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So it has been a little while since I posted, but the day after I got to Paris I found an apartment.  It is in the 18th arrondissement which is in the North of Paris.  It is a 37 sq. meter(I am not sure how much that is in feet)  that I am sharing with a girl that is from SUNYGeneseo.  We met before we came to Paris because she is going through the international education department at Oswego because we offer a Paris program that is not offered at Geneseo. 

My Apartment building

Anyway, our apartment is really nice, the only problem is there is not internet.  And let me tell you from personal experience that getting internet in France is not the easiest thing to do.  You need a RIB (its an identification card from your bank, which is something only french banks give out, so I had to get a bank account first, which also isn’t easy).  You also need proof that you reside at the address you give them, and you need to know the number of your apartment according to French Telecom which is on a plaque at the base of your door.  And the worst thing is, once you finally bring them all of this information you need to wait until the wifi box is mailed which takes 2-3 weeks.  Welcome to Paris I suppose.  I just am frustrated that it takes long to get internet here.  There are not very many cafes that have internet so I have been sitting in the computer lab, (which is the only one in the school and only has about 15 computers) trying to keep in touch with the world.  It is very frustrating.

Things here are much more layed back.  People don’t rush to do things and everything is unorganized.  I start school in less than 2 weeks and ther course bulletin isn’t even out yet.  In Paris, you show up in class the first day it is offered and that is how you sign up.  I definately miss myoswego and web registration, go USA.  lol

I am studying abroad in Paris through an exchange program called MICEFA(International mission for coordination of french and american exchange or mission interuniversitaire de cordination des exchange franco-americain).  I arrived a few weeks before classes because we have an orientation program and intensive language courses.  That has been keeping me busy because we are in class 3 hours a day monday through friday.  We also have been doing some sight seeing in Paris.  We went to Pont Neuf on a boat ride on the seine and we went to the Carnavalet Museum today. MICEFA is a great exchange program and I have had a great time thus far. 

I am a little homesick, but I hope it gets better once school starts, I think it will.  There is a big difference in the culture and lifestyles of Paris.  I really love baugettes and Strawberry and Raspberry tartlettes.  They are amazing.  There is one thing that can never go wrong in Paris and that is food.  Yummy yummy food. 

Anyway, hopefully I will get internet permanately soon, then I will post some more pictures.  :)

Cell phone used linked to tumors

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I was searching the swine flu and tracking it in the U.S on CNN.com when I came across an article about cell phone use linked to tumors. This caught my eye.
The radiation that cell phones, especially blackberrys and iPhones, give off are extremely harmful. Regardless, research has been conducted on people who have had tumors in the brain or salivary glands and have been using cell phones for 10 plus years, it still poses a problem in today’s society.
A friend of mine works in sales at a Verizon Wireless store in upstate New York, while another friend works at Sprint in the capital region of Albany. I have heard multiple stories from them of how they have sold phones to parents for their children as young as six! Six years old! Can you believe this?! First of all, a child’s brain and scull are not full developed which allows easy transmission of radiation from cell phone usage. Just as it is easier for a child as young as six to catch a cold because they are sensitive to these things. Now very few parents are getting their children the simplistic phones, they are purchasing the high-tech phones such as the Env3 touch, LG voyager and even the iPhone from Apple that have high radiation transmission.
According to research by CTIA in 2005, wireless usage has sky rocketed. Over 65 percent of U.S house holds use a wire less cell phone and 6 percent of households are completely wireless. 675 billion minutes were used during the first three months of 2005. Now, that was four years ago. Think of the technology that has been produced and consumed in the last four years.
This is going to greatly effect the U.S and the world if cell phone usage continues. Soon enough all house holds will completely wireless. Children as young as two years old will be exposed to cell phones when they talk to their grandparents who are across the country.
This is an epidemic. Something needs to be done, but what can be done? Americans have become so dependent on technology that we would lose our heads if we didn’t have our cell phones in our hands at every minute.
So, since it won’t be possible to pry cell phones out of the lives of Americans, here are some tips to lower your contact with cell phone emissions from the EMF:
1. Limit calls/keep them short.
2. Only allow children to use cell phones for emergencies.
3. Wear airtube headset.
4. Don’t put cell phone on belt or in pocket while it is on.
5. Wait for call to connect before placing it near your ear
6. Limit use inside metal areas such as cars or elevators.
7. Make a call when service bar is two or more.
8. Purchase a phone with low SAR.
9. Use a scientifically validated EMF phone
10. Take nutritional supplements.

