Political Affiliations

In America one usually identifies themselves as a Democratic (Liberal) or a Republican (Conservative). My family typically always votes for the Republican candidate in an election and is conservative. Conservatives tend to be more traditional and are happy with the system as it is whereas liberals tend to want to bring about change.
I, on the other hand, tend to be more liberal. I try to vote for the candidate and what they stand for instead of identifying myself with a certain party. I consider myself to be an Independent. Socially, I tend to be more liberal in terms of supporting gay marriage and health care reforms but in terms of money I tend to lean more conservatively.

2 Not-So-Familiar Objects

1) Dream-Catcher: When I was in First Grade, one of our little arts-and-crafts projects was to create a Dream Catcher. This object, which arises from the Native American tradition, supposedly catches the user's bad dreams so that nightmares are not repeated.

2) Funnel: This strange object has perhaps one of the most idiotic purposes in American college culture. Essentially, the funnel is used to consume beverages (beer) at a rapid pace. Generally speed determines the "champ" of the night.

2 Objects common in American culture

1. A clothes Dryer

Most countries outside of the U.S.A. do not use clothes dryers in combination with a washing machine. Most people just hang their clothes up on a clothes line.

2. A Brita Filter- I feel like Americans are ultra-petrified of drinking unsanitized water and therefore Brita water filters are very common in the U.S. A.

2.

Confusing (Funny) Sign

This past Fall, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stuart (two popular American comedians) led a political rally. People amassed in the thousands to voice their opinions. Perhaps one of the funniest/strangest signs I saw while there was a veteran's denial of Barack Obama's connection to the Third Reich.

This sign may be confusing due to the obvious "dumbness" (can't think of any other word, sorry) of the connection. However, it refutes the old claim that Obama's political and financial views might be similar to the Nazi regime in Germany -- rather comically, I might add.

3 Biggest Problems

1. Obesity: I'm sorry to say this, but having been to several countries in Europe and Central America, it is plain to see that America has a weight problem. In Ireland, for example, I rarely found anyone who could even be remotely considered obese. Poor diet and lack of exercise are the obvious causes of the problem but they underline a far more problematic source - laziness.

2. Censorship: Going back to the Puritan influences of this country at the beginning of European migration to the continent, censorship and a general squeamishness when confronted with issues of sex, alcohol or drugs are all ongoing problems in this country. As a people proud of our "freedom of speech" we are often too scared to delve into such simple topics.

3. Divisions: I often feel that one of the biggest problems in the world's biggest melting pot is the tendency for certain ethnic or social groups to cling together. Furthermore, it is often the case that members of the "higher" socio-economic "class" look down on others. We, as a country, need to see the differences in others and respect that culture as both a living/independent tradition and a valuable part of the American mosaic.

Big Problems Facing America Today

1. Homelessness-A lot of Americans are uninformed about homelessness and tend to judge homeless people's situations rather than try to understand their situations. Thankfully Villanova has Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week to bring attention to the situation.
2. Obesity-On average, Americans are among the most obese people in the world. We have a ton of fast food and are more concerned about convenience than health. Our school systems are starting to become more concerned with their students' health by enforcing healthier choices in the cafeteria and physical education requirements.
3. The Education- There is a lot of inequality among the different schools systems. For example, within a ten mile radius of Villanova's Campus, there are schools in West Philadelphia that are corrupt and they don't receive the education they deserve. The township Villanova is in, Radnor, has great schools because it is in an area with a better socio-economic status. American teachers also don't receive enough pay for their jobs.

Argentine & Italian Hand Gesture

We call this "Montoncito", we use it for asking "why??" or "what??", and we do it shaking our arms when we don't want to believe what someone is saying. You'll find that argentine people are very, very similar to the italian, even when we speak, our spanish is slightly different to neutral spanish, we speak with an italian accent which is quite unique and funny.

American Hand Gestures

In America this is the hand signal for "I love you." It combines the letters "I", "L", and "Y" in American Sign Language.

Hand Signals

Throwing up a hand signal with the index and middle fingers standing upright with an otherwise closed hand usually is a sign of peace, perhaps most closely associated with the hippy movement in the 60s. However, at Villanova University the gesture has taken on new meaning. At the end of every basketball game, the students and players sing the fight song whilst "throwing up their Vs" as a form of salute. Whether it be on an ESPN broadcast of a Villanova game or in the crowds, that simple hand gesture is one of pride and unity in the Villanova community.

