Cabo San Lucas

Hey everyone! Tomorrow I leave to go to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. I will take lots of pictures of the ocean, and try to get pictures of the culture, but Cabo is made for tourists, not the native people. Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas! (or late Hanukkah, or early Quanza)

Happy holidays! I don't know what you celebrate, but I celebrate Christmas and I am SOOOO happy! My top three presents (none more special then the other) are two tickets to see Wicked at the theater (thank you "Santa", chocolate covered cherries, (I blame Josh for the quick disappearance) and not but not least, a donation for Trust in Education! My Grandma read my blog and saw how much I loved the organization so she donated! They were so grateful that they sent her a heart necklace made out of a certain stone found only in Afghanistan, which she gave to me! Happy holidays!

Caga Tio

In Spain from December 8th to Christmas Eve many people have a Caga Tio, or in English "Poop Log" out and displayed. I know what your thinking "Eww" but having Caga Tio is really a lot of fun! A Caga Tio is a log with a smiley face and a red hat. I made one, it's picture is up at the top! Sadly, I couldn't make the hat, but he still looks cute! You wouldn't believe what people do with this log. Every night from December 8th to Christmas Eve, the children put out food for the log, and lay a blanket on his back, but on Christmas Eve, something really weird happens. After eating dinner the parents hide presents that resembles stocking stuffer stuff. Then the parents give their children sticks and the kids sing-

Caga Tio avellanes I torró
Si no vols cagar
Et donamen un cop de pal

Which basically means-

Poop Log hazelnuts and turon

If you do not poo

we will hit you with a stick

 While they do this, who would have guessed it, they hit the log with a stick! When they finish the song they lift up the blanket and see what the Caga Tio "Pooped". Strange right? This world is and odd one, but when you think about it, we talk about a fat guy delivering presents made by elves on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. Maybe it isn't too weird that they hit a log to find gifts among its feces.

Questions for Budd MacKenzie

After I wrote the post The Women of Afghanistan, I realized I had many questions. Budd MacKenzie is the founder of Trust in Education, which is an organization that I have mentioned numerous times, and you are probably sick of hearing about. I decided that he was the best person to answer my questions. Last Tuesday Budd spoke at the Mt. Diablo Peace Center about the conditions of women in Afghanistan. Sadly, I wasn't able to go but I gave my list of questions to a friend (who has a super awesome blog at http://www.hannahsprojectrainbow.com/) who went and asked Budd the questions. Here are the answers.

Why do you think education is so important?

Budd: Education is so important because it gives people the skills that they can use to lift themselves out of poverty.

What do most families think about child marriage?

Budd: Many households don't care about the girls. They want to raise money for their son's marriage, and unload their daughters.

Do most people like your help?

Budd: Totally! When you are in survival mode, you will do anything to stay alive. Anything.      

 Do you think Afghanistan will ever fully recover from its past?

Budd: Yes, but it will take a long time. Piece by piece they are fixing it up, but Trust in Educations piece is getting bigger and bigger.

What can we do to help?

Budd: Have the U.S. change their foreign policy to make gender equality very important and stop money flow to countries that don't support gender equality.

              

Sources for Women of Afghanistan

I forgot to say before that I got all the information I needed for my post about the women of Afghanistan from a website called Trust in Education. The address for Trust in Education (which if you read that post you would know Trust in Education is a great organization that helps the women of Afghanistan) is http://www.trustineducation.org/why-afghanistan/life-as-an-afghan-woman/.  My Teens Around the World teacher let me take a picture of her burqa that she got when she traveled around the world. I will explain Teens Around the World in my next post.

I Love the Sky!

Check out this BEAUTIFUL sunset! It really goes to show that this world we live in is really wonderful!

The Women of Afghanistan

Life in Afghanistan is hard. Even though it is the men who have to fight in the never ending wars, work, and take care of the family’s finances, it’s the women who have the worst side of the story.

            In the culture of Afghanistan women have limited rights. In fact according to Sharia law (the Islamic guide book for everyday life) a women’s say is only half that of a man’s. In the Taliban’s regime (1996 – 2001), many of the few rights women had were taken away. As an example, women were forced to wear a burqa, a piece worn that completely covers their body. Burqas not the best clothes, for they are hot, stuffy, and allow limited vision. In the hot summer sun of Afghanistan, were temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit   (though that doesn't happen often) many women wish they could where something less… torturous. Heat stroke is evident.

             Other than the heat, burqas are bad for another reason. Burqas block your peripheral vision, so how’s a woman supposed to see the car coming straight at her? The limited vision also makes it hard to watch the children. If a child were to wander off the chance of the child finding his or her mother is very slim, for every woman has to wear the same type of clothing. As if that wasn't enough, the Taliban also declared women unable to leave a house if not accompanied by a man of relation. That causes trouble for Afghanistan’s 1.5 million widows, who usually have to resort to begging on the streets, or sadly prostitution. Widows aren't uncommon thanks to child marriage. 50% of Afghan women are married or engaged by the age of 10, while 60% are married by 16. Some women activists say that 80% of the marriages in rural areas are young girls forced to marry far older men. Most of the time, the couple doesn't meet until their wedding day. How can these young wives outlive their husbands?

Afghanistan is still recovering from the Taliban’s rule. Though life for women has improved, the statistics on child marriage and widows rings true to this day. How can we help stop the madness? Get involved, and one of the best organizations to work with is called Trust In Education, where I got all this information. They have great ideas and presentations. I went to one of their packing parties and it was fun! Packing parties are when a bunch of volunteers, doesn't matter the age, get together and pack up stuff to ship to Afghanistan. There were boxes of rice, blankets, clothes, and even soccer balls packed up and sent off, to be given to the needy. I could practically imagine the little boy who would pretty much live in the sweater I packed up through the harsh winter. There are more things you can do to help, just do a little research of your own. You never know what you could find.

My friend wearing a Burqa my teacher has