1st Chang Lee of Dallas' Internal Tournament (Feb 2nd, 2008): It included Breaking Boards, Poomses (Forms) and Sparring. In the picture, "Chica" -black stripe- and me -blue belt- with our Golden Medals (Sparring).

1r Torneo Interno de la escuela Chang Lee de Dallas (2 de Febrero de 2008): Incluye Rompimientos, Poomses (Formas) y Sparring (Combate). En la foto, "Chica" -cinturón rojo-negro - y yo -cinturón azul- con nuestras medallas de oro por Sparring.

Labels: personal, sports, taekwondo, USA lifestyle

English version: ThanksGiving, Taekwondo and other stories.

ThanksGiving, Taekwondo and other stories.

And ThanksGiving came. During the early morning Hormigo, my husband, walked the dogs while I prepared a bowl of salads for the dinner. Then we went for a coffee at Starbucks to drive away the cold. (And just “a coffee”, not a really hot coffee. I don’t know why they serve warm beverages, especially during these cold days...)

A few minutes on the road to the east the landscape became much more rural. We saw eagles, longhorns with their harem, beautiful deers, amazing horses with shiny coats, even some dromedaries and the typical squirrels jumping here and there. Zero buildings, the places were more like “the Kent farm” (a reference for “Smallville” fans, hehe) with open spaces, its machines and livestock, etc.

The towns’ population was drastically decreasing while we advanced on the highway. The only constant were the protestant churches always present even in the last corner. Passing the last “city” and its 3 short streets, and recieving the good smell of bonfires, we arrived at Mr. and Mrs. D’s home. You were able to recognize the place because of the big blue flag with a ThanksGiving turkey in it.

It was a huge tract of land surrounded by forest, even with its own brook. The house, beautiful, has all the comfort of any city house. Our friend M’s family recieved us very warmly, and they had even practiced how to pronounce our names! Slowly more people were coming and finally three long tables were needed to have dinner. We spent a very nice afternoon and evening plus a nice walk around the place, and we left with an invitation to come back on Christmas.

Our Taekwondo belt testing came on the last Friday of November. Hormigo seemed a little nervous from the last evening. Except for the daily training, I hadn’t studied or practiced anything special, but we had no more time. We arrived at school 45 minutes early, to warm up calmly, etc. After Hormigo showed his abilities in front of an improvised fan club of mexican mothers who took photos, cried, clapped and sighed every time he performed some technique (grrr!!) our grand master called us with anticipation to refine details.

Hormigo is newer than me, so he tested first with other people. He did it great, and some of his fans almost fainted when he chose the thickest of the breaking boards and he broke it on the first try. To my horror, I had to test alone because there weren’t people of my grade or higher. When grand master made me choose board, I also took a wide one, for a matter of pride (lol). I was lucky my breaking was a simple technique. So, finally we obtained our new grades, yellow for him and belt with blue stripe for me. I have no photos this time because we were busy at the same time, but probably I’ll take some with the uniforms and the new belts one of these days. (Or maybe a you-know-who’s fan could give us one... LOL!)

It’s highly possible I dissapear until the last days of the month due to medical issues. Wish me luck. I wish you a very Merry Christmas. Don’t forget to eat nice things for us!

(*)Pic taken from bbc.co.uk

Labels: personal, taekwondo, USA lifestyle

English version: I'm back.

Labels: personal, USA lifestyle

English version: Ramadan and an old friend...

El domingo 30 me puse las mejores “pilchas”, sin caer en la vestimenta formal, y luego de darme una maquillada y perfumada discretas, partimos con el Hormigo a la cena de Ramadán a la que fuimos invitados por mis maestros de TaeKwonDo, quienes profesan la religión musulmana. Así, junto a sus familias, entraban a la fase final de su ayuno, que dura cuarenta días, aunque por lo que nos explicaron, todavía les quedaban los quince días finales. Fue una instancia mucho más social y menos religiosa de lo que ambos con el Hormigo esperábamos, pero de todas maneras pudimos apreciar muestras de esta cultura que nos parecía más bien lejana. La comida, consistente en ensaladas y variedades de arroz con aderezos suaves pero sabrosos y aromáticos, acompañada de cordero y otras carnes, estuvo simplemente deliciosa, y los baklava (parecidos a los dulces árabes) junto al fuerte café turco sólo coronaron una estupenda cena.

La semana siguió sin novedades. Hasta hoy en la tarde.

