Rant: Education for Afghani Women

I just read this article and it makes me want to take action.

Recently I have been doing a lot of reading and havne’t been moved by almost any of it. Cruise continues to prove he is missing some marbles, there is still a race between woman and African-Americans (Hilary v. Obama), we’ve done some cloning, Steve Jobs is still doing Apple thing, society is still concerned about pedophiles (as they should be), and the Bust Administration is finally realizing that it should probably do something about the dire stare of the economy. However, reading an article about women’s education in Afghanistan pulls on my heart strings and makes me want to do something. As sad as this is, I don’t really know what to do, but I feel action is necessary. And for starters, I will try and spread the word.

Please read this article: The Girl Gap

It is wonderful to hear that women are no longer ban from receiving an education, and it's wonderful to hear that people realize how important education is; however, with that said, there are so many obstacles the Afghan women (and education system on a whole) have to face. Here are some stats that struck me:

The negative:

Sarwary's tiny school doesn't have enough classrooms.
There is no playground or running water.
The toilet, a pit latrine located at the far corner of the school compound, serves 1,500 students.
Only two of the 23 female teachers have graduated from high school.
Half the second-grade students, ranging in age from 7 to 12, can read.
In more than 80% of rural districts, there are no girls in secondary school at all.
Only 28% of the country's accredited teachers are women.
Fewer than 30% of eligible girls are enrolled in schools, and
the infrastructure is so poor that only a tiny fraction are likely to get the education they need to enjoy the fruits of emancipation.
Finally, most Afghan families won't allow their daughters to be where they may be seen by men (and most of the teachers are males)

On the upside, since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001:

Women can now vote,
they have a quarter of the seats in parliament, and
they are legally allowed to find jobs outside the home.
Foreign donors and nongovernmental organizations have expended a great deal of energy and capital on building women's centers and conducting gender-awareness workshops.

Important: Every social and economic index shows that countries with a higher percentage of women with a high school education also have better overall health, a more functional democracy and increased economic performance. Educated women are a strong bulwark against the extremism that still plagues Afghanistan

The long of the short of it is that we people, women and educator especially, need to be aware of this and need to find a way to help. I understand that it is not entirely feasible to go over to Afghanistan and lend a hand, but look for ways to make a difference. Issues like education abroad (not only for women) are extremely important and often don't receive the attention they deserve. It is vital that each country has an educated populous. Spread the word and support education however you can.

Thank you for reading my rant.

In My Spare Time

I am doing exactly what I need to be doing and exactly what I want to be doing on my Argentinean vacation: relaxing.

Currently, my version of relaxing is getting to spend an inordinate amount of time on my computer either on the internet reading or relabeling my iTunes or learning something about how a website actually works. I have done other things since I have been down here, but spending time with my cute 12.1 inch dell has really made me happy.

Some sites I have been looking at (and in no particular order):

The New York Times
Time Magazine
The Week Magazine
International Herald Tribune
PsychBlog
Think Simple Now
Technology Review
Del.icio.us - if you are a member, let me know your screen name
How Stuff Works

If you have any recommendation for sites or blogs that I should read, let me know.

Gaaahhhhh!!!!! The longest Wednesday Ever!!!!!

I am sitting at the PIT airport and it's the 3rd time I've been here in 24 hrs.

Quick recap: I flew in from Boston at 6pm yesterday (Tuesday), met up with Kev and then went home. Kev did some laundry, we ate some nachos and talked about what we wanted our new year to look like, pondered over the meaning of life, played on the computer, and packed. Notice, I did not mention sleeping.

So 4:40am rolls around and I need to take Kevin to the airport so he can leave for his flight to Australia for the month. This is the 2nd time in 24 hours.

I was very tired because it had been a very long day (because I hadn't slept yet, that means it was the same day still) and now it was snowing and I had to drive home in it. Are you kidding me?!?! I had never driven in snow before and my license had just expired, 2 days ago. Illegally driving in snow for the first time, while sleep deprived. What a way to start off the New Years, huh?

Well, as much as a huff as I made about it, I made it home fine. I rotated my laundry, cleaned up my room, unpacked and repacked my suitcase and then took a nap; I think I got 3 hours of sleep.

And then I had to get on a bust at 2pm to head back to the airport. OMG, NO MORE AIRPORTS!!! I am so done traveling. Oh and guess what? Someone forgot which bus she needed to take to get to the 28X.... was it the EBO, the EBA, or the EBX? Was there an EBX? I got on the bus that was supposed to take me down town and help me connect to the 28x. I of course picked the wrong bus, but I did manage to make my transfer and get to the airport. I also got to enjoy my first standingonastreetcorner-lettingthewindblowthroughme moment while waiting for my bus transfer. Less than pleasant let's say.

So I thought I was in the clear. It had been a rough 24 hours (and 3 airport visits), but I was there. What else could go wrong?

I realize I booked myself on an Alaska Airlines Partner and not an NWA partner (trying to move my miles over) meaning I wasn't going to get the miles in the correct mileage account and I didn't know if there would be personalized TVs on this flight. Normally I don't care about that because I ALWAYS sleep on flights, but for an 11 hour flight across 2 continents, it matters. Ok, fine, so I am on the wrong partner, whatever. But I still had to get through security.
Well, I was a retard and gave the "check-in" guy my newly expired license, so he had to write me up and then I was sent through the special blowing-air machine (which was kind of fun but mostly amusing). Sigh.....what an amateur I was!!

So I am here waiting at the airport and I have sooooooo much time on hands! My computer has been freezing on me and my flight has just been delayed. Super. Super duper.

Well, here-here to the start of a New Year! The only great thing about the beginning of this year being such a disaster is that it can only get better.

I am off to Buenos Aires again to teach and vacation. Kevin is off to do the same thing in Australia. Perhaps we'll see you guys with some nice tans!!

New Years Eve

For New Years, Kevin and I spent our time in Boston at New Year's Dancing Eve, which was a cross-over event (meaning Lindy Hop and West Coast).

Joe and Kathey Mahoney put on a wonderful event. The contest ran smoothly, the award show/dinner show was awesome, and people danced the night away on New Years.

Some highlights:

During the dinner show, Arjay Centeno danced with his partner Melissa Rutz and Deborah Szekely, another superstar in the West Coast scene, did the best 3 person dance I have ever seen. Check it out here. Just watch it; it was amazing. I have a better appreciation for West Coast after this dance and am more amazed that one man could do so much!

On Saturday night I did pickle shots up in somebody's hotel room. I don't know who's suite it was, but I was invited it, pickles were cute, and about 20 of us grabbed a chilled shot of vodka, threw it back, and then munched on the pickle. I'll be honest, if you don't try this, you aren't missing anything.

I turned 24 that weekend. And someone remembered. And Kevin made sure I had a birthday cake and that I got sung to. It was the simplest, yet most fulfilling birthday ever.

I almost missed my flight back home because I hit snooze, or so I thought. It would have been the first plane I have ever missed in 10 years of traveling (that would have been due to me). Luckily Davis Thurber was kind enough to drive me to the airport.

Kevin and I got to close out the dinner show on New Years Eve.

I got to hang out with a couple named Dorry and Sommer from Baltimore, MA. They are some of the coolest, down-to-earth, funny, and brilliant people I know. If you don't know them, search them out and let them know that you found them on my recommendation.

Happy New Years!

And to all my friends, I wrote you notes and mailed them. Yes, mailed them. Not email, but mailed them. I don't know if you will get them though....perhaps there wasn't enough postage on them, or because they didn't have a sealant on them (and subsequently taped them), in which case I am betting the Post won't be merry or jolly enough to just send them. More to come on this.