Nicaragua

i have an extra day in a city with internet access. i am staying in the country sin electricity for most of my time in Nicaragua. i am taking spanish classes and my teacher is really great. i love speaking with him. growing up in a poor community with radical politics and a spirit of collectivism has given him awesome insights into the world. i think he is so smart. every once in a while we will talk a little in english. he can hardly speak a complete sentence. its weird how i feel myself shift when i hear him speak broken english. all of a sudden im taken back to the united states and the many new latino immigrants i have met. i can feel how i judged them and how my brain wants to judge him when i hear him speak, the way i would an immigrant in the US. when i feel this way, i instantly feel ashamed. i did not even realize i felt that. how have my discriminatory feelings effected my actions? i dont know, but i am sure its part of the reason i dont have anyone close in my life who is a first generation immigrant to the US.

Going south...

Gone for a few months, so don't expect many updates! See you in the late fall/early winter.

Going to the country

I went to a wedding this weekend, on a farm in the country. I've spent plenty of time around suburbanites who pretend to be from the country- from phish fans to back to the land anarchists to bluegrass bands. But, this was my first real time on a farm and being around people who've lived their whole lives on farms. The people I met, who were in their early 20s wore straw hats, had hands that were puffy with callouses, and embraced the term redneck. I felt myself assuming they weren't as smart as me or that they were depressed or limiting themselves by staying in a rural setting. I especially found myself assuming that the women were probably trapped with abusive boyfriends. Are these just images from movies playing out or stories about "hicks" from the media? I don't even know where I got my stereotypes of rural life, but I know I was fighting against them while I was at the wedding.

possibly cool?

heres a link to a website that seems interesting, especially if you liked those quizes that came in seventeen magazine. i tried one of the quizes, but it was too long for me to get through. but if you get through one and find it interesting or helpful to you, let me know...