In the spirit of being thankful, I've compiled a list of some of the things that I have been thankful for over the past eight months, aside from the obvious things which are not fun to write about.
Food Poisoning: Despite being relatively cautious with what I ate and drank for the first few weeks of being in Kathmandu, I developed a wicked stomach virus that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. After two weeks of digestive misery, I came out of it about twenty pounds lighter, subsequently became a vegetarian, started exercising again and am now close to being in the best shape of my life. Forget all of those infomercials, quick fix remedies or actual hard work; buy a ticket to Kathmandu, snag some street food, wash it down with some contaminated tap water and wait for the storm to hit. No pain, no gain...
Facebook: Trust me, nothing has surprised me more than how reliant I have become on Facebook for communcation and an enjoyable way to keep up with the American public sphere through the postings of friends and acquaintances. The libs supply me to all of the best Huffington articles, the neocons plaster my newsfeed with Tea Party propaganda and anti-Obama Drudge links, the smart economist people share their stuff, the hipsters love sharing their recent finds via Stereogum links and the funny people do a good job of relaying quality Youtube clips and articles. I don't have to do any work to stay culturally attuned, so thank you to everybody (even the couples who choose to flirt publically back and forth) for keeping me entertained.
Clever Children: I always have wanted to have kids but have always been pretty neutral overall toward the youth until I started teaching them. They make me think differently and amuse me more than most adults do. I recently started to chastise an incorrigible student before realizing that he was drawing a DNA sequence and doing a better job of explaining it to his nieghbor than I would have been able to. How could you stay mad about that? Another time, a little first grade girl came up to me and sheepishly asked me why I was so white. I gave some explanation about being from a different country and she asked me if America was the land of the rickshaws, as she always sees white people riding in them and maybe we are so white because we are always in the shade while travelling. Kids are awesome, and they have given me a renewed sense of hope for humanity in a world that is filled with greed and evil.
Mario Balotelli:
I love sports and have always been amused by people that set themselves apart through sheer flamboyancy. The role of Crazy American Athlete has become played out (see: Chad Ochocinco and TO) and nobody can ever really top Mike Tyson, but to me, the continuing antics of Super Mario have put him on a different plane of pure insanity. If you find soccer boring, read some of the following links. From trying to break into a women's prison to nearly blowing up his own home to cavorting with the mafia, Mr. Balotelli consistently outdoes himself and keeps me entertained in a year where my favorite team is utter shite. Do your own Google search, I probably left out better stories. He also sometimes plays crazy good football and was partially responsible for the most enjoyable football experience of my life, watching a sea of Man United fans in complete shock after getting trounced 6-1 by Mario's team, Man City.
Happy Holidays, y'all
No comments:
Post a Comment