Wandering at Will

I'm published...in the smallest sense of the word.

2011-11-27T14:01:00.001-06:00

Last summer I interned for the National Partnership for Women and Families in Washington, DC. As part of my internship and funding from the Children's Justice Project at University of Wisconsin Law School, I worked on the legal guide announced below. You can even find my name listed at the bottom of the contributors page. Pretty cool!

For Immediate Release

Contact:Johanna Díaz, Luci Manning

November 8, 2011

Help for California’s Pregnant and Parenting Youth

Health, Legal and Women’s Experts Release Comprehensive Legal Guide for the State’s Pregnant and Parenting Minors and the Professionals Who Work with Them

A 16-year-old in San Jose thinks she has to drop out of school because she is pregnant. A 17-year-old parent in Chico believes her child’s father should pay child support, but isn’t sure how or where to begin the legal process. A 14-year-old undocumented immigrant in Riverside learns she is pregnant and fears being deported. These scenarios occur each day in California, and teens often do not know where to turn for accurate and unbiased information. As a result, many do not get recommended prenatal care, drop out of school unnecessarily, and in other ways compromise their future prospects and their children’s health.

Today the National Partnership for Women & Families, National Health Law Program (NHeLP) and Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Inc. are releasing a free, comprehensive guide and companionwebsite written and designed expressly to inform pregnant and parenting youth in California of their legal rights.

The need for such information in California is great. According to a Public Health Institute study, in 2008 nearly 52,000 teens – almost four percent of all female teens aged 15 to 19 – gave birth in California, and many more became pregnant. Although rates of teen pregnancy in California have declined, they remain high, particularly among Latinas who are twice as likely to become parents as Caucasian teens. And the legal rights of pregnant and parenting minors are frequently violated.

“Teens who are pregnant and parenting are at a greater risk for dropping out of school,” said Sue Keppler, Vice President of Education and Community Outreach for Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Inc. “The California Pregnant and Parenting Youth Guide empowers them to know their rights and start connecting with available resources that can offer the support and help they need. With the right tools and knowledge, many more pregnant and parenting teens in the state will be able to get the help that allows them to improve their and their children’s health and prospects.”

The Guide and website (www.PregnantYouth.info) are designed as prevention tools to help the state’s young women, their partners and families make the best possible decisions. The Guide is divided into broad topic areas: “Sex and Pregnancy;” “Being a Parent;” “Managing Your Life;” and “Special Situations.” These cover critically important issue areas, including: health care; domestic violence; staying in school; custody; emancipation; and immigration. These topics are presented in an easy-to-read question-and-answer format:

· Can my parents make me leave home because I am pregnant or have a child?

· What rights does the father have?

· Can I get public benefits?

· How much can I work during the school year?

· Does it matter whether I am a United States citizen or an immigrant?

· As a foster child with custody, do I have the right to keep my child with me?

The California Pregnant and Parenting Youth Guide is a comprehensive and accessible plain language resource to assist pregnant and parenting minors in navigating access to health care, school, work and custody issues,” said Susan Berke Fogel, Director of Reproductive Health at NHeLP. “It distills the intricacies of the law and makes it understandable. It is also an invaluable reference for social workers, educators, and health care providers who advise and work with youth.”

Free quick-reference guides are available for educators, health providers, and social service professionals to guide their work with pregnant or parenting minors in California. These guides are available here.

This fall, NHeLP and Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Inc. are providing online and in-person trainings for educators, health providers, and social service and legal professionals across the state, to help familiarize them with the guides and how they can better serve pregnant and parenting youth who seek their counsel. Professionals can learn more about the trainings here.

In addition to www.PregnantYouth.info, the Guide features an interactive component for youth and adults onFacebook and on Twitter (@CATeenGuide). The Guide is available for download as a pdf file in English andSpanish, and a Spanish-language version of the website will be live this fall at www.PregnantYouth.info.

The WebMD Health Foundation and the California Endowment provided generous support for the California Pregnant and Parenting Youth Guide.

Respect for Marriage Act

2011-11-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering the Respect for Marriage Act this week. This is a no brainer for me, and always has been. This is a country of hypocrisy. Songs celebrating how we are going to go to another country and kick some butt or declaring how free we are compared to others, when every day we by law treat specific groups of people as second-class citizens. Several states in this country have risen above the nonsense and made laws allowing same sex couples to have the same right to marry as heterosexual couples. Having read the federal constitution just a couple of times in the last few years, I am still struck that anyone thinks there is anything in it that provides legal standing for a federal law dictating which U.S. citizens can or cannot marry each other. (When immigration comes to play, well, that spins things slightly differently.) The right of privacy is held to be a fundamental right by the U.S. Supreme Court. We have plenty of examples of case law where the court has written about the sanctity of marriage and this relationship within our society.

The other part of this I don't get is more pragmatic -- how does preventing same sex marriage benefit the state? Weddings are big business and most of the states who have enacted freedom of marriage laws have reaped the benefits of this racket. Married people often have children -- expensive little buggers, who consume all sorts of things -- food, water, clothing, entertainment, healthcare, etc. This causes couples to need more space, which in turn forces them to move, buy homes and so forth. Add to this family vacations, trips to visit grandma & grandpa, photo sessions, birthday parties and on and on. The Respect for Marriage Act might just provide the best jobs plan we've seen yet! And I haven't even gotten to the lucrative business of divorce.

Support the Respect for Marriage Act. Why? Because it's the right thing to do.

Taking a Walk on the Foodie Side

2011-10-31T18:11:00.001-05:00

While walking through the rain on Saturday morning (wearing the gortex Lands End gear Putnams gave me 16 years ago that continues to keep me draw as can be), I came upon a little market in the basement under a flower shop at the end of a street of row houses. Discovering the wares available for purchase in walking distance of my apartment is one of my favorite past times -- probably because it rarely occurs to me to go shopping and then when I need something the last thing I want to do is get in the car.

Now the P&C Market sets itself apart from most of the other small stores in my neighborhood. First off, it's rather tiny even for a corner store. Secondly, it's particularly geared towards foodies. They've got whole chickens that cost $26/each and a pound of ground beef for $9.99, fancy pastas, spices, and the such.

At the counter when I was purchasing a box of lemon creme ginger cookies (think oreos with lemon filling between two ginger cookies -- delicious with a hot cup of tea!) I was intrigued by a jar of skillet pumpkin sauce. The owner offered me a sample, which I accepted with delight. And what did I discover, but SHAZAM! Skillet pumpkin sauce is the perfect condiment for turkey and what better timing than between Halloween and Thanksgiving to give it a try.

Now, of course, I warned you that this is a foodie grocery store, so skillet pumpkin sauce comes with foodie prices, which most will reject on principle. Pumpkin is the number one ingredient (amazing). It's got no fat and only 15 calories a Tbsp, so I say splurge. Can't find it at a store near you, check out their website: skilletbaconjam.com (oh, I know that lifted some eyebrows...).

Scarecrow Classic 5K

2011-10-29T22:52:00.002-05:00

This morning I walked in the Scarecrow Classic to raise money for the Brain Injury Association of Maryland. I am not sure how much my participation actually raised money for the BIA, surely a little bit being that their sponsors probably covered the costs of administering the race. There are so many walks these days for all sorts of causes. In looking at the Charm City (Baltimore) runners website, it looked like there was at least one race each weekend through November. I wonder how many of them actually raise any money. I suppose every little bit helps. I think I could become a 5K junkie. Kristina and I made a resolution of sorts to run this race next year instead of walking. I've been running a little bit over the past month or so without any motivation other than improved health (which you would think is enough); however, I think picking up a 5K "habit" might actually help me ramp it up some. When I got to the car this morning I had to scrape the ice off my windshield, and Tom was concerned the race's course might be too slippery for him to run. So, I best take advantage of the VA gym's cheap rates (unfortunately, not in my building, but nearby) and sign up for payroll deductions to make it possible for me to get into running shape one treadmill mile at a time.

2011-10-28T21:59:00.001-05:00

So, I've been back in DC for two and a half months and have taken little advantage of being here. Nicole was here for months hanging out and enjoying her last few months of freedom before starting Commissioned Officer Training ("boot camp"), but none of that time involved seeing the sights. Marci just came for a long weekend from California and did touristy activities while I was at work. The best I can say I have done is visit the White House...sort of. I work a short 2 blocks from the Obama residence and occasionally get off the Metro/bus early to walk past it in the quite hours of the morning. Some mornings, like today, I get to play photographer for touring families capturing memories at hours all sane people should be sleeping. I get up at the crack of dawn these days to head to work so I can avoid commuter madness.

2011-10-28T21:41:00.004-05:00

**This one just makes me laugh and somehow also showed up saved as a draft -- of course I didn't write it.

That's so 2005: What were we thinking? Huge houses, bad mortgages, reality TV, expensive coffee -- in just a few short years, we've left a dicey legacy.
By Liz Pulliam Weston
MSN Money -- Published May 26, 2009

When you're living through them, some of the most bizarre fads can seem positively normal.
If you have any doubt, check out your parents' high school yearbook photos. (Yes, your dad really did think he was stylin' in that haircut -- and that shirt.)

With time comes perspective, but I didn't want to wait 20 or 30 years to determine what the Pet Rocks and Members Only jackets of our age would be. So I asked around, querying readers on the Your Money message board and my followers on Twitter to determine what financial trends will most embarrass us in years to come. The results are my 20 nominations for the "What were we thinking?" award:

1. McMansions: Sales of oversized houses on undersized lots soared during the real-estate boom, but the glory days of these architectural abominations may be over thanks to changing demographics and rising energy bills. Retiring baby boomers and first-time homebuyers will be the growth market, and they'll want smaller homes, not huge, expensive-to-heat starter castles. (Read about the McMansion backlash.)

2. Granite countertops: They crack. They stain. They're expensive. And yet they became the must-have kitchen accessory, as ubiquitous and predictable as stainless-steel appliances (another major pain to clean, by the way). Was it really worth spending Junior's college fund on something that looks better than it works? (See the alternatives to granite.)

3. Remodeling as an investment: Only in a world designed by Bernie Madoff, whose investors currently pray for a return of any fraction of their principal, could remodeling be considered an investment. At the housing market's peak, the most popular remodeling projects returned about 80 cents on the dollar and only if you sold soon after completion. Yet millions of Americans drained their home equity to pay for upgrades, redos and tear-downs that ultimately reduced, rather than built, their net worth. (See which projects do make sense.)

4. House porn: Whole evenings on some cable channels were devoted to shows about fixing up and flipping homes for big bucks. Today, you can tell which shows were taped post-bust: At the end, after the big "reveal," the would-be sellers are always "waiting for the perfect offer" to come in.

5. Cash-out refinancing: I wrote numerous columns warning you about tapping your home equity to pay off credit card debt, buy cars or finance vacations -- columns that usually ran alongside lender advertisements encouraging you to do exactly that. If you'd listened to me, you might have enough equity left now to refinance at some amazingly low rates. Sorry, just had to rub that in.

6. Costco closets: Speaking of weird housing trends, there was a hot one for a while in building extra pantry space to accommodate bulk purchases from warehouse stores. So you'd save $12 on your paper towels, then store the monster package in a $12,000 specially designed closet. Now that we've discovered real thrift -- buying less, rather than more -- maybe these closets can be converted to a room for the boarder that the McMansion owners need to make their payments. (If you truly need items in bulk, you're probably wondering which warehouse club is cheaper.)

7. Zero-down financing: Saving cash for a down payment indicates a borrower has at least rudimentary money management skills. Lenders forgot how important that was, but they've since remembered.

8. Option ARM mortgages: BusinessWeek rightly called these loans "nightmare mortgages" in September 2006, just as the real-estate bubble was about to burst. But that didn't prevent homebuyers in high-priced markets from snapping up these mortgages that allowed their balances to grow over time.
Many will reset to much higher payments at the five-year mark, which could worsen the foreclosure crisis.

9. Condos as investments: In 2005, I warned you that the run-up in condo prices was "the tech-stock bubble all over again." Yet way too many people got sucked into the condo boom, paying top dollar for properties that were, ultimately, ugly stepsisters of what the real-estate people actually want: single-family homes. As in past real-estate recessions, condo prices have fallen faster and will take longer to recover. That's something to remember if you're considering swooping in on any "bargains."

10. Credit card debt: The explosion of easy credit, starting in the early 1990s, culminated with widespread offers of 0% balance transfers and low, supposedly "fixed" rates. Now millions are learning that whatever credit card issuers gave, they're apt to take away, and that includes low rates and generous lines of credit.

11. Birkin bags: There are many, many poster children for consumer excess. Manolo Blahnik shoes. Gucci sunglasses. Hermès scarves. But a handbag that costs more than some cars will suffice nicely. ("Retail price: $18,000. Our price: $12,000.") If you have this much money to blow, you should be donating it to your local food bank.

12. "The Secret": This mega-best-seller insisted you could think your way to wealth and a smaller waistline. I'm not going to knock the value of visualization, because clearly imagining your goal is a crucial first step. But the idea that you could get what you want without any effort or discipline was a clear sign the bubble was about to burst.

13. Finance plans for plastic surgery: I actually laughed out loud the first time a company tried to pitch me its low-cost financing plan for cosmetic surgery procedures. Surely people wouldn't be so dumb as to risk their financial lives, as well as their physical lives, for unnecessary and elective procedures? Shows you what I know. Now lenders as mainstream as Capital One have "health care finance" units, although the demand has drained away along with the economy.

14. Reality TV: Speaking of McMansions and plastic surgery, our national obsession with how the rich and vapid live is going to be tough to explain to future generations. Whether it's dysfunctional rock stars or the real housewives of anywhere, it will be hard for our descendants to understand why we wasted hours watching the conspicuous consume.

15. Mega-SUVs: Their very names -- Sequoia, Yukon, Escalade, Expedition, Hummer -- are now synonymous with excess, but years from now we'll wonder how anyone justified these massive, gas-guzzling "screw yous" to the environment and to anyone who tried to park (or drive) next to them.

16. "Underwater" cars: I'm not talking about the vehicles that drowned during Hurricane Katrina. I'm talking about the many, many cars that drowned their owners in debt. Before the auto industry rolled over and died, it puffed up profits by encouraging people to overspend on cars -- which they did, with a vengeance. Many thought replacing cars every three to five years was "normal," rather than a huge waste of money, but incomes weren't growing to keep up with rising car prices. So more than 80% of car loans stretched beyond four years, and one in four car buyers still owed money on their trade-ins. Now that people are hanging on to cars longer, perhaps they'll discover the joys of life without car payments. We can hope. (See "The real reason you're broke.")

17. $4, four-adjective coffee: However much you love your soy no-whip mocha frappawhatsit, you've got to admit how nuts it is to pay good money for ingredients that probably cost Starbucks 50 cents.
And that's before you even consider the calorie count. (See "Death of the 'latte factor'?")

18. Massive plasma TVs: Screens that dwarf the rooms they inhabit started as a status symbol of the very wealthy. But the desire for huge screens quickly worked its way down to folks who would pay for all that acreage many, many times over, thanks to stupidly high credit card interest rates.

19. Deregulation: Conflicts of interest and allegations of fraud led to the creation of a wall between commercial banks and investment banks during the Great Depression. In 1999, Congress demolished the wall by repealing the Glass-Steagall Act that had created it. The idea was that we had long since learned our lesson, that we wouldn't let bad things happen again and that modern finance required banks to have more flexibility to manage risk. Oops. (See "An ugly, unrecognizable recession.")

20. Las Vegas: I actually have no hope whatsoever that this monument to excess will ever go away. Built on delusions of easy wealth, soaking up resources of every kind (electricity, water, paychecks, home equity), this city has reinvented itself so many times -- including, horrifically, as a family destination in the 1990s -- to ever count it out, despite its current troubles. But a city based on the squandering of wealth really should be allowed to melt back into the desert from which it came. (See "Is 'Sin City' poised for a comeback?")

Liz Pulliam Weston is the Web's most-read personal-finance writer. She is the author of several books, most recently "Your Credit Score: Your Money; What's at Stake." Weston's award-winning columns appear every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on MSN Money.

What's Up in Wisconsin?

2011-10-28T21:32:00.002-05:00

**For some reason this posting was lost in cyberspace for months and suddenly appeared on my blog. I decided to publish it anyway. If you click on the photo of the Wisconsin protests on the sidebar it will take you to a bunch of photos of the protests in the spring.

For those of you not living in Wisconsin and perhaps particularly Madison where much of the hoopla is happening -- although, not exclusively, there have been several large and small communities hosting their own protests and rallies around the budget repair bill -- I thought I would post some information.

What is all the fuss about?
Read the Budget Repair Bill -- if you read the introductory section before the bill you will get a good overview of the technical details within it.

Is this about balancing the budget or busting unions?
Governor Walker claims this is about balancing the budget not busting unions. But if that were true why was Gov. Walker unwilling to accept the compromise proposed by Sen. Schultz (R-Richland Center), which would suspend collective bargaining for two years while balancing the budget and then letting it automatically reinstate? The increase in pension and health care contributions would have remained permanent under this compromise.

In addition the following provisions of the bill affecting unions have no fiscal impact BUT play significant roles in the future strength of unions:
1. Requirement that unions be certified every year -- Under current law once a union is certified (meaning it was voted into power by those whom it represents) it remains certified until a petition signed by approximately one-third of those represented called for an election to "decertify" the union.

2. Requirement that union receive 51% of ALL eligible collective bargain unit members -- This means that any person eligible to vote in a union certification election who would abstain/not participate would be automatically counted as a "no" vote (significant change from current law). Under current law an employee has to vote in the election to be counted.

3. Abolishment of union dues being deducted from payroll checks -- Under current law union dues are allowed to be deducted from payroll making collection of union dues more efficient and consistent. If payroll deductions are no longer allowed, the unions will have a more difficult time collecting the dues which fund their collective bargaining activities.

4. Abolishment of requirement that all collective bargaining unit members pay their "fair share" of union dues -- Current law requires everyone who works where a union represents them pay the portion of union dues that covers the collective bargaining activities of the union. No one is required to be a member of the union, just pay for these collective bargaining actions. Anyone who is a full voting member of the union pays significantly more for events and lobbying activities.

But isn't the problem that public employees get paid too much?
The Economic Policy Institute did a study last year that speaks to public v. private employment compensation. Now that this issue has hit the media they have done state specific studies on Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey and California. You can find them all at the above link.

Important Note: Wisconsin's public employees are not refusing to increase their contributions to pension funds and health care coverage. What they are protesting is Gov. Walker extinguishing their collective bargaining rights. They want Gov. Walker to meet them at the bargaining table.

Aren't unions a thing of the past?
We can thank unions for the 40-hour work week, the 8-hour day, minimum wage, worker safety laws, etc. But now that there are federal laws about most of these things, aren't unions obsolete? Unions act as the representatives of employees at the bargaining table with management. They bargain about wages, health coverage, pensions...AND overtime, sick days (paid or unpaid), vacation, worker safety, role of seniority in promotion and work force reductions and perhaps most importantly with resolving workplace issues.

Hundreds of local government leaders oppose the budget repair bill because they believe collective bargaining is part of the solution in solving workplace problems. Mayors and school district supervisors do not want collective bargaining to be stripped from their employees. They argue that collective bargaining does not have any fiscal implications and these rights should remain in tact.

Well, what exactly is collective bargaining?
Collective bargaining rights bring management and employees (represented by unions) together to negotiate or bargain for compensation, benefits and working conditions. Both parties are expected to come to the bargaining table in good faith with the intention to work out an agreement. However, NO ONE is required to accept or offer anything. Collective bargaining places no fiscal responsibilities on either the employer or the employees (represented by the unions). It forces a conversation when it would otherwise be easier to avoid the conversation but it places no demands on what is discussed or the end result.

2011 Recipient of the Cari Sietstra Award for Excellence in Organizing

2011-02-11T16:18:00.000-06:00

I was surprised and honored at last nights Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice meeting to learn I had been chosen as the 2011 recipient of the Cari Sietstra Award for Excellence in Organizing. This award is given in honor of the founder of LSRJ to a member or chapter who has demonstrated excellence in campus organizing in the last three semesters. Considering the amazing women (primarily) I have met through my participation in LSRJ, I am deeply humbled to receive this award amongst the members of more than 80 chapters around the country. [Watch the above video of Sabrina's presentation if you want to hear more.]

Upon entering law school there was only one remaining active member of the Wisconsin LSRJ Chapter, but Margaret's commitment shown bright and she successfully pulled Audrey, Chris, Kristy and myself into the fold. That year we worked with the Village Health Project to sponsor the Condom Casino raising funds to support clean birthing kits in refugee campus and hygiene products for girls in Uganda (to keep them in school through menstration cycles). We also put on what had been a controversial Sex Toys program during the Spring 2008 semester, tabled about the importance of access to birth control, sold handmade soaps and put together a booth for the Sexual Health Fair in April on Library Mall. What a great beginning!

I was elected President of the Wisconsin Chapter in April of 2009 and stayed in that role until December 2010. Over the course of that year and a half, we have successfully tripled the active members of the organization and established a path for chapter longevity at Wisconsin. Last year we put on our first Sex Trivia Night at Plan B raising money for the new Planned Parenthood health clinic in Madison and hosted programs on: eugenics and rhetoric, current legislative state of Roe and access to family planning services, faith and reproductive justice and how these issues can be part of a legal career. Susie orchestrated a week of activities around National Back Up Your Birth Control Week that resulted in the chapter winning the Campus Challenge -- a $250 prize and recognition on the NARAL Pro-Choice New York website. Our final event of the year was a booth at the All-Campus Party creating a photo campaign of messages about sexual assault (April is Sexual Assault Awareness month), button making and our usual distribution of condoms and candy.

Over the past two years we also established coalitions with the Dane County Coalition for Women's Health, Wisconsin's Reproductive Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the Wisconsin Women's Network, as well as campus organizations like Medical Students for Choice, the International Socialist Organization, and Advocates for Choice. Working in partnership with local organizations -- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health -- has allowed us to put our advocacy skills to practice on campaigns for comprehensive sex education in Wisconsin and access to abortion services in Wisconsin.

My efforts this year poured primarily into planning of the 2011 LSRJ Midwest Regional Conference, "Reproductive Justice Through the Looking Glass: Moving from Issues to Solutions," held January 29th at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Thanks to our wonderful speakers and the overwhelming support of the Wisconsin LSRJ Chapter this event was a GIGANTIC success! We were so thrilled to have so many guests from our Regional LSRJ Chapters with us.

Currently I am a semi-finalist for the Reproductive Justice Fellowship sponsored by LSRJ. Should I receive this fellowship I will be placed in an organization in Washington, DC that works on reproductive justice policy. I should know within the next few weeks whether or not this will become a reality for me.

LSRJ has been a significant part of my law school experience, and I am ever grateful for the practitioners who have invited me into their work spaces to help me learn and grow as an RJ advocate, policy maker and future lawyer. I remain committed to using my legal education to advance the position of women and children throughout the world.