Confusing Sign- Watch Children

"Watch Children." I find this sign to be amusing everytime I drive by it. This sign is usually located in semi-busy neighborhoods to warn drivers to be more cautious. The sign should say "Watch FOR Children" and I don't understand why they can't just include the "FOR"; would it really take up that much room on the sign? I don't think so. The sign is easy to understand for a local; they know it means to slow down because there are a lot of children running around the neighborhood but to foreigners the sign might be confusing, they might ask themselves, "Why should we watch children? What are the children doing?"

Our Trip to Argentina

Hi ePals--
Here is a link to our itinerary in Argentina.  We hope you can meet us for dinner Feb 26 in the evening!
We are looking forward to seeing you in person soon!!
Ciao for now,
Dr. Hollis

Typical Weekday/Typical Saturday Night

Typical Weekday- My typical Tuesday: I wake up at 8:45 a.m. because I have class at 10:00 AM. I wake up at 8:45 and make myself a big breakfast because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I usually make an omelette with vegetables and cheese, bacon, grapefruit, and drink a large glass of orange juice. If I eat a big breakfast, I feel more energized throughout the day. After breakfast I usually rush to get dressed and put on make up in time to get to class by 10. My first class is Italian and it lasts for one hour and fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes later I have my second class of the day, Hitler in Nazy Germany, a political science class. My schedule on Tuesdays and Thursday is exactly the same. After class, I return home to eat some lunch and take a little cat nap or catch up on some homework. I attend a spinning class from 3 to 4 pm. Spinning involves riding a stationary bike in a group setting. The lights are turned off and the music is blasting; it is a lot of fun and a great workout! After spinning I return home and shower quickly before heading off to work at 5:30. I work for Villanova's Annual Fund. We call alumni and ask them to donate money to the University. I work from 5:30 to 9:00 and at 9 I return home and make myself a late dinner. Anything after 8:00 pm is considered pretty late in the U.S.A. After dinner I catch up on homework or visit with friends and I usually go to bed around 1:00 a.m.

A typical Saturday night- "Saturday Night" starts around 9 p.m. I usually have just finished dinner and am relaxing watching t.v. I then get in contact with my friends and we decide if we will go out to the bars, out to a friend's party or will just stay in, watch a movie, and relax. Sometimes we do a combination of all three. The night will usually end around 2 a.m.

Three Personal Wishes

As opposed to just posting my mundane wishes, I am imagining life in a perfect world.

My first wish would be to increase the amount of hours in the day. This semester especially, I have found that there is often not enough time to do everything that I need/want to do. While this has certainly made me more productive and has forced me to become more organized, I still feel a little swamped. So in a perfect world, the day would be longer and I would be able to do everything that needed to get done (schoolwork, fraternity responsibilities as the new pledge master, keeping up to date on mundane day-to-day tasks, being able to attend my water polo games/practices, etc.)

My second wish would be to be able to take a year off and tour Europe. I have already been to Italy, Spain, Ireland and stayed a brief stint in Germany (however, I didn't really get to explore as much as I would have liked.) I studied Spanish in both high school and at Villanova but think that by living abroad for a long enough time I could really become fluent, which would be fantastic.

My third wish would be to live at our family summer home in Michigan for an entire summer. While this isn't a realistic option, I have been going there since I was 3 months old and it has become my favorite place in the world. A summer spent fishing, boating, swimming and just enjoying the good life would be a summer well spent in my approximation. Luckily, the summer job I have lined up will give me a little more flexibility in my schedule so I will be able to travel there during the summer of 2011 more often than in the past few years.

3 personal wishes

My first personal wish is to spend at least a year or two abroad working in Germany. I have lived in Italy and I loved it but I have a yearning to live in Germany. I speak the language and was fortunate enough to visit the country last year during my study abroad travels. I love the efficientness of the country, they get everything done on time and on time. I also love the people, their culture, and the beautiful land. I am in the process of trying to find a job there but it is more stressful than I anticipated.

My second goal is to obtain my D.M.L. from Middlebury College. A D.M.L. is a doctorate of Modern Languages...It is similar to a Phd. except you specialize in two foreign languages which works perfectly for me because I am double majoring in Italian and German. I studied at Middlebury one summer and fell in love with the school and the state of Vermont.

My third goal is a life goal: I would like to get married and have my own family. It sounds corny but admist getting a Phd and trying to establish a career, I would like to have a family to bring me back to center. And if my job takes me abroad, I would like to be able to live internationally with them.

