Tu or Usted?

People often wonder just when they should use tu and when they should use Usted to address a person as “you” in Mexico. For an explanation, see http://culturespan.blogspot.com/.

On Cultural Time

© Tracy Novinger 2008

American culture teaches its members to “save time”... In Mexico one “spends” time…

Go to http://culturespan.blogspot.com

How Culture Affects Communication

Go to http://culturespan.blogspot.com

December 26th in Pátzcuaro

We just arrived in Patzcuaro. The noche buena flowers (poinsettias) are in full bloom. See http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Texas Book Festival 2007 - Austin

Books, authors, speakers, booksigning--adjacent to and in the beautiful facilities of the Capitol of Texas. Add to this interesting people, music and food. The festival catered to both the intellect and the senses. I was conscious today that not even a scrap of discarded paper struck a discordant note on the grounds. What a civilized gathering.

Mansion Cupatitzio & Tzararacua Waterfalls

See http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Heading for Patzcuaro

We head for our home in Patzcuaro tomorrow.
Watch http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Conflagration near Dubrovnik

BBC Online: 06 August, 2007
"Dubrovnik threatened by forest fire. A state of emergency has been declared in Croatia, after a forest fire reached the suburbs of the medieval coastal city of Dubrovnik. The walled city is a major tourist attraction, and is classed as a UNESCO world heritage site."

When we drove by taxi south of Dubrovnik to the airport, we remarked on the vast areas of charred countryside along the coast. The taxi driver recounted that the fire was fierce and widespread, fanned by high winds.

Adding to the conflagration, the fire randomly exploded land mines still buried in the area. To further aggravate the situation, there are lost caches of arms from the 1991-95 war in the woods. When the fire hit these, in culmination they spewed bullets like machine guns.

Not a place for firefighters.

Television Croatia

We read more than we watched television on Korcula. One evening, though, we found a Mexican movie with subtitles in Croatian--more understandable than a movie in Croatian, or a German movie with Croatian subtitles. Viva!

CUT to commercial. Babe on bus holding onto overhead bar. Zoom into pig head in armpit. Wriggles snout to indicate malodor. Hunk next to babe shies away.

CUT to bathroom. Babe sprays armpit with large can of aerosol deodorant. Spray effaces pig.

CUT back to bus. Babe with big smile and armpit with no pig. Smiling hunk moves in. Happy ending.

On to Frankfurt

A cold front moved into Dubrovnik yesterday. We go on to Frankfurt and its lower temperatures in a few hours.