Thanks, LSRJ for helping me get a step closer!
Laura

Violence against Native American Women Shocking

2010-03-10T11:01:00.002-06:00

I wrote this entry for the LSRJ blog, but thought I would post it here, too for a different audience. I have been to three unique events at the law school in the past two weeks that have left me feeling discouraged, called to action and confident that my choice to work in health law is the right one.

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

As I sat in the audience at Friday’s symposium on “Law, Gender & Citizenship: Contemporary Issues for American Indians and American Immigrants,” I was shocked by what I learned about the endemic sexual violence perpetrated against Native American women in the United States. Data indicates that a minimum of one out of three Native American women has been the victim of sexual violence. One of the speakers shared that in conducting her research she had yet to talk with a Native American woman who had not been the victim of sexual violence. Research further shows that 80% of perpetrators of these crimes are non-Native American persons. High rates of women being violently sexually assaulted by men not of her ethnic or racial group, like this, are the type of statistics I have come to associate with war zones rather than common life experiences.

The violence perpetrated against Native American women, however, is only one of the many offenses carried out against them. The U.S. government under the responsibilities assigned to Indian Health Services (HIS) is responsible for providing all health care services Native American Indians. However, the U.S. government and IHS have failed to meet this mandate. Native American Indians must often travel long distances to reach health facilities whose services are limited.

In many cases when a Native American woman is sexually assaulted there is either no rape kit available at the health facility, or no trained nurse to administer a rape kit that may be available. IHS is not required to stock Emergency Contraception or Plan B, an important element of compassionate care for sexual assault victims. Plan B allows the victim some protection against unintended pregnancy. Native American women also have no access to abortion services under IHS because the Hyde Amendment bans the use of federal funding for abortions. So even where a woman is able to get an abortion due to rape, a Native American woman who relies on IHS for health care is prevented from doing so.

Adding to the weight of these traumatic experiences is Native American women’s lack of recourse against the perpetrators. Tribal courts no longer have jurisdiction over any non-Native persons. This means that for a Native American woman to attempt to find just in the judicial system, she must turn to the U.S. state court system that has jurisdiction over the perpetrator. Considering the history of abuse of authority on the part of U.S. government officials there is little reason for Native American women to have any faith or trust in the state court system bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to trial (let alone the hurdles for all sexual assault cases in trying to reach a guilty of verdict).

Next month is Sexual Assault Awareness month and our Wisconsin LSRJ Chapter is planning a number of activities to raise awareness. But awareness is just the first step. After awareness the more important question becomes, “what am I going to do about it?”

**I want to thank the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society for organizing the symposium that brought this issue to my attention, and to Rebecca Hart, whose presentation “Federal Reservations: Sexual Violence Against Native American Women and the Denial of Reproductive Healthcare Services,” fueled much of this thought.

Favorite Movies of 2009

2009-12-27T13:13:00.002-06:00

Being that I work in a movie theater I have benefitted from seeing quite a few films at my pleasure this year. Some of my favorites have been the one I am watching with my parents and Nicole right now...Julie and Julia. While some people find the story of Julie unappealing, I found the entire film inspiring. Check it out!

Others that top my favorites of the year list:

Defiance

Waltz with Bashir

Taken

Monsters v. Aliens

State of Play

Sunshine Cleaning

Moon

Paper Heart

The Bloom Brothers

The Proposal

500 Days of Summer

The September Issue

Adam

Whip It

An Education

Coco Before Chanel

I am sure there are more. Unfortunately, I missed what I heard were many excellent films these past few months due to my course load.

Still Writing

2009-12-27T13:00:00.002-06:00

I realized I haven't posted anything here since I realized all my professors this term were female. How did it all go? Well, I am still working on a paper due at the end of the month. It was without a doubt the most demanding academic term I have ever experienced. I guess that's some evidence of the old saying, "Women have to do things twice as well to be considered half as good." Rather, I think I benefitted from a term of some excellent thinkers who pushed and pulled at the corners of my mind. There were moments when I wasn't sure I could endure the constance of it all (and I really wish this paper was done), but with the support of others I made it through.

Law with the Ladies

2009-09-03T17:43:00.002-05:00

It struck me today as I was sitting in my first class of Law, Science and Biotechnology that all my law professors this semester are women. Even in my clinical at the Center for Patient Partnership most of the staff from whom my supervisor and resources will come are women. In remembering back to my undergraduate education, I can only recall having three female professors over the course of four years. The Politics Department in which I spent most of my time studying and working was directed by three men -- all wonderful in their own rights and people for whom I hold a good deal of esteem and gratitude. At the same time, today on my 36th birthday I felt encouraged by the notion that my education this term was going to be led by women.

In addition to Law, Science and Biotechnology, I will be studying Constitutional Law II (focuses on the first and fourteenth amendments), Administrative Law (government/agency law), and Mediation (hands-on skills course). With almost of all these courses I could have just as easily taken them with a male professor. I didn't specifically choose to take any of these courses with a female professor, except one. Having taken the optional political science courses in high school and majored in politics in college (all with male teachers), I was desperate to take Constitutional Law with a female professor. In the Spring term we were placed in Con Law I sections based on our electives so I was not able to choose my professor (it was still a good course). So, it became even more important to me to study Con Law II with a female professor.

Maybe it won't matter at all. Maybe it will make me feel very differently about the law. I don't know how it will affect me, if at all, but I have a feeling I will in a matter of weeks. Stay tuned.

The birth of a baby and health care needs

2009-09-01T15:18:00.003-05:00

My nephew Bryce was born on Sunday night, five days early. He is the first grandson in the family, joining his cousin Maria Loraine (who is approaching her first birthday), in the family's "next" generation. Young Bryce has already experienced some health issues and has been in the NICU for the past day or so. As I think about this, I don't worry so much about Bryce's health or the care he is getting at the hospital, or even how concerned my brother and his wife must be right now. What keeps rolling around in my mind is how expensive all of this must be and how much better off Bryce and his parents would be right now if we had universal health care.

The media is always spreading stories about how horrid life in the U.S. would be if we had universal health insurance. They find the one story out of thousands about a bad experience someone had with health care in a country that has such a health care system, and treat it as if it is the norm. I never see articles written about Americans who have lived abroad in or emigrated from countries with universal health care describing their experiences with these systems. Why? Because the overwhelming experience of these Americans is positive and it's not popular to spread a message in support of a public plan.

Will someone please give all the wealthy people in this country who are moaning about a public option muzzles. Universal health care isn't for the wealthy. It's for the rest of us. The wealthy will still pay for private insurance and go to doctors and hospitals of their choices that provide for them on demand.

But universal health insurance makes it possible for the majority of people in a country to not have to worry about how they will provide health care for themselves and their families. It also separates health care from employment. Would someone please tell me what employment has to do with health care? Until we answer this question with some intelligence and thoughtfulness, we are never going to reform our health care system.

While my nephew sits in NICU healing I should be able to focus on his progress and the family's well-being. Unfortunately, we don't have universal health care, so I keep wondering and worrying...what is this going to cost and will the insurance cover it?

Summer Stroll

2009-07-17T11:58:00.002-05:00

Perhaps it's only because law school life is so hectic, but this summer has seemed like something of a stroll. I am thankful it is still July and there is time to enjoy some of what summer offers before the madness takes over again. One of the delights of being a student is that while we live on over-drive most of the time, we also have opportunities to cast off all responsibilities and take in life around us. Well, I suppose this too is reserved for that special group of students who are living on student aid, not attached to anyone, nor responsible for anyone, except themselves. Thankfully, this still includes me!

I Do Not Deserve Your Tolerance by David Badash

2009-07-09T13:55:00.001-05:00

January 13, 2009 · in Discrimination, Marriage, Politics

I am an American citizen. I pay taxes. I vote. I have a passport. I volunteer my time and voice and donate money to charities or causes I believe in. I have a college degree from a pretty good school. For most of the time since I was fifteen I have worked, often 60 - 80 hours a week. I am in a committed relationship. I try to call my mother a few times a week. I hold the door open for anyone in front of or behind me. I’m generally the last one out of the elevator. I’ve contacted my local government when I believed something needed improvement. I have good, long-term friendships. I’ve given money to friends who needed help. I’ve lent countless items to friends, assuming they will not be returned. I’ve worked to help people I know who were in crisis get through the next day. I’ve sat on the phone for hours with people who were depressed. I have a dog, the second one I’ve rescued from a shelter. I feed and walk him, a lot. I pick up after him, every time. I am called upon to help or give an opinion several times a week. I’ve done jury duty. I have never been arrested. I am financially self-sufficient. I have a few credit cards. I have an apartment. I have homeowners’ insurance. When I needed a car for work I got one, kept it in good shape, kept it insured. I have a home air purifier. I take vitamins. I try to eat well and take care of myself physically and mentally. I have a primary care physician. I always bring a gift to a host or hostess when I am invited into their home. I say “please”, “thank you”, and, too often I’m told, “I’m sorry.” I sometimes send out Christmas cards. I call friends to say “Happy Thanksgiving”. I, not infrequently, get calls from people who used to work for me asking if I would given them a reference. I rarely say “no”. I rarely say “no” when asked to do anything for someone. No one knows this, but I am the only person in my building of over 300 apartments who calls the laundry company when the machines break. I sometimes go into the recycling bins and re-sort them when my neighbors mix paper and plastic. I always leave a good tip, usually more than 20%. I don’t yell at waiters or waitresses, though I have yelled at drivers who run red lights. I keep my TV and music at a reasonable level, especially late at night so I don’t disturb my neighbors. I’ve installed dimmers in my home to conserve electricity. I have a checking and a savings account. I almost always pay my bills on time. I have an excellent credit rating. I tip all the doormen and maintenance people in my building at Christmas. I’ve lived in the same apartment for nine years. I backup my computer. I buy extended warranties on expensive electronics. I try to share information as often as I can. I generally pay more than my share when going out to dinner with friends. I generally return calls within twenty-four hours. I keep my home reasonably clean. I subscribe to a daily newspaper, and try to read it almost every day. I keep abreast of current events. I receive my news from a wide variety of sources. When disagreeing with someone, I try to remain civil and respectful. I take my dog to the dog park several times a week. I know he would like to go more often. I compliment strangers sometimes. I call restaurants to cancel if I can’t keep my reservation. I try to validate my friend’s feelings and listen to their thoughts openly. I rarely boast or brag. I try to patronize local businesses. Although it’s hard for me to say this, I’m pretty certain I will have left somewhat of a positive impact on the world by the time I’m gone. I scattered my father’s ashes where he wanted me to. I flew with my family to attend my grandmother’s funeral. I was captain of the safety patrol in sixth grade. I was president of the theatre society in high school. I wrote to my congressmen to help save the dolphins from tuna fishermen when I was a boy. I want to get married. I can’t, because I’m gay.

I grew up feeling sad and different and sometimes ashamed.

I no longer am sad, I’m glad I’m different, and I’ll be damned if I’ll ever be ashamed of who I am or what I believe. Because what I believe is that we are all the same. We are all equal. We all deserve to love and have our love recognized.

I think I’m a pretty good person. I know I’m as good as anyone else. I have done little enough wrong to deserve your forgiveness. I’ve done nothing that deserves your pity. And I know that I am good enough to not deserve your tolerance.

Tolerance is for someone who doesn’t know better, like my dog who likes to jump on people. Tolerance is for someone whose views negatively impact your life, like people who want to stop me from loving the man I love, with all my heart. I do not want your tolerance. I do not deserve your tolerance. I will not accept your tolerance, any longer. What I will do is my best to ensure that we are all given equality and the legal right to love and marry the person who loves us back. From now on I will tolerate nothing less.

Feeling Brighter, Matters Little

2009-06-21T14:41:00.003-05:00

I decided to do myself a favor this time around and wait until all my grades were accounted for before checking how I did in the spring semester. It was a much happier vision this time around, and I found myself feeling brighter. But then I realized it matters little. Cumulatively, I will probably never recover from the damage done. While I do not meditate on my grades, I cannot ignore them. They are a factor in setting a course for getting to wherever I want to be come May 2011. As usual the problem remains answering that vital question, "where's that?"

Thus far I see promise in the practice of health law, although, I don't want to pigeon hole myself. I continue to feel that even in practicing law, I will need to be in a dynamic environment offering multiple types of services -- direct legal services, advocacy, community education, etc. Being that we begin applying and interviewing for the jobs we will have next summer by the end of this summer, it is a question I need to spend time pondering. Then again, maybe it matters little.

A Force to be Reckon

2009-06-11T13:24:00.002-05:00

In only two short weeks working at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin I feel a renewed sense of self as a woman. To walk into an office every day where women are feminine in style and empowered in their work is extremely inspiring to me. When I think about places where women get to celebrate their complete selves in this manner, I am pulled towards the fashion industry, the arts and entertainment. But here I was today walking into the Wisconsin State Capital in a row of women unapologetically dressed in glittery belts, wrapped and ruffled skirts, stylish tops and heels rising high, prepared to address the pressing health care needs included in the state's proposed budget. I felt like we were a frame out of Sex and the City or Lipstick Jungle, and I was so proud.

I don't want a job that forces me to put on a non-descript suit every morning and blend in with the crowd. I want to dress in a way that inspires me to be and bring my absolute best self to work every morning.

Right Where I Belong

2009-06-02T16:22:00.003-05:00

On Sunday Dr. Tiller was murdered in his church while greeting members and distributing bulletins. On Monday I walked into a somber Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI) office to start my summer legal internship. I don't think I have ever felt more sure of what I was doing. I believe in God. I also believe whole-heartedly in a woman's right to choose. More importantly I believe in the separation of church and state in its modern sense. If your faith tells you that abortion is sinful, then don't have one. Full stop. No one's faith gives him the right to dictate someone else's health care choices, especially those of someone who does not share his faith. That's the beauty and challenge of democracy! Dr. Tiller was murdered in church. Yes, this man who performed abortions for decades was a church-going man. He believed in God. He also believed in women's rights to have access to comprehensive health care. Guess what? Women can and do get pregnant. Sometimes they choose to see that pregnancy to term and sometimes they do not. There are lots of reasons for both choices.

If you want to prevent abortions in this country then call your state legislature and tell them you want comprehensive, accurate sex education taught in all schools. Tell them you want teenagers to have access to birth control 'cause guess what -- they are having sex whether you like it or not. Tell them you think pharmacies should be able to distribute birth control to women without a prescription (a pap smear is not medically required to determine someone is a good candidate for any type of birth control -- ask your doctor). One of the biggest hurdles to women who don't have birth control is the cost of a medical appointment. Ensure Emergency Contraception is available in pharmacies and on campus. Insists that pharmacists are required to fill all medically correct and legal prescriptions for contraceptives. In the U.S. 50% of all pregnancies each year are unintended and 50% of those end in abortion. The best way to prevent abortions is to prevent unintended pregnancy.

Below is the message distributed by Planned Parenthood after Dr. Tiller's death.

Planned Parenthood Mourns the Death of Dr. George Tiller
Tragedy underscores the risks and quiet courage our area physicians enlist to provide safe, legal and compassionate reproductive health care

The entire Planned Parenthood family is deeply saddened by the horrific murder of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those close to him who are suffering a personal tragedy.

Dr. Tiller provided the highest quality of medical care and deep compassion for his patients. While he was not a Planned Parenthood provider, Dr. Tiller provided critical reproductive health care services, including abortion care, to women facing some of the most tragic medical circumstances.

He was continually harassed by abortion opponents for much of his career - his clinic was burned down, he was shot in both arms by a health center protestor, and he was recently targeted for investigation only to be acquitted by a jury just a few months ago. None of this stopped Dr. Tiller from his commitment to providing women and their families with compassionate care that others were unwilling to offer.

In Wisconsin, we have a very unfortunate, very real example of the dangers faced by physicians and health care facilities that courageously provide these necessary services for women and families who have nowhere else to turn.

For the past six months, anti-choice extremist organizations, including Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin, have been targeting the Madison Surgery Center in an effort to intimidate them into not providing critical abortion care. Their tactics have included ongoing protests, inflammatory rhetoric, and most recently paid advertising in a Madison newspaper.

While publicly condemning the murder of Dr. Tiller, anti-choice extremist groups continue a smear campaign against reproductive medical providers in Madison, including the naming of a doctor in a slanderous ad last week. This was the third of three ads placed by Wisconsin Right to Life to harass and intimidate all those involved with the Madison Surgery Center and its commitment to ensuring that all Wisconsin families continue to have access to the full range of reproductive health care they need to manage their lives and health.

These public attacks put the safety of abortion providers and the surrounding community at risk.

Dr. Tiller’s death is an enormous loss for the patients who relied on him, his dedicated staff, and the medical community. And it is also a loss for each of us who regarded Dr. Tiller as a courageous provider who prevailed against unbelievable adversity. His death unfortunately also serves as a sobering reminder of the potential impact of the irresponsible and inflammatory tactics being used in our own backyard.

The 1L has Risen

2009-05-20T10:50:00.002-05:00

In the second semester of each law school year the legal community begins to refer to students as "rising" for the coming year. So, I have been a "rising 2L" for a few months now. Organizations encourage rising 2L's and rising 3L's to apply for positions on their executive boards, to take part in writing competitions, and to participate in conferences.

In my own pursuits I applied to be a member of the national Law Students for Reproductive Justice board, and while I was not selected, I have been invited to speak at their national institute in July in Pennsylvania on chapter development. It's an exciting opportunity for me personally and the Wisconsin LSRJ Chapter! Of course nothing comes without complications and there is a loss in this gain in that it conflicts with the only truly important event on my summer calendar.

On the same thread of thought, I have switched employment for the summer. I will now be interning with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. I had contacted them late in 2008 about potential internship opportunities, however, it was only in late April that they let me know they had something available. Thankfully I was able to transfer the funding I had been granted through the University to this new position. The work I will do with PPAWI fits directly into my goals of putting my law degree to use to further access to health care, particularly for women and children. PPAWI has not decided which projects I will work on this summer, however, everything we discussed relates directly to access to health resources, comprehensive education, and health care reform in the larger sense. I feel blessed to have this opportunity come along, and intend to utilize it for all it is worth.

I am currently in the midst of working on my Law Review application. Exams ended on Friday last week and after taking a few days to enjoy time with friends and recuperate from exams, I am back to the books. We have two weeks to complete our applications, so it is not a completely mad rush to the finish line. Next week I am also going to start taking a one-credit Professional Responsibility course during the 3-week intercession. It's just like the block plan all over again -- we only got 1 credit for all those classes, too! I met the faculty teaching the course during a panel on women and the law, and am looking forward to getting to know her better through this course. PR is a requirement for graduation and the bar, so I wanted to get it done with sooner than later.

Amongst all of this I also continue to look for opportunities on campus to reduce my debt (though graduate assistant type positions). I had an interview last week for one position, but wasn't selected. My application is in for a third position, and I have two pending opportunities into which I am making inquiries. I am not willing to apply to any and every position which comes along, but only to those where my specialized skills are well-matched to what they seek. Law school is challenging enough without trying to learn an entirely separate set of skills to do along with it. Unfortunately, the economy has increased the demand for these types of positions and there seem to be on average 100 applications for any position posted.

At the end of it all, though, my first year of law school has ended. For all of you who have heard about the horrors of law school, don't believe it. Yes, I think law school is painful for a good percentage of the students enduring it. However, for those of us who had made very conscious choices to be there, it was much more enjoyable. I loved it all and am very glad I made the decision to come.

May Madness

2009-05-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

May Madness for first year law students is a bit like March Madness for the NBA -- non-stop pressure. Classes are over for the year. Tomorrow begins the second series of final exams, which we are constantly told set the pace for our legal careers. No biggie. While I still feel little pressure compared to those aiming for firm jobs, I would like to perform better this round for me. My study group has been diligently preparing for the past few weeks, organizing notes, creating outlines, going over test problems, and so forth. All that's left is a sense of calm, a good night's sleep, and a hardy breakfast to carry us through. And if that doesn't work there is always the free sugar rush provided by the law school in the form of donuts. Wish us well...all of us. I don't think much about the fact that we are all competing against each other for our grades, but we are. Hopefully the efforts we put into this semester will prove fruitful over the next few weeks.

Don't let the constitution catch you with your pants down!

2009-04-13T21:23:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite hobbies these days is searching the New York Times every morning for articles related to my course work. Yep, that's how big of a nerd I really am! Plus, I still get the newspaper in paper form unlike most of my peers who read it online (if they read it).

This morning I came across what has been my most amusing find...http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/us/13pants.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=ordinance%20against%20low%20pants%20unconstitutional%20florida&st=cse

[You can also find this link below in my links section.]

Constitutional Law I has been the saving grace of my second semester in law school, and I am thankful to know there are more opportunities to dive into its subject matter coming in the Fall 2009 semester (Constitutional Law II and Administration Law...yippee!). Until then, though, I will continue to amuse myself with due process as it applies to young men wearing their pants with their bums hanging out.

Getting Healthy in the Law

2009-03-04T14:08:00.005-06:00

What a relief to know what I am doing this summer! Of course I still have to figure out how to support myself through it as my internship with the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence is unpaid. I didn't intend for law school to be lucrative for me, but there is still a need to cover the basics -- rent and food. I am basically putting my hopes on a Public Interest grant from the law school. I am particularly excited to have a legal mentor who is a career attorney.

My internship choice is part of my efforts to build a specialty of purpose in my law school education. First and foremost I need to learn how to write and speak well -- in legal terms. One of my struggles has been unlearning my long acquired skills in these areas to be able to effectively execute them in the legal realm. Secondly, I feel it is to my benefit to develop a knowledge base in a particular area of law. I am careful not to tailor my "expertise" too narrowly. Thus far I have been focusing on issues related to the health of the individual.

Health law is a growing field. Not one to disappear anytime soon and an area of law that affects us all. I am trying to take advantage of opportunities to learn more about health law and the health industry in general.

I interviewed with ABC for Health, Inc. (a non-profit firm) that provides direct service to clients, provides community education, and does legal advocacy. An internship with them would provide a broad introduction to health law. They offer multiple opportunities to work with them, so I asked them to hold my resume and will try to work with them during the academic year as opposed to the summer.

Last week I attended a reception at Quarles & Brady where I spoke with some of the attorneys about my interest in health law. It was particularly useful to speak with someone who directly works in this area now. Health law is so broad. Not being firm-centric it was extremely valuable to think about the ways in which I may be limiting myself by not considering the positive work firms do related to the health industry.

Law Students for Reproductive Justice (LSRJ) also co-hosted a condom casino last week to raise money for two women's health projects in Africa. LSRJ was the first student organization I joined in the law school, and I am so glad I did. Without a doubt it has been the most influential, non-classroom experience I have had this year. This semester I have participated in educational programs sponsored by the medical school, attended a rally to support a UW abortion clinic, been a guest on campus radio "Gender Talk", and helped raise funds for health projects in Africa. LSRJ allows me to put to action now why I am in law school. LSRJ has been a great outlet for getting to know other students on campus, too.

