One of the most interesting things about the place I live is the language – Spanish. I can choose to walk the streets mutely as I listen to new consonant-vowel constructions, guttural j sounds, and trilling rs. The culture and the language cannot be separated. Music playing everywhere while passerbys seem to keep perfect beat with the swaying of their hips and tempo of their conversations. I feel as if I’m on a continual holiday, not fully adjusting to the reality that this is my new life, my new home. There are moments that I’m not certain if I am speaking in English or Spanish, and am amazed when I am being understood.
Include your family members in learning about preventing fire, in developing, using, and practicing escape routes. Take time to learn how to use your Foam fire extinguisher. Be sure to purchase the Foam fire extinguisher specified for what you will need it for. A kitchen fire? In your vehicle or garage? Near the BBQ? Or in case of electrical fire a prime cause of fire a great danger during our major holidays. A good rule of thumb is to read all instructions, even maybe “play” practice to get used to its weight and how to hold it and aim it. Most fires are easily and safely extinguished if the Foam fire extinguisher is aimed at the base of the fire. Fire safety is an important dimension of learning how to protect yourself, your family and neighbors, and your pets from the danger of fire. “Fire Safety” includes having Foam fire extinguishers readily available in case of fire, and teaching all how to operate them. Fire safety means no smoking in bed. Means developing and practicing using escape routes. Obtaining Foam fire extinguishers and knowing how to use them and checking them periodically to “OK” they are full and charged. Preventing fires in the home, the auto, yard, or camping areas you treasure is accomplished by learning how to prevent fires. Having a large foam fire extinguisher available and knowing how to use it is the number one reason fire deaths and injuries remain low in this nation.
I have always been a teacher. In nursery school I taught my baby dolls their ABCs. In primary school I evangelized all that I learned in Vacation Bible School to all the ‘heathen’ neighborhood children (spoken with tongue in cheek). In high school I volunteered after school teaching first graders how to read. So when it came time to go to university I never thought twice before deciding on an education major. Only now, twelve years into my teaching career, have I realized that I would very much enjoy being an acupuncturist. To aid others in holistic methods of healing. I’ve always thought that alternative medicine was sort of a hobby I enjoyed reading up on. I’ve come to realize that it may be much more than that.
The reality of the situation is that I will be paying on my student loans for the remainder of my life. My parents were never able to save money aside to pay for my college education and neither was I for that matter. Unless some miracle lands in my lap, by the grace of God, I will never be out from under the shadow and gloom of student loan debt. There is no doubt about it – I have a first rate education from three well know institutions. Looking back though, I’m wondering if it was worth the price. I could have gone to lesser well know universities and still have accomplished the same goals.
Honesty is worth its weight in gold. The ability to trust someone at their word means more to me than many material things. Not to feel as if you have to be deciphering everything someone says in order to actually understand what they are telling you. Just good old fashioned respectful honesty. I am constantly amazed at how many lies people tell others in order to keep them looking sparkling white, only they fail to realize that in doing so they’ve tarnished themselves often beyond repair. The only thing more important to me than honesty is the ability to remain gracefully silent when the truth cannot or should not be told for fear of hurting the ones you love.
It is rather difficult for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year. Having moved to the other side of the world came with the whole new experience of a hot summer Christmas. Just the sight of poor Santa in his furry red coat makes me sweat and reach for another ice tea. So it looks as if we will be having a beach Christmas donned in swimsuits rather than grey wool winter coats. No hot chocolate but more of the above mentioned iced tea, which it seems as if I’m the only one who knows how to make it! So Santa Baby, please bring one snowflake for me while I sun on the beach.
I have taken several personality tests over the years, and one question that I’m always asked is if I prefer the beach or the mountains. My answer has always been the same -mountains. Walking in the woods towards some distant peak allows my imagination to go wild. So in the spare moments I find each week, I prefer to head off to the mountains with children and picnic in tow. We play games such as hide and seek, chase; I spy along with telling jokes and making up stories as we walk along. There is no time better spent than this time playing and having fun with my children in the mountains.
There is one shop that I love more than all the rest. That is the little green grocer only a few blocks from my house. Each morning I wake up forming a list of fresh fruit and veggies that I need for the day in my head. There is such an unexplainable delight in opening the door to the shop, hearing the bell tinkle, and instantly being greeted by such an earthly primitive smell. As I don’t have the space to grow my vegetables, this is as close to having my own personal garden as I can get. My mouth begins to water when I see the plump ripe strawberries I’m eyeing or the fresh corn on the cob. Yes, the green grocer is by far my favorite shop to frequent.
To say that I’m not fond of winter would be an understatement. Firstly, surviving the cold is a constant battle for me. I have such poor circulation that once my fingers and toes get cold there is no chance of warming myself up again. That is unless I turn the heating up to such a high temperature that one can hardly breathe due to the closeness of the air. Secondly, the long dark days have become the enemy in my battle to loose weight. Who can possibly resist all the chocolate, in its various forms of hot drinks and sweet candy bars, when you are too cold to leave your bed and only feel like the television is your friend? I do not like the cold. I do not like the dark. So no, I do not like the winter season.
Practicing fire safety at home is easy. Installing a fire alarm on each floor and in each bedroom doesn’t take too long but can save a life. The batteries should be changed at least twice a year to make sure they’re still fresh and can alert you to any potential fires. To protect yourself further, buy an automatic fire extinguisher for each floor of the house. Automatic fire extinguishers may seem costly at first, but you never know when you may need one, and a large automatic fire extinguisher can prevent a small fire from becoming major. Neither of these methods is a good substitute for a basic knowledge of fire safety. Practice how you would escape your house in case of a fire. Remember that you can replace your stuff, but your life is priceless.