I will continue to do more research on this topic and post more later. For now, visit these links:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/14/cell-phone-cancer-link-inconclusive-but-experts-advise-caution/?iref=werecommend

http://www.emf-health.com/articles-10tips.htm

http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phone-radiation-levels/

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020356-1.html

From New Zealand to America, It’s Bittersweet

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I am home from New Zealand, it was an awesome semester. I am back in Oswego now and living it up in Funnelle but I think the most important thing is all the photos and memories. I will miss my friends so much. I made friends in Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, England, Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Sumatra, China, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Fiji, and a whole bunch of South Pacific and Polynesian Islands.

It was the experience of a lifetime, I had some the of best times and learned so much. FYI New Zealand knows how to throw a good party. They also know how to study hard and get those grades. The classes I took there were some of the toughest I had ever been in by a long shot. I don’t know how I managed. I think it was just the drive that if I didn’t get all my stuff done then I would miss out on a weekend trip to the hot springs or the caves or just everything

I am back in Oz though and ready to take on the world. I am tired and only been back in the country for 1 week today but it is all worth it because Oz is where my home is at.

Check out my photos from my South Island trip. If you go, go to the South Island. It is so beautiful and clean that you can even drink the water. Its 98.8% pure water that runs from glaciers and mountains into blue rivers, it is so gorgeous. If you get the chance, do it. Don’t ask questions, just go because my pictures will never do it justice.

The Southern AlpsSeal ColonyThe beautiful and dangerous Tasman Sea
The Frans Josef Glacier

Full Circle

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I don’t know where the time has gone. In two weeks it will be a year since I first began blogging on here. It’s so funny how I wondered what things would be like in life after graduation. So here I am a year later. Senior year came and went. I enjoyed every minute of it. From time to time I check my pulse to ensure I’m a part of reality.

I have to admit I wish I was still there! But, a big part of growing up is leaving and moving forward to new horizons; inspiring horizons which is more like it. I face the world each day with a sense of fulfillment. I sense of freedom and hunger to explore the world. Life is great and I am very thankful for everything. This transition has been interesting. I am looking for my new love. My next big thing to wake up to every morning that puts a smile on my face. As I move forward to live the life of my dreams I look back to the years spent at Oswego and all that it has taught me. Oswego shall always be there and I’m always down for a visit or two.

My trip to Ghana!

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So I’ve had a lot of people ask me about my upcoming trip to Hohoe, Ghana, Africa :) , and I’ve decided to blog about it.

I will be going to Hohoe (ho-hway) for three weeks from Dec. 19th – Jan. 9th 2009/10. I cannot wait. I’m going through an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions. It’s separate from SUNY Oswego, so I will be going alone. Well, not technically alone because I’ll be rendezvousing with about 20 other volunteers from around the world.

Hohoe Picture from Wikipedia.org– Hohoe, Ghana
Hohoe is north of the check mark of Lake Volta (near the ocean).

Cross Cultural Solutions is an organization that takes volunteers all over the world to different areas of the globe to serve a need in specific communities. Different placements vary from teaching in elementary schools, teaching teachers English/Math, etc, providing daycare support for working families, working in elderly centers, or working in community developmental/community organizational situations. You don’t know your specific placement until a week or so before you go because they need to make sure they have a specific spot for you to fill as a volunteer.

You can go from a variety of different times – one week to one year – and basically go anywhere in the world. It’s not free, of course. This trip is running me around $5000-$6000 what with shots, visa, program fee, $2300 airplane tickets, and much more. But, it’s also a once in a lifetime experience. (Hopefully, it won’t be for me though!).

I’m gung ho, though, so I have been diligently raising money all summer via donations, candy sales, and sponsorship letters. I’m still around $700 short, which I need to have by the end of October. God willing, I’ll get that money! I’ve got faith in people though to help out.

The reason I’m going to Ghana is multi-faceted. I’m going to visit Africa, which I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little girl. I’m going to fill a need. I’m going to experience a new, completely unknown culture. I’m leaving my comfort zone to travel abroad relatively on my own. I’m also going to get a taste of the globe. I want to do international journalism or service that caters to an international, needy population, so I think that this is a good stepping off point. Oh, and I’ve always wanted to study abroad, but I won’t be able to because of finances and courses (try not to transfer colleges, it’s a PAIN!) So, this is the next best thing. I want to use my skills for a greater good while developing my own character at the same time.

