II

Alrighty. TWO matters of Internet business. 

I. The Bad. This morning I got a pretty informative/creepy e-mail from Student PIRG (public interest research groups) about facebook & it's non-existent privacy. For those of you like I who cannot bear to delete the addiction, but want to keep 'er safe - I suggest you read here. To be fair, I also read on the Huffington Post that facebook has announced new and easier privacy settings should be released in the next few weeks. 
II. The Beautiful. I have a new blog for everyone to check out/become a part of! Introducing -- http://culturesmash.wordpress.com/  In the words of it's creator Kim Hope Athay, 

"... This blog is going to create one stage for many people I know - and hopefully many people I’ve never before met - to share about their cultural experiences.  The good, the hard, the funny, the classic, the traumatic, the life-changers, the life-alterers.  The lessons we learn while traveling abroad need a place to be planted, nourished, and grow into fruits for future world travelers to digest.  
It is my belief that we have no way of appreciating, respecting, or loving the world outside of our borders and comfort zone until we have traveled beyond.  Likewise, how can we know what to appreciate here until we know that others live differently?  The greatest experiences in my own life have happened on foreign soil - for many reasons, not least of which that it taught me to understand America better in the context of the world.
If you have traveled abroad and would like to be a regular (or irregular) contributor, please click on “Submit your Experience” in the right-hand column.  Frequently I will ask for submissions based on a certain topic (like food, taboos, religion, bars, education, sports, etc.), however, you can really write about any cultural experience you have had abroad… I’m anxious to help you share your stories here."

A great way to learn about culture, people! I personally hope to become a frequent contributor (there is even talk of somehow/day linking my new monthly travel feature and Culture Smash) & I beam at the thought of you doing the same. 

of this i ask.

I realize this may be against blogger-etiquette, but I'm doin' it anyway. 

I truly enjoy blogging and sharing some of the tales of my travels, passion for culture, interest in non-profits, daily observations, & the occasional (lately frequent) political rants but sometimes ... it's hard to find motivation.

So here goes an awkward request...

If you read me: follow me (See the little follow box to the right? You don't need a blogger account to press it! & you won't get any e-mails (unless you sign up for notifications). 2: Comment!! I've had fewer than normal comments lately, and I can't help but wonder - are you bored? 

Is anyone really reading? Learning? Laughing? What do you like? Do you ever disagree with me? What do you want to hear more about? Rwanda? Egypt? Australia? France? Non Profit Work? Refugees? World Issues? More tales of yoga attempting and cookie baking during caffeine overdoses ... I write for you. I love hearing from you. I want you to enjoy reading "it's a small world". 

Something to do today: press that follow button & dish out some feedback! 
Thank You (Murakoze, Merci, شكرا لك ) for reading. xoxo 

PS: If you follow me via googlereader & further - understand googlereader, will you e-mail me? I have some questions. Thankya.
PPS: This is post 99!! Can you believe it? 

Lia Lee

While I'm on my health and culture kick... book suggestion time!

I'm currently reading,

"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures" by Anne Fadiman.

It's wonderful.
A mix of beautifully constructed sentences, colorful stories, and interesting facts; it tells the true story of Lia Lee a young Hmong child living with epilepsy.
Only 78 pages in and already my thoughts of refugees, Hmong culture, American medicine, natural remedies, cultural sensitivity, parenting, and faith have been re-evaluated.

Something(s) to love today: intercultural communication & foreign language courses.

Voices

It would be a lie to say I planned it, but it did work out nicely that the start of my new blogging adventure shares a day with Martin Luther King Jr's (observed) Birthday.

I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere over the years January 18th flipped from a day where I thought about civil rights, dreams, and peace to: Sale commercials. A day off work! An extra night to party!
So in attempts reflect, I enjoyed my cup of coffee not in front of the TV, but instead, a short biography on Martin Luther King Jr. and a copy of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
---
It got me to thinking about discrimination. About voices and about freedoms. Am I doing my part to bring peace and cultural understanding to the world? At least to my community?

Answer: not as much as I could. At 22 years old I've been fortunate to not only travel to, but meet and work with many people from around the world. I've climbed peaks in three countries, danced and shared meals with Egyptian women, played soccer with orphans of Rwanda, snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef, gone on safaris in Tanzania, and worked with families from around the world that have lived through things hard to imagine. Would sharing some of my stories and experiences with this world open the eyes and minds of readers? Maybe. So I'll try.

Although it may be naive to say, changing our world doesn't have to be hard. I'm going to start with my voice. I'll use it to share some of my experiences, stories, photos, thoughts, and ideas. Because to quote Martin Luther King Jr., "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Something to love today: freedom of speech.

They Call Me "Little Stomach" and "Sugar"

Hello Everyone!

I've been having some hard times getting decent Internet connection, but all seems to be working well right now.

All my traveling went well (even thought it was very, very long). When I was getting off the airplane the man sitting next to me (from Wisconsin) asked, "Is this your first time in Egypt? [Yes] Well then... just go with the flow." It didn't take more than two mintues to realize the importance of his words. Whenever anything is hard or confusing I've been trying to remember what he said. (And thankfully- about an hour after getting to Khalda's apartment when I had dismissed the adivce already- I had Ms. Jessica Crawford online to help me out- what a blessing)

Everything is taking a lot of adjustment. It is VERY difficult living in a country where I can't communicate with anyone easily. For being a country dependent on tourism- English is NOT known. Currently, I'm in Ismailia City visiting some friends. I haven't been able to see much of this port city- but it is much less crowded than Cairo. I got to experience the bus on the way here- and that was a cultural lesson in itself. Good thing I hadn't ate much before the ride...

Khalda is the sweetest woman. Even though I'm having a hard time adjusting to the country- it has been no fault of hers. She has done anything and everything to make sure that I am safe and having a good time... and enough to eat. I've been hearing from many of her friends, "Khalda is fat. When you go back to America - you too will be fat. You will grow a stomach living with Khalda." (Ian, I'll do my best to work it off by 45).

Currently it is the holy month of Ramadan and most Muslims only eat after sunset (around 6-6:30) and before sunrise (eating around 4:30). Khalda and friends have overcome this issue by turning into owls for a month. So far every night I've gone to bed around 4:30-5 AM and woken up around 2:30 PM. Needless to say jet lag hasn't been much of a problem. I'm not sure if a majority of Muslims switch their sleep schedule like this- or if it is just Khalda and company. Today is the last day of fasting and then we move into the 3 day celebration of the Eid. I believe in the next few days my sleeping will become a little more "normal".

Even so, this country never sleeps. At all hours of the day it is common to see people running around. Need cheese at 2:30 AM? No problem. Last night as I was falling asleep I was laughing at the Roosters who much like my fathers... just didn't seem to have the sunrise crowing right- then I realized it IS 5AM. I'm the one who is off.

Because we are visiting friends I haven't done too much exploring or saving of the world ... I'm trying to take Mike's advice and let myself enjoy this period of transition and rest. (I'm catching up on my 90s TV shows).

I'm slowly learning some vocab in Arabic, it is very difficult though. Sometimes I feel that Khalda is teaching me more than I'm teaching her!! Everything is going well... I just keep reminding myself it has only been a few days and everything gets easier with time.

And now- its time to eat.

All the Love,

Jeanna