Impressions

Since I hadn't written in this blog for a while, here you will find a list of impressions from the last few weeks, just to catch up. There is no particular logic in the way I ordered my thoughts....

-I did like the President's Obama speech after the Umpqua Community College shootings: arguably the most powerful man in the earth acknowledging his inability to push a minimal legislation to increase the guns control in his homeland. I thought that he was sincere and heartfelt.

-I was terrified by one of the GOP candidates comment, Ben Carson, when he said 'I would not just stand there and let him shoot me". But, who really cares what you'd have done there, Mr Ben?

Players in action

The Band, with the Director upfront

-I like to go to Friday's football game at my son's High School. On the one hand it is a great sport event: the game, the cheerleaders, the band during the half time (an magnificent set up, big crew, many instruments, dancers... for a performance that doesn't last more than 2 minutes), the entrance of the players and the celebration (if the win, of course): altogether a big show! On the other hand, it is also a social event in the Community, where families attend it often more interested to meet their neighbors and friends than to watch the game; similar to the parties in the small towns of Spain, here obviously with hot dogs and Coca-Cola.

-I liked to hear this week that the number of americans without health insurance has decreased by 30% since the Obamacare

-However, it is still terrible that around 10% of the population in the USA is not insured. Why? Simple, here healthcare is not universal and the cost of a Health coverage is really high, so, many people either they can't afford it or they just decide to gamble and hope for the best. In the most developed country of the planet with the most advanced healthcare resources, its habitants have panic to get sick, not just for the disease on itself, but for the cost of it (even with a good insurance company, the copayments can be really high). It is not uncommon that families with a sick member (serious illness) need to raise funds among friends and family to fund the costs of the treatment.... unfortunately you can end up broken if you are seriously sick in United States.

-I liked to attend the Curriculum nights of my 2 older sons (one in Middle School and the other one at High School). A great opportunity to meet (briefly) their teachers and know their learning goals for the year. I was surprised that all of them have their own website where parents can follow their daily schedule and (unfortunately for my kids) also their homework duties. All very professional!

-I have a very injured knee, and it was a bit of a hassle to visit each teacher in their own classroom,  specially at the High School, since it is big building and the itinerary of the night seemed to have been designed by my worst enemy; I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up walking more than 1 mile that night walking the corridors of the school.

Andrés and his (girl)friend

-I like, a lot, the Homecoming Party prep at the High School. It is the first party of the year and traditionally, in the previous weeks, each boy need to ask one girl (or more, if it is rejected) to join him to the event. With teenagers, you can imagine the numbers of stories and gossips that this occasion provokes... In Spain, probably, boys would ask it in a more or less informal way and definitely trying not to draw any attention... but this is America and here the 'requester' needs to write it on a board and ask the girl, normally in a public place. In the attached picture you can see my son Andres in a 'banana' dress asking with the following message: "I'd go bananas if you went with me". With that boldness and creativity it seems to me pretty clear that genetics skip one generation, at least as far as I am concerned. By the way, the girl said YES!