Well its halloween and just like any other day - no pumpkins, witches, candy, etc. Oh well
It's been quite a week as this weeks posts have stated.
Although, yesterday was quite an uneventful afternoon as I was here at the office until around 5 as usual.
It was Robert and Celia's last night at our house and while they are nice people, I desperately need to go back to my totally french existance - I have been getting lazy. I am sure that my coworkers will be glad to help me.
We had a traditional Mauritian dinner of shrimp and eggplant curry, lentils, and rice. It was delicious. We had mangos for dessert that came from a friend of Audrey's mango tree in her backyard. They were the first of the season so they were tiny and some not quite ripe - but the ones that were ripe were delicious!
This morning shortly after I woke up, the power went out. I was a bit stressed as I did not know if I was going to be able to blow dry my hair when I got out of the shower. Luckily, it came back on within a few minutes and I was able to get out the door at my normal time.
I'm going to a halloween party tomorrow night (a bit late I know) but I have heard that no one is wearing costumes - somewhat disappointing. But I am going with my friend Nathalie and her boyfriend. We have dinner first and then I think a live band later on - sounds similar to the evene that I was at a few weeks ago at Case Noyale (if you dont know what I am talking about just look through the october archive).
I will update this later to regale you with the adventures that I experience this weekend.
Some little things:
-Audrey's dogs go "hunting" in the sugarcane fields every morning - Audrey told me that one time they brought back a goat that they killed and feasted on it all day long
-i saw a motorcycle accident the other day - it happened to be right in front of a police station
-no one says "bless you" here when someone sneezes - if you sneeze, life goes on (I used to say it when ever I heard someone sneeze until Alex told me it wasn't necessary)
-at the grocery store yesterday a little boy said to his mother in french: "220 rupees!! Wow thats alot" (In reality this is about $10) - everybody in line laughed because it was cute
More later..
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
And the adventure continues...
I wish I could think of something witty at the top of my head to start off this post but for the life of me I cannot think of anything. So i'll cut to the chase and try to make the everyday sound interesting and groundbreaking.
Since yesterday was my 2 month anniversary ( I know that anniversary is not the correct term because it should only be used to count years - I always hated it when people, especially in middle and school would say things like "OMG its our 3 day anniversary!!" but you know what I mean just the same) of being in Mauritius, I had to go to the immigration office. At customs at the airport, they only gave me 60 days even though I showed them that my ticket home was for December 20th.
As far as the government of Mauritius knows, I am here on an extremely long vacation at Veronique's house and am actively practicing my french. So off I went to the immigration office yesterday with my application to extend my visa, a copy of my ticket home, a letter from Veronique that included her address, copies of my passport, my actual passport, and a copy of Veronique's passport. Luckily, Veronique knew someone at the office so I didn't have to wait in line-walked right in.
First let me explain that the office smelled like something died and it was extremely hot (no AC that I could see). I of course explained again why an American such as myself spoke french. Then I was asked why I was late filing an extension. I replied that I wasn't late because the deadline said October 29th. The man responded and said that the 29th meant that it would expire on that day. I apologized and luckily he stamped my passport and let me keep my life going here on the island.
Audrey and I went out for chinese (again) last night because Robert and Celia were eating dinner out. We ate rather quickly and I was home and in bed at around 10 pm.
Some little things:
-I am not sure if everyone knows the story of why I wanted to learn french (if you care to know). Anyway, at the end of 6th grade, we were all asked to choose a language to take for the following two years. I chose french because it was the only one where I knew that an overnight field trip was involved (went to Quebec) and that would mean missing school. None of the other languages offered this incentive. I just continued after that.
-occasionally, people will address me with the formal "you" or "vous." In french to say "you" you can either say "tu" or "vous". "Vous" is used most often in the plural sense to say "you all" or "you guys" (depending on your colloquialism of choice). "Vous" can also mean "you" when you address someone older than you that you don't know, a superior at work, a teacher, a policeman, or when out and about shopping. "Tu" is the informal and used most often. This is used for anyone close to your own age, a child, or someone that you know well. It is most often the case that if you continue talking to someone, you or the other person will suggest that you use the informal "tu" when addressing each other. I feel that I am too young a person for the "Vous" form but people still use it towards me despite my insistances otherwise.
More later..
Since yesterday was my 2 month anniversary ( I know that anniversary is not the correct term because it should only be used to count years - I always hated it when people, especially in middle and school would say things like "OMG its our 3 day anniversary!!" but you know what I mean just the same) of being in Mauritius, I had to go to the immigration office. At customs at the airport, they only gave me 60 days even though I showed them that my ticket home was for December 20th.
As far as the government of Mauritius knows, I am here on an extremely long vacation at Veronique's house and am actively practicing my french. So off I went to the immigration office yesterday with my application to extend my visa, a copy of my ticket home, a letter from Veronique that included her address, copies of my passport, my actual passport, and a copy of Veronique's passport. Luckily, Veronique knew someone at the office so I didn't have to wait in line-walked right in.
First let me explain that the office smelled like something died and it was extremely hot (no AC that I could see). I of course explained again why an American such as myself spoke french. Then I was asked why I was late filing an extension. I replied that I wasn't late because the deadline said October 29th. The man responded and said that the 29th meant that it would expire on that day. I apologized and luckily he stamped my passport and let me keep my life going here on the island.
Audrey and I went out for chinese (again) last night because Robert and Celia were eating dinner out. We ate rather quickly and I was home and in bed at around 10 pm.
Some little things:
-I am not sure if everyone knows the story of why I wanted to learn french (if you care to know). Anyway, at the end of 6th grade, we were all asked to choose a language to take for the following two years. I chose french because it was the only one where I knew that an overnight field trip was involved (went to Quebec) and that would mean missing school. None of the other languages offered this incentive. I just continued after that.
-occasionally, people will address me with the formal "you" or "vous." In french to say "you" you can either say "tu" or "vous". "Vous" is used most often in the plural sense to say "you all" or "you guys" (depending on your colloquialism of choice). "Vous" can also mean "you" when you address someone older than you that you don't know, a superior at work, a teacher, a policeman, or when out and about shopping. "Tu" is the informal and used most often. This is used for anyone close to your own age, a child, or someone that you know well. It is most often the case that if you continue talking to someone, you or the other person will suggest that you use the informal "tu" when addressing each other. I feel that I am too young a person for the "Vous" form but people still use it towards me despite my insistances otherwise.
More later..
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
EXACTLY 2 months today!
As the title of today's post indicates, it was exactly 2 months ago that my jetlagged self stepped off the plane in Mauritius only to be questionned about my terrorist and free-loading ways by the customs agent. Alot has happened since then as i'm sure my faithful readers will agree! I continue to learn a lot and am still having a great time!
After a lazy dinner on Monday night, I got ready to go and meet some friends up in the north so that we could profit from the nightlife (No work yesterday since it was Divali, an indian religious holiday - read my last post for more information). My new friends Nicole and Lee (brother and sister pair who live with their dad in a gorgeous house in the north) had a bunch of us over beforehand. They have a british mother and a mauritian dad so they are more at ease with speaking english. Nicole works as a TV producer for the only Mauritian television network (the name escapes me) and creates all of the english radio jingles - so cool! My friend Sebastian who was also there works at the horse race track on the administrative side.
We all left at around midnight to go to Les Enfants Terribles. It was boring as usual so we changed our minds and drove the short distance up the road to Zanzibar (the normal watering hole). It seemed like I either knew well or had met once or twice at least half of the people there. We were there until the sun came up and then when back to go to sleep. I got home after my "nap" at around noon on tuesday.
Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast so I did not go to the beach because there was no sun. I was tired anyway so I read my book and napped most of the day.
We had lasagna with eggplant for dinner last night which was absolutely delicious! Robert and Celia had seen more baby birds and then went on a picnic for lunch.
I went to bed at around 10:30 but it was somewhat difficult to wake up this morning. Hopefully the day turns out to be interesting -HUMP DAY!!
Some little things:
-i just finished a very interesting book - "The Kite Runner" - I recommend it to anyone that wants to read a true page turner!!
-it was so neat to see the lights everywhere for Divali - imagine a house that goes all out on christmas decorations minus santa and his sleigh
-I have noticed that whenever I am out at night, even though we all see each other at least once weekly, everyone acts as though they haven't seen each other in years but i must admit that its quite sweet actually (KALLAY!!!! Ca va?!?! *air kisses*)
-i felt very intelligent as i explained our electoral college to my friends on monday night and to Robert and Celia (one of the few things that I remember from my 6th grade social studies teacher Mr. Stone)
-i have spoken WAY too much english these last couple of days due to getting to know robert and celia as well as being with the group that I was with on Monday night - its back to french for now - i was way too spoiled!
After a lazy dinner on Monday night, I got ready to go and meet some friends up in the north so that we could profit from the nightlife (No work yesterday since it was Divali, an indian religious holiday - read my last post for more information). My new friends Nicole and Lee (brother and sister pair who live with their dad in a gorgeous house in the north) had a bunch of us over beforehand. They have a british mother and a mauritian dad so they are more at ease with speaking english. Nicole works as a TV producer for the only Mauritian television network (the name escapes me) and creates all of the english radio jingles - so cool! My friend Sebastian who was also there works at the horse race track on the administrative side.
We all left at around midnight to go to Les Enfants Terribles. It was boring as usual so we changed our minds and drove the short distance up the road to Zanzibar (the normal watering hole). It seemed like I either knew well or had met once or twice at least half of the people there. We were there until the sun came up and then when back to go to sleep. I got home after my "nap" at around noon on tuesday.
Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast so I did not go to the beach because there was no sun. I was tired anyway so I read my book and napped most of the day.
We had lasagna with eggplant for dinner last night which was absolutely delicious! Robert and Celia had seen more baby birds and then went on a picnic for lunch.
I went to bed at around 10:30 but it was somewhat difficult to wake up this morning. Hopefully the day turns out to be interesting -HUMP DAY!!
Some little things:
-i just finished a very interesting book - "The Kite Runner" - I recommend it to anyone that wants to read a true page turner!!
-it was so neat to see the lights everywhere for Divali - imagine a house that goes all out on christmas decorations minus santa and his sleigh
-I have noticed that whenever I am out at night, even though we all see each other at least once weekly, everyone acts as though they haven't seen each other in years but i must admit that its quite sweet actually (KALLAY!!!! Ca va?!?! *air kisses*)
-i felt very intelligent as i explained our electoral college to my friends on monday night and to Robert and Celia (one of the few things that I remember from my 6th grade social studies teacher Mr. Stone)
-i have spoken WAY too much english these last couple of days due to getting to know robert and celia as well as being with the group that I was with on Monday night - its back to french for now - i was way too spoiled!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Gators-63 Wildkittens - 5
GO GATORS !!!!
So - it was an excellent weekend all around - my team won and I got to be in Mauritius!! I hope I can remember everthing that I want to say....
On late Friday morning, Pamela and I had a meeting at the hotel Tamarin which is only about 5 minutes from where I live! Originally, I thought I was going to be able to sleep in and come into the office after my meeting but Pamela had to come with me because the executive chef is very interested in our products. It took some time but in the end, he was able to give us some interesting information that will help me greatly when it comes time to analyze my results!
On the way back to the office, I had to drop her off at our showroom because she had some work to do there for the afternoon. I went and grabbed a quick sandwich and spent the rest of the afternoon at the office.
After work, I went out for happy hour with some of the guys from work. I overheard someone speaking english with an american accent so I of course approached her and asked if she was from the states - she was canadien. We exchanged numbers and perhaps we will meet again in the future!
I grabbed a quick bite to eat later and then headed up to Grand Bay to go to the Banana Cafe. I was there maybe 10 min as it was taking everyone else too long to get there. So I got impatient and ended up leaving. I met up with my friend Bruno and a friend of his at a place called Shotz in Flic en Flac which is closer to where I live. We only stayed for a little bit since we were all so tired.
