Playtime!

There are two things that immediately strike you when you enter the playground in Sceaux. The first is the beauty and artistry of the composition of the playground (the wood used to build the 'games' is obviously of very high quality and very durable and everything seems placed just at the right spot). The second is how ecofriendly and relevant the 'game pieces' are for the children.  

Children are literally exploring notes of music, using letters to get to where they need to go, becoming very comfortable in an atmosphere where positive underlying messages are being transmitted while active learning is taking place and all while having lots of fun!

First in line!

Last month at the train station in St Pancreas International London, an hour before the departure (this is highly unusual but having missed the preceding train I was early for this one) I noticed that there was a line at the gate of Chinese (flags on the luggage) travellers paitiently waiting for the door to open to be the first ones on the train. No one else seemed concerned about the train which was no where near to the station and certainly not ready for boarding. I wondered if the Chinese were worried that if they were not first in line that they would be left...then i thought ....

In a time when the Asian economy is on the rise and Chinese, Indian and Japanese firms are the first in line for opportunities of growth, was this culture which was showing itself in such a simple way... of not only not wanting to miss the train but needing to be the first on the train the key to the puzzle.....?

As the boarding of the train was announced I got up from my seat right near the entrance and slotted myself nicely in near to the front of the line.....hmmmm.....I made it on the train...one can perharps also be well placed for success too.....

Life is all about perspective...

Life is all about what we make of it....very simple and maybe too simple ...but i believe it...how we look at our situation can make a big difference to our happiness and to how we relate to others.

It can't be about comparing ourselves to a given standard....because with all of our immense differences how can there truly be an adequate measure...if you're lonely...think of it as time to reflect....if you're tired...at least you have lots to do....if you've failed an exam...you can do it over...its probably better than just barely passing and not truly have the opportunity to properly learn the subject matter....if you can't have kids....there is adoption, and many kids need parents...if you're unemployed..maybe time to start your own business????

The Global Village and Timbuk 2

Globalization....an ongoing process...it's the breaking down of national borders to trade and the flow of goods, capital, services, and labour...

Jamaicans teaching english here in france... Online purchases made at amazon which make it easy to stay anywhere in the world and have access to pretty much anything....Making free phone calls to Jamaica, Holland or to timbuk 2 for that matter anytime anywhere with the internet...Having a tall white chocolate mocha ala Starbucks on a street corner in NYC, across from class on Grand Boulevard in Paris, or in a hotel in Nassau....

We have access to the same things though there are differences in resources....history.... politics... personality... nationality....but how do we overcome the gap between demand and the inability to consume by the masses?

Scenes from my journey today

Its quite a mix of experiences on each days journey....from grafitti on trains...to unconventional art in train stations and on buildings....all types of resturants....all types of people....french....random jamaicans in a kebab resturant.....french...rivers...metro stations...cafes...

The mix makes things constantly interesting and exciting...sometimes a bit overwhelming...

Always something to do....if only people watching....unless of course you're hiding from the cold....and thankfully the weather's getting better now so it'll be more exploring :)

A new take on music in the garden!

Punch line a bit general???

Charity campaign in German airport.....I think the punch line is a bit general to say the least.....

The French Jam Down Linkeage

Its really true that Jamaicans can be found everywhere in the world. We seem to be specialists of exploration and assimilation of other cultures. Its quite interesting just how deep the network of Jamaicans is in Paris as everyday a Jamaican tells me ...oh Ive met another Jamaican...or mentions a so and so who is Jamaican or married to a Jamaican.

Many Jamaicans are highly succesful outside of Jamaica, some who may not have had the opportunities in JA which they have found abroad....

It begs the question of .... is an expanding diaspora a good thing or a bad thing for the country itself ?...should we be celebrating the diaspora more or are persons belonging to the diaspora too far removed from our reality that there is resentment at their success or maybe a kind of feeling of superiority if one has been more succesful in the Jamaican context?

Is the Jamaican context more hostile than the international context??

Life changes and forces us to adapt....

Before you know it the world shifts position and you are forced to change your perspective...when i look back at pictures and see how much in my life has changed without orchestration or intent it amazes me....I can imagine who some persons "in the sunset" of their lives may become depressed or may be surprised that what they intended earlier is not who or where they are now...how distance and time changes things - many times for the good ...we therefore have to be flexible agents ready to garner new perspectives and overcome the new challenges we are faced...never forgetting how instrumental the past has been and still remains, as the foundation from which we build...and respecting and loving it all...past present and the possibilities of the future...

The Question of Old Age Homes

So a friend of mine in the Salle de Professors just asked me if in Jamaica its very usual to place senior citizens in old age homes. It is a usual occurance in France. We don't.... but i'm not so certain about the reason for this.

Is it a case that most of the population can't afford to, or is it that we care so much about our elderly that we decide we need to personally take care of them? Is it that we are more altruistic than the French? Is this in fact in the best interest of our older folks?