This is going to be an incredible experience. I cannot wait. I’m not sure where I’m going to get placed. I’ve had experience with children (vacation Bible school, camp, retreats, dance choreographer). I’ve had experience with the elderly (working at a nursing home, going to church). I’ve also had a lot of experience with community group organization (too numerous to count- not bragging, just one of my passions). So, we’ll see where I get placed.

So, now that you’ve had a run down of my trip – I’ll give you some details about Ghana:

Official name= Republic of Ghana
Independence=March 6, 1957 (from Britain)
Capital City = Accra (A-car) – population ~ 2.5 million
Main Cities = Kumasi, Tamale, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tema
Geography = coastal plains, rain forest, savanna, and mountains
People = 22 million (99% Black African + 1% Lebanese)
Climate = Tropical, rainy summers, dry winters
Source: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture – Ghana—Ian Utley

That’s it for now. Oh, and I will be bringing school supplies and American novelties with me, so if anybody has extra notebooks, pencils, markers, colored pencils, etc., please let me know!

Ta-ta for now. :)

Celebrating Independence Day (March 6th)
Ghanian celebrating Independence Day Source: http://english.people.com.cn/200703/07/images/ghana4.jpg

Back to school, to prove to Dad I’m not a fool…

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Oh, back to school, back to school, to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight. I hope I don’t get in a fight. — Billy Madison

So, I’m back here in Oswego, living in Funnelle – same room/same roommate- different set-up, working in Cooper – dishwashing, writing for Oswegonian, attending Students for Global Change, and doing 8 million different things as once.

My Room in Funnelle

I tend to enjoy keeping myself busy from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. I’m a big planner and I try to maximize the definition of time management. A day planner is very helpful to do that. “From 4-6 p.m. I need to read, buy parking permit, eat, fold laundry, etc.” I also leave notes for myself on my desk to remember to call people or to do assignments. Organization is important to doing well in college. And acknowledgment of time constraints.

Enough of the boring stuff. Social life at college! It’s F U N ! It was great to come back to school and to see everyone you hadn’t seen in a couple of months. It’s nice in college to be able to go away for a while but then be able to pick up right where you left off.
My advice to people who are new to the school – keep an open door policy for the first couple of days (don’t let it be detrimental to your work, though). Also, maybe walk around your hall and introduce yourself to people you haven’t met yet. The easiest way to NOT make friends is to keep yourself holed up in your room. Get out of your comfort zone and walk around talking to people! You’ll be surprised at the people you meet who have trepidations about college life, just like you! You’ll make friends in no time.

School work (this is a piece meal blog this time). School work is a pain sometimes, yet it’s the reason why you’re in school in the first place. I personally am taking 18 credits plus three more hours added on to my web design class – plus two hours of choir and then my added on extracurriculars. SO, that being said, I have lots of school work and little time. But, like I said, I time manage to get it done. That also means sacrifice. So when my friends want to go out Friday and Saturday on every weekend, I have to weigh my options. Should I go out both nights and put my reading off til Sunday afternoon? Or should I go out one night and then go to bed early another night? Not the ideal situation to think about. In college, it’s supposed to be all parties all the weekend and no time for sleep or homework, right? That’s how I was freshman year, and I quickly learned that you can’t do it all by getting behind in my classes.
The most important thing to remember is your priorities. Is the party going to be so incredibly awesome that you can neglect to finish your paper on time? Maybe. Just remember to think before you go out! Not everybody parties hearty on the weekend (contrary to popular belief and the message we get from popular culture).

Mom spiel over. Go out and have fun, do your work, join organizations, and enjoy life! Don’t get too bogged down with life. Take a break and enjoy college!

‘Til next time…..

p.s. I got a free armchair from the side of the road, which I was super excited about… anyways.. It’s amazing, and it’s in my room. Named the “Reading Chair” or Agatha for all intents and purposes.
Agatha AGATHA!

Some useful sites!

http://collegetips.com

http://college-freshman.com

First day in Paris…

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My name is Tiffany Duquette. I am a senior at SUNY Oswego. I have two majors and they are Adolescence Education and French. My goal is to become a French Teacher. So, I am studying abroad in Paris, France for fall of 2009. I just got to my housing in Paris. I am staying at temporary housing at La maison des etudiants canadiens. Anyway, it has been a very long night and I still have to get through today. It’s 6:43 am in NY, which is what time zone I am on, but it’s 11:43 maybe 12:43 in Paris. Although, I am so tired and mentally exhausted that I really don’t know the time exactly. I guess that is what happens when to travel for over 16 hours and skip ahead in time zones.