When I got home, I had some minor difficulties. If the key on the inside of the house is left in the lock then it is impossible to unlock the door from the outside. So, I went around to the kitchen because that door (its actually a gate) is locked with a padlock and I know where the keys are hidden. So I found them and tried to unlock the padlock. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had grabbed the wrong set of keys. Since I could not open either door, I had to call and wake Audrey up which I felt terrible about. I called the house line 4 times and her cell twice be sure she woke up. I thought I was going to have to end up sleeping on the front porch like a homeless person. Luckily, she came and opened the door for me. I was never so happy to see my bed...
I woke up on Saturday morning and went to the grocery store for Audrey. An english couple arrived Saturday slightly before lunch who are staying for the week. They work for a non-profit called the "Mauritian Wildlife Fund" and are visiting nature preserves and aviaries all week long. They have lived all over the world and have 6 children between the two of them! They are interesting people and I can't wait to hear their stories during the week!
On Saturday night, I went back to Shotz to meet up with my american friend kathryn. I got a chance to meet a number of her coworkers - alot of fun! Bruno and a friend of his were supposed to join us but the bouncer at the door wouldn't let them in because he said "there were two many guys." It didn't work at all when Kathryn and I both protested and said that they were our friends. He said "well they should have come in with you." I guess this particular place's way of doing business is "people want what they can't have." I think that is just mean.
I got home early on Sunday morning, went to bed, and woke up in time for lunch. I decided to go to the beach for the afternoon to do one of my favorite activities, people watch. I left at around 5 and went home. We were all a bit out of sorts on Sunday evening because of the time change (lost an hour of sleep). We did not finish dinner until almost 11 pm because Robert and Celia (the english couple) had go to have an evening drink at the pub up the road. Audrey and I became impatient as we were starving.
I did not go to bed until 11:30 last night since my body thought it was 10:30. I am a bit tired today as a result.
I had a meeting this morning by myself as Pamela took the day off to prepare the feast for Divali (I will get into it in a bit). I consulted my map and found my way north to a town called "Trou aux Biches." The name of the hotel that I went to was called "Casuarina Resort and Spa." I was there for about an hour and half this morning while the man that I spoke with showed me pictures of his wife and son and asked about life in the states. Before that, he was yet another person that wondered if I preferred to speak english or french - it still absolutely bugs me that people ask me this. Please respond to me in the language that I am speaking to you in, thats all I ask. He filled out precisely 1 page of my survey before he told me that he simply didn't have the time and to leave it with him. I know that if I don't remind him he won't do it. I was a bit peeved as I had just driven an hour only to be told that he didn't have the time to fill it out - why didn't he just ask for it via fax before???
I am now back at the office for the afternoon after a quick lunch with Alex.
Some little things:
-I have the day off tomorrow because of an indian holiday called Divali. Apparently it is a "festival light" to symbolize that good triumphs over evil. I'm just happy I don't have to make the commute tomorrow - hopefully the weather is nice so that I can go to the beach
-Daylight savings time is opposite here -lose and hour this time of year and gain one in april
-Kathryn and I entertained ourselves by making a group of australian guys that we met on Saturday night say things like "shrimp on the barbie"- sounded just like an outback commercial
-Audrey says that I am the buffer between her and the english couple - my job for the week is translator
-the street vendors have an annoying way of repeating "cinquante" or 50 to mean 50 ruppees for whatever they are selling over and over again - it sounds completely nasal and it gets in my head
-when asked by one of my coworkers during happy hour on friday who I would date at the office I responded with Paul my boss (office gossip is universal)
-I had to buy produce for audrey at the grocery store the other day and when I got up to the register the cashier said that I needed to get it weighed and priced. It was a bit of a shock to my system as I remember back in my green vest days at Publix that it was the cashier who weighed the produce. In Mauritius, this is someone's job and all they do is sit behind a scale all day long
-I have the worst luck with shoes here as well (if you remember how dogs ate a pair of my heels). Well another pair of shoes broke so Audrey and I went to Rose Hill (a town with tons of shopping) so that I could find another pair of black heels. I spent roughly $25 and part of the buckle is already missing - w0nderful
I hope that this post suffices until Wednesday-will not have internet tomorrow!!
Cya!
So - it was an excellent weekend all around - my team won and I got to be in Mauritius!! I hope I can remember everthing that I want to say....
On late Friday morning, Pamela and I had a meeting at the hotel Tamarin which is only about 5 minutes from where I live! Originally, I thought I was going to be able to sleep in and come into the office after my meeting but Pamela had to come with me because the executive chef is very interested in our products. It took some time but in the end, he was able to give us some interesting information that will help me greatly when it comes time to analyze my results!
On the way back to the office, I had to drop her off at our showroom because she had some work to do there for the afternoon. I went and grabbed a quick sandwich and spent the rest of the afternoon at the office.
After work, I went out for happy hour with some of the guys from work. I overheard someone speaking english with an american accent so I of course approached her and asked if she was from the states - she was canadien. We exchanged numbers and perhaps we will meet again in the future!
I grabbed a quick bite to eat later and then headed up to Grand Bay to go to the Banana Cafe. I was there maybe 10 min as it was taking everyone else too long to get there. So I got impatient and ended up leaving. I met up with my friend Bruno and a friend of his at a place called Shotz in Flic en Flac which is closer to where I live. We only stayed for a little bit since we were all so tired.
When I got home, I had some minor difficulties. If the key on the inside of the house is left in the lock then it is impossible to unlock the door from the outside. So, I went around to the kitchen because that door (its actually a gate) is locked with a padlock and I know where the keys are hidden. So I found them and tried to unlock the padlock. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had grabbed the wrong set of keys. Since I could not open either door, I had to call and wake Audrey up which I felt terrible about. I called the house line 4 times and her cell twice be sure she woke up. I thought I was going to have to end up sleeping on the front porch like a homeless person. Luckily, she came and opened the door for me. I was never so happy to see my bed...
I woke up on Saturday morning and went to the grocery store for Audrey. An english couple arrived Saturday slightly before lunch who are staying for the week. They work for a non-profit called the "Mauritian Wildlife Fund" and are visiting nature preserves and aviaries all week long. They have lived all over the world and have 6 children between the two of them! They are interesting people and I can't wait to hear their stories during the week!
On Saturday night, I went back to Shotz to meet up with my american friend kathryn. I got a chance to meet a number of her coworkers - alot of fun! Bruno and a friend of his were supposed to join us but the bouncer at the door wouldn't let them in because he said "there were two many guys." It didn't work at all when Kathryn and I both protested and said that they were our friends. He said "well they should have come in with you." I guess this particular place's way of doing business is "people want what they can't have." I think that is just mean.
I got home early on Sunday morning, went to bed, and woke up in time for lunch. I decided to go to the beach for the afternoon to do one of my favorite activities, people watch. I left at around 5 and went home. We were all a bit out of sorts on Sunday evening because of the time change (lost an hour of sleep). We did not finish dinner until almost 11 pm because Robert and Celia (the english couple) had go to have an evening drink at the pub up the road. Audrey and I became impatient as we were starving.
I did not go to bed until 11:30 last night since my body thought it was 10:30. I am a bit tired today as a result.
I had a meeting this morning by myself as Pamela took the day off to prepare the feast for Divali (I will get into it in a bit). I consulted my map and found my way north to a town called "Trou aux Biches." The name of the hotel that I went to was called "Casuarina Resort and Spa." I was there for about an hour and half this morning while the man that I spoke with showed me pictures of his wife and son and asked about life in the states. Before that, he was yet another person that wondered if I preferred to speak english or french - it still absolutely bugs me that people ask me this. Please respond to me in the language that I am speaking to you in, thats all I ask. He filled out precisely 1 page of my survey before he told me that he simply didn't have the time and to leave it with him. I know that if I don't remind him he won't do it. I was a bit peeved as I had just driven an hour only to be told that he didn't have the time to fill it out - why didn't he just ask for it via fax before???
I am now back at the office for the afternoon after a quick lunch with Alex.
Some little things:
-I have the day off tomorrow because of an indian holiday called Divali. Apparently it is a "festival light" to symbolize that good triumphs over evil. I'm just happy I don't have to make the commute tomorrow - hopefully the weather is nice so that I can go to the beach
-Daylight savings time is opposite here -lose and hour this time of year and gain one in april
-Kathryn and I entertained ourselves by making a group of australian guys that we met on Saturday night say things like "shrimp on the barbie"- sounded just like an outback commercial
-Audrey says that I am the buffer between her and the english couple - my job for the week is translator
-the street vendors have an annoying way of repeating "cinquante" or 50 to mean 50 ruppees for whatever they are selling over and over again - it sounds completely nasal and it gets in my head
-when asked by one of my coworkers during happy hour on friday who I would date at the office I responded with Paul my boss (office gossip is universal)
-I had to buy produce for audrey at the grocery store the other day and when I got up to the register the cashier said that I needed to get it weighed and priced. It was a bit of a shock to my system as I remember back in my green vest days at Publix that it was the cashier who weighed the produce. In Mauritius, this is someone's job and all they do is sit behind a scale all day long
-I have the worst luck with shoes here as well (if you remember how dogs ate a pair of my heels). Well another pair of shoes broke so Audrey and I went to Rose Hill (a town with tons of shopping) so that I could find another pair of black heels. I spent roughly $25 and part of the buckle is already missing - w0nderful
I hope that this post suffices until Wednesday-will not have internet tomorrow!!
Cya!
Friday, October 24, 2008
A crazy thought or two (or 12)
First a quick story to preface what I need to get off my chest:
On my home yesterday, I decided to stop at a different convenience store than I normally do to purchase a diet coke for my hour long drive home. I parked my car and I saw the storekeeper sitting on a chair outside enjoying the fresh air. When he saw me approach the store, he got up and went inside. I asked for a diet coke (the cooler was behind the counter). He didn't understand so I asked again - a diet coke please (in french). After the 3rd time of not understanding, he called for someone in the back to which he said to me "one minute." I thought oh great - yet another person who thinks I want to speak english. A young girl comes out and starts speaking english to me - to which I continued to respond in french and she kept speaking english. She told me the total of my purchase in english - 30 rupees. I was fed up at this point but I thanked her just the same and got in my car to head home.
On my way home as I was fuming at my own imperfections I started to think (I'm sure something was burning). What good is all my years of french if i'm not understood when I speak the language. I HATE my accent with a passion and it makes me sound like just another ignorant american who may or may not know that english is not the only language in the world. I think that the problem stems from a lack of emphasis on accents and pronunciation when I was in school. While I can't argue that its important to know how to read and write, what about speaking??? I feel that this element of language is equally important.
I want to say that I am extremely proud to be an American. We have many many opportunities that the rest of the world can only dream of. I believe in the "American Dream" (to an extent) that at the end of the day I can be anything I want to be if I work hard enough. It is not my intent to offend anyone with what I am about to say and I know that some or many of you may disagree but it is an opinion that I cannot keep to myself. Thank you for understanding!
I view my country like an immediate family member. I love America unconditionally of course but just like a family member, it tends to get on my nerves from time to time. It bothers me that while we live in a country that is a "melting pot" of different cultures and languages many of us only can speak ONE. I can understand the argument "well everyone speaks english so it doesn't matter." However, where is the desire to broaden our horizons?? Why does there continue to be no interest??? Almost every world leader speaks at least 2 languages (think about it) and our president only speaks one (like the presidents before him and like whoever will be elected on November 4th).
The inevitable question: What do we do about it? Also, how can we gauge the interest and importantly where would the funding come from?? I see this dilemma sort of like another "which came first, the chicken or the egg" scenario. Would it be more beneficial to have an interest before trying to recruit foreign language teachers?? Or would it be viewed as some sort of investment (which may or may pay out) to recruit the teachers first and have them promote their respective language to prospective students? I don't mean just french but spanish, german, japanese, swahili, whatever.
