastante desarrollado, así evitando que haya basura por las calles. Es una ciudad bonita, limpia, y con muchísimo parques y zonas verdes. De hecho, sobrepasa las recomendaciones de áreas verdes que da la ONU.

En cuestión de clima, si es algo fresca, ya que se encuentra a una altitud bastante elevada. En tiempo de calor la temperatura sube a los 70 F y en tiempo de frío puede hacer muchísimo frío, incluso bajar a los 30 F. Para que se den una idea, el punto de congelación en el sistema Farenheit es de 32 grados, lo que sería 0 en grados celsio.

En fin, me encantaría incluso vivir en una ciudad de este tipo y claro, me encantaría visitarla algun día. Actualmente he estado conociendo gente de varios países y tengo uno que otro conocido brasileño que muy probablemente ya nos haya ofrecido su casa. jejeje Es una de las cosas buenas de Estados Unidos, conoces gente de infinidad de lugares.

Me despido con unas fotos de Curitiba. Espero que les gusten!

What an effed up day!

Today was one of my worst days in Atlanta. Of course nothing compared to that day last August when I missed my connection flight in Dallas, Texas. I was going from North Carolina to Tampico and had to stay in Dallas for the night. Then in Tampico, the very next day I crash (I swear it was that Taxi's fault), and that weekend a venomous worm stings me and my hand gets all swollen up and it burnt a whole lot. I even got a fever and couldn't even feel my whole arm. I would have never guessed those little, fuzzy-looking guava worms did all that!

Anyway, back to my bad day here. I woke up late. Lately, I've been having that problem. Dang. I was doing my exercises for the class I took today, when I started looking over today's agenda to see if I had missed anything. Turns out I had to micro-teach but I didn't know who my partner was. The paper only had my name on it and I didn't ask anybody to tell me what they had written on theirs. Anyway, I did the activity by myself so that I had something to present that day. I didn't mind that I didn't know who my partner was.

I got to school at around 4pm just in time to make copies for the activity. My Powerpoint presentation was done and I felt proud of it. Since I didn't finish my lab at home I was finishing standing up on the subway. I finished it all right but my time was counted. I made the copies once I was in my office. When I was done with that I ran to class all the way accross the university. I found a classmate and started bitching about my problems. lol He said the only thing he could do for me was to check on his calendar for the class. So he did and told me I wasn't even on it. Go figure.

Anyway, it was almost time to go into the classroom when the every so popular saying, "shit happens," sprang to mind; I forgot the notebook I was holding when I got off the subway to go to my office to do the copies! My homework was in there. Evidently annoyed by that situation, another, more-cheeful-than-me classmate offers herself to let our teacher know my situation and that I'd be a little late as a consequence. So there I go walking all the way back to my office, I get my notebook and head back to class. It took me about 20 minutes to come back to class.

Once in class, after the break was over, I asked one of the classmates responsible for the presentation today if I was on the list with them. He said not at all. I had prepared that micro-teaching session for nothing. While in class I felt a little lost, too, and it couldn't have been any other way; I didn't read one of the long articles for today's class. Deep down, I know this is all my fault because I've been slacking off lately. :S The last part of the class was an activity that showed relaxation techniques for the classroom and that helped me a lot for my own sake today!

Evevery Wednesday, five minutes before class is over, I leave to go to another building (passing the building where my office is) to teach a Spanish 1002 class, and today was no exception. If anything went well today, it has to be my Spanish class. Everything went smoothly and we had a variety of activities that everybody seemed to like. We saw a short clip of "Bety la Fea," the original Colombian soap opera.

Once I came back home, I asked for the key for the landry room at our building. Would you believe that our washing machine/drier broke down again and no one has been to our appartment to fix it! That sucks but hopefully we'll get a new one. Our rent isn't exactly low, I mean, we better get a new one, if not one that doesn't mess up that often.

So that was today in a nutshell. Let's see how tomorrow goes!

