It seems that the winter season is dawning in Mauritius. I, personally, couldn't be happier. So far it's like an extended spring or autumn back home. In Missouri, it seems that those seasons never last long enough. There are only a handful of days when you can comfortably open the windows and enjoy the air outside... It either starts getting too cold too quickly, or getting too warm even more quickly. Here in Mauritius, I am able to leave the windows open if I please, or close them if I want, and not feel suffocated...
I find myself wearing shorts and flip flops to the store and when I get home, I'm not sweating. It's incredible! In the evenings, it's cooling down enough that if I open the windows, I can even wear long pajama pants! I love it!
Ironically, the dress code for this time of year is as varied as the religions recognized on this island. In the same glance down the street you can see people in flip flops, shorts and tank tops and others in coats, stocking caps and boots. (I am not exaggerating) I have to wonder to myself how the people in coats and hats are not just dying!
I guess it's just another quirk of this country that is becoming my home...
The coming of winter is a welcome site to me. It makes the unfamiliar seem more familiar... I don't think I'll ever have a use for all of my old winter stuff (unless I am visiting another country), but at least I delight in a light sweater on a cool evening, and for now, that's enough to make me smile...
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Francophone
This past weekend I had my first french lesson with a group of 7 other international students all here in Mauritius. The following countries are represented... India, Armenia, Hungary, England, South Africa and America. Oh, and don't forget our Mauritian teacher. :-)
I was blessed to find this group through an ex-patriot blog ring online. It all started with one person asking about French lessons and ended with us meeting once a week for lessons.
Although I have studied French, both in high school and in college, I know only enough to be a polite tourist. I can give you a polite greeting and ask your name. Tell you a bit about myself. I can order food and ask for directions. I can follow simple instructions etc. But when you live someplace, you quickly find that this is not enough. Even worse, if you open your mouth to say, "Bonjour", people think you can speak French and then they rattle of something that leaves you saying, "Pardon?". I am lucky enough that I know how to tell others that I don't speak or understand French, so that often gets me out of my pinch...
I am not sure if this class will teach me many new things, but any start is a good start, even if it's just refreshing the things that I know.
One of these days I dream of being fluent and being able to talk freely with people here. I'm sure it will come...
One of the things that makes it a bit more difficult on my part is that I work from home, so I don't get out into the population much. I don't have a lot of interaction with French speakers (aside from my in-laws and the people at my church). I know enough French already to get through my day to day interactions at the grocery store etc.
Anyway- we'll see how it goes and maybe next time I see you I'll be able to impress you with my francophone skills.
I was blessed to find this group through an ex-patriot blog ring online. It all started with one person asking about French lessons and ended with us meeting once a week for lessons.
Although I have studied French, both in high school and in college, I know only enough to be a polite tourist. I can give you a polite greeting and ask your name. Tell you a bit about myself. I can order food and ask for directions. I can follow simple instructions etc. But when you live someplace, you quickly find that this is not enough. Even worse, if you open your mouth to say, "Bonjour", people think you can speak French and then they rattle of something that leaves you saying, "Pardon?". I am lucky enough that I know how to tell others that I don't speak or understand French, so that often gets me out of my pinch...
I am not sure if this class will teach me many new things, but any start is a good start, even if it's just refreshing the things that I know.
One of these days I dream of being fluent and being able to talk freely with people here. I'm sure it will come...
One of the things that makes it a bit more difficult on my part is that I work from home, so I don't get out into the population much. I don't have a lot of interaction with French speakers (aside from my in-laws and the people at my church). I know enough French already to get through my day to day interactions at the grocery store etc.
Anyway- we'll see how it goes and maybe next time I see you I'll be able to impress you with my francophone skills.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Elections
I've been in Mauritius for 5 months now. It seems like time has gone quickly. Everyday there are fewer and fewer things that don't make sense to me or that seem odd. I guess I am becoming more acclimated to life here.
