Off Day

Today's date is Monday, January 21, 2013. I waked up earlier this morning than every day because I am taking spring board diving class on Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. When I entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast, I came across my house mate. I told him I had a class today that's why I waked up earlier. He told me today is his off day because of  Martin Luther King, Jr Day. He also told me probably today is also off day for me. Then I checked my schedule on the internet and he was true.

Actually, I had known January 21 is MLK day but I couldn't think today can be off day. I wasn't pleased because I really wanted to go to diving class.

Anyway, today is Holiday in USA because MLK was born January 15. Most holidays were observed on Monday in the USA, therefore people can extend weekend holiday. For this reason, MLK day was observed on Monday, January 21 instead of January 15.

Since usually holidays are observed on Monday, it means that Monday classes are cancelled in every holiday. But this problem was solved. In a semester, when first holiday is observed on Monday, just this Monday classes will be cancelled. When second holiday is observed on Monday, Monday classes will taken on Tuesday and therefore Tuesday classes will be cancelled. If it is experienced one more Monday holiday, this time Wednesday classes will be cancelled.

Parking Regulations

You can see parking signs almost on every street, avenue and so on. Before I purchased car, I didn't pay attention these signs. When I bought my car, I had to spend time to learn what these signs tell. According to street's largeness, neighborhood's population, how far is the neighborhood from downtown or so forth, parking regulations change. So parking rules are very strict and if you violate them, your car will towed by a tow truck. As far as I am concerned tow companies are working on behalf of municipalities. So they are ready to tow your car to make money. Attention please!

Different street has different parking regulations. Sometimes you will just get ticket if you park disallowed spots. Last week a friend of mine who lives in Cambridge visited me. Next morning we noticed that my friend's car got a ticket ($40) because the car had no Allston Brighton parking permit. As many other street or avenue, Long Ave (I live on the Ave.) requires "resident parking permit". So if you are not resident in a neighborhood, probably you can not park there. Or you will pay parking meter to park. Some streets are free for everyone and you don't need to be a resident to park. The other option, if you have visitor has a car, you can park his car your house's drive way.

But Cambridge city gives its residents visitor parking permit, so when you visit your friend you will not meet any parking problem there. Boston City has no any practice like that.

Parking is free on Sundays in Boston. So I went the Mugar with my car this Sunday because of free parking. Otherwise I would have gone with train. By the way, in Miami, you should pay even Sunday.  And moreover parking charge is very high. 

Voluntariness (Volunteering)

Volunteer is everywhere... I met them at public libraries first. They are volunteers to teach English for ESL students. Young, old, teacher, lawyer, employee or retired person. Everybody can be volunteer here.

By the way, to keep in mind the word "volunteer" was not easy for me. I used to forget it, I don't know why. Then I found a solution not to forget it which I call to mind the word "volume" first, then remember "volunteer". This was a very private information about me, but I released it, I'm so sorry.

Anyway, you aren't supposed to be native to be volunteer here. Some ESL students or any other foreigners can work as volunteer and therefore they can improve English skill and communication skill.

Nowadays I want to try as a volunteer. I can work in an organization and hopefully I can meet new people and increase my English level as well. Recently, I share my this desire with a friend and she sent me a link "idealist.org". I'll try it. And also I can get some information about volunteering from public libraries.

On the other hand, Spring 2013 semester started last week. I don't know whether I can spend enough time for my classes if I begin to work.

The Dog Story

I moved in to my new house yesterday and I woke there this morning. There is a park nearby called Ringer Playground. I went there for running this morning. Then I witnessed an interesting event.

When a big dog saw another dog he ran to him. His owner was a weak lady. She tried to hold her dog, but she couldn’t do it. The dog dragged her sometimes on inclined ground.  Then the woman fell into concrete road. She couldn't stand up. She lay there like she was sleeping. I could tell she was injured. Some people tried to help her but her dog didn’t allow them.

