Retraction

I was misinformed about the football ball thing. I thought it sounded strange.

Thanks go out to Iqbal for this message:

"...but I was just looking at your blog and felt I ought to correct you on this ball business. It is just called "a football." Not soccer ball or football ball! I felt compelled to correct you as Americans seem to have a hard enough time understanding football without you misleading them further!!! Maybe you want to issue a retraction to your readers."

Fin

Football Ball

(Until May 2nd, don't trust the dates on these posts... They are in chronological order but not necessarily written at the times indicated.)

Yesterday Alex informed me that soccer balls, in the rest of the world, are called football balls. Not footballs. Football balls. I thought that was awfully strange. I also think that in order to improve foreign relations, America should change the name of soccer to football and football to hiteachotherball, or something. Someone tell Obama.

So I just got back from another game of tennis. I'm really starting to enjoy it (and Murry said I'm a natural... possibly proving you can't trust relatives to tell you the truth about your athletic abilities) and I'm incredibly sore which I always take as a good sign. I wish I knew where a tennis court was in Corinth. When I informed Alex I wanted to start playing he said, "Lay... you're like a little kid. Every time you do something you get so excited about it and want to do it forever and then you forget about it."(Or something like that.) He may be right. But I've kept moderately interested in tennis since Andrew and I played in Francestown a few summers ago.

Ah the days of innocence.

Anyway, basically I'm just trying to enjoy my last few days in Corsica and trying to convince Alex we need to come here in July. If it wasn't for Alex I don't think I'd go back to Greece... I'd just stay here. I'm really getting sad about having to leave my Europe-family when I go back to America. It has been so nice being able to pop over to France when I feel like it.

Alright I need to go because my wrist hurts from all this tennis. I might take a walk down to the beach because the maids are here and I seem to get in the way.

Fin

Who Broke Her English?

Last night we had a dinner-party here. Everyone spoke at least a little bit of English, so I was pretty happy. And, once again, everyone seemed pretty knowledgeable about the world. (Except we couldn’t remember the capital of Indiana for a good ten minutes.) It did make me realize, though, how being in Europe has exposed me to a whole new side of my family… I’ve finally gotten close to my grandparents and met all these relatives I never even knew I had. I feel like going back to America is going to feel almost as much like leaving home as leaving America did. I really wish Europe and America were closer. The thought of being somewhere where a trip to Paris or Corsica or isn’t a few hundred Euros away makes me really sad. It makes me think I should stay in Europe… just maybe not Greece. I can’t figure out now why I ended up there and not, for example, France where I know people and the language is easier. But, as Murry said last night, “America needs you right now. Someone has to change the world.” That is a bit of an overstatement, but it is true that, at least for now, my life and career goals are rooted in America. Let’s just hope no one bans me from the EU……

Another thing I appreciate about being in Europe is that the people you meet here tend to be more diverse. At least in my terms. I haven’t met one NH-raised American yet. And, let’s face it, people with different backgrounds tend to be more interesting… when you can understand them. One of the girls here last night was from British Guiana. Apparently they speak a sort of “broken English” there as their native language. I can understand her, but she talks as if English isn’t her first language. So interesting.

Well, I’m off to run and then play tennis with Murry. I haven’t played in almost a year… so I’m a little nervous. But, hey, I’m sure I’ll have a fun. (Phrase courtesy of Alexander Zuyok.)

Rose By The Pool

Ah, a beautiful day poolside with a glass of rose. Beats a frappe any day.

Last night we went to dinner at a friend's place again. Everyone took part in what they call "Mediterranean arguments". Which are... well, I guess people around here just argue more openly. I'd love it if I could understand anything. As it is, it gives me a lot of time to observe human behavior, which I think in the long run is beneficial. Usually you listen to people when they talk/argue and don't get the chance to consciously watch them. I felt like I was doing homework for an interpersonal communication class.

Another thing about "Mediterranean arguments"is... they argue about... get this, worthwhile things. It seems to me a that an average Bonifacian fisherman knows a whole lot more about America and politics and the world than the average American. (No refridgerators here, Joanna.) At the end of the night August (Ahh-GOO-st) motioned me over and said, in slow French half translated by grandpa, "Why... after the mishaps with the war in Iraq... and everything [implied: awful] Bush did before 2004... Did Americans vote for him... AGAIN... and by a greater margin?"He was genuinely puzzled. I could answer that the American public didn't know better. Which, unfortunately, is true.

Off to a nice little dinner with my great-uncle (or is it grand uncle) and his girlfriends. Yes, plural.

xo (I write these like I'm writing an email, don't I?)

