It's hot. I just went out to do the mowing while it was still cool, and found that the temp was already just below 80. It'll be fun lugging the groceries this afternoon.
I must be psyched about this exchange-student thing -- I dreamt about it last night. My wife said that the site tells the kids that they have to, essentially, go with the flow about how the host family does things, but they tell the family that the French like to eat a light breakfast and have a large lunch, as well as have a pitcher of water on the table. No big deal. I imagine both sides end up saying Can you believe what those people eat? We figured we'd bring her to a local store that has imported stuff to see if there's anything there she'd like us to get. If my brief sojourn in Australia is any clue, she'll say You pay HOW much for that, here? Not to mention How much is that in real money?
Travel is an interesting thing. I like to say that our idea of roughing it is slow room service. That's more true than not -- we're certainly not Kampgrounds of America candidates -- but we're not that effete. We're not that heavily traveled, either. I was not too surprised when the student who worked the polls with us mentioned having been to France and Germany, but when two of the other workers started to talk about their trips to Tanzania, England, Peru, Iceland, and other distant points, I was a little bedazzled. I honestly don't care about most of that, though I would like to see some of the Scandinavian countries. And, of course, Australia, and New Zealand. Those are all in the same general part of the world, I think.
I am curious about how these people fund this stuff. One woman said that 'her daughter picked France this year, so they're going back again (!!!) while her son picked China for next year'. Perhaps they're just better at saving money in other ways....or maybe they're just wealthy.
2 comments:
We cannot afford to travel either. That does not stop us.
We put off buying a new car, getting the foundation fixed, getting a new lawn tractor and a host of other things. I quit smoking and drinking (both serious addictions for me) and track the money "saved" and put it into the "travel fund".
I am stoked about your getting an exchange student. The only thing to remember is, of course, they are people first, and (insert nationality here) second. You would think that would be obvious, but it isn't.
You do what your psyche tells you can afford -- whether its right or not. I have a relative who's REALLY comfortable with debt. Debt scares the willies out of me.
Thats a good point about the student. This to us is ***A FRENCH STUDENT*** To her, it's just another kid ... and we're ***AN AMERICAN FAMILY ****.
I asked my wife to remind me occasionally not to tease the kid the way I tease my daughter. Language barrier could make that dicey, and I'd hate to find out later that the kid drew the wrong conclusion.
Post a Comment