I think the Patient Partnership Program, a clinic involving medical, pharmacy, and law students, would be another great opportunity to learn about health law while building relationships across campus. Unfortunately there is no funding for this clinic, so it wasn't a choice for me this summer. Instead, I hope to be able to take advantage of it during an academic year. In addition, I am going to check out the public health program to see if there are any courses which would be particularly useful in building my knowledge. I figure it will serve me well to leave law school with as big as a network as I can create, including those working in other areas of the health industry.

Gone Shooting

2009-02-23T14:57:00.002-06:00

On Friday I went with some law school friends to the Deerfield Range and learned to shoot a gun. It's difficult for me to put this experience into words. If you have never fired a gun, it is a memorable experience. I have wanted to learn how to shoot a gun for some time. Why? In the event I would be in a situation where a gun would be present, just knowing some of the basics of gun care and function gives me a sense of calm. Of course there are many different types of guns, and I have no idea how similar or different they are in their functions.

I learned how to shoot a gun from someone who was trained in the law enforcement. She is a good teacher and made the experience as good as it could be. I appreciated that everyone I was with seemed to take gun safety seriously and made a point of ensuring I knew a few basic principles to keep me and everyone else safe.

I don't know what I expected in learning to shoot, but it was more than a little overwhelming. After the first shot, I put the gun down and felt like I didn't need to do it again. Thankfully, I was pushed to continue to fire all the bullets in the gun, so I could really get a sense of shooting. It's not exactly intimidating, but the magnitude of the power in my hands weighed heavily on my mind.

Interestingly enough, I am actually a good shot. I listened to what I was told to do and just like the good student I aim to be, followed through with precision. My shots were consistent and my aim was accurate. For what it's worth, I guess I could be good at it if I wanted to be.

Not sure that's something in my future.

Drive Right Up

2009-02-05T08:53:00.003-06:00

For some reason it is a BIG deal that Middleton has recently opened the first Sonic Drive-In in Wisconsin. Did anyone else realize Wisconsin was void of Sonics? Apparently, they did. I went to a Sonic once. Can't remember where. It wasn't that memorable. Maybe I went in the wrong frame of mind -- probably thinking I was going to be eating some rather low-grade food, prepared by teenagers with no culinary skills. Hmm, shocking it wasn't a more momentous occasion.

But now that Sonic has landed in my backyard, perhaps I need to take a second look. A law school classmate of mine claims she had a grand time at Sonic (no, she didn't actually say "grand time," but you get the point). In fact she shared that Sonic was so busy they had to have someone directing traffic. A definite sign of a true event. Reminds me of when the Krispy Creme opened in Vernon Hills (or that area)...mad rush for a sugar rush!

Of course I Googled this non-sense to find out what Sonic had to offer me. What I found was that I could spend my days immersed in Sonic without even patronizing the establishment. I could join several Facebook groups (well, if I was on Facebook) and a few My Space groups (oops, I closed that account). However, the opportunity which would be the most fun would require going to Sonic. And it's a GREAT marketing ploy. Are you ready?

We can go to Sonic, take photos of us doing whatever one does at Sonic (mostly sitting in the car, I think), and put them up on the Sonic web. I can advertise Sonic for them by showing what a great time I had at Sonic. This is along the same vein as wearing clothing with the name of the company who made it all over it. Not quite as overt. Hmmm? National fame at the price of a small concession of granting Sonic free marketing. It's a tough choice. I just might do it.

Disolutionment

2009-01-21T08:50:00.003-06:00

As much as one prepares for the inevitable, it's still relatively heart-breaking to see one's grades in law school...well, at least for some of us, me included. Without a doubt the worst grades I have ever earned in my entire life. It's difficult to make sense out of having one of the most stimulating academic experience (and I've had a lot of these) and find the end result to be the least fulfilling. I didn't fail out, but I certainly didn't earn any grades that are worth talking about. Thankfully, it isn't my goal to work for a big law firm. We've been told repeatedly that these first-semester grades are extremely important for getting those first jobs. Those of us more interested in government and public interest positions are less affected by the grade wars.

As a new semester begins I need to put these grades behind me and focus on my reason for being here...the learning.

Movie Award Shows -- Greatness or Garbage?

2009-01-11T11:57:00.004-06:00

Working at Sundance Cinema 608 I am surrounded by individuals who are plugged into the film world and given on-going opportunities to view independent, art, foreign, and some mainstream films. As the movie award show season is upon us, so are many of the year's best films. We are currently showing: Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Milk, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, and Gran Torino. We've also recently had Rachel Getting Married, The Boy in Striped Pajamas, Changeling, and Synecdoche New York. I did not have a chance to see all of them, but for the most part what I did see was worth the time.

In addition, I enjoyed Seven Pounds with Will Smith and Australia. Neither got good reviews. I stopped paying attention to movie reviews once I started working at a theatre and realized how subjective they can be. Seven Pounds left me in tears, even as I woke up the next day thinking about it. I had gone to Australia thinking at the least I would get to take in some great scenes of the country -- not so much -- however, the film itself was far more entertaining than reviewers claimed.

As the Golden Globes are upon us and the Academy will be announcing its nominees soon, I am struck by how different the nominees are compared to the in-person reviews I have heard at Sundance. Personally, I think Milk is the best film we are currently showing at Sundance and the best film amongst the nominees. Unfortunately, it is not even a contender for best picture of the year at the Golden Globes, which historically means it will be unlikely to be well-represented at the Oscars either. Slumdog Millionaire has gotten tons of press and promotions toting it as the "it" film. It is an excellent film, however, I think Milk is a better acted and edited film. Go see them both and let me know what you think.

I haven't even bothered to go see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. First, I am not much of a fan of either Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchet. Second, the reviews were pretty iffy in the paper and the in-person ones at Sundance have been much the same. Finally, the story line just isn't that interesting to me. But of course it is nominated for a whole slew of awards.

The award shows for the rich and famous have never done much to entice me. Looking at this year's Golden Globe nominees makes me even less interested. Skip the shows and make a decision for yourself. I am not convinced they are identifying any greatness among the masses. There seems to be a lot of attraction to less than stellar work.

Every Day's a Blessing

2009-01-09T19:58:00.003-06:00

Many of you know that my grandmother has been in and out of the hospital for awhile now. On Sunday the members of my immediate family who were traveling away from home (everyone but Mom) stopped at the hospital in Platteville to visit Grammie. We had been informed by her doctor that she was in heart failure and that her other systems were beginning to shut down. It's amazing how not sick someone who is suppose to be dying can look and behave! It was weird to sit there talking to her knowing it would probably be my last visit with her and yet knowing that I had been with her when she was in much worse condition than she was that day.

In the middle of us all coming to terms with what would soon be the inevitable with Grammie, my father received a call from Stephen informing us he had hit ice on the way home and rolled the car. Suddenly the focus on Grammie's impending death was usurped by near catastrophe elsewhere. From what we could tell, it seemed that he, Lourdes, and Maria Loraine were all ok, but it did not stop any of us from being shaken by the call.

Emergency personnel transported Stephen, Lourdes, and Maria Loraine to the hospital to be checked out while Dad, Marcia, and Matthew drove down and dealt with the car and getting all the holiday presents et al delivered to their house. Thankfully, they are all fine and are gradually readjusting to daily life in full swing again.

As tensions fell away, so did Grammie. She left this earth today. There had been so many close calls with Grammie over the years -- her heart had the tendency to give out. I would get a call, find my way to whichever hospital was caring for her on this particular occasion and wait for the merging of the extended family. In some ways it was uneventful to hear the news left on my voicemail. My internal response was matter of fact, not surprise, or grief, or shock. It had finally happened -- for real this time.

And I am reminded that every day is a blessing for us all. Even as we prepare for the difficult in one direction, we can never predict what will come at us from another. Be mindful of each day. Never waste an opportunity. Never assume paths will cross again. Live now.

Christmas Unplanned

2008-12-28T08:41:00.002-06:00

Marcia and I were planning to roadtrip out to Arizona to spend Christmas with our grandfather in Tucson. Unfortunately, the midwest weather lost the memo and sent us enough snow for the first two days of our planned trip to keep us homebound. If you know my sister, you know there was no way she was getting in a car in the middle of a snow storm. Normally, I would have just driven down to Marcia, thrown her in the backseat with a blanket and some water, and told her not to watch. But after she reported the weather was "treacherous" between the two of us, I decided to give her some benefit of the doubt and called my dad. When he told me I should stay put, I knew it genuinely was bad out there.

By Christmas day the roads and weather were cooperative, allowing us to get on the road. Instead of journeying half way across the country, though, we decided to drive to Iowa and see our parents. Of course they didn't know we were coming, and we didn't tell them. We could have ventured forth to Tucson, but at best would have had only two days to spend there, as we both needed to be back home by December 31st.

We've been here about three days, lazing around, doing post-holiday shopping (which for me is pre-holiday shopping, as we are not celebrating as a family until January), and getting the house ready for the family gathering. Today is Mom's birthday. She, of course, headed off to work this morning -- the hazards of retail employment. We celebrated her birthday a bit on Christmas. Dad wanted her to open the new digital camera he gave her, so she could practice using it before Maria Loraine shows up. (In case you've missed earlier posts, she's the newest member of the Buchs bunch -- about 10 weeks old now.) Nicole and I made mom a carrot cake from scratch the night before Marcia and I headed this way, so we were cut into it on Christmas, too. Yummy!

It was a great Christmas. No fuss, no mess. Just time with people I love.

Three Down and One to Go

2008-12-16T12:10:00.002-06:00

Just finished my Tort final. We were given four hours to complete it, but I only needed three and a bit to get it done. I was a bit worried about Torts going into it because in reviewing yesterday I realized how much we actually talked about in the course of the semester. Torts has been a bit deceptive in this regard. It often felt as if we were continually coming at the same material from a different direction, but I don't think I recognized how much content there was in the myriad of approaches. Torts, torts, torts.

Friday I have my last exam -- Civil Procedure I. I am feeling a little anxious about this exam only because I believe I have the ability to get a good grade in this class and the exam is the hit or miss point. Thankfully, this is the only class in which I had a mid-term exam and there is no expectation it will look much different. I did ok on the Mid-term and know the ways in which I can do even better this time around.

And then the semester will be over. Who knew. For some reason I have a feeling that second semester is going to be more demanding. We aren't newbies anymore, so our profs can expect more, in addition to the fact that some of our course work is just going to be more challenging.

Last Day of Classes

2008-12-03T14:48:00.002-06:00

Here I sit in my final class of the semester, Contract I with Prof. Bill Whitford. I adore Bill. He's been teaching for more than 40 years and approaches it with the warmth of a grandfather wishing to pass on the wisdom he's acquired over a lifetime of learning. Bill (that's what he asks us to call him) uses the socratic method in a fairly traditional way. Sitting in the front row, I can see his seating chart marked off with all the ticks indicating his conversations with each student over the course of the semester. Although, I am not certain how this system really works, as there are people in the class whom Bill has called on multiple times, and then there is me, who Bill has never called on in class. Well, we've talked a bit about farming and Shirley McClaine, but nothing directly relating to understanding contract law. Considering this is my (and I believe most people's) most difficult course, this is no small blessing. And while this class is at the worst time of the day for me, and I am typically falling into an afternoon slumber half way through, it has been extremely interesting and helped me understand a good deal about how the world functions.

It's fairly unbelievable to me that I am sitting in my last class for my first semester of law school. I keep waiting for it to become the terrible existence people make it out to be. Minus about 10 days somewhere in the middle of the semester when I was experiencing law school hazing known as cite checking for the gender journal at the same time I had an exam and a writing assignment due, law school has been fairly delightful.

Of course I don't have any grades yet, and it is possible that once I receive them I will feel more distressed about this whole experience. Generally, I figure I will get grades somewhere in the B range unless I really fall short in my abilities to convey information. Law school isn't about getting straight A's. I am sure it happens for some people, but it doesn't happen for the overwhelming majority. I strive not to get all that caught up in the grades game. It's just not productive. My goal is to study for my exams as a means of solidifying my understanding of everything which has been put before me rather than an effort to get good grades. I figure if I know what I am talking about the grades will come. If I worry about the grades, I will wrap myself up in knots and accomplish very little.

And in this moment I pause and give thanks that I have the privilege of being concerned about my law school grades in the first place. Being in law school is a rush. Every day I feel as if pieces of the world around me are revealed in ways they never would have been without this education. I am sitting here, not really paying all that much attention to what Bill is telling us, but ever thankful to have had the pleasure of being his student in the first place.

Pass with a Purpose

2008-11-25T09:12:00.002-06:00

UW law students have even more to be thankful this year, as the Public Interest Law Foundation sponsors "Pass with a Purpose." This program provides the opportunity to "pass" in class when a professor calls on you by offering up a non-perishable food item for one of the local food pantries. It's been amusing all morning to sit in Torts and watch everyone "passing" away their opportunities to engage with today's material. In one particular situation, a student responded, "I have food, but can I guess anyway?" As if the professor is going to stop her from facing the potential embarrassment of classroom grilling. (Not that it is all that embarrassing or anywhere near as horrid as people make it out to be.)

What I appreciate most about today's Pass with Professor Palay is his genuine support of this program. First, he announced it in class at the end of last week to remind us all it would be happening. And today, he brought in his own bag full of non-perishable items. Every time he called on someone to answer a question, he also donated something to the mix. It would be easy for professors to agree to allow this to happen in their classes without embracing the purpose behind the program. It makes for a much more entertaining and engaging experience to have the professor acting as a facilitator of the program itself.

And the absolutely best part of this program is knowing lots of people brought in lots of food which they are not going to need in class this morning, but will end up in the donation boxes. Getting out of public grilling is great motivation for law student to give unto others and it's fabulous to see this exploited!

When the Sun Falls Out of the Sky

2008-11-13T15:16:00.004-06:00

I have been thinking a lot about my friend Kristina the past few days. Her significant other was hit by a car while riding a bicycle. Not only do I think about how horrible it must be for her to sit in a hospital feeling helpless as she watches someone she loves struggle with survival (Thankfully things are looking positive and there is lots of reasons for hope for a full recovery.), but I also contemplate the potential long-term impacts of a moment in time.

Kristina and I met in graduate school, and thankfully grew into forever friends. It would be impossible for me to express how much I value her. She's one of those rare individuals with whom I feel completely at home. She's full of life and always up for an adventure. Most importantly, Kristina, gives of herself constantly -- to friends, family, humanity in general. It's just who she is.

Needless to say, when good things happen to Kristina, I do a giant happy dance. She deserves all the happiness in the world, but of course, the world rarely functions accordingly. It's been pretty exciting for me to know she shares her life with someone who seems to compliment her so well. It's such a rare gift that when it's found it should be nurtured and cherished. So upon hearing the news of her significant other's accident, I was more than a little shaken. It only took one moment in time for uncertainty to strike.

At this point, we do not know how long recovery from this accident will take or what recovery will even mean. Yes, there is a lot of hope and that in itself is a reason for joyous celebration. But it seems apparent to me that a shift has occurred from which there is no return. This is not inherently a negative, it's just reminds me that we are not in control regardless of how much we try to be.

Thankfully, Kristina is strong and she will find a way to find herself through all of this with the grace only she possesses.

Season of transitions

2008-11-11T17:45:00.003-06:00

The elections are over. Winter has dumped itself on our doorsteps once again. The holiday madness is probably already upon us, and I am simply blocking out all references. And in law school finals are looming. All of these things represent the ends of one thing and the beginning of another. I love these times in the year...everything is swirling and shifting searching for a place to land and make sense out of things again. Transitions...welcome change, unknown possibilities, life!

So, I encourage you all to embrace whatever transitions are happening in your lives right now. They aren't going to magically disappear, so better to take them in whole-heartedly and give them all that they need from you to move gracefully from where you are today to where you will be tomorrow.

Getting it together

2008-10-27T20:03:00.002-05:00

If law school teaches me nothing else it will certainly teach me how to "get it together." There is just no room for procrastinating or using time poorly if one wants to have any peace of mind. I was feeling overwhelmed this weekend, not by the amount of work I needed to do, but by the lack of time for me to not do anything. So, this week I have made a renewed commitment to gathering the forces around me and getting it together! It creates a more structured existence, but structured "do nothing" time is better than no time at all.

So, as I type this I think. Blogging time is up, and I've got stuff to do.

Today I am Tired of Being a Student

2008-10-26T17:14:00.004-05:00

I hit a wall today. The wall that makes me want to sleep all day and ignore my books. The kind of day where I wish I could just run free into the wind without a care in the world. It's a bit too much of a blustery day to really enjoying running free in the wind, but nonetheless, it beats being cooped up inside all the time reading. Wow! I cannot believe I just typed that statement.

I need to study for an exam in my Civil Procedure course on Thursday. Zero motivation to do that. I need to type up my notes from last week and review them. Slightly more than zero, but less than any motivation to do that either. I am sure there is a mathematical equation to figure that one out.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

A little this and a little that...plus one fantastic piece of news in the middle!

2008-10-21T18:21:00.003-05:00

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is running a series on Wisconsin drinking habits, including drunk driving stats. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=808060

Law School isn't getting any less demanding on my time. In fact it's only been more relentless the past two weeks. We are presenting oral arguments on Thursday. Thank goodness talking in front of people is something I am naturally inclined to do because I do not have time to prep for this event.

Oh, I became an aunt by blood (I claim a few children who legally aren't related.) a week ago yesterday. Maria was born to Stephen and Lourdes. I drove down Saturday night to meet her. She's so little! When Stephen or my dad hold her the size of their hands dwarf her. I have some photos on my camera and once I get my Mac up to speed, I'll upload them for all to see.

I am sad that I have missed most of the autumn season locked in the law school, but my walks to and from the bus are quite enjoyable. We had a fine little fire going last week out at picnic point and toasted some marshmellows. I am hopeful I might be able to celebrate this pasttime at least once more before the snow strikes.

All in all life continues to be grand, and I am delighted to be where I am, doing what I am doing.

What's the Drinking Culture Given Us?

2008-10-15T07:35:00.003-05:00

Since moving back to Wisconsin four years ago, I have been shocked by the accepted behaviors around the consumption of alcohol. Ever been to a Badger football game or even just walked around town before or after the game -- it paints an uncertain picture of students and alumni. My first year working in Housing at UW I was given the opportunity to work in the police box at Camp Randall with the Dean of Students Office. The level of intoxication students demonstrated in their actions and their breathalyzer test stunned me. These students had put themselves in very precarious situations. Some of them could barely sit in a chair. Every word they spoke was formed with great effort. A few worried about how this would affect their future political careers -- seriously. That was the entertaining portion of the experience.

Halloween offers students another opportunity to publicly demonstrate their drinking prowess. And then of course there is the typical Friday, Saturday, Thursday, Wednesday -- heck, why wait, Tuesday night to hit State Street or other lubricating establishments nearby. I write about students because it is the population I know best. Additionally, drinking habits are just that HABITS. The choices students make in their late teens and early twenties are going to stick with them more than not. (UW alumni -- need I say more?)

And it's not just undergrads. On Sunday while studying at the law school I overheard a conversation where another student was talking nonchalantly about his drug and alcohol use. A friend sitting near me reacted to his remarks causing him to address us. Somehow his status as a law student made it inevitable that he would be drinking a lot. And he is far from the minority. The Student Bar Association sponsors a drinking fest every Thursday night at one of the local establishments. They call it the weekly "Bar Review" -- clever, eh.

I am thankful for the people I have met at the law school who find this behavior equally as puzzling. What I have noticed, though, is the common thread among these people tends to be that they are either not from Wisconsin or are only now returning to Wisconsin after being gone for some time. The "drinking culture" as it is commonly referred has blanket acceptance until people realize it's not the norm in other places.

What does this mean for the state of Wisconsin? Kathleen Falk, Dane County Executive, has recently launched something of a campaign to curb the drinking culture of Wisconsin. It's not only a political interest for her, it's also personal. Her father was an alcoholic. How many people in Wisconsin are alcoholics? In 2005, there were approximately 469,000 people (and growing) dependent on or abusing alcohol in the state. A recent state-by-state comparison shows that Wisconsin holds the #1 spot when it comes to alcohol-related issues. Hmm? Not sure how this works in our favor. Relationships, health, finances and jobs are all affected negatively by alcohol use. The impacts of alcohol use on an individual trickle down to family members, co-workers, and the larger society in which they live.

According to a recent study comparing states to one another, Wisconsin has the lowest alcohol costs in the nation and the highest levels of alcoholism and binge drinking (helped by the more than 17, 000 licenses to sell alcohol in the state. More than 200,000 people in Wisconsin work in the alcohol industry. In 2007, more than 300 people died in drunk driving accidents. And if you know anything about these accidents, you know that the drunk person usually walks away fairly unharmed, while the sober one dies.

In my criminal law class yesterday our professor shared that on any given Friday night in Madison there are about 2000 drunk drivers on the streets. Of those drivers, only a handful will be stopped. It's not that the police don't care, there just aren't enough of them. In the state as a whole, there are approximately 26,000 drunk drivers on the road at any given time. Did you get that? 26,000! The percentage of fatalities related to drunk driving began to drop in the 1990's, but is on the rise again. In 2006 49% of all traffic fatalities involved drunk driving.

You can read "The Death of an Innocent" here: http://www.sayno.com/innocent.html

Condom Controversy

2008-09-25T12:28:00.003-05:00

After living in Madison for more than four years, I am more than a little confused by the reactions by some of the law school student organizations to the idea of using condoms as part of a fundraiser for clean birth kits for refugee women. Who knew that condoms, an item which we have all been familiar with since we hit puberty or before, would create so much controversy. Is everyone in the Law School, but the handful of us conceptualizing this event a virgin? Condoms do still protect against most sexually transmitted infections and contribute to responsible family planning, right? Did I cross a thresh-hold into the Twilight Zone when I entered the Law School?

How in the world can we be afraid of condoms and be serious at all about addressing real issues, such as violence against women, HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, family planning, child mortality, social welfare programs, and the list continues? It baffles me. I didn't know we were still stuck in Fifth Grade health class where the room erupted in giggles when the teachers acknowledged that we have vaginas and penises. Uh-oh, I just thought those words in my head and typed them on my computer. Unbelievable!

I can understand completely if this were an event targeting young children or anyone under the age of 18. However, we are on a college campus, whose population I am more than confident is using a fair percentage of Madison's condom supply. (Ooops! I may have just let the cat out of the bag.) We should be celebrating the condom. Thanking its manufacturers and distributors from saving us all from our own and other people's poor choices (uh-hem, mistakes) every day.

So, I remain pro-condom, sitting in a state of confusion wondering how I came to be so unlike those surrounding me.