Unfortunately, I do not have answers to any of the above questions. The only that I know is that their needs to be a change. I don't know how and I don't know when but it needs to happen soon.
Sorry to be on a soap box, I can understand if many of you stopped reading awhile back. Anyway, yesterday was an uneventful afternoon as I left the office as normal and went home. Audrey and I went out to eat and then I just went home and went to bed.
I have no idea what I am doing this weekend but I suspect that I will get in to some sort of trouble.
Some little things:
-Alex and I got into an argument about whether coke zero really tasted like normal coke (we seem to get into various debacles alot). While I personally hate normal coke, I felt like I had to defend the product that came from my birth place (Hotlanta) and say that nothing will ever taste EXACTLY like the real thing but I think that coke zero has a VERY similar taste to regular coke - Alex thinks it leans more to the other end of the spectrum
-it is dangerous the way people just run across the highway as cars are coming at full speed
-i wish i knew how to drive a stick shift - they accelerate much quicker than an autmatic and this would help immensely when I decide that the car in front of me is going at a snails pace
-i think people here honk their horns for their health
On my home yesterday, I decided to stop at a different convenience store than I normally do to purchase a diet coke for my hour long drive home. I parked my car and I saw the storekeeper sitting on a chair outside enjoying the fresh air. When he saw me approach the store, he got up and went inside. I asked for a diet coke (the cooler was behind the counter). He didn't understand so I asked again - a diet coke please (in french). After the 3rd time of not understanding, he called for someone in the back to which he said to me "one minute." I thought oh great - yet another person who thinks I want to speak english. A young girl comes out and starts speaking english to me - to which I continued to respond in french and she kept speaking english. She told me the total of my purchase in english - 30 rupees. I was fed up at this point but I thanked her just the same and got in my car to head home.
On my way home as I was fuming at my own imperfections I started to think (I'm sure something was burning). What good is all my years of french if i'm not understood when I speak the language. I HATE my accent with a passion and it makes me sound like just another ignorant american who may or may not know that english is not the only language in the world. I think that the problem stems from a lack of emphasis on accents and pronunciation when I was in school. While I can't argue that its important to know how to read and write, what about speaking??? I feel that this element of language is equally important.
I want to say that I am extremely proud to be an American. We have many many opportunities that the rest of the world can only dream of. I believe in the "American Dream" (to an extent) that at the end of the day I can be anything I want to be if I work hard enough. It is not my intent to offend anyone with what I am about to say and I know that some or many of you may disagree but it is an opinion that I cannot keep to myself. Thank you for understanding!
I view my country like an immediate family member. I love America unconditionally of course but just like a family member, it tends to get on my nerves from time to time. It bothers me that while we live in a country that is a "melting pot" of different cultures and languages many of us only can speak ONE. I can understand the argument "well everyone speaks english so it doesn't matter." However, where is the desire to broaden our horizons?? Why does there continue to be no interest??? Almost every world leader speaks at least 2 languages (think about it) and our president only speaks one (like the presidents before him and like whoever will be elected on November 4th).
The inevitable question: What do we do about it? Also, how can we gauge the interest and importantly where would the funding come from?? I see this dilemma sort of like another "which came first, the chicken or the egg" scenario. Would it be more beneficial to have an interest before trying to recruit foreign language teachers?? Or would it be viewed as some sort of investment (which may or may pay out) to recruit the teachers first and have them promote their respective language to prospective students? I don't mean just french but spanish, german, japanese, swahili, whatever.
Unfortunately, I do not have answers to any of the above questions. The only that I know is that their needs to be a change. I don't know how and I don't know when but it needs to happen soon.
Sorry to be on a soap box, I can understand if many of you stopped reading awhile back. Anyway, yesterday was an uneventful afternoon as I left the office as normal and went home. Audrey and I went out to eat and then I just went home and went to bed.
I have no idea what I am doing this weekend but I suspect that I will get in to some sort of trouble.
Some little things:
-Alex and I got into an argument about whether coke zero really tasted like normal coke (we seem to get into various debacles alot). While I personally hate normal coke, I felt like I had to defend the product that came from my birth place (Hotlanta) and say that nothing will ever taste EXACTLY like the real thing but I think that coke zero has a VERY similar taste to regular coke - Alex thinks it leans more to the other end of the spectrum
-it is dangerous the way people just run across the highway as cars are coming at full speed
-i wish i knew how to drive a stick shift - they accelerate much quicker than an autmatic and this would help immensely when I decide that the car in front of me is going at a snails pace
-i think people here honk their horns for their health
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sweating like a pig...
Wow-im late posting today. I was a bit occupied this morning and this is really the first time I have been at the office all day!
Yesterday- Pamela and I had a meeting at yet another 5 star resort called The Grand Mauritian. Luckily it wasn't too difficult to find and did not take that long to get there. We were a bit early so we awkwardly sat around until the man we were supposed to talk to came to find us. I had to explain EVERY SINGLE ITEM on the questionnaire to him - somewhat frustrating. I never remember the names of people that I interview because not only are they long but extremely difficult to pronounce. It turned out to be another old friend of Pamelas - she informed me later that she had been at his wedding but now he is divorced - Mauritius is not immune as divorce happens to roughly 50% of the world's population. He wondered why I had asked so many questions about the technicians - even if we don't get the new business we can still our technicians that they need to better behave themselves and/or dress more appropriately when out on assignment.
We returned to the office at about 3:30 after dodging tons of traffic heading in to Port Louis. I stayed at the office until around 5 and left for the day. Audrey and I had another quiet dinner at home and I was in bed by 9:30 or so.
Today was the day that I had to pay my ticket that I got while talking on my cell phone while driving. I thought that I would just be able to easily stop in at the police station which is on the way to work - no such luck - I had to go across town to the courthouse pay it. I had a meeting at a hotel called the Oberoi this morning which is in the same vicinity as the hotel that we were at yesterday. It was a bit of a process to get my questionnaire properly filled out as the first guy didn't know the answers to the technical questions. So he found someone else who could answer the first. The second was a bit rude and seemed extremely hurried but towards the end he was nicer and filled out the questionnaire and gave us alot of helpful information.
After 45 minutes and a thousand questions later - we finally left. It was about quarter of noon when we got back so I dropped Pamela off back at the office and tried to go and make another attempt at paying my ticket. I didn't know at this point still that I had to go to the court house because no one specified it this morning. So I headed back and I was then finally told that I had to go the courthouse. I had no idea where this was at all but I managed to find it because luckily the enormous map that I keep in my car has a legend on it.
I found the courthouse and went inside - it was a little bit after noon. I was told by the guy at the reception that in fact the cashier was out to lunch and that I needed to return in an hour or so. At this point I wanted to scream because not only was I about to spend a decent portion of the money that I make monthly but they were making it difficult for me to do - the last thing I need is a warrant out for my arrest in Mauritius.
I left and went back to the office so Alex and I could grab a quick lunch like usual. After lunch, we walked back to the office where I got in my car for my 3RD attempt at paying this pain of a ticket. I went BACK to the courthouse and luckily the cashier was there. I gave him my money and with a sigh of relief, a spring in my step, and a song in my heart I left.
I am now back at the office and as the title of this post (yes post, NOT blog) indicates, I am very hot and sweating so profusely that my clothes are sticking to me - but theres work to be done this afternoon.
Some little things:
-both hotels mentioned are in a town called Balaclava -its difficult to pronounce and I always think of the mediterranean dish (?) Baclava (sp?) but in fact the name of the city has an extra syllable (Ba-LA-kla-va)
-Although I adore the people of Mauritius , they need to get together and decide where they think I'm from. Sometimes they ask if I prefer to speak english and sometimes they ask if I am French
-Alex says that maybe they think I'm really belgian because I speak french bizarrely - mean
-On the way back yesterday, we saw a bus full of small children no more than 5 or 6 who were waving and making faces at us. Being me - I made faces right back.
-visiting these prospective clients is a bit luck rush - all of you current and former sorority girls and fraternity boys will understand as we always had to "flirt" with someone of the same sex to convince them to be one of us - I "flirt" with prospective clients (male and female but at the same time I am NOT attracted) to make them see the benefits of working with ATS
I need a nap but unfortunately I can't take one...
Yesterday- Pamela and I had a meeting at yet another 5 star resort called The Grand Mauritian. Luckily it wasn't too difficult to find and did not take that long to get there. We were a bit early so we awkwardly sat around until the man we were supposed to talk to came to find us. I had to explain EVERY SINGLE ITEM on the questionnaire to him - somewhat frustrating. I never remember the names of people that I interview because not only are they long but extremely difficult to pronounce. It turned out to be another old friend of Pamelas - she informed me later that she had been at his wedding but now he is divorced - Mauritius is not immune as divorce happens to roughly 50% of the world's population. He wondered why I had asked so many questions about the technicians - even if we don't get the new business we can still our technicians that they need to better behave themselves and/or dress more appropriately when out on assignment.
We returned to the office at about 3:30 after dodging tons of traffic heading in to Port Louis. I stayed at the office until around 5 and left for the day. Audrey and I had another quiet dinner at home and I was in bed by 9:30 or so.
Today was the day that I had to pay my ticket that I got while talking on my cell phone while driving. I thought that I would just be able to easily stop in at the police station which is on the way to work - no such luck - I had to go across town to the courthouse pay it. I had a meeting at a hotel called the Oberoi this morning which is in the same vicinity as the hotel that we were at yesterday. It was a bit of a process to get my questionnaire properly filled out as the first guy didn't know the answers to the technical questions. So he found someone else who could answer the first. The second was a bit rude and seemed extremely hurried but towards the end he was nicer and filled out the questionnaire and gave us alot of helpful information.
After 45 minutes and a thousand questions later - we finally left. It was about quarter of noon when we got back so I dropped Pamela off back at the office and tried to go and make another attempt at paying my ticket. I didn't know at this point still that I had to go to the court house because no one specified it this morning. So I headed back and I was then finally told that I had to go the courthouse. I had no idea where this was at all but I managed to find it because luckily the enormous map that I keep in my car has a legend on it.
I found the courthouse and went inside - it was a little bit after noon. I was told by the guy at the reception that in fact the cashier was out to lunch and that I needed to return in an hour or so. At this point I wanted to scream because not only was I about to spend a decent portion of the money that I make monthly but they were making it difficult for me to do - the last thing I need is a warrant out for my arrest in Mauritius.
I left and went back to the office so Alex and I could grab a quick lunch like usual. After lunch, we walked back to the office where I got in my car for my 3RD attempt at paying this pain of a ticket. I went BACK to the courthouse and luckily the cashier was there. I gave him my money and with a sigh of relief, a spring in my step, and a song in my heart I left.
I am now back at the office and as the title of this post (yes post, NOT blog) indicates, I am very hot and sweating so profusely that my clothes are sticking to me - but theres work to be done this afternoon.
Some little things:
-both hotels mentioned are in a town called Balaclava -its difficult to pronounce and I always think of the mediterranean dish (?) Baclava (sp?) but in fact the name of the city has an extra syllable (Ba-LA-kla-va)
-Although I adore the people of Mauritius , they need to get together and decide where they think I'm from. Sometimes they ask if I prefer to speak english and sometimes they ask if I am French
-Alex says that maybe they think I'm really belgian because I speak french bizarrely - mean
-On the way back yesterday, we saw a bus full of small children no more than 5 or 6 who were waving and making faces at us. Being me - I made faces right back.