500 Days of Summer Review

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A few months ago, I saw the trailer for the film 500 Days of Summer, and it instantly went on my mental list of movies that I had to see. Although I can’t recall the exact date, I remember that it was supposed to come out sometime in July, and when that date came, I realized that it was only playing in certain cities, and my city was not one of them, unfortunately, which I was pretty upset about, because I had been waiting and looking forward to it for so long. Thankfully, however, it just opened in my city this past weekend, so I finally got to see it.

As a whole, I really liked it. I thought that it was really cute and original. At first, I didn’t like the whole idea of time jumping around so randomly, but eventually, I became used to that, and now, I see it as one of the ways in which it was original. I really wish I could go into all of the ways in which I thought it was original, but if I do that, then I will be getting into heavy plot details, and I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone. I will do my best anyway; this is the type of the movie that is somewhat difficult to discuss and review without getting into plot details, so I will try to be as vague as possible.

I thought that the choice of acting was really good, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen and Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn. I really liked the way that Deschanel dealt with the character. Summer Finn is a firm feminist who doesn’t believe she has to give herself to any man, and her firm beliefs sometimes initiate stubbornness in her character, and I personally thought that Deschanel played this out so well. Gordon-Levitt played Tom’s role really well too, the casual, somewhat awkward Michael Cera-like dude that you would just naturally expect to be with a girl like Summer.

The plot follows the two of them who meet at a club and pursue a friendship. However, Tom likes Summer as more than just a friend, and even though the relationship starts to get a little bit more serious, such as the two of them becoming intimate, for example, Summer doesn’t want anything serious with him, and she doesn’t want to call what they have a relationship. Another reason why I found this movie to be original is that you see right at the beginning of the movie that she breaks up with him, but you don’t really know why or if they’ll end up back together or not.

However, my biggest problem with the movie was a personal one, which is why I say that overall, the movie was really good. I honestly couldn’t really connect with it or understand it, because I’m not in the same boat as the theme of the movie is. I am in a very serious, loving and trusting relationship, and I wasn’t really sure what this movie was trying to say. Perhaps, it was trying to say that love is only a fabrication, that it doesn’t actually exist, but I see that as being ridiculous. I offer that as a suggestion, because a line very similar to that is actually in the script. Another message that it could have been trying to convey is that events don’t happen because they are meant to be; everything is coincidence, but I don’t believe that either, so ultimately, I wasn’t really sure what to make of the movie, but like I said, it was really cute. The acting was really good, the soundtrack is exquisite, it’s cute, and the plot is original. Ultimately, it’s a decent “summer” movie.

New Year

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Welcome back, or for any freshmen reading this, it’s a mere welcome! So, here we are are back at college, and for me, the summer seems as if it really flew by! It doesn’t seem like that long ago at all that I was packing my bags and heading home for the summer, and now, my sophomore year has begun, and I’m thinking, “Wow, one year of college is already behind me,” and the thought is rather daunting to say the least. Forget about the summer flying by; everything is flying by! It doesn’t even seem like that long ago that I was in high school let alone a college freshman!

This year, I am living at Waterbury, and I actually really love it! The only part of it that I don’t like is that there is no dining hall connected to it. Lakeside and Cooper are approximately the same distance, with Lakeside perhaps being a bit closer, and right now, I don’t mind in in the least, but when it starts getting really cold, and the snow starts to fall, which basically always guarantees for ice, then it becomes something that I mind. Other than that, however, I really feel as if Waterbury matches me; whereas last year, when I moved into Oneida at the start of my freshman year, there was quite a bit that I didn’t like.
There’s always the homework, which never seems to end. For any freshmen reading this, keep that in mind. I made the mistake last year of assuming that college was going to be high school with a dorm room, and it’s not by any means. College gives a lot more homework than high school, and you need to do your best to manage your time, because I myself ran into a lot of problems last year with that, literally being driven insane with the homework and feeling as if I didn’t have enough time to do it. Already, I have been given a great deal, but I have figured out what to do differently.

The work actually doesn’t take as much time as is usually taken to complete it. The problem is when your mind wanders and wants to check Facebook, or go on AIM, or talk on the phone, or text, or eat, etc., and I therefore learned that I needed to go somewhere where distractions such as these weren’t going to be an issue, and what better place is there than the library? That’s therefore where I have been doing my work, because I have come to find that the work gets done a lot faster there. I feel more concentrated and “in the zone,” and things like Facebook and AIM don’t distract me, which is surprising, because if it’s not reading out of a book or something to that effect that needs to be done, I am on a computer, which still gives me the opportunity to steal time and hop onto Facebook, but for some reason, I don’t feel the temptation like I do in my dorm room. I think that it might be because in my dorm room, I am in a tighter, more enclosed space.

