All I've written about wanting to feel at home and now the RNC comes to town.
I don't know why they decided to host this convention here, but I think it was a politcal ploy..that backfired atleast for me. I don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling now that the Republicans are in town...I'm more pissed off.
I live right in the "Hot Zone" where my block is closed off and I don't have access to walk through without ID. Even with ID, I have to walk a block out my way to get home. I have to walk a round about way to get to work. I can't walk a block across 8th avenue to my apt although I see tons of people there because I suppose they're guests of the convention and I am just a lowly resident that lives there. Well there was no way I would be displaced from my apartment because of this convention. Although I know a lot of people took off or are working from home. Why am I paying an exorbitant amount for rent to have to leave my home because of this? I refuse! Although what a hassle it is.
What kind of feelings did the Republicans want to evoke by holding the convention here in NYC? Where most of the folk are known to be Democrats? The Balls. There are cops at every street intersection, tons of cops in the HOT Zone, blocked off roads, sirens going off through out the night, helicopters flying around, security checks everywhere. Motorcades causing pedestrian traffic. I don't really feel safe although with cops everywhere I guess I should. I feel ill at ease. Not because I think there is a terror alert. I actually feel like the NYPD is well prepared in that aspect. I feel uncomfortable because I have to show ID just to get on to the block I live on and I might not be allowed through. I understand the need for ID but it doesn't help me walk across where I need to go - I still have to walk a block out my way to enter. And what if I forgot my ID - would I be destined to a night of homelessness? Would I need the doorman to come to my rescue and pick me up at the security check? Probably. It's stressful and annoying trying to get home or walking to work because you can never be sure which way is ok to pass and all of a sudden you're a mile away from where you want to be. And because of all this hullabaloo, I feel like I'm reliving 9/11 all over again - I feel like we are living in a Police State (which also occured after 9/11). That's not a nice feeling. It'll probably be worse here when Bush comes into town. How does this benefit the Republicans? Who knows. I just can't wait till the RNC leaves and I can live my life in hassle-free peace. PLEASE GO! If nothing, you lost a vote from me although to be honest you never had it to begin with..
Monday, August 30, 2004
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
French vs English
My boyfriend lives in France right now. When he was here, he had a lot of friends from France, and since I don't speak French, I was the odd man out in my own homeland whenever we hung out. Pretty funny and pretty sad. When I went to visit in France, I spoke very minimal French and otherwise he was my translator. His friends also for the most part spoke English. Am I the typical American that doesn't speak any other language but my own? Maybe. It's not to say that I haven't tried to pick up a foreign language. I've been working on Spanish ever since high school. OK maybe I haven't really put that much effort into it, but I always want to improve. And now I feel the need to learn French on top of that because I don't like not understanding what people are saying around me.
There is all this typically "French hate the Americans" and "Americans hate the French" stereotypes floating around, but for the most part I don't think they really hate America. I mean most of the French people I've met think NY is cool, although many people think NYC is it's own country and is not like the rest of the US. The point is I don't think there is any hate against the people of America. What I do find is however a strong dislike for our President. Well some people may say that is the same as hating Americans, that is if you agree with the policies of the Bush administration. My French friends already feel that Kerry won (even though the elections have not taken place yet). And I told them that the US is probably split 50/50 and we can't tell yet who will win the elections. I think possibly the Americans who hate the French don't personally know anyone from there. How can you hate a country without truly knowing it's people? And once you visit many countries, you see that we are all very similar. There are nice people and not so nice in any place you visit. This goes the same for people you meet here, whether it be Boston, NY or California.
I went to Morocco this year for my summer vacation. My boyfriend's friend lives in Casablanca. So we decided to meet there. Here another example of being the odd man (WOman) out...They speak Arabic and French there. So once again I was lost in translation. His friend speaks English and ofcourse my bf speaks English so around them I was ok. But for the most part my boyfriend did all the talking especially in Marrakech- negotiating cab rides, getting directions etc. When it came to bartering for goods, however, most people could speak English as well. Money is a powerful tool. But here I was an American venturing into an Arab/Muslim Country. I was a bit apprehensive about going. People also warned me that it might be dangerous, etc. Not sure if they meant dangerous b/c I was American or dangerous for other reasons (theft, etc). I am not sure if Moroccans hate Americans. When they found out I was from NY, they seemed to be ok. As our Moroccan friend explained, they don't hate Americans - as a tourist etc, we shouldn't worry, because it is Bush and his policies that they hate and they know we individually are not to blame for our governments actions so they don't hate us as people. Although, I'm thinking if you had an I love Bush T-shirt on, you might get spit on. I didn't try it but then again I would never own such a shirt. I would call that more than a major fashion faux pas. I definitely felt like I was in another world in Morocco. It was an exotic place to visit...I couldn't live there but it was an interesting place to see. I was only able to go to 2 cities while I was there, and would have liked to see more.
