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  1. Cinco de Mayo in the Gateway

    April 26, 2012 by elenamary

    I live in a neighborhood commercially known as “The Gateway” (read government supported gentrification) although I prefer calling it by the more historical name Weinland Park.

    While walking home from the gym last night I saw this advertisement:

    Cinco de Mayo at Gateway

    I did check out the website and the “events and specials” seem to be discounts on alcohol at two bars, the “Irish” one and the “Mexican” one (Kildare’s and Made Mex).  Which to me is personally interesting because an Irish friend visiting the US called me a couple days ago and asked what this Cinco de Mayo thing was all about.  I told her it was an annoying holiday only celebrated in the US.  I compared it to St. Paddy’s but the difference being in Ireland people have actually heard of St Patrick’s day.

    My Mexican aunt who first witnessed cinco de mayo a few years ago, asked me why all the college students were sitting in their yards drinking beers while wearing sombreros.  How would you answer that one?   Anyway, back to the advertisement,  I am offended by it but am having difficulty articulating why, and was hoping my readers could help me out.  On a positive note, it is less offensive than the “spicy” one the North Market had a few years ago:
    Cinco D' Ohio

    Category language, Latinos, Ohio, personal, Politics, race | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments

  2. appreciating the past and present

    April 8, 2012 by elenamary

    Every funeral I’ve ever been too, I’ve heard people, that is to say friends and family members, say “I wasn’t as close to him/her as other people but…” and then they express their pain. It is as if people are scared they may over step boundaries of what their relationship was. I always want to hug them, and tell them to value their relationship, in its fullness, it is not only okay to do that it is good for the soul.

    The only exception to those who devalue their relationships are the ones who loudly proclaim that the deceased was someone only they knew. At one funeral I attended, a young girl stood up, wearing a slinky dress  she claimed she had worn on their last date, and speaking to those in attendance said “I was the last person to have sex with him. I was closer to him than any of you.” I smiled to myself, and recalled in my head the stories of disconnect he’d felt with that lady friend, but I felt happy for her. While her timing IMHO was inappropriate, she still was honoring him in the best way she knew how, and fully appreciating their relationship. She wasn’t the closest to him, and she didn’t necessarily know him better than any of us, but she knew him in ways not all of us did. I respected her for holding onto that part of her relationship.

    We all know people in our own unique situations, in ways that no one else does, our friendships are not duplicated
    and cannot be. Who I am to my mother is different than who I am to my father. Who I am to my friend Vu is different than who I am to Adlet or Juan or McPocho or El Oso. I am not necessarily closer to one over the other, it is just that my relationships differ with each of them. Each of them is a part of my life in a special way that the others no nothing about.

    Adlet called me tonight and we spoke for awhile, with great ease which made me laugh when I hung up and noted the time.
    It made me laugh because we leave people awestruck in how fluidly we are able to communicate.  We communicate so proficiently, in his fourth language (in which he is not fluent) that others are left wondering how we did it.  He is a part of my life, few know of, and even less can appreciate.

    What I am getting at is love your friends as completely when you have them as when you don’t. It should never be greater before for after, but equally respected, and appreciated.

    Category language, personal | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Rick Santorum

    February 27, 2012 by elenamary

    Dan Savage threatened to redefine the term “Rick”.  After second thought, Savaged decided his definition was too long and went with a suggestion from one of his readers.   Doing my part by helping (we all should) others learn  the  new definition of Rick:

    Rick (verb):  To remove santorum orally.

    (“He was so grateful for the lay that he ricked his partner.”)

     

    Santorum   (noun):      The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.

     

     

     

    Category language, Politics | Tags: | 2 Comments

  4. Humor

    December 11, 2011 by elenamary

    I try to tell people interested in interpreting, that knowing a language isn’t achieved by knowing a vocabulary.  Knowing a language is cultural, it is becoming the language, being part of the ethos, it  is a change in personality and perspective.
    Humor is a great identifier of ones culture.  I always realize how I am not so american when I watch American comedies and how I am even less Mexican than I like to think I am when I watch Mexican comedies.

    I suck at pop culture. Both Mexican and American. I’ve never seen Star Wars, Pulp Fiction, American Idol and rarely get the references made in American comedies like The Simpsons.  When I watch or listen to Mexican comedies it is even worse.  El Chavo del Ocho doesn’t make me laugh.  I can’t stand La Familia Peluche and have never once laughed during it.  At least with American comedies I sometimes laugh.  However, in both situations I feel a disconnect especially with people around me who look like the are about to lose bladder control from the laughter.  I’ve been watching a lot of Mexican stand-up comedy and joke telling as of late. I feel overwhelmed by a sense of disconnect and sadness.  I am not really Mexican. I don’t laugh at all and it makes me feel like a failure as a Mexican.  I understand what is supposed to be funny but I don’t find it funny.  I attempt to analyze what it is I am missing.

