Many people have asked me if I watched the inauguration yesterday. I answer with a small smile and a proud nod and say yes. It is still a fresh moment to me, and bits of his speech are still playing in the back of my mind. I bought 4 different newspapers today to bring home with Obama on the cover of each one. It's a good day to be an American anywhere you happen to be, but not everyone in the world is in love with Obama.
One resident who is normally very friendly to me just passed by the desk and I was asked once again if I watched the inauguration. I smiled, nodded, said yes, and he said he didn't watch it. He said it in a slightly confrontational way, as if to say, "What do you think of that?" and I said, "Yeah, I know a few people who didn't watch it." And he said, "You understand why, don't you?" "Well, yeah, I suppose, it's not your country." (Which I'd heard from some, and I think it's ignorant because this election will affect the world, but people have their reasons). "Not only that," he said, "Do you know where I'm from? I'm from Russia. Our countries are not allies." He went on to ramble about how it's a superpower that is out to take over the world, and I eventually had to ask which country, Russia or America? And he said "Your country. Don't you think that?" And I carefully said that I think that America holds a place in the world with some responsibilities to step in and help less fortunate countries, but yes there are people in the government who choose to overstep those responsibilities sometimes. Still in an attacking manner, getting a little angry he said "Why? Why does it do that? Why do you think it has a right to do that?" Realizing that the conversation was taking an ugly turn of attacking not only my country but me personally, I said that I don't know, I'm not involved in those meetings, but maybe someday.
Tonight I was talking to my duty manager Eva and told her that I'm more comfortable talking politics with people here than in America. Back home politics is such a touchy issue and people tend to lash out, but here it's more about understanding cultures, not argument. I think that's why this guy made me want to write about what he said, because people aren't normally so hostile.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Eccentricities at the Student House
In big cities, you get crazy people. I think everyone can attest to that. We've had a few of those people at the International Students House lately. So crazy that I began taking notes when they spoke to me or around me. It's the stuff books are made of.
Crazy Person #1: A frizzy haired chinese woman who refers to herself as Sarah Brown has been here at ISH for the past month or so. She sent the accommodation department an e-mail that said, "Greetings, my name is Sarah Brown from America. I am here to marry your Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. I would appreciate anything you can do to assist me." Now, Sarah Brown is the name of Gordon Brown's wife, which is hilarious to me. In the past few days she's become more and more eccentric, tying up the red phone booth in the lobby for 4 hours on end trying to call the Prime Minister, then calling anyone a racist who tries to stop her.
Crazy #2: Maria, the old Polish woman who says she is from America.
Maria is very short and wears a grey trench coat with hair striped with grey and red. She has huge round blue glasses with thick lenses that she has to squint to see me through. We were told she is not to be allowed in the building, so she stands behind the barrier, right in front of me and shouts at me in a high pitched voice about how they got to me and turned me against her. She asked me where I'm from but I didn't respond when she guessed almost every english speaking country, then began with U.S. states until I told her I'm from Kansas.
Then Nacho, the duty manager came and told her she is not welcome because she is rude to staff. She accused him of being racist then told him to go back to Madrid where the terrorists are. Then he said, but Maria, now you are being prejudiced. And she said "Yes!"
Then they went outside where she told Nacho to go to hell and left, but not before sticking her head inside the door and saying to me, "Kansas, you are sitting in the snake pit, I don't know why you're here, sitting in the snake pit!"
She left for a few hours, but just came back and asked to be let inside. I said no, I can't let you inside, and she proceeded to talk to me nonstop once again. Here are some bits of this lovely woman:
You don't talk to me because I'm old, and I don't wear short skirts and show my PooPah. Because that's what girls your age do, you know, they lift up their skirts and show their PooPah. I was just at the hospital and a nurse there bent down and I saw hers.
Girls go missing here. You know that? Girls go missing all the time. Especially American ones.