-visiting these prospective clients is a bit luck rush - all of you current and former sorority girls and fraternity boys will understand as we always had to "flirt" with someone of the same sex to convince them to be one of us - I "flirt" with prospective clients (male and female but at the same time I am NOT attracted) to make them see the benefits of working with ATS
I need a nap but unfortunately I can't take one...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Hump Day again...
Thankfully - my car is back to being happy and healthy! Someone came to my house yesterday and fixed the battery. I got to work safely this morning.
I forgot to set my alarm last night but luckily I woke up when I normally do-around 6:30 completely on my own! I heard somewhere that if you need an alarm to wake up in the morning that you are sleep deprived but if you wake up when you are supposed to, you are not. I think its the first time in my life that I am not sleep deprived lol.
Other than that - the rest of yesterday was uneventful. Alex and I had lunch as usual and I worked the rest of the afternoon. Luckily the meeting I was supposed to have yesterday wasn't confirmed so it wasn't a big deal that I was carless.
Audrey and I had some sort of chicken dish with beans and sausage for dinner last night - it was great!
I have a meeting this afternoon about an hour north of here at around 2:00. Hopefully it goes well!!
Some little things:
-imagine the corn fields in the midwest that seem to go on for miles - that is what the sugar cane fields are like here except with mountains in the background
-i told alex on the ride home yesterday that i smelled chinese food - he said it was the sugar cane burning
-was listening to two mauritians discuss the US presidential election at lunch yesterday - bizarre
More later...
I forgot to set my alarm last night but luckily I woke up when I normally do-around 6:30 completely on my own! I heard somewhere that if you need an alarm to wake up in the morning that you are sleep deprived but if you wake up when you are supposed to, you are not. I think its the first time in my life that I am not sleep deprived lol.
Other than that - the rest of yesterday was uneventful. Alex and I had lunch as usual and I worked the rest of the afternoon. Luckily the meeting I was supposed to have yesterday wasn't confirmed so it wasn't a big deal that I was carless.
Audrey and I had some sort of chicken dish with beans and sausage for dinner last night - it was great!
I have a meeting this afternoon about an hour north of here at around 2:00. Hopefully it goes well!!
Some little things:
-imagine the corn fields in the midwest that seem to go on for miles - that is what the sugar cane fields are like here except with mountains in the background
-i told alex on the ride home yesterday that i smelled chinese food - he said it was the sugar cane burning
-was listening to two mauritians discuss the US presidential election at lunch yesterday - bizarre
More later...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
I have the worst luck with this car...
Alert the media!
Kallay has had another issue with the Nissan March. This time - the battery decided to die so I was not able to leave for work on time this morning. Neither Stephanie nor Alex was able to drive me in so Bruno the chauffeur came to pick me up. I probably spoke with 10 different people who worked with the mechanic that Veronique knows. It was hard enough trying to explain car issues in another language and I was getting impatient that I couldn't exactly understand them or them me. I ended up getting to work at about 10 this morning. As far as I know, someone is on the way to my house to fix what needs to be fixed and the car should be at the office this afternoon - hopefully.
I was a bit stressed this morning so I racked my brain of something to do to keep busy. One of the hardest decisions that I make everyday is deciding what to wear and when I decide on something, I can never find what I need. So - I decided to reorganize my clothes and stacked the according to type - skirts, pants, shorts, etc -riveting I know. I also cleared out the various diet coke and water bottles from my car so that this mechanic would not think I was crazy - even though most of the time I think that I am.
Anyway - not bad for a Tuesday - I wonder what kind of adventures I will have this afternoon...
Yesterday I was completely and utterly exhausted as you probably read (assuming you keep up!) in my last post (Just so everybody knows - my "blog" is the website in general and it has various "posts." I only have one blog not "blogs" in the plural sense).
I did not feel well at all yesterday afternoon and I wanted only to go home. I managed to stick it out. Shortly after dinner, I went to bed (around 9:30) and woke up to the mess that was my car this morning.
Hopefully my car is ok!!
More later...
Kallay has had another issue with the Nissan March. This time - the battery decided to die so I was not able to leave for work on time this morning. Neither Stephanie nor Alex was able to drive me in so Bruno the chauffeur came to pick me up. I probably spoke with 10 different people who worked with the mechanic that Veronique knows. It was hard enough trying to explain car issues in another language and I was getting impatient that I couldn't exactly understand them or them me. I ended up getting to work at about 10 this morning. As far as I know, someone is on the way to my house to fix what needs to be fixed and the car should be at the office this afternoon - hopefully.
I was a bit stressed this morning so I racked my brain of something to do to keep busy. One of the hardest decisions that I make everyday is deciding what to wear and when I decide on something, I can never find what I need. So - I decided to reorganize my clothes and stacked the according to type - skirts, pants, shorts, etc -riveting I know. I also cleared out the various diet coke and water bottles from my car so that this mechanic would not think I was crazy - even though most of the time I think that I am.
Anyway - not bad for a Tuesday - I wonder what kind of adventures I will have this afternoon...
Yesterday I was completely and utterly exhausted as you probably read (assuming you keep up!) in my last post (Just so everybody knows - my "blog" is the website in general and it has various "posts." I only have one blog not "blogs" in the plural sense).
I did not feel well at all yesterday afternoon and I wanted only to go home. I managed to stick it out. Shortly after dinner, I went to bed (around 9:30) and woke up to the mess that was my car this morning.
Hopefully my car is ok!!
More later...
Monday, October 20, 2008
And the crazy american girl returns for week 8..
Well-after a crazy weekend I find myself back at the office on this Monday morning. It is amazing how things tend to come full circle...I am exhausted today as I could not fall asleep last night-it was hot and I kept tossing and turning until about 1 am-I get up at 6:30. So not fun to say the least.
Friday was a quiet day as Paul is still out of town. I went to lunch with Stephanie and Alex and had the most delicious club sandwich! Better than any that I have ever had at home for sure. I didn't have any meetings so I was just at the office all day. I went out for happy hour with Alex and some of the guys from work. Afterwards, Alex and I went up the north to go to banana cafe and meet up with some friends. We didn't stay late as I we didn't feel like going to zanzibar that night. So I drove home and went to bed.
I went to the beach with Audrey and some of her friends on Saturday morning-we stayed for a few hours before deciding that we were hungry and needed lunch. I had a quiet afternoon of reading my book and relaxing.
Audrey went to a friend's house for dinner so I was left to my own devices to heat something up in the microwave. I ate a quick dinner, during which we lost power momentarily, and got ready to go out.
I met up with Alex and some friends at a HUGE party in a town just south of me called casa noyale. They have it every year to celebrate the end of hunting season - yes mauritius has a version of the redneck, pickup truck and all - just no fish or enormous confederate flags for decor. There were 700 people there just for dinner but in order to eat you had to make a reservation. All of the young people went later. I ran into my boss and his wife briefly on their way out. There was a live band and we danced all night long. I was completely exhausted all day Sunday and did absolutely nothing - just went for chinese with audrey and her friend rosaline last night.
I miss you all and hope that you are doing well!! I LOVE email so please write to me!!
Some little things:
-I saw a rat run by in the office the other day - totally disgusting - i jumped on to my chair and screamed like a little girl
-I am trying to get the hang of french shorthand texting - the first time I saw it it took me about 10 minutes to figure out what it meant ("idk my bff Jill")
-the toilets flush with a swirl to the left - my friend corey wanted to know
-i love it when people compliment my french esp in front of Alex - the look on his face says its only a matter of time before you mess up - o well such is life
-i'm not looking forward to paying my cell phone ticket this week-$70 that I do NOT want to spend
More later...
Friday was a quiet day as Paul is still out of town. I went to lunch with Stephanie and Alex and had the most delicious club sandwich! Better than any that I have ever had at home for sure. I didn't have any meetings so I was just at the office all day. I went out for happy hour with Alex and some of the guys from work. Afterwards, Alex and I went up the north to go to banana cafe and meet up with some friends. We didn't stay late as I we didn't feel like going to zanzibar that night. So I drove home and went to bed.
I went to the beach with Audrey and some of her friends on Saturday morning-we stayed for a few hours before deciding that we were hungry and needed lunch. I had a quiet afternoon of reading my book and relaxing.
Audrey went to a friend's house for dinner so I was left to my own devices to heat something up in the microwave. I ate a quick dinner, during which we lost power momentarily, and got ready to go out.
I met up with Alex and some friends at a HUGE party in a town just south of me called casa noyale. They have it every year to celebrate the end of hunting season - yes mauritius has a version of the redneck, pickup truck and all - just no fish or enormous confederate flags for decor. There were 700 people there just for dinner but in order to eat you had to make a reservation. All of the young people went later. I ran into my boss and his wife briefly on their way out. There was a live band and we danced all night long. I was completely exhausted all day Sunday and did absolutely nothing - just went for chinese with audrey and her friend rosaline last night.
I miss you all and hope that you are doing well!! I LOVE email so please write to me!!
Some little things:
-I saw a rat run by in the office the other day - totally disgusting - i jumped on to my chair and screamed like a little girl
-I am trying to get the hang of french shorthand texting - the first time I saw it it took me about 10 minutes to figure out what it meant ("idk my bff Jill")
-the toilets flush with a swirl to the left - my friend corey wanted to know
-i love it when people compliment my french esp in front of Alex - the look on his face says its only a matter of time before you mess up - o well such is life
-i'm not looking forward to paying my cell phone ticket this week-$70 that I do NOT want to spend
More later...
Friday, October 17, 2008
And week 7 comes to an end....
It is VERY hard to believe that I have been here for almost 2 months! Time sure flies when you are having fun!! When I look back, I have really done a lot of interesting things and had the privilege to have met so many great people all with stories to tell. I am so glad that I am not writing to entertain thin air and their are other people interested in my temporary country!!
Stephanie came back to work yesterday! It is amazing how much you miss someone when you are used to seeing them everyday (don't worry-I think about all of you back home too and wonder what you are doing!!)...
Yesterday, Pamela and I headed of to Flic en Flac (cool name) for our meeting at the Taj Exotica resort. Luckily, it was not too far away because I pass the town twice a day during my commute to work. The man that we spoke with seemed to be somewhat occupied but filled out my survey just the same. It looks like I am going to have to amend my data collection method a little bit - Microsoft Excel is so frustrating...
Audrey didn't feel like making dinner (understandable as my mom has these moods too) so I offered to pick up some pizza. We had a quiet but entertaining dinner as we watched the dogs get in to trouble. A young french couple was supposed to stay for a week but they ended up leaving to go and stay somewhere else because they said that Tamarin wasn't exciting enough for them. Like I told Audrey, I can see where they are coming from to an extent. I am young, and if I do say so myself VERY social, and if I was to be in Mauritius only for a week I would want to stay where all the action is. Tamarin for me right now is absolutely perfect for me-it is quiet which is what I need during the week and on the weekends I find my night life in Grand Bay.
At this point-I have some tentative plans for the weekend..I will write about them on Monday!!
Some little things:
-there is a billboard for Toyota (I think) with a multiracial family-so cool!
-I saw the other side of the road version of my brother Taylor's car yesterday - it looked to be MUCH cleaner than his version
-from time to time - I still attempt driving on the right side of the road but luckily I quickly realize this before I get into an accident
More later...
Stephanie came back to work yesterday! It is amazing how much you miss someone when you are used to seeing them everyday (don't worry-I think about all of you back home too and wonder what you are doing!!)...
Yesterday, Pamela and I headed of to Flic en Flac (cool name) for our meeting at the Taj Exotica resort. Luckily, it was not too far away because I pass the town twice a day during my commute to work. The man that we spoke with seemed to be somewhat occupied but filled out my survey just the same. It looks like I am going to have to amend my data collection method a little bit - Microsoft Excel is so frustrating...
