A Day of Thanks in Our Busy Lives

It is nice to know that in our busy work oriented culture we actually have an holiday to spend time with family. American culture is usually busy and work oriented but amazingly Thanksgiving is the day that everyone puts their stress aside and spends their time with their family and friends. This is the one day where we all come together and be thankful for what we have. Thanksgiving is not only celebrated in American but is also celebrated is many other places with a slightly different tradition. Every autumn, the ancient Greeks enjoyed a three-day festival to honor Demeter, the goddess of corn and grains. The Romans had a similar celebration in which they honored­ Ceres, the goddess of corn. The Roman celebration included music, parades, games, sports and a feast, much like modern Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is an holiday that is almost in every culture with slightly different traditions and meanings but no matter what culture it is in, we can definitely say it is one of the few holidays that relieves an individual from their cultural stress and lets them spend wonderful time with their family and friends.

What we are!

Yesterday, after the pep rally, my friends and I went to mall and we were just looking through everything. By the time we finished buying everything we needed, I started to realize how materialistic we are. I noticed how some us brought so many things we didn’t even need. sNot only that but I also realized how strict we are on time. We all kept checking our watches, and stayed only until a certain point in each store and we managed to fit everything we needed to do in the certain time schedule. When one of my friend’s mom was late to pick her up, she was freaking out on how much time is being wasted and how she had things to do. As Americans, we are, we out knowing time oriented, and a little materialistic if not a lot.

Humans & Pets: Is the love too much?

Today, when I was reading a magazine I came across a very interesting article called, “I divorced by husband to be with my pet.” As crazy as it sounds, it was a true story about a woman who had a German Shepherd and when her husband wanted to sell it; she divorced him. His reasoning was logical. Since the recession, the couple was having a hard time providing food for themselves and for the dog. So, one day the husband thought it would be a good idea to give the dog to their family friend, who they’ve knew for years. His wife on the other hand completely disagreed. What is even more interesting is that, the couple was married for 5 years, and they just got the dog 4 months ago. It was sad knowing that the wife chose her dog of 4 months, over her husband of 5 years. After reading this, I started to realize that most Americans value pets a lot more than many other cultures around the world. Many societies don’t own pets, and even if they do, it is usually a dog. As Americans on the other hand, we own MANY various types of pets. We range from simple household animals such as dogs to owning birds, mice and even snakes! When I first came to America in 2003, I had to leave my dog behind, and it was a heartbreaking time for me. After getting an opportunity to go over a friend’s house, I was excited since not only was she was my first friend, but also because I knew she had many pets. Therefore, when my friend invited me over to her house to play with her “pets,” I naturally expected her to have two dogs and not what I saw! She had three parakeets, eight fishes, two dogs, one bunny, and a cat. I thought I was in a very different world! I never saw anyone having bunnies, fishes, parakeets, and especially cats when I was in India! (Mainly cats, because cats were known to be “bad luck” or “evil” in the Indian culture). After seeing all the various types of pets, I started to realize how much the American culture values animals! They treat them as their own family whereas most pets in other countries are treated more as a responsibility then as family! I mean we even have their personal beds, clothing, and hospitals for them.


However, even though we treat animals with such care, I also feel as things sometimes get a bit out of hand...

Read this quote for example:

In the United States, 63 percent of households include a pet (up 7 percent since 1988), and pet lovers spent $38.5 billion on their pets in 2006 (up from $21 billion a decade earlier). Americans now spend several billion dollars more on dog and cat food than they do on baby food.

In San Francisco, pet owners – "pet guardians" according to city ordinance – outnumber children nearly 2 to 1


Wow! I mean having pets isn’t a bad thing! I love animals, but sometimes I wonder if things are getting out of hand. Sure pets can be a good thing, their used as aid for the blind, therapy for the lonely, and even as company for elders. I also think things are getting chaotic when pets start to outnumber children, when married couples split up because of their pet. In addition, when people spend more money on pet supplies then they do on their needs.

For example: In 2006, her family pet, a golden retriever, accidentally strangled a 6-year-old girl to death because her family didn’t see the dog as a threat than it really was.

Sometimes, I feel as if we love our pets so much, that we don’t see the hidden dangers that lay around them.

Am I saying that having pets is bad? No, of course not! I love pets! Although, I am saying that we have to look at the statistics once in a while, and think if we are going a little overboard when we start having to choose between pets over humans.

My Not so Great Weekend.

When people ask “How your weekend was?”, they usually expect a normal response like: “It was okay”, but when people started to ask me, I really don't think they expected my answer. On Saturday, exactly at 4:00 pm my house caught on fire. How? Well, let me just say, I have not so bright neighbors who decided to leave their stove on and walk out. So let me just tell you how it all started. I was home alone and in my bedroom watching a movie, when I smelled something burning. I looked out of my bedroom balcony (which by the way was on the 3rd story) and saw smoke coming out of my neighbors window. At first I thought they burnt some food and what not, but later the smell got worse. After 10 mins or so, I was on my way to neighbors to check if everything was alright, and just when I opened my bedroom door, it was all smoke. I live in a town house, so in a way my neighbors’ house and mine are connected. It was pitch black and the smoke had already engulfed my house. I ran back inside my bedroom and into the balcony . People started to scream and the firefighters came. I tried to find my phone which I later remembered was left downstairs on the kitchen table. Some people even suggested for me to jump! I mean did they think I was Spider man or something?! I was on the 3rd story and jumping from it would defiantly mean that I was going to break more then one bone . Just as I thought all hope was lost, a firefighter came and told me to get on the ladder he was putting up. I first hesitated, I mean your expecting a person who is scared of heights, to climb over her balcony fence and onto a ladder that seems not trust worthy to hold my weight? I don't think so. But in the end I didn't have a choice. So I somehow made my way down the ladder and back to safety. Luckily after 2 hours of standing in the cold with nothing but pajamas and no shoes on, everything was over and no one was hurt. But the worst part was yet to com. The most terrorizing part of the whole experience was not the fire but it was explaining to my parents what happened to our house when they came home from work. A few minutes later after everyone left, my parents finally came home or what WAS their home to be welcomed by a beautiful mess. Luckily, my house wasn't damaged as much I thought it would be, and only a part of the ceiling broke off but even after explaining , I really don't think my parents are ever going to leave me home alone......ever, even though it was not my fault! So how does this all relate to culture ? As, Mrs.Lober said, culture is all around us. Later that night, I started to think about India and what would happen if this fire occurred there. The firefighters probably would have come after the whole thing was over or even if they came at the peak of fire, it would have taken them hours to put it out. I started to realize how much the American culture values safety of the people, and time. They get things done fast and don't waste any precious time. They also value the peoples life and make sure that no one is hurt.