Poland

Hello world, been a week or so. I am writing today because today I am going to go to a store that everyone here in Warsaw keeps calling the French Walmart. This is odd to me because I dislike Walmart. Being from Arkansas, Walmart isn't special, and I generally hear all the shitty stuff they do to their customers and employees. So, when people keep saying its Walmart, but a French Company, I have to hold my tongue because I want to ask does that mean I will be buying cheap crap from china whilst being insulted, or does that mean just buying cheap stuff from a company that was able to open up in the European market because Walmart had so sullied its name through its business practices that no self respecting European nation would allow a Walton withing 50 feet of its business community?

That said, Warsaw is odd. I like it, the weather is great, the people generally are nice. Every now and again I just kind of get shy and let all the people in line go ahead of me because at most stores and markets you don't get the things from the shelves, they are all behind counters, so because I only speak English, I just kind of play the point and nod game with store keepers. This would aggravate the shit out of me in America if I was stuck behind someone who was doing this while I was in a hurry, so I try to let people go ahead of me so that I don't waste their time. This must be a somewhat common practice for people that don't speak polish in this area, since by the time I get to the counter the person working it starts with English every time, and then we play the point and nod game. The tram/bus/metro system here is cool, although yesterday I realized my compass was broken, and I have been using it to find North, which it doesn't, and therefore getting on the wrong directing about 50% of the time. That was kind of fun, but all in all, I like riding trams and other forms of public transport, because its calming. I might do it tomorrow while I try to finish a paper.

In other news, I went to a couple bars last night, trying to go to one in particular that I couldn't find, but saw a great crowd at these others, and figured that this was where I was meant to be. While in them, when I try to open on a girl or two, once they realize I am American, it is kind of funny. Some want to ask all kinds of inane questions, but most give me responses that make me feel they don't want me bothering them. The more things are different, the more they are the same, huh.

The final 48 hours

So, on some TV channel there is this show that is called the First 48 hours. While this post has nothing to do with the content of the show, it is kind of where I am stealing the idea of my mindset. My plane departs in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and that gives me less than 48 hours from now to clean my car, my living area, do more laundry, decide if I need new shoes, decide which shoes I need to pack, finish packing (currently 30% done), find my day pack, pick up extended prescriptions from pharmacy, procure snack foods for plane, and find a reliable camera. While that sounds like a few things to do in a lot of time, I also have to figure out what else I want to pack, and if I want to purchase a new package of socks or just take a lot of old socks. This sounds like a weird question, but you would be surprised on the few amount of good looking socks I have, and the rate in which socks come to me to die. I find that newer socks have more support and spring in them which is nicer for walking around for hours at a time through new places. Also, I need to be awake at the designated 24 hour advance time to book my boarding pass and print. Mainly because I am paranoid about forgetting and getting bumped. At some point I need to arrange some entertainment for my layover in New Jersey, which is supposed to be lunch with a friend, but I have a feeling that it will be called off and then I will just be spending 9 or so hours sitting in an airport bored to shit. Maybe a DVD or two will be a good addition to my carry-on with my laptop.

Now, with all this, I am still trying to figure how to write a letter, note, or some kind of message to my Governor, because frankly, I am not pleased with some recent statements made, and really concerned with a certain attitude. Now I understand that he isn't worried about reelection and doubtfully is running for higher office than governor, so this is his more candid side, but my issue comes with the fact that when you are his age, and have his standing in our culture and society, you can do a lot with just a few words at the right time. In history, a few well placed words have had the power of armies. So, if he would have the knowledge that by just saying a few words to encourage those of his generation to be more accepting, less hateful, then maybe the state can start to shed its back-words reputation, but even if it didn't his conscience could be cleared by the fact that he did what he could to try and enable forward thinking. I understand that in our time and especially in Arkansas you have to be at least a Fiscal Conservative to be elected, but he can still be progressive. But to tell people who are being disenfranchised to just sit and take it until maybe a later time is pretty in-genuine of the ideals of progressive social change that are a corner of the Democratic party. I am currently trying to find a way to voice this without going on a tirade and comparing him to Orval Faubus.

I have been called a lot of names,

You know, I have been accused of a few things in my short time here, I have even been called a few things from time to time, from the PG rated to the more explicit. However, I don't think I have ever been called a Mentor. Yesterday I attended a information session in which it was explained what was expected of me as a International Student Mentor at UALR. As many people that exist on campus, I am going to be one of those showing some bright eyed and bushy tailed exchange student. I know this is assuming a lot, but the school is putting the mind and transition to living in Little Rock of Srinath Gnanassegarane, a 19 year old by from India who is coming to the states for more schooling. This is a very commendable thing, because I don't know too many 19 year old people that would not only leave their home for school, but leave the nation they live in. Going to a strange new place is hard for most people. This is a really brave kid. I also wonder if the school took into account the possibility that I might be a corrupting influence? But as I have said, I have been accused and called  a lot of things, but I don't think Mentor has ever been thrown at me. We will see how that goes.

On other news, I am going to attempt to make some Pasta Pomodoro tonight. I am going to use a new recipe, and this could bode ill or well for everyone eating. We will see, I will report back.

Welcome to the show, come inside, come inside.

Hello World,

So, the title is a bit grandiose I think, but it fits. In my life people ask why I study what I do, why I am passionate about the few things I am, and why I spend so much time thinking about so many topics and the current state of geopolitical affairs. This is first, because I am a student who is majoring in Political Science and minoring, but this might change to double majoring, in International Studies. They then ask "Why" or "What are you going to do with that", and to them I generally respond with some comment about my goal jobs and such, but I never really give the true reason, because they might lock me up. And that my friends is because I Want to Save the World. This sounds a bit crazy, I know, and its mainly because too many times do I hear peoples goals are self satisfactory, which this is also, but are not going to help anyone even though it is mainly self satisfaction. See, in my view, while I am doing this for myself, everyone gets to benefit from a better world. Now, I don't mean I want to put on spandex or try and travel around in a police call box from the 60's, but I want to attempt to make real changes that really benefit people, and through that, I will be making the world a better place, and saving it from the people who decided being uneducated and hateful was cool. Why is it such a bad thing to want to be educated, to want to be the intelligentsia of your society, instead of someone who is going to spend the rest of their days being led like sheep. Why is it okay to foster this in your children. I was raised by a person who graduated High School and joined the Army and a High School dropout, both of whom did their best raising me, through the good and bad parts of life, but at no point did either of them preach exclusion, hate, or that it was okay to be stagnate in life. They told me that I needed to strive to be a good student, be smart, and do better than they did with their lives, but not in that pushy way that some parents do. You know what I mean, the folks who want to relive their glory days as High School Kings and Queens through their 7 year old on the pee-wee football field.

So, anyways, back to somewhere on point, I will be traveling soon to Europe, and I am going to be doing whats pretty much backpacking. I will be gone for round about 38 days, and intend to do a lot of fun and neat things, along with brag to all of you about it here. After which, I am going to try to remember to keep this thing going through my last year of college, and maybe even further, just to keep people interested. Who knows, maybe I will be the next (insert famous blogger).