Audrey didn't feel like making dinner (understandable as my mom has these moods too) so I offered to pick up some pizza. We had a quiet but entertaining dinner as we watched the dogs get in to trouble. A young french couple was supposed to stay for a week but they ended up leaving to go and stay somewhere else because they said that Tamarin wasn't exciting enough for them. Like I told Audrey, I can see where they are coming from to an extent. I am young, and if I do say so myself VERY social, and if I was to be in Mauritius only for a week I would want to stay where all the action is. Tamarin for me right now is absolutely perfect for me-it is quiet which is what I need during the week and on the weekends I find my night life in Grand Bay.
At this point-I have some tentative plans for the weekend..I will write about them on Monday!!
Some little things:
-there is a billboard for Toyota (I think) with a multiracial family-so cool!
-I saw the other side of the road version of my brother Taylor's car yesterday - it looked to be MUCH cleaner than his version
-from time to time - I still attempt driving on the right side of the road but luckily I quickly realize this before I get into an accident
More later...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
If Mauritius only has 2 seasons - shouldn't the name of the hotel be the "2 Seasons Resort"??
I continued to be amazed at the amount of people that follow this blog...I love it!! I continue to learn something new here everyday - whether it be a new word of phrase (big thanks to alex and stephanie for this one) or another way of going about something-I am so grateful!
Yesterday was quite an interesting day to say the least. I spent the morning here at the office catching up on housekeeping things etc. Soon after a quick lunch with Alex, Pamela and I left to travel to Beau Champs for our meeting at the four seasons. We left at about 2:30 for our 3:30 appointment and thought that that would be a good amount of time-we were so wrong...
It took almost TWO HOURS from Port Louis. So we were an hour late for our appointment and I was incredibly anxious and worried. It is unprofessional to be late and I was worried that we would jeopardize ATS's chances of getting new business. However, it turned out that the man with whom we had our meeting is an old friend of Pamelas and he understood completely. He was incredibly nice and helped me immensely. He was yet another person who made me feel good about my french speaking abilities - it was a great feeling because I am used to saying things incorrectly all day long and being corrected (to clarify- I am not mad at those who correct me - I just get frustrated with myself because I expect nothing but perfection at all times - a flaw of mine).
When we left it was about 5:00 so I told Pamela that I would drop her off at home. The east coast of the island is incredibly different from the west coast (west siiidddeee lol) as there was practically no one on the road...great driving conditions. It wasn't too difficult to find our way back as Pamela is a huge help to me! Luckily - I didn't have much farther to go when I dropped her off - it was easy to find the way home!
When I walked in the door - Audrey said to me "I was actually going to call you." I was afterall almost an hour late getting home!! I went to bed shortly after 9 pm and slept great!!
Some little things:
-I have seen several cars with "Baby on Board" placards - I never understood this even at home...don't you think that if I could voluntarily choose to find myself in a car accident that I would choose my worst enemy instead of a car with a baby???
-a popular condiment here in mauritius is "piment"-a spicy green sauce..i cant handle it but Audrey has her own recipe and makes it for all her friends -they all love it!!
-at the 4 seasons yesterday everyone thought pamela was there for a job interview
-we were not allowed to go through the main entrance because it was for "guests only"-however the service entrance that we were directed to made us follow the same interior road that passed by this "guest entrance" - life goes on
-upon leaving port louis- Pamela showed me a way to go north without having to go south like the day before...i ended up making a wrong turn and went south to go north just the same...lesson learned the hard way
-on the way home - we were admiring a painting on the back of a bus that was stopped in front of us...only to realize 5 min later that the bus was parked...yes i was tired
Off to more meetings this afternoon!!
More later....
Yesterday was quite an interesting day to say the least. I spent the morning here at the office catching up on housekeeping things etc. Soon after a quick lunch with Alex, Pamela and I left to travel to Beau Champs for our meeting at the four seasons. We left at about 2:30 for our 3:30 appointment and thought that that would be a good amount of time-we were so wrong...
It took almost TWO HOURS from Port Louis. So we were an hour late for our appointment and I was incredibly anxious and worried. It is unprofessional to be late and I was worried that we would jeopardize ATS's chances of getting new business. However, it turned out that the man with whom we had our meeting is an old friend of Pamelas and he understood completely. He was incredibly nice and helped me immensely. He was yet another person who made me feel good about my french speaking abilities - it was a great feeling because I am used to saying things incorrectly all day long and being corrected (to clarify- I am not mad at those who correct me - I just get frustrated with myself because I expect nothing but perfection at all times - a flaw of mine).
When we left it was about 5:00 so I told Pamela that I would drop her off at home. The east coast of the island is incredibly different from the west coast (west siiidddeee lol) as there was practically no one on the road...great driving conditions. It wasn't too difficult to find our way back as Pamela is a huge help to me! Luckily - I didn't have much farther to go when I dropped her off - it was easy to find the way home!
When I walked in the door - Audrey said to me "I was actually going to call you." I was afterall almost an hour late getting home!! I went to bed shortly after 9 pm and slept great!!
Some little things:
-I have seen several cars with "Baby on Board" placards - I never understood this even at home...don't you think that if I could voluntarily choose to find myself in a car accident that I would choose my worst enemy instead of a car with a baby???
-a popular condiment here in mauritius is "piment"-a spicy green sauce..i cant handle it but Audrey has her own recipe and makes it for all her friends -they all love it!!
-at the 4 seasons yesterday everyone thought pamela was there for a job interview
-we were not allowed to go through the main entrance because it was for "guests only"-however the service entrance that we were directed to made us follow the same interior road that passed by this "guest entrance" - life goes on
-upon leaving port louis- Pamela showed me a way to go north without having to go south like the day before...i ended up making a wrong turn and went south to go north just the same...lesson learned the hard way
-on the way home - we were admiring a painting on the back of a bus that was stopped in front of us...only to realize 5 min later that the bus was parked...yes i was tired
Off to more meetings this afternoon!!
More later....
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Something Interesting...
So while catching up on my world events-I came across an article about culture shock and americans. I thought it was interesting and wanted to share a little bit of it with you. The author lists a few tips on how to adapt well to a new culture that can be applied to anybody that gets a passport to go on a grand adventure! They are:
1. Learn as much as you can about your host culture.
2. Assume "strange" habits in this "strange" land are logical. Think of these habits as clever solutions to life's problems.
3. Be militantly positive. Avoid the temptation to commiserate with negative Americans. Don't joke disapprovingly about a culture you're trying to understand.
4. Make a local friend, someone you can confide in and learn from.
5. Most importantly, remember that different people find different truths to be "God-given" and "self-evident." Things work best if we give everybody a little wiggle room. And that goes for more than just travelers.
While spending time here in this beautiful country, I certainly have had my moments of "well, in America we do this and its better." However- I feel that I am learning alot about myself here and it is fascinating to learn about different viewpoints of the world. There are in fact many things about that the Mauritians have done right-our country could stand to learn a few lessons.
A few examples that I have encountered:
-all cultures integrate beautifully here and with no problems to speak of-unlike the states, no violence between those of different cultures and religions to report - all mauritians are proud of their country no matter the skin color or religion
-mauritians are very good at spending their money wisely - while they certainly make sacrifices such as living at home with the parental unit instead of living on their own - it is definitely NOT easy
-many people have lives without cars and are perfectly happy - yet another unnecessary expense - i admire them
-i have seen many people that I work with in the office give the homeless man some change whereas I usually ignore them and pass them by
-anybody who desires an education can get it
-if you are sick and need to go to the hospital-no questions asked
*a quick note on the last 2 points -the mauritian university is free to anyone who wants to go and I as a foreigner have access to healthcare should I get sick while I am here - I want to stress that I am NOT a socialist - I just admire the system that they are able to put in place here (may not necessarily work at home)
I have been very lucky to be in country where I am welcome and people are generally interested in getting to know me. While they may comment on my various idiosyncracies - it is just another perception or a "creative solution." I am lucky to have the friends that I have and all have helped me immensely!! Thank you for giving me some wiggle room!
1. Learn as much as you can about your host culture.
2. Assume "strange" habits in this "strange" land are logical. Think of these habits as clever solutions to life's problems.
3. Be militantly positive. Avoid the temptation to commiserate with negative Americans. Don't joke disapprovingly about a culture you're trying to understand.
4. Make a local friend, someone you can confide in and learn from.
5. Most importantly, remember that different people find different truths to be "God-given" and "self-evident." Things work best if we give everybody a little wiggle room. And that goes for more than just travelers.
While spending time here in this beautiful country, I certainly have had my moments of "well, in America we do this and its better." However- I feel that I am learning alot about myself here and it is fascinating to learn about different viewpoints of the world. There are in fact many things about that the Mauritians have done right-our country could stand to learn a few lessons.
A few examples that I have encountered:
-all cultures integrate beautifully here and with no problems to speak of-unlike the states, no violence between those of different cultures and religions to report - all mauritians are proud of their country no matter the skin color or religion
-mauritians are very good at spending their money wisely - while they certainly make sacrifices such as living at home with the parental unit instead of living on their own - it is definitely NOT easy
-many people have lives without cars and are perfectly happy - yet another unnecessary expense - i admire them
-i have seen many people that I work with in the office give the homeless man some change whereas I usually ignore them and pass them by
-anybody who desires an education can get it
-if you are sick and need to go to the hospital-no questions asked
*a quick note on the last 2 points -the mauritian university is free to anyone who wants to go and I as a foreigner have access to healthcare should I get sick while I am here - I want to stress that I am NOT a socialist - I just admire the system that they are able to put in place here (may not necessarily work at home)
I have been very lucky to be in country where I am welcome and people are generally interested in getting to know me. While they may comment on my various idiosyncracies - it is just another perception or a "creative solution." I am lucky to have the friends that I have and all have helped me immensely!! Thank you for giving me some wiggle room!
Hump Day 10/15
Happy Belated Birthday to my MOM and my cousin Jonathan!!
Well-just to warn you, not much to report today..
After I got back from my appointments yesterday I spent the afternoon at the office trying to organize the data that I had collected. I left at around 5 or so. Traffic was horrible as usual and the drivers as crazy as ever.
It was just Audrey and I last night but we had an excellent dinner! Rice, Beef, Lentils, and greens.
I have a meeting at the Four Seasons this afternoon so I am excited about that!
More later (sorry that this was so boring)....
Well-just to warn you, not much to report today..
After I got back from my appointments yesterday I spent the afternoon at the office trying to organize the data that I had collected. I left at around 5 or so. Traffic was horrible as usual and the drivers as crazy as ever.
It was just Audrey and I last night but we had an excellent dinner! Rice, Beef, Lentils, and greens.
I have a meeting at the Four Seasons this afternoon so I am excited about that!
More later (sorry that this was so boring)....
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Post #40
Thank you so much to everyone who wished me congratulations!! I am so excited to be going to UCF and it really means alot that I have so many who read my blog-I am glad that it is has been a good outlet for me to tell my stories to many people at once!!
Yesterday was pretty uneventful and quiet as my boss is on vacation for the week. It was Audrey and I's first night at home just the two of us. Her friend Dominique popped in a bit later to have dinner as well and chat for awhile. Although she is Mauritian by birth-her family moved to Australia when she was 2 or 3. She moved back to Mauritius in 2000 for remax-had no idea that this was a world wide company! I got to speak english with her as she speaks french like I do-well but it is definitely easier to express ourselves in english.
I have had a busy day today-I usually post early in the morning but I had my first meetings with prospective clients today so I have been out of the office.
I was somewhat worried at first because not only was I low on gas this morning-I had to drive further south to go north. Luckily my coworker Pamela was there with me to help with directions as well as knew the answers to product questions that I didn't know. At our first meeting, the woman was very nice and gladly filled out my questionnaire. We had some time to kill in between as we had a 10:00 and a 1:00. Luckily, we were in the same area that I was in over the weekend so I was pretty comfortable in navigating my way around. We saw passed by so many beautiful resorts but had a hard time finding a place to grab a quick lunch as there wasn't even a supermarket around. Pamela knew of a KFC nearby and so we drove around until we found it. I told Pamela that I never ever eat KFC home because I find it downright disgusting-I prefer Chik-Fil-A.