Post #3: Average Day & Weekday--Mike M

My Typical Weekday

Being a Junior has some definite perks. Perhaps the greatest of these is that most of the upper-level classes for my major, English, are in the afternoon. This is perfect for someone like me, who hates getting up too early. My typical day usually starts with me rolling out of bed sometime between 10 and 11am, stumbling out into the living room of my apartment and watching something on my roommates Netflix Instant Que (recently a lot of Arrested Development). Depending on how athletic I'm feeling, I generally try to make a trip to the gym before classes start.

Class is...well...class.

After class is over, I usually have some type of activity - either a meeting for my fraternity or practice for waterpolo. Between dinner, meetings and whatever homework needs to be accomplished for the next day I usually finish up all the work I need to get done by 8 or 9pm and after that its off to one of my friends rooms to plot out the course of the evening. (I mean - hell - I won't have to get up early tomorrow anyway!)

Saturday

While I hate getting up early, I always feel like I'm wasting the day if I sleep past noon. So, no matter what state I happen to be in at the end of the night, I dutifully set an alarm for 11am. This isn't to say that I always get up then, but it usually is the intention. The hours between noon and 4pm are more often than not reserved for what I would gently call "recovery time." If I'm feeling extra-ambitious I may attempt to make a home cooked meal (for some reason, I am the only one in my apartment brave enough to cook anything more complicated than soup) and then its planning for the night. One of the many benefits of being in a fraternity is that I usually don't have to try very hard to find something to do on a Saturday night, which is perfect for me because I am possibly one of the most disorganized people alive. By 9pm I usually have a pretty good idea of the direction of the night and by 1030 or 11 its off to wherever.

Bye for now,

Mike

Post #1--Introduction: Mike McArdle

Hey guys, I'm Mike.

I'm currently a Junior English Major here at 'Nova. Originally I am from the Southside of Chicago. I've been lucky in my world-travels and have been able to make several trips outside and throughout the U.S. Most recently I spent a summer abroad in Galway, Ireland. This was perhaps one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Other than that, I have been to Rome, traveled throughout southern Spain, meandered in Morocco for a day and have been to Mexico and Canada a couple times.

I look forward to blogging with everyone!

Bye for now,
-Mike

Leah Depue-Introduction

Hi! My name is Leah and I am a senior Italian and German major at Villanova from New Jersey. I studied abroad last spring in Rome, Italy and was able to do a substantial amount of traveling throughout Europe. I visited : Copenhagen, Denmark, Vienna and Salzburg in Austria, Paris, France (where I broke my ankle in front of the Eiffel Tower!), Santorini and Athens, Greece, Munich and Dachau, Germany, and San Marino, Torino, Florence, Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Capri in Italy. It was such a great experience to travel to all of these places although I was only able to spend a couple of days in each place. One of my favorite parts about traveling through Europe was all of the foreign languages I was able to practice and speak; sometimes I was able to speak 4 in one day! My top 5 places to visit are Egpyt, New Zealand, Morocco, China, and India. After graduation, I plan to teach English in Germany for a year or two and hopefully will be able to do more traveling!

Post #2--Introduction: Martina Germinario

Hey Everybody! My name is Martina but everyone calls me Martu, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm 18 years old. I speak English, Spanish and Italian (I went to an English Primary School and then I changed to an Italian Secondary School). I'm studying 3d Animations and Multimedia Design at college.

I really like to travel, as a matter of fact I'm leaving in 10 days, I'm going to Spain and England for a few weeks! I've always been interested in travelling, my mother is a travel agent and my dad works in an airline. I've been to Spain several times, Italy, Uruguay, Mexico and Florida in the United States...can't really say that I've been to the States because I only went to Miami and Orlando, but I mean to go back and travel around.

I really like to read, I usually read in English because it's one of the only ways I've found to keep on practicing (languages are great hobbies but difficult to keep!). I'm currently reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon...but I like many genres, from Jane Austen to J.K. Rowling!

I love to spend time outdoors, one of my favorite activities is sailing. As you may know, Buenos Aires is a port city, which makes this easier for me, I go out sailing every Saturday!

Well I hope I didn't make too many mistakes! Nice to meet you all! :)

Welcome to the VU/Argentina Blog!

Hi There Everyone!

I hope you will enjoy sharing information about yourselves and your culture on this blog.  Each week I have given you a topic to write about, and hopefully we will all get to know each other and our countries better this way.  Blog Assignments can always be found under the Blog Archives area on the right side of the blog.  Just look for January and then "Blog Assignments."

