I wonder that too...

A quote from my current read (God Grew Tired of Us, a memoir of the Lost Boys of Sudan, by John Bul Dau). Here's a passage where he describes his cultural orientation class as he was preparing to move from Kenya to Syracuse, New York:

"Then he said, "I will show you how cold it gets in American." He reached into a box and pulled out something that looked like a piece of glass, only rounded like a river rock.
"Feel this," he said, and he placed it in my hand. It felt so cold, yet it seemed to burn.
"Crush it," he said.
I tried to close my hand, but I could not crush it.
"That is water. It gets so cold in America that water sometimes turns hard. We call this an 'ice cube.' Feel it, and feel the cold in America."
I was amazed. How could people live in a land where water turned to stone?

Appreciating Fall

I'm trying really hard to appreciate fall, and not simply gripe about the cold (it's actually a bit balmy today!), and I have to admit that the colors are beautiful right now. In fact, I don't think I dislike fall so much as I dislike what it means- that summer is over and winter is coming. I haven't yet fully developed my "How I am going to survive winter in Michigan" plan, but the covered overnight parking that I currently have is going to play a big role. Meanwhile I am doing what I can to enjoy the cider and scarves and colors and not think so much about what is coming. I am also going to (try to) not think about the current season or weather in Buenos Aires. As beautiful as fall is in Michigan (and fall is much nicer here than there), nothing can really beat a Bs As spring.

So, in my efforts to appreciate and not gripe, here are my favorite things about fall in Michigan:

1. The colors, of course.
2. Long Lake trip, especially the bonfires.
   
3. Apple cider
4. Really good apples and pears.
   
5. Curling up with cups of tea
6. Michigan Football. I've enjoyed watching it a bit this year after 3 years of ignoring it. A good fall day will always feel like U of M football to me.
   
7. Getting to use my full array of scarves and jackets.
   
8. Lots of skating to follow (and this year, even watch!)

Sara Groves - I Saw What I Saw

City Girl

Well, the MegaBus to Chicago wasn't too bad. They were extremely punctual and the bus was very clean. Downside was the very small seat. Maybe the seat wouldn't have felt so small if the person next to me wasn't spilling over into mine or the person in front of me didn't lean all the way back. At any rate, it was a safe and easy trip.

For the weekend, we got lucky with GORGEOUS weather! And I realized, while downtown, that part of my missing Argentina is missing the city. I miss taking the bus to work and the train downtown. I miss taking the bus to another city for the weekend. I miss the bustle of the city and the different kinds of people. I miss knowing the city and walking in the city and just being in the city! Before living in Argentina I never would have considered myself a city girl, but I think I am turning into one!

Being in the city definitely made me homesick for Buenos Aires, for the only city I've ever really known. I loved knowing how to get around and where to go and great places to walk. I do miss it a lot right now. It's spring there and everything is warming up and beginning to bloom. In a few weeks the Jacaranda trees will blossom. I am trying to enjoy the fall here- watching the leaves change and fall, eating fall foods, and relishing in the crisp air. But I tell ya, it's hard to beat Buenos Aires in spring.

Taking the Bus

Tomorrow evening I am doing something I have never done before: I am riding a bus, in the United States of America, to another city. Now, I know this won't be Via Bariloche or FlechaBus or any of my other Argentine favorites, but I am hoping I won't regret not taking the train. It's only a 5 hour ride to Chicago, but since the only American bus service I can picture is Greyhound... we'll see. I am actually taking MegaBus, which I have been told is nice. I will miss my medialunas and big plush reclining seat though- and the front row on a double-decker.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Suffering

In Argentina, my friends and I had a phrase we would tell ourselves or one another when someone was complaining about life: "well, there is genocide in the world." Not meant to be taken lightly, it was our friendly and gentle way to reminder each other that we don't have anything to complain about in light of the suffering going on in the world around us.

That suffering, in its various forms, has been coming to my attention a lot lately. One reason is because of the books I've been reading. In August I read A Thousand Sisters, a memoir by Lisa Shannon. It highlights the violence in the Eastern Congo, and especially the sexual violence against women and girls. This past week I read The Enough Moment by John Prendergast and Don Cheadle (actor from Hotel Rwanda), which discusses the fight to end genocide (esp in Sudan), child soldiers (abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army), and rape as a weapon of war (esp in the Congo). One thing that I liked about both of these books is that they are both informative and hopeful. The Enough Moment especially highlights repeatedly the success stories of peace and rehabilitation in Africa, and how they can be used as frameworks for solving the current conflicts.

When we read these stories and hear the testimonials, the question becomes, what are we going to do about it? Luckily, organizations like The Enough Project and Run for Congo Women make it easy to get involved. You can sponsor a rape survivor in the Congo or support schools in refugee camps in Darfur. At the website for RAISE Hope For Congo you can send emails to electronics manufacturers asking for conflict-free products. It takes about 30 seconds. We can write or call our Senators and Congressmen encouraging them to raise awareness and support legislation that works towards peace, civilian protection, and the prosecution of the leaders involved.

But we don't have to go to Africa to see suffering either. I see it in communities all around me. And it's easy to get discouraged and feel small. But I've realized this week that it's not about feeling small. It's about taking small steps. We can all find ways to donate our resources: our goods or talents or money or time. You can google local aid organizations and find contact information to find ways to get involved. I don't have a lot of goods or money right now, but I do have time, and I have educational skills. I'm hoping to be able to do some tutoring or general volunteer work in the near future. I've just become too aware that the only thing separating me from those around me who are homeless or living in poverty is that I have a large and generous support network.

So, what do you want to do? Read a book (I got mine at the library) and raise your awareness? Send an email to electronics companies? Support a woman in the Congo? Write a letter to your representatives? Donate used goods that are still in good condition? Donate food, money, or warm clothes to someone in your community? Volunteer at a soup kitchen? At a tutoring program? Get involved in an even bigger way? I don't know what we will each do, but I know that as a child of the King, I can't do nothing. My God loves each one of them, each one of us, way too much for me to do nothing.