Here, surprisingly, it tastes pretty good. After lunch, we went to our second meeting. Unfortunately, I had to leave the survey there because the guy didn't have the time to fill it out. Meanwhile he had talked our ears off for 20 min!! So frustrating....Oh well such is life.
It took about an hour for us to get back to the office. It is so hot outside and I am completely exhausted from all of the driving...but have some data collection to do!!
Some little things:
-I never thought that I would be so fascinated by industrial kitchen equipment
-I saw my first mauritian cow today and her calf
-About roundabouts-when I need one I can't find one and when I just want to drive straight ahead-they pop up everywhere
-I still turn on the windshield wipers from time to time when I want to use the turn signal
-I was convinced about 5 times this morning that I was going to be killed by a car that was overtaking on the other side
-still don't understand why the mauritians don't spay and neuter their pets
-saw a tricked out green taxi this morning-hilarious
Exhausted...
Yesterday was pretty uneventful and quiet as my boss is on vacation for the week. It was Audrey and I's first night at home just the two of us. Her friend Dominique popped in a bit later to have dinner as well and chat for awhile. Although she is Mauritian by birth-her family moved to Australia when she was 2 or 3. She moved back to Mauritius in 2000 for remax-had no idea that this was a world wide company! I got to speak english with her as she speaks french like I do-well but it is definitely easier to express ourselves in english.
I have had a busy day today-I usually post early in the morning but I had my first meetings with prospective clients today so I have been out of the office.
I was somewhat worried at first because not only was I low on gas this morning-I had to drive further south to go north. Luckily my coworker Pamela was there with me to help with directions as well as knew the answers to product questions that I didn't know. At our first meeting, the woman was very nice and gladly filled out my questionnaire. We had some time to kill in between as we had a 10:00 and a 1:00. Luckily, we were in the same area that I was in over the weekend so I was pretty comfortable in navigating my way around. We saw passed by so many beautiful resorts but had a hard time finding a place to grab a quick lunch as there wasn't even a supermarket around. Pamela knew of a KFC nearby and so we drove around until we found it. I told Pamela that I never ever eat KFC home because I find it downright disgusting-I prefer Chik-Fil-A.
Here, surprisingly, it tastes pretty good. After lunch, we went to our second meeting. Unfortunately, I had to leave the survey there because the guy didn't have the time to fill it out. Meanwhile he had talked our ears off for 20 min!! So frustrating....Oh well such is life.
It took about an hour for us to get back to the office. It is so hot outside and I am completely exhausted from all of the driving...but have some data collection to do!!
Some little things:
-I never thought that I would be so fascinated by industrial kitchen equipment
-I saw my first mauritian cow today and her calf
-About roundabouts-when I need one I can't find one and when I just want to drive straight ahead-they pop up everywhere
-I still turn on the windshield wipers from time to time when I want to use the turn signal
-I was convinced about 5 times this morning that I was going to be killed by a car that was overtaking on the other side
-still don't understand why the mauritians don't spay and neuter their pets
-saw a tricked out green taxi this morning-hilarious
Exhausted...
Monday, October 13, 2008
UCF...here I come!!!
I received two very exciting pieces of news over the weekend...the first being that I got into the hospitality and tourism masters program at UCF!!! I can't wait to move to Orlando because it is only a short distance to two specials places-Gainesville and Jacksonville. Not to mention-I will be near my old friends!!
The second piece of news is that my beloved gators CRUSHED LSU-51-21!!! A kitten was always a more appropriate mascot for LSU anyway...I hope they rode all the way home with their tails between their legs...
It was quite an action packed weekend....I went to the suffren for happy hour after work with Alex and ran into Antoine. Antoine and I decided to go up to zanzibar in grand bay for a little while. Neither of us felt quite well and we were both tired so we ended up leaving early. I was able to spend the night in my own bed.
On Saturday, the Galea's invited me to the horse races!! It was my first time ever doing something like this. All of the men wore suits and ties and all of the women nice dresses. I met a few people that actually owned horses that were racing!! It was absolutely hilarious to see tons of people screaming and yelling at their horse that they had bet on and jumping up and down. Money makes us all do crazy things!! I bet the equivalent of about $3 on two races and lost. I contemplated betting on one race where I picked the prettiest horse and he ended up winning-shoulda, coulda, woulda. However-it did not quite compare to the craziness one witnesses at a college football game....spurts vs constant.
After eating duck for dinner at the Galea's beach house, Antoine and I got ready to go out. We spent an hour or so playing pool and listening to music with some of his friends. We left at around midnight or so and went to the banana cafe first to check out the live band. After a few minutes, we headed onto zanzibar. I kept getting comments on my dancing as I never stopped. When we left, we stopped at the stand across the street and got sandwiches for breakfast-they were called "Mr. Burgers" - a cross between a cheeseburger and a sub sandwich and absolutely delish!
We did not get home until 6 am on Sunday morning so I slept until about 12:30. After lunch and lazing around for a few hours-I left to go back home. Audrey, her friend Rosaline and I went out for a quick dinner last night. I was so excited to get back home and into my bed.
Some little things:
-saw a herd of goats cross the street on saturday morning
-i got stopped on friday evening just to see if i had a drivers license
-continue to see a different woman with curlers in her hair every morning
-saw a sign that said "left hand turns permitted on red" - would not see that in the states
-on our way to grand bay on saturday night-we saw some palm trees in the center of the last roundabout that had not been there the day before
-listening to a car full of guys belt out avril lavigne songs is and experience that i will never forget
-we went to the old people bar (Les Enfants Terribles) and left after 10 minutes it was so boring (Friday night)
-stephanie has had the worst weekend-she spent the night in the hospital because her heart was beating too fast and she got bitten by a dog
-it is awesome to hear people yelling "hero's hope" after horses win
-alex and I have a mutual love of joakim noah
-im awful at pool-i was put on this earth to do other things
More later...
The second piece of news is that my beloved gators CRUSHED LSU-51-21!!! A kitten was always a more appropriate mascot for LSU anyway...I hope they rode all the way home with their tails between their legs...
It was quite an action packed weekend....I went to the suffren for happy hour after work with Alex and ran into Antoine. Antoine and I decided to go up to zanzibar in grand bay for a little while. Neither of us felt quite well and we were both tired so we ended up leaving early. I was able to spend the night in my own bed.
On Saturday, the Galea's invited me to the horse races!! It was my first time ever doing something like this. All of the men wore suits and ties and all of the women nice dresses. I met a few people that actually owned horses that were racing!! It was absolutely hilarious to see tons of people screaming and yelling at their horse that they had bet on and jumping up and down. Money makes us all do crazy things!! I bet the equivalent of about $3 on two races and lost. I contemplated betting on one race where I picked the prettiest horse and he ended up winning-shoulda, coulda, woulda. However-it did not quite compare to the craziness one witnesses at a college football game....spurts vs constant.
After eating duck for dinner at the Galea's beach house, Antoine and I got ready to go out. We spent an hour or so playing pool and listening to music with some of his friends. We left at around midnight or so and went to the banana cafe first to check out the live band. After a few minutes, we headed onto zanzibar. I kept getting comments on my dancing as I never stopped. When we left, we stopped at the stand across the street and got sandwiches for breakfast-they were called "Mr. Burgers" - a cross between a cheeseburger and a sub sandwich and absolutely delish!
We did not get home until 6 am on Sunday morning so I slept until about 12:30. After lunch and lazing around for a few hours-I left to go back home. Audrey, her friend Rosaline and I went out for a quick dinner last night. I was so excited to get back home and into my bed.
Some little things:
-saw a herd of goats cross the street on saturday morning
-i got stopped on friday evening just to see if i had a drivers license
-continue to see a different woman with curlers in her hair every morning
-saw a sign that said "left hand turns permitted on red" - would not see that in the states
-on our way to grand bay on saturday night-we saw some palm trees in the center of the last roundabout that had not been there the day before
-listening to a car full of guys belt out avril lavigne songs is and experience that i will never forget
-we went to the old people bar (Les Enfants Terribles) and left after 10 minutes it was so boring (Friday night)
-stephanie has had the worst weekend-she spent the night in the hospital because her heart was beating too fast and she got bitten by a dog
-it is awesome to hear people yelling "hero's hope" after horses win
-alex and I have a mutual love of joakim noah
-im awful at pool-i was put on this earth to do other things
More later...
Friday, October 10, 2008
It's windy...
And another week of daily traffic battles comes to an end-week 6 to be exact. It's hard to believe that it has been that long-time flies by here!
It is so windy right now that all of the construction debris is flying every which way and it is howling like the wizard of oz-they actually call this type of wind here "anti-cyclone"-interesting.
Alain is leaving today so for the time being, it will just be Audrey and I at home-I suspect that it will be quiet but relaxing at the same time.
I'm not sure what my plans are for the weekend yet-I never know these things until late friday afternoon. Oh well...I suspect I will have some sort of adventure.
I sent my absentee ballot in yesterday-I had to pay postage because I was mailing it outside of the United States-bummer. Thankfully it only cost somewhere between 2 and 3 dollars.
Stephanie and I grabbed a quick lunch yesterday because she had a lot of work to get done and Alex was busy preparing for a presentation that he had yesterday.
Interesting story:
So I was trying to clean up my desk a little bit yesterday because there were entirely too many papers. Christine suggested I use the paper shredder for all of it. I got a little impatient and shoved too much paper in it. I was petrified that I had broken the shredder that the whole office uses-thankfully IT was able to fix it. I don't know how this place would run without IT...
Hope you all are doing well back home and the economy isn't in too much of a downward spiral!
Hopefully I will have something more interesting to report later....
It is so windy right now that all of the construction debris is flying every which way and it is howling like the wizard of oz-they actually call this type of wind here "anti-cyclone"-interesting.
Alain is leaving today so for the time being, it will just be Audrey and I at home-I suspect that it will be quiet but relaxing at the same time.
I'm not sure what my plans are for the weekend yet-I never know these things until late friday afternoon. Oh well...I suspect I will have some sort of adventure.
I sent my absentee ballot in yesterday-I had to pay postage because I was mailing it outside of the United States-bummer. Thankfully it only cost somewhere between 2 and 3 dollars.
Stephanie and I grabbed a quick lunch yesterday because she had a lot of work to get done and Alex was busy preparing for a presentation that he had yesterday.
Interesting story:
So I was trying to clean up my desk a little bit yesterday because there were entirely too many papers. Christine suggested I use the paper shredder for all of it. I got a little impatient and shoved too much paper in it. I was petrified that I had broken the shredder that the whole office uses-thankfully IT was able to fix it. I don't know how this place would run without IT...
Hope you all are doing well back home and the economy isn't in too much of a downward spiral!
Hopefully I will have something more interesting to report later....
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Mickey Mouse for President!!
It's Thursday and what a week it has been already....crazy. I decided to change the title of my blog to something more interesting-the other one was too boring. If a literary career is possible for me-no one is going to want to read a book entitled "My Life in Mauritius."
I am constantly amazed at the amount of people that read my blog! I have somewhat of an international following as stated among my comments-I'm glad that people I don't know think I am interesting. I love reading everybody's reactions-my only request is that all comments continue to be PG rated-I don't want my parents, grandparents, little brothers and sisters, other family members, employers, etc to be offended. If anybody has anything particularly juicy to tell me-send me a text or shoot me an email!!! I still love to feel connected to those of you back home!!
I received my absentee ballot in the mail yesterday and Ralph Nader is listed among the presidential nominees..will the man ever stop??? I hear campaigning is expensive and his 15 minutes of fame were over a LONG time ago. I have decided to vote for Mickey Mouse-I really like what he has to say on foreign policy and the economic crisis that is going on right now. Totally kidding...