Owner of Power

2008-09-20T00:15:00.002-05:00

The New York Times had an article today in the International Section, "U.N. Study Finds More Women in Politics." It focused on countries in Latin America and Africa, but presented some global statistics. The quote by the title of my blog captured my attention, "We need to convince women to stop complaining and just be the owners of power, " Senator Cecilia Lopez Montano of the Liberal Party in Colombia, not only because I agree with it, but also because it reflects a key reason why I decided to go to law school. For some reason I lost my ambition after high school. Perhaps it was fear. Maybe I unconsciously struggled with the notion of being both ambitious and moral. Something told me it was too hard, or I simply didn't know what to be ambitious about anymore. And then a couple of years ago I found myself in this space where it became crystal clear to me that the only way to be an instrument of change was to put myself out there and seek out a position of influence.

Already I find people in law school chipping away at my notion that this is possible. They tell me policy changes will never matter to the masses. A person has to be rich and famous to be able to have real influence. That at the very least a person has to make money and utilize that money for power. And in so many ways I believe them. Thankfully though, there is enough idealism left in me to believe in the movements of the masses, the spirit of humanity, the visions of community organizers, and the hopes of the less fortunate everywhere. One of my law school textbooks stated the best we can hope for is to become skeptic idealists. Age has already put me there. My idealism tarnished more than a decade ago, but I refuse to let go completely. Pragmatism keeps me grounded and my everyday heroes keep me lifting off again and again and again. As many times as it takes to find my way.

To Allow Penalty Clauses Or Not To Allow Penalty Clauses, That Is the Question

2008-09-15T20:24:00.003-05:00

Who knew lessons of contractual law would come from William Shakespeare? My reading for today regarding the difficult case (or so I am told, I don't actually know enough to realize it's difficult) of Lake River Corporation v. Carborundum Company involves the study of the contract between Antonio and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. This gives me hope. The Merchant of Venice I understand. The subtleties of the differences between liquidating damages and penalty clauses, I am not so sure.

It's been far less surprising to have the number of agricultural examples thrown to us, of which I can also relate. Today we used milk truck drivers and farmers as a contractual example for class. Not sure how many people in my class have a clue as to what any of that means. I have only encountered one other person who has farm roots, and it wasn't dairy.

After surviving a weekend drowning in homework, which I didn't complete, I am treading water through week 3. It's a bit of the luck of the draw. While all of us 1L's are in the same courses, the differences among our faculty's approaches and small group coursework is enough to matter significantly. Still I wouldn't wish to be anywhere other than where I am.

Perpetually Tired

2008-09-11T16:04:00.002-05:00

That would be the best way I can describe law school week 2 -- perpetual exhaustion. By the time we are five minutes into my 2:25 pm Contracts class my eye lids become heavy, and I genuinely have to force myself to stay with Prof. Whitford. It's not that Contracts is boring. On the contrary, Contracts is complicated and confusing therefore, making it all the more interesting to me. I didn't like Contract so much in the first couple of days, but it has grown on me. It helps that Papa Whitford (as I like to call him -- although, he prefers we call him Bill) is such a kindly gent who doesn't mock the first-year students, but systematically walks them through the line of thinking necessary for success, which we haven't yet developed.

I continually aim to be in bed hours before I make it. Thankfully, the bus schedule forces me to stay on a tight schedule in the morning. There are three buses between 7am -7:15 am which I can take and be in class on time, so at most I get 13 minutes (in case it's early) of flexibility. It's best. I tend to be a dawdler in the morning -- nothing I love more than to wash up all the dirty dishes, scrub the bathtub, reorganize my closet, etc. before I head off for the day. You probably think I am joking, but I'm not. Somehow putting things in order before entering the chaos of life gives me a sense of "everything's alright." Generally, I cannot completely curb myself of this desire, so the tight morning schedule forces me to be selective about my morning dawdling.

And finally my body, or maybe it's my mind, has not yet accepted having to give up its night owl tendency. I'll be tired for hours and then suddenly at 9:30 pm I feel great and find it's approaching 11pm, and I haven't packed my lunch for the next day or put my school bag together. Sounds like elementary school, right? But mornings do go so much better when my backpack is sitting by the door ready to go and my lunch is waiting for me in the fridge.

Well, here's to sleep. May I find some soon.

Annual Water Communion

2008-09-07T11:44:00.004-05:00

Today at FUS (First Unitarian Society) we celebrated the communion of water. It was not only a celebration of the ways in which water connects all life on earth, but of the necessity of it in all our lives. We are encouraged to collect water from our travels and bring it on this day to pour into large pottery jars at the front of the auditorium. As each person pours their collected real (or virtual) water one of the ministers announces from where it came. Today it was collected from the east, the south, the north, the west, and finally from our center here in Wisconsin. Near the end of the service we are invited to take some of this co-mingled water home with us with a message of warning. This water comes from places all over the world and contains all sorts of bacteria and microbes not found at our center. If intending to use it to water a plant, drink, or in any way where it would have contact with other life, we are asked to boil it to purify it of anything which may cause harm to this life. We all require water, but the water can also make us sick. I chose not to take any water home with me, figuring I've boiled plenty of water in my time, and knowing that water remaining at the end of service would be boiled and used for the child dedications throughout the year. Yep, we don't waste a drop at FUS. Bring your child to us and we will gleefully pour some boiled water from who knows where on its head. I find water to be intrinsically spirit-filled, so today's service was especially spiritually fulfilling for me. Water -- a life source -- treat it as such.

Law School Day 3

2008-09-04T10:38:00.003-05:00

Today I am tired. After two nights of only about six hours of sleep (which is not how I am at my best) I am a bit hazy. Not a state one wants to be in when the professor may call on me at any moment. In recognizing my sleep deprivation, I have not sacrificed eating well. I figure I need to control as much as I can in the equation which lends itself to my production level. So, greens and tomatoes cooked with an egg and two pieces of whole wheat toast welcomes me into the morning.

Already I have come to realize the importance of taking advantage of the moments between classes. A lot can be accomplished in these 50 minute or longer chunks of time. If nothing else it offers a wonderful opportunity to review what just happened in class, what was surprising, any questions answered, and those most often left unanswered. I feel as if I spend more time working on yesterday's assignment (after it was covered in class) than I do on tomorrow's assignment. Being that I know so little, right now, this seems to make sense.

As for now I am balancing work and school fairly well. It doesn't leave me with much down time, but seems manageable as long as I remain disciplined. The weekends will offer a bit of relief, although, at least for the first six weeks I anticipate spending a good deal of time in the library on those days, too.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes yesterday. All in all it was a great day to turn 35! I feel like I am exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I was meant to be doing,

Here I go!

2008-09-01T21:28:00.002-05:00

Here I am sitting in the Law Library, which is a wonderful space (never trust a school with a less than stellar library), wrapping up my studies to enter my first day as an official student of the law at the University of Wisconsin. In reading through my first day's assignments I have experienced moments of "ah-hah" and complete confusion mixed with rushes of adrenaline, as I realize how much I am going to have learned by May 2011.

Law school is a bit like returning to high school. My mom and Marcia were here yesterday bringing me some furniture Stephen wanted to send my merry way. I gave them a brief tour of the law school including a stop at my locker, the classroom where all but one of my major classes will be held, the library where I will spend countless hours studying, and the atrium, which is a bit like the commons of PHS and the place where most of my socializing with other students will happen. Stick around long enough and I'll show you my box of newly sharpened pencils.

I really have no idea what to expect for tomorrow. I haven't taken many notes yet, but do have a growing vocabulary sheet. There are some highlighted sections in my texts and a sparse few notes in the margins of one part of my Substantive Criminal Law book (which surprisingly has been one of the more enjoyable and easier to digest). It's amazing how much Housing policies and criminal law have in common.

Thanks to everyone for all the actions and words of support. They have not gone unnoticed.

Officially Begun

2008-08-26T21:31:00.002-05:00

Really glad I took advantage of the optional LEO Day of orientation, as I felt as if it conveyed more "tips" or real information than today's official start. The two most useful aspects of today was meeting my small group professor and some of the more advanced students during the student organization fair. It was recommended to us not to take on too much during this first semester/year. With this in mind, I signed up for the email lists of all the organizations which interest me just on face value, and figure through these emails I will come to know which one(s) really speak to my interests. I did feel particularly pulled to the National Lawyers Guild organization, which came in a bit late, and seemed to have a very different heart than what I had felt throughout the rest of the orientation.

I also felt my age today. Not necessarily in a bad way, but in a way that caused me to feel some separation from the majority of students. I am not sure whether this separation is real or I am creating it in my mind. Mike Hall, Asst. Dean of Admissions, shared with us that 13 students in our class will be old enough to be President by the time we graduate. Well, I'll be old enough by the election, leaving 12 others. Of course, a person would need to be 32 right now to qualify, and I know a few people just passed 30 who wouldn't be in that count. At the same time, this goes to show the small percentage of us who are 30 or over.

Right now I am going to listen to what Hillary Clinton has to say in her speech at the Democratic National Convention. Regardless of what has come and will come out of this election -- this has been a significant year for all women and the men who get it.

Legally Laura

2008-08-24T23:18:00.002-05:00

So, tomorrow it all begins with our first day of Orienations. It is the optional LEO day around diversity specifically to support students of color and from economically disadvantaged populations. I'm crashing, well, not really. We are sort of invited. I didn't call the Asst Dean to get the scoop, though, as our mailing suggested. Instead I met an incoming student who was directly invited to LEO and got the info from her. I completely support this day and only wish there didn't seem to be such a hush-hush attitude about it.

Also got my refund check this weekend, so now I can apply for health insurance through UW, pay off my credit card bill from purchasing the computer/software/printer, buy my books and pay my rent. I am going to continue to work for my food. Except for the coming week when the Law School provides many of our meals as part of Orientation. Really, I think a bunch of the organizations affiliated with the Law School are sponsoring the meals.

Is the World Getting Smaller?

2008-08-15T10:05:00.003-05:00

I hear it said time and time again, "the world just keeps getting smaller." And yet every time I befriend someone who doesn't live in my backyard I am left wondering if that is true. Yes, nation-states are increasingly interconnected and opportunities for personal travel has never been greater. But somehow, as I pulled up near the moving truck, wished my friend Greg and his partner well in their new home in California, the hugs given and received felt more like distance and time which we know cannot be easily overcome.

In the past couple of months I have watched friends leave Madison for Pennsylvania, Arizona and California at the same time I welcome peers attending law school with me to Wisconsin. It's an ever-constant process of shifting and scratching out a new sense of belonging. And in three years I will be wishing most of them well somewhere else, as they will most likely be for me.

I am left looking at a map full of places I have and have not been reflecting back to me the faces of individuals I have met along the way. Many of them met while on their own journeys far from home. So many people I would love to be able to meet for "coffee" to swap stories, catch up and reminisce. The sadness comes in realizing how many of them I will most likely never see again -- ever.

The more I experience of the world, the larger it seems to become. Every place I look I see the streets, hear the sounds, the smells, savor the foods, contemplate the challenges to overcome, and the simple joys of daily life. For the friends whose homelands I have never visited, I am drawn to wanting to fill in these unknowns. But where to start. Who's first?

Part of me wonders if this is a unique characteristic of the U.S.. Probably a segment of the U.S. population, but still specific to this nation and this time. The sheer size of the U.S. provides the opportunity for movement in ways other nations similar to us do not. As much as I know I have gained a great deal from being mobile over the past decade, I also recognize the loss.

I wish for my friends wonderful new communities in which to grow and prosper, but at the same time I am sad to see them go and wish it wasn't going to be so long before I see them again.

Books -- love 'em, can't leave 'em.

2008-08-08T15:53:00.002-05:00

If I'd only known about Bookmooch years ago. Of course maybe it didn't exist years ago. Bookmooch is a website which helps people find new homes for books they will never read again, but cannot simply get rid of them. I completely understand. Now I can go through my books and see what I can send to a welcoming new home.

Check it out: http://bookmooch.com/

I really don't like collecting too much stuff, but it's worse to throw usable things out. This is a great solution to one of my bigger problems. My life is full of books (no pun intended).

An Apple a Day Keeps Me Connected to the World

2008-08-03T18:51:00.003-05:00

So, I am back in the technology world having just received my new MacBook. If there is one thing I enjoy about the way in which people are attached at the hip to every electronic means of communicating it is the demand it has placed on businesses to provide access to their networks. What I love most about Sundance is that there is no cost to guests for the use of this service. You don't need a password to access the WiFi, nor is there an expectation you will purchase something. Of course most people do during the time they share with us, but if they do not no one is going to give them a "look" or make any comments. Sundance doesn't care.

Now I need to get an ethernet cord, which of course I once had and most likely left behind on campus thinking I wouldn't need it again, to try out my connection at home. How lucky could I be?

If anyone has any Mac secrets you would like to share, let me know. I am open to learning. Without a doubt there is so much cool stuff built into all the software which comes loaded on this baby, it will take me years to figure it all out. Plenty of distractions while I should be studying.

First Law School Challenge

2008-07-29T13:40:00.002-05:00

The spirits which call to order all things uncontrolled and uncontrollable in law school are mocking me before I even officially walk through the doors. Yesterday my class schedule for the fall semester arrived in my Gmail account. Needless to say I have been eagerly anticipating its arrival feeling as if it somehow solidified my acceptance just that much more. Upon reviewing my assigned schedule of "13A" I was immediately horrified by the notion of having to not only be in class, but actually functioning at 7:45am. Clearly that have me confused with a Buchs child whose name begins with M (you can pick either, it applies equally). The excitement of having my schedule in hand quickly deflated and I contemplated what this seemingly small decision on the part of some unknown administered has done to my life. 7:45 in the MORNING! This puts the socratic method in a whole nother light. I probably won't even know I don't know the answer, that my professor is ridiculing me, or my peers making fun of me. Because I'll still be asleep. (Oh, in case you are wondering, no, everyone does not have class at 7:45am, just us lucky ones. Other people get to start at a much more reasonable 8:50am. But not me, no not me.) Thankfully my next class doesn't begin until 11:00 am, so outside of Torts I should be able to handle what is to come. My small section course is Intro to Civil Procedure I, which without knowing anything at all seems like a good course to have with a smaller group of people. Mondays will be my longest day of the week, which also seems more positive than negative, as I will have my research and writing course on this day only. I have 17 credits divided into 4 credit-courses in Torts, Substantive Criminal Justice (or something like this), Contracts, and Civil Procedure; and one credit in research and writing.

Simple Summer

2008-07-25T11:31:00.006-05:00

As summer reminds me it will soon be coming to a close I look at my to-do list and realize how much of it has not gotten done. At the same time, there have been lots of wonderfully simply and unplanned joys of the summer, too.

Getting a job with International Student Services on UW's campus only days after returning from Guatemala. Sometimes I just get lucky!
Drive-in Movie madness with Leslie and John. Falling off the teeter-totter, visiting the projection booth and loving our double feature of Kung Fu Panda and Indiana Jones.
Watching a beautiful sunset with Mike and Suzanne at the Terrace
Lunching and fishing with Julia in Lake Monona -- I wonder if our pole is still there?
Volunteering to be a conversation partner with Laura, a visiting dairy science researcher from Spain who will be on campus until December.
Eating as many strawberries as I wanted while picking them for our CSA customers.
Catching up with Matt and Tegwen (whom I hadn't seen since their wedding).
Making connections with other incoming law students passing through town.
Concerts in the Square with Clare, Juli, John and an assortment of other friends who join us now and again. Plus the added joy of bumping into others while there. It's such a summer hot spot!
An occasional long weekend, keeping me rested and ready to take on what's next. I think this is the most under-employed I have been in more than a decade. Money's tight, but I don't have to keep a schedule.
A day of arts and entertainment in Iowa with my mom. We saw Into the Woods in the afternoon and then went to my mom's New Horizon's band concert that evening. Can't remember the last time I'd been to the theatre -- how sad is that!
Got a flat tire on my bike, so had to walk my bike home. However, scored a free shelf I needed for my bathroom on the walk, which I never would have gotten if my tire hadn't gone flat.

I have law school orientation the week of August 25th - 28th. And then will be off and running non-stop or so I am told. Just ordered a laptop and printer for school, which hopefully I will have sometime next week. The law school has given me a list of things I need to do before Orientation begins, as I will be getting my first assingments due on the first days of classes that week. So much for Labor Day weekend.

Immigration in the USA -- who wins and loses?

2008-07-09T09:40:00.002-05:00

Immigration is always a hot topic in the USA, particularly during an election season. As for me I am pro-immigration. Aside from our roots as a nation resting in the act of immigration, it is without a doubt a key component of what keeps us a vibrant and creative as a nation. I am all for a guest worker program which recognizes the realities of employment immigration in the USA -- both needs from afar and demands at home. And I believe we make it far too difficult and expensive for U.S. citizens to marry a person without U.S. citizenship. Of course there need to be guidelines, but let's not make an entire industry out of them.

Below is a link to an article about the impact of shipping home all the undocumented immigrants in the USA. As they write, who would lose out the most might surprise people -- Wisconsin farmers included.

July 4th is a time for US History Trivia

2008-07-02T09:51:00.005-05:00

As we approach the birthday celebration of the USA, I thought it was more than a little appropriate to test the knowledge of its citizenry. With some nervous trepidation I participated in the MSN Quiz developed by pulling out questions from the new Citizenship Exam going into effect in October of this year. Thankfully my pride intact, I scored a perfect 100%. It would be more than a little bit embarrassing to have a degree in politics and not be able to answer these, in my opinion, fairly basic questions. Try it out for yourself. I attached the link below. Oh and happy July 4th!

quiz link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25461304/ (active link below). Click on "full story" after the introductory paragraph and you will get taken to the quiz.

To join or not to join...that is often the question.

2008-06-27T12:19:00.002-05:00

We are continually invited to join things in life -- sometimes passively through mailings or advertisements and at other times in ways very targeted towards us as individuals. Starting at a young age we began to make decisions about what we were and were not going to join. The community soccer or t-ball leagues, scouting, 4-H, school music programs, faith-based groups, service organizations, the chess club (along with a never ending list of possible clubs for every interest imaginable) and increasingly more daunting decisions about political affiliation, gang membership, exclusive societies, social action organizations, and so much more.

And now thanks to the Internet our invitations to join are only increasing. I am a member of Goodreads.com, a site for booklovers and readers who want to share what they have read with others. What I find most useful about this site is the book recommendations I receive from my friends. I don't have to be a member of a bookclub or live next door to them to share in what they are reading. There are so many books to choose from it is nice to be directed from time to time by people who know me. Plus, I enjoy thinking back to all the books I have read in the past as I gradually build a record of my reading history. Goodreads.com isn't for everyone, but it offers me a meaningful way to stay connected with friends far away who share in my passion for reading.

In the past couple of months I have been repeatedly encouraged to join Facebook.com. Having worked with college students for the past few years, I am familiar with the influence of Facebook and the many ways people use it without ever having spent any time on it myself. It was only last week in my new position with International Student Services on campus that I logged into Facebook for the first time. One of my tasks is to manage our ISS Facebook account. Clearly if you are reading this you know I have a blog, a photo website, and now a Gmail and Hotmail email account. Awhile back I even opened a My Space account, but never looked at it. (Seriously, I do not think I have ever been back to it since the day I opened it. At the moment I cannot even recall my account information.) And so in looking at Facebook.com, I see it as a useful tool for marketing ISS Programs, but not much else. I did a quick search of the people I communicate with electronically the most and learned that the significant majority of them are not on Facebook. Therefore, I think I will stick to my old school methods and keep Facebook at bay.

Madison -- A USA Real Estate Bargain

2008-06-26T14:10:00.003-05:00

Madison once again made it onto a list of one of the best places to live in the USA. It is the least affordable on the top 10 list, but still has a lot going for it. Check it out on MSN -- I attached the link below!

I have to say that since returning from Guatemala my happiness in Madison has only grown. Even as I say farewell to friends who are moving on to other places in the country (some also on the Real Estate Bargain list), I am more than content to grow deeper roots in Madison. My wandering spirit has been a joking matter for more than a decade with good reason. However for the first time in a very long time I really feel as if I belong somewhere as opposed to waiting out time.

So for all of you who have never come to visit me here in Madison. Give it some thought. We've got some snowy winters, but in general it's a good place to be. Summer in Madison is particularly wonderful with the majority of the student population doing other things elsewhere, free concerts in beautiful settings all over the city, bike paths to travel, vegetables to grow, lakes to explore, ice cream to eat and so much more!

Water

2008-06-13T10:59:00.002-05:00

The flooding in these parts is getting increasingly worse. Talked to my dad this morning and he said they were evacuating the hospital in Cedar Falls. The river is up 30 inches and continues to rise. I found an article on MSN which gives a very thorough overview of the situation: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25020185. I will attach it at the bottom, too.

My dad is traveling to Illinois today for my cousin Luke's wedding, but my mom will be staying home in Cedar Falls due to work. It is difficult to know whether it is good or bad that someone will be around to pay attention to what's happening.

Water. We do not respect it enough. We depend on it for life. And yet it also is capable of unbelievable destruction.

Flooding in the Midwest hits home

2008-06-10T15:13:00.002-05:00

When I left Guatemala it was the rainy season, but I had not seen much of it. Now I know why. All the water has been diverted to the middle of the USA. Friends with whom I sailed in the fall Semester at Sea voyage visited me last night and told me they realized what looked like a lake on their drive from Minneapolis was really a field. Yep, it is wet out there. I spent the morning working on a farm on the west side of Madison and my shoes were mighty heavy from all the mud stuck to them after plodding through the fields for a short time.

My mom left me a voicemail telling me things had gotten so bad in Cedar Falls (town in Iowa where my parents live) that they made the national news. And Eva, a fellow farm worker, told me Gays Mills, WI was completed flooded and may never recover. Both of these stories were covered in the article I have attached below. So, far my parents house is still ok, but the water hasn't stopped rising.

In my own front yard my street is a bit of a river. It is undergoing construction and this combined with the rainfall has created something of a pending disaster. I am increasingly concerned about driving my car in and out wondering when I am going to become completely stuck in the middle somewhere.

Thankfully it has been a dry day in Madison thus far. I hear it is raining north of us.

Putting my Ducks in a Row

2008-06-04T17:06:00.003-05:00

Little by little I am finding my way back to life in Madison. On Monday and Tuesday I gathered the items I had stored at friends' homes (thanks to Mary Ann & Jennifer) and moved them into my new place on the east side. Most of my belongings are still in my parents' garage in Iowa, but somehow I really have all I need right now. Thanks to my brother loaning me an inflatable bed, the kitchen items I inherited from my great aunt, and the things Kate left behind for my use I am set to go. Clearly a garage sale, postings on freecycle.com and/or a trip to St. Vincent's is in my future before the summer comes to a close. Being in Guatemala has renewed my "consume less" spirit, and I intend to put it to work.