First of all, please click on "New Post" and introduce yourself.  Say a little about your life and current activities--and don't forget your picture!  You will see that Dr. Hollis was the first to post on the blog.  Now you be next please!  This will be “Post #1:  Introduction: Your Name.”

Always number your posts and give them a title.
Peace!
Dr. Hollis

PS--Don't hesitate to click on the Comment button to leave a comment about an epal's post.

Post #1--Introduction: Dr. Karyn Hollis

Hi Everyone-- Dr. Hollis Here.
This is my 21st year at Villanova! I've been very happy since I got here. One reason is because before VU, I spent 5 years at Dickinson College, and I was tired of the small town life (Carlisle, PA). I am going backwards, but before Dickinson I did my Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. I really enjoyed California--especially all the sunshine. I was used to that being from Texas (Corpus Christi) originally.

I did my Masters at the University of Texas in Austin, and that's where I met my husband. In 1988 we had a son who's now 22 and a senior at Syracuse University.

Our greatest family activity has been our house trading ventures to Europe every summer. Through a home exchange organization (Intervac.com and HomeExchange.com), we have traded with families from Spain, Italy, and France. They venture to our house in Wynnewood, PA to live for about 3 weeks, and we go to their homes--most have been right on the Mediterranean coast. This summer we went back to Provence in France, but the middle week of our three week vacation, we went to Senegal--the hardest but most meaningful trip we've ever taken. I hope you can all go to Africa for the very enlightening experience it is!

I also travel to South America over spring break with students in my travel writing class. I've been to Costa Rica, Chile, Peru and Brazil. This spring break I willtake my travel writing class to Argentina to see Buenos Aires, Iguasu Falls and the glaciers of Patagonia! Anyone want to come with us? See me.

I lived in Europe 7 years quite a while back: three years in Paris, three in London and one in Bilbao, Spain. I speak fluent Spanish and French. While in London I was assistant editor of Harper's Wine and Spirit Gazette. That was an exciting point in my life--I was paid to report on wine tasting events all over London! And that's where I got most of the experience that relates to many of my courses. I also have a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas.

I have recently published a book about the way writing was taught at the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers, 1922-1938. And I have just finished editing a book about the role of intellectuals in society with Dr. Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, Director of the Cultural Studies Program here at Villanova.

At Villanova I have been director of the Writing Center and Writing Program. Then seven years ago, I established a Concentration in Writing and Rhetoric. Maybe it will interest some of you. You can combine the Concentration with any major, but it goes especially well with English or Communication majors since "double dipping" of courses is allowed. It will certify that you have taken extra courses in order to become a better communicator and writer. This course can count toward the Concentration. Check out the Concentration here. http://www.writingprogram.villanova.edu/concentration So that's about it. Hope to read more of your self-introductions soon! Dr. Hollis --

Blog Assignments

Monday January 17	ePals Post 1 -- Introduce yourself and your interests, include a photo.
Wednesday January 19	epals post 2 - If you had 3 personal wishes that could come true, what would they be?
Monday January 24	epals post 3 - Describe your typical weekday and and Saturday night.
Monday January 31	ePal Post 4 --Take a picture of a sign or poster that might be confusing to a visitor (political, commercial, advertisement, transportation, etc) and explain it.
Monday February 7	epal Post 5 -- Explain (with photo or video if possible) a cultural gesture (movement of arms,hands, fingers, whole body, head, etc.)
Monday February 14	E-penpals virtual meeting-Skype or Wimba
February 21 Monday	epal post 7 -- What are the three biggest problems facing your country today?
February 26-March 6	Spring Break—Vacation!
March 7 Monday	epal post 8 -- Informational photos.  Take a photo of two objects that are common in your culture but might be confusing to a visitor, and explain them (coins or bills, driver's license, favorite food, etc).
March 14 Monday	epals post 9 -- Explain your family's and your own personal political affiliation
March 21 Monday	epal post 10 -- What is your nominal religion? What does it mean to you?  What role does it play in your life?
March 28 Monday	epal post 11 - When did your family come to Brazil / USA and why? Describe your ethic background.
April 4 Monday	epal post 12 -- What are 4 qualities that Brazilians associate with Americans and vice versa
April 11 Monday	epal post 13 -- Describe the role your family prescribes for women
April 18 Monday	epal post 14 -- Predict the fate of the natural world in your culture
April 20 Wednesday (Last Post)	ePal Post 15 -- Work out a list of 5 things you have in common with your epals.
April 21-26	Happy Easter!
April 27 Wednesday	Live Webinar with epals--Good Bye (or not!)