Don't get me wrong, there are still things that surprise me, like the employee who used a hand cart to roll our new shelf to the door so that he wouldn't have to carry it. (The shelf weighed less than 15 lbs) Or the way people look at me like I have 3 heads when they see me jogging in the morning... And perhaps most especially in this season, the political process surrounding elections. This is where I will spend my time today.
Election day isn't really set on a fixed schedule, rather it has to do with when parliament resolves and has their recess. This year is an election year (elections happen every 5 years) but the date wasn't decided until April.
My husband told me that this year was a bit unusual because elections were held on Wednesday. Usually they are held on a Sunday so that the work week is less disrupted. Election day is a national holiday and so most of the stores and businesses are closed on this day. In addition, the next day is counting day and many businesses are again closed because they know their employees will be listening to the return results and not really working.
This year I was lucky because elections fell right around my birthday allowing my husband to spend more time with me, and that was awesome!
Anyway- once the election day is decided alliances are formed. Basically what happens is that several political parties may form an alliance and all run together. If they win, they may possibly share the offices to which they have been elected. It would like if three independent parties formed an alliance to run candidates against the republicans and democrats. If they won, then they each of the parties would have their presidential candidate in office for 1 1/3 years. Then the next would take his turn. Weird huh?
Another difference is that the political parties don't really have a platform. They don't have clear causes that they support. I guess this makes it easier for them to form alliances.
Campaigning here is totally different. It's mostly done with banners and posters everywhere. Flags and banners with the parties colors are draped everywhere in town, at every round about and at every major intersection. In addition, people drive around with loudspeakers on their car and either play music or some political message. (During this time, living on a main road is a real bummer... They are loud and obnoxious)
I think that the worst is the day that they announce the results. People go crazy. They drive around for hours honking and waving their parties colors in declaration of victory. We definately don't get that excited in the U.S.
One final, funny system they have in place here is the "Best Loser" system. There are 70 seats in parliament. 62 are elected and 8 are given to the "Best Losers". Basically the system is to balance out any racial inequalities in the voting. The suprem court decides who the best losers will be based on recommendations from the electoral supervisory commission. Interesting idea...
Anyway- I am thankful that the political season is over and that things can return to "normal".
Guess that's all for today.
Don't get me wrong, there are still things that surprise me, like the employee who used a hand cart to roll our new shelf to the door so that he wouldn't have to carry it. (The shelf weighed less than 15 lbs) Or the way people look at me like I have 3 heads when they see me jogging in the morning... And perhaps most especially in this season, the political process surrounding elections. This is where I will spend my time today.
Election day isn't really set on a fixed schedule, rather it has to do with when parliament resolves and has their recess. This year is an election year (elections happen every 5 years) but the date wasn't decided until April.
My husband told me that this year was a bit unusual because elections were held on Wednesday. Usually they are held on a Sunday so that the work week is less disrupted. Election day is a national holiday and so most of the stores and businesses are closed on this day. In addition, the next day is counting day and many businesses are again closed because they know their employees will be listening to the return results and not really working.
This year I was lucky because elections fell right around my birthday allowing my husband to spend more time with me, and that was awesome!
Anyway- once the election day is decided alliances are formed. Basically what happens is that several political parties may form an alliance and all run together. If they win, they may possibly share the offices to which they have been elected. It would like if three independent parties formed an alliance to run candidates against the republicans and democrats. If they won, then they each of the parties would have their presidential candidate in office for 1 1/3 years. Then the next would take his turn. Weird huh?
Another difference is that the political parties don't really have a platform. They don't have clear causes that they support. I guess this makes it easier for them to form alliances.
Campaigning here is totally different. It's mostly done with banners and posters everywhere. Flags and banners with the parties colors are draped everywhere in town, at every round about and at every major intersection. In addition, people drive around with loudspeakers on their car and either play music or some political message. (During this time, living on a main road is a real bummer... They are loud and obnoxious)
I think that the worst is the day that they announce the results. People go crazy. They drive around for hours honking and waving their parties colors in declaration of victory. We definately don't get that excited in the U.S.