Cuando le eché un vistazo a mi correo, me encontré con un maldito mail de spam, y con un mail que decía “soy la brasilera”. Casi me voy de espaldas cuando confirmé que me estaba escribiendo mi amiguita de la infancia, Janaina, de la cual hable en un post de Mayo, y a quien le había perdido la pista hace años. Inmediatamente la agregue a MSN, y estaba conectada. Luego de saludos emocionados, nos pusimos un poco al día en la vida de la otra. Me contó que esta viviendo en Europa, casada con su príncipe azul, y que hace cinco semanas nació su primera hijita. Incluso pude ver su carita sonriéndome por webcam, y salvo porque usa lentes, tiene la misma cara de pícara que en aquellas épocas. Lejos una de las cosas mas locas y alegres que me han pasado a través de internet. Así que ya saben, si quieren encontrar a alguien perdido, ya saben cual es el camino!

Me despido con una gran sonrisa. Saludos para todos, estoy visitándolos prontamente como siempre, y que disfruten de un buen fin de semana.

(*) Imagen tomada desde usmaninetwork.com

Ramadan and an old friend...

Last Sunday I put on some decent clothes, without going into formal attire, and after some discrete make up and perfume, I went with Hormigo to the Ramadan dinner we were invited to by my TaeKwonDo masters, who profess the Muslim religion. They and their families entered in the final stage of the fast. It lasts fourty days, but they explained to us there are still fifteen final days after the dinner itself. It was a more social and less religious instance than Hormigo and I expected, but we were able to appreciate part of this unfamiliar culture anyways. The food, consisting of salad and varieties of rice with soft but tasty and aromatic dressings, and accompanied by lamb and other meats was simply fantastic, and baklavas (kind of middle eastern pastries) with strong turkish coffee were an excellent end to a great meal.

The rest of the week was uneventful. Until today in the afternoon.

When I took a look at my e-mail, I found damn spam, and another mail with the subject “I’m the brazilian girl”. I almost fainted when I confirmed my childhood friend, Janaina, was writing. I talked about her in a post from last May, because we had lost contact many years ago and I wanted to say hello. Inmediately I added her to my MSN account and she was on line. After an emotional initial greeting, we got reacquainted about each other’s lives. She told me she’s living in Europe, married her prince charming and five weeks ago her first daughter was born. I was even able to see her face smiling at me through webcam, and except for a pair of glasses, she has the same naughty face. This is absolutly the most crazy and happy thing that has happened to me through the internet. So now you know, if you want to find somebody who is lost, this is the way! xD

I say goodbye with a big smile now. Greetings for all of you, I’m visiting your blogs soon as usual, and have a nice weekend!

(*) Pic taken from usmainnetwork.com

Labels: personal

La otra noche íbamos por una de esas carreteras gigantes hacia el centro cuando vimos fácil 10 patrullas de la policía con sus luces encendidas bloqueando 3 de las 5 pistas. El helicóptero volaba bastante bajo e iluminaba las calles adyacentes con rapidez. Cuando avanzamos, pudimos ver a cerca de 20 policías repartidos alrededor de una camioneta gigantesca (estilo Ford F-150) y esposaban a un tipo (según yo, negro. El Hormigo lo vio mexicano) que tenían de rodillas. Había unos policías gigantes que seguían las acciones con la vista, metralletas en mano. La voz de la razón me decía que debía apurar al Hormigo, porque estaban bajando a otra persona del vehículo y a los gringos de la nada les da por hacer acciones kamikaze a pesar de estar rodeados, sacan pistolas y queda la grande. Pero no podíamos dejar de mirar mientras avanzaba “el taco”. Era como un montaje o una situación de juguete, de esos videos rancios y lejanos que daban en el canal 4 los domingos sobre persecuciones policiales de ese país tan ajeno… Después en el noticiero del Fox 4 vimos que efectivamente había quedado la escoba porque la gente de la camioneta de la nada se había puesto a disparar para todos lados antes de ser arrestados. Plop!

Seguimos nuestro recorrido y llegamos a un localcito medio escondido entre edificios, uno de esos moteles para gente que va de paso, y locales comerciales. La única construcción de un piso de toda la cuadra. Entramos. Yo iba con algo de desconfianza, porque ya habíamos caído en esos “diners” donde solamente venden comida cochina, frita, llena de grasa y cosas que ni remotamente podría comer, y más de alguna vez he tenido que conformarme con un café con endulzante. Pero me llevé una grata sorpresa, porque en el menú había mucha comida fresca y saludable, sandwiches vegetarianos, hamburguesas de verduras, jugos naturales sin azúcar y como 30 cafés de todo el mundo para degustar. Literalmente un oasis en el mundo de la comida chatarra que inunda supermercados, restaurantes y a un gran porcentaje de las casas de este país. Además, la atención fue increíble y la ambientación del local y la música aún mejor. Así que si alguna vez tienen la oportunidad de visitar Dallas y andan por el centro (a la hora que sea, porque es 24/7), vayan a 4154 N. Central Expressway, y no dejen de pasar a BuzzBrew Kitchen.