Crazy Person #1: A frizzy haired chinese woman who refers to herself as Sarah Brown has been here at ISH for the past month or so. She sent the accommodation department an e-mail that said, "Greetings, my name is Sarah Brown from America. I am here to marry your Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. I would appreciate anything you can do to assist me." Now, Sarah Brown is the name of Gordon Brown's wife, which is hilarious to me. In the past few days she's become more and more eccentric, tying up the red phone booth in the lobby for 4 hours on end trying to call the Prime Minister, then calling anyone a racist who tries to stop her.
Crazy #2: Maria, the old Polish woman who says she is from America.
Maria is very short and wears a grey trench coat with hair striped with grey and red. She has huge round blue glasses with thick lenses that she has to squint to see me through. We were told she is not to be allowed in the building, so she stands behind the barrier, right in front of me and shouts at me in a high pitched voice about how they got to me and turned me against her. She asked me where I'm from but I didn't respond when she guessed almost every english speaking country, then began with U.S. states until I told her I'm from Kansas.
Then Nacho, the duty manager came and told her she is not welcome because she is rude to staff. She accused him of being racist then told him to go back to Madrid where the terrorists are. Then he said, but Maria, now you are being prejudiced. And she said "Yes!"
Then they went outside where she told Nacho to go to hell and left, but not before sticking her head inside the door and saying to me, "Kansas, you are sitting in the snake pit, I don't know why you're here, sitting in the snake pit!"
She left for a few hours, but just came back and asked to be let inside. I said no, I can't let you inside, and she proceeded to talk to me nonstop once again. Here are some bits of this lovely woman:
You don't talk to me because I'm old, and I don't wear short skirts and show my PooPah. Because that's what girls your age do, you know, they lift up their skirts and show their PooPah. I was just at the hospital and a nurse there bent down and I saw hers.
Girls go missing here. You know that? Girls go missing all the time. Especially American ones.
Nacho: Maria, the police are coming to remove you from the property.
Maria: Wonderful! Put the property on your back and take it to Madrid!
Oh, and Crazy #1 and Crazy #2 are friends.
Strange but true.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Passing the time
Sometimes I feel completely useless.
So I decided rather than sit under my covers all day eating olives and Facebook stalking, I can try to make an effort to record what has happened in the month since I last wrote.
Adam came to London.
We celebrated Christmas with friends from all over the world and drunk-baked Christmas cookies.
We went to Bath and saw where Nicolas Cage lives and where Jane Austen based her books. We took a dip in the natural spring water the Romans built their city on.
Then we waited in the freezing cold for four hours on New Year's to get a good view of the Eye firworks (it was worth it). What should have been a 30 minute walk home took us 2 hours because of the crowds.
Onward to Edinburgh and we spit on the heart, then off to the Highlands.
(The most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen)
We made grilled cheese with an Aussie couple, only to discover their version was completely different and didn't involve two pieces of bread or even a pan.
We saw an anti-Israel rally in Kensington.
I got scared and made us go to Harrod's instead.
Ate at a French restaurant that was far too fancy - I raced the waiter to the door when I had to go to the bathroom. I didn't realize they open it for you.
Now it's back to boredom. Yes, leave it to me to be bored and restless in London, England. Can't help it.
So I decided rather than sit under my covers all day eating olives and Facebook stalking, I can try to make an effort to record what has happened in the month since I last wrote.
Adam came to London.
We celebrated Christmas with friends from all over the world and drunk-baked Christmas cookies.
We went to Bath and saw where Nicolas Cage lives and where Jane Austen based her books. We took a dip in the natural spring water the Romans built their city on.
Then we waited in the freezing cold for four hours on New Year's to get a good view of the Eye firworks (it was worth it). What should have been a 30 minute walk home took us 2 hours because of the crowds.
Onward to Edinburgh and we spit on the heart, then off to the Highlands.
(The most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen)
We made grilled cheese with an Aussie couple, only to discover their version was completely different and didn't involve two pieces of bread or even a pan.
We saw an anti-Israel rally in Kensington.
I got scared and made us go to Harrod's instead.
Ate at a French restaurant that was far too fancy - I raced the waiter to the door when I had to go to the bathroom. I didn't realize they open it for you.
Now it's back to boredom. Yes, leave it to me to be bored and restless in London, England. Can't help it.
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