Extrañando a Tampico

El siguiente blog va dedicado a mis amigos y a mi familia de Tampico y del DF. Generalmente me catalogan de insensible jaja pero la verdad a veces si extraño mi vida en Tampico. Eso en cesaresco quiere decir que los extraño! Ustedes saben quiénes son y ni me pongo a hacer una lista porque si se me olvida alguien luego no me la acabo.

En fin, para los que no saben donde está Tampico, les puedo decir que está en la costa del Golfo de México en el estado de Tamaulipas y, pues, no les diré mucho pero les pondré estas fotos que dicen más que mil palabras.









Extraño a mis amigos, a mi familia (mi familia de NC está cerca de mí) y a las tortas de la barda. jaja Las tortas de la barda son un tipo de torta (como un sándwich) que tiene su origen en el puerto de Tampico. Están riquisimas; una torta de la barda y un litro de agua de jovito y es el paraíso. Hmm!

Nos vemos luego y espero que les gusten las fotos!

Blogging again-In Atlanta

Ok. I'm beginning to blog again, after about two months of inactivity. Last time I blogged I was in Tampico, teaching English at a high school and at a university. I was actually teaching for the language center under the Law School at the college I graduated from.

My blogs will be in either Spanish or English. I'm thinking of writing one in English and then one in Spanish and continue like that. I enjoy writing in both languages but because not all my readers know both languages I want them to enjoy at least every other blog.

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Spanish: Mis blogs serán ya sea en español o en inglés. Estoy pensando en escribir uno en inglés y otro en español y seguir así. Me gusta escribir en ambos idiomas pero porque no todos mis lectores saben ambos idiomas quiero que disfruten por lo menos uno que otro blog.
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So a little more than two months have passed and I am now at Georgia State University doing my Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics and ESL/EFL. I am actually here thanks to a scholarship, otherwise I don't know how I'd be able to pay for tuition, and as you may know, tuition is expensive, even more so for International Students. Anyway, let's just say that getting the scholarsip was a lot of time, work, and money (I went to Mexico City several times to take a couple of very expensive exams, and a few other things like getting my plane ticket to Atlanta), but it was all worth it. Now I have to keep up with classes and such.



Let me sum up the first two months for you all. We begin with Orientation Week. You would think that this meant going to a session where we were told about generalities about school, etc. Well, Orientation was actually several days and we received TONS of information from many different departments and individuals from Georgia State. I had never been so busy in my life, plus add the fact that it is my first time in Atlanta so I did get lost a few times during the first month!

The feeling was kind of odd. After a day was over, I felt like it had gone by in three hours, but then when I looked back at everything I had done, at the end of the day, it felt like a week. I certainly felt tired after walking to so many places and meeting so many people. This happened for 5 continuous days. At the end of that first Orientation Week it felt like a month had already gone by.

Next, let me tell you about classes. I have three classes per week but the total work for each class is as if I had class every day of the week. That's good for a comparison. If you are reading me from the Mexican perspective (which some of you are), let's just say that you'd go on strike if you had to do these many things for a class at UAT (college I went to in Tampico: Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas). As if it weren't enough (time wise), I have to teach a Spanish 2 class because it is part of my assistantship. I'm not complaining, I love teaching Spanish, but it does get busy! Oh yes, I forgot to mention my classes: General Linguistics, Sound System of English, and Approaches to Second Language Acquisition.

Up to last week, I really enjoyed classes until we had Midterms. If you don't know what a Midterm is, it is defined like this: torture. We had to write 14 essays total (two take-home Midterms). The third Midterm was actually pretty acceptable. It was in class and it was easy. Love linguistics class! During Midterm week I also had to grade Spanish exams and writings, fun huh?

Anyway, I really like my classes and would not change anything for the world.

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That was enough school.

Adventure-wise. I'm really loving Atlanta. They have a subway system which in my opinion isn't bad. Mexico's City's subway has 14 lines, Atlanta's subway system only two hehehe But then again, Tampico has NO subway system at all! (the picture below shows the station I use to get to school: Midtown Station)

I had already lived in the USA before, in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina to be exact, but Atlanta is so much different. F-V is small, peaceful and slow-paced; Atlanta is huge, noisy, lots of cars (with bad drivers, reminds me of Tampico; Mexico City is much worse) and fast-paced.

