Obama...

I had kept my nose out of the USA's political situation really well. I decided that I didn't want to be a part of something that was so far away. I essentailly forgot about it. It was the day before the elections when I was talking with my dad that I learned that the elections were going to be held the next day. It was the first time that I treally started to think about what was happening in the US. I have to say that after seeing eight years of Bush in office and AP US History I had a pretty pessimistic view of the worlds politics. It seemed as if the world really wasn't going to change its situation soon. But Obama won! My sister told me the next morning and I was kinda like cool!... whatever. It wasn't until this last sunday as I was watching the morning news that I realized what had happened in the US. There is a black man in the White House... I will repeat... White House. Our nation was built using the labor of slaves... after their emancipation there was Segregation... With Martin Luther King Segregation fell, but racism has and is a real part of the US today. Finally the tables have been turned. There is a black man in office, not just any man, he is charismatic and vocal. He has a mandate for change by the people of the US and he has the house and senate on his side. As I watched the news I actually was crying, I didn't know how to express my emotions. The people here are happy but it really isn't a big deal to them. I feel as if with this election the world is beginning to change. The conciousness of our planet is rising, this change will begin to spread. For good or bad the influence of the US is global. This mandate for change has touched billions of peopple. We are on a path for a better world. I am honestly beginning to feel optimistic about the situation... I just hope that my feelings are true and that my hope is safe in the hands of one man!

Cultural Awareness

Ok So I really don't have time to be doing this but I really want to be writing in my blog, the thing is is that life in the city is just not the same as little Ashland. I'm always on the move... and right now I have about 60 problems to do in math... I have a test on Wendesday and if all goes well I'll fail... not too horribly.
I have fond that one of the things I have learned is cultural conciousness. Everything is different, and thus when I walk down the street or talk to people, I'm always on the alert and watching other people. Culturally Ecuador is very different there are many things that I learned through trial and error from the start. One thing is the realationship between women and men. Men always give way to the women, one example of this is the busses. The bus drivers will stop for the women but only slow for the men. Also, at a bus stop all the women will board and the men will get on second. But with the last woman on board the bus will start moving. It is all really fun, jumping on a bus while it is moving... So anyways the thing is is that there is a type of sensitivity needed to pass smoothly and quietly through another society. I can't say that it is perfect, but for sure I am picking it up. With this new knowledge based on the expirience, I really will feel more comfortable when I travel in the future. This is the first step towards a global consciousness, a sensitivity of the the people, culture and environment that we are in. Because an American doing amirican things really wouldn't fit in at all.

The Goal of My Blog

One of my personal goals while I'm away is to learn as much as I can about the world throught the lense of an Ecuadorian. I have grown up in Ashland, so no matter the situation I can only at it through one lense. That of a sixteen year old born and raised in Ashland. Lets get serious, Ashland is a small insulated bubble completely separate from what goes on around the world. So my logic is that by living in Ecuador for 10 to 11 months will allow me to have two perspectives on life. This will give me a greater scope of understanding and allow me to make better decisions on a more global level. In this global world where we interact with people on all corners of the planet it is necessary to have a global consciousness. This concsiousness must transcend government, cultural and language barriers.

The only way we can kill another human being is when we demonize them and take away their humanity. If everyone thought of everyone else as human, just the same as their brother, sister or neighbor, than maybe there would be no more wars. It's a tough concept and a lofty ideal but that is my reason for having a blog. Through my eyes hopefully anyone who would like to know more about Ecuador and how an American boy will live there will be able to get all their information in one place.

"If you're not liberal when you're twenty you have no heart, if your not conservative when you're fifty you have no brain" -Winston Churchill