One final, funny system they have in place here is the "Best Loser" system. There are 70 seats in parliament. 62 are elected and 8 are given to the "Best Losers". Basically the system is to balance out any racial inequalities in the voting. The suprem court decides who the best losers will be based on recommendations from the electoral supervisory commission. Interesting idea...
Anyway- I am thankful that the political season is over and that things can return to "normal".
Guess that's all for today.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Qu' est-que tu penser?
Over the last few days I have been inspired to work on my French. Hopefully if I can sharpen my French skills I can more easily learn Creole. (At least that's what I'm wishing for) If not, then I could at least watch T.V. in French and understand more of what's going on...
One of the frustrating things is that I have a textbook from college that I could use to review what I already know and could work from there, but that textbook is tucked away in my storage shed in Bolivar. It's not much good to me there.
There are online programs (like BBC) that help you learn languages, but a lot of their content is stuff that I already know. It's only helpful if you are a tourist or if you plan to have most of your conversations with small children...
One of the reasons for this desire is so that I can speak to people here and really make this place my home. I don't want to just be a "visitor" here. I can get by with day to day stuff, but I want to be able to really talk to people and understand them.
I also don't want to be one of those people who just relies on my husband and the fact that most people can understand at least a little English. Those kind of people used to drive me crazy in the U.S. Parents who would make their children help them navigate through society because they didn't know English, but their kids did. I've always said that when you go to a foreign country you should at least make an effort to learn the language and not just expect everyone to accommodate you. And that is what I must do.
I have recently discovered a French tutor who lives in the town that I live in. Her fees are ridiculously reasonable and she comes recommended. I have also discovered that there might be a group of people interested in learning together, which could be fun. I guess we'll see where all of that goes.
At any rate. My goal is to speak French fluently. And I wish myself, "bonne chance". Or good luck.
One of the frustrating things is that I have a textbook from college that I could use to review what I already know and could work from there, but that textbook is tucked away in my storage shed in Bolivar. It's not much good to me there.
There are online programs (like BBC) that help you learn languages, but a lot of their content is stuff that I already know. It's only helpful if you are a tourist or if you plan to have most of your conversations with small children...
One of the reasons for this desire is so that I can speak to people here and really make this place my home. I don't want to just be a "visitor" here. I can get by with day to day stuff, but I want to be able to really talk to people and understand them.
I also don't want to be one of those people who just relies on my husband and the fact that most people can understand at least a little English. Those kind of people used to drive me crazy in the U.S. Parents who would make their children help them navigate through society because they didn't know English, but their kids did. I've always said that when you go to a foreign country you should at least make an effort to learn the language and not just expect everyone to accommodate you. And that is what I must do.
I have recently discovered a French tutor who lives in the town that I live in. Her fees are ridiculously reasonable and she comes recommended. I have also discovered that there might be a group of people interested in learning together, which could be fun. I guess we'll see where all of that goes.
At any rate. My goal is to speak French fluently. And I wish myself, "bonne chance". Or good luck.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Ode to Joe...
I realized today that I have had the pleasure of working with two people both named Joe... I also realized that I have a ton of respect for both Joes and that I have learned a lot from working with both of them. Each of them had a very different style, but in the end the work always got done and I always felt satisfied in what I was doing...
The first Joe was my boss at a resort center I worked at on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. I worked there during the summers and on weekends during college. Joe was young and newly married at the time. The job was great because we essentially got to play all day. We worked in adventure recreation and manned a ropes course featuring two rock walls, a cargo net, a large balance beam, and a few other obstacles. I have to admit, even though it was hot work, it was the most fun I've ever had working. Although the work we did required us to be accurate and detailed to make sure that no one got seriously injured, we were able to have fun with people. We were able to see people overcome huge obstacles and fears. It was a really good job.