Another thing that I vowed to change about this year as opposed to last year is a more appropriate bedtime, which, so far, I have been doing a very good job upholding. Last year, I often went to bed at like 4 or 5 a.m., and that simply didn’t work, because then I had class, and I was exhausted, therefore taking a nap in the afternoon, losing more time. The first night that I was here, I went to bed at around 1, and last night, I went in at around 10 (I am currently sick and therefore felt pretty tired early). It’s been awesome, because this morning, I woke up at around 9:30 feeling totally revived and awake and got right up and went to the gym to workout. I even had time to do a little bit of work.

I know that this year is going to be better, despite the fact that my current issue with books is looking like a bad omen. I tried to get a job over the summer, but my attempts were futile, because no one was hiring, and I therefore have no money for books. Yesterday, I got my refund, which totaled over $300, and I figured for sure that that was going to be enough, but it isn’t. I bought everything yesterday except for what I need for two classes, Psychology and History, and that came to $213. My Psychology book is going to cost $90 used, and the books that I need for History are going to cost $40 and $60. To break it all down for you, I still need almost $200 and only have a little over $100. I’m trying to figure something out. My Psychology professor brought up a really good point in my class last night. He said that in the book that we will be using for our class, there will be roughly thirty pages out of the 150 or so that are really going to count, and yet we pay $90 for that book, which breaks down to approximately $3.00 per page; it’s ridiculous. Books are so expensive. I’m not looking at this as a bad omen, though, because I just have a very strong feeling that this is going to be a great year.

Mo’ people, mo’ problems…life of a human

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20 August 2009

I’ve been reading this book, The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman, and I’ve been traveling along this interesting journey with Weisman. The premise of the book is that humans have left the planet, basically by extinction. Remove the humans from the planet and what happens? Nature takes back over the planet.
Weisman talks about how humans are constantly repressing nature. He gives the example of weeds breaking up concrete sidewalks in the cities, tree roots taking over houses, and underground rivers taking over subway lines. We, as humans, are constantly cutting trees, pruning weeds or pumping away water just to keep nature back and to continue with our daily lives.
Throughout the whole book, Weisman writes about what life was like on earth without humans, and what it will be like without humans once again.

This led me to think about what the reasoning is behind our move towards global, environmental sustainability and change. Is it to take care of the earth or is it to take care of humans? Are we doing this all in self-interest, self-preservation? Or are we concerned about the animals and plants dying daily?
As the planet dies around us, humans are dying as well. We’re going to face a breaking point when the population reaches a maximum where the earth will no longer be able to sustain the amount of humans on this earth. At that point, the immense consumption of humans is going to hit a wall, and there’s going to be an immediate need for food and water.
Scientists claim that when the population reaches more than 10 billion people, the earth can sustain no more added human life, in terms of population growth. This means, based on Charles Darwin’s natural selection and the survival of the fittest, there’s going to be some catastrophe to or within the human race that will try to wipe out a segment of the population.
It’s considered scientific fact that when a population (i.e. humans) reaches carrying capacity and there are limited resources for a population, a battle begins for survival.

I think it’s easy, sometimes, to forget that we are a part of this world and depend on it rather than it owing us something and depending on us. After all, we are just advanced animals on the planet. Just because we’re the wisest of them all doesn’t mean that we can bypass the need for food and water and habitats.
It’s very interesting to wonder about how our human kind will adapt. Will we use our intellect and technology to figure out a way to trick nature into yielding more than is intended? Genetically engineered crops could be our food source in one hundred or two hundred years. Or, will we revert back to a more simplistic lifestyle that uses fewer resources and maximizes the use of those resources?
Who’s to know, really, until we get closer to the time. There are hundreds of estimates and theories about what will happen to us within the next 100 years to the next 100,000 years. It’s speculative because there are unknown factors that may play a part that we may or may not be aware of just yet. Humans could move in the direction of a complete change where they’re able to maintain life while maximizing the use of local resources. We can cut our consumption down and eat and use only what’s necessary. Or, we could keep going at this rate and see what sort of catastrophic change the human race is bound to encounter if we continue on our present course.

There’s no reason to despair, just yet. There is so much we can do to change our behavior and to contribute one of those unknown factors to the future of the human race.
The first step is education, the next action, and the final overhauling change. Step by step, we’ll see the progress of our changes.

Man vs. Nature