On Gardening

Today I did a very small amount of gardening. I dislike gardening a lot but I thought it was only fair to help out (since I've been spoiled, fat & happy living the life in Corsica for the past month). So Anyway, as I was gardening (or, rather, scraping up pine needles from under flowers) I was thinking about why people garden. I mean, it must be because gardens are beautiful and we, as humans, like surrounding ourselves with beauty... but it doesn't seem to me worth the effort. (I assume people who garden really love gardening and being outside and spending time with flowers and dirt in a socially acceptable manner. Me, I'd still rather build a fort or have a mud-fight. I suppose the time where that is appropriate will soon pass.)

Okay back to the point: One time, dad decided we needed to clear all the acorns out of Loreli and Shasta's paddock. AlthoughI filled wheelbarrows full of acorns, more just kept falling down and I made no progress at all. That's how gardening feels to me. Nature is just going to keep making you work harder... so why do humans insist on working against nature? (That comment can, clearly, be looked at more broadly...)

When I grow up I think I will grow dandelions because they don't take any work. (On a side note, maybe we should all start growing vegetables instead of flowers. If we all grew our own vegetables we'd cut on CO2 in a trillion little ways and maybe we'd help out a little with this world food shortage CNN keeps talking about...)

Fin

(Mom used to have me put that at the end of stories I wrote when I was a little girl. I'm not sure my teachers understood.)

On Being Tan

For the first time in my life (since I have managed to never go anywhere warm for spring break) I have a tan in April. I'm pretty smitten with it-- keep checking to see if it is still there. And I figure, sans a week in Paris, the weather is just going to get better from here. I figure by the time I get back to Greece summer will be full-on and I will unrecognisable by the time I get back to America. Whenever I think about being deeply tan I think of Rich's comment about seeing me for the first time when I moved to NH in 6th grade. "I really thought you were black."

I can't really figure out, come to think of it, why we like being tan. (Or, most of us.) Is it some kind of fad (people used to want to look pale and white)? Or maybe people really do look better tan... it seems to cover up inperfections and makes me skin all glowy and nice. And I don't feel a need to wear much makeup, if any. Why bother cover up a bronzed face, right? (Note to my British loves: I don't know how you spell it, but I had to go back and correct that word because I spelled it "bronsed" Eep.)

So I'm still here in Corsica. Still enjoying the weather and the landscape and being able to relax. I'm also working a lot which is somehow more relaxing here... I guess because I'm only doing Mirrix work and my brain isn't muddled with mindless English exercises and I'm not fretting over my next trip to Athens.

The only problem I have here is that I really really miss Alex. For the past few nights I haven't been able to fall asleep because he's not there holding me. I could handle it for the first few weeks but it keeps getting more difficult. I guess you get kind of addicted to those things... and a warm body to hug does wonders when you tend to do all your worrying-- and I have a lot of worrying to do-- at night. These next few months are going to be tres stressfull... trying to figure out how exactly I'm going to get home... and how exactly I'm going to take Alex home with me. I think I've pretty much decided on mid-August as time to go back... but we'll see what happens. Anything is pretty possible right now. I guess I just have to relax and let things happen... (easier said than done).

One last thing, check out mom's new Mirrix blog: http://www.mirrixtapestryandbeadlooms.com/claudia.html

Nasdarovia

Yesterday was a lovely day. The weather was perfect. I went running in the more, lounged by the pool, read on the beach, took a walk on the cliffs… and then we had some people over for dinner. I even attempted to speak French. I am fascinated by how Greek seems to flow out of my mouth when I try to speak any language besides English. I mean my French isn’t great but, somewhere smushed in my head, I have an OK vocabulary. I bet, though, if I concentrated, my French would be better than my Greek in no time. (Tough huh?) It is totally third on my list to learn after Greek and Russian.

I thought of twelve billion things I wanted to blog yesterday and, per usual, I remember nothing. I had a lot of time to let my mind wander while everyone took part in interesting political conversations that I couldn’t understand. I tried. Like I backed up the claim that marijuana is not physically addictive. As for the topics of genetically modified food and colonialism, my views are slightly less strong.

When Joanna went to America she commented in an email to me how people don’t “cheers” enough there. Last night I felt the same way. Greece has conditioned me to “cheers” (“ya mas” “nasdarovia”) every time my drink is refilled. And then there is the eye contact rule. And you can’t put down your glass after cheersing without drinking from it. Right.

So my LSAT book isn’t coming. Apparently Amazon can’t find it. Stupid Amazon. I’m a little bummed since being here would be a good time to study without the stress of everyday life and I’d have my grandpa to help me… but I guess I’ve set myself into a pretty good schedule… and I’ve gotten gobs of work done. And plus, the boyfriend will be working a lot this summer, so I will have a lot of time without distractions. I wonder how successful studying on the beach would be…

Ah well, time to head for another run and another beautiful Corsican day. I’m seriously going to miss runs around here when I get back to nobody-runs Greece.

(Also, I’m going to wear my Nero Bravo shirt because I doubt many people can read Greek here. Woot.)