Yours,
Takeo Suzuki
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Takeo SUZUKI, Executive Director for International Relations
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (http://www.uafortsmith.edu/international)
5210 Grand Avenue, PO Box 3649, Fort Smith, Arkansas, 72913-3649, USA
tsuzuki@uafortsmith.edu, (Phone) 479-788-7166, (Fax) 479-788-7524, (Skype) takeo_uafs
Office: Vines 106 / NAFSA Arkansas Rep.
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From Tulsa to Denver
I am on my way to Denver. Antonela and two kids should be landing in three hours. My plan is to surprise them at the Denver airport and fly back to Tulsa, and then drive home all together. It takes almost 24 hours from Antonela’s parents’ home in Catici to our home in Fort Smith. Three of them stayed there for one month from July 11 to August 11. It was much more difficult than I expected or should say…hoped.
It is 4pm in Denver. I just talked with Antonela. Funny…she asked me where I was…hehehe….I did not answer the question…but changed the subject….cannot wait to see her face here. I can see a lot of British looking people are coming out from the gate. I hope she will not have any problems at the immigration and/or customs. So far….there were 6-7 people came out from the gate. Denver airport seems to be very clean and nice…it feels very modern and I like it….feel like I am in Kansai airport. This was so funny but I could not sleep last night at all…I fell asleep…maybe around 2am? And woke up at 6am….or yes it was even earlier….4pm and called Antonela in London. It is so nice to know she is coming back….this one month was looong and was boring and lonely.
I was watching Senator Specter’s town hall meeting this morning before going to the office. It was so entertaining that I did not want to leave. Majority of the people attending the meeting looked like they do not support the Health Care Reform. No, I have not read the bill or do not know the content of the entire reform; however I am in favor of the concept the reform in general. I just do not understand the people shouting against the senator while he was making a point. There is no difference between what they are doing in these town hall meetings from the crazy national assembly meetings in China or Japan. It is always good to encourage sharing the ideas and opinions,, and it should be highly recommended when we talk about the bill like this important. The audience or constituents, or whatever and whoever, do nothing but destructing people from the pure nature of the common sense. Really, this is the lowest quality of people’s gatherings which I do not know how the parents and the teachers can explain to their kids from the fact what they are watching.
The beauty of the US foundation heavily relies on freedom and individualism. It is okay to be a little extra selfish when the selfishness will be regarded as out of the comfort zones in other foreign countries. When the people who are against the health care reform are trying to make a point, one of the most common argument comes from that they do not want to be controlled by the government. The government control is evil and that is not go well with the constitution, or violation of the freedom. It is not their business, but not the governments. Yes, they say, it is not their business, but my business.
Same argument happens when they talk about the gun control. It is their right to protect themselves from the other with their own weapon. They do not want to be unguarded when nobody can protect them on behalf. To the contrary, when they argue about the abortion right, they think they can step into other people’s toe. Well clearly this shows their double standard. …which is fine with me, but I will not be convinced from the arguments with completely opposite views for the same rights or/and privilege.
2009/01/19
It us 10:11am, and we signed all the papers to be discharged from the hospital.
Leon and Hana are sleeping, and we decided to wait until Hana wakes up.
We came to the hospital at 5am on Friday, January 17th...
and Leon came in at 6:44am.
It was such a short notice, and I just cannnot believe that we had a baby...
Hana and I went home on Friday, and spent a night at home.
It was not a easy job for me to put her asleep...she was crying so hard...and it took me long time to make her asleep.
I am hangry and sleepy...
Looking around and I just noticed I am the only Asian here…as long as my eyes can reach. I saw some Japanese tourists in the airplane…but not here at the waiting lounge…for Merida. This trip is very different from the one I usually organize…I do not know much about the city I will stay, nor I even do not have an address of the hotel. I know I can just catch a taxi or something to get to the airport…and hoping it will not cost more than $50US from the airport to the hotel. I know there is an Americn/English library and they provide free Spanish language programs every Monday, in exchange for English tutor…I might just try it out….this Monday by myself. I googled and found out that there is a Wal-Mart supercenter and a Japanese sushi restaurant. Sushi is not particularly something I want to eat, but I might try some Japanese dish there one night.
アーカンソー大学フォートスミス校のフェイスブックページ
