UPDATED -- A Caribbean Perspective

Each school year, in the first semester of my Geography and Global Studies class, I invite approximately 10 "international speakers" from our community to provide a legit view into at least one country from each of the culture regions we study.  Our small, welcoming Maroa-Forsyth community has a surprisingly diverse population with residents from Zimbabwe to Egypt, from Greece to Japan!  And I routinely pester these gracious folks with a standard set of questions:  What did you find strange about the United States?  What do you like most about the U.S.?  What do you love and miss about your native country?  And so on.  Our land of the free is so vast that, unlike folks in Europe (for example), we need not cross international borders for vacations or access to university or jobs.  We are, therefore, oft a mite bit less aware of international perspectives. 

Anyone out there remember that fab, old show "Third Rock From The Sun?"  Of course, the genius (and the humor) is all wrapped up in the supposed aliens showing us to ourselves from an outsider's perspective.  Well, I thought you guys, yunz, yinz, y'all, or yous might enjoy the perspectives of two elementary school kids from Haiti  .  .  . 

Things Quite Odd About The U.S., the Midwest, Central Illinois, Family Life, and/or our Family, Specifically:

• How do you go sledding where it is so flat?
• Flat land that has tornadoes is terrifying.
• Church is very long (our family is Catholic).
• What are "inside voices?"
• Walking in the house
• Keeping shoes off of the furniture
• Turning off lights when leaving a room
• The dog.  She has a bed but sleeps on the floor and couch.  She barks at cars, and squirrels, and leaves.
• How does Daddy coach basketball and teach math?
• How is there money inside that (credit) card?
• Why does the sign on the cooler of ice near the checkout "say," "Buy the big bag?"
• Why do we have to stand, sit, kneel, and keep switching so much during church?
• We hate tight seat belts.  (Mama blanc is a safety freak.)
• Why every people ask us lots of questions?
• Are those people on tv real?
• Why do I (Beatha) have to buy "boy shoes" for gym class?

     (Stay tuned for more  .  .    )

Things Delightfully Miraculous About This Place:

• Starbucks hot cocoa
• Lots of dresses!
• We, too, have rice,
• And hot sauce!
• Ice cream
• Basketball clinic with Daddy
• DVDs, xbox, & wii
• Yogurt
• Cheetos
• Cheetos
• Did I mention Cheetos?
• Fancy stores that look like it's outside (Hickory Point Mall with the central hall skylight and real plants)
• Daddy's team played a very long game Friday night, and when we wake up there's a picture (newspaper) of it already on the breakfast table.
• Lots and lots of hair ribbons from (the fabric section of) Wal-mart.
• GI Joe & Star Wars toys!
• Brownies
• Dance parties in the living room with Dad's laptop of music
• Wedge-heel tennies covered in pink sequence (not for gym class)

                                             (More to come over time  .  .  .  )