"Got any cash?" he asked his friend.
"Nah, no dough, dude", said the friend.
Dough, bread, come on, it's funny that the atm says 'Bred' on it. You know it is.
Jul 31, 2009
fun with words
"Got any cash?" he asked his friend.
"Nah, no dough, dude", said the friend.
Dough, bread, come on, it's funny that the atm says 'Bred' on it. You know it is.
Super big food: we are not alone
Allow me to contradict my latest post just a bit, for I have found the supersize in Guadeloupe.
The roadside burger stand that serves up this tasty treat is called 'Big Mamma' En Francais: Big Mamman.
The funniest thing about this is that on the awning in front of the stand it says 'Cooking Light'
There is nothing light about a sandwich that is about four times the size of a CD. Yep. True. See picture.
I ate the entire thing.
Jul 30, 2009
What doesn't kill me.....wait, learning French AND how to be a stepmom at the same time just might.
A new country, a new family. It's nice, this new way of life. A good lesson: to not just think for me, but to have to consider those immediately around me at all times. I'm totally up for it. Many times, I feel a lot of love and stuff that I've never felt in quite this way, not having kids of my own. Then again, many times I feel a level of anxiety that I'm not sure is normal or healthy.
Being in a step mom position brings all sorts of new emotions. It's a new language, really.
So the languages I'm learning as an ex-patriot are:
1 .French
2. Children
It's kind of a catch-22, chicken-egg situation isn't it? Because number two would certainly be easier if it were a. in English, or b. in a familiar place. It's not, and I want it that way, I want the new place and the new language(s), but I will say that becoming a step mom brings challenges, and becoming a step mom in a new country and new language? ...yeah. It's one of those times when I believe the universe took a look at me and said, 'oh yeah? You want a challenge? Ha! HERE ya go.'
Intensive life training situation numer 9734:
You are in a new place, you are learning (insert language here).
You will be placed in a new domestic position requiring the following skills:
Patience, the ability to withstand being ignored often, the ability to apply ointment and bandaids in an expert fashion, and oh yes, the ability to speak (insert same language as above) in times of crises involving said bandaids.
You must develop an ability to control a room full of children under the age of seven with whatever (language) you have acquired.
You must willingly listen to those who refuse to comprehend that you do not yet speak fluent (language) while they tell you stories of cats and trees each time you pass them in the apartment complex. (at least that's what you think they're saying).
Ah, learning. There's nothing like saying something in a very stern voice to a child, in broken French, and having them reply with a look that says, 'What the HELL are you trying to say? Since I can't understand you, you silly woman, I will simply shrug my shoulders and walk away. Watch.'
Thankfully, most adults here in Guadeloupe make more of an effort. In fact, people are generally really nice and accomodating, even if we make conversation in broken sentences with a lot of mime.
Earning the respect of children when you are not the parent AND you don't speak the language remains one of my biggest challenges in my new life. In fact, I'm not even sure fluent French will help....which brings me to the question of the day:
Should I study French today or should I study step parenting?
Being in a step mom position brings all sorts of new emotions. It's a new language, really.
So the languages I'm learning as an ex-patriot are:
1 .French
2. Children
It's kind of a catch-22, chicken-egg situation isn't it? Because number two would certainly be easier if it were a. in English, or b. in a familiar place. It's not, and I want it that way, I want the new place and the new language(s), but I will say that becoming a step mom brings challenges, and becoming a step mom in a new country and new language? ...yeah. It's one of those times when I believe the universe took a look at me and said, 'oh yeah? You want a challenge? Ha! HERE ya go.'
Intensive life training situation numer 9734:
You are in a new place, you are learning (insert language here).
You will be placed in a new domestic position requiring the following skills:
Patience, the ability to withstand being ignored often, the ability to apply ointment and bandaids in an expert fashion, and oh yes, the ability to speak (insert same language as above) in times of crises involving said bandaids.
You must develop an ability to control a room full of children under the age of seven with whatever (language) you have acquired.
You must willingly listen to those who refuse to comprehend that you do not yet speak fluent (language) while they tell you stories of cats and trees each time you pass them in the apartment complex. (at least that's what you think they're saying).
Ah, learning. There's nothing like saying something in a very stern voice to a child, in broken French, and having them reply with a look that says, 'What the HELL are you trying to say? Since I can't understand you, you silly woman, I will simply shrug my shoulders and walk away. Watch.'
Thankfully, most adults here in Guadeloupe make more of an effort. In fact, people are generally really nice and accomodating, even if we make conversation in broken sentences with a lot of mime.
Earning the respect of children when you are not the parent AND you don't speak the language remains one of my biggest challenges in my new life. In fact, I'm not even sure fluent French will help....which brings me to the question of the day:
Should I study French today or should I study step parenting?
Jul 26, 2009
Birth of a sterotype
Once you begin life Someplace Else, you begin to adjust. Someplace Else could be five miles away or five thousand. It matters not. In the same city I have adjusted to new neighborhoods, noticed the many little differences in many little things, such as the quality and quantity of coffee houses with free wi-fi, the presence of a natural food store, the cleanliness of the bus lines that stop there, the murals or graffiti, a difference in the cost of car insurance.
Now that I've been living Someplace Else for about half a year, it was on a recent trip with my new family to Disney World in Orlando that I felt a touch of what Orlando must look like people who have never been there before, people who (gasp) may have never seen a supersized anything.
Suddenly the average size of a person was quite noticeably different. We're not talking height, or basic body type per se, but rather that on average, people in and around the Disney Parks were in what seemed to me, a rather unhealthy state of obesity. Orlando itself, the land of never ending competition between chain restaurants and strip malls and outlet centers forced me into a big 'aha'.
I realized that had I been from say, a small town outside the States, and travelled for my first time to the States, to see Orlando in all it's glory, this would be my impression of America and her people. Some of the words I would use to describe the area surrounding Disney's parks are: big, repetetive, too much, loud, turkey leg fast food, and really white sneakers.
Et, voila, a stereotype is born. Got it.
Now that I've been living Someplace Else for about half a year, it was on a recent trip with my new family to Disney World in Orlando that I felt a touch of what Orlando must look like people who have never been there before, people who (gasp) may have never seen a supersized anything.
Suddenly the average size of a person was quite noticeably different. We're not talking height, or basic body type per se, but rather that on average, people in and around the Disney Parks were in what seemed to me, a rather unhealthy state of obesity. Orlando itself, the land of never ending competition between chain restaurants and strip malls and outlet centers forced me into a big 'aha'.
I realized that had I been from say, a small town outside the States, and travelled for my first time to the States, to see Orlando in all it's glory, this would be my impression of America and her people. Some of the words I would use to describe the area surrounding Disney's parks are: big, repetetive, too much, loud, turkey leg fast food, and really white sneakers.
Et, voila, a stereotype is born. Got it.
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