Anyway-I have a renewed sense of belief in the Six Degrees of Separation phenomenon- the theory that suggests that everyone in the world is connected to one another within six degrees. So the story goes like this:
I was having lunch with Alex like usual yesterday and I started talking about my high school french teacher Mme Head and how she came from Martinique. Alex got excited because in fact his mother's family come's from Martinique. So I emailed Mme Head and she told me her maiden name to which Alex responded that he has cousins with that last name-and his mother might very well know Mme Head as she told me she had heard of that particular family name. To think-I have never known Alex but we have always been connected by less than 6 degrees!! C'est cool!!
On the work front-I'm excited because I have my first appointments next week with prospective clients. I'm excited to get to see more of Mauritius and meet all kinds of interesting people. My coworker Pamela who is in sales is going to accompany me because she is the one through whom I got these meetings-should be fun!
Tonight is Alain's last night-he is returning to South Africa tomorrow. Audrey, I'm sure, has a delicious meal planned!!
Some little things:
-I saw an enormous cloud on the way to work this morning that looked like a giant who was about to overtake the island-those who are more religious might think that G*d or Jesus took form using clouds, or maybe it was Superman-who knows?? I love abstract ideas that can be interpreted in many ways!
-I have seen the same crazy car 2 nights in a row who likes to weave in and out of traffic-the person is a lover or traffic roulette
-There was a person reading a newspaper at the wheel on the way in this morning-this should give you an idea of the many standstills that Mauritian traffic likes to create
-saw a woman walking down the street in broad daylight with curlers in her hair-WHY??
-heard someone on a motorcycle scream WOOHOOOO WEEEEEE as they zoomed past me (Yes-we are not like you, most of us do not have motorcycles)
-I had another encounter with the Mauritian police today-The light had just turned yellow as I was cruising through the intersection and a pick-up truck decided to stop RIGHT in the middle of the intersection. So I turned to go around him and there right in front of my face was the red light. I kept driving as I had already crossed the intersection and I heard the policeman yell something at me. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed that he made note of my license plate number. I found a place to pull over briefly and I got out of the car to talk to him. I told him in my best french how sorry I was and that I was already in the intersection and I try to be a careful driver. He then asked me what my name was, where I worked, and where I was from (clearly not Mauritius). I did not say that I was American but I told him my name and where I worked. He smiled and said he'd cut me a break-Oh the joys of being female and a foreigner.....
-I think I just felt some water from the ceiling drip on me
-mosquitos are the dumbest living things on the planet-as soon as they bite someone they die-you'd think they'd see a pattern. Many many mauritian mosqitos have died while feasting on my tasty blood
And my life continues....
I am constantly amazed at the amount of people that read my blog! I have somewhat of an international following as stated among my comments-I'm glad that people I don't know think I am interesting. I love reading everybody's reactions-my only request is that all comments continue to be PG rated-I don't want my parents, grandparents, little brothers and sisters, other family members, employers, etc to be offended. If anybody has anything particularly juicy to tell me-send me a text or shoot me an email!!! I still love to feel connected to those of you back home!!
I received my absentee ballot in the mail yesterday and Ralph Nader is listed among the presidential nominees..will the man ever stop??? I hear campaigning is expensive and his 15 minutes of fame were over a LONG time ago. I have decided to vote for Mickey Mouse-I really like what he has to say on foreign policy and the economic crisis that is going on right now. Totally kidding...
Anyway-I have a renewed sense of belief in the Six Degrees of Separation phenomenon- the theory that suggests that everyone in the world is connected to one another within six degrees. So the story goes like this:
I was having lunch with Alex like usual yesterday and I started talking about my high school french teacher Mme Head and how she came from Martinique. Alex got excited because in fact his mother's family come's from Martinique. So I emailed Mme Head and she told me her maiden name to which Alex responded that he has cousins with that last name-and his mother might very well know Mme Head as she told me she had heard of that particular family name. To think-I have never known Alex but we have always been connected by less than 6 degrees!! C'est cool!!
On the work front-I'm excited because I have my first appointments next week with prospective clients. I'm excited to get to see more of Mauritius and meet all kinds of interesting people. My coworker Pamela who is in sales is going to accompany me because she is the one through whom I got these meetings-should be fun!
Tonight is Alain's last night-he is returning to South Africa tomorrow. Audrey, I'm sure, has a delicious meal planned!!
Some little things:
-I saw an enormous cloud on the way to work this morning that looked like a giant who was about to overtake the island-those who are more religious might think that G*d or Jesus took form using clouds, or maybe it was Superman-who knows?? I love abstract ideas that can be interpreted in many ways!
-I have seen the same crazy car 2 nights in a row who likes to weave in and out of traffic-the person is a lover or traffic roulette
-There was a person reading a newspaper at the wheel on the way in this morning-this should give you an idea of the many standstills that Mauritian traffic likes to create
-saw a woman walking down the street in broad daylight with curlers in her hair-WHY??
-heard someone on a motorcycle scream WOOHOOOO WEEEEEE as they zoomed past me (Yes-we are not like you, most of us do not have motorcycles)
-I had another encounter with the Mauritian police today-The light had just turned yellow as I was cruising through the intersection and a pick-up truck decided to stop RIGHT in the middle of the intersection. So I turned to go around him and there right in front of my face was the red light. I kept driving as I had already crossed the intersection and I heard the policeman yell something at me. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed that he made note of my license plate number. I found a place to pull over briefly and I got out of the car to talk to him. I told him in my best french how sorry I was and that I was already in the intersection and I try to be a careful driver. He then asked me what my name was, where I worked, and where I was from (clearly not Mauritius). I did not say that I was American but I told him my name and where I worked. He smiled and said he'd cut me a break-Oh the joys of being female and a foreigner.....
-I think I just felt some water from the ceiling drip on me
-mosquitos are the dumbest living things on the planet-as soon as they bite someone they die-you'd think they'd see a pattern. Many many mauritian mosqitos have died while feasting on my tasty blood
And my life continues....
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Hump Day 10/08/08
Hi Everybody-
It bugs me that these posts seem to get more and more boring each day-I guess that means I'm getting in the swing of things. However, I am determined to write in here as much as possible because even though I am far away, I like to be connected to all of you back home!
Yesterday was mostly uneventful-it was the first day that I grabbed a quick lunch by myself as Alex and Stephanie were hard at work. I managed to set up my excel spreadsheets that I will use to collect my data so I have less to do when I actually get the data-any day now. It seemed like everyone decided to drive early painfully slowly or extremely erratically yesterday evening while I was driving home-maybe there was a full moon and it was making people go crazy...
Audrey went to a friends house for dinner so Alain and I ate alone. It was rice, beans, greens, lamb, potatoes, and cabbage-fantastic! We had interesting conversations about pop culture and whether or not all of the houses look the same in the states (He said that that is what it seemed like in the movies) but I told him just like everything else-the houses are all different.
I also thought it was interesting that he called Mauritius a 3rd world country. To me, a 3rd world country is a place where people don't have running water or electricity, internet, grocery stores, shopping, and the like (I think the Sudan). Mauritius has all of these things-everyone is educated, seems to speak at least 2 languages, and has a cell phone.
I stopped for gas at a shell station closer to home today-I don't know what it is but when I said "fill it up" in french, the attendant said "full." This always happens to me at gas stations-is my accent that terrible? I hope not-the last thing I want to be is another ignorant american. Other than that-it was the daily battle of dodging buses and motorcycles who like to weave in and out of traffic.
Some little things:
-there is a public beach that i pass everyday in port louis called "Sable Noir" or "Black Sand." Why would anyone want to go to a beach where the sand is black??? Gross
-I am parked normally-should not be blocked in at the end of the day
-2 loaded questions I keep facing here: "Why does America try and police the world?" "Who's going to win? McCain or Obama"
-I'm starting to think that people don't understand me when I speak-every other phrase i say seems to be wrong and i get corrected-helpful but sometimes frustrating
-there is a men's nursing home of sorts down the block from where I work-I seem the same man with a peg leg and the other that is tall, skinny, and wears a neckbrace every day
-Audrey's dog Diva was on the roof today
More later...
It bugs me that these posts seem to get more and more boring each day-I guess that means I'm getting in the swing of things. However, I am determined to write in here as much as possible because even though I am far away, I like to be connected to all of you back home!
Yesterday was mostly uneventful-it was the first day that I grabbed a quick lunch by myself as Alex and Stephanie were hard at work. I managed to set up my excel spreadsheets that I will use to collect my data so I have less to do when I actually get the data-any day now. It seemed like everyone decided to drive early painfully slowly or extremely erratically yesterday evening while I was driving home-maybe there was a full moon and it was making people go crazy...
Audrey went to a friends house for dinner so Alain and I ate alone. It was rice, beans, greens, lamb, potatoes, and cabbage-fantastic! We had interesting conversations about pop culture and whether or not all of the houses look the same in the states (He said that that is what it seemed like in the movies) but I told him just like everything else-the houses are all different.
I also thought it was interesting that he called Mauritius a 3rd world country. To me, a 3rd world country is a place where people don't have running water or electricity, internet, grocery stores, shopping, and the like (I think the Sudan). Mauritius has all of these things-everyone is educated, seems to speak at least 2 languages, and has a cell phone.
I stopped for gas at a shell station closer to home today-I don't know what it is but when I said "fill it up" in french, the attendant said "full." This always happens to me at gas stations-is my accent that terrible? I hope not-the last thing I want to be is another ignorant american. Other than that-it was the daily battle of dodging buses and motorcycles who like to weave in and out of traffic.
Some little things:
-there is a public beach that i pass everyday in port louis called "Sable Noir" or "Black Sand." Why would anyone want to go to a beach where the sand is black??? Gross
-I am parked normally-should not be blocked in at the end of the day
-2 loaded questions I keep facing here: "Why does America try and police the world?" "Who's going to win? McCain or Obama"
-I'm starting to think that people don't understand me when I speak-every other phrase i say seems to be wrong and i get corrected-helpful but sometimes frustrating
-there is a men's nursing home of sorts down the block from where I work-I seem the same man with a peg leg and the other that is tall, skinny, and wears a neckbrace every day
-Audrey's dog Diva was on the roof today
More later...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Another day...
I must say that I think I've come a long way since my moving sidewalk phase as Mom and Steve might remember (the first time that I left the country I was asked what my favorite part was and I said the moving sidewalks in the airport-I was 9).
When I think back to what my favorite part could possibly be I really have no idea-I like everthing-the food, the people, the beaches, the nightlife, my coworkers, where I live, etc.
I feel much more refreshed today than I did yesterday as I am always tired from the weekend on Mondays. We had a delicious dinner last night of potatoes au gratin with sausages, salad, and tons of bread and wine-fabulous.
Alain is leaving this Friday and I jokingly said to Audrey that we would probably dance on the tables-she just laughed.
We'll see where the day takes me....
Some little things:
-I saw a car with a Jesus fish on the back of it yesterday
-I'm starting to think that the french that I learned all those years is seriously flawed-Alex corrects me all day long
-I ran over some roadkill this morning-I then saw a dog go sniff it and run away
-my absentee ballot is getting EMAILED to me!!! How cool is that?!?!
When I think back to what my favorite part could possibly be I really have no idea-I like everthing-the food, the people, the beaches, the nightlife, my coworkers, where I live, etc.
I feel much more refreshed today than I did yesterday as I am always tired from the weekend on Mondays. We had a delicious dinner last night of potatoes au gratin with sausages, salad, and tons of bread and wine-fabulous.
Alain is leaving this Friday and I jokingly said to Audrey that we would probably dance on the tables-she just laughed.
We'll see where the day takes me....
