La globalización está por todos lados

That's right, I'm back at the cyber cafe. It's Sunday and there was nothing else to do. But two friends and I went in together and found out that half our group had also taken the bus to town. Great minds think alike, I guess...

The title of my post is something my Spanish teacher said to me last semester and basically means that globalization is everywhere. She was talking about her conviction that there's a Starbucks here, a fact that was later disproven. But it applies to my life in another important way: the media. I can't count the times I've heard "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Lady in Red" or "Careless Whisper" on the bus, mixed in with the new faves like T-Pain's "Low" or Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl."

I already mentioned some of the American shows we get here, but there are a lot more, from "The Flintstones" to "Dead Zone" to "Tru Calling." It's funny to see shows here that weren't even popular in the States, but then they don't have "The Office" or "Grey's Anatomy." My family also spends a lot of time watching the news, at least half of which is about the U.S. election or the financial crisis. The whole hour of En Punto, the Sunday-morning pundit show, was devoted today to the election. And a lot of volunteers are voting online. So even though I'm missing all the excitement, I'm not exactly far away.

It's warm and gorgeous here today after days of neverending rain. It was nice to wake up late and spend time with my host fam, cooking and watching TV. Guess which tortilla I made...
Yep, I think it's safe to say I need a lot more practice. The other things are red beans and an egg/string bean mixture which is awesome because the string beans are new and fresh from the fields. I also get fried/cooked plantains all the time, so Maryland Food Co-op-ers, be jealous, because they're even better here.

Paz y amor and keep the messages coming!