    On the rare occasions I do find a Mexican comedy funny, moments after my laughing as ceased, I realize that my laughter happened naturally and I feel a sense of belonging.   Below is a clip from a vulgar, Mexican comedy show.  I laughed and enjoyed it and was pleased with my enjoyment.  Additionally, here is a link to a blog post by a British friend of mine.  She writes about Americans (and my) inability to comprehend dry wit or sarcasm…although I like to think I prefer dry humor to slapstick.

    A funny political aside: my mother who has lived in the the United State for 30+ years now, was flipping through the channels and stopped at a speech being given by Rick Perry.  She listened attentively and then looked at me for a cue and asked “Is he real? Or is this The SNL?”   She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be laughing.

    Category language, Latinos, Ohio, personal | Tags: , | 1 Comment

  5. Kazakhstan week 2.5

    August 22, 2011 by elenamary

    Last night, I finally lost all patience and left my travel partner in the village of Taraz (read about that below).   I am kinda proud of my escape.  I got a cab to the train station where I shared no common language with anyone. Nonetheless, I was able to conclude that there were no tickets left on the midnight train for the city of Almaty (a large European style city in eastern Kazakhstan near the Chinese border–I’m trying to get back to China).  Unsure what to do, I noticed a man going through the crowds whispering “Almaty, Almaty, Almaty”— a scalper!?!?!  He was in fact a ticket scalper! I was elated!  Through amazing, and I am sure hilarious, hand gestures we managed to communicate that I would give him money and he would bribe the police on the train to let me stand the 9 hour train ride to Almaty.  I was excited.  Ten minutes before the train was to arrive I was hustled to the far end of the train station where a middle aged woman was standing.  As soon as the train pulled up were rushed on, and put in a small conductor’s room that had two beds and a small window.  This was an amazing score!  I was going to be able to sleep through the night on a clean bed!  A man came in the room and asked me for about $35 which is slightly more expensive than what a train room like this would go for, but again, this included the payment of the scalper that I had just gotten to bribe a police officer, who I think may have bribed a conductor of the train.  Either way I was set!  I had a good nights sleep and arrived this morning in the city of Almaty.

    There are two train stations in the city of Almaty and I wasn’t sure which one to get off at but decided I would get off wherever more people got off, figuring that would mean I was closer to downtown and hopefully closer to the US consulate.  I left my luggage in the luggage storage at the train station, bought a Russian-English dictionary from the kiosk and went outside and started to walk until I saw a group of police officers.  Using the dictionary, I got them to help me find the embassy.  They hailed a cab for me, negotiated the price with the cab driver, and I was off.  I arrived at the US consulate at 10am.  The consulate, refused to see me until 3pm (they were absurdly unhelpful  and stupid but that is for another post).  I am hoping to get in there at 3pm and register that I am in the country and get more sheets for my passport, as I have run out of pages.  Anyway, I’ve hustled my way out of rural Kazakhstan and into the big city.  Hopefully, I’ll get a bus tonight that will take me to the Chinese border city of Urumqi.   From there I hope to catch a plane to Hainan.

    I may sound like I am complaining a lot…because I am; I am exhausted, dirty, angry and ready for a good rest.  However, I really have enjoyed Kazakhstan.  The people have been hospitable like no other country I have ever visited.

    (more…)

    Category Kazakhstan, language, personal | Tags: | 4 Comments

  6. welcome to China

    February 1, 2011 by elenamary

    I just updated my “About” page to read: “This Xicana quit her job, dropped out of school and moved to a tropical Chinese island…here comes the awesomeness (and fail).”

    Fo’ real son.  I didn’t make the move completely alone.  I am here with my Uncle Octavio (a year my senior) and my brother Patrick (two years my junior).  My brother has been in school here for almost two years now and is pretty fluent at this whole Mandarin Chinese thing.  For my uncle Octavio, this is the first time he has ever traveled, gotten on a plane etc.

    Goal is learn some Chinese, do the Ironman China at the end of May, make new friends, and have lots of fun.   So here goes.

    Category language, personal | Tags: | 2 Comments

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