Some little things:
-I saw a car with a Jesus fish on the back of it yesterday
-I'm starting to think that the french that I learned all those years is seriously flawed-Alex corrects me all day long
-I ran over some roadkill this morning-I then saw a dog go sniff it and run away
-my absentee ballot is getting EMAILED to me!!! How cool is that?!?!
Monday, October 6, 2008
GATOR BAIT GATOR BAIT GATOR BAIT!!!!
The title of todays post is a well-deserved shout out to my team as they CRUSHED Arkansas this weekend-I have yet to read the full story but I will be reading it shortly!
I had another action-packed weekend here in my adopted country of Mauritius and another action-packed (hopefully) week at work coming up.
All day Friday I went back and forth from feeling like I needed to take a nap at my desk to being deliriously away-brought me back to my days of Dance Marathon. I managed to plow through it all and left the office at about 5:30 to head to happy hour because one of my co-workers moved to Canada yesterday. Yes CANADA-where it is cold and no one should ever want to move there-I prefer the tropical climates of Mauritius and Florida....not to mention if I have to be far away from Tim Tebow i'd rather be here!
We all stayed a few hours at the Suffren (the hotel that hosts happy hour) and said our goodbyes to Roegen. After a quick snack-I drove up to Grand Baie to head to Zanzibar-the place of choice for Mauritians in the know on Friday nights. I was shocked to see Alex there as he never goes out-but he was along with it seemed like almost every person that I have met over the past 5 weeks. It was alot of fun! We all danced the entire night away....
The next morning as I was driving home-I was in Port Louis-I was chatting happily on the phone when a policeman pulled me over. My international driver's license was about to serve some use!! I told him that I was american and gave him my florida DL and my International License. I was unaware that it is illegal to talk on the cell-phone while driving here-so I got a ticket for 2000 ruppees (about $70!!!) I am going to research it this week and find out what exactly will happen if I neglect to pay this ridiculous fine-I don't want to be deported and I want to be able to come back to Mauritius one day.
I was absolutely exhausted when I got home around lunch time and tried to rest for a little while-it was not happening. So I gave up and went to the internet cafe to go on facebook-one of my favorite pasttimes!!
I went to bed at around 10:30 on Saturday night and did not wake up until 11 on Sunday morning-total bliss!! I decided to go and spend the afternoon at the beach where I could lazily people watch and watch the wind/kite surfers. I found Alex to be taking full advantage of the windy conditions as I saw him briefly. Audrey's friend Christiane came over to eat dinner with us and pass the time while her husband was glued to the soccer game that was on TV. I was again exhausted last night, ate dinner and went to bed.
Some little things:
-Stephanie informed that I did not need to take malaria pills (she is an avid reader of my blog) because there is no risk here-I know who to track down should I come down with it...
-Office gossip is worldwide as I found out from my coworkers on Friday night (would not be wise to post the whole story here)
-I keep seeing the same people everywhere-Mauritius is like one big small town
-I'm thinking of dressing up as an american tourist for halloween-fanny pack and all
-I have strange dreams here-a mix of english and french
-My french continues to be regularly corrected-I guess i'm not as good as I thought-such is life
-everyone thinks that when I talk to my mom every afternoon that I'm talking to my boyfriend back home in the states
-i'm glad to hear that something good is happening back home-OJ IS GUILTY!!! (If it does not fit you must aquit....not so much)
More later...
I had another action-packed weekend here in my adopted country of Mauritius and another action-packed (hopefully) week at work coming up.
All day Friday I went back and forth from feeling like I needed to take a nap at my desk to being deliriously away-brought me back to my days of Dance Marathon. I managed to plow through it all and left the office at about 5:30 to head to happy hour because one of my co-workers moved to Canada yesterday. Yes CANADA-where it is cold and no one should ever want to move there-I prefer the tropical climates of Mauritius and Florida....not to mention if I have to be far away from Tim Tebow i'd rather be here!
We all stayed a few hours at the Suffren (the hotel that hosts happy hour) and said our goodbyes to Roegen. After a quick snack-I drove up to Grand Baie to head to Zanzibar-the place of choice for Mauritians in the know on Friday nights. I was shocked to see Alex there as he never goes out-but he was along with it seemed like almost every person that I have met over the past 5 weeks. It was alot of fun! We all danced the entire night away....
The next morning as I was driving home-I was in Port Louis-I was chatting happily on the phone when a policeman pulled me over. My international driver's license was about to serve some use!! I told him that I was american and gave him my florida DL and my International License. I was unaware that it is illegal to talk on the cell-phone while driving here-so I got a ticket for 2000 ruppees (about $70!!!) I am going to research it this week and find out what exactly will happen if I neglect to pay this ridiculous fine-I don't want to be deported and I want to be able to come back to Mauritius one day.
I was absolutely exhausted when I got home around lunch time and tried to rest for a little while-it was not happening. So I gave up and went to the internet cafe to go on facebook-one of my favorite pasttimes!!
I went to bed at around 10:30 on Saturday night and did not wake up until 11 on Sunday morning-total bliss!! I decided to go and spend the afternoon at the beach where I could lazily people watch and watch the wind/kite surfers. I found Alex to be taking full advantage of the windy conditions as I saw him briefly. Audrey's friend Christiane came over to eat dinner with us and pass the time while her husband was glued to the soccer game that was on TV. I was again exhausted last night, ate dinner and went to bed.
Some little things:
-Stephanie informed that I did not need to take malaria pills (she is an avid reader of my blog) because there is no risk here-I know who to track down should I come down with it...
-Office gossip is worldwide as I found out from my coworkers on Friday night (would not be wise to post the whole story here)
-I keep seeing the same people everywhere-Mauritius is like one big small town
-I'm thinking of dressing up as an american tourist for halloween-fanny pack and all
-I have strange dreams here-a mix of english and french
-My french continues to be regularly corrected-I guess i'm not as good as I thought-such is life
-everyone thinks that when I talk to my mom every afternoon that I'm talking to my boyfriend back home in the states
-i'm glad to hear that something good is happening back home-OJ IS GUILTY!!! (If it does not fit you must aquit....not so much)
More later...
Friday, October 3, 2008
End of 5th Week!!!
What a day it has been already...
I woke up this morning at 5 am-this NEVER happens to me so I got ready and was at work by 630 am. I have a lot to do so I am glad that I was able to get here early! The gate to the parking lot was closed and I had to walk around to find the only unlocked door-ridiculous. So here I am ready to start the day...
I went to lunch yesterday with Alex and another one of my coworkers that I didn't know well-Gilbert. I'm starting to get to know more and more people really well-this tends to happen when you spend about half the week in one place!!
We had a uniquely mauritian meal for dinner last night-rice, beans, greens, a rougaille made with salted fish, and papaya for dessert! Absolutely delicious!!!
Some little things:
-There are towns here called Bel Air, Melrose, and Manhattan - I have been looking for the fresh prince but haven't found him (This is a story all about how my life got twist turned upside down-I'd like to take a minute just sit right there-I'll tell you the story of how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air...)
-it is surprisingly pleasant to drive to port louis when ther is no traffic
-had a discussion with alex yesterday about the bible belt and how crazy those people are
More later...
I woke up this morning at 5 am-this NEVER happens to me so I got ready and was at work by 630 am. I have a lot to do so I am glad that I was able to get here early! The gate to the parking lot was closed and I had to walk around to find the only unlocked door-ridiculous. So here I am ready to start the day...
I went to lunch yesterday with Alex and another one of my coworkers that I didn't know well-Gilbert. I'm starting to get to know more and more people really well-this tends to happen when you spend about half the week in one place!!
We had a uniquely mauritian meal for dinner last night-rice, beans, greens, a rougaille made with salted fish, and papaya for dessert! Absolutely delicious!!!
Some little things:
-There are towns here called Bel Air, Melrose, and Manhattan - I have been looking for the fresh prince but haven't found him (This is a story all about how my life got twist turned upside down-I'd like to take a minute just sit right there-I'll tell you the story of how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air...)
-it is surprisingly pleasant to drive to port louis when ther is no traffic
-had a discussion with alex yesterday about the bible belt and how crazy those people are
More later...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
First post of OCTOBER!!
Hello all-
Sorry about the lack of post yesterday-the moon ended up being visible on tuesday night which meant that we had the day off due to the end of Ramadan!!
I waited with such anticipation Tuesday night-and as soon as the moon was visible I of course wanted to go out and celebrate the fact that I had the next day off. Unfortunately, Tuesday night is not a popular night to go out in Mauritius regardless of whether people have to work on Wednesday. So I ended up staying in and getting a decent night's sleep.
I woke up the next morning and attempted to go to thzie internet cafe-but it was closed as were most businesses. I ended up meeting my new friend Katheryn, another american, at the beach in Flic en Flac for the day. She has lived here more than a year and absolutely loves it!! It got me thinking about whether or not I wanted to stay here longer....in reality I probably will not as I have other responsibilities back home-but it is fun to fantasize!
We had lunch at a chinese place and I ate something called a "magic bowl." This is a bowl full of rice, chicken, and vegetables that is turned upside down on a plate. Inside, there is a teryaki sort of sauce and an enormous fried egg. They take the bowl off at the table and let it all spill out!! It was delicious!!
I got home at about 530, showered, and relaxed for a little bit. After dinner and chatting with Audrey for awhile I went to bed to prepare for the full day that I have today!!
Some little things:
-In Mauritius-they say "je touche le bois" for "Knock on wood." Some superstitions truly are global
-The mosquito killer in my room is so strong-I saw a lone mosquito strangling itself to deathe other night-all I could think of was ha! you can no longer bite me!!
-i love to people watch at the beach-I saw a group of teenage boys making music with a bongo and coke bottles (they also used this as background music when they wrestled each other to the ground)
-saw another group of boys who were no more than 14 sitting on the beach drinking beer-where were their parents???
At work I am in the process of learning the software that I use to collect data when my survey is complete. It is somewhat difficult but I'm sure that I will understand it eventually!!
More later...
Sorry about the lack of post yesterday-the moon ended up being visible on tuesday night which meant that we had the day off due to the end of Ramadan!!
I waited with such anticipation Tuesday night-and as soon as the moon was visible I of course wanted to go out and celebrate the fact that I had the next day off. Unfortunately, Tuesday night is not a popular night to go out in Mauritius regardless of whether people have to work on Wednesday. So I ended up staying in and getting a decent night's sleep.
I woke up the next morning and attempted to go to thzie internet cafe-but it was closed as were most businesses. I ended up meeting my new friend Katheryn, another american, at the beach in Flic en Flac for the day. She has lived here more than a year and absolutely loves it!! It got me thinking about whether or not I wanted to stay here longer....in reality I probably will not as I have other responsibilities back home-but it is fun to fantasize!
We had lunch at a chinese place and I ate something called a "magic bowl." This is a bowl full of rice, chicken, and vegetables that is turned upside down on a plate. Inside, there is a teryaki sort of sauce and an enormous fried egg. They take the bowl off at the table and let it all spill out!! It was delicious!!
I got home at about 530, showered, and relaxed for a little bit. After dinner and chatting with Audrey for awhile I went to bed to prepare for the full day that I have today!!
Some little things:
-In Mauritius-they say "je touche le bois" for "Knock on wood." Some superstitions truly are global
-The mosquito killer in my room is so strong-I saw a lone mosquito strangling itself to deathe other night-all I could think of was ha! you can no longer bite me!!
-i love to people watch at the beach-I saw a group of teenage boys making music with a bongo and coke bottles (they also used this as background music when they wrestled each other to the ground)
-saw another group of boys who were no more than 14 sitting on the beach drinking beer-where were their parents???
At work I am in the process of learning the software that I use to collect data when my survey is complete. It is somewhat difficult but I'm sure that I will understand it eventually!!
More later...
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