It was at a cafe near this bran new ice skating rink on the highest floor of a gigantic shopping mall near my home.
It was cool!....although a bit weird...cause I was at my student's birthday party...with a bunch of strangers...and parents who's kids I teach.
So this man stops to speak to me and he goes; so do you have a kid at this party? hahaha..., and I laugh say no...and that I'm Hedda's English teacher.
Nope! ...no kids yet!
Wow...I mean, I know I can clean up real good (HAHAHHA), but to look like a parent?
I made a note before going to dress decently and it's a good thing cause these conversations with these people were very telling of what was clearly a generation gap, yet only an age gap of about ten to 15 years!
You have to understand that these are fairly well off expats in Moscow.
As much as I love Hedda and her parents, I couldn't help but feel more at ease playing with the kids....and the truth is, I don't think it was a matter of me not wanting to socialize with the adults, but none of them seemed all that keen to talk to me. When they did, I never had to struggle so hard to find things to say!
One of the parents was complaining about the taxes around the world....we started talking about ridiculous taxes in Norway and then Paris, and how Moscow doesn't tax that much and the man was saying how great that was, and all I could think of was how different we were...how privileged we all are, yet how different we were. (By privilege, I mean people who have benefits just by holding a passport of a first world country, not $ signs. I'm fairly certain this man spends more than my salary per month on his rent alone, and that's a generous assumption). I ALWAYS feel the need to find balance in a coversation when it's wayyy too one sided, so I just HAD to bring it up...How taxes aren't only about the amount of money the government takes from our pockets, it's about the social benefits that people that AREN'T as privileged as us can get. Norway has one of the BEST social public support system form the government. Education is funded; EVERYTHING's funded. Yeah things are freakin' expensive, but they balance out to a certain extent. There's almost 5 million people in Norway, and considering they've been voted most peaceful country in the world; they MUST be doing something right. It's about social programs, pensions, health care, subsidized ANYTHING for people who can't offord things as easily as we can. I'm not saying people in Norway are very impoverished; YES it's a rich country. Yes it's easier to take care of a smaller and richer country, but all I'm saying is that SOMETHING is being done to support the population. Maybe if countries did more for their people, the whole situation would be better. For SURE, not being taxed in Moscow is fabulous, but it only benefits the privileged. If we look at the poverty some people live in, the corruption, and dirt and LACK of good health/dental/pension/everything we take for granted, you'll see, MR. Privileged, that compared to somoene like you who's company will pay for a comfortable life, maybe the millions of Russians who live in the same expensive city with a fraction of your salary wouldn't mind paying a few percentages of what they make and buy just to have decent benefits.
I said all of this to him with my respect filter turned on HIGH.
All he could add to that was that Yes, he does miss having the good roads and highway structures he sees in high tax countries.
His daughter's real cute though...
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On a slightly funnier note:
I just got this e-mail.
I'm still recieving e-mails reagarding my flat posting I put up on an expat forum here in moscow.
THANKFULLY I made up a new e-mail address cause it's the second time I get an e-mail like this one:
"Hello dear,
My name is fatouba Dioh.
My hobbies are reading, music, watching of movies and playing of basketball.
I was impressed when i saw your profile and will like to discuss important matter with you and as well as establishe a long lasting relationship with you.In addition, please kindly contact me direct with my e-mail address: xxxx@yahoo.comWaiting to hear from you soonest.
With love.
Miss fatouba."
Actually, the other one was funnier...lemme find it:
Read it now, or save it for a SAD SAD day, cause it'll make you laugh your pants off and feel INSTANTANEOUSLY better about your life and the world we live in:
"My name is miss cherish i saw your profile today and became interested in you,i will also like to know you the more,and i want you to send a mail to my email address so i can give you my picture for you to know whom l am.Here is my email address(@yahoo.co.uk).I believe we can move from here.I am waiting for your mail to my email address above.miss cherish.(Remeber the distance or colour does not matter but love matters alot in life) Please reply me with my email address here"
YES I have these people's e-mails.
No I have not written them back, and
NO you can not have the e-mail addresses!
...and YES, yes I am quite the heartbreaker.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA :)
hugsalot
loveloveovlveolvoe
patey:]
Here's to my FANTABULOUS Hedda (I call her Heds:) and to kids who get so happy because of simple tiny things!! Everybody; send her happy thoughts!
Here's a pic of her being her wonderful self. She's so cool :))))
3 comments:
that little girl is adorable! she looks so happy :)
so about expats. i mean, i've heard the term before and sorta know what it means...it just means someone from one country living in another country, right? or do you have to apply somewhere to officially say you're an expat? does it make you of an elevated status in the country you're living in? why isn't every immigrant an expat? or are they?
what country was this father that you were talking to from? norway?
i agree with you on the fact that people from norway shouldn't complain about high taxes cause they have free school and health care and everything else. but on the other hand, it's angering when you work to earn money and that money is always taken away. i guess you look at it from a socialist point of view, which is very responsible. but at the same time, that means your pride in your work disappears.
i had a heck of an argument at work about me getting this scholarship. my boss was upset because she said it was too much money and i complained cause i said i had worked hard to get that scholarship and i thought i deserved it. she thinks the money should be spread more thinly so that more students can get awards too. i say if it's merit based, then leave me the hell alone!
i just thought i'd share that cause it reminded me of your norway taxation story, even if i sound ridiculous ;)
yeah...I'm TOTALLY a socialist; I realize that...
I completely understand what you mean about it being frustrating when so much of your money gets taken away; of course it is...I think my beliefs stem from the idea that I think we never really need as much as we think we need. I'm trying to live a simplistic life, and hold simplistic beliefs, so that's where it comes from I think. maybe the world would be a better place knowing that we don't really NEED as much as we think we do. I dunno.... :)
as for your scholarship, well the person giving the funds thought it was a good rate, so I think it's fair game. If I want to spend a hunk of money on something, it's my right to, as my money. I agree, heck, you've earned it, and I'm SURE that scholarship wasn't easy to get.
the father I was talking about was Canadian. Norwegians know how much things are...I dont' hear many complaining all that much, but seriously; what do I know. I just know what I know, and it's not everything....just one perspective. (One socialist one hehe)
anyway there's a response!
hugs for you Y
oh yeah, and expats basically means someone who's expatriated from their original country.
...the word on the street (tehee), is just basically someone who's living in a country long term, who's not an original citizen
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