Dos noches después fuimos a otro lugar que se llamaba Exposition Park Cafe. Llegamos a el porque esta abierto hasta las 4 a.m. y con el Hormigo somos muy noctámbulos, nos gusta conversar un café o algo por el estilo. Pero dudo que volvamos, porque el lugar es muy barrio Bellavista, con gente demasiado ebria y envalentonada, y policías correteándolos incluidos, aparte de otros desagradables detalles como la joda para estacionar, etc. etc.

El asunto es que hemos andado viendo rincones para ir de vez en cuando y donde yo tenga algo que pueda comer por si me pilla la hora de almuerzo o comida. Me aburre soberanamente tener tan pocas opciones, porque hasta las ensaladas acá suelen ser saturadas de quesos fritos, tocino grasoso y demases. De ahí les iré contando sobre nuevos notables descubrimientos.

Vi la película “300”. El Hormigo moría por verla, y yo tenia ganas de echarle un vistazo porque es una adaptación de comics de Frank Miller, al igual que “Sin City”, película que realmente me gustó montones. Peeeeero “300”, con su rey que hablaba a gritos todo el rato, no me hizo ni un tilín. Ustedes ya la vieron?

Me dieron risa algunas reacciones sobre el tema anterior de la encomienda que llego de Chile, etc. Algunos comentarios y hasta un par de mails que llegaron juran que estamos al borde de la depresión por la nostalgia que nos provocaría la patria y todo ese rollo. Gracias por la preocupación, pero en verdad esa percepción de nuestra situación es un poco errada, jeje. De todas maneras saludos para estas personas y para todos aquellos que pasen por este humilde cuchitril. Los estoy visitando!

(*)Imagen tomada desde athomesafe.com

From the 13th to the 19th of August

The other night we were driving on these giant highways towards Downtown when we saw aproximately 10 police cars with their flashing lights blocking three of the five lanes. The police chopper flew pretty low lightning up the adjacent streets quickly. When we continued we could see as many as 20 cops around an F-150 handcuffing a guy (black guy, according to me. Mexican guy, according to my husband) who was kneeling down. There were some giant policemen watching the proceedure with huge machine guns. The voice of reason told me to hurry Hormigo up, because the cops were getting someone else out of the car and american people are known for being kamikaze in spite of being surrounded, sometimes firing and all hell brakes loose! But we couldn’t stop looking as the cars continued. All the situation looked like a weird tv sketch... Later on Fox 4 News we saw the people of the truck had effectively shot everyone and everywhere before they were arrested. Dang... !

We continued our journey and arrived at this small place, partially hidden between a motel, some shops and constructions. It was the only one-story building on the block. We went in. I was a bit unsure because we had already fallen in those 24 hour diners where you can only find unhealthy greasy fried fast food that I am not able to eat, and I had had to settle with just a coffee with “Sweet and Low”. But I was pleasantly surprised, because the place offers a lot of fresh healthy food, vegetarian sandwiches, veggie burgers, non sugar natural fruit juices and as many as 30 kind of coffees from all the world to taste. Literally an oasis in the junk food world that floods supermarkets, restaurants and a big percentage of american homes. Besides, the service and the ambience are really good and the music is even better. So if you come to Dallas sometime and you are in the Downtown area (anytime, it’s a 24/7 place), go to 4154 N. Central Expressway, and visit BuzzBrew Kitchen.

Two nights later we went to this other place called Exposition Park Cafe. We went there because it’s open until 4 am and Hormigo and I are very nocturnal creatures, we like to chat over a coffee or something like that. But I don’t think we are going back, because the surrounding area was full of other places with people who were drunk and full of liquid courage, police on horseback controlling them, besides of other unpleasant details like the difficulty to park the car, etc.

The thing is we are visiting different places to go every now and then where I have something to eat if dinner or lunch time catches me there. I’m bored of having so little options, because here in the US (at least in Texas) even the salads have a lot of fried cheese, greasy bacon, unhealthy dressings, etc. I’ll tell you when we discover new places.

I saw “300”. Hormigo was dying to see it, and I was curious because it's an adaptation of Frank Miller's comic, the same as “Sin City”, and I really loved that movie. Buuut “300”, with its king shouting all the time, didn’t interest me in the end. Have you seen it already?

I think some comments you left me on the previous post and some mails you sent me were funny. Some people think Hormigo and I are almost depressed because we miss our country so much. Thanks for the concern, but that perception of our situation is a little mistaken, hehe. Anyways, I send my regards to them and all of the visitors of this corner. I’ll visit you soon!