The big thing that I learned from the first Joe is that you can't take your job too seriously. It's okay to have fun at work. Work is what you do to pay the bills... It's not your life. As long as you get done what you need to get done, it's okay to take a break and enjoy your co-workers and customers. If you aren't having a good time... chances are, they aren't either.
The second Joe that I worked with was at my current job. Unfortunately, he no longer works for our company and that is a huge loss. Joe was my supervisor and mentor for the majority of the time I've been with Duck Creek. One of the things I really liked about Joe is that he took care of his people. He had been where we all were as a developer and didn't allow his resources to get abused. Another thing that I really appreciated about him was that he had a strong sense of justice.
I learned from Joe that it's okay to be bold and stand up for what is right. Sometimes you have to stick your foot in your mouth, but the bad taste that is sometimes left isn't always the result of having a dirty foot. I also learned that you have to have balance and have to protect the things that are important to you. You are your customers main advocate, even if they your enemy. Look out for their best, even if it means you have to sacrifice something. I also learned that selling a shiny new toy doesn't mean anything if you can't deliver it. Setting realistic expectations is one of the most important things you can ever do...
In American English we have a colloquialism... It usually goes something like this. "I wouldn't want just any old Joe Schmoe working on that for me." But I have to say that from my experience, Joes aren't so bad. It seems that the two I've been lucky enough to work with haven't been Schmoes, but rather have been mentors and friends.
The next time you need a hand from someone, don't be afraid to look for a Joe.
The first Joe was my boss at a resort center I worked at on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. I worked there during the summers and on weekends during college. Joe was young and newly married at the time. The job was great because we essentially got to play all day. We worked in adventure recreation and manned a ropes course featuring two rock walls, a cargo net, a large balance beam, and a few other obstacles. I have to admit, even though it was hot work, it was the most fun I've ever had working. Although the work we did required us to be accurate and detailed to make sure that no one got seriously injured, we were able to have fun with people. We were able to see people overcome huge obstacles and fears. It was a really good job.
The big thing that I learned from the first Joe is that you can't take your job too seriously. It's okay to have fun at work. Work is what you do to pay the bills... It's not your life. As long as you get done what you need to get done, it's okay to take a break and enjoy your co-workers and customers. If you aren't having a good time... chances are, they aren't either.
The second Joe that I worked with was at my current job. Unfortunately, he no longer works for our company and that is a huge loss. Joe was my supervisor and mentor for the majority of the time I've been with Duck Creek. One of the things I really liked about Joe is that he took care of his people. He had been where we all were as a developer and didn't allow his resources to get abused. Another thing that I really appreciated about him was that he had a strong sense of justice.
I learned from Joe that it's okay to be bold and stand up for what is right. Sometimes you have to stick your foot in your mouth, but the bad taste that is sometimes left isn't always the result of having a dirty foot. I also learned that you have to have balance and have to protect the things that are important to you. You are your customers main advocate, even if they your enemy. Look out for their best, even if it means you have to sacrifice something. I also learned that selling a shiny new toy doesn't mean anything if you can't deliver it. Setting realistic expectations is one of the most important things you can ever do...
In American English we have a colloquialism... It usually goes something like this. "I wouldn't want just any old Joe Schmoe working on that for me." But I have to say that from my experience, Joes aren't so bad. It seems that the two I've been lucky enough to work with haven't been Schmoes, but rather have been mentors and friends.
The next time you need a hand from someone, don't be afraid to look for a Joe.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thoughts for a Friday
I'm not really sure what to write today. Nothing interesting or extraordinary has happened to me lately. Well, that's not entirely true. God did bring my computer back from the dead. Thank you Jesus!
On Wednesday, I got the blue screen of death and when I tried to reboot, I had no luck. I thought my computer was finally toast. But praise God, on Thursday I tried it again and I was able to boot it up and get working. It's evidence that God cares about all of the details in our lives. If it's important to us, it's important to God.