Speaking of work...before leaving Guatemala I was able to secure a few hours back at Sundance 608 each week, so I knew I wouldn't be completely without an income. However, I also tried to line up a few more possibilities for meaningful employment upon my return. Even though I am returning to the life of a student, I decided I could be a little bit choosy about what I did for a living. Equating...my nanny days are over. Instead I joined the team at International Student Services at UW-Madison this morning as the Student Programs Assistant, a very part-time job continuing into the academic year. I cannot express how wonderful it is to be back in the world of ISS! Without a doubt lots has changed since 9/11 and the Bush Administrations' ideas of progress, but for the most part the language remains familiar to me and the tasks at hand reflect timeless needs of international students.

Today I began to do some bus routes research. While I intend to walk to and from work as much as possible while the weather is good, I know I will need to acclimate myself to the bus system. Let me put it out there right now, I do not enjoy depending on the bus. Yep, I am a snotty commuter who prefers the subway any 'ol day. But in Madison, the bus is a must and so it shall be. Thankfully, I won't be paying for it long because students get free bus passes in the city. Yeah! That makes the bus so much more appealing.

The Perks of the Fraternity Hostel

2008-06-02T09:33:00.002-05:00

In traveling to Antigua I ended up staying at the Black Cat Hostel, which is something of a chain hostel in that they have one of these in Xela, too. It is the type of hostel that sports a restaurant and bar with breakfast included for its guests rather than providing an open kitchen for their use. Having eaten at the Black Cat in Xela on a handful of Sundays when my host family had the day off from me, I anticipated breakfast at least would be good and plentiful. It is always a benefit to start off the day with a hearty meal when traveling because then I can usually get away with only eating one more meal that day saving on the budget. Originally I was going to stay in a place recommended by another Celas Maya student which was described as tranquil with a beautiful rooftop patio, however, unlike the Black Cat this place never emailed me back to confirm availability.

Upon arriving at the Black Cat I was placed in one of the dorm rooms located in the center of the social spaces of the hostel. Only after returning to my room later did I notice that directly next to my bed and above where I would be sleeping was a large window which opened up to all this action. And above it was simply a ventilation space of sorts which could not be closed off at all. Remember, this hostel hosts a bar and restaurant, so it is more than a little bit social, especially in the evening onward hours.

Thank goodness I have learned to travel with earplugs and face masks (the type the airlines used to give you when you traveled internationally long distances, not sure if they do anymore). These didn't block out all the commotion, and to be completely honest I spent those first several sleepless hours wondering what the hell I was thinking staying in this hostel. It was not the Jungle Party Hostel (yep, it's actual name), but it was also not the tranquility of the described rooftop garden of Yellow House either. Finally, I found myself making my way to dreamland and my frustrations subsided.

Generally, I find it is too much of a hassel to move once I am staying in a hostel, especially if I am not going to be there for too many days. Plus, I had already booked my shuttle to the airport and this is the location from which they were scheduled to pick me up. Sure, I could have changed that too, but that's always a risk in a place where systems do not always work as one would hope. So, annoyances in hand, I settled into the Black Cat.

And then I began to become part of conversations with the young people staying with me about their travels, and it all started to make sense as to why I would stay in this noisy, not always the most coureous of others, hostel. I got to share what I had experienced in Guatemala and other places with new travelers. And I do not mean travel hot spots they should not miss or where to find the cheapest drinks in town, I am talking about all the less definable stuff that comes with and from being away from home. I saw the relief in the eyes of a young woman who has been nominated for the Peace Corps in the Caribbean when I told her not to worry about her technical skills and to focus on being a part of her community in the islands. I felt the energy grow in a young man who was eager to work and live abroad, but had not idea where to begin, when I shared the multiple ways in which I had done it myself. And then there was just the simple reassurance to many that going home was not the worst thing in the world, that traveling and living abroad is a means in which to be better and do better when you are at home.

If I had stayed in the Yellow House with it's beautiful rooftop garden and pleasant rooms (which it does have), I probably would have never had these conversations with anyone. And so I am reminded once again that sometimes putting oneself in the uncomfortable position is the best way to go.

Lago Atitlan and beyond

2008-05-29T18:02:00.002-05:00

Lago Atitlan served as a perfect bridging point between Xela and life after. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains and a variety of low-key towns for visitors choosing. After being dropped in Panajachel, commonly known as gringo city, we boarded a lake ferry for San Pedro. Well, it was not that simple. First we had to find Alyssa, who not feeling well had taken a tuk-tuk to the boat dock. Unbenownst to Choi, Emily, and I we walked to the opposite boat dock where we searched for Alyssa for I do not know how long. During all this searching I realized I had left my camera on the shuttle which brought us to Pana, and Choi a loyal friend with only a small backpack ran back to the Atitlan Tour office to inform them of my grave traveling blunder. After having several men try to sell us tickets to a ferry for San Pedro, an honest tuk-tuk driver informed us we were in the wrong place and took us where we needed to be. And there was Alyssa about to give up waiting on us!

Upon arriving in San Pedro we headed to Casa Elena on the waterfront, where Alyssa had stayed on a previous visit. It was clean and comfortable with a topsy-turvy hammock outside our front door and beautiful views of the lack. We scored our own bathroom, too, which was fairly unbelievible for the low price of 80 quetzales a night. Our days were spent napping, reading, eating at places where free movies were provided, and spending about a couple of hours walking around the entire town. Yep, Choi and I covered all there was to see in less time than it took us to get there.

San Pedro offers some language schools, yoga, thermal spas, kayaking, fishing, and a variety of bars and eateries for your amusement. The Internet is available at dial up speed on a bad day most of the time. And if you so choose there are several illegal activities readily offered, too. It is the kind of place where you could spend a lot of time thinking or no time at all. A place which offers the best lessons in how to simply BE. Choi and I waited more than an hour for the lake ferry to take us back to Pana on Sunday (where I magically was able to recover my camera), and as I watched his body language I could feel his tension and impatience rising by the minute. I, on the other hand, could not have been bothered. The fact that there actually was a boat that would at some point take us to Pana was enough for me.

The best part of being at Lago Atitlan was the ferry rides. I use ferry lightly...motorboats with seats across from one side to the other, which hold about a dozen comfortably. While the curvy roads in the Guatemala make my stomach flip, the ferry rides across the lake were paradise. For some reason most of the tourists clamor for the front rows, which are the absolutely worst places to sit on these boats. When the water is choppy the front part of the boat smacks down on every wave giving your bum a good workout...the closer to the front you sit, well, you figure it out. The ride only lasts a mere 30 minutes from Pana to San Pedro and costs 25 quetzales.

After four days of doing nothing, I left for Antigua where I am again doing mostly nothing. Walked around town taking photos yesterday afternoon and this morning, already watched a few movies, and exchanged my book for a new one. With some gentle encouragement from a former Celas Maya student who I bumped into this morning in my hostel, the Black Cat, I am going to climb a volcano tomorrow.

Saying Farewell to Xela

2008-05-25T13:12:00.002-05:00

My 7 1/2 weeks in Xela were absolutely wonderful, and I give most of the credit for this to the fantastic people with whom I shared my time. While I was sad to leave, in some ways it was a perfect time to leave as many students I had come to call my friends in Xela were also moving on to other places. Our graduation at Celas Maya consisted of cocktail hour with live music. It was a festive event providing the perfect closing to our weeks of study. There were lots of thanks given out to our the teachers and staff of Celas Maya -- all well-deserved. Jim collected photos from anyone interested in contributing and put together a fine farewell photo slideshow.

In the Gutierrez home (well, that's my host mother's name anyway), there was merriment mixed with tears. My host sister Ana Maria told me she would not be saying good-bye to me on Saturday when I left. Without a doubt there have been too many good-byes in this house with students coming and going sometimes weekly. Most host mother did tell me that sometimes she prefers that a student only stays a week or two because it is easier to watch them go. Ana Maria (my host mother) got up early Saturday morning and made me breakfast before I left on a 7:00 am shuttle. I told her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted she was already going to be up at that time to see my host father off to work. I couldn't get her to return to bed after my breakfast was made either, instead she puttered around the house until the shuttle took me away.

Now that I am at Lago Atitlan, it is difficult to imagine I will not be returning to Xela at the end of this mini-vacation. But alas it is almost time for me to return Stateside once again. I hope to return to Guatemala sooner than later. It has captured my heart in a way only closely echoed in my short stay in Mali, West Africa. Thankfully, Guatemala is much closer and fiscally easier to imagine a return.

Momostenango

2008-05-18T20:06:00.002-05:00

Joined a Celas Maya trip to Momostenango today. It is a bit farther up the same windy road I traveled by chicken bus to visit the San Francisco de Alto market many weeks ago. I am not a fan of this road. The views are wonderful, but the curves are enough to make me ill. Momostenango is known for its wool products, especially blankets. The most expensive of the blankets are designed for weddings, so I thought there might be a chance I could find a gift for someone. I did not see them fitting anyone I know getting married this summer particularly well, but I did purchase one of the smaller ones, which I intend to use as a rug in my (new to me) apartment.

I find it increasingly difficult to take photos as I travel. Every time I lift my camera to capture a moment in time, I feel as if I am interfering in someone`s life in a way s/he may not appreciate. So, I hesistate and more than not decide not to take the photo. Most of the photos I take are for the people who are not here with me, to be able to share this time with them, rather than for my own memories. I will simply have to rely on my abilities to describe what I observed.

Our guide today was Tanya, a teacher at Celas Maya. She is a far superior guide to the typical Icara Tours guide (thank goodness). Upon arriving in Momostenango we walked up to the top of a hill (I suppose mountain is more accurate) to take in the view of the area. While there we were able to observe a couple of Mayan gentlemen saying prayers at a simply, outdoor, sacred place. They had handfuls of thin candles, and from what I could interpret, they were saying prayers with the offering of each one. Rather than lighting each, there was a fire burning in the alter and the candles were tossed into this fire. A Mayan cross was placed at the edge of the hill overlooking the valley below -- a lovely, peaceful place. In constrast to this, the catholic church was built in the center of town, around which the market gathers. Here we found a large, decorated building overflowing with the flock during the celebration of the mass.

After a quick walk through the market to see what there was to see, we jumped back into the van to meet some people from a cooperative. We picked up one of the cooperative leaders at a gas station in town, and he directed us out into the rural area where the community lives. The people living outside Momostenango are extremely poor, like so many Mayan people in Guatemala. Their cooperative is comprised of 300 members, each representing a local family, who take on roles in working to address pressing issues such as: Infrastructure -- their rode is unpaved and quite windy and their is not a proper school for the children; Agriculture -- families with irrigation systems are much more successful in this area and they desire to learn more about revenue-generating products; Health -- women in particular learn about more nutricious cooking practices; Environment -- they need to use the local forest resources to cook and sell for income, but are also concerned with planting new trees and taking care of the land; and these are just the beginnings of their needs. They have recently learned about EnreMundos in Xela and are hopeful that this organization can help them find resources to assist them in their projects. There is so much poverty in Guatemala it is difficult to know where to direct funds that may be available. In my short time here, I have learned about three different cooperatives all working to help improve the lives of different Mayan communities who receive little attention from their government.

After a longer stop back at the market for lunch and more thorough browsing or shopping, we went to visit a place called Los Rios (I think I have that right). It is a small national park which shows what happens when a mountain begins to break apart. It looks something like the stalagmites you find in a cave (check out the photos to get a better understanding). A few of us climbed up on top to get a better view, but most people were content lounging at the bottom.

By the time we got back to Xela I, and many others, were ready for a big meal. I had eaten a couple of granola bars for breakfast and only grabbed what I thought would be relatively safe to eat in the market, homemade french fries (deep-fried, of course) and corn on the cob. The chicken was tempting, but I just do not want to deal with the ills of street food. I splurged on a pizza at Tecun Saloon, and by splurge I mean I spent a whole $7.00 on one meal. Definitely worth it! And now I am going to sign off to meet up with Jim and Freddy at a more posh Italian joint a couple streets over from where I am now. Adios!

Regression in Progression

2008-05-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

Well, I just completed my second to last week of classes at Celas Maya (at least during this trip). In some ways I feel as if I have regressed some these past couple of weeks. We have been speaking quite a bit of English during our afternoon study group, and I have not utilized my last two weekends well. Whether it is vocabulary, grammatical points, or verb conjugation, so much is covered in a week´s time that I find it incredibly valuable to dedicate at least 6-8 hours of the weekend to solid study. It allows me to put to use in the next week what I learned (remember I use that term lightly) the previous week. As I approach my final week of classes, though, I feel a renewed sense of focus. I requested to have my first teacher here as my teacher during my final week, too. Maria is not the most serious teacher I have had, nor the least. I feel as if I learned well from her during my first two weeks, and I know she is in the best position to judge the progress I have or have not made.

Poets, Chocolates and Films

2008-05-11T19:06:00.002-05:00

This weekend kicked off three fairs and festivals in Xela -- 4th Annual Animal Del Monte International Poetry Festival, 3rd Annual Chocolate Fair, and Eurocine 2008 Film Festival. My host sister Ana Maria has been eagerly awaiting the poetry festival and was quite pleased when I passed on to her the pamphlet about it I was handed outside the Municipal Theater yesterday. As for me I was more interested in the chocolate fair taking place this weekend. Unfortunately in the four times I walked by the area where it was taking place, I found there was little to nothing taking place. The posters advertised marimba and mariachi music, along with demonstrations, and lots of chocolate products. What I found were four or five tents with chocolate products for sale. Quite disappointing!

My sister had an excellent time at the Saturday night opener of the poetry festival, so I thought I would give it a chance on Sunday. I have never been enamored by poetry, however, poets from all around Latin America had converged upon Xela for this week-long celebration in honor of Guatemalan poet Luis Alfredo Arango. In Central Park this morning they held a "Red Pillow Installation," which from what I could tell was pre-recorded poetry stuffed into pillows (like a teddy bear) that played upon applying pressure. It was rather entertaining to watch people eye the pavillion where it was taking place suspiciously, get up the nerve to check it out and then sprawl out on one of these pillow for a poetic nap in the park. While I am not sure about the success of this event, it seemed like a fairly good way to attend a poetry festival.

The film festival only started this afternoon, and while I did not go to the opening event, I do hope to make it to at least one or more of the films. I have a schedule of the showings and a list of the films being shown, however, there is not indication of which film is being shown at which time. Thankfully all of the films sound interesting and only one seems to be potentially scary, so I think I can take my chances just showing up and watching whatever is showing at the time.

Xela is known as the "Cradle of Culture" in Guatemala, so these festivals represent some of that reputation. It is unfortunate that the film festival and the poetry festival are taking place during the same week, but fortunate for me I am here.

Wanting to be better for All

2008-05-09T15:11:00.003-05:00

I was the perfect child when it came to embracing the red, white and blue. I soaked up all the stories, songs, holidays, customs, etc. which promote the celebration of all things U.S.A. Any holiday where stars and stripes were flying high all around was delightful to me. Our school system does a good job of programming this sentiment into children during elementary grades. Well, at least for me being of white, European descent. I am not so sure my classmates of other ethnicities would felt the same.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, I have read and traveled enough to realize most of those patriotic lessons are incomplete at best and lies at worst. This past week in Celas Maya has been a ¨not so proud to be American¨time. A woman from Spain, whom I encountered while staying in a hostel in the Catskills, once asked me what Americans had to be so proud about (in reference to all the ¨proud to be American¨products). I think it is an excellent question and one I have pondered on and off since it was proposed.

In general I am not all that proud to be an American. We are responsible for a lot of crappy actions in the world, and all the good things we have been part of do not forgive us of these. Some Americans would become irate with these sentiments and tell me I should go live somewhere else if I think so poorly of the USA. How amusing! How can someone on one hand believe so whole-heartedly in all things American and also so quickly toss aside what for many is the most important aspect of our culture and governmental structure -- the right to disagree with and to challenge it. Is it so terrible that I want our government and our nation to do better?

Historically every nation with any global authority, power, influence (however you want to express it) has misused this position for its own interests. The USA is the most recent example, however, living in Guatemala I am not blind to the history of others. The thing about history is that it really never stops living in the present. You cannot pretend that yesterday has no impact on today. Well you can try, but it will not become a reality.

Tuesday night Morgan, Freddy, Jim and I (other too, of course) attended a conference ¨Crossing the Frontier¨ hosted by EntreMundos regarding the experiences of Guatemalans entering the United Stated illegally. It was told by a Belgian who had taken it upon himself to travel to the USA in the same way his adopted Guatemalan son had done. (His mission was to get his son back to Guatemala, but he knew he could not do this without making this journey.) What I have been left thinking about the most were his reactions to being incarcerated in the USA (yes, he was captured, arrested and detained for a couple of months). Should undocumented immigrants, whose only illegal action was crossing a border without appropriate paperwork, be treated in the same manner as a criminal? It is an interesting question. He acknowledges they did something wrong, but their actions are not in common with other sorts of illegal actions. And what about the 55% of undocumented immigrants who entered legally and then stayed beyond the terms of their visas? Peter was held at the largest immigration detention center in San Antonio, Texas where he shared the private company who runs the jail receives $300/day per detainee in government contracts and only spends $80/day per detainee. That is a pretty good profit margin, don`t you think. So glad to know this is where our tax dollars are being invested.

Then yesterday I attended a conference at Celas Maya regarding the Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Guatemala (1944-1954) and that afternoon watched the movie Innocent Voices about the civil war in El Salvador. In both cases the United States government was responsible for providing the weaponry and/or training the soldiers who carried out murderous acts. Most of this was done under the ¨noble cause¨of fighting communism, unfounded accusations against legitimately elected officials who did not lead their country based on the interests of the United States. Innocent Voices (Voces Innocentes) is a beautifully, sad movie which I recommend to everyone. It was also recommended to me to read the book ¨Bitter Fruit¨about the war in Guatemala.

While I prefer to learn this history, it places a heavy weight upon my heart which at times is hard to bear. At the same time it drives me to want to be better and to push my country to be better for everyone everywhere.

Got Caught on Camera!

2008-05-07T14:14:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I came into school on Monday to learn I, along with a group of Celas Maya students, appeared in the national magazine included in Sunday´s newspaper. When we went on the tour of the city there were some men with professional cameras in the cemetary who interviewed our guide. Well, these journalist were doing a story on the legend of Vanushka for this national magazine, and they used our photo in their story layout. A friend who reads the paper brought a copy of it to me at school, so I will post photos of the story for you to see sometime this week. (Unfortunately, the internet services at Celas Maya are not fast enough to upload photos on the web, so I have to go elsewhere.)

Last night four of us attended a conference regarding immigration to the United States sponsored by the local organization Entremundos. Entremundos is a social action organization which produces a monthy free newsletter covering social justice issues affecting people in Guatemala. Someone there recognized me as having appeared in the newspaper, which is a bit odd when I am living in a foreign country. It got me thinking about the number of times I have appeared in a foreign publication. When I was traveling with Semester at Sea they would post on the ship all the articles written about us. Often times they highlighted service projects being done by students, staff and faculty and showed photos of them in action. I remember something similar happening when I was working in Australia with Visions: Service Adventures. A group of us appeared in the paper planting native species on an Aboriginal cooperative.

I will write more about the conference on immigration soon. But it takes more time than I have right now. It is just about lunch time, and I do not want to keep my host family waiting for me.

Vacation Laura Style

2008-04-27T19:11:00.002-05:00

This last week was rather heavy at Celas Maya and just difficult to get through, so I decided to go on vacation yesterday. For many of my companeros here in Xela that means going to the hot springs or climbing a volcano, but vacation for me looks completely different. I got up on Saturday and made my way to one of the second-hand bookstores near my house. My yoga teacher (whom I did not see at all last week, as I did not attend class) was minding the store for a friend. Needless to say, I will be in yoga class tomorrow. It took me about 30 minutes of wandering through the shelves before I found what I was looking for...a book I could read in a day`s time which would be enjoyable and yet not taxing. In exchange for my 40 quetzales I walked out with ¨Something Blue.¨ I read the first few chapters sitting at a rooftop cafe, drinking orange juice (which I only like when I am not feeling wholly well), and watching life unfold in the central park. After returning home for lunch, I decided to stay put and carried my pillow and sleeping bag up to the roof of the house (we have something of an upper patio there) and made myself comfortable for the rest of the afternoon into early evening. Once more I had to stop to eat with my host family, but I returned to digest the rest of Judy`s life in South Carolina before calling it a night. And that is vacation Laura style. I feel so much better today both in mind and body.

Count Your Freckles

2008-04-25T16:04:00.003-05:00

Every Thursday at Celas Maya at 11am (after the morning break) a conference on some topic related to culture, history, politics, etc. is held in the school. I like to go to these events because not only do I learn something not discussed in my classes, but it is a break from grammar and talking. What makes my Celas Maya experience even more intense than my undergrad experience is that at Cornell I shared my intensive classes with classmates. At Celas Maya I am the only student in my class for five hours straight -- it`s exhausting!

Last week our conference was presented by a man who is something of an expert on aspects of Mayan culture. He shared a number of things with us about the birth of children and how the umbilical cord of a newborn would be placed outside in a tree if he was male or placed under one of the rocks used in the cooking fire if she was female. Traditionally this signified the infants relationship to work and life in and out of the home. Overtime midwives, older women in the family, and mothers begin to change this custom in recognition of the fact that women did not work only in the home. These days it is common for an umbilical cord of both a male and female newborn to be hung in a tree. The difference is that a male umbilical cord is placed high in a tree to signify his connection to the sun, while a female umbilical cord is hung lower in a tree to signify her connection to the land.

Something a little bit more fun, which anyone can apply in his or her life is about freckles. Count your freckles. Yes, all of them! Anywhere you have a freckle it counts. For some it may be impossible to count every one, in this case make an estimated guess. Done? Come on, do it! Ok, ready? The more freckles you have the more aggresive you are as a person because you are more like a jaguar. Yes, I have lots of freckles. More than most Guatemaltecas, but fewer than lots of others. How about you?

Now to add to this fun, figure out whether you have more freckles on your left arm, the left side of your face, across and down the right side of your body, and your right leg OR the exact opposite. I will wait............So, which is it? If you have more freckles from left to right you have lots of positive energy. If you have more freckles right to left than you have more negative energy. Quantity of freckles in this instance does not equate more or less energy overall.

Finally know that your freckles are your gifts and your fortune, so you should never think negatively of them or wish them away. In doing so you wish away your gifts and fortune!

A Crappy Week and Yet Not

2008-04-23T14:25:00.002-05:00

I have been a bit under the weather all week (yes, I know it is only Wednesday), but I feel like garbage. Thankfully it is not a stomach illness, but only a passing virus. It is difficult to take the time to rest, as I probably should be, as I have already paid my tuition for the week and have an excellent teacher. At the same time concentrating in class is a challenge. My poor teacher, Karina, has to have all the energy for both of us because I have zero. No appetite, no energy, aches and pains, but otherwise fine. The only thing I have skipped this week is yoga -- bummer because it was just what I needed to balance out my days.