(*)Picture taken from athomsafe.com

Labels: cine y television, movies and TV, personal, USA lifestyle

Hace ya algunas semanas que no sé qué publicar acá. Sentí que ya había pasado el período de hablar de las cosas personales, sobre todo por la operación y el cambio de casa/país. Pero dejar de hablar totalmente de uno mismo en un blog personal es casi una contradicción, así que aquí estoy de nuevo, dando una pincelada de nuestra vida en estos barrios.

Hoy en la tarde recibí una encomienda. Venía desde otro estado de USA, de parte de una amiga de mi vieja, que de pura buena onda se trajo desde la larga y angosta faja unos cuantos remedios que me hacían falta y los mandó por correo nacional más rápidamente. También había unos chocolates sin azúcar (“light” de verdad, no con azúcar, calorías y mil cosas como los que hay acá…) que hemos gozado a concho con el Hormigo y una tarjeta de parte de mi familia, donde contaban que se habían estado acordando mucho de mí el 17 de Julio pasado, día de mi santo. Incluso venían unas sacarinas en dosificador, detalle que me dio mucha risa. A pesar de que son cosas súper comunes, me emociono que llegara “un aire” desde mi casa. Hasta las perritas movieron las colas cuando abrí la caja, y me imaginé que con sus olfatos mucho más desarrollados, lograron oler aromas familiares. (Seguramente sólo codiciaban mis chocolates, las muy interesadas, jajaj).

También pude hablar por MSN de forma más extendida con Juan Carlos, un amigazo desde la U e incluso testigo/padrino de nuestro matrimonio. Se leía harto mejor que la ultima vez, y me alegra, porque tuvo sus momentos difíciles. Incluso me contó que ya ciertas preocupaciones se estaban resolviendo y que estaba bien en paz con sus cosas.

Aunque la vida acá me gusta cada día más, es refrescante tener aires de la madre patria. Porque tal como dijo una bloguera chilena que también vive en el extranjero, uno “desaparece del mapa chilensis” y así desaparecen muchos amigos que al final no lo eran tanto, o que solo saludan muy de tarde en tarde tanteando si podrán venir de vacaciones a alojar con nosotros, ahorrándose el platal que les costaría. Es loco como la vida se encarga de cuando en cuando de señalarnos a la gente que esta realmente con uno…

No había publicado porque estoy siguiendo el desarrollo de una noticia en Chile, así que pronto seguramente postearé al respecto. Mi “avisador de actualizaciones blogueras” terminó de morir, así que no tenía cómo estar al día. Ahora buscaré otro más eficiente (cualquier recomendación es bienvenida) y retomaré las andadas por las bitácoras. Saludos a todos los colegas blogueros como siempre! ;)

(*)Imagen desde pirate4x4.com

From Chile

For a couple of weeks I haven’t known what to publish here. I felt the period when I talked about myself, especially after the surgery and the new home/country, had finished. But to stop talking about ourselves on a personal blog is almost a contradiction, so here I am again, telling you some things about our lives in this neighbourhood.

This afternoon I recieved a package. It came from another US state, from a friend of my mother, who kindly brought from Chile several medicines that I need, and she sent them through domestic mail, a lot faster than sending the package directly from our country. There were non-sugar chocolates (really “light”, not like the pseudo diet chocolates with sugar, calories, etc. here...) and Hormigo, my husband, and I, have really enjoyed them. Also a card from my family, where they told us they had remembered us last July 17th, my saint’s day. They sent two little boxes with Chilean sweetener too, detail that made me laugh a lot. In spite of all the things being very common, I got emotional recieving “some air” from home. Even my dogs wagged their tails when I opened the box, and I imagined they could smell familiar scents with their good noses. (They probably only wanted my chocolates. Spoiled dogs!, LOL).

I was also able to talk by MSN in an extended way with Juan Carlos, a good friend I met at the university in Chile. He was also the best man at our wedding. I felt he was a lot better than the last time I talked to him, and I’m glad because he has had some difficult times. He even told me some worries are ending and he’s “at peace”.

I like the life here more and more every day, but it’s refreshing having “some air” from home, because, like a chilean blogger said some time ago, you “dissapear from the chilean social map” and you lose a lot of “friends” who weren’t really friends in the end, or they only say hello on very few occasions, when they want to visit the US and need a friendly home to stay and save a lot of money at the same time. It’s crazy how life shows us the people who are really supporting us...

I hadn’t posted because I’m following the development of a news in Chile, so probably I’ll tell you about it at a later date. My RSS reader has finally died, so I had no way of being updated. Now I’ll look for another more efficient reader (any recommendation is welcome) and I’ll visit my blog list again. Greetings for all of you blogger coleagues, as usual! ;)

(*)Pic taken from pirate4x4.com

Labels: personal