This weekend is going to be a working weekend in our house. I've got mold to tackle, the refrigerator to defrost, and my hubby has papers from the univeristy to grade. We are both grounded until we get our chores done. :-( Hopefully we will both work quickly.
Other than that, I've not really got anything to say. Sorry for being so boring this week. Perhaps something intersting will be just around the bend. But not too interesting. I don't think I can handle that...
Until then...
On Wednesday, I got the blue screen of death and when I tried to reboot, I had no luck. I thought my computer was finally toast. But praise God, on Thursday I tried it again and I was able to boot it up and get working. It's evidence that God cares about all of the details in our lives. If it's important to us, it's important to God.
This weekend is going to be a working weekend in our house. I've got mold to tackle, the refrigerator to defrost, and my hubby has papers from the univeristy to grade. We are both grounded until we get our chores done. :-( Hopefully we will both work quickly.
Other than that, I've not really got anything to say. Sorry for being so boring this week. Perhaps something intersting will be just around the bend. But not too interesting. I don't think I can handle that...
Until then...
Friday, April 2, 2010
More observations
Things have been busy here... Really busy... Ridiculously busy. I haven't seen my bed before 11 pm all week. When you get up at 4:45 (or if you're being lazy 5:45) this is not an appropriate time to go to bed.
Never the less, in the midst of the busyness, there are a few new observations I have made that make me smile...
In Mauritius, sometimes English translations aren't grammatically phrased in the most appropriate way. One example would be the signs that you see all over the island. These signs say, "Trespass". What the sign means is no trespassing, but to me, it seems that the owners of the property are encouraging to come and make yourself at home. I'm tempted to do that sometime...
Another funny thing was a juice container that I ran across the other day. Now, when read in total the wording made sense, but clearly their marketing department wasn't thinking when they put the label together. At the bottom of the label in proud, bold letters the container says, "NO COLOR AND NO FLAVOR" then on the next line is the single word "added". If they were really thinking they could have phrased this to make it less humorous to people like me who like to laugh at others unprecise use of the English language. I just sat and thought to myself... no color and no flavor, yummy! :-)
On occasion, I have the opportunity to tease my husband about these things. He speaks English very fluently, but sometimes he isn't as precise as he could be and this leaves room for me to poke fun. One example was when we were in America for our wedding. After meeting my friends and family he said, "I like it here, all of your people have pretty good values". I had to laugh at that... They only have "pretty good values".
As days go by I find that I am noticing fewer and fewer things that seem odd or out of place for me. I guess this is a good sign that I am making Mauritius my home.
Never the less, in the midst of the busyness, there are a few new observations I have made that make me smile...
In Mauritius, sometimes English translations aren't grammatically phrased in the most appropriate way. One example would be the signs that you see all over the island. These signs say, "Trespass". What the sign means is no trespassing, but to me, it seems that the owners of the property are encouraging to come and make yourself at home. I'm tempted to do that sometime...
Another funny thing was a juice container that I ran across the other day. Now, when read in total the wording made sense, but clearly their marketing department wasn't thinking when they put the label together. At the bottom of the label in proud, bold letters the container says, "NO COLOR AND NO FLAVOR" then on the next line is the single word "added". If they were really thinking they could have phrased this to make it less humorous to people like me who like to laugh at others unprecise use of the English language. I just sat and thought to myself... no color and no flavor, yummy! :-)
On occasion, I have the opportunity to tease my husband about these things. He speaks English very fluently, but sometimes he isn't as precise as he could be and this leaves room for me to poke fun. One example was when we were in America for our wedding. After meeting my friends and family he said, "I like it here, all of your people have pretty good values". I had to laugh at that... They only have "pretty good values".
As days go by I find that I am noticing fewer and fewer things that seem odd or out of place for me. I guess this is a good sign that I am making Mauritius my home.
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