I think we need to spread more love around the world...Not war.
There is all this typically "French hate the Americans" and "Americans hate the French" stereotypes floating around, but for the most part I don't think they really hate America. I mean most of the French people I've met think NY is cool, although many people think NYC is it's own country and is not like the rest of the US. The point is I don't think there is any hate against the people of America. What I do find is however a strong dislike for our President. Well some people may say that is the same as hating Americans, that is if you agree with the policies of the Bush administration. My French friends already feel that Kerry won (even though the elections have not taken place yet). And I told them that the US is probably split 50/50 and we can't tell yet who will win the elections. I think possibly the Americans who hate the French don't personally know anyone from there. How can you hate a country without truly knowing it's people? And once you visit many countries, you see that we are all very similar. There are nice people and not so nice in any place you visit. This goes the same for people you meet here, whether it be Boston, NY or California.
I went to Morocco this year for my summer vacation. My boyfriend's friend lives in Casablanca. So we decided to meet there. Here another example of being the odd man (WOman) out...They speak Arabic and French there. So once again I was lost in translation. His friend speaks English and ofcourse my bf speaks English so around them I was ok. But for the most part my boyfriend did all the talking especially in Marrakech- negotiating cab rides, getting directions etc. When it came to bartering for goods, however, most people could speak English as well. Money is a powerful tool. But here I was an American venturing into an Arab/Muslim Country. I was a bit apprehensive about going. People also warned me that it might be dangerous, etc. Not sure if they meant dangerous b/c I was American or dangerous for other reasons (theft, etc). I am not sure if Moroccans hate Americans. When they found out I was from NY, they seemed to be ok. As our Moroccan friend explained, they don't hate Americans - as a tourist etc, we shouldn't worry, because it is Bush and his policies that they hate and they know we individually are not to blame for our governments actions so they don't hate us as people. Although, I'm thinking if you had an I love Bush T-shirt on, you might get spit on. I didn't try it but then again I would never own such a shirt. I would call that more than a major fashion faux pas. I definitely felt like I was in another world in Morocco. It was an exotic place to visit...I couldn't live there but it was an interesting place to see. I was only able to go to 2 cities while I was there, and would have liked to see more.
I think we need to spread more love around the world...Not war.
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Garden State
I saw this movie the other day and liked it. I even liked the soundtrack and actually bought it yesterday.
I'm a sucker for romance movies but there was something that the main character said that really got to me. It was about being home. Sometimes you feel at home with a person and it's not an actual physical place. I suppose my parent's house where I grew up and lived for quite some time is my official home, but at the same time, since I now live on my own, I feel like I'm still searching for my own home. Right now I reside in the best city in the world but my apartment doesn't really feel like home even though I've lived here since October. It feels more like a transient place which I guess is because I know I won't be living here for long. Which brings me back to feeling at home with people, i.e. friends or your significant other. And it's so true. When you're with someone and you feel safe when you're with them, that security is one of the greatest feelings of all.
I'm a sucker for romance movies but there was something that the main character said that really got to me. It was about being home. Sometimes you feel at home with a person and it's not an actual physical place. I suppose my parent's house where I grew up and lived for quite some time is my official home, but at the same time, since I now live on my own, I feel like I'm still searching for my own home. Right now I reside in the best city in the world but my apartment doesn't really feel like home even though I've lived here since October. It feels more like a transient place which I guess is because I know I won't be living here for long. Which brings me back to feeling at home with people, i.e. friends or your significant other. And it's so true. When you're with someone and you feel safe when you're with them, that security is one of the greatest feelings of all.
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