Thank You... for the Queso.

            Okay, this isn't really going to be about cheese.  Although j'adore queso.  Really, what's not to love about it?  But that's not anywhere near what I'm supposed to be writing about.  I'm supposed to be writing about how I'm thankful for all the OTHER Thanksgiving food.  I'm thankful for turkey and dressing and macaro - what?- I'm what?- I'm supposed to write about a person?- in this class? OH, that makes much more sense!

            Let me start over.  Hmmm…a person in my American Lit class that I’m thankful for…  How about people?  I’m thankful for Kate, Mauricio, and Paulina.

            To Kate: My Mexicana gringa amiga.  It’s been fun sitting next to you in Am. Lit.  and in geometry.  I’m thankful for the inspiration you give me when I have nothing to write about.  Thanks for helping me in geometry, too, when I don’t understand what I’m supposed to be doing.

            To Mauricio: Hey buddy!  You have a somewhat disturbed way of drawing and looking at things.  But that’s okay.  I’m still thankful for you.  I’ll never forget when you told me how to discipline the Mexican way and for teaching me what a flauta is.

            To Paulina: It’s too bad we don’t sit near each other in American Literature or in geometry.  But we still have fun at lunch.  I’m thankful for how you always need help with your Chinese homework, because it amuses me greatly.

            So those are my thankfuls.  Thank you for reading them.

P.S.  I’m still thankful for turkey.

Je Suis Une Charrue (The Life of a French Plow)

       Je suis une charrue.  J'habite en France.  J'habite sur une ferme.  Je travaille dans un champ.  La famille, ils doivent aider.  Alors, je les aide. Ils m'utilisent.  Je tourne de la terre.  J'aide à planter.  Ils plantent des fleurs.  Des belles fleurs.  J'aime les fleurs.  Ils sont tres gentilles et amusantes.  Je sors chaque jour, en automne.  Chaque matin, je travaille.  Le job est difficile.  Mais je l'aime.  J'adore la terre, les fleurs, le soleil...  C'est mon job.  Parce que je suis une charrue. 
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       I am a plow.  I live in France.  I live on a farm.  I work in a field.  The family, they need help.  So I help them.  They use me.  I turn the earth.  I help to plant.  They plant flowers.  Some beautiful flowers.  I like flowers.  They are very nice and amusing.  I go out each day, in autumn.  Each morning, I work.  The job is hard.  But I like it.  I love the earth, the flowers, the sun...  It's my job.  Because I am a plow.

Black Power! And white...and all the rest...

            Slavery.  Another blemish in our country's short history.  It seems like that’s how many of these blogs start, huh?  Hey, don’t blame me.  Blame the U. S. of A.  But this time, it’s one of those problems that lasted a really long time and that everyone knows about from an early age.  And we like to think that it’s all over, there’s no such thing as slavery anymore right? WRONG!  Unfortunately, slavery is still alive and still not well.

            Back in the day, slavery was just a fact of life.  No need to hide it since everyone was doing it.  Now, slavery is looked down on.  I’m guessing it’s illegal, too.  But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.  It’s just that people are really careful not to get caught.  Because if they do get caught, it’s kinda really bad for them. 

            Modern day slavery mostly occurs in Africa, India, Haiti, and Pakistan.  The people in bondage may be forced to do anything, including convert to a different religion.  In Sudan, it has been discovered that some slave traders cut the Achilles tendon of the people that wouldn’t convert to being Muslim (OUCH!). 

            Child slaves in India are forced to weave carpets if they want to eat.  Shackled slaves in Pakistan are cane-harvesters.  Girls are sold into prostitution in Thailand and the Dominican Republic army drags random people off of buses or out of their homes and drops them in the cane fields.

            So yeah, slavery does exist.  After hearing about examples like this, how could you think it doesn’t?