As I sit in my apt here in the center of ancient Napoli on this the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the USA, and also having just watched a movie dedicated to the passengers who overtook flight 93, I feel somewhat the same as I did 10 years ago when it happened. I awoke at around 9:30 am perhaps even 10 to see the towers crumble. Perhaps it was better that I didn't see the planes crash live on national TV. I am sad, I am shocked, I am also angry. I suppose now I can take some small satisfaction that Bin Laden is dead, the brains of that whole operation. When he was killed a few months ago, I actually wasn't happy simply because I looked at it from a Christian point of view.....in other words I can't picture Jesus Christ pulling the trigger on anyone, not even Hitler. But when I learned however, that the US military took him out as Osama shot back and reportedly shielded himself with a woman, then I thought this is self-defense which is different than shooting someone defenseless. So in the end Bin Laden was a coward. Good ridance, may God have mercy on his soul....if that's at all possible.
I am sure God had a reason for all this to happen which will become clear when we meet Him, but wow it is sure hard to make sense of all it while we are still alive. What I simply can't and have never been able to fathom is why anyone thinks they can kill in the name of religion. I can't think of any faith that tolerates the taking of a human life. Islam is supposed to be a religion of peace and I am sure it does not condone violence if followed correctly. I understood the hijackers motives; reaction to American imperialism all over the world, which I have heard the US is a bully in other countires, but the taking of innocent lives is simply never the answer.
God Bless the 9/11 victims.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
America 2011
Ready to begin year 3 here in Southern Italy. I just got back 2 days ago from America and it is good to be back. Napoli is becoming more familiar to me as time drags on and by now it is my second home. Being back in America was not as strange as it was last year. For some reason last year America seemed foreign after passing a year in a city so diverse than that of my little town of Tolland, but this year it almost felt like routine. I dont live there anymore but it's still home.
Some of the highlights of my trip: having just came back from England where I worked at a summer camp, The hurricane which knocked out power for 2 days, water for 3 and the cable for 5, the earthquake which I didn't feel not even a tremor, the free Red Sox game with my cousin John and going to Boston with my sister Joanne. The trip def had a different feel to it than last year. Apart from the fact that it still felt like home, it didn't feel like this was an optional trip like last year, but more like a trip that I had to take because I had no cash as result of the Wall Street school closing and not being paid very well by the other school where I worked. I got cash from England but I didnt see that till the end of July. So, I felt kinda powerless in the USA where I had no car of my own, and I had to rely on my parents for many things. Not exaclty a self esteem booster but then again it wasn't shameful.
I got to see most of the friends that I wanted to see and the important ones I saw often enough to satisfy myself. Some of them I didn't see and for as much as I would have liked to have seem them, I don't sweat it because I made the effort to meet up but it also takes two to tango. I made the offer, gave out my temporary number, but if they don't respond, what more can I do? Technically I am the guest now in the USA, does it seem right for the guest to ask to be someone's guest?
My opinion of the USA has not changed at all since I came here 2 years ago. I still don't wanna live there and I see more advantages to living in Europe. There is still the possibility to earn more cash in the USA, but life is so much more complicated and exagerated there and I don't see things improving from an economic standpoint. One other big reason why I like being here is that the healthcare is universal and it's sad for me when I see people shelling out so much cash for medical care in the USA or worse friends who can't afford it. So they pray that they don't get sick. Pathetic. Despite all that, I still havent ruled out the possibility that I might go back to the USA, but only if I have a job waiting for me that pays well in the Boston or NY area. I never want to live in Connecticut again, it is a nothing state without a real identity.
I think the primary reason for me staying here is the people. From a psycological point of view Italy for me is healthier and I am less stressed out by the people here. I find too many Americans socially awkward and somewhat arrogant and ignorant of the world around them. As I always say, there are many great people in the USA, but not enough of them unfortunately. Both the USA and Italy seem jealous of each other; The Italians are convinced that life is automatically better in the USA and Americans are jealous of me being here! While back home I couldnt resist to ask my friends, " Is this still the land of opportunity?" Somewhat sad their response if u ask me.
But to sum it up, it wasn't a bad trip at all. I was happy to see family, friends and to be apart of Red Sox nation again. It was also nice to drive a car again and be in a house with central air.
Some of the highlights of my trip: having just came back from England where I worked at a summer camp, The hurricane which knocked out power for 2 days, water for 3 and the cable for 5, the earthquake which I didn't feel not even a tremor, the free Red Sox game with my cousin John and going to Boston with my sister Joanne. The trip def had a different feel to it than last year. Apart from the fact that it still felt like home, it didn't feel like this was an optional trip like last year, but more like a trip that I had to take because I had no cash as result of the Wall Street school closing and not being paid very well by the other school where I worked. I got cash from England but I didnt see that till the end of July. So, I felt kinda powerless in the USA where I had no car of my own, and I had to rely on my parents for many things. Not exaclty a self esteem booster but then again it wasn't shameful.
I got to see most of the friends that I wanted to see and the important ones I saw often enough to satisfy myself. Some of them I didn't see and for as much as I would have liked to have seem them, I don't sweat it because I made the effort to meet up but it also takes two to tango. I made the offer, gave out my temporary number, but if they don't respond, what more can I do? Technically I am the guest now in the USA, does it seem right for the guest to ask to be someone's guest?
My opinion of the USA has not changed at all since I came here 2 years ago. I still don't wanna live there and I see more advantages to living in Europe. There is still the possibility to earn more cash in the USA, but life is so much more complicated and exagerated there and I don't see things improving from an economic standpoint. One other big reason why I like being here is that the healthcare is universal and it's sad for me when I see people shelling out so much cash for medical care in the USA or worse friends who can't afford it. So they pray that they don't get sick. Pathetic. Despite all that, I still havent ruled out the possibility that I might go back to the USA, but only if I have a job waiting for me that pays well in the Boston or NY area. I never want to live in Connecticut again, it is a nothing state without a real identity.
I think the primary reason for me staying here is the people. From a psycological point of view Italy for me is healthier and I am less stressed out by the people here. I find too many Americans socially awkward and somewhat arrogant and ignorant of the world around them. As I always say, there are many great people in the USA, but not enough of them unfortunately. Both the USA and Italy seem jealous of each other; The Italians are convinced that life is automatically better in the USA and Americans are jealous of me being here! While back home I couldnt resist to ask my friends, " Is this still the land of opportunity?" Somewhat sad their response if u ask me.
But to sum it up, it wasn't a bad trip at all. I was happy to see family, friends and to be apart of Red Sox nation again. It was also nice to drive a car again and be in a house with central air.
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