About ten minutes later, an ambulance arrived there and two paramedics approached the woman but the barking dog didn’t allow them to approuche very closely and touch her. Then the police came. Three policemen shouted the dog. One of them drew his gun and pretended he was shooting. Then the dog ran away and paramedics helped her and carried her to the ambulance. There was blood on her chin and arm.

Piercing

Last week I went to New York to get a Canada visa. After applied for visa I came back to Boston. When I was waiting the bus in the New York Port Authority Bus Station, I charged my phone in lounge. In the same place there was a teenager (later she declared she is 17 years old) who charged her phone. And there was an American guy in his forties. We began to talk. The teenager told us she is originally from Puerto Rico and her father passed away last year. But she looked pretty happy. Anyway she also mentioned about she loved piercing. And then she showed us her tongue which was pierced. There was a metal like a pin on her tongue. She told she had another one and she showed a piercing on belly. When I asked if she felt pain during the piercing. She said no. Then she showed us a video on her phone about her tongue piercing. As she said, before piercing she was very relaxed. She raised a laugh after someone pierced her tongued as well.

Then she showed us her two tattoos which one of them is on her arm and another is on her leg. I told tattoo is very popular in America and almost everyone has tattoo. Then I asked the man if he has any tattoo. He said tattoo is waste of money for him.

I asked myself "Can I have a tattoo or piercing" I said no without hesitation. What about my reason? Money or pain? None of them. For the time being I don't need them.

User Experience (UX)

I joined a meeting called UX Social Hour. According to Wikipedia, User Experience (UX) is the way a person feels about using a product, system or service. User experience highlights the experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership, but it also includes a person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such as utility, ease of use and efficiency of the system. User experience is subjective in nature, because it is about an individual’s feelings and thoughts about the system. User experience is dynamic, because it changes over time as the circumstances change.


I know that mentioning about the definition was boring but I don't want to confuse with UX when I read the blog. Anyway, I met different people at the meeting. And I experienced some odd conversation.


First, a South Korean lady tried to guess my country and she said "You can be from Middle East but I can't say a specific country". She closed to answer, at least she didn't say, you can be from India:) I asked her whether she can distinguish Asian people or not. She told she usually can distinguish. She also told she could distinguish them not only looking at their face but also their body language. I also noticed her point before. I mean I distinguished Turkish people when I looked at their gesture and facial expression.


I met a Swedish guy. He is thirty something years old. He went to Turkey for visiting when he was young. He said he know a Turkish word and he added: "Merhaba". He also said laughingly he know another one but he didn't want to say. I asked him "Which one?" And I insisted him to say. Then he told it: It was a swear and it means "Fuck your mother." From what he told me, he learned the swear a Turkish friend of him who lives in US. By the way, I learnt that Swedish swears are not sexual words but religious words such as demon, hell and so on.


I asked him: As far as I am concerned, Sweden is very comfortable country and your people are happy in your country, so why did you come to US to live? He told he didn't want to be a regular citizen there. He said, he want to learn much money here.


I met an American guy in this meeting. He asked me "What is the rate of religions in Turkey" When I replayed he asked me another question? Are Kurdish population in Turkey Christian?


7/24/2012

USS (United State Ship) Constitution

Today we went to USS Constitution for visiting. She is a warship and she has a 200-year history. She was used against England by North American colonies two hundred yeas ago.

Today I noticed again that tour guides speak very fast. They memorized what they speak and they want to finish their job as soon as possible. So it is not easy to understand them at all. One day if I can understand them easily I will say "Ok, I did"

There were about 100 people who came with this group. After visiting some twenty people went to an Irish pub close to Haymarket train station.

I met some people at the pub. One of them is an old American lady. She complimented me saying "you have shaped lips". I do not know whether she was drank or my lip is really shaped. But years ago a Turkish friend of mine told me like this "your lips seem like a drawing:)
7/21/212