Hot weather in Atlanta is enjoyable, considering we get hotter in Tampico. Sure, Atlanta has no beach (Tampico does) but at least we don't live in the middle of the country where they have it worse. I have people to be very friendly in Atlanta. When I've gotten lost around the city people are always very helpful, it even reminds me of Mexico. I find a lot of similarities between the people here and the people in Mexico, to some extent. Parties and music are not allowed here after a certain hour at night, or even during the day.

My classmates have all been really cool and I have met many people from other countries. I have some friends from Turkey, Korea, Germany, different places around the USA and Mexico of course. Southern hospitality is actually a reality, in my opinion. I have been to so many places too but unfortunately, I just began blogging again. But worry not, I'll write more from now on!


WELCOME TO MY BLOG AND ENJOY
BIENVENIDOS A MI BLOG Y DISFRUTEN
BIENVENUE À MON BLOG ET AMUSEZ VOUS

New Chapter in Mty

Hello everybody,


As many of you might know already, I applied for a scholarship offered by UPN (Universidad Pedagógica Nacional) and GSU (Georgia State University). Well, guess what? I got accepted!

So, basically, what I had to do are many many things in order to get ready to go abroad and live in Atlanta for 15 whole months! Do you have any idea how much that is! Anyway. Time flies when you're having fun and so far everything's been ok.

On the 8th of August, I shipped out from Tampico and took a bus to Monterrey. I arrived there the same day at noon. Monterrey is AWESOME. That's the only thing I'm gonna say right now because I just wouldn't be able to stop talking about it I if really got started.

I stayed in Monterrey for a whole day and then I'm supposed to take my plane here: MTY-ATL.

Weekend

Hello everybody,

I was checking over my students blogs and realized that some of you have a lot of posts, which is very good because you're getting to practice your written English. I have been gladly surprised to see that some of you have very good writing skills.

I've learned a few things about you, especially about your successes in life and your likes, dislikes and hopes for the future. Some of you even tell me about how your day is going in a very informal way, which is also good because you're practicing informal writing.

To continue, let me tell you a little about my day. Today, I slept in. I actually woke up at 10:30 a.m. I did my morning routine and opened my windows. The rain was gone! But the day was really nice, with a very mild temperature. It felt a little chilly so I went back to bed haha

The noise of the phone woke me up and so I got up at around 2 pm. I called my aunt and I told her I was gonna go to her house (actually I didn't). I cleaned my house a little, did some of my laundry, logged on my computer and started listening to music, reading e-mails, answering blogs, etc. My neighbor knocked on my door and wanted to know if I could let her use my phone. I did and then she brought me a plate of food, to my surprise. I gladly accepted it and continued with my laundry.

I also did some research about Master Degree programs. However, I couldn't find any Masters Degrees for English here in Tampico. It seems that I'll have to move to another state or even country, we'll see later on.

A friend was supposed to call to tell me where we were going out tonight, but it seems that nothing's gonna happen tonight. It's not like I was anxious to go out. I do like to go out but it's not something I look forward to every single weekend. Sometimes, I just like to stay in and enjoy myself doing nothing, just being a little lazy.

Well, that's enough for today. I hope your weekend was a little more interesting than mine hahaha See you all later!

My first time blogging

Hello everybody,

To begin with I'll introduce myself. My name is Cesar Maldonado and I'm an English teacher. I am from Tampico but I lived in North Carolina, USA for ten long years. I studied the bachelor of Arts in English at UAT and I want to obtain a Master's degree some time soon.

I really love languages. They are my hobby. I can speak Spanish, English, French and some Portuguese, and Catalan. I find Romance languages very interesting.



Since today was my first day ever blogging, I'll stop right here. I think it's so cool how we have all this technology to help us practice English.

See you in my next blog!