In other news Ria was the victim of an ATM scam and someone was able to copy her debit card. She had no idea it had happened until her husband received her bank statment in Holland and it disclosed her account had been emptied. Our host father went to the bank with Ria (the only ATM she has used is connected to a bank) and later yesterday afternoon she went to the police with the Volunteer Coordinator from Nuevos Horizontes. It sounds like there is a very good chance she will be able to get her money back -- her bank in Holland and the bank here are talking to each other. She has taken it all in stride, reminding us all she is alive and unharmed physically. Yes, thank goodness for this!

Nuevos Horizontes

2008-04-21T15:48:00.002-05:00

On Thursday night about 10 of us from Celas Maya attended a benefit dinner for Nuevos Horizontes, the only domestic abuse shelter in Guatemala and only one of two in all of Central America. From what we have been told by the current coordinators of Nuevos Horizontes (New Horizons) is this shelter was the first of its kind in Central America and another has recently opened elsewhere. The shelter supports women and child who have been battered by their husbands and fathers. These individuals come from within Xela and throughout Guatemala. It is an extreme decision for them to come to the shelter, as leaving their husbands means leaving their families completely. When a woman marries in Guatemala she becomes a member of her husband´s family.

Ria (my housemate in the Gutierrez home) came to Guatemala to volunteer at Nuevos Horizontes. She studied at Celas Maya for the first two weeks in the morning and volunteered in the afternoon. For this reason, I became aware of this shelter almost immediately upon my arrival in Xela. I am not exactly sure how many women and children the shelter supports, but I do know through Ria that some of the women and children cannot leave the shelter at all because their husbands/fathers are searching for them. Other women are able to have jobs in the community and the school-aged children attend part days (as is the practice here) nearby. The youngest children stay in the shelter all day, every day (or practically), and it is with these children that Ria volunteers. At home Ria is a kindergarten teacher, so she is well-versed in the type of activities valuable for these young children.

At the benefit we enjoyed an authentic, traditional meal of Guatemala consisting of a special chicken dish (not for the vegetarians), corn on the cob, rice, a salad made of beets, beans, and onions, and tamalis. For dessert we enjoyed a sampler of Bab´s Home Bakery products (an American-style bakery in Xela where the benefit was hosted), consisting of brownies, chocolate chip cookies, banana break, peanut butter cookies, and chocolate cupcakes all cut into small pieces. The brownies are addictive, so it is best to avoid Bab´s as much as possible. I have done so successfully, but some of my fellow students are there daily. Some people really enjoy the banana bread, but my sister´s is significantly better!

There was also a silent auction to raise additional funds. The benefit itself cost 40 quetzales, which is approximately 5 or 6 U.S. dollars. Not very many people bid on the silent auction items, so Celas Maya students were able to walk away with most of them at bargain prices. I won 5 hours of even cheaper internet and 2 desserts and coffees at a local cafe. Score on both! It was wonderful to have so many Celas Maya students represent at the event. Most of us spend 40 quetzales on food or drinks elsewhere, so this was a great opportunity to spend it more purposefully.

You can view photos from the benefit in my slideshow of Celas Maya Week 2 and one slide provides an overview of Nuevos Horizontes.

Chicken Bus on Market Day

2008-04-19T13:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took advantage of the chance to take my spanish class on the road and signed up for a trip to visit the San Francisco market. It enables me to visit another place in Guatemala without spending a great deal of time on the bus to and from. So many of the more touristy trips involve long hauls of eight or more hours on the bus.

The chicken bus is a common sight in Guatemala -- easily recognized as a U.S. school bus painted in bright colors, typically with a number of Biblical references on it, loaded on the top with bundles of purchased or soon to be sold merchandise, and inside crammed as full of people as possible. It takes about three people, typically young guys to navigate a chicken bus through the streets of Guatemala. One drives while the other two jump on and off the chicken bus directing the driver or other traffic out of the way. Now it is important to note that it is common to have three adults trying to sit in each seat, which means two of them are partially on the seat and partially filling the aisle with their bodies. In addition there are other people standing in the aisles between all of these people. Thankfully we got on the bus in both directions early and were able to secure full seats. Unlike the mini vans in Xela which collect payment when you get to your stop, on the chicken bus one of the guys helping navigate also collects payment during the journey. It is impressive to watch him slide his body between those crammed in the aisle, often using handrails built into the ceiling of the bus to monkey bar his way from one end of the bus to the other, making change and somehow remember all who have already paid.

Guatemalans are accustomed to this mode of transportation and seem to take it in stride. Those sitting on the outside of each seat spend a good deal of time moving up and down as people attempt to make their way onto the bus or off the bus at each stop. Even sitting in the center of a seat, I was regularly smashed against the person on the inside as people pushed their way through the bus. It is definitely not a place for anyone who has personal space issues! While all of this movement was occuring, there were also women breastfeeding their babies, friends engaged in conversation, and food vendors offering their wares. And to top it all off the bus drivers found it necessary to blast music as loud as possible throughout the bus. One of the teachers traveling with us asked them to turn it down a couple of times. I felt like I was living in the residence hall again with a freshman (typically male) who felt the need to share his music with extra base for anyone within a three block radius.

The market in San Francisco on Fridays is large and varied, although, it does not offer the artisan products sold in Chichicastenago. First we walked through the entire market to the very top where an animal market was in progress. Pigs, fowl, dogs, calves, and more were tied, caged and leashed everywhere we looked. Prices were negotiated with the owners directly just like any other stall in the market. My teacher wanted me to get my photo taken holding the leases for a herd of pigs which were only about six weeks old (another student had done this), however, I conveyed to here that pigs were not such a novelty in my life. The most surprising moments were coming up behind women in other parts of the market and realizing there were recently bought live turkeys sticking out of their bags.

Being that I have several weeks left in Guatemala, I was not much interested in purchasing anything at the market. This made it easy to follow the teachers around who took advantage of this free trip to San Francisco -- each of the students participating had to pay the travel expenses of their teachers. It wasn't much, 24 quetzales roundtrip, less than four dollars U.S. Some of the most impressive items were the handmade cloth, embroidered shirts, and woven shawls in an array of colors and designs. Ria told me she has one of the shirts framed and hanging in her bedroom in Holland, which would be about the only thing one could do with it. They are beautiful, but not practical for life at home.

The sights and smells of the market are enticing and revolting. Bags of bulk spices, beans, and grains; baskets of mangoes, bananas, pineapple, papaya, melons, and more; the vibrants colors of cloth, rope, hats, and every household item imaginable surrounded by raw meat not on ice and fish -- fresh, salted, dried, and cured in a variety of spices. And then their is what I like to refer to as the market kitchen. Freshly made tortillas, roasted chicken, deep fried potatoes (probably the safest thing for expats to eat), beverages made of corn on the cob, fruit drinks, and more.

A visit to the market is a traveling must. It's the life of the people, reminding me both of all we've lost and all we've gained.

All Shook Up

2008-04-17T17:32:00.004-05:00

So, there are earthquakes in Guatemala. Monday night after dinner I was sitting around the dining table with my host mother (Ana Maria) , my host sister (Ana Maria) and Ria talking about who knows what, as has become our custom, when suddenly everything in the room started shaking and the walls themselves seemed to be moving...EARTHQUAKE! Being from Wisconsin, I have not experienced a whole lot of earthquakes in my life and was more curious about it than fearful. While the other women sitting at the table showed more than a little concern for the situation. The next day a fellow student at Celas Maya from California shared with me how she instructed everyone in her hostel to get in a doorway, and while some of them moved closer to the doorways none of them took her all that seriously.

This reminded me of my first summer living in Chadbourne at UW-Madison when we had a tornado warning and everyone was instructed to get to the basement. As usual we had an outside group staying in the building, and it was impossible for us to get them to comply with this request. However, I remember one particular gentleman from Connecticut who was petrified by the idea of a tornado, not because he had ever experienced one, but precisely because he had no knowledge of them outside of what he´d seen in movies or television.

The unknown can generate such different responses from people -- fear, curiousity and indifference to name a few. What makes us respond the way we do? I am not one to take potentially serious situations lightly, but for some reason my only thoughts during the earthquake were along the lines of "huh, so this is what an earthquake is like. Interesting.¨ We have had a couple more earthquakes since Monday. I slept through one of them and the other is a faint memory, which I think I only noticed long enough to roll over and fall back asleep. For all of you living in earthquake prone areas, though, I would be stocking up on water, canned foods, first aid supplies, etc. It´s always good to be prepared in the event the shaking turns serious.

For anyone interested, I posted a link to the scientific info related to Monday`s earthquake. It was a 6.1 which seems fairly significant to me. Quetzaltenango is about 80 miles from the epicenter.

Being American and Immigration

2008-04-16T14:20:00.003-05:00

Some of you know Tope Awe, a student at UW-Madison´s School of Pharmacy, who is facing deportation. Many of you do not. I have attached a link below to a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal about her case -- PLEASE READ IT.

Tope worked for me in the Bradley Learning Community three years ago and has since continued to work for UW Housing. She is a delightful, intelligent, laid back and yet competitive individual. About a week before I was to depart for Guatemala, Tope and her brother were taken into custody by immigration officers because unknown to either of them their immigration status had lapsed so to speak -- Please read the article for full details of their story. Needless to say I was shocked when I heard the news, and it remains difficult for me to wholly comprehend. How could this be? And why?

Immigration is used politically as a mechanism to garner support from typically individuals who are fearful of anything they consider "outside" and who often ignorant of realities of immigration regulations, the impact of immigrants in the USA, and the personal stories of both U.S. citizens and immigrants affected by all of this. I hesitated to write about Tope on my blog because I know immigration as a topic can bring out the ugly in people, however, I believe Tope´s story exemplifies the complexities of immigration which are so often glossed over in the media and over-looked by the masses.

When a child is born in the USA, the child is automatically given U.S. citizenship. Neither of the child´s parents have to be U.S. citizens. Simply by birth on U.S. soil, this status is granted. In general I do not take issue with this, however, when someone like Tope who has spent all but the first three years of her life living in the USA faces deportation, I begin to question the ways in which citizenship or residency is granted. Tope´s brother is married to a U.S. citizen and they have a child together. He, too, faces deportation. Why? The simple answer is paperwork.

It is difficult to find someone who is completely unaffected by immigration. Most of us work with someone who immigrated to the U.S. or who is here on a visa of some kind. Your children go to school with other children who may have citizenship in the U.S. while their parents do not. My brother and a handful of friends have married individuals from other countries. Each of them has their own stories of the challenges faced in trying to legally wed the person you choose. The person you love.

I refuse to give up hope in Tope´s case, but I worry for her. And I worry for us. Who are we as a society when this is how our government functions? I think, no I know, we can do better, and we can be better for ourselves and the world in which we are a part.

The Sustenance of Meal Times

2008-04-13T11:34:00.012-05:00

Most of the time I choose chaos in life. I tend to work too much, commit myself to more than my share of community activities, seek deeper connections in my spiritual community, strive to be more informed about the city in which I live, as well as, creating time for building and maintaining meaningful relationships in my life. The chaos creates a sense of belonging for me, and I embrace it.

When I am living abroad the chaos of life is unnecessary for belonging. Belonging at home involves responsibility. Here my only true responsibility is to myself. I indulge in the simple joys of life often pushed aside -- naps in the afternoon, three home-cooked meals a day enjoyed in the company of others, reading for pleasure for hours at a time, and lingering in cafes. The calendar on my wall serves as decoration rather than a tool for organizing my life. My cell phone sits at my sister´s house in Illinois and my watch has yet to make it to my wrist. And somehow I am more at peace and more content in my relationships with those around me.

I think the secret in all of this is those three meals a day I eat with my host family. There is something very fulfilling about starting every morning and ending every day sitting at a table with the same people, sharing a cup of tea, some food and conversation. Eating sustains us physically. Our relationships with each other sustain us spiritually and emotionally. I am not expected to eat at home, but I choose to do so because in doing so I find myself.

OCAAT -- Ah, sweet memories!

2008-04-11T13:58:00.002-05:00

As I was leaving class yesterday, it suddenly occured to me why this transition has been so much smoother than some of the others I have endured. My Spanish class lasts 5 hours a day with a short break and then I have another 1-2 hours of homework, plus the necessary study time to really learn what we are covering. It is OCAAT all over again! That is One-Course-At-A-Time for those not in the know. I spent my undergraduate years at Cornell College, which operates under this calendar model. All of us, faculty and students, only had one course at a time for three and a half weeks. Then we had a few days off before our next Block, as our terms were called, began. I truly love learning this way of learning because it allows me to focus on one area while recognizing the multiple ways in which it connects to other subject areas and life in general.

One cannot be a procrastinator under OCAAT. Already I have realized how many distractions compete for my attention here in Xela. The school offers multiple field trips or supplemental activities every day, in addition to the typical lure of the international travel scene. Unlike most of the students in Xela, I am here specifically to study Spanish and feel beholden to those back home who have helped make this possible for me to stay focused. Most of Xela´s students are traveling for a long or short amount of time and this is one of the many things they are doing. Not everyone, but the majority. I have taken advantage of a couple of the shorter day trips already and spent some social time with other students, but this weekend is all about studying. I cannot move forward if I do not LEARN what we covered this week. To be able to put it to practice and become confident with the material, I need to be able to pull it from my head rather than my notebooks.

So, I have set some goals for my time and will reward myself with some of the more dynamic multi-day excursions when my Spanish skills have earned it. Until then it is nose in the books with reasonable allowances for needed distractions. Perhaps it will be good pre-training for law school.

Moments that make me go hmmmm?

2008-04-08T18:19:00.002-05:00

A group of us went on a field trip to visit some old churches near Xela. Our guide made the claim that our first stop was the oldest church in Central America. There is some question about how factual this may be as at least one student was fairly certain she´d been told the same thing during a trip in Costa Rica. History is wonderfully invented worldwide! This fantastic old man invited us into his store and home to give us more information about the church and to share some of his home brewed fruit liquor. He pushed the visitor´s book upon one of the students and rather than asking her to sign it, told her to read out the names of the people written in the book. He was so proud the whole world has been to visit him! And he was even happier to share the history of his beloved church. As for the fruit liquor, well it was quite tasty with a bit of a kick. Personally I prefered the fruit soaked in the liquor from the process of making it, but plenty of students purchased bottles of the liquor itself. Coming from a society were uniformity is the norm in selling a product and customers are quick to notice any difference in the product offered them compared to their neighbor, it was reassuring to observe as each student received a bottle of liquor which was both different in size and quantity for the same price as the others, not one person complained. In fact the person who received the largest bottle tried to give it away multiple times, as she apparently purchased it to support the old man not to indulge in the drink. Finally as we were driving back to school in our oversized mini-van I delighted in listening to two students from Germany conduct an entire conversation with each other about travel tips for Mexico (one had already been and the other was going there next) completely in English. They were not speaking in English for my benefit, or anyone else for that matter, but only because it was too difficult to try to keep three languages straight. They are currently studying and living in Spanish and the common traveler language tends to be English. So for the time being they are both trying to avoid speaking German as much as possible. One even told me he finds emails in German from friends and family distracting, but thinks they might not like it much if he wrote them in English. Ha! Oh, what a crazy and beautiful world it is indeed!

Sundays...Domingos

2008-04-06T17:26:00.002-05:00

My host family is given Sunday as something of a day of rest from me (all host families working with Celas Maya for all the host students). We are supposed to take care of our own meals today, nonetheless, my host family provided Ria and I will a simple breakfast of bread, jam, bananas, and tea. It´s our impression our host mother wants us to be able to have some light food at home before we venture out for the day. Once again, I recognize how blessed I have been to be placed with this family.

Today is market day in Xela -- I should specify, it is special market day taking place on the first Sunday of each month. Every day there are a few areas in town hosting a food market, but today in the Parque Central there were stands of people (mostly indigenous persons, recognizable by their beautiful dress) selling handicrafts, clothes, blankets, jewelry, etc. I will be here for another first Sunday, so I decided only to look today. Nothing particularly called to me in a "must have" way, but then few things ever do.

Ria needed to purchase something warmer to wear in the evenings. Xela is in the mountains surrounded by mountains making it much cooler than the coastal regions of Guatemala. In the middle of the day when the sun is shining it is warm enough to wear short sleeves and a need for a dab of sunscreen. Most of the time, though, we need at least a light layer to keep us warm and at night it is cold. Following the advice of the school I brought my winter sleeping bag along with me and found it useful the first few nights as I adjusted to the temperatures. At this point I have been able to pull it out from under my other blankets and transform it into a big pillow, which is such a treat. I was missing my pillow desperately and not sleeping all that well because of it.

In the city center area of Xela it is not easy to find clothing large enough for us foreigners, and Ria is anything but large. So we had to make our way out to the big shopping center in town. Yep, I have only been here only four days, and I have already been to the mall! It was not safe for Ria to travel there alone, though, so it had to be done. There was nothing particularly unique about the shopping center. It had a large Target type store attached to a typical mall with two levels and a food court full of U.S. companies at one end. What I noticed the most was it smelled like babies` diapers and people seemed to be doing more eating than shopping.

Our transportation there was a minivan crammed full of as many people as could possibly fit, including small children and infants sitting on parent´s laps. The ride was approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on the number of stops and how long it took to unload/load the passengers. The drivers try to keep the process moving along fairly quickly, as the more times they make their routes the more income they collect for the day. Regardless of which stop you get on or off, the ride cost 1 quetzal (a U.S. dollar is worth approximately 7.5 quetzal today). Typically a boy between the ages of 11-16 acts as the manager of the minivan, calling out the stops, the final destination, and ensuring passengers fill every available inch of space. These boys are the right size to fill this position, as there is little room for them, if any, in the minivan. Sometimes they ride on the running boards outside the sliding side door hanging on inside the van through the open window.

Ria and I will be venturing out for dinner tonight. Our first meal out on the town.

Sunshine, Mangoes and History

2008-04-05T13:47:00.002-05:00

If you have never enjoyed the sweet delight of eating a mango recently picked from a tree in the sunshine of the day, you are missing out on one of life´s perfect moments. Yesterday my host family invited me to join them on a trip to the market and introduced me to some of daily life here. My host mother stressed that everyone selling something at the market was indigenous, and it once again helped me realize how little separation there is in the realities of many countries worldwide. Here I am a foreigner living with the descendants of the Spanish immigrants who conquered these lands and impoverished the native peoples. Thankfully I know my tuition dollars support the education of girls within indigenous communities, so at least a portion of my economic contributions here will be going to those who need them the most.

My time in Guatemala has been thus far what I imagine life is like for male Peace Corps volunteers (I cannot explain this, you either understand what I mean or you do not, sorry.). I have a key to my host family´s house, and I come and go without question. I try to let them know when I am not going to be around, but I feel absolutely no pressure from this family to do anything. It is great! Plus, I get to wear pants. I feel weird about it from time to time, especially as I pass men on the streets, but mostly it has been an easy adjustment. (During my time in Peace Corps I wore skirts every day except a handful for two years...usually two skirts, one overlaying the other.)

Ria (woman from Holland also living with my host family) and I attended last night´s graduation ceremony at Celes Maya. There were a handful of people there who will be continuing on in their studies, so we now have some friendly faces to look for at school come Monday.

Bienvenidos

2008-04-02T16:14:00.002-05:00

My sister and I were scraping the car at 5 o´clock this morning before we took off for O´hare. My flights were on time and uneventful. I´d never been to the Charlotte, NC airport -- quite nice -- too bad my stay was very transit. Had three seats to myself on the way to Guatemala City and enjoyed a free movie...now that´s flying! My pick up service was late in arriving at the airport, so I had to suffer the barrage of taxi drivers and phone operators trying to lend me their services. Thankfully I have practice in the art of saying no. When they did arrive, they were extremely apologetic and made a big deal about having to make a stop on the way back to the guest house. Clearly they have had some high-maintenance customers in the past. I assured them they could take their time and I would be happy to wait wherever they needed to go. And then to my delight their much needed stop was at a beautiful roadside market. It was postcard perfect with all the baskets of local foods heaped high and a handful of Guatemalan women sitting in the shade fanning themselves as they watched over their wares. What a fantastic way to begin my time!

I head to Quetzaltenango (Xela) in the morning on a private company bus. It´s what the school and guest house recommend, so I´m following their advice. I do know that bus travel can be one of the more risky endeavors here, so why take unnecessary risks. Yeah, for all my travels, I still see no need to take risks just for the "experience of it all."

Putting the Pieces Together

2008-03-07T21:20:00.002-06:00

Tonight was the first night of one of two offered Admitted Students Weekends at the UW School of Law. While I do not have a natural gift for random small talk, I feel as if tonight's dinner conversation was worthwhile and left me feeling more than comfortable with my decision to attend UW Madison. Tomorrow morning there will be a set program where we will meet different members of the School and begin to put more of the pieces together. I am most looking forward to taking the official tour and getting a sense of the spacial elements of life as a student. If you've never seen it, UW's School of Law has a very industrial design, which seems cold to me upon initial entrance. However, I have spent enough time in student spaces to know what matters most is how those spaces transform into community gathering spots.

The most important decision after choosing an institution was figuring out where to live in Madison. Unsurprising, I ended up signing a lease on an apartment which does not meet any of my original criteria, and I didn't even think I had that many. My intention was to find a one-bedroom apartment with laundry in the unit and garage parking for all those winter days within walking distance to campus. Instead I am going to be living on the sort of near East side of Madison with laundry in the basement of the house and a parking spot outside in front of the garage. Yes, on nice days I could walk if I was willing to spend the 45 minutes it will most likely take. And without a doubt I should be able to ride my bike most of the year...yep, it's possible in Madison even during those snowy months. Being reasonable, though, I verified it was near moe than one bus route which run fairly regularly and take only 10-15 minutes depending on the route. You may not know all UW Madison students, faculty, and staff receive free bus passes. So, even though I will be commuting, at least I won't be spending money to do it.

And finally, it looks like I have some summer employment plans. I'll be returning to work at Sundance when I return from Guatemala, probably putting in a few more hours. I've also signed up to work on a farm, which offers CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares to more than 100 families a year. My original intention was to join a CSA where I would be able to volunteer on the farm just to get myself outdoors and reconnected with the earth on a more regular basis. When I was given the opportunity to work for food, well, that sounds like a good way to live within a student's budget. I'm pretty psyched about having a less conventional summer before law school begins.

If you are in the neighborhood come to visit!

