Heard from one of my English writing teachers:
“Yes, but, and this is a big, big but…” at which point, given that his hand movements resembled a homonimous word with an extra t, everybody laughed.
Tag Archives: i
I’m not an Arab or a Turk, but so what if I were?
I was talking with another person when he made a comment assuming that I was Spanish. When I mentioned I am Mexican, he apologised profusely. I defused it with a comment saying that usually people think in Europe that I’m either Arab or Turk, because it is the truth.
Although there is some people that try to take advantage of the social security system available in this country, I believe they are as hardworking as anybody. I am taking Dutch lessons with them and they’re pretty OK, and I’ve noticed that they have many businesses that even open on Sunday (something almost impossible in these parts).
Of course not all of them are perfect and culture shock for their communities and the host society is not uncommon, but I believe it has to do with people sticking to the labels of “Turk”, “Arab”,
“Flemish” or “Walloon”, instead of noticing that we’re all “Human” with a capital H, regardless of how corny it may sound.
My current mood
“Always in motion is the future”
-Yoda
Political Compass
I found this from Ceronne’s blog, and just had to take the questionnaire. What about you?
What’s my mental age?
Pretty close to my real age, hehehehe.
You Are 24 Years Old
Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view – and you look at the world with awe.
13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.
20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what’s to come… love, work, and new experiences.
30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You’ve had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!
40+: You are a mature adult. You’ve been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.
Multiculturalism and different identities
I was talking with some friends about multiculturalism and different levels of culture identification (what do you feel part of, basically). I, for example, am Mexicano, Chilango/Sateluco, Espoolainen, Uussuomalainen and Brusselaar. I’m a North American, a Latin American, but also Europeanised and with a light Asian sensitivity. I’m the couple to my significant other, son of my parents, member of my family, friend of my friends and alumnus of the different schools I’ve studied in. I’ve taken parts of the places I’ve been to, so I eat a lot of Japanese food, listen to Brazilian pagode and read American sci-fi. I’m a techie, an engineer, a photographer, a linguist and a business person. But most importantly, I’m myself, and I know I’m all those things. I’ll use them when I need to, and depending on where I am.
As a friend of mine said: “It’s like a snowball, wherever you’ve rolled some things stick to you”. Just be sure they’re the good ones.