Guatemala Plans in Motion

2008-02-16T21:13:00.003-06:00

My flight is booked, and I am registered with Celas Maya School in Quetzaltenango. I will be gone all of April and May, which is only about half the amount of time I had wanted to spend studying. As usual I feel as if things have unfolded as a higher force intended. Celas Maya offers on-line study, so I will be able to continue my studies even after I return to the USA. Their classes are taught in a garden courtyard, which I thought was a much better approach to learning than being stuck inside a classroom. Plus, they have FREE ping-pong! I'm certainly not going to win any ping-pong championships, but it is a good way to make friends and have some fun. We all need helpful props in building connections with each other. Being that our Spanish lessons are all one-on-one, it is important for the school to provide other means of connecting with each other. I still have about six weeks in Madison before I depart. It's not much time, especially knowing many of the people I value most here will be leaving before or shortly after I return. I'm hoping to spend as much time with each of them as possible before we live with distance between us. More distance in my life. An ever present hurdle to great happiness.

Taking the Road Less Traveled by Me

2008-01-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

Many of you have already heard my celebratory news, but for anyone else out there checking in at this spot...Wisconsin accepted me into their law school for the fall 2008. It's odd for me to be in a situation where my future involves staying put, as opposed to moving, but I am pretty pleased with it. Traveling in the fall made me realize how much I enjoy living in Madison.

As I sent my law school applications off, Minnesota was my first choice school with Wisconsin in second. However, as time has passed since my return, I have felt increasingly uncertain about those placements. On one hand some of my closest friends here are planning their departures. And on the other, there are a great many comforts everywhere I turn.

It takes a great deal of time and effort to create a place for oneself in a new community. Madison is the first city in which I have ever felt at home as an adult, where I feel a sense a belonging. While I am absolutely eager for law school, I do not want my entire existance to be law school. Knowing there will be people in my life, significant people, nearby who will know of my law school existance, but not be of it, is quite reassuring to me. UW-Madison also has one of the best public policy programs in the country, which I intend to take advantage of in my studies. With the state capital just a short walk down the street, I figure there will be even less need for commuting of any sort by staying put in Madison.

I have not actually visited UW-Madison law school officially, so I will be making an appointment to do so. The partner of one of my former colleagues in Housing on campus is currently a student there, so I am hoping to learn more about her experiences over the past couple of years. I already know I love Madison's campus -- what's not to like -- although it definitely needs to work on being more accessible. Now I can take advantage of all the aspects of campus I never did living there for three years, which were more part of the student world. 'Cause I'm gonna be a student!

As we enter 2008

2008-01-15T21:26:00.000-06:00

Several years ago I decided to start sending New Year cards instead of holiday cards at the end of the year. I never knew how the year would end if I sent it early. Not sure if I am going to send one at all this year, but if I do I am thinking it will come out later rather than sooner.

As for now I am squatting at my friend Jennifer's condo. Being back in Madison has been such a comfort and staying with someone I love dearly only makes it better. I was hoping to be on my way to Guatemala by February, but as usual good plans often go astray. It took me most of December to find a temp job and then something too perfect came my way. I was offered a 3-month position filling in for a women on medical leave at a place called Fireside Hearth & Home. I am doing office work and learning a whole lot about fireplaces and stoves I never thought I would know. So, I'll be sticking around long enough to see this job through.

Sometime in the early part of the year, Sundance Cinema finally called me back regarding an application I'd submitted weeks earlier. I was offered a position in the cafe making drinks, serving sandwiches, and of course close to movie time filling bags of popcorn, soda cups, and handing out boxes of candy. It's a bit of a posh place, wouldn't expect anything less from Sundance, so we've got lots of smancier food items, too. You can take it all into the theater with you to enjoy along with the movie, so if you are in town, stop by. One of the great perks is enjoying movies for free! I love independent films and on my budget it makes it possible for me to see them.

It's still my intention to head to Guatemala in April.

Happy 2008!

Transitions

2007-12-21T14:21:00.000-06:00

It's been absolutely wonderful to be home (in general) and back in Madison (more specifically)! While so many people are overwhelmed by the quantity of snow we've already experienced, I love looking around and feeling as if winter is once again winter. Inspires me to get out over the weekend and build a snow family, make some angels, and do some sledding. I don't skate well, but I'd be up for giving it a go, too.

On the less than joyous side, I remain unemployed. It seems I missed the window for securing a holiday job, so I turned to temp agencies (or staffing services as they call themselves) for help. There have been some nibbles, had some interviews set up, but know it will be January before I am working in any capacity. On a positive note, this has enabled me to catch up with friends and reestablish my connections in Madison. Unfortunately, it has pushed off my plans to travel to Guatemala to study and volunteer indefinitely. I cannot afford to go until I earn some money and the longer it takes to get a job, the longer I will have to stay put.

Thankfully, my wonderful friend Jennifer Taylor has granted me squatters rights at her condo in Fitchburg. I've completely taken over one of the rooms and for the most part enjoy me own bathroom. How spoiled could I be!

Lots of people have commented to me about how much they admire my ability to walk away from a secure job to travel and live without much of a plan. Really, I am not all that courageous. I walked away from a job it was time to leave whether or not I was traveling. My parents, took in all my stuff AGAIN and responsibility for my car. Friends have graciously allowed me to live in their homes, first Mary Ann this past summer and now Jennifer, without reaping financial rewards from me. It is because of all the unselfish acts of friends and family that I have been able to do what I have done this year. All I have felt from these individuals is support for the decisions I am making, and I so appreciate their abilities to give of themselves at a time when I need to lean on others. I don't ask for help easily (as many of you point out to me regularly), and I feel very blessed to have been able to do so and know the giving is offered without conditions. Thank you. The only responsibility I feel is to one day pay forward what they have done for me -- something I look forward to doing.

Homeward Bound

2007-12-08T12:59:00.000-06:00

Wow! The internet is SO fast. I'm sitting at Stephen and Lourdes's house trying to get all my photos uploaded to my Photagious site. Unfortunately, I lost a bunch of my Croatia phootos when they deleted the public folder on the ship at noon the day before we got to Miami. I spent a day and a half trying to burn all my photos onto CDs, but couldn't do it fast enough to save them all. Early in the voyage I lost all the photos from San Diego and Hawaii when my camera malfunctioned. And while I am sad to lose these photos, it was more disappointing to have lost the photos of Tania and Brad visiting me on the ship in San Diego and all my Peace Corps friends in Hawaii.

Lots of people will think I am crazy, but it is wonderful to have returned to a blanket of snow. For the most part we spent much of the last 106 days in warm weather. There were some colder rainy days in Istanbul, some autumn colors in Dubrovnik and Granada, and one glorious snowfall in Zagreb. But we still had some warm days in both Croatia and Spain. And then we hit Miami...dragging our luggage, which well exceeds airline weight limits, wearing our bulky clothes we cannot fit into our luggage into the 80 degree heat. What madness!

It's been an interesting three months, and I look forward to sharing it with anyone who has the patience to listen.

The Rain in Spain Stays Mainlainly in the Plains

2007-12-03T13:12:00.000-06:00

Well, my Spanish skills are good enough to roam around Spain without much difficulty, and yet so cluttered in my mind to cause great frustration. I found myself responding to the woman who owned the hostel where I stayed in Granada in Japanese. Not sure whether or not this was related to me befriended the Japanese teen staying in my dorm room or just my inability to keep in order the multiple languages running through my head at any moment.

Spain offers a great variety of ways to spend ones time. I chose to stay in the southern portion of the country near where we came into port in Cadiz. For the most part the weather was fairly nice, a little run and some cold temperatures from time to time, but mostly beautiful autumn weather. I was thankful for all the changing colors as I traveled from Cadiz to Granada, Granada to Sevilla, Sevilla to Ronda, and Ronda back to Cadiz.

Unfortunately, Spain is also quite pricey. Between Croatia and Spain, I think I spent as much as I did in all the other ports combined. It made me realize how much I may need to save up before flying off to Italy this coming summer with AU friends. After being on both sides of Italy along the Meditterranean, I am absolutely thrilled to be heading there for a few weeks come July/August.

My first day in Spain was spent with Meagan (ADSL) and Jonathan and Vanessa (LLL's). Jonathan participated in SAS as a student a handful of years ago and wanted to his partner Vanessa to experience it for herself. So, this is the first SAS voyage where there have been a few LLL's (Life Long Learners) in their early/mid-twenties. We also have an LLL who graduated from Harvard in May and decided to do this in place of studying abroad before starting to work for GE in January. Anyway, the four of us went to Jerez about 45 minutes from Cadiz to tour one of the sherry bodegas. Southern Spain is the only place in the world which produces sherry, a blend of white wines. None of us were overly taken with sherry, but thought their brandy was pretty good. The tour of the Gonzalez Byass bodega was excellent and worth the time we spent.

Day 2 Spain
I went to the bus station in Cadiz to figure out where the first bus leaving was headed -- Granada. I was not sure I was going to Granada at all during my stay, but if that's where the bus goes, so be it. Granada was magnificient! I made my way to one of the streets known to be packed with hostels and pensiones. The first place I stopped was full and the second place I stopped only had a triple open, until some sort of dispute erupted and the owner told me to wait. I couldn't comprehend everything being said as the conversation was between the owner and a Latino youth. However, my understanding is that a young English-speaking woman in the dorm had decided to take a night train, but had not told anyone she was leaving. Suddenly there was an open bed and I was home for the night...Yeah! More fortuitous was meeting an American catholic priest on sabbatical who had spent time working in Guatemala. He gave me some contacts in the area where I intend to be and encouraged me to contact them using his name when I arrived. Having spent two years working in a catholic mission school in Micronesia, I was more than comfortable with the idea of calling up the nuns working nearby.

Day 3 Spain
In Granada I spent four hours on my first morning touring La Alhambra, the largest Moorish palace in all the world. The artistic details on every surface of every structure were awesome. I paid four euros to have the guided audio tour, which was very helpful in knowing anything about what I was seeing. I bumped into several SAS travelers during these hours and ended up going off to lunch with Lara (one of the faculty) for lunch. We found a wonderful outdoor cafe near the river where live entertainment was provided. Each of us chose to get a baquette with different fillings and shared. Light and delicious! We continued walking up to the Barrio de Sacromento, the area of the city where the Roma community (commonly known as gypsies) live. This community was established in the 14th century, when the newly arrived Roma immigrants dug homes into the side of the mountains or lived in caves naturally existing. Unfortunately, the museum depicting the history and lives of the Roma culture was closed when we arrived -- gotta love Siesta -- so we were not able to enter any of it.

Lara headed off on an evening train while I continued to roam about Granada visiting more historical sites and simply taking in the lay of the land. The only other site I spent any significant amount of time was the cathedral. I wouldn't say it is the most beautiful church in which I have ever been, but it certainly was ornate.

Day 4 Spain
I wanted to go to Ronda, the birthplace of modern bullfighting. This particular white town of Andalucia is built over a massive gorge, where they have built a very impressive bridge. I had to travel through Sevilla to get there, so stopped for a couple of hours to see what I could see. It's funny because I intended to spend a couple of days in Sevilla, but it became hours. Traveling this way required me spending a good chunk of time on the bus, but it was worth it to see all the countryside we passed. So many John Deere tractors in these parts! I couldn't catch a photo of them we wizzed by them so quickly, but they were there.

I am so glad I went to Ronda, it was probably the highlight of my time in Spain. I stayed in a small place, Hostal Ronda Sol, where the rooms were described as clean and monkish in guidebooks. I would agree they were monkish, but not overly small, plenty of space for one person. A single only cost me 13 euros -- cheapest price in Spain -- plus I had a sink in my room and a window!

Day 5 Spain
Other than India, Spain was the only port where I didn't wake up in the port city on our last day in country. We encourage everyone to be back in the port city on the last day to ensure they make it onto the ship on time and/or don't miss us completely. Transportation is always a bit uncertain. I needed to catch a 1:30pm bus from Ronda to Cadiz in order to be on time for Gangway Duty that evening. This meant I needed to get up early (something I am not a fan of doing) and do a speedy walking tour of town. Unfortunately, I had left my walking tour map and gloves in the cafe where I ate dinner the night before and being in Spain it did not open until 11:00 am in the morning. So, I had to wing it. Thankfully, this is something I am a fan of doing.

I headed for the area where the oldest bullring in Spain and the bridge over the gorge are located. I crossed over the bridge and took a walk down the mainstreet to see what I could see. Around 9:00am I headed to the bus station to check on the bus schedule and ensure there was a 1:30pm bus as posted. Of course the counters were not open, and I had to trust I would get back to Cadiz. I came upon a Chocolatier shop owned and operated by Sven, a transplanted Belgian. Nothing better than Belgian hot chocolate and strawberry crepes with whip cream for breakfast. I had to follow it with a multi-grain bagette because the sugar overwhelmed me.

After breakfast I headed to the bullring, which opened at 10:00am for a tour of it and the museum. They only have bullfights from spring to October. I am not sure I feel bad about missing one of these events. I don't know how I feel about bullfighting. The bullring was impressive and the museum offered a thorough history of the development of modern bullfighting. They have a training ring for horses, and we were able to watch them work for some time, too. I then returned to my whirlwind history city tour of Ronda, learning about how the bridge was constructed, and so much more.

Thankfully the bus did show up at 1:30pm and I was confidently on my way back to Cadiz.

Back on the ship

2007-11-19T07:44:00.001-06:00

My last two days in Croatia were equally as wonderful. I made it to the Zagreb Filharmonica where I bumped into two SAS students. That's a good surprise! I like to see them chosing to spend their money and invest their time in the cultural arts. It snowed all day the next day, so I decided to visit three of the museums in town and took snowy photos of places I'd been the day before. For those of you from the land of winter, you know what I mean when I say it was one of those perfect snowfalls -- big, fluffy flakes covering everything in a blanket of shimmering magic. Everyone was using their umbrellas as they walked around the city to keep the snow off of them. Not something I see a lot of people doing in the USA, but I happily joined them. (Thanks Mom and Dad for my umbrella. It has come in handy to keep out the sun, the rain and now the snow.)

I splurged and purchased a plane ticket to fly from Zagreb back to Dubrovnik. Just couldn't afford to spend the hours back on the bus and miss out on seeing the walled city of Old Dubrovnik. Unfortunately, the weather in Dubrovnik did not cooperated and we were rerouted back to Split and then transported by bus back to Dubrovnik. Croatia Airlines handled the entire situation very professionally, and I appreciated how quickly the bus got us back to Dubrovnik. The ride is much faster when the airlines want you to be happy compared to the public bus ride, which took almost two additional hours and made multiple stops. We arrived back to the ship around 2:30 am, giving me plenty of time to grab some sleep before breakfast at 8:00 am.

The Old City of Dubrovnik is lovely. I have heard people describe Croatia as what Europe used to look like. I am not sure what this statement means exactly, as I have never been to Europe before the past five days. (Can't really count airports.) However, I will say I was awed by the architecture everywhere I went. Cobblestone streets, marble sidewalks, narrow pedestrian passages between buildings and more. I walked to the Old City about 45 minutes from where the ship was docked. I figure I see more using my feet and with only one day in Dubrovnik, there was no time to waste. The walk around the walls took me about an hour and half, stopping multiple times for photos and to enjoy the views of the Adriatic Sea. As much as people continue to tell me I need to return during warming weather, I cannot imagine wrestling with the crowds during the high season would be very enjoyable. There was a noticeable difference between the crowds when we walked on The Great Wall in China (in September) and walking the walls in Dubrovnik in November.

There is a great deal of influence in Croatia from Italy (right across the Adriatic Sea), so I found locals directing me most of the time to pizzarias and other Italian restaurants for meals. It was all delicious! There was also plenty of gelato to be eaten and a delicious national dessert made with a bavarian creme type of thick layer, whipped cream, a flakey pastry crust (top and bottom) and sometimes a chocolate icing. Sound familiar to anyone? It very much reminded me of chocolate eclair, but not quite the same. You can find it everywhere in Croatia. I am told in one place it is made more with a custardy substance and served warm. Yum-yum.

SAS Photos Preview #3

2007-11-16T10:20:00.001-06:00

http://www.photagious.com/slideshow?e2b672cb1908387494a8ae1195228975

Here are some photos of shipboard life and a few from India. Now I have to compress some more for quicker upload to catch up with more of India, Egypt, Turkey and now Croatia. Enjoy!

Day 2 Croatia

2007-11-15T14:07:00.001-06:00

Croatia may be the most beautiful place I have ever been. I got up early (yep, amazing) and spent the morning walking around the old Diocletian Palace area of Split and ate breakfast at Lvxor Cafe, named for Luxor, Egypt, which I wasn't able to visit. Reason? Well, in 305 AC 15 statues of the Sphinxes were transported to Split for this colossal palace being built along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Today only one of these Sphinxes remains watching over the palace area directly outside of the Lvxor Cafe. I ordered the most delicious cheese strudle, light and creamy with sultanas, all powered in sugar. I boarded a bus around mid-day and headed for Zagreb, Croatia's capital city.

As usual no bus ever arrives to its destination on schedule, at least not its final destination. I am not exactly sure how this works being that every bus I have taken in Croatia has left from its origin on time. I arrived in Zagreb in the late afternoon/early evening. Thankfully, I had read enough to know I could purchase a tram ticket at any of the Tisik shops (kiosks). Public transportation in Croation (at least where I have been) is convenient, clean and well-used. I jumped on a tram right outside the bus station, which took me into the center of Zagreb. Trg bana Jelacica (square) was hoping with activity. As I exited the tram, my ears were filled with enticing music coming from the stage set up in the center of the square. Lots of people were coming and going from shops, meeting up with friends for dinner and catching the trams crossing through this square to destinations throughout the city.

My first stop was the Tourism Board office on the edge of the square. I love these offices, as they not only make recommendations of where to stay, but call to find out if there are vacancies and then give you a map with directions on how to find it. Both in Split and Zagreb the women working in these offices have directed me to reasonably priced accommodations in nearby walking distance. Tonight I am at the Fulir Backpacker Inn, sharing a room with up to five others, although, I don't believe we are full. This hostel only accommodates 10 people, so it is a perfect size for feeling some level of comfort with everyone who is coming and going. I have already met at least four others staying here (2 New Yorkers, 1 Turk and an Aussie from Perth). The owner is quite friendly, easy-going, etc. All one anticipates finding in a backpacker establishment.

On the steet I bumped into some SAS students I know fairly well. Ironically, this was the group of girls who had asked me about going out with them in Zagreb. We aren't suppose to travel with students, and I make a point of avoiding situations where I might need to report on student activities. So while I did not go out on the town with them, I did join them for dinner at Leonardo's. We met two Bosnians and an American who are working in Sarajevo right now. The American is based in Germany, but in the Balkans for six months. He's an attorney, so I gently interrogated him about what he does. Of course, there was a limit to what he could share -- government work related to the war recently fought in this region. That's enough to make some educated guesses. The crazy part of meeting up with them is learning this same American went to the same high school and college as one of the students. There are those six degrees of separation again. I capped off the night by finding my way to what is rumored to be the best ice cream in Zagreb. It's freezing outside -- signs along the highway were reporting zero degrees Celcius and below -- but how can I not evaluate the best ice cream in town!

In Croatia -- finally more photos uploaded

2007-11-14T14:35:00.001-06:00

What I have found most interesting in Croatia thus far is learning to type on this keyboard. I type fairly well, however, this board is not set up the same way as our keyboards in the USA. For this reason the new slideshow I put together is not labeled overly well. The photos of our my time in Thailand (spent most of my days there on the ship) and Vietnam (where Dawn flew in to travel with me and met up with my Peace Corps friend, Tim, who is teaching in Ho Chi Minh City).

We arrived in Dubrovnik this morning. I left the ship around noon and made my way to the bus station. After getting some money from the ATM, I learned I could not purchase a bus ticket with it as the bills were too large. So, I went to the post office to mail my remaining postcards from Turkey. You just may find one of these in your mailbox soon. Still did not have small enough bills, so I bought a snickers at a kiosk. Now I could purchase a bus ticket to Split. My only reference point for Split is knowing Sonja, a fellow graduate assistant at American University, who hails from here. It was a good day to spend on the bus, as it rained and rained much of the afternoon. We arrived in Split around 6 pm. I found my way to the Tourist Bureau and was able to arrange for a room in a private home. This is one of the cheapest ways to stay in Croatia. Tomorrow I will spend the morning in the old part of town and then take a bus to Zagreb, the capital city.

I am flying solo on this journey, which makes me very happy. Too much togetherness on and off the ship drives me a bit nutty. I enjoy the people I work with on the ship (in the larger sense of shipboard community), but time away is vital.

Whirlwind Update

2007-11-09T02:14:00.000-06:00

EGYPT
I really didn't see or do much in Egypt, but it was still a good port. I was on duty the second day in port, which puts a kink in any significant travel plans. I ventured out with a faculty member to visit the Bibliotec Alexandria -- new library built in celebration of the historical significance of the library which once existed here. It's a breathtaking building! If I lived in Alexandria, it would be one of my places to escape. We didn't have time to sit around, however, I was told the coffee shop in the Bibliotec is one of the best in the city, too. I did make it to Cairo, walked along the Nile River and visited the Pyramids and the Sphinx at the nightly light show. This is definitely a country I will need to return to for a closer look.

TURKEY -- Day 1 Istanbul
We arrived in Istanbul two days ago. I fell in love with the city by the end of day 1. Megan and I wandered about in the old part of the city on the European side where many of the major tourist attractions are found. We didn't have a map, so we had no idea which direction we should be heading to find any of them. Thankfully, a kind Turkish man stopped to ask if we needed any assistance and walked us all the way to the Blue Mosque. I always hope that Americans are doing the same for "lost" travelers in the USA, however, I am not sure this is true most of the time. Neither Megan nor I are fans of standing in lines when there are so many other things to be doing, so we took photos of the outside of the Blue Mosque and found other sites to visit. From the photos I have seen of the interior of the Blue Mosque, I believe my experience at The Grand Mosque in Oman out-classed this one anyway. The most surprising part of the day was walking through the Grand Bazaar and not being harassed every half step by an eager salesman. Only one person tried to sell us a rug the entire time we passed through the building. Part of the Grand Bazaar was originally horse stables for the Ottoman Empire.

Day 2 Istanbul
Lara, music professor, and I took the public ferry on the Bosphorus River. It's a fairly cheap and low-key way to see a good bit of the area. Most of the folks I know have been feeling a bit under the weather the past few days (my first stomach issues of the voyage), so this was a good way to be out without extending ourselves too much. It's much colder in Instanbul than it has been during the rest of our voyage. It is almost as if someone pulled a lever as we crossed the Mediterrannian to switch from summer to late autumn. Of course, those of us from colder areas of the U.S. are perfectly content with these autumn temperatures. The southern California crew is suffering.

Day 3 Istanbul
This morning I sent off my law school applications. I am still waiting on some of my letters of recommendation, but I have faith they will be submitted shortly. Unfortunately, their delay may result in me not receiving confirmation of my status until much later in the admissions process. It's a huge weight off my shoulders to know I have completed everything I need to do.

I was suppose to be in Ephesus today, but due to recent illnesses my travel partner and I decided to skip out on that trip. So, now I am not sure what I will do with myself today. This is the pleasure of being in a major city (20 million people in Istanbul) ,though, the options are endless.

India

2007-10-25T05:02:00.000-05:00

I was anxious about getting to India. It was a place I had wanted to visit for as long as I could remember. In the Fifth Grade I was mesmerized by the Taj Mahal and dedicated almost any project in school I could to it. I can still recall the hours spent in Miss Mahocka’s art room painstakingly working on what seemed to me then to be an enormous chalk drawing of this monument. In preparing for this voyage with Semester at Sea about the only thing I was certain I wanted to do was go to the Taj Mahal. I chose not to sign up for one of the guided SAS trips to Agra because I figured I could make my way there less expensively and would need the freedom to stay as long as my spirit held me. Instead I borrowed a travel book from Kristina, copied the entire section covering this northern region of India and tried to prepare myself mentally for what I anticipated to be some of the more jarring experiences of traveling in India.

Somewhere between San Diego and Hong Kong I decided going to the Taj Mahal was a dream that would remain unlived on this voyage. The port city of Chennai is the IT capital of India and a strong competitor of Bollywood in the film industry. It is also more than a few hours of travel away from Taj Mahal in Agra. After having spent our limited five days (in reality less than five being that the immigration process can take several hours to complete once we arrive in each port) in Japan and China, I realized how much I did not want to spend all my time in India sitting on a plane, train and bus to get to the Taj Mahal when I could be doing so much more. And so the Taj Mahal waits for me.

I did not see the India that many of the SAS participants experienced. Jennifer Mowad, another one of the Resident Directors, invited me to travel with her and a friend of hers who lives in India. Prasad and a friend of his picked us up at the docks and whisked us off to one of many sights in our non-stop tour of south India. We knew that we wanted to travel as far into south India as we could the first night, and therefore planned to take an overnight bus to Madurai. In the interim we visited Mamallapuram, a city about two hours south of Chennai famous for its rock carvings. Cadhir provided us with a historical tour of some of the structures built in the 4th Century. It became a running joke that while Prasad acted as our companion and guide throughout our entire time in India, he was dependent on his friends and family to provide the substantive information about the places we visited. If we ever had a question, he would quickly phone a friend.

Without a doubt there are travelers out there who are much more trustful of others than I, some foolishly so and others who seem to have spot-on instincts. It was difficult for me to leave my bag and my chacos (those are my sandals for those of you not in the know) in a room outside the Sri Meenakshi Temple complex in Madurai. Of course, I took anything essential with me on my person (passport, money, camera, etc.) and everything I left behind could be replaced with time. For added security we gave the man watching the room a small tip before we went inside. Each night we slept on a bus, which was every night except one, I made sure everything of great importance was well-secured under layers of clothes and stuck in places I was fairly certain would cause me to awake were there any attempts to get to them in the night. I have heard far too many tales of undetected thefts occurring on buses. Generally, I felt as if there were fewer safety concerns in India compared to some of the other places we had visited along the way. Not that I felt as if I was in a precarious situation at any time anywhere else.

One of the highlights of our time in India was our overnight stay in a wildlife sanctuary in Mudumalai National Park in the Western Ghats. Prasad’s family connections secured us free accommodations and meals in a place that would have otherwise cost us quite a penny. The house and natural environment reminded me very much of my first days on Tol (Peace Corps) except in this case we had indoor plumbing. The house where we stayed was concrete with a large outdoor porch and simple furnishings. There was a quiet I had not experienced in many weeks and in some ways it felt as if we were the only people around. We were led by Muney on a short walk through the sanctuary. It was so wonderful to be out of the city! After dinner two men came to take us on a night safari to look for elephants. Jennifer, Prasad and I climbed into the back of a jeep eagerly anticipating sightings. Before finding any elephants, we came upon wild boar, spotted deer, rabbits, etc. Eventually, we found a small herd of elephants. Crossing the road in front of us were an elephant and her baby. Unfortunately, our presence in this moment did not please other members of the heard and our drivers had to reverse us out of there quickly to avoid being charged from both sides. On our way out of town the next day we saw a few more elephants along the road who were less phased by our passing.

My greatest accomplishment in India, though, may be having avoided getting sick. The food in India is fabulous! It was such a treat to eat. And we did, A LOT. Most of the time we ate in restaurants connected to hotels. In many countries I would consider this to be the travelers easy way out, but in India it seemed to be the norm even among the locals. Every time we arrived in a new destination Prasad would ask locals where they recommended finding a meal (and we were wise enough to hide while he was asking, so our white faces would not skew the answer) and every time they pointed us towards a hotel. We ate in a couple swanky places, but most of our meals were fairly every day affairs. It was difficult to get back on the ship knowing these delicious meals were coming to an end.

Making Connections

2007-10-23T04:34:00.000-05:00

I am thankful that I have lived without communication tools other than pen and paper before this trip. While many others on the ship seem to be constantly frustrated by the troubles with our Internet connection, I rarely even think about using it. In hearing the stories of those who have participated in previous SAS voyages where there was no Internet connection or cell phone access, there is no doubt in my mind that these “advances” in the services provided on the ship negatively impact the shipboard community in multiple ways. All the time currently spent waiting for Facebook walls to load, emails to be sent, blogs to be updated, etc. would instead be invested in conversations and social activities with each other. It is not that these things do not happen, but when you have no choice but to be with each other in a confined space for days on end relationships are bound to form. And the fewer distractions the more these relationships will grow.

Last night I was sitting in Tymitz Square (reception area of the ship where the Purser’s Desk, Student Life, Field Office, and Administrative Offices are located) talking with a few people I have come to feel some sense of belonging among. Before too long we were teaming up and discovering who could and couldn’t hum, spell, draw and all the other talents Cranium forces one to share. Board games are magic in a box. Whether you know people well or hardly at all, they provide a framework for spending time together. They ease the awkward moments of relationship development and give people a sense of purpose in being together. It seems odd to think we would need a reason to spend time together, but I think we often do. We check out a lot of games at the Student Life Desk, but I am betting we’d be checking out a whole lot more if the computers offered nothing more than tools for completing academic work.

I wonder how much time participants spend in port reconnecting with home. As any of you reading this know, I have not been diligent in updating my blog throughout this voyage. I had every intention of spending a couple hours in an Internet Café while we were in India to upload photos and catch up on entries in my blog. In the end though, Jennifer and I were running to be back on the ship on Friday by 1900 hours when we were both supposed to report for gangway and immigration process duty. It only took me a couple of hours after getting off the ship in Chennai to realize I would need to return to India for at least three months to be able to experience everything I wanted to see and do. It was only after returning to the ship that I realized I had not even taken the time to purchase any postcards to send home. That’s odd for me, as I still prefer communicating with pen and paper.

Vietnam

2007-10-23T04:29:00.000-05:00

Our stop in Vietnam was almost a month ago now, and I am still working out in my mind everything we observed. Having been born at the end of the Vietnam War and growing up at a time when we learned very little formally about this period of U.S. history, yet knowing it remains an extremely sensitive subject in the U.S., made being in Vietnam weighted in a way my travels to other countries have never been. There have been a few instances since I lived in Japan where I have met older Americans who disapproved of my willing participation in the JET Programme and my positive sentiments regarding the people of Japan because of the events of WWII. However, in preparing and being in Japan for the year, I only felt a great deal of support from family and friends, and honestly gave very little thought to historic relations between Japan and the U.S. Nothing was further from the truth in Vietnam.

What seemed to surprise most of us SASers traveling in Vietnam was their delight in having us in their country. The Vietnamese people do not harbor ill will towards the U.S. Yes, I visited the War Remnants Museum and the Unified Palace, both of which present the U.S. government as an imperialistic aggressor and showed photos of the devastation of the land and the gruesome violence some American soldiers perpetrated against the people of Vietnam. We also went to the Cu Chi Tunnels built by the Viet Cong and learned about their methods for moving undetected by the American soldiers and the tools of war they utilized. Walking through the tropical forest in the pouring rain and crawling through portions of the tunnels (which have been enlarged in some sections to allow for tourists to fit) provided a glimmer as to what it would have been like to live in these tunnels for years on end. Most of us were quite impressed by the way in which the Viet Cong had designed methods for cooking underground and releasing the smoke through multiple rooms until it finally escaped in a fairly unnoticeable haze above ground. The remnants of the war are not pretty, but nothing I saw was surprising, and most of it I had learned about watching films in the U.S. and in a history course I took in college.

It was important to me to visit these sights and to think about the actions of the U.S. in Vietnam, and I am very glad to have been able to process some of my experiences with friends who shared in them. Equally important was coming to understand the amount of time in Vietnam’s history when they have fought to keep an aggressor out of their country. The significance of the Vietnam War is far greater to the people of the U.S. than it is to the people of Vietnam. They fought us for 20 years and they fought China for 1000. Their Buddhist faith (which most Vietnamese practice) teaches them not to hold on to pain of the past but to live in the present. Today Vietnam looks at the U.S. as having much to offer them, and so they welcome us with glad tidings.

The rapid development taking place is quite visible. While Vietnam was not in the same position economically as some of the other countries we have visited, it is definitely on the move. Traffic congestion is already a problem and will only become more so in the coming years. Motorbikes and scooters are the most popular form of transportation, however, we were told that as individuals make more money more cars are being introduced to the market. It is difficult to imagine traffic moving at all once the cars replace the motorbikes. There is non-stop honking in Vietnam to alert other vehicles of someone moving near them or as a warning that they are getting too close. For those of us used to the structured rules of the road in the U.S., driving in Vietnam is simply madness. In addition, there are many dangers to pedestrians in Vietnam. Crossing the street is a skill one must relearn. For those of you who remember playing Frogger, you get the idea. We were advised to commit ourselves to crossing before we took our foot off the curb and then to continue to move forward allowing the vehicles to drive around us as we make our way across. Once I got used to the idea of crossing through moving traffic, I became fairly adept at managing the task.

Of course Vietnam was additionally special because of my travel companions. My Pville friend Dawn flew in from Arizona to spend the time in Vietnam with me before flying to see Ankor Wat in Cambodia. Plus, one of my fellow Chuuk Peace Corps volunteers, Tim, is teaching at the American International School in Ho Chi Minh City. Tim joined Dawn and I for a boat trip to the Mekong Delta and introduced us to the New World Hotel (the only 5 star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City), where Dawn and I had more than one “no worry” meals. I have to say that my Peace Corps service leaves me feeling as if I have done the “living locally” thing plenty, and I have no hesitation about enjoying a meal in a comfortable location with good service and excellent food.

Photos of Semester at Sea added

2007-10-07T01:57:00.000-05:00

I am adding some photos today, so check out the link below. If it doesn't work go to my photos and slideshows on www.photagious.com/users/buchsll.

Shipboard Life

2007-10-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

I realize I haven’t said much of anything about shipboard life. It’s a bit like living on an island, which I have done multiple times. The big difference is that this one feels fairly crowded, and there is no way to escape from others except to go to my cabin. I really don’t give it much thought. Having lived in a residence hall for the past three years I think prepared me well for the all-inclusive package.

Ship terminology: Starboard (right side), Port (left side), Aft (back), Forward (front). Don’t confuse Port side with being in port. We are “in port” when we stop at a country.

I am very lucky to have a cabin to myself. Our Director of Student Life shared with us that when she sailed as a Resident Director, they all shared cabins. I don’t think I would have taken the job if that were the case. As much as no one does this for the money, there is a limit to the circumstances under which I would work for so little. At the same time, all of us on staff have inside cabins, no windows, no natural light. It is a bit like living in a cave. This makes for great sleeping conditions, but it’s a bit disorientating in the morning when you expect some light. Not having a window also makes it not a very pleasant place to go to relax during the day (outside of napping). We have a lounge on the 7th Deck forward, which is only for faculty, staff, and life long learners (adult passengers who pay to participate in the program not for college credit). Being in the front of the ship with windows on three sides and an outside deck, it provides something of an escape when needed.

For the most part we can get anything we need on the ship. The store sells merchandise printed with Semester at Sea and MV Explorer on it somewhere. A fairly significant percentage of the participants purchased SAS sweatshirts in the first week, as the ship is kept very cold. We can also buy school and office supplies, toiletries, first aid supplies, and other travel needs in the store. Everything gets charged to our shipboard account by swiping our SAS ID, and the credit card we attach to these accounts is automatically billed on a set schedule. If you don’t want to give the ship a credit card you can put cash in your account.

There is a food venue open all day from 7:00 am – 12midnight even when we are in port. Purchases work the same way at the Piano (Deck 6 central) and Poolside (Deck 7 aft) Snack Bars as they do in the store. Both locations offer candy, beverages (hot and cold), chips, etc. for purchase. The Poolside area has a more extensive menu including grill items, smoothies, ice cream, pizza, and more. This is also the space where the AFTer Hours social time is hosted. Students can purchase alcohol at two times on the ship: during dinner (1730-1930) they are allowed two drinks, and during AFTer Hours (2100 – 2300) they are allowed four drinks. The Resident Directors take turns monitoring AFTer Hours with the Security Team.

We also have televisions in our rooms, which do not receive reception in most countries (sometimes in port), but are used to project videos for the film courses and other educational purposes. We also have a channel specifically for SeaTV, which is produced by the students on the ship. And of course, there is one channel which continuously updates where we are exactly, the time, temperature, etc. They play music on this channel, so it functions as the ship’s radio station without a DJ, too. I turn it on regularly when I am in my cabin as background noise.

You can go to the Semester at Sea website to take a virtual tour of the ship. My cabin is a standard cabin with two single beds, but my Cabin Steward Edwin put them together at my request to make a larger bed. It’s much more comfortable and makes me keep my room tidier. When I had the beds separate, I would throw lots of crap onto the one I didn’t sleep on which only made the room less appealing. Plus, Edwin would always straighten my mess, which made me feel terrible. It’s very weird to have someone come into my cabin and make my bed and clean my bathroom (and any other general cleaning he thinks should happen) every day. Edwin is great, and I have absolutely no concern about him coming into my room. It’s just uncomfortable to have someone picking up after me at “home.” Having been in some of the students’ rooms, it is also a bit embarrassing to me to know that their cabin stewards are sifting through their messes to make their beds and tidy their room. Some of the students are absolute slobs, men and women! It’s quite disgusting. The cabins provide plenty of space for me, but I am sure it feels like tight quarters for all those who share.

What else? Student Life has two spaces. We have a working office on the 6th Deck forward in a small area on the way to the Bridge. There are three work spaces and some storage space, which is enough for us to get things done most of the time. The biggest struggle is that when the ship is rocking and rolling, it can be difficult to sit in there without feeling like you are going to hurl. Thankfully, we also have a computer at the Student Life Desk in Tymitz Square. Tymitz Square is the central area on Deck 5 hosting the Purser’s Desk, the Field Office & Desk, the Administrative Team and Student Life. It’s basically the communications vortex of the ship, which makes for a great space to be at any time day and night. I really enjoy working at the Desk. It allows me to get to know participants and maintain relationships with individuals I otherwise would not see often.

That covers the most important things for now. If you have questions, email them to me at studentlife@semesteratsea.net. Put “for Laura” in the subject line, and I will get it.

Following the Flag in China

2007-10-03T03:08:00.000-05:00

I decided that 5 days was simply not long enough to negotiate the frustrations of independent travel in China, and signed on for the 5 day Semester at Sea Beijing and Xi'an Field Excursion. It was a lot of "on the bus, off the bus" flag following touring, which does not particularly meet my needs as a traveler most of the time, but was tolerable for the benefits it provided in not having too think too much simply to move from one place to another.

The great reward of traveling in a tour group is that I was able to become part of a mini-community within the bus load of people being herded from place to place. As a staff member I am discouraged from traveling independently with students -- liability issues, which I understand and support completely. Being on an SAS tour provided me an opportunity to share my travels with students, faculty, staff and life long learners (adult passengers who are not earning college credit) in a way I will never be able to do in all my independent travels in other ports. Now, whenever, any of us who became part of this mini-community see each other on the ship, there is a comfort and sense of belonging that can be difficult to find among a large group of people who have limited shared history. The additional funds I spent to participate in the tour were well-worth the relationships that were built over those five days.

It is difficult to try to make sense out of a country in only five days, so I hesitate to make any grand remarks about my experience in China. It is also challenging to try to shift from being in Japan to being in China in two days. What I can say, is that China appeared to be far less structured than Japanese society (not surprising). I did not feel overly welcomed in China, nor did I feel any overt displeasure regarding my presence. Considering the population of China, I anticipated it would feel even more crowded than it did. Our tour guide, Nancy, in Beijing told us that rush hour begins at 8:00 am and ends at 10:00 pm every day. Traffic was daunting, but I did not feel crowded in the streets walking from place to place.

As many of you know, I do not enjoy Chinese food in the USA all that much, and found this to be true in China, too. Without a doubt the best meal we enjoyed was our Peking Duck dinner upon arrival in Beijing. Air is blown under the skin of the duck, which helps make the skin extra crispy when it is cooked. The duck was sliced thin and then we were instructed to roll it with scallions and sauce -- delicious! What struck me as most interesting at meals in China, however, was learning that water cost more than soda or beer. Soda and beer were often included in our meals, but water had to be purchased.

More on China to come...

Sayonara Japan

2007-09-17T00:08:00.000-05:00

Our time in Japan was split between the Yokohama and Kobe ports. We arrived in Yokohama around 7:00 am, but it was after 2:00 pm before I was through the security process. The immigration, customs, and security procedures are different in each port. In every case, however, officials from the host country board the ship and complete the process onboard. When we get an "all clear" from the ship's officers then Semester at Sea staff begin dismissing people from the ship based on their travel needs. All Semester at Sea trips are given priority as many of them require using ticketed transportation, such as trains, planes, buses and ferries. I have learned to expect to be stuck (so to speak) for at least a few hours after we arrive in port. It's too frustrating to not prepare oneself for these delays.

Japan was a wonderful place to begin our foreign port excursions. The students boarded the ship in Mexico, but there were no field programs at this port. Most of the students spent at least a portion of the five day stay traveling independently. Even those who participated in SAS trips, had the option of not returning to the ship with the group. I spent most of my time in Japan wandering about alone reminiscing and enjoying the comfort of being back in a familiar place. I had never spent any significant time in either Yokohama or Kobe, so I was able to take in a number of new sights while also dropping into shops that were regular stops in my former life here.

I took advantage of the SAS one-day bus trip to Hiroshima. It was rather inexpensive and worth the almost 10 hours on the bus. I am thankful that I picked up a book being used in one of the courses on the ship before we went. It is the personal diary of a doctor who was near the epicenter of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and recounts the destruction and horror that followed. The diary was a person record, not something ever intended to be published and yet it tells the story well for anyone willing to hear it. Being part way into his story before we arrived in Hiroshima framed my experience there more completely and prepared me for some of what I saw in the Peace Museum. Of course, I am not a good "get on the bus, get off the bus" traveler and it was more than a little frustrating at times to have to move about on someone else's schedule. Still I appreciate the energy of our guide Rumiko and her enthusiasm for sharing much about the culture of Japan during our journey together.

I am about out of time, so until later.

On the MV Explorer somewhere in the Pacific

2007-09-04T13:10:00.000-05:00

Sorry, my first posting since beginning my Voyage of Discovery with Semester at Sea has been so slow in coming. The ship's Internet is unpredictable and slow. I only get a limited amount of hours free as part of my staff position, so I am saving most of them for my law school applications. If you want to be in touch with me, feel free to email at our joint Student Life staff account and put "for Laura" in the subject line. That account is studentlife@semesteratsea.net. I don't pay to receive email at this account. I haven't been on my Hotmail account but once since I left Madison.

What to tell...the Student Life Team is fantastic. We are all fairly different, but seem to get along well. I live on Deck 4 aft and am responsible for the 90 student participants living in the aft region of Deck 4. We are named the "Red Sea", which is wonderful as we will actually be cruising through this body of water. I have learned most of their names, some I still only know by photo because I haven't seen them since the day they moved onto the ship. For those of you who know the UW-Madison Housing system, my main responsibilities involve being a House Fellow and a Program Advisor with a little bit of RLC thrown in from time to time.

Thus far I haven't been sea sick. This leg of the voyage is suppose to be the roughest, but it has not been bad at all. From what I can tell everyone is beginning to get their sea legs.

We stopped in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 2nd. It was our first port of call and something of a practice run for everyone. I spent the entire day with Peace Corps friends from Micronesia. Theresa picked me up at the pier and wisked me off to complete the "Student Life Amazing Race" segment for Hawaii. Thanks to Theresa's inability to focus on anything else until we'd accomplished this mission, I believe I earned more points in Hawaii than anyone else on our staff. Met up with two Micro 65's (Suzanne and John) who came in during our second year of service, and also Weston, a fellow Micro 64er, for lunch. Then Theresa took me out to the North Shore where we watched the most amazing performance of about a dozen kite boarders. It was as if they were dancing with each other out on the ocean's surface. The colors of their kites twisting and twirling among each other so gracefully. It was much better than going to the ballet (sorry ballet lovers). It was not all island paradise, though, as I learned about the homelessness of native Hawaiian populations and observed the rememberance of the last Queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii held under house arrest by the United States government, not all that long ago. Still it was a wonderful day, and I am so thankful to have been able to spend it mostly catching up with Theresa.

Now we are on our way to Japan. We are to arrive in Yokohama in about a week's time. That's probably the next time I will be blogging to you all.

Washington, DC Trip

2007-08-05T12:46:00.000-05:00

I made my almost annual jaunt to Washington, DC July 25-30. Thanks to everyone who made time in their busy lives to catch up with me -- Kristina, Heidi, Sonia, Kat, Janice, Richard, Katherine, and Alisia. As usual it was a great trip and provided much needed rest from the busy life I have been leading.

DC is an easy place to navigate (by public transportation) even for new visitors, and having lived there for two years makes it worry-free for me. Every year I try to take in a few sights I have not seen. So, on this trip I went to the National Archives to gaze upon the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence and Constitution. While time has faded these documents making them difficult to read, there was one phrase that maintained its bold print, "We the People." How awesome to read them as they were written! The Botanical Gardens and Convervatory had been under construction during the years I lived in DC and then closed for many visits following. What a beautiful, well-designed education center and garden! If I lived in DC I imagine it would become one of my places to escape. If you have never been to Washington, DC, I highly encourage you to find time in your days to visit. There is a never-ending list of FREE things to see and do and you may just find yourself inspired somewhere along the way, too.

Thanks to Kristina, I was also able to meet Simon, who served as a faculty member on the Spring 2007 Semester at Sea Voyage. Simon provided wonderful insight about the program and those involved, making me feel 100% more prepared for orientation at the end of the month.